Dixie Carter-Salinas (born October 6, 1964) is an American
businesswoman
A businessperson, businessman, or businesswoman is an individual who has founded, owns, or holds shares in (including as an angel investor) a private-sector company. A businessperson undertakes activities (commercial or industrial) for the ...
best known for her time as president of the
professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring o ...
promotion
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
Impact Wrestling (stylized as ''IMPACT! Wrestling''), is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment.
Founded by Jeff and Jerry Jarrett in 2002, the promot ...
(TNA) where she is still a board member.
Carter was in a backstage role during her early time with the company, though began to appear on TNA programming from 2009, and became an on-screen storyline character from 2010. In 2012, Carter purchased the majority share of TNA from
Panda Energy International, making her the majority owner. In 2016,
Billy Corgan
William Patrick Corgan Jr. (born March 17, 1967) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and professional wrestling promoter. He is best known as the lead singer, primary songwriter, guitarist, and only permanent member of the rock band the ...
succeeded Carter as president, with Carter becoming
chairwoman
The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the grou ...
of the promotion. Following a restructuring period,
Anthem Sports & Entertainment
Anthem Sports & Entertainment (formerly Anthem Media Group) is a Canadian multinational media company based in Toronto, Ontario and founded by Leonard Asper. Its assets include combat sports and sports entertainment properties (including the MMA ...
purchased the majority of the promotion from Carter. The promotion was subsequently renamed
Impact Wrestling
Impact Wrestling (stylized as ''IMPACT! Wrestling''), is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment.
Founded by Jeff and Jerry Jarrett in 2002, the promot ...
in 2017, and Carter would remain a minority owner until she left.
Early life
Carter was born in
Dallas
Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...
,
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
to parents Robert W. and Janice Carter. She graduated from
The Hockaday School
The Hockaday School is an independent, secular, college preparatory day school for girls located in Dallas, Texas, United States. The boarding school was for girls in grades 8–12 and the day school is from pre-kindergarten to grade 12. The ...
in 1982 and subsequently attended the
University of Mississippi
The University of Mississippi (byname Ole Miss) is a public research university that is located adjacent to Oxford, Mississippi, and has a medical center in Jackson. It is Mississippi's oldest public university and its largest by enrollment.
...
, graduating in 1986 with a
Bachelor of Business Administration
Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) is a bachelor's degree in business administration awarded by colleges and universities after completion of undergraduate study in the fundamentals of business administration and usually including advanced ...
. While a student, Carter was active on the Student Programming Board, and was a member of the
Kappa Kappa Gamma
Kappa Kappa Gamma (), also known simply as Kappa or KKG, is a collegiate sorority founded at Monmouth College in Monmouth, Illinois, United States.
It has a membership of more than 260,000 women, with 140 collegiate chapters in the United States a ...
women's fraternity. In addition, Carter worked as an
intern
An internship is a period of work experience offered by an organization for a limited period of time. Once confined to medical graduates, internship is used practice for a wide range of placements in businesses, non-profit organizations and gover ...
with Levenson and Hill, a marketing and advertisement firm in the
Las Colinas suburb of
Dallas, Texas
Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County w ...
. Upon graduating, Carter became a full-time employee of Levenson and Hill, receiving a promotion to the position of vice president at the age of 32. In 1993, she started her own business in Nashville, focusing primarily on sport and music representation.
Business career
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (20022017)
In 2002, the president of Monterey Peninsula Talent (a booking agency) contacted Carter and informed her that
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
Impact Wrestling (stylized as ''IMPACT! Wrestling''), is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment.
Founded by Jeff and Jerry Jarrett in 2002, the promot ...
, a professional wrestling promotion, required a marketing and publicity outlet. Carter began working with TNA, but, two months later, was informed by
Jeff Jarrett
Jeffrey Leonard Jarrett (born July 14, 1967) is an American professional wrestler and promoter. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he also serves as Director of Business Development.
Beginning his career in his father J ...
