The Triple Threat 8.16.09: THe 152nd Edition - Hard Justice, WWE Tag Division, The Hurricane, More

Posted by David Martell on 08.16.2009

This week we preview TNA's Hard Justice, talk about the recent firings in the WWE, ROH moving to Monday nights, HBK returning, and talk about if the WWE is actually caring about the Tag Division. The Hurricane is our superstar highlight so please enjoy!




Topic # 1 TNA‘s Hard Justice is tonight. What are your thoughts on the card?

David Martell: I am not going to stress on this for too long but this card looks pretty bad. TNA is having some serious problems and it looks like it is affecting how things are being put together. So in all niceness, I will just talk about what I will like on this card. The return of the Steel Asylum match should be a glorified spotfest but there is nothing wrong with that from time to time. It is sad that these X Division guys aren't really getting the chance to do anything else. It seems like these multi man X division matches are becoming the norm. I am hoping that Daniels gets the win here and moves on to feud with Joe or Homicide. Either way it's a win! Samoa Joe vs. Homicide should also be a damn good match and I wouldn't be surprised if it stole the show. Both of these guys have a long time history with each other and there should be no reason for them to have a bad match together. I am going to go ahead and say that Joe will win here which will give the "bad guys" all the TNA straps. The last match that I think has potential on the card is Angle vs. Sting vs. Matt Morgan for the TNA World Title. It is good to see that someone is getting a push in TNA but I have never been a big fan of Matt Morgan. I originally thought that Kurt would win here but with all the recent happenings in his life he might need to take some time off to take control of his own life. Overall the PPV looks to be in the middle of the road category. I wouldn't recommend it but it should be better than TNA's last effort.

Zach Brown: So how does TNA follow what was arguably their worst PPV of all time? With an altogether confusing card for Hard Justice. So Jethro Holliday vs. Abyss in the $50,000 bounty storyline is pretty awful. I wouldn't want to see this match on free TV, let alone on PPV. Next up, good ‘ol Hernandez against that walking steroid from the British Invasion. I really hope Hernandez picks up the win here, but I don't expect it to be anything special. And what should TNA do with nearly every young face that they should be pushing to the moon right now? Well, lets put ‘em all in one match and make it a Steel Asylum match. This could easily be one of the best matches on the card because the talent involved is simply great. But like I said, too bad they couldn't be more evenly dispersed throughout the card to even it out. Beer Money vs. The British Invasion should be the sleeper hit of the night since those guys are supremely talented. Nash vs. Foley sounds like a good match if they were each fifteen years younger. Too bad. I expect this match to be slow and not worth my time. ODB and Cody Deaner vs. The Beautiful People looks like the sandwich match of the night. As in, go make yourself a sandwich. Samoa Joe vs. Homicide should be the absolute best match on the card. This would be something that would talk me into buying it if it weren't for a good portion of the card being completely mediocre. Case in point, we have Team 3D vs. Booker and Steiner. Not interested, plain and simple. And for the main event, Angle vs. Sting vs. *bum bum bum* ...Matt Morgan...? A green wrestler that is supposed to be the future of professional wrestling that simply hasn't delivered yet? He's in the main event? And AJ Styles could have been in that main event? FAIL. I like that they're pushing a younger guy like Matt Morgan, but I've just never been all that impressed with The Blueprint. As for the match itself, it could be downright excellent, but the booking just confuses me. I expect Angle to retain. If TNA makes Morgan the face of their company, that would definitely be a shocker. I'd have to say that it would be too soon for Morgan. All in all, the only match that I am 100% interested in seeing is Joe vs. Homicide. Good thing I can get that fix by seeing any of their numerous matches from ROH. All in all, Hard Justice is one of the easiest PPVs of the year to pass on. Sorry TNA.

Topic # 2 Both Ricky Ortiz and Eugene got released from the WWE recently. How do you feel about this?

David Martell: I really cant stress how much I dislike Ricky Ortiz. I hated him since day one when he entered ECW. He is just a big muscle head with no talent at all. His charisma was in a rally towel out of all things and it was straight up terrible. The guy had no wrestling ability at all and that fact that his special was a jumping splash basically tells you how much this guy could really do. Is a splash suppose to be devastating? What a joke. Eugene made his first and final return on RAW and boy was he over weight. Eugene was never in great shape but he looks like he ate his former self. It seems that the match he had on RAW was literal and since he didn't grab the contract he was literally fired. Good luck on the indy circuit guys because you both are going to need it.

Zach Brown: And the releases just keep on coming! For Ricky Ortiz, oh boy was this long overdue. Ricky Ortiz was not a good wrestler. I can't put it any simpler than that. I haven't seen a guy that was this limited in the ring in a long time. And a rally towel? Really? Rally up? It was awful. His charisma wasn't all that bad, but the guy either needed an excellent opponent to push him, or he needed to be in a 6-man tag to look even half decent. As for Eugene, I guess that contract on a pole match was legit? All kidding aside, I wasn't exactly psyched that WWE had hired Eugene back in the first place. He's just an awful character that does nothing for me. Initially, I thought that maybe Eugene could work on ECW by giving the younger guys some experience in the ring. Then I realized that it wouldn't work because the average wrestler cannot have a normal match with an opponent like Eugene. It's a little shocking that WWE made such a fickle decision, but it ended up being the right decision in the end. I wish them both luck in the future, but I'm kind of glad that they're off my TV.

Topic # 3 What are your thoughts on ROH getting moved to Monday nights on HDNet?

David Martell: The more I think about this move the more I realize that it is a pretty good idea. Monday night gives them the chance to garner in a lot more viewers because Saturday is one of the worst time slots you can have on television. Since it starts an hour before RAW, it has the chance to grab new fans who are hungry for wrestling before the A show starts. Will this work out for the better? Who knows. I really don't know how big the viewer ship is for ROH but there is definitely potential to boost whatever that rating is on Monday nights.

