https://youtu.be/Lxt29S5pe2k

It looks like TNA has changed their original plans regarding the conclusion of their multi-week TNA World Title Series tournament.

TNA announced that the semifinals and finals of the tournament will be airing live (which may be on a few hour tape delay) when the promotion debuts on POP TV on January 5th.

The semifinals remain Bobby Lashley vs. Ethan Carter III and Matt Hardy vs. Eric Young. In the original tournament, Lashley beat EC3 via count out and Hardy beat Young, with Lashley beating Hardy in the finals.

Whatever the new direction is remains to be seen, however the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that their original plans for the conclusion of the tournament have been changed.

• Rousey-Holm II CANCELED?, Conor McGregor’s Pay For UFC 194 + Update On CM Punk’s UFC Debut Opponent!

Jeff Hardy is in need of yet another knee surgery, one that could keep him out of action until late 2016. The exact timetable for his return won’t be clear until after he undergoes the operation.

According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Hardy has told friends of his that he will have to finally tone down his in-ring style, and won’t be able to wrestle the same style that he has worked in the past.

As noted recently, both Jeff and Matt Hardy’s deals with TNA are set to expire at some point in the next ten to 12 months.

• Video: Drunk Conor McGregor Raps DMX Song At UFC 194 Afterparty!

https://youtu.be/WhZ_dkyq0VE

– Featured above is the latest video preview from TNA announcers Josh Mathews and The Pope regarding tonight’s Impact Wrestling episode.

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

* Tigre Uno, DJ Zema Ion, Mandrews & Manik vs. Jessie Godderz, Micah, Crimson & Eli Drake
– Bobby Roode vs. Mr. Anderson vs. Rockstar Spud vs. Eddie Edwards

– Finally, featured below is the latest “Diva Diaries” video from Highspots that features a preview of former TNA Knockout Madison Rayne discussing her early days in the business, struggling to make it to TNA and being a mother.

• Ronda Rousey Outed For Dating A Married UFC Star!

TNA star Kurt Angle continues to do the media rounds to promote TNA’s upcoming European tour. Angle spoke with our friend Donald Wood of Ring Rust Radio this week about TNA’s move to Pop TV, his pick to win TNA’s World Title Series, why he and WWE couldn’t come to terms about a return and more. Here are some highlights of what he said about:

TNA’s Move to Pop TV:

“This is all new territory for us. Getting into another network, this will be our third in three years. Hopefully it works out and it builds something long term. It is a new network and we are excited for it. I want to be able to sit back and see how it goes.”

Who he thinks will win the World Title Series:

“I think it will be Bobby Lashley. As far as pro-wrestler and fighter goes, he is a beast. He has just a little bit better everything than anyone else. He really is a super athlete, so I always pick him to be the favorite.”

Retiring from TNA after January’s UK Tour:

“It was just the best time for me to step away. With me being able to be home a lot more this past year it helped me see what was more important to me, and that’s family. I thought it was a good move on both parts and we are both comfortable with each other.”

Why he and WWE could not come to terms about a return:

“Right now, I am not thinking that far into it. If I feel good after I take my time off, I might want to continue wrestling. That’s why I didn’t say I was retiring from wrestling for good. It was just the last matches I had under contract with TNA. It’s more of a TNA retirement thing rather than anything else. I’m enjoying everything about retirement right now.”

If he would consider wrestling for NXT:

“No. With all due respect, the talent on the NXT roster is phenomenal. They are doing something right down there as far as getting talent ready. I just don’t think it would be worth it for either side to have me go down there and work on NXT. Not saying I wouldn’t do it, but it is considered the WWE minor league. With that in mind, I think anybody would feel the same way about it.”

Angle said that although he would have loved to work with guys like Bret Hart and Daniel Bryan, he has no regrets in his career. He’s wrestled all around the world and now it’s time to focus on his health.

