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

Charisteas

Source: The Wrestling Observer Newsletter wrote:

– Former adult film star and independent wrestling personality Trina Michaels was backstage at last week’s iMPACT! Wrestling. She did have a meeting with the company and pitched the story of feuding with Brooke Hogan on screen.

I will have to spend an hour or two checking her credentials on Google images, purely for wrestling related research of course.

Charisteas

GTR63 wrote: »

Can't believe the Pope is still employed sounds like Matt 'Main Eventer?' Morgan won't be for much longer.

Yep I would have had Kaz instead of Pope, but in general quite happy with the group of guys chosen.

Machismo Fan

Dixie's Twitter:

Chris Sabin tore his ACL in last night's Ultimate X match on Impact. He's obviously frustrated but determined to come back ASAP.

That really, really, really sucks.

Charisteas

For the 87%ers -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGKJDcVX_sg

Headshot

Loving these videos from Joey

Very entertaining

Machismo Fan

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzmlYt_7GKc

rovert

Aries ribbed on Thursday's Impact?
Jun 15, 2012 - 1:46:28 PM
Sources tell PWTorch that many TNA wrestlers think Hulk Hogan heaping praise and adulation on Austin Aries during a promo on Thursday's live Impact was a rib on the X Division champion. Over the past few months as Aries has been in the spotlight as X champ, he's developed a reputation among the wrestlers for thinking too highly of himself.

The most-cited example that's gotten him heat in the locker room is Aries coming across like he's more concerned with doing what's best for himself in the ring rather than doing what's best for his matches and everyone involved. Aries has rubbed veterans the wrong way with his approach, especially being newer to the current roster after returning to TNA this time last year.

This jives with the stories you used to here in ROH but James Caldwell wrote it so....

GTR63

rovert wrote: »

This jives with the stories you used to here in ROH but James Caldwell wrote it so....

Is he a bias writer or what?

rovert

GTR63 wrote: »

Is he a bias writer or what?

Flimsy sourcing that seems to carry too much of his bias and projections is the rap on him.

He pisses Bischoff off all the time so either he is full of it, completely right or a so-so reporter who is an easy target. I favour the latter.

Austin does have this rep and in terms of getting his sh*t in for example he did pick up Mark Haskins in this match to hit his finish:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSc7Zmmp3f4

Hogan's promo was OTT and Austin did smirk during it.

Machismo Fan

I'd be more willing to believe that if Aries' opponents didn't always look great aswell (even Haskins in that match (where in fairness Aries might not have seen what happened)).

Furious-Red

Kenn Doane, formerly Kenny Dykstra and Kenny from the Spirit Squad, has continued dishing dirt via Twitter regarding John Cena and Mickie James’ relationship years ago. Doane, who at one point was engaged to James, says he discovered she had been cheating on him with the Cenation leader when he oversaw her online searching rumors concerning her act of infidelity. James then confessed her unfaithfulness to Doane in a dramatic episode.

“She was googling mickie james and john cena dating. I asked why, she broke down crying. Then I heard more from others. She was checking to see if it was on the net yet,” Doane recalls. “I feel bad for magnus. Nice guy dating a …. well u know.”

Cena’s relationship with James resulted in Doane being transferred from RAW—where Cena and James resided—to SmackDown. The once-promising grappler languished throughout his duration on the blue brand and was ultimately dismissed in November 2008. Doane attributes James’ WWE success during her relationship with Cena to the wrestling megastar. The two remained ‘friends’ as late as May 2009, two months before Cena married his high school sweetheart, Liz Huberdeau. He also corroborated online reports that James was transferred from RAW to SmackDown in November 2009 because she was unable to cope with Cena breaking up with her, thus forcing organization officials to separate the two from each other at work. The move led to her being saddled with the unfavorable ‘Piggy James’ moniker and her contract being terminated in April 2010.

“He was messing with MJ so I got moved to Smackdown so they could further mess. I jobbed, got fired. When MJ got crazy because he wouldn’t date her, she then got fired. Weird biz huh? She got title, on TV show while with him. Serves her well though.”

He continues, “She wanted to date him, he said no, she flipped out backstage which led to her demise.”

Doane echoed in another response, “When they were together she got the title, TV roles. When he dumped her she became Piggy James, then fired.”

Doane also clarifies that Cena and James didn’t actually date; but rather, ‘they were hooking up.’ He also alleges that Cena lied to Huberdeau about his relationship with James: “He denied it all to [her].”

He also feels Cena resents him for disclosing his relationship with James to management. “I made mention of him sleeping with MJ and he probably thought I wouldn’t say anything. But I did and he is mad. I guess,” he said.

