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It’s unfortunate that some professional wrestlers are picked to win a title at the wrong time in the business. For Eric Young, Thursday night’s win over Magnus on TNA Impact Wrestling and the TNA World Title reign could not have come at the worse time for him as a professional.

Young, who may me as talented as any cruiserweight in the business, does not get the credit he deserves for not only his work in the ring, his work on in promos and the zany antics that he has had to endure for 10 years in TNA’s outfit. But putting him over now was really the wrong thing to do.

It was just as odd to me as it was to the Miami Herald that wrote about Young’s ascension to the top the TNA food chain.

“In a surprising twist, professional wrestler, TNA Superstar, fantasy sports fanatic and Animal Planet star Showtime Eric Young (twitter: @ShowtimeEY) became the new TNA World Heavyweight Champion, defeating Magnus at Universal Studios Orlando during an explosive episode of IMPACT WRESTLING on Thursday, April 10 on Spike TV.”

When things like this happen, I have to stop and think to myself, “who comes up with these things?”
The fact Young’s win over an over-the-top Magnus, who is the perfect foil for any of the face contenders in the promotion, can only days after a much smaller, more compact wrestler like Daniel Bryan won the WWE World Title in a Triple-Threat Match with Batista and then champion, Randy Orton, who some could say Magnus is fashioned after.

It’s another display of how TNA Wrestling cannot stand on its own and has to regenerate second-rate storylines that mirror the WWE and what has worked for the “parent” company in the past.
This is not the first time things like this have happened. Transitional champions were used by promotions to divide time between “heel” or face reigns. Rarely did you see a “Face vs. Face” title match and watching “Heel vs. Heel” confrontations were almost unheard of in the 1970s and early 1980s. That is why matches like Bruno Sammartino vs. Pedro Morales were rare and the idea of Ric Flair vs. Arn Anderson really never came to fruition.

And all of this began from a 10-man gauntlet match for the No.1 Contender’s spot, resulting in Young’s win.

“This moment is 17 years in the making and a childhood dream realized,” Young said in a release. “Professionally, it doesn’t get any better than becoming the TNA World Heavyweight Championship.”
Young began his professional wrestling training after graduating from high school and quickly made his mark. He joined TNA in 2004 and became a multiple-time tag team champion. Young is also the first and only male to hold the TNA Knockouts Tag Team Championship, winning with his TV wife, ODB. Recently Young has been feuding with his former best friend — a former lawyer, monster and Magnus business associate, Abyss.

What happens in TNA now is something we all have to wait and see. There is a really great storyline to be had with Young – who by all accounts could be another Bobby Roode in the business (hell, he already is and does not get the deserved accolades) – but now it looks like the title reign will be lost within the next few weeks.

I am huge fan of Young the performer, who reminds me some of Anderson and a bit of Randy Savage in his time in Memphis with Jerry Lawler. While the Canadian cannot carry a candle to Savage in charisma, in-ring style and popularity, he does give everything he has night after night. The title reign is great, but I am saddened by how the company is now using this great talent.

Follow David on Twitter @davidlevin71

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