The following is a quote from a recent Matt Hardy interview on The RCWR Show:

On advice he has for TNA’s creative team: “”The first thing I would say to TNA is with your story telling and the personas and characters you are are telling stories for TV, be sophisticated. Make sure there’s continuity in every story you’re telling because the viewers are more intelligent in 2013 than they’ve ever been. There is so much information accessible to everyone who watches wrestling on TV. You can go online, you can Google anything. You can find out everything. So when you’re on there and you’re portraying a story of these two characters that are wrestling and ultimately it is good vs evil, you know, it is bad vs the hero and in this era of golden TV with shows like Breaking Bad, Walking Dead, Sons of Anarchy, Mad Men, whatever the show is, wrestling repeats are bad which is good storytelling. You have a specific universe. Walking dead, there’s a walking dead universe where zombies live, you know but the show sets up parameters and they give you rules and guidelines and you know kinda what the extent of the cast can be, and everything makes sense. Sure viewers watching it know this is a fictional show but as long as everything makes sense, there is continuity they enjoy it. Because viewers want to be entertained, That translates totally over into the wrestling business and it’s been tied to the wrestling business for so long that it’s just been like—well it’s just wrestling. We can either throw this out or forget about this, lets drop this storyline or lets not let this guy go away, what about the fans? They’ll forget about it, they’ll forget about it. You cannot insult the wrestling fans intelligence because they are smarter now than they were then. So professional wrestling, my advice to TNA would be make your stories as strong as possible and make sure there’s continuity. Don’t insult the viewer’s intelligence.”

Check out the complete interview online at BlogTalkRadio.com.

The following are some quotes from recent interviews with TNA star Kurt Angle:

On working with “Stone Cold” Steve Austin in WWE: “Steve and I had a great chemistry. We both did each other wrong many times. Ultimately, I would say he was one of the best I have seen in my life. He was better than anybody in the ring. Not just his character, but his ability to talk on the microphone with that attitude – he was a complete wrestler.”

On people calling pro wrestling “fake”: “If one calls it fake, then it’s an insult to the commitment of a pro wrestler. It is (an insult if you call it fake). It is rather pre-determined. We both know who the winners are going to be. It is one of the barbaric form of athletics I have done. In that ring, we wrestle on woods like this (points to the table in front). Imagine getting slammed on that. So, we have to learn how to avoid being injured when getting slammed. Pro Wrestling is the toughest I have ever done. I broke my neck four times, broke my arms, legs. I had a great career there and I am proud of it.”

You can check out the complete Angle interviews at DNAIndia.com and NDTV.com.

Ring Rust Radio had New TNA X Division Champion AUSTIN ARIES on the show this week, and it was a great episode with plenty of exclusive content and insight into the star’s TNA and Indy career, his recent title win and so much more. Here are some highlights of what Aries said about:

Winning the X Division Title Again: “Oh, you know, it was a nice little step up for the X Division title. I spoke with the X-Division title last night and he’s really happy to be back around my waist.”

Rebuilding the Title’s Prestige: “My responsibility is to just go out there and do whatever I’m asked to do to the best of my ability, I don’t put any extra pressure on myself. I don’t necessarily get rubs from championships; I’d like to feel the championship gets a rub off of me. So, if being around my waist is something that’s going to make the title become a little more prominent on the television show, then that’s great. Whatever I’m asked to go out there and accomplish I’m going to do to the best of my ability.”

Plans on Cashing in the Title to Become World Champion: “I think that opportunity makes sense, now with the ‘Option C’ stipulation that was implemented a couple of years ago, thanks to yours truly, that’s an option I could have if and when I decide to take advantage of it.”

