TNA Impact 10/8/2026: 3 Things We Hated & 3 Things We Loved

The next edition of TNA Bound For Glory is almost upon us, but before that, the promotion had one final episode of "Impact" to set things up. It was a particularly eventful episode, with multiple title matches and some announcements for Sunday's big event. As always, you can count on Wrestling Inc. to share some of our favorite (and not-so-favorite) moments from the show.

Both title matches were substantial enough to be worth commenting on, while we also found some things to say about the eight-man tag match with Call Your Shot Gauntlet ramifications. There was one match we found just a bit too short, and you will find our reaction to the news of another former WWE star making their way over to TNA.

We're rarely able to fit everything in this trusty column, so naturally, some developments didn't make the cut. The good news is you can check out our "TNA Impact" 10/8/2026 live results, where you'll find us continuing to test out a new liveblogging format. Otherwise, stick around here to discover everything we loved and hated about tonight's episode.

I understand what TNA was trying to go for tonight. I would have eliminated the fluff in the middle of it, though.

Backstage, a confrontation between Zoey Serrano and Knockouts Tag Team Champions Allie and Kiera Hogan ensued, with shoves being exchanged and voices being raised. After TNA officials separated the women, Allie and Hogan then headed to the ring for a non-title match against indie standouts Alex Gracia and Ki Vibez.

I'll acknowledge that I was happy to see Gracia and Vibez getting the opportunity to wrestle on television. The match itself was short and felt overall unnecessary, however.

The main point of this series of events centered on Hogan and Allie calling out Serrano for a tag title match at Bound For Glory. Instead of doing that after a squash match, I would have preferred they lay out the challenge for Serrano right there on the spot backstage. Tensions were high, and both the champions and potential contender were fired up. It would have been the perfect setting for Allie and Hogan to spontaneously offer up a fight, and in turn, eliminate the point in between that delivered virtually nothing of substance.

My interest in seeing Serrano and Shayna Baszler reunite to take on the Knockouts Tag Team Champions is high. The route to get there just could have been a bit simpler.

Written by Ella Jay

Normally, I wouldn't necessarily enjoy a heel tagging themselves in to steal the pinfall in a tag team match with very little stakes for the sake of bragging rights. In the case of Joe Alonzo tagging himself into the Call Your Shot Gauntlet Eight Man Tag Team Random Draw Advantage so that he could pin Trey Miguel for the win, I actually thought it worked really well, considering he did it to earn the number 20 spot in the Bound For Glory Call Your Shot Gauntlet Match through some sneaky heel tactics.

Alonzo stealing the pinfall was just one example of how engaging the dynamics of having heel and babyface members on both teams and how much it really contributed to the high stakes match that was already at play here. Moments like Bear Bronson opting to tag out to Miguel and literally drag him into the ring to avoid fighting Brian Myers before encouraging Myers to beat down his own teammate in Miguel were really interesting to see play out. It kept me wanting to watch a match I otherwise probably wouldn't have been that interested in, and the high stakes stipulation made it feel that much more urgent by all the competitors who took part in it.

Written by Olivia Quinlan

So, was it just me, or was Fabian Aichner and KC Navarro's match too short? After a blink or two on my end, the match came to a close. And for that, I have to hate it.

To clarify, I'm not hating either one of these two. Why I'm so mad is because these two were so good, but it ended too soon. It felt like more time could have been allotted towards their match. Did you see how they cut off the ending? Now, I get it; TNA has to use tonight's episode as its final plug for Bound for Glory on Sunday. If anything, they should have had their match on the Countdown show if more time was added.

So, let's talk about the match, shall we? I watched it twice before writing this. Maybe I'm a little biased, but why aren't these two in the six-way scramble for the X-Division Championship on Sunday? This match was a clinic, a barnburner, and possibly a sleeper when looking at tonight's preview page. However, the counters, Navarro's 305, and Aichner's back breaker turned Hasta La Vista finisher, absolutely priceless! This match exceeded all of my expectations. I hope these two will eventually receive another opportunity to run it back with more time.

