Life after TNA can be hit or miss for wrestlers looking to change their careers for the better. Many names will try to reinvent their wrestling characters in the hopes of finding a fresh start elsewhere. TNA had a loaded roster at times, but the creative and management side of things often hurt their careers.
Quite a few names made drastic changes to ensure they’d have a chance to do something different in hopes of saving their identities in the business. The stories weren’t always positive, but each wrestler involved did enough to ditch their TNA personalities. Find out which wrestlers made drastic changes when joining another promotion after TNA.
10 Eric Young
The TNA run of Eric Young saw him playing a few different characters. Young was in a comedic role for years and thrived as one of the better wrestlers of that genre. The rise of Young in 2014 led to his first TNA World Championship reign as a fan favorite.
Young leaving TNA would see NXT signing him to become part of the Sanity faction. The newer character featured a more sadistic side that he has kept since returning to Impact. Young playing a twisted heel who loves to play mind games is the character he has made his own now.
9 Chelsea Green
TNA signed Chelsea Green to play the character of Laurel Van Ness when uniting with Knockouts authority figure Maria Kanellis. Van Ness played the "Hot Mess" character for most of her TNA run after a wedding segment went wrong.
WWE signed Green due to the momentum from her TNA run, but they switched up the character. Chelsea was now a top athlete looking for representation from Robert Stone in NXT before moving to the main roster on her own. Unfortunately, an injury kept her off television leading to the WWE release recently.
8 Xavier Woods
One of the best instances of a wrestlers completely changing their identity after leaving TNA was Xavier Woods. The name Consequences Creed was used by Woods in TNA playing a character inspired by the Rocky movie character Apollo Creed.
TNA veteran D-Von Dudley talked Woods into looking to work elsewhere when discovering TNA was treating him poorly. Woods needed some time in WWE before becoming the version of himself we see now in New Day as part of a top act.
7 Low Ki
The terrible attitude of Low Ki ended up hurting his career in the long term, but he clearly had talent in the ring. TNA booked Low Ki on a few occasions with him leaving and returning with stints in other promotions.
The biggest change in his career came when getting pushed in New Japan’s junior heavyweight division. Low Ki started wrestling in a suit and played a character inspired by the Hitman video game character in an attempt to reinvent himself.
6 Joaquin Wilde
The former Zema Ion spent a few years in TNA as a standout member of the X Division. Ion eventually started using the name DJ Z playing the gimmick of a DJ inspired by one of his real life hobbies outside of the ring.
WWE signing Zema led to another name change to Joaquin Wilde. A short run in NXT became more relevant when Wilde turned heel to unite with Santos Escobar and Raul Mendoza to start a new faction. The group is still finding their footing together, but Wilde is playing a more serious role than he ever did in TNA.
5 AJ Styles
The changes for AJ Styles between his TNA time and the aftermath made him look like a different performer. Styles grew out his hair and beard heading into New Japan after choosing to leave TNA due to contract disputes in the salary figure.
The vicious side of AJ was unleashed for the first time when leading the Bullet Club. WWE signed Styles due to his NJPW success as arguably the best wrestler in the world as opposed to his TNA run. AJ used to be the name most associated with TNA, but it now feels like a distant part of his career.
4 Mia Yim
The evolution of Mia Yim has seen her working her way up the ladder in the wrestling scene for many years. Yim finally received an offer from a promotion with a television when TNA signed her to become part of the Dollhouse faction.
The character work of Mia improved later when getting over as a face winning the Knockouts Championship. WWE signing Yim led to a solid run in NXT before a huge change with the character of Reckoning. Mia has played a vicious heel in the Retribution faction until the group disbanded leavign her future in doubt.
3 Robbie E
TNA signed Robbie E to play the obnoxious heel character based off the MTV reality show The Jersey Shore. Robbie received a longer push due to Vince Russo loving his character work. The run featured title reigns with the TV Championship, Tag Team Championship and X Division Championship.
The in-ring work of Robbie was always limited and carried from the character side. That is the biggest reason WWE opted to sign Robbie in a manager role instead of a wrestling position. The new name of Robert Stone sees him playing a manager similar to a sports agent with runs managing Aliyah, Chelsea Green and Mercedes Martinez so far.
2 Lance Archer
TNA had Lance Archer on the roster for years under the name of Lance Hoyt. The first character was inspired by Diesel when managing Kid Kash in the early years. Archer eventually formed a tag team with Jimmy Rave and Christy Hemme as their manager.
The gimmick featured Rave and Archer playing bad musicians for a failed run together. Archer was released and worked for various promotions until breaking out in New Japan. The monster heel gimmick making fans fear him led to huge success and influenced AEW to sign him as a free agent in 2020.
1 Jay Lethal
The TNA run of Jay Lethal featured him primarily in the comedic character role. Lethal broke out playing the Black Machismo character with his impression of Randy Savage. TNA preferred his comedy over the in-ring work when making him the face of the X Division.
Lethal tried to break away from the gimmick, but TNA always put him back in a comedic spot. The eventual release of Lethal came out of no way leading to him signing with Ring of Honor. Lethal tapped into his serious wrestling side and became a huge star for the company to build around.