It kinda makes me wonder if WCW would still be around if they just had the option of moving to a more obscure network. TBS doing it in-house might've ultimately done them in.
@ColeYote We might never know. In 2001 TNT didn't want nothing to do with wrestling and ECW didn't find another network and no other network was willing to have any wrestling. WCW did try The Big Bang but we all know how that turned out.
Ngl, the fact that Impact managed to survived through this worst period of time will always get my respect. That time, everyone were sure that they will be closed down every week but Impact managed to pull through every single time. If not for that, I would never see Josh Alexander wrestle as a single star and his fantastic title reign and also his feud with Moose. What's more crazy is that Impact still manage to stay as the #3 major wrestling company in USA until now in 2023 (Even after GCW briefly overthrown them).
Agreed. While current Impact could definitely be better, it is really something when "Hard To Kill" isn't only just a name of their monthly big shows. And yeah at least there's still cool peeps here and there like Josh Alexander and MOOSE, as well as doing stuff like letting Shelley be champ now among other things.
@@GuntanksInSpace it boggles my mind why Josh and Moose are there, all else I could really care less. I watched Impact recently and boy that show was bad, the camera makes action hard to follow and the crowd is like you're at a public church.... Is Ed Northholm investing anything in this company, it looks embarrassing..
Impact Wrestling is the ultimate cockroach. And I mean that as a compliment. No matter what bad things happen to them, whether it's being infected by the dying shards of WCW, A.K.A Hogan and Bischoff, losing their Spike TV Deal, low balling AJ Styles so badly that he just fucks off to Japan, or even a very public power struggle between the people who are supposed to be running the godamn company, you just can't kill them. They're literally the definition of that "I lived bitch" meme.
Sounds like WWE as well. The ratings were garbage from about 2009-2016. It took a second brand split for at least Smackdown to get good again. Raw on the other hand...
When TNA needed a Star, a curly haired Derrick Bateman stepped forward. When NWA needed a better World Champion, EC3 stepped forward. WWE buried him twice, he rebuilt himself twice. Respect.
@@ShubhamMishrabro Lets just say after having Murdoch and Tyrus as NWA's world champ, it's a huuuge upgrade Even though it was a short reign, I kinda still prefered cardona reign as champ EC3 has been solid but the quality of his opponents so far is underwhelming
2002 - 2004 the begining of the company. 2005 - 2009 The golden times for TNA 2010 - 2017 The dark times for TNA/GFW/Impact Wrestling 2018 - Present The rebirth of Impact Wrestling.
2018 was a dark age for me after WWE snug all TNA talent ,after the Hardy leave their where almost no reason to watch ,ROH have become a bigger promotion because of the Elite pre AEW !!! It was a slow build up to get where they now !!!
It’s Dixie fault… everybody that tried to help wasn’t allowed to, she just wanted the money. Billy tried. Also thank you for doing this one!!!!! I commented on the poll lol
Bobby Lashley had one of the greatest world title reigns ever, but the abrupt conclusion, bad management, and overall bad show quality overshadowed his reign.
Despite all the problems it has gone through over the years, TNA/Impact is still around. Yes, it is a shadow of what it was at its prime (which was never that big) but is still survives. At this rate, WW3 will destroy the world and Impact will still have shows in the bombed-out Impact Zone for a super mutant and ghoul crowd.
This exact period of TNA is what got me back into wrestling after a 12 year hiatus from it. Couldn’t believe what TNA became at this point. But it got me threw a tough period in my life. So this era is always gonna have a special place for me.
And now most of TNA's legends are in either WWE as Producers or top guys (Roode, Styles, Abyss, Aldis, Eli Drake, Lashley, McIntyre, Kross, Sam Shaw as Dexter Lumis) or AEW Legends (Hardyz, Christian, Sting, Samoa Joe)
@@mistakinglee1586fuck, NWA had such a good start under his ownership too (with the exception of cucky the clown on commentary). Once he and Aldis got into their spat, it seems like everything just fell to peices and never recovered. I don't even get how NWA has fallen that far? Of all people for Corgan to hitch his wagon to, fucking Tyrus?
