TNA News: Talent Not Being Paid On Time, Wrestlers Frustrated

Despite a recent report that Destination America is quite pleased with the numbers Impact Wrestling has drawn so far for them on the network, it appears that all is not running smoothly within TNA Wrestling.

According to a report today from Mike Johnson over at PWInsider, TNA wrestlers and staff are growing increasingly frustrated with the company’s inability to pay them on time. It appears that this is not an isolated incident in TNA, as Johnson’s report notes that several wrestlers working for TNA have reached out to him concerning this issue. Some of the TNA talent reported being behind two pay periods, while others commented that they have not been paid by TNA since February.

This is a greater concern than it might have been in the past due to the limited number of live events TNA is presently running. There are no TNA live events scheduled until May 8, so the wrestlers who have not been paid are left in the predicament of having to look elsewhere to make money. Many have been working increased independent dates in order to make ends meet.

TNA is owned by Panda Energy, which is based out of Dallas, Texas. TNA Wrestling itself is headquarted in Nashville, Tennessee, but the checks to the talent come from the Panda Energy offices in Dallas. According to Johnson’s report, sources within the TNA offices have noted that they are frustrated by the issue over paychecks as well. Apparently, the issue started when Panda Energy recently moved their office locations in Texas. Due to this move, the department responsible for paying the TNA roster was completely closed. This closure caused many of the TNA checks to be delayed and is one of the causes of the current problem.

Panda Energy, which is owned by Robert Carter (the father of TNA’s President, Dixie Carter), originally purchased controlling interest of TNA Wrestling in 2002 from Jerry Jarrett. The company, which had been sustaining themselves on weekly PPV events at that point due to no television contract, was on the verge of closing prior to the sale to Panda.

Another situation that has possibly added to the current problem involves TNA’s television taping schedule. The company has basically been out of the PPV game since moving Impact Wrestling to Destination America. However, during TNA’s last tapings in Orlando, they taped several one-night-only PPVs that have yet to air, so the talent who worked those shows have not been paid for them yet.

[Image via WrestlingNews.co]