2013 has been perhaps the most turbulent year in TNA history. They started out by ditching the traditional live monthly pay-per-view model to focus on four big quarterly events instead, which didn't lead to the expected business boost for those shows left. Then the company went all in on taking Impact on the road, losing several hundred thousands of dollars a taping, as their ratings continued to stagnate. The end result was Dixie Carter having to return to Orlando with her tail tucked between her legs and being forced by her parents who bankroll the promotion to savagely cut talent costs.
One by one, names little and large have been turfed out of the company or, seeing the writing on the wall, jumped overboard the sinking ship.
Matt Morgan had enough of his promised pushes failing to materialize and quit TNA.
Brooke Hogan, Tara, Bruce Prichard, D'Lo Brown, Jesse Sorenson, Crimson, Elijah Burke, Joey Ryan, Christian York, Kid Kash, Doug Williams, announcer Todd Keneley, Socal Val, Taeler Hendrix and Alex Silva were all let go in a severe round of bloodletting.
Ken Anderson, Mickie James, Doc and Devon couldn't agree on new contracts when their old deals expired.
Hulk Hogan has been written off TV and is now a free agent. Sting will likely be gone soon too.
According to PWInsider.com, joining that lengthy list is now Eric Bischoff, which is somewhat surprising given that he apparently worked very closely with Spike TV executives on TNA programming in a creative capacity and was well liked by them:
"We heard from a few sources that Eric Bischoff is not backstage at tonight's Impact taping. Two sources told me that he is not expected to be back with the company any time soon. It's fair to say that a number of people are happy with that development.
The exact reason for his absence has not been relayed at this time.
One of Bischoff's duties is to oversee the creative end of the company so it will be interesting to see how the shows are booked tonight without his input. Bischoff had "stepped up" his role in recent months with the creative direction of the company and many would say that the product has taken a turn for the worse from a storyline standpoint in that time."
Given that he was the main impetus for TNA leaving the safety of the Impact Zone, he may be paying for that costly mistake or so adamantly disagreed with Dixie's decision to nix the expensive road tapings that he decided that he had had enough.
However, Bischoff has a track record of following his good friend The Hulkster wherever he goes, so this may be the strongest sign yet that Hulk Hogan won't be coming back to TNA in 2014 and instead will return to WWE for WrestleMania XXX.