10 Times TNA Succeeded Where WWE Failed
4. ECW Alumni
The day ECW folded in 2001 was a dark day for the industry, bringing an end to one of the most iconic companies in wrestling history.
It also spelled trouble for a lot of talent that had plied their trade in the land of extreme. Stars that had been World Champions in ECW would never reach the same level of success in WWE and, for the most part, barely saw a main event. Treated largely as afterthoughts, the ECW alumni would commonly flounder in the midcard of WWE as a means of advancing the perceived “real stars” of WWE.
The same cannot be said for TNA. When former ECW royalty made their way over to Nashville, they were treated as stars and many of the men that had once been so integral to ECW were once again given a fair shot at making it once more.
Former ECW Champion Jerry Lynn immediately became a key player in the X Division and is immortalised in the history of the promotion as one the X Division pioneers. Meanwhile, heavyweight headliners of ECW like Raven and Rhino, neither of whom were given a fair shot at the main event in WWE, quickly became woven into marquee matches after their arrival and both became World Champions shortly after.