The Triumvirate of Truth 2.25.12: Elimation Chamber, Big Show & Rhodes, Chris Brown and CM Punk, More

Look whose got a new time and a new day!! Oh yes, Tony, Mike and Josh are moving up in life, and if you’re catching the RETURN to 411 On Wrestling with Larry Csonka and Steve Cook then you’ll know why and how I got this new day to grace your computer screens, iPhones and iPads! I’m very excited not only for the lack of troll but acquisition of a great day of reading! Last week, we continued our string of great comments from you readers and I’m working on a way to include a few of the comments in a fun manner, while still keeping the word content somewhat low and making it all interesting and coinciding with the loose theme we have here. All in due time, people!

So the Elimination Chamber PPV happened, Taker and Trips are meeting in a Hell in the Cell and CM Punk found an unlikely candidate for an ass-whooping all in the course of a week! Also, a football star made waves over on Impact and the Stinger put himself in a Main Event. Read on to find out how myself, Josh and Mike feel about the recent happenings in WWE land then join me and the great Greg DeMarco as we talk about the most recent involvements of Impact Wrestling! Leggo!

1.Did the Elimination Chamber PPV exceed your expectations?

Michael Uphoff: Well, going into the PPV my expectations were for it to not suck. In that regard, the Elimination Chamber PPV certainly did exceed them. However, it was a decent PPV overall. Both Chamber matches delivered in their own ways, and the other matches were good as well. The Women’s Title match was certainly better than I expected it to be. I didn’t think it would be more than average, but it was pretty darn good for the time it was given. Santino’s vignettes making him like Rocky were pretty nice to see, and the impromptu match between Swagger and Gabriel served to cool the crowd before the main event.

The main event match itself wasn’t good, but it was decent. The one thing I cannot stand about it is that they just threw out all that had happened before the match, as SuperCena prevailed again by rising above the hate. Seriously, WWE. That was some of the worst booking I have seen in years, and I watched Rey Mysterio be booked as the worst champion in history, and I watched the Katie Vick storyline go down. This was just a pathetic execution of a storyline.

One more thing that I did not care for about the PPV was the John Laurinaitis promo bit. Sure, it was nice to see Christian again, and I get what they are setting up (which is something that might be really good). It just wasn’t something I wanted to see.

Tony Acero: Did anyone else feel like this PPV was extremely rushed? I love the Chamber match and I get the importance of it before Mania, but there are a few problems that I see with it that I’ll get to in a minute. As for the PPV, if I can judge it solely off of the Chamber matches, then yes I’d say it was a good PPV, but that is not all that was on the card and unfortunately for us, what was left sucked. True, Beth and Tamina put on a match that was better than most Women’s Matches, but the finish was never in question, and Tamina still needs some work. The Main Event was every Cena gimmick match you have ever seen before and it should NOT have been in the Main Event slot. With both champs keeping their titles, either Chamber match would have done well to end the show. What did we get that was new from Cena? Not a damned thing. A lot of ass beating only for Cena to come back at the end. While I wouldn’t compare that to Katie Vick, Michael, there is a common thread and that is Kane. Such a damned shame that there was somewhat of a small thread of good storytelling here that was extremely mishandled and gave us what we have today.

Joshua Stangle: Yeah, thanks Mike for asking this question knowing that I didn’t see the Pay Per View…

I personally had low expectations myself. I didn’t see the Pay Per View, but from what I read, it sounded like the overall show wasn‘t that bad. The RAW chamber match seemed to live up to my expectations, and the Smackdown chamber exceeded them. The rest of the pay per view sounded mediocre, and certainly not worth the price of admission. Too much filler, not enough substance.

I don’t really understand why they put the Cena versus Kane match in the main event spot. This has been a terrible feud and the match was never going to surpass either Elimination Chamber match.
The two chamber matches were good/great, but I won’t go out of my way to see this on DVD in the future.

2. What do you think about the Big Show versus Cody Rhodes feud?

Joshua Stangle: Several months ago, Wrestling news sites reported that The Big Show could face Shaquille O’Neal, and that Cody Rhodes may face Goldust, at WrestleMania. However, plans change, especially in the WWE. These two Wrestlers seem to be on a collision course at the twenty-eighth edition of WrestleMania.

