411 Fact or Fiction 09.21.06: MOTY, DX, Trish, TNA's Announcement, More

Posted by Ashish on 09.21.2006

It's week NINETY NINE of Fact or Fiction with Ryan Byers, Phil Feltham, and whether DX needs a third member...

Welcome to week 99 of Fact or Fiction! Before getting to the column, let me announce that next week will be the 100TH EDITION of 411 Fact or Fiction and to celebrate, two lucky readers will participate! I always get emails from readers asking to participate in Fact or Fiction, now is your chance! If you want to participate, simply send me an email explaining why you love 411 Fact or Fiction and should be one of the lucky two to participate in the 100th edition! Two lucky readers will be selected (based on their reasons, spelling, grammar, and knowledge) and will play our little game next week!

This week, we have 411 writers Ryan Byers and Phil Feltham! Let's get to it!


1. The John Cena/Edge TLC match from Unforgiven is the Match of the Year thus far.

Ryan Byers: FICTION. Based on the reviews that Bryan Danielson vs. KENTA is getting, it may not even have been the match of the weekend. Honestly, as entertaining of a spectacle as the Edge/Cena match may have been, I will always have a lot more respect for two men who can put on a match that is just as entertaining without the massive amounts of props. That has happened several times throughout the year, including: Kurt Angle vs. The Undertaker (No Way Out), Chris Benoit vs. Fit Finlay (Judgment Day), Bryan Danielson vs. Roderick Strong (Supercard of Honor), Bryan Danielson vs. Samoa Joe (Fight of the Century), and possibly a few others that I haven't seen yet. Was this Sunday's PPV main event a good match? Sure. Best match of the year? I'd be surprised if it even winds up in my top ten come December.

Phil Feltham: FICTION. I have to agree with Ryan on this one. While the Edge/ John Cena match was a great one, Cena's title change will be easily overshadowed by Trish Stratus's retirement and Big Show's butt. I'd give Unforgiven a nomination for being one of the most eventful cards of the year though. As for the props, sorry Ryan, I disagree there. Shock value is what puts asses in seats. I'm a sucker for the good ol' traditional matches and the ones you mentioned were great but I'm also a big fan of the high spots and the extreme wrestling. A Chris Benoit and a David Finlay match will be easily forgotten to wrestlers beating the hell out of each other in a steel cage.

Score: 1 for 1


2. Trish Stratus is the greatest WWE women's wrestler ever.

Ryan Byers: FACT. But I say that grudgingly, because "greatest wrestler" is such a malleable term and people will always ignore or invent certain criteria to justify their personal favorites as the "best." However, for purposes of this question, I will put Trish at the top of my list. Why? The WWF/WWE has definitely employed women who were better at putting together matches in the ring . . . too many of them to bother listing here, in fact. They've also had at least one female performer (Sable) who drew larger television ratings. They've even had women who were bigger stars in terms of mainstream media exposure (Chyna). However, when it comes to being a well-rounded star and the "total package" so to speak, nobody beats Trish. She was solid as an in-ring performer, always maintained fan interest, gained some notoriety in the world outside of wrestling, and, with the possible exception of Tammy Sytch, was the best female mic worker in company history. She'll definitely make it in to the company's Hall of Fame if it still exists in ten years, and hopefully she can eventually replace the horrendously overrated Fabulous Moolah as the token female legend.

Phil Feltham: FACT. Moolah is legend, Sable was great in the ring, Sunny could work the mic, Chyna is a man and Trish is easily the greatest women's wrestler of all time. And this is a tough list. Anyone remember the Jumping Bomb Angels move around in the all Ladies match at the inaugural Survivor Series match? Itsuki Yamazaki and Noriyo Tateno survived a 20 minute match with other Ladies participants such as Velvet McIntyre, Rockin' Robin and of course, WWE Hall Of Famer Sensational Sherri. All of these women are not much to look at, but they gave a solid performance in the ring. Trish prided herself in the ring without taking her clothes and she deserves props for that. She is a class act and a future WWE Hall Of Famer for sure.

Score: 2 for 2


3. Triple H, Shawn Michaels, and John Cena will end up feuding over the WWE Title soon.

Ryan Byers: FICTION. This company burned out Shawn Michaels vs. Triple H as a viable main event program a couple of years ago, and I think even they realize that. Adding John Cena to the mix and making it a three way won't improve matters any. Add to that the fact that Shawn Michaels is in line for knee surgery and there is another kink in the works. If I had to speculate, I'd go with John Cena vs. Randy Orton as the next major Raw feud, possibly after Cena has a shorter, less important feud with a guy like Umaga.

