Scott D’Amore opens up about some cross-promotional workings.
In recent years, TNA Wrestling (formerly Impact Wrestling) has forged partnerships with a number of fellow promotions, including All Elite Wrestling, New Japan Pro-Wrestling, AAA, and WWE. During a recent episode of Insight With Chris Van Vliet, former TNA President Scott D’Amore discussed the differences between these partnerships, specifically with WWE and AEW.
WWE’s crossover with TNA is still ongoing and mainly dedicated to its NXT brand. The collaboration between TNA and AEW, on the other hand, lasted from December 2020 until October 2021.
“You look at where Impact was at the time, and this is what frustrates me about social media, as great as it is in some ways, no matter what somebody says, somebody has to make it toxic. Can’t it just be good that the NXT relationship [exists]? Why are you comparing?” D’Amore questioned.
“Well first of all, there’s pros and cons to each side. So the NXT thing is obviously super cool that the TNA talent is being incorporated into the NXT broadcast, which is amazing. The flip side of the preferences of the AEW relationship. Well, one we were not in great shape [at the time]. The TNA company is so much stronger now in 2024 than Impact was in 2020. At that point, we needed a boost. We never got a chance to put Kenny Omega in front of a crowd. We would have been selling a lot of tickets at that point with Kenny Omega.”
As D’Amore alluded to, much of the TNA-AEW partnership centered on AEW talents appearing on TNA programming, rather than an equal showcase on both sides. As such, Kenny Omega and Christian Cage notably held the Impact World Championship during this crossover, with Cage dropping the title to Josh Alexander at Impact Bound For Glory 2021.
In the present day, TNA and WWE NXT continue to exchange cross-promotional appearances, with TNA’s Joe Hendry slated to challenge NXT Champion Ethan Page at the NXT No Mercy premium live event. On the other side, NXT’s Riley Osborne will compete in an Ultimate X match at TNA Emergence.
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