(a part-owner of TNA) that a key financial backer (
HealthSouth
Encompass Health Corporation, based in Birmingham, Alabama, is one of the United States' largest providers of post-acute healthcare services, offering both facility-based and home-based post-acute services in 36 states and Puerto Rico through its ...
Corporation, which was having financial problems due to its being investigated for accounting irregularities) had withdrawn support from TNA, and that the company was in dire straits as a result.
Carter, claiming to "
eethe potential in a marketplace that had one company
WWE
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...
with a
US$
The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...
900 million market cap and no competitor", contacted her parents, the owners of
Panda Energy International, a Dallas-based
energy
In physics, energy (from Ancient Greek: ἐνέργεια, ''enérgeia'', “activity”) is the quantitative property that is transferred to a body or to a physical system, recognizable in the performance of work and in the form of heat a ...
company
A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of people, whether Natural person, natural, Legal person, legal or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common p ...
. In October 2002, Panda Energy purchased 71% of TNA from the HealthSouth Corporation for $250,000. On October 31, 2002, TNA (which originally traded as "J Sports and Entertainment") was renamed "TNA Entertainment".
Carter was appointed president of TNA Entertainment in spring 2003.
In December 2007, Carter voluntarily appeared before
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...
to be interviewed regarding
professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring o ...
in the wake of the
Chris Benoit double murder and suicide
Over a three-day period from June 22 to 24, 2007, Chris Benoit, a 40-year-old Canadian professional wrestler employed by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and living in Fayetteville, Georgia, murdered his wife Nancy and their 7-year-old son, D ...
.
Carter served as the president of TNA until August 12, 2016, when she was announced as the new
chairwoman
The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the grou ...
of the promotion, with
Billy Corgan
William Patrick Corgan Jr. (born March 17, 1967) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and professional wrestling promoter. He is best known as the lead singer, primary songwriter, guitarist, and only permanent member of the rock band the ...
taking over the presidency. Soon after, however, it was announced that Corgan would sue the company and Carter, as he was lied to about when he would get his money back. On November 30, it was reported that Corgan had settled his lawsuit against TNA, with Anthem Sports & Entertainment Corp. acquiring the loans Corgan made to Carter in the process. In late November 2016, it was reported that, once Corgan's lawsuit was settled, TNA would go through a restructuring period that would see ownership change, with Anthem taking 85%, Aroluxe 10%, and Dixie Carter retaining 5%, making Carter the minority owner and leaving her with no decision-making power in TNA going forward. On January 4, 2017, Anthem Sports and Entertainment purchased 85% majority stake of TNA Wrestling and Carter resigned as chairwoman after fourteen years in charge. Ed Nordholm of Anthem took over as president. Carter joined the Advisory Board of Fight Media Group, the division of Anthem that deals with the combat sports-related assets of the company where she would focus on the global growth of the brands in that division, while also remaining as a minority shareholder of the company until she left in the same year.
Professional wrestling career
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
Sporadic appearances (2009–2012)
![Dixie Carter on the mic](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/17/Dixie_Carter_on_the_mic.jpg)
After making only occasional appearances on
pay-per-view
Pay-per-view (PPV) is a type of pay television or webcast service that enables a viewer to pay to watch individual events via private telecast.
Events can be purchased through a multichannel television platform using their electronic program guid ...
s, Carter made her first appearance on ''
TNA Impact!
''Impact!'' (stylized as ''IMPACT!''), also known as ''IMPACT! on AXS TV'',
is an American professional wrestling television program produced by the American promotion Impact Wrestling (formerly known as Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA)) tha ...
'' on August 27, 2009, interviewing new signee
Bobby Lashley
Franklin Roberto Lashley (born July 16, 1976) is an American professional wrestler, mixed martial artist and bodybuilder. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand. He is an eight-time world champion, having been a two-t ...
.
In early 2010, after the debuts of
Hulk Hogan
Terry Eugene Bollea (; born August 11, 1953), better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American retired professional wrestler. He is widely regarded as the most recognized wrestling star worldwide and the most popular wrestler of the 19 ...
and
Eric Bischoff
Eric Aaron Bischoff (born May 27, 1955) is an American television producer, professional wrestling booker, and performer. He is best known for serving as Executive Producer and later Senior Vice President of World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and ...
