The Legacy Of TNA

[Y 2 Jake]

If the promotion ended tomorrow. I don't think it would leave one. There are no moments in TNA that I feel would be remembered if the promotion were to go bump. There have been plenty of quality matches in TNA over the past 6 years. But when you think of the top 10 most memorable moments of, say WWE, is it matches or angles you would pick? I feel that you remember things like Andre 7 Hogan having a stare down more than the match. Same with Benoit celebrating after winning the WHC. Austin and his beer truck are more memorable than his matches. Those are the things that WWE fans would remember is WWE ceased trading. But I don't think TNA has any of those moments. I can't think of a single moment that stands out as being memorable.

7 years on and people can recall David Arquette winning the world title, the formation of the n.W.o., Stings return match at Starrcade. Tommy Dreamer getting caned by The Sandman, Tazz & Bigelow going through the ring and others. But nothing from TNA springs to mind. I think a prime example of how little will be remembered about TNA so far is The 50 Greatest Moments DVD. Intresting. But at a real push you've got Jarrett blasting Hogan with a guitar as something that might be looked upon fondly. But that match never happened, so it's impact is minimal.

 

[Uncle Sam]

Was ECW really thought of that fondly before it closed down? I mean, think about it, it didn't run for very long either, and many people aren't actually very knowledgeable about it. In my opinion, ECW didn't have many standout moments, especially to non-fans. However, it's still talked of fondly and highly by damn near anyone. I will say that ECW contributed more to wrestling than TNA did, but TNA supplies an alternative in an age where WWE is going round in circles.

However, I think people would remember the bigger acquisitions. I still remember "Our Ring Has Six Sides, But Only One Angle" two years on, and I don't think that would change. It would leave a legacy but, how much of a legacy, or what form of a legacy is questionable. It wouldn't be comparable to the legacy WCW or ECW left, although I reckon that, indirectly, ECW had a much bigger impact on wrestling after it and WCW both folded. So I suppose it would depend on what happens after TNA shut its doors. I've confused myself.

 

[Crimson Bonez]

ok but you are talking about a promotion thats only be astablished for 6 years, in wwe(wwf or even wwwf) was there anything memorable in wwwf's 1st 6 years, what bout wcw in the 1st 6years was there any memorable moments, wcw being astablished in 1988 (or somewhere in the late 80's) aint have all the moments your talking about til what 94 95 almost 10 years later, and the moments your talking about in wwe (wwwf at the time, being astablished in the 50's i believe) didnt happen until the late 80's and then the 90's, 30 years later, so i wouldnt see tna having a big lagacy while they've only ben astablished for 6 years

 

[Uncle Sam]

ECW ran for nine years, was never that popular and is claimed to be a glorified indy by some and yet it has left a massive mark on the wrestling world. TNA has established itself as a firm number two in just six years, and, let's be honest, isn't going to close tomorrow. It'll outlast ECW's lifespan in the end.

At the very least, it'll be remembered as the place where the only big acquisitions happened in the early twenty first century, and where all the old legends went through.

I'd personally remember the fantastic tag division, which is my personal all-time favourite. Even now, TNA's tag division isn't atrocious. Between 2004 and 2006, it did a massive service to tag wrestling in North America. Even now, teams like the Guns and LAX are setting an example.

I am such a mark.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

Well I'm on about WWE moments from our generation. So I'm basing it from whenever you started watching wrestling, up until now. So the age on TNA really has nothing to do with it. It is the 2nd biggest promotion in America. Even if it has only been around for 6 years.

But for the sake of people who haven't been watching for years you can go from WWE in 2002 the same year that TNA was formed.

 

[Shocky]

Sam, TNA is only the clear cut number two because....drum roll please... there are only two wrestling companies promoting. TNA is number two in a two horse race. ECW was remembered because it was innovative and pushed the limits of what was decent. People remember Eagle's Nest, People remember Sabu getting his arm ripped out of his bicep, People remember the Sandman getting crucified. Sure, it's not flattery, but ECW was about pushing the envelope.

TNA is terrible, that's all I can honestly say at this point. They do nothing innovative except be a company that claims they are innovative more then any other company I have ever seen. Everything in TNA is a rehash of something done at one point or another. That's the problem with TNA, they don't do anything new. I honestly don't know what TNA's legacy is going to be. Here is a company I have tried to watch and give the benefit of the doubt to. This company has two of my favorite wrestlers of this decade in Angle and Cage, an amazing talent in Styles, and a guy that has improved so much since he left the WWE, Tomko. Yet there is nothing there.

 

[gg inferno]

Sam, TNA is only the clear cut number two because....drum roll please... there are only two wrestling companies promoting. TNA is number two in a two horse race. ECW was remembered because it was innovative and pushed the limits of what was decent. People remember Eagle's Nest, People remember Sabu getting his arm ripped out of his bicep, People remember the Sandman getting crucified. Sure, it's not flattery, but ECW was about pushing the envelope.

TNA is terrible, that's all I can honestly say at this point. They do nothing innovative except be a company that claims they are innovative more then any other company I have ever seen. Everything in TNA is a rehash of something done at one point or another. That's the problem with TNA, they don't do anything new. I honestly don't know what TNA's legacy is going to be. Here is a company I have tried to watch and give the benefit of the doubt to. This company has two of my favorite wrestlers of this decade in Angle and Cage, an amazing talent in Styles, and a guy that has improved so much since he left the WWE, Tomko. Yet there is nothing there.

don't do anything new???? the biggest criticism of tna latley has been all of the gimmicky matches. i would suggest that ultimate x definately qualifies for something new. not doing anything new is not a fair criticism. tna has at least TRIED new things, whether successful or not.

 

[a0161613]

As fun as it would be to disagree with the spammy-like post from our resident Discotechque, I agree with him that TNA has done something new.

Ultimate X is one example of that....a quite brilliant match. While I dont rate Elevation X, it was a neat little attempt at reinventing the scaffold match. The King of the Mountain is flawed but certainly an interesting ladder match variation. And I dont even reckon WWE would try an all-cage match PPV.

And I disagree with Shocky in the point about innovation. They don't have a huge amount of stuff that would never have been done before, but at least they try (see above).

