AJ: the only ex-WWE guys TNA needed were Angle & Christian

[héad.casé]

You're perhaps best known for your long, successful stint in TNA. A lot of fans feel like the TNA product has been moving in the wrong direction for the past few years. As someone who was there for the ups and downs, where or why do you think things might have started moving in the wrong direction, and what ultimately led to your departure?

"I think around 2009-10 they were headed in the wrong direction. They were trying to be WWE-lite and you can't do that, you have to be different. I think that's where the biggest mistakes were made and they didn't trust the guys that got them to the ball game in the first place. They had all the talent they needed and didn't need to bring in other talent. I think people were misinformed about what they could get out of it. The dial never changed when they brought in this higher talent as they thought it would. I will say Christian Cage when he came over was such an asset; he was the start of it. Then they brought in Kurt Angle, which was unbelievable, and they could have stopped there and we would have been fine. They have got to be different and turn it up. If WWE can't do something because they are publicly traded, then there is your advantage. That just doesn't apply to TNA, that applies to ROH as well. Everybody can do something different than WWE. I will say ROH wrestling is out of this world and nothing can compete with that. TNA they just have to change it and be different."

www.blogtalkradio.com/ringrustradio/2015/12/22/ring-rust-radio--dec-22-w-rohs-aj-styles-and-wwe-royal-rumble-raw-chatter

[Mister Pigwell]

For discussion purposes, anyone got a list of every "Former WWE" guy available?

[markymark]

Couldve used Christian to make the TV title relevant and had him feud with RVD(instead of pushing him right to the Main Event).

RVD at the time was a good signing but the shitty booking of TNA made him lose interest(See his debut).

[TOK Hehe'd Around & Found Out]

Dec 23, 2015 17:55:19 GMT -5 Mister Pigwell said:

For discussion purposes, anyone got a list of every "Former WWE" guy available?

A post that long would break the board again.

[Deleted]

Despite DrugsLOL, I think Jeff Hardy brought a lot of eyes on the product initially.

[WWEedy]

Dec 23, 2015 18:27:35 GMT -5 @doge said:

Despite DrugsLOL, I think Jeff Hardy brought a lot of eyes on the product initially.

I dunno, I kind of agree with AJ. Christian came at a time where TNA really needed legitimacy and it worked for them, Angle came at a time where they really needed to step it up and until they f***ed it up it worked for them. Hardy I dunno, while he brought his fanbase as the other two did he didn't really bring anything else with him.

I think TNA would have eventually snagged the fans who came for Jeff with something else anyway had they taken more of an advantage of the opportunities they were given.

[Deleted]

Dec 23, 2015 18:44:20 GMT -5 WWEedy said:

Dec 23, 2015 18:27:35 GMT -5 @doge said:

Despite DrugsLOL, I think Jeff Hardy brought a lot of eyes on the product initially.

I dunno, I kind of agree with AJ. Christian came at a time where TNA really needed legitimacy and it worked for them, Angle came at a time where they really needed to step it up and until they f***ed it up it worked for them. Hardy I dunno, while he brought his fanbase as the other two did he didn't really bring anything else with him.

I think TNA would have eventually snagged the fans who came for Jeff with something else anyway had they taken more of an advantage of the opportunities they were given.

I'm just speaking for myself I guess, because I found TNA due to Jeff in 2004, and became a fan from then on in.

[Can you afford to pay me, Gah]

Dec 23, 2015 17:55:19 GMT -5 Mister Pigwell said:

For discussion purposes, anyone got a list of every "Former WWE" guy available?

This is all the former WWE talent they signed since day one they had a true run in the WWE so I am not including the one off D show matches that AJ and Joe for example had or in TNA had a true run not a one off match like Vader, Bashams, Animal, Tatanka, and ext but the list of people who had a legit run or role in the company..

Team 3D
Kurt Angle
Kevin Nash
Scott Hall
Sean Waltmen
Ric Flair
Hulk Hogan
The Hardys
Christian
RVD
Ekmo (Jamal of 3 Men Warning and Later became Umanga post TNA)
Rikishi
Ken Shamrock
Sabu (Middle he was in TNA before his WWE run but cameback after it.)
Tommy Dreamer
Raven
Sandman (See Sabu but no official match in the second run)
Brian Kendrick
Justin Credible
Jerry Lynn
Perry Saturn
Scott Steiner
Rick Steiner
Booker T
New Age Outlaws
Curt Henning
Brian Christopher
Ron Killings (Honestly became who his is now because of TNA.)
Matt Morgan
Orlando Jordon
Mister Anderson (Kennedy)
Elijah Burke (The Pope)
Jeff Jarrett (Yes he started the company but still true.)
Bobby Lashley
MVP
D'Lo Brown
Vince Russo
Rhino
Dustin Rhodes

[Magic knows Black Lives Matter]

Jeff Hardy actually did do good business (by TNA standards) at first so you could make an argument for him. Everybody else, yeah, I pretty much agree.

