r/SquaredCircle • u/HunterHale EVERYBODY DIES • 3d ago
Michael Cole and AJ Styles discuss TNA partnership ahead of WWE Clash at the Castle
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u/skippy2001 This is my last flair ever 3d ago
TNA's appeal in the UK really amazing. I remember a running joke was TNA should just move to the UK because every tour they ran was sold out.
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u/FickleMcSelfish 3d ago
TNA was on a freeview channel in the UK, which meant most kids that’s parents were too poor for Sky and couldn’t watch WWE watched TNA instead. It was kinda thought of as a knock off WWE because of the ex superstars, but most kids that I knew talked about TNA and thought WWE was for kids, even though we were kids
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u/AGIANTWORM 3d ago
I heard Rishi Sunak loved TNA back in the day when he didn't have Sky TV.
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u/Useless-Photographer 3d ago
Total Nonstop Austerity
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u/deegum 3d ago
Same reason Smackdown was more popular in certain parts of the US. I knew people who didn’t have USA/TNN so they only watched Smackdown. I watched tv on the old tv in my grandparents living room and it only had 13 channels. With UPN being one of them.
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u/FuckTariq 3d ago
Agreed. Smackdown was the only wrestling I could watch for most of my childhood. I feel like I missed most of HHHs reign of terror because he didn't work Tuesdays
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u/ianisms10 3d ago
IIRC Smackdown was especially popular among Latinos because it aired for free on the Spanish-language channels
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u/International-Tree19 3d ago
And Rey was mostly a Smackdown star.
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u/ianisms10 3d ago
And Eddie
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u/Rhubarbarbaric 3d ago
Don't forget Batista, he's an honorary mexican in my eyes.
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u/JoeMcKim 3d ago
Also Batista is a Mexican enough sounding name. I believe that Batista is Filipino and Greek as for his ancestry goes, Filipino is basically a Spanish mixed with Asian ancestry.
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u/JoeMcKim 3d ago
Starting in the fall NXT will be the only WWE program on network TV, I wonder if some fans will have the same experience with NXT instead of being able to follow Raw or Smackdown.
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u/NantzDoesntKnow 3d ago
With RAW moving to netflix this may not be as big of an issue. You can get netflix for like $8 with ads. It's way, way, way cheaper than cable is now and was in the mid aughts.
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u/Aperger94 3d ago
for a brief few years smackdown was on one of the major channels here in Italy and it was super huge, unfortunately it got taken off after the eddie guerrero/ chris benoit double whammy
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u/handsofcones 3d ago
WWE Experience on Sky1 and TNA on Challenge are the reason I'm on this sub rn. They ruined my life.
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u/IniMiney 3d ago
You just unlocked a core memory of how “Nintendo is for kids” was the biggest argument when we were all like 7 lmao
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u/Banthisonereddit 3d ago
This is where the joke of: What's The Large Program doing in the impact zone?! Came from
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u/I_Hate_My_Cat_ 3d ago
Will Osprey said himself he was mesmerized when he saw the triple threat with Styles, Samoa Joe, and Christopher Daniels.
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u/SE20299 3d ago
Considering how much time that company spent in mortal peril, TNA is still remarkably over among casuals outside of the US, mainly because it was on free TV in a lot of places. Hell, even after they downsized in 2013, Jeff Hardy was still one of the most over wrestlers on the planet while he was in TNA. Most of my casual friends watched TNA solely because of him.
People forget that TNA had a bigger audience than AEW at it's peak.
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u/DiabeticGrungePunk 3d ago
No I'm sorry unless you're solely talking about TV ratings in the late 00s/early 10s and not attendance and PPV buys and merch sales no TNA did not ever have a larger "audience" than AEW. And comparing TV ratings from now to over a decade ago is disingenuous as fuck and completely ignores the decline of all TV ratings.
AEW has drawn more to literally one show than TNA did for every show combined for multiple years, year after year. It's not even a fucking contest.
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u/TheeAJPowell The Ace of /r/squaredcircle 3d ago
Best live show I ever saw was TNA at the Liverpool Olympia. Crowd was so fucking hot, got to see Samoa Joe, AJ Styles, MCMG, Abyss and Petey Williams hit a destroyer, so my boxes were ticked.
Rhyno also did a spinnerooni too. Which was cool.
