TNA Impact, PPV's discussion

[whitewolf8214]

TNA ANNOUNCES HIRE OF NEW PR EXECUTIVE
TNA issued the following press release today:
TNA ENTERTAINMENT, HOME OF IMPACT WRESTLING TAPS VETERAN PR STRATEGIST
JULES WORTMAN AS VP OF PUBLIC RELATIONS
Wortman to lead public relations for all TNA Entertainment properties
NASHVILLE, TN (October 24, 2011) – TNA Entertainment, home of TNA IMPACT
WRESTLING, the top-rated program on Spike TV, announces the appointment of veteran pr strategist Ms. Jules Wortman as VP of Public Relations for the company. Wortman has been the president and owner of Wortman Works Media & Marketing, a full service entertainment media strategy company based in Gallatin, Tenn. Wortman reports to TNA President Dixie Carter.“Jules is one of the most talented PR executives in the business today. In addition to her media skills, her creativity and strategic thinking is what really sets her apart from the rest,” says TNA President Dixie Carter. “I am so excited about the exposure I know she will bring to Impact Wrestling, our talent, as well as TNA’s other ventures,’ she continued.“I have been watching the trajectory of TNA Entertainment for several years,” says Wortman. “I love entertainment, period. But to be involved in such a creative force coupled with extremely talented and gifted athletes, as well as a staff full of energy and the knowledge of how to grow a unique and very popular brand, is something I am ready to sink my teeth into.”Jules Wortman has been a staple in the Nashville public relations community for nearly 20 years. Prior to joining TNA, Wortman has owned her own company, served as the SVP of PR and Artist Development at Warner Bros. Records, MCA Records and others. Her clients have included CMT (Country Music Television), Chevrolet, Warner Bros. Records, Sony Music, ACA Awards on Fox TV, Billy Ray Cyrus, Blake Shelton, Rodney Atkins, Big & Rich, Red Light Management, and many others. Wortman currently serves on the boards of the T. J. Martell Foundation, Gallatin Chamber of Commerce, and Greater Gallatin and is a member of Leadership Middle Tennessee, the Hendersonville Rotary Club, and is the founder and owner of Jewelweed Design Studio and Mercantile in Gallatin, Tenn.

 

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James Storm Out For 6-8 Weeks With Concussion
TNA World champion James Storm says he could be out of action for up to two months after suffering a concussion at last Wednesday’s Impact Wrestling television tapings from Macon, Georgia.Storm tweeted the following on Monday morning (@Cowboy_J_Storm):“Had a ct head scan and a MRI yesterday. Hate when doctors just come in and give you a look. Just tell me the bad news. Cowboy up!!!Later in the day, he followed up with the results:“Confirmed…. TV tapings in Macon the cowboy sustaind(sic) a concussion. Doc says 6-8 weeks. But that’s for a normal man.”Despite the concussion (which wasn’t diagnosed until Monday), Storm wrestled at TNA’s live events from California on Thursday and Friday.

 

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Finlay Rejects TNA Offer
In a new interview conducted for The UK Sun, Dave "Fit" Finlay reveals that after his WWE release he was contacted by TNA, however decided to turn down the offer. Finlay was quoted as saying, "At one time or another they all got in touch and I listened but the offers weren't right.They weren't enough - it's not like it's my first day in the business. I've been doing this for 37 years now and one thing I know is that you can't sell yourself cheap."

 

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TNA Keeping Hogan Off Television, Why Luger Was At Impact
– Hulk Hogan nor Kurt Angle appeared at last week’s Impact Wrestling taping in Macon, Georgia. Angle is suffering from a hamstring injury while Hogan is being kept off television for a few weeks as to not overshadow wrestlers TNA is trying to promote.
– Hulk Hogan was scheduled to appear on the E! late night comedy talk show Chelsea Lately Halloween night but canceled due a doctor prohibiting from flying after he underwent dental surgery on Friday.
– As reported earlier, former WCW World Heavyweight Champion Lex Luger was backstage at last week’s Impact Wrestling taping in Macon, Georgia. He attended the event to visit Sting, his friend of over twenty years.

