TNA has added a new “#IMPACT365” video with company president Dixie Carter making an announcement regarding Lockdown. The video, which you can view above, is accompanied by the following description:

After yesterday’s major announcement by MVP of the return of Jeff Hardy, our #IMPACT365 camera just caught up with TNA President Dixie Carter for a reaction.

Lockdown happens on March 9th in Miami, FL Live! on Pay-Per-View. Check with your Pay-Per-View provider for details.

Get your tickets to TNA Lockdown now at ticketmaster.com and get the Full VIP Experience and meet the superstars of IMPACT WRESTLING including Jeff Hardy at Fan Interaction, tickets available at http://shoptna.com/xperience.aspx

– As previously reported, Irish wrestler Prince Devitt attended a TNA live event from Dublin, Ireland last month. Devitt met with TNA officials about the possibility of joining the company, but he was basically just doing them a courtesy with no real intention of working for TNA. If he was to leave New Japan Pro Wrestling, it would only be for WWE, who he’s been courted by.

The Latest On Prince Devitt’s WWE Negotiations

– TNA star Kurt Angle has been in bad physical condition lately. Despite his claims that his health is fine (and being able to put on good TV matches), he was barely able to move around behind the scenes. There was even a photo of him sitting in a wheelchair circulating online last week (view here).

It was recently discovered that Angle has no ACL cartilage left in his knee. Chris Jericho worked with a similar condition several years ago and part of his ACL cartilage eventually grew back.

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

In recent weeks, there have been some suspicions that Vince Russo is once again involved in TNA’s creative process, possibly working as a consultant. Russo was CC’d on some creative e-mails, but several people in TNA denied he was working for the company.

People close to Russo are saying that he’s been following the product again.

TNA is working with Japan’s Wrestle-1 promotion, but Wrestle-1 was adamant that they would not do business with TNA if Russo was involved in any capacity. When they asked TNA about the situation, they reportedly did not get a direct answer.

TNA wrestlers have been talking about the rumors of Russo working for TNA again. Bully Ray and Abyss, who have a lot of seniority in the company and frequently deal witih company management, have told the wrestlers that they know nothing about Russo working for TNA.

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

The following matches are scheduled for tonight’s episode of TNA Impact Wrestling:

*Mr. Anderson vs. Bully Ray in a Casket Match

* Samoa Joe vs. TNA Tag Team Champions The Bromans & Zema Ion in a 2-on-1 handicap match

* The Wolves vs. Bad Influence

* Chris Sabin vs. Velvet Sky

Also appearing are Dixie Carter, MVP, TNA World Champion Magnus, EC 3, Gunner and James Storm.

– TNA announcer Taz has been doing some talent recruiting for TNA, working directly with “Big” John Gaburick.

– Tommy Dreamer is expected to be working regularly as an agent/producer at TNA’s upcoming TV tapings.

– The UK Joker’s Wild 2 PPV will likely air between May and July. The Wrestle-1 pay-per-view that tapes in March from Japan will likely air in August.

– Here are some recent TNA attendance figures:

• February 7th (Battle Creek, Michigan): 400 fans.
• February 8th (DeKalb, Illinois): 750 fans.

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

The following are highlights of a recent Between The Ropes interview with D’Lo Brown:

On whether or not he was open to getting back in the ring while working with TNA Wrestling after not wrestling for four years: “I was open to doing it. I told them I didn’t mind doing it on short stints which was fine with me. I’m the most comfortable in the ring so there was never a nerve issue (of returning to the ring) at all. I was just more worried about could I still perform at the level that I knew I could, that I used to. That was answered pretty quickly. So, from that point on, I had no problems getting back in the ring and having fun.”

On if he realized he missed being in the ring: “Yes. I think it was that match with Kurt Angle, that night in the hotel I was like ‘you know, there’s something about that’. Wrestling’s a weird thing … once you have it in your blood, it may go to sleep for a little while but it wakes right back up. I missed it a lot.”