My point is, they do something new (or try to) pretty regularly. However what they try and come up with often turns into a sucky idea or generally stale within months or even weeks.

I take a specific case in point; Ultimate X and KOTM. This could apply to gimmicked wrestlers (Shark Boy ripping off Stone Cold) but I am discussing specifically match types because however unoriginal they are, I think Shark Boy (and Jay Lethal) do very well with the material put in front of them.

While very interesting match types/variations, TNA tries to market this type of match as unique to itself, shown on an annual basis and rightly so. But WHY OH WHy would anyone in their right mind give this type of match away on free TV?!

I am thinking with specific mention to the X division KOTM right before Slammiversary. What was the point in that? For me that really reduces the value and relevance of the PPV main event.

I would say the same about Ultimate X. They have done that on Impact before for no valid reason. (With the exception of the one that featuring Sabin, Williams and Bentley, i think it was after Bound for Glory 2005? The one with the dodgy ending.)

TNA IMO has very little control over its urges. The creative team should be able to find a way of getting their people over, with quality matches without having to resort to gimmicky matches that should or could be kept as a PPV treat.

At this rate, KOTM and Ultimate X will be treated the same way as WWE treats cage matches. An exciting match type that used to end a fued, but is now dragged out every few weeks when writers need a gimmick fix.

 

[GUMBO2ndcoming]

ok i completely disagree with the starting post. Sure TNA will not have the legacy as WCW but would certainly surpass ecw because only made an impact after it was dead. If it wasnt for the rise and fall there would be no ECW legacy.
TNA is doing things different i mean theres plenty of moments that could be remembered... All the wwe stars that have left to come to TNA. All the innovative matches they've had KOTM, Ultimate X, Elevation X. The biggest thing they would be remembered for is the six-sided ring no one could forget that. I could see WWE in the future having a show where the ring is 6-sided.
So yes they will have a legacy a BIG one.

 

[TheOneBigWill]

If the promotion ended tomorrow. I don't think it would leave one. There are no moments in TNA that I feel would be remembered if the promotion were to go bump.

I actually think there would be several moments that would be remembered in T.N.A. I could literally think of at least 5, if not 10 right here. (list coming)

I don't think TNA has any of those moments. I can't think of a single moment that stands out as being memorable.

(in no order)

1. Kurt Angle's Debut: To this day, its the biggest moment (in my opinion) in T.N.A. history. When Kurt Angle got out of his contract from the W.W.E., to willingly turn around and go to T.N.A. similar to Christian.. he made history.

Angle's Debut in T.N.A. won't soon be forgotten. It might be remembered for being one of the dumbest decisions in wrestling history, to jump from the Main Wrestling program to one thats barely above water.. but it'll still be remembered.

2. Cage-canrana: Elix Skipper's top of the Steel Cage hurricanrana is one of the most memorable moments involved in highlight reels for T.N.A. -- Its one of the main reasons I wanted to see Turning Point 2004, after I heard of it.

When I think of "Holy Shit" wrestling moments, the angle in which the camera caught this, combined with the fans and the overall feel for the entire thing.. its definately up there with Tazz/Bigelow going through the ramp, Foley going off/through HIAC, and other big time moments.

3. King of the Mountain: When you recall memorable matches, you often think of the most famous, or dumbest. While some would go back and forth on a reverse ladder match being down right stupid.. I love this match for the unique style of how its done.

Never before did anyone think up this concept of first having to pin/submit someone to even qualify to climb the ladder and hang the Championship. To be honest, I'd of kept it a regular ladder match, but still had it stay to the point of having to win via pin/submission to qualify to climb.

None the less, its always going to be remembered as a T.N.A. made-famous style of match.

4. Shocking Debuts: While I won't go down the list of saying 1-10 could easily be former W.W.E. guys, the fact is each time I see one of them show up.. its memorable. Christian, Rhino, Team 3-D, Scott Steiner, Raven, X-Pac, Billy Gunn, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, Jeff Hardy, Randy Savage.. over and over..

Each time the above mentioned names debuted, it became a memorable moment to remember. Monty Brown debuting in W.W.E. won't be considered memorable in the same manner, because they didn't debut Brown as a big name, like T.N.A. debuted Christian, or any of the others as big names.

5. T.N.A. on Pay Per View: Victory Road 2004. Their first 3-hour Pay Per View. It'll be remembered for being their first Pay Per View. It'll be remembered for Jeff Hardy v. Jeff Jarrett, with Nash, Hall & Savage getting involved. Bound For Glory will be remembered for being their "Wrestlemania." And Slammiversary will be remembered for being their "Anniversary" show.

6. Six Sided Ring: No one else has it. Its the evolution of Professional Wrestling to come up with something different. In the entire sport of Wrestling, a 4 sided ring has only always ever been it. Now, we have 6 sides. Its yet another unique idea made famous by T.N.A.

7. T.N.A. on Spike TV: This was revolutionary because in a sense, T.N.A. stole the television spot from W.W.E.. like W.W.E. stole it from E.C.W.

While I doubt the same result will come out of it, in the W.W.E. folding like E.C.W. had to.. the fact is, it has to say something big for T.N.A. to steal the television spot of W.W.E. and more or less replace them.

Overall Point: In honesty, I could've broke up the above seven into several more. But the fact is, at least if even only 7.. T.N.A. will still leave a mark in the world of Pro Wrestling for the above mentioned things, and so much more.

They might not be the greatest company, and they might not deliver W.W.E. quality programming.. but I love T.N.A. for NOT being W.W.E. and I'll remember them for being a major company in this sport.

