Category: TNA

  • Heat On Jeff Jarrett Over Botched iMPACT Segment

    Last night on TNA Impact, Jeff Jarrett returned to the Impact Zone to address the crowd. He gave a gracious, if not somewhat self-congratulatory, celebration interview for the progress of TNA and his role in it.

    Hulk Hogan fired back that Jarrett was talking too much about himself and he didn’t want to him reference “I, I, I” again. Hogan came across as having an attitude and perhaps raining on Jarrett’s hard-earned parade. It wasn’t supposed to come across that way.

    Jarrett was supposed to come across as self-absorbed and borderline delusional, but some of the ideas to get him there were edited out by various factions behind the scenes in recent days. Some insider references were removed and Jarrett himself may not have wanted some things that would have stung too much to be talked about, such as pushing himself at the expense of others.

    Because Jarrett came up short on some of the items he was supposed to say, he essentially didn’t set the pin up properly for Hogan to knock down. So Hogan came across more heelish than intended.

    There was recognition behind the scenes that the Hogan-Jarrett did not come across as the creative team originally envisioned and intended, with the heat being put on Jeff Jarrett.

  • JR Blog: Hardy & Flair In TNA, Bret’s Return, Angle-Styles

    WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross
    WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross

    Jim Ross is back with another blog at JRsBarBQ.com with thoughts on last night’s RAW and iMPACT. Here are some highlights:

    Bret Hart & HBK: “The dialog between HBK and the Hitman sounded so natural that I thought I was eavesdropping on two old rivals’ conversation. They were simply being themselves. Their handshake made the night complete for me but remember that I lived through the debacle of ’97 and was just a little immersed in it and spent many, many hours “talking wrestlers off the ledge” so to speak for hours after the controversial incident.”

    Bret Hart & Vince McMahon: “The McMahon-Bret confrontation was well done especially planting the seed early and keeping me hooked until the end of the show for the payoff plus adding some spice to the dish in between. The Mr. McMahon persona is so easy to dislike and the Chairman got the last word and the final act of physicality in the exchange with his longstanding adversary and left me wanting to see more and wondering how Bret will respond next Monday night? Or will he? This issue has new, fresh legs.”

    Jeff Hardy in TNA: “It surprised me to see Jeff Hardy on Spike TV Monday night which I am sure will get some fans talking and critics/pundits asking a great deal of questions. I’m a Jeff Hardy fan and I wish him well. Jeff had a great tenure in WWE and considering that I signed him and his brother Matt to their first WWE contracts I will always consider the Hardy brothers as being special. As Hall of Fame Coach Barry Switzer once told me, “Once you recruit a player you recruit them for life.”

    Ric Flair in TNA: “Knowing how much Ric Flair still enjoys wrestling I was not shocked to see Ric on another channel Monday night. The WWE gave Ric the greatest send-off/retirement presentation that I have ever witnessed but nonetheless “Naitch” has wrestling running through his veins and he’s going lace ’em up until he simply can’t do it any longer. Ric Flair has been my friend for about 30 years and I wish him well in what ever he does in his career.”

    AJ Styles vs. Kurt Angle: “Former WWE Champion Kurt Angle, another one of the guys that I signed to their first WWE contract, and A.J. Styles had a truly excellent wrestling match that I got glimpses of Monday night.”

  • January 4th MONDAY NIGHT WAR Feedback

    January 4th proved to be an eventful night. TNA Wrestling had a good showing on its first live Monday night show, with Hulk Hogan, Jeff Hardy, Ric Flair, Eric Bischoff, Mick Foley, Jeff Jarrett and many other familar faces laying the groundwork for the “new” TNA. On RAW, we had the surreal return of Bret Hart – who made peace with Shawn Michaels and Vince McMahon, only to have the WWE chairman leave him laying after a nasty kick to the stomach.

    We want to know – What did YOU think of RAW and iMPACT!  Which show was better?

    Leave a comment below. If you haven’t signed up for an account already, REGISTER HERE.

