The Sun in the UK has added an interview with TNA President Dixie Carter where she discusses TNA's business plans & how they differ from WWE, the "Fire Vince Russo" chants at the Destination X PPV and more. Here are some highlights:
On her responsibility as TNA President:
"The ultimate responsibility for everything in this company is mine and I take that very seriously. For a lot of our guys this is their livelihood, so I am conscious to make decisions that mean this company is healthy and around decades from now. While we want financial success, at the same time I want TNA to be a completely different kind of wrestling company. We do everything we can to make sure they [talent] are saving for the future and have even brought in financial advisors to help with things like tax."
On TNA's event schedule:
"We work a much lighter schedule than the WWE which allows our wrestlers to protect their bodies and lengthen their careers. A wrestler's career only lasts as long as his or her body does — and that's why I take our guys' health very seriously."
On the "Fire Vince Russo" chants:
"I love the passion of wrestling fans but there is just so much that they get wrong, that they perceive to be one way when it's not. It's interesting that at our last PPV during the Sting v Abyss match they started that chant. First of all that match was something Vince had absolutely nothing to do with. Second of all it wasn't 120 seconds later that the crowd were jumping up and down screaming 'holy s***' and 'TNA'. Vince is human, and has one of the best hearts in this business, so I am sure the chants hurt him. They hurt me for him. But it's amazing how off the mark these folks are. One thing they blame him for is that we sometimes try and cram too much into our TV shows, as we only have 42 minutes, but Vince has actually been a big part of helping me slow that down and make positive changes. But the hardcore fans don't see it and there's no telling them any different."
On Bill Goldberg's comments about pay & TNA:
"There is a lot more to being happy and successful than just a pay day. If that's where Mr Goldberg's happiness lies then he is missing the boat on a whole lot of other big issues."
On Kurt Angle's health problems:
"Kurt did have a lot of health problems. But that's because he was not given the time off to rehab. When you're not given that you pop your body full of pain medicine to get by. Then you're not given time off to get off the pain medicine and you get caught in this vicious circle. The only way he could break that was to get out of that environment. Again that's where we differ as a company. I am doing everything in my power to protect Kurt's health and if needs time off then he can take it. He is pursuing Mixed Martial Arts and I am also supporting him fully in doing that. I am not frightened for our guys to have success outside of the TNA world. My philosophy is that we're all partners and what's good for the wrestlers is ultimately good for TNA."