The Triple Threat 8.20.06: The 16th Edition
Posted by Sean, David, Alex on 08.20.2006
It is the sweet sixteen edition of the Triple Threat, in which Alex and I give our thoughts on TNA's Hard Justice PPV. We also talk about Goldberg possibly going to TNA, the Diva Search winner, the women's division, and Jeff Hardy. Don't miss our favorite Summerslam of all time too.
Hello everyone; tonight may be the night of the biggest party of the summer, but, that's not all that is happening. This weekend also marked the release of Snakes on a Plane (that David and I are going to go see before the PPV tonight.) It seems like big weekend for entertainment everywhere. There is one thing left that you need to do before you go party it up with a movie and a PPV, and that's read this column. Alex was at Hard Justice last week what do He and I have to say about the PPV, giving you two distinct views of the show. We also give our thoughts on Goldberg possibly going to TNA, the Diva search winner, and also look for our favorite Summerslam matches. I've changed the lineup a little bit, with David going first and then Alex moving to the middle. So thought I should let everyone know to expect a little change. However, that doesn't mean you can't have fun, but please don't forget to read the "Triple Threat."
Topic #1 Hard Justice was last Sunday. What did you think of the show?
David: This is all on Alex and Sean as I didn't see the PPV.
Alex: Well it took two and a half years, but I finally made it to the Impact Zone. Man, what a night I picked to go too. It was awesome to just be in the building and soak up the vibe, seeing Jimmy Jacobs at the pre-show was a treat. I actually ran into him the next day and talked to him for a bit. When I saw the fire, I was like "man that's weak" but it got bigger, and then the crowd started chanting "the roof, the roof, the roof is on fire" which was classic. I give major props to Eric Young and Johnny Devine for finishing their match. I knew something was wrong when Shane Douglas came out and was looking up with concern on his face. I was so pissed when they started evacuating because I thought "I came 2000+ miles for this?" While we were waiting outside I got to meet Traci, and talk to Andy Douglas, which was really cool. He and my cousin were frat brothers in college, so we talked about that. I also talked to Lance Hoyt, who I had met before, then Eric Young came out running through all the people re-enacting Will Ferrell's infamous scene from Old School. That was classic, he was saying "We're going streaking through Animal Kingdom!" Because of all this it seemed like it was no time before we got back in there. From there on, it was one of the best TNA PPV's I have seen. Shelly-Sabin, Joe-Rhino-Monty, and the X Division triple threat were all great. The tag match tore the house down. Due to the general admission, all the Latin fans sat back behind the LAX entrance, and they were just rabid when LAX came out, it was pretty neat to see. LAX is way over, but so are AJ & Daniels, the crowd was red hot. The crowd was pretty much drained after that match. I don't know if you can tell on TV, but the crowd in Orlando is hot, and it gets loud as hell in that building. The Main Event was better than expected, they came fighting RIGHT next to me, so I was on PPV that was cool, and also Christy shot for the pre-show by my side that was awesome. Anyway, people were just sitting on their hands waiting for Christian to turn heel. The guitar spot got a HUGE reaction. It was a great show and VERY eventful, it was awesome to finally see TNA live. Without a doubt my MOTN award goes to the excellent tag match.
