Jeff Jarrett Compares AEW’s Rise to TNA’s Early Days

Jeff Jarrett is seeing echoes of TNA’s early success in what AEW has built since 2019, pointing to how both promotions carved out space as legitimate alternatives to WWE and gave undiscovered talent a national platform.

Jarrett, one of the founding forces behind TNA Wrestling when it launched in 2002, has a unique vantage point on this conversation. TNA emerged in the aftermath of WWE’s acquisition of WCW, filling the vacuum left after the Monday Night Wars ended and giving wrestlers who lacked mainstream exposure a chance to become stars. AEW arrived nearly two decades later under different circumstances, but Jarrett argues the underlying dynamic is strikingly similar.

Speaking with The Sportster’s Adam Barnard, Jarrett broke down his thinking. “Every roster, no matter how you slice and dice it, ends up kind of being different,” he said. “But one thing that I will say about the AEW roster, it’s super diverse, and there’s a lot of folks that are coming of age and that you get to witness week in, week out, that before AEW started, you might not know this guy. Same thing with TNA, before TNA started, there was no X Division. There was no AJ Styles.”

Jarrett leaned on the old adage that luck is preparation meeting opportunity, suggesting that talented wrestlers who put in the work will find their moment when a promotion like TNA or AEW gives them a stage. “Cream always rises to the top,” he said. “So, yeah, there are similarities there. But, man, when you look at, to me, the AEW diverse roster, the global aspect is very impressive.”

His reference to AJ Styles and the X Division wasn’t incidental. Both became defining pillars of TNA’s identity, with Styles evolving into one of the most decorated stars of his generation and the X Division reshaping how American audiences thought about cruiserweight-style, high-flying wrestling. Jarrett sees a parallel in how AEW has elevated wrestlers from a wide range of backgrounds and countries, turning relative unknowns into recognizable names through consistent television exposure.

It’s a comparison that carries weight given how often AEW has faced questions about whether it can sustain itself as a genuine alternative to WWE over the long haul — the same question TNA faced in its formative years. Jarrett stopped short of calling the companies identical, acknowledging they operate in different eras with different business models and different paths to survival. But his larger point, that opportunity plus preparation is the common thread running through both promotions’ rise, is worth remembering as AEW continues developing its own roster of breakout stars nearly seven years into its existence.

For a promotion still working to define its long-term place in the industry, having a respected voice like Jarrett draw favorable comparisons to TNA’s early impact is a notable, if informal, endorsement of the model AEW has built.