Why TNA's Relationship With WWE Will Ultimately Ruin Them

WWE Benefits From The Partnership More Than TNA

The WWE-TNA Working Relationship Is More One-Sided Than It Seems

• TNA has benefited in the short term through its cross-promotion with NXT, increasing the exposure of its product.
• WWE has already started picking off TNA's best talent, which is likely to continue in the future.
• Jordynne Grace is the most recent example of a former TNA star who has now moved to WWE full-time.

TNA has no doubt benefited in the short term from its working relationship with NXT, as the cross-promotion has given it more exposure than it has received in a long time. They have also had the benefit of having some rising stars from the developmental brand appear on their show, creating some new and interesting feuds and match-pairings for fans to watch.

The warning signs have already started to appear as well though, with TNA's top talent now being lined up to be taken by WWE when the opportunity arises. Jordynne Grace has been the latest star to jump ship to NXT full-time, but there will likely be more to follow in due course.

Supporters of the relationship would argue this would happen anyway even if the companies were not in cahoots, and it is good for TNA to get the most out of WWE on the other end of the bargain. However, it does bring into question how much autonomy TNA now has over its top talent, as the door is wide open to a career in NXT should the opportunity arise.

TNA Has Become A Feeder System For WWE

TNA Will Continue To Lose Its Top Stars To NXT

• TNA has essentially become a feeder system to WWE through its working relationship.
• TNA will struggle to recover if the partnership comes to an end.
• TNA will essentially operate as a further developmental program for WWE beneath NXT.

To put it bluntly, TNA is essentially a feeder system for WWE now, acting on a level even below its developmental system in NXT. For as much as TNA may have struggled in recent years to make an impact in wrestling, this turn of events has ultimately scuppered any chance of the company finding success as a challenger brand to the mainstream promotions in WWE and AEW.

It also means that TNA is now somewhat dependent on the working relationship with WWE to find any success, as they will continue to lose their top stars whilst needing NXT involvement to bolster their roster. For as long as the relationship lasts, TNA should be okay, but it may struggle to find its way again should it come to an end.

As WWE enlists more ID training schools in its development program, TNA could essentially act as the most established version of this, with veterans performing alongside up-and-coming stars to get them ready for NXT. The fact that NXT is itself a developmental show means that WWE may be over-complicating its system for creating talent, which makes TNA's long-term existence even more doubtful.

How Will The WWE-TNA Relationship End?

TNA Will Likely Not Survive Its Partnership With WWE

• TNA will likely cease to exist when its working relationship with WWE comes to an end.
• WWE could even end up purchasing TNA at some point soon to consolidate their partnership.
• Even if TNA and WWE do separate, the former will struggle to cope on its own with a diminished roster.

There are only really two ways for the WWE/TNA working relationship to end, and neither of them will see the latter come away in a better place with its autonomy in tack. The minute that TNA began allowing its top talent to appear in NXT, the writing was on the wall for the promotion, as it was relinquishing its best assets to WWE.

Arguably, TNA began its death march when it got involved with AEW, as it never felt close to matching the star power that Tony Khan's company had, highlighting its inadequacies. Now it is playing second fiddle to WWE, for its developmental brand no less, which truly stops it from being taken seriously as its own company going forward.

The most likely outcome will see WWE purchase TNA, adding it to its collection that includes other challenger brands of the past, like WCW and ECW. Triple H has shown in the past that he is capable of using up a wrestling resource until it is dry, as he did this with the British wrestling scene that was booming in the late 2010s, exploiting it through NXT UK until it was dead

The other scenario would see TNA's working relationship with WWE simply come to an end, which may be even worse for the company that has existed for two decades. As previously mentioned, it is hard to envision a scenario where TNA exits its dalliance with NXT with a roster that has not been picked thin of its best talent. Meanwhile, its perception is now that of a brand that is not even on the same level as WWE's developmental brand, which will cement it as being a small-time promotion going forward.