TNA... Who Needs to Turn Heel?

[Rasha]

With Final Resolution over, one could look at the TNA landscape and see a problem in their current face-to-heel ratio in the upper mid-card and Main Event. Based on individuals who have actually appeared on TNA programming in the last month:

FACES
Kurt Angle
Mr Anderson
Matt Morgan
The Pope
Samoa Joe
Rob Van Dam

HEELS
Jeff Hardy
AJ Styles
Abyss
Jeff Jarrett

With AJ probaby staying involved with Williams and the TV Title or maybe having to fight off a rebellion in Fortune, that means either guys like Kazarian and Rhyno will have to fight some of these faces or someone's going to have to turn heel. I think it's safe to say that Angle, Anderson, Morgan, and probably RVD won't be turning, so that leaves us with Joe and Pope.

At this point I'd say Pope is the best candidate. I think he's in a much better place now for a heel run than when he first debuted because he's gotten away from his gimmick a little and sounds more natural when cutting promos. Maybe he was jobbed to Abyss at the PPV so that he could take a short time off and then come back fresh, and if so I think they should take him heel and have him go after the TV Title.

Joe as a heel would have worked in the old TNA, but I don't think the current booking style would allow him to be as dominant as he'd need to be for it to be successful. I think the best thing to do with him right now would be a face-face feud with RVD where they could put on some really sick matches and fight for the number-one contendership.

 

[Lykkekage]

I will say it like this, NOBODY should turn heel/face for the next 3-4 months AT LEAST. People in TNA turn all the time! Matt Morgan has just turned, Bubba Ray turned, Douglas Williams turned etc. If you dont follow the product every week, it is really hard to know, ehm who am i supposed to cheer for, who is heel, who is face?? I understand that they try to create controversy, but people turning out of nowhere every fkin week, isnt controversy, TNA doesnt need anyone to turn, the roster need to stick with 1 gimmick and keep that for at least 3-4 months, then you can maybe turn 1 guy if it is needed. Look at WWE, the last time someone turned, i believe was when Edge slowly turned face, when he moved to SD. And before that, i cant remember who else turned ... Only if you count guys such as Justin Gabriel and Heath Slater, when they formed Nexus. I actually believe that last time someone turned before Edge .... Was Edge ... Who turned heel when he got drafted to RAW
And then when you look at TNA, who has turned this year ?? Morgan, Williams, Abyss, Hardy, Bubba, Hogan, Bischoff, Jarrett, AJ, Anderson etc. A lot of people compared to WWE.
So again, TNA doesnt need any turns for at least 3-4 months

 

[Rasha]

So again, TNA doesnt need any turns for at least 3-4 months

I get your point and agree about not turning guys too often, but how do you overcome the current face/heel imbalance without it? Do you really want to see Rhyno in another PPV match against one of the upper tier faces? They could give Kazarian a good feud against somebody but even then you still have guys left out in the cold unless they fight each other.'

One missed opportunity, IMO, was not having Beer Money more involved and perhaps feuding with a makeshift team made from two faces like Joe/RVD or something. Did we really have to see them fight Ink Inc to "earn" a title shot that anyone in their right mind knows they deserve? Not only would it have made for a better match at Final Resolution, but going against two singles stars could have been a great chance to elevate Roode and Storm and perhaps get them ready to supplant AJ and take over Fortune.

 

[TheBWO]

I agree with all of it.---the only way you're going to capture the audience is make someone---who has been a long term face, a heel. That's how Hogan wowed the whole wrestling crowd when he formed the NWO ....and why? Because no one expected it....and why didn't they expect it? Because he had been face for so many years that when he came down the ramp....it was to utter shock. The problem with TNA like you all have said....I need a scorecard every week to figure out who I can throw stuff at the TV at, and who I can cheer (not that I really do, but you all are smarter than that). The thing is,.....for one, no one has been a long term face....even AJ...has turned heel...and he was/is the "face" (no pun intended) of TNA. It was a decent move at the time....but if you're going to do a swerve CORRECTLY and EFFECTIVELY...then you need to plant the seed of keeping someone on one side for an extended period of time. Looking back, I don't think there is one person on that roster that hasn't been either a heel or a face at some point (I could be wrong, but the list I'm sure is awful short). I know that it would take time to keep someone on one side for a piece of time...but lord....it would at least give TNA some stability.

