411 Fact or Fiction 02.09.06: Impact, Maria, Foley, More
Posted by Ashish on 02.09.2006
It's week SIXTY EIGHT of Fact or Fiction with John Meehan, Ari Berenstein, and whether Maria deserves more TV time...
Welcome back to Fact or Fiction! This week, John Meehan (MeeThinks) battles Ari Berenstein (Column of Honor)! Let's get rolling…
1. TNA Impact being on Thursday nights is better than being on Monday nights.
Ari Berenstein:FACT. Given the set up of Spike TV on that night being a block of its best male sports programming. If it was just Impact all alone, I'd flip the answer, but given that Spike is doing the smart thing by combining UFC and TNA, thus possibly coalescing both audiences. As we've seen previously, when UFC runs strong programming it has helped increase TNA ratings on its Monday midnight replay. Now I'm not saying Impact shouldn't have been given the Monday slot, because there is no doubt that eventually they need to get there to show its stuff against WWE. However, its all about taking things step by step, and Impact on Thursdays is the next and very good step to take on TNA's road to increased success.
John Meehan:FACT. TNA simply does not have the momentum, production values or the financial capabilities to step into the lion's den that is the WWE's stranglehold of the Monday night wrestling audience… yet. By fine-tuning their product and building fan support on Thursdays, TNA is smartly picking up an open night's worth of television where fans are accustomed to watching for wrasslin' in the first place. This gives them the opportunity to really bolster audience support before their inevitable showdown with the Big Dog… which will still be an enormous risk just the same And if anybody here has ever played the board game of the same name, you know full well that you don't try and storm the Ukraine until you've got all of your cannons on the front line. Let the bodies hit the floor, MeeThinks… but not just yet.
Score:1 for 1
2. The Edge/Mick Foley is the most interesting on paper of the projected top four matches (Angle/Orton, Cena/Triple H, HBK/McMahon being the others).
Ari Berenstein:FICTION. But that's because I am more interested in seeing just how horribly the other matches will play out. I mean, we are on the road to a Wrestlemania of disastrous proportions. I'm talking Wrestlemania IX like proportions here. Actually, it's not fair to say that the matches itself or that Angle / Orton will be terrible, but the WWE has completely turned me off to these matches because of the way they will get to them. For instance, with Angle / Orton, in all likelihood by Orton (and WWE) will be screwing Rey Mysterio out of his title shot (and sickeningly degrade Eddie's name--but before I go off on that I'll contain myself). I would much rather watch Angle / Mysterio and Cena / Edge at WM 22, but apparently what I would be interested in watching no longer corresponds to what the WWE wants us to be watching. So maybe I won't be watching Wrestlemania for the first time in years. Now, Mick ! Foley is just trying to ruin it for the rest of us by DARING to get involved in something that mildly presents a fun angle and TRYING to go with something that is clearly working. i.e. Edge as a heel that the crowd loves to hate on. Foley, even now, still knows what it takes to make a great angle, and I think he'll pull it off with Edge. However, the other matches (Ashish didn't even mention the possibility of Taker-Mark Henry) that have been set up may be REALLY bad, Wrestlecrap bad, and THAT is the story of this year's Wrestlemania (even though it shouldn't be).
John Meehan:FICTION. Why, because Foley and Edge are supposedly "real life" buddies, and that means that Foley will go out of his way to help put Edge over and make the guy look like a million bucks by doing the j.o.b.? Big freakin' deal – Edge is unbeaten at WrestleMania, and Foley has jobbed to everybody not named Carlito in the past three years. The Michaels/McMahon angle, while not the best, is at least something of a "?" when you consider all of the loose ends and possibilities that it still has the potential to tie together (maybe Shane-o and Vinny Mac in a two-on-one? The yearly "Will Bret Hart be at ‘Mania" rumors? Etc.). As far as this year's ‘Mania being like WrestleMania IX level bad, I disagree. WrestleMania 13 bad, perhaps (Taker vs. Sid!? THE SULTAN?!?) – but even that card had it's shining spot in Bret/Austin. True, Orton being thrown into the title mix will piss off more than a few fans who've wanted to see Rey Rey challenge for the Gold, but then again – shaking things up over on the Smackdown side of things might actually add MORE intrigue to their title picture than not, when you think about it. Hear me out, here – the past six years' Royal Rumble winners have gone on to win a world title in the main event at WrestleMania. So what's better – following suit and giving away the ending of the main event of your biggest show by having Rey Rey win the Rumble and then the belt at ‘Mania, or pissing even more fans off in the long run if Mysterio was to somehow make it to ‘Mania only to wind up on the losing end of thing's when all's said and done? Either way, the "Rocky Balboa Rumble-to-WrestleMania" storyline has been done FIVE years in a row before, each time with the EXACT same outcome. The "Rumble winner gets screwed out of a ‘Mania title match" storyline has not. Sure, we all love Mysterio – but when it comes to "interesting" storylines, I think it's more than fair to say that some credit is due to the ‘E for breaking from their own cycle of repetition – even if they are doing so in the most frustrating or bass-ackwards manner possible.
