Let’s just pretend that TNA folded and had to close its doors. Maybe a fire burnt down the Impact Zone, maybe everyone stopped buying their PPVs & merchandise or maybe Dixie completely mismanaged all of TNA’s funds. Regardless, this would leave about 50 wrestlers unemployed. Some would flock to WWE, others to ROH, a few to Japan and the rest would be back to the independent circuit. Vince McMahon has a history of forgetting the past and rehiring former stars that left on bad terms. The Ultimate Warrior and Bret Hart are just a couple of names that come to mind that had less than pleasant exits from WWE only to return years later. If TNA were to fold, here is a crystal ball of where everyone on their roster would end up:

Oh one last thing, this is who I think WWE would hire, not necessarily who I would want to see hired. Regardless, it is all subjective so I look forward to your comments.

The Guys that are put on WWE TV right away:
· Bully Ray is back in WWE but only as Bubba Ray Dudley. In fact, Team 3D is allowed to be the Dudley Boyz again and he and Devon jump right into the tag-team division. Bully Ray is a great heel but is up there in age and does not have a WWE body to be given a singles push. Also, the Dudley Boyz would be ideal for the WWE as they are still trying to revive their tag-team division.
· Sting is given the invitation but who knows if he would accept or not. VKM would love to have him simply for the WWE Network (whenever that happens) even if he cannot get Sting to make some live appearances and wrestle a few more matches. Sting would be a part timer like Rock, Lesner and HHH that would only be used for big PPVS.
· Hogan is back in the WWE and would be used as an authority figure such as the Raw GM.
· Kurt Angle is for sure back and put in the main event picture immediately. He can be used as a face or a heel and is still arguably the best worker in the industry. Angle will need no time to get over and will draw money immediately.
· Bobby Roode is back as a mid-card heel. Possibly back as one half of Beer Money if James Storm is hired as well. Roode may take awhile to get over with the WWE crowd but he is just too good to pass on.
· Austin Aries is in his mid 30’s but this guy can do it all. He is a little too “indy wrestling” for the WWE machine but it doesn’t matter because he is just too good for the WWE to pass on. Same thing goes for AJ Styles.
· Despite previous issues, Jeff Hardy is back and reinserted into the main event scene immediately. Jeff Hardy draws and VKM loves nothing more than money. While Jeff would be on a short leash, he would be given another chance.
· Eric Young is a goofball that would fit right in with the WWE. They would love him for the backstage skits and to appeal to the younger audience. Perhaps he is thrown on a tag-team with Santino.
· Mr. Anderson is back as Mr. Kennedy. Mr. Kennedy draws heat and is a good mid-card heel. If creative puts him in some quality mid-card angles, his job is safe. If not, he will be fired again for no reason.
· Brooke Hogan. Can’t wrestle, awful on the microphone, would rather be a singer/actress and contributes nothing to the product. She would fit right in with the rest of the Divas.

Guys that would only be hired under developmental contracts:
· Zema Ion is a young guy that can wrestle and is decent on the mic. Same goes for Jesse Sorensen, Magnus and Alex Silva. All these guys are worth taking a chance on and seeing if they can be molded into a future star.
· Crimson has a great WWE look but they would want him to polish up on his wrestling before putting him on TV.
· Wes Brisco may get a chance to develop in NXT strictly because of his last name.

Guys that are probably not hired but could be:
· Matt Morgan has the look but already had a stint with the WWE. I am not sure if they would use a spot to give him a second chance or if they would use that spot on an NXT guy instead.
· RVD had a solid WWE career but is still remembered as The Whole F’n Show from ECW. Rob is 42 years old now and does not have a lot of time left. I don’t really know if he would draw money with the WWE audience as his stoner gimmick really does not fit well with the PG rated WWE. However, RVD could have some value if he is used in the mid-card to put over guys like Sandow, Rhodes, Cesaro and Barrett.
· Taz does not wrestle anymore or have what WWE feels is the look of an announcer. However, Taz wears many hats and can fill in on commentary if needed, can provide great value to the WWE network and could also be used as a trainer in NXT.
· Gunner is 30 years old and has never been super over with the crowd. I see WWE passing on him or giving him minimal amount of time in NXT to impress. Same goes with Kenny King and Chris Sabin who are 31.
· Devon is only hired if he and Bubba/Bully Ray come as the Dudley Boys. If Bully Ray does not come to WWE, Devon doesn’t even get an interview.
· James Storm is in the same situation as Devon. If Bobby Roode does not come as part of Beer Money, WWE will not want a beer drinking redneck to add to their mid-card. Even if Storm agrees to a gimmick change and is willing to reinvent himself, he just naturally looks like a southern, good old boy that fits the 1990 WCW mold and not the New York WWE look.
· VKM probably still hates Eric Bischoff. Perhaps he hires Garrett and humiliates him on Raw every week and makes him do degrading things until Garrett finally quits. Same thing goes for Jeff Jarrett.

