The TNA Knockouts championship is back in NXT hands after Ash by Elegance vacated the belt.
The Knockouts division went through a turbulent time in the past week, and now NXT’s Kelani Jordan is the new Knockouts champion in TNA.
The original plan for Victory Road (Sept. 26, 2025) was for Ash by Elegance to defend the Knockouts Championship against Masha Slamovich. That match was pulled after domestic violence allegations surfaced against Slamovich. Even sadder news was yet to come.
Ash made a surprise announcement to forfeit the Knockouts title. She didn’t give exact details, however, she is no longer able to compete and will step away from in-ring competition.
TNA pivoted to crown a new champion at Victory Road. They held a battle royal with the final two competing in a singles match later in the evening. Those two were Kelani Jordan and Lei Ying Lee. Jordan and Lee dumped out The IInspiration and the Elegance Brand to close the battle royal.
Fast forward to the Knockouts title bout. Indi Hartwell was the special guest referee. She faces the winner at Bound For Glory. Hartwell didn’t play favorites and called it down the middle, however, she did accidentally affect the outcome.
Jordan was rolling for a facebuster and a frog splash.
That didn’t get the job done, so Jordan dragged Lee closer to the corner. Hartwell bent over to check on Lee. Jordan went into motion for a flying attack, Lee rolled away, and Jordan collided onto Hartwell. Ref down! Jordan turned around into a spinning head kick from Lee. Lee made the cover, but Hartwell was still out cold. The crowd counted to 17 before Hartwell finally recovered. Official count to 2, kick out by Jordan. Lee was devastated.
The action continued with back and forth counters. Jordan gained the edge for a facebuster to set up a split-legged moonsault to win.
The TNA Knockouts Championship is back in the hands of an NXT superstar.
For those unfamiliar with Jordan, she was the inaugural NXT women’s North American champion and the PWI Rookie of the Year for 2024.
Crowning an NXT superstar with yet another TNA title might seem sketchy on the surface, however, it is making the best of a bad situation considering the circumstances. Hartwell awaits at Bound For Glory, so we’ll see if Jordan becomes a transition champion.
Share your reaction to NXT’s Kelani Jordan winning the Knockouts Championship. Get full results here for TNA Victory Road. The event is available for streaming through the TNA+ subscription and TrillerTV.
Category: General Sports
