411 Fact or Fiction 01.18.07: WWE vs. UFC, WSX, Christian, More

Welcome back to another week of 411 Fact or Fiction: Wrestling Edition! This week, 411 Wrestling writers Phil Feltham (The Quick Talkdown) and Mike Campbell (The Black Tiger Review) go at it!

1. WWE is right to view UFC as competition.

Phil Feltham: FACT. This is really a marketing question. On one side, I’d have to say yes, because the WWE and UFC are competing for similar demographic viewership. You have WWE putting out their PPVs like WrestleMania and the Royal Rumble while the UFC pump out the Ultimate Fighting Championship PPVs. Television time is no different, really. What makes this question tricky, however, is the difference in the product. WWE is ‘glam and entertainment’ while UFC is ‘mixed martial arts’ (MMA). Wrestling fans and entertainment enthusiasts who want to hear guys say bad things about each other while smacking each other around is the WWE’s market. The fans who appreciate a good martial arts fight watch UFC. However, people who love to watch guys smacking the snot out of each other are the formulas for both companies. Plus UFC has seen a resurge in popularity since its previous isolation so McMahon’s definitely going to call them ‘competition’.

Mike Campbell: FACT. I think Phil pretty much hit it dead on. They both want the same demographic, but the products are totally different. Just look at how TNA tried to capitalize on the popularity by having Impact on directly after The Ultimate Fighter. Should Vince be worried that WrestleMania and Summerslam, and the like will lose buys in favor of UFC? I doubt it. But Vince definitely ought to keep on eye on UFC as far as his TV ratings are concerned.

Score: 1 for 1

2. WSX will do at least a 1.0 rating for its debut episode on 1/30.

Phil Feltham: FACT. Remember when ECW first debuted? They received ratings of over 2.0. But when the ‘NEW’ went out of ECW, the ratings dropped to 1.0 to a 1.5. WSX has that ‘NEW’ and mystical element to them. There has been announcements all over the Internet, advertising on MTV television and rumors (love this one!) that have spread the good word of Wrestling Society X. The recent Cody Michaels (WSX Manager) interview will only help matters. Let’s not forget the most important factor here, ‘word of mouth.’ WSX has been spinning on the rumor mill for the past year and a half. MTV signed superstars to a temporary contract only to have it expire, but to be resigned again. The curiosity alone is enough to make fans to want to view the product. WSX should easily score over the 1.0 mark in its first week, however, if it doesn’t gain any interest with MTV’s regular viewers than that number will drop. The only big name on the roster is X-Pac, and I don’t think that’s enough to maintain the interest of the regular wrestling fan. But hey, I could be wrong.

Mike Campbell: FACT. Anything new will at least pique curiosity from an interest perspective. And MTV hasn’t been shy about promoting it. The real test will be to see if it’s able to sustain the ratings as the show runs its course, the first episode shouldn’t have any problem hitting that mark.

Score: 2 for 2

3. Christian Cage should have never left WWE.

Phil Feltham: FICTION. As a WWE fan, I wish Christian never have left, but for a career decision, the master of the “Unprettier” needed to leave. Put this into perspective, in the year that Christian has been with TNA, he’s already scored two World Championships and been a regular mainstay in TNA’s main event roster. “The big fish in a small pond” worked wonders for Christian. Now, if Christian was to ever go back to WWE, two things would happen, Vince and company would bury the shit out of him or they would push him to spite TNA. Jeff Hardy is certainly not losing matches. The last time I checked, he had Intercontinental gold. At the time when Christian was leaving the WWE, he said in an interview that he had accomplished everything he could in his 8 year tenure. It was reported that Christian had constantly asked the WWE for a World title reign. He was put into main event programs, but was always constantly denied. I often wonder if Edge won the World title only to spite Christian. We’ll never really know that one but Christian’s career has looked a lot brighter since signing with the TNA. The real statement is, “Christian Cage should leave TNA for WWE after his contract expires.” The answer to this question is yes, because again, he would be in the right place at the right time to bargain with the WWE. His departure would hurt TNA. It sounds selfish, but it definitely helps the career.

Mike Campbell: FICTION. He got to spend a lot less time on the road, let his shoulder heel up, and was pushed to the top spot that WWE was never letting him near. The fact that he just got the title back means that he’s either: A. doing something right, B. being rewarded for being loyal to TNA, or C. Russo pulled his name out of the hat when booking the show. Unless something going on in that locker room is making him absolutely miserable, I can’t see Christian at all regretting the jump.

Score: 3 for 3

—SWITCH!!!—

4. Monty Brown will end up regretting leaving TNA for WWE.

Mike Campbell: FICTION. I don’t know their finances firsthand, but I think it’s a safe wager to say that Monty is making more money from WWE than in TNA. And job security is a wonderful thing in this world.

Phil Feltham: FICTION. Gotta agree with Mike on this one. Whether Monty Brown makes it or breaks it, he definitely has a more comfortable living making the money. He’s the new ECW too which means that he has a chance. I believe that many TNA alumni that make the move to WWE, they’ll be placed on the ECW roster. It makes it easier to believe that TNA is not on par with the WWE, but to ECW. Take that for what it’s worth.

Score: 4 for 4

5. Delaying Samoa Joe’s NWA Title win for so long is doing more harm than good for TNA.

Mike Campbell: FICTION. TNA has enough problems right now, but the fact that Samoa Joe isn’t champion isn’t one of them. It seemed like Joe was headed for the title when Angle came over to TNA, and you can’t really fault TNA for making the Joe/Angle program a bigger priority that Joe’s title win. If you want to talk about how the feud itself has been booked, that’s another story.

Phil Feltham: FACT. Christian will agree with this one, and Kane too, depending on who you ask. Samoa Joe, obviously a notable on the TNA roster, is immediately paired with newcomer Kurt Angle. Samoa Joe, like AJ Styles, are poster boys for TNA because they both have been there since TNA’s opening day. Pair the poster boys up against the well known newcomers. It makes perfect sense. Samoa Joe has done a great job with Mr. Kurt Angle. If it worked once, there’s a good chance that TNA might do it again. Think about this one. Samoa Joe Vs. Rob Van Dam. You’d love to see that match, right? Who needs a world title when you’re placed in all these high profile feuds against ex-WWE superstars? You’ll become a household name just because you are in this role. Time will tell for Mr. Joe.

Score: 4 for 5

6. It’s too soon for Impact to move to a Monday night timeslot against RAW.

Mike Campbell: FACT. Again, TNA has enough problems right now, and going head to head against Vince isn’t something they need to attempt. The rumored one-shot deal when Raw is pre-empted is fine, but it’s not anything TNA should attempt on a regular basis.

Phil Feltham: FACT. For now! Think money. If Impact started pulling in a 4.0 in the ratings next week, where would they go…Monday nights. It’s the obvious choice. It’s marketing. We say it’s too soon because Impact is only pulling in a 1.5 at the moment. However, at the rate Impact’s ratings are rising, they’ll be going head to head with RAW in no time. I do agree though that Dixie Carter does want to develop the product slowly, but in the eyes of the Spike execs and even other TNA execs… money talks.

Score: 5 for 6

These two finish 5 for 6! Join us next week for more Fact or Fiction!