The Triple Threat 9.17.06: The 20th Edition
Posted by Sean, David, Alex on 09.17.2006
Well at least we got the original cast on for this one. We are talking about X-Pac, RAW, ECW, and The Rock all in one column! That's crazy, but there is more! Who got fired this week? And what's the match of the week? You have to read this column to find that out.
Hello everyone, it is just another week around these parts. It's been kinda a slow news week too, so it doesn't help us out much either. I really don't feel like doing a long intro so I'm just going to get to the point. We talk about whether or not X-Pac should be re-hired by WWE and RAW & ECW from MSG this week. Who are the first ones to fall prey to the new format of the wellness policy? Plus will the Rock ever comeback to wrestling? All that, and more in the 20th edition of the Triple Threat, that actually has all three members in it for once.
Topic #1 Sean Waltman showed up at a House show a week ago to do a one night reunion of DX. It seemed to get a very good response from the crowd too. Should WWE bring back Waltman?
David: WWE should not sign Waltman. WWE doesn't need him and he's definitely not stable. DX needs to end anyways, I'm sick of it and if they did rehire him then I would probably stop watching RAW just because that retarded feud would be continuing.
Alex: I was unaware of this, but that's cool that they would bring talent back for a special night or whatever. As far as re-hiring Pac goes, he just too unreliable, and his talent hasn't flourished greatly.
Sean: I highly doubt, David would stop watching RAW, but I agree, NO and I'm going to say this again, NO. DX needs to be winding down not finding another excuse to still be around. The problem with Waltman is that even though he's still a decent wrestler, he's not reliable. He no-showed a few times in TNA and didn't always show up on time when asked. Also this week's RAW should be an indication to Vince that this storyline is getting boring. As the DX vs. McMahon segment was the lowest rated segment of the broadcast. The crowds in the arenas may be enjoying DX, but sooner or later Vince will start having to pay attention to those ratings. Vince should be focused on his younger stars on RAW instead of pushing a rehash of an old thing. RAW actually has a damn good under-card with a main event that people are still going crazy about. Then you have this one stain on the show and that happens to be this whole DX vs. McMahons deal. Bringing back Waltman would just prolong this whole thing even more which would not be good for RAW at this point. As far as this whole rumor about DX vs. nWo storyline for Survivor Series, why? Are we trying to be WCW here? Scott Hall should not be wrestling period, Nash is not reliable, and Hogan was almost immobile the last time he wrestled. What would it accomplish anyway? To put over two people that are already over as they can get? Or worse let the old guys win? Give me a break. Waltman needs to stay where he is and that's it.
Topic #2 RAW had their first show at MSG in a long time. What did you think of the show? Was it a good one?
David: It was an alright show, but it still wasn't anything special. It was just another RAW showcased by the DX vs. McMahon feud. It was just an alright show.
Alex: Well I only saw a little bit, but what I saw was weak. The E thought that since the show was in MSG it would sell for them, and that didn't have to worry about the in-ring wrestling. ANYTHING with Vince vs. Triple H headlining is bound to be bad.
Sean: I was very happy with all the tributes that WWE did for September 11th. The Moment of Silence, America the Beautiful, and all of that helped us remember the tragedy with grace and respect. I also like that they used some continuity with Umaga vs. Flair, using it as a way to keep Kane and Umaga from having a match till the PPV. I was totally surprised with the appearance of Roddy Piper with the Highlanders. I loved it and it was a very cool thing to see. I wouldn't mind seeing Piper be involved with them more often. He fits in with them very well. The 6-Man tag may have been a little sloppy here and there, but it delivered, and the crowd was crazy for Cena. It's cool they are finding ways to combine all their feuds but I don't understand why we had to have the IC champ get jobbed out when we could have just had Orton take the pin or EDGE. Other than that, the match was fun. Super Crazy is still on a roll taking another match from Chris Masters, which is better than having Crazy jobbing to him. Poor Trish, she didn't even get to have a dignified last match because of Lita. I like how they are keeping the focus on Lita, but we could have at least put over Mickie a little before Trish leaves. Cryme Tyme again proves to be pretty hilarious, I normally don't like stereotypical or racial characters but the humor makes me like them. I just hope they can wrestle. The main event was rather boring and should not be the focus of your show, but Vince has to promote his damn HIAC for Sunday. Everything but the DX stuff is enjoyable, again I have to say the 9/11 stuff was a nice touch to the show, especially since they were in New York.
Topic #3 Randy Orton and Balls Mahoney are the first causalities of the new change in the wellness policy. Both Orton and Balls reportedly failed a drug test but are still working on WWE & ECW TV. Do you think they should be sitting at home instead?
