Where to go with the bottom of the barrel?

[It's Damn Real!]

I'd imagine that were you asked to start naming the stars of TNA, names like AJ Styles, Kurt Angle, Team 3D, Matt Morgan, Hernandez, Desmond Wolfe, Pope and others would be at the forefront of the memory reference – and with good reason. They are (along with a few others I've failed to reference off the bat like Samoa Joe, Mr. Anderson, etc.) in fact the cream of the crop and most notably partaking in the feuds we're seeing of late.

That said, the cream of the crop doesn't account for the remainder of the crop – especially the crop near the bottom of the barrel. There are a slew of roster cast here who haven't seen so much as a dark match in weeks, let alone TV time, and that is the purpose of this thread.

What does TNA do with the bottom of the barrel on their roster? I'm talking primarily about guys like Consequences Creed, Jay Lethal, Homicide, Raven, Stevie Richards, Suicide/Kaz, Kiyoshi, Jesse Neal and Tomko?

I'd imagine none of us here are so naïve as to think there isn't so much as an ounce of talent left among them without a direction or purpose in the company – at least I'd hope so. So I ask again: what to do with the bottom of the barrel? It's obvious there's still enough youth/talent there to make something of, but a lot of these characters have seemingly run their course (Richards, Kiyoshi) or are in dire need of re-packaging (Lethal, Creed).

Bottom line: who do you let go of outright, who do you repackage (and how) and do you see much of a future in the lower tier of TNA's wrestling roster?

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** Please do not SPAM this thread with one word replies or single-line responses, as it adds nothing to the discussion. I want to know why you think what you think. **

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[Schizophrenic]

Creed/Lethal: Both dearly need a repackaging. I'm not even sure how. Maybe, just maybe take a tone of the Dark City Fight Club and make them just pissed off, angry young guys who feel they deserve better than an Appolo Creed and Macho Man wannabe gimmik. Have them go out and their and just be themselves. If not then then have them go singles and go after the X Title.

Homicide: I have a feeling we will see him out soon and going back to ROH. I ike Homicide but he has been known to be somewhat of a hothead. Maybe they are waiting for Jeff to come back so they can start the feud they seemingly planted the seeds for on January 4.

Raven/Stevie: I'm torn on this. I have always loved and been a big fan of Raven and Stevie. I just don't know where they can go now. Stevie has a ninch going with the counselor thing and he could use that to maybe start a "flock"of his own. But that has been done a million times. As much as I like them, they need to really be managers or just leave and make money doing indie stuff and international tours.

Kiyoshi/Jesse Neal: I don't see either of these two as the next coming of Muta or Rhino which is seemingly how they are trying to make them come off as. I've seen Rajin in Japan and he is good there. I think they are trying to make him like Muta too much to the point that they are stripping him of his identity. Neal is a decent wrestler but I don't see him at the top of TNA, WWE or ROH so cut your loss and get him out.

Kaz/Suicide: Just let him be himself. Drop the gimmik and let Kaz be "The Coolest" again. He's got a knack for being either a cocky face or an arrogant heel. We know he can pull off great matches but in that suit he seemes constricted.

Tomko: No other way to put this. Get rid of the guy. He's out of shape and was never the best wrestler anyway. He was big and that was it, and now he's just "big". Nothing special about the guy.

 

[Rip]

A lot of those guys, I'm not a big fan of and I could take 'em or leave 'em. I do have an opinion of Stevie though.

I don't think a lot people realize how good he is on the mic. He would make a perfect cocky, arrogant heel type. His ring work is... well I'd say above average. The Stevie-T and Stevie Kick are his most notable moves, other than that I can remember maybe one or two in his move set. I think he should expand his move set. I'd love to see a program where he's stops being Raven's lackey, and Raven actually mentors him and helps elevate him. Give him more mic time, like someone said before maybe he could even start his own "flock". Hell, bring in Nova and Blue Meanie and they could start another parody group (since "bWo" I'm sure is owned by WWE), except one that DOESN'T job. He is charismatic, he's just never been given the chance. He can be like the underdog, cocky arrogant heal. Kinda HBK-esque in the early-mid 90s.

