– Jeff Hardy’s brother, Matt Hardy, posted the following update on Jeff Hardy following his fall off of the top of the steel cage at the TNA Lockdown taping at the Manhattan Center in New York City earlier this weekend. He also noted in a separate tweet that he is scheduled to work TNA’s upcoming U.K. tour.

Appreciate your concerns for Jeff.. Last night he was legit hurt but we won't know how bad until he has some scans done. That's the update.

— MATT HARDY (@MATTHARDYBRAND) January 10, 2015

– Below is a TNA web-exclusive video of Jeremy Borash getting his head shaved after Ethan Carter III shaved part of it during this past Wednesday’s live premiere edition of Impact Wrestling on Destination America.

http://youtu.be/1GxfxIUt9OE

• SHOCKING NEWS: WWE Planning On Turning DANIEL BRYAN Into A GAY Character?! (No Lie) — READ HERE!

As noted earlier this weekend, TNA wrestler Jeff Hardy took what appeared to be a very scary fall off the top of a steel cage, where he crashed and burned, allegedly smashing his head on the ring steps below. As the story goes, Hardy was knocked out as a result of the fall, and remained unconscious backstage after the match.

According to a report by PWInsider.com, Hardy’s fall was not an accident and was actually planned out in advance as part of a storyline.

TNA is going to use the Hardy injury angle based off of that spot as a way of explaining why he will not be traveling to the upcoming TNA U.K. tour, as he is legally not allowed to travel to the country due to a 2009 drug conviction.

TNA is planning on making the announcement after the Lockdown show airs that Hardy is injured as a way to explain why he missed several weeks of Impact Wrestling, as those shows will be taped in the United Kingdom, where Hardy is not allowed.

For those who missed the scary fall Hardy took from the cage at the TNA Lockdown taping, you can watch multiple video angles of the incident here and here.

• PHOTOS: CM Punk & AJ Lee In Their Private Time, Hanging w/ Celebrities, Partying & MORE! [View Here >>]

As noted earlier today, TNA performer Jeff Hardy took a bad fall off the top of a steel cage at the TNA Lockdown taping at the Manhattan Center in New York City on Friday night that resulted in him being legitimately knocked out cold.

The fall occurred during a match that featured The Hardy Boyz vs. Abyss and James Storm, as towards the end of the match when Hardy was attempting to escape the steel cage, he got “crotched” on the top of the structure, which led to him falling all the way to the floor, where he smashed his head onto the ring steps.

According to multiple sources, it’s being said that Hardy remained unconscious backstage after the conclusion of the match.

Celebrity-gossip website TMZ has a fan-shot video of the incident, which goes along with a previous clip posted on the internet, which you can view by clicking here.

For the new clip from TMZ, check out the video above.

• BRAND NEW VIDEO: CM Punk AND His Head Trainer Reveal When CM Punk Plans To OFFICIALLY Make His UFC Fighting Debut

The following are spoiler results for the special “Lockdown” edition of TNA Impact Wrestling on Destination America, airing February 6th. Results are courtesy of Lordsofpain.net:

– JB announces Eric Young vs. Bobby Roode for tonight. Awesome Kong will also be in action.

– Rockstar Spud and Mark Andrews vs. Tyrus is up first. Ethan Carter III is at ringside. EC3 suckers Andrews out of the cage at one point and Andrews actually slipped getting out. It looked painful. EC3 hits Spud with the cage door, allowing Tyrus to hit his finisher for the win. EC3 goes to shave Spud’s head but Jeremy Borash makes the save by cutting the cord. EC3 charges JB but JB runs away.

– Havok vs. Awesome Kong is next. They tart brawling on the ramp and around the ring. They go back in the cage and Earl Hebner accidentally gets knocked down by the door as Kong closes it. Kong no sells a chokeslam and hits Havok with one of her own. Kong wins after a splash from the top.

– The Hardys vs. James Storm and Abyss for the Tag Team Titles is next. The only way to win is pinfall or submission. Manik comes down and climbs over the cage. Matt Hardy pulls him over and Manik gets handcuffed to the cage. Storm climbed on top of Abyss at one point and jumped down with an elbow drop on Matt. Hardy got out of the cage somehow later on and was attacked by The Revolution. Jeff Hardy went for a splash off the top but got hit by mist from Sanada. Storm hit his finisher to retain. Koya slams Matt through a table. They put Jeff on a table in the ring for Manik to put him through but Manik misses. Jeff tries to escape the cage but ends up taking a nasty bump off the door onto the steel stairs. Storm assaults Jeff some more before they leave. Storm runs back out and hits Jeff on the ramp as referees are helping him to the back.

