Pro wrestling fandom, like all fandoms, involves a lot of talk of what is the greatest of all time. Who’s the greatest wrestler? Who’s the most hateable heel? What is the greatest match of all time? In recent years, fans have been expressing this in the form of who belongs on wrestling’s “Mount Rushmore.” And while wrestling fans tend to talk about TNA (now known as Impact Wrestling) in a negative or even mocking fashion, the promotion has put on some incredible matches over the course of its existence.
While the real-life Mount Rushmore has only four slots, let’s talk about ten Impact matches that deserve to have giant statues carved of them -- from “workrate” classics to iconic matchups to game-changing performances.
10 Kurt Angle vs. Samoa Joe (Genesis, 11/19/2006)
In 2005, former Ring of Honor World Champion Samoa Joe made his debut in TNA, and went on an incredible 18-month undefeated streak, dominating the whole roster, to the point of even getting a non-title win over champion Jeff Jarrett. That run, however, came to an end when he went up against a recently debuted Kurt Angle on PPV. While the conclusion of the match -- Joe tapping out to Angle -- was controversial to fans of the “Samoan Submission Machine,” this PPV main event bout was still a classic.
9 Ethan Carter III vs. Rockstar Spud (Impact Wrestling, 3/13/2015)
The mid-2010s saw TNA gradually lose many of its veteran stars like AJ Styles, Sting, and more, but at the same time, new talents flourished in the company. A WWE could-have-been, the former Derrick Bateman found new life in TNA playing the boss’ privileged nephew Ethan Carter III (or EC3), and Rockstar Spud was an English X Division competitor who found a niche playing sidekick to EC3. The two had amazing chemistry, and the inevitable breakup led to an awesome Hair vs. Hair main event on television. While the stakes weren’t higher than broken friendships and shorn follicles, this match is a highlight for watching TNA-centric characters get the spotlight.
8 Abyss vs. AJ Styles (Lockdown, 4/24/2005)
One of TNA’s longest-tenured home-grown stars was Abyss, a masked performer best described as a Kane-esque character with Mick Foley-esque hardcore tendencies. Abyss was a staple of the company for like 17 years, and his storylines offered lots of theatrical pro wrestling melodrama in the Undertaker tradition.
In 2005, Abyss took on AJ Styles to become the #1 Contender to the NWA World Heavyweight Title in a steel cage match, and the result was one of Abyss’ best matches. Abyss is a hardcore brawler, and Styles is a high-flying ace, so the combination of dueling wrestling philosophies made for a massively entertaining match.
7 Mr. Anderson vs. Kurt Angle (Lockdown, 4/18/2010)
Kurt Angle and Mr. Anderson were both established stars who departed WWE -- albeit for different reasons -- only to find new life in TNA, where they had a classic feud. Their conflict led to a 20-minute steel cage classic where the two men proved that they weren’t in TNA for an easy paycheck. This violent, bloody bout was full of crazy steel cage spots including the iconic moment Angle hitting a moonsault off of the top of the structure.
6 Sami Callihan vs. Tessa Blanchard (Hard to Kill, 1/12/2020)
Impact Wrestling in the late 2010s and early 2020s has found the company in a unique position. No longer the big-name WWE rival it used to be, Impact has shown itself willing to innovate and go against preconceived notions of what you can do on a wrestling show. Impact has a well-regarded women’s division, but in January 2020 they had Tessa Blanchard challenge Impact World Champion Sami Callihan in a PPV main event, and the result had Blanchard become the first woman to hold a top title in a major promotion -- and not as a joke.
5 Team 3D vs. The Wolves vs. The Hardys (Impact Wrestling, 9/16/2014)
Outside of WWE, TNA served as a second home for legendary tag teams like Team 3D (a.k.a. The Dudley Boyz) and The Hardy Boyz. In 2014, the two teams had a great three-way rivalry going on with former indie standouts Eddie Edwards and Davey Richards, collectively known as The Wolves. This led to a wild Full Metal Mayhem match on the main event of an episode of Impact Wrestling that had legends of tag team wrestling going up against one of the current stars of the style.
4 Jeff Jarrett vs. Kurt Angle (Genesis, 1/11/2009)
When discussing TNA, it’s impossible to leave out Jeff Jarrett -- who co-founded the promotion alongside his father Jerry Jarrett -- who is one of those wrestlers who’s been everywhere and done everything while never quite being as popular as his place on the card would suggest. That said, it’s not like he was incapable of having good matches.
In fact, Jarrett’s No DQ match against Kurt Angle in January of 2009 is considered one of the best TNA matches of all time. By this point, both were certainly in the realm of “aging veterans,” but they pulled off a violent, intense war.
3 Motor City Machine Guns vs. Beer Money Inc. (TNA Impact - The Whole F'N Show, 8/12/2010)
Don’t let the three-way tag match above mislead you -- TNA’s tag team division wasn’t just legends and indie stars continuing to do what they do best. The promotion had supremely talented, home-grown teams like the Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin) and Beer Money Inc. (James Storm and Bobby Roode), both of which were formed in TNA. On a special August 2010 episode of Impact, the two teams met in a classic 2/3 falls that was also the fifth match of a Best of Five series for the Tag Team Championship. The match was a blast and showed two of TNA’s best teams stealing the show.
2 AJ Styles vs. Christopher Daniels Vs. Samoa Joe (TNA, Unbreakable, 9/11/2005)
For many wrestling fans, the crown jewel of TNA has long been its X Division. Instead of strictly being a cruiserweight or junior heavyweight division, the X Division opted for a stylistic division with no weight limits and a focus on spot-heavy, fast-paced matches. The apex of this division was, as many fans know, the 2005 three-way match between AJ Styles, Christopher Daniels, and Samoa Joe. In a rare move, this 2005 X Division Title bout was the main event of the PPV Unbreakable and has gone down in history as one of the overall greatest TNA matches ever.
1 Awesome Kong vs. Gail Kim (Final Resolution, 1/6/2008)
In the late 2000s, televised women’s wrestling was in a rut, as WWE had largely taught fans that “Divas matches” were cool-down matches that allowed fans to take bathroom breaks before the main event. But TNA’s burgeoning Knockouts Division -- while not without its own flaws -- offered female performers who were actually allowed to have substantial matches. The standout rivalry in this era was the 2007-2008 title feud between Gail Kim and Awesome Kong, who put on incredible matches that put the division on the map thanks to outings like their Final Resolution No DQ brawl, which proved to be one of the best women’s matches of the era.