What a surprise to find out that Trick Williams became the new TNA World Champion in the early hours of a French Monday morning. The title was defended for the first time ever in a WWE ring, and for the first time ever, a WWE wrestler captured the title, dethroning Joe Hendry. Nygma has to say she was surprised, not as surprised as TNA President Carlos Silva, but a bit puzzled.
On the road to her Steph’s life, Nygma started to think about it, to realize it was made to happen. The storyline was taking place right in front of the TNA fans’ eyes. The signs were here, and we didn’t understand.
To explain to you how everything happened, I will tell you what I didn’t see, what the Nygma’s crystal ball didn’t see. WWE posted on X, “Everything has changed.” I’m sorry, but nothing has changed, and everything has happened by design.
EVERYTHING has changed… 😱
Trick Williams just made HISTORY in Tampa! #WWEBattleground pic.twitter.com/fvOQL1QJM7
— WWE (@WWE) May 26, 2025
Joe Hendry
Some of you will say, “She doesn’t believe in Joe Hendry, so she must be super happy.” To be honest with you, no, because he lost due to the belt being in the ring and Williams sending him in it face-first. I may not believe in Joe Hendry, but I hate these kinds of “false” wins.
I see two phases in this story. Before Rebellion, I doubted Hendry was injured and had suddenly recovered. As he was about to face NXT’s Ethan Page and Frankie Kazarian in the main event of Rebellion, I became suspicious he was really 100%.
Could Ethan Page be the one to dethrone Joe Hendry? I believe in Ethan Page, but he was not the chosen one.
At that same Rebellion event, NXT’s Trick Williams came and attacked Joe Hendry. A few days before, Hendry showed up in a segment involving Williams and NXT Champion Oba Femi.
Following a back-and-forth on the microphone, Hendry and Femi worked together to get rid of Williams from the ring. During the segment, Hendry mentioned wanting a shot at the NXT Championship after failing to win the title last year.
An iconic #WrestleMania moment. @WWE @joehendry
Photos courtesy of @OfficialPWI pic.twitter.com/yta1YH8cGt
— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) April 21, 2025
Before all of this, at WrestleMania 41, Hendry was Randy Orton’s surprise opponent. He received high praise from the WWE backstage, from John Cena, Triple H, Orton himself, and many others. Despite being under contract with TNA Wrestling until the end of the year, the rumours have been running rampant for a while that he could become a WWE Superstar.
So, I have three scenarios in mind.
- Joe Hendry worked injured over the last month and needed to stop. The WWE/TNA partnership being, history had to be made, so it was the right time to cross another line – crown an NXT wrestler TNA World Champion, and then transition with another TNA wrestler as Champion.
- Joe Hendry is definitely on his way to NXT. Hendry is a good wrestler, he has the gift of gab. He has been making people sing all over the world. The WWE Universe loves Hendry. Since the beginning of the partnership, he has appeared in WWE more than any other TNA wrestler.
- The one I don’t know anything about, and I will find out about it soon.
I don’t have an answer to provide, but for sure, we’ll know soon which one was the right one.
Do you believe?@joehendry is ready to make history! 🙌#WWEBattleground pic.twitter.com/DEcZXwEzuZ
— WWE (@WWE) May 26, 2025
Trick Williams
Trick Williams may be the first WWE/NXT wrestler to become TNA World Champion, but he is not the first non-TNA wrestler to do it. Lucha Underground/AAA’s Pentagon Jr. (now Penta in WWE) did it first in 1998, AEW’s Kenny Omega and Christian Cage too in 2021.
All over X, you will find some TNA wrestlers, including Frankie Kazarian and Zachary Wentz, posting that they are not happy at all that an NXT wrestler has become their Champion (Moose praised the bad guy). Every time a non-TNA wrestler became the TNA World Champion, the roster was not really appreciative.
In some ways, the TNA title has to be around the waist of a TNA wrestler. It’s pretty partisan, but that’s a fact.
