Which TNA Wrestlers Would Prosper In WWE?

[Y 2 Jake]

Not many WCW wrestlers succeded in WWE after the invasion. Only one real main eventer, and that's King Booker. Palumbo, Helms & Chavo are mid carders, if your being generous. And the likes of Finlay, Flair, Mysterio etc didn't debut during the invasion.

But if a another invasion was to occur. Who do you think WWE would be intrested in, and who do you think would actually make it?

Obviously it's almost a given that they would be intested in hiring back the likes of Cage, Tomko & Angle. Cage & Tomko left on good terms, and Angle's a star.

Intrested In:

Abyss: Abyss would surley be put into a feud with Taker and Kane. He's one wrestler that would do really well in WWE. He has the size, he can work. I dont think he would have the longevity of Taker. But I could certainly see him in a Kane type role.

A.J. Styles: Styles turned down WWE when they bought out WCW. So I imagine they would still be intrested. But I dont think they would ever do anything with him. His push would be mid card at best.

Chris Sabin: They'd be intrested in him as an occasional jobber/cruiserweight. Couldn't see him lasting long.

Alex Shelley: Same as Sabin

Hernandez: I could see him being sent for development and debuting in a few years. I could see him initially getting a decent push, but I think WWE would get bored of him.

James Storm: I could see him doing well in WWE. He's got the talent. I would imagine they would reunited AMW. Which wouldn't be a bad thing to statr off with.

Lance Hoyt: Same as Hernandez.

Chris Harris: Same as Storm.

Sting: Obviously they would want him. But he'd be short term anyway. Not that he would accept an offer of WWE.

Robert Roode: I dont think he would make an impression. Under card wrestler, eventual jobber.

Samoa Joe: He'd be Umaga's raw fish eating brother.

 

[Unrated Superstar]

Dammit Jake, you just listed every currently rellevent TNA wrestler (aside from Jeff Jarrett for obvious reasons). Now I'm gonna have to just pick the first talent you didn't list that comes to mind...let's see...Aha, I've got it! Big oily guy! (Wait, why was that the first that came to mind? Eek!)

If Eugene were still around I would suggest Eric Young so they could form a tag team, being that Young's character in TNA ambiguously has a mild form of ******ation. They could call their team "the specialists"...or maybe "the short bus".

I agree that Samoa Joe in WWE would be interesting. He doesn't exactly have the "big muscular guy" physique, but he pulls off the dominant badass character very well. I'd like to see a feud between Joe and Orton. Orton's character is an arrogant, loud-mouth punk and Joe could be just the guy to try and shut him up.

I could see Hernandez debuting in WWE with a Deacon Batista/Diesel/Jesus Aguilera/Tyson Tomko/Big Daddy V type role where he plays the body guard/enforcer for another superstar, and then we'd see where he goes from there. Obviously a couple of the guys I just mentioned went places, and a couple didn't.

Abyss could have awesome feuds with some of the big guys, especially Kane because their characters are so similar. But of course if Abyss were in WWE who knows what his character would be then. Knowing the way WWE rolls they might just dress him up as the new Doink the Clown and have him tag team with Jim Duggan. But hey, speaking of Duggan, in all seriousness maybe he could be part of the specialists/short bus faction. He certainly has the mentality for it.

 

[johnnyvictory]

I dont see many tna wrestlers making it in the wwe. AJ styles would be a great addition to maybe smackdown where he could be a major mid card wresteler and maybe even brought in to revamp the cruiserweight division, which we all know needs all the help it can get. the only other guy i can really picture is samoa joe, he has a lot of talent for such a big guy and already has a strong following. i could defiantely see the samoan bulldozer teaming with joe and taking the tag team division up a notch. (just a thought, but it probably wont happen.)

 

[Unrated Superstar]

i could defiantely see the samoan bulldozer teaming with joe and taking the tag team division up a notch. (just a thought, but it probably wont happen.)

