The Triple Threat 06.21.09: 145th Edition - Slammiversary, Aries as ROH Champ, Trump Owns Raw, More

Posted by David Martell on 06.21.2009

This week we preview TNA's Slammiversary, talk about Austin Aries winning his second ROH World Title, Donald Trump becoming the "owner" of RAW, recent WWE releases and WWE's ideas for new PPV names. Macho Man Randy Savage is our Superstar Highlight and we also respond to reader feedback from last week. Please Enjoy!












Topic # 1 TNA‘s Slammiversary is this Sunday. What are your thoughts on the card?

David Martell: I hate the King of the Mountain match so I am obviously not going to care to much for the PPV. Lets get started. Daniels vs. Shane Douglas shouldn't be that great of a bout. Douglas is pretty doughy and is past his prime but I can see Daniels pulling out a decent match from him. For storyline purposes I wouldn't be surprised if Douglas won. The monsters ball match will be quite interesting. You don't normally see mixed tag matches on PPVs so this is new. This match should be pretty brutal with Raven and Abyss going at it but the added factor of the women will probably tone down the match. I will put my money on Raven and Daffney winning here. I am all for Victoria winning the knockouts title so lets see it happen. I am sure that Beer Money will win the tag straps because winning a tournament and losing the title match would just be stupid. Matt Morgan vs. Sting is intriguing and something I would like to see. Younger talent getting the chance to show off their skills is always a plus. I am sure Sting will win here because I doubt they will be adding any new faces to the Mafia. For the last two matches, I am going to say that Suicide will keep the X division title and Jeff Jarrett will become the new TNA world champion. God I hate King of the Mountain matches.

Alex Mattis: Oh me oh my has it been 7 years already? I remember the first TNA PPV and to be honest I'm pretty surprised they have made it this far and are celebrating their 7th year in business. While I may not be a big fan of their current product, they deserve props for the success they have had up until this point. Now on the PPV... an odd card that should be "interesting." I think we'll be seeing a title change in both of the King of the Mountain matches. I think they're may be a potential eye-brow raising winner in the TNA title match, I think AJ Styles may win it... just one of my crazy thoughts. Team 3D and Beer Money Inc I'm sure will put on a solid tag match that will end with new champs. Expect Angelina Love to retain her strap. Christopher Daniels should keep his spot on the roster in his match with Shane Douglas. If Douglas was in shape this one could be great... but he's not, so it won't. No idea why Sting is so low on the card but he should be able to carry Morgan to an ok match/brawl. And my uber-crush on Daffeney/ love of Raven's work has me intrigued with the Monsters Ball match. Like I said in the beginning... promises to be interesting.

Zach Brown: First of all, let me go on record and say that the King of the Mountain match is a terrible match idea. It has far too many stipulations, and hanging the belt to win is just downright stupid. So it may not be a surprise to you that I think Slammiversary looks like a terrible card. Daniels vs. Shane Douglas angers me. Would TNA kayfabe fire Daniels from the roster once again? It really wouldn't surprise me at this point. No one wants to see Shane Douglas at this point in his career anyway, and I'm not looking forward to their match. I fully expect the Mixed Monster's Ball match to suck because Raven probably has a good amount of ring rust, and I don't find the match interesting at all. Matt Morgan vs. Sting is interesting. I have no idea if these guys even have chemistry, so that match is neutral for me at this point. Victoria (or "Tara" as they call her in TNA) vs. Angelina Love could be pretty decent because both women are solid wrestlers. The King of the Mountain match for the X-Division title could be great because of the participants involved, so I'm holding out hope that this match is the best on the card. I'm pulling for Shelley to bring the title back to the Motor City. As for the tag titles, Team 3D vs. Beer Money could be great as long as Beer Money pushes Team 3D to have a great match. I just find it ironic that one tag team is comprised of wrestlers that are cutting edge and who are the future of the business, while the other is a team that have had their time in the spotlight and are only a shadow of their former selves. But I digress. I just hope the match ends with a DWI. And for the main event, I don't doubt the possibility that the match could be great. I just hate the match concept, and I hate how the match and all it's participants exist solely to obscure the fact that Foley can't really cut it in the ring anymore. The only two people that I would want to win are Jeff Jarrett or AJ Styles. Hell, anyone but Foley is an improvement at this point. All in all, Slammiversary is a pretty lackluster card in my opinion, and a piss poor way to celebrate the anniversary of TNA.

Topic # 2 Austin Aries became the only person in ROH history to win their world title twice. Your thoughts?

