Tuesdays at TNA: How Mr. Anderson Can Change TNA in 2011

Welcome to Tuesdays at TNA, where we dissect and discuss the hottest topics straight out of Dixieland!

As we head into TNA's first PPV of the year in Genesis it seems as if the Immortal storyline is going to take another step with the majority of the members (AJ Styles, Beer Money, Kazarian) going for TNA championship gold.

This bodes well for TNA as it gives the promotion the always-reliable storyline of the dominant heel group stable holding all of the titles.  Although this has been done in the past to mixed results (re: Main Event Mafia), the seeds are being sown for an eventual comeuppance of the group by a number of stars.

Also, what's important to note is that the main event will not be a World Championship defense, but instead a number one contenders match between "The Blueprint" Matt Morgan and Mr. Anderson. 

What has made this issue so compelling is that it centers around a very real topic in sports, and that is the subject of concussions, which Anderson suffered at the hands of World Champion Jeff Hardy.  Morgan has defended Anderson constantly against his former teammates in Fourtune, which led to his face turn.  That said, Anderson has continued to defy not only Morgan but also the legend in Mick Foley on last week's Impact. 

Even though Morgan has had numerous opportunities to take the title from Hardy, I believe that this will be the time that the microphone-carrying star from Green Bay, Wisconsin will get his chance for the championship.  Anderson has really improved since being let go by the WWE and removing the typical "WWE stench" that accompanies most wrestlers when they make the jump to TNA.  He has had great matches and feuds, not to mention he has shown the charisma that has elevated him to World Championship status, almost unheard of when he was on Smackdown.

It seems as if TNA knows the talent they have in Anderson and will give him a chance with the belt in 2011.  I think that, injuries aside, he could be just what the promotion needs, and I'll explain why:

1) He fits their target audience—TNA is for the more mature wrestling crowd, with the "a-hole" chants and penchant for being gritty as opposed to the WWE's PG model.  Think about it, with his charisma and ability to reach that type of crowd, imagine what it would be like should he become the promotion's standard bearer as their champion.  He can play both the face, heel or tweener (which seems to be the case with his battle against Morgan) and the fans will eat it up.

2) He can replace some of the older stars as they begin to decline—Think about this: Kurt Angle won't be there forever, and will probably be gone within the year as he gets older.  Sting is gone, and AJ Styles hasn't reached that level to be a marketable face just yet.  Anderson, provided he can stay healthy, would give TNA a guy they can feel comfortable putting the strap on once the Immortal angle has ran its course.  Remember, he was positioned for a huge push in the WWE before the steroids scandal and injuries he suffered (not to mention the ones he gave his opponents). 

I'm not saying he would be the next Stone Cold Steve Austin or anything (although he's a much better version of it than Randy Orton will ever be) but I do think that he can be transitioned into the anti-authority role that the mature fans will enjoy.

3) He would be the perfect foil for a face AJ Styles—I believe that AJ Styles will be the one to eventually end the Immortal/Fortune storyline by beating Jeff Hardy for the championship (provided that the drug charges don't end it first).  It will elevate him to the top face status that fans can root for.

However, the important thing to remember is that the elements of a good feud is that you have to have the antagonist that can oppose the baby face heel in a believable way, and Anderson fits that bill better than anyone in TNA. 

Now that he has shown the ability to put on great matches to go with his great promo skills, TNA can easily build around these two. Throw in Morgan and Samoa Joe (more on him next week) and TNA has themselves four ready-made stars that can move the promotion into the future.

In conclusion, I do think this is the year that Anderson finally wins his first World Championship.  Now that TNA is beginning to finally establish their own identity, this is a great place to start.