– TNA President Dixie Carter recently congratulated Magnus and Mickie James on the birth of their son. She wrote the following on Twitter about the subject:
Congrats to @MagnusOfficial & @MickieJames on the birth of your son & future World Champ! Thrilled for you both!
— Dixie Carter (@TNADixie) September 25, 2014
– Below is the video promo for next week’s TNA Impact Wrestling show, which features a TNA Knockouts Championship match between Havok and Gail Kim.
http://youtu.be/wY8wbMsfybY
– TNA Impact Wrestling tapings in Bethlehem, PA. on Sept. 16th drew approximately 350 fans. On Sept. 17th, 200 fans, on Sept. 18th 275 fans and on Sept. 19th 650 fans. It’s worth noting, however, that TNA heavily papered some of those tapings to make the arena look more full, particularly the Thursday night tapings.
– TNA is reportedly looking to return to the Manhattan Center in New York City in January. When a fan recently asked Dixie Carter on Twitter about the possibility of TNA returning to NYC, she replied with the following comment..
Stay tuned RT @theredstandard: The final #Impact from the Manhattan Ctr up next! Wish it isn't the last. More TNA shows in NYC please!
— Dixie Carter (@TNADixie) September 25, 2014
As we reported earlier today, TNA President Dixie Carter reportedly held a meeting with TNA talent backstage at the Impact Wrestling television tapings in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, informing them that the company will be announcing a new television deal that will see the company air a show on January 7th, which would be the first Wednesday after their deal with Spike TV expires.
According to television industry sources, TNA has likely not signed an official deal with anyone as of yet, however they are allegedly in “serious talks” to do so at this point. The belief is that TNA will actually sign an official deal and one that will see the company remain on television on Wednesday nights.
If everything goes as planned, TNA will be holding a live television taping from the Manhattan Center in New York City, New York on January 7th.
As far as which network TNA will move to once their deal with Spike TV expires, as noted in the past, WGN America and Velocity are two names that are being discussed, along with an additional option that is not an actual cable station.
In addition to those three options, the fourth is believed to be CMT. Eric Bischoff and Jason Hervey of “Bischoff-Hervey Entertainment,” who has worked with TNA closely in the past, teased something with WGN on Wednesday via social media.
(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)
TNA President Dixie Carter reportedly addressed the entire TNA locker room during the Impact Wrestling television tapings in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
According to those who were part of the meeting, Carter told the wrestlers that she believes that the company will have a new television home on January 7th and expressed happiness with Impact Wrestling airing on Wednesday nights.
(Credit: ProWrestling.net)
– Kurt Angle tweeted the following on Wednesday night, teasing an upcoming return to the ring:
Knee rehab is doing well! Gonna be wrestling soon! #gonnabeepic
— Kurt Angle (@RealKurtAngle) September 17, 2014
Angle stated in a recent interview that he’ll be signing a new contract (not necessarily with TNA) shortly.
– TNA President Dixie Carter was asked by a fan on Twitter if she could provide a sign that Impact Wrestling would be on US television come January 2015. She replied:
SIGN :)RT @CRegal23: @TNADixie Dixie, could u please give us loyal #TNA fans a sign that Impact will be on U.S. TV come the new year?
— Dixie Carter (@TNADixie) September 18, 2014
Grantland.com has a new article up with quotes from several current and former TNA personalities. Below are some excerpts that feature comments from TNA President Dixie Carter:
On the story TMZ ran a few months ago: “TMZ asked me, ‘Hey, is this story real, should we run with it?’ I was watching a movie and didn’t see it until some little wrestling site ran it. Then I gave TMZ a quote, which said we’re still negotiating. That never made it to print.”
On Vince Russo: “He’s a lightning rod. People hate him, but sometimes people love what he does but they don’t realize he does it. He’s a really talented guy.”