On being back in the ring with All Japan Pro Wrestling and not working in the United States: “I’ve always had a love affair for Japan. It was a place that gave me creativity to work the way I wanted to and not be constrained. And besides, I’m not going to hold any punches, I’m a little older so most companies in America aren’t even interested in a little older wrestler but in Japan your age is revered. It was a nice, easy place to go to, nice transition and I’m very comfortable with that style. It was easy to fit right back in.”

Check out the complete D’Lo Brown interview at BetweenTheRopes.com.

Former ECW, WWE, and TNA star – and arguably one-half of one of the greatest tag teams of all time – Devon Dudley steps IN THE ROOM with Brady Hicks for over an hour to talk about his historic runs with three major US wrestling companies, his love for professional wrestling, and his legacy as a whole. This is a must-listen for any wrestling fan! Brother Devon is legit one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet.

Topics include the pressure of a big match at WM and his favorite matches with the company … Paul Heyman’s vision for the D-Von character (Mr. T meets Pulp Fiction) … starting riots in ECW … his own singles aspirations and The Dudley Boys’ legacy as a tag team, his pressures as an African American role model … being perceived as the lesser Dudley in the media and competition with his partner … The Dudleys being Vince McMahon’s favorite tag team … what Road Warrior Hawk meant to he and Bubba … and what makes a “great” match. Plus check it out for lots of backstage stories from three major wrestling companies.

You can listen to IN THE ROOM courtesy of the VOC Nation Radio Network on vocnation.com and simulcast on thebradyhicks.com. Thanks, as always, for the support.

Here are some highlights of what he said about:

<b>On First Entering ECW</b>: When I was told I had the chance to be in ECW I was scared to death. That wasn’t normal to get hit with a barbed-wire bat or a chair, going through tables, or dropping the ropes and surrounding it with barbed wire. It wasn’t normal. I thought it was crazy. But I knew in the back of my mind that ECW could be a stepping stone to get to the WWE … What I didn’t visualize happening was falling in love with the company. Falling in love with that style, the same style that I was afraid of. Basically just not wanting to leave. So when the opportunity did come at first for me to go to the WWE … I had cold feet and didn’t want to go because I didn’t want to leave the ECW fans. I didn’t want to leave ECW.

<b>On Being Bubba/Bully’s Close Friend:</b> Can Bubba be a prick? Absolutely. He’ll be the first to tell you himself. He’ll be the first to tell you he’s a jerk. He’ll be the first to tell you that he don’t like people. There are times where we’re traveling together and people will come up to me and talk to me and he will just sit there and he won’t say anything. And they’ll go, “Hey, Bubba. How are you doing?” And he’ll look at me and go, “I just want to know something. Do I have, on my forehead, ‘I’m a nice person’ printed on it? Let me know so I can erase it.” He’ll be the first to tell you he’ll be difficult when he wants to be.

<b>On Devon’s Past and Present Relationship with TNA:</b> I think every company has growing pains. I think TNA is going through that growing pains. [Regarding] my departure from the company, to me it was just time to leave and I have no regrets. I’m very happy with the decision that I have made. I look forward to bigger and better things. [I’m] not saying that TNA wasn’t a good thing, it’s just that everything runs its course … it was time for me to move on. If you’re in a company for too long … ideas and things like that don’t necessarily register. You’re always fighting, trying to get them to understand you and vice versa … In terms of [TNA] being a family, it all depends on who you ask. I experienced good times there. I’ve also experienced bad times … This past August, I did not want to be there. I was ready to move on to the next chapter of my life. I’m not going to say it’s dysfunctional. I just think that it’s growing pains I wish them nothing but the best. I miss them dearly, but not enough to go back.

<b>On Being the Workhorse of The Dudley Boys:</b> I guess a lot of people would say that. You look at all the matches back then and yes and even Bubba would say that. I think that is a fair assessment. Don’t get me wrong, Bubba held his own as well, but when it came to all the other stuff and things of that nature, yeah you could say I was the workhorse of the group. But Bubba had a great mind for the business as well. So I think that’s where we pretty much evened out … I think the reason why we lasted as long as we did is because we knew our jobs, we knew what we had to do, we knew [to] make money, and if it ain’t broke, don’t try to fix it. That was one of the things that we both realized very, very early.

