TNA DISCIPLINES AUSTIN ARIES & RODERICK STRONG FOR PUTTING THEIR PPV APPEARANCE IN JEOPARDY LAST WEEKEND BY WORKING FOR ROH
by Mike Johnson @ 9:30:00 PM on 2/15/2006
TNA will be removing Roderick Strong and Austin Aries from their bookings for at least the next several tapings and possibly as long as several months in a disciplinary move for willingly putting themselves in a position where they could have missed the Against All Odds PPV this past weekend, despite orders to skip a Ring of Honor event to travel to Florida.
Aries and Strong were among a crew of TNA wrestlers scheduled to appear at Ring of Honor's Lake Grove, New York event the night before Against All Odds in Orlando. Due to the heavy snowstorm that was heading into the Northeast, TNA management requested that everyone leave immediately for the airport and booked them on flights to Orlando. Jay Lethal, Alex Shelley, and Homicide all left and flew to Orlando. Aries and Strong, who hold the ROH Tag Team belts, remained and worked the show. They flew to Florida the next morning and appeared on the PPV as scheduled in a loss to the Naturals.
Strong and Aries both lost matches at the Impact taping two nights later. Their storyline where they and Alex Shelley had been complaining that they were being given chances in TNA, which teased an eventual showdown with Jerry Lynn, was also dropped. The company was unhappy with the two not doing what was requested of them, which led to the decision to "bench them" for the time being. I'm not sure of exactly why but there is more heat on Aries for the situation then there is on Strong.
I was told by a number of sources that while TNA does value Aries and Strong's work, they unfortunately ended up being made an example of because management is tired of talents missing PPV events when advertised. Although they made the PPV, Strong and Aries are being penalized by TNA in an attempt to send a message to the locker room and will have to pay the price.
Nice one TNA. :roll: