Jeff Hardy has officially brought back his Willow persona on TNA iMPACT, ending weeks of teasers with a full on-screen return during the May 21, 2026 episode.
In the second match of the night, Jeff Hardy appeared alongside Matt Hardy, who competed as his “Broken” persona against Vincent. Vincent was accompanied by Dutch in a match that featured a unique stipulation.
The bout saw both Matt Hardy and Dutch handcuffed to the ring posts while Jeff Hardy and Vincent battled inside the ring. The situation escalated in the final moments when Vincent gained control and held up a feather, signaling a shift as the arena lights suddenly went out.
When the lights returned, Jeff Hardy was no longer restrained. In his place stood Willow, marking the character’s official return to in-ring action. Willow quickly turned the tide by attacking Vincent, allowing Matt Hardy to secure the victory.
This moment marks a significant development for longtime fans, as Willow had not competed in a match since a 2014 episode of iMPACT Wrestling. Although the character was briefly referenced and appeared in a segment earlier this year, this was the first time in over a decade that Willow returned to active competition inside the ring.
The reintroduction of Willow adds another layer to Jeff Hardy’s presentation in TNA and reconnects with a character that has remained a notable part of his career history. With the persona now back in play, it remains to be seen how TNA will incorporate Willow into future storylines following this return.
Jeff Hardy Revives Willow Persona on TNA iMPACT, Marks First In-Ring Return Since 2014
TNA iMPACT Results – May 21, 2026 – To kick things off, newly-crowned X Division Champion Cedric Alexander and The System came to the ring to tell us how we can’t beat them. Fun Fact: Other names considered for this group were “City Hall” and “Carolina Hurricanes.”
One by one, each member used their mic time to tell us how they can’t be beat and say “THE SYSTEM” at least 10 times in their piece of the promo pie. Alexander talked about how Leon Slater was one day away from the X Division Championship record and he took that away, hence his new nickname, the “Record Taker.”
He then called out Fabian Aichner who has interrupted his celebration last week. Aichner came out and said that the bigger the fight, the better he is so bring it on, The System! He then challenged Alexander for the X Divison Title. Before he could answer, Edwards and the rest of The System tried to jump him.
Aichner dodged them all and then slapped a choke onto Alexander in the ring. The rest of The System saved him though, sending us careening into a backstage segment with Director of Operations Daria Rae talking to Steve Maclin.
She said that she understands Maclin and knows that he can take out Santana tonight. Maclin said nothing, but it was assumed he agreed.
Elayna Black vs Indi Hartwell
Ariana Grace and Stacks joined the commentary team for this match and immediately made it weird with some mild PDA.
Hartwell took control off the top with some shoving and a lariat. She hit a big boot while Grace complained that she kept looking at her.
Black shoved Hartwell off the ringpost, sending her to the outside in front of the announce table. Black dragged her back into the ring and laid and elbow into the back of Hartwell’s head. Black hit a double stomp, but Hartwell kicked out at two.
Hartwell powered back with a spinebuster and went up top. Stacks hopped up on the ring, causing a distraction so that Grace could knock Hartwell off the ringpost and cause a DQ.
Match Result: Elayna Black vs Indi Hartwell Ended In a Disqualification
After the match, Grace grabbed a mic and lamented that she was no longer Knockouts Champion. That brought out Director of Authority Santino Marella to confront his daughter. He threatened to ground her and called her a brat and Stacks, a stupid face.
Stacks poked Marella in the chest and he pulled the cobra out of his jacket, but Daria Rae came out to say that the whole thing was “embarrassing.” She said that if they want to fight they have to file the correct paperwork and get it approved by the board, proving once again that the paperwork is the hardest part of being a wrestler.
Back from break, the Elegance Brand was shown checking out how good they look. Just as they were talking about a potential Ash By Elegance return, the lights went out. When they came back on, a message from Rosemary and Allie was written on the mirror “See you soon.”
Matt Hardy w/ Jeff Hardy vs Vincent w/ Dutch
So, Dutch and Jeff Hardy will be handcuffed to the ring posts during this match, leaving Matt and Vincent to continue the war between the two teams on their own.
Before The Hardys could enter, Vincent grabbed a mic and said they wanted the Broken Hardys, not Team Extreme. So that’s what he got. Wonderful!
Dutch and Jeff were handcuffed to the turnbuckles (on the same side of the ring which was weird) and we were off. Hardy threw some strikes then went right to biting. He tossed Vincent to the outside an stalked him around the ring.
Vincent went back in and tried a sliced bread, but Hardy countered it. Dutch then tripped Matt behind the ref’s back.
Back from a break, Matt and vincent traded shots in the middle of the ring before succumbing to a double clothesline. Matt bounced Vincent’s head off of six different turnbuckles and then hit a sit out powerbomb for a two count.
