#4 – A Variety of Talent
Contrary to popular opinion, I'm really digging the TNA product right now. I've said this a bunch of times, but their roster is one of the best in the world – I just wish they knew how to utilize that better. I'm one of the few that was happy to see AJ Styles leave the company, because I think he's done all he can in TNA, and there's more money to be made elsewhere for him. It was his time to go. I think letting Hogan and Sting go was a good decision. Hogan wasn't adding to ratings or my interest in the product, and Sting had, again, done all he could for the company.
The roster right now has a fantastic mix of veterans and brand new talent. There are guys they invested in ten years ago – James Storm, Eric Young, and Bobby Roode – who are some of their biggest stars. You have veterans that made a name for themselves elsewhere, like Davey and Eddie. You have TNA originals like Abyss, and big names like Jeff Hardy, Bully Ray and Kurt Angle. Most importantly, there's a new generation of talent like Ethan Carter III, Kenny King, Magnus, Bram, Robbie E, and Gunner to insure the future. It's a mixed bag of different stars at different periods in their careers.
That's what Global Force Wrestling needs when they launch. They will need one or two bigger names that people are familiar with. Jeff Jarrett adds that himself to a large extent, so it may not be necessary to load up on veteran talents. Kurt Angle would be a decent get, but I do wonder and worry how much he really has left in the tank before he's physically harming himself to keep going. It might be worth it to look into Matt and Jeff Hardy, who are clearly closer to the end than the beginning of their careers, but still have much to offer the wrestling business.
But at the same time, people want to see a variety. They obviously want John Morrison – a guy with all the talent in the world, that WWE just simply didn't use properly. They want Kevin Steen and Carlito and guys working around the world. But they also want people they've never heard of. One of my favorite acts in TNA right now is Tigre Uno. He's a great worker, and I constantly want to see more of him, but I'd never heard his name once before he showed up on Impact. GFW needs that.
