TNA World Title History
6/19/02; Huntsville, AL; Von Braun Civic Center
– Ken Shamrock and Malice (w/ James Mitchell) co-won a 20-man Royal Rumble match at 30:55; order of entry: Jeff Jarrett, Buff Bagwell, Lash LaRoux, Norman Smiley, Apolo, K-Krush, Slash (w/ James Mitchell), Del Rios, Nick Justice, Konnan, Bruce (w/ Joel Gertner), Rick Steiner, Malice, Scott Hall, Toby Keith, Chris Harris, Vampire Warrior, Devon Storm, Steve Corino, Shamrock, and Brian Christopher; order of elimination: Bagwell by Jarrett, LaRoux, and Smiley; Slash by Steiner; Justice by Steiner; Bruce by Malice; Killings by Malice; Del Rios by Malice; Konnan by Malice; Steiner by Malice; Jarrett by Keith; Harris by Christopher; Storm by Christopher; Vampire Warrior by Christopher; Corino by Christopoher; Christopher by Shamrock; Hall and Apollo by Malice
Ken Shamrock pinned Malice (w/ James Mitchell) at 6:22 with a belly to belly suplex; Ricky Steamboat was the guest referee for the bout; after Shamrock’s win, Jeff Jarrett interrupted the presentation of the belt and complained again about crowning a NWA World Champion in a battle royal before attacking Bob Armstrong and Dory Funk Jr until Scott Hall, Jackie Fargo, and Toby Keith chased Jarrett off to close the show
8/7/02; Nashville, TN; Fairgrounds Coliseum
– Ron Killings pinned NWA World Champion Ken Shamrock to win the title at 9:17 after Apolo accidentally hit Shamrock with a superkick; after the match, Ricky Steamboat set up Apolo vs. Jeff Jarrett with the winner “getting Truth”
11/20/02; Nashville, TN; Fairgrounds Coliseum
– Jeff Jarrett pinned NWA World Champion Ron Killings at 17:36 to win the title after Mr. Wrestling III entered the ring with a guitar and smashed the guitar over Killings’ head; at the 12-minute mark, Jarrett was thrown head-first into the ringpost and bled heavily for the rest of the match; they then fought through the crowd, with Killings putting the challenger through a table with a splash from the the balcony area; after the match, Mr. Wrestling III took off his mask to reveal himself as Vince Russo, prompting Tenay to yell “Oh shit, it’s Vince Russo!”
6/11/03; Nashville, TN; Tennessee State Fairgrounds
– AJ Styles defeated NWA World Champion Jeff Jarrett and Raven to win the title by pinning Jarrett with the Styles Clash at 13:58 after Vince Russo came out and smashed a guitar over Jarrett’s head; at the 10-minute mark, Raven dropped Jarrett with the DDT and made the cover, only for Shane Douglas to pull Raven from the ring, attack him into the crowd, and take him out of the arena; after the match, Russo and Styles celebrated in the ring
10/22/03; Nashville, TN; Fairgrounds Coliseum
– Jeff Jarrett pinned NWA World Champion AJ Styles to win the title at 12:13
4/21/04; Nashville, TN; Tennessee State Fairgrounds
– AJ Styles (mystery opponent) pinned Jeff Jarrett at 13:38 in a No DQ steel cage match to win the title with a crucifix after destroying Jarrett’s guitar with a kick as the champion attempted to use it as a weapon; following Jarrett’s entrance, Vince Russo came out and said Chris Harris deserved to be in the title match and he would get his shot when he was healthy again; an insert video showed Raven getting ready backstage; Russo then said many names came up as Jarrett’s potential challengers, including James Storm, Abyss, and Ron Killings; Russo then said it came down to Raven, then talking about his own history with Raven dating back to the WWF; Russo then said there was no question that Raven could beat him, but he wasn’t going to make a deal with the devil and Jarrett’s opponent for his last title defense would be Styles; Raven was shown throwing things backstage after hearing the announcement; during the final moments of the bout, Russo came back out to try to get at Jarrett after Jarrett locked the cage door with a chain and prepared to use the guitar as a weapon; after the pinfall, Raven was shown looking on in disgust; moments later, Styles and Russo hugged at the entrance stage
