The Triple Threat 05.03.09: 138th Edition - The Brand Extension, Backlash Title Changes, Scott Steiner, More

Posted by David Martell on 05.03.2009

This week we talk about the current state of the Brand Extension, the title changes at Backlash, the WWE pushing their younger talent and much more. Scott Steiner is our Superstar Highlight. Come inside!

Welcome back once again to the Triple Threat Column. This week we talk about the title changes at Backlash, younger talent getting pushed in the WWE, Trevor Murdoch debuting in TNA, Lance Hoyt possibly going to the WWE and the current state of the Brand Extension. Scott Steiner is our superstar highlight. Please enjoy!


Topic # 1 How do you feel about all three major WWE titles changing at Backlash?

David Martell: Backlash ended up being a big surprise and I enjoyed all three title matches. I am happy that Christian won the ECW title because this will shut up those people who think that the E has no faith in him. His match with Swagger was a great opener and probably the second best match on the card overall. Edge winning the World title was a no brainier because Smackdown needed the gold. The match delivered big time and it was a great way to "end" the three year long feud. I was actually surprised to see Orton win the belt at Backlash. I am even more shocked that he won it in a semi clean fashion. I am not really too excited about his upcoming feud with Batista because Batista has been looking gassed since his return. I can actually say that I am happy with all three champions right now and I look forward to some, hopefully, fresh feuds.

Alex Mattis: Color me surprised. I expected no title changes but I knew if one was to come it was going to be Edge taking the strap from Cena because SmackDown needs a belt. Christian over Swagger really surprised me, and Orton going over Trips rather clean left me rather happy. Christian as champ on "ECW" should lead to some interesting developments and matches. Edge as champ on SD will be just as it was last time. And Orton as champ on Raw can only mean good things.

Zach Brown: I'm a big fan of the title changes at Backlash. But as much as I liked what happened, I do have a few minor complaints. First of all, I'm a little disappointed in Swagger losing to Christian because Swagger really could have used the win over Christian. But I am of course a big fan of Christian, so it's not a huge deal to me that Swagger lost. Overall, they put on a fantastic match, and it made me even more disappointed in retrospect that WWE didn't have this match at Wrestlemania 25. Then Hunter Hurst Hitler finally dropped the strap. The question has to be asked, why didn't they do this at Wrestlemania? They had one of the biggest and best builds towards a heel winning big at Wrestlemania, and they failed to pull the trigger. And then they give it to Orton at Backlash? On one hand, it's cool that Orton lost the strap at Backlash last year only to win it back one year later. But having him win it at Backlash just seems like Wrestlemania was even more of a missed opportunity. But the bottom line is, Orton has the title, and that's just what needed to happen. Over on the blue brand, I was extremely happy with the way that the Last Man Standing match went. It was an extremely solid match. One of the only things that held me back from completely loving it was the fact that I am not a huge fan of either Edge or John Cena. But I will say that I am much, much happier that Edge won the title. And did Big Show really need to get involved? It was only a minor quirk from me, but still. And like with Orton and HHH, what was the point of Cena's win at Wrestlemania if he's only going to lose it a month later? Overall, I'm very happy with the title changes at Backlash. In fact, I'm so happy with the title changes that I wish they had made these same decisions a month ago. Because the fact of the matter is, people will remember Wrestlemania 25, and most will tend to forget Backlash 2009.

Topic # 2 What are your thoughts on the E pushing the younger talent this past week?

David Martell: This is how the E should have been running things in the first place. Finally we see younger talent get pushed on the A and B shows. When MVP interrupted Orton during his promo I got excited. I think MVP is becoming a damn good wrestler and the fact that they let him confront the champion means that Vince has faith in him. The Miz calling out John Cena was pretty crazy. I really thought the Miz would be lost in the mid card somewhere but calling out John Cena is a big step for his career. The fact that RAW surprised me twice in one night was pretty ridiculous. I had it set in my mind that RAW was going to be god awful because we were going to end up seeing different variations of Batista, Orton, Cena, and Triple H feuding with each other. With MVP and the Miz starting off strong, who knows what will happen. Over on Smackdown, John Morrison had a confrontation with Jericho that had me on my feet. Morrison is a phenomenal wrestler and a lot of people think he's the next HBK. I think that's a good comparison and who better than Jericho to help him hone his ability even more. I am looking forward to this feud more than anything going on right now. It seems like the WWE has changed there mind on how to do things and I hope this will continue from week to week.

Alex Mattis: It's a breath of fresh air for the E to be pushing younger, hungrier talents but I think it's just a cyclical thing and I'm not sure if I can expect it to last too long but for the time being I'm very happy. Orton as champ is a great start, if he goes over Batista it will be saying even more so we will have to see what happens. The E pushing younger talent is a new concept but one that they should stick with. I think once they realize how good things are going it will be a trend they stick to.