Winning it Now vs. Three Years Ago: “Well the first time you win it, in some regards, it cements yourself as being at a certain level, a championship level. After doing it a couple times, I don’t want to say its old hat, but you know that’s not the end of the journey. The X Division championship, for me, is just part of the journey and I always have my eyes set on the next goal. And hey, there are all those championship titles that I don’t have around my waist or on my shoulders in TNA then I feel like my journey is never complete. “

TNA’s AJ Styles Storyline: “Well, my opinions don’t really matter because the storyline, for me, is just to entertain the fans and keep them engaged in what’s going on with the company. I will say that any time that you have the opportunity to take the top prize in the company and take it internationally, and maybe compete and defend it in some territories and in front of some sets of fans that don’t normally get to have that honor, I think that’s a great thing for the company. That helps get the brand out there and helps put the product out there. A guy like AJ Styles is obviously a great talent and he’s going to go out there and put on a performance that’s befitting of a man who is the World Champion. So, from that standpoint alone, I don’t see how there could be anything negative coming from AJ taking that belt all over the world and defend it against anybody that wants an opportunity. I know that’s the same mindset I’ve had in my past when I’ve been world champion. Bring ‘em all on, near and far, we don’t like to sit here and pretend that the only wrestling is the wrestling that happens in our universe. There’s professional wrestling going on all over the world and we want to acknowledge it and put our best against their best at any time.”

If Companies Should Focus More on the In-Ring Product: “That’s not really for me to say; ideally I think you have the right blend of both. I talk to a lot of wrestling fans, not only the hardcore wrestling fans who obviously have a voice that they are able to use via social media, via the internet and things like that, but I talk to a lot of mainstream, common wrestling fans. People who may be used to watch it back in the day and kind of get back into it now, and those people value the storylines and the characters as much if not more than the actual in ring competition. I think it’s important that we don’t alienate any type of wrestling fan and we give everybody a little something that they can grab on to and appreciate.”

How Winning the World Title vs. Roode had Changed his Plans/Outlook: “I’ve always been a big believer in myself and that if you give me an opportunity I am going to make the most of it. I was thankful that TNA saw the potential in me and put me in a position to fulfill something like winning the World Heavyweight Championship. For me it was affirmation of all of the hard work I put in, some of the bumps along the road that I had to maneuver, and that was the culmination of it all. I welcome those challenges, I welcome being put in the top spot and the pressure that comes with it, and to be quite honest I would’ve liked to have sunk my teeth into it and journey a little bit more but Jeff Hardy came along and unseated me and now I’m trying to find my way back up to the top of that mountain.”

Turning Heel after Winning the World Title: “You have to understand that there’s decisions that I control and there’s decisions I don’t control and that was a decision that really wasn’t under my control so, in retrospect, I still feel that wasn’t a decision under my control. For me to comment on it any more than that at this point I don’t see any benefit in that. Everything you said was true: the buzz I had around me, the fan support I had around me was organic and something that grew over time and it was authentic. I definitely think that when you have a situation like that, you want to use that to your advantage the most you can. I’ll let everyone else debate whether that happened or not. That being said, it’s going to be tough any time you’re standing in the ring against a guy like Jeff Hardy, who really has such a strong fan base and support, it’s going to be really hard not to divide the fans and make them choose one side or the other and that’s kind of what happened. “

Favorite Match or Rivalry: “In different time periods there’s different answers I suppose. You go back and in my Ring of Honor run and there were memorable matches with Samoa Joe, memorable matches with Bryan Danielson and CM Punk. I really enjoyed my time spent there locking horns with Jimmy Jacobs, who brought a whole different mentality out of me as a performer, I think he’s really underrated in what he does. I’ve always enjoyed my tag wrestling whether it’s been with Roderick Strong or later on with Bobby Roode in TNA. I have an appreciation for a lot of different things that I got the opportunity to do because they all help bring a little something different out of you and I like to be a well-rounded performer and continue to grow.”

Influence Indy Wrestling had on his Career: “When I started this journey, my goal was to say that professional wrestling was my job and luckily there are ways to do that without being signed to one of the major companies. From when I started wrestling till now there’s been a big change in the landscape of wrestling as far as where those opportunities lie. WCW was still going on when I first started in the business and that’s no longer the case. Then you have places like TNA and Ring of Honor which have popped up to give some guys a platform to continue to make money and do this as a job. I think the biggest thing that most guys take who have worked a similar path that I have, which is the independent scene all over the globe, is that you learn how to put on quality performances in front of different sets of eyes and different people because it’s not a one size fits all mentality when it comes to going out there and entertaining. So you have to know who your crowd is and understand different things and different styles of wrestling and what different psychologies work in front of different crowds. It’s one thing that when you see the guys that have gone on to TNA or WWE the guys who have been most successful come from that background because they realize it takes different things to entertain on different nights and they can find out what that formula’s going to be for that evening and they can always go out there and put on a great quality performance.”

