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With the expected January 1st announcement that Anthem Sports & Entertainment is the impending owner and operator of TNA/Impact Wrestling, with the soon-to-be former magnate Dixie Carter effectively out of power, what are your actual expectations for TNA and the TNA brand heading into 2017?
There are a number of concerns still on the table that are in need of resolve, including whether or not the TNA acronym is going to stick around, how committed Anthem will be to PopTV given the mediocre ratings TNA/IW is averaging (just as they averaged with Destination America), what will happen with Challenge dropping TNA in the UK, as well as the Jeff Jarrett return rumors, the expiring contracts of Drew Galloway and Eli Drake, and the combination rumor of the impending contract expiration of Matt Hardy, along with the reports he is expected to be tapped for more creative influence/control in the new year.
The way I see it, having new ownership is a great first step, but any anticipation that Anthem S&E will be a bottomless bank vault is short-sighted and just plain wrong. Just how much they'll open the coffers to talent acquisition and retention remains to be seen, though I do think they'll take a healthy approach.
The real key for me is actually Jarrett, given his current relationship with GFW and the speculation that the two could revisit the idea of effectively merging TNA and GFW under the same banner.
I've made no bones about how much I think the TNA brand is dead and how much it needs to be buried and reborn under a new name. A GFW merger could be a solid second step to take where subsequent steps could continue to be taken to reinvigorate the new-ish brand.
There are a number of concerns still on the table that are in need of resolve, including whether or not the TNA acronym is going to stick around, how committed Anthem will be to PopTV given the mediocre ratings TNA/IW is averaging (just as they averaged with Destination America), what will happen with Challenge dropping TNA in the UK, as well as the Jeff Jarrett return rumors, the expiring contracts of Drew Galloway and Eli Drake, and the combination rumor of the impending contract expiration of Matt Hardy, along with the reports he is expected to be tapped for more creative influence/control in the new year.
The way I see it, having new ownership is a great first step, but any anticipation that Anthem S&E will be a bottomless bank vault is short-sighted and just plain wrong. Just how much they'll open the coffers to talent acquisition and retention remains to be seen, though I do think they'll take a healthy approach.
The real key for me is actually Jarrett, given his current relationship with GFW and the speculation that the two could revisit the idea of effectively merging TNA and GFW under the same banner.
I've made no bones about how much I think the TNA brand is dead and how much it needs to be buried and reborn under a new name. A GFW merger could be a solid second step to take where subsequent steps could continue to be taken to reinvigorate the new-ish brand.