I think that this feud has potential to be really good. Big Show has been doing some of the best work of his entire career in 2012. He seems motivated, which bodes well for this feud. Cody Rhodes has been good for the past year and a half. He always seems to be on the cusp of breaking out to the next level, but never has managed to get there. The dichotomy between the two could be fun, with Big Show seeming to be on the verge of snapping at a moment’s notice and Rhodes just being a prick.

Perhaps they will have a singles match at WrestleMania, or they may be on opposite sides in the potential Long vs. Laurinaitis tag team match. A singles match wouldn’t be spectacular, but that isn’t a bad thing. WrestleMania is already loaded with potentially great matches. A brisk, but entertaining match between the two Superstars would be perfect to keep the crowd from burning out from the bigger matches.

Tony Acero: Oooo, gimme, gimme, gimme! Cody Rhodes is consistently amazing on the Blue Brand, he is my equivalent of Dolph Ziggler in that they can go in the ring and bring about a freshness in any match their in. Cody, however, knows how to use the mic and has been the perfect example of growth and slow transformation, a rarity in WWE. From his beauty tips to the mask to his psuedo-psycho promos now, he’s slowly developed a persona that has LAYERS, and is not just a one note freakazoid. Now then, a match against Big Show at Mania is something that I’m interested in fully because we all know who will win (hopefully) and it will be great for him. A certain someone opened WrestleMania XX against Show for the US Title and is now in arguably the biggest match on the card this year.

Anyways, I heard the rumors of Shaq and Goldust as well, and I think Shaq himself said he’s scheduled to be there. If there were ever a spectacle I wouldn’t want to see, it’d most likely be Shaq vs. Show, at least not at Mania. I’d much prefer Cody vs. Show with Cody going over. As for Goldust vs. Cody, I don’t know why but I’ve grown a strong dislike for the Gilded One since following him on Twitter and seeing that he’s kind of full of himself. I think he’s talented and I wouldn’t mind seeing him back in the ring, if he’s healthy, but not against Cody. Simply put, Cody is out of his league.

Michael Uphoff: Again, Josh provides some good analysis answering this question. It would be nice to see the feud between the two, as both have improved considerably in the past year or two, and Big Show has been wrestling this past year with the most vigor and drive that I have seen him showcase in a long time. As Josh says, this does not have to be a WrestleMania classic if they have a match. Rhodes and Big Show can put on a very serviceable match in a short amount of time that gives the crowd a chance to breathe and not get burned out. Rhodes has definitely improved in the ring, and I think if given say seven or eight minutes, these two could have a good match.

In terms of how I feel, I would rather have seen Cody face Goldust at WrestleMania. It would have made more sense. However, this is not a bad thing. Both men can go in the ring, and Show has recently shown that he can snap like a twig at any second and go on a murderous rampage, and Rhodes is a good conniving heel. If, like Josh says, they become part of the GM vs. GM feud, I’m okay with that. If they get a singles match at WrestleMania, I’m okay with that as well.

3. Is Cena justified in his argument against The Rock?

Joshua Stangle: /Last Monday, John Cena spoke about how Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson only came back to promote his movie career. Cena went beyond that, and all but outright questioned The Rock’s love of Sports Entertainment. Some of Cena’s points are certainly valid. It really seemed as though The Rock only came back to promote his movie rather than help the business. At best, his presence was a short term fix. The Rock’s feud with Cena overshadowed Cena’s WrestleMania match with the Miz. However, the WWE Creative Team is mostly responsible for that storyline. Although one could wonder where the WWE would be today had The Rock stayed in 2002 (or permanently returned in 2003).
Lest you think that I’m a member of the Cenation, here is why I disagree with Cena. First of all, when The Rock left in 2002, The WWE was in a far better place than when he came in. A good part of that is due to The Rock’s hard work. Second, The Rock had done everything there was to do in the WWE. He had been at the forefront for quite a while, and some of the fans were turning on him (such as during WrestleMania 18 and SummerSlam 2002). Third, the WWE had a considerable amount of high level talent, and received an influx of future stars, including Randy Orton, Brock Lesnar, Batista and John Cena, himself. The Rock staying there would have prevented others from being elevated. John Cena may not have been a star if The Rock stayed. Cena has been the centerpiece of the WWE for six years, and many fans are sick to death of him. People would likely have felt the exact same way about The Rock if he stayed around (especially the Internet fan base).

