Top 5 TNA Stars That WWE Needs

Top 5 TNA Stars That WWE Needs

                Please Note:  This list was compiled based on names that have never previously had major roles in WWE.   The majority of wrestlers in TNA seem to have either been in WWE at one point in time or just seem to be off of the WWE radar.    Then, you also have guys like Sting who seem to have the drilled into the fan base that they will never go to WWE.    Also, I have purposefully left both Robert Roode and James Storm off of this list, for similar reasons, which may or may not be explained at a later time.

5) Abyss – At one point, several years ago, no one could confirm that Abyss had renewed his TNA contract and rumors were running wild that he was headed to WWE.   Now, here we are years later and Abyss has still not been in WWE but instead he is doing double booking duty as himself and his brother.  

                Is it just me or does it seem like every time Abyss tries to step out of the shadow of wrestlers like Kane and Mankind he just walks himself right back into it?   He just needs another alter ego to fill his Dude Love quota and he’ll be a New York Times best-selling author—I’m sure of it!

                Abyss is a tired, old and stale character (At least in TNA).   He’s a relatively big dude, so he could hang in a WWE ring without problem.   So bring him in, as Abyss or something similar, and have him go in the typical feuds:  John Cena, Sheamus, and Big Show and of course Kane.   Then, when Kane is ready to retire, throw Abyss under the Kane mask and pass the torch.   Simple as that, WWE.   Get on it.

4) AJ Styles - I rank AJ Styles fourth only because I doubt that he will ever come to WWE.   Should TNA go out of business ala WCW, I see AJ Styles taking independent bookings and going back to ROH and what not else.   Then he’d wait around for something new to start up again.   I don’t know.   It seems like the top face of WWE John Cena vs. the face of TNA AJ Styles would make an awesome Wrestlemania main event, but I’m almost certain no one in WWE’s creative trust feels that way.   AJ Styles is like the younger version of Sting with his beliefs in not ever wanting to join WWE though.

3) Christopher Daniels – Much like Abyss, there once was a time when Christopher Daniels was rumored to be going to WWE.   Although, the Fallen Angel had also been fired by TNA and so it seemed more likely that he might end up in a different part of Florida for reasons other than TNA.

                What Christopher Daniels brings to WWE is two things:  A chance to jumpstart the tag team division (If WWE was serious about that) and also potential.   So many WWE Superstars have been introduced as part of a tag team and then gone on to great singles roles.    The list includes but is not limited to names like Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart.    I would try and bring Christopher Daniels into WWE as part of a tag team with Frankie Kazarian.   Can you imagine these two guys in the ring against Kofi Kingston and (should he ever return from injury without getting injured or suspended again) Evan Borne?    I actually saw Christopher Daniels and Evan “Matt Sydal” Borne main event an ROH show in person as a tag team, so to see them on opposite sides would be quite interesting.   Not to mention that WWE has teams like Primo and Colon and some other smaller guys, so this would be a nice way to introduce Christopher Daniels, as a smaller wrestler, to the WWE audience.    He could be the next Shawn Michaels or he could quickly be future endeavored when they decide to drop the tag team division again.   Either way, he at least deserves a chance in WWE.

2) Samoa Joe – Yes, we have also heard rumors before of Samoa Joe going to WWE.    Then, Joe himself pretty much shuts down all rumors as he says he’ll stay loyal to TNA.   I don’t really see Joe fighting WWE style, but look at what guys like CM Punk and Bryan Danielson are doing. If they could somehow have Samoa Joe skip developmental and come straight to the main roster, they’d just have to present it as a huge deal.

                This is what I would do (Obviously I have a scenario in mind):   I would bring Samoa Joe in first as a heel.   It will be easier for people who do not know who he is to boo him than cheer for him, especially if he’s beating up their friends.   Now, we’d have to have some sort of face as the WWE Champion.   If this was to happen sooner than later (Like next year) I’d say we should have the WWE Title on The Rock.   (No, I’m not joking)   So then it’s the Royal Rumble and John Cena has entered in hopes of going to Wrestlemania to defeat The Rock and become WWE Champion.   The deck is stacked against him, as always, but he seems to be able to overcome the odds.    We have Samoa Joe come around somewhere in the middle to end of the match, definitely as a huge surprise, and then we eventually make it down to the final two:  John Cena and Samoa Joe.   Everyone would assume that John Cena should very easily throw him over and win.   It’s in the bag now, because not only is he an unknown to some people but he also is making his WWE debut.   You don’t win the Royal Rumble in your WWE debut… unless you’re Samoa Joe.     

