The Triple Threat 9.24.06: The 21st Edition
Posted by Sean, David, Alex on 09.24.2006
What is TNA's surprise all about? How did the debut of SmackDown on the CW go? Plus we'll discuss Unforgiven, DX vs. nWo, and ROH!
Hello everyone, we don't have much time as Alex and I have to head off to an ECW House Show. So there will be no links or feedback answered in this column. Let's get on with the damn Triple Threat already.
Topic #1 Unforgiven was last Sunday. What did you think of the show?
David: I know a lot of people thought that this PPV was good but I really didn't like it that much. The best match on the card for me was Carlito vs. Orton, which was the shortest match on the card. The TLC match was alright but I thought it could have been a lot better. The IC title match was pretty good and so was the woman's match; other then that, I really didn't care for anything else on the card. The tag match was ok but I was kind of hoping for the split of the Spirit Squad. The Hell in the Cell match I hated because I'm not only sick of this storyline, but I hate the fact that they barely used this new, huge ass cell. What's the point in having a Hell in a Cell match without using the cell? I guess this just wasn't the PPV for me. I am looking forward to No Mercy though.
Alex: Absolutely terrible, the Carlito-Orton match was good, but it should have gone at least 20 minutes. The TLC match had some decent spots, but I dislike both men that were involved. Hardy showed that the business has surpassed him, and that he doesn't really offer anything anymore. The E writing team of course didn't honor tradition, and had Trish go over in her last match. The Hell In A Cell was incredibly bad with no redeeming spots. That's all I can really say, a D PPV.
Sean: I didn't get to see it, so David and Alex are going to have to cover for me on this one.
Topic #2 SmackDown also had its first show on the CW Network this week. What did you think of the "season premiere?"
David: I missed this due to work so I really can't say much about it.
Alex: Didn't see it
Sean: This was a pretty damn good premiere on the CW. They did a smart thing at the beginning placing your champion in a promo to setup the eventual main event for later. Then Batista is the first wrestler that all these new people see, someone that people know and like. The opener was pretty fun Lashley again outshines Batista in the wrestling department. Finlay and Regal got to beat the crap out of people. Gregory Helms and Matt Hardy had another solid match-up, I also like the feud, WWE should really disband the Cruiserweight Title and just make one big mid-card. The Miz is looking better with every match he has, and they don't just squash out his opponent either. I didn't get to see the Tag Title match but I heard it was good. Sylvan got like a five minute ovation that surprised the hell out of me, but then again, they were in Quebec. They really need to quit with the Tatanka vs. Sylvan matches. King Booker vs. Undertaker was good for the main event because everyone knows who the Undertaker is and he draws in viewers. The ratings for this will be very interesting because they are supposed to have around 95% television coverage around the nation. It was a fun show and I hope they continue to be like this.
Topic #3 WWE released the Boogeyman. Are you going to miss him?
David: Thank goodness he's gone, he couldn't wrestle a lick.
Alex: Woot! The biggest waste of space is off of TV.
Sean: Boogeyman was funny and brought out the comedic side of wrestling. However, the guy just couldn't cut it in the ring. When you don't want to rehab and get back in shape, and your not a great wrestler, he basically fired himself on that one. I am glad to know that SmackDown will not be stained by this guy anymore.
Topic #4 Supposedly there is going to be this big announcement by TNA, that is to change the future of the company. Many have speculated that it could be a better timeslot, two hours, Goldberg, or even Kurt Angle. The leading one is a better timeslot going from 8-9ET possibly even on another day, would this better slot help the ratings any? Also Vince Russo is back with Jeff Jarrett and Dutch Mantel on the booking team. Should Russo be back in TNA?
David: I don't think that Russo is going to really help out the company that much. Maybe he can make some storylines more interesting but other then that, he's not a big deal. I really do want to know what this big announcement is. Alex, Sean, and I have been going over the possibilities of what it could be but we still have no clue. The best thing we could think of is a better TV deal, maybe a better time slot or two hours. Everyone's just going to have to watch the PPV to find out what this surprise is.
Alex: Sigh… he did some good stuff back in the day, but this man is a POS. In my book this seems extremely desperate on TNA's part, it's kind of sad. But this big announcement can't be Russo that would break kayfabe in so many was, "hey check it out, we've got a new writer!" I think it's a new time slot, or an hour extension. Of course there are the rumors of Goldberg and Angle, but Goldberg wouldn't "re-write" wrestling history.
