The following matches are confirmed for tonight’s edition of TNA Impact Wrestling on Destination America.

TNA Knockouts Championship
– Taryn Terrell vs. Gail Kim vs. Madison Rayne

Monster’s Ball Match
– Jeff Hardy vs. Abyss

Tag-Team Match
– Mandrews & Rockstar Spud vs. Ethan Carter III & Tyrus

TNA World Heavyweight Championship
– Bobby Lashley vs. MVP vs. Bobby Roode vs. Austin Aries

Below is the official video promo, as well as a video of TNA announcers Josh Mathews and Taz previewing tonight’s show.

http://youtu.be/HhBwwYeohnw

http://youtu.be/C9gR31HAyi4

• Vince McMahon FURIOUS Over Mistake During Royal Rumble + Chris Jericho TURNS DOWN WWE Offer!

The following are highlights of a new Radio Yorkshire interview with Bobby Lashley:

On being the TNA Champion: “I’m really proud and really happy about the year I’ve been having, just to come back here and win the title before the UK tour, being able to defend it in the UK is a great experience, I really like the opportunity that TNA are giving me.”

On Destination America: “I love the fact we are on Destination America, we were all for it, we knew Dixie would make the right decision and she did, right now since we have worked with Destination America, they have been on our side helping us out with what we do, I think they are trying to build and we are trying to build, I think we will build together.”

On Bobby Roode: “I think we had great matches, moving forward we will have more great matches, I am looking forward to the real Roode vs. Lashley 3.”

On MMA: “I will continue with my career in MMA, I have a contract on the table right now with Ballator, I’m just trying to figure out what I need to do, I just want to make sure it’s right with TNA as well.”

Check out the complete interview above.

• PHOTOS: WWE Diva LANA Poses In Maxim Magazine!

TNA has announced that Matt Hardy and Jeff Hardy will face Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards at the January 8th Impact Wrestling television taping for Destination America in New York City, New York.

TNA also announced that their taping on January 9th will feature the Lockdown theme for a Destination America broadcast.

As noted in the past, Bobby Roode vs. Bobby Lashley for the TNA Championship is set for the January 7th live debut on Destination America.

The following are highlights of a new Main Event Radio interview with Jeff Jarrett:

On the NJPW ‘Wrestle Kingdom 9’ pay-per-view: “This is truly a global event. The most widely distributed live wrestling event in history. New Japan is a red-hot promotion. Expecting over 50,000 fans and I can tell you this will be a card that is on par with a Wrestlemania. Jim Ross, the voice of a generation of wrestling fans is going to be calling the action. This truly is a can’t miss event.”

On The Young Bucks: “I consider the best tag team in wrestling today. New age wrestlers of 2015 and beyond.”

On AJ Styles: “We’ve gone side-by-side together for the last 12 years…he stepped away, out of his comfort zone and he had in my opinion possibly the best year of his career. He’s an incredible athlete and an even better person. I met AJ when he was in his early 20’s and now he’s married with 4 kids. I’ve seen him develop as a man and I’m very proud of him as a man and in his career. The X division matches that he had and his world title runs, he is without a doubt the hottest free agent out there and a great professional wrestler.”

On Jim Ross: “We knew when Global Force Wrestling and New Japan cemented the deal in August and then got the PPV contracts confirmed throughout United States and Canada with every provider in both countries. So when we looked around to find out who would be the English-speaking announcer and realized that Jim Ross was available, it was a no brainer. He is the best of the best of the best, he has no peers and he is simply the best. We knew by signing him, by acquiring him, he was going to raise the profile of the event. But over the last 3-4 weeks the amount of publicity and media requests has taken off a whole new life. The buzz is taken off the charts. With the Flipps app, this event is available on a worldwide basis for anybody to watch.”

On leaving TNA: “It was time. I founded the company back in 2002. We were rocking and rolling. I put everything I had into that company. I knew when 2013 came to an end; I looked in the mirror and knew it was time for me to take the next step in my life and my career. I’ve got no regrets, I’m very happy with my time there but it was time for me to go in a different direction. Very thankful, very blessed, and very grateful for my time in TNA. The early years were such a unique set of circumstances. The rabid fan base began to grow back on a weekly basis back on the Wednesday night PPVs. The original fans, then we got the Spike deal and things began to gel. From 2002 right through 2009 were my favourite times. A lot of fun, great talent, the X division, it really exploded.”

On if it bothers him at all that TNA refers to Bobby Roode as their longest reigning champion: “No, because that’s wrestling. Bobby’s a good friend. I can remeber him at the early days at the asylum. I walked up to Bobby and I scratched my head why he wasn’t signed to WWE. We jumped on him immediately and signed him. He’s a great talent, I’ve got a ton of respect for the guy and he can get it done in the ring.”

On his plans for Global Force Wrestling: “We have very methodically rolled out the Global Force Brand. Partnering with AAA in Mexico, New Japan in Japan, with announcements to come for United Kingdom, Australia, and South Africa. Systematically, we’re having patience. We’re going to be a fully-functioning promotion with our roster, sponsorships, venues, talent, distribution. We’re putting those all in place. In early 2015 the roll-out of GFW will continue. Stay tuned. We’ve got some really unique opportunities ahead of us. A wrestling PPV has not been promoted without a traditional cable outlet. We’re innovative. Everything, not just the wrestling business, is headed to the digital world. WWE Network, New Japan World, Major League Baseball. With us partnering with other promotions around the world, that is a fundamental difference in today’s wrestling.”

Check out the complete interview at MainEventRadio.com.

