TNA Releases Thread

Darth Mattitude · The Dark Admin

TNA Releases Thread

Man In Black · Anime Mod

I think I mentioned in the 500 Club that Letitia Cline is thankfully history as is Junior Fatu.

Darth Mattitude · The Dark Admin

2 to report (Although one technically is not leaving the company)

Judas Mesias appears to be done with TNA. His last match with the company was during last night's iMPACT! tapings. Mesias was getting paid roughly $1,300 per match and TNA just couldn't justify spending that much on him. James Mitchell is staying around though but there is no word yet on what his role will be.

Abyss will be gone for awhile and return with a new character, reports the Wrestling Observer Newsletter

Man In Black · Anime Mod

He wasn't much cop and wasn't over anyway but they did push him in a "major" storyline so this is something of a surprise but outside of that feud it seemed there was little for him

Darth Mattitude · The Dark Admin

Now don't get upset but Relik has quit TNA...

Man In Black · Anime Mod

Source?

Darth Mattitude · The Dark Admin

Reliks Website:

TNA and I have severed our contractual agreements and I wish them all the luck with their future endeavours LOL

Johnny The Bull

Man In Black · Anime Mod

A rather surprising departure:

Scott D'Amore, who has been working with TNA for a number of years as a backstage agent (most recently with the TNA Knockouts division) is on his way out of the company and is expected to finish up at the end of the month. There's no word yet as to the reasons behind the departure.

D'Amore had previously worked on camera managing Team Canada and when that unit was ended in storylines, he moved to a behind the scenes role. He was also part of the creative team several years back before Vince Russo and Dutch Mantell were brought on board.

D'Amore operates a sports bar out of Windsor, Ontario and heads up Michigan/Ontario independent promotion Border City Wrestling. He's had a hand in training a number of current TNA stars, including Chris Sabin, Petey Williams and Alex Shelley, among others.

I hope this doesn't mean the Knockouts division goes completely to pot without him...

Darth Mattitude · The Dark Admin

Here's hoping he gets an in at WWE. Id even like to see him back onscreen as well as a manager.

Darth Mattitude · The Dark Admin

Hot on the heels of Scotty being released comes the news that TNA has released James Mitchell

Man In Black · Anime Mod

EPIC FAIL!

Seriously, Mitchell is one of the best and most underrated talkers in the business with a presence most wrestlers of today could only dream of having. It was him who managed to get Abyss over in his own right when many saw him as a Kane/Mankind rip-off.

Unfortunately, he won't get work in the WWE because they don't use managers anymore.

-- Edited by Man In Black at 10:48, 2008-07-08

Totoro101 · Movie Executive Producer

James Mitchell is a great heel manager,wouldnt be to bad if he Joined the E.

Man In Black · Anime Mod

Tomko has left TNA after clashing with the creative team. He walked after last night's TV tapings.

Dustin "Black Reign" Rhodes has also been released while Kevin Nash left in a huff over the planned finish to a match but that has apparently been resolved since.

-- Edited by Man In Black at 21:06, 2008-07-30

Totoro101 · Movie Executive Producer

Tomko seems to have improved immensley after his stint in japan and tna,maybe a WWE return? No doubt we will see Goldust back in some fashion as well in the future.

Man In Black · Anime Mod

Gail Kim has left TNA!!

Details are yet forthcoming but damn, what a blow for the company. Quite a shock considering they have built the women's division around her. And it makes me a sad panda too...

It must have been serious if she would go in the middle of such a big push and this storyline with her "sister".

Darth Mattitude · The Dark Admin

Hmmm I smells a WWE Return....

Man In Black · Anime Mod

I dunno. They have enough Divas at the moment (although another one who can wrestle would be a boon) so she'd get lost in the mix. She deserves better. It's best to find out the reasons why she left first before speculating on her future.

Totoro101 · Movie Executive Producer

Darn it :(.Gails fantastic,would love to see her back in the E but i doubt theyll have her back.

Creepfnshow · On The Casting Couch

i think they will resign her if she is interested, she could be the new face the womens division needs to get back on track

Man In Black · Anime Mod

The story of Gail Kim's departure from PWInsider.com:

Former TNA Knockout champion Gail Kim will be heading back to World Wrestling Entertainment, according to several WWE sources. From what I am told, it was a pretty sizeable offer so I'd expect her to be pretty heavily in the Diva mix when she debuts.

Kim's contract with TNA was coming up, so once it expires, she is free to start working for WWE. I was told the decision was completely a financial one, not anything stemming from unhappiness over how she was booked or presented by TNA, which made her the nucleus of their Knockouts division when it officially launched last year. TNA sources indicate that Kim left on extremely good terms and as one person told me, the "door is always open". I am told there was no heat over her departure.

Kim's final TNA appearance will be on tonight's Impact broadcast, facing TNA rival Awesome Kong in a Street Fight.

It will be interesting to see which brand she returns to, whether she is a face or heel and how good a push she gets.

Totoro101 · Movie Executive Producer

Hopefully a face,shes a great baby face and the E needs face divas who can actually wrestle.

Man In Black · Anime Mod

Well, RAW isn't doing too badly on the wrestling Divas front at the moment. Mickie and Beth are the obvious aces but Jillian is capable, Kelly Kelly is improving, Katie Lea has been disappointing but able and of course there is Melina when she returns although she is patchy too.

Over on SD, Victoria and Natalya are the aces with Michelle McTaker being a work in progress (with a long way to go) and Maria and Maryse, erm...making up the numbers.

Based on that, I think Gail will probably go to SD.

Darth Mattitude · The Dark Admin

Darth Mattitude wrote:

Hmmm I smells a WWE Return....

I won't say I told you so, but.....

Man In Black · Anime Mod

Small Gail Kim update:

Gail Kim met with WWE's John Laurinaitis in Tampa, FL this afternoon. As I noted earlier today, she departed TNA and sources from both companies have indicated she's about to sign with WWE. Meanwhile, World Wrestling Entertainment changed their trademarks and copyrights pertaining to Gail Kim from inactive to active.

Creepfnshow · On The Casting Couch

i agree that smackdown seems the logical choice but the politics over there might be difficult with McCool the big babyface diva and the stroke she has.
Mickie has a degree of stroke too but i think she would be willing to put Kim over for the good of the division, she always struck me as a team player whereas i think McCool got too much too easy to really appreciate it.

Totoro101 · Movie Executive Producer

Mccool is dating the Taker.She has so much stroke now that i doubt shell ever drop the belt or want to share the spotlight with anyone else on Smackdown.Rumours before of her actually trying to teach Nattie Neidheart how to wrestle when clearly Nattie is far superior to her in everyway do not help her cause.Cant stand Mccool,shes not only an awful worker and unattractive (stick thin and plain looking) but she can do what she wants thanks to her relationship with a certain dead man.

Man In Black · Anime Mod

I don't know if McCool would automatically get any backstage stroke just because she is dating Taker. Debra never got any when she was married to Austin, one of the biggest stars in the company. And to be fair, I hope even Taker would think it unprofessional for McCool to start lauding it over the others due to their relationship.

Sure, she has some political back-up if push comes to shove but aside from that management have decided she is to be the next Trish Stratus (good luck with that) and are pushing her accordingly. I don't know anything about McCool's personality but if the Nattie story is true then it does sound a little bit like she may be getting ideas above her station if her big push is going to her head.

Darth Mattitude · The Dark Admin

Thats probably because Austin didn't want her as on screen talent. She citied that in the divorce proceedings that he was borderline abusive over that too.

Man In Black · Anime Mod

Ironic piece of scripting on TNA Impact last night during Gail Kim's interview with Lauren. When asked if a street fight against Awesome Kong was a good idea Gail replied:

"What do you expect me to do? Just pack up my bags and leave?"

Darth Mattitude · The Dark Admin

Maybe it was a shoot?

Man In Black · Anime Mod

No because it was taped last week before this deal with her leaving even came about.

Darth Mattitude · The Dark Admin

But it might have been in the back of her mind, y'know pre meditated. Or maybe she was even 'tapped up' by the WWE??

Man In Black · Anime Mod

Considering they've introduced her "sister" Katie Kim on Impact it would be a bit daft to do that if they knew that Gail was intending to leave or had been in talks with WWE. Yes, I know this is TNA and logic means Jack but even they (hopefully) aren't that stupid.

The promos are all scripted so if it was a shot on Gail when there is said to be no heat on her decision to leave at all, then that is a cheap shot by Russo and the creative team.

Considering they did an angle with Tomko a few weeks back where he mocked Kaz for leaving which aired the same week Tomko was released, I'd say it was just more bad timing in the wake of Gail's departure.

Darth Mattitude · The Dark Admin

I was suggesting that TNA was not aware. That Ms.Kim had been doing some secret negotiation.

I wonder how the WWE will play this and if the will recognize her title reigns in TNA? Unlikely I know, but they will have to do something otherwise she'll be lost in the Diva shuffle.

Man In Black · Anime Mod

I get your point but to be honest I doubt if Gail would do that to TNA. And the fact her contract was up for renewal they would have - or at least should have - known if Gail was looking elsewhere or being courted by WWE.

WWE won't mention TNA: like D'lo they will just say she's been "gone" from the WWE. Remember, there is no wrestling outside of the WWE Universe.

Mollison · 500 Club Member

I doubt she would be walking away to WWE without some contractual assurances about her bookings...

Man In Black · Anime Mod

You're making Gail sound like Hogan - "Push me in the main event or I don't sign with you"...

To be honest I doubt if Gail is a big enough name or in any real position to make any demands or negotiate even if she was courted by WWE. The reports did say that she was happy with her push in TNA and that the decision was purely financial.

I think the WWE saw how well the Knockouts were doing and how they were stealing the show in TNA. With Gail's contract up they made a play for her so hopefully she will get a decent push on whichever brand she is placed. The WWE's women's division goes through phases of wrestling vs T&A and we're back into a "wrestling" phase so I think they are planning on bolstering that with Gail's addition to the roster.

Until Vince changes his mind again...

Darth Mattitude · The Dark Admin

...Or she does Playboy.

Creepfnshow · On The Casting Couch

ah yes, the playboy factor. They need to line someone up for mania 25, could it be that gail is what they're looking for?

Mollison · 500 Club Member

Not entirely a bad thing gentlemen... If they have got her back purely for that it would be the very definition of bittersweet!

Man In Black · Anime Mod

I think it's more likely to be someone like Maryse, Kelly Kelly or maybe even Layla who do Playboy next year. Provided they are keeping that gimmick alive of course...

Darth Mattitude · The Dark Admin

I believe the current diva for WM25 is one Kelly Kelly, which would have explained her push of late.

Totoro101 · Movie Executive Producer

Kelly kelly? shes got nothing to show and isnt all that attractive,just a generic blond..Kim would be phenominal and different to the usual bimbos doing it from the E.

Man In Black · Anime Mod

I think Gail Kim would rather be recognised as a wrestler and not a Playboy centrefold. Plus it wouldn't sell with her because most Americans are Xenophobes and Playboy readers only like pneumatic, plastic bimbos so anything that bucks that trend would cause a national meltdown.

And Kelly Kelly is hot! Maryse and Michelle McStick on the other hand ARE your generic blondes....

GLOWlad · A List Star

Gail Kim?

Man In Black · Anime Mod

RE: TNA Releases Thread

GLOWlad · A List Star

I hope its Raw, its kind of seen as the more serious womens division, from the bits and pieces Ive seen.

Man In Black · Anime Mod

Not completely true as the SD division is more about wrestling theses days too - even if the Divas title is stupid looking.

GLOWlad · A List Star

Once I watched Raw and Smackdown religiously, but I only watch bits now and again.

But with Gail's return I might become regular viewer again.

Its intriguing how much of a push she will get, I hope they give her a fair chance, to cut promos, put together fully fledged storylines, which are sometimes lacking in the Womens ranks.

Man In Black · Anime Mod

I doubt if she'll get any promo time. The current lot don't. Instead it will be the occasional backstage skit at most.