Rumour: TNA Ownership

It is being reported that WWE will soon be owners of TNA's video library, and that Billy Corgan is going to take majority control of what was TNA and rebrand it.

Looks like WWE went in and got what they wanted. This could be huge, could be nothing, but at the very least the best years of TNA will now be in Vince's control.

Is this awful for TNA? The best they could have hoped for?

It's okay for TNA, it really does depend on what Corgan does with it now. Imagine he'll rename it and then it'll all depend on whether they can pick up a bit of momentum, otherwise it'll die quickly I think. The positive for TNA is that they get money and still have all their TV deals, so they can start again. 

WWE can now do retrospectives on AJ Styles and Samoa Joe, as well as fill in gaps for people like Sting, Christian, Ric Flair etc.

What interests me is that everyone will know the TNA they mention, if they mention it, is now called something else. So it doesnt really solve the "dont talk about TNA" problem

It's good news for guys like Cody and Galloway as they won't lose their jobs once again, and best news for WWE as they now have some amazing matches to highlight. Though inevitably there will be the classic WCW style bashing

Does it affect Joe, Aries, Roode?

I think its best case scenario for all parties.  WWE get what they want and TNA gets to keep going - albeit under a different brand name.

The TNA name has always been poison for years now, its time to consign it to the history books.

Need to drop all the silly gimmicks and get back to basics for a complete fresh start, the only thing I would keep about old TNA is Broken Matt Hardy and thats only because it gets people talking.  And I would drop that ridiculous Grand Championship.

The only way I can think it would affect Joe, Aries and Roode is if they are still owed money from TNA. Surely the money raised from the tape library would be used to pay that off unless they declare bankruptcy.

Dolphin Ziggler wrote:What interests me is that everyone will know the TNA they mention, if they mention it, is now called something else. So it doesnt really solve the "dont talk about TNA" problem

I imagine it's not too big of an issue to be honest. They've mentioned it a fair few times on Talking Smack. I can't think of any of TNA's biggest stars who aren't either WWE products or have since appeared for WWE. Whatever new TNA is, they're not competition so I feel like WWE can feel free to use the TNA name without them feeling like it will harm them.

I was just thinking about those three because WWE may now want to push them front and centre more if they are gonna make a deal of archived footage. I'd imagine that stuff ends up on the network, and maybe you then put those people on TV to try generate interest from name to video and video to name

Aries I don't think will make it as a big deal on Raw/SD but Joe I expect will be a decent draw and Roode for the entrance music alone.

WWE owning the tapes can only be a good thing for them, it allows WWE to use alot more back story to build someone up. Just look at Sting. '12 years in obscurity' made it sound like he'd done nothing all that time, so it gives casual or younger fans little reason to be invested.

Samo wrote:I think its best case scenario for all parties.  WWE get what they want and TNA gets to keep going - albeit under a different brand name.

The TNA name has always been poison for years now, its time to consign it to the history books.

Need to drop all the silly gimmicks and get back to basics for a complete fresh start, the only thing I would keep about old TNA is Broken Matt Hardy and thats only because it gets people talking.  And I would drop that ridiculous Grand Championship.

The only way I can think it would affect Joe, Aries and Roode is if they are still owed money from TNA.  Surely the money raised from the tape library would be used to pay that off unless they declare bankruptcy.

Are you mad? The Grand Championship is one of the best ideas they've had in years. It lets them put on matches with a pure competitive angle...no feuds or back stories necessary. Its also something that no other promotion are doing (AFAIK) so it gives them another USP to go with the X Division.

Until they can get their creative team turning out some decent material they should definitely stick with it.

Also hope they stick with the 6-sided ring as its another big visual gimmick that distinguishes them from other promotions. It also allows them to use the term "Six Sides of Steel" for cage matches.

Suppose my biggest curiosity is how they will rename the company. Whatever they do, they're going to have to redesign all their belts.

As others have said, selling their video archive isn't that big a deal, as they've never been a serious rival to WWE. In TNA's hands it had a relatively limited potential audience, with a correspondingly low value. I expect WWE can put it to far better use.