The following is a transcript of a new Ring Rust Radio interview with TNA star Bobby Roode:

Donald Wood: TNA’s Impact Wrestling has recently made the transition for Thursday nights to Wednesday nights at 9 p.m. ET. What are your thoughts on the move and TNA’s future on Spike TV and beyond?

Bobby Roode: I think the Wednesday night move is a great idea especially this time of year trying to compete with NFL football games on Thursday nights now. Without going to a different network, I think going to Wednesday nights now there isn’t any real serious competition on those nights. I think the adjustment has gone quite well. We didn’t expect the ratings to be as good so fast. I think overall it was a great move and I hope in the future we will continue to go Wednesday nights.

Mike Chiari: You recently fell just short of winning the TNA World Heavyweight Championship in an entertaining, hard-fought match with Lashley. While Lashley’s title reign hasn’t been nearly as long as yours, how do you feel it stacks up in terms of overall dominance, and what is it going to take for someone to take him down?

Bobby Roode: I’ve only held the World Heavyweight Championship once but I held it for a very long time. I’ve held the Championship longer than anyone else in the history of our company. Lashley is the most dominant Champion our company has ever had. Sitting back and watching the matches he has had with our top stars like Austin Aries, Eric Young, Samoa Joe, Jeff Hardy, he dominated those guys. Those guys are no slouches either, they are the top guys in our company and some of the best wrestlers in the world right now. Lashley is definitely the most dominant Champion that our company has ever seen no doubt about it.

Brandon Galvin: You’ve been widely regarded by fans and other professional wrestlers as somebody who would be a main-event player in any company. What do you feel is your greatest asset or skill as a professional wrestler?

Bobby Roode: I’d like to say my passion and my love for the sport. Over time the business itself has evolved and changed almost seemingly every year. I’ve been able to adjust and change my style and adapt to whoever I’m in the ring with. Whether it’s a smaller, faster guy like an Austin Aries or a bigger guy like Lashley. I’m able to adjust my style and change with the times so to speak. I study a lot of tapes, I have a passion for the business, and I’ve always wanted to be the best ever since I got in the business. I have a love for this sport and just want to be the best in it. At the end of the day when I hang up my boots for the last time, I hope I have the respect from the other wrestlers and fans alike who enjoyed my matches and thought that I was one of the best.

Donald Wood: During your first run with the company’s championship, you became the longest reigning TNA World Heavyweight Champion in history. How did your run at the top impact your drive to return to that level?

Bobby Roode: I got into this business for one reason and I stayed in this business for one reason: To be the World Heavyweight Champion. I think if you are in professional wrestling and you don’t have that dream or aspire to be the best and carry that World Heavyweight Championship then you are in the wrong business. The first time around I got to experience a lot of things: I got to experience main eventing pay-per views, main eventing live events, main eventing television shows, carrying that title outside of the ring, doing a lot of media appearances, representing the company, and being the face of the company for 8 months. It’s something I look forward to all the time to be that guy and carrying the weight of the company. There is a lot of responsibilities being the World Heavy Weight Champion both in and out of the ring and it’s something I look forward to doing again.

Mike Chiari: TNA has recently placed a ton of emphasis on the tag team division with The Hardys, Team 3D and The Wolves vying for the tag titles. As a five-time TNA tag champ and formerly one half of Beer Money, does seeing these elite tag teams going at it and having great matches ever give you the itch to jump back into the tag team ranks even just on a temporary basis?

Bobby Roode: My main focus right now is being a singles competitor and being the World Champion. I love tag team wrestling and I came into TNA as part of tag team with Team Canada. Being a part of Beer Money was one of the greatest parts of my career so far. When James and I were part of Beer Money there was a lot of great tag teams we could run with. Looking back, teams like Motor City Machine guns, Main Event Mafia, British Invasion, Team 3D, there was a lot of great tag teams. Since that point the tag team division has fizzled until recently. The Hardys, Team 3D, and the Wolves coming off the Full Metal Mayhem match. It was such an unbelievable match and those guys put everything on the line and that definitely brings back some memories of tag team wrestling.

Donald Wood: You’ve had extended runs in both singles competition and in the tag team division. As a wrestler who has achieved the top titles in both divisions, which do you prefer and which has been more rewarding?

Bobby Roode: I think to me personally they both have positives and effects on my career thus far. To be able to be the best at tag team wrestling and an individual star it means a lot. As part of a tag team at the time in TNA, with such great tag teams and having the tag titles at that time with all those other teams around us meant a lot. I’d like to think James and I became one of the greatest tag teams of all time during our tenure together. Holding the World Heavyweight Championship is something that you can’t put into words and being able to hold onto it as long as I did is something that I’m extremely proud of.

Brandon Galvin: You’ve excelled as part of a tag team and on your own as a singles competitor. Do you approach or prepare for those matches or story lines differently and if so, could you explain how?

Bobby Roode: There’s not a lot of difference really. I’ve been doing this for almost 17 years now, little over 12 with TNA. I approach every match the same. Whether it’s a tag team, singles, 6 man tag, 4 way, whatever the case may be, I always mentally and physically prepare for matches the same so there is no difference.

Mike Chiari: There’s been a lot of speculation about TNA and what the future holds for it lately. As a guy who’s been with the company since 2004 and as presumably a locker room leader, do you ever feel a need to address the other wrestlers when a negative report comes out, or do you just kind of roll with the punches when that happens?

