Welcome to a Gut Check edition of “On The Marqui.” I'm back!!! Hope all you readers of the site have been well.
As we know, TNA Gut Check is a paid tryout to find the next potential Impact Wrestling star. I noticed quite of few of you readers suggested certain wrestlers like Davey Richards, Adam Cole, Johnny Gargano, Shaun Ricker and Willie Mack. Here's why you haven't seen any of them. TNA management views those stars as too good for OVW. In other words, TNA doesn’t view most of the bigger names on the indies as total diamonds in the rough.
The goal of Gut Check (with wrestlers like Sam Shaw, Alex Silva and Taeler Hendrix) is for TNA to be able to build what we love to call ''HOMEGROWN Stars''. Take Crimson and Rob Terry, for example. Both men when they first debuted in TNA came out of nowhere in the eyes of the die-hard wrestling fans. TNA is not only using their time in OVW as a learning tool but to cement the company’s true brand and system into place for the future.
With regards to this matter, look for the Gut Check losers and even the losers of British Boot Camp to show up in OVW and take part in the training over there. TNA agents will start holding tryouts at other smaller promotions next year along with the Gut Check seminars at the TNA house shows. D’Lo Brown is slated to monitor a number of guys from Hernandez's River City Wrestling. Fans of this whole Gut Check concept should follow @TNAGutCheck on Twitter. The workers and responses that are retweeted reveal which wrestlers TNA has the most interest in. So if you see certain comments retweeted from workers and fans, I suggest you do your research and then prepare yourself for a possible Impact debut of sorts.
TNA is holding tryouts before/after each Impact now. Just recently Christian York had a dark match with a young star named Napalm Bomb. If all goes go according to plan, we will see one of the Indian stars from Ring Ka King compete in a Gut Check TV match and then move onto OVW. Look for Doug Williams to take over all duties once held by Al Snow in OVW.
TNA hopes to create makeshift tag teams off these next few tryouts. Bruce Prichard would rather create a new tag team as their own instead of dealing with outside promoters and copyrights. A large number of stars who took part in TNA tryouts are candidates to help revamp the tag team division. Names such as Shawn Spears, Mike Rollins and the Flatliners come to mind.
Don't be surprised to see guys from the Aces & Eights appear in OVW. Also look for a return of Jesse Neal; it’s a rumor that I've heard floating around in some circles maybe even in OVW. Bubba and Devon have a ton of influence within this developmental system.
To finish things off, check out this interview I did with “The Black Superman” Onyx. He is the reigning APWA World Heavyweight Champion and a man who took part in a TNA Gut Check seminar earlier this year.
“I got started in wrestling in 2008; I started training in Columbus, Ohio with the IWA. I was first trained by a man named Wild Bull Miller. I eventually ventured out and started training in other places, but that’s where I started.”
What made you decide to get into wrestling?
“I always wanted to be a wrestler, but I had things in my life that I had to take care of first before I could commit to becoming who I am today. I remember the first Tough Enough and I wanted to do that, but I couldn’t at that time. Once I got in I was hooked.”
Do you have any background in sports?
“I was an all-state football and wrestler in high school. I was an offensive tackle and defensive nose guard in high school. Nobody ran up my holes, I was a run stopper in my day. I also wrestled and played football in college for 2 years. I have always been a psychical person all my life, so wrestling was right up my alley.”
How did you come up with the name Onyx?
“My wife came up with the name Onyx for me. We were trying to come up with a name and we couldn’t come up with nothing, and then she said, ‘I got it!’ Since I’m a man of color and onyx is her favorite stone, she said that should be my name.”
Who are some of the legends you have worked with?
“Some of the legends I have worked with is like a who’s who. Honky Tonk Man, Brutus Beefcake, Hacksaw Jim Duggan, Dr. Death Steve Williams, Ricky Morton, Demolition and Tony Atlas.”
Are there any wrestlers you looked up to as a kid?
“The people I looked up to were Junk yard Dog, Tony Atlas and Ron Simmons.”
Who would you consider a dream match?
“I dream matchup of mine would be wrestling the World’s Strongest Man, Mark Henry.”
Tell the readers about your Gut Check experience.
“My Gut Check experience was good. It was an honor just being in that ring with D’Lo Brown. I felt like I had a good Gut Check. I also learned a lot.”
What would you bring to Impact Wrestling?
“I will bring to Impact Wrestling something they have never had. I’m a wrestler that demonstrates strength, endurance and agility. Not only am I big and strong, I’m also a thinker. That’s a triple threat. I think Impact will be pleasantly impressed at how fast I would become a fan favorite.”
Thanks goes out to Onyx for taking time out of his busy schedule for this interview. I’d be remiss if I didn't also send well wishes to APWA owner Don West for allowing his champion to do this interview.
Message from JSO
I would like to take this opportunity to publicly congratulate Marqui on his new position as the Head of Talent Relations for the American Pro Wrestling Alliance (APWA). Marqui and I have always had a good friendship since our early days working together on TNAsylum, and I wish him the best of luck with this new venture in his life. While his schedule and other circumstances led to his departure from TNAsylum, he still remains a big supporter of the site. His column will return here on a limited basis.
