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Borash asked her to look back at 2014. Dixie said it's a year she is proud of she is happy of some of the changes that have come over the year, including the changes in storylines and with wrestling in the company. She was also happy with the return of the six-sided ring, noting that it was a fan vote and the vote to return it was in the "high 80s %." She said that was shocking to her and she didn't think she could have made that decision with 80% certainty.
Carter said the last third to half the year, she was in "negotiation mode" with a lot of different networks. She said that made it a different year with different focus for her. She said she was proud of the year overall.
Borash asked her to reflect on SpikeTV. Carter said she would be forever grateful to SpikeTV for giving them such a wonderful national platform and said, "They really have been great partners." She said she has a great relationship with Kevin Kay and Scott Fishman. Carter said she had a discussion with Kay early in the year and said that "we [TNA] have to do something different. We can't just be status quo going into a new deal. It can't just be, you know, the two hour Impact. We have to do some things differently with our brand and really shake it up."
Carter said she thinks that was the tone of all her conversations with networks this year. Carter said she wasn't interested in someone just picking up their two hour show. "I'm interested in someone becoming a partner on a much bigger level. This company needed that and I think we deserved it."
Carter said that as it relates to Spike, she will always love them and TNA will support them any way they can and she hopes they can still have a relationship via TNA talent that also fights in Bellator." Carter said it was a great ride.
Borash asked what the last few weeks and days before the final decision and the announcements. Carter said it was hard because you want to give everyone, especially the talents working for the company, information. Carter said that Borash was there at TV and it was the first time they played out TV negotiations publicly and in front of social media as everyone was trying to figure out what was going on. Carter said that she told the talent to trust her, because she couldn't tell them every little thing, but what she was looking for "is something more." Carter reiterated she wanted someone to come in and advertise and promote TNA across all platforms and be proud of the fact that they will be a centerpiece of a network. Carter told the talents that it could be a smaller network but that she wanted to do what was best for the long-term growth of the company.
Carter said there was a talent meeting where she got "pretty hot and emotional" about what she felt TNA deserved as a company and what they were fighting for. She never had so many talents come up to her and tell her that they believed in her and that this was what they needed.
Carter said TV negotiations are a lonely process and she knew that for a few weeks that [going to a new partner] was going to be a decision TNA was probably going to make. She said she was very glad to get the news out.
Borash told a story that one wrestler told her during a meeting to look him in the eye and say there will be a TV deal and without blinking, she told them all, eye to eye, there was going to be a new deal. Borash said that seemed to alleviate the tension and help the morale.
Carter said you are never going to get 100% support and there's always going to be a tension and uneasiness when it comes to change and the future. She said that everyone is worried about their own livelihood but she had "hundreds and hundreds of livelihoods" to think about. She said she wasn't going to let people down, but also wasn't going to take a bad deal.
Carter said the locker room atmosphere is better than she can ever remember it. She said there are babies backstage and kids that are now walking and wives and husbands and it's a great atmosphere. She said it's not stressful backstage and that helps everyone - that they have the support of their peers and the office and everyone else.
Continued on Page 2.
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