The TNA Impact Wrestling live event in Cape Giradeau, Missouri on Saturday night turned into a complete disaster when the card had to be drastically altered due to six wrestlers being unable to compete as scheduled.
The Missouri Athletic Commission would not allow Chris Sabin, Garrett Bischoff, Jay Bradley, Wes Brisco, Gail Kim and Miss Tessmacher to work matches because they did not have current licenses to wrestle.
As a result, the event in Cape Giradeau on Saturday night opened with a TNA agent coming out to the ring to announce that the aforementioned six wrestlers would not be wrestling on the show as advertised. Instead, the following card took place across approximately 90 mins in front of 500 fans, with five total matches (three of which featured double-duty performances):
-Bully Ray vs. James Storm
-Devon vs. Gunner
-Samoa Joe vs. Bobby Roode
-Gunner & James Storm vs. Bully Ray & Devon
-Jeff Hardy vs. Kurt Angle
TNA attempted to save face with the fans in attendance by inviting them backstage after the show to meet the stars for free. That too fell apart in a sense, as Jeff Hardy, arguably the biggest star available, charged $20 for a photo and reportedly would not sign autographs.
Wrestling Diva Katarina Waters (formerly Katie Lea Burchill and Winter) was recently interviewed by Robert Krupar of Artofwrestling.cz. Here are some highlights of what she said about:
Her Biggest Influence in Wrestling: Kevin Nash, a.k.a. Big Daddy Cool Diesel, because I was obsessed with him…
If She Would Return to WWE or TNA: Perhaps if it was the right opportunity. I enjoyed myself in both places. I just don’t know if I would want to be quite so restricted again as I would be in WWE.
Her Time at OVW: OVW was some of the best times for me artistically I think. Al Snow is a fantastic trainer and he and Danny Davis who ran the OVW TV show were always open to ideas and stories we came up with, so we had the best opportunity to build characters and learn how to put feuds together.
Her Storyline with Paul Burchill: Well, the “strange relationship” part never really happened so, instead we started having these inter-gender handicap matches which was really fun. We got do put together some really different matches and had a nice little gimmick that set us apart, which was great.
Her Character Winter in TNA: I loved playing that character. She was evil, mysterious… what’s not to like..?
Female Wrestlers Treated Differently Than Men: Obviously they get less coverage and airtime than the men, but I think that is also due to the nature of the business and the demands of the audience. I don’t think that a show that was 50% women’s matches would do as well in a mainstream capacity. So there are less women‘ s matches which is fine, but sometimes people equate that with less important, which is a mistake.
-As previously reported, WWE Superstar The Miz will be hosting this year”s SummerSlam pay-per-view. The following is a video of Miz making the announcement himself at the San Diego Comic Con event this weekend:
-Former TNA star DOC (aka former WWE Superstar Luke Gallows) recently revealed on his official Twitter page that he has a huge announcement coming up in the near future.
-Part-time WWE Superstar Brock Lesnar has been added to three upcoming RAW television lineups. You can officially pencil in Lesnar for the two RAW shows leading up to SummerSlam (August 5th in Green Bay, August 12th in Sacramento) as well as the RAW show the night after the pay-per-view on August 19th in Anaheim.
-Former WWE Diva and recently released TNA Knockout Lisa Marie Varon (aka Tara, aka Victoria) has been teasing fans about preparing for something on Twitter. In her latest tweets, Varon has fans speculating that she’ll return to her old stomping grounds as a WWE Diva in the near future. Fans are assuming this based on Varon’s usage of the following hashtag: “#WhatIsSheGettingReadyFor.” Fans have commented on numerous posts asking if “Victoria” will be making her return to WWE.
-WWE.com has an article up featuring comments from Mark Henry following this week’s SmackDown. On the show, Henry came out to make the save for The Usos, setting up the rumored SummerSlam six-man tag-team match featuring The Shield vs. Henry & The Usos. In the WWE.com article, Henry claimed that it’s time for The Shield to be inducted into the Hall Of Pain.
