Tossing Salt - Worldwide News (Part 4 of 4) - October 7, 2011

Tossing Salt - Worldwide News
TNA Stay Or Go Series (Part 4 of 4)
October 7, 2011
Doug Maynard

And here we are, the fourth part of this four part series, "TNA Stay Or Go" and my tenth column in nine days, with the five-part "Let The Bodies Hit The Floor" series and my "Six Minutes" column with the predictions for Hell In A Cell. Boy, those were a bust, weren't they? But it's all winding down and coming to an end (unless I think of something else I can drag out for a week or two, right?) Will that happen? I'm not telling yet, but it's a possibility. We'll have to wait and see. And finish with this column first. So let's do it.

Over the past three days, I taken the entire TNA Impact Roster to task, looking at each and every individual and attempting to decide whether or not it would be, in my opinion of course, better to stay with TNA or would their best interests be served by calling up Triple H, Vince McMahon and John Laurinaitis and attempting to secure themselves a spot in the Land of the Titans, WWE. And here's what I came up with...

The following superstars should invest in property in Orlando: Abyss, Anarquia, Angelina Love, Anthony Nese, Brian Kendrick, Bully Ray, Christopher Daniels, Chris Sabin, Christy Hemme, Devon, Don West, Douglas WIlliams, Eric Bischoff, Eric Young, Hector Guerrero, Hernandez, Hulk Hogan, Jeff Jarrett, Jeremy Borash, Jesse Neal, Jesse Sorenson, Karen Jarrett, Kazarian, Kid Kash, Kurt Angle, Madison Rayne, Magnus, Mark Hoskins, Mike Tenay, Mr. Anderson, Murphy, ODB, Okada, Rob Terry, RVD, Robbie E, Rosita, Samoa Joe, Sangriento, Sarita, Scott Steiner, Shannon Moore, SoCal Val, Sting, Suicide, Tara, Tazz and Willie Urbina,

And these fine folks should check out real estate values in CT: AJ Styles, Alex Shelley, Austin Aries, Bobby Roode, Brooke Tessmacher, Crimson, "The Pope" D'Angelo Dinero, Gunner, Jackie Moore, James Storm, Jeff Hardy, Matt Morgan, Mickie James, Ric Flair, Velvet Sky, Winter and Zema Ion.

Damn, either I'm getting soft in my old age or else there really aren't that many people in TNA who could benefit from a move up north. The discrepency between the two companies is so large right now, as compared to the glory days of "The Monday Night Wars" when stars jumped from WWE to ECW to WCW and back on a regular basis. There really aren't that many people out there, who are not already affiliated with the WWE, who are what I would call WWE worthy. Heck, even of the seventeen I mentioned as would be benefitted by a move up north, seven of them are former WWE superstars already. It just goes to show how thin the talent pool out there truly is.

Anyhow, Dougie taketh away so Dougie giveth back. I pulled seventeen names from the TNA roster so I went out and found seventeen names that I feel would be ideal talents to fill the holes in the TNA roster and help build the company and keep the roster strong in their second place spot. Wasn't that nice of me? So here we go. It's tme for The Replacements...

The Main Attraction (Chris Steele & Scott Powers): What can I say about these guys that hasn't already been said. Chris Steele is easy one of the most charismatic and talented young men to ever step inside that squared circe, bar none. And Scott Powers is just brute force and muscle personified. For so many years, these two men have worked the Indy circuit in North Carolina and dominated like few others can. When The Main Attraction is on the card, you know you're going to witness a good match and be entertained. It's that simple.

And despite how many years they've been together, establishing themselves as the "Go To" team of Indy wrestling, they're both still relatively young guys with quite a bit of fuel left in the tank. The talent is there. The charisma is there. The reputations are already established and this team would be able to move directly into the top of TNA's tag team division immediately upon arrival at the Impact Zone. They are that good. Mr. Powers and Mr. Steele are one of the best kept secrets in pro wrestling. Well, it's time to unzip the lips and bring these guys to the big show, or TNA as the case may be. They're more than ready and better than most of the talent already there. So what are you waiting for, Dixie? Sign them up!

BD Productions (Derk Douglas & Brad Branson): If The Main Attraction is the premiere veteran team, ready to move directly into the top spot of TNA's tag team division, then BD Productions is right behind them as the young and hungry challengers and top contenders. While Steele and Powers have the experience, Branson and Douglas have the heart, the passion, the youth and the just plain down-out craziness to really step into the company and make an impact (pun intended).

Hell, if all they did was go on Impact and do live versions of their YouTube show, BD TV, ratings would increase, at least for that segment. It's true because they are that entertaining. By the way guys, isn't it about time for a new edition of BD TV? Your fans (The BDmaniacs?) wait with baited breath and anticipation. This is the future and both Branson and Douglas are ready to step up and take their place. And TNA Impact Wrestling would be a great place for them to really begin to make that thrust into the national scene.

Ethan Storm: A great talker and a solid worker with a take-no-prisoners approach, Storm is exactly what a company like TNA needs to really get across their "We Wrestle" approach. Storm is a flash-back to the territory days and reminds me so much in appearance and delivery of one of the Andersons (Ole, Arn), but with a slightly more twisted (Jake Roberts meets "Loose Cannon" Brian Pillman) take on things. Mr. Storm is a talented performer with a great mind as to what makes wrestling exciting, as the high attendance at recent ACW wrestling events proves. He can put butts in the seats and draw fans to the show and isn't that really the bottom line?

If these were the "territory days", Storm would already be in much demand and a top star. I think it's time for TNA Management to pretend it is still those days and snatch this guy up. He's solid, he's smart and he's a proven asset to any company he works for, both in the ring and behind the scenes. And isn't that really what TNA wants and needs? I think so.

Dylan Kage: Talk about energy and capturing lightning in a bottle and you have to mention Dylan Kage. This guy is excitement, pure and simple. He's a good worker who mixes high flying skills with good mat wrestling and keeps the crowd hot and screaming all at the same time. He's exactly what the ideal wrestling superstar of 2011 should be and when you add to the mix that he's a young guy who's only going to get better and has a great gimmick, albeit with some creepy-ass contacts in his eyes that freak me out, and that he's a good looking guy who can make the young women scream, he's the total package.

Kage is already beginning to make his name known across the eastern United States and it's just a matter of time before both TNA and the WWE come calling. The only question is who will snatch this budding superstar up first. WWE doesn't really need a Dylan Kage at this point. TNA does and they need to give him a look over ASAP. He is that talented.

Chavo Guerrero: We all know it's just a matter of time before this long time former WCW / WWE star visits the Impact Zone and shows everyone why WWE screwed up by letting him go and wishing him well in his future endevours. He's still a relatively young man, despite over twenty years of experience and has plenty of gas left in the tank. He's a Guerrero and having a talent like Chavo will draw fans and attract attention from the old-school fans who know what this guy is capable of. There are so many reasons why Chavo would be a great gain for TNA Management, and few negatives that are not far outweighed by the pros. It's just a matter of when and if I was part of the TNA management, I'd make it sooner rather than later.

Chris Masters: The man is a major star ready to bloom and I don't know what WWE was thinking when they decided, just as he really started to get over, to release the guy from his contract. Chris has gotten so much better in the ring over the past couple of years, and incredibly better than he was during his first WWE run, where he got a tremendous push despite being extremely green. The man is a main eventer ready to happen and TNA needs to make WWE's mistake their gain. Go ahead and hire Chris and use him to draw in those WWE fans that were really starting to appreciate this guy. It can't hurt and can only help the Orlando-based company.

Hunter Holtzclaw: I'm not even sure if this young man is still wrestling. I saw him wrestle a couple of years ago at an ACW event and I've seen him a few times on YouTube wrestling in backyard wrestling events. But he's got great size, standing at 6' 6" or 6' 7" and a tremendous presence. He's a good looking dude with a lot of talent and skill just waiting to be refined and perfected. And he's a sexy ass beast! I would just like to meet him, talk to him, jump his bones,etc. Hey, it's my column and I get to establish my own criteria for why these guys and gals are here. I want to see Holtzclaw wrestle on TV (and in my living room). He's got the charisma and the "it" factor going for him. Now he just needs to get some exposure. And Hunter, if you read this, contact me and I'll give you more exposure than you've ever had before. I'll make you a star. I promise!

Tammy Sytch: She's the WWE's original Diva and a future WWE Hall of Famer. And she's still young and looks great. While Tammy is not a wrestler and the options of what to do with her are limited, she would give name recognition to the Knockouts Division and TNA. Could you imagine a struggle between Karen Jarrett and Tammy Sytch over control of the Knockouts Division? Maybe she could get behind a group like Fortune and give them all some "Sunny Days". Whatever the reason and purpose, Tammy Sytch would be fun to bring in for a short period, just to generate a buzz and maybe attract some old-school fans to the TNA product.

Timber The Lumberjack: Another popular and strong name from the NC Indy scene that is ready for prime time. He can wrestle and he can brawl and when Timber is on the show, you know it's going to be a hell raising and wild time. Do you want to see a 280lb do a backflip off the top rope? He can do it and do it well. Like I said with Ethan Storm, if this was the days of the territories, Timber would be a major name and star. He has energy, charisma, in ring ability and a good following. He'd be a great addition to the TNA family and is definitely someone that they should take note of.

Carlito: Carlito, when he's focused, is a hot-ticket star. And I'm surprised that he hasn't popped up in TNA yet. He still has great name recognition and is a major player in Puerto Rico and the occasional Indy event here in the States. People know him and like him and want to see him. He puts butts in the seats.

And with a name player like Carlito, you'd get someone who is not only main event ready, but gives the added bonus of having an entire rival company behind him with the WWC, Puerto Rico's number one wrestling company. Could you imagine a company war with the WWC invading TNA? Or vice versa? Bringing Carlito into the TNA Impact Zone could spark such an invasion storyline and draw new fans to the TNA product. If nothing else, it would break the staleness and monotony of the current TNA product. Carlito is a major name in the business, even now, several years after his WWE release. TNA would be well advised to make an attempt to bring this man into the company.

Wes Brisco: The son of long time WWE official and WWE Hall of Famer Gerald Brisco, Wes is a talented young man who was recently released from the WWE Developmental system. It's a mystery as to why Brisco was released, but from all reports, he is a stand-out talent that really appears to have a big future in the wrestling business. Since TNA has been really good about snapping up young talents and developing them in their company, why not grab up Brisco as well? He's certainly, just by the factor of his heritage, a bigger name than Jesse Sorenson, Robbie E, Willie Urbina or Zema Ion, to name but a few. So take a gamble and give him a shot. TNA has nothing to lose and everything to gain by taking a look at this young man.

Chuck Palumbo: He was a strong player in the final days of WCW. He's been a top talent in the WWE on two occasions. And now he's a major player currently in Japan and all over the United States. I expect, most likely, that he'll eventually end up back in the WWE, but why not TNA? He'd add a new dimension to the mix and be able to jump right into the thick of things with a strong presence and name recognition, as either a face or a heel. The man has talent and charisma and it's a shame that he's not currently a part of the major league picture with either TNA or the WWE. TNA can and should attempt to rectify that situation.

Trevor Murdoch: Why is this man not back in the WWE? He's got a unique look, a ton of charisma and talent, and major wrestling skills. He was trained by Harley Race and already had one good run in the WWE? Why not another? But WWE's loss is TNA's gain and they would be well advised to give this man a look-see and a chance to do his thing for their company. I'm not sure how well he'd fit in the land of Impact, but it's worth a shot. He's a strong and steady talent who has proven his worth on the major league wrestling scene. If WWE can't use him, then TNA should.

David Hart Smith: The second generation British Bulldog has a good look and a fantastic background. He's pretty fair in the ring as well. Why he was released from WWE after a long absence from television remains a mystery, but unless he's a total nutcase or drug addict or idiot, let this decsion by the WWE be used to benefit TNA instead. But then again, with TNA, if he is a nutcase, drug addict or idiot, he might fit right in with the WWE top tier after all (see Hardys, Kurt Angle, Ric Flair, etc). TNA could cash in on his name recognition, his heritage and identity. They should do so.

Gail Kim: She only left TNA originally to go to the WWE for the money. She's said as much. And when the politics and lack of respect in the WWE outweighed her financial needs, she quit the WWE. Now she's available and ready for TNA to snap up and bring back to enhance their TNA Knockouts Division. And they should do just that. It's the logical thing to do.

Cliff Compton (Domino): Compton, who wrestled as "Domino" in the WWE, didn't really set the world on fire during his time in the WWE, but seems to have really stepped up his game over the past year or so. He wrestles regularly in Ohio Valley Wrestling and recently competed on a much publicized tour of Nigeria and his star is on the rise due to that fiasco of a tour and his subsequent interviews afterwards.

He's strong in the ring and like Carlito, Wes Brisco and David Hart Smith, he has a strong heritage and history, as a second generation superstar, to add to his value. It's been said that at the recommendation of TNA Agent Al Snow, who is also the head writer for OVW, that TNA is looking at Compton and thinking of bringing him in. It's a good idea and they should follow up it. Compton might not be the most well known or biggest name out there, but he's a good talent that could benefit the TNA roster.

And there you go. I promised you seventeen names that could really move to TNA and make a strong impact and I've delivered you eighteen, thus proving that I not only fufill my promises, but exceed them as well. Yeah, a little self-gratification for the ego there. I do that sometimes.

So what do you think? Would these guys and girls make good additions to the TNA roster or am I just totally off center and whacko in the common sense department? You be the judge and let me know at Doug28352@yahoo.com.

And with that, I am out of here. It's been a fun past two weeks, with the five-part WWE "Let The Bodies Hit The Floor" series as well as this four-part "TNA Stay Or Go" series. And there was also a prediction column for the WWE Hell In A Cell PPV and will probably be a prediction column for the "Bound For Glory" PPV tomorrow or Saturday as well. I need a nap. Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. So I'm going to go do that... right now!

Until the next time, thank you for your support and always be a fan. I'm Doug and dat' is all de' people need to know! See ya!

Ubuntu!