139-733: Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) – is a professional wrestling promotion based in Nashville, Tennessee as a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment . TNA personnel consists of professional wrestlers , managers , play-by-play and color commentators , ring announcers , interviewers , referees , trainers , producers , script writers , and various other positions. Executives are listed as well. Active wrestlers and on-screen talent appear on TNA's flagship weekly show Impact , pay-per-views and at untelevised live events . Personnel are organized below by their role in TNA. Their ring name
278-677: A King of the Mountain match . At Victory Road in July 2008, Joe defended his title against Booker T in a singles match, with the match ending in a no contest after Sting hit Joe with a baseball bat and Booker T pinned him while Booker T's valet Sharmell made the three count. At Hard Justice in August 2008, Joe defeated Booker T in a steel cage weapons match to retain his title. At No Surrender in September 2008, Joe defeated Christian Cage and Kurt Angle in
417-580: A Six Sides of Steel match . At Sacrifice in May 2006, Joe teamed with Sting to defeat Jeff Jarrett and Scott Steiner in a tag team match ; after the match, Joe left the ring and allowed Sting to be attacked. In late-May 2006, Joe was absent for two weeks while rehabilitating a major tear to his posterior cruciate ligament . At Slammiversary in June 2006, Joe defeated Steiner. On June 19, Joe defended his X Division Championship against Senshi and Sonjay Dutt in
556-502: A baton following interference from Immortal. The following month at Final Resolution , Joe lost to Jarrett in a submission match , again following interference from Immortal. In December 2010, it was reported that Joe's contract with TNA had expired. However, later that month TNA president Dixie Carter announced that Joe had signed a new contract. Joe returned on the January 6, 2011 episode of Impact , confronting D'Angelo Dinero in
695-602: A color commentator due to accumulated injuries. He was released from his contract in April 2021, but was rehired that June, winning the NXT Championship a third time before being released once again in January 2022. Joe was named part of the inaugural class of the ROH Hall of Fame in January 2022, and three months later made his debut in AEW, and concurrently returned to ROH, which by then
834-496: A handicap match after Hogan, who was scheduled to team with Joe and Jarrett, pulled out of the match due to injury. Joe lost the match after being abandoned by Jarrett; subsequently, it was revealed that Hogan's injury had been a ruse as he helped Jeff Hardy win the vacant TNA World Heavyweight Championship and formed a new villainous stable, Immortal . At Turning Point in November 2010, Jarrett defeated Joe after choking him out with
973-561: A six-man tag team match . Later that month, Joe was announced as a member of the reformed Main Event Mafia alongside Sting and Kurt Angle. In October 2013 at Bound For Glory , Joe competed in an Ultimate X match that was won by Chris Sabin . On November 7, 2013, the Main Event Mafia was disbanded by Sting due to Aces & Eights having been defeated. In November 2013, Joe was announced as an entrant in an eight-man tournament for
1112-540: A submission match . Joe then resumed his feud with the returning Crimson, who defeated Joe in a singles match on the October 6 episode of Impact Wrestling , and then again in a three-way match , also involving Matt Morgan, at Bound for Glory later that month. In November 2011, Joe won the Maximum Impact Tournament ; he subsequently received a title shot against TNA World Heavyweight Champion Bobby Roode in
1251-520: A three way match to retain his title. At Bound for Glory IV in October 2008, Joe lost to Sting, ending his reign as TNA World Heavyweight Champion at 182 days. During the match, Joe suffered an injury after landing back-first on a flight of cement stairs while executing a dropkick ; the Wrestling Observer Newsletter stated that subsequently Joe "was never the same [...] His work noticeably slowed down, he gained weight". Writing for
1390-471: A three-way match for Daniels' X Division Championship at Unbreakable in September 2005. The match was won by Styles, though Joe's undefeated streak remained intact as it was Daniels who was pinned. The match received an elusive " five star " rating from journalist Dave Meltzer . At Bound for Glory in October 2005, Joe defeated New Japan Pro-Wrestling star Jushin Liger ; prior to the match, Joe danced to
1529-596: A triple threat match ; after Steiner interfered in the match and gave Joe a chair shot , Senshi pinned Dutt to win the Championship, ending Joe's second reign. At Victory Road in July 2006, Joe, Steiner, Sting, and Christian Cage took part in a four-way match to determine the number one contender to the NWA World Heavyweight Championship ; the match ended when Sting pinned Steiner. At No Surrender in September 2006, Joe defeated Jeff Jarrett in
SECTION 10
#17328594148281668-575: A 30-minute Iron Man match . The feud between Joe and Angle was named PWI Feud of the Year for 2007 by Pro Wrestling Illustrated , while Joe was named PWI Most Popular Wrestler of the Year for 2006 by Pro Wrestling Illustrated . In February 2007, Joe won a Gauntlet for the Gold match to become the number one contender for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship ; the following month at Destination X he unsuccessfully challenged champion Christian Cage . On
1807-542: A 60% cut in pay and TNA founder Jeff Jarrett would resign from the company, but remained as minority shareholder until his temporary return on June 24, 2015, with the deal for his return including the transfer of his minority stake to Dixie Carter, making her sole shareholder. The following year Jarrett revealed plans to start a new professional wrestling promotion, Global Force Wrestling . Further departures in 2014 included TNA veterans Sting , Chris Sabin , Hernandez , Christopher Daniels and Kazarian all leaving
1946-487: A back and forth match, which Dave Meltzer again gave a five-star rating. The match went on to win the Wrestling Observer Newsletter award for " Match of the Year ", with the Wrestling Observer Newsletter also naming Joe " Most Outstanding Wrestler " for 2005. In 2015, the Wrestling Observer Newsletter described the match as being "widely considered one of the company's defining moments". In 2006, Joe
2085-846: A bout promoted by the German Wrestling Association in Bad Schwalbach , Germany with both Joe's ROH World Championship and the vacant GWA Heavyweight Championship on the line, defeating Ares to win the GWA Heavyweight Championship (the title was deactivated later that year). In March 2004, Joe successfully defended the ROH World Championship against Ahmed Chaer in a bout promoted by German Stampede Wrestling in Lennestadt in Germany. In June 2004, Joe successfully defended
2224-508: A championship from a partner promotion. In May 2024 TNA established a working relationship with WWE , starting with talent exchanges occurring between TNA and WWE's NXT brand . Total Nonstop Action Wrestling Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (abbreviated as TNA Wrestling or TNA ) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Nashville, Tennessee . It is a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment . Founded by Jeff Jarrett and Jerry Jarrett in 2002, following
2363-517: A child, Seanoa performed for "Tiare Productions", a Polynesian dance troupe founded by his parents in 1965. At the age of five, Seanoa performed in the opening ceremony of the 1984 Summer Olympics at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum . He became a California State Junior Judo Champion and was an all league football player while attending Ocean View High School . Seanoa attended college, where he played football . Before becoming
2502-437: A contract with TNA in June 2005. He debuted later that month at Slammiversary , defeating Sonjay Dutt . Joe subsequently entered the 2005 TNA Super X Cup Tournament , defeating Sonjay Dutt and Alex Shelley before defeating AJ Styles in the tournament finals at Sacrifice in August 2005 following interference from Christopher Daniels . As a result of Daniels' interference, TNA Director of Authority Larry Zbyszko booked
2641-512: A creative writer and would assist in the writing and production of the shows. Russo states that he coined the name "Total Nonstop Action", the initials of the company "TNA" being a play on " T&A ". The original intention, as they were exclusive to pay-per-view, was to be viewed as an edgier product than WWE. Initially, TNA's weekly pay-per-view show operated as the company's main source of revenue, in place of monthly pay-per-view events used by other promotions. These shows took place mostly at
2780-688: A deal with Pop TV to air Impact Wrestling , where it premiered on Tuesday, January 5, 2016, in a live special held at the Sands Hotel and Casino in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania . With this move to Pop, Impact Wrestling introduced a new HD set, graphics and theme music. This show saw the semi-finals and finals of the TNA World Title Series , which was won by Ethan Carter III . Husband and wife team Mike Bennett and Maria Kanellis would debut soon after. Subsequent shows would include episodes taped during
2919-628: A deal with New Motion, Inc. which led to the introduction of TNA Mobile service. TNA has also launched "TNA U TV"; podcasts aired through YouTube to help promote the company. In August 2007, live-events coordinator Craig Jenkins stated that TNA intended to stage eight pay-per-views and 96 house shows outside Orlando, Florida, in 2008. From 2007 to 2008, TNA first toured Europe, hosting two shows at Porto and Lisbon in Portugal , with TNA later conducting its first tour of England , with most shows selling out which later broke TNA's attendance records with
SECTION 20
#17328594148283058-508: A fifth and final time. At Hardcore Justice in August 2014, Joe successfully defended the X Division Championship against Low Ki. However, he vacated the title the following month due an injury. At Bound for Glory in the Korakuen Hall in Tokyo , Japan in October 2014, Joe defended the title against Kaz Hayashi and Low Ki by in a three way dance despite not being the champion at the time, as
3197-532: A four-way twelve-man tag team match pitting various factions against one another; the match was won by Lucha Libre AAA World Wide representatives Octagón , La Parka , and Vampiro . Joe returned to the promotion in September 2006 at Verano de Escándalo in Naucalpan , where he teamed with AJ Styles, Homicide, and Low Ki to defeat Abismo Negro , Charly Manson , Electroshock , and Histeria in an eight-man tag team match , then teamed with Styles and Low Ki to defeat
3336-461: A full-time contract due to his impressive merchandise sales. Joe made his in-ring debut on the June 10 episode of NXT , defeating Scott Dawson . On June 1, Joe wrestled Tyson Kidd ; the match ended when Kidd suffered a legitimate career-ending spinal cord injury when Joe gave him a muscle buster . On the June 17 episode of NXT , a match between Joe and Kevin Owens ended in a no contest, with
3475-401: A lien on TNA for unpaid taxes. Anthem Sports & Entertainment , parent company of Impact Wrestling ' s Canadian broadcaster, Fight Network , offered to help TNA and repay Corgan for the loans, while also offering additional financial assistance to TNA to help keep them from filing for bankruptcy. On October 31, Corgan lost his injunction that kept TNA from selling the company, but TNA
3614-642: A live house show at MCU Park , which also broke the TNA domestic attendance record at the time and being the most attended live TNA house show in the United States, with a capacity crowd of 5,550. During the May 3, 2011, Impact! television tapings, the show would change its name to Impact Wrestling . On November 7, 2011, TNA revealed that Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) would become TNA's official developmental territory . In December 2011, TNA debuted their new India-based subsidiary promotion Ring Ka King . On May 31, 2012, Impact Wrestling began airing live at
3753-563: A loan to Carter. Then on August 12, Billy Corgan became the promotion's new president, while Carter transitioned from president to the company's new chairwoman and chief strategy officer. It was reported on September 16 by the New York Post that Canada's Fight Network, through its parent company, Anthem Sports & Entertainment Corporation, had taken a stake in TNA. On October 13, Corgan sued TNA due to unpaid debt which Corgan claimed TNA had defaulted on. The State of Tennessee also put
3892-593: A loss to Aaron Aguilera and American Dragon , then later that month wrestled Aguilera to a time limit draw. Joe made a handful of appearances with Inoki Dojo in June and July 2004, including successfully defending the ROH World Championship against Shinya Makabe . Joe made his final appearance with Inoki Dojo in December 2004, teaming with Chad Malenko in a loss to Katsushi Takemura and Osamu Nishimura . After being courted by both Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) and World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), Joe signed
4031-582: A loss to Drago , Electroshock and Heavy Metal . The matches were broadcast on AAA Sin Limite on Televisa Deportes the following month. On October 25, 2007, Joe made his debut for the Japanese promotion Pro Wrestling Noah as part of its "Autumn Navigation" tour. Wrestling in Yokohama , he teamed with Yoshihiro Takayama to defeat Mitsuharu Misawa and Takeshi Morishima . Two days later, Joe challenged Misawa for
4170-485: A majority stake of TNA, re-organizing TNA's parent company with Aroluxe having 10 percent while Carter retaining a five percent minority stake in the company, but resigned as chairwoman after 14 years with the company, while joining the advisory board of Fight Media Group. The promotion's parent company, TNA Entertainment, was changed firstly to Impact Ventures and then to Anthem Wrestling Exhibitions, LLC., with Anthem's Executive Vice President Ed Nordholm becoming President of
4309-695: A master toy license agreement with Toy Biz , with various action figures and playsets releasing between 2005 and 2007. TNA would subsequently discontinue producing weekly pay-per-views in favor of a traditional monthly pay-per-view schedule, beginning with Victory Road in November 2004. TNA's television contract with Fox Sports expired in May 2005. Without television exposure, Impact! would continue to air through webcasts – originally made available via BitTorrent and eventually via RealPlayer – and replace Xplosion' s timeslot on Urban America Television . On September 11, 2005, TNA held its Unbreakable pay-per-view. Unbreakable
List of Total Nonstop Action Wrestling personnel - Misplaced Pages Continue
4448-718: A match against "Uncle" Jess Hansen three months after beginning his training, adopting the ring name "Samoa Joe". In 2000, Joe began appearing with the California-based Ultimate Pro Wrestling (UPW) promotion, then a developmental affiliate of the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), after being scouted by Brett Wagner. While in UPW, Joe feuded with John Cena and held the UPW No Holds Barred Championship from March to April 2001. He
4587-555: A match pitting Joe and Nash against TNA World Tag Team Champions AJ Styles and Tomko . The match saw Nash refuse to tag himself in, leading to Styles and Tomko defeating Joe. At Against All Odds in February 2008, Joe served as the special enforcer for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship match between champion Kurt Angle and challenger Christian Cage. During the match, AJ Styles interfered and fought Joe away from