The fact is that The Rock gives a reason for the former fan base to give the product another chance. This is good for everybody. The WWE has another eleven months to elevate talent out of the year, so saying that The Rock is stealing the spotlight is a rather weak argument. I’m not The Rock’s biggest fan, but I feel that he has done his share for this feud. Cena’s whole argument depends on The Rock not always showing up. Without it, Cena looks like a jackass and a petty bitch. This would only serve to make The Rock look better, even though he is leaving after WrestleMania. Sorry Cenation, but Dwayne isn’t a sellout.

Tony Acero: I feel Josh hit the issue right on the nose here with one line: “The Rock staying there would have prevented others from being elevated.” Simply put, The Rock is a gold mine of talent, of charisma and of sheer awesomeness. The Rock has also been widely known to put talent over, but if he hadn’t left then it may very well have changed the course of a lot. Sure, he’d put people over, but he’d also outshine a lot of them as well and Rap Daddy Cena may not have turned into the Hustle, Loyalty and Respect person that he is today. Here’s the thing, I take the promo on Monday two different ways 1) It was a shoot that was from Cena’s heart and 2) It was written but had a lot of meaning in it as well. The response to both of those scenarios is very simple; Stop bitching, Cena. Let’s be real, Cena may love wrestling, he may love the craft, but to better oneself is quite important and if he had the same opportunities as The Rock has had, it’s almost a guarantee that he’d do the same as The Rock. The Rock has LIVED it, he has done what Cena has done and I ask you this, to what does The Rock owe us, Cena or even Vince? Nothing, that’s the answer. He doesn’t owe us a damned thing. Cena came off with emotion, with conviction in his voice and with a whole lot of power, it’s a damned shame that this is the first time in a long time that I’ve seen it and all he came off as was a whiny and jealous bitch.

Michael Uphoff: I think Josh raises some good points here, especially when he says that the Rock leaving in 2002/2003 allowed the elevation of new talent and other talent to the main event and building them as credible Superstars. Who’s to say Cena would be champion as many times as he is today if the Rock hadn’t left WWE? I think Josh is also correct in his assessment of Cena’s promo on the Rock. Yes, he does have valid points, but it relies heavily on the basis that the Rock almost never shows up. Due to that, Cena’s argument almost always falls apart.

In terms of my own opinion, I can see where Cena was coming from when he made that promo. A lot of people felt that way when the Rock left. However, he had done all that he could in WWE, and he certainly felt that some new talent would be good for WWE (look at what he did with the Hurricane). Do I blame the Rock for leaving? Hell no. Do I wish that he hadn’t left? Every time I see SuperCena, I wish the Rock had never left.
However, I will be rooting for Cena to get the much-needed win at WrestleMania.

4. Does the announcement of the Undertaker/HHH match being inside Hell in a Cell make you want to see it?

Michael Uphoff: Well, I wanted to slightly see it anyway, but after the announcement, I find myself wanting to see the match even more. Why? For two reasons. One is that this stipulation allows two men who are getting to be past their prime to work around their limitations and provide us with an entertaining match.

Second, I want to see who the master of the Hell in a Cell is. Consider this: Between the two of them, Undertaker and Triple H have won the most amount of Hell in a Cell matches of all time. Triple H and Undertaker both have a few losses in the Cell, but they also have won the most. Who is the master of the Hell in a Cell? This match will determine it.

In essence, Hell in a Cell makes me want to see the match even more.

Tony Acero: I was sold on the match from the moment The Undertaker’s music hit while Triple H was in the ring with Johnny Ace, so this stipulation only makes me more excited. Both men have had their fare share of success in the Cell and both know how to use it to the best of their abilities. The match is seriously sold for me, and there’s nothing they can add aside from this stipulation that will make me more excited to see it. I get where Mike’s coming from in regards to them working around their limitations but truly the only thing I’m worried about is how Taker is going to look as a bald guy…I know, weird right?

