2024 started with Jordynne Grace participating in the Women's Royal Rumble match. It's the second time this has happened since Mickie James in 2022.
And then, Grace appeared in NXT in May, challenging Roxanne Perez in NXT Battleground. Ash by Elegance, formerly Dana Brooke, also came in for the "save" when Tatum Paxley also tried to intervene. This would lead to Paxley going to TNA to challenge Grace at Against All Odds.
In the course of two months, we have seen Frankie Kazarian, The Rascalz of Zach Wentz and Trey Miguel, and most importantly Joe Hendry...
... to appear on NXT, with Charlie Dempsey also crossing the line to TNA.
Last July 10 (Manila time,) we saw the re-formation of The Rascalz - with the return of Zach Wentz and the NXT debut of Trey Miguel, as well as the second appearance of Joe Hendry. Except for Kazarian and Ash, the pops of these TNA stars are insane.
In Kaz's defense, he placed fourth in the battle royale for the right to fight for the NXT Championship. Meanwhile, Ash graced her presence to set up her rivalry with Grace.
Now, we are hearing reports that The Motor City Machine Guns may find their way to NXT.
If I see Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley pointing at their palms, I will go insane.
Now, this is what I'm thinking. If Dijak and Damon Kemp go to TNA, then AEW needs to be worried.
Here's the thing - Raw and Smackdown have outgrown Dynamite, Collision, and Rampage BUT it feels like NXT and TNA are bringing it to AEW's entirety, Ring of Honor, and the US telecast of New Japan. Every TNA crossover has made (pun intended) impact while every AEW Forbidden Door has bombed. I mean, of course, they are going to have a somewhat packed house with PPV buys. However, the build-up to the PPV is anything but lackluster. The build-up came during the time of Dynamite's 502k ratings.
Yes, pre-programming proved detrimental to their viewership. I know the importance of The Big Bang Theory because I came from the world of broadcasting. There is a reason why the first primetime drama series is after an evening news broadcast in the Philippines. The Big Bang Theory is similar to that of Cartoon Network or Turner Classics before WCW Nitro. Back in the '90s, I watched more WCW than WWE because Nitro had a fixed schedule while Raw, seen on Star Sports, had a questionable schedule that had either golf or motorsports as its pre-programming.
That said if Dynamite scored these ratings at the start of the contracts of Okada, Mercedes Mone, Will Ospreay, and the return of MJF from injury, then launching unfamiliar and untested names in the American market will further alienate the audience.
Because CMLL didn't want RUSH at Forbidden Door, AEW rushed his storyline with MJF so he could battle Hechicero. Zack Sabre Jr. was just thrown into Orange Cassidy just for the sake of it. Throughout the PPV, we saw the likes of El Phantasmo, Stephanie Vaquer, LIJ, and other unfamiliar Japanese names that never had a vignette, an in-ring promo, and not even an introduction for the casual audience.
Even the main roster version of WWE is doing better in debuting the Japanese stars. Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa, and Jacob Fatu's debut are bar none and incomparable to any New Japan debut since they introduced their affiliation with the other companies. Jay White debuted in a backstage segment, Adam Cole debuted before the debut of Bryan Danielson, and even Jeff Cobb returned unceremoniously.
How can we know what they stand for if we don't know the wrestlers in the first place?
It felt like a house show.
Or a month-long taping of Sunday Night Heat or WWE Velocity.
If WWE is out to buy TNA or is hellbent on all of their talents, then they need to train them in their ways. Joe Hendry is a British John Cena or a better-looking "Bo-lieve" version of Bo Dallas. He has charisma and is in between the goofiness and the seriousness of his character. That said, he needs to have a better physique and he needs to better his movesets.
In terms of other TNA stars, I would like the return of Nic Nemeth, as well as Mustafa Ali, Brian Myers, and Eric Young. As for the debuting stars, Moose and Eddie Edwards' NXT debut would be awesome, but it would be awesome if Chris Bey and Ace Austin also joined in on the fray.
NXT and TNA are both American wrestling companies. More than the main roster crossovers, it helps NXT to get the ratings from the TNA support. And TNA is getting the rub for this as well. A couple of years ago, NXT changed its talent direction by building names from the ground up. While this move paved the way for Bron Breakker and Trick Williams, their current main roster scene is better. Trick Williams is now with veterans Ethan Page and Shawn Spears, with a young star in Je'Von Evans, and a possibly TNA player like Hendry, or some other star to disrupt NXT's scene.
This is good for WWE and TNA.