On Jeff Jarrett: “I will always give props to Jeff. Out of the thousands of wrestlers out there he’s the only one who decided to create something with his own money. I have mad respect for that, always have and always will. I love Jeff as a person. I wish him and his precious family nothing but success.”
On past negotiations with AJ Styles: “I hate that we lost AJ. Are you listening?. I hate it. I felt like we gave him a great offer. I really did. I felt like we gave him a great offer and I think he made a mistake.”
On TNA’s future: “All these people say, ‘I hope you go out of business’ — why would you ever want that? You don’t think we make wrestling better just by exposing more people and giving people more options? It’s the most ludicrous, shortsighted thing — the sheer absurdity and stupidity of it blows my mind. I feel sorry for the wrestling business if we’re not around.”
You can check out the complete feature at Grantland.com.
As we reported on Monday, Vince Russo made some comments about Spike TV during an interview on the Pro Wrestling Report. For those who didn’t see them, below is what Russo had to say.
“I’ve been holding this back for years and I finally get to say this. I felt like Hannibal Lechter when he was strapped in and had his mouth wired shut. Spike TV is a horrible partner. Why TNA would ever want to partner with Spike is beyond me, unless there were no other options. If Spike TV were the only option to stay on television, then I would understand it. They are a horrible partner. They know nothing about the wrestling business. They way they advertised and marketed the program over the years was absolutely atrocious.
I can tell you this from a position where I worked with the USA Network, I worked directly with Bonnie Hammer. She was the female version of Vince McMahon. She knew what she was doing. When you had Bonnie Hammer at USA and Vince McMahon, the sky was the limit. If TNA signs another deal with Spike TV, great for them. It will move along for another two years and everyone will work, but the product will not grow on Spike TV. My hope for TNA is that a new network comes along and embraces TNA and gives them the time and investment to help grow the product. I can’t say this enough. TNA on Spike TV will never grow.”
David Schwarz, Senior Vice President of Communications with Spike TV, took exception to Russo’s comments and offered the following response:
I want to start by saying we enjoyed a great relationship, a very collaborative relationship with Dixie Carter and her team over the years. We took TNA from a late night spot on Saturday nights, doing 500,000 viewers, to a two-hour time slot that did two million viewers over time. Spike went out of its way, not in just adhering to its contract, but above and beyond the contract. We paid Hulk Hogan, we paid Eric Bischoff, with our money. We financed many shows. We financed U.K. shows. We helped promote. We gave TNA a prime time slot of Thursdays from 9-11 p.m. I think his comments are way off base. Clearly, he doesn’t know what he’s talking about. He’s somebody who thinks more of himself than really exists. Vince Russo never meant anything to Spike TV. He had nothing to do with negotiations. Nobody cares about Vince Russo at Spike TV. Nobody cares or knows who he is. We have a great relationship with TNA. We went above and beyond for them, as they did for us. Dixie helped promote our shows. What Vince Russo is saying is complete nonsense.”
– The following Wrestle-1 names will be among those included in this year’s TNA Bound For Glory pay-per-view, which as noted will take place in Tokyo, Japan: The Great Muta, Tajiri, Ryota Hama, Minoru Tanaka, Kazma Sakamoto and Team 246.
– It’s worth noting that TNA has made no mention of Bobby Lashley’s victory over Josh Burns from this past Friday’s Bellator MMA event on Spike TV. TNA President Dixie Carter congratulated him on her official Twitter account, however the official TNA website has made no mentions of it at all.
The following are highlights of a new Pro Wrestling Report interview with Vince Russo.
His last run with TNA: “I had been working with them just as a consultant since October (2013) so I was there for the last 10 months. I was told by John Gaburick, I guess he is vice president of talent and creative that he told spike of my involvement in working with TNA in January. so to set the record straight, if John Gaburick is telling the truth and I have no reason doubt him, spike knew about my involvement with TNA going back to January. To say that Spike found out around it right around the time contract negotiations broke down, That is just an untruth.”
