Talent Development

[shattered dreams]

You do not have to open many TNA threads to realize people like to complain about not having the "homegrown" talent. Since Dreamer has been working with TNA many positive directions have been attributed to his ideas. So putting the two together I found this piece of an interview interesting.

What can the fans can expect from him in TNA (both inside the squared circle and/or behind the scenes) after his "Final Showdown" with Raven at HardCORE Justice: "My goal is to contribute to TNA in any role given to me and to continue to contribute in the wrestling business that I love so much. I have a list of men and women that I have seen on the indies that are television ready, and I have a list of people that should go to a developmental system that I've seen them work live, and if I have the opportunity to introduce these new people to the world, I would love to do that.

We had heard that he had some people on the indies he liked but it is interesting that he is looking at people to develop as well. While this piece does not directly, or even indirectly, suggest TNA is about to launch their own developmental system it does show us someone with some pull is thinking about the concept.

So what do you think about all this? Is it too expensive to have their own developmental system? Or could they make money off it if done right? Can they afford to sign people too raw for tv? Is there a need for their own system instead of just picking guys off the indy scene when they are ready?

 

[Bobby B]

Talent development will only work if it has room to breath. Right now there isn't a great deal of room for new talent to develop. Sure you can outline Xplosion but that will only work if you give people a reason to watch (much like WWE superstars), and right now I'm not sure there is one.

If they want to utilise old talent that is available, then use them with the younger guys, not old guys vs old guys, which much of the program seems to be about.

To get talent in the bottom, there needs to be a path to get to the top. Right now, that isn't there - or at least it's very difficult to see.

 

[Rayne]

TNA isn't big enough to merit a talent development program, at least, not one along the lines of FCW or the former OVW.

I will have to qualify that with how I mean it. The hours of television that they have right now aren't filled solid. They can't make Explosion this kind of program; first, people would consider it an NXT ripoff (even if it were ran completely differently), second, it would look like a B-company's B-show. The television they're already running with is very weak towards the middle of the hours; these are normally your weak spots in a multi-hour broadcast.

Run an experiment. Have a recurring segment (probably room for two) each week featuring the new "up and comers". Hype the bejesus out of the words "new", "homegrown", and other similar adjectives. Give them gimmicks; one of the things I hate about NXT is that all of the characters seem cut from the same mold.

Another option could be running a program like the Power Plant or RoH's school. Something untelevised, but formally attached to a major promotion.

However, all in a nutshell, I don't think a dearth of new talent is TNA's problem. They have the talent they need to do what they're trying to do. They just have no idea how to use that talent. However, TNA's future (speaking in the hypothetical, barring a miracle they're a dying promotion) relies on developing their own new talent. They can't raid RoH forever, and can't keep relying on WWE castoffs.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

Picking guys off the indy scene when they're "ready" has worked in the past, but at the same time it's not nearly as sure-fire a way to know when a guy is truly ready, as you're simply watching what they've done in the indies – a life force of it's own, with a very different set of acceptable standards for success than is used for televised characters.

Generally, so long as you can move quickly and effectively in the ring, you can be accepted as a suitable ring-talent in the indies, whereas on television, your persona is what matters most, and if you lack that personality, well, good luck with any future success, because it's not coming easy.

WCW had the Power Plant, which gave rise to a number of household names like The Giant, Goldberg, Sean O'Haire, Shane Helms, Chris Kanyon, Kevin Nash, DDP, etc, so to be honest, I'd love to see TNA develop some type of developmental system, or perhaps start using B-programming as developmental where greener acquisitions, tryouts, etc. can all be had to see who's really got what it takes to make the cut on iMPACT!

 

[Maikeru_1979]

i don't think that they will get an actually development system like WWE has but they do have Team 3D and remember they own a wrestling school there in Florida that I'm sure TNA could use to give the people not quite ready for TV a place to train and practice

 

[shattered dreams]

To clear up any confusion this is predominantly about guys with potential that are not TV ready. It is kind of should TNA have a "power plant" of their own or would an "OVW" be worth it type scenario. They do have a loose affiliation with some schools, especially 3D like mentioned, but should they take it to the next level? Try and get 3D to be a direct feed of sorts and make some changes/additions. Like IDR mentioned it is nice to be able to mold the guys to fit the style you like beforehand. When you have that luxury there is nothing to worry about being lost in gimmick or wrestling style translation. Even if it is just a school they could give someone a gimmick to work on and send them on the indies and see if it works to their liking. I am not sure they can afford to actually sign these all potential guys but it would be nice if they could have more say in the development of people before they hit tv. Tna has quite a few good wrestling minds for both talent and development and they might be able to score some coups if they can get the right guys young.