What I mean is, that I see some success coming for the ex-TNA superstars. There have been threads about R-Truth being underutilized, but now he's on a mini roll, and still over. Gail Kim has been moved to Raw after doing little on Smackdown. I think this is a great move, she would work well with the divas there, she will be champ. And with the lack of talent in ECW, I'm sure there have been ideas of bringing up fresh talent, and both Kaval and Hoyt are under contract, so I would not be surprised to see them. Thoughts?
Former TNA wrestlers being pushed in WWE?
- Thread starter KillBill
- Start date
HHH=The Peoples King
Occasional Pre-Show
But R-Truth and Gail Kim isnt gonna bring anything major, as if AJ Styles or Samoa Joe, cam or if Kurt Angle came back
jokeboy624
Pre-Show Stalwart
As soon as they actually do something, you can start to talk about a former WWE star that went to TNA and came back push. That's what Kim, R-Truth, and Christian all have in common. A homegrown TNA talent has yet to do anything in the WWE and I don't see that happening anytime soon. Monty Brown didn't do much, maybe he could have, but he left too soon. Harris ruined any push he was going to get by being just terrible in the WWE. The closest thing you have is CM Punk and he was there for what? Two weeks?
Former TNA wrestlers won't get a push in the WWE until an actual star comes over. Sorry, an actual home-grown TNA star.
Former TNA wrestlers won't get a push in the WWE until an actual star comes over. Sorry, an actual home-grown TNA star.
Muffin Top Merkley
Be a man!
And where did R-Truth and Gail Kim start before TNA?
WWE!
So really I don't think there is much to your theory at all. Should Gail Kim get pushed? Without a doubt! But she belongs back in TNA where she could actually showcase her talents.
WWE!
So really I don't think there is much to your theory at all. Should Gail Kim get pushed? Without a doubt! But she belongs back in TNA where she could actually showcase her talents.
ap35hs3on7zso62s
Dark Match Winner
You gotta remember man....these 'former TNA stars' were actually in WWE before they even went to TNA....so....I don't see anything really significant here :] lmao
How is that?
Lets see the four most significant stars from TNA are Christian, Punk, R-Truth, and Gail Kim! And R-Truth, Gail Kim, and Christian both started off on WWE! And they played a very significant roll on TNA, Christian along with Kurt, AJ, and Jarrett being the face of TNA, R-Truth being a 2 time world champ, and Gail Kim being the top diva on TNA! And now lets look at Punk. He was barely there and his biggest feud was a non-significant feud with Raven! And he is being pushed to the moon! Christian, Kim, and R-Truth are dying!
Lets see the four most significant stars from TNA are Christian, Punk, R-Truth, and Gail Kim! And R-Truth, Gail Kim, and Christian both started off on WWE! And they played a very significant roll on TNA, Christian along with Kurt, AJ, and Jarrett being the face of TNA, R-Truth being a 2 time world champ, and Gail Kim being the top diva on TNA! And now lets look at Punk. He was barely there and his biggest feud was a non-significant feud with Raven! And he is being pushed to the moon! Christian, Kim, and R-Truth are dying!
I agree she should be in TNA. In TNA, its not all about their bodies, its about them in the ring, competing and show casing their wrestling skills. In WWE, no one is able to really show case anything in the Diva division. It's sad too, because they use to have really good feuds over the women's championship until they went PG(probably before that too, but i hardly watch until like two years ago).
As far as Gail goes, she came back for the money, and nothing else. WWE offered her more money and the bigger shot at being a star, and she took it.
Was R-truth in TNA? i've just recently started to watch TNA, so I have no idea.
Gail kim moving to Raw was the best move,Gail was doing nothing on smackdown except jobbing to Michelle every week and becoming the biggest jobber ever after jillian hall.Gail hasn't won a match on TV in almost 3 months and that's a disgrace.I read on the Raw spoilers that Gail pinned Maryse in divas tag action next week and all i have to say is THANK GOD.Hopifully the Raw writers will see gails talent and make her win the divas title down the line and make her the 1st woman to hold all 3 titles,womens,divas,and knockouts,Gail would be and should be the 1st triple crown champion
I know they were in WWE before, I've been a fan for 20 years. The fact is, is that they all ledft WWE to become bigger stars. I'm not talking about Christian or all ex TNA people, or I'd be talking about MVP and Punk too. I'm talking about the 4 I mentioned, 2 who have never been in WWE, and Truth and Gail who were big parts of TNA. I'm just saying I feel that they are about to finally be pushed in WWE.
foxhound101
Dark Match Jobber
Paul London did fair for a while. As long as he was part of a tag team...would love to see london back in TNA tho...
