The following are highlights of a new Main Event Madness Radio interview with Global Force Wrestling (GFW) founder Jeff Jarrett:

On his greatest in-ring accomplishment: “Well inside the ring, you know, it goes without saying, anybody that’s ever laced up a pair of boots, anyone that’s wanted to be a professional wrestler that became a professional wrestler, they want to be world champion. So, when I reached that goal, I was very, very happy. Every world title I’ve ever won was a proud moment, you know? The first time I won the [WWE] Intercontinental Title back in 1995, I really enjoyed that. When I look back on my career, you have different phases of your career, and I enjoyed my time and series of matches with Shawn Michaels, and just a couple years ago, my series of matches with Kurt Angle. Those are some of the highlights.”

On if he thought TNA would last as long as it has when it started: “You know, I’ve been asked that question several different ways. When anybody starts a business, you envision it being around for a long time. Nobody starts a business and says, ‘Hey I’m gonna be around for a month or two.’ So, absolutely. I did everything in my power and [I’m] very pleased with my time in TNA.”

Check out the complete interview at Spreaker.com.

TNA reportedly made another attempt at signing Alberto Del Rio. According to one source, TNA made a very serious money offer, rumored to be in the $400,000 per year range.

One of the issues in the negotiations is said to be TNA’s attempt to get exclusivity of Del Rio, as it is widely known that he plans to work for AAA’s Lucha Underground show in 2015, as well as Ring Of Honor, the latter of which is already being officially advertised.

It’s believed that if TNA wants a shot at Del Rio, they’ll have to either drop the request for exclusivity or up the money offer. Apparently, TNA is trying to sell Del Rio on the fact that he’ll get more exposure in the United States by working with them.

Because of the fact that current TNA executive John Gaburick worked closely with Del Rio during their time in WWE, it’s said that he is pushing hard to get him.

TNA recently issued the following …

IMPACT WRESTLING BECOMES “UNLOCKED” WITH BRAND NEW TELEVISION SERIES

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Dec. 16, 2014) – TNA Entertainment will deliver a new concept in professional wrestling with the premiere of IMPACT WRESTLING: UNLOCKED, Saturday, January 17 at 10/9c on Destination America. This new weekly series hosted by The Professor Mike Tenay will dive deeper into the most recent episode of IMPACT WRESTLING with exclusive content and never-before-seen footage.

During IMPACT WRESTLING: UNLOCKED viewers will get an enhanced experience as the screen comes alive with match facts and stats, as well as bonus commentary and exclusive footage taking fans deeper into the intriguing characters, captivating stories and fascinating personal lives of the TNA Superstars.

Fans are constantly asking me what goes on behind the scenes, said Tenay. The appetite is strong for interesting factoids and an insiders perspective. We will explore everything from why World Champion Bobby Roode uses his Roode Bomb finisher to how Taryn Terrell uses her stuntwoman background when defending her Knockouts title. IMPACT WRESTLING: UNLOCKED will offer a distinctive and stimulating viewing experience unmatched in professional sports.

In addition, each week during IMPACT WRESTLING: UNLOCKED, Tenay will reveal the IMPACT WRESTLING Top 5, a power ranking of the top five heavyweights in TNA. This new ranking system is sure to spark controversy, debate, and most importantly, competition.

IMPACT WRESTLING debuts on Destination America with a special LIVE broadcast on Wednesday, January 7 from 9-11 PM ET, televised from New York City’s legendary Manhattan Center. IMPACT WRESTLING will move to its permanent time slot on Fridays from 9-11 PM ET beginning January 16 on Destination America.

Tonight is the second to last episode of Impact Wrestling on Spike TV and will feature the first part of a Top 20 Countdown of the best moments in company history. The show will air at 11pm (EST) and was bumped out of prime time in favor of Cops re-runs.

Part 1 of the countdown (Moments 20-11) will feature stars such as Kurt Angle, Samoa Joe, and Hulk Hogan.

Next Wednesday’s episode, featuring the Top 10 moments, was bumped even later to a midnight airing.

For those wondering, TNA will continue to produce pay-per-views and hold live events when they switch to Destination America in 2015. Many had questioned whether or not they would do so going forward, as they have been big money losers for the company, especially the non-televised live events.

TNA talents have reportedly been concerned about this issue, as they obviously make more money if they work live events.

While this hasn’t been confirmed yet, the belief is TNA will produce four pay-per-view events on an annual basis.

According to the latest Comcast schedule, TNA Impact Wrestling is being moved to 11pm to 1am for this coming Wednesday’s show, with no notice at all.

The December 24th edition of the show, which is the final TNA show on Spike TV, Impact Wrestling will air from midnight to 2am.

TNA President Dixie Carter confirmed the news that TNA will have a new show called “TNA Unlocked” when the company moves to Destination America.

TNA Unlocked will premiere on Saturday, January 17th at 10am on the cable channel.

Carter tweeted the following.

See @IMPACWRESTLING in a whole new way with the brand new IMPACT WRESTLING: UNLOCKED on @DestAmerica Saturdays at 10AM ET starting Jan 17!

— Dixie Carter (@TNADixie) December 13, 2014

The following are highlights of the latest blog by WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross:

On Mike Tenay and TNA rumors: “Read online where I allegedly called and talked to Impact Wrestling officials attempting to get my friend Mike Tenay as my broadcast partner for Wrestle Kingdom 9. What was reported on the internet was leaked, and not by me, and largely erroneous. I texted TNA saying that it would be great exposure for the voice of their brand and that we could talk about Impact’s launch to a new network coming up later that week. Obviously, I would have treated Mike with the utmost respect but TNA brass declined the invite. That’s the truth of the matter. It’s a dead issue and no hard feelings but I can’t see the downside of Mike Tenay and I broadcasting the NJPW PPV as it relates to Impact Wrestling specifically as it relates to me. Nonetheless it’s not happening and Global Force Wrestling moves on to the next candidate of which there are some good ones.”

On the WWE TLC pay-per-view main event: “I hope that Ambrose vs. Wyatt closes the show in their TLC Main Event as I feel it sends a positive message to the locker room, the fan base and all involved. I do expect some viable surprises during the show which should build momentum for January’s new subscribers or renewals especially with the Royal Rumble included for, yes, you’ve got it, $9.99.”

On who his broadcast partner will be for Wrestle Kingdom 9: “Still no word on who will work with me broadcasting the Wrestle Kingdom 9 PPV from Tokyo on January 4 but I’m told that we are getting closer. This is an epic assignment as the event is four hours long, is a helluva flight from Oklahoma to Tokyo, and it features many talents that I’ve never seen wrestle in person but have spends hours watching their matches and reading about them. This assignment will be one of the more challenging that I’ve ever had in my career but I couldn’t be more excited. I love the challenge of delivering the goods and overcoming language issues, long travel and working with an all new TV crew who mostly does not understand English from what I’m told.”

Check out the complete blog at JRsBarBQ.com. You can also order JR’s Bar-B-Q products online at WWEShop.com.

Former TNA Knockout Brittany (Santana Garrett) was backstage at the NXT Takeover: R Evolution event in Winter Park, Florida on Thursday evening. Garrett lives in the area and was spotted with some of the NXT Divas backstage during the show.

According to various sources, Garrett could potentially be joining the WWE ranks in the near future, possibly as an addition to the NXT roster. However, it has also been said that she may return to TNA in time for their television tapings for Destination America in January.

Mike Tenay will be staying with TNA for another year, but he’ll no longer be the lead announcer for Impact Wrestling when it moves to Destination America next month.

Josh Matthews will be taking over as the lead announcer for Impact Wrestling, with Tenay sticking around as an on air correspondent. Tenay recently signed a new 1-year contract with TNA, which some people are viewing as a sign that Jeff Jarrett’s Global Force Wrestling does not have a TNA deal in place.

