Steph De Lander is the new number one contender to the TNA Knockouts World Championship and will challenge for the title at Rebellion.
As a last-minute replacement for Ash by Elegance, De Lander won the 8-4-1 match on Thursday’s Impact Wrestling with assistance from Matt Cardona to become the new number one contender to the Knockouts title.
Rosemary, Xia Brookside, Dani Luna, & De Lander were victorious over Masha Slamovich, Jody Threat, Havok, & Alisha Edwards in the 8-4 portion of Thursday’s 8-4-1 bout, then De Lander won the four-way over Luna, Brookside, & Rosemary with interference from Cardona. TNA then announced that the title match for Rebellion.
Five matches are now official for Rebellion set for Saturday, April 20. The event will air at 8 p.m. Eastern time on pay-per-view. The current lineup:
TNA World Champion Moose defends against Nic Nemeth
TNA Knockouts World Champion Jordynne Grace defends against Steph De Lander
TNA X-Division Champion Mustafa Ali defends against Jake Something
TNA Tag Team Champions The System (Eddie Edwards & Brian Myers) defend against Speedball Mountain (Mike Bailey & Trent Seven)
Eric Young vs. Frankie Kazarian in a Full Metal Mayhem match
The build for TNA Rebellion continues as Knockouts champion Jordynne Grace defends her title against Tasha Steelz.
Elsewhere, X Division champion Mustafa Ali books a six-man match to determine his next challenger but ends up disappointed by the surprising winner, the Time Splitters square off against the Grizzled Young Veterans with a result that’s shocking for multiple reasons, Crazzy Steve defends the Digital Media title in a violent-but-nonetheless-boring spectacle, Eric Young issues a heavy challenge to Frankie Kazarian, and tension builds between TNA champion Moose and his Rebellion challenger Nic Nemeth.
The following are spoilers from Friday’s TNA Impact TV taping in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania — the first of two nights of tapings from the 2300 Arena.
All matches taking place this weekend will be seen over the next four weeks on TNA Impact and Xplosion as the company closes in on their Rebellion pay-per-view in Las Vegas on April 20th.
The big news coming out of the taping was the return of both former Digital Media Champion Matt Cardona and Steph De Lander. De Lander made her debut for the company in January 2023 and was part of the Down Under tour last summer while Cardona last appeared at last October’s Bound for Glory gauntlet match.
De Lander won the second-ever 8-4-1 match to earn a Knockouts title shot against Jordynne Grace at Rebellion — a rematch from last January that Grace won.
For Xplosion: Tasha Steelz defeated Ava Everett
In the first part of an 8-4-1 match, Rosemary, Xia Brookside, Dani Luna & Steph De Lander defeated Havok, Jody Threat, Alisha Edwards & Masha Slamovich
In the second part, De Lander defeated Rosemary, Xia Brookside & Dani Luna in a four-way to earn a Knockouts title shot against Grace at Rebellion. De Lander was aided by Cardona for the win.
Grizzled Young Vets (James Drake & Zack Gibson) defeated Deaner in a handicap match
Josh Alexander defeated Tracy Williams. Alex Hammerstone attacked both men afterward.
Eddie Edwards defeated Mike Bailey after Alisha Edwards interfered
Steve Maclin defeated Chris Sabin
X-Division Champion Mustafa Ali defeated Rhino in an old school rules (anything goes) match.
Hammerstone cut a promo and then put a cameraman in the torture rack.
The Rascalz (Trey Miguel & Zachary Wentz) defeated The FBI (Zack Clayton & Ray Jaz). Myron Reed made his return to help The Rascalz win. This was also Clayton’s TNA debut and his first match anywhere since his departure from AEW/ROH last summer.
TNA Digital Media Champion Crazzy Steve defeated Laredo Kid via DQ to retain
First Class (AJ Francis & Rich Swann) defeated ABC (Chris Bey & Ace Austin). Francis and Swann cut a promo earlier in the show introducing their new team name and Swann vs. Joe Hendry was made for Rebellion.
A contract signing between Grace and De Lander went awry after Cardona accidentally knocked Santino Marella down which led to Grace knocking Cardona down. The heels put Grace through a table.
Jake Something defeated James Drake. Deaner made the save for former partner Something after Zack Gibson attacked Something post-match.
Hammerstone defeated Lil’ Guido. Alexander and Hammerstone had a staredown afterward.
Jordynne Grace will defend her Knockouts title on next Thursday’s TNA Impact as she takes on former champion Tasha Steelz.
Steelz called for the match on Thursday’s show after she was upset with the result of a three-way title defense that included herself, Grace and Xia Brookside at this month’s Sacrifice. Pointing out that she was never pinned in the match, Steelz demanded another shot which Grace accepted off-camera.
This will be their fourth singles meeting in TNA and the third with the title on the line. While Steelz won the first match, Grace is 2-0 in the title defenses.
The show will also feature another title bout as Digital Media Champion Crazzy Steve defends against PCO.
Also announced for next week was a tag team match that will see the Time Splitters (Alex Shelley & KUSHIDA) against the Grizzled Young Veterans. After Shelley, KUSHIDA and Chris Sabin lost to the Veterans and Mustafa Ali at Sacrifice, Zack Gibson and James Drake called their shot Thursday which Shelley accepted for himself and KUSHIDA, adding to a growing divide between Shelley and longtime partner Chris Sabin.
Ash by Elegance will also be back in action, looking to remain undefeated at 3-0. Her opponent was not named.
Here’s the current lineup:
TNA Knockouts Champion Jordynne Grace defends against Tasha Steelz
Grizzled Young Veterans (James Drake & Zack Gibson) vs. Time Splitters (Alex Shelley & KUSHIDA)
TNA Digital Media Champion Crazzy Steve defends against PCO
It’s the long-awaited review of Sacrifice, the latest PPV/PLE/app special from Total Nonstop Action.
The show had some good stuff—Nic Nemeth vs. Steve Maclin, Brian Myers & Eddie Edwards challenging the ABC for the tag titles, Mustafa Ali & the Grizzled Young Veterans vs. Time Machine, and Jordynne Grace defending the Knockouts title against Xia Brookside and Tasha Steelz.
But it also had some stuff that felt like it belonged on another show in another era—Kon vs. PCO, Josh Alexander vs. Hammerstone, and Moose defending the TNA title against Eric Young in the main event. And finally, it had the Knockouts tag division, which pretty much always sucks.
For more details, listen right away to the latest edition of The Big Vinny V Show!
Here are some notes from TNA No Surrender which took place Friday in New Orleans — the first show the company has held since the surprising firing of Scott D’Amore.
