-For those interested, there is yet another new interview with TNA Impact Wrestling star Austin Aries promoting Sunday’s “Bound For Glory” pay-per-view online at Xfinity.Comcast.net.
-TNA has released their first ever official t-shirt for company owner and new on-air heel authority figure, Dixie Carter, on their ShopTNA.com website. For those curious, you can check out a photo of the new t-shirt below:
The following are highlights from a recent DirecTV interview with TNA Impact Wrestling star Austin Aries:
On idolizing Bobby “The Brain” Heenan: “Bobby Heenan is one of my favorites of all time. Even back in the AWA, I just always thought he was great. And obviously The Horsemen dominating as well as Dusty Rhodes, Nikita Koloff, Magnum T.A., The Midnight Express, and The Freebirds. Of course Jake Roberts and Rick Rude. Those are the guys I grew up watching and idolizing.”
On his favorite opponents: “I always mention Bobby Roode. We just click on a lot of different levels. We grew up appreciating the same type of wrestler and same type of wrestling. We are similar students to the game. We work together against each other or as a tag partner. Guys like Samoa Joe, no matter what it’s been, what promotion, every time we are in the ring there is such an easy storytelling and psychology in there. We always had good matchups. Matches with Brian Danielson (Daniel Bryan of WWE) have always brought the best out of me. We’ve had a number of clashes over the years. Those are some guys off the top of my head.”
On Bound For Glory and the Ultimate X match: “Bound for Glory is Impact Wrestling’s biggest event. It is out in San Diego, and it is a whole weekend event. Unfortunately, I find myself challenging for the X Division Championship in an Ultimate X Match. It is exactly the type of match I look forward to as well as the fans. But there is an extra element of danger, having to scale a 20ft rope to grab the belt where it is hanging over the ring. You have three former world champs (Aries, Chris Sabin, and Jeff Hardy), as well as the current X division champ, Manik, and we all bring a little something different to the table. Anything can happen, and it is an exciting match for the audience and you definitely get sweaty palms participating in it because of the dangers that come with The Ultimate X Match.”
Check out the complete interview online at DirecTV.com.
Related News: New Matches Added To TNA’s Bound For Glory 2013 PPV
TNA star Austin Aries was recently interviewed by Mike Mooneyham of The Post and Courier and spoke about never getting the opportunity to work for WWE:
“I don’t worry about that. They’ve had opportunities to sign me, and for whatever reason or measuring stick they were using, they didn’t see fit to give me an opportunity. I don’t know all the ins and outs of those decisions, and I don’t really dwell on it.”
He also commented on Hulk Hogan’s departure from TNA:
“Hogan is doing whatever’s good for Hogan … just like he’s done his whole career and just like he should continue to do. And if that means staying with TNA, great. If that means going to some other venture, then I wish him all the luck.”
-As noted, TNA Impact Wrestling star Jeff Jarrett was scheduled to make his debut for the new Wrestle-1 promotion in Japan, which is led by pro wrestling legend Keiji Muto (aka The Great Muta). Jarrett teamed with Muta and Masakatsu Funaki to defeat Masayuki Kono, Ryouji Sai and Kazma Sakamoto.
-Speaking of Jarrett, he’ll be at Saturday’s FWE event in Brooklyn, New York signing autographs prior to their live event. Also scheduled to appear is Jarrett’s wife, Karen Jarrett.
-TNA Impact Wrestling star Austin Aries was interviewed recently by The Post And Courier’s Mike Mooneyham. Fans interested in checking that out online can do so at PostAndCourier.com.
LATEST UPDATE On Hulk Hogan’s TNA Future + HUGE Bound For Glory *SPOILERS*
Promoting Bound For Glory, Austin Aries appeared as a guest on Busted Open Radio, hosted by Doug Mortman and Dave LaGreca (Busted Open Radio airs every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. on Sirius 94 and XM 208), where he discussed a number of TNA-related topics. Highlights from the interview are as follows:
Difference a year makes: “It kind of just snowballed. I was given opportunities obviously I felt I took advantage of them. The people with the company agreed with me and I kept getting bigger opportunities which obviously cumulated in Bound for Glory with Jeff Hardy and winning the World Heavyweight Championship. Before that I was excited for the momentum I had and for whatever reason it came to a halt and now I’m trying to rebuild that and I think I’m slowly doing that and hopefully in a year from now, we are talking about me in the main event at Bound for Glory once again as World Heavyweight Champion.”
The buzz behind TNA fading: “I know why it’s gone and I’ll keep that to myself. I don’t control those decisions, all I can control is what’s in front of me and I feel whatever you put on my tee, I’m going to knock out of the park. I’ve always felt that way and the decisions that are made and what’s going to happen creatively that’s above my pay grade as they say and quite frankly, it’s not something that I want to stress myself out too much because I’m a passionate guy, I’m an opinionated guy. I love the industry and I’ve followed it ever since I can remember and I got to control the things that I can control and that’s usually with a microphone in my hand and when I step in between the ropes.”