Zach Brown: Hooray for using your young talent! MVP having a match with Randy Orton? Ballin! The Miz calling out John Cena? Wonderful! John Morrison giving Chris Jericho a piece of his mind!? Stupendous! Dolph Ziggler taking a run at the US Title? Meh-tackular! Is this WWE I'm watching? First of all, the fact that I even saw MVP, The Miz, and even The Brian Kendrick on Raw is a miracle considering the two ton anvil of main event talent on this brand. But they actually made MVP and The Miz look like they have a legitimate future in the main event, and that's something that I'm really excited for. I'm really hoping these two start mixing it up with main eventers on a routine basis. And while John Morrison's exchange with Chris Jericho was disappointingly short, it's obvious they will be feuding in the next couple of weeks. And that is completely bad ass. John Morrison needs to be over as soon as humanly possible, and feuding with Jericho is a great way to do it. As for Dolph Ziggler, I'm hot and cold on this one. If this guy is the future United States Champion, then I think that's pretty cool. If this guy is going to go around saying, "I'm Dolph Ziggler. Shake my hand." for much longer, I'm going to have a brain aneurysm. I like the cocky side of his character, and I love the push he's getting, but the whole name and hand shaking thing has got to go. Overall, I love what WWE did this past week. It gives me faith that they can create future stars, especially when I thought they were all about their main event guys and no one else.

Topic # 3 Trevor Murdoch recently made his TNA debut. Your thoughts?

David Martell: I am really not digging the name Jethro Holliday. Does the WWE have the rights to Trevor Murdoch? This is a decent pickup for TNA but I feel like they are bloating their roster. Murdoch is a decent wrestler but he's not very impressive. I always thought he was pretty bland in the WWE but maybe he can show me something different in TNA. I much rather watch Petey Williams or Dutt wrestler instead but TNA released them. Out with the good and in with the bland I always say.

Alex Mattis: With TNA it was just a matter of time. The fortunate part of this is the fact that Murdoch is actually very talented. It should be interesting to see how things turn out for him in TNA. He was very underutilized in the E and this is his chance to redeem himself. He could fit into that whacky mid-card in-between the X-Division and the main eventers. I wouldn't mind seeing a match between him and AJ or even Joe. Maybe they'll stick him with Storm & Roode. That could be fun, right?

Zach Brown: Hate it. Awful, terrible, no good, bad times. Trevor Murdoch, Jethro Holliday, or whatever you want to call him; I call him the joke side of that southern stereotype tag team in WWE. You know who made Cade and Murdoch tolerable in WWE? Lance Cade did. Not this guy. I never liked Trevor Murdoch. Yeah, he's kind of a throwback to how old wrestlers used to look and wrestle. But I've just never been impressed by anything he's done either in the ring or on the mic. Now the only thing that I don't really mind about Murdoch joining TNA is that he won't push down any of the homegrown TNA guys more than they already are. In fact, he was only in WWE for so long before he was released, so this doesn't help or hurt TNA in any way, shape or form. If it helps the guy pay the bills, so be it. But I wish he could have paid his bills on the indy scene because I don't really want to see him on my TV.

Topic # 4 Theres a rumor going around that Lance Hoyt is going to be signing a deal with the WWE. What do you think about this?

David Martell: I really hope this is a joke because Hoyt is terrible. There was a time I thought he was half way decent but that was when he was in PCW and when I was a teenager. Over the years I have realized how bad this guy really his. What kind of guy has a tramp stamp? Lance Hoyt is just a tall guy with a decent look and that's it. His wrestling is average and I have a feeling he would have a hard time getting over in the E. Maybe if he gets on ECW he can start fresh and show us something we haven't seen before. I guess everyone deserves a second chance so if this is true, I pray to God something good comes of it.

Alex Mattis: What is going on here? Hoyt was mediocre by TNA standards (while in their prime) which means... he should do great in the E. Seriously though, Hoyt has always had something to offer to wrestling, I've never been able to put my finger on what exactly it is but he does offer something. Plus he's an incredibly nice guy so I can't say too many bad things about him. If this is true I give him props and wish him the best of luck.

Zach Brown: Also not good. I've seen Lance Hoyt wrestle live on numerous occasions. This was not by choice. I've never been a fan of Lance Hoyt. I didn't like him when he was generic Lance Hoyt, and I didn't like him when TNA turned him into Slash. And when I've seen him live, most of the time, the audience can't help but chant, "Test! Test! Test!" That's never a good thing. And have you seen that tattoo on his lower back? That's the kind of thing you get when you're piss drunk, and the rest of your friends tell you it looks awesome and that you're a bad ass when they're really laughing their ass off. Lance Hoyt is just generic and overrated. Actually, I take that back. Lance Hoyt is just rated. There was one time many moons ago in TNA when Lance Hoyt was in some sort of fatal four way for a number 1 contenders match or something like that. When it looked like Lance could win, I marked out just slightly when I thought, "How crazy would TNA be if they gave the ball to Lance Hoyt?" But alas, he didn't win, and TNA snapped out of their brief Hoyt-gasm. I don't expect WWE to find any sort of decent place for Lance Hoyt. Hell, they had Colt Cabana, and they couldn't find a place for him, which is beyond ridiculous. The bottom line is, WWE has had some severe problems finding spots for much more talented people than Lance Hoyt, so I don't expect anything significant to happen from Lance Hoyt's signing.

Topic # 5 What are your thoughts on the current state of the Brand Extension?

