The Triple Threat 11.08.09: The 164th Edition – WWE PPV, Sheamus On RAW, Sting Back To Impact, More

Posted by David Martell on 11.08.2009

This week we talk about the WWE cutting the number of PPVs down to 13 next year, Vance Archer debuting on ECW, Sheamus on RAW, Sting coming to Impact, and our thoughts on if ECW needs a second hour. The Elimination Chamber is our Gimmick Match Highlight. Please Enjoy!

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Topic # 1 What are your thoughts on the WWE cutting the number of PPVs next year to 13 but also raising the prices of all non Wrestlemania PPVs by 5 dollars?

David Martell: Well there definitely is some good and some bad here. I definitely happy that the WWE is cutting the number of PPVs they have a year. Having more than twelve PPVs in general just makes it hard for proper builds for feuds. A few times this year, we had PPVs every three weeks and that's just not right. We end up getting PPVs of the same matches over and over again just in different sceneries. Every PPV ends up looking like what Backlash is suppose to be. If WWE could just take one more PPV out of their schedule for next year we would be set. Less PPVs just equals better build and makes each PPV feel more important. Now I am not happy with the price increase. Although it is only five more dollars, I find it hard enough to pay for PPVs right now. There was a day and age where I use to get every PPV in a given year but now a days I can only afford maybe five a year. Royal Rumble and Wrestlemania are always a given but I really have to pick and choose out of everything else. It is also hard to figure out if a card is going to be good. The card for Hell in a Cell looked great at the time but it ended up falling short. I can deal with the price increase but I really think that the prices are high enough.

Sean Garmer: My question is, why not take it back to 12? Having one a month is not only tradition. It makes things a heck of a lot easier on everyone's wallet, knowing they only have to pay money once a month. Not to mention it helps centralize storylines. If you have declining PPV buys, wouldn't it make more sense to drop the price five dollars? Oh, I guess they figure since they have less people buying they need to maximize that loss. I apply my trade in the games section of 411, and any time I'm asked a money question I respond in the same way so I'm not hating on WWE. Until this economy goes back to normal it probably would get WWE more money if they lowered the price a bit because more people could afford it. Trying to reward yourself with more cash by taking advantage of those people that do buy the PPV's is not a good market strategy. These people do have a financial limit ya know. And I don't buy PPV's so it's not me, but there are plenty of people that will not like this.

Zach Brown: Meh. Not a bad idea. It's tit for tat, if you ask me. On one hand, I don't think the current bloated PPV schedule is the best thing. There is less time to build feuds, and some of the PPVs end up feeling rushed because of it. So this is a definite fix for that. The question is, is it something you'd be willing to pay an extra 5 dollars for on every PPV you buy? I say run with this idea. Every WWE fan reserves the right to buy or not to buy a PPV in the first place. If a PPV has more time to build the feuds, it will lead to better storylines and better matches. I'm willing to bet that the WWE fans who would buy the PPV anyway would throw in an extra $5 for that. But hey, it may end up being a short lived experiment. WWE PPVs in general need to feel more special than they have been feeling lately. They need to feel like events again. When I have a PPV followed by another PPV 3 weeks later, I'm sorry but it just doesn't feel as special as it should. And several of those matches are just rematches from the last one. The result is something that I feel like I can afford to miss. So do I think WWE should lessen their yearly pay per views? Absolutely. Do I mind paying 5 dollars more to see them? No. If the card is good, 5 extra dollars is no object. And if the card is bad, I just won't buy it.

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Topic # 2 Vance Archer made his debut on ECW this past week. What are your first impressions?

David Martell: Man, it seems like I have been watching Vance Archer wrestle my entire life. I remember him working for a local wrestling organization called PCW here in Dallas. I just remember watching their show on UPN at around one in the morning. I thought he was good back then but as time went on I just stopped caring. I really didn't like his run in TNA and he never seemed very important. I would just like to say that I hate that tramp stamp he has. What the hell was he thinking when he got that thing? I am happy that he is actually getting a chance in the E. From what I saw on ECW they did clean him up substantially. No more greasy long hair and stupid Test pants. He looks like a legit wrestler but unfortunately he kind of looks generic. That doesn't mean to much though because Jack Swagger looked generic when he started on ECW and he became a big deal. I am not going to judge Archer on his first appearance alone because he only had a squash match. If they let him talk and let him show what he can do in the ring, then maybe he can end up being someone to watch. ECW is the place to be to start a fresh career and we will just have to see what happens with Vance Archer.

