Big fights happen in Las Vegas, Nevada. While many think of boxing or MMA as the primary combat sport that dominates Sin City, major events in professional wrestling have taken place there, too. Thanks to the recent Rebellion premium live event and a set of Impact television tapings at the Palms Casino Resort, TNA Wrestling added a few more memorable moments to the history books.
That Hashtag Show was on hand for TNA’s return to the Palms’ Pearl Theater on April 20 and 21, 2024 to catch all the action. We also attended the press conference at Iron Chef Michael Symon’s acclaimed BBQ restaurant Mabel’s, which featured the TNA World Championship match contract signing between Moose and Nic Nemeth. With so much going on that weekend (including an unofficially official high holiday for certain circles and another highly-anticipated wrestling show from another promotion), it might have been hard for some people to keep up with all the action emanating from the Impact Zone.
With that in mind, we take a look back at some of the amazing TNA action that happened in Las Vegas over the weekend. And not only do we reflect on the incredible moments from Rebellion, but we also tease some of the exciting matches coming up over the next few weeks as the roster prepares for the next big show, TNA Under Siege on May 3rd in Albany, New York.
Mustafa Ali vs. Jake Something
TNA X-Division Champion Mustafa Ali has been on a role since being released from WWE last year. “The President of Professional Wrestling” has been traveling all over the world as of late to compete with some of the biggest names on the indie scene today such as “Speedball” Mike Bailey, Kevin Blackwood, Amazing Red, Storm Grayson, and Gringo Loco. But when he stepped foot in the TNA ring this past weekend, his illustrious win streak was in major jeopardy as his opponent at Rebellion turned out to be Jake Something.
The massive bruiser earned the opportunity at the champion by securing a victory in the Rebellion Referendum six-way match to capture his spot as the #1 contender in the X-Division. However, despite the division’s mantra of having no limits, Ali protested his next challenger. To him, Something doesn’t fit the typical size or in-ring style that has traditionally been showcased in the X-Division.
Despite the champion’s objections, the match took place as planned and was an absolute banger. We’ve heard time and again that styles make fights in combat sports. Ali’s high-flying speed versus Something’s powerful brute strength certainly proved that saying to be true. These two certainly delivered one hell of a fight in their first encounter, and the TNA faithful were elated to receive it.
Later in the weekend, Ali also had a more conventional X-Division opponent in the form of Bullet Club’s Chris Bey. That is to say, both men are well-versed in the Super Junior/Cruiserweight style. As a result, their clash was a spectacle to say the least. But no matter what kind of challenger he faces, Mustafa Ali will find a way to prevail while showing the crowds that he is indeed one of the best at doing what he does.
The Return of “Broken” Matt Hardy
Las Vegas has been the site of many shocking debuts and returns to TNA. Alex Hammerstone, AJ Francis, the Grizzled Young Veterans, and Nic Nemeth all made their presence known when the promotion was last in town at Hard to Kill in January 2024. The surprises kept rolling when the promotion circled back to Vegas for Rebellion a few months later. Former LAX member Mike Santana competed for the first time in TNA in nearly 5 years when he challenged Steve Maclin. Then, Sami Callihan reemerged after a 7-month hiatus to help Jordynne Grace retain the TNA Knockouts Championship against Steph De Lander.
However, the most shocking revelation was the return of Matt Hardy. After the grueling world title match between Moose and Nic Nemeth, the Broken One emerged from the shadows to delete the reigning champion.
Hardy recently entered free agency when his AEW contract expired. When the two sides could not agree on a new deal, there was speculation that Hardy was WWE-bound. Instead, he decided to revisit the place that really cemented him as a main event star. TNA is also the place that offered him the most creative freedom, so now that he’s back, there’s no telling what he has up his sleeve this time around. But no matter what comes next, there’s a good chance that it will be WONDERFUL.
