LOL TNA 2015 News Items

from Pwinsider

An issue between TNA and Lucha Underground has led to a number of planned TNA TV segments being pulled from upcoming episodes of Impact Wrestling, storylines being dropped and one recent TNA signing being dropped from the company, PWInsider.com has learned

At the center of the controversy with Shawn Hernandez, who recently returned to TNA and became part of the Beat Down Clan after appearing on the first season of Lucha Underground on The El Rey Network.

TNA sources indicate that Hernandez was signed to a deal by the company after informing TNA that contractually, he was free and clear to do so.  After Hernandez made a number of appearances at TNA TV tapings, Lucha Underground approached TNA and informed them that contractually, Hernandez was still their talent, signed to their series and that he was not released from his obligations to their promotion, therefore he could not legally appear on TNA broadcasts.

As you might imagine, this put TNA into a legally actionable position where they could be sued. With Impact Wrestling already pre-filmed well in advance as well, it put the company into a terrible situation where their storylines, which are worked out well in advance, would be useless.

I am told that TNA management attempted to work out an agreement with Lucha Underground that would allow the existing footage to be used, including offering to pay Underground for Hernandez' appearances. We are told that Underground turned down all those attempts.  Given that the producers of the Lucha series come from a film and TV background, I was not surprised to hear that.

Since TNA cannot use the footage, the decision was made to pull anything involving the BDC. As of today, all of the current BDC storylines are completed and done as it would be impossible to edit around Hernandez.

I am told that starting tonight, TNA will be replacing those matches and vignettes with existing material, including some matches from the TNA Slammiversary PPV from a few weeks ago. TNA also intends to film material at their Orlando TV Tapings later this month that they can drop into the segments that are no longer available to be used.

The matches and segments that were filmed are (for now at least) completely scrapped and TNA will re-edit all of their TV.

Hernandez, obviously, is gone from TNA and he is now in a position where he's losing work as TNA wanted to use him and cannot. Lucha Underground is still working to finance a potential second season, so Hernandez is now stuck off TV until they pick up production again.

As far as the rest of the BDC, MVP, Kenny King, etc. are also effectively be off those TV episodes until TNA can get new material with those talents. So, through no fault of their own, a number of TNA talents are now off television suddenly until TNA can work them back in while talents who wrestled them also find their matches yanked.

Obviously, the TNA editing team has their work ahead of them.

This is a terrible situation for TNA, and while they certainly deserved plenty of blame for allowing this occur, situations like this happen more often than you would think.

Similar occurrences have occurred a few times with the UFC. Much like TNA did in this case, they typically take the performer's word that they aren't bound to a contract with another promotion. Then, there are situations where the promotion who still have the fighter contracted to them inform the UFC about said fighter being under contract. Then, the fighter either has their contract pulled or they face legal action from their previous promoter.

There was an even a situation that was almost exactly like this where Brazilian fighter Luis "Sapo" Santos competed in a qualifying fighter to join the cast of a season of The Ultimate Fighter Brazil. Shortly after winning the fight, which was taped for the show, a UFC official came out and publicly informed everyone on set that he was still under contract to Bellator and then told the crew that the fight never happened.

It's worth risking legal action if the performer is wrong if you're UFC signing Rampage. Not so much if you're TNA signing HERNANDEZ.

Well if they wouldn't pre-tape like 6 month's worth of shows...

Xero wrote:Well if they wouldn't pre-tape like 6 month's worth of shows...

They can't afford to be a regular wrestling promotion.

Swarles wrote:It's worth risking legal action if the performer is wrong if you're UFC signing Rampage. Not so much if you're TNA signing HERNANDEZ.

Debatable that using Rampage is worth risking legal action at this point, but I agree that Hernandez definitely isn't.

Well that and UFC is a successful company that could afford a payout to Bellator if needed, and TNA can't pay the employees they already have.

Funny thing in that situation though is that Rampage himself is being sued by Bellator, not the UFC for using him. Rampage himself is assuming all the liability in that situation.

I'm not really sure why TNA was willing to bring Hernandez back in at this point, other than shock factor. However, any shock factor that could have been garnered was overshadowed by Jeff Jarrett returning on that episode, as well as the other surprises appearances that happened on that episode.

Really not a LOLTNA thing. It's all on Hernandez. It also really sucks for the rest of the BDC and Drew Galloway.

update from pwinsider

Since PWInsider.com broke the story of the situation TNA has found themselves after hiring Shawn Hernandez and signing him to a contract, only to receive a cease and desist from Lucha Underground stating that Hernandez was still under contract to them (which necessitated TNA releasing Hernandez and having to edit a ton of material on their TV shows, to the point the Beatdown Clan as a whole were dropped), the question we have received is: how could this have happened?

After reaching out to both TNA and Lucha Underground sources, this is what we have learned.

Hernandez was hired by TNA after being strongly touted and pushed by MVP as a good addition to the BDC. TNA management (one would assume John Gaburick) made the decision to sign Hernandez based on MVP's suggestion.