                So bam, Joe eliminates Cena, excites the male vocal crowd who recognizes him and makes all of the Cena fans cry.    Samoa Joe goes on to Wrestlemania, wins the title from The Rock and eventually has a match with John Cena and many others.   But this would be a great way to build up a credible heel who could eventually turn face given the right positioning.    This idea only really works for Samoa Joe because, you know, guys like A-Train… Not so much.

Austin Aries – This is a tough one.   I really do believe that Austin Aries is what every wrestler should be, size be damned.   At one point in time, Aries was in TNA as “Austin Starr” and when that all ended it seemed like he’d remain on the indie scene forever or go to WWE.   Then he made some comments in an interview about how he doesn’t like that wrestlers have to seemingly start over in WWE when they’ve been World Champions somewhere else.   While I completely agree with him, it probably didn’t help his chances of getting offered a WWE deal.

                So, now that he’s on the rise in TNA, could he come to WWE?   I certainly hope so.   He could very easily be booked against anyone currently in WWE or anyone I’d like to see come over from TNA into WWE.   But the question is… how to book him.

                Well, Austin Aries pretty much gives you the idea yourself on how to book him.   It’s quite simple, really.   Screw vignettes.   Vignettes are for every wrestler.   Austin Aries needs a public press conference.    In fact, Austin Aries needs an announcement on WWE Raw the week before his public press conference to announce that next week he’ll be having a live press conference to announce his signing with WWE.   This needs to work out better than MVP and guys like that though.

                Don’t have Austin Aries start out small.   Push him right to the top.   Have him come in the same way Hulk Hogan came to WCW.    Treat him like a big deal and people will think he’s a big deal—or at least boo him, which is also good for a heel reaction. 

                Austin Aries needs to be presented as a former World Champion and he needs to come into WWE with a guaranteed title shot.   Has WWE ever done that before?  I don’t know.   But it would definitely be interesting.   Austin Aries wouldn’t even have to fight anyone first.   His first match could be for the title or against someone else, it doesn’t matter.

                As I type this, CM Punk is the WWE Champion and Sheamus is the World Champion.   So I’d have Austin Aries show up to do commentary (To put himself over) and kind of scout both champions and decide who he wants to face.    Could he possibly become a distraction at ringside and cost a challenger the title, so they end up having a match and brief feud before Aries’ title shot?  Sure, why not.   You just have to play it by ear, but having a strong game plan going in just means so much to doing this character right. 

REMIX: Why Brock is No Shamrock

Why Brock is No Shamrock

(Please Note:  This article was originally submitted for publishing by a wrestling website that I won’t name, but if you do any research about me you’ll probably be able to guess who rejected it.   The story goes like this:  I basically came up with this theory, upon Brock Lesnar returning to WWE and them wanting to play up the “realness” of WWE, that no matter what WWE did they still couldn’t pull it off the same way that they did with Ken Shamrock, mainly because Shamrock went from UFC (without rules) to WWE, whereas Lesnar went from WWE to UFC and then returned to WWE.   I never quite got that idea on the right track and these words became jumbled, rambling and all around just a mess.   I guess I’m only posting this here to let you know what you probably already know and that is the simple fact that my writing can often be poor.   Also, that particular website was right not to publish this guest editorial as, after re-reading it, I can see how it lacks a certain something.   – J.M.)

When Brock Lesnar first returned to WWE my immediate thought was “This is going to be a disaster”.   Whether or not I am proven wrong (“Time makes fool of us all” – Philip J. Fry) remains to be seen but the one resounding fact that continues to haunt my brain is that no matter what WWE does or could do at this point Brock Lesnar will never be in the same league as Ken Shamrock.

