In a wide-ranging interview on The Ariel Helwani Show, the President of Anthem Sports Group, Carlos Silva, discussed the current state and future of TNA Wrestling. Silva covered the massive success of the company’s partnership with WWE, the active search for a new media rights deal, the controversial departure of Gail Kim, and the status of Anthem’s other combat sports properties.
On the TNA and WWE/NXT Partnership
Silva spoke at length about the unprecedented crossover between TNA and WWE’s NXT brand, calling the partnership “spectacular.” He noted that the relationship has steadily grown over the past several months, giving TNA incredible visibility on major platforms. “You’re seeing our wrestlers on CW on Tuesday nights, on NXT shows almost every week,” Silva said. “And they continue to support us. We continue to support them.”
When asked if he agreed with Matt Hardy’s assessment that WWE’s motivation was to counterprogram AEW, Silva demurred. “If they really want to do it against AEW, [that’s] not really how I see it,” he stated. “I just think that we’ve built such a great partnership together that I think they see the value in… building up stars.” He praised his working relationship with WWE executives, stating, “Paul [Levesque] has been very supportive at all levels… Shawn Michaels and Johnny down at NXT have been great on the creative side… so far so good.”
On TNA’s Search for a New Media Rights Deal
Silva confirmed that TNA is actively seeking a new television home, with the goal of moving off the Anthem-owned AXS TV to a larger platform. “I, along with our partners at AXS… we want to find a bigger platform,” he said. “We’re actively in the middle [of negotiations]… it really has accelerated over the last 60 days.”
He revealed that TNA, with the help of the CAA agency, could have a new deal announced within a “60 or 90 day window” that would come into play at the end of 2025. Silva also stated that the goal is to have TNA’s flagship show, Impact!, air live 52 weeks a year. “We’ve been asked by many partners that they’d like it to be live 52 weeks a year, and so we’re talking through how we would do that,” he said.
On the Departure of Gail Kim
Helwani directly asked about the recent, high-profile departure of TNA Hall of Famer Gail Kim, who had been with the company for 17 years. Silva characterized it as a difficult but necessary business decision designed to reinvigorate the promotion.
“When you come into an organization, you have to look at what’s working and what’s not working, and sometimes you have to make changes, because you got to move forward to continue the growth,” Silva explained. “And so I had to make a couple of hard decisions, not just with Gail, but with a few other staff, to try and maybe reinvigorate… what I think was already going well.” When asked if reports of the locker room being upset were true, Silva said, “Gail had been there a long time. Of course… It wasn’t an easy decision to make. It was the most difficult decision I had to make so far in running TNA, but I think what’s important is what you do after that, and how you bring people together.”
On Anthem’s Other Combat Sports Properties
Silva also provided updates on Anthem’s other brands. For the all-women’s MMA promotion Invicta FC, he stated the goal is to get back to a consistent schedule of 10-12 events per year to build momentum on their CBS Sports platform. For Fight Network, which is a major channel in Canada, he said the company is actively working to grow its presence in the United States, primarily through its FAST channel and by acquiring more live content rights.
TNA Wrestling’s next major event, Slammiversary, takes place on Sunday, July 20, from the UBS Arena in Long Island, NY. The show will be a culmination of the company’s recent growth and will heavily feature the ongoing crossover with stars from WWE’s NXT brand.