AJ Styles appeared on the Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling podcast to clear the air about the rumors of his injuries keeping him from competing at ROH’s Final Battle and New Japan Pro Wrestling’s Wrestle Kingdom 10. Other topics discussed include whether or not he’s been contacted by WWE, the infamous Claire Lynch angle in TNA, if he would work for Jeff Jarrett’s Global Force Wrestling and much more. You can listen to the full episode at Podomatic.com. Here are some highlights:

Has there been a pursued interest by WWE to get you into NXT and join both Samoa Joe and James Storm:

“I haven’t had a call from someone who wants to hire me so nothing really and I’m okay with that and that’s not a big deal to me. I think it’s more of the fans wanting something like this to happen than what I am wanting to happen. I want to be able to retire in a couple of years so I am going to go wherever that takes me. But I have no problem doing the Independents, I love it. I have a great time on the Indies. I’ve had a lot of great opportunities to wrestle a lot of great wrestlers.  Also doing Ring of Honor and Japan that’s a good combination. ”

Before you retire do you even want a full time spot in NXT since that seems to be the gateway to superstardom in the WWE: 

“Like I said before, I want to support my family and I am going to go wherever that takes me. Would I like to have a “WrestleMania moment”? Sure. But I am very content with having a “Wrestle Kingdom moment” in front of 60,000 fans. I think that is pretty awesome walking down that long ramp of the Tokyo Dome in probably one of the bigger matches on the show. There is probably a couple other people out there that want to do the same thing.”

On the botched and now infamous Claire Lynch Saga in TNA:

“You’ve got to understand that it was going to be a great storyline and the little things that needed to be in the story to make it work weren’t. “Claire” had to be the niece of Dixie Carter, that was very important. Because why would AJ care? I would never stick my neck out for someone who was a family friend because what’s that got to do with me? Why would you just help them. Where if it was her (Dixie’s) niece that the key would be to keep her from bad publicity and I’ll make sure that no one knows about it. That was a big deal and also Claire had to be smoking hot. I mean unbelievably hot, to the point where you go “wow, if AJ did have sex with her I don’t blame him”. That’s what we needed to have but it was quite the opposite. So it was the little things that destroyed that momentum that we had and people thought I may be with Dixie and it was a great thing and we had all that momentum and “this Claire” comes out and screws it all up.”

How he approached the Hogan/Bischoff ERA in TNA and his reaction to Hulk Hogan’s lack of enthusiasm to promote TNA on outside media appearances: 

“First of all, I just tried to stay positive. Pretty much anything Hulk Hogan touched at least at the beginning turned to gold. But it didn’t obviously because I don’t think he knew the roster that was in front of him and that was the problem. The names, the people who were the “brand names” of TNA that they had no idea who they were. If they didn’t know who they were they just did whatever they wanted with it. They wanted me to dye my hair blonde and be “Little Ric” and just because they didn’t know me. Instead of being Ric Flair I needed to be AJ Styles with Ric Flair. Being with Ric I’ll hopefully get the rub from Ric there is no doubt about that and Fortune could have been great but they broke up Fortune a little bit too early and we were really getting some steam and they broke us up and noting came about it. It was things like that that got weird and Hogan seemed like he didn’t have much to do with TNA and seemed like he was embarrassed of the show because he never said anything about TNA at all. Even when he was on shows he just never mentioned it. I believe that he was ashamed of what was on TV. I believe if TNA were doing a lot better he would have been a lot more gung-ho about saying a lot more about it but he didn’t say a word and it bothered me but thinking back I understand it now.”

Has Jeff Jarrett approached AJ about joining Global Force Wrestling and his relationship with Jeff:

“It’s a good relationship. I think a lot of Jeff. He put me on top in TNA, we’ve had our weird moments with Jeff being the boss but for the most part it’s very positive and I’ll never forget what Jeff has done for me and gave me an opportunity and gave me a stage to make AJ Styles a name. We had talked about it (competing in GFW) when it was first getting started but with Ring of Honor and New Japan I had no time for pretty much anything else. Just schedule wise it never really came about that I could be on it. ”

AJ Styles full career is chronicled in a FULL ONE HOUR interview with TMPToW. He covers all his feuds in TNA, NJPW, ROH and so much more. 

It looks like Wednesday will be the final episode of TNA Impact Wrestling on Destination America. Instead of airing at 9pm EST, Impact has been bumped to 11pm.

Destination America will be airing a “Mountain Monsters” marathon this Wednesday from 1pm to 11pm. Because, why not?

Impact Wrestling is not scheduled to air on Wednesday, 12/23. Destination America will be airing “Epic Beach Homes” at 9pm and “Epic Private Islands” at 10pm.

Destination America will be getting an overhaul in the near future, focusing on ‘paranormal’ programming.

Impact Wrestling premieres on Pop TV on Tuesday, January 5th with a live episode that will see the culmination of the TNA World Title Series tournament.

Preview:  TNA World Title Series Semi-Finals & Finals Set For January 5th Pop TV Premiere

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtCSS3Spy2o

TNA announced Wednesday that the semi-finals and finals of the TNA World Series tournament will take place on the January 5th Pop TV premiere of Impact Wrestling.

The final four were set up on this week’s episode. ECIII will face Bobby Lashley and Matt Hardy takes on Eric Young, with the winners of each match advancing to the finals.

TNA Impact Wrestling moves to Pop TV on Tuesday nights on January 5th with a live episode from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

Following an invite from TNA’s Jeremy Borash, WWE Hall Of Famer Mick Foley recently took part in Chef Robert Irvine’s live show at the Paramount Theater in Huntington, New York. After the show, Foley was inspired to write a new blog about Irvine’s wife, TNA Knockout Gail Kim.

Foley, who has been a big vocal supporter of the current Divas Revolution in WWE, focused his latest blog on the fact that Kim doesn’t get enough credit for being the all-time great talent that he considers her to be. He also shares his opinion on how he feels she wasn’t properly utilized during her time in WWE.

Below is the latest Mick Foley Facebook blog:

A NIGHT TO REMEMBER – and a woman we should never forget.

I had no idea what to expect when my old pal Jeremy Borash, invited me to Chef Robert Irvine’s live show at the Paramount theater in Huntington, New York. I certainly did not expect to end up handcuffed to the world-famous, and incredibly fit chef, as we worked together as a team to defeat two talented local chefs in an extreme cooking challenge. It was the rush of wrestling, combined with the terror of doing the big money round of Family Feud. Chef Irvine and I scored a decisive victory, and I sat down in my car for the drive home with a a feeling of elation and accomplishment, and the satisfaction a father feels when he knows that his adult daughter still likes hanging out with him.

But after a couple minutes behind the wheel, I started thinking about Chef Irvine’s wife, TNA Knockout Gail Kim – and her contributions to the wrestling business.

I have written quite a bit about women’s wrestling in the past year and a half – since I saw the Natalya/Charlotte match at ?#?NXTTakeover? that I absolutely saw as a game changer for women’s wrestling in ?#?WWE?. But in all that time, I think I only mentioned Gail Kim once. That’s a shame. For while it was the Natalya/Charlotte match that made me see the potential for women’s wrestling in WWE, Gail Kim had raised the bar years earlier with her classic TNA matches with Awesome Kong. I remember being blown away by their series of matches, and getting caught up in the emotion and excitement that pro wrestling is still capable of creating when things are done really well.

Gail Kim did so many things really well. No discussion of the best current female wrestlers in the business is complete without the inclusion of her name. In my opinion, no discussion of all-time great female wrestlers is complete without the inclusion of her name.

I will never understand why Gail wasn’t better utilized during her time in WWE. That’s the danger of working in a business as subjective as professional wrestling – sometimes the swift don’t always win the race.

I hope some of you will take the time to look up some of Gail’s great matches. She gave so much, for so long – and in my opinion, her contributions to our business are often overlooked. I’ve been guilty of overlooking them myself.

Thank you, Gail, for everything you have done. Funny how being hand-cuffed to your husband made me feel so much closer to you.

• Ronda Rousey Outed For Dating A Married UFC Star!

TNA star Ethan Carter III recently appeared as a guest on Art Of Wrestling, not to be confused with the Colt Cabana podcast of the same name, and spoke about the current success of NXT, his most memorable opponent and whether or not he is a fan of women’s wrestling. Below are some of the highlights from the interview.

On his most memorable opponents and good friends within the industry:

“I’ve been fortunate to share the ring with great wrestlers of legendary status, and those that will fill their boots in the future. It wouldn’t be fair to list names without feeling as though I missed someone, but I can say that my favorite opponent has been Kurt Angle. Kurt was one of the reasons I fell in love with wrestling, and one the reason I decided to pursue it as a career.”

On whether he is a fan of women’s wrestling and his favorite Knockout:

“I’m very much a fan of women’s wrestling and the effort our knockouts and women throughout wrestling have put forth in changing it’s previous perception. They are very skilled athletes who deserve recognition for that fact. As far as my favorite, I don’t play favorites (Gail Kim).”

