{"id":173032,"date":"2024-01-30T13:12:52","date_gmt":"2024-01-30T19:12:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/?p=173032"},"modified":"2024-01-30T13:12:52","modified_gmt":"2024-01-30T19:12:52","slug":"tna-impact-hits-misses-1-25-nic-nemeth-vs-zachary-wentz-plus-okada-swann-kazarian-jordynne-grace-mustafa-ali-sabin-shelley","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2024\/01\/30\/tna-impact-hits-misses-1-25-nic-nemeth-vs-zachary-wentz-plus-okada-swann-kazarian-jordynne-grace-mustafa-ali-sabin-shelley\/","title":{"rendered":"TNA IMPACT HITS &#038; MISSES (1\/25): Nic Nemeth vs. Zachary Wentz, plus Okada, Swann, Kazarian, Jordynne Grace, Mustafa Ali, Sabin &#038; Shelley"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pwtor-4233549685\" class=\"pwtor-before-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><hr \/><b>SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)... <\/b>\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"https:\/\/widget.spreaker.com\/player?show_id=3076978&theme=light&playlist=false&playlist-continuous=false&autoplay=false&live-autoplay=false&chapters-image=true&episode_image_position=right&hide-logo=false&hide-likes=false&hide-comments=false&hide-sharing=false&hide-download=true\" width=\"100%\" height=\"140px\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe>\r\n<hr \/><\/div><h3>TNA HITS AND MISSES<br \/>\nJANUARY 25, 2024<br \/>\nTAPED IN LAS VEGAS, NEV. AT PALMS CASINO RESORT<br \/>\nAIRED ON AXS TV<\/h3>\n<p><strong>CROSS THE LINE INTRO &#8211; HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Alright, normally I skip the intro, but its nice to have Cross the Line return. I think it might be due for a remix or remaster, it feels very very aughts.<\/p>\n<p><strong>(1) CHRIS BEY (w\/Ace Austin) vs. KEVIN KNIGHT &#8211; HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This was a great match, and happened really quick. Too, quick actually, it was a great example of what an X-Division match could and should be- just cut a bit too short. At one point, they cut to a celebrity in the audience, which both makes me realize that I watch too much wrestling because I didn\u2019t recognize this pop culture person, AND a bit more importantly, TNA is attracting celebrity interest. The Grizzled Young Vets attacking and laying out ABC was a great next step for the unfolding feud. Also, is it just me, or does Chris Bey\u2019s trunks remind anyone else of a Ben &amp; Jerry\u2019s carton?<\/p>\n<p><strong>ASH BY ELEGANCE VIGNETTE &#8211; HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I really like these, but I feel like they need another VO artist rather than the person they have doing the PPV. That guy is great for semi-philosophical musings on beating people up, it doesn\u2019t quite work for this purpose.<\/p>\n<p><strong>FRANKIE KAZARIAN TO RICH SWANN BACKSTAGE &#8211; HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I love the fact that Frankie Kazarian came out and said \u201cI\u2019ll tell you next week!\u201d, and then people kept asking him to explain himself. It\u2019s a really simple thing, but I\u2019m a simple man. Then it turned to Rich Swann and AJ Francis, but the emotional heart of this was that everyone was telling former World Champion that he needs to start looking out for himself.<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-205938913\" class=\"pwtor-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p><strong>(2) DIRTY DANGO &amp; OLEG PRUDIUS (w\/Alpha Bravo) vs. DANTE KING &amp; DAMIAN DRAKE &#8211; MISS<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I like it when my comedy wrestling is funny.<\/p>\n<p><strong>GRIZZLED YOUNG VETS BACKSTAGE &#8211; HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Alright, Grizzled Young Vets came out and laid out that they had dominated in Europe, and wanted to take over TNA, which prompted ABC. I really like the call that Santino pulled out, a best of three contest between the two. That means we\u2019re going to get we\u2019re getting a whole series of great matches between these two.<\/p>\n<p><strong>MOTOR CITY MACHINE GUNS WITH KAZUCHKA OKADA INTERVIEW WITH GIA MILLER &#8211; MINOR HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Back to promoting the show I\u2019m already watching is not particularly great, but I\u2019ll let it slide this time.<\/p>\n<p><strong>(3) JORDYNNE GRACE vs. TRINITY \u2014 TNA Knockouts Title match &#8211; HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Part of me really hates it when a big time match gets run again at the taping immediately following the PPV. However, the rest of me tells that part of me to shut up, sit down, and enjoy the match. While I don\u2019t think this particular match was as strong of an outing as their bout at Hard to Kill, it was still really good. I mean, we\u2019re not talking a huge difference, but it being the middle of the card really took the shine off of it. Giselle Shaw and the Shaw-entourage attacking at the end will build up the feud there.<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-1115480494\" class=\"pwtor-content-1 pwtor-entity-placement\"><!-- Tag ID: pwtorchcom_test_300x600 -->\r\n<div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __300x600\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p><strong>THE SYSTEM VIGNETTE &#8211; MINOR HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I love me the System. Don\u2019t love promoting the show I\u2019m already watching.<\/p>\n<p><strong>JOSH ALEXANDER BACKSTAGE &#8211; HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Alright, I get that Josh Alexander loves TNA. Jade Chung must be a very understanding spouse. I&#8217;d be a bit jealous if my spouse if they waxed poetic about something besides me constantly. However, we were saved from more flowery language by Alan Angels who invited Alexander to his new talk show. TNA is really showing how much trust they have in Angels if they are giving him a regular segment. Frankly, I think he deserves it.<\/p>\n<p><strong>(4) NIC NEMETH vs. ZACHARY WENTZ (w\/Trey Miguel) &#8211; HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Since I don\u2019t watch WWE, so it\u2019s been a hot minute since I\u2019ve seen Nic Nemeth in the ring. Like a really long time. There was a lot of interference by Trey Miguel on this match, who was dressed like one of the skids from Letterkenny. It was a good match, but it also felt very WWE style. I have to wonder if Nemeth will run into the same issue that you occasionally see with WWE people that spent very little of their career in the Indies where they have trouble with in ring chemistry with people who didn\u2019t spend some time in WWE. Wentz having been in the NXT system was a good choice of match, Miguel next week will be very telling.