 

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Spike TV President Talks About Taking Impact On The Road
Spike TV President Kevin Kay recently commented on the possibility of taking Impact Wrestling on the road more often. He said:“It was a mutual (Spike & TNA) decision. Dixie and Eric came in and pushed for it. I always wanted to do it. It’s great to have a home, but you don’t get the level of excitement as you do on the road. It adds a another level. We’re continuing discussions.” “We haven’t seen a (ratings) bump, but you can’t judge ratings week-to-week, some weeks things happen like competition, even though TNA holds up well against sports. As we can afford to continue it or increase it, it’s a financial decision. It adds a lot of excitement and vibrancy to the show.”Moving forward, it appears TNA will be taping Impact from Orlando the night after pay-per-views and then the tapings prior to the next PPV will be on the road. No new Impact tapings outside of Orlando have been announced at this time.

 

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DIXIE CARTER TALKS ABOUT TNA'S NAME CHANGE, WHETHER SPOILERS HURT IMPACT, DOING LIVE TV EVERY WEEK, THE SIX SIDED RING AND MORE
Here are some highlights:
Why they decided to change the name to Impact Wrestling: "The show has always been called Impact. But as we grew the TNA corporate brand beyond Impact, we felt it was important (and the time) to let Impact stand on its own. It's still under the TNA banner, it's still the TNA World Heavyweight Title, but the show name is Impact Wrestling."

On whether Impact being live every week would help ratings and spoilers leaking out: "I would love Impact to be live each week, but it's a matter of economics. As far as wrestling news sites are concerned, if you want to be surprised then people should not read them. If people choose to, they certainly shouldn't judge anything based upon one person's opinion, good or bad. The few times I have seen a spoiler, they always tell a limited, one-dimensional side of a story, and usually a very biased one at that."

Are the younger talent allowed to do media work so they can become household names: "We work very hard to get as many of the younger talent doing media as possible. If I had to guess, Hulk Hogan has done tens of thousands of interviews and of course, everyone in the media always wants to talk to him. It is a top priority to expose the younger talent in mainstream media and in outside film/tv projects. The more they do, the bigger their profile."

Impact going on the road permanently: "It is our top priority to take the show on the road on a permanent basis. Hopefully we will announce more live event Impact taping dates soon."

Bringing back the 6-sided ring: "I liked us using the 6-sided ring for our X Division Pay-Per-View, Destination X, this year. We should do that every year, but at this time, there are no plans to bring it back as our permanent ring."

Dealing with all the heat: "I think you meant haters. If so, you grow tough skin and know you will never please everyone all the time. You work to please the most people as much of the time as you can."

Rebranding the X-Division: "I am a huge X Division fan. In the beginning, we had great talent representing that division, but those top guys have moved on to other opportunities on the roster. Today, we have the best crop of new and upcoming X Division stars and we are going to give them time on the show each week."

How she feels about a company that uses a "Wrestling Matters" slogan having a total of 7 minutes of wrestling (on the 10/20 show): "Very rarely does Impact have that little wrestling, but on occasion, there is a need for that. It was necessary for the 10/20 show to have the focus it did and to bring forward our wrestling stories, and I’m happy to say it was our most viewed Impact Wrestling episode to-date."

How she feels about the direction of the company: "I’ve never felt better about every aspect of the company. I think Impact Wrestling is better than it has ever been. So many of the younger talent have stepped up and are earning the spotlight. We are having tremendous international success, and are growing the corporation in many new areas, which are critical to our overall growth. I’m very excited about the upcoming year."

 

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Former WWE Stars Now Free To Join TNA
– Chris Masters, David Hart Smith, Melina and Vladimir Kozlov are now free to join TNA Wrestling since their respective ninety-day no-compete clauses with WWE expired Thursday. All four wrestlers were released on August 5, 2011.

The clause prohibits released talent from appearing for wrestling promotions with national television outlets for ninety days.

Masters caused fans to speculate he would be joining the Orlando based promotion with a Twitter message he posted two days following his departure. He wrote, “After a day of digesting,I must say WWE wasn’t doing anything with me.So its probably best I go make my IMpact somewhere else.”

Meanwhile, Melina was asked at last month’s pre-launch party for Saints Row: The Third if she has plans to join TNA. The former WWE Women’s Champion said she’s “still deciding.”

 

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Video: Bobby Roode’s Post-Title Win Promo
TNA’s new World Champion Bobby Roode speaks out after capturing the gold on Thursday’s Impact Wrestling. Roode says things are about to change in TNA – because it’s his time.
Video: Bobby Roode’s Post-Title Win Promo

 

[whitewolf8214]

AJ STYLES INJURED
AJ Styles, who is scheduled to headline the TNA Turning Point PPV, wrote on his Twitter account that he has an injured ankle. Styles noted that it's "not good" and he hopes to be ready by next Sunday.