On the current success of NXT:

“It’s far different from the incarnation I was on and that is obviously for the better. They have a very good show and I’m happy to see the success of the people who are there.”

• VIDEO: Dana White Reveals How UFC Will Decide CM Punk’s Debut Opponent …

Former TNA World ChampionEthan Carter III joined The Rack radio show on Thursday night, where he discussed Impact Wrestling moving to Pop TV, TNA’s World Title Series, TNA’s ability to try new things, what 2016 has in store for him and much more. You can listen to the 12-minute interview at Wildtalkradio.com. Here are the highlights of what EC3 said about:

Impact Wrestling’s moving to Pop TV:

“I’m very excited for the move. I mean, Pop TV has already shown their going to be a great partner to ‘tag team’ with. They’re very excited to have us and their slogan is ‘We’re fans too’ and I think that’s very good and resembles the product that we bring because we’re fans of what we do too. So, I think combining those two companies: that network and this product, I think it will be a great, great matrimony of fun and pleasure and wonderful entertainment.”

The Live Premiere on January 5th:

“I love doing TV and I love doing it live because you can’t make a mistake. Everything has to be perfect and everything has to be pristine and it adds a little bit of pressure to what you are doing but pressure is good- it makes you better and January 5th live on Pop TV, our first episode is going to be blockbuster and gangbusters and I’m very much looking forward to opening the show as the 2-time, unbeaten, World Heavyweight Champion, first time in wrestling history. It’s pretty cool.”

Being “Thrown Into” The World Heavyweight Championship Series:

“That’s great verbiage- ‘unjustly thrown into it’. The whole Title series shouldn’t even be taking place, I should just have been given back the World Title as I was robbed of it, but alas it is taking place and I can’t change that- the only thing I can do is win the whole frickin thing.”

The concept behind the World Title Series and so many people being included:

“I mean the World Title Series in wrestling, the people vying for the top championship of the promotion is only a handful of guys, 3 or 4 maybe. Right now, 32 people had an opportunity to show their worth and get a chance to be a World Heavyweight Champion. We’re whittling it down to the Round of 16, after this Wednesday, there will be 16 people and a lot is on the line and a lot of people to impress but it’s an interesting concept- everyone had an opportunity, everyone gets a shot and if you’re into everyone having an opportunity and a fair shot, it’s very cool. Me, personally, I’m only into me getting a fair shot but alas, I’m not the one making the decisions; great for everyone else but me.”

TNA’s ability to try new things:

“I love the idea. It’s 2015, going on 2016- it’s very hard to be innovative in entertainment and trying new thing and thinking outside the box while not resting on the laurels of the past and what’s cool about it is we have the opportunity to try new things and I think it’s been a far greater success than anyone has anticipated.”

What 2016 holds for EC3:

“I would mark 2015 down as the best year of my life. Now, I beat a couple of legends, became World Heavyweight Champion, ascended to the very top of the industry, I got two cats- that was a big deal in 2015. Again, very big year for me, but you can’t rest on what you did in the past and 2016 is a whole new year. There’s more pressure on me and people will be chasing after me and I welcome that challenge and looking forward to that very much. As far as my personal goals, I mean, winning the World Title Series, capping off the year being two-time unbeaten Champion, opening the show January 5th live on Pop TV on Impact Wrestling as the World Heavyweight Champion and then holding it for the whole calendar year; that’s my goals.”

His favorite & least favorite opponents in TNA:

“I have a favorite and a least favorite. My favorite would be Kurt Angle because he’s the greatest wrestler to have ever lived and I was able to learn a lot by overcoming the odds and defeating him, so that would be the greatest. And my least favorite would have to be Matt Hardy because all of this misery is because of him. He’s conniving and generally evil, I dislike him very much and I look forward to being the one person to knock him out of the World Title Series and then out of wrestling in general.”

You can follow Ethan through his Twitter (@EthanCarterTNA) or visit his website (http://therealec3.com) for his latest news and notes. You can follow Ethan and the other stars of TNA Impact Wrestling Wednesday Nights at 9:00 pm on Destination America and then starting on January 5th you can see the stars of TNA on Tuesdays nights at 9:00 pm on Pop TV. Check your local cable listings for local times, channel availability as well as the latest card information.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhXgDfGgxK0

The December 2nd episode of Impact Wrestling on Destination America did 221,000 viewers. This is down from last week’s 312,000 viewers, and the previous week’s 280,000.