                This is neither the fault of Brock Lesnar or WWE but perhaps could be better blamed on the way that times have changed.    Back when Ken Shamrock first entered WWE, UFC was practically without any rules.    Shamrock was billed as this no-holds-barred fighter who could knock your teeth out or break one or more of your bones and that was just another day in the cage for him.    For all intent and purposes, Ken Shamrock was built up to be a caged animal being freed from his cage and wreaking his havoc on the WWE superstars.

                On the other side of the coin, Brock Lesnar, who does have a legit amateur background in wrestling, has already been in WWE.   Lesnar is not a new face coming into WWE from UFC with this unpredictable quality that Shamrock brought with him.    Most people see the return of Brock Lesnar as being simply: “He went from that fake wrestling, to the real thing and then back to that fake stuff”.   While UFC in the time of Ken Shamrock was never questioned as being fake (I mean, they did lose a sponsor because he got hit my a dislodged tooth, nowadays it seems like UFC’s risk of losing sponsors is merely because their fighters are immature and don’t when to keep their mouths shut for the money they make), however recently there have been more and more critics questioning whether or not UFC was indeed rigged, with Dana White constantly having to defend it and himself.   (Did anyone else see that Chris Leben loss to Michael Bisping?  I’m not saying UFC is fake, but if it is that right there would be my first clue.)

`               Aside from changes within the UFC, you also have to look at how WWE has changed.   When Ken Shamrock came into WWE, he brought an old UFC rival with him in Dan Severn.   Severn already had ties to professional wrestling, but it didn’t matter.   When these two got together, they had many pull apart fights that were perhaps some of the most exciting times in WWE and really showed Ken Shamrock as a viable force.    In all honesty, when I was a kid I had action figures of nearly all WWE wrestlers but I got Ken Shamrock and Dan Severn in a two pack together.   The fights that I made them have were among some of the best simply because it was one of the best WWE rivalries outside of Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart.   Two guys were always fighting each other for some reason or another (Booker T fought Edge once at Wrestlemania over shampoo), but Shamrock and Severn really hated each other.   This wasn’t like your typical WWE feud that would change from month to month, this was real.    Concluding his feud with Dan Severn, Ken Shamrock went on to fight other names that seemed like legitimate threats to him such as Steve Blackman and Owen Hart.   Ultimately, Ken Shamrock fell into the WWE shuffle and ended up just getting lost, fighting the likes of Billy Gunn and Val Venis, and I believe that really is what changed his WWE career and why it ended.

                Now with Brock Lesnar coming back you have to wonder who he has potential opponents that could bring some legitimacy to his fighting.    If Allistair Overeem was a better known name and he had history with Brock Lesnar, I would suggest WWE bringing him in if UFC lets him go, but that would probably just be a disaster waiting to happen.   The only opponent I could really think to bring in for Lesnar would be Frank Mir but I highly doubt that would ever happen.   So where are the Steve Blackman and Owen Hart caliber wrestlers today?   WWE just seems so blah without the amateur background wrestlers such as Kurt Angle, Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin that they once had.   In fact, the only wrestler I can think of in WWE with an amateur background is Jack Swagger and, well, it’s best if we not think about what has happened to his career.   If WWE were to have a Brawl-For-All  this summer, who would be around to compete in it?   Where are the stiff wrestlers and legit workers like JBL and Bob Holly?

                Brock Lesnar may end up adding some legitimacy to WWE, but that is a notion I would not place my money on.   Lesnar is already ages behind what Ken Shamrock did for UFC and WWE.

WWE Killed Owen Hart (No, Literally)

Courtney Love killed Kurt Cobain.   There was a second shooter in the assassination of JFK.   Andy Kaufman, Elvis and 2Pac are still alive and living on a remote island somewhere.    It seems like there are theories about the death of almost every celebrity that died in even the slightest bit of controversy.   Why is there no theory that WWE murdered Owen Hart?   And I don’t mean that in the sense that he was under their employ at the time, I literally mean that they cut the cable which lead to his fatal fall.