Lying about doing consulting work with TNA: “From the get-go my job at TNA hinged at nobody knowing I worked for them. It was going to be secretive. I didn’t like that from the get-go. I don’t like to be dishonest and not being in the open and to hide things. I don’t like that and I felt very uncomfortable. The fact of the matter is, that’s what Dixie Carter wanted. I did my best for 10 months and do the best i could do for what they wanted.”
His thoughts on why he was asked to re-join the company in October 2013 and why it was kept a secret: “When they first signed me on, Eric Bischoff was still very hands on with the product. I thought that they just didn’t want Eric Bischoff to know that Vince Russo was back working on the product in a consulting role. As everyone knows, soon after Eric Bischoff was sent home. Yet the secret still remained. I think that Dixie may have just been afraid about the feedback she would get from the internet community about what their feelings would be to have Vince Russo back working with TNA.”
Why he thinks the Internet Wrestling Community hates him: “Here’s the thing. I’ve been working in wrestling for over 20 years now. No nobody from this internet wrestling community has ever approached me or confronted me about anything. They just report what they have heard from another party. What they heard from hearsay. What they heard from this ‘source’ that nobody knows about. Nobody has ever dared to confront me as you and I are having this conversation right now.”
“The point is this. the internet wrestling community is just a small part of the audience. My job as a creator is to make the highest rating I possibly could. When you are talking about high ratings you need to talk about the appeal to the masses. When you need to appeal to the masses you can’t exactly do things the internet wrestling community wants you to do them. You are more or less going after a broader appeal of that casual fan. So because I did not represent wrestling the way they (The internet wrestling community) wants it. That’s what started the personal attacks ‘I’m a moron, I’m an idiot, I don’t know what I’m doing’”
The issues between Spike TV and TNA: “I’ve been holding this back for years and I finally get to say this. I felt like Hannibal Lecter when he was strapped in and had his mouth wired shut. Spike TV is a horrible partner. Why TNA would ever want to partner with Spike is beyond me unless there were no other options. If Spike TV were the only option to stay on television then I would understand it. They are a horrible partner, they know nothing about the wrestling business. The way they advertised and marketed the program over the years was absolutely atrocious.”
“I can tell you this from a position where I worked with the USA network. I worked directly with Bonnie Hammer. She was the female version of Vince McMahon. She knew what she was doing. When you had Bonnie Hammer at USA and Vince McMahon, the sky was the limit. If TNA signs another deal with Spike TV great for them. It will move along for another two years and everyone will work but the product will not grow on Spike TV. My hope for TNA is that a new network comes along and embraces TNA and gives them the time and investment to help grow the product. I can’t say this enough. TNA ON SPIKE TV WILL NEVER GROW!”
His relationship with Dixie Carter: “You know here is the thing. I’ve worked with Dixie Carter for over 10 years now. Every time I sat back and watched while Dixie brought in new leader after new leader. I know full well how things were going to turn out and where it was heading. But my job was the television part so I never got involved. I always took on this attitude of looking out for Dixie Carter and looking out for her interest and I think Dixie knows that. That’s why I think there will always be a relationship between us. I just wanted to have the best television show and protect her.”
Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff coming into TNA: “You know here is the thing. I don’t know. I’m not privy to how much they made. I don’t know how much they affected international markets. I didn’t look into how much business they were able to ascertain with the Hulk Hogan name in other markets. I never looked into that. In terms of the impact they made on a week to week television show, I can say that it just wasn’t there. I don’t think it was realistic that some people thought that the rating was going to go from a 1.4 or whatever it was to a 2.4 or 3.4. It doesn’t work that way. But I also thought it was never going to work from the get-go to be honest with you.”
You can check out the complete video interview above.
The following are highlights of a new Main Event Radio interview with Ethan Carter III:
TNA in New York City: “Being in the ring at the Manhattan Center, I love it. I love the crowd because they loathe me. Just having that atmosphere, the interaction with people really drives me to perform. It’s a lot of fun…and I hope that the crowd had a lot of fun sending jeers, throwing bags of urine or whatever they were shooting at me.”
