WWE has, by most metrics, been the undisputed leader in professional wrestling for about forty years. As discussed in part one of this series, the ID Program has taken the company’s ownership of the wrestling sphere to the next level, lending independent promotions and schools WWE branding and a pipeline to funnel best-fit talents straight into WWE’s system.
Another dimension of WWE’s new approach to world domination has included strategic acquisitions and partnerships. In particular, talent-sharing with TNA and acquiring AAA, though it continues to mostly operate as a sovereign brand, have presented a new set of circumstances.
WWE Exposure Brings More Eyes To Smaller Promotions
One of the surest benefits to both TNA and AAA since entering their dealings with WWE has been bringing more eyeballs to their products. TNA and NXT talent have thoroughly commingled across 2025, including Trick Williams and Jacy Jayne enjoying runs as TNA world champions and talent sharing across major events for both brands.
Meanwhile, AAA Worlds Collide events have explicitly cast AAA talents opposite WWE Superstars and even the long-running TripleMania featuring Dominik Mysterio, Dragon Lee, and El Grande Americano in the main event. That’s not to mention that the Worlds Collide event formally launching WWE-AAA crossover and TripleMania each streamed via WWE’s YouTube channel, exposing the product to a significant viewership who may not have otherwise tuned in.
Another clear example of the opportunities these dealings have opened for smaller promotions came at SummerSlam, where, before the TLC tag team bout, WWE cut to Team 3D and The Hardys in the crowd. Each team represented relevant legends who’d pioneered the TLC gimmick in WWE. WWE also singled out that these teams would square off at TNA Bound For Glory this year, lending direct advertising for a match that may legitimately be of interest to WWE viewers and that more casual fans may not have otherwise heard of.
WWE Gets Access To A Wider Pool Of Prospects
One of the not as explicitly advertised, but nonetheless clear results of WWE’s relationships with TNA and AAA has been access to talents signed to one of these smaller promotions.
Early rumblings about the TNA partnership included word that WWE brass saw Joe Henry as a ready-made star that they could feature. Similarly, Mr. Iguana made his WWE Raw debut shortly after getting a huge social media reaction at Worlds Collide. Each of these instances point toward opportunities for WWE try out, experiment with, and tap into potential future stars while they hone their craft on other brands.
There’s The Potential For WWE To Book Special Moments With Guest Talent
In 2022, it was a big deal when Mickie James appeared in the Royal Rumble with her TNA gear and entrance music, not to mention the Knockouts Championship over her shoulder. Little did fans know that Jordynne Grace would follow in her footsteps, or what Joe Hendry go on to accomplish.
Besides feuding with Trick Williams in NXT, Hendry had his moment as a surprise entrant in the Royal Rumble. Even more monumentally, though, he wound up Randy Orton’s mystery opponent at WrestleMania 41. In a win-win situation, Hendry got to work in front of the largest crowd he ever has—as TNA Champion at the time—while WWE got to nod toward hardcore fans in booking a viral Internet darling for a special WrestleMania moment.
Booking Mid-Card And Developmental Talents Against A Brand’s Top Stars Risks Diminishing Smaller Promotions
An uncomfortable reality regarding Joe Hendry’s WrestleMania debut was that Randy Orton defeated him handily in a three-minute, then dropped him with another RKO in the aftermath. By all accounts, Hendry and TNA were perfectly happy with the situation, but this did nonetheless cast TNA’s top guy as beneath The Viper’s level. Maybe there’s no shame in that given Orton’s legendary status, but it’s still an unusual scenario.
On top of that, Hendry would go on to drop the TNA Championship to Trick Williams. Williams is one of the top guns in NXT, but still, this an instance of a WWE developmental guy getting the best of a promotion’s top star. A similar narrative emerged in Jacy Jayne’s brief Knockouts Championship run. Not so dissimilar, Dominik Mysterio, El Grande Americano, and Dragon Lee have been cast as AAA Mega Championship contenders. While Mysterio is very over as a mid-card heel, and the El Grande Americano gimmick has overachieved, the larger picture is, nonetheless, WWE mid-carders main eventing for the Mexican brand.
These moves ultimately cast TNA and AAA alike as something more akin to their own WWE developmental territories. That’s in contrast to a situation like AEW’s crossover with TNA in preceding years, where main eventers Kenny Omega and Christian Cage were wrapped up in the TNA Championship picture, and Cage ultimately put over Josh Alexander as the new face of TNA.
Perhaps most interesting of all, the respective TNA and AAA situations may reflect a template moving forward. Might WWE partner with a major indie promotion like GCW or MLW, or make a play to buy NJPW? It’s hard to know how realistic these possibilities might be without knowing behind the scenes financials and strategies. Nonetheless, the seal is broken and a lot more seems like it could be in the works than one might have guessed even one year ago.
Ultimately, WWE seems to be reaping noteworthy benefits from having bought AAA and from its working arrangement with TNA. For AAA’s part, falling directly under WWE’s ownership, clearly the financials made sense and the brand now belongs to WWE to do with as they see fit.
By contrast, the future is less certain for TNA. Perhaps WWE will one day acquire the promotion, and if they do, it would probably be at least as much for their tape library as the current promotion. Assuming TNA remains independent, though, they may enjoy WWE backing that helps them compete with AEW for the number two spot they unofficially conceded years ago. As such, WWE’s adversarial relationship with AEW may well have a disproportionate impact on their dealings with TNA.