TNA Impact 2/26/2026: 3 Things We Hated & 3 Things We Loved

Welcome back to your weekly dose of "TNA Impact" feedback, with your usual Thursday night crew. Tonight brought us all another taped episode of "Impact," with some high-profile tag bouts, hard-hitting entries in the Knockouts division, and further setup for the world title picture (while continuing to devalue the Feast or Fired stipulation).

"Impact" has yet to leave us feeling fully entertained since its AMC TV debut, but it's fair to say we didn't have as difficult of a time coming up with some things to love about tonight's show. Still, we found plenty to hate, as you'll see below. Here's hoping that TNA continues the upward trend as we head into March.

Those of you searching for a more detailed breakdown of the show will find it on our "Impact" results page. However, if you want to learn what we thought about the groups involved in the main event, Tom Hannifan's in-ring interview with the fired Steve Maclin, and more, continue onward!

Last month, TNA fans expected Lei Ying Lee to defend the Knockouts World Championship against Dani Luna at the Genesis pay-per-view. Due to international visa issues, however, Luna was unable to travel, and furthermore, compete at the PPV in Texas.

In her in-ring return on "Thursday Night iMPACT" tonight, Luna appeared more aggressive and more motivated to get back into the KO Title picture. At one point, she even introduced a steel chain into her now-non-title bout against Lee. Lee initially managed to avoid being struck by it, though she couldn't escape the onslaught of offense that followed from Luna.

That offense included a kickout that sent Lee crashing into the chain-wrapped turnbuckle as well as a German suplex. To finish Lee off, Luna then delivered the Luna Landing to mark her first TNA win since January 8.

With this win, it's clear that TNA has big plans for Luna, especially given that her opponent is a former Knockouts Champion, and honestly, I fully support it. For much of her TNA career, Luna has operated as a part of factions or tag teams. Now, she's going at things alone, with a promising start to a potential world title pursuit.

In her original return to television at No Surrender, Luna distracted Lee amidst her Knockouts Championship match against Arianna Grace. Grace went on to dethrone Lee at the show, though based on tonight's results and Luna's evident new edge, I suspect that the England native may unseat her in the very near future.

Written by Ella Jay

There's no denying that both Mickie James and Ash By Elegance are abundantly talented in their own right. James is a legend in the professional wrestling business, while Ash has shown what she can do with her current character work and leading an entire stable of her own throughout her time in TNA Wrestling. With that said, I think it's pretty safe to say that their face off on this edition of "Thursday Night iMPACT" was neither woman's best work.

For starters, I personally found this faceoff to be incredibly boring and a little bit all over the place. It didn't really do anything to make itself stand out for me in any kind of way, and didn't really do anything to set itself apart from any other faceoff that I've seen in the last 5 years. While I can also understand why James and Ash would bring up subjects like James helping Ash to get a job in TNA Wrestling, I also feel that this feud is still in the beginning stages as it continues to find its footing and maybe would've landed better if they had just held off a couple of weeks when things were more personal between the pair.

I also think that James' son didn't need to be involved in the segment. It just really wasn't necessary to the feud and the storyline as a whole especially at this point into it, with there being no shortage of other ways for The Elegance Brand to get into James' head with their heel tactics. I couldn't help but feel that it was such an unnecessary plot point, and just something that was meant as nothing more than a means of giving a good reason for James and Ash to have a stipulation match of some kind down the line.

Written by Olivia Quinlan

The Pinnacle in Nashville, Tennessee came alive tonight during Steve Maclin's in-ring interview, as the fans truly expressed what they thought of the former Impact World Champion's speech: "We don't care." If that wasn't brutal enough, there was a "He's a w**ker" chant, and above all else, "Wrap it up." There was even one fan in the front row that imitated holding a fishing pole and trying to reel it in. For this, our publication LOVED, LOVED, LOVED it!

Here's the thing: As a former Impact/TNA television recap and news writer during my first run here, I think about the legendary moments this company had during my 2019-2022 run. Remember the Kenny Omega "Belt Collector" era? Had the pandemic not happened, and fans were allowed to be live in attendance, I can imagine his presence each and every week would have torn the roof off every venue they could've gone to. Or when Jay White made his first appearance. The moment where Omega, "Uncle" Don Callis, and The Good Brothers all stood in the middle of the ring, locking up in a "too sweet" hand gesture, and White stood there contemplating whether to beat them or join them? Or when Will Ospreay and Josh Alexander tore one another limb-for-limb in their two encounters?

