wrestling / Columns

High Road/Low Road 02.12.10: Team 3D Versus The Nasty Boys

February 12, 2010 | Posted by Sat

Welcome back to the High Road/Low Road!

A brief explanation of the column: Sat takes the High Road (positive view) on angles, gimmicks, and other wrestling related “stuff” while Chad Nevett takes the Low Road (negative view).

Results for Edge Winning The Battle Royal:

High Road: 67%
Low Road: 14%
Both Roads: 19%

Sat: Not really surprising that the High Roads won. I was surprised by the number of people voting this a low road and both roads.

Chad Nevett: I think I’m in the Both Roads myself, but the High Road winning doesn’t surprise me at all.

Team 3D Versus The Nasty Boys

High Road:

I like having the Nasty Boy feud with Team 3D because I have not been interested in what Team 3D has been doing for quite some time. But since, the rumblings have started about Team 3D squaring off against the Nasty Boys, I have become interested in Team 3D. This feud with the Nasty Boys should help to get Team 3D out of this bad stretch that they have been.

Low Road:

I’m still not interested. In fact, involving the Nasty Boys makes me want to turn off my TV, because they are so past their prime it’s not even funny. Team 3D is a mature team that would be better used to feud with younger teams and give them credibility. Their feud/friendship with Beer Money was interesting and took advantage of the duo’s place in wrestling. This doesn’t.

High Road:

If this match was going to be for the TNA Tag Team titles, I would agree that having this feud is a bad idea. This match is basically not going to harm anybody and that makes it okay in my book.

Low Road:

It’s a match where you have to watch the Nasty Boys attempt to wrestle despite not being physically able to credibly compete. Given the number of skilled tag teams in TNA, giving any time to this feud is a mistake.

High Road:

One of the concerns I had when this feud was first announced was what kind of ring shape are the Nasty Boys in. My initial thought was that this was going to be train wreck. Surprisingly though, the Nasty Boys have looked way better than expected. They had a good match against Kevin Nash and Eric Young and also were moving very well when they interfered in the Hernandez/Morgan versus Team 3D match from last week’s Impact. I have to say that this feud has to be looking a lot better because the Nasty Boys have looked decent in the ring.

Low Road:

I don’t think we were watching the same match, Sat. The only person in that match that looked like he should be competing in the ring was Eric Young. The Nastys were both sloppy and slow, including the horribly awkward take down of Kevin Nash on the ring apron that looking like a slow motion replay of a slow motion replay of the event. It was an awful match that should have convinced TNA management that the Nasty Boys do not belong in a ring anymore.

High Road:

This match between the Nasty Boys and Team 3D is going to be a brawl. It is not going to be a wrestling match and I see this match being very good. Both teams have shown that they can brawl in the past and the same will be true this Sunday at Against All Odds.

Low Road:

Even as a brawl, I don’t think this will work, because I don’t think the Nasty Boys will have the stamina to keep up with Team 3D. Despite not looking in the best of shape, Team 3D have incredible stamina and can last a long time. Knobbs was winded after being in the ring for two minutes. How is he going to be able to participate in a satisfying brawl-style match? It is going to be exceedingly slow and tedious.

High Road:

I have always been a fan of the matches where we see the best of the current era battle against the best from a previous era. A few years back, TNA had the Steiners and Team 3D feud and that turned out very well. I think that this feud is not going to be as good as that one, but I still see this as being just a notch down.

Low Road:

The Nasty Boys were never among the best tag teams of any era. They were mediocre and average in an era of amazing, top-notch tag teams. And, unlike the Steiners, they haven’t kept up with the in-ring work. Outside of the ring, this feud has been passable (barely), but in the ring, it will be a trainwreck.

High Road:

There is an intrigue factor with this match because it has been close to ten years since the Nasty Boys last teamed up. I think people will be interested in seeing the duo back together again. Plus, I think people have to admit that it was kind of cool to see the Nasty Boys use some of their old moves such as the Pity City. I think the intrigue factor has the potential for people to buy Against All Odds.

Low Road:

If Knobbs and Sags had been active as singles wrestlers in a big way, a reunion would be interesting, but they haven’t. That just means we get to see two fat, old, out of shape guys who weren’t exactly gold in the ring when they were in shape team up and be carried through a match for nostalgia purposes. Wrestling needs to look forward and stop looking back. It’s just sad.

