Hey Scott,
Isn't it kind of fitting that Samoa Joe debuts with WWE on the night the final nail is driven into the coffin of TNA (Meltzer's report that TNA will be cancelled by Destination America)?
It got me thinking about all of the guys they've squandered over the year, but then you look around the business and it's alarming how badly they screwed up passing on certain guys given what other promotions have done with them. Samoa Joe (left TNA in 2015) – Now likely a top guy on NXT.Okada (left TNA in 2011) and A.J Styles (left TNA in 2014) – Both top guys in NJPW. Okada is basically the guy the promotion is going to be built around going into the future, and A.J. is the current IWGP Heavyweight Champion. Ezekiel Jackson (Big Ryck) (brief stop over in TNA in 2014), Brian Cage (brief stops in TNA in 2012 and 2013), and Hernandez (left TNA in 2014) – All three have been top guys at varying points during this first season of Lucha Underground. Jay Lethal (left TNA in 2011), Chris Daniels (left TNA in 2014), Chris Sabin (left TNA in 2014), Frankie Kazarian (left TNA in 2014)- All top guys in ROH. Lethal has been put over huge as the TV Champion, Daniels & Kazarian are the tag champs, and those two are now in a stable that is going to be come a fixture of ROH programming with Sabin. All of these guys are major contributors to promotions that have TV shows in the US Market and are direct competition with TNA:NXT – WWE NetworkNJPW – AXS TV Lucha Underground – El Rey/UnimasROH – Syndication
And all of these guys are guys that apparently TNA didn't see as valuable enough to build their promotion around.
And now they're likely off the air and possibly out of business because of that.
Like I said, fitting that Samoa Joe ends the NXT special in a staredown with Kevin Owens as news breaks that TNA has been cancelled.
And all of these guys are guys that apparently TNA didn't see as valuable enough to build their promotion around.
And now they're likely off the air and possibly out of business because of that.
Like I said, fitting that Samoa Joe ends the NXT special in a staredown with Kevin Owens as news breaks that TNA has been cancelled.
I think Okada was probably the biggest "WTF" one for me, as they had this guy under contract, you know, the guy who WWE is almost literally begging to sign and push, and the best thing they could think of was a lame Green Hornet gimmick.