5/19/04; Nashville, TN; Tennessee State Fairgrounds
– Ron Killings defeated NWA World Champion AJ Styles, Chris Harris, and Raven in a Deadly Draw match at 19:11 to win the title by pinning Styles with an axe kick off the top, moments after Jeff Jarrett interfered and smashed a guitar over Styles’ head, with Styles then sustaining the DDT from Raven and elbow drop off the top from Harris; stipulations stated the first two men would battle for 5 minutes before the next entrant appeared; had BG James, Sabu, Dallas, James Storm, Konnan, or Kid Kash interfered, they would have been fired from TNA; Monty Brown was shown watching on backstage during the bout; order of entry: Styles (0:00), Harris (0:00), Raven (5:10), and Killings (8:40); after the contest, Vince Russo appeared, with Konnan and James coming out to make sure the decision stood; moments later, Russo announced to Jeremy Borash that the decision would stand; moments later, Killings confronted Jarrett in the aisle before he was held back by Konnan and James
6/2/04; Nashville, TN; Tennessee State Fairgrounds
– Jeff Jarrett defeated AJ Styles, Chris Harris, Raven, and NWA World Champion Ron Killings in a King of the Mountain match at 20:10 to win the title
Hard Justice 2005; 5/15/05; Orlando, FL; Universal Studios
– AJ Styles pinned NWA World Champion Jeff Jarrett to win the title at 19:31 with the Spiral Tap after guest referee Tito Ortiz punched Jarrett in the face after Jarrrett confronted Ortiz; during the contest, Monty Brown ran out and accidentally hit the champion with the Pounce, with Ortiz ejecting Brown from ringside; moments later, Ortiz pulled a replacement referee out of the ring when the replacement tried to count a pin attempt; after the bout, fireworks went off above the ring, Styles and Ortiz shook hands and Brown tended to Jarrett in the ring
– Raven defeated NWA World Champion AJ Styles, Abyss, Monty Brown, and Sean Waltman in a King of the Mountain Match to win the title
Border City Wrestling – 9/15/05; Windsor, Ontario
– Jeff Jarrett pinned NWA World Chapion Raven to win the title in a Raven’s Rules match after interference by Chris Harris & James Storm
Bound for Glory 2005; 10/23/05; Orlando, FL; Universal Studios
– Rhino pinned NWA World Champion Jeff Jarrett at 5:40 to win the title
10/25/05; Orlando, FL; Universal Studios
iMPACT! – 11/3/05:
– Jeff Jarrett pinned NWA World Champion Rhino to win the title
– Christian Cage pinned NWA World Champion Jeff Jarrett (w/ Gail Kim) to win the title at 16:15 with a reversal of the Stroke into the Unprettier, moments after fighting off an interfering Gail behiind the referee’s back; prior to the bout, Jeremy Borash introduced Larry Zbyszko and Dave Hebner, with referee Earl Hebner joining them after it was noted he would be the referee for the bout; Christian’s wife was shown at ringside during the match; late in the bout, referee Slick Johnson took over after Hebner was knocked down, with Jarrett attacking Johnson; moments later, Hebner regained officiating; after the bout, Rhino and fans celebrated with Christian in the ring
Slammiversary 2006; 6/18/06; Orlando, FL; Universal Studios
– Jeff Jarrett defeated NWA World Champion Christian Cage, Abyss (w/ James Mitchell), Ron Killings, and Sting in a King of the Mountain match to win the title at 22:21; Larry Zbyszko was in possession of the title belt for the duration of the bout; Killings pinned Jarrett with a missile dropkick at 3:32; Christian pinned Abyss with a roll up at 4:16; Jarrett pinned Killings on the floor after hitting the Stroke from the apron onto the guardrail at 9:28; Abyss pinned Jarrett with the Black Hole Slam at 17:25; moments later, Zbyszko hit a low blow on Christian as the champion attempted to hang the title; Sting pinned Jarrett with the Scorpion Death Drop at 21:12, while using the dazed Earl Hebner’s hand to make the count himself; as Sting and Christian fought at the top of the ladder, Hebner shoved the ladder, knocking both men off; after the match, Zbyszko and Hebner left ringside together, with referee Rudy Charles coming out, taking the title belt from Jarrett, and giving it to Jim Cornette at the entrance; Cornette then yelled at Jarrett as the show ended
