Who do you think will be the first main eventer to jump ship between promotions?

[Suneeboy]

We all know competition is good for the fans. It is also good for the workers. It gives them the choice to go work somewhere else and still get the same exposure and maintain credibility. Chris Jericho mentioned on the “Rise and Fall of WCW” DVD that when the WCW was at its peak it was a great time. It was a great time because if you didn’t like WCW you could go work for the WWE and vice versa.

If TNA continues to improve and becomes more successful and becomes relatively equal with the WWE in terms of clout, we’ll start seeing people jump ship back and forth again. I think we will see some action at some point in the WWE, and we will see those "holy shit" ship jumps like Bret Hart, The Giant, Hulk Hogan, Jericho, Benoit, Outsiders, etc. So who will be the first MAIN EVENTER to jump ship in either promotion who has never been in both (so this excludes Kurt Angle, Christian, Foley, etc.)?

These things are hard to gauge, but if I had to select someone I would say Chris Jericho. Jericho has never been the #1 guy in the WWE. He has always been at the top, but never king of the mountain unless he had the title. He has accomplished everything there is to accomplish in the WWE and is now probably better than he has ever been as an entertainer. TNA will give Jericho free creative control and the ability to do what he does best, with a very strong and impressive title run. He will headline PPV’s and be the top draw of the company. He owns the rights to his name so he wouldn’t have to repackage himself for the company.

I don’t know when his contract with the WWE is up, but I don’t think he would completely discount a run in TNA to close his career out of the equation. He definitely wouldn’t have to dress up as Santa or get jumped by midgets in TNA.

So I ask, who do you think will be the first main eventer to jump ship in either promotion?

 

[Lee]

I have five words that will stop any jumping of ships:

"Sixty day no complete clause"

Vince learned from the MNMs in that every person now has thi no compete clause in their contract. It's going to be impossible for the likes of Jericho to quit at a PPV and turn up on TNA on their monday taping. They will literally have to wait two months, that\s hardly a holy shit moment there but rather a "yeah that was expected."

 

[Suneeboy]

I have five words that will stop any jumping of ships:

"Sixty day no complete clause"

Vince learned from the MNMs in that every person now has thi no compete clause in their contract. It's going to be impossible for the likes of Jericho to quit at a PPV and turn up on TNA on their monday taping. They will literally have to wait two months, that\s hardly a holy shit moment there but rather a "yeah that was expected."

It's not impossible to keep secrets these days, but also what's expected still can provide for a holy shit moment if executed properly. Even if someone quits at a PPV without a 60 day no compete you'd still have people expecting them to pop up in another promotion ASAP.

We all knew Bret was going to WCW, but when he came out it was still "Wow he's really here in WCW after all those years in the WWF". Just because something is expected, doesn't mean it won't be exciting once its executed.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

The ninety-day no-compete clause will kill this off, almost entirely.

Vince is a businessman first and foremost, and if I had to venture a guess, I'd say every contract he currently employs in the WWE today owns some variation of a no-compete clause, most harboring the 90-day default.

90 days in professional wrestling is a long time. Three months is the distance from the Royal Rumble to Wrestlemania, for example. A lot can happen in that span, which essentially prohibits the real shock value of a guy pulling a Luger and leaving on Sunday only to show face with the opposition on Monday.

If anyone is jumping here, I'd imagine it's guys going from TNA to WWE, because I don't think TNA is nearly as restrictive with clauses in their contracts. If I had to make an educated guess, I'd guess someone like Samoa Joe could make the jump.

 

[Monkey_Mania]

It's a 90 day no compete clause if they get fired or quit. If their contract runs out then they are free to do whatever they want. Don't quote me on this. But that's what happened with Christian. Im not so sure about today. Sorry if I'm wrong.

Back on topic. Jericho won't go, because he had the perfect opportunity to go 4 years ago. He didnt take it. He also said he's a WWE guy through and through, especially now that they are utilizing him right.

If I had to venture a guess...I'd say either Kurt Angle jumping ship BACK to WWE. That's a hell of a good possibility, but for someone who hasn't jumped ship. I don't know....I could actually see Edge jumping ship. Just for the fact that he's so injury prone, and WWE might eventually tire of him. Matt Hardy is also a very strong possibility. These are the only ones that seem like legit probabilities at this point in time.

