TNA pull Homicide and Aries from ROH!

gimmick

From PWInsider:

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling informed Ring of Honor today that effective immediately, all TNA contracted talents have been pulled from scheduled and future ROH bookings.

With the departure of Christopher Daniels last week, that would mean that former ROH champions Homicide and Austin Aries are no longer be allowed to appear at Ring of Honor events and are already done with the company.

The expected ROH return of Samoa Joe later this year, which was foreshadowed when Joe defeated current ROH champion Takeshi Morishima the night before Morishima won the title, is also off the books.

TNA made the call ROH's announcement yesterday that they signed a deal to begin airing taped PPV events on 7/1. The first PPV will be taped on 5/12 in New York City at the Manhattan Center.

TNA sources acknowledged that the decision will likely upset ROH fans, but felt they had no choice after learning about ROH's PPV expansion yesterday via the Internet. There's no word why the pulled talents couldn't appear on matches that wouldn't be aired on the taped PPV events.

ROH booker Gabe Sapolskly declined comment on the situation when contacted this morning, but given the way the ROH storylines have phased out TNA performers, this likely was not an unexpected move.

Words cannot describe how much I hate TNA right now. Quite simply, they are trying to kill the indies. I hope they go bust asap. It isnt even a good promotion :mad: I am not an Aries fan, at all, but am enjoying his fued with NRC, I am a bit of a Homicide mark.

Vince135792003

A few comments by Alvarez on www.f4wonline.com :

It's hit the fan this morning. TNA has now pulled talent from PWG and ROH and probably any other indy that sell DVDs of its events (or in the case of ROH, sell DVDs are are also planning PPVs). Of course, because all TNA stars are signed to exclusive contracts they have the rights to do so, though it opens up the door to a number of different issues, not the least of which is a plunge in morale

Fozzy

I said something on the ROH ppv thread about how I can see the TNA guys getting angry about this. I thought that Aries and Homicide would have been allowed wrestle in ROH anyway, as long as they weren't on ppv. ROH have enough talent to keep on going obviously, but TNA aren't going to be very liked by a lot of people now

Mr.Nice Guy

TNA sources acknowledged that the decision will likely upset ROH fans, but felt they had no choice after learning about ROH's PPV expansion yesterday via the Internet. There's no word why the pulled talents couldn't appear on matches that wouldn't be aired on the taped PPV events.

Good on TNA. ROH's move into the PPV scene makes them direct competition to TNA and only an idiotic businessman would give competition a helping hand.

I guess TNA aren't as dumb as I had originally thought.

TNA wrestlers have contracts and they should honour them. ROH have no legitimate complaint here. If they want to make money from PPV then they can do it without TNA's stars.

Fozzy

But the original word was that Aries and Homicide would be working this show that's being taped for ppv, but they wouldn't be on the actual ppv. It'll be a 3 hour show but only a 2 hour ppv. ROH will still be making more money from their dvds than their ppvs, and TNA never had a problem with their lads being on the dvds, so it does confuse me a bit

Mr.Nice Guy

Fozzy wrote:

But the original word was that Aries and Homicide would be working this show that's being taped for ppv, but they wouldn't be on the actual ppv. It'll be a 3 hour show but only a 2 hour ppv. ROH will still be making more money from their dvds than their ppvs, and TNA never had a problem with their lads being on the dvds, so it does confuse me a bit

Imagine if Austin or Homicide got injured working this show though.

I understand TNA's concern. From their perspective ROH have now stepped up a gear and made themselves a very real threat to TNA's business.

Due largely to TNA's incompetence, they haven't made big strides in gathering new fans. ROH are out to do just that. TNA should be worried.

Vince135792003

Just another slant on it, both are 2 companies that rely heavily on a hardcore group of wrestling fans. Will TNA alienate a segment of that group who buy their ppvs by doing this? Maybe. Maybe not. Just a thought though.