The only part of that I agree with is that it probably won't happen. The reason being that Joe and Umaga have no common bond except that they're Samoan, and in my opinion that's not enough to serve as a foundation for a tag team. By that logic, you could bring in Jay Lethal and have him team with Big Daddy V because they're both black. Sure, Joe and Umaga are both dominant forces in their respective companies, but to me that's not enough of a common bond for a team either. Now for a feud, of course that could work. But I have to agree 100% with Joe's response to people who claimed Umaga was a rip-off of the Joe character. I'm not saying you're making that claim at all, but the reason that claim is ludacris is because the two characters are nothing alike (except for as I mentioned, being Samoan). Umaga is a savage beast who doesn't speak English. He's not someone who can work as a heel but can also be rooted for easily. Hell, WWE tried to make Umaga a face but that plan was obviously scrapped pretty quickly. The crowd just cheered him a couple times because he beat the snot out of Santino. Joe is more relatable to the audience and is someone the crowd can easily get behind because he's a badass, not simply a savage.

I MAY have gone a bit off-topic there, but I would consider all of that to be rellevent, being that it's in response to another post and discusses how a TNA wrestler could or could not be integrated into WWE.

 

[Show188]

with the proper booking the WWE could make who ever they want from TNA a star..

This is the company that has made Credible Champions out of WCW cruiserweights and midcarders

 

[Swanton4Life]

Jake I think this thread has already been made under something like Who in TNA could main event WWE?

I think maybe VKM minus Roxxi might get a little push in WWE. On the topic of teams I think 3D will get a big push as a team if Bubba can lose some weight. This is because well look at them before they left WWE. One of the most popular teams in WWE.

Scott Steiner might get a small push simply because he is so big. Rick Steiner probably wouldn't get offered a contract but if he does I can't see the Steiners getting pushed very well.

 

[gitarguyhhh]

IMO none of these wrestler would really go that far in WWE.

Look at Marcus CorVon. I don't even remember him. I realize he had family issues at the end but before that he wasnt going anywhere.

The only guys that might make an Impact pun intended would be Abyss because of his size. Christian Cage cause he was already there before. and James Storm because he is simply amazing.

 

[Shocky]

Obviously the winner of this discussion is Abyss, and by a mile.

Abyss has everything that the WWE wants, a guy willing to bust his ass in the ring, take pain, and bleed. He has a monster gimmick which really doesn't require mic work, and he'll sell for the smaller guys.

Undertaker and Kane are running out of guys to feud with, and Abyss would just excel right away in the WWE. he has the size, and the mystique, and hopefully he owns the rights to Abyss.

The only others I could see the WWE interested in would be Hernandez, which I think he would be built up as a monster, to be fed to the next up and comer. Robert Roode maybe, he has the charisma, and the look, but I don't know if he has the "it" factor.

AJ Styles, uh, I just think he would be buried like RVD. He would be super over iwth the crowd, much like RVD, and be over despite the WWE not wanting to push him, but he would get nowhere, a glorified mid-carder.

Samoa Joe: They might be interested, simply because Cena might ask for him to come there. I say he's Shumaga, the Samoan Shoemaker that went belly up, because obviously Samoans don't wear shoes. Joe would only work in ECW and only ECW. If he was brought in as a Savage Samoan, career killed.

Sting: Obviously the WWE wants him just once, but Sting simply won't do it. I hate it and love it at the same time. sting is up there, but he is certainly capable of putting on great matches. Sting vs. HBK, or Sting vs. the Undertaker, I still want to see it, but we never will.

Outside of that, I really don't see the WWE paying to much attention to TNA.

 

[MR.SCOTT]

I would say the best bet would be aj styles, the guy would be the break out star on smackdown and like mysterio i wouldnt see him as just part of the cruiser division, i would see him in world title contention if used right

 

[WhatCripplesTheLegend?]

I could easily see Jay Lethal come into the WWe on the cruiserweight division and be the Shelton Benjamin of it. With or without the Black Machismo gimmick which I think is fuckin hilarious especially with the remix of pomp and circumstance.