With the way WWE has handled ex TNA guys like R-Truth, Chris Harris, and Christian, people are quick to assume that WWE will sign Ex TNA guys and just bury them or punish them. Do you ever see WWE taking a TNA talent and pushing them to the moon to swerve everyone that thinks otherwise? I can see this happening in a way to make TNA look bad, like they cant utilize or recognize talent. I really see this coming one day. Steve Austin was poorly booked in WCW and became arguably the biggest star ever. I'm not saying that WWE will ever recreate a situation like that, because that is out of their control. I do however see the WWE trying to recreate a situation parallel to that because they like to brag about the whole Austin thing, and prove fans that speculate too much to be wrong. Any thoughts? Any TNA, ROH etc. guys you ever see making it big in WWE because of improper use of their current employer?
scoobyjrg1974
Dark Match Winner
I honestly believe that soon Vince will let some of the former TNA stars become headliners in the WWE.
The first will be Christian, He left WWE on good terms and will be pushed again.
I think that if Vince were to get A.J. Styles he would be a jobber in the WWE.
The only person I could see Vince making a push for and actually using him as a headline would be Samoa Joe, Mainly because it is a little known secret that Vince Loves big guys!!
The first will be Christian, He left WWE on good terms and will be pushed again.
I think that if Vince were to get A.J. Styles he would be a jobber in the WWE.
The only person I could see Vince making a push for and actually using him as a headline would be Samoa Joe, Mainly because it is a little known secret that Vince Loves big guys!!
LokiCobain
Getting Noticed By Management
The irony is that in regards to R-Truth and Christian, they started in WWE, got stale, went to TNA, became world champions, then went back to WWE. TNA seemed to attempt that route (and it worked, not as well as Stone Cold, but it worked nonetheless).
The one person everyone is going to say is AJ Styles, because they're upset he hasn't been world champion in a while. However, WWE doesn't usually go for guys like him, and he could become a huge staple on Smackdown in feuds with Jeff, Edge, Jericho, or Punk, rather than Orton, HHH, Cena, etc. I don't really see anyone in TNA right now that would be a huge breakout in WWE, but if anyone has the best chance, it would be AJ, although I don't think he'd get the Stone Cold push.
The one person everyone is going to say is AJ Styles, because they're upset he hasn't been world champion in a while. However, WWE doesn't usually go for guys like him, and he could become a huge staple on Smackdown in feuds with Jeff, Edge, Jericho, or Punk, rather than Orton, HHH, Cena, etc. I don't really see anyone in TNA right now that would be a huge breakout in WWE, but if anyone has the best chance, it would be AJ, although I don't think he'd get the Stone Cold push.
Stormtrooper
Championship Contender
I don't think WWE intentionally buries people just because they were in TNA. It is all about ratings. TNA Impact has comparable ratings to ECW (WWE's 3rd highest rated show), so how can WWE put guys who are not exposed to the WWE fans in main event feuds.
-Christian has not been buried, they put him in a program with the ECW champion (remember TNA and ECW have similar ratings), and ultimately gave him the belt on PPV, with a decent reign as champ. He was not seen by the majority of WWE audience in 3 years, and when he was in WWE before, he was a mid-card/upper mid-card worker, so why would he come in and beat HHH or Orton? The fans would crap all over it.
-R-Truth debuted on Smackdown, and was not able to get over enough to justify getting any sort of title shot or PPV feud.
-Chris Harris came into the company looking like crap, and got fired because he looked terrible, and couldn't get over.
-Gail Kim debuted beating up the Diva's Champ, that's a good debut, and she has only been back less then 6 months.
