Having not attended or even watched TNA Wrestling in the longest time, I didn’t even know some of the wrestlers on this, TNA Slammiversary 2025, their biggest drawing show of all time, with an attendance of 7,623 from UBS Arena- Belmont Park, Elmont, NY.
Therefore, I entered the UBS Arena with a clean slate.
The matches were either going to win over this jaded, old-school fan of fifty-plus years or they’d lose my interest.
Ultimately, the card did a little of both.
A mostly young, enthusiastic crowd in their twenties and thirties seemed to be the bulk of the audience as opposed to the parents with kiddies contingent at WWE area house shows.
This was my live reaction to their Pay Per View card.
Pre-Show:
First off, it was nice to see the great hometown hero Johnny Rodz receive a tribute from Tommy Dreamer and the announce team; they hailed him as an all-time great trainer.
Rodz is one of my all-time favorite wrestlers, as the unpredictable one was as consistent in ring as virtually anyone.
I saw him live in classics with Billy Robinson, Tatsumi Fujinami for the WWWF Jr. Heavyweight belt, and the great Black Gordman. He more than deserved this acknowledgement.
Also of note, I spotted indie great Cha Cha Charlie backstage. I saw the colorful and charismatic Cha Cha the very night before headline the Elks Lodge for Colossal Championship Wrestling in a match against Tommy Invincible, which was comparable to and even superior to much of the Slammiversary bouts. Give this man his shot- he more than deserves it.
TNA Slammiversary 2025
TNA Knockouts Tag Team Championship Countdown Match:
The Elegance Brand (c) vs. The Inspiration- Instantly forgettable tag match that was “just fine” but nothing I’ll remember years or even months from now.
I was more impressed by old school heel manager and heat magnet “The Personal Concierge” than the match itself. 2 ½*
TNA Slammiversary 2025
Eric Young (w/ The Northern Amory) vs. The Hometown Man:
Entertaining enough harmless comedy match to warm up the fans. 2 ½*
Countdown Match: Steve Maclin, Mance Warner, and Jake Something vs. Real1, Zilla Fatu, and Josh Bishop. I happen to like Enzo, also known as Real 1.
He has a crazy manic energy, his eccentric mannerisms are wildly entertaining, the man cuts a great and colorful promo, and he’s a one-of-a-kind character.
But when the entrances and said promo are longer than the match itself, you’ve entered WWE territory, and that’s not a good thing.
Additionally, the overhyping of Zilla Fatu, simply because of his bloodline, actually worked against him, as he had little time to showcase his actual wrestling skills within the three-minute rush job. A big disappointment overall. 2*
Ultimately, having three forgettable throwaway pre-show matches results in a long, nearly four-and-a-half-hour show that drains an audience’s energy, a mistake that AEW also makes.
If you’re going to take something from WWE, their tight five or six-match B Pay Per Views work better than the lengthy dozen or so match slogs.
The main card:
TNA Slammiversary 2025
Cedric Alexander vs. Mustafa Ali
Cedric Alexander vs. Mustafa Ali – Arguably the best bout of the night, they engaged in a great back-and-forth battle.
The screwjob finish didn’t do these warriors any favors, and not every match needs a 37-man entourage and outside interference, which becomes more of a distraction than anything.
Nonetheless, this was a hell of an opener, and one has to wonder how the ironically named Creative in WWE allowed these greats to slip through their hands.
This caliber of match is what you would expect on a major pay-per-view and TNA’s biggest drawing show ever. Great stuff. 4*
The System and Matt Cardona vs. Dark State- While Cardona got a huge Long Island welcome and got to shine, this ultimately was a nothing match and was in the death slot following the sizzling opener. 2 ½*
TNA Slammiversary 2025
Indi Hartwell vs. Tessa Blanchard
Fans were dead for much of this match, which at least felt like it ran too long. It picked up towards the end and ultimately was solid yet nothing special. Blanchard’s post-match antics, including an attack on an announcer, got more heat than the match itself. 3*
TNA Slammiversary 2025
TNA Knockouts & NXT Women’s Championship:
Masha Slamovich (c) vs. Jacy Jayne (c)
It was back-to-back women’s matches, which wasn’t necessarily a good thing, as this bout felt flat and wasn’t as good as the prior one.
Hearing a TNA crowd divided between the NXT champ and their own and having the NXT champ walk away with both belts is a head scratcher, too.
If NXT is WWE’s “minor league,” why do their champions always defeat TNA’s champs? Fans seem sure that it’s just a matter of time before WWE buys them out, but diminishing TNA talent in the process is questionable at best. It left a bad taste in my mouth and would be repeated yet again on the show. 2 ¾*
TNA Slammiversary 2025
TNA X-Division Championship:
Moose (c) vs. Leon Slater
TNA got back on track with this barn-burner, and 20-year-old Slater tore the roof off with his speed, energy, charisma, and amazing high-flying skills against the massive, powerful, and game
Moose. It was pretty much a toss-up for match of the night between this and Ali-Alexander. That AJ Styles came out to give the rub to Slater made it that much more special. Great stuff. 3 3/4*
Leon Slater and Moose in a great match-up
Dramatic shot of the Hardys winning the Ladder Match
TNA Slammiversary 2025
Ladder Match for the TNA World Tag Team Championship:
The Nemeth Brothers (c) vs. The Hardys vs. The Rascalz vs. Fir$t Cla$$
While ladder matches have been done to death and the Hardys have done 18 of them —many of which were better than this one —this nonetheless was a wild brawl with some crazy and dangerous spots. This was a crowd pleaser. 3 ½*
TNA Slammiversary 2025
TNA World Championship:
Trick Williams (c) vs. Joe Hendry vs. Mike Santana
Mike Santana came out to a hometown hero’s welcome, and this at least seemed like his night-until it wasn’t. Instead, it felt like TNA was WWE’s feeder system, as once again, their guy in Trick Williams went over in a quickie 13-minute affair, a disappointment of a main event.
Wrestling 101 would have suggested putting the Hardys on last and at least sending the fans home happy. Only they didn’t. And it was a mistake. 3*
Slammiversary Wrap-Up – When the smoke cleared, this was a successful event, featuring a good crowd, a strong gate, and high-quality entertainment.
The Ali-Alexander and Moose-Slater bouts stole the show, and the Ladder Match was a standout. Yet, I could have easily lived without the rest of it.
When you have a talent-laden ten-match card and you walk away caring about a total of three bouts, it at least felt like it could have been something more.
File this baby under: a very good night that could have been great.
I’m nonetheless looking forward to seeing how it all plays out for TNA down the road.
******
Evan Ginzburg is a contributor for Pro Wrestling Post. He was an Associate Producer on the movie The Wrestler and 350 Days starring Bret Hart and Superstar Billy Graham. He is a 30-year film, radio and TV veteran. Check out his Evan Ginzburg’s Old School Wrestling Memories page on Facebook and his new radio show Wrestling and Everything Coast to Coast with Buddy Sotello. His new book is Wrestling Rings, Blackboards and Movie Sets. He can be reached on Twitter @evan_ginzburg or by e-mail at evan_ginzburg@yahoo.com.