David Martell: This is great for Austin Aries. He is a great talent and was totally underutilized in TNA. Aries is very much deserving of this achievement. He has a great wrestling style and a lot of charisma. It is unfortunate that I don't get the chance to watch much of ROH. TNA is probably kicking themselves in the foot right now. Aries has always been a great overall wrestler. I only wish he was still using the Austin Starr gimmick because it was amazing.

Alex Mattis: Woot! Non-mainstream discussion! I must say that this came as quite a surprise to me. First off I always said that the first 2-time ROH World Champion would be Bryan Danielson so for Aries to be the first one to reach this feat was greatly surprising to me. The company gave Lynn the title because they needed it off Nigel and also to say "Good job Jerry, good job," but I don't think many expected him to hold it for too long. I actually was expecting Tyler Black to be the one to take it off of him, but I'm not complaining. I think Aries is in for another lengthy reign but I expect things to be different this time around. With his constantly evolving character and in-ring style this title run could be very interesting. I'm really looking forward to what is to come with the new ROH World Champion Austin Aries (*clap*clap*clap-clap-clap*)

Zach Brown: It's shocking to even know that there has never been another two time champion in ROH history. I never really thought about it till now. Austin Aries is definitely deserving of this accomplishment. When you talk about who is the best of the best on the indy circuit, Austin Aries is part of that short list. Congrats to Aries. I hope he hold the belt for at least eight months or so. I'm also glad that a guy like Aries can have success after his time in TNA is over, and without trying to make it in WWE either. Aries is a testament to other guys on the indy circuit that TNA and WWE aren't the only places to have a successful career. I hope this is only the next big step in a great career for Austin Aries.

Topic # 3 How do you feel about Donald Trump becoming the "owner" of the RAW brand?

David Martell: Well, if it makes RAW more interesting I am all for it. I don't really care for Donald Trump being apart of the wrestling world but RAW is in such a bad shape it needs something new to make it better. I think a RAW without commercials is a good start but I hope they keep the ball rolling after this. After all, RAW is all about entertainment. People know who Donald Trump is and people who aren't wrestling fans might tune in to see what all the fuss is about. I only see this angle lasting till Summerslam for the most part. I am sure it will end up with Vince in a match being humiliated. Sadly, I would much rather see Eric Bischoff running RAW. At least we could have RAW roulette back again. I will try not to judge a book by its cover here and just see what happens.

Alex Mattis: Really? Are ratings and such this bad that the E is yet again playing the Trump card? What positive is to come of this? I don't even know why Trump would get involved in this again. What does he have to gain from this? I don't see this whole gimmick lasting too long as I don't know how much of the E's fanbase is going to buy into and demand to see more. Trump's stint in the E in 2007 I don't think really pay off as much the E was hoping and that was around 'Mania time, so why should now be any different? I guess these are all questions that may be answered in the near future so it looks like we're just going to have to ride this one out and see where it takes us.

Zach Brown: I can't imagine who would be a fan of this happening. It's not that I hate it or even strongly dislike it. I just can't help but think, "Meh. What's the point?" That's what keeps rolling in my head over and over. Donald Trump? Really? Maybe it equals ratings, but it just all seems a bit silly to me. When you think of great wrestling storylines, do you think Donald Trump? And was Wrestlemania 23 all that great anyway? I didn't care for it all that much. It's obvious that Trump must be some kind of wrestling fan to get involved with Vince on more than one occasion. And I do slightly respect that. But I don't think this was that great of a decision. I would honestly rather see Shane or Stephanie be the GM. And how is it at all believable for Vince to sell a single brand by itself? Just downright silly. I can see that Vince wants to get ordinary people talking about WWE and how Trump is involved, but it's just kind of hum drum for the fans that tune in every week in my honest opinion.

Topic # 4 Sim Snuka and Candice Michelle recently got released from the WWE. How do you feel about this?

David Martell: Once again WWE is cutting the fat and getting rid of wrestlers who no one cares about. I tried to like Snuka when he was part of the Legacy angle but he was obviously one of the weakest links. He was too generic looking and he did very generic moves. What I will remember about him the most is when Cody Rhodes gave him a sick ass overdrive. It seems he most likely got fired because he didn't catch Undertaker right during Taker's match at Wrestlemania. Oh well. Candice Michelle was pretty hot and she was improving in the ring but she was injured most of the time. She really didn't bring anything to the wrestling division so it definitely not a loss. I am sure she will do well where ever she goes and she always has Go Daddy. Now hopefully Ricky Ortiz is the next one out.

