Various: TNA Reportedly in Negotiations to Re-Sign Ace Austin to New Potential Contract, ROH Women’s TV Title Match & Mina Shirakawa AEW/ROH Return Set for 5/1 ROH TV Show, Indies/Misc.

Apr 29, 2025

TNA Reportedly in Negotiations to Re-Sign Ace Austin to New Potential Contract

Ace Austin reportedly is currently in negotiations with TNA Wrestling for a potential new contract, according to Fightful Select.

It was reported that their sources stated that TNA officials recently started talks with Austin for a potential new deal to keep him in the company for the foreseeable future.

It was also reported that it is currently not known how far along both sides are in their current talks but TNA officials are hopeful to be able to retain Austin.

Austin had previously signed a new contract with TNA in March of 2024.

It was also reported that Chris Bey’s original contract with the company is currently believed to likely to have expired by now but it is currently not known how his recent neck injury might have affected his contract status.

ROH Women’s TV Title Match & Mina Shirakawa AEW/ROH Return Announced for May 1st ROH TV Show

Ring of Honor announced four new matches for the card of this week’s ROH TV show on May 1st on HonorClub.

Among the notable new matches announced was a ROH Women’s World Television Championship match of La Catalina vs. Red Velvet (c).

THIS THURSDAY! ROH Women’s World TV Champion @Thee_Red_Velvet defends her title against top contender @LaCatalinagar! Who will walk out with the gold?

📺 Watch ROH TV on #HonorClub at https://t.co/8dcdtxr3sN 7/6c pic.twitter.com/arGcX8yoCj
— ROH – Ring of Honor Wrestling (@ringofhonor) April 28, 2025

Another notable match announced was Leila Grey vs. Mina Shirakawa. This will be Shirakawa’s return to AEW and ROH since her recent departure from Stardom.

.@Miss_LeilaGrey sets her sights on the ROH Women’s Pure Title Tournament, but first she faces the returning @MinaShirakawa!

📺 Watch ROH TV on #HonorClub at https://t.co/8dcdtxqvDf 7/6c pic.twitter.com/6TmD649hbD
— ROH – Ring of Honor Wrestling (@ringofhonor) April 28, 2025

Current card for May 1st ROH TV show:

ROH Women’s World Television Championship match of La Catalina vs. Red Velvet (c)
Six-Man Tag Team match – MxM Collection (Mason Madden & Mansoor) & Johnny TV vs. mystery opponents
Spanish Announce Project (Serpentico & Angelico) vs. Frat House (Griff Garrison & Cole Karter)
Leila Grey vs. Mina Shirakawa

Misc. Wrestling News & Notes

Stardom recently announced that this past Sunday’s All Star Grand Queendom 2025 event at the Yokohama Arena in Yokohama, Japan drew a paid attendance of 7,305. The Wrestling Observer’s Dave Meltzer reported in Sunday’s Daily Update that Stardom’s paid attendance was either the highest or second highest paid attendance for an all-women’s event since WWE’s Evolution event in 2018. Meltzer reported that the paid attendance for this year’s CMLL Women’s Day event is currently not known.

TNA Wrestling reportedly currently has plans in place for this year’s Bound for Glory event to take place on October 12th, according to PWInsider. Mike Johnson reported that the host city and venue for this upcoming event has yet to be confirmed by his sources.

TNA officials reportedly currently have plans to hold several more live Impact! shows this year with tentative plans being live shows in July, September, and October, according to PWInsider.

As noted before, former WWE talent Indi Hartwell made a surprise appearance at this past Sunday’s TNA Rebellion 2025 event and was announced to have signed an official contract with the company. Fightful Select reported that their sources stated that Hartwell was in the process of being signed as far back as a full month ago. It was reported that Hartwell’s deal with TNA was also finalized around that same time.

This past Sunday’s TNA Rebellion 2025 event also featured Moose retaining his TNA X-Division Championship in an Ultimate X match. This match was notable for Leon Slater being involved in a scary spot where he leaped off a ring tressel holding up the Ultimate X ropes and hit a Swanton 450 to everyone else on the floor but was not caught and landed very hard. Slater provided an update on Monday on Twitter stating that he is currently feeling fine and thanked everyone for their support. Slater stated “Thank you everyone that has showed concern or sent a message I appreciate it more than you know I LIVE TO TELL THA TALE 🦾 MOMENT MAKA“

As noted before, Tetsuya Naito will be leaving New Japan Pro Wrestling after their Wrestling Dontaku 2025 Night 2 event on May 4th due to the two sides not being able to come to terms for a new contract. In a recent interview with Tokyo Sports, Naito gave his thoughts about his negotiations with NJPW and the reports that he was seeking more money for a potential new deal. Naito stated “Let me be clear: in the five contract renewals I’ve had, I never once brought up money. Ever since they made me the initial offer in the first negotiation, I never touched the subject again. It’s extremely frustrating to have people think I’m quitting because of money, and honestly, I think it’s Tokyo Sports’ fault. But if Tokyo Sports writes about it, it somehow sounds even more like a lie, so what the heck am I supposed to do…? I never made any unreasonable demands. I never said, ‘Since I’m wrestling more, pay me more,’ or ‘That guy wrestles less, pay him less.’ I just wanted them to properly value what a wrestler’s match is worth. I’ve been saying that for years. I get that the number of wrestlers has increased, and there are unavoidable circumstances, but still…” Naito also gave his thoughts about NJPW President Hiroshi Tanahashi releasing an official statement about how he wanted Naito to stay until the end. Naito stated “Did they do that when other wrestlers left? I think it’s wrong that President Tanahashi got some heat from the fans because of that. Tanahashi only showed up during the final (fifth) contract negotiation anyway,” Naito revealed. “Sure, maybe I made some selfish requests. But they didn’t exactly work hard to convince me to stay. After my contract expired on January 31st (as a contracted wrestler), it took more than a month before they even contacted me for the next negotiation. I’m not trying to say, ‘Why didn’t you do this or that for me?’ now. But if they don’t change the way they handle contracts, I think the same thing will keep happening in the coming years. I really hope my departure prompts them to rethink how they approach contract renewals.”

House of Glory announced one new match for the card of their Waging War event on May 9th in Chicago, Illinois: