At the end of Saturday night’s IMPACT Wrestling Bound For Glory PPV, it was announced in a video package and then by Scott D’Amore in front of the sold out crowd in the arena, that the company will return to TNA Wrestling.
The change from IMPACT Wrestling to TNA Wrestling will officially take place with the Hard to Kill PPV on January 13, 2024 at The Palms in Las Vegas, Nevada.
TNA Wrestling (Total Non-Stop Action) was the name of the promotion from 2004 through 2017. After the promotion was purchaded by Anthem Sports & Entertainment, they phased out of using TNA and went with IMPACT Wrestling. From 2002 to 2004, the company was known as NWA:TNA.
IMPACT Wrestling issued a press release on their website annoucing the change.
PWInsider has provided some backstage notes on the reasoning for the change back to TNA Wrestling.
It was noted the name change was not made without a lot of a planning. It was said that at one point, the announcement was tentatively scheduled to be made at the Slammiversary PPV this past July, before it was pushed back to Bound for Glory on Saturday.
The final decision to go back to the TNA name was said said to have been locked in about 2 to 3 weeks ago. Furthemore, PWInsider states IMPACT Sources said the decison was made for several reasons, which are as follows:
The first reason for going back to TNA is that it will “unite” the fragmented history of the promotion, which at different times was known as TNA, then IMPACT Wrestling, then Global Force Wrestling, then again IMPACT Wrestling.
The second reason is that a number of the company’s international partners preferred the TNA name and at times, were still using the name internally.
The third reason is the company also quietly polled long-term fans earlier this year and learned that many of them said they preferred the TNA name.
PWInider says they were told that new TNA Championship belts, which have been completed will be rolled out and replaced for all current titleholders at Hard to Kill.
There are no plans to go back to the old six-sided ring, as just about every talent still with the company and who has ever worked in the six-sided ring, found the four-sided ring to be easier on their bodies.
PWInsider said they were told the company intends to move forward with current storylines, talents and style, but utilize the TNA name going forward, beginning at the Hard to Kill PPV on January 13, 2024. The weekly TV show on AXS TV will then be known as TNA Wrestling going forward.
There was a lot of TNA nostalgia several years ago when the promotion brought back the TNA World Heavyweight Championship with Moose as titleholder. PWInsider states there was an original plan for the company to have revided TNA Wrestling as a separate television show with a TNA reunion PPV but the COVID-19 pandemic stalled those plans. Everything was eventually dropped. Instead of having two different promotions and TV series, Anthem is returning the promotion back to TNA.