 

[whitewolf8214]

SCARY KURT ANGLE STATEMENT
On his Twitter account, @anglefoods1, Kurt angle just wrote: "I Went for Bloodwork last wk.My Blood Pressure Dropped from 140/95 to 100/65. My cholesterol 199 to 140. And I Lost 30lbs.UltraFiberDX Baby!" In all seriousness, someone who partakes in a physical profession like pro wrestling when they are past 35 years old should not be doing so with blood pressure that high. WWE routinely tests their talent for that very reason. I hope that Kurt is just trying to sell some fiber with this post. If not he is lucky he didn't have an incident before he got his blood pressure under control. And for the record, I don't know anyone credible that would endorse fiber as a way to drop your blood pressure, let alone a weight loss agent. Fiber can help in a minor way with some functions, but not to that degree.

 

[whitewolf8214]

Abyss Discusses Character, Says He’s Open To Losing Mask
Posted on Saturday, November 5, 2011 at 10:14 pm
Tagged with Abyss
Chris Park, who portrays Abyss for TNA Wrestling, says he is always looking for ways to keep his character fresh and exciting. However, he acknowledges that it can be difficult since Abyss has regularly featured throughout the organization’s history, and has just about done it all.

“The character has got a lot of different directions that it can still go down,” he tells SLAM! Wrestling. “There are always new dragons to slay. There’s a number of fresh programs (possible) with some great up-and-coming talent, guys like Gunner and Crimson. Guys like Ken Anderson that I haven’t worked a lot with, or Bully Ray who I’ve never really worked with. Personally, I’m as hungry now as I was nine years ago when I first started full-time with TNA. I’m very proud of what I’ve accomplished, like winning all four major titles, and being a main event heavyweight contender for so many years. I’ve worked hard, and it’s paid off. But I think there’s till so much more that I can do.”

Park says he’s open to Abyss losing his trademark mask, a direction he would not have been comfortable with years ago.

“Five or six years ago, I would have been more resistant to it,” he said about the idea. “But now I’d be open to it. The character has had a great run — both TNA and I have gotten an awful lot out of it. Losing (the mask) would let me create a new presentation of the Abyss character, give me an opportunity to do different things that I haven’t done over the years, put a little more of Chris Park in it.”

Abyss, a former NWA World Heavyweight Champion, also discusses TNA’s expansion efforts, Bruce Pritchard taking over the company’s creative rein, his versatility and more. The full interview can be accessed here. CANOE -- SLAM! Sports - Wrestling - The monster speaks: Abyss talks TNA

 

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TNA GETS HACKED
By Dave Scherer on 2011-11-07 09:05:55
The TNA website, ImpactWrestling.com, was hacked last evening. TNA got control back of the site but it was hacked again shortly thereafter. TNA then posted a graphic stating that the site was under construction and had it redirect to ShopTNA.com. That leads me to believe there is a hole in the security of the coding of the site and they are looking at finding out where it is.

 

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James Storm Wrestles Following Concussion
– James Storm continues to wrestle after stating Monday that he would be sidelined six to eight weeks due to a concussion he suffered at the October 26 Impact Wrestling taping in Macon, Georgia. He defeated Gunner in a quick singles match on Thursday, and Magnus in quick singles matches Friday and Saturday. The Tennessee Cowboy, however, wrestled two lengthy matches prior to being diagnosed with the concussion.Regarding the severity of his health, he tweeted Friday, “Thanks to all the fans that came out last night to mt pleasant. The concussion has me side lined by dr’s orders and Tna is taking it very serious. Doesn’t stop me from doing a little “last call” action. Another check up Monday afternoon at the hospital if fans want to come by and drive the nurses crazy.”