Tenay was interested in joining Jim Ross in calling the January 4th New Japan Pro Wrestling Kingdom 9 PPV from Tokyo Japan. Jim Ross called TNA’s John Gaburick (and is rumored to have spoken to Dixie Carter as well) about getting approval for Tenay to work Wrestle Kingdom 9. Ross pitched the idea of plugging TNA on the show in exchange for approval to use Tenay, but they turned him down.

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

TNA issued a press release on Wednesday announcing several big news items regarding the future of Impact Wrestling. Here are the highlights

– Impact Wrestling is moving to Friday nights at 9pm (EST) on Destination America starting on January 16th. The show will fill the void left by SmackDown, which moves to Thursday nights that same week. Impact will replay on Friday nights at 11pm (EST) right after the initial airing.

– A new TNA show has been announced – “Impact Wrestling: Unlocked.” It will air on Saturday mornings on Destination America at 10am (EST). The show will be a”reloaded edition of the previous week’s Impact Wrestling that will be a whole new viewing experience featuring extra content and never-before-seen footage.”

– Prior to the move to Friday nights on 1/16, Destination will air a live special January 7th from the Manhattan Center. The main event will feature Bobby Roode vs. Bobby Lashley for the TNA World Title in the third match of their recent series.

The following are highlights of a new interview with The Wolves from The Huffington Post U.K.’s “Royal Ramblings blog.”

In the excerpts below, Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards discuss their WWE tryout in late-2013 and whether or not they would ever go back.

Davey Richards: “I’m extremely happy where I’m at right now. I can never say never. I can tell you that I’d never go into their developmental system and I’m not saying that because I think I’m better than anyone there (I would say the developmental system has better talent than the actual roster). It’s not conducive to my lifestyle and that’s all. I’m not trying to put down their product, I have nothing bad to say to them but I’m happy where I’m at. I kind of lost my fire for wrestling and being in TNA, I got that fire back.”

Eddie Edwards: “It would be a hell of a deal but there’s no point in wasting time by thinking and talking -who knows. At the moment there’s a lot of stuff on, a lot on our plate which is all good stuff.”

For more, visit HuffingtonPost.co.uk.

As noted earlier today, TNA Impact Wrestling will be moving to Friday nights when the show premieres on Destination America in January. Below is the official press release with more details on the move.

Brace for IMPACT! Destination America is kicking-off the New Year as the new destination for professional wrestling following the announcement that Discovery Communications and TNA (Total Nonstop Action) Entertainment have signed an exclusive broadcast deal bringing IMPACT WRESTLING to the only network dedicated to celebrating the people, places and stories of the United States. IMPACT WRESTLING debuts on Destination America with a special LIVE broadcast on Wednesday, January 7 from 9-11 PM ET, televised from New York City’s legendary Manhattan Center. IMPACT WRESTLING will move to its permanent time slot on Fridays from 9-11 PM ET beginning January 16 on Destination America.

We’ve been listening to what fans have to say and, with their feedback in mind, IMPACT WRESTLING’s live debut on Destination America will be nonstop, in-your-face action with no filters, big personalities, and epic battles, said Marc Etkind, general manager of Destination America. Wrestling is a national pastime that combines dynamic entertainment with intense crowds, and we cant wait for IMPACT WRESTLINGs passionate fans to bring their fandemonium to Destination America in January!

A week after the ball drops in New York City, fists will fly as IMPACT WRESTLING begins a new era with our LIVE debut on Destination America, said TNA President Dixie Carter. IMPACT WRESTLING will be the most compelling two hours of wrestling on television.

The special live broadcast on Wednesday, January 7 will feature a main event for the richest prize in IMPACT WRESTLING: the World Heavyweight Championship, Roode vs. Lashley III. A decisive rematch in this epic trilogy, reigning champion Bobby Roode defends the title against dominant former heavyweight champion Bobby Lashley to prove who’s the best in IMPACT WRESTLING. Kurt Angle, Jeff Hardy, Gail Kim, Ethan Carter III (aka EC3), and all the stars of IMPACT add to the explosive debut. An encore will follow from 11 PM-1 AM ET.

