wrestling / Columns

The Triple Threat 12.25.11: Daniel Bryan, Zack Ryder, Triple H, More

December 25, 2011 | Posted by David Martell

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Topic # 1 Daniel Bryan cashed in his MITB briefcase at TLC and won the WWE World Title from the Big Show. Your thoughts?

Daniel Bryan - World Heavyweight Champion - TLC 2011 Pictures, Images and Photos

David Martell: A lot of people never though Daniel Bryan would ever win a world title in the WWE. A lot of people thought he would be the first person to lose his cash in with the MITB briefcase. He proved everyone wrong when he won the World Title at the TLC PPV. I am stoked that Bryan won a world title in the WWE and it is well deserved. The guy has busted his ass in the indys and showed everyone that he can live up to the hype. Hopefully this wont be a short title reign that tends to happen to most people who win right before the Rumble. Daniel Bryan now has to prove why he is the World Champion. I think it would be great for him to make it all the way to Mania and end up going against Randy Orton. He once said that Randy Orton would be his most important challenge to prove himself and I think that would be a match most people would want to see. Even if this ends up a short lived title reign, I doubt this will be the last time we see Daniel Bryan with a world title around his waist.

Jacob San Antonio: Wow. Well, somehow it’s happened. Daniel Bryan is the World Heavyweight Champion, and CM Punk is the WWE Champion. I’m still having a hard time wrapping my head around it, but the WWE pulled the trigger and let the internet have its day. I’ve spent the week wondering if Vince was going to turn this all around on its head within the week, but so far so good. I’m happy for Bryan, I really am, but it’s a tad sad that a lot of people are already expecting him to drop the title well before Wrestlemania. Certainly, this title win is one of the biggest in his career, but the WWE has a nasty habit of ruining inaugural reigns. It happened with Del Rio, it happened with Swagger, and it even happened with CM Punk. At this point, I’m holding out all hope that Bryan is booked competently in the coming months, with or without the title. If Daniel Bryan can lose the belt without hurting his credibility, I will tip my hat to the WWE on a job well done. They’ve got a horrible track record in that department.

Sean Garmer: I’m glad Bryan has gotten rewarded for his hard work throughout his career. I really hope he gets great crowd reactions when WWE gets out of the northeast region of the United States. Bryan may not hold the title longer than Elimination Chamber but it is those crowd reactions, his improvement in promos, and how he is booked during this run that will determine his future status as world champion. Bryan has been steadily improving all the facets of his game and even though Michael Cole is super annoying his mini-feud with Bryan; I think has really helped get some fans on his side. I hope he does make it to Wrestlemania with the world title, but even if he doesn’t I think Bryan will use the opportunity well. I really do hope we see more of what we saw on RAW Monday where Bryan was standing tall at the end of the night. I know everybody wanted him to wait till Wrestlemania 28 but I think we all knew it wasn’t going to happen. With Mark Henry hurt and Big Show preparing to deal with another celebrity, now was as good a time as ever to test out Bryan’s potential. Don’t be surprised to see him win another world title in the not too distant future.

Topic # 2 What are your thoughts on Zack Ryder finally winning the US Title?

Zack Ryder - United States Champion - TLC 2011 Pictures, Images and Photos

David Martell: It is about time. I honestly believe he should have won the US Title at Survivor Series in front of his home crowd. At least he won it though and I wont complain about that. Zack Ryder is one of the most deserving people to actually win a title. At the beginning of the year he was just a no name jobber. He started an internet show, built a fan base, and got management to realize he was worth a damn. That’s what wrestling should be about, people building themselves. A lot of time we get people pushed down our thoughts because upper management thinks they are stars. Stone Cold wasn’t told to be Stone Cold, he is Stone Cold. That was him. It makes for a lot better promos, a lot better matches and a lot better product. I think Ryder will be able to hold on to the US Title for awhile. I doubt he will ever get a World Title shot in his current gimmick but stranger things have happened.

Jacob San Antonio: In a business overloaded with politics and backstage drama, sometimes it’s nice to be reminded that hard work and diligence pays off. Zack Ryder, like him or hate him, did what Vince McMahon wants all of his wrestlers to do. He took the initiative and found a way to get over with his fans. When he wasn’t getting the screen time he wanted, he kept his nose to the grindstone and found a way around his problem. Despite his skills in the ring (which I genuinely think will improve quite a bit in the coming months), he was able to endear himself and create a lasting impression in his audience. Regardless of how he did it, he did it. And now you’ve got others in the midcard waking up to the idea of connecting to fans in other ways. Thanks to Zack Ryder, some of the focus has been taken off of who knows who backstage. It’s a breath of fresh air in a business that’s been dominated for the past decade by the “who is best buddies with Paul Levesque” club. For that, I just can’t see any
negatives to Zack Ryder finding success.

