10 Times TNA Went Further Than The WWE Attitude Era

9. The Johnsons

TNA Garbage
TNA

In 1998, WWE debuted a new midcard act that defined the wild times the promotion lived through in that era: Val Venis, male porn star.

WWE had a rare old time coming up with names for Val's fake motion pictures, and somehow resisted the temptation to go with 'Cummin' In The Rain', '2001: A Sit On My Face Odyssey' and 'Dial M For M*nge'. Yes, that was a thin excuse to have a bit of gross fun with the Venis character, but since the man is something of a monster, it's the only fun you're likely to have with it in 2022.

Val's trunks were...distinctive. Originally, they had a silver bit on them that looked a bit like a c*ck. Additionally, he wore a t-shirt that looked like it was drenched in ejaculate.

TNA took this one step further by debuting the Johnsons tag team in 2002, who were named after and indeed dressed like giant flesh-coloured penises. This is something WWE did not do.

WWE did promote a wrestler who was a complete d*ck, but Road Dogg didn't dress up like one.

 
Posted On: 
Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!