TNA Statement On 'The Wrestler', Heyman Lashes Out At TNA, Sting

Jeff Wilen of the Daytona Beach News-Journal sent word that TNA released an official statement regarding "The Wrestler" movie. Here is TNA's statement: "We're happy to see professional wrestling in the mainstream spotlight through the movie 'The Wrestler.' Mickey Rourke's performance is nothing short of sensational; Mickey Rourke is the movie. His portrayal of an over-the-hill wrestler struggling to find his own meaning in life has already been talked about as Oscar-worthy, and rightfully so." Unlike WWE, TNA's statement regarding "The Wrestler" wasn't backhanded. WWE said this past week: "While 'The Wrestler' is a very engaging movie, it portrays how wrestling was conducted in some independent wrestling circuits, unlike WWE, which is a global brand with millions of fans."

Paul Heyman has a new column on The Sun revealing his "Paulie Awards" for the year in professional wrestling, MMA and boxing. Heyman gave "The Impact Player" Paulie Award to Brock Lesnar; the "Time Capsule Moment Of The Year" Paulie Award to Shawn Michaels' sweet chin music to Ric Flair at Wrestlemania; the "It's My Turn" Paulie Award to Edge and Manny Pacquiao in a tie; and the "Industry Snapshot" Paulie Award to TNA, labeling them as an asterisk. Heyman then goes on a rant on TNA, praising their roster and basically saying they need to go beyond being "WWE Lite." "TNA is so hell bent on trying to present a WWE-style product that it loses its own audience, which just aches to be given a reason to brag "we're better," or "we're cooler," or simply "we're different," Heyman wrote. "Until Dixie Carter and TNA management wake up and play to the potential audience that's out there, their big claim to fame will be "we're number two."

The latest issue of Inside Wrestling features Sting on the cover. The headline says he's worthy of a "Ric Flair Sendoff." You can see the magazine cover at https://www.pwi-online.com