Sean: I actually got to see this show and I was quite surprised at how well it went. The blaze was sort a theme of the PPV because most of the under card seemed to be on fire. That was corny I know, but, let me explain my reasoning. We had a decent opener that kind of lost its momentum after the smoke began to fill the arena. It was fun to see Eric Young with the crowd at the beginning as they followed him during his ring entrance. Eric was bringing out another ploy so that even if he lost the match, maybe, Jim Cornette wouldn't fire him. After Universal and TNA handled the flames, we were treated to the impromptu match between Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin. Whether Kevin Nash's injury ends up as legit or not, regardless the match ended up better. We had some chain wrestling mixed in with the spots and it made for a good match. We even had dueling chants as is very expected from the TNA crowd that can't decide who they hate. The Brother Runt squash was alright, but I give it to Runt he took a nasty bump into the tacks. I just can't get into matches that make it so obvious who's going to win before you see it. However, after this came probably one of the most fun brawls you will ever see. Damn this was a fun brawl. Joe hits a Suicide Elbow knocking out Rhino on the outside. They went everywhere here, as they even broke parts of the impact zone. The only thing that was a small letdown is that Rhino didn't gore anyone through the table. However, we did get a cool STO through a table by Joe on Monty Brown. I liked how Joe acknowledged he enjoyed himself, when he got on the mic and said that they could do this all over again at the next PPV. Hey I wouldn't be opposed to it. Then we got the crappy match of the PPV. Why in the world are we having a tranny on this damn PPV anyway? Not even Gail Kim's hotness could save this match. It was bad, end of story. That Candice vs. Torrie Wilson match at Wrestlemania had more flow than this. Anyway, let's get back to the awesome part of the PPV. The X-Division Title was on the line next in a three way that really didn't need to be here. There was no reason for Petey Williams to be in this if you are only going to allow him to use two moves in the whole match. Senshi was a little chop happy in this match but once we got to Lethal vs. Senshi things sort of picked up. It probably wasn't the best we've seen from the X-Division but it certainly was a good match and a better cool down match then the crap with Sirelda vs. Gail Kim. It's sad that Gail's talents have to be wasted on someone that won't be with the company any longer than this PPV. Then we get the match I was most looking forward to the whole night with the tag titles on the line. Man these four put on one hell of a match-up. The slight miscommunications between the teams don't matter to me it's my match of the night. This thing had everything. Hernandez had the power game working as he nailed a Half Nelson Suplex on Daniels and later he would get that crazy "Cracker Jack" move on him. The craziest thing was when Daniels and Homicide were outside after Daniels had hit a Moonsault on Homicide. Hernandez then takes a leap without touching the ropes and lands on Daniels and Homicide. That's the first time I've heard the TNA fans chant holy shit, well, it was one of those moments, I, knew he could do that because I've seen him around Texas. However, most of the people in the Impact Zone didn't know Hernandez was that athletic. Then AJ does a springboard beautiful Shooting Star Press on all of them to the outside. I just sat there and said "wow." Homicide at another point in the match did a flipping Senton through the middle rope to AJ and he goes ass first against the rail. The crowd was hot for this all throughout and AJ & Daniels had some nifty tag team moves including taking a page from Power & Glory with Daniels holding Homicide up for a Suplex while AJ nails a Crossbody. AJ & Daniels may have won with that High/Low sweep, but this was certainly a big high for everyone involved. I'm going to go a little off topic so pardon me for a second. As a proud member of the Latino community it befuddles me why Konnan talks shit about the United States when he has one American, and one guy that was born in the US, in his own group. Homicide is from Brooklyn and even if you have Puerto Rico ethnicity you may speak Spanish and have an accent, but you are still American because Puerto Rico is owned by the US. Hernandez is from Houston, but he may have some Mexican descendents. Either way in LAX, Konnan is the only one that's really Latin. It doesn't bother me, because since I'm from Venezuela I'm happy to see other Latino's on my television. I thought it would be important for people to know that Konnan should make it known that he speaks for himself with his sentiments. LAX is pretty cool and I'm happy to see them take off like they have. Oh yeah I forgot about the main event, oh wait no I didn't, it sucked balls and the Christian heel turn has been so obvious for months that it just made the PPV a letdown. This is another one of those times where the main title should have been put behind something else on the card. However, just like Vince on RAW, Jarrett has to make himself the most important figure on the show, even though I think he even knows at this point his matches suck ass. That thing was so much full of crap that no wonder people compare this to WCW. I can't wait till Jarrett loses the belt, the only thing I can't believe is that they are again, going to put Jarrett vs. Sting at the top of their biggest PPV of the year. I know it might help them sell tickets but Christian vs. Sting would sell about the same and be a better match. Then the crowd can go home happy with Joe winning the belt from Jarrett, but no, we have to sit through some more crap, just to appease Jarrett. The under card was on fire but the main event burnt the whole show down. I give a thumbs up to the encore presentation just to see the under card. Then you can change the channel during the main event.
Topic #2 Your winner of the Diva Search is: Layla El, was she your pick to win? And do you think that she could do anything for the Women's division?
David: I knew she was going to win the whole time, it was too obvious. I really don't know if she could help the women's division at all. She, most likely doesn't have any wrestling ability at all. So I don't think she's going to be able to help them at all. We need women who can wrestle, not ones who can just look pretty. I hate the diva search and it makes RAW even worse then it can possibly be.
Alex: Who?