 

[sevtrecie]

i believe it will be cm punk, since his lost to the undertaker his push has declined and a move to TNA could benefit him in the long run. A change in name a character development cant hurt either

 

[Jack-Hammer]

As has been said by others, any wrestler that works for the WWE must also sign a 90 day no compete clause as part of their contract. That clause is still in effect whether a wrestler is fired or asks for release. This in and of itself really negates any potential OMG moments.

As for who'll make the jump, I don't think its all that likely any of these main eventers will make the jump to another company. Jericho and Orton are both loyal to the WWE and have shown that time and time again. AJ Styles practically is TNA to a lot of people and it would potentially be devestating if he left for the WWE. It won't happen, however, as Styles has been part of TNA since the beginning. Punk is someone else that's shown loyalty to the WWE and while his push has lost some of its heat, he's still in the thick of things and is doing some interesting stuff. Daniels is probably too old for the WWE to really care much of anything about. He turns 39 in a few months if I'm not mistaken. Samoa Joe is unlikely because of his look alone. Vince likes for his guys to have toned, muscular physiques and Joe's not got that. A major overhaul of Samoa Joe's look would be required before Vince would even touch him.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

As has been said by others, any wrestler that works for the WWE must also sign a 90 day no compete clause as part of their contract. That clause is still in effect whether a wrestler is fired or asks for release. This in and of itself really negates any potential OMG moments.

As for who'll make the jump, I don't think its all that likely any of these main eventers will make the jump to another company. Jericho and Orton are both loyal to the WWE and have shown that time and time again. AJ Styles practically is TNA to a lot of people and it would potentially be devestating if he left for the WWE. It won't happen, however, as Styles has been part of TNA since the beginning. Punk is someone else that's shown loyalty to the WWE and while his push has lost some of its heat, he's still in the thick of things and is doing some interesting stuff. Daniels is probably too old for the WWE to really care much of anything about. He turns 39 in a few months if I'm not mistaken. Samoa Joe is unlikely because of his look alone. Vince likes for his guys to have toned, muscular physiques and Joe's not got that. A major overhaul of Samoa Joe's look would be required before Vince would even touch him.

Before anything, AJ Styles recently signed a five or seven-year extension with TNA very recently, last I checked. He's going nowhere near the WWE anytime soon if you ask me.

As for Samoa Joe... yeah, Joe doesn't have a toned muscular physique, but the WWE answered Samoa Joe with Umaga and Umaga ran quite a few feuds into the top-end of the card. I'm not so sure Joe would be eliminated simply because of his look.

 

[Suneeboy]

As has been said by others, any wrestler that works for the WWE must also sign a 90 day no compete clause as part of their contract. That clause is still in effect whether a wrestler is fired or asks for release. This in and of itself really negates any potential OMG moments.

I don't know why so much emphasis is being put on the no compete clauses. If executed properly an OMG moment can occur. OMG moments can occur without signings even happening. It just takes the right angle and the right introduction to blow the roof off and create an OMG moment. The excitement isn't only about the person being in the company, but more so how they come in and what they do in the company. Hogan hasn't been in wrestling in years, but him signing with TNA and now the Live Impact is an example of an OMG moment that we are expecting.

As for who'll make the jump, I don't think its all that likely any of these main eventers will make the jump to another company. Jericho and Orton are both loyal to the WWE and have shown that time and time again. AJ Styles practically is TNA to a lot of people and it would potentially be devestating if he left for the WWE. It won't happen, however, as Styles has been part of TNA since the beginning. Punk is someone else that's shown loyalty to the WWE and while his push has lost some of its heat, he's still in the thick of things and is doing some interesting stuff. Daniels is probably too old for the WWE to really care much of anything about. He turns 39 in a few months if I'm not mistaken. Samoa Joe is unlikely because of his look alone. Vince likes for his guys to have toned, muscular physiques and Joe's not got that. A major overhaul of Samoa Joe's look would be required before Vince would even touch him.

Vince doesn't need toned physiques depending on the wrestler. He likes the Samoan look, and in the past he hasn't had muscular Samoans. Umaga, Manu, Rikishi, Yokozuna all come to mind as stars who didn't fit the "look". I don't think his physique would be something that could possibly prevent him from being looked at by the WWE and jumping ship.

