5 Big Risks Impact Wrestling Took That Paid Off (& 5 That Backfired)
Robert Clark
Published Mar 27, 2026
The history of Impact Wrestling features many risks taking place with varied results. Any wrestling company created after WWE’s monopoly on the industry grew knows that taking risks is part of the game to become a viable challenger. The right risk can lead to a company growing with new fans, but a bad one will hurt that same intended growth.
RELATED: 10 Most Honorable Wrestlers In Impact Wrestling History
TNA aka Impact had their fair share of risks for better or worse throughout the years. Various regime changes and talents joining the company led to some bold moves. Unfortunately, the ones that missed hurt more long-term than the positive ones helped in the moment. Impact’s history sees the following risks that either paid off or backfired in major ways.
10 Paid Off: Using Kurt Angle Vs Jeff Jarrett Tension On TV
TNA tried to use real-life issues between Kurt Angle and Jeff Jarrett multiple times with great results. Both guys exchanged personal promos during their first feud with a few great matches. However, it was the next chapter in both real life and backstage that everyone talks about.
RELATED: 5 Biggest Factions In Impact Wrestling History (& 5 With The Fewest Members)
Karen left Kurt for Jeff to create a scandal that leaked and became public knowledge. TNA actually found some great moments when making it a feud. Jarrett did some of his best heel work mocking Kurt’s amateur wrestling skills, and Angle got the ultimate revenge winning the feud over Jeff and Karen.
9 Backfired: Hulk Hogan & Eric Bischoff Gaining Power
There is no conversation about Impact Wrestling’s biggest mistakes without mentioning Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff gaining power. Fans and wrestling personalities debated the pros and cons when Dixie Carter announced this to show how risky it was. Hogan and Bischoff were all for themselves and made decisions that harmed the company.
Names like Brooke Hogan, Garett Bischoff, Val Venis and the Nasty Boys getting chances showed what the new regime represented. The duo made changes that fans hated and showed no respect for anything TNA did before their arrival.
8 Paid Off: Having Kenny Omega Win Impact World Championship For AEW
Impact Wrestling’s working relationship with AEW was criticized with some fans wondering what it did for them. However, most forget that Impact was in a rough spot for years after their previous regimes failed and gave Scott D’Amore a tough situation to inherit.
The AEW relationship helped Impact get their product in front of new viewers. Kenny Omega was at his peak as the belt collector, and his Impact World Championship matches on Impact PPV did their best numbers in years. Impact didn’t want to keep working under AEW, but this time helped set up their rise.
7 Backfired: Tessa Blanchard Winning Impact World Championship
One of the bigger mistakes from Impact Wrestling under the Scott D’Amore regime was something outside of their control. Tessa Blanchard becoming the first woman to win a male world title for a major American promotion should have been a great moment.
However, social media drama earlier that day led to many of Blanchard’s former peers on the indies claiming she was a bully with allegations of racist comments. Impact went through with Tessa winning in an awkward moment. Blanchard butted heads with Impact during the pandemic and didn’t even drop the title to anyone since she refused to appear to make this risk look even worse.
6 Paid Off: Sting's Joker Character
Recent years have confirmed that fans loved the Joker version of Sting’s character in TNA. Sting adopted this character after being inspired by Heath Ledger’s portrayal of the Joker. The feeling was that Sting needed something new to have a different chapter to his rivalry with Hulk Hogan.
Joker Sting tormenting Hogan and Eric Bischoff in comical moments was extremely risky, but the campy nature added to the fun. AEW bringing this version of Sting back for All In already has fan interested. Impact even uploaded a full video of every Joker Sting moment to take advantage of the momentum.
5 Backfired: Dixie Carter Becoming On-Screen Character
Dixie Carter used to vow that she’d never be an on-screen character beyond sitting in the crowd or being a figurehead. Jeff Jarrett claimed that Vince Russo was the one most insistent on talking Dixie into changing her ways to become part of the TV show.
Carter was a negative presence on-screen as someone with no experience playing an odd character. The babyface version of Dixie held a real talent meeting ripping anyone unhappy about the Hulk Hogan signing and aired it. Carter’s heel run was even worse since TNA just copied Stephanie McMahon’s WWE roles.
4 Paid Off: Matt Hardy's Cinematic Matches
Impact Wrestling was in a terrible state after Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff failed badly during their time running it. The company losing the Spike TV deal had wrestlers worried about their future for many years since it felt like a negative trend for so long.
Matt Hardy helped create some positive momentum for the first time in years with his Broken character. The risk of cinematic matches paid off with the wrestling world talking about Matt and Jeff’s match at their compound. Even WWE wrestlers were watching the match during an overseas tour with their own locker room showings.
3 Backfired: Jeff Hardy Turning Heel
Jeff Hardy also ended up on the worst side of TNA risks when he turned heel to form Immortal. TNA wanted to have a moment like Hulk Hogan turning heel in WCW, and Jeff was a babyface for most of his career to shock fans with a turn.
Unfortunately, it didn’t work out at all with a forced heel character as the antichrist of pro wrestling. Immortal turned into a joke as a New World Order rip off and everything misfired. TNA dropped the ball with what felt a make-or-break angle.
2 Paid Off: Creating Main Event Mafia Faction Using Real Conflict
The Main Event Mafia could be argued as the greatest idea in Impact Wrestling history. There was some real tension between the established former world champions and younger homegrown stars feeling they were being held down.
TNA made money and created interest by using that conflict in a productive way. Sting, Kurt Angle, Scott Steiner, Booker T and Kevin Nash all had great chemistry to make it entertaining. The rivalry between the Main Event Mafia and Frontline stars gave TNA some momentum during what many fans consider their glory years.
1 Backfired: Lowballing AJ Styles During Contract Negotiations
AJ Styles was the clear choice for the heart of TNA since he was there from day one and broke out as a star. Many fans wanted Styles to move to WWE, but he was loyal to TNA. This was until the company decided to offer him a lower contract extension for the first time since he joined.
TNA wanted Styles to take a pay cut and felt that he needed them more than they needed him. AJ proved them wrong by becoming the biggest American star in New Japan in years and the top free agent. WWE signed Styles to a great deal and became a huge star there for the perfect ending to TNA’s mistake.