Even if WWE were to get their hands on one of TNA's young talents (like AJ Styles, Samoa Joe, or Christopher Daniels), they should still be put in mid-card (or on ECW), because they are not known to the majority of WWE fans, and as such, fans would not believe they belong in the Main Event.
Back in the day, WWE did hire a lot of ex-WCW talent (Austin, Foley, Jericho, Guerrero, etc). However, none of these guys debuted in WWE winning the WWE title. It took Austin 2+ years before he got over as "Stone Cold," Foley took about 4 years before he became a main eventer, Jericho took 2 years in the mid-card before becoming the First Undisputed Champion in WWE History, and Eddie took 5 years. WWE needs to get it's fans to believe in their wrestlers before pushing them to the Moon.
The one guy I want to see WWE pick up is Samoa Joe, he has a different look, and is an awesome in-ring talent. TNA just put him in the Main Event Mafia (AKA WWE south), which makes no sense. I would also like them to bring in Christopher Daniels, who TNA for some reason decided to call "CURRY MAN" for a year, before bringing him back and putting him in a feud with SHANE DOUGLAS?! WWE should try to snatch both of them up, give him 4 months on FCW, in order to learn the WWE ring, then debut them on ECW (AS SAMOA JOE AND CHRISTOPHER DANIELS).
-Christian has not been buried, they put him in a program with the ECW champion (remember TNA and ECW have similar ratings), and ultimately gave him the belt on PPV, with a decent reign as champ. He was not seen by the majority of WWE audience in 3 years, and when he was in WWE before, he was a mid-card/upper mid-card worker, so why would he come in and beat HHH or Orton? The fans would crap all over it.
-R-Truth debuted on Smackdown, and was not able to get over enough to justify getting any sort of title shot or PPV feud.
-Chris Harris came into the company looking like crap, and got fired because he looked terrible, and couldn't get over.
-Gail Kim debuted beating up the Diva's Champ, that's a good debut, and she has only been back less then 6 months.
Even if WWE were to get their hands on one of TNA's young talents (like AJ Styles, Samoa Joe, or Christopher Daniels), they should still be put in mid-card (or on ECW), because they are not known to the majority of WWE fans, and as such, fans would not believe they belong in the Main Event.
Back in the day, WWE did hire a lot of ex-WCW talent (Austin, Foley, Jericho, Guerrero, etc). However, none of these guys debuted in WWE winning the WWE title. It took Austin 2+ years before he got over as "Stone Cold," Foley took about 4 years before he became a main eventer, Jericho took 2 years in the mid-card before becoming the First Undisputed Champion in WWE History, and Eddie took 5 years. WWE needs to get it's fans to believe in their wrestlers before pushing them to the Moon.
The one guy I want to see WWE pick up is Samoa Joe, he has a different look, and is an awesome in-ring talent. TNA just put him in the Main Event Mafia (AKA WWE south), which makes no sense. I would also like them to bring in Christopher Daniels, who TNA for some reason decided to call "CURRY MAN" for a year, before bringing him back and putting him in a feud with SHANE DOUGLAS?! WWE should try to snatch both of them up, give him 4 months on FCW, in order to learn the WWE ring, then debut them on ECW (AS SAMOA JOE AND CHRISTOPHER DANIELS).
Gifted Music
Occasional Pre-Show
First off R Truth and Christian are not exactly ex TNA guys since they started off in the WWE...Now, R Truth became famous in TNA but Christian without a DOUBT made his name in WWE..He had two very forgettable TNA Title reigns.. Other than that, his TNA run was largely forgettable...
If you wanna talk about guys who have been in TNA and WWE that WWE would push...I think Jeff Hardy's done pretty well for himself since returning and WWE has showed no punishment towards Hardy unless Jeff caused it himself(wellness violation)....Before Jeff left in 2003 it was debateable as to whether Jeff could make it on his own without Matt Hardy.. Hardy was having a successful heel run in Smackdowns Cruiserweight Division and Jeff was getting his ass whooped by The Undertaker...Since Jeff returned he's solidified himself as a Main Event player in the WWE...Former Intercontinental Champion, WWE Champion, and World Heavyweight Champion(albeit a short one)
Another guy who passed through TNA on his way to the WWE is CM Punk...And I can't recall the last time an outsider like Punk got the kinda push he's getting...He's won damn near every belt there is to win in his 2 short years on the Main Roster..He's a former ECW Champion, Intercontinental Champion, World Tag Team Champion, 2 time Money in the Bank winner and 2x World Heavyweight Champion.