[Deleted]

One of the things TNA has done better than the WWE is the booking of Christian. Yeah his heel turn was kind of forced and he was booked like Superman from the start but they give Christian the opportunity to be in the main event and use his full potential. Like I remember in 2005 they were dropping some of his catchphrases or telling him to not do certain things because he was getting too over.

[StormanReigns]

Pretty much. RVD giving 40% effort helped no one.

Jeff Hardy never had a clear mind, and when he did he was likely injuring himself.

[Emmet Russell]

AJ losing the title to RVD in 2010 unadvertised when the beginning of the end for me.

[Deleted]

Dec 23, 2015 20:09:57 GMT -5 Emmet Russell said:

AJ losing the title to RVD in 2010 unadvertised when the beginning of the end for me.

I remember RVD wrestling in t-shirts at one point. Dude gave zero effort.

[Emmet Russell]

Dec 23, 2015 20:48:14 GMT -5 @doge said:

Dec 23, 2015 20:09:57 GMT -5 Emmet Russell said:

AJ losing the title to RVD in 2010 unadvertised when the beginning of the end for me.

I remember RVD wrestling in t-shirts at one point. Dude gave zero effort.

I remember arguing with a guy who was very pro-RVD in TNA on the WWE Universe forum - back when that place existed. He felt RVD was motivated and the best person to be champion. Everyone else, myself included, severely disagreed.

In hindsight, I was 100% correct.

[Dragonfly]

Aside from the aforementioned Hardy, I think The Pope and Tomko were good for TNA overall. I also don't lump Ron Killings and Brian Christopher in with, say, Test and Rikishi. They were building a roster out of unknowns and spare parts. You have to start somewhere.

[Juice]

Jeff hardy had TW runs with the company and prior to leaving, becoming world champ at WWE, and then going down in the drug bust to appear in tna again...hardys first run sucked. He dove off of stuff. That's it. Hell that's all he's ever done. He didn't bring anything that he may have brought the second time.

[BigAl]

and oddly, a certain forum thinks AJ will either return to TNA, or WWE will buy TNA, and AJ will elad the TNA invasion.

Still reading new interviews with him like this, I am guessing he wants nothing to do with TNA, despite being called their franchise. That speaks volume when your franchise wants to wash his hands on you.

[BigAl]

Dec 23, 2015 19:11:12 GMT -5 Can you afford to pay me, Gah said:

Dec 23, 2015 17:55:19 GMT -5 Mister Pigwell said:

For discussion purposes, anyone got a list of every "Former WWE" guy available?

This is all the former WWE talent they signed since day one they had a true run in the WWE so I am not including the one off D show matches that AJ and Joe for example had or in TNA had a true run not a one off match like Vader, Bashams, Animal, Tatanka, and ext but the list of people who had a legit run or role in the company..

Team 3D
Kurt Angle
Kevin Nash
Scott Hall
Sean Waltmen
Ric Flair
Hulk Hogan
The Hardys
Christian
RVD
Ekmo (Jamal of 3 Men Warning and Later became Umanga post TNA)
Rikishi
Ken Shamrock
Sabu (Middle he was in TNA before his WWE run but cameback after it.)
Tommy Dreamer
Raven
Sandman (See Sabu but no official match in the second run)
Brian Kendrick
Justin Credible
Jerry Lynn
Perry Saturn
Scott Steiner
Rick Steiner
Booker T
New Age Outlaws
Curt Henning
Brian Christopher
Ron Killings (Honestly became who his is now because of TNA.)
Matt Morgan
Orlando Jordon
Mister Anderson (Kennedy)
Elijah Burke (The Pope)
Jeff Jarrett (Yes he started the company but still true.)
Bobby Lashley
MVP
D'Lo Brown
Vince Russo
Rhino
Dustin Rhodes

where is NASTY BOYS, VAL VENIS, DREW MCINTYRE, FUNKASAURUS, EZEKIEL JACKSON, SNITSKY?

[Oak: Certified Jade Hater]

You know, I'll make an argument for Brian Kendrick. Dude was amazing in the X-Division.

[Oh Cry Me a Screwball]

I don't think AJ's statement is really meant to be taken literally.

Yeah, we know guys like Jeff Hardy, Team 3D, etc. were all great acquisitions as well. And there's guys like Pope and Kendrick who don't fit in the same category as established WWE stars who don't even really count in this criticism of TNA's book.

What I think he is really trying to say is that they let people like Rob Van Dam and Booker T take and take and take without having to give back, and they always chose an ex-WWE main eventer over letting a TNA homegrown guy take the torch, regardless of talent and overness.