BoboBrazil

--Alex Marvez reports that a Fox Sports Net source informed him the TNA deal has been signed and starts 6/4 in the Friday at 3 p.m. time slot. wrestlingobserver.com

Yeah he doesn't really need to go back to Mortis now. He is known more as Kanyon anyway, plus he can't cut promos as Mortis.

He can't use Mortis. WWE owns it.

Well they could bring in Bischoff for that(if he doesn't resign with WWE) or some of the WCW guys that will undoubtedly be released in June when their 3 year deals come up. I think O'haire will be available in June.

NEW NWATNA.COM STORE This Friday, the new NWATNA.com merchandise store will launch on the website - SHOPTNA.com. In addition to looking more professional and organized with more sales options, new TNA merchandise will debut including a visor, tattoos and a "Property Of TNA" shirt. -from Bill Bank's column I seem to have found a preview of the site as well http://shoptna.com/catalog/

-The update on the tv deal is those inside the company are saying the deal is done. They are buying time on the station with the belief that their ratings will be good enough that they eventually won't have to(which almost never happens). The 3p.m. time slot is how it stands now, although it may be changed to 11am on Sundays. FSN is charging more for the later slot, and now the question is in the hands of Panda whether they want to pay significantly more money per week for what would be a better timeslot. The Jarretts are still trying to push for Sunday, but Friday is more likely. Still with the non staggered feed, it death either way on the West Coast, because you've either got Noon on Friday when noone is home or 8am on Sundays when noone is awake. The vast majority of people within wrestling Dave has spoken to since the slot has become well known feel that it will be disastrous to the company, because of all the added expense of buying time and flying everyone into Orlando and paying them, and the time slot and station are so weak that it won't add any buyrates. That is probably what will happen, but perhaps it will open up licensing and merchandise deals. The Orlando deal for the tapings also seems to be a done deal. -Jimmy Hart, who was the conduit for the Orlando deal as well as opening the doors to THQ and a new york ad agency, will probably be returning behind the scenes, but likely also as a character within a few weeks. His no compete with WWE for appearing at the WWE Hall of Fame ended this week. -There are plans to start running house shows in select markets as experiments after tv gets in place. Well if they are into piling up losses at a faster pace, running house shows these days is the way to do it. -Many people were writing that AJ getting the title and Daniels getting on the X team were concessions for them quitting ROH, but both of these things were planned over a month ahead of time. It was written here that AJ getting the belt was the original plan and losing it back to Jarrett before the first tv show(still the plan). Russo wanted Styles to be champion and Jarrett had no problem with it, but was insistent he be the champion when tv get off the ground.

NWA:TNA has looked into purchasing a six-sided wrestling ring (they may have already purchased the ring, but I don't have that confirmed) with the idea of using it for the X-Division starting this June, which is also when TNA's Fox Sports Network TV deal is believed to begin. The six-sided ring would be a first on American television. Toryumon and AAA have used six-sided rings before and a bout featuring a six-sided ring was being built up as a main event attraction in Major League Wrestling before that promotion halted operations in February. I have heard TNA approached the same ringmaker that MLW was going to use. pwinsider.com It offers alot more possibilities for spots.

Bobby Rude is a heavyweight though. He doesn't wrestle X division style matches. I can't believe they brought back Eric Young. That dude is sooo horrible.

Erik Watts is a recognizable name? WHAT?

They brought back fucking Erik Watts. I keep trying to have hope for this company, but they keep doing dumb shit.

One television insider reports that TNA will be paying a programming fee to appear on Fox Sports Network. Meanwhile, sources estimate that the company is losing between $30,000 and $40,000 per week under the current format. "This (the FSN deal) will speed up the inevitable quickly," one source predicts. The latest rumors on the Fox Sports Network deal is that TNA officials are debating between the offered Friday at 3 p.m. (EST) and Sunday at 11 a.m. time slots. Jeff Jarrett is said to be pushing for the Sunday time slot, which a pay-per-view industry follower agrees with. "I think Jeff is making the right decision because the Sunday slot is more attractive to potential advertisers," said the source. "I don't think either slot is really right for them, but Sunday is the better of the two being discussed." Other sources report that TNA will pay a programming fee to appear on the network, but will retain most of the advertising time which they will have to sell in-house. There are some sources who claim that the deal will cost TNA as much as $50,000 per hour, although that price could drop if the company elects to go with the cheaper Friday afternoon time slot. Most sources are under the impression that it would be a 52 week deal that would give both sides the right to terminate after 26 weeks... There was plenty of talk backstage last Wednesday that Fox Sports Network representatives will be attending this week's pay-per-view... ·After weeks of build-up for the Jeff Jarrrett vs. Chris Harris NWA World Title cage match, NWA-TNA did an injury angle with Harris and replaced him with A.J. Styles on the Apr. 21 PPV. NWA-TNA officials never actually planned to have Harris wrestle Jarrett in the cage match main event of Wednesday's show. A.J. Styles was booked in that slot from the very beginning and the office actually came up with the injury angle plan at least two weeks ago. If nothing else, at least TNA is planning ahead when it comes to the main event angles rather than booking them on the fly. ·TNA officials wanted to book Sonjay Dutt vs. Amazing Red for next week (which X Champ Kazarian referenced on last week's PPV), but the match won't be taking place because Dutt will be working in Japan. TNA officials also posted a note next to the board in the locker room that lists the matches, asking the wrestlers to turn in a copy of their calender through the month of August. There was plenty of speculation that this was somehow tied to the FSN deal, and while that could be the case, it could also be that TNA officials want to avoid further scheduling conflicts similar to Dutt's. ·NWA-TNA Notebook: TNA backstage interviewer Scott Hudson missed the pay-per-view because he was involved in an automobile accident on his way show. Hudson's car was totaled and he was taken to a nearby hospital for medical treatment, but was released by the end of the night. Hudson reportedly walked away from the accident uninjured and will probably return to TNA next week... There is some heat on Dallas for not selling. Let the jokes begin about how the similarities between he and Kevin Nash extend beyond physical appearance... If TNA does tape FSN shows at Universal Studios, they won't be able to bring in fans as easy as WCW did for the Worldwide tapings years ago. A source familiar with the studio reports that it has been renovated since the Worldwide days, and it's no longer possible to simply usher in groups of fans on a tour because of the way the building is now set up... Former WWE wrestler Nathan Jones is said to be living in Orlando, Fla. With TNA heavily rumored to be taping Fox Sports Network shows in the city, some wrestlers are predicting that Jones will end up working for TNA. That depends on whether Jones got along with Jeff Jarrett while they were working those World Wrestling All-Star tours a couple of years ago... Goldylocks remains unpopular with most wrestlers in the locker room. There is also some growing animosity toward Chris Harris, James Storm, and Abyss, as other wrestlers accuse them of being shameless suckups to members of the office staff. Dutch Mantel has been a big advocate of Abyss since the two worked together in Puerto Rico. There are some wrestlers who feel that Harris and Storm get a bad rap from wrestlers who are jealous of the push they are receiving... Jerry Jarrett is said to be high on Dallas, the independent wrestler who has been teaming with Kid Kash... The wrestlers paying attention backstage were scratching their heads as much as anyone when D-Lo Brown & Apollo won the NWA Tag Titles via disqualification. Wrestlers couldn't understand why the team didn't win by a clean pinfall, because while some members of the office staff may want to protect Dallas, there is no obvious reason that Kash couldn't have done the job...

Teddy was removed due to commitments in Japan. He thought he could make it in time, but he couldn't.

-There was some talk of doing a Bad News Bears storyline with Team UK with the storyline being that Dave Taylor was stuck with these pitiful guys and had to whip them into shape and they taped vignettes for this, but it was cut due to time constraints. The UK team wasn't even assembled until the day before they were flew in. -Dave feels that the current ppvs would be great as free tv, but not good enough to sustain a weekly ppv purchase. -The next America's X Cup will be hte last taped show for awhile. The plan right now is for it to be US, Mexico, Canada, and Japan with the Japanese team being from All Japan. Dave thinks that they actually have the deal done with All Japan instead of trying to rush like they did before to get it done at the last second. The team would be Kazushi Miyamoto, Tomoaki Honma, Masayuki Kono(if he is ok as he has been hurt lately), and Taichi Ishikari. D'lo put this one together for them. -Scott D'amore does alot of the X cup booking. There is also a page on the TNA/FSN deal, but I'm not about to type it out so here it is http://img1.imageshack.us/img1/8573/wrestl...-04_page_01.jpg

Agreed.