<\/p>\n<p><strong>CRAZZY STEVE BACKSTAGE &#8211; HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Alright, I\u2019m not a huge fan of another ECW original going after the Digital Media Championship. Seriously, there\u2019s been Tommy Dreamer, Bully Ray, and even Johnny Swinger. I mean, fine, I guess. Rhino is still good, but I\u2019m not sure if that will elevate the title or help Crazzy Steve very much. I really dug this segment since it went from a pre-record to a backstage segment when Rhino hit. TNA does these little things like that, and while not quite cinema, it\u2019s really interesting.<\/p>\n<p><strong>DECAY VIGNETTE &#8211; HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>It was a breath of fresh air, if you could call the reek of Decay, fresh. The set they were using was a really cool black and white chapel. The contrast of the stark black and white to the warmer black with white a desaturated color of Decay was a really cool look. Both members of Decay have upgraded their looks with TNA upgrading their production values.<\/p>\n<p><strong>(5) MK ULTRA (Killer Kelly &amp; Masha Slamovich) vs. DANI LUNA &amp; JODY THREAT &#8211; MISS<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>What was this match? I mean, it\u2019s nice to see that MK ULTRA stayed together even after losing the tag titles, but this was too quick of a win. Piling insult onto injury didn\u2019t do much for Dani Luna and Jody Threat.<\/p>\n<p><strong>(6) KAZUCHKA OKADA &amp; THE MOTOR CITY MACHINE GUNS (Alex Shelley &amp; Chris Sabin) vs. THE SYSTEM (Moose &amp; Brian Myers &amp; Eddie Edwards w\/Alisha Edwards) &#8211; HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Man, I hate to say it, but this is a mitigated hit. It felt like Motor City Machine Guns (w\/ Kazuchka Okada) vs. The System (w\/ Moose). It was still a great match. I mean, totally the match of the night. I just feel like for how much they pushed Okada, it felt like he would have had more in ring time. I mean, I guess I\u2019m spoiled. He came in, did some big moves, but really that isn\u2019t why he was here. Okada\u2019s appearance was symbolic, his appearance was the final washing clean of the worst of the LOLTNA stench. More than anything else, Okada\u2019s appearance showed that things have changed for the better.<\/p>\n<p><strong>MUSTAFA ALI VIGNETTE &#8211; HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Again, I\u2019m not a fan of the main event not being the last thing on the show, but I\u2019ll make an exception. I\u2019m really digging what Mustafa Ali has been laying down recently. I don\u2019t think he\u2019ll be around for long, but it\u2019s going to be a great ride while he is.<\/p>\n<p><strong>FINAL THOUGHTS &#8211; HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I was prepared for a sophomore slump with this episode, and we got a bit of it. The foot is off the gas, but that\u2019s a good thing. They are playing the long game, and this episode was about as good as you could get. Though, I do wonder why at some points the crowd cheering \u201cFuck the System\u201d was pretty clear, but at other times, they bleeped the phrase. That\u2019s an interesting choice.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>RECOMMENDED NEXT:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2024\/01\/25\/lawsuit-filed-against-vince-mcmahon-accusing-him-of-sex-trafficking-and-making-payments-to-staffer-to-stay-quiet\/\">Lawsuit filed against Vince McMahon accusing him of sex trafficking and making payments to staffer to stay quiet<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>OR CHECK THIS OUT AT PROWRESTLING.NET:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/prowrestling.net\/site\/2024\/01\/29\/mcguires-mondays-we-cant-stop-talking-about-vince-mcmahon\/\">McGuire\u2019s Mondays: We can\u2019t stop talking about Vince McMahon<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorchvipinfo.com\">CLICK HERE FOR PWTORCH VIP MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION<\/a><\/strong> (Includes 35 years of PWTorch Newsletter archives, 20 years of insider podcast archives, hundreds of retro radio shows from the 1990s, multiple daily ad-free VIP podcasts compatible with podcast apps including Apple&#8217;s native app and Spotify, and an ad-free version of PWTorch.com with exclusive articles.)<\/p>\n<div class=\"pwtor-end-article-groups pwtor-entity-placement\" id=\"pwtor-1164599285\"><div id=\"pwtor-98793087\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\nTHANK YOU FOR VISITING<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\"><p>TNA HITS AND MISSES JANUARY 25, 2024 TAPED IN LAS VEGAS, NEV. AT PALMS CASINO RESORT AIRED ON AXS TV CROSS THE LINE INTRO &#8211; HIT Alright, normally I skip the intro, but its nice <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2024\/01\/30\/tna-impact-hits-misses-1-25-nic-nemeth-vs-zachary-wentz-plus-okada-swann-kazarian-jordynne-grace-mustafa-ali-sabin-shelley\/\" title=\"TNA IMPACT HITS &#038; MISSES (1\/25): Nic Nemeth vs. Zachary Wentz, plus Okada, Swann, Kazarian, Jordynne Grace, Mustafa Ali, Sabin &#038; Shelley\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":173033,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[52,28,27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-173032","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-opnionandanalysis","category-specialists_hitsandmisses","category-specialists"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2024\/01\/Screenshot-2024-01-30-at-1.10.35\u202fPM.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/173032","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=173032"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/173032\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":173036,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/173032\/revisions\/173036"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/173033"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=173032"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=173032"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=173032"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}