411 Fact or Fiction 08.23.12: Jericho’s Run, Bryan’s Anger, Tiffany Returns, More

Hi, hello & welcome to 411 Fact or Fiction! I’m Steve Cook, and it’s been another crazy week in the world of professional wrestling. SummerSlam featured Brock Lesnar beating down Triple H & CM Punk defending the WWE title against John Cena & Big Show. Raw the next night saw Chris Jericho lose a match to Dolph Ziggler and have his contract terminated while Daniel Bryan’s lack of anger management was on display yet again. Impact featured the debut of a former ECW General Manager while hyping a paternity test next week for AJ Styles. Some of the hot news in pro wrestling involved Alex Shelley possibly signing with WWE & Brooke Hogan possible having a match at Bound For Glory.

I’ve invited two of 411’s finest to discuss these topics. First of all, the man behind the Heel Report…give a hearty “RUDO RUDO RUDO” for James Wright!

His opponent is always up to some offbeat Shenanigans…please welcome Michael Ornelas!

Questions were sent out Monday.

Participants were told to expect wrestling-related questions.

1. Brock Lesnar & Triple H will have another match in the next few months.

James Wright: FICTION. Their encounter at Summerslam did all that it needed to do, it re-established Lesnar as a force to be reckoned with and it gave Triple H an excuse to move out of the limelight for a little while, in fact that is the second reason why a rematch won’t happen any time soon, to sell the first encounter. Now of course we all know that Triple H is probably smarting from those ‘You tapped out!’ chants and his ego has been known to get the better of him in the past, but seriously if he wastes any more of Lesnar’s scheduled appearances on a rematch, say at Survivor Series, then I really do worry about the company’s future.

Michael Ornelas: FICTION. “In the next few months” is why I’m fictioning this. I could see them settling this in a singles match at the Rumble or something like that before moving into ‘Mania feuds (unless WWE wants this rematch to happen at WM29). Personally, I want someone to get the chance to step up to Lesnar and make their name off him as opposed to having all this established talent clash with him. Ryback would be the perfect person to go over huge if pitted against Lesnar (but he needs to refine several things before he’s ready for that). If handled right, a Lesnar/Bryan match could be absolute gold, but that is probably the one match-up (aside from a singles match with Taker) where I think Bryan’s size hurts the credibility of the match. I also wouldn’t hate a Punk/Lesnar feud just for the verbal sparring between Punk and Heyman. But yes, I think there will be one more HHH/Brock match. I just don’t think it’ll be in the next few months (or at Survivor Series, for that matter, but I could be wrong).

Score: 1 for 1

2. Chris Jericho’s most recent WWE run has been productive.

James Wright: FACT. What more does Jericho have to prove? He didn’t need to come back and win yet another championship belt, that would have only been useful if they needed a filler champ for some reason. It seemed clear going in that Jericho wasn’t back for good and that he was only coming back for a short run so why make him champion or put him over anyone else current in the WWE right now? Instead they had him run a decent program with C.M. Punk and let guys like Sheamus and Ziggler score big wins over him. In my opinion that is the most productive thing a returning established star can do; helping to put over guys who are still developing, imagine how much more respected Cena would be now if he had returned at the Royal Rumble and dedicated the rest of his career to help new guys get over rather than taking up main event spots and needlessly adding to his number of world title runs.

Michael Ornelas: FACT. Absolutely. He kept his name fresh, he helped legitimize Punk’s title reign by giving him a really good adversary for a few months who really knew how to push the champ’s buttons (even if the matches didn’t deliver like most hoped, they were still really really good). His Royal Rumble almost-victory was done well too. He floundered a bit after his Punk feud, but his face turn and short feud with Ziggler was a great way to cap things off. I look forward to his return.

Score: 2 for 2

3. Daniel Bryan needs anger management.

James Wright: FICTION. We are talking about the WWE here, nearly everyone in the company is a shouty ego-maniac and Bryan is simply no different. Then again compared to the laid back, all smiles babyface he used to be then maybe you could make an argument. Overall the whole thing is just a cheap plug for Charlie Sheen, who isn’t exactly the most reliable guy to try to work with and so this angle will probably be dropped suddenly in a couple of weeks and never be mentioned again, that is unless Bryan can make something good of it just like he did with the whole ‘Yes!’ thing.

Michael Ornelas: FACT. Have you seen the way he yells at fans for saying his OWN catchphrase? It’s a little ridiculous. Shouldn’t wrestlers WANT people latching on to their sayings? Bryan would be nothing if it weren’t for the fans in Miami chanting “Yes!” repeatedly the night after WrestleMania 28. He’s not shitting in bags, though, so I guess there’s hope that his anger can be dealt with, but seriously, get over yourself and appreciate the fans who made you.

Score: 2 for 3

4. Alex Shelley will sign with WWE sometime in the next 12 months.

James Wright: FACT. As long as he can stay healthy I think that Shelley will end up heading to greener pastures, just so long as the heat has died down from the whole TNA lawsuit thing. You also wouldn’t think that Shelley would up and pull a Kenny King unless he knew that he at least had a foot in the door of the WWE. After all when he left his partner Chris Sabin had just returned from injury, if Sabin had been injured before Shelley left then you could say he had just got sick of things not working out for him, as it was he abandoned the potential of having another successful run as one half of the MCMG. In hindsight it was definitely the right decision to leave, but he couldn’t have known that at the time and so it is more than likely that he left for at least a partially secured shot at a WWE contract.