And back to Christian...Who says he's getting buried? Just because he's not on Raw or SD? I suppose Jack Swagger shouldnt be on RAW then since he was "buried" on ECW...Same goes for Kofi Kingston, Evan Bourne, The Hart Dynasty, John Morrison...Oh yeah, and CM Punk....Many people are upset that Christian wasnt revealed as Jeff Hardy's attacker...Why? Do you HONESTLY think Christian would've been a main eventer on a show with Edge and Chris Jericho on the heel side? Or Jeff Hardy, Rey Mysterio, The Undertaker, and CM Punk(at the time) on the face side? Christian was brought in and put in a BETTER situation as the face of ECW...He was ECW Champion, something he would have never achieved on Smackdown with Edge and Jeff Hardy and something he damn sure wouldnt have achieved on Raw with Triple H and Randy Orton... Christian has been The Guy in ECW despite Tommy Dreamer's resurgance...And alot of the young guys(Swagger, Hart Dynasty, etc) are or have benefitted from working with him.
Then theres Gail Kim...She was the face of TNA's Knockouts... She came to WWE and immediately defeated Divas Champion Maryse...Now she's on WWE's Flagship show and will probably be the one to dethrone the Divas Champion.
R Truth got alotta hype for his debut.. Vignettes week after week...WWE did their part in hyping the guy..But when he debuted he just fell flat..They penciled him in for a feud with the United States Champion and he just didn't connect..He doesn't understand, in TNA you can get by and have a successful career outta doing flips and dives and all that flashy stuff.. In the WWE, you can't do that UNLESS you have a big crowd following(ala Jeff Hardy, Evan Bourne, and Rey Mysterio) and R Truth does NOT have a huge following therefore he's gotta change it up or learn how to actually...you know...WRESTLE!
Now...As far as who on the CURRENT TNA Roster could succeed in the WWE..I have a few..
Abyss...He has the look of an early Mankind and for that reason alone I think he'd succeed..He wont have the career of a Mick Foley and I don't think his gimmick is PG friendly but if they ever dropped the PG rating and went back to TV-14, I think it could work.
AJ Styles...For obvious reasons..I see him as the ECW Champion and maybe a US or IC Title contender.. Vince has wanted AJ for years but hasn't gotten him..For that tidbit alone I think AJ would succeed.. I could see him playing a role similar to the one Evan Bourne is playing now.
Angelina Love... She has the perfect "Diva" look... She reminds me of a Heel Trish Stratus.. I think she'd be a perfect opponet for a Melina or Gail Kim...I think she'd start out as a Manager for a debuting or returning superstar and then branch out in to the Womens division.
Booker T...He's done it before..I think he'd do it again..He'd be a good heel to take Edge's place but oh well..He left on bad terms so i'm sure there'd be a small "punishment" type period for him but after that, he'd be right back where he was....Which is probly better than where hes at.
Hernandez...Hes got the look of a WWE Superstar.. I could see him playing a bodyguard role ala Sid and Diesel before turning on whoever he's guarding and going out on his own.
Beer Money....WWE's already tried signing both these guys but failed...Robert Roode reminds me of an old school Triple H when he was transitioning from Blue Blood to Degenerate... James Storm kinda reminds me of Bradshaw when he was in the APA...Drinking Beer and kickin ass..I think they'd single handedly revive WWE's Tag team division.
Kevin Nash...Hes still on good terms with Vince McMahon, Triple H, and Shawn Michaels... Thats really all that needs to be said asfar as whether he would succeed.
Kurt Angle...Kurt Angle could drop the TNA Title tomorrow, sign with WWE next week, and by Summerslam he'd be World Champion.
Matt Morgan...He has the WWE look..Not sure why he was released... But his mic skills have improved greatly since his WWE run.. Add to his stature and you got the recipe for WWE's next big star.
