Various: Arn Anderson WWE Update, POP TV on Impact Wrestling’s Departure, Indies

Arn Anderson WWE Update

As noted before, Arn Anderson was released by WWE this past Thursday after an eighteen year career with the company in a primarily backstage role.

PWInsider’s Mike Johnson reported that following Anderson’s departure, the feeling within WWE management is that more of the “old guard” producers and agents may end up getting released soon as well. This feeling reportedly is due to WWE hiring several new producers over the course of the past month as part of their plans to bring in a “younger, fresher vibe to their in-ring content.”

POP TV President on Impact Wrestling’s Departure from Their Network

Deadline held a recent interview with POP TV president Brad Schwartz and one of the topics discussed included Impact Wrestling’s departure from POP TV to Pursuit Channel.

“Yes, we had a wrestling show every Thursday night, which by the way was one of our 10 highest-rated shows on the network. They wanted to keep going, obviously. It was two hours of original content every Thursday night, 52 weeks a year that would do 400 thousand-500 thousand viewers every Thursday night. We had to really start focusing on brand and expectation, and I think if you’re going to pitch yourself and tell audiences that you’re this place for premium content, Schitt’s Creek, Flack, Florida Girls, this type of stuff, then people need to know what to expect from you when they come to the channel.”

Misc. Wrestling News & Notes

NJPW announced that Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kazuchika Okada, and Tetsuya Naito will all be appearing at their August 31st Royal Quest event in London, England.

Revolution Pro Wrestling announced a new match for the card of their April 5th event in New York City, New York:
– Will Ospreay & PAC vs. CCK (Chris Brookes & Jonathan Gresham)