411 Fact or Fiction 03.26.09: Shelton Benjamin as Mr. MITB, Sting vs. Foley, the 500th Smackdown, More!

Posted by Larry Csonka on 03.26.2009

Week TWO HUNDRED and TWENTY THREE features Aaron Hubbard, Bryan Carpenter and discussion of Kip James and Jacqueline taking backstage roles…

Welcome back to another week of 411 Fact or Fiction: Wrestling Edition! This week we have TWO men stepping up to the challenge as 411 Writer Aaron Hubbard joins 411 reader and TWO TIME Fact or Fiction veteran Bryan Carpenter in the 411 Arena to do battle in this week's edition of Fact or Fiction!

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Questions were sent out Monday morning.

Participants were told to expect WWE and TNA related questions.

If you would like to appear in the column, shoot me an email!


1. Vince McMahon was reportedly not happy with Jack Swagger's last PPV performance and is considering not having the ECW title defended at Wrestlemania due to this. You agree with Vince McMahon.

Aaron Hubbard: FICTION. And a big fiction at that. Jack Swagger is the cream of the crop of WWE's young talent, and deserves his spot on the Wrestlemania Card. So the kid had an off night at No Way Out. Big deal. Everyone has an off night. Sometimes you have to let them sink or swim. The ECW Title is the third biggest title in the company, and it SHOULD be defended at the biggest show of the year. The most likely opponent is Evan Bourne, and a Bourne vs. Swagger match will be a great showcase of the future of the company.

Bryan Carpenter: FICTION. I'm still not sure why McMahon-agement chose to debut Christian on ECW just five days before No Way Out instead of at the pay-per-view itself. Imagine if Teddy Long would have added Christian to the Finlay vs. Jack Swagger ECW Championship match at NWO as a last minute treat for the rabid Seattle fans in attendance. Finlay would still be there to eat the pin from Swagger, which could easily set up Christian vs. Swagger for Wrestlemania 25. But now both Christian and Finlay are set to participate in this year's Money in the Bank ladder match, and with Wrestlemania just a few weeks away, "The All-American American" doesn't seem to have a viable challenger anywhere in sight.

Jack Swagger has been making the best out of his first run as ECW Champion, but if he is denied a chance to shine on "The Grandest Stage of Them All," all of this time spent establishing Swagger as one of the company's biggest up-and-coming "entertainers" will be for nothing. The WWE should use these few remaining weeks before Wrestlemania to come up with a number one contender for Swagger's title -- the returning Evan Bourne immediately comes to mind as one of the most over guys on the ECW roster in line for a shot at the strap. Mr. McMahon has already put a great deal of faith in Jack Swagger, so why not give him at least ten minutes at Wrestlemania to further prove himself worthy of the ECW Championship?


1 for 1


2. While a Sting vs. Mick Foley match has name value, both men are too broken down to deliver the goods in 2009.

Aaron Hubbard: FACT. I love Sting, and I love Mick Foley. When Sting is motivated and with the right opponent, he can have a good match. Ditto with Mick Foley. However, I do not think these two will have a good chemistry. Another thing hurting the match is that it happening at Lockdown. Foley is a brawler and does best when he has an entire arena and a bunch of toys to use. Of course, I'd love to be proven wrong, but my gut says the match will be a disappointment for most. Of course, if our expectations are lower, our enjoyment of the match is likely to be higher.

Bryan Carpenter: FACT. After successfully defending the TNA World Championship against Kurt Angle at Destination X, Sting's reign as the company's top man continues on, and if The Stinger can manage to slip by the Olympic Gold Medallist with his belt still intact, I can't see Mick Foley standing as much of a challenge for the champ. Even though Foley and Sting *might* surprise us all with a decent brawl for the TNA Championship at Lockdown, I think it's pretty safe to assume that any attempt to duplicate an encounter like the one these men gave to us back at Beach Blast '92 will be sorely miscalculated.

2 for 2


3. With MVP winning the US title on the 500th episode of Smackdown, Shelton Benjamin now becomes a frontrunner to win the MITB match at Wrestlemania.

Aaron Hubbard: FACT. Well, let's eliminate the obvious ones. CM Punk won't win again, I don't think Henry will even be able to climb the ladder, and Finlay is sadly a mid-card comedy act, so those three are out. MVP still has an outside chance of winning, but it is not likely. Kane might win, but that doesn't seem to fit his character. So we are down to Kofi Kingston, Christian, and Benjamin. Kofi has a good shot if WWE is REALLY behind him, but I don't think he's ready to be there yet. Christian would fit the role, but I don't think he needs it to be considered a main event threat. Benjamin, on the other hand, is a talanted worker that has been having great matches for the last year, is over as a cocky heel, but just needs a little extra "something" to push him over the top. In my opinion, this year's Money in the Bank will be all about the Benjamins. Ain't no stoppin' him now.

