Possible Names To Consider For The TNA Hall of Fame

Possible Names To Consider For The TNA Hall of Fame
May 7, 2016
By Ryan Porzl

With Slammiversary coming up in June, it means TNA will announce at least one new member for the TNA Hall of Fame. No doubt, many TNA fans have their picks so I decided to create a list of possible inductees who could likely be overlooked. Keep in mind, I'm only picking names for people who are near the end of their careers or are retired.



Raven- Raven is one of the more obvious and long overdue picks as he was a huge part of TNA's first 3-4 years and many of TNA's most famous feuds, matches, and moments included him. His feud with Jeff Jarrett back in 2003 was TNA's first "big" feud with the title match being three months in the making and highly anticipated. His feud with Shane Douglas and James Storm produced many hardcore matches and featured the infamous hair match which Raven lost and saw his head get shaved by a rusty razor resulting in him bloody and bald. Raven also engaged in many of TNA's earliest and most memorable (of the early years) hardcore matches including the Raven's Clockwork Orange House of Fun match against Sandman and a ladder match with AJ Styles. From a storyline standpoint, Raven held the NWA World Heavyweight Championship and won the second King of the Mountain match at the inaugural Slammiversary in 2005.

Jerry Lynn- Lynn is another overdue one as he has been considered a founding father of the X Division and was a big star of the division during the first year. He also was in many historical matches such as competing in the first televised match in TNA history on June 19, 2002 where he, AJ Styles, and Low-Ki took on The Flying Elvises as well as competed in the four way that crowned the inaugural X Division Champion along with AJ, Ki, and Psicosis. He also served as Team Captain for Team TNA/Team USA at the 2004 World X Cup. From a storyline standpoint, he held the TNA X Division Championship two times, the NWA World Tag Team Championship two times, and the 2004 World X Cup. His first run as NWA World Tag Team Champion was the first with TNA controlling the titles.

Mike Tenay- Yet another obvious one. Tenay was the voice of TNA from the first show on June 19, 2002 till the end of TNA's run on Spike TV in December 2014. That alone warrants a Hall of Fame induction. Tenay has also been one of the greatest announcers in wrestling during his time and did his job as well as anyone. With Josh Matthews having succeeded him in January 2015 and Tenay's appearances being few and far between, his time appears to be winding down so now would be the ideal time to induct him.

Traci Brooks- I know most fans think Gail Kim should be the first female induction in the Hall of Fame but I think Traci deserves it. Nothing against Gail but she's made enough history and I think Traci would be a better pick. Though she never held the TNA Knockouts Championship, Traci was a big part of TNA for nearly a decade as during her time, Traci wore many hats as she worked for TNA as a wrestler, manager, referee, and authority figure. She shown she was dependable and a company person who could work any role that was asked of her. In her early run, she also didn't have a problem wrestling men as she competed in the Anarchy Alliance Tag Team tournament in 2003. In recent years, she's also been referred to as "The Original Knockout" which makes sense as she was in TNA long before there was a Knockouts Division and could be considered someone who helped to open the doors for women in TNA.

Malice- Malice would be good as the first posthumous inductee into the TNA Hall of Fame. Though he was only in TNA in the early months, he still made an impact (no pun intended). He was the runner up in the gauntlet for the gold to determine the first NWA World Heavyweight Champion under the TNA banner at the first TNA show back on June 19, 2002. He received another NWA World Heavyweight Title shot when he rematched Shamrock and took on Sabu in a ladder match to determined a #1 contender for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. Malice is also the first "monster" wrestler in TNA history as he even predated Abyss (Abyss first appeared at TNA's first show but under a different gimmick).

James Mitchell- Mitchell is perhaps the most successful manager in TNA history and appropriately should be the first manager inducted into the TNA Hall of Fame. During his run, Mitchell managed many names including Abyss and Shane Douglas as well as leading The Disciples of The New Church which featured Slash, Brian Lee, and Mike Awesome. His feud with Raven from 2003-2004 was one of the biggest feuds in TNA history as well. As a manager, Mitchell truly was a great one as he added to his acts especially as a mouth piece for wrestlers like Abyss who didn't talk at the time and made certain acts come off more psychotic or twisted. At the same time, he had a charismatic charm where it's easy to see why wrestlers would be influenced by him. From a storyline standpoint, Mitchell lead Abyss to the NWA World Heavyweight Championship in 2006 as well as Slash and Lee to the NWA World Tag Team Championship in 2002 while also handing America's Most Wanted their first loss.

The Disciples of The New Church (Brian Lee & Slash)- The Lee/Slash version of The Disciples of The New Church is probably one of the most underrated tag teams in TNA history. The team were a great staple in TNA's first year complimenting other great teams of the time like America's Most Wanted and Triple X with AMW being a jack-of-all trades team while XXX were the high flying type team and The Disciples were the bloody brawlers. Their feud with AMW produced many great matches and was the first major tag team feud in TNA's history. They also engaged in a memorable feud with Raven and his gathering stable in the spring and summer of 2003 before Lee's departure which was apart of Raven's big feud with Shane Douglas and "Father" James Mitchell. From a storyline standpoint, The Disciples of The New Church won the NWA World Tag Team Championship on one occasion all the while giving America's Most Wanted their first loss as a team which is huge given America's Most Wanted served as TNA's top tag team for their first five years.