If you told TNA Wrestling fans even just a few years ago that the company would be celebrating its 20th anniversary in front of a sold-out arena crowd, they might struggle to believe you. From TNA Wrestling to IMPACT! Wrestling and TNA Wrestling again, calling the journey of the underdog wrestling promotion bumpy would be a lofty understatement.
A Rough Decade
For most of the 2010s, most people had written off TNA as the serious contender to WWE’s monopoly in the American market. It seemed more a case of when rather than if they would fold. By the late 2010s, that would only be emphasized with the arrival of new contenders for the spot of the ‘alternative’ to WWE, AEW.
However, as I sit here in 2024, the tides seem to have washed away the years of instability and rotting in the company and waved in a new era, a stable era. Their first PPV of 2024 back in January and their first back under the TNA banner was surely a testament to this, aptly named ‘Hard To Kill.’
PWInsider said at the time “it was not only the largest live attendance for the promotion in many years” but that it was also “the largest live gate for the company in about a decade” – TNA of all promotions calling a PPV ‘Hard To Kill’ is one of the most appropriate naming choices I can think of.
For a company which has been on the brink of death more times than I can count, this seemed a rallying cry for fans and wrestlers to pull together, and so they did.
But many questioned the long-term success of this rebranding but it’s clear that it’s not just the name that TNA aimed to change, it was an effort to reclaim their story, to find themselves, find what made them stand out to so many fans back in its peak of popularity and start building again.
And now, nearly sevenmonths on, their efforts have begun to pay off with their upcoming PLE Slammiversary, selling out with over 4,000 set to be in attendance. Another record for the books.
Rising from the Ashes
And the massive success of Slammiversary and in essence the success of all PLE events from the company this year shouldn’t be taken lightly either or seen as some sort of ‘flash in the pan.’
While they aren’t numbers that will concern the giants that are AEW and WWE, they are numbers that could bring in attention from TV Network executives or even just give them leverage to enter into negotiations at the very least. It wasn’t so long ago that WWE were barely selling above this for their premium live events.
It is also worth noting that this isn’t even what TNA would market as their biggest show of the year or their ‘WrestleMania equivalent’ as that is saved for their Bound For Glory show. If anything, the closest comparison would be calling it TNA’s answer to SummerSlam and if they can capitalize off this show, it could be a really exciting run to BFG usually set for October time.
But even as recently as February earlier this year, many thought TNA were set for a completely different path. Many saw a doomed future after it was announced that now now-former President of TNA, Scott D’Amore, had had his contract terminated. He spearheaded the transition back to TNA and oversaw the success of ‘Hard To Kill’ and the announcement shook the fanbase.
Hope would not be restored with the appointments of non-wrestling figures Ariel Shnerer and Anthony Cicione to succeed him either but the turnaround since their arrival has been borderline miraculous and should be now a harsh message to other promotions to look towards young or underutilized talent and not just to drawing power.
The strongest drawing power you can have in 2024 is created drawing power and TNA have done that excellently. With millions of views across all channels, appearances and high-quality matchups that cause widespread discussion and acclaim, they finally seem to have landed on solid ground.
Prohibited Portal
However, this is where I must address the elephant in the room; the partnership with WWE.
Many will be quick to make the presumptuous conclusion that the success of TNA is a direct cause of the exposure they have received from WWE since partnering earlier this year and the talent crossover appearances on everything from the Royal Rumble to weekly NXT programming and more but it is far more complex than this.
Of course, it is undeniable that this has put TNA properly back in the minds of WWE fans likely for the first time properly since the early 2010s.
For me the saying ‘out of sight, out of mind’ describes the feeling towards TNA since its peak years came to an end over a decade ago, lots of WWE’s core fanbase rarely concerned themselves with the wrestling world outside WWE back then but with TNA acting as a breeding ground for some of WWE’s top talent back in the early 2010s, including the likes of AJ Styles and Samoa Joe, it was regularly on the conscious of invested fans.
However, the wrestling community has changed since those days, information shared differently, a new world where YouTube views or article clicks mean more than PPV buys and social media followers more than merch sales. So, while this ‘resurgence’ of TNA has somewhat coincided with the beginning of this partnership, their success can’t simply be put down to WWE anymore.
They must be given their proper credit for their ability to adapt, and become a blueprint for companies in being able to utilize their talent to the fullest, using social media and the Internet Wrestling Community to mobilize support for their stars and encourage people to tune back into TNA.
For the first time in a long time, TNA have stabled their ship, and this stability has allowed cohesive and compelling narratives and characters to begin to blossom. Jordynne Grace’s dominance of the Knockouts division, Joe Hendry’s top 10 charting song, Josh Alexander, Mustafa Ali, the list goes on.
This has not just been the result of a sudden burst of new stars but a well-thought-out and magnificently delivered marketing run.
They have moved on from the old cliches long associated with them, where a main event scene would be dominated by stars of the past like Eric Young or Santino Marella and cultivated new stock.
Even recent setbacks criticized by the fanbase like the decision to bring in Matt Hardy and immediately have him take on the world champion have been hastily amended and the former ‘Broken’ Hardy has fallen back down the card with the six-way elimination match for the world title at Slammiversary featuring six stars predominantly still in their prime years.
However, turning the focus back to the impact of NXT, while I feel it is clear the partnership isn’t solely responsible for TNA’s resurgence, I do believe its biggest role is through how it has shifted the perception of TNA as a proper wrestling promotion and a contender to the big American stalwart promotions once again.
In wrestling, the phrase ‘perception is reality’ is used commonly. If someone is presented as a star, they often begin to be perceived as one.
With WWE’s fingerprints back on TNA, they are finally beginning to get the ‘rub’, a feel of legitimacy, and that is reflected in the media and across the wrestling world, the perception of TNA as a viable contender is beginning to be restored and that’s arguably the most important contribution a working relationship with WWE could have possibly brought.
It would’ve been inconceivable even a year ago for this crossover to be happening and I think credit must lie in the hands of TNA for bringing an air of stability and viability as a company.
Truly ‘Hard to Kill’
The numbers, however, I believe TNA’s to boast, they have worked hard building on their core audience week on week and by the talent of their own stars, but this partnership has reset the perception and made people truly consider them an intriguing wrestling show to watch and stay tuned for.
And to almost circle back entirely, we now must recognize that that work is being paid off with an expected sell-out crowd of over 4,000 expected this weekend, their largest crowd in years and a tied second-highest attendance for their Slammiversary event in its history, second only to 2013’s Slammiversary over a decade ago.
This should be a decisive lesson to other companies looking to rebuild for a new generation, companies like NJPW, even Tony Khan’s Ring of Honor must now look to modernize, enable their talent and watch the growth happen.
Ultimately, TNA’s sold-out Slammiversary proves that while you can gain new allies, their greatest victories have been won through their own resilience, innovation, and unwavering commitment to pragmatism and an ability to adapt almost to a self-deprecating level where they time and time again ensure survival but this time also, the opportunity to thrive once again.
More From LWOS Pro Wrestling
Header image – TNA Wrestling. Stay tuned to the Last Word on Pro Wrestling for more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world. As well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world. TNA Wrestling Rebellion 2024 will air live on TNA Plus.