Part of the magic of wrestling is the back story and the feuds. Two guys could put on a technical masterclass but if theres no vested interest then why would you care? It works in non-scripted combat sports because its 'genuine competition' (in the sense the results are based on ability and skill rather than a script). It doesnt translate well in wrestling. All of the best matches in history have had compelling back stories to give the crowd something to care about. Its just another title and gimmick to try and stand out, which they dont need. Granted, its not as ludicrous as the King of the Mountain title but its still silly in my opinion.

The 6 sided ring is another thing to drop. Its been well documented that alot of the talent dont like it, and its alot stiffer to work with than a traditional 4 sided ring. Is the gimmick and 'standing out' really worth potentially injuring talent or forcing them to wrestle a softer style? Theres plenty more wrong with it that I could list but I could be here all day.

The other top indy federations out there (ROH, PWG, ICW, Evolve etc) dont need a 6 sided ring to distinguish themselves from each other and they're all doing fine.

They've a chance at a fresh start, so they should start by dropping the silly gimmicks and going back to basics.

Samo wrote:Part of the magic of wrestling is the back story and the feuds.  Two guys could put on a technical masterclass but if theres no vested interest then why would you care?  It works in non-scripted combat sports because its 'genuine competition' (in the sense the results are based on ability and skill rather than a script).  It doesnt translate well in wrestling.  All of the best matches in history have had compelling back stories to give the crowd something to care about.  Its just another title and gimmick to try and stand out, which they dont need.  Granted, its not as ludicrous as the King of the Mountain title but its still silly in my opinion.

The 6 sided ring is another thing to drop.  Its been well documented that alot of the talent dont like it, and its alot stiffer to work with than a traditional 4 sided ring.  Is the gimmick and 'standing out' really worth potentially injuring talent or forcing them to wrestle a softer style?  Theres plenty more wrong with it that I could list but I could be here all day.

The other top indy federations out there (ROH, PWG, ICW, Evolve etc) dont need a 6 sided ring to distinguish themselves from each other and they're all doing fine.

They've a chance at a fresh start, so they should start by dropping the silly gimmicks and going back to basics.

Er...I believe thats exactly what I said.

UNTIL they can get their creative department sorted out, the Grand Title gives them a platform for unscripted matches that still make some sort of sense. I'm guessing you're not a regular TNA viewer, or you'd realise many matches have little to no back story and its been this way for years.

Even if they do get their creative team working properly, I still think it would make a good platform for some of their lesser talent to get some exposure...possibly a route into a heavyweight feud / contender / title match.

As to the 6-sided ring, I have read about those issues, but you'd think it wouldn't be all that hard to design a softer / bouncier mat and use ropes with less tension in them, so they're easier on the wrestlers' bodies.

As for your last comment, isn't pro wrestling mainly about gimmicks? They're only silly if they're inappropriate, or not used properly. Its all very well going back to basics, but then how do you distinguish yourself as a wrestling franchise if you're just doing what everyone else is doing?

I actually quite liked the KOTM matches and felt they only needed tweaking slightly, both to make them a little more impressive and feel a little less gimmicky. That said, I do appreciate they are probably pretty time-consuming to work out, as well as requiring a lot of props, when you also have to plan steel cage, TLC and Monsters' Ball matches etc.

dyrewolfe wrote:

Er...I believe thats exactly what I said.

UNTIL they can get their creative department sorted out, the Grand Title gives them a platform for unscripted matches that still make some sort of sense. I'm guessing you're not a regular TNA viewer, or you'd realise many matches have little to no back story and its been this way for years.

Even if they do get their creative team working properly, I still think it would make a good platform for some of their lesser talent to get some exposure...possibly a route into a heavyweight feud / contender / title match.

As to the 6-sided ring, I have read about those issues, but you'd think it wouldn't be all that hard to design a softer / bouncier mat and use ropes with less tension in them, so they're easier on the wrestlers' bodies.

As for your last comment, isn't pro wrestling mainly about gimmicks? They're only silly if they're inappropriate, or not used properly. Its all very well going back to basics, but then how do you distinguish yourself as a wrestling franchise if you're just doing what everyone else is doing?

I actually quite liked the KOTM matches and felt they only needed tweaking slightly, both to make them a little more impressive and feel a little less gimmicky. That said, I do appreciate they are probably pretty time-consuming to work out, as well as requiring a lot of props, when you also have to plan steel cage, TLC and Monsters' Ball matches etc.

