10 Wrestlers WWE Should Retain If They Buy TNA
Who should Vince McMahon save from the unemployment line?
After years of struggle, it looks like TNA are finally reaching an end. Reports suggest that Dixie Carter has until this coming Sunday (October 2nd) to sell her 70% stake in the company or they won’t have the money required to make the next set of tapings. They’re in trouble, and the vultures are circling.
Current TNA President Billy Corgan remains the favourite to acquire Carter’s shares. The Smashing Pumpkins frontman can meet her alleged $4-6 million valuation, but if he succeeds in his takeover, he plans on renaming the promotion and its weekly Impact Wrestling show. WWE, meanwhile, are still interest in acquiring TNA for their extensive tape library, though a WWE takeover would likely result in an immediate shutdown of the company’s operations.
Regardless of whether it’s Corgan or WWE, the TNA brand has likely reached the end of its lifespan. The company’s future is in Dixie’s hands, and if she sells to Vince McMahon, dozens of jobs will be lost.
WWE would be wise to avoid hastiness in making any cuts, however. There are a number of onscreen talents who’d be an immediate benefit to Raw, SmackDown, or NXT, and while TNA’s roster isn’t as stacked as when AJ Styles, Samoa Joe and Christopher Daniels were running amok, WWE should definitely look at retaining some of their top wrestlers.
Disregarding the likes of Aron Rex and Cody Rhodes, who’ve only just left WWE, here are 10 wrestlers WWE should retain if they buy TNA.
10. Mark Andrews
Welsh wrestler Mark Andrews has been appearing for TNA since September 2014, though he’s rarely been featured with any real prominence. Wrestling as “Mandrews”, he’s engaged in a number of battles with the likes of Tyrus and Mike Bennett, but has generally struggled to separate himself from the X Division pack.
It’s not for lack of trying, however. Andrews is a high-workrate wrestler with tremendous upside, and even though he’s only 24 years old, he’s been wrestling for close to a decade. A lightning-quick high-flyer, Andrews isn’t quite on the level of a Neville or Gran Metalik yet, but he’s a charismatic and eye-catching young talent who can occupy a number of roles, and his diminutive size (5’8”, 145lbs) makes him a natural underdog.
Though Andrews could be slotted into Raw’s Cruiserweight Division with relative ease, he may struggle to get over in a division that has already thrown a bunch of unfamiliar faces at the main roster audience. Instead, Andrews would likely benefit from a few years down in NXT, where he’d be able to work without the majority of the main roster’s restrictions and grow as a performer as a result.
He has plenty of time to become a world-class professional wrestler, and where better to continue his growth?