More on Impact Wrestling Dropping "TNA"; Merger with GFW Possible?

[It's Damn Real!]

As we reported last month, Anthem Sports & Entertainment have been phasing out the initials "TNA" and just going with Impact Wrestling. According to Mike Johnson of PWInsider, the company reportedly has a strategy to discontinue the name. He noted that while he hasn't heard anything officially, the GFW initials replacing "TNA" would "make a lot of sense."

As noted, the "TNA" initials had been removed from their social media accounts and from their website, with the exception of links to ShopTNA.com and Total Access TNA Wrestling. While the TNA logo still appears on their title belts, they are simply referred to as the "World Heavyweight Championship", "X Division Championship" and "World Tag Team Championship" on their website./QUOTE]

http://www.wrestlinginc.com/wi/news/2017/0228/623632/jeff-jarrett-on-hardys-leaving-tna/

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The bolded bit is key here, IMO. We've know for a months now that Anthem feel the same way a lot of fans and pundits do about the TNA acronym. It's reputation is too toxic to revive, and the company is better off leaving it behind. Anthem have been quietly referring to the company as "Impact Wrestling" only since the acquisition, despite the TNA logo still being on the title belts, and the acronym still being used for ShopTNA and Total Access TNA Wrestling (as exceptions), but the idea of a GFW merger makes a metric fuck ton of sense. With Jarrett seemingly having reacquired his original company, at least from a creative capacity perspective, and given the total failure to launch of the GFW brand, why not simply merge the two in the way they arguably should have when the silly invasion angle was run in late 2015?

I know Jarrett has maintained that the two brands would exist independent of one another, but given GFW still has no television contract, what's the point? Far better to officially absorb one into the other and move forward with a bolstered roster and unified vision. Frankly, even "Impact Wrestling" might be too tainted with the same toxic sludge that effectively killed "TNA", so a total rebrand isn't unreasonable.

 

[mooseman]

The best case scenario and chance at success is for GFW and TNA/Impact to combine and drop all 3 names because they're all tainted. Strip all titles and have a Shane Douglas tossing down the NWA title moment. This includes getting rid of Josh Matthews and The Pope on commentary. This includes fixing the lighting and going back to a 4 sided ring. Among multiple other changes.

 

[WorstWrestlingExcrement]

Like I said a month ago and I ll say it again the name is not the issue and dropping it will be meaningless but keeping the name is a history behind it and and let's not forget the last 5 ex TNA wrestlers who are in wwe and only 1 is progressing while the others aren't and I don't mean few becoming nxt which means nothing. No matter how many times you paint the house a different color the fixing inside is needed so same thing with TNA nothing wrong with the brand as it has a history behind it and killing/ removing the name is the worst decision to make if any they can call it TNCW
and not GFW which is a farce and a joke cause GFW is on life support with no revival!

 

[New Hot Fed]

I would hope not, TNA fans would have to be forced to swallow Jarrett's shitty company that TNA WRESTLERS DEFEATED IN A STORYLINE BTW.

But I would not be opposed to call it Global Impact Wrestling. This inserts JJ's company name in it, it keeps being Impact Wrestling and TNA already used "Global Impact" before.

 

[ShinChan]

I might be wrong but I don't want TNA to be replaced by GFW. TNA has a bad reputation for sure but GFW doesn't have any good either.

I would like Anthem to rename it. Not even Impact Wrestling. TNA was never a good name for a wrestling company.

I can still digest Impact Wrestling but please no GFW or TNA.

Full rebranding would be a way much better idea.

 

[MWRedskins]

well, i dont know about the name change or care what they should do with the name of TNA or Impact Wrestling.....BUT i would definitly merge TNA and GFW and have the talents of GFW move to the Impact roster. TNA needs some talent after losing who they lost. TNA lacks top tag teams...i can only think of two teams now that tna has. if they do change the name, then i think Global Impact Wrestling actually is a good idea for a name change.

 

[stingray11214]

Merger with WHAT?!? My old Champions of the Galaxy game was more real the GFW ever was. GFW is very dead. Stillborn, you can say. Jarrett dropped GFW, period. He dropped it for the Anthem paycheck. Impact Wrestling is probably going to be the name.

 

[TDFG]

What is there to merge other than possibly rebranding as Global Impact Wrestling?

Look at GFW's roster page - some of these guys are contracted to either ROH, NJPW or are already with TNA.

If TNA had a mass of finances behind them you could look at GFW as a feeder promotion, but that isn't going to happen.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

When I first read about Jeff Jarrett simply showing up for meetings with officials, I felt like there was some degree of possibility in which TNA and GFW would merge. I mean, GFW pretty much exists only on paper at this point as the company has only had a handful of shows in its roughly 3 years of existence. I dunno, I just had this feeling that Jarrett wouldn't be returning for TNA just to be part of the crew.

As for GFW replacing the TNA initials, potentially, I'm in different overall. I just sort of wish they'd rename the company Impact Wrestling, but GFW is preferable to TNA as there's just too much negative baggage associated with the TNA brand

 

[Big Nick Dudley]

You don't need to change the name. If you produce a consistently decent program, people will watch. Give people a reason to watch and, eventually, get to a channel people actually have, and things can improve.