Knicks title, Thekla’s Stardom challenge and TNA’s Slammiversary take shape

Knicks title, Thekla's Stardom challenge and TNA's Slammiversary take shape

The New York Knicks ended a 53-year championship drought with a Game 5 victory over the San Antonio Spurs in the 2026 NBA Finals, and WWE performer Danhausen – who staged an on-air “uncursing” ritual on Friday Night SmackDown that included taking Matt Cardona’s watch as a symbolic sacrifice – found himself at the centre of the celebration. Jalen Brunson, a noted WWE fan, scored 45 points in the clincher and was named NBA Finals MVP.

Danhausen appeared on ESPN’s SportsCenter and was present during Pat McAfee’s simulcast from Madison Square Garden. His likeness appeared on merchandise in the WWE Shop, and a Canyon of Heroes parade for the Knicks was scheduled for later in the week. The wrestler had previously attempted a similar ritual for the New York Mets, which he described to Fox News Digital as a “layaway situation” – meaning that franchise’s curse remains, by his own account, unresolved.

Elsewhere, AEW Women’s World Champion Thekla is set to defend her title against Starlight Kid – leader of the Neo Genesis stable in Stardom and a former Wonder of Stardom champion – at the upcoming Forbidden Door pay-per-view. The match carries added weight given Thekla’s acknowledged dismissal from New Japan Pro-Wrestling after attacking Stardom president Taro Okada, whom she attacked again at Stardom’s Las Vegas showcase in April before spitting on the Stardom logo on Dynamite. In TNA, Nic Nemeth agreed to challenge Mike Santana for the TNA World Championship at Slammiversary, scheduled for June 28 at Agganis Arena in Boston, while a promotional vignette generated speculation about the return of Amazing Red – a three-time X Division champion and TNA original – to a growing Ultimate X match that already includes champion Cedric Alexander and Leon Slater.

At NXT, Zaria defeated Tatum Paxley after 94 days to claim the NXT Women’s North American Championship on June 9. Paxley’s next steps remain unclear, though her image featured on promotional material for NXT Great American Bash, also scheduled for June 28. With Slammiversary, Forbidden Door and Great American Bash all converging on the same date, the coming weeks will define title pictures across multiple promotions simultaneously.