The TNA Hall of Fame

Last week on Perspectives of the Common Fan a very interesting topic was brought up by a caller. It was in regards to who would be in a TNA Hall of Fame if one ever existed. It was something I haven't thought of that much but have more recently.

Immediately the first three that pop into my head, though not right away, were AJ Styles, Kurt Angle, and Gail Kim:

Gail Kim may surprise some people but I think she was a massive part of the popularity TNA had since they're inception and her managerial skills with Americas Most Wanted were fantastic as a heel. Not to mention her in-ring ability that helped shape what the popular (Though no to everyone) Knockouts of today.

AJ Styles in my opinion is what TNA was built on. He's been in the promotion since day one and has always had not only one of the bigger fan bases, but also put on great matches week in and week out. He was reliable, the crowd loved him, and he was and still is fantastic in the ring.

Kurt Angle to me, was one of the first major "OMG" moments in wrestling history after Hulk Hogan joined the NWO. Being there live for that announcement was great and something I won't forget anytime soon. It created a huge buzz in the industry and with already bringing in a big fan base, helped TNA lure more top stars to the promotion. If it wasn't for Kurt, guys like RVD, Hulk Hogan, and Ric Flair, I honestly don't think would be in TNA today. At least not at this time.

So apart from these top three, a few others did pop into my head but not right away. I'm a bit surprised Samoa Joe didn't come to me but unfortunately with how he's been recently used, I forget he's with the promotion still. I do think however that he would be a TNA Hall of Famer and rightfully so. His classic feud with Kurt Angle stands out as well as his dominant introduction into the promotion. He also brought some life into an already established X-Division. Something that was really put on the map by AJ Styles.

Other honorable mentions in my book would be Scott D'more and his team Canada stablemate, Robert Roode. He's always been a solid worker that gets a lot of heat and for me personally, someone who's always been entertaining in the ring, six-sided or four-sided.

When it comes to tag teams, America's Most Wanted sticks out in my mind as the best tag team in the company's history. They're feud with LAX sticks out in my mind as well as with Triple X. Great stuff and with Gail Kim as well, they were a dominant team. LAX and Team 3D would also get honorable mentions here as well. Two well-rounded teams that also had a classic feud that showed what tag team wrestling should be about.

Lastly, Christopher Daniels, Abyss, Sting, and Jeff Jarrett should be mentioned as well. It's amazing that these four didn't even come to mind until the time of this writing but both have been a major part of TNA's existence, both in the X-Division and the Heavyweight division. Even is Jarrett was in the spotlight more than he should have been.


To wrap up these thoughts, one question comes to mind. Would TNA have separate wings for, let's just say, the X-Division? WWE doesn't have wings of course and to be honest when I think of a Hall of Fame, I don't see it divided into sections, just who is the best of the best. In all honesty too, I foresee TNA not having a HoF, but more realistically TNA superstars being inducted into WWE's Hall of Fame. A bit of a stretch now for sure, but still more likely in this Common Fan's opinion.

The caller actually threw out the name Jerry Lynn as well now that I think about it, and he could be an honorable mention as well, along with a guy like Low-Ki. It's funny how the more one thinks about stuff like this, the more that come to mind. And that's that way it will continue to be until such a thing as the TNA Hall of Fame actually exists. Until then, fans just enjoy looking back and their favorite athletes, favorite angles, and favorite matches. You won't hear any complaints about that from me.