Total Nonstop Action Wrestling Impact Wrestling is a privately held American professional wrestling promotion based in Nashville , Tennessee and founded by Jeff and Jerry Jarrett in 2002 . It is the second - largest professional wrestling promotion in the United States after WWE , and is controlled as a subsidiary of the New York and Toronto - based integrated media organization Anthem Sports & Entertainment . The promotion was initially known as NWA : Total Nonstop Action ( NWA - TNA ) and was associated with the National Wrestling Alliance ( NWA ) . It withdrew from the NWA in 2004 and became known as Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ( TNA ) , but it continued to use the NWA World Heavyweight and the NWA World Tag Team championships as part of an agreement . After the agreement ended in 2007 , the company created its own TNA World Heavyweight and TNA World Tag Team championships . It is the only major American promotion to predominantly make use of a six - sided wrestling ring . History . Formation . The concept of TNA originated shortly after World Championship Wrestling ( WCW ) ended in 2001 . Bob Ryder , Jeff Jarrett and Jerry Jarrett went on a fishing trip and contemplated their futures in the professional wrestling business . Only one wrestling product remained on United States national television : the World Wrestling Federation ( WWF , later WWE ) . Ryder felt that this situation led many television stations to regard professional wrestling as bad for business , so he suggested a company not reliant on television , but rather one going straight to pay - per - view . The Jarretts found the financial backing they needed and the company put on its first show on June 19 , 2002 . That night , however , in a dark match just before they went on the air , a 450 lb wrestler named Cheex hit the ropes with so much force that one of them broke . The estimated repair time was 30 – 60 minutes , which they did not have because the schedule called for them to go live in a few minutes , whether the ring was ready or not . Backstage , the producers shuffled the schedule so that some non - wrestling segments went first to give the ring crew some more time , but they did not have many of them . The ring crew fixed the rope with the help of Ron and Don Harris , and everyone went live hoping for the best . 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 , Tennessee , nicknamed the " TNA Asylum " . After 27 months and 111 pay - per - view events , TNA began holding a weekly television show and monthly three - hour pay - per - views . The last weekly pay - per - view took place on September 8 , 2004 . " Xplosion " launched on November 27 , 2002 as TNA ' s first regular cable show and featured exclusive matches from the TNA Asylum as well as exclusive interviews with TNA wrestlers . On November 18 , 2004 , the show became a recap show of the previous week ' s " Impact ! " in light of alterations in the taping schedule . " Xplosion " resumed airing exclusive matches ( billed as " Xplosion Xclusives " ) once more on October 7 , 2005 in addition to recapping " Impact ! " . The " Xplosion Xclusives " also aired on the now - ceased " TNA Global Impact ! " internet show . Airing of " Xplosion " in the United States ceased at the end of 2006 , although some of the exclusive matches can be seen on " TNA Today " . 2004 – 2010 . In May 2004 , TNA introduced a television program , " Impact ! " ( stylized as " iMPACT ! " ) , produced at Soundstage 21 at Universal Studios Florida and broadcast on Fox Sports . The transition included the use of 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 . With the switch to cable television , TNA discontinued their weekly pay - per - view shows in favor of a monthly 3 - hour pay - per - view format as previously used by WCW and Extreme Championship Wrestling ( ECW ) and as currently used by WWE . In November 2004 , TNA held the first of these pay - per - views , Victory Road , beginning the pattern of pay - per - view shows that continued until 2013 . The television contract with Fox Sports expired in May 2005 and was not renegotiated , leaving TNA without television exposure . This prompted TNA to air " Impact ! " via webcasts – originally made available via BitTorrent and eventually via RealPlayer – and on Urban America Television replacing " Xplosion " . During this time , TNA continued pursuing a profitable television deal for regular broadcasting , would later secured a deal with Spike TV and aired its first episode on October 1 , 2005 . In October 2006 , TNA began holding select pay - per - views outside of its central filming location , the Impact Zone in Orlando , Florida , with Bound for Glory . In April 2006 , TNA began a partnership with YouTube , under which TNA supplied YouTube with exclusive video - content in exchange for hosting , leading to the production of internet shows . In January 2007 , TNA ' s mobile - content deal with New Motion , Inc . led to the introduction of TNA Mobile and mobile fan - voting . TNA has also launched " TNA U TV " ; podcasts aired through YouTube to help promote the company . " Impact ! " expanded to a two - hour format on October 4 , 2007 . 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 . On October 23 , 2008 , TNA made the transition to HD and since then all programming has been broadcast in high - definition . In addition , TNA introduced a new HD set that included new lighting and several large high - resolution screens . 