Steve Maclin reportedly wanted to keep TNA release quiet, had creative frustrations

More on Steve Maclin’s TNA departure.

It was announced by TNA on Sunday that Maclin, as well as Myla Grace, had departed the company after coming to terms with their release. However, Fightful Select reported that Maclin had preferred to keep his TNA release quiet, only for the company to issue a short press release confirming his departure. 

“We’re told Maclin had hoped to keep the word of the departure quiet, but TNA issued a press release announcing it. They rarely do that, and didn’t consult Myla Grace or Maclin ahead of the decision,” they wrote.

Additionally, Fightful noted that Maclin had been someone who was outspoken publicly about the company’s creative direction, and didn’t feel it had improved once the company moved to AMC earlier this year. The company’s pay scale was also an issue internally, but the majority of TNA talent are no longer on full-time deals, even after the move to a new network.

According to Fightful, both Maclin and Grace are expected have interest from companies outside of TNA.

Maclin had re-signed after being ‘fired’ in storyline

Maclin had re-signed with the company earlier this year following an angle that saw himself getting fired after grabbing one of the Feast or Fired briefcases. Despite this, he continued to appear on television and turned heel, attacking Mike Santana. Santana demanded Maclin be rehired so they could have a match. Director of Authority Santino Marella eventually re-signed Maclin in storyline and granted him a title match, which ended abruptly following an injury to Maclin.

Nikki Storm extends support for released TNA wrestler

Nikki Storm has thrown support behind Myla Grace following reports of her departure from TNA Wrestling this week. She also hinted at a potential showdown between the two.

Storm took to X and praised Grace for her efforts and wrestling contributions while hoping for a potential feud. She labeled her as ‘one of her favorite talents to watch’ in the ring.

“She will always be THAT GIRL. Myla is so special and I cannot wait to see what she does next. Japan, Ireland, UK, Europe, world domination- you go girl! This girl has been killing it for a long time and keeping her calendar booked and busy like a wee Irish Busy Bee Boss Queen. Can’t wait for this match to happen. When and where remains to be seen but keep eyes peeled. One of my favourite talents to watch. Also, Prince Mac is obsessed with her @MylaGrace_x,” posted Storm.

Grace had reportedly requested for her release from TNA earlier this week and it was seen through. She is known for her performances across TNA Wrestling, Over The Top Wrestling (OTT), and Japan’s Dream Star Fighting Marigold. Grace also appeared on NXT UK between 2021 and 2022.

After a year’s completion with TNA Wrestling, Grace has seemingly moved on from the promotion. Her final match on TNA Wrestling was against Elayna Black in March.

Meanwhile, Storm has been focused on her latest venture, acquiring PROGRESS Wrestling alongside her husband, Big Damo. On July 26, she is set to compete in her first match since her WWE release at Chapter 196: Scorchio. Her opponent is yet to be announced.

Indi Hartwell says WWE micromanagement limited creativity

Nearly a year into her TNA run, Indi Hartwell continues to embrace the promotion’s creative freedom. She highlighted the contrast in locker room culture between TNA and WWE, and adjusting to the environment. 

Hartwell discussed the disparity in NXT and TNA locker rooms with Dominic DeAngelo during the Studio 1 Sports Channel interview. She pinpointed access to creative freedom across promotions.

“It’s been different for me. It’s been cool getting to reconnect with women in the locker room that I worked with in the past and also getting to work with newer women that I’ve never worked with before. It’s been really cool. TNA is a different environment to what I’m used to. In NXT and WWE, there are people that are brought in that don’t come from wrestling. It’s a different dynamic there.”

Hartwell reflected on her interview with Chris Van Vliet shortly after debuting on TNA. During the conversation, she spoke openly about the creative freedom at hand. The former WWE star explained that NXT had a tendency to micromanage talent, which she felt limited performers’ creativity over time. 

