This Thursday marks a new era for TNA, as Impact Wrestling finally hits the road with a live episode from the Sears Centre Arena in Chicago, Illinois. TNA will be taping two weeks of Impact on Thursday night and will be in a different city every two weeks. It’s a move that’s long overdue that will benefit both the TNA roster and wrestling fans across the country.

Hit up the comments below and tell us what you think about TNA taking Impact on the road. Will it help them grow? Are you a fan that doesn’t normally watch Impact every week – but will give the show a chance this week?

Here is TNA’s official preview for the show:

This Thursday, March 14, “IMPACT WRESTLING” will be LIVE on SpikeTV as we return to Chicago and the Sears Centre Arena on March 14.  Chicago’s Sears Centre Arena was home to “Bound For Glory 2008” setting, at the time, the highest TNA attendance record.

– Thursday’s huge IMPACT will feature the aftermath of the Lockdown event! Tune in for footage and news as the fallout continues on SpikeTV!

– Not only did Bully Ray win the World Heavyweight Championship in the main event at Lockdown, but he shocked the wrestling world by revealing he was the President of the Aces and 8s all along! The new World Champion – along with his Aces and 8s – will be at Thursday’s LIVE IMPACT! How will Hulk Hogan and his daughter Brooke react to what happened? Will Bully Ray and The Aces have hell to pay on Thursday – or are they about to completely dominate TNA and IMPACT WRESTLING?

– Team TNA was triumphant in the Lethal Lockdown match, as Sting led his warriors in a win over The Aces and 8s – but with Bully Ray now champion, the Aces are stronger than ever!

– Plus, Thursday’s LIVE IMPACT will feature the return of AJ Styles! The question is, what will AJ say to the wrestling world after his recent disappearance? What does his future hold – and what is the story behind the recent footage captured by TNA cameras?

TNA star Kurt Angle was recently interviewed by ChicagoNow.com to promote Thursday’s live edition of Impact Wrestling from the Windy City. Here are some highlights of what Angle said about:

Where TNA Will Be In 5 Years: It continues to grow no doubt worldwide. We are on the road for good and we are taking little steps to improve the overall product. I believe in 5 years if things are done right we could be competing with the monster (WWE). They have amazing programming and Vince McMahon has done wonders for his product. I have been in Impact Wrestling for 7 years and I thought by now we would be up in the ratings. I believe that’s going to take a little more time.

Retirement: I might be involved in some way but not in the ring. I might have a part time schedule where I do some selected shows, which I can handle. If I decide to do that I won’t announce my retirement. But I’m going to give TNA the next 3 years of my absolute best and see what happens.

He also spoke about the International Olympic Committee’s decision to pull wrestling from the 2020 Olympic games, the Attitude Era and more.

• KURT ANGLE Talks Trash About CM PUNK: “NOT The Best In The World”

Kayfabe Wrestling Radio
Hosted by Alan Wojcik
Listen Live on Tuesday Nights 9pm ET on Wildtalkradio.com

Former WWE, ECW and TNA star and in his first public interview since his departure from TNA “The Pope” Elijah Burke joined Kayfabe Wrestling Radio Tuesday Night. In a nearly 45 minute interview, he discussed his ‘Pope’ character in WWE and what it almost was, what he’d do to the Pope Mobile if elected by the cardinals, how the Pope character came about in TNA, the person he had the most fun in ring with, what he thought of Bischoff and Hogan coming into TNA, his appearances on Ghost Hunters and in Django Unchained and The Dark Knight Rises, his amateur boxing career and if any of that made its way into the ring, performing at WrestleMania within his first two years in the business and much more.

Listen To Elijah Burke On Kayfabe Wrestling Radio Here (.MP3)

Here are some highlights of what Elijah Burke said about:

How the Pope character was planned to have looked like in WWE: “That’s why the Pope in TNA looked the way it did. When the Pope idea originally surfaced in the WWE, that’s what they wanted; you know, the plan was to have the Pope in a big hat and a staff and all that other stuff but much like with everything in today’s world, you have to modernize it and you can’t stay where you once were. You just kind of have to move forward, you kind of have to tweak things and that’s what I wanted to do with the Pope character; I wanted to make it something different and something unique. I didn’t want to come out in a big hat and I didn’t want to come out with a staff. But Daddy, if the Pope was selected today to be the official bishop of Rome, then a lot of things would change and the first thing I’d do to the Popemobile is put some spinners on it, put some tinted windows on there and put two chicks on each side of me.”

Who creatively came up with the character of ‘The Pope’ in TNA: “Everything that you saw about the Pope, and notice I said the Pope and not D’Angelo Dinero; everything you saw about the Pope was Elijah Burke. It was Elijah Burke turned up, it was something I wanted to bring to the table during my last days with the WWE and it just didn’t pan out so when I got into TNA and we had our creative talks and whatnot, they were going to debut me as Elijah Burke. They were going to bring me in under my regular name of Elijah Burke and I told Russo ‘Hey Russo, I want to do… here’s my Pope character and if you guys like it, it’s what I want to do’. So, basically it was me and Russo and I showed Russo this 5-minute vignette that I can’t for the life of me figure out what I did with it, maybe they kept it. But I did that; I showed Russo, he went into the office, came back out and was like ‘Holy crap, bro, I’m telling you; forget Elijah Burke. You have to do this character. You have to do it; I already have the perfect name for it: D’Angelo Dinero, Money man. Cause that’s what the Pope is, Money.’ And that’s what we went with.”

