Author: Bryan Rose

Bryan Rose is an editor from California that has been covering professional wrestling for well over a decade. He officially joined F4WOnline as an editor in 2017.

TNA X Division title bout among matches set for next week’s WWE NXT

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A X Division title match is among the matches set for next week’s NXT.

Ava and Santino Marella were talking with Je’Von Evans and Leon Slater backstage when Stacks and Arianna Grace appeared. Grace whispered something in Santino’s ear, who then brought up the possibility of his future son-in-law getting a X Division title match. Slater agreed to the match, which was later set up for next week.

Ricky Saints and Trick Williams will meet next Tuesday in a contract signing after the two continued to trade words on Tuesday. Williams balked at the idea of facing Saints at Halloween Havoc, appearing via video saying he’d do it on his own time. After Williams eventually did emerge and attack Saints backstage, Ava told the NXT Champion that they would meet next Tuesday at a Halloween Havoc contract signing to make their match official.

OTM made their return on Tuesday, taking out both Hank & Tank and Chase U, immediately cementing themselves back as one of the top teams in NXT. It was later confirmed their first match in months would take place next week when they take on Hank & Tank.

The start of the Men’s Speed Championship tournament will also begin next week. SmackDown’s Axiom will face Evolve’s Sean Legacy while TNA’s Zachary Wentz will face Jasper Troy.

WWE NXT (October 21):

  • Ricky Saints vs. Trick Williams Halloween Havoc contract signing
  • TNA X Division title: Leon Slater defends against Stacks
  • OTM vs. Hank & Tank
  • Men’s WWE Speed tournament: Axiom vs. Sean Legacy
  • Men’s WWE Speed tournament: Zachary Wentz vs. Jasper Troy

New matches announced for WWE NXT Halloween Havoc

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Four title matches have been announced for Halloween Havoc.

In the main event of Tuesday’s show, Tatum Paxley emerged as the winner of a battle royal to determine the new number one contender for Jacy Jayne’s NXT Women’s title. She last eliminated Jordynne Grace and friend Izzi Dame to secure the title match for the October 25 PLE.

The show ended with Lyra Valkyria coming out to celebrate with Paxley as Jayne, Fallon Henley, and newest Fatal Influence member Laney Reid looked on.

Ricky Saints opened the show and immediately called out Trick Williams, wanting a match for Halloween Havoc. Williams responded by appearing on the video screen, saying he’d do this on his time. Williams later jumped Saints backstage, causing Saints to later look for revenge. Ava calmed him down by saying they would meet next week in a contract signing to make their Halloween Havoc match official.

After weeks of feuding, El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr. called out Ethan Page, who ultimately agreed to defend the North American title against Wagner. However, the AAA Latin American Champion informed Page that wouldn’t be any match, it would be a Day of the Dead match where anything goes.

As Leon Slater and Je’Von Evans were upset about their match being ruined by DarkState at Bound for Glory, The Hardy Boyz told them it was likely due to their association with one another. Matt mentioned that the stable would get a rematch at Halloween Havoc for the NXT Tag Team titles. Later, The Hardyz were also taken out backstage at the hands of DarkState.

WWE NXT Halloween Havoc (October 25)

  • NXT Championship: Ricky Saints defends against Trick Williams
  • NXT Women’s Championship: Jacy Jayne defends against Tatum Paxley
  • NXT Tag Team titles: The Hardy Boyz defend against DarkState
  • Day of the Dead match for the NXT North American title: Ethan Page defends against Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr.

Details for Men’s Speed Championship tournament revealed on WWE NXT

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Details on the Men’s Speed tournament title have finally been revealed.

During Tuesday’s NXT, Ava announced that following the success of the Women’s Speed Championship tournament, a new Speed tournament would start next week for the men’s title. Two tournament matches were announced: SmackDown’s Axiom will take on Evolve’s Sean Legacy while TNA’s Zachary Wentz will face Jasper Troy.

The winner of the tournament will go on to face champion El Grande Americano. It was the first time on television that Grande Americano has been recognized as the Men’s Speed Champion, as he has been seen frequently on Raw without the title.

