The offical TNA thread - News, Spoilers and the rest...

TNA has announced that they will be asking people that come to next week's TV tapings in Orlando to bring a donation for the victims of Tuesday's massive earthquake in Haiti. They will then donate the money to the Central Florida Headquarters of the American Red Cross to help struggling folks in the country, which is very close to Florida. The article has the following quote from Dixie Carter, "The photos and video from Haiti are tragic. We want to help. We have to help. The money raised at The iMPACT! Zone is just a start of TNA’s plan to help the country of Haiti."

Meanwhile, backstage interviewer Bubba The Love Sponge wrote (or possibly had someone write for him) the following on his Twitter page on January 14 (with the swearing edited out for family consumption): "I say f*** hati. Why do we have to take care of everybody our country is in shambles. Bubba".

Dare_2_defy wrote: »

He's a top-class guy alright. Millions of people are rumoured to have died, their country is ruined and when TNA tries to help out, he complains. He has sensibily deleted the tweet

On another note, TNA have re-launched/cleaned up their website at http://www.tnawrestling.com/ and have debuted a new tv programme called TNA Epics.

I conducted a phone interview earlier this week with TNA on-air personality Jeremy Borash, a former WCW employee who has been with TNA since its inception in 2002. He discussed the possibility of Impact moving permanently to Mondays, Hulk Hogan’s presence in TNA, Vince Russo working with Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff and more.

I know that TNA management and Spike TV executives were very happy with the rating Impact did on Jan. 4. What was the reaction from the locker room when the number came down?

The number came down on Tuesday right before the taping of our second show, and everyone was just ecstatic about it. Word spread really fast. It actually came in a little later than it usually did, so that made the anticipation go up a little more, but everybody was really happy with it. Personally, I think it was above expectations. We did much better head to head with [WWE] this time around than last time [Thursday, Feb. 15, 2007]. Going by those numbers from last time, I was pleasantly surprised.

You’ve been with TNA since Day One. Can you put into words what the night of Jan. 4 meant to the company, as far as how far it’s come in seven years?

I don’t know how many times over the years I’ve had to say that “this is our biggest show ever” but I’ve done it many, many times because we’ve just constantly grown and grown. I’ll use this comparison: Having Hulk Hogan come in and do what he did this time around versus when he came in that first year and did an angle with Jeff [Jarrett] and it looked like we were going to get Hogan then, now it seems like seven years allowed us to get ready for this step. I think waiting that long and having it develop as it has, it was much more thrilling to have him as part of the show this time around than it was last time, because we didn’t really know what we were in for. For me personally, Monday was the most rewarding night in the history of the company for sure.

Do you think moving to Mondays permanently is something that will happen and would be good for the company?

I can only speak personally – I think it would be great. The biggest disappointment this week is that we weren’t doing another live show. We had so much momentum coming off it, it was like, how do we keep that ball rolling? My perspective as someone having lived through the Monday Night Wars, I’m drooling at the idea of it. I just know how much fun it was. [Jan. 4] is the first sample I’ve had of what that was like in 10 years. It really brought me back to when we really cared what [WWE] was doing and when they really cared about what [WCW] was doing. That kind of competition is what brings out the best in everybody, and, ultimately, no matter what you say about the fourth of January, the fans won that night. I think you got a better show out of us and a better show out of Vince McMahon.

I think the biggest surprise of the Monday night show was Jeff Hardy’s appearance, because the belief was that he had an agreement to return to WWE. When did you know he was coming to TNA and how did that all come down?

Well, Kevin, I’m a little bit different of an animal, because having been in the trenches and seeing everything and being a part of every decision that the company’s made, now – and it’s happened a couple times – I purposely don’t want to know things, only for my own personal amusement as a fan. I’ve been doing it so long, so for me it’s to the point where my ego doesn’t need to know everything. I just trust that it’s going to be good, and as a fan, I want to be surprised just like the guy sitting in the front row. That’s how I’ve been able to keep being a fan through everything.

So did you have any inkling at all that there was a possibility that Hardy would be there?

