As noted, news broke this morning that Anthem Entertainment had fired Scott D’Amore from his role as TNA President. Anthony Cicone has since been named as his successor. PW Insider now has a major update on the story.
According to Insider, a virtual Zoom meeting was held today to inform talents of D’Amore’s departure and to introduce Cicone as the new TNA President. Cicone will oversee the company’s day-to-day operations moving forward. Len Asper, Anthem’s Head, also participated in the call.
Several TNA talents have since told Insider that during the meeting, it was incorrectly stated that D’Amore had “stepped down” from the company, a departure from the official statement that his contract was terminated. This misinformation didn’t sit well with some talents, especially considering their close relationship with D’Amore and their positive opinions of him.
The report says that Cicone then delivered a prepared statement, which received mixed reactions. Some understood the challenging position he was in as D’Amore’s replacement, while others were less receptive.
While there were no specifics regarding future creative direction, the existing creative team remains intact aside from D’Amore. Talents were not given an opportunity to ask questions during the meeting, further frustrating some individuals about the changes.
Initial reactions to D’Amore’s departure varied, with some talents expressing anger, while veterans attempted to reassure others, emphasizing the need to give the new executive a chance. A TNA personality present on the call remarked that Anthem faces significant challenges moving forward. While some talents adopt a “wait and see” approach, others maintain faith in the remaining team and focus on preparing for the upcoming No Surrender PPV in New Orleans. Rumors circulating among talents suggest that Anthem intends to align the TNA brand more closely with the parent company, implying that the brand had been overly reliant on D’Amore. However, this was not addressed during the call.
Wrestling Headlines will continue to keep you updated as this is an ongoing story.