Bobby Roode: I guess in a way I could be looked at as a locker room leader. Unless someone comes up to me and asks me my opinion on something I don’t usually go and talk to anybody or say how I feel about things. I just try to focus on what my job is and my job is to go out there every week and put on great matches with great story telling and be the It Factor every Wednesday night now. With all the behind the scenes stuff and rumors it’s just that; rumors. As far as the locker room and I are concerned the negotiations are ongoing not only with Spike but a bunch of Networks. Every things a positive. There’s been nothing shown by Dixie or the TNA offices that would make us think that things are going to go bad. It’s been positive and our show on Wednesday night has reflected that positivity.

Brandon Galvin: Many people have considered you the franchise player of TNA. What does it mean to you to be recognized as such a talent and what type of pressure do you put on yourself to maintain such a status?

Bobby Roode: Lot of pressure on myself, I am my own worst critic. It’s a good thing I guess. I got in this business to be the best and I’m going to continue to try to be the best. If I am out there for five minutes in the ring or 30 second backstage interview or a 20 minute match I am going to try to make my segment of the show the best that it can be. I am a perfectionist like most everybody else in the business. I’m hard on myself sometimes but I always want to get better. I study tapes of guys and different wrestling all over the world and I always want to get better. I think that’s key to being the best in the business.

Donald Wood: You’ve had legendary feuds as a singles competitor with top stars like Kurt Angle, James Storm and Austin Aries. Are there any feuds or matches in particular that stick out as unforgettable moments in your career?

Bobby Roode: I’ve been blessed to have a lot of great moments in this company. Right off the top of my head the run with James in Beer Money being so successful is one. Taking a nothing tag team and turning it into something big is something that I will always remember. My matches that I had with Aries, I love working with Austin Aries and hope to work with him again someday. I think one of the things that sticks in my mind are the matches with Kurt Angle. In my opinion he is the best wrestler that has ever been pound for pound. He can wrestle, he can go every night, never had a bad match, he’s entertaining, and can do anything. I was able to go out there and compete with Kurt and stay at his level. I just really, really enjoyed our matches. I loved the professional wrestling aspect of it. It was a special moment being able to wrestle with Kurt and be on his level and have great matches.

Mike Chiari: TNA’s biggest pay-per-view, Bound For Glory, is going to take place on Oct. 12 in Japan. There’s a lot of intrigue surrounding the event now that TNA has announced the card, but your name is conspicuous by its absence. Can fans expect to see you added to the card? And if not, is there any disappointment on your end that you’re not part of it?

Bobby Roode: There’s negatives and positives to this year’s Bound for Glory. Obviously it’s disappointing that I’m not going to be there and be a part of it. I’ve been a part of every single Bound for Glory that’s there has been with this company. I think the very first Bound for Glory, Eric Young and I were defeated for the tag team titles by 3 Live Crew. It’s a lot disappointing not being on the card. I love Japan and performing in Japan and just being a part of Bound for Glory. The positive part of it is we are taking Bound for Glory to Japan and taking it internationally and giving the fans in Japan a chance to take in and be a part of Bound for Glory. To work alongside Wrestle One which is a great partnership for our company. I think at this point, Bound for Glory is going to be a showcase of TNA talent and Wrestle One talent and it’s going to be a hell of a show.

Brandon Galvin: It’s been nearly one year since you introduced the Roode Bomb as one of your new signature moves. Could you explain what goes into adding a new signature move to repertoire and why a wrestler may not look to add more?

Bobby Roode: Wrestling evolves all the time: Every day, every week, every year, and every month. You got to keep up with the times to be successful. You look at guys like Kurt Angle, he’s got the Angle Slam and the Ankle Lock. I’ve also incorporated a submission move and there’s different variations to my game now and making things more exciting. I was using the Payoff for a while and I just wanted to change it up a little bit. I wanted to make my moves more impactful and maybe a little more believable. Roode Bomb has been one of those things I added to my repertoire and has been working and I believe is starting to get over. The fans can recognize it and that’s one of the most important things. When fans can start to recognize your moves and you start to go for a move and the fans react to it that’s when you know it’s working.

Ronda Rousey’s SEXY Brazilian Bikini Shoot! (PHOTOS & VIDEO >>)

Austin Aries won the “Gold Rush” tournament on Wednesday’s edition of TNA Impact Wrestling, earning himself a future title shot of his choice. Aries is scheduled to pick his title shot on next week’s show.

Also announced for Impact Wrestling next week is Havok vs. Gail Kim for the Knockouts Championship, The Wolves picking the stipulation for their final match against Team 3D and The Hardy Boys and Bobby Roode speaking out on his future in TNA.

TNA crowned a new World Champion at their Impact Wrestling television taping tonight in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

In one of the main events of the tapings, longtime TNA veteran Bobby Roode defeated the now former TNA World Champion Bobby Lashley to become the new title-holder.

We should have a complete Impact Wrestling taping report up on Friday morning.

– WWE COO Triple H will be Chris Jericho’s guest on this week’s Talk Is Jericho podcast at PodcastOne.com. The episode drops on Wednesday and we’ll post a link here when it’s live.

This week on @TalkIsJericho on Wed & Fri… @TRIPLEH!!! @wwe #timetoplaythegame #biggestguestinpodcasthistory

— Chris Jericho (@IAmJericho) September 1, 2014

– TNA star Bobby Roode tweeted the following during one of the Nikki Bella segments that aired during Monday’s RAW:

WTF am I watching????

— Bobby Roode (@REALBobbyRoode) September 2, 2014

– There has been backstage talk within TNA that there were some additional cuts made to office employees last week.

– TNA will be airing the Best Of Ultimate X “Unfinished Business” pay-per-view special this month.

