TNA is coming full-time to Mondays this coming week, so it's time to ramp up those Monday Night Wars rumors and arguments again. There's no substitute for quality television, but coming up with a big name, a bigtime event or a major swerve goes a long way into creating a buzz to be able to reel new audience in. It can be argued that TNA blew their wad for 1/4 by bringing in Jeff Hardy, but other than the Charismatic Among these, big rumor is that Rob Van Dam is all but signed for TNA. In fact, Dot Net is reporting that Spike says the ink is dry on the contract. As far as big free-agent names go, RVD is among the biggest. Outside of The Rock, who will most likely never return full-time to wrestling, let alone to TNA, who among the free agent names would TNA be wise to go after in terms of impact and which ones would they be able to land? Here's a list:
Rob Van Dam
If Hulk Hogan and Spike TV are to be believed, then he's already in the fold. It's a major spoiler, as TNA officials were hoping to keep it under wraps, but the fact that he's signed is huge. When motivated, RVD provides a high-flying, exciting strike based offense that can win over even the most workrate-phobic crowd. The question is, will RVD come in motivated? TNA has a big advantage working for them. Their travel schedule is pretty lax. Nearly every event is taped or held at The Impact Zone. If there's anything that's going to lure a guy like RVD who's been out of the business for a long time.
Impact for TNA: 7/10 - RVD is a former WWE Champion and a name a lot of wrestling fans associate with the glory days, so that works for him. Conversely, he was never the biggest draw in the company.
Likelihood of him showing up: 10/10 - It's being reported, so I'm assuming it'll go down
Bill Goldberg
Bill Goldberg used to be the biggest homegrown WCW star ever, but man did his star fade quickly. Still, for whatever reason, his name generates a buzz. There was a rumor floating around that he was in talks, but I have to believe it was just Hogan giving a casual, cordial call to one of his old co-workers, nothing more, nothing less. While the positives (history, exposure due to his other TV appearances) of Goldberg showing up would outweigh the negatives (ring rust for an already sloppy worker) for a company such as TNA in the short-term, he'd just hurt the company long-term, something TNA hardly needs right now.
Impact for TNA: 5/10 - He's got the nostalgia pop going for him, plus, he could plug TNA on future episodes of Celebrity Apprentice provided that everything hasn't already been taped.
Likelihood of him showing up: 2/10 - Something tells me Goldberg doesn't want to be a wrestler anymore, so I think this is a slim-to-none proposition.
Brock Lesnar
lolwut? Yeah, you laugh at this prospect, and really, so do I, but bear with the hypotheticals here. Lesnar works for UFC. UFC has a Spike TV contract, as does TNA. Lesnar is also one of the five most recognizable, if not THE most recognizable MMA fighter in the world right now. Him showing up on Impact would make people watch it. Boosted ratings would bring more attention to the network on the whole, including UFC programming. If I were a Spike exec, I'd be pushing the shit out of it. He's got the pro wrestling background to be effective, and he's probably the only name left that TNA could trot out to make people REALLY say "HOLYSHITHOLYSHITHOLYSHIT".
Impact for TNA: 10/10 - Do I really have to justify this?
Likelihood of him showing up: 0.5/10 - About the only thing working for this scenario is the network. Lesnar really stands to benefit ZERO by doing this (and neither does Dana White, who probably lords over Spike TV at this point). It's a pipe dream, but it's like the lottery. You mention it if only for the very miniscule outside chance to be able to gloat if you get it right.
Randy Savage
Since TNA is all about bringing back old guys to help bring in the nostalgia crowd, Randy Savage makes perfect sense. Yeah, Hogan and Savage aren't exactly buddies, but there isn't any bridge in wrestling that stays burnt forever. Plus, I'm sure Savage wouldn't walk away from a guaranteed payday for minimal work.
In a related note to Savage, his father, Angelo Poffo, passed away last night in his sleep at age 84. I offer my heartfelt condolences to the Poffo family.
Impact for TNA: 4/10 - Savage, although a big name in his day, isn't a guy I could see wrestling or doing much but cutting promos, antagonizing Bischoff, or in a cool twist back to the territorial days when his father's company would compete with Jerry Jarrett's, managing a guy to feud with Jeff Jarrett. He's not a main player, but a nice supplemental guy at this point in his life.
Likelihood of him showing up: 7/10 - TNA is probably going to scramble for names at this point to try and make 3/8 feel as special as 1/4. Savage is a natural name for them to grab, although there's always the outside possibility that he's going into the WWE HOF this year, which would take him off the market until at least April.
Jeff Hardy
Yeah, Hardy already debuted for TNA, but again, that was his only appearance. A re-debut of sorts would be a shot in the arm for TNA. I'm guessing the big thing keeping him away from the Impact Zone is his ongoing drug trial. If he can beat it, or at least work during it, I can't see him staying away for that much longer.
Impact for TNA: 7.5/10 - It was a 9/10 when he debuted on 1/4, but now that the cat's out of the bag, the impact is lessened. Still, a top flight score for TNA.
Likelihood of him showing up: 5/10 - Again, it all depends on his trial. I think it's 50/50 that he'll show up.
Honky Tonk Man
...Just checking if you were still paying attention.
Tommy Dreamer
Of all the ex-WWE signings that TNA could make, this one would disappoint me the most. Why? I know it's stupid to get butthurt over what guys do in their professional lives, but I'd rather not see Dreamer leave the WWE because of the discontinuation of the ECW name just to jump to another corporate entity-type just because some of his friends are there. Still, this is another one of those ex-ECW guys that TNA loves to pick up, so I wouldn't be surprised if they were at least talking to him.
Impact for TNA: 6/10 - He was recently in WWE in a high-profile, and he's got cred with wrestling fans.
Likelihood of him showing up: 3/10 - At this point, while it's in the back of my mind that he'd show up on TNA programming, I think he's content just living the semi-retired life, working for his friend Gabe Sapolsky here and there in EVOLVE and DGUSA and raising his family.
*insert indie star here*
Chris Hero, Claudio Castagnoli, Colt Cabana, Kenny King etc. etc. They're all guys who'd love a shot (or in Claudio's and Cabana's cases, another shot) at bigtime stardom, and with no developmental territory to call their own, TNA has to utilize the indies as their own farm system so to speak. They did so with Nigel McGuinness/Desmond Wolfe (although they were lucky to get him actually given the circumstances of his WWE deal falling through), and they know that these guys can perform. Still, not enough people will know who they are to really create a buzz right from jump.
Impact for TNA: 1/10 short-term, 8/10 long-term - In the short-term, Claudio et al. showing up in Orlando would be meh-inducing if they were the only names. Long-term, TNA might be wise to pick up indie stars and give them a shot to help draw money.
Likelihood of him showing up: 5/10 - You never know whom TNA has up their sleeve, but then again, indie signings really aren't as much a big deal as big-time free agent signings, so I'm guessing if one of them were going to show up, it'd have been annouced by now. Still, I think it's a 50/50 shot that someone from the indies get snapped up and debuts on Monday nights for TNA sooner rather than later.
