TNA Stars And Executive Deny Departures

As noted, F4WOnline reported earlier today that the contracts for Taryn Terrell and Awesome Kong expired this weekend, and that tonight's Slammiversary pay-per-view "is expected to be their last show."

TNA Executive Bob Ryder, Terrell and Kong have all blasted the report on Twitter. Terrel and Kong have stated they not leaving TNA.

Two More Big TNA Departures

The Wrestling Observer is reporting that Awesome Kong and Taryn Terrell's contracts have both expired this weekend. The two will finish up at Slammiversary tonight.

Terrell joined TNA in 2012 as a referee for the knockouts division before becoming a full-time wrestler for the brand. She's the longest reigning Knockouts Champion in history, and is actually still the on-screen champion.

Awesome Kong returned to the company in January after being out of TNA for almost five years. She was fired in 2010 following a physical incident with Bubba the Love Sponge. She spent some time with WWE between TNA stints.

This follows the news that James Storm, Magnus, Low Ki, Austin Aries, Mickie James all left the company, while Gunner and Sam Shaw were released.

At this point the releases are either a work, or the above names will be signing with GFW and the two promotions will be working together. Not sure how TNA can survive with 9 top company talents departing in one week.

Jeff Jarrett on His Return to TNA, Slammiversary, TNA-GFW Relationship

TNA Impact Wrestling Founder and Global Force Wrestling Founder Jeff Jarrett recently spoke to X107.5 FM in Las Vegas about his recent return to TNA Impact Wrestling.
How his TNA return happened:

"Last Wednesday I was in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. On Tuesday night I threw out the first pitch and kicked off the promotion for our Grand Slam tour event. I was sitting at the airport and I got a text from TNA management and they said hey, would you get on a conference call with us today? We’ve got a proposal for you. I actually didn’t respond because my life has been consumed professionally by Global Force Wrestling. As I took the plane back home, I got to thinking: What do they want? They know where my head’s at, they know where my heart’s at. Do they want to do a talent exchange, which has obviously been discussed multiple times over the last couple of months? Do they want to do a big co-show? What do they want?

Curiosity killed the cat and I said sure, I’ll jump on the call. So I got on the call and they said we want you to be in a match. I almost hung up the phone in a diplomatic way; I'm not interested in that. At this time and for the foreseeable future, my wrestling days are in my rearview mirror so I wasn't really interested. And then as they began to spell it out, it’s not just any match, it’s the King of the Mountain match and it’s going to be at Slammiversary, my heart strings began to tug and it conjured up a lot of emotion. At the end of the day I said let’s look at a deal.

I’m going to be answering some questions in the days and weeks to come how this spells out, but as far as I'll call it in front of the camera, this Sunday I’ve agreed to one final match in TNA. Like Karen said, go out on my terms. It’s raw emotion. As a professional wrestler, in-ring performer, whatever you want to call us, my juices began to flow and I'm pumped. I cannot wait to see how this comes about. I am genuinely excited for the future of Global Force Wrestling and how me being in the King of the Mountain match sort of parlays into the next steps."

His final TNA match at Slammiversary on Sunday:

"It’s no secret. Earlier this year in January, I was fortunate enough, blessed enough, excited that I got to wrestle on New Japan's annual Tokyo Dome event in front of 50,000 fans. I’m active in AAA and have a long relationship. But as far as week in and week out, my in-ring career has come to a halt. As far as being on this type of stage at Slammiversary in the company that I founded, this is the final one. A lot of emotion goes into that.

On June 19, 2002, me and my father founded that company. Through the years, the ups and downs, the highs and lows and everything in between, we've had so many people give us so many opinions. You’re not going to last a week, you’re not going to last a month. That company – good, bad or indifferent – they’re having their 13 year anniversary and I’m going to be there in the main event at the King of the Mountain match and I’m pretty damn excited about it. That show is going be seen live in India, the UK – it’s going to be seen live around the world via the Flipps App."

The relationship between TNA and GFW:

"I can tell you from the time I got out of the ring – and it’s still going on right now – the texts and the direct messages and the voicemails that I’ve gotten are like, Jeff, what a surreal moment! It’s one of those moments that not only did you think would never happen but even when it happened you’re like, how in the world did that happen?

