Meltzer: Invasion Angle Will Happen With GFW; ROH, AAA and CMLL All Said No

[The Dragon Saga]

On today's Wrestling Observer radio cast Dave Meltzer confirmed that the whole GFW/TNA angle is an invasion angle and that it was completely TNA's idea and that they've wanted to do one for awhile to generate some buzz.

The original idea was for it to be Wrestle-1 from Japan, however that relationship ended and ended on bad terms supposedly as Great Muta wasn't happy with how TNA worked things and the feeling was most likely the same on TNA's side. TNA were unhappy with how Wrestle-1 never let TNA use any of their top stars and instead gave them undercard of mid card guys and of course Muta who is a recognizable name.

TNA then tried AAA, but that went nowhere. No details on why AAA said no but it's most likely because there is still bad blood between Konnan/TNA, Konnan being the booker for AAA. Konnan did book the Lucha Libre World Cup which featured TNA but that was because an outside investor (I forget the name of the sponsor) paid the booking fees for all the TNA/ROH guys.

TNA also tried CMLL, no luck again. Using CMLL would cause an issue where more people are wondering who the CMLL guys are as they have very few names any US wrestling fan would recognize.

And finally, ROH. TNA apparently contacted ROH about doing it days after ROH/Destination America was announced, TNA thought that it would be in both promotions best interests as it would please Destination America to see them immediately working together. However ROH said no, as they still believe after all these years that there is no benefit for them working with TNA and more-so now than ever ROH sees TNA as their main rival, if not below them as ROH is now available in more homes, bringing in larger audiences, touring and doing better PPV buys.

So TNA's final option was GFW, which was also a way for them to extend an olive branch to Jarrett so they could do some other business with him such as the KOTM match, etc. Meltzer doesn't believe there is ANY MERGER on the cards as Panda Energy most likely wouldn't sell to Jarrett but if TNA were to be canceled as is still the plan for September than the chances of it happening increase and Jarrett could buy out TNA in real life. But for now all it will be is an invasion/war angle where Jarrett gets publicity because he doesn't have a TV deal and TNA generates some buzz which they hope will bring in more viewers and potentially better advertisers.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

The problem with an invasion angle if Jarrett is *not* securing some controlling stake in the company is that one of these two sides has to "win" the invasion. The same as WWE "won" the WCW invasion. They weren't going to allow WCW to go over their own for the overall story, just as TNA can't possibly allow GFW to go over theirs for the same reasons.

Unless, as has been speculated, the entire angle is part of a type of covert, killing-two-birds-with-one-stone-type re-brand taking place through a wrestling angle.

For me, the footing is there for it. Jarrett comes back, he wins the KOTM title, he starts signing "TNA guys" and returned with Matt Morgan. All of these guys can eventually band together to form Jarrett's side of the army. Instead of fighting over the KOTM title, or the TNA WHC, or any other title, the fight can be over "the future" — the company itself. Winner takes control.

If/when GFW does win, under this scenario, the entire thing is re-branded.

 

[The Dragon Saga]

I'm disappointed as a fan that ROH said no, but I also totally understand the reasoning.

They're on the same network, they're running two different business models, ROH is obviously doing stronger and it would seem TNA wanted it to be a thing of ROH invading them. Why would ROH invade TNA? Not to mention the politics would be incredible. ROH probably wouldn't want any of their guys taking losses to TNA guys and TNA wouldn't want any of their guys taking losses to ROH guys. ROH would have been the best possible invader but again, it's obvious why it's not happening.

The biggest issue with all of this is, GFW still doesn't really exist as a force - pun intended. They've drawn a combined 800 people to four shows. That's not very good. Plus they're having difficulty selling tickets to their "TV taping" in Vegas because the arena they booked is too big to fill. GFW is barely off the ground and are already going to invade TNA. I understand it generates buzz but it doesn't really make sense and why should TNA be threatened by a promotion thats just started and is running in ballparks?

I hope it does end with a TNA/GFW merger or re-brand, but if that's not on the cards right now if I were a TNA fan hopeful of such a thing happening I'd hope that TNA does get canceled in September and that Jarrett buys and merges it with GFW. Then with a new name and brand hopefully Jarrett will find a network who'll take him on sans Dixie.