MK Ultra regained the TNA Knockouts Tag Team titles at No Surrender, taking the gold from now-former champions Decay.
The end came when Havok hit a spinebuster on Killer Kelly for a near fall, leading to her teammate Rosemary looking for a spear to end it. However, she took a Snow Plow from Masha Slamovich to give MK Ultra the win.
Slamovich and Kelly held the titles for roughly six months from the summer of 2023 through January’s Hard to Kill when they lost the titles to Havok and Rosemary. This was the champions’ first title defense.
In a rematch from January’s Hard to Kill, Moose retained the TNA World title by defeating Alex Shelley under No Surrender rules which means the match could only end after one of the two men’s cornermen threw in the towel. KUSHIDA did the duties for Shelley after the challenger took three spears, including one with a chain wrapped around Moose.
After winning the title at Hard to Kill, Knockouts Champion Jordynne Grace successfully retained the title by defeating past title challenger Gisele Shaw. Shaw had earned the shot with her win in an Ultimate X match at Hard to Kill.
ABC (Ace Austin & Chris Bey) successfully defended the TNA Tag Team titles by defeating the Grizzled Young Veterans (James Drake & Zack Gibson) in the third of their best-of-three series. The first two matches took place on TNA Impact.
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Eric Young will once again have the opportunity to be called TNA World Champion for a third time after he defeated recent rival Frankie Kazarian to earn a future title shot.
Young first won the title in the spring of 2014, holding the gold for 70 days before losing it to Bobby Lashley. Six years later, Young held the title for a short two-month run in September/October 2020 before losing it to Rich Swann at that year’s Bound for Glory.
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PWInsider reported that all the top Anthem Sports & Entertainment executives were on hand in New Orleans for the first event after D’Amore’s firing.
The outlet also reported an attendance of 750 for the show and that the company added more seats after initially being set up for 600.
TNA will hold their first streaming event in the post-Scott D’Amore era with tonight’s No Surrender, live from New Orleans, Louisiana, on TNA+.
The event is headlined by TNA World Champion Moose defending against Alex Shelley in a rematch from January’s Hard to Kill but under No Surrender rules where a cornerman must throw in the towel for the match to end.
Mustafa Ali will make his TNA debut as he challenges X-Division Champion Chris Sabin for the title.
Knockouts Champion Jordynne Grace will defend against Gisele Shaw while the TNA Tag Team titles will be decided in the best-of-three finale between champions ABC and the Grizzled Young Veterans.
Josh Alexander will face Simon Gotch, and Eric Young will take on Frankie Kazarian to determine the next World title contender.
Other main card matches will see PCO vs. Kon, and Knockouts Tag Team Champions Decay defending against MK Ultra in a rematch.
The pre-show kicks off at 7:30 PM Eastern with two matches.
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The Rascalz (Trey Miguel & Zachary Wentz) defeated Speedball Mountain (Mike Bailey & Trent Seven)
The heel Rascalz got a hot start with a double suicide dive to the floor before Wentz worked over the knee of Bailey on the ground. A missed Bailey split kick attempt led to him eating a flurry of kicks for 2. Bailey recovered enough to land a second-rope missile dropkick and got a hot tag into Seven, who landed a series of back to back dragon suplexes on the Rascalz for 2.
Bailey hit an orihara moonsault en route to Trent landing a superplex and a shooting star from Beily got 2 on Miguel. Bailey tagged back for a seven star lariat on Miguel for 2. Wentz prevented Ultima Weapon and landed a second rope double stomp on Bailey for 2. Miguel ate a superkick and the ref’s distracted before a Maclin chop block to a Bailey tapout off a kneebar.
The TNA World Title match is hyped with a recap video covering the different allies involved in the No Surrender match and the stipulation itself. Kazarian said that whoever wins in that match faces him at Sacrifice because he’s not in this for meaningless matches.
The System (Eddie Edwards & Brian Myers) defeated Jet Setters (KUSHIDA & Kevin Knight
Knight started off strong taking both members of the System down before armdragging Edwards down. KUSHIDA is tagged in after a shoulder pumphandle, but ate a back elbow from Myers before Edwards came in. KUSHIDA landed a hiptoss to Edwards but can’t tag in Knight due to Knight being taken out on the apron. A punt to the right arm of Edwards led to a double-tag.
Knight came in and punched and kicked both guys before taking them down with a dive to put Myers up to land a flat-footed top rope rana from the corner for 2. KUSHIDA put Myers on his shoulders and Knight paid homage to Mark Jindrak with a dropkick to a man in that position for 2. Myers recovered briefly with a desperation impaler DDT. Edwards got a backpack stunner out of the corner before a Myers diving elbow got a fantastic 2.5 count. Knight got a schoolboy for 2 before a combination of the Roster Cut lariat and the Boston Knee Party took out Knight.
Eric Young defeated Frankie Kazarian to earn a future TNA World title match
Kazarian forced Jade Chung to remind the crowd that he is the King of TNA, ensuring that he got heat throughout the match. Kazarian ground away on the mat to start after winning a tie-up and a takedown. Kaz landed a nice back suplex before stomping away. Hannifan talks about how each man got a shot against Josh Alexander in 2022 and came up short.
Kazarian wanted the blind-dive springboard legdrop, but EY avoided it and landed a wonky Roode Bomb for 2. An EY diving elbow off the top got 2 before Kazarian got the Jerry Lynn-style slingshot apron legdrop for 2. Kazarian couldn’t get the chickenwing, but slung EY in after his apron bump for a cutter for 2. That was one of the most-impressive spots in the new TNA era. Kazarian landed a backstabber and Fade to Black for 2.9! Kazarian argued with the referee and an EY crucifix got the win!
After the match, Kazarian yelled at the ref and sent him down with a clothesline before landing a series of grounded kicks and grounded elbows and punches. Tom Hannifan is such a great babyface announcer being offended by all of this logically. Gia Miller chats with the Grizzled Young Veterans, who say that they are in fact Grizzled Young Veterans and they came to America for the TNA Tag Team Titles.
ABC (Ace Austin & Chris Bey) defeated Grizzled Young Veterans (James Drake & Zack Gibson) to retain the TNA Tag Team Titles
Gibson and Austin started off with GIbson going for the arm that was hurt in match two before Drake came in and ate a high/low and a Click Click Boom double team splash/legdrop for 2 from Bey. Bey ate a double-team stun gun – giving him a weakness alongside Bey’s left arm. Gibson landed an outside-in suplex for 2 before Drake worked over the throat of Bey more with a chinlock.
