TNA Wrestling’s eighth annual Lockdown pay-per-view takes place tonight at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee. The following matches have been announced for the show:

Steel Cage Match for the World Heavyweight Championship
Bobby Roode (c) vs. “Cowboy” James Storm

Lethal Lockdown
Team Eric Bischoff (Eric Bischof, Gunner, Bully Ray, Christopher Daniels and Kazarian) vs. Team Garett Bischoff (Garett Bischoff, AJ Styles, Rob Van Dam, Mr. Anderson and Austin Aries)

Steel Cage Match
“The Charismatic Enigma” Jeff Hardy vs. Kurt Angle

Steel Cage Match for the World Tag Team Championship
Magnus and Samoa Joe (c) vs. Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin

Steel Cage Match for the Women’s Knockout Championship
Gail Kim (c) vs. Velvet Sky

Steel Cage Match for the Television Championship
Devon (c) vs. Robbie E

Steel Cage Match
“The Blueprint” Matt Morgan vs. Crimson

Following a series of messages on Twitter blasting TNA Wrestling’s upper hierarchy, Scott Steiner has set his sights on Eric Bischoff’s son Garett. “Big Poppa Pump” says Garett hasn’t earned the right to appear on television and that his high-profile position in TNA is a disservice to the professional wrestling industry. He wrote Friday evening:

Ever since england they have made someone come out with garrett to make sure he wasnt booed

First they made jeff hardy do it then last nite it was AJ Rvd Anderson that bcuz

Over in England when hogan n garrett were in the ring and he said garrett was the future of wrestling

Hogan n garrett got booed so bad they had to do multiple takes bcuz the booing was so bad!!!

But they fixed it in post-production to look like they were cheering when it aired but it still drew a bad rating

Listen dumbasses just bcuz u fixed it in post it still fn happen snap out of yur fantansy world n realize

Nobody gives a fuck about a guy who cant talk,wrestle and is the son of an asshole

Bitchoff n hogan have no respect for the business or the ppl in Tna to do this bullshit

Check out the graphic for the ppv,it has eric n garrett in fore front n everybody else that ppl care about

In the background thats bullshit but they put everybody else in the match bcuz they know if they just

Put eric n garrett in a match ppl will shit all over it..U want to drive bitchoff crazy bring signs to ppv

Saying 609 or chant 609 when he is in the ring,FYI make signs at building bcuz they take all signs that they dont like

Feel bad for the guys who have to put up with this bullshit ,Garrett hasnt earnd the right to be on TV,, 10 matches FUCK

Flyin to toronto remember 609- 609 -609 save TNA

— Hulk Hogan issued a response to Scott Steiner’s multi-day outburst toward him and Eric Bischoff on Twitter. “Big Poppa Pump” believes TNA Wrestling is sinking under their watch and that both have behaved unprofessionally since arriving to the organization.

“If he really believes what he’s saying I feel bad for everyone close to him,” Hogan wrote to a Twitter user after being asked about Steiner’s comments. “His future was much greater than this.”

— Thursday’s episode of Impact Wrestling saw Eric Young and ODB tie the knot inside a Steel Cage. The Knockout addressed the ceremony on Twitter.

“Best thing bout gettin married is the honeymoon,I’m gonna b walkin funny for awhile,” she wrote. “Thanks to all the @IMPACTWRESTLING fans you all rock,I read all my tweets,I will see all your crazy asses in Nashville.”

The wedding was interrupted by Sarita and Rosita, who performed a striptease in a failed attempt to get Young to bail on his bride. ODB threatened Rosita over this and subsequent taunts on Twitter, writing: “really bitch,u look like a lil girl waitin to hit puberty,c your skinny ass at lockdown.”

— Sarita has returned to Mexico after missing Tuesday’s CMLL show at in Mexico City due to an emergency requiring her to visit her native country Canada. She said on Facebook that she’ll be on hand for Saturday’s Lockdown InterAction Fanfest and Sunday’s Lockdown pay-per-view.

