Every Major TNA Romance Angle, Ranked Worst To Best

Formed in 2002, Impact Wrestling — formerly known as TNA — has spent over two decades providing consistently weekly pro wrestling content alongside larger outfits like WWE. And, like the competition, Impact has employed a variety of storylines in its pro wrestling product, including not only title matches and blood feuds, but also the all-too-common romance angle.

Throughout the history of wrestling, romance storylines have been hit-or-miss, and Impact’s are no different. There have been some very entertaining romance angles as well as some seriously cringeworthy, so let’s take a look at all the notable ones that Impact has done, starting with the obvious worst.

15 AJ Styles & Dixie Carter & Claire Lynch

Impact’s worst romance angle is one of its most infamous storylines ever thanks to a series of unexpected twists. Originally, the “Claire Lynch” debacle followed a secret affair between AJ Styles and Impact boss Dixie Carter, but Impact decided to abruptly switch gears and reveal that Styles and Carter were actually working together to help out a pregnant drug addict named Claire Lynch. The angle then involved Styles potentially being the father of Lynch’s unborn child until yet another twist happened to reveal that she’d been lying all along.

14 Erik Watts & Goldy Locks

First introduced to fans as the (ultimately disappointing) son of wrestler-turned-promoter “Cowboy” Bill Watts in the early ‘90s, Erik Watts found himself part of the early years of Impact wrestling as a second-generation heel and then as the company’s authority figure. During that time, Watts began to romance backstage interviewer Goldy Locks. However, during a match with Don Callis with Erik Watts’ authority role on the line, Goldy ended up turning heel on Watts, kicking off a feud between the former lovers.

13 Chris Sabin & Velvet Sky

A couple in real life at the time, Chris Sabin and Velvet Sky also became an item on Impact television, during which time Sabin won and subsequently lost the Impact World Title. As Sabin unceremoniously returned to the X-Division, he began to act more heelish, eventually becoming an abusive boyfriend to Sky. Before long, much like Erik Watts and Goldy Locks, Sabin and Sky began feuding with one another outright, though the angle came to an abrupt halt when Sabin departed Impact Wrestling.

12 Tara & Jesse Godderz

After two Women’s Championship runs in WWE, Victoria — a.k.a. Lisa Marie Varon — made her way to the Impact Zone in 2009, where she performed under the ring name Tara. There. She got into a romance angle with the newly debuted Jessie Godderz, who had some notoriety for being in the reality show Big Brother.

As Tara proclaimed herself a cougar, she introduced Godderz as her “Hollywood boyfriend,” it certainly seemed like an inspired pairing. However, the angle failed to catch on and Godderz moved on to aligning with Robbie E as The BroMans.

11 Lance Hoyt & Christy Hemme

In 2007, Lance Hoyt (also known as Lance Archer) and Christy Hemme were on opposite sides of a tag team feud, with Hoyt working as the enforcer for Voodoo Kin Mafia while Hemme was managing Basham and Damaja. However, when VKM began to target Hemme, Hoyt turned on the boys and began to forge a romance with Hemme. Before long, Jimmy Rave entered the mix and the trio became a goofy comedy act called The Rock ‘n’ Rave Infection, with Lance Hoyt changing his name to Lance Rock.

10 Davey Richards & Angelina Love

Debuting in Impact in 2014, The Wolves — Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards — were a standout in the promotion’s tag team division. That all changed in early January 2017’s One Night Only: Live as Richards and Angelina Love interfered in Edwards’ match against World Champion Bobby Lashley. From there, Richards and Love worked together as a villainous power couple while Richards put on an intense blood feud with his former tag team partner — that is, until Davey Richards abruptly left the company over the summer.

9 Bram & Rosemary

Because of her status as Impact Wrestling’s resident spooky character, it’s not uncommon for Rosemary to get into a number of romance angles. In 2016, the object of her affections was the somewhat forgotten Bram — otherwise known as Thom Latimer in NWA — as the two began forging a relationship, much to the confusion of Rosemary’s Decay partners, Crazzy Steve and Abyss. Once their relationship stalled, however, Steve and Abyss abducted Bram, but seemingly to no avail — when he returned to the Impact Zone, it was as part of the Death Crew Council faction, with little acknowledgement of his romance with Rosemary.

8 Bully Ray & Brooke Hogan

In 2012, Bully Ray — otherwise known as Bubba Ray Dudley of The Dudley Boyz — was strictly a singles wrestler, and seemingly on his way to a babyface turn. At the time, he had a secret relationship going on with Brooke Hogan in Impact Wrestling, much to the chagrin of her father, Impact authority figure Hulk Hogan.