Alex Mattis: Eh, this is what happens when the E starts trimming' the fat. Sim Snuka is just an awful professional wrestler, the E tried with him but he doesn't belong in their company or a wrestling ring so he should look into opening a smoothie shop or something. "Superfly Smoothies." As for Candice... well we've all seen Candice, she won't at all have a problem finding work.

Zach Brown: Finally, some releases that aren't surprising! Poor Sim Snuka. We barely knew ye. I remember that I really was on board when he stopped going by Deuce and said that his real name was Sim Snuka. I raised my eyebrows and said, "Alright Sim, impress me." Too bad that moment never came. He was bitched out by Legacy after just being on the team for one week. And after being made a fool of like that, you just can't really bounce back. I really was down to see Snuka put on his game face and demonstrate why second generation wrestlers are who they are. Sim just ended up being a missed opportunity. Plus it was kind of sad that his dad had a spot at Wrestlemania 25 and he didn't. I honestly don't know what Snuka could do for a living now. I doubt he could make it in ROH or TNA, so I would expect him to move on to some smaller indy promotion to make a modest living, or training wrestlers somehow. As for Candice, the girl will survive. She has Go Daddy to fall back on, and I'm sure she can do photo shoots every few months and be set for the rest of her life. It sucks that her gruesome injury back in the day looks now like it was the beginning of the end. Right before she got injured, she was showing some promise, and it looked like she cared about improving her in-ring performance in my opinion. So it's a shame that she can't blossom more into a better wrestler. But like I said, I'm sure she'll be absolutely fine.

Topic # 5 WWE is once again exploring new names and themes for PPVs. >New WWE PPV Names and Themes HERE
Your thoughts?

David Martell: Wow, WWE creative is getting awful with these PPV names. Having a PPV built around a Hell in a Cell match is also kind of stupid. If they really want to use the HIAC match as a gimmick for a PPV, they just use Armageddon. The Armageddon HITC match was epic and this alone would sell the PPV. They don't need a new PPV name just to have a PPV centered around a certain match. Having the HIAC match PPV is pretty much ripping off TNA's Lockdown and what's worse is that one of the options for naming the PPV is Lock Up. Out of all the other names, the only one that stands out to me is Blackout but then again, it makes no damn sense. The WWE should just bring back Bash at the Beach if they are going to give us this nonsense. Hell, even Halloween Havoc would be more interesting. I understand that WWE is heading in the direction of gimmicked PPVs but at least think of cleaver PPV names.

Alex Mattis: Ok, who are the ad wizards that came up with these? Further more people can't actually think these names sound good. Thirdly... WHY THE FUCK ARE THEY HAVING MORE PPV'S!??!? This is getting ridiculous. Blackout? Like that In Your House disaster in '96. Zero Tolerance? A spin-off of their "wellness policy." Knock out? First off UFC 76 was titled "Knock Out," and second it's PRO WRESTLING people don't pay to see people get KO'd at a WWE show, no save that for the legit competition. And the HIAC PPV names are delicious, specifically "Lock Up." Could you imagine the field-day TNA would have with that? All in all this doesn't affect me as I have only paid for 4 E PPV's a year my entire life (5 when the real King of the Ring was around) so have fun with these new names Vince!

Zach Brown: Is it just me, or are two new match concepts this year already enough!? Extreme Rules and Breaking Point are already enough changes in the PPV lineup. Do I really need all this fluff? I mean sure, I'd love to give the axe to Cyber Sunday. But these names are just downright terrible. "WWE Zero Tolerance?" Is that supposed to be some in-joke referring to their lapse in enforcing their wellness policy? WWE Zero Tolerance starring Batista! What a crock. "WWE Knock Out?" What is this, MMA? That's just stupid. The only one I even remotely like is WWE Blackout, and even that one is kind of iffy. Sure, "Blackout" sounds cool, but would it be at all relevant to any match type or anything like that? Are they going to cut the arena lights for the main event? The names are just silly. And picking a name for a Hell in a Cell PPV is a little silly as well. Get ready for this possible name ... "WWE Hell in a Cell!" Man, these WWE guys sure are creative. And if they went with "WWE Lock Up"...let's just say another promotion has an extremely similar PPV name. All in all, with the way WWE is throwing out these names, Cyber Sunday is sounding pretty good right now.



Superstar Highlight

Macho Man Randy Savage


Our thoughts on Macho Man Randy Savage.