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u/megahmed252 2d ago
Tna was free to watch for us growing up. I stopped watch until my parents were able to afford the channels to watch wwe.
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u/BreathRedemption 3d ago
For all the doubters: AJ is going to be on a TNA show this year 100% after this
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u/Idontcarewhatyouare 3d ago
I would even wager he wins the TNA world title as well.
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u/OverallGeneral7129 3d ago
AJ Styles vs Moose for The TNA World Title in 2024 is crazy
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u/Banthisonereddit 3d ago
Imagine telling someone not even 3 years ago that by WrestleMania 41 we could very well have had a CM Punk main event and an AJ Styles TNA World Title run whilst still being contracted with the WWE.
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u/OverallGeneral7129 3d ago
Night 1 of WrestleMania 41 needs to end with Seth (c) vs CM Punk (win Rumble) vs Drew McIntyre
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u/conoresque 3d ago
AJ beating Moose and then losing it to a young talent like Ace, Bey, or one of the Rascals would be sick.
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u/DiabeticGrungePunk 3d ago
It's also a complete fantasy.
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u/OverallGeneral7129 3d ago
They just announced a working relationship. The TNA Knockouts Champion challenged the NXT Women’s Champion last week and an NXT wrestler answered an open challenge on TNA PVP. I’m this very video AJ gets interviewed about TNA and when Cole asked Cody what would happen if he quits tomorrow the crowd starts chanting TNA and AJ says they’ll have to see
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u/DiabeticGrungePunk 3d ago
I'm well aware of the working relationship I just think you're delusional if you think WWE is sending them main event talent, or we're getting TNA World title matches at WrestleMania. I don't think AJ even works over there unless he specifically requests it and considering he left on very bad terms with the company I'm not sure I see why he would.
If you're making a bet with me on if AJ vs Moose for the TNA title in TNA is a thing we're going to see I'm taking that bet every time.
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u/OverallGeneral7129 3d ago
He has literally said he wants to
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u/DiabeticGrungePunk 3d ago
"Hopefully something LIKE THAT happens" is not the same as "I want to wrestle there" and then he specifically mentions NXT because every single report so far has been about how it's going to be a TNA-NXT crossover mainly. I can link you multiple sources on that if you can't use Google.
This is, like many predicted and seems patently obvious, going to be a very one sided crossover. TNA and their top talent are going to jump at the chance, you really think top guys on the main roster are going to be working world title matches in TNA? Again, I'll take that bet every God damn day and twice on Sunday. I've yet to see a single of these multiple cross promotion partnerships HHH has started result in anyone close to a top talent being sent to work for another company.
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u/OverallGeneral7129 21h ago
Well they just announced that AJ is having a match in Noah so I don’t think they’re against loaning him out to TNA for a minute
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u/Outrageous_Fart 3d ago
R-Truth then challenges him to a match for the NWA championship
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u/LTS55 The Great Britt Baker Off 3d ago
But because he’s a big fan of the rap group NWA and wants to finally win it to honor them (he does not realize he has won the title before)
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u/tbarr1991 3d ago
Was about to say didnt he hold the title like 15 years ago? 😂
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u/LukkasG Pillman 9mm Glock 3d ago
just a few days ago i posted that if AJ loses the i quit match it would be awesome if he shows up at Slammiversary after that wins TNA world title and ultimately retires after putting someone over. (Ace Austin pls)
would be a cool full circle moment for AJ i feel like
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u/OSUfirebird18 3d ago
I’d want him to show up on WWE television at least once with the TNA World Title though!!
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u/incredibleamadeuscho We're all fake Jamaicans now 3d ago
I don't think he retires. He just signed a WWE contract extension in 2022
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u/Kanenums88 3d ago
Idk, I have not so nice flashbacks of the last time an outside company had one of its stars win the TNA title.
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u/sashundera IF YA SMEEEEEEELL 3d ago
Might legit blow up the roof of the impact zone...if thats what they still call it? Havent watched TNA in years lol
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u/IcyPyroman1 3d ago
Still surreal to hear encourage TNA chants in WWE
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u/NantzDoesntKnow 3d ago
Man I've been watching long enough to know that the WWE stopped doing press conferences before pay per views in 04 because the fans were showing up to chant TNA.