Phil Feltham: FACT. C'mon Ray, what are you high?! This is Shawn Michaels and Triple H here. Even I can see these storylines coming a mile away. What the WWE is burned out on is the DX vs. McMahon feud. A Cena vs. Shawn match is an easy sell. Even a Triple H match would bring a little interest from the fans. Injuries or not. Of course, I want to see Randy Orton fight Cena for the gold as much as you do, but at this point in time, it just ain't going to happen. Plus don't forget that Edge will get his series of rematches as well. As for Umaga. Don't get me started.

Score: 2 for 3


---SWITCHAROO!!!---


4. The announcement that TNA plans to make this Sunday that they claim will "re-write the history" of the wrestling industry will turn out to be a huge disappointment.

Phil Feltham: FACT. TNA had some major surprises that turned out to be disappointments already. The return of Sting was HUGE news but over time the ratings have declined. In this wrestling reporter's opinion, TNA has failed to capitalize on Sting's heat. TNA has found more use for Jim Cornette. Even Christian's appeal is starting to simmer down now. The only way that TNA's announcement would "re-write the history of wrestling" is if

Ryan Byers: FICTION. I doubt that it will actually "re-write the history of wrestling," but I think that it will still be a major, important announcement, not a "huge disappointment." TNA has really only played this card when the announcements actually were big - e.g. better TV time slots or the signing of Sting. I see no reason why they would change their practice now and use unnecessary hyperbole for something tiny like the announcement of the next pay per view main event.

Score: 2 for 4


5. While See No Evil did manage to turn a profit, The Marine will lose money.

Phil Feltham: FICTION. Call me an optimist. I don't think that The Marine will pull a #1 at the box office like the Rock's Gridiron Gang, but I think that over time The Marine will exceed its budget costs. It's likely to make a little more money too considering that The Marine appeals to a wider audience than See No Evil. Kane's flick only has an appeal to Kane and horror fans. Cena's The Marine has those "scared of horror movie" fans this time.

Ryan Byers: FICTION. I don't follow the movie industry closely, so this is the opinion of an outsider . . . but I would be surprised if the Marine actually lost money. I doubt the movie will set the box office on fire, but WWE has a sizeable fanbase and an incredibly strong marketing machine. Combine those two factors with the fact that Cena's primary fans (teenage girls) tend to have a lot of disposable income, and you'll likely see it at least break even - if not in the US then internationally and if not internationally then in domestic DVD sales. And, though I agree with Phil that the film will turn a profit, I do have to disagree that See No Evil's genre hurt its performance at the box office. If anything I'd say that it helped, because there's this bizarre subculture of people who will literally go and see every horror movie released, regardless of who puts it out and how bad it looks. Take that base audience and slap the WWE's base audience on top of it and you've got a recipe for limited success (and perhaps even a direct to DVD sequel).

Score: 3 for 5


6. WWE should add a third member to DX.

Phil Feltham: FACT. The DX shtick is getting a little old now. The recent teasers with X-Pac (appearing at a house show) and John Cena (assisting DX on RAW this week) is obvious evidence that DX needs to build its stable. John Cena wouldn't be a bad choice because it would lead to some great Cena vs. Michaels or the much anticipated Cena vs. Hunter program. But the WWE would need to be smart about it. No "X-Pac"or the Great Man Known as "Chyna"! Some new unestablished talent would be the way to go.

Ryan Byers: FICTION. I agree with Phil that the DX shtick is getting old. However, the solution is not to add a new member. The solution is to disband the group and get them off of TV. The return of the stable was initially meant to get a short-term nostalgia pop and do business for one or two pay per views. However, for reasons that nobody can really figure out, it's been repeatedly extended beyond its originally intended shelf-life. The reason for that is certainly NOT popularity with the fans, as Triple H vs. Vince McMahon from Madison Square Garden was the lowest rated segment of Raw a couple of weeks back, and the DX-heavy overrun of Raw on Sci-Fi was also lower rated than the majority of the show. People are tired of this angle. People will be tired of the angle so long as the major players remain substantially the same, and, in my book, shoving one new face in there between two old hands is still substantial similarity. Shawn Michaels needs to get his knee surgery, Triple H needs to find a new rival, and the DX shirts need to be shipped off to whatever warehouse stores the old nWo crap.

Score: 3 for 6


These two finish 3 for 6! Join us next week for the monumental 100th edition of 411 Fact or Fiction!