4726-496: A new start time of 8 p.m. EST on Thursday nights. The live schedule would continue throughout 2012. In 2012, Panda Energy divested itself of its stake in TNA. Dixie Carter , the daughter of Panda Energy founder Robert Carter, who had been serving as TNA's president, acquired that stake, making her TNA's majority shareholder. In March 2013, TNA began taping Impact from different venues around the United States and terminated its lease with Universal Studios . On March 14, TNA introduced
4865-408: A new universal HD stage which would be used for all weekly programming. On November 2, TNA ended its relationship with OVW. TNA formed a relationship with Japanese promotion Wrestle-1 beginning in July 2013 with a meeting between TNA founder Jeff Jarrett and Wrestle-1 head Keiji Mutoh . It was arranged for Jarrett to wrestle for W-1 in October 2013. In November, A.J. Styles successfully defended
5004-409: A non-title "fan's revenge lumberjack match ". After the match, he took Jarrett's title belt. On the October 12 episode of Impact , Joe agreed to return the belt to the winner of the forthcoming bout between Jarrett and Sting at Bound for Glory on the condition that the winner give him a title shot. This offer was turned down by TNA Management Director Jim Cornette, who gave Joe the choice of returning
5143-537: A partnership where the streaming service will distribute select non-live shows in most countries except the United States, South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa . On May 8, 2023, Impact announced their first ever Australian shows named Down Under Tour , a four-day tour with two marquee wrestling shows that took part on June 30 and July 1 in Wagga Wagga , New South Wales . At the conclusion of Bound for Glory on October 21, 2023, Impact announced that it would revive
5282-515: A position it would hold for most of the 2000s and early 2010s. The promotion was known for featuring former top talent from WCW, WWE, and ECW , such as Raven , Jeff Jarrett , and Sting , free agents that were released from the WWE such as Kurt Angle , Jeff Hardy , and Mr. Kennedy (who wrestled as Mr. Anderson in TNA), as well as more homegrown wrestlers who had not appeared in WWE yet and mainly performed for
5421-447: A pull-apart brawl with Angle after Cornette announced that he would be fired if he interfered in the match between Jarrett and Sting that involved Angle as special enforcer. At Genesis in November 2006, Joe lost to Angle after submitting to Angle's ankle lock . This ended his 18-month undefeated streak. At Turning Point in December 2006, Joe defeated Kurt Angle by submission. At Final Resolution in January 2007, Joe lost to Angle in
5560-687: A rematch. At Genesis in November 2007, Joe defeated Robert Roode . That same month, Joe won the inaugural TNA Turkey Bowl . At Turning Point in December 2007, Joe was scheduled to team with Kevin Nash and Scott Hall to face the Angle Alliance . However, Hall, no-showed the event. Before the match, Joe was asked to cut a promo introducing Eric Young as Hall's replacement. Joe went five minutes overtime and criticized Hall, Nash and several other wrestlers, legitimately angering Nash and TNA president Dixie Carter , The match saw Joe, Nash, and Young defeat
5699-547: A report on August 7, TNA filed a new business name of Impact Ventures, LLC. Destination America gained over 41.94 million viewers over the course of 2015's first quarter, making this the channel's best first quarter ever, followed by their best May ever in prime time. In both cases, Discovery Communications touted Impact Wrestling as one of the reasons for the increase in viewers. Despite this success, Discovery Communications dropped Unlocked and Greatest Matches from their programming in May 2015. On November 19, TNA signed
List of Total Nonstop Action Wrestling personnel - Misplaced Pages Continue
5838-664: A series of tag team matches and six-man tag team matches , including teaming with King Adamo to unsuccessfully challenge Kohei Sato and Hirotaka Yokoi for the All Asia Tag Team Championship . Joe wrestled for many independent promotions from 2001 to 2015, including IWA Mid-South , Pro Wrestling Guerrilla , Jersey All Pro Wrestling , the United Wrestling Federation , Full Impact Pro , and Major League Wrestling . In 2004, Joe won IWA Mid-South's Revolution Strong Style Tournament. In 2006, Joe won
5977-551: A series presenting the best matches in the company's history. From December 2014 to March 2015, several employees re-signed with TNA, including Kurt Angle , Jeff Hardy, Gail Kim , Mr. Anderson, Abyss and Matt Hardy . Awesome Kong also re-joined the company following several years of absence. During this period, veteran Samoa Joe and commentator Tazz left the company by mutual consent. On April 27, 2015, Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan joined TNA as senior producer of creative and talent development. According to
6116-564: A single match against Low Ki, Joe impressed fans with his extremely stiff and hard-hitting style that resembled a mixed martial arts fighter more than a wrestler, resulting in ROH booking him full-time. Joe quickly rose through the ranks and became ROH Champion by defeating Xavier at Night of Champions in March 2003. After he defeated The Zebra Kid at "Frontiers of Honor" in London , England in May 2003,
6255-640: A singles match following interference from Mike Knox . At Lockdown in March 2013, "Team TNA" (Joe, Eric Young, James Storm, Magnus, and Sting) defeated Aces & Eights (Devon, DOC, Garett Bischoff, Mike Knox, and Mr. Anderson) in a Lethal Lockdown match . On the April 18 episode of Impact Wrestling , Joe challenged Devon for the Television Championship, but lost after interference from Aces & Eights. At Slammiversary XI in June 2013, Joe teamed with Jeff Hardy and Magnus to defeat Garett Bischoff, Mr. Anderson, and Wes Brisco of Aces & Eights in
6394-414: A steel chair, forcing him to quit the match. Joe was later replaced in the match by Homicide , who went on to win the match for ROH. At the September 16, 2006 ROH show, Joe got into an argument and pull-apart brawl with Pro Wrestling Noah star Takeshi Morishima . Subsequently, a match was signed for February 2007 pitting Joe against Morishima which Joe won. Joe later teamed with Homicide to fight against
6533-401: A storyline where Okato (in a gimmick inspired by Kato of The Green Hornet ) was hired by Joe to follow Dinero and film his activities in an attempt to prove he was a "scumbag". At Against All Odds in February 2011, Joe defeated Dinero with the help of Okato. At Lockdown in March 2011, Joe defeated Dinero by submission in a steel cage match . In April 2011, Joe began feuding with
6672-504: A tour of England, which would be the last TNA appearances for Kurt Angle . TNA returned to taping Impact Wrestling at the Impact Zone at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida, beginning with a live Impact Wrestling on March 15. On March 19, longtime TNA wrestlers Eric Young and Bobby Roode left the promotion after 12 years. On April 22, Velvet Sky , another longtime TNA wrestler, left
6811-583: A wrestler, he worked as a mortgage broker . Seanoa became involved in professional wrestling after attending a Jiu-Jitsu class and being encouraged by instructors to attend a professional wrestling school taking place afterwards, whereupon he "fell in love with it" and began training regularly. Seanoa attended the United Independent Wrestling Alliance (UIWA) West Coast Dojo, where he trained under Cincinnati Red , Johnny Hemp and, occasionally, John Delayo. He debuted in December 1999 in
6950-429: Is on the left, and their real name is on the right. TNA refers to its female performers as " Knockouts ". TNA has partnerships with various national and international promotions, such as Japan's New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), and Mexico's Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA). As such, wrestlers from these companies may also make periodic appearances on TNA programming, and TNA recognizes when one of their wrestlers holds
