impact wrestling It had a bad reputation for a few years. Most of the 2010s were rocky, as the company built a reputation for signing old legends for a quick buck, which was something the promotion had been doing since its inception.
Impact Wrestling has signed old and past-prime wrestlers for as long as the company has been around. In the more than two decades that TNA has been running events, they have featured many talents at their lowest point. Whether due to age, problems outside the ring or more, these ten legends had a hard time in Impact Wrestling.
10 chyna
In 2011, Chyna decided to make a surprising return to the world of professional wrestling. She hadn’t competed in nearly a decade, since a 2002 stint at NJPW. Unfortunately, Chyna was already past her prime physically and clearly wasn’t motivated for her return.
Ultimately, Chyna’s TNT season felt weird mostly because it was just to promote her new career as an adult film star. In TNA, she only competed in a single match, leaving after Sacrifice 2011.
9 Dustin Rhodes
In 2007, Dustin Rhodes returned to TNA just two years after his first stint. However, this time, he portrayed a darker character by the name of ‘Black Reign’. The thing was, nobody liked the character, and Rhodes himself was in a very bad place.
In 2007, Rhodes was in arguably the worst shape of his career. Additionally, he was also having documented struggles with substance abuse at the time, using substances prior to coming out to fight at this time.
8 mick foley
It’s true that Mick Foley’s TNA season wasn’t all bad. Sure, he got a world title run when he didn’t really need it and clearly held back at the time of signing him in 2008, it didn’t start badly. However, he finally got sick.
TNA apparently didn’t know what to make of the hardcore legend in late 2009, and it showed. Foley was in one bad story after another until he left in 2011. Plus, he was in a lot more tough fights than a man his age had to be in at this stage.
7 ric style
Speaking of intense matches, Ric Flair was freaking out on Impact Wrestling. Signing with TNA just two years after his retirement, the former 16-time champion wasn’t planning on making his return to competition light.
No, Flair had multiple intense matches in TNA, including one with Foley. Ultimately, Nature Boy has admitted that he regrets wrestling in Impact Wrestling, and it’s hard to blame him. It is best to leave this time in oblivion.
6 scott hall
Arguably the legendary Scott Hall was in the worst period of his life in TNA. In 2002, the company signed him shortly after his role in The Plane Ride From Hell. That wasn’t Hall’s first incident, as he struggled a lot with substance abuse at this time.
That was evident on TV as well, as Hall clearly didn’t need to be anywhere near the wrestling ring. He had multiple stints on Impact Wrestling television, hardly ever having to be there.
5 roddy piper
Roddy Piper came gunning for TNA after his signing in 2002. If you don’t remember the legend’s time in Impact Wrestling, it’s not hard to blame yourself. For a couple of years, Piper made cameo appearances and hosted Piper’s Pit on Impact.
However, he didn’t fight any matches and didn’t really do anything of importance. The only memorable moment of Piper’s season was her infamous first promo when she blamed Vince Russo for the death of Owen Hart. It was one of the most awkwardly forgotten moments in wrestling history.
4 randy savage
Four years after the end of his WCW tenure, Randy Savage decided to return to professional wrestling. The problem is that he was far, far from his prime. He also did not like creative plans for him.
All of that led to Savage awkwardly appearing in just one match for the company in 2004. While that Turning Point tag team match was only supposed to be the start of his stint, he instead left due to the aforementioned creative plans.
3 lex luger
Lex Luger’s stint in TNA is probably one of the most forgotten regarding wrestling legends. In late 2003, he signed on for a brief one-off match, teaming with Jeff Jarrett in a losing effort against AJ Styles and Sting.
Eventually, Luger made a few more appearances over the years, but none were very memorable. While nothing he did was all that bad or disappointing, it was extremely forgettable.
2 hulk hogan
Hulk Hogan signed with TNA when the company was trying to go toe to toe with WWE. Instead, the Hulkster only made the division worse, as he hired his friends and put them in positions of power they didn’t have to be in.
Hogan and other friends like Eric Bischoff badly hurt the company and took years to recover. Everything forgotten from this time is better left that way.
1 Jeff Hardy
Just to be clear, Jeff Hardy had some amazing moments in Impact Wrestling. That said, there’s no question that the legend took the worst loss of his career at Victory Road 2011 in a match against Sting.
As the infamous story goes, Hardy clearly struggled under the influence that night. As a result, the match was reduced to a squash, and the rest of the fans, and even Sting himself, were outraged.