WON: backstage issues with TNA?

[Leon TrotSky]

Would need a confirmation from someone with an actual WON sub but summarised:

- several key backstage figures are gone including RD Evans (key member of creative)
- there is nothing planned internally for TNA past the tapings on August 2/3
- the timing of the announcement of TNA/WWE collaboration is "interesting" per Dave

Please don't be hinting what I think this is

 

[Chris]

There is a lot of stuff going on behind the scenes that just started to break. Robert Evans, who was one of the key guys on the creative tam, resigned this past week. Other key people have been let go as well There is nothing on the schedule past 8/2 and 8/3 tapings in Tampa

. The company shut down its Ultimate Insiders YouTube service. It was a $4.99 per month plan. They said they are shutting it down because they can’t deliver a premium experiences though a YouTube owned product. They will be keeping their 99 cents per month plan. They are instead pushing people to join TNA+, which has the entire historical PPV library, all the monthly live specials, current Impact shows and all the Impact shows of the past. They also said that if you sign up for the TNA+ World Champion annual plan they will give people the next two PPV shows free. They also said this summer they will be adding new things to TNA+ and were also offering a two-month trial of TNA+ at the $4.99 per month price they were paying for the YouTube service they are shutting down

What would appear to be close to final Rebellion PPV numbers would be about 3,600 television buys and a rough estimate of 12,000 total. It would be down 83.8 percent from the ridiculously high Hard to Kill number

The 6/6 TV show is being pushed as the 20th anniversary Impact show. Jordynne Grace vs. Allysin Kay will headline for the Knockouts title, plus they’ll have the match where AJ Francis beat Laredo Kid for the Digital Media title, Mike Bailey & Trent Seven vs. Mustafa Ali & Champagne Singh and Jake Something vs. Kon.

This is the TNA section, the NXT bit must have been in the NXT section or something but I can't find it rn

 

[Death By Looch]

...ah shit

 

[Chris]

Is creative really just down to Dreamer and Delirious at this point? Just Dreamer even? Frightening

 

[Leon TrotSky]

Is creative really just down to Dreamer and Delirious at this point? Just Dreamer even? Frightening

Gonna be a tough while I guess

 

[Apoho Creed]

Not the stuff I wanna hear with our TNA. Let's all hold hands and pray that we get some new Creative people who know what they are doing in there like stat!

 

[Chris]

PWInsider also reported that Dave Sahadi is gone after being laid off. Sahadi was the company’s creative director starting in 2019 and also worked for the prior TNA ownership for 18 years as their director of broadcasts. Sahadi also worked as creative director for WWE in his past.

It’s unknown as of now who is taking over as the lead of creative and how those spots will be filled.

The outlet also reported other layoffs in the live events group as part of restructuring efforts, but no specific names were attached, nor a succession plan.

Fwiw this doesn't mean there's no succession plan, it just means PWInsider wasn't told it, a chance they found out the layoffs from the laid off people who wouldn't know

 

[Smart Marx]

This is nuts. So basically there is definitely a new regime taking place. The prior hope that creative would mostly still consist of the previous people without Scott is kinda gone. Wild to hear Sahadi was with TNA for most its run. Even Dixie years.

I didn't know much about what RD Evans did, but sounds like he might have been the one people attribute the good Scott years to or we just don't trust Dreamer and Delirious?

 

[Dale]

​

 

[Smart Marx]

You know, I think they should add a $4.99 tier option to TNA Plus that locks the classic content, but gives you the weekly impact live when it airs and the monthly Plus PLEs.

Also, if they add that option, the other tiers should also get live Impact. Then everyone can watch Impact together at 8 (or 8:30).

 

[Chris]

This is nuts. So basically there is definitely a new regime taking place. The prior hope that creative would mostly still consist of the previous people without Scott is kinda gone. Wild to hear Sahadi was with TNA for most its run. Even Dixie years.

I didn't know much about what RD Evans did, but sounds like he might have been the one people attribute the good Scott years to or we just don't trust Dreamer and Delirious?

Their best years were a committee of Scott, Evans, Jimmy Jacobs and Dreamer. Delirious basically replaced Jacobs when he left and now Scott and Evans are gone. I don't know who to attribute any positives or negatives too but I know the committee being done doesn't sound like good news to me

 

[Chris]

​

Are people taking this as the major negative instead of the creative shakeup? BFG will definitely be happening in October, I don't imagine we get a location until Spammy, that's normal yeah.

 

[Smart Marx]

Their best years were a committee of Scott, Evans, Jimmy Jacobs and Dreamer. Delirious basically replaced Jacobs when he left and now Scott and Evans are gone. I don't know who to attribute any positives or negatives too but I know the committee being done doesn't sound like good news to me

Jacobs was always a creative mind so that could be quite a bit of it, tbh. I do think Delirious was fine most of the time booking ROH, but yeah, the committee is probably better than that duo unless they can replace them too with a single mind that is even better.

 

[Chris]

They still have Lance Storm but he doesn't seem that interested in larger creative duties, he just wants to produce his matches

 

[Smart Marx]

Are people taking this as the major negative instead of the creative shakeup? BFG will definitely be happening in October, I don't imagine we get a location until Spammy, that's normal yeah.

People are assuming things based off a place like AEW needing to book venues at least two months in advance, but TNA doesn't need that much pre-planning.

This was basically how people knew WCW was done before it was announced. Nothing was booked past the Spring Break episode going into February.