20 Years of IMPACT: 2010

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The game changed on January 4, 2010. Hulk Hogan arrived in TNA. In one of the most hotly anticipated episodes of IMPACT ever, the world was watching as “The Immortal” Hulk Hogan stepped inside the IMPACT Zone for the first time. On the same night as “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair also made his debut and “The Charismatic Enigma” Jeff Hardy returned for the first time since 2006, Hulk Hogan walked out to both an explosive reaction from the crowd and an explosive amount of pyro. TNA would never be the same again as Scott Hall and Sean Waltman confronted Hogan, which drew out Kevin Nash and yet another new face – Eric Bischoff. Unresolved issues from the past 15 years of wrestling were once again rearing their head and it would dominate TNA for the years to come.

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20 Years of IMPACT: 2009

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Feeling that they didn’t get the respect they deserved, The Main Event Mafia decided to take it by force in 2009. Sting, Kurt Angle, Booker T, Kevin Nash and Scott Steiner declared war on the young stars of TNA. AJ Styles, Samoa Joe, The Motor City Machine Guns, Eric Young, Petey Williams and more banded together with the support of Team 3D to form the TNA Frontline – the first wall of defense against the Main Event Mafia. Angle and company used mob tactics to attack the TNA originals, including taking out Petey Williams. This didn’t align with Sting’s vision of the Main Event Mafia however. While Sting was willing to fight for the respect he felt they had earned as legends, Angle’s willingness to push the violence too far left him uneasy. The Main Event Mafia took over IMPACT on January 29, with Booker T and Kevin Nash on commentary as well as Scott Steiner as ring announcer.

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20 Years of IMPACT: 2008

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You know they say that all years of TNA are created equal, but you look at 2008 and you look at all the other years and you can see that statement is not true. See, normally if you go one on one with another year, you got a 50/50 chance of winning. But 2008 is a genetic freak and it’s not normal! So you got a 25%, AT BEST, at beating 2008. Then you add all other years to the mix, your chances of winning drastic go down. See the 3 way at Sacrifice, you got a 33 1/3 chance of winning, but I, I got a 66 and 2/3 chance of winning, because all other years KNOWS they can’t beat 2008 and they’re not even gonna try!

So all other years, you take your 33 1/3 chance, minus 2008’s 25% chance and you got an 8 1/3 chance of winning at Sacrifice. But then you take 2008’s 75% chance of winning, if we was to go one on one, and then add 66 2/3 per cents, 2008 has got 141 2/3 chance of winning at Sacrifice. See all other years, the numbers don’t lie, and they spell disaster for you at Sacrifice.

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20 Years of IMPACT: 2007

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The Knockouts Division was born in 2007. After years of the likes of Gail Kim, Traci Brooks, Roxxi, Trinity, Alexis Laree, Desire, Jackie Moore, Christy Hemme and more fighting for the right to a division, the Knockouts Championship was finally introduced at Bound For Glory. That night ten women including staples like Gail, Jackie, Traci, Christy and Roxxi as well as newcomers like Angelina Love, Velvet Sky, ODB and Awesome Kong competed in a Gauntlet for the right to make history. Gail Kim ultimately pinned Roxxi to become the first ever Knockouts Champion but a rivalry with Awesome Kong was looming. The monstrous and imposing Kong defeated Gail in her debut prior to Bound For Glory and proved to be the first Champion’s greatest opponent. Their matches were pure dynamite as the underdog Gail fought for her life against the dominant Kong. Their matches defined what the Knockouts Division would be all about.

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20 Years of IMPACT: 2006

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Sting arrived in TNA to rapturous applause at Final Resolution. The building absolutely exploded as Sting teamed with Christian Cage to face Jeff Jarrett and Monty Brown. The iMPACT! Zone erupted into chants of “You’ve still got it!” as The Stinger looked like he was never gone. That match would be the springboard to help Christian defeat Jarrett to become NWA World Champion the following month at Against All Odds. The fans rushed the ring to hold their new hero on their shoulders as the iMPACT! Zone truly became the Peep’s Zone.

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20 Years of IMPACT: 2005

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The X-Division reached another level in 2005. AJ Styles recaptured the X-Division Championship in an all-time classic Ultimate X match against Petey Williams and Chris Sabin at Final Resolution, as all three took the high-wire spectacle to new limits with death-defying high risk moves. From there one of the defining feuds of not just 2005 but all of TNA history began. AJ Styles defended the title against Christopher Daniels in a 30 Minute Iron Match at Against All Odds.

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20 Years of IMPACT: 2004

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2004 was all about new eras of TNA. First, the iMPACT! television show launched on June 4 as TNA reached a whole new audience. TNA said farewell to The Asylum in September after calling Nashville home for two years, with iMPACT! emanating from the iMPACT! Zone in Orlando going forward. And in November, TNA presented its very first Sunday three hour pay-per-view event – Victory Road. With all those historic landmarks, Jeff Jarrett was more desperate for power and control than ever.

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20 Years of IMPACT: 2003

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The NWA represented honor and respect and tradition in professional wrestling. That’s the legacy NWA World Heavyweight Champion Jeff Jarrett looked to carry on into 2003 in TNA. But one force opposed him, one group that stood against those values in every way – Vince Russo’s Sports Entertainment Xtreme. Russo recruited stars like Triple X, Chris Sabin, Glenn Gilbertti, Sonny Siaki, Mike Sanders and more to take control of TNA by force. Interrupting broadcasts, ruining anticipated matches – they’d do anything to destroy the traditions of the NWA. While Jarrett was the focal point of the resistance, soon a leader would arrive to ally with Russo and become Jarrett’s biggest rival.

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20 Years of IMPACT: 2002

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“Tonight, a very special evening, it’s an evening that revolves around history and history on so many fronts.” With those words Mike Tenay ushered in a new era of professional wrestling as NWA-TNA presented it’s first ever show on June 19, 2002 from The Von Braun Center in Huntsville, Alabama. In a building named after the man who helped us reach the moon, TNA launched a different kind of odyssey. An odyssey that over the twenty years to follow would feature some of the biggest names, brightest stars and most memorable moments in professional wrestling. On that night legendary names like Scott Hall, Ken Shamrock, Jeff Jarrett, Dory Funk Jr. and Ricky Steamboat joined forced with young upstarts like AJ Styles, Chris Harris, James Storm and Ron Killings to lay the foundation for a whole new wrestling experience.

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Book Update: Dan Severn

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When NWA-TNA was formed in 2002, Dan “The Beast” Severn was the reigning NWA World Heavyweight Champion. He was stripped of his title, which was then won by Ken Shamrock, whom I also interviewed, at the first ever NWA-TNA pay-per-view. What are Dan’s thoughts on this and why wasn’t he part of NWA-TNA? You’ll find out in my book because I had the pleasure of speaking with Dan about this. He shared with me his candid thoughts on the situation, Jeff Jarrett, Ken Shamrock, and more.