Tag: shawne merriman

TNA Rebellion notes: Sami Callihan returns, Shawne Merriman, new champion crowned

Posted on by Josh Nason

Sami Callihan has returned to TNA after several months as a free agent.

The former TNA World Champion made a surprise return during the Knockouts title match between Jordynne Grace and Steph De Lander, helping take out Kon and The Good Hands.

After dispatching them, he turned to De Lander and threw her back into the ring for the awaiting Grace who then finished her off for the successful title defense.

The 36-year-old finished off his last Impact contract in September 2023, ending a six-year run that began in 2017. During his break, Callihan wrestled on the indies 21 times, taking on the likes of actor Paul Walter Hauser at this year’s WrestleCon SuperShow in addition to some MLW dates among them.

TNA did not announce any formal signing as of yet.

His return was one of three on the night, including former TNA World Champion Matt Hardy and former AEW star Mike Santana.

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Among the five championship matches at Rebellion, only one title changed hands and that was on the pre-show.

In a bout for the Digital Media Championship, Laredo Kid upended Crazzy Steve to take the gold: his first in the company.

Kid picked up the win after hitting a top rope Spanish fly, getting the pin afterward.

The victory ends the 98-day run for Steve who had six successful defenses dating back to this past January.

In the other four defenses, TNA World Champion Moose successfully defended his title against Nic Nemeth, Knockouts Champion Jordynne Grace defended against Steph De Lander, X-Division Champion Mustafa Ali defended against Jake Something, and Knockouts Tag Team Champions Spitfire (Masha Slamovich & Jody Threat) defended against Decay (Rosemary & Havok).

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Former NFL defensive star and wrestling fan Shawne Merriman got physically involved during Saturday’s show, nailing Joe Hendry.

Merriman was sitting at ringside for the Hendry vs. Rich Swann match when Swann’s teammate AJ Francis was about to hit Hendry with a chain. Merriman got involved as if he was coming to Hendry’s aid but got into the ring and clotheslined him instead, leading to Swann eventually picking up the win.

Merriman made sporadic WWE appearances through the years but told Renee Paquette in a 2021 podcast interview that a deal didn’t happen between the two sides due to issues around his “Lights Out” branding.

CM Punk part of MTV’s ‘The Challenge: Champs vs. Pros’ cast

Posted on by Joseph Currier

CM Punk is returning to television, but it won’t be in a professional wrestling ring or the UFC Octagon.

MTV announced today that Punk would be part of the cast for “The Challenge: Champs vs. Pros.” The show is a six-week special and will begin airing on May 16th. It features 10 athletes competing against 10 winners of the long-running series. They will be competing for a $50,000 prize that goes towards a charity of their choosing.

Punk is billed as a UFC fighter in the cast listing. Former New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz will host the show.

Other than Punk, the most notable athletes on the show are former NFL player Shawne Merriman and Olympian Lolo Jones. Punk and Merriman haven’t had the best relationship in the past, with the two exchanging tweets when Punk accused Merriman of striking out when trying to hit on some of the women in WWE. Merriman was also critical of Punk prior to his UFC debut, though they followed each other on Twitter recently.

Merriman was also previously linked with WWE, including an appearance on the WrestleMania 30 pre-show, but nothing permanent ever came to fruition.

In another pro wrestling connection, The Miz formerly appeared on several editions of “The Challenge” before signing with WWE.