The Triple Threat 07.19.09: The 149th Edition - Victory Road, Lashley, Edge As A Face, More

Posted by David Martell on 07.19.2009

This week we talk about TNA's Victory Road PPV, Lashley signing a TNA contract, Nick Dismore returning to the WWE, Edge being face and ZZ Top hosting RAW. Zack Ryder is our Superstar Highlight. Woo, Woo, Woo. You know it!














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

David Martell: Instead of just trashing the matches that I don't care for I am just going to list the pros of this PPV. Matt Morgan vs. Daniels looks to be a solid bout. Matt Morgan is really elevating himself in TNA and Daniels is a perfect opponent to get better in the ring. Dr. Stevie vs. Abyss should be a decent match. Although I never cared for either one of these guys, I wont deny that they are both decent wrestlers. Samoa Joe vs. Sting should be a classic. I cant see these guys having a bad match. Samoa Joe has taken a bit of a fall since losing the title way back when and this could be a big win for him. I am not excited about seeing Taz being his advisor but whatever. Kurt Angle vs. Foley could be fun. There is no denying that Angle is one of the greatest pure wrestlers of all time and it is very hard for him to have a bad match even with a guy who has lost it like Foley. As long as Kurt has the title, I will be a happy camper. Looks like a decent PPV over all but nothing to special here.

Alex Mattis: Back to the one that started it all. Five years later, TNA once again host "Victory Road." A slightly different main event than the original, but dammit AJ Styles is still in the co-headliner! This show should be interesting. TNA still manages to deliver in terms off PPV match quality and I expect this one to be no different. The Abyss-Stevie, Tara-Angelina, and Morgan-Daniels matches all have the ability to be sleeper hits. I think the two tag title matches have some potential. Sting-Joe is intriguing. I loved their BFG match but with the "Taz Factor" who knows how this one will play out. If Nash sticks to basics and what he is capable of doing, I don't think the AJ-Nash match will completely blow. As for the main event... expect no title change and don't expect to be blown away by the match itself.

Zach Brown: TNA Victory Road doesn't look all that bad this year. Not a perfect card by any means, but it's definitely more in the positives than in the negatives. I don't expect Dr. Stevie vs. Abyss to be at all rewarding. If it is, I'd be surprised. Team 3D vs. British Invasion could be a great match since the British Invasion guys are pretty great. I just hope they take the belts off 3D. Tara vs. Angelina Love could be good, but Tara shouldn't have the belt in the first place. She could have chased after the belt and had a decent program, but she's fresh onto the TNA roster and already champion. Just too soon. Samoa Joe vs. Sting should be one of the best matches, and that alone could be the main event. And Tazz's involvement should mean that Joe leaves with the W. Matt Morgan vs. Daniels could be good as long as Daniels pushes the pace. This match could definitely be a sleeper hit. Sharmell vs. Jenna is just a waste of time. Beer Money vs. Booker T and Steiner sounds awesome. I just hope Booker T and Steiner come to play, because that's what would make it a great match. Styles vs. Nash could be great as well. I just hope Styles doesn't have to carry Nash the whole time. And finally, Angle vs. Foley is just a requisite match. I hope it transcends the stigma of being a match that TNA just needs to get out of the way. If Angle pushes the pace, it could be a MOTY candidate. If not, it could just be crap. There's really no way to tell. But all in all, Victory Road is a solid buy this year. It's got enough promising matches to sell a PPV, and the bad stuff looks like it will be easy to ignore.

Topic # 2 Lashley recently signed an official deal with TNA. How do you feel about him being a part of the TNA roster?

David Martell: Eh, I never saw anything special in Lashley. I honestly believe that the only reason that he was over was because he was pushed down our throats for so long that people just gave up and cheered for him. It is funny how he left WWE and it seemed that absolutely no one cared. I certainly didn't. Lashley isn't the worst wrestler I have ever seen and it is pretty decent when it comes to in ring ability but he just seems bland. He is just a big power house type wrestler, been their, done that. I don't see how TNA is actually good for his career. He should solely work on his MMA right now because he is starting to impress people. I think he has a niche in MMA and he should concentrate on that so maybe one day he can actually end up in UFC. I doubt this will do anything for TNA or Lashley. Just another man on a bloated roster.

Alex Mattis: At the end of the day, who really cares? Lashley never really brought anything to the table as a professional wrestler; as much as the E tried the guy just wasn't made for pro wrestling. This isn't going to do anything for TNA other than further the stigma that they "will take whatever they can get." TNA's hardcore audience I'm sure is excited about this addition, but Lashley won't bring in any outside views. And on a completely other note; this should be very detrimental to Lashley's MMA career. Dana White & Co. aren't going to want any part of him now that he is back in pro wrestling.

Zach Brown: I actually didn't think Lashley would do much in TNA besides stand and point from the entrance ramp. Boy was I wrong. According to Lashley, he was at his peak when he left WWE. That's a funny thought considering how green he was. But at this point in his career, he should be concentrating much more on MMA than professional wrestling. Lashley already has a 4-0 record in MMA, and that's nothing to take lightly. Sure he hasn't exactly fought the biggest names, but he's made short work out of nearly everyone he's fought. Now I'm not saying that I prefer MMA over wrestling. Each one has it's positives and negatives, and I enjoy them both very much. But I never was too crazy about Lashley as a wrestler in the first place. Now that he actually has done something impressive, I don't think he should go back to something I didn't think he was all that great at in the first place. So what would he bring to TNA? Viewers? Maybe. Would it cause a massive change in the landscape of TNA? I doubt it. TNA needs to concentrate on making new stars instead of hiring all these former WWE talents because it's just making TNA feel like WCW all over again.

Topic # 3 Nick Dismore (AKA Eugene) recently signed a new WWE contract. How do you feel about this signing?

David Martell: As long as he is not in the Eugene character, I am fine with this. He was a pretty decent performer before he became the Eugene character. I read that he might just be used to help build up younger talent but if he is a good wrestler himself, he should be used on the main roster. Of course there is nothing wrong with helping younger talent out. I really feel that WWE is going though a transformation from older talent to younger talent and I love it. So many new faces grace our weekly dose of wrestling programming. Wrestlers like Jack Swagger, Dolph Ziggler, CM Punk and John Morrison are starting to take over. Think of the WWE like the stock market. There are good times and bad times and right now I feel like the WWE is back on the rise. PPVs are starting to get better and the wrestling is starting to get better. If Dismore can add a positive reaction to what is going on right now, than I am all for him returning.

Alex Mattis: This could be good, it could also be awful. If they bring him back as "Eugene"... well we've all seen the character before and I'm not sure of anyone who wants it back. On the other side of this we have a very good wrestler in Nick Dismore, and if used properly I think he could be a great addition to the E's roster. His work in OVW was very solid and you could even see flashes of his skill from time to time when he was working the Eugene gimmick. The problem here is that wrestling fans have a memory like an elephant and I doubt the will be able to remove the stigma of Eugene from Dismore. Time will tell how the E is going to play this one.

Zach Brown: Oh dear lord. I was so glad when Eugene got released. Why is he coming back!? Who could possibly be glad that Eugene is making a return to WWE? I just don't dig it. WWE has enough problems about deciding who should get TV time and who shouldn't. They don't need another waste of roster space. I only pray that he doesn't come back as the Eugene character. I never found that character entertaining whatsoever. Maybe if he comes back as some sort of serious role, I might be down for it. I don't know what Nick Dinsmore is like outside of his Eugene role, so maybe he could be worthwhile as a different character. But as of right now, I'm simply not a fan of this news.

Topic # 4 Based on the promo between Edge and Jericho on Smackdown, it looks that Edge will be returning as a face. Your thoughts?

David Martell: I honestly thought this would never happen after the whole Lita/ Matt Hardy thing. I was convinced that Edge was going to be a heel for the rest of his career. It has been many years since then and things change. Edge as a face is actually kind of fresh, even though he wont be back till next year. CM Punk is on the rise as one of the main heels in the company and someone needed to take a back seat. Unfortunately this wasn't the best way to take that seat. I am still convinced that we are going to get an Edge vs. Christian feud in the near future and I think they are about to set the ground work. I believe that Christian will end up being Jericho's tag partner at Night of Champions. This can cause an instant feud for when Edge returns. I like how they teased that Edge might not ever come back. This works for a face turn because for those non internet fans out there, it will be a surprise.

Alex Mattis: Wow, I can't believe the E is even entertaining the idea of this. Remember when Edge returned as a face in 2004... Yeah, that did not go well. It eventually turned into a matter of them having to turn him heel because he was already getting booed. I've never got it when it comes to Edge, I think he's unbelievably overrated, but people buy into him. People love to boo him and see him get his ass kicked, and smarks totally dig his "Rated R Superstar" character. I think it would be a loss for the E if they were to bring Edge back as a face as he will ultimately just become a heel again.

Zach Brown: I am completely down for this. Edge's promo with Jericho this past week on Smackdown was pitch perfect. It made me excited for Edge's return, and curse the fact that he's gone. Upon seeing this promo, I started to wonder, "When was the last time Edge was face?" David then turned to me and said, "Before he f*cked Lita, dude." So very true. That is such a long time to be a heel. Now I don't know how long an Edge face turn would last since he is such a natural heel. But it would lead to an immediate program with Jericho and whoever his new tag partner is *cough* Christian *cough*. And I'd totally be down for that. It's just smart booking. But really, I'm not so much concentrated on how Edge will come back, just as long as he comes back. He was on such a roll, and it just sucks to see the guy get derailed like this.

Topic # 5 How do feel about ZZ Top being the special guest GM for RAW this Monday?

David Martell: I like the whole idea of having a different GM every Monday on RAW but seriously, ZZ Top? I don't see how this could be fun at all. Seth Green was barely passable. ZZ Top is out dated and just uninteresting. So far, The Million Dollar Man has been the most entertaining GM for a night. I like the idea of bring back wrestlers from the past to host the show, it just makes sense. Dusty Rhodes would be great and when they were teasing him I got excited. It even makes sense for storyline purposes. The Legacy is bound to break up eventually and it just seems fitting to have Rhodes father be on the program. What exactly will ZZ Top bring to the program? Nothing…

Alex Mattis: The E is lovin' themselves these celebrity hosts, I guess they think its really working. Can't really complain here due to the fact that we'll probably get a live performance from the group and that is never a bad thing. Outside of that, I'm not sure what the trio could really bring to Raw. I guess having the "Celebrity" label is all the E is concerned about at this point. Please no wrestling or any in-ring action from the group, it would resemble Mae Young trying to wrestle today. I do think, however, that all of the wrestlers should wear suits for this addition of Raw because you know that every girl is crazy about a sharp dressed man.

Zach Brown: Meh. I like ZZ Top, but I just don't really see the point of this. Seth Green isn't the greatest guest host they could have had, but at least Robot Chicken makes him relevant to today's culture. Maybe this is an attempt by WWE to get more viewership from southern states, particularly Texas. But I just don't think that this will boost ratings whatsoever. And I really don't think that these guys will have anything particularly interesting to do or say in the guest GM role. But hey, I could be wrong. Overall, I think this announcement came out of left field. I would have much rather seen what Cody Rhodes was alluding to by having his dad be guest GM on Raw. Dusty Rhodes would have been a better decision overall in my opinion.



Superstar Highlight

Zack Ryder


Our thoughts on Zack Ryder.

David Martell: Now heres a fresh face. This guy took a gimmick that wasn't that great and made it a lot of fun. Zach Ryder works the gimmick to a T and he has been impressing me in the ring. If he is able to work with more veterans of the ring, he will become very talented. I don't know if this is the type of gimmick that gets you world titles but it will definitely keep him on the pay roll for awhile. The Zack Attack is also a very creative finisher and it looks pretty devastating. Overall Zack Ryder has a lot of talent but is still very green. I hope he continues to improve and I will continue to look forward to watching him.

Alex Mattis: I can't say that I've ever been overly-impressed with this dude's wrestling skills but he is solid, has a good amount of charisma, and most importantly for the E he has a good look of a professional wrestling. I was actually surprised with how well he and Hawkins worked together as a tag team and actually dug when they won the tag straps as I felt they were one of the stronger teams at the time. His alliance with Edge I think set him back a bit however, it just made he and Hawkins look sort of silly in the long run. I think Zack Ryder does in fact have a lot to offer the E but is going to need to tighten up his game. Like I said before though, he's pretty much two-thirds there.

Zach Brown: If you asked me a year ago about Zach Ryder, I would have said that he is just an Edgehead with a vanilla character that's just begging to get released.. Boy has he turned his career around. He's gone beyond simply inventing a catch phrase. I mean, yeah, that definitely helps. It's pretty funny and it gives him a good amount of character. But he's also a very solid wrestler. He's doing great on ECW and he has a sick ass finisher. I think this is the start of a great career for Zack. His character is great at being goofy and then switching to serious at the drop of a hat, and he's showing real promise in the ring. It's a huge change from being Thing 1 and Thing 2 with Curt Hawkins. Is he the most improved wrestler of 2009? Woo. Woo. Woo. You know it.

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