Vincent dodged a charge in the ring, but tweaked his ankle in the process. The ref checked on him while Vincent removed his boot. He then tried to use it as a weapon, but Matt countered by biting his foot.
Matt went to end it with a twist of fate, but Vincent countered and rolled him up. Dutch tried to assist, but it was only a two count. Vincent went up top and Matt met him there and bit his hand. Matt went for another twist of fate, but Vincent shoved him into the ref.
Vincent stole the handcuff key from the ref but the lights went out and when they came back on, Willow was standing behind him. Willow took Vincent down then disappeared, allowing Matt to hit a twist of fate a pick up the win.
Match Result: Matt Hardy defeated Vincent
Backstage, Aj Francis approached Elijah about a musical collaboration. Elijah shot him down and Francis said he would regret it.
Back from break, Santino announced that there would be two Champions Challenge matches next week, on mens and one knockouts. Daria Rae arrived to say that Stacks and Santino had been approved by the board for next week. Also, Eddie Edwards will face Fabian Aichner.
TNA International Championship Match: Mustafa Ali [c] vs Chazz “Starboy” Hall
Hall answered Ali’s open challenge and let us know that his nickname is “the Denim Dragon.” Neat. Hall is also a regular on NXT/Evolve. Also neat.
Ali had the veteran’s advantage and used it to keep Hall off his feet. Hall managed to get a rollup, but that just made Ali madder and he bounced his head off the turnbuckle. Hall came back with a chop and an armdrag, sending Ali out of the ring. He then flipped over the top rope to take him out on the outside.
John Skylar caused a distraction and Ali hit a cutter on Hall for a two count. Ali set Hall up on the top turnbuckle and went for a top rope Razor’s edge, but Hall countered it into a headscissor takedown.
Hall turned a moonsault into a really impressive tornado DDT, but Ali kicked out a two. Hall went for sliced bread but Ali countered it into a bridging cover to get the 1-2-3 and retain the title.
Match Result: Mustafa Ali defeated Chazz Hall
Back from break, Eric Young approached Steve Maclin and talked about how Maclin is becoming the man he’s always seen him as. Young said that whoever wins tonight, he’s next in line. Maclin stared straight ahead saying nothing.
Jada Stone vs Xia Brookside
Brookside took control off the top, driving Stone into the corner. Stone fought back with a side headlock takedown and Brookside left the ring to gather her thoughts. She avoided the countout and slapped a half crab on Stone who scrambled to the ropes to break the hold.
Stone matrix-avoided a lariat and hit a rolling elbow on Brookside in the corner. She went to go up top but Brookside caught her and dragged her down by the leg. Brookside worked Stone’s leg, wrapping it around the ropes and then dropkicking it.
Brookside started throwing hands and then went back to working Stone’s leg. Stone got a right hand shot in followed by a lariat. She went up and landed a split legged moonsault, but Brookside kicked out at two.
Brookside took over and hit a Dark Side driver to get a quick 1-2-3 and win the match.
Match Result: Xia Brookside defeated Jada Stone
Backstage, Mike Sanata was walking around and Steve Maclin tried to jump him, in spite of their match being next up.
Back from break, Stacks and Ariana Grace cut another promo about the match next week between Stacks and Santino. They think Stacks is going to win. So there’s that.
TNA World Championship Match: Mike Santana [c] vs Steve Maclin
Then, it was main event time. Santana entered throught the crowd as always and Maclin entered to what I believe was the N64 Wrestlemania 2000 Make-a-Wrestler theme, but I don’t actually know that.
The bell rang and they got right into throwing hands. They ran the ropes and Maclin knocked Santana down with a back elbow. Santana came back with a dropkick. Santana picked up the pace, hitting a senton and Maclin slipped to the outside. Santana followed him via the top turn buckle and landed on him.
Maclin fought back, hitting Santana’s head on the ring post. Maclin went under the ring and pulled out a table. Santana kicked him in the gut and bounced his head off said table. Maclin then hit a chop block on Santana, damaging the knee.
The fight moved back into the ring with Maclin wrapping Santana’s knee in the ropes then dropkicking him back to the outside.
Back from break, Santana had Maclin in a figure four, but Maclin grabbed the ropes to break the hold. Santana hit a three amigos suplex series, but Maclin dodged the last one and Santana kicked him in the face about it.
They got to their feet and traded strikes. Maclin clocked Santana in the back of the head and set up Santana in a tree of woe. Santana got out of it and hit a rolling buck fifty, but Maclin kicked out at two. Santana caught Maclin in a pop up power bomb then immediately hit a blue thunder bomb, but it wasn’t enough and Maclin kicked out.
Maclin hit an olympic slam followed by a driver bomb, but Santana kicked out at 2.5. Maclin pointed to that table he set up earlier and pulled Santana to the top turnbuckle. They fought for a second, but then Santana kicked Maclin off the ringpost and through the table.