Bound for Glory 2006; 10/22/06; Plymouth, MI; Compuware Sports Arena
– Sting defeated NWA World Champion Jeff Jarrett via submission with the Scorpion Deathlock to win the title at 15:11; Kurt Angle was the guest referee for the match
Genesis 2006; 11/19/06; Orlando, FL; Universal Studios
– Abyss (w/ James Mitchell) defeated NWA World Champion Sting via disqualification at 15:17 to win the title when the champion dropped referee Rudy Charles with a clothesline at the entrance stage after Sting attempted to throw Abyss off the stage through a table covered in barbed wire; earlier in the bout, Sting applied the Scorpion Deathlock to Mitchell; moments later, he hung Abyss upside down and assaulted him with steel chair shots; after the match, Sting threw Abyss off the stage, sending him through the table and barbed wire; following the decision of the title change, Mitchell brought the title belt to Abyss, still laid across the barbed wire
Final Resolution 2007; 1/14/07; Orlando, FL; Universal Studios
– Christian Cage defeated NWA World Champion Abyss (w/ James Mitchell) and Sting in an elimination match to win the title at 13:17; following the entrance of Christian and Tomko, Jim Cornette appeared and ordered Tomko go in a cage positioned at ringside to prevent his interference; Sting pinned Abyss with the Scorpion Death Drop at 5:36 after Christian kicked Abyss between the legs; after the fall, Sting offered his hand to Abyss, with Abyss choking Sting briefly before leaving the ring and being berated by Mitchell all the way backstage; late in the bout, there were dueling chants for both Sting and Cage; late in the bout, Mitchell returned ringside and freed Tomko, with Abyss then coming out, brawling with Tomko, and putting him back in the cage; moments later, Sting and Abyss cornered Mitchell in the ring, with Sting going to put Mitchell in the Scorpion Deathlock before Abyss reluctantly struck Sting in the face with his chain; Christian then pinned Sting after a frog splash off the top
Sacrifice 2007; 5/13/07; Orlando, FL; Universal Studios
– Kurt Angle defeated Sting and NWA World Champion Christian Cage to win the title
– 5/17/07: Angle is referred to as the ‘TNA World Champion’ during iMPACT.
Slammiversary 2007; 6/17/07; Nashville, TN
– Kurt Angle defeated Samoa Joe, AJ Styles, Christian Cage, and Chris Harris in a King of the Mountain match at 19:21, moments after Harris jumped off the top rope, hitting a spear on Cage as Cage and Angle fought on the ladder; stipulations stated the winner would become the initial TNA World Champion; Jim Cornette sat ringside for the match, in possession of the title belt; Harris pinned Styles with the Catatonic at 3:45; Angle pinned Harris at 8:46 with an Olympic Slam from the ladder as Harris attempted to hang the title; Christian pinned Angle at 10:54 after Joe locked Angle in the Coquina Clutch, as the referee was knocked down, with Christian then hitting Joe with a ladder and scoring the pin himself; at the 15-minute mark, Joe and Styles fought on top of the penalty box, with Joe throwing Styles off the box and through a ringside table, prompting a chant of “This is awesome;” Jeremy Borash was the ring announcer for the bout
– 6/29/07: Angle won the IWGP Third Belt Title by defeating Brock Lesnar in Tokyo, Japan.
– 8/12/07: Angle won the TNA X Division Title and TNA Tag Team Titles by defeating Samoa Joe in Orlando.
– 9/8/07: Angle lost the TNA Tag Team Titles to Ron Killings & Adam Jones and the TNA X Division Title to Jay Lethal.