– MVP, Kenny King and Eric Young are out next. MVP says it’s going to be a bad time for anyone getting in the way of The BDC. MVP calls Kurt Angle out and he brings Austin Aries and Gunner with him. MVP rips their team and say they don’t want the match. MVP tells Angle to walk away or never wrestle again. Angle says they came to NYC to kick ass and they rush the ring. There is no match as Gunner gets trapped outside of the cage and attacked by Samoa Joe and Low Ki. They put his arm in the cage door and slam it with a chair. Security comes out as The BDC retreats.

– Robbie E calls Brooke Tessmacher to the ring and blames her for losing The Amazing Race. He challenges her to a race and he accepts. The race involves them spinning around with a baseball bat, running to the cage, climbing into it, back over it and back up the ramp. The judges are Jessie Godderz and DJ Zema Ion, who get involved and try to stop Brooke from leaving the cage. Robbie ends up pushing Brooke off the ramp. He poses before crossing the finish line. Brooke comes back and hits him with a low blow. She then crotches him with the bat. Brooke crosses over the line and wins. She goes back and takes a selfie with Robbie. This was described as pure stupidity.

– Eric Young vs. Bobby Roode is next. EY ended up calling MVP to the cage, he slid a steel chair in. EY missed the chair shot and Roode sends him into the cage, causing EY to bleed. Roode unloads on EY and then hits him with chair shots. Roode wins clean with his finisher.

– Team Angle vs. The BDC in Lethal Lockdown is next. Team Angle is short a man as Lashley didn’t want to team. The match starts with Gunner vs. Kenny King. Low Ki comes in next and they double team Gunner with weapons. Austin Aries comes in next and unloads on the heels. Samoa Joe is next in. He takes out Aries and Gunner with trash can lids. Joe grabs a hockey stick and uses it on Aries. Kurt Angle is out next. Joe meets him with a hockey stick but Angle gets the upperhand. Low Ki hits a double stomp on Aries. MVP is out next. He beats on Aries and Gunner with a kendo stick. Angle hits a German on MVP. Joe hits Angle with a trash can lid. Lashley ends up coming out any way to make things even. MVP tries to attack him but Lashley wants to shake hands. MVP falls for it and Lashley cleans house. Angle had Joe in the Angle lock while Gunner had King in the rack but Aries won with a pin. Lashley unloads again and sends The BDC retreating. Aries grabs his briefcase and heads back in the ring to face off with Lashley. Angle gets in between and says not now. This ends the show.

TNA star Jeff Hardy got legitimately knocked out at Friday night’s TNA Impact “Lockdown” taping from the Manhattan Center in New York City.

The incident took place in a match that saw The Hardy Boyz vs. Abyss and James Storm. Late in the match, as Jeff was trying to escape the cage, he got “crotched” on top of the cage door, where he took a nasty bump to the outside onto the steel ring steps.

According to multiple live correspondents, fans that could overhear Jeremy Borash and crew members at ringside saying that was that Hardy was knocked out backstage after the match.

JB just came back out from the back and was mouthing to the stage manager that Jeff Hardy was legit knocked out from the fall. #TNANYC

— Jason Solomon ?? (@solomonster) January 10, 2015

I've seen @JEFFHARDYBRAND take some ridiculous bumps. 1st time ever I'm concerned for his health & this is coming from me.

— Tommy Dreamer (@THETOMMYDREAMER) January 10, 2015

Thanks for your concern, @JohnNevill11. Jeff's the toughest guy I know, but it's been a nerve-racking night. @THETOMMYDREAMER

— MATT HARDY (@MATTHARDYBRAND) January 10, 2015

Here’s video of the fall:

Crazy bump @jeffhardybrand @matthardybrand @IMPACTWRESTLING @jaycommons @IMPACTWRESTLING

A video posted by @billcommons on Jan 9, 2015 at 7:25pm PST

Former WWE Diva Maria Kanellis, along with her husband, longtime Ring Of Honor star Mike Bennett, are currently working with ROH without contracts, as their previous deals with the company have expired.

Both Kanellis and Bennett have been negotiating with ROH for the past few months, however they are still committed to work with ROH and the two are scheduled to work tours of Japan later this year.

As things stand now, there’s a feeling that both Kanellis and Bennett are talking with TNA, as well as the Lucha Underground promotion. Whether or not a deal has been reached, or is in the process of being figured out, remains to be seen..

• PHOTOS: CM Punk & AJ Lee At Dinner Together In Las Vegas Just A Few Days Ago, Hanging Out With Celebrities & MORE!

