Total Nonstop Action Wrestling facts for kids
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Trade name
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NWA: Total Nonstop Action (2002–2004) Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2004–2017, 2024–present) Impact Wrestling (March 2017–June 2017, September 2017–January 2024) Global Force Wrestling (June 2017–September 2017) |
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Formerly
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J Sports & Entertainment, LLC (2002) TNA Entertainment, LLC (2002–2016) Impact Ventures, LLC (2015–2016) |
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| Industry | Professional wrestling Streaming media |
| Founded | May 10, 2002 in Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Founders | Jeff Jarrett Jerry Jarrett Bob Ryder |
| Headquarters |
Nashville, Tennessee
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U.S.
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Area served
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Worldwide |
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Key people
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| Products |
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| Parent | Anthem Sports & Entertainment |
| Divisions | TNA+ TNA Wrestling Home Video |
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (often called TNA Wrestling or just TNA) is a professional wrestling company from Nashville, Tennessee, in the United States. It is part of a Canadian company called Anthem Sports & Entertainment.
TNA was started by Jeff Jarrett and Jerry Jarrett in 2002. This happened after another big wrestling company, World Championship Wrestling (WCW), closed down in 2001. When it first began, TNA was known as NWA: Total Nonstop Action (NWA-TNA). It worked with the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA).
In 2004, the company changed its name to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. Even though it was no longer officially part of the NWA, TNA still used the NWA's World Heavyweight and Tag Team championships for a while. In 2007, TNA created its own championships, like the TNA World Heavyweight and TNA World Tag Team titles.
Anthem Sports & Entertainment bought TNA in early 2017. In March 2017, the company changed its name to Impact Wrestling, named after its main TV show. The company went back to being called TNA in January 2024.
For many years, TNA was seen as the second-biggest wrestling company in the United States, right after WWE. Many wrestlers from the old WCW who didn't go to WWE joined TNA.
Around 2017, some people thought Impact Wrestling was not as popular as it used to be. This was partly because it lost its TV deal with Spike TV in 2014. By 2019, Impact Wrestling seemed to be doing better. This was thanks to its TV shows being shown around the world and its parent company buying AXS TV, which then showed Impact's programs.
When All Elite Wrestling (AEW) started in 2019, TNA became the third-largest wrestling company in the U.S. This is because AEW got a big TV deal that reached more homes than AXS TV.
Contents
History of TNA
How TNA Started (2002–2004)
The idea for TNA came about after World Championship Wrestling (WCW) closed in 2001. This left the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) as the only major wrestling company. Bob Ryder, Jeff Jarrett, and Jerry Jarrett talked about starting a new wrestling company.
Bob Ryder suggested a company that would show its events directly on pay-per-view instead of relying on regular TV. In July 2002, Vince Russo joined the team to help write and produce the shows. Russo is said to have come up with the name "Total Nonstop Action." The company's initials, "TNA," were a playful reference to "T&A." The goal was to create a wrestling product that was more exciting than WWE.
At first, TNA had weekly pay-per-view shows. These shows were their main way of making money. Most of these early shows took place at the Tennessee State Fairground Sports Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. Fans called this place the "TNA Asylum."
In October 2002, a company called Panda Energy International bought most of TNA. Dixie Carter became the president of TNA Entertainment in 2003. TNA also launched Xplosion in November 2002. This was TNA's first regular cable TV show. It showed special matches and interviews with TNA wrestlers. The last weekly pay-per-view show was on September 8, 2004. There were 111 weekly pay-per-views in total.
Growing Popularity (2004–2009)
In May 2004, TNA started a new weekly TV show called Impact!. This show was filmed at Universal Studios Florida in a place called the "Impact Zone." Impact! was shown on Fox Sports Net (FSN). With this new show, TNA started using a six-sided wrestling ring. They also added a "Fox Box" on screen to show wrestlers' names and match times. This made the show feel more like a real sport.
In June 2004, TNA made a deal with Toy Biz to create action figures and playsets. These toys were released between 2005 and 2007. TNA stopped having weekly pay-per-views and started having monthly pay-per-view events instead. The first monthly event was Victory Road in November 2004.
