“Nights like this go beyond any accolade one can achieve. Being there for my brother @AJStylesOrg on an incredibly special night, and reuniting with @ThisIsTNA brethren is something I will take with me forever. And never let it go. Thanks you to the @WWE for making this happen.”

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The post Frankie Kazarian issues statement following the tribute to AJ Styles on WWE RAW appeared first on NoDQ.com: WWE and AEW Coverage.

“There were conversations, but logistically, it probably wasn’t gonna work. I wasn’t a signature away, but there were a lot of really good conversations.”

“After that, check my phone as we do, because we’re all marks and we want to see what people are saying. I got a text from Triple H saying, like, you know, ‘Hey man, I know things didn’t work out and that’s cool. I look forward to you kicking ass. And you know, when it’s time for us to do business together, let’s do it.’ And I’m like, he didn’t have to do that. He didn’t have to. He went out of his way just to say like, ‘Hey, cool.’ It’s a [Killer] Kowalski guy too, so — but that holds a lot of weight with me.”

Kazarian discussed his brief run with WWE in 2005 and why it didn’t work out…

“They put five matches on television. They put me on the road immediately, just to let me get a little bit of money and some reps. So I went on the road the first couple weeks and did some more matches, and then went home, and they’re just like, ‘Well, when we have something for you, we’ll call you.’ Because I wasn’t on a developmental deal, was just a deal. And then it was like, I’m not doing indies or anything. So time is going by and going by. I would call them like, ‘Hey, can I do something?’”

Thanks to ChrisVanVliet.com for the quotes.

The post Frankie Kazarian reveals how close he came to signing with WWE after leaving AEW appeared first on NoDQ.com: WWE and AEW Coverage.

“I feel great continuing my relationship with this company. In January 2023, I bet on myself. I made the choice to come back here because you can’t tell the story of Frankie Kazarian without TNA. Since then, I’ve seen this company grow exponentially. Now, we’re about to do our first live television broadcast in eight years. It’s an exciting time to be here, and there’s a lot of positive momentum.”

“As I’ve said before, I came back because I still have a lot to offer. I don’t do well sitting on the bench. I just wanted to get in the game, to be a player, because I can still compete at a high level. Over the last few years, I’ve proven that, and I’m proud to be considered a leader, and sometimes a voice of reason, for the younger talent. I take that responsibility seriously, especially as I see this company continue to grow.”

SIGNING A NEW DEAL WITH TNA IS…. | PWInsider.com

By Mike Johnson on 2025-01-23 09:56:00 Ahead of tonight’s live episode of TNA Impact on AXS TV and TNA+, Frankie Kazarian exclusively confirmed to PWInsider.com this morning that he has signed a new deal with TNA Wrestling.

The post TNA star Frankie Kazarian issues statement regarding his future in the wrestling business appeared first on NoDQ.com: WWE and AEW Coverage.

“Last night will go down as one of the darkest days in the history of TNA. John Layfield is an asshole, Joe Hendry is merely a placeholder, and Dallas, you, the Dallas Cowboys and this entire dog shit city sucks! #KingofTNA”

“Getting real sick of this bastard showing up, uninvited, to TNA which is MY show. Maybe I’ll show up on WWE #RawOnNetflix and clothesline the hell out of @JCLayfield #KingofTNA.”

JBL is scheduled to make an appearance on tonight’s edition of RAW. Since the announcement of WWE’s ongoing partnership with TNA Wrestling, fans have speculated about TNA wrestlers potentially showing up on WWE programming.

.@FrankieKazarian is ringside with the Call Your Shot Trophy, but @JCLayfield just CLOTHESLINED him straight to hell and took out @ryrynemnem on his way out!

Watch #TNAGenesis on TNA+: https://t.co/KvBYOFQH33 pic.twitter.com/o0CmU6kKdW

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) January 20, 2025

The post TNA Wrestling star teases that he’ll make an appearance on WWE RAW appeared first on NoDQ.com: WWE and AEW Coverage.