  • Ric Flair Appears On TNA iMPACT!

    Nature Boy Ric Flair was shown arriving backstage at TNA iMAPCT!

    Flair got out of a limo and was greeted by several TNA employees.

    We’ll see what Flair’s role will be tonight as the show continues.

  • Jeff Hardy Returns To TNA On Monday iMPACT!

    Former WWE World champion Jeff Hardy returned to TNA tonight during the live Impact special.

    After the Steel Cage Assylum match finished in a no-contest, Hardy’s theme music hit and he emerged from the crowd.

    As Jeff Hardy made his way to the ring, Homicide attacked him. They brawled briefly before Hardy drilled him in the head with a nasty chairshot. Hardy then climbed to the top of the Asylum and sat perched atop of it as TNA went to commercial.

  • Several Former WWE Stars Backstage In Orlando For iMPACT!

    Monday Night iMPACT!
    Monday Night iMPACT!

    TNA’s Jeremy Borash is teasing another major name for iMPACT! Borash wrote on Twitter this morning:

    “Have to bite my tweet lip. Can’t believe who just walked into the hotel lobby. Guessing he isn’t in Orlando to visit Epcot.”

    Additionally, we can confirm the following stars are backstage at tonight’s iMPACT for the three-hour show:

    • Scott Hall
    • Sean Waltman
    • Orlando Jordan
    • Val Venis
    • The Nasty Boys

    Eric Bischoff, Hulk Hogan and Jason Hervey are also already at the building for tonight’s show.

    No word yet if Venis, Jordan and The Nasty Boys will be appearing on TV tonight but Waltman and Hall will.

  • Hulk Hogan Appearing as “Hollywood Hogan” Tonight?

    Monday Night iMPACT!
    Monday Night iMPACT!

    Hulk Hogan may be showing up on iMPACT! tonight as his former “Hollywood Hogan” nWo character.

    New TNA backstage announcer and radio personality Bubba the Love Sponge posted a picture of Hulk Hogan working out on Sunday and Hogan is sporting a black beard with his blonde mustache – the look he had back in WCW at its peak.

    To see the picture of Hollywood Hogan, click here.

    With Scott Hall and Sean Waltman rumored to appear at iMPACT! and Kevin Nash already appearing, will we see an nWo reunion tonight?

  • Nick & Brooke At iMPACT!, New TNA Logo, Bischoff’s Role

    – Hulk Hogan’s children Brooke and Nick will be at tonight’s 3-hour live TNA iMPACT! show.

    – Eric Bischoff and Jason Hervey are already backstage at the Impact Zone and will be heavily involved in the production of tonight’s show.

    – TNA has debuted a new logo on their website at TNAwrestling.com. It’s very similar to the older logo, except it has a simpler, cleaner look. Expect to see the new logo appear tonight on iMPACT!

    – Recently signed TNA tag team The Young Bucks are booked for this week’s iMPACT! tapings. There was talk of having them face the Motor City Machineguns this week.

    (Credit to PWInsider.com for some of the information used in this report)

  • RVD Comments On Rumors He’ll Be At iMPACT! Tonight

    Monday Night iMPACT!
    Monday Night iMPACT!

    Former WWE superstar and free agent Rob Van Dam posted on Twitter that he had “big wrestling plans” for January 4, with a link to his website, RobVanDam.com.

    In a new blog posted on Sunday, Van Dam addressed the rumors that he will appear at TNA iMPACT! He wrote:

    The wrestling business is exciting for the first time in quite awhile. This Monday kicks off the new ratings war between WWE and TNA-like I have to tell you! I admit, I am interested in the hype. In fact, I feel like I’m involved with this new era just because of the ginormous rumors involving me and a return. I’m going to say this-even though I know it won’t do much good-don’t be mad at me that you tuned in to see your favorite wrestler and I wasn’t there. I’m going to be watching with you.

    What do you  think – is RVD really staying home or could this be a swerve to keep it unexpected? Comment below.

