If You Had to Replenish TNA's Roster on a Shoestring Budget

[KAMALARAMBO: BOOMSHAKALAKA!!!]

Serious thread time! Let's try to keep the joking down somewhat for this (not EVERY thread in the TNA section HAS to be a joke thread).

This is a fantasy scenario, but given how things have been in TNA, who knows it might just come to pass. Let's say in protest the entire TNA locker room walks out/sits-out their contracts. Dixie decides she wants to continue TNA anyway and hires you to pick about 20 indie talents and book them. She also gives you very little money to work with! Not even enough for former big name WWE guys/to steal away ROH talent!

Who do you hire?

Some names I'd go with...

Joe Doering (what's going on with him anyway? He hasn't wrestled since July?)
Ricochet
Eddie Kingston
Zack Sabre Jr.
Chris Hero
Colt Cabana
Johnny Gargano
Timothy Thatcher
Drew Gulak
Mike Bailey
JT Dunn
David Starr
Reed Bentley
Brian Cage
Matt Tremont
Kimber Lee
Jonathan Gresham
Chris Dickinson
Lio Rush
Caleb Konley

Also, with clever enough booking I think a women's division could be based off of the work of just four women to start then add to if more funds become available. Or bring in freelancers to help get it off the ground. Anyway, for that I'd bring in...

Madison Eagles
Saraya Knight
Kellie Skater
Alexxis Naveah

I'd probably start things off by having Joe Doering as the monster champ. I'd also feud Zack Sabre Jr.and Ricochet with ZSJ coming out on top to eventually be the one to unseat Doering as champ.

[________ has left the building]

A vast majority of the people on your wishlist actually are in demand and would make more in the indies than coming to TNA. Also you said this is all going to be done on a shoestring budget. You might be able to get 3 or 4 of those people at best. What you will get are greenhorns willing to work for cheap and people without that many options left to work in wrestling. Basically the current roster with a few exceptions.

[Reflecto]

In order to do it right, you'd need one lynchpin person who:

-Is big enough to get some indy talents who may not go WWE to work with them.

-Has a wrestling school of their own (to get cheap new talent at their newest.

-Would make people give TNA another chance.

Combine those things, and my answer would be:

Give Mike Quackenbush full power- booking, hiring, whatever, tell him "TNA is your EWR game now, run with it." Sit back, let him work his magic, then take the credit for finding him.

[KAMALARAMBO: BOOMSHAKALAKA!!!]

Dec 1, 2015 18:44:35 GMT -5 ________ has left the building said:

A vast majority of the people on your wishlist actually are in demand and would make more in the indies than coming to TNA. Also you said this is all going to be done on a shoestring budget. You might be able to get 3 or 4 of those people at best. What you will get are greenhorns willing to work for cheap and people without that many options left to work in wrestling. Basically the current roster with a few exceptions.

I think a problem with TNA is their demand for exclusivity/how much control they want over their talents booking dates. If they'd be more flexible with that I think a lot more talent would come in. Given their scarcity of TNA shows it's not like it would impede on the schedules of these guys.

[KAMALARAMBO: BOOMSHAKALAKA!!!]

Dec 1, 2015 18:45:48 GMT -5 Reflecto said:

In order to do it right, you'd need one lynchpin person who:

-Is big enough to get some indy talents who may not go WWE to work with them.

-Has a wrestling school of their own (to get cheap new talent at their newest.

-Would make people give TNA another chance.

Combine those things, and my answer would be:

Give Mike Quackenbush full power- booking, hiring, whatever, tell him "TNA is your EWR game now, run with it." Sit back, let him work his magic, then take the credit for finding him.

Great idea! Someone on here once pointed out how with the right budget CHIKARA could be THE alternative promotion to WWE. Quackenbush's product is so much different from WWE's and it really targets a different audience so it makes sense. Don't get me wrong it wouldn't be a WCW like number 2, but I could see it being much better than TNA has been in sometime and gaining traction.

I also think Drew Cordeiro would be another good possibility for that kind of scenario.

[Emmet Russell]

It's going to get harder for them to replish the roster when, as Bad News said: most of the guys and girls will make more money working indies than they would working TNA, and the carrot on the string being that TNA can give you TV exposure really isn't true any more, since they lost Spike TV. With Spike, you had a million people getting a chance to see you, with DA you had roughly 300,000, and with POP, no one knows yet, but it's definitely not going to be Spike TV levels.

Most would much prefer not having the stink of TNA attached to them and working the indy dates until an NXT offer comes along.

If I had to pick people, it'd have to be guys that have no aspirations of working for WWE, which leaves few options.

I love Matt Tremont, but I don't feel he's WWE's type, you know with the scarred up body and deathmatch style, haha. I'd love to see him getting a chance in TNA. As a promo, he's one of the top guys on the scene, in my opinion, and he's willing to do anything as a bumper and a seller. I think he could connect with the audience quite well.

I'd love for them to get 2 Cold Scorpio a look. He may be old, but the guy can still go and I think the company is going to need a locker room leader when guys like Angle leave early next year. He could even spice up the X-Division a bit. Much like how Lynn brought the experience to the division back in the day.

I love Marty Scrull, as a gimmick and as a wrestler, but I don't see him working for TNA when he's still getting booked everywhere else.

[________ has left the building]

Dec 1, 2015 18:49:22 GMT -5 KAMALARAMBO: BOOMSHAKALAKA!!! said:

Dec 1, 2015 18:44:35 GMT -5 ________ has left the building said:

A vast majority of the people on your wishlist actually are in demand and would make more in the indies than coming to TNA. Also you said this is all going to be done on a shoestring budget. You might be able to get 3 or 4 of those people at best. What you will get are greenhorns willing to work for cheap and people without that many options left to work in wrestling. Basically the current roster with a few exceptions.