TNA's TV deal with Fox Sports ended in May 2005. For a short time, Impact! was shown online. On September 11, 2005, TNA held its Unbreakable pay-per-view. This event is famous for a three-way match for the TNA X Division Championship. The match featured AJ Styles, Christopher Daniels, and Samoa Joe. A wrestling journalist named Dave Meltzer gave this match a rare 5-star rating. It was the first time a TNA match received such a high rating.
Later that year, TNA got a new TV deal with Spike TV. Impact! first aired on Spike TV on October 1, 2005. Many famous wrestlers joined TNA during its time on Spike TV, from 2005 to 2009. These included Kevin Nash, Rhino, Christian Cage, Sting, Scott Steiner, Kurt Angle, Booker T, and Mick Foley.
In April 2006, TNA started a YouTube channel. It showed clips from Impact! and other special videos. TNA also began holding some of its pay-per-view events outside of Florida, starting with Bound for Glory in October 2006.
From 2007 to 2008, TNA started touring in Europe. They held shows in Portugal, England, Germany, Scotland, and Ireland. These tours were very popular and many shows sold out. In February 2008, Jakks Pacific announced a deal to make TNA action figures starting in 2010.
On September 9, 2008, the TNA Impact! video game was released. On October 23, 2008, TNA began showing its programs in HD. They also got a new HD set for Impact! with new lights and big screens. In June 2009, TNA launched an online video service where fans could watch old pay-per-views.
New Leaders and Challenges (2010–2016)
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- Top: Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff helped with the creative side of TNA from 2010 to 2013. During this time, Dixie Carter (who was TNA President from 2002 to 2017) also appeared on TV.
- Bottom: With Hogan and Bischoff, TNA changed its main show to Impact Wrestling and brought back the four-sided ring.
In October 2009, TNA President Dixie Carter hired famous wrestling stars Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff. Hulk Hogan first appeared on Impact! on January 4, 2010. Both Hogan and Bischoff worked behind the scenes to help create the shows.
Under their leadership, TNA made several changes in 2010. They went back to using a four-sided ring. Impact! also started airing on Monday nights at the same time as WWE Raw. This was the first time two major wrestling shows went head-to-head since 1995. However, Impact! later moved back to Thursday nights. During this time, many new wrestlers like Ric Flair, Rob Van Dam, and Mr. Anderson joined TNA. Jeff Hardy also returned.
On July 2, 2010, TNA held a live show at MCU Park. This show had 5,550 fans, which was the biggest crowd for a TNA live show in the United States at that time.
On May 3, 2011, the Impact! TV show changed its name to Impact Wrestling. In November 2011, TNA announced that Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) would be its official training ground for new wrestlers. In 2012, Panda Energy sold its share of TNA. Dixie Carter then bought that share, making her the main owner of TNA.
In March 2013, TNA started filming Impact at different places around the United States instead of just at Universal Studios. They also introduced a new HD stage for all their weekly shows. In November, TNA ended its partnership with OVW.
TNA also started working with a Japanese wrestling company called Wrestle-1 in July 2013. Many well-known wrestlers started to leave TNA between 2013 and 2014. Hulk Hogan's contract ended in October 2013. AJ Styles left in December because he couldn't agree to a new contract that would cut his pay. TNA founder Jeff Jarrett also left the company but kept a small share. Other long-time TNA wrestlers like Sting, Christopher Daniels, and Samoa Joe also left.
In late July 2014, there were reports that Spike TV would not continue showing Impact Wrestling. TNA said they were still talking. Impact Wrestling moved to Wednesday nights in August. On January 7, 2015, Impact Wrestling moved to a new TV channel called Destination America.
In April 2015, Smashing Pumpkins singer Billy Corgan joined TNA to help with creative ideas and talent. In November 2015, TNA signed a deal with Pop TV to show Impact Wrestling. The show premiered on Pop TV on January 5, 2016. This show had a new HD set, graphics, and music. Many wrestlers like Kurt Angle, Eric Young, and Bobby Roode left TNA around this time.
In 2016, Billy Corgan became the new president of TNA. Dixie Carter became the chairwoman. In September 2016, Canada's Fight Network, owned by Anthem Sports & Entertainment, also bought a part of TNA.
