The Triple Threat 03.25.07: The 42nd Edition

Posted by Sean, David, Alex on 03.25.2007

We have some more steroids talk along with discussion of TNA, HOF, RAW, and our last Wrestlemania moments. Also do not miss Alex's exclusive interview with the Lovely Lacey from SHIMMER and ROH.

Hello everyone, we are one week away from Wrestlemania and the card still looks a little vacant. Aside from our continuing look at Wrestlemania moments we take a slight departure from the big show to talk about other things. There have been major developments in the steroids investigation. Who's involved now? Find out here. Also we talk TNA's X-Division, Senshi going to LAX, RAW ratings, and that's just a piece of the pie. Alex has a special interview with someone from ROH and SHIMMER later as well. So stay tuned to this Triple Threat for all your wrestling needs.


Topic #1 Well, there has been more on goings with the Steroid investigation. Now, several other names have been added to the list by Sports Illustrated of all people. EDGE, Rey Mysterio, Gregory Helms, and Randy Orton have all been posted. What do you think about these allegations and are they a big deal?


David Martell: I really don't think this is a big deal because all this is about something that happened in the past. It is not really a surprise that wrestlers have been taking steroids, so i don't look into this too much. WWE does have a wellness policy now and it seems like it has affected the size of some of the wrestlers. People should take note that WWE is trying to get rid of the steroid use in their company instead of being all harsh about it.

Alex Mattis: I don't think it's a huge deal, because the mainstream public seems to think that all wrestlers take steroids so this does nothing more than fuel their fire. This does however, prove what many of us already knew, that the "wellness" policy is, and always has been, a crock of shit. I always knew Edge juiced at some point. Look at him prior to his neck injury, and compare that to when he came back in April of 2004, it's quite obvious. Rey Rey, Sugar Shane, and Randall probably took them to get the "appearance" that the company wanted them to have, which is sad that it has come to this. You don't need an amazing physique to be a great wrestler. Can't they all just sculpt man-made bodies like Scott Steiner's?

Sean Garmer: Well EDGE and Gregory Helms have admitted to using the substances for medical reasons. EDGE with his major neck surgery and Helms had therapy on his knee respectively. Rey Mysterio must be for medical reasons because the guy has never weighed more than 180 pounds in his life (which was also my wrestling weight back in the day. I've lost 40 pounds since I stopped.) There would be no reason for Mysterio to use steroids at all, I could see HGH, but that's not going to help him grow taller or significantly bigger at all, because of his small size in the first place. Randy Orton already had to serve a suspension for steroids and unlike EDGE, Randy has gained more than 25 pounds since he first started in WWE. Also, he's been removed from all media appearances, which kinda makes you wonder if WWE knows he was using them for non-medical purposes. You'd think a third generation star and former champion wouldn't have to stoop to that level, but that's neither here nor there. In addition, most of this occurred before the wellness policy came into affect, Alex. The wellness policy actually seems to be working, just because WWE decided to make their wrestlers lose money instead of ring time, doesn't mean WWE is not using it. This next part will be long, so be advised.

Why in the world does the media see this as news? I, understand that Kurt Angle and the WWE wrestlers are tied in with the Gary Matthews Jr. (Who played with the Texas Rangers last year, by the way) investigation, but Baseball and wrestling are two totally different things here. For one, we have what is supposed to be a "real" sport such as Baseball. A sport that values it's history and hall of fame, more than it's current product. That's why the whole steroid deal is important in the first place because writers, historians, and fans are worried that it's tarnishing their beloved sport, as they should be. As a sport, Baseball should want all of it's players to be pure athletes that achieve these amazing feats using the bodies and talents that God gave them, without chemical substances. I'm not a Baseball guy because I find it rather boring, my loves go to Soccer and Basketball. However, I, totally understand all the mess with the steroids stuff because it sucks to have to wonder how many players are in fact on the juice.

