Is TNA Beginning A Youth Movement?

[Dizzy]

Heavyweight Division: Crimson (26) is being built as the John Cena/Goldberg of TNA. Gunner (29) being built as a new Randy Orton, Robert Roode being built as the new Triple H.

Knockouts Division: Rosita (20) and Ms. Tessmacher (26). They are the future of the Knockouts Division.

X-Division: Zema Ion (24), Anthony Nese (25), Mark Haskins (23), Jesse Sorensen (24), Alex Shelly (28), Robbie E (28).

The Mexican guys Jeff Jarrett introduced last night are Los Ben Dejos. A high flying tag team at the age of 22 years.

Magnus (24) being built as a singles wrestler on Xplosion for a title shot against any title in the company.

It's already being hinted that Hogan and Angle are working together to keep Dixie from getting the company back and pushing young talent which is why he attacked Crimson.

Is this the way to go about introducing new talent and bringing in a fresh new product? Do you think a storyline is needed to begin a Youth Movement?

 

[Zeven_Zion]

Just please don't start slapping belts on most of them in desperate hopes of the people considering them to be a major thing. Slow build up is what's needed. I say put the belt on Roode because he's busted his balls long enough and then wait at least a year for the Gunners and Crimsons to hold it. Have 2012 be the year of Roode, Storm, Pope maybe AJ. Then move on from there.

 

[TWJC: The Beginning]

Crimson is John Cena except his marketability is shit, his mic skills are shit, his in ring performance is shit, and his charisma is shit. How is a big dude with shitty tribal tatoos, a douche haircut, no mic skills, no charisma, and no ring psychology the future anything? Same goes for Gunner pretty much word for word.

I don't see a "youth movement" maybe an influx of new young guys, as in, the revolving door of new young guys is new, not that there is a newer roster.

The only guy you listed who I see as having a real bright future is Roode.

Gunner and Crimson should be in a developmental league figuring out how to convey anything other than "INTENSITY GRRR" and how to sell and how to tell a story in the ring. I realize not everyone knows what I mean, for some strange reason some of you don't understand that it's not just the storyline that tells a story. I mean the 10-15 minute story you tell in a match "wrestler X tries to hang with wrestler Y, can't, wrestler Y tweaks his knee, wrestler X takes advantage, the weakened knee keeps wrestler Y from doing his finish, so he despirately wins with a roll up".

I agree with Zion. Roode, Storm, and Pope all deserve title pushes first. They all have shown they can get over, and all have more overall ability than the guys with the affliction shirt tatoos.

 

[GameOver]

Heavyweight Division: Crimson (26) is being built as the John Cena/Goldberg of TNA. Gunner (29) being built as a new Randy Orton, Robert Roode being built as the new Triple H.

Knockouts Division: Rosita (20) and Ms. Tessmacher (26). They are the future of the Knockouts Division.

X-Division: Zema Ion (24), Anthony Nese (25), Mark Haskins (23), Jesse Sorensen (24), Alex Shelly (28), Robbie E (28).

The Mexican guys Jeff Jarrett introduced last night are Los Ben Dejos. A high flying tag team at the age of 22 years.

Magnus (24) being built as a singles wrestler on Xplosion for a title shot against any title in the company.

It's already being hinted that Hogan and Angle are working together to keep Dixie from getting the company back and pushing young talent which is why he attacked Crimson.

Is this the way to go about introducing new talent and bringing in a fresh new product? Do you think a storyline is needed to begin a Youth Movement?

Why are these guys being built as WWE clones? WWE sucks doesn't it, and it's not about wrestling. So why try to immitate the same people.

Robert Roode is Robert Roode, though i do see some resemblance to Triple H in the way he carries himself. Roode is that damn good as far as TNA goes.
He's one guy there that could carry the company atleast briefly and has survived all the shit. Can't say enough good things about him, though the Beer Money as good as it is has held him back for ages.

Crimson, ok well he's obviously a Goldberg clone (3 move wonder) but definately not Cena, shit even Cena has some wrestling talent, Crimson does not. said in another thread.
Crimson is what would result if Goldberg inpregnanted a Klingon.

Gunner is Randy Orton? Where do you even remotely get that comparison? He's just another average joe in a sea of never-was's and once were greats. He's not a viper, he's not even remotely entertaining.

but back to the question at hand, if they are it can only be a good thing, obviously what they got they aren't gonna get any more out of with the way they produce things, so why try some new talent. They can't be any worse.

Still don't see how Angle could be working with Hogan all along, that's just a ******ed storyline if it was the case. Bad enough that they lure Mr Anderson into Immortal just to waste any chance of making him remotely credible then immediately dump the idea and go with Kurt who's been spending the better part of 2 yrs hunting them down just so he can finally beat Sting. Yeah great logic.

