Details on the internal talent meeting and the new TNA Wrestling President in todays Wrestling news
Anthony Cicione has reportedly got his work cut out.
Anthony Cicione, the new TNA Wrestling President, released a statement on Thursday to explain the corporate reasons behind the dismissal of longtime executive Scott D’Amore and the tense Zoom meeting he had with talent.
“I am honored and excited to be the new president of TNA Wrestling. This company is rich in tradition, and is loved by pro-wrestling fans around the world.
This move is to further integrate TNA Wrestling within the Entertainment Group of Anthem Sports & Entertainment. We are working to leverage the resources of our entire company to add value in areas like production, distribution and marketing, viewership and customer acquisition, digital revenue streams and ad sales, sponsorships and digital tech operations.
Anthem Sports & Entertainment appreciates and is grateful for Scott D’Amore’s dedication to Anthem and TNA Wrestling. Scott has been with TNA since 2003 and played many key roles. He played a crucial role in the development of the company, its evolution and the strong industry reputation it has today. This includes the return of TNA Wrestling 2024. Scott’s passion for the business and his personal touch on talent are two things I personally want thank him for.
TNA Wrestling has the opportunity to make a huge leap forward in its next phase of growth and expansion. We can improve operational efficiency, but the most exciting thing is to expand existing revenue streams and develop new ones. Wrestling promotions are no longer event-driven businesses but global media enterprises.
I was in Las Vegas for the Hard To Kill pay per view and the Snake Eyes show the following night. These were not only the two best pro-wrestling shows I’ve ever attended, but they were also record-breaking for TNA Wrestling in multiple ways. This growth, expansion, and popularity, which thousands saw live in Las Vegas and on pay-per view around the globe, will continue into 2024. In the next few weeks, we will be making many exciting and groundbreaking announcements. Our momentum continues.
TNA Wrestling has an incredible roster of in ring talent that will continue to shine, deliver incredible moments and matches. We have a crew and staff behind the scenes who are amazing at their jobs. The fans will see many improvements over the next few months, as our business is run by professionals with experience. TNA’s teamwork is a key factor in its success. This team will continue to grow as Anthem’s top executives and partners, among others, add to it.
We understand that the departure of highly respected executives can cause uncertainty, but we remain committed to this new model. We are entering a stage of growth. These changes bring more leadership experience that will help us elevate our operations.”
Cicione has been Anthem’s vice president of operations for over 16 years. D’Amore, who spent seven years as a TNA wrestler and three with Jeff Jarrett’s Global Force Wrestling before joining TNA/Impact Wrestling in 2017, has been in a leadership role with the company since 2017. He will take on his role as president in March 2023.
The statement was made after a Zoom meeting that did not go quite as well as Cicione or TNA parent company Anthem had hoped.
PWInsider reported there had been rumblings for weeks about the possibility of a leadership change. This was due to Cicione, Anthem’s VP of Business Development Ariel Shnerer speaking to TNA talent and employees about how things are run as well as gathering feedback.
Cicione was said to have read a prepared message on the call, and talent were not allowed to ask any questions. This didn’t sit too well with some. At one point, it was said that D’Amore had resigned which was not true and upset some D’Amore fans.
The report:
“The beginning of this call, when Anthem executives joined the talents to inform them of Scott D’Amore’s resignation, was extremely anger for some talents, while some veterans tried to calm down the waters by noting that they had to at least give a new executive a chance.”
Fightful reported that “those we’ve spoken to are not happy with this decision and haven’t been given a lot of reason.”
Several TNA wrestlers, including Josh Alexander, Moose Steve Maclin, Frankie Kazarian, and others, took to X to pay tribute to D’Amore, who has not yet commented publicly on his firing.
TNA’s next event will be No Surrender, a live event in New Orleans, Louisiana on Friday, 23rd February, followed by a television taping the following night.
Details on the internal talent meeting and the new TNA Wrestling President in todays Wrestling news, Chatalong Chatbox, Results will be Hidden inside a spoiler Button so you will not bet spoiled about direct results.
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