Posts Tagged ‘Manik’

TNA Parts Ways With Former X-Division Champion T.J. “Manik” Perkins

It looks like we won’t be seeing T.J. Perkins (aka Manik) on POP TV anytime in the near future.

TNA has apparently parted ways with the former X-Division Champion, as they moved his profile to the Alumni section of their official website, ImpactWrestling.com, and Perkins himself noted via social media that the promotion would not be renewing his contract.

Perkins claims that it was TNA’s decision not to renew his deal, noting that he “would stay if he could.”

Perkins has worked off-and-on for TNA dating back to 2004. He wrote the following on his official Twitter page on Monday:

https://twitter.com/MaskaraManik/status/687025582878535680

https://twitter.com/MaskaraManik/status/687027727849816064

Manik On Wanting To Lose His Mask & Work For GFW, His TNA Status & More

T.J. Perkins (aka Manik) recently spoke with the v2 Wrestling Podcast about a number of topics. Below are some of the highlights from the interview.

On the future of the TNA/GFW relationship: “I”ve got no idea, to be honest. I’m sure maybe some people do, but I kinda feel like a lot of people don’t. I think that maybe it really is a rollercoaster that everybody just decided to get on without seeing how far the track goes. Maybe that’s a good thing, I’m all for it. I hope that it’s going to continue to become a bigger and bigger thing, because the guys that have been or are going to be working with Jeff, a lot of them are friends of mine. I was thrilled to see them working together, so it would be cool to share a banner or share a ring with them in some sort of fair-weather status or better.”

On the endgame for the Revolution storyline: “I don’t know. In some ways I”ve tried to overachieve a little bit lately out of frustration, not really at any particular thing. Just sometimes I personally feel like I”m treading water. It’s funny because there’s been times where I thought that there was no idea for me and then I found out that there was a lot for me to do that had been set in place. And then there”s times where I feel like maybe I have to figure out my own details myself. But as far as treading water, it’s not in the group sense or anything like that. Personally, sometimes I set little goals for myself that’s not really being asked of me. It’s just something that I’m trying to do on my own. Now I kind of feel like I’m treading water because there’s little things that I”m expecting of myself that I’m not always getting. It’s not necessarily something I wish I could be doing and I’m not getting the opportunity or anything like that. It’s really more of a personal thing.”

On rumors of per appearance deals in TNA: “Pretty much nobody is on a per appearance deal. Maybe people have asked for that now in an effort to change course in their careers, because maybe they have other stuff they want to do. Some of these guys might not even want to necessarily be wrestling anymore, so a lot of it might have to do with that too. But as far as before recently, none of us were on a per appearance deal. I don”t know where people would get that from, but if you got it, you were definitely lied to. And actually where it might come into play is because all of us were getting guaranteed money, and then on top of that we get extra bonus money per appearances. So I think people might hear that and depending on your level of personal negativity, you choose only to hear the last part. Some people have a different ratio where their appearances are more than their guaranteed, but everybody was definitely on guaranteed money.”

On his obsession with Deadpool: “I”ve always felt like the Deadpool character is very different from everything else. It has so much freedom. I”ve always been into it, but I also drew inspiration for Suicide and Manik from that character. Like with other characters I”ve done, I”ve never had a character that I felt more handcuffed than I did when I took on the role for Suicide and Manik. So I really started to embrace my fanboy for Deadpool because I felt like channeling that was my way of creating freedom in that situation. It kind of helped me open my mind to other ways I can individualize myself and it became a good model for me. It’s funny because some of the best stuff about the character is in a lot of ways how Deadpool is. For example, Deadpool is just barely getting a movie and the reason being is because everybody, probably even down to the people at Marvel offices, thought: not enough people are going to get this, not enough people have seen it and not enough people will understand it. In my case, sometimes I feel like the best stuff for my character is a lot of stuff that most people won’t get, but some people will get because they”ve followed me more closely. Like on social media, they’ll follow me when I live tweet shows and some of the funniest and brightest stuff as far as my charisma will come out in that medium, but most people don’t get that because not everybody is following me closely. But those that do, think that some of those things are my most brilliant stuff, because I don’t get to hold the microphone very often.”

