The crossover of talents to work with both WWE and TNA featured countless great performers spending time in each promotion. Wrestlers usually preferred working for WWE due to the better pay and stability in general. TNA had a lot of momentum at different points, but they always struggled to keep talents happy due to decisions made by the creative team.
Wrestlers have different stories of getting better booking in TNA or WCW. The stories of the TNA successes showed that the company had a stronger direction with names that WWE didn’t see anything special in. Others just had more confidence in WWE with the chance to shine in the bigger promotion. Find out which wrestlers were booked better in TNA or WWE.
10 TNA Booked Better: EC3
WWE had two runs with EC3 and managed to do nothing with him either time. EC3 broke out as a top star for Impact Wrestling when the company drastically needed new stars. The booking made EC3 a star from the start and kept him at a high level.
EC3 did great enough work in Impact to get signed back by WWE for NXT. The NXT and main roster tenures each saw EC3 positioned as a lower card talent. EC3 getting released by WWE ended his second run in disappointment again.
9 WWE booked better: R-Truth
Many fans forget or have no idea that R-Truth was part of TNA for the company’s first few years. R-Truth even managed to win the NWA Championship back when it was the top overall title for TNA.
WWE signed him away from TNA when he entered free agency. R-Truth has been part of WWE for over a decade now and still uses him in a solid role today. WWE realized R-Truth’s comedy was a huge strength and it made him a valuable commodity in the long term.
8 TNA booked better: Frankie Kazarian
Frankie Kazarian was the first noteworthy TNA star to get a WWE contract offer to make the jump. WWE introduced Kazarian on Velocity as part of the cruiserweight division. Rumors started circulating that Kazarian lost all faith from WWE when refusing to cut his hair.
TNA signed back Kazarian when WWE released him, and it was for the best. Kazarian is a legitimate TNA legend after having an all-time great X-Division and tag team title reigns. TNA helped showcase the overall potential for Kazarian to get over.
7 WWE booked better: X-Pac
Sean Waltman was an underrated superstar for WWE when looking back at all of his accomplishments. The run of X-Pac was superb as the second most important member of D-Generation X during their face run.
WWE eventually parted ways with X-Pac in the early 2000s. TNA signed him with the hopes of having a relevant name to bring in casual fans. Waltman was never the same in TNA and rarely had the good matches were expected weekly in WWE.
6 TNA booked better: Mike Kanellis
Mike Kanellis had successful runs in Ring of Honor, New Japan, and Impact Wrestling before signing with WWE. Mike and Maria were positioned as huge stars on Impact when they signed there for a full year.
WWE never committed to pushing Mike with many variables preventing it from working out. Mike was barely on WWE television outside of 205 Live throughout his entire run. WWE releasing Mike and Maria could see Impact Wrestling as a viable place to return when things are back to normal.
5 WWE booked better: Damien Sandow
Wrestling fans felt Damien Sandow was underutilized in WWE, but he had a solid heel run winning Money in the Bank and solid face run as The Miz’s stunt double. Sandow was eventually released and hoped to show more in Impact Wrestling.
The transition was a disaster with Sandow looking silly in every storyline he was a part of. Sandow made the fans that wanted to see him without the WWE shackles do more. The TNA stint showed that WWE did give Sandow more opportunities to look good than fans realized.
4 TNA booked better: Austin Aries
Austin Aries became a huge star for TNA after making the transition from Ring of Honor. TNA management signed Aries to do well in the X-Division, but he worked his way to becoming the TNA World Champion with crowd support.
WWE eventually signed Aries for NXT as a noteworthy addition to the roster. The booking never seemed to click with Aries doing little in NXT before moving to 205 Live. Aries never had the chance to showcase his best work during his WWE tenure.
3 WWE booked better: Zelina Vega
The rise of Zelina Vega as a manager has seen her become an important part of WWE today. Vega has stepped up immensely to add to the shows during the era of empty venue settings during the virus restrictions.
Many fans don’t even know that Zelina was in TNA under the name of Sarita since it was not a noteworthy run. TNA never showed the potential of Vega since their booking team struggled at making new stars.
2 TNA booked better: Raven
Raven was the opposite story of most wrestlers on the list as someone that left WWE for TNA. The end of the WWE run saw Raven suing WWE for the independent contractor label being used inaccurately.
TNA signed Raven instantly when desperately looking for relevant talents to add name value. Raven was a strong part of TNA during the first few years. One of the first emotional storylines saw Raven winning the NWA Championship as the top star at the time.
1 WWE booked better: AJ Styles
WWE deserves credit for seeing the talent of AJ Styles when they finally did sign him. Styles was a TNA legend and is the name most fans view as the top star in company history. However, the booking always slowed down Styles’ momentum.
TNA continued to prioritize former WWE stars over Styles until he finally left the company. WWE waited years to give AJ a chance, but he has blossomed into a top star. Styles having multiple WWE Championship reigns and wrestled The Undertaker in a cinematic match at WrestleMania to show just how much they believed in him.