 

[TNAw00t]

well, i dont think ill be able to make a top 10 for TNA, but i probably wouldnt be able to make one for wwe. theres been some big things in WWE that i havent really watched much because i wasnt always a WWE fan, but WWE had like 30+ years or something like that i think...TNA only has been here like 6 years so hasnt had as much ppvs to do crazy stuff...buuuuuuuuuut im gonna try makin a list of 10 anyways

1. Jeff jarett hittin hogan with a guitar
2. angle debut
3. sting beats kurt for the championship, with the help of his bat
4. AMW does their finisher on i think someone from XXX off the cage
5. Chris harris vs James Storm and winner goes to KOTM, even though i loved them as a team that was a CRAZY match with chris harris spearing james storm through the ramp thing and it was a tie
6. k i give up, not sure if u noticed or not but i've only been watching TNA for like 1-2 years so i havent seen aloot of there good things

 

[Talon_DR]

How can anyone say TNA doesn't have any memorable moments. The fact of the matter is moments depend on if you are a fan of the product. For every Stone Cold Beer Bath you have Goldberg winning the WCW Championship. For every Tommy Dreamer caning you have an Elix Skipper Super Hurricanrana. I will create a top ten list of some of my favorite moments in TNA History.

TNA goes to Spike TV
While I was always a follower of TNA, when they went to Spike TV is when I became a fan. This was such an intriguing product to me. On their debut we saw the debut of Team 3D and the return of Kevin Nash.

Christian Cage wins the World Championship
The man WWE fans considered a midcarder for life finally achieved World Champion status at Against All Odds 2006. In one of the most emotional moments likely in Christian's career, fans stormed the ring and picked him up on their shoulders as he kissed his wife. It was definitely a memorable moment for Christian Cage

The first ever Ultimate X Match
This exciting new match first saw Michael Shane (later known as Matt Bentley), Chris Sabin and Kaz battling it out on top of this innovative structure. This would be just the first of many exciting Ultimate X Matches.

Raven gets scalped
I compare any bloodbath of WWE to the infamous scalping of Raven at the hands of James Mitchell. As Mitchell used the wrong side of the shears blood poured down the face of Raven.

Elix Skipper walks the cage
The definition of TNA happened in the Six Sides of Steel. One, the X Division attitude was portrayed to the fullest and it was the best of the tag team division, something forgotten about in the rest of the world.

That's only five. There is a DVD out known as "50 Greatest Moments in TNA History" which you should probably watch.

The question isn't if TNA has had memorable moments, its if they have made an iMPACT in the wrestling business. That is what defines a company, if they have made an impact or not on the wrestling scene.

Because of TNA creating the Knockouts Division, the WWE has improved their womens division. It was TNA that gave the WWE Fans an alternative. That might be because they were at the right place at the right time, but I am happy I was along for the ride.

For the benefit of recent newcomers to the TNA Product I will list a few things that have happened in the past two years (since October 06) when Russo came on board. He is underrated and with him the fans can have memorable moments.

1) The Headbutt heard from around the World
2) Sting wins the World Title not once but twice at Bound For Glory.
3) Samoa Joe vs Kurt Angle, the clash of titans at Genesis.
4) Eric Young in a damn bikini contest (nobody said they had to be good memories)
5) AMW breaks up after James Storm turns on Chris Harris
6) The Texas Death Match between Chris Harris and James Storm
7) The creation of the TNA Championships
8) Jeff Jarrett revealed as Jay Lethal's friend
9) Kurt Angle becomes the first TNA World Champion
10) Jay Lethal wins the X Division Championship
11) Road Warrior Animal teams with Rick Steiner
12) Legendary Feud: Steiners vs Team 3D
13) Kurt Angle wins all the championships
14) The invention of Elevation X
15) Triple X Reunites at Victory Road 07
16) Bound for Glory 2007
17) Jay Lethal upsets Kurt Angle to regain the X Title
18) Booker T comes to TNA
19) Black Machismo saves the X Division
20) Robert Roode punches out Sharmell, Sharmell responds by whipping Robert Roode
21) Samoa Joe wins the TNA World Heavyweight Championship
22) The creation of the Terrordome
23) AJ Styles vs Kurt Angle
24) The Return of the World's X Cup

Yeah some of the moments may not be liked but for TNA fans they are moments
----------------------------------------
For your benefit I will list the 50 Greatest Moments in TNA History as seen on the DVD listed above. Add Kurt Angle coming to TNA to both the lists and you have quite a compilation of memories.

