411 Fact or Fiction 05.30.13: 3 Stages of Hell, Hell No, Slammiversary, More

Hi, hello & welcome to 411 Fact or Fiction! I’m Steve Cook, and it’s been a crazy week in the world of professional wrestling. Stipulations were announced for the John Cena vs. Ryback match at Payback. The Shield had an awesome tag team match on Raw with Team Hell No, who everybody assumes will turn against each other at some point. Bray Wyatt & his family are coming, and my advice to you is to run. TNA’s 11th Slammiversary is Sunday! Well, they haven’t had 11 Slammiversary shows, but it’s their 11th anniversary. Or close enough to it. Anyway, Sting gets a title shot and apparently it’s his last one. There’s a huge Ultimate X match. There may be an MOTYC…and there might be an Abyss appearance!

I’ve invited two gentlemen here to discuss these topics that you know very well. One of them is the co-author of the Wrestling 5 & 1 and the host of a critically-acclaimed podcast that is co-hosted by his opponent this week, who happens to be his BFF. They’re going to Slammiversary, so I thought this would be a great week to bring them in. Please welcome the hosts of the Greg DeMarco Show, Greg DeMarco & Patrick O’Dowd!

Questions were sent out Monday. Then a Bray Wyatt-related question was sent out on Tuesday. I’m easy like that.

Participants were told to expect wrestling-related questions.

1. Three Stages of Hell with John Cena & Ryback will be an entertaining PPV attraction.

Greg DeMarco: FICTION. John Cena vs. Ryback in a Last Man Standing Match at Extreme Rules was far better than anyone is giving it credit for—and that’s all due to the finish, one we all should have seen coming. The Three Stages of Hell stipulation would in fact be an entertaining PPV attraction—but it’s not an attraction, it’s the freaking main event!

Looking at the stipulations, I fear the worst for Ryback. Cena is likely to win the Lumberjack Match by pinfall or submission, and in rather clean fashion. Ryback is likely to win the Tables Match, which can be flukey at best. That leaves the Ambulance Match, and if Cena wins it will bury Ryback and potentially damage his character to a level beyond repair.

Patrick O‘Dowd: FACT. I am not overly excited about this angle as I worry about what happens to Ryback after this story ends. I am pretty sure Cena is going over in the end. To the question at hand, given Ryback’s and Cena’s skill sets, a Three Stages of Hell match will be entertaining as two brawling powerhouses will get to beat the crap out of one another through three different types of matches with few rules. No need to worry about chain wrestling here. I hope to see Ryback shrug off a pile of lumberjacks. I know I am going to get some sort of table spot that will hopefully involve someone being dropped from a turnbuckle. Finally, I know I am going to see two guys knock each other silly using the ring and everything surrounding it before someone takes an ambulance ride. I hope that if(when?) Ryback loses it’s because Cena has to be “clever” to win. Ryback should not be beaten into unconsciousness. Ryback should come out of this match still looking like a threat if(when?) he loses. I know I will be entertained because this match will give me a hard hitting match that will cover Cena’s and Ryback’s shortcomings in the ring.

Score: 0 for 1

2. Kane & Daniel Bryan should not turn against each other.

Greg DeMarco: FICTION. Tag Team break-ups are somewhat expected in the world of wrestling, but that doesn’t mean it’s necessary. However Kane and Daniel Bryan have shown that they can be at odds—even at war—and still come back together. Thus, it’s one time where we can have our cake and eat it, too!

Daniel Bryan is emerging as one of the top performers in the WWE. He can do it all—mat wrestle, fly, tell stories, cut promos, engage the crowd, comedy—against basically any opponent. He just might be the best wrestler in the world today. Kane is a sure-fire Hall of Famer, and one of the best big men in history. I have no doubts that they can create some amazing moments against each other—so why deprive ourselves of that?

Patrick O‘Dowd: FACT. Fact if for no other reason than I am tired of seeing tag teams break up via one guy turning on his partner. Honestly, is there no other way for a team to part ways? I found it refreshing when Cody Rhodes and Damien Sandow amicably parted ways (sort of). Anyway, I have been pleasantly surprised with the success of Team Hell No. They seemed like a team destined to implode from the start, yet they have defied the odds. I see no need for Kane and Daniel Bryan to turn on each other right now. It’s not like there is a shortage of singles feuds in the WWE. Why not keep the team together, have them fight one of the other established teams toiling away on Superstars, and give another team a rub? The WWE could actually develop a true tag division. I hear the Rhode Scholars are back together (Sort of). Sadly, while I think Team Hell No shouldn’t turn on one another, I fear they will and a random pairing of faces will eventually dethrone the new champs.