Sean: Actually, I picked Rebecca to win it because she was rather pretty, I was also going for Jen. In reality normally I don't care who wins the Diva Search because it wastes time on my television. However, after the first week I wanted Layla to win. I know a lot of people hate the end result because the prettiest girl didn't win. Well you know what the fans did a very good thing in picking Layla, because she actually showed like she wanted to be there. Aside from Jen, Layla seemed like the only girl that went out there every week and gave it her all in those silly contests. She showed heart and determination and that's what matters. As far what she can do in the ring? Well she was a former heat dancer so you know she can be at least as good as Candice or Ashley. You never know, with the right training and if she is enthused with wrestling as she was to become a Diva. Only time will tell if she becomes the first Diva Search winner to accomplish something in the ring and not in a magazine.
Topic #3 Early in the week we found out that Goldberg signed a 90 day holding contract with Spike TV. This makes it so that Goldberg cannot work for any other television company except for Spike. Also Spike would be paying his salary for the duration of the contract. As a result of all of this, do you think Goldberg could go to TNA? And what would this do for TNA?
David: I hate Goldberg and he would do nothing for TNA period.
Alex: Please! TNA don't sign him. Look at Sting, he brought in some attention, but at what cost the same storyline for 8 months? Dominating the spotlight, it is really beginning to damage the company. He has put Joe and Christian over in helping them, but, even when Jarrett was being Triple H in the summer of '05, AJ, Raven, Abyss, and eventually Rhino were dominating and in Raven's case, had a good title run. Yeah Sting came in and brought in some serious casual fans but, again, at what cost? And THIS IS STING!!! He is one of the most important people in wrestling history. Goldberg is nowhere near the level Sting is, and TNA should learn that it's not just the big names that build a company. It is a focus on something different, a focus on something new, in TNA's case it is focus on the X Divison, or right now the Tag Team Division. So in the end, Goldberg in the company would accomplish close to nothing, the ONLY good thing I could see coming out of "Da Man" (sarcasm) being in TNA, is a Samoa Joe Vs. Goldberg match with Joe going over. Bill, your just in it for the money, please TNA, for us, the real fans don't do it. Sting has done enough to last us for a long while.
Just to follow up on my claim about Sting, Sting is an icon in wrestling and one of the biggest names of all time. His biggest accolade of all, in my view, is that he never set foot in a WWE ring. He is an Anti-Vince person so that makes him even better. Sting is a very important figure in wrestling.
Sean: I think these two are failing to realize what this contract means. Since I'm a person that tries to be positive but, I also don't go way overboard and just deny things that I don't agree with to stay that way. I thought I'd start out by explaining the good things this would do for TNA. First and most importantly, is that Spike is paying for his contract so that means TNA didn't have to go bankrupt to bring this guy into the promotion. That means they have extra money to spend on other things, like signing Hernandez which we will talk about later, and trying to re-sign Monty Brown, which they still haven't been able to do. Anyway, Goldberg is also probably the only guy left on the market from the old WCW that casual fans still remember because he was in WWE two years ago. Unless Chris Jericho decided one day to join the promotion, he's all they've got left to try and bring in that casual fan. This contract with Spike also allows TNA to test the waters with Goldberg. Since TNA is not paying him, they are not obligated to listen to Goldberg's demands. So if Goldberg decides he doesn't want to feud with so-and-so then guess what? Goldberg doesn't work for TNA. This three month period would be perfect for Goldberg to step in and get into TNA. They are about to have Bound for Glory in Detroit and adding his name to the card against Samoa Joe would probably sell another 500 tickets. I mean look at the way they have used Steiner very effectively and he jobs to talent. The problem is that Goldberg has been known to have a big ego and always wants to be on top. Also we don't know if Goldberg's little rant on Joe a few months ago was legit or not. So if I were TNA I wouldn't just rush him into a feud with Joe unless he comes in really close to the BFG date. I think this all depends on when Goldberg joins TNA. If he comes in around the early part of September, Goldberg can be given a warm-up feud, while Goldberg makes comments about Samoa Joe every now and then in some promo's. Then at No Surrender, one of them could come out after the other's match and start the feud there. The only negative here is if TNA decides that they desperately need Goldberg so bad, that they decide to stick him in the main event or have him be in Sting's corner to counteract Steiner, because that would be a big waste of time. Then we would really be making comparisons to WCW. Also I hope they don't have him come in and talk about WWE like they did with Christian. That serves no purpose, and just makes TNA look infantile. They need to be ignoring their competition, not having a guy that is not the bread and butter of your company, trash it. Seriously, all you are doing is telling people to go watch their show, to make sure they actually do business the way Goldberg says they do. Now, he wasn't screwed in WWE until they didn't give him the title in that Elimination Chamber at Summerslam 03, when the crowd wanted it and he had the most momentum. I won't deny that WWE messed up there. Still, he should be focused on TNA and not, on killing WWE. TNA should be his aim for the time being. Another thing is if they don't want to use Joe, Christian could also work, since he just turned heel at the PPV. I think TNA will be smart about this and use him in a way that won't hurt the company in the long run. We could also just be talking about nothing here, as Goldberg could have been contracted to continue the successful Pro's vs. Joe's series. That is probably the only thing I've enjoyed watching on Spike besides TNA since WWE left. Whatever ends up happening, it would be in TNA's best interest to use this 90 day holding contract because they may never have such a nice chance at using Goldberg ever again.
