Dusty Rhodes out as TNA booker; resigns after a committee proposition
On Tuesday, May 10, 2005 at 6:25 PM EST PWInsider.com's Mike Johnson is reporting that Dusty Rhodes officially resigned as head booker of TNA in a a meeting earlier today in Nashville, TN. Rhodes made the decision after being presented with the chance to work as part of a committee to book and format the upcoming Hard Justice PPV this Sunday, which would have also included Jeremy Borash, Bill Banks and Scott D'Amore. Although Rhodes has stepped down from his position, it's expected he will remain as an on-air talent using the "Director of Authority" label still.
As noted in the weeks since he took over as the booker for the company, Rhodes' departure wasn't something that caught many off guard or even unexpected for that matter. From what is being said within TNA, the move was something that had been building for quite a while and Rhodes was almost pushed out in favor of the committee. His power in the company was even cut out from under him as the weeks went by and even more in the weeks after the Destination X PPV in March when numerous storylines and angles started by Rhodes were axed (examples: Trytan, Phi Delta Slam and his pick-up truck office).
In what we noted in the days following the Impact! tapings a few weeks ago in Orlando, his manner backstage was that of someone who didn't seem in control and simply doing what they were told. If anyone saw the promo Rhodes cut for Impact! announcing the arrival of Tito Ortiz for the Hard Justice PPV this Sunday, then you know what we are talking about.