TNA sources have indicated that before he was signed, Hernandez stated that he was free and clear of any contractual obligations with any other promotion, had a release from Lucha Underground and was legally able to sign with the company. TNA included a clause in Hernandez' contract, which I am told he signed after his attorney signed off on it, that included that Hernandez was presenting himself as such. TNA filmed Impact Wrestling episodes and when they aired, the company was hit with the aforementioned cease and desist.

Lucha Underground sources have stated that Hernandez requested a release, but did not actually receive one. The release was in the works, but had not been issued, I am told. With their first season over and all their material for that season filmed, LU sources claim that Hernandez was told that if he wished to receive his release and get out of filming new seasons (none of which are set in stone yet, although there is hope the new season will commence filming in September), things could be worked out, but they requested that Hernandez not appear anywhere on TV before 8/5, the date of their season finale, and also that he abide by a no-compete (I am not sure on the length). After that, he would be free and clear.

LU Management was fine with letting Hernandez take an offer that would see him working regularly and making good money and even told him that he could come back down the line, but they expected him to adhere to the requests mentioned. Instead, Hernandez went right on TNA TV while he was also appearing on LU TV, leading to LU taking steps to protect their series.

TNA sources contend that Hernandez insisted he had a verbal release from LU and provided proof that there was communication between himself and LU that a release was in the works. TNA informed Hernandez that if he wanted to go after LU legally over the situation, they would be happy to use his footage and gave him a deadline (I believe this past Monday) to file something in court in California against Lucha Underground that would at least, provide a temporary restraining order against his LU contract and allow him on TNA TV.

When that deadline passed with no word from Hernandez or his attorney, TNA made moves to release him from his TNA contract and extricate as much evidence of his presence on TNA TV as humanly possible. As noted, TNA will be using older material (including the King of the Mountain match from Slammiversary) and new material they rush to film next week to fill the gaps in their TV episodes created by the loss of segments and matches that featured Hernandez.

I also want to point out that yesterday, TNA sources stated that the company offered to pay LU for the rights to use the Hernandez material that was already filmed but LU sources strongly deny any financial offer was ever made.

To say this was a black eye for TNA is an understatement as even if none of this is their fault, it still gives off the appearance that the company signed someone without doing the correct due diligence. It's also a major black eye for Hernandez, who was released from TNA and now finds himself locked into a contract with a promotion that, one would assume, won't be looking to use him going forward.

It's entirely possible there will be additional ramifications of the situation moving forward as well.

MVP began posting on his social media this evening, intimating that he was done with TNA and noting that he was available for independent bookings.

Stories that MVP was gone from the company had been quietly circulating since yesterday, but TNA sources would not confirm his status when reached today.

As previously noted here on PWInsider.com, MVP had pushed for Hernandez to be brought into the company as part of the Beatdown Clan. When it turned out that Hernandez, despite signing paperwork stating that he was free and clear to work for TNA, was still under contract to Lucha Underground, that signing blew up in TNA's faces, forcing a ton of material and storylines to be re-edited.

MVP signed with TNA in February 2014 following runs with WWE and New Japan Pro Wrestling. He was under a contract through February 2016.

While TNA has yet to officially confirm his departure, it's pretty clear the two sides have parted ways as part of the fallout of the Hernandez issue.

I change the topic cause I didn't really want make a new one and I think we going be seeing several more head shaking TNA news items come out.

From PwInsider
    Bully Ray, who JUST returned to TNA TV as the new GM brought in by Dixie Carter, is already gone from the company.

   Ray hasn't been at any of the TV Tapings that are currently being held in Orlando, Florida (where he lives) and when people started asking where he was (since he lives locally in the area and the Team 3D Wrestling Academy is located there as well), word began making the rounds that he was gone.

   The story I heard this morning is that Ray told the company he was done as he wasn't happy with the current state of affairs of the company and felt it was better to distance himself. Obviously, he was working on a per appearance deal and wasn't under contract.

   Nonetheless, it has to be seen as a negative when TNA spends an entire week building up his return on TV and then he almost immediately quits the company. How they will handle his departure from a creative standpoint remains to be seen.

Update
A highly placed TNA source contacted PWInsider.com this afternoon, disputing that Bully Ray had "quit" the company, citing that since he was not under contract, he could not have quit.

The source claimed that Ray's storyline as the TNA GM was never meant to be a long-term story (since Ray was not signed, it could not be) and that the ending of that story had already been planned and filmed prior to this week's TV tapings.

So, there is the other side of that story.

A highly placed TNA source contacted PWInsider.com this afternoon, disputing that Bully Ray had "quit" the company, citing that since he was not under contract, he could not have quit.

lmao at this especially. Surely this argument about semantics will save you some face, TNA.

Considering that they film about 6 weeks of TV in their tapings now, it is somewhat feasible that the story of Bully Ray finishing his storyline is true, as they could have wrapped it up in backstage segments. But still, this is a bad look that they built up Bully Ray as the new authority figure and he's already gone.

I still don't know why TNA insists on having on-air authority figures, as those types of characters are played out unless you're Dario Cueto.

I don't know why TNA insists on having shows.

Their spoilers this week look hilarious. I might have to pick up watching Impact again merely to see the sadness that they put on there.

FYI, those spoilers from the last few days are for One Night Only PPVs and Xplosion filler matches.

Devastated DJZ vs Grado in a WWE role play match won't make it onto Impact.