Professional wrestling, whether you like it or not, is a growing sport. With the WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) dominating in popularity, there has been a need for an alternative professional wrestling source of entertainment.

In May of 2002, Jeff Jarrett and his father Jerry began a new professional wrestling promotion out of Nashville to fill that void. They called their promotion Total Nonstop Action (TNA).

Recently, TNA created a program called TNA U. TNA U is geared toward college TNA fans who have a passion for the sport and want to promote it on their campus. TNA U will provide a place to watch wrestling, meet new people and create a network of fans.

Senior music education major Brandon Tolle is starting his own chapter of TNA U here at Northern Kentucky University. He is a wrestler as well as a referee throughout the mid-west independent wrestling scene, who also has a TNA passion.

Tolle said that although TNA may never be as big as the WWE, he still hopes, with the addition of TNA U at NKU, it will draw more interest on campus.

“It’s hard to compete on the level of WWE,” Tolle said. “But TNA is an alternative for wrestling fans that are tired of the same kind of boring wrestling show each week.”

To TNA fans’ dismay, WWE has a clause in their contract that no other professional wrestling association can use the U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati. Tolle hopes that in the future NKU could help TNA out with that problem, “We could possibly host a TNA event at our own Bank of Kentucky Arena when it’s finished, that would be huge.”

There will be a TNA U gathering Dec. 2 at Tolle’s personal residence, for the TNA’s Pay Per View show “Turning Point.” If you’re a professional wrestling fan or just want to see what TNA is all about, you can contact Tolle by email at Tollebr@nku.edu for more details.