Who he enjoyed working with the best in TNA: “The most fun I had in the ring in TNA was with AJ Styles. But, on a scientific wrestling level, I loved working with Wolfie (Nigel McGuinness aka Desmond Wolfe in TNA); I call him Wolfie. By Desmond was very unique and so I really did enjoy working with him, and personally and professionally I just enjoyed him; we didn’t have much time outside of the ring together or anything like that but, man, when I found out that I was working him, it was essentially a night. It was fun and it was a learning experience because he was so crafty and his background and what he did; where he came from and his unique wrestling ability, and bringing in the English style, it was something I didn’t get a lot of coming up in this business. I didn’t work a lot of people who had that style, so for me to blend in my in-your-face boxing style, you know the brawling/boxing style with what he does; it was great. I enjoyed it. I was sad when his time was up; I thought me and him should have had a lot more great matches and feuds, but that didn’t happen. But I enjoyed the time I had with him.”

His feelings of Hogan and Bischoff coming into TNA: “Well, you don’t have to use other folks to explain my comments because I’m going to give you what I feel regardless. I do think Bischoff and Hogan coming into the company did what it was supposed to do, and that was to, whether it was negative or positive, it was to bring more attention to the product and when you look at the overall issue, the underlying issue and overall factor, the matter is they did just that. If people are talking about TNA, and regardless of how negatively they talk about the company or how positively they talk about it, they’re still talking about it and in order to bash, and I’m not with TNA so I could care less about trying to be political, but in order to bash TNA, you have to watch TNA. So, as long as you are watching, I guess that’s all that really matters. I mean, people complain all the time; People complain about Monday Night RAW all the time, but guess what, in order to complain they have to watch. SO, as long as you’re watching, Vince McMahon will say ‘I’m going to feed you what you want and you’re going to like it.’ And he said that on TV, and guess what; people keep coming back. So, it is what it is on that issue.”

His WrestleMania match with the New Breed vs the ECW Originals: “I remember the match, obviously, I can’t forget it because it was my first WrestleMania appearance; I did appear at WrestleMania 24, but that was in the battle royale they happened to put on the pre-show and I believe that was going to be a part of the pay per view itself, to have the winner face the (ECW) Champion, which was Chavo Guerrero at the time. But I hate to say that match doesn’t matter, work wise the match means a lot because it was WrestleMania nut we didn’t get a chance to do what we wanted to do or even have time to do anything with 8 guys. But it’s the match that happened on ECW following WrestleMania, on ECW’s telecast, where we had the Extreme Rules match, you know the Old School vs the New Breed. It’s that match that I think all of us are really, really proud of, everybody that participated in that match. I mean, that was when Sabu took the head first through the table from the Elijah Express and tore his neck up. But I think that’s the match we are all proud of because we were able to go out, and it was the main event, and truly work the way we wanted to at WrestleMania. So, we were very proud of that, I think. I know I am.

But for all of us to make it on WrestleMania, we’re extremely proud of that because it’s a milestone and it’s everyone’s goal, well it should be everyone’s goal in this business, to appear or be a part of WrestleMania. I don’t care who you are, if you haven’t made a WrestleMania, you haven’t really lived as a wrestler; that’s the ultimate goal.”

You can follow Elijah “The Pope” on Twitter (@DaBlackPope), through his Facebook (www.facebook.com/elijahburke) or though his homepage (www.theelijahexperience.com) for the latest information on The Pope and his upcoming events, including Pope TV. You can also see Elijah at Pro Wrestling Syndicate’s show on April 4th from Metuchen, NJ where he will face off against fellow ECW and WWE Superstar John Morrison; go to the PWS homepage (bedofnailz.com) for ticketing information, roster of talent involved and possibly internet viewing of the event.

Wild Talk Radio Network was founded in 2008 by Tim Stein and is the home of such programs as Wrestle Talk Radio (Sundays 10 pm ET/7 pm PT), RAW Post Show (Mondays 11:30 pm ET/8:30 pm PT), Kayfabe Wrestling Radio (Tuesdays 9 pm ET/6 pm PT), Just Another Goddamn Rasslin Show (Wednesdays 8:30 ET/5:30 pm PT), The Rack (11 pm ET/8 pm PT) and CB Radio (12 am ET/9 pm PT) The Wild Talk Radio Network offers a wide range of programming that covers Professional Wrestling, Video Games, Movies, Sports & Entertainment. Log on daily for new content at www.wildtalkradio.com

– TNA has released a two-minute video preview for the upcoming X Division-themed “One Night Only” PPV, which premieres on Friday, April 5:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Z_2Z15eYr5U

– Here’s the latest episode of “The List” starring Robbie E. with his guest, Eric Young:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=vuChYXoa1wM

TNA has released the following video of Brooke Hogan’s reaction to Bully Ray’s betrayal at Sunday’s TNA Lockdown pay-per-view:

– TNA’s Vice President of Public Relations, Jules Wortman, has been let go from the company, according to PWInsider.com. The departure comes just weeks after another high ranking member of TNA’s PR team, Chris Thomas, left as well.

