Who’s Next in Line for TNA’s Knockouts Tag Titles?

Shayna Baszler and Zoey Serrano, now operating as Apex, are freshly installed as TNA Knockouts World Tag Team Champions after beating Allie and Kiera Hogan at Bound For Glory. Baszler’s arrival in TNA alongside Serrano gave the Knockouts tag division a jolt, but recent developments on TNA Impact have already started setting up who might eventually come for the gold.

The most immediate storyline fuel came on the October 22 episode of Thursday Night Impact, when Kiera Hogan turned on her partner Allie, reuniting with her old running mate Tasha Steelz to lay Allie out. That reunion resurrects Fire N’ Flava, the duo that held the Knockouts World Tag Team Championships first when the titles were revived back in 2021. With real history and a clear motive to reclaim what they once had, Hogan and Steelz look like an obvious long-term threat to Apex once TNA is ready to pull that trigger.

That beatdown also created a counter-pairing. Shotzi Blackheart made her return to TNA by running in to help Allie fend off Fire N’ Flava’s attack. Shotzi has stayed busy on the independent scene since her 2025 WWE release, and teaming her with Allie gives TNA a fresh babyface duo with built-in chemistry from that moment of rescue. If the promotion wants to build a new team from scratch rather than lean on nostalgia, Shotzi and Allie are the logical choice to grow into contenders.

Then there’s the Elegance Brand — Heather and M By Elegance — who have been a fixture of the Knockouts tag scene for two years running and have already held these titles once before. Reports of friction between the two in recent weeks could actually work in their favor, giving TNA a built-in redemption arc if a title run smooths things over. There’s also been talk of M By Elegance potentially chasing the Knockouts World TV Championship simultaneously, which would make a run at double gold for the Elegance Brand a compelling story beyond just the tag belts.

For now, Apex’s reign is brand new, and TNA has every incentive to let Baszler and Serrano establish themselves as a dominant force before moving to the next challenger. But with Fire N’ Flava freshly reunited, Shotzi back in the fold, and the Elegance Brand still lurking as former champions, the Knockouts tag division suddenly has multiple threads worth pulling. Whichever direction TNA goes, the groundwork for Apex’s first title defense appears to already be in motion.