[Official] Roster Cuts & Acquisitions Thread

[Upgrayedd]

Chris Jericho isn't a WCW reject. He left on his own and signed with the WWF.

But I think TNA has already done a pretty damn good job signing former WWE talents and "rejects". Mr. Anderson and The Pope are great examples of that especially The Pope. The WWE didn't know wtf to do with him. Now he's showing he has potential to be the next Rock in TNA.

 

[IkeTurner]

#1. Keep Goldberg as far away from TNA as possible. He's been off wrestling TV for so long he doesnt make a big difference to fans. The last thing I want to see is some guy who cant wrestle, squashing the guys TNA is working so hard to put over like AJ, Abyss, Pope, etc. Unless he is brought in as just a one time or novelty appearance, im not for it.

#2. RVD and Jeff Hardy at this point would be great fits for TNA. Id argue that Hardy was more over than anyone in WWE when he left. Main eventing Summerslam over guys like Cena was impressing to me. I wouldnt mess around by putting Hardy in some kind of X division or midcard fued. Id bring him in right away and have him go after Flair and AJ. If there is any better way to put TNA on the map, its to get WWE fans to start watching their hero chase TNA's champion and #1 and 2 bad guy, in AJ and Flair. As for RVD, i think hes a great fit as well. Now i dont know if he'd make a huge impact on raitings at first but he def has some fans out there and on top of that, he can go! I could imagine an RVD vs Nigel fued or an RVD vs AJ fued. Tons of potential there.

#3. WWE's recent roster cuts.....Burchill, Maria and Hass. While Maria has some star power from Playboy and the new trump show, i dont think TNA needs her. Seems like they are cutting back the womens division and its loaded already. I think Burchill could be a star. Sounds crazy, but hes got some good mic skills and is pretty decent in the ring. I think if hes given the correct gimmick, he could take off, ala Elijah Burke. Hass has always been impressive in the ring, but is lacking something. Im sure TNA will pick him up at some point, at least for the short term.

 

[bigbootydaddyV]

i think one problem TNA will have in hyping up the so called rejects is that its so much harder to jump ship... i think one great thing about WWE/WCW switches were they could happen out of no where or the wrestler can be hyped up if need be... TNA can do neither now with a 90 day clause... granted they can still have success with some guys i think it'll be tough with others like the hurricane. With his release it'll be 3 months till we see him again.. rust sets in and ppl forget about him etc so it won't have nearly the impact (no pun intended)

 

[wiKid hoRse]

I'd love to see Burchill and Haas in TNA. Put them together as a tag team and really play up the WWE reject angle. Have them basically act like they are just using tna as a way to get back into the wwe and that they despise they are in tna. Have them berate the tag team scene and even the titles as being secrond rate. Instant heel heat.

 

[blowjoe5]

There are a certain few people who may turn up on this broadcast on Monday. Not necessarily sign with the company, but make an appearance. I wouldn't be surprised if we saw any of the following:

Shane Helms, Paul Burchill, Maria, Charlie Haas, Tommy Dreamer, Sabu, Sandman

People who are less likely to turn up because they're contracted to WWE, but could make an appearance in some form or other still are:

Matt Hardy, Christian, Shelton Benjamin, Evan Bourne.

Also, very possible appearances from:

Goldberg, DDP, Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman.

These last few are much less likely to appear in any capacity, but obviously the rumour about Jim Ross being approached by Bischoff has left me wondering if he could be the big shock of the night.

The obvious rumour that everybody has seen is that Shane McMahon will turn up, but obviously there would be no point whatsoever in this. Why on earth would Shane leave the company he's set to inherit in order to try and put them out of business?

Personally I think TNA should make an attempt to get as many of these as possible. If TNA get Haas, Shelton may come too. If TNA have Helms, Moore and Jeff Hardy on the books, Matt may come too.

If TNA get Maria, she's done Playboy and is set to come off 'The Apprentice' looking good, lot of exposure for both parties.

If TNA signs Goldberg, at least for a night, he'll get a good pop.

TNA should get Lesnar to make an appearance, he's injured, it'll keep his profile up and give him some cash and is a big name thanks to UFC to turn up on the show. Spike have a lot of reason to make him do this, they show UFC as well, it will only benefit them.

