Magnus: A Star in the Making?

[ramblinroy682]

I'm sure there has been a Magnus thread before, but I felt like making one after BFG Sunday night. Magnus has had a few high spots in his career thus far in TNA:

Tag Team Run with Doug Williams as the British Invasion:

When he was in the tag team with Williams, I didn't think Magnus had what it took to be a singles star. I definitely thought he had "The Look." But, at the time, he didn't seem to be overly great on the mic. He also looked very green and raw in the ring. He wasn't Rob Terry bad, but he didn't appear to be a capable of handling an entire match.

After the split up of the British Invasion:

Magnus spent some time on Explosion where he would eventually wind up Partnering with Desmond Wolfe in a short lived Tag Team called London Brawling. They had a couple of promos and had the hot girl manager, before Wolfe was injured to the point of retirement. This is where I saw the first glimpse of the charisma coming from Magnus. I think he got to act in the arrogant, cocky heel persona that fits him. I saw just a glimpse.

Reformation of the British Invasion:

TNA took Magnus and put him back with Williams. Not a terrible idea, but it didn't seem to fit. They tried pushing them as faces against the Reincarnation of Mexican America. Neither team flourished. They face Gun Money at one PPV and lost. That was the end of British Invasion part II. This seemed like a step back for Magnus, and I thought he might be done. I didn't see the charisma in this team at all. He had improved in the ring, but nothing shined through.

Wild Card Tag Teams:

Magnus and Joe paired up and had a pretty good run as tag champs, albeit it fairly short. I didn't like the tag team pairing, but I did like Magnus's part in it. Magnus was back to being the cocky guy from his pairing with Wolfe. The one major thing that I noticed was that he had really improved in the ring. He's no Daniel Bryan, Kurt Angle, or CM Punk, but he could put on a match. He also began having some pretty decent promos.


Fast Forward to BFG 2012. Magnus and Joe have had a little rivalry over the past few months. It didn't get much TV time, but a few moments here and there. So, I wasn't expecting much. However, what I took away from the match was Magnus's potential.

I had no idea he is only 26 years old. I also was very surprised and very entertained by his pre-match promo. It was the best that I can remember that he's ever had. Then the match. I thought it was a good match. I thought Magnus matched Joe. The Elbow Magnus dropped when Joe was draped over the ropes was a move I hadn't seen before. It was just different enough to catch my eye and I don't remember others doing it. Basically, it got me thinking that maybe, just maybe TNA has something big in Magnus.

Now, Magnus is only 26 years old. You can't argue that he has the look of a major star. That's something that a lot of TNA guys haven't had in the past. He's improved dramatically on the mic and in the ring. In my opinion, TNA has someone that they should be investing major time into. 5 years down the road, with the right push and development, maybe Magnus is The Man in TNA.

So my questions are:

1. Do you see Main Event level talent in Magnus?
2. Could he be a guy that TNA could push to the Number 1 slot with the right kind of development?
3. How would you get him there?

 

[fafa1021]

I actually do like Magnus as a worker and his promos are not terrible. But I think you need to go a little deeper with him than stereotypical "British Guy." If having an accent got you over, William Regal would of been a multiple time World Champion. There needs to be something done to his character that makes him a little more interesting. Make this guy an absolute twisted villian. Similar to what WWE did with Cody Rhodes making him kind of a Marvel Comics "Von Doom" character. I think that kind of a sick, mecurial type would help him along and it may not bring him to the top of the card, but it will at least be more interesting than "Generic British Guy."

 

[Hard Hit Prince]

I think Magnus is the future of TNA Wrestling, he still has a lot of work to do in the process to reach the main event level, or so I hope that. But he is a very young guy with a lot of talent and potential to be the best and probably first TNA product guy. He's good in the ring, not Kurt Angle good, but pretty reasonable but his strongest point's gotta be the look and the mic skills. For me I noticed Magnus when he had a defining career promo in London. If you guys didn't watch it, please feel free to check it, 'cause you will be amazed.

However in the past couple of months I sense that TNA isn't really trying to push him. I hated the fact that he had to lose to Rob Van Dam, because that would have been a good rub for him if he won. Rob Van Dam didn't need to win, so I am afraid that TNA ruins it. But we also have to be reasonable - TNA has a lot of uppercard talent, and guys that can go main event a PPV with a blink of an eye:

- Kurt Angle
- AJ Styles
- Anderson
- RVD
- Samoa Joe
- Bobby Roode
- James Storm
- Jeff Hardy
- Sting
- Hulk Hogan
- Bully Ray
- Austin Aries

With that competition it's really tough to be Magnus. It's really tough to name the number one guy from that company. For some guys it may be Jeff Hardy, to others it may very well be Hulk Hogan. Magnus would need a lot of victories, a lengthy title reign as a face and eventually drop the title for a legend or a very relevant guy like Kurt Angle, but even for that the match needed to be really big and really hyped.

