Is TNA the worst wrestling promotion in history?

[goc]

So apparently TNA is trying to get back into Universal Studios for some tapings. Is a return to the Impact Zone pretty much the final confirmation that TNA is really never going to get any bigger? I mean there's always been the carrot to dangle there for TNA: if they can just get on TV, if they can just get another hour, if they can just get on prime time, if they just bring in __ (Sting, Kurt Angle, Jeff Hardy, Hulk Hogan, Eric Bischoff, etc etc), if they just go live head to head with Raw, if they just get out of the Impact Zone. What carrot is left to dangle? I guess there's the Jim Ross fantasy which will play out forever because he's way too smart to go there, but after that there is really no "next big idea" for TNA. The company just is what it is.

[flyonthewall2983]

I'm just awestruck at how they are still open.

[TravJ1979]

I'm not going to go through TNA. No, I'm not gonna.

 

No worries. I already did.

 

TNA 2002

 

2003 Part 1

 

2003 Part 2

 

2004 (Up Until Victory Road / End of Weekly PPV's)

 

This was also part of my project of rewatching EVERYTHING POSSIBLE from the 2000's. I have Top 10 lists, per year, per company in the protected forum for US 2000-2004, and I'm currently working on 2005-2009 finalization and 2000-2009 Japan using Ditch's project for this and to submit a ballot for his poll. To keep it nice and tidy, here is what I had for TNA.

 

NOTE:

NWA-TNA has seven matches for 2002 due to lack of quality matches.

ALL Lists are in CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER

 

NWA-TNA Top 10's (6/19/02 - 12/31/04)

 

2002

 

1. Low-Ki v. AJ Styles v. Psicosis v. Jerry Lynn - Double Elimination, X Division Title; 6/19/02; TNA Weekly Pay-Per-View # 2 (aired 6/26)

2. Low-Ki v. AJ Styles v. Jerry Lynn - X Division Title; 8/7/02; TNA Weekly Pay-Per-View # 8

3. Low-Ki v. Ron Killings - NWA Title; 10/2/02; TNA Weekly Pay-Per-View # 14

4. AJ Styles v. Syxx-Pac - No DQ, X Division Title; 10/23/02; TNA Weekly Pay-Per-View # 17

5. AJ Styles v. Amazing Red - X Division Title; 10/30/02; TNA Weekly Pay-Per-View # 18

6. AJ Styles v. Jerry Lynn - X Division Title; 11/6/02; TNA Weekly Pay-Per-View # 19

7. Low-Ki/Christopher Daniels/Elix Skipper v. Amazing Red/Jose Maximo/Joel Maximo; 12/18/02; TNA Weekly Pay-Per-View # 25

8. *

9. *

10. *

 

NWA-TNA Wrestler of the Year 2002: AJ Styles

 

2003

 

1. Chris Harris/James Storm v. Sinn/Brian Lee - NWA Tag Titles; 1/8/03; TNA Weekly Pay-Per-View # 26

2. Jerry Lynn v. Juventud Guerrera; 2/26/03; TNA Weekly Pay-Per-View # 33

3. Chris Harris/James Storm v. Low-Ki/Christopher Daniels - NWA Tag Titles; 3/12/03; TNA Weekly Pay-Per-View # 35

4. Jerry Lynn/Amazing Red v. Christopher Daniels/Elix Skipper - NWA Tag Titles; 4/16/03; TNA Weekly Pay-Per-View # 40

5. AJ Styles v. Raven v. Jeff Jarrett - NWA Title; 6/11/03; TNA Weekly Pay-Per-View # 48

6. Chris Harris/James Storm v. Christopher Daniels/Elix Skipper - NWA Tag Titles; 6/18/03; TNA Weekly Pay-Per-View # 49

7. Chris Harris/James Storm v. Christopher Daniels/Elix Skipper - NWA Tag Titles, Cage Match; 6/25/03; TNA Weekly Pay-Per-View # 50

8. Chris Harris/James Storm v. Simon Diamond/Johnny Swinger - Non-Title, Bullrope Match; 8/20/03; TNA Weekly Pay-Per-View # 58

9. Chris Sabin v. Juventud Guerrera - Super X Cup Finals; 8/27/03; TNA Weekly Pay-Per-View # 60 (aired 9/3)

10. Low-Ki v. Christopher Daniels; 11/12/03; TNA Weekly Pay-Per-View # 69

 

NWA-TNA Wrestler of the Year 2003: James Storm

 

2004

 

1. Chris Sabin v. Juventud Guerrera - First Round America's X Cup; 2/4/04; TNA Weekly Pay-Per-View # 80 (aired 2/11)

2. Team Mexico v. Team TNA - Finals of America's X Cup, Elimination Match; 2/4/04; TNA Weekly Pay-Per-View # 80 (aired 2/11)

3. Chris Harris v. Jeff Jarrett - NWA Title; 3/17/04; TNA Weekly Pay-Per-View # 85

4. Chris Harris v. Raven - Winner gets NWA Title shot in Steel Cage; 4/14/04; TNA Weekly Pay-Per-View # 89

5. AJ Styles v. Jeff Jarrett v. Raven v. Chris Harris v. Ron Killings - KOTM, NWA Title; 6/2/04; TNA Weekly Pay-Per-View # 96

6. AJ Styles v. Frankie Kazarian - X Division Title; 6/9/04; TNA Weekly Pay-Per-View # 97

7. AJ Styles v. F. Kazarian v. C. Sabin v. A. Red v. M. Shane v. E. Skipper - X Division Title; 6/30/04; TNA Weekly Pay-Per-View # 100

8. Chris Harris/James Storm v. Andy Douglas/Chase Stevens - NWA Tag Titles, Steel Cage; 7/21/04; TNA Weekly Pay-Per-View # 103

9. Petey Williams v. Chris Sabin - X Division Title; 12/5/04; Turning Point Pay-Per-View

10. Chris Harris/James Storm v. Christopher Daniels/Elix Skipper - Losers Split, Six-Sides Steel Cage; 12/5/04; Turning Point Pay-Per-View

 

NWA-TNA Wrestler of the Year 2004: AJ Styles

[Blehschmidt]

The answer to the thread title summed up in a single moment.....

