TNA is remembered for many booking mistakes that doomed the company from competing with WWE, but that doesn’t mean they didn’t employ many of the best wrestlers in the world. Fans already know that top talents like AJ Styles and Samoa Joe spent time in TNA since they were arguably the two best stars in company history. However, there have been quite a few great and talented wrestlers to have TNA runs fly under the radar.
The stories range from wrestlers that didn’t get pushed hard enough to those that had short runs to those that appeared during a less popular time. We will look at all instances of great wrestlers and big names to spend time in TNA without most fans realizing it. Find out just which of your favorite wrestlers had some matches and moments in the promotion. These are ten great wrestlers you didn’t realize appeared in TNA.
10 Ken Shamrock
Many fans have no idea that Ken Shamrock was the first major champion crowned in TNA. The first show featured Shamrock winning a battle royal to become the NWA Champion when that was the world title used for TNA in the early years.
Shamrock had a short run with TNA trying to help it get viewers as a familiar name in the early stages. The departure of Shamrock would see them build around Jeff Jarrett, Raven and AJ Styles as their main stars. Shamrock’s recent return to wrestling could make Impact an ideal fit since they need to create interest in the product.
9 Seth Rollins
Seth Rollins is one of the main wrestlers WWE is hoping to build the next decade around. The career of Rollins featured him thriving in Ring of Honor before signing with WWE, but there was some TNA work in there. Rollins appeared in an Impact match teaming with another indie name early in his career when losing to LAX.
TNA tried to bring Rollins back for an important role when WWE discussed signing him. The hope was to make him a major player as one of their top rising stars. Rollins revealed that a conversation with Jim Cornette convinced him to turn down TNA and instead get his dream job with WWE.
8 Shinsuke Nakamura
Most fans are familiar with TNA dropping the ball with Kazuchika Okada and losing all ties to New Japan. Okada, however, was not the only relevant Japanese star to appear in TNA. Shinsuke Nakamura made a couple of appearances for TNA thanks to the former working relationship with NJPW.
The only televised match for Nakamura in TNA featured him defeating Elix Skipper during an episode of Xplosion. TNA did not view Nakamura as ready for their important shows, so they relegated him to the international B-list show. Nakamura is clearly someone TNA regrets not doing more with.
7 Diamond Dallas Page
The legendary career of Diamond Dallas Page is most remembered for his incredible WCW run and the disappointing WWE run. However, the last televised run of Page’s career took place in TNA during the Fox Sports years. DDP worked for TNA for about five months to help them get some recognition from the average fan.
Page’s feuds featured him working with Jeff Jarrett, Raven, and Monty Brown. The run did not lead to much else as DDP decided to leave and retire shortly after. Page helped them bring in some new fans in the early stages which is all you could ask for in that situation.
6 Chyna
TNA shocked wrestling fans when they brought Chyna back into the industry after a long absence. The past feud of Chyna vs Jeff Jarrett from their WWE days was used to introduce her for one match. Chyna teamed with Kurt Angle to defeat Jeff and Karen Jarrett in a major PPV match.
The best days of Chyna were sadly behind her as the legend had lost a step in the ring. Chyna’s personal demons also made it a tough sell to have her back in a long-term role. TNA and Chyna parted ways after the match and it led to her run there flying under the radar.
5 CM Punk
CM Punk had one of his first major breaks when TNA would bring him in during the early years. The introduction featured Punk as one of Raven’s sidekicks in his new version of the Flock before turning on him. Punk and Raven had a couple of fun matches during Punk’s time there.
Despite Raven believing in him, Punk and TNA never got on the same page. The desire of Punk was to work more for Ring of Honor, and it worked enough to get him a WWE contract offer. Punk did not speak highly of his time in TNA compared to others.
4 R-Truth
R-Truth has been on the WWE roster for over a decade now, so fans assume he’s never been a part of TNA if they didn’t see it. However, he was one of their most beloved faces in the early years from weekly PPVs to Fox Sports to Spike TV. R-Truth won the NWA Championship and had a short run as a main eventer.
The rapping gimmick would see him unite with fellow promo masters Konnan and Road Dogg as the 3-Live Kru. R-Truth even released a rap song insulting WWE and John Cena during the early days of Spike TV. That didn’t stop him from getting a contract offer to join WWE and become a beloved star there.
3 Will Ospreay
Will Ospreay has become one of the top stars for New Japan with superb matches on a consistent basis. The career of Ospreay featured him working for many promotions before NJPW signed him. TNA was one of the companies to highlight him on a few shows.
Ospreay had five matches for TNA during their tour of the United Kingdom. The most memorable one featured him facing off against Eric Young, Jimmy Havoc, Bram and Killian Dain in a Ladder Match. TNA never offered him a contract and missed out on a future star.
2 Xavier Woods
Xavier Woods is another huge missed opportunity for TNA when they hired him early into his career. The name of Consequences Creed was given to him as he first filled in for NFL player Pacman Jones as R-Truth’s partner in a Tag Team Championship match.
Creed would spend most of his run in the X-Division and in a new tag team with Jay Lethal. TNA never saw much star power or potential in him and let him go without much of a relevant push. WWE hiring him to play Xavier Woods changed his career forever when joining New Day.
1 Randy Savage
One of the most interesting forgotten things to take place in TNA was Randy Savage coming out of retirement for a final match. Savage returned to TNA on their first and second three-hour PPV events to create interest in the product.
The final match of Savage’s career took place in TNA when he teamed with AJ Styles and Jeff Hardy to defeat Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, and Jeff Jarrett. This was the only time Savage wrestled after WCW went ended as TNA gave him his final moment in the spotlight.