The Triple Threat 02.28.10: 178th Edition – Hogan and Flair Wrestling, Highlight on Cena, Released Wrestlers, More

Posted by David Martell on 02.28.2010

This week we talk about the new World Champions in the WWE, Hogan and Flair returning to the ring and the wrestlers who were recently released by the WWE. Our Superstar Highlight is John Cena. Please Enjoy!




Topic # 1 How do you feel about the title changes that took place at the Elimination Chamber PPV?

David Martell: I am actually completely fine with the title changes. They both make perfect sense storyline wise. It was pretty obvious that Chris Jericho was going to win the title here because we all knew that Edge/Jericho was going to happen. They teased this match since Edge returned. Edge vs. Jericho probably wont be the main event and it probably wont be the most exciting storyline wise but it will definitely be one of the best matches on the card. I am just looking forward to the promo work from both men leading up to Wrestlemania. Cena's win was less obvious and Batista coming in an winning it right after the chamber was even less obvious. I figured that Cena vs. Batista was going to happen just didn't know if it was going to be for the title. I figured they would make the title match Sheamus vs. Triple H but I think they made the better decision here. Cena vs. Batista is a big money match. Both guys gained popularity at the same time and I can see them leading up to a grudge because Cena was the more popular one. That would be a fun storyline and it would make it seem like more of a serious storyline. I have always enjoyed Cena when he wasn't joking around because it just made the feud seem more important. This is definitely a match that is worthy of a super card like Wrestlemania 26.

Jacob San Antonio: If the upcoming Batista/Cena matchup at Wrestlemania has McMahon/Hart in the respective corners, I'm not sure I agree with putting the WWE Title on the line. The way things have played out on RAW lately, I'm expecting to see McMahon and Hart at ringside for the title bout. If that's the case, it almost seems like one match is just a bit crowded. Two crowd favorites known for powerhouse styles, the owner of the company and a wrestling legend possibly at ringside, and to top it all off you have the WWE Championship on the line. Is there anything else they'd like to throw on top of things? All of that being said, I think the swerve ending at the Elimination Chamber was pretty good. It shows just how far Batista's turned to McMahon to get things done, and firmly cemented the heel status as he destroyed a completely exhausted Cena. I think we'll see an awesome match between these two, and I can only hope it's just as good as some of the other Mania matches look to be. The Undertaker losing in the chamber was expected, but I can honestly say I was completely wrong in how the Smackdown chamber played out. Was anyone else surprised to see Morrison last as long as he did with the "ankle injury?" Anyway, Jericho did an amazing job, and heel tactics aside he put on a strong showing to prove his title win. HBK interfering in the match was expected, yet still well played. It honestly looked like The Undertaker might have walked away champion that night, and his performance in the chamber only gets me more excited for HBK/Taker II. Like I said earlier, Jericho put on an awesome performance. With Edge starting to get better and better at his face run, I'm hoping to see some complete and utter carnage in the ring between him and Jericho. All in all, each title change at the Elimination Chamber did an amazing job of setting the stage for some awesome Wrestlemania matches.

Zach Brown: I think the title changes were the best part of Elimination Chamber by far. Cena winning the title and then getting steamrolled by Batista is...interesting. Cena as champion is stale to me nowadays, but Batista usually is not a much better choice. Heel Batista is a little more watchable to me and the swerve was kind of fresh, so all around, it just has me slightly interested. Jericho winning the title after Michaels superkicking Undertaker is exactly what I wanted from Elimination Chamber. What needed to happen at Elimination Chamber was for WWE to set up the best possible title matches to make Wrestlemania a supercard. And they definitely succeeded. While I'm not a huge fan of Cena vs. Batista, several people are clamoring for that match. Jericho vs. Edge is going to be epic because of the feud, and they set up the rematch with Taker and HBK. Overall, they did a great job to make the road to Wrestlemania the best it can be right now.

Topic # 2 What are your thoughts on Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair returning to the ring on the March 8th Impact?