I think a problem with TNA is their demand for exclusivity/how much control they want over their talents booking dates. If they'd be more flexible with that I think a lot more talent would come in. Given their scarcity of TNA shows it's not like it would impede on the schedules of these guys.

They no longer do that since they do not run regular shows and got no power to control bookings. The issue is that not that many wrestlers to branded as TNA guys. You still got takers but not enough to overhaul the roster.

[Magic knows Black Lives Matter]

Bring in the entire roster from Nasty Nati Wrestling.

That's about all they can afford right now and even then, our highest paid guy might be too expensive for them.

[Reflecto]

Dec 1, 2015 18:54:21 GMT -5 KAMALARAMBO: BOOMSHAKALAKA!!! said:

Dec 1, 2015 18:45:48 GMT -5 Reflecto said:

In order to do it right, you'd need one lynchpin person who:

-Is big enough to get some indy talents who may not go WWE to work with them.

-Has a wrestling school of their own (to get cheap new talent at their newest.

-Would make people give TNA another chance.

Combine those things, and my answer would be:

Give Mike Quackenbush full power- booking, hiring, whatever, tell him "TNA is your EWR game now, run with it." Sit back, let him work his magic, then take the credit for finding him.

Great idea! Someone on here once pointed out how with the right budget CHIKARA could be THE alternative promotion to WWE. Quackenbush's product is so much different from WWE's and it really targets a different audience so it makes sense. Don't get me wrong it wouldn't be a WCW like number 2, but I could see it being much better than TNA has been in sometime and gaining traction.

I also think Drew Cordeiro would be another good possibility for that kind of scenario.

Cordeiro was actually another person I thought of as well, but he'd be the plan B if Quack didn't accept (which is likely), since Beyond has all the other benefits [getting hot young talent early and making them develop and getting stars], but there's a few different levels of work below Beyond's shows- and if you're running on a shoestring, the Secret Show roster would be more likely to be TNA-bound than the indy darling-heavy proper Beyond shows.

[KAMALARAMBO: BOOMSHAKALAKA!!!]

Dec 1, 2015 19:00:34 GMT -5 ________ has left the building said:

Dec 1, 2015 18:49:22 GMT -5 KAMALARAMBO: BOOMSHAKALAKA!!! said:

I think a problem with TNA is their demand for exclusivity/how much control they want over their talents booking dates. If they'd be more flexible with that I think a lot more talent would come in. Given their scarcity of TNA shows it's not like it would impede on the schedules of these guys.

They no longer do that since they do not run regular shows and got no power to control bookings. The issue is that not that many wrestlers to branded as TNA guys. You still got takers but not enough to overhaul the roster.

Idk, I'm wondering if the "TNA stink" thing is even real among top level indie talents or if it's in the imagination of the IWC at this point. James Storm making it to NXT (Even if it's more or less just a one-off at this point) kind of killed the notion WWE won't look at TNA guys for me.

I would've ranked Trevor Lee among the top 10 STRICLY indie guys in the world prior to signing with TNA and he jumped on board. Andrew Everett is also an amazing talent I know doubt could've seen making it to WWE in time as well (both may very well end up there).

[Vern]

Dec 1, 2015 18:45:48 GMT -5 Reflecto said:

Give Mike Quackenbush full power- booking, hiring, whatever, tell him "TNA is your EWR game now, run with it." Sit back, let him work his magic, then take the credit for finding him.

I'd much rather work for Dixie Carter.  As far as bosses go a delusional dimwit is better than a conniving c***.

[Sephiroth]

At this stage they may as well just kill off the women's roster altogether. They don't have enough female talent to make a viable roster, and it woukd at least free up some small amount of funds for other purposes.

[Deleted]

I doubt Colt Cobana would be cheap. And is he really that good?

I think you would sign him in hope that CM Punk would show up and maybe take an interest.

A format with about 4 or 5 people per division with indy workers brought in to job for them would be the best bet going forward.

[Vern]

Dec 1, 2015 22:37:32 GMT -5 @torgaddon said:

A format with about 4 or 5 people per division with indy workers brought in to job for them would be the best bet going forward.

That makes heaps of sense and seemed to be what GFW was going for one point until they Dixie'd it all up.

[kingoftheindies]

Of that list, you may get JT Dunn (who has tried to get into TNA in the past), KIngston (due to really having no other options) and Lio Rush (still relatively unknown).

honestly, look at wrestlers from MCW, Rockstar Pro, and NYCWC and you may get some.

[Chainsaw]

Sign Teddy Hart to a $5 mil contract.

Anything to get rid of them that much faster.

[Kevin Hamilton]

Shoestrings? Hell, they can't even afford aglets.

[Deleted]

If you're gonna do it on a budget, you'll have to give them incentive to work for you, and one main incentive is the freedom to do outside events, which is something TNA still frowns on, even though their last show was 2 months ago and they've only done things for about 19 days this year.

I know I'm trying to keep it serious, but in my EWR, TNA is filled with guys like Gillett, War Pig, Bear, Made in China, and those kinds of people.

[joeiscool]

Dec 1, 2015 18:44:35 GMT -5 ________ has left the building said:

A vast majority of the people on your wishlist actually are in demand and would make more in the indies than coming to TNA. Also you said this is all going to be done on a shoestring budget. You might be able to get 3 or 4 of those people at best. What you will get are greenhorns willing to work for cheap and people without that many options left to work in wrestling. Basically the current roster with a few exceptions.

But fantasy tho...

[Deleted]

Buff Bagwell breaking Bruno's Title Reign record. New. Boom Buff. Period.