Who should TNA use to build the company around as their top star?

[TheMainEvent]

I know TNA has always had this issue with branding and in regards to talent, I really started to think about it for awhile and was having a hard time to decide on who really is TNAs top star. They are so focused on having everyone involved in various feuds and inter feuding that TNA has not put a focus on any one person as their top draw or superstar. Think WWE during the Attitude era... Steve Austin was their main star and everything was essentially built around him. The Corporation angle, the Ministry angle, Who injured Austin angle, etc...WWE from 2002-2006 Triple H pretty much was their top star taking the major role in most storylines, and even now WWE has John Cena as their top star and he consumes most all main event storylines.

So with that mentioned does TNA need to establish a top draw talent and build the brand around that star? They have guys like AJ, Joe, Anderson, Pope, RVD, Hardy, Angle, etc so should they work on building the company on one of those guys back. With that kind of talent they should have no problem doing so but for whatever reason TNA has a way of watering down a stars appeal and essentially making them "just another superstar". Lack of buildup for big matches and video packages/promos is one reason why but thats a topic for a whole other thread. Regardless, should TNA focus on one top draw as a maineventer that everyting essentially builds around?

Now heres my two cents: They should and it should be Samoa Joe. Joe should be the Stone Cold role of the badass loner who takes no crap. With the rumor of Bischoff/Hogan heel turn or even a Jarrett turn it could work well with them swerving Joe and him getting pissed to ignite a feud. If a faction forms then have Joe take them on his own to set the odds against him and the fans behind him. It worked with Sting and Horsemen, Sting and nWo, Austin and Corporation/Ministry, etc and should do the same for Joe.

 

[Father Uncle Oscar]

I see where you're coming from with the Joe/SCSA comparison, but I don't see him in that role. I think, if that goes down, they would use either the TNA World Champ or Rob Van Dam. Now none of these 4 potential guys are TNA originals, unlike Joe, but they are still huge names that most casual fans know and names that could get people like that interested. If you said the name Samoa Joe to a guy who only watches once in a while, they'll more likely than not ask "Who's that?" or "Why him?" But if you use Rob Van Dam, Kurt Angle, or maybe even Jeff Hardy, they will be interested 8 times out of 10. Big names make all the difference in a storyline like the one you thought of. And although he's an original, I still don't think Samoa Joe is or will be up to that level again.

 

[DDPandNWOfan]

Mr. Anderson should be the top heel and Jeff Hardy should be the top babyface. Everyone knows these are the correct answers. Hardy was outselling Cena in merchandise sales last year and if he's committed to TNA then he's obviously the best choice.

 

[I_Am_Electro_Boy]

Jeff Hardy, RVD or Kurt Angle, these three are the most well known guys in TNA that can still put on a show. They can sell merchandise by the load and are over with the crowd, maybe Mr Anderson but I just don't think he's known throughout the wrestling business and a guy that people would tune in to watch.

 

[TheMainEvent]

Yeah I thought about the fact that Joe isnt a known name to build upon in mainstream wrestling fans. Angle is my other pick to work on building the brand around. If Bischoff does indeed turn heel and create a faction why not have Kennedy join it by winning the title at BFG. He can pin Hardy and win and essentially "retire" Angle but since Angle didnt get pinned he can refute the loss. Then he can be the one feuding with the new faction. If he stays outnumbered why not bring in Haas and Benjamin as his backup? Have them align with him against the faction. Say a year later then have one of them turn and join the faction and feud with Angle in some swerve like how Steiner joined nWo years ago and then blew up into a big star. Hardy can also remain a top star and even feud with Fortune while Angle is feuding with Bischoff and co. Have him align with Shannon Moore and possibly returning Matt Hardy and Helms as some Omega Outkastz against Fortune. Okay got into a bit of a fantasy booking rant but I see your point in using those guys as top stars over Joe.

