This Thursday’s Impact Wrestling broadcast will feature the television return of Mickie James as she has been announced to compete in a #1 Contender Knockout Battle Royal for the TNA Women’s Knockout Championship currently held by Tara.
“Thrilled to have @MickieJames back and 100% on #ImpactWrestling this Thurs in a #1 Contender Knockout Battle Royal,” TNA Wrestling President Dixie Carter wrote on Twitter Monday.
The episode is being taped tonight in Orlando, Florida, while next week’s Thanksgiving Day episode will be taped tomorrow. The shows should also feature the return of Madison Rayne, who noted on Twitter Monday that she was en route to the city.
With TNA creative’s shift in recent months to solely focusing on talent with etched storylines, James’ screen time has been drastically curtailed. The two-time Women’s Knockout Champion last appeared on Impact Wrestling on August 2, following months of sporadic appearances. Her absence was further compounded by a surgical procedure she underwent last month, which she did not disclose the type of.
Meanwhile, television authority figure Brooke Hogan teased changes to the Knockouts Division in a Twitter post Monday. She wrote, “Boss lady. At TNA offices changing a few things…”
– TNA Wrestling President Dixie Carter announced via Twitter that Kurt Angle and Sting will face two members of Aces & Eights Thursday night on Impact Wrestling. This is the final show before Turning Point, which will see Kurt Angle take on Aces & Eights rep Devon.
– In the following video, Robbie E and Robbie T bring in Miss Tessmacher to take a shot at getting on “The List”.
– This week’s featured match on TNA Xplosion on Challenge pits AJ Styles against Robbie T.
– The promotional poster for TNA Wrestling’s upcoming Final Resolution pay-per-view event has been released and it features Jeff Hardy.
Final Resolution takes place December 9, 2012 in Orlando, Florida at the Impact Wrestling Zone.
– TNA Wrestling President Dixie Carter will make an announcement concerning the promotion’s upcoming UK Maximum Impact Tour during tonight’s Impact Wrestling airing on Challenge.
– One half of the reigning TNA World Tag Team Champions, Chavo Guerrero, turned 42-years-old on Saturday.
– 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.”
– During an interview with Steven Muehlhausen of The Fight Club Chicago, mixed martial artist and recent TNA Wrestling signee “King Mo” Lawal revealed that he will be making his debut for the promotion this fall.
“I’m going to pro wrestling school starting next month. I will be making my TNA debut this October,” he said.
Lawal offered more thoughts on TNA in the interview, as well as thoughts on Brock Lesnar. It is available here.
– TNA Wrestling President Dixie Carter announced on Twitter that Hulk Hogan will appear on Fox News Channel program Fox & Friends Thursday morning during the 8:00 a.m. hour.
– Kurt Angle announced on Twitter that he has concluded filming scenes for Lighthouse, which will be released early 2013. Danny Glover appears in the film, who the TNA Wrestling star dubbed “amazing.”
– ABC News has an interview up with TNA star Hulk Hogan, who talks about his home town of Tampa, Florida. The interview is mostly Hulk Hogan talking about why he loves Tampa and the best local spots for tourists to visit. Hogan was asked if he’s voting for Barack Obama or Mitt Romney and said, “I’m going to keep that a secret.”
– The TNA website has posted a batch of pictures of Sting and Mickie James from this weekend’s Jimmy V Golf Classic in Raleigh, North Carolina
– TNA President Dixie Carter continues to tease a big announcement for the upcoming TNA UK Fan Party in London, UK, tweeting the following image on Tuesday (click to enlarge):
As noted earlier, Dixie Carter teased a big announcement at their TNA fan party on September 1st in London. She posted this graphic for “TNA Gutcheck UK” as a “little hint” about the announcement.
TNA President Dixie Carter sat down and gave an exclusive interview with @DanTheCannon on behalf of the allwrestling.com “Week in Review” podcast, which you can listen to below. Among the topics discussed:
• Does she delegate personnel to keep tabs on the IWC’s dirt sheets, new sites, forum boards, and podcasts?
• Is there a wellness policy in TNA?
• Would she ever consider turning heel if the perfect storyline presented itself?
• Has she entertained the thought of partnering with any independent promotions, trading talent, or running an invasion angle?
• Will “Gut-Check” ever produce main event talent?
