TNA IMPACT TV RESULTS (6/27): Lilly’s report on Nemeth vs. Swann, Maclin vs. Callihan

TNA IMPACT TV RESULTS
JUNE 27, 2024
CHICAGO, IL AT CICERO STADIUM
AIRED ON AXS TV
REPORT BY DARRIN LILLY, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR

-Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

-Clips from last week.

-“Cross the Line” opening video.

-Gia Miller stood in the middle of the ring and introduced TNA Knockouts Champion Jordynne Grace. Grace said she went to Santino Marella to get Ash By Elegance a title shot and it would be tonight. The Concierge (now in a neck brace) brought out Ash, who was surrounded by security.

The Concierge said that he talked to lawyers and the match would take place at Slammiversary instead. He said that Grace hurt his neck. The security went to remove Grace but she beat them up and threw them out of the ring. She gave one a Juggernaut Driver. Santino finally got her to stop. Grace left, but crossed paths with Masha Slamovich and Alisha Edwards on her way up the ramp.

(1) XIA BROOKSIDE vs. MASHA SLAMOVICH (w/Alisha Edwards)

Xia gave Masha a rana and a dropkick. Alisha pulled Xia’s leg from the outside to cause a distraction. Masha went on offense. Alisha interfered when the referee was distracted. Masha got a two count after a series of clotheslines. Xia made a comeback with strikes and clotheslines. Xia knocked Alisha off the apron, but Masha used the distraction to land a spin kick and deliver a Snow Plow for the pin.

WINNER: Masha Slamovich in 6:00.

(D.L.’s Take: Xia showed good fire and does well in her role as an underdog. Masha was the perfect opponent for her. Short but fun. Looks like a setup for Xia to find a tag team partner.)

-Replay of last week’s angle where First Class attacked PCO and Steph De Lander on their date. They cut to First Class celebrating backstage. They celebrated with DJ Whoo Kid, who delivered him an International Heavyweight Wrestling championship belt, which AJ Francis claimed to have bought from Gino Brito. AJ went through the lineage of the title, which included Lou Thesz and Dino Bravo. AJ declared himself the new International Heavyweight Wrestling title. They all decided to go celebrate. [c]

-Backstage, Lars Frederiksen told Jody Threat and Dani Luna that now was the time to double down. He announced that they would be facing each other.

-Campaign Singh brought out Mustafa Ali for his State of the Union address. Ali went to the ring and the fans chanted his name, since they were in his hometown of Chicago. He talked about a video that appeared at Against All Odds that attempted to smear his good name. He said that Singh’s investigation showed that the video was fake and created by AI. He said Chicago was number one in a lot of things, even though a lot of those things were crime related.

Ali said it was time for a new challenger. Fans chanted for “Speedball” Mike Bailey. Ali said that Bailey couldn’t hang with him. He turned against the fans and demanded that security take some of them out. Someone threw a drink on Ali and he pulled him over the barrier and attacked him. Ali threw him in the ring and continued punching him. Security tried to pull Ali off. Bailey ran out for the save. Ali and Bailey brawled but security broke them up. Ali broke loose and attacked Bailey on the ramp. Bailey held up the X Division title belt.

Ali returned to the ring and said he was sick of the fans chanting Bailey’s name. He said Bailey ruined his homecoming, so he’s ruining Bailey’s. He challenged Bailey to a title match at Slammiversary in Montreal. [c]

-Bailey cut a promo backstage and said that Ali’s campaign was falling apart and he’s making mistakes. He said Ali’s biggest mistake was signing for a title match in Bailey’s hometown of Montreal. He said we’re on the road to Slammiversary.

(2) ABC (Chris Bey & Ace Austin) vs. Jake Something & Cody Deaner vs. The Rascalz (Trey Miguel & Zachary Wentz)

Cody did mic work before the match and said they would like to contend for the tag team titles. Wentz cut him off and said that Chicago sucks. Trey questioned why Cody and Jake would deserve a title shot. He said they should forfeit. Bey told them to shut up. Ace said the match would start right now. Bey did a dive onto the Rascalz. [c]

Cody battled The Rascalz. Ace tagged in and fought both members of the Rascalz. The Rascalz faced off with ABC. Trey got a two count on Bey. Jake chopped Trey, which counted as a tag. He mowed down everyone, to cheers. Jake powerbombed Ace and got a two count. All six wrestlers fought. Jake took on The Rascalz and threw Ace onto them at ringside. Fans chanted “TNA!” Bey gave Jake a cutter on the apron. ABC hit their finisher on Cody and got the pin.

