Over the last few months TNA Impact has been markedly better. The segments have usually all had a purpose to further angles and, more importantly, the angles have been paced SLOWWER so that people can invest in seeing the payoff. One of my favorite angles that has recently started has been with the Aces and Eights faction.
It began with an attack on Sting and then Hogan. It should be noted that, as mentioned, these two attacks happened a month apart. On the July 19th Impact, Aces and Eights were all over the show. They attacked Kurt Angle, the gutcheck contestant, and the show ended with a duel beatdown on Austin Aries and Robert Roode (or Rooo for you Botchamania fans). Despite all of this Television time no one is really sure who is in this group of masked men and, for that matter, how many people are in the group.
For me, the final group should be around 5 to 6 members. This is a decent size and avoids “NWO’ing” the faction. I would also like to see this group consist of a mix of existing TNA talent and new members of the roster. With that said, here is my nominees for the Aces and Eights:
1. Chris Masters
Chris Mordetzky aka Masters is one guy that definitely improved under the radar in his last WWE run. A fact that CM Punk even referenced on RAW after Masters was fired. Chris has the size and the ability to be a good addition to the TNA roster. Chris recently was in the Ring Ka King promotion in India under the name American Adonis. Since Ka King had/has and affiliation with TNA, Masters is well known to many of the company’s office staff already. Chris showed charisma in WWE and if his workrate is still what it was at the end of his WWE tenure, or better, then he would be a welcomed hired gun in Aces and Eights.
2. Trevor Murdoch
Trevor is a talent that never really got a run in WWE due to “his look”. While this may be the case, it’s his look that makes me want to put him in this group. Aces and Eights have been portrayed as thugs and that’s exactly type of role ready made for someone with the build of William Mueller. This is another benefit of TNA’s involvement with Ring Ka King as he also competed there under the name Roscoe Jackson. Muller also had a short lived TNA career in 2009 under the name “The Outlaw” Jethro Holliday. Murdoch was another former WWE midcarder who showed tremendous charisma in the brief times that he was allowed to display personality. I see him as someone who can be the Cowboy villain, a foil to James Storm for starters.
3. Gunner
So here is the first active TNA wrestler that I put into the group. When Gunner first started out in a tag team with Murphy I thought that he would be one of Vince Russo’s dime-a-dozen after thoughts in a few months. I was wrong. While Murphy was not so fortunate (no pun intended), Gunner was able to improve his work through a series of undercard matches in late 2011 and early 2012. He has been able to have Ric Flair and Eric Bischoff second him to the ring. Gunner has been absent from TNA for a few months now without a storyline explanation. This past May it was announced that Gunner had signed a new 3 year deal with Impact Wrestling so he isn’t a free agent. By having Gunner in the group it reduces the feeling of a rehash “Outsider” gimmick to Aces and Eights, thrusts Gunner into a main storyline, and also gives a unique angle for Gunner as a man who turned his back on the company.
4. Luke Gallows
The speculation is that Drew Hankinson aka Luke Gallows has been involved in every attack to date on Impact. The fact that while the people under the masks have not been consistent yet Hankinson has always been a part of the group speaks to a high probability that he will make the final cut. This is a good thing. Gallows was another person whom was singled out by Punk during his “contract signing” as someone that should not have been released by WWE. His Impostor Kane stint aside, he was a very competent big man and I was surprised when WWE released him for that reason. Drew is another Ring Ka King alumnus as he wrestled there under the name “The Outlaw” Isaiah Cash. He is a man with a great look for a rebel group and his style as Luke Gallows is a natural fit for Aces and Eights in my opinion. Yes, more so than Festus.
5. Harry Smith
The man WWE branded as David Hart Smith is one of the best pure athletic big man talents I have ever seen in wrestling. The knock on Harry is his promo ability which can be hidden, and even exploited, in a stable of this size. Harry falls into the two common themes of this group. Firstly, he was another man mentioned by CM Punk as a talent who was fired unjustly and, secondly, Smith competed in Ring Ka Ring using the name Bulldog Hart. Harry has been training MMA which, in my opinion, would lead to great matches with both Kurt Angle and Samoa Joe and is a great technical big man wrestler, just like his father. To me, Harry Smith would be the silent assassin of Aces and Eights.
