How many viewers watched the June 25 episode of TNA Impact?

The June 25 episode of TNA Thursday Night Impact on AMC drew an average of 188,000 viewers and pulled in a 0.02 rating in the key 18-49 demographic. This represented a substantial drop from the previous week's episode on June 18, which attracted 255,000 viewers.

Why did TNA ratings drop for the June 25 show?

TNA loyalists attribute the ratings drop to the show airing directly opposite a Team USA FIFA World Cup soccer game, which acted as a major television draw. However, skeptics argue the decline is due to a lack of star power and an over-reliance on aging former WWE talent.

What happened during the Slammiversary World Title Summit segment?

The World Title Summit segment featured champion Mike Santana and challenger Nic Nemeth building heat for their upcoming match at Slammiversary. The segment escalated when Santana punched Nemeth in the face, triggering a wild brawl that also involved Ryan Nemeth.

Who competed in the six-man tag team match on TNA Impact?

The six-man tag team match on the June 25 episode featured the team of Frankie Kazarian, Cedric Alexander, and Mr. Elegance defeating the team of Leon Slater, KC Navarro, and Fabian Aichner. Critics cited this match to argue that the promotion relies too heavily on older veterans.

What segment opened the June 25 episode of TNA Impact?

The show opened with Matt and Jeff Hardy taking the microphone to discuss their upcoming ladder match at the Slammiversary pay-per-view. The segment quickly degenerated into a massive, chaotic brawl involving the teams of The Righteous and The System.

TNA got absolutely slaughtered in the ratings and the internet is losing it

Pull Up a Barstool

Pull up a barstool and pour yourself a double of whatever cheap whiskey is on the bottom shelf. We are sitting here on June 30, 2026, and the pro wrestling internet is currently having a collective meltdown over TNA's latest ratings drop. If you aren't scratching your head over the latest numbers, check your pulse.

The rating figures for the June 25 episode of TNA Thursday Night Impact on AMC came out, and it was a total bloodbath. The show drew an average of 188,000 viewers, which is a massive drop from the previous week. It also pulled in a horrific 0.02 rating in the key 18-49 demographic. As PWInsider reported, the show suffered a massive drop that left fans arguing all over social media.

Compare that to the June 18 episode, which drew 255,000 viewers and a 0.05 rating in the demographic. That is a loss of almost 70,000 viewers in just seven days. It is the kind of ratings crash that makes television executives start sweating through their expensive suits.

Naturally, the wrestling forums are in total chaos, with everyone pointing fingers and yelling their favorite theories.

The World Cup Defense vs. the WWE Retread Critique

The first group of fans, the TNA loyalists, are out in full force on Reddit defending the show. They argue that you cannot look at these numbers without checking the sports schedule.

The show aired directly opposite a Team USA FIFA World Cup game. That is a massive TV draw that would crush almost any cable show. If the casual fans are watching soccer, TNA is going to get slaughtered.

These defenders argue that the show itself was actually a fantastic go-home broadcast for the upcoming Slammiversary pay-per-view. They point to the opening segment where Matt and Jeff Hardy took the mic to talk about their upcoming ladder match.

The segment quickly degenerated into a massive brawl involving The Righteous and The System. The fans online loved the tag team chaos, arguing it did exactly what a go-home segment should do.

They also point to the World Title Summit between champ Mike Santana and challenger Nic Nemeth. Santana punched Nemeth right in the face, which triggered a wild brawl involving Nic and Ryan Nemeth.

This segment built genuine heat for their upcoming championship match at Slammiversary. The loyalists believe the product is hot, and that the rating drop is just a temporary blip caused by the soccer match.

Of course, the skeptics in the sports bar are shaking their heads and drinking their beers in disapproval. They argue that blaming the World Cup is a lazy excuse for a deeper problem.

According to them, TNA has a severe lack of star power and relies too much on aging veterans. They point to the fact that the roster is filled with former WWE talent who peaked years ago.

Look at the card for the June 25 show to see their point. The six-man tag match featured Frankie Kazarian, Cedric Alexander, and Mr. Elegance defeating Leon Slater, KC Navarro, and Fabian Aichner.

The skeptics argue that putting veterans over young talent like Slater and Navarro is bad booking. They feel TNA is sacrificing its future for short-term nostalgia.

Then you have AJ Francis defeating Manny Lemons in a quick singles match. The skeptics are pointing out that this match was slow, clunky, and did absolutely nothing to keep viewers from flipping the channel.

They argue that casual fans have no reason to tune in when the midcard is filled with squash matches. For this group, the ratings drop is a direct reflection of a stale product that is failing to hook new viewers.

The AMC Dilemma and the Streaming Debate

Here is a quick look at the match results if you were busy watching the soccer game:

Cedric Alexander, Frankie Kazarian, and Mr. Elegance defeated Leon Slater, KC Navarro, and Fabian Aichner.
AJ Francis defeated Manny Lemons.
Xia Brookside defeated Harley Hudson.
Mara Sadé defeated M By Elegance by DQ.

Then you have the contrarians who don't care about the booking or the World Cup. They believe the real issue is the AMC network itself.

They argue that AMC is a terrible fit for a weekly pro wrestling show. If you do not watch AMC for AMC originals, you probably have no idea TNA even exists on this channel.

These fans are suggesting that TNA would be much better off leaving cable television entirely. They want the promotion to focus on a streaming-first model, perhaps returning to YouTube or focusing on their own digital platform.

They argue that weekly cable ratings are an outdated metric that does not reflect how modern fans consume wrestling. They think the focus should be on digital engagement and pay-per-view buys.

They point to the updates made to the Slammiversary card during the broadcast as proof of the show's strength. The tag team ladder match was upgraded to a four-way contest by adding The Great Hands, featuring Jason Hotch and John Skyler.

They also made Moose versus Eddie Edwards a No Surrender match, which sounds like an absolute war. The contrarians argue that the pay-per-view card is actually loaded, even if the weekly TV show is struggling to find an audience on cable.

The Barstool Verdict

So, who is right in this massive sports bar debate? If you ask me, the truth is somewhere in the middle, but the skeptics have the stronger argument.

Yes, the World Cup match was a monster opponent, but a drop of nearly 70,000 viewers is still a massive red flag. A healthy promotion should have a loyal core audience that stays tuned regardless of what else is airing.

The booking on the June 25 show had some major flaws that cannot be ignored. The squash match with AJ Francis and Manny Lemons was a waste of television time.

If you are trying to convince fans to buy a pay-per-view, you cannot put on boring filler. Xia Brookside defeating Harley Hudson in a quick match also felt like a rushed segment that did not help either wrestler.

TNA needs to make some tough decisions about its roster and booking direction. Relying on the Hardys and Nic Nemeth is fine for short-term buzz, but they need to build new stars.

If Slammiversary does not deliver a massive home run, TNA is going to be in for a long, cold summer. Pour another drink, because the wrestling ratings war is about to get extremely ugly.