News Shorts: Impact Wrestling To Revert Back To The TNA Trademark In Hard To Kill, Second Chances Rumoured To Debut On Zee World In The Coming Days And uBettina Wethu Season 4 To Replace Nikiwe After It Ends

TNA is making a comeback

We are told the company has quietly polled long-term fans of the promotion earlier this year and learned that many of them stated they preferred the TNA name. Fans who have chanted "TNA" since the promotion returned to the road have also been a factor in the company thinking about making the change and then finally flipping the switch back.

There was a lot of TNA nostalgia several years ago when the promotion brought back the TNA title with Moose as titleholder with the original plan for the company to revive TNA as a separate TV series and possibly promotion out of a TNA reunion PPV but the COVID-19 pandemic stalled those plans before they were dropped. Instead of two different promotions and TV series, instead TNA has returned as the name of the company.

The plan is for Impact to close out the remainder of the year and then transition over to the TNA name in January with the Hard to Kill PPV in Las Vegas being the first official TNA show.  

Second Chances coming to Zee World

Yash (Shreyas Talpade), a rich and esteemed business tycoon, yearns for real love. While he falls in love with Neha (Prarthana Behere), the journey ahead is not going to be an easy one for him. Will he be able to win Neha’s heart?

Second Chances (Mazhi Tuzhi Reshimgath) debuted on Zee One earlier in the year and according to sources the series is rumoured to launch on Zee World across Southern Africa from 29 December but there has been no mention of the show by the channel yet.

uBettina Wethu takes the front seat

During the month, it was revealed that Nikiwe would be axed by early 2024 after it struggled to garner traction following its debut earlier in the year. eMedia Investments in not so shocking news had enlisted the fourth season of uBettina Wethu on e.tv's line-up.

After phasing out the 18:00 timeslot drama timeslot for locally produced reality shows on eReality. It lead consumers to wonder what fate awaited uBettina Wethu and as predicted sometime ago it would take up Nikiwe's timeslot.

In Season 4 we will see Betty, her comrades, and kin in a whole new light as they realise new goals and fix old wounds. Betty has lost direction, so she sets off to realign and march forward determined to win - without the distraction of personal relationships - her downfall in the past. 

The Untimely Passing Of Former Impact Wrestling And WWE Star Chris Candido

At one time, Chris Candido had the world in his hands. He was one of the best technical wrestlers in the world, married one of WWE's most popular divas in Sunny, and quickly shot up the ranks in both WWE and ECW. However, life doesn't always go as planned. His time in WWE ended sooner than he might have hoped. Addiction issues arose and his marriage ended up on the rocks.

It was after he beat his addiction issues and got his life back together that things tragically ended. Candido was back on a major national wrestling stage. His marriage was back intact. He even looked like he could be a top star again. However, just like that, he died at 33 after what should have been a routine surgery.

Chris Candido's Road To WWE Began With ECW And Jim Cornette

Chris Candido got his start in wrestling as a teenager in New Jersey. In 1986, he and a friend began working in the industry by setting up rings. He went on to train at Larry Sharpe's Monster Factory and then made his debut in the ring that same year. Candido was 14 when he worked his first match. By 1993, Candido made his way to the pre-Extreme ECW, where he worked in a stable known as The Suicide Blondes. This led to Jim Cornette taking notice of the wrestler.

Candido had fallen in love with Tammy Lynn Sytch in high school and the two joined Cornette's Smoky Mountain Wrestling together, where she worked as his manager. He won several titles while working for Cornette and then even won his only world title when he captured the NWA World Championship after Shane Douglas vacated the title when ECW broke away. He held the title for three months and then one year later, he and Tammy signed with WWE.

WWE changed his name to Skip and made Tammy into Sunny, and they took on a fitness guru tandem who often mocked other wrestlers for being out of shape. It was here that Sunny became one of the biggest stars in WWE and Candido found his biggest national success as part of the Bodydonnas with Tom Prichard (Zip). However, it was also here that his life began falling apart. Reports that Sunny cheated on him with multiple wrestlers strained their marriage. This was also when both wrestlers began experimenting more with drugs.

Chris Candido Had Stints In ECW And WCW After Leaving WWE

In an interview, Chris Candido's brother Jonny said that when they got to WWE, they started abusing drugs more. He was just in the eighth grade when this happened, but he said he remembered a lot of messed up stuff going on with his brother and Sunny. Many of his stories were horrific, and it was obvious things needed to change fast or Chris might end up dead. By 1996, Chris quit WWE and went to ECW, and eventually Sunny joined him there.

