Fabian Aichner, earlier known as Giovanni Vinci in WWE, has officially made his TNA debut, and his arrival immediately shook up the X-Division title scene.
The former WWE wrestler made a surprise appearance at the end of the May 14 episode of TNA iMPACT! after the X-Division Championship match between Cedric Alexander and Leon Slater.
The main event featured Alexander challenging Slater in a Best 2 out of 3 Falls match for the championship. Slater got the first fall early with a quick roll-up pin, putting Alexander under pressure right away. But as the match went on, Alexander slowly took control as things became more physical.
At last, Alexander hit back-to-back Lumbar Checks to win the next two falls and win the X-Division Championship.
But the biggest surprise happened after the match.
Ex-WWE star Giovanni Vinci appears in TNA Wrestling
As Cedric Alexander celebrated his victory, Giovanni Vinci suddenly appeared on the stage. The commentators introduced him by saying, “That is one of the most dynamic athletes of the free agent market today. A former champion in NXT, that is Fabian Aichner.”
He stared directly at Alexander and pointed at the X-Division Championship. The debut showed that TNA plans to push him in a big way.
In WWE NXT, Aichner competed as Giovanni Vinci in Imperium alongside Gunther and Ludwig Kaiser. During his time with the group, he also won the NXT Tag Team Championship.
Aichner first signed with WWE in 2017 after building a strong reputation on the European wrestling scene. He later became a featured performer in both NXT UK and NXT. His popularity grew even more during his singles run in NXT 2.0, where WWE repackaged him as the flashy Giovanni Vinci character and the “Veni Vidi Vici” presentation.
Interestingly, TNA used the same slogan and entrance graphics during his debut.
Ironically, both Aichner and Alexander have very similar career paths. The two first crossed paths in WWE during the 2016 Cruiserweight Classic tournament, and both were later released by the company during the February 2025 roster cuts.
Read More: ECW Legend Makes Surprise Entrance During TNA IMPACT Battle Royal