“So that interview was actually I think right after I debuted at TNA. I think it was the next day or something like that. So, I didn’t really know how it was going to be. I’d obviously heard how much creative freedom you have at TNA, but it’s something that I’m still trying to get used to. Like you mentioned, at WWE things are very micromanaged, especially at NXT because at NXT you’re kind of learning the ropes. So, every step is intentional. Everything is micromanaged. And it’s something that I’m not really used to. I feel like that kind of made my creativity go away. So, I’m still trying to find it. It’s only been a year. You could look at a year and think that’s a long time, but in reality, I’ve been wrestling for 10 years. So, the past year at TNA is only 10% of my career. So, there’s still more to come, still more to learn, more to grow.” 

Hartwell was released by WWE in November 2024 and five months later officially signed with TNA Wrestling. She debuted at the Rebellion pay-per-view announcing her addition to the roster.

On the June 4 edition of TNA IMPACT, Hartwell teamed up with Santino Marella against his daughter, Arianna Grace and Stacks. 

Two title matches added to next week’s TNA Impact lineup

TNA has announced two championship matches for next week’s lineup.

Following the Thursday, June 4, 2026 episode of TNA Impact, the promotion confirmed two new title bouts for next week’s June 11, 2026 TNA Impact lineup.

TNA World Champion Mike Santana will defend his championship against Eric Young on next week’s episode. Fans witnessed Young deliver a low-blow and a piledriver to Santana on the June 4 episode.

Also, on next week’s June 11 episode, Mustafa Ali will defend his TNA International Championship against KC Navarro. Navarro earned the title opportunity by pinning Ali in the Champions Challenge on the May 28, 2026, episode.

Currently, both Ali and Santana are also scheduled to defend their titles on the upcoming TNA Slammiversary show on June 28, 2026.

As of now, no more matches have been added to next week’s lineup.

TNA Impact lineup | June 11, 2026

  • Mike Santana vs. Eric Young for the TNA World Championship
  • Mustafa Ali vs. KC Navarro for the TNA International Championship

Mr.Elegance wins intergender match on TNA Impact

The latest episode of TNA Impact saw an intergender match between Mr.Elegance and Lei Ying Lee.

On Thursday, during the June 4, 2026, episode of TNA Impact, fans witnessed an intergender singles match between Mr. Elegance and the Knockouts World Champion Lei Ying Lee, which the former won.

While the initial stage of the match was dominated by Lee, midway through it, fans saw the Elegance Brand (M by Elegance, Heather by Elegance & The Personal Concierge) interfere and then get ejected from ringside.

However, the closing moments of the bout saw Lee’s upcoming Slammiversary Knockouts title opponent, Xia Brookside, distract her. As Lee knocked Brookside from the apron, Mr.Elegance found an opportunity to capitalize. He gained an upper hand on Lee and dominated her throughout the rest of the match and eventually gained a pinfall victory over her. This marked Lee’s second pinfall loss in two weeks, after Brookside had pinned her during last week’s Impact’s Champions Challenge match.

Tonight’s episode also featured a mixed-gender tag-team match involving Santino Marella & Indi Hartwell against Channing Stacks & Arianna Grace.

TNA Impact live results: The Hardys vs. The Righteous Wicked Garden match

TNA Impact travels to the Wicked Garden tonight.

A Wicked Garden match with Vincent and Dutch (The Righteous) against Matt and Jeff Hardy is scheduled for tonight’s show.

Also scheduled, Stacks and Arianna Grace will wrestle Grace’s father, Santino Marella, and Indi Hartwell in tag team action.

AJ Francis is advertised for the show, though it’s not clear what he will be doing.

Eddie Edwards vs. BDE is set for singles action.

Eric Young is also advertised for the show, though it’s not clear what he will be doing.

In a mixed singles bout, TNA Knockouts World Champion Lei Ying Lee will wrestle Mr. Elegance of The Elegance Brand.

TNA Impact lineup for tonight:

  • A Wicked Garden match with Vincent & Dutch vs. Matt & Jeff Hardy
  • Stacks & Arianna Grace vs. Santino Marella & Indi Hartwell
  • Eddie Edwards vs. BDE
  • TNA Knockouts World Champion Lei Ying Lee vs. Mr. Elegance
  • AJ Francis advertised
  • Eric Young advertised

Our live coverage kicks off at 9 p.m. Eastern.

*******************************

“I wanna run through your wicked garden
Heard that’s the place to find you
‘Cause I’m alive, so alive now
I know the darkness blinds you”

Welcome in friends to TNA where they love a good car crash because becuase they’re full of high-impact action! Tonight we hear from AJ Francis (I’m just speculating, but I bet he says ‘money’ a lot) and Eric Young (who’s currently suing RFK for stealing his voice).

We also get a rare Inter-gender match, a mixed tag bout and a Stone Temple Pilots concert with the Hardys and the Righteous! But to kick things off:

Eddie Edwards vs BDE

Edwards its looking to show the world that he’s still got what it takes to be in the TNA Title picture. And if it means going through BDE to do it, well, then that’s probably whats going to happen I guess.

Edwards had a size advantage over BDE, but BDE brought the speed and got the first hit of the match in off of a springboard crossbody. He went up top, but Edwards was ready for it and crotched him on the turnbuckle. Edwards then hit a massive superplex off the top, but BDE kicked out of the cover.

BDE came back swinging, throwing jabs at Edwards’ face. He then hit a modified unprettier, but Edwards kicked out at two. BDE countered Edward’s attempt at a blue thunder bomb and hit him with double knees. Then Alicia Edwards got up on the apron to cause a distraction, but BDE was able to shake it off and hit a springboard cutter on Edwards (Eddie, not Alicia).

BDE went for a frog splash, but Edwards got the knees up and hit him with a Boston Knee Party (I love that name). Edwards made the cover and picked up the win.

Match Result: Eddie Edwards defeated BDE

After the matchj, Fabian Aichner came stomping down to the ring and single-handedly took out the System. Haha, no he didn’t! Aichner fell victim to the damn numbers game, but then Leon Slater showed up to even the odds. Aichner, BDE and Slater took out The System, but it should be noted, they did not beat them.

A cinematic, pre-taped promo for the Wicked Garden match aired next and it was exactly as weird as you think it would be, without telling us anything about the match itself.

Back from a break, AJ Francis made his way to the ring. Last week, Elijah rejected his offer to make music together, so this week, Francis is looking for money, money (sigh) money. Francis made fun of his former friends KC Navarro and Rich Swann, and then debuted his brand new song called “Walk.”

It made R-truth’s “What’s Up” look like Jay-Z’s “Encore.”

Francis’ “rap” was interrupted by Elijah who came out and said that he heard his guitar sampled in the song and walking is his thing, so he came out to see what was going on.

He accused Francis of using ChatGPT to rip him off. Francis then handed him a cease and desist letter. Last week, after Elijah refused to collaborate with him, Francis went and trademarked the look and name of Elias, Elijah and Ezekiel. Somehow, that also gave Francis ownership of all of Elijah’s music.

Elijah said he didn’t care about the legality and wanted to debut is new song “No Skill Uncle Phil.” Francis punched him in the face and that mercifully ended the segment.

-Back from break Elayna Black cut a promo from backstage about how she’s better than everyone. She then took aim at Indi hartwell who she accused of trying to suck up to the boss instead of getting by on talent, like Black does.

Mixed Tag Match: Santino Marella & Indi Hartwell vs Arianna Grace & Stacks

It’s a tale as old as time. Dad is a wrestler, so his daughter becomes a wrestler. Daughter starts dating a guy who’s a bit of a jerk, Dad takes away her Knockouts title. Then Indi Hartwell gets involved somewhere a long the line. Like I said, tale as old as time.

Also, Frankie Kazarian joined commentary under the orders of Daria Rae for some reason.

Also, Also: As someone from Missussauga, Ontario, Canada I love that Santino is billed as from there.

Santino and Stacks started things off, picking up where they left off last week in their singles bout. Immediately, Stacks tagged in Grance who yelled at Santino, eventually shoving her father. That brought Hartwell in to shove Grace, and then Stacks started fighting with Santino.

Somewhere in there, the match started.

Santino fought out of the corner, throwing punches at Stacks. Stacks sent him off the ropes and Santino grabbed a sleeper. Stacks elbowed himself free and then before he could do anything, we went to commercial break.