– Debuting this Friday on pay-per-view will be a “TNA One Night Only: World Cup of Wrestling” event with teams captained by Ethan Carter III, Eric Young, Kurt Angle and Bobby Roode competing to win the TNA World Cup. The show, which was taped in April at the old Impact Zone, will feature the following lineup:

*Eddie Edwards vs. James Storm
*Jessie Godderz and Robbie E vs. Mr. Anderson and Sanada
*Gail Kim vs. Madison Rayne
*Eric Young vs. Bobby Roode
*Kurt Angle vs. Magnus
*Angelina Love vs. ODB
*Ethan Carter III vs. Davey Richards
*Bully Ray and Gunner vs. Samuel Shaw and Kenny King
*Finals for World Cup

– TJ “Manik” Perkins has signed a contract extension with TNA.

– Taryn Terrell vs. Gail Kim for the Knockouts Championship and Bobby Roode vs. Eric Young in a number one contender’s match has been announced for next Wednesday’s edition of TNA Impact Wrestling.

– Below is a video of Team 3D reacting to their victory over The Hardy Boys and The Wolves from this week’s edition of Impact Wrestling.

http://youtu.be/ORq66qjYKiw

TNA taped part of next week’s edition of Impact Wrestling on Thursday evening. The rest of next week’s show, as well as the show that will air on July 3rd, will be taped tonight at the Sands Resort in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Below is what has been taped thus far for the June 26th episode.

– Gail Kim & Taryn Terrell def. The Beautiful People in Knockouts tag-team action.

– Sanada retained the X-Division Championship in a four-way match that also featured Crazzy Steve, Manik and Zema Ion.

– An in-ring segment took place featuring MVP, Bobby Lashley and Kenny King, as well as Eric Young and Bobby Roode. Ultimately, MVP tried to fire Young and Roode, however the TNA Board of Directors came out and rescinded the firings, telling MVP that he is no longer the Director of Wrestling Operations for TNA.

– James Storm def. Mr. Anderson in a one-on-one bout.

– An in-ring segment took place with Dixie Carter bragging about MVP no longer being the Director of Wrestling Operations, assuming that she is again in control until the same member of the Board of Directors from earlier in the evening came out and informed her that she wasn’t in charge either. Dixie threw a fit and demanded to know who was in charge, but the man refused to tell her. Eventually, Bully Ray came out and threatened again to put Dixie through a table until Ethan Carter III and Rockstar Spud came out to make the save. Tommy Dreamer and Ethan Carter III ended up getting into a big brawl as well.

– Magnus & Bram def. Willow & Abyss in a Monster’s Ball match.

– The announcement is made as to who the new TNA Director of Wrestling Operations is, which turned out to be Kurt Angle. This led to MVP, Lashley and King coming out to threaten Angle until Young and Roode came down to the make the save.

The following are highlights of a new U.K. Mirror interview with MVP:

Possibly not getting to face Kurt Angle: “Before I signed I said there were three people I absolutely had to work with: Samoa Joe, Bobby Roode and Kurt Angle. Kurt’s out with knee surgery – I don’t know how long he’s going to be out, and I’m not really sure at this stage of his life and his career, how much longer he’ll be with us – I don’t want to speculate. I do know if you lace up a pair of boots, Kurt Angle is someone you want to get in the ring with. If that doesn’t happen, I will truly feel like this has been a missed opportunity for me – selfishly.”

Vince McMahon giving him a chance: “When society wouldn’t give me an opportunity to earn a minimum wage because I was a convicted felon, Vince McMahon gave me an opportunity to earn more money than both of my parents had made in their lives combined and become an international star. [Then]I asked to leave, and he allowed me to go – and said the door’s open when you want to come back. I’m totally indebted to Vince McMahon for both of those opportunities.”

His future: “I still wanna wrestle in Mexico, before all’s said and done. When I’m ready to retire, my goal is to retire in Japan. We’ll see – I don’t know what’s coming down the road. I know for the foreseeable future, if a TNA Title run is on the cards for me, that’d be a huge honor.”

Check out the complete interview at Mirror.co.uk.

Just two years ago, TNA had 60 performers under contract to the company, however now they reportedly have 33 signed.

Of the 33 talents signed, the only ones with any real money involved would be Kurt Angle, Jeff Hardy, Bully Ray, Abyss, Samoa Joe, James Storm, Bobby Roode and Mr. Anderson.

As far as Anderson is concered, it’s believed that he signed a new deal a while back that was considerably lower than the one he had previously.

TNA Director of Operations MVP announced on Tuesday that he has suspended former TNA World Champion Bobby Roode “indefinitely” as a result of his “unacceptable conduct” on last week’s episode of Impact Wrestling.

And @REALBobbyRoode is indefinitely suspended from @IMPACTWRESTLING for his unacceptable conduct! Take the time to think about your actions.

— MVP (@The305MVP) May 13, 2014

Another Big Name Gone From TNA & A List Of The Talent That Left In The Past Year

The TNA stars scheduled for next year’s European tour, which was a solid success for the company earlier this year, are Bully Ray, Magnus, Samoa Joe, James Storm, Bobby Roode, Ken Anderson, Eric Young, Gail Kim, Gunner, Abyss, Ethan Carter III, Tigre Uno and Rockstar Spud. That would lead you to believe that all of those talents are under contract through the rest of 2014 and into 2015.

In the case of Jeff Hardy, whether he’s under contract or not, he can’t be part of the European tour because of his past drug conviction.

The European tour dates are January 29th in Glasgow, Scotland, January 30th in Manchester, England and January 31st in London, England.

The only show announced as a TV taping is the 1/31 date in London, where two episodes of Impact Wrestling are scheduled to be taped. They’ve also announced an Ultimate-X match for the London show.