 

[RickRaspberry]

Kurt Angle. Without question. Mr. Kennedy is a close second. They have honostly done a great job with Kennedy. He is the kind of guy where if people turned TNA on and saw him, they'd watch for a while. The backstage interviews and sitdown segments put guys like these over.

Kurt Angle is the type of guy that can lose a match and doesn't lose credibility. He can still work a great match. He is slipping a little, but there is still tread on the tires, get as many people over for TNA before he hangs it up.

Samoa Joe will never draw a dollar in the wrestling world. I hate his character and I hate his look. I think that is the only gimmick he could pull off...and while he wrestles like a tough guy, his looks don't fit the bill to me. Taz, had a tough look. Rhino, has a tough look. Joe just has a mean face. His ring work is good and aggressive and pretty crisp. He absolutley has a place on the roster...no where near the top, but no where near the bottom.

The Pope is another guy I would honostly be building up too. Natural god given charisma will get you where you need to go. When you can go out there and shoot from the hip and have it sound like it's you talking and you mean what you say, and not sound like you're reading a script...Then that's the guy I want on my show. More of a chance of something spontanious happening that could turn things around.

 

[THEGRANDSLAM]

That's a tough question. AJ Styles can't talk so not him, Joe can't talk and is fat so not him, Jeff Hardy can't talk so not him (there's a pattern forming here). I'd say Angle, Mr Anderson and Pope have the most charisma and the most potential cross over appeal. I don't go along with the Joe/SCSA comparison because Austin could talk and that was over 10 years ago so that time has passed.

 

[CyDeez]

Angle would be a logical choice for the near future. But the problem with that, is the fact he is almost done. I have a feeling he will also have one final run in WWE.

As far as the younger guys in the company to build towards the future... I think AJ is easily marketable but they don't seem to know how to do it. He has been with the company since the beginning. They like to say he is the best in the world, but they do nothing to truly prove it or market him in a big way. When they say he is the best, I think they are trying to convince themselves, not us.

I think Joe has all the tools. But, he does not seem to be well liked within the company. Or maybe he is just in that AJ mold, where they just don't know how to push him in another level type of way.

I think Abyss is a decent guy to have. But, it truly amazes me that HE is the guy they are trying to push HUGE and put a SL like "They" on him.

There are a few guys in TNA that I believe could end up being big names in the business if they are pushed right. Guys like Matt Morgan, Samoa Joe and Robert Roode.

All 3 are different from each other and could very easily co-exist at the top of the company. Whether TNA ever succeeds in doing that is another story.

Also, I just do NOT understand WTF they were doing these last few years with Daniels. Dude is great at basically every facet of the game. Suicide? Jesus! Why not someone like Eric Young or Amazing Red or something?

Hell, if they wouldn't have had Kaz be Suicide, Fortune might even be more over if Kaz would have been working towards a gimmick or had some big feuds, instead of "being" Suicide!

So, to answer the OP...

I would say it's 3 guys...

Matt Morgan... Samoa Joe.... Robert Roode!

 

[TerryFunkU]

They should build there company around a lot of people don't just have one face have a lot of stars don't try to be like wwe with the star of the company john cena they shoulddo what there doing why have one top star when you have so much talent

Off note does anybody have any news about the new tna app

 

[#hamler]

Mr. Anderson...Anderson
It's pretty obvious this guys got what it takes to lead a company. He's got some of the best mic skills in the industry right now, which is needed to carry a company into success. He got the ability to play a heel or a great face. He's really over with the crowd and can draw massive heat, or get them chanting asshole or Anderson. His in ring style needs some work but look at Austin. A couple stomps, hits, Lou Thez Press stunner, WWF Championship. He can carry the company and be a major draw. He's already been in a movie, we've seen what he can do outside of a TNA or WWE ring. To be honest, I could see him being Rock like. He's better than most in TNA. Kurt Angle is getting old. There are talks of retirement so there's no way TNA should base their company on him. Jeff, not a good role model for anyone. Samoa Joe has little or no charisma and has a bad attitude. Anderson is the guy they want. He's pretty loyal and puts everything into his character. A great wrester asshole.

