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Top 10 Wrestlers Who Slipped Through The Cracks At TNA/IMPACT Wrestling

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6. Shinsuke Nakamura (2008)

During a foreign training excursion, Nakamura found himself in TNA Wrestling for a one-off as a member of Team Japan. Unfortunately for TNA, a long term deal was never discussed before Nakamura left to try his hand in other countries.

Since leaving, Nakamura has become one of the biggest wrestlers in the world for New Japan and WWE. Nakamura has won the IWGP 3rd Title, IWGP Heavyweight Title (3 times), IWGP Intercontinental Title (5 times), and the IWGP Tag Team Title (twice). Shinsuke also won the 2011 NJPW G1 Climax and the 2014 New Japan Cup before departing for the WWE. Once there, Nakamura has been one of two men to win the NXT Title twice. After debuting on the main roster, Nakamura went on to win the 2018 Royal Rumble event, main evented WrestleMania against AJ Styles, and is the current WWE United States Champion.

5. Tetsuya Naito (2009)

Naito is another New Japan wrestler who was brought into TNA Wrestling as a member of Team Japan for a World X Cup event and was never brought back.

Since leaving TNA, Naito has won the IWGP Heavyweight Title, IWGP Intercontinental Title (twice), IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Title, IWGP Tag Team Title, and the NEVER Openweight Title. Naito is also a 2 time NJPW G1 Climax winner (2013 and 2017) and the winner of the 2016 New Japan Cup.

4. Hiroshi Tanahashi (2006 and 2008)

The Ace was brought in to TNA Wrestling twice to be a part of Team Japan, but again was never offered any long term deals. Tanahashi’s career is legendary in Japan as he has won the IWGP Heavyweight Title SEVEN TIMES! Along with that, Tanahashi is a 2 time IWGP Intercontinental Champion, 2 time IWGP Tag Team Champion, 3 time NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champion, 3 time NJPW G1 Climax winner (2007, 2015 and 2018) and a two time New Japan Cup winner in 2005 and 2008.


3. The Young Bucks [Nick Jackson & Matt Jackson] (2009-2011 and 2013)

Nick and Matt were brought into TNA in 2009 for a tryout match and were offered a one year contract immediately after. Repackaged as Generation Me, they put on exciting matches but never got the win to gain any gold in the tag team division. After two years on a one year contract, Generation Me left for Ring of Honor. They came back to TNA Wrestling in 2013 for a One Night Only pay-per-view, and only won a single match before being eliminated and leaving the company

Outside of TNA/IMPACT, The Young Bucks have become ELITE (pun intended). As premier members of The Bullet Club, The Bucks are 7 time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions, one time IWGP Tag Team Champions, 3 time NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champions, 2 time and current Ring of Honor 6-Man Tag Team Champions, and 3 time Ring of Honor Tag Team Champions, along with a host of many other titles from independent promotions around the country.

The Bucks also have a YouTube series called Being The Elite that is one of the hottest topics in wrestling today. Recently, The Bucks co-promoted a large independent wrestling show called ALL IN with Cody Rhodes that sold over 11,000 tickets, a feat not accomplished by a promotion not called WWE since 2003.

2. Kazuchika Okada (2010-2011)

In 2010, TNA Wrestling began a working relationship with New Japan Pro Wrestling, bringing over talent like Okada as members of their roster. The losses piled up, his name was changed to Okato, and he was made to look like Kato from The Green Hornet before New Japan, unhappy with how he was being used, ended their relationship and brought Okada back. It wasn’t all bad for Okada, however, as he decided that in order to be successful, he needed a character that stood out. Thus, The Rainmaker was born.

In New Japan, Okada is a 4 time, and longest reigning, IWGP Heavyweight Champion, including his classic “6 Star” defenses against Kenny Omega. Okada has also won the NJPW G1 Climax in 2012 and 2014 and the New Japan Cup in 2013

In 2017, IMPACT Wrestling attempted to again create a working relationship with New Japan, and management personally apologized to The Rainmaker for his mistreatment in TNA, but a new deal was not able to be made.

1. Seth Rollins (as Tyler Black) (2006)

In October of 2006, Tyler Black had a televised try out tag team match on an episode of TNA Impact! After the match, Black was never seen in TNA Wrestling again.

Black later arrived in Ring of Honor where he was a 2 time Tag Team and one time ROH Champion

In August of 2010, Black was offered contracts from TNA, Ring of Honor and the WWE, which he chose to sign with, changing his in ring name to Seth Rollins. Rollins debuted for FCW, which was later branded NXT. After winning a tournament, Rollins became the first ever NXT Champion before moving on the the main roster. In the WWE, Rollins is a member of the exclusive Grand Slam Club, winning the Intercontinental Title twice (currently holding), Tag Team Titles three times, the United States Title, and has twice won the WWE World Heavyweight Title. As a member of The SHIELD and on his own, Rollins is one of the best wrestlers in the world today, and his in ring and mic work have carried Monday Night Raw through some tough times on his own.


That’s the list! Did I miss anyone? Let me know in the comments below, or shoot me a Tweet @OldSkewlPantz. Don’t forget to join me every Thursday night for Live IMPACT Wrestling results RIGHT HERE on TheChairshot.com.

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Opinion

Chris King: The Wyatt Sicks’ Wasted Potential By WWE

Chris King takes a look at the WWE and their wasted potential of Uncle Howdy and the Wyatt Sicks faction.

