Problems at TNA?

[Guest bigmatt]

TNA WRESTLERS FRUSTRATED WITH PAY ISSUES, THE COMPLETE STORY

By Mike Johnson on 2015-04-12 16:29:31

While the TNA TV product has been strong since it's move to Destination America, the company is still dealing with internal issues, PWInsider.com has confirmed.

 

TNA is well behind on pay to their wrestlers, according to many talents who reached out to PWInsider.com under the agreement of anonymity over the past several weeks. One wrestler claimed the company is behind two pay periods while others have claimed they are still owed money dating back to February. With no TNA dates scheduled until the live Impact broadcast on 5/8, it has been a growing source of aggravation for TNA wrestlers as they are working the indy scene to supplement their TNA income,

 

In asking sources within the TNA office in Nashville, I am told that the pay issues are legitimate and have been a source of great frustration within the TNA offices over the last several weeks as well. While one source I spoke to denied they were behind two pay periods, they did concede they have been behind on checks being cut to talents and that it was something TNA was trying to get a handle on over the last week.

 

One of the factors involved is that TNA's checks are not cut in Nashville by the company but are outsourced to Dallas, Texas where TNA's parent company Panda Energy is headquartered. This alone adds another step to the process. Complicating that of late is that Panda recently moved their offices and while that move was ongoing, the department that handled issuing checks for TNA personnel and talents was completely closed. As you might imagine, that lead to a backlog on checks being issued the last several weeks.

 

I was also told that since TNA taped so many One Night Only PPVs during their last series of events in Orlando, FL at Universal Studios, that also led to a lot of payroll expenses while the company wasn't generating revenue from those PPV tapings as they were free and the PPVs won't air for several months. This additionally led to a backlog as checks were not cut for the talents working those shows yet.

 

As I noted, it's something those working out of the TNA Nashville office have been very frustrated with and they have been working to rectify the situation. They, however, are likely nowhere near as aggravated by the situation as TNA wrestlers have been.

http://www.pwinsider.com/article/93013/tna-wrestlers-frustrated-with-pay-issues-the-complete-story.html?p=1

[Guest HH-Evolution]

It'll be really an issue if things continue once the Panda Energy move is complete - for now, this seems like it could easily just be a big ol' bump in the road they can soon fix...but if it continues once things settle down, THEN I'd see more of a cause to worry.

 

Still, definitely sucks for the guys getting pay delays...

[Guest bigmatt]

Meltzer said that the TNA guys have been paid now. He also hinted at wider problems with the company though.

 

Taz could be finished with TNA. He didn't fly out to record commentary for TV starting this week.

[The Fury 65]

And taz is gone from tna

[Omega 354]

Garbuick says it's mutual. Taz's tweet here: https://twitter.com/OfficialTAZ/status/588450023613988864

 

I think TNA is in a much worse way than they are letting on if tis is cost saving.

[Guest bigmatt]

Wrestling Observer Newsletter:

The talent was told that the China tour scheduled for the end of this month isn’t happening. It was a significant amount of money tour so the talent booked is very unhappy about it, plus now they have to scramble to get dates for that ten day period. This was a loss of faith in the company.

 

Some have expressed to friends they believe the company is all but dead when they got the word the tour was canceled. TNA had never publicly announced it, but guys had been told it was on until just a few days ago. A lot of guys are putting out feelers to other promotions, but there’s really not a lot of options except for GFW and ROH, with Lucha Underground shut down for now. The talent that has contacted WWE has been told that WWE is not interested in anyone from TNA, even if they would be willing to go to a tryout camp. There is a June camp but some have been told outright that it would be a waste of time to even ask for a spot, because that’s the current mentality. Others have contacted AAA, but they aren’t looking for new foreign regulars. A lot of talent just found out about the 6/28 PPV date, even though it had been reported for weeks, and others said they knew but thought it was bad they read about it before the company told them.

 

...

 

The latest move by Destination America is to completely cancel the Unlocked show, which is the show with the Mike Tenay text messages and interviews. They had been giving it a new time slot every other week, which is usually something that leads to death. To say the honeymoon between regarding Destination America and TNA is over is an understatement. It’s is not a secret within the Destination America company that they are regretting making the deal, which is why all the shoulder programs that were supposed to be part of the deal are now gone. I’m not sure the reasons, as the ratings are way above the network average, but when you watch the show, the ads don’t look impressive and it was a multi-million dollar commitment.

www.wrestlingobserver.com

[Guest John Hancock]

The WWE rule of "no TNA guys", if true, is cold-blooded. I kinda love it, because I'm a mean, but it's still cold.

[Guest HH-Evolution]

It's also so typically hypocritical of them when you consider they've got Samoa Joe lined up currently. XD

[Evil Gringo 279]

If your a TNA guy or an ex-TNA guy that used to wrestle for the WWE and bad mouthed them in the press or a liability (Jeff Hardy/Matt Hardy/Kurt Angle) or just someone who works for TNA who bad mouthed the company (AJ Styles) then I can see why the WWE wouldn't want you.

 

Also look at this way, TNA is dying on its ass and no one wants to see their 'stars' yet places like RoH and PWG are doing well for their size and making money - so do you go for the wrestlers of a company no one watches and therefore it can be assumed they don't care about OR do you go after the Steen's, Genericos, Bucks and such of the world who are doing well on the indy circuit, making a name and actually drawing a crowd?

 

I know it isn't as black and white as that and a lot of it is mismanagement and poor booking that have put these guys in that that position but in the WWE's eyes that just makes them damaged goods.

[Guest John Hancock]

It's also so typically hypocritical of them when you consider they've got Samoa Joe lined up currently. XD

 

Not really, it's not like they came out and said "fuck TNA guys" or "TNA guys suck", they aren't making a statement on anything, so there's nothing there for them to be hypocritical about. If a Premier League team buys a lower league team's best player it doesn't really make sense for the rest of the team to turn around and go "Why didn't you buy all of us!? HYPOCRITES!". They raided TNA for everyone they were interested, and then let it be publicly known that the lifeboats are full. It's a bit spiteful, but in a particularly funny way, because, seriously, just fuck TNA right off, but it's not hypocritical for them to say they've already got everyone off the TNA roster that they want.

[Guest]

To be honest though, I would turn guys down like Bobby Roode, Eric Young, James Storm, MVP, Lashley and whatever. They're all hitting 40, so no point in taking anything in.

Shame about the young guys but if they really really want to go to the WWE then they have to sit around on the Indy scene or look around Japan and Mexico and get "hot" if they can. Like Gringo said, you're going nowhere with TNA. You can be in TNA and be just as good as the guys on the Indy scene but TNA isn't exactly the place representatives from the Performance Center are heading cause you're fucking rotting moldy cheese from Nashville and not the high-end mold cheese they're looking for.

 

Comparing wrestlers to moldy cheese. Where did that come from?

[Guest Jayfunk]

I would take Roode, Storm and Aries they have a proven track record of producing good to great matches Edited May 7, 2015 by dsrchris

[Evil Gringo 279]

Work rate takes a back seat to putting asses in seats though and seen as those three men have been champion in the leanest years of TNA's existence do you think that WWE would touch them as a result?

[Guest bigmatt]

The WWE rule of "no TNA guys", if true, is cold-blooded. I kinda love it, because I'm a mean, but it's still cold.

 

Yep.

[Omega 354]

There was a time when the MCM and maybe Roode and Storm could have done something in the WWE but they all held on for it to happen in TNA and now their moment is done.

[The Fury 65]

Only one I reckon with a shot of coming back is Galloway and at a long shot of a signing magnus, but the rest no chance

[Evil Gringo 279]

Depends as Magnus is engaged to Mickie James and the father of her child and if I recall there is some heat between the WWE and Mickie regarding some backstage goings on isn't there that led to her release?

 

As for Galloway, they haven't long cut him really and he didn't set the world on fire whilst he was there. Seriously, if people where wanted then the WWE would have made moves by now given the money and TV situation is well known.

[Guest bigmatt]

What about Bram? I've never seen him but he's married to Charlotte, is a reasonable size and has a decent look and is only 28. He's been away from their developmental for a few years, is he any good? Has he improved?

[The Fury 65]

Bram got fired for being arrested a second time while in nxt so I doubt they'd resign him

 

Galloway has been on fire in the indies Winning belts in Europe and America such as evolve and dragon gate.

[Guest bigmatt]

Ah, I didn't know he was fired for legal issues. I thought it was a little strange, he seems like a decent prospect on paper unless he's horrible in the ring and/or on the mic.