You can bet that Magnus is going to go far, a lot of veterans are whiling to bet on him and they have gone out in public to state that. I'm talking about guys like Kurt Angle, Sting and Hulk Hogan.

EDIT: The promo I was talking about - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLbMdNBRkHY

 

[owenmandias]

I was thinking just the other day, where will he be in a year. I hope he isnt in the main event scene this time in a year and I dont think he will be but if he keeps improving like he has been, he will definitely get there! Its such a great opportunity for TNA as well seeing as he has the look and he is still so young AND TNA is popular in the UK and he is British. If he becomes a star, imagine the pop he is going to get when Impact goes to London!

For me, TNA is on such a high right now. its a shame the ratings dont show it. They have many positive things going for them and Bound For Glory was the best PPV I have seen in years! It is literally in my favourite 5 ppvs of all time, I thought it was that good (IMO)

 

[ProWrestlingFan]

Magnus is great on the mic, good in the ring, and is charismatic. I think he is main-event talent. He needs to be in a rivalry with a main-eventor like Kurt Angle, RVD or maybe Bully Ray and should turn face. I think a face Magnus will be great.

 

[shattered dreams]

I was watching Magnus at BFG and trying to decide just how close he was to realizing his potential. Generally, I had been thinking he wasn't quite as close as everyone claimed but as I watched him there was only one area that I didn't think he was up to par in. That was his arsenal of offense moves. Magnus can take just about anything but he hasn't really established his ring style yet and he has few moves. I don't know if he could ever be a face but that doesn't really matter. The good thing is that his only weakness is something that is generally developed over time and time is on Magnus' side.

 

[ヒュー　G.　レックション]

Yeah he is for sure a great talent I believe he will main event someday. I actually had him in my mind to be the winner of the BFG Series at the start. He had strong matches but of course he did not end up anywhere near the final 4.

There was an impact where there was a six man tag. A great main event it was! It was Aries, Roode and Ray vs Storm, Magnus and Joe.

[youtube]?v=1fcmR1vlsrU&feature=plcp[/youtube]

Magnus looked like a real legit main event player here.

 

[AmerikanWolves619]

Yes, I definitely see Magnus going up in the roster of TNA and hitting that Main Event level on par with Austin Aries, AJ Styles, Jeff Hardy, Roode, Storm, etc. TNA has already been putting alot of investment into Magnus when they started up their TNA Ra Ka King in India as the top heel of that organization and become their World Heavyweight Champion. He is/has been growing leaps and bounds from his experience there and from what TNA (and Hulk Hogan) are training him for. Getting him there...would it not be awesome if he was part if not leading the Aces and 8's...LOL. That would add tons of heat, but the reality is is that he need to raise on his own as a heel. Say give him a great X-Division Championship fued, win the belt a few months before DestinationX PPV where he can vie for the TNA World Championship.

 

[UFOcalling]

I enjoyed reading this post, to be honest I had all but forgotten about "London Brawling". I too have been enjoying Magnus lately, he's really starting to come into his own (especially since his split with Joe).

Like the OP said, I really didn't see any spark of originality in Magnus when he first debuted with TNA. He seemed like he would end up being the "Jannetty" of the group both with the "British Invasion" and "London Brawling". Doug Williams and Desmond Wolfe seemed like the "talent" in the two respective tag teams, and Magnus just seemed kind of forgettable during his time with them. Even when they did the "new" British Invasion with Rob Terry (at least I think Magnus & Terry were both in that group, I can't remember for sure), Rob Terry seemed more memorable than Magnus. At least Terry had that monster look, too bad his ring skills were/are so bad. Obviously Terry turned out to be the forgettable member of the group, but I wouldn't have predicted that at the time.

Again - like the OP already mentioned, I didn't realize how young Magnus is/was either. I think his inexperience (along with his young age) was probably the main reason he didn't seem all that enthralling at first, and now that he's gotten older (and gained that all-important ring experience) he's really starting to show us something. I think the guy has nowhere to go but up at this point, barring something like a gruesome injury or health problems (knock on wood). Sting went out of his way to mention Magnus in a recent interview, when he said something to the effect that Magnus is one of the younger guys in TNA to "look out for" in the future (sorry it's not verbatim, but that was Sting's gist). If Magnus has the attention of someone like Sting, then I think TNA would be silly to not put some stock in him for the future.