On whether he will drop the mask: “I hope so. It’s funny because if you ask everybody individually in the TNA office about me, then all of them have the same answer. Why is this guy in a mask? He”s good looking, he”s charismatic, he’s funny, he’s very witty. But I feel like if you guys never had this conversation altogether, it’s like none of you guys think I should not be doing it, so then why am I doing it? So I like to think that that’s a sign of changes to be made when it’s ready to come out.You don’t want to move too quickly. You look at people’s careers and the arc that their creative character took and the arc that their personal real life took ?it didn’t happen overnight. At least people that did something great, it took a long time to really progress and there were specific times and reasons for those things. You have to find the right time, like now’s the time it’s going to start getting better because this part of my life or my creation is done. You know, like losing the skeleton mask. At that point I felt like the suit was ready to be retro, so I had to let it go for a while and the change ended up becoming something else, and eventually that’s going to need to change too.”

On his best friends during TNA tapings: “Lately I”ve created a small clique with myself, Mandrews and Crazzy Steve. We”ve become like the three amigos, at least for the last little while. They’r’e fun guys, I like them a lot. We snuck out and rode rollercoasters one time. It was fun.”

On whether he will work the GFW shows: “I simply don’t know. If it were up to me, yeah, I would be on everything, even if it meant rocking the boat. But then again I don’t want to be like Hernandez or anything. Only because it’s so new and I haven’t really approached that professionally yet as far as what’s going on personally and what’s going on between the two, I haven’t really caught myself up on it.”

Check out the complete interview at V2Wrestling.com.

Matt Hardy, Manik Addresses TNA Pay Issues, Post Photos Of Recent TNA Checks They Received

TNA stars Matt Hardy and Manik have addressed the rumors of pay issues going on in TNA within the past few weeks.

Hardy and Manik noted that both have recently received their paychecks, with both going as far as posting a photo of some of the checks they have received lately.

Below are the tweets Hardy and Manik sent out:

https://twitter.com/MaskaraManik/status/587918487961468928

Manik Talks About His New Look, Death Of Perro Aguayo Jr. & More

TNA star Manik (T.J. Perkins) recently appeared on the v2 Wrestling Podcast with Adam Davey to talk about a number of topics. Below are some highlights from the interview.

On his new look compared to the Suicide costume: “All the stuff with the suit was my idea—the alterations, the color schemes, the hood, everything. Part of the goal was obviously you need to evolve as character. In wrestling, it’s like everybody is their own comic book character and each book has its run over however many years. Everybody has to go through an evolution or else your story arc is going to end at some point. So I felt (A) that it needed an evolution and (B) if I create distance from the original look, at some point that’s going to become a classic and iconic type of thing. And that’s sort of what happened. Now when I get requests outside of TNA, some people ask for the old Suicide suit and it’s become retro in a way. That’s one of the things I was going for, because I feel you need some distance to respect how cool that was.”

On the reaction towards his character from Suicide to Manik: “I hope that this isn’t taken the wrong way, but sometimes it takes the person behind the mask to be somebody that is really endearing to the people that are watching it. I feel like as a video game character there’s not a lot of emotional connection to the character, and when they gave it an able-bodied person, the first people that they gave it to were actually people that guys really love but not necessarily as that character. I feel like maybe it had the right rhythm with me and it created a more endearing thing for people to see. I sort of took over the character at an odd time. Maybe at the point where the character was not popular, I got handed a rough poker hand and I had to make it into something that I could use and give people new perspective on it. I’ve worked really hard to make it what they intended it to be from the beginning, and I’m pushing against odds that aren’t exactly in my favor creatively. I think it gives people a fourth wall type of reason to enjoy it.”

On if he feels the mask hinders his push in TNA: “The question that you’re asking, I’ve been asking since the day I grabbed that mask in my hand. In some ways, yeah, I guess it does. This isn’t the first time I’ve heard that it’s affected me creatively, and people within the company feel that way too. Why of all people is this guy wearing a mask and a bodysuit and not talking? He’s a witty, charismatic, good looking kid. Having a mask and certain things, it angles you so that you don’t have the same type of freedom. But it’s not a sprint, so it also gives me a lot to work with in terms of creating a longer character arc. I think that’s a good thing, because there are a lot of people that become a supernova at one point but then they look back and they’re like, ‘Crap, I’m done.’ I’d rather look back over the course of several years and say that I was able to do it slowly and do as much as I can. The complexity of this character and I guess the restrictions and handcuffs that come with it, slowly but surely I’m able to peel away the layers and do different stuff with it in the end.”

