How far can Jay Lethal really go?

[Post]

How far can Jay Lethal really go?

I’ve been pondering this question the past few weeks. I really like the repackaged Jay Lethal and would like to see him accomplish something more. His run as Black Machismo was fun, but I think that the company sees something more in him. The Black Machismo gimmick could have gone on much longer, and Jay would have been stuck in comedy/jobber type role (Santino).

I have to say that I really am interested in Jay Lethal’s ongoing program with Ric Flair. Last night Lethal scored a big win in a Triple Threat against Kaz and A.J. Styles. It seems like Jay will be working a bigger program with Kaz in the following weeks (months?).

Jay is a great in ring performer. He has a very innovative move set, and his quickness and agility keeps matches interesting. I realize that he is undersized, but in all reality, so is Jeff Hardy. I think Jay really needs work in the promo department. His promos as Black Machismo were good, but they were all impressions.

I hope that the Jay lethal push continues. In my opinion, TNA has faith that he can play a greater role in the company, and could possibly be a mainstay in the main event scene one day (Probably not for a while).

So I’ve given you my opinion, but what do you think?

1. Does TNA have big plans for Jay Lethal?
2. How far can jay Lethal really go in TNA?
3. Will Jay Lethal ever be TNA World Heavyweight champion?

 

[poo-poo crisp]

I've always liked Jay Lethal. There was a time when Kurt Angle put him over, then he got stuck in the Black Machismo gimmick. He's got the in ring skills to go far, but his overall mic work needs improvment. Add the fact he's still young and can be around for a long time to come, I don't see why he couldn't be the face of the company in the futrue. I think after the fued w/Kaz put him in the global title hunt. Have him in upper mid card and after the older guys leave have him step up.

 

[jccool420]

Not sure about him ever becoming champ, but I'm pretty sure him and AJ will have an awesome match at the PPV...

I hope he can find his own character and maybe he could be the one to rejuvante the X Division...

 

[It's Damn Real!]

How far can Jay Lethal really go?

I’ve been pondering this question the past few weeks. I really like the repackaged Jay Lethal and would like to see him accomplish something more. His run as Black Machismo was fun, but I think that the company sees something more in him. The Black Machismo gimmick could have gone on much longer, and Jay would have been stuck in comedy/jobber type role (Santino).

I have to say that I really am interested in Jay Lethal’s ongoing program with Ric Flair. Last night Lethal scored a big win in a Triple Threat against Kaz and A.J. Styles. It seems like Jay will be working a bigger program with Kaz in the following weeks (months?).

Jay is a great in ring performer. He has a very innovative move set, and his quickness and agility keeps matches interesting. I realize that he is undersized, but in all reality, so is Jeff Hardy. I think Jay really needs work in the promo department. His promos as Black Machismo were good, but they were all impressions.

I hope that the Jay lethal push continues. In my opinion, TNA has faith that he can play a greater role in the company, and could possibly be a mainstay in the main event scene one day (Probably not for a while).

So I’ve given you my opinion, but what do you think?

1. Does TNA have big plans for Jay Lethal?
2. How far can jay Lethal really go in TNA?
3. Will Jay Lethal ever be TNA World Heavyweight champion?

I don't doubt the plans for him are big seeing as he's got major support from a guy like Flair, but as of right now I think Lethal is right where he needs to be – just outside the X Division feuding in the midcard with performers like AJ & Kaz who can make him look better than he's looked over the last two years. A midcard title run like the Global Championship should be what's next for him if they're going to build him.

I'd hate to see him vault to the main event which he is undoubtedly not ready for, though that's not to say that he may hold the TNA WHC at some point in his career. IMO it's just too early to tell.

 

[Tiger Chaos Theory]

ay is a great in ring performer. He has a very innovative move set, and his quickness and agility keeps matches interesting. I realize that he is undersized, but in all reality, so is Jeff Hardy. I think Jay really needs work in the promo department. His promos as Black Machismo were good, but they were all impressions.

I absolutely agree. His move set is a good mix of speedy high flyer with a bit of technical proficiency much like Styles (on a smaller scale of course). And if I remember correctly, he is only about 2-4 inches shorter than A.J. so I see no reason is size would be an issue. TNA has only a handful of big men any way and of those only about three have any legitimate ME potential, and they've worked good matches with shorter men then Lethal.