After Sol Ruca had been seen with the Women’s Speed title for a number of weeks, it was announced that both Speed titles would be defended in NXT moving forward. A tournament was held to determine the next contender for the Women’s Speed title, with Laney Reid emerging as the surprise winner. However, Reid was pulled from the tournament due to injury and Jaida Parker took her place instead. Parker lost thanks to interference from Lash Legend.

Seth Rollins removed from this weekend’s WWE house shows in Japan

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Seth Rollins is no longer advertised for this weekend’s WWE house shows in Japan.

According to the ticket listings, Rollins has been removed from both the October 17 and 18 SuperShow cards, which will take place at Ryogoku Sumo Hall. He was originally set to face CM Punk on October 17 then team with Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed to take on Punk, Shinsuke Nakamura, and Jey Uso the following day. The updated lineups now have Punk wrestling Dominik Mysterio on the 17th while Punk & Nakamura will team up to take on Breakker & Reed on the 18th.

Rollins appeared to suffer a shoulder injury during his match against Cody Rhodes at Crown Jewel, making appearances after show wearing a sling. It isn’t known if he will require surgery as he will need to be evaluated in Birmingham, Alabama. Both Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer believe the injury is legitimate, but note that some in WWE are skeptical given Rollins’ injury storyline during the summer, which was claimed to be legit at the time.

A shocking storyline at the end of Monday’s Raw seemed to write Rollins out for the time being. The final moments of the show saw Breakker spear Rollins, telling Reed and Paul Heyman that they were either with him or against him. Both made their choice quickly, with Heyman snatching the title from Rollins and Reed giving Rollins a tsunami. The show ended with the three united.

Kota Ibushi gives timeline on in-ring return

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Kota Ibushi is giving a timeline on when he could return to the ring.

Ibushi wrote on social media that while doctors have given him a lengthy recovery time, he feels he can do it sooner.

“My current condition,” he wrote, showing a video of his bandaged leg. “One year to fully recover. Two years until I can step into the ring again. I believe in myself more than the doctors. I absolutely don’t believe in that. I know I have amazing DNA that gives me the ability to heal!!”

Ibushi broke his femur during a match that aired this past Saturday on Collision. He was wrestling Josh Alexander when he accidentally fell off the top rope, landing on his leg. Ibushi was eventually counted out and Alexander was awarded the match.

While recovering in the hospital, Ibushi wrote on social media that Tony Khan gave him a letter. At that time, he estimated he could be out for a year and a half.

“I couldn’t believe it. Tony Khan himself sent me flowers and a letter,” he wrote at the time. “If someone does that for you, you can’t just quit, can you?!!! I cried. I don’t know if it’ll take one year or a year and a half to recover, but I’ll do what I can. Right now, only my toes can move. The pain is intense. I was shocked to even feel anything. Mr. Tony Khan… all I can do is try my best.”

The last few years have seen Ibushi struggle with injury issues. In 2021, he suffered an injury during the G1 Climax finals that kept him out of action for some time. In January of 2024, he injured his ankle during a match in Pro Wrestling NOAH.

Daily Update: Becky Lynch, Don Callis, Moose

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Daily Update

Latest News

Latest Audio

Latest YouTube Video

This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

October 13, 2025 Observer Newsletter: The new wrestling ratings reality, John Cena’s final opponent, WWE Crown Jewel preview

The new issue of the  Wrestling Observer Newsletter is up on the site:

*In depth with the changes in ratings, are pro wrestling and MMA being undercounted, are they less popular than we thought, how the changes have happened, streaming, how this relates to baseball, football, and other entertainment shows.
*John Cena’s last matches, and the surprises in current WWE booking plans for now until December.
*A look at Crown Jewel and WrestleDream, the cards, how the shows look and the current interest level in them.
*Favorites in the betting in all the major future matches
*A look at The Smashing Machine, the heyday of Mark Kerr, the box office and what we’ve learned, comparisons with Iron Claw, the performances by Dwayne Johnson Emily Blunt and Ryan Bader and the Pride Grand Prix in 2000 with Sakuraba vs. Gracie and key what ifs that people don’t’ talk about
*All In Texas attendance and how much the state will be paying AEW based on the deal, plus original plans for that week and three shows that were once thought and talked about but didn’t happen with two international promotions.
*Full coverage of UFC 320, what’s next for the winners, the business side of things and match-by-match.
*The most complete and detailed look at the ratings for all the major shows as well as comparisons with last year, segment-by-semgent notes, demos and more.
*Expectations of when a major milestone in history of buildings that house wrestling will be reached and when 1 million fans in one specific building attending wrestling in a year is expected
*King  of Pro Wrestling thoughts
*New Japan’s last major show looked at
*40th anniversary of a landmark tag team event taking place
*Hulk Hogan’s widow looking at medical malpractice suit
*Death of the former Sabrina
*Dave Bautista makes surprising revelation
*Mistico vs. Bndido in Xalapa
*Renee Dupree talks the old WWE locker room
*Bound for Glory notes
*Lots of injury and contract updates
*The story of Ultimo Dragon’s ten belts and Mercedes Mone beating that record
*Sting’s son has his first match
*Advance tickets sales for the WWE & AEW shows over the next two months
*The strange secret suspension of  Conor McGregor
*More on the White House show
*MMA Fight of the year on the Dana White Contenders Series
*Has the WWE boom period ended or is it ending?
*The WWE product right now
*Jimmy Jacobs talks differences in backstage at WWE and TNA

This Week’s Back Issue

FIRST TIME SUBSCRIBERS GET 50% OFF YOUR FIRST MONTH

Tuesday Update

 WWE

AEW & Other Wrestling

  • AEW uploaded a vignette of the Don Callis Family celebrating Callis’ birthday, including Konosuke Takeshita appearing via video link.
  • Callis on Takeshita’s IWGP World title win: “SO PROUD OF TAKESHITA!! IWGP CHAMPIONSHIP WILL BE ADDED TO THE GROWING LIST OF CHAMPIONSHIPS CONTROLLED BY THE DON CALLIS FAMILY. WE ARE TRULY A GLOBAL COLLECTIVE UNLIKE ANY OTHER!! TAKESHITA WAS THE FIRST MEMBER AFTER DUMBER-THAN RAT S*** KENNY OMEGA.”
  • In an interview with The Sportster, Bam Magera said that Darby Allin has tried to get him to appear on AEW television: “He keeps asking me. Our paths haven’t crossed yet to where I could make it to one of his wrestling things. But whenever he’s in town, I always go skate with him in Atlanta, where he lives, or Philly. Skating is our thing. Never even got to see Darby, for a long time, wrestle.”
  • STL Sports Central spoke to Samoa Joe.
  • Steve Maclin cut a promo following his International title win at TNA Bound for Glory.
  • Deonna Purrazzo to Maclin on social media: “Watching your vision come to life & your dreams come true… is my dream come true. I’m so proud of you @SteveMaclin.”
  • Moose responded to Ridge Holland announcing his WWE contract won’t be renewed: “Sorry to hear Ridge ….. speedy recovery hopefully you make it back to TNA. You’re one of the good ones.”
  • Moose also took to social media to dispute allegations of TNA papering Bound for Glory: “For the people saying half of our record setting attendance record was free tickets given are brain dead and fail to realize in 2016/17 myself The Hardy’s Eddie Cody Rhodes Drew McIntyre Lashley wrestled at Universal in front of only 150 people were every single ticket were free because universal didn’t allow ticket sales. I could understand 200/300 comped tickets for sponsors and media purposes and friends and family but 3k No business will take an outstanding loss just to fill up an arena. If it was that easy every company would do it and we would have done it a decade ago when we struggling to get 500 people to attend a show. Just enjoy the growth and the win. we wouldn’t be in their position without you guys our true fans.  THIS IS TNA.”
  • Lou D’Angeli, the former Sign Guy Dudley, wrote on social media about The Dudleyz retirement at Bound for Glory: “Thank you, Bubba and D-Von, for everything you’ve done for ECW, WWE, TNA, and the wrestling business as a whole. And personally, thank you both for what you did for me — for keeping me a part of an act that became mega over in ECW, for looking out for me, and for showing me the ropes of the business. That was the best education I could have ever asked for.”
  • Royce Isaacs will be on Wrestling Observer Live on Wednesday to talk about his upcoming match with Jon Moxley at Defy Wraith on October 24 in Portland, Oregon. 
  • Demolition Smash has released a new memoir.
  • Local 12 in Madison, Indiana has a profile on Bailey McRoberts, an independent wrestler who nearly died from a car accident.