TNA Turning Point was a very lackluster show that left some fans with a foul taste in their mouths. From the broadcast looking like it was shot on an old camcorder, to the number of random “why is this even happening” matches that felt very placeholder-ish, I think I can speak for many regular TNA viewers when I say that I’m hoping to see some TNA redeem itself as we head towards 2025.

On to the show.

Five-way #1 Contender’s Match: Trent Sevin vs. Leon Slater vs. Kushida vs. JDC vs. Ace Austin

Talk about drawing names out of a hat. This match will determine who faces Moose for the X-Division title at Final Resolution in Moose’s hometown of Atlanta. I don’t think enough of a deal was made about Moose’s stablemate being included in this match- let alone the implication of him winning. It didn’t matter though, because looking at the field- only 2 of the 5 competitors in this match would make some sense in winning, and Dango wasn’t one of those 2. Slater is a guy that TNA has been featuring regularly, but they’re not letting him win much. He has crazy hops, but that’s all we know about him so far. Ace seemed to fare a little better, serving as an ally to the Hardys while his tag team partner is still recovering in Detroit. That time appears to have concluded however, as Ace was on his own, and it looks like they will just throw him anywhere to make up for the drastic change of plans due to Chris Bey’s scary injury. Kushida is another guy who TNA creative can’t seem to figure out what to do with.

The match was fine for what it was, and it was a departure from the standard X-Division multi-man car crash. I think JDC is untapped as far as potential when it comes to heel work, as he seems to keep finding himself in a comedic role. I hate seeing Sevin do the deal where he fakes a punch, and the opponent ducks or covers his face to block. It makes the opponent look stupid and cowardly covering his face or ducking like that. This match really could have used Moose’s presence at ringside to feel a little more important, instead of feeling like it’s just a competition to see who will be the next to lose.

The finish sees Kushida pin Slater with “Back to the Future”. Slater eating the pin was an odd choice when you had Sevin right there. In no way am I suggesting that Slater should be a world-beater by tomorrow, but with these short contracts and the possibility of TNA’s top stars going to WWE some day, one would think the time is now to start building new stars for the future.

Now HERE’S where the show starts getting interesting for me:

Tasha Steelz Interview

I’ve expressed my admiration of Ms. Steelz in before. As I see commenters on her IG posts lusting after her or primarily complimenting her physical beauty- I sometimes wonder if I’m the only one seeing how talented she is. Gia Miller asks Tasha about her match tonight against Jordynne Grace, and as I said before, with Tasha- it’s just the little things. In WWE- as good as many of the lady wrestlers are in the ring- whenever you hear them on the mic, they sound so overly scripted, and the acting is 4th grade play-level and over-the-top. You hear most women wrestlers cut promos and you just KNOW that they don’t talk like that in real life. Such is SO NOT the case with Tasha. I believe that she has a bad attitude and that she’s overconfident. Nothing she says feels forced or stereotyped. It sounded natural. Even if you know she’s gonna get her butt kicked, you’re still convinced that SHE believes she’s gonna do the kicking.

Next up: tag team match, playa.

PCO and Sami Callahan vs. the Good Hands

My first memory of the Good Hands is them being stooges for Bully Ray. And ever since Bully went back to Busted Open Radio, the Hands have done nothing more than show up, cut a promo to get heat from the crowd, and then lose. At one point, it looked as if Skyler was being positioned for a singles babyface run, but that seems to have been abandoned. Hotch is a good talker, and both guys have shown the potential to be a solid heel tag team that could organically turn face when the time is right. They, however, much like poor Leon Slater, can’t seem to buy a win.

I’m not sure why Callahan and PCO are teaming together, but I guess it’s something for both of them to do for the moment. No new contenders are being made for either of PCO’s titles, and neither has it been explained why he’s still carrying around the International Heavyweight title. This is not the sized roster that needs an inflation of titles- sanctioned or unsanctioned. I wrote last time- the Digital Media title has meant nothing since Joe Hendry lost it.