Following a series of messages on Twitter blasting TNA Wrestling’s upper hierarchy, Scott Steiner urged fans to turn off tonight’s episode of Impact Wrestling on Spike TV whenever Hulk Hogan, Eric Bischoff and Garett Bischoff appear. “Big Poppa Pump” says he doesn’t want TNA to meet the same fate as World Championship Wrestling and that the fans’ voices can be heard by lowering the show’s ratings. He wrote:

Getting alot of support from evrybody bcuz im sayin what they wish they could

Even guys from back in WCW who hogan kept his thumb on and Eric was an asshole to

Tonite is a good nite for you fans to help save TNA,so all u fans of AJ Roode Angle Abyss Sting Morgan Magnus Kazarian

Everybody who was a fan of Tna b4 bitchoff hogan n Pritchard fuckd Tna up,tonite during the show

If u see hogan bitchoff or his son turn the channel..wait 5 mins and turn it back you wont miss amything

Except their bullshit..and it will give u fans a voice thru the nielson ratings

Lets show these assholes that we dont want their bullshit and its time to save TNA from the same fate as WCW

Scott Steiner, who parted ways with TNA Wrestling two weeks ago, has continued to fire off messages on Twitter trashing his former employer’s brain trust. In a series of messages posted Wednesday evening, “Big Poppa Pump” blasts Hulk Hogan for deeming Bobby Roode “not ready” in a radio interview days before his heavily promoted World Heavyweight Championship match against Kurt Angle at Bound For Glory.

“Nah, he’s not ready. He’s not the next guy,” Hogan said of Roode to Busted Open in October. “Ya’ know, they might think he is. Dixie Carter might think he is. The whole world might think he is. He’s not the next guy. If I had to bet money on anybody and really be serious about betting money on anybody, I’d say Jeff Hardy is the next guy if he keeps his act together. Um, that’s what you gotta to have, man. This is much more than being a wrestler, this is crossing barriers, medias, ya’ know media barriers, and, and entertainment barriers of all kind. Getting your character down verbally has 90% to do with getting over.”

Steiner says Roode was infuriated by Hogan’s remarks and planned to call out him out in a radio interview. Prichard, however, begged Roode not to and he ultimately kept quiet.

Steiner also slams for TNA for nonsensical storylines and compares the promotion to World Championship Wrestling. He wrote:

When i look at hogan i see the same thing as the nielson ratings system does …….low fuckn ratings

Hogan also attackd Bobby Roode on the radio b4 he was going to wrestle Kurt Angle

In Philli on ppv sayn Roode wasnt ready,Ive wrestled Bobby a bunch of times n he wrestles hard every nite n he can go

He can talk,wrestle and looks good,and hes proving that hogan doesnt know shit(except that garrett is the future)..WTF

At the ppv he was pissd n went up to Pritchard and told him he was going on the radio and calling hogan out

And Pritchard beggd him not to,so i see him n he tells me what happend,I told him thats whats hogan does,

In WCW hogan put his thumb on evrybody,deciding who wins in every match bcuz he has creative control in his contract

Hogan shows up and changes the outcome of his match,Bobby was going to kill him but he kept his cool

Every tv every ppv the place is zoo a circus bcuz these assholes change things every hour,the storylines are stupid and dont make sense

And when u ask questions they cant give u a reason why they want u to do something that doesnt make sense

And since hogan bitchoff n pritchard brought the chaos the circus to Tna they also brought their own clown,midget

Which is Jason Hervey,(yep that one)the insignicant bro in wonder years this 5’5″ midget walks around

Fn crazy,why is he there hes business partners with bitchoff just like hogan n bitchoff are business partners

Now do u know why Tna is the titanic and is sinking fast…..Need to save TNA

They are doin the same stupid bullshit that they did in WCW..except now instead of pushing Flairs son David

To the point where he beat Chris Benoit,he is now pushing his own son,where is David Flair today

Ive seen all this shit b4,Remember he made David Arquette champion,Fuck!!Ted Turner ownd WCW and they ran it into the ground

And he was a multi multi BILLIONAIRE

We were all in the back sayin WTF are we in the twilight zone ….fn crazy

That same wkend he was suppose to go on ESPN and promote the ppv,so he is on the show

And the host ask him whats his most embarassing monent in the ring..remember hes there to promote the ppv

He says wrestling Andre and he shits himself…the host asks him a couple more questions

Which i dont remember bcuz im on the floor belly laughing..then the host thanks him for bn on the show

And he says “Be COOL EAT FRUIT…thats right BE COOL EAT FRUIT…WTF way to promote the ppv DUMBASS

Last Friday’s episode of UFC’s Ultimate Fighter series on FX averaged approximately 950,000 viewers, the lowest number in the seven-year history of the show and more than 400,000 less than last month’s network debut. TNA Wrestling executive producer Eric Bischoff gloated over the program’s ratings struggles via Facebook, stating Impact Wrestling draws 500,000 more viewers with a much smaller budget.

“Think we came close to hitting these numbers with a couple episodes of ReAction at 11pm on Spike,” Bischoff said of the record-low Ultimate Fighter rating. “Tons of promotion on Fox and FX, a budget 3x bigger than Impact and 500,000 less viewers? Impact has a larger audience than ever, and is going to have a great season with new elements following Lockdown. Can’t wait!”