This was a fresh start for Candido. Sunny was only in ECW limited times, but Candido himself became part of Shane Douglas' Triple Threat faction with Bam Bam Bigelow. He had a long tag team title reign with Lance Storm before he finally left after three years. After this, Candido worked in WCW for a short time in 2000, but mostly disappeared from the world of professional wrestling outside of indie promotions.

The Tragic Death Of Chris Candido Came After An Injury In TNA Wrestling

According to Jonny, Chris Candido was doing more and more drugs to block out the idea that Sunny was cheating on him. "He desperately didn't want to believe it because she would come home to him every night, and he literally had this unconditional love for her," Jonny said. "He was so nice and so naïve; he would...believe anything she told him."

That isn't how his life would end though. Chris reportedly got his life back under control again. He even got another chance at wrestling on a big stage again when he signed with TNA Wrestling in 2005. He worked with some top stars, including AJ Styles, Dustin Rhodes, and Diamond Dallas Page. Candido was on his way up the ladder, but it all came crashing down when he broke his leg in a tag team match at Lockdown 2005. TNA kept him involved in storylines, even having him come out in a wheelchair to help The Naturals win the tag titles. However, that episode aired days after he died.

At 33, Chris Candido had titanium plates and screws inserted into his legs after the injury. While recovering, he ended up developing a blood clot in his leg. Though many people believe the blood clot killed him, his brother Jonny said the autopsy said that the cause of death was acute pneumonia, caused by a sleep aid he received against doctor's orders. His lungs reportedly filled with fluid, and he died while recovering from his surgery. TNA honored him with a tag team tournament in his name and in 2009, the Hardcore Hall of Fame inducted him into its membership.

Credits: The Sportster

Why Impact Wrestling Is No Longer On Your Screens Or At Least Not With Openview?

WWE was ripped off from viewer's screens several years ago and found its way onto SuperSport. At the time, eMedia Investments wasn't quick to source a replacement and relied solely on the existing international offering to fill the gap left by the wrestling brand.

It wasn't long till there was an announcement eMedia Investments acquired broadcasting rights to Impact Wrestling. The rights which was formerly held by SuperSport so in a way they kind of did a switcheroo kind of like that time with Lotto and Powerball.

Now if we have to go over Impacts time on e.tv here's how to summarise it, the show didn't form part of the monthly TAMS as seen with WWE in the past and the audience in question weren't as welcoming of Impact as they were with WWE which kind of spells trouble.

As seen overseas, Impact Wrestling is no longer in the big leagues as existing competitors such as AEW and WWE. Most of its reason for living has to do with its history as TNA! Impact.

And I don't want to speculate but could it be possible that SuperSport severed ties with this wrestling promotion as viewers weren't so welcoming of it as the years went by. This trait quickly began to adapt following it's move to e.tv.

Impact Wrestling has been facing several challenges during its time on e.tv as rival brands like the SABC often broadcast soccer in the middle of wrestling and you know how much the sport is loved point made this wasn't much of an issue with WWE.

As for the removal on e.tv, all I can say is eReality will continue to offer Impact Wrestling alongside it's extended library but as for the state of the wrestling promotion. Is it possible that the same outcome awaits consumers on the Openview platform?

Why Impact Wrestling Is No Longer A Major Promotion?

Originally founded by Jeff and Jerry Jarrett in 2002, then named TNA (Total Nonstop Action) came onto the wrestling scene fresh off of WCW and ECW’s demise. Still, promotions like Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro-Wrestling existed; however, there was something that TNA had that those two companies didn’t: mainstream stars. Well, maybe not stars on the level of The Rock or Stone Cold, but recognizable names like Ken Shamrock, Jerry Lynn, Konnan, and yes, even Jeff Jarrett. TNA was presented as an edgier product than its wrestling counterpart, WWE, just out of the period when the biggest wrestling promotion in the world was transitioning out of the Attitude Era. One of the pioneers of that era was Vince Russo, who was head creative of the newly formed TNA Wrestling.

The pros of TNA is that it presented something fresh for fans who were tired of the WWE product. However, it also had something familiar, as Russo’s chaotic crash writing style was ever so present in TNA. The company also had some hot acts like LAX or Team Canada, and even the X-Division was miles better than WWE’s cruiserweight division. TNA would gain popularity as time went on and though there were a lot of questionable booking decisions made within the company, it still reached its peak with viewers who were happy with the WWE alternative. However, questionable booking decisions started to plague the company overall. Whether it was the over pushing of Jeff Jarrett as a top star. Ridiculous gimmick matches such as the reverse battle royal, electrified steel cage, or the king of the mountain match that the company continuously pushed as the Slammiversary main event during their early years.

