wrestling / Columns
411 Fact or Fiction 04.23.09: Lashley to TNA, Backlash Over WrestleMania, WWE Superstars, More
1. With the WWE Draft complete, Smackdown is now the brand you look forward to watching the most.
David Martell: FACT That couldn’t be more correct. Without the addition of the four horseman of the apocalypse (Triple H, Orton, Batista, and John Cena) these younger guys will get the chance to shine. With the addition of Jericho, Punk, Morrison and Mysterio, we could end up having quality wrestling every week. It is anyone’s game on Smackdown now and I wouldn’t be surprised to see new faces get their shot at the World Title. I am almost positive that Punk will be the face of Smackdown and the feuds he could have are endless. Punk vs. Jericho, Punk vs. Edge and I could always go for another Punk vs. Morrison feud. Lets also not forget about Jeff Hardy, The Undertaker and Shelton. Things are looking great for the blue brand and I can’t wait till after Backlash when things get rolling.
Alex Mattis: FACT Absolutely. Now don’t get me wrong I think that the addition of Koslov and Helems could be greatly beneficial to the “ECW” show, but Smackdown made out with the best roster. They got Punk, Jeri, even Rey Mysterio who has been putting on good showings lately. More importantly they don’t have someone or somenose on the show to keep them down. If you want to know what Raw is going to be from here on out just watch some old episodes from late ’02-early ’03, it’s going to be the same thing. So to get back on track – Yes, Smackdown is going to be the best show, roster, whatever that the E currently has to offer.
Zach Brown: FACT There’s no doubt in my mind that I’ll still watch Raw, but I’m much happier with the roster that Smackdown received. Raw just has too many main eventers for it to possibly be good. I’m not sure if Vince wanted to create a supershow, or if Vince wanted a WWE version of the Main Event Mafia, but whatever the plan was, I think it backfired. There are 6 huge main event names on Raw now: Cena, HHH, Batista, HBK, Big Show, and Orton. Talk about overkill. Meanwhile, over on Smackdown, they pretty much only have Edge, Jericho, and Taker. I could see Rey Mysterio and CM Punk making a few forays into the main event, but it’s not nearly as bad as the group of 6 on Raw. But the thing that makes Smackdown exciting is that it’s going to be the place for mid-carders to become main eventers. I expect CM Punk to get a push that works, and I hope guys like John Morrison and Shelton Benjamin become legitimate threats to the title. Overall, Smackdown has become the most watchable brand, ECW looks alright, and Raw has become my favorite place to see mid-carders make no progress in their careers.
2. Judging by the debut show, WWE Superstars will be a great addition to the WWE TV Lineup.
David Martell: FICTION Well judging by the last episode, it is not looking to good. Superstars has an interesting concept pitting two people who haven’t wrestled each other against one another. Matt Hardy vs. The Undertaker was a fun match but it ended in a DQ, Christian vs. Finlay didn’t get enough time and Shane vs. Rhodes ended with a botched coast to coast. I am hoping that Edge vs. Kofi will at least have a clean finish. I think superstars is a good way to give storylines more of a build. I also think this could be a good way to highlight tag team wrestling since they obviously don’t want to showcase this on their normal programming. Maybe we can even see a match with Jamie Noble. The sky is the limit but they have to put the show together in a better fashion. It could end up being something worth watching but as of right now, it’s just an extra hour of wrestling.
Alex Mattis: FACT Fact-ish. Am I the only one that thinks four shows a week from the same company is a bit much? I think the E is overdoing it with their TV schedule but with how well the first episode turned out I can’t really complain.
Zach Brown: FACT I say this hesitantly, because WWE already has enough shows in my eyes. But the fact is, if WWE is going to put matches on this show that I can’t afford to miss, then I have to watch it too. At least it’s not another brand with a different roster, because I don’t know if I’d be able to handle a fourth one. And I think it’s kind of funny that WWE thinks this show is necessary, because they’ve already been doing this concept when they decided that the brand extensions don’t mean a damn thing. But let’s be honest here. People may see this as another attempt by WWE to flood the TV market with their content, but if they put 4-star matches on this show, people are going to shut up and watch it. Since there isn’t a unique roster to this show, it all depends on the quality of matches. Hopefully, WWE will put on some quality stuff on Superstars, because that would make it a great addition.
