TNA rang in 2025 with a banger of a pay-per-view, a major partnership with WWE, and… a backstage meltdown that would make even Vince McMahon raise an eyebrow.
TNA’s Cost-Cutting Spree: Bye-Bye Big Contracts
Reports surfaced late last year that TNA was tightening its budget, with multiple wrestlers either being offered smaller contracts or per-show deals. Why? Because Anthem Sports—TNA’s parent company—allegedly felt that some wrestlers were getting paid way too much under former boss Scott D’Amore. Apparently, D’Amore was out here handing out promises like Oprah gives away cars, and once he got the boot in February 2024, those promises disappeared faster than a Jeff Hardy no-show.
Despite the cutbacks, TNA managed to hold onto some key names like Frankie Kazarian, Nic Nemeth (FKA Dolph Ziggler), AJ Francis, John Skyler, Ash By Elegance, Masha Slamovich, and Mustafa Ali. But one man was not so lucky…
PCO: The Monster They Shouldn’t Have Messed With
You know who didn’t take these cutbacks lightly? PCO. And when you tick off a Frankenstein-looking, undead Canadian madman, things are bound to get wild.
PCO was reportedly willing to take a pay cut—but instead of honoring that, TNA backtracked and told him to drop his Digital Media Championship and leave. Oh, and remember when PCO helped sell out Slammiversary 2024 in Montreal? He was allegedly promised a TNA World Title run as a reward. Spoiler: That never happened.
So what did PCO do? He went rogue. At a GCW event the same night as TNA Genesis, he destroyed the Digital Media Championship, cut a shoot promo on the company, and basically said “Screw you, I’ll break my own toys.” The belt is now officially vacated, with Steph De Lander, his former on-screen wife, taking over as champ.
The Fallout: Where Does TNA Go From Here?
With a WWE partnership in play and backstage drama piling up, TNA is walking a fine line between revival and disaster. Will Anthem’s budget cuts pay off? Or will more wrestlers follow PCO’s lead and go out in a blaze of unscripted chaos?
Either way, TNA remains the most unpredictable place in wrestling… and we’re here for it.