                When looking to prove this point, the evidence just seems to write itself.   Around the same time that Owen Hart died, the television series “Walker, Texas Ranger” had filmed an episode where a wrestler fell to his death in a similar fashion of Owen Hart, though this was an actual murder case that Chuck Norris had to solve.  (If I remember correctly, the booker man did it)   I remember reading about the episode finally getting to air some time later, and I watched it, but now when I look back I wonder why it wasn’t taken more seriously?   How come no one watched that episode and wondered if WWE had done the same thing to Owen Hart?   Sure, the Hart Family had law suits filed against WWE and settled for undisclosed sums, but I feel like it was always ruled as an accident and not the direct act of malice that it might very well have been.

                Obviously for the WWE to have pulled the proverbial trigger, they must have had the means.   Any detective will tell you that’s one of the first things to look for in a homicide case.   Could WWE have done it?   Simply put:  Yes.   I had always heard that a test run was done by someone else earlier in the day with no problems, yet when Owen went on the cable he somehow managed to break it and had it fall.  Has the idea of foul play been ruled out?  Did anyone even look to see if perhaps the cable was tampered with, triggered to split and cause the fall?   I’m sure that this was part of the formal investigation, but since everyone seemed to be in agreement that this was an accident, I’m just wondering how hard they looked at the evidence.

                The next thing- and perhaps most important- a good detective will tell you to look for is the motive.   Why would WWE have killed one of their own?   Actually, when you look at it now from a business standpoint, it makes quite a bit of sense.   For one thing, Owen Hart was a veteran of the WWE, having been one of the wrestlers to be there the longest at the time of his death, and yet, he was not able to achieve the grand prize of being WWE Champion.   Was Owen Hart ever seen as having main event potential?  Could Owen Hart ever have been as big a draw as other top wrestlers?   While that issue can be speculated upon by many (including wrestlers themselves), the simple fact remains that it only matters what the WWE happens to think.   At a time when Owen Hart should have rightfully been having classic singles matches in the main events of pay-per-views worldwide, he was instead saddled in numerous tag teams and could break free on his own.   You don’t need to work for WWE to know that his merchandise wasn’t exactly a top seller.  In fact, WWE had Owen Hart under a mask as the Blue Blazer character at the time of his death.   Does anyone think that someone portraying such a parody of a character was ever championship material, at least in the eyes of WWE?

                One thing that always bothered me most about Owen Hart’s death was his widow confessing that they had just bought a house and were about to settle down at the time of his passing.   Owen Hart was about to retire.   Whether or not WWE felt like he was championship material, he was about to get out.    Now you have to keep in mind that we were not that far removed from Bret Hart leaving WWE for WCW in one of the most infamous incidents in all of wrestling history that would become known as “The Montreal Screwjob”.   If Vince McMahon and WWE were that worried about Bret Hart trying to appear on the competition with their championship belt, imagine what would have happened if Owen Hart went to WCW and they made him into the champion that fans saw him being but WWE never felt he deserved.   Sure, Owen Hart was on the verge of retirement, but come on, WCW brought Hulk Hogan out of retirement, amongst many others.    If WCW had offered Owen Hart twice the money he was making in WWE to work alongside his brother and do half the work, would he have accepted it?   You can’t say yes for definite, but you can imagine that idea floating around in the back of the mind of WWE.

                Had Owen Hart actually been able to retire, then what would WWE have to gain?   Owen Hart’s death- as tragic as it is- was actually really good for WWE business, as Owen kind of became an unspoken legend and what not.    Granted, WWE currently can’t make any DVDs, t-shirts, action figures or, well, anything with Owen’s name or likeness on it per the law suit by his widow, but do you think WWE knew that going in?  In death, Owen Hart could’ve made ten times (if not more) what he did in life, and WWE is always willing to do what’s best for business.   (It’s the wrestling business, not the wrestling friends)  If Owen Hart’s widow had more of an “Well, accidents happen, but let’s do what’s right for the fans”, she and WWE could both have a lot more money right now from merchandising.   Again, this was just a wrench thrown into the WWE wheel that they probably didn’t factor into their whole equation and plot to kill for the good of the business.