The thing is, wrestling is a fake sport, that has a tougher work schedule than any "real" sport out there and the wrestlers get injured just as much. The fact that everyone knows what's going to happen before the show begins is what sets it apart. Also, wrestling is constantly the court jester of the sport/entertainment world. Made fun of by everyone and wrestlers are devalued as athletes. Suddenly this happens and they are a big deal? Sounds like another way to take a shot at wrestling in my view. Why are we going to take so much time trying to explain the importance of these wrestlers, when no one outside of the wrestling world really cares. Then when a wrestler dies young the media makes it a spectacle. Honestly, I just hope this all gets nullified and we can go back to the way things were. Wrestling is hated so much, that I was told when starting out in journalism that if I ever wanted a future in sports broadcasting or anything else for that matter, I could not start out in wrestling, because I would never be taken seriously. Yeah, some of that may be true, but even though I probably won't be doing much for wrestling in the future, I will never be ashamed to put wrestling on my resume'. Steroids in sports is a big issue, and I hope this doesn't mean we are going to see government action over this because it is truly not worth it. WWE is policing it's own, and I think that's enough.



Topic #2 Recently, Jeff Jarrett told X-Division Wrestlers that the X-Division needed to be like a video game, which means fast paced matches with no selling. Is this the way to do the X-Division?



David Martell: I think that is a stupid thing to say. It is almost like saying; make wrestling as fake as you can. Now, it makes sense to have fast paced matches sometimes but, to have no selling just seems stupid to me. The X-Division should be used to display the talents of the mid-card instead of trying to be like a video game. Yeah, they are smaller guys but that really doesn't make any difference in how they should wrestle.

Alex Mattis: Ugh, this is how the X-Division was in the early days of TNA, and that isn't good. It hurts the product. I thought we were getting closer to evolving away from the non-story telling, no in-ring psychology, exhibition, of fancy moves that serve no point elements of the X-Division. Back in October, we had a phenomenal match between Senshi and Chris Sabin, moved right along to a series of great matches that Christopher Daniels and Sabin had, and have most recently seen decent matches between Jerry Lynn and Sabin. While the title matches are solid and true to wrestling, the "X-Division Showcases" or whatever they call them are nowhere near the same styles, just fast paced non-sense. Now I love myself some spotfests here and there, but it gets old, especially when the X-Division has some solid wrestlers. Sonjay Dutt can do much more than just flip around. Petey Williams is MUCH more than the Canadian Destroyer. Not to mention that fact that Alex Shelly could be one of the young performers TNA has. If given the ball, Shelley could become a staple of TNA. With all this being said, until TNA gets two hours I don't think they are going to give the X-Division time on TV. TNA's rule of thumb: you have to watch the PPV's to see the matches worth watching, the X-Division seldom do not deliver on PPV.

Sean Garmer: You know, now that word has gotten out that everything goes through Jarrett and not Russo, this makes me laugh. This sounds like a Russo thing if there ever was one. Yeah it's cool to see all those high flying moves, but with no selling that just means we have spots for no reason. Even though WWE took away the dangerous moves, the cruiserweight matches still have substance and actually seem like a match. So TNA is going to do the opposite, give us the cool moves while delivering a quick match to pop the crowd, that does nothing for the wrestlers involved. What happened to the glorified X-Division that used to have some of the best wrestlers in TNA? Now they are treated like they are pieces of meat that are objects in the show. Let's get back to wrestling with stories please! Most of the X-Division wrestlers know how to wrestle different styles and you are severly limiting them when you constrain them to this fast paced stuff. What happened to the greatness of the X-Division? I hope it comes back soon. The thought of it becoming WSX just scares me.


Topic #3 William Shatner is set to induct "The King" into the HOF, also, Wade Boggs will induct Mr. Perfect. Do you think this could bring some kind of outside audience to watch the HOF ceremony


David Martell: I really think that King should have been able to pick the guy he wanted to induct him. I don't know why they are trying to make this a celebrity fest. I, watch the hall of fame to see wrestlers of the past get recognition for the things they did in wrestling, not to see famous people hand out awards to get more viewers. I guess this could bring in some outside viewers but this shouldn't be a reason why you would watch the hall of fame.

