In the past year TNA Impact Wrestling has lost a lot of big names from their roster, but 2016 so far, may have been the worst. Former TNA World Champion Austin Aries made his NXT debut and it looks like Bobby Roode won’t be far behind. Ken Anderson and Eric Young are done with the company, and in the past week, two more longtime stars are out. The big wonder now is if Christy Hemme and/or Velvet Sky will end up in WWE.
Yes, two longtime Knockouts are officially done with TNA and will no longer be appearing for the company. As WrestleZone pointed out, Christy Hemme was the first one to reveal that she was done and moving on to other things in life.
SO THANKFUL for wrestling and @IMPACTWRESTLING especially @JohnGaburick for the inspiration toward my future #followingmyDREAM #nextchapter
— Christy (@hemmepowered) April 21, 2016
Hemme has been with TNA since 2006, and she’s pretty much done it all with the company. She was an in-ring performer at one point and also served as a backstage interviewer, ring announcer, and was even on the creative team at one point.
While Hemme does appear to be alright with moving on from TNA, it doesn’t seem as if the parting of ways was mutual. According to The Wrestling Observer, she was releasedfrom her contract in what appears to be a cost-cutting measure.
Christy Hemme began her professional wrestling career in 2004 when she won the first ever WWE Diva Search competition. In 2005, she was cut by the company in that was also cited as a cost-cutting situation.
At the TNA taping this week, SoCal Val returned to TNA and replaced Hemme as ring announcer.
Another departure from TNA is one that isn’t as shocking, but it could be even more devastating and that is Velvet Sky. It has been confirmed by TNA that Velvet Sky is done with TNA, according to Wrestling News, and that means both original members of The Beautiful People are gone.
There have been rumors for a while now that she would be done with TNA soon and end up joining her real-life boyfriend, Bubba Ray Dudley, in WWE. There’s no word on that actually coming true as of yet, but she did not part ways with TNA on bad terms as she had nothing but good things to say about them.
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— ?Velvet Sky? (@VelVelHoller) April 23, 2016
Both Sky and Bubba Ray have teased her heading to WWE and becoming the “Duchess of Dudleyville” for him and D-Von. Even if she did end up with the company, there’s no guarantee that she would even be partnered up with them.
Velvet Sky started with TNA in 2007 and except for a short amount of time around 2011/2012, she has been with the company since. Sky is quite talented in the ring and would make a great addition to the WWE Women’s division.
In just the past year, TNA has lost:
- Christy Hemme
- Angelina Love
- Velvet Sky
- Austin Aries
- Bobby Roode
- Eric Young
- Ken Anderson
- Manik/T.J. Perkins
- Havok
- Sanada
There are so many others who have left the company in the past couple of years as well, and that includes Samoa Joe and AJ Styles who are now in NXT and WWE.
As of now, it doesn’t seem as if Christy Hemme will end up in WWE, but stranger things have happened so it is always possible. Velvet Sky, on the other hand? Along with being a very talented wrestler and good on the mic, she is the girlfriend of Bubba Ray Dudley and he could put in a good word for her. TNA really does appear to be losing more and more big names each month, and the holes are starting to show.
[Image via WWE]