9 Exact Moments TNA Booking Stopped Making Sense

6. Monty Brown Turns Heel

Bobby Roode James Storm Bound For Glory 2012
ImpactWrestling.com

TNA hadn't been short of several swivel-hipped swerve turns in its lifespan by the time Monty Brown shockingly aligned with Jeff Jarrett at the climax of 'Double J's bout with Diamond Dallas Page at Destination X 2005, but the 'Alpha Male' going rogue seemingly at random was the true start of a business-killing habit the company couldn't shake for well over a decade. 

An OG for the company from back in its earliest days, the Monty Brown that returned to the fold in 2004 with a tweaked character, a fire in his eyes and a POUNCE spear that rapidly became the most over move in North America. Whilst nobody expected TNA to come for WWE's throne, there was a sense - with the launch of Impact, the introduction of the six-sided ring and the continued innovations from the X Division - that the Orlando outfit could be the longstanding and prosperous Number Two in North America. The booking had gotten in its own way once too often over the past couple of years, but in Brown, a clear star had fallen right into their laps and presented a golden opportunity for TNA to have an all-important homegrown megastar

Then, his can't-be-stopped babyface run got stopped by a cheating Jeff Jarrett using his usual array of guitar shots, low blows and ref bumps, and to compound his crushing failure, he joined forces with 'Double J' a month later in a senseless heel turn to reduce him in status for good. All momentum was lost, as was a significant amount of trust in the process from the audience that TNA had worked hard to build. 

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Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 8 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 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, 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