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TNA Superstar Matt Hardy joined Dave LaGreca, Doug Mortman & Reby Sky in NYC for an in-studio interview to talk about his TNA debut, the origins of “COLD BLOOD”,
issues with WWE & more.

You can listen to a portion of the interview
HERE

WWE Superstar Chris Jericho joined BUSTED OPEN to talk wrestling, rumours, & more.
Excerpts below:

WrestleMania needing a big angle:
“Absolutely, but what’s wrong with that? I mean, last week I listened to your guys’ show and you guys were complaining as critics do that WrestleMania had no jump to it. Vince McMahon is a genius. You can say what you want and whatever you want to say. He will always pull stuff out his ass. You wait and see what he comes up with at WrestleMania. You think The Rock is the last thing is going to be the big selling point. No way! I’m sure he’s got two or three other things up his sleeve for this WrestleMania… There’s still five weeks until WrestleMania.”

TNA:
“When I worked for WAR in Japan, the company was half the size of new Japan, but for me, WAR was the best company in the world, and if anybody talked badly about my company, I’ll fight you. And if we had any kind of interaction with New Japan, I wasn’t trying to work for New Japan, I didn’t give a s— about working for New Japan, all I cared about was working for WAR, and flying the banner as high as I could… I don’t care if TNA is the worst company in the world, I don’t care. Once you sign a contract for there, you work for Dixie Carter, and you do the best you can to make people believe it’s the best company in the world, and if all you’re doing is b—— about WWE, then go f—— work for WWE, or act like a hasbeen that used to work there. TNA should be the best place in the world to work, and if you don’t believe that, the fans won’t believe it, they’re not gonna buy your product, they’re not gonna believe your product, and they’re not gonna watch your product.”

A WWE return:
“Now that’s the thing people ask me ‘When are you coming back to wrestling? When are you going to do this? When are you going to do that?’ I got asked today ‘Are you? – the rumor is you’re the new singer of Velvet Revolver?’ Even if I was the lead singer of Velvet Revolver, even if I was coming out of the Chamber why would I tell you a-holes”

You can listen to a portion of the interview
HERE

Busted Open interviewed TNA founder Jeff Jarrett to promote tomorrow night’s edition of Impact & more. You can listen to a portion of the interview HERE.
Highlights below :

On if there are more plans for TNA to take Impact and PPV’s on the road:
There absolutely are. The touring business is a very very tough business first and foremost. Me growing up here in Nashville certainly around the music business, theres a lot of hard work that goes in to taking a show on the road….It is a tough road. In 2009, I think we ran 50 events, 2010 we ran about 80 or so and 2011 I think were going to have over 100 on the books.

Thoughts on the Impact Zone and how it plays on TV:
To me, the Impact Zone is an intimate setting. Is it what the wrestling fan is accustomed to back from the 90’s with the Monday Night Wars so to speak were going on when both the shows were in arenas, but the reality is that we are not in that era anymore and WWE is not selling the tickets that they did in the 90’s and the touring business and the country as a whole is in a recession. To me, the Impact Zone…..when we have a fantastic live PPV in that building, it is an off the charts great atmosphere. When you’re going on the 3rd or 4th day of tapings and certainly, when I say it, its not a live show, it’s a taped show…..absolutely, theres a different vibe, a different aspect….I guess you could say the energy of the show is not like a live performance. Is it an arena feel? No, but we knew that going in…..

On the concussion storyline with Mr. Anderson and how close it hits home:
It’s very real. Its very relevent, and that’s another thing as James Harrison had a really good soundbyte…..the world has changed again with the information, the information on head trauma, the information on concussions, the information on the time it takes to heal. In 2002, Jimmy Snuka jumped off a cage onto me and it is by far the worst concussion I ever had. I couldn’t even think straight for weeks and if I hadn’t had pulled myself out then I would have…..the wrestling industry just wasn’t versed on it. We are very in tune with head injuries and realize the seriousness of it, and so is society.

On working with his wife and Kurt Angle in this current storyline:
I have to tell you that you are probably using the incorrect word when you call it a storyline, because that kind of tells you its scripted….you just tune in and it’s as uncomfortable as one could imagine. It’s real, its damn real as Kurt would say.

