Jeff Jarrett On Hardys Leaving TNA, Legal Battle Brewing Between Hardys And TNA?, TNA Dropping "TNA"
- As we reported last month, Anthem Sports & Entertainment have been phasing out the initials "TNA" and just going with Impact Wrestling. According to Mike Johnson of PWInsider, the company reportedly has a strategy to discontinue the name. He noted that while he hasn't heard anything officially, the GFW initials replacing "TNA" would "make a lot of sense."
As noted, the "TNA" initials had been removed from their social media accounts and from their website, with the exception of links to ShopTNA.com and Total Access TNA Wrestling. While the TNA logo still appears on their title belts, they are simply referred to as the "World Heavyweight Championship", "X Division Championship" and "World Tag Team Championship" on their website.
- There may be a legal battle brewing between TNA and the Hardys regarding to the "Broken" characters. Pro Wrestling Sheet reported that sources close to the Hardys tell them that Matt feels that while his deal with TNA allows the company to profit off of anything that they have filmed with any gimmick he used during his time with the company, he retains ownership of his name and characters once his contract expires (which is at midnight tonight). However, TNA apparently feels that it is not the case, and they own all intellectual property creations.
WWF had famously sued WCW in the 90s, with one of the claims being that WCW infringed on their Diesel and Razor Ramon characters with Kevin Nash and Scott Hall using similar mannerisms when they jumped to WCW. On a recent edition of Legends with JBL, Hall discussed the lawsuit and how it was nipped in the bud.
"I just remember thinking, 'the most recognizable features about my character is my face, so I feel like I own that'," Hall said. "And then, shortly after all that, the lawsuit went on from day one, but then, when the fake Razor and the fake Diesel debuted, it was pretty much kind of like, 'okay, like, done deal, like, that's Razor and Diesel. We're 'The Outsiders'. Gene Okerlund called us 'The Outsiders', so we didn't have to have names."
- Jeff Jarrett, who is now overseeing creative in TNA, commented on the Hardys and Drew Galloway leaving TNA this week. He wrote:
(1)For the record, it's @IMPACTWRESTLING 's corporate policy not to make any comments on talent contractual matters....
? Jeff Jarrett (@RealJeffJarrett) February 28, 2017
(2) I personally wish nothing but continued success for @JEFFHARDYBRAND @MATTHARDYBRAND @GallowaySpeaks . All three of them are fantastic...
? Jeff Jarrett (@RealJeffJarrett) February 28, 2017
(3) talent and wherever they land they will obviously do very well. Wrestling business can be tough at times, but one thing is for sure...
? Jeff Jarrett (@RealJeffJarrett) February 28, 2017
(4)...the business is ALWAYS changing! Ready for @UniversalORL and can't wait for Thursday! #MIGA
? Jeff Jarrett (@RealJeffJarrett) February 28, 2017