But who's gonna teach Lance how to throw a punch? This guy is still gonna get the axe when his contract is up in June.

THE FALLOUT FROM THE STEEL CAGE MATCH NEW NWA CHAMP AJ STYLES TO APPEAR Last Wednesday night, history was made as AJ Styles entered the Steel Cage and defeated Jeff Jarrett to become the new NWA World Heavyweight Champion. This week, Styles will walk into the Pay-Per-View with a target on his back, as the world title picture is still in complete chaos! Jarrett, Raven, The Truth, Abyss and others will all be in the arena, and without a doubt the title picture is just heating up! SABU vs. THE THE MONSTER ABYSS Two of the most devastating superstars in TNA will cross paths this Wednesday night for the first time, as the Homicidal, Genocidal, Suicidal Sabu will take on the monster Abyss! Can Sabu counter Abyss' strength with his steel chair? Or, will Abyss show Sabu what "hardcore" really means? Tune in this Wednesday night to see two of TNA's wildest superstars fight it out! RAVEN vs. JAMES STORM OF AMW It was Raven who cost "Wildcat" Chris Harris his shot last week against Jeff Jarrett inside the Steel Cage, as Raven reinjured the Wildcat's shoulder. This Wednesday night on Pay-Per-View, Harris' partner and close friend James Storm will attempt to exact revenge on Raven once and for all! Plus, we hope to get an update on the condition of Chris Harris! EIGHT MAN WORLD X CUP PREVIEW MATCH: TEAM NWA vs. TEAM AAA Jerry Lynn, Primetime, Chris Sabin and The Fallen Angel vs. Hector Garza, Abismo Negro, Mr. Aguila and Heavy Metal This Wednesday night on Pay-Per-View, it's a return of the first Americas' X Cup as Team NWA takes on Team AAA from Mexico in an eight man match! Without a doubt, both teams will be looking to put on an aerial showcase with the big World X Cup event a month away on May 26! The Fallen Angel joins his fellow Team NWA members for the first time against defending X Cup Champions Team Mexico! NIGHTSTICK ON A POLE MATCH FOR THE NWA WORLD TAG TEAM TITLE CHAMPIONS KID KASH & DALLAS vs. D'LO BROWN AND APOLLO TNA's disqualification rule cost Kash and Dallas the gold two weeks ago, and the same happened to Apollo and D'Lo last Wednesday night! As a result, NWA officials have signed both teams to a "Nightstick On A Pole" match this Wednesday night on Pay-Per-View with the Tag Team gold at stake! The first team to get to the steel pole gets to use it on their opponents! DIAMOND, SIAKI & DESIRE vs. GILBERTI, SWINGER & TRINITY Last Wednesday night, the lovely Desire made her surprise return to TNA and saved her man Sonny Siaki and Simon Diamond from a beatdown courtesy of Gilberti, Swinger and Trinity! This Wednesday night, the femme fatales will step in the ring alongside the men to compete! What will happen when Desire finally gets her hands on Trinity? Can Diamond and Siaki finally put down Gilberti and Swinger? Tune in and find out! ALSO THIS WEDNESDAY NIGHT - 3LIVE KRU, "ALPHA MALE" MONTY BROWN, THE NEW FRANCHISE, DIRECTOR OF AUTHORITY VINCE RUSSO AND MUCH MORE!

