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TNA will present Emergence 2025 on Friday, August 15th at 8 PM Eastern (Countdown to Emergence is at 7:30 PM Eastern on TNA+, TrillerTV, and YouTube) from the Chesapeake Arena in Baltimore, Maryland. Let’s take a look at the card that will air live on TNA+ and TrillerTV:
*TNA World Champion/NXT’s Trick Williams vs. Moose
*TNA X-Division Champion Leon Slater vs. Cedric Alexander
*TNA World Tag Team Champions The Hardys vs. The Rascalz
*Mike Santana vs. Sami Callihan
*TNA Knockouts World Tag Team Champions The Elegance Brand with The Personal Concierge vs. NXT’s Fatal Influence vs. The IInspiration vs. Xia Brookside and Lei Ying Lee
*TNA International Champion Steve Maclin vs. Jake Something - No Countouts/No Disqualifications
*Matt Cardona vs. Mustafa Ali with Order 4
*The System with Alisha Edwards vs. First Class
*The Home Town Man vs. Ryan Nemeth (Countdown to Emergence)
*Indi Hartwell vs. Rosemary (Countdown to Emergence)
Below is how I can see things happening/what I am keeping an eye on:
The Hometown Man vs. Ryan Nemeth
This came about due to The Nemeths beating down The Home Town man after The Home Town Man stood up for his hometown of Kingston, Rhode Island. I fully expect The Home Town Man to fight hard for his hometown of Baltimore on Friday just as much as he did for his hometown of Kingston. Santino Marella told Nic Nemeth that he is suspended for Emergence, so Ryan Nemeth will have a lot of work to do with no one on his side - especially because The Home Town Man will have his entire hometown (and all the hometowns across the world) on his side. This will serve as an early match to get the crowd into it with The Home Town Man looking strong against the dastardly Ryan Nemeth.
Indi Hartwell vs. Rosemary
This came about quickly on iMPACT! I like Rosemary declaring herself the gatekeeper of the Knockouts Division. Rosemary is always solid and will do her best to lift Hartwell up in the match. Indi Hartwell has not had the smoothest run since her debut. The crowd tends to enjoy Hartwell, but things just haven’t clicked yet. This will be a good test here for Hartwell. I expect Indi to get the win as she adds to her resume for a future title shot.
Matt Cardona vs. Mustafa Ali
Matt Cardona was able to beat the numbers game on iMPACT!. Will he be able to do it at Emergence while in the ring with the leader of Order 4? Agent Zero wasn’t a factor in Cardona’s match with John Skyler. I’m going to assume Agent Zero will play a part in Mustafa Ali’s gameplan, though. Ali has been on the cusp of entering the TNA World Title picture, so I think he gets the win here thanks to Order 4’s help.
The System with Alisha Edwards vs. First Class
Rich Swann is back in First Class and the team is as ruthless as ever. AJ Francis kicked the injured KC Navarro out of the group and then helped Trick Williams attack Moose backstage on iMPACT!. The System did their best to stand up for Moose, but ended up taking the loss due to Swann cheating on a roll up. The System will be looking for revenge, but it’ll be tough - the new/old First Class seem to be on the same page and willing to get even lower in their tactics than usual. This match is a toss up, but I think The System may be able to overcome the cheating strategy of First Class.
TNA International Champion Steve Maclin vs. Jake Something - No Countouts/No Disqualifications
Jake Something has come back strong from his injury and is looking for a big title win. If he can make it happen, it would be the biggest win of his TNA career. Steve Maclin, though, has been on a roll. He is the first TNA International Champion in the company’s history and has defended the championship against anyone who has wanted a shot. Maclin is also willing to fight for TNA against outsiders. While he hasn’t had to deal with too many outsiders, Something is quite the task to defend the title against. These two men went at it on last week’s iMPACT! and couldn’t be pulled apart from each other, which resulted in this match being a No Countout/No Disqualification match. This match will provide the fun war of a match that TNA tends to have on their buffet of a TNA+/PPV card. I see Maclin retaining to lengthen his title run, but I also see Something looking really good and proving why he will be a future champion.
TNA Knockouts World Tag Team Champions The Elegance Brand with The Personal Concierge vs. NXT’s Fatal Influence vs. The IInspiration vs. Xia Brookside and Lei Ying Lee
All four of these teams have been tied up with each other on iMPACT! for a few weeks and it will culminate in this four-way match for the tag titles. I like it. This time last year, I was worried about the depth of the Knockouts Division. Today, I think the Knockouts Division has so many options for both the Knockouts World Title and the Knockouts World Tag Team Titles. I also like that there is some NXT flavor here in this match, as it adds to the layers of the NXT vs. TNA feud that has been brewing. While I don’t see Fatal Influence winning here, I am curious to see if The Elegance Brand can keep the titles. It’s interesting that the graphic for this match features Heather and M representing The Elegance Brand instead of Ash and Heather (thanks to the Freebird Rule). Ash has been involved with Masha Slamovich and Jacy Jayne for the TNA Knockouts World Championship and will take them on in a three-way match at NXT Heatwave. With Ash not involved in this match, can Heather and M step up to prove that they can carry the brand while Ash is busy? They couldn’t on iMPACT! recently which caused them to get yelled at. I think that they should prove that they can win for storyline purposes (they win and Ash doesn’t at Heatwave…which could lead to tension maybe?). However, if they don’t, then I can see The IInspiration getting the crowd-pleasing win.