Dixie Carter going through a table: “No matter how long I’ve been in the industry, I was finally a part of a compelling story that had a clear beginning and end, a culmination, and a pay-off. It was pretty rewarding to be a part of that. We gave the people what they wanted and they got it and now we have to give them something else to sink their teeth into.”
Bully Ray possibly departing: “Honesty, being in the ring with Bully was some of the most fun I’ve had. Beating him at Slammiversary was quite a breakout moment for me. If he were to leave TNA, I would hope to personally take him out. I’d love to keep him around.”
Bound for Glory coming up: “I got to go to Japan about a month and a half ago with Wrestle-1. I teamed with Rockstar Spud and got to wrestle against Tajiri, going full-circle for me being a huge fan of ECW growing up to go there and wrestle him in Japan. Unfortunately, we lost but it was a great experience and quite hilarious seeing Rockstar Spud squirming from being green misted. As far as match possibilities, it will be interesting to see where we go. Being in Japan where it’s not going to be the same environment with people not as in tune with the stories going on. I would love to go to Japan and defeat Kurt Angle if he is healthy and if his knee is ok. He is the cyborg, he’s training really hard. He continues to be a thorn in my side, and he seems to be in the right path to health. So hopefully he will be cleared to be in the ring and I can beat a healthy Kurt Angle.”
Where he would like to go next: “With the culmination of Dixie Carter going through a table, it’s time for EC3 to move forward solo and take the reins of the company. The next step after BFG, my complete focus will be becoming champion. Bobby Lashley has taken the ball and ran with it completely. What he’s done on TV in the coming weeks – his match with Bobby Roode was off the charts. That would be my next goal – TNA Champion no matter who I have to beat even if it is the Destroyer.”
Check out the complete interview at MainEventRadio.com.
The following are highlights of a new Between The Ropes interview with Ethan Carter III:
On Dixie Carter getting put through a table: “In all honesty, she martyred for her cause and you can’t do anything but respect her doing that. It was a great angle that had a conducive story telling a beginning, middle and end and a payoff that left everyone happy. All the credit in the world to her for taking that risk with her body. And it also doesn’t hurt to have a boss know want it feels like a little bit.”
On Impact Wrestling moving to Wednesday nights on Spike TV: “I like the move a lot personally because I don’t have anything to watch on Wednesdays. Thursdays is a pretty stacked night, especially with the NFL coming back. I think as we continually move forward I think all bets are off with what kind of things we can experiment with doing. Everything seemingly over the past few months has been going pretty strongly in our favor as far as taking risks whether it’s the ring, moving TV to New York and Bethlehem areas. All that stuff has proven to be a better product so I don’t see why this move doesn’t make it even better and maybe even open to a more wide audience.”
On the talk about TNA when it comes to its deal with Spike TV: “There is a lot of chatter and I think a lot of misinformation but I know that Spike and TNA are in constant negotiations and I leave that to them. What I do know is that we have an awesome product that is continually getting better each and every week so if it’s Spike, if it’s somewhere else we are an asset and will continue moving forward and I’m very confident in our future as a company.”
Check out the complete interview at BetweenTheRopes.com.
TNA President Dixie Carter was challenged by Kurt Angle, Robbie E. and Phil Vassar to take part in the ALS “Ice Bucket Challenge.” Dixie accepted and then challenged Bully Ray, Devon and Tommy Dreamer to do the same.
Above is a video of Dixie taking the “Ice Bucket Challenge.”
TNA President Dixie Carter recently took to Twitter to promote her upcoming sit-down interview with Mike Tenay, which will air during the Hardcore Justice-themed edition of Impact Wrestling, which will air as the first episode of the show to run on Wednesday night on Spike TV.
