Browsing: negotiations

With the announcement that they had agreed to a new TV rights deal with AMC last week, TNA finds itself in a position of strength, at least in terms of visibility, for the first time in over a decade. They also find themselves with a new source of income, something that is rather important given 2025 is about to turn into 2026, and the promotion reportedly has many of their contracted wrestlers set to hit the free agent market soon, and some talents even reportedly wrestling without deals.

Unfortunately, that TV money may have come too late for TNA to retain some of their talent. In the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer reported that WWE had already begun engaging in talks with certain unnamed WWE talent, in a situation Meltzer described as similar to that of WWE stars Jordynne Grace and Joe Hendry. Both Grace and Hendry had been TNA stars that began working with WWE as part of the TNA/”NXT” talent exchange, with WWE later signing them once their TNA deals expired.

One TNA talent confirmed that TNA had been slow in offering new extensions to existing talent, which was attributed to the promotion waiting to finalize the AMC deal. Talents now expect that TNA will be making formal extension offers in the immediate future, and talents believed to be waiting for offers from TNA are Mustafa Ali, Jake Something, AJ Francis, Steve Maclin, Zachary Wentz, and former TNA World Heavyweight Champion Mike Santana.

It wasn’t confirmed whether those TNA stars were the names that WWE had engaged with in contract talks. Of the group, Ali, Francis, Maclin, and Wentz all previously wrestled for WWE, and a recent report on Ali’s contractual status suggested the door could be open for a WWE return. Some speculated that Santana could be WWE bound himself after he unexpectedly dropped the TNA Championship to Frankie Kazarian, though such rumors were later disputed.

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How much assistance did TNA Wrestling get from WWE when it comes to their new media rights deal with AMC?

On Tuesday morning, TNA Wrestling fans got the news theyâ€ve been waiting for: the company has signed a new media rights deal to begin airing iMPACT on the AMC network in 2026. News began to trickle out following the announcement that WWE had a hand in helping TNA secure its new deal with AMC, but is there any truth to that?

TNA President Carlos Silva recently sat down with Jon Alba of Sports Illustrated. When asked how much involvement WWE had in helping TNA procure their new media rights deal with AMC, Silva said WWE wasnâ€t involved in the negotiations with AMC whatsoever.

“No, we did all the negotiations ourselves with me leading the charge on the TNA side, and then [Creative Artists Agency] leading the charge as our representative and our partner on the deal,†Silva said. “Look, WWE and NXT are very important partners to us. So we kept them in the loop.

“They knew what was coming. They knew about the deal before you knew about the deal. But no, theyâ€ve got their own deals. Theyâ€re very busy with their deals. So they let us go out and cut a deal and get on a major network. And I think theyâ€re happy for us. And we were happy with the way it went.â€

Will TNA iMPACT be live more often in 2026?

Hot off the heels of the new TV deal, TNA President Carlos Silva sat down with WrestleZone Managing Editor Carlos Silva this afternoon to discuss a wide variety of subjects.

Among the topics discussed, the possibility of iMPACT being live more often in 2026 than it has been in the past. You can check out Silvaâ€s comments on the matter by clicking here.

Look for our full interview with Carlos Silva dropping on WrestleZone soon.

READ MORE: ESPN Reportedly ‘Unhappy†With Current WWE Deal

What do you make of Carlos Silvaâ€s comments? Are you surprised to hear that WWE had no involvement in the negotiations of TNAâ€s new TV deal with AMC? Let us know your overall thoughts by sounding off in the comments section below.

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The Andrade–WWE saga just took a sharp turn—and this time, Andrade himself is clapping back directly.

After Dave Meltzer claimed on Wrestling Observer Radio that Andrade may have knowingly signed a contract containing a non‑compete clause, the former WWE star has jumped onto Twitter/X to shut that narrative down completely. Meltzer had speculated on WOR:

“He may have signed a contract for all we know. Not without the knowledge he couldnâ€t sign the contract.â€

But Andrade says that version of the story isnâ€t just wrong—itâ€s a lie. In a fiery Twitter/X update directed straight at Meltzer, Andrade made it clear he never signed anything, and that AEW negotiations—not some secret contract—were what really happened.

“I didnâ€t sign any contract! Sir, you say it with such certainty, that I signed a contract, when thatâ€s just another one of your lies.â€

He went on to explain that he was in negotiations with Tony Khan and AEW, and those talks had reached a strong understanding—before WWE hit him with the non‑compete after he showed up in AEW and wrestled his first post‑WWE match in Tijuana.