7089-523: Is remembered for the three-way match main event for the TNA X Division Championship , between AJ Styles , Christopher Daniels , and Samoa Joe , which received a rare 5 Star match rating from wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer , the first one the company received. Later that year, TNA would secure a television deal with Spike TV ; Impact! debuted on the network on October 1, 2005. The episode saw Team 3D make their TNA debut. TNA would gain attention for
SECTION 50
#17328594148287228-615: The TNA Impact ! video game . On October 23, 2008, TNA began producing its programming in HD . In addition, a new HD set for Impact was introduced, including new lighting, and large high-resolution screens. On June 21, 2009, TNA launched an online video-vault subscription-service where subscribers could watch past pay-per-views by choosing one of three payment options. In October 2009, TNA President Dixie Carter hired Hulk Hogan and former WCW President Eric Bischoff . Hulk Hogan first appeared on
7367-478: The 2012 Bound for Glory Series , ultimately being eliminated after losing to Jeff Hardy at No Surrender in September 2012. On the September 27, 2012 episode of Impact Wrestling , Joe defeated Mr. Anderson to win the vacant TNA Television Championship , making him the third TNA Grand Slam Champion . At Bound for Glory the following month, Joe successfully defended the title against Magnus. At Turning Point in November 2012, Joe again successfully defended
7506-449: The Briscoes , and, like Homicide, found himself back in the ROH World Championship hunt. Joe, however, came up short against champion Bryan Danielson in several matches, including a match that ended in a time limit drawn after 60 minutes and a cage match in December 2006. Joe ceased to be a full-time performer in ROH on March 4, 2007. His appearances leading up to that date were billed as
7645-847: The GHC Heavyweight Championship in a one-on-one match at the Nippon Budokan in Tokyo , losing by pinfall after Misawa struck the back of Joe's head with his elbow . On July 22, 2012, Joe returned to Pro Wrestling Noah as part of its "Great Voyage" tour. Teaming with Magnus , he defeated Special Assault Team ( Akitoshi Saito and Jun Akiyama ) to win the GHC Tag Team Championship in the Ryōgoku Kokugikan in Tokyo. Joe made his final appearance with Pro Wrestling Noah several months later on October 8, when he and Magnus lost
7784-675: The MEN Arena in Manchester , England, but was unsuccessful. In December 2011, Joe began teaming with Magnus , with Magnus stating in 2013 that booker Vince Russo put them together because "we were both always pissed off, so we could be pissed off together". The duo won the four week-long Wild Card Tournament to become the number one contenders to the TNA World Tag Team Championship. At Genesis in January 2012, Joe and Magnus unsuccessfully challenged Crimson and Matt Morgan for
7923-554: The Motor City Machine Guns , and Jeff Hardy and Mr. Anderson , Joe and Magnus lost the TNA World Tag Team Championship to Christopher Daniels and Kazarian at Sacrifice in May 2012. On the May 31, 2012 episode of Impact Wrestling , Joe had a confrontation with X Division Champion Austin Aries , leading to a match at Slammiversary 10 the following month where Joe unsuccessfully challenged Aries. Joe subsequently entered
8062-548: The ROH World Championship for a record 21 months from March 2003 to December 2004 as well as holding the ROH Pure Championship . At Slammiversary in June 2005, he joined Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where he embarked on a 19-month-long undefeated streak that ended in a critically acclaimed feud with Kurt Angle . During his 10-year stint in TNA, he held the TNA World Heavyweight Championship once ,
8201-488: The TNA World Heavyweight Championship at a Wrestle-1 show in Japan. From the period of 2013 to 2014, many well-known names or veterans of the company left TNA. In October 2013, Hulk Hogan 's contract with TNA expired, ending his time as creative consultant with the company. In December, AJ Styles left TNA after his contract expired. Styles later said that he could not accept TNA's new contract offer, which would see him take
8340-750: The TNA X Division Championship five times , the TNA World Tag Team Championship twice , and the TNA Television Championship once . After departing TNA in 2015, Joe began wrestling for WWE on its NXT brand. After winning the NXT Championship twice, he joined the main roster in January 2017, going on to win the WWE United States Championship on two occasions and headline several WWE pay-per-views and livestreaming supercards . In 2019, he began working as
8479-639: The Tennessee State Fairground Sports Arena in Nashville , nicknamed the "TNA Asylum". In October 2002, Panda Energy International purchased a controlling interest (72%) of Total Nonstop Action Wrestling from Jerry Jarrett. TNA (which originally traded as "J Sports and Entertainment") was re-organized as "TNA Entertainment", LLC, in the process. Dixie Carter was appointed president of TNA Entertainment in spring 2003. Xplosion launched on November 27, 2002, as TNA's first regular cable show and featured exclusive matches taped at
SECTION 60
#17328594148288618-400: The Wrestling Observer Newsletter , Kyle Johnson stated "Joe’s standing as a main event star in the company entered a downward spiral from 2009 on and never recovered. His TNA World Heavyweight Championship run was almost completely unmemorable, ending at Bound for Glory 2008 in a match where he attempted a dropkick from a press box onto concrete stairs to horrifying effect. Joe was truly never
8757-415: The "Impact Zone", at Universal Studios Florida and broadcast on Fox Sports Net (FSN). With the show's première, TNA introduced a six-sided wrestling ring, the implementation of the "Fox Box" displaying competitors and timekeeping for the match and a generally more sports-like style than the sports entertainment style exemplified by WWE. In June 2004, TNA issued a press release stating it had signed
8896-518: The "Samoa Joe Farewell Tour". On March 4, he defeated long-time rival Homicide in the Liverpool Olympia in Liverpool , England in his final ROH match. On November 22, 2008, Joe made a one night return to ROH at Rising Above (its second every pay-per-view), defeating Tyler Black in a dark match . After departing Total Nonstop Action Wrestling in February 2015, Samoa Joe briefly returned to ROH
9035-443: The "TNA Asylum". There were a total of 111 weekly pay-per-views. Samoa Joe Nuufolau Joel " Joe " Seanoa (born March 17, 1979), better known by the ring name Samoa Joe , is an American professional wrestler . He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a former AEW TNT Champion and AEW World Champion . Debuting in 1999, Joe joined Ring of Honor (ROH) soon after its formation in 2002, going on to hold
9174-406: The $ 2.7 million debt that was owed to him by TNA and, as such, he was considering suing, as well as converting the debt into a 36 percent stake. As the result of a settlement between Corgan and TNA, Anthem Sports & Entertainment acquired the loans Corgan made to Carter in the process. Anthem Sports & Entertainment , a company owned by former Canwest CEO Leonard Asper , purchased
9313-490: The Angle Alliance when Joe pinned Tomko . After the match, Joe and Nash briefly argued and shoved one another backstage, with Joe apologizing at a talent meeting the following day. The incident was parlayed into a storyline where Joe directed his frustrations towards TNA management, After complaining to TNA Management Director Jim Cornette that he did not have a match at Final Resolution in January 2008, Cornette scheduled
9452-547: The August 4 episode of Impact Wrestling by defeating D'Angelo Dinero via submission; however, the decision was reversed after Joe refused to release the Coquina Clutch after the bell rang. Joe then gave a promo in which he accused TNA management of being against him and stated "the blood would be on [their] hands". Joe went on to attempt to disrupt the Bound for Glory Series by attacking various participants, including Crimson, who