Why didn't they is a shock to me. Anthem running it has been so embarrassing , it reminds me of Sinclair first days of ROH. They put table scraps and wonder why the company ain't bigger?
The 2015 period of TNA was kinda great. I've gone back to re-watch it multiple times. The MVP stories, Spudd vs EC3, Revolution vs The Hardys, the BroMans. All great.
Things go strong until about halfway through when the money really starts to hurt and wrestlers start leaving. They recover in 2016 (I'd argue 2016 is one of the best years in company history) but that latter half of 2015 was pain to sit through.
@@TheGreatDevlin It's crazy how much they went back and forth at the time. If you look a little earlier, they had a great summer 2014 too. But that was after a weak early 2014. And so on and so on.
I remember this time very well. Me and my girlfriend always used to have pizza and watch Impact. I was super hyped for guys like Drew Galloway, Aron Rex and Cody Rhodes to come in. I loved Decay and im not sure if he was in the company at this time but really liked Tigre Uno. My girlfriend was obsessed with Rosemary.
I really believe RU-vid is the only thing keeping Impact afloat, chances are no network would have kept giving them a chance during the pandemic, but with everyone staying at home and just watching videos all day they finally got the attention they needed to get stay going long enough to be, at least for now, a somewhat option amongst the other two giants.
I believe your brain is AWOL. They have international TV deals, they're selling out wherever they're holding shows, they're the third biggest wrestling brand in the US, oh yeah, and AXSTV are a billion dollar company. They also own the channel Impact is on. So maybe shut up if you don't know what you're on about.
Mr. Corgan has been able to enact his vision with the NWA.... and it's gradually growing back. It was X-tra hard for them when the government lockdowns halted their show.... but the present shows are quite entertaining, and short enough to be digestible.
I remember this era of TNA 😂😂😂 I’m so glad I stayed watching TNA full time tho, or I’d of missed The Broken Universe, and that was one of my fav eras of any wrestling show.
Love the part when you say "TNA had run out of money" when you turn back the clock 5 years later and it wasn't really an issue paying guys and old legends big contracts like crazy and they had a STACK roster too 🤣🤣 glad they're doing kinda fine to this day but this was hysterical.
Met Sgt Chris Melendez at an indy show. I was doing merch and after the show some of the guys came over to tthe booth. Super nice guy! he gave me a ring worn shirt that I still have, he signed it for me too this was a Clarksville, TN show
The amount of starpower TNA had in 2016 looking back was wild. The most popular act in wrestling at the time in the broken Hardyz, Galloway, Lashley, LA Knight, EC3
The Destination America era was such a mess (But, the station would actually air previous PPV during all different times of the day/night) The Pop tv era was solid overall despite all the drama online regarding TNA going bankrupt every couple of days) TNA/Impact has outlived both WCW & ECW that alone is surreal (Billy Corgan had some cool ideas in TNA but, the Wrestling business tried to take advantage of him Corgan had some sort of pull to use Marilyn Manson & Hole music on TNA shows which is also very impressive… People knock NWA but, there last PPV 75 was actually really good he also signed a deal with The CW (Which doesn’t mean as much as it could’ve since The CW is no longer tied with WB ) but, despite what certain critics/insiders say the best Pro Wrestling in 2023 is the indie scene i guess both the NWA and Impact Wrestling are consider indie territories
Why does every start up company that has debuted since 2001 immediately start like from day one the game plan seems to be …… “all right we finally got enough money to get this thing going. We want to get a better deal and we want to grow the audience in one day we want to be as big as WWE, so we can’t fuck this up……… so everyone go home tonight and watch WCW from mid 1999 all the way through 2001 when they shut down and we’re going to make that our product” Watching this video that’s exactly what it reminded me of. It reminded me of Vince Russo‘s WCW. Holy shit this was terrible.