“Do some more research, Sir. I was in negotiations to sign because Mr. Tony Khan and the AEW team were having good discussions, and we came to an excellent agreement.â€

Andrade also expressed gratitude toward AEW for the way those negotiations played out:

“Iâ€m especially grateful to TK and AEW in general.â€

Then came his clarification about the non‑compete:

“I received a non-compete clause after my AEW debut and my first match in Tijuana (The Crash), but I want to clarify that I didnâ€t know if that was the issue with WWE (honestly, I donâ€t know the answer to that).â€

The message ended politely—but unmistakably pointed—toward Meltzer:

“Lo mejor para usted!!! ðŸ‘ðŸ¼â€

This new update throws yet another wrench into the already tangled situation. WWE claims Andrade was fired for disciplinary reasons and owes them a year-long non‑compete. Andrade says he left on reasonable terms, only to get blindsided by a clause he never knowingly agreed to. Meltzer suggests Andrade had to know what was in any contract. Andrade calls it a lie.

Now one thing is crystal clear: this fight isnâ€t just happening in the ring—itâ€s happening in the headlines.

Do you think Andradeâ€s explanation clears things up—or is this story getting even more confusing? Whose version sounds closer to the truth? Drop your thoughts and keep the discussion going!

November 29, 2025 1:11 pm

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Xavier Woods’ contract with WWE was coming to an end soon, which led to several speculations about whether he would decide to join AEW instead. However, a recent report claims that a decision has been reached at the last minute.

Woods has been quite active in WWE, teaming up with his New Day stablemate Kofi Kingston and now Grayson Waller in recent times. However, his contract situation was unresolved for quite a while, which has since been sorted out between the involved parties.

The lateness of the decision had, as the Fightful report claims, indicated Woods’ wish to keep his options open despite wanting to star in WWE. Nevertheless, the Stamford-based promotion was able to work out a deal with the veteran star.

It now appears that fans desiring to see his AEW entry will have to wait for an undetermined duration of time.

Xavier Woods has re-signed with WWE on a multi-year contract.

– @SeanRossSapp | @FightfulSelectpic.twitter.com/il7PvvCo8s

— WrestlePurists (@WrestlePurists) October 7, 2025

Xavier Woods has also confirmed his WWE contract status

The 39-year-old star was apparently surprised to see that his contract status was already being reported before he had a chance to break the news himself.

Xavier Woods did put up a post on social media later, confirming that he was going to be staying with WWE for another term:

How do yall know this stuff? I didnt say anything! But yes. Youâ€re gonna see my sexy face for a while longer even though you dont deserve it. 22 years in the game and about to make the next bit even better than the rest.â€

You can check out his tweet below:

How do yall know this stuff? I didnt say anything! But yes. You’re gonna see my sexy face for a while longer even though you dont deserve it.

22 years in the game and about to make the next bit even better than the rest. @WWE#BodyGuy#FaceGuy#ThankGodForTheNewDay

— Austin Creed (@AustinCreedWins) October 7, 2025

Despite being an extremely talented member of the WWE roster, Xavier has yet to receive a major singles push, a fact that he himself has complained about. It remains to be seen if he will be part of a storyline involving one of the World Titles in the near future.

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Killer Kross’ new documentary is out now.

On Monday, the former WWE star released his third documentary, the second after word came out that his contract was not being renewed by WWE. Titled ‘My Life after WWEâ€, Kross opens up about his career after leaving the company in August, featuring matches from Defy and elsewhere on the independent scene as well as interactions with fans and other wrestlers who praised him for his character work. You can watch the documentary in full below.

During one part of the documentary, Kross compares his career in WWE to that of the story of Moby Dick. He uses metaphors and characters in the novel to describe his final negotiations with the company prior to his contract expiring in August. Kross said one of things that kept him from signing was the company not considering his book, which WWE got a cut of, to be important enough in the negotiations.

“When you tell that kid his story doesnâ€t matter and youâ€re taking money from him and youâ€re telling him that the subject is irrelevant to the conversation, thereâ€s no deal to be made, thereâ€s nothing to agree to. So they said they would rescind their offer in 24 hours.â€

Kross said he wanted to work things out, but they went ahead and rescinded the offer regardless.

“Sometimes when somebody makes you an offer and thereâ€s red flags over it, you should pay attention to that,†he said.

He recalled that in 2021 when they wanted to sign him to be part of the main roster, he asked about his “siren,†aka Scarlett. He said WWE told him to sign the contract and theyâ€d get to Scarlett. However, she was not called up and both were released by the end of the year, with WWE at the time saying the layoffs were due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Ahab signed the contract and he went out to sea, they never signed the siren, they kept her sitting at home and they turned Ahab into a f****** a******. So Ahab wasnâ€t going to fall for that again. Because heâ€s f****** read the book.â€

“Money is f****** worthless when itâ€s not attached to principles,†he added. “Ahab thought Iâ€d rather make less money and preserve my principles than to agree that nothing I have done over the last three years means anything and nothing I will do for the next three or five will mean anything either. My story, my life story, is not irrelevant.â€

Since his release in August, Kross has found steady work on the independent scene. He will be making his return to MLW next month.

