The Triple Threat 10.18.09: 161st Edition

Posted by David Martell on 10.18.2009

This week Sean Garmer returns to the Triple Threat. We preview TNA's Bound for Glory PPV, talk about Shane McMahon quitting the WWE, the WWE divas trade, RVD returning to mainstream wrestling, and our thoughts on if the WWE has to many title belts. The Cage Match is our Gimmick Match Highlight this week. Please Enjoy!




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

David Martell: It is this time of year again for TNA's version of Wrestlemania. This card has some flaws but looks to be quite solid. The Beautiful People vs. Taylor Wilde and Sarita for the Knockouts tag straps should be fun but I still don't see why the Knockouts division needs tag belts. Either way it should be fun but I doubt it will last that long or even be that good of a match. I think the Beautiful People will win here. The triple threat for the Knockouts title should actually be pretty damn good. I have never been a big fan of ODB but she is a half decent women's wrestlers and Kong and Tara should bring out the best in her. I am personally going for Tara to take the gold. The triple threat for the TNA "Legends" title is promising. As long as Kevin Nash loses then I will be happy. Nash is completely awful in the ring and is so hard to watch no a days. I really think Eric Young will pull off the victory here. The Full Metal Mayhem match for the tag straps could be alright. I like half of the match. I enjoy the British Invasion and Beer Money but Team 3D and the Mafia are just not as good as they use to be. With this type of match it doesn't really matter though since it will most likely be a match filled with big spots. I will put my money on Beer Money. If you haven't had enough multi man matches already, here's one more! I have always enjoyed a good Ultimate X match and this one looks to be great. I really, really hope Amazing Red loses the belt. I have never liked this guy and I just don't see what is so special about him. I honestly hope Dinero wins the belt here. I think with his wrestling ability and his ability on the mic, he could really go places with the X division title. Mick Foley vs. himself should be just another hardcore match. I really cant see this being all that good in fact I personally wouldn't want to see this match at all. Abyss will win. I am really digging the match between Kurt Angle and Matt Morgan. This is great for Morgan's career and a win would really help establish him as a main eventer in TNA. I honestly think Morgan will win here in what should be the best match in his career. Sting vs. AJ for the TNA World Title should be great definitely if this is Sting's last match in TNA. AJ will win in great fashion, I assure you. Overall, the PPV looks pretty solid and if you are a TNA fan this is a must buy.

Sean Garmer: I'm not even going to pretend like I watch TNA, so I'm just going to go with what things look like on paper. The triple threat women's match pits three pretty good wrestling ladies together in one ring and should showcase why the knockouts are on par or better than the WWE ladies at the moment. It still confuses me as to why you make a tag team titles for the knockouts, but I guess if you are gonna make that a big part of your roster, it works. I have a feeling the champs will retain here. The other tag team title defense has "this could be good or bad" written all over it. Even though the X-Division title doesn't have the meaning it once did, this could be a show stealer. I would hope that Hernandez comes out a winner in the Legends title match. I don't know if Matt Morgan vs. Kurt Angle will be a great match-up, but Matt Morgan should be given plenty of opportunity to prove if he is the next thing in TNA. Mick Foley vs. Abyss could turn out to be EDGE vs. Foley caliber or even better. I bet this ends up being match of the night. Will this be Sting's last match? I don't think so, but if he puts over AJ Styles and it all turns out well it will be big for TNA. I'd say it would have worked better if Sting would have had the title for longer, but in the end, This one is gonna come down to TNA booking, and I would assume on their biggest show they aren't going to get screwy.

Zach Brown: This year's Bound for Glory has some promising matches, but the card is ultimately too crowded. Nine matches on a 3 hour show? Why not? Plus, there are two Triple Threats, a five-way Ultimate X match, and a Full Metal Mayhem match involving four tag teams. That really is quite a few multi-man matches. That being said, the Triple Threat match for the Knockout belt actually looks like one of the best women's matches that TNA can put together. So I applaud them for that. The Triple Threat match for the Legends title looks a little tired however. I don't really know how this match can be good. I don't want Nash to win here, but he's really the only certifiable "Legend" among the three. What a conundrum. The Full Metal Mayhem match will be a chaotic spotfest, but that's to be expected with that many men in the ring. I just hope The British Invasion wins here. The Knockout Tag Title match looks decent enough, but I would have rather TNA just cut this match altogether to give the more important matches a bit more time. The Ultimate X match looks great and should be sleeper hit of the night. I want anyone to win except for Amazing Red and Suicide. Mick Foley vs. Abyss looks good on paper, but I honestly don't know what to expect out of this. If Foley and Abyss pull out all the hardcore stops, this match has the potential to steal the show. But I haven't been a fan of either man for some time now, so I'm somewhat skeptical. Joe vs Lashley should be great but for some reason, I hate Dixie Carter labeling it as "MMA vs. TNA." It just sounds so dumb to me. Lashley became a wrestler first, and mixed martial artist second. As long as Lashley is in TNA, it's pro wrestler vs. pro wrestler in my eyes. As for the match, the quality all depends on the booking, and if Lashley brings his A game. I fully expect Lashley to win here since Dixie Carter keeps saying that she wants Bobby to be TNA champion as well as an MMA champion. And I think Dixie wants Bobby to be undefeated for a good length of time. Too bad for Joe. Matt Morgan vs. Kurt Angle could be match of the night. I really hope Angle can push Morgan to a four star match. If so, it would really solidify Matt Morgan in my eyes. And finally, Styles vs. Sting is a must see just to see if it really is Sting's last match. If it's not, TNA is such a cock tease. But yeah, the match should be great. All in all, Bound for Glory has the most potential that TNA has had for a PPV in quite some time. Sure, the card is too crowded and the sheer amount of multi-man matches may get tiresome. But it also has a good mix of solid match ups as well as potential moments that a wrestling fan really can't afford to miss. Bound for Glory is a pretty solid buy in my opinion.