 

[markmeout]

ok heres my rundown of the lower tier guys-
raven/stevie- two guys who have credentials and won more championships that are concidered hardcore then anyone. I think they should be used as mentors because at this point in their careers thats all they are. Have both of them manage a young massive hardcore wrestler and use the rub off these two can give him for positive rhings instead of getting waisted.

creed- one word release. I said this since day one he offers nothing other then to fill the quota that TNA seems to be keeping up on african american wrestlers. I don't think his gimac has anything to do with it I just feel he lacks carisma and deserves to be released since there are far more tallented wrestlers who could be way more over with the fans that are itching for the opprutunity.

leathal- repackage him. The impersination gimac he does makes him as much of a comedy figure in the business as santino. What he needs is a serious push because he can be a solid midcarder but not much more.

mcmg- I dont know why they are in this category but I feel they are. Both have everything they need, a fan base, and actuall wrestling abilty. They need to jump ship asap because TNA has no plans to give them a proper push.

suicide- one word drop it now. The whole thing came from a failed video game. People hate it. The mystery has gone away. And quite frankly its a waiste of tv air time cause i change the channel when i see him which is sad because i love kaz.

Homicide- He needs a push and I'm sure he will get it in another promotion. TNA needs to be carefull because rey mysterio is hanging it up in a year and right now this guy seems to be a prime canididate to replace him.

The others- do I need to say tallent flush, get rid of them and bring in new guys since the rest in this category are beyond repair.

 

[MRA858]

Creed- Needs to add some moves to his set... i saw him wrestle at a TNA house show... wasnt to impressed...

Lethal- does need to lose the macho man gimmick and needs to get angry i agree just imagine if he started going after people...

MCMG- (my favorite) I swear to God if TNA doesnt give them a push... they have pretty much everything i look for in a Tag Team... i guess since they arent as big phyiscally as teams like beer money or the british invasion they dont get a push

Big Stevie Cool/Raven - He will always be big stevie cool to me i just watched an old match again with him sandman and terry funk... The good ole ECW days... They should be used as trainers maybe make TNA a lil more hardcore teach the younger guys a thing or too

Tomko- I saw his fat jiggle a lot on TNA i mean A LOT like ...... DAMN!

Kiyoshi/Jesse Neal- im not taking these guys seriously at all NEXT

Homocide- I really like this guy he is pretty cool in person too when he wrestled at that house show. I cant wait for a good fued with him and probably jeff maybe shannon moore shoot someone.

Suicide- I dont care about his mask or w/e it is... Just make a good spot where he reveals its Kaz (BECAUSE WE ALL KNOW ITS KAZ!!!!!) and why not make him pissed off too for the fun of it!

Im tryin to think of who else is useless in TNA right now... Ill thinka bout it later and be back

 

[Warrior]

Creed:I think the best thing for creed is to find another tag team partner.i think he is good enough to stay around but he needs to be around new people.he could go on a quest for the perfect partner.he could go through a lot of people before finally finding a perfect partner.As to who I have no idea but i think it would work.

Lethal:He really can do anything but he needs a good gimmick.I would love to see he fight for the world title.he wouldn't win of course but he could have some good matches.With the right gimmick he could have a bright career.

Raven/Stevie/Kiyoshi/Jesse Neal/Rob terry/Sean Morley:they have ran their,course time to let them go(maybe not Raven).

Tomko:Love this guy!he could easily be world champ in my opinion.I know no one will agree with me but i don't care.Tomko's a beast.Tomko V.S Morgan would be awesome.

Kaz:get rid of Suicide,bring back Kaz,give him the world title.i love kaz for his skill in all areas and the fact he can work with anyone.

 

[ABMorales787]

I see huge possibilities with Kaz/Suicide. A little reinventing of his costume, maybe letting the mask be face and back of the head style like Kane in 2002. Remove the sleeves from the costumes and turning him heel. They can make his gimmick be about enforcing justice even if people like it or not. Like an "Anti-Batman". He can say he's here to save the TNA wrestlers and public from depravity and go off from there.

