Nic Nemeth Named Special Guest Referee For TNA World Title Texas Deathmatch At TNA Genesis
Daria Rae used her power to add to the World Title match.
The TNA World Championship is back in Mike Santana’s possession. He regained the title on the debut of Thursday Night iMPACT on AMC by besting Frankie Kazarian.
After the match, Call Your Shot trophy holder Nic Nemeth showed up and was looking to execute his opportunity for a title shot. It resulted in a brawl between Santana and Nemeth.
TNA Director of Authority Santino Marella joined the fray and made it official that at the Genesis pay-per-view on January 17th, Kazarian will get his contractually obligated rematch against Santana, but it will be a Texas Deathmatch.
After that announcement, Daria Rae f.k.a. Sonya Deville came out. Earlier in the show, it was revealed that she was selected by the Board of Directors to assist Marella with his managerial duties. Rae made it clear that she is there to take Marella’s job. Rae stated that the title match and stipulation for Genesis is fine, but she is adding Nic Nemeth as the special guest referee.
EXCLUSIVE: There was drama following the conclusion of #TNAiMPACT as @NicTNemeth looked to call his shot and a big #TNAGenesis World Title match was made official! @Santana_Proud @FrankieKazarian @milanmiracle @TheDariaRae pic.twitter.com/BNzINpMe3p
— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) January 16, 2026
Below is the updated card for TNA Genesis:
- TNA World Championship — Texas Deathmatch: Mike Santana (c) vs. Frankie Kazarian (Special Guest Referee: Nic Nemeth)
- J.D.C.’s Retirement Match: J.D.C. vs. Eddie Edwards
- Three-Way Match: Joe Hendry vs. Moose vs. Cedric Alexander
- Elijah vs. Mustafa Ali (w/ Tasha Steelz, Jason Hotch, John Skyler & Agent Zero)
- TNA World Tag Team Championship: The Hardys (Matt Hardy & Jeff Hardy) (c) vs. The Righteous (Vincent & Dutch)
- TNA Knockouts World Championship: Léi Yǐng Lee (c) vs. ZARIA (w/ Sol Ruca)
- A.J. Francis vs. Rich Swann
- Mara Sadè vs. Ryan Nemeth