Topic # 2 Shane McMahon has decided to quit the WWE. How do you feel about this?

David Martell: This is big news that shocked the entire wrestling world. Who would have ever thought a McMahon would be quitting the WWE. Just makes no sense. For the most part, I have always enjoyed Shane McMahon's stints in the WWE ring. He was always an interesting character and he was actually a pretty decent wrestler. I feel like Shane had true passion for the wrestling industry and I still believe that it is something he loves but everyone has to try something new at one point. I know Shane is a huge MMA fan and maybe making his own organization is something he might set out to do. I also heard he might be helping his mother Linda in the senate race which is respectable. Maybe politics is something Shane would also like to get in to. I have to respect the guy for all the contributions he has given us fans of the WWE. I wish him luck where ever he goes and hopefully one day he will return home to the WWE.

Sean Garmer: I'm sure this has many surprised. Shane has a lot of love for this business and its evident in everything he has ever done. Sure, its because of Vince that he was able to be a part of it, but its amazing that the bosses son took so many crazy falls, involved himself in some cool storylines, and done things outside the ring to make WWE what it is today. I would hope he comes back one day because WWE needs someone to be able to challenge the judgment of Triple H and Stephanie when Vince eventually retires or passes. For now, he probably feels safe leaving WWE and going to pursue other ventures like be with the family more and help out his wife with her production company. Whatever the reason I'm sure this has been a planned out deal and at least he is staying on to the end of the year. Thank you Shane, you'll be missed in WWE.

Zach Brown: Absolutely shocking. I expected Shane to take over the business for Vince at some point in the next decade. To know that he won't be doing that puts the future of the company in question. Of course WWE won't be going anywhere, and it's not going to fold when Vince retires. But even for a corporate entity, it's still very solidly run by one family. Who's going to run this thing now? I think nearly every WWE fan was expecting Shane to take the helm. Is Stephanie going to take over? For some reason I have little faith in her taking over Vince's role. But if it is Stephanie, will Triple H actually help run things behind the scenes at some point after he's done in the ring? It's a goofy/terrifying thought, but all anyone can help to do is speculate at this point. And what if Stephanie will feel the same way as Shane does sometime in the near future? It seems weird to think that WWE may not always be run by McMahons. Maybe some of you consider that possible future to be a blessing, but I think WWE is the way it is because of Vince and company (and I mean that in a good way). It's just unfortunate because I thought the landscape was going to improve dramatically if/when Shane was going to take over. I was always looking forward to it. Now, we're all left scratching our heads and wondering what the future of WWE will be. We'll just have to wait and see over the next few years. But if Shane's heart truly wasn't in it, then I respect him for getting out when the time is right.

Topic # 3 What are your thoughts on the Diva‘s trade that took place in the WWE this past week?

David Martell: It seems that the only real reason for this trade was to put Melina on RAW to win the title and have her go against McCool for a Bragging Rights match. Pretty lame in my opinion but I am quite happy to see Beth Phoenix on Smackdown. Hopefully with this move, she will have more time on TV and she can now go for the more prestigious Women's title. I would like to see her facing off against Natalya one day and I cant recall her ever facing McCool. It could of happened some where down the line I suppose. Either way, I just don't see anything special about this divas trade. Smackdown should just trade Kane for Jack Swagger. Now that is a trade that would mean something.

