The history of Impact Wrestling goes all the way back to the TNA days with the company trying desperately to compete with WWE. Wrestling used to be about the physiques of the performers more than their talent or skill set in previous eras. This has changed more and more over the years with fans now accepting different looks.
Names like Mick Foley, Bryan Danielson and Adam Cole are some names that got over huge despite not having the traditional body types at various points in their careers. Impact Wrestling will be spotlighted regarding the names that fell under this category yet still performed at a high level. Each of the following TNA wrestlers didn’t have the most impressive physiques yet became great stars for Impact.
8 Samoa Joe
Samoa Joe is among the most obvious names that didn’t have the ideal physique yet developed a connection with the audience. TNA made Joe a top star, but something always held them back from truly giving him that “face of the company” push that fans wanted.
Jeff Jarrett named Vince Russo as Joe’s biggest detractor on the TNA creative team likely due to the physique. Joe still thrived against all odds to become an all-time great Impact Wrestling star. The company will likely induct Joe into the Hall of Fame if he and AEW allow it.
7 Amazing Red
The early years of TNA saw Amazing Red breaking out as an underdog talent as smaller than almost everyone else in the promotion. Red was among the wrestlers that would have been outcasted in the 1990s, but he was able to at least show his skills in the 2000s.
The X-Division was about “no limits” so all body types were welcomed, especially the smaller and faster wrestlers. Red helped TNA fans understand the concept of the X-Division to make it an early hit. Future returns saw Red always having fan love and good matches with the less ideal physique.
6 Fallah Bahh
Fallah Bahh remains one of the heaviest wrestlers in Impact Wrestling history since that was part of his entire gimmick. Impact used Bahh as a comedic wrestler in segments involving the likes of Scarlett Bourdeaux, Karrion Kross, TJ Perkins and others.
The rebuilding of Impact under Scott D’Amore saw him taking flyers on talents he felt could provide an entertaining and diverse show. Fallah had a physique unlike anyone else in TNA history, and that played a role in him getting over for the first time in a relevant company.
5 Abyss
TNA made Abyss a fixture in the company from the early days with his masked monster gimmick. Abyss always wrestled in more clothing than the average wrestler since it took the attention away from his physique. TNA even tried to draw comparisons to Mick Foley’s Mankind persona, especially due to the similar body type.
Abyss got over to become a Hall of Fame caliber talent as someone that gave his all in many different roles throughout his entire stint. Impact fans still have a strong attachment to Abyss as someone that gave his all to the company with the dangerous hardcore matches.
4 James Storm
The physique of James Storm was fine in the earlier TNA years, but he made it work when gaining some weight and having his look change throughout the year. Storm was a little heftier in the later years, but he remained agile and fresh in the ring once the bell rang.
Impact Wrestling rewarded his body of work when inducting Storm into the 2017 Impact Hall of Fame class. Storm did well in just about every role expected from him with multiple legendary tag team runs, a singles world title push, and success at all spots of the card.
3 Homicide
Homicide was one of the first wrestlers to consistently wrestle in a t-shirt since he didn’t have the most appealing physique for wrestling at the time. LAX broke out as a top tag team act with Hernandez as the jacked and physically imposing big man in the duo.
TNA allowed Homicide to be himself as the better worker between the two that often used crazy weapons or showed a lack of fear when matches got wilder. Homicide was the more crucial member to LAX as an all-time great Impact Wrestling tag team act.
2 Sami Callihan
The recent rebuilding process of Impact Wrestling saw Sami Callihan emerging as one of the cornerstones of the new product. Callihan was coming off a failed WWE run and success in various independent promotions to get the push of his career in Impact.
Fans loved to root against Callihan as a heel in his bitter rivalries with Eddie Edwards, Pentagon Jr and Tessa Blanchard. Sami has joked that his physique has worked against him in the past, but Impact more than accepted him. The wild card character of Callihan breaking all the rules has a better appeal with his current look than if he was the traditional golden boy.
1 Bully Ray
TNA signed the Dudley Boyz as Team 3D and pushed them as the top tag team in the industry for the first few years. However, a change was needed when they accomplished everything possible and split up to have their singles pushes.
Bully Ray was the new persona of Bubba to get a bigger role, and it worked in his favor that he was still a larger wrestler. The run worked to perfection with Bully getting over as a top heel. Some positive changes to Bully’s physique saw him getting in better shape, but he was never the ideal wrestler physically despite the success.
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