411 Fact or Fiction 07.11.13: MITB, ROH Tournament, More

Hi, hello & welcome to News From Cook’s Corner! I’m Steve Cook, and it’s been another interesting week in the world of professional wrestling. Money in the Bank is coming up on Sunday, and Daniel Bryan looks like the favorite in the All-Star Ladder Match. Mark Henry will challenge John Cena for the WWE title on the same evening. Raw featured the debut of the Wyatt Family & the end of Vickie Guerrero’s reign as Managing Supervisor or some such thing. TNA released a bunch of Gut Check people & used Larry Csonka’s idea of having Chris Sabin challenge for the title. Low Ki may or may not be retiring. Ring of Honor announced they were stripping Jay Briscoe of their title & holding a tournament to crown a new champion.

I’ve invited two of 411’s finest to discuss these topics. Introducing first, the author of the Wrestling 8-Ball, David McGregor!

His opponent writes the Hammer of Doom News Report over in the Music Zone. Give it up for Robert Cooper!

Questions were sent out Monday.

Participants were told to expect wrestling-related questions.

1. Daniel Bryan will win the All-Star Money in the Bank Ladder Match.

David McGregor: FACT. I think it is pretty definite that Daniel Bryan is winning the Money in the Bank Ladder Match this Sunday. The guy has been on a roll like no one else on WWE TV and I think creative are gearing him up for a big money match with John Cena at Summerslam. Just for the love of god don’t include the Bella Twins in the biggest angle of the summer! I don’t think Bryan needs the briefcase but I think it’s extremely likely that he wins this weekend.

Robert Cooper: FACT. I’d like to say so, because the dude has a wave of momentum going for him that seems to just be getting bigger. He’s bested Orton and Sheamus in 2 out of 3 weeks, as well as closed the go home show for Money in the Bank. I’d say he has pretty good chances, though the wrestling rule of opposites (where the go who is on top at the close of the show before the pay-per-view always loses) dictates that he wont be able to win the match, I believe that he will, and it makes m e want to watch the PPV to find out.

Score: 1 for 1

2. Mark Henry should be WWE Champion after Money in the Bank.

David McGregor: FACT. I have never liked the periods of time in which John Cena is WWE Champion, I don’t hate the guy like a lot of people do but he is one of the most boring champions the WWE have ever had. Mark Henry on the other hand is one of the most entertaining members of the roster, and has been for a couple of years now. Henry has done everything the WWE has asked of him for over 10 years, and since he dropped 100 pounds a few years ago he has been constantly improving in the ring and on the microphone. I don’t normally agree with giving people titles as some sort of gift for long service, but Mark Henry has done everything right and improved on every aspect that needed work. I can’t think of one reason why he shouldn’t be WWE Champion, not that it is going to happen though.

Robert Cooper: FACT. It says SHOULD not WILL, or else I would be giving this a fiction. Mark Henry has been on his A game as of late and has made me care about this fued, and I feel like the performance he’s given has made it to where the man deserves the title. Though at the point we are at in the year, I don’t see it happening, because I think that it would make more sense to have your top draw (at least he is seen as such) in the big title match, but perhaps I am wrong, because if the universe rewarded a man for his work, he would and should get the title this weekend.

Score: 2 for 2

3. The Wyatt Family made an impressive debut on Raw.

David McGregor: FACT & FICTION. I loved their whole look, and I thought they were really creepy. But I just don’t think that gang attacking Kane counts as an impressive debut. Maybe it is the cynic in me but when a new guy debuts I don’t care that much because I know he could be nothing in just a few short months, it is what he does after that debut that is judged impressive or not. But like I said I loved the look and the whole feel of the Wyatt Family, it is a pretty unique character for wrestling. Although I can’t help but think about Deliverance when I see the Wyatt Family, which makes me quite uneasy, which is brilliant for an evil character. It was an ok debut, but the same could have been accomplished with anyone.

Robert Cooper: FACT. I thought they had a really good debut, they had a real creepy vibe and made an impact, and they were quite over with the crowd, though some of those douchecanoes thought it would be cute to chant, “Husky Harris”, and what do you know, it wasn’t. It’s good to see them finally here, a new and interesting stable of guys that will hopefully have a bright future ahead, especially if they keep that lantern lit.

Score: 2.5 for 3

4. Brad Maddox will be a good Raw General Manager.

David McGregor: FICTION. I’m starting to wonder if Brad Maddox is like a secret McMahon or something. The guy doesn’t have much skill in any field yet the WWE are giving him airtime. He’s an attractive guy and that’s never something to complain about seeing but he just doesn’t seem to want to go away, and now he’s the GM of Monday Night Raw! I hate to be the smarky internet guy, but his success is completely down to whether or not the WWE want him to be a success. I think the WWE creative believe that he is just one of those characters you love to hate, and therefore he will probably be one of the most annoying GM’s Raw has had this side of Mike Adamle. Although Adamle was pretty brilliant trying to be the Ronald Reagan of Raw, that was a stroke of genius. I don’t have the same hopes for Maddox.

