Top TNA star admits backstage vibe has been ‘a little weird’ recently
After spiking when the company got its new television deal with AMC, morale in the TNA locker room has dropped a bit in recent months.
Nic Nemeth, who is set to challenge for the TNA World Championship at Slammiversary, co-hosted Busted Open Radio on Thursday morning and reacted to the news that Tommy Dreamer has departed TNA and is no longer part of the creative team. Nemeth admitted to being biased because of the friendship he has with Dreamer. They both love pro wrestling and have bonded over that, and Nemeth thinks Dreamer can benefit any company in a variety of roles.
“I don’t know what the situation is,” Nemeth said. “What I can give — I like that I don’t have inside business stuff. I just happen to know everybody at work. So I think, for the most part, I think morale building together to get that TV deal, couldn’t be any higher. And then as we move on, it’s gotta drop down just a little bit. And then it’s like, oh, it was like, man, some people are leaving, what are we doing? I don’t know exactly what’s going on.”
Dreamer and Sami Callihan are both gone from their behind-the-scenes roles with TNA, while wrestlers Steve Maclin, Tessa Blanchard, and Myla Grace have exited the promotion after requesting their releases. Nemeth said he doesn’t want to judge the situation based on second or third-hand information. He’s waiting to find out what’s going on when he’s back at work for the Slammiversary pay-per-view.
Though the TNA locker room remains tight, Nemeth admitted the vibe backstage has been “a little weird” recently.
“Most importantly, I really think the locker room is such a huge aspect. It’s what got me to sign on to TNA,” he said. “And I thought we were in a really good place, but I think the last couple of months, it’s been a little weird backstage. It’s been different. And I don’t exactly know why and I can’t put my finger on it.”
Losing Dreamer hurts TNA, Nemeth believes. But he doesn’t know the story of why Dreamer or anyone else has exited the company. Departures are a fairly common thing in pro wrestling, and Nemeth thinks there could be room to make new additions to replace those who are gone.
The departure of Dreamer was called a mutual decision by him and TNA, with the company issuing a press release yesterday confirming “a workforce reduction, designed to streamline operations and sharpen strategic focus and profitability.”
Slammiversary 2026 approaching for TNA —
TNA will be in Boston on June 28 for Slammiversary 2026. In the main event of the PPV, Nemeth is challenging Mike Santana for the TNA World Championship. The former Dolph Ziggler is attempting to become TNA World Champion for the second time in his career.
A six-man tag match on tonight’s Impact episode will see Santana & Nemeth team together. Alongside KC Navarro, they’re taking on Mustafa Ali, John Skyler & Jason Hotch.
Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.
In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.