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Nic Nemeth Wins TNA Title at Slammiversary

Nemeth gets his shot as the face of the brand after winning the title at Slammiversary

Justin Barrasso

Nic Nemeth is the new TNA world champion.

Nemeth–who is best known for his work in WWE as Dolph Ziggler–won a six-way elimination match to capture the title in the main event of Slammiversary.

Moose, who entered the match as reigning champ, Joe Hendry, Frankie Kazarian, Josh Alexander, and Steve Maclin filled out the field, and a sold-out crowd at the Verdun Auditorium in Montreal, Quebec, Canada was guaranteed a new champ after Hendry eliminated Moose.

That was when Alexander turned on Hendry, hitting him with a low blow, pinning him, and relentlessly attacking him after the elimination.

After a strong back-and-forth exchange, Nemeth pinned Alexander. Kazarian then attempted a very convincing near-fall, which would have been a memorable moment, but Nemeth kicked out. A superkick ultimately won the match, and Nemeth can now write a new chapter in his career as the face of TNA.

Overall, Slammiversary was an entertaining pay-per-view. Instead of surprise appearances from NXT, it focused on the TNA brand–and it saw Jordynne Grace retain her Knockouts title with a victory against Ash by Elegance, and The Rascalz were victorious in their first bout back together, overcoming the team of Charlie Dempsey, Myles Borne, and Tavion Heights.

More titles changed hands: Chris Bey and Ace Austin defeated Brian Myers and Eddie Edwards to win the tag titles, PCO capped off a wonderful homecoming by winning the Digital Media Championship in his victory against AJ Francis, and “Speedball” Mike Bailey also lit up the home crowd when he won the X Division title from Mustafa Ali. The finish of that bout included the return of TNA Hall of Famer Earl Hebner, who ensured there would be no screwjob in Montreal when he refused to help Ali cheat.

Despite his popularity, Hendry did not win the world title. His focus will be Alexander, who should make an outstanding heel. If Hendry stays hot, a program with Nemeth will be necessary.

The finish to the main event will no doubt leave people disappointed. Hendry is red hot, and there were plenty of people who undoubtedly bought the pay-per-view to see him win the belt. But as I wrote earlier today, even though all signs pointed to a title change, the belt was not headed to Hendry.

It is worth questioning if going with a former WWE talent, despite the fact that he is outstanding in the ring, as champion is the right call, especially when Nemeth should have won the title in April at Rebellion. If creating a TNA moment was the goal, then Kazarian or Alexander were the choices.

Nemeth will begin his reign as champ on a rocky road, as the crowd wanted Hendry. Clearly, the creative team in TNA is more comfortable seeing Hendry chase the belt. It will still be interesting to see Nemeth as champ, as well as whether Hendry can climb back to the main event this fall at Bound for Glory.

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Justin Barrasso

JUSTIN BARRASSO

Justin Barrasso has been writing for Sports Illustrated since 2014. While his primary focus is pro wrestling and MMA, he has also covered MLB, NBA, and the NFL. He can be reached at JBarrasso@gmail.com and followed on Twitter @JustinBarrasso.

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