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.