  • Details On The Big Names Coming To TNA Soon

    Regarding new faces coming into TNA, it’s said that the company has 6-7 confirmed names that will be coming in soon, if not tonight on iMPACT then in the next few weeks.

    * Rumored names like Ric Flair, Rob Van Dam, Paul Heyman and Sid are not expected to be there tonight. Heyman may not happen at all and Van Dam’s reported signing has not been confirmed. Sid is expected to come in soon but was recently injured overseas.

    * It is confirmed that Angelina Love has re-signed with TNA and with the company requesting the entire roster tonight, she is expected to be there also.

    * Scott Hall and Sean “X-Pac” Waltman are said to be pretty much a lock for tonight’s live show. Hall was telling people at the Hulk Hogan debut party yesterday that Waltman would be with him on iMPACT. Hall also was overheard saying they were trying to get Kevin Nash to dye his hair dark again.

    * Ken Anderson, formerly Mr. Kennedy in WWE, is said to be the most likely name to appear tonight.

    TNA has reportedly asked the entire roster to be in attendance tonight, including Sting.

  • Hulk Hogan Responds To CM Punk Trash Talking Him

    Hulk Hogan has responded to negative comments made about him by WWE superstar CM Punk about him this morning on the BJ Shea Morning Experience show in Seattle. You can listen to an MP3 of the interview at this link.

    Hogan listened to the comments and said, “Well, you know, it’s kind of like the law of attraction. He’s probably going to attract more of that negative stuff to his career because, you know, if you’re functioning on that level, that’s probably what you are going to attract, but at the end of the day, you know, I was selling out Madison Square Garden when that kid was pooping in his diapers, so you know, you’re going to see what I’m all about. I’m not there to wrestle. I don’t have a contract to wrestle. I’m there to run this company. Make it better, like I said, give the talent a choice. All the talents that are locked in there…I’m sure Vince McMahon is giving CM Punk the big push but paying him crumbs, because I know how that goes, because I’m giving the fans a choice, and the talent a choice and I’m going to prove to this negative guy that he’s wrong.”

    When asked about Punk making a personal attack on him, Hogan said, “That’s cool. I understand he’s surrounded by negative stuff up there and I can see why he’s jaded in his opinion. One of the things that I learned a long time ago is that you can’t judge anyone. You can’t judge a book by it’s cover. Some of the craziest looking, weirdest people seem to be the nicest people and the most honest people in the world. I would never judge anyone before I meet them. Some day down the road, CM Punk and I are probably going to work together and I would never judge him under any preconceived notions. I would judge him on the type of person he was when I met him. It’s all good, brother. I am vibing so high brother. I am going to reward those who are with me and those who aren’t my friends, I am going to win them over and make them my friends.”

    ** JEFF HARDY Says He’ll Be At TNA iMPACT! Tonight – Full Details

  • Sound Off 95: Welcome to TNA’s Monday Night Surprise Party!

    Solomonster Sounds Off

    DOWNLOAD THE PODCAST HERE:
    Solomonster Sounds Off (Episode 95)

    *right-click, “Save As”, or stream it!

    Est. Runtime: 1 hour, 14 minutes

    Some of the topics discussed in this edition of the Sound Off include:

    | Thoughts on the WWE vs. TNA “Monday Night Skirmish” with a final prediction on the rating for each

    | TNA is apparently throwing a little surprise party on Monday night, and why this is a bad move

    | Rumored lineup for WrestleMania 26 looks strong, but is it realistic? Who does WWE want to face John Cena?

    | “Dr. Death” Steve Williams passes away at age 49, and a rant on cancer

    | Sick of hearing about the Montreal Screwjob? Too bad because I’ll talk about that too…

    Want your question on the air? Send feedback to THESOLOMONSTER@gmail.com.

    Wanna subscribe to the Sound Off via iTunes? CLICK HERE!