Homicide, I love since he's a perfect representative for our country. Keeping him around for the X Division would be best as only Brian Kendrick is the only heel there.

Creed/Lethal: I have no clue.

Raven, Stevie and Tomko: I love Stevie and Raven, but they are sadly past their prime. They are only gonna bury their great legacy more. Tomko... Well...

Neal and Kiyoshi are basically getting free paychecks so just set them free.

 

[Super Crazy]

Here's what I'd do with the wrestler's named above :


Tomko/Neal - To be honest, and to help the tag division out a bit, I'd make Tomko and Neal a team, just look at those two, they were made for each other. Both are heels, both are covered in tattoos, and both are built on that strong, brawling moveset, it could work for them, and no repackaging is needed.

Homicide/Suicide - I would restart their feud of Suicide's mask. I would keep Homicide going down his psychotic path, going nearly insane over not being able to unmask him, yet knowing who he does. Then, once Suicide finally gets unmasked as Kaz...

Kaz - Main event push, Christian made him look golden in that ladder match a few years back, and Kaz really has what it takes to main event I feel, and he would do wonders as a heel or face. A little revamping of the attire and you could have him be a midcard heel on Aj's side, both men having gold with Flair grooming them.

Creed/Lethal - Either break them up and give Lethal another X division push, or have them do something of note in the tag division for once. Otherwise, can them.

Raven/Richards - Have them bring back hardcore wrestling in TNA, whether it be feuding or not, and with Tommy Dreamer constantly rumored to be in talks with TNA, why not set up that feud again, as I'm sure TNA could do wonders with it...

Kiyoshi - Give him the boot. He's done absolutely nothing for the company, he needs to go, as they clearly have nothing for him.

 

[Tastycles]

They basically need to release a lot of people. They have a total of 60 wrestlers and knockouts, while WWE have a total of 77. That's only 125% percent of the TNA total, but they have 300% of the TV time. TNA needs to say goodbye to a lot of people and people like Kiyoshi who do nothing should be the first to go. I'd keep Lethal Consequences as they're pretty funny, and there's something about Homicide, but the rest of them are pretty shit. There's no point having Stevie Richards and Raven if there isn't a proper hardcore region and the rest of them are just pure filler.

 

[Agent_of_Anarchy]

suicide- one word drop it now.

Sounds like three to me mate.

Lethal - Needs to keep the same name but evolve out of the whole Black Machismo thing and into a more realistic babyface. A Kendrick vs Lethal fued for the X Division title could be great. That being said, I really doutb if he could ever manage to get beyond the X Division and into the main event scene. but thats not to say he couldn't be a strong mid-carder.

Stevie - I'd go with Stevie being Daffney's manager and getting them more involved with the Knockout scene. Stevie is too good on the mic to be let go. His ring work is average at best, so have him be more of a heel mouth piece for Daffney.

Raven - With Raven, I hope he will get more involved with behind the scenes stuff. From interviews I have heard he really has a great creative mind, as well a ton of experience. But as far has him on screen, I think his time has run it's course. I still hope he comes back from time to time to do one off matches here and they're, but not weekly on T.V.

Tomko - Is probaly better off in Japan. I thought he had a pretty good match with A.J, but it did seem very pointless and hurt Tomko's character quite a bit. I have no idea where he fits into TNA right now, and I don't think TNA does either.

Creed - Has quite a bit of charisma about him. He should probaly try out for WWE NXT. He has a better shot there than trying to a get a push in TNA.

Homicide - I'm really hoping Jeff Hardy gets off his drug charges and gets into TNA soon, as Hardy/Homicide will be an awesome match/fued. But after that.....who knows. He'll never be a main eventer like Hardy no doutb will, but he could still be a good low/midcard wrestler to have around. Better than Sean Morley anyway.