– TNA announced that tickets are still available for Thursday’s live Impact from Chicago.

– Eric Bischoff noted on Twitter that he’ll be visiting TNA Knockout Tara’s pizza restaurant in Chicago today.

– The following matches have been announced for TNA’s 4/5 WrestleMania weekend live event from Westbury, Long Island:

• Sting & Jeff Hardy vs. Bully Ray & Devon
• Bobby Roode vs. James Storm (New York Street Fight)
• Christopher Daniels vs. Samoa Joe
• Kurt Angle vs. Wes Brisco
• Joseph Park vs. Robbie E

Hulk Hogan will also be there and will announce a stipulation for the tag team main event at the show.

• TNA’s Internal Reaction To Last Weekend’s LOCKDOWN PPV

TMZ.com reports that Hulk Hogan among the celebrities whose bank account information and social security number have been hacked and posted online.

Other victims include United States First Lady Michelle Obama, Jay-Z, Beyonce, Kim Kardashian, Donald Trump, Ashton Kutcher, Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden and Mel Gibson.

The FBI is now involved and has told the celebrities to contact their banks immediately. They have also released a statement saying that they’ve known about the hacks before they were made public on TMZ.com.

• Photos Of Shaul GuerreroShowing Off Her Tattoos In Inked Magazine

– TNA issued the following press release today:

TNA WRESTLING CELEBRATES ‘SLAMMIVERSARY XI’ IN BOSTON
‘THE IMMORTAL’ HULK HOGAN, ‘THE ICON’ STING, BULLY RAY, JEFF HARDY, KURT ANGLE, VELVET SKY AND MORE MARK COMPANY’S 11th ANNIVERSARY AT AGGANIS ARENA

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (March 11, 2013) – TNA Wrestling brings its high-impact brand of professional wrestling to Boston for the very first time with SLAMMIVERSARY XI, a live Pay-Per-View event celebrating the company’s 11th anniversary.

SLAMMIVERSARY XI emanates live from Agganis Arena on the campus of Boston University Sunday, June 2 at 8 p.m. Eastern/7 p.m. Central. Tickets for SLAMMIVERSARY XI go on sale Friday, March 29 at 10 a.m. ET through the Agganis Arena box office, all Ticketmaster locations, online at www.ticketmaster.com or charge by phone at (800) 745-3000.

“SLAMMIVERSARY XI is our biggest show of the summer, and we’re so excited to bring it to Boston for the very first time,” said TNA Entertainment President Dixie Carter. “The Northeast has such a great connection to the world of professional wrestling, and we can’t wait to showcase the IMPACT WRESTLING Superstars to this audience, not to mention celebrate our company’s 11th anniversary.”

IMPACT WRESTLING stars including “The Immortal” HULK HOGAN, “The Icon” STING, current TNA World Heavyweight Champion BULLY RAY, Olympic Gold Medalist KURT ANGLE, “The Charismatic Enigma” JEFF HARDY, X-DIVISION standouts such as current X-Division Champion KENNY KING and ZEMA ION, plus Knockouts Division Champion VELVET SKY and the lovely and lethal Knockouts, are among those expected to appear at SLAMMIVERSARY XI.

Fans also have an opportunity to see their favorite TNA stars up close and personal at “TNA SLAMMIVERSARY Fan InterAction” Saturday, June 1. Also, TNA will be offering a limited number of travel packages including lodging and tickets to SLAMMIVERSARY. More details are available at www.ShopTNA.com.

Fans can witness TNA’s best every week on IMPACT WRESTLING airing every Thursday night on Spike, 8 p.m. Eastern/7 p.m. Central.

DOWNLOAD THE PODCAST HERE:
Solomonster Sounds Off (Episode 264)
*right-click, “Save As”, or stream it!

Est. Runtime: 1 hour, 36 minutes

Solomonster remembers the late Paul Bearer and has some late breaking TNA news:

-Thoughts on the life and career of Paul Bearer, including a possible HOF induction this year
-Old School Raw, great Rock/Cena segment and what needs to change with the legends (33:35)
-Rumored NXT University and physical HOF could be tied in with Orlando bid for Mania (51:30)
-TNA Lockdown predictions and latest on Bobby Roode and RVD contract rumors (55:00)
-Bret Hart says AJ Styles should go to WWE and not “waste his life” in TNA (1:15:30)
-Why WWE shouldn’t cut Rey Mysterio loose and why it’s an insane idea (1:23:45)
-Should Undertaker be turned heel for a match with John Cena at next year’s Mania? (1:25:40)

Want your question on the air? Send feedback to THESOLOMONSTER@gmail.com.

Wanna subscribe to the Sound Off via iTunes? CLICK HERE!

Visit The Solomonster on Twitter @ twitter.com/solomonster

Friend The Solomonster on Facebook @ facebook.com/thesolomonster

Subscribe to The Solomonster on YouTube @ TheSolomonster

Solomonster Sounds Off by The Solomonster is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

In the first episode of Wrestle Talk TV season two, Joel Ross, Patrick Lennon and Francesca Wood kick things off with a bang as they present “The Immortal” Hulk Hogan as the seasons first huge guest. The episode also features a hugely controversial interview segment from Bret “The Hitman” Hart, which has never been seen.