Sean Garmer: I know a lot about Mr. Archer. He started in an independent wrestling company I worked for, for a little bit. There he was named Shadow and he was a big time fan favorite. Once he went to TNA and became Lance Hoyt he was hated by those same fans. He did ok in TNA but he wasn't used correctly. I always thought he would work better in WWE just because he's the type of guy Vince traditionally likes. in the indy's he was almost something like a more modern version of the Undertaker. He can cut promo's and is very athletic for his size. I'm excited to see what Vance Archer does in ECW. His debut was nice, though I wish they would have let him use his flipping slam finisher, and not the Sting DDT he used in his debut.

Zach Brown: Well it's a little too early to tell on ‘ol Vance Archer. First of all, he walked out of Tiffany's office and she called him "intense." Was anyone else's mind in the gutter here? I immediately started joking that Vance put her in the cast...or re-broke her arm or something...yeah I need to grow up. Anyway, he squashed a jobber on ECW. Big whoop. The inverted DDT was nice, but it was your typical squash match. Now thankfully, WWE looks to have identified what has been problematic for Lance Hoyt trying to get over in the past - namely that awful tramp stamp that he has. Covering it up with higher pants is the right decision. Seriously, every time that I have ever seen Lance's lower back tattoo, I have laughed uncontrollably. So it was wise for WWE to try to eliminate that. Also, he cut his hair and got rid of that lip piercing. I dig it. I do like Lance Hoyt alright, so I'm interested to see what he can do in the big time. But then again, I also liked Chris Harris. I just hope Lance Hoyt is not Braden Walker 2K9. (Although, Braden Walker does have his own DVD set, and has been inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. So that aint too shabby...see YouTube.)

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Topic # 3 What are your thoughts on Sheamus being on the RAW roster?

David Martell: Putting Sheamus on RAW was a surprising move by the WWE. I simply don't think he is ready to be on the main stage. I do like what Sheamus brings to the table but RAW's midcard is so muddled up right now and I feel like he will be lost in the shuffle. They did a great job of making him look like a bad ass last week when he publicly murdered Jamie Noble by power bombing him onto the floor. I just feel like he needs more time to better his craft. He really only has had one full feud and that was with Golddust. It was good stuff but his feud with Shelton wasn't that special at all. I just wonder what the WWE plans to do with him. If he ends up feuding with Evan Bourne just because he's a small guy I will not be happy. That just seems like the normal big guy feud now a days. I hope for the best for his sake but I just have a feeling he wont get any where on the RAW roster.

Sean Garmer: I guess its always good to get new people on RAW. If he is going to start out doing what he did in ECW, why bring him over? He had a good storyline going on with Shelton before he was brought over to RAW. It's like they just ended it out of thin air and then he miraculously shows up on RAW because ECW is apparently the WWE free agency list. At least tell people that ECW is a free-agent ground geez, people aren't dumb, he didn't just all the sudden lose his contract with ECW. Regardless, I liked the way they've had him almost literally kill Jamie Noble, that's how you make an impact. I just wish they would have let him run rampant a bit more on ECW before bringing him over. I guess that might be WWE's intention, they want him to be a made man on the RAW roster, not a nice import from ECW. This seems like WWE wants their next Batista and they may have him here except that he is pasty white.

Zach Brown: Honestly, I think it was a little early to move Sheamus over to Raw. A run with the ECW title would have given him a lot more credibility before he jumped brands. The creative team must really be high on Sheamus to move him over so fast. I mean what has he really done so far on ECW? He had a pretty decent feud with Goldust, and had a half-baked feud with Shelton. Yeah, the guy has some pretty sick moves on him, but I think he could have used a little more time to mature on ECW. I mean there were plenty of people for him to feud with. Christian, Zack Ryder, Regal, Tommy Dreamer, Yoshi Tatsu, Shelton for longer than what it was, Hurricane, and the list goes on and on. I really would have been interested in seeing Sheamus in the ECW title picture. A title picture with Christian, Sheamus, Regal, Zack Ryder and Yoshi Tatsu is as strong a title picture as the other two brands. The question you have to ask yourself is this: is being in the Raw midcard honestly better than being in the ECW title picture? I really don't think it is. I would have liked to see Sheamus have an ECW title run, and that looked very possible with how WWE was building him. Now, I don't think he'll earn a mid-card title for a little over a year. But on the other hand, WWE is continuing to build Sheamus up as a sick ass wrestler. That powerbomb that he gave Jamie Noble on the ground made me think he broke his neck. So at least he still looks like a monster. I just would have rather seen that monster with the ECW title around his waist.