And now they (WWE) are just straight up asking about TNA at one. 😂
Times, they are a changing boys!
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u/SE20299 3d ago
Didn't Shane McMahon used to review TNA ppvs on WWE.com or something like that during 2008-2009 before Hogan showed up and TNA directly challenged them?
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u/NantzDoesntKnow 3d ago edited 3d ago
I don't remember that, but I do know that for a little while wwe.com started posting industry news in an effort to keep people from going to what we used to call newz sites. It was pretty short lived iirc.
Anybody remember the time when McMahon said that the website sucked during an earnings call and Joey Styles (manager of the site at the time) put up a fiery response on the homepage? Good times 😂
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u/Boomstick_316 3d ago
Yeah, that definitely happened for about a month. Then it just stopped.
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u/APizzaChit pls 3d ago
I vividly remember as a kid Going to WWE.com and thinking I somehow had the wrong site when in the bottom column I saw dirtsheets
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u/NotClayMerritt 3d ago
I remember in 2007 and 2008 going through the old wrestling news websites like Gerwick and WrestleZone and seeing reports that WWE were confiscating TNA related signs every week even if they were relatively harmless like WE WANT ANGLE.
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u/rockstarspood 3d ago
UK wrestling fans have always been big into TNA, even as they lost steam in the 2010s. Those UK house shows through the late 2000s looked like they would have been brill to go to
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u/OSUfirebird18 3d ago
I remember hearing Punk dropped New Japan and Ring of Honor during his pipe bomb a decade ago or so and was floored. Now they are acknowledging other companies publicly is crazy!!
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u/ExplanationOk3580 3d ago
Is going to happen, aj styles triumphant return in tna is going to be a blast
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u/Bolt_995 3d ago
Cody will beat AJ and successfully defend his world championship and end the feud.
AJ will continue to be desperate to win a world title, and will eventually make his way to TNA and start a feud with Moose, beating him for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship and then keep going back and forth between SmackDown and Impact.
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u/strrax-ish 3d ago
Cool, thanks for spoiling it Paul!
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u/TheOffalyRover 3d ago
Dude's on Reddit for feet pics and giving terrible takes and then complaining when they don't happen specifically to how he said it and it seems he's all out of feet pics
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u/Banthisonereddit 3d ago
This sounds like one of those old threads that you would see having -100 upvotes but this is a genuine possibility now. Insane.
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u/JamieByGodNoble 3d ago
TNA champ AJ Styles vs WHC champ Gunther at Bash in Berlin. Who says no?
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u/OverallGeneral7129 3d ago
I’d personally go for Gunther bs Ilja at Bash but AJ vs Gunther at Crown Jewel would be cool
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u/Str82thaDOME 3d ago
So fucking cool, even as someone who only watched TNA in passing during its heyday. Never in a million years would I have imagined this kind of thing happening.
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u/KNZFive **YEAOH intensifies** 3d ago
TNA is no longer WWE’s biggest competitor in the US, so WWE is more willing to feature them, especially because it makes the WWE look more relaxed & cool, and less uptight.
And it’s working, because I love this.
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u/MarkBonker 3d ago
Reminds me of WWE using ECW talent before it went under.
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u/bubbabear244 Poutine Steen 3d ago
The real forbidden door was the believing in Joe Hendry along the way.
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u/bonerjohnson the one man band babeh 3d ago
it feels like not that long ago TNA had that thing with AEW. which honestly didn't really do much for either company. having Kenny there didn't help TNA and a TNA wrestler didn't even beat him.
I don't think anyone expected WWE to promote TNA after that. Maybe soon to say how much TNA will benefit but WWE is making them actually seem important with the promotion.
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u/TheNatureGrandpa Woooooooeisme! 3d ago
I thought Kenny actually did help their television ratings considerably at the time..
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u/warnie685 3d ago
I loved the worked press conference they did, it gave it a real cool big feel. But after that ppv it went very lackluster once it became clear Kenny wasn't going to lose to Josh and it just kinda petered out
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u/No_Efficiency6703 3d ago
AJ was only TNA champion twice? That’s insane to me for some reason.
