The pro wrestling rumor mill seems to always provide at least some level of intrigue, even with smaller stories, which is probably because of how unique of a genre it is. Just a few weeks ago, Scott D'Amore, a longtime figure in the industry and the executive that was given the majority of the credit for the buzz TNA received for the return of the brand last month, was fired by Anthem Entertainment, the parent company of the wrestling project. Reportedly, D'Amore was given his walking papers because he wanted to increase the budget to attempt to secure more talent, but Anthem management disagreed. The Wrestling Observer's Dave Meltzer reported that the dispute was what ultimately lead to the former Team Canada coach's dismissal from the organization. Meltzer followed-up with a few different claims to add to the story, including that D'Amore actually made an offer to buy TNA, with the funding of a financial institution in Canada. The Wrestling Observer editor also added that Ed Nordholm would retain his position as COO of Anthem, but was being released of his role within the wrestling project, supposedly because he also wanted more money to add to the roster. Meltzer added that Tommy Dreamer, who has worked on-screen as a performer and behind the scenes for the past several years, would be the new head of creative for TNA. Dreamer rebutted that claim on the Busted Open radio show, explaining that the structure of the TNA creative team hadn't changed. The ECW star said that RD Evans, former ROH booker Delirious, and himself were still scripting the shows as they had done prior to D'Amore's firing.
I usually take anything Meltzer says with a grain of salt, as its the nature of the beast with rumors, and that he often plays to his base as a way to continue to ensure subscribers, but the story became more compelling when Fightful Select published what was said to be a letter from the TNA roster on D'Amore behalf to Anthem with the hope that he would be re-hired in his leadership role of the company. Just a few days ago, after news of the letter to Anthem management made the rounds online, several TNA talent posted hourglass symbols on social media, potentially implying some type of cryptic message about or to the new management.
Of course, as with anything in sports entertainment, you have to consider if this scenario might be a work?
TNA's next live streaming event is "No Surrender" on the TNA app this Friday in New Orleans, Louisiana. The story is still fresh in everyone's mind since D'Amore was cut by the organization just two weeks ago so it's possible that the hourglass symbol might be a clue for an angle that would see D'Amore return to the company as a part of a "hostile takeover" as TNA wrestlers "rebel" against management. That being said, if that was the case, there would have to be a very compelling angle to take place to make it worth the uncertainly that the move created about TNA's future and if the promotion was stable. So, yes, it's possible that D'Amore's release was a work, but I doubt it.
The return of the TNA brand already gave the organization more hype than it had in the few years previously since Kenny Omega held the world championship as a part of the working agreement with AEW. Firing the guy that was given the credit for the progress that the company made gives the impression that the organization is on shaky ground and the optics aren't good, especially when they are trying to get fans to invest their entertainment dollars into the promotion again. Since the rebrand already had a level of buzz, they would seemingly be no reason to run an angle where D'Amore gets fired for the dirt sheets to pick up, especially because that would limit the audience for this particular storyline to a niche of a niche.
Again, anything is possible, but given that the company had positive feedback prior to D'Amore release, it just doesn't make sense for there to be an angle that would be used to work the dirt sheets to report that he was fired.
Assuming it's not a work and D'Amore was actually released by Anthem, there are a few possibilities from the news of the letter that was sent to management, and the cryptic messages on social media. The roster might've wanted to help their boss get his job back, and if it doesn't work then perhaps a few of them will look for opportunities elsewhere or continue to work there under the new management. If D'Amore isn't paying their mortgage then he will understand why those on the roster will continue to work for Anthem to earn a steady paycheck.
The flip side is, specifically if D'Amore has the financial resources that he was going to use to theoretically buy TNA, would D'Amore start his own company with the majority of the current TNA roster as its foundation?
It wouldn't be the first time that there was a mass exodus in professional wrestling, including when Misawa left All Japan Pro Wrestling to form Pro Wrestling NOAH in 2000. Obviously, a TNA spinoff would be on a much smaller scale, but one thing is for sure, D'Amore has a loyal crew, and if he has the money to make it happen, it's very possible that he could get the majority of the roster to jump with him. However, if there would be a D'Amore-owned wrestling group, it wouldn't be something that could launch anytime soon, especially if it would attempt to compete even on the TNA level. It goes without saying that if D'Amore would attempt to recruit the TNA roster, he would have to get the funding to offer comparative money, and most importantly, he would need the distribution that could potentially generate enough revenue for the company to get off the ground and then sustain itself as a commodity that could be profitable. A TNA spinoff without TV was Global Force Wrestling, and we all know how successful that was. Did anyone buy some Global Force gold?
Despite the online speculation, if I had to guess, TNA will probably continue with business as usual without D'Amore, and the former Team Canada coach will go back to projects outside of wrestling. Sure, a D'Amore organization is technically possible, he ran Boarder City Wrestling for years, but the stress of the job increases exponentially on the semi-national level, especially when it's your money on the line, not the corporation's cash. It's well-known that D'Amore is from a wealthy family and doesn't need the paycheck so perhaps he will explore other opportunities in the sports entertainment industry, but it's doubtful that it would be worth risking a hefty amount of cash just to try to compete for the distant third spot among the sports entertainment landscape in the United States.
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