Feeling on TNA Coming Back to Orlando: “The one thing is that yeah, we’re taking a lot of our television back to Orlando, but from me taking a glimpse at the schedule for the beginning of next year, we’ve got a lot of live events and actually even more than we had last year. So if that’s any indication then our product is going to be getting out there just as much on the road, just not as much in a television capacity. So I think that’s an important distinction to make and sometimes you have to take a step back in one area and take a step forward in others so I think the company right now is just trying to find the formula that’s going to work and be financially successful and allow us to continue to grow. People get paid to make those decisions, I’m not one of them, so I’m just going to follow along and make the best of things that I can control.”

*SPOILERS* For The Next Several Weeks Of Impact Wrestling

As seen Thursday night on Impact Wrestling, Madison Rayne made her return to TNA Wrestling. Establishing herself as a babyface, the four-time TNA Women’s Knockout Champion saved ODB from an attack from Lei’D Tapa and her former partner in crime, the reigning TNA Women’s Knockout Champion Gail Kim. The 27-year-old is back on the company website’s official roster and has also been talent roster for January’s tour of Europe.

Those scheduled for the tour are Magnus, Rockstar Spud, Kurt Angle, Bobby Roode, Christopher Daniels, Kazarian, Ethan Carter III, Bully Ray, Mr. Anderson, James Storm, Gunner, Samoa Joe, Chris Sabin, Austin Aries, Eric Young, Joseph Park, Robbie E, Jessie Godderz, Zema Ion, Gail Kim, Lei’D Tapa, Velvet Sky, Madison Rayne, ODB and Sam Shaw.

Brooke, Knux and Manik have been pulled from the announced lineup. Other notable admissions include AJ Styles, Jeff Hardy, Sting, Chavo Guerrero and Hernandez.

– Sebastian Guerra, a 21-year-old Puerto Rican-based wrestler (billed at 6’4″ and 290 pounds) who tried out with WWE in August, is expected to tryout for TNA Wrestling sometime next year after being invited due to so by Jeff Jarrett.

“I’m going to go possibly in January,” he remarked to PRWrestling.com. “They searched me and offered it to me. It’s another opportunity. I have nothing to lose.”

– Velvet Sky spoke to Jim Varsallone of The Miami Herald before a recent Impact Wrestling taping in Orlando, Florida. During the interview she addressed leaving the wrestling boots for high heels as the manager of Chris Sabin.

The following are highlights of last night’s episode of Impact Wrestling:

– Austin Aries defeated Chris Sabin to become the new TNA X Division Champion.

– AJ Styles returned to Impact in a serious of segments where Rocktar Spud traveled to Styles’ home in Georgia to reclaim the TNA World Heavyweight title. After a confrontation between the two, Styles still retained possession of the belt.

– Former TNA Knockouts champion Madison Rayne returned.

– Ethan Carter III, Zema Ion, Gunner and Chavo Guerrero captured “Feast or Fired” briefcases in the main event. The contents are a TNA World Title shot, Tag Title shot, X Title shot, or pink slip firing.

– The following matches were set up for next week’s “Final Resolution” edition of Impact:

* TNA World Title Tournament Finals: Magnus vs. Jeff Hardy in a “Dixieland Obstacle Course (Cage Match with Ladders)

* Kurt Angle vs. Bobby Roode (Best of 3 Falls Match)

* Knockouts Champion Gail Kim & Lei’D Tapa vs. ODB & Madison Rayne

*SPOILERS* For The Next Several Weeks Of Impact Wrestling

As far as Sting’s TNA future is concerned, he is advertised to face Ethan Carter III at the TNA live event in Huntsville, Alabama on January 16th, which would be after his current TNA contract expires.

It’s being said that Sting may simply be working a few additional dates with the company to allow them time to properly write him out of the storylines. At the same time, there is a decent possibility that he will sign on for another year with the company under a special agreement that has him working a limited schedule again.

The impression within TNA is that Sting will remain in the company due to the fact that they are booking their future with him in the mix.

Backstage Update On WWE Trying To Sign Sting For WrestleMania XXX

(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

– TNA star Bobby Roode is scheduled to be a guest on TSN’s “Off The Record with Michael Landsberg” in Canada at 5pm on Thursday.

