The Identity
It's always easy to point out flaws within the WWE, but it's never as easy to say what it is you'd do differently. For a new a promotion, finding your identity is one of the most important things. I think TNA lost its identity and along with that, some of its loyal fan base. For Jeff Jarrett's promotion, I think the best thing to do, is take their own product serious, give it a sense of realism by taking a page from how the UFC promote their fights.
Wrestling booking isn't as complex as it's made out to be. You take Wrestler A and Wrestler B and you build them up to be something interesting. Then, when it's the right time, you put those two elements together and people tune in to see the chaos. That's what the UFC does—it takes two guys who have built up a resume and have people behind them and before you know it, their well-documented abilities have attracted people to come and watch them fight. That's the meat of booking. Anything else as far as angles and stories go are just the steak sauce. We don't get that anymore in pro wrestling. No one is built up anymore. Only one or two guys are garnering any interest, leaving the wrestling fans often feeling that the product is stagnant.
So summing all this up, what I'd like to see from a new promotion is to actually take some guys with potential, give them a whole bunch of momentum and have them duke it out. Just like any real combat sport, treat your product with a little legitimacy and the people who watch will do so in return. It'll give the pro wrestling purists the in-ring work they desire whilst keeping the pageantry that pro wrestling thrives on, but in a manner that even an older demographic that get behind.
The Talent
Honestly, it's not the best time to start up a company in my eyes. There's always great talent on the indies, but compared to 2005 the talent pool is very thin. Most of those talents are now locked up in contracts with either WWE or TNA, and a lot of those would-be indie stars are being signed to NXT. So that leaves us with the question, what type of roster should Jeff Jarrett hire?
John Morrison or now known as John Hennigan, in my eyes is the biggest free agent on the market. He is not signed by any company with a real solid TV deal, but was treated well enough in WWE were you can treat him as a star and build your company around him initially. With the experience from an A-level promotion and great in ring ability, he'd be a fantastic addition to educate and bring out the best in the rest of your roster, whilst carrying the brand. In truth, I don't see him as some mega-star for the long term, but for those early years, a guy like John Morrison can benefit you to no end.
Kevin Steen is a regular in ROH and PWG and at one point the hottest thing going on the independent scene. He's cooled off a little now, but with that said if you've seen his feud and matches with El Generico (now Sami Zayn) you know what he has to offer. Plus, every great story needs a villain, and Kevin Steen can provide you with just that. One thing Steen also brings to the table is that he has a very Samoa Joe-esque feel to him—and I don't mean his fat. I mean that he doesn't have the typical ideal look, but comes across a legitimate badasss that can whoop your ass!
Harry Smith … or D.H Smith…or Davey Boy Smith Jr, whatever the hell the guy wants to call himself, is awesome! WWE dropped the ball on this guy by not letting him showcase his true in-ring ability. If you've not educated yourself with Smith outside of WWE, then I recommend that you do. He's a fantastic athlete, has a great look and didn't come up through the WWE development. He seasoned himself all over the world and in my eyes would have been a perfect fit for the Legacy stable long ago. Needless to say he is still relatively young and a great addition.
AJ Styles is accepting bookings, and what a story it would be for Jeff Jarrett the owner of the house that AJ Styles built (TNA), to rehire Styles to a new promotion. With years of experience and a huge cult following, it's obvious why you should bring AJ Styles in to your company. Throwing him against the listed talent above would result in to some fantastic matches. AJ Styles is one of the few independent wrestlers that break the mold and even some casuals know about. I suppose the best way to sum it up is, AJ Styles has always been, and still is simply phenomenal.
The Young Bucks in my eyes are one of the best tag teams not just on the independent scene, but in pro wrestling in general. There are some other great tag teams out their like reDRagon, The Briscoes and more you could sign to put these guys over. These two could lead the tag team division and potentially break off in to singles stars.Of course there are plenty of fantastic names such as, Adam Cole, Roderick Strong, Bobby Fish and Kyle O' Riley ect. But given what's out there right now, I think the listed talent above give you a different variety of what's available and provide a fantastic in ring product.
Final Thoughts
Of course there are more things I could go in to like who I'd want pulling the strings backstage, who'd I want at the commentary table. Plus an introduction of the tale of the tape for the matches. But for now this covers what I'd like to see from Jeff Jarrett's or anyone promotion that has some potential. But I'm sure it's wishful thinking, If you agree or disagree, let me know in the comments below!
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