9591-616: The Beat Down Clan, prompting the Beat Down Clan to attack him. At Lockdown later that month, the Beat Down Clan lost to Lashley, Austin Aries , Gunner , and Kurt Angle in a Lethal Lockdown match . Writing for the Wrestling Observer Newsletter , Kyle Johnson described Joe as "relegated to little more than a henchman in a cumbersome heel stable". Joe wrestled his final match for TNA on January 31, 2015, losing to Austin Aries in Wembley Arena in London , England (due to broadcast delay
9730-481: The Championship by himself rather than choosing a tag team partner. At Hard Justice in August 2007, Joe put up the X Division Championship the TNA World Tag Team Championship against Kurt Angle's TNA World Heavyweight Championship and IWGP Heavyweight Championship , losing the match (and both his titles) thanks to interference by Karen Angle . At No Surrender in September 2007, Joe lost to Christian Cage. The following month at Bound For Glory , Joe defeated Cage in
9869-447: The December 18 episode of Impact , Joe and Styles defeated Sting and Nash in a Six Sides of Steel match . Following the match, Joe was attacked by the Main Event Mafia; the attack was billed as having left him with injuries that would sideline him for the rest of the year. On the January 29, 2009 episode of Impact , a video aired in which Joe – sporting a buzz cut , face paint , and a much heavier frame – stated he wanted to introduce
10008-448: The GFW rights; the lawsuit was ultimately settled out of court. Don Callis and Scott D'Amore became executive vice presidents in January 2018, taking charge of Impact Wrestling's day-to-day operations. At the first tapings under their tenure, the company reverted to a traditional four-sided ring, and the show also saw the return of former World Heavyweight Champion Austin Aries , as well
10147-615: The GHC Tag Team Championship to No Mercy ( Kenta and Maybach Taniguchi ) in Yokohama. In 2015, Samoa Joe was signed to a non-exclusive developmental contract by WWE . On May 20, 2015, during the main event of NXT TakeOver: Unstoppable , he made what was his first appearance with WWE since February 2001, stopping Kevin Owens from attacking an injured Sami Zayn with a chair. While initially Joe's contact enabled him to continue working outside WWE, on June 1, WWE signed him to
10286-566: The Impact (abbreviated as BTI ), and Xplosion was canceled after 19 years the following month. During No Surrender Impact announced a new partnership with New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). Don Callis' time as Impact executive vice president and on-air talent ended in May. Slammiversary 2021 marked the return of in-person spectators for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. That month, BTI and Impact! would crossover for
10425-470: The January 4, 2010, episode of Impact! . Both obtained a position behind the scenes; with Bischoff part of creative and Hogan as a consultant. Under their tenure, TNA would see several revamps in 2010. Beginning with Genesis in January, TNA returned to using a four-sided ring. That month, Jakks Pacific announced a five-year agreement to produce TNA action figures. Impact! would also begin airing on Monday nights directly opposite of WWE Raw , marking
10564-471: The July 12 episode of Impact , Joe defeated Jay Lethal and Chris Sabin to win the X Division Championship. His victory entitled him to take part in the "Match of Champions" at Victory Road later that month; during the Match of Champions, Joe pinned Brother Ray to win the TNA World Tag Team Championship , making him the first wrestler in TNA to simultaneously hold multiple TNA championships. He opted to hold
10703-412: The June 25 episode of Impact , Joe officially joined the Main Event Mafia. At Victory Road in July 2009, Joe defeated Sting by submission in a grudge match with the assistance of the debuting Taz , who was announced as Joe's new adviser. The relationship between Joe and Taz ended the following month when Taz became a color commentator . At Hard Justice in August 2009, Joe defeated Homicide to win
10842-484: The Main Event Mafia in a Lethal Lockdown match . Joe went to feud with Main Event Mafia member Kevin Nash, defeating him at Sacrifice in May 2009. At Slammiversary Seven in June 2009, Joe competed in a King of the Mountain match for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship; at the climax of the match, instead of winning himself, Joe handed the title belt to Kurt Angle, enabling him to win. On
10981-432: The Main Event Mafia to his "Nation of Violence". Joe subsequently began feuding with Main Event Mafia member Scott Steiner, including a controversial angle where he menaced Steiner with a large knife. At Destination X in March 2009, Joe quickly lost to Steiner by disqualification after throwing the referee out of the ring. At Lockdown in April 2009, Joe teamed with Styles, Christopher Daniels, and Jeff Jarrett to defeat
11120-590: The Mexican Powers ( Crazy Boy , Joe Líder and Juventud Guerrera ) in a six-man tag team match . Joe returned to Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide in July 2011 as a member of the villainous faction La Sociedad . On 16 July in Orizaba , he teamed with L.A. Park and Scott Steiner to defeat Dr. Wagner Jr. , Electroshock , and El Zorro . On July 31 in Guadalajara , he teamed with Silver King and Último Gladiador in
11259-493: The November 19 episode. The final episodes of 2014 were Best of TNA clip shows. On January 7, 2015, Impact Wrestling moved to Destination America , with a live debut from The Manhattan Center 's Grand Ballroom in New York City. In addition to Impact Wrestling , which was now airing on Friday nights, two new shows produced were Impact Wrestling: Unlocked , hosted by Mike Tenay , and TNA Wrestling's Greatest Matches ,
11398-589: The ROH World Championship against Shinya Makabe in a bout promoted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling at the Inoki Dojo in Santa Monica, California . Joe's reign finally ended after 645 days when he lost to Austin Aries at Final Battle in December 2004. Soon after losing the ROH World Championship to Aries, Joe became the ROH Pure Champion by defeating his on-screen protégé Jay Lethal in May 2005. He lost
11537-519: The TNA Asylum as well as exclusive interviews with TNA wrestlers and the promotion's original weekly pay-per-view shows took place mostly at the Tennessee State Fairground Sports Arena in Nashville, Tennessee . The last weekly pay-per-view took place on September 8, 2004, with a total of 111 weekly pay-per-views. In May 2004, TNA introduced its second weekly television program, Impact! (stylized as iMPACT! ), produced at Soundstage 21 , nicknamed
11676-405: The TNA World Tag Team Championship. In a rematch the following month at Against All Odds , Joe and Magnus defeated Crimson and Morgan to win the TNA World Tag Team Championship. Joe and Magnus then defeated Crimson and Morgan in rematches on Impact Wrestling and at Victory Road to retain the Championship. After successfully defending the Championship against teams including Mexican America ,
11815-522: The Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) name. From October 26 to 28, Impact held events in Scotland and England , marking their first United Kingdom tour since 2015. In December 2023, the promotion announced it had signed a new toy license with PowerTown, to release its first line of product in August 2024. The name change to TNA took effect in January 2024, with the first event under
11954-817: The Twin Wrestling Entertainment Championship and the Ballpark Brawl Natural Heavyweight Championship. In the same year, he won the Extreme Wrestling Federation's Xtreme 8 Tournament. In 2002, Samoa Joe joined the ranks of the nascent Philadelphia, Pennsylvania -based promotion Ring of Honor (ROH), which had been impressed by his work in Japan and on the United States independent circuit. He debuted in October 2002 at " Glory By Honor " as Christopher Daniels 's "hired assassin", brought in to defeat Daniels's chief enemy, Low Ki . Originally booked for
