TWC’s Top 10 – TNA Impact Wrestlers I would like to see in the WWE

The past couple of weeks we’ve heard a lot about TNA struggling to put on their Bound for Glory show and their tapings following it. This has also brought up a lot of speculation that Vince McMahon and WWE were in the bidding to buy TNA, mainly to own their video library for DVD’s complications and the WWE Network. As time went one, we got more and more information supporting that these rumours may be true. Till today, the state of Impact Wrestling is still up in the air, but they were able to fund Bound for Glory and their tapings. However, it got the entire IGWC thinking. What if WWE did purchase TNA?
I know a lot of people started talking about another Invasion angle and what not, but what if there wasn’t any “invasion” angle. I mean TNA isn’t and never was what WCW was to WWE. I mean WCW was beating the WWE in the ratings for 84 weeks straight and nearly put the WWE out of business. Them invading the WWE kind of, sort of made sense besides the fact the majority of the major WCW stars weren’t involved in the invasion when it happened. A review of the invasion storyline from 2001 is a blog for itself one day. Long story short, I don’t think an Invasion storyline would be necessary but I would imagine some of their superstars would sign with the WWE.
This idea of TNA superstars signing to WWE left me thinking about which current TNA wrestlers I’d want to see in the WWE. I started doing my research and watching a lot of TNA’s current product knowing that a lot of the talent I remember being featured on Impact Wrestling when I used to watch it regularly or randomly tuned in were either already in the WWE, no longer with the company or retired. I wanted to make sure when making this list that the wrestlers I chose were still wrestling in the company. Therefore the likes of Kurt Angle, MVP Brooke Tessmacher or Awesome Kong wouldn’t be options to choose for my list. After watching a ton of TNA and doing my research, I’ve come up with my top ten list of wrestlers I would personally like to see in the WWE either returning to the company after a long period of time or appearing there for the first time.

Excluded – Cody Rhodes, Brandi Rhodes & Aron Rex (Damien Sandow), only because they just recently left the WWE. I would obviously love to see them all in the WWE again but it would be just unfair to put them on this list already.
Honourable Mentions: Abyss, Rockstar Spud, Moose, Trevor Lee, Madison Rayne, Rosemary, Crazzy Steve, Tyrus & Jeff Hardy.

Coming in at number 10 would be Gail Kim. The WWE is currently involved in a Women’s Evolution and in my mind, Gail Kim was always more of a womens wrestler than a diva. The previous times she was in the WWE it was during a period where wrestling came second to the division but having a great appearance with minimum ability came first. I feel like that was the reason why Gail Kims previous could of runs in the WWE never lasted that long. However, she would totally fit in with this current crop of women wrestlers. I mean she could be the veteran on NXT but I’d rather see her on Raw or Smackdown. Imagine Kim against the likes of Sasha Banks, Charlotte, Paige. Emma, Nia Jax or Bayley? Imagine Kim against Natalya, Nikki Bella, Alexa Bliss, Naomi or Carmella? Why can I see Gail Kim and Becky Lynch having an amazing rivalry with great matches?

This pick may surprise people mainly over the likes of Jeff Hardy or Trevor Lee but with the resurgence of the Cruiserweight division, I think DJ Z would fit right in. I doubt they’d let him still be DJ Z, although I personally think the gimmick fits in with todays society. I mean TJ Perkins comes off as video game character that has come to life, so why can’t Zema Ion be a DJ of the cruiserweight division. I think he’d be a great fit to Raw and that division and thats why he made this list. Imagine the matches he could have with Gran Metallik, Kendrick, Cedric Alexander, Rich Swann, Tony Nese and the list goes on. TJ Perkin and Zema aren’t strangers to each other either, can you imagine those two getting back into the ring against each other again.

Eli Drake stood out to me and I don’t know why. I don’t think he would be a guy I would throw on the main roster right away but  I see him making an impact on NXT. I mean let Eli Drake dominate on NXT and find his groove with the right gimmick and character before he makes it to the main roster. I certainly think Eli Drake could be a star on NXT and potentially a great star for the main roster. There is word that Eli Drake is blacklisted from the WWE due to a certain former talent relation member not being fond of him back in 2011-2012, however since then that specific person has been fired from the position which means seeing Eli Drake back in the WWE in possible. Although there is a chance that he could still be blacklisted but I mean if we’ve learnt anything in 2016, anything is possible in the WWE. Look at the plethora of talent who showed up on WWE television this year including Shinsuka Nakamura, Eric Young, Bobby Roode, The Club and AJ Styles.

I know right now they’re killing it as single stars in TNA, but I would love to see Eddie Edwards and Davey Richards make waves in the WWE as a tag team. Whether they showed up on Raw, Smackdown or NXT these guys would be guaranteed stars. On Raw they could dominate the tag division and if that doesn’t work out get involved in the Cruiserweight division. Personally I would love to see the Wolves on the Smackdown roster. Edwards and Richards against the likes of the Usos and American Alpha just seemed appealing to me. On NXT they could have amazing battles against The Revival and Ciampa and Gargano. The interesting part about these two is that before signing with TNA, they had a short stint in WWE appearing on NXT. According to Richards he didnt like the vibe in the WWE. In an interview following their experience in the WWE, Richards spoke about his time there by saying “That place is so weird, man. It gave me the creeps. Everyone’s just walking around on eggshells. It’s just a bubble. Personally, I wanted to go to TNA anyway. I was trying to convince Eddie the entire time. After [WWE] told us they were not going ahead with the rest of the tryout, we had a deal signed with [TNA] within 20 minutes.” However, I would still love to see the Wolves on the WWE roster.

James Storm has been a mainstay in TNA for over a decade now. Honestly, he’s pretty much done everything he can with that company. James Storm had a brief run in the WWE on NXT but decided to return to TNA when having to decide between final contract negotiations as he find it better suit the needs of his family and personal life. Storm seemed re-energized in WWE NXT. The step was big for his career. Then, he went back to TNA. It many peoples eyes this was a big mistake. I know I mentioned earlier I was only going to choose people who were currently signed to TNA and appearing on television and its only been a couple of months since we last seen James Storm on Impact Wrestling. There is no clear answer whether he is still under contract or not. On air he was suspended indefinitely and recently was announced as a free agent, yet its unofficial. However if he did leave TNA on bad terms because they couldn’t live up the contract they offered him to return to the company I would love to see The Tennessee Cowboy back on WWE programming. The Beer Money reunion we could see with Bobby Roode on NXT would be memorable for the hardcore marks, plus I think he would fit right in on either the Raw or Smackdown roster.

If Bobby Lashley has proved anything during his current run with TNA, its that he has the ability of being a top star whether he’s babyface or heel. Looking back, when Lashley was previously apart of the WWE, he was made to be a big deal. I strongly believe in Bobby Lashley didnt choose to leave the WWE in 2008 he quite possibly could have been a multi-time WWE Champion. However backstage rumours and Lashley himself confirmed that he left the company due to conflict with creative, more specifically Michael Hayes. Lashley claimed that he did not get a long with Hayes, and when he was ready to return after shoulder surgery, Hayes said they had nothing for him. I find that hard to believe since before Lashley got her hurt he was main eventing against John Cena for the WWE Championship. Paul Heyman also explained that WWE’s archaic creative team had once came up with a “modern day Sergeant Slaughter named ‘Army Sgt. Lashley’” and a “Mr T character screaming I Pity The Fool” as characters for Lashley. Herman’s explanation of what was going on really makes it clear why Lashley wasn’t happy there in the WWE, mainly with creative. Lashley then left to pursue a career in MMA before returning to wrestling, where he immediately joined TNA. Which I think was an easy choice for Bobby Lashley considering his previous experience in the WWE. Therefore, it seems very unlikely that Lashley would ever return to the WWE. However, just imagine Cena on Smackdown saying he’s looking for a fight and Bobby Lashley comes out to accept his challenge or on Raw, Bobby Lashley coming out to confront Brock Lesnar. I don’t know about you but those are things I know I would be excited to see the super athlete Bobby Lashley be apart of.

He was once dubbed “The Chosen One” by Vince McMahon when he portrayed Drew McIntyre in the WWE. Vince McMahon also went to claim that he was going to be a “Future World Champion”. However Mcintyre never lived up to the claim and soon found himself in a comedic group 3MB which ultimately led to his release during the roster cut season. However, since being back on the independent circuit and in TNA, now going by his real name of Drew Galloway, he was able to reinvent himself and bring a new life to his career. If Galloway was able to come to the WWE, as Drew Galloway with his new look and confidence, I think he actually could be a future World Champion. Yeah, he can mention his time in the past as Drew McItrye but he should come back with a new attitude. I think he would be dominate whether he was on Raw, Smackdown or NXT, however I think I see the most potential of him being on Smackdown Live. Imagine Galloway in a feud against Bray Wyatt, that could be gold. In matches against Orton, Cena, Ambrose and Styles. The only thing I would want him to bring back from his McIntyre days, is that badass entrance music he had in “Broken Dreams,” although a new theme wouldn’t hurt either. If you’re curious of how it would look, just click here.

If any one superstar was to be an example of someone who went to TNA and totally transformed himself into a star, it would Ethan Carter III, formerly known in the WWE as Derick Bateman. I mean the guy went from goofy character on NXT to a main event player in TNA. I mean the guy has been in the ring with the likes of Sting and Kurt Angle and held his own. He portrays a character of a spoiled nephew of the owner of the company who had to prove himself as serious threat of a wrestler which he has done time and time again. Most of his best work was done as a heel, who had his entourage always backing him up and finding any way money could buy to get him out of situations he didn’t agree with. However, most recently he’s proven that he can play a great babyface to. In my mind Ethan Carter would be a great asset to NXT as a rich kid who bought himself a NXT contract and then continue this gimmick on to the main roster. I imagine they would change his name, possibly only his last name but I can totally see Ethan Carter on the WWE roster with this new reinvented character and more polished in ring skill. If anything being released from the WWE was the best thing to ever happened to him because he was young enough to go out there to gain valuable experience and reinvent himself to become a valuable commodity to the wrestling business. If TNA went under, I totally see Ethan being one of the hottest free agents just because his TNA work alone.

Whether he was in ROH, NJPW or TNA, I always felt that Mike Bennett felt out of place in those companies because he’s the perfect fit for the WWE. He was that one guy to me that always seemed like a WWE guy wrestling in the independents. I mean imagine The Miz or Randy Orton wrestling in the independents, it just feels weird. Hell, even seeing Cody Rhodes making his rounds right now, feels weird. Now, add his beautiful wife and former WWE Diva Maria Kanellis to the equation and you got a perfect recipe for a dominant WWE duo. Personally, when I heard Bennett and Kanellis signed to TNA, I was devastated because I felt if Bennett held out a bit longer in ROH, he was certainly going to get an offer from the WWE. I mean they were killing it in ROH and the Kingdom was a popular faction during his final days there. However, ever since signing to TNA and reinventing themselves as the saviours of wrestling and TNA, they’ve grown on me as TNA stars. I mean Mike Bennett claiming to be the wrestling Jesus dubbing himself as “The Miracle” here to save wrestling and Maria trying to save the knockouts division by making them mainstream because she’s a star has really been some of the most interesting and creative angles in TNA in recent history. Now imagine them showing up Smackdown crashing a Miz TV. Imagine them appearing on NXT claiming they’re going to make NXT great again. Imagine them showing up on Raw to interrupt a Seth Rollins or Chris Jericho promo. I mean I can see a solid feud between Randy Orton and Mike Bennett. I can see Maria stirring things up with the Smackdown Women’s division or on NXT. If you ask me, if Mike Bennett and Maria never appear in the WWE within the next few years, its truly a missed opportunity because even fans who don’t watch anything but WWE, have seen or heard of the Miracle couple that is Mike Bennett and Maria Kanellis.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I don’t want to see Matt Hardy back in the WWE. I mean I wouldn’t mind it but if that was the case, I don’t think he would even have made this list similar to his brother. It would have been that same been there, seen that syndrome I feel with Jeff Hardy. The difference between the two Hardys is that Matt Hardy was able to reinvent himself. Not only that, but into a character that is so far out there in creativity that its captivated the entire wrestling universe. Whether you care or not, Broken Matt Hardy has shown up on your social media feed, in wrestling discussions boards, on podcasts as a discussion topic and in viral memes and videos all over the interweb. Final Deletion was a trending topic for longer than a week, and made TNA more relevant than they have been in years. Social media pages and discussion boards are filled with “delete, delete, delete” comments. That being the case, it technically means Broken Matt Hardy is best for business. When something is best for business, Vince McMahon, or Mr. Meekman as Broken Matt would refer to him, would be on board. I would expect his wife Reby to be a part of his overall package as well. I don’t see Matt being a guy on NXT or even Raw. Personally, I wouldn’t want Matt to stay for the long term. Imagine the cryptic vignettes they’d produce for him, before he returns. However, imagine a Royal Rumble to Summerslam run against Bray Wyatt and the Wyatt Family on the Smackdown brand. “Broken” Matt Hardy vs. Bray Wyatt at Wrestlemania is money to me. Imagine Bray Wyatt turning Reby and baby Maxwell against Matt. Imagine Jeff Hardy possibly returning to help his brother Matt as Willow or maybe Obsolete Jeff. Broken Matt Hardy is genius and if you can’t see that, you’re intellectually underdeveloped. As long as WWE allows Matt Hardy have a fair amount of creative control over the character and storyline (with Bray having duel control over the creative for the rivalry), it truly makes my decision of having “Broken” Matt Hardy as the number one TNA guy I would like to see in the WWE make complete sense.

Tell me what you think about my list of TNA stars I would like to see in the WWE and leave your top ten list of the TNA stars you’d like to see in the WWE in the comment section below.