What Would The Wrestling Landscape Look Like Today If...

[A.J.]

What would the wrestling landscape look like today if Jeff Jarrett's contract was picked up tby he WWE when they bought out WCW?

Really I was thinking about this the other day and you know the wrestling landscape especially here in the United States would look way different as there be no TNA and possible some of the start we have come to know as a AJ Styles, and Samoa Joe would be either in Japan or on the indy scene as we know that the WWE would not hire these guys. I really think that if WWE picked up Jarrett's contract that he would have stayed a mid carder but finally would have a world championship in the WWE. Though if stories are true what Jarret did at No Mercy 1999 and the blackmail thing then Jarrett wold have never been a world champion in WWE.

Honestly I believe there would be some small company try to rise like the ROH of now, but would the WWE have any competition...I doubt it. Plus what would that leave all the release guys that WWE let go...go? I think Jarrett help set what what the wrestling landscape in the US look like...

Any Thoughts?

 

[Shocky]

I think the word blackmail is too tough for Double J. That was the wwe's fault in having a guy with a belt not drop the belt before contract negotiations started. JJ did what any business man would do, he had the belt, he was going to job to an undeserving woman, I would hold the WWE hostage as well. That's on talent relations, not Jeff Jarret.

I think eventually Double J's talents would have pushed him to the top. Double J has always been a favorite of Vince McMahon. Of course you would have the paranoid Triple H hanging around backstage to make sure Double J never got to much stroke in the company. If he was around today, he would probably be a world title holder.

 

[hatehabsforever]

I'm not so sure the wrestling landscape in North America would look all that different. You say that ROH or something like that would be trying to compete with WWE but would be unable to do so. Same can be said of TNA which I would respectfully suggest that as much as the TNA fans may attempt to claim otherwise, TNA provides no competition to WWE in terms of money and numbers and will not do so for the forseeable future. This is not to argue which is better, who has more talent, or all of the other WWE vs TNA arguments that we're all sick of, it's just to state the facts that in terms of numbers alone, TNA is light years behind and will be for a while yet if not forever, FOX deal or not.

It would give us the opportunity to see if guys like Angle and Cage and others are true to their beliefs and statements or if they are full of shit (which I believe they are, especially Angle). These guys claim to have been over-worked and to be victims of too rigid a schedule leading to chronic injurues and potential drug use. They are able to say this because they had an alternative whereby they could go elsewhere and still make a good living, albeit somewhat in obscurity. Without TNA, Angle, Cage and guys like that would still be in WWE. Angle would still be boo-hooing about not being the centre of the universe and blaming HHH for it, and Cage would still be languishing in the mid-card (unfortunately).

That's not to say that I disagree with the concept of the WWE superstars being over-worked, I fully believe that and blame that for the Benoit tragedy or the list of wrestlers dying prematurely more so than steroids. I just feel that guys who left WWE and complained about the schedule would have managed to cope and would have stuck it out if TNA weren't there as an option. Look at Jeff Hardy, he was released by WWE and went to TNA. While there, there Charismatic Enigma complained about the WWE schedule and blamed his drug use on it. But when WWE came calling with more money and title opportunities, he came back in a flash, as would others if the same opportunities came around.

Styles would be in the WWE but would likely be under-utilized. Same can possibly be said of Joe, although he may not be in WWE at all; if he was, he would not be as prominent as he is in TNA. A handful of other guys would possible be in WWE. Most of the rest of the roster would be in Japan or Mexico or somewhere, or unemployed.

Jarrett would never be a star in WWE. He'd either be in the mid-card, competing for such belts as US or IC, or he'd be gone. He's nowhere close to being as good as he thinks he is (much like Goldberg), and he'd have way too many people to stand in line behind in WWE. He wouldn't be able to push himself to the front of the line like he always has in TNA.