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MAIN EVENTS FOR THURSDAY'S IMPACT WRESTLING, KNOCKOUT RELEASES NEW CD AND MORE TNA NEWS

TNA returns this Thursday with a live Impact Wrestling broadcast from Tupelo, MS featuring Sting & Kurt Angle & TBA vs. Aces & Eights. The storyline tease here is whether AJ Styles will step up and join the TNA side of the fight. Also announced is Bad Influence vs. Bobby Roode & Austin Aries with the winners getting a TNA Tag Team title shot, which could be a really entertaining match as both teams are just great. James Storm, who has had issues with both sides, will be the guest referee. That feels a little forced to me, but anytime we get Storm and Roode interacting, it's a good thing.

Mickie James' second country music CD "Everybody's Gonna Pay" was officially released today via iTunes. James sat down with us yesterday for an interview in the Elite section, discussing how she's grown as a singer and songwriter since her debut CD, comparing breaking into wrestling to building her career as a singer, TNA's support towards James trying to grow her name and career outside of wrestling, reuniting with Trish Stratus for her new music video, Stratus putting her over at the WWE Hall of Fame, her time in WWE vs. TNA, balancing the wrestling schedule with the musical side, the support of fans via Kickstarter, her favorite songs on the record, what advice she today would give her rookie self and much.

TNA will run the legendary Boutwell Auditorium on 5/10 in Birmingham, Alabama, featuring:

*TNA champion Bully Ray vs. James Storm
*TNA Knockouts champion Velvet Sky vs. Gail Kim
*TNA Tag Team Championship: Chavo Guerrero Jr. & Hernandez vs. Wes Brisco & Garett Bischoff.
*AJ Styles vs. Christopher Daniels
*Bobby Roode vs. Joseph Park
*Rockstar Spud vs. Robbie E.

TNA released a new music EP at ShopTNA.com, featuring themes for Bad Influence, Kenny King, Garett Bischoff, The Motorcity Machine Guns, Jesse Godderz, Christian York, and Jack Evans.

Garett Bischoff has gotten a lot of high marks from the locker room for working hard and improving of late.

One aspect of the company that we haven't noted but has shown improvement is their marketing, specifically of the live tapings as the company has tried to do local press conferences and media events to make TNA coming to town as big a deal as possible.

TNA has also released several signed, framed PPV posters from several past events for a cool $225.

Jeremy Borash, who was overseas promoting TNA, popped up at one of Mick Foley's comedy events this week in Great Britain.

Extras on the forthcoming Lockdown 2013 DVD will be Before the Bell: Lockdown, Bully Ray and Jeff Hardy come face to face on Impact prior to Lockdown, pre-show interviews with Socal Val, footage from Fan Interaction, post match interviews, a PPV recap and music videos.

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