-NWA-TNA officials never planned to have Chris Harris wrestle Jeff Jarrett in the cage match main event of Wednesday's show. A.J. Styles was booked in that slot from the very beginning, and the office actually came up with the injury angle plan at least two weeks ago. If nothing else, it's good to hear that TNA is planning ahead when it comes to the main event angles rather than booking them on the fly. -There was plenty of talk backstage Wednesday that Fox Sports Network representatives will be attending next week's pay-per-view. -TNA backstage interviewer Scott Hudson missed the pay-per-view because he was involved in an automobile accident on his way show. Hudson's car was totaled and he was taken to a nearby hospital for medical treatment, but was released by the end of the night. Hudson walked away from the accident uninjured and will probably return to TNA next week. -There is some heat on Dallas for not selling. Let the jokes begin about how the similarities between he and Kevin Nash extend beyond physical appearance. -TNA officials wanted to book Sonjay Dutt vs. Amazing Red for next week, but the match won't be taking place because Dutt will be working in Japan. TNA officials also posted a note next to the board in the locker room that lists the matches, asking the wrestlers to turn in a copy of their calender through the month of August. There was plenty of speculation that this was somehow tied to the FSN deal, and while that could be the case, it could also be that TNA officials want to avoid further scheduling conflicts similar to Dutt's. -Former WWE wrestler Nathan Jones is said to be living in Orlando, Fla. With TNA heavily rumored to be taping Fox Sports Network shows in the city, some wrestlers are predicting that Jones will end up working for TNA. I suppose that depends on whether Jones got along with Jeff Jarrett while they were working those World Wrestling All-Star tours a couple of years ago. Even if they did get along, I'd like to believe that TNA wouldn't feature Jones since Jarrett knows first-hand how brutal the guy is to work a match with.

Horrible. I guess TNA will be dead by the end of the year if they continue with this. Although it might do decent during the summer months with kids who aren't in school.

Noone posted a thread so here it is and yes you read that right. AJ is new champ.

THE FALLOUT FROM THE STEEL CAGE MATCH NEW NWA CHAMP AJ STYLES TO APPEAR Last Wednesday night, history was made as AJ Styles entered the Steel Cage and defeated Jeff Jarrett to become the new NWA World Heavyweight Champion. This week, Styles will walk into the Pay-Per-View with a target on his back, as the world title picture is still in complete chaos! Jarrett, Raven, The Truth, Abyss and others will all be in the arena, and without a doubt the title picture is just heating up! SABU vs. THE THE MONSTER ABYSS Two of the most devastating superstars in TNA will cross paths this Wednesday night for the first time, as the Homicidal, Genocidal, Suicidal Sabu will take on the monster Abyss! Can Sabu counter Abyss' strength with his steel chair? Or, will Abyss show Sabu what "hardcore" really means? Tune in this Wednesday night to see two of TNA's wildest superstars fight it out! RAVEN vs. JAMES STORM OF AMW It was Raven who cost "Wildcat" Chris Harris his shot last week against Jeff Jarrett inside the Steel Cage, as Raven reinjured the Wildcat's shoulder. This Wednesday night on Pay-Per-View, Harris' partner and close friend James Storm will attempt to exact revenge on Raven once and for all! Plus, we hope to get an update on the condition of Chris Harris! EIGHT MAN WORLD X CUP PREVIEW MATCH: TEAM NWA vs. TEAM AAA Jerry Lynn, Primetime, Chris Sabin and The Fallen Angel vs. Hector Garza, Abismo Negro, Mr. Aguila and Heavy Metal This Wednesday night on Pay-Per-View, it's a return of the first Americas' X Cup as Team NWA takes on Team AAA from Mexico in an eight man match! Without a doubt, both teams will be looking to put on an aerial showcase with the big World X Cup event a month away on May 26! The Fallen Angel joins his fellow Team NWA members for the first time against defending X Cup Champions Team Mexico! NIGHTSTICK ON A POLE MATCH FOR THE NWA WORLD TAG TEAM TITLE CHAMPIONS KID KASH & DALLAS vs. D'LO BROWN AND APOLLO TNA's disqualification rule cost Kash and Dallas the gold two weeks ago, and the same happened to Apollo and D'Lo last Wednesday night! As a result, NWA officials have signed both teams to a "Nightstick On A Pole" match this Wednesday night on Pay-Per-View with the Tag Team gold at stake! The first team to get to the steel pole gets to use it on their opponents! DIAMOND, SIAKI & DESIRE vs. GILBERTI, SWINGER & TRINITY Last Wednesday night, the lovely Desire made her surprise return to TNA and saved her man Sonny Siaki and Simon Diamond from a beatdown courtesy of Gilberti, Swinger and Trinity! This Wednesday night, the femme fatales will step in the ring alongside the men to compete! What will happen when Desire finally gets her hands on Trinity? Can Diamond and Siaki finally put down Gilberti and Swinger? Tune in and find out! ALSO THIS WEDNESDAY NIGHT - 3LIVE KRU, "ALPHA MALE" MONTY BROWN, THE NEW FRANCHISE, DIRECTOR OF AUTHORITY VINCE RUSSO AND MUCH MORE!

