Earlier Dave made mention of TNA taking an interest in The American Wolves, Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards plus Roderick Strong, a trio most known for their tenures in Ring of Honor as World Champions. I found this interesting as it is yet another rumor surrounding Richards and Edwards who at this point seem to be the most sought after talents outside WWE. But do TNA have an actual chance? Well I've taken a look into some details surrounding Davey and Eddie, exempting Roderick for the moment.
What do Davey and Eddie gain from signing for TNA? They get more exposure. It needs to be stated, not that much exposure but national television is national television. They'll have the opportunity to perform in-front of bigger crowds. Like the exposure, the crowds aren't that bigger. ROH can run in the NYC area and draw a larger crowd than TNA, lets not forget TNA's previous two NYC shows have drawn under 1,000, while ROH consistently sell-out the Hammerstein Ballroom with ease. I expect nothing less from Final Battle next month mind you. And possibly more money. I say possibly because there is no guarantee.
Davey Richards is one of the highest paid ROH performers going. Beneath Steen nobody is making more money and that's not including how much Kevin gets out of merch which is a lot by the way, guy is a great salesman for his own brand. Davey is working pay-per-appearance for ROH right now and I've been told that has only increased how much he is being paid. Davey could be making anywhere between $500 - 600 a show. Take into consideration that ROH has ran two shows this month and are running two this weekend with Davey booked on all. He's making good money.
Eddie Edwards is different. While Eddie doesn't command the same money deal from ROH he does more independent bookings than Richards does. Eddie is a regular on the lower indies and does it more-so for fun and less for the money. Having spoken to Eddie recently at a show in Ralegh, NC he's living solely off his wrestling career which is a lot more than a lot of independent wrestlers can say. I'd go as far as to say if you're not working for ROH you're working either double the indie dates or a part-time job.
Back to Richards before I forget, he also works part-time as a paramedic in St. Louis, as well as a personal trainer for a local gym. He's also engaged to a chiropractor who has done work for the UFC. Davey doesn't need money. I'd say Davey makes more a week than the average full time employed male. Edwards could be a different story but back to the subject at hand, how much would it take for TNA to pry The Wolves from their home?
Well first of all, ROH have put contracts on the table. And I'm being told their not just any normal contract, Sinclair has been involved which could mean the money being offered is above what a talent is traditionally offered. ROH is planning on running even more dates next year. 2013 has been one of the busier years for the company and Sinclair's plan for expansion sees the company going into even more areas in the next year, possibly out west or even further south. The Texas show from the summer is a perfect example that ROH can draw in that region. So if Davey and Eddie were to sign new contracts they can continue taking their indie bookings while working for ROH as two of the top paid guys.
TNA has the money, but restrictions are now in place. The brain behind the idea is Dave Lagana who worked for ROH as head of creative and a production assistant during their time on HDNet. Lagana is big fans of The American Wolves and has been telling people in the company for years to bring them in. The problem in TNA is they don't acknowledge proper talent unless they've worked for WWE. The perfect example of this is Kazuchika Okada, the current IWGP Heavyweight Champion who TNA were gifted a few years ago but was wasted due to an insubordinate creative with little clue of what to do with him. He later went back to NJPW and has sold out house after house with minimal issue.
For Davey and Eddie, signing for TNA would be a gamble. Their not guaranteed good money, especially considering they'll most probably be offered pay-per-appearance deals which the majority of the roster is on. The money TNA will offer them won't be as good as what their getting in ROH, unless Lagana can convince people backstage just how important the two could become. And their not guaranteed they'll be used correctly. Not to mention they have close friends who can offer them advice, Nigel McGuinness being one who was very vocal in his documentary about how the differences between working for TNA and ROH are minimal and that TNA didn't benefit his name or career.
As of now The American Wolves are still under WWE's radar, because of this TNA has taken notice like they have in the past. Before Bryan and Nigel signed for WWE, TNA contacted both and told them if it didn't work out they had jobs there. The only reason Nigel accepted was because ROH gave him such a good send off. Same reason why when Bryan was released in 2010 he didn't go back and opted to work for DGUSA and Evolve instead. So if WWE don't come calling TNA is a second option, but not the only one. They can continue helping ROH grow and expand in-front of an audience familiar with them and their styles while making good money or go to TNA for a possible money increase, with more exposure in-front of slightly (I'm being realistic here) bigger live audience in certain regions of the country. They've no guarantees on how creative will use them or that they will remain as a team.
I should note that in this weeks Newswire, ROH mentioned that news is coming on The Wolves soon. Whether it's news that their staying or going is yet to be seen, but by the conclusion of the year it is plausible that The American Wolves are no longer working for ROH.