#50) Roddy Piper humiliates Chris Rose
#49) Chris Rock comes to the TNA Asylum- TNA is seen on Head of State Movie
#48) The debut of Diamond Dallas Page- DDP was a former World Champion
#47) Jeff Jarrett Brawls with the Tennessee Titans
#46) Jim Cornette joins TNA Management- One of the most famous managers in history joined TNA
#45) The Gore from Hell- The Gore through a wall onto Abyss set new standards for Hardcore Wrestling
#44) The return of Senshi at Lockdown
#43) The Road Warriors come to TNA- A legendary Tag Team involved in TNA
#42) Jushin Lyger faces Samoa Joe- The innovator of Cruiserweight wrestling faced the dominant force in the X Division
#41) The Team 3D Funeral- The most entertaining Funeral Segment in wrestling history
#40) Toby Keith Eliminates Jeff Jarrett- On the debut of TNA's show, Famous country singer Keith eliminated Jarrett from the first ever Gauntlet Match. The footage is shown constantly on Keith Highlight Reels
#39) Team NWA wins the World's X Cup- The Worlds X Cup is an original concept in wrestling. Saw the debuts of Team Canada
#38) The Fire at Hard Justice- A fire broke out in the arena, the first time in PPV History. Even after the fire it was still considered a great PPV
#37) Ravens Bloody Scalping- See above for comments
#36) Rhino debuts at No Surrender- Rhino was the first of many former WWE superstars to jump ship to TNA.
#35) The debut of Team 3D- See above. Team 3D is a legendary Tag Team in wrestling
#34) Samoa Joe wins the X Title- AJ vs Joe was an excellent match
#33) Abyss attacks Christian Cage in his home- Storylines for TNA were taken to the next level
#32) The first TNA Steel Cage Match
#31) Ken Shamrock crowned first World Champion of TNA- Shamrock was an MMA Superstar and a former big time WWE Wrestler.
#30) Cookiegate- TNA takes the first shot of many against the WWE
#29) Ron Killings wins the World Championship- Truth was like the second black NWA World Champion
#28) Controversy in Canada- The beginning of one of TNA's best storylines in its history, concluded at the Orlando Screwjob
#27) Jeff Hardy's Swanton Bomb at Bound for Glory- Jeff Hardy took things the next step for daredevil antics in TNA
#26) Brian Urlacher takes out the Trash- NFL Big Time player in TNA
#25) Victory Road 2004- The first of many great TNA 3 Hour PPVs
#24) A Freak Unleashed in TNA- Scott Steiner, another former World Champion comes to TNA
#23) Lockdown- The first all steel cage PPV in wrestling history
#22) Basebrawl- TNA honored AJ Pierzynski of MLB Fame and a great moment happened from it
#21) Rhino wins the World Championship- Now while I think it shouldn't have happened, it did. 3 wins in one night
#20) Raven debuts in TNA- For every mega face you have to have a mega heel. Raven was that equivalent of Jeff Jarrett
#19) Nash, Hall and Savage debut in TNA- All three legends in the business, all three came to TNA
#18) The First Six Sides of Steel Match- Another innovative concept is created.
#17) Jeff Jarrett becomes King of the Mountain- King of the Mountain was another TNA Exclusive Concept
#16) Raven fullfills his destiny- One of the most emotional moments in TNA History
#15) The Debut of Ultimate X- See above
#14) Alex Shelley films Sting- I loved the Paparazzi Concept, it was original and interesting
#13) AJ Styles crowned first X Division Champion- The man most associated with TNA wins the title of the cornerstone that put TNA on the map
#12) The debut of Jeff Hardy- Hardy was a big star who left WWE and joined TNA. Hardy had a huge following as well
#11) TNA's inception- The start of it all. The first X DIvision Championship Match and the first World Champion is crowned
#10) Candido leads the Naturals to Tag Team Gold- Like Rey Mysterio did for Eddie Guerrero, this one was more emotional because one of the last nights Candido was alive he helped The Naturals win the Tag Team Gold. Very emotional moment
#9) Christian Cage becomes NWA World Champion- See above
#8) Barbed Wire Massacre- The first National Company to deliver a true Barbed Wire Match on PPV History
#7) Styles ends Jarrett's World Title reign
#6) AMW vs Triple X: Six Sides of Steel- See above
#5) Christian Cage arrives in TNA- This proved that TNA, to some people was better than WWE. Christian was the first and only BIG time star to choose TNA over the WWE
#4) The Unbreakable 3Way Match- It was a great match and it was the only time that the X Division Main Evented a PPV
#3) Jeff Jarrett attacks Hulk Hogan in Japan- Hogan was going to come to TNA but Jarrett took TNA to Hogan
#2) Sting returns to wrestling- The biggest star to come to TNA to that point. Sting would never go to the WWE but he came to TNA
#1) TNA debuts on Spike TV- See above

 

[Y 2 Jake]

See a lot of you are naming moments. But none that are truly great. I like the Ultimate X concept. But unveiling of it isn't memorable. I guess you could say that it's TNA premier match stipulation. After all 6 Sides Of Steel is just a cage match. So saying Ultimate X is a defining moment in TNA history is wrong. Is the Elimination Chamber one of WWE's? I don't think so.


TNA goes to Spike? Whoop-de-do if that is the crowing achievement in the historyu of TNA then they need to just quit now. What about when WWE were on Spike? No need to mention that, because it's just not important. And it shouldn't be for TNA in the overall history of things. The way the thread is structuredn it's as if TNA has gone bust, and ceases to exist. If that's one of the main things that's remembered then people are really clutching at straws.

The 6 sided ring has been done before. And while it doesn't bother me, I still think opinion is split on it.

Christian Cage's debut was memorable at the time. But it's been eclipsed several times over. Big at the time. But it won't hold up in wrestling history. Just the same as Booker T's won't. And do you really want TNA to be remembered fro The King Of The Mountain Will? Entertaining as hell, but stupid. It's no less ******ed than a reverse battle royal.

Two moments that will be remembered would be the unveiling of Angle at No Surrender 06, and possibly Skippers cage stunt. But that's only two. You've probably had more from WWE just from this year, over Ric Flair weekend. And everybodt thinks WWE is a boring pile of shit these days.

 

[Talon_DR]

What you are comparing is WWE moments and TNA moments. Of course you think of WWE moments as more important than TNA moments. You say that so many memorable moments have happened to the WWE in the past year but all I can think of is Ric Flair retiring. Hell TNA could do the same thing with Sting. Don't even bring up the Draft because the WWE Brand Extension is a complete joke. Now I listed TNA moments let's compare that to WWE moments in the past year.

1) Vince McMahon has another accident- Never saw that one before. That will leave a mark on the wrestling business for years to come.
2) Ric Flairs Retirement and Tribute
3) John Cena comes back at the Royal Rumble shockingly- Why is it so many WWE stars get hurt so often
4) Vince's Limo Blows up

Please tell me all of these memorable moments I am missing please?

 

[Y 2 Jake]

What you are comparing is WWE moments and TNA moments. Of course you think of WWE moments as more important than TNA moments. You say that so many memorable moments have happened to the WWE in the past year but all I can think of is Ric Flair retiring. Hell TNA could do the same thing with Sting. Don't even bring up the Draft because the WWE Brand Extension is a complete joke. Now I listed TNA moments let's compare that to WWE moments in the past year.

1) Vince McMahon has another accident- Never saw that one before. That will leave a mark on the wrestling business for years to come.
2) Ric Flairs Retirement and Tribute
3) John Cena comes back at the Royal Rumble shockingly- Why is it so many WWE stars get hurt so often
4) Vince's Limo Blows up

Please tell me all of these memorable moments I am missing please?

I'm comparing TNA & WWE, because WWE is the standard. TNA might make a really memorable angle ot of Sting's retirement, I hope they do. But they haven't done it yet. And this thread is about if TNA closed now, right this minute. Not a week from now, a month from now, a year from now. Right now. What legacy would they leave. So they might in the future leave a truly great legacy, maybe they are just a little slow. But currently they have nothing.

As for the WWE mentioned I'd only really count Flair's. Time might tell on the Vince angle, but I doubt it. The others I wouldn't consider. Cena returning was huge at the time, but as nothing came of it, it's all but forgotten.

But you can't deny that the Ric Flair retirement is 100x more important, grander, and memorable than anything TNA have ever done. That's one moment in WWE against 6 years of TNA.