Kazushi Miyamoto, Tomoaki Honma, Masayuki Kono, and Taichi Ishikari

TNA's official wrestling school, The Academy At The Asylum, opened this week with the first "Gut Check" tryouts. TNA Academy Head Trainer Scott D'Amore worked with trainees on both days, putting them to the test to see if they had what it took to make it in the wrestling business. After two days of learning the ropes, trainees were evaluated on Tuesday night to determine who would advance to the Academy training program...and who would go home. Two students passed the initial "Gut Check" and will be returning to the Asylum for the training program. If they can survive the next six months, they will be the first graduates of the Academy At The Asylum and will compete for TNA. In addition to D'Amore, TNA competitors Glenn Gilberti, Chris Vaughn and Rick Santel as well as backstage producer Bill Banks were on hand to assist in the evaluation process. Students also had the opportunity to speak on camera about their Gut Check experience, the footage of which will air on TNA programming in the upcoming weeks. Wrestling legend Terry Taylor, who joins D'Amore as the other Head Trainer, was not in attendance as he is recuperating from recent surgery. Taylor will be returning to the Academy in time for next week's training sessions.

NWA:TNA BACKSTAGE NEWS AND NOTES by Buck Woodward @ 1:00:00 PM on 4/22/2004 I haven't heard any real explanation as to why TNA, after spending weeks building to Chris Harris vs. Jeff Jarrett, decided last night to do an injury angle and give AJ Styles the match (and the title). One source said that the attitude backstage was simply "the people really want AJ to win the belt", with no other reason given for the switch. Not to take anything away from Styles, who is deserving of the title, but given that the fans were chanting "Truth" during most of the World Title segments last night, I would say Ron Killings is the "people's choice" these days. Surprising lack of reaction backstage to the match as well, although more than a few have made "the more things change, the more they stay the same" comments in regards to the amount of Vince Russo on the show last night, and how he was the main player in the main event program. At least one person was also very annoyed that Russo talked back to Abyss on camera and showed no fear in front of someone the company has been pushing as a monster in recent weeks. As mentioned on last night's Pay-per-view, Scott Hudson was in a car accident and unable to appear on the show this week. From what I understand, Scott is fine. Surprising lack of talk regarding Fox Sports Net last night backstage, especially compared to last week when there was a great deal of buzz about it. Some sources seem convinced a deal will be done, and TNA is wisely keeping quiet until it is finalized, while others are taking the "If it happens, it happens" attitude and not worrying about it. All talent was told to submit a list of their outside bookings through the end of the summer to Bob Ryder or Tim Welch. A sign in the locker room also relayed the message to workers, with the note "We are working on some special events." I have heard that Jeff Jarrett was strongly in favor of taking the TNA talent off of Ring Of Honor shows. There is definitely a belief amongst some workers that Jarrett and other members of TNA management were jealous, or at the very least annoyed, at the way workers were constantly praising Ring Of Honor (as opposed to TNA) in interviews and backstage. pwinsider.com

Yeah it didn't make much sense. It would have made sense for Raven to be put in because he has been built up to it also, but this made no sense. This is the 2nd time AJ has won the belt with no buildup.

Traci siding with Shane will be explained next week I'm sure. The tag title thing I don't mind, because I couldn't care less about tag team wrestling really so it doesn't bother me, but I do see why some would have a problem with it. I can see where it is heading though as I'm sure it will lead to a no dq match between the two teams for the tag titles either next week or the week after as a blowoff.