Syx debut for TNA

Within the past few weeks, there was chatter online that the TNA/WWE working agreement could be coming to a conclusion, taking NXT talent off the table for the Anthem-owned league. Some speculate that the crossover is scheduled to end because TNA, with its new network of AMC this year, didn't take enough of a market share away from All Elite Wrestling, but I really doubt that was the case. All things considered, TNA didn't have the star power or the work rate to compete with All Elite Wrestling, and that shouldn't have been the goal anyway since establishing itself on a bigger platform as a viable commodity is exponentially more important. If the WWE wanted to hammer All Elite Wrestling, they would do it the way they are going it this weekend, running a stacked house show in the same city that AEW is running a pay-per-view to take a portion of their potential attendance away, specifically with CM Punk in the main event in his hometown. The irony is certainly there, considering the way that Punk exited AEW three years ago.

Granted, TNA's crossover with WWE had an indirect effect on All Elite, as it constricted the potential talent pool that Tony Khan could choose from, but let's be honest, the AEW roster is bloated enough already. I understand that it's a lot more provocative to assume that WWE wanted to use a smaller league to try to hinder AEW's business, but the reality is, the ability for WWE to recruit directly from TNA's roster, as it did with Joe Hendry and Mike Santana, and the chance for NXT guys to get valuable experience before they were moved to the main roster, with Trick Williams as an example, were much more realistic reasons for WWE to form a partnership. Plus, it became a key shield for the TKO corporation after WWE had to pay Major League Wrestling $20 million dollars in an anti-trust lawsuit a few years ago.

The reality is, unless TKO was going to eventually buy TNA, which wouldn't help any anti-trust accusations in the future, and they already have the NXT brand to develop talent, the working agreement was eventually going to finish up. Some pundits already put a negative spin on this story, with the notion that TNA is suddenly helpless, but again, the reality is that without the initial NXT crossover, there's no way that TNA would've landed the AMC deal to give the company their biggest platform in more than a decade.

The fact that TNA hasn't truly capitalized on the bigger stage is a different discussion for a different time.

Right now, Nic Nemeth is a solid world champion for the promotion, even if the former Dolph Ziggler is theoretically past his peak in terms of star power or the ability to move the needle. The Hardys can still go, but are obviously past their physical prime, which isn't a knock, they've been wrestling more than thirty years. However, the Hardys' enduring popularity are what make them so valuable to TNA, they can move the needle, which is why their autograph lines are always noted to be so long at conventions or after the TNA TV tapings.

That's why it made sense for TNA's newest arrivals to make their surprise debut on Impact last night in a segment with The Hardys since it's something that will get viewers for the segment. For the past several weeks, there were mysterious attacks on Impact, and during an in-ring confrontation, it was revealed that the former Wyatt Sicks members, Joseph Sawyer and Samuel Shaw, were the ones behind the sneak attacks. During the segment, "Syx" was on the video screen, a reference to their former Wyatt stable, and there's also the implication that the rest of the group will eventually be there.

I have to be honest, while I think that Sawyer and Shaw are definitely underrated as overall performers, my first impression of this is that it could be much ado about nothing. We've literally seen this story before and the concept was woefully underutilized in the WWE. Remember that major attack on Raw to kickoff the Wyatt Sicks angle and then the group eventually disappeared from television for an extended period of time because the writing team didn't have anything for them to do?

Basically, the same problems that prevented the group from getting over in WWE could put a ceiling on their level of success in TNA.

It goes without saying that the Wyatt Sicks was a wonderful tribute to the memory of the real-life Windham Rotunda, but in terms of a pro wrestling stable, it would be one-dimensional if all it was going to be was a Bray Wyatt tribute act. What are these characters going to do on their own to progress their individual narratives? Ultimately, the WWE never focused on that, and for whatever reason, only booked the group to feud against other stables to that immediately limit their options. Hopefully, if the "Syx" faction targets the entire company in TNA, that opens the door for many possibilities for them, including individual rivalries.

The fact that Bray's real-life brother, Bo Dallas was rarely booked in matches didn't do him any favors, and it almost put him in a no-win situation, as he was essentially cast as a secondary replacement for his brother. Outside of the fact that they are two different types of performers, it's an unfair benchmark to put Uncle Howdy up against since Bray's life was cut short, leaving questions about what he could've achieved later in his life.

The upside of this is that it's a fresh start with more flexibility for everyone involved. Assuming the rest of the group will be there, it allows for Bo Dallas to present his own version of that type of character that can stand on its own. Bo Dallas is a very talented guy, he doesn't need a tribute gimmick to be successful. Sawyer already branched out with his current tenure in Game Changer Wrestling, and it looks like they are setting up for more of the former Wyatt members to show up there, which is another way for them to put their own stamp on the basis of the gimmick. In some ways, Sawyer and the rest of the faction could use GCW as a platform to test new aspects of the characters, and if they work well then they could import them to TNA. More importantly, it gives Sawyer the opportunity to progress his character on an individual basis instead of being a background figure the way he was for the majority of the Wyatt Sicks tenure in WWE.

It was well-known that the most successful portion of the Wyatt Sicks faction during their time in WWE was that they sold a lot of merchandise, even when they weren't featured on television. It would be wise for TNA to try to capitalize on that since besides The Hardys, you don't see much TNA merchandise worn by fans. As much as I have my doubts about importing a WWE stable into TNA, at the very least, I want to see where it goes, but will keep my expectations low. As mentioned, The Hardys are there, Nic Nemeth is the champion, and the former Zoey Sky made her debut. While star power is definitely important to get viewers, there's always a risk of putting too many WWE castaways on the show. Are another half a dozen former WWE names going to move the needle for TNA? Again, the potential is there for some compelling angles, but at the same time, there's also the chance that Syx will be a retread of a failed WWE group with a lower budget and less overall depth on the roster.