                With all that being said, I think we are missing the most important part still.   In 1999, Owen Hart and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin faced off for the Intercontinental Title.   In the match, a tombstone piledriver (a move which would later become outlawed by WWE) broke the neck of Austin, leaving him out of action for a considerable time.   The storyline was that Austin was fired and he kept finding ways to come back and rebel without actually wrestling.   WWE will play it off as making the most of a bad time.   But no matter how strong the ratings might have been, anyone will tell you that a wrestling Stone Cold would have had better ratings and pay-per-view buyrates than the injured one.    Did WWE perhaps somehow blame Owen Hart for Steve Austin’s neck breaking?   If WWE did indeed murder Owen Hart, could this have been the main reason for it, or at least one of the strong underlying factors, coupled with reasons previously stated and some we still don’t know about? 

                I’ll admit that WWE may not have killed Owen Hart.   I certainly don’t believe that Vince McMahon himself cut the rope because he would have had someone lower on the totem pole do it for him.   But you do have to wonder if all of these factors are merely coincidental or somehow connected.

CM Punk: Best in the World

Wow is there a lot going on in the world of professional wrestling right now, mainly within WWE and their title picture.   I’m rather interested to see how this story plays out between now and, well, Wrestlemania—if WWE is indeed booking that far in advance. 

This is my idea for how to keep everything interesting, though it will probably not happen.   Still, I feel it’s worth mentioning.  

First off, I think we can all expect right now a ladder match at Summerslam ala Shawn Michaels and Razor Ramon to crown the one true WWE Champion.   While many people expect to see CM Punk vs. John Cena straight up, why not throw Rey Mysterio into the mix?   For one thing, Mysterio has nothing else going on.  For another, Alberto Del Rio is always lingering in the background with the briefcase to cash in and Rey seems a likely opponent for him in that regard.   So for Summerslam, I would book a three way ladder match and have CM Punk win it simply because Rey Mysterio and John Cena would sort of cancel each other out.   This could even lead to a pay-per-view match between Rey and Cena down the line.   Then we still have time (and much needed build up to further the intensity) of another singles match between CM Punk and John Cena.   How does that come about you ask?  I’d say something like this…

Distract John Cena with Rey Mysterio and whoever else, while also having CM Punk retaining his title over babyfaces that are deemed number one contender to establish his cred as a champion.   Now at the Royal Rumble, we will finally have John Cena face CM Punk one on one.   Can WWE wait that long to pull the trigger on this feud?  I certainly hope so because the outcome could be amazing.   It isn’t that many PPVs away if WWE could just… wait.

At the Royal Rumble, everyone will expect Cena to win the belt back then go on to face The Rock for the title in the main event of Wrestlemania.   However, I think that the Cena-Rock match is big enough without the title on the line.   In fact, The Rock can use the very fact that Cena said he’d go into the match as champion and isn’t against him.   It’d be brilliant.  

Having John Cena face CM Punk at the Royal Rumble for the WWE Title would also keep John Cena out of the Royal Rumble match itself.   I think that if by January 1^st, John Cena is not WWE Champion he shouldn’t be granted any opportunities (Unless this scenario plays out) simply because then instead of combining two matches at Wrestlemania, we could have two (or even three) main events.

While we all know that John Cena vs. The Rock will happen, what else can WWE do to make Wrestlemania seem huge?   My take?  A surprise Royal Rumble entrant who not only wins the Rumble match, but goes on to challenge CM Punk at Wrestlemania.   Who should that man be?   Stone Cold Steve Austin would be a dream, but HHH is more likely seeming.  

On top of all of this, Daniel Bryan has vowed to cash in his Money In The Bank briefcase at Wrestlemania so he can be in the main event.   Sorry, Mr. Former American Dragon, but I don’t think anyone is going to be in the last spot except for Cena and Rock.   In any event, how should this feud play out?  One way is to simply have Chris Jericho return at the Royal Rumble and win the match.   Jericho, a fellow Canadian and friend, announces he will face Christian at Wrestlemania… until Bryan reveals it will be a triple threat.    I fully realize that two men cannot win the Royal Rumble match (again), so if this were to occur, we could just have HHH name CM Punk’s opponent as Stone Cold to a huge pop on RAW.   Who knows.  Let the WWE writers handle that.   But if done carefully enough, we could be looking at a Wrestlemania that features John Cena vs. The Rock, CM Punk vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin and Christian vs. Chris Jericho vs. Bryan Danielson.    It’s a modest start for a venture WWE probably hasn’t planned that far into yet.    Now let them also work some sort of ROH stable in with CM Punk, featuring the likes of Colt Cabana, Chris Hero and Claudio Castagnoli.   Hmm…