Alex Mattis: If he sings "Rocket Man" I will mark out like no other. This will be fun, but as far as bringing in outside eyes, the "Battle Of The Billionaires" hasn't brought in much mainstream attention, so that should give you a sign, plus, I read that the HOF is going to air at Midnight, so they can't expect amazing ratings anyway.

Sean Garmer: David has a point that King should be able to pick who he wants to induct him. I can't stand Star Trek, but William Shatner is a hilarious man and great in everything he does. I'm up in the air about this one because I'd rather see someone induct King that actually knows him, but yet, I want to see Shatner too. As far as Wade Boggs, I think they should have had his father Larry "The Axe" induct him, and who knows, maybe they asked him and he declined. Boggs is a Hall of Famer and got to 3,000 hits during his career with multiple teams. He did appear in some vignettes with Mr. Perfect and was close friends with him. Just for some fun trivia, as a member of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, he hit the first home run ever recorded in Tropicana Field against the Detroit Tigers.


Topic #4 RAW's rating was really down last week from what it has been getting recently, you think there is a reason for this? And should WWE be worried about it?


David Martell: I'm sure Dancing with the Stars had something to do with it. It is not really that big of a deal, they still got a decent rating in the long run and there second hour still managed a 4.0

Alex Mattis: March Madness is most likely the culprit in this situation. The only reason Vince should be worried is the fact that the rating is low this close to WrestleMania, but the less people that saw the bullshit on Monday night the better (I am, of course, referring to the E have Chris Benoit tap to Cena.)

Sean Garmer: The main reason for RAW's low rating is the two hour special debut of Dancing with the Stars. That gained 22 million viewers by the way. I'm not watching it this year, as neither Emmit Smith (and I only watched it sparingly last year) or Stacy Keibler (however, I did watch every episode when Stacy was on, come on she's hot like no other, and she got screwed out of a 2nd place spot) are involved. The NCAA Tourney was not on until Thursday last week, so they cannot blame it on March Madness. The problem is that Dancing with the Stars will be two hours this week too, so I would expect the same type of rating for RAW. WWE should be worried about it a little, but it is not something that should trouble them, because they only compete against the first hour. I think some of it has to do with segment placement during the first hour, but again, at this point, I think everyone that is going to buy Wrestlemania already has their mind made up. If it's low after Wrestlemania, then they should be worried.



Wrestlemania Moment of the Week: Up until Wrestlemania we will take the time every column to retell of a Wrestlemania moment that was cool to us.


David Martell: I didn't have time to come up with one this week because I had to leave for work.

Alex Mattis: I like to call this one "The Bullshit Of All Bullshit." The place: Las Vegas. The WrestleMania: IX. The Bullshit: Hulk Hogan having, possibly, one of the biggest ego trip's in the history of the business. This was the first WrestleMania that Hogan didn't have anything to do with the Main Event, which I'm sure Hogan thought was absurd. It's as if he was Dwight Shrute and someone was messing with his collectable bobble heads…you just don't do it. So Hogan politicked all he could to get his moment. He left the company several months later, so it isn't like the company was trying to revive Hulk-a-Mania, they already had time and money invested in the next crop of stars, I'm near positive this was Hogan's doing. This made both Bret and Yoko look bad. Hart is one of the greatest of all time and Yoko was one of the best big men, and to reduce both of them to a lower level just so Hogan can have comfort and know that all the people were there to see him, it was disgusting. I once heard a rumor that the reason Hulk has a black eye at the Mania was because when Bret found out how the match was going to go he socked Hulk. While I'm almost positive that isn't true (I read he was in a Jet Ski accident) I like to believe it, because Hogan more than deserved it.

