10 Things WWE Wants You To Forget About TNA
Try as they may, WWE can never erase these embarrassments.
For a company that constantly seem on the brink of extinction, America's second biggest wrestling promotion have left an indelible mark on the business over the past 15 years.
TNA, Impact, GFW - call them what you will, their history is storied. Granted, they've been an object of ridicule for years now, and their name conjures more negative connotations than positive, but there was a time when the promotion felt like the hottest thing in wrestling, and a genuine WWE alternative.
Those days are long gone, as are all illusions of ever competing with the market leaders, who have always no-sold the promotion's existence. Ignoring the competition is one of Vince McMahon's most time-honoured tactics, and even today, with their roster so heavily populated with ex-TNA stars, WWE won't acknowledge them (Dixie Carter's recent Network appearance aside).
They'd love you to do the same as well, because despite their infinite shortfalls, humiliations, and disasters, Impact have left the WWE hierarchy red-faced several times since their 2002 formation. Sure, they'll never challenge Vince McMahon financially, but it's easy to imagine these small victories denting the notoriously petty Chairman's colossal pride...
10. James Storm Chose TNA Over NXT
James Storm is secondary to the likes of AJ Styles and Kurt Angle in the pantheon of TNA legends, but the former 'Cowboy' has been a near-constant presence throughout the promotion's lifespan.
Joining the company in 2002, he was an immediate hit as one half of America's Most Wanted, who were staples in TNA's flourishing tag division. They inevitably split, and Storm eventually formed another equally important team: Beer Money Inc., alongside one Bobby Roode.
14 Tag Title reigns and one TNA World Heavyweight Championship later, and James was one of the most decorated wrestlers in the company. In 2015, however, he decided to try his luck as a free agent. His TNA contract expired, and Storm soon showed up in NXT, wrestling two short matches against Danny Burch and Adam Rose that October.
All signs pointed towards a player/coach role, but Storm, to everyone's surprise, wound up rejecting WWE in favour of an Impact return. Sure, he probably wouldn't have been much more than a drop in WWE's vast ocean of talent, but he still turned them down in favour of their beleaguered competitors. That in itself should be enough to draw red-faced embarrassment from the prideful McMahons.