411 Fact or Fiction 1.21.10: TNA Genesis, Raw Guest Hosts, the Six-Sided Ring, Ken Anderson and More!

Posted by Jeremy Thomas on 01.21.2010

Did Genesis deliver enough to be considered a strong Pay-Per-View? Are Stone Cold, Jerry Springer and William Shatner a step up in Raw Guest Hosts? Did Ken Anderson live up to the "Mystery Superstar" hype? Do CM Punk and Luke Gallows make good number one contenders to the Unified Tag Team Titles? Jasper Gerretsen and Erik Luers debate these topics and more in the latest edition of Wrestling Fact or Fiction!



It's Wednesday night (or Thursday morning, depending), and everyone knows what that means: it's time for the latest edition of Wrestling Fact or Fiction!. TNA Genesis is in the books with some interesting developments; meanwhile on the WWE side, we have the Royal Rumble fast approaching. With that landscape stretched out before us, we have two men as always stepping up to do verbal battle over the hot topics of the week. The first man is the writer behind "That Was Then, This Is Too?" He is the one and only Jasper Gerretsen ! Facing off against him is a first-timer to Wrestling Fact or Fiction, a member of the Movie Zone where he does movie and DVD reviews, fills in on News Reports and is a regular on the Movie Zone podcast, Erik Luers! The competitors are set, the bell is ready to ring and the announcements are done, so let's get to the questions!

Questions were sent out Monday.

Participants were told to expect WWE & TNA-related questions.

1. TNA Genesis delivered what it needed to in order to be considered a strong Pay-Per-View for the company.



Jasper Gerretsen: FICTION. A hundred times fiction. The show started out with the crowd crapping all over it due to Hogan heeling all over the crowd and the six sided ring they love so much, and only got worse from there. The only positive coming out of the PPV is the AJ Styles heel turn and the use of Flair as his manager, but at the same time I'm afraid that this will all end up being more about Sting vs. Flair than pushing AJ as a champion. Meanwhile the focus in the tag division seems to be more on The Nasty Boys and The Band, Amazing Red has done absolutely nothing interesting as X-division champion, Eric Young is nowhere to be seen and the Knockouts division isn't in any better shape.

Erik Luers: FICTION. Although I have yet to see the Genesis pay per view, from the looks and results of it, the show was rather lackluster. This is frustrating, but somewhat to be expected. Up until last Thursday's big "go home" show, there were only two matches announced for the Sunday PPV. The buildup for these matches were lackluster if not nonexistent. One of the biggest advertised attractions for the show was the return of Hulk Hogdan to PPV. We had no idea idea what he was going to do, but he was going to show up. He could have entered the ring, put on that "Pissing The Night Away" song from the 90s, backflipped, and started dancing, and the fans would have received exactly what they were promised. What they got instead was Hogan and Eric B. starting the show off by pretty much insulting the fans with the debut of the four-sided ring. When fans chanted against it, Hogan insulted the six-sided ring, you know, one of the only things that made TNA stand out. That and bad booking. Oh well. The new rampway to the ring is so WCW circa. 1993, but to each his own. This PPV followed the TNA formula: good younger talent (Amazing Red, Brian Kendrick), questionable finishes (Morley over Daniels???? Seriously???), the originals vs the washed up geriatrics (Beer Money VS Nash and Hall, or make that Sean Waltman), a less than exciting debut for a guy who never seems to be used correctly anywhere (Mr. Ken Anderson), and a great main event with an unnecessary, Russo-rific heel turn (AJ Styles). Against All Odds will be the first PPV where Hogan can really set things his way. We shall see how that turns out. Expect a Brian Knobbs VS Brian Kendrick "Life of Brian" match, and an Awesome Kong VS Bubba The Love Sponge "Haiti Pride" match. Let's hope for the best.

Score: 1 for 1

2. With Jerry Springer, William Shatner and Stone Cold Steve Austin on the calender, the Guest Host roster looks to take a step up from the early days of the concept.