(Credit: F4WOnline.com)

Viewership data is in for Impact Wrestling’s premiere on Destination America and it looks like TNA is going to have an uphill battle head.

Wednesday’s 2-hour Impact Wrestling broadcast averaged 263,000 viewers. This translates to a 0.2 national cable rating.

By comparison, the final first-run episode of Impact Wrestling on Spike TV back in November drew 980,000 viewers.

(Update: There’s a report from f4wonline.com that states Impact Wrestling drew 368,000. This number includes the replay show, which did 105,000 viewers. The original airing did 263,000).

Despite the fact that Impact lost the majority of its audience in the Destination American premiere, Impact was still the most watched show on the network this week. Changing nights next week (when Impact moves to Friday) also won’t help matters, but it will take several weeks before we learn what the new ‘normal’ is for TNA’s flagship show.

TNA Impact Wrestling *Spoilers* For The Next 2 Weeks

– Reps from Destination America were at Wednesday and Thursday night’s tapings and were said to be satisfied with what they saw.

– Tonight’s “Lockdown 2015” Impact Wrestling taping from New York City has been sold out for weeks, although some tickets might be made available later today. Every match on the Lockdown show will take place inside a steel cage.

– Attendance at last night’s show was said to be in the 350-400 range, lower than Wednesday night.

– The dim lighting we saw on Wednesday’s Impact premiere on Destination America is being called a “work in progres.” The lighting was brighter last night and it’s something TNA is still experimenting with.

– As noted earlier this week, Dave Sahadi did not attend Wednesday’s Impact tapings from NYC. He was in Nashville overseeing the installation of new post-production equipment the company will be using for Impact on Destination America.

(Information from PWInsider.com was used in this report.)

The following are spoiler results for the Friday, January 23rd episode of TNA Impact Wrestling from the Manhattan Center in New York City, courtesy of WrestlingINC.com:

– Havok vs. Gail Kim starts when they brawl on the ramp. The match ends in DQ when Havok shoves the referee. Havok drags Kim back to the ring for more punishment but the lights go out and Awesome Kong is here. Havok attacks but Kong no-sells it. Kong clotheslines Havok over the top rope and her music hits.

– Koya, the former Mahabali Shera from India, defeated Tigre Uno in a squash match. James Storm and The Revolution cut a promo on The Hardys. Apparently it will be Storm vs. Matt Hardy tonight.

– Feast or Fired match is next. British Bootcamp 2 winner Mark Andrews came out and took a seat in the crowd before the match began. The briefcases are on poles and wrestlers in the match are Rockstar Spud, Robbie E, Jessie Godderz, DJ Zema Ion, Crazzy Steve, Sam Shaw, Gunner, Eddie Edwards, Davey Richards, Bram, Magnus and Austin Aries. Spud climbs on top of Shaw to grab the first case. Aries acted like he was going to do a dive but ran to the top rope and grabbed the second case instead. Aries then dives out and retreats to the back. Apparently The Beautiful People got one of the cases, possibly for BroMans?, at the start of the match but nobody noticed. Magnus gets the last case.

– Ethan Carter III comes out with Tyrus. He calls Jeremy Borash to the ring for a match. JB is wearing jeans and a hoodie, and has Spud with him. EC3 talks trash and when JB takes the mic, he attacks EC3. JB had the upperhand until EC3 got pissed. He spit on Spud. Spud attacked but Tyrus took him out. UK star Mark Andrews from British Bootcamp 2 came over the barrier from his seat in the crowd. He hit the ring and helped Spud take out Tyrus and EC3.

– Matt Hardy vs. James Storm is next. Hardy gets the win with a small package. After the match, Storm offers to shake hands but Abyss attacks Hardy from behind. Storm ties Hardy up and Abyss grabs Janice but Jeff Hardy makes the save. He challenges Abyss to a Monster’s Ball match for next week and gets the crowd to chant “Monster’s Ball.”

-Low Ki and Eric Young defeated Kurt Angle and Bobby Roode. MVP and Kenny King distracted the referee, allowing Young to hit Roode with a steel chair. Ki got the pin on Roode.

The following are spoiler results for the Friday, January 16th episode of TNA Impact Wrestling from the Manhattan Center in New York City, courtesy of WrestlingINC.com:

– MVP and his new growing faction start the show. They reveal their name is the Beatdown Clan or BDC for short. Eric Young comes out and gets booed. He says what fans think doesn’t matter to him. EY talks about hating Bobby Roode. MVP calls out new World Heavyweight Champion Bobby Lashley but Kurt Angle comes out instead. Angle goes face to face with Samoa Joe and punches him.