Samoa Joe...I don't think Joe would be as big as some think..It was reported awhile back that one thing that held WWE up in signing Joe was his weight...And since then Joe's gained an extra 20 pounds so I doubt he'd be an ideal choice... But, if signed, I Think he'd be where they had hoped Umaga would be...He'd get the same push but he'd probably handle it better and perform better than Umaga did and Joe wouldn't need a manager to do his talking.
Team 3D..They'd be Tag Champions within months of returning to the WWE.
Sting..This is obvious..He's the one guy Vince McMahon has always wanted but never got..He got Ric Flair..He created Hulk Hogan..He's had everybody that he's wanted...Except Sting..Vince would offer Sting his grapefruits of steel to get The Icon under contract.. Sting would get Goldberg's treatment if he came to WWE...Only better because Sting wouldn't be an asshole and refuse to let anybody beat him clean..Sting would be WWE Champion a good 2 or 3 times before retirement.. He'd easily get the biggest push.
So yeah, theres a few TNA Superstars who'd do well and a couple who have done well..It just all depends on your view....If you view coming in and winning the WWE or WHT immediately then no, there probably isn't...But if you see it as having a successful career and being brought back with a purpose(Christian) and maybe eventually moving up to the WWE Title or World Heavyweight Title then theres several guys who could do the job.
If you wanna talk about guys who have been in TNA and WWE that WWE would push...I think Jeff Hardy's done pretty well for himself since returning and WWE has showed no punishment towards Hardy unless Jeff caused it himself(wellness violation)....Before Jeff left in 2003 it was debateable as to whether Jeff could make it on his own without Matt Hardy.. Hardy was having a successful heel run in Smackdowns Cruiserweight Division and Jeff was getting his ass whooped by The Undertaker...Since Jeff returned he's solidified himself as a Main Event player in the WWE...Former Intercontinental Champion, WWE Champion, and World Heavyweight Champion(albeit a short one)
Another guy who passed through TNA on his way to the WWE is CM Punk...And I can't recall the last time an outsider like Punk got the kinda push he's getting...He's won damn near every belt there is to win in his 2 short years on the Main Roster..He's a former ECW Champion, Intercontinental Champion, World Tag Team Champion, 2 time Money in the Bank winner and 2x World Heavyweight Champion.
And back to Christian...Who says he's getting buried? Just because he's not on Raw or SD? I suppose Jack Swagger shouldnt be on RAW then since he was "buried" on ECW...Same goes for Kofi Kingston, Evan Bourne, The Hart Dynasty, John Morrison...Oh yeah, and CM Punk....Many people are upset that Christian wasnt revealed as Jeff Hardy's attacker...Why? Do you HONESTLY think Christian would've been a main eventer on a show with Edge and Chris Jericho on the heel side? Or Jeff Hardy, Rey Mysterio, The Undertaker, and CM Punk(at the time) on the face side? Christian was brought in and put in a BETTER situation as the face of ECW...He was ECW Champion, something he would have never achieved on Smackdown with Edge and Jeff Hardy and something he damn sure wouldnt have achieved on Raw with Triple H and Randy Orton... Christian has been The Guy in ECW despite Tommy Dreamer's resurgance...And alot of the young guys(Swagger, Hart Dynasty, etc) are or have benefitted from working with him.
Then theres Gail Kim...She was the face of TNA's Knockouts... She came to WWE and immediately defeated Divas Champion Maryse...Now she's on WWE's Flagship show and will probably be the one to dethrone the Divas Champion.
R Truth got alotta hype for his debut.. Vignettes week after week...WWE did their part in hyping the guy..But when he debuted he just fell flat..They penciled him in for a feud with the United States Champion and he just didn't connect..He doesn't understand, in TNA you can get by and have a successful career outta doing flips and dives and all that flashy stuff.. In the WWE, you can't do that UNLESS you have a big crowd following(ala Jeff Hardy, Evan Bourne, and Rey Mysterio) and R Truth does NOT have a huge following therefore he's gotta change it up or learn how to actually...you know...WRESTLE!
Now...As far as who on the CURRENT TNA Roster could succeed in the WWE..I have a few..
Abyss...He has the look of an early Mankind and for that reason alone I think he'd succeed..He wont have the career of a Mick Foley and I don't think his gimmick is PG friendly but if they ever dropped the PG rating and went back to TV-14, I think it could work.
