TNA: Crossing The Line

[Guest AJ Starr]

APRIL 1st, 2009

 

It was April Fool's Day... so of course I thought the call was a prank. Several months prior I contacted TNA management about a possible try-out for their company, only to end up with a severe knee injury that would keep me from walking properly from August 2008 to February 2009. The injury will never heal, nor can I tell you how it happened. During that time I kept resending my material to TNA, really hoping I could add to their product. It was also during the time I was injured that I became an instrumental part of the booking committe to the Indy company I had been in since 2001; the ETWA. Several of my ideas were used on shows and I became the character "Commissioner". Meanwhile in TNA... ratings were slowly increasing, but the lack of direction and ridiculous angles and storylines offered by TNA were keeping them grounded.

 

So when I saw the caller ID show up as Private... and the woman on the line announced herself as Dixie Carter... I sarcastically played along with what she was telling me. She claimed Vince Russo had been sent home for wanting to put the TNA Heavyweight Title on Don West in an attempt to drive cheap ratings, and TNA was looking for a new Head Booker. She said a limo was on it's way to take me to the airport where I would report for my first day on the job at Monday's Impact tapings. I said suuuuuuuure.... I'll pack a bag and be on my way, and hung up the phone.

 

To my surprise... an hour later a limo pulled up and out came Jeff Jarrett, founder of TNA wrestling. Now if this were a joke, someone went ALL out to get me and spent a ton of dough. In 5 minutes I packed a bunch of loose clothes and was on my way to Orlando, Florida.

 

On the flight I spoke at length with Jarrett on why I could've possibly been chosen out of dozens of other guys twice my age and twice as qualified. Jarrett explained that TNA needed someone with a mind for the business who wasn't going to try and turn it into a circus , and who would be committed to bringing TNA out as the #1 wrestling company on the planet. Jeff wanted TNA to be about professional wrestling... but still have a sports-entertainment side to it... but resemble nothing about the WWE way of working.

 

One of the many things explained to me is that I was the head of creative but I needed to work with the storylines already in motion and make sure they get wrapped up so the fans don't dump on the promotion for a rapid change in direction. Another was that I was at a guess... 7th or 8th in charge. I would answer directly to Carter & Jarrett... and would also answer to Jim Cornette while other executives would no doubt hold more stroke than I would. Jarrett also mentioned that TNA would need to start developing more talent and were looking to expand into getting ahold of a Development company. I suggested the ETWA... and Jeff agreed to pitch the idea to Carter, but I would need to show tons of footage to convince her and also have a damn good presentation to pitch a very isolated and local promotion as the new stomping grounds for future TNA talent.

 

As we landed in Orlando... we ended up with the very basic outline for this week's Impact and the general direction we were about to take TNA in.

 

My name is Anthony Starr... and I just crossed the line.

[Guest AJ Starr]

APRIL 5th, 2009

 

Oy... TNA is a freakin' mess when you get to witness it all in person. After all the proper introductions were made to Dixie Carter and everyone else in management, I spent all day Friday, Saturday and Sunday working with the road agents and the booking committee to try and get some ideas to get TNA rolling into the right direction. For hours I sat with Jim Cornette, BG James, Chris Parks (Abyss,) and Traci Brooks and we hashed out ideas and plans to head into Lockdown and beyond. By Saturday night I learned that my presentation to Dixie Carter went well, and she decided to use the ETWA as a Development camp for future TNA talent, under the condition that one show was run per week, minimal of 2 hours per event. After speaking to "The Boss" Donny Myers and his son... "The Buzzard" Don Myers... it was agreed and plans would be set up to get the ETWA booked in halls and venues immediately.

 

So now that I had a place to send the TNA talent that needed brushing up, as well as a place to send new hires that needed work... the real tasks began. Ideas were pitched... some accepted and a lot rejected... we all finally agreed on how we wanted to get to TNA Lockdown.

 

With our plans set... I began looking at possible talent to bring into TNA. I knew the X-Division needed to be the main focus much like it was back in TNA's infancy, but I also decided to borrow the ideas of WCW and use the X-Division as a showcase like their Cruiserweight Division.

 

Most importantly... I decided to solve the problems of Mike Tenay and Don West. As much as tenay is respected for his knowledge of the business, he and West are the main focal point in fans tuning off the program. I spoke with Jim Cornette and asked him if he would do the Color Commentary. With Mick Foley basically taking over the on-air role Cornette had been in I figured one of the most brilliant minds in the business would be perfect at the announce table. The next problem would be an announcer... and who better than a member of the legendary Armstrong family? BG James seemed rather excited at the chance to work with Cornette... and I set them up to be the new Imapct announce team.

 

I also had a problem with Suicide... the X-Division Champion. I learned that every week someone else was under the hood because no one ever decided just who should be Suicide. After running some ideas around... we came up with our answer to that problem as well.

 

As we all felt a breath of fresh air, I sent the format to the operators of TNAwrestling.com a list of the matches I wanted them to promote for this week's Imapct, hoping to gain a bit of new interest... as no doubt the dirtsheets already had it leaked that Russo had been canned. This week on Impact!;

 

-BOOKER T & SCOTT STEINER vs. LETHAL CONSEQUENCES

 

-SHEIK ABDUAL BASHIR vs. RHINO

 

-ROBERT ROODE vs. BROTHER RAY

 

-NON TITLE MATCH

AJ STYLES vs. "THE ICON" STING