Last night's TNA Impact Wrestling tapings were always going to be interesting. It was the company's first show with Jeff Jarrett back at the creative helm, and with the likes of Drew Galloway and Matt & Jeff Hardy departing earlier in the week, there'd be plenty of opportunities for new faces to shine.
One of the beneficiaries was Alberto El Patron, whose presence at the tapings was confirmed a few hours before the show began. El Patron wasted no time in making his presence felt by challenging TNA Heavyweight Champion Bobby Lashley to a title match, and in a contest taped for the March 9th episode of Impact, he was victorious.
It was a controversial conclusion with two separate referee bumps and a Dusty finish, but as pictured below, El Patron left with the gold:-
Scoop #55: Hebner and Stiffler fighting over who the champion is, Earl out to settle this pic.twitter.com/FKKtYKR0Dg— Jacob Cohen (@MrJacobCohen) March 3, 2017
El Patron's first challenger could be Ethan Carter III, who, according to the taping reports, watched the match from the stage.
Lashley's fourth reign as TNA Champion began in January, and he successfully defended the belt against UFC fighter Josh Barnett on last night's Impact broadcast. Further pictures from the event are available below, including a shot of El Patron celebrating with Impact debutants Garza Jr. and Laredo Kid backstage:-