However, when the likes of Eric Bischoff and Hulk Hogan came into the promotion, that was the beginning of the end. Hulk Hogan was certainly a draw for the company and given his big money contract status, Hulk Hogan was definitely going to be used to the best of his abilities. However, this wasn’t the man that main evented WrestleMania’s in the 80s or even NWO Hulk Hogan. At this point, Hogan could barely move. Eric Bishchoff was not a professional wrestler. Yet, the company was booked and centered around these two. There was the unwarranted push of Bischoff’s son Garrett, who pretty much disappeared from the wrestling scene once his time in the company was over. Hogan was at the center of TNA’s biggest angle, Aces & Eights, another terrible story that dominated the promotion. More importantly, veterans like Kevin Nash, Scott Hall (Rest in Peace Mr. Hall), Sting, or Booker T were clouding the main event scene. For the longest time, TNA focused more on WCW and WWE castoffs more than their own talent, which would ultimately come back and bite the company in butt.

That talent didn’t bring enough drawing power to warrant the dominance at the main event and worst yet, the stories and booking decisions weren’t getting any better in the promotion. Eric Bischoff effectively killed whatever career The Young Bucks had in TNA by beating the AEW stars in a tag team match. There was a rat on a pole match. The Lockbox Challenge set the knockouts back 100 years. The questionable booking only got worse as time went on, especially since most of the shows were focused on Hogan and Bischoff. When the two tried to recreate the Monday Night Wars in 2010 it did give TNA more viewers, but it was ultimately a massive failure. TNA wasn’t ready for the war because their own house wasn’t in order. The promotion was in a dire creative mess and there didn’t seem to be any indication that things would change.

For years, fans complained about Vince Russo and Dixie Carter, but the company moved on as there were no issues whatsoever. Hogan, Bischoff, Sting, Dixie, and Vince Russo leaving didn’t matter one bit. TNA had an opportunity to course correct by signing Paul Heyman as head creative control, but that never came into fruition and the company sunk into lower depths since then. The funny thing is that TNA, now Impact Wrestling, was miles ahead better than it was during the Bischoff/Hogan reign. One of the most buzzed out moments about the product was the Broken Matt Hardy stuff. Of course, when the promotion had the likes of LAX (Santana & Ortiz) The Lucha Brothers, and Johnny Impact, that was when the company as at its best, consistently delivering top notch shows. However, Impact killed the trust of fans completely by then. It wasn’t the fact that they kept moving from station to station, it was because the interest just wasn’t there.

TNA/Impact Wrestling tried so hard to compete against WWE that it became WWE lite for a lengthy period of time. The promotion lost any sense of identity that helped put them on the map, and Impact hasn’t really been able to lock down the type of company it wants to be. Plus, the booking decisions were REALLY bad. Impact is now a blimp on the wrestling radar, especially with AEW around. The company now draws ratings in the range of 89,000 to 150,000, a far cry from 1.0 million viewers. The company has managed to survive this long, but it’s highly doubtful that it will reach the highs that it did in its early years.

Credits: TVOM

Countdown To The Wildest Stories From Dark Side Of The Ring

10. Ric Flair's actions

Plane Ride From Hell was one of the worst instances of nothing going to plan. On that fateful day during WWE's tour of the UK. The plane was delayed for 7 hours and they were on a charter plane WWE stars consumed alcohol and waited for the plane to get going unfortunately the plane stayed long enough for the stars to consume multiple carts of alcohol. While some fooled around with Dustin Rhodes or his wife, Brock Lesnar and Perfect Brawley even cutting of Michael Ace's ponytail.

Things went wrong in a different direction, Ric Flair wore a robe with nothing underneath. According to a flight attendant and several other people, the wrestler cornered her in a plane forcing her to touch him. No one who knew bothered to help except Dustin Rhodes.

Tommy Dreamer revealed the flight attendant a bribe and compared the situation to his haircut which led him to get suspended from Impact Wrestling while Ric Flair possible losing any chance of getting into AEW.

9. Owen Hart's death

One of the saddest episodes of Dark Side Of The Ring, WWE had planned his entrance at the last minute which led to tragedy where he would fall and pass from the impact.

It was revealed in the show that the original plan was to have him lowered from the ceiling but they instead used a new rigging system from one they had initially.

It turned out that the rig that was holding Owen had been built for a sailboat which was designed to hold 6 pounds of pressure. On top of that his wife and son blamed WWE for his death and chose not to let him into the Hall Of Fame. According to people at the scene, Owen Hart's last words before plummeting to his death was "LOOKOUT".

