Exclusive Ring Rust Radio interview with TNA President Dixie Carter as TNA moves to Destination America

The hosts of Ring Rust Radio – Donald Wood, Mike Chiari and Brandon Galvin – were recently able to speak with the president of TNA wrestling, Dixie Carter, about the future of TNA now that the flagship show, Impact, is moving from SpikeTV to Destination America. During a critical time in the history of TNA, this interview provides exclusive insight to the mind of the woman in charge.

Donald Wood: The biggest piece of news from TNA was the move from SpikeTV to Destination America, beginning with the first episode on Wednesday, January 7 and switching to Friday nights starting on January 16. Do you feel the transition is good for the long-term betterment of the company and what positives has the relationship between Destination America and TNA already spawned behind the scenes?

Dixie Carter: Well I think it is critical for the company.  We were in a position where in negotiations I went to every network saying, ‘Look, we are not interested in just licensing our two hour show Impact for your network.  I am interested in a partner, someone who will help build our brand, give us more exposure, provide new programming for us,’ and that’s exactly what we have gotten and more with the support of Discovery and Destination America. We are very, very excited about all that they are giving us across all ten Discovery networks; support, print advertising, PR, radio, digital. It is everything we had hoped it would be.

Mike Chiari: Over the past week TNA has announced the re-signing of several stars, and perhaps the biggest among them is Kurt Angle. Kurt admitted that he was going to play the field a bit and considered going back to WWE, but what do you think TNA was able to offer that made Kurt decide it was the best fit for him? And also, how big is it for TNA to secure someone with Kurt's track record?

Dixie Carter: Well I think Kurt was a game changer for us when we first signed him. I think it is important at such a new beginning for us to still have him as a corner stone for our company.  Kurt looks at all the positive changes that are happening. Our signing with Destination America out in Los Angeles, the new network deal, the commitment from them, he sees the big picture and he gets it.  He is a joy to work with and a real leader for us. We are thrilled to have him.

Brandon Galvin: It's an exciting time for the company. What is the atmosphere like backstage at TNA and what are you most looking forward to with the new direction of the company?

Dixie Carter: Unfortunately, I’m not even going to see what the atmosphere is like Wednesday. I will be in Los Angeles while they are going live in New York. I am representing Discovery and Destination America at the Television and Critics Association. Again, that’s just part of what they are asking us to do. Ken Anderson, Chris Melendez and I will be there. We will be representing our show and network in front of hundreds of media representatives.  Just the whole vibe from the locker room, everyone was so supportive. They realize that this is what we have all been wanting and hoping for. This is going to be a great fresh start for us.

Donald Wood: The move to a different channel has led to speculation that the company would be hitting the reset button on many of the top storylines. Do you view the move as a chance to reboot the product or is it more important to carry over the same angles and characters to ensure a familiar Impact Wrestling for hardcore fans?

Dixie Carter: I think it’s a little bit of both quite honestly. The momentum we had in New York for those shows this past year we want to continue that on and kick it up a notch. We got some surprises planned and we’ve got some changes planned. You won’t see it as much at the live shows but there’s only so much you can do with a live television production. The shows afterwards you are going to start to see a transformation of some new technologies that we are going to use. From new productions and some new and exciting ways in which we want to showcase the show. Things we have talked about for a long time, but quite honestly, technology wasn’t where we needed it to be to fit in to how we have to shoot a wrestling show. I am really, really excited for things to start taking shape in the coming weeks. 

Mike Chiari: With TNA announcing that Lockdown will air of Destination America rather than Pay-Per-View there's been some speculation that the company might be getting out of the Pay-Per-View business. What's the plan for TNA as it relates to PPVs moving forward?

Dixie Carter: We will still have several live ones a year, but when we have them they will mean something and be worth people’s hard earned money. I think that the creative team really wanted to start the year off with a bang and something special on the network. So we decided to take the Lockdown theme live and free on Destination America. I was supportive of that and we will have a couple of live Pay-Per-Views a year and then we will still do some of the One Night Only specials that have been really successful for us.

Brandon Galvin: TNA has been doing a lot of shows in recent months in New York and is opening the year there as well before heading on an international tour. Is there a touring schedule in place for TNA beyond January or is New York expected to be TNA's new home location?

Dixie Carter: We will be looking at some different places to shoot television. We will be going back on the road and doing house shows once we feel like we have the Impact show where we want it to be. Then work on getting the tour where we want it to be and give some of our markets time to breathe. More importantly, our focus needs to go on what we are going to do on our show to make Impact that much more special. That’s really where our time and attention has been, but we will be filming television in some different places through the year and hopefully maintaining that rowdy, small, intimate kind of backdrop where the fans are a really big part of our show.

Donald Wood: Last time we spoke to you, you had just been put through a table by Bully Ray and were dealing with a broken back. How has the recovery been and when can fans expect Dixie Carter back on television?

