Update on IMPACT's Return to TNA Wrestling: Reasons, Six-Sided Ring, Titles & More
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Nostalgia, international partners, and history are just some of the reasons behind IMPACT Wrestling's decision to return to its TNA moniker.
During the recent Bound for Glory pay-per-view, it was announced that IMPACT will become TNA again next year. The change will come into effect on January 13, with TNA Hard to Kill, the promotion's first pay-per-view of 2024.
The Announcement
The decision to return to TNA Wrestling was not one made without plenty of planning, PWInsider reports. At one point, the decision was slated to be made at Slammiversary, before it was pushed back to Bound for Glory. The final decision to make the move back to TNA Wrestling was locked in about two to three weeks ago.
Backstage Reasons
One major reason behind the change is that it will "unite" the fragmented history of the promotion. IMPACT Wrestling was founded as NWA: TNA in 2002, before ditching the NWA part of its name in 2004. In 2017, the company was rebranded as IMPACT Wrestling but would spend a handful of months that year as Global Force Wrestling before going back to being IMPACT.
Another reason for the change is that a number of the company's international partners preferred the TNA name and at times, were still using the name internally. It wasn't just the partners who preferred the TNA name, as long-term fans quietly polled earlier this year said they preferred the TNA name. Fans who have chanted "TNA" since the promotion returned to touring have also been a factor in the company's decision-making process.
The Six-Sided Ring
While IMPACT will soon become TNA Wrestling again, there are no plans for the return of the six-sided ring. Bringing back the ring, which was synonymous with TNA's early days "wasn't even discussed" as every talent with IMPACT who worked in the six-sided ring prefers the traditional four-sided ring used currently.
What's Next?
New TNA Championship title belts will be introduced alongside the relaunch in January. The new belts have already been crafted and produced. Going forward, the weekly TV show 'Impact!' will be known as TNA Impact Wrestling.
