411 Fact or Fiction 4.01.10: HBK’s Retirement, Jack Swagger’s MITB Win, Consequences Creed’s Release and More!

WARNING: SMACKDOWN SPOILERS INSIDE!

Welcome one and all to the latest edition of 411 Wrestling Fact or Fiction! I’m Jeremy Thomas, hosting the Great Debate as always. Well, WrestleMania has come and gone, and with it went the career of one of the greatest competitors to ever step into the ring. We had a lot of other twists and turns as well, not to mention some developments in TNA and a certain win at our SmackDown tapings! We’ve got two guys as always stepping up to the podium to talk about these events; this week it is none other than our Co-Webmaster, Wrestling and MMA Zone editor and the man behind “My Take,” Larry Csonka! Sizing him up is the author of “High Road/Low Road” and my compatriot within Wrestling’s 4R’s where he covers Impact, Chad Nevett! There’s a hell of a lot to cover, so let’s get right down to it!

Questions were sent out Monday.

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

1. Considering the hype and the potential of the card, WrestleMania 26 was a major disappointment.

Larry Csonka: FICTION. I have to go fiction, simply because, to me, this was not a MAJOR disappointment. Too many people got their hopes up, saying that this could be WM 17 all over again and stuff like that. Don’t get me wrong, I had some high hopes, but not THAT high. Some people have labeled the event as a FAIL, but I disagree.

THERE WAS SOME BAD:
* UNIFIED TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH: The Miz and Big Show defeated John Morrison and R-Truth @ 3:10 via pin {* }
* NO HOLDS BARRED: Bret Hart defeated Vince McMahon @ 11:00 via submission {NR}
* Michelle McCool, Maryse, Layla, Alicia Fox and Vickie Guerrero defeated Mickie James, Kelly Kelly, Eve, Gail Kim and Beth Phoenix @ 3:00 via pin {SHIT}

THERE WAS SOME STUFF THAT COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER or NEEDED MORE TIME:
* Randy Orton defeated Ted DiBiase and Cody Rhodes @ 9:00 via pin {**}
* HHH defeated Sheamus @ 12:00 via pin {***}
* Rey Mysterio defeated CM Punk @ 6:30 via pin {**½}

AND THEN THERE WAS THE STUFF THAT DELIVERED:
* WORLD TITLE MATCH: Chris Jericho defeated Edge @ 15:50 via {***½}
* MONEY IN THE BANK: Jack Swagger wins Money in the Bank @ 13:40 {***½}
* WWE TITLE MATCH: John Cena won the WWE Title, defeating Batista @ 13:30 via submission {***¾}
* STREAK vs. CAREER: The Undertaker defeated Shawn Michaels @ 24:00 via pin {****¾}

The stuff in the middle was not BAD at ALL, and the stuff that delivered basically made me forget any bad from the show, which was mostly early in the event. Could it have been better? ABSOLUTELY. I enjoyed the show, and I didn’t feel ripped off. But that is just me. If someone felt it was a major disappoint, they are welcomed to that opinion.

Chad Nevett: FICTION. It was a disappointment, yes, but not a major disappointment. The tag title match and the Rey/Punk match were both disappointing given the time constraints, but I found myself liking the Orton/DiBiase/Rhodes triple threat and Triple H/Sheamus match more than I thought I would. Not quite trade-offs, especially since the Bret/Vince match was really bad, but still, a little disappointing, not majorly so.

Score: 1 for 1

2. Booking D’Angelo Dinero in a loss to Desmond Wolfe is exactly the wrong way to continue the build to Dinero’s World Title match at Lockdown.

Larry Csonka: FACT. While losing to Wolfe COULD in theory lead to Dinero winning the title and then continuing his feud with Wolfe, I think that this was a poor move. Since coming to the company, TNA has been very careful with Dinero. They pushed him slowly, and didn’t push his JUST because he was with WWE. They completely rebuilt him, the new persona has been awesome, and it all culminated with the tournament victory. Losing in a tag team match is one thing, but losing in a one on one match, even with shenanigans, hurts the momentum that they have worked so hard to build. They should be pushing Dinero as the second coming of Christ and making him look like a LEGIT contender as they build to what is traditionally the highest bought PPV of the year. But they didn’t do that. The sky is far from falling, but I wouldn’t have booked it that way.