The replay did 73,00 viewers, down slightly from last week’s 78,000.

This the first episode since Ring Of Honor’s final episode on Destination America. TNA switches to Pop TV on January 5th.

We’ve all seen Jeff Jarrett successfully execute his patented guitar shot to the heads of his opponents many times. This is what it looks like when it’s not successful. On Sunday we showed you what Matt Hardy’s head looked like in the aftermath of this, and now you can watch the actual incident take place in the video above.

As previously reported, Matt Hardy took a nasty hit with the edge of a guitar in a match with Jeff Jarrett at WrestleCade IV in Winston-Salem, NC. The guitar didn’t break on impact as usual because it was off-center. Instead, Hardy took the corner of the guitar right to the top of his head.

As a result, Hardy was hospitalized and received 38 stitches. He won’t miss any time from the ring.

Thanks for all your concern, SMF. Staying overnight at the hospital for observation. Gotta take care of my brain. pic.twitter.com/LJuvGWVziu

— MATT HARDY (@MATTHARDYBRAND) November 29, 2015

https://youtu.be/bDudGz_Vu-A

TNA announced this week that they will soon launch a new weekly YouTube show about their formative years in Nashville, Tennessee.

The official description for the show, which premieres on December 3rd at 7pm EST. and will air every Thursday night from 7-8pm EST., reads as follows:

“It is the foundation on which Impact Wrestling was built. The Tennessee State Fairgrounds near Impact Headquarters in Nashville, TN was our home in those early years. Now, every Thursday night from 7PM to 8PM EST you can relive the “Asylum Years” live! We will start from the very beginning and you can watch along with the current stars of Impact Wrestling as they relive those early moments with you.

Every Thursday night we will rollout another classic episode from The Asylum Years on our official YouTube channel. Don’t miss a second of reliving the moments that we still celebrate to this day and some moments we all might want to forget! Starting this Thursday, December 3rd at 7PM EST.”

• Clip: Rousey Spotted This Week w/ UFC Star Boyfriend; How Does Her Face Look?

WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross took to social media this week to address the rumors that he has been in talks with TNA about joining the announcing team when the company debuts on Pop TV in 2016.

According to JR, the Impact Wrestling rumors are just “internet BS.” Ross tweeted the following:

More internet BS. @IMPACTWRESTLING has a good announce team & don't need me. So, no https://t.co/GgAwdHDRaG

— Jim Ross (@JRsBBQ) December 1, 2015

While JR shot down the rumors of his involvement with TNA, it was noted during a recent episode of Wrestling Observer Radio that TNA has been in talks with announcers recently.

• Photo: First Picture Of Ronda Rousey Since Being KO’d At UFC 193 …

Recently retired wrestling star PJ Polaco (Justin Credible) thinks that TNA needs to pounce on the fact that WWE’s fans are discouraged and viewership is sharply down. With WWE “down in the dumps” its the perfect opportunity for TNA to compete and he thinks Ethan Carter III should be leading the charge.

I hope that @IMPACTWRESTLING & @TNADixie knock it out of the park in 2016. The time is now

— Justin Credible (@PJPOLACO) December 1, 2015

Guys like @EthanCarterTNA r the future of our biz. Fans need to support @IMPACTWRESTLING @TNADixie it's for greater good of Pro Wrestling

— Justin Credible (@PJPOLACO) December 1, 2015

@falloutsoftware @EthanCarterTNA @IMPACTWRESTLING @TNADixie @WWE The way that @wwe is so down in the dumps the time is perfect for #TNA

— Justin Credible (@PJPOLACO) December 1, 2015

• Photo: First Picture Of Ronda Rousey Since Being KO’d At UFC 193 …

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWgsQrgzqow

The November 25th episode of Impact Wrestling on Destination America had an average of 312,000 viewers. This is up from the previous week’s 280,000 viewers. Just a few weeks ago Impact had pulled an average of 447,000 viewers.

Also on the 25th, Ring Of Honor had a total of 141,000 viewers on Destination America. This is up from the previous week’s 114,000 viewers.

This was ROH’s last episode to air on Destination America. TNA switches to Pop TV on January 5th.

Related: Report: TNA Not Getting Paid By Pop TV For Programming

https://youtu.be/WgNo0T5ujT0

Pop TV President Brad Schwartz recently spoke with Jim Varsallone of MiamiHerald.com to discuss how they became the official cable television home of TNA Impact Wrestling. Below are some of the highlights from the interview.