-The Destination X themed edition of TNA Impact Wrestling on Thursday, July 18th scored a final cable rating of 1.16, according to Nielsen Media Research.
The 7/18 show on Spike TV drew 1.494 million viewers, up from last week’s show.
-The Destination X TV special ranked number seven on cable television in social media activity on Thursday night. The show did a 35,281 social media score.
-The next PPV-special edition of Impact Wrestling will be the “Hardcore Justice” theme, with Bully Ray vs. Chris Sabin in a Steel Cage Match for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. That show will air on August 15th.
Chris Sabin defeated Bully Ray to become the new TNA World Heavyweight Champion at the TNA Destination X themed edition of Impact Wrestling on Spike TV on Thursday evening.
Ray worked over Sabin’s surgically repaired knee throughout the match. The Aces & 8’s came down to interfere, but the new Main Event Mafia also ran down to even up the odds.
With both factions ringside, the referee was bumped after Sabin hit a top-rope missile droplock. Ray is handed a hammer and both factions end up brawling. Ray misses with the hammer and goes for a power bomb, but Sabin takes the hammer and uses it on Ray to pick up the pinfall victory.
Sabin tweeted the following on Friday:
Woke up today with this. It wasn't just a dream, but a dream come true. Thank you everyone for your support! pic.twitter.com/gitz1DXM3I
The following spoiler results come from Brandon Cayton and PWInsider.com:
Explosion:
Eric Young defeated Wes Brisco.
Impact for 7/25/13:
Hernandez vs. Mr. Anderson: Anderson wins with the Mic Check.
Ultimate X match for the X Division Championship: Manik vs. Sonjay Dutt vs. Greg M. – Manik wins in a really fun match. Crowd was behind Manik for most of the match.
Main Event Mafia came out for a promo. They say they are not done with Aces and Eights. They bring out Chris Sabin, who addressed the crowd. He challenged the winner of the Ultimate X match “later tonight” to a match next week in a champion vs. champion match. Bully Ray came out with his attorney to say they are filing a lawsuit if the title isn’t returned to him.
Velvet Sky came out to cut a promo on Mickie James. Mike Johnson doesn’t get her but we sure did. She is staying out for…
Mickie James vs. Gail Kim for the Knockouts Championship: The crowd was behind ODB as she officiated the match. The finish came when Mickie went outside and Gail slapped ODB, only to get rolled up by Mickie when she came back in. After the match, Gail got in ODB’s face and Brooke Hogan came out to remind Gail that ODB is still an active competitor.
Bound for Glory series match: Christopher Daniels beat Samoa Joe after Mr. Anderson came down and distracted Joe.
AJ Styles vs. Jeff Hardy is the main event. Huge pop for Hardy when he comes out. Excellent back and forth match that saw AJ Styles win by submission.
Overall this was a fun show. There was a lot of action and it went by quickly. This was the first show I’ve been to since they came to St. Louis for Lockdown a few years ago.
TNA President Dixie Carter has revealed the new X Division championship belt, which will debut at tonight’s “Destination X” edition of Impact Wrestling:
– Dixie Carter noted on her Twitter account that TNA will be debuting a new X Division belt tonight. She said she will post a picture of it later today.
– Samoa Joe has been doing media appearances today in Louisville, KY to promote tonight’s “Destination X” edition of Impact Wrestling. He appeared on WDRB-TV’s morning show (video) and WHAS-TV’s Great Day Live.
– TNA has released the following footage of Mickie James performing country music live in Nashville last week:
As we’ve been reporting, there have been a lot of issues behind the scenes in TNA in recent weeks. The company has been falling behind making payments to wrestlers, office workers and vendors and several top wrestlers and creative team members leaving.
According to the Wrestling Observer – even Hulk Hogan has been subject to late payments.
As you can imagine, morale in TNA has taken a big hit, with several TNA wrestlers reportedly sending out feelers to WWE officials, through their friends in WWE.
Regarding DOC’s release, there had been plans for him to turn babyface and feud with Mr. Anderson.