Since its partnership with WWE, TNA has lost its edge. I hate to say it because in the past, it carried some fantastic lineage that made fans curious to switch over on a Thursday night and check out what TNA was dishing up, but times are different now. The fans said what we're all thinking. And as sad as it is to say, tell me when they're telling lies.

Written by Brie Coder

Since "Impact" debuted on AMC, The System has been heavily featured, including in tonight's main event. While it seems TNA seems to believe in the group, I can't say that I do. After kicking out Moose, JDC, and Alisha Edwards, the group is led by Eddie Edwards, and he's joined by Brian Myers, Cedric Alexander, and Bear Bronson.

Right now, the group just feels like a random assortment of guys, getting plenty of screentime without presenting anything interesting. It's a bummer, too, because the fresh configuration of the group feels like one of the only new directions the promotion has taken since debuting on its new network.

I just feel like: why are we supposed to care about these guys? I'm sure they're hoping this conflict with Moose will draw some emotion out of those watching, but I have zero investment in this soap opera. I'm just left hoping that they sort out their Moose issue and move on to another feud – one that might generate some kind of emotion regarding this faction, whether positive or negative. As it stands now, they're just another bland part of TNA's weekly product.

Written by Nick Miller

"Do you wanna know something?" Alisha Edwards is staying in TNA. For weeks, the former one-time Knockouts World Tag Team Champion was at a crossroads after seeing her husband and former alliance in The System turn vile. Thinking they might be righting the wrongs from what they did in the past, Edwards just can't seem to return to her old vicious ways, which is fine. However, since distancing herself from her former family, she walked into tonight's office defeated, and ready to leave the company for good. Until Moose came to her aid and convinced her to stay.

It was a sentimental moment because Edwards has contributed a lot to TNA. She was a shoo-in with her appearances through "Wrestle House" some time ago (gosh, I wish they'd bring that back in the fall), and her boisterous energy gets any and all reactions from the crowd. My hope is that we see her continue wrestling. Sure, it looks like the path she'll take now is to be alongside Moose's newfound journey after their post-System days, but it would be cool to see what she could do in the ring again.

Despite only carrying one title in the company, she is a firecracker to watch. And TNA certainly needs more pops than crackles at this point. She can bring that pop.

Written by Brie Coder

So from watching TNA weekly I get the idea that the System is supposed to be the top heel faction, I get the idea that the Hardys are supposed to be on a tag team renaissance in TNA, effectively enjoying what should be the final stretch of their legendary run. They hold the TNA tag titles, and the System wants the tag titles to assert their dominance as most factions who realistically can't yet win the brand's top title do. See also: the MFT and Dark State.

But what I don't get is the decision to have the System's Eddie Edwards, Cedric Alexander, Brian Myers, and Bear Bronson face the Hardys and the Righteous in this week's main event. For whatever reason the decision was made for the Righteous, who had already turned on the Hardys to make their own pursuit of the titles, albeit failing, to then again team-up with them. And personally, one single backstage segment on the night feels a little too shallow for any reasoning.

It feels like an indictment on the company that the aforementioned names comprise the main event of its weekly show having only just secured a touted network deal. It's confusing to just throw rivals together again with little to no connective tissue. And there just doesn't seem to be any form of plan or hook to compel one to watch the next week's show.

It's a shame for someone who used to fly the flag for TNA and really wants to see them succeed. But even beyond the main event, there was Steve Maclin cutting an advertised promo segment weeks after he was "fired" from the company, showered with jeers from the crowd calling for him to go away and wrap things up.

The show itself was actively uninteresting. And the main event just capped it all off, putting a collective of aging and already unimpressive wrestlers at the show's close, only to also have the heels win because and close out the show with a beating – stopped by Moose, only for him to also get beaten, then that beating was stopped by Alisha Edwards. Just an uninteresting mess that really does nothing but cement the System as TNA's House of Torture. Which may be the point, but then the question has to be asked: Why?

Written by Max Everett