Dixie Carter: I am doing much better actually. It was painful, but I would do it all again in a heartbeat. I felt it was the least I could do for everything the talent has given me and to our fans and what the fans have given me, that was the least I could do. It was a small way of showing my appreciation for the hard work everybody puts in on a week in, week out basis. As far as when I’m coming back, I don’t know. The only reason I did that angle was really to help build up everybody. Everybody looks at it as a Bully Ray angle, but that angle really built up EC3, Magnus, Rock Star Spud and a lot of other characters that got to come in and out of it. That was the purpose of me doing it. If there is a need down the road, I would consider it. Right now there is a lot of things on my plate right now that I am focused on.

Mike Chiari: Speaking of Bully Ray, he's obviously been a huge part of TNA over the years, but he's not currently listed as part of the active roster. Firstly, what is Bully's current status with TNA? And also, are there any plans to bring him back and sign him to a new deal if you haven't already?

Dixie Carter: I would love to have Bully back. I think that his contract has just expired and like many of them, we are in the process of reviewing those, picking up options, and renegotiating new ones depending upon what kind of contracts people have. He has been the corner stone of our top, top story lines for the last several years. This contract comes at the perfect time to give him a little bit of a breath and a breather. There are very few people in our business that are as good and talented as he is and I definitely hope to see him back.

Brandon Galvin: There's currently a great deal of talent on the independent scene. Do you envision sticking with the current core roster before bringing in other talent or would you like to bring in new faces sooner than later?

Dixie Carter: I think it’s going to be a combination of everything. We have a mean and lean talent roster right now and I am very excited for them to get this opportunity of being exposed with these replays and the Unlocked show and different ways then they have in the past. We maintain a big focus on younger talent and how we can continue to break in new faces, which is the thing I’m most proud of, that we have done in the last 12-18 months. We just need to continue that. We are always looking for somebody that could possibly be a game changer. Bringing one established talent in just freshens up your ability to have matches with 10 or 12 other people that are on our roster. So we are always looking to do both of those things. 

Exclusive interview with former WWE,ECW and current TNA Superstar Bully Ray

The team at Ring Rust Radio - Donald Wood, Mike Chiari and Brandon Galvin - recently got the chance to talk with former WWE and ECW and current TNA Superstar Bully Ray! With such a long career in professional wrestling, the guys got to talk to Bully about his history wrestling in the Northeast, his evolving roles in TNA and his work leading up into the upcoming Slammiversary Pay-Per-View.

Donald Wood: TNA is having one of its biggest shows of the year with Slammiversary on Sunday, June 15, from Dallas, Texas. You are scheduled to take on Ethan Carter III in a Grudge Match. As one of the kings of hardcore, how are you approaching this matchup physically and mentally?

Bully Ray: Here’s the deal, these types of matches I can do with my eyes closed. I’ve been having hardcore matches, table matches, any type of violent matches for a long, long time. I think this is Ethan Carter’s first match like this if I’m correct. Ethan Carter is stepping into a style of match which he is unfamiliar with and he is stepping in the ring with a guy who’s basically the top two or three of this style of match, period. Ethan Carter has very smooth, pretty skin, and when you chop it a certain way, it splits right open, and that’s what I’m going to do to him. I’m going to split his skin open, I’m going to chop him until he bleeds and hopefully bleeds to death. I’m definitely excited about the match. Slammiversary is a huge event for TNA. The Texas crowds have always been great for us and to be able to get my hands on a Carter and spill their blood in Dallas, Texas is going to be great for this kid from Hell’s Kitchen.

Mike Chiari: During your time in TNA you’ve feuded with a lot of authority figures including Hulk Hogan and Dixie Carter. As a performer, what do you like about feuding with someone in a non-wrestling capacity and what are some of the challenges it presents?

Bully Ray: A story is a story and she is a performer, she is someone on our television show and I don’t care who I’m standing across the ring from, if they’re in the ring with me, I’m going to make sure that it’s the best possible performance. I’m going to make sure they up their game and I’m going to make sure, first and foremost, that the people get what they paid to see and when it comes to Dixie Carter, the one thing that every TNA fan, every WWE fan, every ROH fan, every House of Hardcore fan, every wrestling fan around the world wants to see that lady get powerbombed through a table.

Brandon Galvin: TNA is heading to the road for stops in both Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and New York City at The Grand Ballroom at the Manhattan Center. As a wrestler who spent plenty of time in both cities with ECW, WWE and TNA, what does it mean performing in these venues at this point in your career?

Bully Ray: For me, it’s always great, I love performing in the Northeast, not because I’m from the Northeast, because I know what kind of atmosphere and what kind of fans there are in the Northeast. They’re so passionate and they’re so into the product. This is going to be the first time, I believe, that we will be taping in Pennsylvania and the first time we’ll be taping in New York City, and I think this is a great opportunity for TNA to take the wrestling world by the balls and show everybody what we’re really about. Entirely too many people sit back and knock TNA and don’t give it enough credit and those are the people, I believe, who look at the product with jaded glasses or whatever the term is and just bash, bash, bash. TNA is a really good company, is every single storyline good? No. Is every single wrestler good? No. Is every single baseball player good? No. Is every single football player? No. You get a mix, and I think the wrestlers are going to feed off of the Pennsylvania crowd, I think they’re going to feed off of the New York City crowds, and I think they’re going to be some of the most top notch performances you’ve ever seen.