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Topic # 4 Sting is going to be on Impact this coming week to address his status and the to talk about Hulk Hogan coming to TNA. Your thoughts?

David Martell: Why the hell is Sting still hanging around TNA? I wish he would just leave and give us a year in the WWE. Yes, I know I am selfish and a lot of you guys don't want him to ever go to the E but there are just too many feuds I want to see him in before he really needs to retire. I would be perfectly happy just to see him feud with The Undertaker and HBK, I can live with that. Oh well. I guess having Hogan in TNA will keep the Stinger lacing up his boots in TNA. I really don't know the history between the two backstage so I could be wrong. As long as Hogan doesn't let all the old guys run around and do what they want I can live with all this. Sting is a great asset to TNA and hopefully for them, he is going to be staying another year on the roster.

Sean Garmer: This is a good thing, I'm going to guess Sting will join Hogan on something with creative because how many times can one guy retire. I'm glad Sting is going to stay with the company in a separate role that may have a few in ring duties. He could just leave and take a big pay day in WWE to end his career for good. However, he does the right thing and stays with the company that has helped him make Sting relevant to a new generation. I am interested to see what he says his role will be exactly.

Zach Brown: Hmm...I really wonder what Sting will be doing. He may be just teasing his retirement again with no real end in sight. I don't really have a problem with that. Stinger is getting old, but he's not so old that everyone is clamoring for his retirement or telling him that it's time to hang up the boots. Yeah, he forgot the finish at Victory Road, but one mistake does not equal a trend. If he retires, that's cool. If he stays, that's cool too. As for his thoughts on Hogan coming to TNA, this could be a reason storyline-wise for Sting to stay in TNA. Maybe Sting will want to ally with Hogan and help him start a new faction. Maybe Sting could hate everything Hogan represents and be his mortal enemy right from the get go. Or maybe he'll just put over Hogan in his promo and then retire. Who knows? All of them seem possible to me. I'm fine with whatever Sting does. Sting has already done so much for the wrestling business. Retiring now wouldn't offend me, and anything else he gives us is an added bonus as long as he continues to put people over and doesn't jeopardize his own health.

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Topic # 5 Do you think that ECW should be a two hour long program?

David Martell: I really do think that ECW could have a two hour show if they expand their roster. ECW is arguably the best hour of wrestling on TV right now and if they could bring that to two hours, we could have a damn good program. I think there are plenty of wrestlers lost in the shuffle on Smackdown and RAW that could easily make the transition to ECW if it were a two hour show. People like Drew McIntyre, Carlito, Primo, Chavo, Escobar, Jamie Noble, Jimmy Wang Yang and more could be valuable on a show that would actually use them properly. I am actually surprised the WWE hasn't made ECW a two hour show. I guess it would cost more in production cost but then again I feel like SyFy would be happy to have another hour of what is supposedly their highest rated show. Lets not forget that ECW is also a great place to rebuild superstars that have gone stale. Look at Golddust. Golddust gets huge pops now and I don't quite understand it. He is still the same guy for the most part but I think it is the fact that he actually gets time to wrestle and people get to see what he can really do in the ring. For a guy his size, he is quite agile. I would certainly welcome a two hour ECW.

Sean Garmer: I wouldn't have a problem with ECW going two hours, especially because it needs to be treated with respect and not made to look like its WWE Velocity with its own roster. WWE Superstars should be the only one hour show, and that's because its for promotion purposes. ECW is its on entity within WWE and I feel it should get two hours. The show's roster though is built to be a one hour program. In order for ECW to be two hours it needs that roster to grow. They have to make their own stars and balance that out with some established veterans too. Also, the show needs to be given respect from the SmackDown and RAW folks so that the fans gain interest in the show. I'm sure Syfy would not care to give one of its flagship shows another hour. It's up to WWE to want this to happen, and to make sure it goes down right. It still performs about as well as TNA, so why not?