Joshua Stangle: Several weeks ago, I said that in order for me to enjoy this feud, it would have to be more reserved. This is about as reserved as a sledgehammer shot to the side of the head. I think the WWE has booked themselves into a corner as far as WrestleMania goes. Whichever match they put on first, between the HIAC match and Cena/Rock, will burn the crowd out.
I liked responsible Triple H. He was something different from everything else. And that’s just thrown away in one segment so that they can have a huge announcement. But what more needs to be said? The segment wasn’t even that good.

The Hell in a Cell will add more brutality and the answer of who is the “master.” However, both men are nearing the end of their careers. It’s not like adding another title to their resumes is going to mean that much. It could be a great match, but I don’t think that the stipulation is really needed.

5. Is CM Punk justified in his thoughts about Chris Brown?

Tony Acero: In the words of fellow woman beater Stone Cold Steve Austin, “Ah Hell Yeah!” Let me first retrace the steps of this newfound feud. Shortly after Chris Brown won at the Grammys, he went to Twitter and said that it was essentially an F-U to all the haters that he has had. Before the Grammys, Chris Brown had ran into numerous trouble by posting outlandish remarks and frequent jabs at people only to delete them shortly thereafter (as it stands now, his account claims he has made 23 tweets since his account has been activated). Once the Grammys aired and Brown went on another Twitter rant, CM Punk took to his own Twitter and claimed that he would love nothing more than to curb stomp him to create a WrestleMania moment.

The tweet, seemingly random, was replied to quickly with ‘”@CMpunk needs more followers. He’s such a leader! Not to mention the roids he’s on has made it utterly impossible for him pleasure a women.” It was the accusation of using roids that caused CM Punk to make the above video, and it was that movie that made me respect Punk all the more.

Here’s the thing, should Punk have said anything to begin this bullshit Twitter feud? Probably not, but I can’t find myself siding with Brown – who has shown NO growth as a human being in the last THREE YEARS since the incident. And that’s the very reason why I still despise the kid. This isn’t about Rihanna, as she has proven that she isn’t the brightest female in the world, it’s moreso about Brown’s lack of penitence and punishment. Punk offered in the video a charity fight, and in another interview, they asked Punk if they thought it would be a fair fight. Punk replied that it would be about as fair as it was for a girl to be locked in a car and repeatedly beat. I stand by Punk in what he is saying and agree fully, but I can’t rightfully agree with him posting the original tweet in the first place. For more on this story and an updated time line, be sure to visit my hip hop column, The Low End Theory!

Michael Uphoff: In this instance, I think maybe Tony is a little one-sided, but he is certainly correct in his assessment. Perhaps Punk should not have initiated the Twitter war, but Chris Brown has nothing to say. EVER. I almost wish this “match” would happen so Punk would kick some sense into that idiot. Seriously, Punk on steroids? Maybe we should add blindness to the stupidity from which Chris Brown obviously suffers.

In terms of my personal feelings, Chris Brown is a terrible human being. Anyone who commits domestic assault on a defenseless woman should be locked up and never allowed to see the light of day. Not only that, but he also runs his mouth on Twitter and then deletes his tweets and pretends it never happened. News flash, asshole! Just because you try and forget it does not mean it didn’t happen, and just because you won a Grammy does not mean that you are better than anyone or that anyone forgives you for what you did to Rihanna. You are an asshole and a downright terrible excuse for a person. I hope Punk kicks his head off.

Joshua Stangle: CM Punk just spoke his mind. Chris Brown has been brazen and arrogant. What he did was truly disgusting. What I can’t believe is that Brown actually responded to what Punk said. Does he realize that he is only giving Punk more exposure and making himself to look like an ignorant jackass? Seriously, if he was as far above Punk as he thought he was, then why would he waste his time? I think that Brown is just a petty, egomaniacal asshole.

There are plenty of people who say that Punk has a double standard for not calling out Steve Austin on the same thing. That’s true. I understand why for business reasons, but if this is a matter of principle then he should just the same. However, at the core, Punk is doing a good thing. Domestic abuse of any kind should be condemned. It should be conditioned into people that it should never happen.
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6. Will Brandon Jacobs be another in the long line of celebrity guest stars in wrestling that fail?

