411 Fact or Fiction 9.30.10: Hell in a Cell, Mick Foley’s Movie, SmackDown to SyFy and More

Good Thursday, ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to 411’s Wrestling Fact or Fiction for the final week of September! It hasn’t been long but we’ve already got another WWE Pay-Per-View this weekend with Hell in a Cell. There are lots of interesting things happening with talent including a Mick Foley movie, Mickie James to TNA and Matt Hardy…doing whatever he’s doing. And that’s just the half of it! Joining us on the panel this week we have the Master of Ask 411 in the Wrestling and Games Zones, Mathew Sforcina! His opponent is the guy who brings you the Living LIVE Report every Tuesday in the Games Zone, Trace Aber! The questions are ready and the participants are primed, so let’s do it!

Questions were sent out Monday.

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

1. The four matches announced so far for Hell in a Cell have enough potential to make the show worth buying.

Mathew Sforcina: FACT, if only because there is enough chance for major moments. Morrison turning heel, Miz cashing in, Nexus either disbanding or gaining a leader, Taker winning yet another title… There are enough moments that potentially exist to just scrape over the line. I won’t be buying it, but I’d understand if someone did.

Trace Aber: FICTION. From a wrestling and entertainment standpoint, this show will probably come close to being worth about $30, and that’s probably being generous. Every match looks good on paper (assuming Kane/Taker is just a crazy brawl) and what have you, but my problem is that I doubt any of it will matter a week after the show. If Cena loses and joins the Nexus, then the show might have some long term value, but I don’t see that happening. If anything, it seems like WWE is done with Nexus. It’s a few days before show time and they only have four matches announced for the PPV. No four matches are going to entice me to spend $49.99 or whatever it costs nowadays.

Though this image might change my mind

Score: 0 for 1

2. A biopic on Mick Foley is something you’d be interested in seeing.

Mathew Sforcina: FACT. I love bad movies though, so I’m covered. If this turns out to buck a trend and be good, huzzah, it’s good! If it’s crap, then I get to go MST3K on its butt. I win either way!

Trace Aber: FACT. I’m a sucker for any wrestling movie, and Mick Foley has had an interesting career to say the least. What I’m curious about is how they’re going to cover his time in WWF/WWE. I guess they could go the route and calling it “The Fed” or something, but who knows? Regardless, there’s plenty of non-WWE stuff to cover in his career and, as long as Foley doesn’t have too much power, the movie should be good.

Score: 1 for 2

3. Trish Stratus is right on with her comments regarding the retiring of the Women’s Title.

Mathew Sforcina: FACT, although I don’t quite share her optimism about it. Sure, the roster is large, and they do have some good talent, but considering they chose McCool to start off the New Era… That’s hardly a good first step. She’s adequate at best, but on the other hand, if she has the pull to get the division time to do its thing…

Trace Aber: FACT. This is more of a faction for me, but she is right about how they need to move on and create something new. What I don’t get is why all of these women wrestlers are coming out and talking about the title as though it had some great legacy or that epic battles were contested over it. I can’t think of a single time where a women’s match stole the show, and can only recall a handful of feuds…some of which I’m not sure if they were for the title or not. But, she is right that there only needs to be one title, but it’s not like the legacy of this one will be any better.

Score: 2 for 3

4. Hotshotting the X-Division Title back and forth during a house show was a harmless move that didn’t hurt anything.

Mathew Sforcina: FACT. It’s not like they are trying to pretend the reigns never happened. They gave the NYC crowd a little buzz and both guys involved are over and acceptable champions, so what is the harm? Ooooh, it might make the title mean less, like that’s possible…

Trace Aber: FACT. I think this was a smart move on TNA’s part, as long as they announce it on TV. By announcing the title switches on TV, in theory, more people should be interested in house shows because “anything can happen.” Now, if they just ignore it and act like nothing happened, then it kind of devalues the house show circuit (at least to those who were there) because it only further proves that whatever happens doesn’t matter. Still, it was probably pretty exciting for the live crowd, who you can be sure wasn’t expecting a title change.

Score: 3 for 4

SWITCH!

5. Bringing Paul Bearer back, while a fun nostalgia trip, isn’t helping the Undertaker/Kane feud feel fresh or original.

Trace Aber: FICTION. Bringing Paul Bearer back was an awesome move and got an awesome pop. I don’t see this feud lasting much longer, but in the context Bearer coming back makes a lot of sense. Undertaker hasn’t had to rely on his Darkside powers in quite a while, but now that Kane has weakened them, he needs help more than ever. What better time to introduce Kane’s father, and the holder of the urn, than Paul Bearer into the equation. In addition, I’m sure there’s plenty of younger fans who aren’t really sure who he is (or only knew him during that period of time where he was “killed”), but for them it’s an entirely new experience. Without Paul Bearer, Kane never would have been brought back, so it’s only fair that in their “final feud,” Bearer comes back to help Undertaker stop the monster he helped to create.

Mathew Sforcina: FACT, but then again that’s not the point. Although I will say that (sadly) Kane being in such a position of power IS somewhat fresh and original, this is not trying to be fresh or original. This is the Undertaker Wind Up Tour, and we’re bringing back all the best bits, coz he’s clearly in the final year or two of his career.

Score: 3 for 5

6. Mickie James will be able to help reinvigorate the TNA Knockouts Division if given a chance.

Trace Aber: FICTION. I’ve never understood all of the love for Mickie James. She was a decent women’s wrestler, but I never had any strong feelings toward her, one way or the other. She would wrestle, I’d watch, and that’d be it. The only time I got behind her was during her match with Trish at WrestleMania, but how long ago was that?

Mathew Sforcina: FACT, but the quantifier you listed there tells the story. Look, practically any woman could reinvigorate the KO division now if given a chance, it’s sadly been going downhill for a while now. It needs someone to come in and bring back the interest long enough for a concerted push for the division to kick in and bring it back. Could be Mickie. Could be Kong. Or Del Rey, or Tori, or anyone. Won’t happen, but it’s possible.

Score: 3 for 6

7. SmackDown’s move to SyFy will be to the show’s overall benefit in the long run.

Trace Aber: FACT. Only because it can’t get much worse after the MyNetworkTV run. That channel was garbage and extremely limited. I know SyFy doesn’t have a huge audience or anything, but SmackDown already feels like a bigger show. The biggest benefit the show is going to get though is that Vince now feels as though both shows are equal, and he’s hoping to get similar ratings with SmackDown. I don’t know if that’s going to happen, but it should be fun to see him try.

Mathew Sforcina: FICTION. Its survival, sure, but its health? SD will survive on SyFy, but it’s still a bad fit and I don’t think it belongs there. Sure, I’ve got no other idea, but it still doesn’t belong on a fricking Science Fiction channel. I don’t think SD will do well. It’ll last, just not healthily.

Score: 3 for 7

8. Matt Hardy is working everyone with his YouTube posts.

Trace Aber: FACT. At first I thought he was insane, but after seeing his last few videos in which he professes his love for grapes, I’m more apt to believe it’s all a work. Or the work of a handful of somas. I’m assuming by “everyone” we’re including WWE here, because all signs are pointing to him wanting out. Maybe TNA has offered him more grapes per appearance or something and that’s why he wants to leave.

Mathew Sforcina: FACT, although that question implies someone is not seeing through it. He’s certainly attempting to work everyone…

Final Score: 4 for 8

Trace and Mathew split the difference between them and go 4 for 8! I’d like to thank both of them for their answers, and you the readers for checking out what they had to say! For Mathew Sforcina and Trace Aber, this is Jeremy Thomas saying join us next week for more Wrestling Fact or Fiction!

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