TNA Emergence
August 30, 2024
By: John Siino
Old Forester’s Paristown Hall in Louisville, Kentucky
Commentary: Tom Hannifan & Matthew Rehwoldt
RESULTS
- Frankie Kazarian over KUSHIDA via pinfall (9:57) (Countdown)
- TNA Digital Media Title / International Heavweight Title: PCO (c) over Shera via pinfall (5:56) (Countdown)
- TNA X-Division Title Ultimate X: Zachary Wentz over Mike Bailey (c), Hammerstone, Jason Hotch, Laredo Kid & Riley Osborne (10:25) – TITLE CHANGE (Recommended)
- Steve Maclin over Eric Young via pinfall (9:54)
- Jordynne Grace & Spitfire over Ash By Elegance & The Malisha via pinfall (8:04)
- TNA World Tag Team Title: ABC (c) over AJ Francis & KC Navarro via pinfall (11:41)
- The System over Joe Hendry, Mike Santana & The Hardys via pinfall (19:18)
- TNA World Title Iron Man: Nic Nemeth (c) over Josh Alexander [3:2] (60:00) (Recommended)
Frankie Kazarian vs. KUSHIDA (Countdown to Emergence)
Frankie Kazarian spends the beginning of the match disrespecting the ring crew and makes Jade Chung announce him as the ‘King of TNA’. KUSHIDA goes right after Kazarian, sending him to the outside where he hits him with a dropkick and a flying knee from the apron. Back inside, KUSHIDA follows with a back body drop. Kazarian takes over and starts mocking KUSHIDA while taunting the crowd. KUSHIDA tries to mount a comeback but gets stopped with a power slam and a slingshot leg drop. KUSHIDA is able to stop Kazarian’s momentum, by sending him face-first into the bottom turnbuckle. They trade off attempts for the Hoverboard Lock & Crossface Chicken Wing before KUSHIDA drops him with an enziguri. KUSHIDA tries to springboard off the ropes, but Kazarian catches him right into the Chicken Wing, but he’s able to elbow his way off. KUSHIDA drops Kazarian with a Tanaka Punch, but he comes right back with a Guillotine Leg Drop on KUSHIDA. KUSHIDA stops Kazarian on the top rope, sends him outside dives right onto him, and puts on the armbar as Kazarian is tapping out, but the referee reminds them they have to be inside. As they go back inside, and the referee is fixing the apron skirt, Kazarian hits a low blow followed by Fade to Black to get the pin and the win.
Winner: Frankie Kazarian by pinfall at 9:57
Who Will Replace Rich Swann
Gia Miller is backstage with AJ Francis and tells him that ABC has defended to defend the tag team championships against First Class as a result, tonight. Gia says that Rich Swann is unavailable to compete and asks who Francis will choose, as he brings in KC Navarro. Navarro says he’s blessed with a lot of things as he and Francis compare sneakers.
TNA Digital Media Championship / International Heavyweight Championship: PCO (c) (w/ Steph De Lander) vs. Shera (Countdown to Emergence)
This was originally scheduled to be PCO vs. Matt Cardona, but on yesterday’s TNA iMPACT, Cardona said he wasn’t medically cleared and had appointed a ‘monster’ to take on PCO in this match, which is now on the Countdown as well as for both of PCO’s championships. PCO goes right after Shera before the bell rings, before they head to the outside and start brawling around the ring. Shera gets in Steph De Lander’s face, causing PCO to almost hit her but just comes short. They head back inside, where Shera hits a big spine buster, but only gets a two count. Shera gets in SDL’s face again, which only angers PCO, attacking him in the corner before hitting a DDT, and sending Shera back outside. PCO goes to hit a cannonball to him, but totally misses him and goes crashing onto the ramp as SDL and the referee go to check on him. PCO isn’t human, as he gets right back up, places Shera on the apron, and hits him with the De-Animator. SDL starts flirting with PCO and starts doing his taunt with him. Back inside, PCO heads to the top rope and hits the PCO Sault to get the pin and the win.
