New "Kidd" on the Block

How about that Tyson Kidd, eh? He's agile, well-versed in mat wrestling, has a pretty unique hairstyle, and is rolling with Natalya. He's gotten a few wins under his belt so far. He's pretty impressive, isn't he? But who is he and why does he hold the key to the success of others in his hands? Let's take a look at this fellow for a second and see what we can get. Thanks again, Wikipedia.

Tyson Kidd's name is actually T.J. Wilson, a name very popular in Canada, Japan, and some random independent federations. He was trained in Stu Hart's Dungeon as well as by Tokyo Joe, who got him bookings in Japan(New Japan Pro Wrestling) and England. At the age of 15, he wrestled his first match in Stampede wrestling. One year later, he wrestled a house show match for the WWE when they were in Calgary. In April of 2002, he was given a chance to wrestle in Japan. This led to his completing 5 tours there, including for the famous "Best of the Super Juniors" tournament in New Japan Pro. While in Canada, he was given the name "The Stampede Kid" and teamed with his good friend Harry "D.H." Smith as part of the team "The Stampede Bulldogs". He trained many young superstars at B.J.'s Gym, owned by B.J. Annis, who married Georgia Hart and had a son with her. The son was the infamous Teddy Hart, known for his ring excellence and very controversial attitude.

In November of 2006, Tyson was called up to the WWE training camps and signed on to Deep South Wrestling, along with his girlfriend/acquaintance Natalie Neidhart, who we know as Natalya (I say girlfriend/acquaintance because the word is that they've been together for five years and are planning to get married soon; however, he was adopted by the Hart Family at the age of 10, and she's the biological daughter of Jim Neidhart and Ellie Hart. Hmm..). He received some great reviews from Bill Demott, the then-head trainer of DSW. After DSW closed its doors, Tyson relocated to Florida Championship Wrestling, the WWE's newest training facility to start the "Next Generation Hart Foundation" with D.H. Smith, Teddy Hart, Natalya, and even Ted DiBiase, Jr., whom is in the "Legacy" faction, currently. During his run in FCW, he won the Southern heavyweight title as well as the FCW tag belts with D.H. Smith before being called up to ECW just recently.

Now, I mentioned that Tyson Kidd holds the key to the success of other wrestlers in his hands. I wasn't kidding when I said that. You see, he is now on ECW, but he debuted with Natalya as his valet of sorts. One would say that this was a bit of a step down for Natalya as she is now engrossed in managing on the C show instead of wrestling on the A or B shows. However, Natalya's luck hasn't been very good when it comes to wrestling. She is one very talented diva with a boatload of wrestling experience under her as she has also received training in Stu Hart's dungeon. Yet, when seen on television for the most part, she was seen losing to divas less talented and experienced than her. She lost whatever momentum going into the Divas title hunt by losing to the likes of Michelle McCool, Maria, and even the Bella Twins (through use of the "old switcheroo" technique). Then, when she was tagged up with another talented diva in Victoria, they were on the receiving end of a lot of lost tag matches. Why was all this the case? Some say it was just Natalya's bad luck to be one of a few heel divas on the Smackdown brand as she had to put over many a talentless diva. Some say it was her punishment for getting in a dispute backstage with a diva who just so happened to be dating a wrestler with a lot of clout (if you're wondering who, it's Michelle McCool, who is dating the Undertaker. She had the gall to try and teach Natalya how to wrestle. Right...). Whatever the case, Natalya's success is now being relegated to managing Tyson on ECW instead of wrestling, which sucks. If Tyson does well, she'll do well. If not, then, "Oh well". You follow?

Another person who is counting on Tyson's success isn't on ECW...yet. It's D.H. Smith. Smith's debut has been marred by a number of things. There were poor reviews against him after his first set of matches, a drug policy violation that set him back for months, and a general lack of interest from the creative teams. Tyson's debut on ECW might very well be a sign of the resurgence of "The Stampede Bulldogs" as D.H. Smith is still pretty much a new wrestler without a big following. This might have been the plan from the get-go, but only time will tell. So far, Tyson has been impressive. If D.H. can get latched onto his successful ways, things could look up for him.

In truth, Tyson's immediate success might not be all that direly important as some would make it out to be, me included. But, you have to actually consider the fact that the legacy of the Hart family is sort of at stake here. Tyson, Natalya, and D.H. are all connected to the Hart family directly or indirectly, albeit their names don't have "Hart" in them. That name can get you some enemies in the business, especially the WWE. In fact, the connotation can as well. If these three aren't on their best behavior or at least at their best, they will be seen as flops, marring the possibility of a new generation of Hart family members making their way through the WWE, the same organization that gave the break to their uncles and fathers. If I didn't know any better, I'd say the connection to the Harts is somewhat of a cursed situation while in the WWE, but that could be my "mark" sensors going off. Who knows?

So, basically, there's not much to say on Tyson Kidd's behalf in this analysis since he hasn't done much yet while in ECW. The sky is still the limit for this kid, and the possibility of some nice high-flying matches with another ECW newbie has people abuzz. Take a wild guess as to who I'm talking about. Yes, Evan Bourne. I would definitely love to see those matches take place. But, then again, I would also like to see the Stampede Bulldogs get a shot in the WWE. So, Tyson has the choice of sorts to be a top star on his own or the top star that will bring about the return of another "generation" of Harts in factional form. If that works out, all the better for Natalya and D.H. who are running out of credibility to show and need a boost soon. Who knows? They could even join up with the "Legacy". Still, I would keep an eye on Tyson Kidd and his possible rise to stardom on ECW, as it is something they can use to keep things fresh, new, and entertaining. Now, if only something can be done about that haircut...