On his relationship with Kurt Angle:
Tune in every week and that’ll give you an update.

If its difficult to deal with guys like Jeff Hardy and Ric Flair who have personal issues:
Its risk vs. reward and when you sign anyone to a contract, theres an inherent risk no matter how safe you think it is and its part of doing business….it is what it is.

Did it throw you for a loop when both Nash and Booker T ended up at the Royal Rumble the other day?
Not at all…..not at all

Would it surprise you if Sting wound up signing with the WWE?
No, it wouldn’t. Remember you’re talking to a guy who’s been around and his family has been around this business since the 40’s so literally anything can happen and don’t let it catch you off guard.

Busted Open interviewed Austin Aries to promote his current tour with Dragon Gate USA. Dave, Doug & Reby went over his departure from ROH & more. You can listen to a portion of the interview HERE.
Highlights below:

On why he left ROH: Anybody who knows me knows I can be a little outspoken. I’m not afraid to say what’s on my mind and say what I see in front of me. I’ve been with that company for a long time and worked very hard….and there were some things going on from a business end that weren’t making me very happy. That being said, they made me feel that that wasn’t the kind of energy they wanted in their locker room and I can understand that, but I see a lot of guys going out there every night and busting their ass and putting their body on the line and not really getting fully rewarded to the full extent that they could be. So it was time for us to part ways. I really hope its successful because a lot of guys put their heart and soul into that promotion but you need everybody on board working to the same goal, and until that happens, its gonna be a difficult, uphill battle.

On today’s wrestling audience: I think it’s part of the problem. This whole Internet fan base as we see is only so large. And no matter how great of a product you put out, you’re still pulling from that same group of people and they only have so much money to spend. So I really think that the ultimate business plan is to try to include some more of the mainstream wrestling fans and reach out to the local wrestling fans. There’s a lot of local promotions that are running around without any name recognition on their card that draw 300 people consistently because they build strong ties in their communities. I know that’s something Ring of Honor dropped the ball with for years was not building strong ties within the communities. And you can only rely on the Internet fan base so much because the dollar only stretches so much.

On possibly being a heel color commentator like Matt Striker: I like Matt Striker, so I don’t want to say that I’m looking for anybody’s job….I’m at a point in my career right now, I pretty much feel like I’ve done everything I can do at this level. Obviously, the last level to step up to would be WWE. There’s been some talks, initial talks, that haven’t really gotten far at this point because they’re a numbers promotion, they look at numbers. They look at more of the tangible things as opposed to the intangibles. I’d like to think that if I went there I could be successful whether it was in the broadcast booth, I was in the ring, whether it would be a manager, which is a lost art form in this business……I think theres different ways I can fill in in any promotion that I go to. I love wrestling, I’ve given a lot to it and gotten a lot out of it back, but yeah, I’m definitely looking to take that final step.

Busted Open spoke with WWE Hall of Famer, Paul Orndorff in
an exclusive – and personal – interview.
Listen to part of the interview
HERE.

Dave LaGreca sported a Miz t-shirt during the January 5th edition of BUSTED OPEN as
part of his penance for calling The Miz a “glorified jobber”.
Feast your eyes on the consequences of his words !

Happy New Year from the Busted Open crew to all our fans & listeners !
Special thanks to Busted Open listener, Kevin M. for bringing our message to WWE programming during a recent episode of Superstars !
“Busted Open 5 Days a Week !”

Sirius/XM’s inaugural BO Awards
lived up to the hype, complete with interviews
from WWE, TNA & ROH superstars.
Listen to complete interviews with a few of our BO Award winners below :

Alex Shelley
(BO Award winner for Best Tag Team; accepting on behalf of The Motor City Machineguns)

Homicide
(BO Award winner for Best Busted Open Moment)

Madison Rayne
(BO Award winner for Best Women’s Wrestler)

Mr. Anderson
(BO Award winner for Best Interview of the Year & Match of the Year; Accepting on behalf of the Steel Cage Match at TNA Lockdown: Kurt Angle vs. Mr. Anderson)

Taz spoke with Dave LaGreca, Doug Mortman & Reby Sky in a candid interview on BUSTED OPEN. Excerpts from the interview below :

-Taz on Mickie James vs. Tara in a steel cage on Impact: “Both of those girls worked their tails off… Tara was injured earlier in that match. They really, really took it to a new level. They wanted to steal the show. They wanted to capture that moment… They sure did. Everyone was so proud of those ladies.”