This isnt genuine competition is it? Its not shoot fighting. Its wrestling dressed up as shoot fighting. Wrestling fans like wrestling because of characters, stories and gimmicks. MMA fans like MMA because of the competition and its genuine nature. This is a weird blend of the two that shouldnt really appeal to either side, except for a tiny middle ground minority.

Its not that hard to design a softer/bouncier ring and ropes with less tension - in fact they already have them. They're called 4 sided rings.

Theres this idea that TNA need to distinquish themselves. WCPW are a promotion thats only a few months old but they've just done an iPPV infront of 2000 people. Not a reverse ladder match or a six sided ring in sight. If you build it, they will come. Like I said, focus on the basics of what makes a good wrestling show and build on that.

It's not reverse royal rumble bad, but it's not good either

Samo wrote:

dyrewolfe wrote:

Er...I believe thats exactly what I said.

UNTIL they can get their creative department sorted out, the Grand Title gives them a platform for unscripted matches that still make some sort of sense. I'm guessing you're not a regular TNA viewer, or you'd realise many matches have little to no back story and its been this way for years.

Even if they do get their creative team working properly, I still think it would make a good platform for some of their lesser talent to get some exposure...possibly a route into a heavyweight feud / contender / title match.

As to the 6-sided ring, I have read about those issues, but you'd think it wouldn't be all that hard to design a softer / bouncier mat and use ropes with less tension in them, so they're easier on the wrestlers' bodies.

As for your last comment, isn't pro wrestling mainly about gimmicks? They're only silly if they're inappropriate, or not used properly. Its all very well going back to basics, but then how do you distinguish yourself as a wrestling franchise if you're just doing what everyone else is doing?

I actually quite liked the KOTM matches and felt they only needed tweaking slightly, both to make them a little more impressive and feel a little less gimmicky. That said, I do appreciate they are probably pretty time-consuming to work out, as well as requiring a lot of props, when you also have to plan steel cage, TLC and Monsters' Ball matches etc.

This isnt genuine competition is it?  Its not shoot fighting.  Its wrestling dressed up as shoot fighting.  Wrestling fans like wrestling because of characters, stories and gimmicks.  MMA fans like MMA because of the competition and its genuine nature.  This is a weird blend of the two that shouldnt really appeal to either side, except for a tiny middle ground minority.

Its not that hard to design a softer/bouncier ring and ropes with less tension - in fact they already have them.  They're called 4 sided rings.

Theres this idea that TNA need to distinquish themselves.  WCPW are a promotion thats only a few months old but they've just done an iPPV infront of 2000 people.  Not a reverse ladder match or a six sided ring in sight.  If you build it, they will come.  Like I said, focus on the basics of what makes a good wrestling show and build on that.

And therein lies the difference. WCPW are a brand new company and are starting from the ground up, so they're doing what you would expect a new company to do.

If you'd been doing a job at a struggling company for over a decade, were experienced and highly qualified, would you want to go to a smaller (but financially more secure) company as an apprentice?

I'm not saying TNA can't learn a few things from the way newer or smaller companies do things, (in fact I've said before they need to change if they want to survive and grow in the long term), but they also have to operate in a way that pays the bills in the meantime.

Given that there is so much competition in the indy scene, I think its important they have competitions and visual gimmicks that distinguish them from the rest...at the very least it can't hurt.

TNA President Billy Corgan has filed a lawsuit against Impact Wrestling, their parent company Impact Ventures LLC, TNA Chairman Dixie Carter, TNA Chief Financial Officer Dean Broadhead and Dixie's husband Serg Salias

He's also got a temporary restraining order.

Things have got crazy. Dixie Carter has messed up. Billy Corgan has gone from maybe saving TNA to potentially being the one to put the final nail in the coffin.

I don't know TNA manage to make themselves look even more ridiculous weekly.

What is the law suit and restraining order for?

Also - Billy Corgan got real fat (says me ... But I'm not on telly)

It appears TNA/Dixie Carter owe money to a number of people, one of which being Corgan. I'd guess he was willing to fund TNA out of pocket with the knowledge he would soon own it anyway, and now either Dixie isn't playing ball, or he realises just how screwed the situation in TNA is.