TNA should get Heyman to turn up, even if they dislike each other, it's solely a business deal. If Bischoff can work for Vince, anything's possible. Even if it was just for one night, if Vince saw Heyman and Bischoff working together it'd raise the stakes a lot.

The two other possibilities of course are Rock and Austin. Very unlikely, but they've both said they'd get back into the business for a few dates, If JR went to TNA (almost definitely wont) Austin may be tempted to make a one off appearance. The Rock might as Mick Foley is there and they're good friends.

I think it's safe to say at least one of the people mentioned here will be turning up.

 

[psykohurricane]

There are a certain few people who may turn up on this broadcast on Monday. Not necessarily sign with the company, but make an appearance. I wouldn't be surprised if we saw any of the following:

Shane Helms, Paul Burchill, Maria, Charlie Haas, Tommy Dreamer, Sabu, Sandman

People who are less likely to turn up because they're contracted to WWE, but could make an appearance in some form or other still are:

Matt Hardy, Christian, Shelton Benjamin, Evan Bourne.

Also, very possible appearances from:

Goldberg, DDP, Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman.

These last few are much less likely to appear in any capacity, but obviously the rumour about Jim Ross being approached by Bischoff has left me wondering if he could be the big shock of the night.

The obvious rumour that everybody has seen is that Shane McMahon will turn up, but obviously there would be no point whatsoever in this. Why on earth would Shane leave the company he's set to inherit in order to try and put them out of business?

Personally I think TNA should make an attempt to get as many of these as possible. If TNA get Haas, Shelton may come too. If TNA have Helms, Moore and Jeff Hardy on the books, Matt may come too.

If TNA get Maria, she's done Playboy and is set to come off 'The Apprentice' looking good, lot of exposure for both parties.

If TNA signs Goldberg, at least for a night, he'll get a good pop.

TNA should get Lesnar to make an appearance, he's injured, it'll keep his profile up and give him some cash and is a big name thanks to UFC to turn up on the show. Spike have a lot of reason to make him do this, they show UFC as well, it will only benefit them.

TNA should get Heyman to turn up, even if they dislike each other, it's solely a business deal. If Bischoff can work for Vince, anything's possible. Even if it was just for one night, if Vince saw Heyman and Bischoff working together it'd raise the stakes a lot.

The two other possibilities of course are Rock and Austin. Very unlikely, but they've both said they'd get back into the business for a few dates, If JR went to TNA (almost definitely wont) Austin may be tempted to make a one off appearance. The Rock might as Mick Foley is there and they're good friends.

I think it's safe to say at least one of the people mentioned here will be turning up.

That a very optomistic vision you got here but except for Dreamer, Sabu and Sandman, you're vision isn't realistic. First of all, Haas, Helms, Maria and Burchill cannot appear on TNA television for at less 3 months because of the no compete clause they have in their contract. Christian hates TNA so i don'T see him coming back to TNA anytime soon, Shelton & Evan if they weren'T under contract would probably be guys that would so up and MAtt Hardy i think he in the WWE until he retires even if all his friends goes to TNA.

Then you have Goldberg,Brock Lesnar,DDP and Paul Heyman. Goldberg from what i read is very happy with is live right now and i don'T think TNA as enough money to pay Goldberg anyway. DDP could so up but it wouldn't make that much of an Impact since he wasn'T that big of a star in WCW and the last time he showed up in TNA, it didn't set the place on fire. Lesnar won'T show up because he hates the pro wrestling world and the only way he would show up is if Dana White forces him to show up for publicity for the UFC and Paul Heyman as been so vocal about TNA that i doubt i would show up unless they give him complete creative control which i doubt TNA will.

Shane Mcmahon could show up, it wouldn'T surprise me but again, what the point of bringing him in after the initial shock. There is no point of him being on tv after that and the shock value of it will decrease after a couple of week.

Austin & Rock is highly unlikely that they show up in TNA. Austin and Rock are to busy with the movie careers. Rock as said that he would come back with the WWE probably during the summer and he had discussion with Vince McMahon on a regular based. As for Austin he's already booked for the january 15Th Raw plus he's still under Contract with WWE Films if i'm not mistaken so i doubt that he would throw all the money that the WWE is giving him to be the guess host and star in their film to show up in TNA.

Let face it, next monday show will be more of the same thing TNA has been giving fans since January 4th, a lot of talking, some surprises that doesn't do anything to advance the company and not alot of wrestling or promotion for the Destination X PPV. If you don'T believe me, just watch the last 2 weeks shows and the january 4th show again. Out of all the surprises they had on that january 4th broadcast, which guys are still with the company right now?