Anthem Buys TNA and Changes Its Name (2017–2023)
Anthem Sports & Entertainment bought most of TNA. Dixie Carter left her role as chairwoman after 14 years. Anthem changed TNA's parent company name to Anthem Wrestling Exhibitions, LLC. Ed Nordholm became the president of this new company. Soon after, TNA was renamed Impact Wrestling.
In January 2017, Jeff Jarrett came back to TNA to help as a consultant. He was later promoted to executive producer. Many wrestlers like Drew Galloway, Matt Hardy, and Jeff Hardy left the company during this time.
In April 2017, Impact Wrestling announced it would "merge" with Jarrett's new company, Global Force Wrestling (GFW). For a short time, Impact Wrestling even changed its name to GFW in June. However, they stopped working with Jarrett in October, and the deal to buy GFW was never finished. During this time, Anthem launched the Global Wrestling Network, a new online service for watching wrestling videos.
Don Callis and Scott D'Amore became executive vice presidents in January 2018. They took charge of Impact Wrestling's daily operations. Under their leadership, the company went back to using a traditional four-sided ring. New wrestlers like Pentagón Jr. and Brian Cage also joined. The company also started working with Twitch to create new content.
Impact! moved to Pursuit Channel in January 2019. Two months later, Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) became Impact's training territory again. In May, Impact Plus replaced the Global Wrestling Network as the company's official streaming app. Impact! began airing on Anthem-owned AXS TV in October.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Impact Wrestling held its events without fans at Skyway Studios in Nashville from April 2020 to June 2021. During this time, Tessa Blanchard, who was the first woman to win the World Championship, was no longer with the company. Slammiversary saw the return of many wrestlers like The Motor City Machine Guns and Eric Young.
After an event in December 2020, Impact started working with All Elite Wrestling (AEW). This partnership lasted until October 2021. During this time, AEW wrestlers Kenny Omega and Christian Cage even held the Impact World Championship. In February 2021, Impact launched Before the Impact (BTI), and Xplosion was canceled. Impact also announced a new partnership with New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW).
Slammiversary 2021 was the first event where fans were allowed back since the pandemic started. In August, Impact ended its partnership with Twitch and started a new YouTube membership program called "Impact Wrestling Insiders."
In November 2022, Impact and DAZN made a deal to show some non-live shows on DAZN in many countries. On May 8, 2023, Impact announced its first shows ever in Australia. These shows took place on June 30 and July 1 in Wagga Wagga.
TNA Returns (2023–Present)
At the end of Bound for Glory on October 21, 2023, Impact announced that it would bring back the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) name. From October 26 to 28, Impact held events in Scotland and England. This was their first tour of the United Kingdom since 2015.
In December 2023, the company announced a new deal to release action figures starting in August 2024. The name change to TNA officially happened in January 2024. The first event under the TNA name was Hard To Kill. On February 7, 2024, Scott D'Amore left his position as President of TNA. Anthony Cicione took his place.
Where TNA Shows Happen
Weekly Pay-Per-Views (2002–2004)
From June 2002 to September 2004, TNA's weekly pay-per-view shows were mostly held at the Tennessee State Fairground Sports Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. This place was known as the "TNA Asylum." There were 111 weekly pay-per-views in total.
Impact! and Xplosion at Universal Studios (2004–2013)
From June 2004 to March 2013, TNA filmed its shows at Soundstage 21 at Universal Studios Florida. The company called this area the "Impact Zone." Pay-per-views were also held there until October 2006.
TNA started holding its own live shows, called house shows, on March 17, 2006. In 2007, TNA toured Europe for the first time, with shows in Portugal. In 2008, TNA wrestlers appeared in Japan. Later in 2008, TNA had its first tour of England, and most shows sold out. The company also toured Germany, Scotland, and Ireland in 2009, and France, Wales, and the United Arab Emirates in 2010.
In August 2007, TNA said it planned to have eight pay-per-views and 96 house shows outside of Florida in 2008. In 2009, a house show at Wembley Arena in London broke TNA's attendance records. On July 2, 2010, MCU Park hosted a live TNA house show. This show had 5,550 fans, which was the biggest crowd for a TNA live show in the United States at that time.