Tony Acero: Well son of a bitch, I was extremely surprised at how well he did. It’s always a high risk including a celebrity into the squared circle and I’d say that for every success there have been no less than four failures. It appears that the math has worked out in TNA’s favor (finally) because Jacobs did a great job with what he was given and, more importantly, he didn’t really take a spot from a young up and comer. I mean, he chokeslammed Bully Ray, and really, he’s a seasoned vet that could recover from ANYTHING with like 10 seconds on the microphone. The moment Jacobs got involved, I was afraid that it would be choppy, clunky, unappealing. Lucky for us it was anything but! Of course, it hit me, that if there were ever any type of athletes that could make the transition then it would be a football player. I mean, a good percentage of wrestlers WERE football players and they’ve made a good transition, with a few notable omissions (I’m looking at you, Titus O’Neil). All in all, Jacobs did a good job and I’m very interested to see where he goes from here, if anywhere.

Greg DeMarco: Quite simply: No. He’s already a success! He was more than capable when delivering his promo. Sure, his skills were RAW, but he delivered the promo and controlled the crowd, which is better than 90% of the guest stars seen in wrestling. Plus, he has something down that most wrestlers can’t get after years of experience. He’s already mastered using facial expressions. And when he got physically involved, he successfully—and safely—put Bully Ray through a table. If that’s the end of his “wrestling guest star” career, he’s going out on top.

Seriously, as far as wrestling guest stars go, this was a hall of fame caliber performance. With training, he could actually shine in the business.

What’s funny is that he wasn’t the original plan, but he worked out far better. He basically cut a promo after the Super Bowl. It wasn’t a great promo, but the delivery was there. He has charisma and a natural ability to engage the crowd. TNA obviously had something to work with. I’d love to see how he was prepared and trained for this appearance. I’d guess that Bully Ray had a lot do with what we saw on Thursday’s Impact Wrestling out of Brandon Jacobs.

And most importantly of all—above all else—he passed the eye test. When he looked across the ring at Bully Ray, he looked like a wrestler. Brandon Jacobs could have fallen flat on his face with this Impact Wrestling appearance. Instead he showed up fully legit, and looked like had a great time doing it. Good on him, and good on TNA.

7. Given the Lockdown Announcement, Sting is the right opponent for Robert Roode at Victory Road.

Greg DeMarco: Most definitely. TNA is sitting on a goldmine with their talent. Bobby Roode was a great heel when it was “Great to be Roode,” and he’s even better now. James Storm is on fire as a face, and his talent won’t be denied. Storm recently beat Bully Ray to be named the #1 Contender, and Sting announced that he will get his shot—and his former partner Robert Roode—inside a steel cage at Lockdown. In Nashville! That’s a “Perfect Storm” if there ever was one. Once that match was set, what do you do with Roode at Victory Road. A traditional title match would be far too predictable. Storm-Roode is a done deal; no one believes a challenger can win at Victory Road. But what other issue does Roode have? Oh yeah, his problems with Sting! So he attacks Sting, and now The Icon has had enough. He’s done with the shenanigans, he’s done with being the nice guy, he’s using his power for one personal reason—a fight with Bobby Roode. I think this gets changed to a No DQ match before the PPV airs. And when Roode does what it takes to win, he gets that much more of a rub. So what else could you do? Put Roode in a tag match, or a 6-man tag? Or you can have the World Champion go one-on-one with a wrestling Icon, the man himself, Sting. The choice is obvious.

Tony Acero: It’s a good thing you came up with this question first, because my thoughts were completely different before reading you answer, DeMarco. As most of you know, I’m just getting back into the swing of things in terms of TNA and all that it now has to offer. With that being said, my immediate reaction was why Roode isn’t tangling up with someone fresh or another contender? It appears, however, that there is unfinished business and if the model of wrestling is correct, then Roode is going over Sting. What this does is lends more credibility to him as a champ as well as gives him one more thing to stand on in terms of heeldom. It’s classic booking and it JUST MAKES SENSE. Man, where did the overbooking mess of a wrestling organization called TNA go and what is this Impact Wrestling thing I’m watching and digging on?