Wrestlers/Personalities That Should Be In The TNA Hall Of Fame
May 27, 2013
By Ryan Porzl
In light of their 10 year anniversary, TNA (Total Nonstop Action) created their own Hall of Fame. The first inductee: Sting was announced at TNA's anniversary PPV: Slammiversary. This is a list of the most deserving individuals that should be inducted in this years though there will only be one inductee. Some names won't be on this list since they're still wrestling full-time (AJ Styles, Christopher Daniels, and James Storm) or are in another organization (Ron “R-Truth” Killings).
Jerry Jarrett- Jarrett is a big no-brainer. He is one of the co-founders of TNA along with his son: Jeff. Jarrett also helped run the promotion during it's first year before Panda Energy took over. It's unknown if he would accept an induction since he hasn't gotten along with Panda Energy in years but he still should be brought up.
Jeff Jarrett- Nobody has probably done more for TNA than Jeff Jarrett. Along with his dad, he co-founded TNA in 2002. Since then, he was the top star for the company for it's first four years and was a multi-time world champion. He also enjoyed several classic matches and rivalries with Raven, AJ Styles, Sting, and Kurt Angle. Behind the scenes, Jarrett also served as Vice President for several years.
Mike Tenay- Tenay is yet another obvious one. If anyone ever listens to one TNA broadcast, there's a good chance they've heard Tenay's voice. The Professor is one of the rare cases where he's been in TNA since day one. He's been the promotions play-by-play announcer for 11 years and has called the biggest matches and moments in TNA's history.
Raven- Raven has been part of some of the biggest moments in the early years for TNA. His feuds with Jeff Jarrett and Father James Mitchell's Church were two of the most memorable feuds in TNA's history. The feud with Jarrett over the NWA World Heavyweight Title has been considered the first “big” feud in TNA history. His feud with Mitchell is still remembered for Raven losing a hair match to Shane Douglas and ultimately getting his hair shaved and scalp cut up. The end result left Raven a bald and bloody mess. Raven also eventually fulfilled his destiny when he captured the NWA World Heavyweight Title at the first Slammiversary in 2005.
Jerry Lynn- Though Lynn got his big breaks in the GWF and later in ECW, it was in TNA where Lynn had his biggest achievements and gave lots of contributions. He was involved in the first ever televised match in TNA history when he teamed with AJ Styles and Low Ki against the Flying Elvis'. He was also involved in the four way that crowned the first X Division champion along with Styles, Ki, and Psicosis as well as being one half of the first NWA Tag Team Champions (under the TNA banner) with Styles. He captured the X Division and Tag Team Titles two times each as well as serving as the team captain for Team USA in the 2004 World X Cup Tournament. Lynn also had many classic matches and rivalries with AJ Styles, Justin Credible, and Chris Sabin.
Trinity- Trinity is one of the first female/knockout talents in TNA's history. She also was a valet for Kid Kash and later Matt Bentley. She ultimately managed Kash during his first reign as TNA X Division Champion. She also became the first female to challenge for a men's title when she wrestled Kash and Amazing Red in a three way for the X Division Title.
Scott Hall- Despite his troubles and his here and there runs, Hall had one of the more underrated runs in TNA. He took part in the Gauntlet for the Gold for the vacant NWA World Heavyweight Championship and even made it to the final four. During his first run, Hall was also a challenger for the NWA World Championship when he challenged Ron “The Truth” Killings. He's also a former TNA World Tag Team Champion and had feuds with Jeff Jarrett, Jeff Hardy, and Ron Killings.
James Mitchell- “Father” James Mitchell will probably go down as the most successful manager in TNA History. He originally managed the Disciples of the New Church which featured talent like Malice, Tempest (Crowbar), Slash, Brian Lee, Mike Awesome, and Sinn. Mitchell would lead Lee and Slash to the NWA World Tag Team Titles and Malice through the Gauntlet for the Gold though Malice would ultimately runner up after losing to Ken Shamrock. Mitchell also led the Church and Shane Douglas through a memorable feud with Raven and his Gathering which saw Mitchell at one point shave Raven's hair in a famous TNA moment. From 2005-2007, Mitchell managed Abyss and eventually led him to the NWA World Title in 2006.
Don West- West is best known for serving as one of TNA's announcers from 2002-2009. During that time, West called some of the biggest moments, feuds, and matches in TNA history. Outside of announcing, West also worked in the merchandise department for many years where he filmed videos hyping the latest merch and the deals of the day. He also went on the road for the promotion by working the Merch stand at live events. While West will never go down as one of the most knowledgeable announcers in wrestling history, he more than made up for it by probably being one of the most enthusiastic and sometimes that's more valuable.
Scott D'Amore- D'Amore worked with TNA in a variety of positions. He's best known to longtime fans as the manager of Team Canada where he led Petey Williams to the X Division Title and Eric Young & Bobby Roode to the NWA World Tag Team Titles. D'Amore also worked as a road agent for TNA on and off for several years and was a member of the creative team. But perhaps his biggest contribution to TNA was a trainer as he was responsible for training or co-training many wrestlers who went on to become some of the biggest names in TNA history. Among the wrestlers he trained include Christy Hemme, Chris Sabin, Alex Shelley, Petey Williams, and Rhino.