Zach Brown: First off, I must say that I have recently started watching ROH on HDNet, and I am impressed at how fresh it is. Simply put, it is a great show. That being said, I don't think ROH gets the best ratings in the world, so I don't know how a move to Monday would help. I guess they are hoping that most viewers will decide to watch ROH first and then turn to Raw right after. That could work, but I can't imagine their ratings growing past even ECW's levels. HDNet is not in a ton of households, so I would say that their next logical move should be to switch networks when the opportunity presents itself. I want ROH to at least be able to compete with TNA in the next decade or so, and staying with HDNet wouldn't get them the mainstream attention that they would need to do that. But in the end, this move neither excites me or bothers me.

Topic # 4 How do you feel about HBK returning?

David Martell: It is about damn time but why in this way? I really thought the whole DX shenanigans was over. The last run they had was god awful and I don't really see this going in a different direction. HBK is too good for DX. He should have just returned on his own so he can be a part of the main event. I would be a very happy fan if the WWE decided to have HBK feud with Randy Orton. At least it wouldn't be the same old shit. Although I am obviously not fond of him being in DX, I am glad he is back on RAW because he was needed badly. You can always count on HBK to have good matches and, most of the time, have very good feuds.

Zach Brown: Well like I said last week, it's great that HBK is coming back, but it's definitely not in the way I wanted. I have to admit that I thought the cafeteria vignettes were hilarious. But when I get right down to it, DX is reforming for no real rhyme or reason. I have always found the "New and Improved" DX to be incredibly stale when they aren't doing taped vignettes. So I really have no reason to be excited for this. Now if DX ends up splitting very soon to feud with one another, that could definitely be worth watching. But the reason that HBK needs to be back on Raw is to save the main event scene. I'm getting sick of the endless combinations between Orton, Cena, HHH and Batista. It's been stale since the draft, and the main event scene has sorely needed Shawn. So I'm not really excited for HBK returning. I'm excited for HBK 3 months from now.

Topic # 5 Do you think that the WWE is starting to care about the tag team division?

David Martell: It is starting to seem that way. Cryme Tyme has been getting pushed to the moon and the fact that The Hart Dynasty closed out the show last week was pretty impressive. Hell, the Hart Dynasty as even in the main event next time on Smackdown. The WWE is putting more emphasis on the tag team fueds and making them look more important. They are also making tag teams look more important. Although I am not too excited about the DX reunion, if they actually set out and no squash every team that is in their way, then they are welcome in the tag ranks. I figured a feud with DX vs. Jericho and Big Show is in the very near future and that is high profile. As long as the WWE continues to highlight their younger tag teams every week and lets them get victories over the well know guys, the tag division should be on the rise. It is not a bad idea to be a tag team in the WWE after all.

Zach Brown: This is a difficult question. On one hand, Jericho and Big Show are solid gold right now. I love everything they're doing, and they are a big part of why I watch Smackdown. And Cryme Tyme getting a shot at the titles gives me confidence that WWE actually does care. But then there are other issues. For example, WWE recently split up Carlito and Primo. They were phenomenal when they were together, but what have they done since their split? Jack and shit. Also, I think there is a tag team right now with Ted DiBiase and Cody Rhodes. I think they're called Legacy, but I just refer to them as the Jobber McJobbersteins. Legacy is definitely a tag team that could have been great, but they were simply made into mat fodder by HHH and Batista. It has been disheartening to say the least. And in the middle of the pack, we have The Hart Dynasty. I really do hope that these guys are future Tag Team Champions. But their recent booking has confused me because one week, they will look like they're getting jobbed out, and then they look like a force to be reckoned with a few weeks later. My belief is that WWE has a tendency to split up tag teams WAY too soon. And WWE will often split up guys that are simply nothing without each other. Case in point: Cade and Murdoch, or London and Kendrick. That being said, these past 6 weeks have made me think that WWE may have renewed faith in their tag division. But how long that faith will last is anyone's guess.



Superstar Highlight

The Hurricane


Our thoughts on The Hurricane.

David Martell: Although I have never been a big Hurricane fan, I have enjoyed his gimmick from time to time. Who can forget his hilarious segments with The Rock and even his upset victory over The Rock. I also enjoyed his little stint with Molly Holly as well. I think the reason why they brought The Hurricane gimmick back was because Gregory Helms basically had no charisma as "himself." I always thought Helms was a decent wrestler in the ring and with the added charisma of the Hurricane character, he should have a fun little stint on ECW. There are plenty of fresh faces for him to feud with and ECW is in need of another big name face, if you can call him that.

Zach Brown: I know this is a completely unpopular opinion, but I have never been a fan of The Hurricane. I never liked him in the ring, I never liked him on the mic, and I never understood the hype behind him. I never liked him, Sam-I-Am. I do not like green eggs and ham. Also, it makes me seriously dislike him even more because I know he dated Velvet Sky. What guy wouldn't want to date her? All kidding aside, I just never got onboard the Hurricane train, and it's incredible likely that I never will. I just thought he was cheesy and lame. And maybe some of you will say, "That was the point." But I just still didn't like it, even if it was self aware. And I'm not exactly clamoring to see him again now that his gimmick has returned. It's not like I've ever actively hated the guy. I was never begging for his release like I was with someone like Snitsky. I just don't care all that much about him. And as a huge Rock fan, I was not a fan of him beating the Rock. Yeah, it was a huge deal, but I just didn't dig it at all. If you want to tear me a new asshole, go right ahead. But it's not like I feel all that strongly about it anyway.