David Martell: Flair and Hogan, especially Hogan, should never enter a ring again. These guys are decades past their prime and I seriously doubt either one of them could have a decent match. With that said, if they have to be in a match again, a tag match is the best thing for them to do. I really doubt this match will be any good at all but it is a money match. I really think this could have been a bigger deal if they brought this to PPV because the TNA PPV buys are awful but it seems like Hogan and crew only care about TV ratings. I will definitely not watch this match and ill pass on TNA for March 8th.

Jacob San Antonio: We all knew it was going to happen at some point, right? What's really to say? We'll probably see a firmly heel Flair beat up on a mostly face Hogan until Hogan hulks up. All of sudden, interference by AJ Styles and Flair takes control again. Flair will most likely win this match, and start a feud with Hogan. Maybe this will see Hogan take on his own protégé, and start this new generation/old generation feud. That's what I expect, and most commenters by now should realize that I'm wrong quite often. So I can't really say where this will go, but I know where I'll be when it happens: somewhere else. When TNA announced they'd be taking Hogan, Flair, and the rest of the group, I think pretty much everyone knew that it wouldn't be long before we had a Flair/Hogan match up. I'm not interested in this. I'm more interested in what the aftermath brings. My apologies to anyone who's looking forward to it.

Zach Brown: It's decisions like this that just make me disappointed in TNA. 4 or 5 years ago, TNA was hot stuff. They got it. They knew that to be successful, they had to push their fresh talent and make them stars. Guys like AJ Styles, Samoa Joe, and Christopher Daniels and everyone in the X Division had fresh stuff to bring to the table, and it made TNA an amazing alternative to WWE. I don't know why they decided to abandon that concept and focus on aging stars that have already done everything there is to do in the ring. Flair vs. Hogan is just sad. Flair has had an amazing career, no doubt. But there is nothing noteworthy left for him to do in the wrestling world. That is why he had a damn retirement match at Wrestlemania 24. Hogan can't even do the leg drop anymore because of his hip replacement. And of course, Hulk will beat Flair clean because of TNA wanting to capitalize on Hulkamania and Hogan being...well...Hogan. This is supposed to be a big match that garners TNA ratings, but as a fan, I immediately shake my head instead of getting excited about it.

Topic # 3 What are your thoughts on Paul Burchill getting released from the WWE?

David Martell: I always enjoyed Paul Burchill's work so it is sad to see him go. It just seems that he couldn't get him self over with his character in ECW. I still strongly believe that the WWE should of let him keep the pirate gimmick. I don't care what anyone says, I thought the gimmick was a lot of fun. He had great crowd reaction when he was a pirate and he was doing moves that I have never seen before. I know that the Pirate gimmick wasn't something that would of lasted forever but I really thought it was nixed a bit too early. Either way, I think Paul Burchill will find work easy as he is still a very good performer. Where ever he goes, I hope him the best with his career.

Jacob San Antonio: When you take away the pirate gimmick from Paul Burchill, you take away any interest Creative had in the guy. Paul Burchill stagnated in the worst way this past year on the WWE. The writers weren't throwing anything his way, and the feuds he was unfortunate enough to be in generally resulted in him making a fool of himself repeatedly. It's a shame to see Burchill go, but his company had pretty much given up on him. Anywhere he goes from here will probably be a step up by default. Who knows, maybe he'll be a mystery run-in on the fantastic upcoming Flair/Hogan match!!! That's a joke, by the way.

Zach Brown: Meh. I'm not too torn up about it. Burchill was just not getting over, plain and simple. "The Ripper" has some decent moves and he has had some pretty underrated matches in his recent run, particularly with Evan Bourne. There was one match I saw him have with Bourne a couple of months ago on ECW that was easily 3 and 1/2 stars. I guess the thing about Burchill is that he really has to have the right opponent to make a match work. It really could have saved Burchill's character to become a comic book villain to combat Hurricane on ECW. That would have made them both stand out from the mid card shuffle. But that was simply never capitalized on. It's pretty much a no brainer that he can go to TNA. Hell, they are pushing Sean Morley, Orlando Jordan, and the Nasty Boys in 2010. Anything is possible.