Update on shocking WWE Raw show-closing angle

Posted on by Bryan Rose

More on the shocking conclusion of Monday’s Raw.

In Monday’s Daily Update, Dave Meltzer wrote more about the show-closing angle that saw Bron Breakker, Bronson Reed, and Paul Heyman turn against Seth Rollins, laying him out with spears and tsunamis. Meltzer wrote that this was a sudden change in plans, and Rollins may have been hurt following his match against Cody Rhodes at Crown Jewel on Saturday.

“Obviously the big topic of discussion was the angle at the end of Raw tonight. Given it’s a long trip home from Australia and everyone is en route right now, we probably won’t have anything definitive until tomorrow or Wednesday,” he wrote. “We do know that people are being told. Seth Rollins did have his arm in a sling before Raw and there are reports of a shoulder injury from the match with Cody Rhodes, but we don’t have them confirmed. Whether that changed the booking due to the injury or the booking changed based on a hot shot angle because most likely Raw today with its early start time would have done the lowest rating in the show’s history so they wanted something to make people tune in, that could be the case. We were told yesterday that the ratings were very much an issue but if there’s a legit injury, obviously that would require a lot of changes in plans.” 

According to Meltzter, the unit was set to continue together at least through WrestleMania, adding Austin Theory as another new member along the way. As far as Rollins’ injury goes, it was said it was from the Crown Jewel match, but some are skeptical as it was said that Rollins’ injury earlier this year was also real, only for it to be an angle.

“One source with knowledge of creative said The Vision were booked for plans together through WrestleMania including with Austin Theory joining the group before things changed today,” he wrote. “They were told it was from an injury in the match with Cody Rhodes. But after being told his other injury was legit, many are not fully believing anything right now. In the attempt to work everyone, the belief in what those are being told, and there are multiple cases of this in recent months (the Rollins SNME injury being the one that really cost credibility with several in the room) the lack of trust right now is pretty high.”

The group had formed following the events of WrestleMania 41, when Heyman turned his back on Roman Reigns and CM Punk to align himself with Rollins, who soon added Reed and Breakker to their side.

Former WWE NXT talent Summer Sorrell comments on release

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Summer Sorrell is opening up regarding her release from WWE.

The now ex-NXT talent wrote about her departure on social media on Monday, sharing that she had developed a passion for the business and loved what she was doing prior to her release on Friday.

“It is hard to find the right words to express what wrestling means to me. I have developed a passion and love for this business that is unlike anything I have felt before,” she wrote. “I have loved every second. From long, stressful days filming, to challenging days in the ring, to many hours of rehab. Not a moment went by where I didn’t feel like the luckiest girl in the world.”

She also said she had an “ongoing injury” during her time with the company that kept her from being able to show what she could do in the ring.

“The reality is that I struggled with the same ongoing injury during a majority of my time at the performance center. This held me back from ever being able to show my true potential in the ring,” she said. “Knowing that I only got the opportunity to show you a small fraction of what I am capable of is what is hurting me the most.”

It was announced on Friday that WWE had released multiple talents including Sorrell. She only started wrestling earlier this year, losing to Wendy Choo on an episode of WWE Evolve. She also competed on WWE LFG, with her last match airing on September 7 losing to Bayley Humphrey.

The Rock says he has a ‘tiny bit of influence’ on John Cena’s final opponent

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The Rock has some influence on who John Cena might face in his final match.

Talking to the Kelce brothers on their podcast New Heights, Rock said ultimately, the choice should be up to Cena, not himself or anyone else.

“You know, I have a tiny bit of influence in the booking of it, but it really is, it’s whoever John wants, whoever he wants, that should be your answer,” he said. “Really what it comes down to. It’s not me, Nick Khan, or Triple H. That guy’s earned it, and you know what, the best part about John is, he comes as advertised so who you think he is, that’s who he is, and he’s a good dude, and I love that guy.”