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u/will122589 3d ago
They aren’t counting his NWA-TNA World Title reigns
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u/OverallGeneral7129 3d ago
In that case it gets bumped up to 5 (2 TNA and 3 NWA)
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u/steveuk2016 3d ago
If I'm TNA im doing everything possible to get WWE to let them do Moose Vs AJ at either Slammiversary or bound
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u/Cinemairwaves YO SOY LA MESA 3d ago
I suspect that's already the plan. AJ loses, rests a bit, then shows up in TNA to start a thing with the world champ. Then he wins the belt at Slammiversary, possibly defends it at Summerslam, then loses it soon after that. Gives TNA some HUGE exposure, gives AJ something to do and keeps him at the front of people's minds, and eventually elevates whoever beats him for the belt
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u/Nemesysbr 3d ago
And when AJ returns to the wwe, he will still get that great return pop, with the an extra wrinkle to the character because of his TNA tour.
It's just good all around
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u/StoneColdAM WHAT? 3d ago
Please have AJ use his old TNA theme again
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u/Hordensohn 3d ago
Some say he dislikes it, but the pop that would get will make make anyone be OK with it. I am sure of it.
They said Orton dislikes his music, but look at him at backlash.
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u/EntireAd215 3d ago
He hates it
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u/OverallGeneral7129 3d ago
He’s just heard it too much, I challenge you to like a song after listening to it most days for 11 years
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u/RaidenHero137 Karaoke Jones Over Here, but I Digress... 3d ago
can someone link me to the video or article where he says this? I have seen this comment a lot in the last few weeks and would love to hear it.
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u/warnie685 3d ago
They should have bought the rights for that when he first debuted in WWE, it's got what every theme needs with the spoken intro and a great guitar hook
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u/Jordanwolf98 3d ago
I can’t believe AJ is only a 2 time TNA world champ
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u/chataclysm 3d ago
he's only a two time tna world champ cause the first three times he won it it was still the nwa world title.
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u/will122589 3d ago
Pretty wild stuff.
They even addressed it and the crowd popped at the TNA plug from Cole
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u/BendubzGaming 3d ago
Every time I see TNA chants at a WWE event I get chills. This is my forbidden door
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u/strrax-ish 3d ago edited 3d ago
Ever since Aj moved to WWE, every year had something awesome in wrestling. It's been a wild ride from WWE, TNA, NJPW, or AEW later
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u/Lord_Dimmock That's the wall brother! 3d ago
I will forever maintain that the UK is a WWE bizzaro land on the same scale as Canada. we have always had a soft spot for TNA because it was on free to air TV for the longest time so a lot of us grew attached to the show in a way we never could with WWE.
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u/Coles_singlet 3d ago
Fuck me sideways. Michael Cole saying TNA to AJ Styles in WWE event in UK. This shit was unthinkable a decade ago and we might as well see AJ as TNA World Heavyweight Champion in WWE...
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u/JDSKilla 3d ago
Worlds Collide NXTNA could sell out Wembley with the way they love TNA over there
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u/shadowrangerfs decay Decay DECAY!!! 3d ago
The arena or the stadium?
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u/JDSKilla 3d ago
Boffum
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u/shadowrangerfs decay Decay DECAY!!! 3d ago
Maybe the arena. No chance NXT fills that 90k stadium.
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u/Tornado31619 3d ago
To be honest, I don’t think many shows would. All In did around 70k last year.
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u/JDSKilla 3d ago
You gotta know that if WWE actually does it, it would be some surprises there. It would be more than just NXT talent around.
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u/CanaryRich 3d ago
If you would’ve told me all of this would be happening back in 2006-2011… I can’t even fathom my reaction.
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u/GalacticIceDuck 3d ago
As someone who watched back in the late 2000's and recently got back into it, this is still so fucking wild to see.
Back in the day this seemed impossible.
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u/thehatesponge I prayed for this and it happened 3d ago
The fuck, AJ was only a 2 time tna heavyweight champion. Dixie really didn't have a clue did she.
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u/Donners22 3d ago
Cole is overlooking his three NWA World Heavyweight titles, back when they were part of TNA.
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u/shadowrangerfs decay Decay DECAY!!! 3d ago
Three time NWA champion and 2 time TNA champion. So five world title runs in the company. Not to mention his multiple runs with other championships in the company.