 

[Mighty NorCal]

LULLLZZZZZ

an invasion angle comprised almost completely of wrestlers whose contracts just expired with TNA.

Sure thing

 

[Fabulous Freebirds]

I am happy that it is Jeff Jarrett and GFW. To be honest.

1 - It brings back Jarrett to TNA.

2 - Nobody cares about an invasion angle involving Mexican promotions. Nobody in America will care about luchadores. Unless it was a Lucha Underground invasion.

3 - I do understand ROH's viewpoint. I knew that would never happen because ROH is content working with NJPW. Also, and the bigger reason, ROH does not want to have their guys look weaker to the TNA guys.

So, as a a fan, I like Jarrett and GFW and I am more intrigued by this than had it been the other companies.

 

[johnbragg]

This is the best invasion angle since the NWO, for the following reason:

The invasion could actually, credibly succeed.

Aces and Eights or the MEM were never going to "take over" TNA--the name of the show was never changing to Main Event Wrestling, or A8W etc.

(EDIT: I don't think a faction war (Dixie vs Hogan, New Breed vs ECW Originals, EV2 vs Fourtune is the same as an invasion).

The Nexus was not going to "take over" WWE or Raw or Smackdown.

Most people think that the original endgame of the WCW Invasion was a WCW-branded Smackdown, but the WCW roster was so thin that they weren't a credible threat to the Rock/Austin/HHH/Foley/Angle etc WWF.

But there is every real-world possibility that, some time in the next year, the Carters give up the ghost, sell to whoever JArrett's backers are, and TNA shuts its doors and reopens as GFW. GFW's talent roster is at least as credible as TNA's, and JArrett and Dixie have history with pretty much all of the TNA and GFW talent, so switches have fairly logical explanations.

 

[BestSportsEntertainer]

I have no idea what to expect. I'm proud it's Jeff Jarrett and GFW rather than ROH, AAA, or CMLL. It should be interesting and keep TNA afloat for a while alonger, so it works. I just really, really hope the invasion angle have VERY FEW former TNA talents. Then, it's pointless.

 

[Lowdown]

You kinda knew going in that ROH wouldn't be an option considering all the former TNA talent that's currently there, mainly champs Jay Lethal and the Addiction. Chances are it's water under the bridge, but they're at a point where they can't afford to look weaker in the aftermath of an invasion angle. GFW does makes sense as it does benefit both promotions, but at the same time weekend the last time an angle like this worked? NWO in its infancy maybe. You have to have stars that game actually wanna see. Idk it it can work with Matt Morgan, but who knows.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

That's not why ROH wouldn't do it. The reason they wouldn't is because invasions require winners. How do you pick which side wins this without the loser feeling like they never should have agreed to this to begin with?

There's just no reason to do it with an established federation like ROH. It's perfect for an upstart like GFW.

 

[The Dragon Saga]

That's not why ROH wouldn't do it. The reason they wouldn't is because invasions require winners. How do you pick which side wins this without the loser feeling like they never should have agreed to this to begin with?

There's just no reason to do it with an established federation like ROH. It's perfect for an upstart like GFW.

Well, technically ROH/NJPW is a vs. tour, as in last year at War of the Worlds, Kelly and Corino were counting the number of wins and losses and it was tied at the end. Same thing this year too, they just went to a tie.

If I was booking it, I'd have two blow off matches, one where say ROH proves they're better than TNA and then ROH faces TNA where if ROH wins TNA dies and if TNA wins then ROH has to leave TNA alone. Maybe have someone like The Wolves jump back to ROH for a period or have The Kingdom join TNA because they're sick of ROH fans not appreciating them. Then in the end TNA wins the second match, ROH has to leave but they both keep talking shit about one another but nothing ever really happens, or even both sides to a segment where Dixie/Nigel call a truce and after this period of time working together maybe both promotions can put their issues aside and do some inter promotional stuff.