Sean: Well the better timeslot could help keep them over that 1.0 mark that has been rather fleeting for TNA lately. We aren't going to see a big change in the ratings unless TNA starts take their product in the wrestling direction. They seem to have taken their show a little too sports-entertainy for my taste, as far as, what you would expect from TNA. A new timeslot and 2nd hour would help them immensely. Since Sting has done nothing his appeal has gone down, and so has Christian's, so they seem to be back to square one on Impact. Vince Russo and Jarrett returning to the booking team is not what the doctor ordered for TNA. In fact if they wanted to bring a cancer into TNA this was the way to do it. Russo may have done great things during the Attitude Era but it was because Vince and others restrained him. When he was allowed to run rough shot in WCW he caused them to go down. He even did booking for early TNA when they had stables like XXX and S.E.X. Yeah that's not something TNA needs right now. Jarrett on the booking committee along with Russo will just mean more face time for Jarrett (that's is definitely not something TNA needs.) All I gotta say is I can't believe TNA is this desperate.
Fun Topic of the Week: If ROH ever got a national TV deal, could they compete with the two big companies?
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: With WWE no, with TNA maybe. I would definitely watch it, but it may not appeal to the normal wrestling crowd because they won't know who the wrestlers are. Also, if they decided to get a national television deal, they couldn't use some of the TNA people that they seem to use on a regular basis. Who knows, maybe some of the TNA guys would actually go over to ROH. More wrestling on TV is good for me, so if this does ever happen I am all for it.
Alex: Yes and no. Ring of Honor CLEARLY has the talent, and in some cases superior talent to compete with TNA and WWE, but TV would compromise the ROH product. The biggest thing is, Ring Of Honor only appeals to a small crowd. They do not have much flash, wrestling is what they are about, I think, and many others agree. That ROH is the top WRESTLING company in North America, but little kids wouldn't really buy into Bryan Danielson with his shaved head, burgundy trunks, and 60 minutes matches, which is a true shame.
Sean: Just like ECW, ROH would have to learn to cater to different parts of the audience, which be very difficult for them because they are so used to just focusing on the wrestling. They would have to make characters for the kids, shorten matches for television, and have different types of storylines. Their PPV's would rule all kinds of ass though. I'd really love to see it, because they would give TNA a run for their money. I mean they would book a lot better than Vince Russo and Jeff Jarrett.
Topic #6 Kurt Angle is apparently interested in going to MMA. Should he go? And would this get you to start watching UFC?
David: I don't think Kurt should go to MMA because I think he could get seriously injured and he is defiantly in no shape to fight in some MMA action. Would I watch? Hell yes I would. He's Kurt Angle, the best wrestler of today, the Olympic gold medalist, and it would be very interesting watching him kick some real ass. I just hope he doesn't get hurt and he knows that he's doing. I really wish he would just take some time off and come back to the WWE, but who knows what will happen.
Alex: To start off, I am a HUGE MMA fan. I've always said that Angle was the only pro wrestler that could stand a chance in PRIDE or UFC. He would need to really work on striking though, but, I don't really know who could wrestle with him, maybe Couture but he's retired, Tito perhaps, Matt Hughes possibly, I mention these names because Angle would definitely need to drop to Light heavy weight or Welterweight. The current heavyweight landscape has too many dominant strikers, and some giant guys, Angle is too short to mix it up with Tim Sylvia, The Pitbull, Fedor, etc. At the end of the day I really hope this happens, Angle has done all he can do in wrestling, people need to see the amazing athlete this guy really is.
Sean: Well I wouldn't have a problem with it, if he went eventually. Right now, it probably would not be a good idea. Kurt is beat up and needs to rest up, maybe in six months or so, no problem with it. That would make me really want to watch UFC because it'll be interesting to see how he does in the real sport. Angle would bring a lot of business especially if he did well. Angle's always thirsts for new competition and he would have a lot of that in UFC. Not to mention we'd have a bunch of dream matches, so UFC would stand to win if Angle was on their team.
Topic #7 Also WWE signed 2 Cold Scorpio back to WWE. He wrestled as Flash Funk and Scorpio in WWE. He also had a good run in the early ECW as well as a short one in WCW. Could he do anything for the company?
David: Well, it would add another ECW original to the mix of things. I don't know if he can still wrestle but if Booker T has been pushing for him to get in he has to have something left. I really don't know what they would do with him but it does add to the roster and it could give us some interesting storylines, maybe he will even be added to the ECW team going against Heyman.
