TOTAL NONSTOP ACTION WRESTLING


'Total Nonstop Action Wrestling' ('TNA') is an American professional wrestling promotion founded by Jeff Jarrett and his father Jerry Jarrett in May 2002. The current majority share owner is Panda Energy International.[1] The company, which trades as 'TNA Entertainment, LLC', operates out of Nashville, Tennessee, with an office in Orlando, Florida.
Upon its formation, TNA was a member of the National Wrestling Alliance, with the company known as 'NWA Total Nonstop Action'. TNA was granted exclusive rights to both the NWA World Heavyweight Championship and the NWA World Tag Team Championship. TNA withdrew from the NWA in 2004, but was permitted to continue to use the championships until the NWA abrogated the agreement in May 2007.[2]
TNA is the first American promotion to exclusively use a hexagonal ring as opposed to the more conventional four-sided ring. The organization also employs the unconventional rule that a championship can change hands as the result of a disqualification or countout. In addition, two separate entrance ramps are used for heels and faces.
Like its rival WWE, TNA is also currently under investigation by the United States House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform regarding their talent wellness policy, after the death of professional wrestler Chris Benoit possibly being linked to steroid abuse. Congress wants WWE's info on steroids, doping . TNA has no anti-steroid policy regarding their talent. [3]

Contents
History
The beginning—weekly pay-per-view shows
TNA Impact!
Expansion
Celebrity involvement
Style
X Division
Championships
Current champions
Creative team
Authority figures
Management Director
TNA Today
History
References
External links

History


The beginning—weekly pay-per-view shows

The NWA TNA logo (2002)

After World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) purchased World Championship Wrestling, it became the largest and most influential professional wrestling company in the United States and this prompted Jerry Jarrett and his son Jeff Jarrett to start a new wrestling company, named 'JSports & Entertainment', in May 2002 in conjunction with the National Wrestling Alliance and with HealthSouth as their financing partner.[4] In October 2002, Panda Energy International bought the controlling interest in the project and replaced HealthSouth after they pulled out due to financial problems.[4] The company was renamed TNA Entertainment.
The original TNA business model was different from that employed by WWE in several key ways. By not touring like other major federations have done, TNA was able to keep costs down. Until the introduction of the syndicated show, ''TNA Xplosion'', in late 2002, TNA's weekly show was provided over pay-per-view to act as their main source of revenue, in place of monthly pay-per-view events used by other promotions.[6] These shows started on June 19 2002 and were held mostly at the Nashville Fairgrounds to lower production costs.[7] Although the weekly TNA shows were priced at much less than the monthly WWE events, they achieved low buy rates. After 27 months, TNA felt that they had a fanbase that would support three-hour pay-per-views and ceased their weekly shows on September 8 2004.[8] TNA held its first three-hour monthly pay-per-view, Victory Road, on November 7 2004.
TNA Impact!

Main articles: TNA Impact!

The Impact! Zone, where TNA currently holds most of its televised shows

TNA began airing ''TNA Impact!'' on June 4 2004 on Fox Sports Net and it soon replaced the weekly pay-per-views as their primary broadcast while the monthly events became the main source of revenue.[9] The contract was not renewed one year later with the show getting consistent low ratings. This left TNA with no television deal other than the monthly pay-per-views, so on July 1 2005, TNA turned to broadcasting ''Impact!'' from their official website, while seeking a new television outlet.[10][11] TNA would finally secure a deal with Spike TV and air its first episode on October 1 2005.[12] Since the move, ''Impact!'' achieved considerably higher ratings and was moved twice, now having a primetime slot on Thursdays.
Expansion

Apart from their weekly shows, TNA started running house shows on March 17 2006[13] and in October, TNA started holding some of their monthly pay-per-views outside of their central filming location. TNA has also expanded into other areas with the development of a video game with Midway Games, titled ''TNA Impact!'', scheduled for release in 2008.[14] In April 2006, TNA announced a partnership with YouTube that would see TNA supply YouTube with exclusive video content in exchange for hosting, leading to the production of internet shows. In January 2007, TNA's mobile content deal with New Motion, Inc. led to the introduction of TNA Mobile and mobile fan voting.[15]
In August 2007, live events coordinator Craig Jenkins stated that TNA intended to expand ''Impact!'' to two hours by October 2007 and to stage eight pay-per-views and 96 house shows outside Orlando, Florida in 2008.[16]
Celebrity involvement

Since its inception, several celebrities have appeared with TNA in a variety of roles.

★ The inaugural show featured country musician Toby Keith and NASCAR drivers Hermie Sadler and Sterling Marlin, with Sadler later wrestling several matches.[17][18]

★ September 2002 – Actor Dustin Diamond competed in a boxing bout.

