00:00Bobby Lashley, TNA President Dixie Carter, it's a pleasure.
00:05I'm sitting here in front of you for the first time on camera, and this is pretty amazing.
00:09After seven years as TNA President, you're now in front of the fans.
00:13What is the occasion?
00:14Well, you know, I am a behind-the-scenes type of person.
00:17I like to keep the focus on those great guys and girls that are in the ring every single week.
00:22But there's so many wonderful things going on at TNA right now,
00:25and it's time for me to share some of those.
00:28We've been in business seven years now.
00:31It's amazing.
00:32But these last 12 months have just been on a whole different pace,
00:36and so many wonderful things are happening.
00:39We have increased our ratings in the United States more than 30%.
00:44In the U.K., arguably the second most important market in the world for television,
00:50we're actually beating our competitor all three of their television shows.
00:56House shows touring, we just started that within the last 18 months on a regular basis,
01:00and that's going tremendously, traveling all over the world,
01:03about to announce another major worldwide tour that we're very, very excited about.
01:08So just really special times.
01:10And we've done this literally one fan at a time.
01:13And, you know, the thing I love to do more than anything is to go out and thank the fans
01:17before the show,
01:18but I don't ever go on camera and say anything, but it does.
01:22It means so much to me personally and to everybody at TNA.
01:26We wouldn't do this.
01:26We have the best fans in the world.
01:28And I know we like looking back at the last seven years
01:31and remembering the very first TNA impact in Huntsville, Alabama,
01:34our first TNA show seven years ago.
01:37And I know I like looking back and remembering all that,
01:39but I know you're more of a, you look towards the future a lot and what's coming up.
01:43And obviously the last 12 months have been amazing,
01:45but I think the next 12 might even be more amazing,
01:48especially with the addition of this man to your right, Bobby Lashley, the TNA roster.
01:53I know a lot going on with Bobby now in TNA.
01:56Absolutely.
01:56You know, you look to the past to gain a perspective on how far we've come.
02:00And, but the future, this is TNA's time.
02:04It really is.
02:05And I can announce to you today that we have just signed a new three-year firm deal with Spike
02:11TV.
02:11They're our television partner in the United States and Canada.
02:14And that's a very important thing for this company to have that kind of a long-term commitment with a
02:20major network.
02:22And we're going to do some really exciting things, look for new programming from us.
02:25And it's just, it's a really important deal for us to have accomplished.
02:31Sure.
02:32And certainly now with these new things and this growth,
02:35now we see things happen like the addition of Bobby Lashley to the TNA roster.
02:39And Bobby, certainly, what a career you've had.
02:43You left, previously had left, stepped away from wrestling,
02:46probably at the top of your game to pursue an MMA career.
02:50And now you're coming back to wrestling.
02:52And now you're doing both.
02:56Well, it's all about training.
02:57For me, I'm 100% committed to anything that I do.
03:01And when I wanted to go into MMA, I thought that I couldn't do both at the same time.
03:05So I left wrestling.
03:06But when I left wrestling, you know, I have fans calling me and texting
03:09and sending me email messages of why did I leave and when am I coming back.
03:14But at the same time, I wanted to fight.
03:17And I thought that I had to be 100% committed to fighting, which I am and which I will
03:21continue to be.
03:23But with all the fans coming up to me and talking to different people, I still have that passion for
03:27professional wrestling.
03:28I love professional wrestling.
03:29And I wanted to get back to professional wrestling, but I didn't know if I could do both at the
03:33same time.
03:35And I had a meeting with Dixie.
03:36We had several meetings before actual signing.
03:38And with those meetings, we pieced it all together.
03:42And she showed me a way that it could happen, that I could do both.
03:45And I could be 100% committed to fighting and 100% committed to professional wrestling
03:49because I don't want to do either one of them half-ass.
03:53And that's what's most important.
03:54I mean, I looked at him at the very beginning.
03:56I go, can you win?
03:57And he didn't even take a breath.
03:59And he just said, absolutely.
04:00And I said, well, we can pull our part.
04:02Let's do something that's never been done before.
04:04Let's make history.
04:05And he is just so talented.
04:08He's so gifted athletically.
04:10And this has really been fun.
04:12It's not a traditional talent signing like I would normally do.
04:16But this is another opportunity for TNA to do something different and really make a mark.
04:21And I think that we've just started to scratch the surface of working together, promoting fights.
04:27We're going to get out there.
04:28And we, TNA, wants to make sure that this is, you know, that Bobby's the biggest name in MMA as
04:34well as professional wrestling.
04:35That's our goal.
04:36And with his skills and talent, I'm confident that we can get there.
04:40What specifically do you think it's been about the major MMA companies that have shied away from this, from this
04:47exact instance, from this scenario?
04:49Well, I think some of the MMA companies, I think that they think that professional wrestling is the competitor.
04:54And I don't think they really understand professional wrestling.
04:57So a lot of them, when they heard that I was going to professional wrestling, they all backed up, you
05:01know.
05:01But I don't understand why, you know.
05:04I'm still committed to fighting.
05:05I'm still going to train as hard as I've always trained.
05:08And until I get that dash in the loss column, I don't think this should be a problem.
05:14I mean, a lot of these organizations, I think some of them are protecting their heavyweights.
05:19And when I say protecting their heavyweights, if they're claiming to be the best MMA organizations in the world, you
05:25can't keep fighters out.
05:27So I'm going to continue to professional wrestle, and I'm going to continue to fight.
05:31And as long as I'm continuing to win, I don't see why these organizations don't open up the door and
05:36let me go in there and fight some of the best fighters and show them who the best fighter is
05:40in the world.
05:40And the fans are going to want to see it, and they're going to have to answer to that.
05:42Sure, absolutely.
05:44In TNA, Bobby, what are your goals?
05:46And Dixie, what are your goals for Bobby in TNA?
05:48And I guess, Bobby, I'll start with you.
05:49My goals in TNA is to make an impact without being cliche.
05:54I mean, I really want to come in here, and I want to do some big things.
05:56When I was in professional wrestling before, I always set my sights really, really high.
06:01And right now, you know, Kurt Angle, of course, he's one of the top dogs here.
06:05I'd like to be able to get in some big match with some big people.
06:08So in TNA right now, I just want to – I'm aiming for the top.
06:12So that's what I'm going to do.
06:13I'm going to train as hard as I can, and then hopefully one time, one day, pay-per-view, wherever
06:18it is, I'm going to get that title shot,
06:19and I'll be able to prove that I still have the professional wrestling background that's needed to be a champion.
06:25Sure.
06:26Dixie?
06:26One time I'd love to see a world heavyweight title on his shoulder and, you know, on both shoulders where
06:33he's the king of both worlds.
06:35And that's the goal, and we're not going to stop until we get that.
06:38And he's committed, we're committed, and it's something I'm really excited about.
06:43All right.
06:44Bobby, Dixie, let's make history.
06:46We have.
06:47And history actually starts – can I announce this?
06:50Yes.
06:50History starts at the No Surrender pay-per-view September 20th when you will wrestle for the first time against
06:56Rhino.
06:56Wow.
06:57Really?
06:58Yeah.
06:58Well, I'll have to go.
07:00Look out, Rhino.
07:01All right.
07:02Well, that's a big announcement.
07:03It's going to be your pay-per-view debut with TNA Wrestling and No Surrender, and I know you're looking
07:07forward to it.
