What's Next For Alex Silva?

[It's Damn Real!]

If you caught iMPACT!, you probably also caught the Gut Check segment that ultimately awarded Alex Silva—the first contestant on the program/concept last week—a contract with TNA/IW.

Silva, IMO, left a lot to be desired based purely off his match last week. He's got a decent look and a great ring name to work with, but his actual in-ring work just didn't really stand out in any way, and losing certainly didn't aid his cause in a positive way either, but after the promo he cut tonight, I'm with Flair — my vote is changed to yes, too. This kid has mic talent, and mic talent IMO can take a guy a helluva lot farther than ring talent can, regardless of the fact that this is professional wrestling.

I'll say this much — he'd make for a great injection into a relatively lifeless X Division right now, and probably have a bigger impact there (pun intended) than guys like Jesse Sorensen or Anthony Neese.

So what do we say? Any OVW fans out there who can really shed light on the kid? What's next for Alex Silva?

 

[shattered dreams]

I was ready for that guy to get off my tv and never come back right up until his second chance at that promo. Then when he had to most he slayed that promo. He even turned the crowd back for him during it. That is a pretty impressive thing for him to build on. I suspect all the other issues that we all saw up until then are still there but who knows what will happen. Probably too green for impact but he can learn from people around there and do some x-division stuff. Believable passion can be a great tool in prowrestling and he seems to have that.

 

[ABMorales787]

I say they better start pushing the hell out of him in the coming month. He's set the bar for this monthly Gut Check deal and if TNA wants to keep pushing it, the example needs to be set. Alex Silva is that example. With Austin Aries steering towards the upper-midcard and Sorensen on the sidelines there's not much on the X Division for faces. It seems Gut Check is the only hope for it. If they started with Alex Silva, they're gonna have to push it with Alex Silva.

 

[Skairipa Matrix]

If you caught iMPACT!, you probably also caught the Gut Check segment that ultimately awarded Alex Silva—the first contestant on the program/concept last week—a contract with TNA/IW.

Silva, IMO, left a lot to be desired based purely off his match last week. He's got a decent look and a great ring name to work with, but his actual in-ring work just didn't really stand out in any way, and losing certainly didn't aid his cause in a positive way either, but after the promo he cut tonight, I'm with Flair — my vote is changed to yes, too. This kid has mic talent, and mic talent IMO can take a guy a helluva lot farther than ring talent can, regardless of the fact that this is professional wrestling.

I'll say this much — he'd make for a great injection into a relatively lifeless X Division right now, and probably have a bigger impact there (pun intended) than guys like Jesse Sorensen or Anthony Neese.

this is pretty much exactly what i think i wasnt impressed at all with his ring work then he cut that promo and my vote changed to yes too ring work can always be worked on and improved over time usually if you cant cut a promo your screwed forever but this kid cuts a damn good promo i think he will end up in the x divison but i get the feeling his next match will be jobbing to austin aries or aries next challenger.

 

[Rampage Bentley]

I guess it's just me, but I was completely unimpressed with even his promo. He delivered it with heart and with tons of passion, but I couldn't get past the fact that there was no actual content to it. It was just a generic "I've given things up, and busted my ass" promo with a hint of dead dad pity...

I think this guy is the epitome of vanilla, maybe one day he'll change my vote to a "yes" but he didn't do that tonight.

 

[Stormlor]

I watched his match last week, and caught some of it more this week. I think he's terrible. Now I've judge talent before in the indy circuit before, and what I saw from him was nothing that would make it a great point to see in the future.

-- He can't sell a move. Just look at the DDT that he took last week.

-- He's too skinny. Even if he goes into the X Division, he needs to bulk up. We all know he won't make it in the heavyweight division, but from what I saw I don't think he can make it at this time.

Personally if he was invited into TNA I would welcome him into tag team wrestling to get some experience. On the single side I don't think he's ready.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I can't say that I'm impressed with this guy. His work inside the ring is definitely subpar and was as far from impressive as you can get. I'm not all that impressed with his look, which a guy's look isn't my top priority when I look at a wrestler, but some have mentioned his look and have talked about it a bit on television. To me, he just looks like another generic decent looking guy with a decent build and a tan.