Bryan Carpenter: FACT. A frontrunner, but not quite thee frontrunner. Christian seems to be nearly everyone's pick to win this year's Money in the Bank, and with good reason. The self-proclaimed "Instant Classic" made his debut on ECW last month and has since had several entertaining bouts against ECW Champion Jack Swagger. Even though another match between Christian and Swagger seemed like a perfect fit for this year's Wrestlemania, Christian instead went on to win spot in MITB. Shelton Benjamin, on the other hand, has proven himself year after year as being one of the most entertaining MITB competitors, often taking huge risks that get monster pops but have yet to earn him a victory in the annual contest. Although Christian seems like the most obvious choice to win MITB this year, I think it's safe to say that "The Golden Standard" certainly has better odds of winning over most of the other guys in the match (namely Finlay, Kane, and Mark Henry).

3 for 3


---SWITCH~!---


4. While getting Kip James off of TV was a great move, removing Jacqueline from Beer Money with no explanation was a bad move.

Bryan Carpenter: FICTION. I'll go with Fiction based solely on the fact that James Storm and Robert Roode have established themselves as TNA's top tag team and no longer need to rely on Jacqueline to act as their mouthpiece. Beer Money is set to defend the TNA Tag Team titles against Team 3D at Lockdown in Philadelphia -- which is where Brother Ray and Brother Devon got started on their way to becoming one of the most accomplished tag teams in professional wrestling history. Should Beer Money defeat Team 3D in their own backyard at Lockdown, any doubts of Roode and Storm being able to carry themselves on their own as one of the best teams in wrestling today should be laid to rest.

Aaron Hubbard: FACT. Well, Kip James ceased to be entertaining about a decade ago, and the "Cute" gimmick was just painful, so yeah, that's a good move. Jacqueline leaving with no explanation is also not good, but not that big a deal. Beer Money does not NEED Jacqueline to be over, as they are possibly the most entertaining duo in the business right now. However, stuff happening for no reason is never good.

3 for 4


5. The 500th edition of Smackdown unfortunately was treated as a regular show and not the special occasion it should have been.

Bryan Carpenter: FICTION. Let's recap last week's Smackdown. Vladimir Kozlov lingers dangerously closer to joining the WWE's dreaded "Best Wishes On Future Endevors" list after taking a clean loss to Triple H while MVP wins his second United States title by beating reigning champion Shelton Benjamin in a solid contest. Shawn Michaels picks up a win over Kane and Jeff Hardy pins THEE Brian Kendrick in a preview of Wrestlemania's Extreme Rules match pitting Jeff against his brother Matt. Undertaker gives JBL his second consecutive loss since ripping the Intercontinental title out of the hands of CM Punk a few weeks ago, and finally, Big Show and Edge play keep-away with Vickie Guerrero's unconscious body as we approach the end of the Road to Wrestlemania. Although I think the 500th edition of Smackdown would have benefited more from an actual match involving Big Show, Edge, and John Cena as the main event instead of the goofy promo that took its place, overall the show was entertaining pretty much throughout and satisfied this particular wrestling fan.

Aaron Hubbard: FICTION. Everything on this show mattered. HHH-Kozlov, Taker-JBL, and HBK-Kane were all marquee matches that delivered. Having Shawn Michaels WRESTLE on Smackdown was huge, I think. We also got an extreme rules match and a title switch, which does not happen very often. This show was really good, and yeah, it probably could have been bigger, but the timing was rough. Everything should be building to Wrestlemania right now, and honestly, the 500th episode of WWE's "B" Show is not nearly as important as the 25th edition of Wrestlemania. If the 500th episode had landed in May or October, a much bigger deal would have been made. Thems the breaks sometimes.

4 for 5


6. JBL should lose the IC title to Rey Mysterio at Wrestlemania and then retire from being an active in ring performer.

Bryan Carpenter: FACT. Since nearly every possible contender for JBL's newly-won Intercontinental title is already tied up in this year's Money in the Bank, Rey Mysterio just seems like the next guy in line for his chance to become IC Champion, which would be his first ever during his long, illustrious career. Holding the IC title could finally lead to some interesting feuds for Rey-Rey since being drafted to Raw last year. It sure would beat watching him repeatedly squash guys four times his size every night. As far as JBL retiring is concerned -- I haven't cared for the guy in a long time, ever since he was kicking ass and taking names with Faarooq a decade ago. If the self-proclaimed "Wrestling God" actually hangs up his boots for good, I surely wouldn't miss his rambling, monotone interviews or his blubbery manboobs come Monday night.

Aaron Hubbard: FACT. I'm in the camp that was supporting JBL as far back as 2004 and his world title reign. I've been a fan of his going all the way back to his days in the Acolytes. He is a great brawler and one of the best on the mic. But his best days are long gone. Aside from the insanely cheesy parking lot brawl with John Cena and his cameo in the Elimination Chamber, can you name one truly memorable match JBL had last year? Thought not. As of right now, JBL has had a tremendously successful career, having won almost every title there is to win and gotten over as one of the best heels in the biggest wrestling company in the world. He should retire now while he still has some dignity. Whether he chooses to return to the announce table or take up other ventures, he'll be successful. He's been successful at everything he's ever tried, and that's more than most of us can say. Rey could use a run with the IC Title, as he's been in purgatory for a while now. This was the easiest Fact or Fiction choice I've ever made.

5 for 6

Come on back next week for more of 411 Fact or Fiction: Wrestling Edition!