Destination America welcomes IMPACT WRESTLING with a marathon on Wednesday, January 7 from 9 AM-9 PM ET, looking back at the biggest moments and most heated rivalries, leading into the special live broadcast from 9-11 PM ET.

IMPACT WRESTLING on Destination America premieres in its permanent time slot Friday nights from 9-11 PM ET starting January 16, immediately followed by an encore from 11 PM-1 AM ET. Miss a matchup or just cant get enough? Check out IMPACT WRESTLING: UNLOCKED on Saturdays from 10 AM-12 PM ET beginning January 17 for a reloaded edition of the previous weeks IMPACT WRESTLING that will be a whole new viewing experience featuring extra content and never-before-seen footage.

TNA President Dixie Carter unveiled the new logo for Impact Wrestling on Wednesday morning,  promising “LOTS more to come today!” TNA will hold the first round of Destination America tapings from the Manhattan Center in New York City starting January 7th .

Comment below and tell us what you think about the new Impact logo.

– TNA ran ads in the local New York City market during Monday’s RAW for their upcoming Impact Wrestling television tapings in January. The ads featured Taz telling fans to come see a “true wrestling experience.”

– TNA star Kurt Angle celebrates his 45th birthday today. Angle was born on December 9, 1969.

– TNA President Dixie Carter posted the following on Twitter regarding some of the TNA Knockouts being voted as Playboy’s “Hottest All-Time Women of Wrestling.”

Congrats to @hemmepowered @TheTarynTerrell & @VelVelHoller for making @Playboy’s Hottest All Time Women of Wrestling! http://t.co/AZQ8MHKsed

— Dixie Carter (@TNADixie) December 8, 2014

– There have been some rumors lately regarding Austin Aries potentially parting ways with TNA. Despite the rumors, it’s being said that Aries has actually signed a new deal with the company. Aries confirmed on social media that he will be working the upcoming TNA Impact Wrestling television tapings in New York City in early January for the shows that will air on Destination America.

– Below is the video preview for this week’s edition of Impact Wrestling, which will take a look back at 2014.

http://youtu.be/4QV1Hw7ONzA

Santana Garrett, formerly known as Brittany in TNA, reportedly decided against signing a new contract offered to her by the promotion.

Brittany was in the middle of a storyline with Samuel Shaw and Gunner, however it appears she’s done with TNA for now.

She is expected to instead do some modeling work, as well as some other potential non-TNA wrestling stuff. For example, she worked Friday night’s Shine internet pay-per-view, something she wouldn’t have been allowed to do while under contract to TNA.

The following is an excerpt of a new interview with TNA President Dixie Carter from The Independent.

In the excerpt below, Dixie explains why she won’t make a play to try and sign CM Punk right now.

“CM Punk’s in a place right now where he’s happy and I wouldn’t attempt to try to get him to come wrestle for us until he’s in a place where he wants to wrestle. I respect what he’s done so much, he was in my opinion at the top of his game, and it’s hard walking away from a big paycheck, but he did it. You wouldn’t want to ask him to walk to a new paycheck until his head is in the right place.”

The following are highlights of a new interview with Magnus:

His current status with TNA: “I haven’t….I’m still under contract. There’s been no discussion of any of that. I already knew I was booked for the (UK) tour. I think I was one of the first names advertised when the dates were first booked. I think it was just one of those things where when they did the finalised line-up. There’s…..as of now, as of right now, I still have a contract. That’s about as much as I’m willing to discuss.”