On how Pop TV became the new cable television home for TNA Impact Wrestling:

“Dixie and the Impact team were looking for a new home for their series. They had huge success on Spike. Millions of viewers watching every week, and they really enjoyed that success. In switching to another network [Destination America] which didn’t have the distribution that Spike had, they obviously noticed a little bit of a hit to the success that they had.”

On how their deal came about:

“So [TNA was] actively looking for a new television partner, and I think made the rounds and met with a lot of cable networks to see where a home might be. We were on their list of calls, and they came in [about a couple of months ago], and we had our entire team meet with them and listen to the pitch and listen to what they wanted to do — where they saw the company going, where they saw [pro wrestling] going. That’s how it came to our attention.”

• Video: Emotional Footage Of Ronda Rousey’s Family Watching Her Get KO’d

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4UFOOW-vwk

Rhyno recently spoke with CultofWhatever.com about his time in TNA and more. Here are the highlights of what he said about:

TNA’s attempts to capitalize on ECW:

“I don’t necessarily think it was ECW, I think it was more the hardcore element and fans really enjoyed that moment. ECW was basically a group of men and women that were rejected and told they weren’t good enough and they were either let go from WCW/WWE or they couldn’t even get looked at by those two companies. ECW took in all the guys that were rejected and we all had something to prove and I think the fans could relate to it.”

His favorite things about working for TNA:

Again I had a fantastic time in TNA, I got to share a locker room with legends of the industry, Ric Flair and Kevin Nash. I got to pick their brains, Kevin and I became really good friends, it was quite surreal to be standing there with Ric Flair and just picking his brains. After several months I asked Ric if he knew what I was doing and he said yeah you’re picking my brain and that’s how you learn in this industry.

I talked to Ric about the matches with him and Harley Race and how they worked and he was just so generous with the information, I was soaking it all in and trying to figure out how I could fit it into my work.

The TNA World Title Series continued on this week’s edition of Impact Wrestling, which aired on Destination America on Wednesday evening.

Matches scheduled to air on next week’s show for the round of 16 includes:

* Bobby Roode vs. Matt Hardy
* Jessie Godderz vs. Awesome Kong
* Eric Young vs. Kenny King
* Gail Kim vs. Tigre Uno
* Mahabali Shera vs. Eli Drake
* Bobby Lashley vs. Drew Galloway
* Bram vs. Davey Richards
* Ethan Carter III vs. DJ Zema Ion

Coming out of week eight on Wednesday night, below are the final standings for the TNA World Title Series.

Tag Team Specialists Group: Eddie Edwards (1 point), Davey Richards (4 points), Robbie E (3 points), Matt Hardy (9 points)

Future 4 Group: Crimson (0 points), Jessie Godderz (6 points), Micah (4 points), Eli Drake (7 points)

X Division Group: Tigre Uno (9 points), Manik (6 points), DJ Zema Ion (9 points), Mark Andrews (0 points)

Originals Group: Abyss (3 points), Bobby Roode (6 points), James Storm (3 points), Eric Young (6 points)

UK Group: Rockstar Spud (3 points), Drew Galloway (9 points), Grado (0 points), Bram (6 points)

Champions Group: Ethan Carter III (7 points), Bobby Lashley (6 points), Mr. Anderson (0 points), Austin Aries (4 points)

Wildcard Group: Kenny King (6 points), Mahabali Shera (9 points), Crazzy Steve (0 points), Aiden O’Shea (3 points)

Knockouts Group: Gail Kim (6 points), Madison Rayne (3 points), Awesome Kong (6 points), Brooke Tessmacher (3 points)

• Video: Emotional Footage Of Ronda Rousey’s Family Watching Her Get KO’d

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYiR7ZXAFW8

TNA has issued a statement on the status of their tour of India.

We reported earlier that the tour has been indefinitely postponed for “logistical issues.” Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer reported that a TNA source told him the real reason for postponing was “safety concerns,” although Meltzer noted he doesn’t entirely believe the source’s claim.

Here’s TNA’s statement they sent out about the postponement on Thursday:

Postponement of ‘TNA One Night Only: Mumbai’ Event

Information note:

Mumbai, Thursday, 26 November, 2015 – 11 AM IST:

Multi Screen Media (MSM) and TNA Wrestling, the international professional wrestling entertainment organization, jointly announced today that the TNA One Night Only: Mumbai live event has been postponed.

