There is a lot of concern backstage in TNA about how the company is being run and whether they will be able to secure a new television deal with Spike TV, a factor widely viewed as essential to their survival. A recent visit by Janice Carter and an attorney from Panda Energy to TNA headquarters in Nashville caught everybody surprise, adding more fuel to the speculation that the circumstances are growing dire. Here’s an overview of the current issues:
– TNA’s current television contract with Spike TV expires in October and there have been no indications that a new deal will be made. The last time TNA had a TV deal with Spike expiring in October, the company had already re-signed by this time (late April). TNA is running 3 expensive shows in New York City’s Manhattan Center as a way to impressive Spike TV officials with the rabid New York Crowd, but many are questioning whether this is a good use of their limited resources.
– TNA President Dixie Carter is getting a lot of heat about the overall direction of the company. During a recent meeting in Nashville, TNA’s lack of presence in New Orleans during WrestleMania XXX weekend was a major topic she had to defend.
– Talent is upset with TNA’s creative team, with the general feeling being that there has been a breakdown in communication. Additionally, a lot of people feel that “Big” John Gaburick is in way over his head and does not have sufficient experience to be handling creative.
– As for Eric Young’s title win, very few people knew about the decision in advance. TNA denies that it was a rip off of Daniel Bryan winning the WWE World Heavyweight championship and that they simply wanted to surprise fans on the last live episode of Impact before taping several weeks of programming.
(Credit to PWInsider.com for some of the information used in this report)