Bey landed a desperation missile dropkick and wanted a tag, but Drake sent Austin off the apron to prevent the tag before Drake choked out Bey with a scarf. These two teams have fantastic chemistry and you couldn’t really ask for a better set of teams to be the foundation of a modern-day TNA tag team division. Bey got a desperation neckbreaker and tagged in Ace Austin.
Austin ran wild until being double-teamed and fighting back with a double missile-dropkick! Massive moonsault from Austin gave the faces an edge for a bit before Bey tagged in and landed a frog splash. Bey landed a Yokasuka cutter before an Austin corkscrew senton, but the GYV locked on submissions right after with a rear naked choke on Bey and an armbar on Austin! Bey got 2 off a flip off on the RNC. The GYVs land a doomsday device suicide dive lariat onto Austin on the floor!
Bey stood alone against both members of the GYV and kicked away at both men to give himself a slight advantage until a run-up famouser on Gibson. Gibson trapped him in the corner for a draping lungblower and a Drake coast to coast dropkick got 2.9! 1-2- SWEET ENDS IT and the ABC retain the TNA World Tag Titles in the best of three series.
Backstage, the Rascalz are cocky jerks to Speedball Mountain. Kon came out for his match with PCO looking like the largest grunge bodyguard ever while PCO got a bit stretcher entrance.
PCO defeats Kon by DQ
PCO and Kon started off with clubbering and clotheslines after brawling on the ramp. PCO went for a suicide dive cannonball, but Kon avoided it and PCO went splat on the floor before taking an apron chokeslam. He recovered from that to post Kon and set him up for the draping Deanimator that missed! Kon grabbed a steel chair and he hit him and that’s a DQ. There are DQs in PCO matches!? PCO does the theatrical neck snap while someone rings the bell a thousand times. Do the neck snap on them! Well, he punched them and threw them down – so I’ll count that as close enough. PCO landed the suicide dive cannonball! PCO sent him down with a chairshot before eating a low blow and a chokeslam on the ramp. Kon zip tied PCO to the tunnel and does the neck snapper again…now with a chair to somehow do more damage. This was good before the weird finish.
Backstage, Shelley talks about how he doesn’t want Sabin out there because he’s in the main event. Sabin demands that the Jet Setters absolutely can’t throw the towel in and Shelley tells them to not throw it in no matter what.
MK Ultra (Killer Kelly & Masha Slamovich) defeated Decay (Rosemary & Havok to win the TNA Knockouts Tag Team titles
All four women brawled on the floor to start before Havok worked over Slamovich before landing a corner lariat. A Rosemary tag in led to an exploder for 2. Kelly tripped up Rosemary for 2. Slamovich earned her name slamming Kelly on Rosemary twice. A Kelly slap is countered into a Rosemary rainmaker for 2. Rosemary and Kelly went back and forth with creepy pin counters for 2 before Slamovich cane in. Rosemary got an edge-o-matic on Slamovich before a double tag. Havok landed a spinebuster to Kelly for 2. Rosemary wanted a spear but ate a Snow Plow for the win!
MK Ultra got a couple of cheap shots in after the match before Dani Luna and Jody Threat made the same. The System tells Moose that they saved him from the Border City Stretch last night, but they won’t throw in the towel. Rehwoldt talks up how deranged Gotch is and how bitter he became over seeing what kind of success Alexander has had.
Josh Alexander defeated Simon Gotch
Gotch and Alexander started off with strong, intense matwork before Gotch goes for finger manipulation to get an advantage. Gotch and Alexander exchange sick uppercuts and chops respectfully. One fantastic thing about this program for Gotch is that it’s giving him a chance to rewrite that name from being comedy into something more serious – it’s a shame that the Gotch name was used for comedy in that regard.
Gotch sent Alexander down on the apron before posing next to Rehwoldt and saying that THEY ARE MANLY! Gotch shot the half for 2 before locking on an armbar on the right arm before switching on the surgically-repaired left arm. Alexander landed rolling Germans and stopping at four before Gotch grabbed the rope and landed a back elbow and a kick to the ear of Alexander.
Both men exchange hard slaps to the jaw before Gotch nails him with a head-trapped knee to the face. A Gotch senton missed, but an Alexander splash to the back on the apron didn’t. They go for a fantastic near-countout barely making it in before 10 in a rare non-AEW example of a countout working well in North America. Back and forth forearm exchanges set up a giant Gotch boot before an Alexander one and they go even on lariats too. A running boot gives Alexander the edge and a “this is awesome” chant.
Alexander got 2 on an exploder and wanted a C4 Spike, but Gotch avoided it into a bulldog choke by moving the headgear around. Alexander used the headgear to slip out of the choke and got the ankle lock. Powerbomb backbreaker and the C4 Spike end it for Alexander!
0 AJ Francis meets with Rich Swann and tells him that it must be hard to see a former World Champion like Alexander succeeding while he’s losing on Xplosion. Francis says that just because they’re opponents on Thursday doesn’t mean they’re enemies. AJ Francis is doing the best work of his career in this TNA run.
Moose defeated Alex Shelley to retain the TNA World Title in a No Surrender Match
Shelley started off quickly with punches and diving forearms in the corner before he ground away on the left arm. Moose used the good arm for a snake eyes attempt that Shelley avoided and turned into an opening for a left-arm Fujiawara armbar. A Moose escape opened the door for a big boot on the floor and apron powerbomb before working Shelley over with a ringpost bow and arrow.
Moose wanted a slam through the announce table, but an eye rake prevented that and gave Shelley a chance to take Moose down on the floor. Shelley worked on the left knee on the floor until being kicked into the post. Shelley returned the favor and removed coverings on the turnbuckle to torture the fingers to try and get a win but to no avail.
Moose recovered well enough to use the good hand to slug away for a while before trapping Shelley’s hands in the turnbuckle for a chairshot. Shelley recovered and sent Moose into the ropes for a draping dragon screw to play off all the work on the leg on the floor earlier. Shelley used a kendo stick on the left leg in the corner before doing a golf club-style swing to it and using the kendo stick for the half-crab. Myers breaks that up by getting on the apron and Edwards gets the stick.
Moose landed a uranage before Myers tossed in a trash can that Moose set upright for a superplex! Shelley avoided that and sent Moose onto his own creation with a powerbomb. Shelley grounded him with a figure four that Moose escaped from using the kendo stick. Moose sent him down with a giant Gunther-esque chop before Moose charged in and was met with another Fujiwara armbar turned into a Border City Stretch!