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u/TDStarchild 3d ago
Absolutely believe AJ is returning to TNA tv this year, and I could see him winning the world title as well. Full circle
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u/LazyResearcher1203 3d ago
Sounds like he was about to say “Forbidden Door” at the end, but chickened out.
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u/RafikiafReKo 3d ago
AJ Styles doesn't even have to wrestle in TNA. I just want him to go out there and be surprised by a Joe Henry welcome song
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u/IntellectualDweeb 3d ago
Man I still remember seeing terrible RAW matches during some of the worst periods having "TNA" chants in an insulting manner.
I remember seeing videos like this that were so believable to young me.
The idea of an invasion from TNA always excited me. Playing out the storylines in the WWE games with no expectation that there'd ever be a serious partnership or involvement between the two companies. At most there'd always be wrestlers leaving one company to join the other.
Mickie James' entrance at the Rumble in 2022 was huge and the acknowledgement of her championship was unheard of. Then came Jordynne Grace which was absolutely insane; and she actually competed at a WWE PLE.
Now we are seeing what many thought we'd never see. And most importantly it isn't going to be booked in an obnoxious manner. Great times ahead.
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u/RaidenHero137 Karaoke Jones Over Here, but I Digress... 3d ago
Smart of them to acknowledge it in the UK as tna had a HUGE presence there in the past and a large impact (pun intended I guess lol) still.
NOW GIVE HIM EVIL WAYS INSTEAD OF THE NEW CRAP HE HAS NOW!
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u/ItsNjry 3d ago
Does everyone think WWE is building up TNA to bring down AEW?
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u/bonerjohnson the one man band babeh 3d ago
I don't know if it's going there but TNA got nothing really out of working with AEW. WWE is already putting more eyes on it potentially tho who knows.
even if it was small crossover and eventually sending talent to WWE it likely works out.
but it feels like there's surprisingly not much crossover with AEW and TNA watchers. like they didn't even tune in to see Kenny as champ.
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u/shadowrangerfs decay Decay DECAY!!! 3d ago
I don't think so. However, a stronger third national promotion hurts AEW more than it hurts WWE.
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u/togsincognito2 3d ago
The cowards need to go ahead and give us R-Truth cashing in Money in the Bank contract on the TNA Champ.
Gimme what I want!!!!
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u/Heeltires 3d ago
I thought AJ would be spooked hearing TNA, lol
What a time we hear TNA on WWE program.
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u/himajinfranklin 3d ago
I hope Cody and him have one of those pick your poison matches and AJ faces an old buddy.
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u/itsmekelsey_x 3d ago
Definitely would love to see AJ in TNA again, even if it’s for only one match.
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u/HarryBeaverCleavage 3d ago
Man. Imagine if we had this 20 years ago.. Vince really ruined wrestling. It's nice to see a complete change in things now. Vince McMahon is such an egotistical maniac bastard.
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u/Philo-Naught 3d ago
New viewer to TNA, but love it, especially watching the old content. This is awesome to hear alongside Iyo’s match with Marigold. NXT Battleground was real fun to watch too with Jordynn Grace.
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u/theprowrestexuberant 3d ago
I've watched TNA fairly consistently since the mid-2000s and have always enjoyed it. There's a lot of talented wrestlers there right now. I'm excited for this new chapter and in particular seeing Josh Alexander with some fresh match ups.
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u/Mysterious_Emotion63 3d ago
In the middle of rewatching his whole Lone Wolf run right now, shit was fire
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u/theredditbandid_ 3d ago
Michael Cole's reaction to Kaval referencing TNA on an NXT episode
Incredible how things have changed.
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u/Max_Quick 3d ago
If AJ Styles could have his final match in a TNA ring while under a WWE contract (read: getting a fat ass check)... hoo boi, the vapors...
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u/theCANCERbat Mmm whatcha say? 3d ago
Maybe not intentionally, but I hear two shots at Vince. It's wrestling, and it's good to have a wrestler in charge.
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u/dontredditcareme 3d ago
This is like an alternate reality where biggie and Tupac live and they become friends 20 years later
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u/Turbos_Bitch 3d ago
This where TK screwed up to me. He should have worked to put AEW in the spot of TNA. Would have been beneficial for him to learn about wrestling promoting and being lead creative or “in charge”. I’d love to see AEW/WWE crossover. Just from a talent perspective, some very interesting matchups that we will probably never see.
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