 

[aaronmb]

They should avoid Goldberg and DDP. Goldberg would be too costly and Id rather TNA get younger, maybe x division guys than him. DDP is too old. Scott Hall's logic to wrestle at the PPV made me laugh(do people really want to PAY to see him wrestle?) Hulk should be like Jim Cornette was when he was in TNA: on tv for maybe 10 minutes and making matches. And get Foley off tv too.

 

[ExPeRiEnCe KhAoS]

Hulk Hogan is NOT the answer, he's just publicity. Jeff Hardy is a big star, but he's still not the answer. One person isn't going to make TNA, it's that simple. The mistake TNA is making is bringing too many WWE rejects back into TNA. I agree with Pep about Jeff Hardy, he couldn't start a war between WWE and TNA, because let's face it: he has drug problems. Jeff Hardy is one of the greatest performers in the business, but it's his personal life. If he gets clean, he'll be better, but he can't start a war. He's not THAT big. To sum it up, here's what TNA needs to do:

1) Change Joe back to his old gimmick and feud him with someone to get put over.
2) Let Pope or Wolfe win the World Title and start a huge feud.
3) Fire Sting. He's hurt.

 

[Savion83]

We all know the man known as Nick Dinsmore from louisville,KY. And trained and wrestled at OVW in Kentucky with & against former WWE wrestler Rob Conway. And we also know Nick by his atler ego "Eugene", storyline nephew of former RAW GM and current partner in TNA Eric Bischoff. And since Bischoff, Hogan, and Carter are all for hiring former WWE talent to their roster. Then why not hire Nick Dinsmore?

Dinsmore's on-screen persona will have to be new of course, but TNA always bites off the former WWF/E guys former gimmicks from while they were in the WWF/E. Like with Ken Anderson (Kennedy), (King) Booker T, and former TNA wrestler Sean Morley as Val Venis (with his towel around his waist). So what if Nick Dinsmore came into TNA as some kind of "Manchild" type charactor (not the LeBron James type) kinda like what Eugene kind of was in the WWE?

They can continue with the Eric Bischoff being Nick's uncle storyline. And they could pair Nick Dinsmore up with Mick Foley as his mentor or manager or something as a good rub for Nick? But this would be Nick Dinsmore's last shot at stardom (sort of)! Let's see if TNA would give Nick Dinsmore a call up to Orlando, FL to go talk to them???

 

[Sparky]

I know that I'm one of the main culprits for moaning and complaining about TNA alway's hiring WWE rejects, but this Idea would be a good one. Nick has some real good skills (IMO) and I think he was wasted as the Eugene gimmick in the WWE. and was crushed when he got released. I think that If TNA was to hire him and not have him as a Gimmick worker, he could do wonders.

I'm not saying he would be one of the biggest stars but I know that he would at least improve the ratings. It wouldn't hurt him or the TNA for hiring him. I'm all for this, but I don't think it will happen. I think the eugene gimmick hurt him too much.

 

[Dagger Dias]

If TNA hires Dinsmore then he better be brought in as either himself or give him an entirely new gimmick. I hated the Eugene character and absolutely refuse to watch him if that character returns. If the Eugene character is on TNA, I will automatically flip over to Raw just to not have to watch him.... even if something as terrible as the millionth rematch of Hornswoggle VS Chavo was showing. That's how annoying I think Eugene was.

Dinsmore should be allowed to come in as a different character. If they were to hire him, then I really hope that happens. He has better in ring ability than the Eugene character would have allowed him to show. We are talking about a guy who was a 9 time OVW Heavyweight Champion after all. I think that TNA hiring Dinsmore would be a good idea because then the fans who only know him as Eugene might get to see a different side of him that they might not know about. However.... Bischoff is there, and I'm concerned that they would try to continue the storyline of Dinsmore being Bischoff's onscreen relative, meaning we would have to see the Eugene character return.... Therefore I only support the idea of Dinsmore joining TNA if he has a DIFFERENT character this time around.