MVP has announced that Jeff Hardy will return at the upcoming Lockdown PPV on March 9th from Miami, Florida.

Hardy’s involvement on the show will be revealed on an upcoming episode of Impact (already taped on the recent European Tour).

Hardy will also be a part of the Fan InterAction event on Saturday March 8 at the Miami Airport Hilton. From ImpactWrestling.com:

Tickets for Fan InterAction are only $129, reduced from the normal $199 for this event only. To celebrate Jeff Hardy’s return, a special bonus has been put together for Hardy fans. Each fan in attendance will receive 5 different Jeff Hardy lithographs at no additional fee. These lithographs have sold in the past un-signed for $20 at ShopTNA but are included in the $129 cost for Fan InterAction. We typically limit fans to only two items signed, but as part of this special bonus Jeff Hardy will sign each of the lithographs – again, at no additional cost. Signed Hardy lithographs are selling for $99 at ShopTNA.

For more information on the Lockdown Fan InterAction event, visit ImpactWrestling.com.

The TNA vs. Wrestle-1 pay-per-view taping that is scheduled for March 2nd in Tokyo, Japan will be called “Outbreak.”

As of right now, the following stars are scheduled to work the show: Magnus, Samoa Joe, Austin Aries, Davey Richards, Eddie Edwards, Bobby Roode, Abyss, Kazarian, Daniels, The Bro Mans, Gail Kim and Madison Rayne.

– Last month, when TNA announced upcoming dates at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida, an unnamed Sunday night pay-per-view was listed for April 27th.

We can now confirm that this show will be TNA Sacrifice. It will be a traditional 3-hour Sunday night live PPV.

– TNA has released the following preview video for Thursday’s episode of Impact Wrestling:

“Watch the SpikeTV preview for Thursday’s IMPACT WRESTLING broadcast on SpikeTV at 9/8c – can TNA President Dixie Carter co-exist with the new investor, MVP? Plus, the final showdown between Bully Ray and Mr. Anderson!”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=y2aFIxy3Wxw

New TNA star MVP recently appeared on the v2 Wrestling Podcast. The following are some highlights from the interview:

On his goals in TNA: “WWE is a spectacular company, and their market saturation and visibility is monstrous, but the most prosperous time during the history of wrestling was during the Monday Night Wars when WWF was going head-to-head with WCW. You had 12 million people a week tuning in to watch wrestling, and the fans benefited as well as the wrestlers. TNA is a smaller company and doesn’t have the outreach and audience that WWE does, but I’d like to try, along with some of the other guys, to move the needle a little bit, and try to create something where fans can go ‘Hey, this is really cool, there’s something going on over here that we can watch as well,’ because I firmly believe that there’s room for two big dogs in the yard.”

On the TNA departures of Hulk Hogan and Sting: “While it’s sad to see them go, it’s also tremendously exciting to see that void filled by new stars who are stepping up and working hard to try to become legends in their own right.”

On Chris Benoit: “When I got signed, we travelled together, we trained together, and he was hugely responsible for my success. Of course, you can’t condone what he did, but I tell people all the time, there’s an issue with mental illness. There’s a stigma attached to it. If someone has cancer, we feel sorry for them, but if somebody has a mental breakdown, we don’t feel the same way. All those negative connotations make people sometimes not want to get help if there’s something going wrong. What Chris did was horrible, it was tragic, but I knew him personally, and I knew that he loved his wife and child, and I had been to that home and I had interacted with them personally.”

On WWE airing Benoit footage on the WWE Network: “I think that’s a good thing, because regardless of what happened out of the ring, he is without question one of the best in-ring technicians that ever existed. So, if you’re a fan of wrestling then you have to be a fan of Chris Benoit the wrestler, and maybe not so much Chris Benoit the tragic murderer.”

Check out the complete MVP interview at v2Journal.com.

