Make Your Main Eventer - TNA

[Uncle Sam]

In a completely original thread, I'm going to ask you to map out a potential career path of a midcarder as they make their way to the main event and even beyond if you really want to. So, you could take one of their many, many heavyweight midcarders like James Storm, Robert Roode, Abyss and, erm, Matt Morgan and say what needs to be done to bring them to the top level. Or you could do an X Division wrestler like Alex Shelley or the others that don't have any potential or even Awesome Kong or Hernandez.

James Storm

I've always thought Storm has all the tools to be a main eventer as it is, and just gets wasted with stuff like this Beer Money bullshit. I mean, sure, if he went to the WWE, he'd probably have as much success as, say, Braden Walker. In TNA though, he's the total package.

Anyway, the way to get him to the top is simple; a surprise win. It did wonders for Edge and Punk (well, sort of) with MITB. So there's two ways to do this. One is to wait until Slammiversary. There's normally three or even four guys in the King of the Mountain match that you know aren't going to be walking away with title. Make Storm one of them. Storm gets an early pin on someone you also know isn't going to be leaving with the belt. The champion, Joe being the example here, ends up brawling on the outside with the other three guys as the Pay-Per-View time comes to a close. Storm sneaks up the ladder with the belt Joe dropped and hooks it up. He can then just hang onto it heel style for the coming months and go over a few big names. Instant credibility. Instant main event status.

Alternatively, just put him into the main event of a filler Pay-Per-View. Maybe have him win a qualifying match the week before - oh, how TNA loves their qualifying matches! This'll make it seem much less likely the champion will get toppled, with such little build up. Book it to seem like another storyline thread is going to interfere with the match, like another feud the champion's involved in. Then bang! Last Call, quick pin, new champion.

 

[TheOneBigWill]

Completely Original, eh Sam.. jackass.

At any rate, obviously you went with the ying to my yang.. err yeah.

Robert Roode: Easily hands down has everything to become a World Heavyweight Champion, I mean seriously if Sloppy Joe can do it, Roode could easily have been Champion already.

I think the starting point is a faction, with Roode being the prized guy at the top of the pile. Robert Roode's gimmick is very "Million Dollar Man"-ish, with the exclusion that he doesn't actually use his money for anything. That needs to change, and in a huge way. I think Roode's road to the Heavyweight Championship could be as easy as buying the title and pissing everyone and their half-******ed/related Mother/Sister off.

Easily done, I think it could be said that someone like Abyss could win the World Heavyweight Championship, then turn to Roode's money as a way of acceptance. In return, Roode buying the World Heavyweight Championship would never set well with anyone, making him arguably one of the greatest heels in Professional Wrestling off that alone, and definately in T.N.A. history.

Now unlike the Ted DiBiase angle in which he tried literally buying it, it could go down differently. Have a match signed, and then Abyss randomly lays down, Roode covers and wins, then after the title has officially changed hands.. bam, Roode pays him off.

Now, going back to the faction idea.. Abyss could easily be a lock to become the Enforcer for the newly crowned World Heavyweight Champion, and James Storm could be somewhat of a side-arm (similar to I.R.S.?) although I doubt that duo will last long enough for it to matter.

Another idea is for a young up-start like a Jay Lethal, Sonjay Dutt, or even Kaz to be bought off by Roode and join him. Anything is really possible and the options are seriously limitless in pushing Roode via allowing his character to use more of his background.. and especially his money.

 

[huwtimbrell38]

Alternatively, just put him into the main event of a filler Pay-Per-View. Maybe have him win a qualifying match the week before - oh, how TNA loves their qualifying matches! This'll make it seem much less likely the champion will get toppled, with such little build up. Book it to seem like another storyline thread is going to interfere with the match, like another feud the champion's involved in. Then bang! Last Call, quick pin, new champion.

The problem with this is everyone on the internet scene would shit all over this as a "wasted oppurtunity" to build someone special and bitch about the fact someone was "hotshotted" to the title. I agree with the previous two about Roode and Storm, who kinda remind me of Rated RKO with the exception that they wernt over as singles stars like Edge and Orton were but this storyline could help them move up a level.

Personally i would choose.......