 

[nightmare]

short answer. nobody.

tna needs to build storylines, not change alignments every week. its already getting confusing from week to week. if they just keep guys in the fight to make a storyline make sense, then we wouldnt have to worry who is switching sides. why does everyone get obsessed w\ 'heel\face' changes? 90% of them dont work. how bout firing some people who noone cares about. (orlando jordan, dreamer\stevie, etc) & push the right guys instead of burying them? (eric young, desmond wolfe, etc)

 

[Rasha]

tna needs to build storylines, not change alignments every week. its already getting confusing from week to week.

Where all of these alignment changes? Hardy turned heel and Morgan turned face (which was only done out of an emergency need from Anderson's injury). Seems like you're exaggerating to me.

if they just keep guys in the fight to make a storyline make sense, then we wouldnt have to worry who is switching sides.

We've seen Hardy vs. Morgan and Pope vs. Abyss at two straight PPVs now. Where's all this side-switching you're referring to?

why does everyone get obsessed w\ 'heel\face' changes? 90% of them dont work.

I'm not saying turn someone heel because it makes for a good storyline. As my original post clearly says, it's due to the fact that there aren't enough quality heels right now to work against the current group of faces. Not trying to be a dick, but it seems like you guys aren't getting the point of my post by these responses.

how bout firing some people who noone cares about. (orlando jordan, dreamer\stevie, etc) & push the right guys instead of burying them? (eric young, desmond wolfe, etc)

Eric Young got pushed and couldn't cut it and Wolfe's been injured. As we clearly saw before London Brawling disappeared they were about to get a big program with the MCMG but the injury got in the way. Anyone else they should push?

Again, this isn't about turning someone heel to cause a reaction or get attention. I'm talking about how TNA seems to have a significant booking issue that is forcing garbage like Abyss and Rhyno to get PPV matches against legitimate draws like Pope and RVD because there aren't enough good heels.

Personally, I think they should move Roode and Storm into singles competition but the tag division is too thin right now to survive that. Something's going to have to give here, though, and it's probably that one of the major faces has to turn just to create some balance.

 

[AndarielHalo]

No one. We have TONS of heels. Hell, the entire intro video is devoted solely to IMMORTAL, and they're all heels.

 

[ABMorales787]

Half of the main heels turned at Bound For Glory. We've had 2 PPV's since then. I've yet to see any signs of an unbalanced roster. We don't need more heel turns. We don't need face turns for now either. Since Bound For Glory, it's all been about Fourtune and their main opposition being Samoa Joe, The Pope, Mr. Anderson, Rob Van Dam and now Matt Morgan. There's no problem with shuffling them with Immortal and Fourtune for a while. And if the feuds keep lasting as long as they have been the past 2 months, it'll be longer before we need anybody else turning.

 

[shattered dreams]

Joe is somewhat of a tweener (at least characterwise) and they have already laid the groundwork for him and Pope to matchup. If you consider this theoretical imbalance an issue this is one way to work around it. They could also bring in a heel from outside the company instead of turning someone. Kaz could be elevated or they could bring someone back to the active roster. In future Bubba Ray might be an option albeit an unpopular one.

 

[jkauf531]

i completely agree with Lykkekage. If somebody turns on TNA without watching the previous few weeks, it is extremely hard to follow what is going on. I knew because I was one of these people just a year ago. People turn constantly, and it is hard to build storylines when this happens. Everyone is fine where they are at right now.

 

[LSN80]

As you broke down well, there are far more heels then there are faces. I dont see the need for any of the main players to turn heel at this point. Each of the men you mentioned are involved in a heel/face angle, and its clicking right now. Why mess with a good thing? The only person I could see justification for is the Pope, just because everything hes tried as a face has seemingly failed, and it could push him over the edge. But I still feel noone at this point needs to turn.