Sean Garmer: Well RAW certainly made their women's division better by adding two proven female wrestlers, latina divas at that, in Melina and Eve. I'm kinda sad to see Eve leave Cryme Tyme and the Word Up segment but I guess WWE feels she needs to move to the major show in the company. I didn't like the idea of allowing Jillian to win the title just to have Melina win it from her. But I think making Melina the champ as soon as she arrives is a good idea. Giving the belt to the most established Diva on the roster sets the tone for the divas division on RAW. Beth Phoenix and Mickie James join Michelle McCool and Natalya as the female wrestlers on the show, while Rosa Mendez goes to train in ECW. The Bellas moving to RAW again is kinda confusing, but whatever. Sounds like a good deal for all here, and Smackdown continues to collect good wrestling talent too.

Zach Brown: Meh. The only trade I honestly care about here is Beth Phoenix to Smackdown. She was just twiddling her thumbs on Raw. Now that she's on the good show, I think she'll go back to being a Women's Title contender, where she belongs. Melina to Raw is an alright move, but it was dumb for Jillian to beat Mickie and then have Melina beat Jillian for the title. Just odd booking all around. Rosa Mendez should be traded to the pink slip brand. Moving Eve to Raw is confusing because she's been with Cryme Tyme for a while, but I think it's also obvious that WWE wants Eve to be their next big Diva. The Bella Twins to Raw is alright, but the fact that they're twins kind of holds them back as much as it helps them stand out. No amount of brand switching is going to change that. And with Mickie James to Smackdown, the blue brand clearly got the best end of the deal. Michelle McCool, Beth Phoenix and Mickie are arguably three of the best female wrestlers in WWE. Until Maryse returns or until they give Gail Kim a serious push, Raw's women's division is just the Melina show.


Topic # 4 There are rumors going around that RVD is going to return to the WWE or TNA. What are your thoughts on this?

David Martell: I am pretty sure he would be welcomed back to the wrestling world with open arms where ever he ends up going. I personally would much rather him return to the WWE. I think RVD is one of those guys who always has a place in the WWE. If he comes back, he could instantly have a great feud with CM Punk. I don't even think I need to explain why this feud would be since it is pretty obvious. He is a great talent in all facets. He could help the younger guys get better, he could play a stepping stone for up and coming stars, and he could dabble in the main event from time to time. With that said, I am sure he could do the exact same thing in TNA. Since TNA seems to be losing some of their veterans in the coming months, RVD could be a good addition to their roster. Although I think the TNA roster is bloated, RVD would be a valuable contribution. RVD is still in great shape and is a very talented wrestler when he choose to be so. Either way I think it would be perfectly fine for RVD to return to mainstream wrestling.

Sean Garmer: When RVD came back for that one night only deal the crowd was amped for him. So I think WWE knows what they would get if they brought him back. I think this all depends on what RVD wants, if he goes to TNA he will certainly be a main event to upper mid-card guy immediately and the fans will love him. In WWE he will probably start in the mid-card but runs the risk of becoming the next Christian. Where even though the crowd loves him, because he left the federation or came from another place, he has to earn his way through. At this point in his career I don't know if RVD wants to risk floundering in WWE again. Isn't that one of the reasons he left in the first place? TNA doesn't need anymore ex 90's wrestling legends, but it may be the best place for him at this point.

Zach Brown: At this point, I think RVD should just stay retired. If he comes back to wrestling at any promotion, I don't exactly think he is going to reinvent himself ala Chris Jericho. If he came back to wrestling, I don't think Rob Van Dam would put on any 4 star matches or win any world titles. It could be good for nostalgia's sake, but the time to pull the trigger on RVD has come and gone. I really don't care which company he re-joins. I honestly won't be excited to see him wrestle again. Maybe I'm being a little harsh, but it's just how I feel. The landscape of wrestling has changed since 2007. There are younger and faster guys in this business that can now do RVD even better than RVD can. Case in point: Evan Bourne, Kofi Kingston, John Morrison, or the entire TNA X-Division. Hell, even Cody Rhodes does a perfect moonsault. The wrestling business has more than it's share of high fliers, and the RVD void has been filled in my opinion. I was depressed when RVD first hung up his boots, but it's 2009 and I've moved on. At this point, I don't even care to see a one shot deal.

Topic # 5 Do you think that the WWE has too many title belts?

David Martell: Well for the most part it makes sense for the WWE to have so many title belts. They are trying to treat each brand as its own separate entity and for the most part it works. I think one of the best moves that the WWE has made in a long time was combining the tag straps. There just wasn't enough tag teams on one single brand to have a division for each set of tag belts. Now it actually seems that the tag belts are worth something. Jerishow have made the belts somewhat prestigious and who ever ends up beating them is going to look like a million bucks. I wish they would do the same thing with the Women's belts. It just makes no sense to have to sets of women's titles when there just isn't enough worthy competition to go around. If we had only one women's title, we could have a lot better feuds and a lot better matches. We wouldn't have to watch someone like Alicia Fox on PPV. Other than that, I am fine with the amount of belts the WWE currently has as long as they don't add any more.

