TNA King of the Mountain Championship

The TNA King of the Mountain Championship was a professional wrestling championship owned by the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) professional wrestling promotion. It was introduced on the October 23, 2008 episode of TNA's television program TNA Impact! as the "TNA Legends Championship". It was later known as the "TNA Global Championship" and the "TNA Television Championship". The title appeared in Global Force Wrestling (GFW), during a talent exchange partnership.

As a professional wrestling championship, it was won via a scripted ending to a match or awarded to a wrestler because of a storyline. All title changes occurred at TNA-promoted events. Reigns that occurred on TNA Impact!, or its later title Impact Wrestling, usually aired on tape delay. The first champion was Booker T. The final champion was Lashley as the title was retired on August 12 2016. There were a total of 22 reigns among 16 wrestlers.^[1]

History

The title was introduced during a storyline that pitted young talent within the company against veterans of professional wrestling. 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 of Impact!, Booker T introduced the belt by removing it from the briefcase, announcing its name as the "TNA Legends Championship", and declaring himself the first champion.^[2] 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.^[3]

On March 15, 2009, at TNA's Destination X pay-per-view (PPV) event, A.J. Styles defeated Booker T to win the championship.^[4] Afterwards on the March 19, 2009, episode of Impact!, Styles was credited as becoming the first-ever TNA Grand Slam Champion, by winning the World Heavyweight (NWA or TNA), the World Tag Team (NWA or TNA), the TNA X Division Championship, and the Legends Championship.^[5] TNA Management Director Jim 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.^[6]

On the October 29, 2009, episode of Impact!, then-champion Eric 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.^[7] However, Young's first defense was on the December 10, 2009, episode of Impact! in Orlando, Florida against Japanese female wrestler Hamada.^[8] Young's second, third and fourth defenses lived up to his earlier decree, when he defended against Suicide in Glasgow, Hamada in Bournemouth, and unsuccessfully against Welsh wrestler Rob Terry in Cardiff, Wales at a live event on January 27, 2010.^[9] On the July 22, 2010, episode of Impact!, Terry lost the Global Championship to A.J. Styles.^[10] Styles then renamed the title the "TNA Television Championship" on the July 29, 2010, episode of Impact!.^[11]

On the April 19, 2012, episode of the newly titled Impact Wrestling, TNA General Manager Hulk Hogan ordered that the TNA Television Championship had to be defended every week.^[12] The weekly title defenses lasted until the June 21, 2012, episode of Impact Wrestling.^[13]

On July 3, 2014, TNA Executive Director Kurt Angle declared the championship inactive.^[14] The title was reactivated on June 25, 2015, by TNA under the new name the "TNA King of the Mountain Championship." TNA announced that a new champion would be determined in a King of the Mountain match at their Slammiversary PPV event on June 28.^[15] Jeff Jarrett defeated Matt Hardy, Eric Young, Drew Galloway, and Bobby Roode to win the newly titled championship at the event. Due to Jarrett having founded and currently running GFW, it was suspected in the storyline that Jarrett may defend the championship in that promotion.^[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 of TNA's television program Impact Wrestling, it was announced that the King of the Mountain Championship was vacated, deactivated and retired with announcement of a new title, the Impact Grand Championship.^[18]

Reigns

The inaugural champion was Booker T, who awarded the championship to himself on the October 23, 2008, episode of Impact!.^[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. PJ Black's only reign holds 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 26 reigns shared among 20 wrestlers, with three vacancies and two deactivations.

References

General

• Oliver, Earl. "TNA Legends Championship Title History". Solie.org. Retrieved 2015-07-31. 

Specific

External links

• Impact Wrestling.com