-Taz on broadcasting in TNA vs. WWE; learning from Vince McMahon: “Vince McMahon, I have to say on the record, I have learned so much from him in regards of being a commentator. Vince McMahon is not a huge fan of calling action… The guys that are the announcers there now, I feel their frustration, because trust me, when you are a pro wrestling commentator, you want to call matches; you want to call action. The beauty in TNA is you have the freedom to call action.”

-Taz on a belt vs. a championship: “I still won’t say “Title belt. I agree with Vince McMahon on that. It’s more prestigious if it is a championship or a title… A belt is something, in Vince McMahon’s words, you use to hold your pants up. A belt holds up your pants; a championship is something prestigious to hold.”

-Taz on C.M. Punk: “I watch WWE programming when I can. I have heard Punk. I think he is good. He is an intelligent guy, a talented guy, a credible guy. I think he has legs as a color commentator.”

About Team Taz Finishing Camp:
“My goal with this concept is to assist fellow wrestlers in learning the nuances they might be missing that is preventing them from grabbing & holding the attention of one of the Major Pro Wrestling companies. I have been fortunate for over 20 years to have worked on both sides of the camera with ALL the power players who drive today’s Sports Entertainment industry. This is why I am in a unique position to instruct on what you might need.”
For more information on the Team Taz Finishing Camp & to register, click HERE.

This holiday season, SiriusXM Radio is giving you the chance to win a once-in-a-lifetime experience. We already offer the greatest variety of programming featuring your favorite stars, and now we’re providing one lucky fan the chance to win a special experience that can include tickets to wrestling’s biggest event of the year, co-hosting a show and more!
Click on “SPORTS” to enter the contest to spend time with Dave LaGreca, Doug Mortman & Reby Sky during wrestling’s biggest event !

CLICK HERE TO ENTER !

Tune in Wednesday, December 29th for The BO’s, our year-end awards show, as we reveal the best (and worst) of the year in the world of professional wrestling, as voted by fans & listeners. A jam packed edition of Busted Open begins at 2PM ET with interviews with the winners from WWE, TNA, & ROH.
Here are your nominees :

WRESTLER OF THE YEAR
Kurt Angle
Randy Orton
The Miz

MATCH OF THE YEAR
Kurt Angle vs. Mr. Anderson (steel cage match) – Lockdown
Motor City Machineguns vs. Beer Money Inc. (best 2 of 3 falls) – The Whole F’N Show
Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker (career vs. streak) – Wrestlemania 26

FAN’S CHOICE – BEST BUSTED OPEN MOMENT 2010
Homicide rips into TNA Management during interview
Jake the Snake Roberts abruptly ends interview
Ole Anderson destroys LaGreca during interview

FEUD OF THE YEAR
John Cena vs. Wade Barrett & The Nexus
Kevin Steen vs. El Generico
Motor City Machineguns vs. Beer Money Inc

MOST IMPROVED
“Dashing” Cody Rhodes
The Miz
“The Pope” D’Angelo Dinero

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT
Desmond Wolfe
Jack Swagger
Ted DiBiase Jr

BEST ON THE MIC
Chris Jericho
C.M. Punk
The Miz

BEST WOMEN’S WRESTLER
Madison Rayne
Natalya
Sara Del Rey

BEST TAG TEAM
Beer Money Inc.
Kings of Wrestling
Motor City Machineguns

NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR (best first year in respective promotion)
Alberto Del Rio
Daniel Bryan
Wade Barrett

BEST INTERVIEW
John Cena
Kurt Angle
Mr. Anderson

BEST OLD SCHOOL INTERVIEW
Ole Anderson
‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin
Tully Blanchard

BEST BABYFACE
John Cena
Mr. Anderson
Randy Orton

BEST HEEL
Chris Jericho
C.M. Punk
The Miz

BEST PPV
Bound for Glory 10-10-10
Glory By Honor IX
Wrestlemania 26

WORST PPV
HardCORE Justice
Night of Champions
Summerslam

Busted Open spoke with former WWE Superstar Matt Hardy on Jeff Hardy’s legal situation and what made him sign with TNA, his own frustrations with the WWE youth movement & more. Highlights below:

- Hardy said the youth movement in WWE became frustrating for wrestlers like him and Christian. “When we started, you worked your way up to a certain position,” Hardy said. He said there’s a new theory. He said there are people who should have been elevated years ago were not elevated and now the company is hitting the panic button by trying to elevate young talent.

