TNA IMPACT HITS & MISSES (5/28): Men’s and Women’s Championship Challenges, Santino and Indi Hartwell, Edwards vs. Aichner, Edwards vs. Aichner, more

HITS

KC Navarro pinned Mustafa Ali for a Shot at Ali’s International Championship

While the match concept was dumb, I do like the idea of a Navarro-Ali feud and match (or series of matches) in the not-too-distant-future.

Indi Hartwell making the save for Santino

This match was stupid and the talent isn’t that great, but I do see some potential in Indi Hartwell. At least she’s getting consistent TV time. I hope they elevate to something higher on the card sooner-rather-than-later. I do think that the mixed tag match next week between Stacks & Arianna and Indi and Santino can be used as a vehicle for this.

Eddie Edwards (w/Alisha Edwards) vs. “The Gladitore” Fabian Aichner

This was a solid match between Edwards and Aichner but I could have done without the System interference (again). Putting over Aichner was the right move here but Edwards does lose a lot. They should find more opportunities to get him wins to strengthen his credibility for moments like this. I advise TNA to continue to progress Aichner up the card.

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MISSES

Men’s Championship Challenge Match: World Heavyweight Champion Mike Santana & X-Division Champion Cedric Alexander & International Champion Mustafa Ali & Tag Team Champions Brian Myers & Bear Bronson vs. Frankie Kazarian & Eric Young & KC Navarro & Elijah – If someone on the challenging team pins any Champion, then they will get a shot at their title(s)

Since Eric Young already has a guaranteed title shot with Mike Santana, what would have happened if Young pinned Santana. I think that creative thought that the concept of this match sounded cool without truly thinking through the logic gaps. One silver lining is that KC Navarro pinned Mustafa Ali here and I do like the idea of this feud and match happening in the not-too-distant future

Weird Vignettes between The Righteous and The Hardys

This feud has been going on since December. I simply don’t see as much in the Righteous as leadership in TNA does, apparently, and the Hardys are on a limited timeframe. They should be in something bigger at this point.

Channing “Stacks” Lorenzo (w/Arianna Grace) vs. Santino Marella

Stacks vs. Santino in 2026 makes TNA feel like a promotion that lacks seriousness. Stacks is an NXT guy (who has never been that high on the card) and Santino is a GM-figure who was somewhat relevant as an actual wrestler, maybe 20 years ago. I’m not sure how much winning this match raised Stacks’s profile and he is an NXT guy anyway.

Knockouts Championship Challenge Match: Knockouts Champion Lei Ying Lee & The Elegance Brand vs. Elayna Black & Xia Brookside & Mara Sade (w/Keith Jardine)

It definitely makes sense to have Brookside win here and have her earn a Knockouts Title shot but to have two similar stipulation matches bookend the show was certainly a choice. Keith Jardine’s involvement in TNA continues to puzzle me and I fail to see any value there. They really need to work on injecting more talent into a once proud Knockouts Division.