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PWInsiderElite.com spoke with TNA President Carlos Silva yesterday about the company signing a deal to air on AMC starting this January. Highlights:
Getting the deal done:
"Yeah. I gotta tell you, Mike, I slept really well last night. Didn’t wake up in the middle of the night wondering about getting the deal done. It’s awesome. It’s just awesome. It’s been a great year, but the undertone of the whole year has been, “When’s it going to get done? When’s it going to get done?” We’ve talked a number of times about the social buzz around, “When’s it coming? When’s it coming?” The result is great, and that’s the beauty of it. We punched it into the end zone in the end. December 1st was my birthday, so it was nice to get it done on December 2nd. A nice birthday present. And I think it’s a great partnership. They’re very excited about it, and so are we. So, you really can’t say anything but great things about it. And now, like you said, it’s back to the starting line—how do we get bigger and better in 2026 together with our new partners at AMC?"
Bridging The Gap Between TNA and AMC, a Network that doesn't have sports programming traditionally:
"Yeah, there was definitely work to be done, but the good news is they were very excited from the very first call we had back in May, and we were excited to talk to them. Maybe also because we are big fans of AMC—big fans of their shows and the character building that they’ve done. Me personally, as well as all of my teammates on the TNA side. But it was strangely cool, Mike. I remember that first call so well because the team at AMC was very excited to talk to us. I think it was because they were thinking about what’s next for AMC. To your point, they hadn’t dabbled in live sports or live entertainment, and maybe this was an easier gap to bridge—entering pro wrestling and TNA—than jumping straight into other live sports. I think it ends up being a great way to work together, a great way to build, especially at a time when so many moving parts are shifting in the media landscape. Live wins. Live is very important. And now TNA can help give them live programming and premieres every Thursday night, 52 weeks a year."
How Embedded will AMC become in TNA when compared to SpikeTV's old relationship with the company:
"I don’t know completely yet because we’re just at the beginning, but I can tell you that in the last 30 days, as we got the deal to the one-yard line and ultimately signed it, we’ve had integration meetings with every department in TNA. We’ve built teams already in creative, sponsorship, and operations. We’re very much going to be working with AMC as our new partner. We view them as a partner, they view us as a partner, and I think that’s going to be the power of building this for both properties."
How Often TNA Impact will be live going forward:
"Yeah, I would say in the next six months it’s going to be similar [to now]. We’re going to try to do a few more Thursday night lives because I’m a big live guy. I believe in live. We also have a new partner in AMC and their workflow to deliver the shows, so we’re working through all of that. We’re obviously going to be live on January 15th, and we’re going to be live more in the first six months, but probably not as much as I ultimately want. Then, as the partnership develops, we’ll look at the next six months and evaluate the workflow, travel, and operational issues surrounding being live even more on a weekly basis in that second six months."
Were there any concerns about how the WWE-TNA relationship would change, given AMC is under different corporate entity beyond those WWE usually works with? How much of that was even a concern for TNA?
"Nothing you just asked about was even something I thought about—those are all non-issues. WWE and NXT have been super supportive. They’ve been supportive throughout this process and have followed along, wanting to know where we might go. But they were independent and said, “Good luck, we’re rooting for you.” And when I spoke to a number of our partners in the days leading up to the announcement, they were all super excited about us being on AMC."
How much will the look of the product change with the debut:
"We’re working through all of that together. We’re going to be in El Paso in the next couple of days. There’s going to be a lot of wrap-up of 2025 and a lot of planning as we head into the live premiere on January 15th. AMC is going to be involved. They’re already sitting in on meetings—there are meetings today, tomorrow—and there may even be AMC representatives in El Paso. They’re very invested in how this goes, and that’s why we’re excited to work with them. You don’t just want an outlet anymore in the media landscape—you want partners who want to elevate and make your product better. And I think AMC will definitely do that with us."
Hopes for the initial audience viewership on AMC:
"We’ll wait and see. I’m a guy who likes to win. I like to work hard, and then I like to celebrate with all our teammates. We’re going to be much bigger on AMC, and we’re going to help AMC be bigger during that timeslot. Every week we’re going to ask, “How did we do versus last week? How do we grow next week?” The goal is always growth. It doesn’t always happen—no one goes undefeated—but when we look six months down the road, the trend line should be up. And then again up in the second six months as the integration strengthens. We’ll do our best to get into rhythm over the next 45 days leading into January 15th, but that’s just the start. Then it’s, “Okay, what do we do next week? And the week after?” We’ll work hard every week to bring a great show to the AMC audience and to all TNA fans. We’re going to be bigger—much bigger—on AMC."
Highlights of the last year while working to land the AMC deal:
"There were certain things we could control, and I think we did a pretty good job controlling those—getting the right talent and building a great product. When we got to Slammiversary at UBS Arena in the summer, we had a big event and everyone said, “Whoa—how did TNA pull off such a big event?” Then we turned around and said, “Now we have to do it again at Bound for Glory.” And we did—another big event in Lowell outside Boston. We also used our strong relationships in sports and media from the last 25 years. We leveraged those relationships to get the best meetings possible, along with our partners at CAA. We lined everyone up, and then it was just hard work in a very dynamic and changing media landscape. We were lucky to have great calls with AMC—and others—but ultimately AMC really wanted us, and we really wanted AMC. That’s the best partnership—when both sides are excited about what’s coming in 2026. That’s why both sides signed the deal, and why we’re going to dig in and make it great."
Which TNA characters would fare best in the apoloclypse of The Walking Dead?
"That’s not an easy question. There are so many, but two come to mind quickly. On the Knockouts side, probably Rosemary. On the men’s side, I’ve got to say the Hardys would do a good job. Those are the ones that jump to mind in an apocalypse scenario."
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