Plus there are appearances from Rob Van Dam, Jerry Lynn, James Storm, El Generico, Kaz and Daniels, Velvet Sky, Hernandez and Fergal Devitt, along with this weeks debate over “The Rock” being WWE Champion. There is also a run down of some of the biggest news stories this week and much more.

Here’s the video – the Hogan interview begins around the 12:35 mark:

Devon from Aces and Eights joined Inside The Ropes this past Thursday to talk about Lockdown, here are some of the highlights:

WWF breaking up the Dudley Boyz in 2002:

“At that point we weren’t ready for it, even though Vince wanted us to do it because he saw me doin’ something and he saw Bubba doin’ something. I remember when we were told about it, I wasn’t too happy about it and neither was he. We both thought it was the wrong time to do it, and it was, because we didn’t make it as singles competitors and I think that hurt us, because when that happened and that flopped, people just thought “Oh the Dudley Boyz couldn’t do it on their own” and that bothered me for many, many years. which is why it was so important that when we separated in TNA, because here we come to TNA, we conquer there, we do excellent in Japan, and helped put TNA on the map, we were ecstatic about that. Once we were done, and we knew we’d won the NWA tag titles, the TNA tag titles, so successful in Japan, we found there was nothing left for us to do. Now you look back at that moment in 2002, there was still a lot for us to do. We were growing and still learning at that particular point in time, but then you move forward to TNA, here we go, it’s the opportunity of a lifetime, now we can prove to those who said the Dudleyz couldn’t do it by themselves, to prove them wrong. Bully Ray’s doing what he’s doing and now with the whole Aces and Eights thing, everything has a time and place, you’ve got to know when that time is. 2002 wasn’t the time to break the Dudley Boyz up and I don’t think people understood that, it wasn’t that we couldn’t do it on our own, it just wasn’t the right time. But now, I’m in Aces and Eights and he’s marrying Brooke with Hulk as his father in law, and we’re both experiencing success.”

What really happened when he left TNA last summer:

“We couldn’t come to an agreement on a contract. A similar thing happened with WWE in 2005. Bubba were doing things separate at the time, normally we did our contracts together but at this particular point in time we did it separate. That’s basically what it was, we couldn’t come to an agreement. I held no ill will towards the company, I just knew what I had to do to make my family survive, it’s getting close to winding this thing down and you’ve gotta look out for your best interests. We just couldn’t agree financially. Everyone thought it was part of an angle that was being done, but it really wasn’t, I was gone. When I made that announcement, I was gone, I was not coming back. Then a new offer came in two months later and again it was something where I wasn’t looking to come back but now with the whole thing with Aces and Eights, you know, I love it. It’s something I never thought I’d get involved with until they came to me with it. I’m just happy.”

Will Devon and Bully Ray ever be on the same side again:

“Absolutely not. I don’t want the Dudley Boyz or Team 3D, I don’t want it. As far as I’m concerned it’s dead and over. This has nothing personally to do with Bubba and I. Listen, I’ve waited over 15 years to be in this position, I’m not moving backwards, I’m moving forward. I hope he feels the same. People say “Oh guys, you should be like KISS and do it one more time” I don’t want one more time. I’m not being selfish, I’m not being egotistical but there’s nothing left for us to do. For us to be together again or on the same page….Edge and Christian, The Hardyz went their own way, it’s time for us to go our own way. ECW, we accomplished, WWF and WWE, we accomplished. TNA, we accomplished. All Japan, New Japan, Hustle. We’ve done everything there is to do. Maybe we’ll be on the same page 20 years from now at the Hall of Fame when we’re inducted but that’s about it. Some of the fans, they’ve gotta let it go, they’ve gotta let ECW go and let the Dudleyz go.”

What to expect this Sunday at Lockdown:

“You’re gonna see Sting get his ass whooped and his team mates, whoever feels they wanna take on Aces and Eights. We’re gonna go out there, we’re gonna rule just like we always do, just like we did in 2012 and 2013. There isn’t anyone out there that can stop the total domination of Aces and Eights. We’ll rule today, tomorrow and we’ll rule in the future. Lockdown is gonna turn out just like Bound For Glory, where Aces and Eights outsmart TNA and doing whatever it takes to get a victory over TNA and their team.”

To hear the full interview where Devon talks about riots in ECW, TLC matches with Edge & Christian and more, head to Facebook.com/theinsidenetwork.

– TNA President Dixie Carter has announced that Slammiversary will take place on June 2nd from Boston, Massachusetts. The pay-per-view will be held at the Agganis Arena on the campus of Boston University.

– TNA has released the following opening video for tonight’s Lockdown PPV:

– Thursday’s 3/7 episode of TNA Impact Wrestling, the final show at the Impact Zone before they hit the road next week, drew a 1.13 rating, even with 1.14 the week before. The show averaged 1.43 million viewers and was ranked #33 on cable for the night.