Dixie tweeted the following:
I have invited @RealMikeTenay to my home to interview me…
You will see it very soon on @ImpactOnSpike
— Dixie Carter (@TNADixie) August 15, 2014
See you NEXT WEDNESDAY for #HardcoreJustice on @ImpactOnSpike. Impact's NEW day. Spread the word. http://t.co/c9ev3bCVV1
— Dixie Carter (@TNADixie) August 15, 2014
The following matches and segments have been announced for next week’s edition of TNA Impact Wrestling, which is the first show scheduled to air in the new Wednesday time slot on Spike TV, as well as a “Hardcore Justice” themed show.
– Mike Tenay will interview Dixie Carter about going through a table
– Samoa Joe vs. Low Ki for the X-Division Championship
– Six Sides Of Steel to determine the new number one contender to the TNA World Heavyweight Championship
– Abyss vs. Bram in a Stairway To Janice match
The following is from ImpactWrestling.com:
IMPACT WRESTLING MOVING TO WEDNESDAY NIGHTS AT 9/8C ON SPIKE TV BEGINNING NEXT WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 20
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Aug. 14, 2014) – TNA today announced its flagship program, IMPACT WRESTLING, will make a permanent move to Wednesday nights at 9/8c on SPIKE TV beginning next Wednesday, Aug. 20.
“Moving IMPACT WRESTLING to Wednesday nights gives existing fans and new viewers an opportunity to enjoy both wrestling and live sports even more throughout the week,” said TNA President Dixie Carter.
IMPACT WRESTLING has enjoyed sustained ratings growth this summer, drawing over 1.5 million viewers each week this quarter, and is among the most watched cable series in key male demos in its timeslot.
TNA President Dixie Carter was a guest on this week’s edition of Ring Rust Radio. Here are some highlights of what she said about:
What She’s Learned From Working With Wrestling Legends:
“From Hulk (Hogan) and Sting and Ric Flair, all of those guys, you talk about the truly great performers, Kurt (Angle). What they do is they just let go. They don’t think about it, they don’t worry about it, they just be their character, and they do what’s right for the company. I think when you play yourself— because I’m not playing Sanada, I’m not playing Tigre Uno or The Wolves— I’m playing the president of a company. I think for so long I just felt very business, presidential about it. It did take me just a beat to say, “You know what, you’re not really playing yourself now.” This is a caricature of someone who you’re really not and you just need to have fun with it, so that’s what I’ve tried to do.”
Getting Put Through A Table By Bully Ray:
“It hurt like hell. I have such mad respect for these men and women and what they do every time. I sit there as they come backstage and they’re warriors. I talk to professional football players and fighters and NBA guys, and they all tell me they could never do what these men and women do 52 weeks a year, no offseason, multiple times a week. People are like, “Is that table fake?” No, this stuff hurts, it hurts like hell. To be able to do what they do, it was just a small way of me paying respect for what they do for me personally and to our company and for the fans. So, it did hurt, you’ll just have to watch and see what really does happen and then maybe I’ll tell you how serious it was, but yes, I was injured.”
Changes She Wants To Make With TNA:
“I think if you look at us over the last six-to-nine months we’ve made more changes to our company that I think are really starting to resonate with our fans. Fans who may have left at some point and some people who are just now finding us, and that is really trying to listen to what our fans and viewers want to see. Bringing back the six-sided ring, that was a change. Letting the fans decide; if it had won by one vote or another it would have gone down as the fans’ decision. Instead we got a landslide and made the change. The introductions just in the last nine months I counted almost 15 new talents, either brand new or completely repackaged characters that we’ve interviewed in the last nine months. We did not do that in the last nine years. Excuse me, not nine years, maybe five or six years. Don’t hold me to the date, I don’t know the math, but I’m just telling you it was years and years and years. To see some of them doing so well and in such amazing, great roles and just knocking it out of the park every night I just couldn’t be more proud. I think we have undergone changes from the ring to the new characters on the show, how young our talent is to the way we’re trying to tell our stories right now to the way we’re going about focusing on the wrestling. I think that those have been tremendous changes. Are there more to come? Absolutely, but I’m really proud of all that we’ve accomplished in the past few months.”