As far as his promo went, to me, I think Yurnewhero summed up my thoughts perfectly. It came across as this same generic promo that I've heard from a thousand other guys on television and at indy shows with a dash of sympathy tossed in due to his father being deceased. I've heard the "I've sacrificed so much and busted my ass" promos from so many different young guys in wrestling that, to me, it's lost all meaning. It's really become a crutch for guys who can't cut a good promo otherwise to lean on. Hell, it's all Tommy Dreamer talks about everytime he opens his mouth. Raising your voice a few octaves, a few screams into the mic doesn't equal a good promo in my opinion. If it did, Road Warrior Animal would've been the greatest of all time. I know he got a good response from the crowd but I'm not all that impressed with the responses of the IZ crowd. More often than not, the IZ draws crowds that either sit on their hands & barely make a sound the entire show or they draw crowds that will cheer for the great & completely mundane equally. Maybe the guy will change my mind in times to come after see and hear more of him but, as of right now, I'm not at all impressed with the guy.

To me, this is just makes the whole Gut Check concept come off lame. The first match of the concept is a 2 minute squash match, the first evaluation has a typical generic indy wrestler cutting the most generic of promos and is "signed" to a contract. "Signing" the first guy to participate in the concept, especially one as overall unimpressive as Alex Silva, gives me the sense that TNA is really rushing through this rather than taking to really build it up and give it a more legit feeling. Maybe next time they have the Gut Check Challenge, they'll bring a guy in that actually comes off as pretty good, but won't wind up getting a contract.

 

[Ballin247]

Lots of protein and many many many hours in the gym because he looks like a scrawny little bitch. Not saying he doesn't have talent but you cant have him out there looking like that, at least not wrestling in a speedo.

 

[Jay-Mos]

I was unimpressed with his match.
Tonight, the longer they drew the 'x-factor judge' segment out, the more I was hating this guy.
Then he cut his second chance promo ..
Now, I can see why a few people changed their opinion of him based on this BUT .. if you replay it and take away the thumping blood-pumping music in the background, then ouch, it's nowhere near as good.
So, no. I don't think Alex Silva deserved the contract based on anything we've seen from him.

As far as what's next for him ?
Probably a fued with Kid Kash, or maybe Zema Ion .. and unfortunately, Alex will probably win to justify the whole Gut Check thing being worthwhile, .

 

[neildittmar]

I agreed with Flair's first vote and his reasons for giving it.

Talk about raising the bar for TNA Gut Check? The fact that this kid received 3 yes votes successfully lowered it. His loss against Robbie E. last week is inconsequential, as they weren't going to put the kid over a talent that's been on the roster for awhile, despite who it is. His in-ring work was adequate, but nothing to write home about. Flair hit it dead on that last week was his time to shine and show the audience who he is and why he should be there. He didn't, period, end of story.

Flair was also right in cutting into Silva's promo midway, telling him not to talk to the marks, but to talk to them since they had the last word on whether he'd make it or not. The second promo he gave certainly had more passion, but he relied far too much on the "I did it for you dad" angle. Though I wasn't clocking it, I think he made the reference 3 times in less than a minute. Effective talkers drive the point home by nailing it the first time. Saying it over and over again in a short span of time often sounds like you're droning or even talking down to the audience. That's what I got out of Silva's promo.

So no, Silva should not have received a contract with TNA at this point in his career. Could he be a player in the future? Possibly, if he can clean up his in-ring skills in high-pressure environments and harness his natural passion into compelling promos. Today though? Absolutely not. There are plenty of other guys on the roster, particularly in the X-division, that are head and shoulders above this kid. He needs to go back to OVW, lick his wounds, and come back better than ever if he can.

A TNA/IW contract at this stage of the game is far too much way too soon.

