Is WWE Buying TNA?

Has WWE once again become a player in the purchase of TNA?

What year is this, 2001?

More than 15 years have passed since Vince McMahon rocked the wrestling world and ended the Monday Night Wars with the announcement that he had bought his competition and purchased World Championship Wrestling (WCW). Well, it now appears that WWE may be knocking out another competitor (although not nearly as fierce of a rival as WCW was) as rumors are swirling that the biggest wrestling company in the world may be back in the running to buy TNA Impact Wrestling.

Debuting in 2002 as what many had hoped to essentially be the replacement for WCW as the main competitor to WWE, TNA has been the home of many former and current WWE superstars, including Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan, Sting, current RAW General Manager Mick Foley, Kurt Angle, Matt and Jeff Hardy, Samoa Joe and current WWE World Champion, AJ Styles. However, the past few years haven’t been kind to TNA as financial trouble and the constant changing of networks (the show currently airs on POP) have hurt the product immensely and it’s been widely reported that that Impact Ventures, who produces TNA and Impact Wrestling pay-per-view events, has been looking for a buyer for quite some time.

Billy Corgan, frontman for The Smashing Pumpkins, who joined TNA last year as the senior producer of creative and talent development, was thought to be the front-runner to become the majority owner of the company, but on Tuesday’s edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer is reporting that there is no deal with Corgan in place and that WWE, who had been rumored a few weeks ago to be in consideration, is back in play as time is running out to get a deal done if the company wants to continue putting out shows, including this weekend’s Bound For Glory, which is basically TNA’s version of WrestleMania.

"“So we still don’t have a deal, and it’s like, time is running out. There’s no money to fund this coming week’s television and pay-per-view. WWE is back in the picture, which is a real interesting thing, because with WWE in the picture, it could be over.”"

Sinclair Broadcasting, who owns Ring of Honor (ROH), has also been mentioned as potential buyers, but usually what Vince McMahon wants, Vince McMahon gets. And with seemingly no funding in place for upcoming shows, what would happen to TNA if WWE gets its hands on it? Well, the simple answer is that Vince would take the video library, which is likely what Vince really wants what with all of the footage of Styles, Angle, Sting, Hardys, etc., keep the wrestlers that might be of use to him and then just end the company in the exact same manner in which he did to WCW.

Next: 50 Best Professional Wrestlers Of All-Time

A deal would likely need to be reached by Friday at the absolute latest if TNA wants to avoid further embarrassment and cancelling their biggest show of the year. But if Vince and WWE get their way, TNA might just be gone altogether anyway.

What do you think? Would you like to see WWE buy TNA? Just imagine a feud between broken Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt, am I right?