I hope that the Jay lethal push continues. In my opinion, TNA has faith that he can play a greater role in the company, and could possibly be a mainstay in the main event scene one day (Probably not for a while).

1. Does TNA have big plans for Jay Lethal?

Yes, they seem to. He has the potential to be a good-great ME for TNA. Lethal has the wrestling ability to put on great matches and through the machismo gimmick his mic skills have improved and he seems more comfortable.

They put him into an angle with not only Ric Flair, but the ex-TNA champion. If they aren't trying to give him a push here, I don't know what a push is. They aren't giving him a MCMG push either, you know, the one were he exist and is a contender and important one week/month then aren't the next/month week. Lethal has been involved with someone important for about two months now since he first stepped into Hogan's office. From taking on Beer Money when they were thought to be the top heel tag team and were destroying Hardy and RVD, to taking on Flair at the peak of the ring story, he has been a prominent part of TNA. TNA definitely seems to have something planned for him, lets just hope they are using it as a launching pad into the ME and won't just push him then leave him out in the cold.

2. How far can jay Lethal really go in TNA?

3. Will Jay Lethal ever be TNA World Heavyweight champion?

He has the potential of making it into the ME and I truly believe he can hang with just about any wrestler already there. And he has the potential to be the Champion at some point in the future, about a year from now he should have a title shot already under his belt. He will get the title eventually after that.

 

[shattered dreams]

I am a big Lethal fan. He is the one guy that they were not doing much with that I thought they should be. He is billed as one inch and 5 pounds smaller than AJ tiger driver. Lethal would be a smart choice to give someone young the first push too build on. He is only 25 and has charisma and an interesting moveset. If built up right he could surely have a styles type run at the top at some point. The PPV match between Lethal and Styles could steal the show if they give them time and let them work it one on one with no distractions.

 

[Greenlight13]

I think they've just finally taken a look at their roster from top to bottom and addressed some nagging issues. Jay as Black Machismo was entertaining for a while, early on he was white-hot, but after a while it was like... are you really just being Savage? He needed his own personality.

The way this Ric Flair impression is being handled is exactly how the Savage one should have been, go all-out for a few weeks, and use key moves sparingly, but fundamentally remain Jay Lethal. I don't think we'll be seeing him spend the next 3 years as Flair, he's just using it as a tool for a feud with Flair which will give him a big rub.

As far as how far he can go? Upper-Mid card and occasional main event loser. He's not world champion material, and I can't imagine buying into him as a PPV challenger unless it was a multi-man match. The occasional title shot on Impact could be exciting because he can really go in the ring. Remember his match with Kurt Angle?

 

[Ruthless-RKO]

No world title....

I see him being used for 2 PPV's and then dropped to a low midcarder...they've obviously bought him in the story because of Flair...and is it me or is he not using his macho man gimmick anymore???

 

[FitFinlay4Life]

Used correctly Jay could definitely be a top liner and sooner rather than later and I think we're seeing a prototype of the character he'll use and that can be great on the stick. He is obviously a talented mimic (it'll be bye bye shark boy when he starts doing SCSA), with a wardrobe of characters he could run a schizophrenic/ channeling schtick ('CM Punk' against Jeff, 'HHH' against Kurt, Booker T or RVD, 'Flair' against Sting). This was kind of entertaining when WWe ran a version with Eugene - what brought the steam outta that version was the Eugene character (kinda coincidentally, Eugene was the Bisch's nephew in that storyline).

Wrestling wise, IMO Jay is right up their with AJ. I'm kinda surprised nobody has mentioned his 1 vs 3 victory over 3D and Jonny Devine in a street fight (MCMG where his partners but due to refusing to colour, they where forced to let on they'd been knocked out very early in the proceedings) - this was hot on the heels of the Angle match. Despite some terrible writing, Lethal's performances against Sonjay in their feud both on and off mic where exceptional.

