UPDATED: Anthem Terminates TNA Contract of Scott D’Amore, New President Named

UPDATE: PWInsider has more information on the meeting earlier today announced the exit of Scott D’Amore from TNA, along with the roster’s reaction to the news. According to the report, the call included new TNA President Anthony Cicione and Anthem head Len Asper.

During the meeting, it was stated that D’Amore had “stepped down” from his position, even though this is not the case, and TNA’s official statement on the matter said his contract was terminated. According to the report, this wording did not sit well with multiple talents. Another talent said, “This wasn’t the way to start off” a relationship with the locker room, especially since D’Amore was well liked by a vast majority of the locker room.

Some reportedly didn’t like that Cicione read what was described as a “prepared statement,” but some noted that Cicione was in a no-win scenario as the newly named replacement for D’Amore. Nothing specific was said about the creative direction of TNA moving forward, but the rest of the creative team that worked under D’Amore is said to still be working for the company. Talents were not given a chance to ask questions during the meeting, which PWInsider notes was not an endearing move to the talents on the new changes.

When the call started, some of the talents were reportedly angry when they were informed about D’Amore’s exit before the executives joined the call. Some of the veterans are said to have calmed things down, noting that the replacement has to at least be given a chance. One TNA talent who took part in the call said that Anthem “had a lot of work to do” as they move forward.

Some talents are reportedly taking a “wait and see” outlook on the new changes and waiting to see if other new changes come up. Others are said to be opting to maintain faith in TNA considering that the rest of the creative team is still with the company, and that they have to get back to work with the upcoming No Surrender premium live event in New Orleans.

PWInsider reports that one story that’s being talked about among talents is that Anthem wants the newly revived TNA brand to be more in-line with the parent company, viewing the TNA brand at too “D’Amore-centric” with Scott as the face of the company. This idea was not addressed during call. D’Amore was also seen as one of TNA’s top supporters, who was living the product 24/7.

ORIGINAL: TNA Wrestling has announced that Anthony Cicione is the new president of the company and Scott D’Amore’s contract has been terminated. Fightful Select reports that talent and staff were told of the decision today and are currently on a Zoom call discussing the issue.

One talent said they think Anthem wants the brand associated with them, and not D’Amore. When asked, another talent said they could see that but D’Amore “saved TNA.”

The press release can be found below:

Anthony Cicione Named President of TNA Wrestling

Anthem Sports & Entertainment Inc., a global multi-platform media company, announced today the appointment of Anthony Cicione as the President of TNA Wrestling.

The move aims to further integrate TNA Wrestling into Anthem’s Entertainment Group, of which Cicione is the President, leveraging the entire Company’s resources to add more value in areas including production, distribution, marketing, viewership, customer acquisition, digital revenue streams, ad sales and sponsorships, digital tech operations, and more.

Cicione replaces Scott D’Amore, whose contract with Anthem has been terminated. D’Amore has been a part of TNA since 2003. He held many key leadership positions and played a vital role in the growth of the company leading to its strong industry reputation today, including the successful return of the TNA Wrestling brand in 2024. Anthem thanks him for the commitment he brought to the business, the talent, and the people who work outside the ring.

In addition to these duties as President of Entertainment, Cicione will now manage the day-to-day business operations for TNA Wrestling. He brings more than 30 years of executive-level management experience to the organization. Cicione has been with Anthem for the last 16 years, managing technical operations and multiple cable and digital channels. Prior to his time with Anthem, Cicione was a producer of sports content including catapulting The Score to success by bringing WWE to the channel.