Is Kaz Really Done With TNA?, Major 'Rampage'/UFC Update Inside

Yahoo! Sports sat down with UFC president Dana White last weekend for an update on Rampage Jackson's condition. There's still much that is unknown and doctors are far from an official diagnosis. White told Yahoo! Sports that Jackson was initially going to stay in care for 72 hours but that has now been extended: "I think it's going to be a while before we get him back. I'm talking as a friend. It's a sensitive issue. Rampage, the UFC fighter, who cares about that. We're concerned about Rampage, the human being. What matters is his personal life." White also talked about some strange circumstances that led up to Jackson's episode Tuesday: "He was up for four days and he was doing some crazy fasting thing. He was up for four days, drinking water and energy drinks, that was it. It's not good."

White said he knew that as soon as he arrived in Southern California on Tuesday night that something was seriously wrong with Jackson: "Rampage doesn't do drugs. Rampage really doesn't even drink. This whole thing made no sense to me. (Then) when I got there it made a lot of sense."

As noted earlier tonight, Frankie "Kaz" Kazarian is apparently departing from TNA, at least according to their official website. He requested his release from the company this morning. However, he has agreed to fulfill his upcoming dates with TNA before parting ways with the company. In a weird deal, and probably a first in professional wrestling, Kaz will be commenting on his decision to leave TNA on the premiere edition of the "Karen's Angle" interview segment on iMPACT! this Thursday.

While this is merely speculation, it looks like this could possibly be a "worked-shoot" angle to generate interest/attention in Kaz, so we shouldn't jump the gun on him really leaving the organization quite yet. For one, TNA hardly ever posts notes regarding departures from the company. The only departure they have announced this year is that of "Wildcat" Chris Harris. Secondly, him apparently doing an angle after making a decision to leave the company is quite peculiar. And probably the key reason showing that this deal may be a work is that the "Karen's Angle" interview segment should have been taped at last week's iMPACT! tapings when they had all the talent and production people together. The TNA site is saying he requested his release today, and will be on her show later this week. If that's the case, they'd have to fly both Karen & Kaz in to some remote location, as well as their production people, put together her fancy set for the show, and film it, this week. TNA really only films stuff for television if they're showing say, Eric Young touring a city, and other candid looking stuff, where they only need a cameraman or two, and not a big production staff. One key thing to look for in the segment is if Karen wears the same one strap black dress she wore on iMPACT! last week in a vignette plugging the upcoming show. If so, it would appear that Kaz's segment was taped beforehand, and that this is all a work. Also keep in mind that when Kaz came to the ring at a Sunday night house show he wasn't smiling at all and looked really pissed off. Anyway, stay tuned to this story because there appears to be more than meets the eye.