While Scott D’Amore was let go from his job as President of TNA in early 2024, he previously spent years working for the promotion, dating back to the days when Jeff Jarrett and Dixie Carter were still involved. Appearing on “Busted Open Radio,” D’Amore shared some thoughts about working with the two, who notoriously butted heads during their time with TNA. To Jarrett, D’Amore felt a degree of loyalty.
Back in 2008, D’Amore recalled stepping away from TNA for a time when his father became sick. He returned the following year, and Jarrett had been fired by that time. It was Carter who had reached out to D’Amore to step in for the people who had been let go, but D’Amore felt the need to contact Jarrett first.
“Jeff goes, ‘Scotty D, I know you got a lot on the go. If you’re asking me,’ he goes, ‘I would be grateful and love [it] if you go back. This is still our baby.’ And it’s like, ‘Okay.’ So it’s funny, everybody at TNA thought that I went back because Dixie called, and I did, but I also went back because Jeff Jarrett said, ‘It’d mean a lot to me to know there’s somebody like you … that goes there and is fighting for us.'”
When D’Amore returned, he came to realize that the “vibe” backstage had changed since he departed TNA. He said that he stayed for months, but eventually Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff were brought in, and D’Amore departed again, only to return years later.
Scott D’Amore discusses working relationship with Dixie Carter in TNA
Bringing up the recent TNA-focused episodes of “Dark Side of the Ring,” Bully Ray asked D’Amore to further elaborate on Carter. The radio host noted that Carter has earned a negative reputation for her business acumen during her time at the wheel, but D’Amore maintained that his experience with Carter was mixed.
“I have positive and not-so-positive memories of working with Dixie,” he said. “I didn’t have those horrible interactions with Dixie, like the Jeff interactions, the Karen stuff. … Jeff was my friend, but I wasn’t even in the company when the whole Jeff-Karen thing [happened].”
D’Amore was referring to the tense behind-the-scenes situation in TNA that saw Jarrett begin dating Kurt Angle’s ex-wife Karen, which was said to have angered Carter, especially after Jarrett allegedly lied to Carter about the relationship. Acknowledging that Carter often gets a bad rap, D’Amore pointed out that she’s a businesswoman who focuses on male-dominated fields, which could affect how she’s been perceived.
“I’m sure she was marginalized or dismissed for being a woman, especially a pretty woman,” D’Amore continued. “I felt some of Dixie’s worst decisions were when she felt she needed to be tough. She would take this real weird, like, ‘This is what we’re doing!’ Put her foot down. … Dixie gave you that and it was over. Some of those decisions were among some of the most hurtful decisions.”
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit “Busted Open Radio” and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
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