– TNA star Samoa Joe recently noted on Twitter that he “cleared the air with Vince Russo over past differences.” Joe tweeted the following:

3 things Glasgow was Grand I own a Cell tower and wifi hotspot Cleared the air with Vince Russo over past differences #Onward&Upward

— Samoa Joe (@SamoaJoe) February 7, 2014

– The following are some recent TNA wrestler interviews and TV appearances:

– There were approximately 200-300 fans in attendance at the TNA live event in Battle Creek, Michigan on Friday night. The following night in DeKaib, Illinois, the TNA live event drew approximately 400 fans.

– TNA star Rockstar Spud was on the latest edition of WrestleTalk TV. The video, which you can see below, is accompanied by the following description: “In this special edition of Wrestle Talk TV “In Profile” Dave Bradshaw delves into the past and present of the man that is Rockstar Spud. An in depth discussion that covers his life before TNA Bootcamp, his current relationship with Marty Scurll, his thoughts on the British Wrestling scene and some word association for Dixie Carter, Magnus and Sting, amongst others! Unmissable insight into TNA’s future!”

http://youtu.be/KKNdh117T-s

The Thursday, February 6th edition of TNA Impact Wrestling on Spike TV scored a final cable rating of 1.24, according to Nielsen Media Research. The 1.24 final draw marks an increase compared to the 1.18 number that the show drew last week.

Thursday’s Impact Wrestling show averaged 1.481 million viewers, which was also an increase from the 1.449 million viewers that the show averaged the previous week.

Impact Wrestling this week finished at number 25 for overall viewers on cable television for Thursday night.

– As noted, TNA founder Jeff Jarrett is the man responsible for establishing the working relationship between TNA and the Wrestle-1 promotion in Japan. Since Jarrett’s departure, word is that “Big” John Gaburick and Bob Ryder are the two that now handle the relationship.

– Former TNA star Kenny King is teasing a return on Twitter. King recently tweeted the following:

Just read a very promising email. It seems your voices have been heard. Hope you’re ready for the #ReturnOfTheKing

— Kenny King (@KennyKingPb2) February 7, 2014

• WWE’s Plans For STING’s Debut, NEW WWE HOF Inductees & RAW *SPOILERS*(Partial Credit: F4WOnline.com)

TNA recently added the following “#IMPACT365” videos to their official YouTube channel.

#IMPACT365: MVP’s advice on money management and investing

http://youtu.be/a_nFnMvGp70

#IMPACT365: MVP’s thoughts on Pro Wrestling and his career

http://youtu.be/MbST80TpLMU

#IMPACT365: MVP talks about his time in prison and how he dealt with it

http://youtu.be/jyQc5r6-fG8

• Another BIG WWE Return Coming, STING’s WWE Debut Info + WMXXX Rumors

– TNA has officially announced the World Heavyweight Title match between Magnus and Samoa Joe as the main event for their upcoming “Lockdown” pay-per-view.

– Speaking of TNA pay-per-views, their “One Night Only: #OldSchool” show, which was taped in December, officially begins airing on pay-per-view starting today. Below is the preview for the show:

http://youtu.be/nY0fzGjVaw0

TNA “investor” MVP recently spoke to TheAmerican.co.uk about his TNA debut, what TNA stars he wants to work with and more. Here are some highlights of what he said about:

Working For TNA Without a Contract:

“I still don’t have a signed contract, our lawyers are working out the last little bit of the deal so I’m here on a handshake. But I expressed to the company, when I did make my debut I wanted to do it on the UK tour.”

What TNA Stars He Wants To Wrestle:

“I made the stipulation very clear, if I were to come to TNA I would absolutely have to work with Kurt Angle, Samoa Joe and Bobby Roode at some point. Those are the guys that are on my list. Fortunately I had my first match with Bobby Roode the other night at Wembley and we had probably about nine minutes, so it was a chance to test the water, I definitely like his style, I like his work. Kurt Angle is a legitimate legend and Joe and I have been friends for a long time, he is a guy I’ve wanted to face for years going back to the Indys. Those are just a few of the guys I’m looking forward to working with, one of the things that attracted me to TNA is the overall roster – they have top tier talent.”

