Why Carlos Silva’s latest TNA Wrestling pivot could be his last | Opinion
I bet if you gave TNA president Carlos Silva some truth serum, or perhaps a relaxing beverage or two, he would admit this isn’t how he expected things to turn out.
He took over the company in February 2025, injecting new leadership from outside the world of wrestling, but with someone that at least had combat sports experience and that Anthem Sports & Entertainment wanted to get behind.
After the sting from Scott D’Amore’s dismissal wore off, things actually seemed to be going alright. Silva became more present, donning his now notable ‘TNA Wrestling’ hat at ringside and was talked about positively online, a rare feat on social media. TNA made their WWE partnership official, attendance was up, and there was eventually the AMC TV deal. Positive things were happening.
Then, as every executive in wrestling eventually does, inching in front of the camera always eventually turns into full frame. He gave out backstage awards, presented title belts to champions, and even did an extended interview with Ariel Helwani. He became the face of the company and fans seemed to embrace that. Silva had to be loving life and living the dream. TNA! TNA! TNA!
An eventuality with TNA, however, is that even with an upswing, it always gets pulled back down to Earth with the speed of a balloon being tied to a kettlebell — all of which happened in the last few months.
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There was the negative press about TNA pulling talent from matches with AEW wrestlers due to “partner conflicts,” Silva’s bizarre assertions that AEW decided to go head-to-head with TNA on a few Thursdays at a time when that traditionally happens due to NHL postseason games, and the afterglow fading from the AMC launch at a time when no one has any idea what ratings even mean.
Plus, there’s the constant narrative about WWE pulling all the strings from afar and now, talent is also both leaving and/or likely to leave.
The TNA life become more real for Silva this week when Tommy Dreamer and Sami Callihan were let go in a move called “workforce reduction, designed to streamline operations and sharpen strategic focus and profitability.” It’s everything wrestling fans love to hear: corporate jargon. TKO’s Mark Shapiro would be proud.
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16 months after he took over, Silva is now face-to-face with TNA’s reality and the weight of all the years that have come before it. He made a pivot like a sports general manager would do when things aren’t working out: he fired the manager which in this case was Dreamer. I don’t even hate the move, but I don’t know how it’s going to change anything.
Now, there’s no other pivot to make other than for Anthem to make their own change if Silva’s next course of action doesn’t work — the likelihood of which seems very improbable. Silva also could decide to bow out on his own which wouldn’t be unprecedented. That’s not to say Silva is incapable, but TNA finds itself in an impossible spot as does every other company not owned by WWE or AEW.
We are besieged with wrestling every night of the week, and sometimes multiple shows on weekdays and on the weekends as we’ll “enjoy” this month with AEW Forbidden Door, TNA Slammiversary and NXT Great American Bash running nearly head-to-head-to-head which feels like more of a punishment to fans than a reward.
Silva is charged with making TNA stand out in an already overcrowded marketplace. I don’t know how he or anyone does that. Great wrestling? Already found in other spots. Huge spectacle events with big stars? Done. Exiled former WWE and AEW names getting an opportunity elsewhere? I mean, they have that but there’s also MLW and a dozen other super indies who do the same. Also, who wants to watch WWE Lite when there’s more than enough of the real thing?
All of this is to say I hope Silva has some bold moves planned. Hiring a former WWE creative member and Triple H pal in Brian James doesn’t seem like one of those moves and neither does an affiliation with OVW.
Since TV is already taped through Slammiversary, they have just over a week before the PPV kicks off the post-Dreamer creative era and we’ll see where TNA goes from there.
For as long as he chooses to wear it, I hope Silva has some big ideas under that hat.
Since 2011, Josh has been a contributing editor to Wrestling Observer/F4WOnline.com and also hosts the Punch-Out podcast. He has also written for Fight Magazine, Bloody Elbow, Bleacher Report, and other websites. He's a 2000 graduate of the University of Maine, worked in pro sports, and once was an indie ring announcer.