Eric Young Was Worried Fan Hatred Would Have Led to TNA Rebranding Failure

TNA Wrestling’s Hard to Kill event marked the beginning of a new era for the company, as the promotion was officially back to its roots. In fact, Eric Young was genuinely concerned fan hatred would have led to the failure of TNA’s rebranding.

Dating back to 2004, Eric Young has been connected to TNA/IMPACT Wrestling. He is a two-time World Heavyweight Champion in the company and is currently part of the talent roster, often expressing his desire to end his career there.

While speaking to WRESTLESPHERE, Eric Young talked about TNA’s rebranding. Young knew about the TNA rebranding months in advance and was concerned. He recalled his time with TNA Wrestling before it became IMPACT, noting that at one point, it became “cool” to dislike TNA, similar to the way people turned against Nickelback despite the band’s straightforward rock music. Young felt that despite the hard work and quality production, TNA had a negative reputation, which led to the original rebranding to IMPACT.

”I mean, a lot goes into that. I knew months before (that the TNA branding was coming back). They had kind of told me this is their idea and this is what they were gonna go and I mean, I was honest with them and I’ll be honest with you is I was worried. I was part of TNA Wrestling when it was still TNA Wrestling before it changed to IMPACT and it was one of those things, it kind of became cool to hate it and I liken it to the Nickelback phenomenon and I know they got a documentary I think on Netflix now. Those guys never did anything wrong in their life. They just made simple, good Rock and roll music and if you wanna listen to it, cool, but it became cool to not like them. That’s where TNA was and it didn’t matter how hard we worked, how well the show was written or produced or any of that.”

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However, Young believes that nostalgia has a way of cleansing past perceptions. He described a particularly memorable moment at Cicero Stadium in Chicago, during a pay-per-view event, where a video played at the end, showcasing the return of TNA. Young considers this one of the most electric moments of his career, even more so than headlining pay-per-views or wrestling in front of 20,000 people. He gave emphasis to the fact that the live experience of that moment was incomparable, despite it being well on television.

”It was just this black cloud over it and that’s why they changed and moved away and I was worried about that but I think nostalgia kind of wipes the grime away, you know? It wipes the dirt away and it had been long enough. I can say walking through the crowd in the Cicero Stadium in Chicago and they played that video at the end of the pay-per-view when it was all the guys that were in the video in the ring when they came back up, that’s one of the most electric moments of my entire career. I’ve wrestled in front of 20,000 people, I’ve headlined pay-per-views, I’ve done everything and I can say I think when it’s all said and done, that’s one of the things I’m gonna look back on most fondly. It’s hard to describe unless you’re there. I think it came through the TV but it never fully comes through unless you’re there live…”

TNA is currently in a good place as it is currently collaborating with WWE as part of their ongoing partnership. Regardless, we will have to wait and see how TNA will continue to grow in the coming weeks.

How well do you think TNA Wrestling has been progressing since returning to its roots this year? Let us know in the comments section below!