Another "TNA Impact" is in the books, with the company hurtling towards Destination X a week from this Sunday. Surprisingly, there are still plenty of question marks, with most of the World X-Cup competitors remaining a mystery, along with the majority of the participants in the two Ultimate X matches.Despite that, as always, the Wrestling Inc. crew is here to offer up our opinions on the happenings of tonight's episode, and we found plenty to love and to hate. We have thoughts on Shotzi Blackheart's return to the ring, the addition of Xia Brookside to The Righteous, and the opening segment involving Moose.All that and more will be discussed below, but be sure to check out our "TNA Impact" 11/5/2026 results page for a more complete breakdown of the show. As always, feel free to chime in with your own thoughts in the comments section.
More often than not, I find myself dreading the opening segments of "Impact." The opening segment from this edition saw Moose calling out Syx, which led to a brief brawl between the three men and Matt Hardy, was no exception.There are two main problems I had. First off, Moose has had no connection to Syx at all, nor has he really been affected by the duo of Joseph Sawyer and Samuel Shaw. It feels a little too random to me to just have him all of the sudden calling out Syx simply because of a backstage conversation he had with Matt that we didn't really see as the viewing audience. Moose and Matt don't share deep enough of a history with one another in my eyes that Moose would want to automatically want to go to bat for The Hardys, and I didn't quite understand what the connection between Moose and Syx really was.Second, TNA has a bad habit of continuing storylines far past when they should end and we're approaching that point in the storyline between Syx and The Hardys. I have no objective problem with Matt wanting to seek out retribution on Syx for leaving his brother Jeff in the state they did last Thursday, but the storyline should've ended with the Slaughterhouse Syx Match last Thursday. It felt like it was a perfect stopping point for the feud with it being a big cinematic match, and just doesn't need to continue on beyond this point.Written by Olivia Quinlan
Let me start by noting that it's unfortunate that Avery Styles evidently suffered an injury during the match on tonight's "Impact." Hopefully it's nothing that will keep him out of action for too long.On the bright side, though, Styles continues to improve in the ring after some shaky early performances. It certainly didn't hurt that he was wrestling a tag match alongside an experienced veteran in Frankie Kazarian. It seems obvious where this storyline with Kazarian is headed, but hopefully the promotion takes their time getting there, because it'll continue to give Styles an opportunity to learn from his tag team partner.One thing that Styles certainly has down is his Spiral Tap, inspired by his father AJ. Despite the apparent injury, he managed to hit the move tonight and it looked spectacular. While he still has room to improve in other areas, it seems like a safe bet that he'll continue relying on that as his finisher, at least while he's still young enough to keep doing it.Written by Nick Miller
I was never overly fond of the idea of Harley Hudson joining the Righteous. That's not a knock on Hudson as a talent at all, but even if it did feel as though the Righteous needed a third member, she never felt like a fit in the group. Even still, recent weeks had them trying to recruit her and her dragging her feet until she eventually decided that she was digging the idea of being in the Righteous. Thus, this week she was going to be officially brought initiated.Only, just as a vine crown was about to be placed on her head, it was the Righteous who hesitated to get the deal done. From this point, it was starting to look as though she wouldn't be joining the Righteous. Relieved as one may have been in that moment, it was starting to look like the past few weeks had been a waste of time. Then, Vincent slid in the fact that while she had taken too long to answer them, someone else had taken her place.That person appeared behind Hudson, turning out to be Xia Brookside, and she attacked Hudson and one can likely surmise the rest. Now, Brookside is certainly a better choice to be aligned with the Righteous, given that she is a heel and has been on a downward spiral arc of just a couple of weeks since losing her title. But I would posit that there didn't need to be a choice and this entire angle has been doomed from the start.The Righteous are an act that really thrive in the tag team division where they belong, while also being capable of one-to-one storytelling in the men's division. How they stand to benefit Brookside in the women's division is a mystery, and not one that stands to have an enthralling answer. There's also an intrinsic vibe to the Righteous that neither Brookside or Hudson seem to match, or anyone on the roster for that matter.It's very early to call this but the alignment feels like it's not one that's going to do well for either party. It's just something to be done in the absence of anything meaningful or good.Written byMax Everett
Since arriving to TNA at the start of 2026, Daria Rae has gotten drunk on her power as an authority figure, so drunk that newcomer Brian Johnson has now been tasked with keeping an eye on her. So drunk that TNA Knockouts Champion Indi Hartwell is now taunting "The S.U.I.T" out of spite as well.I'm okay with both of these things, however, as it seems to be leading to a major moment for Rae: her TNA in-ring debut.So far in her TNA run, Rae has primarily been focused on booking matches, both at the expense of talent she doesn't like and to the benefit of those she does. In the midst of it all, she developed a heated rivalry with Hartwell, which included a period of suspension for the Aussie. Hartwell later returned to the favor by tricking Rae into slapping her, and in turn, enduring her own suspension at the request of the TNA Board of Directors.Tonight, Hartwell tried to provoke Rae into getting physical with her once more, suggesting that the two even go as far as wrestling each other in the ring. Rae seemed open to it, too, when she asserted that another potential suspension was "worth it" if it meant she got to dish the physicality to Hartwell again.Alas, a match between Hartwell and Rae was not meant to be right now as Johnson held back the latter. The possibility is certainly up in the air now, though, so consider me officially intrigued.Written by Ella Jay
After nearly three years as a unit, I expected The System to undergo some changes, particularly a change in leadership. Instead, the group kept its dynamic intact, which left me disappointed.Nothing personal against TNA veteran Eddie Edwards, but there comes a time when changes must be made, and now seemed like the right one for Bear Bronson to replace him as The System's leader. It's clear that Edwards has adopted a new, more respectful tone, as evidenced by the handshake he exchanged with Ricky Sosa in the face of defeat at Bound For Glory. Bronson, meanwhile, is firm in maintaining his rugged exterior in the ring.Bronson is still relatively new to TNA, but he's athletic and he's strong. More importantly, he's someone I view as a future force to be reckoned with. Being forced into the background prevents him from even exploring that potential, however.Tonight, TNA had an opportunity to put Bronson in a position of power as a new and refreshing leader for The System. He and Edwards delivered a riveting in-ring performance, too. The outcome ensured that Edwards remained in charge, though, so has anything really changed with the stable? And if nothing was going to, what was the true point of the Edwards-Bronson match?Hopefully we get answers soon.Written by Ella Jay
The ball pit has officially landed in the Impact Zone. And because of such strong performances by all four women, I have to give props to this match tonight.I'm a massive fan of Shotzi Blackheart. She has paved a very successful and underrated road in pro wrestling, and seeing her go from pillar to post tonight with no stoppage was thrilling. She seems to be a good fit for this new version of TNA (since her last appearance was seven years ago). Her ferocious attitude is the shot in the arm the Knockouts division desperately needed for some time now. Of course, Allie matched Blackheart's demeanor. Honestly, their pairing is a lot more steadfast and united than what Allie and Kiera Hogan were. It meshes well.Years ago, I thoroughly enjoyed covering the rise of Fire 'n Flava, and you could imagine what a delight it was for me to see them reunited tonight. They're heelishly voracious. The babyface version of Hogan wasn't working it just wasn't clicking. She's always shined more as a heel. And Tasha Steelz. Order 4, take frickin' notice. I could see why some might have been disappointed in their loss. But don't worry; they'll got the last word I mean, punch in. They did tonight, didn't they?Written by Brie Coder
