-AJ Styles defeated Judas Mesias to retain the TNA World Heavyweight Championship at the AAA event in Jalisco, Mexico on Sunday night. Konnan, Hijo del Fantasma and Texano Jr. all attacked Mesias at one point, which led to him teaming up with Styles to run all of them off.
-In addition to Orlando Jordan, who got married this weekend in Australia (photos of his wedding can be viewed here), fellow former TNA wrestler Jesse Neal also tied the knot recently. Neal married his longtime girlfriend, retired independent women’s wrestler Brittney Savage, on Halloween night.
-TNA World Heavyweight Champion AJ Styles is officially scheduled to work the November 16th Wrestle-1 event in Tokyo, Japan. Styles’ match, which will be against rising star Seiya Sanada, will not be for his TNA title. The reason the match will be a non-title bout is because Styles is already scheduled to defend the belt against Judas Mesias for the AAA promotion in Mexico.
According to one source, TNA executive Jeff Jarrett pushed for the Styles vs. Sanada match, and it could lead to Sanada coming to the United States as a part of the TNA partnership with The Great Muta’s (Keiji Mutoh) Wrestle-1 promotion.
-TNA added a new “#IMPACT365” video on their official YouTube channel with the title, “#IMPACT365 – Kurt Angle’s condition after his match on IMPACT.” The video is accompanied by the following description: “#IMPACT365 – TNA wrestling medical staff attend to Kurt Angle backstage during IMPACT after his match with Bobby Roode”
You can watch the “#IMPACT365: Kurt Angle’s condition after his match on IMPACT” video below:
-TNA announced that there next pay-per-view themed edition of Impact Wrestling on Spike TV will be on November 21st. TNA will present a “Turning Point” themed edition of their weekly television show, which will emanate from the Impact Zone in Orlando, Florida.
-TNA announced the following brackets for their eight-man tournament to determine the new TNA World Heavyweight Champion:
–Jeff Hardy vs. Chris Sabin
–Bobby Roode vs. James Storm (winner faces the winner of Hardy vs. Sabin)
–Magnus vs. Samoa Joe
–Kurt Angle vs. Austin Aries (winner faces the winner of Magnus vs. Joe)
The matches will carry stipulations which will be determined by the “Wheel of Dixie.” The Hardy vs. Sabin match will be a Full Metal Mayhem match. While Styles is still technically the owner of the TNA title, the tournament will decide the new TNA World Heavyweight Champion. Basically, it looks as if TNA is setting up a future “Champion vs. Champion” match between Styles and the winner of the tournament.
-The TNA Impact Wrestling television taping on December 26th in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania has been changed to a non-televised live event that will now take place on December 27th.
-TNA has removed both Hulk Hogan and AJ Styles from their official online roster page. Meanwhile, Mr. Anderson has been re-added to the page.
-The following is a new 24/7 video of Dixie Carter and John Gaburick discuss the AJ Styles at TNA World Heavyweight Champion situation. Check it out below:
-As previously reported, TNA World Heavyweight Champion AJ Styles is scheduled to defend his TNA title in outside promotions to bring legitimacy to his storyline of winning the title and leaving the company with it. AAA promoter in Mexico, Dorian Roldan, tweeted the following regarding Styles defending the belt in AAA:
Acabamos de recibir un correo de @AJStylesOrg y quiere exponer el campeonato de TNA el domingo en Tonalá. Hoy mismo se definirá su oponente.
-According to Google Translation, the above tweet in English reads: “We just received an email from @ AJStylesOrg and want to expose the TNA Championship Sunday Tonala. Today will define their opponent.”
Quién podría ser un buen retador por parte de @luchalibreaaa para @AJStylesOrg y su campeonato de TNA? Este domingo en Tonalá, Jal.?
-According to Google Translation, the above tweet in English reads: “Who might be a good challenger by @ luchalibreaaa for @ AJStylesOrg and TNA Championship? This Sunday in Tonala, Jalisco.?”
-TNA is hyping the return of Abyss for their Halloween edition of Impact Wrestling this Thursday night on Spike TV. The company posted the following tweet on Tuesday afternoon:
As we previously reported, there are rumors that the new TNA World Heavyweight Champion, AJ Styles, will be defending the TNA belt outside of the organization to bring credibility to the current storyline that he has left the company. Specifically, Styles is rumored to defend the title on shows for the AAA promotion in Mexico, as well as the new Wrestle-1 promotion led by wrestling legend Keiji Mutoh (The Great Muta) in Japan.
The early stages of the angle began on Thursday’s live edition of Impact Wrestling, as Styles turned down a new contract offer from TNA president Dixie Carter, and spoke about how he was going to “bring the belt” to the people.
Styles posted his first tweet since “leaving TNA” on Impact Wrestling on Thursday. You can read the new tweet below:
Really looking forward to defending my title around the world. No worries, I'll bring the belt to you.
-The autobiography for the new TNA Impact Wrestling World Heavyweight Champion, AJ Styles, has been pushed back once again. The book, which was originally scheduled for an October release, has been pushed back to “early 2014,” according to a recent press release. For more information, visit VIPInkPublishing.com.
-The latest edition of the TNA Impact Wrestling podcast has been released. This week’s podcast features clips from the Kurt Angle Hall Of Fame banquet from last Saturday, as well as interviews with the new TNA Impact Wrestling World Tag-Team Champions, Bro-Mans, as well as the new TNA Knockout’s Champion Gail Kim. You can check out the new TNA Impact Wrestling podcast below:
– In a re-match from Bound For Glory, AJ Styles will defend the TNA World Heavyweight Championship against Bully Ray this Thursday on Impact Wrestling.
Infuriated, TNA Wrestling President Dixie Carter ordered the match in response to Styles capturing the strap at Sunday’s pay-per-view event.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tvx7-rkTqSw
– Sunday at Bound For Glory, Gail Kim captured the TNA Women’s Knockout Championship for a third time by defeating ODB and Brooke, with assistance from Lei’D Tapa. Upset, Brooke remarked following the match on Twitter: “I dragged each of you @TheODBBAM @gailkimITSME! I was completely robbed by @LeiD_Tapa!! This isn’t over, it’s just began! #FirstLady.”
Kim responded to Brooke on Monday, stating, “I don’t understand your ghetto language. I’m classy and intelligent and so is @LeiD_Tapa. She knew what team to be on #teamgail.”
– Hernandez is scheduled to appear at the Alamo City Comic Con at the Henry B Gonzalez Convention Center 200 E. Market St. San Antonio, Texas, this Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Former TNA Wrestling talent Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, Scott Steiner, Sean Waltman, Scott Hall, Buff Bagwell, as well as WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart and Virgil are also advertised to appear at the event.
The official TNA Impact Wrestling website posted an update on injuries sustained to performers involved in Sunday’s “Bound For Glory” pay-per-view. The official website posted the following regarding the condition of some of their top stars following the big event.
AJ Styles: Sustained rib cartilage damage and will be evaluated by his home doctor in Georgia later this week
Bully Ray: No concussion, but sustained a bruised sternum
Kurt Angle: Left the arena with his family and refused to be evaluated on-site by medical personnel
Bobby Roode: Cervical swelling (vertebrae/back), triceps hematoma
The following are highlights from a new TSN interview with TNA Impact Wrestling star AJ Styles
On people he would like to see signed by TNA: “They’re overlooking the guys who deserve a shot at the world title, who have the talent to be a world champion. They don’t have to come from that other place [WWE], they can come from the independents. But we have to leave the door open for young guys to come in and get a chance. Let them be their own guy instead of a cookie cutter like they get at that other place. From the independents, Delirious has been one of my favorites for a long time. I’d like to see him signed. I also miss Alex Shelley. He and [Chris] Sabin, as the Motor City Machine Guns were a great tag team. I would love to see him back.”
