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Once upon a time, in a land far away, there was a pro-wrestling promotion known as TNA—one that was then heralded by every industry ‘expert’ as the successor to WCW, and a new, and a very real threat to the WWE.
Well, now that you reminisce about the same, it wasn’t that long ago when TNA was The place to be—tantalising Knockouts, high-flying X-Division action, bona fide mega-stars such as AJ Styles, Samoa Joe and several others in their prime; legends in the form of Kurt Angle, Hulk Hogan, and others, eventually joining the ranks.
That was back in the early-2000s up until the company went downhill in the post-2011 phase; with several trade pundits attributing the now-tottering company’s fall from grace to the time the Hulkster took over and Eric Bischoff convinced Dixie Carter to proceed onward to a head-on collision with the WWE by taking TNA tapings on the road.
Regardless of the shortfalls, TNA would eventually garner more than a considerable share of infamy. The fact remains that the six-sided ring has borne witness to several legendary feuds and all-time classic matchups between once-in-a-generation talents. Here, we revisit a select few iconic TNA matches that I guarantee you’d love to see in WWE today.
Now, bear in mind, this isn’t in any manner, merely an appeal to your nostalgia, but rather a genuine attempt to tug at the heartstrings of the hardcore professional wrestling fan which resides inside each and every one of us in this wonderful fraternity. Let’s hope we get a part deux of these showdowns in WWE—
#10 Samoa Joe vs Bobby Roode
Samoa Joe and Bobby Roode presently compete under the WWE umbrella, however, you would be remiss to account the majority of the fame and respect they’ve earned over the course of their respective careers, only to their work in the WWE as of late.
Truth be told, both Joe and Roode spent the better part of their prime inside the Six-Sided ring, putting on one fantastic performance after another, jaw-dropping spots and glorious moments galore! Regardless, Joe is now a proven star on the WWE main roster, in lieu of his main-event billing against Brock Lesnar at Great Balls of Fire, besides, routinely competing as a top Superstar for the red brand.
On that other hand, you have Roode, who recently made his main roster debut and went over Dolph Ziggler, whilst simultaneously establishing himself as one of SmackDown’s top stars.
Roode and Joe have faced each other multiple times in the Impact Zone, with their No. 1 contender match for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship being a highly technical display of wrestling skills -- one of the better matches in recent TNA history which went down in 2014.
The WWE ought to redo the match between Roode and Joe possibly at Survivor Series in the days to come.
#9 AJ Styles vs Eric Young
AJ Styles and Eric Young didn’t have the typical long drawn-out program with one another, and their best face-off, in fact, came in a 6-Man Tag Team match in 2007.
Back when Kevin Nash, Scott Hall and Kurt Angle were ina great feud in TNA alongside budding stars in the form of AJ Styles and Samoa Joe, Young was inserted into this match which took place a while after TNA Genesis. What followed was a display of otherworldly mat skills coupled with the biggest pop for "The Phenomenal One".
A+lthough EY wrestles in NXT and AJ is a top performer on SmackDown, the WWE can most definitely pursue a full-blown feud between Styles against Eric and the latter’s SAnitY brethren.
Besides, the in-ring one-on-one action between Young and Styles is every wrestling fan’s dream come true.
#8 Eric Young vs Bobby Roode
The following showdown took place well after TNA hit its unfortunate downward stride. However, the matchup, a Submission match between EY and the Glorious One, saw one of, if not the, most insane spots which saw the latter scream profanities while writhing in pain, courtesy a Young submission.
The exchange was followed by both wrestlers getting into a slap-fight before the end came when Bobby tapped out to the dreadful Figure-Four, Young had locked in.
What’s sad about their classic bout is that only a handful of fans were present at the tapings and the atmosphere lacked the energy which TNA fans had grown accustomed to over the years.
Nevertheless, should EY and Roode duke it out in front of the WWE Universe today, in a possible rehash of their classic Submission match circa 2015, the fans would go gaga over the incredible chemistry that exists between the duo, which in turn would give us yet another hard-hitting TNA classic under the WWE brand.
Well, hard Hitting and classic go hand-in-hand with the following performer…
#7 Samoa Joe vs Eric Young
Remember when Samoa Joe bested Eric Young in an excellent match on NXT last year.
Despite Joe being an NXT Champion at the time, one would still have to rate their violent showdown inside the Six-Sided Ring back in 2014 -- that ended symbolically with the Destroyer choking out EY, but the latter being awarded the win -- as their best match to date.
In reference to the same, I think we can now unanimously agree that Young has improved leaps and bounds as a performer today, and has always been one to spew venom when given mic-time. A rematch of their ’14 matchup absolutely has to take place in the WWE.
With both Superstars very popular in the professional wrestling community today, it would only be fair for EY and Joe to go at it once again...this time, hopefully, without a controversial ending!