Eric Young has been in TNA for nearly a decade and in that time we have seen him be a member of Team Canada, a stint a a comic book hero Super Eric, all the way through to being the top dog in the company and current TNA World Heavyweight Champion.

The 34-year-old from Florence, Ontario, Canada has won numerous titles turing his time in the company including; X Division champion, multiple time Tag Team champion, Television champion and ever Knockouts Tag Team champion with ODB, however the current title around his waste tops the lot.

We caught up with EY to talk about, getting to work with some of his heroes, his Animal Planet shows, and of course the night he was crowned TNA World Champion, plus much more.

Q. How did you first get into the sport of professional wrestling?

I’ve been a fan since I was five-years-old, I’ve watched it my whole life and it’s all I ever really wanted to do. The week after I finished high school I began training at a gym, and three months after that I had my first pro match and it ha just snowballed from there. I’ve wrestled in all 50 states, every province, wrestled all over the world and now I’m the World Heavyweight champion, it has been a pretty wild ride.

Q. When growing up who were some of the wrestlers that you enjoyed watching?

Being from Canada, Bret and Owen Hart were massive influences on me. Then there were guys like Sting, Terry Funk, Ric Flair, Shawn Michaels, I have a huge list of wrestlers that I enjoyed watching. I loved Hulk Hogan and Ultimate Warrior, there was just something about it from the age of five or six and I  couldn’t get enough.

Still to this day I have lots of VHS tapes with tens of thousands of wrestling, I loved it when I five and I still love it today.

Q. You’ve had the chance to work with the likes of Sting, Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair, what was it like working with guys you grew up watching?

It’s hard to put that into words, these were guys that I idolised growing up, these were people that I wanted to be. I actually got to wrestle Sting in his first match back after 10 years away, and just being in the ring with him was a dream come true but very surreal at the same time. Sting was always good to be, Hulk as well, they always had time for me and it was great to be able to share a locker-room with guys like that and be on the same roster.

Q. The likes of Sting, Hulk Hogan, AJ Styles, and Jeff Jarrett have all left TNA in recent months, what has that been like?

There is always massive turnover in professional wrestling, people come, people go, some people go to work in other places and some people end up coming back, that is just the nature of the beast. It’s never nice to see anyone go, but I’m still really good buddies with AJ Styles and we talk whenever we get a chance – we’re actually planning on doing a bike trip together in the summer.

Q. When you first started in TNA did you ever think you’ll become World Heavyweight champion?

It’s always something that I wanted, and personally it’s always something I believed I could do. I don’t think there is anybody that doesn’t want to become World Heavyweight champion when they are in this business. The night I won the belt from Magnus on IMPACT! was a great feeling, I’m not taking anything away from him, it was an amazing match and he’s a super talented guy but I was better that day and now I’m the World champion and that sounds kind of crazy to say out loud.

Q. What can we expect from you as Champion?

I told the fans and I meant it, that I’m going to be a fighting champion, that’s the kind of champion I like and that is the kind of champion I’m going to be. Every chance I get to defend my title I will, I will defend my title against anybody, anytime, any place, any time.

Q. Who are some of the people you are looking forward to defending your title against?

The list is huge, pound-for-pound TNA has one of the pro wrestling rosters in the world. I’ve got a massive history with Bobby Roode, and he was they guy that held the belt longer than anybody, I would love to get in the ring and test myself against him.

Guys like Hall of Famer Kurt Angle, Austin Aries, James Storm, Gunner, Ken Anderson, these are all guys that I want to defend my belt against. They are all worthy, they all deserve a shot at the belt and secondly I want to test myself against the best and see what happens.

Q.  What have been some of the highlights for you during your 10 year tenure in TNA?

Obviously my favourite moment was that night on IMPACT! when I won the gauntlet match and then went on to wrestle Magnus and become the World Heavyweight Champion for the first time. I wouldn’t change anything about my journey, it’s been an amazing journey, I’ve done all these different roles – I’ve been X-Division Champion, I’ve Tag Team champion on numerous occasions, I’ve held the TV title, I’ve even won the Knockouts Tag Titles with ODB.

One of the things I’m most proud of is being on television every week for nearly 10 years, which is something not many people are able to do. I think that shows my versatility, you never know what is going to happen next in this industry, it’s a crazy business but it has been great to experience all of it, the good, the bad and the indifferent.

I’ve always prided myself when the fans say things like, Eric Young is the most entertaining guy in professional wrestling. That’s really important to me, it always has been, it always will be, that’s the name of the game when it comes right down to it, it’s a television show, and it’s about entertaining people, if that with physicality that’s great, if its with comedy that’s great.

My first two years in TNA I didn’t say a singe word, I was the guy on team Canada to carry the action and to be physical, I got hired here because I was a pro wrestler, it had nothing to do with me being funny, and it’s cool to remind people of that because I’m a pro wrestler at my core, or the other stuff is important to me but I’m a pro wrestler first and foremost.

Q. As World Champion, what more can we expect from yourself for the rest of 2014?

More of the same, I’ve always prided myself putting in 100% effort and it doesn’t matter if I’m sick or I’m hurt I will always put in the same amount of effort. As champion I feel that extra weight on my shoulders, being ‘the guy’ it’s important for me that people say Eric Young was involved in the best match on the show. For me it’s about making moments and memories, it’s about making people remember stuff. I’ve had lots of positive feedback so far and I just want to continue defending my belt and being the best I can.