I could see Lance Hoyt being popular in ECW. He doesn't seem to have much charisma...but he is 6'9 and does the arial over the top rope catapault with ease, which I find entertaining. He needs a better finisher than the big boot, I mean come on how many more guys want to try this? Granted when JTG or whoever it was from Cryme Tyme did it, it was pretty solid.

However I think any TNA X Division superstar would be hard pressed in the WWE considering they outlawed phoenix splashes and 450's...I mean come on thats just ridiculous. Sure Marc Mero broke his neck doing one but he's a fucking joke. WWE should enforce gymnastic and acrobatic training to their cruiserweights and legalize all moves thus...such wasted talent on the roster. But London and Kendrick make due I believe. I'd really like to see Jimmy Yang Wang without any restrictions he seems pretty solid as well. Way off topic now but regardless, in closing, a reformed AMW would succeed with ease, the naturals I honestly think could've been mid carded, and definately Samoa Joe without doubt.

I gotta also say, I recently watched a video posted on wrestlezone featuring one "Kamikaze Ken" in 2003 who later went on to become Ken Kennedy....Kennedy. So do any of us truly have the science down? Doubtful.

 

[SuperXero]

Besides of the obvious, I'd just say AJ Styles, Abyss, America's Most Wanted (don't think they'd fly as singles wrestlers atm), Robert Roode, and Samoa Joe.

When you say prosper, I don't think any of these men are potential world title contenders, but I do think that all of these could be chamions in either the midcard, cruiserweight or tag division. Out of all the midcard talent, I can see Robert Roode making a lasting impression as either an Intercontinental or United States Champion. AJ Styles, if used right, could be the face of the cruiserweight division that WWE has so desperately needed since Rey Mysterio headed off to greener pastures. Samoa Joe would be another midcard title contender, but he'd be the guy who wrestles against heavyweights in main events but is never trusted enough to get the championship. As for Abyss, he screams ECW monster heel. He could easily win the ECW title, especially if he's given a good manager. I could foresee America's Most Wanted having phenomenal success in the tag division as they are the one tag team that TNA ever created that could be compared to all the great WWE level tag teams. Given the state of WWE's current tag division, if used right, these guys could dominate and possibly light a fire under a much more competitive division.

 

[cobain]

I think no one in TNA would get a decent push in the WWE aside from Kurt.

aj styles would be punished for refusing vince's offer

the wwe seems to destroy charecters from other comapnies with the excepetions of HHH, Stone Cold Mick Foley and The Undertaker
I don't count Benoit because he was already huge and Rey and Eddie both had decent followings they brought with them....I'm only counting people WWE/F had to build up and they destroyed some big ECW names Taz, Raven, Rhino, Shane Douglas, Jusitn Credible,
I don't think you can really count people who have already wrestled in WWE

Raven, Rhino, Dudleys, Steiners, Angle, Christian and so on
we have already seen what the wwe did with these guys and I don't think thier roles would change very much

If they reunited AMW as stated above I think htey would have the best shot at being over, however I think the WWE cares very little about the tag team division and these guys wouldn't last long

 

[Twowords05403]

aj styles the faace of cruserwieght abyss ecw all the way i also thin that maybe quite possibly smaoa joe would be great for raw to feud with felow samoan umaga

 

[Dubai Aussie]

Robert Roode would be good for the IC or US Belts but the others would struggle in the wwe. Christian is a god at TNA and people saw what happened to him in the wwe. He is overated anyway and belongs as a wwe jobber to the stars. if i am meant to hate him it is working.

 

[massey27]

I don't think that many TNA people would make it in WWE.

AJ - Would just be forgotten become a curiserweight and finally becoma jobber.

Abyss - Would get a push right at the beginning but would fall to the background just like Kane.

James Storm - Intercontinental at best, worth a lot more in TNA, he would get a short stinit but would not amount to much. He is awesome though.

Chris Harris - I don't think he should be getting a push in TNA let alone in WWE. He has no charisma, no speciality and is just not good enough to make it.

