TNA Considering Shift to Live Weekly Shows at Full Sail University

TNA Wrestling, amidst its rebranding efforts, has been witnessing significant changes in its leadership and operational strategies, potentially paving the way for a new era in the promotion’s history. The reintroduction of the TNA brand at the Hard to Kill pay-per-view event marked a pivotal moment, signaling a resurgence in fan interest and engagement.

However, recent developments have stirred the wrestling community as Scott D’Amore, the incumbent TNA President, was unexpectedly removed from his position, with Anthony Cicione stepping in as his replacement. This transition has reportedly left talent discontented with the management’s decisions and direction.

In light of these shifts, discussions surrounding TNA Wrestling’s future plans have emerged via Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio, particularly regarding its flagship show, TNA Impact, which the promotion aims to broadcast live weekly on AXS TV every Thursday.

Exploring potential venues for this endeavor, Full Sail University has surfaced as a prominent candidate, drawing attention due to its prior association with NXT television production before WWE’s relocation to the Performance Center during the pandemic.

“One of the things they’ve been looking at is, it’s just not going to happen anytime soon, but they want to go live. The idea is to go live and have like a location where they would go every Thursday. Full Sail University is one of the places that talked about, and there’s probably other locations as well, which would be really tough, because Orlando already has NXT, every Tuesday. But before he was ousted, Scott and Lou D’Angeli, and Ed Nordholm went to Full Sail and scouted it out. And that’s where they wanted to go. “

“The one thing with Full Sail, if you remember it, it has a great look for television for a 300-400 seat building. You know, because a lot of those, like, a lot of the buildings of that size don’t really look good for TV. There’s some cost savings because you can do what NXT did, where you can have the students work on the shows, and it gives them work and work experience. So there’s that, and it’s something on campus that you can let the students in for free. And I thought Full Sail in NXT was a big success. They obviously made the move not to go back after the pandemic for whatever reason, I don’t really know. But yeah, that was talked about. “Scott D’Amore’s not there anymore, but Full Sail, is still, one of the locations that are talking about, but the idea, the idea was under D’Amore, and it may be delayed, it may not some of the talent knows about this would be maybe a few test runs towards the end of the year.“

The utilization of Full Sail University holds several advantages, including its visually appealing setting for television production within a modest-sized venue. Moreover, the collaboration with university students offers practical experience and contributes to cost savings, a model previously employed with success during NXT’s tenure at the location.

“Then, the mentality was to live in 2025. And, of course, with D’Amore not there, they may also scrap that idea because it’s obviously a lot more expensive to run live every week than to tape in different cities where you can sell some tickets, although they don’t sell a lot of tickets. If you’re going to run every single Thursday night at Full Sail University, I mean, you’re gonna have to give those tickets away for free because it’s not like people are going to pay for tickets in that city every single Thursday night, and it’s not happening. So, but that was one of the ideas that was being worked on.”

The prospect of TNA Wrestling’s transition to live television broadcasts represents an ambitious endeavor with the potential to reshape its brand identity and elevate its presence in the wrestling landscape. However, the ultimate realization of this vision remains contingent on navigating logistical complexities and aligning organizational priorities under new leadership.

Do you think more wrestling fans would tune into TNA if it goes back to being a live show? Let us know in the comments below.