Donald Wood: There was a lot of controversy surrounding your removal from the House of Hardcore card. You and Tommy Dreamer have been very outspoken on the way this situation was handled. Do you think fans should be expecting to see Dreamer involved in the TNA product as the company heads to the Northeast?

Bully Ray: If Tommy wanted to get involved, I would be more than happy to step to the side for just a moment so he could get his two cents in because you guys all sit back and say ‘oh, this is part of a wrestling story’. Guys, let me make you understand something. She pulled a scumbag move, more of a scumbag move than you people really know. I was booked in the main event two nights for my best friend’s up and coming promotion and then at the very last second got me pulled off. She pulled me off in a way where she could justify it and contractually, I could not sue her because she pulled me off for another TNA Spike event. She fucked me over, she fucked Tommy over, most of all she fucked the fans over. It’s a big deal. You hear the term ‘this person crossed the line’, Dixie Carter really crossed the line with this move and made it a lot more personal than a lot of people realize.

Mike Chiari: You recently did an interview for Roddy Piper’s podcast Piper’s Pit and you mentioned on Chris Jericho’s podcast that you’ve been a wrestling fan since you were a kid. As a young wrestling fan was Piper one of the guys you found yourself looking up to? And what was it like for you to get to sit down and talk with him?

Bully Ray: When I got the offer to sit down and talk to Roddy I was genuinely excited because I don’t know Roddy and that’s why I wanted to talk to him so much. Me and Jericho can sit down and it’s so easy because we’re such good friends and we can trade stories but me and Roddy don’t know each other so it’s kind of a feeling out period, you know. I had never gotten the opportunity to go back and forth on the microphone with Roddy Piper, so I jumped at the opportunity and it was awesome and we had so much in common. I think he respected the fact that I knew so much of the old school history of the business, something that guys that come from his day don’t expect guys like me to know, but I pride myself on being the last of the old school mentality. So, sitting down with Roddy was great, and we could’ve talked for hours.

Brandon Galvin: You've been in the business for more than 20 years and continue to find ways to re-invent your in-ring work and character. Where do you draw your inspiration from and is there something you've wanted to add to your character that you haven't had the opportunity to do so yet?

Bully Ray: The inspiration for me of always trying something new comes from the rock n’ roll world, watching bands like Kiss and Motley Crue. They go out there every year and they’re playing the same songs but they always find a different way to present it to you, a different stage set, a different feel, and that’s what I try to go out there and do. I try to take the rock n’ roll approach to things, whether I’m out there and people love me or people hate me, I try to go above and beyond. If people love me, I want them to name their first born child after me. If people hate me, I want them to slash my tires and despise me to a whole new level. I’m always thinking of new ways to do things and I’ll always be passionate about the business and I’ll always be passionate about taking the fans on a roller coaster ride, so that’s what keeps me going.

Donald Wood: One of the coolest additions to the Slammiversary card is the involvement of the Von Erich family. With the pay-per-view taking place in the heart of Von Erich country, are you excited for this monumental occasion?

Bully Ray: I’m just excited to meet Kevin Von Erich because he is somebody that I’ve never met before and with the Von Erich name in the history of professional wrestling it’s going to be a cool moment for me to shake his hand and tell him I appreciate what he and his family have done for the industry. I’m definitely looking forward to meeting him.

Mike Chiari: I know that you’re a big soccer fan, so with the World Cup getting started in Brazil, I was wondering who you see winning it all and lifting that World Cup trophy.

Bully Ray: I will always be pulling for my home country of Italy. I’m really hoping they can repeat what they did two World Cups ago. There’s so many strong teams, with the World Cup being in Brazil and them being probably the number 1 or number 2 powerhouse in the world right now, but Argentina is also going to be very tough because Argentina is in South America, so it’s always great when all these teams get together and put the absolute best on the field. I love the World Cup, I’m a huge soccer fan. Brazil, Argentina, Italy, Spain, all these powerhouses coming together is going to be awesome.

Brandon Galvin: You and Devon are the masters of the table. Who have you enjoyed putting through a table most during your career?

Bully Ray: The one person that we almost put through a table that would’ve been absolutely great was Vince McMahon. We had him jacked up, and ready to go, but I believe Road Dogg and X-Pac stopped us from doing that. As far as enjoying one person over another, a lot of people enjoyed the Mae Young table bump the most. I put Joe C from Kid Rock through a table. I’ve enjoyed everything, so everything sticks out in my mind but I think putting Vince McMahon through a table would’ve been special. I am really looking forward to jacking Dixie Carter up and putting her hard, hard, hard through the middle of that table.