Tonight’s TNA Impact brought us a surprise title rematch, an expected title rematch, and Avery Styles’ first match. Was the show a success? It depends on who you ask, but as always, you can count on Wrestling Inc. to provide your weekly dose of the good and the bad.
Below you’ll find our thoughts on the main event, the arrival of Shotz Blackheart, Cedric Alexander retaining his spot in the X-Division title picture, and more. We couldn’t cover all the events that took place, but the good news is that you can find all the details on our “TNA Impact” 22.10.2026 live blog. With that in mind, go ahead and dig into our thoughts before sharing your own with us in the comments section.
Hateful. An extremely difficult path to a one-on-one rematch
If I were Cedric Alexander, I would call for my contract rematch for the TNA X-Division Championship tonight or even next week. Instead, the former titleholder went through two matches in which the numbers put him at a huge disadvantage.
Alexander received his contractual rematch at Bound For Glory, where he and six others competed in a chaotic X-Division Title match. Unlike Scott Steiner, I know that meant Alexander had a one in seven or 14% chance of winning back the championship. If he had waited until after BFG (in the storyline), however, he could have increased that number to 50% by fighting Amazing Red.
Alas, that was not to be, as the seven-way match eventually went in Red’s favor, making him the new X-Division Champion.
On this week’s Impact, Alexander sought to provide other rematch, wrestling in a four-way number one contender’s match, which meant his odds reached 25%. Still not great, and like the BFG, he didn’t need to be pinned or submitted to lose.
A member of the system won this one to earn a one-on-one title shot against Red the following week. It should also be a solid in-ring performance. I can’t say that Alexander, the heel, took the most practical or realistic approach to getting there.
Written by Ella Jay
Beloved Indy Hartwell has a new challenger
Shayna Basler has been a longtime favorite wrestler of mine, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t learn not to use her in WWE during my time with the company. With that in mind, it’s a really nice change of pace to see TNA use him to his full potential by sending him to the top of the Knockouts division.
I know Hartwell just started his reign as the Knockouts World Champion, but he’s already had enough singles and tag team matches with Brookside that his feud with Daria Rae is getting old for me. The World Knockout Championship draw is mostly the same players week after week, so it’s a nice change of pace to have some fresh blood injected into it to liven it up a bit.
If anyone were to be a two-time champion in the Knockouts Division (whether it actually happens or is just an idea to plant the minds of TNA fans), Basler would be the perfect choice. His style makes him feel like a threat to anyone on the TNA roster. Whenever TNA decides to make the match, Basler and Hartwell will have to match each other and that will be something I look forward to seeing.
Written by Olivia Quinlan
Hateful. Green and really scary
It might be unfair to judge Avery Styles with less than 20 matches on his resume, especially against his father AJ Styles, who is legitimately one of the greatest wrestlers of all time. It would be fair to say that he is green as grass and TNA should do everything they can to get him in the ring with whoever can pick up that slack. Joe Alonzo is not one of those guys.
Going through the god-awful step of combining the worst sides of Sammy Guevara and Max Custer, cutting a promo on his way down to the ring to insult the Alabama crowd, and referencing Styles’ Chairgate controversy, he’s not very good at the wrestling aspect either. It was hard to tell if the worst part of it all happened before or after the call. Alonzo actually waited for the crowd to come out, boasting about hitting Styles on the chair line, but was met with nothing but the chirping of emphatic crickets.
But then, of course, the bell rang, and so began a six-minute bout that did anything but run across synapses with a box scraper. Styles was gassed in those minutes, losing ground in some of the simpler spots and otherwise doing little to salvage anything from the fight. That in itself is normal, it’s not his job to carry a match at this stage in his career. The problem lies in the making of the game and the creativity behind it.
Not only was Alonzo nowhere near the right opponent for a rookie like Styles, but the match went on longer than it had any right to. It exposed Styles’ flaws while making him look like he was fighting a guy who lost to Leon Slater in 22 seconds. Styles may have to pay his dues, but it seems unlikely that he will have to pay them against a wrestler like Alonzo, especially if the goal is to establish him as a hot prospect. It was a singles debut to forget for Phenomenal Son.
Written by Max Everett
Loved. A Fire N’ Flavor reunion leads to the arrival of “The Ballsy Badass”.
Tonight’s Knockouts tag team segment saw the best outcome for all parties involved.
Earlier in “Impact” it became clear that Tasha Stills’ collaboration with Special Agent 0 has ended. Allie and Kiera Hogan’s Knockouts Tag Team Championship also ended two weeks ago. And as the old saying goes, when one door closes, another one opens.
Hogan and Ali had a fun little run as tag team partners. Their main character traits, however, differ significantly. Hogan has extra spice. Allie is possibly the most beloved member of the TNA roster. That’s why I was happy to see them break up tonight, when Hogan’s hot streak surfaced to take out his latest partner.
In turn, Hogan reunited with Styles, with whom he previously enjoyed two KO Tag Team Titles as Fire N’ Flava. For so long, we’ve seen Stiles trapped behind the business clothes and mindset of the 4th Class. Meanwhile, Hogan kept his diva-like attitude under control while he teamed up with Ali. Together as Fire N’ Flava, however, they can once again be their best selves (or at least what I consider to be their best selves).
On the other hand, Ally has found a new ally in Shotzi Blackheart, a rival of great unpredictability and fearlessness. Like Allie, it’s hard to root against The Ballsy Badass.
All in all, I’d argue that last night’s events turned out positively for all four women, even if Allie gets trampled in the process.
Written by Ella Jay
Hateful. A sizzling start to the plot that has a juicy twist
Is Harley Hudson “fair” stuff? That seems to be an ongoing question in recent episodes of Impact. However, the way the creative minds behind TNA are trying to tell it sends me into the land of confusion. And for that I must hate it.
Here’s the thing. i like both hudson and the fairies. They both bring different dynamics to the knockouts and men’s divisions, respectively. But it seems to me that there is a leap and a big omission in how they handle this plot. For example, last week. Hudson asked Adar to accompany him to the ring. They turned down the offer and then lost to syX. Could he be a key asset for them in their run of the tables? Perhaps.
Fast forward to this week and the Justices are giving Hudson until next week to decide if he’ll join them or not. How does that make sense?! Yes, they had Hudson back at Bound for Glory, although it didn’t do him any good, sad to say. So what can we expect from this? I hope this whole thing can make 360 even better. It has the juice, or dare I say Kool-Aid, to draw us right in. It just needs to be tweaked a bit.
Written by Bree Coder
Beloved Ali & Hotch run back
Since Impact debuted on AMC earlier this year, no rivalry has been as intense as that between Mustafa Ali and Jason Hotch. That feud seems to have ended tonight with Hotch getting the win.
As is typical of a three-on-two fall match, tonight’s main event started off pretty slow and picked up speed as things went on. Their hatred for each other was on full display, taking every opportunity they could find to unleash a vicious assault on their opponent, and there were plenty of back-and-forths to show just how well they knew each other.
Ali took the first fall with a rollup and Hotch took the next fall pretty quickly due to a DQ decision against Ali. In the end, Hotch showed his mettle by outlasting the former leader of the 4th Order and winning to retain his international title.
When the match ended, Hotch and Leon Slater faced off in the ring to celebrate the win, with Slater noting the fact that both had moved up the card to become main members of the roster. It was a satisfying conclusion to a long storyline, and I’m excited to see where Hotch’s reign goes now that Ali is out of the picture.
Written by Nick Miller