Sean Garmer: I just watched one of the best matches in Wrestlemania history. We have to go back to 1987 in the Pontiac Silverdome, Wrestlemania 3, Rick Steamboat vs. Macho Man Randy Savage for the IC title. Macho Man two months prior had crushed Steamboat's larynx with the ring bell and Rick was cleared to wrestle in this match at Wrestlemania. Both set the stage well for the match-up, as Steamboat said he was coming for Savage after what he did, and Macho Man had been the fighting champion prior to this, preparing once again to walk out the champion. There is not anything that blows you away in this match and in fact, it's only around 15 minutes long. What makes this match great is that they kept things simple and told a story. Steamboat started by working on Savage's arm and continued it with those fantastic Arm Drags of his. Savage used the throat injury to work on Steamboat's neck. You also had another storyline working in the match that predates Wrestlemania 2. George "Animal" Steele was in Steamboat's corner for this one, and of course, in Savage's corner was Miss Elizabeth. Animal had this big crush on Elizabeth and at one point Savage had to move Elizabeth from one corner to the other because of it. Looking at this match you have to mention the 20 pin attempts and the resilience of both men to keep going. There was a lot of throwing the other to the outside but it created opportunities for the other to take advantage. Steamboat was aggressive in this match-up because he wanted to get back at Savage for the injury, he showed it in the closing moments, until Savage whipped him into the ref. Savage hits the elbow but the ref is down causing there to be no count. Savage goes and grabs the ring bell, to recreate the whole reason for this match, but Animal saves it. Randy thinks he still has it won, but Steamboat counters the Scoop Slam beautifully into a Small Package for the win. Certainly a moment to be remembered for everyone.



Topic #6 Konnan has been pushing for Senshi to join LAX for quite some time now. However, TNA management keeps saying that they don't know if he could work a main event style. Do you agree? Or should they let him in LAX?


David Martell: I think that Senshi could be a great addition to LAX. He would make them even a bigger force to be reckoned with, in TNA. I think if given the chance Senshi could really prove himself to be able to wrestle in main event type matches. They are probably not giving him a chance because of his size instead of looking at his in ring ability.

Alex Mattis: While I would like to see ‘Cide and Low-Ki together in a TNA ring, I don't think it is in the cards. I don't agree with TNA saying Senshi can't wrestle a Main Event style, but they may mean that his style is too stiff, making the "upper" echelon of wrestlers not wanting to work him. I love LAX they way it is right now, but eventually they will need to expand, if Senshi was X-Division champ I would have a different opinion, because then LAX could do the heel-tastic "We have the gold, so we run the show" gimmick.

Sean Garmer: Senshi has Puerto Rican descent, so he would fit gimmick wise. Wrestling wise we all know he can compete at all levels, but I think Alex brings up a good point about his style may not mesh well with the top tier performers. However, I still don't see how this should prevent him from being in LAX. He can be their X-Division guy that gets the mid level title. He can also step in for Hernandez when they want two small wrestlers competing in matches for the tag titles. There are no Latino's in the main event scene for TNA and that is a shame, but they should let him join LAX. They also don't need to worry about him talking because Konnan can do that for him. He may not be ready for the main event in TNA management minds, but he could do wonders for LAX if they give him the chance.



Topic # 7 Apparently, Melina's future will be judged on how she handles this match with Ashley at Wrestlemania, which now has the possibility of turning into a Lumberjack match. Do you think it would be fair to judge Melina on this match? And what do you think about the possible stipulation addition?


David Martell: Well this is the biggest stage of them all, so I think that's a good idea to judge her on how well she does at Wrestlemania. Wrestlemania can make or break you, if you do good, you can become a legend, if you do bad, you could be forgotten. I, dont really care about the Lumberjack stipulation but it might make the match more interesting because of the lack of Ashley's wrestling ability. We will have to see what happens.

Alex Mattis: HAHAHAHAHA! Dear lord, I'm sorry Melina that you have to work with a girl that knows nothing…NOTHING in the ring. If Melina was wrestling Mickie James or even Victoria it would be different, they know how to wrestle, but Ashley? It isn't fair that Melina is judged on how well she can carry someone as bad as Ashley. This match will suck whatever the stipulation, the lumberjill stipulation is just a way for the E to get more pretty girls on TV, it's a shame that Mickie James won't be wrestling.

