AEW TNT Championship: Predicting All 8 Men In The Tournament

7. Joey Janela

There's one slot in this that's very difficult to pick, because it needs to simultaneously carry a bit of name-value but, at the same time, not be anyone whose departure will deflate the enthusiasm for the rest of the tournament (you only get one of those, and he's next). Anyone currently floating around the mid-card who's at least partially over and could conceivably beat whoever's in front of him's up for consideration.

You could have Jimmy Havoc here, you could have Sonny Kiss, you could even have Michael Nakazawa if you really want to, but I think Joey Janela might be the smarter choice. People like him, but then don't mind too much when he loses.

Yes, he's' taken a bit of a step back from the company and, yes, he's more known for his gimmick work (that first ever social distancing match was brilliant) but throw him into the first round, give him 10-15 minutes, and watch the sparks fly. Plus if nothing else, seeing the TNT Championship lure him back onto TV might even work in its favour.