Those are my personal top five picks for Aces and Eights. I could see the need for an X division wrestler in the group and Wes Brisco has been widely rumored to be filling that slot. I do think that the group does need a leader. Someone who is already a main eventer that can “give the rub” to the rest of the faction. There is someone that I could see coming back to TNA that has been gone since December of 2011, someone who has a reason to attack Sting, Hogan, and Kurt Angle. The man that I would have as the puppet master of Aces and Eights would be:
I wouldn’t use Jeff as the main eventer for the group as his time has long since come and gone for that role (some would argue that his main event time should have never come in the first place). Jarrett would have a storyline gripe with the babyfaces that makes sense and gives the group someone who has been established at the top of the TNA cards. I would use Jeff as the manager for Aces and Eights and he could do one match a year if the story required. Regardless of who TNA chooses to put in the stable, I am definitely hooked on the Aces and Eights storyline and I can’t wait for the next chapter!
Agree? Disagree? Did I miss something? I’d love to hear from you at addie@wetalkwrestling.com
only person i would change from that is murdoch to domino
Domino is another great choice!….as long as he doesn’t have to catch anyone lol!
I am I mistaken in thinking that there has been some turn over in the people behind the masks. The first run ins had some fat guy who could barley walk. If Hogan wasn’t getting beat up would have thought it him. Thinking some of he road agents have been under the masks for the more rotund guys. Now there is some younger fitter looking people there.
ya it’s really hard to tell from the guys since it’s probably not the ones doing the beatdowns that will ultimately be revealed as the group.
Those r sum good guesses n i agree to most of em and heard diff nanes been drop but i got a couple names for ya that may be them, 1 base on the size eof the guys i say john morrison, he not with wwe but may go back to wwe sum day but tna want him n my other guy is base on there size n maybe wanna a x division star maybe chavo guearro whos kniws good n new srory n cant wait to see the outcome
I actually totally forgot about Morrison. That’s a definate possibility although Im not sure where his head is at in terms of wanting a WWE return in the near future.
Ive heard morrison taking a break for now cuz his body is banged up from wrestling n the travel but ive heard he left on good terms with wwe n he may go bcl in the near future so idk but i know n heard tna r rly interested in him n melina but who knows only time will tell but i like this story lets just hope tna dnt drop the ball on this one its diff for tna theyve had mny other stories n boom just drop em but this one got ppl thinkin yea its like neo or nexus but its good to have a invasion n who knows it can be sum old wcw or ecw guys well just have to see but be kool to see morrison in tna change it up lil n have sum new feuds between him n.hardy,aj,kurt ect
I actually would not opposed to Eric Bischoff being associated with this group. I also would not mind Garrett Bischoff pulling a swerve and being a member.
It could be a way to bring Eric back for sure
[…] is another person, like Gallows, that I mentioned in my picks for Aces and Eights column (found HERE) previously. Chris definately improved a lot in his last WWE stint, a fact that the few people who […]
Hear is what I believe. The bigger fella is Abyss. Why because he is running around as the “brother” and he in the match with Bully threw down the black hole slam. Sting also in the last segment hinted by saying that the black hole slam was “textbook.” I think that is how they keep getting in and also the “brother” said he has been assigned to certain tna talent “aces and eights.” So here is who I think total. ABYSS, GALLOWS, MORGAN, RYAN, GUNNER, JARRETT. Now here is what I think they should do. One under a mask using a voice changer speak up saying they are going to create anarchy in TNA and than maybe start dropping hints from the past. Keep all of the fans interested and draw us in even more because one speaks up using the voice changer. let me know your thoughts.