Topic #4 WWE is now opposing Christian Cage's trademark of "Captain Charisma." They are also trying to prevent the rapper "The Game" from applying a trademark on his rapping name because it would conflict with one of Triple H's nicknames. Is this trademarking thing getting a little too ridiculous?
David: I can totally understand The Game trademark because HHH is still currently a WWE superstar. I hate rap, no offense to anyone who does, so that part doesn't bother me at all. I really don't know what to say about the Captain Charisma thing. I'm sure Alex is going to be pissed. Me, Sean, and Alex use to argue about the trademark thing all the time, so maybe this will end up bringing us some good ole' wrestling talk.
Alex: To my knowledge Christian coined the phrase "Captain Charisma," and "The Game" is a rapper for goodness sakes, no one will mistake him for the wrestler. The E has just gotten WAY out of control with the trade marking. David is probably going to say "its smart business" well I severely disagree, smart business sticks to your own business, and smart businesses don't let their major players go.
Sean: The whole trademarking argument is one of the things that started this column. So it is kinda funny to get a news bite relating to that now, because we used to sit at the dinner table and argue back and forth about this. Since this is not about the Christian name but some silly nickname, then I will not take my normal stance on trademarking. If this was about a wrestler not being able to use his name once he went to TNA, then I would say that WWE has a right to with-hold that from him. Since WWE made that superstar he shouldn't be able to take that name and go make another company a bunch of money with it. However, this is different, because Christian came up with this nickname and started calling himself that before WWE even caught on to it. They basically made that one T-Shirt from it because they had no other way to market Christian, other than by that nickname Christian chose. Eventually, they had to stop selling the shirt because some guy in Washington apparently owned the name or something. I think WWE was able to finally pay that guy off but by then, they had lost interest in Christian, who got himself over during that putrid singles run. Either way, the fight over this is really silly because Vince knows he didn't come up with that name, but claims it is going to cause confusion in the marketplace. What? That makes no sense because everyone knows that Captain Charisma is Christian, not WWE. It really doesn't matter who wins this because Christian hardly uses the nickname anymore and it wouldn't be a big victory for WWE either. As far as the rapper "The Game" goes, his real name is Jayceon Terell Taylor and he's from Compton. The guy didn't burst on the rap scene until around recently. However here's the thing, Triple H's nickname is known by wrestling fans and most other people just know him as Triple H and could care less what his nickname is. I like rap and I pretty much only liked the two or three songs that came out on the charts, as he normally would probably be to underground for me and I would get turned off by him. However, let's put all of this aside, because the reason WWE is opposing this trademark is because they don't want to have to pay "The Game" money every time Triple H utters his nickname. In all fairness "The Game" didn't really start rapping till around 2003 which is way after Triple H had already established himself as The Game. So WWE came up with it first and I think "The Game" is going to have come up with another rap name.
Fun Topic of the Week: Well tonight is arguably WWE's 2nd biggest PPV of the year. So what is your favorite Summerslam PPV and what is your favorite match?
Explanation: This question may not necessarily be something that is going on in the wrestling news, but it is what it describes. The fun topic is there to get everyone thinking about how they would answer the question. Basically your own personal brain teaser where you can answer it however you wish. This is what we had to say about this week's fun topic.
David: Well it definitely wasn't the last Summerslam. This is a hard one. After a few minutes of looking over the cards of all the Summerslams' that I have seen, I would have to pick Summerslam 2000. I would give you all the details but I would need to check it out again. It has been a long time and after reviewing this, it really makes me miss the attitude era.
