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.

“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.

TNA Hard To Kill 1/13/2024 (Card)

TNA Wrestling Hard To Kill Saturday January 13, 2024 from the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, NV. Pre-show Countdown To Hard To Kill starting at 7 p.m. Eastern. The PPV portion of the card begins at 8 p.m. Eastern.

A big free agent signing is expected.

CARD

TNA World Championship:
Alex Shelley (c) vs. Moose

TNA Knockouts Championship:
Trinity (c) vs. Jordynne Grace

TNA X-Division Championship:
Chris Sabin (c) vs. KUSHIDA vs. El Hijo del Vikingo

Knockouts Ultimate X Match:
Gisele Shaw vs. Xia Brookside vs. Jody Threat vs. Tasha Steelz vs. Alisha Edwards vs. Dani Luna

TNA World TAG TEAM Championship:
ABC (c) vs. The Rascalz vs. Grizzled Young Veterans vs. Mike Bailey & Trent Seven

Josh Alexander vs. Alex Hammerstone

PCO vs. Dirty Dango w/ Oleg Prudius & Alpha Bravo

DJ Whoo Kid and AJ Francis will debut music video for “We Out$ide”

Countdown To Hard To Kill:
Rich Swann vs. Steve Maclin

Countdown To Hard To Kill:
Eric Young & Frankie Kazarian vs. Brian Myers & Eddie Edwards (w/ Alisha Edwards)

Countdow To Hard To Kill- Digital Media Championship:
Tommy Dreamer (c) vs. Crazzy Steve

Mickie James Reportedly Accepts Creative Position With OVW

While she may not be competing in the ring right now, Mickie James continues to be involved in some non-wrestling work. In addition to her ongoing duties as a co-host on “Busted Open Radio,” James has now reportedly secured a position behind the scenes at a popular independent wrestling promotion — Ohio Valley Wrestling.

According to Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful (via X), the former WWE Women’s Champion has come aboard as Creative Director and Head of Female Talent for OVW. James has also reportedly taken on a responsibility as Executive Producer for all of OVW’s wrestling shows.

News of James joining OVW comes on the heels of her recent return at the promotion’s 2024 Nightmare Rumble event on January 6. There, James made a special guest appearance behind the commentary desk to call the Women’s Nightmare Rumble Match alongside Bryan Kennison and current OVW Women’s Champion Freya The Slaya. Following her brief stint on OVW commentary, James noted, on X, that she was immensely impressed by all the competitors involved, and foresaw big things for OVW this year.

James is no stranger to Ohio Valley Wrestling, as she spent much of her early WWE days there, back when it was WWE’s primary developmental territory. After two years of training in OVW, James was then called up to WWE’s main roster in late 2005, where the path was laid for her memorable feud with WWE Hall of Famer Trish Stratus. In the present day, OVW operates under the ownership of Matt Jones, Louisville mayor Craig Greenberg, and former WWE Tag Team Champion Al Snow.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Backstage Report On Future Of Trinity Fatu (Naomi In WWE)

Ever since joining Impact Wrestling/TNA Wrestling in April 2022, it’s been all sunshine and roses for Trinity, who is currently entering her sixth month as Knockouts Champion. It may also be her last month as champion, however, as Trinity appears to be contemplating a career move back to her old stomping grounds.

Fightful Select reports that Trinity’s contract with Impact/TNA is set to expire in the not-so-distant future and that the Knockouts Champion will be finishing up with the promotion. It’s unclear if Trinity’s last date will be the upcoming Hard to Kill PPV, where the promotion will officially rebrand back to TNA, or if she will continue to work through the end of the month.

As for what Trinity’s next move will be, those within WWE expect that she will return to the company, where she worked for over a decade under the name Naomi. One person within WWE believes a deal is so close that something drastic would have to occur to prevent Trinity from re-signing, though they pointed out that anything could happen in the current free agency market. WWE had previously sought to bring Trinity back last year but was prevented due to an unofficial hiring freeze. The move isn’t a surprise to those in TNA, who have long thought Trinity would return to WWE when her contract expired.

Trinity’s departure from WWE came under controversial circumstances, after she and then WWE Women’s Tag Team Title partner Mercedes Mone, then Sasha Banks, walked out of the promotion in May 2022 after disagreements with WWE Chairman Vince McMahon. While Trinity’s return to WWE is expected, the same cannot be said for Mone, who has broken off talks with WWE and is expected to sign with AEW.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

TNA Has ‘Earmarked’ Funds To Sign A Big Free Agent

TNA President Scott D’Amore recently made a few official statements regarding some big signings potentially coming to the promotion soon.

The Wrestling Observer is reporting that TNA Wrestling has “earmarked some money” to sign a big free agent next year.

D’Amore previously stated, “We’re going to have a lot of fun. We’re going to have surprises for you. We are right there at the goal line of finalizing one of, I think, one of the biggest signings in TNA.”