I tell ya, TNA could survive the apocalypse. They just carry on

Apparently a few stars were missing entrance music due to music rights (couldn't afford em)

Twinkies,Cockroaches & TNA
#ApocalypseSurvivors

They had to edit the music out in post production. Apparently there's an entertaining video of DJ Z dancing around to complete silence from one of the tapings.

You couldn't make it up.

Dolphin Ziggler wrote:
I tell ya, TNA could survive the apocalypse. They just carry on

A bit like a certain person running for the US presidency, eh? Just declare bankruptcy, create a corporate entity with a new name and start over. Next we'll hear they owe 16 years' worth of taxes.

Cassius Zhi wrote:
What is the law suit and restraining order for?

Also - Billy Corgan got real fat (says me ... But I'm not on telly)

Well he's a rich former rock star that no longer tours, does drugs and shags loads of groupies to stay thin. I'm guessing he can't play guitar any more, as there is something wrong with his left hand (looks very red and swollen compared to his right).

So when you can't be a rock star any more, you comfort eat and indulge in your hobbies.

Also, I dare you to say that to Samoa Joe...in person...

dyrewolfe wrote: there is something wrong with his left hand (looks very red and swollen compared to his right)

That's from where he got his fingers burnt by Zwan

Or its all a weird and long Beadle-about joke

"A couple of guys are ready to declare themselves as free agents next week if they don't get paid."

TNA owes a lot of taxes to the state of Tennessee, to the point that the state now has the right to seize TNA property if the debt is not repaid.

The situation with TNA continues to get worse. We had an update last night covering the lawsuit filed by Billy Corgan as well as more on who the dots are connecting as far as who paid for the most recent Bound for Glory and TV tapings and what the status the company is in, some notes on what is believed to be in the sealed lawsuit and even how for a period of time yesterday it was possible that the TV show wouldn't have even aired and why.

A correction from last night's show is that MCC Acquisitions Corporation was listed as being owed money as of 9/30. Keep in mind that 9/29 was when the money came in to allow them to tape. MCC Acquisitions shares the same physical address as Anthem Sports and Entertainment, which is the parent company of The Fight Network. On last night's show, we said it was Anthem Sports that was just owed more money based on filings on 9/30. Anthem Sports is owed money as well. David Bixenspan and Kris Zellner have the story.

The total debt owed by TNA to Aroluxe, Anthem and MCC Acquisitions is listed at $3.4 million. TNA has already sold some of its tape library to Anthem.

The latest is a story by David Bixenspan who found out that the Davidson County Register of Deeds and the State of Tennessee had issued a tax lien against TNA Entertainment, LLC on 9/8. The company owes back taxes in an amount unspecified and got so far behind in paying it that the state has the right to seize company property if the debt isn't repaid. While the company is no longer TNA Entertainment, LLC, now called Impact Ventures LLC, Tennessee law allows the government to go after successor companies. It's a financial disaster, between this, getting evicted from their offices due to being unable to pay rent several months ago, and Corgan's attempt to buy the company falling apart.

Calm yourself Ziggy...I can almost feel your boner from here!

Have you given any thought yet about who you will rag on after TNA have finally folded?


On a more serious note, thats some interesting, if depressing, information.

I have just coped and pasted some articles and information. If I'm honest, I find TNA a bit funny and also don't really care about them. They're daft.

nthem Sports and Entertainment issued the following statement to Live Audio Wrestling:

Toronto – Anthem Sports & Entertainment Corp. (“Anthem”), the parent company of Fight Network, today confirmed that it recently made a working capital loan to fund the operations of TNA Impact Wrestling. Fight Network is a licensee of TNA programming for broadcast in the U.S., Canada and other international markets, and is also the exclusive licensee of TNA for streaming Internet-delivered TV.

Fight Network has also offered to provide TNA Impact Wrestling with funding to repay the loans made by Mr. Billy Corgan and is positioned to provide additional transitional assistance to the company.

“TNA is a strong property for Fight Network and as a licensee and global distribution partner we have a keen interest in seeing the company not only survive but continue to grow and thrive, alongside our own growth,” said Leonard Asper, CEO of Anthem. “We are hopeful that the company can soon get back to doing what it does best, which is to produce great wrestling content.”