Alex: Well I went to Summerslam back in 1996 when it was at the Gund Arena in Cleveland. I was 9 so it was a really big deal to me. My hero at the time HBK, (oh how naive I was,) had a pretty good match with Vader. Seeing Paul Bearer turn on the Undertaker traumatized me at that age. However, it wasn't my all time favorite SS. My favorite award would have to go to Summerslam 1998. Wrestling was in its hottest period at that point. The show was at the Garden, the card was a who's who of stars. The Rock vs. Triple H and Stone Cold vs. Undertaker were the headliners. Those matches sold the PPV by themselves. It makes me miss the days when the E, cared about the wrestling and giving a solid wrestling show. I can name just one match in nearly any category that is a favorite. So I'll give 3 Summerslam matches that come to mind. Benoit Vs. Orton - 2004, one of the most underrated and seemingly forgotten matches in E, that show sucked but that match was excellent. It is a shame that they won't let us remember one of the best times Raw has had in the past 5 years, the time when Triple H was on top. Steve Austin Vs. Kurt Angle – 2001, not much is needed to be said about this one. If you've seen it, you know what I'm talking about. Bret Hart Vs. Curt Henning – 1991, once again, the Garden housed a classic, one of the most influential matches in Summerslam history. Also it was a very important match in their storied careers of both men.
Sean: My favorite Summerslam match is probably the TLC from Summerslam 2000. My favorite Summerslam PPV is probably 2001 because it was near the beginning of the Invasion storyline. The PPV was solid all around and at that point it got me interested in the whole deal. I was still a diehard WWE fan here and did not become an internet follower until after Wrestlemania X-8. If you want a better look at the card check out the Roundtable Review of it, there is a link for it later on in this column.
Topic #6 Both companies have signed some talent over the past few weeks. WWE has re-signed Shawn Michaels for three more years. While TNA has signed Hernandez and So Cal Val, how surprised are you that HBK still wants to wrestle? Also does Hernandez's signing mean we could expect big things from LAX?
David: I think it is great that HBK is going to stay for another three years. He still has the talent. I like to think of him as a younger Ric Flair. I just hope he doesn't stay as long as Flair has because he will definitely be bald by then. Now onto Hernandez, I'm just glad I got to see him in XCW before he got big. I'm happy for this guy and I hope that he gets a long run in TNA. I also hope that they have plans for LAX in the long run, because it does add to the tag division.
Alex: Well yea the E needs HBK, so congrats to both sides and man Shawn is gonna make a pretty penny out of this run. So Cal Val is incredibly hot, and Hernandez is the man. TNA may not have originally had big plans for LAX, but they're getting over big and are having great matches. I think TNA may rethink things and make plans for LAX, because they could become a big deal in TNA.
Sean: I know Alex doesn't like HBK but, I think if he wants to keep wrestling then he should. Michaels has shown that he can still wrestle up to par to today's standards and he's willing to do the job when asked. He fits in with the roster and because he can wrestle, he gives WWE a guy that can be in the main event whenever they need him. I'm just surprised that he signed for three years when it seemed that he was going to start going on a part-time schedule like the Undertaker. In my opinion, So Cal Val is not all that hot, I mean, Christy is the hotter red head. If she works for TNA and she's happy just standing there looking pretty, then whatever. Hernandez's signing is very good because that means LAX is sticking together and could get the titles in the future. Hernandez is a big athletic guy and we've seen him here in the Indy's. We can vouch for how good he is and I'm glad to see another Texas guy in TNA.
Topic #7 With both Lita and Trish leaving soon, is there anyway this Women's division doesn't go in the toilet?
David: WWE could hire a bunch of talented women wrestlers instead of having a diva search that would fix the Women's division. It is really that simple. I know there are a lot of them out there. All that WWE needs to do is, find them and hire them. Is that really too hard to do?
Alex: Well there isn't much left for either to do. It is refreshing to see that some people still know when their time is over and leave. To say that the women's division wouldn't go into the toilet would necessitate that the women's division wasn't already there.
