Category: TNA

Jeff Jarrett Reacts To The Passing Of Toby Keith

WWE, TNA Hall of Famer and AEW star Jeff Jarrett took to social media to share his thoughts on the passing of his friend Toby Keith.

“I don’t believe in coincidences…only convergences. I woke up at 4am to a message on my phone of Toby’s passing. I just finished my media day in Huntsville, Alabama — for an event in the same arena where I busted his song and he suplexed me on TNA’s 1st ppv. The reason I tell this story is to explain what a friend Toby was to me — after he had already committed to my show, he was asked by the President of the USA to come to the White House to perform his new smash hit, Angry American, on the day of the event, June 19, 2002.

Toby said a “diplomatically no” to them.

Toby was a man of his word, honor and integrity to his core, and I’ll never have a friend like him again.

T, love you my friend, Rest in Peace…”

Country singer Toby Keith died Monday night at age 62, more than two years after he was diagnosed with stomach cancer.

TNA Impact Preview 2/1/2024

Tonight’s episode of TNA Impact on AXS TV is all-new. Here are the matches that have been announced for the show:

  • TNA Tag Team Championship – Best of 3 Series Match 1: ABC (c) vs. Grizzled Young Vets
  • The debut of Alan Angels’ The Sound Check with Josh Alexander
  • Frankie Kazarian explains himself
  • TNA Knockouts Tag Team Champions Decay vs. Mila Moore & Savannah Thorne
  • Nic Nemeth vs. Trey Miguel
  • PCO vs. Deaner
  • Brian Myers vs. Kevin Knight
  • Masha Slamovich vs. Jody Threat

Backstage News On The Deal Between WWE-TNA For Jordynne Grace At The Royal Rumble

TNA Knockouts Champion Jordynne Grace made an appearance during the 2024 WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view event, entering at #5 during the women’s Royal Rumble match.

According to a report from Fightful Select, WWE had previously reached out to outside companies about working with some of their talent. Just last weekend, WWE reached out to TNA about Grace’s appearance. TNA officials were more than happy to allow Grace to work the event, and she had a physical and some blood work done on Monday. She wound up flying to Florida on Thursday to take part in the rehearsals.

According to several WWE sources, TNA Wrestling and Grace were “easy to deal with” during the process.

Source: eWn

Mustafa Ali Is Coming To TNA

Former WWE star Mustafa Ali has officially signed with TNA Wrestling, months after he was released by WWE.

The former Retribution member featured in a vignette on the 25 January 2024 episode of TNA iMPACT, which appeared at the end of the show. In the vignette, Ali, who was dressed in a suit, delivered a message, with two people mimicking secret service members standing behind him. 

“Change, often it happens gradually over time. But sometimes it happens in a flash. TNA has recently undergone a change, gradually, years in the making. But now it’s time for a different kind of change, one that’s immediate and ignited by the introduction of an x-factor. I’m Mustafa Ali and I approve this message,” he concluded smiling at the camera.

Following his WWE exit, Ali began a “World Tour Campaign,” wrestling around the world with his politician gimmick. Ali has wrestled in a few indies and also in GCW since leaving WWE, while a vignette of his also aired on NJPW recently. After his WWE non-compete clause expired, Ali announced a “Mustafa Ali 2024” campaign and promised that change is coming. The gimmick is similar to the one that he had in “WWE NXT” last year, which he debuted a few weeks before his WWE release.

Ali joins former WWE colleagues like Nic Nemeth (FKA Dolph Ziggler) and Ash By Elegance (FKA Dana Brooke) who have made TNA their new home. It remains to be seen when Ali will debut in TNA, but he has several upcoming matches in promotions like NJPW, Progress, and House of Glory

Source: Wrestling Inc.

TNA Impact Preview 1/25/2024

Tonight’s episode of TNA Impact on AXS TV is all-new. Here are the matches that have been announced for the show:

  • The System (TNA Champion Moose & Brian Myers & Eddie Edwards) vs. Motor City Machine Guns and the returning Kazuchika Okada
  • TNA Knockouts Championship: Jordynne Grace (c) vs. Trinity
  • Nic Nemeth’s TNA in-ring debut vs. The Rascalz’s Zachary Wentz
  • TNA Tag Team Champion Chris Bey vs. Kevin Knight
  • MK Ultra vs. Dani Luna & Jody Threat
  • Dirty Dango & Oleg Prudius vs. Damian Drake and Dante King

TNA’s KiLynn King Will Be Out Of Action 9-12 Months Due To Knee Injury

KiLynn King recently provided an update to her fans via an Instagram video regarding her absence from TNA Wrestling’s Hard to Kill weekend in Las Vegas.

King revealed she sustained a knee injury during an independent show about a month ago. She has a torn ACL, damage to her MCL, and an LCL sprain.

The estimated timeframe for her recovery is approximately 9-12 months once she gets surgery next month.