Touring Outside the Impact Zone (2013–2017)
On January 31, 2013, TNA announced that it would start filming its shows in different places across the United States. The first live show was on March 14, in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. However, because it was expensive to film on the road, TNA returned to Universal Studios on November 21, 2013.
The company still filmed shows in other places sometimes. These included the Sands Casino Event Center in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and the Manhattan Center in New York City. They also toured places like Glasgow, Manchester, and London in January 2015.
In June 2017, the company, now called Impact Wrestling, held a show in India. This was the first time a major U.S. wrestling company held events in that country. After Bound for Glory 2017 in November 2017, Impact filmed some shows in Ottawa, Canada.
After Universal Studios (2018–Present)
After the 2018 Redemption pay-per-view, Impact Wrestling started touring again. They filmed shows in smaller venues in places like Windsor, Ontario, Toronto, Mexico City, New York City, and Las Vegas.
In 2019, Impact Wrestling held shows in many cities, including Philadelphia, Dallas, and Houston.
During the Pandemic
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Impact Wrestling filmed its shows without fans. These shows took place at Skyway Studios in Nashville, Tennessee, from April 2020 to June 2021. Starting with Slammiversary in July 2021, fans were allowed back at Skyway.
After the Pandemic
On October 23, 2021, Impact held its first event outside of Nashville in a year and a half. This was Bound for Glory, which took place near Las Vegas. After a short time in Las Vegas at the end of 2021, Impact started a full schedule of live touring in January 2022.
In March 2023, Impact held shows in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. These were their first shows outside the U.S. in three years. Many other shows were held across Canada throughout the year. Impact held its first shows in Australia on June 30 and July 1, 2023. From October 26 to 28, 2023, Impact held events in Scotland and England, marking their first United Kingdom tour since 2015.
On November 26, 2023, Impact worked with another wrestling company, Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA), to put on a big show in Monterrey, Mexico. This was Impact's first show in Mexico since 2019.
Special Features of TNA
X Division
The X Division is famous for its exciting, high-flying, and risky wrestling style. While many wrestlers in this division are lighter, TNA focuses on the amazing and daring moves they perform. Because of this, even heavier wrestlers like Samoa Joe (who weighs about 280 pounds), Kurt Angle (about 230 pounds), and Abyss (about 350 pounds) have competed in the X Division. The saying "It's not about weight limits, it's about no limits" has often been used to describe this division.
There were times when a weight limit was added to the X Division, like 225 pounds in August 2011, but these limits were usually removed later.
Six-Sided Ring
When TNA first started in June 2002, it used a regular four-sided wrestling ring. But in June 2004, when Impact! first aired, TNA switched to a unique six-sided ring. This six-sided ring was used until January 2010. It made a brief return for a special event in 2011. In 2014, after fans voted, the six-sided ring came back. TNA continued to use the six-sided ring until January 2018, when it went back to a traditional four-sided ring.
Knockouts
In TNA, "Knockout" is the name used for all its female talent. This includes female wrestlers, interviewers, and managers. The division started in 2002 with mostly female managers. It became a full women's wrestling division in 2007, known as the TNA Knockouts Division. Famous Knockouts include Gail Kim, Angelina Love, Velvet Sky, and Awesome Kong. They compete for titles like the TNA Knockouts World Championship and the TNA Knockouts World Tag Team Championship. Before, they were sometimes called the Women of TNA or Ladies of TNA.
Hall of Fame
The TNA Hall of Fame was created on May 31, 2012. Each year, special people are chosen to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. They are chosen based on their important contributions to TNA's history. On June 10, at Slammiversary 10, Sting was announced as the first person to enter the Hall of Fame. His official induction happened in October 2012 at Bound for Glory.
Partnerships with Other Companies
In early 2006, TNA started working with Hermie Sadler's United Wrestling Federation (UWF). This allowed UWF to use the TNA logo and the six-sided ring. TNA also started promoting its own live shows.