The live event that was scheduled to take place on December 4, has now been postponed to 2016 to a yet-to-be decided date. The postponement is primarily due to logistical issues around the timing of the event.

As soon as the new dates are firmed up, it will be announced in an update.

While TNA is looking forward to coming to India soon, MSM is geared up to host the entire entourage of TNA in India.

Event background:

MSM & TNA Wrestling announced their partnership for India’s first ever LIVE televised wrestling event last month in a pioneering move to bring an internationally broadcast sporting event to India featuring the Stars and Knockouts of IMPACT WRESTLING, TNA’s flagship, to be broadcast LIVE in India, the United States and all around the world.

About Multi Screen Media (MSM):

MSM is a subsidiary of Sony Corporation which owns and operates the Sony Entertainment network of television channels. As a leading television network in India, MSM comprises of Sony Entertainment Television (SET), one of India’s leading Hindi general entertainment television channels; MAX, India’s premium Hindi movies and special events channel; MAX 2, a second Hindi movie channel showcasing great Indian Cinema; SAB, a family comedy entertainment channel; PIX, the English movie channel; AXN, the leader amongst English Entertainment Channels; AATH, the Bangla movie channel, MIX a refreshing Hindi music channel; SIX, India’s Premier Sports Entertainment Channel; KIX, a youth-centric sports channel focusing on high adrenaline, fast-paced content and LIV – the Digital Entertainment Channel.

And, MSM Motion Pictures is the company’s venture in film production.

The Network is in its 21st year in India.

About TNA ENTERTAINMENT, LLC

TNA Entertainment, LLC, is a privately held sports entertainment company represented by United Talent Agency and based in Nashville, Tennessee, specialising in television properties, events, products, merchandise and music, as well as the management and promotion of professional wrestlers.

The roster features such greats as Jeff Hardy, Kurt Angle, EC3, Matt Hardy, Lashley, Bobby Roode, the high-flying X-Division including Tigre Uno, and Gail Kim and the lovely and lethal Knockouts, through its highly successful flagship IMPACT WRESTLING weekly broadcast. The product is the world’s most innovative experience in professional wrestling and is broadcast in more than 120 countries.

TNA wrestlers were scheduled to fly to India this weekend, but instead are now looking for new bookings in the U.S.

Related: Report: TNA Not Getting Paid By Pop TV For Programming

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCNDDYeVrRI

TNA’s deal with Pop TV may not be a very lucrative one for the #2 wrestling company in America. Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter is reporting that Pop TV is not actually paying TNA for their programming under their new deal.

This appears to put TNA in a worse position than when they were on Destination America, as they were being paid by them for their programming. The cancelled shows in India could also be more bad news for TNA. The tour of India was being organized with their sponsor Sony Six, and losing them could be a major financial blow.

TNA has cut most of their expensive contracts, and more budget cuts may be on the way with no cash flow coming in from television programming in the U.S.

Pop TV brought in $71 million dollars in ad revenue in 2014, and they get just 2 cents monthly per home from cable & satellite providers. Destination America had $55.4 million in ad revenue in 2014, but got 7 cents monthly per home from service providers.

Related: TNA’s Tour Of India Postponed Indefinitely

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYiR7ZXAFW8

TNA’s big tour of India has been postponed. TNA sent an email out to their talent last week, explaining that they had to postpone the tour due to “logistical issues.”

Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that a TNA source told him “safety concerns” were the real reason. Meltzer said he does not entirely believe what that source told him. It’s worth noting that in the past when TNA has cancelled domestic shows for “logistical issues,” it really meant poor ticket sales.

This tour is said to be important for TNA’s relationship with their TV partner India Sony Six. It will be interesting to see if the tour being postponed indefinitely has any effect on their deal together.

Many members of the TNA roster are now scrambling to find bookings for that weekend on short notice. TNA talent was supposed to fly out to India this weekend.

https://youtu.be/pVKgbGJAmhA

– In the video featured above, TNA announcers Josh Mathews and The Pope preview tonight’s edition of TNA Impact Wrestling, as the TNA World Title Series continues.

