Recalling when TNA tried to insult WWE by booking fake versions of Vince McMahon and Triple H in a backstage segment.
TNA, now known as Impact Wrestling, debuted in 2004, and immediately started using outlandish methods to get the attention of fans. WWE was at the top of the tree at that time, and by mocking it, TNA tried to get into the competition quickly. So, they constantly took shots at WWE and its owner Vince McMahon.
First, they sent some of their superstars to a place in Orlando where WWE was filming a commercial. In fact, they took cookies as a peace offering and met with WWE superstars like Rey Mysterio and Eddie Guererro. The whole video of that meeting was recorded by TNA, and the incident is infamously known as the Cookiegate Incident.
At the Turning Point PPV in December 2004, TNA used that video as a base and kept mocking WWE throughout the event. A couple of actors were hired to play the parody versions of some key faces in WWE.
TNA created a whole act with fake Vince McMahon and Triple H from WWE
Turning Point 2004 was TNA’s second-ever three-hour PPV, and the company was not backing away from teasing WWE. During the start of the show, fake Vince and HHH entered the arena in a Limo to stop TNA from airing the cookiegate video.
They then met Abyss with balloons but he was slammed by McMahon. Though he managed to intimidate the fake Triple H.
Although it was a silly way to shoot at WWE, TNA kept running the whole angle during the pay-per-view. Commentators kept denoting the impersonators as real people from WWE. TNA mocked Vince McMahon and HHH continuously through backstage segments of their mimics.
In the end, fake Vince McMahon got a beating from a midget and was sent back in an ambulance.
“The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes was shown as the one behind the tape. By the end of TNA Turning Point 2004, the cookiegate video was aired on the orders of Dusty Rhodes.
"Triple H" and "Mr. McMahon" backstage at TNA Turning Point 2004, including the "Cookiegate" incident. from SquaredCircle
TNA changed its brand name in 2017 and became Impact Wrestling
From using impersonators to hiring the talent released, TNA tried its best but never surpassed the popularity of WWE. Honestly speaking, they never even got close to it despite all the shenanigans. The promotion still kept going under the same brand name until the late 2010s.
However, in 2017, Anthem Sports & Entertainment bought a major stake in TNA and became its parent company. Earlier, it was TNA Entertainment and with Anthem Wrestling Exhibitions LLC coming into charge, TNA saw another change. After 13 years in the business, TNA changed its name and became Impact Wrestling.
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