Score:2 for 2
3. Maria is entertaining in her bimbo role and deserves more TV time.
Ari Berenstein:FACT. And a definite, bold faced FACT at that. This role worked tremendously in OVW, where Maria won over the entire audience with the "bimbo" act. I think that the fans have really fallen in love with the character. It's almost as if the fans have an unspoken understanding-"yeah, she's a bimbo, but she's OUR bimbo." With more on screen exposure and by getting a bit more in sync with the slightly less bimbo-y character she plays in Kentuckiana, Maria is a synch to supplanting Funaki as the # 1 announcer in the WWE. There is also no denying that she looks incredible, especially in the "wrestling" outfit she wore on Monday. With great looks, undeniable charm and a connection to the fans, Maria deserves to be featured WAAAY more than she is currently. Let's put it this way...would you like to see more Maria...or more Todd Pettingil, Jr.? I rest my case.
John Meehan:FACT. Maria has been gold ever since her "accidental" misnomer of "The Edge" last year, and she hasn't looked back since. I'd argue that she has become SO over, in fact, that the ‘E has even tried to use her to help put over most of their WWE Championship contenders in the last six months. Kurt Angle? Desperate for "heel" heat, so they saddled him with a token foreign guy as a manager and had him rag on local sports teams. Still nothing. Have him lock poor Maria in the Ankle Lock? Instant badass. John Cena? Dying for universal fan support as a face champion, so they let him have an elaborate Royal Rumble entrance, cheap appeals to hometown heroes and a "I support the troops" taglines. And again, half the crowd STILL couldn't care less. But have Cena be Maria's knight in shining armor? All of the sudden everybody is rooting for the Doctor of Thuganomics to come save the day whenever the poor thing finds herself in peril. Great use of a great character, and I see no reason why they wouldn't continue to push her to the moon in the future. Just no Women's Championship bouts, eh?
Score:3 for 3
---SWITCHAROO!!!---
4. TNA Impact moving to Thursday nights in prime time is the biggest story of 2006 thus far.
John Meehan:FACT. Bigger than the debut of Sting (he'd been there before), bigger than Rey Rey winning the Royal Rumble (lots of folks including myself totally called it ahead of time), and bigger than the molestation allegations against Vinny Mac (Vince McMahon, sexual predator?! You're KIDDING…) – TNA's upcoming move to primetime is going to be a huge shot in the arm for the wrestling industry overall. First and foremost, it demonstrates that TNA has proven to be a viable commodity on Spike in it's current craptastic timeslot (the same slot which saw Velocity ratings plummet through the floor), and second – it helps TNA "step up" as a legitimate "number two wrestling promotion" in the United States. True, there's still a *long* way to go before TNA can actually be considered a serious threat to WWE, but it definitely is well on its way to becoming a legitimate alternative to the McMahon family's circus, which can only benefit the industry on the whole in the long run.
