15 Angles and Feuds That Must Happen in TNA Wrestling After Bound for Glory

Timing is a funny thing.

I was planning on writing this story and brainstorming for it when it hit the news that Vince Russo was out as head of creative for TNA Wrestling and recently named head of talent relations Bruce "Brother Love" Pritchard had moved into that position as well.

The news confirmed what many had suspected after watching recent episodes of Impact that seemed to be different than the shows before them.

Many would say that the show has gotten better recently.

With TNA's biggest pay-per-view—Bound for Glory—coming up later this month, feuds and angles are coming to their conclusion and new angles and feuds are on tap to begin.

After Bound for Glory, the next PPV is Turning Point and—in light of the changes in creative—TNA needs to live up to the name.

Here are 15 angles/feuds that will allow them to do just that. 

1. Samoa Joe's Reign of Terror

As I mentioned in previous stories, World Wrestling Entertainment is doing a great job with Mark Henry and showing him as an unstoppable monster destroying everything—and everyone—in his path.

That should be Samoa Joe in TNA.

Whenever Joe has been shown as that kind of dominating force, it has resulted in success—whether it was in Ring of Honor and his 21-month reign as world champion or his 18-month undefeated streak in TNA.

Now is the time to take his current nasty streak and run with it.  That means no losses (not even by surprise roll-ups—which has been the weak cop out they've been using with Joe since the Bound for Glory series) and putting people out.

It should start at Bound for Glory with a clean win and continue with Joe leaving a trail of bodies in his path.

One early target?  Eric Young.

A complete destruction of a guy fans seem to enjoy would help Joe's status and also set up this next angle.

2. TV Title Tournament

Eric Young being taken out by Samoa Joe would open the door for a TV Title Tournament to crown a new champion.

Putting top names in the tournament like Rob Van Dam (who would say he's entering because he knows a thing or two about making TV Titles prestigious), Jerry Lynn (who knows about having big TV Title matches), Samoa Joe, AJ Styles (a former TV champion), Crimson, James Storm, Matt Morgan and Christopher Daniels would make the TV Title seem important.

That's something the belt has lacked in its various incarnations.

I would give the win to RVD as a way to kick off this next angle.

3. Rob Van Dam Heel Turn

Other than a brief stint when he first got to WWE as part of the ill-fated Invasion angle, Rob Van Dam hasn't been a heel since his early ECW days.

It's time for a change.

A cocky, dismissive of his opponents version of Rob Van Dam could light a fire under him (Van Dam has admitted to having motivation issues in TNA) and also put some much-needed star power and talent to the heels in TNA.

The potential feuds are numerous with Mr. Anderson, AJ Styles, Robert Roode, James Storm, Matt Morgan, Crimson and others.

Now, a heel RVD needs someone to strategically place a chair for a Van Daminator or Van Terminator like Bill Alfonso did in ECW.

Enter Ric Flair.

A cocky RVD would be the perfect complement to the always-cocky Flair.

That pairing has dollar signs written all over it.

4. Matt Morgan's Quest for the Gold

Matt Morgan's time is now.

You could make the argument that his time is a little overdue.

Unfortunately, Morgan has floundered since his matches for the TNA World Heavyweight Title with Jeff Hardy at the end of 2010.

It wouldn't make sense to throw him right back in the mix.  It does make sense to get him started on getting there.

Morgan should come out and do a promo about how everyone says he's the best big man in wrestling (a point that could be argued) but that he hasn't lived up to it.  For all his talent, he's never held a singles title in TNA.

He can tell the fans he's tired of being just hype and now wants to live up to the hype.  Thus, he makes a promise to himself and the fans that he will hold a singles title by Slammiversary or quit.

With the "singles title" in the promise, he can go after the TV or World Title.  Fans will have months to get invested in Morgan and his quest.

A match TNA has hardly ever done—and was good when they did it at Bound for Glory 2009—is Kurt Angle and Morgan.

Building up to that match is the way to go.  Morgan himself admits it is the best match of his career.

5. Jeff Hardy's Road to Redemption

Jeff Hardy has everything it takes to be the biggest star in TNA.

He also comes with the biggest risks.

However, Hardy's road back from the embarrassment of Victory Road 2011 is a story worth telling.

It has already begun on Impact and should feature Hardy going against guys like Kurt Angle, Jeff Jarrett, Bully Ray and others without any help or support—save for one man.

That man is Devon.

Devon's promo with Hardy a few weeks back and his personality make him the logical guy to get Hardy's back when others don't.

Hardy should work his way up to a match with Sting—where he can wipe the memory of the Victory Road debacle by having a match better than what that one should have been.

Hopefully, Hardy can keep his demons at bay to see this through.

6. Mr. Anderson vs. Jeff Jarrett

A key that TNA should look at after Bound for Glory is to find matchups and feuds that A. are interesting and B. haven't been done to death.

Mr. Anderson vs. Jeff Jarrett is one such match.

Anderson is finding his stride again as a babyface and Jarrett has firmly established himself as an entertaining heel—whether it's his MMA star gimmick or his King of Mexico one.

Jarrett would find a perfect adversary in Anderson.  More importantly, Karen Jarrett would.

What better target would the "a-hole" Mr. Anderson find than Mrs. Jarrett?

There's some Chris Jericho/Stephanie McMahon potential there. 

7. Abyss vs. Bully Ray

Outside of maybe Samoa Joe, no one in TNA has had a more forgettable two-year period than Abyss.

He's gone from being a comedy character having "therapy sessions" with his nemesis Stevie "Dr. Stevie" Richards, the infamous Hulk Hogan Hall of Fame ring stint and the hardcore monster carrying around "Janice and Bob" to the X-Division champion and strategist after reading Sun Tzu's "The Art of War."

The result?  It's hard for any fan to really care about Abyss these days.

Recently on Impact, there has been a tease of Abyss going babyface.  A change is definitely needed for Abyss, but it has to be done right.

The first step should be to humanize Abyss.  No more Hall of Fame ring of confidence, 2x4s with nails or books of strategy.

Go back to the meat and potatoes of Abyss/Chris Parks.

After being thrown out of Immortal, TNA should do some video pieces where Abyss explains how much he loves the business and how he knew he'd never be a great technical wrestler or high flyer.

However, he knew he could be that guy that sacrifices his body and keeps coming back—and that he loved the business that much and wanted to be a wrestler that bad that he'd do it.  He's the guy that has gone through tacks, glass, barbed wire and fire and keeps coming back.

Thus, the hardcore wrestler Abyss was born.  Give the fans a reason to care about the guy.

A feud against Bully Ray—who is a heel who knows how to get heat—would help a lot.  Ray is no stranger to hardcore brawls and can be the guy who does everything he can to try to break Abyss.

8. Build the Knockout Division Around Velvet Sky, Mickie James and Tessmacher

There have been times when the Knockout Division in TNA has had more in-ring talent, but they've never had more marketing and mainstream talent than they do right now.

Velvet Sky, Mickie James and Brooke Tessmacher lead that charge and represent the present and future of the division.

When WWE let James go last year, it was a coup for TNA as James has proven a solid addition to the company and had well-received matches against Tara—including a main-event cage match on Impact.

She's definitely the person to be the top face of the division right now.

However, Velvet Sky looks to be getting groomed for that spot in the future.  TNA is already pushing her for more mainstream notice with a campaign on the company's website to get her on the next season of Dancing With the Stars.

Sky has shown some improvement in the ring and has been built for a run at the title.  A babyface vs. babyface match with James could be huge with the right build.

Brooke Tessmacher may be the future of the division.

The Hooters girl shows charisma in the ring, but has a lack of experience.  She'll definitely benefit from her Knockouts tag reign with veteran Tara—especially if they get matches with vets like ODB and Jackie.

Eventually, a breakup of the tag team and a feud with Tara will help her development as well.