8 minutes later (seriously) we were back and Stacks went to mock Santino with a saluting headbutt, but Santino moved and sent him out of the ring. Hartwell tagged in, which brought in Grace. Hartwell hit a spinebuster and then got Grace on her shoulders. Grace wiggled out of it and started stomping Hartwell in the corner.

Grace hit a swinging neckbreaker, but Hartwell kicked out at two. Grace hit a suplex and running elbow off the ropes, but still no cover. Grace grabbed a headlock, preventing Hartwell for making a tag. Hartwell got free and the two collided in simultaneous clotheslines.

Santino and Stacks tagged in and Santino dropped him with an armbar. That brought out the Cobra, but Grace snatched it from her father. Stacks held Santino, but when Grace went to strike, Santino ducked and Stacks took the brunt of the Cobra.

Santino brought out a backup cobra and Hartwell put on the other one and they hit stereo cobras on Grace and Stacks. Santino made the pin and they picked up the vctory.

Match Result: Santino Marella & Indi Hartwell defeated Arianna Grace & Stacks

Back from break, the Elegance brand discussed Mr Elegance but then the lights went out and when they came back on, the Goth Girls were there, leading to the Elegance Brand running away.

Then Eric Young was in the ring. He said that TNA was a place of lies and false heroes like Joe Hendry and EC3, who Young chased out of TNA. He claimed that Mike Santana is sick with ego, selfishness and an addiction to crowd applause and approval.

He then said that he is going to beat Santana because he doesn’t need those things. That summoned Santana who Yeeted his way through the crowd to the ring. He grabbed a mic and said that Young was just bitter and irrelevant.

Young said hes been around a long time and has watched TNA rot from the inside due to people like Santana. Santana responded by saying that Young was just an old failure. Young then said that all the crowd cares about is a shiny new toy and once the shine was off of Santana, they will turn on him.

Young then said that he was going to take his power back by piledriving Santana and taking his belt. Santana said that next week he’s going to break his foot off in Young’s posterior. He then said maybe they should do it right here, right now. So, Young kicked him in the crotch and hit him with a piledriver. He then posed with the belt as we went to break.

-Back from said break, TNA International Champion Mustafa Ali called KC Navarro earning a shot at his title a fluke and he will prove it next week.

Intergender Match: TNA Knockouts World Champion Léi Yǐng Lee vs Mr. Elegance

As the doctor said to me at my last colonoscopy, “hang on to something, because this is happening.”

On the way to the ring, the Concierge took an arguably racist swipe at Lei Ying Lee while introducing Mr Elegance. Xia Brookside then joined commentary and her first words were “I don’t know why I’m here.”

Mr Elegance began the match by dancing, shoving Lee to the mat, then dancing some more. Lee then tripped him and mocked him before laying him out with an armdrag. She sent him to the corner for exactly 10 punches and the rest of the Elegance brand hopped up to cause a distraction. So, the ref ejected them from ringside.

Lee tried to pick up Mr in a suplex, but he countered it and danced some more before giving Lee a Devil’s Kiss. He then posed some more until Lee punched him in the gut. Mr dodged a spin kick and dropped Lee with a big left hand punch.

Lee fought back with a flurry of kicks and punches and then got Mr in an ankle lock. He managed to get to the ropes to break the hold, but Lee flapjacked him for a two count. Lee then tried to get him up on her shoulders, but Mr responded with a pop up strike.

He took too much time on the top rope though and Lee crotched him on the turnbuckle. She then went to spin slam him, but Brookside caused a distraction allowing Mr to hit Excuse Moi and pick up the victory.

Match Result: Mr. Elegance defeated Léi Yǐng Lee

After the match, Brookside grabbed a mic and cut a promo over the unconscious Lee. She revealed that their match was official for Slammiversary and then left.

Wicked Garden Match: The Hardys (Matt & Jeff) vs The Righteous (Dutch & Vincent)

“I wanna run through your wicked garden
Heard that’s the place to find you
‘Cause I’m alive, so alive now
I know the darkness blinds you”

So, the Hardys and the Righteous have been neck and neck in the battle of who can be weirder. Last time they met, the Broken Hardys (and even Willow) showed up to help Matt gain a singles victory over Vincent. Tonight, The Righteous are hosting a “Wicked Garden” match which boils down to a street fight with a lot of lattice, flowers and barbed wire wrapped around the ropes. No countouts, no DQ, pin must be in the ring.