TNA has worked with several other wrestling companies over the years. Sometimes, championships from these other companies have been defended at TNA events. Some of these companies include:
- Mexico's Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) and The Crash
- Japan's Inoki Genome Federation (IGF), New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), Wrestle-1 (W-1), and Pro Wrestling Noah (Noah)
- United States' original Global Force Wrestling (another company started by Jeff Jarrett), OMEGA Championship Wrestling, and Evolve Wrestling.
TNA's first partnership with NJPW lasted from 2008 to 2011. TNA wrestlers would go to NJPW's big events in Japan, and NJPW sent wrestlers like Kazuchika Okada to TNA for training. The relationship became difficult for a while, but in February 2021, Impact re-established its partnership with NJPW.
On March 2, 2014, TNA worked with Wrestle-1 to put on a big show in Tokyo, Japan. Three TNA championships were defended there. However, this partnership ended in May 2015.
Since 2015, TNA has worked closely with Mexico's Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA). In 2018, they also announced a partnership with Lucha Underground, which allowed their wrestlers to appear on Impact shows. In April 2018, Impact and Lucha Underground held a sold-out show together. On November 26, 2023, Impact and AAA again worked together for a big show in Mexico.
Since 2018, Impact has also partnered with many smaller wrestling companies to put on live shows and special events.
Impact Wrestling started a partnership with All Elite Wrestling (AEW) in December 2020. Wrestlers and titles from AEW appeared on Impact shows. This partnership ended in October 2021.
On January 7, 2022, it was announced that Knockouts Champion Mickie James would enter the 2022 Royal Rumble match in WWE. Both WWE and Impact confirmed this, with WWE recognizing James as an Impact champion. Two years later, Knockouts Champion Jordynne Grace also entered the Royal Rumble.
Video Games
| Year | Title | Developer | Console |
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| Main series | |||
| 2008 | TNA Wrestling | Longtail Studios | Mobile phone, iOS |
| 2008 | TNA Impact! | Midway Studios Los Angeles | PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, PS2 |
| 2010 | TNA Impact!: Cross The Line | SouthPeak Games | PSP, Nintendo DS |
| 2011 | TNA Wrestling Impact! | Namco Networks | Mobile phone, iOS |
Championships and Accomplishments
As of July 5, 2025
Current Champions
Men's Division
Singles Titles
| Championship | Current champion(s) | Reign | Date won | Days held |
Location | Notes | Ref. | |
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| TNA World Championship | .jpg) |
Moose | 2 | January 13, 2024 | 539 | Paradise, Nevada | Defeated Alex Shelley at Hard To Kill. | |
| TNA X Division Championship |  |
Mustafa Ali | 1 | February 23, 2024 | 498 | Westwego, Louisiana | Defeated Chris Sabin at No Surrender | |
| TNA Digital Media Championship |  |
Laredo Kid | 1 | April 20, 2024 | 441 | Paradise, Nevada | Defeated Crazzy Steve on the Countdown to Rebellion pre-show. | |
Tag Team Titles
| Championship | Current champions | Reign | Date won | Days held |
Location | Notes | Ref. | |
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| TNA World Tag Team Championship |  .jpg) |
The System (Eddie Edwards and Brian Myers) |
1 (6, 2) |
March 8, 2024 | 484 | Windsor, Ontario, Canada | Defeated ABC (Ace Austin and Chris Bey) at Sacrifice | |
Knockouts (Women's) Division
Singles Titles
| Championship | Current champion | Reign | Date won | Days held |
Location | Notes | Ref. | |
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| TNA Knockouts World Championship | .jpg) |
Jordynne Grace | 3 | January 13, 2024 | 539 | Paradise, Nevada | Defeated Trinity at Hard To Kill. | |
Tag Team Titles
| Championship | Current champions | Reign | Date won | Days held |
Location | Notes | Ref. | |
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| TNA Knockouts World Tag Team Championship | .jpg) |
The System (Alisha Edwards and Masha Slamovich) |
1 (1, 3) |
May 3, 2024 | 428 | Albany, New York | Defeated Spitfire (Dani Luna and Jody Threat) at Under Siege. | |
Old Championships
Images for kids
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20th anniversary logo, used in 2022 while under the Impact Wrestling banner
