Why TNA/AEW partnership ended, how AEW can use TNA themes, MLPW -- Scott D'Amore notes

Fightful had the opportunity to speak with Scott D’Amore, the former President of TNA and the owner of Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling.

Scott and Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp spoke for over 30 minutes and discussed numerous topics ranging from when Kenny Omega was the IMPACT Heavyweight Champion to collaborating with other companies.

Sean started the interview by discussing who would be featured on some of Maple Leaf Wrestling’s upcoming shows, including Josh Alexander, El Phantasmo, “Speedball” Mike Bailey, and AEW stars Konosuke Takeshita and Athena. 

Scott told us that he stepped away from the business after leaving TNA. Scott reflected on the support he received from friends and colleagues following his departure and shared how humbling the experience was for him.

Scott told Sean that after taking some time away from the wrestling business, he began reevaluating his next steps. He mentioned getting messages from Keith Mitchell, Kevin Sullivan, and Josh Alexander. Scott said the time away allowed him to rest, plan, and organize his comeback.

The former Bullet Club member (yes, look it up) reiterated his deep passion for wrestling, which he said never faded even during his time away from the industry, and is thrilled to be back.

Sean mentions that many people within the business were surprised by Scott’s return to wrestling since it was assumed that he had a non-compete clause. Scott confirmed that he had a non-compete clause with TNA. Scott said that he and TNA worked out an amicable arrangement to end the no-compete early, allowing him to move on and pursue other opportunities, including Maple Leaf Wrestling. Scott mentions that he enjoyed the break and appreciates being able to feature TNA talent and talent from AEW, New Japan, and other promotions.

The two begin to discuss the companies collaborating. Scott believes partnerships between wrestling companies are essential and beneficial. He mentions his experience facilitating the WWE and TNA talent exchange before he left TNA, which was rewarding for all parties involved, including the fans. 

Scott hopes to continue the collaborative spirit with Maple Leaf Wrestling and pay homage to what it once represented. Scott mentioned that back in the old Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling days, AWA, NWA, and WWF talent attended the shows.

Scott mentions that almost 50% of the talent on the Maple Leaf Wrestling card is Canadian, reflecting the focus on allowing Canadian wrestlers to compete with the best in the world. He wants to provide a stage for them. Additionally, he wants to use collaborations to create opportunities for Canadian talent to perform internationally. Scott explains that it's easier for non-U.S. wrestlers to gain fame by entering the U.S., but events like Maple Leaf Wrestling and international collaborations help overcome those hurdles.

Sean would ask about the process of booking title matches from other promotions like ROH and AEW. Scott explains that he has had good relationships with AEW and other companies for years, getting talent and approving title defenses. He said that when they requested AEW’s Athena to appear, it was easy to get approval to have her defend the ROH Women’s World Championship against Gisele Shaw. Scott also shares that Takeshita’s international title defense was a good fit after winning it at WrestleDream. 

Scott told Fightful he maintains good relationships with TNA talent despite his exit from the company. While he usually talks with the wrestlers, he handles the booking through official company channels. He believes that events like Maple Leaf Wrestling benefit talent and their home promotions by providing exposure and prestige. If he were still in charge of TNA, he would view this event in the same light as sending talent to New Japan. Scott says it is an opportunity to showcase talent on a respected stage.

Sean and Scott spoke about the history of Maple Leaf Gardens. The venue has had iconic events and featured stars such as Ric Flair, Dusty Rhodes, and Bruno Sammartino. 

 He also believes returning professional wrestling to the legendary venue is a huge step in the rebirth of Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling.

Sean would ask Scott procedural questions regarding when TNA was working with AEW. Sean mentioned that TNA allowed AEW to use Jeff Jarrett and Christian Cage's entrance themes. Scott explained that they had no issue at Impact granting permission because there was no downside.  Scott believes that letting wrestlers keep their names and themes can benefit promotions if those wrestlers achieve greater fame elsewhere. There’s no downside to this approach, and it may even increase the value of their content.

The former member of the Team Canada stable would mention that Christian Cage’s AEW theme was a knockoff of their knockoff. Scott then shared with Fightful that he was in Jacksonville when AEW first used it. He said after the show, Tony Khan asked him, “What’d you think?” Scott recalled telling him it was great but told Tony they would have let them [AEW] use the TNA theme if they had asked. He mentioned getting the request in an email the next day.

Scott would tell Sean that Jeff Jarrett’s theme was unique because Jarrett has been using it since he left WCW. Scott said the WWE Hall of Famer Jarrett contacted him when he was going to AEW. He mentioned they chatted briefly, and Scott said he reached out to Ed Nordholm [COO of Anthem Sports & Entertainment]. Scott says that he and Ed knew that no other wrestler would be using it, and they did not see any issues with Jarrett using it.

He said Jarrett and Christian are both important characters in TNA's history. He mentions that Jeff is the founder and someone instrumental in his career and considers him a mentor and a friend.

He says Christian is the first person to say, “I'm leaving WWE of my own merit to go to TNA. " Scott also mentions that he broke into the wrestling business with Christian at the same time.

The conversation would move on to the IMPACT Heavyweight Champion Kenny Omega era. At the time, Scott said Impact was struggling to gain traction, and the partnership with AEW helped boost their business because of Kenny Omega's involvement as the Impact World Champion.

Scott told Sean that Omega's presence raised pay-per-view buys, TV viewership, social media engagement, and economically. Scott would also mention the physical pain Omega was in during that time, which made things difficult for Omega but still impactful. 

He mentions that the company's two pay-per-views that Omega was on were two of the highest-grossing pay-per-views in TNA’s history. Scott told Sean that he believes Kenny got a bad rap from day one. 

He says Kenny wanted to work with Eddie Edwards and Josh Alexander, but those matches did not take place because of certain restraints, and that’s one of the reasons the relationship ended.

He mentioned one of the highlights of working with AEW was calling a match with Tony Schiavone on TNT and working with Jim Ross.

Sean would mention Scott’s involvement with Talk N' Shop-A-Mania. Scott said he enjoyed working with The Good Brothers (Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows). He said it was something to do to distract himself during the pandemic. Scott also noted that Gallows was not there for half of the filming because he took a guest role on the TV show Heelz.

In closing, Sean asked Scott about working with Dixie Carter and how the relationship was after she left the company. Scott mentioned that he worked with her for many years and said an indisputable fact is that Dixie loved TNA. Scott said everything she would do was what she thought was best for TNA.

Scott shared a personal story about Dixie. He said one day, he was in the Nashville office and got a phone call that his father had a medical emergency. Scott told Sean that he remembers shaking, and Jeff [Jarrett] knew something was wrong as he walked back into the room. Scott says; he choked up and could barely get words out. He recalled Jeff telling him to talk to Bob Ryder, who oversaw travel for TNA, about returning home. Scott said Dixie followed him out of the office and told him not to worry about booking a ticket, that her father’s jet was in town, and that it would take him anywhere he needed to go.

Scott noted that there was no reason for her to do that, but that was her first thought without hesitating. Scott says TNA does not make it out of 2003 without Dixie Carter.

You can follow Scott D’Amore on X at @ScottDAmore or Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling at @MapleLeafPW.