Moose escaped that but fell to his own spear attempt through a table that sent him crashing through. Shelley grabbed a chain and put it through the mouth of Moose for the Stretch before the System tried to get involved before Knight dove onto them. Moose speared Shelley with KUSHIDA in the ring and KUSHIDA leaves before Moose landed a second spear. A third spear hits using the chain on his shoulder to do even more damage to KUSHIDA’s friend. The usage of the seconds and the towel is very much just TNA putting an official stipulation to the Survivor Series ’94 I Quit stipulation and that third spear was too much as KUSHIDA throws in the towel. I’m pleasantly surprised to see Sabin didn’t turn heel on this one and it set up KUSHIDA vs. Shelley at some point. Ash by Elegance and her personal concierge are out for the VIP treatment for the Knockouts Title match.
Jordynne Grace defeated Gisele Shaw to retain the TNA Knockouts Title
They start off with a cat and mouse game that Grace won briefly by smacking her into the apron, but Shaw sent her off the apron to the floor. Grace calls out Ash by Elegance, who looked on unamused before Shaw gained an edge and landed a tornado kick to the back of the head in the corner. Grace hopped out of the corner and landed a series of slams.
Shaw went for a sunset bomb on Grace on the floor, but had no leverage or power and Grace had her hands locked, so she just stomped her and hit a senton. Grace wanted a Juggernaut Driver to the floor off the apron, but Shaw countered into a Spanish Fly off the apron instead!
Shaw landed a knee strike for 2.5. This pisses Shaw off and they go back and forth with forearm exchanges before a Cody Cutter attempt by Shaw is met with a crucifix for 2. Backfist and the Juggernaut Driver end it – this was an excellent showing for both women. Shaw has never looked better in TNA and it was a fine showcase for Grace as a blend of speed and power.
Jake Something hypes up Ali vs. Sabin as the main event and says he’s coming for the gold. Sacrifice is hyped as the next premium live event for the company on March 8 before running through their taping schedule. Clips air of the legendary Unbreakable triple threat to set up this as the first X Title main event on PPV in 18 years. Ali has his faux-Secret Service and intense theme giving him a main event-level presentation on a global stage for the first time ever.
Mustafa Ali defeated Chris Sabin to win the TNA X-Division Title
They go back and forth with fast matwork to start before a standoff mid-ring after they each go for a dropkick at the same time. Sabin sent him down with a tackle and grounds him with a seated surfboard. A Sabin bow and arrow was turned into a pin for 2. A Sabin sleeper is turned into an Ali jawbreaker. Ali landed a slick 450 to the draped arm on the rope gives Ali an edge.
Ali locks on a crossface and uses the damaged arm as his base for the hold. Ali stomped the arm while saying that Sabin isn’t the champion they deserve. Sabin landed a tornado DDT for 2. A Sabin crucifix into a crossface shows a rare side of Sabin’s submission game before a massive “Ali” chant breaks out. Sabin works heel here with the ref while in the story, Ali should be the heel because he’s putting down the company loyalist.
Ali dropkicks Sabin on the floor and a 450 is avoided and Sabin sent him face-first into the buckle with a hard hammer throw. Sabin dives onto the Secret Service goons to save Ali. The Good Hands came down to distract Sabin, allowing Ali to get 2 off a schoolboy. Clothesline from Hell, Michigan hits hard and the Cradle Shock gets 2.5 when Ali just straight-up kicks out!
Sabin goes up for an avalanche Cradle Shock, but Ali avoids it and hits a sunset bomb before the 450 wins it! Mustafa Ali wins the X Title in his TNA Debut! This was a fantastic overall in-ring story with Sabin as the character babyface, but Ali as the more over man in the match.
TNA World Champion Moose will take on KUSHIDA in non-title action with everyone banned from ringside on tonight’s TNA Impact on AXS.
The reason for the stipulation is due to last week’s brawl that involved Moose, Eddie Edwards, KUSHIDA, Alex Shelley and Kevin Knight.
In the second bout in their best-of-three series for the TNA Tag Team titles, ABC will face the Grizzled Young Veterans who picked up a win last week. With a victory tonight, James Drake and Zack Gibson would become new champions.
TNA Knockouts Champion Jordynne Grace will face Savannah Evans in non-title action. Evans was given one last chance by Gisele Shaw to prove herself following her and Jai Vidal’s firing last week.
Ash by Elegance (the former Dana Brooke in WWE) will make her TNA Impact TV debut in a live promo.
Other action includes Digital Media Champion Crazzy Steve defending against Rhino, Frankie Kazarian vs. Jake Something, and Joe Hendry vs. Deaner.
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Watching TNA in the post-Scott D’Amore era certainly has a different feel to it, doesn’t it? This was taped in Kissimmee, Florida, prior to all of the craziness from the last week, but we’ll see what the vibe is at next Friday’s No Surrender.
Frankie Kazarian defeated Jake Something
Two D’Amore guys opened things up as the newly-turned heel Kazarian continued to be just that. He is still ahead of Father Time at 46 years old and looking more like 26.
The two traded nearfalls at the closing stages, eliciting a “TNA” chant from an otherwise dead crowd. Kazarian got the pin after pulling Something from a seated position off the top rope, smashing his head on the top turnbuckle. He then stacked Something up for a pin and grabbed the bottom rope for leverage and his second straight win. Something’s three-match win streak was snapped.
Eric Young was shown watching Kazarian from behind the curtain and later cut a promo challenging him to a face-to-face confrontation in the ring next week.
TNA Knockouts Champion Jordynne Grace defeated Savannah Evans (w/ Gisele Shaw) in a non-title match
The backstory here: Evans was “fired” by Shaw last week along with Jai Vidal as she was tired of their efforts to help her out. Evans asked for another chance and Shaw suggested she take on Grace who she challenges at No Surrender for the title.
This was over quickly as after some back and forth, Grace hit a muscle buster out of the corner to pick up the win. Afterward, Shaw nailed Grace and Evans with her Ultimate X trophy (?) won at Hard to Kill. This felt like Evans’ swan song with TNA while I’m wondering how Shaw feels about the promotion given what happened to D’Amore.
– Gia Miller was backstage when she was interrupted by Ash by Elegance’s concierge and then Ash herself. She made an announcement that next week would be her TNA in-ring debut. I thought she was going to do this promo in the ring, but they are really taking their time getting her going. She debuted at Hard to Kill last month and still hasn’t been in front of the fans yet. Alrighty then. I will say her concierge is a great talker.
– Alan Angels did a backstage Sound Check interview segment with Simon Gotch. Gotch put over how tough Josh Alexander was in coming back from a broken neck five years ago, but that the details in his fairy tale comeback to being signed by TNA and winning the title was missing details: that it was Gotch who pushed him to the limits in Alexander’s comeback match. He is upset Alexander got the win and future opportunities that night while he got overlooked. Alexander then busted in and went face-to-face with Gotch until they got into a pull apart. This was unexpectedly good.
