Christopher Daniels And Kazarian Talk TNA's Pinnacle, What Was "The Beginning Of The End" For TNA
On episode 245 of Talk Is Jericho, 'The Superstar Of All Superstars' Chris Jericho interviewed current ROH World Tag Team Champions The Addiction, Christopher Daniels and Frankie Kazarian. During the podcast, the duo discussed the rise and fall of TNA.
According to Daniels, the Spike TV Era was TNA's pinnacle.
"I'd say maybe 2005, when we got the Spike [TV] deal and TNA got the Spike deal and it had some momentum. It had a ton of guys who'd go on to do other things."
Kazarian agreed.
"I'd say the same," Kazarian said. "When we first started going down to Orlando [Florida], which was the end of 2004, the crowd was really responsive and it was just a great vibe to be in The Impact Zone. The Impact Zone was actually cool before the fans became jaded and had seen everything." Kazarian added, "right around 2005, 2006, there was a big peak, I think. And then, that was when October of that year, 2005, we started with Spike [TV]."
The Addiction members claimed that AJ Styles' departure from TNA was the beginning of the end for the promotion.
"Jeff Jarrett leaving was sort of a red flag for us. AJ leaving was a red flag." Daniels continued, "I think honestly, when AJ left, it was the beginning of the end for [TNA] and he left literally two months before I did and four months before [Kazarian]."
Kazarian concurred:
"For me, [at] the end of 2013, I kind of saw the writing on the wall and I wasn't having fun," Kazarian reflected. "Management, just guys coming in and I always say this: a team is not going to win the Super Bowl if they change head coaches every year or if they change GMs every year. And it seemed like there was just a rotating roster of talent relations or head of creative, so there was no consistency."
In addition to these topics, Daniels got into the backstory of the 'Curry Man' gimmick, Kazarian talked about meeting Jericho for the first time, and The Addiction discussed ROH's stellar tag team division. To listen to the podcast, click here. If you use any of the quotes from this article, please credit Talk Is Jericho with an H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
Source: Talk Is Jericho