Turnover in the TNA locker room: “You look at it two ways. Some people look at the turnover and the releases and they put a negative connotation on it but I think in any business and especially in the sports world, you need to keep that middle ground fresh and in wrestling, it’s the same way. You give guys opportunities , some guys run with the brass ring and some don’t but you can’t stagnant with that, you need turnover because it keeps that fire lit under everybody, keeps everyone performing to the best of their abilities, no one gets comfortable, you don’t want anybody getting comfortable and going to work and collecting a paycheck. You want to keep people on their toes and I don’t think the turnover is a bad thing. It gives new guys opportunities, it keeps fresh faces for the fans and they don’t get sick with the same old, same old and that’s a successful recipe for any business.”
The feeling in the TNA locker room: “I think it’s the same as it’s always been. I’m sure it’s like here when you guys come in and you got a great feeling in things and other weeks, your down about this, that and the other but overall, I haven’t seen a huge change in the locker room. I think we all understand what the company is structured like, why things happen and again, I think a lot of the guys take the same approach I do on let’s focus on what we can do and make the best of what we are given.”
Being a leader, professional, company guy and helping the X-Division: “I wouldn’t define and say I’m back in the X-Division per say. Right now, I started a little something with Chris Sabin and interjected with him, a little banter back and forth and we will see where that progresses to. I do think I have always been a company guy and I think that my passion and outspokenness can be misconstrued. I never been a selfish performer, I’m always coming up with the best ideas for the company to succeed. It’s never really been about myself and I’ve always prided myself on where ever you need to slot me in on the card, I can do that. If you need me to get the card off on a good start, I can do that. Opening the night out, I can do that. You need to give me a thirty minute, main event caliber match, I can do that. You need to put me in the tag (team) division, I can do that. You need me to go into the X-Division, I can do that. I think that was something that was important to me since I broke in; I never wanted to be pigeon holed as just this and just that. I want to be well-rounded and versatile as I can because that just means you are much more valuable to whatever company you work for.”
Bring reality to wrestling: “I’ve always said that the best pro wrestling is from when you pull from reality the most you can. The more authentic you can make it, the more tied to reality it is, the more people grab on to it. I think that’s the reason why people have gravitated to my character over the years, there’s an authenticity to it. I’m not putting too much of an act, I might be turning up the dial one way or the other but I am who I am and that comes out in my character when I’m on screen. As the fans get smarter or think they are getting smarter, we have to find ways to keep them on their toes, off balance and keep them guessing because that’s the name of the game and that’s where the drama comes in.”
Crowd reaction during Bound for Glory: “Absolutely not! I told the powers to be that’s exactly how it would be whether or not I kicked Jeff Hardy in the balls a week before, they disagreed with me and well, I was right and they were wrong and I have a job there and they don’t. Something too that I didn’t make public at the time was for about four or five months before that and year after that I was dealing with an annular tear in my lower back and a bulge in the herniated disc in my back so I was battling through a lot of injuries so from a personal standpoint, I was taking a lot of pride in my performance cause the pain I was dealing with to perform at that level but when you have those limitations and create that kind of atmosphere and put on that performance, its satisfying and that’s not to say that we all don’t do it at some point in our careers, Jeff (Hardy) has done it at some point of his career, he’ll do it again, I’ll do it again, it’s part of the game. I think one place where wrestling is progressing and needs to progress is that in life, there is not clear cut bad guys and good guys . Everybody is a shade of gray and we can talk about “Sons of Anarchy”, well whose a good guy and whose a bad guy , it’s a shade of gray and I think as long as you have strong, authentic characters people are going to gravitate to the characters that they can relate to and Jeff Hardy is a strong, authentic character and he’s got his fan base and they are very loyal to him and I think I am the same way and I was trying to express that you can’t just change that overnight. People that have followed me over a long time , they feel a passion and a loyalty to me and my character and the same way with Jeff (Hardy)and why turn one whole side against the other, it’s just not going to happen. It’s better off just playing against each other and everything is a shade of gray. Sometimes you wake up and you’re a better person then others, some days you’re in an ornery mood, you walk around with piss and vinegar, and other days you’re in a great mood. I think wrestling should dictate real life and that’s how it is. It’s also who I am interacting with because there are guys like Jeff Hardy, he is universally loved and he is one of the last true good guy and baby face who the people just take to. When I interact with him, it might seem like I’m being more of a dick for lack of a better term. If I’m dealing with Bobby Roode, who is kind of a dick himself, now they are looking at me and saying: “Maybe I like this Aries guy a little more” and that’s where the dynamics of the characters coming in. That’s why when you have strong, authentic characters , it’s how the characters and the dynamics of those different characters and not everybody is going to be playing the same role or being taken the same way every time. Every time I have got in to the ring with Jeff (Hardy ), I’ve always enjoyed it. He’s so unique, one of a kind, we meshed together well and our chemistry just happened to click. To be quite honest, our styles out of the ring, I think we are a like-minded then people realize as far as articulacy and mindset. I’m a little out there; I view the world in a whole different shade then most people.”
