TNA Wrestlers Who Had A Disappointing 2024

TNA Wrestlers Who Had A Disappointing 2024
December 31, 2024
By Ryan Porzl

2024 was a huge year for TNA. After shedding the name in 2017, the promotion returned to the TNA name in 2024 and had a rollercoster ride in 2024 eventually seeing them enjoy the biggest success in a decade. As for the wrestlers, each have had varying degrees of success. With 2024 coming to a close, we'll take a look at two sets of TNA wrestlers in a two part article. In this article, we'll look at the TNA wrestlers who had a disappointing 2024 and either couldn't take that next step or didn't have the run most thought they would.

I don't own any photos. Credit to TNA or whoever owns them.

KiLynn King- We'll start with perhaps the most interesting one on this list. KiLynn makes this list for different reasons then the others do. After debuting in TNA in 2023 and enjoying a run with the Knockouts World Tag Team Championship with Taylor Wilde, it looked like big things were coming for her in 2024. Even the fans seemed to agree as she won TNA's One To Watch in 2024 Award at the Year End Awards. However, KiLynn's 2024 ended before the year began when she suffered a torn ACL in late 2023 and would go on to miss the whole year. You can't help but wonder what was in store for KiLynn in 2024 but you have to think a program with Jordynne Grace during her dominant run as Knockouts World Champion would've been in the cards. KiLynn was supposed to be the TNA talent to look out for in 2024 but instead she was on the injured list and missed a year of her career. Hopefully, she'll be able rebuild in 2025.

Jake Something- If there has been anyone in TNA who feels like they're on a treadmill, it's Jake Something. It feels like a lifetime that Something has been considered a prospect and future star for TNA but for some reason it hasn't happened yet. Something has been with TNA on and off for five years but in that time has yet to win a single TNA championship or have that be feud or match to take him to that next level. In fact, he's now become the longest tenured wrestler on the TNA roster that hasn't won a title yet and 2024 felt like another year. Something began 2024 in a thrown together tag match at Hard To Kill teaming with Rhino and PCO in a winning effort against Dirty Dango, Alpha Bravo, and Oleg Prudius. In the spring, he would briefly feud with Mustafa Ali for the X Division Championship and challenged at Rebellion but came up short. After that, Something mostly had a quiet spring/summer teasing a heel turn which eventually would happen in the fall. By the fall, Something would see promise forming a team with fellow big man Hammerstone but then they hit a snag in November when Hammerstone went down with a knee injury, putting the team on the shelf. Overall, Something didn't have a horrible year and maybe his alliance with Hammerstone and heel turn will bear fruit in 2025 but the fact he again felt in the same position with no title wins feels disappointing.

Sami Callihan- Sami Callihan is one of the biggest names in TNA history and certainly one of the most important during the Anthem era. Since his arrival in 2017, Callihan has been apart of some of TNA's greatest rivalries and matches of the past decade including his stuff with Eddie Edwards, Tessa Blanchard, and Pentagon Jr. Along with this, Callihan has been a former TNA World Champion as well as a Bound For Glory and Slammiversary main eventer. However, 2024 was easily his most forgettable year. Callihan left TNA originally in September 2023 so he was absent for the first quarter of the year. He eventually returned at Rebellion in April assisting Jordynne Grace in her title defense against Steph De Lander and things looked good. However, after that, Callihan would spend a lot of the year flying under the radar. Other than confrontations with Jonathan Gresham in the summer, Callihan largely was quiet during the summer and most of the fall as he felt lost in the shuffle and directionless. Like Something, things would pick up at the end of the year when he began teaming with PCO and was stalked by the number 23 vignette which hopefully sees him have a bigger 2025 but as it stands with 2024, it won't be remembered as the Death Machine's biggest year in TNA.

