TNA kicks off a new era with new champions and signings. The first batch of women’s Royal Rumble participants are confirmed. Daria Rae chats with WrestleZone and more!
Royal Rumble Participants Confirmed
It only took until 12 days before the event, but we finally have some women confirmed for the 2026 WWE Royal Rumble.
On Monday’s episode of WWE Raw, WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Rhea Ripley and IYO SKY emerged as the first two to declare themselves for the 2026 Women’s Royal Rumble match, which guarantees the winner a title match of their choosing at WrestleMania 42. The Judgment Day’s Roxanne Perez, Liv Morgan, and Raquel Rodriguez followed suit shortly after before overpowering Ripley and SKY with a three-on-two attack in the ring.
Backstage, Lyra Valkyria and Bayley later reflected on their failed pursuit of the Women’s Tag Team Championships. Looking ahead, though, Bayley encouraged them to focus on the Royal Rumble instead, with both women agreeing that they’d be happy in the event that the other won it. Elsewhere on Raw, Kairi Sane vowed that she would help her tag partner Asuka win the 2026 Royal Rumble, suggesting that both of them would enter the match as well.
The 2026 Royal Rumble will emanate from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on January 31. On January 24, Mogan and Perez will challenge Ripley and SKY for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships at WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event in Montreal.
RELATED: Absent WWE Star Is Heavy Betting Favorite To Win 2026 Royal Rumble
TNA Kicks Off New Era With New Champions, Signings
Last Thursday, TNA Wrestling officially ushered in a new era with the debut of Thursday Night iMPACT on AMC and AMC+. Along with it also came the welcoming of new champions and signings.
TNA Director of Authority Santino Marella confirmed the first new female TNA signee as Daria Rae, formerly known to WWE fans as Sonya Deville. Like Marella, Rae has been brought aboard to help oversee the on-screen operations of TNA. And as her first order of business, Rae herself introduced another fresh name to TNA, that being Elayna Black (formerly known as NXT’s Cora Jade).
At TNA Genesis, Knockouts Champion Lei Ying Lee successfully defended her title against NXT star Zaria. Afterward, Black appeared on the entrance stage, making it clear that she had her eyes on Lee’s championship.
Elsewhere on the AMC premiere of Thursday Night iMPACT, The Elegance Brand’s M and Heather By Elegance dethroned The IInspiration (Cassie Lee and Jessica McKay) as Knockouts Tag Team Champions. M and Heather’s win comes after The IInspiration’s contracts with TNA reportedly expired.
RELATED: TNA iMPACT Results: Review, Grades, Card for January 15
Izzi Dame’s First TV Title Defense Announced
NXT Women’s North American Champion Izzi Dame will soon tackle her first televised title defense.
Following her title loss to Dame at NXT New Year’s Evil, Thea Hail approached NXT General Manager Ava backstage about a rematch on this week’s edition of WWE NXT. At the same time, Lola Vice made her case for a title match of her own, citing her previous singles victory over Dame and impressive showings in AAA. To appease both women, Ava announced that Vice and Hail would meet Dame in a triple threat match for the NXT Women’s North American Championship on February 3.
Elsewhere on NXT, the teams of Kendal Grey and Wren Sinclair, Sol Ruca and Zaria, and Fatal Influence’s Fallon Henley and Lainey Reid competed in a triple threat of their own, in this case to determine the number one contenders to the TNA Knockouts Tag Team Champions. In the final moment’s Ruca planted Henley and Reid with a double Sol Snatcher, allowing Zaria to follow with an F5 on Henley for the victory.
As of this writing, the time and date for ZaRuca’s TNA tag title match is unknown.
RELATED: WWE NXT Results: Review, Grades, Card For Jan 20
INTERVIEWS
TNA authority figure Daria Rae spoke with WrestleZone Managing Editor Bill Pritchard about her return to the professional wrestling space, her debut on TNA television, her role with in Invicta FC, her character in the ring, her new moniker of “The S.U.I.T,” potentially getting back into the ring, what fans can expect from Elayna Black in TNA, and more.
WWE correspondent Jackie Redmond sat down with Chris Van Vliet to discuss how a phone call from Michael Cole led to her joining WWE, the unique way she got into broadcasting, her dream job of reporting on the NHL, interviewing Triple H and The Rock after WrestleMania 40, if she has any interest in getting in the ring, and more.
Former WWE United States Champion Chelsea Green chatted with Denise Salcedo about her struggles on the independent scene, landing her dream job in WWE, why she is so passionate about supporting the WWE women’s division, season 2 of WWE Unreal on Netflix and why wrestling fans should check it out, and more.
NXT North American Champion Izzi Dame appeared on Going Ringside to discuss her recent title victory on WWE NXT, ongoing feud with Tatum Paxley, sage advice she received from WWE star Charlotte Flair, her backstory in the world of pro volleyball, the consequences she faced for joining WWE, and more.
Former WWE Women’s Evolve Champion Kali Armstrong joined Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful to talk about winning Fightful’s Rookie of the Year award, the origins of her ring name, working with Kendal Grey, her first time wrestling in front of an audience, the people she has learned from at the WWE Performance Center, and more.
TNA Knockout Mara Sade (formerly Jakara Jackson) talked with Gabby AF to talk about TNA Wrestling’s brand-new TV deal with AMC, the company’s current roster of talents, why this next chapter feels different, her interests outside of pro wrestling, and more.