Are you taking the High Road or the Low Road?

High Road
Low Road
Both Roads
OR

Simply write “High Road”, “Low Road”, or “Both Roads” in the comment section.

E-Mails:

These are all of the e-mails that we received this week. We do not respond to the actual e-mail, but the reply to your e-mail will be below.

Lonestarr022 Writes:

high road –

yes, and while many now expect Chris Jericho to win the World Title at EC, and probably due to HBK costing Taker the match, but I’m actually looking forward to seeing that happen. Besides, Jericho as World Champion heading into WM doesn’t sound like such a bad idea to me.

Sat: I’ll admit that the odds are in Jericho favor to win the title, but we have been surprised before with what the WWE has done.

Chad Nevett: I want to see Jericho win the belt, but, now, I’m concerned that it may seem too obvious and the WWE will do a swerve that results in no Edge/Jericho match at Mania. Because being surprising is better than being good, of course.

Comments:

Below are the comments for last week’s columns and our responses. Every comment will not be included because it makes our lives a lot easier. The comments section was last looked at on Sunday Morning Pacific Time.

True Writes:

Cue all the people saying that they ‘called it’, and it was ‘predictable’ WWE.

High Road, we all got worked, and it was awesome!

Sat: I’ll admit that there were a few people that called it, but most of the people did not expect Edge to win the Rumble.

Chad Nevett: The idea was thrown out there, but usually not used as a person’s ‘official’ prediction because Edge could have easily not returned.

ROH Commish Writes:

Big Time Low Road. Simply because Edge has gotten a LIFETIME amount of achievements and titles in a span of 3 or so years. Edge has been pushed down our throats just like Cena has and probably even more so because he is not as over and a comparable draw at heel. Edge gets a pass from the smarks.

Sat: I’ll admit that he has gotten a ton of achievement in a short amount of time, but I think he is over and has done a good job as a heel.

Chad Nevett: Edge having a lot of accomplishments and short title reigns works well with his character. He’s the Ultimate Opportunist, so, of course, he’s going to steal victories and not necessarily hold onto belts that long. It fits his character, so I don’t mind it.

BlueDog31 Writes:

high road

1) even though a lot of people predicted edge was coming back, there wasn’t many who thought he would win the rumble, which made for a surprise and exciting ending.
2) there are now at least 3 people that edge could logically fight at wrestlemania: jericho, sheamus, and christian (since ecw is ending he could possibly get into the smackdown elimination chamber and win the title just like you all think jericho is doing). this builds excitement going into the ppv and makes the ppv a viable purchase.
3) by not having the “predictable” wrestlers win the rumble (cena, hhh, hbk, batista) you can have them focus on their individual feuds for wrestlemania now which will make for a stronger overall card.
4) anything is better than seeing cena win again!

Sat: When Triple H was thrown out, I knew we were in for a good rumble because I had him as the favorite.

Chad Nevett: I still would have rather seen the Rumble used to elevate someone to the main event than have a main eventer win since they don’t need a Rumble win to main event WrestleMania.

The Gold Standard Writes:

Both Roads. While I’m happy with Edge winning it seeing as he never as, he really didn’t need the rub from it. Seems now the Rumble wins are just given to guys who have taken a break from the main event scene. I expect Jericho, Big Show or Kane (Long Shot) to win in 2011 with the pattern they have been going the past 4 years.

Sat: I don’t see Big Show or Kane ever winning the Rumble.

Chad Nevett: My girlfriend really wanted Kane to win since she wants to see him and the Undertaker fight against one another at WrestleMania. She’s pretty new to wrestling and hasn’t seen any of their past feuds, but ever since the Undertaker cut his ‘the two things I enjoy most are fighting with and against Kane’ promo, she’s been itching for a Kane/Taker match.

Guest#3431 Writes:

High Road

Edge coming back in the Rumble was mentioned in the same vein as RVD getting a one shot deal and Bret Hart coming out for god knows what reason. Nobody seriously expected Edge to come back and if you say otherwise you are a liar.

Sat: Everyone expected Edge to come back, nobody expected him to WIN.