A lot has been made of WWe pushing Sheamus, Swagger and McEntire while Hogan's TNA is only pushing aging WWe performers. Lethal, Wolfe, Pope and Terry are push backs to those critics. I really believe the main event scene in TNA is the strongest it's been in some time (it's just a pity it's at the detriment to the X, Tag and KO divisions).

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Lethal is someone that's always been really good in the ring. Personally, I think that Black Machizmo should have died a long time back, but at least it's finally gone.

Putting Lethal into a feud with Ric Flair and AJ Styles suggests, to me, that TNA has some plans for the guy and they could turn out to be significant. Lethal is a young guy, he's worked hard for TNA and he's been loyal. I'd like to see him elevated.

As for Lethal in the main event, I think we're definitely getting ahead of ourselves. They've only just stopped treating the guy like a joke the past several weeks and any mention of Lethal anywhere near the main event right now is very premature. He's definitely not ready for it right now.

In my opinion, the best thing for Lethal right now is for TNA to use his feud with Styles to at least elevate his standing. I ultimately don't see Lethal coming out on the winning side of his feud with Styles, but he can still come out looking really good. Then, I'd stick him firmly in the mid-card going for the X-Division title or maybe even the Global title since TNA is determined to keep it around.

 

[Wullief23]

I've been a fan of Jay Lethal since i started watching TNA a few years ago. I think he has bags of talent. THe Black Machismo gimmick worked ok for me, however i agree that there comes a time when they had to start to lose the gimmick and let the guy move to the next level.
I was worried when the Hoagn regeim came in that Jay would be pushed aside, however i'm really hoping that now with the Flair/AJ angle this will be Jay Lethal's 'proper' push.
However i'm not too sure about him being heavyweight champion. I'd like to see him feuding with - Kurt, Jeff or RVD (I know this may not happen as they are all faces at the moment) but i think if he can have a good run with one of these guys we could see if he has heavyweight champion potential. Certainly i'd have no problem with a long x-div champ run.
Another thing is i'm not a huge fan of teaming up 2 singles wrestlers to make a tag team, i prefer 'proper' teams coming through, HOWEVER to contradict myself i think Lethal and The Pope D'Angelo DInero could possibly make a good run together.

 

[FitFinlay4Life]

As for Lethal in the main event, I think we're definitely getting ahead of ourselves. They've only just stopped treating the guy like a joke the past several weeks and any mention of Lethal anywhere near the main event right now is very premature. He's definitely not ready for it right now.

In my opinion, the best thing for Lethal right now is for TNA to use his feud with Styles to at least elevate his standing. I ultimately don't see Lethal coming out on the winning side of his feud with Styles, but he can still come out looking really good. Then, I'd stick him firmly in the mid-card going for the X-Division title or maybe even the Global title since TNA is determined to keep it around.

A couple months ago, I'd have agreed with you wholeheartedly. The Top10 contenders angle is an opportunity to accelerate Jay into the upper midcard quickly and believeably. Crowd reaction suggests that fans are willing to support such a push - unlike Abyss. Tryin to second (or third or thirty third) guess TNA creative might be foolish, but I foresee a Flair assisted Abyss heel turn and subsequent feud with Lethal that done correctly could provide good pushes for both characters.

 

[FitFinlay4Life]

Another thing is i'm not a huge fan of teaming up 2 singles wrestlers to make a tag team, i prefer 'proper' teams coming through, HOWEVER to contradict myself i think Lethal and The Pope D'Angelo DInero could possibly make a good run together.

Given Lethal's feud with Flair, I'd support a short term feud pitching Pope and Lethal against Beer Money. However, given the over pushes both guys are receiving at the mo - I'd not be a fan of this being anything but short term. TNA needs to be building their own singles stars if they wanna lose the stigma of being WWe-lite.

 

[mister_b1LL]

To me, this feud with AJ, Kaz, and Flair is doing nothing but helping Jay Lethal's career. He's fighting against not one but two main event wrestlers in AJ and Flair and a successful X-Division wrestlers. I think Hogan and Bischoff are seeing a lot in Lethal and that's why he is being pushed. I can only hope that Lethal doesn't get skyrocketed to the top because although he's doing good with AJ, he's gonna need a couple more feuds with other top talent until he is deemed worthy of a World Title shot.