On a recent edition of his “My World” podcast, TNA co-founder Jeff Jarrett discussed Scott D’Amore’s departure after trying to buy the Anthem-owned promotion, whether anyone would buy TNA, and more.
You can check out some highlights from the podcast below:
On Scott D’Amore’s TNA departure: “Yeah, I have a unique perspective on this, but I have no context on where to go with this, like at all. All I can do is, obviously, share on my personal experiences. And as I sat down and kind of drilled through everything — and without knowing any of the details, and as things trickled out, you kind of hear [things]. And I don’t know what’s true or not. But the kind of the one thing that was in there that he tried to buy it. And the reason he, I think tried to buy it, if this is true, is that he wanted to spend more money, I think up the budgets and all that. And obviously, I’ve shared this on the podcast multiple times, and I took full responsibility for my screw-ups. But the reality was from day one, when I look back on my time, is that I was under the impression that budgets were going to be bigger, there was going to be more of an investment if you will, the strategies were going to be different.
“And so in a lot of ways, I said ‘Okay, that was in 2017 that — we got together into 2016, and we were basically finished by 2017. So from 2018, it’s safe to say, to 2024, six years. I think you have to drill down into — I don’t know the books, but the Asper family is very well-to-do. And they’ve made a lot of money through the years off of the television industry in cable and, you know, AXS and Pursuit. And they did the merger a couple of years ago, or the acquisitions. All that was being said, it drills right down to, I don’t know what TNA true EBITDA, PNL, like real financials. What does that really look like? Because it’s obviously Lynn’s sole decision, Lynn Asper’s sole decision. So I asked myself, ‘What did the profit/loss look like over the last six years?’ Because there’s no way that you do the rebrand, and you have — and maybe it’s just the internet, but it felt like the most buzz on the company in the last three years for the last four years it feels like, coming out of the pandemic. May be longer than that, they had quite a bit of buzz. I said it a couple of times when we first reported on going back to TNA, ‘What took them so long?’ I thought the Impact brand — just the timing of it all, is very perplexing. That — again, you don’t ever judge a book by its cover, but I don’t know what its financial picture looks like and the timing of it all. I’ll say this: they’ve got their work cut out, bo doubt. And I’m — nobody’s ever replaceable. We’re watching that right before our eyes. Nothing, no talent, no executive, nobody’s ever replaced in this industry. That being said, what is their plan in place. That’s what I’ve yet to hear come out.”
On whether anyone would buy TNA: “People who have asked me this quite a bit over the last few days. And I go back to the conversation that I’ve had multiple times. And I had — we’ll call it this education, I mean Conrad, I’m gonna go well north — I’m not even gonna say 100. 200, 300, 400 times? I don’t know how many times I’ve heard this conversation from my father, from my grandmother, from Jerry Lawler, from different folks through the years. ‘What are you buying if you buy, I’ll call it Anthem Wrestling Exhibition?’ That’s the last known entity that I know, and that’s who I went in partnership with… My point is that the library — and it’s, I’m not saying, but I mean it’s — you really talk about, and there are lots of folks out there that like to watch catalogs of wrestling. But the monetization of it comes from subscription services, which is small. And the WWE numbers, you know, once you drill down on the real value of watching an ’88 Starrcade, or a ’95 [Wrestle]Mania, or whatever it may be, it’s not near enough to sustain an operation.
“So look and — Jesus. And Karen and me had this conversation, because I started reading stuff. And people were calling me quite a bit, much more than I expected. And she would hear the phone conversations. She’s just like — she has something, and I’m like, for whatever reason, starting that, the emotional attachment, the ups and the downs of all of it, I still have an affinity to it [TNA]. So I’m very curious about where it’s gonna go. But unless — I mean, you can take any other network out there, they’re just going to start their own. I am curious to see, why I don’t think they sell. I think it sits in Lynn Asper’s family until he’s really ready to let go of that library. And I don’t think, to my knowledge he wouldn’t. Because it’s much more valuable to create content for his own networks.”
In a recent episode of his podcast “My World,” TNA co-founder Jeff Jarrett discussed Scott D’Amore’s departure from the Anthem-owned promotion, the possibility of anyone buying TNA, and more. Jarrett shared his unique perspective on the matter, although he admitted to not having all the details.
One of the key points Jarrett touched upon was D’Amore’s attempt to buy TNA. While he couldn’t confirm the truth behind this claim, Jarrett speculated that D’Amore may have wanted to increase the budgets and investments in the promotion. He reflected on his own time at TNA and how he had initially expected larger budgets and a different strategy. However, without access to the financial records, Jarrett couldn’t determine the true profit/loss of TNA over the past six years.
Jarrett also expressed his confusion over the timing of the rebranding to Impact and questioned the financial picture of TNA. He acknowledged that the company had generated significant buzz in recent years, especially after emerging from the pandemic. However, he wondered why it took so long for them to regain momentum. Jarrett emphasized that nobody is replaceable in the wrestling industry, be it talent or executives, and questioned what plans TNA had in place moving forward.
When asked if anyone would buy TNA, Jarrett referred to conversations he had had in the past. He explained that the value of TNA lies in its library, which appeals to wrestling enthusiasts. However, monetizing this library through subscription services is not enough to sustain an operation like TNA. Jarrett believed that unless another network starts its own wrestling promotion, TNA would likely remain with Lynn Asper’s family until they are ready to let go of the valuable library. He speculated that Asper would prefer creating content for his own networks rather than selling TNA.
Overall, Jarrett’s podcast episode shed light on D’Amore’s departure, the financial situation of TNA, and the potential future of the promotion. While he couldn’t provide all the details or confirm rumors, Jarrett’s insights offered fans a glimpse into the inner workings of TNA and the challenges it faces.