Below are some top news stories of the day, involving AJ Styles, Hulk Hogan and Brian Knobbs.
• AJ Styles opened up about his 2013 TNA departure, blaming financial struggles and creative missteps under Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff. Speaking to Chris Van Vliet, Styles said Bischoff tried to grow the company, but it ultimately lost money.
He criticized Hogan for not promoting TNA, believing Hogan was “embarrassed” by the product. When TNA asked Styles to take a pay cut, he refused, leading to his exit.
Styles also shared his thoughts on TNA’s six-sided ring, calling it painful to wrestle in but essential to the company’s identity. While he initially welcomed the switch to a traditional ring, he admitted TNA lost part of what made it unique.
Below is what he said:
“I believe Eric was trying to do the right thing, to see where we’re at as far as getting more eyes on us that we’re growing. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out the way it was supposed to. We lost a lot of money.
I think I was kind of pi$$ed at Hogan at the time, because I was like, why doesn’t he talk about TNA? Why is he not helping us? He’s not advertising at all. He never talked about TNA. I was pi$$ed, but I now realize I think he was embarrassed. It was embarrassing to him to talk about that, so he didn’t.
The six-sided ring was different. It made us different. It sucked as a ring… But when you saw TNA and you saw a six-sided ring, you knew that was TNA. No one was doing that, maybe in Mexico, but we made it who we were. I think they lost their identity to a certain extent when they went to just a regular ring, just like everybody else.”
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• Former WWF Tag Team Champion Brian Knobbs is hospitalized and may need his foot amputated. A GoFundMe has been launched to help with his medical expenses.
Knobbs revealed on Facebook that he lost almost everything during Hurricane Helene before being hospitalized. He expressed gratitude to fans and asked for support through donations or sharing the fundraiser.
This isn’t his first health battle — he was hospitalized in 2021 for serious stomach issues and knee surgery. So far, over $3,000 have been raised toward a $30,000 goal, with fans rallying to help him get proper treatment.