The Righteous came to the ring crowned in barbed wire and flowers along with about 30 members of their cult who surrounded the ring, which had me asking, why not just beat up the Hardys 30 on 2? But my thought was interrupted by the entrance of Broken Matt and Brother Nero. The cult members then all left as we went to a commercial break.

When we came back, the bell rang and the match was on. After a prolonged staredown, Matt and Dutch started brawling as did Jeff and Vincent. The Righteous went to whip the hardys into the barbed wire, but they were able to pull back just in time.

Jeff then arm dragged Dutch through one of the lattice pieces coverd in barbed wire and flowers. Vincent then shoved him into the barbed wire wrapped ropes. Matt made the save with an inverted DDT and grabbed a gardening rake. He, well, raked it across Dutch’s face while Jeff stomped Vincent.

Vincent hit a side slam on Matt and then raked it across Matt’s forehead. He turned to Jeff, who hit him with an atomic drop then a pair of dropkicks for a two count. The Hardys then hit a series of combo movies on the Righteous, sending Dutch and Vincent to the outside.

Jeff emptied a bottle of whatever sports drink sponsors TNA onto Dutch and then we went to commercial break.

Back from break, everyone was bloodier, but we won’t bore you with the details of their brutal battle.

Vincent broke some lattice over Jeff and tore his shirt off. Dutch choked Matt in the ring, going for a cover but only getting a two count. Vincent dumped Jeff back into the ring and wrapped his fist in barbed wire to punch Jeff. On the other side of the ring, Matt did the same to Dutch, then low blowed him with the wire.

Jeff got tanlged in the barbed wire, but Matt hit a twist of fate on Vincent to give him space to get free. They wrapped Vincent in a barbed wire crown and then a bloody Dutch came in for a save. The Hardys double suplexed him for his trouble, then put the barbed wire in his mouth. Ew.

Vincent saved Dutch and the Hardys whipped him into the corner for Poetry In Motion. Matt hit a Side Effect on Dutchm but only got a two count. He set him up for a Twist of Fate, but Dutch ran him through the lattice, knocking Jeff off the top turnbuckle in the process.

A kendo stick appeared in Vincent’s hands and he beat up Jeff with it. He and Dutch then tied Jeff to the ropes with some barbed wire. Vincent then pulled out a flower from a pouch, making sure not to touch it. They they forced it into Jeff’s mouth. He collapsed, presumeably because the flower was poisonous?

Matt took out Dutch and Vincent and Jeff stumbled off the ropes, dazed. He then convulsed and slipped out of the ring. Vincent grabbed Matt and threw him at Dutch for a lariat. On the outside Jeff collapsed again, foaming at the mouth.

As they put Jeff on the stretcher, Vincent cackled “I hope you liked meeting Lily of The Valley, Brother Nero.” Then Jeff jumped up and ran back to the ring, flailing into a shot from Dutch before passing out. The Righteous hit Orange Sunshine and got the pin to end the match.

Match Result: The Righteous defeated The Hardys

After the match, the Righteous posed in the ring. Suddenly the lights went out and when they came back on, the Hardys were gone.

TNA Knockout reportedly departs company

Myla Grace is reportedly no longer with TNA Wrestling.

Fightful Select reported on Thursday that Grace requested her release from the company earlier this week, and that it was granted in the last few days. The report also noted that there is said to be no heat between the two sides.

Grace debuted for the company last June. She most recently lost a singles match to Elayna Black at the March 28 tapings in New Orleans. She also teamed with Harley Hudson and Jody Threat in a loss to The Diamond Collective at the March 6 tapings in Atlanta.

Myla Grace outside TNA Wrestling

Grace recently completed a four-show tour with World Series Wrestling in Australia, where she won the promotion’s Women’s title from Ash by Elegance, only to drop it back to Elegance the following night.