David: I, for one, like the new rules. What's worse then working for free? NOTHING! Well, at least for my sake. This is good for WWE and for the fans because they can just continue storylines instead of taking something instantly off TV or rewriting it completely.
Alex: Well I'm not really sure what Brad Armstrong is capable of, so it will be interesting to see. Rodney Mack is a good wrestler who should have been pushed harder, so it would be cool to see him back. And Marty could be a good wrestling trainer. I think all of this could work out to be a good addition to the E.
Sean: This just gives me another reason to hate Randy Orton. I mean the guy has already been suspended once for 60 days and now he fails a drug test, man Orton is just on his way to jobber city. Orton is supposed to be the future of the damn company along with Cena and EDGE. He keeps screwing himself over and over. All I have to say is after hearing this, Carlito better go over Orton tonight, seriously, the new change to the wellness plan should not be a way to let druggies find their way to the top. I'm still in favor of just making him sit at home. Balls on the other hand, has always had a problem with the bad stuff, but he's not going to be main eventing anytime soon so that one is not that big of a deal. Orton needs to get his act together soon, or he's gonna find himself at the bottom of the barrel on heat.
Topic #4 ECW had their first show in MSG this week. What did you think of this show? And was it better than RAW?
David: I didn't get to see the show so I can't talk about it.
Alex: That show was TERRIBLE, they could have really done something special, but like ECW has done so far, the show was just bad. The only redeeming thing to me and the show was seeing CM Punk.
Sean: The crowd was hot throughout this whole thing, especially, for CM Punk who got a huge ovation before, during, and after his two minute match. Now he's moving onto a feud with Knox. That should be an adventure because he's going to have to carry Knox through some matches. Punk is going to be rising through ECW fast if this keeps up. Hardcore Holly and RVD had a better match this week. RVD went old school with his offense and it made for a better match-up. The old ECW vs. new ECW feud is still going pretty well. The thing that sucks with ECW is since they don't have too many ways to pay-off their feuds, some of it may seem stale to casual fans. I don't know why these ratings haven't stayed the same as during the trial run, but the shows have been better because we've gotten less RAW involvement. The main event is starting to wear thin however, they probably need to freshen it up with someone new, because you can only have so many Sabu vs. Big Show matches. Dupree was still as generic as ever in his debut. I hope he improves while he's in ECW because right now he's not looking too good. The show was good overall, a 2nd hour for ECW would really help them challenge RAW and SmackDown.
Fun Topic of the Week: There was report out that The Rock had said
he wanted to drop his nickname and go by Dwayne Johnson starting with his
next movie "Southland Tales." That report is false as Rock says "he never
said that." Do you think Rock will ever return to wrestling?
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: This is too simple of a question, NO. Even though I wish it would happen I know it won't.
Alex: Return to wrestle? HIGHLY unlikely; Return for an appearance or promo? Possibly, he's on to bigger and better things, don't hate him for that.
Sean: Unless Rock's movie career goes in the crapper he won't comeback to wrestling fulltime. Only way The Rock makes a return is if there is a once in a lifetime match opportunity. Like a match with Sting or HBK. Other than that, I don't think there is a chance he does. There is nothing left for him in WWE and he's happy with his place in Hollywood right now. I don't have any problems with Rock leaving when he did, and if he never comes back he still deserves to be in the Hall of Fame someday.
Topic #6 WWE has signed Brad Armstrong (son of Bullet Bob and brother of BG James), Rodney Mack, and Marty Jannetty to help out the younger talent. Armstrong is set to work in ECW, no word on the other two at this point. Are you ok with this move?
David: I still think that Rodney Mack is a good talent. I've seen him wrestle lately at XCW and he's still in good shape and hasn't lost his ability to wrestle. The other guys, on the other hand, I really don't know what to think about it. We are just going to have to wait and see how they use these guys.
Alex: Well I'm not really sure what Brad Armstrong is capable of, so it will be interesting to see. Rodney Mack is a good wrestler who should have been pushed harder, so it would be cool to see him back. And Marty could be a good wrestling trainer. I think all of this could work out to be a good addition to the E.
Sean: Well sure if they are signed to work with the younger guys that's fine with me. I've never seen Brad Armstrong but hey, if he can do what Finlay has done with Lashley on SmackDown I'm all for it. Marty Jannetty is a guy that's been through it all in wrestling and not only can he help the young guys with the wrestling aspect, but he can also tell them what to do outside the ring. Rodney Mack is the best signing of them all. He could give WWE someone to use in the mid-card himself, not to mention help out the younger guys. This also lets him be on the road with Jazz. This is a good way to give some guys a nice paycheck, without hurting the in ring product, by filling it with older wrestlers. Rodney Mack used to wrestle here in Denton in XCW so it is really cool to see WWE signed him again.