 

[Rulk25]

It all depends which "Eugene" they give us. if its special needs Eugene I agree with Dagger I rather watch Regal read poetry on Raw than that crap again. But if they give us Savant Eugene now that is cool. Does not appear much but each week picks up more and more having soem sort of photo recall so starts out wrestling like crap soon he wrestles like Angle

 

[mikeyboy]

i would not mind nick dinsmore as himself hes a decent wrestler but not as a eugene type character its crap gimmicks like that that keep me me away from wwe programing. that gimmick was a waste , dinsmore could never showcase his real talents and besides its just in plain bad taste.

 

[Richard]

I disagree about bringing Eugene to TNA, that would not be good in any way shape or form. If they are going to bring someone in who everyone knows they should not waste their time on someone who people did not take seriously. Also, if they brought him in as himself, I don't know if I could take him seriously, I would just think of mentally challenged Eugene. I agree with Sparky too that the Eugene character hurt him too much to be taken seriously as anything anywhere else.

I think a good acquisition for TNA would be someone like Kofi Kingston. He's young, talented (wrestling wise IMO) and could benefit well in TNA working with guys like Pope or Wolfe. He's not doing too much in WWE I don't think (I can't remember what he's last done), so why not. The Great Khali isn't in WWE anymore so TNA could hire him to be a big monster for a while, although on his last WWE match his translator said he was burnt out or something, but even after he's had a break he could go to TNA which I think would be good for him.

Going on a very, very big long shot, I think Chris Jericho would be a great asset for TNA since Jericho has great skills with talking, wrestling, charisma, everything. That being said, if he couldn't be "Chris Jericho", if WWE owned his name and stuff then I wouldn't want to see him as anything else.

 

[daletango]

Im sat here wondering if alot of you have brains, seriously.

The Rock, Austin, Shane McMahon? IN TNA? LOL

 

[It's Damn Real!]

According to a report by Paglino on the main page, TNA are reportedly "supremely confident" that they will sign all three of Jim Ross, Paul Heyman and Tommy Dreamer.

Ross/Heyman don't surprise me seeing as Russo is reportedly very tired of booking/writing for TNA and both Ross/Heyman would be capable (as well as supremely better) replacements, and Dreamer reportedly wants to work with creative as well as be an on-air performer/character.

What do you think the chances of this actually happening really are, and where do you see each man taking position with regard to the infrastructure of the company?

 

[JJYanks121]

I will give 2 schools of thought on this.

1) TNA is blowing smoke. When one place offers up that Jim Ross left the meeting and the feeling was that he wasn't that interested and a day later they are "supremely confident" in signing him, you know they are grasping at straws. In this sense, it's a marketing ploy and just saying you had a meeting and feel like you have a chance at guys makes you more credible, at least in their eyes.

2) How many people can be hired to "work on the direction of the company". Let's say they in fact got all 3 men who all want to work with creative and the direction of the company. Now you have Hogan, Bischoff, Russo, Jarrett, Dixie, JR, Heyman, Dreamer, and probably every other veteran giving input. Do you honestly think all those people can coexist? It's a formula for implosion to the highest degree. It sounds nice to have all these big names on board, but with big names comes big egos. There will be more fighting than takes place in the ring! While TNA might be "supremely confident" that they can bring these people in, I am not. Even if they do, it's a recipe for disaster because Dxie isn't a strong enough figure at the top to keep everyone in line, so it would quickly become like WCW where it's utter chaos.

 

[baken1942]

Im sure there has been a topic on this before, but times have changed so ill try this out.

Release: Brutus Magnus, Kiyoshi, Tomko, Doug Williams, and as much as I dont like this, Amazing Red, just because with the real lack of X-Division like it used to be, there is nothing for him.

I would hire:

Awesome Kong - with Bubba The Goof Sponge gone, Awesome Kong would fit back in, even wrestling guys. Didnt Hogan say to her when he first signed, he liked the way she worked?

Tommy Dreamer - With all the old ECW guys in TNA as well as weapons and blood that TNA uses, a Hardcore Division would be a good change for old fans who loved TNA and a change from Traditional matches WWE uses wihtout blood. Not to mention, Dreamer knows his role, he is one of the sure guys out there to help get the younger talent over as well when the time is needed. Like it is now.

Mickie James/Katie Lea - Hands down would help elevate the Knockouts Division when their 90 day clause is over.

