Ranking Every TNA/Impact Wrestling Heavyweight Champion From Worst To Best

5. Austin Aries

Austin Aries Tna
TNA.com

Never too far away from controversy, Austin Aries' final run with the Championship may have ended in turmoil, but his first one made history in innovating a stipulation that exists to this day.

'The Greatest Man That Ever Lived' was chosen to initiate the 'Option C' device that permits the current X Division Champion a free shot at the top prize at Destination X if they surrender their belt as collateral. It was exhilarating watching him ascend through the ranks whilst the quality of his work peaked. At his best, he was the best TNA had to offer.

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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