– Samoa Joe defeated Kurt Angle by submission when the referee went down and Joe hit Angle with a low blow. The BDC beat Angle down after the match until Roode made the save.

– Eric Young vs. Bobby Roode begins in the aisle and they start brawling around the ring.

– Roode sits down in the middle of the ring for a promo. He’s pissed off and says this crap in TNA has gone too far. Roode says he’s going to make EY pay for his sins tonight.

– The Hardys vs. The Wolves II is next. The Revolution watches the match from the balcony. Jeff Hardy had a great spot at one point where he went to the top, walked from one turnbuckle to the other and then dove out onto The Wolves. The Hardys get the win and the two teams shake hands. This was said to be as good as you’d expect.

– Eric Young vs. Bobby Roode begins in the aisle and they start brawling around the ring. They brawled through the crowd and there were “we can’t see you” chants. Young wins with a piledriver on a chair.

– MVP and Kenny King comes out. MVP says tonight is a night for celebrating and Lashley will be competing. This could have been for the live crowd.

– JB announces a Feast or Famine match for another episode.

– Velvet Sky and Angelina Love defeated Brooke Tessmacher and Taryn Terrell. BroMans were at ringside with The Beautiful People. Awesome Kong appears after the lights go out. She chokeslams Zema Ion. Havok’s music hits and out she comes. Her and Kong face off in the middle of the ring but security breaks it up before anything happens.

– Low Ki vs. Austin Aries for the X Division Title is next. Ki gets the win to become the new champion, just one night after losing it. Ki got the win after Kenny King attacked Austin Aries on the top rope.

– MVP calls out Bobby Lashley and he shows this time. MVP says he got Lashley everything he has. MVP says The BDC (Beat Down Clan) owns the World Heavyweight Title. Lashley says the title is his. Lashley wants nothing to do with this and MVP is offended. They hug but Low Ki attacks and Lashley gets beat down by the group. Ki hits a double stomp to the back and MVP hits him with the belt. As they leave, MVP says the title doesn’t belong to Lashley, it belongs to The BDC.

*Spoilers* TNA Impact Wrestling Results (Airing 1/23)

The following are quotes and notes from TNA President Dixie Carter’s interview on this week’s edition of Jim Ross’ “Ross Report” podcast, which is available for download right now at PodcastOne.com. Notes from the interview come from F4WOnline.com.

On TNA’s move to Destination America

– She tried to really sell the move to Destination America, as you’d expect. She said they said “they’re the largest paid TV programmer in the world.” Said in all meeting with networks they didn’t just want to be an average show on the network in the eyes of the network, she wanted to go somewhere where they would be a top priority, get maximum support from the network, lots of promotion, more hours etc. Said both she and the network feels it’s a big opportunity for growth for both of them. Said she kept the wrestlers as up-to-date as she could, but it was tough with confidentiality agreements etc. Tried to spin-it as it may look like a step back, but it’s a step forwards in-terms of potential growth, claims she got a lot of support from the talent and they to are optimistic, and that they too felt they should be somewhere where they’re a priority. Said it may be a challenge for people to find the channel, but once they do and they begin to grow and their “global affect and what that plan is begins to take hold” it’s going to be like “something they’ve never had.”

On demographics

– When discussing wrestling demographics she said when they first went to Spike they had to fight to get their ratings and demographics information from them. Said they wanted to start attempting to appeal to a broader audience males, females, young, old etc. Pushed the “unlocked” shows they’re going to be a kind of a “director’s cut.” Says wrestling fans are becoming more and more interested in what goes on behind the scenes and they intend to provide some of that with this show. Also said she’s currently in negotiations trying to secure a TV deal in Canada.

– Said TNA is still their corporate name, the confusion is down to them having one show in the US, of course called Impact Wrestling, where as in other parts of the world that isn’t the case.

On announcers for TNA shows

– Talked about the changes to the announce team, she said there is nothing more you can do to change the basic framework of the show than have a new voice, she said Tenay is going to be doing things on Impact that will be very insightful and that’s what he’s absolute best at, said he will play a big part in one of their new shows, also said how they’re going to be using the announcers going forward is going to different, which is intriguing (I feel).

Other notes from the interviews

– Put over John Gabruick as a great motivator for the locker room.

– Said they are planning to do more house shows and more One Night Only shows, but right now Impact is their priority. JR pushed her on the subject and she said they’re going to give the touring a “breather” when the television takes off they plan on doing it again but doing it right.