Bischoff responded to a critical remark on Twitter saying he shouldn’t knock Ultimate Fighter when he has only come up with “one good idea” in his entire career—the NWO.

“Not knocking friend. Love the show. It is what it is and says more about Impact than anything. Get a grip mark,” Bischoff wrote. “And by the way, our prod. company has produced 9 different series on 8 diff. networks since we have been at TNA. One good idea?”

Scott Steiner, who parted ways with TNA Wrestling two weeks ago, has continued to fire off messages on his Twitter account trashing his former employer’s brain trust, particularly Hulk Hogan, Eric Bischoff and Bruce Prichard. He says TNA is sinking under their watch and their tactics have instilled fear among employees. “Big Poppa Pump” also sounds off on TNA not acknowledging the ratings success of Indian based promotion Ring Ka King, the Abyss brother storyline, Garett Bischoff, cutting costs in catering and more. Steiner says:

With all the media coverage via U tube,http://GQ.com and the 40 billboards of me thruout India covering Ring ka King

Isnt it strange that Tna mentiond very little about it thats bcuz Pritchard hogan n bitchoff

Were pissd bcuz it did so well drawing 14 mill viewers n they had nothin to do with it

U couldnt talk about it at the office or tweet about it.THINK ABOUT THAT! We went to India for Tna but Tna did very lil coverage of it

Bcuz these idiots were pissed they had nothing to do with the success of it..so they tried to bury the ppl who went over there

They tried to bury me they imediately startd beating morgan,they couldnt bury Magnus bcuz

They had sent him home when they first came in,so they startd using him bcuz nxt trip to India

They’ll say he cant go ..Magnus is 25 yrs he can talk,wrestle and he looks great why would they send him home for about a year

Oh,yeah bcuz Garrett is 28 yrs has had less than 10 matches has great sideburns cant throw a clothline

And is the future of wrestling Fuck! But the guy they r burying the worst is abyss.fucking why!

They made him take off his mask cut his hair n walk around sayin he is abyss’s brother

Which makes everybody look stupid,like we dont know what abyss looks like,what he never took off his mask

Why…abyss has bn there from the begining n is a nice guy…but they just fuck with everybody bcuz they r assholes

As soon as these assholes took over they built up a barrier where u could no longer talk to dixie u had to talk Bruce

We all thought pritchard is a prick n didnt want to talk to him.but those who tried to contact dixie either got ignored or reprimended

Not sure how pritchard hogan n bitchoff convinced dixie to turn her back on the ppl who built up Tna

And listen to the 3 jackoffs that are sinking Tna..wrestling has always bn about ratings ratings ratings

Ratings are like a scoreboard,there isnt one coach that looks at the scoreboard at the end of the game

And wonders who won..and since these guys came to tna the ratings suckd and still do !!!!!!

So was is it so hard to figure out who is the problem

Since they came in ratings are down but costs are up,so to cuts cost in other areas to pay for these worthless ratings killers

They cut the money for catering and we startd using paper plates n plastic.fucking crazy!!!!

Pritchard hogan n bitchoffs tactics were to make everyboby job scared by fn with everybody and turnd tna into a zoo a circus

And just like every good circus u have clowns n midgets ……:..

ImpactWrestling.com has released the official preview for Thursday’s episode of Impact Wrestling.

Preview IMPACT On Thursday: The Final Countdown To Lockdown

Preview Thursday’s IMPACT WRESTLING broadcast on SpikeTV at 9/8c. If you can’t watch it Thursday, make sure to set your DVR to record it so you don’t miss any of the action.

– The broadcast will feature the final countdown to the Lockdown Pay-Per-View event

– World Heavyweight Champion Bobby Roode and challenger “Cowboy” James Storm will have one last face-to-face before their main event match at Lockdown

– Eric Young and ODB get married on Thursday’s broadcast in the first-ever Steel Cage Wedding

– Who will Eric Bischoff and Garett Bischoff pick for their Lethal Lockdown teams? Find out Thursday night! We also understand that members from Eric and Garett’s team will battle in a Best of 3 Series with the winning team getting the man advantage going into Lethal Lockdown.

– We’ll hear from the Motorcity Machine Guns, who challenge for the World Tag team Championship at Lockdown

– In Knockouts Tag Team action, champion Gail Kim and Madison Rayne battle Velvet Sky and Mickie James

All this and much more on Thursday’s IMPACT WRESTLING broadcast on SpikeTV

— Hulk Hogan responded to Scott Steiner’s outburst toward him this week on Twitter, writing Friday: “Wow do I feel like a fool! I knew Steiner came to TNA the last tapings then was asked to leave, I heard the news and I was lobbying hard to bring him back the right way because I see money and talent in him, I had no idea he felt that way about me because he is always really nice to me and my family, guess I was really wrong, at least I know who he really is now.”

