Mike Santana will win the TNA World Championship. It is just a question of when.
After coming up short at Slammiversary, Santana addressed the TNA faithful in an emotional promo on Impact (July 31, 2205). The world was buzzing for that PPV, but he lost. Santana overcame rock bottom before in his life. The lesson was to keep fighting through adversity. This will be no different. Santana will keep fighting. He was choked up when recounting the memory of seeing tears stream down his daughter’s face at Slammiversary.
Santana looked in the mirror at home, and he knows what needs to be done. Santana made a promise that he will become TNA world champion.
Santana added on social media:
I didn’t get this far to just get this far.
— Mike SANTANA (@Santana_Proud) August 1, 2025
Where I come from, you get up, wipe the blood off, and keep putting one foot in front of the other.
I still have a company to represent.
A loud mouth to stomp out.
And a little girl to make proud.
The mission STILL remains.
MARK… https://t.co/mkiwC1ZMaf
I didn’t get this far to just get this far. Where I come from, you get up, wipe the blood off, and keep putting one foot in front of the other.
I still have a company to represent.
A loud mouth to stomp out. And a little girl to make proud.
The mission STILL remains.
MARK MY FCKN WORDS.
#TheStandard of @thisistna
Many will argue that TNA dropped the ball by not crowning Santana in front of his home crowd at Slammiversary. TNA is now in the process of rebuilding Santana’s momentum for another shot at gold. It started with a win over Joe Hendry. The story continues with this promo to deliver an emotional angle for fans to latch onto. We’ll see if the gamble pays off to make Santana’s eventual world title win an even bigger moment than what could have been at Slammiversary.
Let’s blitz through the rest of the results.
X-Division Championship: Leon Slater (c) defeated Cedric Alexander and Jason Hotch to retain the title. Classic X-Division style with a fast pace of action. Slater caught Hotch for a hanging cutter, then the champ closed with the Swanton 450. Alexander postured about not being pinned, and that led to a backstage conversation setting up one-on-one for the title at Emergence. (Full details.)
Dani Luna & Indi Hartwell defeated Jody Threat & Arianna Grace. Threat was in control to finish Luna, but Arianna wanted to be tagged in. That distraction in focus gave Luna a chance to escape. She shoved Threat into Grace, then she executed a fireman’s carry powerbomb to win. This match was put together by ‘mentor’ Victoria Crawford. It played into the slow burn of former partners Luna and Threat building tension as the weeks move forward. In this bout, Threat was reluctant to fight Luna. She also apologized right before setting up her finisher. Luna had no such qualms and appeared to hit her finisher without regret. Grace was amusing with her personality. She really knows how to work the crowd with comedic theatrics.
Jake Something won the war over Mance Warner, and now he’s coming for another shot at Steve Maclin’s TNA International Championship. Maclin didn’t back down.
.@JakeSomething_ is SET on the TNA International Championship and @SteveMaclin isn't backing down!
— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) August 1, 2025
WATCH #TNAiMPACT on TNA+: https://t.co/vV0uAYI2F2 pic.twitter.com/J3dKHr0wpk
Rascalz defeated Nemeths. Myron Reed launched for the awesome Flame On cutter to Nic Nemeth on the outside. Zachary Wentz went to work on Ryan Nemeth for the Spiral Tap to win. Interesting result. The Nemeths still have a contractual rematch for the tag titles, so it is curious to see them lose here.
HUGE victory for The Rascalz! @ZacharyWentz @TheBadReed
— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) August 1, 2025
WATCH #TNAiMPACT on TNA+: https://t.co/vV0uAYIAuA pic.twitter.com/sEd5PQYKdd
Home Town Man. The Nemeths refused to leave the ring. They want to cash-in their contractual tag title rematch against the Hardys at Emergence. The Nemeths’ ire turned to insulting the ugly people of Rhode Island. That brought out the Home Town Man to demand an apology. The Nemeths beat him up and unmasked him. Security was quick on the spot with a towel to protect the Home Town Man’s secret identity. The Rascalz returned for the save. Video for the Nemeth match and post promo with Home Town Man.
Frankie Kazarian wants respect as the king on TNA.
.@FrankieKazarian isn't just wrestler, he's "The King of TNA"
— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) August 1, 2025
WATCH #TNAiMPACT on TNA+: https://t.co/vV0uAYI2F2 pic.twitter.com/MRlFRHXvyE
Knockouts Championship: Masha Slamovich defeated Jacy Jayne (c) via disqualification, so no title change. The match was given a few minutes, then Ash by Elegance ran in to strike Slamovich with the tag title belt. The referee awarded the win to Slamovich, even though, Jayne had nothing to do with it. Fatal Influence and the Elegance Brand faced off. Xia Brookside and Lei Ying Lee arrived as backup for Slamovich. Backstage, Ash wanted to cash in her #1 contendership, so Santino Marella booked the title match for next week. Heather and M will be banned from ringside. Slamovich fights the winner. (Full details.)
Mara Sadé (aka Jakara Jackson) spoke about her path to this point. Athletics led to fitness competitions. She was scouted on the Titan Games for a wrestling tryout. Sadé loves the spotlight to inspire the masses.
.@itsmarasade has arrived in TNA Wrestling.
— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) August 1, 2025
WATCH #TNAiMPACT on TNA+: https://t.co/vV0uAYIAuA pic.twitter.com/CdQQegJLBg
Order 4 victory rally. The fans booed Mustafa Ali’s goal of winning the world title. After insults about Joe Hendry, the man himself answered the call with prank footage to embarrass John Skyler. Hendry challenged Ali, and the match is set for next week. (Full details.)
Sami Callihan is contemplating retirement. He wants to test himself against Mike Santana at Emergence. A win might start the road for a comeback to the top. A loss will likely tell Callihan that it is time to end his career in the ring. (Full details.)
"If I lose, I think I got my answer. I think I ride off into the sunset... I leave my boots in the middle of the ring. And the Death Machine retires in Baltimore."@TheSamiCallihan faces his future in pro wrestling in an emotional interview with @TomHannifan.
— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) August 1, 2025
WATCH #TNAiMPACT… pic.twitter.com/tygm0vLF4E
Moose & Eddie Edwards defeated Trick Williams & AJ Francis. KC Navarro was pulled from the main event due to a knee injury. He was ringside with crutches. Navarro tried to cheat, but he accidentally hit Williams with the crutch. Edwards kicked Top Dolla out of the ring, and Moose speared Trick Willy for the win. TNA booked Moose to challenge Williams for the world title at Emergence. This is a common method for TNA to produce challengers. In that sense, it accomplished what was needed. I don’t prefer champions being pinned, but Williams hasn’t been presented as a strong champion. Moose has the momentum, confidence, and bragging rights for the quick build to Emergence. (Full details.)
Share your thoughts on the latest episode of TNA Impact.
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