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Total Nonstop Action Wrestling

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Total Nonstop Action Wrestling is an independent, American professional wrestling federation set up by Jeff and Jerry Jarrett, formerly run out of Memphis, Tennessee, and now running from Orlando, Florida. Until recently, TNA was a member of the National Wrestling Alliance and was also known as NWA:TNA. However, TNA has acquired the rights to use the NWA's World Heavyweight Championship and World Tag Team Championship belts until year 2014, and their champions will still be known as NWA champions.

Background

After the fall of World Championship Wrestling (WCW), there was still demand for southern-style pro wrestling, and cruiserweight wrestling, that Vince McMahon's World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) was not fulfilling; albeit it was a niche market. The federation began by recruiting many former WCW and Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) stars who didn't sign on to WWE.

While several companies attempted to fill this void, like World Wrestling Allstars, NWA:TNA has perhaps been the most successful. Some suspect its motivation was that Jeff Jarrett, the son of long-time wrestling promoter Jerry Jarrett, was unemployed after the collapse of WCW, and (because he defected from the WWF - now WWE - a year before WCW's collapse) was unable to find work with the McMahons.

Jerry Jarrett, along with Jerry Lawler, was an owner of the now-defunct United States Wrestling Association (USWA); a federation formed after the second attempt at Pro Wrestling USA and the resulting merger between the CWA (Continental Wrestling Association) (which he was also an owner of), and World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW).

X Division

The high-flying, high risk style of wrestling (derided by some as being 'spot-fests') had been one of the key reasons viewers turned in to WCW and ECW. Rather than emphasizing the fact that most wrestlers who perform this style are under 250 lb (115 kg) by calling it a "Cruiserweight division", TNA decided to emphasize the high risk nature of the moves these wrestlers perform. Thus a key attraction of TNA is the "X Division".

Business model

The TNA business model is different from that employed by the WWE and the former WCW in several key ways. By not touring like other major federations do, or have done, TNA has been able to keep its costs down.

Its original system of programing was comprised of weekly pay-per-view cable television shows. While it's not unusual for a federation to air a monthly pay-per-view (ECW, WWF/E, and WCW used to all follow this practice, and WWE continues to do so today), not having a weekly network, syndicated, or cable show at the beginning was a radical departure from the usual practice of televised wrestling federations. The weekly TNA PPVs was priced at $9.95 per week, much less than the monthly PPVs of its rivals. While this made it more difficult for TNA to pick up casual fans, it developed a small, hardcore viewership which loyally watched its product. After 111 weeks, TNA stopped the weekly PPV on September 8, 2004.

TNA started TNA Impact in June of 2004 on FOX Sports Net. TNA Impact, taped on Tuesdays at Universal Studios in Orlando, is broadcast at 4:00pm on FOX Sports Net in most markets. TNA purchases the one hour time slot from FOX Sports Net, with the monthly PPV earnings being their main source of income. Some say that TNA hopes they will be able to sell their weekly show and make a profit from that, rather than paying for the time slot. They were rumored to move TNA Impact to Monday nights on fX, going head-to-head with WWE RAW, but thusfar nothing has come of this. There was also talks of the TNA Impact show appearing on TSN in Canada but those negotiations have since gone down.

On Sunday November 7, 2004 TNA held their first Sunday three hour PPV event, TNA Victory Road from Universal Studios in Orlando. Featuring Jeff Jarrett and Jeff Hardy in the main event with appearances from Scott Hall, Roddy Piper and the debuts of Kevin Nash and Randy Savage, this was the first PPV since TNA changed their business model mid 2004. During the week after TNA Impact, TNA partnered with Fox Sports Net's The Best Damn Sports Show Period to create The Best Damn Wrestling Event Period. The specials, filmed at Universal Studios, featured wrestling matches and promoted TNA Wrestling's next PPV, TNA Turning Point. The success of these specials is said to be important to TNA's longevity.

On Sunday December 5, 2004 TNA Turning Point broadcast featuring footage filmed at Universal Studios Orlando between a few TNA wrestlers invading a commercial shoot for WWE's upcoming Royal Rumble PPV. The event also featured a spoof of Vince McMahon and Triple H invading the PPV and demanding that the footage be handed over to them (WWE has demanded the footage be handed over to them rather than aired, or legal action will be taken.) The event also featured an intense match between tag teams XXX and America's Most Wanted in a Six Sides of Steel Cage Match.

Current Total Nonstop Action championships

Title Notes: Current Champion(s)
NWA World Heavyweight Championship Jeff Jarrett
NWA World Tag Team Championship America's Most Wanted ("Tennesee Cowboy" James Storm and "Wildcat" Chris Harris)
TNA X Division Championship Christopher Daniels (Daniel Covell)
TNA/NWA Director of Authority Dusty Rhodes

Roster

Active wrestlers

TNA Girls

Injured

Prospects

  • Romeo

Factions/Tag Teams

  • 3 Live Kru (B.G. James/Konnan/Ron Killings)
  • America's Most Wanted (Chris Harris/James Storm)
  • Disciples of Destruction (Don Harris/Ron Harris)
  • Phi-Delta Slam (Big Tilly/Bruno Sassi)
  • Team Canada (Bobby Roode/Eric Young/Johnny Devine/Petey Williams/Alastair Ralphus/Scott D'Amore)
  • The Naturals (Andy Douglas/Chase Stevens)
  • The Outsiders (Kevin Nash/Scott Hall/Syxx-Pac)
  • D-Ray 3000/Shark Boy
  • Jerrelle Clark/Mikey Batts
  • Kid Kash/Lance Hoyt

Other On-Air Talent

External links:

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