Knockouts Divison
· There is a lot of talent in TNA and no debate that the Knockouts are better than the Divas. However, I have no idea what the WWE is doing in regards to development for future Divas. Are they looking for girls that are good on the mic, girls that put on a good match or just girls that are beautiful? I really have no idea. As a result, I am not going to guess at what criteria WWE would use when interviewing current Knockouts to join the WWE and become Divas.

Guys that would not be hired:
· Abyss/Park is a huge man but does not have a WWE body. Fortunately, he would not have trouble finding work with any other promotion.
· Christropher Daniels is great but is up there in age and would take time to get over with the WWE crowd. He is the guy that is great to have on the card but is not the guy who sells tickets. WWE would rather use that spot to bring in a young guy they can groom like Bo Dallas opposed to giving it to a guy that probably has just a couple of years left in his career.
· Rockstar Spud is barely over 5 feet. That is about 18” shorter than what WWE is looking for.
· Robbie E is not over in TNA. As a result, WWE will see him as a guy that won’t draw money. Same thing for Rob Terry.
· Kazarian is already 35 years old. His overall body of work is impressive but I don’t see the WWE seeing him as a guy who can draw money.
· Samoa Joe is a hell or a worker and solid on the mic. However, he needs to get in the gym and look presentable. Sorry but if he is in the ring going toe to toe with Antonio Cesaro, the majority of the WWE fans are going to say, “How in the hell is this little fat guy giving this gladiator of a man a fight.” No way Joe gets hired unless he drops some lbs. (ironically, Joe v Cesaro would probably be a hell of a match)
· Chavo Guerrero was an undercard guy in WWE and WCW. WWE will have no interest in hiring a 40 year old jobber.
· Christian York is in his mid 30’s and spent his entire career on the indy circuit. Unfortunately, he is too up there in age for WWE to take a chance on with so many young guys in developmental along with the constant poaching of ROH stars.
· Joey Ryan is 33 and has an interesting look. However, he just does not have the “it” factor and I don’t see why WWE would give him an opportunity.
· Herandez is 40 years old and nothing more than a tag-team or mid-card guy. No way WWE takes a chance on him. Same thing goes with Doug Williams.
· The D.OC., Mike Knox and all of the masked guys in Aces and Eights would not be hired. In fact, I am not sure why TNA is using these guys but that is for another time. Anyways though, these guys are not good on the mic, are less than stellar workers and have no drawing power. No way WWE puts them on its roster.

Conclusion:
In closing, there was a time that the IWC referred to TNA as a place where WWE guys go when they get old or fired. While I believe TNA has evolved, I believe that this theory still holds true. Unfortunately, when TNA guys get fired, it may not be as easy for them to just jump ship and get a WWE job. In fact, I noticed that I only listed 6 guys that would come into WWE as full time wrestlers and get put on TV as singles competitors (technically 7 assuming that Bobby Roode is not put in Beer Money). Of the these wrestlers, Angle and Hardy are former World Champions and Mr. Anderson/Kennedy is a former MITB winner. These three guys all had very distinguished WWE careers and are being brought back because of their stint in WWE opposed to their work in TNA. All in all, I only see 4 non WWE guys (Bobby Roode, Eric Young, Austin Aries and AJ Styles) being able to get hired in WWE based off what they did in TNA. Maybe TNA is not evolving as much as I thought after all.