Would a WWE, TNA invasion have worked?

[FromGlasgow]

With loads of the old TNA roster working for WWE now anyway,
Would a faction of TNA style talent such as AJ Styles, Samoa Joe, Bobby Roode, James Storm, Eric Young, Magnus, Austin Aries or others have worked a couple of years ago in sort of an NWO or Nexus style invasion? We hadn't seen a large faction for a while and think it would have been a good way to introduce a lot of the TNA talent giving them an instant impact on the roster. A couple of years ago I thought they would be going in a similar direction with a Bullet Club type faction with Balor, Styles, Anderson and Gallows but having a TNA one where they all have years of history fighting with and against each other, Could have had a lot of great rivalries against the WWE guys seeing that they messed up the previous WWE vs WCW and ECW invasion attempts of 2001.
Or is it a horrible idea?

 

[Khalifa]

I’m not sure about a few years ago but I do like the idea. It probably would’ve ended up worse than WCWs invasion but the potential is there and I think that’s the important thing. I reckon 2008/2009 was the year TNA had its best roster chance to compete as not only was the roster stacked (Angle, Joe, Styles, Abyss, Sting, RVD, Roode and Storm, plus conuntless other good tag teams and up and comers), but it was also gaining a lot of attention around then, it was one of the best periods for TNA. There could of been some great matches and great storylines there, but at the end of the day we know what the outcome would’ve been and that’s TNA get shat on.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

Even at their peak they were a distant second to WWE. It wouldn't have worked.

 

[King Patrick Star]

I love this idea!! I wouldn’t mind a TNA faction or the Bullet Club invading the WWE. It could work really well…if done right, course. One faction that I really would have loved to have seen invade the WWE is the Main Event Mafia!! Granted the original M.E. Mob would be managers and announcers for the stable, but pulling in TNA guys who can still go would be a great idea, as long as they stick to the M. E. Mob mentality of only having World Champions on their team. Imagine a stable consisting of AJ Styles, Samoa Joe, Bobby Roode, James Storm, Eric Young, Magnus, and Austin Aries, all led by Kurt Angle as their manager, Chet Lemon and Black Snow as their voice in the announcers’ table, with Sting and Scott Steiner making sporadic appearances.

 

[@smarkmouth]

I've always thought that the failure of the WCW wasn't the lack of WCW's bigger names. It was WWE creative(see Vince)'s refusal to make WCW look like a threat. WWE looked better at every turn, and it took a bullshit defection to (almost) make them taken seriously.

In no way, no version of reality, does WWE make TNA look like a threat of any kind at any point.

Edit: if it wasn't clear, I meant to refer to the WCW invasion.

 

[Jonyboyuk2]

NO CHANCE IN HELL! TNA has never been close to competing with WWE. Even when WCW had been around 12 years before it went bust, for some time (about 2 years) it drew huge ratings (WWE would love them figures for Raw even now) and the fans did not even have an interest in it. TNA/Impact is not on the same level of WWE and most people would be confused. At least with NEXUS 8 years ago they had come via NXT, which some of the WWE audience knew about. TNA is boring - and I take absolutely nothing away from the hard working wrestlers there who do a wonderful job - and has never been booked effectively since it began really.

And because of that- nobody would care and the angle would bomb. I doubt it would make it through 3 episodes of RAW before it was canned.

 

[enviousdominous]

TNA, at the height of their popularity, weren't a major competitor for the WWE. I compare TNA and the WWE in the same way that I'd compare the AWA and the WWF. There hasn't been, and likely never will be, a competitor on par with what WCW was during the late 1990s.

A TNA invasion angle would devalue the individuals coming over from TNA. The implication being that they don't really want to be a part of the WWE, but that they want to prove why TNA is better than WWE. Fans wouldn't really be spooked by anybody showing up, since most of TNA's major performers already have had extensive programs in the WWE.

It might work if they do an angle where AJ Styles feels misused and he challenges the McMahons to some kind of Bragging Rights PPV where TNA alumni are pitted against WWE.

The question at hand; would it have worked a year ago? Nope. Maybe as a challenge to the NXT roster, but that might elevate NXT beyond the WWE.

 

[Spidey Revivey]

Kinda hard to have an invasion from a company that is still active.

Wouldn't do anything but get eyes on frankenTNA, which would be stupid for a company as big as WWE to do. Everybody knew WCW was a big deal at one point. At their peak, TNA was nowhere near close to touching that.

 

[ABMorales787]

No.

 

[Richard Blonoff]

"Hey guys, you know how TNA gave us the shaft on pay all the time and screwed Jessie Sorensen out of insurance and almost killed Daffney and paid hundreds of thousands of dollars they could have paid us to c-list celebrities? We should go to war on their behalf against the biggest wrestling company in the world!"

 

[therockiswwf]

I've always thought that the failure of the WCW wasn't the lack of WCW's bigger names. It was WWE creative(see Vince)'s refusal to make WCW look like a threat. WWE looked better at every turn, and it took a bullshit defection to (almost) make them taken seriously.

In no way, no version of reality, does WWE make TNA look like a threat of any kind at any point.

Edit: if it wasn't clear, I meant to refer to the WCW invasion.

DDP, Booker T, Buff Bagwell, Lance Storm and...maybe Hugh Morrus vs Rock, Austin, Undertaker, Angle, Jericho (or Kane, HHH, Show). There was a reason Shane was in the SS match.

Yeah, it was the lack of WCW star power.