Most wrestling fans are familiar with what’s going on in WWE and/or AEW, with their six weekly shows between them taking up about 12 hours of television in total. As such, America’s other major promotions have to fight for what remains of our attention.
Here at Wrestling with the Rest, we aim to give interested wrestling fans a one-stop shop as to the goings on of Total Nonstop Action, Ring of Honor, and Major League Wrestling’s weekly television shows. In WWTR, you can expect highlights, wrestler and match recommendations, and full-show breakdowns for all three shows — and, on occasion, a few words about major events in other independent or international promotions. This week, however, we’re keeping it simple. So, without further ado, let’s get into Wrestling with the Rest for the week of June 28–July 4, 2026.
TNA IMPACT! July 2, 2026 – The Fallout from Slammiversary
This episode of TNA IMPACT! was the first to take place since their annual Slammiversary event, where TNA crowned four new champions, introduced a new Television Championship for the Knockouts division, inducted Konnan and the Amazing Red into the TNA Hall of Fame (and the latter participated in his first TNA match in 15 years), and saw the TNA debut of Uhaa Nation.
The major throughlines of the episode were the Knockouts Television Championship tournament, Leon Slater seeking revenge against X-Division Champion Cedric Alexander and The System, and the title celebration of the new TNA World Champion, Nic Nemeth. Nemeth and his shenanigans made for TNA’s highlight of the week.
At the top of the show, Nic was introduced by brother and tag partner Ryan Nemeth, and the two of them gloated about Nic defeating Mike Santana and becoming a two-time world champion. After the champion went down a list of names of wrestlers he’d beaten in the past (including John Cena and every iteration of John Morrison), KC Navarro—who’d recently been a protégé of Nic’s—came out and said he was disappointed in how the Nemeth brothers were acting. Ryan got in Navarro’s face, and Nic said he would speak with TNA General Manager Daria Rae to get the two a match later to get this out of their system.
KC Navarro and Ryan Nemeth had a pretty solid match with one another, but the important note comes after Navarro’s win. Nic Nemeth was on commentary for their match, and after the bell, he came to the ring and made his “brothers” shake each other’s hands. Then, after hugging both competitors, Nic hit Navarro with a Danger Zone, put his hat back on, and motioned for Ryan Nemeth to follow him up the ramp.
Between his high-energy show-opening promo, this betrayal of an ally, and an admittedly hilarious bit about him being in peak condition during TNA’s weekly injury report, Nic Nemeth’s title reign is off to an interesting start.
Match of the Week: #1 Contender for the X-Division Championship 6-Man Scramble: Mr. Elegance vs BDE vs Home Town Man vs Rich Swann vs Fabian Aichner vs Jason Hotch
As I get used to watching these new promotions, I’m always going to have a place in my heart for these multi-man scrambles where we get to see different characters interact. Mr. Elegance has the most insane physique in pro wrestling today, plus a very strange arm-waving taunt that immediately got over with me. Home Town Man is the perfect babyface gimmick, and it works especially well here in New York as he entered wearing a Knicks jersey. BDE’s Frozone fit from The Incredibles was great, and though he’s not as experienced as Swann, Aichner, or Hotch is, he didn’t look too out of place in this match. However, my favorite performer in this match also happened to be the winner, as Fabian Aichner is simply a beast. His ability to hit a quick flip after throwing his opponents around make him a highlight in this sort of match, and though the match felt a pinch short, it still delivered enough high-octane excitement to boost the show up.
Wrestler of the Week: Leon Slater
I want to get this out of the way now: If I was being honest, Leon Slater would probably be the wrestler of the week every time he wrestles. Between his weird entrance with the high fives, his excellent in-ring performances, and simply his presence, Leon Slater is clearly That Dude in TNA. However, after this week, I’m going to limit the number of times I highlight him because, if you know anything about TNA in 2026, you already know that Leon Slater is the highlight. This week, however, Slater’s promo towards the start of the show, his struggle for the X-Division title during a brawl in the middle of the show, and his fun main event match with Eddie Edwards made me feel like this guy just gets it. If you haven’t seen Leon Slater wrestle, fix that ASAP.
Results and Recap:
- Nic and Ryan Nemeth brag to the crowd and speak with KC Navarro (as described above).
- Leon Slater is interviewed about his main event match and says that beating “scum like Eddie Edwards” brings him closer to not just being the face of the X-Division but also the face of TNA.
