Once upon a time, TNA had a very strong tag team division. America's Most Wanted and XXX tore it up in a great feud that included the epic Turning Point 2004 cage match. There was Team Canada, the American Wolves, Team 3D, the Motor City Machine Guns, Beer Money Inc, and many more. TNA really had something going but as the company faltered, so did their division. They still have some good teams but not quite as fantastic as it once was. It doesn’t help that over the years, a lot of teams have been ad hoc and some having terrible names.
Maybe it’s no shock that TNA has had a lot of bad teams given the company’s rather infamous track record for crummy stuff. Yet it’s still amazing when a team comes along with a name so bad, it makes one wonder what the creative staff was thinking. Among the many bad teams that have graced the Impact Zone, these 10 picks illustrate just how tricky finding the right team moniker can be.
10 The Band
In 2010, Eric Bischoff decided he would make TNA as successful as 1996 WCW by...doing everything he did in 1996 again. A battered and old Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, and Sean Waltman were all brought into the company under the name of The Band.
It was off the line “putting the band back together,” so it may have sounded good on paper. Instead, it was a mess as none of these men were close to fighting shape and just helped drive the business down even further. It wasn’t long before Waltman and Hall left for personal issues, meaning this Band had a short reunion.
9 Ohio Versus Everything
When one thinks of states with fearsome and wild reputations, Ohio isn’t exactly what comes to mind. Cleveland’s sports history alone is atrocious and the state just doesn't scream "intimidating." That didn’t stop the Crist Brothers and Sami Callahan from using it for their name. In fairness, Ohio Over Everything was actually an improvement over some of their previous names, mainly Ring Rydas and Ohio is for Killers.
The trio has had success as tag champs and Jake Crist even became X Division champion. However, it is much better to just use the group name's acronym, OVE, as that can sound impressive and mysterious. It’s selling the idea of Ohio fighting the world that makes the team sound less dangerous.
8 Team Pacman
It’s still one of the biggest “what were they thinking” moves in TNA history. In 2007, the company hired Pacman Jones, thinking the Tennessee Titans star would be a great addition. Obviously, the company ignored that Jones was in some legal trouble at the time and was legally prohibited from actually wrestling. TNA went ahead by having Jones and Killings win the tag team titles, although the latter did all the wrestling while Pacman just stood on the apron and tried to avoid being touched.
In short, the “team” was pretty much just one guy which sort of defeats the entire purpose of the name. Pacman did not last long but remains a low point in TNA history.
7 The BroMans
In a truly bad move in 2007, TNA brought in Robbie E, in an attempt to emulate the attitude of the Jersey Shore TV show. Given the show was rather hated by many, it wasn’t a good idea; however, TNA kept it up to the point of having Shore’s JWoww showing up. TNA than had Robbie teaming up with Godderz as the BroMans, a team meant to embody “in your face” attitude.
They actually had a run as TNA tag team champions yet the name sounded like it belonged to some mid-card SmackDown team. They eventually left the company as the “Bros” weren’t really Impact Zone favorites.
6 3Live Kru
When TNA started, they had a lot of ex-WWE guys trying to fill up the roster. This included B.G. James, formerly known as Road Dogg. He was soon partnered with Ron “The Truth” Killings and Konan, with the team going by the odd name of 3Live Kru. James even did a spin on his old New Age Outlaws promos.
They had some success as tag team champions and fans liked them too. That said, the name sounded weird and TNA was trying to hard to come up with some “cool moniker” to get them over more. They eventually split as the Kru were an odd mix from the start.
5 Phi Delta Slam
One of TNA’s worst programs in 2005 had Traci Brooks and Trinity competing to be the “personal assistant” of TNA on-air director Dusty Rhodes. Watching these gorgeous women fighting over Dusty was as gross as it sounds. To try and settle it, each lady got their own tag team. Traci picked old favorites the Harris Brothers while Trinity got Phi Delta Slam, a team that had been bouncing around the indies for the past decade.
A tag team sounding like a college fraternity might have sounded good on paper but the teams totally did not connect and the match was a disaster. They were soon gone as this fraternity had a short chapter in TNA.
4 Ink Inc.
While Ink Inc may sound clever to some, the name is also just as likely to trigger an eye roll. Shannon Moore and Jessie Neal joined TNA in 2010 as Ink Inc. As the name implies, the duo was majorly into tattoos and some wild hairstyles. With their valet Toxxin, the duo was soon feuding with teams like Beer Money, the Motor City Machine Guns, and others.
Ink Inc had a few shots at the tag titles but the entire act was just too wild for many fans to accept and get behind. The stupid name probably didn't help, and fans weren’t too upset when the duo left in 2011.
3 The Rock 'N' Rave Infection
Lance Hoyt had a good run with TNA, amassing a nice following over around three years. By 2007, his popularity had sunk and Hoyt needed a new gimmick. Too bad it was this. He and Jimmy Rave were put together with Christy Hemme as their manager.
The Rock 'n' Rave Infection was supposed to be a hot pair of rockers but the fact neither man knew how to even hold a guitar, let one play one, marred that quickly. The name itself was just bad too and the team never really got above jobber status. This was one rock band that never even merited being a one-hit-wonder.
2 Beat Down Clan
Even in 2014, TNA continued to have a wild thing for "supergroups taking over." They had introduced MVP as the new on-air “investor” for the company. He appeared to be a face but then turned heel to attack champion Eric Young. MVP then joined with Bobby Lashley and Kenny King as the Beat Down Clan.
It was a bad name as BDC doesn’t sound that impressive. The plan was for MVP to dominate as champ but he suffered a leg injury so Lashley had to win the belt. They added Samoa Joe and Low Ki yet it couldn't overcome a name that wasn't as impressive as it should have been.
1 Voodoo Kin Mafia
In the annals of stupid TNA moves, this remains one of the most egregious. After reuniting as B.G. James and Kip James, Road Dogg and Billy Gunn were being pushed as a team once more. The former New Age Outlaws changed their name to the Voodoo Kin Mafia. It was chosen simply for the initials of VKM as in Vincent Kennedy McMahon.
This was part of a crazy idea of them offering a million-dollar challenge to Shawn Michaels and HHH. In a truly “only TNA move,” Dixie Carter actually froze the million dollars as if expecting WWE to actually pay attention. Eventually, the duo would return to WWE and hold the tag titles again because wrestling is simply that weird.