Elayna Black on Her TNA Debut at TNA’s AMC Debut Show and When She First Knew Of The Plans For It, How She Was Feeling After Her TNA Knockouts Wold Title Match at TNA Lockdown 2026, & Her Praise of Gabby Forza

A recent episode of the I Love Wrestling podcast featured Elayna Black as the guest. One of the topics discussed included Black’s thoughts about her making her official debut for TNA Wrestling at this past January’s Impact! debut show on AMC and when she first learned of the plans for her debut in the company

“That was great.  I had known for a few months prior that I was going to debut on the AMC premiere, but everyone kind of- because I said I was taking a break. You know how the internet is. They take one thing and run with it or twist it or whatever the case may be. Everyone, I was getting comments every single day. ‘You’re retired. You retired. You suck. You don’t love wrestling, blah, blah, blah.’ At first it bothered me because I’m like, ‘do you not read? Like I said, I was taking a break. I didn’t say I was retiring.’ But then it got to the point kind of where I was like, when I knew I was coming to TNA and I knew I was coming back, that I kind of just started to run with it because I didn’t want anyone to know. I wanted it to be a surprise. I wanted it to be completely out of nowhere. So when people were coming up to me at meet and greets and asking why I retired and or tweeting me or whatever the case may be, I was just kind of running with it. I was like, you know, yeah, sure, I’m retired, whatever. Because I knew that I was going to be coming to TNA in January and doing having my debut on AMC. So I think it came off great. I think everyone was truly surprised, which is what I wanted.”

Black also gave her thoughts about how she was feeling after her Steel Cage match against Xia Brookside for the TNA Knockouts World Championship at this past August’s TNA Lockdown 2026 event.

“I’m feeling good now. You know, it was like two weeks of feeling like I got hit by a truck. But we’re finally finally on the ups. I had a spa day, a little massage. Obviously had to wash my hair excessively and get rid of all the blood. But, you know, we’re here. We’re moving on and moving up.

Yeah, you know, obviously I would have loved to come back out of Lockdown with the title, you know, number one, being in my hometown in front of all my friends and family, and number two, that’s been my goal from day one in TNA to win the Knockouts title. So obviously that would have been great, but I’ve said it before. It’s my first year in TNA, I’m 25 years old. I have no doubt that that title will be mine. So that aside, it was, very very special night just to, like you said, do it in front of my friends and family. I think Xia (Brookside) and I- despite my feelings about her, I think we really put it all out there and I think we put on a great show, and I think, you know we we both were extremely passionate going into that match and we wanted it to be great, and we did whatever we could to make sure that it was great, and, it’s something I’m proud of because I feel like it was something that I don’t want to say that I needed to prove myself, but I think it was maybe a different side of me that people haven’t seen or, you know, kind of have doubted me and haven’t, maybe think I had it in me. So I think we did. I think we did a great job and I’m very proud of that, and like I said, would have loved to have come out with the title, but it was a very special night regardless.”

Black also gave her thoughts about her praise of Gabby Forza and Forza’s recent signing with TNA.

“I love Gabby. I think she’s great. I think she’s super, super talented. You know, she was a part of Bayley’s Lodestone seminar before she had gotten signed, and I had met her and I think she’s- I think she’s incredible. She’s another person who loves wrestling and she is so just easy to work with, and she’s just always so pleasant to be around and, genuinely has like a good soul. So it’s great to have another woman in the locker room who is just a strong, badass woman who is a great person. She’s beautiful and you know she’s a badass so I think she’s a great addition to the TNA locker room. I got to wrestle her at a four-way on Xplosion but I look forward to having more matches with her. Hopefully we get a one-on-one”

Transcript h/t: Fightful.com 1, 2, & 3