How The Faction Ruined TNA For Years
Highlights
- TNA experienced significant changes with the arrival of Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff, leading to the formation of Immortal faction.
- Immortal's strategy was to gain control over TNA and capture all the titles, but their downfall began when Fortune turned against them.
- The downfall of Immortal marked the beginning of TNA's decline, as ratings dropped and the company struggled to recover. The future of TNA remains uncertain.
TNA began to go through some changes between late 2009 and early 2010, which included the arrival of Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff. Throughout most of 2010, "The Monster" Abyss began warning fans and fellow wrestlers "they" were coming and associated the arrival of this entity being on "10-10-10", the date for TNA's Bound for Glory event.
As foreshadowed by Abyss, the big reveal saw official "heel turns" for Hogan, Bischoff, and Jeff Hardy, with the latter being a big surprise to fans as Hardy was one of TNA's biggest babyfaces. This became the beginning of a chapter in TNA that would lead to the company's slow decline.
10 Things Fans Should Know About TNA's Immortal
Immortal had a relatively brief, but important run in TNA and there are a lot of things that fans should know about the faction.Immortal Was A TNA Faction Doomed From The Start
Immortal's Formation And Steady Decline
- Immortal was led by Hulk Hogan, Eric Bischoff, and Jeff Hardy.
- Immortal went through various changes with leaders and members throughout its TNA existence (2010-2012).
- Immortal officially disbanded in April 2012.
Immortal came into existence following the events of TNA's Bound for Glory, which saw Hogan, Bischoff, and Hardy showing their true colors, turning heel as Hardy defeated Mr. Anderson and Kurt Angle to capture the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. TNA President Dixie Carter could do nothing but watch on in shock as the trio celebrated alongside Jeff Jarrett and Abyss.
Immortal expanded their group by adding Ric Flair and his "Fortune" stable (AJ Styles, Frankie Kazarian, James Storm, and Bobby Roode). Hogan and Bischoff tried to convince Sting and Kevin Nash to join, but both declined as Nash exited the company shortly thereafter while Sting went on a hiatus. Bischoff revealed the formation of Immortal was a grand scheme put into motion upon he and Hogan's arrival to take control of the company from Dixie Carter. Carter had signed over the company to Hogan and Bischoff months back without reading the fine print and realizing what she had done.
Throughout the next several months, the group would begin running along the TNA roster, as E.V. 2.0, The Motorcity Machine Guns, Doug Williams, and Rob Van Dam. The goal of the group was to capture all the titles in TNA, so they would have leverage over Dixie Carter. Everything was going the way of Immortal until February 2011, when Fortune decided to turn their backs on the faction and leave the group, as its leader, AJ Styles, cited that he was not about to let Immortal or Eric Bischoff destroy the company like he had done to WCW years back.
Immortal Began Its Fall From Grace In TNA
Mick Foley's Arrival, Sting's Return, And Hogan's Comeback
Dixie Carter made attempts to get the company back from Immortal, but to no avail as she lost a court battle which kept control of TNA in the hands of Hogan and Bischoff. In the meantime, a "network consultant" was hired by SpikeTV to keep a check on Hogan and Bischoff. The consultant was revealed to be Mick Foley. The angle was dropped weeks later, after Foley left the company. Sting returned to TNA in March 2011 and recaptured the TNA World Heavyweight Championship from Jeff Hardy. In controversial fashion, Sting defeated Hardy in a rematch at Victory Road, after Hardy was deemed to be in no shape or condition to wrestle. Hardy was legitimately suspended from TNA and sent to rehab, effectively ending his tenure with Immortal.
TNA's Immortal: The 5 Best (& 5 Worst) Members
The wrestlers to best fit in Immortal generated impressive heel heat and added to the group's overall accomplishments.The focus on the storyline shifted with Sting changing his character to resemble late actor Heath Ledger's "Joker" character from the movie, The Dark Knight, as Sting rekindled his rivalry with Hogan, Bischoff, Flair, and the rest of Immortal. Sting's goals were to get control of TNA back in the hands of Dixie Carter and to bring back the "old" Hulk Hogan.
After months of going back-and-forth, Sting finally got his shot at Hulk Hogan at Bound for Glory. Sting defeated Hogan in their match. At its conclusion, Immortal attacked Sting. "The Stinger" pleaded and begged Hogan to help him. This snapped Hogan back to reality, so to speak, as he turned on his own group and began helping Sting, turning babyface once again and going back to his "Hulkamania" persona. Sting turned over control of TNA back to Dixie Carter, as Hogan was made the new General Manager of TNA.
The Last Days Of Immortal In TNA
Immortal's Downfall And Aftermath
In the months to follow, the remnants of Immortal, led by Eric Bishoff, sought revenge on Hogan, Sting, Dixie, and the rest of TNA, including Eric's own son, Garrett Bischoff. Garrett was also responsible for the outcome of the Hogan vs Sting match at Bound for Glory, as he was a hired official who purposely blew his call to spite his own father. By April 2012, a "Lethal LockDown" match had been made for TNA Lockdown featuring the remaining members of Immortal led by Eric Bischoff, Bully Ray, Gunner, Frankie Kazarian, and Christopher Daniels to face Garett Bischoff, AJ Styles, Austin Aries, Rob Van Dam, and Mr. Anderson. By stipulation, with Garett's team earning the victory, Eric Bischoff was banished from TNA forever, effectively disbanding and destroying Immortal once and for all.
10 Members Of TNA's Immortal: Where Are They Now?
Immortal had a prominent run in TNA's main event about a decade ago. What are its members up to now?Wrestling fans viewed the storyline with Immortal as the beginning of the company's downfall. Immortal was viewed as a knockoff version of the n.W.o. storyline from WCW. The ratings began to slowly decline for Impact, which caused SpikeTV to relinquish their contract with TNA and force the organization to explore other television options beginning in 2015. The company changed their name from TNA to "Impact Wrestling", hoping to remove the old TNA stigma, but to no avail.
The company was never able to recover from their losses and get back to the same ratings they were at over a decade ago. With the organization going back to its TNA roots, the question remains about whether they can get back to the #2 spot they once had in the wrestling industry. Only time will tell.