She is the current holder of the OTT Women’s title in Ireland and also challenged for the RevPro Undisputed British Women’s title against Alexxis Falcon at RevPro Bash at the Bay on May 24.

Ryan Nemeth takes apparent shot at CM Punk over ‘PEDs’

On social media today, Ryan Nemeth took an apparent shot at CM Punk, who he’s had issues with since the two were part of the AEW roster.

Nemeth is now with TNA Wrestling and Punk is back in WWE. But, at least on Nemeth’s side, bad blood between them seems to still exist. He sent out a tweet today making fun of “straight edge guys” who won’t take any substances except for performance-enhancing drugs. He did not name Punk in the tweet or make a direct accusation at him, but the post comes shortly after gym footage of Punk having an improved physique got a lot of attention online.

“I love that straight edge guys are like NOTHING! IS! EVER! GOING! IN! MY! BODY! EVER!,” Nemeth wrote. “Except PEDs which I will be putting in my body actually very often now because I do steroids, but of course that does not break my sacred vow. I am more disciplined than you :)”

While with AEW, Nemeth claims he was threatened by Punk and effectively banned from appearing on Collision. The matter led to Nemeth filing a lawsuit against Punk and AEW that has been moved to private arbitration after AEW filed its own countersuit.

The issues between Nemeth and Punk concern a 2023 tweet where Nemeth called Punk “literally the softest man alive,” which Nemeth claims was in character.

CM Punk’s WWE schedule —

Since the Raw after WrestleMania 42, Punk has been away from WWE programming due to a schedule change. He dropped the World Heavyweight Championship to Roman Reigns at WrestleMania and is said to be awaiting his next storyline. Instead of continuing the Reigns vs. Punk feud, WWE moved Jacob Fatu to Raw and began a title program between him and Reigns.

AJ Francis live performance part of updated TNA Impact lineup

TNA Impact has updated its lineup for this week’s episode.

A few new segments have been added for this week’s June 4, 2026, episode of TNA Impact. This week’s episode will feature a live performance by AJ Francis. Francis was last seen wrestling KC Navarro on the May 14 episode of TNA Impact.

This week’s episode will also feature an appearance from Eric Young, who recently earned himself a shot at the TNA World Championship.

Apart from these, the episode will also feature a Wicked Garden match between The Righteous (Dutch & Vincent) and The Hardys (Jeff Hardy & Matt Hardy), and a Mixed tag-team match, involving Indi Hartwell & Santino Marella against Arianna Grace and Channing Stacks.

Updated TNA Impact lineup | June 4, 2026

  • AJ Francis live performance
  • Eric Young appearance
  • The Righteous (Dutch & Vincent) vs. The Hardys (Jeff Hardy & Matt Hardy) in a Wicked Garden match
  • Indi Hartwell & Santino Marella vs. Arianna Grace & Channing Stacks
  • BDE vs. Eddie Edwards

BVV: TNA Impact with Champions Challenge matches

Slammiversary is at the end of this month, but TNA seems to be in no hurry to put a card together.

Impact this week was devoted to a pair of Champions Challenge matches that theoretically set up title contests down the road, but neither involves any of the company’s biggest names.

So what we had was two hours action that often felt aimless. Tessa Blanchard wrestled Harley Hudson. Santino Marella laced up the boots to face his future son-in-law Stacks. Fabian Aichner made his in-ring debut but didn’t come out of it looking any stronger than he did going in.

And they plugged a Hardys-Righteous match for next week by giving it a wacky name and some cryptic promo time without actually explaining what the rules were or why it mattered or why you should tune in.

Look, this was a skippable TV show, but I’m going to do my best to cover it in an entertaining manner.

Come join the Big Vinny V Show, won’t you?

Right Click Save As

Mike Santana’s TNA contract reportedly set to expire this summer

The TNA World Champion could potentially be a free agent soon.

PWInsider reported on Monday that Mike Santana’s contract is expected to expire sometime in July. It was noted that WWE has shown interest in him before, and has made several appearances on NXT thanks to TNA’s relationship with WWE.