David Martell: If the WWE keeps each brand completely separate, I can actually enjoy the brand extension. The last several months superstars from each brand would show up on any show at any time and it just didn't make sense. The brand extension is to keep things separate and it was just not working out. Supposedly the WWE is finally ready to do things right and I an excited about this. By keeping things separate, each brand can build up new stars with ease. It gives younger guys more room to shine. I am just wondering how long this will last. If things stay apart till the Royal Rumble, I will be satisfied. If things are all mixed up again by Summerslam, there's no point in doing the brand extension. I want to see younger guys become main eventers and I want to see belt actually matter. Right now the ECW title is actually looking like a big deal and Smackdown has the greatest roster of guys I have seen in a long time. Hopefully the E is serious about everything and we get the brand extension that we deserve.

Alex Mattis: I have NEVER been a fan of the brand extension or any of the things it has brought. With that being said, I have to accept the fact that this is what we have to live with with the E right now so I'm going to have to make lemonade. This is probably the first time in a long time that I have been please with the state of the brands. I am cool with the state of Raw, accept "ECW" for what it is, and love the state of SmackDown. What they need to cut back on is the constantly having people work on different shows all the time. They were really bad about it last year but if they can improve on that they could really solidify the whole idea of the "brands" and have the best year since the conception of the brand idea.

Zach Brown: I really hope WWE keeps this brand extension much more exclusive in the future. I don't want to see a bunch of wrestlers wrestling on all three brands or even two brands for that matter. If wrestlers are going around all willy nilly just wrestling wherever WWE wants to, it cheapens the draft, and it just makes the different brands completely pointless. Now if WWE did want to keep the wrestlers wrestling on all three shows, I think they could make it work by doing some sort of actual competition between Raw and Smackdown with ECW thrown in there somewhere. I know I am in the minority here, but I was a big fan of the Invasion angle. I just loved the idea of two huge teams. You were either on one side, or the other. It was awesome. Now I know it was stupid how the WCW/ECW guys all had to cheat to win, and even then, they needed WWE guys to "defect" to make them seem like a legitimate threat. But that was then, and this is now. Sure, it's kind of goofy because they're all one company, but I'd love to see two huge teams go at it again. But the odds of WWE doing this are extremely slim, and I'm fine with that. The way things are presently, I'd like the brands to be completely exclusive. That way, new feuds are fresher, we get more of a different feel to each show, and if you don't like certain wrestlers, you can just ignore an entire brand altogether. That would work for me.



Superstar Highlight

Our thoughts on Scott Steiner.

David Martell: Everybody knows, wants to know, how bad Scott Steiner is. He is very bad. For a man who has over ten years of wrestling under his belt, how come he only uses one move? Scott, I think you mastered the belly to belly suplex by now. Give us something new! Every time this man speaks I have to dumb my self down just to understand him. He use to be a part of the greatest tag teams of all time and now he is just a joke. I wonder how much steroids this guy has taken. His muscles have muscles! I doubt that Steiner will be wrestling for that much longer and the day he retires will be something special.

Alex Mattis: HAH!?!??!?! Or whatever it is that he constantly spouts. Plain and simple Scott Steiner is still one of the most entertaining men in all of pro wrestling... but it is always for the wrong reason (at least for the past 10 years). Growing up I always loved the Steiner Bros and will always give props to Scott for bring the hurricanrana to the US , and was later entertained by the "Big Poppa Pump" deal and have enjoyed his TNA work because he always works hard. But the truth of the matter is that Scott is way past his prime and is too juiced for his own good... for the good of ANYONE. He needs to think about hangin' em' up before too long because at this pace he is for sure going to be another pro wrestling that dies way too early due to the physical and chemical abuse he has taken.

Zach Brown: Scott Steiner is always trying to get my "sympy." But he doesn't get my "sympy" at all. Classic Steiner. For the most part, I'm not a big fan of Scott Steiner. First of all, the guy is living proof that TNA has little to no steroid testing. If Scott Steiner got off the juice, he'd look like Stevie Richards. Second, what's with his promos? Granted, they have provided me with several unintentional laughs, but it gets so bad that I think Scott Steiner might have some serious problems with grammar and speech. One of my favorite Steiner promos is the classic, "You see, I come from a highly educated university! So when I come out here and speak to these white trash, I gotta dumb myself down." When Scott Steiner has to dumb himself down for anyone on Planet Earth, you know you have problems. As for his wrestling, I'm not a huge fan. You know why? Because a belly-to-belly suplex gets old about the third time he does it in a match. Scott is great at that one move, but he does it so much that it makes me think it's all he knows. And the camel clutch gets old as well. The only time I've ever marked out for Scott Steiner was when he did the Frankensteiner at Lockdown a few years ago. Talk about out of nowhere. But the fact of the matter is, I really don't think Steiner has any sort of drawing power in TNA anymore. If he got fired, would people stop watching? Would they even be upset? I seriously doubt it. All in all, Steiner is the quintessential ex-WWE guy that does next to nothing for TNA by him being on the roster.


That is it for this week. Please feel free to leave comments at the bottom of the page and have a great week in wrestling. CYA!