On his character being more friendly as opposed to dark and evil: “That was 100% me. For the longevity of myself personally, I didn’t like what they had written. Obviously I’m supporting other characters and I’m fine with that, but at some point this story runs its course and a new arc has to be created. If I come out of this so far removed from my strengths as a character and a performer, then I’m not in a good place—that’s how careers end. So I didn’t want to be a position where I’m taking on these traits and is not entertaining. I wanted to play it more like myself. I’ve always looked at everything as how would I create TJ Perkins. What would TJ be in this match, what would TJ be in this situation? So when we would shoot these things, I would get some direction and I would change it to what I felt was me. It’s like saying your job in this scene is to break out of prison and we want you to grab this weapon, slaughter a bunch of dudes and walk out. Is that who you are; or are you Jack Sparrow and you have to trick your way out and barely escape with your life? I just felt like the character I wanted to play would be more like that.”

On if he know about his storyline with The Revolution: “That was bestowed upon me, actually. That was not my idea; I didn’t know that was happening. Real life was only slightly ahead of what was seen on camera. It’s not like there are memos or anything around letting everybody know ‘Hey, this is what’s going on.’ I didn’t have any idea that there was going to be a Revolution or anything like that. I just knew that I was going to get mixed up with these guys and do some stuff, and it just became what it became.”

On whether or not the Bound For Glory Series will return this year: “Oh, I’m not sure about that. Selfishly I hope not, because I’m a junior and usually I’m not a candidate for the Bound For Glory Series. But no, I hope that it comes back. I really like the sports aspect of wrestling whenever they’re able to incorporate tournaments, round robins and seasons. I’m not sure if something like that is coming back. It might sort of depend on these projects that they have coming up, because it might affect the way they schedule certain events and things like that.”

On his plans for the future: “We have another week in Orlando and then I think we’re working at the end of June, not sure if we have anything confirmed. We also have a bunch of big projects coming up over the summer, which I don’t have all the details so I wouldn’t be able to tell you anyway. But that which I know, I’m not allowed to because it’s different stuff than we’ve ever done. That should be exciting from what I understand. It’s within the realm of Impact, live events and things like that. The stuff that they have on the table, there’s some exciting stuff in the works as far as destinations. But yeah, it’s definitely wrestling-related stuff. I actually have been hoping for some collaborations in some non-wrestling forms. My dream was to be a reenactment actor on some of these ghost shows, but I have yet to get somebody to pull the trigger on it and I think I would be fantastic.”

On the death of Perro Aguayo Jr:: “It bothered me for the first few days and I probably replayed about a minute of time, over and over and over all day and all night for days. I haven’t thought about it much since then. There’s been a definite period of feeling I am still in that ring for a couple of days and then I just got to a point, mostly with the help of all those around me. I usually deal with hardship through my work but in this case that’s what it was. I am usually pretty active on social media as those who follow me know but there was a period where I was just gone for a while and Rey was too. I was stuck in a place for a time and then got to a point when it was a good time to move on with the community. The impact of Perito and everything that happened was being absorbed the right way and people were starting to heal. And rather than letting it linger and doing more damage, I felt that everyone involved began to come together.”

Check out the complete interview at v2Wrestling.com.

Wiz Khalifa/RAW Preview (Video), Rey Mysterio Update, WWE Filming For NXT DVD

– Most of the matches taking place at the NXT event in Columbus, Ohio this past Thursday night were filmed for a future NXT DVD release, which is expected to come out later this year.

– Rey Mysterio is scheduled to team with Extreme Tiger for a tag-team match against Manik and Perro Aguayo Jr. for the CRASH promotion on March 20th in Tijuana, Mexico.