Alex: I have always been a fan of this guy, from the old ECW days, to WCW with him and Bagwell, so I'll be glad to see him back.
Sean: Well it all depends on what kind of shape he is in, and how he wrestles. Scorpio did well in the early ECW and was one of the first high flyers, so it will be one of those wait and see deals. I don't like to pass judgment on older wrestlers unless I see them. He's only 41, and I'm not saying he's going to be Finlay or Shawn Michaels but he has the potential to do something good. Whether it be for ECW or SmackDown. I would want to see him on RAW personally, because I feel he would get lost in the shuffle in ECW. SmackDown has enough guys right now anyways. Either way, I'm welcome to seeing Scorpio back in WWE.
Topic #8 There are still very strong rumors of WWE doing a DX vs. nWo feud for Survivor Series. They have not talked to Hall or Nash about it yet, but Hogan has expressed interest in wrestling again. Do you want to see this?
David: I think it would be interesting to watch but I don't know if this would be good or not. It would be kind of impossible to get Kevin Nash to join up since he's in TNA so all they would have is Hogan and Scott Hall. They might decide to get some of the lesser known NWO characters to join up on this but I don't think it would be the same. I seriously don't want to see Hogan wrestle because at this point in time he is really, really off his game, if he ever had game. Yeah, it would put butts into seats but it wouldn't be very good wrestling.
Alex: OH GOD NO!!
Sean: I really don't want to see this happen because it would accomplish nothing. None of these five guys need to be put over and then what are they going to do with the nWo afterwards? Screw them up like the first time? Also Hall and Nash are not in a condition to wrestle a high level match like that. I understand they are all friends and what not, but you still need to be capable of having a passable match. Survivor Series can sell out with the current roster you have, you don't need another nostalgia act to screw with the show. It would be a very cool thing to see back in 1998, in 2006, it just wouldn't be the same. I vote against it because not only does this look bad on the company, but what are you telling your other guys? That these old men (who are past their prime) are better than you, young guys? That's not good.
Topic #9 TNA does have a PPV tonight called No Surrender. What do you think of the card?
David: Looks like a pretty good card to me. The match I'm most looking forward to is the LAX vs. Daniels and AJ Ultimate X match for the Tag Belts. I want to see Hernandez show us some of his rope climbing techniques. This should be an interesting match to watch. Everything else looks pretty solid and that 8 pack tag team match should be intense. I also wouldn't mind checking out that Senshi vs. Sabin match for the x division title. I can't wait to see what there special announcement is, it better be good too.
Alex: Looks good, Ki Vs. Sabin should be good. Christian vs. Rhino should be good. Christian as a heel is greatness. Naturals passing one of their "final tests" will be cool. Joe-Jarrett should be interesting, just please lord don't let Jarrett end Joe's streak. Raven-Spike-Abyss should be interesting to say the least. Of course, the one everyone is looking forward to, Ultimate X should be incredible, I can't talk enough about this match, 4 amazing athletes will without a doubt steal the show.
Sean: Petey Williams vs. Jay Lethal should be good, along with Sabin vs. Senshi. You got the tag Battle Royal as well that should be interesting. Rhino vs. Christian Cage is gonna be great just cause they are gonna brawl everywhere. If Jarrett wins the fans revenge match, TNA goes in the toilet for me, but the best thing is the tag title match, Ultimate X with these four is guaranteed gold. Looks like another good PPV from TNA.
Match of the Week Nominees: Six-Pack Challenge Intercontinental Championship: Johnny Nitro vs. Jeff Hardy vs. Carlito vs. Chris Masters vs. Super Crazy vs. Randy Orton, John Cena & DX vs. EDGE & Cade & Murdoch, Lita vs. Candice Michelle (RAW), Sandman, Tommy Dreamer & Sabu vs. Test, Knox, & Matt Striker, RVD vs. King Booker (ECW). Jay Lethal vs. Petey Williams (TNA Impact) King Booker vs. Undertaker, Finlay & Regal vs. Batista & Lashley, Gregory Helms vs. Matt Hardy, WWE Tag Team Championship: London & Kendrick vs. KC James & Idol Stevens vs. Pitbulls (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.
Well that is 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. Sorry, for the short column this week, as Alex and I had to take off for the ECW House Show on Saturday Night, and we didn't have a lot of time to do this. Later Triple Threaters.
If you want to send us your thoughts or comments send them to triplethreatsda@hotmail.com
