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Would WWE & Anthem working together benefit the biz?


tiger_rick

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I've called them Anthem but I mean TNA/Impact - whatever they're gonna settle on.

 

Can you see a benefit in these two working out a relationship? In my mind, it'd be similar to the ECW/WWF relationship in the 90s. We've seen in the last 18 months the benefit to WWE of acquiring guys who've worked in a sort of big time environment in TNA. AJ Styles, Samoa Joe, Bobby Roode, TJ Perkins and, to a lesser extent, Eric Young and James Storm. i've no doubt that WWE get a lot from fresh, experienced guys who can go straight on to the roster or into a prominent spot on NXT.

 

Anthem could benefit from a regular development fee from WWE or even a "transfer fee" for their contracted guys that WWE want to use. They could also benefit from borrowing talent WWE want developing or guys that they've not got much for but don't want to set free. They could let them have 6 months in TNA and see if they improve or revitalise their gimmick.

 

So do you see benefit in such an arrangement?

Does NXT make it unecessary?

If there is benefit, would either side's ego let it happen?

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As someone who's not exactly enamoured by the WWE's stupidly large market share, its quite apparent that NXT means they don't need such an arrangement these days. 

TNA just needs to be left alone now to figure where its going. With more stable ownership, there's at least a glimmer of hope now, where there once was none.

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In my head it's more likely to be ROH they worked with if they were to help another major company. They actually talk about and mention them whereas TNA has always been "dont mention em" territory and most of the key TNA lot mentioned worked there at some stage anyway.

also ROH is effectively the spirit-replacement for ECW. TNA wanted to fill WCW's shoes. Vince don't like that.

 

though some kind of working relationship wouldn't be all that unlikely. there was the weird trade-off with Flair and Christian years back. it'd be a question of what would WWE possibly want from TNA at this point though. I'd say in terms of loaning talent that needs a boost, sending them to TNA would be an awful risk, that's definitely NXT territory

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I don't see how WWE would benefit to be honest. If there's talent in TNA they really, really want (which is probably a limited number), then they'd try and sign them when they're out of contract anyway. I don't think they'd want to borrow talent, especially if they do get over and are tied down to a contract. For that reason, there's little reason for them to push a loaned talent and I don't see why they'd bring in anyone just to job. This would benefit mehTNA far more.

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Nah. I doubt Vince would ever touch TNA/Impact unless they properly went under and he could snap their tapes up for the Network. Can't blame them either, the company's such a calamity that the risks of associating yourself with them outweigh the advantages. We know now that WWE are open to bringing in almost anyone on board so they've got their ears to the ground more than ever. Who can TNA realistically build up and develop that WWE couldn't do a better job of in the Performance Centre or NXT?

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Who can TNA realistically build up and develop that WWE couldn't do a better job of in the Performance Centre or NXT?

This is kind of the crux of the argument. As much as TNA are a calamity, they have done a decent job of picking up guys WWE weren't interested in and giving them great experience. NXT is great but anyone come through it as good as AJ Styles? How many have come through as good as Samoa Joe or Bobby Roode?

 

NXT isn't quite the be all and end all. Excluding the FCW crew, how many men have come through the performance centre who weren't known elsewhere? Corbin?

 

You're right about the TNA stink. Hence the timing of the question. Is now the time to accept TNA will never be competition and work with each other? I do accept the answer is almost certainly no!

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NXT isn't quite the be all and end all. Excluding the FCW crew, how many men have come through the performance centre who weren't known elsewhere? Corbin?

 

 

there's Alpha, and I guess Strowman counts too

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Who can TNA realistically build up and develop that WWE couldn't do a better job of in the Performance Centre or NXT?

This is kind of the crux of the argument. As much as TNA are a calamity, they have done a decent job of picking up guys WWE weren't interested in and giving them great experience. NXT is great but anyone come through it as good as AJ Styles? How many have come through as good as Samoa Joe or Bobby Roode?

 

The thing is, TNA haven't been known for bringing in that calibre of wrestler in years have they. Styles, Roode, Joe, all of them were in TNA nearly 15 years ago and WWE's changed a lot since then, moreso than ever since they launched the network.

 

Saying that, I think it's in WWE's best interests to have a strong indy scene or individual competitor to build up the wrestlers that slip through their own net because they can't realistically have every potential star on their books all the time. I just don't think now that TNA/Impact would be the company to do it.

 

If you're the industry leader in any sector, you rely on competition for talent to develop, but there's always going to be that one company (TNA in this case) that is so messed up and has such a stink attached to it that you refuse to do any business with, and even frown at anyone who's worked there. I think TNA's probably been such a laughing stock for the WWE higher ups that it'll be hard to look past that now.

 

Jeff Jarrett would've been better off using GFW as the new feeder farm. He could've had a guaranteed income from WWE and like you said, made a deal where he got a bonus/commission for anyone WWE signed up.

 

Basically, WWE should have somebody like TNA/Impact to develop talent but it should be any company other than TNA. They could even fund one company in the States, one in Asia (Angaar), Japan, Europe, UK etc.

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Roman Reigns.

 

Edit: oh, excluding FCW guys. For some reason.

For the very obvious reason that we're discussing WWE's current development path.

 

 

 

 

NXT isn't quite the be all and end all. Excluding the FCW crew, how many men have come through the performance centre who weren't known elsewhere? Corbin?

 

 

there's Alpha, and I guess Strowman counts too

Alpha's a good shout.

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The thing is, TNA haven't been known for bringing in that calibre of wrestler in years have they. Styles, Roode, Joe, all of them were in TNA nearly 15 years ago and WWE's changed a lot since then, moreso than ever since they launched the network.

 

Agreed. But yet they still, for how utterly shit they are, develop guys who people want to see in WWE. Like EC3, Spud, Lashley, Bully Ray. Mostly it's just about working for a living and picking up experience but they also do things differently with some guys and get something out of them that WWE don't.

 

As for WWE changing, the most notable change is how open they are to bringing in this "tainted" talent.

 

Your last paragraph is probably true though. I can't argue with that.

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I don't think anyone is clamouring fora Lashley return to the WWE are they? I mean if he were a surprise rumble entrant he wouldn't even get a nostalgia pop. Hurricane would get a bigger reaction.

I dunno, he was a fairly big name, him and the president shaved Vince's head that one time. It'd certainly garner some interest

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I think if you're gonna class TNA as producing a star like Samoa Joe, despite him being well known from his ROH days prior to being there, then Kevin Owens surely has to be a shout for coming through NXT

Yeah Samoa Joe wasn't a TNA star, neither was Styles.

 

TNA used to be a mix of cast offs and indie darlings, now the indie darlings are in WWE, so TNA is full of nobodies and castoffs.

 

Member how gutted Christian looked when he got loaned to TNA for one night? It was awkward and embarrassing and shit, imagine someone having to do that for six months. Imagine doing it with 20 people sat in the crowd and surrounded by other wrestlers who had been presumed retired

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