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WWE

Former WWE wrestler Karrion Kross – now going as Killer Kross on the independent circuit again – infamously parted ways with the promotion two months ago, and initially many fans saw his departure as a work. Kross has since sat down on “Insight with Chris Van Vliet,” where he and Scarlett Bordeaux spoke on the realities about their releases from WWE, specifically why Kross turned down the deal that they offered him.

“My life story is about a kid in the audience of their shows, growing up wanting to be a part of the show, getting into the show, and writing a book about how he’s in the show and now he’s telling me that’s irrelevant?” Kross recalled while talking about his personal discussions with Triple H. “With a statement like that attached to it, anybody with any sort of like dignity or self-respect is not going to say ‘You know what? That sounds like a really good deal to me!” When asked if he or Scarlett are still in contact with WWE, the couple laughed and added that they only speak to some of their former locker mates.

Scarlett then claimed that she spoke to WWE the day after they were both released.Â

“They were like ‘Oh, I’m sure you know what’s going on with Kevin?’ And I’m like ‘Oh you know, you’re talking about what happened with him, sure, but what’s going on with my contract? You’re only talking about him.’ And they said ‘Uh, well, uh we’re going to let your contract lapse,'” she said, claiming she took it in stride and both her and WWE were open to talking again.

Karrion Kross claims nothing he said to Triple H changed the veteran’s mind on his worth to WWE

The couple also added that WWE officials told them to reach out to Triple H and Nick Khan, and according to Karrion Kross, they were very confused as they were originally told that these decisions came from Triple H.Â

“At one point, man, I was like… You know, I wanted him to be able to explain to me, whether like for instance, it’s the book sales – it’s my life story – is that, you know, like, where’s that on all of that?” he said, claiming that both the book and their merch sales didn’t interest Triple H. “I asked him, like, are our bosses aware of what you’re saying? He’s like ‘Oh yeah, yeah, they’re aware of it!'” he added.Â

Kross placed doubt on whether he was ever close to Triple H, considering the veteran seemed so disinterest in everything he did to build himself up. Scarlett then added that she felt that no matter how much hard work they put into WWE, it doesn’t matter because you’re only a number.Â

“It doesn’t matter how it’s determined, but there’s nothing you can do to improve your situation,” she said. “It’s like getting hired at an office building company where, you know, you’re hoping one day that you’re going to get that raise and, you know, be in a better position but they say ‘No, this is what it’s going to be forever. It doesn’t matter how hard you work.'”

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit “Insight with Chris Van Vliet” and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

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Scarlett Bordeaux isnâ€t holding back when it comes to how WWE handled her exit—and she says the way the company treated her during contract negotiations was flat-out misogynistic.

In a new interview with Chris Van Vliet, Bordeaux revealed that her deal with WWE was completely separate from Karrion Kross†contract. But when it came time to talk business, WWE made it clear they werenâ€t even going to look at her offer until they sorted things out with Kross first.

“The contracts were separate. So, after talking to the representative of Talent Relations about my contract, one last question before the 24-hour notice was given — Kross asked where I stood in all these contract negotiations. They said, ‘Weâ€ll get to yours once weâ€re done with his.†Which I took as them using me as leverage against him.â€

Scarlett was quick to point out the hypocrisy, especially considering she was hired before Kross back in 2019. To her, this wasnâ€t just bad business—it sent a message that her value was conditional on her husbandâ€s decisions.

“I feel if he had agreed within 24 hours, they would have offered me something — whether it was the same amount as before or less, I donâ€t know. But it felt like a massive red flag, and it came off as misogynistic, because I was originally hired before my husband in 2019.â€

“The idea that I have no value without him and that my worth is determined by whether or not he signs — that came off as very misogynistic to me.â€

Since parting ways with WWE, Scarlett and Karrion Kross have been tearing it up on the independent circuit. Scarlett hasnâ€t stepped back in the ring yet, but thatâ€s expected to change soon. For now, though, sheâ€s making it clear that her worth stands on its own—and sheâ€s not afraid to call out the industry when things donâ€t sit right.

Please credit Ringside News if you use the above transcript in your publication.

Do you think Scarlett has a point about WWEâ€s handling of her contract? Please share your thoughts and feedback in the comment section below.

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OF ALL THE things to cause outrage, to intensify the bleating that baseball is broken and the Los Angeles Dodgers…