The road to No Surrender intensifies on an all-new iMPACT! tonight at 8/7c on AXS TV and 8:30pm ET on YouTube for IMPACT Insiders!
Another shake-up has taken place in the world of pro wrestling. TNA Wrestling President Scott D’Amore has been let go, with Anthony Cicione of TNA’s parent company Anthem Sports & Entertainment, Inc. taking over as the new President. The company’s press release states that the intent is to further integrate TNA into Anthem’s Entertainment Group, which Cicione is already the President of.
According to a report from PWInsider, it is believed that the decision came directly from Anthem’s owner, Len Asper. As echoed by the official statement, Anthem management will be taking on a larger role in the day-to-day operations of TNA, with Cicione leading that charge.
D’Amore’s termination comes less than a month after the company changed its branding from Impact Wrestling back to TNA, its original moniker. With the relaunch, the company has brokered a great deal of goodwill with fans, making D’Amore’s exit all the more surprising. According to an update on the matter from Fightful Select, Anthem management met with TNA talent over Zoom this afternoon. The report also quoted one talent who understood the reasoning behind the change but credited D’Amore with saving the promotion.
In contrast with D’Amore, Cicione has no direct experience working in the professional wrestling industry. The Anthem press release touted his history of “executive-level management experience,” specifically referring to cable and digital channels. It remains to be seen if the company intends to keep Cicione in charge of TNA long-term or if he will be managing the promotion until Anthem finds a suitable replacement.
Similarly unknown is how the company intends to handle the creative process moving forward. In addition to his management duties, D’Amore was previously a key part of the team in charge of booking TNA’s TV shows and pay-per-views.
Some talent such as Brian Myers crediting D’Amore for helping save the company from closing entirely. Since his termination, many members of the TNA roster have spoken out in support of D’Amore.
“The incredibly painstaking, tedious, and difficult work that [Scott D’Amore] has put in to bring [TNA] to this very exciting moment in time, cannot be understated,” said TNA star Frankie Kazarian. “We all, wrestlers and fans alike, owe him a debt of gratitude.”
TNA Knockouts World Champion Jordynne Grace, who recently appeared in the WWE Royal Rumble, posted a picture of herself and D’Amore. Grace also called the former executive the “heart and soul” of the promotion.
Former Impact World Champion Steve Maclin posted a picture of himself with D’Amore presenting him with the title belt after a particularly bloody victory. Meanwhile, TNA star Alex Zayne thanked D’Amore for both the opportunities he gave Zayne personally as well as everything he’s done for wrestling as a whole.
“Not all people in leadership roles are leaders,” said Jody Threat. “[Scott D’Amore] was a leader. [Honored] to have been led by him. Thank you for everything.”
TNA star Jake Something posted a video of himself talking about D’Amore and his impact on Something’s career. The wrestler stated that he was “proud to be a Scott D’Amore guy.” Referee Brandon Tolle also referred to himself in the same manner while thanking D’Amore for the opportunities he provided.
Wrestler-turned-announcer Jade Chung posted a series of pictures of D’Amore, including a shot of D’Amore sitting behind the backstage monitors with a young child, presumably his own. Another former Impact World Champion, Josh Alexander, also posted a picture of himself in the ring with D’Amore. Alexander thanked the company’s former President and referred to him simply as “coach.”
Source: Wrestling Inc.
Tonight’s episode of TNA Impact on AXS TV is all-new. Here are the matches that have been announced for the show:
TNA Knockouts Champion Jordynne Grace made an appearance during the 2024 WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view event, entering at #5 during the women’s Royal Rumble match.
According to a report from Fightful Select, WWE had previously reached out to outside companies about working with some of their talent. Just last weekend, WWE reached out to TNA about Grace’s appearance. TNA officials were more than happy to allow Grace to work the event, and she had a physical and some blood work done on Monday. She wound up flying to Florida on Thursday to take part in the rehearsals.
According to several WWE sources, TNA Wrestling and Grace were “easy to deal with” during the process.
Source: eWn
Former WWE star Mustafa Ali has officially signed with TNA Wrestling, months after he was released by WWE.
The former Retribution member featured in a vignette on the 25 January 2024 episode of TNA iMPACT, which appeared at the end of the show. In the vignette, Ali, who was dressed in a suit, delivered a message, with two people mimicking secret service members standing behind him.