His TNA Theme Song, “Return of the Ronin”:

“For those that don’t know, a Ronin is a Japanese word for masterless samurai and in the wrestling industry that is how I see myself. I serve no master, that is why I have been able to go from WWE to NJPW and TNA.”

– MMA fighter and TNA star Rampage Jackson was interviewed by MMAMania.com. Jackson took issue with people who say pro wrestling is “fake” and said he has a lot of respect for pro wrestlers.

“I really respect those guys. A lot of people hate on pro wrestling. They say ‘that’s fake.’ It’s not really fake. It’s entertainment. It’s not really fake, but if they want to hate on pro wrestlers and call it fake then they shouldn’t watch any action movies at all. Action movies are the fakest things.”

He added that he wouldn’t mind getting hit with steel chairs, however he doesn’t plan on doing anything “crazy” like getting put through tables off the top rope.

– TNA star MVP tweeted the following on Friday morning about TNA’s UK tuor:

A huge thank you to Glasgow, Manchester & my home away from home, London, for the humbling reception! It feels great to be back! #TNA #UK

— MVP (@The305MVP) February 7, 2014

And of course a word of thanks to the TNA family, both talent & crew for the warm welcome. I’m looking forward to working with you. #TNA

— MVP (@The305MVP) February 7, 2014

– TNA star Kurt Angle’s comments about WWE in interviews that were arranged for him to promote TNA events, as well as his recent tweet about Daniel Bryan vs. Randy Orton, are seen within TNA as Angle preparing for life elsewhere once his contract with the company expires this coming fall.

– Apparently Bully Ray is very high on Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards as talents. Ray has reportedly been protective of them when it comes to how they are booked by TNA.

According to one source, the deal between TNA Wrestling and Keiji Mutoh’s Wrestle-1 promotion in Japan could be in jeopardy if the rumors that Vince Russo have returned to TNA are true.

Apparently Wrestle-1 wants nothing to do with Russo due to their belief that Russo is racist against Japanese people because of comments he made, as well as the way he booked Japanese talent while working for WCW and TNA.

– Former TNA Knockout Kharma (Kia Stevens) has apparently lost a ton of weight and has launched a new dieting program. For more information, visit Fit4AllDiet.com.

– The following are some recent TNA attendance figures:

January 29th live event in Dublin, Ireland drew approximately 1,000 fans
January 31st Impact Wrestling taping in Manchester, England drew approximately 2,700 fans
February 1st Impact Wrestling taping in London, England drew approximately 4,000 fans

– According to backstage reports from the recent TNA U.K. tour, changes were being made during the Impact Wrestling television tapings as they were being filmed.

– As of this past weekend, MVP had yet to sign an official contract with TNA. He did, however, reportedly reach a verbal agreement with the company and has a deal in place. According to some, MVP actually debuted for TNA on television without ever signing a contract.

Regarding the rumors of Kurt Angle having a “blow up” backstage with TNA executive “Big” John Gaburick, one person noted that it wasn’t even an argument, and was more along the lines of Angle expressing his confusion over what he felt was senseless booking.

Speaking of Angle, despite his claims that he is not in “bad shape” recently, it was said that he was looking to be in rough physical shape during the recent U.K. tour and could barely move, however when he got in front of the fans, he ignored it and managed to put on consistently good performances.

The recent TNA U.K. tour is considered to be the most grueling tour in the history of the company, but reportedly the best in terms of locker room morale. The general consensus was that everyone seemed to be happy working in front of larger and more receptive crowds.

TNA veteran Samoa Joe reportedly gave an emotional speech during one of the bus rides back to the hotel about how this was the company’s toughest touring schedule, but turned out to be a great tour because they had no prima donnas, no complainers and no whiners. Joe spoke about being proud of everyone who was a part of the tour. The wrestlers themselves were apparently chanting Joe’s name by the time the speech was over.