"Let's talk about it!" 😤@_trickwilliams #WWEBattleground pic.twitter.com/MM0gnP8cFq
— WWE (@WWE) May 26, 2025
Since the beginning of the year and the NXT/TNA partnership, the wind has been blowing strongly on the TNA roster. Jordynne Grace is now in NXT, Josh Alexander and Mike Bailey are All Elite, and Ace Austin and Cody Deaner just exited. In a transitioning moment like this one, to help rebuild the roster, a non-TNA World Champion has the double advantage to help the roster regroup and also help TNA Wrestling keep growing through NXT.
I wouldn’t have bet a dime on Trick Williams being TNA World Champion, not that he is not a good wrestler (I don’t know him enough to judge him this way). Ethan Page, as a former TNA World Tag Team Champion, was Nygma’s obvious choice.
As TNA taped the two iMPACT! episodes until Against All Odds, Nygma doesn’t know how the title change and its aftermath will be included and developed. Joe Hendry deserves a rematch, in a TNA ring if possible. One thing is sure: one day, someone from TNA will grab the title off Trick Williams’ waist, and we may have already found out who.
Mike Santana
.@Santana_Proud and @_trickwilliams just crossed paths—then @AJFrancis410 & @KCwrestles tried recruiting @TheSamiCallihan… and sparked beef with Santana in the process.
Wait… IS THAT @JohnGoblikon!?
WATCH #TNAiMPACT! on TNA+: https://t.co/afG9MKyLaa pic.twitter.com/EQwH3BjPFE
— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) May 9, 2025
I saw it on the May 8 episode, and I wrote on it. That look. TNA wrote, “Santana and Williams just crossed paths.”
I saw, “Take a look at Santana’s eyes when crossing Trick Williams, there’s some magic in the air…” Yesterday, when Nygma read that Mike Santana was in the NXT Battleground backstage, she didn’t react. How stupid this woman can be sometimes.
Follow the coming recipe. Take everything I told you earlier about Joe Hendry and Trick Williams. Add to that the May 8 look.
Whip the whole, and add the brilliant matches and attitude Mike Santana showed at Rebellion or Under Siege. Here’s how you build a future TNA World Champion.
But to dethrone an NXT wrestler, you have to come to NXT. Santana was approached by No Quarter Catch Crew (Charlie Dempsey, Wren Sinclair & Tavion Heights). There were words exchanged between the two sides, but Heights decided to ask Santana for a match. He proposed May 27 NXT TV as the date, and Santana accepted.
.@Santana_Proud is here to keep a close eye on the @ThisIsTNA Championship Match!
But also got a nice little introduction to No Quarter Catch Crew… 👀#WWEBattleground pic.twitter.com/W1di6V7mAd
— WWE (@WWE) May 26, 2025
Since his TNA Wrestling comeback in April 2024, Mike Santana has made it clear, he wants the World Championship. Nygma adds, he deserves to become World Champion.
I’ve known Mike Santana since I started writing on iMPACT! in 2017. With Ortiz, they had some of the best tag-team matches of 2018 and 2019 (take a look at their matches against Penta and Fénix, you will adore me).
Because of my own past, I have often called him a hero. Mike Santana has demons, and he fights them every day. When Mustafa Ali reminded him of them, Santana turned them into a strength to defeat him.
At Under Siege, he shook KC Navarro’s hand to thank him for the good match (before AJ Francis attacked him from behind). Mike Santana has been enjoying every second of this second chance given to him. That’s probably why he will be a fabulous TNA World Champion.
Nygma’s last words will be: if all of this has happened by design, to make Mike Santana the next TNA World Champion, I say that’s the right choice. Some things remain a bit foggy: Joe Hendry’s future, Trick Williams’ title reign defenses, and length.
So, Nygma says: Follow everything NXT here on LWOPW, watch more TNA Wrestling, read more about TNA Wrestling (written by Nygma). You’ll see the wrestling landscape change through our eyes.
— Mike SANTANA🇵🇷 (@Santana_Proud) May 26, 2025
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