As the co-founder of TNA Wrestling, Jeff Jarrett has a unique perspective on the company’s recent decision to rebrand from Impact Wrestling back to its original name. Speaking on WrestlingNews.co’s The Velvet Ropes with SoCal Val, Jarrett said the move was long overdue and that the original name change hurt the company. (Scroll down to watch the interview).
“It’s About Time”
When asked for his thoughts on the return of the TNA name, Jarrett’s reaction was immediate and enthusiastic. “In my initial gut, honest response was, ‘It’s about time,'” he stated. “And I say that in that when I went back in 2017, I pitched that internally a couple of different ways, [but] met with strong resistance.”
The Original “Brand Damage”
Jarrett explained that he always felt dropping the TNA name in favor of “Impact Wrestling” was a mistake that confused the audience and damaged the company’s identity. He cited the old promoter adage, “If you confuse them, you lose them,” and said he felt it was “brand damage” when the company moved away from the name it had built for nearly a decade.
“When impact turned into the name of Impact Wrestling, I always thought that… it was always confusing,” he said. “When you took the six-sided ring away, when you went from TNA Wrestling… and put took the name away… there was some real damage done.”
A Win for the Fans
Jarrett also praised the modern trend of wrestling promotions working together, which TNA is currently doing with WWE. “At the end of the day, first and foremost, the wrestling fan has to win,” he said. “You have to engage them in the product. And if you can have cross-promotional alliances, it’s a win, win, win… the more promotions can work together, it’s a win, win.”
Today, TNA Wrestling has fully embraced its original name and history. The company has their Slammiversary pay-per-view coming up and continues its popular crossover storyline with WWE’s NXT brand, which has seen champions from both promotions appear on each other’s television shows.