Bound For Glory 2007; 10/14/07; Duluth, GA
– Sting pinned TNA World Champion Kurt Angle to win the title at 18:27 with the Scorpion Death Drop, moments after fighting off an interfering Kevin Nash; Jeremy Borash was the ring announcer for the bout; mid-way through the match, Karen Angle came out, distracting the challenger and referee as Kurt was in the Scorpion Deathlock; moments later, she was escorted backstage; both men bled in the contest
10/16/07; Orlando, FL; Universal Studios
Impact – 10/25/07
– Kurt Angle (w/ Karen Angle) pinned TNA World Champion Sting to win the title at around the 12-minute mark with the Olympic Slam after causing the champion to collide with the referee and Kevin Nash, on the ring apron; Jeremy Borash was the ring announcer for the match; early on, there were dueling chants for both men; after the contest, Nash extended his hand to Kurt, with Kurt giving him the middle finger in response, with Kurt and Karen leaving ringside together; moments later, Earl Hebner and Rudy Charles argued about the decision, with Jim Cornette coming out to pull them apart
Lockdown 2008; 4/13/08; Lowell, MA
– Samoa Joe pinned TNA World Champion Kurt Angle in a Six Sides of Steel match at 17:36 to win the title with the Musclebuster after a kick to the head; stipulations stated Joe would leave TNA if he couldn’t win the title; UFC’s Frank Trigg provided guest commentary for the match; Karen Angle sat ringside until, following the ring entrances, Kurt had security escort her away; Samoan fire dancers performed during Joe’s entrance; Jeremy Borash was the ring announcer for the match; after the bout, UFC’s Marcus Davis presented Joe with the title belt
Bound for Glory IV; 10/12/08; Hoffman Estates, IL; Sears Centre
– Sting pinned TNA World Champion Samoa Joe to win the title at 16:53 with the Scorpion Death Drop, moments after Kevin Nash struck Joe from behind with a baseball bat as Joe ran the ropes; prior to the bout, a video package aired hyping the match; Jeremy Borash was the ring announcer for the contest; late in the match, Nash appeared ringside and stole Sting’s baseball bat away as the challenger went to grab it behind the referee’s back; immediately after the match, Nash returned backstage
Lockdown 2009; 4/19/09; Philadelphia, PA
– Mick Foley defeated TNA World Champion Sting to win the title
Slammiversary 2009; 6/21/09; Auburn Hills, MI
– Kurt Angle defeated Samoa Joe, Jeff Jarrett, and AJ Styles in a King of the Mountain match; stipulations stated the winner would earn the vacant TNA World Title
No Surrender 2009; 9/20/09; Orlando, FL; Universal Studios
– AJ Styles defeated TNA World Champion Kurt Angle, Sting, Matt Morgan, and Hernandez to win the title when he pinned Angle at 15:10 with a springboard 450 splash after Morgan dropped Angle with the Carbon Footprint and was then knocked to the floor; prior to the bout, a video package recapped the histories between Styles, Angle, Sting, and Morgan and vignettes aired on them before their respective entrances; Jeremy Borash was the ring announcer for the match; during the ring entrances, Hernandez walked out with a mic and said he was cashing in his Feast or Fired title shot; moments later, Angle slapped Hernandez, with Hernandez dropping him with a delayed suplex and knocking him to the floor; Hernandez was taken out of the match at the 2-minute mark after Eric Young attacked him at the entrance stage and dropped him with a piledriver; after the contest, Christopher Daniels and several fans celebrated with Styles in the ring as confetti dropped from the ceiling; moments later, Jeremy Borash attempted to interview Styles in the ring but the audio didn’t work
4/19/10; Orlando, FL; Universal Studios
– Rob Van Dam defeated TNA World Champion AJ Styles to win the title
– 8/10/10: The title was vacated due to a storyline injury.
Bound for Glory 2010; 10/10/10; Daytona Beach, FL
– TNA World Championship Tournament Finals: Jeff Hardy defeated Kurt Angle and Mr. Anderson in a No Count-Out, No DQ, No Time-Limit match at 18:39 by pinning Anderson with the Twist of Fate after breaking a crutch over both opponents’ backs; stipulations stated the winner would win the vacant TNA World Title and Angle would retire if he didn’t win; Anderson introduced himself during his entrance; at the 15-minute mark, after the referee was knocked down, Eric Bischoff came to the ring with a steel chair as both Angle and Anderson were down in the ring; moments later, Hulk Hogan, who was said to have been at home recovering from surgury, came out to the ring on crutches and confronted Bischoff; Hardy then entered the ring, after Hogan and Bischoff faced off with a crutch apiece, took the crutch from Hogan and hit Angle with it; Hardy then took the other one and hit Anderson with it as Hogan and Bischoff hugged; Bischoff then dragged the referee back into the ring to make the pinfall; Dixie Carter was shown in attendance during the match; after the fall, Bischoff announced Hardy as the new champion; Jeff Jarrett and Abyss then came out to the ring to celebrate the win as fans threw trash into the ring; moments later, Rob Van Dam ran out and confronted Hardy, with Hardy hitting RVD with the title belt and knocking him out