12093-447: The UK. After being off TV for several weeks, Joe returned on the February 4 episode of Impact , attacking Styles. At Against All Odds later that month, Joe unsuccessfully challenged Styles in a no disqualification match refereed by Eric Bischoff . On the following episode of Impact , Joe was attacked and abducted by " ninjas ". Joe returned on the April 19, 2020 episode of Impact as
12232-553: The World Wrestling Federation (WWF, later WWE ) gaining a monopoly on the industry. While on a fishing trip, Bob Ryder , Jeff Jarrett and Jerry Jarrett contemplated their futures in the professional wrestling business under a parent company known as J Sports & Entertainment, LLC. Ryder suggested a company not reliant on television, but rather one going straight to pay-per-view . In July 2002, Vince Russo joined Jeff and Jerry Jarrett's NWA-TNA promotion as
12371-412: The X Division "code", Joe defeated Styles to win the X Division Championship at Turning Point in December 2005. At Final Resolution in January 2006, Joe defended the X Division Championship against Daniels, winning by technical knockout after Styles threw in the title on behalf of Daniels. At Against All Odds in February 2006, Joe defeated Daniels and Styles in a rematch from Unbreakable to retain
12510-424: The X Division Championship for the fourth time. At No Surrender the following month, Joe successfully defended the X Division Championship against Christopher Daniels . On the October 8 episode of Impact , Joe lost the X Division Championship to Amazing Red after Bobby Lashley interfered in the match. At Bound for Glory later that month, Lashley defeated Joe in a submission match via referee stoppage. On
12649-433: The X Division Championship. At Destination X in March 2006, Joe lost the title to Daniels in an Ultimate X match (a match in which there is no pinfall or submission, thus preserving Joe's undefeated streak). On the April 13, 2006 episode of Impact , Joe defeated Christopher Daniels to win the X Division Championship for a second time. At Lockdown later that month, Joe successfully defended his title against Sabu in
12788-473: The angle in which he vacated the title did not air until November 2014 due to a broadcast delay . On the January 7, 2015 episode of Impact Wrestling , Joe, MVP, Kenny King, Low Ki, and Eric Young helped Bobby Lashley win the TNA World Heavyweight Championship from Bobby Roode. MVP subsequently named the group the Beat Down Clan and declared Lashley to be a founding member. However, Lashley refused to join
12927-469: The company during this period. In April 2017, it was announced on Impact! that the promotion would "merge" with Jarrett's newer Global Force Wrestling (GFW) promotion. In the lead-up to the Slammiversary ;XV PPV, Anthem officially announced its intent to acquire GFW to formalize the merger. The company subsequently announced that they were re-branding again and taking the GFW name in June;
13066-558: The company in that year, and the contracts of TNA Hall of Famers Bully Ray and Devon reportedly expired in October 2014, with TNA moving them to the alumni section of their roster in January 2015. In late July, the TMZ website reported that Spike TV was not renewing Impact Wrestling beyond October. TNA would refute the report, stating that negotiations were still ongoing. On August 14, Impact Wrestling moved to Wednesday nights. On August 20, TNA signed an extension with Spike TV until
13205-409: The company would create its own World Heavyweight and World Tag Team championships. The promotion was purchased by Anthem at the beginning of 2017. In March of that year, it was rebranded to Impact Wrestling after its weekly flagship television show , but returned to the TNA branding in January 2024. From its inception, TNA had been considered the second-largest in the United States behind WWE
13344-511: The company's peak in terms of creative, match quality, business, and production coming together". The win also made Joe the third TNA Triple Crown Champion . At Sacrifice in May 2008, Joe successfully defended the TNA World Championship against Kaz and Scott Steiner in a three way match . At Slammiversary the following month, Joe successfully defended the title against Booker T , Christian Cage, Rhino , and Robert Roode in
13483-427: The company. It was reported near the beginning of 2016 that Aroluxe Marketing, a Brentwood, Tennessee–based marketing agency, had taken a stake in TNA at the start of 2016 in return for providing partial funding, as well as taking over TNA's production operations. It was reported in June 2016 that Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan acquired a minority stake in TNA from Dixie Carter, but he had instead provided
13622-514: The debuts of Karl Anderson and Heath Slater . After the events of AEW Winter Is Coming on December 2, 2020, Impact began a partnership with All Elite Wrestling (AEW), which lasted until Bound for Glory 2021 . AEW-contracted wrestlers Kenny Omega and Christian Cage held the Impact World Championship during this time; this marked Cage's first in-ring return to the promotion since 2008. In February 2021, Impact launched Before
13761-529: The debuts of new wrestlers such as Kiera Hogan , Su Yung , Pentagón Jr. , Fénix and Brian Cage . The company also announced a partnership with live streaming service Twitch to produce content for their platform, starting with Brace for Impact , which was co-promoted with New Jersey–based promotion WrestlePro. Their first live show was Impact vs. Lucha Underground , a co-promoted show with Lucha Underground . Impact! subsequently moved to Pursuit Channel beginning January 11, 2019. Two months later,
13900-581: The end of World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in 2001, the promotion was initially known as NWA: Total Nonstop Action ( NWA-TNA ) and was affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) governing body. The promotion dropped the "NWA" brand from its name in 2004, becoming Total Nonstop Action Wrestling . TNA continued to use the NWA World Heavyweight and Tag Team championships until this agreement ended in 2007; after which,
14039-433: The end of 2014. In November 2014, TNA announced a new agreement with Discovery Communications to distribute its programming in the United States on Destination America and to selected international markets. Spike's outreach at the time was estimated to be more than 97 million homes while Destination America was estimated to reach 59 million households. Impact Wrestling ceased airing new televised events on Spike after
14178-473: The ending of the match; the "blow-up" resulted in Joe being suspended from TNA. Joe returned from his suspension in August 2010, aligning himself with Hulk Hogan and Jeff Jarrett in their feud with Kevin Nash and Sting. At No Surrender in September 2010, Joe and Jarrett defeated Nash and Sting in a tag team match. At Bound for Glory in October 2010, Joe and Jarrett faced Nash, Sting, and D'Angelo Dinero in
14317-602: The first time that two major professional wrestling promotions would go head to head since the launch of WCW Monday Nitro in 1995. The show would permanently move to Mondays on March 8, 2010, Spike would keep the Thursday night slot open for repeats of the Monday night shows. During this time, Ric Flair , Rob Van Dam , Mr. Anderson would make their debuts, while Jeff Hardy would make his return. Impact! would later return to Thursday nights on May 3. On July 2, 2010, TNA hosted
14456-435: The first time, when Josh Alexander faced T. J. Perkins for the X Division Championship in Impact's first-ever 60-minute Iron man match , which began on BTI and concluded in the opening minutes of Impact! . Impact subsequently announced the end of their partnership with Twitch that August and launched a new YouTube membership program called "Impact Wrestling Insiders". In November 2022, Impact and DAZN signed
14595-501: The following episode of Impact , the Main Event Mafia was disbanded by Kurt Angle. In November 2009 at Turning Point , Joe unsuccessfully challenged TNA World Heavyweight Champion AJ Styles in a three-way match that also involved Christopher Daniels. At Final Resolution in December 2009, Joe took part in the " Feast or Fired " match, winning the briefcase containing a title shot at the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. In January 2010, Joe took part in TNA's "Maximum Impact" tour of
