The Triple Threat 01.07.07:The 33rd Edition
Posted by Sean, David, Alex on 01.07.2007
Well it's the first regular column of 2007. Come check out what we have to say about WWE going to MMA, K-Fed, beat the clock sprints and more. Also what are our favorite Cage matches? Read this column and find out.
Hello everyone, as the sadness of the Cowboys loss hits home to us this afternoon. We realized that we still have a column to do. I'm just glad the whole clan is here to do it, as I thought we almost had a fill-in for David today. Anyway, what's important is the wrestling and we got plenty of it. So enjoy the Triple Threat.
Topic #1 It was reported that Claudio was fired from WWE for not reporting to developmental for something having to do with a work visa and citizenship status. Claudio has come out and denied claims that he was fired for those reasons. What do you make of this situation? And do you think WWE should have fired him?
David: I see this as WWE dropping the ball on some key indy talent. Claudio is one of the bigger names in the indys and he could of made it big, if used right, in the WWE. Stuff like this makes me mad because WWE never seems to know what good talent is anymore. At least we will get the Kings of Wrestling back, I hope.
Alex: When I first read this story it sounded a little odd because I had read in a previous interview that Claudio had all of his visa and citizenship issues squared away. It just goes it show you that when reading "newsletters" in the wrestling world it is wise to take them with a grain of salt. It is
unfortunate that due to this miscommunication his contract was terminated, the even bigger shame is that the KING'S OF WRESTLING *Clap*Clap*Clap-Clap-Clap* had to have their title reigns cut short for, what now has turned out to be, no reason.
Sean: I don't think he should have been fired, especially, because he could have been a big deal in WWE. However, the problem is that since we don't really know the truth, this is just speculation from us. The point here is that, no matter how great you are in the independents, this is still the WWE. To them you are a nobody unless you prove yourself in their system, so you can't just not report to developmental. If he was in fact fired for other reasons, hopefully those will come to light in the future. This should be a lesson to any indy guy though, you better check your ego at the door if you are new, and are hoping to go somewhere in WWE. The only thing that sucks is now the Kings of Wrestling have been separated for nothing. Maybe they will get back together soon.
Topic #2 So Kevin Federline finally had his first WWE match this week, and surprisingly won. Do you think WWE should do something with K-Fed in the future?
David: K-Fed might could stay in the WWE as a manager. Everyone seems to like him back stage and he is a damn good talker. I guess its really up to K-Fed because WWE seems to be high on him at the moment.
Alex: He should be nowhere near a professional wrestling ring and the less said about him the better.
Sean: I saw this thing live and it wasn't anything about the match that surprised me, but the fact that he's done nothing in WWE, and gets more heat than half the heels in WWE. He also managed to get the crowd behind Cena, which is something only EDGE has been able to do. The crowd was loud and crazy to see K-Fed get beat up. I don't think he should wrestle again, but he wouldn't be a bad manager. I'm sure Johnny Nitro didn't mind being around K-Fed, I bet he's a little more hated now, than he was three weeks ago. Next time, WWE should think about something for PPV, because he could have drawn some PPV buys. However, if they do bring him back, it should be something short.
Topic #3 With UFC totally killing WWE in PPV buys, and WWE doing the same to UFC in TV ratings, should WWE consider getting involved in MMA?
David: WWE should not do anything with MMA and that's is all I'm going to say about it.
Alex: NO! NO! NO! Pro Wrestling cannot cross with MMA, MMA is real, and though I love pro wrestling I know that if MMA would cross with the WWE or something it would severely damage the sport of Mixed Martial Arts. Dana White is a smart guy and wouldn't do anything to hurt the sport, so that is comforting. I can imagine that the UFC is killing the E in PPV buys, UFC is on fire with the most talented fighters in the world and the best match ups in the UFC's history, I watch Liddell Vs. Ortiz 2 last Saturday night and it was an excellent show. The UFC is gaining momentum while the E is just floating along. The tide may change, but Sean and I have often said that the UFC and MMA is going to sweep the nation and be like what the WWF and WCW were in 1998.