A Twitter user asked Doane what right he has to air his former co-workers’ dirty laundry. He responds, “What they do is their biz, but it’s also mine when it effects my career and life.”

Doane proclaimed several times to his followers that he is being honest with all of his statements as he has no reason to lie. Now that he’s settled with another career, he doesn’t care whether he’s blackballed from WWE.

“If I spoke out it would have ruined my chance of returning to WWE,” he explains why he’s coming out with these heavy statements after many years. “Now I’m set with what I’m doing and don’t care if I get banned.”

He adds, “I’m ruining any chance of a WWE return by doing this I’m sure. But it doesn’t matter to me.”

Despite his airing of Cena’s dirty laundry, Doane says he likes him.

“I have no heat towards him. He has heat towards me. I really don’t care either way. I’m just being honest,” Doane says. “Truthfully I do like john, but if u ask me a question im gonna answer it truthfully. Not my fault he did dumb ****. #youcanthandlethetruth!”

http://www.tnawrestlingnews.com/headlines/ex-wwe-star-mickie-james-flipped-out-over-john-cena/

Machismo Fan

Today is the ten year anniversary of TNA's first ever show.

rovert

Mike Johnson:

TNA filed a lawsuit on Monday 6/18 in Nashville, TN against Scott Rechsteiner, professionally known as Scott Steiner, stemming from the attacks Steiner has made against the company, Hulk Hogan, Eric Bischoff and Bruce Prichard, among others, via Twitter.

In the lawsuit filed in Chancery Court for Davidson County, TNA noted that Steiner signed a contract with the company on 12/23/10 to appear exclusively for the promotion. A copy of that contract, including Steiner's payroll for his appearances ($2000 for events, $2500 for PPV, plus royalties to be paid 90 days later) was filed in court, including:

*An agreement that Steiner would not "make any statements or provide information, written, verbal or otherwise, which directly or indirectly disparages or casts in a negatie light any TNA officers, employees, representatives, affiliates, shareholders, licensees and/or past or current TNA talent."

*An agreement that Steiner would not use online social media or media appearances to discuss TNA without TNA's prior written consent in each instance.

TNA is claiming that Steiner violated the terms of that contract and is currently in breach for his online rants against the company. The company claimed that they contacted him on 5/10/12 asking him to cease the behavior but "Steiner, however, has ignored TNA's demands and has continued to breach the Agreement."

TNA is asking that they be allowed to recover their damages as well as court and attorney's fees. They are claiming the breach has caused the company "irreparable harm, which cannot be adequately measured by monetary relief."

TNA is also seeking a temporary and permanent injunction from the court to prevent Steiner from continuing to speak out against them.

Steiner has yet to respond to the court, obviously.

I hope TNA doesnt read boards and our comments during the Russo era.

Machismo Fan

Sadly this rules out it being a work and my dream of him and Brooke Hogan in the same ring is dashed.

gnfnrhead

They are either going really far with this storyline, or it's not the work we all hoped

Charisteas

A copy of that contract, including Steiner's payroll for his appearances ($2000 for events, $2500 for PPV, plus royalties to be paid 90 days later)was filed in court

Time for some more number crunching.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EarU--5cYOE

rovert

TNA scheduled a house show last Thursday before the move to live tapings. That ended up going ahead head to head with the Live IMPACT I guess due to the strong advance ticket sales. Check out the line up:

They announced at the beginning that we would be declaring a "Knockout of the Night" at the end of the show. What this meant was that different ladies came out to cut promos between matches to declare why they should be chosen. It seemed like a way to just stretch out the show to me.

Tara delivered the first promo.

1. Doug Williams defeated Robbie T in 6:45. Robbie was limping around the whole match and it seemed like his left leg was bothering him a lot. Doug won with a rollup in what seemed like a short match due to Robbie's injury.

There was a Sarita and Rosita Promo/Dance Off

2. Kazarian defeated Kid Kash in 14:49. Entertaining match. Kash had big heat after declaring Texas full of "Steers and Queers." Both guys spent the first three minutes jaw jacking with WWE's Sign Guy at ringside, who was in fine form (Don West's replacement even announced that he was here prior to the show starting). Kaz wins via a reverse tombstone-like move.

Winter delivered her promo. A guy in the crowd shouted, "Take your pants off!!"

3. Garett Bischoff beat Gunner in 7:09. Decent heat for Gunner. The crowd was pretty solidly behind Garret, who won with a cutter-style finisher. After the match, the ring announcer acknowledged two live events going on in two separate states for the first time ever.

Mickie James cut a promo.

Intermission/Crimson Signing

Angelina Love cut promo and said, "I'm the hottest blonde any of you have laid eyes on."

4. Matt Morgan beat Crimson in 7:49. Crimson's losing streak extended to two after falling to Morgan's big boot. There was a botched three count about a minute before the actual finish, when Morgan hit a kick and it seemed like Crimson thought it was the time (he never kicked out).

Sign Guy sign - "Crimson has a new streak going - LOSING."

Velvet Sky delivered her promo and received a big pop. The Other Kknockouts ran out and the match was on.

5. Velvet Sky, Tara, and Mickie James defeated vs Sarita, Rosita, Winter and Angelina in a handicap match in about ten minutes. Velvet won after using her Pedigree-like finisher.

Velvet was declared "KO of the night" for the win. $20 to take a photo in the ring with her. Bye everyone!

OK show considering the fact that most of the roster was in Orlando. It lasted only two hours and 15 minutes, including intermission. I'd say around 1,000 fans attended.

Machismo Fan

Morgan beating Crimson is suspicious.

rovert

Machismo Fan wrote: »

Morgan beating Crimson is suspicious.

Nope Morgan won on his two last shots for TNA. Alverez & Meltzer spoke about it.

Machismo Fan

rovert wrote: »

Nope Morgan won on his two last shots for TNA. Alverez & Meltzer spoke about it.

I dunno, something about the way Morgan's been tweeting has my spidey senses raised (though it could simply be him trying to get more money out of one side), though I'd much rather see him go.

gnfnrhead

I reckon Morgan is already signed up by TNA and will be making a "shock" comeback in a few months time.

montyrebel

Machismo Fan wrote: »

Sadly this rules out it being a work and my dream of him and Brooke Hogan in the same ring is dashed.

very good chance he has been in brookes ring before, along with many many others :pac:

rovert

Meltzer on the first tangible sign of a tangible up tick in business for TNA:

There is a legitimate sign of momentum. Based on estimates we’ve gotten, TNA Slammiversary is estimated right now at doing in the 14,000 to 15,000 buy range. It’s not through the roof, but it’s up from the 7,000 to 10,000 range the shows besides Lockdown and Bound for Glory have been doing. It was way up from last year’s Slammiversary, which was estimated at 7,500. TNA numbers this year have in general declined from last year so at this point this isn’t a trend, but there is no usual reason for the increase. They did Bobby Roode vs. Sting earlier this year and did significantly lower numbers and wrestling rematches generally stay the same or decline. So any increase would mean either people are liking the product more in a way that makes them want to see the PPVs(and right now, there is no house show indication of that yet), or word of mouth from the excellent Sacrifice show led to people ordering this one. Usually having a really good show and strong word-of-mouth has no bearing on the next show, but when you are talking low numbers, adding a few thousand buys wouldn’t be noticeable for other companies but it’s a huge difference for TNA.

jaykhunter

Machismo Fan wrote: »

Some guys had wrestled significantly more matches than others.

Also wasn't the b4g series set up to replace the 'injured' RVD, who returned before the conclusion of the series, thus making it moot? This stuff went the way of the Bischoff rankings....I hope TNA actually sort it out this time around, they've been doing a much better job as of late.

Machismo Fan

waltersobchak

Kurt Angle ‏@RealKurtAngle AmazeBalls In Dublin, UK, Australia, France, Japan and Every Awesome Country Everywhere. More Important Is "GOD Bless"!

From Angles Twitter

Charisteas

What is AmazeBalls? Some new Protein shake that he's selling?

Headshot

Charisteas wrote: »

What is AmazeBalls? Some new Protein shake that he's selling?

No its medicated weed

Riddle101

Didn't see this posted anywhere so.....

TNA held media conference call with Austin Aries on Thursday, June 28 to promote the TNA Destination X pay-per-view. The following are the highlights of the call.

-TNA's Chris Thomas opened the conference call and touted the TNA Destination X pay-per-view, which takes place on July 8. He noted that they were holding the call earlier than usual due to the July 4 holiday next week. Thomas promoted tonight's Impact Wrestling television show. Thomas also revealed three new pay-per-view matches for Destination X (see the main page).

-Aries was asked about changes between his first run and his current run. He said he was able to step back and learn from his first run with the company. He said the company is giving him a chance this time around and he's letting his work speak for itself.

-Aries was asked about auditioning for WWE Tough Enough. He said he was dealing with a talent agency and not with the company itself. He compared it to acting in that sometimes you get the part and sometimes you don't.

-A caller was asked what made him want to go back to TNA. He said you don't always get second chances and he wanted to take advantage of that. "It was a pay day and I didn't have anything going on that week, so I figured why not I've got nothing to lose," Aries said.

-Aries was asked whether he would prefer to work with X Division wrestlers or heavyweight wrestlers. He said he feels comfortable with anybody in the ring.