– TNA has announced the following lineups for their non-televised live events in Philadelphia on December 27th and Long Island on December 28th:

Bully Ray vs. Mr. Anderson
Kurt Angle vs. Bobby Roode
The BroMans vs. Eric Young & Joseph Park
Austin Aries vs. Chris Sabin
Lei’D Tapa vs. Velvet Sky
Ethan Carter III vs. ???

The following are highlights from a recent interview with TNA Wrestling tag-team Bad Influence:

On their favorite TNA theme songs of all-time …

Kazarian: “Currently, our song is my favorite because Chris Daniels and I had a lot of input on that. We knew exactly the feel of the song, we knew exactly the rhythm. We knew exactly, exactly what we wanted and Dale OIiver was gracious enough to really hear us out. He’d give us something and we wanted a couple things changed and he changed them for us and the finished product really, really suits our characters. Over the years, there’s been many, many songs that have been either mocked or sung in the locker room or just the rhythm of it, sung along. There’s been some pretty memorable ones like Abyss’s famous one. There’s been so many ones that have stuck with us over the years.”

Daniels: “Yeah, I’m definitely a big fan of our stuff. I’ve been fortunate enough, not just with the current one that I have, but the last two themes that I had with Dale, I talked it out with him and sort of figured out what I wanted to do. The one I had before the one Frankie and I use now, I actually hummed the bars. It was a song that I had sort of come up with myself. I had sort of a theme that I wanted, so I basically called Dale up and hummed the bars over the phone and he played it on his guitar and that ended up being my theme song for a very long time. As far as other people’s stuff, AJ Style’s music has been pretty good as far as sticking with his character. And I was a big fan of D’Angelo Dinero’s music when he had it. I thought it fit his character and it certainly fit his entrance. Also, another one that sticks out, it’s one of those songs that gets an immediate reaction is the former Beautiful Peoples’s/ Velvet Sky’s music. When that hits, people know who’s coming. I think that’s a big factor when it comes to wrestling entrance music, knowing exactly what’s coming. I think that can be said for our music as well.”

On where Kazarian was the first time he did an impression of AJ Styles …

Kazarian: “Probably in the locker room or in a car or in a hotel room. And it was probably years ago. When you spend so much time with someone, you start emulating them, good, bad, or indifferent. We always just kind of crack on each other and AJ’s got that Southern accent, it was easy fodder for Chris and myself. So probably sometime in the early 2000?s in a locker room or a hotel or a car, I couldn’t tell you, man. But I guess just spending so much time with the guy over the years, I just kind of picked it up as a second language, really.”

On Billy Corgan …

Kazarian: “He was at a live event in Chicago this past March. I know Chris and I had a chance to sit down and chat with him and again, such a fan of our business that he actually started up his own promotion, which is doing very well. Billy, like me, his first passion is music and obviously, his second is wrestling. Both worlds are very and he’s done a great job with his promotion and he’s very knowledgeable, very respectful of us, and he’s a huge, huge musician. So that’s really cool for those worlds to mesh again.”

Daniels: “Yeah, he’s definitely somebody that you can talk the history of wrestling with and the stuff that got him involved as a kid. It still effects what he likes to do, what he watches today, and how he runs his promotion. So he’s definitely very knowledgeable about wrestling and you can tell when he’s sitting backstage at our show in Chicago this year, he was watching the show just very interested to see what everybody was doing, how the promos went and how the matches went. He’s definitely someone that has a real appreciation for wrestling.”

On the rumors that Hulk Hogan originally auditioned to be a bass player for Metallica …

Kazarian: “That’s as silly today as it is the first time I heard it. I think he had said something to the effect of Lars wanted him to replace Cliff on bass or to join the band. I can’t take that out of context. (laughs) I read an interview that Lars responded and laughed it off like, “No, that didn’t happen!” I don’t know why Hulk would say that. I mean I know Hulk did play bass, I’ve actually talked to him about that. But that’s about as ludicrous of a rumor as can be, but if it gets people talking about you, whatever. I’m all for it.”

Check out the complete interview online at JourneyOfAFrontman.com.

