TNA President Anthony Cicione has issued a statement in regard to the appointment of his new position.
On February 7th news broke that Scott D’Amore’s contract with TNA had been terminated and Cicione would take control with immediate effect. The press release informing the world of the announcement noted that the change was due to Anthem integrating the promotion more into their own entertainment group.
Issuing a statement to the media, Cicione said the following:
I am excited and honored to be the new President of TNA Wrestling, a company rich in tradition and loved by pro wrestling fans worldwide.
This move is intended to further integrate TNA Wrestling into the Entertainment Group of Anthem Sports & Entertainment as we work to leverage the resources of the entire company to add more value in areas such as production, distribution, marketing, viewership, customer acquisition, digital revenue streams, ad sales and sponsorships, and digital tech operations, among others.
Everyone at Anthem Sports & Entertainment is appreciative of and thankful for the years of dedication that Scott D’Amore gave to Anthem, and TNA Wrestling. Scott has been a part of TNA since 2003, holding many key roles. He played a vital role in the growth of the company and the evolution to its strong industry reputation today, including the 2024 return of the TNA Wrestling brand itself. I personally want to thank Scott for the passion he brought to the business and his personal touch with talent.
TNA Wrestling is in a position to take a big leap toward its next stage of growth and expansion. While we can create more operational efficiency the most exciting part is expanding existing revenue streams and developing new ones. Wrestling promotions have evolved from event driven businesses to global media enterprises.
I was in Las Vegas last month for both the Hard To Kill pay-per-view and the next night’s Snake Eyes show. Those were not just the two best pro wrestling shows I have attended, they were record-setting for TNA Wrestling on multiple fronts. That growth, expansion and popularity that thousands witnessed live and in-person in Las Vegas, and live on pay-per-view around the world, will continue in 2024. We have many exciting, groundbreaking announcements coming up over the next few months. Our momentum is continuing.
TNA Wrestling features an incredible roster of in-ring talent who will continue to shine and deliver incredible matches and moments. We have a behind-the-scenes crew and staff who are incredible at their jobs. Our business is being run by experienced professionals, and the fans will notice many improvements in the coming months. TNA’s success is attributable to its teamwork, and that team will continue to grow with more input from Anthem’s top executives, partners and others.
We know departures of well-respected executives can create uncertainty, but we are fully committed to this new business model. We are entering a new stage of growth. These changes bring together more leadership experience to help us elevate our operations.
TNA Talent Blindsided By The News
Shortly after the press release was issued, reports stated that talent was part of a Zoom call to be updated with the news, with many finding out about D’Amore’s departure at this point. Haus of Wrestling spoke to multiple sources within the promotion and confirmed that there were 2 calls with talent. The first, headed by Gail Kim and Tommy Dreamer, was said to have gotten chaotic as many were loyal to D’Amore and Kim asked everyone to mute their lines, with some wrestlers eventually being allowed to speak.
Dreamer stated that if talent were not happy and wanted to be released then those discussions could take place privately. The reaction from talent is that not everyone who wanted out would be granted their release and would be based on how important talent is to the company.
The second call featured Anthem executives and Cicione. PWInsider reports that talent was told that D’Amore had stepped down from his position, which was not true as the contrary was stated in the press release. Additionally, Cicione read what was described as a “prepared statement” to talent, which was also described as a “no win” situation for the new president. Talent was not allowed to ask executives questions on the second call.
With many have a close connection to D’Amore, one talent who was on the call with executives noted that Anthem “had a lot of work to do.” Others are opting for a “wait and see” approach to see if any other changes are implemented, noting that a lot of the team still remains.
According to a new report, the reason behind Scott D’Amore’s TNA termination has been revealed.