I had heard things, but I’d also heard other things that didn’t happen. I have no problem saying it, but the first time I knew Ric Flair was in TNA was when he got out of the limo and it was me and 30 other people backstage. I’m going to remember that moment a lot more knowing that when I saw Ric Flair get out of the limo that was the first time and I was shocked rather than just hearing about it the day before. I put a lot of stock in being able to still feel that way and relate to a fan that way. I think a lot of the success we’re having at house shows is because a lot of us who went to WWE shows growing up may have forgotten what it’s like to be a fan and what the fans sit through when they go to house shows. For me, I just always wanted to be part of something and to meet a wrestler and be part of the show somehow, so we’ve really tried to integrate that.

Some critics – and I’ll put myself in there – have said that bringing in some of the older guys such as Scott Hall, Sean Waltman and The Nasty Boys may take away screen time and opportunities from guys such as Matt Morgan, D’Angelo Dinero, Beer Money and other guys who look like they’re ready to take that next step. What’s your take on it?

My take on it is that if there’s a good balance and everything is serving the bigger purpose, it’s great. As far as what happened on [Jan. 4], I think it’s all part of the bigger picture – Hulk Hogan comes to town and look who’s trying to get into the company now. I think that’s another story unto itself. If the story is compelling and the fans are into it, I don’t care who it is. The fans have always been the ones who dictated what they want to see. I think at the same time what you’re going to see with Ric Flair is that there is a deep value in using those established names to brand new stars. I think in the future you’re going to see a lot more of that and we’re going to become a lot better at that.

Did you sense any trepidation from some of the younger talent about Hogan and some of the other veterans coming in?

I would almost compare it to having a coaching change. Obviously everybody is afraid of change from time to time, but there are also guys who know that the bigger picture is what this actually does for the company. I can speak firsthand. Since that show I’ve had people that I know never watch wrestling come up to me and say they saw the show. I got stopped in the airport five times today and had people tell me they saw the show. That has never happened before. So I think anybody who was a little bit leery about things, once they saw the impact that it made and getting recognized all over the place now, it shut a lot of people up real fast who said, “Is this the right thing to do for TNA?” I think that question was answered pretty quickly.

Like you, I was there in WCW when Eric Bischoff and Vince Russo and Hulk Hogan were all working together, and it was tough for them to co-exist. If it didn’t work then, why do you think it will be different this time?

Whole different set of circumstances. First of all, I worked for WCW for a number of years and I could never tell you who I reported to. In this company I can tell you that I report to Dixie Carter and the buck stops there, no questions asked. To me it’s just a whole different environment. I think also, in knowing Vince as I do and getting to spend time with Eric again, I think they have both definitely evolved as human beings. I think you’re looking at guys who have grown up a little bit in terms of where the business is and where they’re at 10 years later. So far, everything has been remarkably done well as far as them working together. The common goal is the common goal and everybody sees that. There will always be creative differences, but how they’re handled and how they’re resolved is the difference between now and then.

Along with growing up and evolving as people, do you think they have learned from past mistakes?

I can’t speak for them but I certainly think I have a much better knowledge of the wrestling business from trial and error and from everything that’s happened in the last 10 years. I think you have a situation where they’ve been able to take a look back and see what worked and what didn’t. I think they definitely have a better perspective 10 years later than they did then.

I’ve been to the Impact Zone and I think it’s a fun atmosphere and a fun place to watch a show, but do you think the company needs to start doing Impact and pay-per-views at arenas on a regular basis?

I think we have always walked before we’ve run. When we’re ready to do arenas and we’re ready to fill those buildings and have a production that is ready to go on the road and can be funded that way, we’ll do it. But like anything, it’s always been: OK, are we ready to move to Thursday nights in prime time? Are we ready to go two hours? We’ve always taken our time and made sure it’s the right move, and I think that’s why we’re still around.

Personally, I think the Impact Zone has it charms, and the fans there always seem to be really enthusiastic.

It definitely has it charms. I was there for the ECW Arena shows and it had its own character, and I would almost compare the two in the sense that there are a lot of regular fans there and a lot of die-hard fans that show up from all over the country just to come see the shows when they’re vacationing in Orlando. So there is an energy there that’s contagious, and I think [Jan. 4] we had one of the best crowds we’ve ever had in there. Brooke Hogan herself said that she’s been going to see her dad all of her life and she’s never heard a crowd like that before, and the energy we had in the crowd. Of all the shows we’ve done in there, that was definitely the wildest. Hulk coming out was probably the loudest thing I’ve ever heard in that building. We’ve had some loud arrivals – Kurt Angle, Sting – but that was something like I’ve never heard and felt before.