I'll also give you the end of Mania XX, nothing can compare to that either. There are countless others in a 2002-2008 timeline.

 

[therealbrandonhoward]

Look, I don't claim to be an avid watcher of TNA wrestling, mainly because of the numerous things that are wrong with the company.

Between 2002 and 2005, TNA looked to be a company that could compete with the WWE. Why? They had their own wrestlers, (AJ Styles, Samoa Joe, etc.), mixed in with the WCW cruiserweights and some WCW talent...along with outcasts from other companies.

It was innovative, different, and a fresh air approach to wrestling...and this was before the six-sided ring, which by the way, sucks. From 2006 to now, TNA has went backwards as far as quality of programming. Sure, they're on SPIKE TV, which is in 93 percent of ALL homes. USA is in 96, but that's beside the point. The reason TNA wouldn't leave a legacy if it folded right now is simply because they've not had enough time to establish that 'one guy'. WWE had Stone Cold, the Rock, Mankind, HHH, DX, the Nation, and a whole lot more characters that left a mark. TNA has Kurt Angle. When I think Kurt Angle, I think of WWE. Same goes for Booker T and WCW. I don't associate Christian Cage with TNA...I see him as a WWE mid carder who had to jump ship to a second tier show in order to get pushed the way he should have. Rhino = ECW. Raven = ECW.

Want to know who I associate with TNA? AJ Styles, Jay Lethal, AMW, Samoa Joe, Team Canada, Shark Boy, and Jeff Jarrett. I know Jeff Jarrett from WCW, and from the USWA with Jerry Lawler, but Double J made his mark as a legit superstar in TNA.

Bottom line, TNA needs to groom more homegrown talent. Booker T, Sting, and Scott Steiner are aging and will soon be gone from wrestling. Kurt Angle is on his last legs (literally). What will happen when the face of TNA is gone? Think about that. I worry that Panda Energy and Dixie Carter will not have enough money to make TNA a legitimate contender to the WWE. Vince McMahon has TONS of money and has gone public. He also has a farm system to develop wrestlers. John Cena, Randy Orton, Batista, Kennedy, and many others came to the WWE from OVW...a WWE farm system. Where's TNA's breeding grounds?

And does anyone else find Mike Tenay and Don West plain awful as commentators? Tenay was a good color guy with Schiavone and Hudson, but as the 'JR' of TNA...he becomes annoying. Scott Hudson and Mark Madden would be perfect for TNA. They tell a good story. Tony Schiavone was awesome as a commentator, and can sell anyone. TNA has a lot of growing pains to go through before they leave a legacy. They've had some moments, but a 'legacy'? WCCW, Jim Crockett Promotions, AWA, WCW, ECW. They left a mark. TNA? Not there quite yet.

 

[TheOneBigWill]

See a lot of you are naming moments. But none that are truly great. I like the Ultimate X concept. But unveiling of it isn't memorable. I guess you could say that it's TNA premier match stipulation. After all 6 Sides Of Steel is just a cage match. So saying Ultimate X is a defining moment in TNA history is wrong. Is the Elimination Chamber one of WWE's? I don't think so.

I think the difference could be seen that T.N.A. over-uses gimmick matches to an extreme, except for the likes of Ultimate X and King of the Mountain. They'll rename a Street Fight 20 times over in a month, but the two that'll remain the same are their trademark gimmick matches.

Just like W.W.E. has Hell in a Cell, dispite it being just an expanded cage - nothing too great. And then you have the Survivor Series, a simple Tag Team elimination match. Then, the Royal Rumble. Its a 30 man battle royal, except people come out through timed entries, and its become a cornerstone for them.

W.W.E. uses both Survivor Series and Royal Rumble as achivement Pay Per Views. They've turned gimmick matches into a cornerstone of their company. So why can't T.N.A. be remembered for doing the same? KOTM = Slammiversary, and Ultimate X (mainly) = Bound For Glory.

TNA goes to Spike? Whoop-de-do if that is the crowing achievement in the historyu of TNA then they need to just quit now. What about when WWE were on Spike? No need to mention that, because it's just not important. And it shouldn't be for TNA in the overall history of things. The way the thread is structuredn it's as if TNA has gone bust, and ceases to exist. If that's one of the main things that's remembered then people are really clutching at straws.

T.N.A. debuting on Spike TV is as big as W.W.F. debuting on the U.S.A. network in 1993.. its groundbreaking and a huge step forward in their company's rise.

W.W.E. doesn't hold onto how many stations they've leaped back and forth from, no.. but they do hold onto their first, as a ground breaking achivement.. just like T.N.A. should to Spike.

The 6 sided ring has been done before. And while it doesn't bother me, I still think opinion is split on it.

When? I ask, because T.N.A.'s whole origin truly resides on the answer. When they debuted the ring, they were very out-spoken about being the first company to do it. So if someone did it before them, who?

U.F.C. doesn't count. They aren't the same.

Christian Cage's debut was memorable at the time. But it's been eclipsed several times over. Big at the time. But it won't hold up in wrestling history. Just the same as Booker T's won't. And do you really want TNA to be remembered fro The King Of The Mountain Will? Entertaining as hell, but stupid. It's no less ******ed than a reverse battle royal.

Kurt Angle's debut will forever be remembered because of how huge he was in the W.W.E.

Booker T., Christian, Rhino, the Dudleyz, and even Sting.. they all deserve to be remembered for "shocking" re-debuts into the sport, but none of them deserve to be what Angle should be remembered for.. and thats yet another HUGE step forward for T.N.A.

Sting is an "Icon" and a "Legend" in this business, but Hogan was in T.N.A. too and thats hardly remembered.. so why should Sting be any different?

Kurt Angle is the only one (to me) that should greatly be remembered, because hes single handedly picked T.N.A. up onto his back.

Two moments that will be remembered would be the unveiling of Angle at No Surrender 06, and possibly Skippers cage stunt. But that's only two.

I agree, but again there are more as I've said from above.

Another revolutionary moment that should be forever remembered for T.N.A..

X-Division: They might be nothing more than a big group of cruiserweights, with some midcarders and a couple Heavyweights thrown in.. but its still a division thats unique and one of a kind. It has elements of all divisions, except Tag, and has delivered countless matches that will be remembered as great.