How Sting went to bat for him in a situation with Jim Cornette: “Jim Cornette – who I have a lot of respect for and get on with and now – he was not necessarily on ‘Team Magnus’ when I first showed up. And with good reason! I didn’t fucking belong there! I didn’t know a fucking headlock from a headlight!….Jim Cornette looked at me and was like “Alright kid, keep your mouth shut and your ears open and maybe we’ll get through this!” Sting kind of reprimanded him a little bit and was like “Actually, Jim, he’s got some really good ideas and I pretty much want to do the match that we’ve already discussed.” He was like “Eh, ok…alright then” It ended up being a good piece of business and Cornette was happy.”

What he didn’t enjoy about being part of AJ Styles’ last match in TNA: “I don’t mean to sound ungrateful – but I don’t know if it was as much them having faith in me or…or if I was an easy person to have the heat on, at least. There were some very unfortunate circumstances around the AJ thing….I suffered a concussion when I won the title in the match with Jeff…I was pretty much on auto-pilot. I was in a bad way….I’ve never had one since…..That then meant that we weren’t able to do what we wanted to do with AJ. It’s my understanding that we were to do a straight up match, but that wasn’t possible. They did the best thing they thought they could do…..It wasn’t wrestling. It was just an angle.”

His love of U.K. television in the 1990’s: “(Gladiators) was part of that Saturday night line up….Friday night was swimming, fish and chips and ‘Top of the Pops’. Saturday was football practice or a game, and then that night it would be ‘Blind Date’, ‘Noel’s House Party’ and ‘Gladiators’.”

Growing up as a wrestling fan: “When I was a kid, like a small kid, we didn’t have Sky. We didn’t have satellite TV. But I was still completely familiar with the WWF and that’s really a testament to how incredible their marketing is. Even though I never really had access to it because I couldn’t see it on TV, u still knew who everybody was. …For me, Bret ‘The Hitman’ Hart was held on a pedestal with superheroes and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and stuff….He was like a real hero….Probably around 1996/97 was when I started to get back into it when Shawn Michaels and HHH started doing DX….That was where the first time it started to pique my rebellious teen interest…From the age of 13 it was formulating in ny head that that was what I wanted to do.”

Check out the complete interview above.

As we have noted in the past, when TNA makes the move from Spike TV to Destination America in January, it is expected that former WWE announcer Josh Mathews will be replacing Mike Tenay as the play-by-play man for Impact Wrestling.

This news has since been pretty much confirmed on Twitter by both Mathews and Taz. Below are some of the recent tweets about the subject.

“@BUTTERBEAN2019: I miss @realjoshmathews in #WWE #Raw”. January, my friend. @DestAmerica @IMPACTWRESTLING

— Josh Mathews (@realjoshmathews) December 2, 2014

.@OfficialTAZ "vast high octane" lol! I'm gonna have the best analyst in the biz, who can beat up every other analyst across all platforms.

— Josh Mathews (@realjoshmathews) December 3, 2014

– As noted recently, TNA will be making changes to the look and graphics planned for Impact Wrestling when the show debuts on their new cable home at Destination America in January.

TNA President Dixie Carter tweeted the following, revealing that there will be a new official logo for the show.

Just approved a new logo for @ImpactWrestling for @DestAmerica. #Killer

— Dixie Carter (@TNADixie) December 4, 2014

– Kurt Angle sat down with Vince Russo for an exclusive video shoot interview, following their free interview on “The Swerve” podcast this week. During the candid interview, Kurt talks in-depth about his struggles with pain killers, what it took for him to stop, working injured and how it played a part in his WWE departure, and much more.

Below is a teaser preview video for the interview:

http://youtu.be/dDXB6FSwPss

TNA President Dixie Carter spoke with the Huffington Post’s Royal Ramblings Blog about TNA moving to Destination America next month. Here are some highlights of what she said about:

What We Can Expect From The New Impact Wrestling on Destination America:

“I needed to find somebody who wanted not just to license a two hour show from us but to be a true partner on every level. Anyone who wants to, can get Destination America and add it to their cable line up – they’re part of theDiscovery Communications Group which is massive and the number one pay TV programmer in the world and this deal is also a global deal. So I’m just excited about all the different unique opportunities that we’re going to have to help grow our brand. We’re looking at it as a completelyfresh start and the timing is perfect. I just can’t wait for everybody to feel what I’m feeling.”