Cena’s final match is currently set for Saturday Night’s Main Event on December 13 in Washington D.C. In the most recent issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, it was reported that Gunther would be Cena’s final opponent after winning a tournament, according to current plans. Cena’s only other scheduled match is for Survivor Series, where plans have him taking on Dominik Mysterio.

Jon Moxley’s opponent for upcoming Defy event revealed

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Jon Moxley has a date in Portland.

It announced on Monday that the former AEW Champion would be in action in October 24 for Defy’s event at the Wonder Ballroom in Portland, Oregon. He will be taking on Royce Issacs.

The leader of the Death Riders has made a few appearances on the independent scene from time to time. He last wrestled for Defy in 2023, where he defeated Artemis Spencer on July 29. Last year, he wrestled at a Pro Wrestling Revolver event, defeating Gringo Loco in a lucha death match. He also appeared at Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport Bushido event in Japan, defeating Barnett.

In AEW, Moxley has been building towards an I Quit match against Darby Allin that will take place at WrestleDream on October 18. After he emerged victorious in a coffin match against Allin at All Out, Allin emerged from the coffin and ended up setting Moxley on fire, indicating that their feud was far from over. Since then, Allin has attempted to go after Moxley in extreme fashion, ending last week’s Dynamite by threatening to throw a moltov cocktail at him.

New champions crowned at NJPW King of Pro Wrestling

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New champions were crowned at NJPW King of Pro Wrestling.

In the main event of Monday’s show at Sumo Hall, Konosuke Takeshita emerged victorious over Zack Sabre Jr. to win the IWGP World Championship for the first time. After a stiff, technical back and forth match, Takeshita recovered from the Zack Driver and connected with a running knee to win the title.

After the match, Takeshita told Sabre that he will treat this title with the importance it deserves. He said he knew people would be angry about the result and if they were, they should come and say it to his face. Hirooki Goto responded, entering the ring and issued the challenge for the next title match. Takeshita later said backstage he would face Goto before the Tokyo Dome.

Syuri opened the night defeating Sareee to win the IWGP Women’s Championship for a second time. The hard-hitting match saw Syuri pin Sareee after hitting a buzzsaw kick and the Syu-sekai. Sareee had held the championship for 114 days, defeating Syuri at Stardom The Conversion 2025.

EVIL emerged victorious on Monday, defeating Boltin Oleg to win the NEVER Openweight title for a fourth time. Naturally, the rest of House of Torture frequently interfered and unfortunately for Boltin, it proved to be too much. Boltin had EVIL out with a kamikaze and was going for a second when DOUKI struck his leg with a pipe. EVIL took the opening and landed Everything is EVIL for the win.

After the match, EVIL and HoT continued to attack Boltin and the young lions that attempted to stop it until Aaron Wolf hit the ring and took out House of Torture members with judo throws. He met face to face with EVIL and later backstage asked to face him at Wrestle Kingdom 20 in January.

In the co-main event, Yota Tsuji defeated Gabe Kidd to win the IWGP Global Championship for a second time. Tsuji hit two gene blasters then locked in with a Boston crab. Kidd attempted to fight out of the hold, but eventually submitted. 

Following the match, the rest of Bullet Club War Dogs entered the ring, The remnants of Los Ingobernables de Japon entered the ring to even the numbers. But the two groups ended up shaking hands with one another and hugging, seemingly forming an alliance.

NJPW King of Pro Wrestling notes: Aaron Wolf, Bullet Club War Dogs & LIJ

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News and notes from NJPW King of Pro Wrestling.

EVIL won the NEVER Openweight title from Boltin Oleg Monday morning at Sumo Hall. After the match, he and the rest of House of Torture continued their beatdown on Boltin. Young lions entered the ring in an attempt to end the brawl, but things only continued until Aaron Wolf entered the ring and cleared house, taking down members with judo throws. He and EVIL met face to face, indicating a showdown may be imminent.

Backstage, the Olympic gold medalist in judo challenged EVIL to a match for Wrestle Kingdom 20. It had been previously announced that he would be making his professional wrestling debut on January 4.

