TNA (now known as Impact) has had stood the test of time, with a history that spans almost 20 years. It has undergone name changes, many owners and general managers, and forgoing the infamous six-sided ring. A slew of talent has stepped through TNA's doors, with many notable wrestling making a significant impact to the promotion.
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling was a great place for up-and-coming wrestlers to make a name for themselves. Given it's long and tumultuous history, there are plenty of oddities when it comes to those who wrestled for TNA in the past that may have been forgotten. Without further ado, here's a look at 10 wrestlers you didn't know wrestled in TNA.
10 Tommaso Ciampa
Tommaso Ciampa is best known for his time with NXT, but the Psycho Killer had been all around the wrestling world before arriving at the black-and-gold brand. It was technically a return for Ciampa, who had previously wrestled in WWE's former developmental territory, Ohio Valley Wrestling. After being released from OVW in 2007, Ciampa began to make a name for himself on the independent circuit. That included two brief appearances for TNA, including a victory over former TNA Tag Team Champion Crazzy Steve.
9 Johnny Gargano
Not to be outdone by fellow his DIY team-member, Johnny Gargano also appeared for TNA before becoming the 'Johnny Wrestling' that we know today. Johnny Gargano is living proof that wrestling is alive and well in the United States, as he was able to make a living in a variety of other promotions outside of TNA and Ring of Honor.
Gargano spent most of his time in Chikara and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla instead, helping to put both of those promotions on the map. That's not to say he never set foot in a TNA ring- early on in his career, he lost to both Eric Young and Jay Lethal in a pair of dark matches.
8 Shinsuke Nakamura
Shinsuke Nakamura is one of the most interesting wrestlers out there, so it would stand to reason that he'd have such an interesting career path. Earmarked as the next "golden goose" by NJPW brass, Nakamura practiced both pro wrestling and MMA while training in the New Japan dojo. Before he would elevate the IWGP Intercontinental Title to new heights, Nakamura traveled across the world to hone his wrestling skills. That included a brief stop in TNA, where he wrestled in a singles match against Elix Skipper on TNA Xplosion.
7 Seth Rollins
Seth Rollins is one of WWE's biggest and brightest stars, but it almost didn't happen that way. Between his time in ROH as Tyler Black and his debut as Seth Rollins, there was a bit of a bidding war for the young star.
He had a contract offer on the table from TNA, but at the last second decided to sign a developmental deal with WWE instead. That wasn't before Rollins had a few matches in TNA, giving fans a brief taste of what could have been.
6 Sammy Guevara
One of the hottest young stars in AEW, Sammy Guevara has made a big impact on the pro wrestling scene in just a short time. Before signing with AEW, he wrestled for TNA's X-Division on multiple occasions. His high flying style caught the eye of many and earned him a spot on the AEW roster.
During his time with AEW, he's already made quite an impression as part of Chris Jericho's Inner Circle. However, his name is now mired in controversy after lewd comments directed to Sasha Banks from a 2016 podcast recently came to light. After a month of sensitivity training, Guevara is back on AEW television, looking to redeem his name.
5 Hiroshi Tanahashi
A man many have compared to John Cena, Hiroshi Tanahashi is one of the mainstays of New Japan Pro Wrestling. While he is most known for his time in Japan, Tanahashi has traveled outside of NJPW's borders in the past. He made his stateside debut in 2006 when he defeated none other than AJ Styles in 2006. It was a much anticipated clash between two global stars, but TNA failed to capitalize on Tanahashi before he returned to NJPW. Styles would eventually return the favor, ending one of Tanahashi's eight world title runs in NJPW in 2015.
4 James Ellsworth
James Ellsworth is the definition of making the most of your opportunities. Ellsworth made it big following a viral appearance on Raw and went on to have great storylines with AJ Styles and Carmella. After turning a squash match into a two-year long run in WWE, Ellsworth hit the independent scene with newfound value once his WWE contract was up. He appeared for TNA at one of their trademark shows, the 2018 edition of Bound for Glory, where he lost to Eli Drake.
3 CM Punk
There may not be another Ring of Honor World Champion that was more successful than CM Punk, but did you hear about his time in TNA? Before becoming the 'Voice of the Voiceless,' Punk was revolutionizing the pro wrestling world on a smaller scale with ROH, but not quite with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling.
5-star matches with Samoa Joe put Punk on the map, but not all of his independent work is remembered as well as these legendary battles. Punk wrestled a few matches in TNA after forming a stable known as "The Gathering" with Julio Dinero and Raven, the latter of which was a former adversary of Punk's in ROH. Things just didn't click for Punk in TNA, and he eventually found himself out of the company and on to bigger and better things.
2 Okada
Hiroshi Tanahashi isn't the only NJPW talent to be squandered by TNA. Kazuchika Okada also made his way through TNA, with quite a few more appearances than most of the wrestlers on this list. Unfortunately for TNA, the mishandling of Okada led to what many would consider to be a forgettable run. He wrestled in many dark matches over the course of his time with TNA, but also found himself in televised matches with the likes of Samoa Joe. Upon Okada's return to NJPW, he adopted his famous 'Rainmaker' persona, something he credits to his time with the American promotion.
1 Chyna
The earlier days of TNA saw quite a few stars of wrestling's past make appearances for the company. One that many are sure to forget came when the Ninth Wonder of the World, Chyna, made her TNA debut in 2011. Brought in as Kurt Angle's tag team partner and mistress to face Jeff and Karen Jarrett, she would secure a victory for her team in a mixed-tag team match at TNA's Sacrifice pay-per-view by making Karen submit. She left the company afterwards, making this 2011 match the last of her career before her untimely death in 2016.