On the change in his personality over the past year: “I think it’s a personality that everyone has. You reach a breaking point, you push the right buttons, and you see this guy come out that you never knew you had in you. I got pushed over the ledge and it turned me on, turned me into this new guy. A little more aggressive and a lot more drive.”
On his thoughts on working with Hulk Hogan: “[Hulk] Hogan can open up doors that we normally wouldn’t be able to open without that. He adds experience and it’s been an experience working for him.”
On his match with Bully Ray at Bound For Glory: “I’m going to leave it all out in the ring. These people paid their hard earned money to see two people beat the crap out of each other in the ring. Be ready to be entertained and maybe even have your breath taken away. Hard-hitting and a match that you’re going to remember. I have to be more focused than ever. Bully Ray will have to kill me if he wants to beat me. And I just don’t think that’s going to happen.”
Check out the complete interview online at TSN.ca.
TNA star AJ Styles spoke with Mike Riker and Dave Lagreca on SiriusXM’s Busted Open to hype Sunday’s Bound for Glory pay-per-view. We posted the first batch of interview highlights here yesterday – the following are more of what AJ Styles said about:
The journey through the past year: “Well, it’s definitely been a journey. The ups and downs. The roller-coaster that has been A.J. Styles. Going from wrestling James Storm and Bobby Roode and having it all on the line and couldn’t wrestle for TNA World Heavyweight Title, it could have been James Storm or Bobby Roode or myself. Lucky me, I had the opportunity to lose that match and it really set me in a different mindset and losing to Christopher Daniels in a match that I should have never lost but when your head is all screwed up as it was, it send you to a whirlwind of “I don’t knows and I don’t know who I am” and problems occur and its reality and that’s what happens to a lot of people in life. They may lose their job, they may lose a marriage and stuff like this happens. Sometimes people forget who they are and what’s there purpose in life and that’s the same thing that happened to A.J. Styles.”
Deserving the respect: “I do and that’s what bothers me a lot, that I didn’t get that respect and when I called Dixie (Carter) out about it, she showed her true colors. She has shown who she really is. She’s a snake. She’s a money hungry person. She’s out for “what’s best for Dixie”, not for what’s best for the boys, what’s best for the company and what makes her the most money and if you don’t, well, she’s going to cut the fat.”
Being relied on: “What was bothering me was is that, you called on me every time you needed someone to take you to the next level to have that great match, you called on me. Then when it wasn’t called on me than what’s the deal. Then I realized for a second, I’m pissed off because I like being the go-to guy. I want to be that guy. Now that you are not giving me that chance, it’s pissing me off. That’s basically what I was saying. I enjoy being that go-to guy. I love being the guy that you’re going to give the ball to when it’s fourth down. I want to be that guy you give the ball to and I think a winner wants that. They want the ball in their hands when the championship is on the line or when the match is on the line but that fact that I wasn’t getting it is what really bothered me. You talk about not being in the main event, that’s exactly what I’m talking about here. I want to be the go-to guy but if you don’t give me the opportunity, how can I do that and what is stopping you and it was stuff like that, that really bothered A.J. Styles through the whole thing.”
Top priority resigning with TNA: “Here is the reality. I love TNA. I grew up there. It’s who I am. You said it before when people think of TNA, they think of A.J. Styles. I take pride in that. But something has to change and I want to be there. I don’t know any other way to say it. I love the place. I’m not saying I love what happened to it but I love that place and I want to see it grow. I know we have the talent. We have everything we need. The puzzle is not put together yet but once you get those pieces in there, you will see how it connects. Then you will be like: “Wow, we really got something” but we need someone in charge that knows what to do with it once they see what’s going together well.”
