Will Anyone Ever Win Their Gut Check Match?

[SixMovesOfDoom]

Last night those who watched TNA Impact got to see another individual who wanted to be a TNA star lose his Gutcheck match. Now, as other Gutcheck contestants have shown, you can still get a contract even if you lose your bout with a TNA-employed wrestler.

What I would like to know from those who come upon this forum is whether or not you think they will ever have a Gutcheck contestant WIN their match.

If TNA lets a Gutcheck contestant win their match,

1. Who do you think will be the first TNA wrestler to job to a contestant?

2. Who on the independent circuit could you see being booked to win against a TNA wrestler? [I'm not familiar with the Independents, so I can't answer this one myself]

3. And lastly, would you see this as a guaranteed yes answer for whomever wins the bout or could/will the judges still rule against them for some contrived reason or another?​

Look forward to hearing what people got to say about this one.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

While winning a match would certainly help the contestant, the issue is that the entire platform for Gut Check does not belong on television. At least not in it's current form. It's one giant dark match, and not even with a guy who actually has the potential to hit the roster now like we've seen in the past with other performers like Knox, Gallows, etc.

Worse yet, the winners have yet to be seen since, so what is the point of wasting air time on this if you're just going to "award them" by sending them to OVW where they will continue to work on their game? Just forego the massive waste of time this is becoming, sign the talents you think have potential, and let them hone their craft in OVW the way the others already are, then call them up when they are actually ready.

 

[Rayne]

Eventually, someone will have to win a Gut Check match. Or they'll just cancel the concept. Gut Check is one of those things that people are entirely uninvested in, and is in dire need of a revamp.

1) Could be anyone, but I'd place my bets on a performer who isn't on television every week. So far the contestants have wrestled names that aren't quite top flight; Doug Williams, Gunner (and how his star has fallen), etc. Whoever it is, expect some kind of Barry Horowitz/Chris Candido storyline out of it- guy gets beaten by a nobody, flips out, they have several return matches with the rookie winning each one. Come to think of it, Gunner is probably perfect for this role; someone who was receiving a huge push and is now sinking down the depth chart.

2) Have you heard of any of the Gut Check contestants so far? Unless/until they revamp the concept, maybe one in fifty people will know who's competing. After they revamp Gut Check, pick whatever ROH performer is coming off of contract.... although the pickings there are starting to get pretty slim.

3) The votes seem pretty haphazard and random. (Hi, Ric Flair! Hi, Alex Silva!) I don't think a yes or no vote matters either way. Joey Ryan got a no vote, and he's the only contestant we've heard from since his appearance. Yes, no, you can write a story around either.

 

[LegendKiller716]

I think A guy like Crimson should just come out during a Gut Check match and destroy both guys. Have him cut a promo about no name guys getting his TV time. He was once the fastest rising star on Impact, and now he's not even on the show.

Let him have a mini feud with gut check guys. He feuds with current contestants, former winners, the coaches etc. Let it culminate in a match with Al Snow at a PPV. If Crimson wins Gut Check is cancelled, if Snow wins Crimson joins the panel.

Obviously Crimson wins and you can bring him back to relevance. Maybe make him obsess about loosing TV time again and win the TV title. Gut Check sucks, at least make one star come from it. Joey Ryan is a douche. He's too fake.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I'm sure that someone will eventually win. The problem doesn't really lie in that none of the Gut Check competitors haven't won a match, the problem lies in just about everything else. As has already been pointed out, the Gut Check format needs to be revised. In all honesty, I don't see how it'd be all that difficult.

Even though Gut Check is only once a month, one thing TNA could do is spend the weeks prior helping to hype & build the upcoming Gut Check competitor. Make multiple video presentations, probably 2 for each week would do it, and play them each once at different sections of the show. Have the commentators hype the participant, etc. Encourage fans to read up more info at TNA's website maybe by posting an in-depth profile. Little things like this can go a long way.

During Open Fight Night itself, it would also help if TNA actually made the Gut Check matches seem relevant. Most of them have gone to about the 2.5 minute mark with the Gut Check participant, overall, looking almost completely unimpressive. By giving the Gut Check competitor a match in which they look competetive, it could give us the impression that the TNA recruiters look like they have some idea what they're doing. For instance, I would've been more impressed with Alex Siva, the first GC participant, if he'd given Robbie E a tough time. Something in the 7 to 10 minute range would've worked nicely.

That being said, longer matches that give the impression of relevance is only part of the thing. Another part, one that's far more important, is that TNA should present wrestlers for the Gut Check concept that actually have some talent. Aside from Joey Ryan, they've all been completely unimpressive. I'm not saying that they have to shine as brightly as a new born star in the heavens, but they certainly shouldn't be complete chumps either.

Giving a good first impression was supposed to be an important aspect of the Gut Check concept. Putting wrestlers on television that simply aren't ready and don't have the ability doesn't deliver a good first impression. It just makes me wonder if TNA shouldn't just fire whoever is recruting new talent.

 

[GameOver]

I think A guy like Crimson should just come out during a Gut Check match and destroy both guys. Have him cut a promo about no name guys getting his TV time. He was once the fastest rising star on Impact, and now he's not even on the show.

Let him have a mini feud with gut check guys. He feuds with current contestants, former winners, the coaches etc. Let it culminate in a match with Al Snow at a PPV. If Crimson wins Gut Check is cancelled, if Snow wins Crimson joins the panel.

Obviously Crimson wins and you can bring him back to relevance. Maybe make him obsess about loosing TV time again and win the TV title. Gut Check sucks, at least make one star come from it. Joey Ryan is a douche. He's too fake.

Yeah that would be hilarious calling others a no name, So what's he doe since he finally lost a match? um he hasn't been on TV. Way to use his full potential if he ever had any. No way in hell should he be on the panel, better yet just scrap the idea altogether and have it as a PPV match or on youtube or something. The format is a waste of time and as others said the "winners" aren't getting a spot on the roster anyway they just get those 2 segments thats it then back to training again and who decides whether you or I want to see them, it's not a fan vote.

So far there has only been 1 person who has any potential to be straight on the main roster, and that's saying something. the rest have been utterly useless or too eratic.

Lastly i think now they are just dragging it out as a way to slow burn a fued between Joey Ryan and Al Snow/Taz.

 

[JulesWagner]

If you can now take for granted that losers ultimately won by getting a spot on the TNA roster (haven't seen them yet for sure but they are listed as "superstars". Markopoulos got slapped around like a little cunt, again another wasted Gut Check, but I don't think anybody can say at this point who might win it. Silva, Shaw and Hendrix are on the roster even though they lost so... It doesn't really matter whether you win or lose, I guess. It just seems like a random, don't quite know what we're doing, kinda storyline generator. Guess we just go through it and wait. And FYI, the first TNA guy to job to one of them is whomever is going to introduce the new "phenom" to us (likely to be Gunner or somebody as big).

 

[Jay-Mos]

(Congrats to the OP for an interesting and debatable topic)

TJ Perkins (wearing his Puma mask) had a dark match for TNA last week, losing to Zema Ion.
If I could pick anyone who could realistically be booked to come in and win a Gut Check contest, it would be him (as Perkins, not Puma - seeing as Puma has a lot of TNA history).
Who would job to him ?
At first I was thinking that the bigger the mismatch in physical size, the bigger the story for the upset; so Crimson, or Rob Terry ..
The better shock story though, would be beating a champion. Step forward, Zema Ion.

For those who aren't aware, TJ Perkins (recently with ROH) is a highlight reel of real X-division awesomeness .. and then some .. and then some more.

If he were brought in to 'surprise' beat Ion on Gut Check, TNA suddenly has up to 3 months worth of top notch feuding material between the two to work with, including at least one change of the title.
Not only that, but it would go a loooong way (in addition to the Joey Ryan saga) to justifying the entire Gut Check series as being worthwhile.

 

[Jay-Mos]

To separately answer another question posed by the OP ..
No. Winning a Gut Check contest doesn't guarantee a place on the roster.
They could go the route of having a heel contestant doing little in their match, yet picking up the win with a combination of a foul move and a hand full of tights for the pin.
Despite the heel thinking he's got a guaranteed spot, the following week the judges would be all like "uh, no, dude .. you've just shat on, and disgraced, the whole concept of Gut Check".

 

[ヒュー　G.　レックション]

Hmm I think it could well happen but I don't see it occuring any time soon especially with the caliber of people they're bringing in now. Someone who could win it... well anyone who's known in ROH. Perkins is a good choice. Isn't Richards done with ROH after his contract's up? He could do it for sure. Or have some badass Japanese wrestler come in.

As for who they beat... Well it could be a veteran like Doug or maybe someone relatively new like Garett or a comedy character like Robbie E or EY.

As for your last question I can't see it happening unless it's for a storyline purpose like with Ryan. Giving a new guy a free win then telling him to fuck off doesn't benefit TNAS in the slightest.

 

[The 1-2-3 Killam]

I'd say only somebody TNA REALLY wants to push as a legitimate talent on Impact should actually "go over" in their Gut Check match. The problem is these segments are way more shoot than a lot of people realize, and they really are looking at rookies and giving them opportunities. If they actually found a relatively established independent guy and wanted to do big things with him, then he could go over in his Gut Check match.

But it doesn't make sense to have these 18-22 year-old rookies getting wins over veterans. Even jobber veterans like Doug Williams.

Joey Ryan is a guy I could see easily going over Al Snow. That's a match-up I could actually see him winning, and he's sold me with promos over the least...what, month or two?

 

[The Boss]

When TNA believes they have an undiscovered star ready to shine they will win Gut Check. The announcers will put said wrestler's "shocking" victory over big time and that person will get the Bill GoldTURD push. I know just who they should use.

 

[HBsam31]

I actually thought Christian York might win his match against Zema Ion. It was the first time since they started gut check that I thought the guy coming in actually had a chance. I think it will be like some of the other said when TNA thinks they have a diamond in the rough that they will pull the trigger and give that guy a gut check win.