KUSHIDA- KUSHIDA is someone on this list who it felt like there were plans in place but changes and other things got in the way. After originally making appearances for TNA in 2023 as a New Japan representative, KUSHIDA would sign with TNA before the rebranding back to TNA in December 2023 supposedly as part of a special deal which would see him work both TNA and New Japan. At first, things looked fine as KUSHIDA challenged Chris Sabin for the X Division Championship in a three way also involving El hijo del Vikingo at Hard To Kill and was part of the Time Machine group with the Motor City Machine Guns. However, the firing of Scott D'Amore in February and the departure of the Machine Guns in March seem to hurt KUSHIDA. On top of that, his commitments to New Japan like doing tournaments would see him absent for as much as a month making it difficult for TNA to do much with him. He would get a small feud with Jonathan Gresham in the summer and finished the year with an X Division Title shot against Moose but again, he was never able to build momentum or gain traction. Perhaps to no surprise, reports have come out that KUSHIDA has finished with TNA in December 2024 and will focus solely on New Japan. All in all, KUSHIDA seemed like a strong signing a year ago and had some good matches but commitments elsewhere and possibly departures seem to hurt his potential. 

Jonathan Gresham- Jonathan Gresham is definitely in the running for best technical wrestler currently but he's also someone that hasn't been able to find his footing in recent years with TNA or elsewhere. After making appearances in TNA in 2022 while ROH was on hiatus, Gresham would sign by the end of 2022 but largely had a forgettable 2023 outside of a great World Title match with Alex Shelley and a potential heel turn. After missing the first quarter of 2024, Gresham returned to TNA with a new character that was part Great Muta/part Octopus but despite it's potential, it never really caught on outside of a feud with KUSHIDA and confrontations with Callihan and was quickly dropped. By the fall, Gresham was back to himself and a babyface which did see him take part in a series of matches with Josh Alexander and his Northern Armory as well as a great match with NXT's Charlie Dempsey but it didn't lead to anything big for him. Going into 2025, rumors are swirling that Greaham's TNA contract deal is expiring in January 2025 and with wife Jordynne Grace rumored to be jumping to the WWE, many believe Gresham's time in TNA is over. As mentioned, Gresham is one of the best technical wrestlers today but for some reason, be it size or character work, he never has been able to get his footing with TNA.

Trent Seven- Seven's TNA run is a weird one as I can't put my finger on it. Like KUSHIDA, Seven signed with TNA at the end of 2023 at TNA's Final Resolution show (the last under the Impact Wrestling name) and would immediately be paired up with Mike Bailey in the tag team "Speedball Mountain". Perhaps as a bad omen, Seven's 2024 began badly when he missed the Hard To Kill PPV due to weather conditions. During the winter, Seven and Bailey would trade wins with the Rascalz. Then during the spring and early summer, things looked good for Seven as he and Bailey challenged the System for the TNA World Tag Team Championship at Rebellion, they then teamed with Matt Hardy at Under Siege in the main event against the System, and he challenged Mustafa Ali for the X Division Championship. However, by the summer, Seven's stock dropped as TNA moved Bailey back to the X Division leaving Seven with nothing and he sat out for three months. Upon returning in October, Seven failed to win the Call Your Shot Gauntlet at Bound For Glory and then turned heel on Bailey following Bailey's X Division Title loss to Moose but a feud never materialized due to Bailey's alleged departure. Afterwards, Seven had a brief program with Ace Austin including beating him in a six man tag on Impact before losing to him at Final Resolution in December. Like KUSHIDA, reports have come out that Seven is done with TNA and won't be with them in 2025. Overall, Seven is a solid performer but I'm not sure what was the point other than give Bailey a break from the X Division.

Gisele Shaw- Gisele is someone that TNA seemed to have hopes for and maybe, things would've happened in 2024 but some big events changed everything. Gisele started 2024 on a great note by winning the Knockouts Ultimate X match at Hard To Kill 2024 guaranteeing a future title shot. However, when TNA President and boyfriend Scott D'Amore was fired in February, the bell started to toll and it seemed like she would eventually follow. Gisele would get her title shot against Jordynne Grace at No Surrender in February and lost before disappearing for three months due to injury. Perhaps trying to salvage this relationship, TNA brought Gisele back in May as a babyface and briefly mentored by Gail Kim where she feuded with Tasha Steelz and traded wins before setting the feud with a win in August. However, by the end of August, Gisele requested her release and left the promotion following a loss to newcomer Heather Reckless (Heather by Elegance) on a September Impact. Out of all the people on this list, Gisele seemed like the one who would break out or take that next step and become a champion but various circumstances prevented it from happening and she was gone before the year was out.