Quite frankly, it’s part of Global Force Wrestling’s mission statement. We want to work with New Japan Pro Wrestling and are going to. Same with AAA, same with other promotions around the world. So when TNA reached out to me, I’d be contradictory if I said no I don’t want to work with these guys. Was I really gung-ho on stepping back in the ring? Maybe yes, maybe no. I can tell you between now and Sunday, I’m focused on getting physically prepared and mentally prepared. I’m excited about the future. We want to work with all organizations; we think it’s very, very healthy for the industry."

Kurt Angle Makes Major Health Related Announcement at Impact Wrestling Tapings

While it remains unclear whether or not this is part of a story line, at the TNA Impact Wrestling tapings tonight Kurt Angle announced he will be taking some time off as he had a tumor on his neck and will require surgery. Angle said he will get his rematch against EC3 at some point, but it could be awhile.

This prompted EC3 to come out and take credit for causing the tumor on Angle’s neck, and then attacked Angle before Chris Melendez came out to make the save.

Another Top TNA Star Leaving the Company

There has been speculation for quite sometime as to what the future holds for Austin Aries in TNA.

During tonight’s Impact Wrestling tapings, Aries wrestled Rockstar Spud in match, with the stipulation being that if Aries won, he got to take Spud’s “Rockstar” name. If Spud wins, Aries has to leave TNA.

Spud won the match, and it appears as if Aries is finished with TNA for the time being.

Aries joins James Storm, Magnus and Low Ki as names leaving TNA.

Dixie Carter Confirms TNA Hall of Fame Induction

Dixie Carter confirmed on Twitter that she inducted Jeff Jarrett into the TNA Hall of Fame during tonight's Impact Wrestling tapings in Orlando. The ceremony should air in late July or early August. No word yet if TNA is still planning on doing an induction at this year's Bound For Glory pay-per-view.

Backstage News on Why James Storm and Magnus Are Leaving TNA, Other Departures Expected, More

Regarding James Storm and Magnus leaving TNA, PWInsider reports that both men went to TNA officials and requested their releases due to the fact that TNA is barely running events these days and talents are making a lot less money. Both Storm and Magnus have work waiting for them elsewhere and both wanted to be able to make more money for obvious reasons.

TNA officials understood the situation and let both out of their deals. TNA's plan is to have both wrestlers come back in the future and work TV events. TNA realizes that WWE can sign either man if they want but officials decided to take that risk due to the respect they have for the talents.

On a related note, PWInsider adds that TNA is very open to working with Jeff Jarrett's Global Force Wrestling going forward. TNA is more of a TV promotion these days and are adjusting how they do business to fit the model that they use now. It's expected that more talent situations like these will be happening this year. TNA will likely keep some top talents locked in but they don't have the revenue they once had to be in a position to guarantee contracts.
Read more at http://www.lordsofpain.net/news/tna/Backstage_News_on_Why_James_Storm_and_Magnus_Are_Leaving_TNA_Other_Departures_Expected_More.html#Yqi5SoKaQVJeR5ds.99

Dr. Chris Amann vs. CM Punk Defamation Lawsuit Update

There have been updates in Dr. Chris Amann’s defamation lawsuit against CM Punk and Colt Cabana, stemming from comments made in a November 2014 podcast, that you can follow at this link. Amann, WWE’s senior ringside physician, is suing Punk and Cabana for more than $1 million in compensatory damages, as well as an undetermined amount of punitive damages. While WWE isn’t directly involved, they completely back the suit.

New WWE Network Shows This Week: Triple H And Sting Talk Monday Night War, Swerved, Renee Young

A new episode of WWE Served will premiere on the WWE Network this Monday night after RAW goes off the air. The description reads like this:

"R-Truth gets a lesson in gym safety, a frisky granny invades Axxess and Kofi locks the champ out of Extreme Rules."

Following Swerved, a 30-minute sneak peek of WWE's "Monday Night War: Shots Fired" DVD will air on the WWE Network, featuring Sting and Triple H talking to Renee Young. Below is the description:

"In this Network Exclusive, join Triple H and Sting as they sit down with Renee Young and discuss Monday Night War!"

A new episode of "Unfiltered with Renee Young" premieres on the WWE Network this Wednesday, July 1st at 4pm EST. She will interview 2015 WWE Hall of Famer Arnold Schwarzenegger. Below is the preview:

"Renee's back! Join the Unfiltered host for an exclusive interview with Arnold Schwarzenegger and the cast of Terminator Genisys!"

WWE Network To Air Special On Finn Balor

WWE Network will air a 30-minute special on Finn Balor titled "Finn Balor: The Demon Revealed" on Thursday, July 2nd at 10:30pm EST.

This could be the three-part series on Balor that wraps up on NXT TV this coming week but that's not confirmed. The special will also replay as a lead-in to the July 4th WWE Network "The Beast In The East" special from Tokyo, where Balor will challenge NXT Champion Kevin Owens.

The description for the special that premieres on Thursday reads like this:

"An in depth look inside the life, career and future of NXT Superstar Finn Balor."

WWE Being Sued by Family of Original Doink The Clown

The family of the late Matt Osborne, who is best known as being the first and longest-running professional wrestler to portray the character of Doink the Clown, filed a lawsuit in Dallas, Texas on Friday against WWE.

Osborne's widow, Michelle James, is listed as the plaintiff along with their two children, Matthew and Teagan Osborne, in the lawsuit alleging negligence and fraud related to "mistreatment of Matthew Osborne which ultimately resulted in Matthew Osborne's wrongful death."

It is stated in the lawsuit, "When forced to acknowledge the risks to which it subjects its wrestlers — by script, on a daily basis — WWE took inadequate steps to correct the problem or to address its injurious conduct, the full consequences of which are still coming to light. Indeed, WWE continues a course of conduct designed to mislead its wrestlers, and designed to mislead Matthew Osborne until his death, about the injuries they sustained while wrestling for WWE by failing to disclose pertinent facts or offering misleading truths."

The lawsuit alleges that Osborne experienced "traumatic brain injuries" that resulted in "depression and drug abuse, which ultimately resulted in his untimely death." Osborne was found dead on June 28, 2013, in the Plano, Texas apartment he shared with James. His cause of death was determined to be an accidental overdose of morphine and hydrocodone. He also suffered from heart disease, which was a contributing factor in his death.

WWE attorney Jerry McDevitt has said that WWE is "being targeted by attorneys who tell [wrestlers and their families] there's hundreds of thousands of dollars" to be made filing concussion-related suits. He tells The Dallas Morning News this evening this suit is no different—that it's just another one in a long line of legal filings aimed at "drumming up people ... looking for NFL money."

"They're all different from the NFL. We never had anyone claim they had these kinds of injuries until [these attorneys] did it. They find the destitute, people who have no money, and told them there's money to be made. That's what is going on," said McDevitt. "And I feel bad for these families, because they think they'll make money off of this, and they're not."

When Osborne died two years ago, WWE issued a statement reading, "WWE is saddened by the news that Matt Osborne, aka the original Doink the Clown, has passed away. A rugged brawler in promotions like Mid-South Wrestling and World Championship Wrestling, Osborne made a major impact in WWE under the greasepaint of a prankster named Doink — one of the most enduring personas of the early '90s. Our deepest condolences go out to Osborne's family, friends and fans."

It is alleged in the lawsuit that Osborne began wrestling in 1985 after being approached by WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon. This is incorrect as Osborne began wrestling in 1978 for various National Wrestling Alliance territories, most prominently for Pacific Northwest Wrestling. He joined WWE in 1985, primarily competing as a preliminary wrestler. The highlight of this stint was losing to Ricky Steamboat at the first WrestleMania, held at Madison Square Garden.

The Dallas Morning News' coverage of the story, including the entire 72-page lawsuit, is available here.

TNA Production Staff Told Paychecks Will Be Late Again

A seemingly good week wasn't all sunshine and rainbows for TNA Wrestling apparently, as The Sporting News is reporting that the company is behind on production payments yet again.

During a production meeting on Thurdsay, Ron and Don Harris passed down information that checks for the company's May tapings wouldn't be out until at least July 25. The Harris Twins recently returned to the company and were put in charge of the TNA production team.

The Sporting News says that The Harris Twins said "If you're not happy, just shake our hands and walk away." After a period without payment last year, several production team members refused to work until they were paid.

"I don't blame (the Harris Twins). They're back after 10 years and don't know what's going on," one long-time production employee told the site. Another said "It's the same old TNA bullsh-t."

The standard in the industry is to pay freelance production workers within 30 days of service. This is at least the third time in the past year it's happened with TNA.