With Alberto El Patron now no longer champion and GFW scrambling to fill the void, I’m ranking the top ten likeliest wrestlers to win the belt on Thursday.

 

 

 

 

 

Honorable Mention – Kingston (Chances: .01%)
– Kingston is a guy not in the spotlight, has a great ability to get over on the mic, is surprisingly really good in the ring, and has proven he can carry a company on his back, like Chikara. The only big issue is what to do with him once he’s back. He’s been off t.v. for a variety of reasons since the new ownership took over, but they are fans of him. His nagging injuries though do cause some doubt.

 

 

 

 

 

10) Rey Mysterio (Chances: 5%)

– Rey Mysterio’s not done with Lucha Underground, but I’m sure there exists a possibility somewhere that GFW and L-U could strike a deal that would see Rey Mysterio pop over early but seems rather unlikely. However, who knows what the contract states. So there remains a possibility that we could see Rey. Although I’m ruling that it won’t happen.

 

 

 

 

 

9) John Hennigan [Mundo/Morrison] (Chances: 15%)

– Hennigan falls into the same conversation as Rey Mysterio. He still has a contract with Lucha Underground, and him appearing on television for GFW is unlikely, just like with Rey Mysterio. Hennigan though could possibly show up, as unlike Mysterio, Hennigan has already worked with GFW just on the house shows and not on t.v.

 

 

 

 

 

8) Eddie Edwards (Chances: 16%)

– Eddie Edwards would be a 99% but he’s currently dealing with an injury at the moment, but who knows how long it’ll keep him out. Edwards is currently the top babyface on the roster, and has the pedigree and talent to sustain the World Title, though he lacks great mic skills to help captivate a t.v. audience, which would ultimately make him a transitional champion.

 

 

 

 

 

7) Moose (Chances 20%)

– If this were 18 months from now, I’d have a more favorable view of Moose; however the large brawler still does seem to be missing some things from his game. Like Edwards, he’s not overly great on the mic, but his ‘Moose’ chant does help lesson that. In the ring he’s unique but hasn’t shown the ability to put on consistent show stealing matches, and really doesn’t have any to his credit at the moment. That’s in part to him wrestling in the very slow Grand Championship Division, but still, it’s not really an excuse. His current feud with EC3 should help flush him out as a worker.

 

 

 

 

 

6)Ethan Carter III (Chances 25%)

– Another case of “If…”, because IF EC3 weren’t the Grand Champion, I’d say this is a lock, but right now the booking committee feels that EC3 helps raise the prestige of the Grand Championship, and that’s where he’s needed right now. EC3 though should be back in the title scene by years end, regardless of who else comes in.

 

 

 

 

 

5) Eli Drake (Chances 45%)

– If…there’s that word again, Eli Drake was a face, I’d have this as a 98%. Drake as a face champion would be an undoubted lock but that’s just it, he’s not a face. Right now Lashley is a better heel and Low Ki is a better heel. Drake is the better talker of the three, but Lashley and Low Ki make better storyline sense. Low Ki is the single’s lead of the top heel stable in the company and Lashley never loses unless he beats himself. Drake would need to turn face, something the company may just do.

 

 

 

 

 

4) James Storm (50%)

– James Storm is in the perfect situation for this, mostly. He’s not attached to a major angle, he’s not injured, he’s consistent, he’s not going to ‘age out of his talent’, and he’s reliable in the sense that he won’t be arrested anytime soon. The only issue against Storm is that he’s been out of the public eye for a little while and had he been feuding with someone closer to the belt, would make perfect sense.

 

 

 

 

 

3) Lashley (51%)

– Lashley again, would make all the sense in the world if the story of his MMA training group wanting him to quit pro wrestling wasn’t actually happening. Lashley is currently having to decide between MMA and pro wrestling, and despite his success, there are some who feel American Top Team would drop Lashley if he didn’t walk away. Unless they planned on some sort of deal where Lashley would hold the belt until Bound for Glory and drop it, Lashley winning it now wouldn’t do much, as he’d be leaving at the end of it.

 

 

 

 

 

2) Matt Sydal (65%)

– Matt Sydal is likable, a great worker, has a personality fans find charming, isn’t the best mic worker but has shown a lot of improvement in GFW’s style of vignettes, and seems to be a fairly loyal guy. However, Matt Sydal has a criminal record. Alberto El Patron was stripped and suspended not because of any direct actions he’s done recently but because of the way he’s been handling things as of late. He’s someone who is unreliable and makes the company look bad. Would people feel the same about Sydal? Would his several months in Japanese prison be too much for some people to get past?

 

 

 

 

 

1) Low Ki (90%)

– Low Ki just makes the most sense. He’s in the biggest stable in the company, backed by some of the best talent and talkers, he himself is a great promo guy and a great worker. Sure his suit isn’t awesome, but I’m sure that can be fixed if needed. He’s already in the title scene, having stolen the World Titles and gotten in El Patron’s face, and he has the linage with the company one would one. However, he has no track record of being the top guy, he is known to be hard to work with and he’s quit TNA/GFW three times prior. He’s got some question marks, but I feel Low Ki’s a professional enough that he wouldn’t bail as champion.