TNA Slammiversary: Nygma’s Five Favorite Matches

Initially, it was known as the TNA Anniversary Show. In 2005, it became TNA Slammiversary. Over the last 23 years, this TNA Wrestling flagship event has brought us a lot of surprises, title changes, and debuts.

It had also been the time for the King of the Mountain Match, the five-man reverse ladder match. TNA Slammiversary has been a place for history and incredible encounters.

Then, Nygma is not making things like any other. So this Top 5 is a Nygma one, which means:

• Nygma made her TNA debut in 2017, so we’ll cover the 2017-2024 era
• Nygma loves hardcore, so don’t expect a Little House on the Prairie Top 10
• Nygma is a member of a secret society called DBN, so the D helped the N for this piece
• Nygma has her TNA “pillars,” so they will probably appear more than once.

With all of that in mind, let’s Nygma-dive into this Top 5.

Top 5 TNA Slammiversary Matches

Honorable Mention: Eddie Edwards Becomes World Champion Again (Slammiversary 2020)

During the COVID pandemic, we were all locked up, but in the IMPACT Zone, the show never stopped. They were meant to be four in this match, but they were five. For an unknown reason, I wondered whether Rich Swann or Jake Crist would be the mystery man, and it was Rich Swann.

And Eric Young, a true TNA legend who helped make the company what it is today. I won’t describe all the action because it was quite something, and you had better watch it. All I could say is: Eddie Edwards became a two-time World Champion.

Impact Wrestling had a choice to make between a young Champion and one of the cornerstones of the company. They chose Eddie Edwards, who has left his blood, his tears, and his sweat in the Impact Zone for six years at that time. It was an absolute moment of joy.

#5: Monsters’ Ball – Moose vs. Sami Callihan (Slammiversary 2022)

Barbed Wire Massacre, Monsters’ Ball, we can’t talk about TNA Wrestling without talking about this hardcore tradition of matches. After “The Monster” Abyss left the company in 2019, Sami Callihan has kind of naturally become the “Monster” in charge. TNA found in Callihan a new hardcore legend.

At Under Siege 2022, Sami Callihan made his jaw-dropping return to IMPACT Wrestling as he targeted the man who broke his leg and took him out of action last year, Moose. It was a blood bath, filled with all possible toys and cheap shots. If the Monsters Ball was Abyss’ playground, that night, it became Callihan’s garden.

This match was fantastic, mostly because it was the first time for both men. Seeing Callihan bow down at the end of the match was cool because we missed him as much as he missed the Impact Zone when he was injured. Because of that, it was “us” who had to bow down…

TACKS!!!@TheMooseNation @TheSamiCallihan #Slammiversary pic.twitter.com/BMFIneFj2v

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) June 20, 2022

#4: The First-Ever Queen of the Mountain Match (Slammiversary 2022)

In 2022, the TNA Knockouts were aiming for the same matches as the boys (except the Barbed Wire Massacre). They had the Ultimate X at Hard to Kill. At Slammiversary, they had the Queen of the Mountain. TNA Knockouts Champion Tasha Steelz wanted it, and Gail Kim made it.

Tasha Steelz had to defend against Savannah Evans, Mia Yim, Jordynne Grace, Deonna Purrazzo, and Chelsea Green. Plus, Mickie James was the Special Guest Enforcer. Only one Knockout could make history that night.

I was honestly thinking about Mia Yim, but it was Jordynne Grace. For nearly four years, at that time, Jordynne Grace had done so much for this company. She set the bar so high, the same way Gail Kim or Mickie James did before.

When it comes to the match, it was a stunning boot. Hats off, ladies!

.@ImChelseaGreen and @DeonnaPurrazzo just took a HUGE fall through tables thanks to @MiaYim!#Slammiversary pic.twitter.com/jZ6gPXJ24b

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) June 20, 2022

#3: The First Knockouts  Monsters’ Ball (Slammiversary 2019)

I said Taya Valkyrie was the outsider in this match. I owed her an apology because I forgot her time in Lucha Libre AAA and Lucha Underground, and the very tough matches she had there. This 4-Women Monster’s Ball was a first, and I was expecting it to be clumsy, but it was nasty.

Weapon-wise, we had them all: chairs, cookie sheets, tables, a staple gun, and of course, tacks. Valkyrie stapled a picture of her on the face of Su Yung, and then made her swallow it.

Rosemary was the lucky one who put the staples in the mat. After a vicious ladder segment involving the four women, Father James Mitchell being misted in the face, we saw a big Side Effect through the table from Valkyrie to Rosemary.

Havok hit a Super Tombstone on Su Yung and looked to win the match, but Valkyrie recovered and threw a chair to break up the pin and get the win. It may have been everything you wanted it to be, but the four ladies made great use of the stipulation and worked it very well. When we all bet on Rosemary or Havok, Taya Valkyrie showed how talented a Champion she was.

#2: Hair vs Mask – Sami Callihan vs Pentagon Junior (Slammiversary 2018)

There was no doubt in anyone’s mind that Pentagon Junior would be the winner of this match. Losing was just not possible (he was defending his AAA title the next month, so how could they let his career end this way?). The build-up of this match has been amazing, and it had to translate into at least a good match.

It was just awesome. After a superkick party, Pentagon broke Sami’s arm and hit another Fear Factor to allow the world to find out a brand-new Sami Callihan – a bald one.

That match was exactly the conclusion we needed for this storyline: nasty, vicious, aggressive, hardcore. Because the winner was easily predictable, I couldn’t make it the match of the night. But trust me when I say it was a hell of one.

#1: Intergender Main-Event – Sami Callihan vs Tessa Blanchard (Slammiversary 2019)

An intergender match made the main event of an Impact Wrestling PPV, enough to go straight to the first place. Sami Callihan wrestled Tessa Blanchard like a real man, and she fought Sami like a real wrestler. No Dave, no Jake, no Madman, just 2 wrestlers and 2 baseball bats.

Yes, Blanchard didn’t win, but Callihan grabbed his bat and hers, walked over to her, trying to recollect herself in the corner, and instead of continuing the beating, he just handed her her bat and walked off. Sami Callihan may be the biggest SOB in wrestling, character-wise, but he’s a respectful man. He proved it that night.

He and Blanchard made history, and nothing else matters.

Do you agree with Nygma’s choices, and what are your favourite Slammiversary matches?