AEW Star Jeff Jarrett Comments On TNA Re-Branding, Calls Impact Name 'Dead On Arrival'

In a surprising turn of events, Impact Wrestling announced at Bound for Glory that the promotion will be reverting back to its original Total Nonstop Action (TNA) name. It was further noted that the rebranding will officially start with the Hard to Kill pay-per-view on January 13, 2024. 

On the latest "My World" podcast, Jeff Jarrett — the co-founder of the original iteration of TNA — was asked if he was surprised to learn about the rebranding. In response, Jarrett revealed he urged parent company Anthem to not rebrand the promotion in 2011 as he felt doing so meant "Impact Wrestling was dead on arrival" and would lose a large portion of its fanbase. "I said, 'I just think Impact Wrestling is dead.' I had those conversations in-depth," Jarrett recalled. "I gave them the history, but they were well aware of it. They [Anthem] bought the show 'Impact!' from day one."

Jarrett noted that the rebranding in 2011 left a lot of international media partners confused. "They never, ever, quit calling it TNA Wrestling," Jarrett added. "The double entendre isn't near as prevalent outside of the U.S. in so many markets. So [with] all the information in my head, that's why I was like, 'Okay? So now after five or six years, you're rebranding it? That would be a little bit of a surprise to me, but end of the day, it's all execution."

Despite being taken aback by the rebranding, Jarrett wishes TNA President Scott D'Amore nothing but the best in trying to bring the promotion back to relevance. "What is Scott's vision? That's what I'm most excited about. I know what mine was ... At the end of the day, it's the story. I was blessed with fantastic talent [like] AJ Styles and Samoa Joe, but I'm excited because it's good for the industry. Change is good."