wrestling / Columns

411 Fact or Fiction 06.26.13: Rock 2K14, ROH iPPV, More

June 27, 2013 | Posted by Steve Cook

Hi, hello & welcome to 411 Fact or Fiction! I’m Steve Cook, and it’s been another interesting week in the world of professional wrestling! CM Punk accepted Paul Heyman’s explanation that he had nothing to do with Brock Lesnar attacking him last week. The Rock was revealed as the cover athlete for WWE 2K14, much to the dismay of most people on Twitter. Daniel Bryan beat Randy Orton, which people found surprising because it’s Randy Orton. Matt Striker’s contract expired. A Money in the Bank ladder match was announced. Rob Van Dam has been taking shots at TNA in interviews. Bully Ray still wants to be with Brooke Hogan. ROH had iPPV issues.

I’ve invited two of 411’s finest to discuss these topics. Introducing first, the author of Zen Arcade Reviews & Guerrilla Reviewfare right here in the Wrestling Zone, Jake St-Pierre!

His opponent writes the Retronomicon & previously wrote the MMA 5 & 1…now hailing from the Games Zone, Stewart Lange!

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

    1. While well-performed, the CM Punk/Paul Heyman interview on Raw failed to connect with their audience.

    Jake St-Pierre: FICTION. If it didn’t connect with the audience, they just aren’t fans of a slow build. And let’s face it, that crowd Monday night was the shits. That interview was tremendous. You could feel real emotion between the two, but cold stare that Punk gave when he hugged Heyman left you guessing. That’s a great wrestling storyline. I can’t fathom that it failed to connect with anyone, but who am I to think that? I’m of the opinion that they hit a home run with that promo. I want to see what happens next, so they connected with me. I’ve only seen positive reviews of the promo from other parties, so it seems like they also connected with a good amount of the audience.

    Stewart Lange: FACT. It was very close to killing the segment and to be honest, I don’t really get the lack of reaction to the two of them. Would it have been better with last week’s far hotter crowd? I’d say so, but obviously they had to establish Punk as being back, plus the Lesnar attack needed to happen in order for them to have the discussion in the first place. Maybe it’s not Heyman and Punk that’s the problem- maybe it’s that nobody wants to see Lesnar feud with Punk. I’m still on the fence myself.

    Score: 0 for 1

    2. The Rock was the right person to feature on the cover of WWE 2K14.

    Jake St-Pierre: FACT. It’s the cover of a video game. Why would it matter to anyone who is on the cover of it? Customers don’t buy a game because they saw someone they liked on the cover; they bought the game because they’re interested in the GAME. Of course The Rock is a good decision for the cover. Is he the best? Who’s to say. He’s a mainstream star and if WWE/2K Sports think that it will get the game wider recognition, then more power to them. If the WWE Logo is on the front cover, then fans are going to buy it.

    Stewart Lange: FICTION. Will it sell more copies? No. Is he an active member of the roster? No. Will he be with the company around the time the game is released? If yes, then in a fairly minor role. With that said, I’m not sure who should have been on the cover, but to be honest, I always quite liked the ensemble covers, perhaps something like that would have been better.

    Score: 0 for 2

    3. Daniel Bryan going over Randy Orton on Raw solidifies him as a main event talent.

    Jake St-Pierre: FACT. In terms of the story WWE is trying to tell, I’d think so. Randy Orton–despite his lack of direction since his second Wellness bust–still has credibility amongst fans. Logic dictates that Bryan tapping him out cleanly would elevate him in the casual fan’s eyes. To me though, that moment on Smackdown where Bryan took out The Shield single-handedly gave off a main-eventer vibe. Bryan is the most over guy on the roster with or without the win over Orton, but it certainly doesn’t hurt his status. He’s a main event talent through and through.

    Stewart Lange: FACT. Can I say fact-ion? The ‘E are definitely pushing Bryan in the right direction and it’s undoubted that he is over with the whole “yes/no” schtick, but I really can’t get past that the main event scene in the WWE consists of John Cena, then whoever Cena is feuding with, then everyone else afterwards. Because of how we’ve been wired to think as wrestling fans, a “smaller” guy beating a guy like Cena always comes across as “luck” and I think that will hold Bryan back in the WWE, unfortunately. No matter how good or over he is, there’ll always be a guy with a) more rub and b) a better look (for the ‘E).

    Score: 1 for 3

    4. Matt Striker didn’t get a fair shake as an announcer with WWE.

    Jake St-Pierre: FICTION. Of course he did. He seems like a really good guy and a devoted wrestling fan, but he grated on me as an announcer. He bordered on pretentious and I think the WWE announcing landscape is better without him. There are so many better commentators out there than Striker, yet Matt got multiple opportunities to shine and ultimately didn’t when he hit PPV. Some may think it’s hilarious, but an announcer on a professional wrestling show should NOT be saying stuff like “I’m marking out bro!~!”. It’s bush league. Maybe I’m just bitter that Matt Striker was on my TV when JR wasn’t, but it doesn’t change my feelings on him either way.