TNA’s Negotiations With Spike TV:
“Every two years I go through this. This is just the first public negotiation I’ve ever had. I think social media has really changed this kind of thing. I’m used to every two years negotiating with Spike and negotiating with other networks. This time is absolutely not any different. We’re still talking with them, but there are other people, thank God, that are interested in our product. I want to grow this brand; I want to grow it domestically. I want us to be able to start having the kind of success domestically that we’re having internationally. I’m not going to stop and none of us are going to stop until we get there. I’m real excited to see and I think we’ll know sooner than later what’s going to happen.”
The following are highlights of a new v2 Wrestling Podcast interview with Bully Ray:
On TNA spoiling their own storyline with the trailer at the end of last week’s Impact for Bully putting Dixie Carter through a table this week: “When you watch other TV shows whether they are soap operas or reality TV, many TV shows show you what’s coming the following week, and you always want to encourage the highest amount of people to watch your product, so I have no problem with it.”
On comparisons between the ECW and TNA locker rooms: “I do appreciate where he was coming from, to see the guys all amped up and ready to go, and more passionate than ever before, but nothing will ever replicate or duplicate the feeling and the rush that it was like to be in a company like ECW.”
Check out the complete interview at Podomatic.com.
The following are highlights of the latest blog by WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross:
On his next FoxSports.com project: “I’m working on a pre Summer Slam piece for FoxSports.com on John Cena specifically as it relates to why many perceive John to be so polarizing. If you have an opinion please tweet me @JRsBBQ or provide me your thoughts at ‘Ask JR’ here on the site.”
On part two of Sting on The Ross Report: “Part two of my conversation with Sting drops this Tuesday night at 9 pm eastern time on podcastone.com and iTunes. I loved catching up with the Stinger on part one even though many thought I was too involved in the conversation with an old friend. I will address that matter going forward but I can tell you that doing these interviews via the telephone are much more challenging than doing them in person which is impossible to do with me in Oklahoma and my guests coming to us from all over the country. Nonetheless I will continue to refine the process and hopefully take less trips to the woodshed from a few keyboard warriors.”
On some future Ross Report guests: “Also, this Tuesday evening I will have a visit with my mentor Cowboy Bill Watts for a future Ross Report. Can’t wait on that one as the outspoken Cowboy will hold nothing back and his views on ring psychology and his overall philosophy of pro wrestling is as viable today as it was during Bill’s peak years as a talent, booker, and territory owner.”
“I’ve communicated with Dixie Carter on being a guest on our podcast in the future and potential dates are being contemplated.”
“Vince Russo and I had a civil conversation this past week for our podcast coming up with him even though we still have differing opinions of how the pro wrestling bushiness should be conducted. In my later years, I’ve come to realize that people can disagree on things that they are passionate about without coming to blows or having a cuss fight. And yes, I asked Vince about the creation of the Oklahoma character in WCW. I think that you will like this conversation a great deal when it drops in a few weeks.”
“Working on dates to have both Matt and Jeff Hardy on the Ross Report together in the next few weeks. That podcast will be a blast. It might be just me but seeing the two North Carolina brothers back in tag bouts just feels right and, essentially, new again.”
On a Brock Lesnar vs. Cesaro program: “Looks like WWE is building towards a Brock Lesnar vs. Cesaro match down the road of which I can’t wait to watch if it does become a reality.”
On this week’s TNA Impact Wrestling show: “Good job Thursday night by @OfficialTaz and @RealMikeTenay on the Impact Wrestling show. They had some solid content to work with and doing legit play by play and keeping the TV viewer’s mind focused on what the viewer is seeing works more often than not. Pro wrestling commentary is still about telling plausible stories with the proper amount of passion depending on the moment and understanding that unrelated banter helps erode the suspension of disbelief.”