The possibility of Hulk Hogan and AJ Styles leaving TNA: “The tight knit group of wrestling fans that know the information, it might get them excited because they actually know it’s behind the scenes legitimate. I think to the casual fans, it’s lost to them because they do not follow it that closely and that’s not why they watch the product necessarily. The thing that we all have to be mindful with the performers that are out there, we don’t want to be too smart for our audience. We are a lot more plugged in and tuned to those behind the scene things but the vast majority of them are not. Sometime we can outsmart ourselves with the things that we can do out there.”
The Bound for Glory series taking away from feuds: “It didn’t turn out good because I didn’t win it. I think the concept has a lot of potential. The Bound for Glory series could provide match ups that you wouldn’t normally see because its guys who would never be feuding and I think for me; it gets drawn out a little too long and also can be streamlined. This is a personal preference if you are going to put up twenty points for some battle royal match or gauntlet match, it defeats the purpose because these should be one-on-one singles matches with a fifteen minute time limits because that’s what this is about. I’m not going to challenge for the World’s Heavyweight Championship in a battle royal and in some ways, it cheats the fans because for those fans who were really invested in it and they thought that this was the last night to see who advances now: “Oh hey, next week we are going to throw another gauntlet match for twenty points”, it’s kind of insult and I can understand as a fan, why at the time, I would tune out. I think it has a lot of potential but I understand there are a lot of moving parts and a lot of factors behind the scenes that had to be changed or maneuvered around and that’s the part that the fans do not understand. The necessities of the life that need to be done and if I was in the position to give suggestions , I think I would bring the competitors down to eight, shorten it up and put a real importance on it and maybe a couple Impacts would be strictly Bound for Glory series matches that night. Maybe once a month it would be nothing but Bound for Glory series matches or the other thing that I heard thrown out there which is a good suggestion is make it more of a tournament style because people can follow tournaments and that’s an easy concept to understand and I think the points can’t get confusing. “Its this amount of points for a victory but for a submission it’s this amount of points but if he’s disqualified, it is this.” To the casual fan who is not that invested in this, it might go over their heads. I think the concept is great, it has a lot of potential and I think it’s a work in progress and every year, we are trying to make it better and listen to all suggestions and hope to progress on it. You want to keep away from the “Team Challenge Series” as much as possible.”
The success of the past Ring of Honor stars: “I’ve said this for a long time that if you were able to succeed in Ring of Honor like CM Punk and Daniel Bryan and myself were all able to do and you learn how to get over no matter where you are, WWE is just another place where you can get over. It’s really that simple. Talent is talent and understanding the business and understanding what you need to do to have the people connect with you. That’s not something that you can necessarily teach. That’s something that you have or that you don’t and all of those guys have it and they had it back then and they will have it in ten years. That’s why you can’t judge a professional wrestler with a tape measure, it doesn’t work that way. I’ve been judged that way before and I’m sure I will again and those people all failed in their assessments of my talent and I’ll prove that every time I step out there.”
TNA’s fan base being as rabid as ROH’s fan base: “I don’t know if that’s a successful direction to go, if it was then Ring of Honor would be in a lot better position than it is now. Reality is and the listeners do not like to hear this but the hardcore, tight knit wrestling community is just a small overall percentage piece of the pie and if you cater to that small slice, you’re missing out on the rest of the pie. I think the idea is to keep them invested and if you can get a buzz with that core of the fan base, it will resonant to the common fan. They are a very important part of our fan base, they are always going to be there, that’s really the backbone but you need to use them to help excite the common fans and you can’t cater to them because you’re probably going to lose a lot of the other people out there. It’s a slippery slope and you want to include as many people as you can in the entertainment value and for some people, its judging matches, star ratings, false finishes and all these kind of things and for other people it’s something completely different and we need to keep that in mind.”
Christy Hemme situation: “That’s a difficult situation. I’m not going to say a whole lot about it but it was an unfortunate event. I’ll just say I was disappointed in the way things were handled in multiple levels and I think I will leave it at that for now.”
Will TNA still be on the road a year from now?: “I don’t know. I’m not in those meetings and I don’t make those decisions. I hope they are. I don’t make those financial logistics of it. I think there are things that we can definitely do that would help us be successful while on the road as far as promoting and advertising. I think there are things that we dropped on the ball on but again, I don’t get paid to make those decisions. If I did, I think we would be in a little bit of a better position right now.”
The following are highlights from a recent v2 Wrestling interview with TNA Impact Wrestling star Austin Aries:
On his on-air character: “You know, I find it funny that all the people that follow wrestling, people like yourselves, that they all kind of use the terms babyface and heel, and good guy or bad guy, because I don’t look at life like that and i don’t look at wrestling like that. I’m pretty much who I am, and I’m not everybody’s flavour, and I’m kind of polarising and some people like me and some people don’t. And just like everybody in life, some days I come to work and I’m not in a good mood, and some days I come to work and I’m in a great mood. And i think that’s like everybody. Nobody walks through life as a pure babyface per se or a pure heel, we all have shades of grey, and there’s some days we’re a little better than others, and some days we’re a little more ornery. And I think that I just embody that. I think Austin Aries is pretty consistent when he’s on the screen. I don’t think my attitude has changed a whole lot, other than letting people know that if you wanna cheer me, go right ahead. I’m not gonna stop you. Tell the people who make decisions what you want to see. Tell them who you wanna see on camera and in the ring.”
On his previous TNA run: “Eveybody likes to speculate that me and Austin Starr are somehow related. I always say that that guy never had a tattoo. I’ve watched all of his footage, the guy’s mildly entertaining, never really had a whole lot to sink his teeth into, but i certainly enjoyed him in the Kevin Nash Invitational Battle Royale, I’ll tell you that much.”
On whether Kevin Nash helped or hurt the X Division: “Kevin Nash is a recognisable name, and he was obviously someone they brought in because of who he was. And for him to hang out with us, you’ve got to understand that we had a blast. I had a blast working with Kevin, and if you go back and watch some of the Paparazzi (Productions) skits that I’ve seen, those guys all look like they’re having a great time. I think Kevin was doing what he could to help give the X Division guys at that time a little more personality and bring some of that out, and Kevin’s a great guy to do that because he’s full of personality.”
On his feelings about the wrestling industry: “I’ve been doing this so long now as a job and a profession that – it’s not that I don’t appreciate professional wrestling, but – it’s not something I do in my spare time. I have a lot of other things I enjoy doing, so when I’m done with work I kind of put it away. That doesn’t mean I don’t occasionally catch some other wrestling on television or Youtube, but there was such a long part of my life where I was really consumed with it, where it was all I thought about, and I just think as my career has progressed and as I have matured and the perspective of all this has changed a little bit, now it’s more of a job. That doesn’t mean I don’t love my job and have passion for my job, it’s just not something I spend a lot of my free time doing.”
On meeting the fans: “I think there’s a balance of fan interaction. I think sometimes there can be a little too much interaction. I know when I was a kid, the mystique of wrestlers and stuff was something that was kind of big, and if I got to hang out with them all the time i think that mystique can be lost. You’ve got to be careful not to over-expose and over-saturate (access to the wrestlers), because it loses that specialness.”
On his future: “I still feel that I perform at a level where I’ve got another ten years in me before I even start to think about maybe transitioning into something behind the scenes, but I’ve always been interested in the creative process of wrestling. I think that’s a part of what has helped me excel, because there’s a lot of guys who athletically are as gifted as I am, so I think it’s the mental aspect of the game that has helped me achieve the success that I have.”
On how close he came to retirement in 2011: “I had made the decision (to retire). It was just one of those situations where I didn’t feel that I was getting back what I was putting in. I didn’t want to be a prisoner to the world of wrestling; I didn’t want to be a guy who was trying to hustle every weekend and do a convention. I didn’t want to be Randy The Ram in 10, 20 years. I felt at that point of my life I was ok with transitioning into something else, and I’d stopped taking bookings and had nothing on my schedule, and before that really sunk in I got a call from TNA offering me the opportunity to come down there for an X Division qualifying match. and I figured, well why not take one more pay day, that certainly can’t hurt!”
Check out the complete interview online at v2Wrestling.Podomatic.com.
-There was said to be many within TNA who were pleased with the media blitz over the final few days leading into the tapings on Thursday in Cleveland. The feeling was the late media attention helped with the walk-up ticket sales for the show.
-The following matches are scheduled for the TNA Impact Wrestling live event in Newark, Delaware on September 6th:
–Bully Ray vs. AJ Styles [TNA World Heavyweight Championship]
–James Storm & Gunner vs. Christopher Daniels & Kazarian [TNA World Tag-Team Championships]
–Manik vs. Sonjay Dutt [TNA X-Division Championship]
–Chris Sabin vs. Bobby Roode
–Magnus vs. Mr. Anderson
-TNA Impact Wrestling star Hulk Hogan was recently announced by SouthernPigskin.com as a celebrity game picker for the 2013 edition of the Southern Pigskin College Football Pick’em contest.
-Austin Aries was recently interviewed by the Hagerstown Herald-Mail to promote the TNA Impact Wrestling live event in the local area this weekend. You can check that interview out online at Herald-Mail.com.
REPORT: Sting & AJ Styles Leaving TNA For WWE In 2014 [READ MORE >>]
TNA Wrestling issued a statement this afternoon through its company website concerning tonight’s Bound For Glory Series matches on Impact Wrestling since tournament leader Magnus will be not be appearing on the show “due to an unforeseen issue.”
The British grappler was scheduled to compete against Jeff Hardy and as a result of his absence, they have announced the following changes to the show.