Oh yeah- the match. Sami and PCO won. Surprise, surprise. After the match, the number 23 kept ominously flashing across the big screen to the confusion of the winners. They approached Jake Something and Hammerstone backstage to ask if they had anything to do with the graphic. As if. Not exactly guys who look like they know their way around graphic design. This weird confrontation leads to a tag team match next week. Remember what I said earlier about the need to build new stars? TNA has already fumbled the former MLW champion Hammerstone (something I forgot to rant about in my last article). And why they’re still allowing a guy to walk around with the last name “Something” is beyond me.

I got a little ahead of myself, because before the above confrontation- we had TNA World Champion Nic Nemeth talking to us. He was interrupted by First Class. Oh joy. AJ Francis talks himself up and says that he’s had a great year, while Navarro does the annoying sidekick thing. Francis says that he wants to add 10 pounds… of gold. Please, no. Nemeth then fires back with what sounds like what he wanted to finish saying before he was interrupted. He put Francis over (not sure why) and gave us more rah rah about being a fighting champion. Santino “just so happens” to be walking by, and one comical mispronouciation of a name later, and we have the main event of Final Resolution. I’ll vomit all over this later.

Thankfully, the Hardys (guys people actually WANT to see) are up next, and they are defending their tag titles against Brian Myers and Eddie Edwards of the System.

This is the System’s contractual rematch, and I not only admire how TNA is the only company that still does those, but I also admire how they can be patient, so-to-speak, with these rematch clauses, and not burn through them so soon. The Hardys continue to look good for a couple of guys who’ve been up and down the road, with both brothers hitting almost all of their signature spots. We’ve all seen old timers come back and overstay their welcome in wrestling, and have cringed while watching them show their past-their-prime-ess-ness. But Matt and Jeff have mastered the art of wrestling according to their speed, and factoring in the selling, the hot tags, and the tandem moves that cover any holes in their game. They’ve even added moves to their set, and they know how to work well with any other team. It also helps to be in the ring with a couple of pros like Myers and Edwards. Both teams have good chemistry, and Alisha as the heel valet is the icing on the cake.

The match ended in DQ when Alisha struck Jeff with her kendo stick as the Hardys were about to put their opponents through a table (which Matt introduced). I’m not a fan of this finish, because it was the babyfaces who introduced the furniture in a match that didn’t call for it, and them getting put through the table seems more justified than sympathetic. It would’ve made more sense if the heels brought out the table, and the faces attempted to use the tables in a fit of rage before Alisha made the save for her team. Ace Austin didn’t even bother to run out there to help. But it’s whatever. Another match added to the Final Resolution card.

Spitfire is in the back, and they are still livid over whatever Ash and Heather by Elegance did, which feels like ages ago. A one-on-one between one member of each team happens next week.

Santino says that he was watching what happened to the Hardys from the back. And he didn’t bother to send out security or nothing. The tag team title rematch at the PPV will be a Table’s Match.

The next match may not be the main event of the evening- but it might as well be. Tasha Steelz vs. Jordynne Grace, with the winner facing Masha Slamovich for the Knockouts title.

Tasha comes out to silence, but her mannerisms and the way she dances to her own music shows that at least in her mind, she’s the “ish”. I love it. Grace comes out to one of the biggest pops of the night. She has really established herself as a star in this company, and- getting ahead of myself again here- I’m really interested in seeing how this translates to the wider WWE audience.

I wouldn’t be able to do this match justice if I wanted to recap it move-for-move. That is not to say that it was spotfest; everything made sense and was given room to breathe. Jordynne’s offense looked like it hurt really badly, but Tasha’s craftiness and familiarity with Jordynne kept her in the driver’s seat for most of the match. Tasha is no big girl (something that quite possibly may be why WWE hasn’t come a-callin’ for her), yet she manages to get in some non-ridiculous-looking offense against the more powerful Juggernaut.

Alisha Edwards apparently wasn’t done interfering in matches for the evening, as she ran in to distract Grace, allowing Steelz to pin Grace with her feet on the ropes for leverage. Classic heel stuff. Jordynne is pissed, and decides to take out her frustration on Alisha. Tasha jumps in, and the heels get heat on Jordynne. Out comes Masha to make the save, but- in a move that baffles me when watching modern wrestling- she ran out while holding her title. Because the champ just HAS to make sure they grab their belt FIRST before coming out to help their friend who’s getting jumped. Alisha temporarily lost her doggone mind and stared down Masha, and was about to throw a punch before a bloody-nosed Grace threw her out. The match is set: Tasha Steelz will challenge Masha for the Knockouts title at Final Resolution.