, Carter became a regular authority figure on ''Impact!'', before losing her on-screen power to the two of them, on the October 14, 2010, edition of ''Impact!''. However, Carter would make another appearance on the November 25, 2010 edition of ''
Reaction
Reaction may refer to a process or to a response to an action, event, or exposure:
Physics and chemistry
*Chemical reaction
*Nuclear reaction
*Reaction (physics), as defined by Newton's third law
*Chain reaction (disambiguation).
Biology and me ...
'' when, in storyline, she informed Hogan and Bischoff that a judge filed an
injunction
An injunction is a legal and equitable remedy in the form of a special court order that compels a party to do or refrain from specific acts. ("The court of appeals ... has exclusive jurisdiction to enjoin, set aside, suspend (in whole or in pa ...
against the two on behalf of Carter over not having signatory authority.
On the March 3, 2011, edition of ''Impact!'', the result of the court battle between Carter and Hogan was revealed, with Hogan declaring himself as the new head of TNA Wrestling. Carter returned to TNA on October 16 at
Bound for Glory, when
Sting
Sting may refer to:
* Stinger or sting, a structure of an animal to inject venom, or the injury produced by a stinger
* Irritating hairs or prickles of a stinging plant, or the plant itself
Fictional characters and entities
* Sting (Middle-eart ...
defeated Hogan to bring her back to power. Carter made an appearance on the December 8th edition of ''Impact Wrestling'', along with Sting to confront
TNA World Heavyweight Champion
The Impact World Championship is a professional wrestling world championship created and promoted by Impact Wrestling. It is the promotion's principal championship. Like most professional wrestling championships, the title is won via the result o ...
,
Bobby Roode
Robert Francis Roode Jr. (born May 11, 1976) is a Canadian professional wrestler signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand. He is currently inactive due to undergoing neck surgery.
Roode is known for his 12-year tenure for Total Nonstop ...
. The segment ended with Roode spitting in Carter's face.
In the summer of 2012, Carter was also the focal point in a storyline where
Kazarian and
Christopher Daniels
Daniel Christopher Covell (born March 24, 1970), better known by the ring name Christopher Daniels, is an American semi-retired professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and is the Head of Talent Relations. He is best kno ...
accused her of having an affair with company TNA mainstay
A.J. Styles
Allen Neal Jones (born June 2, 1977), better known by his ring name AJ Styles (also stylized as A.J. Styles), is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand. Regarded as one of the best ...
.
The duo provided compromising footage of Carter and Styles entering a hotel together as well as photographs of them embracing. Carter's real-life husband Serg Salinas made a televised appearance on ''Impact Wrestling'' where he knocked Styles to the ground. It was ultimately revealed that Carter and Styles were merely helping a mutual friend, Claire Lynch, work through drug addiction issues.
Dixieland (2013–2014)
Carter appeared at the ending segment of ''Impact Wrestling'' on September 19, 2013 to (in character) confront AJ Styles over the remarks he has made about the way she was running the company. Carter responded by saying that Styles was not a great wrestler and claimed that she was the one who created the Styles' persona to get marketing for the company. She added that Styles would still be living in poverty if her father didn't pay him, and she was the one who created this house (TNA). She was about to leave when Styles was going to respond, she decided to end the show by cutting off the microphones and turning off the lights, thus turning into a
villainess
A villain (also known as a " black hat" or "bad guy"; the feminine form is villainess) is a stock character, whether based on a historical narrative or one of literary fiction. ''Random House Unabridged Dictionary'' defines such a character a ...
