Scott D’Amore did not spend much time feeling sorry for himself after being removed from TNA. Within minutes of finishing his final event, he was already trying to buy the entire company.
During his appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, D’Amore explained that he stayed through TNA’s Hard to Kill weekend in Las Vegas and then worked another set of television tapings in Orlando. Once those final Orlando shows ended, his mindset changed immediately.
“I did the Vegas stuff, and then the following week we had some shows in Orlando. Strategically, they knew this was a good time because we would get six weeks of television in the span of eight days, or even less, and they could use that runway to get ready.”
D’Amore initially planned to go home, shut himself away and process the end of his seven-year run with TNA. That plan lasted about 20 minutes.
“We went right into making the Orlando shows. We did those Orlando shows, and within 20 minutes of the show ending, that’s when I decided I was going to make a run at buying TNA.”
“My first thought was, ‘I’m going to go home. I just want to sulk and be in a dark room.’ Then I was like, ‘F this.’”
Instead of walking away quietly, D’Amore began contacting people who could potentially provide financial backing. He said those conversations started before the final show had even completely wrapped.
“I started sending text messages before the show was over, looking for people who might want to support and invest in an acquisition of TNA.”
D’Amore spent the next several weeks putting together an offer for the company. He finally sent the proposal to Anthem Sports president Len Asper while standing on the balcony of Chris Jericho’s cruise ship.
“I worked on that for a few weeks. I remember I sent the offer to Len Asper from the balcony of the Jericho Cruise. We were just getting ready to leave, and I was like, ‘I’ve got to get this out because once we get out to sea, I don’t know if it’ll get out.’”
The offer was rejected, ending D’Amore’s attempt to regain control of the company he had helped pull back from the edge.
“I sent it then. It was ultimately turned down, obviously, as people know, and then I finally went home to sulk.”
Only after the purchase attempt failed did D’Amore allow himself to step back and recognize how completely TNA, Impact Wrestling and Anthem Sports had consumed his life.
“I realized how all-consuming TNA Wrestling, Impact Wrestling and Anthem Sports had been for seven years of my life. I kind of went, ‘Oh, I’ve got to figure out what I’m going to do.’”
D’Amore went from losing his position to attempting a full takeover of TNA in a matter of days. Anthem rejected the offer, but his immediate response made it clear that he was not ready to let the company go without a fight.
Do you think TNA would be in a stronger position today if Anthem had accepted Scott D’Amore’s offer? Please share your thoughts and feedback in the comment section below.