- TNA Knockouts TV Championship Tournament, Round 1: Mara Sadé def. Tasha Steelz
- Rich Swann and BDE agree not to go easy on each other in the scramble match and that there will be no hard feelings if BDE picks up his first win tonight.
- #1 Contender for the X-Division Championship 6-Man Scramble: Fabian Aichner def. Mr. Elegance, BDE, Home Town Man, Rich Swann & Jason Hotch
- TNA’s injury report discusses the status of the tag division, the Elegance Brand’s Personal Concierge after he got misted by Rosemary, Trey Miguel’s broken kneecap, Eddie Edwards and Moose being cleared after their brutal match at Slammiversary, and (breaking news) Nic Nemeth’s absolutely peak condition.
- Ricky Sosa runs into A.J. Francis and his manager, Expressions Oozing, backstage, who try to get him to join a rebooted First Cla$$. Expressions threatens to turn Sosa into Ricky from Boyz in the Hood if he rejects their offer, so Sosa simply says, “Bang! Bang!” and walks off.
- TNA International Champion Mustafa Ali tells his Order 4 stablemates, Tasha Steelz, Jason Hotch, and John Skylar, that he’s upset with them for getting comfortable with losing. He tells the Great Hands that he can get them another tag title match, but this time, they have to win.
- Ricky Sosa goes to the ring to address his win over Eric Young at Slammiversary. The Righteous and The System both come out to convince Sosa to join their respective stables. Eddie Edwards specifically tells Sosa that The System got Bear Bronson a tag title and currently has Cedric Alexander as X-Division Champion. Sosa emphatically rejects both teams, saying he only aligns with the fans, prompting the System to jump him. The Righteous sneak out of the ring, but Leon Slater runs in to help Sosa, only to also succumb to the numbers advantage.
- Elijah plays a lit-up, smoky guitar and sings a song about A.J. Francis failing to steal Elijah’s story or song at Slammiversary.
- TNA Knockouts TV Championship Tournament, Round 1: Heather by Elegance w/M by Elegance def. Knockouts Tag Team Champion Allie w/Rosemary
- New Knockouts World Champion Xia Brookside celebrates her title win and says, “I told you so,” regarding former champion and former friend Léi Ying Lee was holding her back. Lee comes out and tells Xia that she was disappointed by Xia cheating at Slammiversary and now recognizes that Xia is no champion but is instead a “fake b—.” Lee says she is getting her contractual title rematch, but because Xia wanted to cheat in their last match, Lee wants no rules this time.
- Mustafa Ali and Daria Rae discuss getting the Great Hands a tag title match from next week, and though there’s some friction over Ali’s cocky wording, Daria does agree that a tag title defense for the Hardys next week does sound like a good idea.
- KC Navarro def. Ryan Nemeth with Nic Nemeth on commentary. After the match, Nic forces both men to shake hands, then hits the Danger Zone on Navarro and leaves with Ryan.
- The Hardys call Mustafa Ali a snake oil salesman and say that the Great Hands’ tag title opportunity is less of an opportunity and more of a sacrifice.
- Eddie Edwards w/Alisha Edwards def. Leon Slater after interference from X-Division Champion Cedric Alexander. After the match, Ricky Sosa comes back out to help Slater fight off the System, and this time, Slater and Sosa stand tall.
ROH TV, July 3, 2026 — ROH Titles on the Line in Arena Mexico
ROH TV doesn’t have much of an interweaving storyline throughout the show. In fact, if you’ve ever seen a decent episode of AEW Dark, you’ve probably seen this episode of ROH TV. However, there are two wrestlers whose presence heavily impacts this show: Mistico and Lio Rush.
The biggest news coming out of Ring of Honor the previous week was that El Sky Team—comprised of Mistico and Mascara Dorada—won the Ring of Honor Tag Team Championships from Sammy Guevara and Beast Mortos in CMLL two nights before AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door. This episode televised this match in full, and as expected from a match which includes these four men, it was a real barn burner. Mortos was the MVP of this match, basing for his luchador opponents and making them look genuinely amazing. As such, Mascara Dorada — perhaps the most exciting young luchador in CMLL today — was able to pull off some incredible moves, standing on Mortos’s chest at one point and absolutely soaring out of the ring at several other points. Mistico, as always, has an incredible aura in his hometown ring and looked great hitting simpler but still beautiful high-flying offense on his opponents. And, finally, there’s Guevara, who not only looked great in the match, but stole the whole show after the match’s end, leaping toward the ringside ladies to try and keep his tag belts but falling on his face as they dodged him.