Written by Brie Coder

I appreciate the moments that circle back to one's storyline history. I was even more appreciative when that moment traced back to both champion and challenger on Thursday night.

Knockouts Television Champion M By Elegance retained her title over Elayna Black due to a time-limit draw. In Black's case, it marked the second time in recent memory that she fell victim to the 10-minute time limit attached to the KO TV Title. Initially, she and former "NXT" star Wendy Choo reached it in their opening round match of the KO Television Championship tournament, which meant both were eliminated. In turn, M By Elegance received a bye to the tourney's semi-finals.

Tonight, Black seemed on the verge of victory when she spiked M with the Black Out. Physical exhaustion and a delayed cover ultimately prevented her from securing a pinfall, however, as the closing bell rang before the referee could count to three.

Black immediately appeared distraught at the realization that the time-limit had hurt her again. M, on the other hand, smiled as if she had won the luck lottery.

The storytelling here was simple, but sometimes, that's all you need to also tell a good one.

Written by Ella Jay

Leon Slater will be challenging Nic Nemeth for the World Championship this weekend, so it was only natural for this week's main event to continue that feud by having the challenger on commentary for the champion's defense of the tag titles. Natural in TNA, at least.

It was a main event from 2010, the Hardys versus the Nemeths, and also a prelude to the former team's dalliance with the Syx this weekend. Only, Ryan Nemeth was there too. I would hasten to say only TNA officials believe he is capable of the main event, which continues to be abrasively obvious.

The match suffered from the sheer age and mediocrity of those involved. The Hardys are no spring chickens. It is becoming increasingly hard to tell what came first: them or the egg. They are legends but legends with back difficulties and unfortunately that is a very necessary part of the body for wrestling. Ryan Nemeth is Ryan Nemeth. Nic Nemeth is actually still a very solid worker, though again it would be disingenuous to pretend he's bouncing about like he was back in the good ol' days.

So, add those all together and carry over the three: a boring match. A match that struggled to be anything of note even before Syx made their presence known, using their finisher: playing with the light switch. The lights flickered and Jeff Hardy was enamored, allowing Nemeth to use his titanium knees on the Swanton and get the pinfall.

The lights misbehaved some more and Nic Nemeth used that as his chance to attack Leon Slater in front of Carlos Silva, thus violating the no-contact clause. But the lights were off, critical thinking does not exist in TNA, and the company is hardly going to shelf its pay-per-view main event days before it. So obviously that's literally all that was done to extend this feud, a punch in the dark.

Back in the ring, Joseph Sawyer and Samuel Shaw got to work on beating the Hardys up and the show drew to a milquetoast close. For me, the Wyatt Sicks were only interesting because of Bray Wyatt, then with his passing they became something of a sweet spot that eventually grew sour. That's to say, personally, they're not very interesting even with the Wyatt lore backing them.

Now they don't have that and are two creepy guys attacking the Hardys like literally every other tag team to share a roster with them. The entirety of this main event picture screamed mid at the very top of its lungs with absolutely no regard for tone. That's just a crying shame.

Written by Max Everett

Let me start by saying I'm usually not the biggest fan of former WWE stars joining TNA. The whole thing starts getting old when it happens over and over again, but there are exceptions to that. Tonight, we learned that Shayna Baszler will be wrestling at Bound For Glory, and unless this is just a one-off appearance, she'll be a welcome addition to the Knockouts division.

Baszler was released by WWE last year, though she has continued to work for the company behind the scenes in the months since, and even appeared on "WWE NXT" earlier this year. However, it's well past time for Baszler to return to television. She's a strong performer who checks multiple boxes, and not only will she make "Impact" a more enjoyable show to watch, but she should also help the Knockouts division simply by working with the existing roster and helping them improve in the ring and on the mic.

I can't say I've been equally impressed with her tag team partner, Zoey Serrano, thus far. The pre-taped segment that introduced Baszler as Serrano's teammate for the title match on Sunday wasn't the strongest, but at least now there is hope that Baszler can elevate the duo and help Serrano find her footing in these new surroundings. Best of luck to them.

Written by Nick Miller