Michael Ornelas: FACT. Wasn’t it just reported that he had in fact signed? I guess I missed it if that was labeled as a rumor and dispelled, but still, the guy is one of the top American talents not currently in WWE or TNA (among El Generico, Kevin Steen, Kenny Omega, Colt Cabana, and Michael Elgin). The question lies in how to book Shelley, but since he’s a good personality, I think he’d be fine regardless. He definitely has an “it” factor and I could see him making an immediate splash in the US Title scene or as part of a tag team with Evan Bourne. But yes, I do think we’ll see him in WWE sooner than later.

Score: 3 for 4

SWITCH!

5. CM Punk is the best wrestler in the world.

Michael Ornelas: FICTION. He’s the best wrestling personality in the world, sure, but Daniel Bryan is the best wrestler in the world. Punk’s had an uphill battle in getting the “sloppy” label removed from the fans’ vernacular about him (although he’s done a decent job dispelling that since his most recent championship run started). Bryan got over despite poor booking and no mic time because every person who watched his matches in any arena cared more about him by the end of the match than they did at the beginning. He knows how to wrestle for a crowd, when to do what, and I have seen him botch no more than 4 times in his WWE career. CM Punk is the best thing going on the mic right now, and he’s probably the second most over personality in the WWE, but from a wrestling standpoint, I can probably name at least 5-10 better technicians.

James Wright: FACT. This is kind of a hard one to answer because of a huge number of factors, however when I think about the last five years to me there hasn’t been a more interesting wrestler working his way through the largest wrestling company in the world, who has had consistently good matches, memorable moments and great promos throughout his run. Just think of all the S.E.S. goodness, his time in ECW as a new star, or even the second Summer of Punk, which might not have been anything compared to the first, but it was the first time I have heard a lot of what he said on actual WWE television, which is pretty groundbreaking when you think about it. So in an overall sense in terms of talent and achievements in his career I think there is enough of a case to legitimately call C.M. Punk the best in the world.

Score: 3 for 5

6. Brooke Hogan wrestling at Bound For Glory will increase media attention on the show.

Michael Ornelas: FICTION. Is she really that relevant? Regardless, a Hogan in a wrestling match doesn’t warrant media attention. It’s expected. Maybe one person somewhere on television will mention it (Joel McHale?), but I wouldn’t really call that increased media attention.

James Wright: FICTION. The very first thing I thought when I read that was, and I quote: ‘F*ck Off!’ Brooke Hogan belongs nowhere near a wrestling ring and she is barely a blip on the celebrity radar. Apart from a failed singing career she is basically famous for being Hogan’s daughter, and why would you need her when you have Hulk Hogan himself at your event? If TNA seriously thought that Brooke would bring more media attention to their brand when they employed her then it shows just how out of touch with reality the higher-ups in that company are.

Score: 4 for 6

7. The father of Claire Lynch’s baby will be somebody on the TNA roster.

Michael Ornelas: FACT. Or fiction. Or apathy…I really just don’t care about this story at all. I flip the channel when it’s on, but hey, TNA really has gotten their shit together if you look at the bigger picture. It would be a terrible way to bring someone new onto the roster, but either way, it’s going to hurt whoever’s pulled into the story.

James Wright: FICTION. I say this simply out of the hope that this terrible storyline comes to an end this week. Seriously if TNA has the wisdom to nip this thing in the bud then it only further proves that at least someone in the company is making things better. I’m not sure where all the good match booking is coming from, but I hope it continues and I hope that this is the end of the Claire Lynch saga.

Score: 4 for 7

8. You’re glad to see Taryn “Tiffany” Terrell back on television.

Michael Ornelas: FACT. She’s hot and she was very underrated in WWE. She had an in-ring aggression to her that I really dug. I’m sure the referee story will lead to a return to active competition, but as long as she’s on my TV, I’ll appreciate the eye candy.

James Wright: FICTION. Well in so much as that I don’t really give a damn and that I believe this will add nothing to the company. TNA’s problem, which still exists despite their seeming rise in quality over the past couple of months, is that they still think that they can bring in people who have a little bit of fame and that will help the company grow in some way. Whereas the truth is that they have to make their own stars and if you have noticed the rise in quality over the past few months has been mostly down to them letting their own stars thrive and giving them shots above former WWE talent. I just hope she stays as Knockout ref as there is really nothing wrong with that, I just don’t care about it.

Final Score: 4 for 8

James & Michael started out agreeing most of the time, but things seemed to really break down for them once we started talking about Impact Wrestling. Imagine that, TNA being a divisive topic of conversation. Who do you agree with more? What are your thoughts on these topics? Let us know down in the comment section! Thanks so much to James & Michael for participating, and we’ll be back next week with more 411 Fact or Fiction!

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