    Visit The Solomonster on Twitter @ twitter.com/solomonster

  • Dixie Carter Talks About iMPACT! vs. RAW, Big Changes To TNA

    TNA President Dixie Carter
    TNA President Dixie Carter

    TNA president Dixie Carter spoke to the U.K. Sun to promote Monday night’s big RAW vs. iMPACT! battle. The following are highlights:

    Expectations For Monday’s TV Rating: “How I define success is just being there. Just the fact that we are there on Monday night is a huge success for us. It makes the exact statement that we want to make. This is a marathon not a sprint. The ratings, quite honestly, are irrelevant. Our success is being there and the quality of the show we put on. That’s how I’ll assess it as far as that specific night goes.”

    Hulk Hogan’s Role in TNA: “I think Terry (Hogan) has an amazing eye for talent and, with all those people your readers are mentioning, his goal is to make them household names. I can’t imagine a better person or brain to have behind the amazing talent that those young guys possess. So that’s actually one of the main reasons I brought him in. Again he’s not coming in worried about Hulk Hogan and making sure Hulk Hogan is getting over, that’s not his job. His job is to get TNA over.”

    Changes Coming to TNA: “He (Hogan) is involved with everything from looking at new talent to how we are shooting the show. The two of us, over the past several months, have literally ripped apart every single aspect of the company. I wanted a fresh set of eyes on it, and what better eyes than the greatest wrestler in the history of this business. We’re looking at what we can do better, what we can do differently and what we can try.”

    Competing against WWE: “They may say that they don’t consider us competition or don’t pay attention to us, but we deal with them playing those tricks with us all the time. Nothing is going to change in our game plan. We’re going to continue to do what we do best and that’s grow TNA one fan at a time. We’re not taking on Vince McMahon. We’re trying to give the wrestling fans what they want — and that is to make wrestling better as a whole.”

    Bringing in New Talent: “There’s nobody we won’t go after. But they have to be right to come to the company. They have to be in it for the right reasons. They’ve got to fit in with what we’re doing. If that’s The Rock then fantastic. If it’s RVD then fantastic. It doesn’t matter. If somebody makes sense and has that work ethic and wants to embrace being a wrestler on a wrestling show and trying to do something different then we would love to have them. And, I promise you, we have many more exciting surprises to come.

  • Hall, Bischoff, Russo Attend Hogan TNA Party (Live Report)

    Gary Cantrel of The Shoot radio show sent out the following recap of Hulk Hogan’s party at Margaritaville in Orlando.

    Visit BlogTalkRadio.com/TheShoot to listen to Gary’s show.

    The event did start promptly at five. There was quite a line to go into the Jimmy Buffet Margaritaville resturant. The event was being held on the 2nd floor which filled up real quick. They were letting only a number of people up at a time. I just happened to be at the front of the line at one point when they filled up so I was outside for quite a while. There were two camera crews filming the entire event. The Spike TV/TNA crew and the Bubba the Love Sponge radio show crew who film material for his website and DVDs.

    Several people showed up and greeted fans waiting outside. First up was Eric Bischoff, who had his own personal camera man. It wasn’t a large camera so it could be footage for his own personal website
    . He was definitely very polite to everyone while in front of the camera. He went through pretty much the whole line and took photos with people.

    Next up was Scott Hall, who came over with someone, was probably a manager or friend or something. He too was taking pictures with the fans outside.

    Vince Russo also checked out the line. He seemed very polite and talked with some of the fans.

    The Spike TV/TNA crew came back to the front this time with Bubba the Love Sponge. He is doing the interviews. They first filmed Hogan coming outside with Bischoff and Scott Hall. Bubba did several interviews with fans.

    Later on after we got inside of the building, they had a ton more lights and Jeremy Borash was inside with cameras pumping the crowd up. They did several shots with fans chanting various things such as “TNA” and “Hogan.” They had Bubba interviewing more fans. After they recorded the footage and some additional B-Roll they thanked the fans for coming ou

  • JBL Talks About TNA Challenging WWE On Monday Nights

    Former WWE star JBL offered his thoughts on the WWE-TNA Monday Night War in his latest Facebook blog:

    Layfield, who left WWE back in April 2009, sounds excited about the idea of TNA giving WWE a run for their money.

    “I am loving the Monday Night Wars being back, or at least a one night skirmish on January 4th between WWE and TNA,” said Layfield.

    “Greatest trade in history was Vince Russo to WCW, it drove WCW into bankruptcy and WWE to buying their competitor and establishing world dominance. We, at the time, were starting to think that Vince McMahon was sending Russo to destroy the competition it was so bad…

    “TNA has the underdog and new guy going its way, it also has Eric Bischoff, who I greatly respect. I think Eric on his round two with Vince will be prepared. Along with Hulk (Hogan) who wants to badly compete with Vince as well.

    “Main thing here is international TV rights, which both covet and make money off of. With Hulk and Eric in the mix, TNA will get clearance in many good markets to add to their international profile. Also, with Dixie Carter, who is a good friend and someone I respect-you won’t have the WCW oversized corporation.”

  • SpikeTV Exec Reveals His Expectations For Monday iMPACT!

    Monday Night iMPACT!
    Monday Night iMPACT!

    Brian Diamond, Spike TV’s Senior VP of Sports/Specials, was interviewed by Alex Marvez of ScrippsNews.com this week about his expectations for the Monday night battle between TNA and WWE.

    Diamond has high hopes for TNA, but knows there’s a long road ahead before TNA is a legit threat to WWE.

    “I don’t think we’re necessarily going to win that night (ratings-wise), but I do feel we’re best equipped going into battle with the product as it is right now,” Diamond said. “We’re all feeling very excited and confident about taking a shot and throwing our hat in the ring.”

    Diamond reveals that Spike TV has some input with TNA’s creative product and admits that change is needed.

    “Part of the discussion we have with TNA is what do we need to do to raise the bar and make things better,” he said. “Stronger talent and story lines are the key.”

    No matter how TNA does on Monday night, it will be a learning experience and will be a big win for wrestling fans who are hungry for the next wrestling “boom.”

    “We want to take a real close look at what worked [on Monday night] and what didn’t. The good news is we’re taking this plunge. It could open the door for a lot more opportunities for TNA on Spike. Competition is always good for the viewer,” Diamond said. “There are 10 million wrestling fans out there waiting for this moment.”

  • TNA Holding Online Press Conference After Monday’s iMPACT!

    Monday Night iMPACT!
    Monday Night iMPACT!

    TNA Wrestling has announced it will hold an online press conference on January 4 immediately following Monday’s live 3-hour iMPACT! special.

    A TNA press release states:

    “This isn’t a typical press conference because TNA will be answering questions from both fans and wrestling media. Get your questions ready and hop on twitter or send them via email!”

    Questions can be sent to tna@mycontent.com.

    The company held a similar online press conference after October’s Bound For Glory PPV.

    TNA management and wrestlers will be on hand to discuss the 3-hour iMPACT! broadcast, namely Hulk Hogan’s official TNA debut.

  • JANUARY 4th PREVIEW: RAW & iMPACT! Head-To-Head

    Next Monday night, TNA Wrestling will go head-to-head with WWE RAW for the first time with a 3-hour live edition of iMPACT! Both shows are bringing out the big guns, with iMPACT! headlined by the TNA debut of Hulk Hogan and RAW featuring the long-awaited never-thought-you’d-see-it WWE return of Bret “Hit Man” Hart.

    Monday night will give wrestling fans a taste of the excitement we haven’t seen in almost a decade – two competing wrestling shows going head-to-head on a Monday night and the feeling that you’ve gotta keep an eye on both shows so you don’t miss a blockbuster event. It might turn out to be a 1-night event and a throwback to better time, like those first two ECW PPVs. It could also be the first battle in a long, bloody war. Either way, it is shaping up to be an exciting night of wrestling for wrestling fans past and present. Here’s a full rundown of what to expect next Monday night:

    WWE RAW with Guest Host Bret Hart

    WWE Hall of Famer Bret "The Hitman" Hart
    WWE Hall of Famer Bret "The Hitman" Hart

    The big story of Monday night is undoubtedly Bret Hart’s confirmed appearance as guest host. The Hit Man hasn’t been a part of WWE storylines since 1997 and Bret entering that ring one more time will be an unforgettable moment for longtime fans who never thought this disaster of a situation would ever get proper closure. Bret will be on WWE television until after WrestleMania and he’s rumored to be working with Vince McMahon, DX and the Hart Dynasty. There has been talk of Bret’s return angle culminating with some sort of match at WrestleMania.