1. Do you see Main Event level talent in Magnus?

I don't see main event level talent in Magnus at this exact moment. I think he's good where he is, vying at the TV Championship level with Samoa Joe - and whoever else TNA decides to put in the "TV Division" (basically the midcard, or upper midcard at the highest level).

2. Could he be a guy that TNA could push to the Number 1 slot with the right kind of development?

Yes, I do see Magnus being able to develop into a Main Event level talent as long as he keeps doing what he's doing. His current heel gimmick is very good, and all it could take is beating that one special opponent to really get him over. As for now, I think he should still chase Joe & the TV Championship for a little while. Once Magnus actually captures the TV Belt, that could add to the development you hinted at.

3. How would you get him there?

I kind of already answered this, when I said that Magnus should eventually become the TV Champion. Since TNA seems to want to make the TV belt their #2 Championship (instead of the X-Division Belt, which has basically become a glorified Cruiserweight Division), Magnus should eventually get a decent run with the TV belt. Maybe even two or three runs with the belt before he moves to the Main Event (as long as he shows promise, etc). If TNA has done away with the "weight limit" they put on the XD Championship last year (which it seems they might have, since RVD is the new XD Champ), Magnus could compete in the XD as well. I think a RVD/Magnus feud could be money too, especially if they have some real "slobberknocker" (lol!) matches in the process. Maybe Magnus could become an X Division Champ in the future as well as a TV Champion, before he's eventually moved to the Main Event. Again, that's only if TNA has done away with the weight limit. I don't think Magnus is under 220 lbs (or whatever the limit was), but then again - I don't think RVD is either...so you never know.

Obviously the best way to test how a wrestler will be as a Heavyweight Champ is to put a lower-tier belt on him, and see how the fans react - and how that wrestler carries himself as a champion. Magnus has already had several runs with the tag belts, and now it's time for him to capture some singles gold. I think we'll have a much better understanding of how he would do at the Main Event level once we see him as the TV Champ, and if TNA is smart they'll eventually give him a chance with the TV Belt. I hope to see Magnus' feud with Joe continue for at least another month or two, and hopefully it will culminate with Magnus beating Joe cleanly for the belt. Once Magnus is able to get a clean win over Joe, it will be a major step in the right direction for him, and a win like that might just be the catalyst it takes to get Magnus to stay in the upper midcard...we all know what the next step after that would be, and I feel that Magnus could be a major player for TNA in the coming year(s).

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Magnus could be someone that, potentially, has the capability to carry TNA at some point down the line.

The guy's got potential, lots of it, but let's not get ahead of ourselves. He's not nearly ready to be a main event level talent. He's shown promise, but hot shotting a guy into a big push just because he shows some promise with generally little overall use the past few years usually doesn't work. Look what happened to Drew McIntyre in WWE. He was pushed heavily before he was really ready for it and his career hasn't been the same since. He does have time on his side though. Magnus has had a couple of bright moments on the mic and he's delivered well inside the ring and, as has been mentioned, he's someone that also has time on his side.

Magnus turns 26 years old early next month and he's someone that could have a bright future. I think TNA should take their time with Magnus. I know internet fans can be an especially fickle and impatient bunch that tends to want everything exactly when & how they want it, but TNA could take some lessons from WWE as to how to go about with Magnus. In WWE, they've taken their time with Cody Rhodes for the past 2.5 years. He's grown a lot since the days when he was Randy Orton's lackluster flunky. A lot of fans have been screaming for Rhodes to be pushed to the main event for a long while. That's all well and good but WWE is trying to avoid making mistakes with younger stars like they made with Randy Orton. Rhodes, Punk & Ziggler are examples of guys that WWE haven't rushed with. In Punk's case, he's been ready for a couple of years in my opinion before he was finally elevated, but at least he made it. By the time Randy Orton was 30, he was already a 7 time World Champion. As a result, Orton is someone that could be viewed as peaking really long before he truly needed to. TNA doesn't need to make that kind of mistake with Magnus.

Magnus has only now really become someone that's just starting to carve out some sort of reputation for himself in TNA as a singles wrestler. Even during his days as a tag team wrestler, he was never really someone that was the center of attention. I think TNA should keep Magnus in the mid-card scene for the next couple of years, use him to help build up a strong mid-card picture over the time, occasionally put him into some matches with some of the top guys in TNA & make him look really good in the process to keep his stock up, then maybe begin looking at him as a potential main eventer.

