IMPACT Slammiversary 2022 marks the 20th anniversary of the promotion once known as TNA Wresting, and the occasion has prompted fans and wrestlers alike to look back on its illustrious history.
TNA/IMPACT has changed the game in a variety of ways over the years, and in interviews with Scott Fishman of TV Insider, several legendary names weighed in on its legacy.
Jeff Jarrett, one of the most influential parts of TNA history, looked back on his days as one of the promotion’s top stars. He also recalled how the company made trailblazing decisions like having Gail Kim and Awesome Kong main-event a televised show.
“Not only did I have to prepare for an NWA title match, but all the other things leading up to the show,” said Jarrett. “Besides AJ, those matches with Kurt Angle and that run were a personal highlight of my career. Making the decision of putting the X Division in the main event — I was told by just about everybody not to do it. Awesome Kong and Gail Kim main eventing an Impact show. For the time, it was enormously cutting edge. It was all very innovative, bold, and forward-thinking.”
“To know we had a hand in starting the Knockouts division and look at what it has turned into, knowing the company has supported us since 2007 along the way,” Kim said. “Impact never dropped the ball on the women’s division. We fought for this. You know how much begging, blood, sweat, and tears went into it. To look back on that now and work with the girls in the locker room now, that’s everything you could ever wish for.”
Chris Sabin, a veteran who was prominent back in the TNA days and remains featured all this time later, discussed some of his classic work with the Motor City Machine Guns. He also noted other highlights, like his match with Samoa Joe at No Surrender 2005. Sabin will represent the past and present of IMPACT when he competes at Slammiversary on Sunday.
“I’ll definitely remember those best of 5 between the Motor City Machine Guns and Beer Money. It’s probably my favorite work I’ve done at Impact,” he said. “I also remember having those matches with AJ Styles on Impact that I thought was really good. I remember a match with Samoa Joe at No Surrender in 2005 sticks out to me, and facing Alex Shelley one-on-one in the finals of the X Division tournament. One that meant a lot to me was the King of the Mountain match. We ran The Palace of Auburn Hills. It doesn’t exist anymore, but having family out there meant so much.”
“The formation of the Knockouts will hold a special place for me,” D’Amore said. “It was Gail Kim, Traci Brooks, Jackie Moore, and others who kept pushing and pushing. If you watch any wrestling show, women aren’t wrestling in mud, jello, or doing lingerie pillow fights. The Knockouts showed that women can be athletes, powerful, and be competitors.”