The X-Division is trying to do, what the Cruiserweight division started with in W.C.W.

You've probably had more from WWE just from this year, over Ric Flair weekend. And everybodt thinks WWE is a boring pile of shit these days.

W.W.E. is the bigger company with more fan base though, so naturally its going to have 20x the amount of achivements and history making moments.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

I think the difference could be seen that T.N.A. over-uses gimmick matches to an extreme, except for the likes of Ultimate X and King of the Mountain. They'll rename a Street Fight 20 times over in a month, but the two that'll remain the same are their trademark gimmick matches.

Just like W.W.E. has Hell in a Cell, dispite it being just an expanded cage - nothing too great. And then you have the Survivor Series, a simple Tag Team elimination match. Then, the Royal Rumble. Its a 30 man battle royal, except people come out through timed entries, and its become a cornerstone for them.

W.W.E. uses both Survivor Series and Royal Rumble as achivement Pay Per Views. They've turned gimmick matches into a cornerstone of their company. So why can't T.N.A. be remembered for doing the same? KOTM = Slammiversary, and Ultimate X (mainly) = Bound For Glory.

I don't think you can compare the incredibly stupid concept of KOTM to something like the Rumble. Both are supposed to once a year events, and both are different variations of an already established gimmick. But neither have had any really remarkable moments. The concept behind each is memorable. Ric Flair's amazing performance in the 1992 Rumble is remembered, but I'm thinking that the promo after is the real defining moment.

And what exactly is memorable about the outcomes of any/all of the KOTM or Ultimat X matches? Great matches. But they all go into one after a while.

T.N.A. debuting on Spike TV is as big as W.W.F. debuting on the U.S.A. network in 1993.. its groundbreaking and a huge step forward in their company's rise.

W.W.E. doesn't hold onto how many stations they've leaped back and forth from, no.. but they do hold onto their first, as a ground breaking achivement.. just like T.N.A. should to Spike.

If TNA was to close then something like that would become irrelevant. ''Hey we used to be on Spike''. Err but not anymore. It's improtant now. But flashing up a Spike TV logo wouldn't make an intresting Highlight Reel for TNA.

When? I ask, because T.N.A.'s whole origin truly resides on the answer. When they debuted the ring, they were very out-spoken about being the first company to do it. So if someone did it before them, who?

U.F.C. doesn't count. They aren't the same.

AAA have used it, I've seen it in other minor promotions too. But you have to compare them to UFC. Because until recently MMA had a similar stigma to it.

Kurt Angle's debut will forever be remembered because of how huge he was in the W.W.E.

I agree. This is the pinnacle of TNA.

Booker T., Christian, Rhino, the Dudleyz, and even Sting.. they all deserve to be remembered for "shocking" re-debuts into the sport, but none of them deserve to be what Angle should be remembered for.. and thats yet another HUGE step forward for T.N.A.

All pale in comparison to Angles debut. Rhino & Dudleyz were huge for a couple of months. Cage making his debut was huge at the time. But he was still a WWE mid carder. And a month later he was upstaged by Stings return. But Angle is the biggest, and best. No doubt about it. But because of Angle, none of the others hold quite as much meaning now.

X-Division: They might be nothing more than a big group of cruiserweights, with some midcarders and a couple Heavyweights thrown in.. but its still a division thats unique and one of a kind. It has elements of all divisions, except Tag, and has delivered countless matches that will be remembered as great.

The X-Division is trying to do, what the Cruiserweight division started with in W.C.W.

Exactly. WCW did it first. It'll always be a WCW and maybe ECW thing. Not TNA. No matter how hard they try. And in the past 18 months they haven't tried at all.

W.W.E. is the bigger company with more fan base though, so naturally its going to have 20x the amount of achivements and history making moments.

True. But TNA has a bigger budget than ECW did. I'm mostly on about angles, and celebrations. Sure WWE can afford more fireworks. But ideas come for free. And as a relatively new company you would think that TNA would actually have some.

 

[kingdom_come]

If the promotion ended tomorrow. I don't think it would leave one. There are no moments in TNA that I feel would be remembered if the promotion were to go bump. There have been plenty of quality matches in TNA over the past 6 years. But when you think of the top 10 most memorable moments of, say WWE, is it matches or angles you would pick? I feel that you remember things like Andre 7 Hogan having a stare down more than the match. Same with Benoit celebrating after winning the WHC. Austin and his beer truck are more memorable than his matches. Those are the things that WWE fans would remember is WWE ceased trading. But I don't think TNA has any of those moments. I can't think of a single moment that stands out as being memorable.

7 years on and people can recall David Arquette winning the world title, the formation of the n.W.o., Stings return match at Starrcade. Tommy Dreamer getting caned by The Sandman, Tazz & Bigelow going through the ring and others. But nothing from TNA springs to mind. I think a prime example of how little will be remembered about TNA so far is The 50 Greatest Moments DVD. Intresting. But at a real push you've got Jarrett blasting Hogan with a guitar as something that might be looked upon fondly. But that match never happened, so it's impact is minimal.

Top 10 most memorable moments of TNA (in no particular order):


1. Switching to the 6 sided Ring. This was a 1st in American Pro Wrestling.

2. Fan reaction to Jeff Jarrett winning King of the Mountain. There was almost a riot in the arena. Fans throwing things in the ring, etc. The reaction to that win rivals that heat that Hogan got when he joined the nWo.

3. Elix Skipper tight walking the cage and then doing a Frankensteiner.

4. The birth of the innovative Ultimate X match. And the many great Ultimate X matches. Not enough? Throw in the World X Cup and the X-Division in general.

5. The signing of Christian Cage to TNA. And his historical 1st winning of a world championship. Fans coming in the ring and celebrating with Christian Cage. His peeps!

6. The signing of Kurt Angle after everyone thought he was going to retire. "Its real; its damn real!" Arguably the best wrestler ever to TNA. That's a memorable moment.

(signing Booker T later was also a memorable event that brought new fans to TNA)

7. AJ Styles falling during the 1st Elevation X match. The match in general was a memorable moment.

8. TNA's knock out division. The birth, the difference it is compared to every other womens division in America, and the destructiveness of Awesome Kong. The TNA KO division have changed the game while raising the bar in womens wrestling. This is HISTORICAL! "No divas here!"