• Will the BFGS be a perennial mainstay in years to come?
• What does TNA do better than any other promotion and are there any weaknesses in the WWE they could exploit?
• Are there any moves that are banned in TNA?
• What particular moment in TNA history solidified her confidence in her investment?
• How much freedom does the creative team have? Do they run every decision by her for final judgment or do they have the keys to the city?
• Is the long-term goal in TNA to be publicly traded or does she prefer it to be privately owned & operated?
• Would she consider a storyline suggestion box where fans could submit storylines of their own?
• From a social media perspective what’s the next step moving forward?
• Are educated wrestling fans TNA’s key demographic?
• How committed is TNA to their story arc and how long do they plan ahead?
• How much stock does TNA put into the ratings? If they see a low quarter hour rating will you make adjustments on the following show?
• How does she like being involved in an on-screen capacity? Is this something we can expect more often moving forward or will she be used more sparingly?
• What happened to Claire Lynch?
• Are there any recent developments as far as going live on Spike TV permanently?
– Magnus will co-host the U.K.’s Strongest Man, TNA Wrestling President Dixie Carter announced Thursday on Twitter. The program airs on Challenge, which airs TNA Wrestling programming, including Impact Wrestling and TNA Xplosion. Carter wrote, “Was excited to secure Magnus as co-host of the UK’s Strongest Man for @ChallengeTV! Looking forward to more exciting things in his future!”
– Posting her first message on Twitter since October, former TNA Knockout Lacey Von Erich announced that she is pregnant and expecting any day now.
“I’m tired of all the Lacey posers! Not sure why anyone try’s to be me. Just an update, I’m having another little boy! Due anyday!” the 26-year-old wrote.
Von Erich, whose real name is Lacey Adkisson, left TNA Wrestling in October 2010 to pursue endeavors outside of wrestling.
– Devon successfully defended the TNA Television Championship against Kazarian on this week’s episode of TNA Xplosion.
– TNA Wrestling President Dixie Carter announced Monday on Twitter that Impact Wrestling will continue to air live on Spike TV through September.
PWInsider.com reports that Impact Wrestling is scheduled to remain live through September 27. The program was originally scheduled to return to its former taped format at the beginning of September. Officials from TNA Wrestling and Spike TV have discussed continuing the live weekly broadcasts beyond September.
– TNA Wrestling has launched a website promoting Bound For Glory at www.tnabfg.com. The annual pay-per-view event takes place Sunday, October 14 at the Grand Canyon University Arena in Phoenix, Arizona. The show will be the first TNA Wrestling event to take place in the state of Arizona.
The website includes ticket information for the event, plus links to attend the Hall Of Fame ceremony featuring Sting, the annual InterAction Fanfest, plus exclusive Travel Packages.
IMPACT WRESTLING BECOMES FIRST ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY TO STREAM LIVE TO TWITTER
TNA WRESTLING makes history with IMPACT franchise by becoming the first entertainment company on Twitter to stream its “Backstage Access” live
NASHVILLE, TN – (August 4, 2012) — TNA WRESTLING made history on the Thursday August 2, 2012 LIVE broadcast of IMPACT WRESTLING by becoming the first entertainment company on Twitter to stream its “Backstage Access” live via its YouTube partner on IMPACT’s Enhanced Twitter Page at www.twitter.com/IMPACTWRESTLING.
IMPACT WRESTLING has pioneered in the field of social media when it comes to professional wrestling – whether incorporating live tweets from fans into the weekly television show on Spike in real time, interacting with fans during live pay-per-views in live Q&A’s, allowing fans to choose the main events and even allowing fans to help chose the fate of whether or not a wrestling hopeful gets a professional wrestling contract.
“We’ve always tried to keep connected with our fans and social media is a great way to do so,” says TNA President Dixie Carter. “We’ve had a wonderful relationship with Twitter and we’re glad to be able to use their technology to bring the experience to our fans in a new way.”
The “Backstage Pass” allows fans to interact with the Superstars of IMPACT WRESTLING who appear on the television show as the show happens by sending questions via twitter using hashtags. The questions then get answered live via the live stream. The “Backstage Pass” also provides continuous coverage of live action in the ring when the show goes to commercial.
IMPACT WRESTLING airs live every Thursday at 8/7ct on Spike TV.