– Below is a video promo for rapper Wiz Khalifa appearing on this coming Monday’s edition of WWE RAW in his hometown of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Manik Responds To People Saying Working For TNA Is A Career Killer

Over the weekend, it was reported by Dave Meltzer that ROH and Lucha Underground star Alberto El Patron turned down an offer to work for TNA that would have made him $400,000 per year. Meltzer speculated that the AAA World Heavyweight Champion did not want to work for TNA because doing is is perceived as a ‘career killer.’

TNA star Manik has responded to that report, explaining how working for TNA has changed his life. He tweeted:

the rumor is wrestlers consider tna a career killer.

how bout u bud Because of TNA I bought a brand new 3 story house, 2 nice cars, and boatloads of shoes, and put a bunch in my savings, and I just signed a 2 year extension and got a raise….4 years ago I was homeless.

Forget saving my career, being here has saved my life and helped me take care of my extended family who was struggling as well.

But it’s not trendy to some ppl so I guess none of that stuff counts right?

Rumored Match For TNA Bound For Glory, More Names Confirmed For The PPV

– In addition to MVP, Samoa Joe, James Storm, The Great Sanada, Ethan Carter III,, Abyss, Davey Richards, Eddie Edwards, Bram and Manik, who were all announced for this year’s Bound For Glory earlier this week, Wrestle-1 has also confirmed that Tajiri and The Great Muta will be in action. Tajiri & Muta vs. James Storm and Sanada is rumored for the show, for whatever that is worth.

– Wrestle-1 executive Jimmy Suzuki recently tweeted the following about this year’s TNA Bound For Glory event, which takes place on October 12th in Tokyo, Japan:

  • DIRECT LINK: Photos Of UFC’s Two Newest Octagon Girls [SMOKIN’ HOT >>]
  • Former X-Division Champion Re-Signs With TNA, Impact Wrestling Matches, Team 3D

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

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

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

    http://youtu.be/ORq66qjYKiw

  • MMANEWS.COM: UFC 177 LIVE Results TONIGHT + TONS Of UFC & MMA News!
  • TNA Announces Several Wrestlers & Other Details For Bound For Glory 2014

    TNA issued the following earlier today …

    TNA Wrestling’s Bound for Glory Pay-Per-View

    Korakuen Hall
    Tokyo Japan

    First Names Announced for Bound For Glory! Tickets on Sale This Weekend!

    One of TNA’s most anticipated events of the year is just around the corner! Bound For Glory will take place on October 12 at the Korakuen Hall in Tokyo!

    Tickets go on sale THIS WEEKEND at the Korakuen Hall Box Office during the scheduled show from Wrestle-1!

    Additionally, the following names have been announced for the event:

    MVP
    Samoa Joe
    James Storm
    The Great Sanada
    EC3
    Abyss
    Davey Richards
    Eddie Edwards
    Bram
    Manik
    And more to be announced soon!

    Plus Team 3D will be inducted into the TNA Hall of Fame

    For the first time ever, TNA broadcasts from the Land of the Rising Sun! Get your tickets this weekend and don’t miss Bound For Glory on Pay-Per-View on October 12!

  • BREAKING MMA NEWS: UFC 177 Main Event For Saturday CANCELLED [Read >>]
  • Preview For Tonight’s Destination-X Edition Of TNA Impact Wrestling From NYC

    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.

    (Spoilers) Partial Taping Results For 6/26 Edition Of TNA Impact Wrestling

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  • Huge SummerSlam SPOILERS: Cesaro To Turn BABYFACE!! (No Lie) — DETAILS HERE!
  • Ladder Match, Dallas Cowboys Added To Sunday’s TNA Slammiversary PPV

    TNA has announced a ladder match for the X-Division Championship, as well as some celebrity appearances for this Sunday’s Slammiversary pay-per-view event.

    – Eric Young vs. MVP (TNA World Title)

    – Bully Ray vs. Ethan Carter III

    – Samoa Joe vs. Bobby Lashley

    – Willow vs. Magnus

    – Manik vs. Tigre Uno vs. Crazzy Steve vs. Sanada vs. Eddie Edwards vs. Davey Richards (Ladder Match For X-Title)

    – Mr. Anderson vs. James Storm

    – Austin Aries vs. Kenny King

    – The Von Erich Family to appear

    – JUST ANNOUNCED: George Selvie and the Dallas Cowboys to on Sunday

    – Kurt Angle to announce next TNA Hall Of Fame inductee

    – Make sure to visit SEScoops.com this Sunday night for live TNA Slammiversary PPV play-by-play results coverage.

  • MORE WWE Superstars & Divas To Get FIRED Today — DETAILS HERE!
  • Two TNA Stars Ready To Return, TNA Knockout To Appear On A Cooking Show

    – TNA Knockout ODB is scheduled to appear on former N’SYNC member Joey Fatone’s “My Family Recipe Rocks” television show on the Live Well Network. The episode featuring ODB is set to be taped next week.

    – Two TNA talents recently noted on Twitter that they are ready to make their returns. TNA Knockout Taryn Terrell, who just recently had a baby, noted that she’s ready to return to in-ring action on a full-time basis for the Knockouts division.

    Additionally, TNA X-Division standout Manik noted that he will be back on TNA television soon, likely at one of the Impact Wrestling tapings later this month.

  • DIRECT LINK: Stephanie McMahon PISSES HERSELF At WWE Payback [VIEW PHOTOS >>]
  • Manik Reveals His TNA Salary, TNA Taping Impact Wrestling In Pennsylvania

    – TNA wrestler Manik recently revealed via his ask.fm account what his current salary is working for TNA. Manik stated the following:

    “My contract was started midway thru the year last year but altogether with salary+appearances I was on pace for roughly $75,000-$84,000 for a year period. That’s if my schedule is as busy as it was last summer/fall. Also that’s only counting TNA. I’d make a lot more if I kept up with other bookings outside but I just don’t. I’m also guaranteed a huge chunk of that regardless of if I wrestle or not. So it’s pretty ok considering I do what I love.I’m on the low end on the roster too. Most guys do way better than me.”

    – TNA president Dixie Carter noted via her official Twitter account that the company is heading to the Sands Casino and Resort in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania on June 19th and 20th for live Impact Wrestling television tapings. Carter stated the following:

  • SEVERAL Updates On NEW Matches & PLANS For WWE EXTREME RULES – Click Here!
  • (Spoilers) TNA X-Travaganza PPV Taping Results From Orlando, Florida

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

    – Low Ki def. Chris Sabin
    – Rashad Cameron def. DJ Z
    – Kenny King def. Rubix
    – Ace Vedder (aka Trent Barreta) def. Manik
    – Sonjay Dutt def. Rockstar Spud
    – Tigre Uno def. Petey Williams
    – The Wolves def. Bad Influence in an EC3 Invitational Ladder match for $25,000.
    – Sanada def. Austin Aries in a Best Of Three Falls match by winning two straight falls.
    – Low Ki won an Ultimate X match that consisted of all of the winners of the first six matches.

  • PHOTOS: TONS Of Images From Daniel Bryan & Brie Bella’s Wedding [>>]
  • Two TNA Stars Scheduled To Return, The Wolves To Get New Theme Song, More

    – Kenny King and Manik are scheduled to return at this weekend’s TNA live events in Columbia, South Carolina and Johnson City, Tennessee. On Friday in Columbia, King vs. Manik vs. Chris Sabin is scheduled, and on Saturday in Johnson City, King and Manik vs. Sabin and Zema Ion is scheduled.

    – TNA president Dixie Carter’s husband, Serg Salinas, noted on Twitter recently that he is working on a new theme song for The Wolves. Salinas wrote:

  • CM Punk To Return At Monday’s RAW In Chicago? Backstage News & Notes …
  • Samoa Joe & Vince Russo Settle Differences, James Storm Interview, Manik, Ion

    – TNA star Samoa Joe recently noted on Twitter that he “cleared the air with Vince Russo over past differences.” Joe tweeted the following:

    – The following are some recent TNA wrestler interviews and TV appearances:

  • Kurt Angle At WrestleMania XXX? *SPOILERS* For RAW Tonight & MORE!
  • Update On Madison Rayne Following Her Return To TNA Thursday Night, Talent Pulled From Upcoming UK Tour

    As seen Thursday night on Impact Wrestling, Madison Rayne made her return to TNA Wrestling. Establishing herself as a babyface, the four-time TNA Women’s Knockout Champion saved ODB from an attack from Lei’D Tapa and her former partner in crime, the reigning TNA Women’s Knockout Champion Gail Kim. The 27-year-old is back on the company website’s official roster and has also been talent roster for January’s tour of Europe.