AJ Styles...For obvious reasons..I see him as the ECW Champion and maybe a US or IC Title contender.. Vince has wanted AJ for years but hasn't gotten him..For that tidbit alone I think AJ would succeed.. I could see him playing a role similar to the one Evan Bourne is playing now.
Angelina Love... She has the perfect "Diva" look... She reminds me of a Heel Trish Stratus.. I think she'd be a perfect opponet for a Melina or Gail Kim...I think she'd start out as a Manager for a debuting or returning superstar and then branch out in to the Womens division.
Booker T...He's done it before..I think he'd do it again..He'd be a good heel to take Edge's place but oh well..He left on bad terms so i'm sure there'd be a small "punishment" type period for him but after that, he'd be right back where he was....Which is probly better than where hes at.
Hernandez...Hes got the look of a WWE Superstar.. I could see him playing a bodyguard role ala Sid and Diesel before turning on whoever he's guarding and going out on his own.
Beer Money....WWE's already tried signing both these guys but failed...Robert Roode reminds me of an old school Triple H when he was transitioning from Blue Blood to Degenerate... James Storm kinda reminds me of Bradshaw when he was in the APA...Drinking Beer and kickin ass..I think they'd single handedly revive WWE's Tag team division.
Kevin Nash...Hes still on good terms with Vince McMahon, Triple H, and Shawn Michaels... Thats really all that needs to be said asfar as whether he would succeed.
Kurt Angle...Kurt Angle could drop the TNA Title tomorrow, sign with WWE next week, and by Summerslam he'd be World Champion.
Matt Morgan...He has the WWE look..Not sure why he was released... But his mic skills have improved greatly since his WWE run.. Add to his stature and you got the recipe for WWE's next big star.
Samoa Joe...I don't think Joe would be as big as some think..It was reported awhile back that one thing that held WWE up in signing Joe was his weight...And since then Joe's gained an extra 20 pounds so I doubt he'd be an ideal choice... But, if signed, I Think he'd be where they had hoped Umaga would be...He'd get the same push but he'd probably handle it better and perform better than Umaga did and Joe wouldn't need a manager to do his talking.
Team 3D..They'd be Tag Champions within months of returning to the WWE.
Sting..This is obvious..He's the one guy Vince McMahon has always wanted but never got..He got Ric Flair..He created Hulk Hogan..He's had everybody that he's wanted...Except Sting..Vince would offer Sting his grapefruits of steel to get The Icon under contract.. Sting would get Goldberg's treatment if he came to WWE...Only better because Sting wouldn't be an asshole and refuse to let anybody beat him clean..Sting would be WWE Champion a good 2 or 3 times before retirement.. He'd easily get the biggest push.
So yeah, theres a few TNA Superstars who'd do well and a couple who have done well..It just all depends on your view....If you view coming in and winning the WWE or WHT immediately then no, there probably isn't...But if you see it as having a successful career and being brought back with a purpose(Christian) and maybe eventually moving up to the WWE Title or World Heavyweight Title then theres several guys who could do the job.
Christian is currently responsible for carrying the entirety of ECW. How is that dying? He's been intrusted with the very brand that is responsible for the growth of new talent that will be future headliners in the WWE. That's rather important, honestly. If Vince didn't trust him and his abilities Christian would wallowing in the mid-card of Smackdown.
Gail Kim? She's on Raw at the moment. She wasn't exactly getting squashed on Smackdown. Just wait and see if she gets relegated to wallow as a jobber to Maryse and Alicia. If she is, then you'll have a point.
R-Truth?....well...I don't remember him doing much of anything. Which is the problem. No one in the crowd gives a shit, so he's not going to get a push.
Honestly guys. The only TNA talent that aren't making it are the TNA talent that can't get over with the crowd any. Christian is over, and he has been trusted with ECW. Punk is over, and he's been given the WHC. Kim hasn't exactly been jobbing out every match. Hardy fucking ran to TNA instead of rehab, and he's been the top face of Smackdown for the last what, 6 months? 7? Vince knows what he's doing. He won't refuse to push a superstar if they're over with the crowd and can make him some money.