This is all in an ideal world and much more simpler typed than done, but in reality I think as a big ROH fan that there has been a feeling for years that ROH is the anti-TNA and that a lot of ROH fans, especially the die hards, don't want ROH and TNA working together and ROH doesn't want to annoy the fans like say Cornette did in 2011.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

It just makes no sense. There's no payoff. But I absolutely buy the ROH fans hating TNA thing. That's been true for as long as I can remember, even back to 2006 and 2007.

I've told the story before, but the first ROH show I ever attended... the very first chant from the crowd just before the DVD taping began was "Fuck TNA". Not "ROH". Not "Homi-cide". Not any of these things. "Fuck TNA", because TNA had recently pulled in Styles, Joe and others.

 

[The Dragon Saga]

At Samoa Joe's farewell two weeks ago, which was Joe & Styles vs. Kaz & Daniels, the entire crowd was chanting, "fuck TNA", for the opening few minutes - not seconds, all reports say the opening few minutes. Styles apparently couldn't stop smiling while Daniels tried to get people chanting ROH instead.

It would have been interesting though. Not the same booker, but ROH has done a war angle before with CZW and CZW benefited a lot from it, got guys like Bryan on their shows and had some of their best attendances at the time. Both promotions were selling out every show because fans didn't know who was going to show up where. ROH won in the end and CZW went in wanting to play the heels to ROH being the faces, but yeah, it was similar to this as ROH/CZW didn't like one another, fans didn't like one another and Chris Hero has said the CZW locker room legit didn't like the ROH locker room and vice verca.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

Right. It's a long-standing dislike for the promotion. It goes back years.

On paper the ROH/TNA thing would have been best, but in reality it just doesn't work. There's no way to really make either side "win", so it gets fought to a draw, and there's a long-standing, I want to call it hatred, of TNA from ROH's fans, so you're going to be dealing with that trying to go forward.

Just not worth it. To me, there's more to this GFW opportunity than anything else. ROH would have given them the best wrestling opportunity, but GFW serves a full on rebuild if they can make that work, which might actually be even better for them long-term.

 

[The Dragon Saga]

So this is coincidental, but the Observer was just released and in it Meltzer says that this is actually the second time that TNA has approached ROH about working together this year and that on one of the occasions they were willing to offer a talent from their exclusively contracted roster to work for ROH for a short period of time as TNA wanted The Kingdom, which is Adam Cole, Mike Bennett, Matt Taven and Maria, specifically Maria as TNA officials are big fans of hers.

Dave says ROH simply isn't interested and anyone he knows close to the situation has said nothing but than ROH isn't interested in doing business with TNA in any form. It's not so much harboring bad feelings as it is when ROH were struggling in the late 2000's and ROH were looking for some help or talent exchanges, TNA never helped them and now that they're on even footing TNA wants to work with them. Dave says he doesn't see ROH working with TNA in the near future and Jeff Jarrett working with TNA essentially means ROH won't work with GFW either, not that they were acknowledging them anyway.

Dave also mentions that Dave Lagana is still in communication with some ROH employees from when he worked there and that Lagana isn't worried about a job if TNA were to hypothetically go under as he'd be welcomed back into ROH as he and Delirious worked together closely during his first ROH run.

 

[rmp0012002]

I don't want ROH anywhere near TNA. I use to support TNA as an viewing option against Vince but they are poorly run booking wise and financially. Jarrett is already a shareholder in TNA and walked away once so I don't see what he is going to change other than stroke his ego. What does Jeff do when TNA,GFW or whatever it's called later this year when they get dropped from TV.

 

[I Heart Cena]

2 - Nobody cares about an invasion angle involving Mexican promotions. Nobody in America will care about luchadores. Unless it was a Lucha Underground invasion.
.

There's a decent amount of people here who care.

 

[gydion]

Don't know if anyone would remember this, as I am bit older then most on here, But this "invasion" has all been done before by Jarrett. More so his father but Jeff was involved at the time. Back when WCCW went under they did an invasion of guys from CWA which was owned by Jerry Jarrett. Fritz Von Erich had sold 60% of WCCW to Jerry Jarrett. This was in 1990 and information didn't move around as easily so most of the world had no idea this happened. Jarrett then ran an angle where guys from CWA came in to WCCW. This all lead to CWA winning a war and taking over control of WCCW. The company was then renamed USWA. CWA was also re-branded as USWA. Trouble with the Von Erich brothers over rights soon lead to Jarrett closing the Dallas side of things and focusing on Memphis. Point is it was all played out on T.V. like they came in and took over. Seems like the same thing is happening with GFW. I can only hope that behind the scenes Jarrett is working a deal to buy out TNA and rebrand. As a long time TNA fan(I was one of the 19000 or so that bought PPV's from the start) it's time to close the doors and start fresh.