Score: 0 for 2

3. The Shield will have a bad tag team match at some point.

Greg DeMarco: FACT. Shield has been the most consistent acts in the WWE since their November debut, and they are an example of the best booking we’ve seen in years. All three men—Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns—are great in the ring, and their personas tell a story.

But it takes two (or four, or six) to tango, and we can’t be guaranteed that their opponents will always hold up their end of the bargain. So while The Shield continues to deliver match of the night candidates with every outing, the law of averages tells us we’re bound to get a stinker at some point. Until that fateful match against Tons of Funk & The Great Khali happens, I’ll continue to enjoy the best act in the business today.

Patrick O‘Dowd: FACT. This is a pretty loaded question because everyone and every team has a bad match somewhere. They happen for a variety of reasons. Bad matches can happen due to poor chemistry between the performers. Bad matches happen because someone just has a bad night. You are betting against very strong odds to say that The Shield will never have a bad match, it’s just a matter of when and where it happens. When the bad match happens, though, I don’t think it will hurt the Shield. The team has established itself very strongly and one bad match will be easily forgiven. If the Shield lays an egg during a house show, no one is going to care or remember. If the Shield has a bad tag match on live television or pay per view, sure it’ll be properly criticized, but the performance will be largely forgiven if it is a blip on an otherwise quiet radar.

Score: 1 for 3

4. Sting will never receive another TNA World Title shot after Slammiversary.

Greg DeMarco: FACT. I despise the fact that Sting is even getting this world championship opportunity at Slammiversary. Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against Sting challenging Bully Ray.

But it shouldn’t main event a pay-per-view, it should main event a live Impact Wrestling. Think back to Sting’s match with Matt Morgan…that match flat out sucked, and it had nothing to do with Morgan. The Slammiversary main event is No Holds Barred, which will help.

My pick is Bully Ray going over, likely (and unfortunately) thanks to Aces & Eights interference. But the “Sting can’t challenge again” storyline makes sense at this stage in his career (he is 54 years old, you know!), and it plays into the story of whoever finally takes the club president down.

Patrick O‘Dowd: FICTION. Here’s the thing.  I don’t believe that Sting is beating Bully Ray at Slammiversary.  It makes absolutely zero sense for Bully Ray to lose this match.  It’s not the story TNA is telling and it would be devastating to Bully Ray’s credibility as a top heel to lose to the Icon.  Bully’s credibility will already take a hit when he needs help to win the match on Sunday over the old timer. That said, TNA is not exactly known for strong continuity in its storytelling and I could see this little stipulation being forgotten in six months time because TNA just drops story points midstream all of the time. More likely, however, is a scenario somewhere down the road where the Stinger is given the opportunity to fight his way into a title match and succeeds. It’s a pretty cliché angle, but a tried and true one at that.

Score: 1 for 4

SWITCH!

5. The new X Division format has made you care more about the title matches & performers involved.

Patrick O‘Dowd: FICTION. The format makes for highly entertaining matches. I love a good triple threat match and the men in the division have already given the fans some terrific matches. I don’t see the quality of the matches going down moving forward. Unfortunately, the format has not lent itself to storytelling in the traditional sense. I like that Chris Sabin is back and I like that he has a goal. What I don’t like is that the X Division Title is now the TNA Money in the Bank Ultimate X match. It was made clear on this past Impact that the title for Sabin is the path to the TNA Title. Kenny King has such great charisma and its being lost because so far the format has created a revolving door of contenders to his title. This prevents Kenny from utilizing his considerable mic skills to build a rivalry. Without a rivalry, without a consistent top contender, and with contenders to the title going for the belt only as a means to go for a different title, I find myself more and more disinterested in the X Division.

Greg DeMarco: FICTION. When the new format was announced, I was actually excited. Turns out I wasn’t excited about the format, but the focus on the division. That has remained inconsistent at best, and it’s hurt the build (even if it’s better than the months prior).

The X-Division is predicated on spot fests, which the format encourages. But it was also built on people we cared about, which needs more than one match per week (sometimes one match per two weeks) to develop. TNA is lucky with stars that fans already know like Petey Williams and Chris Sabin, and has actually built one in Kenny King.

But the format is also limiting. What is the logical choice is Kenny King vs. Chris Sabin? Does that have to be non-title to happen? Can we not have feuds? Do those feuds have to include a third wheel, potentially under a mask?