– Jeremy Borash posted the following video of what happened at the Impact Zone after the final weekly Impact from Orlando went off the air:

TNA issued the following press release:

IMPACT WRESTLING ANNOUNCES THREE NEW DESTINATIONS FOR LIVE TELEVISION EVENTS

THE SUPERSTARS OF TNA IMPACT WRESTLING INVADE INDIANA, PA.; TUPELO, MISS. AND TAMPA, FLA. TO FILL OUT LIVE TV ON THE ROAD SCHEDULE THROUGH MAY

NASHVILLE, TENN. (March 7, 2013) — IMPACT WRESTLING, TNA Entertainment’s flagship television show seen Thursdays at 8 p.m. Eastern/7 p.m. Central on Spike TV, has announced three new locations for its live TV tapings in April and May.

TNA President Dixie Carter announced the new THURSDAY NIGHT IMPACT WRESTLING LIVE destinations during IMPACT WRESTLING’s final scheduled IMPACT Zone appearance in Orlando before the show goes on the road beginning next Thursday, March 14 in Chicago.

Newly added to THURSDAY NIGHT IMPACT WRESTLING LIVE’s travel

– Thursday, April 25 at Kovalchick Convention and Athletic Complex in Indiana, Pa. (Tickets on sale March 29, more info at www.kovalchickcomplex.com)

– Thursday, May 9 at BancorpSouth Arena in Tupelo, Miss. (Tickets on sale April 5, more info at www.bcsarena.com)

– Thursday, May 23 at USF Sun Dome in Tampa, Fla. (Tickets on sale April 26, more info at www.sundomearena.com)

“The Immortal” Hulk Hogan and “The Icon” Sting lead IMPACT WRESTLING superstars such as Bully Ray, “The Charismatic Enigma” Jeff Hardy, “The Cowboy” James Storm, Austin Aries, X Division standouts Kenny King and Zema Ion, Velvet Sky and the lovely and lethal Knockouts, as part of the THURSDAY NIGHT IMPACT WRESTLING LIVE events.

For more information on IMPACT WRESTLING, visit www.IMPACTWRESTLING.com.

We encourage you to follow us on Twitter @IMPACTWRESTLING, @TNADixie and @TNAPR and on Facebook at www.fb.com/IMPACTWRESTLING for our latest social news.

* BRET HART Trashes TNA (“Bush League”) & Calls Hogan/Bischoff Incompetent

Former multi-time X-Division Champion, multi-time Tag Team Champion and one half of “Bad Influence” ‘The Physical Fascination’ Frankie Kazarian joined “2012 Award Winning Best New Show” the Rack Thursday Night. In a nearly 20 minute interview, he discussed his upcoming three-way tag team championship match this weekend at the Lockdown PPV, what his favorite Lockdown memory is, if being part of Bad Influence is the most fun he’s had in wrestling, TNA going on the road and where he might want to go in the future, if he has a fond memory of the Impact Zone, his thoughts on the One Night Only events, his love for comics and comic fans including Spiderman and Iron Man, his feelings on the ‘imposter’ team of Roode and Aries, if he has his sights set on singles gold in the future and more.

If they are looking forward to this weekend’s Lockdown PPV: “Of course, because we get the chance to become the World Tag Team Champions of the World for the third time, which we’re going to do and we’re going to do it on one of the biggest stages that Impact showcases every year and that’s Lockdown, this time in San Antonio. So, of course we’re psyched because we’re going to be there and, spoiler alert, it’s going to be great. “

His favorite Lockdown memory: “Lockdown, to be honest, is not one of my favorite PPVs simply because it is a very brutal Pay-Per-View in the past. Anytime you are in a steel cage environment, it presents a lot of dangers and I’ve done a lot of different types of matches: I’ve done X-Division Escape style matches and I’ve done numerous Lethal Lockdown matches. I don’t know if I have a favorite, but the year that Fortune defeated Immortal, which I believe is 2011 at Lockdown, was a very successful year for Fortune as a group and individually and it was a great way to close out the show that night and bring an end to that feud, so I guess I’d have to go with that one. Coincidentally, it was right when Christopher Daniels returned to the company so it was great to have him back.”

If being in ‘Bad Influence’ is the most fun he’s ever had: “Oh, absolutely; it’s F-U-N and what you see is what you get, you know? The good thing is it’s just us being us, it’s not us just trying to pretend or play somebody else; it’s just us being us. Everything we say, everything we do comes from our heads and we’ve been given a lot more creative freedom than in the past, which is awesome and we’re both very grateful for. Yeah, we’re absolutely having fun and it’s great to be doing this with Chris because I’ve known him the better part of 15 years and we’ve been very, very good friends; he’s been my best friend outside of the business so we obviously have a chemistry inside of the ring as well. Individually, we’ve both had a lot of success in TNA and now collectively, so it’s awesome and it’s a lot of fun. We always try to outdo whatever we’ve done in the past; we always try to one-up each other and I’ll be honest, he’s hard to keep up with. He’s so quick witted on the mic and in the ring, he can do such incredible things that I’m always trying to stay on an even keel with him, and even go a little above. But it’s awesome; I’m definitely having one of the funnest times in my career right now.”

What he thinks about TNA going on the road for Impact starting next week: “Psyched. You know, being a guy that’s been here since day one, that was one of the goals, one of the huge, way far down the road goals that we had set out when we just a little tiny company, struggling every week in the Fairgrounds in Nashville at the Asylum. That was one of the ‘Wow, wouldn’t that be great if we had a television show?’ and then ‘Wouldn’t it be great if we had a weekly television show in primetime?’ and then it was ‘Wouldn’t it be great if we were on the road?’. That’s where we are right now, this dream has become a reality; not just for the company but us as individuals and us as performers. So I’m psyched! Nervous? Not at all, just psyched; just really, really excited to bring our brand of pro wrestling to the people and just to give them an alternative, you know?

