| TNA Television Championship | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 The TNA Television Championship belt | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Details | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Promotion | Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Date established | October 23, 2008 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Date retired | August 12, 2016 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Other names | |||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||
TheTNA Television Championship was aprofessional wrestlingchampionship owned by thepromotion Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA, laterImpact Wrestling, now TNA). It was introduced on the October 23, 2008 episode of TNA's television programTNA Impact! as theTNA Legends Championship. It was later known as theTNA Global Championship and theTNA King of the Mountain Championship. The title appeared inGlobal Force Wrestling (GFW), during a talent exchange partnership.
As a professional wrestling championship, it was won via a planned ending to a match or awarded to a wrestler because of astoryline. All title changes occurred at TNA-promoted events. Reigns that occurred onTNA Impact!, or its later titleImpact Wrestling, usually aired ontape delay. The first champion wasBooker T. The final champion wasLashley, as the title was retired on August 12, 2016. There were a total of 26 reigns among 20 wrestlers.[1]
The title was introduced during a storyline that pitted TheTNA Front Line againstThe Main Event Mafia. In the weeks leading up to the unveiling of the physical belt, Booker T carried around a steel briefcase. On the October 23, 2008, episode ofImpact!, Booker T removed the belt from the briefcase, introducing it as the "TNA Legends Championship", and declaring himself the first champion. He went on to state that the championship was his and that he would defend it when he saw fit; this meant that the championship was unsanctioned by TNA in the storyline.[2]
On March 15, 2009, at TNA'sDestination Xpay-per-view (PPV)event,AJ Styles defeated Booker T to win the championship.[3] Afterwards on the March 19, 2009, episode ofImpact!, Styles was credited as becoming the firstTNA Grand Slam Champion, by winning theWorld Heavyweight (NWA orTNA), theWorld Tag Team (NWA orTNA), theTNA X Division Championship, and the Legends Championship.[4]TNA Management DirectorJim Cornette then announced that the TNA Legends Championship had become an official TNA sanctioned championship thanks to Styles defeating Booker T for it legally via the contract the two had signed to make the match official.[5]
On the October 29, 2009, episode ofImpact!, then-championEric Young renamed the title the "TNA Global Championship". He went on to declare that he was not going to defend it against any American wrestlers nor on American soil.[6] However, Young's first defense was on the December 10, 2009, episode ofImpact! inOrlando, Florida againstJapanese female wrestlerHamada.[7] Young's second, third and fourth defenses lived up to his earlier decree, when he defended againstSuicide in Glasgow, Hamada in Bournemouth, and unsuccessfully againstWelsh wrestlerRob Terry inCardiff,Wales at alive event on January 27, 2010.[8] On the July 22, 2010, episode ofImpact!, Terry lost the Global Championship to AJ Styles.[9] Styles then renamed the title the "TNA Television Championship" on the July 29, 2010, episode ofImpact!.[10]
On the April 19, 2012, episode of the newly titledImpact Wrestling,TNA General ManagerHulk Hogan ordered that the TNA Television Championship had to be defended every week.[11] The weekly title defenses lasted until the June 21, 2012, episode ofImpact Wrestling.[12]
On July 3, 2014,TNA Executive DirectorKurt Angle declared the championship inactive.[13] The title was reactivated on June 25, 2015, by TNA under the new name of the "TNA King of the Mountain Championship." TNA announced that a new champion would be determined in aKing of the Mountain match at theirSlammiversary PPV event on June 28.[14][15]Jeff Jarrett defeatedMatt Hardy, Eric Young,Drew Galloway, and Bobby Roode to win the championship.[16] The title ended up appearing in GFW at a July 9 live event where Young attacked Jarrett and stole the championship belt.[17]
During the August 18, 2016, taping ofImpact Wrestling, it was announced that the King of the Mountain Championship was vacated, deactivated and retired with announcement of a new title, theImpact Grand Championship.[18]
The inaugural champion was Booker T, who awarded the championship to himself on the October 23, 2008, episode ofImpact!.[19] Eric Young holds the record for most reigns, with three, and is the only wrestler to hold the title under all four of its incarnations.Abyss' second reign is the longest in the title's history at 396 days.P. J. Black andLashley share the record for shortest reign in the title's history at one day. Abyss holds the record for combined days as champion, with 460. Lashley was the final champion, having defeated James Storm for the championship with his X Division and World Heavyweight Championships on the line, and unifying the title with his World Title, thus retiring the King of the Mountain Championship in the process.
Overall, there have been 25 reigns shared among 19 wrestlers, with threevacancies and two deactivations.