    Also confirmed for RAW:

    – Triple H & Shawn Michaels vs. Big Show and Chris Jericho:  This match will be for DX’s Undisputed Tag team titles. If Big Show and Chris Jericho lose, Jericho must leave the RAW brand for good.

    – Randy Orton vs. Kofi Kingston

    Also, it’s worth noting that John Cena will not on the show. Cena will be at the college football Fiesta Bowl game next Monday night in Arizona. The Bowl game starts at 8:00 p.m. EST, so he’d be unable to make it to RAW in Dayton, Ohio in time.

    While this is all that we know at this point, expct WWE to cut the midget comedy crap for at least a week and start 2010 will a memorable show.

    LIVE! 3-Hour Monday iMPACT!

    Monday Night iMPACT!
    Monday Night iMPACT!

    The show will feature the TNA debut of Hulk Hogan and is being designed as a launching point for a new era in TNA history. Major changes are expected on television and behind the scenes, with Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff’s team assuming “total control” of the company’s direction. Here are some things we can expect next Monday night:

    * Hulk Hogan’s Debut: Hogan has made it clear that he’s coming to TNA to play the “Vince McMahon role,” calling the shots and putting the company in a new path that will ultimately lead to a war with WWE.

    * iMPACT! Zone Changes: TNA iMAPCT! will have a new look next Monday night. TNA has been working on several big upgrades to the iMPACT! Zone set. Also, the 6-sided ring won’t be around much longer and will be replaced with a traditional 4-sided ring as soon as next week.

    * New & Familiar Faces: Former nWo members Scott Hall and Sean Waltman are TNA bound and there’s a strong chance we’ll see at least Hall next Monday night. TNA recently signed the Young Bucks tag team and they are expected to appear next week. Additionally, there are several big name free agents that could also be at next week’s show – including Rob Van Dam, Ken Anderson and Ric Flair. Names like Jeff Hardy and Bill Goldberg are currently free agents but should be considered long shots at best. Eric Bischoff and Paul Heyman are also available to appear as on-air talent, with many TNA employees and fans hoping that Paul Heyman is brought in as head booker.

    * Other Changes: Bischoff’s team has already been working behind the scenes on a number of new projects for TNA. His experience as the president of WCW during its peak run and knowledge of running the top wrestling promotion in the world will make him an invaluable asset to TNA during this time of transition and growth. Whether it’s television and merchandising deals or global expansion, Bischoff can spot the holes in TNA’s game and knows how to fill in the gaps.

    Hulk Hogan has been very outspoken about today’s wrestling being over-scripted and wants to bring back part of what made wrestling of previous generations so good – which was focusing on in-ring action and letting the wrestlers speak for themselves.

    From what we’ve heard, there are several major surprises being worked on that would send serious shockwaves throughout the entire wrestling industry. There is talk among some TNA wrestlers that a “top secret” bombshell will be dropped next Monday night.

    A new era in TNA is upon us .. We’ll see next Monday night how many of the new elements are put into effect immediately and which are rolled out in the coming weeks. With TNA kicking it into high gear and Bret Hart returning to WWE next week, the early months of 2010 are shaping up to have a ton of potential for wrestling fans everywhere.

  • Hogan Celebration In Orlando On 1/3 & Lots More News

    Monday Night iMPACT!
    Monday Night iMPACT!

