TNA never seriously expected LeBron James to show up in Philadelphia. The company’s public invitation to the new 76ers star was simply a PR stunt designed to get attention around its July 30 iMPACT! taping.
TNA invited James to appear at the Liacouras Center and hold the World Championship before Jeff Hardy faced Nic Nemeth. The company tied the pitch to Philadelphia’s sudden championship hopes after landing one of the biggest names in basketball.
“As the Philadelphia 76ers now seriously talk titles, TNA Wrestling has a major World Championship match Thursday in Philadelphia—and TNA is officially inviting the new 76ers superstar, LeBron James, to be the official title holder for the Nic Nemeth vs. Jeff Hardy World Championship match at the Liacouras Center.”
“See you ringside, LeBron!”
James never appeared, but that was apparently never the real expectation. Fightful Select revealed that the invitation was created as a publicity move and nobody involved genuinely believed he would attend the taping.
“If anyone was asking, nobody actually expected LeBron James to show up at the tapings, and it was done as a press stunt.”
The invitation still gave TNA a way to connect its Philadelphia show to the city’s biggest sports story. It also put Jeff Hardy and Nic Nemeth’s title match into a wider conversation, even without James showing up. TNA got the attention it wanted, but the LeBron invitation was never about securing a real appearance. It was a straight PR play from the start.
Do you think TNA’s LeBron James stunt was smart promotion, or did it go too far? Leave your feedback in the comments.