Pope has the skills to be big aswell. Mic skills, in ring ability, heel/face/tweener and extremely over with the crowd aswell as the IWC. My second choice.

 

[The Crock]

I'd think Mr. Anderson would be the best choice. Joe isn't mainstream enough, he's an Indy superstar/legend but he isn't well-known enough. Kurt Angle is far too old, he'll retire soon. You can't build a company on that. Jeff Hardy is way too unstable. He gets in trouble with the law all the time, and he could always just leave. He's not all that committed to TNA it seems. That leaves Anderson as your best choice. He's a very complete superstar, he's gold on the mic and fairly decent in the ring and he's still pretty young. Anderson won't be leaving the business any time soon, and he's very well known from his time in the WWE. It makes a ton of sense to me.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

In general, TNA has built the company around Kurt Angle for the better part of 4 years now. Angle was the first legitimately huge and still 100% relevant star that TNA was able to bring into the fold and has been featured in the TNA main event scene consistently since his arrival. Since the demise of the Main Event Mafia, Kurt Angle has definitely taken a bit of a backseat generally speaking but I won't be surprised if he's moved back to the head of the line. For the short term, I think Angle could be a good choice as he's still got the goods in terms of overall ability and name recognition.

Eventually, however, TNA is going to have to give the reigns to someone else and I'm not really sure if there's anyone really strong enough at this point. AJ Styles is an obvious choice but only if he's a face. A lot of people like Anderson, though I think he's a bit overrated at this time and I don't know if he's ready to be the top star of the company. Of the younger talent on the TNA roster at this time, however, I'd say Anderson could be the best of a bad situation.

 

[nHoBoss]

If I was the one who would make that descison who, to build around...I would say Kurt Angle, that is if signs a long term deal. If not Mr.Anderson.....both have great mic skills...they feed off the crowd, plus get the crowd into it.

 

[Neiler187]

Samoa Joe without a doubt, TNA should have give him the belt in 06 they left it too long and then the fans didn't even care. Look at how over and great he was in ROH. Joe is my favourite TNA wrestler and can definitely carry the company and have great matches with almost everyone on the roster.

 

[SpecialFNK]

I say Mr Anderson. with a heel turn he is someone who could have the championship and have it for a long time.

I think it could depend on what happens at BFG with all the angles. if Hogan/Bischoff turn heel and are not joined by Sting/Nash/Pope then someone like Anderson could be heel champion for a while, similar to what Hogan did with the nWo as champion. TNA can have face guys trying to win the title back time after time.
if there is a Hogan/Bischoff heel turn and they are joined together with Sting/Nash/Pope then I'm not sure someone like Anderson would do well as the lead heel of that group as champion. maybe if Anderson was face against that group, but Anderson would be better as a heel.
I think if/when this Hogan/Bischoff turn heel they are going to need someone to be the lead wrestler and champion, similar to what Hogan was in the old nWo.

 

[CAPT SPAULD1NG8]

the face of tna should be aj styles. he built tna. if it wasnt for him who knows where tna would be today. kurt angle even considers styles the best wrestler in the world but hes taking aback seat due to tna sighning all these guys. dont get me wrong im a huge hardy fan huge but he hasnt done anything for tna. he is there for an easy schedual and beside hes been looking sluggish for the past few months. givin hardy and angle had a hell of a match thats pretty much it. ever since hogan and bitchoff came in they have sucked what ever life tna had. yes they have signed big name guys like hardy, mr anderson,and rvd but ever ever happened to the originals. there is no longer an x division and they are pushing the wrong guys. they give opportunities to the guys they bring in before they give it to the guys that deserve it. they released petey williams a while ago and i saw him being a future world champion. in my opinion i thought he was better then styles and not just because of his finisher. tna need to give guys like aj, amazing red, samoa joe, desmond wolfe, the pope, and robert roode more opportunities. these guy are the future of wrestling. guys like flair, angle, hardy, rvd, stig, jarrett, and all the members of ev2 allready reached the top. take everyone of these guys except hardy, rvd and angle off tv and give everyone else more tv time. then maybe they can bring back the x division and better matches like when tna first arrived on tv. and the only reason i say keep these guys is because they can help put guys over.

