When wrestling fans think of Impact Wrestling, most think about botched moves and poor storytelling, however, there was a point in time when the promotion was having success. During the 2000s, TNA was gaining a rather large following due to its innovative matches and willing fan participation.
The promotion would put on pay-per-views that constantly had fans on their feet. Wrestlers like AJ Styles and Samoa Joe rose to superstardom during this time period and fans were optimistic. Unfortunately, these good times did not last for the promotion, and looking back the 2000's were undoubtedly the golden days for TNA thanks to shows like these.
10 Final Resolution 2005
While the main event between Jeff Jarrett and Monty Brown did not live up to expectations, the matches prior to it stole the show. Monty Brown earned the right to challenge Jarrett later in the show by defeating Kevin Nash and Dallas Page. America's Most Wanted would also go on to defeat Team Canda in a classic tag team title match.
What still stands out to fans is the Ultimate X match between AJ Styles, Chris Sabin, and Petey Williams. The match exceeded all expectations and sent the crowd into mayhem. AJ Styles won and became the X-Division champion.
9 Bound For Glory 2005
In 2005 TNA produced the first-ever Bound For Glory pay-per-view, which featured Jeff Jarrett defending his World Heavyweight Championship against Rhino. America's Most Wanted defended their tag team titles, while one of the highlights was the Ultimate X bout between Petey Williams, Chris Sabin, and Matt Bentley.
Both matches added drama to the card and set the tone for the rest of the show. The X-Division title was defended in an iron man match between AJ Styles and Christopher Daniels. Styles would retain the title via a score of one to zero, while Rhino shocked fans by defeating Jeff Jarrett in the main event to capture the World Heavyweight Championship.
8 Bound For Glory 2008
In an often overlooked pay-per-view, Bound For Glory 2008 was a packed card that had fans entertained from the start. The event was kicked off with a ten-man steel asylum match to determine the number one contender for the X-Division title, which Jay Lethal won. The card's intensity ramped up following a four-way tag team monster's ball match for the tag team titles.
The match would be won by Beer Money Inc. (James Storm and Robert Roode) however, fans will always remember Team 3D putting Abyss through a flaming table. Jeff Jarett faced Kurt Angle with special enforce Mick Foley, but the main event stole the show. In it, Sting bested Samoa Joe for the World Heavyweight Championship.
7 Unbreakable 2005
Although Unbreakable was the only event held under this name, fans will never forget the main event of this card. Fans were treated to a brutal no disqualification match between Abyss and Sabu, which really helped set the tone for the show. A four-way tag team elimination match was held for the titles in which The Naturals (Andy Douglas and Chase Stevens) defended the titles.
Raven and Rhino produced a wonderful "Raven-Rules" World Heavyweight Championship match, where Raven defended his title. In the main event, Christopher Daniels defended his X-Division title against AJ Styles and Samoa Joe in arguably the best match the promotion ever produced. It had drama, high impact, high flying moves, and loud crowd pops. This match set the bar very high for any other X-Division title match.
6 Turning Point 2008
This pay-per-view might not jump out in the minds of many wrestling fans, however, Turning Point 2008 was more entertaining than anticipated. Beer Money defeated the Motor City Machine-guns in a fast-paced match and in typical Beer Money fashion, the pair won after blinding Sabin with beer. The TNA Legends Championship was defended for the first time with Booker T defeating Christian Cage, forcing Cage to join the Main Event Mafia.
In a brutal Falls Count Anywhere match, Kurt Angle took on Abyss. The match saw both men clobbering each other with Angle coming out victorious after tossing Abyss off scaffolding through an announce table. In the main event, Sting retained his World Heavyweight title after receiving help from Angle and Booker T allowing him to receive a sneaky win over AJ Styles.
5 Genesis 2005
Most commonly remembered for the highly anticipated debut of Christian Cage, the entire card was an entertaining one. Jeff Hardy and Monty Brown participated in a number one contender's match for the World Heavyweight Championship. The match went back and forth with Brown defeating Hardy after a missed swanton bomb. A No Disqualification match between two hardcore veterans (Abyss and Sabu) did not disappoint.
Abyss won the match in brutal fashion by performing his finisher on Sabu, putting him through a barbed wire chair. The main event was a six man tag team match between Team 3D and Rhino versus Jeff Jarrett and America's Most Wanted. The main event was back and forth with Team 3D and Rhino picking up the victory. However, after the bout, Rhino was assaulted by Jeff Jarret, America's Most Wanted and Team Canada until Christian Cage rushed to his aid.
4 Sacrifice 2005
The Sacrifice pay-per-view was another successful show that TNA produced in 2005 and fans were treated to highlight moments throughout the show. In what was described as a dream fans by most, Austin Aries and Christopher Daniels clashed in a wonderful mid-card bout. Both men nearly secured the victory, however, Daniels came out on top after connecting with his finishing maneuver.
The highlight of this card came when Samoa Joe faced off against AJ Styles for the number one contender's spot for the X-Division title and be crowned as Super X Cup winner. The fifteen-minute bout was back and forth filled with brutal moments. Samoa Joe eventually came out victorious after Styles submitted. In the main event, Jeff Jarrett and Rhino lost to Raven and Sabu, forcing Jarrett to not challenge for the World Heavyweight title for an entire year.
3 Slammiversary 2006
The card slated for Slammiversary 2006 was arguably one of the more entertaining pay-per-views TNA has produced. With only three of the eight contests being normal stipulation matches, fans were treated to a night of hard slams and brutal matches. The tone was set when Team 3D defeated The James Gang in a Bingo Hall Brawl.
Rhino flexed his muscle by defeating Team Canada's Bobby Roode and Coach D'Amore. The crowd went into pandemonium after AJ Styles and Christopher Daniels defeated America's Most Wanted for the tag team titles. The card was finished off with a King of the Mountain match for Christian Cage's World Heavyweight title. Jeff Jarret would go on to win the match and the title.
2 Genesis 2006
The opening matches of the pay-per-view were entertaining, however, the X-Division Championship match boosted the energy inside the arena. It pitted the champion, Christopher Daniels, against Chris Sabin in a back and forth match with both wrestlers landing powerful moves. Daniels was saved by AJ Styles and this distraction allowed him to secure the victory over Sabin. Later on in the card, Christian Cage took on AJ Styles and this time it would be AJ who needed the saving. Cage attempted to use a steel chair on Styles yet was saved by Christopher Daniels.
However, during that distraction Cage was able to secure the victory leading to a scuffle between Styles and Daniels. The night would be filled with controversy after LAX was stripped of their tag titles when they attempted to burn a flag. Another controversial moment came when the Heavyweight Champion Sting knocked out the referee leading him to lose the match and his title to Abyss. Finally, the night was capped off with a wonderful match between Samoa Joe and Kurt Angle with Angle handing Joe his first loss in over a year.
1 Final Resolution 2009
Final Resolution 2009 was the last pay-per-view held in the 2000s as it took place in December of that year. The show began with The British Invasion retaining their tag team titles against the Motor City Machine Guns. During the Feast or Fired match the men who won championship contender contracts were Kevin Nash (tag team), Rob Terry (X-Division), and Samoa Joe (World Heavyweight). The man who unfortunately received the pink slip was Abdul Bashir.
Bobby Lashley later defeated Scott Steiner in a brutal Last Man Standing match. The twisted team of Mick Foley and Abyss beat Dr. Stevie and Raven in a Foley's Funhouse Rules match. The main event saw AJ Styles retain his World Heavyweight Championship against Christopher Daniels.