Rumors That TNA Talent Was In The Dark During TV Negotiations:

“I don’t think it’s true. The talent were the first to hear everything that I could possibly say and they knew that. I had very blunt discussions with them during the process. I told them that I needed them to trust me and that there was more I wanted to share but for the sake of our livelihoods, that it wouldn’t be good business or prudent to do so. I told them I was going to work very hard and that we had interest from several places. However, as I said earlier, I was looking for somebody that wanted to make not just a financial but a time and effort investment into us and into our talent. I wasn’t going to stop until I found that. So the talent were part of the process the entire way, I told them as much as I possibly could and they were the first to hear the news when I could tell them.”

Vince McMahon Saying TNA Is Not Competition:

“Well, I think it’s ridiculous to say that we’re not competition. If we weren’t competition they wouldn’t try to stop our growth at every turn. We’re both wrestling companies and so competing for the same networks internationally and the same ticket sales globally and therefore you are competitors but all we can do is focus on what we do best. My big focus for 2015 is to further distinguish our product from anybody else’s out there. What can we do better and what have we been doing great that we can take to another level. We’re going to be announcing in the coming weeks some realty exciting changes to our show and that’s a big part – trying to make our brand much more distinctive than not just WWE but other wrestling companies around the world.”

The Best Rib That’s Been Played On Her:

“I don’t think the talent have really ever done anything to me. I had somebody call me once and leave a message to call back Shane McMahon. So I returned his call but he had never called me. We had a conversation and he’s a lovely guy. But don’t give the roster any ideas! “

The following are highlights of a new Main Event Radio interview with TNA wrestler Abyss:

On Monster’s Ball Match Memories: “All the Monsters Ball matches. I’ve had so many of them. Me and Sabu, me and Rhino had some really good ones, me and Bully Ray, AJ Styles, all of them. I’m so proud of them. It’s kind of my match, it’s named after me and it’s neat to see all the different kind of matches that occurred in the Monster’s Ball. It’s going on 10 or 11 years that we’ve been doing it. It’s a pretty big thing and I love it. At Bound for Glory 2007, the 4-way with Samoa Joe, Rhino, and Brother Runt. In 2008, the only tag team Monster’s Ball that’s ever been done. Me and Matt Morgan, Team 3D, LAX, and Beer Money. That one is not one of my best memories, that one is one of the most extreme memories. That was probably the most pain I’ve ever felt and the most injured I’ve ever been after a match. Some good memories and some bad memories to it.”

On working with Bram: “He’s incredible. I just can’t rave enough about the guy. He’s such a physical wrestler, he’s cut out of my mold; reminds me of a young Bruiser Brody. An incredible wrestler, his ring awareness and his acumen in the ring is just above a guy his age. Those two matches we had – Stairway to Janice and the Monster’s Ball were incredible. I was so proud of it, they were physical matches and the fans enjoyed it. We took a lot of risks, he put his body on the line, I put my body on the line and the result is what ended up happening. He’s a star on the rise.”

On young talents: “TNA has a bunch of guys who are on the cusp of breaking through. Ethan Carter, EC3, I really think is a star. A guy who has great acumen and awareness. Everything he does he strives for perfection. The Bromans are two great athletes, an incredible tag team together. Rockstar Spud. We have a good group of young guys who are really making their mark and are going to continue to.”

Check out the complete interview at MainEventRadio.com.

The following are highlights of a new ImpactWrestling.com interview with TNA President Dixie Carter, conducted by TNA executive Jeremy Borash:

On 2014: Carter said she is proud of some of the overall changes they have made to the product and bringing back the six-sided ring. “I think it was a really good year, but it’s definitely a transitional year.” She said she was in negotiation mode during the second half of the year. “I’m proud, it was a good year,” she said.