Joe Hendry Apologizes To Fir$t Cla$$
Audiences have been believing in the relentlessly positive Joe Hendry since he debuted in TNA Wrestling. Although, he’s not everyone’s cup of tea. For example, AJ Francis (formerly known as Hit Row’s Top Dolla in WWE) isn’t a fan. Hendry used his signature music videos to poke fun at Francis. After weeks of back and forth, the pair finally faced off between the ropes in March. But in an interesting turn of events, Hendry’s ally Rich Swann turned on him and aligned with Francis. This led to the Scottish wrestler’s downfall in that match. And at Rebellion, Hendry suffered defeat once again, this time at the hands of Swann.
Without giving anything away from an upcoming episode of TNA Impact, Hendry admitted defeat. Fir$t Cla$$ had bested him. Because of this, he wanted to issue a very special apology in the form of a musical performance. Since he and TNA announced this themselves to promote the tapings at the Palms, this isn’t really a spoiler. And if you’ve seen Hendry’s work in the past, you’ll know that this segment is entertaining as hell.
Seeing Joe Hendry’s name added to the long and prestigious list of musical icons who have performed in the renowned hotel and casino was truly an entertaining experience. Don’t miss the wrestler’s latest tune. Set your DVRs, subscribe to TNA +, or do whatever you have to do to get AXS TV. Some in attendance may even describe this performance as a religious experience.
Josh Alexander vs. Frankie Kazarian
The reverberations of Rebellion have caused TNA icons Josh Alexander and Frankie Kazarian to cross paths on a future installment of Impact. After their respective battles with Alex Hammerstone and Eric Young, each man claimed to be the number one contender to Moose’s TNA World Championship. In typical heel fashion, Kaz nearly walked away from “The Walking Weapon,” but the match was made official. They didn’t even have time to change into their wrestling gear. But regardless of the slap-dash manner in which this match came together, it was one of the highlights of the entire weekend.
Alexander is a technical wizard . Kazarian possesses an unmatched pedigree passed down to him from the legendary Killer Kowalski. Each brutal in their own way, both competitors really left it all out there in the ring. Plus, there were some very entertaining moments as well. Again, we don’t want to give anything away and ruin a future episode of TNA Impact. Instead, we’ll just say that Eddie Guerrero would be proud of the shenanigans that took place in this match.
Both Josh Alexander and Frankie Kazarian have been torchbearers and standard-setters in TNA over the years. Each of them rightfully deserves a shot at the world title. But more importantly, they both rightfully deserve the respect of wrestling fans everywhere for their various contributions to the industry, specifically TNA Wrestling.
Jordynne Grace vs. Miyu Yamashita
Let’s be honest. TNA has incredible talent up and down the roster. However, the Knockouts Division is the main reason why everyone should be tuning in. Gisele Shaw, Havok, Rosemary, Masha Slamovich, and Tasha Steelz are just a few of the top-tier talent to step in a TNA ring on a regular basis. But with dominant champions like Jordynne Grace and Spitfire (Dani Luna and Jody Threat), it’s no wonder that outsiders will occasionally step into the company to test their mettle. That’s why Tokyo Joshi Pro’s ace Miyu Yamashita made her way back to the promotion to challenge the TNA Knockouts Champion.
Both Grace and Yamashita are formidable competitors with many accolades. They’ve faced many who are considered to be the best in the world, but their paths have never crossed until this past weekend at the Palms in Las Vegas. And on the second night of Rebellion weekend, this blockbuster matchup was rightfully the main event of the show.
“The Pink Striker” delivered a barrage of kicks to “The Juggernaut” throughout the match. “Thick Mama Pump” managed to retaliate with her signature strength, but Yamashita’s fighting spirit helped her push through the pain. Obviously, we won’t reveal the winner, but we will say that it was a highly competitive and extremely hard-hitting match. In a weekend full of banger matches, Grace vs. Yamashita should definitely land in the top five. Hopefully these incredible women can stand across each other in a TNA ring once again in the future.
For more on Wrestling, make sure to check back to That Hashtag Show.
