News: Jeff Hardy makes return to OMEGA as Willow the Wisp

TNA wrestler Jeff Hardy made his return to OMEGA Championship Wrestling this past weekend. He did so under the guise of former gimmick, Willow the Wisp. In this brief appearance, he saved his brother Matt Hardy and close friend Shane Helms from a post-match beatdown by ECW Alum, C.W. Anderson. Find highlights of the event attached below!

News: Hulk Hogan still a free agent

Despite reports of Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan re-signing with TNA (after a low-ball offer from WWE), both sides have confirmed that no new deal has been struck, rendering him a free agent.

Last week, TNA had begun running advertisements for Sunday's Bound for Glory pay-per-view, prominently featuring Hogan. However, the company has since pulled any such ads and is moving forward under the impression the Hulkster will not be making an appearance.

Clem's Take: While it's unfortunate to lose such a high profile "talent" days before their biggest pay-per-view of the year (if only from a marketing aspect), recent history indicates Hogan's absence will make no difference to the final buyrate. With TV and PPV revenue falling, I'd actively campaign AGAINST spending so much money on a complete non-factor. If he can't pop a rating by showing up on Impact, people aren't likely to want to pay for the privilege. TNA have dodged a bullet, this week at least.

Rumour: TNA to pull Impact Wrestling off the road?

Less than a year after leaving the Impact Zone, rumour has it that TNA are considering taking Impact Wrestling off the road once again, returning to a single location for all future tapings.

Several venues have been mooted. Most notably, returns to either Orlando's Universal Studios or the Nashville Fairgrounds. The one new locale mentioned was Las Vegas, but this has been widely discredited due to the elevated costs of operating and the company's obvious disappointment at the attendance figures drawn earlier this year.

It is claimed they plan to put this new cost-cutting measure into effect by early 2014 at the latest. Most likely to coincide with the impending UK tour, which allows them to tape an entire month's worth of programming inside of a single week.

Clem's Take: There's no good way to spin this move. Professional wrestling has traditionally been a touring industry and in six short months, TNA have proved themselves unable to sustain such a schedule. Based on their recent circumstances (mass releases, late pay, poor attendance), they have little choice but to concede. Rather than look at the negative aspects though, I look forward to the return of a stabilised company, one which doesn't have rumours of near bankruptcy surrounding it on a daily basis. I know the vast majority of fans would loathe a return to the Impact Zone, but that fact of the matter is it provided the company with a firm foundation for eight years and could easily do so again. It could be looked upon as a cowardly move, but I prefer to look at it as a tactical retreat. They may lose the battle, but they'll still be in the war.

News: Estimated TNA Slammiversary 2013 buys

The Wrestling Observer is reporting that TNA's annual Slammiversary pay-per-view brought in 13,500 buys, a number 7% down from the previous year.

The show was headlined by 'The Icon' Sting challenging Bully Ray for the World Heavyweight Championship. Sting was ultimately defeated through outside interference and lost the opportunity to wrestle for the title in the future.

Clem's Take: It appears as if the plan to reduce the number of pay-per-views and raise their importance hasn't quite taken hold (yet). All three "major" shows so far (Genesis, Lockdown and Slammiversary) have yielded much the same results as their 2012 predecessors, if not less. It'd be interesting to see if the One Night Only specials are pulling in similar numbers to the monthly pay-per-views they replaced. I suspect the company will be paying very close attention to how October's Bound for Glory performs and plan their 2014 strategy accordingly. If they are showing no discernible gain by the end of the year, I wouldn't be surprised to see them return to the original monthly structure. With the recent usage of Destination X and Hardcore Justice as special editions of Impact Wrestling, that eventuality may be closer than we know.

News: TNA President Dixie Carter releases statement

After a troubled few weeks for TNA Wrestling, President Dixie Carter has released a statement via ImpactWrestling.com addressing any concerns for the company's well-being.

Hi everyone,

In the 11+ years that I have been with TNA, I am still amazed by the passion of pro wrestling fans. That passion – both positive and negative – is remarkable and something that all of us at TNA values.

With that said, I asked for questions from you like I have done many times in the past, but I didn’t provide a timeframe by which I would answer you. I know I have frustrated you all, and I apologize. Beginning next week, each Thursday, I will answer legitimate questions from you on a weekly basis. I will not, however, address outrageous or hurtful questions/posts.

I also wanted to take this opportunity to provide perspective from inside TNA – where we stand and where, with support from our current and future fans around the globe, we are going. What is being shared with you now is what was shared with the IMPACT roster before our phenomenal Destination X show from Louisville, KY last week.

This has been a big year for TNA. We took IMPACT LIVE on the road, exactly where it needs to be – where you’ve asked us to be – in your backyard. We also changed our Pay-Per-View schedule, shifting from 12 to four live Pay-Per-View events each year, in order to increase the value of these events for you. To grow TNA, these are moves that needed to be made. And, part of changes like this, includes structural changes within TNA to align with this new business model.