Mike Santana vs. Sami Callihan
I don’t hate this match. I thought I would, but I don’t. When I say “I thought I would,” I don’t mean it in terms of in-ring action or because of the talent involved. If anyone has read or listened to what I do here at PWInsider.com, then you know I am a big Mike Santana guy. I also enjoy Sami Callihan. But here’s the thing - on paper after Slammiversary, Mike Santana wrestling Sami Callihan doesn’t make sense. TNA made it make sense, though. Sami Callihan, after being put down by Moose for his weight and inability to wrestle at a high level now, wants to know if he can still hang with the best. Who is the best in TNA? Well, Mike Santana is “The Standard.” Santana told Callihan that, out of respect to Sami, he is willing to put his chase of the TNA World Championship to the side to wrestle and see if the Death Machine is still within Callihan. Would I rather Mike Santana be TNA World Champion right now? Yes. Do I mind how this Santana vs. Callihan match came about? No. It seems like Santana’s moment will be at Bound for Glory. This is a side quest that can help Callihan, but also keep Santana chugging along. I wouldn’t rule out someone getting involved to screw Santana over. If not, though, then this may be the last time we see the Death Machine. Therefore, with the booking being backed into a corner in that way, I can see Santana being distracted or attacked - but that’s only if the Death Machine lives on.
TNA World Tag Team Champions The Hardys vs. The Rascalz
The Rascalz recently defeated The Nemeths to put themselves in line for this TNA World Tag Team Championship match. This, of course, is a different Rascalz team than what we’ve seen in recent years with Myron Reed taking the place of Trey Miguel while Miguel is out with an injury. Any version of The Rascalz is a fun version of The Rascalz, though. When you pair them with The Hardys, you are going to get a rock solid match. The Hardys have been enjoying their resurgence since coming back together in TNA. They are in great shape and have put on consistently good matches. I expect this match to be fun. I do not see The Hardys losing since they just won the titles back and it seems like they will be keeping them as an added factor in their match against Team 3D at Bound for Glory. Once The Hardys are ready to drop the titles, though, I hope The Rascalz get a strong look to have a really solid run with the championships.
TNA X-Division Champion Leon Slater vs. Cedric Alexander
In a recent three-way match between Leon Slater, Cedric Alexander, and Jason Hotch, Slater pinned Hotch to retain the TNA X-Division Championship. Slater won. Alexander didn’t lose. Slater won. Alexander didn’t get pinned. Those were the two arguments by both men. Two things can be correct at the same time and when that happens in a situation like this - there’s only one way to settle it: a one-on-one match. I think this has the chance to be a banger and might steal the show. Slater has been on a heck of a run, becoming the youngest TNA X-Division Champion in the company’s history. His work on the microphone and in the ring gets better each time. Alexander is always reliable for a good match and has been showcasing his abilities even more after leaving WWE. I don’t expect Slater to lose, but I do expect to enjoy this match.
TNA World Champion/NXT’s Trick Williams vs. Moose
Moose recently pinned Trick Williams in a tag team match. Moose will be in his hometown at Emergence. Moose will be wrestling in front of his family at Emergence. Moose recently turned, along with The System, into babyfaces while helping defend TNA. Everything is in place for Moose to beat Trick Williams and bring the TNA World Championship back to TNA where it belongs. It’s just…not going to happen. It’s not the moment. It’s not the place. I’d love for TNA to have moments like this on shows like Emergence, but it’s just not the way things work right now. Trick Williams will figure out a way to retain the title on Friday and will end up taking it all the way to Bound for Glory where someone, odds are leaning towards Mike Santana, will get a big moment. This will be a good match, though.
Overall Thoughts
Over the last year, I have been a little bit critical of TNA not always building towards their TNA+ specials enough. I have to be honest here - I think the build towards Emergence has been much stronger than other TNA+ specials recently. I always look forward to TNA shows, but I just want them to have some emotion and story to them. This show has that and that makes me more excited to watch. I’m hoping that a lot of TNA fans, new and old, feel the same and decide to tune in.
PWInsider.com will have live coverage of TNA Emergence 2025!
Are you looking forward to TNA Emergence? What do you think of the card? Do you see the matches playing out the same as me or a different way? Let me know at matt.tenhoeve@gmail.com and let’s talk about it!
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