Yesterday, an interview recap was posted where Vince Russo claimed that,
“SpikeTV is a horrible partner. Why TNA would ever want to partner with
Spike is beyond me unless there were no other options.” Today, David
Schwarz, the Senior Vice President of Communications with Spike TV, released the
following statement on the matter…
“I want to start by saying we enjoyed a great relationship, a very
collaborative relationship with Dixie Carter and her team over the years. We
took TNA from a late night spot on Saturday nights, doing 500,000 viewers, to a
two-hour time slot that did two million viewers over time. Spike went out of its
way, not in just adhering to its contract, but above and beyond the contract. We
paid Hulk Hogan, we paid Eric Bischoff, with our money. We financed many shows.
We financed U.K. shows. We helped promote. We gave TNA a prime time slot of
Thursdays from 9-11 p.m. I think his comments are way off base. Clearly, he
doesn’t know what he’s talking about. He’s somebody who thinks more of himself
than really exists. Vince Russo never meant anything to Spike TV. He had nothing
to do with negotiations. Nobody cares about Vince Russo at Spike TV. Nobody
cares or knows who he is. We have a great relationship with TNA. We went above
and beyond for them, as they did for us. Dixie helped promote our shows. What
Vince Russo is saying is complete nonsense.”