14734-627: The following month. After defeating Kyle O'Reilly , ACH , and Michael Elgin in successive matches, Joe unsuccessfully challenged ROH World Champion Jay Briscoe in the main event of Supercard of Honor IX on March 27. On June 20, Joe teamed with AJ Styles to defeat ROH World Tag Team Champions Christopher Daniels and Frankie Kazarian in a non-title match. Joe subsequently left Ring of Honor once again. In 2004, Joe appeared with Inoki Dojo , an American offshoot of New Japan Pro-Wrestling based in Santa Monica, California . He made his first appearance in April 2004, teaming with Bobby Quance in
14873-549: The many high-profile talent that would join the promotion during the show's run on Spike. From 2005 to 2009, these include Kevin Nash , Rhino , Christian Cage , Sting (who made appearances at previous "Asylum" shows), Scott Steiner , Kurt Angle , Booker T , and Mick Foley . In April 2006, TNA launched a YouTube channel, featuring clips from Impact and exclusive content. Beginning with Bound for Glory in October 2006, TNA began holding select pay-per-view events outside of Orlando, Florida. In January 2007, TNA announced
15012-606: The match did not air until March 2015). In February 2015, Joe announced his departure from TNA after his contract expired and he failed to come to terms with TNA on a renewal, ending his run of nearly a decade with the company. In March 2006, Joe debuted in the Mexican Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide promotion as a member of the villainous La Legión Extranjera stable. At Rey de Reyes in Ciudad Madero , Joe teamed with Konnan and Ron Killings to take part in
15151-494: The new parent company. Shortly after Anthem's acquisition of TNA, it was re-branded to Impact Wrestling. On January 5, 2017 Jeff Jarrett was brought back by Anthem to serve as a consultant and later promoted to executive producer and chief creative officer. Anthem re-branded the promotion as Impact Wrestling, after its primary television series two months later. Wrestlers Drew Galloway , Matt Hardy , Jeff Hardy , Jade , Crazzy Steve , Mike Bennett and Maria Kanellis left
15290-416: The number one contender for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. Joe subsequently climbed the rankings, ultimately wrestling number two ranked Jeff Hardy to a 10-minute time limit draw on the July 22 episode of Impact . After the match with Hardy, Joe was upset with TNA's production crew for displaying a countdown to the time limit draw which Joe had specifically requested not be done to avoid spoiling
15429-538: The only wrestler to have held the AEW, ROH, and TNA World Championships. Outside of wrestling, Seanoa is an actor and voice actor; he is known for playing Sweet Tooth in the 2023 television series Twisted Metal and voicing King Shark in the 2024 video game Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League . Seanoa was born on March 17, 1979 to Pete and Portia Seanoa. He was raised in Orange County, California . As
15568-404: The pandemic, the promotion cancelled its planned TNA: There's No Place Like Home event, and Tessa Blanchard , who became the first woman to win the promotion's World Championship earlier that year at Hard to Kill , was fired and stripped of the championship after a long absence. Slammiversary saw the returns of The Motor City Machine Guns , Eric Young , Doc Gallows and EC3 , as well as
15707-604: The promotion announced that Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) would serve as its developmental territory once again. In May, Impact Plus replaced the Global Wrestling Network as the official streaming app for the promotion. Impact! began airing on Anthem-owned AXS TV after Bound for Glory in October. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic , Impact would hold events behind closed doors at Skyway Studios in Nashville. During
15846-599: The promotion later touring in Germany , Scotland and Ireland in 2009, France , Wales and the United Arab Emirates in 2010 and Belgium in 2012. In February 2008, Jakks Pacific announced it had signed a multi-year master toy license agreement with TNA, to release products starting in 2010. In March 2008, Tristar Productions acquired an exclusive license deal to produce and distribute TNA trading cards and memorabilia. On September 9, 2008, Midway Games released
15985-432: The promotion such as AJ Styles and Samoa Joe . (Some of whom would later be signed by WWE during the mid to late 2010s as TNA suffered financial issues). From 2015 to 2017, the promotion was viewed by some to have fallen behind longtime rival Ring of Honor ; with the loss of their U.S. television contract with Spike in 2014, as well as monetary and personnel issues, being noted as factors to their decline. By 2019,
16124-712: The promotion was viewed to have recovered through its sustained international distribution, and the purchase by its parent company of AXS TV ; which subsequently began carrying the promotion's programming. TNA is currently viewed as being the third-largest wrestling promotion in the United States; following the establishment of All Elite Wrestling (AEW) in 2019, and its current television deals with Warner Bros. Discovery 's TNT and TBS (both of which are seen in more households than AXS). Mid 20th Century 1970s and 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s and 2020s The concept of TNA originated shortly after World Championship Wrestling (WCW) ended in 2001, with
16263-545: The re-branding was short-lived as they severed ties with Jarrett that October and the deal for Anthem to acquire GFW was never completed. During that time, Anthem launched the Global Wrestling Network , a new streaming service which featured content from to their tape library and other sources. Jarrett subsequently filed a lawsuit against Anthem in the District Court of Tennessee for copyright infringement over
16402-467: The reinstated TNA banner being Hard To Kill . On February 7, Anthem Sports & Entertainment announced that Scott D'Amore's contract with TNA was terminated , with D'Amore being removed from his position as President of TNA, later being replaced by Anthony Cicione. From June 2002 until September 2004, the promotion's original weekly pay-per-view shows took place mostly at the Tennessee State Fairground Sports Arena in Nashville, Tennessee , nicknamed
16541-419: The ring with his family's dance troupe. At Genesis in November 2005, Joe teamed with Christopher Daniels, Alex Shelley, and Roderick Strong to face Austin Aries , Chris Sabin , Matt Bentley , and Sonjay Dutt in an eight-man elimination match . After Joe's team won the match, Joe attacked Daniels, supposedly giving him a grade 3 concussion . After AJ Styles criticized Joe, claiming he did not respect
16680-434: The ring, enabling Tomko to interfere to help Angle win the match. On the February 14 episode of Impact , Joe formed a stable with Cage and Kevin Nash to compete with Angle's Angle Alliance . At Lockdown in April 2008, Joe defeated Angle in a title versus career match to win his first and only TNA World Championship. Writing in 2015, the Wrestling Observer Newsletter described the bout between Angle and Joe as "arguably
16819-554: The same after that bump." On the October 30, 2008 episode of Impact , Joe and AJ Styles formed a faction of younger wrestlers called the " Front Line ", to oppose the Main Event Mafia of Kurt Angle, Sting, Kevin Nash, Booker T, and Scott Steiner. At Turning Point in November 2008, Nash defeated Joe by cheating. At Final Resolution in December 2008, the Front Line lost to the Main Event Mafia in an eight man tag team match . On
