Why Not Cross the Line?

When WWE performers get their marching papers, their "Future Endeavor" papers, they have one of a great many options, depending upon a number of factors. Let's have a look at a few factors.

- Schedule (Does a performer want to travel a lot?)
- Moving up the card (Is there a promotion that will see what WWE missed?)
- Networking (Might there be a tag team partner that will bring me back into a big promotion?)

Without diving too far into details, because every story is different, I'll hit some of these factors.....

Schedule......WWE runs their performers ragged and torn. Jeff Hardy, John Morrison, and a long list of other performers have left the business never to return because of WWE's REALLY hectic schedule. TNA is traveling more for their tapings, running their shows back to back in the course of one week in terms of tapings. Every two weeks they have their tapings on Mondays and Tuesdays for the coming Thursday airings. Additionally, they have house shows, which run once or twice weekly depending upon the tapings schedule. In any case, you're looking at a 3 day work week. Ring of Honor is a different animal, without a true traveling schedule, but their exposure is somewhat lacking.

If a performer is truly looking to heal themselves after running WWE's schedule, right now, TNA is growing into a traveling show in their own right, which means that TNA might not be the place to go to heal anymore. They still travel less than WWE and that might sound good, but when you consider a binding agreement and appearances for autographs and publicity, some former WWE employees NEED a complete disconnect, to do things they didn't have time for when they were on the road all the time. It sometimes is necessary to do things on your own terms for a while before feeling ready to make the commitment once more.

Moving up the card......TNA is reported to have had plans to bring in John Morrison to headline their X Division, to make him the divisions' star attraction. Why? Name recognition. If a guy like Morrison is getting the top brass to take notice even to build a division around you, why not sign? Simple. Why would you sign on the dotted line if you want a spot at the very highest echelons? You're offered the silver ring, but you want the gold one; even if the silver one is a lucrative venture, you want that top spot for the big gold. Matt Morgan is sitting on some gold right now, but that was never in the plans for him on the TNA docket. Before being on the injured list last year during the BFG Series, he was a front runner to be in the place Bobby Roode is now. Now, they need him to hold up the Tag Team Division.....being a team player like that has it's perks. Ask AJ Styles. He's held every gold TNA has ever crafted.

Networking......Shawn Michaels trained for a great many years before making it big in WWF. Why do I bring up Shawn? If it weren't for a guy he met on the road all those years ago, a guy by the name of Marty Jannetty, we might not have had "The Heartbreak Kid" for not one, but TWO successful WWE runs at nearly a decade apiece. By not signing with a huge operation right away, he met Marty and THEN the two went into business as a tag team. When a wrestler makes connections, it's a big deal. Good friends bring each other good fortune, look at the Kliq. Look at the nWo.

Why not cross the line? Maybe the schedule wasn't right, maybe they didn't believe they'd be used in the way that would lead to the top of the card, maybe they didn't want to feel like outsiders without people to give them a hand up into the organization. Whatever the case, people don't sign who maybe should. And others sign who maybe shouldn't have. But you'll have that anywhere.