Vince Russo is taking credit for the TNA name, but the bigger story is why he says that name existed in the first place.
During an interview on Interactive Wrestling Radio, Russo talked about his new book, Total Non-Stop Agony: The Rise and Fall of TNA Wrestling. The conversation eventually turned to the company’s original name, and Russo didn’t act like fans were crazy for reading into it all these years.
According to Russo, TNA was his idea, and it was not meant to be some clean corporate wrestling brand. He said the original concept was supposed to be an adult-themed wrestling show, complete with the kind of edge that would have made it stand apart from WWE. When asked about the TNA name and the obvious innuendo behind it, Russo owned it right away.
“Absolutely. First of all, the TNA name was my idea. And it was my idea because it was a double genre. I think at that time the pay-per-view, we were talking about it being a Tuesday night or or whatever, but of course it was supposed to be an adult themed wrestling show. Um, so there was supposed to be profanity and nudity and, you know, stuff that goes with a uh adult show. So, you know, TNA was TNA, but if anybody had a problem with it, we could have said it was Tuesday Night Action.”
That is about as blunt as it gets. Russo is saying the TNA name was not an accident, and the company had a built-in backup answer if anyone got offended. Publicly, they could say it stood for Tuesday Night Action. Privately, fans pretty much knew what the letters were supposed to suggest.
The wild part is that TNA eventually became a real wrestling brand with major TV exposure, big-name stars, and a long history of its own. That original adult-show idea did not become the version of TNA most fans remember, but Russo says the name came from that mindset.
Russo also admitted he believes the company should have ditched the name once it started moving into a more mainstream space. In his mind, the TNA label made sense for the original pitch, but not for a promotion trying to grow up on television.
“But when they first went over to Fox Sports One, they definitely should have dropped the name. I mean I mean without a shadow of a doubt at that point in time it probably should have be probably should have become Impact Wrestling but uh that that wasn’t my call to make.”
TNA did eventually rebrand as Impact Wrestling, but the company later brought the TNA name back. Russo made it clear he still does not think that was the right call.
“Yeah. Again TNA, you know, again it it was meant to be TNA. I mean there there’s no mystery about it. though I I don’t think that’s a good idea. I I I really don’t. Like I said, man, once it started going a little bit more mainstream, I would have changed the name and I would have changed it for good.”
So there it is — Russo isn’t just saying he helped shape TNA. He’s saying the whole name came from him, and it was built for a much raunchier version of the company than fans ever really got. TNA may be back on the marquee now, but according to Russo, those three letters were born from a very different kind of wrestling show.
Do you think TNA was right to bring the name back, or should Impact Wrestling have stayed the permanent brand? Let us know what you think in the comments.
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