“Magnus, due to an unforeseen issue, will not be appearing on tonight’s Impact Wrestling on Spike TV. Magnus currently has competed in 5 matches and was scheduled to face Kazarian on Xplosion this week and Jeff Hardy on Spike TV tonight. Due to the circumstances, TNA officials have met and made the following decision:
“Magnus will stand with his current total of 39 points. Jeff Hardy and Kazarian will face each other tonight on Impact Wrestling on Spike TV to make up their originally scheduled match with Magnus. Also the originally scheduled Kazarian vs. Hernandez match will move to Xplosion this week.
“Must Win Thursday“ tonight will now feature three matches with serious implications on the BFG Series Final Four scheduled for No Surrender in St. Louis; Austin Aries vs. Christopher Daniels, Jeff Hardy vs. Frankie Kazarian, and AJ Styles vs. Bobby Roode. Tune in tonight at 9/8c for all this and the return of Hulk Hogan on Spike TV.”
– CM Punk conducted a Q&A session on Twitter on Saturday night where he endorsed a TNA wrestler.
An Austin Aries fan asked, “Thoughts on “A Double”, Austin Aries? Or you’re not allowed to talk about the other company?” Punk responded, “I think he’s great!”
Punk also fielded a question on the passing of Matt Osborne, who portrayed Doink the Clown. He wrote, “sucks of course.”
– Throughout 2013 for WWE Magazine, the WWE Divas are paying tribute to the wrestlers of yesteryear by channeling their trademark wardrobe in photo shoots. In the latest installment, Natalya honors former Hart family nemesis Shawn Michaels by donning an outfit akin to the initial “Heartbreak Kid” look. To view the photos, click here.
– The return of Christian on Raw is highlighted in the latest WWE Raw Slam of the Week.
– Based on what we saw on last week’s episode of Impact Wrestling, it appears TNA is dissolving the tag team of Austin Aries and Bobby Roode. The former tag team champions suffered back-to-back losses at Slammiversary and this past week’s Impact and have been wrestling singles matches at TNA live events. Both men will be competing independently in the TNA Bound For Glory series, which culminates at October’s Bound For Glory pay-per-view.
– TNA star AJ Styles was involved in an altercation with a fan at this past weekend’s TNA live event from Aiken, South Carolina, according to a report at PWTorch.com.
While approaching the ring, Styles was heckled by a fan. AJ grabbed a steel chair and got in the fan’s face, telling him to come over the guard rail and fight him. After the exchange, Styles briefly went back into the ring, only to exit and continue jarring with the fan. Styles continued encouraging the fan to head to the back with him where they could fight, but the fan ultimately backed down.
Styles would then go on to defeat Bobby Roode using his new Calf Killer submission hold.
* Rumored Bound For Glory Main Event & The Latest On If HULK HOGAN Will Wrestle Again
– According to ImpactWrestling.com, a Six Man Tag Team Match will take place tomorrow night on Impact Wrestling as World Tag Team Champions James Storm and Gunner and X Division Champion Chris Sabin square off against Bobby Roode, Austin Aries and Kenny King.
– The official YouTube account of TNA Wrestling has released the following video previewing Thursday’s post-Slammiversary episode of Impact Wrestling from Duluth, Georgia.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXIHWmbFfus
– Joseph Park participated in a media blitz Wednesday promoting this Saturday’s live event at the U.S.C.A Convocation Center in Aiken, Carolina. (Photos)
TMZ.com reports that TNA star Austin Aries has been hit was a “severe” fine as a result of his actions last week on Impact Wrestling.
After TNA announcer Christy Hemme botched her duties and announced Aries & Bobby Roode as Christopher Daniels & Kazarian, Aries got in her face, cornered her in the ring, stood on the ropes and “shoved his man bits” (TMZ’s words) into her face. The incident was unscripted and led to at least one journalist contacting Spike TV and asking what actions they would be taking against Aries.
Hemme tweeted afterwards that Aries’ conduct was “unacceptable.” Aries has since apologized to Hemme privately and a source told TMZ that she was satisfied with his apology.
TNA Wrestling President Dixie Carter addressed Austin Aries’ lewd behavior towards ring announcer Christy Hemme on last week’s episode of Impact Wrestling with a stern statement via Twitter this afternoon.
“TNA has ZERO tolerance for inappropriate behavior,” she wrote. “The incident with Austin Aries was taken very seriously and handled immediately.”
David Schwarz, Senior Vice President of Communications for Spike TV, stated this week to Mark Madden of Wrestlezone.com that action would be taken against Aries for his public form of sexual harassment towards the veteran Knockout.
“We have a zero tolerance policy for sexual harassment,” said Schwarz. “We discussed [the incident] with our partner. [Aries is] being disciplined. I’m trying to get more information on what action is being taken. Dixie Carter took this very personally. He will be disciplined. Again, we have a zero tolerance policy for sexual harassment.
