The early run of TNA created some hope that they would find success as a competitor to WWE. Many relevant names joined the product during its first year. Most of the talents that had prior success in WWE, WCW or ECW looked for TNA to become their next home. Fans mostly remember Jeff Jarrett’s title dominance and the emergence of AJ Styles from the first year of TNA.
We will look back at some names that most fans have no memory of working for TNA between 2002 and 2003. The performers in question never made the impact that TNA hoped for when trying to establish their brand with a weekly PPV. Find out just which of your favorites had runs in TNA that flew under the radar. These are ten wrestlers you forgot were in TNA during their first year.
10 Ken Shamrock
The first champion in TNA was Ken Shamrock despite his short run in the company. TNA used the NWA Championship for its first few years as the main title. A battle royal between various relevant names would see Shamrock come out on top.
WWE and Shamrock had a falling out that saw him look at TNA as a viable option to continue his wrestling career. Shamrock eventually decided to return to the MMA world and left TNA shortly after dropping the title. A return would come in 2019 for a fun burst of nostalgia.
9 Curt Hennig
WWE fired Curt Hennig in 2002 following the infamous “plane ride from hell” due to his wrestling with Brock Lesnar in the air. Hennig tried to continue his wrestling career by taking a chance on TNA in the early stages of the company’s growth.
The name value of Hennig was worth adding for a rising promotion. Hennig spent about three months in TNA having feuds with Jeff Jarrett and the Disciples of the New Church. The final match of Henning in TNA came just one months before he passed away.
8 Psychosis
The former WCW wrestlers that didn’t get picked up by WWE viewed TNA as the best alternative to get in on the early stages. Many would leave shortly after due to not liking how things were run. Psychosis fit that bill as one of the original members of the X-Division.
TNA wanted a more evolved version of WCW’s cruiserweight division. This allowed Psychosis to get a chance early to prove he could be a valuable asset. Both sides seemed unhappy with the arrangement and he eventually left to wrestle in Mexico again.
7 Perry Saturn
Perry Saturn had a rough falling out with WWE following the Mike Bell incident where he brutally beat up an enhancement talent in the ring. WWE used Saturn in a weak role for the rest of his run before flat out releasing him.
Saturn tried to make a run in TNA with a unique faction. Raven became the top star for a while and formed his own faction of former ECW stars. They tried to help Raven defeat Jeff Jarrett for the NWA Championship. Saturn was one of the wrestlers helping Raven during a run that lasted a couple of months.
6 David Flair
The end of WCW would see David Flair get his contract picked up by WWE for a run in developmental. Most felt this was done out of respect for Ric Flair as WWE released David relatively quickly when they realized he wouldn’t work on the main roster.
David joined TNA right after the release to continue his career. The introduction storyline would see him reunite with Vince Russo as part of the Sports Entertainment Xtreme faction. David feuded with Curt Hennig during the short run that ended before TNA picked up steam.
5 Rick Steiner
Scott Steiner is the Steiner brother fans remember in TNA for his hilarious backstage promos. However, Rick had the first run in the first year of TNA. Scott was in WWE as a singles star and that forced Rick to work on his own in the new promotion.
Rick was a part of the first few shows but never really fit into the company makeup. A career change would see him leave quickly to enter a new profession of real estate. TNA would bring Rick back for a few short runs in the later years when Scott worked there and wanted to reunite the legendary duo.
4 Brian Christopher
The WWE career of Brian Christopher ended when the company grew tired of his backstage issues and personal problems. Rikishi and Scotty 2 Hotty remained a team, but Christopher was forced to find a new place to wrestle.
TNA brought Christopher in with the role of a top heel. Fans never gravitated towards him or cared about his storylines. The WWE success of Christopher came in tag team action with Scotty. Fans didn’t view him at the same level on his own.
3 Jimmy Wang Yang
Jimmy Wang Yang was viewed as one of the most underrated wrestlers in both WWE and WCW. Fans appreciated his great matches and likable personality when he got to show it. TNA had a strong run from Yang during their first year.
Yang was part of the Flying Elvises faction with Sonny Siaki and Jorge Estrada. All three wrestlers dressed as Elvis while executing aerial displays. The gimmick was a hot mess, but the talent of the wrestlers, especially Yang, made them a fun act in the X-Division.
2 New Jack
Few wrestling promotions wanted to book New Jack if they had television prospects after ECW went out of business. The controversial reputation of New Jack made him a tough sell to the people running the wrestling promotions. TNA tried to bring him in for a short run in 2003.
New Jack joined Raven’s factions of former ECW stars feuding against Jeff Jarrett’s traditional style of wrestling. The fun work of New Jack always provided entertainment, but the run didn’t work out in the long term. One return would come many years later when TNA did a reunion show.
1 Scott Hall
Scott Hall was the first wrestler that TNA used in promotional ads for their first show. WWE released Hall following various issues during his short 2002 return in the New World Order. Hall wasted no time joining TNA to take part from the first night.
TNA wanted to make Hall one of the faces of the company as a top name on the free agent market that wasn’t under WWE contract. Hall’s unreliable nature made it impossible for TNA to trust him. They did bring Hall back a few times throughout the years with similar issues.