Tonight, TNA delivered another live episode of "Impact," following up on the events of Sunday's Lockdown. The company is already hard at work laying the foundation for its next major event, the annual Bound For Glory pay-per-view, which is set to take place in October.The latest "Impact" offered some strong wrestling, some not-so-strong promo work, and the debut of a former WWE star who will be joining the promotion. We won't be directly addressing the arrival of Zoey Serrano (formerly known as Zoey Stark), but we do have plenty to say on the promo that preceded her attack. Plus, you'll find our opinions on the main event, the latest development in the Mustafa Ali-Jason Hotch saga, and more.So sit back, relax, and start scrolling to uncover our thoughts on tonight's installment. If you're in the mood to chime in, leave your thoughts on the comments, and remember that you can always check out our "TNA Impact" 8/27/2026 results for the full rundown of tonight's episode.
After winning back the TNA Intercontinental Championship over the weekend, Mustafa Ali was evidently sent to the hospital with broken ribs. It's clear, then, why he would extend an olive branch to Jason Hotch, asking him to return to the Order 4 and put their rivalry behind them. What made less sense to me was why Jason Hotch spent even one moment seeming to consider Ali's offer.What are we supposed to believe Hotch would have to gain from putting things aside and returning to his old position? Ali just terrorized the man's family and took his title belt away from him. Hotch should've scoffed at the offer. Instead, for the sake of poorly-manufactured drama, he had to look conflicted, and we can wait until next week (if we're lucky) to hear his inevitable decision.The in-ring performances produced by this rivalry have been excellent, but this isn't the first time there's been a weak link when it comes to the connective tissue. Like plenty of other modern media, inside and outside of the pro wrestling industry, TNA has a habit of adopting lazy storytelling tropes to easily get from point A to point B, and tonight's promo segment was a prime example.Written by NickMiller
The fact that Ricky Sosa and Leon Slater went up against TNA's top dog tonight speaks volumes.Nic Nemeth carries both the TNA World and Tag Team Championships; moreover, he's an established veteran within the pro wrestling sphere something that immediately boosts whomever stands across the ring from him. In this case, two of TNA's youngest stars challenged him and Ryan Nemeth for the TNA Tag Team Titles in the main event of "Impact."Regardless of how the match ended, a main event involving a championship and a well-known name instantly elevates Sosa and Slater to a higher level. Sosa just arrived to TNA a few months ago, and so far, he's already beaten two former TNA World Champions in Eric Young and Eddie Edwards. Pair that with an impressive faceoff with Nic Nemeth, and Sosa is still on track to be a serious future star for the company.Slater, meanwhile, has made me eat my words. Heading into Lockdown, I greatly worried about the stipulation attached to his X-Division Title match against Cedric Alexander. Slater's win and subsequent decision to invoke "Option C," guaranteeing himself a TNA World Championship match at Bound For Glory, turned out to be a great outcome, however.Not only has Slater gotten an opportunity to take on Nic Nemeth for tag team gold, but he will also battle him over TNA's top prize at its biggest event of the year. For someone who could now potentially be the youngest world champion in TNA history as well, you can't do much better than that.Written by Ella Jay
I'm all for TNA leaning into the history of Avery Styles'father for his first storyline. In fact, it's probably the most comfortable and reasonable option for him. When the history begins to overshadow him, though, it's counterintuitive.Tonight, we saw Avery appear in what was supposed to be an introductory interview with Gia Miller. Before fans could really sink their teeth into what he was saying, former TNA World Champion Moose came into frame to warn Avery that he couldn't trust Frankie Kazarian, a long-time friend, but also former foe, of his father's. Kazarian himself then entered the shot, visibly blocking Avery as he argued with Moose. Avery, meanwhile, just looked on like a deer lost in the headlights.The question of whether Avery can actually trust Kazarian is a compelling one. When Kazarian and Moose completely overtake Avery's second ever segment in TNA, however, it prevents us as viewers from getting to further know and invest in Avery as a character.Written byElla Jay
This week's show saw the culmination of the tournament to crown the first-ever Knockouts TV Champion as M by Elegance faced Jada Stone in the final, the former having received a bye resulting in fewer matches than the latter.The Elegance Brand can be a mixed bag at the best of times, no doubt occupied by entertainers that appear strapped to a dead-end gimmick. But here in this match M, Maggie Lee, had the chance to show that she is far more than the gimmick, while Stone also had a great showing and is very clearly one to watch in the future.It was a surprisingly captivating match that thrived with M as the powerhouse who could and would happily take flight on occasion, and Stone the nimbly agile plucky underdog always fighting from beneath. She would have flurries denied by big boots, slams and cutters but still carried that air of "she could do it" right up until the final bell.Ultimately, the right woman won and it will add a layer of intrigue to the Elegance Brand on a whole. She had previously been a Tag Team Championship contender alongside Heather by Elegance, brought in as a secondary to Ash by Elegance, and has had some less-than-flattering segments to endure this year alone.Now she can explore something else with this singles run and if this match is anything to go by, this run may well prove to be exceptional.Written by Max Everett
Tonight's episode of "Impact" featured a good match between M by Elegance and Jada Stone to crown the inaugural Knockouts TV champion. M by Elegance made history by capturing the title and had a brief celebration with the Elegance Brand, which was immediately followed by a segment with Indi Hartwell and Daria. It started off solid when Hartwell said it p***ed her off that Daria said she didn't believe she deserved a title shot. It was all downhill from there.Daria came to the ring and told her that loving wrestling doesn't mean anything, it's about your connections. She called her mediocre and said she isn't a draw, so she doesn't deserve a title shot. What a great way to put over talent and build up the division for debuting and returning talent.At Lockdown, Hartwell referred to Daria as diarrhea in the year 2026. She said it again twice tonight and claimed it "slipped out". Clever, if you're four years old. The fans chanted it as well, so mission accomplished, I guess. The segment quickly went off the rails and made Hartwell look like she's unimportant to the division. Things were somewhat saved by Zoey Serrano's debut, but it's not ideal that Serrano's debut was tied to such an awful segment.How do you go from the historic moment of crowning a first-ever champion to the complete opposite end of the spectrum in a matter of minutes? The Knockouts division has been in a rough place for a while from in-ring competition to a number of women asking for their releases. They had a really high moment tonight and instead of building on it (there was also a promo from Elayna Black that showed a different side of her character), they went the complete opposite direction with Hartwell and Daria, and now the newest Knockout is tied to it.Written bySamantha Schipman
After establishing their TNA World Championship match for Bound for Glory, Leon Slater challenged Nic Nemeth and his brother Ryan to a Tag Team Championship match against him and Ricky Sosa. Simple enough precedent.Then the match itself had to deliver, and deliver it certainly did. The bout was flowed really well as each man entered the fray, fluidly filling their particular roles. Slater clearly had a point to prove and was at time fighting both men off at the same time, Sosa was selling the effects of Sunday, Ryan acted as the pesky heel popping up where he wasn't wanted but definitely needed, and Nic ran back the clock to his days as prime Dolph Ziggler.All of those ingredients came together for a really enjoyable match; one that almost convinced the audience that Sosa and Slater were going to take the titles, only to rip that hope away more than once before the final time. It served as the perfect kick-off to the rivalry between Nic Nemeth and Leon Slater, and at last marked a move for Slater and Sosa to occupy the main event. They showed up and showed out, further showing that they belong in the spot.As gutting as it was in the moment, Slater losing will only add heat to the build to October, and it may have been the correct result when putting emotion aside. This match was legitimately better than the cage match between the Nemeths and the Hardys at Lockdown, so the more of this the better.Written by Max Everett