D’Lo Brown has confirmed his release from TNA with the following statement via his Twitter account:
“I guess it’s time to address the rumors surrounding me over the last few days. It is true that my employment with TNA has come to an end. I consider myself fortunate to have worked so closely with some of the best up and coming talent in the business. I also had the privilege to work closely with some of the greatest this industry has produced.”
“I can tell you this for sure I will miss sharing a locker room with some of the most genuine men and women (you know who you are) that I have ever been around.”
“I want to say thank you to the many fans that have shown support for me over the years.”
“I will keep everyone updated on what my future plans are.”
“In the meantime all booking inquires should be directed to dlobookings@aol.com or erik@vocnation.com.”
NA’s IMPACT WRESTLING on Spike TV is LIVE TONIGHT in Louisville, KY at the Broadbent Arena at 7:00 pm. This SPECIAL LIVE IMPACT will feature “Destination X” – that night, the spotlight will be on TNA’s high-flying X Division superstars! TNA brings the Destination X epic event to SpikeTV! Watch TNA’s aerial acrobats pull off some of the most insane moves you will see in professional wrestling! X Division stars from the past and present collide – and Bully Ray will defend the World Heavyweight Championship against Chris Sabin! [KBWA-W-4285]
*Times: Doors open: 6:00PM | Showtime: 7:00PM – Tickets are on sale at all Ticketmaster locations, online at www.ticketmaster.com or charge by phone at 800-745-3000.
CLICK HERE TO ORDER TICKETS ONLINE
EXCLUSIVE VIDEO PREVIEW: CLICK HERE
Tonight’s live episode of Impact Wrestling will feature a “Destination X” theme – spotlighting the high-flying stars of TNA’s X-Division. The show takes place from the Broadbent Arena in Louisville, KY.
Here is TNA’s official preview for the show:
– On the huge broadcast, Bully Ray of The Aces and Eights will defend the World Heavyweight Championship against Chris Sabin! Each year, the X Division champion has the option to cash in their gold for a shot at the World Title – and Sabin is prepared for his chance at making history on Thursday night! On the biggest yearly stage for the X Division, can Sabin beat Bully Ray for the World Title on Thursday night in the main event?
– The battle lines are set between the new Main Event Mafia and the Aces and Eights, and all hell will break loose on Thursday LIVE on IMPACT! The fight is on between the two alliances, and the future of TNA hangs in the balance! The war begins on Thursday night between the Mafia and the Aces.
– The “Bound For Glory Series” continues on Thursday’s special IMPACT, as Austin Aries will battle Bobby Roode in a rematch from the Destination X 2012 event! Former tag team partners will collide with BFG Series points up for grabs.
– Plus, Qualifying Matches will take place on Thursday night as X Division stars from the Past, Present and Future battle to determine a NEW X Division Champion.
All this and much more on Thursday’s special Destination X LIVE IMPACT on SpikeTV at 9/8c.
Following up on our reports that TNA is making big changes behind the scenes – we can confirm that both Bruce Prichard and D’Lo Brown are gone from the company
Bruce Prichard has been the Senior Vice President of Talent Relations and Programming since October 2011. D’Lo has been working behind the scenes as an agent since 2009, as one of the top guys with TNA’s developmental and Gut Check programs.
They appeared on Impact Wrestling together as two of the judges in the Gut Check segments, until D’Lo joined forces with the Aces & Eights.
The news comes after several recent high-profile TNA talent departures (including Matt Morgan, Doc, Tara and others) and reports that TNA has been way behind on paying a lot of its people.
COMMENT BELOW and tell us who YOU think TNA should fire as a cost cutting measure.
Here is some additional information regarding several recent TNA releases:
– Former TNA Knockout Tara was released as a cost cutting measure. She was by far the highest paid female wrestler on the roster and the feeling was that TNA would be better off cutting that expense.
– Former Aces & Eights member DOC’s contract negotiations had been underway for a while, but a deal was never finalized. Bruce Prichard, TNA’s head of Creative and Talent Relations, is rumored to be departing as a result of the way DOC’s contract situation was handled.
– As for Rob Van Dam’s release earlier this year, a source in the company says TNA stopped responding to Van Dam’s phone calls and were not using him enough.