Ari Berenstein:FICTION. I am a big supporter of TNA nowadays and think that this is OBVIOUSLY a move in the right direction. Potentially could be the biggest story of 2006, but I'd have to say that the WWE's creative "Renaissance" false start is the biggest story thus far. . It is undeniable that WWE was FORCED to change due to the injuries of Batista and the negative reaction towards John Cena. Out of that we had Edge (who would have thunk it) as the WWE champion and Kurt Angle jump ship to Smackdown and win the World Heavyweight Championship. That is HUGE movement. Now, several weeks later, WWE has proven true to its stubborn form--Cena is champion again and will inevitably feud with HHH. Rey will NOT get his shot for the title; Orton will (just like they planned all along). Then of course there's all the Eddie stuff. All this and ratings have and continue to be improved with lots of 4.4's and 4.5's, but somehow I'm even more depressed than I was before all these things started happening. January has been the greatest month and the worst month for WWE at the same time and that's the biggest story.
Score:3 for 4
5. A potential Hacksaw Jim Duggan/Goldust tag team could be great if used for comic relief.
John Meehan:FACT. "SawDust?!" I can see it now… sure, the matches will be very, very bad – but the backstage segments could definitely provide for some legit laugh out loud moments if they let this thing go through. Duggan was always a pro at playing the goofball roll when duty called, and Goldie never had a problem going over the top for comic effect, even if some of his attempts were – um – "ill fated," at best (the Tourette Syndrome angle, for one). Couple that with the fact that Dustin and Hacksaw would likely just be jobbers to the undercard were they to be kept around as singles competitors, and viola - a comedy tag team paring seems like a no-brainer. Goldust was great in his time with Booker T, and I see no reason why he couldn't achieve the same level of success with a performer as entertaining as Hacksaw.
Ari Berenstein:FICTION. HOOOOOOOOOO-NO! Ya know, that is JUST what we need, oh yes, more inspired comedy in the form of these two guys pairing up, from the minds at the WWE creative writing team that brought us Shelton's Mama skits. These two have nothing in common and wouldn't even make for an interesting style clash the way the team of Dust and Booker T worked out (Book dealing with issues of homophobia and ending up respecting and appreciating Goldust for his wacky antics). This is just one more in the latest line of WWE re-treading the past because their present either has no depth or nor heat. I am also NOT surprised to see that WWE has completely missed the boat on a Hacksaw / Eugene team up due to their like IQ's and temperaments (their characters are both dumb as posts but they have great heart). THAT would be the most obvious way of getting Eugene back in the good graces of the fans and could actually organically lead to some fun skits, as opposed to a completely forced and hackneyed "HOW ODD!" couple tandem. Sorry, I can't join in with Meehan on this "fun"; no thanks on this one.
Score:3 for 5
6. 411 got it right by naming The Road Warriors as the greatest tag team of all time in the Top 50 Tag Teams of All Time special feature.
John Meehan:FACT. Even though I personally chose the Bulldogs as my greatest tag team of all time, when you look at the bigger picture of things – the sheer combination of size, look, charisma, raw power and overall impact on the sport, the Road Warriors are far and away the most significant tandem in the history of the game. Bulldogs and Rock & Roll Express were outstanding in the ring, but they hardly had the same unique "look" that helped set the Road Warriors apart from the rest of the crowd. Midnight Express and the Dudleys had crazy heat, but neither of them exhibited the same type of sheer dominance of a team like L.O.D. And I said it in the feature but it totally bears repeating now – the Road Warriors would *still* be remembered as one of the best teams of all time even if they'd never once set foot into a WWF/E ring. That's simply not the case for the Bulldogs, the Hart Foundation, or the Steiners… so kudos to 411 for nailing this one right on the head.
Ari Berenstein: FACT: there are a lot of different philosophies over what makes a great tag team. Some people would choose The Bulldogs (Meehan) and some would choose the Midnight Express (me) as their number one choice. However, The Road Warriors were selected by a large body of 411 staffers, and with good reason. When I think of the Road Warriors, I still think of them as bigger than life entities...They gave me chills and make me awe-inspired as a child watching them during the 1980's. I knew they were bad ass (before I even knew what the word "ass" meant) and I knew they were going to kick someone's ass. they had longevity and success far into the 1990's. They even had a few comebacks in the 21st century. There was much consternation and deliberation and reaction for the choices all along the Top 50 list. I happen to disagree with the placement of a lot of the choices but for all my disagreement I cannot find myself disagreeing on the number one choice of The Road Warriors.
Score:4 for 6
These two finish 4 for 6! Join us next week for more Fact or Fiction!