These people in Orlando have been: “I don’t know if they realize how lucky they’ve been to see the matches and the entertainment they’ve seen over the last nine years because we’ve given them some incredible stuff here in Orlando and it’s only fair that the rest of the country, and the rest of the world for that matter, get to see what the guys and gals of Impact can do. So, I’m psyched; it’s just super cool to be on the road and to be in different cities and to hear the hateful shouts from people in different cities, as opposed to just Orlando. These Orlando folk are getting a little bit stale, I want some new hate. I want to hear some new haters.”

If he has a fond memory of the Impact Zone: “All joking aside, I could joke and say ‘I can’t wait to get out of here’ and part of that is true, but this place has been our home for many years and I have a lot of memories; good, bad and indifferent here. I’ve suffered a couple of bad injuries here, which is some of the bad memories, you know what though, just being here for the first time, walking into the building and wrestling one of the first ever matches in this building; winning numerous X-Division titles and wrestling main events and television main events and just going live for the first time; there’s just so many memories, it would be hard to condense it into just one. So, it’s a little bit bittersweet; I feel like the fans here to a certain extent have been spoiled but at the same time I know the do appreciate what we do but hopefully they see this as part of TNA’s growing process and this is what we have to do; the little bird has to leave the nest. So, the Impact Zone has been great, it’s been our home for nine years and it was a really cool wrestling venue. I think when it’s all said and done, the Impact Zone will be one of those like ECW Arena-like venues, the intimate venues that was known as a really cool place to see pro wrestling.”

You can follow Frankie Kazarian through his Twitter (@FrankieKazarian) for all the latest on his news and notes. You can also see Kazarian and his ‘Bad Influence’ partner Christopher Daniels weekly as part of TNA’s IMPACT Wrestling, Thursday Nights at 8 pm Eastern on Spike TV, check your local cable listings for channel availability and location. And, as always, you can follow Kazarian and all the stars of TNA IMPACT Wrestling though their Twitter (@ImpactWrestling) and their website (www.impactwrestling.com) for all the information on their weekly television programming and up to the minute news and matches listings for the upcoming “Lockdown” PPV this Sunday, March 10th, call your local cable provider for information and ordering details.

Audio of the interview is available here.

TNA star Christopher Daniels recently spoke to TheWhig.com. Here are some highlights of what Daniels said about:

TNA President Dixie Carter: “You know, she’s given a lot of people opportunities that they may not have had, if it wasn’t for TNA,” he said. “And the fact that she came around, and helped TNA last, it’s a big deal for a lot of us. Those of us who have never had that opportunity with WWE, we’re on a nationally televised wrestling promotion, and we’re living our dream.”

Why He Never Caught on with WWE: “I think that they never really saw anything that they could really sink their teeth into,” he said. “Which is OK, because you know, the truth of the matter is I was never really their type of wrestler. Or when I was, or now that I am … I don’t know … I’ve already got ties to TNA, or Ring of Honor, or wherever I was, at the time.”

Fellow ROH Alum CM Punk: “I think it’s great, man. He rose to the top at a time where it seemed like John Cena might be the only person that WWE would give that opportunity to. You know, it took him a while to sort of find his groove, but I think it’s a testament to his hard work, and his stubbornness to stick with it. And to finally break through and hold a World Heavyweight Championship for more than a calendar year … that’s a big accomplishment, especially in this day and age. It all goes back to the effort he put in to get there in the first place, and the effort he put in to stand out, and be somebody that the crowd wanted to see.”

Thursday’s Impact Wrestling marked the end of an era for TNA, as it was the final show from Universal Studios in Orlando, FL before Impact hits the road and begins touring the country on a bi-weekly basis. The Impact Zone has been home to the majority of TNA’s weekly television shows and monthly pay-per-views since 2004.

TNA president Dixie Carter announced the following dates and locations for upcoming TNA Impact Wrestling television shows:

– April 25th: Indiana, Pennsylvania

– May 9th: Tupelo, Mississippi

– May 23rd: Tampa Bay, Florida

No venues have been announced for these tapings, but we’ll post an update when the information is released.

TNA also aired the following video as a farewell tribute to the Impact Zone and the Orlando fans.

http://youtu.be/eUM6mEhU1mM

– TNA Wrestling revealed this week to VIP ticket holders that a Knockouts-exclusive pay-per-view event will be taped on Sunday, March 17 at 1:00 p.m. at the Impact Wrestling Zone in Orlando, Florida. In addition to current stars, organization officials will apparently be utilizing former female talent as Angelina Love revealed on Twitter Thursday that she was contacted to appear at the “One Night Only” series event. She, however, has declined to appear.

The five-time TNA Women’s Knockout Champion was asked if she will be on hand for the show and responded, “They asked me but I politely declined.”

In addition to the event, TNA will tape TNA 10 Reunion that day, which is billed as a “celebration of the stars from the first 10 years of TNA.”