Sean: Well let's look at what we are going to be left with after Trish and Lita take their sabbaticals from the company. On RAW there is Candice, who has improved immensely since she started performing in the ring a year ago. Currently, she's training with Arn Anderson in some barrio in LA when she's not traveling with the company. Torrie Wilson who is not that great in the ring and will be the only Diva left from the old pre-WWE era. Victoria who is a terrific wrestling diva and has actually always preferred to wrestle rather than be involved with silly gimmick matches. Mickie James is the former champion and we all know what she can do in the ring. Melina can wrestle too, as she has shown before and even though she's basically managing Nitro. She can be put into the Women's division if necessary. Maria is pretty much like Torrie doesn't wrestle very well, but, she's cute and plays her role as backstage interviewer. Beth Phoenix who is injured at the moment, and, is still young, can also compete but may not get much television time because she doesn't have that pretty look that WWE likes. Now I'm all in favor for the brand extension but I think that WWE should immediately ship girls that can wrestle over to RAW, especially, if they aren't doing anything. I mean if the Women's title is going to be kept on RAW then why have girls that can wrestle on the show that doesn't have the title? Jillian Hall would really help that division because she can wrestle with the best of them. Michelle McCool is managing that new team of KC James and Idol Stevens so she should stay on SmackDown. Krystal used to have a job, but now it seems that the Miz has taken that. So if they aren't going to give her that other job back, then they should put her on RAW as well. She's had some pretty good matches with Jillian, with some training she could be ok. I think at this point Ashley should stay on SmackDown for safety purposes because she always seems to get injured wrestling on RAW. If you think about it, Lita will probably be a bigger loss to EDGE than the Women's division because she really hasn't wrestled much since the whole Matt vs. EDGE deal. Trish however, is the best women's wrestler in North America and she will be sorely missed. I don't know if you can replace her but, if they put Jillian and Krystal on RAW it would help fill the void for the moment. They could go out and sign some Indy girls too I guess, but that's probably not going to happen. Can WWE keep the women's division interesting? Yes they can, they just have to make the effort. It could all start at Unforgiven if Mickie beats both Trish and Lita in a Triple Threat. That would put Mickie over as the future of Women's wrestling and maybe put some intrigue back into the division.
Topic #8 After all the speculation two weeks ago, Jeff Hardy is going to RAW to be a singles wrestler. Should WWE have reunited Jeff with Matt on SmackDown instead? And is there anything Jeff could do for RAW?
David: I was looking for a Hardy Boyz reunion. With a much needed tag division this could have SmackDown out. Who knows, maybe they will bring Matt to RAW to reunite them, there. I'm not angry that he's going to be a single's wrestler because he could definitely add to the mid card. After all, he had already established himself as a singles competitor in TNA, before heading back to WWE. Let's hope that Jeff stays smart this time and doesn't no show any shows, if Jeff ever no shows RAW, that could end up hurting the show because of it being live. This is one of those wait and see things.
Alex: Well I don't see the point in bringing him back if he isn't going to be with Matt. Furthermore, if Matt isn't traveling with him and by his side to get his ass into gear, I don't think there will be any change in Jeff's behavior. The other thing is, Jeff is no longer in his prime. So we should not anticipate "awesome matches." We should expect more of what we saw in TNA, slow matches with the same spots. I don't know how many 30 foot swantons we can expect though.
Sean: This is rather odd to me because WWE made it seem like they were going to put Jeff on SmackDown with Matt and reform the Hardy Boyz tag team. Since Jeff hasn't wrestled on television in a while, it would have been a good way to get him back into the flow of things. Not to mention, he's with his brother that would keep him under control and you know, maybe keep him from falling into the grasp of the wellness plan. Matt is out of action at the moment convalescing from a relapse of his staph infection. So I think WWE just wanted to capitalize on the Hardy buzz and get him on television quickly. Since Matt wasn't ready to return to SmackDown, WWE could have kept him off of television and done some surprise return thing for both of the Hardy brothers, but, you know, WWE hates surprises now-a-days. If Matt wasn't here and they were just going to bring him to be a single's wrestler, then RAW was the right place. Even though, Jeff has been more botch prone lately, his style of wrestling fits in more with Nitro, Shelton, and Carlito. So at least now we can have a tag team match every now and then in that mid-card. Instead of the same triple threat. It will be interesting to see how well he's received in Bridgeport Connecticut on Monday. I wanted to see the Hardy Boyz again, but oh well, at least Jeff is back.
Topic #9 Well you should all know that Summerslam is on tonight. What are your thoughts on the card?
David: It is smaller then I expected it to be. It looks like a solid card. I'm really looking forward to watching the Cena vs. Edge match and the Sabu vs. Big Show match. Randy Orton BETTER defeat Hogan or I am going to be totally pissed off. Hogan never needs to wrestle again, so this should end it all and let the Legend Killer defeat the ultimate legend.