“I’m not sure specifically how [the discipline] will be handled. To what extent, I don’t know. This is certainly something we don’t condone and don’t tolerate. Such behavior is not welcome.”
In response to whether Aries’ discipline should be made public since Hemme was harassed on national television, Schwarz responded, “I think that a statement of some sort will be coming. That’s being worked out. But immediate action will be taken.”
On the show, Hemme mistakenly introduced Aries and tag team partner Bobby Roode as their opponents for the evening, Christopher Daniels and Kazarian. This led Aries to corner Hemme in the ring as he intimidated her into correctly introducing him before climbing onto a mid-level turnbuckle and shoving his groin near her face.
Following the event, Hemme voiced her displeasure with Aries’ actions via Twitter, deeming it “unacceptable.” Late Saturday night, Aries appeared to address the incident though the social networking outlet, writing, “Pretty nuts, some of the junk people get the balls to say over the net, knowing they couldn’t to your face…Eh, anyway, time to sack out.”
Austin Aries will be disciplined for his public form of sexual harassment towards TNA Wrestling ring announcer Christy Hemme on last Thursday’s episode of Impact Wrestling. Mark Madden of WrestleZone.com garnered a statement from David Schwarz, Senior Vice President of Communications for Spike TV, regarding the matter Tuesday.
“We have a zero tolerance policy for sexual harassment,” said Schwarz. “We discussed [the incident] with our partner. [Aries is] being disciplined. I’m trying to get more information on what action is being taken. Dixie Carter took this very personally. He will be disciplined. Again, we have a zero tolerance policy for sexual harassment.
“I’m not sure specifically how [the discipline] will be handled. To what extent, I don’t know. This is certainly something we don’t condone and don’t tolerate. Such behavior is not welcome.”
In response to whether Aries’ discipline should be made public since Hemme was harassed on national television, Schwarz responded, “I think that a statement of some sort will be coming. That’s being worked out. But immediate action will be taken.”
On the show, Hemme mistakenly introduced Aries and tag team partner Bobby Roode as their opponents for the evening, Christopher Daniels and Kazarian. This led Aries to corner the inaugural winner of WWE’s Diva Search in the ring as he intimidated her into correctly introducing him before climbing onto a second-level turnbuckle and shoving his groin near her face.
Following the show, Hemme voiced her displeasure with Aries’ actions via Twitter, deeming it “unacceptable.” Late Saturday night, Aries appeared to address the incident though the social networking outlet, writing, “Pretty nuts, some of the junk people get the balls to say over the net, knowing they couldn’t to your face…Eh, anyway, time to sack out.”
– TNA Wrestling issued a following press release on Wednesday announcing that Dish Network is moving Spike TV (and Impact Wrestling) to channel 241:
“Currently, Spike TV can be seen on both DISH channels 168 and 241. However, DVR functionality on channel 168 is disabled, so we encourage all IMPACT WRESTLING fans to set their DVRs for channel 241 now. Spike TV will be on channel 241 full-time starting April 3.”
– Brandon Baxter interviewed TNA star Austin Aries this week. They talk about Impact Wrestling in Jonesboro, March 28, growing up a wrestling fan, who was his favorite wrestler, how did he end up in wrestling school, going from vegetarian to vegan, being a master debater and the TNA live experience:
– TNA Knockout Brooke Tessmacher has been feuding with Angelina Love via Twitter, writing:
It’s not about tattoos.. I don’t mind them. Just don’t care 4 @ActualALove I’m a very positive person & she’s been nothing but negative 2me
— Brooke Adams (@RealBrookeAdams) March 19, 2013
She also re-tweeted the following message from a fan:
https://twitter.com/xanderwho/status/313823681979768835
– TNA will soon be releasing a Dixie Carter action figure exclusively at ShopTNA.com.
– TNA will be running live vents this weekend from Concord, NC (2/22) and Roanoke Rapids, NC (2/23). Top names advertised to appear include TNA champion Bully Ray, Jeff Hardy, Kurt Angle, Bobby Roode, Austin Aries, James Storm and Velvet Sky.
– TNA has published the following video of Austin Aries “shooting” on Sting:
Warning: The following contains a spoiler for the February 7th episode of Impact Wrestling:
At Friday night’s TNA Impact Wrestling tapings from Manchester, England, Austin Aries and Bobby Roode defeated Chavo Guerrero and Hernandez to capture the TNA Tag Team titles.
The match was the opening contest of the 2/7 taping and was described by our live correspondent as “a good match some with funny spots between Aries and Roode.”
This marks Aries’ first TNA tag title reign and Roode’s 5th TNA tag title reign.
Here’s a picture of the new champions celebrating after their title win:
– Jeff Hardy continues to prove that he is a drawing card for TNA Wrestling as preliminary estimates for the Genesis pay-per-view event he headlined on January 13 have the show drawing between 12,000 and 13,000 buys.
