A lot of you know a heck lot more about Indy wrestling then I do, which is why I make threads like these.
Now as a TNA fan, I want the company to sign the best and brightest of talent, but the answer is not always very clear.
Right now, the guys highest on my list of who I'd like to see in TNA are Kenny Omega and Bill Goldberg. I think both could be beneficial to TNA, but in different ways. You have Goldberg who at 44, could still be a ratings draw for TNA, but all he really is is an evolved or updated version of The Ultimate Warrior. A guy with height and a great physique who can lift buildings and while not the most impressive or polished in-ring competitor, his moves and presence intensify and excite the crowd. On the other hand, you have Kenny Omega - A 28 yr old whose about 2-3 inches shorter then G-Berg and 60-80 lbs lighter, yet far from a vanilla midget. Kenny Omega is a talented in-ring performer and could probably be an entertaining character in America with the right guidance(which he should be able to receive in TNA or WWE.)
In the short run, Goldberg seems like the best bet for TNA, while in the long run, I think Kenny Omega could be an integral part of the company.
Anyway, the reason I mention Goldberg and Kenny Omega is because I got to thinking about who would be the most deserving Indy Wrestler of a high paying contract, in your opinion?
If TNA were to sign Goldberg, even after all of his years being away, it'd cost an arm and a leg. Whether or not it'd be worth it is a different story, but Goldberg is seen as a draw and a legend because of his WCW days and TNA and possibly WWE would treat him as such. On the other hand, Kenny Omega hasn't proved to be as much a legend or draw, at least in the US, and if offered a contract with TNA or WWE, it probably be around the same amount as the rest of their new guys make, though he's capable of giving either company many years of exciting matches and hopefully, exciting feuds/storylines.
So here you have two very different types of wrestlers, both of which I wouldn't mind seeing in TNA and yet, I'm not necessarily sure which one would be for the greater good. TNA has had the most popular indy wrestler's as well as popular/iconic WWE/WCW wrestlers work for them and both types have failed to deliver in the past and at this point it's hard to think of what TNA would have to do to ever compete with WWE.
But this thread isn't about who should TNA hire (check out my Fire 10 Hire 10 thread if that's what your looking for
) it's about who you think is the most deserving indy star of a WWE or TNA contract (aka High Paying contract.) Who in the Indies should WWE or TNA fork the money over too?
The contract wouldn't be per appearance. This would be a big time, bonafide contract. Maybe not Cena money, but near the amount of the top stars of either company. If you were in charge of hiring new talent, and your bosses told you money was no object, which Indy wrestler would you sign no matter what? You in the indy world is a can't miss?
I don't know much about the indy circuit, so from my uneducated perspective, I'd have to go with Davey Richards. If WWE ever wanted a Chris Benoit clone(which I'm sure they don't) this guy would be it. Though, this guy seems a bit more versatile then Benoit and probably a tad better look/mic wise. I'd guess that this guy would be the most deserving of a high paying contract, but I'm hoping I'm proven wrong, which is the point of this thread.
TNA would probably be able to get a lot more out of him then WWE, due to the differences in mic work/in-ring style, so my guess is TNA would be the ones to fork over the money if they had it.
WWE doesn't really need to feed off the indy stars, but they seem to be doing so now a days, but usually it's not the case. In TNA, they're named Gunner, Crimson, Magnus, Rob Terry - in WWE, they're Riley, Barrett, Sheamus. In WWE they sign big, muscular guys to a developmental deal for a few years and then bring up(TNA is probably doing the same now with the Dudley School.) Then for diversity you have guys like Danielson, Punk, Rollins and Sin Cara sprinkled here and there.
The bottom line is who is the indy star with the most dollar signs around his name?
Now as a TNA fan, I want the company to sign the best and brightest of talent, but the answer is not always very clear.
Right now, the guys highest on my list of who I'd like to see in TNA are Kenny Omega and Bill Goldberg. I think both could be beneficial to TNA, but in different ways. You have Goldberg who at 44, could still be a ratings draw for TNA, but all he really is is an evolved or updated version of The Ultimate Warrior. A guy with height and a great physique who can lift buildings and while not the most impressive or polished in-ring competitor, his moves and presence intensify and excite the crowd. On the other hand, you have Kenny Omega - A 28 yr old whose about 2-3 inches shorter then G-Berg and 60-80 lbs lighter, yet far from a vanilla midget. Kenny Omega is a talented in-ring performer and could probably be an entertaining character in America with the right guidance(which he should be able to receive in TNA or WWE.)
In the short run, Goldberg seems like the best bet for TNA, while in the long run, I think Kenny Omega could be an integral part of the company.
Anyway, the reason I mention Goldberg and Kenny Omega is because I got to thinking about who would be the most deserving Indy Wrestler of a high paying contract, in your opinion?
If TNA were to sign Goldberg, even after all of his years being away, it'd cost an arm and a leg. Whether or not it'd be worth it is a different story, but Goldberg is seen as a draw and a legend because of his WCW days and TNA and possibly WWE would treat him as such. On the other hand, Kenny Omega hasn't proved to be as much a legend or draw, at least in the US, and if offered a contract with TNA or WWE, it probably be around the same amount as the rest of their new guys make, though he's capable of giving either company many years of exciting matches and hopefully, exciting feuds/storylines.
So here you have two very different types of wrestlers, both of which I wouldn't mind seeing in TNA and yet, I'm not necessarily sure which one would be for the greater good. TNA has had the most popular indy wrestler's as well as popular/iconic WWE/WCW wrestlers work for them and both types have failed to deliver in the past and at this point it's hard to think of what TNA would have to do to ever compete with WWE.
But this thread isn't about who should TNA hire (check out my Fire 10 Hire 10 thread if that's what your looking for
) it's about who you think is the most deserving indy star of a WWE or TNA contract (aka High Paying contract.) Who in the Indies should WWE or TNA fork the money over too? The contract wouldn't be per appearance. This would be a big time, bonafide contract. Maybe not Cena money, but near the amount of the top stars of either company. If you were in charge of hiring new talent, and your bosses told you money was no object, which Indy wrestler would you sign no matter what? You in the indy world is a can't miss?
I don't know much about the indy circuit, so from my uneducated perspective, I'd have to go with Davey Richards. If WWE ever wanted a Chris Benoit clone(which I'm sure they don't) this guy would be it. Though, this guy seems a bit more versatile then Benoit and probably a tad better look/mic wise. I'd guess that this guy would be the most deserving of a high paying contract, but I'm hoping I'm proven wrong, which is the point of this thread.
TNA would probably be able to get a lot more out of him then WWE, due to the differences in mic work/in-ring style, so my guess is TNA would be the ones to fork over the money if they had it.
WWE doesn't really need to feed off the indy stars, but they seem to be doing so now a days, but usually it's not the case. In TNA, they're named Gunner, Crimson, Magnus, Rob Terry - in WWE, they're Riley, Barrett, Sheamus. In WWE they sign big, muscular guys to a developmental deal for a few years and then bring up(TNA is probably doing the same now with the Dudley School.) Then for diversity you have guys like Danielson, Punk, Rollins and Sin Cara sprinkled here and there.
The bottom line is who is the indy star with the most dollar signs around his name?