    Stewart Lange: FACT. At this point in time, I’d pay the WWE money to get Striker and JBL as permanent Raw commentators. Genuinely, Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler are two of the biggest reasons I make the choice to not watch Raw some weeks. Lawler is 10 years past his best (minimum) and Cole has always been insufferable, but I always enjoy Matt Striker talking. He clearly knows his stuff and more importantly, he knows his history. It’s nice to hear someone that appreciates the history of the company, because I’m among the fans that don’t think Sheamus has been around long enough to have “vintage” moves. The fact he hasn’t had his contract renewed is criminal because I bet he wasn’t being paid half of Lawler’s salary.

    Score: 1 for 4


    SWITCH!

    5. There should only be one Money in the Bank ladder match.

    Stewart Lange: FACT. As much as I love me some Money in the Bank, it devalues the briefcase and actually makes it slightly confusing. Well, confusing is a stretch, but you get my drift. Especially now there isn’t actually a roster/brand split, it means there can be two guys running around Raw (or Smackdown) with briefcases, albeit for different belts. The build for the eventual cash in suffers when it’s diluted down to two belts, especially as the creative team is barely creative enough to orchestrate one decent cash-in, let alone two.

    Jake St-Pierre: FACT. I understand WWE has a whole PPV devoted to this ladder match, but having two ladder matches on one show is total overkill. Sure, they’re both usually great matches, but having one makes it seem more special and more significant. Having said that, it isn’t as bad as say, having two Hell in a Cell matches at a PPV in feuds that don’t need it. I just have a problem with two ladder matches on one show. It’s not the worst thing in wrestling, but I’m all for important matches feeling…well, important.

    Score: 2 for 5

    6. Rob Van Dam is justified in taking shots at TNA in interviews.

    Stewart Lange: FACT. I don’t see why not, but I think for professionalism’s (right, Rob?) sake, he should stop when he’s back on WWE television. Considering how he was pampered, I should really say I’m shocked to see how he has much bad to say about TNA but “whatever, bro.” It’s his prerogative, I’m sure Vince isn’t going to be too upset about him insulting Hogan or Bischoff and like I say, as long as he cuts it out by the time he’s “talent” again, it should be forgotten about fairly quickly.

    Jake St-Pierre: FACT. He’s certainly more justified than any of us are. If RVD feels TNA disrespected him, then he’s absolutely justified with taking shots. It seems like he wasn’t in great shape during much of his TNA run, and God knows he wasn’t lighting the world on fire with his matches, and all signs point to TNA being part of the problem. I don’t know for sure, but all I’ll say is that it’s RVD’s deal, so he can say whatever he wants as far as I’m concerned.

    Score: 3 for 6

    7. Brooke Hogan & Bully Ray will get back together.

    Stewart Lange: FACT. Fact, fiction, who the hell cares. Nothing, I repeat NOTHING, annoys me in wrestling more than “relationship” shit. I’m quite willing to get on board and suspend my disbelief for most story lines, but I hate worked relationships and could care less if they get back together. It’s a shame, as it’s really the only thing I’m not fond of in the Aces & Eights story arc.

    Jake St-Pierre: FACT. It seems like another “swerve” is in the books for this story, and I think Brooke Hogan will tell her dad to fuck off and go back to Bully. Ray has explained that his marriage to Brooke was a ruse, as was his allegiance with Hulk. Considering his past with said ruses, don’t put it past him to bring Brooke along for the ride. Bully Ray is an outstanding heel and has been a shining light in this Aces & 8’s storyline, and frankly Brooke Hogan isn’t as intolerable as a lot of people make her out to be. I can’t imagine that she’d be any kind of decent heel, but a turn for her makes sense within the context of the story. It isn’t going to be McMahon/Helmsley, but you go to war with the army you have.

    Score: 4 for 7

    8. Ring of Honor ceasing their live iPPV business is a good move.

    Stewart Lange: FICTION. I’m not convinced it is, but I’ll admit to being fairly uneducated about the whole story. I’ve been looking through a few news items and while they have had some issues, with any luck a move to something similar will prove a good one. The reason I say fiction is that with the WWE eyeing up some more of their talent, including the Briscoes (who I will concede are the guys I think of first when someone mentions ROH), is it a great time for Ring of Honor to be ceasing anything? I hope the move away is a positive one, but I’m worried they just aren’t catching a break.

    Jake St-Pierre: FACT. For now, it is absolutely the right move. I’ll admit to being an ROH fanboy and to some extent, an ROH apologist, but Best in the World’s debacle proved how unreliable iPPV is, and pretty much how unreliable Ring of Honor is. The company is owned by a corporation, the Sinclair BROADCASTING Group. A wrestling company owned by SBG should have some pretty good production values, right? You’d be dead wrong. Since last March, ROH has had some kind of technical issue with six iPPV’s…that’s only slightly less than half of their big shows since that time. One of those wasn’t their fault admittedly, but that’s still an absolutely astounding number of mishaps on your biggest shows. If you’re going to pride yourself on your talent, be able to show them off without an issue. So for now, ROH should stay at an arm’s reach from iPPV and perhaps return to them when the technology is more reliable. ROH has nearly ruined their reputation because of mishaps (their shoddy customer service doesn’t help either), and hopefully this VOD business can win angry fans back. Only time will tell.

    Final Score: 4 for 8

    Stewart & Jake agree about half of the time and I can certainly say that both men brought their A game this week! I thank them both for their time and invite you to chime in with your commentary down in the comment section! We’ll be back next week with more Fact or Fiction.

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