Exposing The Myth: TNA Was A WWE Rival
9. The Initial Plan Of Attack
It was clear that the fledgling NWA-TNA couldn't match WWE in terms of a TV presence, and so the early plan of attack for the Jarretts was to deliver a weekly PPV product.
Originally held from Huntsville, Alabama's Von Braun Center and then the Nashville Municipal Auditorium, the sixth of these weekly PPV offerings saw TNA move to Nashville's Tennessee State Fairground Sports Arena - better known as the TNA Asylum, and a venue that would house TNA shows for the next two years.
Where the talent was concerned, TNA looked to utilise stars - such as Ken Shamrock, Jeff Jarrett, Scott Hall, and Jerry Lynn - with pre-existing name value from their time in other promotions, while also putting a spotlight on younger, lesser-known names.
You just know that Jeff Jarrett was dying to make himself the company's inaugural World Champion, but it would be Shamrock who was crowned the first ever NWA World Heavyweight Champion of the TNA era after defeating Malice, aka the former Wall of latter-day WCW, in the finals of a Gauntlet for the Gold tournament.
Still, it would only be five months until Jarrett did get his hands on the Ten Pounds of Gold - with Double J defeating Ron Killings to become the third person to hold NWA-TNA's greatest prize.