wrestling / Columns

411 Fact or Fiction 04.18.13: Ryback, Batista, Fandangoing, More

April 18, 2013 | Posted by Steve Cook

Hi, hello & welcome to 411 Fact or Fiction! I’m Steve Cook, and it’s been another crazy week in the world of wrestling! Of course it seems like most of the news broke after I sent the questions. I thought I’d escape that sort of thing when I quit writing news columns, but of course I couldn’t. Eh. Anywho, it’s still been a busy week and we had some good questions for some 411 favorites.

Introducing first, the man that recaps Smack down & Main Event…Michael Benjamin!

His opponent has been reading 411 for years and is one of the staples of the comment section…Hammond Eggar!

  • Questions were sent out Monday.
  • Participants were told to expect wrestling-related questions.

    1. Ryback’s reasoning for turning against John Cena was logical & just.

    Michael Benjamin: FACT. Yes, it was some fine storytelling. The WWE is great at taking isolated instances from the past and putting them together to create a coherent story. They didn’t book him as a heel, they didn’t book him as a face, they booked him as a real character for once. He has some legitimate gripes and that’s some nice progress for the writing team. Unfortunately, the way the crowd reacts plays a pivotal part in how the “WWE Universe” treats a superstar down the line. The crowd was pretty dead during the segment, with a few audible spatters of Goldberg and boring chants making it on air. I’d really like to see him maintain his momentum and hopefully this was a step forward in front of a mostly pro-Cena crowd.

    Hammond Eggar: FACTish. In the WWE “universe” logic is relative, but Ryback’s rationale makes more sense than what usually passes for reasoning these days. His case was laid out well, and to be honest, the promo was compelling. Ryback is using the tried-and-true heel reckoning that you didn’t have my back so I stabbed you in yours.

    Score: 1 for 1

    2. Batista returning to WWE would interest you.

    Michael Benjamin: FACT. Sure, I’m always interested in seeing a returning star tangle with the current crop of talent. It’ll create some money matches and *perhaps* get a new star or two over in the process. At the same time, this is exactly what pisses me off about WWE. The rumors that they want to build to Brock Lesnar vs. Batista at Wrestlemania 30 is EVERYTHING that is wrong with the booking today. They’re essentially throwing their hands up in the air and saying “we can’t create anybody credible enough to wrestle Brock Lesnar at Wrestlemania 30.” Batista is 44 years old. How much longer does he have? He’s essentially a band-aid for a bullet wound. If they don’t figure out how to get a new generation over, they’re going to be screwed in the near future.

    Hammond Eggar: FICTION. To quote Jim Ross, “That ship has sailed.” I was never big on Batista, and frankly, thought of him as a one trick pony. He had size and charisma, there’s no doubting that. But with Ryback, Lesnar, and even Reigns, the WWE has a stable full of ponies and each are younger and more talented than Batista.

    Score: 1 for 2

    3. Undertaker, Kane & Daniel Bryan vs. The Shield should be on a PPV instead of Raw.

    Michael Benjamin: FACT. With that said, the same match will probably be booked for Extreme Rules with AN EXTREME STIPULATION~! I can’t imagine an Undertaker appearance being wasted on Raw unless it’s being used to make them some money and promote a future match that involves the Dead Man. It’s been reported that they’re stacking the card to make up for the lack of CM Punk wrestling, proving that I underestimated his ability to draw quite a bit. The Shield will get DQ’d and thrown into a rematch on PPV.

    Hammond Eggar: FACT. And let’s be honest, it probably will be. These teasers of PPV matches on free TV usually end up in a junk finish, if the match starts at all. I understand wanting to have Taker work the London RAW, but I don’t see anything coming out of the six man next week other than a setup for the match at Extreme Rules.

    Score: 2 for 3

    4. Fandangoing will still be a thing next month.

    PARTICIPANT 1: FICTION. For every news outlet that picks the story of Fandango up, that equals one news outlet that will never report it again. The audience will grow numb to this quickly, especially with all of the bandwagon fans jumping on board. Having Jerry Lawler on commentary asking us if we think the live audience will be Fandangoing or not kind of takes the “cool factor” away. WWE has never been great with subtlety. Fandango is going to need to add some depth to his character if he wants to stay relevant. With that said, I haven’t been able to kick the habit of Fandangoing and I’m 100% on board with his schtick.

    Hammond Eggar: FACT. Ancient Vulcan proverb: “Only TNA can make something irrelevant in less than a month.” Like the “YES” chants, by sheer accident, the WWE has trended mainstream. I suspect that “Fandagoing” will be driven into the ground, but I don’t see that happening inside of four weeks.

    Score: 2 for 4


    SWITCH!

    5. Antonio Cesaro’s yodeling will help him get over.

    Hammond Eggar: FICTION. They were quick to drop the “in five languages” bit and I thought that was more compelling than the yodeling. I honestly don’t know what to make of Cesaro’s booking of late. He’s athletic, charismatic, can work, and even when he’s booked to go under, he works the match like it’s the main event at a pay per view. Sadly, I have a feeling that Cesaro’s yodeling is the next incarnation of Little Jimmy: Funny, but not money.

    Michael Benjamin: FICTION. Fiction, fiction, and fiction! He got more heat for holding his championship in the air than his entire stroll down the ramp while yodeling like an idiot. This character development makes me believe that Vince really isn’t a fan of Antonio Cesaro. I want to see him Neutralizing Khali and swinging Miz into the barricade like a rag doll. The yodeling trait is going to keep him in the midcard. There’s no upward elevation from here until he gets serious and STAYS serious. That includes during his entrance. I can’t comprehend why anybody believed straddling him with a yodeling gimmick was a good idea. Or maybe nobody thought it was a good idea… CONSPIRACY!

    Score: 3 for 5

    6. William Regal should be wrestling on television more often.

    Hammond Eggar: FICTION. (Cue flaming now.) I’m a huge Regal fan, and love to watch him work, but sadly there aren’t many spots in the WWE to insert him. Even when he has worked on TV, he’s used as comedic relief rather than the wrestling legend that he is. In short, he’s booked like Santino Marella rather than Chris Jericho. If the WWE isn’t going to use him right, then I’d prefer him not to be used at all.

    Michael Benjamin: FACT. Absolutely, William Regal should keep wrestling on television more often. I’d prefer if he did all of his wrestling with the NXT crew though. He’s perfect where he’s at. He’s an old hand that can help the new up and coming talent learn the tricks of the trade. He had a huge shot as GM of Raw a few years back. I was there live when he had the lights turned off in the building. He legitimately had more heat than anybody on the roster during that short-lived run. The man is capable of almost any role given to him. It’s a damn shame that he messed that up. I’d love to see him in another role like that but I don’t see it happening. He’s in a good spot now and hopefully they can find some more opportunities to get him in the ring on NXT.

    Score: 3 for 6

    7. Adam Pearce should have received a TNA contract.

    Hammond Eggar: FACT. Consider the stupidity of having the man who held the NWA World Championship just six months ago compete for a contract with the company that recognized the NWA Championship just six years ago. Hell, if there were justice in the world, TNA should be competing to win Adam Pearce’s services, not the other way around. I’m hoping that the two recent Gut Check competitions are a total work resulting in both Adam Pearce and Ivelisse Velez coming to TNA, but sadly, I don’t think that’s the case.

    Michael Benjamin: FACT. Sure, why not?. Maybe TNA wanted a name like Pearce to come in and not get a spot just to make it unpredictable. I don’t know, I’m reaching. He has a decent amount of buzz around him. I honestly can’t see why he wasn’t hired. He’s TV ready and far more useful than most of their new workers (Like Jesse Godderz) will ever be. Sometimes TNA knocks it out of the park with their recruiting, and other times I’m left dumbfounded by some of the people that make it to the main roster.

    Score: 4 for 7

    8. Jay Briscoe as ROH Champion makes that promotion more interesting.

    Hammond Eggar: FICTION. I have to be honest, I’m rarely surprised by anything in wrestling these days, but Jay Briscoe winning the ROH World Title was probably the most surprising thing to come out of “Wrestlemainia Weekend.” With that said, I just don’t see Jay as a stand alone star to build one’s company around. Remember when Jim Cornette basically put a “bounty” out on Kevin Steen for anyone to beat him? Do you honestly think that Jay Briscoe was what he had in mind? Don’t get me wrong, I like the Briscoes, but I don’t see anything good coming from this booking.

    Michael Benjamin: FICTION. Jay is an amazing wrestler, he can hold his own on the stick in his own unique way, and he’s not a bad choice to headline their shows. With that said, Jay Briscoe isn’t going to make me order an extra iPPV. If I hear that he’s tearing shit up and that the creative direction is back on track, I’ll order some extra shows to see what all the buzz is about. As of now, a simple title reign isn’t going to change my opinion on what I consider to be a very boring era in ROH. A new World Champion doesn’t make the show more interesting.

    Final Score: 5 for 8

    Thanks so much to Michael & Hammond for participating! Me, I think the Gut Check thing has been worthwhile for no other reason than it got Taeler Hendrix a contract. Let us know what you think about these topics in the comment section! Until next week…

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