ABC (Chris Bey & Ace Austin) defeated Grizzled Young Veterans (James Drake & Zack Gibson) to tie up their best-of-three series
The Veterans won last week and with a win this week, they take home ABC’s TNA Tag Team titles. I kinda feel like the finale would make sense for No Surrender, don’t you?
The Veterans worked on the left arm of Austin that they injured last week for a long, long time. Bey eventually got the hot tag and after a few minutes, he got in trouble as well, barely kicking out of a Doomsday Device that got the crowd chanting, you guessed it, “TNA.”
After his own hot tag, Bey grabbed Gibson’s leg as the Veterans lined up for Grit Your Teeth, giving Austin an opening to ensnare Drake and get an impressive bridging pin for the win.
Because of the predictability of the winning team and the inevitable third match, this didn’t feel as dire for the champions. The Veterans also didn’t come off as desperate to win to end this thing and take home the titles.
– Dirty Dango, Oleg Prudius and John E. Bravo were at a racetrack. Dango said they were holding an open casting call for tag team challengers with under a year of experience. Dango namedropped Scott Norton and suggested a main event of Norton vs. Prudius. He also wondered where the Panda Energy car was. Dango certainly knows how to talk.
– Mustafa Ali was back with another politician-esque promo, putting over the X-Division and how he wants to be the leader of it. That led The Good Hands (Jason Hotch & John Skyler) asking for promo time saying how much they love Ali. X-Division Champion Chris Sabin, whom Ali will face at No Surrender, happened to be there and took issue with the Hands and some of their entourage, knocking one of them out and shoving Hotch.
Digital Media Champion Crazzy Steve defeated Rhino to retain
This was made after a confrontation both guys had on a recent edition of Xplosion. Steve defeated Dreamer for the title last month and Rhino is a former ECW guy as is Dreamer which I assume you know.
Rhino wanted things to be hardcore and brought out a table which Steve didn’t care for, putting it back after regaining the advantage. Rhino nearly had this won after hitting a TKO, but the champion rallied, distracting the referee by throwing a fork and nailing the challenger with the title belt for the pin to end a meh match.
The intent of the Digital Media title was initially supposed to be matches on, well, social media. Now it’s just a disinteresting title on the main show.
Joe Hendry vs. Deaner never got started
Before the, a retaliation video from AJ Francis aired on the big screen which distracted Hendry. Francis then came out and said from here on out, the show is now called TNAJ Francis. Hendry said he now understood how he felt when he did insult videos and that he was unprepared…except he wasn’t.
He then aired his own video to AJ Styles’ TNA music called Banned From Diving that focused on Francis’ infamous WWE dive that wasn’t and a plain looking guy named Steve that was in a Francis video.
Francis then got in the ring and laid out Hendry much to Deaner’s delight. Eventually, Rich Swann came out to even the odds and Francis walked away. This feud much continue.
– They aired Nic Nemeth’s recent appearance for the WWC where he was attacked by Steve Maclin after the match. Maclin and The Rascalz then talked to Gia Miller, but Trent Seven and Mike Bailey weren’t having it. Seven then challenged Maclin for a match next week.
Dani Luna (w/ Jody Threat) defeated Killer Kelly (w/ Masha Slamovich)
While the crowd was pretty quiet, I liked this because it felt different aesthetically and style-wise. In a short match, Luna picked up the win off a roll-up after Kelly got tangled up with Slamovich and Threat on the ropes. Afterward, Kelly and Slamovich laid out Luna and Threat which led to Knockouts Tag Team Champions Decay (Rosemary & Jessicka) coming out to make the save. Those teams square off at No Surrender for the titles.
Next week:
X-Division Champion Chris Sabin vs. Jason Hotch in a non-title match
Steve Maclin vs. Trent Seven
Eric Young/Frankie Kazarian face-to-face confrontation
The System (Moose, Eddie Edwards & Brian Myers) vs. Alex Shelley, KUSHIDA & Kevin Knight
Ash by Elegance in-ring debut
New for No Surrender (next Friday):
Josh Alexander vs. Simon Gotch
TNA Champion Moose defeated KUSHIDA in a non-title match
No one was allowed at ringside during the match after the events of last week where Moose, Edwards and Myers got into a brawl with Shelley, KUSHIDA and Knight. I have a feeling things might break down afterward because it’s wrestling.
Moose was dominant in the early minutes, using his physical force to toss KUSHIDA around. Every time KUSHIDA would rally, it was shut down quickly even after the NJPW star fired up after being slapped on the outside of the ring.
He eventually did get his shine, focusing on Moose’s right arm he injured during the match. He locked on the Hoverboard Lock, but Moose powered out of it. After a flurry of activity, KUSHIDA hit a surprise Code Red to nearly win the match.
In the end, Moose hit a spear to pick up the win in what was a fairly one-sided match until the last few minutes.
Afterward, Eddie & Alisha Edwards and Myers came out to celebrate and, wait for it, attack KUSHIDA. Who could have seen this coming? Shelley and Knight took their sweet time to come out to help and KUSHIDA roared back to life to even things out for another big three-on-three brawl. The babyfaces stood tall to close things out.
Overall, this was an ok edition of TNA Impact with nothing that stood out as must-see.
Former Knockouts Champion Trinity competes in a TNA/Impact Wrestling ring for the final time tonight.
At the Royal Rumble, Trinity/Naomi returned to WWE for the first time since 2022. She’s since been confirmed as a new member of the SmackDown roster. Tonight, Trinity has her last TNA match as she teams with Knockouts Champion Jordynne Grace against Gisele Shaw & Savannah Evans.
Trinity lost the Knockouts title to Grace at Hard to Kill last month. That night, Shaw won an Ultimate X match to earn a shot at the championship. Shaw and Evans attacked Grace and Trinity two weeks ago after Grace defeated Trinity in a Hard to Kill rematch.
Shaw is challenging Grace for the Knockouts Championship at No Surrender on February 23.
Also set for tonight’s Impact: Alex Shelley vs. Eddie Edwards, Josh Alexander vs. Alan Angels, Chris Sabin vs. John Skyler, Tasha Steelz vs. Xia Brookside, and Mike Bailey vs. Zachary Wentz.
TNA Impact opened with Chris Sabin coming out for his match against John Skylar.
Chris Sabin defeated John Skylar (w/ Jason Hotch)
Fundamentally speaking, this was a good match, but Skylar, at this point, is nothing more than a glorified job guy, so the extended heat in the middle of this match for Skylar was not that fun to watch. Still a decent match, but nothing that was must see. Sabin is still one of the best in the world, but I’d much rather a better opponent.
