(Redirected from Dixie Carter (wrestling))
'Dixie Carter' (born 1964 or 1965) is an
American businesswoman, currently serving as
president of the
limited liability company TNA Entertainment. Based in
Nashville, Tennessee, TNA Entertainment produces
professional wrestling television programs, live events,
pay-per-views and associated merchandise such as
video games.
[2]
Career
Carter was born in
Dallas, Texas. She graduated from
The Hockaday School in 1982 and subsequently attended the
University of Mississippi, graduating in 1986 with a
Bachelor of Business Administration. While a student, Carter was active on the Student Programming Board, and was a member of the
Kappa Kappa Gamma women's fraternity. In addition, Carter worked as an
intern with Levenson & Hill, a marketing and advertisement firm in the
Las Colinas suburb of
Dallas, Texas. Upon graduating, Carter became a full-time employee of Levenson & Hill, receiving a promotion to the position of vice president at the age of 27. In 1993, she started her own business in Nashville, focusing primarily on sport and music representation.
[2] [4] [1] [6]
In 2002, the president of Monterey Peninsula Talent (a booking agency) contacted Carter and informed her that
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, a fledgling professional wrestling promotion, required a marketing and publicity outlet. Carter began working with TNA, but, two months later, was informed by
Jeff Jarrett (a part-owner of TNA) that a key financial backer (
HealthSouth Corporation, which was having its own financial problems due to its being investigated for accounting irregularities) had withdrawn support from TNA, and that the company was in dire straits as a result.
[2]
Carter, claiming to "[See] the potential in a marketplace that had one company with a $900 million
USD market cap and no competitor", contacted her parents, the owners of
Panda Energy International, a Dallas-based
energy company. In October 2002, Panda Energy purchased 71
% of TNA from the HealthSouth Corporation for $250,000 USD. On
October 31,
2002, TNA (which originally traded as "J Sports and Entertainment") was renamed "TNA Entertainment", and Carter was appointed president.
[8] [2] [4]
Carter was instrumental in securing a television deal with
Fox Sports Net in 2004, and in July 2005 she announced that she and several other TNA employees, including vice-president
Jeff Jarrett, had negotiated a more lucrative television deal with
Spike TV. Carter brought a bottle of
champagne to the meeting in order to celebrate. Her
creative influence on TNA
storylines has been less publicized, although she is known to be a fan of
Jonny Fairplay, a
reality television contestant who has worked for TNA in the past as a
manager. She has also expressed admiration for the work of
Vince Russo, a controversial
booker. In
September 2006, Carter personally negotiated a contract with wrestler
Kurt Angle.
[11] [12] [13]
Carter has ruled out any possibility of becoming an on-screen character, as was once the case with
World Wrestling Entertainment chairman
Vince McMahon, former
World Championship Wrestling president
Eric Bischoff, and former
Extreme Championship Wrestling owner
Paul Heyman. All three individuals eventually became prominent on-screen characters, although Heyman was already one before ECW was formed and McMahon and Bischoff were play-by-play commentators before running their promotions.
[8]
Personal life
Carter is married to Serg, with whom she has two children, a daughter, Reese who was born in 2005 and a son born in 2006.
[12]
References
1. Wrestling With Success Myers, K.
2. Ex-Hockaday girl wrangles wrestlers Hall, C.
3. Ex-Hockaday girl wrangles wrestlers Hall, C.
4. From Rebel to wrestling Robinson, B.
5. Wrestling With Success Myers, K.
6. Dixie Carter reflects on five years of TNA Oliver, G.
7. Ex-Hockaday girl wrangles wrestlers Hall, C.
8. An Exclusive Interview With TNA President Dixie Carter
9. Ex-Hockaday girl wrangles wrestlers Hall, C.
10. From Rebel to wrestling Robinson, B.
11. The girl gunning for McMahon Lilsboy, R. and Lilsboy, S.
12. Part Two Of The Interview With TNA President Dixie Carter Forman, S.
13. Part One Of The Interview With TNA President Dixie Carter Forman, S.
14. An Exclusive Interview With TNA President Dixie Carter
15. Part Two Of The Interview With TNA President Dixie Carter Forman, S.
External links
★
PandaEnergy.com - the official website of Panda Energy International
★
TNAwrestling.com - the official website of TNA Entertainment