These are the forgettable years that i didn't bother watching. TNA lost me at the Hogan/Bischoff era, the Aces and Eights storyline, and Dixie becoming an onscreen character
From 2014 to 2017 it always seemed like TNA was on the verge of going down for good, but somehow they always managed to stay afloat. So damn impressive.
As an Indian from India,I'm surprised that u mentioned "Ring ka king",lmao i forgot that it existed but shout out to you brah you a real wrasslin guru👍🏽
This is actually the time frame that I tried to watch tna and I gave up quick on the program. Inconsistent storyline and poor choices to sign all the wwe guys and screw over the tna guys. They had AJ Styles and f'ed up. Like Amber Heard levels of crapping the bed. I tried watching again but can't find it and won't pay for extra networks. Anyways......cheers for the efforts and recaps, and glad you have the company to share your passion about.
I remember following TNA when it was in its hay day and pretty much because I was a massive Jeff hardy mark so when he went and sat on that cage I was all over it. I stopped watching wrestling around the twice in a lifetime story on wwe because I just didn’t find it interesting anymore but around 2016 I decided to give wrestling a go again but unfortunately I came back just as Daniel brian retired and the storylines were poor (dolph ziggler summer Rae and Tyler breeze love triangle, star dust and the big dog every week) so I decided to see how Tna was doing as it was on free tv in the uk only to find it was the tournament replays and I was so confused and genuinely thought that was what Tna had become. I think big money Matt actually won me back over because I always like Matt hardy in some way and EC3 to me was fresh and genuinely looked like someone who booked right could carry the company. Unfortunately the wheels came off again and I just couldn’t watch the show anymore. I do watch NWA but that is pretty much where my following of smaller companies goes now.
I have been a fan of TNA/Impact since the start but their have been some hits an misses over the years. I watch time to time this time in TNA/Impact an their were a lot of problems I did like the Beat Down Crew which would be the WWE's hurt business. I loved The Broken Matt Hardy Stuff an Bobby Lashley was AMAZING. Eli Drake was AMAZING AS WELL an it tells a lot about LA Knight looking at how over he is. The money problems with the company is just crazy an for ratings TNA was still good in the ratings on Spike it's crazy how they stop the programming. Billy Corgan, you can truly tell he is a fan an RESPECTS THE WORLD OF WRESTLING. I remember when Smashing Pumpkins was on an episode of ECW back in the day. NWA is a perfect example how Corgan has a lot of respect for wrestling. AWESOME VID AS ALWAYS ❣
Oh yeah Pop used to be TV Guide network so it had TV Guide stuff on the bottom for some of it. Also I remember watching TNA as a kid in 2016 and I remember hating Bennett as a heel. They honestly should have put the strap on him. I left after they cockteased a tv fight for the belt only for it breakdown and move to PPV. The best part for me was the one TV match between Jeff and Matt where Jeff did that high spot that was great.
So many good things and people happened during this time think you are underselling the turn around when they went to pop. Drew Galloway, Eli Drake, Moose, Lashley, Decay, Broken Hardys, Hot Mess,Cody Rhodes. All people still at the top of the industry or that had an effect on it
Your channel makes me want to go back and watch old school TNA for the first time. It also makes me want to watch new school TNA for the first time. Basically, makes me want to watch TNA for the first time.
You could have shown the few weeks where the shows had so many money problems that they had to cut out and censor theme songs cause they couldn't pay for them anymore.
Usually when you’re a kid almost any wrestling seems like good wrestling, yet somehow as a kid, and I wasn’t even on social media, I knew this just wasn’t good wrestling
Watching the company during this time was just sad to watch. And for my time to watch as a wrestling fan it wasn't good. From me slowly stopping watching WWE, to seeing Impact look like a hallowed-out fruit and me having trouble trying to watch NJPW & other indies, yeah, 2016 was the year I nearly gave up watching wrestling for good. The biggest positive of Impact in 2016 was either the Broken Matt Saga or EC3.
The little promos in the bottom right for other shows on the network really say a lot about Destination America. There was BBQ Pit Wars, Exorcism: LIVE!, and who knows what else. These are the shows the network was giving money to while knowing they weren't going to renew TNA.
Oh yeah, and imo, main reason Grado in America didn’t work was because how much it would’ve cost to play Like a Dream… that was his theme song over here
@@Markyd123 I’d say he’s more of a straight up entertainer/comedy wrestler who just didn’t fit TNA at the time, went All In earlier this year and I was well happy to see him there!
@@Markyd123 I think the booking and story lines were consistent. This was the era were websites was praising them over WWE for the booking. Losing tv was unfortunate but had nothing to do with the product just the management.
Feels like bill corgin had tna headed in the right direction and the majority corporate owners thought they could get all the credit and eventually ruined the show when they took control...typical
@petesmart1983 I remember Grado wasn't like a Hulk Hogan of TNA. Popularity wise. But he was like a Hulk Hogan of comedy wrestling. And when Grado got fired from TNA I didn't follow it. Until WWE Network aired UK indy shows. I saw Grado on there and I feel like I wouldn't have cared about Grado or ICW if it weren't for Grado in TNA. He was great. He kind of made wrestling fun again. Even though he mainly did comedy in TNA. 😀🌈🦄
6:30 So, he pushed Mickey into a tram and then sent her baby of the ramp, while in her pram!! Just so he could sit there, eating Spam, straight out of the can, with some Raspberry Jam, so at the same time, he could read Green Eggs and Ham. Holey shit!!!!!! What a scam, or FlimFlam
You should be happy. Apparently Impact Wrestling is going back to being TNA again in January. If they can pick up a few of the WWE rejects and some of the wrestlers whose AEW contracts are ending, maybe the resurgence of the company can be consolidated.
It's amazing how much more chaotic 2017 managed to be. Straight up killing TNA, briefly merging with Global Force, Bruce Pritchard and Jim Cornette both briefly stopping by, firing Jeff Jarrett, un-merging with Global Force, covering up the GFW logos on all the titles, getting sued by Jeff Jarrett, and everything involving Alberto el Patron.
Lots of dodgey wrestlers, qanon wrestlers like tyrus and tessmacher, guys with bad attitudes like ec3,ares and low ki etc. Company was at its worse, although pretty much a big indy company now and much better to watch today
@@whyphy2213 He didn't. It's a label people slap on anyone with an opinion right of MSNBC in order to devalue them as people. In reality, he can't name one talking point that they espouse that's from QAnon. Tyrus is a frequent guest on the Gutfeld show, which is a badly written program on FOX news. News flash, pendejo. Just because you don't like their political affiliation doesn't mean that they're wacked out conspiracy theorists like Paul London or Brian Kendrick.
I think it was safe to say that in 2016 I was getting bored of watching WWE and that's why I was starting to watch TNA when they moved to pop TV in early 2016 and started watching it a lot from then on 🤔
I actually enjoyed this period. WWE was sucking at the time and tna had some serious talent going on. It started falling apart in 2016, if Corgan had control they would have been better off. If you compare the roster from this time period compared to today, it’s not even close. They have no star power right now…the biggest names are who? Bully Ray and Trinity?? It’s hard to get invested in their current product.
Corgan should have done a story line about a former girlfriend asking her ex to for a hitman to find and kill her infamously famous, soon to be, ex-husband.
I LOVED TNA so much for better or worst. I held on during this era. When Jarrett returned and tried to rebrand it as GFW....worst name for a company ever, I finally tapped. Took 2 years to even give a remote chance to Impact. I'll never not call it TNA btw
