Forum Files #13:Which Potential WWE Newcomer Will Have the Biggest Impact? Win Prize

[klunderbunker]

Post in here until Friday January 19 for a chance to make the main page.

Today’s Topic: Which WWE Newcomer Could Have the Biggest Impact?

After the last set of Impact Wrestling tapings, a handful of big names are rumored to be heading back to WWE. In addition to that, there are several names who have either already signed or whose signings are imminent, with many of them wrapping up their commitments to other companies.

These names include Bobby Lashley, Ethan Carter III, Ricochet, Candice Lerae and the tag team of War Machine. Assuming all of these names do come to WWE, which of them do you think will have the biggest impact on the company? You never can tell with some of these names but they could all become big time players. Let us know what you think and see if your pick makes an impact on the main page.


One more thing: the best post of the bunch will receive a special prize. You can get more information about it here:

http://www.mandatory.com/wrestlezon...d-eagle-championship-more#bsEqdAq9qMgKDTFx.99

 

[ABMorales787]

In a company that loves it's Big, Sweaty Men, how can the Big Sweaty Man not make a big impact upon return? I'm of course talking about Bobby Lashley. Who from 2014 to today showed he wasn't just the stiff Battletoad we knew from 2007. He could be a legitimate, capable wrestler. Hell, one could argue his run with TNA as Champion was what Brock Lesnar could've been if WWE bothered to book him once a month for a match.

Lashley has shown to have main event potential even before leaving WWE and it grew since then with his time in Bellator with his time in TNA helping polish his in-ring skills. And if by some crazy chance, WWE manages to rope Dan Lambert to come along with Bobby Lashley, well lets just say we have a very interesting match for not just Brock Lesnar, but for Paul Heyman too.

Sure, War Machine are also a pair of Big, Sweaty Men. Extremely talented Big, Sweaty Men. But they're a tag team. And there's a ceiling for tag teams. And while Candace LeRae and Ricochet are two extremely talented performers, WWE doesn't exactly have the best track record when it comes to extremely talented smaller guys and women.

 

[#hamler]

WWE's future is looking brighter than ever. Their roster is probably the most stacked it's ever been in terms of sheer talent and with the addition of some of these new signees, the WWE is going to dominate everything wrestling related for the next century. Ricochet, Candice LaRae, EC3 and Bobby Lashley would all be great additions to the roster but none of them will see the amount of success War Machine will accumulate.

If 2017 has taught us anything in the WWE it's that tag team wrestling is the greatest it's ever been in terms of in ring performances. The New Day, The Usos, Shield, The Bar, Udisputed Era, Gargano & Ciampa, Revival, SAnitY and The Authors of Pain have all put on a number of classics and proved that tag team wrestling can be a draw in the years going forward. With their abilities inside the ring and their very impressive look, War Machine fits right in with the teams listed above. With the WWE's love for big, sweaty men, the WWE higher ups will be all over them.

Hanson has been known to pull off some amazing highflying maneuvers that someone his size definitely shouldn't be doing. Rowe has the power of Cesaro and has impressed me numerous times with his ability to manhandle multiple guys at once. Together they're innovative and possess the deadly combination of power and agility like so few do. War Machine has meshed well with the likes of British Strongstyle, Killer Elite Squad and most notably, The Young Bucks. It doesn't matter who they are in the ring with, War Machine puts on a clinic.

As soon as Hanson pulls off a springboard back elbow or Rowe dropkicks someone's teeth out, the crowd is going to go nuts and that type of reaction follows each and every single War Machine match. Big or small, they have chemistry with everyone they perform with. That's what the WWE looks for. They're not old like Bobby Lashley whose best days are obviously behind him. They're not 190 pound wrestlers that'll be regulated to 205 Live jobbing to Enzo Amore like Ricochet. They're War Machine: the best big man tag team on the planet and their recent signing with WWE will solidify that claim.

 

[Bernkastel]

I'd have to say Bobby Lashley. He doesn't have quite the crossover star power that Brock Lesnar does, as Bellator isn't on the level of UFC, but many pro wrestling and fight fans are still going to recognize him. I bet it would take the WWE less than 6 months to build the guy back up to being a serious main event level performer. He'd make an excellent opponent for Brock Lesnar, Braun Strowman, Samoa Joe, and Roman Reigns. I question his drawing power on a stage as big as WWE's coming straight from the much smaller Impact Wrestling, but with enough exposure, protection, and main events, he could be worth some serious money as an attraction in the future. Granted that implies that he stick around for longer than a year or two.