3. Backlash will be a better PPV than WrestleMania.
David Martell: FACT This is very hard for me to say because I’m a bit bias towards Wrestlemania 25 because I was in attendance. I doubt anything on the card for Backlash will put on a better match than HBK vs. The Undertaker but the over all card could end up being better. Out of the five matches already announced for Backlash, four of them look very solid. The WWE title match is the only match on the current card that looks bad but there’s no way it could be worse than the match between Orton and Triple H at Mania. Christian and Swagger had a great TV match on ECW and if given time, could tear the house down on PPV. Matt and Jeff Hardy have had a good string of solid matches at Wrestlemania and on Smackdown so I feel they will, once again, have another good gimmick match. Cena vs. Edge has always been solid and with the added stipulation of a last man standing match, we could be in for damn good match. We all know Steamboat can still go and with a one on one encounter with Jericho, we might get an instant classic. This match WILL be better than their pervious encounter at Mania just because Snuka and Piper wont be anywhere near the ring. I am sure more matches will be added to Backlash within the week, but as of right now, Backlash is outshining the grandest stage of them all.
Alex Mattis: FICTION Maybe I’m bias because I had some a rockin’ good time but I don’t think that will be the case. The only match at ‘Mania I didn’t enjoy was the Orton-Trips match (and I fucking HATED it). The Backlash card looks decent at best. The 6-man will be an overbooked mess, Jeri-Steamboat should be fun, Hardy-Hardy won’t be as good as the ‘Mania match, Swagger-Christian could go either way (don’t expect a title change), and the Cena-Edge match could be solid if we hadn’t already seen it 28368953634279 times. The event could be good but I don’t think it’ll be as good as ‘Mania, I mean how could it? It won’t have Taker-HBK.
Zach Brown: FACT That word was extremely difficult for me to write because I loved HBK vs. Taker with every fiber of my being. But you know what I didn’t love? The overall card of Wrestlemania 25. Hardy vs. Hardy was great, Money in the Bank was entertaining, and Stone Cold was awesome, but everything else just sucked. The 25 diva match was one big Santino joke, JBL vs. Rey made my blood boil, the legends match would have been worse if it weren’t for Steamboat, the two main events were hot crap on a plate, the Tag Unification match was great but no one saw it except for the live crowd, and Kid Rock performed. Need I say more? Now I loved being there live, but in retrospect, I would have hated the card even more if I had ordered it at home. What Backlash has going for it is a better card overall. Sure, it doesn’t have HBK vs. Taker, but the rest of the matches are light years ahead of their Wrestlemania equivalents. Jack Swagger vs. Christian should tear the house down. Hardy vs. Hardy in an “I Quit” match is great as well. It probably won’t outdo the ‘Mania match, but it’s still solid. Jericho vs. Steamboat is simply what should have happened at ‘Mania because Snuka and Piper stunk up the arena. And the Last Man Standing Match should also be exponentially better than the Triple Threat Match at ‘Mania. But much like ‘Mania, Backlash suffers from TerribleMainEvent-itis. The 6-man tag is just not anything I want to see. But even though it doesn’t look satisfying, it could still be a great match. Who knows? With Backlash, I’m still on the fence about making the purchase. But in retrospect with Wrestlemania 25, if I wasn’t there in Houston, I would have just found someway to watch HBK vs. Taker online and skipped the rest of the PPV.
4. CM Punk will cash in his MITB shot at the Backlash PPV and win one of the WWE World Titles.
David Martell: FACT Mainly because he needs to. Smackdown cant be without a world title for another month. I guess Edge could get the win over Cena but do they really want to make Edge a nine-time world champion? The title is pass around way to often now a days. I am hoping that CM Punk will cash in the MITB on Cena. This will be a huge victory for Punk and it will bring the blue brand the much needed world title. I guess if he wanted to he could pull the swerve and win the title from Triple H or Randy Orton but that is very unlikely. I could be completely wrong here but I think this is the best time for Punk to cash it in and a very good way to bring Smackdown a world title.
Alex Mattis: FICTION I could be wrong with this one but I don’t think it’s going to be cashed in for quite awhile. Perhaps later this year or early next year. Trips is more or likely going to retain in the 6-man match and I expect Edge to beat Cena for the strap and take the title back over to Smackdown and balance things out for the time being. No, don’t expect the MITB to be cashed in for a while.
Zach Brown: FICTON I just think it’s a little early for Punk at this point. I think that either Edge will beat Cena for the title, or WWE will drag out the whole 2 titles on Raw thing for another month. Yeah, that would be pointless and stupid, but it’s not beyond WWE in my opinion. If Orton beat HHH and then Punk cashed in on Orton, that would make sense storyline wise for Orton kicking him in the head. But, I seem to remember an interview with Punk where he said that he’s cashing it in the traditional way; where they announce his match well ahead of time. That may be misinformation from WWE, but I think it’s the most logical thing for Punk to do. Cashing it in by surprise isn’t the right thing to do here because it would just be setting up CM Punk to have the exact same title reign he had in 2008. Punk needs to announce who he’s going after, build a feud with that person, and then have a match at a big PPV. Cashing it in now is just too soon and the wrong way to do it in my honest opinion.