Sean Garmer: If you don't know by now, Melina has an attitude problem backstage and that's why she's not getting the push she deserves. I'm not going to excuse her for being Latina because she is old enough to know how to control herself. Maybe she has a bit of a Latino temper that all of us Latinos can show a little bit here and there, (ask David, most of the time I'm like Rey Mysterio, but sometimes, I'll just get crazy because of something that happened and start mouthing off in Spanish.) Getting back to the issue at hand, having a big ego that's a personal thing. Yeah, maybe you are better than most of the Divas in that lockeroom, but it doesn't mean you need to say it, or display it publicly. Sometimes in life, we need to go through things to learn from our mistakes, and right now, Melina is experiencing that. In another spectrum, Melina and Mickie James have issues between them, so there's probably a reason why she wasn't added to the match. The result is a repeat of Wrestlemania 21 with a champion that probably has been asked by Playboy to pose, and has refused (very similar to Trish Stratus when she faced Christy Hemme) facing off against the Playboy cover girl Ashley. Also, Christy and Ashley were both Diva Search winners. Ashley supposedly has been training since she got switched to SmackDown and let's hope she has a better showing, than the tragedy that Christy put Trish through at Mania 21. It's ok to judge Melina on how well she can carry Ashley through this, but you cannot place all the blame on her for putting her out there with an inexperienced person like Ashley. Ashley got injured during a battle royal, if anything, WWE should be worried about how Ashley is going to do, not Melina. Granted, Melina almost killed Mickie James during that backstage brawl, but we don't know how much of that was a miscommunication, and how much was due to the bad blood between the two ladies. Obviously, WWE is counting on Melina to make this thing passable, but her future should not be on the line. As far as the extra stipulation goes, I don't care, it probably will help hide Ashley's limitations though. Who knows, they might give us a surprise with this one.


Match of the Week Nominees: MITB Last Chance Battle Royal (RAW), CM Punk vs. Hardcore Holly (ECW), Chavo Guerrero vs. Jimmy Yang, King Booker & Finlay vs. Batista & Undertaker (SmackDown).

David Martell: CM Punk vs. Hardcore Holly

Alex Mattis: CM Punk vs. Hardcore Holly

Sean Garmer: CM Punk vs. Hardcore Holly



Our Indy Scene


Alex got an interview with the Lovely Lacey of SHIMMER, WSX, and ROH fame. So without further ado take it away Alex.


Alex: Well I'm here this week with what I hope becomes a semi-regular part of the column. For the first interview of our columns brief history I got the chance to interview the Lovely Lacey of ROH and SHIMMER fame.


Here's some pics of Lacey.








Here we go with the interview.


All Time Favorite Wrestler:

"Well, growing up I'd have to say my all time favorite was Jake the Snake, followed by the Undertaker. Bob Backlund, Nikita Koloff, and Sherri Martel were all up there too!"

All Time Favorite Match (Not Involving You)
"I really don't have one that sticks out...anything involving Johnny Saint though is probably a winner!"

All Time Favorite Match (Involving You)
"It's hard to pick, but I really enjoyed my match against Daizee Haze on the first volume of Shimmer, as well as a knockout/submission only match against Daizee for IWA-Midsouth. And I'll also have to include the handi-cap match of doom, against Rain and Dave Prazak!"

Favorite Place You Have Wrestled
"I had a great time wrestling overseas in England, Germany and France. In the states I love wrestling in the Midwest. As far as companies SHIMMER and ROH are both on the top of the list!"

Most Influential Person In Your Career
"There are too many people to credit for helping me learn and grow in this business. Eddie Sharkey taught me how to survive in a business that isn't always so friendly towards women. Rain has also been a major influence and has helped me out tremendously."

Thoughts On Jimmy Jacobs
"He's a little crazy...but if he is able to focus that craziness in the ring he can become unstoppable. He's spent way too much time writing poetry and singing ridiculous songs--it's time for him to step up and show everyone (most importantly ME) just how brutal of a contender he can be."

Thoughts On BJ Whitmer
"He better enjoy his last few days of mobile, normal human life. Once Jimmy and I are through with him, he will be lucky if he's still breathing. I told him he'd pay for turning his back on Lacey's Angels!"

Thoughts On Ring Of Honor Fans
"Bunch of fat, lazy, out of shape pigs who sit in front of their computers all day. Has ROH lowered their ticket prices or something? The amount of riff-raff getting into the shows these days is really quite alarming."