Chad Nevett: FICTION. The loss happened via cheating, so, in the minds of the fans, it wasn’t really a loss. It was a ‘shoulda won.’ If it was a clean loss, yeah, but Wolfe cheating to win doesn’t make the Pope look bad.

Score: 1 for 2

3. Jack Swagger’s Money in the Bank win will finally result in a sustained push for him.

Larry Csonka: FICTION. Written before the SmackDown tapings: As much as I would love for Jack Swagger to get a sustained push out of this, I have a bad feeling regarding his career. He was running wild in ECW, and then because they shorted him and Finlay on PPV and they had a lack luster match, they started to punish him because “they didn’t think he had it.” Forget the fact that he had been delivering on PPV and TV with Borne, Hardy, Finlay, Christian and anyone else they put him in with, that didn’t matter. They shift him to Raw where he has been allowed to do both Jack and Shit until this win and I just don’t see them going hard with him. If JR doesn’t return, he will lose his major ally in the company, and that does not bode well for him. I really hope I am wrong, but I have a bad feeling about his push.

SPOILERS: I could have deleted that first part and been a bitch, but that isn’t cool. That is what I wrote and you guys get to see it. Now while Jack Swagger did cash in and win the World Title at the SmackDown tapings, and that is a GREAT sign for him, I still worry about his future. Again, I really hope I am wrong and that he will see a nice, long run as a top guy. I have been a supporter of his since his ECW Title run, and I think that he CAN be a top guy for the company and I LOVE that they are looking to push fresh guys into the main event scene. Good luck Jack.

Chad Nevett: FACT. Considering he cashed it in and is the new World Heavyweight Champion, I’d say that this looks like a sustained push. It’s possible that he’ll hold the belt briefly before dropping back into the midcard, but I don’t think they’d have him win Money in the Bank and cash it in successful so quickly if they weren’t planning to push him. About damn time, too.

Score: 1 for 3

4. Rob Terry is the wrong guy for TNA to start pushing at the Global Title level.

Larry Csonka: FICTION. Why? I mean, answer me this, what the FUCK does the Global Title mean? Sure it SHOULD be a secondary title, like the US, IC or even TV Title, but it isn’t. It has been a prop title since it was created, and it means jack shit. Yes Rob Terry is green as hell, but he has a look, is a student of the Dudleyz, Hogan likes him and TNA Management likes him. They are going to fail at making him the next Goldberg, but then again, shit happens. The title means nothing, but they are trying to use it to make Terry SEEM important, and if he SEEMS important with his string of squashes, then maybe the title will eventually mean something if they book it correctly. Remember kids, this isn’t a title with years and years of history, it was a prop for Booker t that they evolved when he left, but never established its importance.

Chad Nevett: FICTION. What is the Global Title level exactly? It’s not a nothing, meaningless belt, but it’s not far off. It began as a vanity belt and was only really interesting when Eric Young was using it to be the dick heel for all of three weeks. It’s a prop belt that’s just a prop in Rob Terry’s squashing of opponents. I’d love to see the belt on someone who can wrestle and make into something worthwhile, especially since TNA has enough talent to warrant a secondary heavyweight belt, but, so far, the Global Title hasn’t been anything special, so Terry is just continuing the tradition.

Score: 2 for 4

SWITCH!

5. Unlike many wrestlers, Shawn Michaels’s retirement from in-ring competition will remain a permanent one.

Chad Nevett: FACT. I really think it will. Call me naive and stupid, but I think it will stick. Michaels has seemed on the verge of retiring for years, so for him to finally say he’s done, I think he means it. I think he wants to spend time at home and not continue wrestling until his body is even more broken down. He’s got a great life outside of the ring and seems to want to protect it and not let wrestling ruin it. This is one case where I think retirement means retirement.

