Dixie Carter Comments on TNA Impact Wrestling, Going Through a Table and More

TNA president Dixie Carter has been featured on television in an authority role since 2009, but on Thursday’s episode of Impact Wrestling, she will take the biggest bump of her wrestling career.

Carter finally goes through a table at the hands of former world champion Bully Ray on Thursday at 9 p.m. ET on Spike TV.

For four months, Carter and Bully have put on a classic boss vs. employee feud. Constant harassment and provocation from Carter, her nephew Ethan Carter III, Rockstar Spud and the rest of her stable have left the former world champion desperate to get his revenge.

With TNA declaring Thursday “Put Your Boss Through A Table Day," the culmination of the storyline comes to fruition when Carter finally gets her just deserts and is put through a table on national television.

Despite her traumatic experience, Carter opened up about the future of Impact Wrestling and how she feels after such a memorable moment.

Dixie Talks About Going Through a Table

The war between Carter and Bully Ray goes all the way back to March. Dixie assigned Bully Ray as the special guest referee for the Eight-Man Lethal Lockdown match at the Lockdown pay-per-view, but he turned on the heel authority figure and helped Team MVP secure the win.

Since that moment, the angle between Carter and Bully became a top priority for the company.

The ferocity of Bully’s pursuit was only amplified when Carter snuck through the crowd in a disguise and threw him off the top rope into several waiting tables at Sacrifice. In retaliation, Bully swore he would put his boss through a table.

On Thursday, it finally happens.

When asked about going through the table, in an interview with Ring Rust Radio, Carter talked about the pain she suffered and the respect she has for wrestlers who put their bodies on the line, courtesy of News of Delaware County's Joe Arcidiacono:

"

It hurt like hell. I have such mad respect for these men and women and what they do every time. I sit there as they come backstage and they’re warriors. I talk to professional football players and fighters and NBA guys, and they all tell me they could never do what these men and women do 52 weeks a year, no offseason, multiple times a week.

People are like, “Is that table fake?” No, this stuff hurts, it hurts like hell. To be able to do what they do, it was just a small way of me paying respect for what they do for me personally and to our company and for the fans. So, it did hurt, you’ll just have to watch and see what really does happen and then maybe I’ll tell you how serious it was, but yes, I was injured.

"

Regardless of your feelings toward TNA or Dixie’s character, Carter deserves serious credit for taking this bump. As the Authority heel character, she has built animosity for months. Fans want to see the payoff of Dixie going through a table, and the TNA president is giving the company's supporters what they want.

This is a bold and courageous move on Carter’s part, and it shows her true dedication to the company.

Bully has been close to putting Carter through a table on several occasions, but with the help of ECIII, Spud, Rhino, Snitsky and Rycklon Stephens, she has avoided every opportunity that has presented itself. There is nowhere left for Dixie to run now, and fans who sat through this storyline will get to witness the moment they’ve all been waiting for.

Thursday’s Impact Wrestling is must-see TV.

Dixie Talks TNA’s Current Product and Moving Forward

The topic of conversation begins and ends with Carter’s bump through the table, but she was candid throughout the interview. She did not shy away from the tough questions and proved to be a great mouthpiece for her brand.

Over the last several months, Impact Wrestling has hit the reset button. With more of a focus on storytelling and in-ring action, TNA is getting back to its roots. The return of the six-sided ring and the decision to tape in New York City have helped add even more intrigue to the product. Once the fans tune in, the elite wrestling has them hooked.

Dixie spoke about the upgrades Impact Wrestling has made and her excitement surrounding Thursday’s blockbuster episode of TNA’s flagship show, via Arcidiacono:

"

I think if you’ve been watching lately the show has been, in my opinion, some of the best programming that we’ve been putting out. I’m so excited about it. I’m just thrilled to see how many of these young talents that we’ve debuted in the last six, eight, nine months in such a prominent role. And at the same time we’re starting to have such amazing increases in ratings, so that makes me really proud. Tomorrow night is a big night for us. I would happen to call it must-see TV and if you haven’t tuned in in a while it would definitely be a show to catch.

"

From the return of The Hardys to former world champion Austin Aries back in the main event where he deserves to be, last week’s Destination X proved that the company is going in a unique and interesting direction. Using a bit of nostalgia and plenty of elite wrestling and storytelling, TNA has done a great job appealing to fans from all different generations.

When asked about the negotiation process with Spike TV regarding the renewal of Impact Wrestling, Carter spoke honestly about where the situation currently stands and what the future holds for the company, via Arcidiacono:

"

Every two years I go through this. This is just the first public negotiation I’ve ever had. I think social media has really changed this kind of thing. I’m used to every two years negotiating with Spike and negotiating with other networks. This time is absolutely not any different. We’re still talking with them, but there are other people, thank God, that are interested in our product. I want to grow this brand; I want to grow it domestically. I want us to be able to start having the kind of success domestically that we’re having internationally. I’m not going to stop and none of us are going to stop until we get there. I’m real excited to see and I think we’ll know sooner than later what’s going to happen.

"

The negotiation process in the television world is tough. The task for TNA was made even more difficult when WWE was forced to settle for much less money than originally anticipated with its TV deal, according to Anthony Riccobono of the International Business Times.

Television executives understand how hard it is to fill prime-time slots, and Impact Wrestling fills two hours every week and draws well over a million viewers to the channel. Whether it’s Spike TV or another station, the value of the company's flagship show is undeniable.

Carter understands the business side of wrestling after her 10-plus years as president of the company. If she has faith that TNA will strike a new deal and continue producing a quality product every week, wrestling fans should remain confident in the future of Impact Wrestling.

With a steadily improving overall game plan, television ratings continuing to climb and a president who is willing to do anything in order to take the company to the next level, TNA is in good hands with Dixie Carter.

For more wrestling talk, listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot topics or catch the latest episode in the player below (some language NSFW).

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