David Martell: Too hot to handle, too cold to hold! There is no doubt that Savage is one of the all time greats. It is too bad that he was over shadowed by Hogan for most of his career. He is known as Hogan's whipping boy and the name fits. When Savage would get to the top, Hogan was always there to put him down. Sounds awfully familiar to Randy Orton's situation. The name Randy seems to have bad luck in wrestling… anyways. I was a huge fan of Savage back when I was a kid but I was definitely a bigger Hogan fan, but who wasn't? The guy had all the charisma you could ask for in a human being. He was funny, colorful and crazy but he put on some of the greatest matches of all time. He was far superior in the ring compared to Hogan. Savage really had it all. He is the definition of 80's wrestler and he has that voice that people tend to quote whenever someone is talking about wrestling. I hope that sometime soon I get my hands on his DVD because I would really like to watch some of the stuff that I missed as a kid. I am sure somewhere down the road he will end up in the WWE Hall of Fame I just hope he is still alive when he gets inducted.

Alex Mattis: OHHH YEAAA! Oh Randy. This dude is one of the greatest performers, in and out of the ring, that pro wrestling has ever seen. How he is just now getting a DVD, and why he hasn't been inducted into the Hall of Fame is beyond me. Randy was one of the best at making sure he gave the people their money's worth and giving the best match he possible could. During the 80's and early 90's people rarely said "That Savage match really wasn't that good." He could have a great match with damn near anyone and they were all different styles. He had a three year stint of show-stealing performances at WrestleMania. At III he had his epic with Steamboat, at IV he has a great and incredibly underrated match with Ted DiBiase, and at 5 the MegaPowers collided in what was one of Hogan's best matches ever. Savage also has a special place in my heart as he was involved in what is probably my favorite match of all time. At WrestleMania VII Randy Savage and The Ultimate Warrior had the best match I have ever seen. It was just perfect, not much more to say outside of that and if you haven't seen it stop whatever you're doing, find it, and watch it immediately. While people seem to have a negative look on Savage at times he should be remembered as one of the best ever. Was/is he crazy and whacky? Totally, but we all go a little mad sometimes. Did his rap album make me want to drown myself? Absolutely. But in the ring the dude made his mark and left a great legacy. In closing I'd like to pay homage to Randy by saying... BE A MAN HULK!

Zach Brown: BOOOOOOOOONESAW IS REAAAAAAAADY! I have all the respect in the world for Macho Man Randy Savage. He was such a dynamic personality on the mic and with backstage segments, and he was pretty damn exciting in the ring. Nowadays, his style could be considered pretty basic, but I still love watching old Macho Man matches. The only thing I don't like about his career is that he was pretty much second fiddle to Hulk Hogan for his entire career. David and I were talking yesterday about Macho Man, and both him and I are supremely confident that if we were living in the 80s, we would be huge Macho Man fans. And we would probably hate Hulk Hogan's guts. Maybe we just don't have any love for faces that are shoved down our throats. But I digress. It says a lot when a guy like Jay Lethal makes an entire gimmick out of paying homage to Randy Savage. He's one of the greats, and I find myself always entertained by the guy. Sure, he's had some zany promos, awful feuds with guys like Dennis Rodman, and he probably boinked a pre-pubescent Stephanie McMahon. But when he talks, I can't help but laugh, and when he wrestles, I can't help but be entertained.



Feedback Frenzy

David Martell: It always seems that Triple H and Batista are always hot topics. The main reason why I don't like Triple H is the fact that he is stale, just like most of the RAW roster. Triple H hasn't had a good match in quite some time and him and Orton have been feuding so long it makes me sick. Batista on the other hand is just plain awful. Honestly, lets look at the pros and cons of Batista. Pros: He has a good look and a cool entrance. Cons: He gases mid way though a match, he is injury prone, he is terrible at storytelling, his promos are boring and he is NOT, I repeat, NOT a good in ring performer. Batista has had good matches before but only when he is wrestling someone that has superb talent. I know someone in the comments asked me who I think is a quality superstar. My answer to that is Chris Jericho. Jericho can bring in heat like no other, all his promos are great, and he is an excellent in ring performer. Jericho is the total package. Jericho's character has evolved over time and he has reached the top of the mountain of heeldom. Has Batista's character evolved over the last few years? Not at all. I understand that people still like Batista and I know there are actually people out there who pay to see him, but in my opinion, I just don't see what is so special about the guy.

Alex Mattis: Just wanted to retort on a few comments that I found to be especially rib-tickling:

"When was Hart ever a draw? When WCW was kicking the WWF's ass in the ratings every week?"
Posted by "Bob."

Has the '92-'97 part of your wrestling knowledge been deleted? Bret Hart was THE guy in the E and was who nearly every fan paid to see. He drew live, he pushed merch, etc. The dude did main event in Wembley f'n Stadium in front of a record crowd, headlined/co-headlined 5 consecutive WrestleMania's. He led "the new generation" and is the guy who according to the UnderTaker kept the company alive during the mid-90's.