 

[flyonthewall2983]

I bet you could do hundreds if not thousands of those.

[Log]

There's always this one...

 

[flyonthewall2983]

Well, someone should do it with the "TNA Wrestling" tag at the end.

[fakeplastictrees]

I think the much harder prospect is finding good out of the ring stuff for a theoretical TNA Yearbook/extras deal. Aside from Steiner math promos, TNA don't really produce ANYTHING worthwhile out of the ring, and the booking has always been atrocious.

Hmm.

 

I'd go with:

 

Cookie Gate

The Paparazzi Productions stuff

Team 3D's funeral

Bobby Roode looking for a manager

Joe Parks trying to find his brother

There have been a ton of random EY moments throughout the years [ buying condoms at 2am and getting caught by James Storm]

Lethal/Flair promo from Impact

The Foley sitdown interview with himself

[Jimmy Redman]

I like your list, although I found the Foley self interview (along with most of Foley in TNA) to be him at his most self-serving and excruciating.

[Slasher]

I like your list, although I found the Foley self interview (along with most of Foley in TNA) to be him at his most self-serving and excruciating.

I loved the segment where he had the huddle with the other title contenders before a multi-man match at the PPV for that exact same reason.

[fakeplastictrees]

Foley in TNA worked for me because it was just one big DO WHATEVER YOU WANT MICK and he did. Foley as the on-air commish produced awesome backstage segments with a pissed off Jarrett who had no time for Foley's antics. Foley vs. The Rock in the mainevent for Impact, Foley ending the Legends Title contract signing by tossing himself through the table as Nash looked on confused as hell, Foley/Shelley, and the list goes on. I was pretty sour on Foley and his schtick but when he came to TNA it was a new lease on life. Sad it ended the way it did.

[cm funk]

Ric Flair was great as the manager of Fortune, cutting some hilarious fired up promos. There was also the time Fortune iced him backstage. His time in the wheelchair was awesome.

[Alucard]

Foley ending the Legends Title contract signing by tossing himself through the table as Nash looked on confused as hell

Found that absolutely hilarious. My dad happened to watch that Impact with me and thought Mick was so ridiculous. The match it built to was one of my favorites from TNA, just two old dudes having a wild bloody brawl.

[ButchReedMark]

Actually, yeah. Wheelflair was solid gold. One of the funniest things I ever saw. Especially when he was trying to wheel away from a very slowly walking Hulk Hogan like something from a sitcom.

[cheapshot]

Actually, yeah. Wheelflair was solid gold. One of the funniest things I ever saw. Especially when he was trying to wheel away from a very slowly walking Hulk Hogan like something from a sitcom.

This could be my favourite moment in TNA to be fair. Gold.

[sek69]

What kills me is when WCW was circling the bowl, pretty much everything was shit so ending it was a mercy killing. TNA actually has good matches most weeks and their PPVs are usually good wrestling wise. It makes it all the more frustrating that they can't ever get anyone who knows what they're doing to run the place.

[Dylan Waco]

2001 WCW is vastly better than current TNA, particularly if we are talking in ring alone. Not even close really.

[cheapshot]

2001 WCW is vastly better than current TNA, particularly if we are talking in ring alone. Not even close really.

WCW Jan - March 2001 could be argued to be on par with any other period from any other US promotion in terms of in ring and being entertaining. (Obviously this is totally subjective).

[El-P]

December 00 has been pretty damn bad, and the build to Sin thus far is just as tepid.

[bradhindsight]

2001 WCW is vastly better than current TNA, particularly if we are talking in ring alone. Not even close really.

WCW Jan - March 2001 could be argued to be on par with any other period from any other US promotion in terms of in ring and being entertaining. (Obviously this is totally subjective).

 

 

That's quite a statement and I'm intrigued to see what El-P says as he goes through it.

[Sidebottom]

Just watched BFG, what an absoulte sack that card was. Over booked, uninspired, reductive... I could go on. It's like TNA has lost the will. It reminds me of ECW in 2000 where they lost a lot of their talent, and the booking seemed phoned in The talent that is thee try hard, but they are booked in sill fashion. In many ways, that's always been the case with TNA, but it just seems these days the spark of promise for something better is long dead.

[El-P]

2001 WCW is vastly better than current TNA, particularly if we are talking in ring alone. Not even close really.

WCW Jan - March 2001 could be argued to be on par with any other period from any other US promotion in terms of in ring and being entertaining. (Obviously this is totally subjective).

 

 

That's quite a statement and I'm intrigued to see what El-P says as he goes through it.

 

Sorry to say, but thus far, it's not even *good*.

[Hollinger.]

I tried to warn you.

[El-P]

Well, I wasn't going into it expecting anything, really. I've just gone through 24 months of the worst WCW TV since February, so it would take a lot more than a few post to get expectations from me. At this point it can only get better, unless it gets really awful again. Two months to go and I'm outta there.

[EricR]

There was a funny sketch with Kevin Nash. I forget the context but Shelley/Sabin were showing him some foreign wrestling and he says something like "I've never even seen a two-sided ring before!"