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5. You’re excited about the return of Christopher Daniels AS Christopher Daniels.
Zach Brown: FACT And fact. The Fallen Angel has been absent from TNA for far too long. Curry Man was just something that Daniels did on the side as a joke on the Indy circuit. It’s like TNA management just went up to Daniels and said, “Hey Chris, you know how you are one of the best wrestlers TNA has ever seen? You know how you are one of only a few people that made this company what it is? Yeah, well get ready to do that joke gimmick you have for nearly a year. Tiny hats, Spicy Drops, the whole sha-bang.” Then once that was over, TNA said, “Hey Chris, now that Curry Man is fired, we’re making you a video game character.” What kind of crap is that? Here’s a tip, TNA: if a wrestler isn’t broke, don’t fix it. Christopher Daniels as The Fallen Angel was fantastic, so I’m glad TNA finally returned to their senses. They had one of the best wrestlers around, and they are finally bringing him back to the glory he deserves. Well, at least that’s what I’m hoping for.
Alex Mattis: FACT Oh fact, fact, and fact again. Christopher Daniels is all-around one of the best professional wrestlers in the game today and over the past two years or so it has angered me so much to see how TNA was dickin’ him around. He has proved time and time again that when given the ball the guy can deliver above and beyond all needs and expectations. I’m glad that TNA finally brought him back and brought him back into a big angle and put him right back at the top of the heap. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for The Fallen Angel. Also, props to CD for pulling double-duty at LockDown. The man be doin’ work and gettin’ his bread.
David Martell: FACT It is about damn time. Christopher Daniels is my favorite wrestler in TNA. I was so pissed when he was in the Curry Man gimmick and even more pissed when he has to dress up like Suicide. Although he is currently pulling double duty as Suicide and Daniels, I am glad to see him back to normal. He fits perfectly along side AJ and Joe going against the MEM. I am still waiting for the day when he has a REAL feud with Sting. Will it happen? Who knows. His match with Angle on last week’s addition of Impact was a great TV match and I hope more is to come from this. If Daniels can get some key wins, maybe some day soon we can see him as the TNA World Champion.
6. Last week’s edition of TNA Impact (the go-home show for Lockdown) was one of the best episodes of Impact ever.
Zach Brown: FACT This actually was a great episode of Impact because it built up the PPV the right way, and that was something that I was almost positive TNA couldn’t do correctly. And not only did Christopher Daniels make his return to TNA, but we got Kurt Angle vs. Daniels on free TV! And it was downright excellent. I also really enjoyed the interview segment with Jeff Jarrett. Jarrett did a good job of making this crazy world of wrestling all seem legit. Also, Foley cut a good promo as Cactus Jack. It would have been better if…something else at Lockdown didn’t happen. But that’s for later. Almost every segment was great this past week, and one of my only complaints with the actual show was the complaint that I have with nearly every episode of Impact!: not enough wrestling for a two hour show. Apparently, TNA is sticking with that formula for the long haul. The thing that has made Impact! nearly un-watchable for me in the past is that there isn’t enough wrestling for two hours, and that most of the segments just suck. But for some reason those segments didn’t suck this time. In fact, they were kind of awesome this time. That coupled with matches that ranged from excellent to somewhat decent makes this episode of Impact! full of win.
Alex Mattis: FICTION Was it a solid show? Totally. Was it one of the best? I don’t think so. It’s one of those things, with how poor the show has been for a while as soon as a great episode is on people are going to love it. I likened it to the TLC 4 match in ’02, the match was pretty good but since Raw had been so awful for so long as soon as that match happened everybody acted like it was the greatest thing ever. Back to iMpact now, Daniels-Angle was a great match as would expect and the show as a whole was solid, but not one of the best the company has ever had. They are still far away from the quality of their show back when they were on Saturday nights and when they first moved to Thursday. Just throwing this out there but my pick for best iMpact ever is still the first night they were on Thursday night, the one where they had the Joe-Daniels match (one of the best matches ever on free TV) and Sting’s return to TV wrestling.
David Martell: FICTION It is easy to say that this is one of the best episodes of Impact ever when many of the previous episodes from the past several months have been utter crap. This was a very good episode of Impact, don’t get me wrong, but not the best. Back when TNA was on FSN and the early days of Spike TV, the shows were so much better. Although there was only one hour of wrestling, they managed to put on a good show on a weekly basis. Eventually they started to clutter every episode with everything they possibly could but back in the early days of TNA, things were great. I am glad that TNA has been stepping up their game on Impact and I hope they continue what they are doing.
