In the 20 years since Jeff and Jerry Jarrett launched Total Nonstop Action, the promotion has defied all the experts who had written them off continually, and usually with good reason. TNA's history has seen more than its fair share of triumphs and tragedies, from nepotistic management, losing TV deals, terrible booking, and changes in ownership, to the highs of signing the likes of Sting and Kurt Angle, or the rise of homegrown stars like Samoa Joe and AJ Styles, TNA fans have had a rollercoaster 2-decade journey with the promotion. Any talk of TNA having the potential to become a viable alternative to the WWE had long since died down when Anthem purchased TNA in 2017, changing the name to Impact Wrestling.
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With the GFW debacle, most assumed this was the end for the company. However, since then, Impact Wrestling has gone from strength to strength, changing many things from backstage policy to in-ring talent, while still respecting the history of its Total Nonstop Action roots. Here are 5 ways Impact Wrestling differs from TNA, and 5 ways they remain the same.
10 Different: The Ring
One of the major selling points of TNA in its early years was its ring. The hexagonal ring, as opposed to the traditional squared circle, instantly grabbed the attention and let people know that this was a different kind of wrestling show.
The 6-sided ring became synonymous with TNA, and after Hogan made the change to the traditional ring in 2010, the 6 came back in 2014 due to fan demand. But in 2018, the company retired the 6 sides for good.
9 Same: X Division
Much like the 6-sided ring, the X Division was another huge selling point for TNA. Often mistakenly thought of as a Cruiserweight division, the X Division highlighted a style much faster and more athletic, with future Hall of Fame talents like Samoa Joe, AJ Styles, and Christopher Daniels cutting their teeth and showcasing the fast-paced, high-flying technical hybrid style that has become the mainstream over the last decade.
The X Division is still a highlight of Impact wrestling, though, with its influence on mainstream wrestling, it has become more of a secondary title than a separate division.
8 Different: Title Runs
Unless your name was Jeff Jarrett, it is safe to assume you never had a lengthy reign with any title in TNA, with title reigns across all divisions seldom lasting longer than 2 PPVs, many times losing the belt one month to win it back the next. Even rarer than a long reign was a clean title change, with TNA routinely overbooking finishes rather than letting the story play out as an athletic contest.
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While a screwy finish can enhance a story, thankfully in Impact, they are used more sparingly, and wrestlers are allowed to have a run as champions, establishing them and elevating the prestige of the titles they defend.
7 Same: PPV Names
TNA had a very well-established PPV calendar, with PPVs such as Victory Road, Sacrifice, and Bound For Glory becoming annual events for the promotion, as well as the themed PPV events such as Lockdown or Hardcore Justice offering a uniquely TNA show.
After the Global Force Wrestling collaboration collapsed, Impact cut down on its PPV events, opting for One Night Only special events, but as Impact Wrestling as a company has stabilized, their PPV scheduling has seen a return of some old favorites.
6 Different: Name Value
For a casual wrestling fan who hadn't heard of TNA in the 2000s, just one look at a card could convince you to watch, with names like Dusty Rhodes, Sting, and Scott Steiner being huge names from WCW. Jeff Hardy and Kurt Angle among others were all household names being well-placed on WWE shows.
In 2010, TNA signed arguably the biggest name in the history of wrestling, Hulk Hogan, in what should have been the catalyst to push on and grow to new heights, which sadly became a kiss of death Impact Wrestling has never fully recovered from.
5 Same: The TNA Originals
While TNA had its marquee names, it didn't neglect its younger talent, collectively dubbed the TNA Originals.
Names like Eric Young, James Storm, Alex Shelly, and Chris Sabin were instrumental in establishing TNA as an exciting promotion, so it is good to see Impact leaning into the originals as the locker room veterans, as well as putting over just how important to the company they have been. Impact also brought back former originals to much fanfare, celebrating the legacy of both wrestlers and promotion.
4 Different: Television
TNA's 1st TV deal was with Fox Sports, before signing a multi-year deal with Spike TV for Impact to air 2 hours weekly before they added a 3rd hour for Xplosion. The deal with Spike lasted 9 years, and other than the move to Monday nights they were doing well in the ratings. The big advantage of Spike TV was its international coverage, meaning Impact could be viewed in more countries than ever before.
After the deal with Spike ended, TNA moved to POP before finding a home on the smaller network, Discovery America. Impact's current TV deal is on AXS TV, owned by Impact owners Anthem, but has no international market to speak of, instead putting shows on YouTube as well as platforms like FiteTV.
3 Same: Knockouts
People often credit the "Women's Revolution" to WWE and the #GiveDivasAChance movement, but fans of TNA had seen for years just how well women's wrestling could be presented. The Gail Kim and Awesome Kong rivalry which saw both women main event Impact is still Impact's highest drawing match, the only higher-rated segment in TNA/Impact being Hulk Hogan's debut.
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The legacy left by Kim, Kong, Mickey James, and The Beautiful People is in safe hands, with names like Deonna Purrazzo and Tasha Steelz consistently putting together good matches in engaging angles. Impact elevated the Knockouts to the point it is not unusual to see a woman fighting for the traditionally male titles, with Tessa Blanchard even holding the Impact World Heavyweight Championship.
2 Different: Stability
As exciting as TNA could be during the early years, it could be hard to invest in people or storylines. This was due to the constant changes in direction, with pushes being dropped when new office staff came in, or new talent getting pushed because of who they worked for previously.
Changes in ownership and constant changes in Creative, as well as creative control clauses in contracts often meant a promising build would be buried because someone didn't want to lose like that. Thankfully this is not the case anymore, in no small part down to TNA Original, Scott D'Amore who is in charge of Creative. As a result, the main event scene in Impact is loaded with people who made their name in Impact Wrestling.
1 Same: Working Relationships
Since its inception in 2002, TNA has often worked with other promotions, initially as a flagship promotion of the National Wrestling Alliance, TNA would have working relationships with ROH, NJPW, and AAA. TNA had also worked with WWE, getting Christian Cage to appear so WWE could induct TNA-contracted Ric Flair into the WWE Hall of Fame.
While those relationships deteriorated, in recent years they have been re-established, thanks in no small part to Don Callis and his international connections and good standing in the wrestling community.