 

8. Life of Dino Bravo

Bravo was a heel of a wrestler who enjoyed a rich lifestyle. In Montreal, he was famous and respected and was suppose to face Hulk Hogan. WWE couldn't handle having their Babyface being booed at so they swapped the matches and event.

Bravo signed a new deal with WWE which would see him with new look but was repackaged as a heel. When it came time for him to retire, he didn't know what to do as he didn't save money and to try and keep his lifestyle going worked with his uncle in a crime family and a year later he would be found dead with drugs worth $400000 being confiscated.

7. Jimmy Snuka

The controversial wrestler sparked attention for allegations made on the death of his wife. Even before Snuka had killed Nancy. The family had doubts about him with her mother being supportive of their relationship.

There was a time where Snuka would struggle her throat and slapped her and she fled the scene seeking comfort with her sister who encouraged her to exit the relationship but continued on until her death.

Snuka was under investigation as he told different versions of his wife's murder saying she would fall and hit her head and that she was sleeping while he had a match.

There were allegations that WWE founder Vince McMahon offered Nancy's mother hush money of which hasn't been confirmed as there was no evidence of course the case was reopened and Snuka was unable to stand trial due to his dementia and cancer.

6. Godfather Hates Pimps

Despite his character being a pimp, it turned out in his personal life he had a history with pimps before WWE he worked as a bouncer. It was revealed he would hit any pimp that entered the strip club.

 

5. Brawl For All

JBL wanted to find out who was the toughest man in the locker room though Vince Russo was the one who conceived it. Russo didn't like JBL for the way he was bullying everyone so he figured someone would embarass him.

All those involved suffered immensely while JBL was forced to eat dirt.

4. New Jack's storyline

Jack passed away around the time he was trying a minor who had hoped to face him. Hunter Ray punched him in the face and Jack angry stabbed him multiple times only for Jack to get arrested. Red came to visit him in prison hoping to turn it into a storyline and he agreed and the two never contacted each other again.

 

3. The killing of Bruiser Brody

One of the most disturbing stories, Brody was one of the most respected wrestlers with his style being influencal. Invader and Brody didn't like each other.

When Invader came to WWE, Brody beat him badly which resulted in Invader holding a grudge. Brody went to WWC and told that he was owed money there. They were also talks of him becoming minority owner there.

Tony Atlas said the locker room there was tense and Brody wasn't looking good asked Tony to sketch a sign. Atlas came with a towel to speak with Brody and heard a punch only to see Invader holding a knife trying to stab Brody again and Tony protected him and laid him on the floor.

The ambulance arrived 45 minutes later, he needed surgeries for the cuts and bruises and Brody was alive when he left the hospital and died later in the morning. No one was arrested, Invader (Jose Gonzalez) got off saying it was self defence while police thought it had something to do with their jobs.

Brody was portrayed as a loving husband and father in Dark Side Of The Ring.

2. North Korea

In 1995, WCW teamed up with North Korea to hold a wrestling event. Ric Flair, Scott and Rick Steiner and several others made the journey. Muhammad Ali managed to make the event thanks to the organizer of the event, Antonio Anoki.

According to Eric Bishop, there was an attendance of 300000 with the audience being forced to attend. A group of wrestlers were confronted by security after trying to play pool. Scott getting his call interrupted as he had to fight with the country.

According to Too Cold Scorpio, he had considered playing the role of Warrior Hog with him taking a hit with a chopstick. Chris Benoit urged him not as he would regret it and Scorpio listened.

1. Grizzly Smith

He wrestled between the 50s and 70s and was father to including Jake "The Snake" Roberts, Rockin' Robin, and Sam Houston. Despite Jake being the most famous no one knew he was part of a wrestling family.

His siblings were estranged to each other as they lived separately for part of their childhood where Jake had to live with his grandfather then abusive husband.

Jake was sexually assaulted by his stepmother when he told his father she abused him. He found out Grizzly had been doing the same to his sister Robin from the time she was 8.

Robin revealed her mom left with her when she told her of the situation. Grizzly's fifth child was married and had a child by the time she was 18 then she was kidnapped and her husband was convinced although no body was found.

Robin believed that her father may have some involvement in the death of her sister. One time, he showed up at her house with a 9 year old girl and discovered Grizzly had been treating her the same way as her.

You can also find me through the other platforms by pressing this link in brackets (Lnk.Bio).

Women Of Wrestling (W.O.W.) An All New Female Wrestling Series Owned By Impact Wrestling's Parent Company AXS Entertainment Relaunches Next Year In 160 U.S. Territories, Could e.tv Or SuperSport Perhaps Get It?