Match of the Week: Action Andretti vs Alex Reynolds
Regarding Lio Rush, his and Action Andretti’s break-up and subsequent rivalry has been the most consistently entertaining thing in recent episodes of ROH TV. This week’s installment of their saga saw Andretti take on a veteran in Dark Order’ Alex Reynolds, who I’ve always found to be underrated and was pleasantly surprised to see got some real shine in this match. Though the first half of this match felt like Reynolds was getting dominated, after he kicked out of a few moves and started fighting back, the crowd got SUPER behind him, giving me hope that he and the Dark Order can still get over like nobody’s business. On the other side, now separate from Cru, Andretti’s solo style is reminiscent of what Kevin Knight is doing on AEW TV, mixing methodical heel offense with constant trash talk and sparser high-flying moves.
Now, as one would imagine, the main event tag match was a better match than this one, but I’m highlighting this match in particular because it felt more like a modern ROH match than a borrowed CMLL one.
Wrestler of the Week: Cassie Lee
The IInspiration had one of my favorite debuts in AEW history and then promptly disappeared into Ring of Honor. Watching ROH TV this week, it was nice to see the two of them come out, talk some junk, and wisecrack while Cassie also hit some solid offense. For those who’ve been following the IInspiration since their days in NXT, you might remember that Cassie “Peyton Royce” Lee always could hold her own when given a chance to wrestle a singles match, but here in ROH, she and Jessie McKay stand out not just for solid wrestling but for bringing their always entertaining characters to a show that greatly benefits from anyone who’s got a notable personality.
Results and Recap
- HOOK def. Nick Comoroto
- The Premier Athletes & Beef w/”Smart” Mark Sterling & Story Denali def. Keagan Garland, LJ Cleary, and Aaron Dallas
- Maya World & Hyan def. Trish Adora & Robyn Renegade w/Christyan XO
- Lexy Nair interviews the Premier Athletes and Beef. Sterling and the Athletes imply that they won 2 v 3, even though Beef got the pin. Beef challenges Dalton Castle and the Outrunners for the ROH 6-Man Titles, but Sterling berates him for cutting a bad promo, making the Athletes do the rest of the talking.
- Lio Rush has a vignette where he struggles to touch the ROH TV Title without burning his hands.
- Action Andretti def. Alex Reynolds, then goes to attack him after the bell, but John Silver returns from injury for the save. As Andretti backs up the ramp, Lio Rush joins in on the chase with his umbrella.
- Mance Warner hypes himself up as the scarred up Southern Psycho who will fight in any rule set — hardcore, lucha, pure — if it means he gets paid in the end.
- Anthony Ogogo w/Shane Taylor def. Kiran Grey
- Caprice Coleman interviews Shawn Dean, Carlie Bravo, and Trish Adora about their military service for the 4th of July.
- Zayda Steel w/Christopher Daniels & ROH Women’s TV Champion Red Velvet def. Cassie Lee w/Jessie McKay
- Action Andretti says he’s offended by people getting in his business and threatens to beat Lio Rush with his own umbrella.
- ROH Tag Team Championship: El Sky Team (Mistico & Mascara Dorada) def. LFI (Sammy Guevara & Beast Mortos) [c] to become the NEW champions
MLW Fusion, July 4, 2026 – What’s Going on with Bishop Dyer?
This week saw MLW take over Atlanta’s historic Center Stage venue, hyping up the return of Teddy Long, the debut of Labron Kozone, and the crowning of the inaugural MLW Southern Crown Champion. However, though Fusion both began and ended with the villainous Contra Unit hacking the show’s feed, the biggest storyline of this week centered around MLW Tag Team Champions Bishop Dyer and Donovan Dijak — together known as the Skyscrapers.
In recent weeks, Dyer and MLW entered contract renegotiations, with Dyer trying to use his status as tag champion to negotiate a better deal for himself. However, heading into this week’s Fusion, MLW management decided that Dyer was out of action for now, but Dijak could continue to reign as tag team champion so long as he decides upon a new tag team partner by the end of the night.
After a backstage confrontation with Teddy Long over royalties owed for using the Skyscrapers name, Dijak brought both tag belts with him ahead of his main event match with Karl Anderson. As expected, the two of them had a very solid match — another battle in the recent war between the Good Brothers and the Skyscrapers — but in the end, Anderson escaped a Feast Your Eyes attempt and rolled Dijak up for the win. After the match, however, Dijak jumped Anderson with the help of another giant man AND another Bishop in John Bishop, who Dijak gave his second tag title to and crowned as the third Skyscraper.
This was a fun ending, and it would have been shocking, too…if the commentary team hadn’t accidentally spoiled this in the opening match.
Match of the Week: Bunkhouse Stampede for the inaugural MLW Southern Crown Championship: Trevor Lee vs Andrew Everett vs Ikuro Kwon vs The Beastman vs Diego Hill vs Jesus Rodriguez vs Paul Walter Hauser vs Festus vs Matthew Justice vs John Bishop
As stated in the TNA review, I’m going to value these multi-man matches as I get used to the roster, but this match was also just plain fun. With Doc Gallows “out for medical leave,” Festus was in this match and, as expected, went insane on the competition as soon as the bell rang. Jesus Rodriguez re-rang the bell early on to freeze Festus, and the match continued without him for a while, until Rodriguez got the idea to roll the comatose Festus into the ring and pin him. Tom Lawlor, sensing the injustice, left the commentary to ring the bell once more after the ref had counted to two, and once Festus kicked out, everyone in the match was in danger. While Festus brought the comedy, Beastman and Bishop brought the beef, and Matthew Justice brought the chair, I was most impressed in this match by Trevor Lee, Andrew Everett, and Diego Hill. Whenever these three were in the ring, it was like magic, and though I’m always going to root for local star Diego, I was not mad at the result of Trevor Lee stomping the competition to win the title. I only wish I got to see Ikuro Kwon do a little more, as I know Contra Unit is supposed to be a big deal.
Wrestler of the Week: Labron Kozone
Having been shown to train in recent weeks with Satoshi Kojima and being hyped up before his match by Teddy Long, MLW made sure that Kozone looked like a big star in his debut against Alan Angels. This match did a great job showing off Kozone’s intensity and his creative moves, like the Rotisserie Knee, but having seen Kozone become a star in DPW these past few years, I’m excited to see what happens when Kozone gets into a more competitive match-up. That said, this was a fun squash match, and I’m excited that MLW are taking Kozone so seriously as a star.
Results and Recap:
- Contra Unit hijacks the opening segment
- Rich Bocchini updates fans on Bishop Dyer’s contract status, saying that he tried to use his status as a tag team champion to negotiate a heftier contract. MLW management decided to stall out Dyer’s contract while allowing Donovan Dijak to keep his tag title so long as he finds a tag partner by the end of the night.
- Bunkhouse Stampede for the inaugural MLW Southern Crown Championship: Trevor Lee def. Andrew Everett, Ikuro Kwon, The Beastman, Diego Hill, Jesus Rodriguez, Paul Walter Hauser, Festus, Matthew Justice & John Bishop
- Bocchini interviews Teddy Long, who reminisces on being in Center Stage. On his way out, Teddy runs into Donovan Dijak, who Teddy says owes him royalty checks for the use of the Skyscrapers name.
- The Contra Mercs (Doc Gallows, Karl Anderson, Shotzi, and Krule) smoke blunts and talk trash about taking over.
- A brief video is shown about MLW World Champion Killer Kross’s recent success on the silver screen and appearances on the red carpet.
- Teddy Long comes out and says that Labron Kozone is the next big thing in professional wrestling, leading to Kozone’s intro for his in-ring MLW debut.
- Labron Kozone def. Alan Angels
- Satoshi Kojima gets a sick video package describing him as “The Founding Father.”
- Karl Anderson def. MLW Tag Team Champion Donovan Dijak, after which Josh Bishop attacks Karl Anderson.
- Donovan Dijak states that MLW has been screwing the Skyscrapers, but he has a new fellow tag champ and a third Skyscraper in a second Bishop, Josh Bishop.
- Contra Unit hijacks the end of the show, taking shots at the new “paper” champion.
This week was a fun start, and if I had to recommend one full show to go back and watch, it would actually be TNA. I’m personally glad to get the chance to watch more of these “fringe” promotions, so if you liked this article and would like to see more of it, please let us know on BlueSky @wrestling.aiptcomics.com!
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