TNA Wrestling President Carlos Silva recently sat down for an interview to discuss the company’s recent momentum and his vision for the future as they head towards their biggest pay-per-view of the year, Bound For Glory. Since taking the helm last December, Silva has overseen a period of significant growth and buzz for the promotion, highlighted by a partnership with WWE’s NXT brand.
Speaking with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated’s “Undisputed,” Silva talked about TNA’s place in the wrestling industry and its commitment to the fan experience.
“It’s very important that we do everything we can for our fans. WWE is at the top of the space and sport, but we have our own place in wrestling. We have a lot of goals to accomplish, especially with the best fan experience.”
He also gave credit to the team he has assembled behind the scenes, a mix of wrestling veterans and experienced sports executives, for the company’s recent success.
“We have some great minds in the company, like Eric Tompkins, Tommy Dreamer, and Ross Forman. We brought in sports executives for production and marketing, too. We’re bringing best practices from sports and applying them to our live events. It’s a team that is pulling all together, and that makes a big difference. It’s been a great nine months, but we’re not going to slow down.”
Finally, he detailed his philosophy for the TNA roster, which aims to be a platform for both the next generation of stars and established legends.
“We have a lot of goals. We can develop young stars. Joe Hendry is a great example. I know he wrestled elsewhere, but TNA provided a platform for him to reach new levels–then you saw him at WrestleMania. TNA is a place for young stars like Leon Slater. It’s a place for legends like The Hardys and stars like Eric Young, Nic Nemeth, Matt Cardona, and Frankie Kazarian–and I could go on and on.”