5 wrestlers who made their name in TNA

TNA has hit hard times of late but has seen its share of talent.TNA has had problems, but the talent on the roster has never been one of them.Whether it’s been young and emerging stars like AJ Styles during his run or older legends like Sting, many of the promotions’ top performers have been grapplers known across multiple promotions.Other stars have been more exclusive to TNA. While it’s tough for any wrestler to be truly homegrown because of independent promotions and non-exclusive contracts, here are five guys who emerged as known performers during their time with TNA.

#5 James Storm

James Storm held a top spot in TNA for several years.

James Storm is the lone figure on this list who is no longer in the TNA fold, as he recently made the move to WWEs NXT product. Still, his mark on TNA history cant be ignored.

After a brief run in WCW, Storm came to TNA in 2002 and quickly got into the NWA tag title mix with Chris Harris. In the next dozen years or so, Storm went on to win the NWA and TNA tag titles a combined 13 times and even had a World Heavyweight Championship run in the promotion.

#4 Ethan Carter III

Ethan Carter III simply has the look of a top wrestling performer.

Ethan Carter III was truthfully in WWEs developmental program longer than hes been in TNA, but his time in the promotion has been high-profile. He was immediately booked as the nephew of TNA authority figureDixie Carter, and he went straight into matches with legends like Kurt Angle and Sting.

In just a couple years, Carter ascended to the world title picture and won the belt from Angle in June 2015. He lost it in October, but its clear that Carter is set for a spot at the top of the promotion for the long haul.

#3 Abyss

Abyss has mainly appeared on TNA television as a masked character.

While some others on this list had “cups of coffee” with other promotions, Abyss began his career in TNA and has mostly stayed there.

Much of his story has centered around his mysterious masked persona, but one storyline had the same man playing both Abyss and his unmasked brother, Joseph Park.

Abyss has held multiple titles during his TNA run, including an NWA World Heavyweight Champiionship reign while that belt was still in the promotion. He’s also had the distinction of both teaming and feuding with A.J. Styles, widely considered one of the top talents in the world.

#2 Eric Young

Eric Young has gotten his hands on plenty of TNA titles during his lengthy career there.

Like Roode, Eric Young also had a brief stint with WWE before putting down roots in TNA. His first title run in the company was with the tag titles with Roode as part of Team Canada, but he’s done plenty on his own since.

He’s held virtually every title in the company, including a recent run as the World Heavyweight Champion. He’s also played a key role in the feud between TNA and Jeff Jarrett’s Global Force Wrestling, continuing a lenthy run of meaningful work for the company.

#1 Bobby Roode

Bobby Roode has been a mainstay in TNA for more than a decade.

Technically, Roode got his start in WWE, but he never even appeared on either Raw or Smackdown during a two-year run with the company. He came to TNA in May 2004, and he’s been a huge part of the promotion’s roster ever since.

He won his first NWA tag titles with Eric Young just a few months later on TNA programming, and he has since held multiple titles in the company. That included five TNA tag championships, the longest TNA World Title reign in the belt’s history and a current reign as the King of the Mountain Champion.