Larry Csonka: FICTION. I hate to say fiction, but in wrestling, I just have a hard time buying retirement stipulations. I know that Shawn WANTS to retire, and I know that he WANTS to honor the stipulation, but this is wrestling. He wanted to leave a few years ago but got pulled back in again. If a couple of big stars go down to injury, and Vince calls with the right $$$, he will likely be back, out of loyalty to WWE. I personally want him to stay, but at the same time I hope that this is one retirement that sticks. Unfortunately history tells us it likely won’t.

Score: 2 for 5

6. Inserting Team 3D into a potential World Tag Team Title match with the Motor City Machineguns and Beer Money would be a terrible booking decision.

Chad Nevett: FACT. Beer Money and the Guns don’t need Team 3D involved. The three- and four-way tag stuff last year with Team 3D, Beer Money, the British Invasion, and the Guns was good, but there’s no point in sticking them in where they aren’t needed. Beer Money, even as heels, are incredibly over and the Guns get some decent pops, so why bog it down with another team? Keep the booking simple, because, if there’s one thing TNA doesn’t need more of, it’s overbooking.

Larry Csonka: FICTION. I can’t say that it is terrible, but it isn’t the move I would make. The Motor City Machineguns and Beer Money have and would have a great feud, and with Hernandez out, and Morgan picking a new partner, new champs will happen sooner than later. The Motor City Machineguns and Beer Money feuding for the titles would be EXCELLENT. But I will say this, Team 3D works VERY well with these guys, and will have good matches. Also, with the nasty Boys THANKFULLY gone, what do you do with 3D? They are always title contenders, they work had on PPV, and I have no problem with them establishing THREE main teams in the division. In my opinion, it is FAR from terrible.

Score: 2 for 6

7. The best thing to come out of the Bret Hart/Vince McMahon match was the face turn and potential elevation of the Hart Dynasty.

Chad Nevett: FACT. Coming out on Monday to back up Bret against ShoMiz made people take notice of the Hart Dynasty, a team with tons of talent and potential that’s been wrestling against Cryme Tyme for six months. Nothing against Cryme Tyme, but I’ve seen that match way too many times now. Not only that, but the Hart Dynasty held their own against the Unified Tag champs and won via countout. Not the most impressive win, but good enough that they seem like threats to the belts, something they’ve never looked like to date.

Larry Csonka: FACT. When Bret came back, I thought it was cool, and while most wanted the reconciliation with HBK and the revenge on Vince, I was HOPING that the hart Dynasty would eventually get the rub and benefit from this. Of course it is way too early to tell what will happen, but WWE needs to make new stars, and if that is the plan, I am all for it. Plus more Natalya on my TV is WIN.

Score: 3 for 7

8. Consequences Creed’s departure from TNA is another unfortunate blow to the X-Division.

Chad Nevett: FICTION. Fiction only because they weren’t using him anyway. I like Creed and I like him teaming with Jay Lethal, but he hadn’t been involved in many matches for a long time and with the addition of Kendrick and Moore, I don’t think he’ll be missed that much, sadly.

Larry Csonka: FICTION. I would love to say that this will be a major blow to the division, but if we are being honest, it isn’t. Do not get me wrong, Creed is a talented guy and losing someone talented always hurts, but he was never booked to mean anything. He had like, one run at the title, and then was tossed into a tag team with Machismo. He has been filler for a long time now, being tossed into multi-man matches with no real reason, and that was it. I wish Creed the best, and I will miss him as he was fun to watch, but unfortunately he just didn’t mean much to the division.

Final Score: 4 for 8

And there you have it…Larry and Chad agree as often as they disagree and split it right down the middle! A big, BIG thanks to both of them on stepping up to give answers this week, and of course a big thank you to you for clicking the like and reading what they had to say! For Larry Csonka and Chad Nevett, this is Jeremy Thomas saying join us next week for another edition of 411 Fact or Fiction!

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