2010 – 2014 . In 2010 , TNA hired professional wrestling legend Hulk Hogan and former WCW President Eric Bischoff . Both obtained a position behind the screen ( Bischoff was part of creative and Hogan a consultant ) and made some changes . They also hired many high - profile former WWE wrestlers , including Ric Flair , Rob Van Dam , Mr . Anderson and Jeff Hardy , while returning to a four sided ring . On February 15 , TNA made a new deal with Spike TV , which moved " Impact ! " to Monday nights , directly opposite of " Raw " ( although the network kept the Thursday night slot open for repeats of the Monday night shows ) . The first episode took place on March 8 . On May 3 , TNA moved " Impact ! " back to Thursday nights , re - branded as " TNA Thursdays " . At the same time , Spike also picked up " TNA Reaction " ( stylized as " TNA ReAction " or , alternatively , as " TNA ReACTION " ) , which became a regular one - hour docu - series on June 24 . " ReAction " focused on the stories and characters of TNA and previewed the upcoming episode of " Impact ! " . On February 24 , 2011 , TNA began holding " Impact ! " tapings at the Crown Coliseum in Fayetteville , North Carolina . On May 3 , " Impact ! " was re - branded " Impact Wrestling " . On November 7 , 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 a new start time of 8 p . m . EST on Thursday nights . The live schedule would continue throughout 2012 . On July 11 , DirecTV , the carrier of Spike , blocked all Viacom stations affecting TNA viewership from DirecTV subscribers . After DirectTV and Viacom reached agreement , the removed channels were added back on July 20 . 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 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 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 . Hulk Hogan ' s contract with TNA expired in October 2013 and he returned to WWE in early 2014 . In December 2013 , A . J . 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 a 60 % cut in pay . Also in December 2013 , TNA founder Jeff Jarrett " resigned " from the company . TNA accepted his resignation but clarified that Jarrett was still an " investor " in TNA . In spite of his investor status , the following year Jarrett revealed plans to start a new professional wrestling promotion , Global Force Wrestling . The departures did not stop in 2014 , with TNA veterans Sting , Chris Sabin , Hernandez , Christopher Daniels and Kazarian all leaving 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 . In response , TNA refuted the report , stating that negotiations were still ongoing . On August 14 , TNA moved " Impact Wrestling " from its Thursday timeslot to Wednesday nights . On August 20 , TNA signed an extension with Spike TV until the end of 2014 . The 2014 Bound for Glory pay - per - view was held in collaboration with Wrestle - 1 in Tokyo , Japan on October 12 ; the TNA World Heavyweight and the TNA World Tag Team titles were not defended at the event , which featured TNA wrestlers James Storm and The Great Sanada against Wrestle - 1 ' s The Great Muta and Tajiri in the main event . After Bound for Glory , TNA effectively went into hiatus due to " Impact Wrestling " ending their contract with Spike TV and its subsequent move to Destination America . The show ceased airing new televised events after the November 19 episode of " Impact Wrestling " , with the final episodes of 2014 being dedicated to " Best of TNA " clip shows , before resuming events on January 7 , 2015 with a live show from The Manhattan Center ' s Grand Ballroom in New York City . 2015 – 2016 . As revealed in November 2014 , TNA ended its relationship with Spike and instead partnered with Discovery Communications to distribute its programming beginning in January 2015 . In the United States , TNA programs , including " Impact Wrestling " , moved to Destination America . Discovery also held rights in 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 . However , Destination America was one of the fastest growing cable networks . " Impact Wrestling " premiered on Destination America on Wednesday , January 7 at 9 : 00 p . m . TNA also started two new shows : " Impact Wrestling : Unlocked " , hosted by Mike Tenay , and " TNA Wrestling ' s Greatest Matches " , 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 . 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 a deal with Pop 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 a tour of England , which would be the last TNA appearances for Kurt Angle . TNA began taping " Impact Wrestling " from 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 the company . On August 12 , Billy Corgan became the promotion ' s new President , while Dixie Carter became Chairwoman and Chief Strategy Officer . On October 13 , Corgan sued TNA due to an unpaid debt which Corgan claimed TNA has defaulted on . The state of Tennessee has also put a lien on TNA for unpaid taxes . Fight Network has since 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 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 no longer with the company as President . However , Corgan himself stated that neither TNA nor Anthem Sports & Entertainment has yet repaid 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 % stake . As the result of a settlement between Corgan and TNA , Anthem Sports & Entertainment had acquired the loans Corgan made to Dixie . 