Change made to WWE NXT vs. TNA cage match for next week’s Impact
Matt Cardona is out, and Santino Marella is in for the WWE NXT vs. TNA steel cage match on the December 18 Impact episode.
Cardona was the victim of a post-match attack at the hands of Lexis King and Stacks from NXT in an angle on this week’s Impact show, with it later announced that Cardona will be replaced by authority figure Santino Marella for the TNA vs. NXT steel cage match set for next week’s episode.
Marella and Stacks are at the center of the current NXT vs. TNA angle, with Stacks engaged to Marella’s daughter Arianna Grace.
It was also revealed on Impact that the steel cage match will have rules similar to WarGames, with the King vs. Cardona match on Impact deciding the order of entry advantage for next week.
Newly announced for the December 18 Impact, a battle royal will be held with the winner earning a TNA World title shot on the first Impact of 2026.
A tag team bout with Knockouts World Champion Lei Ying Lee and Xia Brookside taking on Tessa Blanchard and Mila Moore is also on tap for the December 18 episode.
TNA Impact, Thursday, December 18 —
- Steel cage match: Team WWE NXT (Lexis King, Stacks, Brooks Jensen, Tyson Dupont, Tyriek Igwe) vs. Team TNA (Mike Santana, Matt Hardy, Jeff Hardy, Steve Maclin, Santino Marella)
- Battle royal for a TNA World title shot on the first Impact of 2026
- Angel Warriors (Lei Ying Lee and Xia Brookside) vs. Tessa Blanchard and Mila Moore
An F4WOnline Editor since 2019, Ethan has been covering wrestling and MMA since 2011. He has hosted The Wrestling Life Podcast since 2014, and is a former Baltimore Sun TV/Tribune Media contributor. He is also a Baltimore Ravens and Baltimore Orioles fan.