in the process. On the following episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', Carter ripped up AJ Styles' new contract as awarded by Hulk Hogan, then gave Hogan an ultimatum to join forces with her by next week. Hogan declined her offer and quit, Carter initially begged him to reconsider, but then claimed Hogan could not quit because she had fired him, though Hogan had already walked off camera by this point. At
Bound For Glory, the evil Dixie interfered in the main event and ordered referee
Earl Hebner
Earl William Hebner (born May 17, 1949) is an American retired professional wrestling referee who last officiated for All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He is best known for his time as senior referee for the World Wrestling Federation (now WWE) from 198 ...
not to count Styles' pin; however, Styles would ultimately defeat
Bully Ray to become the TNA World Heavyweight Champion. Next week, she tried to convince Styles to sign a new contract with TNA, but Styles refused, leaving the company with the title. On October 29, 2013, Carter vacated the title. However, Styles announced a title defense in Asistencia, Asesoría y Administración promotion. When Dorian Roldán, AAA owner, announced
Judas Mesias
Gilbert Cosme Ramírez (born May 25, 1972) is a Puerto Rican professional wrestler, better known by his ring names El Mesías, Mil Muertes, Ricky Banderas and King Muertes. He began his career in the International Wrestling Association based in ...
as AJ's rival, Carter said that she talked with Roldán attempting to cancel the match. Meanwhile, she announced a tournament to crown a new TNA Champion, as she refused to recognize Styles' reign.
Magnus
Magnus, meaning "Great" in Latin, was used as cognomen of Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus in the first century BC. The best-known use of the name during the Roman Empire is for the fourth-century Western Roman Emperor Magnus Maximus. The name gained wid ...
eventually won the tournament and the championship at ''
Impact Wrestling: Final Resolution'' by defeating
Jeff Hardy
Jeffrey Nero Hardy (born August 31, 1977) is an American professional wrestler and musician. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Hardy is widely considered one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all-time and is regarded ...
in the eponymous
Dixieland match, with the help of
Rockstar Spud
James Michael Curtin (born 30 January 1983) is an English former professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE as a writer on Raw. During his time as an on screen performer in the company, he worked under the ring name Drake Maverick. H ...
and Dixie's
storyline nephew
Ethan Carter III
Michael Hutter (born March 18, 1983) is an American professional wrestler and promoter better known by the ring name Ethan Carter III (or simply EC3). EC3 is a co-founder of Control Your Narrative. He also performs on the independent circuit. He ...
. They formed "Team Dixie" in the process.
On January 9, 2014, Magnus defeated AJ Styles upon his return to TNA, unifying the titles. Styles left TNA after the match. On January 30, 2014,
Montel Vontavious Porter
Hassan Hamin Assad (born Alvin Antonio Burke Jr.; October 28, 1973) is an American professional wrestler and manager currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name MVP (standing for Montel Vontavious Porter) and ...
debuted in TNA as an investor and entered into a feud with Carter. At
Lockdown 2014, Dixie Carter's team of
Bobby Roode
Robert Francis Roode Jr. (born May 11, 1976) is a Canadian professional wrestler signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand. He is currently inactive due to undergoing neck surgery.
Roode is known for his 12-year tenure for Total Nonstop ...
,
Austin Aries
Daniel Healy Solwold Jr. (born April 15, 1978), better known by his ring name Austin Aries, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to the Control Your Narrative wrestling promotion. He is best known for his time with Impact Wrest ...
, and
The BroMans
The BroMans were an American professional wrestling stable in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), which consist of Jessie Godderz, Robbie E, and DJZ. They are two-time TNA World Tag Team Champions.
History
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ...
(
Robbie E
Robert Strauss (born October 1, 1983) is an American professional wrestler and manager. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand as a manager under the ring name Mr. Stone. He is best known for his time in Total Nonstop A ...
and
Jessie Godderz
Jessie Godderz (born April 23, 1986), also known as Mr. PEC-Tacular, is an American actor and professional wrestler. He currently competes for Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) where he is a former one-time OVW National Heavyweight Champion, one-time ...
) lost to
MVP
In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...