Topic #7 Greg Gagne has been fired by WWE as he didn't work as the head booker in OVW. Apparently Johnny Ace didn't like him either which could have been what led to his quick departure. Al Snow and Danny Davis are set to take his place.
David: I hate Johnny Ace.
Alex: Don't really have much of an opinion on this one. Johnny Ace is a POS. Al Snow could be a smart booker.
Sean: You would think that WWE would know that Greg Gagne hasn't been involved with anything wrestling wise for a long time. That means he's going to be past the times and especially, if he's dealing with a bunch of young guys that aren't established, it is going to be even harder for him. Al Snow has been around those guys a lot more and that's going to be better for OVW in the long run. Johnny Ace however, needs to go away. I don't know if the shows have sucked with Gagne as booker, but, trust me this is probably better to put it in the hands of an OVW veteran.
Topic #8 WWE has a PPV tonight called Unforgiven. What do you think of the card?
David: It looks like a pretty solid card. I really want to see the TLC match, Jeff vs. Nitro, and Carlito vs. Orton. If it was up to me, I would have Cena lose the TLC so he could be on the first episode of SmackDown on the CW network. By doing this, they could boost the rating for the first show and strike big. I also hope Carlito goes over Orton and since Orton has been screwing up lately it might just happen. Since I'm the biggest Carlito fan out there, and ask Sean he will tell you, I really want him to be shot up to the top of the card. This would be a big step for Carlito and I'm hoping we will see this at Unforgiven.
Alex: Haven't paid much attention so all I know is Cena vs. Edge, yawn. DX vs. The McMahon's as the main event. Which I take as an insult, this match insult's my intelligence. Why anyone would pay 30 dollars for this match is beyond me? If they would pay the money, they would have to have their E mark head WAY too far up their ass.
Sean: I'm not going to watch the PPV because I'm going to the Cowboys vs. Redskins game. The show looks good. If I end up catching it somehow I'll talk about it next week. David and Alex can cover this one for me.
Match of the Week Nominees: John Cena, Jeff Hardy, & Carlito vs. EDGE, Johnny Nitro, & Randy Orton (RAW), RVD vs. Hardcore Holly, ECW Championship: Big Show vs. Sabu (ECW), Chris Sabin vs. Alex Shelley, AJ & Daniels vs. Kazarian & Bentley (TNA Impact!), Rey Mysterio vs. Ken Kennedy, Finlay vs. 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: John Cena, Jeff Hardy, & Carlito vs. EDGE, Johnny Nitro, & Randy Orton
David: John Cena, Jeff Hardy, & Carlito vs. EDGE, Johnny Nitro, & Randy Orton
Alex: AJ & Daniels vs. Kazarian & Bentley
Shout Out's to our 411 Crew
Get ready for WWE Unforgiven with the 411 staff PPV Roundtable
Column of Honor He comes out the latest of all these columns so I thought he should get the first link. You want to know all the happenings of ROH? Go read this column.
The 3R's So there is a change to the lineup. Geoff is doing ECW. JT is doing RAW and TNA Impact from last week. Then Taareq is doing SmackDown.
Our condolences go out to the boss Larry Csonka. He had to deal with something very difficult this week, we wish him the best. Read about it here
Truth B Told Bayani Domingo has those Asian girls looking good. Bayani rates some of WWE's gimmicks on a racist scale. People like Cryme Tyme, Carlito, and even the Highlanders. How can anyone be as racist as Carlos Mencia or Lita's mouth? I think what's worse is that Rob Conway getting a push was pretty gay anyway you slice it.
Fact or Fiction Steve Cook & Ronny Sarnecky all the stuff in wrestling.
Remember that Hidden Highlights is out there too. Go read JT & JP's column that show's you all the little details of a wrestling show. I can't link them because they come out at the same time I need to turn this column into the system. So there is a link here in spirit.
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. Ryan Reviews NWA Virgina it's an indy show that's broadcast on the net.
Stuart Carapola does that well written This Week in Hardcore Yeah it's the week all ECW style.
Tim O' Sullivan he's the king of futbol here at 411 and he has something called the Round Football Column He talks about all the happenings in the English Premiership and the Champions League, as well as other things that are happening around the globe concerning the beautiful game. If you love footie or even if you don't read this column.
A special shout out to Andy Clark who's doing the Shimmy tomorrow morning.
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 discusses whether or not Ric Flair should still be wrestling. Rajah apparently won't be involved with the column anymore. Hmm, I wonder what's up.
Shining the Spotlight Michael Weyer talks about Booker T and how he's been through so many crazy gimmicks but he's risen through all of that to become the Champion he is today. Another very good piece of wrestling journalism that kept me interested. Maybe it will do the same for you.
Getting Over Mike LaFave tries to get over Shannon Moore. Could a feud with Tommy Dreamer be in the works? What about a web blog? Hey it could happen right?
The Top Ten Julian Williams gives us his top ten table spots.
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 makes him pretty mad. He takes a look at Rockstar, mainly asking why they can't make a game that doesn't have lots of blood, violence, and sex. Well Midnight Club 3 was actually a pretty good game I enjoyed it, until I beat it, then it got boring and I sold it. I'm not a big car racing person anyway, but I'm not a fan of GTA period so I agree with Damian here. GTA maybe the highest selling game of this generation of consoles, but it certainly ain't anywhere near the greatest game of all time in my opinion. Do you agree? Go tell Damian about it.
On Tuesday's for sure you are going to get one mean Gaming Rant from Will Scott who talks about role-playing servers.
Tuesday's or 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. Now he examines the Metal Gear Solid Games. Why is there a game that's not considered in the canon of Metal Gear like Snakes Revenge? What about the Metal Gear Acid series? Do they make the PSP worth buying? Well you can find out that and more by reading his column this week. Thanks for the plug in your column, you guys all the deserve the love. Ya'll are doing great. I try to help with a review when I can, but the news reporters and columnists keep that section running. So you fans should give them major props.
Thursday's is all about Jordan Williams's Working Title Yeah that's the name of the column. Anyway, Jordan is going overrated/underrated on RPG's. I have no idea Hybrid Heaven even existed until I read this column so that alone makes it interesting. I agree to some degree that FFVII is overrated some, but I still like the game a lot and at least he admitted it was a great game. To me the greatest RPG and game of all-time is still Chrono Trigger, (if you haven't played it, you should.) I like all the Final Fantasies (I own all the FF games, but FF 8 is probably the only one I can't really get into, because it focuses way too much on the lovey dovey story.) I also agree that FF 9 is vastly underrated because even though it still has a love story, it also goes back to the FF roots, not to mention it has other plot twists. People mostly dogged it because it didn't bring anything new to the table, which is bogus. Hey go read his column, and let him know what you think.
Man a whole bunch of stuff comes out on Friday's. First we have a column Hardcore Haven. Where Joel Beggs talks about nothing, this week as he took a little break from writing this week.
Fact or Fiction this week features: Brandon Ratliff (from the Music Zone) and Damien Wilkins (Reviewed Dead Rising) talking about all the news in video games
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 Jap RPG's. I wanted to be a part of this but I forgot to put my stuff in before the deadline. Oh well, you should still check it out.
There is one thing that comes out on Sunday's, and that is Gaming Trends a Column where Vincent Chiucchi talks about trends that have developed in gaming. Last week he compared Naruto the new Anime craze, to an old one in DBZ.
Now Time for Feedback
We only got one email this week and it is from John Bryant Bateman Who has a dream match and a question for us.
Hey Guys. Well Last week I sent you guys a Street fight from hell. Now I wanted to go outside the realms of reality and make a match: an Ironman match at that: A 30 minute Iron man match between Bret Hart & Kurt Angle. Well gimme your thoughts cause now here comes my question: 1: should Petey Williams have a DVD and number 2: name another WWE star well Lafave from the Getting Over and me have been debating time and time again. He says The Great Khali would be a much better big man for TNA than Kevin Nash. I mean face Khali has wrestled in much tougher matches against provened individuals. while Nash has done nothing but bitch and whine. sure he had one little match against Sabin........wow....how consistant. Khali has a superb attitude backstage which is rare in big men. Anyhow gimme your thoughts. Glad I mentioned Khali cause next week their will BE a Khali Dream match.
Sean: This would have been a great match if it happened when Bret could wrestle, and Angle wasn't hurt. I think I would much rather see a 60 minute Ironman between these two and I think it would end in a tie. These two are so evenly matched it would be hard to dissect. Petey should get a DVD, but knowing TNA they would turn it into a best of the Canadian Destroyer DVD. Since that's how he's treated now a days as a one move wonder. Khali sucks ass stop naming him, he can't wrestle in the ring. Use Lance Hoyt, Abyss, or if the Big Show or Kane ever left WWE they would be perfect for them to use as the dominating big men.
Well that's all for this week folks. Thanks everyone for reading, we would sure like to know what you think about these topics. It's always good to have someone else to argue with besides these guys. Hopefully, we can keep the column intact for another week. We did represent at the No Limit show last week, we got to see Samoa Joe vs. Hernandez and it was good. Since Alex didn't write about it, we might cover it some other time, maybe a DVD review later. Next week, after we turn in the column, we will be on our way to Tyler, Texas to an ECW house show. Later Triple Threaters.
If you want to send us your thoughts or comments send them to triplethreatsda@hotmail.com