Genesis 2011; 1/9/11; Orlando, FL; Universal Studios
– Mr. Anderson pinned TNA World Champion Jeff Hardy in an impromptu match to win the title at 9:07 by reversing the Twist of Hate into the Mic Check; prior to the match, Hardy came out in street clothes and smoking a cigarette; early in the match, Matt Morgan, who was still ringside after the previous match, dropped Hardy with a discuss clothesline on the floor before going backstage; at the 6-minute mark, Hardy went for a steel chair outside the ring, with Mick Foley coming out to steal it away, prompting Ric Flair to appear; moments later, security sent Foley and Flair backstage; at the 8-minute mark, Jeff called for Matt Hardy to come out, with Rob Van Dam then appearing and brawling with Matt all the way backstage; moments later, Eric Bischoff slid in the ring with a chair to hit Anderson with, with Anderson then dropping Bischoff with the Mic Check; after the bout, AJ Styles, James Storm, Bobby Roode, TNA X Division Champion Frankie Kazarian appeared ringside and watched as a bloody Anderson held up the title belt inside the ring; after Bischoff and his men returned backstage, Anderson had the mic lowered into the ring as he announced himself as the new champion
Against All Odds 2011; 2/13/11; Orlando, FL; Universal Studios
– Jeff Hardy defeated TNA World Champion Mr. Anderson in a ladder match to win the title at 18:15; during the match, there were dueling chants for both men
2/24/11; Fayetteville, NC; Crown Coliseum
iMPACT – 3/3/11
– Sting (mystery opponent) pinned TNA World Champion Jeff Hardy to win the title at 6:15 with the Scorpion Death Drop, moments after hitting the move off the top as the champion attempted a Whisper in the Wind; following Hardy’s entrance, a video appeared on the big screen which read “3 3 11” before Sting’s entrance (Sting’s surprise return after a 4-month absence)
Slammiversary IX; 6/12/11; Orlando, FL; Universal Studios
– Mr. Anderson pinned TNA World Champion Sting with a low blow and the Mic Check to win the title at 15:52; Sting attacked Anderson as he did his own ring introduction on the entrance stage, and the two brawled through the crowd before getting to the ring; later, Sting applied the Scorpion Death Lock on Anderson, but Eric Bischoff came to the ring and distracted the champion; Sting later hit a Scorpion Death Drop on Anderson and thought he had scored the pin when Bischoff slapped the mat as the referee counted the fall, causing Sting to hear three hits on the mat instead of two
7/11/11; Orlando, FL; Universal Studios
iMPACT – 7/14/11
– Sting defeated TNA World Champion Mr. Anderson to win the title
Hardcore Justice 2011; 8/7/11; Orlando, FL; Universal Studios
– Kurt Angle defeated TNA World Champion Sting to win the title at 15:21
10/18/11; Orlando, FL; Universal Studios
iMPACT – 10/20/11
– James Storm defeated TNA World Champion Kurt Angle to win the title
10/26/11; Macon, GA; Coliseum
iMPACT – 11/3/11:
– Bobby Roode pinned TNA World Champion James Storm to win the title after hitting him in the head with a beer bottle behind the referee’s back
Destination X 2012; 7/8/12; Orlando, FL; Universal Studios
– Austin Aries pinned TNA World Champion Bobby Roode to win the title at 22:19 with a kick to the face and the brainbuster; Jeremy Borash was the ring announcer for the bout; after the match, the crowd chanted “You’re the greatest” and “Aries” before confetti came down over the arena
– Jeff Hardy pinned TNA World Champion Austin Aries to win the title with the Twist of Fate and Swanton at 23:05; prior to the bout, there were cheers for Aries and boos for Hardy; Jeremy Borash was the ring announcer for the match; mid-way through the match, there were dueling chants for both men, and then boos during Hardy’s offense; during the final moments, Hardy kicked out of Aries’s brainbuster
Lockdown 2013; 3/10/13; San Antonio, TX; Alamodome
– Bully Ray pinned TNA World Champion Jeff Hardy to win the title in a steel cage match at 17:11
7/18/13; Louisville, KY; Broadbent Arena
Destination X 2013 – shown on Spike
– Chris Sabin pinned TNA World Champion Bully Ray to win the title at 18:43 by hitting Bully in the head with his own hammer, behind the referee’s back, and falling on top for the pin; Jeremy Borash provided the ring introductions for the match; mid-way through the match, Aces & Eights appeared ringside, with the Main Event Mafia soon joining them; late in the bout, after the referee was knocked down, the two factions brawled in the ring and all the way backstage
8/15/13; Norfolk, VA; Constant Center
Hardcore Justice 2013 – shown on Spike:
– Bully Ray defeated TNA World Champion Chris Sabin to win the title in a steel cage match at 18:05