The following release was sent out by ImpactWrestling.com this morning, in regards to the TNA World Heavyweight Championship match scheduled for this Sunday’s Slammiversary PPV:
BREAKING NEWS: MVP OUT OF SLAMMIVERSARY
Just reported by Executive Vice President of Creative and Talent Relations John Gaburick, MVP has been declared medically unfit to compete. This obviously removes MVP from Sunday’s Slammiversary Pay-Per-View, where he was scheduled to compete against Eric Young inside of a steel cage for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship.
MVP, also the Director of Wrestling Operations at TNA Wrestling, is expected to announce a replacement opponent later today. Stay tuned to IMPACTWrestling.com for news as we get it.
This falls in line with what we have been reporting for the last several days. One of the names TNA has been talking about, as far as a replacement goes, is Bobby Lashley. However, Lashley is already scheduled to face Samoa Joe at the PPV, so the card may have to be re-worked to accommodate the injury.
On a side note, an extremely similar situation occurred just a few weeks ago at the UFC 173 PPV, as the show lost several of its main event fights with very little time to move things around. Raphael Assuncao was scheduled to face Renan Barao for the Bantamweight Championship, while two potential future contenders – TJ Dillashaw and Takeya Mizugaki – were booked on the undercard. Dillashaw was called up at the last minute, and ended up actually winning the title in the show’s main event.
MVP posted the following on Twitter this morning, after it was announced that he suffered an injury serious enough to be pulled from the TNA World Heavyweight Championship match at Slammiversary this Sunday.
My knee injury is legit. I’m very disappointed by the timing of this injury and the unfortunate repercussions that accompany it.
Now to “business”. I’m still the Director of Wrestling Operations for TNA. AND…. “the board of directors” want a FAIR main event match!
