Five things Impact Wrestling doesn’t get credit for doing
On June 19th, 2022, Impact Wrestling will turn 20 years old, a fantastic celebration to have in professional wrestling. In professional wrestling, the letters TNA has been written off as an example of how not to run a professional wrestling company. The numerous backstage drama issues and ownership changes have left a bad taste in the fan’s mouths for years, but the company always finds a way to come back.
When TNA rebranded to Impact Wrestling, it felt like a fresh start after the setbacks that Eric Bischoff and Hulk Hogan put the company through, such as pushing veteran wrestlers over the younger talent like in WCW. Impact wrestling has the talent in 2022 to become the third biggest wrestling company after WWE and AEW, and in this article, I will be discussing the five things that Impact doesn’t get credit for doing.
5. Introducing Future Stars
When the original NXT became popular, Impact Wrestling and Ring of Honor stars got fans talking about NXT. Triple H was wise to create a brand where popular Indy wrestlers and former Impact stars could come and become more prominent stars. Many fans thought wrestlers like AJ Styles and Samoa Joe would never be seen in WWE because of how wrestlers like Monty Brown, Chris Harris, and Frankie Kazarian were treated. WWE learned from their mistakes and allowed the wrestlers to be themselves; AJ Styles is the most successful Impact wrestler turned WWE wrestler, but Impact stars such as Cameron Grimes, MSK, and Karriorn Kross have had success in NXT.
4. Taking Women’s Wrestling Seriously
Before NXT was putting on classic women’s matches, Impact Wrestling was given women wrestling the chance to prove that they deserve the same stage as the men. When Impact Wrestling started the knockout division in 2007, while WWE was still calling their women’s wrestlers divas, it was something fresh because the world of professional wrestling had never seen women’s wrestling on that level in North America. Once you get past the knockout division, it is easy to see why Impact pushed the division: women like Awesome Kong and Gail Kim feuding over the Knockouts championship.
3. First Black NWA World Champion
When TNA/IMPACT wrestling first started, they agreed with the National Wrestling Alliance, and the championships would also be used on TNA television and Pay Per Views. Ken Shamrock would become the first world champion under the Impact brand, but he would eventually lose to R- Truth, a serious contender for the NWA world championship in TNA. The R-Truth that fans see in TNA isn’t the same R-Truth that fans see in WWE. There was no comedy act when it came to the R-Truth character. R-Truth would become the first recognized NWA World champion and go on to hold the championship twice while in TNA
2. Being an Alternative to WWE Before AEW
When WCW and ECW closed doors, the WWE was left without any real competition in the world of professional wrestling. That would eventually cause wrestling fans to become bored with the WWE product and find other sports entertainment outlets. Before wrestling fans were blessed with the now popular AEW wrestling company, companies like Impact and ROH gave fans what felt like a genuine alternative to WWE. Even at its worst, TNA/Impact wrestling felt like they had more freedom than WWE. It was an edgier product catered to the teenage and older fan base.
1. Sticking with The X Division
ECW was the first time North American fans saw Junior Heavyweight wrestlers in high profile matches, but it was WCW who gave smaller wrestlers the platform to become more known to the world. While WWE’s attempts at Light heavyweight and cruiserweight divisions have never succeeded as WCW division, Impact Wrestling X division felt like the crown jewel of the company from the beginning.
In the X- Division championship, the most excellent match in TNA/Impact wrestling history is the 3-way match between Samoa Joe, AJ Styles, and Christopher Daniels in 2005. While the X Division has declined in popularity over the years, the company has never divided feel like an afterthought. The Impact wrestling X -Division championship is the most important in the company because it was the fast pace and high flying matches that made fans want to watch Impact.