Sean Garmer: Woo Woo Woo You Know It! The internet’s # 1 star is finally a champion. A lot of people love Zack Ryder and I don’t blame them at all. Let’s see how Ryder does now that he’s actually holding a title. We know the fan’s loved him because they felt he was being “held down” but this will be the make or break time for Ryder. The great thing about Ryder is that he is sorta the “Real People’s Champion” because his character is living out the dream of all the wrestling fans out there. He gets to mingle with all the great stars and wrestle against those bad guys we hate in our heart of hearts. This is where Ryder’s character is going to sink or swim and he needs to use that time wisely. I think the best thing Ryder can do is develop an edge while he is champ. I think something similar to what Cena does where he goes from funny to serious wouldn’t be a bad place to start for Mr. Ryder. You can’t be a goof all the time or no one is going to buy him as the United States Champ. He has to get serious and let it be known to all his challengers that no one is gonna come and take his belt away from him. If WWE finds a way to get a guy like Swagger to antagonize him into this new mold would probably be the best way to go. Either way I think if Ryder continues to improve and tries to find a darker side, this title reign may turn into something special for Long Island Iced Z.

Topic # 3 What are your thoughts on the rumors going around that Big Show might face off with Shaq at Wrestlemania?

Shaq and Show Pictures, Images and Photos

David Martell: I guess Big Show is the man when it comes to facing sports celebrities. He already did the sumo wrestling thing, boxed with Mayweather and now he could be going one on one with Shaq. I am actually fine with this. They got a big reaction a while back when Shaq hosted RAW and I think this is something people could get behind. Two giants going face to face. It gives Big Show something to do at Mania and it continues WWE’s streak of having a celeb be apart of the show. It’s a win/win here to me and I think this could be very entertaining.

Jacob San Antonio: The Big Show and I are at odds, unfortunately. I think Big Show is a great guy that’s awesome to see in person, and his matches are always interesting to watch. That said, he is where good feuds and angles go to die. It’s tough to admit, but it’s true. Bad booking or no, the Straight Edge Society was ruined after Big Show got involved. By the time Rey Mysterio took the belt from Jack Swagger, people wanted Swagger out anyway due to a terrible feud with Big Show. If that weren’t bad enough, Show was able to only get one genuinely good match with a red hot Mark Henry that ended in a draw. I want the Big Show involved in the WWE, don’t get me wrong, but whenever there’s a top belt on the line I cringe. That said, this news about Shaq is totally up my alley. It gives me an opportunity to see Show have a one off match with a decent build to it, and improves the chances of seeing a great match. I think the charisma is there on both sides too, so I’d expect to see Shaq and Show to play off each other quite well. Simply put, this is the best possible outcome for a guy who’s generally entertaining but tough as heck to book effectively for. If this plan comes to fruition I’ll be looking forward to another fun match at Wrestlemania.

Sean Garmer: I just watched the “History of Wrestlemania” DVD on Netflix instant Thursday night and man what a great DVD that is. My point in saying that was, they have a section in there talking about all the celebs that have been involved with Wrestlemania over the years. I have a feeling WWE doesn’t just make Big Show do these matches with whatever celeb wants to go in the ring. With all the acting stuff Big Show does on the side (and he was funny in his WWE movie,) I think he actually likes doing the celeb matches. Personally, I like these things because they bring the show untold amounts of mainstream press and WWE always finds the best way to use the celeb as well. Shaq has just retired from Basketball and anything the Big Diesel does is still news in the sports and entertainment world. Remember when Shaq had a short stint as a cop in Miami that was some good stuff. Shaq has a history of being involved in small things with WWE before and if he takes this seriously this could be something similar to LT vs. Bam Bam from WM 11. Of course it probably won’t have the same amount of athleticism as that match, but I don’t think it’s a bad deal at all. Just the attention the sports world will give this thing is going to be huge for the show. Yes, I know we already have Rock vs. Cena and the potential CM Punk vs. Jericho matches but WWE’s goal every year with Wrestlemania is at least one million buys. Anything that gives them extra press and attention like having Shaq on the show is going to help make that happen. I have faith WWE will assess the situation and know which way to best use Shaq.

Topic # 4 Who was the best wrestler of the year?

CM Punk Pictures, Images and Photos

David Martell: The obvious choice here would be CM Punk and its hard to argue. With that said, I am going to go with Christian. The was clearly the best year in Christian’s career. He finally won a world title in the WWE. He won the WWE World Title not once, but twice. He had a heart felt win in a ladder match after Edge retired which was probably one of the best moments of the year. Yeah, he lost it that next week but that turned into one of the greatest heel runs in recent memory. During the summer he had one of the best feud of this year with Randy Orton and gave us more than a handful of great matches. He won his second World Title by DQ which is a first in the history books. He reign lasted much longer this time around but lost it against Randy Orton at SummerSlam in a no holds barred match which, in my opinion, was their best match they had. When I look back at this year, I cant think of a bad match Christian had. He has been overly consistent, he makes everyone look good and he cuts some of the best promos in the business. I laugh every time he comes out and requests one more match. Yeah, he didn’t have the biggest moment of the year but when you look at the entire year of 2011, Christian has been the most consistent.