Changes if A.J. Styles was in charge: “Well, there would be some guys that we can bring in. We need to open up. The one thing that separated TNA from the beginning was the talent. The fact that they were from all over the world, from a lot of different states, having different wrestling styles. When you’re from the south, it’s a little different. When you’re from the Northeast, it’s a little different. When you’re from the West Coast, it’s a little different and that’s what was so great about TNA. We had guys from all over the nation and doing all different styles of wrestling and that’s what separated everyone else. We weren’t cookie cutters. We were all different and I think we need to bring that back. We can’t be focused on certain people. Don’t get me wrong, there is talent in the other place that can definitely come here and do well in TNA. But there are also talents in the independent circuit that deserve a chance too. I’m not saying they need to come here for a terrible contract to whatever it is. Give them a credible contract and come in here and show these people what they’ve been doing on the independents and doing well. We got to open up that door for younger talent to come in here because I was one of the first guys here and I’m getting older.”
-The TNA One Night Only “Tournament Of Champions” pay-per-view will begin airing on inDemand on Friday, November 1st.
-Speaking of additional TNA pay-per-views, the company’s “Unfinished Business” pay-per-view will be built around last August’s “Hardcore Justice” special edition of Impact Wrestling episodes.
-TNA recently posted the latest Impact Podcast online, which features appearances by AJ Styles, Magnus and a Bound For Glory preview. Fans interested can check that out below:
TNA star AJ Styles spoke with Mike Riker and Dave Lagreca on SiriusXM’s Busted Open to hype Sunday’s Bound for Glory pay-per-view. Here are some highlights of what he said about:
Being back in TNA’s main event scene:
“It feels awesome. I’ll tell you what feels better than being better in the main event; it’s having the crowd behind you. They know what they want out of A.J. Styles now. They know what to expect, when before they did not know what to expect, they didn’t know who I was or what to expect and to tell you the truth, I didn’t. But I think these fans know who I am now and what I’m after and who I have to beat to get it and that’s a great thing when you step into an arena and people are going crazy for you. It gives you that extra boost of energy that you can’t explain until you step into the ring or you step onto the field where all these people are cheering for you. It’s an amazing feeling.”
Unhappiness in the TNA locker room:
“Not everyone is going to be happy. Not everyone is going to be happy with the storyline that they are in, that’s just professional wrestling. Everyone wants to be at the top. Everybody thinks that they deserve more and you can’t blame them. You’re in a business where it’s going to take its toll on them as they get older and they want to make as much money as they can and think they have the ability to but when you’re not in that spotlight and believe me I know, it bothers you. I don’t want to say that we all are like: ‘This sucks,’ because we’re not. There are a lot of us just having fun but there is always going to be disgruntled guys in the back. It happens, it’s a cycle. You have to go through your turn of: ‘Oh crap, ok. Here we go.’ It’s one of those kinds of things. The locker room to me is not bad but it’s never going to be perfect. I don’t care where you’re wrestling at.”
Kurt Angle being inducted into the TNA Hall of Fame:
“He’s a machine. I know you guys must have heard that a million times but it’s true. He is one of the best professional wrestlers in wrestling. He’s got it all. He can get on the microphone and entertain you there or he can get you in the wrestling ring and do the same. I definitely think Kurt Angle deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. That’s the things that bother me the most is that our Hall of Fame is that our guys are still wrestling. Ultimately wait until they are retired because they still have more work to do. Image all the good things you can say about them and then they have the match of there life after we induct them to the hall of fame. You got to bring that up. But those guys, Sting and Kurt deserve to be in the Hall of Fame and I have no bad feelings towards them because they are great guys.”
You can hear Busted Open on Sports Zone; Sirius 92, XM 208 and on the app.
AJ Styles’ upcoming biography has been put on hold, according to David Dee of VIP Ink Publishing. He sent along the following statement today:
“After months of board meetings between VIP Ink Publishing, L.L.C. and A. J. Styles both sides have come to the agreement to slow down on the release date of the book due to waiting on copyright approvals, a few more interviews, as well as the timing of the match for the Heavy Weight Championship with Bully Ray. We feel that the fans deserve nothing but the very best and that is what we intend to give them.
While we know this is a disappointment, we want the fans to know, we are just as disappointed as you are. As both sides continue to work diligently together, please keep a watchful eye to the website www.vipinkpublishing.com and A. J. Styles’ facebook page facebook.com/ajstylesorg for more updates. As soon as we have a release date and cover layout, we will release another press release.”
