Longtime TNA employee Scott D’Amore has been fired as president of TNA Wrestling. The world of wrestling has always been a crazy one, but it is usually only on-screen. However, in the last few years, behind-the-scenes events have been more interesting than anything on-screen. Vince McMahon allegations, McMahon leaving then returning then leaving again, CM Punk backstage brawls, CM Punk returning to WWE, and Cody Rhodes leaving the promotion he was heavily involved in building are just a few mind-blowing stories.
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However, the news of Scott D’Amore being fired by Anthem Sports & Entertainment Inc. is sad news for TNA fans. It was reported by Anthem via a press release on the TNA website that D’Amore was terminated from his TNA president position and has been replaced by Anthony Cicione.
Anthem gave no reason as to why Scott D’Amore was terminated other than a shift in focus. A portion of their official statement reads as follows:
“The move aims to further integrate TNA Wrestling into Anthem’s Entertainment Group, of which Cicione is the President, leveraging the entire Company’s resources to add more value in areas including production, distribution, marketing, viewership, customer acquisition, digital revenue streams, ad sales and sponsorships, digital tech operations, and more.”
– Press release via Anthem Sports & Entertainment, Inc.
SCOTT D’AMORE UNCEREMONIOUSLY FIRED AS PRESIDENT OF TNA WRESTLING
D’Amore began his career in wrestling in 1991 as a wrestler. He worked for both WCW and WWF as an enhancement talent. In 2003, he began working for TNA in mostly backstage roles. As time went on he began to climb up the ranks of the TNA backstage. In March 2023 he was appointed to the role of TNA president.
The decision to fire D’Amore came directly from Anthem owner Len Asper according to PWInsider. Previously TNA had its own corner in Anthem, but it will now be a part of the entertainment arm. The belief is that this is to allow better synergy within Anthem.
D’Amore has garnered a lot of respect from his time with TNA and is well-liked by TNA employees and wrestlers. His firing came as a shock to those in TNA. Anthem held a Zoom call with talent to address the firing. An additional report by PWInsider indicates that the meeting angered a lot of people in TNA. People on the call stated that they were told that D’Amore had “stepped down” from his position as company president This is a direct contradiction of the press release by Anthem, which stated he was “terminated.”
This contradiction was reported to not sit well with TNA talent. PWInsider quoted one wrestler as saying “This wasn’t the way to start off” the recent revival of the brand, which began last month. Talent was also told of his release before Anthem executives joined the call and angered the talent which forced veterans to try to calm them down.
New TNA President Anthony Cicione joined the call and was reported to have read what was thought to have been a prepared statement that did not sit well with talents in TNA Wrestling. Some good news is that the creative team who worked under D’Amore currently remains with TNA. Therefore storylines should remain intact and the quality of storylines should not suddenly drop.
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As for why D’Amore was let go, a rumor reported by PWInsider is that the belief was that D’Amore was too associated with TNA Wrestling. He had become the face of TNA Wrestling like Tony Khan is with AEW. As a result, Anthem did not like that development, which is one of the reasons behind his release. Talent is reported to be very cautious about what happens next and if any additional changes are around the corner due to Cicione’s lack of experience in wrestling.
Cicione has a long history in executive-level management. Most of his recent work has been with cable and digital channels. He does have some experience as a producer of sports content, but pro wrestling isn’t exactly traditional sports content.
Hopefully, Anthem will promote or bring in someone who has experience in wrestling. If they do not, TNA will suffer. TNA has improved in the last few years because of D’Amore and having a partnership with AEW. He was even the reason Jordynne Grace was able to enter the Royal Rumble.
What do you think of Scott D’Amore being fired by Anthem Sports? Do you think TNA Wrestling will suffer without his leadership? Do you think Anthem needed to fire him to create a shift in focus? Does it worry you that a non-wrestling person is the new TNA president? Let us know on social media who you think should take over the leadership role in TNA.
SOURCE: TNA/Anthem Press Release, PWInsider, PWInsider
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