Credit: Ryan Rider and Pwinsider.com
Mike Tenay recently spoke about his time with TNA Wrestling. Here are the highlights…
On 11 Years of TNA: It’s hard to imagine that 11 years have passed. To see the strides that our company has made is truly amazing. From the weekly Pay-Per-Views in Nashville to the Impact Zone in Orlando. The Fox Sports contract, Spike TV contract. It really has been fun.
On Early Troubles: We had just a few shows under our belt when they decided to take a break. They decided to have “Best of” shows. I wondered if we would ever come back live. And since then we haven’t missed a beat, has been a tremendous experience.
On His Favorite Memories: I think back to the early days and the ability for us to take these young talents, the X division talents in the early days of the company such as AJ Styles, Jerry Lynn, Low Ki, Amazing Red, Kid Kash, I could go on and on and on. The X Division put us on the map, it gave us longevity. It led us to that bridge where we were able to acquire a talent like a Sting, like a Kurt Angle, a Hulk Hogan. Without those guys in the early days, I don’t think we would be here today. When I think back as far as my favorite times, those early X Division matches were not only great to announce, but for the importance of the company going forward it was huge. It’s just so great to be able to see guys like Petey Williams come back, to see Chris Sabin come back. For about a year, year and a half period, we didn’t have the depth that we need in the X division. Now
we have it.
On Working with Taz and Don West: Totally different. Don was originally brought in to be the voice of the fan. That infectious enthusiasm that Don had and what he brought to the broadcast table was just great. One of my great friends in all the years I’ve been in professional wrestling, I still stay in touch with him today. At the same time, when the transition was made to Taz you went from the fan now to the former wrestler. It gave a totally different perspective for the viewer. A more expert analysis in terms of holds, in terms of mindsets that he has brought to the table the last few years. Don was just such a natural at promotions, that’s why he was so good when he worked at the merchandise department.