 

[legend23x]

Keep in mind that if you are going to build a company around someone, you want someone there for more than a year. Angle really has been the top guy and has kept TNA on the upward path. He first feuded with Joe, ran the Main Event Mafia, had some good matches with AJ, Anderson, etc. The problem is he isn't going to be the guy to carry TNA for the next 5 years.

I don't think this guy has to be a known name from WWE. None of the top guys in WWE who really broke out were anything until their big breakout moment. Look at Austin. He was "stunning steve" and "the ringmaster." It wasn't until the Austin 3:16 moment that he really became anything worth remembering. Look at HHH. Until DX he was "hunter hurst Helmsley" and quite forgettable. Shawn michaels hit the superkick on Marty Janetty which was his moment to break out that brought him from being forgettable to being a star. Then the big thing is that they need to be consistent after they get that moment. Every week people would tune in to see what Austin would do next. Every promo the Rock cut was interesting and left people wanting more. Every week DX would do something that had people laughing and wanting more. What has TNA done at any point in time that five years from now people will be remembering?

TNA has people with wrestling talent. However a small majority of people really care about good wrestling. People tuned into WWE to see Austin or the Rock or DX because they were funny! They entertained. People that really didn't care so much about wrestling were watching. TNA needs to keep putting on a good wrestling show, but they need the promo's to be entertaining. They need to give someone their breakout moment and let them roll with it to keep entertaining.

That said, I think a few people have shown they have good skills to do that. They need opportunities though to remain consistent. The Pope and Anderson are the two more recent additions that have some promise. Morgan and Roode both have promise. Both Magnus and Desmond Wolf have some real promise. Desmond's initial debut was worth remembering if they had continued the push. Jay Lethal in his promo with Flair was interesting. Again though, nobody has been given any chance to perform consistently. This year though was more of a feeling out process for a lot of the talent. I'd expect that within the next year they'll be more settling in to focus on those who made the most of their "tryouts". Who are the guys like Cena, Orton, Edge, Miz, who people are going to watch every week? Only time will tell.

 

[trevor62794]

Mr.Anderson because he has alot of charisma and to me he seems like one of those wrestlers who come along once in a life time, I could see him being on top for a very long time, plus he has experience

 

[Big Nick Dudley]

There really isn't an answer to this question. TNA needs to work on putting together a strong show, and see who the fans choose as the face of the company.

Sure, I think AJ Styles is the best option. Anderson isn't bad either. We know it isn't RVD or Hardy, seeing RVD is breaking down and Hardy is heading to the slam.

In all honesty, I think TNA just needs to focus on putting out a quality product, all around. If they attempt to put all of the focus on one guy, it won't work.

If I were TNA, I would drop Kaz and Williams, and focus on Fortune. A good heel faction can help in building a big-time babyface to mold your company around. Maybe the fans will choose Anderson. Maybe AJ. Maybe Pope (I hope not). The point is, to have your company based around one person, Hulk Hogan/Austin/Cena-style, that person has to be over. And for that to happen, the company needs to be over. And right now, the TNA product isn't looked at as a great one.

Good wrestling, good stories, etc. will get them over the hump. Those kinds of things will create a big-time Superstar. They can't just throw someone out front, and say "Hey, that's our guy!" That just won't work.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

No one.