Double C

This is like eating food and eventually taking a sh*t after, always going to happen. ROH announce their step up to PPV's and TNA are expected to not pull their workers? Surely ROH knew what was coming when they announced the PPV's. Look at the TNA guys gone from ROH:

Daniels - Been there since the start, was integral in 2002 but now, he's the 4th wheel in Four Corner Survival matches and has run his course in the company.
Joe - Champion for 21 months, has bulldozed through the whole roster a number of times now. Let him move on to bigger and (questionably) better things.
Styles - Only a bit part player since the TNA talent returned in 2005 and never really added anything but his name. He really has not been missed since he left.
Homicide - Again, there since the start. He had his big climax with the Road of Homicide, which was great but then he got his title run and it sucked. He can add alot to the mid card but I personally think his stint in the company ran its course.
Aries - I'm disappointed about this one. He's in the middle of a big stable feud with NRC and can still add a great deal over the next while at least.
Shelley - I assume pulling Aries and Homicide means the likes of Shelley, Sabin etc can't come back. It's a crying shame Shelley never got the right push as a top guy in ROH, cos after all, he has talent on loan from god.

These are all great workers who will be missed. They have left their legacy but it's time to move on. ROH is still in great shape with guys like Hero, Castagnoli, Briscoes, Delirious, Albright, Whitmer, Jacobs, NRC etc as well as newer guys like Cross, Edwards, Perkins and the rest. Oh and some fella called Danielson too.

The TNA talent is a loss, but ROH will get over it, they always do.

b0bsquish

Had to happen really, wasnt this announced a while back that they didnt want there talent on other shows anyway?
Only thing I'll really miss is Aries in ROH, he's being wasted in TNA. Hopefully this will kickstart bigger things for ROH thou.

Double C

I have to get me one of these:

source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter

Austin Starr wants a release from TNA so that he can wrestle where ever he wants; it hasn't been granted yet. Starr is currently serving a 90-day suspension due to a bad attitude. He was probably hurt the hardest of TNA pulled contracted talent from ROH because ROH is his main source of income. His TNA contract expires this summer, but TNA has the option to renew it at its current terms. There are some people in TNA who don't want him back, but now that ROH is on PPV, they are opposition, and it becomes handing a talented wrestler to the opposition, which they might not want to do.

He needs to escape that contract. He's going nowhere in TNA and his stable in ROH needs his leadership.

Fozzy

That's what I thought would happen eventually. He was prevented from working for the three biggest promotions that he was a regular in, of course he'd want to get away from the one that caused that

Just on a sidenote here, I see that Alex Shelley, Senshi and Samoa Joe are still scheduled for the Ted Petty Invitational in September. Any word on TNA pulling them out?

Double C

Hopefully not. TNA has had a good few guys in the TPI over the years and it's never been a problem then, even during 2004. The TPI is only 2 nigts anyway so I can't see them having much of a problem with that. Hopefully this years TPI final is better than Strong, Ki and ****in Arik Cannon that we had last year.

gimmick

I heard last years TPI was outstanding?

Anyway, with regard to the 3 of them being booked in this years one, well I reckon they will be pulled, as otherwise whats stopping Shelley etc from competeing in PWG. TPI is always released on DVD.

Double C

The matches leading up to the final are excellent, especially that Claudio Quack match but the final is really disappointing. Its an hour long and there is no direction whatsoever to the match. Strong got knocked out too. Its stiff as hell but what good is that when there is no story to it.

gimmick

As of this weekend, Aries is back on the full time roster of ROH. Big news, as the NRC / Relience fued can get back on track immediately after the Japan shows in July.

I wonder does this mean he has been released from TNA?

Double C

He has indeed, there is a thread on it, 'Another name realeased from TNA' or something. Wait til you hear how he announced it, he got the biggest pop in ROH history apparently!

oneofakind32

Kinda saw it coming, he was not happy with how was being used in TNA and wasn't shy about expressing his opinion, hence he was suspended for 3 months after the lockdown PPV (at which he had one of the best matches on the card)
I never watched ROH before this but I will try to keep up with his feuds now that he's back there!