– ODB, who has not appeared on Impact Wrestling in recent weeks, revealed on Twitter that she will be on hand for tonight’s show.

She wrote, “buisness men r such dicks,I get it u wear a suit n tie,anyways headin to Orlando 4sum @IMPACTWRESTLING 2 stand by my man @ShowtimeEY #BAM.”

The following is courtesy of WrestlingEpicenter.com: Check out our latest show with an exclusive interview with TNA Gut Check’s Lei’D Tapa! This young lady, the niece of legendary WWF/WCW performer The Barbarian of the Powers of Pain and Faces of Fear, opens up about her athletic background, her love of our business, and her aspirations for the future. If ou enjoyed her on Impact, you’ll love this interview.

Plus, Chris Yandek returns to pay tribute to his fallen friend, WWE Legend Paul Bearer.

All of this is available for free at WrestlingEpicenter.com. You can download the MP3 or watch the youtube video 100% free of charge. We do ask, though, that you check out our store and help us going so we can continue to do this for you all free of charge!

LEI’D TAPA:

– Lei’D Tapa joins Patrick and James after Chris Yandek is off the line. Yandek had joined us to dedicate the show to the memory of Paul Bearer.

– Lei’D Tapa says getting the chance to be on Impact Wrestling’s TNA Gut Check was like a dream come true. She says when she started only 2 years ago, everyone said it would take several years to get a chance at being on TV. She knows her chance came sooner than expected and does not take it for granted.

– Getting a chance to be on Impact Wrestling made her desire that much stronger to make it all the way to the top. “All I have on my mind right now is going all the way to the top!”

– She feels her unique look does both help and hinder her. She feels that people looking at what she can do in the ring and liking her as a “beast” is a plus but of course the modern age of wrestling calls for a different type of female performer than in years gone by.

– James compares her to Awesome Kong AKA Kharma. Tapa says that is an honor but it isn’t her goal to borrow from her. But, they certainly do share the power game. But, she feesls Kong’s style is much more dominating.

– Tapa’s athletic background is extensive. She played all major sports when growing up but says she specialized in track and football. In fact, she played for the Independent Women’s Football League as a member of the Carolina Queens. She played Middle Linebacker and Tight End. She streeses this is real tackle football, not the Lingerie Bowl.

– For the first time ever, a woman tried out for the NFL at the NFL Combine last week. The NFL described her efforts as a publicity stunt. Tapa says she believes a woman could play in the NFL but that woman would have to be built for it. She thinks it is a great thing for the sport to have a woman try to break into the ranks and would have liked to have seen what she could have done had she not gotten injured when attempting her first place kick.

– Back to wrestling, Barbarian had a good long talk with her, his niece, prior to her entering wrestling. When he knew she was serious, he sent her down to train with Geore South. He told her “Don’t give up!”

– She feels wrestling is a much harder thing for the wrestlers to learn than anyone who hasn’t trained realizes. She says there is so much more to it than just learning how to perform simple moves. She stresses that learning the ropes as she has done has given her an incredible amount of respect for every wrestler who trained this way because it is not easy.

– Backstage at TNA, it was extremely cool for her. As the niece of the Barbarian, she was backstage at the WWF/E and WCW at some of his matches and as a little kid, looked up at guys like Sting like they were giants. Now, she had a chance to work on the same show they were on and says she’s nearly as tall as they are. She says nobody remembered her but she always just kept to herself as a kid and saw them at the food area. James remarks that it is incredible that guys that Barbarian worked with, like Hulk Hogan, Chavo Guerrero, Sting, and so on and so forth, are there for her to work along side with.

– She teared up during the video package because the night prior to her match on TNA, she worked out with the Barbarian. He had a heart to heart with her and says that conversation just touched her and when doing the interview for TNA, she remembered the things he said and it made her well up.

– Team Tapa, her fans, have been incredibly supportive in her time learning the ropes and in helping her with the TNA Gut Check. She is so grateful for everyone helping her – Her husband, wrestler and fan alike, and welcomes everyone to find her on Twitter and Facebook. Just give a search for Lei’D Tapa. She is not hard to find!

TNA sent the taping schedule for the One Night Only pay-per-views to the VIP ticket holders. Here’s the schedule, courtesy of Devin Cutting:

Sunday, March 17

1:00pm – TNA Knockout Knockdown: TNA Crowns the true “Queen” of TNA

7:00pm – TNA 10 Reunion: Celebration of the stars from the first 10 years of TNA all competing in the squared circle

Monday, March 18

1:00pm – TNA Tag Team Tournament: TNA determines the greatest TNA Tag Team in TNA history

7:00pm – TNA World Cup of Wrestling: Teams of wrestlers from around the globe compete in Heavyweight, X Division, Tag Team Division and Knockout Division matches

Tuesday, March 19

1:00pm – TNA Hardcore Justice 2: Hardcore rules for the stars of Hardcore wrestling

7:00pm – TNA Heavyweight Title Tournament: The top World Champions in TNA history battle to determine the greatest of all time

Here is TNA’s official preview for tonight’s episode of Lockdown

– It’s the countdown to the Lockdown event! Tonight’s IMPACT is the final battleground before the war in the cage on Sunday – what will happen on Thursday that could potentially alter Lockdown? Tune in and find out!