Winner: PCO by pinfall at 5:56, to retain
TNA X-Division Championship Ultimate X Match: Mike Bailey (c) vs. Zachary Wentz vs. Jason Hotch vs. Riley Osborne vs. Laredo Kid vs. Hammerstone
Tom Hannifan brings up how Riley Osborne is the first WWE-contracted wrestler to appear in Ultimate X, as he comes out to some boos and a brilliant sign from a fan that says ‘Chase L’. Burn. As soon as the match wins, Jason Hotch tries to climb the structure but gets dumped to the outside. Laredo Kid sends Hammerstone to the outside, before Osborne, Laredo, and Hotch all hit back-to-back dives, with Hotch’s getting the fans on their feet. Hammerstone is left alone standing in the ring before Mike Bailey joins in and kicks away, which only angers Hammerstone to take him out with a German Suplex. Bailey sends him back outside and tries to dive, only to get caught and tossed back inside. Laredo & Hotch start battling on the apron before Bailey joins in. Osborne then flips over them and sends them all crashing onto Hammerstone with a sunset flip / double suplex combination. Zachary Wentz catches Osborne from the top rope and takes him out with a cutter. Everybody is laid out, as only three minutes have gone by for what feels like 13 already. Wentz & Bailey start scaling the trusts, but Wentz kicks Bailey off as he moonsaults back onto everybody else. Holy shit, that looked crazy.
Wentz starts scaling the cables, as Hotch, Osborne & Hotch quickly join on the ropes. Hammerstone joins them and starts kicking them all off, but gets pulled down from all three just as he had his fingers on the X-Division Championship. Bailey starts fighting everybody off before he and Wentz start exchanging kicks. Hammerstone starts launching everybody to the outside, including grabbing Laredo from the top rope and press-slamming him to everybody outside. Hammerstone goes to scale but gets stopped by Hotch with a low blow before he hits him with a Torture Rack Bomb. Laredo then grabs onto the rope, as he takes out Hammerstone with a hurricanrana from the top rope. Osborne’s turn next to scale the ropes and hit a shooting star press down onto Wentz, Laredo & Hammerstone. Bailey takes out Osborne with a Tornado Kick & Ultima Weapon, before going back to scale the ropes. Wentz is there to meet him from the other side as they start trading chops while hanging upside down until Wentz is able to kick Bailey off and grab the championship to win the match.
Winner: Zachary Wentz at 10:25, to become NEW TNA X-Division Champion
Gia Miller is backstage with Josh Alexander who says the ‘Iron Man Match’ is his match and he’s not leaving the main event until he takes that championship and shows the world that Nic Nemeth doesn’t have what it takes to cut it in TNA, and after 60 minutes, Nemeth will be lucky to get out alive.
Steve Maclin vs. Eric Young
First-time one-on-one encounter between these two former World Champions. They spend the first minute just staring each other down from their respective corners before locking up just to stare again. It starts to speed up now that the staring is done before they take turns attacking each other in the corners. Eric Young takes Steve Maclin down with a couple of punches before hitting a Death Valley Driver for two. Maclin stops Young on the ropes and puts him in the Tree of Woe to hit the Crosshairs for two. Maclin keeps on the attack before hitting another Crosshairs for another two. They go at it before taking each other down with a double clothesline, as Young is first to get up from it. Young tells Maclin to give him his best shot as he puts his arms behind his back, and Maclin takes him out with a big punch which only gets Young to smile and do the same back to Maclin. Maclin sends Young to the outside and tries a Scud Missile, but Young ducks as Maclin goes crashing onto the ramp. They head to the top rope, where Young bites Maclin off and hits an elbow drop. Maclin escapes out of a piledriver attempt, but Young is able to come right back and hit it, but takes too long to go for the cover as Maclin kicks out at two. Young tries to go for another one, but Maclin reverses it and rolls up Young to get the pin and the win.
Winner: Steve Maclin by pinfall at 9:54
Gia Miller is now with TNA World Champion Nic Nemeth and asks him for a response to what Josh Alexander said earlier. Nemeth said that Alexander is well aware of what Nemeth is capable of, and no matter how many times he gets hit he finds a way to get up and tonight he will hit harder and walk out on top as the champion.
