TNA Wrestling Story 2025

TNA Wrestling 2025 kicked off with a big announcement. They began an official multi-year deal with WWE, which would see wrestlers from both companies compete against each other. It was this announcement that led to the biggest storyline in modern TNA.

The biggest stories this year revolve around the likes of Leon Slater and Mike Santana, both of whom are aiming to win TNA singles gold. While Mike Santana’s slow rise to the top of the promotion was fun to watch throughout the year, it was only part of the overall NXT vs TNA Wrestling storyline. Slater’s record-breaking reign as the X-Division Championship was second.

When it comes to 2025, Total Nonstop Action’s biggest storyline was their feud with WWE’s NXT brand, as the two promotions traded championships back and forth to see which brand was better.

Why was the NXT War the TNA wrestling story of 2025?

Let’s be real, people. Nothing in TNA Wrestling or WWE NXT comes close to competing between the two rosters. Over the past few years, TNA wrestlers have begun appearing at WWE events, and vice versa. But 2025 was when it turned into all-out war.

On May 25, Trick Williams defeated NXT’s Joe Hendry for the TNA World Championship, taking things from a friendly rivalry between two brands to an all-out battle for TNA Wrestling to regain what was theirs. Shortly thereafter, Jesse Jane defeated Masha Slamovich in a winner-take-all match at Slammiversary, emerging as the first dual NXT and TNA champion in the history of either promotion.

For months, NXT’s top talent taunted and berated TNA, acting as the promotion’s “little brother.” Both Trick and Jacy publicly stated that they were too good for a promotion, believing that they alone were pushing the company’s stock up tenfold. Ash by Elegance would bring home the Knockouts World Title, but a surprise retirement saw the title fall to NXT’s Kelani Jordan. Hardy’s team was the first to fight back, winning the NXT Tag Team Titles from DarkState in October before losing them that same month.

The night the Hardys won those titles, October 7, was also the NXT vs TNA Showdown match. It was a full card to determine which brand was superior this year, and it ended in a 2-2 draw. NXT’s Kehlani Jordan led TNA as she was the World Knockout Champion, and was the last one eliminated on her team. Ethan Page retained the North American Title against Mustafa Ali, who had been given a shot at the title before WWE released it in 2023.

Trick Williams sided with Team NXT, but abandoned his partner, then NXT Men’s Champion Ricky Saints, leaving him in the hands of Moose and Mike Santana. Trick would then lose the TNA Wrestling Men’s World Title to Santana at Bound for Glory less than a week later. Like Ash’s win, it was a huge win, as the TNA faithful rallied for their champion.

Kehlani’s title reign would come to an end just over a month later, as she dropped it to Lei Ying Li in a triple threat that also included multiple Knockouts World Champion Jordynne Grace. But that was not the end.

Even today, both brands are fighting for championships. Stacks Lorenzo recently won the TNA National Championship from Steve Maclin, and Moose challenged Ethan Page to a match for the NXT North American Championship on December 30. This match is not over yet. The question is no longer who will cross the line, but rather which side of the line will have the most gold when the dust settles?