The Triple Threat 9.20.09: The 157th Edition: No Surrender, Jeff Hardy, Jim Cornette, More

Posted by David Martell on 09.20.2009

This week we preview TNA's No Surrender, talk about the Jeff Hardy story, Batista going to Smackdown, Jim Cornette getting fired by TNA and Zack Ryder becoming the number one contender for the ECW title. WOO WOO WOO! YOU KNOW IT! Sheamus is our superstar highlight. Please enjoy!




Topic # 1 TNA‘s No Surrender is this Sunday. What are your thoughts on the card?

David Martell: I have to say that this PPV actually looks decent. I have always wanted to see ODB vs. Cody Deaner. Five star classic for sure. All kidding aside though, I think this could be a solid PPV. Every time Joe and Daniels gets in the ring its great. Hernandez vs. Eric Young should be pretty damn solid but I expect Young to get the win here since they have been pushing him pretty hardcore. Abyss vs. Nash for the Legends title should be…bad. I cant see Nash ever having a good match again. I honestly don't care for Lashley vs. Rhino. I think Rhino is God awful. BORE, BORE, BORE! Lashley will win here, Rhino is just job fodder. The Knockouts tag belt match could be fine but I really don't know where they are going with those straps. Lethal Lockdown should be great and I hope that the British Invasion get the win here. The fatal four way for the TNA World Title should also be phenomenal if you get my drift. I would really love for AJ to get the win here but we will have to see what happens. There are a lot of hits and misses here but overall looks like its going to be a good PPV.

Alex Mattis: What a way to bring Lashley into the company, a match with Rhino!!! AWESOME. Should be a hell of a squash. Eric Young-Hernandez could be a very solid match if given time, etc. Who thought it would be a good idea to have a Nash-Abyss match? I mean really… this should be something. Having Joe-Daniels on the card is never a bad thing and they, as always, should deliver the best match of the night. The four-way for the world title has potential but will more than likely turn into an overbooked mess. Like most TNA PPVs No Surrender has some potential but more than likely will result with people scratchin' and shakin' their heads.

Zach Brown: I have to say that this year's No Surrender looks surprisingly solid to me. First of all, Hernandez vs. Eric Young is a surprising choice, but I'm sure they'll have a decent match. I expect Hernandez to win. Abyss vs. Kevin Nash doesn't interest me, but I expect Nash to win here and claim the bounty. After all, Nash is the type of character to boast about anything, including winning some money. ODB vs. Cody Deaner. Dear God. I expect Deaner to win here, because yes, TNA can be just that stupid. The Lethal Lockdown match has the opportunity to be the best match on the card. A match this massive has to try hard to be bad. Hopefully, Beer Money or The British Invasion will win. And Bobby Lashley is finally entering the ring again! What took him so long? I doubt that Lashley will have a ton of ring rust, because he has been keeping active with MMA after all. But Rhino is just the quintessential jobber, isn't he? Lashley should steamroll Rhino. The Knockouts tag match is unfortunate because Angelina Love is gone. Still, I expect The Beautiful People to win with Madison Rayne and Velvet Sky. Because after all, these belts were invented for that group. The X-Division match is another match that will sell PPVs because everyone knows that Daniels and Joe are two guys that are amazing together. If TNA gives them time and the right booking, it's hands down the best match of the night. I think Joe will retain here. And finally, the main event looks great. Probably one of the best that TNA has put on in some time. The most likely occurrence here is that Angle will retain, but it would be interesting if either Morgan or Styles nabbed the upset win. TNA needs some freshening up, and this could be the PPV to do it. The card is there; I just hope TNA delivers on it's execution. If you go make a sandwich during ODB vs. Cody Deaner, this PPV is a definite buy.

Topic # 2 How do you feel about Jeff Hardy getting arrested and the charges up against him?

David Martell: Just when you think a man has changed, you get news like this. Jeff Hardy has NOT changed one bit and he deserves exactly what he may be getting. I am happy for what he did with CM Punk but to straight up lie to the faces of his fans is pretty cold. I have never been a big Hardy fan anyways. For all the Jeff Hardy bashing we done in the past I think we are finally justified in everything we said. If he ends up in prison for 14 years maybe, finally he can be sober again. It is sad that this is what has to happen for him to get off these drugs. Luckily for the WWE, this happened off their watch. Technically, he could of bought all those drugs after he quit. Who knows really. I just doubt we will see Jeff Hardy in a wrestling ring any time soon. Jeff Hardy yours truly. His drugs, his truly.

Alex Mattis: Man, if only someone had said time and time and time and time and time again that this was going to happen. Look, Hardy never "got clean," he never really changed his ways and this was just him getting caught in a much worse way than what they E would have done with him. I have a hard time understanding how anyone could be surprised or upset with this, when news broke that he was leaving the company it just seemed like he wanted to get away from everyone and everything and do his own thing and given his record many should have seen this coming. Most of all the E gets hurt here as yet again it shows their "wellness policy" isn't much of anything; to me it shows they don't "test" anyone they know won't pass or someone they know will cause trouble. Jeff, I surely hope you don't serve that rumored 14 years in the slammer but this was what needed to happen for you to shape up, nothing else ever did some hopefully Johnny Law will.

Zach Brown: No wonder Jeff wanted time off. It may sound a bit ludicrous to say, but I was totally shocked by this news. I guess part of me thought that Jeff had given up his drug abusing ways. With the sheer amount of drugs found in Hardy's house, it makes me think that Jeff was set to go on something like a 9 month drug binge. If Jeff Hardy did more than 2 years of hard time, I'd be shocked. Does he deserve a full sentence just like anyone else? Absolutely. But Jeff does have some celebrity to his name, and he'll likely serve under a year in jail or go to rehab and then a year of house arrest, followed by a few years of probation. It really does suck because Jeff has had a phenomenal run these past two years, and he gave us feud of the year with CM Punk. As for Jeff's fans, they have come out in packs in the past to defend his wellness violations, and that is understandable. But this incident is indefensible. There's nothing to say, because Jeff didn't heed the warnings given to him by WWE, and he clearly hasn't learned anything about staying clean. If there's a chance for Jeff to have a career in a few years when this blows over, I would like to see him make a return. But I have to say that I have lost a ton of respect for Jeff over this.

Topic # 3 What are your thoughts about Batista going to Smackdown?

David Martell: This is by far the worst news of the week. I was hoping Batista would finally hang up the boots but instead he decided to attempt to ruin my favorite wrestling program. I don't blame the WWE for making this move because it makes perfect sense. Smackdown has the lack of star power right now and they need someone for Punk to feud with after The Undertaker. Hopefully Batista will get injured again sometime soon. That is the only way the blue brand will shine bright again. I know that's mean to say but Batista really has no good contributions. His match with Jericho this past Friday on Smackdown just shows you how limited he is in the ring. He even repeated the whole in the corner shoulder block routine. Who will Batista build on Smackdown? The answer to that is no one. When you have up and coming stars like Morrison and Ziggler on the brand they need someone high up to put them over and we all know Batista wont do that. He is going to steal valuable TV and he's going to job out the roster.

Alex Mattis: What a career altering announcement!!! Batista going back to SmackDown can be looked at as nothing but a bad thing for the show and the wrestlers on it. ‘Tista is worse than ever in the ring but more show-dominating than ever, and most of all, his "star" is starting to fade and he isn't really the attraction he once was. I know he still pushes merch and whatnot but he isn't one of the top guys in the company anymore so I have no idea why they still push him to the moon. With how old and immobile big Dave is the E has to know that there's not much time left with him and are going to use him in his most comfortable roles (aka Vs. The Undertaker).

Zach Brown: Yeah, Batista not retiring is not that huge of a shocker to me. And what's worse than Batista staying in wrestling? Going and trying to ruin the only brand worth watching right now. I really think Batista has a solid chance of bringing Smackdown down to Raw's level. He'll probably start out in the midcard, making someone like Dolph Ziggler job to him week after week. Or maybe he will make The Hart Dynasty his bitch. Who knows? Eventually, he'll move up to the main event like usual. And there, he will be primed and ready to stop the creation of new main eventers on Smackdown. We're getting to a point in the wrestling business where guys don't need to be roided out meatheads to get over. Guys like CM Punk, Dolph Ziggler, and John Morrison are a testament to this. Both Ziggler and Morrison are future main eventers in my eyes. With Batista added into the equation, I seriously doubt their chances of moving up as quick as they should. I mean does anyone honestly think that Batista is going to Smackdown to put over this fresh talent? Batista is going over there to give it his all in his entrance, gas in five minutes, never have a match above 2 ½ stars, and bury more talent. All until he tears another muscle. Oh well. I guess Smackdown couldn't have been this awesome forever.


Topic # 4 How do you feel about Jim Cornette getting fired from TNA?

David Martell: I am actually surprised by this but from the statement Cornette put out about the situation makes it seem that he is happy about the whole ordeal. He obviously wasn't very happy about Eric Young being pushed. Makes you wonder where he might end up next. He doesn't really have any good graces with the WWE so we can count that out. Maybe he can work for some indy company, who knows. I just hope where ever he may go, he can become a good contribution. He is a smart wrestling mind, but I think he just wants to be in control.

Alex Mattis: Is anyone really surprised about this? Cornette has seemed like he hasn't wanted to be in TNA for the longest time and really what was there for him to do now? He was great in the commissioner role, but the time for that had past. Cornette is one of the last great minds left in wrestling and is someone that people really need to listen to. No idea where he goes from here, nor do I think he's overly concerned. I've always been a Cornette fan and will follow him where he goes.