The Malisha (Masha Slamovich & Alisha Edwards) & Ash By Elegance (w/ The Personal Concierge) vs. Spitfire (Dani Luna & Jody Threat) & Jordynne Grace
All six women start brawling as the match starts until all the heels get tossed to the outside as Jody Threat gets dumped onto them by Dani Luna & Jordynne Grace before Grace whips Luna onto them. Grace teases diving also but stops when she realizes that Alisha is limp on the ground, as the medical team immediately goes to check on her. The babyfaces take turns on Ash in the ring, as Tommy Dreamer now is seen checking on Alisha as well before carrying her to the back in what seems to be a legit injury. Spitfire & Grace continue hitting a triple powerbomb on Ash, as Luna gets a two-count. Masha Slamovich tags in and goes after Luna with kicks. Grace tags in and goes after Masha, hitting a muscle buster but Ash is there to break up the count. Threat goes next, hitting a German Suplex but Ash distracts the referee as she goes for the count. Seems like a sudden end to the match, as Threat is able to avoid the Rarifed Air from Ash before hitting Pop Shove It to get the pin and the win.
Winners: Spitfire (Jody Threat & Dani Luna) & Jordynne Grace by pinfall at 8:04
PCO & SDL are in the back, as SDL shows PCO a tweet that gets him angry. SDL tells Cardona that she’ll be seeing him on Thursday. Cardona’s tweet said that ‘PCO is lucky that I’m not #AlwayzReady yet! Stay away from MY Steph De Lander! She’s my property!”
TNA World Tag Team Championship: ABC (Ace Austin & Chris Bey) (c) vs. First Class (AJ Francis & KC Navarro)
It is announced that KC Navarro is now a new member of First Class as AJ Francis & Ace Austin start the match, but Francis is quick to outpower him. Chris Bey tags in and starts using his speed against Francis, but gets stopped with a shoulder block as Navarro tags in. Bey keeps Navarro cornered with chops before ABC takes turns working on Navarro. Francis is able to stop this by grabbing at Bey, but Bey tosses Navarro right onto Francis before trying to dive into him just to get caught. First Class starts double-teaming on Bey on the apron before Francis corners Bey to ‘You can’t wrestle’ chants. Francis catches Bey, as he counters right into a DDT. Navarro & Austin both get tagged in, as Austin comes out on top of this battle. Austin catches Navarro off the ropes into a brainbuster, before he goes after Francis with kicks and tries to pick him up in a Fireman’s Carry, only to stumble back. Austin tries again, this time being able to hit the Death Valley Driver. All four men start going at it, as Francis hits a double suplex on ABC. Francis catches Bey off the ropes and hits him with the Down Payment, but the referee tells him that Navarro is the legal man. Austin runs in and hits The Fold, as Navarro takes out Austin, just to be rolled up by Bey for the pin and the win.