Charlie Haas/Shelton Benjamin - Benjamin more so that Haas but a start as the WGTT then singles would be huge for the very underused Shelton Benjamin in WWE

Gregory Helms - would be awesome in TNA. And will more than likely be there soon anyways


Now those are free agents, if you mean by this what 5 guys in the world would I sign to TNA, including contracted wrestler in WWE, I would take (Non main eventers):

Evan Bourne - Suited for the X- Division, cant see him with the US or IC title, so with no cruiserweight division there is nothing for him

Carlito - Has always been screwed around in WWE, a change to TNA would be good for him.

Chris Masters - Ive always liked this guy, but the new music, peck dancing gimmick thing sucks.

MVP - Also another guy who is used decently in WWE but I think would excel better in TNA

Matt Hardy - same as MVP used decently , but would fit in better in TNA. A hardy boyz reunion in TNA would draw ratings, and fans for sure. And a Stable with Jeff, Shannon Moore, Helms would be cool too, everyone knows they are all good friends

 

[MSAnon505]

The first change would be in the Knockouts Division.

Fire- Lacey Von Erich. She hasn't done anything to warrant her being there except as the dim-witted third member of TBP. If she can't work a solid match, kick her to the curb, because she's dead weight.

Replace her with- MsChif. You want someone who's got talent and an attitude, there ya go. Want some real competition for those KO Tag belts? Put the Scream Queens together.

Number two. And three. Fire- Scott Hall and Kevin Nash. These two are in the last stages of their careers. Nash only needs one good shot to those surgically-repaired knees of his and he's toast. Hall- well, he was good a couple of decades ago.

Replace them with- Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin. No need to put two guys together to see if they work. These two can work together or on their own. Bring Kurt Angle back into the mix and you've got a recipe for success if they're booked right.

Number four. Brutus Magnus. Be honest- since Big Rob left and Williams became X-Champ, what has he done?

Replace him with- Paul Burchill. The guy's proven he can be more than just a musclehead if he really wants to put the effort ahead (come on, you can't honestly tell me the pirate gimmick did not get over big time with the fans).

Finally... fire Tomko. How much has he even been seen as of late, except for that little demonstration against Orlando?

And in his place, hire... or should I say hire back... Petey Williams. Maybe he might not have been the most charismatic on the block, and he might not be the greatest wrestler to lace up the boots, but he can work.. and a finisher that has wrestling fans still marking out to this day. Bring him back, re-package him to shed the baggage of that Little Petey Pump gimmick (I still cringe when I remember that) and let the man loose.

 

[MR.KENNEDY]

Fired

1st Choice - Shark Boy Off of TV for what, longer than a year now? Still fit and perfectly able to wrestle, yet weirdly remains dormant on the current roster. If he is still on the roster this time next month, whoever is actually fired instead of him should give up on his wrestling career. I've got nothing against Shark Boy, but if creative obviously don't want to use you, call it a day.

2nd Choice - Tomko Never liked the guy, just a jobber to midcarders- whenever he has a match, you know he's going to lose.

3rd Choice - Magnus As a Brit myself, I always liked Magnus in The British Invasion/World Elite, but after the faction split its become quite apparent he is going to be on the end of a TNA push, and much like Tomko, will just become a jobber. Hate to say it, but not much left in TNA for him, looks like he will be fired soon.

4th Choice - Kiyoshi See above, but I hated him in World Elite, so surely he will be on the end of a firing in the upcoming weeks.

5th Choice - Doctor Stevie Awful gimmick imo, never liked his TNA work- lost all previous credibility.

Signed

1st + 2nd Choice - Team Angle In my eyes, the perfect way for Angle to return as a heel. Give them a nice tag team title run before Shelton goes after the world title and Haas after the Global. Would be nice to see Shelton used to his potential in TNA.

3rd Choice - Gregory Helms Perfect for the X Division. Simply perfect.

4th Choice- Tommy Dreamer Lets see the Extreme Tommy Dreamer from the old ECW, not the blubbering idiot the WWE turned him into.

5th Choice - Awesome Kong The Knockout Division just isnt the same without her, always loved TNA for having a women wrestler who could actually beat up most men, not just be a glamour model like most of the current TNA Knockouts.

 

[Tougie]

Fire

Steven Richards
I like Richards but damn you havent done anything with him and the whole Dr. gimmick is pointless. Fire him, unless you really are going to do some sort of ECW reunion.