 

[anvilx8]

I really don't see anything special in Magnus. Nothing about it stands out to me. He doesn't seem unique at all. He's in awesome shape, so he's got that going for him.. but I see him not even in TNA in 2 years. Im sure WWE would take a chance with him, given his size, but thats it.

So to answer ur questions.


1. Do you see Main Event level talent in Magnus? - No.
2. Could he be a guy that TNA could push to the Number 1 slot with the right kind of development? - Yes, but I don't think he'd get the title
3. How would you get him there? - I wouldnt

 

[New Hot Fed]

I think there's SOME potential there but ultimately he doesn't have a character and in the ring he's boring, he has no moveset that can be called his own. He has what, a big boot? Who doesn't have a big boot? And what is his finisher? Nobody knows.

Give him a character, a manager, a finisher, some decent moves...something.

 

[MINISTRYrising]

Magnus has a good look and his mic skills are improving all the time, so as long as he works on his move set and develops a finisher that people can remember, then I can easily see him taking somebody like Mr Andersons spot on the roster.

 

[ヒュー　G.　レックション]

And what is his finisher? Nobody knows

I do it's called the Mag Daddy Driver which is a Michinoku Driver basically. Pretty nice move. But I wouldn't know it was his finisher if I didn't watch Xplosion.

He also added a Texas Cloverleaf to his moveset during the BFG Series. I remember when his old finisher was a Samoan Drop lol

 

[HBsam31]

1. Do you see Main Event level talent in Magnus?

I think it is there, but he needs a little more time yet. He has the look and mic skills, and I think is good in the ring. I really like how he is doing after splitting with Joe.

2. Could he be a guy that TNA could push to the Number 1 slot with the right kind of development?

Yes, but as another poster said, I think he needs to be more than just the British guy. I think he could be a great top heel with the right push.

3. How would you get him there?

I would have started with the TV title. I thought he and Joe should have feuded over the title for a while. I still think they should go back to that. A win over Joe could really establish Mangus as a tough guy, and a nice run with that belt would be a good start.

 

[The Dragon Saga]

Magnus has a good look, one you could sell, he's good at speaking and he's a solid in-ring performer, nothing special but he could put out a solid match, and he should be commended on that too cause when he joined TNA, he pretty much stunk out the joint, British Invasion definitely helped him train; or should I say Doug Williams helped him train? Whatever, you get the point.

Main event caliber performer? Maybe, too early to say. He has nothing special, his most impressive attribute is his look. I think if they give him a steady build and he continues training, working on improving as a talker, personality and an in-ring performer, then you definitely got yourself someone who could work as a transitional type of champion, but with much better options around him such as Aries, Roode, Storm, Angle, Daniels etc, etc, he'd need to show something spectacular to become a main event talent within even the next year.

 

[Slash-LN]

1. Do you see Main Event level talent in Magnus?
I think he's fine where he's at now but I feel like he has a ton of potential. Can he be a main event guy down the road? Definitely.

2. Could he be a guy that TNA could push to the Number 1 slot with the right kind of development?
With the right development Magnus could with no doubt in my mind be a top heel in the company. I feel like he has the tools. They just need to utilize them.

3. How would you get him there?
He needs some solid mid card feuds first. I felt like they were on to something with Joe. I'd like to see them work a program with the Television title for a while. Honestly having Joe work with the Robbies isn't doing much for him or the Television title. Put Magnus in that spot and let them put on some good matches. It looked like Magnus was going to start a ruthless streak when he attacked Joe and someone who I can't remember. I want to say it was RVD. Continue that ruthless streak and make sure he is on tv. Let him cut promos whenever possible so he is able to learn and get better. Make him look like a threat to whoever he faces. Solid matches are the key and don't put him on some stupid losing streak.

 

[SpecialFNK]

I think TNA made a mistake having Samoa Joe win thew TV title and then beat Magnus at the PPV. I would have rather seen Magnus win the then vacant TV title and hold that for while. then people would see him on TV on a regular/semi regular basis and that builds him up. Joe would be better used on the heavyweight title picture. personally I thought Samoa Joe being the top dog in Aces/Eights would have perfect. someone who has always gotten shoved down and not allowed to shine, so he made things happen himself. maybe even then with Jeff Jarrett as the leader who himself knows Joe should be pushed.
but back to Magnus. a TV title run would be good for him. right now when is going to get air time? he'll be lucky if he does at all. he had his match with Joe, so do they get that going again? he's not going to be in the heavyweight title picture. he's not in the X division. other than those Aces/Eights gets story lines, so does Magnus get tossed in there? I've never seen his name mentioned with them before.

 

[mcpothead]

Magnus bores the hell out of me.

BFG Joe vs Magnus was complete snore fest