was much better: Konnan went 6-0 teamed with Nathan Jones (exclusively against the team of Lenny Lane and Lodi, better-known formerly as The West Hollywood Blondes in WCW) between November 27 – December 11, 2001. After a no-contest match against Sandman on January 12, 2002, at XPW New Year's Revolution 2, Konnan then went to World Wrestling Council, where he won the World Wrestling Council World Tag Team Championship with Carly Colón, defeating Thunder and Lightning on May 26, 2002. Konnan appeared on the inaugural Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) pay-per-view on June 19, 2002, in the Von Braun Center in Huntsville, Alabama. He entered the Gauntlet for the Gold match for the vacant NWA World Heavyweight Championship, but he was chokeslammed and subsequently eliminated by Malice. He then went to Maximum Xtreme Pro Wrestling, where he lost another heavyweight title match; this time against Simon Diamond for the MXPW Heavyweight Title on August 12, 2002. He lost yet another title match upon returning to World Wrestling Council, losing by disqualification to Carly Colón in a match for the Universal Heavyweight title at WWC 29th Aniversario on September 14, 2002. Konnan finally won the title by defeating Colón on November 2, 2002, only to lose the title back to Colón 21 days later. Returning to World Wrestling All-Stars in November and December 2002, Konnan defeated Norman Smiley twice in singles matches on November 28 and 29, 2002, and won in three minutes against Nate Webb on December 6, 2002, at WWA The Retribution in Glasgow. Subsequent to that, Konnan tag-teamed with Smiley against Disco Inferno and Malice for three matches between December 8–13, 2002, and won all three. Konnan made two final appearances for World Wrestling All-Stars in May 2003, before the promotion folded. He also wrestled a tag match teamed with Norman Smiley for MXPW in September 2003. These would be his last extended stints in the independent circuit for nearly a decade. Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2003–2007) Authentic Luchadores and 3 Live Kru (2003–2005) Konnan returned to TNA on February 12, 2003, and formed a short-lived villainous alliance, the Authentic Luchadores, with fellow Hispanic wrestlers Juventud Guerrera, Super Crazy and The S.A.T.(Spanish Announce Team). The stable feuded with Jerry Lynn until April 2, 2003, when Lynn claimed that he had been heavily influenced by lucha libre and that he respected his Mexican opponents, thus earning the friendship of