– Who did Kurt Angle see after he infiltrated the Aces and Eights clubhouse and unmasked the gang’s VP? The Aces attacked Angle before he could show the world – but will Angle reveal his identity on Thursday? What is Angle’s condition after the brawl? Don’t miss it!

– With the Lethal Lockdown teams set, there will be a Best-Of-Three Series between Team TNA and Aces and 8s on Thursday’s IMPACT! Whoever wins determines who has man advantage going into Lethal Lockdown!

– What will be the fate of the Gut Check contestants? This past week, female newcomers Lei’d Tapa and Ivelisse Velez battled for a chance be the next TNA Knockout! Who will the judges pick to join the roster?

All this and much mow on Thursday’s IMPACT WRESTLING on SpikeTV at 8/7c!

* SEScoops will have Live Results of TNA Lockdown this Sunday!

TNA announced that Robbie E vs. Rob Terry has been added to this Sunday’s Lockdown pay-per-view. With that match set, here’s the updated card.

TNA World Heavyweight Championship Steel Cage Match:
Jeff Hardy (c) vs. Bully Ray

Lethal Lockdown Steel Cage Match:
Team TNA (Sting, Magnus, Samoa Joe, James Storm and Eric Young) vs. Aces & Eights (Devon, Mr. Anderson, D.O.C, Garett and Knox)

Steel Cage Match:
Wes Brisco vs. Kurt Angle

TNA Tag Team Championship:
Bobby Roode & Austin Aries (c) vs. Daniels & Kazarian vs. Hernandez & Chavo Guerrero

TNA Knockouts Championship: Velvet Sky (c) vs. Gail Kim

Robbie E vs. Rob Terry

WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart made a recent appearance on the UK’s WrestleTalkTV Extra radio show and continued to be very outspoken with his opinions about the current state of the wrestling industry. In particular, Hart had some very harsh words for TNA, Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff – and gave some career advice to AJ Styles:

Hogan & Bischoff Killing TNA: “They’re going nowhere, if anything they’re gonna lose a lot of ground. They’re spending a fortune on a guy who’s worthless. And Bischoff’s as worthless as Hogan, the two of them have zero to offer the business. The only thing Hulk Hogan ever knew was how to make Hulk Hogan. He couldn’t tell you how to make AJ Styles or Samoa Joe. What’s Hulk Hogan going to tell Samoa Joe? He doesn’t know anything to even tell him, he’s got zero to offer.”

TNA Salvaging WCW’s “Trash”: “Bischoff knows nothing, he’s an idiot, Vince Russo was a magazine writer that thought he was a wrestling expert that never had a good idea in his life, and Hogan was pretty limited, all he knew how to do was [cup his ear] and do the leg-drop.”

AJ Styles Needing To Leave “Bush-League” TNA: “AJ Styles is a good a wrestler as anyone in the world, he’s really good, he should really be in WWE because he’s spinning his tires in TNA. It’s a shame because WWE’s the big stage. I look at Chris Benoit when he went to WWE; he actually cried on the phone he didn’t want to leave WCW, but I remember telling him on the phone you’re never going to get the break you deserve unless you go to WWE…If AJ Styles really wants to make it he needs to dump that bush-league and get to the big time…I just hope that AJ Styles doesn’t waste his life in TNA.”

Here’s video of the appearance:

TNA has announced the following for Thursday’s Impact Wrestling:

– It’s the countdown to the Lockdown event! Thursday’s IMPACT is the final battleground before the war in the cage on Sunday – what will happen on Thursday that could potentially alter Lockdown? Tune in and find out!

– Who did Kurt Angle see after he infiltrated the Aces and Eights clubhouse and unmasked the gang’s VP? The Aces attacked Angle before he could show the world – but will Angle reveal his identity on Thursday? What is Angle’s condition after the brawl? Don’t miss it!

– With the Lethal Lockdown teams set, there will be a Best-Of-Three Series between Team TNA and Aces and 8s on Thursday’s IMPACT! Whoever wins determines who has man advantage going into Lethal Lockdown!

– What will be the fate of the Gut Check contestants? This past week, female newcomers Lei’d Tapa and Ivelisse Velez battled for a chance be the next TNA Knockout! Who will the judges pick to join the roster?

DOWNLOAD THE PODCAST HERE:
Solomonster Sounds Off (Episode 263)
*right-click, “Save As”, or stream it!

Est. Runtime: 1 hour, 30 minutes

Solomonster talks about Monday’s epic battle between John Cena and CM Punk, is Cena underrated as a worker, Vince McMahon’s reaction to the piledriver spot and why he needs to chill out, fleshing out the undercard for WrestleMania, the pathetic state of Zack Ryder, praise for the women’s Gut Check on Impact, comparing the Knockouts division with the Divas division, reviewing “THE MARINE 3: HOMEFRONT” starring Mike “The Miz” Mizanin, and more!

Want your question on the air? Send feedback to THESOLOMONSTER@gmail.com.

Wanna subscribe to the Sound Off via iTunes? CLICK HERE!

Visit The Solomonster on Twitter @ twitter.com/solomonster

Friend The Solomonster on Facebook @ facebook.com/thesolomonster

Subscribe to The Solomonster on YouTube @ TheSolomonster

Solomonster Sounds Off by The Solomonster is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.