 

[WhyTravisFelt]

I didn't like him. Ric Flair seemed to be the only guy whose opinion made any sense to me. Snow was doing his standard "good guy" from Tough Enough/Paula Abdul schtick and Bruce Pritchard seemed like he could honestly care less one way or the other. Silva's match against Robbie E. was sad, especially considering Robbie E.'s history of making his opponents look good.

As soon as he started doing the "dead dad promo" thing I just fast-forwarded. Sorry, I don't have patience for that kind of stuff. When all three said 'yes' all I could think of was how bad of an idea this turned out to be. Like Jackhammer and Neil said, it completely defeats the point of the Gut Check already.

 

[sfury2005]

I wonder if he was suppose to look bad and it's all part of the game.

Flair kept bad mouthing him including his look until the second chance at his promo where he quickly changed his mind. Al Snow on the other hand kept talking about how he's seen him do a lot better. But they put so much emphasis on Ric Flair at the start of the show that I wonder if the plan is for Flair to now take him under his wing and the next time we see Alex Silva he will be looking and acting a lot better. Flair then would be his manager and talking about how HE MADE Alex Silva what he is today because he's that much better than everyone else. Maybe even put him with Gunner managed by Flair and using them in the tag team division to go against Joe and Magnus or MCMG.

 

[DangerousDave]

I watched Silva's match and the Gut Check decision shows live at the Impact Zone and both times the crowd was dead and couldn't care less about him. Note that the Impact production crew often alters the crowd sound from what really goes on in the arena like they did for these Silva segments. The match was awful, worse than a Garrett Bischoff match, if that's possible and resulted in no pop at all. During the decision process the general rumbling of the audience was disapproval of signing Silva. There was a lot of moaning at the "dead dad" promo. JB always ask who is in the Impact Zone for the first time and I would guess it was about 25% of the audience. There was some applause after the yes decision but mostly by first timers that probably didn't know anything about wrestling and were just drug in from the park to fill seats. Flair was the only voice of reason up until he changed his mind in the ring like the script called or. I see this guy going nowhere fast.

 

[MB1025]

I watched his match last week, and caught some of it more this week. I think he's terrible. Now I've judge talent before in the indy circuit before, and what I saw from him was nothing that would make it a great point to see in the future.

-- He can't sell a move. Just look at the DDT that he took last week.

-- He's too skinny. Even if he goes into the X Division, he needs to bulk up. We all know he won't make it in the heavyweight division, but from what I saw I don't think he can make it at this time.

Personally if he was invited into TNA I would welcome him into tag team wrestling to get some experience. On the single side I don't think he's ready.

Just wondering. When you are judging talent do you usually use more than 2 minutes of a match to make your decision? Yes I know it is now time for everyone to take either extreme side A or extreme side B.

Extreme Side A is the side where everyone totally discredits gut check because after seeing a guy for 2 minutes he completely sucks, the concept sucks and I know better than the next guy blah blah blah.

Extreme Side B is the guy is amazing the concept is great and TNA can do no wrong.

Anyways they have people watching this kid all the time. Just because we didn't see it on TV in 1 2 minute match doesn't mean a god damn thing. I wish people on here understood how the minor league system in baseball works and the process in assessing talent.

 

[Rayne]

Anyways they have people watching this kid all the time. Just because we didn't see it on TV in 1 2 minute match doesn't mean a god damn thing. I wish people on here understood how the minor league system in baseball works and the process in assessing talent.

This is the same company who's been ramming Garret Bischoff down people's throats.

People aren't responding to Alex Silva. They're responding to the way he's been introduced. It's Jesse Neal all over again, without a feel-good war hero story. (Underdog, chases dreams, beat down by the stars, slowly proves his mettle.) We've seen the story, and people hardly ever get invested in the feel-good kid anymore.

People who are judging his skills as a performer at this point are a bit premature, but talent isn't everything, it's also how you're presented. The whole concept seems very NXT-ish to me, except without the massive amounts of hype that shit show received.

 

[JJYanks121]

Just wondering. When you are judging talent do you usually use more than 2 minutes of a match to make your decision? Yes I know it is now time for everyone to take either extreme side A or extreme side B.