-Regarding Impact going live, Aries said he feels everyone amps it up an extra notch because the show is live. He said he hopes it continues beyond the summer.

-Aries was asked about wrestlers he would like to see join the roster. He mentioned Rhett Titus, Kenny King, and Grizzly Redwood. He noted that he trained Titus and Grizzly. He said they have something to offer in the ring and in the locker room.

-A caller asked if there's a moment that stands out most to him in his TNA run this far. He said the securing his contract during his second run was a big moment. He said there were no promises and he was able to step up.

-Aries was asked whether he feels it is important to showcase the X Division in pay-per-view and television main events more often or if he's comfortable with the current setup. He said there will always be some debate regarding whether the division is a top championship or a secondary championship. He feels the Destination X setup is a step in the right direction and he leaves those calls to the company's decision makers.

-Aries was asked if there's anyone in particular that he would like to see become the face of the X Division now that he's stepping aside. He said he felt Chris Sabin was ready to step up and resume his singles career if it wasn't for his injury. He feels Jesse Sorensen was also on the path before he suffered his neck injury. He teased that there will be new X Division talent and names from the past returning as they head into the pay-per-view. He said he hopes someone steps up like he did.

-It was noted that the X Division Title belt's prestige was raised during his reign. He was asked what the company can do to make sure the title remains as important. He said he feels the championship is only as important as the guy who holds it. He recalled joking recently that he rubs belt, they don't rub him. He said it's about having quality talent and competition. He said there have been injuries and departures, and the division became a little less competitive that he hoped it would be. He said there are efforts to restock it and so it's a matter of accumulating talent and letting the best guys get ahead. "I'm a big proponent of that," Aries said about giving guys the ball and seeing if they can carry it.

-A caller asked what changed about Ring of Honor that led to him being critical of it. He said that he didn't want to get into talking about other companies on a TNA conference call, but he noted that the people who had the original passion and energy are no longer there. He said that's what separated Ring of Honor from the pack previously and he doesn't know if that exists today.

-Aries was asked about TNA's shift to using elements of reality television. He said it's a slippery slope. He feels there are elements they can use and pull the curtain back a bit, but he said they should only want to pull the curtain back so much. "The bottom line is I don't think we want to put a product out there that looks over produced," Aries said. He said he wants to see guys sound like themselves and he feels they have the talent to pull that off.

-Aries was asked about being vilified at times during his career. He said it's nice to get a chance to show "some people and some places" what he can do when he's given the chance. He said his second run with the company has allowed him to prove some of the things he's said. "I've always been a polarizing figure," he said. "I have a strong personality." He said he's comfortable with who he is. "If you're not stirring the pot a little bit and you're not making people nervous, then you're not doing something right."

-A caller mentioned that Aries was trained by Eddie Sharkey and Terry Funk. Aries said the thing he learned the most were respecting the business and the basics. He said neither guy was going to go out there and have a five-star match, so they focussed on the basics. He said Eddie is as carney as it gets. "I got a glimpse at maybe the old guard of wrestling," Aries said. He noted that the things that were pounded home were "basics, basics, basics, and respect, respect, respect." He said you need a foundation to build a house.

-Aries was asked which wrestlers influenced him. He noted that Jerry Lynn and Sean Waltman came out of the Twin Cities like he did and they were inspirations to a lot of the smaller guys. He also mentioned the Four Horsemen and the Midnight Express when he was younger, and Chris Jericho, Dean Malenko, Eddie Guerrero, and Chris Benoit as he got older. He said it was the guys who felt the most believable and had the most conviction in what they were doing.

-Aries said he has absolutely changed his style as he's gotten older. He noted that he's phased out the 450 splash and saves it for special occasions whereas it was a regular finisher for him previously. He said he's tried not to be pigeonholed into a cruiserweight style because your career is essentially over you lose your athleticism goes.

-Aries noted that he only lives 90 minutes from Orlando so it's nice to be close to home, but he feels they need to take the show on the road for growth. He said the crowds in Orlando have improved since they've gone live.

-Aries was asked what it means to main event his first TNA pay-per-view. He said he has main evented elsewhere and will have the same mindset. He said he hopes he and Bobby Roode will bring the best out of one another. "It's my time to put up or shut up and I'm looking forward to that opportunity," he said.

-A caller noted that a number of TNA wrestlers are going to be working for Pro Wrestling Noah. He was asked whether he'd like to see talent from Noah come to TNA. He said it would be great even if it's for a short run. "If I was making that decision, it's something I would definitely explore," Aries said.

-Chris Thomas wrapped up the conference call.

Headshot

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWCU47rnhHY

funny stuff