That is no one in particular. Why is it wrestling companies have to be built around "that guy", as if that's the only formula for success? Was WCW built around "that guy"? I suppose you could say so if you point to Hogan, but I'd argue that guys like Flair, Sting, DDP, and more had equal (if not greater) roles, so can it really be said that one guy is the way to go?

Personally, I don't care about having a face of the company*— all I care about is having a number of highly talented individuals in prominent roles in the company, which is exactly what they're doing right now — AJ, Anderson, Angle, Hardy and Fortune in general will continue to be the major focus going into the near future, I'd imagine, and rightfully so.

 

[hatehabsforever]

No one.

That is no one in particular. Why is it wrestling companies have to be built around "that guy", as if that's the only formula for success? Was WCW built around "that guy"? I suppose you could say so if you point to Hogan, but I'd argue that guys like Flair, Sting, DDP, and more had equal (if not greater) roles, so can it really be said that one guy is the way to go?

Personally, I don't care about having a face of the company*— all I care about is having a number of highly talented individuals in prominent roles in the company, which is exactly what they're doing right now — AJ, Anderson, Angle, Hardy and Fortune in general will continue to be the major focus going into the near future, I'd imagine, and rightfully so.

Point well taken, IDR, and I agree wtih you, there has to be more than just one guy to build an organization around. You need to assemble a talented roster and move forward with the right collection of guys (and girls), not just one central trophy figure.

That being said, there has historically been one main guy, one top dog that is the focus of the company. Hulk Hogan. Stone Cold Steve Austin. Triple H. Whoever. Currently the main guy in WWE is John Cena, but their success comes from the depth of their roster (which I know you'll disagree with). Over and above Cena, there's still Orton, Edge, Jericho, Taker, etc., but they still have to have John Cena as the face of the company.

I think the face of the company in TNA should be a face AJ Styles. Whenever and however BFG plays out, there will be a faction of guys attempting to change TNA and professional wrestling forever, and they will need a central face figure to lead the rebellion. That should be Styles. He's ineffective and bland as an unnatural heel in the shadow of Flair and the rest of Fourtune. He needs to go face again and reclaim the title from the guys who will be attempting to overtake TNA. And take his rightful place as the face of the company and holder of the major hardware, as opposed to being a mid-card champion in a secondary role.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

Point well taken, IDR, and I agree wtih you, there has to be more than just one guy to build an organization around. You need to assemble a talented roster and move forward with the right collection of guys (and girls), not just one central trophy figure.

That being said, there has historically been one main guy, one top dog that is the focus of the company. Hulk Hogan. Stone Cold Steve Austin. Triple H. Whoever. Currently the main guy in WWE is John Cena, but their success comes from the depth of their roster (which I know you'll disagree with). Over and above Cena, there's still Orton, Edge, Jericho, Taker, etc., but they still have to have John Cena as the face of the company.

I think the face of the company in TNA should be a face AJ Styles. Whenever and however BFG plays out, there will be a faction of guys attempting to change TNA and professional wrestling forever, and they will need a central face figure to lead the rebellion. That should be Styles. He's ineffective and bland as an unnatural heel in the shadow of Flair and the rest of Fourtune. He needs to go face again and reclaim the title from the guys who will be attempting to overtake TNA. And take his rightful place as the face of the company and holder of the major hardware, as opposed to being a mid-card champion in a secondary role.

Well sure, but I don't think that's the same as the OP is talking about, or even the same as what most people's definitions of the "face of the company" really means — in the majority of cases, I'm fairly certain what they mean is that quite literally he is the the one the company is built around entirely and that in a sense the majority of the focus is centered around them the way was (past tense) for Cena.

I really just don't think that's the case at all, especially when your talent depth reaches as far as TNA's does. Even the WWE is no longer built around Cena.

 

[Wolf Pac]

Mr. Anderson for sure. He has the mic skills and the cockiness to be a HHH like heel which could carry the company in same fashion as HHH on Raw in 2002/2003

I would also say Desmond Wolfe, if they ever want a Kurt Angle replacement for TNA. He has the mic & wrestling skills.