's team of himself,
The Wolves, and
Willow
Willows, also called sallows and osiers, from the genus ''Salix'', comprise around 400 speciesMabberley, D.J. 1997. The Plant Book, Cambridge University Press #2: Cambridge. of typically deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist s ...
in a
Lethal Lockdown match
A Lethal Lockdown match is a professional wrestling match used in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). This match has become a staple of TNA's Lockdown pay-per-view event, but has also made appearances at other TNA pay-per-views, and during Impac ...
after interference from the special referee,
Bully Ray, who was initially intended to be the "insurance" for Dixie's team. As a result of her team's defeat,
MVP
In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...
took control of TNA as the (storyline) Director of Wrestling Operations. Following the events of Lockdown, Dixie feuded with Bully Ray, who promised that he would put her through a table. On the June 27 tapings of ''Impact'' that aired August 7, Carter was put through a table by
Bully Ray.
Various appearances (2015–2016)
At the June 26, 2015 tapings for the July 8 episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', Carter made her first televised appearance after a nearly year long absence. After her nephew, Ethan Carter III, finished his match with Kurt Angle, Carter admitted that she was on a power trip whose ego got the best of her, and that the company doesn't belong to her or her nephew, but to the fans and apologized for her actions for the past year and a half saying that she would not make those same mistakes again, this would turn Dixie into a
babyface Babyface or Baby Face can refer to:
Nicknames
* Lester Joseph Gillis a.k.a. Baby Face Nelson, an infamous 1930s bank robber
* Roosevelt "Baby Face" Willette (1933–1971), an American hard bop and soul-jazz musician
* "Baby Face", Jimmy McLarnin ...
once again.
On the January 5 live debut of ''Impact Wrestling'' on
Pop TV
Pop TV is a Slovenian generalist television channel operated by Pro Plus d.o.o., a subsidiary of Central European Media Enterprises (CME), which is in turn owned by Czech investment company PPF.
News programs
POP TV's current news programmin ...
, Dixie opened the show feuding with Ethan Carter III and ended up leaving abruptly when
Eric Young attacked
Matt Hardy
Matthew Moore Hardy (born September 23, 1974) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He is best known for his time with WWE.
With his real life brother Jeff, Hardy gained notoriety in WWF's tag team d ...
, who was confronting Carter.
Personal life
Carter is married to Serg Salinas, former music producer for TNA with whom she has two children; a daughter Reese and a son Tanner.
In November 2019, Carter appeared on ''Ant & Dec's DNA Journey'' as it was revealed that she is a distant cousin of British
television host
A television presenter (or television host, some become a "television personality") is a person who introduces, hosts television programs, often serving as a mediator for the program and the audience. Nowadays, it is common for people who garner ...
Declan Donnelly
Declan Joseph Oliver Donnelly (born 25 September 1975) is a British television presenter, television producer, former singer, rapper, comedian and actor from Newcastle upon Tyne, England. He is best known for working alongside Ant McPartlin as ...
. She has also appeared on WWE's ''Kurt Angle: Homecoming'' episode of the
WWE Network
WWE Network is a subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and digital television network owned by the American entertainment company WWE. It primarily distributes original professional wrestling events, films, television and ...
series ''
WWE 24
WWE Network is a subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and digital television network owned by the American entertainment company WWE. It primarily distributes original professional wrestling events, films, television and ...
''.
Legacy
Carter has been criticized due to her decisions about TNA. Long time TNA wrestler
AJ Styles
Allen Neal Jones (born June 2, 1977), better known by his ring name AJ Styles (also stylized as A.J. Styles), is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand. Regarded as one of the best ...
, dubbed as "The Face of TNA", said that Carter ruined TNA because of her "not knowing what's best for business". Former TNA booker
Konnan
Charles Ashenoff (born Carlos Santiago Espada Moises; January 6, 1964),''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'', Dave Meltzer, ed., May 10, 2010, issue.Sims, Steve"Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame/Founded by Dave Meltzer - Konnan". Accessed August 1, 2016. O ...
claimed Carter is "incompetent" and "she doesn't know what she is doing". Former
TNA Knockouts Champion
The Impact Knockouts World Championship is a women's professional wrestling world championship owned by Impact Wrestling. It is primarily contested for in Impact's women's division, known as the Impact Knockouts. The championship debuted on Octo ...