 

[Dave]

I'd love to say that it would be someone "new" that would make the biggest impact - I'm looking at you Ricochet. But the fact of the matter is that Bobby Lashley will, undoubtedly, be the one who would make the biggest impact... Pardon the pun.

It's important to note that Lashley has worked with the WWE before. And it's not as if he did nothing with the WWE in his last run. He was a two-time ECW Heavyweight Champion and US Champion, too. He was even a part of an angle with Donald Trump and Vince McMahon. How many people in wrestling can say that?

The fact is that Vince really liked him, that much was obvious. He has the physique that Vince seems to like and he was from an authentic wrestling background. Vince likes that too. But do you know what Vince likes even more than all of that? Money. Vince loves the green stuff. Lashley is, undoubtedly, the one with the biggest cross-over appeal and has been, as far as I can remember, been taking part in MMA fights since he left the WWE. There's no reason why the WWE can't accommodate that like they already do with Lesnar. Hell, the WWE could make him even more popular.

There's no doubt that it would be Lashley. Whether Vince would forgive him for going to TNA for all of those years, given the position he gave him in WWE, remains to be seen.

 

[stingray11214]

Of the five you mentioned, the long-term impact will be made by Candice LeRae. Let me decipher why her and not the other four. As for Bobby Lashley: Yes, he is big, muscular, and has an MMA background. Yes, he was the ECW Champion. But, he was also the lightning rod to 2006's December to Dismember, one of the worst PPVs in history. He has been in multiple MMA promotions since 2008. He also had four runs with the TNA/Impact Championship in his TNA career. He is on the wrong side of 40, he will be 42 in July. He has never been a draw, and he will not draw ants if you roll him in sugar. In short, Lashley is not going to do what many think he will.

EC3 MIGHT make an impact long term. He did next to zilch as Derrick Bateman. He went down the road to TNA, and a star was born. But, the problem here is that he will gain SOME traction as EC3. But, unless WWE allows him to use his EC3 gimmick, they may make him revert back to Derrick Bateman. VKM has always been bad about pushing people and ideas he did not create, ESPECIALLY since he was a top man in another company. EC3 also owns his own name and gimmick, a red flag for Titan Towers. In the end, EC# will probably spin his wheels on the Main Roster after a spell in NXT. EC3 would do far better if he did the Indy route and Japan.

Ricochet is a great athlete. Would probably stay a superstar even if he did NOT sign with WWE. He has a huge fan base. However, I fear he will go like Adrian Neville did because of his size. Already, WWE called him Trevor "Ricochet" Mann when they introduced him. A sign that they probably will not go with Ricochet the character. He will probably end up with the Cruiserweights unless he does something beyond belief in NXT. The producers in the back of Raw and SmackDown will not like him for the "flippy stuff". So, I cannot see where Ricochet makes the impact on the Main Roster. He is going to regret not staying with New Japan and the Indies

War Machine is not something we have not seen before: Big sweaty men who will beat you into submission. Look what you have on the Main Roster already: Gallows and Harper, the Ascension and the Bludgeon Brothers. If Gallows and Anderson are struggling, how do you think it will be for Hanson and Rowe? There is a ceiling in WWE, and War Machine are going to regret signing.

So, by default, we have Candice LeRae. Unlike the Eva Maries, Camerons and Naomis of the World that WWE likes to sign, LeRae is a TRAINED PROFESSIONAL WRESTLER. Like her counterparts in Japan, she has been wrestling since she was 16. So, she has 16 years in the business. She is one of those who NEVER considered WWE because of WWE's reliance on models, cheerleaders, and those who had looks over talent. Now, she is part of the "Asuka effect". If Asuka never came to WWE, would LeRae have? Yes, she is the wife of Johnny Gargano. However, LeRae is a great talent, and could probably do very well in the Indies and Japan (She was in Japan's DDT promotion for a spell). LeRae will do very, very well in a Women's Division that is still trying to shed its "Divas" image. She goes to the Main Roster, after a spell in NXT, as one of the top guns in Women's Division. Why? She has far more wrestling experience, and is far more talented, then most of the women in that division.

So, the long term impact of the new arrivals will be limited. But, the one who will make the most impact, and in reality it will be by default, will be Candice LeRae