UPDATE: TNA President Carlos Silva denied the report to Fightful Select that TNA is not allowing their talent to work Maple Leaf Pro. He says TNA talent can and have appeared on MLPW.
ORIGINAL: A new report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter has revealed a new booking policy within TNA Wrestling that is being seen as a direct reflection of WWE’s influence over the promotion. According to the report, TNA talent are not being allowed to work for Maple Leaf Wrestling, the new promotion run by their former president, Scott D’Amore. The reason given for the restriction is that TNA management now considers AEW to be “the enemy,” and because D’Amore is allowed to book AEW talent for his shows, TNA talent is being kept away.
In the latest edition of the newsletter, Dave Meltzer detailed the situation. The report states, “TNA talent is not allowed to work on Scott D’Amore’s Maple Leaf Wrestling shows even though most of them like D’Amore. The reason is that TNA management considers AEW as the enemy and D’Amore is allowed to book AEW talent.”
Former TNA World Champion Moose commented on the situation during an appearance on “Signed by Superstars.” His comments confirmed the policy and the reason behind it. “I talk to him (Scott D’Amore) at least once every other week, maybe once a month. He’s doing great. He has his new fed, Maple Leaf Pro. They’re doing awesome,” Moose said. “I wish I could work for them but you know how business is with the whole TNA. They have a relationship with AEW. We’re in competition with AEW so you know how all that whole nonsense goes.”
Scott D’Amore was the president of TNA Wrestling until his departure from the company. He was a beloved figure among the talent, and his new promotion, Maple Leaf Wrestling, has been a passion project for him. It was recently reported that there have been discussions about moving TNA’s weekly television show to Wednesday nights to go head-to-head with AEW Dynamite, a move that would be a direct shot in the promotional war between WWE and AEW.
The full report can be found in the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