On Spike TV: “I said to them I feel like we have to have something different. We can’t just be status quo going into a new deal. It can’t just be a two-hour Impact. We have to grow our brand and do some things differently and really shake it up. That was the tone of all my conversation with networks. I’m not really interested in someone picking up our two-hour show. I’m interested in having someone become a partner on a much bigger level.”

On her dealings with talent during the negotiations: “I never didn’t feel 100 percent support from everybody. There’s always an uneasiness when it comes to change… I was not going to let anybody down. It didn’t matter what it was going to take, I wasn’t going to let anybody down, but that didn’t mean we were going to take a bad deal.”

On breaking new news to talent: “I wanted to do it in person, obviously, but we weren’t able to do that. They were the first people I told when we all got on the conference call. The response was great. I had to have them open up the lines so I could just hear people talk, to make it much more casual and informal in the way we are. The great thing is I think everyone is supportive, I think everyone is excited about the potential, and they’re doing that without even knowing how just different it is going to be… I can’t wait for these meetings that we’re having and these conversations that were happening and some of these changes that are going to happen, that these get out and they start to see the support on a different level. So many things. There are a lot of announcements coming. I know sometimes we say stay tuned, but I really mean it, stay tuned. There’s a lot of stuff, a lot of changes.”

On the current talent: “I love this young roster we have right now. Looking back, this is probably the best, freshest group of young talent that we’ve ever had. I can’t say enough good things about him, I have to give credit to John Gaburick, our head of talent relations and television creative. That was a real focus of his, and Spike was very supportive of us taking a step back to take a major step forward in our future, and that is giving a lot of real estate on our show, a lot of television time, to kids who had never seen before. They have the best attitudes and are so great to be around and their work rate is incredible, and they do whatever is asked. They’ve been such a great addition, I think even to challenging the veterans. I love that they are coming in with such a confidence. They want a top spot and they are working really hard to get it. I think there have been some who have made massive strides in such a short period of time, and I don’t ever remember us having that kind of success with new talent in such a short time.”

On Kurt Angle: “I’ve always been very vocal in saying that I want Kurt to retire in TNA. He was our first massive signing. What he’s meant to this company from the very beginning I can’t even put into words. He’s carried the load and led. Obviously, his work rate is off the charts. He brings so much to this company. I want to see him with us for the rest of his career, and when he decides to hang up his boots, I would love to see him on the other side. There are very few brains, the psychology of wrestling, that are as fantastic as his. But I want to see him do some new and exciting things, represent us on different levels, which he’s done a little bit of in the past… He is so ready to get back in that ring. He’s in amazing shape. His head’s on straight. He’s so focussed, he’s so excited. This could be the year of Kurt Angle, it really could be. And he deserves it. He’s had some tough injuries to come back from, but he’s worked very hard and he deserves it.”

Wrestling legend Kurt Angle has revealed to Vince Russo that he will be staying with TNA Impact Wrestling for the final year of his in-ring career.

Angle appeared on Russo’s podcast “The Swerve” over the weekend and spoke about a number of topics, including CM Punk’s podcast, working with Vince McMahon and Dixie Carter and more. After the interview, Russo said he received a direct message on Twitter from Angle, who told him to break the news about his in-ring future.

“Kurt basically tweeted me back today and he said, ‘Vince, it’s still unofficial, but I have no problem telling you or you announcing or you saying on your show that I’m going to go back to work for TNA,'” Russo said.

Angle was featured prominently on TNA’s promotional material for Impact’s move to Destination America next month. He had teased the possibility of “going home” and finishing out his career in WWE, but it the Olympic gold medalist will retire a TNA Superstar.

Hit up Page 2 below to read what Angle said about his experience working for Vince McMahon & Dixie Carter, if his relationship with Triple H was a factor in his final decision, CM Punk’s situation and more.