Homicide and Hernandez

Homicide has got a good following both from the independants and now hes over in TNA. he has the ready made faction to help him get to the top. and now he doesnt have the Tag titles to hold him back. If i were to book it i would do a sort of "lets rule TNA together" style storyline for Homicide and Hernandez. Say Homicide wins a Tourney for No1 Contendership...Hernandez questions where this leaves him, so Homicide suggests he goes for the X Division Title. Hes athletic enough and good enough to fit in this division and could be really dominant as champ. Then have Hernandez win the X Division Title in the opening bout...throughout the PPV have shots of Hernandez motivating Homicide to join him in beign a champ.
Now tying in with the Beer Money theme, and their feud which im really enjoying...i would have them come out half way though the bout to try and screw Homicide, have Hernandez come out and take out Beer Money, then have Homicide hit his finisher on whoever is the champ while he is distracted by Hernandez/Beer Money...Homicide for the Pin and LAX celebrate with both titles to close the PPV.
The next night on Impact i would have Beer Money defend their titles against any other tag team, half way through the match have LAX music hit, Roode and Storm turn round to wait their arrival and get pinned to loose the title in the process. Main event have Homicide and the former Champ have their rematch with Homicide gettin the win clean to make sure he looks strong enough as Champ before having Beer Money come out to attack Homicide and Hernandez setting up a new feud to put over all 4 as possible main event singles champs

 

[mentalsynapse]

For me it would have to be Jay Lethal.

I seriously thinks he has what it takes to hang with the big boys. The match he had with Angle for the X Division title was brilliant and showed that he can work with the best of them.
Also, he is way over with the crowd already and is really entertaining. The Black Machismo gimmick is starting to wear thin at the moment and I think that if he was going to go any further, he would eventually have to drop it and just develop his own persona.

After this run with Dutt, I would have him go on a winning streak for a while and then start him up in a program with somebody like Kip James, a mid level heel that will help put him over and make him look strong. Then after that I would have him feud with Scott Steiner, someone who is big so that we have a classic David vs. Goliath match up that can elevate Lethal and put him in the same position as Styles is in now in the company.

He would have some really good matches with people like Booker T, Angle again and Joe. Even though I don't see him being a Champion, I can see him being at the top of the Mid Card pile or at the bottom of the Top of the pile.

 

[finoj05]

Consequences Creed

While he needs work as a performer, as a character, all he needs is development and some hot feuds and he can be the star of the X-Division is no time.

Petey Williams continues to reign as X-Division champion. Consequences Creed wins an X-Division gauntlet at No Surrender for a shot at Petey Williams at Bound For Glory. Consequences Creed wins the big match with Petey Williams. At Genesis, Johnny Devine challenges Consequences but fails. At Turning Point, Sonjay Dutt loses the battle against Creed. At Final Resolution, Consequences Creed, Curry Man, Shark Boy and Jay Lethal are defeated by Sonjay Dutt, Petey Williams and The Motor City Machine Guns in an Elimination X Match when Sonjay Dutt and The Motor City Machine Guns survive and torture Creed.

On iMPACT the next night, Sonjay Dutt defeats Creed for the X-Division title. At Against All Odds, Sonjay Dutt defeats Jay Lethal to retain the X-Division Championship. At Destination X, Sonjay Dutt defeats Jay Lethal and Consequences Creed in an Ultimate X Match. At Lockdown, Sonjay Dutt wins the X-Division Xscape Match that also includes Johnny Devine, Jay Lethal, Consequences Creed, Petey Williams and Curry Man.

At Sacrifice, Jay Lethal and Consequences Creed defeat the Motor City Machine Guns while Shark Boy and Curry Man are defeated by Petey Williams and Johnny Devine.

At Slammiversary 2009, Consequences Creed wins King of the Mountain (the World Title Match, while still the main event, is a singles contest) against Jay Lethal, Sonjay Dutt, Johnny Devine and Petey Williams.

After this, the X-Division Title feud will be halted till Bound For Glory. The X-Division will compete for the chance to face Creed while he sets his sights on becoming a bigger star. AJ Styles elects his help in his fight against the older stars of Kurt Angle and Christian Cage. At Victory Road 2009, Consequences Creed and AJ Styles defeat Kurt Angle and Christian Cage when Creed pins Cage with a roll up. Cage goes crazy and attacks Creed after the match.