Tara ended in bad terms with TNA, stating that she wanted to "punch her in the face". Former TNA creative writer
Vince Russo
Vincent James Russo (born January 24, 1961) is an American professional wrestling booker, writer, and pundit.
He is notable for his tenures with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE), World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Total Nonstop ...
has also been critical of Carter's management style at TNA stating “Dixie just did so much more damage than good, just not being upfront and not being honest and everything was underhanded and behind people’s back. I can’t tell you how many times as my boss, she would tell me something and then it always ended with, ‘but you can’t say anything, you can’t tell anybody’ and that was just so hard to work under that umbrella".
Former TNA wrestler
Hernandez praised Carter stating "In my opinion she can be smart, she knows that she doesn’t have the inner knowledge of the wrestling business so she appoints people to those positions. Now does she appoint the right people…that’s up to you guys to decide. You can’t put the whole blame on her".
Former TNA wrestler
Scott Steiner
Scott Rechsteiner (born July 29, 1962), better known by the ring name Scott Steiner, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA).
Steiner is perhaps best known for his time in World Championshi ...
has been critical of Carter stating "When I left nothing impressed me, that’s why I left. The change of management which was a problem because Dixie Carter is an idiot" and “I mean, Dixie Carter is a joke. She was basically a pain
n the butt. and "Clearly, everyone knew that Dixie didn’t know what she was doing. She was a mark wanting to be on TV. It’s night and day. People wanna come to work, they’re excited about what everyone is doing, and it is a totally different atmosphere". Steiner was also critical of one of the decisions Carter made as President of TNA stating "“Unfortunately, working for dumbass Dixie Carter who brought in
Hulk Hogan
Terry Eugene Bollea (; born August 11, 1953), better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American retired professional wrestler. He is widely regarded as the most recognized wrestling star worldwide and the most popular wrestler of the 19 ...
and all those other guys. That’s what killed it and ran it into the ground".
Former TNA creative writer, road agent and producer
Bruce Prichard
Bruce Prichard (born March 7, 1963) is an American professional wrestling executive, booker, and producer and a former manager, commentator, and occasional professional wrestler. In addition to his corporate roles with WWE, Prichard has also a ...
described Carter as "very gullible", and was critical of Carter's leadership at TNA stating "Unfortunately beyond Dixie Carter was Panda Energy, which was owned by her mom and dad, and they owned TNA. So you never really could get to the top of that food chain. You never really could get to the top of that ladder to get anything approved or truly get a firm decision. And you didn’t have the ability to make a lot of moves and to do anything without that. In the middle of that, you had accountants, you had CFOs and people that would block you at every step of the way. So, it was a lot more frustrating from a standpoint of people who did not understand the wrestling or entertainment industry at TNA. So that was a big frustration for me because you’re trying to run a wrestling company or whatever".
Former TNA executive producer
Eric Bischoff
Eric Aaron Bischoff (born May 27, 1955) is an American television producer, professional wrestling booker, and performer. He is best known for serving as Executive Producer and later Senior Vice President of World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and ...
has praised and been critical of Carter stating "Dixie is, number one, a very intelligent woman... She really is... She’s incredibly savvy in terms of her ability to sell and to get buy-in... I’m talking about people at very high executive levels. She gained a lot of confidence from people within Viacom... You don’t do that if you’re an idiot. You don’t do that if you have zero talent... So, she was a very accomplished woman and a very intelligent woman... but Whereas with Dixie, I don’t think she had that vision and when she started I don’t think she really had a vision of where she wanted to be or how to get there... Even when TNA had been on Spike for a while, there was never a clear picture of the destination... It’s like getting in your car and saying, “Okay, grab the kids. Load up the car. Don’t forget the cat, ‘cause we’re going to… Where we going again? Oh, just load up the car and grab the cat, let’s go.” Well, great. Everybody’s in the car, you’re gassed up, you got some cold sandwiches in the back and off you go for a road trip. Until you get to the first intersection and it’s like, “Well, which way should I turn?” “Well, I dunno, where are we going? I’m not really sure. Let’s just keep going. Make a decision, take a turn and keep going.” That’s kind of what it felt like to me, at least".