“Bobby Lashley seems to be much more comfortable working in TNA than he did in WWE or at least it appears that way. He certainly makes for an imposing World Champion.”
Check out the complete blog at JRsBarBQ.com. You can also order JR’s Bar-B-Q products online at WWEShop.com.
TNA President Dixie Carter has been doing some hard-selling of tonight’s Destination X edition of TNA Impact Wrestling, which emanates from New York City. Below are some tweets she put up today pushing the show.
One of my favorite shows of the year TONIGHT #DestinationX #ImpactOnSpike http://t.co/JMPDMI4e8K
— Dixie Carter (@TNADixie) July 31, 2014
Watching the final edits to the show tonight. I still can't believe what @AustinAries did!!
— Dixie Carter (@TNADixie) July 31, 2014
Carter also tweeted about TNA’s return to the Manhattan Center in NYC next week, where the company will tape a few more episodes of Impact Wrestling.
Our #TNANYC tapings last month were unbelievable. Can't wait to get back! @ManhattanCentNY NEXT WEEK. Don’t miss it! http://t.co/iu7Enacl5g
— Dixie Carter (@TNADixie) July 31, 2014
The following matches are confirmed for tonight’s Destination-X edition of TNA Impact Wrestling from New York City, New York:
TNA World Heavyweight Championship
– Bobby Lashley vs. Austin Aries
TNA Tag-Team Championships
– The Wolves vs. The Hardy Boys
TNA X-Division Title Qualifiers
Match 1: Low Ki vs. Manik vs. DJ Zema Ion
Match 2: Sanada vs. Brian Cage vs. Crazzy Steve
Match 3: Samoa Joe vs. Homicide vs. Tigre Uno
– Also, Dixie Carter will be appearing with Team Dixie, including Snitsky and Rycklon “Zeke” Stephens.
The major story this week (until WWE releases the latest WWE Network subscriber count on Thursday) is TMZ.com’s report that Spike TV is currently not planning to renew TNA Impact Wrestling.
With TNA’s future in jeopardy if they are unable to reach an agreement with Spike and Viacom, speculation has begun as to whether WWE would be interested in acquiring TNA’s tape library.
On the latest episode of Wrestling Observer Radio, it was said that WWE would likely make an offer to TNA, if the company were to shut down. The going rate for tape libraries is approximately $500 per hour of footage. TNA has approximately 1,000 hours of Impact Wrestling footage, so an offer of $500,000 is what they would likely receive.
In response to the TMZ report, TNA President Dixie Carter tweeted that she is currently still in negotiations with Spike TV and the new of Impact’s cancellation was premature. When contacted for a statement, Spike TV said they do not comment on matters related to “ongoing negotiations.”
As for why TMZ.com ran the story, it’s possible that TNA tried playing hardball in hopes of landing a good TV deal and somebody at Viacom leaked the news to “call their bluff” and essentially put TNA in checkmate. Without a national television clearance, TNA would likely go out of business. The company would then attempt to shop Impact Wrestling around to other cable networks, but they are not in a powerful negotiating position.
Especially without major names like Hulk Hogan and Sting, TNA has very little leverage to land another lucrative TV deal, despite their consistent viewership above 1 million viewers per week.
As previously reported, TNA President Dixie Carter sent out a tweet on Monday afternoon claiming that negotiations between TNA and Spike TV are still ongoing, despite reports to the contrary.
Additionally, TNA executive Bob Ryder flat out claimed that the reports about TNA’s status with Spike TV are “untrue.” Ryder tweeted the following today:
Reports are not true. Negotiations with @SpikeTV are ongoing.
— Bob Ryder (@brydertna) July 28, 2014
TNA President Dixie Carter has made her first public comments since news broke that Spike TV has cancelled Impact Wrestling.