By the way is it just me that thinks his name sounds like it is out of the Dolph Ziggler Book of Porn Names?

Robert Cooper: FICTION. I’m skeptical that he will, he seems to be an okay character that might be able to find his own stride, but he will have a giant weight hampering in the form of McMahon family fun, and it really turns me off that Vince feels like his family needs to show up every year or two, so that they can get that “ratings boost”. I’m not sure the Brad Maddox character is quite strong enough to overcome that, but I’ve been wrong about things before, and I don’t analyze wrestling as much as I used to, so I might be wrong this time, time will tell.

Score: 3.5 for 4

SWITCH!

5. The Gut Check Challenge is still viable even though most of the people involved in it are gone from TNA.

Robert Cooper: FACT. I originally went fiction, but then thought about the fact that the point of this was that not everyone was going to make it, and that changed my mind. If the next few people who go through it end up doing jack shit, then I would give this my original answer, but I am curious to see if it is still a viable means of getting new people into the promotion, because I think that it can be one, if they actually do it right and let more people through.

David McGregor: FICTION. I don’t actually agree with putting someone on TV without a character and storyline for them, and only one person can really get any kind of rub from the Gut Check Challenge. The rest of the guys are out there without any kind of direction and any screw ups here will make them look bad when they debut again in a couple of months or so.

This kind of discussion should be done by TNA developmental and not by the TNA fans. Look at whom WWE chose in their Tough Enough contest! The audience clearly doesn’t know who will make a good superstar but its ok because TNA and WWE both pay guys thousands of dollars to do that job. Audience participation is good to a certain level but a guy can be all kinds of likeable and still suck in the ring.

Score: 3.5 for 5

6. Chris Sabin will defeat Bully Ray for the TNA Championship.

Robert Cooper: FICTION. I would love for this to happen, I’ve been a pretty big fan of Chris Sabin’s work since about 2006, and I’d love to see his return from injury culminate in a championship win, but honestly, I don’t see it working out like that. Bully Ray seems like a guy that will be champion until at least Bound for Glory, and Sabin seems like another contender for his title. Though I will give lots of credit, by putting Sabin over Aries clean in a match, as well as giving him the back against Aces and Eights, he has a lot better shot now than he would have last week, I just don’t see it being a big enough one to dethrone the Bully.

David McGregor: FICTION. I think Bully Ray has been on such a great streak right now that it would be a waste to end it here. I don’t really know who should beat Ray, my go to answer is always Styles, but I think they need to build it better than Chris Sabin. I don’t want Ray going on a massive 400-day title reign, but I think he deserves a little longer with the championship. It has taken him so long to become a successful singles wrestler; I guess his time at the top should last that little bit longer.

Score: 4.5 for 6

7. Low Ki will return to a major wrestling promotion within a year.

Robert Cooper: FACT. I say this based on the question of what counts as a major promotion? Does Ring of Honor count? They do have a TV deal (though it’s syndicated), and I could see him showing up for maybe a one-off match, or maybe working with them in some capacity. Last I checked, he was working with Dragon Gate USA and Evolve, so I don’t see him going to TNA or WWE for at least a year. WWE wouldn’t know what to do with him, based on what they did last time, when they even gave him the win on NXT 2: Electric Boogaloo. TNA, I don’t think he’d go back to right now, and I don’t think he needs TNA. But Ring of Honor I could see (if they count, do they count, or are they still just a big Indy?) over the other two, and that is how this get the FACT!

David McGregor: FACT. The guy is 33 years old and to be quite mean he hasn’t done anything of real note in the wrestling world, therefore that would lead me to believe that he will be back sooner rather than later. There doesn’t seem to be a huge demand for Low Ki, but there is so much he has still to achieve from his wrestling career and that must irk at him. Then again I could be completely wrong and he could be done with wrestling for good, I don’t know what interests he has outside of wrestling but just when you think you’re out they pull you back in.

Score: 5.5 for 7

8. Holding a tournament is a good way for ROH to crown a new champion.

Robert Cooper: FACT. Why not? I feel like a good way to crown a champion is through a tourney, it is a good way to make stars as well as give automatic credibility to the winner. They would be earning that title through hard work, rather than just being given a title shot after one match. I’m excited to see what happens with this, because a good tournament can do good for a company if they have interesting match-ups, as well as good action.

David McGregor: FICTION. I’m quite a fan of tournaments but I think ROH should be able to find something more entertaining to crown a new champion. For a company that is still trying to even break into basic cable they really need to keep an eye on what is more entertaining for the audience, and tournaments are very rarely ever the answer. Battle Royal’s seem to be the go to match for crowning new champions, and that may be a tad overdone but it has the excitement factor that those tournaments loose pretty soon into the night.

Final Score: 5.5 for 8

David & Robert agree slightly over half the time thanks to David’s “Fact or Fiction” answer. I can’t decide whether that’s better or worse than “Faction”. Nevertheless, we thank these men for their contributions this week and invite you to chime in down in the comment section. See ya next week!

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