Santana pulled Maclin back into the ring and hit a splash, but Maclin somehow kicked out at two. Santana called for spin the block, but Maclin collapsed before he could execute it. Maclin popped up and superkicked Santana, but could make the cover.
Maclin went for KIA but Santana countered with a Spin The Block. He made the cover and got the pin to retain the TNA World Title.
Match Result: Mike Santana defeated Steve Maclin
Next Week: Champions Challenge x2, Stacks vs Santino and Eddie Edwards and Fabian Eichner will also be there.
Mustafa Ali continued his International Championship reign with a defense over “WWE NXT” and “WWE Evolve” star Chazz Hall during “TNA Impact.”
Hall was the third challenger to Ali since winning the title from Trey Miguel at Rebellion in April, with the champion having seen off Adam Brooks on “Impact” and TW3 at “MarquetteMania IV.”
Hall looked close to winning the title after a Tornado DDT fed into a standing somersault splash for a near-fall, but Ali continued to get the better of him with his strength. Hall tried to use the ropes to his advantage, rebounding off of them to no avail as Ali wrapped him up in a bridged pin for the title retention.
Hall, known as “Starboy Charlie” outside of WWE, is the reigning WWE Men’s ID Champion, and was making his TNA debut. He has wrestled four times on “Evolve” this year as well as making his sole appearance on “NXT” in April with a losing effort to Lexis King in a WWE Speed Championship tournament.
Last year, WWE’s Ethan Page and Chelsea Green started up a mixed tag team that had them competing in both NXT and AAA. Though they won the AAA World Mixed Tag Team Championship together, the partnership was broken (for now) when an injury forced La Hiedra to step in for Green and the pair lost the title. Page is now on the main roster alongside Green, though she has yet to step back in the ring. Speaking to “Complex Graps,” Page discussed the status of their partnership.
“Working with Chelsea was incredible – is incredible. I hope I get to do it again, and I’d be happy to do it again,” Page said. “Instant chemistry. But I will say, I feel like with Chelsea, she has instant chemistry with everybody, and I think I also have that same weird character trait, where we can kind of make anything work.”
As a result of that, Page feels that the pairing of the two resulted in undeniable magic. However, he doesn’t seem to know if the tag team will resume any time in the near future. Page just made his way over to “WWE Raw,” while Green has been a stalwart on the “SmackDown” brand. Following a heart procedure in recent weeks, Green just made her return to television.
Page also commented on working in AAA, sharing his shock that The Undertaker would go on to book the promotion. Additionally, Page has become extremely invested in the ongoing saga between the Americanos taking place on the brand.
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “Complex Graps” and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
The bell rings and the two lock up. Black shoves Hartwell, but Hartwell responds with a shove of her own and delivers a clothesline to Black. She runs over Black with a big boot, then delivers an uppercut to her through the middle rope and follows it up with a second big boot. She goes for a pin, but Black kicks out.
Hartwell rains down right hands on Black in the corner of the ring, but Black catches Hartwell with a strike and uses the ropes to deliver a stomp to Hartwell’s spine. She whips Hartwell into the corner and lands a step-up knee on her, then wears her down with a submission hold.
Hartwell escapes and rocks Black with a right hand, then levels her with a pair of clotheslines and follows it up with a spinebuster. Stacks hops up on the apron, opening the door for Grace to push Hartwell off the top rope. Having caught Grace, the referee calls for the bell.
Winner: N/A (no contest due to outside interference)
After the match, Grace rains down right hands on Hartwell and dumps her out of the ring as she mocks Hartwell by telling her that’s how it feels. She blames Santino Marella as the cause for her losing the TNA Knockouts World Tag Team Championship to Léi Yǐng Lee.
Marella’s music hits and he makes his way out. He reminds Grace that Lee beat her, then says the only unfinished thing around TNA Wrestling is Grace’s attitude and says she should be grounded. He calls Grace a brat and says Stacks is filling Grace’s head with garbage, then stares Stacks down.
Marella grabs the Cobra sock, but Daria Rae makes her way out to ask Marella what he’s doing. She says Marella is supposed to be the Director of Authority, but he’s picking a fight with talent and mocks Marella for being a judo fighter as she calls judo the weakest of the martial arts. She tells Marella to go through the proper channels and submit a request to the Board of Directors if he wants to get his hands on Stacks.
Back from the break, we head over to The Elegance Brand’s dressing room. The group is looking at themselves in the mirror, but the lights suddenly go out and when they come back on, they find a message written on their mirror in lipstick from Rosemary, Allie, and Mara Sadè telling them that they’ll see them soon.
Back at ringside, The Righteous make their way to the ring and Vincent calls out “Broken” Matt Hardy. “Broken” Matt Hardy appears alongside Brother Nero.