    – TNA Wrestling will be holding a part at Universal Citywalk in Orlando on January 3rd to celebrate Hulk Hogan’s iMPACT! debut the following night. Hogan and many other TNA stars will be there. The event will be filmed by TNA and parts will air on the three-hour iMPACT special the next night. Radio personality and longtime Hogan ally Bubba the Love Sponge is apparently having a big role with the event that they’re billing as a “Pre-Hulkamania Invades TNA” party. It begins at 5PM and admission is free. This event is expected to be similar to the Hulkamania Parade thrown by WCW back in 1994 when Hogan joined that company.

    – Hulk Hogan came in at #85 on a “2009’s Most Annoying People” list in the UK. Hogan was listed for the OJ Simpson comments he made about his ex-wife earlier this year.

    – TNA will be releasing a Best of 2009 DVD on February 16th, 2010.

    – As previously reported , top independent tag team The Young Bucks have signed with TNA Wrestling. There is talk of them debuting on the January 4th live iMPACT.

    — Alissa Flash noted on her Twitter account that last week, she accidentally stepped on some shattered Christmas ornaments destroyed by her cat in the middle of the night. This could explain why she did not appear at last Monday’s all-Knockout television taping.

    — The TNA website has posted all-new holiday photos of Sarita, Velvet Sky, ODB, Tara, Daffney, Taylor Wilde, Lacey Von Erich and the infrequently seen SoCal Val. You can see the images at the following link.

  • TNA Wrestling Signs “The Young Bucks” Tag Team (VIDEO)

    TNA president Dixie Carter posted the following message on Twitter announcing the signing of a promising young tag team:

    “Proud to report TNA has signed the Young Bucks. Thanks to all of you for the input on them. They show great potential.”

    Visit PWTweets.com to follow Pro Wrestlers & Divas on Twitter!

    Southern California’s Young Bucks – comprised of Slick Nick and Instant Replay Matt Jackson – have wrestled across the United States and Japan. They recently wrestled what was described as a great TNA iMPACT! dark match against the Motor City Machine Guns and have a ton of potential. Check out this ‘best of’ music video of TNA’s newest tag team – the Young Bucks:

  • Jeff Jarrett Talks About TNA Competing With WWE

    TNA Founder Jeff Jarrett
    TNA Founder Jeff Jarrett

    A local newspaper in Johnstown, Pennsylvania recently conducted an interview with Jeff Jarrett to promote TNA’s live event in the city on January 14th.  Jarrett spoke at length about how TNA Wrestling can compete with World Wrestling Entertainment.  “They [WWE] are sports entertainment; we are professional wrestling,” Jarret said. “Our in-ring product takes priority over other facets of the business.” “The product that has drawn millions and millions of fans over the years, going back to the ’60s, is professional wrestling … (TNA) is fresh and modern, but it is in the essence of what has always been done.”

    Jarrett knows what it takes to build a successful wrestling promotion and thinks TNA goes an extra step to make sure their fans are satisfied. “We recognize the fact that we’ve got to earn our fans one at a time,” Jarrett said. “I have been a part of wrestling my entire life, but I’ve never seen this kind of excitement generated by the backstage access, the autograph sessions, and the opportunities to get up close and personal with the TNA stars at the merchandise table.”

    With TNA firing their “first shot” at WWE on January 4th with their first live 3-hour Monday night edition of TNA iMPACT!, Jarrett explains what’s ahead on TNA’s path to truly competing with WWE. “Things are getting bigger and better. With the addition of Hulk Hogan, skies are very blue for TNA. Are we going to come right out of the gate and beat them? Are we claiming that? Absolutely not,” he said. “But we’re in the game, and competition is good. We are very optimistic that by the end of 2010, it’ll be a different game.”

    Visit OurTownOnline.biz to read the entire piece.

