Tenured TNA star's turn marks their first allegiance change in seven years.
Frankie Kazarian has turned heel for the first time in seven years.
Teaming with Eric Young against the recently-debuted Grizzled Young Veterans on the January 18-aired TNA iMPACT!, Kazarian betrayed Young, clotheslining him following their loss to the English duo. This marked Frankie Kazarian and Eric Young’s second loss in a row, following their Hard To Kill pre-show loss to The System’s Eddie Edwards and Brian Myers.
Kazarian hasn’t portrayed the role of a heel since January 2017. He briefly - and unofficially - made a switch in allegiance, betraying SCU partner Christopher Daniels that February to join Bullet Club, though this was revealed as a ruse to help Daniels lift the ROH World Championship and thus isn’t treated as an official turn.
Having not been a full-time member of the TNA roster since May 2014, Frankie Kazarian returned to the company, officially, in January 2023. Appearing during that year’s Hard To Kill card, he confirmed he had departed All Elite Wrestling, where he had been a promotion original since 2019. This came after intermittent flirtations with a return to the then-IMPACT Wrestling, which boasted a fifth X Division Championship reign.
It is unknown how Kazarian’s heel turn will pan out on future TNA programming, although he is scheduled to face Jake Something at the company’s forthcoming television tapings. The match will be taped on either January 19 or 20 in Orlando, Florida before airing in the subsequent weeks.