Zach Brown: This is pretty surprising to me simply because I thought Jim Cornette had already left the company. I guess I didn't think he would have lasted this long in TNA anyway. There are two rumors floating around as to why he was fired. One says that TNA is firing anyone close to Jeff Jarrett, so away Cornette went. Simply being good friends with Jarrett puts your job at risk? I don't buy it. The one I choose to believe is where Jim got fired for an argument that he started by saying, "Why are we pushing Eric Young?" And this escalated into an argument with Vince Russo and then a series of unprofessional occurrences afterward. That...is absolutely hilarious. It actually made me meditate long and hard to this question. Why does TNA push Eric Young? Is it because he is the plucky underdog? Is it because he is so hardworking, but not as over as he should be? I never thought pushing Eric Young was an inherently wrong thing to do, but he's not so incredibly talented to make his push a no-brainer.. But back to Jim, it sucks that another talented wrestling mind is out of the mainstream companies. Paul Heyman, Jim Cornette, and Eric Bishoff are now out doing their own thing right now. Can't these guys band together to come up with a new product? Whether you love ‘em or hate ‘em, these are arguably some of the greatest wrestling minds in history. Hopefully, Cornette finds work somewhere. I'd even like to see him back in WWE, or in ROH. In my opinion, a good mind like Cornette's shouldn't go to waste.

Topic # 5 Zack Ryder became the number one contender for the ECW Title this past week on ECW. Your thoughts?

David Martell: It's about time WWE runs with Zack Ryder. He has done nothing but entertain and impress me these last couple of months. I find it hard to believe that he took a gimmick like that and made it into something fun. I think his match with Christian several weeks ago proved that he can go with the big boys. If that match is a precursor to what is going to happen between these guys, I will be a very happy fan. It is good to see a young, fresh face get a shot at the ECW title. I need something like this to keep me interested. It is sad to say but ever since Jack Swagger went to RAW, ECW just hasn't been as entertaining. If Zack Ryder can some how win the ECW Title, ECW will be worth watching every week.

Alex Mattis: "ECW" has done a great job of prepping new faces for the two bigger shows and a great job and reinvigorating wrestlers who didn't really get off to a good start elsewhere and this is a good example of that. Ryder kind of just stumbled around in the E a bit earlier in his career and now on "ECW" he is becoming a main player of the brand. While it's doubtful he is going to be the one to defeat Christian, this may be the beginning of a big run for Ryder.

Zach Brown: I couldn't be happier for Zack Ryder. I have really enjoyed Ryder's work since his transformation, and his match with Christian a couple weeks ago was a solid indicator that this kid has it. He deserves to be in a program with Christian, especially since it's obvious that they work well off of one another. I don't think it will happen all too soon, but I hope Ryder gets the ECW title at some point. I like Christian and all, but he has been champ for so long that it has become stale. But as happy as I am for Ryder, there were some booking decisions that had me scratching my head. First of all, Regal has to work his way back up the ladder. This is lame because Regal's rematch at Breaking Point was more like their first match since I really don't count the 8 seconds of crap put on at Summerslam. So Regal really only had one match, and the feud is kaput for now. It's incredibly weak. Second, Zack Ryder lost to Yoshi Tatsu earlier in the show. So basically, WWE is telling me that Yoshi Tatsu should be in the main event with Christian instead of Ryder? It was just a silly idea altogether. But congrats to Ryder. Wasn't his photoshopped pic on Twitter hilarious? Woo Woo Woo! You know it!



Superstar Highlight

Sheamus


Our thoughts on Sheamus .

David Martell: Sheamus has been my favorite part of the recent ECW superstar initiative. He had a fantastic feud with Goldust, surprising to say, and he's moving on the face a much more talented individual named Shelton Benjamin. It feels like the WWE its putting in a lot of effort into building Sheamus for the future by having him wrestle veterans weeks after week to hone his in ring skills. The fact is, he is a pretty damn good big guy wrestler and we all know Vince loves the big guys. He has definitely got the better end of the deal out of the new superstar initiative. Tyler Reks is God awful, Abraham Washington makes me press fast forward on the DVR and Yoshi, although talented, has been in limbo since he began. If Sheamus can win the feud over Shelton, I could easily see him getting a shat at the ECW Title and maybe even winning it in the near future.

Alex Mattis: Oh E, you and your stereotypes. Fools big and seems like he can move decently in the ring but seriously the Irish man gimmick… "Celtic Warrior?" C'mon man, this isn't what is needed. I'm sure this guy could be much better without this gimmick turning him into a joke. But of course he's new and has much time to improve and for the E to mold him into something new. It's a bit too early to tell the lasting power this guy may have but who knows maybe he could make the most of this chance and really become something.

Zach Brown: I was skeptical on this guy at first, mainly because of his look. His beard looks like he's a big Tim Sylvia fan, which is anything but good. But Sheamus won me over because of one thing. His moves are pretty freaking sick. Case in point, his backbreaker finishing move. Ouch. Sheamus also had a pretty decent feud with Golddust, which I actually think WWE ended too soon. I mean when was the last time Golddust was in a serious feud? These guys brought out the best in each other and I honestly wanted to see more. But I have to give kudos to WWE for building this kid up right. He's probably one of the only recent additions to ECW that is worth a damn. And if they keep Sheamus on a roll, it's only a matter of time before he's ECW champion.