Thoughts Of The Current State Of Women's Wrestling In The US
"I think it's a good time to be a woman in the business. Unfortunately what is still shown to the masses on national TV is, for the most part, complete crap. However, several independent promotions are now putting on all women's shows or booking more women's matches, which is giving everyone more opportunities to work and learn. SHIMMER is a real blessing, allowing girls from all over the country and world to come together and work. It's also allowing a small but growing portion of the public to see women's wrestling doesn't have to be a joke. Hopefully the word can spread!"


Best Women's Wrestler Today
"There are quite a few really talented women out there right now. Personally, I'm a big fan of Fabi Apache and Mickie James."



I would like to thank Lacey for taking time to give me this interview. Check out SHIMMER DVD's over at rohwrestling.com and now SHIMMER even has nation-wide distribution through Best Buy, so pick it up and see Lacey in action.



Shout Out's to our 411 Crew

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, just like you like them.


Truth B Told Bayani Domingo has those Asian girls looking good. Just to show you I pay attention. Pontificate means "to express opinions or judgments in a dogmatic way." Thanks for pointing out my mistake on Puma last week. So I don't get to claim Puma part of the Latino nation, oh well, the Philippines should be happy to know him. Anyway, Bayani talks about what the triple brand PPV's do to the fans and how they might get to see some more RVD or HBK but less Carlito or Matt Hardy. Will this equal better things for the "E" or is just a cheap way to hide the lack of star power. Read his column to find out.

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.

Meehan Gives you all the news with his great writing included too. Don't miss the King of Positivity.


Don't forget about High/Low Road Sat & Uncle Trunx discuss the Money in the Bank match.

Shining the Spotlight Michael Weyer continues his look at Wrestlemania's with Wrestlemania X8. It's actually a pretty fun read. So, if you enjoyed or disliked this Wrestlemania, why don't you tell Michael about it.

Top Ten Julian Williams is here with his Top Ten Wrestlemania Moments. Taking a page out of our book here, well you should read what he thinks are the top ten because it's always good to see where differing opinions lie.


Also don't forget to check out all those Wrestlemania Roundtables because the Staff put a lot into them and worked their butts off to put them all up on time.

Special shout out to the Andy Clark who's doing the Shimmy on Monday.

Finally, I need to give a special link to Jared Marcus in the Sports section for his column Curveballs and Sliders This week he strayed from the norm a bit and talked about wrestling and steroids, and why it shouldn't be a big deal compared to the other sports. It was a fun read and you should check it out.


There is something you should know about


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Hey check it out, did you hear? 411 has a Myspace. Go right here to visit the 411 page

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Now! Time for Feedback

Our first piece of feedback this week comes from our loyal follower John Bryant Bateman Who has a dream match for us. He also has a question that revolves around TNA's treatment of Monty Brown.

Finally...............I have returned for the final match of my best of 3 series. and it will be Alex Shelley going 1 on 1 with Gregory Helms. I just think due to the amazing talent of both of these men that this would be a very watchable and awesome match. but that's just my perspective, what does Pelletier have a copyright or something? anyhow next week I am cooking up my own special 4 way Ladder match in remininsce of the Armageddon ladder match so stay tuned and do me a favor: Don't watch any old WCW PPVs, my hat is off to Arnold Furious who is punishing himself by watching the horrid late 90s WCW PPV so we don't have too. Do you think TNA dropped the ball in utilizing Monty Brown and do you think WWE are doing a better drop now and will do one in the long run?


David Martell: Shelley vs. Helms could be a great fast paced cruiserweight match. It is really hard to say who would win this one but, I would have to go with Helms because he has more in ring experience and hell, he beat the Rock! Now on to you question. I really do think TNA dropped the ball on Brown but I really can't say if WWE will use him to his full potential. I think he's a great talent and he's excellent on the mic. He started back at the bottom right now in ECW but I'm guessing over time, he will get his chance to shine.

