On Wednesday, everyone who watches NHL hockey was glued to their TV and computers to see just who was going to be traded at the deadline. It was like watching a 12 hour hockey game, with the action going right to the final second. As the 3:00 PM deadline was met, the final trades were counted and fans were deciding on the winners and losers.
So what does this have to do with pro wrestling? Not much in theory. There isn’t a central league for wrestling where promotions compete against each other. Even during the territory days it was more a democratic relationship between territories of the National Wrestling Alliance. When Vince McMahon started invading territories for television slots, not much of a fight was put up with exception to Jim Crockett promotions. That led to the WWF vs. WCW war, but even that was just two promotions head to head with every other company on the outside. Only ECW was really able to spread their influence between the two, and even then they were never treated like an equal.
With WCW out of the way, the WWF attempted to have their television shows compete with each other. This had a ton of potential with trades and drafts. It was close to finally bringing a pro sports influence to pro wrestling that was missing. Who was going to sign with who as a free agent? Who is going to get traded? Who will be drafted? All of these opportunities were wasted. Trades rarely happened other than at the draft and only in the first few years was it a big deal when a talent chose which brand they were going to be on. Wrestlers would start on Raw and then just magically appear on Smackdown with no rhyme or reason. Adding the third ECW brand did nothing to remind the WWE of the great opportunity they had in front of them.
So unfortunately, wrestling has never really given us something that could emulate a trade deadline between rival promotions. So let’s go in a bit of a fantasy scenario. What if all of the major wrestling promotions were in a league and treated like sports teams, trying to collect the best wrestlers to win the championship? What if there was a pro wrestling trade deadline?
It’s pretty easy to see the situation of companies right now and decide where they would be in this.
World Wrestling Entertainment: The WWE is a powerhouse and have been for years. The best development system, the best drafting system, the number one location for most free agents and more talent than they even know what to do with. They also have aging franchise superstars at the top that some might feel should be stepping aside to create the next crop. The WWE would be a buyer looking to see who they can add to once again take a championship. That said, WWE also has a major superstar who looks to be on his way out. Who needs a big name rental?
New Japan Pro Wrestling: Another powerhouse, NJPW spent a little time lost with aging assets before pushing a youth movement. New Japan’s Heavyweight Champion is only 26 and is steadily developing as one of the best wrestlers in the world. The number one contender Shinsuke Nakamura is right in his prime while Intercontinental champion Hiroshi Tanahashi is a former Heavyweight champion who despite being 37 looks like he’s still in his 20s. New Japan knows exactly where they are going and exactly what to do, and I’d argue they are defending champions. They are also buyers but far more selective in who they pick up.
TNA Wrestling: TNA has seen better days. Known for picking up aging veterans with varying degrees of success, as well as holding onto their young stars a little too long from premier minutes, TNA has been a seller, cutting ties with a lot of talent and focusing on their future. They still have some assets the buyers might want as they work towards a better future.
Ring of Honor: Much like TNA, this isn’t the best time for ROH. While the addition of AJ Styles and Chris Hero has been great for the product, they still feel like they are in a lull. The excitement of Eddie Edwards as ROH champ or Mike Elgin breaking into the main event is lost at the moment. That makes ROH a seller who could move some of their rentals like Hero and Styles or their stale mainstays like Roddy for a fresh picture.
So what are some Potential Trades?
TNA trades Kurt Angle to WWE for Zack Ryder, Evan Bourne, Tyson Kidd and Natalya
Kurt Angle is broken down and costs a lot of money. For a rebuilding company you need to get younger instead of older. Angle would be considered on his victory run, his one last shot in the WWE before going into the Hall of Fame. WWE can afford his contract and keep him relatively sane. For TNA they would lose a major name that helped keep their confidence with SpikeTV but in return they’d gain a new identity.
Going the other way are four wrestlers that have little value to the WWE at this point but could have a lot of value for TNA. Zack Ryder needs a new gimmick and a new start and TNA is the right place for Long Island Iced Z. Evan Bourne would flourish in the X Division. It just makes sense. You know who else makes sense in the X Division? Tyson Kidd, who is one of the best wrestlers in the WWE but keeps getting held back. Natalya can once again be Nattie Neidhart and have phenomenal matches in the Knockout Division. WWE might be losing a lot of bodies for maybe one year of Angle, but it’s worth it just to have him for DVD compilation releases.
ROH trades ACH and Roderick Strong to TNA for Abyss and Zema Ion
This one is a bit interesting if you follow the dirtsheets because ACH, Roderick Strong and Kevin Steen are expected for the next WWE Tryout Camp. That might make it sound like they could be WWE bound but we heard the same on the American Wolves? Where are they? TNA. I don’t see ACH and Roddy being WWE material. They both fit much better in TNA. ACH goes straight to the X Division while Roderick Strong, who is probably the stalest wrestler in ROH, can work anywhere they need him to work. I actually think he could make a great tag partner for Ethan Carter III.