Consequences Creed faces Christian Cage at Hard Justice for the X-Division Title. Creed is not 100% after the last attack. Cage defeats Creed for the belt. Christian Cage, cocky about now being X-Division champion, claims that no X-Division star can beat him.

The #1 Contender: Jay Lethal, who before has beaten Kurt Angle, challenges Christian Cage not at Bound For Glory, but at No Surrender. Lethal loses however. Consequences Creed meanwhile wins a fatal four way for the missing spot as the #1 contender for Bound For Glory that includes Petey Williams, Sonjay Dutt and Johnny Devine.

Consequences Creed challenges Christian Cage at Bound For Glory 2009 for the TNA X-Division Championship and wins. Consequences Creed within 2 years of first appearing on TNA Television is a 3-time X-Division Champion, has defeated Christian Cage, won King of the Mountain and re-invigorated the X-Division. Not bad.

Now, where do we go from there? Well... make him a cocky heel and feud him with Jay Lethal. Have him make an X-Division stable and maybe even feud with AJ Styles or a returning Christopher Daniels. You can do so much with this guy.

 

[Ken Starrcade]

I'd want to push Hernandez, and I'd do it as follows.

I would bring in a new guy (preferably a luchador) to be the "third" member of LAX, he should not dress like a typical luchador though he should be in the LAX gang thing. For this post I will call this Luchador Jose, I dunno what his name would actually be. In the angle he is a close friend of Homicide who is there to help even the odds with Beer Money while Homicide is "injured."

So Hernandez feuds with Storm and Roode, at first in singles matches, then after a few weeks go by we bring in Jose and do tag matches too. Hernandez dominates these matches and is always winning, but they don't take the tag belts back. I'd want to work in some celebrity like a UFC star or something into the feud, so he's doing colour commentary on iMPACT and it's Beer Money vs Hernandez/Jose for the tag titles, and the UFC guy interferes to cost LAX the titles. Then Cornette comes down and says no, you can't do that, if you get in a TNA ring you get IN the ring, and books Beer Money/UFC guy vs Hernandez/Jose/Homicide at the PPV, with the tag titles on the line. UFC guy bugs out you can't do this to me etc.

The PPV match will be Homicide's first match back from his "injury." Hernandez dominates while he's in the ring, heels spend the time working on Jose. Homicide does very little. Eventually Hernandez is about to get the pin on the UFC guy when Homicide attacks his own partner, lays him out, Jose helps a bit, Roode pins Hernandez for the win. At the next iMPACT Homicide explains his reasons basically he should come across as bitter and jealous. Jose helped because he is Homicide's friend not Hernandez's. Have Homicide vs Hernandez as the main event that very night, don't save it for the PPV, want to build the momentum now. No clear winner - interference. Hernandez is beaten down and left bloody.

The next iMPACT Homicide, Jose and Beer Money come out to start the show. Jose is by now clearly getting upset with Beer Money's racist promos (Taco Bell stuff etc). Anyway Homicide shows footage from the previous week's beatdown, and says it's just a shame security were able to break it up. Homicide reveals that he signed Hernandez up for two matches - Homicide versus Hernandez tonight, no DQ, and a 6-man tag at the PPV where loser gets fired. Homicide points out that Hernandez has no partners so will surely get fired, and the no-DQ match means mega-interference with no-one to stop it. Cornette comes out, confirms that the matches must go ahead although Hernandez didn't agree to them, because Homicide signed him up for this when LAX was still together. But he says he's sick of this interference and anyone who interferes in the Homicide/Hernandez match will get fired. Cornette also says that to help Hernandez find partners, whoever wins the 6-man-tag will get a world title shot. Hernandez goes over Homicide clean in the Impact match.

Hernandez spends the next several weeks looking for partners, can't find any, no-one wants to risk getting fired. Keeps getting sneak-attacked by Beer Money/heel LAX. After a bit, Jose gets sick of Beer Money's casual racism and abandons his friend Homicide to help Hernandez. Just before the PPV, Joe agrees to be Hernandez's partner because he wants a chance at a title shot and is willing to put his career on the line. So Hernandez/Jose/Joe versus Beer Money/Homicide is the PPV match, winner gets a title shot, losing team gets fired. And if you interfere you're fired too.