Also at the PPV, we will see a four-way match to determine the #1 contender for the world title (after AJ Francis flops back down the card): Joe Hendry vs. Josh Alexander vs. Mike Santana vs. Steve Maclin. The winner will face the champion at Genesis in January.

Speaking of Joe Hendry, “Say his name…” and he appeared to the loudest reaction of the night (maybe neck-and-neck with the Hardys) to join commentary. In a show that has already been pretty tag team and multi-person-heavy, we have an 8-man tag match for the main event.

Mike Santana, Jonathan Gresham, Steve Maclin, and Eric Young vs. The Northern Armory (Josh Alexander and Sinner and Saint) and Frankie Kazarian.

Being honest here… I wasn’t really into this match. I feel like we’ve seen a combination of these guys teaming together enough, and I thought at least one of these feuds had already been resolved (Maclin/Alexander). Every guy not named Icarus or Williams is capable of putting on a good performance, but there was nothing on the line, seeing as how most of team babyface and half of team heel are already in the title mix. I couldn’t stand watching the indie-riffic style of Williams and Icarus. Their involvement in this completely took me out of the match. Towards the end, it completely devolved into the style of matches that you’d see 15 times over on an AEW PPV. Mercifully, Kazarian ends it all by hitting Gresham with his Call Your Shot cup and pinning him. Still can’t believe that we’re really letting Gresham pass through TNA without a single midcard title reign. Even though I wasn’t feeling this match, it was the right result, because we need to be reminded that Kazarian is a threat to the world champion with that cup- regardless of who becomes the official contender. But seriously- does TNA really see more of an upside with Sinner and Saint than they do the Good Hands? Make it make sense.

Overall, while nothing stellar happened on this episode, it still featured some progression in storylines and managed to pull TNA out of the Turning Point lull… slightly. With the exception of the DUD of a main event booking, Final Resolution is looking pronouncedly better than Turning Point. Still no word on the JBL/Nemeth situation, which we need answers for, and Mike Sanatana’s stock is dangerously close to rising above that of Joe Hendry’s. We may see an upset.

What to go out of your way to check out if you missed this episode: Tasha Steelz’ promo and her match against Jordynne Grace. Hands down.

I’ll be back next time with my predictions for Final Resolution, and I might steal Tito’s “what should/will happen” format. Let me know what you thought of the show. Until next time…

Peace.

The post TNA Impact Review – Final Resolution is looking better than Turning Point appeared first on NoDQ.com: WWE and AEW Coverage.

“Not for nothing, that (launch of AEW) was one of the most exciting things to happen to pro wrestling in a while. Because it was the first new, viable, big budget, big business company and I was part of that. Almost the same way I was a part of the early days of TNA, but this was even different, because the landscape of the business had changed so much so, that whole first year, the whole on-sale date, the announcement in Jacksonville, the press conference in Vegas, the first Double or Nothing… All of that was excitement because it was new and it was fresh and it was like, wow, the possibilities are out there, and that was all very positive and stuff I still look back on fondly. The negative stuff, you know, just ultimately the lack of leadership. Inmates running the asylum in a way. No real direction. I think there’s also, at least when I was there… So there were stories that was presented. ‘We’ll do this, this, this and this.’ Okay, but after that, what are you gonna do? That was always a problem. It was always, ‘Oh, I have a story for three weeks.’ Then what? That’s why I think angles are dropped so quickly and everything and I just ultimately think, you know, a lack of leadership is — in this business, you need that guy. That guy with the pencil where the buck stops and I don’t necessarily think that’s the case there.

