TNA has been a lightning rod for controversy since its inception. The upstart promotion was once considered a hotspot for rising stars in pro wrestling getting a chance to shine on TV, thus providing an alternative to WWE following the collapse of WCW and ECW
But even then, TNA was criticised routinely for one reason or another, a lot of which had something to do with its backstage personnel and environment. From the very beginning when Jeff Jarrett ran the promotion, there were criticisms that he was using the company as a vehicle for him to use to elevate his own star power and remain relevant in the wrestling industry.
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Then, there came an influx of ex-WWE stars who ended up in TNA and were pushed more frequently and more prominently than the homegrown TNA stars. This particular issue became a common thread for many years, with such stars as Lashley, the Main Event Mafia, Ric Flair and Hulk Hogan being emphasised over those wrestlers that had never wrestled for Vince’s company.
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Then there were all the problems stemming from Dixie Carter’s involvement with the promotion, from her problems with Billy Corgan to her lack of understanding of wrestling in general. Some of these issues are still ongoing, which only further demonstrates how controversial the situation in TNA is.
Here, we’ll look at the five most controversial moments in TNA history that took place backstage, with some of them having serious ramifications on the in-ring situation as well.
#5 Awesome Kong attacks Reby Sky/Hardy
In February 2016, Awesome Kong, one of the most well-known TNA Knockouts of all time, was released following a backstage incident with Reby Sky (Matt Hardy’s wife). Opposing narratives have emerged, but the prevailing one is that Kong was angry that Reby wanted to change in the Knockouts’ dressing room, having used her own separate dressing room beforehand.
Kong responded first by throwing Reby’s bag out of the locker room. Sky confronted Kong later, and here it’s alleged that Kong attacked Reby and grabbed her by the throat. What was worse was that Reby & Matt’s young son Maxel was nearby, which only made the situation even more tense. The entire situation made Kong and TNA look bad, hence her being released from the company.
#4 Major problems under Dixie Carter’s leadership
Throughout her time with TNA, Dixie Carter has been a magnet for controversy. People have accused her of everything from having absolutely zero experience in dealing with any business of any kinds, much less a wrestling promotion, to using her parents’ money to fund a boondoggle. But these were nothing more than vocal criticisms for a long time, nothing more…until the lawsuits started happening.
As far back as 2011, there were reports speculating that Dixie Carter would step down as president of TNA Wrestling. These reports surfaced amidst allegations of sexual harassment lawsuits filed against TNA, high-profile allegations of lack of medical coverage for staff, and multiple complaints to the Better Business Bureau, a watchdog organisation that oversees complaints made against private companies.
The heat on Carter over these backstage controversies was so severe that she had to ‘go into hiding’ for a time until they blew over. Sadly, this was only a harbinger of even more problems that would arise in the following years.
#3 Scott Hall no-shows TNA Turning Point 2007 & Samoa Joe’s shoot promo
At Turning Point 2007, Samoa Joe was supposed to team with Kevin Nash and Scott Hall against the team of Kurt Angle, Tomko and A.J. Styles. However, Scott Hall no-showed the event, which the prevailing report being that he was suffering from food poisoning and thus couldn’t wrestle.
Joe wasn’t happy with this and was given clearance by TNA’s backstage office to announce this live, on-air during the PPV. But Joe’s promo went longer than expected, turning into a five-minute shoot about certain people in pro wrestling. In particular, Joe lambasted the ‘superstars’ that were coming to TNA to fill their own pockets at the expense of the TNA die-hards that were trying to change the wrestling business.
Though the promo itself was fantastic, Joe was criticised by many people for going too long, including then-TNA president Dixie Carter. Kevin Nash, Joe’s other partner for the match that night, was also a target of Joe’s unscripted comments due to his age and presumed lack of passion for wrestling.
Ironically, this promo led to Joe winning the TNA World Heavyweight Championship within the following year.
#2 Never-ending pay issues leads to a talent exodus
One of the biggest problems that have plagued TNA for years has been its ability to pay its wrestlers. Many of them had been signed to lucrative contracts and were promised big payouts, but these wrestlers experienced significant problems when it came to the wrestlers getting paid for their performances.
During 2016, there were countless reports throughout the year that the company was behind on paying their wrestlers, with some wrestlers not getting paid for months on end. These problems worsened when it was revealed that Alberto Del Rio initially didn’t sign with them ‘because he knew he wouldn’t get paid’, as well as a report that TNA wrestler Jesse Neal had to rely on food stamps just so that he could eat.
These high-profile financial problems caused a mass exodus of talent over the past few years. Hulk Hogan, who had signed with the company in the hopes of rebuilding it, left in late 2013. He was followed soon after by A.J. Styles, who said that the company wanted to reduce his pay by up to 60%.
A year later, TNA experienced another exodus, with wrestlers Sting, Chris Sabin, Hernandez, Christopher Daniels and Kazarian all leaving the company. A year later, long-time TNA wrestlers Samoa Joe, Velvet Sky and Eric Young also left, leaving the roster even more threadbare.
This problem with payment and problematic issues with the office led to another enormous exodus earlier this year, Drew Galloway, the Hardys, Maria Kanellis & Mike Bennett all leaving as well. If these departures aren’t clear signed of backstage controversy, I don’t know what is.
#1 Jeff Hardy gets intoxicated at Victory Road 2011
This was the lowest point of Jeff Hardy’s wrestling career, and arguably the worst moment in TNA history. Jeff Hardy entered for a wrestling match completely intoxicated (on what, nobody knows), and was in no shape to wrestle.
It was so bad that a main event match between Hardy and Sting was cut to 90 seconds, and when one fan yelled ‘bulls**t’, Sting screamed ‘I AGREE’ very noticeably. The biggest mystery here is that TNA’s backstage personnel somehow managed to let Hardy wrestle despite not being cleared to do so.
Nobody stopped him from engaging in his ‘hobbies’ and let him wrestle. This moment was so bad that TNA offered its fans six months of free access to their own on-demand service, while Hardy had to go to rehab. The event was heavily criticised and rightfully so.
TNA failed to check on the well-being of their wrestlers and didn’t do enough to interfere with Hardy’s personal issues. This made them look like either enablers of his habit or apathetic to it because of his star power and drawing capabilities.
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