– Was asked about deals with Rampage Jackson, Tito Ortiz, King Mo etc. says she wants work with Mo and they have an existing deal, Tito is interested in doing something with them, but they’re not working with Rampage right now. When discussing him by the tone in her voice their seems to be a bit of tension or disappointment there.

– Asked if Vince Russo is going back said there are no plans and there have been no discussions. But said when focused he can be a tremendous talent.

– Said in meetings with every network they said “why in the world did they (Spike) let you go.”

You can listen to Dixie Carter’s interview with Jim Ross as part of the latest “Ross Report” podcast by visiting PodcastOne.com.

• PHOTOS: CM Punk & AJ Lee At Dinner Together In Las Vegas Just A Few Days Ago, Hanging Out With Celebrities & MORE!

– The attendance for last night’s TNA Impact Wrestling Tapings from the Manhattan Center was 450-500 fans.

– TNA President Dixie Carter was not in attendance at Impact. She was in Los Angeles attending a Television & Critics Association event and was joined by Sgt. Chris Melendez and Mr. Anderson.

– The opening segment for Impact featuring the wrestlers brawling outside the Manhattan Center was actually taped on Tuesday night. The live show was kicked off by wrestlers brawling into the arena.

– There were a lot of production issues at Impact. No word yet on who directed the show, but it was not David Sahadi, who had been directing TNA’s shows. TNA was using the Manhattan Center’s production equipment, not their own, which was part of the reason why production did not go very smoothly. The fact that Impact aired on tape delay really worked in TNA’s favor, since they had some time to clean up the show.

– There was a lot of stalling in between segments at the taping. At one point, there was no action for about 15 minutes, with a loud “We Want Wrestling” chant breaking out.

– Tommy Dreamer was backstage at Impact working as an agent.

TNA issued the following press release today touting this month’s programming schedule on Destination America:

DESTINATION AMERICA RINGS IN 2015 WITH BRAND-NEW KNOCKOUT PREMIERES OF IMPACT WRESTLING

(Pasadena, Cal.) – Destination America is bracing for impact and entering the ring in 2015 as the new home for TNA’s (Total Nonstop Action) IMPACT WRESTLING. As announced in November, Discovery Communications and TNA Entertainment signed an exclusive broadcast deal to bring all-new U.S premieres of IMPACT WRESTLING to Destination America, the only network dedicated to all-American entertainment, celebrating the people, places and stories of the United States. IMPACT WRESTLING will follow the intense, epic matches between the world’s most-gifted and entertaining wrestlers including Kurt Angle, Jeff Hardy, Bobby Roode and Mr. Anderson. Bringing non-stop action and explosive entertainment to its millions of voracious fans, IMPACT WRESTLING premieres on Destination America on Friday, January 16th at 9PM ET.

“We are giving our viewers what they crave with a combination of action-packed entertainment and weekly rope operas featuring classic American characters, true underdogs fighting to achieve their dream of being the top contender in the ring.” said Marc Etkind, general manager of Destination America. “IMPACT WRESTLING goes beyond the action weaving together gritty story lines featuring heroes and villains and good versus evil showcasing these iconic American athletes battling it out to be the best.”

“We are starting the New Year with a bang on our new home, Destination America,” said TNA President Dixie Carter. “Everyone on the Destination America team is incredibly enthusiastic of our partnership and is doing a remarkable job of using the entire Discovery family of platforms to promote IMPACT WRESTLING and our two other new programs, IMPACT WRESTLING: UNLOCKED and TNA WRESTLING’S GREATEST MATCHES. Marc and his team clearly understand the unyielding appetite for captivating characters, compelling stories and quality in-ring action, and that is exactly what TNA and IMPACT WRESTLING will deliver week in and week out.”

Destination America will offer wrestling fans from coast to coast and all across America brand-new weekly premieres of IMPACT WRESTLING beginning in its regular time slot on the network on Friday nights from 9-11 PM ET starting January 16, immediately followed by an encore from 11 PM-1 AM ET. After each week’s premiere, Destination America will also debut the new series IMPACT WRESTLING: UNLOCKED airing on Saturdays from 10 AM-12 PM ET beginning January 17, offering a never-before-seen viewing experience to the fans featuring extra content and incredible behind the scenes footage from the previous week’s IMPACT WRESTLING.

Destination America also will launch the U.S. premiere of TNA Wrestling’s Greatest Matches, debutingwith a three-episode mini-marathon on Saturday, January 10 beginning at 10 AM ET, presenting the most remarkable and memorable contests of TNA’s Superstars. TNA WRESTLING’S GREATEST MATCHES will continue to premiere in its regular time slot starting January 17 on Saturdays at 12PM.

