TNA Announces Mike Santana World Title Defense For Rebellion

All systems go for Eddie Edwards, as he’ll receive his contractual TNA World Championship title match against the two-time champion, Mike Santana, at Rebellion on Saturday, April 11, at the Wolstein Center in Cleveland, Ohio.

Edwards’ opportunity for this upcoming title fight emerged after he won one of the Feast or Fired briefcases on the January 29 episode of “TNA iMPACT.” The System’s new leader is trying to bounce back towards the winning column after taking a loss to his former cohort in the group, Moose, at Sacrifice this past Friday. Moose won the match via a disqualification. Should Edwards emerge victorious at Rebellion, it’ll be the third time in his career that he’s held the World Championship.

As for Santana, “The Realest” was scheduled to defend his championship at Sacrifice against former friend turned foe, Steve Maclin; however, the match was stopped after Maclin took a countered superkick, leaving the former world champion knocked out. While officials were tending to Maclin, Edwards snuck out to the ring and initiated an impromptu brawl with Santana.

This past Saturday, TNA President Carlos Silva awarded Edwards and referee Alice Lane for their team efforts during the main event. Santana also commented on the situation by expressing his gratitude to how the company handled the situation, Lane’s quick thinking, and to his challenger Maclin, who, thankfully, was not diagnosed with a concussion after that near scare.

Update On Possible AEW Involvement In NJPW’s 2026 G1 Climax Tournament

The G1 Climax is New Japan Pro Wrestling’s annual round robin tournament that sees the best that NJPW has to offer compete for a shot at the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. Over the years, stars from different companies have made cameos in the gruelling competition, from Pro Wrestling NOAH, to DDT, to the company’s former arch rival All Japan Pro Wrestling. A number of AEW stars have featured in the G1 in recent years like Eddie Kingston, Lance Archer, and the 2025 winner Konosuke Takeshita, but with the opening night of the 2026 tournament taking place in the United States, AEW could have a larger presence in this year’s tournament.

Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer has reported that a couple of AEW stars are slated to appear in this year’s tournament. AEW stars like Kenny Omega, Bryan Danielson, and Will Ospreay have been use to promote the opening night of the G1 Climax, which takes place on July 11 at the NOW Arena in Chicago, Illinois, and while that does not mean that any of those three men will be in the tournament (Danielson is still retired from full-time action), using some of AEW’s biggest names to promote NJPW’s biggest competition of the year does imply that this year’s tournament will have a heavy AEW influence. Meltzer noted that ticket sales on the day of release were under the 2,000 mark, but the number has since improved in the past week.

The opening night of G1 Climax 36 will mark the first time in seven years that NJPW’s biggest tournament of the year takes place on American soil. The last instance was in 2019 when the 29th tournament kicked off in Dallas, Texas. That night was main evented by another instalment in the iconic rivalry between Kazuchika Okada and Hiroshi Tanahashi, with “The Rainmaker” coming away with the victory. 

WWE HOFer Bully Ray Says Randy Orton Phone Call Could Lead To AEW Callback

Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton are set to go one-on-one for the gold at WrestleMania 42, and in the weeks ahead of the event, Orton unleashed his “Viper” persona during a vicious heel turn on his former friend on “WWE SmackDown.” Since the turn, Orton has been seen talking on the phone backstage to who he calls the “voices in his head,” and fans have been wondering who is actually on the other line. On “Busted Open Radio,” Bully Ray said that he thinks the person helping Orton is Triple H, and he could incorporate a callback to an infamous AEW moment.

“Triple H can always turn around and say, ‘I never liked you. I inherited you, and now I’m going to get rid of you,'” he explained. “‘You were Vince [McMahon’s] pick. Randy was my pick from day one.’ Who is the one that singled Randy Orton and Batista out to be a part of Evolution with [Ric] Flair? It was Triple H. ‘Randy has always been my guy. Cody, you were Vince’s guy. Vince is gone. I never wanted you around. Don’t think I forgot about my throne that you [smashed.]'”

Rhodes took a sledgehammer, Triple H’s weapon of choice, to a throne that looked like something “The Game” had previously used during one of his grand entrances during the inaugural Double or Nothing in 2019. In the years following the symbolic moment, Rhodes said he wanted to make a statement about what AEW was doing.

“The American Nightmare” rejoined WWE, while McMahon was still running the show, in 2022. Rhodes returned at WrestleMania 38 to take on Seth Rollins.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit “Busted Open Radio” and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

TNA Impact Viewership & Ratings Report: 3/26/2026

Throughout the last month, “TNA iMPACT” has posted its best ratings since striking a TV deal with AMC at the beginning of the year, and last Thursday’s episode almost reached a record-setting high.

According to Wrestlenomics and Programming Insider, “TNA iMPACT” averaged 256,000 viewers, which is the second highest rating the show has drawn on AMC. Additionally, “TNA iMPACT” registered a 0.05 in the key 18-49 demographic, which is tied for the highest total the program has tallied in the age group since January. When comparing both categories to the week prior, total viewership slightly increased by 2%, while the 18-49 demo was up by 25%. TNA’s flagship show on Thursday also managed to grow its audience despite having faced stiff competition from March Madness college basketball games on the night. 

One of the biggest moments of last Thursday’s show occurred when WCW legend Buff Bagwell was confronted by Frankie Kazarian, which is also the most watched segment of the episode from TNA’s YouTube channel with over 170,000 views. The next most watched videos from the episode was BDE’s match with Mustafa Ali, which garnered nearly 90,000 views, and Moose versus Bear Bronson, which drew over 50,000 views.

This upcoming Thursday’s episode will follow TNA Sacrifice, which took place this past Friday, and will be an opportunity for the brand to continue its hot streak of viewership. However, TNA is also coming into this week after some unfortunate news this past weekend, as the main event of Friday’s show needed to be stopped early after Steve Maclin suffered an injury during his match with Mike Santana for the TNA World Title.

WWE Star Cody Rhodes On Bus Tour Ticket Package: ‘That’s An Absurd Amount Of Money’

Cody Rhodes doesn’t believe the WWE Universe should have to pay an arm and a leg to be part of his upcoming WrestleMania 42 bus tour experience. But he’s humbled that anyone would pay $9,950 per ticket, per person, to see him.

“I’ve got a good plan for them this year, because like you said, that’s an absurd amount of money,” the now three-time Undisputed WWE Champion said on “Busted Open Radio.” “And, gosh, thanks for… the fact that people are out there paying that, that makes me feel incredible. So, I want them to definitely feel like they got a unique and cool experience and something intimate for us.”

On Location Experiences, a company in partnership with WWE since 2022, offers premium ticket packages and opportunities for fans, but the caveat is the high costs tacked on to it. For example, outside of WrestleMania 42 in three weeks, May’s Clash in Italy premium live event (PLE) has been on the forefront of social media buzz as of late. Starting at $1,150 per person, fans can purchase a ticket package that includes a private pasta making session with a WWE star and reserved seating at a wine event that WWE wrestlers will also be attending. It does not include a front row seat to the show itself.

Rhodes is scheduled to put his championship on the line against an unhinged Randy Orton either Saturday, April 18, or Sunday, April 19, at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. 

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “Busted Open Radio” with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.