Jay Lethal, Chris Sabin, Alex Shelley, Petey Williams, Sonjay Dutt etc. - Would never make it, would bolster the cruiserweight division thats about it, one may get a rey mysterio type push, but i doubt it, Shelley or Sabin if anyone.

VKM, Steiners, Dudleyz - shouldn't be bigtime people in TNA, all amazing tag teams and I loved VKM for ages, but it's time to give younger tag teams to prosper, specifically MotorCity MachineGuns, but also Triple X and LAX.

Rhyno - Would make it anywhere, adapts well and can make a good match with anyone, very underused.

Cage, Tomko, Sting, Jarrett - I would like to think these would never go to WWE.


TNA is awesome.

 

[Hart>HBK]

Jay Lethal - I think that this guy could carry the cruiserweight division with the Black Machismo gimmick. He would be a top face and could produce a great feud with Jamie Noble.

Samoa Joe - This guy could be a top competitor in the ECW brand. Not only is he a great wrestler, but he's also a friend of the man that is the face of the WWE, John Cena. Starting him off in ECW and making him go after the ECW Championship would be good. Imagine a Punk-Joe Match at Wrestlemania.

Robert Roode - I think that this guy has potential to become a top star. He has a great gimmick and he has an average size. Roode could start off on Smackdown where he could be brought up like MVP was.

James Storm - I think that this guy has the potential to be a top heel. He looks like he was born to be a top heel. He could create feuds for the US or IC Championships and I also think that he has the potential to cut great promos.

Motor City Machine Guns - I think that this team could be the top face team on Smackdown and feud with Deuce and Domino. These guys are like London and Kendrick 2 and they could be great faces or heels.

LAX - I think that they also could be a great tag team on Smackdown since a lot of Smackdown viewers are Latino. Hernandez has the size and Homicide has the attitude and ability.

Abyss - He would feud with Kane and Undertaker but right now I think that the WWE has too many monster wrestlers. However, he could always replace Snitsky.

Rhyno, Raven, Dudleyz - I think that they should bring these guys in and recreate the Originals vs. New Breed Feud and push this feud to its highest potential which I don't think they did before.

AJ Styles - I think that if AJ would come he would be a mid card talent on ECW or SD.

 

[scorpionz_venom]

Most of the guys listed would be best served to pump up ecw. I think Roode would do well. I also think Wildcat would do well. I could see Hernandez getting the push Chris Masters was supposed to get. Samoa Joe's talents, and mystique would get wasted. He'd end up bieng a Cena lackey because they're friends in real life. (Cena as champ and Joe with IC as a heel stable aint a bad idea tho) .

Awhile ago people were talking about what if the Cruiserweight Title was sent to ecw as a secondary belt, well AJ, Christopher Daniels, LowKi, Machismo, Homicide, Sabin, Shelley, Dutt, and even Sharkboy would make that a success. We're all forgetting one MAJOR point here. The wrestlers would be limited by the WWE "style". Remember how RVD got watered down? Remember the repetitive moveset of EVERY MAJOR STAR? All wrestlers have their patented moves, but in the wwe, you have to do them in such a repetitive manner, the matches become obvious...especially for big stars. Hopefully this won't happen...Besides they'd give all the guys a makeover, and seeing Samoa Joe in a one-strap singlet is just weird.

 

[greenie]

Samoa Joe: would probley end up being a king of the mid-card on Smackdown and the longest reigning US Champ ever as he has the dominence thing going for him and the "samoan submission" thing would get over instenley as WWE is dieing a great submission wrestler as submission wrestling in wwe is dead!!!

 

[Trumike]

I see Abyss and James Storm. Angle and Cage haven't made themselves bigger stars in TNA. Samoa Joe is boring. TNA is mainly WWE rejects who weren't needed. Black Reign, Rhino,Raven. Come on TNA doesn't have wrestlers the WWE wants or needs.