January Premiere Schedule of TNA Wrestling includes:

Saturday, January 10

10 AM ET: TNA Wrestling’s Greatest Matches: Best of Sting
11 AM ET: TNA Wrestling’s Greatest Matches: Best of Kurt Angle
12 PM ET: TNA Wrestling’s Greatest Matches: Best of Kurt Angle Part 2
Friday, January 16

9 AM ET: TNA Wrestling’s Greatest Matches: Best of Rob Van Dam
10 AM ET: TNA Wrestling’s Greatest Matches: Best of Mr. Anderson
9 PM ET: IMPACT Wrestling
Saturday, January 17

10AM ET: IMPACT Wrestling: Unlocked
12 PM ET: TNA Wrestling’s Greatest Matches: Best of Jeff Hardy
Friday, January 23

1 PM ET: TNA Wrestling’s Greatest Matches: Best of The Knockouts
9 PM ET: IMPACT Wrestling
Saturday, January 24

10AM ET: IMPACT Wrestling: Unlocked
12 PM ET: TNA Wrestling’s Greatest Matches: Best of Samoa Joe
Friday, January 30

9 PM ET: IMPACT Wrestling
Saturday, January 31

10AM ET: IMPACT Wrestling: Unlocked
12 PM ET: TNA Wrestling’s Greatest Matches: Best of Bully Ray

Dolph Ziggler lost the Intercontinental Title due to backstage problem – details ->

The following are highlights of a new Main Event Madness interview with TNA star Tyrus, a.ka. former WWE Superstar Brodus Clay:

On his career in 2014 and his WWE release: “You know, I think you have to go from one start off, getting fired obviouly was a blemish, a negative thing, but only being unemployed for about 15 minutes was pretty cool, so I take that as a success. Anytime you go through a change and you can continue to do what you love to do and do it on your own terms, and I’ve been able to pick and choose what I want to do and become a fan of wrestling again and realize I do what I do because I enjoy it, not necessarily for a paycheck, but get to earn a paycheck. With having the new network, with IMPACT and Destination America, it’s an awesome opportunity and it reminds me of back in the day, no one knew too much about CNN when it first started and look at what it became today, being on the forefront on something new and exciting is always a great opportunity, it’s a chance to shine and do your thing.”

On his goals for 2015 and plans for the future: “I have some goals, I’m in a PR (personal record) on my deadlift, I have some weight goals, I want to drop another 30 pounds, but it’s difficult, because with powerlifting and dieting you don’t want to lose any muscle, but I have some things I am working on. I have another movie this year and maybe some TV stuff. I set some lofty goals for myself and I think you have to. I think no matter who you are or what you do in life, you should set the bar high, that way, when you do obtain those things, you can say, I did this, but if you didn’t get it, you can look an see what you needed to do to get there.”

On what he misses from his time in the WWE: “I miss the boys, I miss the locker room jokes. TNA has a great locker room, so I’m kind of getting to know everybody, but missing guys I came up with like Heath Slater, The Big Show’s long stories, Mark Henry’s life anecdotes, TJ Wilson (Tyson Kidd) makes me die laughing, some cool handshakes and stuff like that, Tensai’s deep voice. We keep in touch as much as we can and the fan interaction. I really enjoyed the reading program WWE did and I do miss those things, I think I enjoyed it and I’m able to dictate my own schedule right now and you know, WWE is 365 days a year and when you’re in it, you don’t think about it and when you’re not in it, you think about, oh man, it’s a Wednesday night, what am I going to do with myself and now I finally get more time to work on myself.”

Check out the complete interview at MainEventMadness.com.

• MMA Fighter Who TRASHED CM Punk Talks About Training Him Now + PHOTOS Of CM Punk In The Gym With His MMA Team

The following are highlights of a new Ring Rust Radio interview with TNA President Dixie Carter:

On the transition to Destination America: “Well I think it is critical for the company. We were in a position where in negotiations I went to every network saying, ‘Look, we are not interested in just licensing our two hour show Impact for your network. I am interested in a partner, someone who will help build our brand, give us more exposure, provide new programming for us’, and that’s exactly what we have gotten and more with the support of Discovery and Destination America. We are very, very excited about all that they are giving us across all ten Discovery networks; support, print advertising, PR, radio, digital. It is everything we had hoped it would be.”

On re-signing Kurt Angle: “Well, I think Kurt was a game changer for us when we first signed him. I think it is important at such a new beginning for us to still have him as a corner stone for our company. Kurt looks at all the positive changes that are happening. Our signing with Destination America out in Los Angeles, the new network deal, the commitment from them, he sees the big picture and he gets it. He is a joy to work with and a real leader for us. We are thrilled to have him.”