Zema Ion has had a strange return to TNA. Instead of going back into being one of their most colourful X division talents he’s instead the annoying “DJ” of the Broman’s. Over in ROH, Ion would actually look a bit bigger than how he does in TNA and therefore stand out better as a flamboyant heel. Abyss has run his course in TNA. For some it might not make sense for the Monster in ROH but he would slip right into the role Rhino was in. That big, powerful monster the smaller guys have to overcome. There’s nothing left to do with Abyss in TNA, much like Roddy in ROH. Switch them out and see what happens. This is what sellers do to try and find a spark.
ROH trades AJ Styles and Jay Lethal to NJPW for Rob Conway and Satoshi Kojima
When Jay Lethal first went to ROH, people considered it the right move. TNA had poorly handled his push several times and going to ROH, it felt like the return of a homegrown talent. Instead, Lethal was handled worse in ROH than in TNA. Heading to NJPW would give Lethal a chance to work in Japan and work purely on his in-ring skill. As for Styles, there’s already rumours of him going to New Japan in the near future. His stay in ROH was always going to be temporary.
For New Japan, they are still paying for a rental like Styles and a name like Lethal. The current and former NWA Heavyweight champion go the other way in Conway and Kojima. The possibility of Satoshi Kojima going up against Adam Cole in a Champion vs. Champion match could be big news for ROH. Rob Conway is an old school guy who really didn’t fit NJPW aside from being NWA champion. Going to ROH helps replace the loss of Mike Bennett, as he’s a big guy with solid technical skills. And you just know his loudmouth manager Bruce Tharpe comes for the ride.
THREE WAY TRADE
WWE trades Dolph Ziggler to ROH and The Miz to TNA
TNA trades Bully Ray to WWE and Bad Influence to ROH
ROH trades Chris Hero and The Briscoes to WWE and Mike Bennett with Maria to TNA
Well this is complicated.
Why does the WWE get rid of Dolph Ziggler? Because he’s never going to break the glass ceiling. The fans support him but he doesn’t have what a CM Punk or Daniel Bryan does for charisma to get through it. There’s lots of spots that need to open up once The Shield split up and it would be better to try a Roman Reigns to fill it than attempt Dolph Ziggler as a top guy again. Going to ROH makes him an immediate main eventer who will have incredible matches with ROH champion Adam Cole. The Miz is stale. The Miz had one of the worst downward spirals for a WWE star. From retaining the WWE championship at Wrestlemania to a forgotten entity. Going to TNA will allow him to express himself again and be the cocky, arrogant jock he always wanted to be. He’d fit right into their roster.
There isn’t much left for Bully Ray to do in TNA after an incredible run. Might as well hit the WWE for a Dudley Boyz reunion, or maybe even work his Bully character there. Heading to ROH is Christopher Daniels and Kazarian. Kazarian can’t do much more in TNA and a singles run would be terrible. Daniels has lots of roots in ROH and it’d be a way for him to do his victory lap there. If they kept Bad Influence together it’d fill some important holes in their tag division.
To get a star like Dolph Ziggler, ROH would be sending over a guy the WWE should have never released and two men the WWE should have signed when they had a chance in Chris Hero and the Briscoes. I have visions of the Briscoe’s coming in as sort of redneck rivals to the Wyatt’s and having phenomenal matches with the Uso’s. Hero, who’d once again become Kassius Ohno, has numerous options either in NXT or the WWE. Mike Bennett should have also been a WWE star by now but Maria’s heat with the Bella Twins has kept that from happening. Send him instead to TNA where Maria has heat with nobody and would appeal at a larger stage, while Bennett would be a fresh face in a company that needs it.
WWE trades CM Punk to NJPW for Karl Anderson, Shelton Benjamin and Bad Luck Fale
CM Punk is likely not coming back to the WWE. At least not for a few months. That means he’s only a tradable asset for them. When two buyers trade with each other it’s the kind of move that should send waves through the wrestling world. NJPW might not even know if they’ll get Punk to work for them or if he’ll even create an impact to their fans. But if NJPW wants to sell more U.S. PPVs? CM Punk is the guy to do it for you. Punk would also relish the chance of working with his old buddy Doc Gallows.
WWE is still going to get a decent haul for their former WWE champ. Karl Anderson is a top gaijin name in New Japan and reuniting him with a very lost Tensai to reform Bad Intentions boosts the tag division. Bringing back Shelton Benjamin gives you a solid hand who can work anywhere on the roster. Bad Luck Fale is a 6’4” monster who you wonder why he wasn’t in the WWE already. The kind of big man WWE would love to get.
Do you have any trade suggestions? Let us know in the comments or be sure to send us a message. Just involve #LWOS in the tweet. If I get enough I’ll discuss it in a later article.
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