One has to give it to TNA for its incredible survival. Since 2009, this company has endured numerous business disasters from losing five different TV deals to lawsuits yet somehow has managed to stay in business. They still have a loyal fanbase who tune in to what show they have and a promising slate of workers. But the fact remains that in the last decade, TNA has gone from a possible secondary wrestling company to a glorified indie that’s managed to be overshadowed by AEW. Yes, they’ve survived but it’s hard to say they’ve truly managed to live.

How did this happen? Sure, their general business incompetence was a major factor but that wouldn’t be as bad if the in-ring product made folks tune in. Instead, TNA has done some incredibly horrible things in the last decade that drove fans away. It’s not just the scores of terrible angles and stupid turns but also some ridiculously idiotic moves that TNA thought would put them on the map. The company has wasted their talents and also tried way too hard to be WWE level instantly. Here are 10 of the worst things TNA did in the last decade...and a reminder the list could be much longer.

Related: 10 Most Wasted Talents in TNA History

10 Letting So Much Talent Go

The key reason TNA is such a mess now is because they just can’t seem to keep so much of their talent. “Gut Check” had major promise to land hot young rookies but TNA ended it quickly. They also cut ties to Ohio Valley Wrestling to lose a farm training system. Scores of TNA mainstays like AJ Styles, Bobby Roode, Eric Young, Samoa Joe and more have all made their way to WWE while others have headed to ROH or AEW.

They’ve let the Knockouts deteriorate and others like Austin Aries just walking out on them. Being unable to keep so much talent or build up others properly is why TNA has collapsed so much.

9 The Super Group Obsession

TNA had dabbled with it before but in the 2010s, they went whole hog with the obsession of “evil supergroup out to take over the company.” The Band, Fortune, Immortal, the Beat Down Clan, the Death Count Council, and a reformed Main Event Mafia were just a few. The biggest was Aces & Eights, a gang so huge that fans couldn't tell who was who and while Bully Ray made a great heel champion, the rest of the group were losers.

Related: 10 Biggest "What Ifs" in TNA History

Even Dixie Carter got into the act with her version of the Authority that failed. TNA’s endless repeating of a poor man’s NWO was another reason fans got tired of them in the 2010s to hurt business.

8 Hiring “Celebrities”

At a time when scores of their own workers had to take second jobs to make ends meet, having TNA shell out hundreds of thousands of dollars for “celebrities” in the last decade was terrible. At least Tino Ortiz and Rampage Jackson were MMA guys. Worse was bringing in J-Woww and Eric Young getting into a feud with Scott Baio.

There was also hiring Bubba the Love Sponge just because Hogan was a friend of the guy. This culminated in Awesome Kong fired for beating Bubba into a pulp after he insulted an earthquake-ravaged Haiti. The company even had Pacman Jones return for a night. Little wonder they kept losing money.

7 Making Dixie Carter a Star

To be fair, Dixie Carter is hardly the only owner in history to put herself front and center of the company. In her case, it was terrible. First, she was made out to look like an idiot scammed by Hogan and Bischoff into giving up control of TNA. Far worse was when Dixie tried to be the evil owner but her on-screen acting skills were completely laughable

Related: 10 Ridiculous Ways TNA Wasted Money

That’s not to mention embarrassing bits like grabbing Hulk Hogan’s legs to beg him to stay which hardly fits an evil boss. As bad as her backstage moves were, Dixie being the center of shows was worse.

6 Messing Up NJPW Deal

via whatculture.com

In the early 2010s, TNA landed what should have been a terrific partnership with New Japan Pro Wrestling. The idea of using these guys to beef up the X Division was great and they managed the coup of a young worker by the name of Kazuchika Okada. TNA’s genius idea for this sensational wrestler? Dress him up like Kato from “The Green Hornet” (complete with mask) and be a poor man’s Bruce Lee.

He made little impact before leaving and NJPW severed relations with TNA. Today, Okada is arguably the most respected wrestler on the planet and losing him and scores of other stars hurt TNA.

5 Hiring Back Jeff Hardy

It’s one thing to give a guy in wrestling a second chance. Except that TNA had already given Jeff Hardy several chances and he kept messing up. The final straw was Victory Road 2011 when Hardy came out in no condition whatsoever to perform and a one-minute PPV main event. The fans hated it and TNA should have banned Hardy for life.

Related: 5 Best & 5 Worst Unscripted Moments in TNA History

Instead, just a year later, they had him end Austin Aries’ World title reign. This led to rough stuff (like viewers hearing Jeff’s inner thoughts) and many were unhappy about Hardy being rewarded rather than punished for humiliating the company.

4 Claire Lynch

Seven years later and it’s still one of the worst angles in wrestling history. In 2012, Christopher Daniels and Kazarian began claiming that AJ Styles had been cheating on his wife. A woman calling herself Claire Lynch showed up, claiming to have also had Styles’ son. The entire storyline was horrible on multiple levels and dragged too long.

It might have gone longer except the actress playing Lynch was so jarred by the bad fan reaction that she quit to go back to her old job for Universal’s theme parks. A “lawyer” came out to claim she’d made the whole thing up and a fitting end to this horrific storyline.

3 Firing Jesse Sorensen

This is a move so appalling that it makes Vince McMahon look like a saint. Jesse Sorensen was a very promising worker who was showing his stuff in the X Division. At Against All Odds 2012, Sorensen was wrestling Zema Ion when he suffered a serious neck injury and close to being paralyzed. A wave of sympathy for him followed with Dixie Carter proclaiming that Sorensen “had a job for life” with TNA.

Related: The 10 Most Ridiculous Gimmicks in TNA History

After a year of rehab, Sorensen was finally cleared for action…and was immediately laid off. It also turned out TNA had offered no help for his medical bills. That’s a move cold even by wrestling standards.

2 The New Monday Night “War”

There’s a fine line between hubris and stupidity. TNA crossed that in early 2010 when they announced that “Impact” was going to go head-to-head with “RAW” and bragging about a “New Monday Night War.” It wasn’t so much a war as it was a wholesale ratings slaughter. The fact TNA was putting out stuff like an NWO reunion and bad matches against Bret Hart returning to WWE was just the beginning.

For the next several weeks, Impact was destroyed as TNA never had the support to challenge WWE’s flagship show. After a few months, they had to back down and return to Thursdays as this “War” cost them dearly.

1 Hiring Hogan and Bischoff

Taking on Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff in 2010 was a move that doomed TNA’s hopes for the future. Sure, Hogan got some short-gain media attention but he also brought in his huge ego and need to always be in the spotlight. Not to mention insisting his talentless daughter Brooke be given a job for the company. Bischoff acted like it was 1996 all over again and fans wanted him front and center doing the evil owner act.

This led to such horrible things as Immortal, Abyss with the Hall of Fame ring and changing Bobby Roode’s face championship win to not overshadow Hogan turning face. His exit was just as embarrassing as Hogan’s tenure drove TNA down.

Next: 10 Wrestlers We Can't Believe TNA Employed