As IMPACT (Formerly known as TNA) celebrates 20 years in the wrestling business, we take a look back at TNA’s first-ever PPV and look at where the wrestlers are now! Full disclaimer, I will only be looking at wrestlers who had matches on the show, no managers and none of the NWA legends from the start of the show. Welcome to the first-ever; NWA Total Nonstop Action Show.
NWA Total Nonstop Action #1:
The Flying Elvis (Jimmy Yang, Jorge Estrada and Sonny Siaki) def AJ Styles, Low Ki and Jerry Lynn vs The Flying Elvis (Jimmy Yang, Jorge Estrada and Sonny Siaki)
These days AJ Styles is the most high profile of these six, he went to WWE in 2016 and has become a big star in the company, having won the WWE title two times in the company. Recently he has been feuding with Edge’s (Now Finn Balors)( new faction called Judgement day and recently lost to Seth Rollins on WWE RAW; June 13th 2022. 20 Years Later. AJ was very young here.
Low Ki still wrestles on the independents, having last wrestled for HOG wrestling on 27th May 2022.
ECW Legend; Jerry Lynn retired from wrestling on March 23rd 2013. Since then he is now a Producer and Coach for AEW. You can see the Cradle Piledriver, Lynns finishing move, on the AEW Championship belt.
Jimmy ‘Wang’ Yang is primarily wrestling on the independents, after a stint with WWE and its cruiserweight division. Though he did have a brief stint as a producer for WWE from 25th October 2021 to 28th December 2021.
Jorge Estrada retired in 2003, and despite my best efforts, I can’t find much more information after that whilst Sonny Siaki Retired from wrestling on January 9, 2009, after retiring, he found a job working for UPS and did appear with his family on the May 8th 2012 episode of Family Feud.
NWA Total Nonstop Action
Teo defeats Hollywood (A Midget Match in 2002. TEO stands for Total E Outstanding. Yes seriously)
Hollywood (Real name Stevie Lee) tragically died on 9 September 2020; though before he died, he was involved in numerous acting projects including as part of a Jackass 3 skit involving Wee Man.
Teo last wrestled in 2007 with IWA Midsouth and would come back to TNA a few more times. 27 matches overall!
NWA Total Nonstop Action
The Johnsons (Richard and Rod) defeated Psicosis and James Storm
Richard and Rod Johnson are also known as a million different names including the Gymini in WWE. Funnily enough, they beat Psicosis in 2006 too (Vs. The Mexicools). They last worked in 2018 for IPW as the Shane Twins. They actually would win the NWA World Tag Team Championships in the future from this show.
Psicosis is still active in the wrestling scene to this day, though he has toned down his schedule to an extent, he recently wrestled for GCW in the event called Gringos Loco’s The Wrld On Lucha, Losing to Tony Deppen.
James Storm is still active on the scene as well as being a realtor in Tennessee, he last wrestled for ICW (The American one, not the one based in the UK) on 23 April, 2022 in a six-man tag team.
NWA Total Nonstop Action
The Dupps (Bo Dupp and Stan Dupp) defeated Christian York and Joey Matthews
The Dupps won this match with help from their manager called Fluff Dupp. Stan Dupp is now known as Trevor Murdoch, who was the man who ended the 1000+ day reign of Nick Aldis becoming the NWA Champion at NWA 73 Wrestling at the Chase, in a Title vs Career Match. He lost the Championship on 8 March 2022 taping of NWA POWERR to Matt Cardona. He still wrestles for the NWA today.
Bo Dupp, Otto Schwanz, makes very rare wrestling appearances, having last wrestled for a promotion called GOUGE in 2021. He spends a lot of time coaching and teaching students in athletics at South Johnston High-school.
Christian York hasn’t wrestled since July 22 2018 when he defeated Mark Bravura on a PCW Let Freedom Ring Show (Again, not the UK promotion)
Joey Matthews is better known to you as Joey Mercury; formerly of the tag team MNM. Last worked in 2018 wrestling for Lucha Underground as Joey Wrestling (Must be friends with Johnny Wrestling or Johnny Elite) after a stint as a Producer for Ring of Honor, he left in October 2019. Joey filed a lawsuit against both Sinclair and Ring of Honor on March 6 2021, which hasn’t had a conclusion as of this article (14 June 2022)
NWA Total Nonstop Action | Gauntlet For The Gold Battle Royal;
Let’s do the last four wrestlers who survived in the Battle Royal. The rules of this match were, that the last two wrestlers would then face each other in a one-on-one immediately afterwards. That would be for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship.
Ken Shamrock and Malice (w/James Mitchell) defeat Brian Christopher and Bruce (w/Joel Gertner & Lenny) and Buff Bagwell and Chris Harris and Del Rios and Devon Storm and Gran Apolo and Jeff Jarrett and Justice and K-Krush and Konnan and Lash LeRoux and Norman Smiley and Rick Steiner and Scott Hall and Slash (w/James Mitchell) and Steve Corino and The Vampire Warrior
– Jeff Jarrett eliminates Buff Bagwell
– Jeff Jarrett eliminates Lash LeRoux
– Jeff Jarrett eliminates Norman Smiley
– Rick Steiner eliminates Slash
– Rick Steiner eliminates Justice
– Malice eliminates Bruce
– Malice eliminates K-Krush
– Malice eliminates Del Rios
– Malice eliminates Konnan
– Malice eliminates Rick Steiner
– Scott Hall eliminates Jeff Jarrett
– Brian Christopher eliminates Chris Harris
– Brian Christopher eliminates The Vampire Warrior
– Brian Christopher eliminates Devon Storm
– Brian Christopher eliminates Steve Corino
– Ken Shamrock eliminates Brian Christopher
– Malice eliminates Gran Apolo
– Malice eliminates Scott Hall
Apolo is semi-active in the wrestling scene, having wrestled two matches in 2022 on the independents in Mexico. Had a fairly successful career, and wrestled mostly in Puerto Rico.
Scott Hall’s last ever match was against Chuck Taylor, beating him for the DDT Iron Man Heavy Metal Weight Title on June 17 2016. Sadly, Scott tragically passed away on March 14 2022, at the age of 63.
NWA Total Nonstop Action | NWA World Heavyweight Championship
Ken Shamrock pinned Malice with a Belly to Belly suplex to become the new NWA World Heavyweight Champion! It would be his only reign as Champion and is his only “Major” World Championship win in Wrestling.
Malice would wrestle for TNA until November 2002. After that, he would wrestle on the independents, then started touring Japan with All Japan Pro Wrestling, his last ever match was a six-man tag-teaming as RO&D (Buchanan, Gigantes & Justin Credible) defeat Nobutaka Araya & Turmeric Storm (Kazushi Miyamoto & Tomoaki Honma). Malice would have a few names including the infamous WALL in WCW. He passed away after this match in 2003, on December 6. He was found unconscious in his hotel room, and taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead of a heart attack.
Ken Shamrock would later return to TNA (now IMPACT) wrestling in 2019, and wrestle for the company until the beginning of 2021, in that time he would be inducted into the IMPACT Hall of Fame by his friend and old-time rival The Rock (Yes, IMPACT got the Rock… sort of). His last match to date was on the 26 January 2021 episode of IMPACT Wrestling 860; Rich Swann, Tommy Dreamer, Trey Miguel & Willie Mack defeated Chris Bey, Ken Shamrock, Moose & Sami Callihan (10:54)