Aces & Eights

Aces & Eights is a professional wrestling stable in the professional wrestling promotion, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), consisting of a group of masked wrestlers. The Aces & 8s have the gimmick of an outlaw motorcycle club. The name of the stable is a reference to the List of poker hand known as the "dead man's hand".

2012
The stable debuted on the June 14, 2012 episode of Impact Wrestling, with three masked wrestlers attacking Sting as he discussed his induction to the TNA Hall of Fame. On July 5, 2012, an unnamed man delivered an envelope to TNA General Manager Hulk Hogan containing a photograph of aces and eights playing cards (known as the "dead man's hand") and a note reading "see you next week", saying "we're not cowards...we've got something for you Hogan, wait and see!"

The Aces & 8s returned (in greater numbers) to TNA on the July 12, 2012 episode of Impact Wrestling, attacking both Sting and Hogan, with Hogan billed as having sustained a pelvic fracture (providing a kayfabe explanation for his absence from television while recovering from surgery to alleviate back pain). Over the next several weeks, the stable continued to attack both faces and heels.

The Aces & 8s made its first appearance on pay-per-view at Hardcore Justice on August 12, 2012. The stable attacked D'Angelo Dinero backstage (providing a kayfabe explanation for his absence from television to recuperate from a shoulder injury). The Aces & 8s later interfered in a four-way tables match, attacking Jeff Hardy and the eventual winner, Bully Ray.

On the August 23, 2012 episode of Impact Wrestling, the Aces & 8s brawled with members of the TNA roster, injuring the right arm of TNA World Heavyweight Champion Austin Aries. One week later, the Aces & 8s attacked Aries again, knocking him unconscious with a foreign object. At No Surrender on September 9, 2012, the Aces & 8s again brawled with the TNA roster, injuring the shoulder of Jeff Hardy prior to his Bound for Glory series final against Bully Ray.

On the September 27, 2012 episode of Impact Wrestling, Hulk Hogan announced that two members of the TNA roster (eventually revealed to be Sting and Bully Ray) would face two members of the Aces & 8s at Bound for Glory. Should the TNA wrestlers win, Aces & 8s would leave TNA, but should Aces & 8s win, they would be granted unfettered access to the Impact Wrestling Zone.

On the December 6, 2012 episode of Impact Wrestling, Aces & 8s won their first championship after Devon defeated Samoa Joe for the TNA Television Championship, after a distract by some women, who later were revealed to be working with the group, and when DOC hit Joe in the back with a bulb hammer.

2013
The number of revealed members of the group doubled in the first episode of the new year, with Knox being unmasked and Anderson's affiliation being suspected by Angle when he noticed Ken standing around doing nothing while the Aces were attacking.

Midway into the month, Anderson felt more and more alienated by wrestlers like Angle, and officially joined the group, joining in with Taz (revealed as the spokesman) to break up the wedding of Brooke Hogan and Bully Ray.

The following week, Taz explained his actions and mentioned that the group served a Higher Power.

At the end of January, Angle's pupils Garett and Wes revealed their affiliation with the group, ambushing Angle after his defeat of Ken Anderson via submission in a steel cage match.

Members

 * Named members
 * Devon - (Sgt. at Arms)[5]  (Revealed on October 14 at Bound for Glory)
 * DOC - (Revealed on November 1, 2012; Patched in on November 15, 2012)[29] [30]
 * Mr. Anderson - (Offered spot by Devon January 3, 2013; Accepted and patched in January 17, 2013)
 * Knox - (Revealed on January 3, 2013; Patched in on January 31, 2013)
 * Taz - (Revealed on January 17, 2013)
 * Garett Bischoff - (Revealed on January 31, 2013)
 * Wes Brisco - (Revealed on January 31, 2013)
 * D'Lo Brown - (Vice President) (Revealed on March 7, 2013)
 * Bully Ray - (President) (Revealed on March 10, 2013 at Lockdown)
 * Entrance themes
 * "Deadman's Hand" by Dale Oliver (2012–present)