Early details on major TNA shakeup (Patreon)

Anthony Cicione is in, Scott D'Amore is out as President of TNA Wrestling.

Fightful confirmed that talent and staff were informed of the move today, with some finding out this morning.

Currently staff and talent are on a zoom call to discuss the move.

One talent said they believed Anthem wanted the brand to be more closely associated with them as opposed to D'Amore, and when we asked another about that they said "I can see that, but he saved TNA."

We're told that the meeting was effectively Anthem officials reading from a script to TNA talent. Thus far, those we've heard from are not happy with the decision, and haven't been given much of a reason.

D'Amore was instrumental in getting the name TNA back into the fold, and establishing a relationship with WWE. However, he wasn't without controversy.

When Don Callis was under investigation for sexual harassment, the company stated that the hired an outside HR specialist to help conduct it. Many involved and around the situation said it was actually investigated by someone who would have a conflict of interest, as they came from within the company. 

There were two calls, one that addressed talent, and indicated that some may be able to get out of their contracts if they were unhappy. This call, led by Tommy Dreamer and Gail Kim, was not said to have gone over well with talent. 

Another call featured production and staff, in addition to talent and Anthem execs. It was reiterated to talent that they wanted to work in a lot more of TNA talent into additional Anthem properties, and made it seem like this was a crossover opportunity for the talent. 

We'll be posting more as we get details. 

Anthem posted the following: "Anthem Sports & Entertainment Inc., a global multi-platform media company, announced today the appointment of Anthony Cicione as the President of TNA Wrestling.

The move aims to further integrate TNA Wrestling into Anthem’s Entertainment Group, of which Cicione is the President, leveraging the entire Company’s resources to add more value in areas including production, distribution, marketing, viewership, customer acquisition, digital revenue streams, ad sales and sponsorships, digital tech operations, and more.

Cicione replaces Scott D’Amore, whose contract with Anthem has been terminated. D’Amore has been a part of TNA since 2003. He held many key leadership positions and played a vital role in the growth of the company leading to its strong industry reputation today, including the successful return of the TNA Wrestling brand in 2024. Anthem thanks him for the commitment he brought to the business, the talent, and the people who work outside the ring.

In addition to these duties as President of Entertainment, Cicione will now manage the day-to-day business operations for TNA Wrestling. He brings more than 30 years of executive-level management experience to the organization. Cicione has been with Anthem for the last 16 years, managing technical operations and multiple cable and digital channels. Prior to his time with Anthem, Cicione was a producer of sports content including catapulting The Score to success by bringing WWE to the channel."