Total Non-Stop Networking

TNA is dying, albeit very slowly. It's been dying for a while now. Long enough for this not to be the first time I've started a post by talking about the promotion's fascinating spiral into history. Truth be told it's been dying for years. Easily since the time Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff were signed (to unwarranted fanfare in retrospect) to big money contracts. Likely since years before then.

EC3 wins lol.

But what if it's actually not dying? What if TNA has a future? The company is furiously recording TV content while it can and although all the rumours under the sun assert that Destination America is going to cut ties with the fed as soon as they're contractually able (next month, apparently) company management are unlikely to simply shrug their collective (or should that be metaphorical?) shoulders and meekly accept their fate. They will actively look for a new home for Impact Wrestling, the most underwhelming weekly wrestling show known to humankind.

Which brings me to my point. One option open to TNA, should they be prepared to negotiate (and let's face it, they need to be prepared to negotiate), is to take Impact to the Gabe Sapolsky-fronted World Wrestling Network. Yes, I'm brushing over a lot of wrestling politics and grudges with the "negotiating" term there but it's not impossible. Representatives from WWN and TNA could all sit down in a room together and work something out. On the surface it may sound a ridiculous suggestion but it's impossible. It could happen.

Both companies would benefit from a working relationship. WWN would get a regular stream of fresh content to add to their website each week. Despite its many faults TNA still seems to have a loyal group of fans who will stick with it no matter what. They'd sign up to WWN in order to keep up with their wrestling promotion of choice, netting WWN some dosh and giving them a larger audience to market their other shows at.

There was talk a while ago of WWN offering subscriber deals. The current trouble with this seems to be the irregular schedules of their various leagues. You can't charge people a flat rate every month without giving them assurances on a minimum amount of new content. TNA could help fix this with a weekly episode of Impact and monthly or bi-monthly specials. If at least one weekend of EVOLVE shows could be guaranteed each month (and that doesn't seem too much of a stretch given the recent increased output) then you'd have a fair basis for some sort of subscription deal. If TNA's back catalogue could somehow be utilised so much the better. There are some gems from the first few years of TNA in particular that could help a streaming service attract viewers.

Meanwhile TNA would find the thing it needs most: a home. It would also give them access to new talent, something they'll always be in need of but are particularly desperate for right now. They'd almost certainly have to reformat their presentation to fit in with the umbrella style of WWN but that wouldn't be that bad a thing: TNA's needed an overhaul for years. The prospect of Gabe Sapolsky taking over as the company's lead creative force is a nice one but too ridiculous to get excited about, even for an article as farfetched as this one.

I know it's unrealistic. TNA bosses likely wouldn't want to take a step away from being on an actual television channel because of the negative connotations of such a move. TV means you're a success, only having an internet presence is small time. WWN quite possibly wouldn't be able to handle a weekly two hour show, live or not. If they could take care of it from a technological standpoint and they could attract audiences surely they'd be doing it already.

Which raises the subject of the value of the TNA brand name. Personally I don't think there's much worth to the TNA name at all. I've acknowledged there's a dedicated group (sect is probably a more fun word to use here) that would follow TNA anywhere but they only account for a small portion of the promotion's TV viewership, and that's not a massive number these days as it is. There's also WWN's unofficial status as WWE's indy feeder group of choice. They wouldn't want to risk that, especially for a company as toxic as TNA.

EVOLVE and OTFG champion Timothy Thatcher
could be a good addition to the TNA roster.

Realistically, the closest we'll come to seeing this suggestion play out is TNA moving to some other US channel barely anybody's heard of after Destination America dumps them and striking some sort of deal with WWN to do lengthy monthly or bi-monthly streams to replace the pay-per-views they can no longer afford to produce. For all Eric Bischoff's talk of the PPV model being outdated for modern wrestling it helps instil a necessary sense of pacing to a wrestling product and, when done right, creates a reliable source of income. It is, in other words, something TNA needs to give itself structure and a sense of momentum. Because it's a company that's always followed that rhythm. It's ingrained in everyone that works there and the people that watch it.

TNA never got the whole making money from pay-per-views thing right. WWN seems to make enough to tick over and keep everyone involved getting paid. Gaining exposure via a TNA that has Impact on some low rent TV channel or other would be good for WWN in the long term and would provide TNA with the platform it requires to implement the structure it needs. It seems like a natural pairing to me, despite the obvious political problems of the scenario.

But I know it won't happen.

Another Level

I think we can all agree that Kazucika Okada is a pretty talented dude. You don't make it to the top of a company like New Japan if you're not, especially when they're on the sort of hot streak they've been on for the last few years. He is easily amongst the best wrestlers in the world today, being capable of putting of good matches with lesser performers and having classics with great ones, possesses that all important star look, and (from what I can make out from his confidence and body language) he's a pretty solid promo.

As good as he is I've been wondering recently how far he'd make it outside of the confines of NJPW. In other words I've wondered how much of his success is down to him being booked well and how much is down to his own innate ability and work ethic. Not in a disparaging way, more idly thinking about whether he could succeed elsewhere without his formidable 'Rainmaker' gimmick.

Much of his success since returning to New Japan from TNA can be attributed to the way he's been presented. This goes beyond the way his matches are booked and how he's presented. No wrestler, no matter how good they are, is going to make it to the top if they're not given the time to compete in good matches or showcase a compelling character. I'm thinking more specifically about the character redesign Okada got when he returned.

He wasn't booked like this in TNA.

It's all about that 'Rainmaker' gimmick I described as formidable two paragraphs ago. It's one of the best in wrestling today. A great look was put together for it, one that makes the most of Okada's statuesque physique and good looks, but it's the basic premise that really sets it apart. The idea that Okada is so great, so valuable and talented, that he adds lustre to New Japan just by being on the roster is a perfect fit for wrestling. It's something incredibly simple that does loads for the man it's attached to and plays into the fact that he's a young lad who has really good matches on a regular basis.

But without this gimmick what would Okada have? For argument's sake let's say he signed for WWE. He wouldn't have the 'Rainmaker' name. That belongs to NJPW. He could do a version of the gimmick but part of the reason it works is the name. He wouldn't necessarily receive the focused booking and various protection methods he's been afforded in New Japan. He definitely wouldn't have Gedo with him, and that counts for a lot as by all accounts Gedo is not only his on-screen manager but his off-screen mentor. Their relationship seems to be pretty similar to the one Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman share. It seems fair to assume that Gedo has helped Okada progress as a performer. He's definitely been the one booking him strongly for the past several years.

A move to WWE would leave Okada reliant on his own showmanship abilities and, well, they don't seem to be all that strong. His most prominent work outside of NJPW was in TNA. Okay, nobody truly succeeds in TNA and Okada was booked as a low card afterthought while he was there but he showed no aptitude for making himself stand out. His run there ended with him playing Samoa Joe's Green Hornet-inspired sidekick, and that was awful, but he had time before being lumbered with that gimmick to change up his look. That he didn't indicates that presentation is an aspect of the wrestling business lost on him. That would be a massive hindrance in WWE, who want guys who know how to get themselves over before being given any sort of significant push. That and guys who look like Roman Reigns.

All of which is fair enough. Nobody's good at everything. Okada doesn't have much flamboyance to him. That doesn't matter right now. He has a gimmick that allows his lack of emotion to be interpreted as him thinking himself above everyone else because of how talented and inherantly valuable he is. He has a manager who can help with this too. And a flashy entrance outfit. He has everything he needs for the spot he's in. And really that's all that matters.

NXTweet 17.06.15

For the first time ever: Kevin Owens v Samoa Joe. Plus a touching Dusty Rhodes tribute and some non-WWE-owned footage of Fergal 'Prince' Devitt from various periods of his career. Also, a good Blake and Murphy match! This show truly had it all.

Intro

Tweet 1: It's NXT time.

Tweet 2: That Dusty tribute is strong.

Blake, Murphy and Alexa Bliss v Enzo Amore, Big Cass and Carmella

Tweet 3: I wonder if JR thinks Enzo's sneakers expose the business.

Tweet 4: Carmella's mic skills definitely expose the business.
Tweet 5: Excellent crash zooms from the cameraman on this Blake 'n' Murphy entrance. He's obviously a big fan.
Tweet 6:  Assuming it is a he, of course.
Tweet 7: I really like this current trend in wrestling of guys getting heat with stupid haircuts.

Intimidating glare from Enzo as he dances there.

Tweet 8: Enzo and Cass continue their transformation into the New Age Outlaws with Enzo using Road Dogg's jab sequence.
Tweet 9: I was always a fan of that jab sequence. Not sure why when I stop and think about it.
Tweet 10: "Nice to see you awake over there, Saxton" - Corey Graves, calling out the third wheel of the commentary desk
Tweet 11: I think it needs pointing out that that match was really quite enjoyable. Cass is great when he can just batter guys.
Tweet 12: And, to be fair, Blake and Murphy did some big bumping for him.

Devin Taylor talks to Samoa Joe

Tweet 13: Devin Taylor just welcomed Joe to NXT. He's been around for a month now. #justsaying

Tweet 14: Really liking Joe saying he's always prided himself on being in hot companies when he's exclusively been in TNA for about eight years.
Tweet 15: Joe cut a pretty good promo, said he'd beat down Owens, then just stopped and stared at the floor. Weird dude.

Finn Bálor video

Tweet 16: Let's take a look at Finn Bálor, shall we?

Tweet 17: Lots of emphasis on his demon paint here. Guessing there'll be a voiceover mentioning he made it big in Japan.
Tweet 18: Ah no. They've swerved us with some talking head stuff.
Tweet 19: Love this footage of an Irish train station. Truly the essence of sports entertainment.
Tweet 20: Surprised to see that RPW match with Ricochet. That was only a year or two back. Also, I was there for it. #justsaying
Tweet 21: Becky Lynch showing #emotion here. I like her now. It's the new look and her having found a character that works.
Tweet 22: Deliberately confusing editing here. They've used footage of Devitt leaving for WWE as they're talking about him leaving for (New) Japan.
Tweet 23: Grado sighting.
Tweet 24: Looking forward to Grado getting signed to flesh out the show once the big names leave for the main roster. He's a future champ, for sure.

KC Cassidy v Charlotte

Tweet 25: Where is the Queen City?

Tweet 26: Why is Charlotte not announced as being from Flair Country?
Tweet 27: Charlotte doing her dad's taunts always cringes me. She's not off her head enough to do them justice.
Tweet 28: Seeming very much like the purpose of this match is for Charlotte to spam Flair taunts. Maybe she's been told to work them in more.

Charlotte's figure eight. Even though it doesn't form an eight.

Tweet 29: She actually got to win with her figure four. Bet 'Naitch' is sickened by that.

Devin Taylor talks to Dana Brooke

Tweet 30: Dana Brooke's putting herself over as a fitness competitor. Does the Arnold Classic count? Is that considered a legit thing?

Tweet 31: Really enjoyed Brooke doing that whole promo to the wrong camera.
Tweet 32: Devin wrestles on house shows. Is this head patting from Dana going to lead to her losing it and making her TV in-ring debut?

Kevin Owens v Samoa Joe

Tweet 33: Samoa Joe, towel enthusiast.

Tweet 34: I'm interested to see just how indy Joe and Owens are allowed to make this match.

The champ? He's here.

Tweet 35: Joe's going to have heat with Khali for using that chop to the head.
Tweet 36: He just used the Broski boot too...
Tweet 37: Imagine if Joe had stayed in TNA and he was still involved in that embarrassing BDC debacle.
Tweet 38: Another imagine now. Imagine if Punk had stayed with ROH or TNA until around now and was just coming into NXT.
Tweet 39: It'd be weird, right?
Tweet 40: Owens going for the apron bomb on Joe. Good luck, mate...
Tweet 41: They went to a DQ finish? What a shock (not a shock).

A sure sign that this feud is now #personal.

Tweet 42: Say what you want about Samoa Joe, the man knows how to work a pull-apart brawl.
Tweet 43: Lol at Owens venomously elbowing some innocent young boys in the face.
Tweet 44: Great show, everyone. Great hustle.

Women of Honor

Last Sunday I wrote about women's wrestling being something wrestling companies should concentrate on in order to attract greater numbers of viewers. During that I touched on the fact that ROH doesn't have a women's division (read about this here). I think that's a mistake on their part. ROH would benefit greatly from the addition of a women's division.

Maria Kanellis has been a heavily featured character for a few years now.  She's over as a heel with existing fans. ODB has recently been brought in as an affiliate of the Briscoes. Maria knocking about made sense. She's married to Michael Bennett and has mostly been presented as a manager. She has a reason to be there.

Top stars of a potential women's division right here.

The same can't be said for ODB. Her previous work has always had her featured as an active wrestler. There's no reason why she'd go to work for a company that doesn't have a women's division for her to compete in. Okay, she initially came in to counteract Maria. That worked but it doesn't explain why she's stuck around.

Announcing the creation of an official women's division would create a reason for ODB to be in ROH and would give Maria more to do (yeah, more than managing the IWGP tag champs). It would allow ROH to get in on the popularity of women's wrestling and it would create roles for new stars in the company. With WWE currently turning NXT into its own indy venture ROH needs all the marketable names it can get.

One of the things in favour of an ROH women's division is that the groundwork is already there. ROH has been promoting "women of honor" matches for years. They've featured SHIMMER heavily in the past. They've just never gone the whole way and created an official women's league in the company. This wouldn't need to be a massive change for ROH. They already have ODB and Maria to play the lead face and heel respectively. Hiring three or four other women would allow them to flesh out the ranks, with other people being brought in less often to work as enhancement or lower card talent.

Taryn has proven herself a good wrestler
 in spite of her WWECW background.

Imagine a Women of Honor division built around women cherry-picked from Shine and SHIMMER, like Jayme Jameson, Su Yung, Athena and Andrea. It would easily better anything TNA are doing with the Knockouts these days (Dollhouse have failed to live up to their potential) and could, with enough time, rival the NXT division. In fact if TNA goes under they could bring in some of the better Knockouts.

This assumes that ROH haven't specifically avoided setting up a women's division for some reason. Perhaps their reasoning is that everyone else is making headway in that area and without as many top names to go around they're best off without something official. That would be understandable but it would also be a shame. The approach ROH booker Delirious has towards storylines is enjoyable and something that's not really used anywhere else in wrestling. I'd like to see it applied to a women's division. And I think other people would too.

Key to the (Alleged) Boom

When he was doing initial interviews to hype Global Force Wrestling last April (yeah, fourteen months on and they've still not run a show) Jeff Jarrett talked about how it was a good time to start a wrestling promotion. He predicted another boom period. I was sceptical of that claim. While I don't think it's come to pass on quite the level 'Double J' seemed to be expecting wrestling does seem more popular, more exciting, now than it did fourteen months ago. Or at least wrestling fans have become more feverous with their praise. That's pretty much the same thing, right?

The so-called Wednesday Night Wars are a good example of wrestling being more exciting. ROH is now the lead-in show for TNA's Impact Wrestling on Destination America, in direct competition with WWE's white hot NXT show and the weekly one hour cinematic masterpiece that is Lucha Underground. All of those shows but Impact are great. They have their own distinct tropes and identities and they feel fresh, new and exciting. Impact, despite its numerous flaws and the fact that it's just flat out not good, has a dedicated fan base who will tune in (and, perhaps more importantly, defend it) every week. It's a concentration of shows that illustrates the variety of styles and approaches that can be taken within the pro wrestling format.

Calling it a rise in popularity rather than a definitive boom period also neatly covers the issue of WWE's dominance. The phrase boom period conjures up an image of another wrestling promotion becoming successful enough to challenge WWE's status as top (big) dog. That won't happen. WWE has so much cash flowing in and so many draws and talents at their disposal that they're going to be on top until some sort of major, unpredictable catastrophe befalls them. The company best placed to challenge them, New Japan, are years away from even trying in North America, although they're comfortably smashing WWE to pieces in Japan.

No, a rise in popularity makes it clear we're discussing the status of the wrestling biz as a whole, particularly the non-WWE segment. And this finally brings me around to my point: I think the company that will do best as wrestling gets a little more popular in mainstream culture is the company that makes the best use of female talent.

Give this woman a women's division to head up. Watch the money roll in.

Looking back it's clear that the last few years have seen the status of women's wrestling progress considerably. The prominence of Ivelisse Velez and Sexy Star in Lucha Underground and the entire women's division of NXT has simply helped to highlight the point, because they're TV shows. SHIMMER has been going for ten years now and has, along with Florida-based Shine, helped to create an environment in which all-women companies are a viable option for promoters.

These promotions being in a position to continue running shows illustrates that there's an audience for women's wrestling. So does the reaction that the performances of the wrestlers above get on TV. Just look at the response to the Banks versus Lynch match from Takeover: Unstoppable. WWE and TNA have been letting us down for years with shoddy women's divisions booked as afterthoughts, despite each group having had a solid division at one time or another over the last fifteen years¹. Ring of Honor doesn't even have a women's division at all.

There's a gap in the market for a wrestling TV show that emphasises women's wrestling. NXT has made a lot of headway but so have LU, and it wouldn't be impossible for ROH to look at hiring some more women to go along with Maria, Veda Scott (who never seems to wrestle in ROH despite doing so elsewhere) and ODB. Global Force could theoretically launch with a fantastic women's league if Jarrett wanted to, there's enough available talent to be signed up. You can turn on any wrestling show and see guys killing it great matches. Making women min event attractions would be new and something wrestling fans are ready for. More importantly it would be a way to hook non-fans with something different. That's why I think good quality women's wrestling is going to be of increased importance in wrestling's future, whether there's another boom period coming or not.

***

¹ For TNA it was the Knockouts. In the mid-00s they, along with the X Division, were a reason to watch TNA in the mid-00s. Then the writers decided to revert to the WWE approach of focusing on the world title scene, keeping women and cruiserweights as a side attraction.

A few years earlier WWE had Trish Stratus, Molly Holy, Ivory, Lita, Victoria, Gail Kim and others in a competitive women's division that produced good matches. It's not clear why they decided to scale the division back and reduce it to the filler role it occupied for about a decade. At least the company as a whole remained profitable and had other, enjoyable things going on instead. Which can't be said for TNA.

The Man Beast Does NXT

Back in February Terry 'Rhyno' Gerin returned to WWE. He had previously been employed by the company from March 2001, after the closure of ECW, to 2005, when he was released following an altercation with his wife at the after party of WrestleMania 21. During his initial WWE run he was firmly a mid-card act, albeit one who was protected more than most and received more opportunities to outshine his peers. Since his return Rhyno has been cast in an entirely different role, that of the resident veteran of NXT, the popular developmental brand that is edging further away from its developmental remit by the day.

Putting Rhyno in NXT has been a good move. It makes NXT seem important and legitimises it's claim at being a hot brand by having a guy who's been around for so long wanting to wrestle and be champion there. It gives the younger guys someone experienced to work with and learn from. And it's provided Steve Corino's former 'Rookie Monster' with a deserved career renaissance.

"Bring me Cyrus to do my talking!"

The first two are things I've covered before and are, in truth, the most important things about Rhyno's work in NXT. He's essentially an extra trainer who actually gets into the ring and has televised matches with guys, as opposed to helping them lay things out behind the scenes. It's useful and necessary work. But it's Rhyno getting a fair shake that interests me more because throughout his career 'The Man Beast' has come close to getting the top line treatment several times, always just missing out in favour of other guys who better fit the mould of what wrestling companies look for in their main eventers.

Look back at his first big push. Paul Heyman introduced Rhyno to ECW and built him up as a near unstoppable juggernaut. He steamrolled top star Rob Van Dam and was credited with causing the broken leg that put him out of action. He powered through Yoshihiro Tajiri to win the television champion, was positioned as the company's lead heel, and won the world title at final pay-per-view Guilty as Charged 2001. ECW went out of business just as Rhyno was about to become the focal point of the company, including a presumably lengthy reign as the world champ.

The theme continued in WWE. Within his first month he had one of the most enjoyable hardcore title matches ever with Raven (Backlash 2001) and had great singles matches against The Rock and Kurt Angle during the Invasion storyline. This in addition to being one of the names chosen to represent the ill-fated alliance of WCW and ECW in the main event of the monstrously popular InVasion pay-per-view. His good fortune came crashing to a halt after he suffered a neck injury in October and was written off TV for surgery.

When he returned in February 2003, over a year later, he was not afforded the same opportunities as he had been before (after a promising rumour that he'd be brought back as the bodyguard of Matt Hardy came to nothing). He was shunted from a team with Chris Benoit to a feud with Chris Benoit and then into another team, this one with Tajiri. By the time te incident at 'Mania 21 rolled around Rhyno was just another face in the crowd, although it's worth noting he still routinely got better than average responses.

Rhyno's non-WWE career was characterised by a typically lacklustre stint in TNA and an underwhelming stint in Ring of Honor. There are only two things about his time there that stand out in my mind. One is him winning the NWA world championship (TNA's top prize at the time) from Jeff Jarrett only to lose it back to him two days later. He was popular at the time so this was a particularly dumb move: instead of capitalising on someone's connection with the audience and trying to make a new star TNA chose to troll people instead¹. The other was his worked shoot outrage at WWE resurrecting ECW as a third brand in 2006, which culminated in a hilarious skit in which Rhyno burned the "original" ECW world title belt, safely wrapped up so we couldn't see that it was, at best, a replica. Natch. He did little in ROH besides act as an enforcer for heel stables, although he did get to wrestle a rough 'n' tough match with world champion Kevin Steen.

The routinely strong booking of NXT should ensure another setback doesn't befall Rhyno, allowing him to have the strong run he's deserved to have for years. He's already had the chance to show off his better-than-I-remembered promo skills and work opposite top lads Finn Bálor and Sami Zayn. He's had impressive matches with Kalisto and Bull Dempsey, and he has of course given Baron 'Barry' Corbin the longest, most enjoyable match of his (admittedly short) career so far at Takeover: Unstoppable. And it's being made very clear Rhyno is a candidate for a world title shot. Long may this continue. 

***

¹ This inability to gauge what their audience wants is why TNA is going down the tubes so spectacularly now.

All Dolled Up

NXT has been praised for its booking of female wrestlers for a while wow. Rightly so. The women's division of the WWE developmental league is significantly better than the Divas division of the main roster, featuring better matches fought between more over performers with better defined characters. But while NXT remains the wrestling TV show of choice for women's wrestling (and wrestling in general, for that matter) TNA have recently tried to steal some of its thunder.

The March 24 episode of Impact was advertised as being built around the Knockouts division. As things turned out this was a lie but only a minor one. The all important opening and closing segments both featured Kurt Angle, Austin Aries and Eric Young and there didn't seem to be any fewer lads matches than normal. But although the KOs didn't receive top billing or get either of the big star slots they were granted plenty of time on the show.

The first of the three women's matches to take place was a four-way between Gail Kim, Madison Rayne, Brooke Nosurnameallowed, and Angelina Love. Although it wasn't as long as it could have been the four made excellent use of what time they had and pumped out a very good match. It was pretty much a case of the writing team slinging some bodies into a match because they had nothing else for them to do but they made it work. If nothing else this match served as a reminder that the Knockouts can have great matches when given the opportunity.

Sadly the debut of the Doll House faction didn't go as smoothly. Considering they were making their first appearance this segment should have had a fair bit of attention paid to it to ensure that members Jade and Marti Bell looked as strong as possible. That Jade lost by disqualification to a woman being presented as a jobber and only got her heat back by bullying Christie Hemme indicates that the writing team's attention was elsewhere.

The spark the Knockout division's been needing? Maybe.

Thankfully there was more planned for the Doll House later in the show which helped them to make the impression they deserved. During a no DQ match for the Knockouts championship Jade and Marti returned to the ring and helped champ Taryn Terrell power bomb challenger Awesome Kong through a table (sort of), allowing her to retain her gold. They celebrated with the champion afterwards as she took a microphone and confirmed that she was a member of the faction.

None of this is the most imaginative wrestling writing ever. But it is a promising sign from the frequently frustrating TNA. Jade, more commonly known as Mia Yim, is a good-looking, talented wrestler, exactly the sort of woman TNA should be signing for their depleted division. I'm less familiar with Marti Bell but from what I've seen she's solid enough in the ring. The heel turn of Taryn was good in that it was unexpected and gives her a chance to do something new, although the downside is that she seemed to be quite liked by TNA fans and worked well as an overmatched babyface. It also leaves the Knockouts division bare on the babyface front, with Gail Kim and Kong being the only performers left not playing baddies.

But these negatives aren't catastrophic or beyond fixing. Terrell can switch to wrestling interference-heavy matches now that she's the head of a stable, disguising her limitations in a different way. One or two women could be turned face to even things up a bit and the already popular Rebel could have her in-ring role increased (although not before she's improved as a wrestler, ideally).

TNA deserves credit for doing something to change up their Knockouts division because it's one of the areas in which they can upstage WWE. If the league did more with its Knockouts and the X Division lads its shows would more readily feel different to those of WWE which would allow TNA to more successfully position itself as the alternative brand it's so desperate to be. The Night of Knockouts may have featured a duff debut but the match quality was strong. Imagine how good the Knockouts division could get if the writers were as good at their job as the wrestlers are at theirs. But then that's true for TNA in general.

The Takeover is Over

AJ Lee wasn't the only person released by WWE on Friday 3 April. Joseph 'CJ Parker' Robinson officially got his walking papers too.

CJP apparently left on good terms. He was rated highly by trainers and his peers (Kevin Owens singled him out as an underrated guy in an interview on WWE's website shortly after his debut) and rquested his release, as opposed to finding himself fired. He's got his eye on a job with New Japan. Which is understandable but possibly a little lofty at this point.

That Parker wanted out is understandable. He'd been in the WWE system for four years and in that time had only managed to progress to the role of NXT's most notable jobber. I enjoyed his work there. I thought the modern day hippy shtick was uninspired at first but it came to life when the negative crowd reaction was embraced and he was turned into a preachy eco warrior. It was a rare example of WWE writers thinking on their feet and altering their plans to fit with audience reactions.

Phenomenal dress sense.

I also liked the way Parker had become the guy who debuting fellas defeated. His appearances started to signal to the crowd that they were going to get to see someone new or watch something noteworthy happen. For someone who lost pretty much all of his matches that was a good position to have. And there was potential for a long term story in which CJ acknowledged his losing streak and went on a quest to end it. That could have turned him into a bigger name within NXT had it been timed right.

But being the guy who loses to everyone who's going to get a big push can't have been fulfilling and while the heel hippy gimmick was enjoyable it clearly wasn't going to get him to the NXT championship, let alone a meaningful position on the main roster. He was best off doing what he did: politely asking for his release. He can use the notoriety he's gained on NXT to get work elsewhere.

The New Japan job he's said to want is, as already noted, probably out of reach at this point. It's not impossible though. Japanese wrestling promotions have an esoteric taste in which westerners they select for prominent roles (look no further than Karl Anderson). He could be just what they're after to spice up their junior scene. It doesn't seem particularly likely.

As far as Japan goes a stint in NOAH seems like Parker's best hope. The company's currently going through a restructuring with Jado implementing the New Japan booking style and attempting to elevate the entire roster with the invasion of Suzukigun. Parker could be brought in as a fresh face for the flagging junior division, which seems far less lively than New Japan's. It would be a low key role but it would be something. And it could lead him to New Japan thanks to the working relationship the promotions share.

A spot in ROH doesn't seem too farfetched right now. Tommaso Ciampa recently revealed he was leaving the company because he felt overlooked, much like CJP had in NXT. The loss of a mid-card guy like Ciampa and the rumours of WWE gunning for some of the company's leading names could make ROH keen to sign a reliable fresh face with decent name value. He couldn't be introduced in a featured spot after losing for so long in WWE, but he could be rehabilitated for something meaningful over time.

He'll definitely receive offers from the usual suspects: TNA and the World Wrestling Network. I'd like to see him in the WWN because I have a soft spot for Sapolsky's approach to booking, although I suspect they're going to start getting wary about using too many former WWE guys soon. I really don't want to see Parker lower himself to TNA. Until that company's back on its feet (which I'm convinced isn't possible with the current creative line-up) it's best of avoided.

I'll miss CJP on NXT. He was always entertaining. But if his departure from WWE leads to him getting a better role elsewhere then I'll be pleased. Plus it opens up a spot for someone new in NXT, even if it is only that of a featured jobber.

Samoa Joe's Career Crossroads

Last week Samoa Joe announced that, after nine and a half years, he'd left TNA. He experienced both good and bad there. The good: the greatest match in company, a year and a half winning streak, and a significant amount of time spent as the company's hottest prospect. The bad: a lacklustre TNA world title reign, years of meaningless mid-card action, and stupid gimmick changes (like the time he became the Green Hornet or the time he painted his face and threatened people with a knife). He's leaving it all behind to work elsewhere. Considering most of the bad points have come after the good points, and that his relevance has been low for years, it's an understandable decision.

We're almost spoilt for choice when thinking about where Joe may go next. He could fashion himself a busy worldwide schedule cruising the variety of prominent indies that exist. He may have spoken to a Japanese promotion while negotiating with TNA. New Japan would be the most likely but NOAH and All Japan are just about plausible too. He could return to his old stomping ground of Ring of Honor. Or, of course, he could sign with WWE.

Seeing Joe in WWE has always seemed unlikely to me. He doesn't have than athletic body type and he's got a shining reputation outside of the company. These are things that have historically counted against prospective WWE signings. But the last few years have proven that's not necessarily the case anymore. Both CM Punk and Daniel Bryan were given multiple WWE championship reigns and joined the elite main event club. Perhaps even more noteworthy is that the men's division in NXT currently revolves around guys who joined WWE after being very successful elsewhere.  This includes Kevin Owens, another man who doesn't have the usual WWE look.

Something else in Joe's favour is that Mick Foley and Steve Austin have spoken up in favour of hiring him. Those are some significant endorsements. If we're to believe a story Foley relayed on his blog last week then Triple H is a fan of 'The Samoan Submission Machine' too. As the man in charge of hiring and firing he's the right name to impress. So, in short, I don't think Joe moving to WWE is that unlikely.

Although it would be more accurate to say I could see Joe in NXT. Vince McMahon remains in charge of WWE proper and Joe does not seem the sort of guy who'd impress him. But with Triple H having stated he wants to make NXT its own brand, even going so far as to say they'll be close to that vision come the end of the year, we could see him sign Joe without having any intention of ever seeing him progress to the main roster.

This would be beneficial to both parties. Joe would get to be one of the star attractions of NXT and have a long-term goal of proving his detractors wrong by earning a promotion to the main roster. WWE would have a guy who can draw fans on the scale NXT currently operates on (and will likely continue to operate on even if expansion occurs) and who can help less experienced performers learn. Viewers would benefit from seeing a bunch of fresh matches featuring everyone from Adrian Neville to Tyler Breeze. Joe would be a big deal for the NXT roster.

Future NXT champion?

For this to happen WWE would have to offer Joe enough cash to match what he could make travelling the world as a true independent contractor. Obviously they could afford to do this, but would they want to? As a highly regarded name Joe can demand and receive a fair chunk of change per appearance. By working for WWN, PWG, ROH, and various British and North American promotions Joe could easily bring in more than he was getting in TNA (which is likely why he left). It's tough to imagine WWE would be willing to pay a six figure sum to someone unlikely to progress beyond what is still technically their developmental division.

Personally I'll be happy watching Joe anywhere that's not TNA. He'd been stagnating there for years. He'd won everything and wrestled everyone. He was going nowhere as one of MVP's many lackeys. Wherever he ends up will be fresh surroundings with fresh challenges and fresh opponents. He could help ROH to solidify their grasp on the number two spot. He could become the latest guy to join up with WWN, adding to their momentum. Or he could go to WWE for a guaranteed top spot on NXT and the glimmer of a hint of a hope of a chance that one day, if Vince McMahon feels like it (or steps down as the man at the helm), he'll get promoted.

Bobby Versus Bobby

Impact Wrestling is back on out screens and there's a new champion in town. On the live Destination America debut on January 7 Lashley defeated Bobby Roode to win his second TNA world title following a ref bump, interference from a gaggle of other wrestlers, and a spear.

I'm not convinced this was the best decision TNA could have made. It's not that I'm anti-Lashley. He's better both in the ring and on the mic than he generally gets credit for, capable of a worthwhile main event performance against the right opponent. He has a look that screams "headliner." It's that I think the decision did the now former champion Roode a disservice.

‘The It Factor’ is a superior wrestler to Lashley. Not by any huge margin but the difference is there. He's better on the mic by a slightly more significant margin. Most importantly he's notably more popular with TNA's existing fan base. This last point wouldn't have been an issue had Lashley stayed a heel but his interactions with MVP throughout the live debut made it clear he’s switching to a good guy role. Comparisons between Roode and Lashley have been invited because they're now both main event babyfaces, essentially fulfilling the same role.

Manly pose.

As a man capable of putting on better matches and more likely to be accepted by existing TNA fans I think Roode was the natural choice for champ. Against the right people he can put on high quality matches. Stickign with him would have given TNA a better chance of convincing wrestling fans that their reboot is having a tangible effect on quality. It would have satisfied existing fans and also showed them a guy being rewarded for loyalty and hard work. Channel-hoppers not especially interested in wrestling likely wouldn’t detect a difference between Lashley and Roode but the reported 400,000 viewing figure is so low that TNA would be justified in targeting wrestling fans who aren’t watching their show for the time being, with an eye to trying to attract non-fans at a later date.

With Roode as champion TNA could have forged a new direction for themselves, one featuring lengthy title reigns and matches with guys who have been in the promotion for years. Sure, they can do that with Lashley now but they’re starting from scratch with his reign. Roode had been champion for three and a half months. Sticking with him and letting him make successful defences against guys like Austin Aries and Jeff Hardy would have been a better approach in the long term than a shock title change because it would have allowed an in-ring-centric product to be Impact’s focus. That’s a good thing, for the record, because it’s pretty much the opposite of what WWE is doing and TNA needs to be presenting itself as an alternative to WWE.

It's not all bad with Lashers though. He seems to have been set up as a man who wants to be the champion but is aware he won it in just about the most unworthy fashion there is. There's an obvious match to build to against MVP and there are other singles matches to be had against his allies. There's even a very promising Roode and Lashley versus Samoa Joe and Low Ki match that could be booked.

And at least TNA tried something. It wasn't something mind-blowingly new, but it was something that they hadn’t been doing before, something that could improve their TV show and makes it clear that their top championship is one their wrestlers want to win. That in turn makes it something viewers have a reason to care about. These are things I've wanted them to do for years. Their track record says they'll mess it up, and do so sooner rather than later, but I'm hoping it succeeds for them.

TNA Impact Wrestling 07.01.15 review

The live debut of Impact Wrestling on Destination America brought one of the company’s hottest ever storylines to a close: whether or not it could continue to exist without long-time partner Spike TV being involved. It’s a shame that this was the biggest talking point about TNA for the latter half of 2014. Despite its well-documented financial struggles the promotion has retained a good core roster and arguably puts more effort into creating varied characters than WWE does. Where the company has failed for years is in its writing.

The move to Destination America may have overshadowed anything good TNA tried or accomplished in 2014 but it also presented them with a second chance. A live launch episode was not the simplest or smoothest way for them to debut on the network but it did ensure they didn’t have to worry about spoilers and also encouraged people to tune in live.

The show opened with cinematic shots of the roster getting ready for matches. Some shots were more dramatic than others. Aries putting on some sunglasses and The Wolves getting into a lift were not exactly thrilling, for example. Nor was Jeff Hardy wandering around a hotel in full face paint, although that did at least provide a laugh. Lashley doing his ring pose at a hotel window was odd but probably more the sort of thing any new viewers were expecting to see. The speeches from Bobby Roode, MVP and Storm to their factions (or in Roode’s case, the general locker room) were good and the faces versus heels fight outside the Manhattan Centre, while like something from a 90s X-Men cartoon, did at least create a nice visual and get the show started with a bang.

So in other words the opening moments were a mixed bag. Classic TNA, really.

The brawl that started on the street spilled into the arena as the show began. Taz and new commentator Josh Mathews talked it up as mayhem, and they had plenty of time to do so as it went on for an age. Eventually Kurt Angle came out (in jeans and a shirt, a move designed to hide his more slender than ever frame) and reminded everyone they were in New York watching Impact. Getting into the ring he announced that all champions would defend their titles. He opted not to reveal who they’d face. That struck me as a poor move. Announcing Aries and The Wolves for matches on the show might have provided reasons for people to stick with the programme instead of turning over.

Angle said he had one more announcement but before he could make it he was interrupted by MVP. After reminding everyone Angle had hit him over on Spike he tried to goad him into doing it again. Angle took some abuse then revealed that he'd stepped down from his job as gimmick matchmaker to become an active wrestler again, his last act being to structure the opening Destination America card. Which, let's not forget, he'd done a poor job of as wrestlers were finding out they were had matches to prepare for live on air.

The final match he booked was himself and MVP in a street fight. He threw a punch and then clotheslined MVP out of the ring to get that going. In typical Impact fashion they cut to a break seconds into the first match of the night.

It's depressing to see Kurt looking like this.

Mike Victor Papa controlled most of the match, which featured surprisingly little brawling. They went outside of the ring a few times but didn't really do much else with the street fight stip. MVP reversed out of the ankle lock twice then went for a Drive-By kick in the corner. ‘The Cyborg’ scooted out of the way and got the Angle slam to win.

The company's champions were shown backstage getting ready for their matches. Then MVP was shown screaming at Kenny King for not helping him win his match with Angle. Kenny’s excuse was that he’d been with “an incredible” girl. MVP left to remind Lashley that it was him who’d got Lashley the world championship in the first place.

Josh and Taz introduced themselves again. Taz was referred to as a three time world champ. Two of those reigns were with the ECW world championship. He never won a world title anywhere else, so the third reign is presumably a reference to the FTW championship he had in ECW. I suspect Taz may have produced this link. Camera shots of the locker room and the Gorilla position were shown. Cameras being in invasive places backstage is TNA's latest revolutionary idea that will get them nowhere. It’s like GTV but without the humour.

Crazzy Steve was shown backstage for no reason then Ethan Carter III and his bodyguard Tyrus (formerly big, bad Brodus Clay) rocked up to interrupt. And by interrupt I do of course mean feature in a segment they were always going to get over someone like Crazzy Steve (who can’t even spell “crazy”).  EC£ reminded us of his fifteen month undefeated streak, which includes two months where TNA was inactive, then sent Tyrus off to find Rockstar Spud, whom he’d been feuding with on Spike TV.

Mike Tenay plugged Impact Wrestling: Unlocked, his new Destination America show, then introduced a pre-recorded interview he'd conducted with James Storm. Storm felt he'd been held down by management for years, so he’d formed The Revolution to take what he was entitled to. Sanada, Manik and Abyss had apparently come to him because they’re aware of how much truth Storm speaks. He ended by saying that he and his gang aren't interested in titles, they want blood. He then implied he's the Devil and walked off.

There was a lot to dislike with this. It was poor material delivered poorly. Storm also continues to be a very clear rip off of the more successful and far more interesting Bray Wyatt character. He’s not been poorly cast as a cult leader, and the Revolution have been built up well, but it will always be a group hampered by comparisons to a better gimmick in a better company. I wasn’t a fan of Storm contradicting himself either: he’s formed the group to take what he’s entitled to but all he wants is blood? That only makes sense if you deliberately misinterpret what he said and take a fundamentally wrong approach to grammar.

The episode’s second match saw Storm and Abyss team to defend the TNA tag team titles against The Wolves. Richards and Edwards have apparently gotten themselves matching tattoos, which look awful. For their sake I hope they’re transfers or body paint or something. Matt and Jeff Hardy watched the match from ringside, but they need to be on the show somewhere, right? On a side note I’d like to point out that Matt was wearing his own gimmick shirt and Jeff was in a vest.

The Wolves were on proverbial fire to start, hitting four sets of double dives on the champs and setting up for a double team move. Abyss pulled Davey out of the ring before they could connect with it and choke slammed him on the apron, with Storm throwing Eddie out of the ring. The Wolves quickly regained the advantage, getting two counts off a double stomp on ‘The Cowboy’ and some kicks (there are always kicks) on ‘The Monster’. The champs got a two count of their own from a slingshot and DDT combo.

Eventually Manik and Sanada slid into the ring. That prompted the Hardys to do the same. Because they're stand-up, fightin' babyfaces. Jeff accidentally elbowed Eddie in the head as he tried to grab a noose from abyss (yeah, a noose with a cowbell tied to it is a signature object). Storm immediately super kicked Eddie and covered him for the win. It wasn’t the greatest tag match ever but it was nice to see one that didn’t feature a babyface being worked over endlessly.

After some clips reminding us of the first Roode v Lashley match (Lashley won), EC3 telling us to “come hither" as he wandered aimlessly through generic corridors, and a recap of the opening of the show, MVP was shown getting his shout on with Lashley. He reminded the former champ it was him who’d brought into TNA and it was also him that had orchestrated his initial title victory. Lashley pushed him against a wall and said he was getting his title back, the implication being that he was tired of MVP’s boisterous shoutiness. MVP and King huffed off.

Back in the ring Jeremy Borash had appeared. He hyped up bringing someone out for an interview. Instead EC3 appeared to say he'd win the TNA title in 2015 and mock JB a bit. After initially receiving heavy boos the audience split on him, alternating between chants of “You can't wrestle!” and “Yes he can!”

This makes JB a face in my book.

‘Wrestling’ Greatest Hero’ called out Spud. Spud did not appear. Carter chatted a bit more and then revealed that Tyrus had found and attacked Spud and had Spud carried to the ring. EC3 then announced his plans to scalp Spud. Which is pretty full on for a wrestling show, assuming they understand what scalping actually is. Borash told Carter he'd done enough and slapped him. Then he was jobbed out by Tyrus and had his head shaved (which is not scalping) by EC3. Spud recovered from his beating and cried. Because he and JB and good mates backstage.

We were treated to another shot of MVP and King backstage. King was outraged that Lashley had touched ‘Mr 305’. MVP made some placatory noises that I couldn't understand because of poor audio quality. Presumably he was saying he had a plan. Whatever he said it seemed to get King to simmer down. The pair then walked off down one of the Manhattan Centres many generic corridors.

After a recap of Roode v Lashley II (Roode won) and a highlight video designed to introduce the concept of the X Division (it did a decent job but reminded me how badly the X Division’s been handled over the last five-plus years) Low Ki hit the ring to defend the X strap against Austin Aries. They had a good match but it wasn't as memorable as might have been expected considering the abilities of both men. They included their signature moves and spots but refrained from anything more inventive. 'A Double' won the match and the gold with a brainbuster.

Before Taryn Terrell defended her Knockouts title in a battle royal DJ Z welcomed Robbie E back to TNA. He blamed his loss on The Amazing Race (a reality show that aired in the US) on his ex-girlfriend Brooke Tessmacher. Then Taryn came out and he had to stop talking. I wish he'd had longer because what followed was not good. The crowd weren't interested, there were too many people involved for any psychology to be used, and nothing interesting happened. Taryn retained by last eliminating Havok, just as Havok eliminated Gail Kim.

After the match Havok smacked Taryn about because she's a monster heel and that's what monster heels do. The lights cut out for a few moments and when they came back on Awesome Kong was in the ring. She got a better reaction than anyone else involved in the Knockouts segment. Kong and Havok squared off before Havok left without actually doing anything. Then a referee got in Kong's face for literally no other reason than to give Kong an excuse to choke slam him.

After that it was main event time, Bobby Roode defending the TNA world heavyweight championship against former champion Lashley. It was an adequate match, competent enough to avoid being bad but wholly unspectacular. After a fiery start they broke into some ringside stalling then some light brawling. The highlight of the first five minutes was probably Roode attempting the Crippler Crossface numerous times.

Backstage MVP and king were shown trying to enter the arena with two lads in clown masks, giving me flashbacks to Homicide and Eddie Kingston as Outlaw Inc. Security told them they were not allowed into the arena during the title match. The masked lads beat security up and then they all walked off, King and MVP having a good laugh. Because there’s nothing funnier than beating up security guards, am I right?

Back in the ring Lashley and Roode picked up the pace with flapjacks, clotheslines, a Lashley running power slam, and a Roode spinebuster. Roode got a power bomb out of the corner but Lashers kicked out and gave Roode a Roode bomb. Roode sidestepped a spear from the challenger and then hit one of his own. Because nothing says big match like using your foe's moves.

As MVP and his lads appeared at ringside Roode applied a crossface again. Lashley stood up in the hold, confirming that he’s willing to be TNA’s answer to John Cena if TNA are up for it, but Roode quickly released the hold and hit him with a Roode bomb. When Lashley kicked out the champ applied the hold again. Kenny King pulled the referee out of the ring and punched him to the ground. Angle came out to make the save but he got taken out by all four of the heels. They then surrounded the ring preparing to attack Roode, who was alone as Lashley lay unconscious in a corner. The masks were taken off to reveal Low Ki and Samoa Joe.

The new champ is confused. Guess you'll want to tune in next week, eh?

The swerves kept coming after that as Eric Young dashed to the ring clutching a chair, chasing MVP, King, Joe and Ki off before hitting Roode, his storyline bestie, with the chair. Lashley then speared Roode for the win and the championship. MVP and his lads celebrated. The new champ looked miffed. And that was how the inaugural Destination America Impact Wrestling episode closed.

It was a show obviously designed to hook us and ensure a return visit for the following episode. In that regard it did a good job. In addition to the announced Wolves v Hardys match, which has the potential to be very good, there’s the reveal of Eric Young, Samoa Joe’s and Low Ki’s motives for joining up with MVP and discovering whether Lashley agreed to their involvement in his title match. Discounting the ease with which spoilers can be found I think that’s a pretty good attempt by TNA to start things off on the right foot.

I’m concerned for the group in the long term though. Over the last few years TNA has proven fairly adept at being able to come up with decent (no not great, decent) angles that could improve the quality of their programming and encourage increases in viewership. Their trouble has always been following up on these angles. They tend to cut things short if they don’t immediately get people excited or simply mishandle them from the start. What they produced on January 7 has potential but the track record of the company indicates that they’ll fritter it away within weeks.

It was also disheartening to see the same approach to production was taken. There were few concessions made for new viewers. Very little information was provided about the stars we were seeing. Their motivations and pasts in the company could have been covered by Taz and Mathews on commentary or in specially produced videos in between matches. They had the time, as evidenced by the numerous backstage scenes featuring guys who also got time to talk in the ring. Perhaps such videos will appear in the coming weeks, but the debut episode was the logical place to put them.

Overall it wasn’t a bad show. But it was nothing incredible either. As a long-time wrestling fan familiar with TNA’s struggles and product it did nothing to encourage me to actually watch future shows as opposed to reading spoilers and searching out bits I find interesting. I wouldn’t call the show a failure, but I wouldn’t call it a success either. In other words business as usual for TNA.

***

Results summary:

Kurt Angle def MVP
James Storm and Abyss def The Wolves
Austin Aries def Low Ki to win the X Division championship
Taryn Terrell retained the Knockouts championship in a battle royal
Lashley def Bobby Roode to win the TNA world championship

Ring of Alberto

Last Friday Ring of Honor made the surprise announcement that Alberto El Patron, formerly WWE’s Alberto Del Rio, would be appearing for them in 2015. So far he’s been confirmed for the January 3 television taping, the 13^th Anniversary Show on March 1, and a pair of house shows in between. I would assume he’ll make an appearance or two in February too.

With or without further appearances this is a big coup for ROH. El Patron himself stated a few weeks prior to the announcement that he wanted to work for multiple US-based promotions with a television presence, naming Lucha Underground and TNA. It made sense that those companies would go for such a deal. Lucha Underground is based around the lucha style that Patron is familiar with and TNA is a company with a noted predilection for former WWE wrestlers. That ROH were the ones to procure Alberto’s services says a lot about the state of TNA, and ROH’s willingness to open the chequebook for the right name.

I’m interested in the logistics of Alberto’s new deals. While I can imagine Lucha Underground and ROH would be willing to cooperate on their use of El Patron it seems unlikely they’d be comfortable with him appearing for both at the same time. My guess is that Alberto will flit between the two throughout the year, doing a stint of a few months before leaving for the other league.

But for now all that’s confirmed is his deal with Ring of Honor. There’s a good chance he could bring some new fans in with him thanks to years of exposure in WWE (a number of which were spent at the top of the card) and I’m sure that’s a factor in why ROH have signed him. But that’s not all they’ll have signed him for. ROH still prides itself on being a company where wrestling ability comes first. And Alberto has ability.

El Patron pointing. Classic stuff.

That said I can imagine tweaks being made to his repertoire. His signature moves from WWE are taken in ROH. O'Reilly uses the armbreaker, while the super kick and the back cracker are general transition moves used by anyone and everyone. Seeing him upgrade his move set will be part of the experience of seeing him in a fresh setting.

El Patron versus pretty much anyone on the ROH roster could be good but there are a handful of guys I’m particularly interested in seeing him face. I imagine AJ Styles would top most lists, a pairing many would probably label a “dream match.” They could have a cracking match, particularly if they took the cross armbreaker versus Calf Killer route.

He could have a solid match with Roderick Strong too. They’re not entirely dissimilar in terms of character. One may be a Mexican aristocrat and the other a frat boy, but they both have a degree of arrogance to them that could blend nicely.

El Patron versus Michael Elgin could have a great climactic exchange of signature moves. It's a strength of Big Maggle's. The combination of Alberto’s new moves and a few of his WWE ones (which could be deployed in select longer matches) should give him quite an arsenal to draw on. It would be nice to see a babyface Alberto against stocky heel Elgin too. I think it would be an interesting dynamic.

Personally the match I’d most like to see is El Patron versus Kyle O'Reilly. As Del Rio he worked as much of an MMA inspired style as was realistically possible. I expect he'll go further with it now he's working elsewhere. It's something O'Reilly already does, and does well. The two could do a really good strong style submission match.

Then there are guys like ACH, Matt Sydal,  Bobby Fish, Jay Lethal and Adam Cole. All of them could have a good match with Alberto. As could ROH champion Jay Briscoe. In fact I’d go as far as to say that ROH should strongly consider El Patron v Briscoe for the main event of their anniversary show. It’s easy to imagine Briscoe interrupting El Patron’s debut promo to say he wants to be challenged by the best before offering the newcomer  a March 1 title shot.

Whatever Ring of Honor end up going with it’s good to see them get a signing of this level. They put on a good product and deserve someone with that extra bit of star power. In TNA he’d have been ruined within months. In ROH he can help attract new eyes and wrestle matches suited to his style. Works for me.