Q. With yourself as TNA Champion and Daniel Bryan as WWE Champion, is it the era of the beard?

Yeah, it’s obviously the era of the beard, I’m not daft, I don’t live under a rock, I hear these things and I’m sure he hears them too. I’ve actually met Daniel in person and I always hear nothing but good things about him. Anytime anyone want to compare me to him, I have absolutely no problem with that, feel free to carry on, he’s a super talented guy and a tremendous wrestler.

Q. Away from wrestling you’ve also presented a number of hit shows on Animal Planet, what has that been like?

It’s amazing, it’s something that I’ve always wanted to do. I still have other goals in my life but TV is something that I’ve always wanted to do. I love entertaining people, the shows allow me to combine my passion of extreme sports, I’ve always been a bit of an adrenaline junkie. I’ve been all over North America and done lots of crazy things, and it’s been an amazing experience.

Q. What is it like being a guest on the Steve Austin podcast?

Steve and myself are kind of wired the same way, he loves pro wrestling and always has, I love pro wrestling. He’s also an outdoors man, he loves fishing an he watched my shows on Animal Planet and loved them and through the miracle of Twitter I got talking to him, we went back a forth and hit it off right away.

We’re still buddies and talk to this day. For me he was a guy that I idolised and is one of the top five pro wrestlers of all time. I got to go to his house in LA, we sat around his computer with the microphone and we just talked about wrestling and life.

TNA recently issued the following:

Superstars Announced for UK 2015 MAXIMUM IMPACT 7 Tour

Bully Ray, Magnus, Samoa Joe, James Storm, Bobby Roode, Mr Anderson and Eric Young are among the international stars announced today for the TNA IMPACT WRESTLING UK Tour in January 2015.

TNA is set to bring huge live events to Glasgow, Manchester and London on this very special seventh anniversary Tour. Tickets are on sale now, with prices starting from just £20 (plus booking fee) and discounted family packages available.

Also announced today for the MAXIMUM IMPACT 7 events are Gail Kim, Gunner, Abyss, EC3, Tigre Uno and TNA Wrestling: British Boot Camp winner Rockstar Spud. Many more top TNA Superstars will be added to the shows over the coming months.

The Tour will start at Glasgow’s SSE Hydro on Thursday January 29, the same arena where TNA made wrestling history last year by taping live television in the UK for the first time. It then heads to Manchester’s famous Phones 4u Arena.

The Tour ends on Saturday January 31 with a double TV taping at London’s Wembley Arena, which will also include an Ultimate X match – TNA’s fan favourite speciality bout full of high-flying and death-defying action.

TNA IMPACT WRESTLING is broadcast on Challenge in the UK and Ireland every Sunday night at 9pm, as well as on Spike TV in the USA and more than 120 other countries.
TNA World Heavyweight Champion Eric Young said: “Every member of the TNA roster who secures a slot on the UK Tour is honoured by the opportunity. The support from the awesome TNA fans across the UK make the Tour some of our most memorable moments as professional athletes. Ask any adult or child who has attended a TNA live event, and they will tell you the energy and excitement is unmatched.”

Additional announcement about the MAXIMUM IMPACT 7 Tour will be made in the coming months. Seats are moving quickly, so fans who are looking to secure the best seats possible should buy today.

MAXIMUM IMPACT 7 Tour tickets will be available via the TNA UK Facebook page at www.facebook.com/tnawrestlinguk, www.gigsandtours.com/go/tna2015gen, www.ticketmaster.co.uk/TNA-Wrestling-tickets/artist/1008830 or direct from the tour venues. Full details of the UK events are:

Thursday 29 January 2015 | Glasgow The SSE Hydro | www.thehydro.com
Friday 30 January 2015 | Manchester Phones 4u Arena | www.phones4uarena.co.uk
Saturday 31 January 2015 | London Wembley Arena | www.wembleyarena.co.uk

The following are highlights of a Main Event Radio interview with TNA star Bobby Roode:

Looking back at his first world title run: “Things worked out for the best for myself. Becoming World Champion. Obviously the disappointment was there at Bound for Glory. I was the first ever winner of the BFG series. Going through that series and win it the way that I did. Being with Beer Money, winning the tag team titles with James and before that with Eric Young in Team Canada. This was my first real shining moment as a singles competitor. To win the series was a huge deal. And then to walk in to the main event of BFG against a competitor like Kurt Angle. It was a perfect story for me. Walking out without the title that night was very disappointing for me personally. Looking back at it, the way it all went down; I think it actually helped me out.

“It lit a fire under me and made me want the world title even more. In the end, I won the world title; I held it longer than anybody else in the history of the company. Held it longer than anybody else, something that I’m proud of. Those were great matches with Austin [Aries]. We had really good chemistry together, looking back at those series of matches had together make me really proud. Then we had the tag titles together which was awesome. The ultimate goal in this business as wrestler is to be the world champion. From day one, to be the #1 guy, to be the champion has been my number one focus. My sights are set on Eric [Young] or whoever has the World title, maybe Magnus after Sunday. My goal is to once again be a World Heavyweight Champion.”

Thoughts on Eric Young being champion: “I’m happy for Eric. We’re two guys who came up the same way, grew up in Canada, with the dream of being a wrestler and a world champion. He’s a TNA original, we were tag champs together, there’s a lot of history between the two of us. He’s been in the business long enough and he saw the way that I carried the title and he sees there’s a bullseye on his back. When the time comes to doing business, I’m going to do what I have to do. I know what it takes to get it, to win it, to hold it, to keep it. That eagerness to carry the world championship again and to have that responsibility again. That was something I thrived on and something I missed. I will take that opportunity and make the best of it when it comes again.”