- Hardy also noted that a video he posted that featured an unmasked Rey Mysterio was not one of his attempts to garner a release with the company. He also stated that he received Mysterio’s blessing before running the video.

-Matt said he didn’t mind putting over younger wrestlers such as Drew McIntyre, Dolph Ziggler, and Cody Rhodes, but he was frustrated that his popularity was never rewarded. He feels part of the problem was that Jeff Hardy left the company, and they opted to punish him since his brother couldn’t be punished.

-Matt on Jeff Hardy’s injury: “He has a condition called restless leg syndrome. He’ll go to sleep and without knowing, subconsciously, he’ll sit there and his legs will kick like crazy. There was one night where we split a room and we were on the road. He was in the bed and asleep, he was actually snoring asleep. The covers were moving and his legs were shaking, and he actually kicked himself off the bed.”

-Matt praised Dixie Carter and noted that she gave him the entire month of October off when his daughter was born with the exception of television tapings. Matt said Jeff’s back problems made it impossible for him to handle the WWE travel schedule. “Jeff was going to take off and I know it was initially his intention to come back at some point, and if he could have worked out some type of part-time schedule, he probably would have.”

-Matt on Jeff’s legal situation: “Really, I can’t wait until it’s all said and done and it can be talked about and he can be cleared of everything, which he will be. There are so many unknowns and obviously people like to make assumptions. Once the WWE made light of Jeff’s situation after he felt like he had given them his body, heart, and soul, that’s when Jeff made the decision to work for TNA.”

-Hardy on C.M. Punk: “It’s funny because Punk really is talented and he plays the gimmick to a tee obviously because that’s really him to a degree. I think it’s okay if you want to go out and drink if you’re of legal drinking age and if you’re responsible I think it’s fine. I wouldn’t judge someone that doesn’t think it’s not okay that is straight edge because I have friends who are straight edge. If you’re straight edge, I think if you judge someone because they do drink or they something else, I think that’s hypocritical to a degree. I think Jeff kind of felt like that with Punk to a degree. Me, personally, I don’t have any problems with Punk.” Hardy went on to say that Jeff was bothered by Punk’s comments when boasted in a promo about Hardy being gone from the company. “I think Jeff felt very disrespected by those comments that came later,” Matt said.

- Matt on whether he left WWE in a professional manner: “Do I think it was the best way to go out? Maybe not. Certainly not typically what I would want to do, but sometimes when you feel backed into a corner you do whatever you have to do to get what you want.”

Busted Open recently had TNA Superstar Ken Anderson on to talk about the WWE, the origins of his gimmick & rumors of working “stiff”. Additional highlights of the interview HERE.

Anderson on WWE’s PG approach: “I don’t know how you have guys beating each other up and half-naked women running around and make it a PG… To me it doesn’t make sense. I understand they have investors and things like that to answer to, which kind of sucks in a way. I think when that company went public, that was the start of the sinking ship, that was the little hole in the side of the ship.”

Anderson on being released by WWE for being too stiff in the ring: “When I left and I started talking to different people who had been there a while who had left like Booker (T) and people like that, I remember telling Booker that story. He said, ‘Ah, they got you with the old being stiff routine, huh?’ This has been used for years and years and years. If you don’t want somebody to be there anymore, you start complaining that they’re too stiff or they’re prone to injuring others and stuff like that, and eventually the person gets pushed out the door.”

Video footage of the infamous Busted Open one year anniversary party.

Kurt Angle talking with Dave LaGreca and Doug Mortman live in our NYC studios on a wide variety of topics.
Part 2 of the interview HERE.