I love the voicebox idea! Who’s Ryan? It looks to me by this last Impact that Wes Brisco is in. I’m thinking though that the Joseph Park/Abyss angle is going to come down to them as the same person obviously and Abyss vs Bully Ray at BFG. Do you pull the trigger after that with Abyss’ involvement and would you turn Bully face coming out of that? I really think the voicebox idea adds to the mystery which is great!!
Impact just finished and great call with the voicebox!!
could one of them be the old may Rhyno
also I was thinking maybe Rob Conway
So I was thinking that Ryhno is in there. Not sure why, I just feel like he is one of the thugs.
I think Chris Daniels and his sidekick may be behind aces and eights. They are never near the ring when aces and eights are there and they have never been attacked. Also they are trouble makers from the word go.
I’m not going to put Jeff Jarrett’s name in this, BUTT since last nights impact when Aces and Eights attacked James Storm I personally think that Bully Ray is behind it, I mean he has been the most vocal about saying it was Storm and he has yet to be attacked, and last night the two guys who looked like they were about too hesitated for too long and obviously it was a ploy to bring the other wrestlers outside so they could attack Storm, IDK but I really like this story line and next Thursday is going to be a great show. Sting, Kurt Angle, Austin Aeries and Jeff Hardy maybe even James Storm vs Aces and Eights and then it is open fight night still! AND gut check! next thursday TNA is going to be action packed! I CAN’T WAIT! TNA is so much more entertaining than WWE
This whole Aces &8s thing is interesting. I think the monster Abyss is behind this whole madness
I think the person behind this should be a face, what a way to turn heel once revealed. My top choice face would be Brooke Hogan where she wants total control of TNA and vengance against her father. Not sure what Batista is doing now but if he was brought in you have a main eventer amongst Aces & Eights.
People forget that WCW was brilliant when a masked guy was attacking sting. They purposely put different guys under the mask to attack sting and it made everyone guess who it was. Then in the end it was none other than the great Ric Flair that was attacking him.
Jarrett to me has to be the head. I think your list is a good one. I think Morrison would be a great pick. You need some swagger on the mic and some of these guys don’t have great mic skills.
The only thing I dont like is if they make Aries dump the belt. Aries is hugely popular with wrestlers and fans and is a monster talent. He should be champ for a long time; I hope this hurt arm angle isn’t a way for him to give up the title.
I think that its either Abyss heading the Aces and Eights. I say possibly The Big Show Because of the fact that Hogan and Sting were the first 2 attacked. It also could be Kevin Nash heading the them because of the whole storyline from where him and the others that was banned from entering the TNA ring and it could be their retaliation from the ban.
I agree that Gunner makes a lot of sense here, based on his absence from TV while still being under contract. I think he’ll get his best push of his career out of this. I also think Jarrett’s got to be the spokesman on the mic with the voice modulation and all his features completely hidden, and I theorize that Garrett Bishoff will be involved in a heel turn in which he and Jarrett spearhead an effort to bring Eric Bishoff back on TV.
I also speculate that the Luke Gallows character would have the right look and moveset for a biker gang of outlaws, and while the American Adonis character needs a lot of tweaking in order to fit, I can see Chris putting the full nelson on someone while the other guys beat the crap out of him.
It’s all wild speculation, of course, and there’s a hundred other things that would make an equal amount of sense. But those are the things that grab my attention so far. The only other thing I could think of is what does TNA have planned for Crimson at this point, if anything. He spent some time in OVW then challenged Devon unsuccessfully and that’s been it of late, plus he’s had no camera time backstage while the idea of him “being around” is plausible. He isn’t going to be anywhere close to the main event picture, and when you used to be the Undefeated One, mid-card is a sad place to be while a really good pseudo-invasion angle is happening. If he got the option, I could see him taking it.
Wouldn’t it be awesome if, somehow, the leader of Aces & 8’s was not Jeff Jarrett but,………… John Cena?!
It would not surprise me by the names mentioned above as people who may be in Aces and Eights. Use Gunner and Murdoch as the 2 muscle men of the group.
9 months was the perfect hoax