Here’s a question that’s specific to the Baltimore-Washington market. Baltimore has historically been a good wrestling town and has shown that it will support more than one promotion. Are there any plans for TNA to come to this area?

I remember doing a couple WCW shows in Baltimore and I do remember that crowd specifically standing out as being something a little special because they were really loud and really into it. I would think it’s probably on the short list for doing a pay-per-view on the road sometime maybe in 2010. To me, that’s definitely a market we need to hit.

Fans see you on camera all the time in TNA, but you wear a lot of different hats in the company. For those who don’t know, what are some of your other duties in the company?

When we first started out we were a company of about five or six employees, so as we’ve grown, thankfully, my duties have become more narrowed and focused. So instead of being the media guy and video editing – I did everything – now I can just focus on being Director of Digital Media. I work a lot on the Web site. We’re starting a new WCW Live-type show for TNA on Thursday. So that’s been something I’ve been working on for a couple months now. That’s going to be very different than anything any wrestling company has ever done. It’s going to be very interactive – Twitter, Facebook, myspace, YouTube – all kinds of involvement with fans that’s never been done from a major wrestling company. That’s what’s eating up a lot of my time. This month I’m on the road 24 days. They keep me real busy. The good thing about doing the digital media is that I have a mobile office, basically. I can work out of a laptop and a broadband connection – I can pretty much do anything anywhere, so that’s kind of a cool gig to have not to be cooped up in an office somewhere.

I’m a big fan of the Spin Cycle show that you host on tnawrestling.com. Wasn’t there some talk at one point of making that a TV show?

Yeah, I think there was talk of it. As far as creating programming, I’m not sure it’s ready for cable television yet. I think it needs some fine-tuning. I also think it’s built more toward a Web audience. It’s a little more inside, and I think that’s what the TNA Live show is going to be. It’s going to definitely be that same kind of flavor. The Spin Cycle itself, though, I think we’re still going to do that once or twice a month.

If this wrestling gig doesn’t work out for you, have you ever thought of being a game show host?

[Laughs]. You know what, I’ve had to pass up some pretty decent offers.

Really?

Yeah, just things that come up, side stuff that I could do if I had the time, but there’s only 24 hours in a day. So, yeah, the offers have been there, but I just can’t see a better scenario for my life right now. They take good care of me. I’ve obviously been through the ups and downs, and now, thankfully, we’re on the side of the ups. I just can’t imagine a more fun gig to have. I mean, I work my [butt] off, don’t get me wrong, but getting to travel the world and doing this, I don’t think there are too many better jobs you could find for a lifelong wrestling fan.

You’ve done some really funny stuff on camera, specifically your interaction with Kurt Angle and Mick Foley. How much of those scenes are ad-libbed, and is there a favorite moment that you have?

Yeah, most of it’s ad-libbed. The good thing about it is, regardless of what people say is scripted and not scripted, I am given, at best, bullet points, and everything else is “just go with it.” I think that also depends on the talent sometimes. I don’t think The Rock needed too much direction in his promos, whereas somebody just starting out probably needs a little more help. For me, it’s just “let it go, let it fly and have fun with it.” I’ve really enjoyed working with Kurt and Mick, but I think my favorite thing was getting to do something with Funkhouser – Super Dave Osborne – on our show a couple weeks ago, just because I’m a huge “Curb Your Enthusiasm” fan. It was really fun because it was literally like being on the set of “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” We had no direction, no script. He said “just go,” and we had a back-and-forth ad-lib exchange that went on for about a minute. That’s what one my favorite things that I’ve ever done. I feel more confident and I think I’ve improved by getting to work with guys like Kurt Angle and Mick Foley and Eric Bischoff. Working with [Bischoff] now as a talent, I kind of forgot how good he is. [Jim] Cornette really, really impressed me with the way he could talk and everything, but I was just literally in awe of Bischoff the other day, just how good he is at just nailing everything – there’s no two takes with him.

Any final thoughts before we wrap it up?