Winners: ABC (Ace Austin & Chris Bey) by pinfall at 11:41, to retain
Mike Santana, Joe Hendry, Matt Hardy & Jeff Hardy vs. The System (Moose, Brian Myers, Eddie Edwards & JDC)
Joe Hendry’s entrance also includes The Hardys in the song lyrics and video, as the song then transitions into a mashup of Hendry’s song with the classic Hardys theme. This was both pretty funny and very well done! Mike Santana & Moose start the match as the crowd chants ‘Fuck The System’. Right away, The System goes to the outside and does a huddle, before Moose goes back to the match and tags out to JDC. Santana starts tossing JDC to the turnbuckles as the crowd asks for more. Santana stays in control before tagging in Matt Hardy who splashes JDC in the corner, before Santana hops off with Poetry in Motion before Jeff Hardy joins in and does his own. The Hardys start taking turns on Eddie Edwards in the corner, before hitting a double suplex. Hendry joins in as they do a triple suplex to Brian Myers & JDC. Hendry & The Hardys do the Hendry turning around pose together to a nice pop. The System takes out The Hardys & Hendry before they go after Santana, who is able to fight them all off, hitting a double dropkick before tossing JDC onto them on the outside where he then leaps onto them with a running top rope dive. All eight men have a face-off in the ring before going into a brawl until it’s just Matt & Edwards in the ring. The babyfaces take turns tagging in and out working on Myers before Jeff hits Whisper in the Wind to JDC & Edwards and a Twist of Fate on Myers. Jeff goes to the top rope, but JDC stops him. Moose goes after Jeff, pulling on his nose as The System spends the next couple of minutes in control until Jeff stops Moose with the Twist of Fate. Edwards & Hendry enter the match, with Hendry hitting a Fall Away Slam, before delivering more on JDC & Myers and avoiding Moose off the ropes, ala Samoa Joe (Samoa Joe Hendry?) Hendry and Edwards go at it, taking each other with a double clothesline before Matt tags in. Everybody joins in the match and starts hitting their finishers, but just as Matt hits the Twist of Fate on Edwards, Moose pulls him out of the ring just for Matt to take out Moose with a Twist of Fate. As Matt enters and the referee is outside checking on Moose, Edwards hits a low blow followed by the Boston Knee Party for the pin and the win.
Winners: The System (Eddie Edwards, Moose, Brian Myers & JDC) by pinfall at 19:18
Moose looks into the camera and says whoever wins the title tonight, he’s going after them for what’s his. Tom Hannifan says to pay attention to their socials after this show for a medical update on Alisha Edwards and other members of the roster. This Thursday’s TNA iMPACT with all have an open challenge by TNA Knockouts World Champion Jordynne Grace and we’ll hear from new TNA X-Division Champion Zachary Wentz.
TNA World Championship 60-Minute Iron Man Match: Nic Nemeth (c) vs. Josh Alexander
This rematch comes off of them going to a 30-minute time-limit draw. Nic Nemeth starts the match by trying to pretzel Josh Alexander up, but he’s able to escape and corner Nemeth against the ropes. They take it to the center of the mat and start to try and take each other down. The pace is a bit slow and methodical for the first 5 minutes until Alexander starts twisting up Nemeth’s arm and hand, pulling back on his fingers. They go back to the mat, and Alexander stays on top until Nemeth gets out and hits a dropkick, as Alexander goes right into an ankle lock, with Nemeth crawling to the bottom rope to break it up. As they take it back to the mat and slow the match again, the crowd starts entertaining themselves and chanting ‘I believe in Nic Nemeth’. After some back and forth, Nemeth rolls up Alexander to get the first fall at 11:02.
This rages Alexander who goes right after Nemeth and starts choking him out in the ropes. Alexander stays on top of Nemeth, wearing him down. As Alexander pulls Nemeth from the corner with a German Suplex, Nemeth pulls the middle turnbuckle pad off from holding onto it. Alexander holds up Nemeth for a stalled vertical suplex, getting a two, and starts yelling to the crowd that this is his house and he’s the heart and soul of TNA, which gets a USA chant. As Alexander points to his maple leaf on his knee pad and does the Bret Hart taunt, Nemeth rolls him up for a two count. This rowdy Louisville crowd then goes into a ‘bald’ chant. They head to the outside as Nemeth sends Alexander into the steel steps. Back inside, Nemeth hits a neckbreaker, and a flurry of elbow drops before going to the top rope and hitting another elbow drop, but Alexander goes right into a pin, getting a two count. They go back and forth with pin attempts until Nemeth hits the Fameasser for another two. After some back and forth, Nemeth is able to hit the Danger Zone to get the second fall at 24:38.
