1) Rockstar Spud

Spud, as most of you will know, was the winner of TNA’s Tough Enough British Boot Camp, and thus earned himself a TNA contract. Immediately after his victory, we saw the beginnings of a feud with every newcomer’s first rival, Robbie E. It even for a second seemed that Spud was going to take E’s place at the side of Rob Terry, forming a UK connection and a viable tag team.

However, following Spud’s victory over Robbie E on Feb. 21 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pIvjC8ECbk), he was never heard or seen from again in the Impact realm. He, of course, was sent to OVW. Here his first match saw him gain the TV Title from Mr. 18-fuckin-59 Cliff fuckin Compton (this only works if you read his name in your best impression of his voice) and hold that belt for, ironically, 59 days.

What this all means to TNA fans is anyone’s guess. Spud, like many of his counterparts that participated in Gut Check, had his momentum cut just as people like us watching at home began to care about him. He was almost literally thrown of the ladder at the first rung.

His re-debut is even a question now: do we see our startchy UK friend anytime soon? My answer is yes. With the current 3-man rotation happening in the X-Division, Spud will get his shot here. It makes the most sense, and I’m excited to see what happens. Personally, I think Spud will knock it out of the ballpark. I think we see a high level of athleticism that warrants him not only a feud with Kenny King, but the X Division belt as well (via pinfall on the third man in the equation). King will net the belt back after a few tries, but Spud will have resonated with us enough to make him at least a bi-weekly TNA fixture.

2) Joey Ryan

Long time PWG staple Joey Ryan was the first man to lose Gut Check and the first man to gain a full-time roster spot from that competition (’cause that makes sense). As someone who’s watched the evolution of his sleazy gimmick I’m glad that all of his hard work paid off in him debuting this character to a nation-wide Impact audience.

However, Joey’s stock has begun to fall in recent weeks. He was relegated to interim Knockouts referee following Taryn Terrell’s inevitable move to the Knockouts roster. He did a fantastic job using comedy in the role (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XbntlQBGXc), but was doomed to be removed from it. He then was the third wheel in the uneasy team of himself, Robbie E, and Jesse Godderz.

I believe that TNA doesn’t know what to do with Joey Ryan because his character, while great, has a shelf life approaching its limits. What we need to see is a new evolution of Joey Ryan into someone more 3 dimensional than a 70s porn-star. This evolution can be a gradual evolution (maybe he falls in love and learns to respect women) or something spurred by a traumatic event (maybe he loses his hair and mustache as part of a match stipulation). Either way, it gives us something to invest in and a character to root for (or against) as we watch him change right before us. Not only is this how other TV shows make us care about their characters, but watching him evolve and grow is the reason I cared about Joey Ryan even before he even stepped into the Impact Zone.

If this evolution does not happen, I’m afraid Joey’s shelf life will expire and his star in Impact will fizzle until it’s gone.

3) Jessie Godderz

Our friend Jessie is perhaps one of the most pleasant surprises in recent wrestling history. As a Big Brother fan, I was one of perhaps five people who knew who Mr. PEC-tacular was the minute he was revealed as Tara’s “Hollywood” boyfriend at last year’s Bound for Glory. Knowing his cocky jock personality from Big Brother, I knew he would fit in as a heel in TNA.

What I didn’t know was how good he would prove to be in the ring. Yes, his selling is kind of campy, but that’s almost part of his charm. He has also shown me the ability to learn to take and give new moves as he continues to gain ring experience. We should see Jessie on TV on a more frequent basis.

I think the next logical place for him is the TV Title story. Provided Joseph Park comes away with the strap at Slammiversary, I can see a feud with Jessie some time in his future. I don’t think we will see a PEC-tacular TV title run, but maybe Jessie uses his Hollywood connections to discover Joseph’s true identity? It’s a fantastic way to make him an integral part of the story and get him some valuable experience with a ring veteran like Park.

– Tom Lahdnuh

What are some of your predictions? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter (https://twitter.com/sideslamtalk)

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