I just want to say that the Web show, TNA Live, is going to start pre- and post-show for Impact, so it’s going to bookend Impact every Thursday night. It’s going to be live and it’s going to be very interactive. It’s going to be myself, SoCal Val and Don West. I’m going to be live on location at different arenas across the country. I’ll be in Pennsylvania this Thursday, and I’ll be in London, England the next week. Technology is so advanced now that I can do this show from anywhere in the world literally and be on live video. It’s very cool and it’s just going to mean more access to the wrestlers for the fans.

IGN TV: The first time I talked to you it was before the big Monday Impact. Now that it happened and you guys scored record ratings I wanted to ask how it felt to you? What did you think of the show?

Hulk Hogan: Well for me it's all about "feel." And the Impact show that was live – you know, I've been to all the big dances. I've done the crazy 94 thousand people matches, and you know not to toot my own horn but when you're in a building like the Skydome in Toronto and you beat your own attendance record or when you're in the Egg Dome in Tokyo and you're putting 80 thousand people in the seats - there's a certain energy thing happening there. I've been there and done that. I've been in the studio with Ted Turner before and in a short amount of time we came out of that little studio and took the show nationwide and became the number one sports entertainment company in, like, six months. That same energy was in there at Impact. I didn't know what to expect. All the guys were like "it's different. And there's a delay. And there's a bunch of smart marks in the front row. And they're gonna be hounding us." And they had the jitters a bit. I kind of lost my self-confidence when all these guys, who haven't been in the business half as long as me, were telling me that all this stuff was going to happen. And I went out there and it was totally the opposite. It was that crazy kind of energy where you just knew it was going to blow it up. You know this was going to start crack-a-lacking. This is really gonna roll out well. So I was really happy with it, bro. Then the next night when we taped I was like "hmmm. We need to switch gears and keep going live." It was a different vibe. It will work. It's not "if," it's "when."

IGN: What are the talks like these days, with Spike TV, about going live on Mondays more? Once a month perhaps or even all the time?

Hogan: We had a crazy dinner last night with all the big dogs and I was just badgering them to death. Just beating them to death. It's just time and momentum. And they get it. They understand that whole energy thing. That feel. And what about Hulk Hogan and TNA going live 11 months from now? (shrugs, not enthused) You know. Eh. You know, timing is everything. And so I was trying to explain to them that if you go live on a Monday and then you wait seven or eight weeks to do another Monday you're missing an opportunity to bring more fans to the table. Because they'll come back the next Monday and where are we at? We're not there and they'll go to the WWE. And then they'll come back the next two or three Mondays thinking "this must have been a fluke because they weren't on." And if we're not on then all you wind up doing is giving the other guy a big shot in the arm. But it's all timing, and everyone understands. We got some good answers last night. It's kind of like running back into the offices and re-structuring. They know what really makes sense. And it's just making sure that things are re-assigned and get moved around gracefully. But they already knew. So it was really nice to sit down with all the guys from Spike and have our eyes all on the same page. It's gonna happen way way sooner than I expected.

IGN: Did you watch the RAW from the the 4th? With Bret Hart?

Hogan: No…. (smiles) Yes. Of course I did.

IGN: What did you think of their show? Some people thought that, other than the Bret Hart moments, the rest of the show was kind of standard. Do you think that they made an attempt to step up to compete with you?

Hogan: They pretty much have a cookie-cutter mold, you know. A contrived programming thing that gets stuffed down your throat because there's no one else competing. Well, I don't want to say "competing." Let's say, there's no one else putting out a better product. I hate that word "competing" because I don't want to do what they're doing. And so I think Bret was the huge attempt. I think that was the story. And Vince is the top babyface and Vince is the top heel. Depending on which way he wants to go. I think right now he's in the bad guy heel position so he's the top bad guy. And when he wants to be a good guy, he's the top good guy. For Bret to come out in that storyline with Vince – you know, Shawn (Michaels) was like the Plan B if you needed to switch gears. I think they did step up and I think they expected different results. I expected a bunch of different stuff, from Bret's look – I was looking for something really exciting. I was like "oh my gosh, man, this is going to be fun" but then I saw it and went "hmmmm." I smell blood. I watched the show after that with Tyson and the show before that with Timbaland and I liked those shows better. But that's just me.