Extreme Side A is the side where everyone totally discredits gut check because after seeing a guy for 2 minutes he completely sucks, the concept sucks and I know better than the next guy blah blah blah.

Extreme Side B is the guy is amazing the concept is great and TNA can do no wrong.

Anyways they have people watching this kid all the time. Just because we didn't see it on TV in 1 2 minute match doesn't mean a god damn thing. I wish people on here understood how the minor league system in baseball works and the process in assessing talent.

That's fine, except that the concept of Gut Check is that "unknowns" come on the show and wrestle one week then get judged on their performance the next week. The fact that you read on the internet that they are from OVW and that the judges have seen more of their work is irrelevant.

With that in mind, it makes little to no sense to have the first guy get a contract after his performance. He did very little against one of the lowest guys on the totem pole. Why should that match tell you that he can compete in TNA? If anything, it should hint to you that he can't.

The problem is that the execution of this first Gut Check was pretty poor. I'm not saying it can't improve and be useful. Remember the "new talent initiative" that Tiffany started on ECW? That idea produced Evan Bourne, Sheamus, I think Kofi, and Yoshi Tatsu. There were also some that didn't make it but you got some pretty solid guys out of it. This could do the same if it's treated right. However, when the first guy gets dominated by Robbie freakin E of all people in less than 2 minutes and actually gets a contract as a result? It's not a good start.

 

[sfury2005]

Just wondering. When you are judging talent do you usually use more than 2 minutes of a match to make your decision? Yes I know it is now time for everyone to take either extreme side A or extreme side B.

Extreme Side A is the side where everyone totally discredits gut check because after seeing a guy for 2 minutes he completely sucks, the concept sucks and I know better than the next guy blah blah blah.

Extreme Side B is the guy is amazing the concept is great and TNA can do no wrong.

Anyways they have people watching this kid all the time. Just because we didn't see it on TV in 1 2 minute match doesn't mean a god damn thing. I wish people on here understood how the minor league system in baseball works and the process in assessing talent.

There are tons of Alex Silva matches on Youtube check them out when you have time and see what you think.

 

[neildittmar]

That's fine, except that the concept of Gut Check is that "unknowns" come on the show and wrestle one week then get judged on their performance the next week. The fact that you read on the internet that they are from OVW and that the judges have seen more of their work is irrelevant.

Absolutely agreed. The entire concept of Gut Check is just that... can a wrestler who has attained some level of success on the independent circuit step up his/her game, rise to the occasion, and prove that he/she belongs on the TNA/IW roster?

For the reasons folks have cited in this thread regarding Alex Silva's performance, both last week and this, the answer is a resounding no. Flair and Pritchard were dead on in their initial asessments. The fact that Silva may have had great matches in the indys is as Yanks said, irrelevant. There is a world of difference between wrestling in a high school gym or CYO and being showcased on a nationally televised wrestling program.

Rejecting Silva now wouldn't have necessarily sealed the kids fate either. Send him back to OVW... elevate him a bit more there if you think there's potential. If he truly is a star in the making, he'll continue to refine his wrestling/promo skills and continue to flourish. At that point, bring him back on iMPACT in 6 months or so and give him an "all or nothing", "now or never" type of shot. It would be compelling television.

I still stand by my opinion that this lowers the bar on the Gut Check concept. I think exposing this side of the product to the fanbase in the way TNA is doing it is actually pretty interesting. The problem is, if Alex Silva can put on a second/third rate performance and get a unanimous yes vote, what does someone have to do (or not do) to get a no?

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Just wondering. When you are judging talent do you usually use more than 2 minutes of a match to make your decision? Yes I know it is now time for everyone to take either extreme side A or extreme side B.

Extreme Side A is the side where everyone totally discredits gut check because after seeing a guy for 2 minutes he completely sucks, the concept sucks and I know better than the next guy blah blah blah.

Extreme Side B is the guy is amazing the concept is great and TNA can do no wrong.