The following is a spoiler-free preview for tonight’s episode of TNA Impact Wrestling:

– Feast or Fired featuring Samoa Joe, James Storm, Austin Aries, Chris Sabin, Curry Man, Chavo Guerrero, Ethan Carter, Gunner, Hernandez, Zema Ion, Dewey Barnes and Norv Fernum.

– TNA X-Division champion Chris Sabin vs. Austin Aries.

– Gail Kim Open Challenge.

– Joseph Park and Eric Young vs. Bad Influence.

– EC3 in action.

*SPOILERS* For Tonight’s Episode of TNA Impact Wrestling

– In a battle of former TNA World Tag Team Champions, Bad Influence square off against Chavo Guerrero and Hernandez on this week’s edition of TNA Xplosion.

– TNA Wrestling is throwing a Christmas party for fans in the United Kingdom, the company announced on Facebook.

The event will take place in London, England on Sunday, December 22 from 3:00 to 7:00 p.m. with Magnus and Rockstar Spud in attendance. The party is being hosted by Jeremy Borash and will be filmed for broadcast on Challenge TV.

Admission is free but solely limited to those who have purchased tickets for next month’s TNA Maximum Impact VI Tour. Additional details are available here.

As reported over the weekend, AJ Styles will be a free agent on December 16th after he and TNA were unable to come to terms on a new contract.

Of course, it came down to money. As a TNA original, Styles was very frustrated several months ago with the company offering him much less than he’s been making. He signed a short-term contract extension, but TNA’s drastic cost cutting is the root of the problem.

Styles is now taking independent bookings and is reportedly looking for $3,000-4,000 per appearance.

With TNA letting AJ Styles go, there is now a lot of concern in the TNA locker room from other wrestlers whose contracts are coming up soon. The feeling is that if Styles couldn’t get what he was looking for, nobody will.

*SPOILERS* For The Next Several Weeks of TNA Impact (Including AJ’s Final Show)

(Partial Source: PWInsider.com)

– Pro Wrestling Illustrated has named Magnus the “Most Improved Wrestler of the Year” for 2013.

“It’s very kind, and I appreciate the coverage from PWI and the readers,” Magnus remarked on the achievement. “If you thought that 2013 was maybe my breakout year then I’d say 2014 will be my standout year.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1qIKguoKUw

The award, which dates back to 1978, has honored numerous standout wrestlers, including John Cena ten years ago.

– This newly released “#IMPACT365” video goes behind the scenes with Kurt Angle at a commercial shoot for Indian sports channel Sony Six. The only Olympic gold medalist in the history of professional wrestling, as well as TNA Women’s Knockout Champion Gail Kim, are currently in the country promoting TNA Wrestling.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJk5jr0xL8M

One TNA Wrestling star will be “fired” this Thursday on Impact Wrestling as the annual “Feast Or Fired” Match returns.

Four briefcases will hang in the ring; three will contain shots at TNA championships, while the fourth will result in a wrestler being terminated. Samoa Joe, James Storm, Mr. Anderson, Gunner, Chavo Guerrero, Zema Ion and other stars are scheduled to participate in the bout.

Also announced is an X Division Championship match as Chris Sabin will defend his title against Austin Aries. Courtesy of ImpactWrestling.com, the official preview is as follows:

Thursday on IMPACT: The Feast or FIRED match returns, Chris Sabin vs. Austin Aries for the X Title

Preview Thursday’s huge IMPACT WRESTLING broadcast on SpikeTV at 9/8c! If you can’t watch the action on Thursday, make sure to set your DVR!

– The annual “Feast Or Fired” match returns to IMPACT on Thursday night – featuring Samoa Joe, James Storm, Mr. Anderson, Gunner, Chavo Guerrero, Zema Ion and more superstars! Four briefcases will hang in the ring – three will contain shots at TNA World Titles, while the fourth will cost one unlucky superstar their spot on the TNA roster! Who will earn title shots – and who will be FIRED?! Don’t miss the Feast Or Fired match this Thursday on SpikeTV!

– Who will be the next TNA World Heavyweight Champion? The Finals of the World Title Tournament is set for December 19 during “Final Resolution” on SpikeTV as Jeff Hardy will battle Magnus to crown the new titleholder! Tune into Thursday’s IMPACT for the latest on Hardy and Magnus as they prepare for their showdown for the gold!

