10 Moments When TNA Was The Hottest Wrestling Company In The World
2. The New Regime
It was initially impossible to foresee some of the lasting damage Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff would do to TNA, but their 2010 arrival earned the company previously unseen attention from the mainstream.
Unveiling Hogan alongside 'Easy E' in a lavish Madison Square Garden press conference, Dixie Carter was beaming at the prospect of Hulkamania running wild in her organisation, and the initial buzz from the news appeared to have the desired effect.
The excitement around the January 4th 2010 edition of Impact was memorable for anybody that lived through it. To celebrate Hogan's first night on the job, Spike TV afforded the company a three hour slot on Monday night, going head-to-head in a one-off special with WWE. Utilising an old Nitro trick, the third hour would be in the 60 minute slot directly before Raw, effectively serving as a free informercial to convince curious viewers to stick with the show rather than flicking over to Monday Night Raw at the top of the hour.
Though destined to fail when the move briefly manifested itself into an ill-advised attempt at reigniting the Monday Night Wars, the move certainly pushed buttons within WWE.
To counter TNA's big night, they presented Bret Hart's jaw-dropping never-thought-possible return. It was an incredible evening of television, and TNA's huge gamble had at least provided one memorable event.