Jason Powell’s ProWrestling.net is reporting that in the first of what is expected to be a series of firings, TNA has let go writer Dutch Mantell and road agent/producer Savio Vega, who were both considered to be members of Jeff Jarrett’s inner circle. Obviously, this is believed to be part of Kurt Angle’s coup. No word yet if they will go back to working in Puerto Rico or if Mantell will choose to retire so he can find Stan Hansen.
It was a long standing tradition in Eric Bischoff and Vince Russo’s WCW: storylines didn’t just have to work the fans in the crowd, they had to surprise the boys in the back too. Reading between the lines of this weeks Wrestling Observer, the same thing might be happening right now in TNA.
Angle in the dressing room this past week at shows was cutting strong promos on Jarrett. Different people have noted Angle saying he’d kick Jarrett’s ass if he saw him, that he was going to have booking power and that if Jarrett was brought back, he would leave the company and go back to WWE. Of course, people also know not to take seriously much of what Angle says. Jarrett, Angle and Vince Russo all have histories of doing angles that attempt to work the boys. It makes little sense for Angle to suddenly be furious over something that has been going on for months on end. There was also a behind-the-scenes power play where people in the company were being rallied to choose sides between Angle and Jarrett in a power struggle more than a year ago over the direction of the company, and both talked it out. Even with what was going on, it was described that Angle and Jarrett were no longer friendly, but worked together without major heat in a business setting.
Ring Psychology 