Nemeth stays on top of Alexander as they head to the apron where Alexander snaps Nemeth’s head on the ropes. The crowd continues to entertain themselves with Road Dogg, LA Knight & Jey Uso chants as we reach the 30-minute mark. Alexander pushes Nemeth from the corner and goes into a flurry of German Suplexes, which of course, gets a Suplex City chant. Louisville going through the entire wrestling chant Rolodex tonight. After ten suplexes from Alexander, Nemeth takes over and hits ten himself. They then both hit each other one more time before collapsing to the mat. They then trade punches until Nemeth lands a headbutt that knocks Alexander’s headgear off before he goes right into the ankle lock. Nemeth keeps fighting until eventually being able to grab the bottom rope to break it up. Alexander keeps working on Nemeth’s ankle by stomping on it, while on the ropes. Alexander starts screaming to Nemeth that he won’t be walking out of here tonight. Alexander knocks Nemeth into the referee, knocking him out before taking out Nemeth with a suplex. Alexander takes advantage and grabs a table from under the ring and tries to put Nemeth through it from a C4 Spike off the apron, but Nemeth reverses him with a backdrop, as Alexander goes crashing onto the apron. Back in the ring, Alexander hits a spinning Tombstone, but Nemeth is able to kick out at two. Alexander brings a chair into the ring, but as the referee takes it away from him, he hits Nemeth with a foreign object he pulls out of his knee pad, followed by the C4 Spike to get his first fall at 44:10. He goes and hits another C4 to get his second fall at 44:53, as they are now tied at 2-2.
Alexander tries a couple of pins but Nemeth kicks out before he jumps on Alexander and puts on a sleeper hold, that Alexander keeps trying to break up and eventually heads to the top rope as they go spilling to the outside, both just getting back inside to stop the ten count. They go back outside where Alexander drops Nemeth with an Airplane Spin, as he is just able to get back inside at nine. Nemeth keeps fighting out of another C4 Spike attempt and ends up back-body-dropping Alexander outside right through the table that was set up before. Hannifan covers for the referee saying he was out cold when the table was set up, so he can’t disqualify whoever placed it. Sure. Alexander is able to beat the count at nine and goes right after Nemeth, hitting his third C4 Spike, but Nemeth is able to get his foot on the bottom rope. They fight on the outside for a bit, and as soon as they go back inside, Nemeth hits a DDT for two. They head to the top rope, where after some tussling, Nemeth is able to hit a superplex, but only gets a two-count as we have 5 minutes left on the clock. They keep going at it until Nemeth hits a superkick and they both collapse. Alexander sends Nemeth with a lawn dart to the exposed turnbuckle from the start of the match, followed by a Danger Zone himself, but Nemeth kicks out at two as the crowd chants 2 more minutes. Nemeth is able to reverse the C4 Spike twice and hits the Danger Zone followed by the C4 Spike at 59:56 to get his third and final fall, as the time runs out. (Note: TNA’s clock seemed to be 20 seconds or so behind, as I timed it from the ringing of the bell, despite that, it didn’t play much into the finish)
Winner: Nic Nemeth (3-2), to retain
The JBL World Tour
As soon as the match ends, John Bradshaw Layfield heads into the ring and whispers something into Nemeth’s ear, as the JBL World Tour continues, from AAA, GCW, and now TNA. Where to next?
FINAL THOUGHTS
Strong show that was sandwiched in between two very strong matches with the Ultimate X and Iron Man Match, which one could expect would steal the show. Interesting wrinkle with Zachary Wentz winning the X-Division Championship, which I doubt could affect his match with Wes Lee on Sunday since TNA has tapings tomorrow that won’t air until Thursday, and Wentz is already promoted to speak about winning the championship. That doesn’t stop Lee from possibly challenging Wentz for the title at a later date, especially if he gets the win on Sunday with Lee’s argument being that he never held a championship while in TNA/Impact. Scary moment with Alisha Edwards and I hope she’s ok, but it certainly didn’t look good, and bravo to the other women and officials in the match, who had to call the match on the fly for the rest of it. The main event started a bit slow, which you would expect in an hour-long match to pace themselves out, and the fans were getting a bit restless and started entertaining themselves with chants that had nothing to do with the match or even TNA at some points, but as expected Alexander & Nemeth picked it up and the crowd was captivated for the rest of the show. They left a lot of questions going into their set of tapings tomorrow, such as what JBL said to Nemeth and why does he keep following him around the world, as well as this ‘new’ First Class and of course whenever Jordynne Grace has an open challenge it opens up the possibility of surprises from other companies.
