Carlos Silva offers young talent a pathway to WWE.
October 7’s NXT vs. TNA Showdown marked the latest chapter in the ongoing partnership between TNA Wrestling and WWE. TNA President Carlos Silva was in attendance for the event, which concluded with both promotions finishing the night evenly matched at two victories apiece.
Appearing on a recent episode of Off The Ropes alongside Jonathan Coachman and Nic Nemeth, Carlos Silva addressed the prospect of TNA talent making the move to WWE. While reiterating his goal of positioning TNA as a destination rather than a developmental stop, Silva acknowledged that some younger stars may aspire to join WWE, and stated that if that were the case, he’d be more than willing to support them in doing so.
“Yeah, I think it’s both. I think it’s a little bit of both. You gotta extend and protect the talent that is foundational. I mean, one of the guys on the line here is with us in Nic (Nemeth). I mean, Nic brings foundational talent, history to TNA. Obviously, The Hardys do it and showed that last night (at NXT vs. TNA Showdown). A bunch of the other guys in the ring yesterday as well. I mean, whether it’s Frankie Kazarian, Moose, you could continue to list them. They’re super important because they’re recognized, they have brands, they have fans that follow them, know their walkouts and celebrate with them, and those guys and gals are so important because then they help to bring along talent like Leon Slater, and a bunch of others. The list goes on but as I see what The Hardys have done with Leon and the way they talk to him — being an athlete myself and really knowing and remembering my coaches that took care of me, I see the same sort of backstage stuff… when it comes out of Nic and The Hardys and Matt Cardona and Frankie and so many, and they all listen. They’re dialled in when they get the feedback from those athletes that have been in the ring for so long. It’s so important, so I think we gotta be cultivating both sides. TNA is an interesting platform because we can bring and provide a new platform for legends that have already been in the game for 10 and 15 years-plus. But then we can also help to bring on the young talent. Look, is that talent at times gonna leave? Is that talent gonna wanna go to WWE if they’re younger talent? They are, and I’ve said it, and I’ve said it in our — Nic knows this, I will be the person that will help them as well, if that’s the path that is great. I also know that they’re gonna continue to support TNA and maybe come back to TNA some day, to continue creating this engine, and that’s how we’re gonna continue to operate.”
-Carlos Silva
At NXT vs. TNA Showdown, The Hardys defeated DarkState to capture the NXT Tag Team Championships, while Mustafa Ali came up short in his bid to dethrone Ethan Page for the North American Title. In the evening’s Survivor Series-style clashes, Team NXT’s women emerged victorious, whereas Team TNA’s men picked up the win to level the overall score between the two promotions.
Looking ahead, TNA: Bound for Glory is scheduled for October 12 at the Tsongas Center in Lowell, Massachusetts, with several NXT stars set to feature as the crossover between the two promotions continues.
TNA President Carlos Silva recently revealed that TNA Wrestling are actively negotiating a potential TV/streaming deal with a partner. You can read more about that here.
H/T to Fightful for the transcription.
