What started as an invitation to LeBron James has suddenly turned into talk of lawyers. Just days after it was admitted nobody actually expected LeBron James to appear at its Philadelphia iMPACT! tapings, one fan decided he wasn’t laughing anymore.
A fan named Brian W. Tosh took to Twitter claiming he had spent days trying to get a refund after attending the event expecting to see the NBA superstar, only to hit a dead end with the Liacouras Center. That’s when he made things personal.
“I am extremely disappointed that it has come to this, but after exhausting all reasonable avenues, I have been unable to secure a refund from the Liacouras Center box office regarding blatant false advertising by @ThisIsTNA concerning @KingJames’ advertised appearance last night.”
He continued by saying he had tried resolving the matter privately before deciding to escalate things.
“Despite my efforts to resolve this matter directly, no satisfactory remedy has been provided, leaving me with no apparent recourse. You will be hearing from my attorney!”
Most fans probably assumed it was just another angry social media post. Then Tosh uploaded a video featuring an actual attorney. Attorney Chris Bagnato, a founding partner at Jensen Bagnato, PC, appeared on camera claiming he had been retained by Tosh and issued a direct message to TNA Wrestling.
“TNA Wrestling, this is attorney Chris Bagnato. I’ve been retained by Brian W. Tosh in this matter.”
Bagnato argued that TNA advertised LeBron James for the Philadelphia event even though the NBA superstar never appeared. He then demanded compensation not only for ticket buyers, but also for parking expenses. He warned that legal action could follow if the situation isn’t resolved.
“It has come to our knowledge that TNA Wrestling promised LeBron James would appear at a Philadelphia wrestling event, and he did not appear. We are requesting that TNA reimburse the City of Philadelphia for any ticket sales that were purchased, plus parking.
Please be advised that otherwise there is a potential for legal remedies that will ensue. Please guide yourself accordingly. You may have your legal counsel reach out to me so we can resolve this matter amicably. Otherwise, litigation will be something up for consideration.”
The entire situation stems from TNA’s promotional campaign ahead of the July 31 iMPACT! tapings, when the company publicly invited LeBron James to hold the TNA World Championship before Nic Nemeth defended the title against Jeff Hardy.
It was later reported that the invitation was never meant to result in an actual appearance and was simply a publicity stunt designed to create some hype around the show. Now, what began as a marketing campaign has unexpectedly turned into a legal threat—with one fan insisting TNA should be held responsible.
Do you think TNA’s LeBron James promotion went too far, or is this lawsuit threat an overreaction? Let us know in the comments below.
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