What the fark are those people thinking over there when they come up with these ideas, and how the fark can the stars even think yeah i'll work with this.

 

[Corpse_Machine]

Its about time they ditched all this retiree bull thats been constant in TNA since Hogan Jumped aboard. Its not the fact that they are starting a youth movemont but instead its something that they need to do for TNA to keep up with the relevant talent that is coming in and to stop booking legends and has beens in main event matches all of the time.

TNA once prided itself on their young talents and now its riddled with the polar oppisite, fair enough use the older talant to put the young guys over but not the other way around.

 

[GameOver]

They were doing that b4 "Hogan" jumped aboard just an FYI sure he brought some bodies back but they didn't stick around long

Main Event Mafia. pre Hogan and Bischoff
Jarret has been hogging the main event since day 1.

But you are right, it's fine to have those people there to bump up views but they also have to use that opportunity to show what there "future" talent can do. Not constantly hold them back because they aren't an immediate draw. and from what i remember they did that in the first 4yrs, then it went down hill from there.

WWE suffers that too. If it's not an immediate reaction, scrap it and start over. Someone we don't want to get over is getting over, ALARM ALARM better put them on a losing streak or better yet, take them off TV altogether

Does everyone in creative/management roles suffer from A.D.D? or just too blind to see there won failures

 

[Corpse_Machine]

Im quite aware they were doing that before Hogan, but since the Hogan/Bischoff regime began all of this old talent has been rife, i understand that some of them were only there for like a week but at that what is the point? They put no one over in that week.

I mean look at Immortal, they have Hogan, Bischoff, Bubba, Steiner, and Jarrett. Theres also Anderson who is still kinda young but apparently doesnt want to be wrestling in 5 years, and Abyss who is exempt from my negative criticism because he can still go and is constantly putting over smaller guys.

The only real young guy they have is Gunner.

 

[Bobby B]

It's all about the small things that make a potential great. The reason that Bobby Roode stands out isn't because of his in ring ability, or his promos. It's his intensity that makes him a stand out.

Gunner and Crimson don't have any redeeming qualities. They've both got awful names for a start. There's no redeeming qualities about either of them, nothing that makes me want to sit up and listen when they come on my TV screens.

Magnus is another guy who's got something special about him. He's got charisma by the bucket-load. And part of me hopes that TNA don't do anything with him so he can go to the WWE. I'm not saying that he has to be main eventing any time soon, but the fact that he isn't on TV every week is a crime.

 

[The Dragon Saga]

It isn't really a youth movement per-say, you could break down any companies roster much like you did and compare them to someone in the WWE, or as who they're being built as. TNA is just using a large majority of their youth lately, but they still have the same veterans around and those are the performers these young guys need to both hang with and stay away from.

Crimson... As John Cena? Crimson is simply "Gingerberg", but far less entertaining, far less liked, far less dominant, far less intense; actually, asides from hair color and hair in total he doesn't even have anything on Bill Goldberg. And if you were to compare him to John Cena, he'd just be obliterated in every context, again, asides hair color.

The X-Division is where the most young guys are being pushed, but this new weight limit takes away from said division which is something I detest. Now it's simply a "Cruiserweight" division, but if these young guys can make it work I won't complain. Hopefully they use Nese and Ion to the best of their abilities, because both of these young men are the stand outs to me.

And the finally, you have Magnus. By far one of the most improved wrestlers in TNA's history. When he joined the company he had no prior wrestling training, he was green as freshly cut summer grass and every move he made was shit. His skills became better throughout the British Invasion and what I seem to have noticed is that every time he takes a hiatus he returns three times better than when he left. He's putting in serious effort and I love that. Love Magnus in total as I think he's one of the better young guys in the promotion.

Overall, don't think there is a "Youth Movement" because the indication isn't there. Would Hulk Hogan saying, "Its time to make more stars in this industry BROTHER," indicate one? Yeah, it would. But so far they haven't gave an indication and there are still an equal amount of veterans on the roster being pushed as there are young guys, while the WWE Youth Movement saw the younger guys outnumber those who were in their twilight years or who'd been in the company for two-three years.

 

[Bobby B]

And the finally, you have Magnus. By far one of the most improved wrestlers in TNA's history. When he joined the company he had no prior wrestling training, he was green as freshly cut summer grass and every move he made was shit.

Er... what?

Magnus has been wrestling since the early 2000's. He looked ring rusty when he got to TNA because he'd been doing Gladiators for the 18 months prior.

Hate it when people make up bullshit.

 

[The Dragon Saga]

Er... what?

Magnus has been wrestling since the early 2000's. He looked ring rusty when he got to TNA because he'd been doing Gladiators for the 18 months prior.

Hate it when people make up bullshit.

