Former WWE Star’s Talks With TNA Wrestling Have ‘Stalled’

Published: 1 hour ago by Jamie Toolan | Last Updated: 1 second ago by Jamie Toolan

Jamie has been covering the world of wrestling for four years and currently holds the position of Assistant Editor of WrestleTalk.com. During his time working for WrestleTalk.com he has written and published over 4,000 news and feature articles covering events and happenings from WWE, AEW, TNA and a variety of international and independent wrestling promotions.

Former WWE Star’s Talks With TNA Wrestling Have ‘Stalled’

A former WWE name’s negotiations with TNA Wrestling have “stalled” according to a new backstage report.

Ahead of the build to TNA Wrestling’s June 28 Slammiversary pay-per-view, it was reported that former WWE SmackDown co-head writer ‘Road Dogg’ Brian James was expected to attend the event, over three months on from his WWE exit in March.

A further update would state that a deal for James to join the company was “99% there”, with it later being confirmed that James did in fact attend Slammiversary ahead of the prospective move.

Now, after a month of silence in regards to the progression of TNA’s signing of James, Dave Meltzer has cast doubt on the move happening after all, as he revealed in the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter that the two sides’ negotiations have “stalled.”

Meltzer wrote:

Talks with Brian James to come here have stalled. He didn’t make a deal and right now they don’t seem to be close to a deal.

James previously spent seven years in TNA as an active competitor between 2002 – 2009, winning the NWA World Tag Team Championships twice during his run alongside Konnan.

We will provide further updates on Brian James’ potential move to TNA Wrestling if/when more information becomes available.

A Year Of Change For TNA Wrestling

At the beginning of 2026, TNA Wrestling looked set to be embarking on its most exciting year in recent memory – with Impact premiering on the AMC Network on January 15, their partnership with WWE flourishing and their own talent roster boasting stars such as Mike Santana, Nic Nemeth and The Hardys.

As we enter August however, it’s safe to say 2026 has been far from smooth sailing, particularly over the Summer months, with several talent releases taking place including former TNA World Champions Steve Maclin and Tessa Blanchard, Mike Santana swapping TNA for NXT (complete with a new name) and some notable changes behind the scenes occurring also.

Tommy Dreamer departed his role as TNA’s head of creative in June, with Delirious (Hunter Johnston) reportedly taking over.

While Brian James appeared set to join the fold in a creative capacity, TNA may need to look elsewhere based on this latest report.

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