– Speaking of the World Title, this past week AJ Styles told TNA President Dixie Carter that if she wanted the belt, she would have to come to his home in Georgia to get it! How far will Carter go to get back her intellectual property? Tune in and find out on Thursday night!

– Also on Thursday: The X Division Championship will be on the line as Chris Sabin will defend against Austin Aries, plus who will step up to battle TNA Knockouts Champion Gail Kim in her ongoing open challenge?

All this and much more on Thursday’s IMPACT WRESTLING broadcast on SpikeTV at 9/8c

Former WWE wrestler and commentator Matt Striker says he would love to join TNA Wrestling.

Speaking to OffsetTV, Striker addressed the Nashville-based promotion: “I like wrestling man. So any place that would ask me, to give me the honor of wrestling or work for them in a wrestling company. I have a lot of friends in TNA, a lot. I think TNA has really carved out a place for themselves in wrestling. People give them a bad rap for a lot of things but TNA has a place in wrestling. They have created their own place. Everyone out there is just trying to do WWE. You can’t just do WWE because the WWE does WWE.

“Yeah, I would love to go to TNA in a myriad of capacities be it in-ring, behind the scenes, interviewer, announcer. Absolutely, if that opportunity came up, I’d be there in a heart-beat. I have a lot of friends there and I like wrestling.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMutOTT7kzY

The following are highlights from a recent IconsVsIcons.com interview with TNA star Jeff Hardy:

On memories of music as a kid: “For sure it was my dad playing in his country western/bluegrass band night after night in the basement. My brother and I would go down there and listen to him play songs by Randy Travis and Johnny Cash, along with all kinds of old jams. We really grew up around the country vibe. Later in life, I feel in love with rap and then got turned on to alternative rock. When I discovered alternate rock, like Pearl Jam and Stone Temple Pilots, it really made me love music. Eddie Vedder and Pearl Jam were a huge influence on me. They expanded my world by leaps and bounds. Reading his lyrics was incredible. I remember “Ten” had just come out and I was still into the Vanilla Ice, Public Enemy stuff and the rap scene. My brother Matt had told me about this band Pearl Jam. At first, I thought they were freaks and it was strange but the more I listened and read the lyrics, I really started to relate. More than anyone, Eddie Vedder has been a huge inspiration to me.”

On how he would categorize his new CD, Plurality of Words: “I would definitely categorize it in the category of alternative rock. My stuff, especially “Plurality of Worlds,” has a lot of rap styles in the songs but I would say, overall, it is alternative rock. We are going to start recording the next album in January. I am really looking forward to it. The thing about “Plurality of Worlds” is I am completely locked in my safe zone and now I can experiment with getting out of that safe zone. Honestly, if I can’t get comfortable with being out of my safe zone, I might as well just quit now! I am really confident that vocally and lyrically, will be even better on my part come the next album.”

On goals or expectations he has for the CD: “Honestly, I don’t have any goals at the moment other than to get better. The way the songs make me feel when I hear the professionally produced finished product, it is the best thing ever! Dale Oliver is our producer down in Nashville. He is the main music guy at TNA Wrestling. When I get the finished product from him, it is the best! To be able to share that with the fans and see how they react to it is amazing. It is still in the early stages right now and my fans seem to dig it. “Time & Fate” is my new theme at TNA now. The first verse is a rap I wrote back when I was in the eighth grade. Just to hear that verse every night when I go out and wrestling is amazing. As I am running out, I think “Oh my God, this thing is still alive!” It is so cool to hear it because it originated so long ago! I have notebooks stacked miles high of different writings, so to bring something back to life from all those years ago is really cool. As far as expectations and goals, I just want to get better and I hope the people support me in doing that.”

On possible music videos for songs on the CD: “When it comes to music videos, TNA and I were a little rushed. We wanted to get the music and video out there for the fans before Christmas. For “Every Other Day,” I had written out a long script that would have taken a good day, if not two, to film my vision of the “Every Other Day” video. We just didn’t have enough time to get that done. There is a song on the album called “None of The Time” that I am going to try and shoot all by myself at home. I have this vision and I want to bring it to life. Matt’s wife is an amazing editor. I want to do this video on my own, out of nowhere and pay her to edit it and see how my images come across through the video process and see if TNA will air the video. I think that is going to be very important for me, to try and express what I mean in the song and what I am talking about through a music video. I think the cheaper you can do it and still make it cool, the more impressive it will be. That is my next step, trying to shot a video at my house, all by myself and see how it goes!”