Jasper Gerretsen: FACT. If only because I actually recognize these names. Sure, Springer might not have been relevant for years now, but he'll still draw attention to the product and might create some interesting names. William Shatner will be fun to see too. Austin should easily boost the ratings, and will definitely be entertaining. All in all, the lineup for the next few weeks is far stronger than some of the B-list names we've seen in the past few weeks. What's even more important in my opinion is that these names are here to promote the product, not to push a new movie or album down our throat.

Erik Luers: FACT. This concept is over and done with, guys. The closer we get to Wrestlemania, the more the attention should be placed on the actual in-ring wrestlers. I realize this has not usually been the case (normally when we get to Mania, McMahon starts plugging all the "celebrities" that will somehow take part in the event), but in a wrestling year (April to March) where we have been oversaturated with people plugging their products, it's time to go back to the wrasslin' superstars. I'd say the well has run dry, but it's been dry for a long time. Like Mae Young dry. Stop thinking about that. Anyway, out of these three names, Stone Cold obviously makes sense, and the other two could be fun but unnecessary. And that's my problem with the guest hosts. They're all unnecessary (from a storyline standpoint. I realize they sometimes bring in ratings). Bret Hart was a great one, but that's because they are going to actually use him in the future. No one is counting down the days to a ZZ Top Vs Bushwackers Hair VS Hair Match. When the guest hosts come out, storylines get put on hold. So let's put an end to it. Do we really need to see the obligatory Star Trek sketch where Santino will dress up as Spock and say "beam me up, Scotty Too Hotty?" It's getting old, kinda like the ages of our guest hosts.

Score: 2 for 2

3. Based on fan reaction and the uniqueness it gave the company, TNA should relent and bring back the six-sided ring ring.

Jasper Gerretsen: FICTION. The problem here is not that they've gotten rid of the six-sided ring, but the way they've gone about it. The Hogan speech at the start of Genesis was just terrible. He basically said that one of the most recognizable aspects of the company was stupid, and that the fans were stupid for enjoying it. That's stupid on so many levels, if only because Hogan is supposed to be the babyface that's leading the company to new glory. They should've done something to explain the transition. Tell them Nick Hogan crashed his car into it. That the Nasty Boys get headaches when they have to count past four. Unfortunately, they simply can't go back now. Switching back to six sides would make it seem like they caved to fan pressure.

Erik Luers: FACT. They should, but they won't. Hogan is too stuck to his ways (and he referred to the six-sided ring as a "playpen", brother), so the four-sided ring is here to stay. I had heard that the six-sided ring had already been shipped over to England for their U.K. tour, so that will be interesting. Who knows. Why invest in TNA and then change everything about it? Out of all the things fans were complaining about, was the six-sided ring the number one concern? Hell no. That made it somewhat unique. Will I miss it? Not particularly, but I never minded it. The wrestlers seemed very adjusted to it, and it came across well on television. In this day and age, professional wrestling companies need ways of distinguishing themselves from other indies and mainstream entertainments. TNA is not doing this. If anything, they prove they want to be more like WWE every single day. When the four-sided ring was debuted at Genesis, Hogan came out, did his promo, and trashed Vince McMahon. WHY ARE YOU ALWAYS BRINGING UP VINCE MCMAHON? You're screaming for attention, but your papa won't listen. As DMX would say, "do you". Don't worry about what your competitors are doing. Make yourselves something special, and make yourselves distinctly you.

Score: 2 for 3

4. Eric Escobar would have had a much better chance of still being employed had he debuted on ECW and not SmackDown.

Jasper Gerretsen: FACT. I honestly have no idea what motivated the release of Escobar. He might not have set the world on fire with his mic skills or in ring abilities, but he was by no means terrible. The pairing and then feud with Vickie Guerrero was actually promising, as it could have pushed him to be a strong mid-card babyface. I believe that spending time on ECW would have given him a chance to develop more of a personality, which probably would have prevented his release.

Erik Luers: FACT. Yes, Escobar would've had a better chance of still being employed if he was on ECW, but only because it would've taken Vince eight to ten months to realize he was still on the payroll. I truly believe that. Remember when Vladmir Kozlov got a monster push? Remember when he wrestled Triple H for the WWE championship in the Smackdown main event at Survivor Series 2008? Remember when last year he beat The Undertaker cleanly on Smackdown with just a powerslam off the top rope? Remember when he was in the Elimination Chamber and looked like a legitimate threat? Kozlov was then sent to ECW where he would wrestle once every two months (give or take a few house shows), and collect a steady paycheck without ever serving a purpose (being the second backup to William Regal is like being the third Godwinn Brother). Escobar would have been still chilling on WWE money if he had been on ECW right now. He may even have developed some internet street cred ("he's underused!" "he'll tear the house down with Bryan Danielson!" "Viva La Patriot".....I miss the Patriot), but now he's gonna be working high school gyms with Randy the Ram for the next few months. Either that or become the next TNA world champion. We will have to wait and see.

Score: 3 for 4


SWITCH!

5. Ken Anderson lived up to the hype set for him as the mystery superstar debut at Genesis.



Erik Luers: FICTION. Well, was there really any hype to live up to? He was one of the remaining Hulkamana Australian Tour employees that everyone was expecting to show up sooner rather than later (and for anyone waiting for Umaga, you haven't been keeping up with your wrestling news). He unsurprisingly showed up on Sunday, cut a face promo, and then cheated like a heel to win the match. It doesn't make any sense. People booed you because your character is undefined. Are you a face? You're a former WWE superstar, so right off the bat the Orlando fans are gonna boo you ever so slightly. The more you ignore it, the more angry the fans will get (ya know, someone should really tell those fans how to appropriately act during live television tapings..........oh wait). Anderson can wrestle, but nagging injuries prevented him from being the breakout star that someone like Sheamus quickly became. Anderson's Youtube videos have only made him appear lazy and sarcastic. His wrestling appearances in Wisconsin made him look considerably better, but he may turn out to be just another Billy Gunn (or Anderson's own archenemy, Bob Holly). Again, the change that TNA keeps promising isn't change at all, but repeats of stuff WWE did three years ago. Anderson needs to find his own place within the company and that will take considerable time. On a side note, why wasn't Samoa Joe on the card while Scott Hall was? Didn't Joe already speak his mind on that guy to Dixie the last time he no-showed? Will they never learn?

Jasper Gerretsen: FICTION. His match against Abyss was mediocre at best. It was nice to see him get the time to do the fake announcing that made him popular during his early WWE run, but other than that I simply can't think of any way in which he can live up to the hype that Hogan surrounded himself with. At this point the only person I can think of that was on Hogan's Hulkamania tour and hasn't shown up in TNA is Matt Cross, and Mr. Kennedy Anderson's appearance is just another blatant example of Hogan bringing in more of his buddies. Sure, this buddy can actually wrestle and talk, but I'm not getting my hopes up.

Score: 4 for 5

6. The WWE made a mistake by waiting as long as they did to shape up the Royal Rumble card.

Erik Luers: FICTION. The Royal Rumble match sells itself. The title matches have historically been throwaways (this is not to say they aren't good, but they are usually less promoted than the battle royal), but sometimes daring in their mashups. This year we have heel vs heel and face vs face. If Sheamus is able to beat Orton (by hook or by crook), he will prove to be more than just a transitional champion. He is one of the the WWE's major success stories, and I hope he goes to Mania with the belt. Will the fans care about this title match? Probably not, but Orton has been getting a lot of face pops as of late, so ya never know. Angle and Hunter had a good heel vs heel match nine years ago at the Rumble (hell, that card even had a ladder match on it between Jericho and, umm, some other guy), so this could follow suit. Taker/Mysterio could also be quite good, and it looks like Taker may be going to Mania as champion (this would prove his longest championship reign in his twenty year WWE career). As for the ECW title match, hey, it gets Christian on the card, and he'll end up winning. These title matches aren't bouts we have been clamoring for, but they're decent for what they are and their lack of hype doesn't diminish them in the least. They're bound to be better than Steiner VS Hunter and Lesnar VS Holly. I hope.

Jasper Gerretsen: FACT. The Royal Rumble isn't just one of the big four WWE pay-per-views, it's the start of the road to Wrestlemania. In the past years, we've seen qualifying matches and storylines revolving around numbers one and thirty. This year, it seems they're just throwing out random names. This is especially frustrating since they've actually had six weeks to build to the show, a luxury they've had for the first time in a very long time. The SmackDown and ECW title matches have been built well enough, but I'm questioning the logic of a WWE title match involving two heels. Furthermore, they simply haven't done enough to make the Royal Rumble seem important.

Score: 4 for 6

7. TNA made a poor move debuting Brian Kendrick in a losing effort to Amazing Red.

Erik Luers: FICTION. Should've stayed with Dragon Gate, Brian (for east coasters interested in Dragon Gate and other indie shows like Chikara, visit my friend's website Arena Door Bus Trips in regards to bus tours. Cheap plug!). Poor debuts are what TNA does best (see later in the same night), and this one was what it was. I don't think that just because a wrestler debuts, he should win his first match. Nonetheless, there wasn't any fanfare around Kendrick's introduction to TNA, making him just another member of the roster as soon as he appeared on the entrance ramp. Nobody cares because TNA doesn't make us care. He is a very talented wrestler, but rather than just throwing them out there, TNA should work towards building them up (or making them look like a serious threat). Desmond Wolfe has been doing great, and that's thanks to his own personal abilities as much as it is to the TNA bookers. They took a chance on him and it worked. He's a great wrestler and has been booked remarkably well. He looked like serious competition to the faces of the company such as AJ Styles and Kurt Angles, and he already had the indie street cred to back it up. TNA should use him as a model for all future prospects. Unfortunately, so far they haven't.

Jasper Gerretsen: FACT. No matter what you might think of his attitude, Brian Kendrick is still a fairly big name (although probably not as big as he considers himself to be). I can't for the life of me think of a reason to debut him as a mystery opponent, when they could probably have boosted buyrates somewhat by bringing him in a week or two prior to the show to actually build a feud with Amazing Red, who has been completely lost in the whole Hogan mess.

Score: 4 for 7

8. CM Punk and Luke Gallows are a good choice to challenge for the Unified Tag Team Titles.



Erik Luers: FACT. At this point any team would be a good choice to challenge for the tag titles. After the destruction of Jerishow, we need some tag teams to challenge DX. The Hart Foundation would great, but will they be considered formidable contenders? DX already beat them once on Raw in less than ten minutes, so I'm thinking no. Who else then? Big Show and The Miz could be allright. And, umm....yes, CM Punk and Luke Gallows. I have been waiting for a one on one match between HBK and CM Punk for years now, and this would be a good start to that. Hell, Triple H VS Punk would be damn good too. As for Gallows, well, he's just along for the ride. A CM Punk - DX feud would be really interesting and could draw money, granted they take the time to build up the feud (I'm thinking three months). Would the heels win? Probably not, as DX is a much bigger draw. That's the problem. Since the tag titles allow the champions to go over each brand, Vince will always keep the belts on the big name stars. And it looks like they've been depushing Punk since November, so good luck with that. I could see them giving the belts to Cena and Kofi though. A mini Mega Powers in the making, perhaps?

Jasper Gerretsen: FACT. I really like CM Punk's new straight-edge cult, and it's impressive to see how far they're willing to go to push it, considering the SmackDown spoilers that have leaked at the time of this writing. All in all I think it's an excellent program to get CM Punk back on track after he faded a bit following his world heavyweight championship loss to Undertaker. The unified tag team championships might not mean as much as they should, but between Jerishow and D-generation X, they do mean a lot more than they did this time last year.

Final Score: 5 for 8

And with the dust settled, Erik and Jasper end up going just north of .500! Big thanks to the both of them for their great answers…and, as always, a bit shout out to you the readers for checking out what they had to say! Come back next week for more 411 Wrestling Fact or Fiction!

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