Wow - even more interesting. Seems Anthem and Fight Network are alone in their assessment of TNA as a "strong property". Everyone else seems to think they're a lame horse that needs shooting.

Still, if it gives Corgan more time to finalise a buyout and stamp more of his influence on TNA, thats a good thing IMHO.

Dolphin Ziggler wrote:
I have just coped and pasted some articles and information. If I'm honest, I find TNA a bit funny and also don't really care about them. They're daft.

If you didn't care about them, you wouldn't keep commenting about them, surely?

More details about Corgans lawsuit have emerged.

Corgan claims that TNA's debt now outweighs its worth - meaning its insolvent. When Corgan invested a third time in August, he entered a '100% equity pledge agreement' with Carter which means if TNA become insolvent then he gets control of Dixies 92.5% shares of the company.

Its also being reported that although talent were told they would get cheques for the recent taping block almost none of them have which has prompted atleast a dozen to threaten to quit, and several have retained attorneys to declare a breach of contract and that they are now free agents.

In laymans terms - its a matter of when now, not if Dixie loses control.

From PWI
We've received a lot of questions about whether Monday's ruling from the Chancery Court in Nashville, TN could be the end of Dixie Carter's involvement in TNA. What is being ruled upon Monday is whether Billy Corgan's current temporary restraining order against the company is replaced by a Temporary Injunction. If that happens, the current stockholders will be unable to sell the company and no major business decisions will be able to be made without Corgan's input and approval. If the injunction is declined, things return to the way they were before Corgan filed suit in terms of Carter, etc. making decisions. A decision on whether Corgan indeed gets to take over Carter's control of the company's 92.5% voting rights could happen, but based on what we have heard from readers who work in the legal field, the fact Corgan's attorney was being asked how they were applying TN law to those claims could be a sign the court is not seeing it the same way they are. In either event, Corgan's loan still has to be repaid by 11/1, which is the day after the ruling. The lawsuit that was filed by Corgan can still move forward no matter what decision is made by Chancellor Ellen Hobbs Lyle regarding the injunction. 
The other big question yet to be answered is whether Corgan not only gets his $1.8 million back but also the "corporate transaction" fee, which based on what was stated in court earlier this week, was 50% of his loan, so that's an additional $900,000 he is looking for. Anthem Media's attorney stated in court they were willing to repay the $1.8 but not the $900,000. It's possible that should the lawsuit move forward, the $900,000 becomes something that is wrangled in court even if/when Corgan gets the $1.8 million back. 
If Corgan does not get his injunction, it appears what will happen, based on Corgan's discovery, is this: Anthem pays off Corgan and he exits the picture. Anthem takes 85% of the control of the company, as Corgan's attorneys learned through their discovery. Aroluxe takes a secondary ownership stake of 10%, setting up their own CEO Jason Brown as the CEO of Impact Ventures for at least three years. Dixie Carter retains a small ownership stake at 5%. Anthem would then fund the company going forward and for the short-term, the company would tape TV 3-4 times a year and that would be it. 

What will be interesting to follow is this: if Corgan ends up out, that's the exit of someone who was extremely well liked within the locker room while Carter would remain in some capacity. Corgan had a lot of communication with the talents in comparison to the other parties involved in current ownership, including Dixie Carter, and was seen as a babyface in the scenario by a lot of (but not all) of the wrestlers. If Carter retains her power, going forward, she then has to deal with the fact that she told the locker room she would not let WWE buy the company, when court documents revealed that not only was she willing to let that happen, but there were talks of a sale all the way back to June of this year. Just a few days before her locker room talk, WWE submitted a non-binding offer to purchase the company's library and assets - which means that unless WWE was going to take all the talents (we are told by a WWE source that they believe that was not the case), everyone involved would have been out of a job. Carter told talents on 10/3 she wasn't letting a sale happen. On 9/25, Dean Broadhead was sending WWE documentation that was requested to help WWE follow through with due dilligence. That is quite the bridge Carter is going to have to mend with the locker room.
As noted previously, the company has dates in January for Universal Studios in Orlando. We previously reported 1/4-1/10. The 1/4 date is actually a load-in date, so the actual tapings would be 1/5-1/10. 1/5/17 is a Thursday, so that would mean a "live" episode. We are told the current plan is to try and shoot 12 episodes of Impact that week, which sounds insanely grueling for all involved.
If they are filming 12 Impact Wrestling episodes, that means the annual UK tour is not happening in 2017, which is not really a shock since the company never put those tour dates on sale. Nothing had ever been announced as to where it was happening or not and it was pretty obvious that it wasn't, but given the amount of email we received from readers across the pond, there were still fans hoping they would.
The 12 Impact Wrestling episodes would then, based on a calendar I looked at, take the company through until 3/3/17, which is Wrestlemania week in Orlando, so it would appear the company plan is to then do another round of tapings that week with a "live" episode on Thursday 3/30. So, it appears we can add free TNA tapings at Universal to the madness that will be Wrestlemania 33 week.
There's also still no announcement regarding the postponed but said to be rescheduled India tour.




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I think either way Carter is finished. She either loses the case and the company or she wins and has a locker room full of talent who dont trust her and wont want to work for her.

Certainly sounds like it.

Even if Corgan is paid off and walks away, Anthem will take over (or at least put their own CEO in place) and run what sounds like a much reduced schedule. Doesn't sound like they have any immediate interest in trying to grow TNA as a company, or maybe its just a short term measure while they figure out exactly what they want to do with their new acquisition.

Either way it seems like good news that Dixie will be finally out of the picture, as far as any major decision making goes.

I still hope Corgan gets his way as he seems like a genuine wrestling fan with some interesting ideas about how to take the company forward.

I also notice there has been no mention of a Maximum Impact UK tour for next year (normally they are hyping it on TV from October onwards).

Yeah usually around now I'm being offered free tickets and they've not been forthcoming!

Yeah, it seems t obe that they believe (in the dirtsheets) that there will be no UK tour.

Interesting on Anthem, as they have production studios in Canada, Vegas and New York (I think I read) and some are wondering whether they would move it there. They would also have the capability to charge for entry etc. Canada and New York are both fascinating options.

Can they plug in to the wrestling that New York wants? If they get that on side and loyal then they have a great fanbase there.

Or Canada, all that history, a passionate wrestling audience who probably still has lingering issues with WWE and would love to have its own big name in North American wrestling again.

The issue being; how much of the debt would they have to take on? Thats the part that sees an offer from WWE as more likely to be taken. Probably ends all the hassle. If they did plan to take assets, they may take the tapes and the name, take some talent but leave the rest without jobs. From there, Corgan/Anthem/anyone else could rebrand and start from scratch.

So Billy Corgan has lost his application for a restraining order.

Not sure where this all leaves TNA. It's good for Dixie at least.

Challenge have dropped TNA.

UK audience was one of their biggest and their international TV deals were keeping them afloat, not sure they're going to survive.

A bit of a disappointment for UK fans who have been following TNA. Can't see it getting picked up by anybody similar.

Hopefully Challenge pick up some different Wrestling then Lucha Underground got a deal in Germany so could pop up over here.

I'd have thought now that they're owned by Sky they'd stay away from more wrestling so as to not compete with WWE, it was a surprise that they renewed TNA at the time.

You'd have to think if TNA do get picked up it would be on one of Channel 5s stations, viewing figures are pretty decent so I could see the attraction in 5 getting it and sticking it on 5USA or 5*...not sure it's a show they'd contemplate putting on their number one channel though.

It does surprise me BT haven't gone for something like it. It's an easy audience and they are flush

With them having UFC you'd imagine that it could be something they might be interested in, that's a good shout.

I'm just not sure if TNA's audience is so loyal that they'd start to pay for it. I think it's popular on Challenge because it's free. It wouldn't even make a small dent on BT's numbers, who only bother with the football and other sports as a way of getting people to sign up for their broadband over Sky's. TNA was getting between 175,000 and 210,000 viewers each week which is tiny compared to football, not to mention WWE was getting about half of that on pay TV. 

The only chance TNA has is getting picked up by another Freeview channel, but with the state they're in right now, why would anybody bother?

I wonder if Challenge are looking to capitalize upon ITVs interest in wrestling and look to host more UK wrestling instead?

If UK wrestling continues to grow in popularity and was somehow able to score a free to air tv deal, do you think Vince would have to consider his options in the UK; for example allowing Smackdown on Free to Air, or Availible through the Network in the UK?