9. TNA getting a TV deal with Spike TV and then going two hours. Remember where they started? To followers of TNA the TV deal was HUGE.

10. The Samoa Joe title win over Kurt Angle. A match that a lot of TNA fans consider the best match in the history of the promotion.


----------

TNA has had more than its fair share of memorable moments over the last 6 years.

Now, since we are talking the last 6 years how about we compare TNA's memorable moments to those of WWE. And I mean exactly that WWE! Not WWF or WWWF. After the WWF Attitude era when the company had to switch from WWF to WWE how many memorable events have they had?

How many memorable moments for "WWE" in the last 6 years?

Over the last 6 years TNA's ratings have been going up while WWE's ratings have been going down. If ratings are going down I think its safe to say that so are their memorable moments.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

Top 10 most memorable moments of TNA (in no particular order):


1. Switching to the 6 sided Ring. This was a 1st in American Pro Wrestling.

2. Fan reaction to Jeff Jarrett winning King of the Mountain. There was almost a riot in the arena. Fans throwing things in the ring, etc. The reaction to that win rivals that heat that Hogan got when he joined the nWo.

3. Elix Skipper tight walking the cage and then doing a Frankensteiner.

4. The birth of the innovative Ultimate X match. And the many great Ultimate X matches. Not enough? Throw in the World X Cup and the X-Division in general.

5. The signing of Christian Cage to TNA. And his historical 1st winning of a world championship. Fans coming in the ring and celebrating with Christian Cage. His peeps!

6. The signing of Kurt Angle after everyone thought he was going to retire. "Its real; its damn real!" Arguably the best wrestler ever to TNA. That's a memorable moment.

(signing Booker T later was also a memorable event that brought new fans to TNA)

7. AJ Styles falling during the 1st Elevation X match. The match in general was a memorable moment.

8. TNA's knock out division. The birth, the difference it is compared to every other womens division in America, and the destructiveness of Awesome Kong. The TNA KO division have changed the game while raising the bar in womens wrestling. This is HISTORICAL! "No divas here!"

9. TNA getting a TV deal with Spike TV and then going two hours. Remember where they started? To followers of TNA the TV deal was HUGE.

10. The Samoa Joe title win over Kurt Angle. A match that a lot of TNA fans consider the best match in the history of the promotion.

All laughable when compared to great WWE moments. Not one of them is up there with Andre being slammed by Hogan, Hogan & The Rock at Mania, Austin & the beer truck, Foley falling of the cell. If that's the best you can come up with them I'm correct in my assessment that TNA won't leave a legacy.

TNA has had more than its fair share of memorable moments over the last 6 years.

Now, since we are talking the last 6 years how about we compare TNA's memorable moments to those of WWE. And I mean exactly that WWE! Not WWF or WWWF. After the WWF Attitude era when the company had to switch from WWF to WWE how many memorable events have they had?

How many memorable moments for "WWE" in the last 6 years?

More than TNA. Even something minor like the ring collapsing in the match between Lesnar & Big Show, is more memorable that anything TNA has produced.

 

[a0161613]

There is no doubt in my mind that TNA will leave a mark. TNA has had some remarkable moments, especially in the last three years.

I believe that TNA has had more "moments" than WWE in the last twelve months. But in the same way, maybe we expect less from TNA?

WWE since the name change has been on a steady downhill decline. Nevermind the Rock leaving, Austin retiring because that was always going to happen, but the general quality of the product (with some very good exceptions) is regular poor to average at best. You can't even blame the talent. Cena's ridiculously title reigns and Edge's stupidly short ones are examples of really poor booking.

TNA has clearly gone on the up in the same time frame. The Unbreakable 2005 main event triggered it for me (Joe vs AJ vs Daniels is second to maybe Angle HBK at WM IMHO). Angle going will be remembered by most by I was just as excited by Rhyno and Cage turning up as their first few months were very exciting.

While poor creative work is often prone there too (Rellik and Reign anyone?) and gimmicks, inconclusive fued endings and nonexistent pushes are seen more often than they should, TNA will and should be remembered for the occasional bouts of brilliance that they have put before us, of that there can be no doubt.

 

[kingdom_come]

All laughable when compared to great WWE moments. Not one of them is up there with Andre being slammed by Hogan, Hogan & The Rock at Mania, Austin & the beer truck, Foley falling of the cell. If that's the best you can come up with them I'm correct in my assessment that TNA won't leave a legacy.






More than TNA. Even something minor like the ring collapsing in the match between Lesnar & Big Show, is more memorable that anything TNA has produced.

What's laughable is that you start off talking about Hulk Hogan slamming Andre the Giant as a memorable WWE moment.

Why?

Because that happened 20 years into the existence of the company. What about the 20 years before Hulkamania?? The Buddy Rogers, Ivan Koloff, Bruno Sammartino, and Bob Backlund years.

You laugh because TNA in your opinion don't have memorable moments after 6 years while WWF/WWE didn't make their big memorable moments until 20 years in???

On top of that you still can't pull out any memorable moments involving the current WWE roster. Brock Lesnar has been gone from WWE for 3 years.

I'll help you out with some memorable moments from WWE for over the last 6 years:


1. The Rock leaves the company and is replaced by MVP
2. Mick Foley retires and is replaced by The Great Khali
3. Stone Cold retires and is replaced by John Cena
4. Eddie Guerrero passes away and is replaced by Hornswoggle
5. Christian Cage jumps to TNA
6. Kurt Angle jumps to TNA
7. Dudleys jump to TNA
8. Booker T jumps to TNA
9. Trish Stratus retires and is replaced by Mickie James
10. Lita retires and is replaced by Milena


EVERYTHING that WWE is doing now is a downgrade to what they were in the past.

Thing is .. It takes longer to lose all your fans like WWE is doing that it does to grow your fan base like what's happening in TNA.

Talk about WWE glory days all you want but until you can talk about memorbable events that are happening now with them your argument holds no water.