In the co-main event, Yota Tsuji defeated Gabe Kidd to win the IWGP Global Championship for the second time. After the match, the two hugged and showed signs of respect towards one another. The rest of Bullet Club War Dogs came to the ring as the remnants of Los Ingobernables de Japon (Titan, Shingo Takagi, and Hiromu Takahashi) entered the ring to back up Tsuji. However, there wasn’t any confrontation, and instead the two factions ended up shaking hands. Announcers were confused as to what this could mean.

NJPW announces first international show of 2026

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NJPW has announced their first international event of 2026.

During Monday morning’s King of Pro Wrestling, it was announced that they will be heading to the Cure Insurance Arena in Trenton, New Jersey on February 27, 2026 for The New Beginning USA. 

This will be the first NJPW event in the United States since this past May, when Resurgence took place at the Toyota Arena in Ontario, California. The company has only run three events in the United States this year compared to six in 2024 and eight in 2023.

Key matches from Resurgence had AZM defeating Mercedes Mone and Mina Shirakawa to win the Strong Women’s Championship, Hirooki Goto and Zack Sabre Jr. going to a time limit draw for the IWGP World Championship, and Konosuke Takeshita defeating ELP to retain the NEVER title.

New Japan Strong’s titles have been defended in other promotions throughout the year. United Empire (TJP and Templario) recently defended the titles in CMLL. Saya Kamitani is the current Strong Women’s Champion, while Tomohiro Ishii remains the Strong Openweight Champion.

The Dudleys hand their wrestling boots to The Hardys at TNA Bound for Glory

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It was the last time for the Hardy Boyz and The Dudleys on Sunday.

In the co-main event of TNA Bound for Glory, The Hardys and The Dudleys met in what was billed as a One Final Table match. Brother Runt, aka Spike Dudley, accompanied the Dudleyz to the ring as they were identified by both their WWE and TNA names, wearing their WWE gear and glasses.

The first to be eliminated was Jeff Hardy after the Dudleys put Jeff through a table with a 3D. Jeff retaliated by putting D-Von through a table after hitting a swanton bomb off a ladder. This left the Hardys to go after Bubba Ray, who attempted to remain in the match but the Hardys whittled him down with chair shots. Bubba struggled to get to his feet and ultimately gave up, allowing himself to be put through a table by both Hardys to give them the win.

After the match, the Hardys were given their NXT and TNA Tag Team titles by TNA President Carlos Silva as the Dudleyz recovered. Both teams hugged as the Hardys started to leave. However, the Dudleyz stopped them and started to take off their boots, giving them to the Hardys as a sign of their retirement. Both teams embraced as The Dudleys made their exit, allowing The Hardys to celebrate back in the ring.

The two teams are best known for their rivalry dating back to 2000 when they, alongside Edge & Christian, battled in the first TLC matches in WWE history.

Controversial end to Call Your Shot Gauntlet match at TNA Bound For Glory

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Two winners emerged from the Call Your Shot gauntlet match at Bound for Glory.

The final two participants in the match were Frankie Kazarian and Nic Nemeth. A referee bump caused a second referee to come in and make a two count. As the original referee recovered, a double pin took place with both men’s shoulders on the mat. Both referees counted three as controversy ensued. After both referees talked to Santino Marella, he announced for the first time ever both Kazarian and Nemeth would be co-winners. The two were given the trophy as they argued to the back. As a result, both men will receive a future championship match of their choosing.

Kazarian originally wasn’t part of the match but took out Jody Threat as she made her way to the ring. After arguing with Santino, he put himself in the match but was taken out by the next entrant, Santino, with the cobra. However Kazarian wasn’t eliminated and returned after Matt Cardona was eliminated, leaving he and Nemeth as the final two participants of the match.

Later backstage, the two winners confronted one another, with Nemeth calling out Kazarian for never winning the TNA World title. Kazarian teased he may become champion later tonight.

The full list of participants included Lei Ying Lee, Mara Sade, Ryan Nemeth, Nic Nemeth, Cedric Alexander, Rich Swann, AJ Francis, streamer BDE, Myron Reed, Zachary Wentz, Trey Miguel, Dani Luna, Eric Young, Jake Something, Rosemary, Home Town Man, Zack Clayton (with Little Guido), Frankie Kazarian, Santino Marella, Matt Cardona, and Mance Warner.