Jacob San Antonio: I’m going to give this to CM Punk, and there’s little anyone can do to convince me otherwise. Without question, Punk had the biggest wrestling moment of 2011 with his angle leading to Money in the Bank. Everybody was talking about it, the build was perfect, and the payoff match was fantastic. Things took a swerve when creative drank the wrong Koolaid and involved Kevin Nash and HHH, but Punk bounced back quickly and returned to center stage. For further proof, simply look at the beginning of the year and look ahead to Wrestlemania. At the beginning of this year Punk was having a high midcard matchup against Randy Orton, the payoff to that atrocious “New Nexus” angle. By the end of this year Punk is holding the belt and has become of the biggest names in the company. I hesitate to say he’s reached Cena or Orton’s level, but if he continues at this rate it won’t be long before he’s there. Punk’s finally made some serious progression up into the topmost reaches of the card, and if this year is any indication he won’t be regressing anytime soon.

Sean Garmer: This may not be the sexy pick and the IWC can crap all over me if they want to do so. However, I feel that my best wrestler of the year should go to the strongest of the bunch. Yes, I’m talking about the World’s Strongest Man Mark Henry. This guy was close to retiring and instead he comes out of nowhere to become World Champion. For years all we heard about Mark Henry were things such as: “waste of space,” “The guy formerly known as Sexual Chocolate, the only thing Mark Henry will ever be known for,” and “future endeavor bait.” So Mark Henry rose above all the hate and after he was drafted to Smackdown! WWE decided let’s push this guy for real this time. He made me a believer and I think I wasn’t the only one that actually was rooting for Henry to continue to keep the belt month after month. Sure, Henry wasn’t out there having five star matches every night but he was kicking some major ass. Look, eventually I think we all know CM Punk was going to become a star. Just as has happened with so many other guys, when WWE throws up their hands and says “we don’t know what to do” CM Punk and Mark Henry both played themselves and it worked big time in 2011. Henry put Big Show and Kane into the Hall of Pain and then he moved on to champion Randy Orton. Henry proved himself better than “The Viper” and became World Champ for the first time ever in 2011. He held his own against Orton in the rematch and then had a three part series with Big Show which was fine. I don’t know if Henry lost the belt due to his injury or because it was really going to be Bryan’s time. Regardless, I don’t think that should take away from what Henry has done in 2011. CM Punk was the bigger star, Randy Orton proved he could be a team player, but it was Henry that was the top bad guy and made people take notice of Smackdown! I don’t think anyone was expecting Mark Henry to finally breakout this year. For all his years of service and WWE’s failed attempts to make him big, he deserves what he got this year.

Topic # 5 Who do you think is the worst wrestler of 2011?

Matt Hardy Pictures, Images and Photos

David Martell: I will probably get flack for this but I am going to say Alberto Del Rio. Yeah, when you look on paper, 2011 looks great for him. He won the Royal Rumble, MITB, and became a two time WWE Champions. With all those accomplishments, he still hasn’t been able to get properly over. He was over before the Royal Rumble but its been a downward spiral since then. Week after week we get the same promo over and over again. His only personality is Ricardo Rodriguez. He is one of those people that the WWE is so high on and tries to push him down out throats because they believe he is the next big thing but with all that work people still don’t care about Alberto Del Rio. Both of his title runs were unimportant and it seemed like he was only a placeholder champion. Can Del Rio be the great heel the WWE wants him to be? For sure. If he changed up his gimmick a little bit and cut different promos each week I think that would be a great start.

Jacob San Antonio: I had a couple of choices to choose from, and I’ll admit it took a lot to refrain from choosing Matt Hardy or Drew McIntyre. Both made little to negative progress in their respective companies this year, and both are either out of the business or have their backs to the door. That said, the worst wrestler of the year will go to Kevin Nash. I will not apologize for this. Guy gets himself involved and quickly ruins a top feud in the WWE, with no revenge or grudge match in sight. He’s regulated to run ins and backstage beatdowns, but never an official match. When an official match finally comes his way, and against a longtime friend to boot, the match is so bad that even pessimists are shocked at the poor quality. Kevin Nash had one real match this year, and all he had to do was make it bearable. He wasn’t even able to do that. People might argue “but Jacob, the guy’s old! He can’t move as well as he used to, and he can’t take the same kind of bumps!” Counterpoint: the Undertaker has one real match a year, and he’s made it a point to make each one a contender for match of the year. Kevin Nash is no Undertaker, but with that much time to prepare and get ready he should at least be able to reach a two star match. Congrats, Kevin. You chose to get back in the ring, and your recent match at TLC is your own way of saying you want out. Maybe next time you should swallow your pride and be the Anonymous GM.

