SouthernWorldwide.com – Mike Santana successfully defended his TNA World Championship against a formidable challenger, Eric Young, on the latest episode of “Impact.”
Young had earned a guaranteed title shot through a prior battle royal victory. He had previously made a statement by delivering a piledriver to Santana the week before. Young was aggressive throughout the match, but multiple near falls kept Santana in the fight.
However, Young’s focus wavered, which proved costly. Santana executed a powerful double underhook toss from the top rope. He then followed up with a bulldog and a rolling cutter, regaining control of the bout. Despite these maneuvers, Young continued to resist being pinned.
The referee became inadvertently involved in the match when Young accidentally struck him. This created a critical moment for Santana.
Santana then hit his signature “Spin the Block” move, but with the referee down, he couldn’t secure the pin. He attempted to revive the official as quickly as possible. While Santana had Young in a vertical position, Young retaliated with a low blow.
Young then seized the TNA World Championship belt and struck Santana with it, followed by a piledriver. As the referee began the count, Santana managed to reach the ropes, breaking the count.
Just as Young seemed poised to finish Santana, Ricky Sosa made an appearance, distracting Young. This momentary lapse allowed Santana to roll up Young for the victory.
Santana retained his TNA World Championship. Following the match, Nic Nemeth’s music played, and it appeared he would immediately challenge for the title. However, Nemeth announced he would wait until Slammiversary to officially call his shot and compete for the championship.
Santana and Nemeth then shook hands, seemingly confirming their upcoming match at Slammiversary. Later, they joined forces to confront and take out The System after Mustafa Ali’s match against KC Navarro for the TNA International Championship.
In a surprising turn of events, Nemeth then delivered a “Danger Zone” move to Santana, indicating that Santana should indeed be wary of Nemeth leading up to their Slammiversary encounter.
The narrative also saw The System attacking TNA veteran Moose backstage a few weeks prior. After being cleared to return, Moose emerged to confront The System as they were assaulting Leon Slater.
Cedric Alexander had recently pinned Slater in a tag team match alongside Eddie Edwards. Brian Myers and Bear Bronson then entered the ring to further attack Slater. It was at this point that Moose made his dramatic entrance, causing The System to retreat.
Moose then declared his intention to face Eddie Edwards in a match at Slammiversary, setting up another significant confrontation for the event.