On a possible follow-up CD: “At the moment, the most exciting thing about the new album is that there will be a lot more singing. There is a lot more positive emotion involved. There are three songs we plan on starting with. One is called “Obsolete” and although it still highlights some of the negative, it has catchy chorus. It is a little dark but the way I am going to sing is a bit different from what I have done on “Plurality of Worlds,” where I am kind of rapping/talking. On the upcoming album I plan to sing a lot more and that is what I find most exciting about the project.”

On music he currently listens to: “Yeah. More than any, as far as new bands go, is Imagine Dragons. I caught their performance at the American Music Awards and thought “Holy shit! How do you follow that?” It was awesome. We also saw Pearl Jam about a month ago in Charlotte and they are better than ever! The new album, “Lightning Bolt,” is crazy amazing and the place was packed! But again, as far as new bands, Imagine Dragons is my favorite.”

Check out the complete interview online at IconsVsIcons.com.

Hulk Hogan continues to distance himself from TNA Wrestling following the expiration of his contract in October.

This morning, the legendary wrestler addressed his status with the organization in response to a fan claiming that he is still being advertised for next month’s European tour.

“I’m sorry if TNA is advertising me on the UK tour but I don’t work there anymore and will NOT be on their UK tour,” Hogan wrote on Twitter.

Hogan followed up his statement with the following:

Ok cool the fan were looking at an old advertisement,I knew it must have been a mistake,all good a d I'm sure the tour willkickbuttbrotherHH

— Hulk Hogan (@HulkHogan) December 9, 2013

A TNA spokesperson says that Hogan has never been advertised for the tour. One talent forwarded the only e-mail they had received regarding the tour thus far, which features the following list of talent: Kurt Angle, Bully Ray, Magnus, Bobby Roode, Samoa Joe, Chris Sabin, Austin Aries, Manik, James Storm, Gunner, Gail Kim, Rockstar Spud, Christopher Daniels, Kazarian, Brooke, ODB, Knux, Robbie E and Jessie Godderz.

One TNA wrestler joked of Hogan, “Hulk has some imagination when he has nothing to do. If he and his friends were that creative when he was here, he’d still be there.”

As noted earlier, AJ Styles is not only accepting independent wrestling bookings in 2014, but is looking for regular bookings in the first quarter of 2014. According to reports, the reason for this is that AJ Styles will be officially parting ways with TNA next week.

The current contract that Styles is under with TNA right now is set to expire on December 16th. As of December 17th, AJ Styles will officially be a free agent.

We will have more details on this story on Monday morning.

– TNA star Kurt Angle celebrates his 45th birthday today. The Olympic gold medallist was born on December 9, 1968.

– Speaking of Angle, he was recently interviewed by Business-Standard about TNA’s plans to find talent in India.

“We want to promote wrestling in India,” Angle said. “I think we are going to become successful and the most effective way to promote in India is to see who the next talent from India is.”

Multi-Screen Media CEO Man Jit Singh also spoke about TNA in India.

“There is a huge sports market in India, though it is still dominated by cricket, we see a huge future for wrestling,” said Singh. “We have seen that recently wrestlers and boxers have been winning medals and TNA is a sport of wrestling and entertainment. We will look forward to giving 500 hours of programming each year on Sony Six.”

• Backstage Update On WWE Attempting To Lure Sting Away From TNA

The official YouTube account of TNA Wrestling has released two new “#IMPACT365” videos featuring Bad Influence and Velvet Sky.

In this video, Curry Man goes in search of Christopher Daniels.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snly2NE2KqE

Velvet Sky says she forgives Chris Sabin for his harsh treatment of her.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xACMm5EwCk

ShopTNA.com is celebrating the twelve days of Christmas and for the next twelve days, are giving away one free item with each order on each day. Eric Young explains the offer in this video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96WUeYayulA

– TNA wrestler A.J. Styles is taking independent wrestling bookings through Bill Behrens at showbis@aol.com. Styles is starting to look for regular work in the first quarter of 2014.

