Tag: chris bey

Jordynne Grace will defend her Knockouts title against Miyu Yamashita on the Under Siege go-home edition of tonight’s TNA Impact.

This will be the Japanese star’s first appearance in TNA since a four-way no. 1 contender’s match at March 2023’s Multiverse United show. Grace will be gunning for her seventh title defense in this first-time-ever match.

In a bout to determine who will get a shot at X-Division Champion Mustafa Ali at tomorrow’s streaming special, rivals and former champions Ace Austin and Trey Miguel will do battle.

Ali will be in non-title action on the show as he faces Austin’s partner Chris Bey.

In a preview of Friday’s Knockouts Tag Team title match, Spitfire’s Dani Luna will take on Alisha Edwards. Luna and Jody Threat will defend against Edwards and Masha Slamovich.

After their continued rivalry, Joe Hendry will issue an in-ring apology to AJ Francis and Rich Swann in musical form.

Our coverage will begin at 8:30 PM Eastern when the show goes live on YouTube for Insiders.

**********

We started with a recap of last week, during which Nic Nemeth faced defeat, felt “broken,” and met with a new ally in Matt Hardy. The System is not impressed, with Eddie Edwards comparing Nemeth to Eric Angle. The staredown between Knockouts Champion Jordynne Grace and TJPW ace Miyu Yamashita led to our opening video. 

X-Division Mustafa Ali defeated Chris Bey in a non-title match

We were greeted by AJ Francis and Rich Swann boasting on the balcony of The Palms. Francis enjoys the view with his entourage, including Houston rapper Bun B.  Ali gained early control of the in-ring action, with Bey throwing big shots to sway momentum. His opportunity opened up when he nailed a coast-to-coast elbow for a near fall. Ali switched gears from his methodical pace to a much more physical showing. There were heavy hits from both guys, with Ace Austin doing good work at ringside, even causing a distraction leading to a series of dives to the outside from both competitors. One of Ali’s security guards would wave his flag into the back of Bey, allowing Ali to hit his smooth 450 splash, capping off a good match. Bey’s partner, Ace, would be in action later. 

Alisha Edwards defeated Dani Luna

Spitfire makes their entrance to the sound of Rancid’s Lars Frederiksen on commentary, which isn’t bad. Alisha is accompanied by her newest ally, Masha Slamovich. Things started hot, and Luna showed off her power early on. Lish would fire back with flashy maneuvers, which Luna provided an excellent base for. Lish soaked in the heat as Lars reminisced on meeting Jody Threat, finding her mid-sip on a forty-ounce outside after she got kicked out of his concert. Luna started her comeback with a rope-assisted Blue Thunder Bomb. Both partners get involved, causing a distraction, as Masha storms the ring and hits a beautiful spinning backkick and Snow Plow, assisting Lish to a nice victory.

– A vignette aired for DMTV which Sami Callihan explained as “Death Machine TV, “where he spits and does Sami Callihan things.” It looked to be the beginning of a new chapter for Callihan, who likes to keep things fresh. 

Hammerstone defeated Cody Deaner

Hammerstone roasts Cody Deaner’s new attitude and challenges him to an arm wrestling match. Deaner finds it amusing but counters with a “Sin City Street Fight,” ultimately leaving it up to the people to decide. We chose the latter, and the bell rang with Deaner jumping Hammerstone at the start. Hammerstone dominated early on until Deaner could create separation with a steel chair. Hammerstone regained momentum, chokeslamming Deaner through a table and tapping him with the torture rack. After the match, he looked to add insult to injury, but Deaner’s former cousin, Jake Something, made a delayed save. Security got between them until they were roared off, leading to a staredown and Hammerstone removing himself from the ring. It was nice to see Jake Something presented as more of a threat than ever, and Hammerstone is a natural fit for TNA. 

– Santino Marella met with Jonathan Gresham and welcomed him back. He eventually shook his hand, which resulted in Gresham inking on him. Gresham was then met by his possible alter ego, donning the Octopus mask. 

– Broken Matt Hardy and Speedball Mountain had some fighting words for The System. This was an amusing clash of personalities. 

Joe Hendry’s apology song

Hendry had a mic, guitar, rug, and spotlight, and boy, did he shine. Enhanced by AJ Francis’s disgusted expression, Hendry played his greatest hits to remind us of what led to this beef. This warmed the crowd up, preparing them for his apology song, which was to the tune of Creed. With a chorus begging for the former Top Dolla’s release, the concert closed with a fuming First Class and a hot crowd. Great segment.

– Gia Miller introduced The System on stage, who delivered some generic words threatening Matt Hardy and Speedball Mountain. Doing this as a live interview was an interesting choice. 

Ace Austin defeated Trey Miguel to earn an X-Division title shot at Under Siege

A rivalry was renewed here, although Trey’s mom was nowhere to be found. Up for grabs, however, was a shot at Mustafa Ali and his X-Division Championship tomorrow night at Under Siege. The match was slower-paced, with both men selling their knees. Eventually, this and a temper tantrum led to The Fold from Ace Austin for a 1-2-3. This was pretty good and set up Ace for what should be a great match with Ali. 

TNA Knockouts Champion Jordynne Grace defeated Miyu Yamashita to retain the title

The balcony stayed warm as Ash, by Elegance, was welcomed by her Personal Concierge. The match was a display of power vs. striking, with things being evenly matched throughout. Grace and Yamashita met in the middle, colliding with a back fist and kick simultaneously. Some solid exchanges led to a Skull Kick countered into a Juggernaut Driver, allowing Grace to retain. After the match, Kon and Steph De Lander jumped the Champion, promising to snap her neck, before the lights went out and PCO made the save. PCO and Grace cleared the ring and gained momentum, heading into Under Siege.  

Final Thoughts:

Under Siege gained momentum this week despite being a largely skippable card on paper. 

The X-Division matches tonight were solid. Ace Austin was put in a singles position for tomorrow night, which he always excels in. 

The Knockouts division is a bit strange right now, albeit fresh. Kon filling in for Cardona makes the story a bit less natural, but SDL is doing good work as a strong heel character, and I’m curious to see where it goes. Yamashita is one of the best, and I’d love to see her become more comfortable working in America. 

Also, Joe Hendry’s performance tonight was fantastic, and he continues to be one of the most valuable pro wrestlers in the world. Seeing how TNA handles his recently acquired success on the music charts should be interesting.  

Overall, tonight was a good show, with a lot of promise for future shows and stories.