The WWE is filled with these characters. MVP, Matt Hardy, John Morrison, the Miz, the members of Legacy, Shelton Benjamin, even Punk to some extent. These are names you hear tossed around all the time as the "next big thing" in WWE, future world champions, and the future of the company.
It's not a phrase you hear terribly often in TNA, however. It really seems like there's a deeply ingrained line between the main event and the rest of the card, and that there's no one straddling it. At one point, this was a title that belonged to Hernandez, but TNA's relentless drive to shove him to the bottom of the card and then his injury has obviously thrown him far out of the running. Pretty much every undercarder that fits the weight class is an X Division contender, or else a tag team competitor.
So who is it? Who is the person in TNA right now who, sometime soon in the future, will become a world champion, a main eventer, "the next big thing"?
Now, personally, I'm going to rule out AJ Styles, though I know many will fly at him. He's phenomenal, pun intended, no doubt, but the fact is, he's already there. He is pretty much a main eventer, even if he's not wrestling for the title a lot (though he clearly should be). He's already established as the man in TNA, and it's clear that when the spots open up, he's first in line. I'm more interested in a guy that's working his way up who might get into the same spot as AJ eventually.
For me, it's Matt Morgan. Morgan is one of the few undercarders in TNA who honestly has the total package from top to bottom. He has the look - he's a fantastic physical specimen in every respect. He's very charismatic - he handles the mic well, especially as a heel, and he's very strong in the ring. His association with the Main Event Mafia, hopefully ending with him becoming part of it, could be the catalyst he needs to leap into the main event. His program with Abyss got him noticed immediately as one of the top midcarders, and he's just about the fastest rising guy in TNA - but he's doing it quietly. If the Mafia angle is run in this direction, he could be used as a way to ensure that the Mafia gets the title back from someone in the Frontline - a young, powerful athlete to capture the title and bring it back to the family. It doesn't have to happen that way, but I hope he gets a big push out of this association, because he's one of the best in TNA.
So who is it for you? Who takes over when TNA's bulwark of aging stars falls apart? Who's going to be a world champion? Who is the "next big thing"?
It's not a phrase you hear terribly often in TNA, however. It really seems like there's a deeply ingrained line between the main event and the rest of the card, and that there's no one straddling it. At one point, this was a title that belonged to Hernandez, but TNA's relentless drive to shove him to the bottom of the card and then his injury has obviously thrown him far out of the running. Pretty much every undercarder that fits the weight class is an X Division contender, or else a tag team competitor.
So who is it? Who is the person in TNA right now who, sometime soon in the future, will become a world champion, a main eventer, "the next big thing"?
Now, personally, I'm going to rule out AJ Styles, though I know many will fly at him. He's phenomenal, pun intended, no doubt, but the fact is, he's already there. He is pretty much a main eventer, even if he's not wrestling for the title a lot (though he clearly should be). He's already established as the man in TNA, and it's clear that when the spots open up, he's first in line. I'm more interested in a guy that's working his way up who might get into the same spot as AJ eventually.
For me, it's Matt Morgan. Morgan is one of the few undercarders in TNA who honestly has the total package from top to bottom. He has the look - he's a fantastic physical specimen in every respect. He's very charismatic - he handles the mic well, especially as a heel, and he's very strong in the ring. His association with the Main Event Mafia, hopefully ending with him becoming part of it, could be the catalyst he needs to leap into the main event. His program with Abyss got him noticed immediately as one of the top midcarders, and he's just about the fastest rising guy in TNA - but he's doing it quietly. If the Mafia angle is run in this direction, he could be used as a way to ensure that the Mafia gets the title back from someone in the Frontline - a young, powerful athlete to capture the title and bring it back to the family. It doesn't have to happen that way, but I hope he gets a big push out of this association, because he's one of the best in TNA.
So who is it for you? Who takes over when TNA's bulwark of aging stars falls apart? Who's going to be a world champion? Who is the "next big thing"?