#6 Mickie James vs Rosita (Thea Trinidad)
Mickie James had several iconic matches in her career -- be it her receiving the reins of the Women’s Division from Trish Stratus, or the grueling contests against Gail Kim in TNA.
Regardless, one of the forgotten TNA classics would be James' rivalry with Madison Rayne, and as part of a filler feud, the Country Girl competed against Rosita, who is now part of the WWE under the ring name, Thea Trinidad. She beat Double-T and went over in the aforementioned bout.
However, fast-forward to 201,7 and Rosita aka Trinidad is a highly regarded performer, and the glimpses of greatness she showed back in her TNA match, in the losing effort to James, now seem to be rather magnified, so to speak.
James competes on RAW and faces Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss for the title at TLC later this month.
Should she dethrone the Goddess of WWE, a possible feud between her and Thea may be on the cards, provided that WWE chooses to call up the latter to the main roster. Which brings me to…
#5 Gail Kim vs Mickie James
Yes, Gail Kim may never compete in a WWE ring again. Besides, the Canadian legend of Korean descent is said to be rounding up her career this year.
Regardless, the matches between Kim and James that have taken place previously in both the WWE and TNA, simply go to show how much we, as fans, have missed out on, courtesy the WWE’s lack of airtime allotted to the Women’s division before the much-talked about Women’s Revolution.
About half a decade ago, Kim took on James in a No. 1 contender's matchup for the TNA Knockouts Championship, with Taryn Terrell as the Special Guest Referee. After a high-octane showdown with fans going back and forth in their support for both women, Hardcore Country picked up the victory over a resilient Kim.
As a longtime pro-wrestling fan and unabashed admirer of both these women, I’d love to see Gail have her swan song at Wrestlemania 34 next year, going out against one of her most formidable rivals -- Mickie James.
#4 Kurt Angle vs Samoa Joe
Kurt Angle and Samoa Joe had several all-time classic bouts during their time with TNA. Now, without any disrespect intended to any of the excellent matchups that I haven’t noted here, let’s go back to their legendary showdowns at Genesis and Turning Point in 2006 and Hard Justice in ’07.
I believe Angle and Joe’s best match inside the Six-Sided Ring was their MMA-themed matchup at Lockdown 2008 with the TNA World Heavyweight Championship on the line.
The event, as a whole, was surreal and symbolised TNA at its very best. Angle and Joe pushed each other to their breaking point in this classic.
Although the Olympic Gold medalist is yet to be cleared by the WWE doctors for an in-ring return, his rumored retirement match at ‘Mania 34 next April ought to come against one of a select few stars.
The most attractive prospect among them being the Samoan Submission Machine.
#3 Kurt Angle vs AJ Styles
When you talk about classic pro-wrestling rivalries, you’re likely to bring up Kurt Angle vs AJ Styles. Their bouts at Genesis in 2010 and Sacrifice in ’12 were great in their own right and their matches at Hard Justice 2008 and Slammiversary 2013 were some of the best matches of that time.
Angle got demolished in their Last Man Standing match back in ’08 and avenged the brutal loss by besting the Phenomenal One five years later. Who wouldn’t love to see the duo run their legendary feud back one last time, before Kurt retired for good?
It’d be great to see Angle and Styles compete in a Last Man Standing Match at the Royal Rumble early next year.
#2 AJ Styles vs Bobby Roode
AJ Styles and Bobby Roode engaged in an extremely heated rivalry back in 2011, with one of their greatest matches coming at Final Resolution.
Styles came dangerously close to dethroning Roode as the TNA World Heavyweight Champion in the 30-Minute Iron Man match at the event. However, Styles appeared to have tweaked his knee in the closing moments of the show, and his opponent took advantage of the same and rolled out of the ring claiming victory on basis of points.
What’s even more intriguing about a potential redo of their legendary Iron Man bout, is that both performers currently call SmackDown Live their house, and are likely to be heading towards reigniting their war with one another, only this time in the WWE.
I say let’s run back the Iron Man match in front of the WWE Universe!
#1 AJ Styles vs Samoa Joe
AJ Styles and Samoa Joe have engaged in several encounters with one another, each unique in its own right. However, irrespective of their excellent bout at Bound For Glory in 2013, I consider their Turning Point 2005 matchup to be their best.
With the X-Division Championship hanging in the balance, Joe used his lethal submission skills to put Styles to sleep and walk away with the title. Coming back to the present day, one could easily envision the duo replaying their great rivalry.
Granted that Joe competes on RAW and Styles on SmackDown, however, the WWE would be mistaken should they let this one slip through their hands. The fans want it and the pundits consider it as promotional gold.
I’d like to see Styles and Joe be booked for a high-paced, frenetic bout much like their Turning Point brawl.
Which TNA classic would you love to see rehashed in WWE? Chime in with your comments!
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