Shark Boy
Nothing more then a X Division jobber who should have been fired 6 years ago

Raven
Same thing, Raven is one of my favs but they havent done anything with him. Unless your doing the ECW thing get rid of him.

Kiyoshi
Good wrestler but you havent done anything with him. The most he will be used for is an X Division jobber.

Magnus
Same exactly thing as Kiyoshi. Neither has had anything since world elite died. Although I think Magnus could be a top guy in the X Division, and he is only like 23.

Rhino
Same as Raven and Richards, if ECW reunion keep...if not fire. His time is past anyway.

Syxx
Yeah, you already replaced him in the band with EY, so nothing left to do but release him

Tomko
Most obvious, he hasent done anything except that one match against AJ. Waste of money get rid of him.


Sign

Tommy Dreamer
Whether or not your gonna do an ecw gimmick Tommy is still a very respected wrestler.

Worlds Greatest Tag Team
Come on this is obvious. You get the chance to sign Haas and Benjamin. Both of whom have really solid in ring work but lag a bit on the mic. Well thats what TNA is all about. Taking the wrestlers who were never good on the mic and letting them show off their talents. And if you sign them you got the best tag division in North America. Beer Money, The Guns, The Young Bucks, Team 3D, Ink Inc, and the worlds greatest tag team.

Gregory Helms
Have the Helms from 06-07 and he is a perfect fit for the X Division and could easily be the top heel in the division. Can easily see this happening due to his friendship with Hardy and Moore.

Awesome Kong
Come on. That a** Bubba is gone so bring her back and let her dominate the Knockouts division again.

Paul London
Another good boost for the X division, or you could reunite London and Kendrick

Mickie James
I doubt this will happen but still she would be a huge boost for the knockouts division and could have a great fued vs the beautiful people.

Matt Hardy
If released from WWE. Think, The Hardy's, Moore, and Helms. All best friends in TNA. That will definetly bring up morale and the quality of all their matches.

Please Don't Sign

Mike Knox
Hate to say it but it will be just like Tomko's current run or even like Tests TNA run in 07.


Also, for the people who say fire Hogan and Flair. They're their just to bring older fans in. Regardless of what they do with them it gives TNA more appeal and credibility. And MSAnon505 I completely agree with all your picks.

 

[Razakel]

fire:
Shark boy: haven't seen him since forever.they barely use him and he's just there for comedy.

Kiyoshi:they've used him horribly since day one and now it's impossible to save his career in TNA.

Tomko: he let himself go horribly.he was in tremendous shape 2 years ago and now he looks horrible.Let him go

Rhino; hasn't been used since forever and I can't honnestly find a good storyline for him besides rehashed ecw versus tna storylines.

Brutus magnus: he's been overshadowed by douglas williams and rob terry now and I can't think of a storyline for him so i'd let him go.

______________________________________________________________
HIRE:

Re-hire: Christopher Daniels:
sign him for multi year contract.say you're sorry for ever letting him go and never repeat the mistake ever again.and call him friggin FALLEN ANGEL CHRISTOPHER DANIELS...instead of just daniels.

Mickie James:to bring back some life for the knock out division.

Awesome Kong: see christopher daniels and give her monster push.

Teddy hart: would put him in feuds with AJ styles and RVD.and give him big push.

jack evans: to give back life to the x division.would give him a feud with amazing red.

 

[bobsagetfan]

Tna should release Kevin Nash and Scott hall, as they havn't wrestled a good match since the '90s. Shark Boy should be released for lack of use, dr. Stevie should be released for lack of use/ not bringing anything to the table when he is used, and Rob Terry should be released as he just botches every move.

Tna should hire Paul Burchill and Katie Lea, because they both can work in ring and on the mic much better than they got to in the wwe, Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Hass as they can bring back the lost art of the suplex, I remember that match vs hacksaw and supercrazy on heat three years ago when I was first getting into wrestling and they mustve suplexed supercrazy 20 times in a row. I would also like to see CM Punk in TNA, as there is a whole roster that needs saving from drugs (x-PAC, Scott hall, Kevin Nash, Jeff Hardy, Raven, RVD, Rob Terry, etc.)

 

[red ass skull muhfukkah]

Release:
1. Jeff Hardy- unless he can get off the drugs and go to rehab, he is a danger in the ring to himself and others. Plus he could barely cut a decent promo when he was off drugs, on drugs his mic work his horrible. Release him until he gets clean that re-sign him, because he is still one of the most popular wrestlers out there.