WWE Wrestlemania 28 Main Event // Kurt Angle

                The biggest post-Wrestlemania news involving WWE is that there has been a Wrestlemania main event set for one year in advance.   Yes, in a little less than a year now, at Wrestlemania 28, John Cena will go one on one with The Rock.   While many have criticized the notion (and I don’t disagree with their logic), I think this could potentially be a great thing.    Having the time to really build something up like this… The amount of anticipation could make this really huge.   Plus, as of right now, neither man has a championship and if that stays true come next year, then this could make Wrestlemania that much even more interesting and must-see. 

                Right now, based on WWE hitting the proverbial reset button on their feud board due to their year ending and then starting anew, I could see the following scenarios if Wrestlemania 28 were not so far away.   First off, I’d put Edge (who would lose the World Title) in a match against WWE Champion The Miz.   While this may seem like something that’s been done before, the clause would be that if Edge were to lose he’d have to retire.    Sure, “The Streak” always plays on the idea of retirement, but it’s a good one, so why not use it?

                Then, I would put a returning Chris Jericho (as a face) to win the Royal Rumble and face the World Champion Alberto Del Rio.   Why?   Why not?   Y2J vs. ADR would be money both in the ring and on the mic.   The last time Chris Jericho came back, he wanted to rid the WWE of all the badness, so this should be right up his sleeve.   Also, Jericho has feuded with JBL before, so… I’m just putting it out there.

                Right now it seems like the only viable option for an Undertaker opponent would be HHH in a rematch from Wrestlemania 27.   However, if HHH can fight the Undertaker a second time (Though no one really mentioned the first time during this feud) then why can’t Randy Orton?   Think about it.   Everyone says no one other than HHH has that big match feel with the Undertaker and “The Streak”, but I think that Randy Orton could definitely pull it off.    The first time that Orton faced ‘Taker I felt he should have ended “The Streak”.  Needless to say that this time around they might not be able to right a wrong but they can do something just as cool.   While Randy Orton won’t officially beat the Undertaker (he’s going to 20-0, let’s all just admit that now) the Undertaker could still decide it has been a good run and hang it up after Wrestlemania 28.    Randy Orton won’t be able to say he broke “The Streak”, but he can still say he had the last match with the Undertaker the way that Shawn Michaels did with Ric Flair and HHH did with Mick Foley.   (sigh)

                Right there, you have four matches I’d be really excited to see happen (Even if the players were slightly altered)   Get to work on it, WWE, you have the time!

                In less relevant wrestling news, TNA Wrestler Kurt Angle posted thoughts to his Twitter about wrestlers using other wrestlers’ moves.   While I won’t go into all of the sad details of this (Or his recent DUI, as reported by TMZ.com), I must say that I am very worried for Kurt Angle.    Back when Chris Benoit killed his wife, son and then himself, Chris Jericho said on one of those MSNBC type interviews that if you had put Benoit in a room with twenty people he’d be the one Jericho thought was least capable of something like that.   That idea has always haunted me because I never knew who Chris Jericho felt would be the most likely and what their current status is.    I don’t want to say this to offend anyone or to make anyone do anything too drastic (Come on, I’m just a guy with a blog), but does anyone else see the eerie parallels between Chris Benoit and Kurt Angle?   In this (not so) newfound stage of disillusionment Kurt Angle seems to be a short time away from doing something drastic.     I really feel like people need to take these things more seriously than they do and look for warning signs.   What sent Chris Benoit over the edge?   Was it too many chairshots (and blows in general) to the head?  Kurt Angle could very easily have suffered from the same.   Was it because he got all crazy looking, with his hair, beard and overall just the look in his eyes?  Kurt Angle has been going to that place as well, if you look at him closely enough.   Was it because his wife left him for someone else?   Karen Angle did end up with Jeff Jarrett, who is sort of a wrestling booker…  I’m just saying, the stories seem to have too many coincidences for someone not to take this the least bit seriously.