The format takes away from the performers, as it’s about the rules and not about the wrestlers. No one buys a ticket for the rules, unless it’s a briefcase hanging above the ring.

Score: 2 for 5

6. The Monster Abyss will appear at Slammiversary.

Patrick O‘Dowd: FACT. Abyss may not show up in costume, but it is a sure bet that Joseph Park will transform at some point. We will see at least one Black Hole Slam. Again, this one comes down to the story that we have been seeing week in and week out. TNA has teased this thing to the point that we now have at least one member of the locker room who has quit playing along.(Thanks Stinger!) It is more than clear that while Abyss may not come all the way back at Slammiversary, we are inching closer and closer to the Monster’s return, much to Greg DeMarco’s dismay.

Greg DeMarco: FACT. Despite his efforts to “kayfab” everyone, Joseph Park hasn’t done an effective job of hiding his secret identity as Abyss. The story writes itself, Joseph Park needs to morph into Abyss on the PPV.

And damn it, it’s the last fucking thing I want to see! I need to be straight and direct here—I hate Abyss. He makes me want to change the channel. His gear is terrible, he looks like the bastard son of Kane & Mankind, and he wrestlers like their retarded son. Abyss’s appearance at Slammiversary will be my bathroom break. In fact, as much as I hate Sting’s presence in the main event, there is one saving grace—at least it’s not Abyss!

Score: 3 for 6

7. There will be a Match of the Year Candidate at Slammiversary.

Patrick O‘Dows: FACT. Two Names: Kurt Angle and AJ Styles. Next Question.

Greg DeMarco: FACT. Despite the weak main event, Slammiversary has three potential Match of the Year candidates on the card—at least on paper.

AJ Styles vs. Kurt Angle – It’s just natural for these guys to have great matches against each other. They rarely do the opposite. Slammiversary could be the next in that great legacy they’ve created.

Tag Team Championship 4-Way – There will be eight very talented wrestlers in this match—that’s right, eight. Gunner has proven his worth already, and is vastly underrated. I don’t love Chavo & Hernandez as champions, and I see this as an opportunity to move the titles. And when Gunner turns heel and joins Aces & Eights, you can say you heard it here first!

Ultimate-X Match – Ultimate X is in no way perfect, but it’s track record is actually impressive. Some of TNA’s greatest matches have taken place along the cables above the ring, and this one has the potential to do stand amongst those matches. Kenny King and Chris Sabin are proven talents, and the current incarnation of Suicide—TJ Perkins—has proved many Match of the Night candidates in Ring of Honor, Dragon Gate USA and more. These guys have a shot here.

Score: 4 for 7

8. Bray Wyatt will be a main event performer for WWE within the next year.

Patrick O‘Dowd: FICTION. : I waffled between fact and fiction on this one as that vignette was so different from anything we’ve seen lately that it could catch fire in a hurry and force the WWE’s hand. The reality though, is that while the WWE often gives talent a great deal of hype upon their debuts, Ryback and the Shield are the exceptions. More often than not we get Cody Rhodes, Dolph Ziggler, Damien Sandow, Brodus Clay, Antonio Cesaro, The Miz, Wade Barrett, and a unending list of talented guys working in the midcard. Guys who have excited fans. Guys we pundits say will be main eventing Wrestlemanias in no time. We pundits are usually wrong. It literally took years for Ziggler to be a true main event player. While I like Bray Wyatt, history works against him being a main event player in the WWE within a year.

Greg DeMarco: FICTION. As much as I want to say Fact, the WWE has proven themselves unable of a legitimate push. The Shield is the best booked group in recent memory, but they’re not main eventers. I easily see a reign for Bray Wyatt—possibly Intercontinental—before the year comes to a close. But to elevate him to main event status is a very tall order—given that John Cena, Ryback, Sheamus, Randy Orton, Dolph Ziggler, Alberto Del Rio, Triple H, Brock Lesnar, The Big Show, Mark Henry…and many more all have the main event scene all wrapped up.

However, this line of questioning could easily backfire. We shouldn’t even worry about Bray Wyatt being a main eventer. Let the WWE and the individual performers stand and develop on their own. If Bray Wyatt is going to be a main eventer, then it’ll happen. But not in the next calendar year.

Final Score: 5 for 8

Like all good podcast partners, Greg & Patrick come together at the end of the day in agreeance & respect. I thank them both very much for participating, and hope they have a fantastic time at Slammiversary! Let them know what you think down in the comment section, and we’ll be back next week with more Fact or Fiction!

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