The strange time that Chris Rock appeared on NWA TNA

This is a script for my YouTube video on this subject. You can find the video here: https://youtu.be/tooJpp4pGjQ

It's almost time of the Oscars so of course it's time to talk about Chris Rock. Not for the reason you might think though as just over twenty years ago Chris would make a bizarre appearance on the sixteenth weekly NWA TNA pay per view.

On October 9th 2002 the former SNL cast member was in the TNA Asylum to film a scene for his upcoming film Head of State. Full disclosure I watched Head of State just for this video and I can confirm that it is worth a miss.

To bring this back to wrestling, a scene was filmed that night in the TNA Asylum that lasts less than a minute in the final movie. It does include cameos from various TNA wrestlers though. I did laugh a bit at the start of the TNA scene when Rocks character is welcomed into the Asylum by Road Dogg, who bizarrely is holding the NWA World championship. Seconds later with no explanation Road Dogg is on the mat, with Jeff Jarrett holding the belt, giving Chris Rock a kicking accompanied by Ron Killings and a Harris Brother probably...

Thats the scene in the movie, but what about Rock's PPV appearance that night. His entire time in the ring was so brief that it exist on as a YouTube short on Impact's channel. Cheap plug for my own daily wrestling history shorts by the way... Chris looks completely bemused by the wrestling show environment, and quickly pronounces NWA TNA to be the best wrestling in the world, before bolting out of the ring.

Chris Rock would have another connection to wrestling, as in 2005 he would appear in the significantly better Adam Sandler film The Longest Yard. This film had several wrestlers playing roles such as Kevin Nash, The Great Khali, Bob Sapp, Bill Goldberg and even Stone Cold Steve Austin.

Rock's final link to pro wrestling is indirect to say the least. Following the events of the 2022 Oscars, memes of Chris Rock vs Will Smith at Wrestlemania were all over the internet. Chris Rock however, would likely rather had the match take place in NWA TNA, which he infamously proclaimed to be the best wrestling in the world.

TNA has a fairly unusual and you could say inept relationship with celebrity appearances, including some far worse than Chris Rock on this night. This is the company who more than once booked cast members of the Jersey Shore, despite it not occurring to them that they were cross promoting with a show that aired at the same time as impact, therefore making the appearance useless as Jersey Shore fans were likely watching the real thing on another channel. They even created characters to appeal to Jersey Shore fans, Robbie E and Cookie, but again, you're trying to draw from an audience that is likely watching the real thing at the same time.

Maybe the most egregious though was TNA reportedly signing Survivor star Johnny Fairplay to a 300,000 dollar a year deal. In a fairly recent interview about his time in TNA Jonny made some interesting claims. He makes it sound like Dixie Carter in particular was desperate to sign him, claiming she was willing to give him whatever he wanted to join. So, Fairplay took the money, but also requested first class flights, five star hotels and health insurance, and he was given all of it. There was a rumour at the time that Dixie was a fan of reality shows such as Jersey Shore and Survivor, and this was why these stars got involved in TNA, whether it made good business sense or not. Fairplay had gained notoriety for pulling a stunt on Survivor where he attempted to gain sympathy for his Grandmother dying while he was participating on the show, only for his lie to be found out after filming had ended.

Fairplay would end up making just 8 appearances for TNA, making it hard for anyone to justify the cost of signing him. Nothing against the man himself for taking advantage of the money offered to him, but it's stories like this that make it so amazing that TNA lasted past those early years.