It's a very interesting and prosperous time across the wrestling industry right now. At no time before were there more wrestling promotions on major TV networks, giving more wrestlers the chance at a big stage in front of millions. And at no time have more non-traditional or even underseen wrestlers been given a shot at the main event scene.

Of course, no group of wrestlers has seen a bigger rise up the ranks like the women of the industry, who have shattered through the glass ceiling of Bra & Panty matches and silent valets to main eventing WrestleMania.

This renaissance of women's wrestling has now reached the apex, as there will now be an entire show featuring solely women's wrestling on major TV networks with the announcement that the recently shuttered promotion WOW – Women of Wrestling will be returning in 2022 and on major television networks in 160 U.S. markets in a new deal with ViacomCBS.

WOW Superhero Tessa Blanchard in the teaser trailer for the WOW reboot in 2022, courtesy of WOW.

While WOW had a brief run on the specialty TV network AXS TV from 2019-2020, this will be a huge step up in visibility for the promotion. New episodes of WOW will air in weekend syndication on 160 ViacomCBS networks across the U.S., which accounts for 70 percent of the country. And if you're looking for older seasons of WOW, those are anticipated to be available to stream on the CW Seed and Pluto TV platforms starting in December of 2021.

Jeanie Buss , the owner of WOW (along with WOW creator David McLane) and the Los Angeles Lakers said the following about the promotion and its big relaunch :
"Wrestling's presentation of women has long been very important to me, and we now are presenting the epitome in sports entertainment that will highlight the athleticism of these superstars as we reintroduce WOW.

Our partnership with the entire ViacomCBS Global Distribution Group family allows us to continue our mission of providing wrestling fans and WOW Superheroes what they have all deserved: a global platform for a dedicated women's wrestling league."
Dan Cohen , President of ViacomCBS Global Distribution Group also included the following statement about WOW:

"We are thrilled to partner with Jeanie Buss and David McLane to create a significant global footprint for WOW and expand our diverse, world-class content portfolio.

This series offers audiences unique, compelling and creative entertainment that features female 'superheroes' in the ring, behind the cameras and in all aspects of the business. Both in the U.S and abroad, we believe this is an event program that will make some noise in the marketplace."

Also included in the big WOW reboot news today is what should serve as a big confidence-boost to fans that AJ Mendez (formerly AJ Lee in WWE) will follow her husband CM Punk in a return to the wrestling industry by becoming both an Executive Producer and color commentator on the rebooted WOW.

There's no word on an official launch date yet for 2022, but WOW did release the following teaser video featuring returning former WOW Champion Tessa Blanchard.

e.tv used to air WOW every Wednesday at 8pm now they house it's former sister brand Impact Wrestling which was once available through SuperSport.

You can find me on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. You can also follow Doodsondes for Kuiertyd updates.

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IMPACT Wrestling Lands African Broadcast Deal With e.tv

IMPACT Wrestling, a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment, has announced a new multi-year television deal which will make e.tv the home of IMPACT Wrestling across more than 50 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The exclusive broadcast deal will showcase IMPACT Wrestling’s flagship weekly shows IMPACT! and Xplosion, plus four annual pay-per-views, its new IMPACT Plus Presents monthly event series and library content.

Commencing in January 2020, IMPACT! will air weekly on e.tv and rebroadcast specific programme content on e.tv’s free-to-air satellite platform Openview.

“Africa has always been a strong market for IMPACT Wrestling, where our passionate fans continue to engage with our content on multiple platforms,” said Ed Nordholm, Chief Corporate Officer of Anthem Sports & Entertainment and president of IMPACT Wrestling. “We are thrilled to bring professional wrestling back to e.tv, where the sport has a long history and track record of success.”

“e.tv is proud to be the home of Impact Wrestling across Sub-Saharan Africa. We received enormous traction from having aired wrestling on our channels a few years ago, and it is only befitting that we bring back content that highly resonates with our audience. We hope to build the IMPACT Wrestling brand on our multi-channel platforms for many years to come,” added Marlon Davids, MD, echannels.

IMPACT Wrestling’s roster is led by IMPACT World Champion Sami Callihan and UFC Hall of Famer Ken Shamrock, legends Rob Van Dam and Rhino, third-generation superstar Tessa Blanchard, high-flying X-Division stars such as Rich Swann and TJP, former NFL player Moose, Brian Cage, Eddie Edwards, and Michael Elgin, plus the Knockouts, including Champion Taya Valkyrie, Rosemary, Tenille Dashwood, and others.