From stingray11214
Of the five you mentioned, the long-term impact will be made by Candice LeRae. Let me decipher why her and not the other four. As for Bobby Lashley: Yes, he is big, muscular, and has an MMA background. Yes, he was the ECW Champion. But, he was also the lightning rod to 2006’s December to Dismember, one of the worst PPVs in history. He has been in multiple MMA promotions since 2008. He also had four runs with the TNA/Impact Championship in his TNA career. He is on the wrong side of 40, he will be 42 in July. He has never been a draw, and he will not draw ants if you roll him in sugar. In short, Lashley is not going to do what many think he will.
EC3 MIGHT make an impact long term. He did next to zilch as Derrick Bateman. He went down the road to TNA, and a star was born. But, the problem here is that he will gain SOME traction as EC3. But, unless WWE allows him to use his EC3 gimmick, they may make him revert back to Derrick Bateman. VKM has always been bad about pushing people and ideas he did not create, ESPECIALLY since he was a top man in another company. EC3 also owns his own name and gimmick, a red flag for Titan Towers. In the end, EC# will probably spin his wheels on the Main Roster after a spell in NXT. EC3 would do far better if he did the Indy route and Japan.
Ricochet is a great athlete. Would probably stay a superstar even if he did NOT sign with WWE. He has a huge fan base. However, I fear he will go like Adrian Neville did because of his size. Already, WWE called him Trevor “Ricochet” Mann when they introduced him. A sign that they probably will not go with Ricochet the character. He will probably end up with the Cruiserweights unless he does something beyond belief in NXT. The producers in the back of Raw and SmackDown will not like him for the “flippy stuff”. So, I cannot see where Ricochet makes the impact on the Main Roster. He is going to regret not staying with New Japan and the Indies
War Machine is not something we have not seen before: Big sweaty men who will beat you into submission. Look what you have on the Main Roster already: Gallows and Harper, the Ascension and the Bludgeon Brothers. If Gallows and Anderson are struggling, how do you think it will be for Hanson and Rowe? There is a ceiling in WWE, and War Machine are going to regret signing.
So, by default, we have Candice LeRae. Unlike the Eva Maries, Camerons and Naomis of the World that WWE likes to sign, LeRae is a TRAINED PROFESSIONAL WRESTLER. Like her counterparts in Japan, she has been wrestling since she was 16. So, she has 16 years in the business. She is one of those who NEVER considered WWE because of WWE’s reliance on models, cheerleaders, and those who had looks over talent. Now, she is part of the “Asuka effect”. If Asuka never came to WWE, would LeRae have? Yes, she is the wife of Johnny Gargano. However, LeRae is a great talent, and could probably do very well in the Indies and Japan (She was in Japan’s DDT promotion for a spell). LeRae will do very, very well in a Women’s Division that is still trying to shed its “Divas” image. She goes to the Main Roster, after a spell in NXT, as one of the top guns in Women’s Division. Why? She has far more wrestling experience, and is far more talented, then most of the women in that division.
So, the long term impact of the new arrivals will be limited. But, the one who will make the most impact, and in reality it will be by default, will be Candice LeRae.
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