The Knockout division could also get another big boost if Gail Kim returns.

9. Austin Aries vs. Kazarian

Austin Aries has been a star since his return to TNA.

His rise to the X Division Championship has been the highlight of the newly revamped division.

There's one problem—Aries really doesn't have any competition.

With his feud with Brian Kendrick likely coming to an end at Bound for Glory, there's really no one left.

Jesse Sorenson is still too new, Kid Kash is a heel better suited to be aligned with Aries (and to feud with Kendrick) and they've done very little to develop the other newcomers like Zema Ion, Anthony Nese or Mark Haskins.

Alex Shelley would make a good short-term feud until Chris Sabin is ready to return to action and the Motor City Machine Guns return to the tag ranks.

However, the best option for a challenger to Aries and his X Division Championship is Kazarian.

The two will have good matches and Kazarian is quick enough on the mic to hang with Aries as well—something that has been lacking in the Aries/Kendrick feud.

10. Motor City Machine Guns vs. British Invasion

Speaking of the Motor City Machine Guns, they should be the top team in TNA when they return in 2012.

With Beer Money likely going to part-time status as Roode and Storm focus on singles, the Guns are the best thing going in TNA's tag team division.

Of course, the Guns benefited from having great rivals in Beer Money.  They'll need a new nemesis.

The British Invasion is the perfect fit.

This is another matchup in TNA that hasn't been done to death and can also be pretty entertaining.  Go back and check out the Final Resolution 2009 DVD—where the two teams battled for the tag titles—for proof of that.

The cocky British Invasion look down on the fast-paced style of the Guns and the clash of styles will work well together.

11. Hulk Hogan Babyface Turn

With the recent news of Hulk Hogan re-signing to TNA, the question now becomes what to do with him after Bound for Glory.

It's time to put this heel version of Hogan out to pasture and bring back Hulkamania one more time.

As an aside, I know there are some fans that groaned at the the news that Hogan is sticking around.  While there are some legitimate gripes, remember that TNA is a young company needing all the publicity it can get.

Next week, Hogan will be all over ESPN, ESPN.com, ESPN Radio, The Today Show and Howard Stern promoting Bound for Glory.  No one else in TNA can do that.

Now, back to Hogan turning face.

Personally, I think the Hogan heel turn just didn't work. 

It wasn't the same as the infamous Bash at the Beach moment that gave birth to the NWO.  Then, it was more real as Hogan was growing tired of the fans and their turning on him.

Hogan needed to vent and the Hollywood Hogan persona worked great for him.

These days, Hogan seems in a much better place and the turn doesn't seem to be coming from that same reality base.

Having Bischoff and Flair turn on Hogan after Bound for Glory and bringing Hogan back to the red and yellow could really set up TNA for the coming year as Hogan gets behind—and gives the rub to—young talent.

Bischoff aligning with Flair—and saying he made a mistake all these years getting behind Hogan–would also be interesting given their history. 

It also sets up this next change.

12. The End of Immortal and the One Big Heel Faction

Whether it has been Planet Jarrett, S.E.X., the Main Event Mafia or Immortal, TNA has seen its share of big heel stables looking to take over the company.

Bound for Glory should mark the end of Immortal—in its current form—and the end of the big heel stable in general.

The problem with big heel stables is that they do more harm to those in them than they do good.  Usually, the main guy in the stable will benefit—and maybe one or two others.

Everyone else comes off looking like a flunky.

I think stables should be no more than four people and all should be going after titles.  There should also be a number of different factions.

Wrestlers in TNA should do promos saying they've noticed the success of Fortune and Immortal and realized there is strength in numbers.

Reduce Immortal to a group of the newly heel RVD, Bully Ray, Scott Steiner and Jeff Jarrett with Bischoff and Flair as mouthpieces.  This forces Hulk Hogan to form a counter group with maybe Jeff Hardy, Matt Morgan and the two guys who get mentioned at No. 14.

