Tag: Giovanni Vinci

Former WWE Star Fabian Aichner (AKA Giovanni Vinci) Debuts On TNA Thursday Night iMPACT!

A familiar face to WWE fans officially resurfaced on Thursday night, as Fabian Aichner made his debut appearance for TNA Wrestling during iMPACT!.

Previously known to WWE audiences as Giovanni Vinci, Aichner appeared immediately following Cedric Alexander’s X-Division Championship victory over Leon Slater. The former Imperium member received a noticeable reaction when his music hit, stepping onto the stage and locking eyes with the newly crowned champion.

The moment quickly made Aichner’s intentions clear — he has his sights set on the X-Division Title.

The debut marks Aichner’s first wrestling appearance since the closing stretch of his WWE run in late 2024. His final matches with the company included a short loss to Apollo Crews on SmackDown and several dark match defeats before ultimately being released.

Despite the rough ending to his WWE tenure, Aichner recently spoke positively about the next phase of his career. In an interview conducted shortly after his release, he admitted the situation initially felt like an opportunity to recharge after years on the road. At the time, he also hinted that he wasn’t rushing back into wrestling immediately — though his surprise TNA debut suggests plans may already have been in motion behind the scenes.

Aichner originally signed with WWE in 2017 after making an impression in the 2016 Cruiserweight Classic tournament. During his time with the company, he became best known as part of Imperium alongside Gunther, Ludwig Kaiser, and Alexander Wolfe. He also captured the NXT Tag Team Championships twice during his WWE career.

Now entering TNA’s X-Division scene, Aichner could immediately become one of the brand’s top power-based challengers. A future showdown with Cedric Alexander would present an interesting clash of styles, especially with Alexander coming off a major title victory.

TNA continues adding recognizable names to its roster, and Aichner’s arrival gives the X-Division another experienced veteran with international credibility.

WWE Roster Cuts Continue: Gallows & Anderson Among Latest Releases

WWE’s latest round of talent cuts extended into the weekend, with more names being confirmed as released from the company. Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson, known collectively as The Good Brothers, were let go, according to PWInsider, with Fightful later verifying the news. Additionally, Fightful also reported that Giovanni Vinci had been released as well.

These releases follow a string of cuts that began on Friday night, with Isla Dawn, Blair Davenport, Sonya Deville, The Authors of Pain (Akam & Rezar), their manager Paul Ellering, and Cedric Alexander all parting ways with WWE.

Elektra Lopez, the manager of the stable Legado Del Fantasma, was released from WWE this weekend following a four-year run with the company.

While WWE has yet to provide an official reason for the roster changes, Fightful reports that sources within NXT believe the moves are tied to an upcoming wave of main roster call-ups. With WrestleMania season approaching, WWE frequently shakes up its rosters, and this could indicate fresh talent from NXT is about to get the spotlight on Raw and SmackDown.

The releases of Gallows and Anderson are particularly notable, as the duo had long been associated with WWE’s Bullet Club-adjacent faction, The O.C., alongside AJ Styles. Their return to WWE in 2022 was expected to be a long-term run, but it appears their time with the company has once again come to an end.

Notably, Anderson is out with an injury with a torn labrum and rotator cuff; he had surgery in November and used the word “indefinitely” in a December interview before setting a return expectation of “at least six or seven more months.” Fightful gave his recovery time as “at least 3-6 months minimum” and noted that Anderson is “in good spirits” despite the highly unusual practice of being released during injury rehab.

As always, the wrestling world will be watching to see where these released superstars land next. Could we see some of them in AEW, TNA, or NJPW? Only time will tell.