Despite his disapproval, Bully ended up winning over the Hulkster thanks to his seeming opposition to the invading faction Aces & Eights. Bully Ray ended up marrying Brooke Hogan in an in-ring ceremony, but soon revealed himself as the boss of Aces & Eights, causing his relationship with Brooke to fall apart.

7 Winter & Angelina Love

Impact Wrestling: Winter and Angelina Love

In 2010, Angelina Love was a devoted member of The Beautiful People alongside Velvet Sky — that is, until the mysterious witchy woman known as Winter came along. Initially appearing as an apparition that only Love could see, before long Winter became a tangible human being, after which Winter began to enter what essentially was a romance angle, albeit with supernatural themes. To get Angelina Love to align with her over Velvet Sky, Winter used a magic potion to gain Love’s affections. Unfortunately, this unique angle halted abruptly in 2012 as Angelina Love departed Impact Wrestling before the storyline could finish.

6 Allie & Braxton Sutter

AEW fans see The Bunny and The Butcher on a regular basis, but many fans’ first major exposure to the real-life couple was in the Impact Zone. There, Allie was a subordinate to Knockouts division boss Maria Kanellis, who regularly abused her diminutive employee. During this run, The Butcher — then known as Braxton Sutter — was dating Laurel Van Ness (a.k.a. Chelsea Green) thanks to Kanellis’ manipulations, but eventually Allie gained the confidence to go against her boss and romance Sutter herself.

5 Grado & Laurel Van Ness

Speaking of Laurel Van Ness, the breakup with Braxton Sutter — which happened during an in-ring wedding — didn’t exactly go over too well. The two got engaged before Sutter left her at the altar, resulting in Van Ness doing an unhinged jilted bride gimmick. That all changed when she met Scottish comedy wrestler Grado. The two began forging a romance, albeit one hastened by Grado’s need to marry so he could stay in the United States. This silly but fun storyline led to a frankly amazing revelation that Laurel Van Ness was Canadian, and thus couldn't help Grado stay in the states.

4 AJ Styles & Karen Angle

While the most memorable angle for Karen Angle (or Karen Jarrett) in Impact involved Jeff Jarrett and Kurt Angle turning real-life drama into a storyline, she had a very fun (and totally kayfabe) romance angle going on with AJ Styles. It all started during an in-ring vow renewal ceremony, during which the priest — who got knocked out during a brawl — accidentally married AJ and Karen while in a dazed state.

From there, a surprisingly cute romance angle ensued, with AJ actually winning Karen’s affections, much to the annoyance of Kurt Angle himself.

3 Johnny Swinger & Swingerella #1

If there’s one thing that modern Impact Wrestling fans can expect, it’s that Johnny Swinger is always up to something. In 2021, the Swingman was running an illegal backstage casino called Swinger’s Palace that were not only very funny comedy skits, but managed to advance myriad storylines going on in Impact. One of the big subplots of the Swinger’s Palace skits was a potential romance between Johnny Swinger and one of the women he paid to hang out there, Swingerella #1. It’s a hilarious romance angle, partially because Swinger’s so delusional and clueless.

2 Eric Young & ODB

In late 2011, Impact Wrestling struck gold with the pairing of midcard goofball Eric Young and crude Knockouts performer ODB. After “randomly” teaming up in the Wild Card tag team tournament, the two previously unrelated wrestlers began entering a romance angle that not only involved an in-ring wedding, but also a tag team championship run. In February of 2012, EY and ODB beat Gail Kim and Madison Rayne to capture the Knockouts Tag Team Championship, which they’d end up holding for 478 days until they were forced to vacate the belts due to a lack of title defenses.

1 Rosemary & John E. Bravo

Rosemary & John E. Bravo get married by Father James Mitchell

All things considered, there’s no greater romance angle in Impact Wrestling history than the one between the aforementioned Rosemary and referee turned NPC goofball John E. Bravo. In 2020, Impact dealt with COVID by coming up with Wrestle House a (very funny) fake reality show that not only gave something to do for Impact’s midcard and below, but was also an elaborate ruse for Rosemary to win the affection of John E. Bravo. Their romance involved not only an in-ring wedding — and an in-wedding shooting — but also a sense of danger, as Rosemary mostly wanted Bravo’s virgin blood.