7. Mick Foley winning the TNA World Title was the right call.
Zach Brown: FICTION Since Foley joined TNA, I’ve heard an overwhelming cry of support for Foley because everyone thought he was going there to put over young talent. Nope. What is this? Who thought this was a good idea? Mick Foley is their champion? Now I don’t know if this was TNA management’s idea, or if it was Foley’s idea. But if TNA management presented this idea to Foley, he should have been strongly against it. He should have told TNA that he’s only there to help out the young guys and make them stars. He should have told them that he’s been in the spotlight, and he doesn’t need to be there anymore, especially at this point in his career. He should have told them to put the belt on someone new, and to let someone else go over Sting because that would be a great push for said person. But Foley clearly didn’t object at all. And now, I have lost a good amount of respect for him. This guy was one of the all time greats in wrestling. He’s pretty much seen it all and done it all in the wrestling business. Yet, clearly Foley and TNA management thinks it’s necessary for Foley to be in the spotlight one more time. It’s just unnecessary, and I can name off over a dozen wrestlers in TNA that I’d rather see with that belt. Wrong decision, TNA.
Alex Mattis: FICTION It wasn’t the right call to put Foley in a title match at a big event to begin with. Giving him the title is on another level of bad call. Sting beat Joe, who was the dominate force in the company and the big, young, breakout star. He beat him and took his title. Then he beat everyone that challenged him, he beat Kurt Angle, AJ Styles, etc. So for him to lose the title to an older, over-the-hill veteran who isn’t even a TNA guy is not the right call at all.
David Martell: FICTION It would have been the right call ten years ago but right now Foley doesn’t need to be anywhere near the TNA World Title. Out of all the guys Sting has beaten over his reign as world champion, Foley was the one to beat him? This makes no sense at all. I understand storyline wise that TNA is trying to give the “good guys” the upper hand but Mick Foley is way past his prime to be a world champion. Give the title to Joe, or Daniels, or AJ, or hell, even Jarrett! Next thing you know Lashley is going to walk in and win the title from Foley and everything will be considered a joke. This is a bad move by TNA and I can only hope that Foley’s reign doesn’t last very long.
8. Bobby Lashley coming to TNA is good for the company.
Zach Brown: FICTION Did you see Lashley’s debut? The music hit, they show a video of him working out in a six sided ring, and the crowd went absolutely nuts. Oh wait, that was Kurt Angle’s debut. When Bobby Lashley walked out, there was absolutely no crowd reaction. You know why? Because it’s a big ‘ol helping of doodoo sauce. Lashley’s debut in TNA raised several questions for me. Wasn’t Bobby Lashley doing MMA? Is he done with MMA? If so, why did he stop? Did he learn how to hold a microphone? Is this a one shot deal? How many more ex-WWE guys are there going to be? All these questions boggle my mind and make his debut that much more confusing and downright awful. You know why Bobby Lashley coming to TNA isn’t good for the company? Because their real talent are the home grown guys, and they are getting pushed down into an inescapable crevasse. I challenge the current TNA fans to go back and watch some of the old stuff when TNA Impact! was only an hour long. Back when the weight of the company was carried by Christopher Daniels, AJ Styles, Samoa Joe, Abyss, Chris Sabin, Petey Williams, Monty Brown, and hell, even Christian and Jeff Jarrett. Those days were amazingly good. Nowadays, TNA is flooded with all these ex-WWE and WCW guys. Their homegrown talent has no room to breathe, and that’s a problem. Also, Lashley will do nothing for TNA because he’s just not over. WWE pushed him down our throats, and I expect TNA to do the same. Overall, it’s just a bad move to sign an overrated wrestler into an already crowded organization.
Alex Mattis: FICTION How could it be really? For starters Lashley never has been a drawn nor is he worth paying for a ticket two see. Secondly Lashley isn’t even going to take his time in TNA seriously. He seems to be serious about doing MMA (which is odd considering he fought Jason Guida and may fight Bob Sapp) so he isn’t going to put too much of himself and his effort into the company. Aside from that it just pusher the younger, homegrown talent even more. I don’t see anyway that Lashley’s move to TNA can be looked at as a good thing.
David Martell: FACT Only because TNA will gain more exposure with Lashley. Bobby Lashley is well known by wrestling fans and was very much over back in the WWE. Maybe long lost Lashley fans will start tuning in to TNA and the ratings will go up. Of course, this is very unlikely. The fact is, I don’t really like Lashley. He is going to enter TNA and automatically be at the top in a high profile angle or match and I just feel like this is unfair to the younger talent on the roster. Lashley has NOT proved himself. He is god awful on the mic and he is still very green in the ring. Don’t get me wrong, he is a decent wrestler and has a very good look for wrestling but he just doesn’t deserve his spot. Overall, it will help TNA gain more exposure to the everyday wrestling fan.
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