Many of your comments and questions reference our recent roster changes. The relationship that fans have with wrestlers is unique and one of the many great aspects of the wrestling business. And, for this reason, releasing talent is never easy – not for you and not for us. But, bringing in fresh faces and the best wrestling talent in the world is what you expect, and what TNA will always strive to deliver. Recently, we have brought back some talent favorites (Sonjay Dutt, Petey Williams and Homicide), and you will continue to see this and new talent that we are excited to introduce you to in the coming months.

TNA has always been, and will continue to be, a place where you can interact with the superstars, whether in person at a live show or via social channels, like Twitter and Facebook. We are constantly exploring new and interesting ways to take this interaction to another level, and you will see this unfold in the coming months. I appreciate each of you taking the time to share your thoughts, opinions and ideas. Your input and feedback helps us create a better product. I hope you will join us when IMPACT LIVE comes to your area.

Yours,

Dixie

Clem's Take: She makes a lot of valid points, ones that deserve paying attention to. Having seen Dixie's Twitter stream since she asked fans for questions, I've been downright disgusted at the bile some people have thrown in her direction. She's spending her own hard earned money to give us a show and this is the gratitude we have for her? Show some respect. If not for the business woman, the person. Even with all it's flaws, TNA is the closest we have to a viable alternative to WWE, who would otherwise hold a monopoly on Professional Wrestling. I, for one, am grateful for the choice she gives us every week. 

News: TNA X Division Title gets a makeover

Tonight at TNA's Destination X, the company will be debuting a new look X Division Title belt.

President Dixie Carter revealed on Twitter "Huge showcase for #XDivision tonight on #ImpactLIVE. We'll unveil a new X Title Belt! Follow me for a 1st look before the show @SpikeTV 8 ET"

The former design was surrendered to General Manager Hulk Hogan at the close of last week's Impact Wrestling, with outgoing champion Chris Sabin cashing in his title for a shot at the World Heavyweight Championship.

The new design will debut as X Division stars, past and present, battle it out in a tournament to crown the new champion.

Clem's Take: I don't really see the point in creating a new title belt at this time. The current X Division Championship is a wonderful design and has the legacy of the past decade behind it. If any belt needed a new design, it's the Television Championship. Not knowing if that division is still active, I guess TNA's attention has turned to the next best thing.

UPDATE: The new X Division Championship belt

News: Another round of shock TNA releases

Over the course of the past several days, TNA Wrestling have continued their company restructuring and released several notable talents.

Tara, a five-time Knockouts Champion and one-time Knockouts Tag Team Champion, was released from her contract yesterday on 16th July 2013. After a brief hiatus from TNA programming for the past several months, Tara reappeared two weeks ago managing Jessie Godderz and Robbie E. Her final singles match was a losing effort against ODB on a recent episode of Xplosion.

Drew Hankinson aka D.O.C., a long-time member of the Aces & Eights faction, revealed yesterday that TNA had allowed his contract to expire on 12th July 2013, with no intention of renewal. Hankinson was one of the first members of the heel faction to be revealed and had anchored the group for over a year. On a recent episode of Impact Wrestling, there appeared to be dissension among the group, as Hankinson refused to eliminate himself from a Battle Royal to determine which member of Aces & Eights took a spot in the Bound for Glory Series.

Bruce Prichard, the Head of Programming and Talent Relations, was among those asked to restructure their deal in the wake of company changes, however, rather than accept the new deal, Prichard declined and is believed to be on his way out. Prichard had also long been a member of the Gut Check Challenge judging panel, often offering the most unpopular decision of the three.

Clem's Take - These roster cuts are beginning to look like a massacre. TNA have basically eliminated their entire undercard with these wholesale changes and compromised several angles/divisions in the process.

Tara, while I'm sure Jessie can manage coming down to the ring on his own from now on, was a vital piece of the Knockout puzzle for the longest time. The recent 'State of the Knockouts' segment on Impact revealed the severely depleted roster, made up entirely of Mickie, Velvet, Taryn and Gail. Only four women wrestling and they choose to release a touchstone of the division? However, I do expect to see her back sooner or later. It wasn't that long ago that Tara was released the last time, only to reappear as Madison Rayne's mysterious biker bodyguard.

Hankinson is another cut that genuinely takes me by surprise. Not because he's that big a part of TNA programming, but simply because of his affiliation with Aces & Eights. The faction are in a heated feud with the resurrected Main Event Mafia and this is the worst possible time to be seen losing a member. At the very least, they should've played up his arguments with Mr Anderson for several weeks, before finally ejecting him from the group. Frankly, if TNA are looking at members of Aces & Eights to release, Wes Brisco, Garret Bischoff and Mike Knox would've appeared on my radar well before Hankinson.

Prichard is probably the biggest surprise in the bunch, even if he is the least well-known as an on-air personality. Being such an important member of TNA upper management, losing that cog in the machine could cost the company in the short term while they scramble to replace him. However, this wasn't so much a case of him being pushed, as him jumping. The new deal wasn't to his liking and he's going elsewhere as a result. Being his choice, that puts him ahead of every other talent released in the past few weeks!