TNA Gut Check

TNA Gut Check
Information
Parent	Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
Website	TNA Gut Check.com

In professional wrestling, the TNA Gut Check is a contest staged by the American professional wrestling promotion Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) as a means of recruiting new talent. Since April 2012, the TNA Gut Check has been featured in regular segments on Impact Wrestling, the flagship television program of TNA.

Seminars

TNA staged its first "Gut Check" on October 16, 2004 in Atlanta, Georgia. The event saw entrants rated on the basis of their performance in five categories: back bump, mat techniques, ring interviews, "running the ropes" and "squat challenge". The female and male events were won by Jaime Dauncey and Jon Bolen respectively, with Dauncey and Bolen rewarded with a US$4,000 cash prize and a subsequent appearance on TNA programming. In 2005, Dauncey was signed to a developmental deal by TNA.

TNA holds seminars at venues around the United States and Canada, hosted by TNA backstage employees such as D'Lo Brown, Pat Kenney, Brian Hebner and Jeremy Borash. The seminars, which last two hours, cover promos, drills, simulated matches and in-ring work". The seminars are aimed at "prospective professional wrestlers, announcers, managers, valets and referees".

A number of wrestlers have been awarded contracts with TNA after participating in Gut Check Seminars, including Crimson and Jesse Sorensen. From April 2012 onwards, TNA began inviting a small number of participants in the seminars to wrestle a tryout match on Impact Wrestling.

Television segment

In April 2012, the TNA Gut Check began featuring as a regular segment on Impact Wrestling. Contestants wrestle a match against a TNA wrestler, after which their performance is evaluated by three judges. Contestants who receive a "yes" from at least two of the judges are awarded a contract with TNA and sent to Ohio Valley Wrestling, TNA's developmental territory, for further training.

The original judges for the TNA Gut Check were the semi-retired wrestler Ric Flair, the road agent Al Snow and TNA's Senior Vice President of Programming and Talent Relations, Bruce Prichard. On May 31, 2012, Flair was replaced by the color commentator and retired wrestler Taz.

TNA Gut Check contestants have featured in a number of angles:

• After Joey Ryan was refused a contract on the May 31, 2012 episode of Impact Wrestling, he began a campaign against the decision on Twitter and YouTube that was spearheaded by the results of an online poll showing that 87% of respondents felt that he should have been awarded a contract. Beginning on the June 28 episode of Impact Wrestling, Ryan began appearing in the audience of the Impact Wrestling Zone during Gut Check segments, heckling the judges. On July 21, 2012 at the Pro Wrestling Guerrilla show "Threemendous III", Ryan used the Tazmission - the signature submission hold of Taz - to defeat his opponent, Famous B. At Bound for Glory 2012 on October 14, 2012, Ryan defeated Snow to receive a contract with TNA. *On the July 19, 2012 episode of Impact Wrestling, Sam Shaw was attacked by the Aces & 8s stable while being interviewed by Jeremy Borash. Shaw went on to wrestle Doug Williams in a tryout match one week later.

Contestants

Contestant	Tryout date	Opponent	Decision date	Bruce Prichard	Al Snow	Taz / Ric Flair	Decision	References
Alex Silva	April 26, 2012	Robbie E	May 3, 2012	Yes	Yes	Yes	Successful
Joey Ryan	May 24, 2012	Austin Aries	May 31, 2012	No	Yes	No	Unsuccessful
Taeler Hendrix	June 21, 2012	Tara	June 28, 2012	Yes	No	Yes	Successful
Sam Shaw	July 26, 2012	Douglas Williams	July 26, 2012	Yes	No	Yes	Successful
Kris Lewie	August 23, 2012	Gunner	August 30, 2012	No	No vote cast	No	Unsuccessful
Evan Markopoulos	September 20, 2012	Douglas Williams	September 27, 2012	No	No	Yes	Unsuccessful
Christian York	November 1, 2012	Zema Ion	November 8, 2012	Yes	Yes	Yes	Successful
Wes Brisco	November 22, 2012	Garett Bischoff	November 29, 2012	Yes	(D'Lo Brown), Yes	No	Successful

January 2013

Contestant #1	Contestant #2	Tryout date	Decision date	Judge's pick	Bruce Prichard	Al Snow	Danny Davis	Decision	References
Jay Bradley	Brian Cage	January 10, 2013	January 17, 2013	Jay Bradley	Yes	Yes	(Taz), No	Successful
Ivelisse Vélez	Lei'D Tapa	February 28, 2013	March 7, 2013	Lei'D Tapa	No	Yes	Yes	Successful
Adam Pearce	Magno	March 28, 2013 (airing April 4, 2013)	April 11, 2013	Magno	No	N/A	No	Unsuccessful
Adam O'Reilly	Brian Howe	June 20, 2013	July 4, 2013

See also

• WWE Diva Search
• WWE Tough Enough

External links

• TNA Gut Check website
• TNA Gut Check on Twitter