Chris Sabin is still one of the best workers going today, and even his tremendous selling could not get the fans into this match. Skylar got a lot of heat in this match, beating on Sabin for several minutes while Jason Hotch ran interference for him. After one of those spots, Hotch hit a spear through the middle ropes for a 2-count and got a mild “you still suck” chant from the audience. Sabin got the win after a Helluva Kick in the corner and a Cradle Shock as he graciously gave 95% of this match to Skylar, but not something we really needed to see here.
–Alex Shelley talked about how he was a member of different tag teams throughout his career and that he knew what it took to be a member of a team, while The System didn’t. He said that if you take out one part of a system, the whole things fails, and he is starting with Eddie Edwards tonight.
Tasha Steelz defeated Xia Brookside
In traditional Impact fashion, the newcomer that was just establishing a little momentum had been defeated, though it was done with Steelz cheating here, so it looks like it is setting up a program and return matches.
Honestly, it didn’t feel like this match had enough time to get going, but I imagine with the finish we will be seeing more of them again in the future. Steez won by yanking the tights for the win.
–ABC were backstage talking about their best 2/3 series with GYV, and as they were talking, the Vets attacked them, looking like they injured Ace Austin’s shoulder.
–A recap of Kazarian’s heel turn promo aired, with Eric Young looking on from backstage behind the curtain just out of view of everyone.
–Jake Something and Frankie Kazarian had a face off backstage, and he talked about how he used to look up to Kazarian, but now they would fight in the ring since words weren’t working.
Zachery Wentz (w/ Trey Miguel) defeated Mike Bailey
This match was awesome, and a prime example of the kind of matches I love seeing on this show. Either guy could have won, and everyone got a chance to shine.
Bailey blitzed Wentz in the early part of the match, but Wentz as able to turn it around with a distraction from Miguel. Bailey managed to hit the triangle moonsault to the floor on Wentz, but Wentz was able to slam Bailey’s head into the announce table. Wentz hit a hard chop on the floor, and Bailey basically hit a chop with his kicks as he kicked Wentz hard in the chest.
Wentz hit a big suplex on the floor and Bailey made it back in at the count of 7. Wentz pounced into a mounted punching position and he got cocky, shoving Bailey to the floor. Wentz went for a second suplex on the floor, but Bailey hit a snap suplex on Wentz instead. Bailey went to the top rope and hit a missile dropkick on Wentz as he got back into the ring. Bailey hit a great series of kicks but missed a running shooting star press. Wentz clipped the knee of Bailey in a leap frog and hit a German suplex, but missed a running shooting star of his own, and then both men kicked each other and were down.
Bailey missed a big superkick and Wentz hit a full nelson slam for a 2-count. Bailey and Wentz botched a standing Spanish fly and it looked like Bailey landed on his own head, but he was up and moving right away so hopefully he is okay. Bailey blocked a roundhouse kick from Wentz with a spinning kick, which was cool, then hit the tornado kick before going for Ultima Weapon. Migel knocked Bailey from the top turnbuckle which allowed Wentz to hit a UFO Cutter for the pinfall.
–The Rascalz started beating on Bailey, and Trent Seven made the save, as one half of “Speedball Mountain” which may be the worst tag team name I ever heard, Tom Hannifan. Steve Maclin ran down to the ring and took out Seven, but Nic Nemeth ran down, hit superkicks on The Rascalz and cleared the ring. It looks like they’re setting up a six-man tag.
–Kon had a hype video. It did not hype me.
–A recap aired of Crazzy Steve and Rhino from Xplosion. Steve hit Rhino with a low blow and laid Rhino out. They then had Rhino cut a promo from what looked like a 2007 TNA Impact set with Rhino looking like 2007 Rhino. I guess he has a time machine! I could make an old B&V joke here, but I’ll refrain.
This is not how you build to an interesting match between Shaw and Grace, but it was a very nice sent of for Trinity as she leaves to return to WWE.
Evans and Grace started the match with Grace brawling with Evans around the ring. Trinity and Grace had the advantage in the early part of the match, but Evans was able to get the heat after Vidal interfered and Shaw yanked Grace by the hair into the apron. Shaw played the cowardly heel here, only tagging in once Grace was immobilized.
Grace was crawling towards the tag, and you could hear all the little kids screaming for Grace to tag Trinity (proving again, that Trinity is a star). Grace hit a back elbow and a lariat on Shaw after blocking a head scissors takedown. Grace tagged out to Trinity, who hit some kicks on Evans, and then a crossbody on Evans for a 2-count. Trinity hit the Rear View on Evans, but Shaw made the save. Grace threw Shaw out of the ring onto Jai Vidal, and then Trinity hit Code Red and locked on Starstruck on Evans for the win.
–Deaner cut a promo backstage, saying he was a man at a crossroads, and before he could keep talking AJ Francis showed up and offered help to Deaner. Deaner said that he clearly needed help with Joe Hendry. Francis said, “Don’t say the name!” and Hendry’s music hit, and he popped out from behind some chairs, and Deaner clapped to his theme. Francis asked, “Why did you clap?” and Deaner looked confused. That was hilarious.
Then Hendry read from social media what people thought about Francis, and it compared Francis to the YouTube comments mating with the ebola virus in terms of how terrible he is. I laughed. Deaner was trying very hard not to laugh, but managed to get by with a smile. Francis said the last time Hendry talked to him like that, he chokeslammed Hendry, and he walked away. Deaner then said that Hendry shouldn’t talk for him, ever.
I hope this leads to a babyface turn and team with Hendry because Deaner is great at comedy wrestling. I really enjoyed this segment, and I don’t care what anyone says.
Kon defeated Richard Adonis & Ori Gold
The last thing I want to see is a Kon push, but here we are. At least this was short.
Kon squashed Adonis in the corner and then dropped Gold on his head with a clothesline. Kon hit a chokeslam and then put the iron claw on Gold. He then snapped the neck of Adonis, apparently murdering him.
–Kon went to do the same to Gold, but the lights went out and PCO was resurrected again by his team of doctors. As PCO sat up, Kon took out the orderlies and a brawl broke out between the two big men. This is something for PCO to do, as he beats the monster of the week like an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
To their credit, the fans really like PCO, so they wanted to see these big men brawl. PCO and Kon beat up security and continued brawling, ending when PCO clothesline Kon over the ropes, and PCO hit a top suicida to the floor onto all the security guards. Kon slammed PCO on the ramp, and PCO sat up and brawled with him to the top of the ramp. They brawled backstage and the segment ended.
Josh Alexander defeated Alan Angels
I am not sure what Angels did in his talk show to justify this violence against Alexander, but Alexander murdered him in this match, and I enjoyed it.
See, sometimes, a squash is fun. This was one of those times, with Josh Alexander beating the crap out of Angels.
–As Alexander was leaving the area, Simon Gotch attacked him and beat him around ringside, throwing Alexander into the stairs after a stiff strike. Okay. I’m not sure about this. Matt Rewoldt claimed he knew nothing about it, as Gotch’s former tag partner.
Alex Shelley defeated Eddie Edwards (w/ Alisha Edwards)
This was a good main event match, but another match with tons of interference on this show. It would be very difficult for Edwards and Shelley to have a bad match though, and this was no exception – it was very good.
I love watching Alex Shelley play the technical game, and this match featured a lot of it. Edwards tried to take it to the floor to get an advantage, but ended up missing a kick and hit the ring post allowing Shelley to attack the leg of Edwards. He then made a very rude gesture from WWF Raw in 1997 at Alisha Edwards to the delight of the crowd.
Shelley took apart Edwards going after the arms and the knee, but Eddie was able to get some of his offence back with a chop on Shelley. Edwards then distracted the referee as Alisha Edwards choked Shelley on the ropes, allowing Edwards to hit more chops in the middle of the ring. Shelley hit a dragon screw to start a comeback, and then hit an enziguri.
Shelley charged Edwards in the corner, but Edwards tried to block it with a kick. Unfortunately for him, Shelley caught the kick, tied both legs together, and hit another dragon screw. Shelley locked on the figure four leglock but Edwards got to the ropes to escape. Edwards managed to hit a belly-to-belly while selling all of his limbs, which was actually kind of impressive.
Edwards hit a knee to the face of Shelley, and you could hear Alisha Edwards calling the spot, saying “Yeah! Knee him in the face!” which is good heel work. Edwards hit another knee for a 1-count, and Shelley fired up, hitting a superkick, but Alisha Edwards interfered for the distraction, allowing Eddie Edwards to go for the Boston Knee Party. Shelley countered it in a very cool way that I can’t quite describe, and ended up pinning Edwards out of nowhere.
Final Thoughts
Every single match on this show that wasn’t a squash had tons of interference, which really didn’t add to much of the heat for any of these feuds. I’m not sure why they booked it that way, but when every match has interference, the interference means a lot less. That said, Mike Bailey & Zachery Wentz was great, and the main event with Shelley and Edwards was also very good. Those are the two most must see things on the show, but I have a soft spot for that Hendry/Deaner/Francis segment as Hendry continues to make me laugh every time I see him.
TNA Impact – February 15, 2024
· Best 2/3 Series: ABC (c) vs. Grizzled Young Vets
· TNA Digital Media Championship: Crazzy Steve (c) vs. Rhino
· Frankie Kazarian vs. Jake Something
· Moose vs. KUSHIDA
TNA No Surrender – February 16, 2024
· TNA World Championship: Moose (c) vs. Alex Shelley
· TNA Knockouts World Championship: Jordynne Grace (c) vs. Gisele Shaw
· TNA X-Division Championship: Chris Sabin (c) vs. Mustafa Ali
I return on another Big Vinny V Show to review the latest episode of TNA Impact.
Our main event sees TNA Tag Team Champions ABC (Chris Bey & Ace Austin) take on the Grizzled Young Veterans (James Drake & Zack Gibson) in the first of their three-match series. I explain how Austin has improved and also how the Veterans were so utterly wasted in WWE NXT.
TNA looked back at Jordynne Grace’s big day in the WWE Royal Rumble in a tremendous video package that stands in stark contrast to other parts of the show.
Elsewhere, Nic Nemeth’s enemies continued to grow, a new challenger for Chris Sabin’s X-Division title emerged, and one segment appeared to be designed to mock this very podcast.
All this and more on the latest edition of The Big Vinny V Show!
Two title matches are official for the Friday, February 23 TNA No Surrender event.
As announced during Thursday’s Impact episode, Jordynne Grace will defend the TNA Knockouts Championship against Gisele Shaw at No Surrender.
Shaw was the Ultimate X winner at Hard to Kill last month, but it remains unclear whether the No Surrender match is by virtue of cashing in that opportunity. Grace is coming off an appearance at WWE Royal Rumble in the women’s Rumble match last Saturday.
The TNA World Championship will also be on the line at No Surrender.
The promotion also announced during Impact that Moose will defend the TNA World title against Alex Shelley on February 23.
Moose defeated Shelley in the main event of last month’s Hard to Kill event to win the title, and Shelley announced on Impact that he was cashing in his guaranteed rematch at No Surrender.
No Surrender will air exclusively on TNA Plus at 8 p.m. Eastern time on Friday, February 23.
The lineup thus far:
TNA Knockouts World Champion Jordynne Grace defends against Gisele Shaw
TNA World Champion Moose defends against Alex Shelley
Shawn Michaels went through what he called his toughest media call yet Thursday, answering questions about safety of those that work at the WWE Performance Center in the wake of the Vince McMahon lawsuit in addition to addressing past allegations made about himself.
The full audio can be heard below.
When asked about past allegations that Brutus Beefcake made about himself and Marty Jannetty, Michaels flatly denied them and said Beefcake himself walked those comments back in the past. He said he has made his mistakes in the past, but never did anything that wasn’t consensual, adding those who engage in that behavior typically have issues with power and women which he never experienced.
While never directly asked about his thoughts about the Vince McMahon lawsuit allegations from last week, Michaels was asked several times about the safety protocols and environment at the Performance Center/NXT. He reiterated that they try to foster an open environment and welcome communication from talent.
Asked if staff has had conversations with talents about the McMahon situation, Michaels said everyone is aware. He takes working with young talent seriously in all aspects of the business, and wants them to tell the truth. He said everyone is excited about the future despite the situation and that, “The windows have opened up and everyone is ready to move forward.”
When asked about what policies were specifically updated in 2022 to help make a safer environment, he couldn’t recall them, but said they they didn’t need to refer to a piece of paper to ensure the goal of making the PC a safe environment for everyone — even extending to those like his daughter who visits every week.
Michaels said transparency and openness has changed everything with how they train people at NXT. He said treating people with love and respect isn’t that hard to do, and wants to keep fostering that environment.
Some other notes from the call which you can hear in full below:
Asked about TNA’s Jordynne Grace appearing in the women’s Rumble match, he said it’s a different era now where things that weren’t allowed in the past are possible. He joked that Paul Levesque gets to do those on the main roster and that he’s questioned why that hasn’t happened in NXT yet. He would love the opportunity to bring experienced talent in from outside groups to work with NXT wrestlers.