More TNA releases, as well as some restructuring of TNA management, are expected in the coming weeks.
According to reports, TNA Sr. Vice President of Programming and Talent Relations, Bruce Prichard, is likely on his way out of the company.
The restructuring within TNA lately has led to a number of talent being released from their contracts or TNA simply allows contracts to expire without renewing them.
Aces & Eights member DOC, formerly Luke Gallows in WWE, is the latest contract to lapse. He tweeted on Monday:
My contract with TNA Wrestling expired July 12th, as of this evening we have officially parted ways. #SUNTANBIKERMAN tours again!!
— “The Big LG” Doc Gallows (@The_BigLG) July 17, 2013
TNA Executive Eric Bischoff wrote this about DOC’s departure from the company:
Prichard was reportedly asked to restructure his deal, and reportedly declined. As a result, it is expected that Prichard’s days with the company are numbered.
Additionally, TNA agents have been asked to restructure their deals to a per-night agreement.
Apparently D’Lo Brown agreed to the new terms, only to be fired by the company shortly after.
Former WWE Superstar Luke Gallows, who has recently performed under the gimmick name “DOC” in TNA Impact Wrestling, has been removed from the official TNA roster page.
Gallows confirmed his TNA release today on his official Twitter account. Gallows wrote:
“My contract with TNA wrestling expired on July 12th, as of this evening we have parted ways. #SUNTANBIKERMAN tours again!!”
Solomonster is on the road in Philadelphia and joined by Noah Mark and Bryan Blade offering Money in the Bank predictions, including a few scenarios for how the All Stars match may play out, plus thoughts on the Wyatt Family debut from Raw and the “Husky Harris” chants, WWE’s new Performance Center, Randy Orton’s divorce, possible WrestleMania host cities, Steve Austin’s latest tease for a match with CM Punk and the unlikely TNA star he put over, Matt Morgan’s TNA release, the awesome Knockouts ladder match on Impact, how you can “spoon” Tammy Sytch and more. Stick around for an important announcement at the end of the show concerning our future.
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The following is a live report from Saturday night’s TNA BaseBrawl live event from Washington, PA. There were approximately 1,200 ticket sold for the show.
– Chris Sabin def. Austin Aries
– Gail Kim def. ODB
– Joseph Park def. DOC
– TNA Tag Team Champions Gunner & James Storm def. Wes Briscoe & Garrett Bischoff
-The Hebner brothers did an autograph signing during the show’s intermission.
ROH Match Maker NIGEL MCGUINNESS just made a HUGE ANNOUNCEMENT at ROH’s Live Event in Milwaukee …. NICK & MATT JACKSON, THE YOUNG BUCKS return to ROH Sat, August 3rd in Toronto, Ontario
The Young Bucks will be part of ROH’s ALL STAR EXTRAVAGANZA V, Saturday, August 3rd, 2013 from the Historic former Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, Ontario. To purchase tickets visit: ROHWrestling.com.
-The following is an updated lineup for next Thursday’s Destination X themed edition of TNA Impact Wrestling on Spike TV:
–Bully Ray vs. Chris Sabin (World Heavyweight Title)
–Main Event Mafia vs. Aces & 8’s (Non-Sanctioned Fight)
–Bobby Roode vs. Austin Aries (Bound For Glory Series Match)
–Qualifying matches will begin to determine a new TNA X-Division Champion
Matt Morgan’s six-year tenure with TNA Wrestling has come to an end as he was granted his release from the organization on Tuesday, according to ProWrestling.net. He requested his release from the company one month ago, which was well known among his colleagues.
Morgan was excluded from the annual Bound for Glory Series and had only appeared on television once in the last month—losing a Four-way Bound for Glory Series Qualifying Match to Magnus on the June 13 episode of Impact Wrestling.
On the April 25 episode of Impact Wrestling, Morgan confronted Hulk Hogan and offered his services to take out the Aces and Eights, in exchange for being named the number one contender for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship at Slammiversary. After having his request denied, Morgan faced Sting the following week in a Number One Contender’s Match for the World Heavyweight Championship, which Sting won after locking Morgan in the Scorpion Deathlock. Morgan subsequently disappeared from television before returning for the Bound for Glory Series Qualifying Match.