– The following matches are set for tonight’s Impact Wrestling:

* Bobby Lashley vs. Austin Aries
* Robbie E. vs. Davey Richards
* Bram vs. Grado
* Drew Galloway vs. Rockstar Spud
* Jessie Godderz vs. Micah
* Manik vs. Tigre Uno vs. DJ Zema Ion
* Kenny King vs. Crazzy Steve

– The pre-sale for TNA’s five nights of television tapings in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania in January has officially begun. You can access the pre-sale with the code: SANDS2016. Tickets start at just $10. Below is the official poster for the tapings.

Presale for Bethlehem is on now through tomorrow night!

Ticket link: https://t.co/9Dgoz2Eb2T
Code: SANDS2016 pic.twitter.com/yM8bluldTb

— LA Knight (@RealLAKnight) November 25, 2015

• Video: Emotional Footage Of Ronda Rousey’s Family Watching Her Get KO’d

https://youtu.be/iFNGzUbCZ7w

TNA star Ethan Carter III recently spoke with Busted Open Radio about what makes him such a good heel in the business right now.

During the interview, EC3 revealed his take on the reason he’s an exceptional heel compared to other “bad guys” in the business.

“I just don’t do cool moves. I know what you guys are saying and it’s very difficult, in this day and age especially, because some of the audience is – they like their villains, they like their antagonists. Probably because when you play that role, you can come out of your shell a lot more and maybe – I don’t want to say be more entertaining – be outside yourself more, be out there more. Some fans attract to that, but when people boo me, that was a compliment because I work to get those….Most of the time the fans enjoy booing me and it’s not negative ‘They don’t want to see me’. It’s they want to see me get what’s coming to me and I think that’s really important.”

He also shared his thoughts on why heels in wrestling aren’t getting as much heat as they probably should.

“I think a lot of times a lot of guys coming up – the guys that you’re supposed to cheer, the guys that you’re supposed to boo – the guys that you’re supposed to boo are doing heroic things and very impressive things and it’s hard to dislike a guy who’s beating everybody cleanly with his finish. It’s hard to dislike a guy who’s spouting off funny comments when he grabs a guy in a hold, you know? It’s hard to dislike that because it’s entertaining. It’s very hard to dislike cool-ass moves because they’re cool-ass moves and cool-ass moves are cool. If you’re an antagonist that’s cool, it kind of defeats the purpose a little bit so for me, personally, I try to stay away from that. I try to see where other heels, bad guys, villains are going and what they’re doing and I just try to be the opposite of it as much as possible. But even for me, when I’m doing promos, wrestling matches, it comes to a time where I have to do things to at least have some credibility attached to what I’m doing. It’s a very slippery slope as well, but I just got to find the right balance, I think.”

• Video: Emotional Footage Of Ronda Rousey’s Family Watching Her Get KO’d

WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross recently updated his Q&A section at JRsBarBQ.com, fielding questions from topics such as TNA’s new deal with Pop TV, the possibility of Kurt Angle showing up at WrestleMania or Abyss jumping to WWE and more. Below are some of the highlights.

On how TNA should handle changing their TV product now that they are moving to Pop TV:

“If I was TNA I would think very strongly on how I revamp my TV presentation and to develop a new, game plan for the future. Lots of ways to accomplish this but they do need a plan that is well thought out and one that they are able to execute.”

On if he thinks Kurt Angle will appear at WrestleMania next year:

“I’d say highly unlikely but as close to a no as I can get without saying it. Ship’s sailed or so it seems. Anything is possible.”

On lots of wrestlers getting hurt due to a lack of selling in matches:

“Many wrestlers take too many unnecessary chances, are often times reluctant to sell so that tey can look stronger and they have ot gained the skill set of mat /submission wrestling. It’s sad and it’s simply not a case of me being too old school.”

On the possibility of Abyss going to WWE at this stage in his career:

“Abyss’ offer to go to WWE was years ago and he’s happy where he is especially at this stage of his career. You’re thinking about a decade too late for any Abyss to WWE talk.”

On whether or not Bobby Lashley should be mentioned in the same sentence as Brock Lesnar and if TNA has dropped the ball with him:

“Bobby has really come into his own in TNA the past several months but he never had the amateur career to the level of Lesnar. Two, entirely different athletes. I’m a fan of Lashley’s work both in the ring and in the MMA cage.”

• Video: Emotional Footage Of Ronda Rousey’s Family Watching Her Get KO’d