On the atmosphere in TNA: “Unfortunately, I’m not even going to see what the atmosphere is like Wednesday. I will be in Los Angeles while they are going live in New York. I am representing Discovery and Destination America at the Television and Critics Association. Again, that’s just part of what they are asking us to do. Ken Anderson, Chris Melendez and I will be there. We will be representing our show and network in front of hundreds of media representatives. Just the whole vibe from the locker room, everyone was so supportive. They realize that this is what we have all been wanting and hoping for. This is going to be a great fresh start for us.”

On rebooting storylines or sticking with past storylines: “I think it’s a little bit of both quite honestly. The momentum we had in New York for those shows this past year we want to continue that on and kick it up a notch. We got some surprises planned and we’ve got some changes planned. You won’t see it as much at the live shows but there’s only so much you can do with a live television production. The shows afterwards you are going to start to see a transformation of some new technologies that we are going to use. From new productions and some new and exciting ways in which we want to showcase the show. Things we have talked about for a long time, but quite honestly, technology wasn’t where we needed it to be to fit in to how we have to shoot a wrestling show. I am really, really excited for things to start taking shape in the coming weeks.”

On TNA pay-per-view plans: “We will still have several live ones a year, but when we have them they will mean something and be worth people’s hard earned money. I think that the creative team really wanted to start the year off with a bang and something special on the network. So we decided to take the Lockdown theme live and free on Destination America. I was supportive of that and we will have a couple of live pay-per-views a year and then we will still do some of the One Night Only specials that have been really successful for us.”

Last night, TNA hit the “reset” button once again and presented the first edition of Impact Wrestling on Destination America. The show was certainly eventful, with multiple title changes, multiple heel turns, a wild brawl to start the show, head shavings and more. Here are the main news items coming out of the show:

– In the main event, Bobby Lashley recaptured the TNA World Heavyweight Championship from Bobby Roode. The title change came after Roode was betrayed by his longtime friend Eric Young. Also during the match, MVP formed a new stable with heel turns by Samoa Joe and Low Ki.

– Kurt Angle announced he was leaving his position as the TNA authority figure and wrestled MVP in a street fight.

– Former TNA Knockout Kong returned for the first time in almost 5 years and went face to face with Havoc.

– Austin Aries captured the X Division championship from Low Ki.

Comment below and tell us what you thought about this new era of Impact Wrestling.

#BreakingNews: THE AWESOME ONE IS BACK! Awesome Kong has returned to #TNA! pic.twitter.com/MASxfaEsLQ

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) January 8, 2015

Former TNA Knockout Awesome Kong made a surprise return on Wednesday’s Impact Wrestling premiere on Destination America.

After the Knockouts Battle Royal, Havoc attacked Knockouts champion Taryn Terrell. The lights went out and when the turned back on, Havoc and Kong were face to face in what the announcers called a “fantasy booker’s dream.” A loud “holy shit” chant broke out.

Referees separated the women, but Kong delivered a choke slam to one of the refs and soaked up the cheers.

Kong is back in TNA for the first time in nearly 5 years, last appearing for the promotion back in March 2010. She was under contract with WWE from 2010-2012 and wrestled back in September for the Shine promotion.

OH MY GOD! SHE'S BACK! AWESOME KONG IS BACK!!! #DestinationIMPACT pic.twitter.com/1mkuJJaBDK

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) January 8, 2015

Former TNA Knockouts Champion Awesome Kong is backstage at the TNA Impact Wrestling taping at the Manhattan Center in New York City tonight. There is no word yet as to whether or not Kong is returning, or if she’s simply visiting friends at the show.

If Kong were to return to TNA, it would be a bit of a surprise, as she has stated in interviews that she would likely never return to the company.

Below is an excerpt from an interview Kong did in November of last year:

“WWE, everybody dreams to go there. They say they don’t, they’re a liar and they’re in denial. TNA, I don’t know if you’ll ever see me there again. Though I appreciate what I did in TNA, I think I’m past that now.”

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(Credit: PWInsider.com)

As noted, TNA officials badly want Alberto Del Rio (aka Alberto El Patron) to debut with them on their live edition of Impact Wrestling, which airs tonight on Destination America. It appears that it’s pretty unlikely that it is going to happen, because as of two days ago, the two sides weren’t even close to reaching a deal.

Del Rio signing with TNA at any point down the road may even be a long shot, likely due to the fact that he’s receiving so many offers right now, many of which would conflict with TNA.

Additionally, those close to Del Rio have advised him that TNA is nothing more than a sinking ship and does nothing but hurt the careers of talents who work there.