*** Memorable moments are there in TNA for THE FANS OF TNA. If youre not a fan you won't recognize what these moments are. So why bother with the question? ***

 

[Talon_DR]

Since we are comparing TNA's memorable moments and WWE's memorable moments lets put it on a level playing field of 6 year ranges.

Can you tell me anything about 1954 (er 1956) through 1960 in the true first few years of the WWE (then known as Capitol Wrestling) its only fair to compare the beginning of both companies.

I will pass on that notion and say that we compare the last 6 years of each company. By the time TNA was created the Brand Extension happened. What has happened in the WWE since June 2002. Since the Brand Extension happened in April, we are going to leave it out:

I can't really think of anything that big that defined WWE one way or another. They have been going downhill since then.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

What's laughable is that you start off talking about Hulk Hogan slamming Andre the Giant as a memorable WWE moment.

Why?

Because that happened 20 years into the existence of the company.

So you're saying that Hogan slamming Andre isn't memorable? Really? A moment from the biggest, most important match in recent history? Okaay.

What about the 20 years before Hulkamania?? The Buddy Rogers, Ivan Koloff, Bruno Sammartino, and Bob Backlund years.

Not memorable. Certainly not to me. All before I was born. And you too I imagine. Things from those wrestlers never make into highlight reels. That's because it was all about the matches, not angles. These days in wrestling angles are remembered way more than the actual in ring product.

You laugh because TNA in your opinion don't have memorable moments after 6 years while WWF/WWE didn't make their big memorable moments until 20 years in???

But what a moment. And anyway, the point of the thread is what legacy would TNA leave if they closed down today. So talking about what events happened in WWE in the first 6 years of that company don't really matter. Different era. If you compare, do it between the WWE of 2002-2008.

On top of that you still can't pull out any memorable moments involving the current WWE roster. Brock Lesnar has been gone from WWE for 3 years.

I used the Lesnar/Big Show angles as an example. It was supposed to be a poor one. That's because the supposedly legacy leaving angles and moments that people have mentioned for TNA are on about the same par.

I also don't see what it matters weather the wrestler is currently on the roster or not. If Angle left TNA would the impact he made at No Surrender 2006 no longer count.

I'll help you out with some memorable moments from WWE for over the last 6 years:


1. The Rock leaves the company and is replaced by MVP
2. Mick Foley retires and is replaced by The Great Khali
3. Stone Cold retires and is replaced by John Cena
4. Eddie Guerrero passes away and is replaced by Hornswoggle
5. Christian Cage jumps to TNA
6. Kurt Angle jumps to TNA
7. Dudleys jump to TNA
8. Booker T jumps to TNA
9. Trish Stratus retires and is replaced by Mickie James
10. Lita retires and is replaced by Milena

Well The Dudleyz & Angle only jumped to TNA because they were released by WWE, Cage moved because WWE didn't value him enough to give him a main event push, and Booker T has been squandered since TNA aquired his services.

The Rock doing a pre taped promo on Raw, on auto pilot, is more memorable, and creates more discussion on this board than new TNA Champion Samoa Joe ever has.

Austin with his bi-monthly appearances generated more reaction in one row of seats than the whole of the iMPACT Zone. Same for Cena.

Mick Foley hasn't retired. And do you honestly think that TNA wouldn't hire Khali?

Hornswoggle will be remembered for years. In a wrestle crap kind of way. But when wrestling as dull as it is these days, you can't be picky.

Mickie James is just as over as Trish, and just as talentless. Melina has oodles more personality than Lita ever did. In fact Lita was only liked because of a moonsault, that's the only reason. So a comparison between her and some random X-Divion guy wouldn't go amiss.

EVERYTHING that WWE is doing now is a downgrade to what they were in the past.

I didn't say that WWE wasn't the promotion it once was. I said that the WWE of today, with it's same storylines, and lack of ideas, the WWE from the TNA lifespan, would still leave more of a legacy.

Thing is .. It takes longer to lose all your fans like WWE is doing that it does to grow your fan base like what's happening in TNA.

What does that have to do with anything?

Talk about WWE glory days all you want but until you can talk about memorbable events that are happening now with them your argument holds no water.

Ric Flair's retirement. One memorable moment from this year. They are few and far between, but WWE still has them. Everyone elses TNA moments are based on the invention of Ultimate X and others. The concept of that match is the same as a ladder match. Hardy revolutionary, in fact you can't do nearly as much in that type of match as you can in a ladder one. If the Ultimate X is the pinnacle of TNA, then so must be the Elimination Chamber. But the thing is, it's not.

*** Memorable moments are there in TNA for THE FANS OF TNA. If youre not a fan you won't recognize what these moments are. So why bother with the question? ***

I'm a TNA Fan. True story.

Since we are comparing TNA's memorable moments and WWE's memorable moments lets put it on a level playing field of 6 year ranges.

Can you tell me anything about 1954 (er 1956) through 1960 in the true first few years of the WWE (then known as Capitol Wrestling) its only fair to compare the beginning of both companies.

Course not. I see where you're coming from. But that is a totally different era, WWE wasn't global, and I wasn't around then. Wheras now angles are just as important as the actual wrestling, WWE & TNA are available to almost everybody, and I'm around to watch each company.

I will pass on that notion and say that we compare the last 6 years of each company. By the time TNA was created the Brand Extension happened. What has happened in the WWE since June 2002. Since the Brand Extension happened in April, we are going to leave it out:

I can't really think of anything that big that defined WWE one way or another. They have been going downhill since then.

Again I'm not saying that WWE is particularly memorable as a whole. Long gone are the days when Austin could feature for 90 minutes of a two hour show and nobody got bored, or bashed him. But the same can be said for TNA. The difference being that WWE ran out of ideas nearly a decade ago. TNA never had any to begin with.

 

[kingdom_come]

TNA fans decide what the memorable moments for TNA are and looking at this thread most fans point to the same events. So basically your answer lies there. If you do not agree with those moments maybe youre not as much of a TNA fan as you say or think you are.

On another note .. if TNA were to drop off the planet after 6 years their memorable moments wont mean anything. They would be just another failed promotion that tried to break in but couldnt get it done. Same can be said for NWA, WCW, and WWE if they went down after 6 years.