By comparison, many of last year’s shows drew between 7,000 and 10,000 buys, with the upswing kicking off after Hardy become TNA World Heavyweight Champion in October.
At Genesis, Hardy beat Austin Aries and Bobby Roode in a Triple Threat Elimination match to retain the TNA World Heavyweight Championship.
– There are several people behind-the-scenes in WWE who have been greatly entertained by the comedic exploits of the recently united tandem of Bobby Roode and Austin Aries on Impact Wrestling.
– On Tuesday’s episode of TNA Xplosion on the UK’s Challenge TV, Garett Bischoff beat Jessie Godderz with The Numbskull.
(source: F4WOnline.com)
– The promotional poster for TNA’s Lockdown pay-per-view event on March 10, 2013 at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, has surfaced online and Hulk Hogan is featured front and center. Also notably featured is TNA World Heavyweight Champion Jeff Hardy, whose contract expires in February.
– Thursday on Impact Wrestlng, Velvet Sky made her return to TNA Wrestling during a in-ring segment between Mickie James and Tara, vowing to regain the TNA Women’s Knockouts Championship and making 2013 her year. Following her appearance, TNA Wrestling President Dixie Carter remarked on Sky’s return, tweeting, “Welcome back @VelVelHoller! I’m sure millions have missed the pigeons!!”
– Miss Tessmacher and Robbie E appear for ACW tomorrow at Opportunity Builders Inc. 8855 Veterans Highway Millersville, Maryland. Call 410-608-1141 for more information.
Two new matches were announced for TNA Wrestling’s Final Resolution pay-per-view event during Thursday’s Impact Wrestling broadcast.
Chavo Guerrero and Hernandez will defend the TNA World Tag Team Championship against Joey Ryan and Matt Morgan. Plus, Bully Ray will do battle with Austin Aries.
Here is the updated card for Final Resolution, which takes place December 9 in Orlando, Florida.
* TNA World Heavyweight Championship Match – Jeff Hardy (c) vs. Bobby Roode
* Bully Ray vs. Austin Aries
* AJ Styles vs. Christopher Daniels
* TNA World Tag Team Championship Match – Chavo Guerrero and Hernandez (c) vs. Joey Ryan and Matt Morgan
* TNA Women’s Knockout Championship Match – Tara (c) vs. Mickie James
– At the conclusion of last Thursday’s Impact Wrestling broadcast, Austin Aries dropping a bombshell on Hulk Hogan by accusing his daughter Brooke of conducting funny business with Bully Ray. The WWE Hall of Famer addressed the storyline via Twitter today, writing, “TNA IMPACT WRESTLING TONIGHT 8pm/7central only on SPIKE ,gonna get to the bottom of Brooke’s bs with Bully,I’d love to go off on himHH4Life.”
– On the latest edition of TNA Today, Christy Hemme speaks with Earl Hebner about his career in professional wrestling and working with TNA. She also picks his brain to see who he believes are the promotion’s rising stars.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6_l_aLZaFQ
– ShopTNA.com has released AJ Styles gloves.
ImpactWrestling.com has released the official preview for Thursday’s Thanksgiving edition of Impact Wrestling.
Preview Thursday’s Thanksgiving IMPACT – Open Fight Night, Gut Check and more!
Preview Thursday’s IMPACT WRESTLING broadcast at 8/7c on SpikeTV! If you can’t watch IMPACT on Thursday night, make sure to set your DVR to record all the action.
– It’s the special Thanksgiving Edition of IMPACT WRESTLING! After you give thanks and enjoy holiday dinner with the family, sit back and enjoy two hours of wrestling action! TNA and SpikeTV continue the tradition of wrestling on Thanksgiving night!
– The special Thanksgiving IMPACT also features the return of OPEN FIGHT NIGHT! Who will get called out and challenged? What grudges will be settled? In addition, TNA GUT CHECK winners Alex Silva, Taeler Hendrix, Sam Shaw and Christian York make their return!
– As part of OPEN FIGHT NIGHT, Austin Aries says he has a call-out that will shake things up in TNA! Who could Aries have him mind? He isn’t telling anyone until Thursday night!
– The broadcast will also include the latest GUT CHECK as one newcomer attempts to earn a spot on the TNA Roster! This week, Wes Brisco will step up and try to pass the GUT CHECK on IMPACT! Can Brisco impress the judges with his match and realize his dream?
– PLUS, the annual holiday Turkey Suit challenge continues! Eric Young is bringing back the turkey costume as he prepares for battle! Who will EY face on the broadcast – and who will end up as this year’s TNA Turkey?! Don’t miss it!
All this and much more on the special Thanksgiving broadcast on IMPACT WRESTLING – Thursday 8/7c on SpikeTV!
Preview Thursday’s IMPACT WRESTLING on SpikeTV 8/7c – The Final Countdown to Turning Point
Preview Thursday’s IMPACT WRESTLING broadcast LIVE at 8/7c on SpikeTV, featuring the final countdown to the “Turning Point” event! If you can’t watch IMPACT on Thursday, make sure to set your DVR to record all the action.