Sean: NO and dammit I mean NO. Vince has failed at everything he's done outside of wrestling. Now he might have been able to make it with the XFL if he had just let the thing be football, without the silly cross-promotion, because some of the rule changes did make the game interesting. Vince has a great creative mind, the problem is that when he goes outside of wrestling things don't always pan out to the mainstream audience. Vince has done a great job in marketing former amateur wrestlers, most recently with Lashley. He made a star out of Ken Shamrock but that was in Vince's arena. Vince should not even think about buying out Pride. I would not be opposed to Vince giving them a TV deal, and PRIDE giving them some talent to use on WWE programming. Seriously, not only would it hurt MMA, but if Vince failed at this he would look like a complete fool. UFC is WWE's competition right now, and rushing into MMA just to try to kill them is not going to work. MMA unlike Pro-Wrestling from a competitive sport standpoint, is real, and you can't just do what WCW did back when they tried to go against the giant, and hire all the old ex-UFC guys. They would just get the crap beat out of them by all the young guys PRIDE has to offer. Seriously Vince, focus on wrestling that's where you excel. Forget TNA, UFC is WWE's competition, and will be for a long time. Alex and I have had long talks about how UFC is going to explode, and it is already on it's way there.
Topic #4 WWE decided to do something different on SmackDown this week. To determine a #1 Contender they decided to do Beat the Clock matches pitting random members of the roster against each other. What do you think of WWE using this concept?
David: I really don't mind the sprints because it is a new idea and it does freshen up the show. The thing I didnt like about Smackdown this week is that some of the matches ended in no contest. I always want matches to finish wether it was by DQ or cheating as long as the match has a winner then I am happy. I just hope in the end Ken Kennedy comes out on top.
Alex: What's the deal with this? Are they trying to mimic TNA's booking? Let's see who can have the shortest match! Where's Goldberg when you need him? It will be interesting to see who wins this and if the winner can carry Batista to a good match.
Sean: No Alex, I don't think anyone wants to copy that sorry ass booking. This is a novel concept for WWE, trying to find a new way to get a #1 Contender for one PPV. You get to see some nice match-ups that may not happen otherwise. Also, the reason why the matches end in a no contest are because it is useless to continue the match after the goal is not achieved. They still have to promote the show like if it was real on television, so when they don't beat the clock, there is no point in continuing. The match is over if you don't set a new time anyway, so what are you wrestling for? I'm looking forward to seeing more matches like this next week, and as long as Taker doesn't win I'm happy. I really don't want to see that piece of crap, that would be a title vs. streak match with Batista vs. Taker at Wrestlemania, if they start it this early, you know it will happen at Mania.
Fun Topic of the Week: With a big Cage match happening tonight, we thought it'd be nice to take a look back at some of our favorite Cage matches of the past
David: One of the most memorable cage matches that I can think of, is the one where Stone Cold faced Vince McMahon. It was one of those Vince McMahon blood baths, and every time Stone Cold would try to get out of the ring, Vince would throw up a middle finger and Stone Cold would come back in to give him another can of whoop ass, this was also the time that Big Show made his debut in the WWE. I remember he threw Stone Cold into the side of the cage and the cage broke giving Stone Cold the win. Great stuff.
Alex: In an attempt to simplify the question I am just going to list my top five favorite cage matches, in no specific order.
5. Bret Hart Vs. Owen Hart:
Bret said it best on his DVD when he said "we made people forget that a cage match is supposed to be a blood bath."
4. Undertaker Vs. Mick Foley (Hell In A Cell):
I saw this match live on PPV at the age of 11 and I still remember just the amazement I was in while watching it, the bumps he took in that match, to this day, are just unbelievable to me. This is one of those matches that words do not do justice.
3. ROH Vs. CZW (Cage Of Death):
In the column last week I gave this the award of 2006 Match Of The Year, odd that it comes up again the next week.
2. Matt Hardy Vs. Edge:
Without a doubt this match was the peak of the Hardy-Edge saga. It was an amazing ride that had the elements of drama and violence to make a great cage.