"Shawn Michaels has never ever been a draw. HHH probably drew more money in 2000 than HBK ever drew in his career. Take a look at how bad business was for the WWE when Shawn was the top dog in '96. If not for Austin Wcw not only would have won the ratings war but maybe put the WWE out of business."
Posted by "graves9"

Yeah, I'm pretty sure business in the E was good in 2000 because of that Rock dude and the awesome undercard they were having. Just because Trips career peak was in 2000 doesn't necessarily mean that he drew huge during that time. Trips has never pushed merch like Shawn and has never been as big of an appeal to kids as Shawn was in his prime. Yes, do look back to '96 and you'll see that there was no one else in the company that meant much. Austin was on the rise, Hart was out for most of '96, Diesel and Razor were gone, Taker was the only other "star." 1996 was the year Shawn Michaels carried the entire company of the WWF and if you watch the live events you'll see that Shawn was the reason people were there. Kids, adults, dudes, chicks, they were all there for Shawn. He's the only reason I went to SummerSlam in '96. Even still today I'm pretty sure most fans view him as a bigger deal that Triple H.

"You guys haven't got a fucking clue. Yes, Batista is stale and boring as hell, we are all well aware of that. However, open your eyes and see that he gets huge pops off the live audience (you know... the ones who actually go to the events and pay money for the product, rather than sitting at home talking shit from behind a keyboard), moves big merchandise numbers and as a result is one of the top stars in the company. Being closely-knit with HHH and Flair doesn't harm his standing either.

To say things like "I don't expect the big guy to have a spot in the E too much longer. Expect him to get his pretty pink "Best Wishes" card within the year." (Mattis) is just plain ignorance and shows how little you all know about anything. Has it occurred to you that maybe the reason he has got injured so quickly is because the company rushed him back from his previous injury to be on Raw the night after wrestlemania? and being the loyal company man that he is, he agreed?

I always find the irony of worthless, pitiful, bedroom-dwelling smarks passing judgement on highly-paid, professionally trained, world-famous athletes hilarious... as if these wrestlers give a fuck about you or anything you think."
Posted by "Guest#7054"

Two things...
1. I have been to more live wrestling shows than you could count to, and have blow insane amounts of money on the "product."
2. The fact that you refer to Batista as a "world-famous athlete" is indeed hilarious. Jesus Christ, Tank Abbott is more of an athlete than Batista. Big Dave is a body-builder, not a professional wrestler, not an athlete, a body-builder. Kobe Bryant is an athlete. Clay Guida is an athlete. Payton Manning is an athlete. And on a smaller scale, Triple H is a far superior athlete to one David Batista.

'"It was infuriating to see her on TV each week disgracing the Guerrero name over and over."

How does one "disgrace" a family so carny that even the mother was used in a heart-attack angle?

This whole notion that wrestling fans and writers somehow know what is better for the Guerrero name than the actual... you know... GUERREROS isn't just ridiculous, it's disturbing"
Posted by David Burcham

Touché my friend, tou-goddamn-che.

"I am tring to figure out the Triple H hatred. The dude lost at WRestlemania didn't have the belt for almost two years...put Cena over...put Orton Over. He put Batista Over. He has put Benoit over. He has put Jericho over. Say what you want about burying guys but who did he bury that was EVER gonna be a main event draw? And before you answer think about the timing. Everyone who was hot in 99-2000 is gone other than Jerichol and HHH. Everyone else is either in TNA or have gone on to other things. He is a sure bet and there aren't too many in the WWE on Raw."
Posted by "THE GET SOME KID"

Please, for the love of Tito, direct to any point in time when Trips put Jeri over. No one did more to hurt the career of Chris Jericho that Triple H. When did Jericho have his time(s) to shine? When Trips was out, and what happened as soon as H came back? WrestleMania X8 should serve as an adequate answer.

Zach Brown: Batista love? Seriously? After we criticized Batista for being so injury prone and whatnot, people actually came out of the woodwork to defend him. I think I remember a commenter claiming that it's totally possible that Batista's most recent injury could be attributed to the fact that he's such a loyal company man and that he debuted the day after Wrestlemania when he was still reeling from his previous injury. Yeah it could totally be that. OR it could be the years of steroid abuse that has made his muscles more susceptible to tearing. Yeah, either one. To say that steroids aren't responsible for Batista tearing muscle after muscle is like saying that a night vision camera isn't responsible for Paris Hilton's sudden slingshot to fame. Have a great week.

That is all for this week. Feel free to comment at the bottom of the page and have a great week in wrestling. CYA!