★ October 2002 – Comedian Chris Rock, who was at the TNA Asylum filming a scene for ''Head of State'', was interviewed.18

★ January 2004 – Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher intervening in a match.[19]

★ July 2004 – ''NASCAR on FOX'' personality Jeff Hammond became a color commentator and wrestled two matches before departing in 2005.17 Basketball player Dennis Rodman accompanied the 3Live Kru to ringside during an episode of ''Impact!''.[20]

★ May 2005 – Mixed martial artist Tito Ortiz refereed a bout at Hard Justice. He returned in October 2005, refereeing a second match at Bound for Glory.[21][22]

★ December 2005 – Major League Baseball catcher A.J. Pierzynski served as a manager at Turning Point where he and outfielder Johnny Damon intervened in a match. Pierzynski returned in January 2007, beginning a brief "feud" with shortstop David Eckstein. Pierzynski also represented TNA on an episode of ''Cold Pizza'' in October 2006.[23][24][25]

★ February 2007 – Actor Steve Schirripa appeared as a purported relative of Team 3D. Wide receiver Andre Rison promoted ''Pros vs Joes'' in an in-ring interview before being "attacked" by Abyss.[26]

★ June 2007 – American footballers Frank Wycheck and Kyle Vanden Bosch appeared at Slammiversary, with Wycheck wrestling.

★ July 2007 – Suspended American footballer Pacman Jones signed a contract with the promotion.[27] In response the Titans organization sought a restraining order barring him from working with the company.[28] The Titans and TNA have since come to an agreement on Pacman participating with TNA.[29]

Style


TNA uses the professional wrestling style of sports entertainment with a balance of storylines and wrestling, popularized during the 1980s. The pay-per-view events often serve as a conclusion to storylines developed over the preceeding weekly shows. Different from other United States professional wrestling promotions, however, TNA utilizes a hexagonal ring and holds most of its events in a sound stage as opposed to an arena, presenting more of a regional promotion atmosphere. The TNA roster is divided into the typical heavyweight and tag team divisions and the X Division, all represented by respective championships.
X Division

Main articles: X Division

The high-flying, high risk style of wrestling had been one of the features of WCW and ECW. Rather than emphasizing the fact that most wrestlers who perform this style are under 220 lb (100 kg) by calling it a cruiserweight division, TNA decided to emphasize the high risk nature of the moves that these wrestlers perform. There is no upper weight limit on the X Division or its title, though in practice, most of the wrestlers in this division have been cruiserweights, with Samoa Joe, billed at 280 pounds, and Kurt Angle, billed at 250 pounds, being notable exceptions. To further emphasize this point, the slogan ''"It's not about weight limits, it's about no limits"'' is used to describe the division. Although it was de-emphasized throughout 2004, the X Division is generally regarded as one of the key attractions of TNA and was replicated in several independent promotions.
Championships

TNA originally recognized the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) World Heavyweight and World Tag Team Championships, in addition to the X Division Championship, the only championship created and owned exclusively by TNA. Traditionally, NWA World Champions regularly defended their titles against local contenders in the various NWA territories. This was rarely the case when TNA used the titles, with TNA leasing the titles from the NWA in order to free the champion from these obligations. Wrestlers who win all three titles are said to have won the TNA Triple Crown.
On May 13 2007, the NWA withdrew recognition of TNA's champions, leaving the two NWA titles vacant.2 New titles, the TNA World Heavyweight Championship and the TNA World Tag Team Championship, were created and unveiled later in that week. Along with this, TNA redesigned the X Division title belt.
TNA is now displaying the belts of the IGF's IWGP World Heavyweight Championship and NJPW's IWGP World Tag Team Championship on their shows. Both championships, which are non-TNA championships, are currently held by TNA wrestlers (Kurt Angle and Tomko, respectively). The IWGP World Heavyweight Championship was also defended at Hard Justice.
Current champions

Main articles: List of current champions in TNA

ChampionshipCurrent champion(s)Date won
TNA World Heavyweight ChampionshipKurt AngleJune 17 2007
TNA X Division ChampionshipKurt AngleAugust 12 2007
TNA World Tag Team ChampionshipKurt Angle and StingAugust 12 2007

Creative team


The creative team is headed by Jeff Jarrett and consists of Dutch Mantel and Vince Russo.[30] Prior to this, booking power was typically vested in the hands of a small number of people. Jeff and Jerry Jarrett were initially responsible for booking, followed by Dusty Rhodes, whilst Russo focused more on writing. At times, the position of booker has been coterminous with the on-screen position of Director of Authority.