Sean Garmer: The Hardy Brothers just had one of the worst years I think we’ve seen in this business. Jeff started the year in the main event in TNA and then got into some legal trouble, spent time in jail, and got busted for trafficking drugs. Brother Matt got released from WWE and just never recovered basically. Matt got busted for who knows how many damn DWI’s, DUI’s, reckless driving and a whole lot more shit. He almost died, he went to rehab, got kicked and landed in jail, and now is in rehab again. Good Lord! I don’t know but these guys were supposed to be on their way to better things and they just had meltdown years. Jeff is back in the main event scene again because I guess TNA will do anything to get a well known person on their show. Jeff showed up to a PPV so messed up they basically had to end the match early, I mean seriously? I’m all for second chances, but that is a slap in the face to your company “you apparently aren’t bigger than my addiction issues.” I’m glad they might be on the right track here, but this was just a horrible year for the Hardy Boyz.

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HHH Pictures, Images and Photos

Our thoughts on Triple H.

David Martell: Oh, Triple H. When will you stay away from my TV screen. This hasn’t been the best year for Triple H. He had a failed storyline as COO of the WWE, which I think is still kind of going on. He had the worst storyline of the year with Kevin Nash that ended with an awful match at TLC. Two people he got hired, Kharma and Sin Cara, ultimately failed. Next year it seems we are going to get a rematch between him and the Undertaker at Wrestlemania which is a match I don’t care to much about seeing again. I either want to see Triple H stop wrestling or becoming an on air character like he was starting to be with the whole COO gig. I don’t mind him being the COO just don’t wrestle stupid matches.

Jacob San Antonio: I don’t know how much I can say about HHH; his ego might try and overshadow the rest of this paragraph. Mean spirited jokes aside, what a lopsided year for Trips. I won’t deny that he had a pretty good match with Taker at Mania, but from there HHH has had a serious run of bad luck. He got a chance to run some of the business decisions back at WWE Corporate, and it’s thanks to him that we saw Kharma (oops) and Sin Cara (sigh), not to mention the end of the brand split. So, that’s 1/3 for HHH. Not a very impressive start, I think we’d all agree, though you can hardly blame him for Kharma’s pregnancy or Sin Cara’s failing body. Trust me, I’ve tried. In any case, once HHH was ready to get back into the thick of things in the ring, he did just that. One bad ref job and a Kevin Nash Summerslam ending later, Trips had promptly ruined everything again. Not knowing when to give up, he feuds with Nash despite everyone demanding to see anything else, and is now trying to tease a rematch against the Undertaker. If you can still call yourself a die hard HHH fan after a year like this, I question your sanity. I think he would too, in all honesty. It’s been a rough year for HHH, and I’m sure he’s just about ready to put it behind him. Should he actually force a Taker rematch, I think I’ll take it upon myself to remind him of all of his failings through petty emails and tweets. Nothing tells someone you dislike them like prattling on like a goon on the internet.

Sean Garmer: I really hope we don’t get a third match at a Wrestlemania between HHH vs. Undertaker because twice is enough. However, at least Triple H has been keeping a low profile since his stint as the RAW GM ended. I’m glad that he is starting to come to grips with the fact that he is a behind the scenes player now. I think this means wonderful things for the future of WWE that Triple H has faith in the guys the company has out there to continue to deliver great product. I’m actually glad that Shane moved on from the business and decided to pursue something else, I think he would be great for the business side of things though. Triple H is the type of person WWE needs in the future whenever it is that Vince ever steps down from his post. Triple H is a great performer and I feel that he would be a great booker going forward because he has shown that he doesn’t care about being the main guy anymore. It’s time for WWE to have a true wrestler at the forefront of what’s happening in the company. And the best part is Triple H knows his time has past and he also has great WWE Legends around him that can help with anything he may not understand about that side of things. Too many times bookers that are also performers tend to rely on themselves too much because of lack of talent or trust. There are also some that just want to take this chance to have glory days and I think that won’t happen with HHH. We all know the great accomplishments Triple H has accumulated over the years and I don’t think I need to spend time listing them out. Triple H will be involved with WWE possibly even if for some reason his marriage to Stephanie dissolves because he does have one of those great minds for the sport. Even though, Triple H has had a weird year on screen, it’s good to know that his behind the scenes work has paid off well for the company. I’m excited to see how WWE will continue to evolve and grow as the year’s pass on with Triple H as one of the main players behind the camera. Just hopefully WWE Network works so that WWE still exists after 2012.

That is all for this week. Fell free to comment at the bottom of the page and have a great week in wrestling. CYA!

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David Martell