– AJ Styles’ current TNA deal runs through December after recently signing a short-term contract extension. The two sides will discuss extending the agreement after Bound for Glory.
– Hulk Hogan is now officially a free agent after his TNA contract expired yesterday. The two sides are currently in negotiations about Hogan’s future and of course, it will come down to the almighty dollar. With TNA releasing a slew of talent this year, losing truckloads of money by taking Impact on the road and owing many of their employees backpay – one of the biggest stories of the year will be whether TNA can cough up enough dough to keep Hogan on board.
Thursday’s Impact will feature Hulk Hogan’s response to Dixie Carter and whether he’s on “Team Dixie” or not.
According to a fan who attended the TNA Impact Wrestling television tapings in Little Rock, Arkansas on Thursday night, a stipulation for the main event of the promotion’s upcoming “Bound For Glory” pay-per-view may have been hinted at during a verbal exchange between the two wrestlers involved in the scheduled match.
Apparently, TNA World Heavyweight Champion Bully Ray hinted at the possibility of AJ Styles either winning the TNA title at the pay-per-view, or leaving the company if he loses. While Ray did not officially announce that as the stipulation for the match, it would make a lot of sense given the contract situation involving Styles and TNA, and the fact that the short-term deal he signed with the promotion is set to expire immediately after the Bound For Glory show.
Fans interested in checking out the full spoilers from Thursday’s Impact Wrestling television tapings for the October 3rd edition of the show, can check those out on the main page.
As we have reported in the past, AJ Styles’ current, short-term deal with TNA is set to expire in December. According to the latest reports, it appears highly unlikely that “The Phenomenal One” will end up in WWE after his short-term TNA deal expires. According to one source, there appears to be very little interest from the WWE side in signing the 36-year-old former TNA World Champion.
One person in-the-know in WWE went as far as saying there is “far less interest in AJ from the WWE side than a normal, rational person would think.”
As many saw on last week’s Impact Wrestling, Styles has entered into a new storyline with the now storyline heel president of TNA, Dixie Carter, where he claims to be currently working without a contract. As noted, that is untrue, as Styles re-signed the aforementioned short-term deal with TNA which gets them through December. Where Styles will end up by the time that deal expires remains to be seen.
TNA has released the following preview for next week’s live edition of Impact Wrestling from Little Rock, Arkansas:
IMPACT Preview: Hulk Hogan to address Dixie/AJ, Manik vs. Chris Sabin, Aces & Eights dissention
Preview Thursday’s IMPACT WRESTLING broadcast, LIVE on SpikeTV at 9/8c from Little Rock, Arkansas! If you can’t catch all the action on Thursday, make sure to set your DVR!
Thursday’s IMPACT takes place in Little Rock, Arkansas at the Verizon Arena – tickets are on sale at ticketmaster.com or by phone at 800-745-3000 or 501-975-9000
– What will be the fallout from the heated confrontation between TNA President Dixie Carter and “The Phenomenal” AJ Styles? The wrestling world is buzzing over what happened – and no one knows exactly what the aftermath will be! Are AJ’s days numbered in TNA after what he said to the President of the company? How will IMPACT General Manager Hulk Hogan react? We’ll hear from The Hulkster on Thursday! Don’t miss it!
– With ‘Bound For Glory” less than a month away, World Heavyweight Champion Bully Ray is preparing for his biggest match of the year against AJ Styles! However, will friction within the ranks of the Aces and Eights work against Bully Ray? Can the gang’s leader rule with an iron fist and re-establish order – or are we witnessing the implosion of the group, along with Bully Ray’s dominance in TNA?
– Also on IMPACT, the X Division Championship will be on the line as Manik defends against Chris Sabin! Sabin shocked the wrestling world this past week when he attacked Manik, leading to the match between the two X Division superstars. Will Sabin regret his attitude change, or is he set to once again reclaim the gold and dominate the X Division?