Topic # 4 How do you feel about Gregory Helms/The Hurricane getting released by the WWE?

David Martell: I say good riddance to Gregory Helms. He hasn't done anything memorable since his little stints with the Rock and that was a very long time ago. His Hurricane gimmick lived long past its shelf life. The only decent thing I remember him doing in recent memory was his little feud with Paul Burchill mainly because it gave us some decent matches. I am almost positive that he will end up in TNA sooner than later since he has several connections over there. Either way I doubt he wont be anything more than a lower mid card wrestler where ever he may end up.

Jacob San Antonio: A perfect example of the past coming back to bite you. Helms had his funny skits on ECW for a while, teasing a revival of the Hurricane. I say for a while, because by the time he finally showed up in green again, most people were annoyed it took as long as it did. The Hurricane was a pretty entertaining guy, and his superhero gimmick worked pretty well with the audiences. Helms had a bad habit of getting into trouble, though, and it looks like the WWE had finally had enough. The public intoxication stint wasn't really a big deal, seeing as how Jericho is now the World Heavyweight Champion. Unfortunately for Helms, his carrying a soma wasn't as small a problem. If the stories are true, Helms was looking at either a wellness suspension or getting fired from the company. Given his history of mishaps and hijinks, it looks like the WWE felt a firing was easier and better on themselves. It's too bad we're losing The Hurricane, but if his absence is really that big a deal I'm sure we can find someone else to put a costume on.

Zach Brown: Poor Helms. I guess one drunken night can cause your release just like that. But coincidentally, WWE didn't have that great of a role for him in the first place. His return to the Hurricane character was decent at first, but it never hit all that great of a stride. If he goes to TNA, I don't know how he can get over without the Hurricane character. As "Hurricane Helms" he was just uninteresting. I do feel for the guy though. After he got injured, it seemed like he was just unable to get back to the spot that he previously had. Whatever Helms decides to do from this point forward, I wish him the best.

Topic # 5 What are your thoughts on Maria getting released from the WWE?

David Martell: Maria getting the axe was a bit of a shocker since she recently won the slammy award for the 2009 diva of the year and since she's on Celebrity Apprentice labeled as a WWE diva. Supposedly she was ready to move onto something different with her career anyways so I don't think either side is at a loss here. I think overall the WWE got what they wanted out of her and vice versa. I am sure she will have a successful career with whatever she may end up doing but I definitely wont miss seeing her on my television screen. After all, I do own her Play Boy.

Jacob San Antonio: This release comes as a bit of a surprise. Maria was never the biggest attraction in the WWE Divas, and she wasn't perfect in a lot of ways (when Dolph Ziggler broke up with her, she looked like she couldn't comprehend how to look upset), but I never expected her to get the axe when she did. Last time I checked, there was something brewing between her and Matt Hardy and I find it awkward to see the WWE cut a storyline before it even gets off the ground. They've done it in the past plenty of times, sure (Jamie Noble/William Regal feud comes to mind), but I didn't see Maria getting released as well. Even more peculiar is her upcoming run on the Apprentice. She's still known as WWE's Maria on that show, and it really boggles my mind as to why the WWE would fire someone who's yet to complete their PR run on TV. From what I've gathered in the aftermath, Maria didn't see it coming either, but she's at least looking forward to doing something new in the future. Hope everything turns out well for her.

Zach Brown: I'm a little conflicted on Maria getting released. On one hand, Maria was one of WWE's hottest divas. She was always great to look at, no doubt. Then on the other hand, WWE had nothing good for her, and her storyline as Dolph Ziggler's girlfriend was a complete joke. I mean did you see the look on her face when Dolph "broke up" with her? Horrendous. Then a couple weeks ago, she defended Mickie James out of the blue. That was just dumb. Oh and she had zero in-ring talent. Overall, it makes some sense to sign an attractive diva to the WWE roster, but if that diva has very limited talent in the ring, it doesn't make much sense in the first place. It's not like anyone will lose sleep over this. With her being as attractive as she is, we will probably see her in the public eye in some capacity for at least a little while longer.