Though Steiner was asked by TNA Wrestling staff to leave a recent Impact Wrestling, it did not occur this week.

— Eric Bischoff weighed on Brock Lesnar’s decision to return to WWE, writing on Twitter: “Somewhat surprised by Brocks decision to come back to WWE. Some guys do it for $, some for the love of performing. Either way, good for biz!”

— James Storm, Crimson and So Cal Val will appear at the Direct Auto Insurance Tailgate Party 1281 Murfreesboro Rd. Nashville, Tennessee on Saturday from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. Call 615-361-4507 for more information.

source: PWInsider.com

TNA Wrestling has announced three new title matches for Lockdown on April 15 at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium as the World Tag Team Championship, Women’s Knockout Championship and Television Championship will be on the line. A stipulation has been added to Lethal Lockdown as the losing Bischoff family member “must leave TNA for good.”

Steel Cage Match for the World Heavyweight Championship
Bobby Roode (c) vs. “Cowboy” James Storm

Lethal Lockdown
Team Eric Bischoff vs. Team Garett Bischoff

Steel Cage Match
“The Charismatic Enigma” Jeff Hardy vs. Kurt Angle

Steel Cage Match for the World Tag Team Championship
Magnus and Samoa Joe (c) vs. Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin

Steel Cage Match for the Women’s Knockout Championship
Gail Kim (c) vs. Velvet Sky

Steel Cage Match for the Television Championship
Devon (c) vs. Robbie E

Steel Cage Match
Crimson vs. “The Blueprint” Matt Morgan

In May 2006, Chris Masters’ booming career with WWE at the time would come to a screeching halt when he was sent to a drug rehabilitation center due to his addiction with painkillers. Speaking to Power Slam, the former WWE Superstar addresses the matter.

“It was a developing thing that kind of escalated in 2006 and became a problem. You know, I had to go away for a couple months to rehab after the company became aware of my problem. It took a while to get over that. I went into rehab, not even ready to deal with the mindset that I was an addict,” he says.

“It was so much responsibility and I don’t think I was mature enough to handle all that opportunity that was given to me. I didn’t really appreciate it, I made a lot of mistakes and it kind of derailed my career. It took a while for me to get myself back on track, but I did, and now I’m completely fine, clean and sober. But I’m a walking miracle. At one point, I was taking 75 painkillers a day.”

Masters lost a noticeable amount of muscle mass by the time he returned to WWE programming on the August 28, 2006 episode of Raw with color commentator Jerry Lawler acknowledging him as the “leaner and meaner Chris Masters.” Masters appeared in a backstage segment on the October 2, 2006 Raw with Triple H, Shawn Michaels and Eric Bischoff in which he said he was “thinking about writing a book on nutrition.” Triple H quipped in response, “Really? What are you going to call it: How To Lose Fifty Pounds In Four Weeks?” Interviewer Greg Lambert feels the remark was deliberately intended to ridicule his loss of muscle, which conflicted with what WWE was purportedly trying to achieve with its Wellness policy.

Masters responds, “First of all, let me say that Triple H is a big ball-buster. I don’t think he’s as devious as people make him out to be, but he’s a ball-buster, albeit an equal opportunity ball-buster: he takes shots at Shawn Michaels all the time. They were always taking jabs at each other. So, it might have been the wrong message, yes, at the time. But I don’t think it was meant as a malicious thing.”

A few weeks later, John “Bradshaw” Layfield made a similar crack at Masters’ expense in reference to MVP’s No Mercy opponent Marty Garner. He said, “The guy looked like he had escaped from a concentration camp: the guy was as skinny as Chris Masters.”

Masters responds, “I won’t take anything JBL says too seriously, because the guy’s an idiot [laughs]. Look at his body! Who is he to criticize anybody? But I didn’t realize it was such as a big deal. People wanted to point the finger and say [the weight loss] was because I was on steroids … But that wasn’t my problem. I didn’t go away because of that or come back leaner because of that: it was because I would wake up every morning in rehab and run two miles as my therapy. I wasn’t able to do as much weight training. So, I did gradually lose a lot of weight. I didn’t realize, coming back, it would be so dramatic and people would make such a big deal about it.”

Masters packed the muscle back as months later his physique had noticeably enlarged. Lambert asks, “Was that because you been stung by [the comments]?”

