TNA Wrestling President Carlos Silva Explains Gail Kim's Termination

TNA Wrestling made the shocking and controversial decision to cut ties with longtime producer and Hall of Famer Gail Kim this past March, and company President Carlos Silva has now shined some light on the thought process that went into the move.
While many backstage were reportedly shocked and angered at the time, Silva explained on the Ariel Helwani Show Wednesday that he felt it was necessary to cut ties with a certain staff members if the company was going to grow.
“I had to make a couple of hard decisions, not just with Gail, but with a few other staff," Silva said. "When things are going a little bit well, that’s not the time to sit and be happy. Everyone is chomping to try and get you. We kind of got a little more aggressive in making changes we thought we needed to make to reinvigorate the locker room, maybe reinvigorate the Knockouts Division, which I think we’ve done. Elevate a few people that needed to be elevated and give them more responsibility."
Silva, who took over as TNA Wrestling President in February, noted that there was an adjustment period, but said everyone has 'responded well.' He also put over the great team the company has in place currently.
"There are always going to be people that are going to be upset. Gail had been there for a long time. Of course, it wasn’t an easy decision to make. It was the most difficult decision I had to make so far in running TNA, but what’s important is what you do after that and how you bring people together and how we bring the locker room together and how we share what’s going on with our talent and help them to feel like they are part of the business. We’ve done a pretty good job with that over the last three or four months."
The feedback Silva has received from talent and staff over the last few months has been positive, with many apparently saying that they like the energy and the way things 'feel now' behind the scenes.
Since being let go from TNA, Gail Kim has made a number of backstage appearances at NXT tapings according to Fightful Select. Kim's relationship is said to be much better with the current WWE regime than it was with the old one that was in place.
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Rick Ucchino is the Assistant Editor & Content Coordinator for The Takedown on SI. He also works full-time for 700WLW Radio in Cincinnati, Ohio as a local news and sports anchor, in addition to his time covering the Cincinnati Bengals for Sirius XM. Rick has been on the professional wrestling beat since 2019, having provided coverage for a number of outlets, including Fightful, SB Nation’s Cageside Seats and the Bleav Podcast Network. With an educational background in theater, creative writing and journalism, Rick focuses primarily on the storytelling aspect of pro wrestling, but he’s no stranger to the squared circle himself. He had the privilege of training with former WWE & WCW cruiserweight Jimmy Wang Yang for nearly two years and retired early due to back issues with a perfect 1-0 record in singles competition. Rick is a married father of two incredibly adorable children, who are budding pro wrestling fans themselves. Much to the chagrin of their mother. You can reach Rick at rwucchino@gmail.com