10 WWE Rejects Immediately Pushed By TNA Impact Wrestling

'It's...HIM!'

Raven TNA
Impact Wrestling

The recent return of former WWE, WCW and TNA star Scott Steiner to Impact Wrestling put fans of the product in the mind of the mid-2000s 'boom' period for the Orlando outfit.

Whilst hardly a success in any of the traditional wrestling business metrics, the company had at least gained enough foothold through continued presence on television during those heady days to be perceived as the Number Two promotion in North America, but the small-time nature of their WWE cast-off fawning ensured that's exactly where they were destined to stay.

Constantly looking for an empty twist to send fans into a tizzy online, TNA would often herald the arrival of a former WWE performer above virtually everything else happening on the show. Commentator Don West had on-air palpitations for the appearance of a rebuffed wrestler so often, it's remarkable he's still alive and well enough to remain with the company flogging the discounted t-shirts.

Very occasionally, the shock and awe was justified. Christian's decision to sample pastures new was a huge get for TNA, and Kurt Angle's arrival was a blockbuster move that initially shot mainstream perception of the company through the roof.

Sadly, not everybody can be an Olympic Gold Medalist or Attitude Era icon. And whilst the company dragged in the likes of Val Venis, Rikishi and the Road Dogg long after their WWE shine had dimmed, some Connecticut refugees were airlifted into topline spots hot off the chopping block.

10. Mr Kennedy

Raven TNA
Impact Wrestling

Mr Kennedy was the literal and figurative definition of 'damaged goods' when he made his debut for the company at the controversial Genesis pay-per-view in January 2010.

The event was the first supercard of the divisive and ultimately destructive Hulk Hogan/Eric Bischoff era in the company, as the two former WCW doyens attempted (laughably) to elevate the organisation beyond it's unremarkable but stable position as Number Two wrestling promotion behind WWE.

As evidenced on an explosive January 4th Monday Night edition of TNA Impact, their broad philosophy was largely the same as the prior management's. Anybody with name value from any era of pro wrestling was afforded the red (and yellow) carpet treatment, at the expense of almost the entire pre-existing roster that had worked gamely to keep the product afloat during some commercially lean and creatively middling years.

Appearing as a mystery opponent in place of an injured Bobby Lashley, Kennedy (now Anderson) was promoted ludicrously beyond his station by Hogan as an industry megastar, despite the fact that his latter WWE tenure had been blighted by injuries and discontent.

His star had burned bright three years earlier, but by 2010 it was all but out. Attempting to play an obnoxious tweener but appearing more as a post-Attitude era frat-boy, TNA's typcially frenetic booking derailed what little momentum he still had within weeks, and his TNA World Title victory one year later underscored how far the company had fallen behind WWE in Hogan's maiden year.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 30 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz", Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 50,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett