Further details are emerging regarding the upheaval at TNA, with Scott D’Amore being replaced as President by Anthony Cicione, leading to discontent among the talent.
D’Amore’s departure stemmed from a disagreement with management, culminating in Len Asper, the head of Anthem, ultimately deciding his fate. Despite D’Amore’s attempt to buy TNA outright, backed by significant financial support, his proposal was rebuffed.
The decision to terminate D’Amore had been in the works for approximately a month before it was officially announced.
During a discussion on Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer shed light on the timeline of events. He revealed that D’Amore had made the bid to acquire TNA prior to Hard To Kill, which marked one of TNA’s most successful pay-per-view events in years.
“So the timeline of everything is that while the announcement of Scott D’Amore being gone was basically like a week ago. The decision was made before Hard To Kill. So it wasn’t as if they, like all of a sudden, had big success with Hard To Kill and then they got rid of Scott. They’d already made that decision beforehand and Scott knew.”
Meltzer clarified that D’Amore’s bid to purchase the company wasn’t a reactive move after the success of Hard To Kill. Instead, it was a response to his impending departure, as he was aware of the decision to let him go. D’Amore and Ed Nordholm, an Anthem executive, had been advocating for increased investment in TNA, pursuing high-profile talents like Will Ospreay and CM Punk.
“The attempt to purchase by Scott D’Amore was in response to knowing that he was going to be gone. It was not like he tried to purchase the company but got turned down and then they got rid of him. He knew that they were making the decision to cut him and Ed Nordholm, who is an executive with Anthem, and he had been working with TNA and both of them had been trying to get, you know, Anthem, spend more money on the product to you know, try to try to expand, they made plays for Will Ospreay, they made a play for CM Punk, you know, making plays for, for bigger name, guys. I mean, they did get Nick Nemeth, who started in the last set of shows, but the decision on D’Amore was already made before the pay-per-view was so successful. “
Although TNA did secure Nick Nemeth for their last set of shows, the decision to part ways with D’Amore had been made independently of the pay-per-view’s success.
What are your thoughts on the recent changes at TNA, particularly with Scott D’Amore being replaced as President by Anthony Cicione? Let us know in the comments.
February 15, 2024 7:33 am
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