 

[Blade]

Like it's been said, it's possible that the no compete clause is only in WWE contracts, but it's not certain. So a WWE to TNA jump will be exciting but not a defining moment, to say the least. TNA wrestlers to WWE will be alot bigger.

But if I had to choose someone from WWE who would possibly jump ship to TNA, well it'd have to be CM Punk, wouldn't it? Alot of his friends are there, Joe, AJ and Daniels, so they'd be able to persuade him to jump ship. And TNA would definitely want him. It all comes down to how WWE use Punk in the war. If they keep him as a main eventer, he'd stay for sure. But if they keep screwing him around and he keeps having backstage problems, then he'll probably head to TNA. Punk seems like the kinda guy who'd go wherever he's happier rather than wherever he's paid more.

As for TNA to WWE, it's gotta be Kurt Angle. Out of anyone in TNA, he's the guy WWE would probably pay most to get back in the WWE. He still has some years left in him but he just needs to keep a light schedule, or else it'll all end badly for Angle and WWE. He has friends there and I think Vince has said he would take Angle back. So I guess we'll see.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I don't know why so much emphasis is being put on the no compete clauses. If executed properly an OMG moment can occur. OMG moments can occur without signings even happening. It just takes the right angle and the right introduction to blow the roof off and create an OMG moment. The excitement isn't only about the person being in the company, but more so how they come in and what they do in the company. Hogan hasn't been in wrestling in years, but him signing with TNA and now the Live Impact is an example of an OMG moment that we are expecting.

Hulk Hogan is the exception, not the rule. Hogan still has the distinction of being the overall biggest name in the history of the business and because not many took the possibility of him going to TNA all that seriously. This kind of reaction wouldn't happen with the likes of Mr. Kennedy, John Morrison or CM Punk.

Vince doesn't need toned physiques depending on the wrestler. He likes the Samoan look, and in the past he hasn't had muscular Samoans. Umaga, Manu, Rikishi, Yokozuna all come to mind as stars who didn't fit the "look". I don't think his physique would be something that could possibly prevent him from being looked at by the WWE and jumping ship.

Manu was in the WWE for all of about 5 minutes. All of these wrestlers you mentioned are/were members of the Anoa'i family. Vince is still close to the family and I wouldn't be surprised if that relationship didn't have something to do with many of these wrestlers being signed to contracts. Yokozuna and Rikishi were eventually let go because of weight issues. Umaga was used as a typical monster, the old savage Samoan fallback and was pretty athletic for his size. Joe obviously doesn't have all that much of a weight problem but, if I'm not mistaken, he was signed to a developmental deal with the WWE and was let go due to physique issues. Vince has lightened up considerably on the Herculean look post Benoit tragedy. Most of the top wrestlers in the WWE are well under 250 pounds. Many like Morrison, Kofi Kingston, Chris Jericho, HBK and CM Punk are all less than 230. It really wouldn't be all that much work for Joe to have a more athletic look and I think that's why Vince wouldn't really cut the guy some slack.

 

[Motor City Jeezy]

I don't know if I could see WWE main eventers jumping ship, but I could see their mid-carders making the jump. Guys like Jack Swagger, MVP, Mark Henry, etc. I can't see any of the TNA guys jumping ship, except for maybe Kurt Angle. At his age, though, I don't see him wanting to return to the on-the-road lifestyle WWE demands of its wrestlers.

 

[Suneeboy]

Hulk Hogan is the exception, not the rule. Hogan still has the distinction of being the overall biggest name in the history of the business and because not many took the possibility of him going to TNA all that seriously. This kind of reaction wouldn't happen with the likes of Mr. Kennedy, John Morrison or CM Punk.

I would say Hulk applies to the rule and is not an exception. Here's why. Yes he is a big name, but he is not going to be a performer on the level he was 20 years ago. Therefore the OMG moment is that he signed to TNA and what knowledge he will bring to the table. Are you really THAT interested to see what angles HE'LL be in or better yet to see him wrestle? Honestly, I am not.