Former TNA wrestler
Shelly Martinez
Shelly Leonor Martinez (born February 9, 1980) is an American model, actress, retired professional wrestler and valet. She is known for her work with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) on its ECW brand under the ring name Ariel and for Total N ...
has been critical of Carter and stated in 2020 that "the more and more I tried to connect with Dixie, the more and more she would just reject me. She was rude to me a couple times".
Former TNA wrestler
Booker T Booker T or Booker T. may refer to
* Booker T. Washington (1856–1915), African American political leader at the turn of the 20th century
** List of things named after Booker T. Washington, some nicknamed "Booker T."
* Booker T. Jones (born 1944) ...
in a 2020 Hall of Fame podcast was also critical of Carter stating "I don’t know what Dixie was doing half the time... I don’t know how much writing she was doing for the show... being in that position and not knowing if she was in shark-infested waters or what type of sharks they were, she just didn’t know that. She didn’t know if it was a great white or one of the sand sharks. She didn’t know. That’s where the mistakes happen I think with TNA, her being one of those people who had a big heart...but I think she was trying to do a great thing... It just didn’t work out".
Former TNA wrestler
Velvet Sky
Jamie Lynn Szantyr (born June 2, 1981) is an American color commentator and retired professional wrestler, currently signed to NWA. She is best known for her time in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) under the ring name Velvet Sky. She is a ...
said that Carter "ruined it for all of us" in 2020 and, in 2021, described her as a "vile person" Sky also stated that
Spike TV
Paramount Network is an American basic cable television channel owned by the MTV Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Media Networks. The network's headquarters are located at the Paramount Pictures studio lot in Los Angeles.
The channel was o ...
cancelled ''
Impact Wrestling
Impact Wrestling (stylized as ''IMPACT! Wrestling''), is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment.
Founded by Jeff and Jerry Jarrett in 2002, the promot ...
'' after they got tired "of Carter's shit".
Angelina Love
Lauren Williams (born September 13, 1981) is a Canadian professional wrestler She is best known for her time in TNA/Impact Wrestling under the ring name Angelina Love. She is currently signed with National Wrestling Alliance (NWA).
Between ROH ...
, Velvet Sky's tag team partner, said that working with her was "a disaster".
Former TNA wrestler
Kurt Angle
Kurt Steven Angle (born December 9, 1968) is an American retired professional wrestler, Wrestling at the 1996 Summer Olympics – Men's freestyle 100 kg, Olympic gold medalist in American freestyle wrestling, and former Collegiate wrestling, ...
has praised Carter in a 2021 interview, where he stated "I thought she was a great boss, I had no problems with her. Sometimes, having a woman in charge is a lot better than a man, because they’re so much more understanding, more compassionate”.
Awards and accomplishments
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Women Superstars Uncensored
Women Superstars United (WSU; formerly ''Women Superstars Uncensored'') is an American, New Jersey based women's professional wrestling promotion which held its first event in 2006. Shows combine wrestling interspersed with both serious and c ...
**
WSU Hall of Fame (Class of 2012)
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WrestleCrap
''WrestleCrap'' is a professional wrestling website created by R. D. Reynolds and Merle Vincent, serving as a "hall of shame" for some of the worst gimmicks and storylines in professional wrestling history. The site is currently run by Reynolds a ...
**
Gooker Award (2013) – Heel turn angle
References
External links
ImpactWrestling.com (Official Website of TNA Impact Wrestling)PandaEnergy.com (Official Website of Panda Energy International, Inc.)
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Carter, Dixie
1964 births
American business executives
American women in business
Businesspeople from Texas
Living people
Impact Wrestling executives
Professional wrestling authority figures
Professional wrestling promoters
University of Mississippi alumni
People from Dallas
Hockaday School alumni