Zach Brown: It all depends on how much WWE grows, and if it has the roster to support a jump to two hours. If ECW changed to a two hour format tomorrow, it would obviously suck. They just don't have the roster to round out a two hour show. That being said, I think going to two hours is the only chance ECW has of looking legitimate in the eyes of all the WWE fans. Right now, ECW hasn't even had a match on PPV since Breaking Point. It's embarrassing. It feels like WWE themselves don't consider ECW to be a full brand. Now if WWE decides that they really want to get a lot of indy talent, they could definitely round out ECW. Human Tornado, Chris Hero, Claudio Castagnoli (2nd times the charm?), Austin Aries, and Joey Ryan are just a fraction of the indy talent that would be great additions to ECW. Now that's not to say that they would necessarily want to be in WWE. For example, I can imagine Joey Ryan and Human Tornado wanting to stay at PWG. But I'm just saying. If WWE wanted to take ECW seriously, they could acquire the talent to do so. Or heck, they could just dissolve FCW altogether and put all those wrestlers straight to TV. Eh, then again...maybe that's not the best idea. But it's really not impossible for WWE's roster to get that big. Hell, I hear they even want their own channel nowadays. So yeah, a move to two hours is something I eventually want to see happen with ECW. But WWE should really plan it out and have a deep roster before making a jump to two hours. After all, increasing your time slot to two hours doesn't necessarily make the show quality better. Case in point: TNA Impact.

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Gimmick Match Highlight



Our thoughts on the Elimination Chamber Match.

David Martell: I have always been a big fan of the Elimination Chamber. I think it is by far the best multi person match you can have. I mainly like the fact that you have to eliminate everyone to win. You actually have to go though five other guys to win and the champ does have to get pinned for someone to win the a title. The match as a whole it just a total package. You get the chance to watch a spot fest, great mat wrestling, and hardcore wrestling all in one match. It is sad to say that last time HBK had a world title was when he won it in the very first Elimination Chamber match. That alone makes the first Elimination Chamber match my favorite. I also enjoyed the one a New Years Revolution a few years back when Carlito eliminated three people from the chamber. Yeah, Carlito actually use to be good.

Sean Garmer: I remember when the Elimination Chamber was first announced I waited in anticipation for this because it was such a cool structure. The first match didn't disappoint, and I don't think anyone will forget RVD doing the Spiderman. Goldberg running rampant through the 2nd one was awesome because he never looked more dominant in WWE, then he did in that match. I always felt WWE dropped the ball in not giving Goldberg the belt in that match because when he won it the next month it didn't have the same surprise intensity, it was almost expected. Every Elimination Chamber has had its moments, and Ill never forget jumping for joy when EDGE (my favorite wrestler after HBK), winning his first WWE title after John Cena fought in that elimination chamber. And also how he smartly inserted himself in the last one for SmackDown to get the win. This is totally one match I still look forward to, I just hope WWE doesn't over use it.

Zach Brown: I love the Elimination Chamber. For my money, it is the best multi-man match around besides the Royal Rumble. In fact, for multi-man matches, I tend to like elimination style matches much more than a single decision match. I think it can be often more dramatic and entertaining to watch. Sure, a Fatal Four Way is fun, but I'd rather see the competitors get knocked off one at a time. A lot of people think the Elimination Chamber is overly gimmicky. Well, yes...it is. I can't disagree with that one bit. The whole "waiting cell" thing is kind of hokey, and the whole random light flashing to choose the next entrant is a little silly too. But you can't say that it isn't exciting to not know who the next entrant is. And yes, there are bad instances of the Elimination Chamber. Namely, December to Dismember. That's an obvious one. But then again, that's one of the worst PPVs in wrestling history. And also, Triple H has won four of these things. No other winner has won more than once. Basically, Triple H needs to never set foot in that match ever again. I would like that a lot. But I digress. WWE has really made the Elimination Chamber a special event at No Way Out for the last two years. The is because WWE gives the audience the feeling that "anything can happen" in these matches. For example, two years ago, the number 1 contenders for Wrestlemania were chosen with these matches, and last year both champions entering the match lost their titles. And even with the goofy name change, I have to say that "WWE Elimination Chamber" keeps the match type feeling special. All in all, the Elimination Chamber is one of my all time favorite match types to watch, and usually means a definite buy from me.

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