A guy like Jericho or Orton after a 90 day no complete clause expires would still provide that OMG moment even though we know they'll be coming because we will be anticipating their interaction with a whole slew of completely new people. Jericho/Styles, Orton/Joe, Orton/Morgan, Jericho/Daniels, are just a few examples of what would get people pumped up. Hogan is not wrestling anybody and if he does it won't be in a MOTY level match.

Manu was in the WWE for all of about 5 minutes.

Yeah, Manu was shit. But his body type was what I was highlighting.

All of these wrestlers you mentioned are/were members of the Anoa'i family.

Yeah that helped, but they were good workers too (not so much Manu). I think that also has something to do with Vince signing people.

Joe obviously doesn't have all that much of a weight problem but, if I'm not mistaken, he was signed to a developmental deal with the WWE and was let go due to physique issues.

Joe has greatly improved his marketing appearance and conditioning over the past few years. He looks no worse than a Goldust, Finlay, Tommy Dreamer, Matt Hardy, Eric Escobar, or even Mark Henry and Big Show for that matter. There are ways around physique when a guy can work a match.

Vince has lightened up considerably on the Herculean look post Benoit tragedy.

That's true. We agree here....see names above.

Most of the top wrestlers in the WWE are well under 250 pounds. Many like Morrison, Kofi Kingston, Chris Jericho, HBK and CM Punk are all less than 230.

I don't think Punk has an all that great physique. No cuts at all. Like Joe he uses other things to capture an audience.

It really wouldn't be all that much work for Joe to have a more athletic look and I think that's why Vince wouldn't really cut the guy some slack.

I think at this point in time if Joe wanted to come to the WWE, Vince wouldn't deny him because of his look. He's proven himself, and isn't an "Indy" guy anymore. There are much worse out there look wise, and for him to not come to the WWE because he's not ripped wouldn't be the reason.

 

[Father:_Polley]

The problem with the whole surprise factor is that, with the 90 day clause, there is absolutely no way that a surprise will occur, mainly because the SECOND Main-eventer X decides to quit, people will be online discussing the exact day he is eligible to appear in TNA and then, when he does, well it'll hardly be surprising or shock value, it's just a guy earning a wage elsewhere... big deal.

Styles is probably the only one WWE would want (Out of shape Samoans don't seem to go well in WWE lately and Daniels is good, but never been top dog out of the others). Orton has no need, and Jericho has no desire to go anywhere else. Really, who have you left aside from Punk, who no-one's really gonna care too much about

 

[Dagger Dias]

I don't think that any of the current main eventers in either federation are likely to jump right now or anytime soon because most of them are either getting pushed or will be pushed soon. There is also the issue of the no-compete clauses in contracts. We won't see someone show up at a TNA show within days of leaving WWE, and I believe the same can possibly be said about TNA guys jumping to WWE too.

If I absolutely HAD to go with one of the options on the poll.... then probably CM Punk because of the issues earlier about his comments about not dressing up at non-wrestling events and Taker got mad at him, etc. If TNA was big enough competition then he might have attempted a jump after that because it would have upset me too.

 

[NSL]

I don't think any main eventers will jump ship. We first need this to turn into a competition, and until that happens, there isn't a chance.

If it does turn into competition, then I don't think any will jump, because they'll either have loyalty to TNA (Styles/Joe/Angle), or they won't make the same if they leave WWE (HHH/HBK/Taker). You may get a few mid-card guys jumping ship, like Bourne or Roode, but the main eventers have nothing to gain.

 

[Super Crazy]

I don't see anyone jumping ship any time soon. I think the TNA guys know that if they go to the WWE , they will be very limited in the ring, and possibly be buried as well. While the WWE guys know this would not happen if they left for TNA, I can't see them leaving the WWE. Especially Chris Jericho, he has always said, and always will say " He is a WWE man through and through. "

The only people with much to gain from this would be in fact be the guys lower on the card, as I'm sure TNA would use the midcard guys much better then the WWE does. And as NSL said, no one will even think of jumping ship unless TNA becomes some serious competition.

 

[Hulkamaniac]

There's a report on the front page of this site indicating that TNA is pushing to sign Jeff Hardy. Not sure if that would qualify for some of you, but I think it'd certainly be a big deal. Hardy has a big fan base.