TNA's bottom-of-the-barrel indy wrestler signings

[Ashy Larry]

How come WWE has a good eye for indy wrestlers but in the recent years we're getting lackluster Team 3D graduates and ex-OVW guys.

[Mayonnaise]

Because WWE can offer more than $35 dollars, a coupon to Cici's in place of catering and all you can drink from the garden hose.

[cherry coloured funk]

[Tiger Millionaire]

Because WWE offers enough where the Indy guys don't need to continue to do there Indy bookings, and TNA does not, but still doesn't want their guys doing Indys.

[Just call me D.j.m.]

Because most Indy guys heard from AJ Styles that Gator Land wasn't that great.

[Reflecto]

Because $500 a week beats Sunglass Hut's hourly pay.

[Rave]

Because Janice Carter's been pinching pennies so hard I can hear Abraham Lincoln screaming from here.

And because D'Lo was a pretty shit talent scout.

[Clawley Race]

I'd assume because why would anyone want to go to TNA unless they know for sure they have no chance at going to WWE eventually?

[jimmyjames]

TNa does have a good eye for talent, the problem is when they sign them, they either don't do anything with them, or they do something with them, but it's stupid and doesn't go anywhere, so the wrestler leaves.

[kingoftheindies]

Because TNA had working agreements with the Team 3D Academy and OVW. It's sad for TNA in the sense that a lot of fairly talented Indy guys have tried to lobby to get into TNA but TNA won't even look their way

[Clash, Never a Meter Maid]

Nov 12, 2014 23:04:34 GMT -5 Mayonnaise said:

Because WWE can offer more than $35 dollars, a coupon to Cici's in place of catering and all you can drink from the garden hose.

Ever since they signed Tyrus, the coupons are now for Culver's.

[Andrew is Good]

Take Trent Baretta. He's all over the indies. He signs with TNA, it then becomes a pain in the ass to do indy bookings because TNA charges an insane booking fee, as others have said. I don't think they're doing that now due to TNA possibly being dead and all that stuff.

[Session Moth is over]

But even back when TNA could afford bigger name wrestlers how come they never brought them in? Back between 2004-2009 TNA was the number 2 company in America. They brought in and could afford some big name WWE guys but with the odd exception most of the indy talent they brought in were not that good. Yet at the same time we had Daniel Bryan, Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose, Adrian Neville, Steen, Zayn, the Briscoe Brothers etc all on the Indy scene.

How come TNA never had any of these guys working for them? I mean I don't watch any Indy wrestling and I knew of most of these guys and how good they were but yet I never heard their names mentioned in the same breath as TNA. Yet they hired guys like Rob Terry, Gunner, Orlando Jordan, Christian York, Wes Briscoe etc.

I mean if these guys were in the Indys and TNA is way ahead as the number 2 company they should have been able to sign these guys up. Right? Or am I missing something?

[A Platypus Rave]

My best guess...

TNA pays/paid per appearance so if they didn't use you, you weren't paid combine that with the inability to make indy bookings and they probably figured it wasn't worth it.

Also some of hte people you mentioned had aspirations to go to the WWE and there was newz that going to TNA could jeopardize that.

[James Fabiano]

Several steps forward for WWE in that sense, several more back for getting rid of former-and-future indy guys with bad attitudes and feeding them into our indy circuit again! (But on the other hand, at least they'll never be famous...)

[Brood Lone Wolf Funker]

Look at some of their one night only ppv's there was a hell of a lot good talent they could have signed even for the short term, did they ever nope.

[Square]

Most indy guys don't want to go to TNA as they think it'll ruin any chance of WWE/New Japan

[Can you afford to pay me, Gah]

Nov 13, 2014 10:48:42 GMT -5 Session Moth is over said:

But even back when TNA could afford bigger name wrestlers how come they never brought them in? Back between 2004-2009 TNA was the number 2 company in America. They brought in and could afford some big name WWE guys but with the odd exception most of the indy talent they brought in were not that good. Yet at the same time we had Daniel Bryan, Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose, Adrian Neville, Steen, Zayn, the Briscoe Brothers etc all on the Indy scene.

How come TNA never had any of these guys working for them? I mean I don't watch any Indy wrestling and I knew of most of these guys and how good they were but yet I never heard their names mentioned in the same breath as TNA. Yet they hired guys like Rob Terry, Gunner, Orlando Jordan, Christian York, Wes Briscoe etc.

I mean if these guys were in the Indys and TNA is way ahead as the number 2 company they should have been able to sign these guys up. Right? Or am I missing something?

What is even sadder is that they had Dean and Zayn for a tryout match and either they passed on him. TNA signings never made sense. Even when they had some money that they should gotten a couple of them one would think if they could pay them decent.

[Deleted]

I think even more than the pay issue, when they tried to much more difficult to get a TNA wrestler for an indie show - that put mid-level & higher indie guys off more than anything.

[OVO 40 hunched over like he 80]

Take the bucks for example, they made more money doing their own bookings and going to new japan than TNA could pay them. If they were to sign with TNA the company would limit their outside bookings