Incorrect.

Nick Aldis was a body builder and failed to qualify for a competition, off the back of this he atteneded wrestling training and did wrestle; my mistake admittingly in my original post, throughout Britain for four years, but his reasoning for taking up UK Gladiators in the first place was his discontent with how his wrestling career was going.

My mistake there in my first post; don't make too many of them.

 

[Bobby B]

Incorrect.

Nick Aldis was a body builder and failed to qualify for a competition, off the back of this he atteneded wrestling training and did wrestle; my mistake admittingly in my original post, throughout Britain for four years, but his reasoning for taking up UK Gladiators in the first place was his discontent with how his wrestling career was going.

My mistake there in my first post; don't make too many of them.

Sorry where was I incorrect? I questioned your statement saying that he had and I quote "no prior wrestling training" - which was total bullshit.

What part of my post was incorrect?

 

[Sarsip]

Meh to whether or not they're pushing a Youth Movement. Just push the right guys at this point. Beer Money's been one of the only hot items that company's seen for years that's still around. I think a meaningful feud between the two of them for the World title would be fresh for the company; Storm is passable as a top contender/chickenshit World champ as a heel, and Roode could be the company's only potential moneymaking face at this point.

I'm not really sure what to expect from a Youth Movement either. To me, you should be pushed on talent. The Nexus angle failed as a youth movement (if that was the point) because there wasn't enough talent to put in believable situations with top WWE stars. How can Chris Jericho maintain credibility in a PPV match against Heath Slater, for example. I don't like the youth that TNA is appearing to push now (Crimson, Gunner, Anderson, even Pope anymore), but they have something with Roode, Storm and Matt Morgan, and positioning them against guys like Angle, Sting and Jarrett in meaningful, non-hotshotting situations would have to be better than what they're giving us now.

 

[blkshp]

Ok, I kinda had to laugh at this thread, especially when the OP, who is a hardcore TNA fan (not that there's anything wrong with that), who relentlessly finds fault with the WWE, its talent, booking, status and fanbase...proceeds to compare TNA's young talent to the hated WWE's talent. I don't know, the irony is too rich there, lol. Anywho I couldn't agree less with this the OP's thread, not because I don't feel any of TNA's young talent have the ability to be top guys in the company ( I won't say the entire wrestling world, and I'll get to that later), but because TNA, as well as the trio of Russo, Bischoff and Hogan together don't build stars in the same manner as Vince and the WWE does, they almost can't be compared. Allow me to explain: John Cena came into WWE as a generic built guy with a crew cut and green trunks. Yep Kurt Angle made him look like a million bucks in his 1st match, but that effect could only last so long. Cena didn't really start to get noticed until he started rapping and becoming the "Dr. Of Thugganomics"...because the crowd despised him for it. THAT'S a gimmick. Without that, he mightve been future endeavored within a couple of years. Compare that to Crimson. Generic look, one name (granted it stands out more then Cena's name did) and no legitimate gimmick. Intense red headed guy who wins a lot isn't really a gimmick. He's no Goldberg to me either. Goldberg was built like and acted like a modern day barbarian, he treated his opponents like trophies, THAT was a gimmick. The other thing is that WWE pushes their main guys like there's no tomorrow, where do you think all the IWC heat on Cena and now Orton come from? When Vince truly commits to a top guy, he usually follows through (everybody else? Eh, not so much). Will the TNA fanbase get on board if Crimson and Gunner were pushed into nearly every main event or major storyline like Cena and Orton? I have my doubts, and the former two don't have nearly as much clout as the latter two. I'm still waiting to see TNA groom and push a guy, who already wasn't previously established to become a legitimate superstar. As talented as AJ is, he's not known at all out of wrestling circles, yet he's "Mr. TNA" for the most part. Personally, I think TNA needs to push Roode and Storm, maybe even Joe before they risk losing them to the 'E. I don't think Crimson or Gunner are ready for that, not even close (pushing a guy too fast doesn't work, just ask Sheamus). The fact is TNA may be seen in almost as many countries as WWE, but their appeal is far more narrow. You can't create true superstars if you can't market them to the majority. TNA must master that to have a new guy have the mass appeal of a Cena, Orton, Punk or even Miz. At the end of the day, the truly legendary talents stand on their own, don't worry about a young talent like Crimson becoming the next Cena or Goldberg and hope he becomes a name in his own right.

 

[TWJC: The Beginning]

It's all about the small things that make a potential great. The reason that Bobby Roode stands out isn't because of his in ring ability, or his promos. It's his intensity that makes him a stand out.

Gunner and Crimson don't have any redeeming qualities. They've both got awful names for a start. There's no redeeming qualities about either of them, nothing that makes me want to sit up and listen when they come on my TV screens.