“I love TNA, I love wrestling. As much as it sucks that I can’t be there right now, I can’t wait to tune in every single week and get motivated by them. And come back stronger than ever. Because you know what, it doesn’t matter whether it’s this year or next year — the King of Knockouts is always going to be the one to watch.”

Source: eWn

TNA Impact Preview 1/18/2024

The new era of TNA continues tonight at 8/7c on AXS TV and 8:30pm ET on YouTube for IMPACT Insiders, following an earth-shattering Hard To Kill pay-per-view event.

  • Josh Alexander vs. Will Ospreay
  • Nic Nemeth to make TNA Impact TV debut with in-ring promo
  • New TNA Champion Moose and The System to appear
  • KUSHIDA vs. Trey Miguel vs. Laredo Kid vs. Mike Bailey vs. El Hijo Del Vikingo vs. Jake Something
  • Xia Brookside vs. Tasha Steelz
  • The Grizzled Young Veterans vs. Eric Young and Frankie Kazarian
  • PCO vs. Jai Vidal

Ash By Elegance, Formerly WWE’s Dana Brooke, Officially Signs With TNA Wrestling

With the non-compete clauses from this September’s WWE releases expiring, free agents are flooding the wrestling world, and former WWE Superstars are getting a character refresh. The character makeover was a bit literal with the former Dana Brooke, who appeared at TNA’s Hard To Kill as Ash By Elegance.

TNA announced on Twitter that the former 15-time WWE 24/7 Champion has signed with the promotion following her appearance at Hard To Kill. 

The new character that she debuted over the weekend is a complete departure from her former WWE persona. She recently explained that fans can expect to see a new side of her as she feels she barely scratched the surface of her intensity and her ferocity in WWE. Ash was released by WWE in September following the finalization of the merger between WWE and UFC into TKO Group Holdings, after which she said that she was excited about her future away from WWE. Ash had been with WWE for 10 years, signing with the company in 2013.

The former WWE Women’s Tag Champion wasn’t the only former WWE Superstar to debut at Hard To Kill, as former WWE World Heavyweight Champion Nic Nemeth, formerly known as Dolph Ziggler, appeared at the end of the pay-per-view to confront the new TNA World Champion, Moose. The signings and appearances take on an extra weight following the promotion’s decision to revert from “Impact Wrestling” to its original TNA Wrestling name, as the promotion looks to define its new/old image going forward in 2024.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

TNA To Resurrect Secondary Show

TNA Wrestling recently underwent a massive rebranding following a long stint as Impact Wrestling, returning to the name the company was known as when it first broke into the industry. The promotion has issued new championship belts since undergoing their name changes, but according to fans and a report from Fightful, TNA is now officially bringing back “TNA Xplosion.”

According to Fightful, matches for “Xplosion” were recently taped ahead of the recent “TNA Snake Eyes” pay-per-view. Fans notably shared a few images of the graphics for the new show, but little has been revealed about the format it’ll have going forward. Additionally, at this stage, nothing is known about TNA’s plans with “Xplosion,” but since the show was taped on January 14, it’s safe to assume that fans will find out soon enough.

https://twitter.com/migueljoto/status/1746683885013139743

“Xplosion” was originally launched in 2002 as the promotion’s first regular cable show. At first, the show featured matches from the TNA Asylum as well as interviews with talent, before being revamped in 2004 to showcase previously aired episodes of “TNA Impact.” The show was revamped in 2010 to feature exclusive matches, alongside airing matches from the 2000s. Ultimately, “Xplosion” was put on an extended hiatus in 2021.

TNA’s return to its old branding has been met with mixed reactions online, but many of the wrestlers associated with the promotion only have positive things to say. TNA Hall of Famer Gail Kim notably claimed that she was excited upon first hearing about the name change and believes the promotion will have a lot of momentum going into 2024.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

TNA Hard To Kill 1/13/2024 (Results), Dana Brooke (Ash by Elegance), Dolph Ziggler (Nic Nemeth)

The new era of TNA has arrived.

Pre-show

Steve Maclin defeated Rich Swann. Swann missed on a phoenix splash. Maclin loaded Swann into the Tree of Woe for a spear. Mr. Mayhem finished with the KIA double underhook DDT.

Moose, Brian Myers, Eddie Edwards, and Alisha Edwards were joined by former NFL running back DeAngelo Williams. They introduced the group’s new name, The System. They tried to do it the right way within Impact/TNA’s system, but they realized that they don’t belong in the system. That is because they are The System.

“Top Dolla” AJ Francis used his own money to buy time on Hard to Kill to premiere the new music video with DJ Whoo Kid for, “We Out$ide.” It didn’t play long before Joe Hendry interrupted. Hendry played his own music video mocking Francis, especially the failed dive over the ropes in WWE. DJ Whoo Kid smashed a laptop on Hendry’s back, and Francis chokeslammed him.

Eddie Edwards & Brian Myers defeated Eric Young & Frankie Kazarian. The System rallied for a Roster Cut lariat from Myers to Kaz, then Edwards struck with the Boston Knee Party. Myers picked up the pin on Kaz to win.