IGN: I'm very curious about your opinion on this. You mentioned "smart marks" earlier and being someone who's been in the business for decades, what do you think of the new wave of Internet fandom and critique? The forums and the sheet sites? How do you feel about them?

Hogan: Well, you can't work yourself into a shoot because that's a very small percentage. That's a very minute percentage. It's just like the movie The Wrestler. That storyline and that ending are just, maybe, one or two guys I know in the business. A lot of guys I know are working high schools and making two, three, four grand in a weekend and doing well. Those "smart marks" and I guess you and I named them are just a really small group of people. And that's why the goal is to get in the bigger live arenas and get out of the little studio environment. Because they don't represent mainstream America. And so when you're out there and you've got the whole building screaming for TNA and AJ Styles and you've got ten guys chanting something like "we want Bret" or "we want Vince" or whatever – "we hate Hulk." Anything. You've just gotta look at the big picture and even if they're louder at certain points than the rest of the thousand, or fifteen hundred people – I forget how much the studio holds – but you have to have the presence of mind to realize that that has nothing to do with the big picture. And I know they're on the Internet, and going on the dirt sheets and there's this underground wave of people that think they're smart to the business. Well, I've been in the business for 30 years and I'm not smart yet. So I would love someone who's "smart" to tell me what the real deal is. I try to look up above all that, to the bigger picture. To the big mountains and not the little teeny speed bumps. It doesn't really matter. It's a non-issue.

IGN: Across the board, people loved the AJ Styles – Kurt Angle match from the Monday Impact. How do you feel about the new modern-era wrestling match? A lot of times it's not the traditional heel/babyface match and there's a lot more back and forth. They move a lot faster. Do you think they need to slow down to "tell the story" more?

Hogan: On TV, the storylines have to move quicker. You've got the whole universe now. You can go all over cable and satellite channels to find stuff. Before, back in the day you only had a handful of choices since there were only so many channels. But those high-impact matches – and that's why I've talked about breathing super-life into these characters. You can go out there and have 5-star matches all day long. And I love AJ Styles to death, don't get me wrong. But Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard, Jack Briscoe, Harley Race, AJ Styles all gave 5 star matches and now (holds hand up to head) this is the water level now. When the water level rises and TNA is the number one sports entertainment company in the world, if you keep having those 5 star matches like that and you don't do the cross-over media and we don't have Leno or Regis calling AJ Styles instead of me then people that are having those crazy, unbelievable off-the-chart matches are going to be mid-card at best. Because when you get guys who do the Junkyard Dog thing, or cross-over with Cyndi Lauper, or The Rock Stuff and the Stone Cold Steve Austin or Hulk Hogan stuff. Those 5-star matches are going to fall way below that line of entertainment that we want to achieve.

Hogan: I had a long talk with AJ Styles and he's got some magic in him. You've got the whole Hulk Hogan-philosophy of "the best wrestler is the guy who brings in millions of dollars and puts butts in seats" and then there's the philosophy that best wrestler is the guy who can grab a hold the stiffest. Somewhere in the middle, this is a business and it's about generating revenue. And AJ has that magic and no one's pulled it out of him yet. I had a couple long talks with him and he's got it, bro. He really does. That whole AJ Styles character – if you just have to put bit of an edge on it and ramp it up. I want everyone to know who he is and not just 75% of the people or maybe half of the people. Those matches have a great place, but those matches - those 5-star matches combined with breathing life into the characters will just be the icing on the cake. But you have to have that.

IGN: At Genesis this weekend, TNA is now advertising a big acquisition. Is this going to be part of TNA's strategy going forward? Getting known names into the company?

Hogan: Yes and no. I mean, you need to do that but that's the easy part. I don't even have to work to do that. I mean, my phone's blowing up. I've got guys that are over, or guys that are active. Guy's who aren't active. Guys who work for the WWE are blowing my phone up. And it's just happening naturally. That's turned out the be the easy part. I thought I would have to stay on the phone and beat people up like "when's your contract end? or Do you want to work anymore? Or How many days can you work?" Asking them if they're still healthy and all that stuff. But I don't even have to worry about that. My phone's been ringing so much from guys who want to come in. Thank god, that's the easy part. Because I was all messed up in the head and I thought that would be tough. I was in the airport with one of the guys from the WWE and they said "the guys in the WWE are cheering us on like crazy." And the people in the offices are scrambling around like chickens with their heads cut off. So it's good for the business. And no matter what Vince thinks, it's going to be great for his business too.