16958-458: The surprise partner of "Team Hogan" (Abyss, Jeff Jarrett, and Rob Terry ) in an eight-man tag team match against "Team Flair" ( Desmond Wolfe , James Storm , Robert Roode , and Sting); his abduction never was explained. In the following weeks, Joe randomly attacked wrestlers including Brian Kendrick , Douglas Williams , and Matt Morgan . In May 2010, Joe was ranked number 10 in the inaugural TNA Championship Committee rankings to determine
17097-608: The title against Magnus, this time in a no disqualification match . On the December 6, 2012 episode of Impact Wrestling , Joe lost the TNA Television Championship to Devon after DOC of Aces & Eights hit him with a ball-peen hammer . At Final Resolution in December 2012, Joe teamed with Garett Bischoff , Kurt Angle, and Wes Brisco to defeat Devon, DOC, and two masked members of Aces & Eights in an eight-man tag team match . At Genesis in January 2013, Joe lost to Aces & Eights member Mr. Anderson in
17236-403: The title or be fired. After Joe again refused to return the belt, he got into a brawl with the debuting Kurt Angle , allowing Jarrett to retrieve the belt. At Bound for Glory later that month, Joe defeated Abyss , Brother Runt , and Raven in a Monster's Ball match after guest referee Jake Roberts performed a DDT on Raven, allowing Joe to defeat Raven. Later that night, Joe was involved in
17375-408: The title to Nigel McGuinness at "Dragon Gate Invasion" in August 2005. In October 2005, when Japanese heavyweight superstar Kenta Kobashi made a "once-in-a-lifetime" trip to the United States, he was signed to two Ring of Honor shows. ROH officials selected Joe to face him in a singles match on the first night and a tag match on the second. Joe proved to be a formidable opponent for Kobashi, in
17514-493: The title was renamed the ROH World Championship. Joe held the title for a record 645 days, defending the title 29 times in the United States and in Europe. During this time, he had a critically acclaimed trilogy of title defenses against CM Punk (the second of which received a "five star" rating from veteran journalist Dave Meltzer , the first match in the United States in seven years to do so). In October 2003, Joe faced Ares in
17653-401: The titles were awarded to Mike Rapada and Steve Corino the following month. Joe went on to take part in the 2001 Fire Festival , finishing second in his block with four points after defeating George Takano and Masato Tanaka but losing to Kohei Sato . Joe returned to Pro Wrestling Zero-One in January 2002, where Masato Tanaka and Shinjiro Otani defeated him and Tom Howard to win
17792-459: The tournament. Magnus went on to win the tournament, and the title, at Final Resolution the following month with the assistance from Rockstar Spud and Carter's storyline nephew, Ethan Carter III . Joe went on to feud with " Team Dixie ". At Genesis in January 2014, Joe defeated Rockstar Spud by submission, then unsuccessfully attempted to help Sting defeat Magnus for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. At One Night Only:#OldSchool (which
17931-567: The two continuing to brawl after the match until they were separated. At NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn in August 2015, Joe defeated Baron Corbin by technical submission. Joe then entered the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic tournament with NXT Champion Finn Bálor as his partner, defeating the Lucha Dragons in the first round, Enzo and Cass in the quarter-finals, The Mechanics in the semi-finals, and Baron Corbin and Rhyno in
18070-428: The undefeated Crimson . In June 2011 at Slammiversary IX , Joe lost to Crimson, and afterwards shook Crimson's hand. Subsequently, Joe went on a losing streak with losses to Rob Van Dam , Devon , Kazarian and Bobby Roode. After losing all nine of his matches in the 2011 Bound for Glory Series to determine the number one contender to the TNA World Heavyweight Championship, Joe initially ended his losing streak on
18209-658: The vacant Intercontinental Tag Team Championship. He continued to work for the promotion throughout 2002, participating in a number of its biggest shows and tournaments as "Samoa Joe" and later "King Joe". He tagged with several other American wrestlers, including Samoan Savage . Joe took part in the 2002 Fire Festival , finishing last in his block with two points after defeating Kintaro Kanemura but losing to TAKA Michinoku , Masato Tanaka, and eventual overall winner Shinjiro Otani. Joe made his final appearances with Pro Wrestling Zero-One in August 2003 as part of its "Summer Festival 2003" tour. Wrestling as "King Joe", he competed in
18348-405: The vacant TNA World Heavyweight Championship by TNA president Dixie Carter, who had stripped AJ Styles of the title. Joe subsequently angered Carter by announcing that, if he won the tournament, he would defend the title it against Styles, "whether it's here or anywhere else in the world". At Turning Point later that month, Magnus defeated Joe in a falls count anywhere match , eliminating him from
18487-611: Was AEW's sister promotion following its purchase by AEW co-owner/chief executive officer Tony Khan . In AEW/ROH, Joe held the AEW TNT Championship twice and the ROH World Television Championship once (at one time holding both titles simultaneously) and set a new record for the longest reign as ROH Television Champion. He then defeated MJF for the AEW World Championship in December 2023, making him
18626-530: Was forced to withdraw from the Series after suffering a storyline ankle injury at the hands of Joe. In the final week of the Bound for Glory Series, Joe attempted to interfere in a match between Gunner and Rob Van Dam, but was stopped by guest color commentator Matt Morgan. This led to a grudge match at No Surrender in September 2011 where Joe lost to Morgan. On the following episode of Impact Wrestling , Joe definitively ended his losing streak by defeating Morgan in
18765-688: Was named Southern California 's Rookie of the Year for 2000. In February 2001, he appeared on an episode of WWF Jakked , losing to Essa Rios ; he was subsequently told by WWF personnel that he "didn't have a future in [the WWF]". In March 2001, Joe defeated Christopher Daniels to win the UPW Heavyweight Championship ; he held the title for a record 258 days before losing to Mikey Henderson in November 2001. In October 2001, Joe competed in All Pro Wrestling 's "King of Indies" tournament that
18904-465: Was one of the principal wrestlers representing Ring of Honor in their war against rival Philadelphia promotion Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW). The war culminated in a five-on-five "Cage of Death" match at "Death before Dishonor IV" in July 2006. Joe helped ROH dominate in the match, until, after picking up CZW wrestler Chris Hero for the muscle buster , he was attacked by fellow ROH wrestler Bryan Danielson . Danielson repeatedly hit Joe's injured knee with
19043-434: Was recorded in December 2013, but aired in February 2014) Joe unsuccessfully challenged Magnus for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship following interference from Ethan Carter III. At Lockdown in March 2014, Joe unsuccessfully challenged Magnus in a cage match following interference from Abyss. In June 2014, Joe defeated Low Ki and Sanada in the finals of a tournament to win the TNA X Division Championship for
19182-463: Was required to pay Corgan back by November 1. It was possible that one of the other minority owners could pay Corgan, effectively making them the majority owner of TNA. On November 3, the company revealed that Anthem Sports & Entertainment provided a credit facility to fund operations for TNA and that Corgan was removed as the promotion's president. However, Corgan himself stated that neither TNA nor Anthem Sports & Entertainment had yet repaid
19321-431: Was won by American Dragon . As part of a working arrangement between Ultimate Pro Wrestling and Shinya Hashimoto 's Pro Wrestling Zero-One promotion, Joe made his first appearance in Japan in June 2001 during Pro Wrestling Zero-One's "Shingeki" pay-per-view . In his debut match he teamed with Keiji Sakoda to defeat Katsumi Usuda and Yuki Ishikawa to become the inaugural Intercontinental Tag Team Champions ;
#827172