Alex Mattis: TNA more than dropped the ball with Monty Brown. The fact that he never won the NWA title was ridiculous. He should have won the belt at Final Resolution 2005, but for whatever reason he didn't. Monty always worked really hard and had some really good matches in TNA with Raven, Abyss, and The Alpha Male even had some good matches with Jeff Jarrett. Monty gave one last effort in trying to get a spot when he put on the best performance of his career, so far, in the Falls Count Anywhere match with Rhino and Samoa Joe at Hard Justice '06, but TNA opted not to do anything with him. Monty Brown should have been the face of that company. He and AJ where the first stars that that company built, at least I thought so. As for his run in the E, he may break out, but it won't be for a while, I can't really say what the future holds because you never know with Vince.

Sean Garmer: I don't really know if I would consider Alex Shelley vs. Gregory Helms a dream match, but we have two guys with similar styles. Both actually use the Lungblower in some form or fashion. Both guys are quick and I'd say that Alex Shelley gets the nod because of his superior mat skills. I think both Helms and Shelley could have a big future ahead of them in the business.

Did TNA drop the ball with Monty Brown? Alex has a point that he probably should have won the title instead of Christian. Especially, because the feud was going so well on it's own and TNA went ahead and put the ex WWE guy over a homegrown wrestler, which was not something expected for TNA at the time. Then Monty sadly had an injury that kept him out for a while too. Monty did try hard on the microphone where he was a natural, but not as hard in the ring. He had other things to tend to with his gym and did not depend on TNA for all his money. So he didn't really need to master the craft. Who knows, if that went through TNA's thought process, but the fact is, that he is now on ECW. Will he be a big deal? I think he has potential in WWE, but Vince has a track record of doing the exact opposite of TNA, and promoting his homegrown guys first. That's why Lashley and Kennedy are getting pushes instead of CM Punk and Monty Brown. Will Monty get a push later on? Who knows, but I don't think he will be left out in the jungle forever.


Our #1 fan Jeremy Robertson asks for our opinion on a match from Wrestlemania 2000.

I'm sending this one in a little earlier than usual, as requested. I just wanted to let you know that I watched the triple threat match between HHH, Benoit, and Michaels and it was amazing. Definately worthy of a Wrestlemania moment. I think another great triple threat is the one between Jericho, Angle, and Benoit. I just finished reading his book and had to pop in my DVDs when I came across that match in the book. What is your opinion on the match? I mean, Kurt got screwed out of his titles but it was still a very good match.


David Martell: Haha I actually remember this match when Angle was the Euro Intercontinental champion. Now, I don't remember to much of the details of this match but I do remember it was very entertaining and that Jericho won a title so all is good, but I'm guessing you are really talking about the HHH vs. Benoit vs. HBK match. I remember the match well because we were watching it together. At the time, for some reason, I didn't like Benoit and I wanted HBK to kick his face off. After Benoit won, though, I couldn't be mad because he worked so hard to get to that point and you had to be happy to see him with that belt, good stuff and good memories.

Alex Mattis: That match was really good, and I like the two falls, two titles on the line stipulation. I remember the crowd was dead for this match, which was unfortunate. My opinion on the match was that it was really good, but for some reason, I don't know what, I don't feel like that is the best those three could do together, but I keep in mind that Kurt was still fresh at that point, it's too bad the three never had a triple threat rematch.

Sean Garmer: I just finished watching the match thanks to WWE 24/7 Online. I have the PPV on DVD but I didn't have it with me at the time. This was too short to be near the best these guys could do. Angle would go on to have better matches with both of these guys separately, so I think Angle being a new guy made a difference here. The whole double title thing happened because of Bob Backlund's "tough love" and Angle ended up losing both titles that night. Benoit got the IC title by pinning Jericho after throwing Angle outside. Then Jericho got the European title by hitting the Lionsault on a prone Benoit. It was rather funny to see Angle lose both belts by not even getting pinned once. The match was good for what it was, and similar to the Triple Threat last year it was too short.


Lastly, someone that has never sent us anything before Luke Matheson Has an issue with Alex's obvious TNA bias.