Neal - Fire his ass and let him spend some time in the indy's. It was a nice little program with Rhino and the Dudleys offering to train him because he is a former Petty Officer in the US Navy, but he just plain shit house. His look isn't too bad, but everything is just too generic. Let him find some style in the indy's and maybe even improve in ring ability. He simply isn't ready for the spot that he has yet.

Kiyoshi - Would probaly do better on the indy's. From what I've seen he is quite a good wrestler, but I don't ever see TNA using him at any higher level than they already do. There are just too many people waiting in line for pushes that poor old Kiyoshi's push will never come.

 

[Thriller Ant]

Consequences Creed, Jay Lethal: I'm putting these two together because they are both in the same boat. They can put on good matches but need some kind of gimmick change. They can be solid guys in the X-Division, they just need some kind of character so I can care about them.

Homicide: Homicide is one of the best workers in the world, not just in TNA. They will find something to do with him and he does not belong in this list.

Raven, Stevie Richards: As good as these two still can be, unless there is a Hardcore Division founded, they will almost definitely get their walking papers. They can both work the mic and be serviceable in the ring, but they thrive in a hardcore environment, which I don't think they will get.

Suicide/Kaz: Keep him. He's over and is a good worker. If nothing else, you need jobbers.

Kiyoshi: See above

Jesse Neal: Needs to get the fuck away from my TV and fast. All he's done to entertain me since he arrived was wear a chair thanks to Hernandez

Tomko: As I put in the Tomko thread, either fire the fat fuck or make him TNA's equivalent to Kane: the big dude that jobs all the time

 

[shattered dreams]

One thing TNA might have to take a look at is who is going to fit in attitude wise with what they are doing. It looks like Homicide and Kaz are a little unhappy in general. As much as I would like to see Kaz back as Kaz he is hardly essential. If they decided to keep him one interesting course of action would be to have "dark" suicide with daniels returning to the mask and it would be an easier way to have him be that mid to upper mid jobber heel they seem to want daniels as. Kaz could then lose or take of his mask and feud. I think Tomko makes a good sidekick for someone even if I would not miss him if he was gone. Jesse Neal has an interesting look but I would keep him off tv until he improves his all around abilities. Kiyoshi never really got a shot but then again in his TNA matches I never saw much of a reason to give him one. Lethal/Creed tend to get grouped into one and they do need a little change for sure. Lethal is more talented in IMO. They could benefit from a legacy type situation although they could easily turn into a fail like hawkins/ryder in such a situation. I know I mentioned attitude problems before but there is something intriguing about having them work with Booker T in such a role.

 

[Dagger Dias]

What does TNA do with the bottom of the barrel on their roster? I'm talking primarily about guys like Consequences Creed, Jay Lethal, Homicide, Raven, Stevie Richards, Suicide/Kaz, Kiyoshi, Jesse Neal and Tomko?

Most of these guys could still stick around somehow. Creed and Homicide could both be X Division Title contenders. I doubt either will ever get further than that, but they could both have some decent X Division matches. I'm not sure about Stevie and Raven.... I'd like to see them keep the Dr Stevie character going, perhaps have them be a managers for someone who's character is crazy. That could also be a way to bring Kaz back, have him go nuts from realizing he was portraying a character in a video game (since he was Suicide) or something. Kiyoshi and Jesse Neal can be jobbers. I don't like either one of them, but every federation needs jobbers. Tomko should just get future endeavored, he's a waste of space on the roster.

 

[NSL]

Raven and Stevie are not the bottom of the barrel. They're two of the best talkers in the company, and they can work a hardcore match with just about anyone. They'll always have a use, if not on-screen, then off-screen, and in the locker room.

As for the rest, what's wrong with keeping them as jobbers? Forget their pasts, their looks, and their abilities, and just let them go out and lose to the guys on their way to the main event. If they don't want to do that, there's a place for half of them in the X Division (which needs help), and the rest can work as random tag teams to put over the younger guys.

There's options for them still, and until they're exhausted, there's absolutely no reason to cut them loose.