Despite repeated vows to capture the TNA World Heavyweight Championship, Morgan’s plan ultimately did not come to fruition. His lone runs with gold were two TNA World Tag Team Championship reigns. He stated in an interview last year of his desire to become World Champion, “Winning the Tag Team Championship is ultra-important and anyone who has those titles should have a lot of pride in wearing them. But at the same time, I got into the pro-wrestling for one reason and that’s to be the top dog and to be the World Champion. I know it sounds like a saying or a catch-phrase but this is what I truly believe. I came out of my mom’s womb a future world’s champion. And I’m sick of waiting.”
Chris Sabin appeared as a guest on the latest edition of Busted Open Radio, hosted by Doug Mortman and Dave LaGreca (Busted Open Radio airs every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. on Sirius 94 and XM 208), where he addressed a number of topics. Highlights from the interview are as follows:
His Triple Threat Match on Impact with Austin Aries and Manik: “Well, yeah it ended up being that way, Sabin vs. Aries thanks to Aces and Eights interfering of course as they usually do. Luckily the Main Event Mafia came out there and kept them at bay so I was able to just be—after they injured TJ or Manik whichever name you want to go by now. After they injured him, and we were able to actually have a wrestling match with no interference, so that was—that was something special to me because it was just a straight up wrestling match. And we got to do it just one on one and you don’t get to see many one on one in the X division nowadays with the three way rule. So it was pretty cool.”
Doing the “Hail Sabin” off the second rope: “Yeah it was reckless. Obviously we beat each other up pretty bad but you know you had to. The stakes were huge, it was for the X division title and Destination X is only a couple weeks away. And whoever has the X division title when that event rolls around can exchange it for a shot at the World Heavyweight Title. So obviously you could see how much it meant to me and Austin in the ring.”
The Triple Threat Match being a possible contender for Match of the Year and people not seeing it because it was on a holiday: “Well I mean if people didn’t get to see it hopefully they got to DVR it or record it or whatever and watch it later. If they can’t then hopefully it at least created some sort of buzz around the show. You know what I mean, that people will want to tune into the feature because hopefully they can see more matches between myself and Aries again.”
Coming back, winning the title, losing the title and then winning again creating the buzz: “I think so too. I think that all the twists and turns makes everything unexpected. It makes you anticipate seeing what’s next. It makes you want to see the show. Yeah I think that just the last couple of months have been really good and I have been really enjoying everything I have been doing.”
If there was ever any doubt that he would be in a position to challenge for the World Heavyweight Title again: “I’ve never been in this position before, really. I’ve never had a World Title shot actually. I’ve been in TNA for over ten years and have never gone for the World Title once. So this is—I’m happy just to be in this position. I’m happy to see that my hard work, everything that all my dedication over the last ten years is starting to pay off.”
– Thursday’s Independence Day edition of TNA Wrestling’s Impact Wrestling scored a 0.78 cable rating, its lowest since Thanksgiving. This figure is down fifteen percent from the prior week’s program, which drew a 0.92 cable rating.
While Thursday’s show was the lowest-rated episode of the year, it was not the least-watched episode of the year. That distinction still belongs to the May 30 show, which bottomed out when the program changed timeslots. Thursday’s show averaged 1,053,000 viewers over the course of two hours, a drop-off of five percent from the week before.
On a positive note, Males 12-34 and Males 18-34 drew six-week highs.
– This week, Robbie E asks Gail Kim three questions for a chance to get on “The List.” However, all she has to do is answer one.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LhQtMEgta4
– According to WrestlingFigs.com, TNA Wrestling road agent Al Snow will appear at Fandomfest Comic and Toy Expo at the Kentucky International Convention Center 221 S 4th St. Louisville, Kentucky and The Galthouse Hotel & Convention Center 140 North Fourth St. Louisville, Kentucky. The event take place July 26-28.