 

[hatehabsforever]

Well sure, but I don't think that's the same as the OP is talking about, or even the same as what most people's definitions of the "face of the company" really means — in the majority of cases, I'm fairly certain what they mean is that quite literally he is the the one the company is built around entirely and that in a sense the majority of the focus is centered around them the way was (past tense) for Cena.

I really just don't think that's the case at all, especially when your talent depth reaches as far as TNA's does. Even the WWE is no longer built around Cena.

I remember during the LD last night, you made some reference to not having watched RAW much in the last several weeks or months. This is obvious from your bolded statements above. Make no mistake about it, despite Randy Orton's surge in popularity, or any other superstars or storylines on the rise in the WWE universe, John Cena is still the face of the WWE. He's still front and centre in major storylines. Whether he turns heel and truly joins the Nexus, or leads the charge to destroy them from within, he's still the main man.

This is what TNA needs to do with AJ Styles. Don't waste his time with a mid-card belt. Don't obscure him in Ric Flair's shadow. Put him back in the front of the line, either holding the TNA Championship or chasing it. Sure, fill out your roster with your other talent like MCMG, Desmond Wolfe (cannot really think of many more ) But make Styles the go-to guy, the guy that when people hear the name TNA, they think of him and what he brings to the table.

 

[Immaculate]

You don't focus on just one guy. This is not like a baseball team where you have one constant player who you build your line up around.

I saw it mentioned that Hogan, Austin, Triple H and now Cena were the "face" of the company, but did this not come as a detriment as well.

I think people are confusing building a company with how popular a wrestler is. I don't think the WWE was trying to build the company around Austin whatsoever, I think they sent Austin out there, he did what he did, and that was that. If anything they built the company around The Rock, because The Rock was a lot younger then Austin and he was more valuable in the long run.

Take Hogan for instance, I would think WWF was more likely trying to build the company around the Ultimate Warrior at one point, but UW squandered the opportunity and Hogan being used to being the face of the company wasn't willing to lose his spotlight.

I don't think a face of a company is all that important, because then your basically saying "Tune into Monday Night Cena." WWE is focusing all their attention on Cena/Orton at the moment and their non the better for it.

No one wants to watch the same wrestling show week in, week out. Also when you stamp that "face of the company" logo on someone, they get an ego. A couple months ago Aj Styles made some comments regarding how he thought he was the face of the company.

Charlie Haas said it best about how in the WWE Attitude Era, they wrote storylines from everyone from Crash Holly too Austin. Now they only write stuff and focus on a handful of guys. One of the positives about TNA is that they're giving a storyline for everyone on there show from EY/Jordan to EV2.0 to the old guys to the WHC contenders. I really enjoy that about TNA.

It's good to see a large number of people involved in things. So what I think you do is, is place focus on your top 8 or so guys and eventually a few of them will stand out. If one of them becomes extremely popular, or a group becomes extremely popular, doesn't mean the company tried to build itself around them, it just happened that way. Then you play the hot hand and say how far it takes you before it gets stale and then you have to try something else.

If anything, TNA has been trying to build the company around AJ Styles for the past few years and make him the face of the company, which he even admitted too, but is he the most popular wrestler in the company? Or the face(obviously he's a heel) of the company? Or the biggest draw for the company?

I think that's another misconception. Just because the company is built around someone, does not have to mean they are the "Face" or most popular member of the company or they are the biggest draw. Numerous people can hold these positions (built around, face, biggest draw.)

This question sounds like it's right out of the WWE playbook in how they brand guys like Cena/Orton and have 10-15 year plans for them. Almost like you need to build a company around one particular person in order for it to succeed. That is more a technique that is beneficial to the corporation and not the fan. It's like saying which wrestler should we get married too, and as some may know, marriage is hell.