PWI Weekly for January 26, 2026
Total Nonstop PWI Weekly
FEW WRESTLING FEDERATIONS HAVE enjoyed a start to the year like TNA has. With a new TV deal on the AMC Network, fresh talent signings, a big pay-per-view event, and even bigger title changes, 2026 is off to a momentous start for the company. With that in mind, it’s only fitting that TNA Wrestling takes center stage in this edition of the PWI Weekly.
WRESTLER OF THE WEEK
After a well-received World title victory at October’s Bound For Glory, it seemed like Mike Santana was poised to be the man to carry TNA into a new era. Less well received was his title loss to Frankie Kazarian just a month later. At the time, it seemed like a creative misstep by a promotion eager to roll into 2026 with as much momentum as possible.
While Kazarian, a very talented wrestler, was a worthy World champion, it seemed clear that fans wanted Santana to be the top dog. Thankfully for those fans, Santana regained the gold in a strongly contested matchup on the debut episode of Thursday Night IMPACT! on AMC. Popular support was further buoyed two nights later when the new champ prevailed in a rematch at Genesis. After a trial run as World heavyweight champion in 2025, it seems that 2026 could be the year in which Mike Santana solidifies his status as the man to carry TNA into its new era.
A QUICK WORD ABOUT …
As Mike Santana’s career was scaling new heights in early January, another TNA wrestler’s was coming to an end: that of JDC. Whether he was fandangoing through WWE as, umm, Fandango or dirtying up the independent scene as Dango, the real-life Curt Hussey left his own unique mark on the wrestling business. The New Englander spent more than a quarter of a century entertaining fans in the ring and out of it. When he brought the curtain down on his career with a hard-fought loss to good friend Eddie Edwards at Genesis, TNA wrestlers (and many outside the promotion) showed their respect. PWI would like to do the same here. Enjoy retirement, Dango.
SPOTLIGHT ON …
If you are a fan of WWE who was tuning in for the first time, then the inaugural Thursday Night IMPACT! on AMC offered up a couple of familiar faces in a new place. Daria Rae and Elayna Black—formerly Sonya Deville and Cora Jade, respectively—each made their presence felt in significant, albeit different ways.
Introduced as “The Suit,” Rae seems intent on making waves as an on-screen authority figure to rival Santino Marella. As for Black, the former NXT standout let it be known that she has her sights set on championship gold. Whatever the coming weeks hold for these two talented women, the Knockouts division has itself some new power players.
TERRITORIAL DISSINGS
He played a key role in TNA’s televised debut on FSN in 2004, and again when IMPACT moved to Spike TV in 2005. With a pivotal move to AMC in 2026, who better to open the show than AJ Styles? It was a heartwarming, full-circle moment for TNA and its dedicated longtime fans.