WINNERS: ABC in 8:00.

(D.L.’s Take: Fast paced and lots of tag team chaos. ABC looks to be in line for a title shot.)

-The System cut a backstage promo. They talked about always coming out on top and being dominant. Moose said there might be one guy that could be a threat to his title. He sent Dango after him. They all said to trust The System.

-Preview video for the upcoming Sami Callihan vs. Steve Maclin match, with them telling what a title shot would mean to them. [c]

(3) STEVE MACLIN vs. SAMI CALLIHAN

This was a qualifier for the 6-way TNA World Title match at Slammiversary. Maclin caught Sami with a dropkick at the bell. Sami gave Maclin a piledriver and got a one count. Maclin clotheslined Sami. Sami sidestepped a dive from Maclin on the outside. Maclin caught Sami with a running knee and a headbutt. The action went to the outside again and Maclin threw Sami into the ring post, followed by an elbow drop from the apron.

Sami suplexed Maclin. Both wrestlers beat the count into the ring. They traded punches and chops. Maclin gave Sami a backbreaker and got a two count. Sami suplexed Maclin into the corner. They traded punches. Sami gave Maclin a Death Valley Driver off the top rope and followed with a piledriver for a two count. They fought on the apron. Maclin caught Sami with a knee and the KIA and got the pin. [c]

WINNER: Steve Maclin in 9:00.

(D.L.’s Take: An intense, hard-hitting match. It was like a fight all the way through.)

(4) KUSHIDA vs. ALAN ANGLES

Kushida caught Angels with a crossbody block. Kushida kicked Angels in the arm. Angels fought back with kicks and a neckbreaker. Kushida came back with kicks. Kushida put Angels in an armlock on the floor. Back in the ring, Kushida decked Angels with a punch and put on the Hoverboard Lock for the tapout win.

WINNER: Kushida in 4:00.

Jonathan Gresham attacked Kushida after the match. Security came out in medical masks and gloves to break it up. Gresham left. [c]

(D.L.’s Take: Short, but they packed a lot into it.)

-Clip of Matt Hardy accidentally spearing his wife through a table at Against All Odds. Matt, Jeff, and Reby did a promo and said they would be facing The System in Philadelphia.

Matches for next week:

*Frankie Kazarian vs. Mike Santana

*Jake Something vs. Joe Hendry

*Dani Luna vs. Jody Threat

*The Hardys & Reby vs. The System

-Hannifan and Rehwoldt promoted upcoming dates.

-Promo video of Nic Nemeth and Rich Swann discussing the importance of a title shot at Slammiversary.

-Swann and Nemeth did their ring entrances. [c]

(5) NIC NEMETH vs. RICH SWANN (w/AJ Francis)

This was another qualifier for the TNA World Title match at Slammiversary. After some initial action, Swann hugged AJ and DJ Whoo Kid at ringside. Nemeth took Swann to the mat. AJ tripped Nemeth while the referee was distracted. AJ hit Nemeth with a can and Swann got a two count. The referee caught AJ about to hit Nemeth again, so he threw AJ out from ringside. [c]

Swann landed kicks. Nemeth came back with clotheslines. Nemeth dropped a series of elbows on Swann for a two count. Swann made a comeback. Swann powerbombed Nemeth into the corner. Nemeth came back with a famouser. Nemeth put Swann in a sleeper hold. Swann nailed Nemeth with a kick for a two count. Swann gave Nemeth a cutter for a two count. They traded punches and kicks. Nemeth gave Swann a DDT and the Danger Zone and got the pin.

WINNER: Nic Nemeth in 14:00.

(D.L.’s Take: Good match and it really picked up after AJ was kicked out from ringside.)

FINAL THOUGHTS: A fun watch and the card for Slammiversary is starting to take shape. This week’s show was more focused on in-ring action. For the second week in a row, there were only brief mentions of Matt & Jeff Hardy. I really liked the pre-match video packages for the qualifying matches. They added to the story of each match.