2. Tomko- I'm pretty sure he will get fired with the recent budget cuts. He was never good in the ring or on the mic, the only thing he had was a good look and Christian carrying him. Now that he is kind of fat, lost his look and Christian is in WWE there's no point in having him.

3. Kiyoshi- Probably will be fired also. He is decent in the ring but the language barrier is too much and he doesn't really have a place in TNA outside of the defunct World Elite.

4. Don West- What is he actually doing right now? He was a horrible commentator, his voice is annoying and he over-exaggerated everything more than Mike Tenay, which is saying something.

5. Lacey Von Erich- fire her until she gets more training. She has a great look and has the famous Von Erich name and she should honor her family's tradition by actually being able to wrestle.

Also: Talent who people said should be fired
Dr. Stevie- As long as they keep him out of the ring he could be a great manger to Daffney as he actually has good mic skills and can get decent heat.

Ink Inc.- I don't personally like them but since they are getting a decent push and are fairly over it would make no sense to get rid of them

Talent that Should be Signed:

1. Gregory Helms- Pretty obvious choice. He is really good on the mic and has excellent in-ring skills. Start him off with the X-Division but not for too long as he should be over enough to enter the lower main even/ upper mid-card scene almost immediately.

2. Austin Aries- Other than Jericho he is the best heel in North America at the moment. Has a great look, great promo skills, really good in the ring, already had a decent run in TNA, and get some serious heat.

3. Benjamin and Haas- Another obvious choice. I wouldn't sign one with out the other however. Not a strong enough following and good enough promo skills to go to the already crowded main even/ upper mid-card scene on their own. But as tag team, they could re-ignite a decent tag division and legitimize the division in the eyes of mainstream fans.

4. Mickie James/ Awesome Kong- these two are arguably the best women's free agents out there and Mickie James would bring a mainstream name to a decent women's division.

5. Kenny King- Currently in ROH. He is good on the stick and is only getting better. He has a great look, his in-ring skills aren't amazing but good enough for him to get by for a while. I'll be surprised if he stays on the independent scene longer than two more years.

also re-sign: Christopher Daniels- important part of TNA history and has so much to offer.

Don't Sign:
Dreamer- unless you bring him in with the intent of not letting him wrestle to much and when he does make sure he puts over younger talent. Use him as an authority figure or a manger to a younger wrestler who needs help getting over.

 

[flocker]

Seems like I just reaf that they have to RELEASE people, and they have to do it for financial reasons.
And I don't have that much of an understanding HOW their contracts work, but most of the midcarders and jobbers are on pay to play contracts - they get nothing unless they are actually on tv. So firing shark boy is a net gain of nothing but pissed off fans.
I think they need to make some "big picture" type decisions - which starts with : is TNA a wrestling company that does tv shows OR a TV show featuring wrestlers. IF it is a TV show, they need to cut a lot of wrestling/wrestler fat. If it is just a tv show, they need to re-hire dutch and go back to the 1.2 and 1.4 numbers they were doing with TNA originals and the main event mafia.
If it is a wrestling show, they need to put it on the road, and sell tickets 5 nights a week. Which they could do, but it's going to piss off a lot of the veteran (newly acquired) talent. But, what they COULD do would be build a schedule around the younger guys working their asses off (which they already do in the indies) and the veteran/wwe guys chipping in say three months a year. Have cards that involve 2 or 3 big name matches and 5 or 6 indie type matches.
The problem that I see is that the big money contracts (Flair and Hogan) are guaranteed, so you can't cut them even if you want to. So the upper mid card talent is very exposed. Which means Tara isn't coming back, whether she wants to or not. Likely the end of tomko,Jarret, and even Sting and anybody else near the middle of the card that they can stop paying whether they wrestle or not. I might try to see if some of the loyal TNA types with creativity might take some of the half empty agent jobs (like the one al snow theoretically holds). Or find a way for hogan, flair, biscoff, and russo to talk directly to the talent.

But I'd say that TNA needs to figure out "more or less" what kind of company they want to be. They only have 2 hours of wrestling a week. I'd like to see a mix of about 1 tag match, one knock out match, one x division match, and three "normal" matches per week.
My god, maybe they are cutting angle. Maybe he's going to mma after all. If they cut angle and sting "imagine" all the payroll that opens up.