TNA Wrestling President Dixie Carter announced via Twitter Thursday that three Four-Way “Bound For Glory Series” matches will take place at Hardcore Justice. Each match will feature a different stipulation with the winner receiving 20 points.
* AJ Styles vs. Christopher Daniels vs. Kurt Angle vs. Samoa Joe
* Bully Ray vs. James Storm vs. Jeff Hardy vs. Robbie E
* Rob Van Dam vs. Magnus vs. Mr. Anderson vs. “The Pope” D’Angelo Dinero
Stipulations for all three matches will be announced during tonight’s live Impact Wrestling broadcast at 8:00 p.m. on Spike TV.
Also scheduled for Hardcore Justice is Austin Aries defending the TNA World Heavyweight Championship against Bobby Roode in a singles match. The pay-per-view event takes place August 12, 2012 at the Impact Wrestling Zone in Orlando, Florida.
– Lending confusion to Velvet Sky’s contractual status with TNA Wrestling amidst rumors that her tenure is drawing near, the popular female wrestler’s profile was removed from their roster index Wednesday before being placed back after news spread online. Though she remains listed as a member of the active roster, another online sign would confirm that she is no longer affiliated with the organization.
Sky is advertised to appear on iPPV for Pro Wrestling Syndicate on September 14—event taking place at the Rahway Recreation Center in Rahway, New Jersey. Though contracted TNA Wrestling talent are permitted to appear for independent wrestling promotions, they are prohibited from appearing on shows which are broadcast.
– TNA Wrestling President Dixie Carter announced Wednesday that an Interim General Manager for Impact Wrestling will be appointed in the opening segment of Thursday’s live show.
“While Hulk Hogan is recovering, I’ve asked another man to step in and take control,” she tweeted. “He appears right at 8/7 Central on (Spike TV) tomorrow.
– Tickets for TNA Wrestling’s Bound For Glory pay-per-view event on October 14 in Phoenix, Arizona go on sale this Friday (10:00 a.m. MST/1:00 p.m. EDT) at the Grand Canyon University Arena box office, GCUArena.com or charge by phone at 602-639-8999.
TNA Impact Wrestling announced Thursday that Chavo Guerrero, Jr. has signed a contract with the promotion and will debut on next week’s edition of Impact Wrestling:
LEGENDARY GUERRERO WRESTLING FAMILY’S CHAVO GUERRERO, JR INKS DEAL WITH TNA IMPACT WRESTLING
Third generation wrestling standout to debut in the ring Thursday, July 26, live on SPIKE TV!
TNA IMPACT WRESTLING’s President Dixie Carter announced the signing of Chavo Guerrero, Jr. via twitter. He will make his IMPACT WRESLTING debut on Thursday, July 26 on SPIKE TV. This signing means that two members of the legendary Guerrero family are part of the TNA family; as Chavo is the nephew of TNA commentator Hector Guerrero. Tune in Thursdays at 8:00pm ET to catch IMPACT WRESTLING live on Spike TV.
Hailing from one of the more storied and successful families in the pro wrestling arena, the Guerrero family has racked up more championship titles and accolades than anyone. He is the son of Chavo, Sr. and his grandfather and patriarch of the Guerrero family, the late Gory Guerrero, is still one of the most famous wrestlers in Mexico.
Having competed all over the world for various promotions, Chavo has won a number of championship gold, including a tag-team gold with his late uncle Eddie Guerrero. Prior to signing with TNA, he appeared on the highly successful ratings giant Ring Ka King in India.
– TNA recently announced that Bound for Glory on October 14th will take place from Phoenix, Arizona at the Grand Canyon University Arena. The basketball arena typically holds 5,000 fans. Capacity will be closer to 3,500 when the stage is set up.
There is talk of Sting and Hulk Hogan teaming up against the new Aces & Eights mystery group that attacked Sting and have been taunting Hogan on Twitter. Even though Hogan is extremely limited in what he can do in the ring, Sting could work most of the match and Hogan could get in a few of his signature spots in what would be a “special attraction” match.
– TNA President Dixie Carter could be crossing over into the world of reality television. The production company behind “Real Housewives” of Beverly Hills and Orange County are working on a new “Real Housewives of Nashville” and Dixie Carter is one of the women under consideration for the show. Due to her high profile, she’s in the top tier of candidates and there’s a good chance she’ll be cast.
– It was revealed on last week’s Impact Wrestling that Dixie Carter and A.J. Styles have been sneaking around to help a recovering addict who has been waking up in hotel rooms with strange men. The women who played woman was an actress TNA found at a local talent agency.
The angle played out as planned from the beginning, but TNA was said to be disappointed in her performance last week.
TNA has also released the following “original, unedited” phone conversation between AJ & Dixie about why they were sneaking around:
http://youtu.be/M34k4lRwKV8
– TNA Champion Bobby Roode continues to get a lot of praise behind the scenes from management. Most TNA wrestlers enjoy working with him and the writing team (particularly Bruce Prichard) enjoys writing for him.
– Here are some recent TNA attendance figures:
* The Basebrawl event on June 22nd in Buffalo, NY drew 800 fans
* June 23rd in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada drew 2,000 fans
* June 24th in Hamilton, Ontario drew 750 fans
– During Thursday’s Impact Wrestling, it was finally revealed why A.J. Styles and TNA President Dixie Carter have been sneaking around for months. They weren’t having an affair – they have been secretly working together to help a pregnant woman recovering from addition who has been waking up in hotel rooms with strangers.
http://youtu.be/QfDc1azzf2I
We heard some pretty wild theories of what the secret was – but did not hear the one about the promiscuous pregnant addict.
– The main event of next wek’s Impact Wrestling will feature TNA Tag Team champions AJ Styles and Kurt Angle defending against the former champions, Daniels & Kazarian.
– The main event of TNA Destination X will be TNA World Champion Bobby Roode vs. Austin Aries.
Aries forfeited the X Division title on Thursday’s Impact to earn the title shot.
IMPACT WRESTLING Preview: Open Fight Night Returns LIVE On Thursday
– The monthly “Open Fight Night” returns, involving the competitors in the Bound For Glory Series! All 12 Wresters in the BFG Series will be in action – 6 men make challenges, 6 men will be called out! Who will take the early advantage in the point standings? Tune in and find out!
– What will be X Division Champion Austin Aries’ decision about Hulk Hogan’s officer of a potential World Title shot?
– Also on the broadcast, TNA President Dixie Carter and AJ Styles vow to come clean about the recent allegations by Daniels and Kazarian
– In addition, the Knockouts Championship will be on the line on the LIVE IMPACT! Knockouts Executive Brooke Hogan will announce on the broadcast who Miss Tessmacher will defend the gold against that night!
– Plus, it’s also the return of the monthly “Gutcheck” – one newcomer will get the chance to prove themselves! Will they make the cut and join the TNA Wrestling roster?
– The road to the July 8 “Destination X” Pay-Per-View event continues, with more news on the big event!
All this and much more on Thursday’s IMPACT WRESTLING broadcast LIVE at 8/7c on SpikeTV
– With all the recent developments in the Dixie Carter & AJ Styles storyline and Dixie Carter teasing on last week’s Impact that it was finally time to reveal the truth, TNA sources tell us that the storyline is far from over – with many more twists and turns ahead.
– Former adult film star and independent wrestling personality Trina Michaels was backstage at last week’s Impact Wrestling. She had a meeting where she was pushing the idea of feuding with Brooke Hogan on the air.
– With the success of the new Joseph Park character, TNA officials are looking to keep both Joseph Park and Abyss on television as full time characters, similar to the multiple “Faces of Foley” back during WWE’s Attitude era.
(Sources: Wrestling Observer Newsletter, f4wonline.com)
– Scott Steiner has gone on some epic Twitter rants this year, absolutely burying TNA’s booking, Hulk Hogan, Eric Bischoff and their kids. While Steiner does have legitimate beef with Bischoff and Hogan, some people in TNA think that Steiner’s real motive for discrediting the Hogan & Bischoff regime is to get his longtime friend Jeff Jarrett back into power.
– Former WWE superstar Chris Masters made his debut at TNA’s Impact Zone last Thursday night, losing a dark match to Robbie E prior to Impact. Masters has been trying to get signed by TNA for some time – and got his foot in the door by impressing Jeff Jarrett at TNA’s Ring Ka King promotion in India.
