Impact Wrestling is going on two decades of providing entertainment to wrestling fans. Over the years, they've put a lot of good, and a lot of bad on television. As a result, the company has had a lot of highs and lows over the years as they've experimented with a lot of young talent and also brought in several veterans.
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A lot of the talent that has been signed over the years has struggled, partially due to when they signed with Impact Wrestling. For these ten wrestlers, they signed either a bit too early or a bit too late, to have success in the six-sided ring.
10 Too Soon: Elix Skipper
Elix Skipper had some good moments in his brief wrestling career. First signed to WCW, he was one of the names that benefited most from TNA. In the early 2000s, he was a star of the X Division, showing his athletic ability on a nightly basis.
Skipper could go with anyone in the ring but it was his lack of charisma and mic ability that slowed him. In today's world of wrestling where wrestling ability is far and away the number one key to have, he would've been great in Impact.
9 Too Late: Diamond Dallas Page
Diamond Dallas Page signed with Impact Wrestling in late 2004, after a brief retirement stemming from his time in the WWE. That time in the Vince McMahon-led company from 2001 to 2002 was really rough for the former WCW champion, being badly buried by The Undertaker.
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Admittedly, Page was only in Impact for less than a year in his final full-time stint in wrestling. While a good run, one has to wonder how things would've gone if he never even signed with the WWE, and headed to Impact in 2002. He could've provided a big boost as one of their earliest signings, and he wouldn't have been as damaged from his WWE run, leaving TNA as a big what-if for Page.
8 Too Soon: CM Punk
If you don't remember CM Punk and his time in TNA, you're likely not alone. Signing in 2003, he was quickly put into Raven's stable The Gathering alongside Julio Dinero, Cassidy Riley, and Alexis Laree (also known as Mickie James).
Ultimately, Punk didn't last long in TNA due to issues with Teddy Hart, and splitting half his time in Ring of Honor. While not a bad run, one has to think things would've gone better if he was around in the company a few years later.
7 Too Late: Kevin Nash
Kevin Nash was yet another name that joined the WWE not long after WCW's end. However, after the end of the NWO revival, he didn't have much to do. With his prime fading, he signed with Impact Wrestling in late 2004.
Nash would wrestle on and off for the company for the better part of a decade. While he had some good moments, he was clearly past his best days and was too late to make a long-lasting impact on the company.
6 Too Soon: Ken Shamrock
Admittedly, Ken Shamrock's biggest issue is that he was a legitimate fighter at a time when that wasn't a super useful skill. A former UFC champion, he had a brief stint in the WWE but signed with Impact in 2002.
Shamrock was the first ever NWA-TNA world heavyweight champion, making history. That being said, he didn't stick around for long, as he was also fighting in MMA at this time. A former UFC champion signing to Impact in 2023 would be a huge deal, but in 2002, neither were relevant companies.
5 Too Late: Bobby Fish
Bobby Fish signed in Impact Wrestling in 2022, in what was supposed to be a major signing. He was hot off the heels of his AEW stint, and he still had years of great work in ROH, WWE, and NJPW to show his worth.
The issue is that by late 2022, it was hard to paint Fish as a massive singles signing. Fans just weren't into him that much, and presenting a man in his mid-40s as a potential world champion is why his stint quickly failed.
4 Too Soon: Consequences Creed
It was just a little bit too soon for Consequences Creed. The man who would later be known as Xavier Woods as a member of The New Day had a great stint in TNA from 2007 to 2010. The talent was clearly there, leading him to get many high-profile segments and even a tag team with Jay Lethal.
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Ultimately, it was just a little bit too crowded in the main event scene for Creed to make an impact around this time. With his gimmick, look, and talent, he could've done major things but was never going to the main event with the likes of Sting or Kurt Angle.
3 Too Late: Roddy Piper
Roddy Piper had several appearances in Impact Wrestling from 2002 to 2005. For the most part, he rarely got physical, as he was seemingly aware that his team was winding down in the ring. Instead, he cut several shoot-style promos, including on the likes of Vince Russo.
Piper's style of promo in TNA was aggressive and personal and was portrayed awkwardly 20 years ago. That being said, the promos would've gone over much better in the current wrestling landscape, especially if he was able to wrestle. An angry, veteran Piper had a lot of potential.
2 Too Soon: Eli Drake
The man who would later be known as LA Knight famously had a few good years in Impact Wrestling. Eli Drake signed with TNA in 2015 at a really weird time for the company. Around this stage, a lot of their biggest names were leaving, as they were hemorrhaging money and TV deals.
Ultimately, Drake would reach the pinnacle of Impact, becoming world champion. While a nice feat, most fans didn't get to see his work around this time. If he were a few years later, it would've been easy for them to get behind him the way they have in the WWE.
1 Too Late: Hulk Hogan
Wrestling is a lot like life, it's all about timing. In 2009, TNA thought that the time was ripe to try and unseat the WWE, and signed Hulk Hogan to help guide them to number one. The issue was, he was half-retired, hadn't been on TV in a few years, and was the opposite of what they needed.
If Hogan signed to TNA in the early or even mid-2000s fans could've gotten some good work out of the Hulkster, and he would've provided a commercial boost to the company. Sadly, by the time he signed, he just sucked the fun out of Impact.