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(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

According to PWInsider.com, former TNA Knockouts Champion Awesome Kong is backstage at tonight’s Impact Wrestling taping at the Manhattan Center in New York City. It was not, however, stated whether she has renewed her relationship with TNA.

Kong, who last appeared for TNA in 2010, has repeatedly stated in interviews that she would likely never return to the organization. In this video interview, which was shot in November, she considered TNA a thing of the past.

“WWE, everybody dreams to go there. They say they don’t, they’re a liar and they’re in denial,” Kong said in response to whether she would return to either WWE or TNA if the door was open to. “TNA, I don’t know if you’ll ever see me there again. Though I appreciate what I did in TNA, I think I’m past that now.”

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– TNA commentator Taz launches his new official weekly podcast today. The first guest on Taz’s show is WWE Hall Of Famer Edge. You can listen to the show by going to Radio.com.

– TNA President Dixie Carter is featured on the latest edition of Jim Ross’ weekly “Ross Report,” which is available now. The official description for the show reads as follows:

TRR – Ep47 – TNA’s Dixie Carter

“JR has TNA President Dixie Carter! She’s talking all about their new TV deal with Destination America and the debut of their new TV show tomorrow (Wed) night! They also discuss Bobby Lashley, AJ Styles, Vince Russo, the Impact name and brand, live touring vs TV, and the state of the wrestling biz today. It’s an interesting and insightful conversation!”

You can download the show right now at PodcastOne.com.

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The following are highlights of a new Sporting News interview with TNA President Dixie Carter:

On if she likes Impact Wrestling being moved to Friday nights on Destination America: “I think I’ll tell you in a few months if I like being on Friday nights.

They presented us with a lot of research and felt very strongly about Friday nights being a potential for them. +3’s is how people look at ratings nowadays, it’s not overnight ratings. With your +3 numbers, you have a much bigger chance for your +3 number over a weekend versus only, like if we were staying on Wednesday, that would be Thursday, Friday and you would have part of Saturday. It’s just an overall strategy. They feel really strongly about it. Wrestling has been successful on Friday nights and is no longer there and so we’ll see how we’ll do.”

On the possibility of TNA airing Impact Wrestling live on a regular basis: “I think that where we want to go from a production and a feel standpoint from the show does not work going live. It does not allow us to do the kind of things that we’re going to want to do because there’s just a lot of post-production time involved in it. So, we’ll have to see. We can always go live and it can be a show like it will be this Wednesday and it’s going to great action and lots of surprises and just be an amazing show that you’re not going to want to miss but I think where we’re going to try to take the show is definitely going to take post-production time and we’re not going to be able to pull off all the bells and whistles we want if we try to go live.”

Check out the complete interview at SportingNews.com.

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TNA Impact Wrestling premieres on Destination America tonight at 9PM (Eastern).

Here’s a preview for tonight’s show, which airs live from the Manhattan Center in New York City:

– TNA World Heavyweight Champion Bobby Roode vs. Bobby Lashley

– Kurt Angle will make a major announcement

– Josh Matthews joins the TNA announce team

TNA President Dixie Carter has been touting major changes to the presentation of the show, which is expected to incorporate more elements of “reality.”

TNA star Kurt Angle, who officially re-signed with the promotion recently, spoke to Associated Press writer Dan Gelston to promote the upcoming launch of Impact Wrestling on Destination America, which is scheduled for this Wednesday night.

During the discussion, Angle talked about a possible return to the ring. “It looks like I’ll be wrestling here sooner rather than later, if that gives you a hint,” Angle said while laughing.

Angle also compared his run in TNA to his run in WWE, noting that while he had a great career in WWE, he feels his TNA run has actually been better.

“I had an incredible career at WWE,” said Angle, “but my career has actually been better in TNA.”

You can check out the complete interview at AP.org.

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TNA President Dixie Carter spoke with Associated Press writer Dan Gelston to promote the upcoming launch of Impact Wrestling on Destination America on Wednesday. During the discussion, Carter spoke about changes that TNA intends to make to their weekly television product.

“We’re going to pull the curtain back and have cameras where they’ve not been before,” Carter said. “You’re going to see some changes that will help the viewer feel a stronger connection to the show and the characters. It will be a new way of watching it compared to what we’ve had in the past.”

The article also featured comments from the General Manager of Destination America, Marc Etkind, who explained the decision for the cable network to air Impact Wrestling on Friday nights.

“We felt there was an audience coming to Friday already looking for wrestling and we expect them to find `Impact,'” Etkind said. “What we like about the wrestling audience is, it’s an all-American audience.”

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