– In addition to the quotes we reported earlier today from TNA president Dixie Carter regarding the TNA sale rumors and Billy Corgan rumors, the Tennessean.com article also covers TNA planning 24/7 programming in challenging WWE. You can read the complete article online at Tennessean.com.

The following are highlights from a recent interview with TNA president Dixie Carter:

On rumors of TNA being up for sale: “Since we have been in business going on 12 years now, this has been an ongoing (speculation). Oh, we’re going out of business. We’re not going to make it. Ever since we started, people were taking odds on how long we would last.”

On rumors that Billy Corgan of The Smashing Pumpkins was going to buy the company: “This last time I think a lot of it was perpetuated by a story that Billy Corgan from Smashing Pumpkins was going to buy it. I texted Billy and I said, ‘Oh really, so you’re going to buy my company? Are you excited? That’s cool.’ And he said, ‘Oh, don’t you love rumors.'”

Check out the complete interview online at Tennessean.com.

TNA taped an angle on Wednesday night for the December 26th episode of Impact Wrestling where Jeff Hardy was written out of the storylines.

Hardy told the live crowd that he has wrestled his final match for TNA and then thanked the fans for their years of support.

Complete Spoiler Results For The December 26th Episode of Impact

It’s rumored that Hardy is temporarily being written off television in part because he won’t be attending the upcoming TNA Maximum Impact tour of the UK in late January.

Hardy’s actual TNA contract status is unclear. The former TNA World Champion signed a new deal with the company last January, which was believed to be for two years. It’s possible the second year was optional, which could make him a free agent next month.

– TNA star Kurt Angle is scheduled to appear on the Indian children’s television series, “Baal Veer.” Angle will make the TV appearance while he is in India for the TNA promotional tour. According to a “Times Of India” newspaper article, Angle will be filming a fight scene for the show.

– The next TNA Impact Wrestling television taping is scheduled for January 16, 2014 at the Von Braun Center in Huntsville, Alabama. The show will be a special “Genesis” themed edition with the venue actually being the location of the official TNA debut in 2002.

SESCOOPS.COM reader Lekisha F. Oliver sent along the following:

Cowboy James Storm returns to Lewisburg Saturday

“Cowboy” James Storm has been one of Tennessee’s best wrestling successes.

Having held multiple titles with Impact! wrestling, Storm has been one of those stories that people love to hear. But this Saturday night, Storm will be returning to the area at All-Star Wrestling in Lewisburg, Tennessee, to take care of a problem.

“The Superstar” Mikey Dunn has been running rampant at ASW and now Storm will be coming to Lewisburg to give Mikey Dunn an attitude adjustment. While Dunn has been very vocal at the House of Pain, Storm went to youtube with his response.

“Hey Mikey Dunn, if you don’t recognize the voice, it’s James Storm from Impact! Wrestling! Come December 7th, I’m coming down to Lewisburg, Tennessee, and I’m going to teach you a little lesson cause my good friend Chandler told me you have been mistreating people and you’ve been thinking that you’re better than anyone else. Well, let me tell you something son, I came from the same place that you’re wrestling in. I’ve wrestled in Columbia; I’ve wrestled in Lewisburg; and I’ve never acted like I was any better than anyone else. So Chandler has told me he’d give me some compensation to come down there and kick your butt, but I told him he wouldn’t have to do that, but he said it was for my time to come down there. So December 7th, Mikey Dunn, lace your boots up, brother, real tight, cause this butt-whoopin’ is going to hurt a little bit. Sorry about your damn luck!”

So this weekend, Mikey Dunn will be facing off against “Cowboy” James Storm! Will Storm be able to finally shut Dunn up and keep peace at ASW?

Also announced for Saturday night, ASW’s Heavyweight Champion Jeremiah Plunkett will be defending the title against “The Sharp Dressed Man” Lawrence. The Morton brothers will be teaming up when Shane and Steve Morton will face off against The Great Mephisto and Forsaken with Lucifer. Larry Cooter will be in singles action against Drew Haskins. “The Honeybadger” Mark Dunnavant will face off against The Masked Superstar.

Card is subject to change.

ASW Wrestling is located at the House of Pain at 2244 Mooresville Highway in Lewisburg, Tennessee. Tickets are $10 and are available at the door.

Doors will open at 6:00 p.m. with bell time at 8:00 p.m.

For more information, visit ASW on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/aswwrestling.