15 Years Later: TNA Returns to the Liacouras Center

TNA Wrestling just dropped its full 2026 live event schedule, and as a lifelong fan and a Temple University researcher, I couldn’t be more thrilled. The biggest news for me is that TNA is returning to Philadelphia for a two-night stand at the Liacouras Center on Thursday, July 30th, and Friday, July 31st.

I’m already planning to be there for both nights, not just because the shows are happening right at my school, but because this event perfectly intersects with my personal and professional passions. My doctoral research at Temple focuses on the evolution of women’s professional wrestling, specifically how the TNA Knockouts revolutionized the industry by proving that women could headline shows and deliver high-caliber athletic performances long before the “Women’s Evolution” became a mainstream buzzword.

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Killer Kelly Shines in Luke Paron’s Gripping Horror Short Arachnid

After witnessing an entrancing dance performance, a young man’s psyche falls apart through a series of strange encounters in Arachnid, a horror short film by Luke Paron. It’s a riveting piece of celluloid that packs an enormous punch in its less-than-15-minute runtime. Read on for my thoughts and more information about Arachnid.

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TNA Wrestling Knockouts Book Update: My Interview with Awesome Kong

Awesome Kong is one of the most influential female wrestlers ever because her feud with Gail Kim launched TNA Wrestling’s Knockout division and ushered in the women’s revolution in professional wrestling. I had the pleasure of interviewing Awesome Kong for three hours for my doctoral research project and my book about TNA Wrestling and the Knockouts. We covered her entire career in TNA, including her thoughts on Gail Kim, how women were compensated in TNA, the Bubba the Love Sponge debacle, Daffney, Dixie Carter, Dutch Mantel, Hulk Hogan, Erich Bischoff, Reba Hardy, and more. There were moments when she had me laughing so hard it hurt; other times, what we discussed brought her to tears. This interview exceeded my expectations in every way, and I’m grateful to Awesome Kong for her contributions to my research and the TNA Wrestling Knockouts book.

From Research to Publication: My Upcoming Book on TNA Wrestling

I had the pleasure of being interviewed by former Pro Wrestling Illustrated editor Bob Smith for the latest episode of The Outdated Wrestling Hour podcast. We spoke about my doctoral research at Temple University, which focuses on how Gail Kim and the TNA Knockouts revolutionized women’s wrestling, and the book I will publish once I graduate. Listen to the full episode below. Enjoy!

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TNA Wrestling Book Update: Vince Russo

Today, I interviewed Vince Russo for 90 minutes for my doctoral research about professional wrestling and my book about how the TNA Knockouts revolutionized women’s wrestling.

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TNA Wrestling Takes Over Philadelphia

On June 28 and June 29, TNA Wrestling put on two tremendous shows at the ECW Arena (2300 Arena) in Philadelphia. Read on for my thoughts on these spectacular nights of sports entertainment, including photos and a special video from this past weekend.

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20 Years of IMPACT: 2020

Our World Changed in 2020. It’s easy to think about how 2020 changed the world in many ways but Slammiversary was an industry shaking event. For weeks beforehand, anticipation built around just who would appear at IMPACT’s yearly anniversary PPV extravaganza. At least one former World Champion was promised, many other debuts and returns were teased – but just exactly who and how many people would be appearing at Slammiversary was anybody’s guess. Slammiversary came and blew away all expectations.

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20 Years of IMPACT: 2019

As Brian Cage ramped up his pursuit of the IMPACT World Championship, Johnny IMPACT became increasingly insecure – looking to do anything he could to hang onto gold. He just about escaped from Homecoming with the title, fending off Brian Cage’s Option C challenge, but The Machine’s chase was only beginning. As Cage got closer and closer to Johnny, Johnny cracked under pressure – using corrupt official John E. Bravo to keep the title around his waist as Johnny and Taya Valkyrie looked to rule IMPACT. Brian Cage would finally get another shot at Rebellion – this time with special referee Lance Storm in place to ensure that Johnny couldn’t tilt the scales in his favor in any way. Cage defeated Johnny in Toronto to capture the richest prize in IMPACT Wrestling.

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20 Years of IMPACT: 2018

Santana and Ortiz carried on the LAX name with honor, living up the tremendous legacy of Homicide and Hernandez. However, the original LAX weren’t exactly pleased to see their spotlight taken by a younger generation. After over a year dominating the tag team division, Eddie Kingston arrived in IMPACT with a worrying message – Konnan had been taken out but he was here to steer the ship in Konnan’s absence. Diamante was skeptical of Kingston at first but over time he earned Santana and Ortiz’s trust and helped lead them back to the Tag Team Titles. All was well in LAX until Konnan returned. 

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Book Update: Don West, Bahamas, & Baby

I’m currently two-thirds of the way through transcribing my interview with Don West for my book about the history of TNA/IMPACT Wrestling, so I figured now was as good a time as any to provide an update on how things are going. Read on for more details on how my project is coming along.

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