The hit list of names to win world titles in TNA created polarizing reputations. Great champions helped the company find success with names like AJ Styles and Kurt Angle standing at the top. Not every wrestler to win the world title had positive memories associated with their title reigns. Various stories from bad timing to poor booking to the talent not having the skill set for that role.
We will look at which names had strong promise when winning the TNA Championship but couldn’t make the most of it. Even some impressive wrestlers had weak title reigns that held them back from getting to another level. Find out what caused the disappointing memory along with how it impacted the wrestler’s future. These are ten failed TNA Champions that should have worked out.
10 Tessa Blanchard
It may be unfair to negatively judge Tessa Blanchard’s Impact Championship reign already, but her start has not been ideal. For one, Blanchard was accused of multiple horrible actions backstage from other women in wrestling during the weekend of her title shot.
The match with Sami Callihan was quite impressive to see her finally win the prize. Unfortunately, there was a negative association with her because of the aforementioned stories. The title run has not created the positive momentum Impact wanted from Tessa making history.
9 Chris Sabin
Chris Sabin was one of the most beloved homegrown stars by the time he was a title contender. The X-Division Championship reign of Sabin allowed him to cash in a TNA Championship title shot against Bully Ray as part of the storyline.
Fans loved the win of Sabin, but it only lasted a week before Bully won it back. The win did not help Sabin out in the long run despite having the readymade story of a fan favorite winning the big one after years of hard work. Sabin would leave TNA shortly after once his main event run wasn’t treated fairly.
8 Magnus
The heel character work of Magnus made him a hot commodity in TNA. AJ Styles not agreeing to a new contract saw Magnus receiving the moment of defeating him to win TNA Championship for the first time in his career.
The alliance with Dixie Carter saw Magnus forming a faction to protect him like The Authority in WWE at the time. Magnus’ title reign wasn’t the best and it hurt his standing in the company. TNA and Magnus parted ways not too longer after the world title reign didn’t work out for either side.
7 Alberto El Patron
The end of Alberto Del Rio’s second WWE stint saw him burning bridges with the company. TNA badly needed new top names and went for him under the new name of Alberto El Patron. The star power helped get them attention but not for the right seasons.
A suspension for Alberto forced TNA to have him relinquish the title without losing it. Making matters worse were the many negative stories about El Patron that came to light. An eventual decision to no-show events led to TNA firing him completely. Alberto never took them seriously and it showed with his commitment (or the lack thereof).
6 Eric Young
The journey of Eric Young in TNA saw him have just about every role possible from mid card to tag team, face to heel, and comedic to serious characters. Young finally received his main event opportunity in 2014 when defeating Magnus to win the TNA Championship
The fans reacted positively to the moment in person, but there was some negativity about it online. Young’s moment felt like a rip-off of Daniel Bryan winning the WrestleMania 30 main event days prior. The two looked alike with similar stories of an underdog needing two wins in one night to take home the gold.
5 Mick Foley
The signing of Mick Foley gave TNA another top legendary name to bring extra attention to the company. Foley originally found success with an authority figure role making matches and cutting promos to help with the star power.
TNA eventually turned him heel and had him enter a storyline with Sting going back to their WCW days. Foley won the TNA Championship but he failed to make a positive impact as expected. It felt like a lazy idea for ratings since Foley was past his prime many years after his biggest WWE retirement.
4 Jeff Hardy
Jeff Hardy won the TNA Championship on three occasions. The heel reigns were a disaster after Hulk Hogan tried to make his heel turn as effective as Hogan joining the New World Order. Hardy even formed the Immortal faction to move forward with the big plans.
Fans just never bought into Hardy as a heel since he was such a beloved character. The personal issues of Hardy also prevented him from finding more success in this TNA push. Hardy proved he couldn’t work as a top heel with the two failed title reigns as such a character.
3 Mr. Anderson
Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff had strong beliefs in Mr. Anderson becoming a top star when bringing him over to the new company. Anderson defeated Jeff Hardy and Sting at different points to have his two lackluster TNA Championship reigns.
Despite showing great potential in WWE, the injuries saw Anderson regress from his better days as a rising star. Anderson never felt like a credible world champion and it hurt TNA for investing that much time and money into. TNA eventually moved him into the mid-card picture for the rest of his run.
2 Rob Van Dam
The signing of Rob Van Dam was an exciting one for TNA. Van Dam was still known for performing at a high level towards the end of his WWE run and his style seemed like it would create classics with the TNA stars.
Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff believed in RVD enough to have him end AJ Styles’ title reign in a huge moment. Van Dam unfortunately lost a step and didn’t seem to care about TNA. The interviews during his title reign buried the younger stars even though the company didn’t grow with him as champion.
1 Samoa Joe
The TNA Championship chase of Samoa Joe was a huge storyline that fans invested into. Joe won the title a lot later than expected, but it was a great moment when finally defeating Kurt Angle. The show received the biggest PPV buy rate in TNA history.
Despite the numbers showing fans cared about Joe, TNA’s booking of his world title reign was a disappointment. The end came when Sting defeated him in a lackluster match. Joe lost his credibility as a world champion and never won the TNA Championship a second time.