Steve Maclin wants RAW and SmackDown to join NXT in crossing over to TNA.
The partnership between TNA and WWE NXT has resulted in numerous crossover appearances between both brands. This includes NXT star Trick Williams, who is currently the reigning TNA World Champion. However, the partnership has largely been restricted to TNA and NXT, with Joe Hendry’s WrestleMania appearance being the main exception.
Maclin, the current and inaugural TNA International Champion, recently spoke with WrestleZone about all of the strides TNA has made recently. Not only is the company in the midst of a partnership with WWE/NXT, but they continue to enter new markets and enjoy tremendous live event attendance growth.
“TNA just hitting these different markets has been great,” Maclin said. “It was just cool to get out there. People have been at the meet and greets, [saying], ‘Oh we’ve been waiting so long for TNA to come back out here.’ And it’s just really cool for fans that were originally fans of TNA Wrestling at the beginning to now, be seeing it again. And it’s like, not a nostalgia thing, but that rebrand really helped elevate TNA.
“We were on the cusp of rising up,” Maclin continued. “And then once that TNA rebrand hit, people were just coming out of the woodwork, ‘I love TNA. I remember this, I remember AJ Styles, Frankie Kazarian, EY, Abyss…’ Just so many stories from back in the day that you can now watch on the TNA+ app. Cheap plug. [laughs] But it’s really cool.”
Steve Maclin says TNA’s rebrand serves multiple purposes
The iMPACT name created a lot of confusion with some fans. However, now the branding is clear with TNA. Maclin believes it helps WWE fans who might watch because of the crossover with NXT, and potentially RAW and SmackDown talent.
“Even for us, when we were [called] iMPACT, it was hard to tell people, ‘What [company] are you with?’ ‘Oh, iMPACT Wrestling.’ ‘Oh, what’s that?’ ‘So, do you remember TNA Wrestling? Well, it’s iMPACT Wrestling now.’ So, now, being TNA Wrestling, it’s just a lot easier on the selling point of being TNA Wrestling,” Maclin said.
“You get the gist of why they rebranded it. But then, bringing it back, it really sparked and piqued everybody’s interest back into TNA Wrestling. Especially with the partnership with WWE and having a lot of talent coming back and forth with NXT and hopefully, main roster soon. It would be nice to have SmackDown or Raw people come back. There’s a few former TNA names up there that I’d love to see in a TNA ring,” Steve Maclin said.
There are a few people who are TNA alumni on the WWE roster. The most notable name is perhaps AJ Styles, but the Motor City Machine Guns, Dexter Lumis and Chelsea Green have also called TNA home, so we’ll have to wait and see if that comes to fruition.
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