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 is also in the USA Wrestling Hall
of Fame.
“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.