John Cena


Our thoughts on John Cena.

David Martell: Love him or hate him, you cant deny that his is the biggest superstar of today. There are times that I like John Cena and sometimes that I hate him. He can be good when he wants to be good but when he is the goofy Cena, I just cant stand him. He can wrestle when he wants to wrestle but sometimes he's just generic. He is the face of the WWE and I do think he deserves that title. I have only heard good things about his work rate from wrestlers from all types of back grounds. I am actually digging his new found feud with Batista. This is a big money match and it is something that is worthy of the super card that is Wrestlemania 26. I just hope that this match can deliver. Not everyone can have good matches with Batista and Cena is going to have to work really hard to lead Batista to match that is worthy of Wrestlemania. I am sure the crowd reaction will be great and it is always fun watching the face chasing the title anyways. Batista is pulling of a super heel right now that works and it is fun to watch. Overall I think this match could be fun but if they are on after HBK/Taker, they have to do something to keep the crowd popping. Overall, I think Cena is a good worker and as long as he mixes his goofiness with some seriousness, I can enjoy his work.

Jacob San Antonio: Oh boy. John Cena. There isn't a wrestler I struggle more with in the "like/dislike" category. Like many main eventers on the WWE, Cena is a bizarre individual that I can only stand when he's--get this--not in the main event. "John Cena without a belt on the line" is like a completely different person compared to "John Cena with a belt on the line." His promos aren't exactly great (Serious: "Talk monotone until I SHOUT REALLY LOUD AND TEAR OFF MY SHIRT!" / Calm: "Crack jokes, be lighthearted, make some reference to the WWE Universe! TEAR OFF MY SHIRT!"), his matches tend to be predictable and uninspired, but there is absolutely no one else on the WWE roster who can get the crowd going like this man. I can't understand it, I can't explain it, but I've since learned to simply get over it. He has his moments where's genuinely funny, he has his moments when he's exactly the guy you want to interfere in other feuds, but he has oh so many moments when you want the guy to just stay backstage. I'm pretty harsh on John Cena, but I do think he did a great job in his own way of making Sheamus look legit. WWE Creative did not want Sheamus to pin any of their top talent. They wanted him with the belt, they wanted him to keep the belt, but they didn't want him pinning anybody. The perfect opponent then would be John Cena. Cena follows the "Hulk up" approach to his matches, and if you want Sheamus to look legit all you need him to do is repeatedly look strong against Cena. Sheamus isn't there yet, but I think thanks to the way Cena wrestles his matches he's given Sheamus a chance to run with the likes of Randy Orton, HHH, and Batista. And all criticism aside, I think that's worth my respect at the very least.


Zach Brown: John Cena is just ok to me. He seems like the go to guy for a title run when no one fresh or exciting is in the mix. And that's not a good thing in my opinion. The 5 moves of doom definitely apply to Cena more than anyone right now. On TV matches, that is basically all he will do. Also, I haven't been impressed with Cena's mic ability for years. He always talks about "being a man" and "believing in things" and he tries so hard to be good and wholesome and it just gets so old so fast. And his sense of humor is so G rated, it's sickening. For example, JBL is Poopy. But the positive thing about Cena is that he almost always delivers solid matches on Pay Per View. It's rare that Cena has a bad match on a big show, and if he does, it's rarely his fault. Basically, it boils down to me liking Cena on PPV, and disliking him on TV. If they ever decide to turn John Cena heel, it could be epic. But they won't do it because Cena sells so much merch, and he is such a great role model for the kiddos. Overall, it is foolish to hate Cena. The guy tries, and he always delivers on PPV. You can never fault someone when they work as hard as he does.


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