Anyways they have people watching this kid all the time. Just because we didn't see it on TV in 1 2 minute match doesn't mean a god damn thing. I wish people on here understood how the minor league system in baseball works and the process in assessing talent.

As Rayne pointed out, it's not so much Silva's abilities that's being judged as how his abilities have been packaged and presented to the audience. The TNA Gut Check concept is, kayfabe, about taking unknown talent and putting them up against the, again kayfabe, top talent on TNA to see how they do. We all know Silva is part of OVW but, again, just going along with the angle. Anyhow, TNA is hyping this "revolutionary concept" heavily and, in my eyes, it's easy to see how people are let down by it thus far because it seems lackluster to them, me included. As I've said in regards to the Robbie E vs. Alex Silva match last week, it's hard to be impressed with someone who loses in 2 minutes to one of the lowest guys on the totem pole at this time. It got the concept off to a pretty mediocre start and It's only been compounded by the fact that Silva was "signed" to a contract after the "judges'" decision on IW last night. If the plan all along was to "sign" the first participant in the Gut Check Challenge, then why not actually make him look somewhat decent when the opportunity was presented?

Maybe by portraying him as someone that had to make Robbie E work a little for the victory he earned, people would have a different feeling. Maybe if TNA portrayed this kid with an angle other than the heavily overused & generic young underdog that's "busted his ass and sacrificed everything for wrestling, he could be a bit more interesting.

 

[New Hot Fed]

I wonder why they brought this unknown, then make him look like a jobber against Robbie E? If TNA want people to accept these guys, then allow them to show us what they really have.

 

[Defekt]

I was ready for that guy to get off my tv and never come back right up until his second chance at that promo. Then when he had to most he slayed that promo. He even turned the crowd back for him during it. That is a pretty impressive thing for him to build on. I suspect all the other issues that we all saw up until then are still there but who knows what will happen. Probably too green for impact but he can learn from people around there and do some x-division stuff. Believable passion can be a great tool in prowrestling and he seems to have that.

I agree. I missed the match, but read mediocre reviews. The first attempt at the promo seemed like he was pandering, but his second attempt blew me away. Very impressive promo.

 

[blkshp]

Idk. I didn't see what some saw in the kid. He has a decent, but been there, done that look (he needs to bulk up a little though). He's ok in the ring from what we saw from the Robbie E. match, but he comes off as generic to me. Even his second promo was just more of the same (his dead father, again) but with more yelling. Question is, how will that translate to the future? How long can he talk about his dad? Unless he's really just got "it", and hasn't showed it yet, I think he ends up an X division midcarder at best, jobber at worst.

 

[DangerousDave]

I think they kind of blew it with giving the first Gut Check participant a contract right out of the box. It would be much more interesting if they rejected 2 or 3 guys before signing someone. After a couple of losers giving a guy a contract would actually matter and it would give the whole concept a bit more credibility.

Silva would have been a good one to reject too, he basically got squashed by Robbie E and the last thing I want to hear about in your promo is your dead dad. Not only am I looking at Silva when it comes to dead dads, I'm looking at Storm too, even though I like him.

 

[ヒュー　G.　レックション]

I really liked the little segment Snow, Flair and Bruce did where they discussed his strengths and weaknesses, I don't know if that was completely scripted or not but Flair echoed my thoughts completely on him. The little promo he did at the end was good but I still think he should've been refused at least for now.

"Don't talk to the marks, talk to me!" lol

Also I kind of think with Silva if he's allowed in a lot of other sub-par guys will be too... a bit like Koko B. Ware, if he can get in the HOf anyone can lol

 

[Notorious718]

Based on his match against Robbie-E alone, I was kinda surprised that he was given a spot on the roster. He's not terrible in the ring but he doesn't really stand out to me. His promo also didn't really impress me much. It was mostly just him screaming into the mic about how he busted his ass to get where he is today and that he did it for his dad. I guess it makes for a nice moment but little else. I'm not going to sit here and say that he sucks because I haven't seen enough of him to make such a judgement but he better step it up over the coming months because he hasn't left me with a particularly good first impression.