2017 – present . In January 2017 , CBS Corporation , which owns the Pop cable channel , joined Hulu ' s new live stream service to broadcast TNA . Anthem Sports & Entertainment purchased an 85 % majority stake of TNA , re - incorporating TNA ' s parent company . Dixie Carter retained a 5 % minority stake in the company , but resigned as Chairwoman after fourteen years with the company and joined Fight Media Group ' s advisory board . The promotions ' 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 the new parent company . On January 5 , Jeff Jarrett was brought back by Anthem to serve as a consultant . On March 2 , all appearances of the name TNA were dropped from the TV tapings . At the same tapings , Bruce Prichard stated that the name was " dead " , with Anthem re - branding the promotion as Impact Wrestling , the name of it ' s primary television platform . During that day ' s broadcast , Jeremy Borash stated the same . Former programming . 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 started on June 19 , 2002 and were held mostly at the Asylumin Nashville , Tennessee . After 27 months and 111 PPVs , TNA felt that they had enough of a fanbase to begin holding a weekly television show and monthly three - hour pay - per - views . The last weekly PPV was held on September 8 , 2004 . " TNA Xplosion " was launched on November 27 , 2002 as TNA ' s first regular cable show and featured exclusive matches from the TNA Asylum as well as exclusive interviews with TNA Superstars . On November 18 , 2004 , the show became a recap show of the previous week ' s " Impact ! " in light of alterations in the taping schedule . However , " Xplosion " resumed airing exclusive matches ( billed as " Xplosion Xclusives " ) once more on October 7 , 2005 in addition to recapping " Impact ! " . The " Xplosion Xclusives " also aired on the now - ceased " TNA Global Impact ! " internet show . Airing of " Xplosion " in the United States ceased at the end of 2006 although some of the exclusive matches can be seen on " TNA Today " . Current programming . TNA iMPACT ! is the current flagship show for TNA Wrestling TNA began airing " TNA Impact ! " ( officially typeset " TNA iMPACT ! " and often referred to as " TNA Thursdays " ) on June 4 , 2004 on Fox Sports Net . After TNA ' s contract with Fox Sports Net was not renewed the following year , TNA was forced to broadcast " Impact ! " from their official website , while seeking a new television outlet . TNA later secured a deal with Spike TV and aired its first episode on October 1 , 2005 . " Impact ! " expanded to a two - hour format on October 4 , 2007 . On February 15 , 2010 , TNA made a new deal with Spike TV which moved " Impact ! " to Monday nights . The first episode took place March 8 , 2010 . In December 2009 , Dixie Carter announced in an interview that TNA Epics , which had recently aired its first season exclusively in the United Kingdom , would be debuting in the United States in January 2010 . The second season began on Thursday , January 14 , 2010 . " TNA Epics " showcased matches and events from the history of TNA Wrestling , much like WWE Vintage Collection does for WWE . The show was hosted by Mick Foley , and aired on one Thursday each month on Spike , until April 2010 . On April 12 , 2010 , TNA Wrestling aired a pilot episode of their new show TNA Reaction , which is a documentary - style show that presents an exclusive behind - the - scenes look at the stars of TNA speaking about taking on their rivals . On May 3 , 2010 , TNA announced that TNA Impact ! will be moved back to Thursday nights re - branded as " TNA Thursdays " . At the same time the company also announced that Spike had picked up " Reaction " , which would start airing weekly prior to each episode of " Impact ! " , starting June 24 . The premiere date for " Reaction " was later changed to July 15 , when it would start airing after " Impact ! " instead of before it . However , in late June " Reaction " was pulled from Spike ' s schedule . On August 3 , 2010 , TNA announced that " Reaction " would premiere on August 12 and air every Thursday following " Impact ! " on 11pm ET / 10C . Also in June , TNA revamped " Xplosion " , still airing on international markets , making it more of an original program instead of a highlight show . TNA Impact ! is currently the highest rated and most watched show on Spike TV . On May 3 , 2011 , " TNA Impact ! " was re - branded " Impact Wrestling " . All Wheels Wrestling taping on 6 / 29 at Impact Wrestling Zone will be a pilot taping , and a potential series in 2012 , for the Speed Network . TNA is involved with the taping since they purchased the trademark and the domain name for the property . No word yet on what talents will be involved or how the concept of the series will merge racing and wrestling . TNA Hall of Fame . The TNA Hall of Fame was announced on May 31 , 2012 . The first inductee was revealed to be Sting on June 10 at Slammiversary . Sting ' s official induction ceremony took place at Bound For Glory . Kurt Angle became the second inductee to the Hall of Fame in 2013 . In 2014 Team 3 - D were announced as the third inductees . House shows and touring . Apart from their weekly shows in Universal Studios , TNA started running house shows on March 17 , 2006 . 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 . In 2008 TNA conducted its first tour of the UK , with most shows selling out . 