Chad Nevett: Yeah, people genuinely expected him to come back and somehow cost Jericho the match to ignite their feud. Him winning was debatable.

Jacob Writes:

high road but…
i hope for edge vs orton at wrestlemania (i know they are teasing the legacy break up but i’m just sayin’)… that would be a trully great main event…the problem with jericho is that he loses cleanly like once every 2 weeks…who would honestly believe he could beat edge though the match would be great….but a match between edge and randy would truly be unpredictable

Sat: I think Jericho is losing for a reason because when he does win the title, all the people that beat him get an instant rub.

Chad Nevett: Jericho losing cleanly never bothers me because he’s putting over other guys. He wins more than he loses. And, his character works quite well when he brags and whines about being the best only to lose somehow.

KanyonKreist Writes:

High road.

Edge is a at a level where he can convincingly challenge for a World Title at the Grandaddy of ’em All WITHOUT the result being a forgone conclusion, which is more than I can say for Cena or HHH.

At the same time, Edge is still in a position where he can also benefit from something like a Royal Rumble victory. I don’t think he has plateaued yet, in terms of of success, fame or drawing power. That’s another reason he was a better pick than, say, Batista (my prediction prior to the PPV), whose career I believe is at its high point right now, with nowhere to go but down.

Sat: I’ll agree that it is not a foregone conclusion that Edge is winning, but in the past we have seen that Triple H does not win at every WrestleMania.

Chad Nevett: I do think winning the Rumble is a good way to put Edge in the spotlight right away, which he needs after being sidelined for so long.

SpankyHamm Writes:

One – it really didn’t seem like he did anything in the Rumble. He was a late entrant, tossed Jericho, then got hit and laid down for a few minutes. Got back up, hit a move or two, got hit again, and laid down again. I doubt he was in action for than 5 minutes total. Plus – there was no real confrontation at the end with Cena. It wasn’t a 6-7 minute “match” with a lot of false teases. It was like any Battle Royal you might see on Superstars.

Two – Headlining Wrestlemania is the payoff for a lot of hard work for the top guys. Orton, Jericho, HBK and especially Cena – have all been busting their asses in the ring for the past year and DESERVE to be in this spotlight.

If Edge isn’t ready to go 15 minutes in the ring (and based on his Rumble activity, it appears he may not have been able to), then why are you wasting this “honor” on him. Even if he is – I think the return payoff could have been greater if he would have returned at EC and cost Jericho his shot at the title to set up their match at WM.

Sat: The one thing that does worry me is that Edge is not ready to wrestle yet. He had a short stint in the Rumble and looks like he is not going to be do anything at No Way Out.

Chad Nevett: I didn’t mind the lack of a one-on-one ‘match’ at the end. Doing a quick series of eliminations is more surprising since you almost expect it to come down to two guys who then face off for ten minutes. Edge not being 100% ring-ready doesn’t worry me yet because there’s time before WrestleMania. And, as we all know, the WWE cares more about drawing power and the story than in-ring performance, so a less-than-perfect Edge is a better option than no Edge at all.

I’m going both roads, because while having Edge win the Rumble opens up a lot of creative possibilities for Wrestlemania, it’s definitely a bit of lazy booking. When they pulled this with Cena two years ago, it worked much better there than here for a couple of reasons: 1) Cena was literally defying the odds in coming back way earlier from his injury than was typical, while Edge definitely had sufficiently expected recovery time; 2) It was *appropriate* to have Cena win, because his injury derailed a 13-month title reign and resulted in the belt being taken from him without losing it in a match; Edge, on the other hand, was nowhere near the title at the time of his injury. Overall, it definitely feels as though they’re just recycling what they did with Cena because they feel some kind of strange obligation to.

Sat: Cena’s win was better than this and made sense. But, I like Edge winning to because it shook up the WrestleMania title picture.

Chad Nevett: Edge is always near the title. He’s pulled off enough surprises to prove that.

bh_tafe3 Writes:

Middle road: For me, Jericho/ Edge is a third match on the card match up. It’s simply a dissolved tag team. The beef is that Jericho called his injury prone tag partner injury prone and moved on with his life. Sure he said some other nasty things, but was nowhere near harsh enough to justify a world title Wrestelmania main event match. And Jericho’s been a joke for the last few months, I wouldn’t buy him as a credible champion, and certainly don’t want to see him have a meaningless month long reign just so he could lose it to Edge in a match there were many other ways they could have set up.