Alex: Well I haven't been keeping up with things in the E, but the card looks weak at best. All I can say is that, I hope Hogan does the right thing and does the job. Also it is sad that Booker T will lose the title tonight. He needed a serious title run, not a transitional period. The E, just didn't want a Face vs. Face Main Event, which is a shame, those tend to turn out to be good. If Booker doesn't lose it here, I will be very surprised.
Sean: The one thing that bothers me the most about this PPV is that they didn't add Finlay vs. Lashley to this card. Well what they have given us seems pretty hit or miss. Foley vs. Flair is the match of this PPV and the reason I'm watching it. I can't wait to see this hardcore match because it promises to be great. EDGE vs. Cena with that DQ stipulation could be better than we expect as well, I just hope we don't get a silly ending. I could see Cena getting the title back here too. DX vs. McMahon's will probably be full of run-in's or it could just be a squash by DX. Hogan vs. Orton looks to be one thing, bad. If Hogan jobs then maybe it will help soothe the pain of having to watch it. I mean Hogan can barely wrestle and then you put him in there with "Mr. Boring" Randy Orton, well not much left is there? Rey vs. Chavo is a shitty storyline that could have a good match. I'm looking forward to Sabu vs. Big Show just because it will be cool to see what they do. I don't expect the title to change hands though. If we see Angle or RVD get involved it could make the upcoming weeks on SCI-FI rather interesting. What matters to me is that King Booker doesn't lose the title tonight. It could be good or bad, but I'm just gonna have to watch and then decide.
Match of the Week Nominees: EDGE vs. Carlito, Women's Championship: Mickie James vs. Lita (RAW), #1 Contender's Ladder Match for ECW Championship: RVD vs. Sabu (ECW), Alex Shelley, Johnny Devine, & Petey Williams vs. Sonjay Dutt, Chris Sabin & Jay Lethal (TNA Impact), United States Championship: Finlay vs. Bobby Lashley (SmackDown).
Explanation: Match of the Week is where we honor those companies that have enough money to get themselves a national television deal. We list the ones that we thought were the best from the three shows and then pick our favorite. We may include a Heat match if it was really good but most of the time it will just be from RAW, SmackDown, ECW and TNA Impact. PPV's don't count because we always give out our match of the night when we give our thoughts on them. Also we only add an indy match if we went to the show. So here are our picks for Match of the Week.
Sean: Truth vs. Samoa Joe
David: EDGE vs. Carlito
Alex: Truth vs. Samoa Joe
Shout Out's to our 411 Crew
Go get yourself ready for WWE's Summerslam with the 411 Staff PPV Roundtable
The 3R's It's Larry and Geoff like you've always known them except TNA is not covered this week.
Larry Csonka also had a Special Edition of the 3R's on TNA Hard Justice
Also look for Larry Csonka and Stephen Randle discussing wrestling on this week's wrestling Fact or Fiction
Truth B Told Bayani Domingo has those Asian bitches looking good. Also you should read the rest of his column because it has something to do with Sting.
A special shout out to Andy Clark who will be doing the Shimmy tomorrow morning.
Also don't forget to check out Hidden Highlights with JP and JT.
Check it out guys 411 is doing a review of every Summerslam to take you up to Summerslam 2006, and we made it, thank goodness. Here, go read the reviews from the beginning. Ryan Byers is your host as many different 411 staffers take their time to break these down.
2005 came out to late for me to get a link out there but you should go look for that on the page.
Also don't forget to check out Ryan Byers's regular column, Cheap Wrestling for Cheap People, Where he tries to get you to watch some wrestling for less money.
Can't forget about Stuart Carapola who does that well written This Week in Hardcore Yeah it's the week all ECW style.
Hey! there are other new guys out there besides us
Because they come out the latest of all these columns they get first dibs from us. High/Low Road Sat and Rajah discuss the Diva Search. Is it good or not? Well be sure to read their column and vote.
Shining the Spotlight Michael Weyer examines Christian and EDGE's path to main event stardom. He also recaps that wonderful Ladder Match from No Mercy 99. It was another good read and it probably helped that I agreed with him that EDGE was probably better fitted for the main event. However, do you agree with him? Well you need to read his column and tell him what you think.
Getting Over Mike LaFave tries to get all the members of the Spirit Squad over after the inedible break up. You got to read his column to see how he did it.