– It will six-person action on Thursday as Eric Young, new Knockouts champion ODB and Joseph Park team up to take on The Bro Mans (Robbie E and Jessie Godderz). BUT – the Bro Mans need a Knockout to join them in the match with ODB involved! Who will Robbie and Jessie recruit to team up with them on Thursday night? Tune in and find out!
All this and much more on Thursday’s LIVE IMPACT on SpikeTV at 9/8c from Little Rock, Arkansas!
TNA has posted the promo between Dixie Carter and AJ Styles that concluded Thursday’s edition of Impact Wrestling on Spike TV.
According to reports, the promo is the start of TNA president Dixie Carter’s heel turn and the beginning of a new creative direction/storyline arc for the company.
Check out the Dixie Carter and AJ Styles promo from this week’s Impact Wrestling below:
TNA Impact Wrestling wrestler and executive Hulk Hogan recently tweeted the following on his official Twitter account regarding one of the main storylines for next week’s Impact Wrestling on Spike TV, which was taped this past Thursday night:
“Can’t wait for Dixie Carter to go face to face with AJ Styles,the next T A IMPACT will be a game changer brother. Spike9pmestThurs HH”
For those interested, spoilers for next week’s Impact Wrestling show are available on the newsboard right now.
SESCOOPS.COM reader Big Daddy Donnie sent along the following:
Rhino joined episode 323 of Tha O Show for 25 minutes this week and discussed a whole bunch of things, in this very candid interview filled with belly laughs and a couple of “Did he just say that?” moments!
-Rhino shares his own personal road stories, including one about this week’s co-host, Bill Skullion and how Bill once uttered “the toughest thing I ever heard come out of another man’s mouth”
-Rhino touches on his upcoming opponent Sylvan Grenier at a CWI show tomorrow night.
-Talk on ROH run and if he’s disappointed at all with how creative has used him and if he felt he should have been in the World Title Tournament.
-Rhino offers his two cents on the AJ Styles situation, and explains why TNA may have to let him go.
All that PLUS:
A preview of Night Of Champions, from a booker’s viewpoint
Why Edge’s return to Raw might be a bad thing
Why the RVD / Ricardo marriage is even worse than you thought
Is Total Divas merely a trial balloon for the next phase of WWE programming?
– As recently reported, TNA and AJ Styles came to an agreement for a short-term contract extension that will keep him with the company through late 2013. AJ’s 5-year contract with TNA, which was due to expire this month, included a clause that stated he would get a raise each year. When it was time to negotiate a new longterm deal, TNA was not willing to offer Styles an annual raise moving forward.
The financial terms of Styles’ short-term extension are unknown, but Styles could very well become a free agent in early 2014 .
– There continues to be a lot of concern backstage in TNA – with the company being compared to the original ECW in its dying days. Many employees, especially on the production side, are still waiting to be paid for past work. Dixie Carter skipping the most recent Impact Wrestling tapings to attend a college football game also raised a lot of questions with talent.
As reported previously, AJ Styles and TNA have to come to terms on a new short-term agreement. According to one report, the deal will take Styles and TNA a little past Bound For Glory.
Whether or not he re-signs a longer deal to stay in the company will likely come down to how close each side can came to the financial part of the deal.
TNA has posted the AJ Styles promo from this week’s Impact Wrestling on their official YouTube channel. You can check that out below:
One of the main topics of conversation behind the scenes in TNA over the past few weeks has been AJ Styles’ contract expiring – and whether the “TNA Original” will be able to come to terms with the organization.
The latest on this story is that Styles and TNA have agreed to a short-term contract extension.
Styles’ contract was set to expire within a matter of weeks – and he was reportedly offered a deal that was for significantly less money than he’s made in the past.
It’s unknown how long Styles is now locked in for, but TNA will continue negotiating with him in hopes of keeping him on board for the long term.
In case you missed it, here is AJ Styles’ promo from Thursday’s Impact Wrestling:
