TNA Press Release: New time for iMPACT, new signing.

I'll put the press release behind the cut, but I also have a bit of commentary on a quote that just scared me when I read it. See if you can guess which one?

Signs Kurt Angle
iMPACT! Moves To 9 PM on Spike TV Starting Thursday, November 16

Nashville, TN, September 24, 2006 – Total Nonstop Action (TNA) Wrestling announced today that Olympic gold medalist and pro wrestling megastar Kurt Angle
has signed exclusively with the company. It was also announced that TNA iMPACT! will move to 9:00 PM ET/PT Thursdays on Spike TV starting November 16.

“This has been a huge week in our company’s history,” said Dixie Carter, president of TNA Entertainment, LLC. “The signing of Kurt Angle and the move of
iMPACT! to 9 PM are both significant benchmarks in the growth of TNA. The history of pro wrestling is marked with events that change the landscape of the
industry and I believe that this week will be viewed in that context.”

Angle, a 2-time NCAA Division I champion and a 3-time NCAA Division I All-American, capped off his illustrious amateur career by winning a gold medal in
freestyle wrestling at the 1996 Olympics, competing with two cracked vertebrae, two herniated disks and four pulled muscles.

On November 14, 1999, Angle made his on-screen debut with the World Wrestling Federation. Since then, this 5-time WWE World Champion has held every major
championship belt in WWF/E. He was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2003.

“Kurt is considered the greatest wrestler in professional wrestling,” added Carter. “His in-ring ability is matched only by his leadership and attitude.
We are thrilled Kurt is joining the TNA family and we look forward to a long, successful relationship.”

“Being with TNA feels like I found my home,” Kurt Angle commented. “TNA will be the most watched show on cable TV – it’s just a matter of time. Thank you
TNA for saving my career, my life and my desire to do what I love.”

TNA also announced it will premiere in primetime on Spike TV starting Thursday, November 16, kicking-off with a two-hour extravaganza from 9:00 – 11:00
PM, ET/PT to celebrate the move. The following Thursday, TNA can be seen in its regularly scheduled timeslot (9:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT), with encores continuing
to telecast on Saturdays (11:00 PM – Midnight, ET/PT).

“We’ve been impressed by TNA’s growth and the acquisition of Kurt Angle today continues to show us that wrestling fans, as well as professional wrestlers,
know that TNA is the place to be and now primetime on Spike TV is the place for them to be,” says Kevin Kay, General Manager of Spike TV.

After twenty telecasts in the Thursday 11 PM ET/PT time slot, TNA iMPACT! is averaging a 1.0 HH rating, with a 1.1 in M18-49, a 1.3 in M18-34 and an average
audience of 1.1 million viewers. Compared to YAGO in that timeslot, TNA is up +137% in HH, +211% in M18-49, +244% in M18-34 and +157% in average audience.
Among ad-supported cable channels in the time period (11:00 PM – Midnight, ET/PT), Spike ranks #1 in M18-49, #1 in M25-34, and #2 in M18-34. (All ratings
reflect Most Current viewing levels)

The new wrestling alternative, TNA delivers a distinct brand of high-risk, athletic entertainment. TNA’s roster includes new, fresh talent like AJ Styles,
Christopher Daniels, Samoa Joe, Monty Brown and recognizable stars such as Sting, Christian Cage, Jeff Jarrett, Team 3D, and others. TNA features the innovative
six-sided ring and the high-flying “X Division,” as well as concept matches such as “Ultimate X,” “King of the Mountain,” and “Six Sides of Steel.”

TNA Entertainment, LLC is a privately held company headquartered in Nashville, TN. The names of all Total Nonstop Action Wrestling televised programming,
talent names, images, likenesses, slogans and all TNA Wrestling logos and trademarks are exclusive property of TNA Entertainment, LLC. All other trademarks
are the property of their respective owners. For more information, visit www.tnawrestling.com.

Spike TV is available in 90 million homes and is a division of MTV Networks. MTV Networks, a division of Viacom International Inc.

Now the quote that jumped out at me.

“Being with TNA feels like I found my home,” Kurt Angle commented. “TNA will be the most watched show on cable TV – it’s just a matter of time. Thank you
TNA for saving my career, my life and my desire to do what I love.”

I'm not talking about the part where he predicts TNA will be the most watched show on cable soon. Heavy painkiller use will do that to a person.

But TNA saved his career and his...life? Because of the shape Kurt Angle is in I get real nervous when he talks about his life and this being something that saved it.

If Angle legitimately though his life was over when he was let go from WWE that's one thing and I guess in that sense you could say TNA saved his life from his perspective. But otherwise that's 1 creepy looking quote in my view.