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Wyatt Sicks WWE

Chris King takes a look at the WWE and their wasted potential of Uncle Howdy and the Wyatt Sicks faction.

It’s that time of the year again, folks; it’s unfortunate and downright awful that so many WWE superstars got released today. I’m not going to list all of them, but I am going to talk about one of my favorite factions, 

The Wyatt Sicks. Nikki Cross, Joe Gacy, Erik Rowan, and Bo Dallas (Uncle Howdy) were something special. After Bo’s brother Bray Wyatt’s tragic passing, WWE felt like there was a hole that needed to be filled. Wyatt was one of the most creative and brilliant characters, and Bo would be taking over his brother’s concept and bringing it to life. In 2024, at the end of an incredible documentary highlighting Wyatt’s career and struggles, Bo appeared on the screen portrayed as Uncle Howdy. The last time Uncle Howdy was seen on-screen was at the 2023 Royal Rumble, where Wyatt defeated LA Knight in a Pitch Black Match. Howdy jumped off a structure onto Knight. 

This post-credit scene sparked so much speculation and excitement that Wyatt’s brother would carry on his legacy and possibly debut the faction that was Wyatt’s concept. On the June 17th episode of Monday Night Raw, The Wyatt Sicks made their dramatic debut ,destroying the backstage area as well as “murdering” Chad Gable. It was such an iconic arrival for Howdy as he made his menacing walk from the back into the audience who were chanting “Holy Shit.” The Sicks and American Made (Chad Gable and The Creed Brothers) battled for months, with The Sicks being victorious. On the September 9th episode of Raw, The Sicks defeated them, with Howdy getting the win with Sister Abigail. 

The following year, The Sicks would move over to Friday Night SmackDown, and it seemed like WWE had a plan in place. They would win the tag team championships from The Street Profits and start to look dominant. Now, what should have happened next is Howdy should have won the United States title. The Sicks could have held all the gold over on the blue brand, but it never happened. The Sicks entered into a never-ending feud with The MFT’s (Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa, JC Mateo, and Talla Tonga.) It started off exciting, and the WWE Universe was red-hot for their interactions. 

After months of repetitive matches and The MFT’s stealing their lantern, the feud grew tiresome and boring. Even Tama asked Solo why they are still holding onto the lantern, as it was destroying them as a whole. Finally on the SmackDown before Mania, Tama

gave the lantern back to Howdy against Solo’s wishes. Please explain to me why both factions fought almost every single week instead of just having one final blowoff match at WrestleMania. 

It should have been either a massive street fight or a falls count anywhere match on the grandest stage of them all. Instead, it turned into a meaningless week-after-week extravaganza that benefited no one. The MFTs won the rivalry, and The Sicks don’t even work for WWE anymore. This was the same criminalized creative process that Wyatt dealt with during his first run in the company. 

We’ll never know how much of a dangerous force The Wyatt Sicks could have been in the WWE. For all their careers’ sake, I hope they stay far away from the company for as long as possible. Every superstar that was cut deserves better!

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Opinion

Chris King: Bloodline Saga: Is This the Right Call For WWE?

Chris King questions the WWE’s logic in setting up Jacob Fatu as the next challenger for World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns 

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WWE Jacob Fatu Roman Reigns Backlash

Chris King questions the WWE’s logic in setting up Jacob Fatu as the next challenger for World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns

Roman Reigns is once again World Heavyweight Champion after his dominant win over CM Punk at WrestleMania 42. On the following night on Monday Night Raw, The OG Bloodline came back together as a well-oiled machine as The Usos stood side by side with Roman. With the WWE Universe asking who would be the first to challenge “The Tribal Chief,” Jacob Fatu shocked the world by answering the call. 

Fatu is running hot after his impressive win over Drew McIntyre and feels like he is ready to become the new world champion. This bloodline segment ended Raw, and it picked right back up on SmackDown with even Solo Sikoa and the MFTs involved. This is now two shows that have been centered around The Bloodline saga, and it’s made me question whether or not WWE should be retelling this story. 

The Bloodline (Roman Reigns, The Usos, and Solo Sikoa) ran WWE for over four years as Reigns’ henchmen, doing his dirty work to retain his title. Even though Roman has declared he doesn’t want Jey and Jimmy to serve him, it sure seems like WWE are spinning their wheels. Fatu could add a whole new chapter into the story, even if he’s not able to beat Roman at Backlash. “The Samoan Werewolf” could be forced to do the same thing as Jey did all those years ago and fall in line. 

 In my opinion, I feel like Fatu should be challenging for the Undisputed WWE Championship because that’s a title I feel like he should win. I understand standing up to your blood and trying to prove you’re the best, but I don’t think this is the right move. It feels like 2022 all over again, as The Bloodline is the central focus on both shows. If Fatu doesn’t win, what happens to all his momentum he’s been building over the last two years? 

Why did WWE make this the best choice for storyline purposes? Why couldn’t creative have come up with a different challenger for Roman? There are so many other superstars that could challenge The Tribal Chief, such as Rusev, Bron Breakker, Gunther, or even a returning Sheamus. 

I just can’t help but question WWE’s logic here, and it kind of reminds me of all the times The Shield reunited. Could WWE be pushing the same storyline too many times here? Could the WWE Universe get tired of this rinse and repeat cycle of The Bloodline Saga?

Are we about to see all the weekly episodes solely focused on The Bloodline again? Will it be cinema… Yes. Is there still money in The Bloodline… Yes. Was it the right call? That’s to be determined!

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