Anthem Wrestling Exhibitions LLC, commonly known by its trade name Impact Wrestling (stylized as IMPACT! Wrestling), is an American[10] professional wrestling promotion based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment.[11]
Founded by Jeff and Jerry Jarrett in 2002,[12] the promotion was initially known as NWA: Total Nonstop Action (NWA-TNA) and was associated with the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), though not an official member.[13] In 2004, the promotion became known as Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), but it continued to use the NWA World Heavyweight and Tag Team championships as part of its agreement with the NWA. After the agreement ended in 2007, the company created its own TNA World Heavyweight and TNA World Tag Team championships. The promotion was purchased by Anthem at the beginning of 2017 and, in March of that year, was fully rebranded under its current name after its flagship, weekly television series.
From its inception, the promotion had been considered the second-largest in the United States behind WWE.[14][15] Impact was viewed by some to have fallen behind longtime rival Ring of Honor in 2017,[16][17][18] 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.[19] Since 2019, Impact has been thought by many to have recovered, through its sustained international television distribution,[20] and the purchase by its parent company of AXS TV, which subsequently began carrying Impact programming.[21][22] Nonetheless, with the formation of All Elite Wrestling (AEW) that year, and that promotion's high-profile U.S. television deal with TNT (which is seen in more households than AXS), Impact is still viewed as a smaller promotion by comparison.[23][24]
The concept of TNA originated shortly after World Championship Wrestling (WCW) ended in 2001, with 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.[13] Ryder suggested a company not reliant on television, but rather one going straight to pay-per-view.[13] In July 2002, Vince Russo joined Jeff and Jerry Jarrett's NWA-TNA promotion as 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.[25]
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 the Tennessee State Fairground Sports Arena in Nashville, nicknamed the "TNA Asylum". In October 2002, Panda Energy purchased a controlling interest (72%) of Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. TNA (which originally traded as "J Sports and Entertainment") was renamed "TNA Entertainment".[26] Dixie Carter was appointed president of TNA Entertainment in spring 2003.[27] Xplosion launched on November 27, 2002, as TNA's first regular cable show and featured exclusive matches taped at the TNA Asylum as well as exclusive interviews with TNA wrestlers. The last weekly pay-per-view took place on September 8, 2004.
In May 2004, TNA introduced its second weekly television program, Impact! (stylized as iMPACT!), produced at Soundstage 21, nicknamed the "Impact Zone", at Universal Studios Florida and broadcast on Fox Sports Net (FSN).[28] With the show's première, TNA introduced a six-sided wrestling ring,[29][30] the implementation of the "Fox Box" displaying competitors and timekeeping for the match[31] and a generally more sports-like style than the sports entertainment style exemplified by WWE.[31]