Hopefully the feud will have been successful on both sides and at this point Robert Roode and Hernandez will both be seen as legitimate contenders to get that title shot, but obviously my focus is on building Hernandez. In the 6-man match at the PPV, tease a Beer Money break-up by having them argue a little over who is going to get a pin, just to test the waters of fan reaction. Also have Joe and Hernandez argue over who is going to get a pin, similarly. After a long match Joe gets Homicide in the rear naked choke, Jacqueline interferes to break it up. Infuriated he chases her out, which allows the heels to destroy Hernandez. Hernandez makes a massive comeback, Homicide sneaks behind him with a chair, then thinks better of it, throws the chair away, walks away. Hernandez pins Storm and earns his world title shot.

(At this point if Hernandez is not really over enough to be seen as a legitimate champion feud him with Joe who is saying he should get the title shot as he had Homicide beaten in that match. They can have a programme together as an interlude to help get Hernandez build more momentum, then go on to the next stage. Basically they will have a standard feud Hernandez as face, Joe as tweener, PPV match to determine the #1 contender, Hernandez wins. If this is not necessary, have Hernandez vs Joe after Hernandez becomes champion).

The next stage is for Hernandez to demand his title shot immediately on Impact, Cornette says no no no got to wait for PPV, Hernandez impatient, throwing security out of the way, wants to get to the champion (which should be Angle). Build it up like that for a while the two shouldn't even touch before the PPV, Hernandez goes over clean.

Oh, and tying up loose ends:

What happens to Homicide - well, he doesn't get fired because he left the match before the finish so "he didn't lose, he left." He tries to mend his fences with Jose and is eventually accepted back into LAX. So LAX is now Homicide and Jose, still a face team.

Storm and Roode DO get fired on Impact - and so does Jacqueline, because she interfered in the match. Being fired means they are broke now, so they have to hang around begging outside the Impact Zone - Storm begs for beer, Roode begs for money! Play this up for a while, eventually they can be readmitted onto the roster.

 

[willieb33cc]

i would go with Eric Young

now right now he is in a 6-man tag with The Prince Justice League or watever TNA wants to call them, in the middle of the match, Eric Young turns on Shark Boy and Curry Man, and after he takes them out, he takes off his mask, and looks at the crowd in disgust

next week he says that the crowd made him like a goof ball, a super hero, a loser, but now Eric Young, will make Eric Young a winner

he then defeats Shark Boy and Curry Man at No Surrender in a handi-cap match

he then sets his sight on Rhino, and he knocks Rhino out during one of Rhino's matches, it sets up a match at BFG 4 in a Chicago Street Fight, in which Eric Young goes over

Eric Young starts to say that nobody can defeat him, that ever since he has started working for himself, that he has become unstoppable, Abyss comes out and they brawl, there fued sets up a match at Genesis, in a 10,000 tac match, Eric Young wins that too

Now Eric Young says that he can beat anyone, at even there own game, that brings out Christian Cage, who says that nobody beats him in a Ladder Match, because he is the king of ladder matches, Eric Young agrees to a match with Christian at Turning Point, in which Eric Young wins, with the help of Traci Brooks, who is now his full time valet

Eric Young, now cockier and more brash than ever, comes out and says that his competition is gettin to easy, that he wants to fight somebody who deserves to be in the ring with him, and he attacks AJ Styles, backstage, setting up a match at Final Resolution, in which, with the help of Traci, Eric wins

Jim Cornette announces a tournament for a #1 contendership match against the champ, who is a face Sting, Eric Young beats Rhino in the first round of the tournament, clean with his DVD, then in the second round he beats Abyss, with the help of Traci, in the 3rd round and final round Eric Young defeats Christian and Styles in a triple threat, after Styles and Cage mainly fight with each other

at Against All Odds, Eric Young faces Sting for the TNA Championship, Jeff Jarrett comes down and hits Sting with a guitar, and helps Eric Young win the TNA Championship

Eric Young defends his title against Sting succesfully at the next pay per view Destination X, but loses the next month at Lockdown against Kurt Angle