TNA News: Update On Future Of TNA, Why The Hardy’s And Drew Galloway Really Left

TNA Wrestling has made a lot of questionable decisions over the years but by far their latest decisions are considered to be insane, and it could very well spell the end of the company if things are not changed soon, but why are these decisions being made? It has been reported all over the place by now that both Matt and Jeff Hardy have left TNA, the reason due to contract disputes where they were both disrespected and absolutely stunned at how horrible the company treated them toward the end.

Meanwhile, former TNA World Champion Drew Galloway also left the company recently. It was rumored all three were leaving for months, but it was not due to being courted by WWE or any other organization. The rumors are true that there is interest elsewhere, but all of the wrestlers involved tried to negotiate a new deal. Yet for some reason, Anthem Sports and Entertainment, the new owners of TNA Wrestling, took forever to get with the talent on their new deals.

It was then that the Hardy brothers ran into problems where Reby Hardy, Matt’s wife claimed…

“The rumors are true. We didn’t get the contracts until five days before. That was a note of contention for Matt and Jeff. … It got to the point where it was coming down to the wire, and it was almost like we were being bullied into signing them. … It’s something that guys like Matt and Jeff who have been in the business forever have never had to deal with [contracts].”

This was in response to people asking if the rumors of the Hardy’s leaving TNA were true, which of course came before Matt Hardy’s official note of departure via Twitter. The unit was basically bullied into signing new deals, which was absolutely stunning to see. According to Pro Wrestling Sheet, Ed Nordholm, the Executive VP of Anthem told the lawyer of the Hardy’s after the lawyer informed Ed of interest from other companies, “Well let them go to WWE then.”

This set Jeff Hardy off and that was when he refused to sign with TNA. From there Matt Hardy still tried to make things work out with the company, but when he finally got an offer from them it included not only a two year deal when he asked for one, but it also included a 10 percent stake in all of the money Matt made on the independent scene while he was under the TNA deal. This was a clause they tried to sneak in, but was obviously found by the Hardy’s lawyer.

The reason for these sudden departures does have a lot to do with the contracts Anthem wants to offer, which many of the wrestlers who are attempting to re-sign do not like. Most any who are up for a re-signing point are considering a move. In fact, the latest to leave are both Marie and Mike Bennett, two of the newer stars to TNA Wrestling. Most thought that TNA was trying to do away with the older talent by offering them low-ball or insulting deals, even getting to them late on them.

However, Bennett is a young wrestler who still has a long career ahead with a wife who has WWE ties and can draw interest due to it. According to Daily Wrestling News, Anthem is attempting to discontinue the “TNA” name under their ownership and Jeff Jarrett’s return. There is no word on what the new name will be, however, but the thought is that it could be a nice reset to the company going forward.

There are also plans to “get younger” with the TNA roster, which makes sense, but also loses star-power in the process. Matt Hardy as well as brother Jeff Hardy, helped to pretty much run TNA last year. Not only were they slapped in the face for this hard work, but they were also not even given the courtesy of dropping their titles on TNA TV. Matt tried to negotiate a short-term deal that would allow he and Jeff to come in and drop the tag titles and write off their characters, but TNA management wouldn’t allow it.

It will be interesting to see what happens at the next set of television tapings coming up soon. With Bennett leaving, it means that TNA is most likely offering deals even a newer star does not find to be fair for the work put in. While veterans like Galloway and the Hardy’s might get offers that are considered high for an indie star coming in, they find it not to be up to their worth due to their position and it makes sense for them to turn TNA down.

Meanwhile, a wrestler like Bennett who could be huge for TNA in the next number of years, was not willing to accept the terms offered to him. This means that there is clearly something going on with Anthem and TNA management that may result in seeing them become a place no star wants to end up. On top of this, many will begin to consider TNA to be a televised indie company before too long…considering their recent actions. Without stars, there is a thought that ratings will slide hard soon.

[Featured Image By TNA Wrestling]