  • Ric Flair TNA Update, Reaction To Scott Hall Coming In & More

    – The latest on Ric Flair is that he has not signed with TNA as of this week. Flair was out of the country on vacation last weekend but word is that TNA is putting pressure on him that if he doesn’t sign and appear on the January 4th show then the offer may be pulled. The issue most likely is Flair not wanting to go with WWE’s competition. However, money plays a factor as the last time WWE made him an offer it wasn’t even close to what TNA is offering. It’s believed that WWE’s last offer to Flair was somewhere around $250,000 per year. Flair hasn’t spoken with WWE about any kind of offer recently. As noted before, Flair wants to sign with Panda Energy in case TNA goes under, he still gets paid. Flair feels that since Hulk Hogan signed a deal under the same circumstances with Panda, he should get the same treatment.

    – Reaction within TNA to the news of Scott Hall returning has been negative because of Hall’s track record with the company. Some are also worried about what kind of negative impact Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff can have on TNA with making bad decisions.

    – While TNA is still turning people away from the iMPACT Zone for pay-per-views, they are having problems with attendance at TV tapings. They have been having to get people to move closer together and only film that direction because of attendance lately. They are trying to get more fans to come out for the January 4th live show and the feeling is attendance is more of a problem this time around because of the slow season at Universal Studios. Attendance at the theme park is down this time of year and people in the park who aren’t wrestling fans usually make up a good part of the crowd. There is hope that with Hogan and possibly Flair wrestling in the iMPACT Zone in 2010, attendance among park-goers who aren’t wrestling fans will increase.

    (Credit to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter for some of the information used in this report)

  • WWE & TNA Employees Meet Up In Orlando Sunday Night

    Wrestlers and employees from both World Wrestling Entertainment and TNA Wrestling met up on Sunday night in Orlando, Florida – where WWE was taping this week’s ECW, Superstars and SmackDown and TNA held its Final Resolution pay-per-view.

    TNA president Dixie Carter visited with WWE wrestlers a bar in Orlando, according to prowrestling.net Carter hosted a Christmas party next door at the hotel where the majority of the TNA crew stays. Several WWE superstars were said to be leery of going over to the TNA party because they feared heat from WWE management. However, some of the TNA crew went over to the bar to meet with the WWE wrestlers, and Dixie Carter eventually followed. It was described as a social visit with Carter meeting some of the WWE crew members for the first time.

    TNA star Samoa Joe wrote the following on his Twitter page: “Just found out there are old associates in town. Tonight the Illuminati meets… Illuminati meeting became Illuminati sleepover and is now Illuminati pancake breakfast. Secret societies seem so much cooler in the movies.”

  • SpikeTV Exec Talks Moving iMPACT! To Mondays

    Monday Night iMPACT!
    Monday Night iMPACT!

    Spike TV president Kevin Kay told Multichannel News that he expects TNA’s offering on January 4th will “draw significant attention from avid wrestling fans and its core young male audience.” Kay wouldn’t predict a rating for TNA on the 4th but did say he thinks TNA can hold it’s own against WWE’s Monday Night RAW.

    Kay also revealed that TNA is looking to air quarterly TNA specials on Monday nights. If the show can draw good numbers, Spike is considering permanently putting TNA on Monday nights head-to-head with WWE and RAW.

    Kay added, “If it’s successful, I’m not opposed to moving it to Monday nights. This is the time for this … TNA has a lot of momentum with Hulk Hogan and we have the ability to market and promote it.”

  • TNA Cancels Australian Tour: Find Out Why

    TNA Wrestling has postponed it’s scheduled tour of Australia in February, according to the Acer Arena website. The tour was scheduled to begin on Febrary 26, but had been put on hold due to “changes in the U.S. TV production schedule.”

    The full statement reads:

    With great disappointment Chugg Entertainment announced today that the highly anticipated TNA Maximum Impact! Tour, originally scheduled for Friday 26 February 2010, would be postponed until later in the year. The TNA Team stated that changes in the US TV production schedule, have made it necessary to postpone the TNA live tour debut in Australia this February. TNA apologizes to Australian wrestling fans and hopes to reschedule the dates as soon as possible.

    TNA is testing the waters with a live Monday night edition of iMPACT! on January 4th .. While this cancellation could be a cover for slow ticket sales, its something to keep an eye on.