Asked about William Regal returning to TV, Michaels said everyone was extremely excited about his brief cameo and he has no doubt there will be more of those in the future.
He talked about the pride in seeing talents like Bron Breakker, Tiffany Stratton and Carmelo Hayes in the Royal Rumble matches and that if felt like they belonged.
Michaels said they don’t have to work hard to find spots for women on NXT shows because there are so many talented athletes that bring it week after week. He heavily credited Sara Amato for the work she’s done and that said she’s the best-kept secret in the business
Jordynne Grace did everything she could to keep news of her WWE Royal Rumble appearance from leaking.
The current TNA Knockouts Champion entered the women’s Rumble match on Saturday in the number five position. She lasted nearly 20 minutes before being eliminated by Bianca Belair.
Grace recently told Fightful that when she first received a call from Scott D’Amore about being in the Rumble, she didn’t think it was real.
Grace said:
Honestly, when he said it, I was like, ‘Well, maybe this is just an idea that they have and it’s not for real. Maybe they are just like testing the waters a little bit.’
Honestly, I did not think it was going to happen until I got my actual flight to Orlando to go to the PC. That was when everything started to feel real.
Grace had a medical evaluation done on the Monday before the Rumble. She then flew out to Orlando that Thursday to take part in rehearsals at the WWE Performance Center before driving to Tampa the following day.
In order to prevent the news of her Rumble appearance from getting out sooner, Grace says she avoided telling anyone other than her husband, Jonathan Gresham. Her former co-workers in Impact, Chelsea Green and Naomi, were not given a heads up. Evidently, Green was not happy about this.
Grace continued:
I saw Chelsea Green, who was really mad that I didn’t tell her. She came up and she hit me. She was like, ‘someone just texted me and said that you’re here and I didn’t believe him but here you are.’ And she was really upset that I didn’t tell her but I was like, ‘Come on, it’s better that I’m here as a surprise.’
I also didn’t tell Trinity, which was the funniest thing. All week, I’m texting her and I’m like, ‘Yeah, I’m really excited to see you in the Rumble blah blah blah’ but what she didn’t know was I was going to be standing across the ring seeing her.
Grace also stayed in a hotel separate from the other wrestlers during Royal Rumble weekend.
After news of her being in the Rumble was reported on Saturday, Grace posted a video of her at home on X to convince fans the rumors weren’t true. She told Steve Fall recently that she filmed the video ahead of time in case news of her being in the Rumble got out.
Grace said:
I did take those videos beforehand, before I left my house because I was like, ‘Oh, just in case it does, I’ll put this out to have some fun and put them off the trail a little bit.’
The crowd in Tampa gave Grace a nice reaction when she entered the Rumble match on Saturday. She says she could hear the “TNA” chants as her and Naomi shared a moment in the ring together, something she was not expecting.
Grace said:
I’m still besides myself that it all happened. Honestly, I had low expectations because I don’t know that that many people know me. I don’t know the crossover of TNA and WWE fans. So, I was just like I’ll go out and if there’s no reaction that’s okay, just get in the ring and make sure there’s a reaction afterwards. Make sure that if they don’t know you now, they are going to know you later.
Grace also spoke to our own Denise Salcedo following the Rumble. Denise asked her what was going through her head before she made her entrance and Grace gave a blunt response.
Grace said:
Don’t f**k anything up. To be realistic, that was the main thing. You know what’s funny is one of the things I was most worried about was the entrance because, obviously, that’s the first time that people are going to see me just on WWE in general. So, I wanted to look good. And actually, I did f**k it up. I went out and I didn’t even do my pose when I went out. I was so overwhelmed I just stood there and I was smiling and I looked around and was like, ‘Alright, let me just get to the ring now.’ So, I did fuck it up but I didn’t mess up anything in the ring, thank god, so that’s all I can ask for.
Grace defeated Trinity/Naomi to win the Knockouts title at Hard to Kill earlier this month. She then successfully defended the title against Trinity the following day at the Snake Eyes TV taping. Grace and Trinity then teamed together in a match taped in Orlando the following week against Gisele Shaw and Savannah Evans. TNA has yet to announce when the match will air.
Naomi made her return, plus TNA Knockouts Champion Jordynne Grace & Jade Cargill made their in-ring WWE debuts in Saturday’s women’s Royal Rumble match.
After walking out of the company in May 2022 over creative issues, Naomi made her return as a surprise third entrant in this year’s women’s Royal Rumble match on Saturday, lasting until the final six competitors of the match ultimately won by Bayley.
WWE posted a link on social media to new Naomi merchandise available on WWE Shop, indicating that she has returned on a full-time basis.
TNA Knockouts World Champion Jordynne Grace entered fifth for the women’s Rumble, wearing the TNA title belt to the ring just as Mickie James did while Knockouts Champion at the 2022 Royal Rumble. Commentary mentioned TNA by name several times. Grace was eliminated before the 15th entrant to the match.
Jade Cargill made her in-ring WWE debut in the Rumble as the 28th entrant. Cargill lasted until the final three of the contest and eliminated Becky Lynch and Nia Jax before being eliminated in a tussle on the apron with the final two competitors, Liv Morgan & Bayley. Cargill is a former TBS Champion in AEW and was a heralded free agent acquisition by WWE in September 2023.
Morgan made her return from injury in the Rumble as the 30th entrant, and was the final elimination. Morgan had been sidelined since July with a shoulder injury.
NXT’s Roxanne Perez & Tiffany Stratton were the only other Rumble entries of note not part of WWE’s main roster.
Steve Khan’s Royal Rumble live play-by-play post is here.
The following is a rumored spoiler regarding the women’s Rumble match at the WWE Royal Rumble.
According to PWInsider, current TNA Knockouts Champion Jordynne Grace will make her WWE debut at tonight’s Royal Rumble in the women’s Rumble match.
Grace regained the Knockouts title from Trinity (the former Naomi in WWE) at this month’s Hard to Kill. Trinity’s name has also come up as a possible surprise entrant as news came out this month that she was expected to return to WWE following her TNA deal ending.
In a post to X Saturday, Grace showed that she was home with her dog:
If the Grace debut happens, it wouldn’t be the first time a current Knockouts Champion has appeared in the women’s Rumble match as Mickie James made her surprise return to WWE in the 2022 edition.
After hitting free agency last summer, Grace returned to then-Impact Wrestling at last September’s Victory Road after signing a reported two-year deal that included a “substantial pay increase” according to Fightful. Thus, tonight’s possible appearance would likely be a one-off surprise.
As of Saturday morning, only eight women were official for the 30-participant Rumble match.