TNA Digital Media Championship: Crazzy Steve defeated Tommy Dreamer to win the title. No DQ rules in effect. Steve was more violent than Dreamer. Steve tied Dreamer’s hands together to leave him vulnerable. After piling plastic forks onto Dreamer’s body, Steve executed a running cannonball in the corner. A flying DDT was the finish by the new champion.

PPV

Knockouts Ultimate X: Gisele Shaw defeated Xia Brookside, Jody Threat, Tasha Steelz, Alisha Edwards, and Dani Luna. The object of the match was to scale the X structure above the ring to retrieve the X. The winner earns a future Knockouts Championship shot. Lots of high-flying dives to the outside. Threat and Luna executed cool power moves. The spot of the match was Shaw using Luna as a stepping stool to leap into the air for a spear to the hanging Threat. The finish came down to Shaw, Steelz, and Luna climbing the ropes. Luna fell first, Steelz fell down second, and that left Shaw all alone to claim the X.

PCO defeated Dirty Dango. The French-Canadian Frankenstein was reanimated by mad scientists on stage. The dirty dancer was flanked by Alpha Bravo and Oleg Prudius. PCO dominated early, so Bravo blatantly interfered to get the match thrown out. PCO was awarded the win via disqualification.

That wasn’t the end. Afterward, the bad guys stomped PCO. Rhino ran out for the save. Santino Marella wasn’t pleased with the cheap match, so he used his Director of Authority power to book a six-man tag. Jake Something was brought in as the partner for PCO and Rhino.

PCO, Rhino, & Jake Something defeated Dango, Alpha Bravo, & Oleg Prudius. The match played out with Bravo eating pain. Rhino hit a Gore on Bravo. Jake powerbombed Dango on top of Bravo. PCO finished the job with a moonsault onto Bravo.

TNA Knockouts Tag Team Championship: Decay defeated MK Ultra to win the titles. Rosemary and Havok were surprise opponents for Masha Slamovich and Killer Kelly. Havok was a dominating powerhouse. She even kicked out of Slamovich’s Snow Plow finisher. Havok hit a sitout spinebuster to pin Kelly for the win.

Scott D’Amore and Dorian Roldan announced a renewed partnership between TNA and AAA.

X-Division Championship: Chris Sabin defeated Kushida and Hijo del Vikingo to retain the title. Wild three-way action. This sequence was fire. Vikingo hit a step-up 450 splash onto Sabin on the ramp. Vikingo rolled Sabin’s body into the ring for a pin, but the champ kicked out. Kushida ran in to execute a flipping Hoverboard Lock off the turnbuckles. Sabin kicked Kushida in the mush to break the hold. Crucifix pin by Sabin, kick out by Kushida. The time traveler sprang up for a Hoverboard Lock on Sabin. Vikingo landed a flying stomp onto Kushida to break the hold. All three were down on the mat. Sabin took control for the finish. He hit a springboard Canadian Destroyer to Vikingo on stage. It was down to Sabin and Kushida. Sabin executed an avalanche German suplex, then he earned the win on the Cradle Shock.

Josh Alexander defeated Alexander Hammerstone. Hammer’s power was overwhelming, so Alexander targeted the knee. That paid off when Hammerstone hit the Nightmare Pendulum finisher. He took too long on the cover, and Alexander rolled to the ropes for safety. Alexander turned the tide with a flurry of strikes to set up a German suplex and the C4 spike piledriver to win.

TNA World Tag Team Championship: ABC defeated The Rascalz, “Speedball” Mike Bailey & Laredo Kid, and Grizzled Young Veterans to retain the titles. Due to travel issues, Trent Seven was replaced by Laredo Kid. Wild action with several believable nearfalls. The finish came down to ABC fighting the Rascalz. Ace Austin and Chris Bey hit the Art of Finesse and Fold combo to beat Trey Miguel.

Dana Brooke arrived in TNA. Her new name is Ash by Elegance. Ash sat ringside for the Knockouts title bout.

TNA Knockouts Championship: Jordynne Grace defeated Trinity to win the title. The Juggernaut was a powerhouse throughout. Trinity managed to trap Grace in the Starstruck submission in the center of the ring. Grace powered to her feet for a German suplex. Grace unloaded a spinning backfist and a pumphandle driver to win

TNA World Championship: Moose defeated Alex Shelley to win the title. Shelley did major damage to Moose’s left arm. Moose was a one-armed fighter by the end of the match. Shelley went for the kill on the Shellshock. Moose escaped, but Shelley swung the move back into position. Moose escaped again to hit a spear for the win.

The show didn’t end there.

Dolph Ziggler in TNA! The man known as Nic Nemeth made a surprise appearance to confront the new world champion. Nemeth ducked a clothesline to deliver a superkick and a Zig Zag. Nemeth revealed a TNA t-shirt as their big mystery signing.