Some of the recently released WWE Superstars who will become free agents on December 21 are Dolph Ziggler, Mustafa Ali, and Matt Riddle.

Source: eWn

Impact Wrestling Hidden Jems 12/14/2023, Impact Expected To Reveal International Star’s Return 

Impact Wrestling will present a special ‘Hidden Gems’ episode tonight on AXS, with matches never aired before on TV.

  • Josh Alexander vs. Yuya Uemura
  • Street Fight: PCO vs. Deaner
  • Gisele Shaw & Savannah Evans vs. MK Ultra
  • Alan Angels vs. Samuray del Sol
  • Dirty Dango & Alpha Bravo vs. Tommy Dreamer & Channing Decker

An announcement on the return of an international star is expected to take place on this week’s episode of Impact Wrestling.

While there’s no word on who it will be, Kazuchika Okada and Will Ospreay have already been announced for the January 14th TV tapings in Las Vegas, Nevada. This is the day after Hard to Kill 2024.

KUSHIDA Signs With TNA Wrestling

TNA Wrestling announced today that they’ve signed KUSHIDA to a contract. TNA issued the following:

KUSHIDA Signs With TNA Wrestling

It’s official, KUSHIDA has signed a contract with TNA Wrestling. As a longtime New Japan Pro-Wrestling standout, KUSHIDA has held the IWGP Jr Heavyweight Championship and IWGP Jr Heavyweight Tag Team Championships on multiple occasions. KUSHIDA has been on the precipice of success since his arrival last year, taking Steve Maclin to his limit in an IMPACT World Championship match at Rebellion 2023. It’s time for KUSHIDA to take his career to the next level and it happens in TNA Wrestling!

Impact Wrestling Final Resolution (12/9/2023) Results, Zack Sabre Jr, Trent Seven

IMPACT Wrestling hosted a new edition of Final Resolution, the last show under the IMPACT Wrestling name.

  • Countdown to Final Resolution Match: PCO def. Clutch Jessie.
  • Jake Something cut a promo backstage, but he was attacked from behind by Jason Hotch with a chair. Security guards separated Something & Hotch.
  • Countdown to Final Resolution Match: Jack Price def. Aiden Prince.
  • Jordynne Grace & IMPACT Knockouts Champion Trinity were interviewed backstage by Gia Miller. They will face each other on Hard To Kill for the title, but they promised to focus on teaming for tonight’s match.
  • Countdown to Final Resolution Match: Frankie Kazarian def. Sheldon Jean.
  • IMPACT Tag Team Championship Match: Bullet Club’s Ace & Bey Club (Ace Austin & Chris Bey) (c) def. Eddie Edwards & Brian Myers (w/ Alisha Edwards).
    • The Rascalz (Zachary Wentz & Trey Miguel) attacked ABC after the match, where they called their shot at the IMPACT Tag Titles.
  • Josh Alexander & NJPW World Television Champion Zack Sabre Jr cut a promo backstage ahead of their match against Motor City Machine Guns. They put over the Guns, with Sabre Jr saying that he would prove why he was the greatest technical wrestler ever. They aimed to get gold after tonight.
  • Alisha Edwards, Brian Myers & Eddie Edwards cut a promo in the ring, where she dissed the Toronto crowd for their accents. Santino Marella interrupted and booked an impromptu match between Alisha and Jody Threat.
  • Jody Threat def. Alisha Edwards (w/ Eddie Edwards & Brian Myers).
  • IMPACT Digital Media Championship Match: Tommy Dreamer (c) def. Deaner.
  • The Rascalz cut a promo backstage, but they were immediately interrupted by Santino Marella. Marella booked them into an impromptu tag match against Mike Bailey & a mystery opponent. The mystery partner was revealed to be Trent Seven.
  • Mike Bailey & Trent Seven def. The Rascalz (Trey Miguel & Zachary Wentz).
  • Scott D’Amore came to the ring and officially offered a contract to Trent Seven, which he signed. Seven is now on TNA.
  • The Motor City Machine Guns cut a promo backstage, where they promised that they would be heading into TNA as victors tonight.
  • Jake Something def. Jason Hotch.
  • Moose def. Rhino.
  • Frankie Kazarian cut a promo backstage, where he said that he was excited to see the rebirth of TNA. He said that 2024 would be the year of TNA & the year of Frankie Kazarian.
  • Jordynne Grace & IMPACT Knockouts Champion Trinity def. Deonna Purrazzo & Gisele Shaw.
    • Gisele Shaw & Deonna Purrazzo argued after the match. The two shook hands, but Shaw pulled Purrazzo in and hit her with the Lethal Combination.
  • Moose was interviewed by Gia Miller backstage, where Moose said that he would be known as the new TNA World Champion at TNA Hard to Kill.
  • Josh Alexander & Zack Sabre Jr​​​​​​​ def. Motor City Machine Guns (Chris Sabin & Alex Shelley).