Anthem executive Ed Nordholm spoke with Live Audio Wrestling’s John Pollock and addressed the company’s legal battle with Matt and Jeff Hardy over ownership of the “Broken Universe” gimmick. “I don’t believe I have ownership of, I know I have ownership of [the characters and storylines’,” Nordholm said. He noted that the Hardys signed contracts and the producers of the show own the rights. “I don’t think there’s any genuine dispute over who owns… the characters, the gestures, and the costumes, and all of that. It begs the question of whether there’s independently a reason to allow a character or a person to use the gimmick in other venues in other circumstances. There’s heat about that, obviously, and hopefully that gets resolved.” Watch the full interview at Fightnetwork.com.
Powell’s POV: It’s nice to see Nordholm finally put himself out there publicly. That said, I don’t think his comments are going to change any minds. While there are those who side with Anthem/Impact, the feeling of those who oppose the company’s stance is that there are a unique set of circumstances. Reby Hardy wrote on her Twitter page that her husband and brother-in-law were paid late and even put up their own money to produce some of the Broken Universe segments. I have been told that Impact has no intention to move forward with the Broken Universe by trying to use it for another act, so I’m not really sure what value it holds or why they continue to fight this battle when the court of public opinion seems to be strongly against them. They easily could have looked like the good guys and avoided the backlash by selling the gimmick to the Hardys at a rock bottom price. Nordholm also spoke about his relationship with Ring of Honor after sending a legal threat that led to Dish Network pulling an ROH pay-per-view from their lineup.
just by looking at the video pic, you can tell he’s a sleazy person
He comes across as smart and respectful. Everytime Reby talks on Twitter, she across as a pure b*tch and unlikeable.
One can only hope the amusement park attraction that is Impact Wrestling, is shuttered for good soon and something resembling an actual wrestling promotion takes its place.