 

[Mr Tony]

The TNA website, ImpactWrestling.com, was hacked last evening. TNA got control back of the site but it was hacked again shortly thereafter.

huh I guess some kid was bored. I wonder how long before they knew since very few people watch TNA wrestling so their website traffic must be real slow then

 

[Mr Tony]

so I was just at my local Wally Mart and they had a bunch of haloween stuff 75% off

bunch of costumes and the one I saw the most in the 6 carts there......I know every kid wants to be this

Be washed up TNA wrestler Sting...complete with leotard and the red face mask.....does he even use that color now? (I havent seen TNA in months)

 

[whitewolf8214]

[]

so I was just at my local Wally Mart and they had a bunch of haloween stuff 75% off

bunch of costumes and the one I saw the most in the 6 carts there......I know every kid wants to be this

Be washed up TNA wrestler Sting...complete with leotard and the red face mask.....does he even use that color now? (I havent seen TNA in months)

No ices hes like the joker as in heath ledger paint from the batman as the joker...here it is ice or bigger pic at this link http://images.search.yahoo.com/imag...vc&sigi=175s989qd&sigb=11sdfvr57&fr=fptb-tyc8

 

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TNA SIGNS DEVELOPMENTAL DEAL WITH OHIO VALLEY WRESTLING
TNA has signed a developmental deal with Louisville, Kentucky's Ohio Valley Wrestling.
In a statement released to PWInsider, TNA announced OVW would now be a "development and training facility" for the promotion, with Bruce Prichard working closely with OVW owner Danny Davis in the development of future TNA talents.

While TNA has never had an official developmental territory, they had in the past subsidized some wrestlers' training at the Team 3D Wrestling Academy in Florida, including former CBS reality star Jesse Godderz.

Based on the statement issued to PWInsider, TNA would be sending talent to OVW to train and hone their skills.

The company's new project in India for the Colors Network was slated to include training ten new Indian talents that would be regulars for the new TV series being developed for that market, so I would assume this is where they will be trained. That project is slated to begin taking in just a few months in India.

OVW was the official developmental territory for WWE from 2000 through 2008, helping to develop, among others, John Cena, Randy Orton, Brock Lesnar and Batista.

 

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PERSONAL INJURY LAWSUIT FILED BY INJURED TNA CREW MEMBER HURT AT PPV SET COLLAPSE DISMISSED
A personal injury lawsuit filed against TNA last year by Paul Martin, a crew member who was injured when scaffolding collapsed following the takedown of a set in Southhaven, MS following TNA's Slammiversary 2008 PPV, was dismissed with prejudice on 10/26 by The U.S. District Court Northern District of Mississippi.Martin lost his thumb when scaffolding he was standing on collapsed following a gust of wind entering the venue during the take-down process through an open bay door.Beyond TNA, Martin was also suing Christie Lites (the company TNA had contracted for the staging and lighting of the event) and the Estate of Kevin A. Sinex, who was working as Martin's superior. Sinex passed away in the same accident.Both Christie Lites and Sinex's estate had been terminated as defendants over the course of the last year.The case was set to go to trial before a Jury on 12/5, so this was likely a case of the sides coming to terms for a settlement, although whether that is the case is not made clear in the legal filings.

 

[whitewolf8214]

KURT ANGLE COURT CASE RESOLVED
An attorney for Kurt Angle, on behalf of his client, entered a plea of No Contest today to a charge Reckless Driving today in a Warren County, VA court. This was in response to a charge filed against Angle on 9/3 when he was cited for driving erratically on Interstate 66 after appearing at the Shenandoah County Fair earlier that day. After being pulled over, a State Trooper charged Angle with DUI after a field test recorded a 0.091 blood alcohol level on a breathalyzer. On a later test Angle blew of 0.06 so the state dropped the charge to Reckless Driving. Angle was fined $1,500.

 

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Shane Douglas Continues To Criticize Dixie Carter & Ric Flair
Shane Douglas appeared on Busted Open, which airs every Monday and Wednesday on Sirius 92 and XM 207 from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. Highlights from the interview are as follows:

Douglas on TNA Hardcore Justice: “They invited me, and offered such a ridiculously low sum of money, that I said “shove it up your backside.” When I had wrestled Chris Daniels at the PPV up in Auburn Hills, between the 2 televisions and the PPV itself, I made close to $12,000 dollars for those three appearances. They offered me for the, a meet and greet. They wanted me to open the PPV with a ‘Cut the F’n Music’ promo in the vein of ECW, and then they wanted me to work a match. So, basically two days of work, and they offered me an embarrassing amount of money.

My comeback to Terry Taylor at the time was, “Look, if you pay Hulk Hogan $35 grand a night, and you pay Ric Flair $17,500 a night, and you have no problem paying that, clearly they must not have a problem with it because they had a chance two or three weeks ago to let their contracts expire, and they re-signed both, all three of them, Bischoff included, and I said in the world of ECW, in that world, I’m bigger than Hogan, and I’m bigger than Flair. So, we’ll talk in those ball parks,” and the number they offered me; I wouldn’t work for somebody in the independent scene for.”

