Who Will be the Superstar That Finally Dethrones Lashley as Champion?

[Terry Gyimah]

If anything since Lashley has become TNA World Heavyweight Champion he has become more and more dominant each title defense beating all comers who have tried to take his TNA World Heavyweight Championship so it begs the question of which man will be "The One" who finally beats Lashley and ends his reign of dominance?

Well let's see there's EY but how many times has he lost to Lashley already? But then there's Bobby Roode, TNA's longest-reigning World Heavyweight Champion in history, he could do it since he's never faced Lashley before one on one

But others there's EC3, Storm, Bully Ray, Anderson, etc.

If AJ Styles were still with TNA I would have said AJ could be the one to dethrone Lashley or if Sting were here still then I would suggest him or even Kurt Angle being the one to dethrone Lashley but since Angle is already the director of TNA operations, can't see it being him

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Moderator's Note:

Keep your spoilers to yourself. If you post them here, you will be infracted without warning. TNA has taped well in advance, but that doesn't mean we can't have a conversation about this without needing to tell the world what happened. There are some of us who avoid reading them, after all.

Thanks, IDR

 

[RenegadeDX]

I would actually like to see Magnus redeem himself and become champion. This time, not as a punk.

 

[Terry Gyimah]

Bram vs Lashley is definitely a match that TNA if they were smart they would capitalize on considering just how much they have pushed Bram as of late and after he has beaten Abyss not once not twice but 3 times he should be the one who faces Lashley for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship

 

[It's Damn Real!]

Bram vs Lashley is definitely a match that TNA if they were smart they would capitalize on considering just how much they have pushed Bram as of late and after he has beaten Abyss not once not twice but 3 times he should be the one who faces Lashley for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship

Except that there's an inherent flaw in that theory in that Bram is a heel, as is Lashley. Even if you make one a "tweener" (likely Bram, and I seriously hate that term and role), the damage of trying to build your main event around something fans can't really gravitate to can be tremendous.

It's not a main event story, but the Anderson/Gunner/Shaw angle they're running right now is suffering from this exact thing, with Anderson not being heel or face, and Shaw being the same. How are you supposed to cheer one way or another in a feud like that?

Bram would have to have a face turn in order to make that feud worth it, and the time frame just isn't there for it. I think they've got a solid future in that guy, but he needs a lot more grooming before he's ready to take that leap. What they did/are doing with ECIII should be the same template used to get Bram up the card as well.

 

[three count bout]

I wish it was Aries but I'm thinking it's going to be Roode. Perhaps we'll get that face Roode run we would have got before Hogan decided he would be a better heel.

But yeah, Aries and Roode are the only two viable options if Ray is leaving.

 

[Terry Gyimah]

Bobby Lashley is more or less the "Brock Lesnar of TNA" if and when you actually think about it seeing just how dominant Lashley is or has become almost like Brock in WWE right now because he is seemingly beating superstar after superstar and the thing is is that he doesn't even MVP or Kenny King in his corner or he doesn't even need them during his matches because he just keeps finding ways to win

 

[Hit with Dirty Deeds]

Obviously they are gearing towards a Bobby Roode win at bound for glory but with it being in Japan it would be kind of sweet if AJ returned to the company ( contract permitting)

 

[WBL]

I get the feeling that a lot of this is going to hinge on if TNA knows when their final day will be. I don't think they'd let a heel go out on top of their company when the end comes around. But concerning the who as opposed to the when, it seems like they're going for Bobby Roode right now, which makes sense. Unless MVP is stringing Lashley along until he heals up in order to win the belt himself. Both of those would make pure logical sense.

But this is TNA, so it's probably going to be Crazzy Steve.

 

[Slash-LN]

I could see Booby Roode being a credible threat to take the title and make it believable. He truly has the it factor.

Nothing against Eric Young but I have no interest in seeing him as champ again.

Abyss is tied up with Bram for now it seems.

Joe is hanging out in the X Division. No point in having him take both titles.

Bully and Jeff Hardy seem to be working the tag division right now so there's no point in pulling them out of there.

Anderson and Gunner are tied up in the Sam Shaw storyline when they manage to get television time. It would be weird to see any of those three to jump into the main event and win the title right now.

The Menagerie sucks and I'd hate to see any of them with the title in their current roles.

Rhino maybe? After Hardcore Justice last night I'm assuming he's going to be tied up with EC3 if he even stays in the company. I would guess he would want some revenge for Ethan making him look like a bitch.

Austin Aries is just kind of there. They don't need to make him the man right now.

So yeah pretty much Robert Roode is the smartest choice.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

Roode or Aries are the smartest choices.

Aries by means of wanting another shot at Lashley after failing to capitalize on his Option C (or D, or whatever letter we're on now) cash-in.

Roode by means of the fact that right now, story line-wise, he's the guy being groomed to take it off him. He's TNA's top singles face, and the guy most directly involved in the story being told between MLK (I don't care if that's not their name — it's the best acronym) and the rest of TNA's face group.

 

[Lowdown]

In all honesty outside of possibly Roode the only star I can see being a "credible" threat to Lashley would be Abyss. Despite his consecutive losses to Bram, Abyss had proven he can withstand different forms of punishment, not to mention he is considerably bigger than the champ. This is not to say I'd want to see him as the next champ mind you. But hey if they can put the belt on EY, then Abyss getting the strap isn't too far-fetched, right?

 

[Alabama Slam]

I do not see anyone beating Lashley unless it it Storm or Roode, as he has not only beaten, but dominated everyone else...the only other may be Samoa Joe...Storm or Roode would have to catch Lashley by surprise, and not by trying to match strength with him...Samoa Joe, on the other hand, would have to him Lashley with all he has in his arsenal, then keep him on the mat, neutralizing half of his strength...wear him down and use submission holds, even if it is just to weaken the champion.

 

[Terry Gyimah]

Plus I really want to see Lashley take on Roode because if anyone deserves to dethrone Lashley or at least if anyone deserves to have another TNA World Heavyweight Championship reign then it is definitely "The It Factor of Professional Wrestling" Bobby Roode