Santana’s recent breakout into singles success

Santana broke into wrestling in 2007. Early in his career he was part of a successful tag team with Ortiz, and together the two enjoyed success both in TNA and later in AEW. Santana, however, asked for his AEW release in 2024, choosing to branch out as a singles wrestler elsewhere. He signed with TNA shortly thereafter and the following year, defeated Trick Williams to win his first TNA World title at Bound for Glory.

Since TNA and WWE officially announced their partnership, Santana has made several appearances on the brand, including taking part in the NXT vs. TNA Showdown special event that took place last year. His most recent match in NXT had him team with OTM to defeat DarkState at NXT’s recent show at the Madison Square Garden theatre.

AJ Francis makes case for TNA Slammiversary main event

TNA’s Slammiversary is less than four weeks away, and at this point, there is no main event. But one name on the roster thinks he should be challenging Mike Santana for the TNA World Championship on that show.

AJ Francis talked about Santana and Slammiversary in a conversation with pro wrestling/MMA interviewer Jim Varsallone. 

“Me versus Mike Santana at Slammiversary for the world title would probably be one of the greatest matches in the history of TNA,” Francis said. “Me and Mike only ever had one other singles match and it was an instant classic, nominated for Match Of The Year—the only match that wasn’t a pay-per-view match that was nominated for Match Of The Year last year, might I add.”

Francis’ match against Santana was a street fight that aired on the episode of Impact that aired on June 26, 2025. TNA eventually named a Santana title defense against Mustafa Ali at Rebellion in April as its match of the year. 

“To have that in my back pocket, to have that in the back of my mind, knowing that he went from that match with me to now being the world champion,” Francis added. “The fact that I’ve been putting on banger after banger after banger ever since and so has he—I genuinely think if you gave me and Mike Santana 25 minutes for the world title in the main event of Slammiversary, you would walk away from that thinking this is one of the best matches I’ve ever seen in my life and one of the greatest matches of all time.”

To date, Francis has only had one other shot at the TNA World Championship. He unsuccessfully challenged Nic Nemeth for the belt at Final Resolution in December of 2024. 

TNA Slammiversary takes place Sunday, June 28, from the Agganis Arena in Boston, Massachusetts. Two matches have been announced for the show: Lei Ying Lee defending the Knockouts Championship against Xia Brookside, and Cedric Alexander defending the X Division Championship against Leon Slater and two other wrestlers in an Ultimate X match. Tickets are available here

TNA name shown in the crowd at WWE Clash in Italy 2026

A popular TNA name made his appearance at WWE Clash in Italy 2026.

Following the third match of the night, WWE showed a montage of several wrestlers who were present at Inalpi Arena in Turin attending Clash in Italy. After Brock Lesnar defeated Oba Femi, WWE showed footage of Tag Team Champions Austin Theory and Bron Breakker sitting ringside.

The feed featured Giulia sitting ringside and attending the show, before they also showed former WWE Intercontinental Champion and TNA’s current on-screen director of authority, Santino Marella, also in the arena.

Marella was met with a massive roar from the audience and a swarm of fans who hyped him up as he appeared on screen. Marella was present at WWE Clash in Italy, just as part of the audience, and had nothing planned for the show (as of this writing).

Marella is next scheduled to team up with Indi Hartwell and face the duo of Arianna Grace and Channing “Stacks” Lorenzo on the upcoming episode of TNA Impact.

What TNA booking might say about Leon Slater’s future

Leon Slater tied the record for the longest X Division Championship reign in TNA history but he did not break it. What does that tell us about Slater’s prospects?

After 298 days as champion, Slater lost the title to Cedric Alexander in a two-out-of-three falls match on the live episode of Impact that aired on May 14. Had he retained, he would have broken the record. Instead, he is now tied with Austin Aries, who won the title from Brian Kendrick in September of 2011 and then surrendered it the following July for a TNA World Championship match. (Aries would go on to defeat Bobby Roode for the World title at Destination X.)

The booking decision to put Alexander over Slater was not without its critics. Apparently, Slater’s contractual status played a role in that decision.

Our own Dave Meltzer explained TNA’s mindset in the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer newsletter.

“A lot of people were mad about them not letting [Slater] break the record, but the belief is Slater is gone to WWE or AEW when his contract is up,” Meltzer wrote.