The Top Ten Julian Williams hypes you up for Summerslam even more with his top ten Summerslam matches.
If you want to know where we came from and some of our old columns that aren't on 411 go here: Old Triple Threat's
There is something new you should know about
I've been meaning to do more than just link the 411 Video Games section because I feel all the column writers should be recognized for their hard work. Also don't forget to check out all the latest reviews on your favorite games. As well as, a retro review as well. Those news reports are also very important because they keep you up to date on what's going on in the video game world.
On Monday's Damian Sarcuni comes out with his column called Angry Gaming Where he takes a look at things in gaming that make him pretty mad. Also he takes a look at that same thing from the good side and shows you where you might find that problem currently. This week's problem is Game Makers with big egos.
On Tuesday's for sure you are going to get one mean Gaming Rant from Will Scott. This week he talks about the possible death of PC gaming.
Wednesday's there is a column by someone with the name of Sean, no not me, because his last name is McCabe. Your result is a Retrospective on a certain video game franchise. His first column focuses on the Legend of Zelda. This one was a big time pleasant read, so I recommend you give him a shout.
Thursday's is all about Jordan Williams's Working Title Yeah that's the name of the column. Anyway, Jordan has taken a departure from looking at the next-generation to look at the video game fan boys. I had a few laughs at this column and thought it was pretty good as well. So be sure to check this one out too.
Man a whole bunch of stuff comes out on Friday's. First we have a column Hardcore Haven Where Joel Beggs talks about how Microsoft has reached out to small children in a big way.
To make up for last week, we have two editions of Games Fact or Fiction to bring you. The first one came out on Thursday with Jordan Williams and me. Then on Friday came the second one with Shawn Struck and Caleb Newby giving you their opinions on six more gaming topics.
The last thing is the Top 5 where we in the Video Games staff give our top 5 games on a certain topic. This week it is our Top 5 Scary Games.
There is one thing that comes out on Saturday's, and that is Gaming Trends A Column where Vincent Chiucchi talks about trends that have developed in gaming. This week he breaks down 15 years of Sonic characters.
Now Time for Feedback
First we have John Bryant Bateman He has a weird question for us.
I have a question for ya, since Ask 411 couldn't do it. are their any matches that you believe to be too brutal and should NEVER be attempted like the Canadian Destroyer from the Top Rope: of course on Youtube their is a Video of someone attempting exactly that and it sounds like a Shotgun went off. Tell me what cha think.
Sean: Well man I guess the only thing I can think of offhand is a real Japanese Death Match with the exploding things. Those things explode when you slam someone on them and are very dangerous. Other than that, I can't think of much at this point.
Finally, Tiffany is here again to talk about various things.
I agree with you guys about the Diva Search. The girls who are already eliminated this year, already have contracts or something with the WWE, so it's really pointless. It's obvious that the girls are doing this for exposure and they have not prove me shit. I doubt they even know anything about the business. I honestly wanna see the girls be tested of their wrestling knowledge. That would be a segment I want to see. I would seriously laugh my ass off if I see a girl get every single wrestling question wrong, which I could probably see happening which is sad. I guess I have an interesting question to ask...if there's another Diva search contest or whatever for the WWE, what would you guys do? What would you test the girls to do, what would you ask them, ect. Pretty much what would you look for?
David: Well I would test their ring and mic skills that's all that matters to me. Again, thanks for writing.
Sean: I've suggested this many times about Trish showing them some moves and then having them practice them in front of the crowd and see who does them the best. It also would be cool if they have three top male stars show them how to do their finishers and then look at them on who is the best there. They could have Melina or Foley teach them the art of cutting a promo, and Candice or Torrie could show them how to take the perfect pictures. That's all I think of right now, but that would be a few things I would look at.
Well that's all for this week folks. We would sure like to know what your opinions are on these things, so if you want to send us your thoughts they are always welcome. If there is anything you should learn this week it is that a heat wave sucks and everyone should keep cool. Will Summerslam end up being better than expected? And what news will be important next week? Well stayed tuned to this column every week for your news wrap up of course the only way we can bring it to you, with three opinions and ten topics. That's it for this week, have a good one everybody, Crazy Sean is out of here. Thanks for reading, until next week, this is David signing off, and don't forget to see Snakes on a Plane. Peace out from Alex Mattis. Later Triple Threaters.
If you want to send us your thoughts or comments send them to triplethreatsda@hotmail.com