Authority figures


Main articles: List of authority figures in professional wrestling#Total Nonstop Action Wrestling authority figures, l1=Total Nonstop Action Wrestling authority figures

When TNA first launched, the on-air authority figure was billed as a representative appointed by the National Wrestling Alliance. However, this was done for storyline purposes only and the actual "representatives" already worked in some capacity for TNA.
From February 19 2003, TNA had no active authority figure until July 23 2003 when Erik Watts made his return to TNA as the Director of Authority.[31] Watts started feuding with Don Callis, who was billed as TNA Management Consultant, ending with Watts forced to quit. On February 18 2004, TNA named Vince Russo the new Directory of Authority, a position he would hold until November 7 2004 when he was defeated and replaced by Dusty Rhodes.
The NWA Championship Committee, established in 2004, was a group of wrestling veterans who acted as arbitrators, determining a winner in the event of a time-limit draw. The committee consisted of Harley Race, Larry Zbyszko and Terry Funk, with Funk later being replaced by Roddy Piper without ever having appeared on TNA television. After Race and Piper left TNA, the Committee essentially ceased to exist as a physical on-screen body, although Zbyszko continued to be referred to as a member of the committee.
In October 2005, Larry Zbyszko began to repeatedly reference an ambiguous authority within TNA known only as "TNA Management". "TNA Management" has, in the past, been represented by "special referee" Earl Hebner, "consultant" Dave Hebner and "messenger" Christy Hemme. The current face of "TNA Management" was revealed at Slammiversary 2006 to be Jim Cornette, who has been called the "Management Director" in press releases following that pay-per-view.
Management Director


★ 'Jim Cornette' (July 16 2006 – Present)

★
★ 'Matt Morgan' – ''Bodyguard/Enforcer'' (August 9 2007 – Present)

TNA Today


'''TNA Today''' is a free online professional wrestling program produced by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). It is hosted by TNA interviewer Jeremy Borash, with occasional appearances by color commentator Don West. The show purports to feature "exclusive footage, interviews, previews, reviews, news updates, merchandise deals and more," and is, in fact, used as a supplement to TNA's main program, ''iMPACT!'', and is used to further angles, debut wrestlers, and advertise merchandising deals (generally good for one day). It also features matches culled from ''Xplosion''.
TNA Today claims to be "the most viewed daily internet program in the world." Although they provide no proof, many believe it to be true as TNA Today is almost always on the Most Watched Videos list on YouTube.
History

Before the debut of ''TNA Today'', TNA had a number of other internet exclusive shows, including ''TNA Global Impact!'' and and audio only podcasts. In 2007, the company debuted "Hot News Updates" on their websites, which eventually came together as TNA Today. The show is mostly hosted on YouTube, though for a short time the TNA account was suspended for unspecified reasons and the show was uploaded to MySpace TV until the suspension was lifted.

References


1. TNA News: New group makes offer to buy controlling interest in TNA from Panda Energy Keller, Wade
2. NWA/Trobich strips TNA/Cage/Team 3-D of NWA branded Championships
3. Full Congress Letter To TNA and TNA's Early Response
4. The Story of the Development of NWATNA: A New Concept in Pay-Per-View Programming, , Jerry, Jarrett, , ,
5. The Story of the Development of NWATNA: A New Concept in Pay-Per-View Programming, , Jerry, Jarrett, , ,
6. Press Release: Jarretts and NWA announce weekly PPVs
7. Austin removed from video game cover, NWA/TNA moving to a new arena, more
8. Interview with Jerry Jarrett Wojcik, Alan
9. NWA: TNA’s TV deal officially signed, Latest on Hirohito angle, WWE trademarks Gray, Richard
10. TNA Officially via Bit Torrent
11. TNA Reaches Deal With Real Broadcast Network To Stream "iMPACT!" News
12. Breaking News: Spike TV confirms deal with TNA in press release Cantor, Brian
13. TNA Announces First Ever House Show
14. Midway Acquires Exclusive Worldwide Videogame Rights to TNA Wrestling
15. TNA Wrestling Announces Mobile Content Deal - Details
16. Benoit case could slam promoter growth plans Marvez, A.
17. Impact looks to hook racing fans Johnson, S.
18. Pacman Catching up on NWA-TNA Abreu, D.
19. NWA TNA Preview Wheeler, N.
20. Ron Killings Milner, J.
21. Countdown to TNA Hard Justice Waldman, J.
22. Countdown to TNA Bound for Glory Waldman, J.
23. Impact: Baseball becomes basebrawl Sokol, C.
24. Orton used to running with big dogs Baines, T.
25. Christian retains belt Against All Odds Sokol, C.
26. Impact: Ladders and a Belting Pot Sokol, C.
27. Pacman Jones, TNA apparently close to deal
28. Titans intend to block Pacman's wrestling appearance
29. Titans, Jones agree to modified wrestling restrictions
30. Update On The TNA Creative Team, & More Notes
31. Full NWA TNA PPV Results - 7/23/03 Adam Martin

External links



★ TNAEurope.com (TNA Europe fansite)

★ TNA action figures database

★ TNA Community MySpace

★ Xtreme Regime (TNA Community website)

★ TNA In Youtube

★
★ TNA Today 2007 quick results at CygyWrestling.com

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