More On A Recent TNA Firing, Backstage Heat?, More

Source: The Wrestling Observer Newsletter

? As reported a few weeks ago, TNA fired referee Rudy Charles (real name Dan Engler) in a cost-cutting measure. TNA's decision to let him shocked a number of people because he was popular with management and had been with the company from the start, not to mention that he performed so many tasks for the company. However, the feeling is TNA will simply hire a local referee to replace him, and that others in the office will pick up the jobs he was doing. Although it's been noted they'll have to be trained to run the errands he did. Besides being a referee and involved in timing of the shows, he also sat in on creative meetings. It was also said that TNA could save on transportation costs by using a referee who lived near Orlando.

? TNA referee Mark "Slick" Johnson, who's frequently been a source a contention among some in the company, has a raised a few eyebrows in recent weeks over the number of house shows he's worked. In fact, there was some eye rolling over the company's recent decision to part ways with referee Shane Sewell, who was widely regarded as a better official than Johnson. Internally, the feeling is he would not be getting so many bookings if he wasn't a close friend of Jeff Jarrett, much less a job. With Jarrett on the outs right now, we'll see where things go from here.