Sean Garmer: No, because the one title that was a problem is now a unified title and all the tag teams can compete for it. Having two women's titles has built up competition on both shows for the divas. The mid-card titles can be used well if WWE builds up its midcard and its not like they've made a mid-card title for ECW. The Smackdown and RAW rosters are big enough to warrant two titles, its up to WWE to make them worth something. The brand extension needs those titles to make them separate brands and I think we have the right amount of titles. Each brand has their main title, the two hour shows have a midcard title to signify who might be next in line for a main title shot, and the divas each have their own title to go for too. I really don't see what's wrong with that.

Zach Brown: I think WWE only has one too many belts, with that belt being the Divas title. Do you ever notice that WWE often switches off when the Women's Title and the Divas Title are defended at PPV? Or that they are often not defended at all? What's the point of having two? Unfortunately, a large portion of the WWE audience is barely interested in watching women's wrestling. So what is the point of having the Divas Title? Sure, WWE may have a lot of titles, but they are spread across three very different brands. The tag belts are unified, which is the right decision. Smackdown and Raw each have a Main event belt and a mid-card belt. And ECW has only one title, which is just right. In my opinion, WWE used to have way too many belts in the past. I mean there was the Crusierweight Title, the European Title, the Hardcore Title, and so on. Getting rid of all those championships was the right decision. WWE should just unify the women's titles and they'll be set. But you know who DOES have way too many belts? TNA. If you count the IWGP tag titles, TNA currently has a total of 7 championships on a single 2 hour show. They need to axe the Legends title and the Women's Tag Titles. I know they are both very new, but they never should have been made. And the Legends title means absolutely nothing to me.



Gimmick Match Highlight



Our thoughts on the Cage Match.

David Martell: I have always enjoyed a good cage match. To me, a cage match always symbolized when a feud was starting to get serious. Having four steel walls around each wrestler with no one able to distract the match always made it special. The only complaint I have ever had about a cage match is the fact that in most instances, you are able to pin or submit your opponent to win the match. I always felt that winning a cage match should only be determined on who escapes the cage first. I guarantee no one watching really wants to see a pin or submission in the cage. People want to see them escape the carnage. If we cant have an escape then there needs to be at least a high spot from the top of the cage. My all time favorite cage match was Matt Hardy vs. Edge at Unforgiven 2005. This was the high spot of the hot storyline between Edge and Matt Hardy. We may never know how much of the actual story was truth or work but it was fun and everyone was into this. Everyone hated Edge more than ever and Matt was armored clad hero. That match just had so much emotion in it and I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. When Matt jumped off the top of the cage to deliver that leg drop, I went completely nuts. What a great match and both men gave us a great story.



Sean Garmer: I remember the cage when it was that old steel blue cage that had no give and it seemed like it was a lot more painful than the mesh one that's used nowadays, Before the invention of hell in a cell, the ladder, the table, buried alive, casket, or whatever else match out there. The cage match meant this bitter feud was coming to an end and it probably wasn't going to be pretty either. It was only used sparingly and in feuds that really deserved a match of that magnitude. Also, because you only had a few special matches and the cage match was the highest of those. Now its not used much because the elimination chamber, hell in a cell, and others of this type are cooler, but the cage match is still great if done right. My favorite cage matches are probably Ric Flair vs. Magnum T.A. from the NWA in 1985, and Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart at Summerslam 93 or 94. Mainly because they showcase how you can use the cage to have a great match inside it and not make it the main focus constantly by smacking someone into it or constantly trying to escape. The Bret vs. Owen used the escape tactic well but they also had a match first, and they came so close you really couldn't tell who would win. That's what made it great.




Zach Brown: The cage match is a definite favorite of mine simply because climbing up and escaping a cage is a completely thrilling way for a match to end. And much like Hell in a Cell, it is a great way to end a feud. The only thing I don't like about a cage match is the door. Climbing over the top of the cage to escape is a much more dramatic way to win. I'm fine with cage matches ending in pinfall or submission, but walking out of the door is just kind of anti-climactic to me. But it's a very minor gripe with the cage match as a whole. It's like saying you don't like nuts on your ice cream sundae. It's still freaking delicious with the nuts. As for my favorite match, I tend to like Jimmy King vs. Diamond Dallas Page in the Triple Cage. Anybody? Anybody? Seriously though, my favorite cage match would have to be Matt Hardy vs. Edge in the Steel Cage at Unforgiven in 2005. Matt and Edge went balls to the wall in this match, it told a great story, and had an insane finish. You don't get a whole lot better than that match. Also, I'd have to give an honorable mention to Triple X vs. America's Most Wanted in the Six Sides of Steel at Turning Point 2004. That's one of my favorite matches of all time. But it's kind of in a grey area because I consider a four sided ring and it's cage to be the traditional cage match, with TNA's Six Sides of Steel matches being in it's own separate category. But yeah, I love cage matches. Who doesn't?


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