Vince Russo confirms that the controversial TNA name was his idea and was always intended as an adult-themed double entendre, settling years of fan speculation about the acronym.
Speaking on Wrestling Epicenter while promoting his new book Total Nonstop Agony: The Rise and Fall of TNA Wrestling, Russo explained the original vision for the promotion that debuted on pay-per-view in June 2002.
I came up with the name TNA. That was my idea,” Russo said. “We were talking about being on Tuesday nights, but TNA was supposed to be T&A. It was supposed to be the adult wrestling show. We were supposed to have foul language. We were supposed to have nudity. We were supposed to have all the things that made it an adult wrestling show.
Russo said the name also came with a ready-made cover story if anyone objected, with the company able to claim it stood for “Tuesday Night Action.”
Russo Says The Name Should Have Changed
Despite taking credit for it, Russo argued the company held onto the name far too long. In his view, once TNA shifted toward a more mainstream presentation, the original meaning no longer fit.
Once they got on FS1, they should have changed the name to Impact Wrestling,” Russo said. “But that was beyond my power to decide.” He called the later decision to drop Impact and bring TNA back the wrong move, since the adult-oriented concept was long gone.
The book, out soon on ECW Press, is the third in a trilogy Russo planned around his runs in WWE, WCW, and TNA. He also noted he sat down for the upcoming Dark Side of the Ring documentary on Jeff Jarrett and TNA.