1. Triple X Vs. America's Most Wanted:
This match from December of 2004 is still one of the best things TNA has done. The build up was excellent and these teams always put on a great match when they went against each other, but this match took it to a new level. It was a career performance for AMW, and who can forget Elix Skipper performing the insane move that he will always be remembered for?
Sean: One of my favorite's has to be Owen vs. Bret from Summerslam 94. When you look at Cage Matches this is one of the classic cage matches that stands the test of time. There are so many false escapes in this thing that it reminds you more of a regular match than something you would expect from a Cage match. It was also in the old blue cage and that's a testament right there. Another one has to be EDGE & Christian (Cage) vs. Hardy Boyz, I think it was on a RAW, but all I remember was that it was awesome.
Topic #6 WWE does have a PPV tonight called New Year's Revolution. What do you think of the card?
David: The card seems to look pretty decent. I'm looking forward to the cage match between Jeff and Nitro because they have been having a good string of matches lately and I don't think this one will be any different. I'm also looking forward to the DX vs. Rated RKO match, hopefully the bad guys end up on top. The rest of the show looks alright, hopefully at the end of the night it will turn out to be a good PPV.
Alex: I haven't watched RAW this whole month. So it wouldn't be right for me to pick apart this card.
Sean: I already did this once for the 411 roundtable, but I'll do it again. This card has three really good matches on it, in Mickie vs. Victoria, Rated RKO vs. DX, and the IC title Cage match between Jeff Hardy & Nitro. We also have two matches that we've already seen before. Flair looks to finally get a win on Kenny. I expect Kenny to show us something here, because you know WWE is looking at him as a star for the future. Carlito vs. Masters happened at last year's Backlash and it was decent then. Masters has developed a little more as a wrestler, but Masters is in the doghouse backstage, Carlito should go over here, as they need credible guys to challenge the winner of the IC title match. The main event could be alright as well. This looks like a good to decent PPV, I'll be excited to watch.
Match of the Week Nominees: Carlito & Ric Flair vs. Chris Masters & Kenny Dykstra (RAW), ECW Championship: Bobby Lashley vs. Rob Van Dam (ECW), Mexican Street Fight: Homicide vs. Brother Runt (TNA Impact), Paul London vs. Brian Kendrick, Chris Benoit vs. Mr. Kennedy (SmackDown).
Explanation: This honor goes to any match from RAW, ECW, TNA, or SmackDown that we felt had the best match this week. If we all happened to go to an Indy or House show we may list that on here too.
David: Chris Benoit vs. Mr. Kennedy
Alex: Mexican Street Fight: Homicide vs. Brother Runt
Ari's Column of Honor Is the place to go for all of your ROH needs.
The 3R's "The Franchise" Larry Csonka and Geoff Eubanks.
Truth B Told Bayani Domingo has those Asian girls looking good. He looks at questionable moves made by various brands or wrestling companies. Like the Jackass guys, Dale Torborg, and more, where they good for business? He lets you know.
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.
You can never go wrong with a little Wrestling Fact or Fiction This week it's JT & Julian Williams going at it.
Because they come out the latest of all these columns they get first dibs from us. High/Low Road Sat & Uncle Trunx discuss the Paparazzi Championship series in TNA's X-Division.
Shining the Spotlight Michael Weyer gives a wonderful retrospective on the Royal Rumble. It brings back great memories of what made Royal Rumble special. You should check it out.
Top Ten Julian Williams is here with his Top Ten Gimmicks.
Special shout out to the Andy Clark who's doing the Shimmy on Monday.
There is something you should know about
411 Video Games section Go read the whole damn section. This is the place to go for your Video Game needs and maybe even more than you asked for as well. Seriously, everyone has been working hard to keep this running and any feedback for them is greatly appreciated.
Well that is all for this week folks. Thanks everyone for reading. Well let us know what your opinions are with some feedback. It's always good to have someone else to argue with besides these guys. We hope you enjoyed this edition of the column and we will see ya's laters. Later Triple Threaters.
If you want to send us your thoughts or comments send them to triplethreatsda@hotmail.com