 

[vega13mv]

i disagree completely. I'm sure WWE would love to have some TNA wrestlers on the roster. epsecially in the cruiserweight division, which has no depth to it at all. they gave the title to a midget for god sake's, thats pretty much scraping the bottom of the barrel. meanwhile TNA'a X division, which is basically a bunch of high flying cruiserweights, is one of TNA's main attractions. furthermore, now that the kid size T-shirt seller john cena is out, mcmahon would love to have favorites like Sting and AJ Styles on his roster. plus, J.R. himself said he's love to have guys like samoa joe on the RAW brand. so yeah, there's a lot that WWE can learn from TNA. I hear people chant TNA! TNA! TNA! every week, whens the last time you heard a WWE crowd chant WWE! WWE! or holy sh*t! holy sh*t. that pretty much sais that WWE doesnt generate as much in ring excitement as TNA.

 

[Барбоса]

I think that LAX and Low Ki could find a home on Smackdown! With the shortage of factions in WWE in general, I think a good feud could develop between Rey Mysterio and an expanded LAX possibly joined by Chavo Guerrero. I also agree that if Vince and co. ever decide to reinvigorate the tag team division that a reunited AMW could make waves

 

[San AntonioSon21]

Since Wrestling Observer is reporting that TNA Director of Talent Relations Terry Taylor is sending letters to current wrestlers believed to be unhappy with the company, and giving them to go ahead to leave if they desire - we may see some of these names in WWE sooner than we think.

Who could thrive in WWE? I think any of the guys mentioned could do well, if presented in the right context and if their own attitude remained positive and professional.

My best guess would be that WWE would likely add more talent to the ECW brand in hoped of eventually making it a third major brand, rather than the distant cousin it is at the moment. As some have stated, this is probably where many of the TNA guys would likely find a home.

Samoa Joe - Even more than Abyss, this should be the central figure in any TNA talent acquisition. WWE needs to get back to the point where they show the respect to the fans that they deserve. At the height of their popularity, the company readily acknowledged the smart fans with strong promos and key acquisitions.

Nothing irritates the fans more than being played for stupid. Bringing in Samoa Joe and immediately pushing him as a major star would appeal to fans IMHO. This would also generate new viewer ship and bring back fans who have turned away from WWE in favor of indies and TNA.

When guys like Benoit and Jericho were first acquired, they were not radically repackaged, and pushed into a mid-level high spot, immediately competing for the IC Title. Their pasts were hinted at, but never fully explained.

The same could be done for Samoa Joe. I don't think anyone is going to fully convince us that Joe would need to go to OVW to "learn WWE wrestling". Announcing the signing and sending him to OVW would kill the kind of momentum WWE needs right now. The most effective way to take advantage of acquiring Samoa Joe would be to introduce him in a shocking way.

EX: Have CM Punk win back/successfully defend the ECW Title at Wrestlemania or even One Night Stand (preferrably at Hammerstein Ballroom) and as he celebrates, hit the music of Samoa Joe, and have him walk down to the ring slowly as the fans go nuts. Joey Styles could acknowledge the relationship between the two and even his name "Oh..my God Tazz, that's Samoa Joe" in a hushed, stunned tone. "That is Samoa JOE, what is HE doing here?"

As Punk smiles at him and extends his hand to him, Joe attacks him and ignites the feud between the two.

Maybe this may seem predictable to some, but I don't think the shock of seeing Samoa Joe suddenly appear on a WWE show would be "predictable" in 2008.

I disagree with those that seem to think Joe would languish in a silly gimmick role. I think Vince can see the business changing again toward a more ground and pound oriented style and bringing in Joe and immediately putting him in a great position would certainly swing many fans back in his favor.

Having a Samoa Joe-CM Punk feud would give fans yet another reason to tune into ECW and continue to build the fan base of the brand.The buildup could be similar to Joe's first year in TNA, with Joe taking the ECW belt from Punk, and then have him chase the belt from the imposing Samoan.

WWE needs main event level talent capable of carrying a high caliber match, and Joe is certainly capable of that. I think all this talk of McMahon sticking Joe with an Umaga-like gimmick is more a hatred of McMahon than common sense.