Wrestling Kurt Angle: “Kurt is in my personal opinion the best there’s ever been. He can go out there in his entire career and entertain the masses by his professional wrestling, the way he handles himself in the ring, his character. There’s no doubt that he is the best there’s ever been in this business. For me to have been able to go out there with Kurt and to have produced the matches that we did. To have fans talk about our matches as some of the best matches they’ve seen, or as match of the year; it meant a lot to me. Something that I’m proud of. Unfortunately with Kurt’s injury we had to cut the program short. Hopefully down the road we get to meet up again and do something special.”

Beer Money and would they ever reform: “In my personal opinion, Beer Money is probably the most recognizable, most over act that TNA has been able to produce from the ground up. You have two original guys, two guys who went out there as Beer Money. We had the tag team titles longer than anybody else in the history of the company. It’s something special. This week on Impact we came back for one night only. We had a common goal to soften up our opponents before their matches (Bully Ray & Gunner). In the wrestling business, you never say never for down the road. But for right now Bobby Roode’s goal is to put Bully through a table and then go on to become a World Heavyweight Champion again. I’m sure that James Storm feels the same way and has the same goal to become a Heavyweight Champion. Down the road, if the time is right, and we both feel it’s right; maybe Beer Money will come alive again.”

AJ Styles and Sting’s departures: “It’s unfortunate. At the end of the day this is a business Not everybody is going to be happy and people go their separate ways. It’s the wrestling business and we’re seen it happen a million times. Unfortunately, AJ was a TNA original and was the face of our company for a very long time. That departure bothers me the most. I had a great relationship with AJ, we were friends, we were part of Fortune together, and we had some great matches. I understand where AJ’s coming from, it’s all business, and I wish him nothing but the best. Sting was a great guy to have in our locker room. He was a veteran leader. A guy that you can go and talk to, a guy who I had some memorable matches, and a guy who mentored me a lot and taught me a lot in the ring. He’s an icon; his name will live forever in this business. And I wish him nothing but the best of luck. At the end of the day this is a business and you’ve got to do what you can for yourself.”

Future Stars: “Our company is looking really strong for the future. Ethan Carter has a hell of a career in front of him. He’s young; he’s got a lot to learn. His eyes and his ears are always open, always asking for advice. He’s handling himself better each and every week. Down the road he will be a main event guy and possible champion. Gunner’s the same thing. He’s got a look and demeanor about him that is world champion material. The Wolves wrestling ability speaks for themselves. They’re a great tag team and great individual wrestlers as well. The future looks very bright.”

Whatever happened to his classic weapon, the hockey stick: “If it calls for it, I’m not afraid to pull it out. Here’s a funny story: Scott D’Amore, Coach D’Amore introduced the hockey stick every match. I used to wear a hockey pad and we were going to use frozen hockey pucks and put it in my sleeve and hit people in the back of the head with clotheslines. That’s another Canadian cliché, a hockey cliché that we were going to use. Maybe I’ll take out a hockey stick for my match against Bully at Sacrifice. Or maybe they’ll make a table out of hockey sticks and I can put him through that.”

When will TNA return to Canada: “Hopefully we can come back to Canada soon. I would love to get an opportunity to run TV in Montreal, or in Toronto, even in Ottawa. Running 4-5 shows would be great. The guys love coming up to Canada, the Quebec area especially. We didn’t get there last year at all. Hopefully this summer or in the fall we can come up to Canada and have Montreal be one of our stops.”

Check out the complete interview at WebSportsMedia.com.

The following is the final lineup for tonight’s TNA Sacrifice pay-per-view:

TNA World Heavyweight Title Match
Magnus vs. Eric Young

TNA X-Division Title Match
Tigre Uno vs. Sanada

TNA Knockouts Title Match
Angelina Love vs. Madison Rayne

TNA Tag-Team Title Handicap Match
Eddie Edwards & Davey Richards vs. Robbie E, Jessie Godderz & Zema Ion

Tables Match
Bully Ray vs. Bobby Roode

I-Quit Match
Gunner vs. James Storm

Committed Match
Samuel Shaw vs. Mr. Anderson

Tag-Team Match
Willow and Kurt Angle vs. Ethan Carter III and Rockstar Spud

Make sure to visit SESCOOPS.COM later tonight for the absolute best live play-by-play results coverage of TNA Sacrifice 2014.

The following is the final lineup for this Sunday’s TNA Sacrifice pay-per-view:

TNA World Heavyweight Title Match
Magnus vs. Eric Young

TNA X-Division Title Match
Tigre Uno vs. Sanada

TNA Knockouts Title Match
Angelina Love vs. Madison Rayne

TNA Tag-Team Title Handicap Match
Eddie Edwards & Davey Richards vs. Robbie E, Jessie Godderz & Zema Ion

Tables Match
Bully Ray vs. Bobby Roode

I-Quit Match
Gunner vs. James Storm

Committed Match
Samuel Shaw vs. Mr. Anderson

Tag-Team Match
Willow and Kurt Angle vs. Ethan Carter III and Rockstar Spud

TNA added the above video to their official YouTube channel previewing tonight’s TNA Sacrifice “go-home” edition of Impact Wrestling, which airs on Spike TV at 9pm EST.

Below is a list of confirmed matches for the show.

– Bobby Lashley vs. Kenny King
– Kurt Angle vs. Rockstar Spud
– Gail Kim & Madison Rayne vs. Angelina Love & Velvet Sky
– MVP vs. Austin Aries
– Bully Ray & Gunner vs. Bobby Roode & James Storm
– Abyss vs. Magnus

TNA issued the following press release today …

TNA Entertainment, the Nashville-based sports entertainment company known for the global pro wrestling program, IMPACT Wrestling, has signed with UTA, it was announced jointly today by Dixie Carter, President of TNA Entertainment, and UTA.