TNA Entertainment Releases Statement Regarding Current Litigation
NASHVILLE, Tenn — TNA Entertainment, LLC President Dixie Carter releases a statement in regard to the recent TRO (Temporary Restraining Order) the company filed against WWE in the Davidson County Circuit Court in Nashville, Tennessee.
TNA President Dixie Carter states, “We were not surprised that the Court originally granted a swift temporary restraining order against WWE to prohibit interference with TNA’s contracts and business relationships. I’m pleased that the Court has now replaced that temporary measure with the most recent judicial Order. The Judge’s current Order sends a strong message about the importance of TNA protecting its trade secrets. Obviously, the accuracy of what WWE has represented remains important, so I look forward to the discovery process and what is revealed during litigation. As always, we will vigorously protect TNA and its brand from damage at the hands of any and all sources, no matter who is involved.”
TNA IMPACT WRESTLING ANNOUNCES THE “TNA HALL OF FAME” – “THE ICON” STING BECOMES THE FIRST INDUCTEE AT SLAMMIVERSARY
TNA IMPACT WRESTLING announced the beginning of a “TNA Hall of Fame”, with “The Icon” Sting announced as the first inductee at this year’s 10th Anniversary celebration, “Slammiversary”.
This is TNA’s chance to recognize the great contributions of the people who gave so much to make this 10-year anniversary possible.
“This 10 year milestone is an incredible achievement for TNA,” stated TNA President Dixie Carter. “In honor of that, we felt it was time to begin recognizing the contributions of those who have made the greatest impact on our success.”
TNA Wrestling was founded in Nashville in the summer of 2002 and June marks the 10th year anniversary.
Congratulations to “The Icon” Sting for becoming the first member of the TNA Hall Of Fame!
– TNA’s Jeff and Karen Jarrett, James Storm, Crimson and Jeremy Borash attended Wednesday night’s CMT Music Awards in Nashville, TN on Wednesday night. Borash tweeted a picture of , which you can view here.
WWE Hall of Famer Steve Austin was also at the show to promote his new Redneck Island reality TV show, which premiers this weekend. As we reported here on the site, James Storm’s TNA entrance music “Longnecks and Rednecks” will be used as the theme song of Redneck Island.
– Former TNA knockout Karen Jarrett posted the following tweets directed at Dixie Carter and her brother Todd Carter, President of Panda Energy International (TNA’s parent company):
“Hey Todd, no one can stand ur sister @TNADixie she continues to run the company in the ground!!! What r u gonna do???”
“@TNADixie have some guts and call me out……..”
“Everyone has dirty laundry I’m thinking it’s about home for @TNADixie to be exposed!!!”
It’s been rumored for quite some time that Karen Jarrett will be returning to television soon.
– Shane “Hurricane” Helms announced that he would be cancelling all of his upcoming bookings to be with his girlfriend, who was recently hospitalized due to complications with her pregnancy.
– Matt Hardy announced that he has relaunched his official website at MattHardyBrand.com.
– As previously reported, Dixie Carter will appear on Thursday’s Impact Wrestling to address her ongoing storyline with AJ Styles. She announced on Twitter that her segment will kick off the show:
“I will publicly address the situation from last week’s Impact, LIVE this Thursday right at the start of the show at 8:00 p.m”
TNA has issued the following for the new TNA Hall of Fame.
Comment below and tell us who you think should be the first person inducted into the TNA Hall of Fame.
TNA IMPACT WRESTLING ANNOUNCES “TNA HALL OF FAME” WITH FIRST INDUCTEE TO BE ANNOUNCED AT “SLAMMIVERSARY” ON JUNE 10
NASHVILLE, TN – (June 1, 2012) – TNA IMPACT WRESTLING announced the beginning of a “TNA Hall of Fame” with the first inductee to be announced at this year’s 10th Anniversary celebration, “Slammiversary” in Arlington, Texas.
TNA President Dixie Carter announced the news as part of the first live IMPACT WRESTLING event of the summer from Universal Studios.
This is TNA’s chance to recognize the great contributions of the people who gave so much to make this 10-year anniversary possible.
“This 10 year milestone is an incredible achievement for TNA,” stated TNA President Dixie Carter. “In honor of that, we felt it was time to begin recognizing the contributions of those who have made the greatest impact on our success.”