Magnus is another guy who's got something special about him. He's got charisma by the bucket-load. And part of me hopes that TNA don't do anything with him so he can go to the WWE. I'm not saying that he has to be main eventing any time soon, but the fact that he isn't on TV every week is a crime.

It's not Roode's intensity. A million guys can show intensity, shit that's all gunner and crimson can do. Roode is very good in the ring (look at why he does moves, not the amount o moves), everything about his character "fits", he's good on the mic, and he sells well. That's why he's so good.

 

[He's Phenomenal]

TNA are definately building some stars for the future but I don't think I'd call it a "Youth Movement". Well I would hope it isn't one anyway. Because apparently a "Youth Movement" is giving some guy no one cares about a run with the World Title. As long as TNA continue to build guys like Gunner, Crimson, Austin Aries, Matt Morgan, Beer Money etc in the manner they have been, then I'm all for it. But if Zema Ion wins the World Title next month because TNA think it will get him over, then no thanks. That's nothing against Ion, if he was to be built up so he looked ready for a Title shot, fair game.

It looks as though TNA are looking to give the younger guys more important roles but I wouldn't call it a movement, simply because if they're not good enough they'll stop moving foward. Guys like Morgan and Beer Money have been getting big crowd reactions for a long time and Crimson, Aries and Gunner and starting to get reactions out of the crowd (the true test will be when they film on the road though). But if guys like Zema Ion, Tony Neese and Mark Haskins don't get any reaction, they won't move from the spot they come in to.

I think the reason for TNA pushing the less known guys is because they are about to film on the road. Everyone moans about how TNA use the likes of Kurt Angle, Sting and RVD but the fact of the matter is the top brass KNOW they are stars. They don't know if AJ Styles or Matt Morgan or Pope are stars because they only perform infront of the iMPACT Zone crowd. When iMPACT Wrestling goes on the road, the guys in charge will be able to see who the crowd react to and those guys will be the ones who receive pushes in the future. Going on the road is the only thing holding TNA back. Once they film on the road regularly they have the potential to discover untold amounts of stars (giving how talented their roster is).

 

[madrox]

TNA have been on a "youth movement" thing for a few years at least, if not since they first started but definitely more noticable in 2009.

Remember when AJ Styles was a fresh faced guy in his early 20s just out of WCW's Cruiserweight Tag Team tourney and a few job spots on WWF Heat when he was given his huge TNA push? Or guys like Red, Siaki and a lot more used at the same age while they brought in older, more established names and vets like Lynn, Psicosis, Hall, Dusty Rhodes etc to bring in the crowds to The Asylum?

So they used veterans during a low period a little more than they used the youth (Main Event Mafia era of TNA I'm talking about) and threw stupid gimmicks on every show, every wrestling company does the same.

If you noticed, TNA since their inception has been trying to have the healthy mix of veterans and youth but for some idiotic reason you still have people claiming it's a company for "WWE rejects" while ignoring that WWE since the early 80s have been full of other company's "rejects" for their own roster.

Fortune was all about putting several of the talented "youth" together as the best of the unknown to the mainstream wrestlers TNA had with the face of an all time legend to get casual fans to find out who the hell Beer Money and the others were. Similar to the influx of 4 Horsemen members in the early to late 90s to associate people like Jeff Jarrett with the group to give them extra credibility.

Evolution did the same for Orton and Batista even though at the time Batista was in his early 30s himself and with 4 years experience in the business by the time he joined the group in early 2003.

Now while TNA has had more success with their youth movement in recent years than WWE has (look at the abundance of young talent in TNA compared to the abundance of generic, cookie cutter people who all look, talk, act and wrestle the same if you can call it wrestling over in WWE), I'm hoping that their booking and the veterans working there will keep the healthy balance needed in all companies.

That way, casuals and hardcore fans are still drawn by the big names or the established guys like Morgan and Joe and the younger people in their early 20s can be shaped into better and more interesting wrestlers and characters.

I noticed Mark Haskins listed in the first post (I get Impact Wrestling on tuesday, haven't read spoilers nor plan to and haven't even got to see Hardcore Justice yet after recording it on wednesday) and remember him at Destination X where he was obviously inexperienced and his look didn't scream future star but with nurturing from the right people in the company, he could really become at least a top tier midcarder for TNA in 5-10 years time.

 

[Jessie Lynn DivaGirl]

Yes, it feels that way doesn't it? With the fact that TNA has so many young competitors signed right now and are giving them all decent matches a youth movement is starting tosettle in. I hope so at least. I like some of these guys

 

[killer425]

all I know is that they need the youth and they need pushes maybe not titles at this point in time though pushes definitely Austin Aries needs to take that X Division title asap

and some x divsioners need to go the tag team division as well