She tweeted on Monday afternoon:
Negotiations with @SpikeTV are ongoing. Stay tuned and be sure to tune in this Thursday night for Ultimate X on #ImpactOnSpike!!
— Dixie Carter (@TNADixie) July 28, 2014
We reached out to Spike TV for some clarification on the situation and they replied:
“Per Viacom company policy – we don’t comment on ongoing negotiations.”
Make sure to check out our complete coverage of Spike TV canceling Impact Wrestling:
News broke today that Spike TV would not be renewing their television deal with TNA. The company – which is owned by Dixie Carter and currently employs Vince Russo – has had financial difficulties in the past.
In fact, it has almost become a joke to post pictures of TNA crowds on social media websites in recent weeks, as they more closely resemble the crowds one would find at a small county fair, not a touring professional wrestling promotion.
Although Spike TV decided not to renew TNA’s contract, the current deal still runs through October, providing the company with a few months to find a new home for Impact Wrestling. Initial reports indicate that there is little chance of that happening, however, as few cable providers will be willing to pay the company what Spike TV was paying to air TNA programming.
With their television revenue gone at the end of October and poor ticket sales not bringing in enough to keep the company afloat, Monday’s announcement was likely the death of TNA. With that said, it will be interesting to see if TNA’s departure from the world of televised wrestling will affect the WWE.
After acquiring WCW in March of 2001, the WWE held a virtual monopoly on the world of televised wrestling in the United States. That monopoly was eventually broken after Jeff Jarrett founded TNA in May of 2002. Although TNA has never provided the same level of competition that WCW brought to the table during the 1990s, it at least prevented the WWE from acting as a monopoly.
Other promotions have gained a sizable following in the United States (ROH, CZW, etc.), but TNA has been the only company the WWE had had to worry about finding on television.
Late Sunday night, news broke that Spike TV has canceled TNA Impact Wrestling and will not be renewing their TV deal, which expires in October.
As noted earlier, TNA President Dixie Carter held a major company meeting on Friday and dropped the bombshell news on her staff. According to sources close to the situation, she attempted to spin the situation in her favor, saying that TNA decided to leave Spike TV because they failed to promote the company effectively. While she might have a point there, all indications are that Viacom and Spike TV made the decision to end their relationship with TNA for a variety of factors.
Spike’s decision to not renew TNA’s TV deal was made immediately after news of Vince Russo working for TNA became public. It was rumored for months that Russo was working as a consultant for the company, which he and TNA vehemently denied. Earlier this month, Vince Russo inadvertently CC’d Mike Johnson on an internal email intended for Taz and Mike Tenay, essentially confirming that he was in fact working for TNA.
There were many reasons that TNA did not want that knowledge made public. First, Russo’s reputation speaks for itself and the majority of wrestling fans would not have a lot of faith in TNA’s decision to rehire one of the most infamous and controversial writers in the industry. There was also an issue of TNA’s relationship with The Great Muta and his Japanese Wrestle-1 promotion, which currently has a partnership with TNA. Muta has very negative feelings about Vince Russo due to his portrayal of Japanese wrestlers over the years. It’s believed that he was assured Vince Russo was not working for TNA when he agreed to partner with TNA and host Bound For Glory in Japan later this year.
However, the main reason TNA did not want Russo’s involvement made public was because Spike TV executives despise him. There are a number of reasons Spike did not want anything to do with Russo, many of them related to the type of programming Russo presented during his previous run with the company.
TNA is obviously in a very bad spot right now. With just two months before Impact Wrestling is dropped from Spike TV, there is not a lot of time for them to find another cable network willing to pick them up. Additionally, it’s highly unlikely they will be able to negotiate a new contract that will earn them anything close to what they were getting from Spike. TNA’s current International TV deals are not lucrative enough to keep the company going and the company will have a very hard time doing live shows in the Untied States without a national TV clearance.