Notes from Impact of TNA panel at Starrcast (12/04/2024)

By Mick Robson

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The following is notes on what Moose, Josh Alexander & Kushida had to say at the Impact of TNA panel last Friday at Starrcast Downunder in Ballarat:

• Moose- is notoriously bad at keeping secrets; was not told about the TNA re-branding. Josh Alexander was, but he signed an NDA.

• Moose- spoke about being the first TNA show (Hard To Kill) main event with Alex Shelley- "it meant the most to me".

• Kushida- his relationship with former TNA President Scott D'Amore goes back to 2009, where Scott let him live at his house when he had no money. Always considered TNA a "dream stage" with the likes of Motor City Machine Guns and AJ Styles there (at the time).

• Kushida- he holds dual contracts with TNA and New Japan. Wants to "make a bridge" between the two companies. Would like to see Moose and Josh in the G1, which they are both up for.

• Moose- "Scott is still my friend and mentor".

• Josh- "TNA is the land of opportunity". Cites Christian Cage, Low Ki and AJ Styles as examples of that, stating that "the landscape of wrestling has gone through TNA".

• Josh- Scott helped him make the move from wrestling in Canada to wrestling in the US.

• Josh- the passionate promo that Scott cut following his acclaimed match with Will Ospreay was done on the fly to fill the 2 minutes of TV time remaining.

• Moose- "there's no locker room drama in TNA, there's a strong bond, everyone wants everyone to succeed. We need each other to grow TNA bigger."

• Josh- co-signs Moose's statements about the locker room, adding that "there's no ego involved. A rising tide lifts all ships, we're the little engine that could."

• Josh would put the quality of TNA's PLEs up against any other wrestling company in the world.

• Moose- "it takes one time to watch our product to get hooked, we're that damn good."

• Josh- doesn't believe in tribalism, watches all professional wrestling because he's a fan. Kushida, who hadn't said much for a while, just adds, "Yes, same as Josh."

• Moose- has been in TNA since 2016. He says (perhaps tongue in cheek) that he didn't want to give up senority and start somewhere new. Wants to be associated with the TNA brand in the same way that AJ Styles is.

• Moose and Josh talk about Kushida glowingly. Moose says that they wrestled each other for the first time 2 months ago, and it was "the easiest thing in the world". Josh calls him a "humble professional" and Moose says "he looks 19 but he's 41!"

• Moose hated going to Wagga for last year's OPW tour, and goes on a funny rant about how terrible and boring the town is. (Editor's Note: As someone that was there for that tour, I don't disagree!)
  

We then get some Q&A with the audience:

• Could we see Aussie talent in TNA? Josh names Mick Moretti and Adam Brooks specifically as two who could do well. Says that there's so much talent down here, and it's just about getting eyes on the scene to get those opportunities.

• Funniest TNA Moment? Moose picks the Jay Lethal/Ric Flair "Woo Off" and pretty much everything Grado did. Josh agrees, then says that Spud vs. Grado is the greatest match he's ever seen.

• When asked about the roster expanding with recent free agent signings- Moose is happy about the arrivals of Nic Nemeth, Matt Cardona and Hammerstone. "Wrestling is a revolving door." Josh says that there's always someone looking for an opportunity, and also puts over Hammerstone.

• Kushida is asked about the pros and cons of his multi-company contract status- "it is a hard schedule, but good for both companies to have the back and forth."

• Moose ends by giving Scott D'Amore some more love. He "wore a lot of hats", and there's a lot of people taking over those roles. "It's a transition, and we're doing our best to make the most of it."
  

Coming over the weekend on the Arena (first access on Patreon, later on the main site)- the Eric Bischoff, TNA in the Rumble and Bret Hart Starrcast panels, and the review of PWA's first Black Label show of the year, Ringmasters!