Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) kicked off and finished with Champions Challenge All-Star matches, which helped determine No. 1 contenders for two championships.
The men’s match started “Impact.” Elijah, Eric Young, Frankie Kazarian, KC Navarro and Leon Slater faced off against tag team champions Bear Bronson and Brian Myers, international champion Mustafa Ali, X Division champion Cedric Alexander and TNA world champion Mike Santana. If an All-Star pinned one of the champs, they would automatically get a title shot.
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Navarro took advantage of that, working with Slater at the end of the match to get one over on Ali. Navarro would pin Ali to earn a shot at the TNA International Championship after losing to A.J. Francis in a Sac Town Street Fight a few weeks prior.
Later, Elayna Black, Mara Sadé and Xia Brookside took on TNA Knockouts champion Lei Ying Lee and Knockouts tag team champions Heather by Elegance and M by Elegance.
Brookside and Lee have been at odds for more than a month as the former best friends split up. The Elegance Brand also wasn’t about to let any of the All-Stars get one over on them. M by Elegance and Heather by Elegance controlled the match for their team for the most part, avoiding tagging in Lee. Sadé felt the tag team presence for the most part. Heather finally tagged in Lee and took on Brookside.
Mr. Elegance would eventually insert himself into the match. He tripped up Lee, who walked into Brookside’s DDT. Brookside pinned Lee and earned herself a shot at the TNA Knockouts World Championship.
TNA announced earlier Thursday that Fabian Aichner officially signed with the company after he crashed Cedric Alexander’s X Division Championship victory over Leon Slater two weeks ago.
Aichner vowed to take down The System and proved it last week when he wiped the entire faction out by himself. He made his in-ring debut on Thursday against Eddie Edwards.
Edwards did his best to keep Aichner down, including a backpack stunner and using the ropes to choke the life out of Aichner. Alisha Edwards even got her hands dirty and got involved in the match. Alisha Edwards got caught trying to use a kendo stick on Aichner and was kicked out of the match.
The System came down to support Edwards but found out that Aichner can fly. He hit a crossbody splash on the faction and a springboard DDT. He was about to make Edwards tap out, but The System interrupted the match, causing a disqualification.
Ultimate X is one of the most exciting matches in TNA history, and it will be coming back at Slammiversary in June.
The “Impact” broadcast announced that Slater will be a part of the next Ultimate X match as Cedric Alexander puts the X Division title on the line. There are still four participants that have to be announced for the match.
Slammiversary is set for June 28 at the Agganis Arena.
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It had been more than five months since Santino Marella appeared in the ring for TNA and nearly a year since he was in a singles match. TNA’s Director of Authority is feuding with Stacks Lorenzo, who Marella has said corrupted his daughter Arianna Grace.
The rivalry between the two came to a head in Sacramento when TNA Director of Operations Daria Rae booked Marella and Lorenzo in a match last week. And it started out fine for Marella. He was putting the hurt on his soon-to-be son-in-law.
Lorenzo taunted Marella throughout the match, hitting him with multiple knee strikes to the gut. Marella would get back into the match and break out the cobra, and it allowed Lorenzo to roll up Marella and get the quick pin for the win.
Grace added insult to injury. She tried to slap him before Marella stopped it. Lorenzo blindsided him and started his post-match assault. Indi Hartwell came down to help Marella and challenged Lorenzo and Grace to a mixed tag team match.
Rae came out and reminded Hartwell that she doesn’t make matches. However, she said she would “love” to see Lorenzo beat Marella again and booked the mixed tag team match for next week.