2009 saw the promotion first touring Germany . On July 2 , 2010 , MCU Park hosted a live Total Nonstop Action Wrestling house show , which also has broke TNA attendance record and is currently the most attended live TNA house show in the USA with an almost capacity crowd of 5 , 550 TNA fans . Features . Ring shape and locations . Different from other United States professional wrestling promotions , TNA utilized a hexagonal ring as opposed to the traditional square ring . In 2010 , it returned to using a four - sided ring . Also , although TNA runs some house shows and a few PPV events in arenas , TNA holds most of its events at a set location ( Universal Studios in Orlando , Florida ) as opposed to an arena , presenting more of a regional promotion atmosphere . X Division . Since its origin , TNA has featured a high - flying , high risk style of wrestling called its X Division . Rather than emphasizing the fact that most wrestlers who perform this style are under 220 lb ( 100 kg ) by calling it a cruiserweight division , TNA decided to emphasize the high risk nature of the moves that these wrestlers perform . There is no upper weight limit on the X Division or its title , though in practice , most of the wrestlers in this division have been cruiserweights , with Samoa Joe , billed at 280 pounds , and Kurt Angle , billed at 230 pounds , being notable exceptions . To further emphasize this point , the slogan " It ' s not about weight limits , it ' s about no limits " is used to describe the division . Although it was de - emphasized throughout 2007 , the X Division is generally regarded as one of the key attractions of TNA and was replicated in several independent promotions . Ranking system . On April 26 , 2010 , Eric Bischoff appeared on " Impact ! " to unveil the TNA Championship ranking system . According to Bischoff , the system combines several factors to determine the # 1 contender for the TNA Heavyweight Championship . These factors include the overall performance and achievements throughout a wrestler ' s career , the TNA win / loss record of the wrestler , and online voting by the fans , which takes place on the promotion ' s website . It was also announced that a " TNA Championship Committee " had been set up to make the final decision based on these factors . The committee currently consists of TNA President Dixie Carter , Hulk Hogan , and Bischoff himself . The ten wrestlers chosen to appear on the first ballot were Kurt Angle , Jeff Hardy , Mr . Anderson , D ' Angelo Dinero , Sting , Jeff Jarrett , Abyss , Rob Terry , Desmond Wolfe , and A . J . Styles . The first round of voting ended on May 3 and was won by Desmond Wolfe , who received his title shot that night on " Impact ! " against Rob Van Dam . The second round started that same night . New names included in the new poll are Matt Morgan , Brother Ray , Brother Devon , Rhino and Hernandez . The first Top 10 ranking was revealed on May 20 , with Sting claiming the number one spot . On the second Top 10 ranking Abyss , Jeff Hardy , and Mr . Anderson were tied for the top three spots . A month later Abyss claimed the top spot . , TNA was in talks with Indy Hardcore wrestler Jesse james sr , But TNA was unable to meet with the demands of Jesse James sr , neither partie had comment on this matter . Personnel . Creative team . Vince Russo had served as head booker of TNA until May 2010 , with the collaboration of Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff . Former bookers , whether temporary or semi - permanent , include Jeff Jarrett , Jerry Jarrett , Jeremy Borash , Mike Tenay , Abyss , Dutch Mantel l and Ed Ferrara . At times , the position of booker has been coterminous with the on - screen position of Director of Authority . Authority figures . When TNA first launched , it billed the on - air authority figure as a representative appointed by the National Wrestling Alliance . It did this for storyline purposes only , however , and the actual " representatives " already worked in some capacity for TNA . From February 19 , 2003 , TNA had no active authority figure until July 23 , 2003 when Erik Watts made his return to TNA as the Director of Authority . Watts started feuding with Don Callis ( TNA Management Consultant ) , ending with Watts forced to quit . On February 18 , 2004 , TNA named Vince Russo the new Director of Authority , a position he held until November 7 , 2004 when Dusty Rhodes defeated and replaced him . The NWA Championship Committee , established in 2004 , comprised a group of wrestling veterans who acted as arbitrators , determining a winner in the event of a time - limit draw . The committee consisted of Harley Race , Larry Zbyszko and Terry Funk , with Funk later replaced by Roddy Piper without ever having appeared on TNA television . After Race and Piper left TNA , the Committee essentially ceased to exist as a physical on - screen body , although Zbyszko continued to be referred to as a member of the committee while simultaneously acting as on - screen authority figure , booking matches and giving title shots . TNA contracts . TNA wrestlers are forbidden by contract from working for WWE , but are free to work for any other independent wrestling promotion , domestic or international . Many TNA wrestlers perform regularly for various promotions on the independent circuit in addition to TNA ' s weekly shows . The majority of TNA wrestlers are paid on a per appearance basis . Like World Wrestling Entertainment , TNA wrestlers are classified as independent contractors and are not entitled to form workers ' unions or employer health coverage .