January 15, 2010 - The annual TCA (Television Critics Association) Winter Press Tour got a taste of the extreme this morning when Hulk Hogan and TNA President Dixie Carter appeared in front of the ballroom of TV critics for a Spike TV Q&A session about their primetime wrestling show, Impact. The TNA duo were fairly well-received by the TCA members as they deftly answered questions from a hefty share of people who had never heard of TNA. Here are some of the highlights.

Hogan, on what it's like to start-up a new company and go against the WWE : "It's not really a start-up. Because TNA, Total Non Stop Action, is so well established. And they've been on Spike and they've been so dominant in that marketplace. In that time slot. So it's really not a start up. It's just adding a little bit of spice to the recipe and taking these really really talented young guys, these wrestlers, and not making like wrestling used to be with Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant and Junkyard Dog, " Hogan said. "So it's not really a start up. It's like a gift that's kind of been handed to me. "

Dixie Carter, on what she thinks the difference between the WWE and TNA: "I think that these days you don't have to be a bigger than life cartoon character. It's much more about reality and what these guys can do in the ring. They're amazing athletes and I've can have all-pro football players or an NBA star and they say 'we could never do something like that. You have no off-season.' It's 52 weeks a year and the new tour in between that. These guys are incredible athletes and we do focus on the athleticism on out show."

Hogan, on the newer, faster paced wrestling world: "Everything moves at a much faster pace, so storylines – where say I'd be fighting Andre the Giant and we'd start the feud and it would end a year from now – it would start at the top of the hour and end two or three weeks later. So everything moves faster. Even the wrestling in the ring moves quicker," Hogan said. He went on to say that he was there to take these guys that can move so much quicker and "create the drama. The confrontation. That energy. The excitement."

Hogan, on his new role in TNA: "I'm plugged in full time, brother. I'm there all the way across the board. Before, I used to lace up the boots, do the Main Event pay day, and go home. Now I'm in the dressing room with the guys and I talk to them about finishes and storylines and stuff like that. But then I'm also partners with Dixie and we've got a great partner in Spike and doing all kinds of business stuff and we're moving forward," Hogan said. "And it's so crazy, instead of showing up, having fun and wrestling now I'm doing production meetings with these guys."

Hogan, on the importance of having older, more established wrestlers in TNA: "When you talk about the older guys, my philosophy is different than the WWE. Where Vince McMahon will ride someone until they drop and then he'll shoot 'em and eat 'em. There was a time when I worked for Ted Turner where he realized how wrong that philosophy was. What I believe is that if you can bring someone older to the table that has wisdom, who's established, that the young guys can get the rub off – there's no reason to shoot 'em and eat 'em. Keep them around, make them work and make the transition," Hogan stated. "The focus has to be on the future. That's one of the things that has to happen and that's one of the biggest mistakes that Vince McMahon made. My time should be over. I should be done and gone. There should have been two generations already that replaced me."

Hogan, on not repeating the mistakes that led to the fall of WCW: "Well, a lot of things happened that I had no control of, like the American Online merger which basically took my boss, Ted Turner, and put him on the back burner. There were a lot of things that I did have control and things got going so well in a short amount of time, in about a six month period, we had three times the audience and three times the ratings of the WWE. Some of the things I learned was "don't take my eye off the ball." Some people got too full of themselves. Some of these arrogant characters decided "oh, we'd rather talk than wrestle." That doesn't work. Like I said, you've got to stay plugged in. It's a 24/7 job and it's a mistake that I won't make again."

At the end of the session, Hogan was asked if he would step back in the ring and wrestle. Hogan re-iterated that he had no plans to wrestle but that he might have to step up if someone else crossed the line. Which is interesting considering the fact that they just turned Jeff Jarrett into a full-blown heel this past week.

IGN TV: We're big fans of yours here at IGN. The first thing I need to ask you about is the little hat. The world loves the little hat. Why did you start wearing it?