– In a huge match on the LIVE Thursday broadcast – and a preview of the #1 Contender’s Match at “Turning Point” – “The Phenomenal” AJ Styles vs. battle Bobby Roode on IMPACT!
– Just days before their main event Ladder Match at “Turning Point”, what will happen on IMPACT between World Heavyweight Champion “The Charismatic Enigma” Jeff Hardy and his challenger Austin Aries? Don’t miss it!
– Did Christian York pass the TNA Gut Check? The judges will make their decision on York’s future on Thursday’s broadcast! Will he earn a spot on the TNA Wrestling roster?
– Plus, what will be the fallout after the latest member of The Aces & 8s was revealed? What’s next for the biker gang – and how will “The Immortal” Hulk Hogan react to the latest reveal? Tune in and find out!
All this and much more on Thursday’s IMPACT WRESTLING broadcast on SpikeTV LIVE at 8/8c – the final countdown to Turning Point!
(source: ImpactWrestling.com)
– The longest reigning WWE Intercontinental Champion of all-time, The Honky Tonk Man, stated on Twitter this week that he would like to appear on Impact Wrestling.
After one-half of the TNA World Tag Team Champions, Kazarian, tweeted, “I wonder if @officialhtm knows how over he is with a lot of us in the @IMPACTWRESTLING locker room. He is the most quoted man by far!” he wrote in response, “Maybe #TNA needs some Shake Rattle & Roll!”
He added, “HTM in @impactwrestling LOL. 1 on 1 face off with Bitchoff. Mic to Mic shoot!”
– TNA Wrestling has released a video previewing tomorrow night’s World Heavyweight Championship Match at Bound For Glory between Austin Aries and Jeff Hardy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOnZlI7rNHA
– TNA Wrestling President Dixie Carter tweeted the following regarding today’s events in Phoenix, Arizona: “Just waking up in beautiful Phoenix. Fan Interaction today and Sting’s Hall of Fame dinner tonight. It’s going to be a very special day.”
Promoting Bound For Glory, TNA World Heavyweight Champion Austin Aries appeared on Monday Night Mayhem (audio available at MondayNightMayhem.com). Highlights from the interview are as follows:
Why he credits simply being himself as the primary reason for his success over the past year since returning to TNA: “I’m just a big believer in ‘timing is everything.’ In every situation in life, you should try and learn from it, and continue to grow. Coming back into TNA, I was more prepared, and I think they were a little more prepared for me. I have been given some opportunities, and put in a position, and I have been capable enough to capitalize on them. When I came into TNA the second time, I was very comfortable in who I was, not that I had a ‘take it or leave it’ approach. I was going to go in there, and be myself, and trust in that, and let the chips fall where they may. I’m enjoying my second time in TNA. Obviously I’m having a lot of success, and I’m about to main event the biggest Pay-Per-View of the year with Jeff Hardy, everybody’s ‘golden boy’…and I look forward to it.”
The evolution of the X-Division since he relinquished the TNA X-Division Championship earlier this summer and what he sees for the future of the division: “You take someone like myself out of the X-Division, and that was a big hole that had to be filled. You see Zema Ion stepped up, and Sonjay Dutt, who has had some issues with his shoulder, but has come back from that. You saw Kenny King make his debut, and I think we will be seeing him again. There’s an influx. There are guys coming in and making some impressions. We will see what happens there.”
What it means to him in having the confidence of TNA as its World Heavyweight Champion leading into Bound For Glory and why he “wants to spoil everybody’s party” in his World Title Match vs. Jeff Hardy: “I have to be real honest. It was great to have that boost of confidence and have the company behind me leading up to winning the championship. That’s really only half the battle. Once you have it, it’s what you can do with it. I’ll be honest. I see a lot of that momentum and support shifting to Jeff Hardy. That doesn’t necessarily bother me, because I’ve always operated best when it’s ‘me against the world,’ and coming into Bound for Glory, that’s how I’m approaching it. I kind of want to spoil everybody’s party, retain my championship, and then talk about my momentum and moving forward. This is my first real challenger after moving past Bobby Roode, so I need to cement this before we start talking about having momentum and how I feel.”
The final message that he wants to personally send to “The Charismatic Enigma” leading into TNA’s biggest Pay-Per-View of the year and what he feels he has to prove to himself in their match this Sunday night: “I think the one message I have been trying to send to Jeff is that I’m still hungry. I’m not sure that he has that same hunger, because he has accomplished a lot of things that can make a man complacent and not as hungry as he used to be. I know Jeff behind the scenes. I know his priority list. I’m not going to sit here and tell anyone that wrestling is number one on that priority list, when you factor in everything else, like his artistic ventures and his family. I don’t have those things. I haven’t yet achieved the same level of success that Jeff has. I don’t feel like I have 100% of the support behind the scenes that a person of Jeff Hardy has, and I will have to prove myself to get it.”