Douglas on Dixie Carter: “For somebody who’s grown up in a billionaire’s household obviously with a silver and golden spoon up her backside, and in her mouth. To offer these guys the poultry amount of money, and she offered most of these guys an absurdly low sum of money. Shame on her! A, for the fact that it was the highest grossing PPV they had last year; She offered them nothing additional, and offered them such a low sum of money, it seemed funny to me for the woman who told me, ‘Why would I want to copy ECW after all they’ve failed,’ and suddenly she’s begging the ECW alumni to come back and try to dig them out of their hole.

“I was gonna’ have no part of it. I wanted no part of..I’m very selective in where I allow the ECW legacy to be used, taken advantage of, and I’m not going to let somebody like Dixie Carter who has no respect for our business, and no, more to the point, no respect for the guys that built that company, and that’s evident in the pay that she gave. I have no interest in giving her any props or ups, or any under-handed pitches to allow her to prostitute the ECW legacy for her gain, as the guys don’t make a thing.

“My intent, clearly I wanted to send Dixie the message that I have no interest in allowing her to capitalize on what we had built, and she has no respect for. And I spoke to most of the guys afterwards, either immediately or afterwards at shows down the road. My intent was not to in anyway, undermine their ability for that show to succeed. And I have no interest in trying to make TNA destabilize. To the contrary, I see incredible possibility for TNA.

“Last year when they did, if it’s a misnomer, The Monday Night Wars; My 5-year-old was watching it, and so to keep myself entertained, I just sorta scribbled some notes to myself, and after 5 or 6 weeks, I had 27 pages of hand-written notes. I then wrote up in format form, Television format form that Dixie or anybody in TNA would be familiar with; I had 41 pages of single-spaced segments, and it was 41 pages, and I was gonna’ fax it to her free of, I wasn’t gonna’ ask for a dime. I didn’t want a job; I just wanted her to see what vision somebody else could have for her talent, her company, and the future of that company. I couldn’t even get the woman to call me back.

“(And that’s amazing to me for a person in wrestling that has spent the 10’s and dozens of millions of dollars of her gas money, and her dad’s company’s money; For the poultry return that they’ve gotten on that, they she wouldn’t want to at least take a look..She could read it, and call me up afterwards, and laugh in my face, and say, “I think that’s the biggest pile of garbage I ever read,” but to not even return the call seems to me that their there to show you that Dixie Carter clearly is not the person to be running TNA.”

Douglas on Ric Flair: “Ric was the reason I got into the business. I idolized him, and when I met him, he fell so far short of my expectations. Not as a wrestler, but as a man. Embarrassing the things that I’ve watched him do, pulling out his privates in front of children, in a bar full of children. Running up and down hallways naked. Things that to me, and just as a man, I don’t equivocate with being a man or a champion of a company, and the politics between us, and that I’ve watched him to do hold down all the young talent that came up. Look, no one was going to take Ric Flair’s spot. He’s The Nature Boy, Ric Flair!

“He’s an icon, but he was so worried looking over his shoulder at young guys coming up the ladder, you know, that I think if I tried from his career in later years, and I for one called him on it. For better or for worse, and then..and there’s been a lot of worse to it. I speak my mind, but nobody can come back and say, ‘You’re a liar, or you twisted the truth,” or whatever. These are the things that I witnessed and I watched, and to me, it’s all part and partial. ..You know wrestling didn’t come to this bad bottom point by accident or by one or two accidents. It’s been a quilt of bad decisions, and bad moves, and tough breaks, and whatever else.

“And when I met Ric Flair as a young guy coming up that ladder with stars in my eyes. I mean, I was a young, green..greener than goose crap kid coming up, and when I met him, I was so enthralled. Nature Boy Ric Flair, the greatest wrestler in the history of our business, and then sat back night after night, week after week, month after month , watching him act like a total jerk, and treat people like a total jerk. It didn’t work for me. It was like meeting your hero, and suddenly finding out he’s an idiot or a jerk, and then..for all those things. And I called him on it. I called him on it, and I guess he didn’t like it. Oh well! You know you got 2 choices, shut up or put your fists up, and he chose not to do the latter.”