Daffney: I just think that tiny top hats are great. I'm addicted to them. I can't go out without one. Without a tiny top hat. I like trying to say it fast. Tinytophattinytophat… But then I start stuttering. Sorry, I have to go put one on right now.

IGN: How much of the Daffney style comes from you? Do you pick out everything you wear?

Daffney: Yeah, I come up with what she wears. Definitely. I have a little punk top hat. The first one I bought was for the Monster's Ball last year, so this was well before any of the trailers for Alice in Wonderland came out or any of the research you could do. And I was just like "We're going to the Ball. And I need a top hat." And I thought it would be funny. And James Storm, my buddy, says (with southern drawl) "That should be your gimmick, you should wear that." So I thought it would be good to wear it in special occasions because I'm crazy. (still in southern drawl) You can't help but go into a southern drawl when you're talking about James Storm. So then I met a girl who makes custom tiny top hats. And I was like "Holy cow, you make them by hand." And then they got more elaborate and it just went on from there. I had a couple that I bought from certain places that I wore, but I'm just going balls out. Like the one I wore the other night had a big old black feather. And a huge veil. I wrestled Tara. I don't wrestle that much and more. It kind of sucks and I hate it.


IGN: Speaking to that – do you prefer being a singles wrestler or do you prefer your role as a lunatic manager?

Daffney: I'm, like, right down the middle. I like being able to go out there and be Dr. Stevie's "most precious patient." Although he tells me he loves me. Kind of. I'll say "I love you, Dr. Stevie." "I know," is what he says. So that's what I get. I know he knows. But then they flip it over and I get out there and have a match with somebody. And he comes to the ring sometimes.

IGN: The Knockout Division has shown a lot of people how tough female wrestlers can be. In that division, you've been the toughest one of them all, falling on tacks and taking nasty bumps through tables. What's that been like?

Daffney: Yeah, we don't do that anymore. I don't like to fall down and go boom, and hit my head. We did that for a while. A little craziness. Some fun with some tack-ery. A little pin-cushion action on the back. Yeah, I'm not indestructible. So we decided that we're not going to be doing that too much anymore.

IGN: But do you have aspirations for being the Knockouts Champ?

Daffney: Yeah, well, it's like you said before "do you want to do this or do you want to do this?" and I feel "why can't I do both?" If Dr. Stevie's got a match and they need me to manage him – I follow him wherever he goes anyway – I'll go down to the ring with him. But sometimes I'm like "let me at 'em. I'm gonna knock 'em out." Because I'm crazy. But yeah, I would like to fight more. I totally would. I mean I really did fall down and hit my head pretty hard. That was a twelve, thirteen foot fall from the second turnbuckle through some barbed-wire.

IGN: You're talking about Bound for Glory now.

Daffney: Oh yeah. People were all "she broke her arm, she broke her arm" and I thought "I might have hurt my arm, but I hit my head even worse." I knocked my noggin. Yeah, I had a Grade II concussion. Wow. And so they've been really good at protecting me. So who knows what the company has planned. They're always very good, and they've been giving me some Xplosion matches lately. And in the battle royale they had me out first to protect my head. They gave me a web match with Tracy Brooks. And I just had an Xplosion match with Tara – which was another web match. I loved working with her and I want to get my hands on her and her spider and bite off its head. And then they asked me "how's your head?" And I said "oh, it's fine." So maybe that's why, as of late – since that happened - they've been more focused on me hanging out and not wrestling because they really wanted to protect my head. Because that was not fun. That as…if it's possible, I was knocked loopy. But I'm already loopy so I'm not sure how to say it. I was knocked more loopy? More loopier?

IGN: Being someone in TNA who was actually in the old WCW during the NWO days, is there anything in TNA now that feels like WCW? What did it feel like last week when Impact went against RAW on Monday? Was there any of the same vibe?

Daffney: Well…what did it feel like to you?

IGN: I thought it felt great. I think competition is good for the business. It's healthy.

Daffney: Yeah, competition is good. I agree.

IGN: Do you think that this could lead to more shows on Monday night?