Keep Fortune at four with Christopher Daniels and James Storm—who starts his own group—leaving (more on this in a minute) and a new addition.

Have the British Invasion add Rob Terry, Mark Haskins and Winter (as her alliance with Angelina Love seems to be coming to an end) and be a force on the UK-aired Xplosion and on the upcoming overseas tour.

Also, allow two talented singles wrestlers, like Kurt Angle and Samoa Joe, to form alliances in the mold of the Sting/Lex Luger, Dusty Rhodes/Nikita Koloff and the Rated RKO of Randy Orton and Edge tandems.  It adds extra depth to the tag division and gives talent more to do.

The various feuds could fuel the company for the next year and more.

13. The Alliance of the Congregation and the Gospel

The Pope D'Angelo Dinero and Christopher Daniels (in his Fallen Angel persona) have a lot in common.

They both—as heels—are conniving, sneaky characters that try to manipulate.

Both like to view their fans as followers.

The two also have had some of their best matches against the same people—AJ Styles and Samoa Joe.

They have everything it takes to be a great team.  They bring memories of Rated RKO and the old-school pairing of Chris Adams and Gino Hernandez in World Class Championship Wrestling.

It's two strong heels that would look even stronger together.

Imagine the promos.  Imagine the feuds with AJ Styles and Robert Roode or Kazarian of Fortune or going after the tag titles against the Motor City Machine Guns.

You could also have them chasing singles gold.

That is a pairing that will draw a large congregation of fans waiting to get more of the gospel according to Christopher Daniels and the Pope.

14. Brothers in Arms

Just like the Pope and Christopher Daniels would make a good team, so would Gunner and Crimson.

The decision makers in TNA seem to be high on both men, but neither have quite taken off like those in charge probably hoped.

It may be necessary to take a step back for the duo to take several steps forward.

Both men are similar in that both are fairly young, have a look and gimmick that is based on power and intensity and both have a military background with Gunner a U.S. Marine that served in Europe and Kuwait and Crimson having served in the U.S. Army with two tours of Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Focusing on that would make it easy for fans to get on the side of the new duo (you could also add Navy veteran Jesse Neal to the group if Ink Inc. runs its course).  Having the duo team as part of an angle where Gunner breaks from Immortal wouldn't hurt either.

A feud with the two against veteran heat magnets Bully Ray and Scott Steiner or Kurt Angle and Samoa Joe would go a long way in elevating both.  They could also face off with the aforementioned Pope and Christopher Daniels.

15. Bobby Roode vs. James Storm

Last week's Impact match with Bobby Roode completing his Fortune Gauntlet against Beer Money tag team partner James Storm wasn't just a good match.

Hopefully, it's a sign of things to come.

Usually, tag team members becoming opponents mean one will rise and one will fall in popularity.  However, I think Roode and Storm are talented enough that it will elevate both in singles competition.

While I wouldn't rush the turn of either—most likely Storm eventually goes heel—I would build on the competitive attitude of both men.

Win, lose or draw at Bound for Glory, Roode should remain in the main-event picture and Storm should be shown as trying to get on the level of him and fellow Fortune member—and also should be in the main-event scene—AJ Styles.

Eventually, Storm should decide there's no room in Fortune for him to be a top star and opt to leave and form his own group.

Throughout this list, I have not suggested bringing any new talent in as there is enough in TNA as it is.  I'm changing that just this once.

TNA should hire the Briscoe Brothers from Ring of Honor.  Pairing them up with Storm (and maybe ODB and Jackie) and you got your faction that will draw in the South to go along with the UK-drawing faction of the British Invasion I mentioned earlier.

With Storm at the head of a group, you can eventually build to a Storm vs. Roode match with gold on the line.

Conclusion

The end of 2011 and all of 2012 should be quite interesting for the future of TNA Wrestling.

Changes have been made and more could be coming.  TNA's current contract with Spike is coming to an end in 2012.

What will the company look like then and will Spike look to renew?

I think these ideas could keep the company going in the right directions.

What do you think?  What changes would you make?