Team TNA won.
Last night, NXT and TNA finally held their showdown where it came down to the men’s NXT and TNA match. Team NXT consisted of Ricky Saints, Trick Williams, Myles Borne, and Je’von Evans taking on Team TNA’s Mike Santana, Frankie Kazarian, Moose, and Leon Slater. It came down to Frankie Kazarian, Leon Slater, Moose, and Santana vs. the NXT Champion after Trick Williams left him high and dry.
Saints were able to eliminate the X-Division Champion and Kazarian; however, he wasn’t able to overcome Santana and Moose. It was a huge moment for the challenger of the TNA World Championship, but Mike understood how much of a warrior that Ricky was and gave the man his due following their elimination match.
“Respect and props where they’re due. @starkmanjones, you should be proud. You fought your ass off to the very end. With the heart of a warrior and TRUE champion. Wasn’t our first and won’t be our last… From captain to captain. RESPECT.”
Saints and Santana both come from AEW so their respect runs deeper than what appeared last night. Surprisingly, these two never feuded in AEW, but both talents were underutilized for a good portion of their AEW career. However, Santana and Saints got to this point in their career where they’re being properly used and they’re taking full advantage of that opportunity.
It should be fun to see where they go from here. Santana is still scheduled to face Trick Williams at Bound For Glory, though a challenger hasn't popped up for Ricky Saints just yet. Then again, Trick Williams did just screw over Saints in the elimination match, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if it ended being Trick Williams vs. Ricky Saints for the NXT Championship down the line.
Nevertheless, congratulations to Team TNA! All in all, the score was a tie as The Hardys (Team TNA) won their match and now hold both the TNA and NXT Tag Team Championships. Team NXT came through in the women’s elimination match and Ethan Page successfully retained his belt over Mustafa Ali.