It could certainly be a case of too much too soon (for AEW). I was astonished that it gained popularity so quickly but at the same time, that showed me that there was a portion of the wrestling audience that were looking for something different, that we’re looking for an alternative. Good, bad or indifferent, they were looking for something. But, in a way I thought, the first nine guys we signed: Myself, Christopher Daniels, (Scorpio) Sky, Cody (Rhodes), The Bucks, Kenny (Omega), (Chris) Jericho. Having those guys, Jericho in particular because he was the guy that, you know, had that been there, done that name value, reputation we needed. But, we had a good crew of guys and then the additional people we signed. Yeah, it was surprising that people took to it so quickly. But, at the same time, I think we had a lot of goodwill. I wanna say that. I think the company had a lot of goodwill and I think maybe that’s finally running out amongst even their hardcore fans. I don’t know, I’m not sure. I don’t follow it as closely as I probably should but, I think that goodwill is — the sands of the hourglass are trickling away.” (quote courtesy of PostWrestling.com)

The post Former AEW star Frankie Kazarian opens up about the company’s “lack of leadership” appeared first on NoDQ.com: WWE and AEW Coverage.

“I still have two years left on my contract, two years to get rolled over. AEW management had contacted me early December, which was only a few weeks after this match. So it’s just kind of a coincidence timing wise. But they contacted me 30 days out, which is what they’re supposed to do, and they had basically talked about rolling me over and said you wanted to get the process going on that, and I mean, I basically said simply kind of, you know, thanks, but no thanks. I had kind of voiced, you know, concerns and frustrations and goals and aspirations, and had a really good talk with management AND kind of left it there for a while. I still was going to TVs and the last television I was at was in San Antonio, Texas. And I sat down with Megha who, if people don’t know, that’s the head legal in AEW, a very, very bright, brilliant woman, very nice, and had a long conversation in person and gave her the list of the reasons why I wanted to, you know, kind of move on bet on myself. That’s kind of the recurring theme here and that now was the time to do it. I wanted to do it so we could… I’ve always done business the right way. I wanted to be amicable about it. I wanted to get out before there was feelings of resistance or bitterness or any of that. So, that message was relayed and they wanted to do right by me, which I respect the hell out of and the deal was done. So, as of January 1st of this year, I was, quote unquote free agent.”

Kazarian also talked about returning to Impact…

“I had several great talks with people at WWE and I want it say those talks could not have been better, more positive, more professional. I have nothing but great things to say about everybody in that organization, especially all the people I spoke to and texted with, but ultimately this was just the best fit for me at this stage of my career, at this point in my life, at this time. I have a great relationship with Scott D’Amore. I’ve known him for over two decades. Obviously, I have history there. A lot of my legacy is there. Some of Frankie Kazarian’s greatest moments happened at Impact Wrestling, and at this state of the game, I just think I was the best fit for Impact and Impact was the best fit for me for a variety of reasons I look at the locker room and, and I’m amazed at the amount of talent. Um, I have the utmost confidence in the management there. I have the utmost confidence in the, in the creative team there. And, um, I want to help this company grow. Uh, I want to help the brand of Frankie Kazarian grow, and I’m probably more motivated than I’ve ever been in my career at this point.”

EXCLUSIVE: FRANKIE KAZARIAN ON LEAVING AEW, SIGNING WITH IMPACT, BETTING ON HIMSELF AND MORE | PWInsider.com

By Mike Johnson on 2023-01-17 09:15:00 Yesterday, PWInsider.com sat down with Frankie Kazarian to discuss his decision to leave AEW and sign a multi-year deal with Impact Wrestling.

The post Details regarding Frankie Kazarian’s departure from AEW appeared first on NoDQ.com: WWE and AEW Coverage.

“We are told it was a completely amicable situation based around Kazarian wanting to push himself harder as he’s getting closer to to the latter point of his career and that in Impact, he’d had a chance to be more in the mix than he’d likely be able to get the opportunity to do in AEW, given how massive that company’s roster is.”

Welcome home @FrankieKazarian!#HardToKill pic.twitter.com/3leZlsQHFF

— IMPACT (@IMPACTWRESTLING) January 14, 2023

The post Frankie Kazarian released from AEW and signs contract with Impact Wrestling appeared first on NoDQ.com: WWE and AEW Coverage.