“Change, often it happens gradually over time. But sometimes it happens in a flash. TNA has recently undergone a change, gradually, years in the making. But now it’s time for a different kind of change, one that’s immediate and ignited by the introduction of an x-factor. I’m Mustafa Ali and I approve this message,” he concluded smiling at the camera.
Following his WWE exit, Ali began a “World Tour Campaign,” wrestling around the world with his politician gimmick. Ali has wrestled in a few indies and also in GCW since leaving WWE, while a vignette of his also aired on NJPW recently. After his WWE non-compete clause expired, Ali announced a “Mustafa Ali 2024” campaign and promised that change is coming. The gimmick is similar to the one that he had in “WWE NXT” last year, which he debuted a few weeks before his WWE release.
Ali joins former WWE colleagues like Nic Nemeth (FKA Dolph Ziggler) and Ash By Elegance (FKA Dana Brooke) who have made TNA their new home. It remains to be seen when Ali will debut in TNA, but he has several upcoming matches in promotions like NJPW, Progress, and House of Glory
Source: Wrestling Inc.
Tonight’s episode of TNA Impact on AXS TV is all-new. Here are the matches that have been announced for the show:
KiLynn King recently provided an update to her fans via an Instagram video regarding her absence from TNA Wrestling’s Hard to Kill weekend in Las Vegas.
King revealed she sustained a knee injury during an independent show about a month ago. She has a torn ACL, damage to her MCL, and an LCL sprain.
The estimated timeframe for her recovery is approximately 9-12 months once she gets surgery next month.
“I love TNA, I love wrestling. As much as it sucks that I can’t be there right now, I can’t wait to tune in every single week and get motivated by them. And come back stronger than ever. Because you know what, it doesn’t matter whether it’s this year or next year — the King of Knockouts is always going to be the one to watch.”
Source: eWn
The new era of TNA continues tonight at 8/7c on AXS TV and 8:30pm ET on YouTube for IMPACT Insiders, following an earth-shattering Hard To Kill pay-per-view event.
With the non-compete clauses from this September’s WWE releases expiring, free agents are flooding the wrestling world, and former WWE Superstars are getting a character refresh. The character makeover was a bit literal with the former Dana Brooke, who appeared at TNA’s Hard To Kill as Ash By Elegance.
TNA announced on Twitter that the former 15-time WWE 24/7 Champion has signed with the promotion following her appearance at Hard To Kill.
The new character that she debuted over the weekend is a complete departure from her former WWE persona. She recently explained that fans can expect to see a new side of her as she feels she barely scratched the surface of her intensity and her ferocity in WWE. Ash was released by WWE in September following the finalization of the merger between WWE and UFC into TKO Group Holdings, after which she said that she was excited about her future away from WWE. Ash had been with WWE for 10 years, signing with the company in 2013.
The former WWE Women’s Tag Champion wasn’t the only former WWE Superstar to debut at Hard To Kill, as former WWE World Heavyweight Champion Nic Nemeth, formerly known as Dolph Ziggler, appeared at the end of the pay-per-view to confront the new TNA World Champion, Moose. The signings and appearances take on an extra weight following the promotion’s decision to revert from “Impact Wrestling” to its original TNA Wrestling name, as the promotion looks to define its new/old image going forward in 2024.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
TNA Wrestling recently underwent a massive rebranding following a long stint as Impact Wrestling, returning to the name the company was known as when it first broke into the industry. The promotion has issued new championship belts since undergoing their name changes, but according to fans and a report from Fightful, TNA is now officially bringing back “TNA Xplosion.”
According to Fightful, matches for “Xplosion” were recently taped ahead of the recent “TNA Snake Eyes” pay-per-view. Fans notably shared a few images of the graphics for the new show, but little has been revealed about the format it’ll have going forward. Additionally, at this stage, nothing is known about TNA’s plans with “Xplosion,” but since the show was taped on January 14, it’s safe to assume that fans will find out soon enough.
“Xplosion” was originally launched in 2002 as the promotion’s first regular cable show. At first, the show featured matches from the TNA Asylum as well as interviews with talent, before being revamped in 2004 to showcase previously aired episodes of “TNA Impact.” The show was revamped in 2010 to feature exclusive matches, alongside airing matches from the 2000s. Ultimately, “Xplosion” was put on an extended hiatus in 2021.
TNA’s return to its old branding has been met with mixed reactions online, but many of the wrestlers associated with the promotion only have positive things to say. TNA Hall of Famer Gail Kim notably claimed that she was excited upon first hearing about the name change and believes the promotion will have a lot of momentum going into 2024.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
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