“Part of it was. Eventually, it wore on me, but not at first,” Masters says. “I was happy with myself: I didn’t mind being smaller. But after a certain point, it probably go to me, so I cut back on the aerobics and running, and went back on the heavy weights.”

Masters was suspended by WWE in August 2007 and November 2007 as a result of violations of their drug testing policy. This led to his first release from he company on November 8, 2007. He says of the events, “I hadn’t overcome my prescription pain pill problem. I had taken something that hadn’t been prescribed to me, and I got red-flagged for that.”

Masters eventually conquered his drug addiction and was rehired by WWE in June 2009. He explains what led him to change his ways.

“I’d got fired from the job I always wanted. I’d blown through six figures worth of money, and I knew I had to change my ways. We’ve seen a lot unfortunate tragedies in the business. I’ve seen Test and Umaga, who I knew well, pass away and it always affects me. There’s always a sense of relief that I was able to catch myself and not let it get to that point. It gets to a point where you either hit rock bottom or you’re going to die,” Masters says.

“I hit rock bottom, then a second rock bottom, and, by the third, it finally woke me up. The same thing has happened to Matt Hardy. But I hear now, it looks like he’s doing great. Hopefully, he’s reached enough rock bottoms that now, he’s back on track.”

In a move that could mark the end of Scott Steiner’s two decade plus reign as a mainstream wrestler, the multi-time champion was released from his contract with TNA Wrestling last week. “Big Poppa Pump” slammed the organization’s creative direction Monday afternoon on his Twitter account in response to the termination.

“Can somebody send tna’s booking team of pritchard hogan (and) bischoff video’s from ring ka king..booking hogan in a sex tape wont help ratings..what an embarassment to TNA (and) spike tv. Brother…” he wrote via text.

The former World Heavyweight Champion continued his verbal onslaught of his former employer and its creative figure heads late into the night with the following messages:

* Read my tweats people, I am not blasting TNA if I do I will let you know.

* Right now im trying to save tna bcuz its the titanic and its sinking fast bcuz hogan n bischoff r doing the same bullshit they did to de …

* It took them 1 1/2 months to drive tna to its lowest ratings ever…the best way to save it is to jump off and be the voice for the guys …

* Bitter????I have nothing to be bitter about! I have a contract extension signed by tna officials that under the circumstances i would no …

* Official that under the circumstances i would not sign

* Same bullshit they did to destoy wcw

* That cant say anything

source: PWInsider.com

— After parting ways with TNA Wrestling last week, “Big Poppa Pump” Scott Steiner slammed the organization’s creative heads Monday afternoon on Twitter.

“Can somebody send tna’s booking team of pritchard hogan (and) bischoff video’s from ring ka king..booking hogan in a sex tape wont help ratings..what an embarassment to TNA (and) spike tv. Brother…” he wrote via text.

Steiner continues

— After being excluded from the last set of Impact Wrestling tapings, Angelina Love stated today on Twitter that she will appear on this week’s shows. She has not appeared for TNA since February 27.

To correct an earlier report, Sarita will be on hand for this week’s show (according to her official Facebook page). She is being erroneously advertised for a CMLL event tonight in Puebla, Mexico.

— Christy Hemme will perform with her band at House of Blues Orlando on Saturday. Details are available here.

Kevin Nash stated during a recent interview with www.thesun.co.uk that he would be open to returning to TNA Wrestling due to the numerous benefits the organization provides.

“I have a fifteen year old son, and at this point my son needs a Dad more than the world needs a wrestler. The thing that makes TNA work for me is that first of all I have way more friends there than in WWE. I made some friends once I came there – Punk and I got along well, me and Ziggler got along well and I got a chance to hang out with John Cena – but my crew of guys that are still in the business are more the TNA guys,” he told Rob McNichols in an interview for the One Sided Ring podcast.

“It’s fifty miles from my house. I can drive over there; I don’t have to get on a plane. I can put my gear in the trunk, drop the top on my convertible and be over there and do it. It was always a really easy travel day for me. I enjoyed being down there. I also part of a lot of the young guys – AJ, Eric Young, Bobby Roode – in their early stages of development. Now these guys are becoming stars. I’m not saying I wouldn’t go back. If they had something for me and they needed me, I would go back and do it. Right now I’m starting to get bored!”

TNA Wrestling producer Eric Bischoff reacted to Nash’s comments via Twitter, writing, “Hear Kevin Nash is open to coming back to Impact. Lots of history with Kevin. Always great to work with. Another Detroit guy on the team?”

– After Eric Bischoff totally buried TNA announcer Jeremy Borash on Twitter this week, just about everyone in TNA is taking Borash’s side. The general feeling is that Bischoff’s comments were beyond unprofessional and anybody else with less power than Bischoff would have been in very hot water trashing a fellow employee like that.

• Eric Bischoff Buries Jeremy Borash: “Lucky To Have A Job”

– Jesse Sorenson posted the following update on Twitter this week regarding his medical condition:

“After looking over my X-rays and MRI today, (the doctor) says my healing process couldn’t be going any better. Prayer and action cure fear.”

– TNA will tape two episodes of Impact next Monday and Tuesday from Orlando, FL.

– TNA returns to Biloxi, MS with a live event at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum on 3/15 and Pesacola, FL at the Civic Center on 3/16.

– During a recent interview, baseball player A.J. Pierzynski (who has been involved in wrestling with TNA in the past) spoke about a possible return to wrestling. Pierzynski stated that Chicago White Sox conditioning coach Dale Torborg (formerly the “Kiss Demon” in WCW) keeps trying to get him back into wrestling, saying,  “Demon keeps trying to suck me back in. We’ll see. We’ll see.”

Torborg added, “A.J. is better suited as a manager. He likes talking trash and then watching me get hit with a chair.”

(Partial source: pwinsider.com)

TNA executive Eric Bischoff posted the following on his Facebook page late Monday night ripping TNA employee Jeremy Borash:

“Just had a beer here in Nashville. Bartender asked me I worked for the boss ‘Jeremy Borash.’ When I asked ‘WTF’ that was supposed to mean, I was told emphatically that Jeremy has represented himself as an ‘owner’ of TNA. Jeremy is a low rent bit player who should be fortunate he has a job.”

In response to Bischoff’s burial of Jeremy Borash, TNA star Brutus Magnus tweeted the following:

@JeremyBorash is 1 of the hardest working & loyal people TNA has ever had. Aren’t ppl supposed to be MORE mature as time goes on, not less?

UPDATE: Heat On Eric Bischoff For Borash Comments

ImpactWrestling.com has released the official preview for this Thursday’s episode of Impact Wrestling.

Preview Thursday’s IMPACT WRESTLING broadcast on SpikeTV at 9/8c, as the road to the March 18 “Victory Road” Pay-Per-View event continues! If you can’t watch it on Thursday, make sure to set your DVR so you don’t miss any of the action

– World Heavyweight Champion Bobby Roode and Sting will have their contract signing – what will happen just days before Victory Road?

– What’s next in the ongoing family feud between Garett Bischoff and his father Eric Bischoff?

– Mr. Anderson returns to action against Christopher Daniels

– As a preview of the PPV match, one-half of the World Tag Team Champions Samoa Joe will face Crimson

– X Division Champion Austin Aries has a special announcement

– Eric Young and ODB plan for their upcoming wedding

All this and much more this Thursday on SpikeTV at 9/8c!

Eric Bischoff appeared on the VOC Nation this week (audio available at www.VOCnation.com). Highlights from the interview are as follows:

Working with his son on television: “It’s a challenge and I have mixed emotions about it. At the end of the day, he’s doing what he wanted to do…I have a certain point of view about the wrestling business and the current state of it, and the opportunities that exist in the business today versus what has existed in the past. I tried to dissuade him from getting involved, but he’s doing what he wanted to do. Regardless of how I feel about it, he’s sticking to his dream and that’s an admirable quality.”

Working in the wrestling business now versus in WCW: “I live for the day today and I don’t spend a lot of time dwelling in the past. There is a big difference between what I do today for TNA versus what I did for Turner Broadcasting. I don’t have to deal with talent issues. That is a stressful job, even when talent is on their best behavior. It’s stressful having the futures and the welfare of that many people in your hands. Wrestling is a tough business to break into, and knowing that you’re in control of them being able to feed their families…I don’t like that.”

Ultimate Warrior’s run in WCW: “There was a certain level of expectation and it fell flat. We thought we had a decent way to use him…I’ll never forget this, it’s like scar tissue, it never goes away. On his first Nitro, he was supposed to cut a 5 or 6 minute promo, and when he got near the TWENTY-FIVE minute mark, I wanted to dig out my eyes. It was the most painful, excruciating, non-seneschal, disconnected interview I’ve ever heard in my life…it was horrifying, and went downhill from there.”

His role with TNA booking: “Bruce Prichard is head of creative, and I oversee things and make sure that the network gets what is asked for. I wanted to develop a long term plan for booking, and Vince Russo liked running things on a short term planning basis. Right now, we are very much on track with the creative direction that we laid out in October. I work very closely with the team and Dixie on the day of TV, but I’m not involved in management on a day to day basis.”

Vince Russo’s departure: “I don’t know why Vince and TNA parted ways, and I wasn’t involved in it. I haven’t spoken to him since, aside from an e-mail wishing him success in the future. I haven’t talked to anyone in TNA about it either. He and I had philosophical differences on how to create primetime television, but I don’t think it’s unfair or unprofessional to acknowledge that. I enjoyed the challenge of working with him.”

Whether or not Ric Flair should appear at the WWE Hall of Fame Ceremony this year: “I’m not a decision maker, and whatever they decide, I’m going to support. But in my personal opinion, I think they should allow Ric to go to the Hall of Fame. Ric Flair is a very special individual…he is 63 years old…he’s not perfect, but there is not anyone in this business that deserves the respect and honor of taking center stage in the biggest event in our universe more than he does.”

– TNA star Kurt Angle tweeted the following message about the state of TNA, now that Vince Russo is officially gone from the company:

“I’m Excited to Have Bruce Prichard and Eric Bischoff and Hulk Hogan Running Impact Wrestling. They Are the Best. Awesome Shows Coming!”

– One of Eric Bischoff and Jason Harvey’s television projects has been picked up by the CW Network and will beginning airing this summer, according to entertainment industry publication Variety.

The show, titled, “Catalina,” will be an unscripted reality show that takes place at a Miami Hotel “where a young staff gets as wild as the guests.”

– There is a new policy in TNA regarding how talent is used on television. F4wonline.com reports that the new policy states that talent will not be featured on television unless the creative team has a storyline in place for them. This is on of the reasons top stars such as Rob Van Dam and Mr. Anderson have been kept off television for extended periods of time.

– Speaking of Mr. Anderson, he turns 36 years old today.

— The #1 Contender’s Knockout Battle Royal featuring Angelina Love, Brooke Tessmacher, Madison Rayne, Mickie James, ODB, Rosita, Sarita, Tara, Velvet Sky and Winter prevented Thursday’s Impact Wrestling from garnering the show’s lowest rating of the year as the match outdrew the entire show by a sizable margin.

Thursday’s show garnered a 1.06 cable rating off hours of 1.02 and 1.10, flat with last week’s year-low 1.06. The #1 Contender’s Knockout Battle Royal, which kicked off the second hour, surged the rating from a 1.04 to a 1.23—an 18.3 percent increase. The subsequent quarter hour featuring Eric Bischoff’s celebratory promo plummeted to a 1.00.

Only the final quarter hour drew near the Knockouts, a 1.11 for a heavily publicized angle involving New York Giants player Brandon Jacobs and Sting confronting World Heavyweight Champion Bobby Roode.

— Motor City Machine Guns member Alex Shelley is now on Twitter at fakekinkade.

— Mexican America member Hernandez promotes independent promotion River City Wrestling on tonight’s KABB Fox San Antonio newscast in San Antonio, Texas. The program begins at 9:00 p.m. CST.

source: Pro Wrestling Torch

– Eric Bischoff officially welcomed Dave Lagana to TNA with the following message posted on Facebook & Twitter:

“Welcome David Lagana! Had the opportunity to work with David in WWE and learned to respect his knowledge of story structure and detail.”

As we reported on Tuesday, Vince Russo and TNA have officially parted ways. Early reports indicated that Lagana was replacing Russo, however this is not entirely true. Lagana exact role in TNA is unknown at this time. While he will be contributing to the creative process, he is not assuming Russo’s job. It’s believed that Eric Bischoff will assume more power behind the scenes now that Russo is finally out.

– Spike TV president Kevin Kay was at the Impact Wrestling taping in Orlando on Monday and threw a party for the TNA wrestlers and crew after the show.

– Kurt Angle wrote the following on Twitter about Jesse Sorensen, stating that doctors gave him a 1-year recovery time:

“I Visited Jesse Sorenson.He Is Moving His Arms and Legs.Drs’ say 1 Year recovery. I Say 4 Months.Jesse Is a Hero and Fighter. “I’ll Be Back””

Angle clearly means well here, but he should probably stay away from setting unrealistic goals for Sorensen, who is going to have a very long, difficult road to recovery.

Don’t miss Thursday’s TNA IMPACT WRESTLING broadcast on SpikeTV at 9/8c – featuring the aftermath of the “Against All Odds” Pay-Per-View event! If you can’t watch it on Thursday night, make sure to set your DVR to record it so you don’t miss any of the Total Nonstop Action!

– At Sunday’s Pay-Per-View event, Bobby Roode beat the odds and retained the World Heavyweight Championship against Jeff Hardy, James Storm and Bully Ray. Now, the road begins to March’s “Victory Road” for the World Champ. The question is, what does GM “The Icon” Sting have to say about how Roode won on Sunday – and what does he has planned for Roode at Victory Road?

– On Sunday at “Against All Odds”, Gail Kim successfully defended the Knockouts Title against Tara! On Thursday’s IMPACT on SpikeTV, a new #1 Contender will be determined in a 10-Knockout Battle Royal! The winner of the Battle Royal will get the next shot at the Knockouts gold. The participants are: Sarita, Rosita, Brooke Tessmacher, Winter, Tara, ODB, Mickie James, Velvet Sky, Madison Rayne and Angelina Love!

– Plus, what was the fallout from the Bischoff family feud at Against All Odds? Did Garett (with Hulk Hogan in his corner) overcome the assault from Gunner and his own father, Eric Bischoff? Tune in Thursday night!

All this and much more on Thursday’s broadcast as the road to the March “Victory Road” Pay-Per-View event begins!

source: ImpactWrestling.com

The eighth annual Against All Odds pay-per-view event will take place tonight at the Impact Wrestling Zone in Orlando, Florida. The following matches have been announced for the event.

World Heavyweight Championship Match
Bobby Roode (c) vs. Jeff Hardy vs. James Storm vs. Bully Ray

Challenge Match
Gunner (with Eric Bischoff) vs. Garett Bischoff (with Hulk Hogan)

Challenge Match
“The Phenomenal” AJ Styles vs. Kazarian (with Christopher Daniels)

World Tag Team Championship Match
Matt Morgan & Crimson (c) vs. Samoa Joe and Magnus

X Division Championship Match
Austin Aries (c) vs. Alex Shelley

Women’s Knockout Championship Match
Gail Kim (c) vs. Tara

#1 Contender’s Match – X Division
Jesse Sorensen vs. Zema Ion

– Ric Flair says he’ll be on stage to accept his second WWE Hall of Fame induction, but some people in the industry are speculating TNA has the legal right to sue WWE since they are using a contracted TNA performer to draw ticket sales and DVD sales for the Hall of Fame ceremony. There is still no word yet as to whether TNA will pursue any legal action, but it’s possible TNA could try to get a cash settlement out of WWE in order to use & promote Flair.

• Pictures From Ric Flair’s Bachelor Party – WOOOO!!

– TNA has confirmed that Hulk Hogan, Sting and Kurt Angle will be appearing at all of the company’s shows in England later this month, including the first-ever Impact from the UK.

– After the UK Impact tapings later this month, TNA has no plans to tape on the road at least through the end of May.

– The preliminary PPV buyrate for TNA Genesis is around 10-12,000 buys, which is on the high end of what TNA events usually do.

– Eric Bischoff and Jason Hervey’s production company recently had a new sitcom picked up by Nick At Night. “Daddy’s Home” will star actor Scott Baio of “Charles In Charge” fame.

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

Don’t miss Thursday’s TNA IMPACT WRESTLING broadcast on SpikeTV at 9/8c, featuring the aftermath of the “Genesis” Pay-Per-View as the road to the February “Against All Odds” begins! If you can’t watch it on Thursday night, make sure to set your DVR to record it so you don’t miss any of the Total Nonstop Action!

Here is a preview of Thursday’s broadcast:

– Bobby Roode is STILL the World Heavyweight Champion, having beaten “The Charismatic Enigma” Jeff Hardy in controversial fashion at Sunday’s Genesis, earning a disqualification by attacking the referee! The World Champion told us he plans to open Thursday’s broadcast to discuss his PPV win over Hardy! HOWEVER, what will Sting have to say about what happened? Will the General Manager Sting deal with Roode and his actions?

– How will “Cowboy” James Storm react to losing to Kurt Angle at Genesis? Obviously, Storm will be hellbent on revenge after what went down at the PPV, with Angle taking the easy way out to beat his nemesis after a low blow and kick to the head! Will Storm unleash hell on Angle this Thursday night? Plus, is Kurt Angle now next in line for another shot at the World Title?

– Also at Genesis, “The Blueprint” Matt Morgan and Crimson retained the Tag Team Championship against Samoa Joe and Magnus – but the champs won’t get any rest! Morgan and Crimson are scheduled to compete this Thursday on IMPACT!

– Plus, sources tell us AJ Styles is coming to IMPACT and he wants answers from Kazarian about what he did last week! Also, will Eric Bischoff speak out concerning the return of his son, Garett Bischoff?

All this and much more on Thursday’s IMPACT WRESTLING broadcast on SpikeTV at 9/8c!

source: ImpactWrestling.com