    Those scheduled for the tour are Magnus, Rockstar Spud, Kurt Angle, Bobby Roode, Christopher Daniels, Kazarian, Ethan Carter III, Bully Ray, Mr. Anderson, James Storm, Gunner, Samoa Joe, Chris Sabin, Austin Aries, Eric Young, Joseph Park, Robbie E, Jessie Godderz, Zema Ion, Gail Kim, Lei’D Tapa, Velvet Sky, Madison Rayne, ODB and Sam Shaw.

    Brooke, Knux and Manik have been pulled from the announced lineup. Other notable admissions include AJ Styles, Jeff Hardy, Sting, Chavo Guerrero and Hernandez.

    Opening Match For Tonight’s TNA Bound For Glory PPV Revealed

    TNA president Dixie Carter posted a new tweet on her official Twitter account on Sunday afternoon to reveal the opening match for tonight’s “Bound For Glory” pay-per-view event. Dixie wrote:

    TNA BOUND FOR GLORY RESULTS

    Confirmed Matches & Big Segments For Next Week’s Live Impact Wrestling

    TNA has released the following preview for next week’s live edition of Impact Wrestling from Little Rock, Arkansas:

    IMPACT Preview: Hulk Hogan to address Dixie/AJ, Manik vs. Chris Sabin, Aces & Eights dissention

    Preview Thursday’s IMPACT WRESTLING broadcast, LIVE on SpikeTV at 9/8c from Little Rock, Arkansas! If you can’t catch all the action on Thursday, make sure to set your DVR!

    Thursday’s IMPACT takes place in Little Rock, Arkansas at the Verizon Arena – tickets are on sale at ticketmaster.com or by phone at 800-745-3000 or 501-975-9000

    – What will be the fallout from the heated confrontation between TNA President Dixie Carter and “The Phenomenal” AJ Styles? The wrestling world is buzzing over what happened – and no one knows exactly what the aftermath will be! Are AJ’s days numbered in TNA after what he said to the President of the company? How will IMPACT General Manager Hulk Hogan react? We’ll hear from The Hulkster on Thursday! Don’t miss it!

    – With ‘Bound For Glory” less than a month away, World Heavyweight Champion Bully Ray is preparing for his biggest match of the year against AJ Styles! However, will friction within the ranks of the Aces and Eights work against Bully Ray? Can the gang’s leader rule with an iron fist and re-establish order – or are we witnessing the implosion of the group, along with Bully Ray’s dominance in TNA?

    – Also on IMPACT, the X Division Championship will be on the line as Manik defends against Chris Sabin! Sabin shocked the wrestling world this past week when he attacked Manik, leading to the match between the two X Division superstars. Will Sabin regret his attitude change, or is he set to once again reclaim the gold and dominate the X Division?

    – It will six-person action on Thursday as Eric Young, new Knockouts champion ODB and Joseph Park team up to take on The Bro Mans (Robbie E and Jessie Godderz). BUT – the Bro Mans need a Knockout to join them in the match with ODB involved! Who will Robbie and Jessie recruit to team up with them on Thursday night? Tune in and find out!

    All this and much more on Thursday’s LIVE IMPACT on SpikeTV at 9/8c from Little Rock, Arkansas!

    Backstage Details On The Future Of TNA — Not Looking Good [READ MORE >>]

    Dixie Carter Presents Wrestler With A TNA Contract, Where Is Sam Shaw?, Mickie James In Canada

    – The official YouTube account of TNA Wrestling has released footage of Dixie Carter presenting the individual who portrays X Division Champion Manik, TJ Perkins, with an official TNA Wrestling contract.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZe-zIk1Aq8

    – Sam Shaw, who has not appeared on TNA Wrestling programming since June at Slammiversary, has not returned to the promotion’s Louisville, Kentucky based developmental league Ohio Valley Wrestling—he was assigned there late last year after being awarded a contract through “Gut Check.” According to his Twitter account, he is currently residing in Florida and appearing for various independent groups during his hiatus.

    – Mickie James has been announced to appear at Hammer Town Comic Con at the Hamilton Convention Centre 1 Summers Lane Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, taking place on Saturday, October 5.

    (source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

    Manik Speaks On X-Division Format Change, Current State Of TNA, Hulk Hogan

    Current TNA X-Division Champion Manik recently spoke to The Shining Wizards about a number of TNA-related topics. Below are highlights from the interview:

    On the of the X-Division to a Triple-Threat format: “The only thing that bothers me sometimes, every single time you have a match like that, one guy is going to be painted as the dark horse, when in actuality they’re as much a number one contender as any other person in the match. It’s kind of a double-edged sword, because guys are fighting for their individuality which provides for them to put out better performances, but it can complicate it because I think guys feel like they need to compensate more in order to stay relevant. It’s a constructive format in the sense of creating more competition, in every sense, I mean, mentally, professionally, everything, it makes you feel a lot more competitive when you know you have to share the spotlight like that. I mean, in relation to the way that the division has always been, it’s not all that different altogether from any other time in history. Just now, there’s an actual rulebook that says it’s official. We’ve been seeing it for years, it was just never written on a piece of paper.”

    On whether or not the Triple-Threat format has the same feel as singles competition: “I kinda feel that it’s not on the shoulders of the format as much as on the shoulders of the individuals competing. There are personal things people are drawn into, they’re there, but if you are not staying relevant as an individual, then people are going to refuse to see it. Recent history is a good example. Myself, Kenny King, and Chris Sabin shared a spotlight for several weeks. Initially, Sabin was on a tear, so a lot of people were drawn to him. So it was my job to make sure that I’m making a statement, vying for the same exact spot he is. And it ended up being a pretty equal share as far as… we all have individual stories, but people were drawn into each direction. There were a lot a people that look to Kenny as a guy that they’re hoping to hang onto his spot, and they can relate to that. There are a lot of guys… obviously the entire world can relate to Chris Sabin and him having such a comeback story. And me, having made a splash out of nowhere, I had to fight to stay relevant. In other cases you don’t see guys holding on to their… they don’t handle themselves well enough to keep that up. It goes back to the competitive nature of it. Although I do think that they are probably going to keep an open book as to how the format will continue. If we are to see headline-style matches… I mean I’m gonna wrestle the World champ in a singles match. If they can see the draw and interest in special occasions, I think the format isn’t exactly set in stone.”

    On working with the legendary Hulk Hogan: “I could’ve done without having appeared after beaten within an inch of my life. But outside of limping across the stage, it’s a pretty big moment, and it’s one of those things that you have to take a double-take to appreciate it. This is a guy that my mom had him sign one of my head-shots when I was a kid, and I had his autograph on my wall since before I became a wrestler. Who doesn’t know Hulk Hogan? Ten years from now a new wrestling fan will be created that maybe isn’t even born yet, and they will know who Hulk Hogan is. It’s insane to think know much impact he’s had on the world, that’s how far he reaches. Being able to stand shoulder to shoulder with the guy is a pretty powerful thing.”

    On smaller guys getting a chance in the main event spot: “Personally, it’s a case of… look at another company, like WWE, and there’s guys like CM Punk and Daniel Bryan, and people firmly believe that they’re doing such revolutionary things. But if you look back through history, there’s been somebody doing that every few years. We’re talking Guerrero and Jericho, Michaels and Hart, we go back as far as the days of Sammartino, and some of those heavyweight main eventers are like 5’10”, 5’11”, and they might be heavier guys but they don’t fit the mold… I think people assume they have a roster of seventy people that look like Batista, and that’s never been the case. But in this case I really feel like the people you mentioned, with myself, and Chris Sabin and Austin Aries, I think that it’s a situation opposite of that where the world is kind of seeing us carry the ball better than previous people who are the exact opposite mold of us within TNA. I think the fact that we’re able to build more momentum and do more with less; I think that’s where you see the transition, as opposed to older stars coming in and being handed the same ball that they’ve had previously, and maybe they can’t carry it the same way, but there was always faith in them. I think now we’re showing there can be faith given across the board because there’s a lot of people that can do just as well.”

    On the current state of TNA: “I think things are great. People say this, and it’s not even about wrestling but just about a lot of things, when you’re on the inside or on the outside of things looking in, and how different it can be when you’re not present for everything, and this really fits one of those cases. As far as I can see, everything is about as positive as it can be. When I was like 18 years old, I first came into TNA in 2004, and from then until now, I’ve been back intermittently, and I feel like the changes have been progressively good; I’ve never seen them take a step back, and I think the professional changes that have gone on in formats and, you know, taking the show on the road, and the touring schedule, stuff like that, everything has been a positive transition. And I think they’ve handled it really well. As far as cuts and things like that, I think that a lot of people make a big deal out of making something out of nothing. It sucks when difficult decisions have to be made, but this really isn’t anything new and not anything that you don’t see anywhere else. WWE cuts like fifty people like clockwork the same time every year. It’s just part of being… it’s with anything. If you run a professional sports team, sometimes half the roster is gone at the end of the season, that’s just the way it is. You’d like to see some guys stay. You understand when some guys go. It’s a tough situation, but I think if you look at it in a different way, professional wrestling… you could be a CEO or an executive somewhere, and if you lose your job there there’s no public announcement to the world “hey, we wish the best of luck to this guy, he’s available now,” there’s no validation, so to speak. If you work some other job, it’s more cutthroat. If you’re an executive somewhere and your contract is up or you get fired, you’re done. They don’t put it out in public that you’ve been a great employee, good luck to this guy or anything like that, you’re just out. I don’t see why people think it’s so harsh in wrestling when I feel like we do a lot for each other when ties are cut to maintain careers and such… [Emotion as a fan], something like that will never change, as with anything. You hate to see something you’ve become so attached to go… I didn’t want to see Metta World Peace get amnesty. Sometimes I hate him and want him to go to the bench, but at the same time he gets cut, you’re like, that sucks, but… Any organization, especially in entertainment, they have to make these exact same changes routinely. I think it’s not anything out of the ordinary. I think if anybody sees it that way, I think it’s a case of them trying to see it in a negative way. Then sometimes there’s tough cuts with people, where you feel like they should’ve been given a bigger chance or something like that. Maybe because of the course their career has taken, something like that, or something that’s happened to them within their personal life, or whatever their story is. But at the end of the day we all signed up for this knowing all the negatives, so I don’t see why it should be such a surprise if the ball doesn’t always bounce exactly the way we think. I mean, I’ve been homeless, I’ve been bankrupt, I’ve been cut a million times from a million places, and I’ve had opportunities taken from me that were completely beyond my control, never once did I say “man, I hate this place,” wherever I was. I signed up for this. When I was thirteen years old, I knew what I was getting into. We all do. It’s hard for the fans to understand that, but at the same time, I think if you do see the bigger picture, you would see that it’s just a tough part of any job in the world. As far as morale, not everybody has the luxury of being able to walk the halls of the locker room, but I think morale, to me, especially because I know so many people that I work with, it’s as high as it’s ever been. I think people, whether it’s WWE or here, or a Japanese company, or CMLL, sometimes negative people want… they’ll only want to see a certain reality in their head, like people walking around with their heads down, and that’s never been the case. In fact, I’ve never, ever once seen that be the case from 2004 until now.”

    Check out the complete interview online at SWN.ShiningWizards.com.

    Kurt Angle To Serve JAIL-TIME For DWI Arrest? New MAJOR TNA Cuts Coming + MORE!

    Manik Video Interview Without His Mask On, Update On TNA’s Lawsuit Against Scott Steiner

    -A court hearing is scheduled for today in Nashville regarding TNA Impact Wrestling’s lawsuit against their former employee, Scott Steiner.

    TNA Impact Wrestling filed a lawsuit against “Big Poppa Pump” several months ago in an attempt to get Steiner to quit posting disparaging comments on the internet about the company, its’ executives and performers.

    -The following is a new video interview with TNA Impact Wrestling star Manik backstage without his mask on talking about his life before he joined the company.

    More Shocking TNA Roster Cuts Expected + Latest On WWE Roster Cuts!