That shouldn’t surprise anyone. Slater has wrestled in NXT several times. He was in the Iron Survivor Challenge at NXT Deadline last December, and he challenged Oba Femi for the NXT Championship at New Year’s Evil in January. He also challenged Carmelo Hayes for the WWE United States Championship on SmackDown, also in January. 

TNA originally announced the signing of Slater in October of 2023, when Slater was only 19 years old. Presumably, then, his current contract will expire in October of this year. 

TNA has squandered their latest big opportunity | Opinion

It’s time to talk about TNA.

After years of staying afloat by running their television on parent company-owned AXS TV, the long-struggling company finally got a big break, premiering this past January on AMC. But after months of television, specials, and pay-per-views, one thing is starting to become clear: it’s not visibility that’s keeping the company from further success, it’s their current creative process. The new timeslot on a new network should have been the adrenaline shot that the company needed, but five months later, it doesn’t seem like anyone is talking about TNA, and when they do talk, it usually isn’t anything good.

Since their debut in January, TNA has been doing roughly 200,000 viewers and a 0.05 in the coveted 18-49 demographic. It’s better than what they were doing on AXS, but not much better. And in the time since the AMC debut, the numbers have only been marginally up or marginally down, with no real growth over time. In other words, TNA is in a better spot than they were last year, but there isn’t any evidence to suggest there’s been any meaningful popularity change since the network switch.

Truth is, there simply isn’t anything to get excited about when it comes to TNA right now. The first episode of Impact on AMC was notable for being a complete disaster, but the product in the months since hasn’t exactly been stellar either. One of the big storylines since the move to AMC is the introduction of Daria Rae, who has been appointed as a new authority figure to counter Santino Marella, who was doing just fine as the babyface authority figure. 

Not that the idea of a heel GM is bad, but after WWE spent years doing the same concept over and over ad naseum, I was fine not seeing the concept for a good, long time. When the company finally dropped the concept, it felt like a breath of fresh air. So of course, TNA has not only revived it, but has added virtually nothing new to the idea. This isn’t a knock on Daria Rae, but rather a shot at TNA reviving a concept that has been done to death.

Their big program in the World title scene has Steve Maclin turning heel and go after Santana, which sounds fine on paper. But those watching TNA may remember that Maclin was fired in the Feast or Fired match months ago. Maclin’s response was to turn heel, show up unannounced for weeks, and repeatedly beat up Santana. Instead of being arrested, Maclin was not only rehired but given a World title match. None of that makes any sense. While one could shrug and just go “well it’s wrestling,” I think we can do better than having that kind of mindset when it comes to booking and making things make sense.

TNA’s creative lately has been questionable, but some of their business practices have to be called out as well. A big match between Leon Slater and Ricochet was made for WrestleMania weekend, only for Carlos Silva to pull the match days later, apparently because AEW Collision aired on a Thursday head-to-head with Impact. It didn’t matter that AEW likely didn’t have a choice in a matter, as WBD frequently moves AEW for sports coverage.

When you’re the number three or four promotion in the United States, I think you need to be building goodwill towards fans, not the opposite. Pulling talent for matches already announced for something that seems so petty only disappoints and upsets people who were looking forward to their matches.

I will not advocate for anyone losing their job, but I feel like TNA creative needs to completely rethink where they are going here because copying and pasting WWE ideas from 10 years ago, both in terms of talent and storylines, isn’t going to cut it these days. Embracing change and going with new faces and talent is the best way forward, and always has in professional wrestling. But when your mindset is stuck in the past, things are going to be tough.

I want TNA to be successful as there needs to be more promotions out there for wrestlers to get reps. And it’s hard to stand out when WWE and AEW command so much attention. There’s a path here, but in order for it to work, TNA needs to make a dramatic change for the better in terms of how they tell their stories and who they use to tell them. Otherwise, they’re just going to be in the same place they’re at. And maybe that’s what they want, a promotion and product that simply just exists for the sake of it. It just sucks that after being given such a big opportunity, TNA seems intent on squandering it rather than trying to break out from the pack, as hard as that may be these days.