Thursday’s episode of “TNA iMPACT” featured a pivotal steel cage match between Team TNA and Team NXT. The match ended in a major storyline swerve. There was also a battle royal to determine the No. 1 contender for the TNA World Championship.
20-Man Battle Royal – No. 1 Contendership for TNA World Championship
The likes of Moose, Eric Young, and Mance Warner were featured in the battle royal to get “TNA iMPACT” started. TNA World Champion Frankie Kazarian made his way out to serve as a guest commentator.
The Hometown Man scored the first elimination. Jesse Funaki was eliminated by Brock Anderson. John Skyler and BDE fought on the apron before Skyler was sent packing. Ryan Nemeth eliminated BDE and then The Hometown Man.
The Rascalz triple-teamed Brock Anderson. Sinner and Saint, along with members of The Rascalz, traded eliminations. Myron Reed landed Flame On to eliminate Judas Icarus. Reed eliminated Anderson, but he ended up being tossed by Jake Something. AJ Francis wasn’t a part of the battle royal, but he appeared and caused Rich Swann to be eliminated. Francis then shook Nemeth’s hand. Something was sent over the top rope. Moose delivered a big boot to Warner, eliminating him.
Young clotheslined both Cedric Alexander and Moose over the top rope. The final three participants were Young, Nemeth, and Bear Bronson. Nemeth was tossed out of the ring by Bronson. Young went for a piledriver on the apron, but Bronson eliminated him to earn a TNA World Championship match.
Winner: Bear Bronson
Team TNA Sends Message to Team NXT
Santino Marella was backstage with Team TNA. The stars of TNA vowed to put an end to “NXT’s” takeover.
Bear Bronson Feels Validated
Bear Bronson was interviewed by Gia Miller. Bronson said he’s feeling validated. He said he knew he was good enough to reach this level. He said the scars on his body tell his story. Bronson said it was worth all of the pain throughout his career. He warned that it’s all bad news for Frankie Kazarian.
The Angel Warriors vs. Tessa Blanchard and Mila Moore w/Victoria Crawford and Robert Stone
Xia Brookside and Mila Moore got things started. Moore missed a knee drop and was caught in a hurricanrana. Tessa Blanchard tagged herself in and demanded to face Lei Ying Lee. The TNA Knockouts World Champion obliged and was tagged in. Lee dropped Blanchard with a dropkick.
Brookside took out Blanchard and Moore with a crossbody outside of the ring. Lee followed up with a crossbody on Robert Stone. Eventually, Stone distracted Lee, allowing Blanchard to land a baseball slide. Lee rebounded by hitting a missile dropkick on Blanchard. Stone yanked Brookside off the apron. Brookside finally got the tag back in and delivered a clothesline to Moore. She followed up with Broken Wings.
The Angel Warriors connected with a double-team splash on Moore. Lee connected with Thunder Struck on Moore, followed by Warrior’s Way for the win.
Winners: The Angel Warriors
Dani Luna Wants A TNA Knockouts World Championship Match
Dani Luna addressed her win over Indi Hartwell last week in the dog collar match. She demanded a TNA Knockouts World Championship match. She dared Lei Ying Lee to prove she is a fighting champion.
Robert Stone Fires Up Tessa Blanchard
Robert Stone was not happy backstage and gave Tessa Blanchard, Mila Moore, and Victoria Crawford a pep talk. Blanchard issued an open challenge to any three women in the TNA Knockouts locker room.
Lei Ying Lee Accepts Dani Luna’s Challenge
The Angel Warriors were interviewed by Gia Miller, who asked for Lei Ying Lee’s response to Dani Luna’s challenge. Lee said she will defend the title with honor. Xia Brookside told Lee that Luna is quite scary, but she’s the TNA Knockouts World Champion for a reason.
Order 4 Leave Elijah Knocked Out
Elijah had a concert segment. He said he always has a good time in El Paso. Elijah gloated after dragging Mustafa Ali out of “TNA Resolution” while riding a horse. Tasha Steelz and Agent Zero interrupted. The crowd wasn’t interested in hearing what Steelz had to say.
Elijah told Steelz to get to the point. Steelz introduced Mustafa Ali, who ripped the fans for cheering when he was lassoed. Ali demanded a moment of silence, but Elijah played a tune instead. Ali called Elijah a “disgusting human being.” He vowed that Elijah would suffer the consequences.
Elijah welcomed a fight with Ali. He ended up being ambushed by The Great Hands. Elijah fought back and sent John Skyler and Jason Hotch out of the ring. Ali told Agent Zero to stand down as Elijah walked up the ramp. Steelz distracted Elijah, allowing Ali to bash him with a guitar.
Indi Hartwell Will Not Quit
Indi Hartwell reflected on her loss to Dani Luna in the dog collar match last week. She said she’s not cleared to compete. Hartwell said she keeps getting knocked down when trying to climb the ladder. She vowed to prove she’s elite when she’s ready to return.
Moose TNA X Division Title Request Shut Down
Moose discussed his loss in the battle royal earlier in the night. He said that while he won’t be the No. 1 contender for the TNA World Championship, he never got his rematch for the TNA X Division Championship. He wants to face Leon Slater at “TNA Genesis.”
Cedric Alexander reminded Moose that he won a No. 1 contendership. He told Moose he will eventually get his shot.
Frankie Kazarian Responds to Bear Bronson’s Win
Frankie Kazarian spoke to a mural of Elvis. He said he will start 2026 by defeating Bear Bronson. Kazarian said that while Bronson has impressed people in TNA, he isn’t one of them. He vowed to keep the TNA World Championship.
Steel Cage Match: Team TNA vs. Team NXT
Mike Santana and Brooks Jensen got the match started. Jensen tried escaping through the door immediately, but Santana cut him off. Santana sent Jensen crashing into the steel cage. Lexis King was the second member of team NXT to enter the match. Jensen kicked Santana, and King hit him with his cane.
It didn’t take long for Santana to get backup, as Steve Maclin was team TNA’s next entrant. Maclin hit a busaiku knee on King. He then grabbed the cane and hit King with it. Maclin rammed King’s head into the steel cage several times.
Tyson Dupont put the advantage back in team NXT’s hands. He delivered a dropkick to Maclin, followed by a chokeslam. Matt Hardy was ready to even the odds, but Tyriek Igwe made an early appearance and sent him into the steps.
Jeff Hardy made his way into the match and started going after members of Team NXT. He hit a double Twist of Fate on Dupont and Igwe before the numbers game caught up to him before Channing “Stacks” Lorenzo walked out. The Righteous walked down the ramp and helped Matt Hardy to the back.
Santino Marella then entered the match for Team TNA. Team NXT was having its way due to the clear numbers advantage. They took too much time gloating, allowing Marella, Jeff, Santana, and Maclin to fight back. At one point, there was a tower of doom spot off the top of the cage.
The match ended when Santana took out Jensen with Spin The Block after Marella landed the Cobra.
Winners: Team TNA
After the match, Arianna Grace embraced her father, Santino Marella, but she turned on him by delivering a low blow. Grace and “Stacks” attacked Marella before team TNA put a stop to the post-match beatdown.
Matt Hardy Refuses Help From The Righteous
The show ended with Matt Hardy waking up at an undisclosed location. The Righteous told Matt they were helping him. Vincent said both him and Dutch believe The Hardys can become immortal if they trust in The Righteous. Dutch gave Matt a gift, but one-half of The Hardys swiped his hand away.
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