TNA Entertainment’s IMPACT Wrestling, one of Spike TV’s top-rated shows, averaging 1.4 million viewers each week, is broadcast in 120 countries worldwide. Additionally, TNA Entertainment produces more than 100 live Impact Wrestling events each year as well as monthly PPV events with such internationally beloved professional wrestling stars as Jeff Hardy, Bobby Roode, Kurt Angle, Eric Young, Magnus, James Storm, MVP, Gail Kim and the lovely and lethal Knockouts.

UTA will represent the 12-year-old company to extend its television broadcast reach as well as to expand its licensing programs and slate of live event programming. TNA will also leverage UTA’s expertise in digital and social media to build monetization strategies for its digital media operations. TNA launched a cross-platform programming effort, #IMPACT 365, in October 2013 to provide viewers with ongoing storyline and original content 24/7 on its website and across YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and other platforms.

“UTA’s diverse range of capabilities make them an ideal partner to help TNA add tremendous visibility and value to the global IMPACT Wrestling brand,” said Dixie Carter. “We are confident that by working with the UTA team, we will not only expand our wrestling business in exciting ways, but we will also build new entertainment ventures and properties.”

TNA Entertainment, LLC is a privately held sports entertainment company based in Nashville, Tennessee, that specializes in events, products, numerous TV properties, merchandise and music, as well as, the management and promotion of professional wrestlers. The product is the world’s most innovative experience in professional wrestling and is broadcast in more than 120 countries. For more information, please visit www.impactwrestling.com.

United Talent Agency is a premier global talent and literary agency representing many of the world’s most widely-known figures in every current and emerging area of entertainment, including motion pictures, television, digital media, video games, books, music, theatre and live entertainment. The agency is also globally recognized in the areas of film finance, film packaging, corporate consulting, branding, licensing, endorsements and the representation of production talent. The agency operates the brand strategy firm UTA Brand Studio as well as New York and Los Angeles-based United Entertainment Group, a joint venture firm focusing on branded entertainment for Fortune 500 companies. UTA also owns leading broadcast and news agency N.S. Bienstock.

The following are results from TNA’s “World Cup” pay-per-view taping, which took place on Saturday night in Orlando, Florida.

The teams were selected by way of a draft. The teams were as follows:

Captain Eric Young with Bully Ray, Eddie Edwards, Gunner and ODB.

Captain Kurt Angle with Davey Richards, Mr. Anderson, Sanada and Madison Rayne.

Captain Ethan Carter III with Jessie, Robbie E., Magnus and Gail Kim.

Captain Bobby Roode with James Storm, Kenny King, Samuel Shaw and The Beautiful People.

Qualifying Matches

– Eddie Edwards def. James Storm
– The Bro Mans def. Mr. Anderson and Sanada
– Gail Kim def. Madison Rayne
– Eric Young def. Bobby Roode
– Kurt Angle def. Magnus
– Angelina Love def. ODB
– Ethan Carter III def. Davey Richards
– Bully Ray & Gunner def. Kenny King & Samuel Shaw

TNA World Cup Finals

(The remaining two teams, captained by Young and EC3, met in elimination matches.)

– ODB def. Gail Kim
– Robbie E. def. ODB
– The Bro Mans def. Eddie Edwards
– Bully Ray def. Jessie
– Robbie E. def. Bully Ray
– Gunner def. Robbie E.
– Magnus def. Gunner
– Eric Young def. Ethan Carter III via DQ.
– Eric Young def. Magnus to win the TNA World Cup for his team.

The following are results of the Impact Wrestling television taping for the Thursday, April 24th edition of the show.

– Magnus comes to the ring for a promo. He says he was never really beaten by Eric Young for the title, and says the biggest failure that fateful night was his help. He says good help is hard to find. He brings out Abyss. Magnus calls Abyss an idiot and says he now realizes why everyone abandoned him. Magnus fires Abyss. Abyss says he realizes now that he’s a monster and that he’s going to once again start destroying lives, starting with Magnus. Magnus says Abyss is no longer a contracted TNA wrestler. MVP comes out and confirms that fact. MVP says he will consider this Abyss’ TNA tryout, and that if he can defeat Magnus, he can regain his spot back in TNA.

– Bobby Lashley def. Kenny King via countout. Lashley dominated the majority of the match. As he was about to hit his finisher on King, King rolled out of the ring and simply walked off to the back. The referee counted him out.

– Madison Rayne comes to the ring for a promo. She calls out The Beautiful People. They come out and Madison attacks them. They recover, however, and get the upper hand. Brittany does a run-in to try and save Madison, but the numbers game is too much for them. The Beautiful People do their brown-bag skit on Madison. Gail Kim eventually comes out to make the save. She challenges The Beautiful People to a match later tonight.

– Kurt Angle def. Rockstar Spud. Angle dominated the match and finished off Spud via tapout with his ankle lock submission. Ethan Carter III comes out and attacks Angle after the match, but Willow ends up coming down to make the save.

– The Beautiful People def. Madison Rayne and Gail Kim in Knockouts tag-team action.

– Bobby Roode and James Storm def. Bully Ray and Gunner in tag-team action.

– MVP def. Austin Aries in the main event of the evening.

Samoa Joe was pulled from Saturday’s TNA live event in Sioux City due to injuries. He was basically given the night off. The latest word is that Joe is scheduled to work tonight’s live event in Spencer, Iowa.

The main event on Saturday night, due to Joe’s absence, was changed to Magnus vs. Bully Ray vs. Bobby Roode in a three-way match.