Daffney: Yeah, I think that's just something that we're going to just have wait and see. With just one show? It's kind of hard to tell. Everyone is so quick to go "oh this happened" and talk about it. I'm not one to really read the sheets where you've got people asking "what did you think about this?" and I'm like "Wha? What did I think about what?" And people are judging it on certain decisions that were made and I think it's better to say "let's wait and see". For me. I mean, I don't know what it's going to be like, especially for me as a woman. But I want to ask you a question. There was no Women's Division back in the old WCW, was there?

IGN: No, there wasn't.

Daffney: Not only do we have a Woman's Champ, but we have Women's Tag Champs. So there's that. Yeah, I'm curious what they've got coming next. But you just have to go to work and say "what's new today, boss? What'cha got for me today?" Because I've got a tiny top hat. A new one. And I'd like to wear it. It's really cool. Let me ask you this. My new tiny top hat is purple and red. So is my purple and red an homage to Harley Quinn in the new Batman: Arkham Asylum game?

IGN: Can I assume that Harley Quinn is one of your muses?

Daffney: Oh my god. (doing Harley voice) "Hey, it's me Mr. J."

IGN: Who was it that originally inspired the Daffney character? Was it Harley?

Daffney: (Harley voice) "Totally Harley" (back to real voice) Because she's crazy nuts. Absolutely nuts. Because you never know what she's going to do. And she wants The Joker. She loooves The Joker. And he's just like "okay okay, yeah yeah whatever." Joker and Harley and totally Dr. Stevie and Daffney. It's awesome. If they ever make a Harley movie I'll be like "Me! Me! I can do crazy flippedy-doo stunts. I won't hit my head." I actually had gear, her old school gear, from the comics that was black and red. With the whole mask going over her face – it was a hood that I had that was half black and half green and I had sleeves going up my arms and I wore my hair up in pigtails. But every once in a while, when I do my make-up, I'll paint a mask on my face. I just try to do little things to be like her. Because she's the greatest ever.

IGN: Well I think you have hours and hours of footage you could show them. You wouldn't even have to audition.

Daffney: (laughs) (in Harley voice) "I can do the flips. See, I'm a natural. I can even do the voice." She's like 5'7" and 140. I like 5'5" and 130. C'mon. And I can do flippy-doos. And I can kick people. I can kick and punch really hard if I want to. But I usually pull it back. I can do stunt fighting. I was almost going to be a stunt woman.

IGN: Well, we really hope to see you with that Knockout Title soon.

Daffney: Well, thank you. I would honor to hold it. I think I'd have to change the belt to black or something. And I might have to glue a top hat on it. But I would be honored to hold it one day.

New Japan Pro-Wrestling announced that one of their top young prospects Kazuchika Okada will be heading to TNA Wrestling and will be competing there for an unspecified period of time. As we know, sending wrestlers overseas to gain experience has been a long-time NJPW tradition.

Okada's last match in Japan will be on 1/31 against Hiroshi Tanahashi so he should be making his way over to the States sometime after that.

Prowrestling.net has confirmed that Awesome Kong attacked radio show host and TNA backstage personality Bubba The Love Sponge at Tuesday's TNA Impact taping.

Powell's POV: Kong was upset because of the "F--- Hati" [sic] tweet that Bubba posted on Twitter over the weekend. Kong has been taking part in fundraising efforts for the relief fund for Haiti, which was rocked by an earthquake last week. Bubba was sent home from the taping yesterday. Kong was also sent home. A TNA source notes that Bubba has major locker room heat.

AngryMarks.com has a report today that during today's Bubba The Love Sponge radio show, Hulk Hogan appeared and stated that the real reason that Bubba was sent home from yesterday's Impact taping is because Awesome Kong punched him in the face for the remark that he made about Haiti.

AngryMarks transcribed Bubba as saying, "She was wearing wrestling gear, and she came in on me and sucker punched me right on my left cheek, and I was like, what's going on... then she came out me again, hit me again in the mouth, and she goes, 'This if for Haiti! This is for Haiti!' and I'm like 'What is going on?' Finally I put my left hand out and push her away from me, and she comes at me again and I just cover up, because I cannot fight back on a woman. Not only will I be fired from TNA, which I probably am, but my radio career is gone if I take a woman out!"

I have checked with two TNA sources and can confirm that this story was definitely making the rounds at TV yesterday, though neither of them actually saw it happen.