TNA: The Talent
*I’m going to start this column with somewhat a disclaimer. It’ll be pretty obvious by the next section of this piece that I rate TNA, as a company, below WWE in terms of…well, everything. That is NOT to say I don’t appreciate the TNA product but I’m simply being sensible and it’s obvious that WWE is the big dog in pro wrestling today.*
Ladies and Gentlemen, Killz has Skillz and he’s bringing you something today that’s a little differentiation from my usual show preview columns. With such a long break till Wrestlemania I searched for a topic of discussion and decided upon this one. Certainly TNA booking can be constantly questioned. Certainly, as a business, it’s hard to see how they’re viable and how they’re truly expanding with ratings remaining steady for as long as I can remember and only achieving small spikes as TNA put all their eggs in the basket of one or two BIG time shows per quarter. This doesn’t seem a sensible business option. However, there is, and always has been, one MAJOR redeeming factor for TNA. The talent. In this column I look at the talent TNA have, some of the biggest names and, in my opinion, some of the best wrestlers around that COULD make it in WWE like they do in TNA.
Kurt Angle
I’m starting with Kurt because he’s the biggest name on the active TNA roster to have wrestled for WWE and TNA (arguably). Let’s face it, this guy still brings it. He’s a supreme talent and even though questions have been raised about his body, his health and his mental health, he’s still delivered and delivered some of the best matches of his career in TNA in bouts against AJ Styles and Jeff Jarrett. There’s been no room for improvement for years now and all you could really argue is that his constantly pro showings mean his in-ring work and technique perhaps needs a re-invention. At this stage in his career however, it’s unlikely to happen. Could he make it in WWE? It’s a no brainer, of course he could, he’s been there before. In this section though I’d like to question whether Kurt is content seeing out his career with TNA. There are names like Sting who may never see the WWE crowds but he’s been very outspoken against Vince and has a true home in TNA. Whilst Angle put a lot of heat on Vince when he left WWE there has since been, reported, discussions and it looks like it’s all water under the bridge. I’d be interested to see if Kurt was offered a year or two reduced schedule pretty soon with WWE, whether he’d take it. I’d sure love to see him in a WWE ring again and this is one man TNA should continue to throw support and weight behind until his very last match.
AJ Styles
We’ll go with a TNA ‘original’ now in AJ Styles. He’s a lot different to Kurt, yes in terms of his in-ring style, but I’m talking career wise. Primarily a TNA guy, with brief spells in NWA and WCW prior to the WWE purchase of World Championship Wrestling, AJ Styles has an almost cult following. It has taken him many years to become comfortable and charismatic with his mic work but he’s been a polished in-ring performer for years now. He really is TNA’s guy, a total utility man up and down the card and a staple of the X-Division when it was at it’s height and world reknowned. He carried the X-Division with the Fallen Angel and Samoa Joe during this time and became a recognised professional wrestling talent, someone any company would be proud to have…perhaps apart from WWE. I think WWE would 100% benefit from having AJ Styles on the books, he can work from all over the ring and has proven he can hang with the best brawlers and technical wrestlers and in main events to boot! I always feared though that his size and mic work kept him from getting a job with WWE post-WCW and since then. Vince doesn’t do much for the smaller guys in the business and since managers are a bygone entity in professional wrestling, AJ would have had to improve his mic work at a much quicker pace had he been with WWE after the fall of WCW. Subsequently I’d suggest Styles to be someone WWE wouldn’t take a risk on but someone I definitely think they SHOULD have on the books.
Sting
I hope you don’t expect me to say much here, you know the story. His debut in 1985 and his most recent TNA World Title win are separated by a legendary and iconic run at the top of his game in WCW. You don’t need me to tell you relevance of Sting being the franchise competition to Flair in WCW or the name “Wolfpac†but what you may be interested in hearing is my view on him and WWE. Let’s be reasonable, Sting would be a HUGE draw for the die-hard wrestling fans who support WWE. Would the younger audience know him? Likely not but the PPV buys and ratings for a Sting run in WWE would be huge. I have one small theory though and I think it makes Sting stand out. People say he shouldn’t retired without once being with the biggest pro wrestling company ever and he deserves a Hall of Fame spot (which I agree with) etc but this is a man who never had to step foot in a WWE ring to make an impact, to become a legend. You have to believe that however good it will be for both parties, if WWE met his terms, Sting doesn’t need to be with WWE at all.
‘Pope’ D’Angelo Dinero and Matt Morgan
I’m going to look at two younger guys now who were with WWE for a short time and since jumped ship to TNA. These are two guys WWE really dropped the ball on I think. Being given heavy mic time and a big push last year the Pope proved he could go in the ring with the best of them and has been a #1 contender to the TNA World title. Matt Morgan, too, has been #1 contender and has something particularly unique about him. He’s not as charismatic or athletic or as easy to get into like Pope is, it’s very easy to engage with Pope and to find him entertaining, but Matt Morgan is a giant. He’s a giant who is BUILT and can go with a surprising amount of speed and athleticism for a man of his stature. When you consider built, muscular giants you look at Kane and the Undertaker and you realise that this type of wrestler is somewhat a dying breed. There are still monsters like Mark Henry or the Big Show but they have one look and it’s being both large around the waist as in terms of height. They are truly effective superstars but there is a void being left by these aging stars that Morgan could easily fill.
Robert Roode
Here’s my pick for someone who could really have a future with WWE if they saw the same potential I do. This man is built, he is athletic, he is comfortable on the mic in live situations, not just on tapings, and he has a tremendous look. His gimmick isn’t emphasised in TNA but look at how HUGE a star he’s become in TNA without having a discernable gimmick since being part of the Beer Money tag-team and with primarily competing in tag-team wrestling. He shows MORE than enough talent between those ropes, his intensity coupled with his power, to show that a major run as a singles superstar is likely not far away. He reminds me of a young Triple H in terms of his look, in-ring style and mic work and if you’re compared to Hunter, you pretty much bring it on every level in that ring. If I was in charge of WWE talent? Be ready for a phone call tomorrow morning Rob.
*Those are guys who I wanted to touch on specifically. You can make arguments for other talent such as James Storm and Samoa Joe perhaps but I don’t think they hold up as well next to the likes of AJ and Robert Roode. Still, worth an honourable mention
*
*I’m going to start this column with somewhat a disclaimer. It’ll be pretty obvious by the next section of this piece that I rate TNA, as a company, below WWE in terms of…well, everything. That is NOT to say I don’t appreciate the TNA product but I’m simply being sensible and it’s obvious that WWE is the big dog in pro wrestling today.*
Ladies and Gentlemen, Killz has Skillz and he’s bringing you something today that’s a little differentiation from my usual show preview columns. With such a long break till Wrestlemania I searched for a topic of discussion and decided upon this one. Certainly TNA booking can be constantly questioned. Certainly, as a business, it’s hard to see how they’re viable and how they’re truly expanding with ratings remaining steady for as long as I can remember and only achieving small spikes as TNA put all their eggs in the basket of one or two BIG time shows per quarter. This doesn’t seem a sensible business option. However, there is, and always has been, one MAJOR redeeming factor for TNA. The talent. In this column I look at the talent TNA have, some of the biggest names and, in my opinion, some of the best wrestlers around that COULD make it in WWE like they do in TNA.
Kurt Angle
I’m starting with Kurt because he’s the biggest name on the active TNA roster to have wrestled for WWE and TNA (arguably). Let’s face it, this guy still brings it. He’s a supreme talent and even though questions have been raised about his body, his health and his mental health, he’s still delivered and delivered some of the best matches of his career in TNA in bouts against AJ Styles and Jeff Jarrett. There’s been no room for improvement for years now and all you could really argue is that his constantly pro showings mean his in-ring work and technique perhaps needs a re-invention. At this stage in his career however, it’s unlikely to happen. Could he make it in WWE? It’s a no brainer, of course he could, he’s been there before. In this section though I’d like to question whether Kurt is content seeing out his career with TNA. There are names like Sting who may never see the WWE crowds but he’s been very outspoken against Vince and has a true home in TNA. Whilst Angle put a lot of heat on Vince when he left WWE there has since been, reported, discussions and it looks like it’s all water under the bridge. I’d be interested to see if Kurt was offered a year or two reduced schedule pretty soon with WWE, whether he’d take it. I’d sure love to see him in a WWE ring again and this is one man TNA should continue to throw support and weight behind until his very last match.
AJ Styles
We’ll go with a TNA ‘original’ now in AJ Styles. He’s a lot different to Kurt, yes in terms of his in-ring style, but I’m talking career wise. Primarily a TNA guy, with brief spells in NWA and WCW prior to the WWE purchase of World Championship Wrestling, AJ Styles has an almost cult following. It has taken him many years to become comfortable and charismatic with his mic work but he’s been a polished in-ring performer for years now. He really is TNA’s guy, a total utility man up and down the card and a staple of the X-Division when it was at it’s height and world reknowned. He carried the X-Division with the Fallen Angel and Samoa Joe during this time and became a recognised professional wrestling talent, someone any company would be proud to have…perhaps apart from WWE. I think WWE would 100% benefit from having AJ Styles on the books, he can work from all over the ring and has proven he can hang with the best brawlers and technical wrestlers and in main events to boot! I always feared though that his size and mic work kept him from getting a job with WWE post-WCW and since then. Vince doesn’t do much for the smaller guys in the business and since managers are a bygone entity in professional wrestling, AJ would have had to improve his mic work at a much quicker pace had he been with WWE after the fall of WCW. Subsequently I’d suggest Styles to be someone WWE wouldn’t take a risk on but someone I definitely think they SHOULD have on the books.
Sting
I hope you don’t expect me to say much here, you know the story. His debut in 1985 and his most recent TNA World Title win are separated by a legendary and iconic run at the top of his game in WCW. You don’t need me to tell you relevance of Sting being the franchise competition to Flair in WCW or the name “Wolfpac†but what you may be interested in hearing is my view on him and WWE. Let’s be reasonable, Sting would be a HUGE draw for the die-hard wrestling fans who support WWE. Would the younger audience know him? Likely not but the PPV buys and ratings for a Sting run in WWE would be huge. I have one small theory though and I think it makes Sting stand out. People say he shouldn’t retired without once being with the biggest pro wrestling company ever and he deserves a Hall of Fame spot (which I agree with) etc but this is a man who never had to step foot in a WWE ring to make an impact, to become a legend. You have to believe that however good it will be for both parties, if WWE met his terms, Sting doesn’t need to be with WWE at all.
‘Pope’ D’Angelo Dinero and Matt Morgan
I’m going to look at two younger guys now who were with WWE for a short time and since jumped ship to TNA. These are two guys WWE really dropped the ball on I think. Being given heavy mic time and a big push last year the Pope proved he could go in the ring with the best of them and has been a #1 contender to the TNA World title. Matt Morgan, too, has been #1 contender and has something particularly unique about him. He’s not as charismatic or athletic or as easy to get into like Pope is, it’s very easy to engage with Pope and to find him entertaining, but Matt Morgan is a giant. He’s a giant who is BUILT and can go with a surprising amount of speed and athleticism for a man of his stature. When you consider built, muscular giants you look at Kane and the Undertaker and you realise that this type of wrestler is somewhat a dying breed. There are still monsters like Mark Henry or the Big Show but they have one look and it’s being both large around the waist as in terms of height. They are truly effective superstars but there is a void being left by these aging stars that Morgan could easily fill.
Robert Roode
Here’s my pick for someone who could really have a future with WWE if they saw the same potential I do. This man is built, he is athletic, he is comfortable on the mic in live situations, not just on tapings, and he has a tremendous look. His gimmick isn’t emphasised in TNA but look at how HUGE a star he’s become in TNA without having a discernable gimmick since being part of the Beer Money tag-team and with primarily competing in tag-team wrestling. He shows MORE than enough talent between those ropes, his intensity coupled with his power, to show that a major run as a singles superstar is likely not far away. He reminds me of a young Triple H in terms of his look, in-ring style and mic work and if you’re compared to Hunter, you pretty much bring it on every level in that ring. If I was in charge of WWE talent? Be ready for a phone call tomorrow morning Rob.
*Those are guys who I wanted to touch on specifically. You can make arguments for other talent such as James Storm and Samoa Joe perhaps but I don’t think they hold up as well next to the likes of AJ and Robert Roode. Still, worth an honourable mention
*
