On the January 15 AMC premiere edition of TNA IMPACT, Mike Santana defeated Frankie Kazarian to become a two-time TNA World Champion.
With this new era of TNA Wrestling beginning, there are a lot of different directions the company could head towards now on AMC.
Now that Santana is starting his second reign, fans could see any number of names on the TNA roster and those who might come in that could take him down to become the new champion down the line.
Here are six potential next TNA Wrestling World Champions.
6. Nic Nemeth
Ahead of the AMC premiere, Nic Nemeth made it clear that he would have his sights on the TNA World Title match with him holding the Call Your Shot Gauntlet.
With a guaranteed shot at the TNA World Championship in his back pocket, Nemeth is going to be a threat to Mike Santana holding the top prize in the company.
Being a former TNA World Champion himself, Nemeth knows what it takes to hold that title with pride and defend against a laundry list of challengers.
Waiting to the absolute right time, Nemeth will seize the opportunity and feels like the strongest candidate to dethrone Santana for the TNA World Title sometime in the near future.
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5. AJ Francis
In 2025, AJ Francis found himself aligned with then-TNA World Champion Trick Williams in his rivalry with Mike Santana.
Costing Santana the title in his first attempt at the gold, this kickstarted a rivalry between him and Francis that went on for months.
Becoming the final hurdle had to overcome before challenging for the title again, Francis proved himself against Santana and showed that he has what it takes to stand toe-to-toe with the current TNA World Champion.
Now that Santana is enjoying his second reign, it should be someone like Francis who could make his dreams come true by beating his former rival to become the TNA World Champion for the first time.
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4. Cedric Alexander
Arriving in TNA this past June, Cedric Alexander has been making his mark and earning a name for himself in the company.
Now having an X-Division Title shot in his back pocket, Alexander will look to gain momentum by picking up a win against Moose and Joe Hendry at TNA Genesis.
A victory here should help him have the motivation to become the next X-Division Champion, but it could also help him rise the ranks for the top prize in the company with a win over two former TNA World Champions.
After signing a contract with TNA Wrestling, nothing should be stopping Cedric Alexander from breaking the glass ceiling and going for the TNA World Title now that his future in the promotion is set.
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3. Moose
Moose has become no stranger to the TNA World Championship over the course of the past few years.
A three-time TNA World Champion, The System member has been a flag bearer for the company since arriving back in 2016.
Now that Mike Santana holds the TNA World Title, Moose might feel like he has some unfinished business with him.
Considering he was one of the top names that Santana beat to become “The Standard” of TNA, Moose might want that claim to fame back by defeating him to become a four-time world champion.
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2. Leon Slater
There has been no bigger breakout star from TNA Wrestling in the past year quite like Leon Slater.
At just 21 years old, Slater has become a record breaker and moment maker for TNA time and time again.
The youngest-ever TNA X-Division Champion has even broken out on WWE TV, being featured regularly on NXT and even debuting on the main roster at John Cena’s Final Match for Saturday Night’s Main Event.
With Slater still the X-Division Champion, he could invoke “Option C” and go on to dethrone Mike Santana for the TNA World Title to once again make some history in the company.
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1. Mustafa Ali
When he made his return to TNA Wrestling at the beginning of 2025, Mustafa Ali targeted Mike Santana and stopped his rise up the ladder.
The two men would embark on a months-long rivalry that saw it get very personal with Ali making reference to Santana’s issues with addiction on several occasions.
Then at TNA Rebellion 2025, Santana defeated Ali in a Falls Count Anywhere Match that was awarded “The Match of the Year” honor for the promotion.
Wanting to rekindle this rivalry and claim the title he has been chasing for over a year, Ali could make this win even sweeter by defeating Santana and crushing his dreams on the way to his first world title win of his career.
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