PWInsider reported Friday that Total Nonstop Action Wrestling released two prominent backstage players.
According to the report, Dutch Mantel and Savio Vega are no longer with the company.
Mantel had been working on TNA’s creative team for several years; he represented one of the few wrestling veterans with creative control in the number two promotion. Vega, meanwhile, was serving as an agent for the company.
Firm details on the releases are not yet available, but both are of note due to Mantel and Vega’s closeness with Jeff Jarrett. PWInsider described Mantel as one of Jarrett’s “top lieutenants,” while Vega had tight relationships with both Jarrett and Mantel. The releases thus create questions about Jarrett’s level of influence in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling in the wake of his backstage issues with Kurt Angle.