So I’ll go with your other suggestion, Edge using the title to jump ship to RAW, which has its share of downsides too. Basically right now, I’m not overly happy with where they’ll be going with this rumble win, but I’ll hold off judgement until we see exactly where the cards fall.

Sat: This match would definitely not be the selling point of the card. I think off the top of my head, Cena/Batista, HBK/The Undertaker, and Bret/Vince (if they are not going to side on the Cena/Batista match) as bigger matches.

Chad Nevett: I’ve wanted Edge/Jericho since Jericho went to Smackdown and they had their first confrontation in the ring by debating who’s better. Not only that, but if you want to turn Edge face (which the WWE seems to want), Jericho is the perfect heel to put him against since, as we saw back when Jericho first came to Smackdown, given the choice, people will cheer Edge in favor of Jericho. Jericho’s heel persona is so unlikable and smarmy that anyone on the other side of the ring is liked.

Zack Writes:

This concept seems geared toward steering the audience to choose the low road, because it always comes second, worded as a response.

Person A talks
Person B says why person A is wrong

Next point–repeat

It ought to switch the response order for every question, IMO.

That said, I’ll go High Road just because Edge busts his ass, is entertaining, and deserves to be in the main event at WrestleMania.

Sat: I’ll admit that it would be nice if we did this, but it also increases the difficulty level of getting the column done. Maybe if there were one of two low roads to respond to we could make it work.

Chad Nevett: Yeah, I’ve wondered about the format a few times and if there were a way to make it work a bit better. I’m also sure that, sometimes, Sat feels like taking the Low Road on topics while I feel like taking the High Road. We’ve discussed changing it up from time to time and maybe that will happen sometime in the coming months.

The Great Captain Smooth Writes:

Both roads, leaning high. Low, because you could have used a Rumble win to build a younger star. High, because he does inject some more freshness to the title picture, people had no idea that he would win, he is credible, and it just goes to show you that ANYTHING can happen in the WWE.

Sat: It seems to be like the Royal Rumble is always going to go to the established main eventers and the Money In The Bank is going to go to the up and comer.

Chad Nevett: I don’t like how Money in the Bank has made the Rumble a main eventer only match. That makes it less compelling to me since that leaves only half a dozen guys who seem likely to win instead of, maybe, half of the participants. I like using the Rumble to elevate someone… that’s why my prediction was for John Morrison who seems ready to take that next step into the main event. Guys getting the shot when they don’t need it to main event WrestleMania seems a little wasted.

PJL Writes:

High (of course):

It provides a fresh and unpredictible RtWM, which is WAY better than last year’s. Now people are excited and don’t REALLY know what’ll happen next.

The ONLY low road I see (which you guys failed to point out) is that Edge/WWE MAY have pushed his return WAY too quickly. Let’s hope he’s healed up enough, because if his Tendon injury rears it’s head, we could have an issue.

But a great surprise, which will cause suspense for the WM card. So all High Road’s around here.

Sat: That would be crazy if Edge gets reinjured.

Chad Nevett: I hope that Edge is fully recovered (which isn’t the same as being ring-ready since that requires more than simply being healthy) and they didn’t rush things.

Guest#0455 Writes:

High Road.

Positives:
– Fun (but not-so-surprising) result
– Crowd popped big
– Creates believable uncertainty on Road to WM
– Consistent with Edge’s character

Negatives:
– Didn’t elevate anyone new
– Didn’t need Edge to win to get match with Jericho.

I’ve felt for a while now that the Rumble stipulations need to change. There should also be some sort of prize (title shot?) for the guy who lasts the longest and/or eliminates the most opponents.

Sat: I don’t think you should give prizes to people who last the longest or eliminate the most opponents. It just forces the fans to keep track of too much.

Chad Nevett: Yeah, lasting the longest or eliminating the most guys is just a neat little stat for those who care.

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Your reasons for taking the High Road, Low Road, or Both Roads and suggestions for future High Road/Low Road are welcome at [email protected] or in the comment section. Your reply will be included in next week’s column.

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