 

[Papa Pillman]

Don't know if anyone would remember this, as I am bit older then most on here, But this "invasion" has all been done before by Jarrett. More so his father but Jeff was involved at the time. Back when WCCW went under they did an invasion of guys from CWA which was owned by Jerry Jarrett. Fritz Von Erich had sold 60% of WCCW to Jerry Jarrett. This was in 1990 and information didn't move around as easily so most of the world had no idea this happened. Jarrett then ran an angle where guys from CWA came in to WCCW. This all lead to CWA winning a war and taking over control of WCCW. The company was then renamed USWA. CWA was also re-branded as USWA.

Trouble with the Von Erich brothers over rights soon lead to Jarrett closing the Dallas side of things and focusing on Memphis. Point is it was all played out on T.V. like they came in and took over. Seems like the same thing is happening with GFW. I can only hope that behind the scenes Jarrett is working a deal to buy out TNA and rebrand. As a long time TNA fan(I was one of the 19000 or so that bought PPV's from the start) it's time to close the doors and start fresh.

This x1,000

This has that "history repeating itself" vibe written all over it. I refuse to believe Meltzer's claim that this GFW/TNA relationship is a last minute deal. I'm sold on the feeling that this has all been one giant planned out work by Jarrett, possibly along with a laundry list of others conspirators like Big, Dixie, Corgan, Keith, etc. that has all along been drawn up to mimic the model of the USWA merger. It explains so many strange loopholes around the Jarrett leaving TNA and starting his own promotion storyline. It never felt real. I just feel like losing the Spike deal made everything have to be far more rushed than originally anticipated and GFW never really got a chance to "get off the ground". In fact I wouldn't be shocked if Destination America is now even possibly in the know on this, and Jarrett is scrambling to put the invasion in place and try to save a spot on the network, after being blindsided by the cancellation reports and the ROH deal.

Here's another theory for you- could Jarrett have been acting as a liaison on behalf of TNA while representing "GFW" when scouting and meeting with other companies at events like most recently at the Lucha World Cup? Could it have perhaps been Jarrett himself negotiating these proposed invasions that TNA reportedly attempted to bring to fruition with companies like AAA, CMLL, etc.?

Take all of that as satire at your own choosing, I'm not even sure myself.

 

[New Hot Fed]

I understand why ROH wouldn't do it, they don't want to alienate their fanbase. But Meltzer adding his grain of salt of "ROH doing better in PPV and touring and they are doing better than TNA" was misguided. Of course ROH is better in those things cause TNA doesn't tour and had one PPV this year. They completely abandoned both of these things.

Now as far as the invasion, like other have said, it just fits better and it's even more intriguing with GFW cause of Jarrett and cause the end game may actually be rebranding. And It plays on the real life situation that TNA may go out of business.

-It helps TNA cause as good as the matches have been, the aura of the company isn't there anymore and a lot of people have stopped watching. So it creates a larger story that may interest people.

-It helps GFW cause even if there is talks of Jarrett doing shows, he doesn't have any TV deals and so forth. His promotion is really just one on paper. So it gives his new thing some actual life. Where guys will attack TNA wrestlers with Jarrett, creator of GFW as the front man. It's a good platform for him and his company to get themselves known.

On the subject of doing an invasion, I've never had a problem with it, it's just that most of the time, they've been done badly. I was all for Aces & 8s but it dragged too long and the writers really didn't think about it much. So if TNA has to do this, get better writers and make sure everything is thought out well. And interesting.

 

[TDFG]

Who can Jarrett bring that's going to be a fresh face for any invasion angle, DH Smith, Masters, Hoyt. It's going to be a struggle to make it work if it's Storm & Magnus.

Don't expect Scott Steiner to be involved either.