Abyss - an obvious natural opponent for Undertaker than Kane, but at this point, how can you give 'Taker a meaningful opponent if he isn't going to lose at Wrestlemania? You can build an Abyss/Taker feud, but unless it culminates with Abyss ending "the streak" - how appealing is this really going to be?

I think Abyss is certainly the kind of WWE would typically go after, but without Mankind-type promo ability, where else can you go with this guy after he's been fed to Undertaker?

He could eventually move to ECW, but that would send the wrong signal. This guy that 'Taker chewed up and spit out is suddenly going to dominate on RAW or ECW?

AJ Styles - I think this is probably the guy least likely to jump to WWE from those mentioned. he's so closely associated with TNA and despite his great talent, I don't believe he has the charisma or mic skills to rise above mid-card status in WWE.

If a sudden exodus propels Styles back into the TNA Title picture, why would he bolt to WWE so he can feud with Jimmy Wang Yang?

Styles could probably breath new life into the Intercontinental Title - but would he really give up being a possible headliner in TNA to a mid-carder in WWE?

Homicide & Hernandez - I think these guys work best as a team. Even though they both may appear to be natural singles guys, you could develop these characters in their LAX persona and (hopefully) help elevate the tag team division in WWE.

If ECW were eventually expanded to two hours (a big IF at this moment), then I think a guy like Homicide could possibly make some noice on the ECW Title scene, but the natural choice would be for these guys to debut on Smackdown.

Chris Sabin - This is a guy that could eventually turn out to be the Eddie Gurrero of a TNA talent acquisition. By that, I mean a guy that was expected to bolster the mid-card US/IC Title scene, only to eventually become a legit main eventer with his ability and charisma.

Sabin reminds me of a young Jericho/HBK right now and on ECW, this guy could develop a feud with CM Punk or possibly SD. I think his ability to cut promos would help distinguish him from other TNA guys.

He could come into WWE as part of a team with Alex Shelly, but I think that would make his debut less impactful. Both Shelly and Sabin are young enough to wait on WWE and enjoy a bright future with TNA - so they may be difficult to acquire given as a WWE prime spot is still a few years away.

James Storm & Chris Harris - Two years ago, I would have wanted WWE to go after these guys full bore, but TNA splitting them up has really killed the momentum these guys enjoyed for so long, and they've done little as solo stars other than feud with each other.

Cade & Murdoch are presently filling the role that AMW could have filled in WWE, so McMahon being incredibly interested in two guys already over 30 years old is probably a long shot.

 

[thecrock0984]

Well In my opinion, besides Kurt Angle and Christian Cage who obviously would be the best fit for the WWE because of their mic skills and wrestling ability. Id have to go with Kaz. Im a huge fan of Kaz and his wrestling skills are amazing. Id say he could come off like a Shawn Michaels. I think he's be a perfect fit. But its hard to say whod be a great fit for the WWE. Because the two companys styles are so diffrent. Id like to see TNA go live though, brings a diffrent feeling to the show. Also would like to see a Diva doing the interviews backstage not that homo guy that does them now!

 

[thecrock0984]

I dont think itd really matter though unless the guy went to Raw. Cause ECW is pointless to even be on. And smackdown, all I need to say about that is Vikki Gurerro is the GM. Enough said. Its either Raw or a career killer for any TNA talent like Joe or Aj coming to WWE. WWE proved to me with Goldberg and some of the WCW guys when the Invasion angle happend that they are more than capable of not handling a guy right and killing his character all together. So Id rather see them stay in TNA and TNA improve!

 

[Dfloresg]

I would say the guys who have been talking about leaving TNA. Like Chris Sabin, LAX, Alex Shelly, etc. As far as Kurt Angle and Christian..., I would say Christian. I don't think Angle would get offer another WWE contract. Considering everything that is going on.....a wrestler with who is addicted to pain killers and is possibly on steroids is the last thing they need.