Alex my man, although i generally enjoy your thoughts and insights on all things wrestling, your obvious bias towards TNA and negativity towards WWE is annoying me immensely. It has come to the point where i find myself completely skipping some of the stuff you write. Come on man, give it all an equal chance. I am a fan of WWE, TNA and WSX and enjoy all of them. Lately though the E has been on a rare streak whilst for the past 3 months TNA has been overbooked and all together shit.

Anyway man try and take a more positive view of the E and show willingness to give it a chance. I mean it is really noticeable in your match of the week vote, in which it is pretty much a given that no WWE match will get your vote, no matter the quality of the bout.
Thanks for hopefully reading.


David Martell: I know this comment is for Alex but I understand exactly what you are saying. Alex and I tend to argue about this a lot when we are talking wrestling. I do think Alex is a bit bias towards TNA but every once in awhile he will realize that WWE is doing something good. We have so many arguments about John Cena, and whether he is a decent wrestler or not. I'm glad someone is noticing this besides me! Thanks man, listen to him Alex give the E a chance!

Alex Mattis: Hey, first off thanks for the feedback, and of course I don't want you skipping my stuff so I'll try to do some justifying. I do give the E an equal chance; I have watched it since I was three. My problem is, I have seen how good they can be and to see them like they are it unfortunate. The E (Vince) is so worried about getting main stream attention through the "Battle of the Billionaires," through WWE Films and so wound up in the "entertainment" aspect that the WRESTLING part of the show suffers. I don't want you to think I don't like anything they do because I was at the Royal Rumble and that was an awesome show; they need more of that, no bullshit, just good entertaining, wrestling.
As for TNA, yes, they have been terrible for sometime now. And there isn't much relief as long as Russo is on board. So I will say that the E has been producing a better TV show than TNA for the past few months. If anything, I want you to know I am biased to the Indy's not TNA. ROH is my favorite promotion and if you haven't already I suggest you check them out, just straight up wrestling. The main thing you need to know about me is that I don't like the whole concept of "Sport Entertainment" or at least what it has become, but I have to accept it because Professional Wrestling will never be taken serious in the US. As for my MOTW pick last week, understand that I didn't see WWE or TNA, plus I love me some Jack Evans and don't know when the next time I am going to see him on national television is. Thanks again for the feedback.

Sean Garmer: As David pointed out, this was sent right for Alex, but I guess I should comment too. Alex and I don't talk much anymore as we've both taken wrestling in different directions. Alex is our Mr. Indy and prides himself on knowing all about the guys you don't see every night on RAW or Impact. I have to give him kudos for getting the interview with the gal from SHIMMER because that's totally cool. If he has a bias towards anything it's ROH. However, he's always ready to defend his baby TNA too. Both Alex and I, have watched wrestling since we were little and we seem to differ on quite a few things now, more than before, but hey that's life. I'll still be at every NLPW show supporting the promoter and him because I have to repay my friends somehow. I consider myself more of a WWE guy, mainly because I've watched them forever and own some stock in the company, so I'm happy as long as they make money, keep treating the legends well, and make cool DVD's. Truly, I've moved away from wrestling and just watch it whenever I don't have something else to do or watch on television. I keep doing this column because I get to keep writing, which is something I love to do, I also get to do research every week, and I get to do it with my friends. Besides, this column is what got me on 411, even though I have a foot hold in the games section, I can't leave my buddies hanging, plus I'm sure my opinion is still valued somewhere. As I, try to be the mediator between David and Alex that seem to argue about something all the time. I'm also glad to know David and Alex have become good friends, in my absence of not hanging out with them as much. I do see David everyday, because he's my roommate and one of the best friends I've ever had, but hey Luke, thanks for the email and I'm sure Alex will try to give the old E a chance.


A little extra


Sean: Before we finish here, I wanted to say something about Mark Sakamano getting himself fired. As someone that was fortunate enough to get hired to 411mania.com last April (wow, it's almost been a year) thanks go out to Alex and David too because I wouldn't be here without them and us working together on this column. They know how much they mean to me, so I don't have to keep saying it. I know Larry probably hates me sometimes because I can be erratic about getting things in on time, (and it doesn't help, this column was late too, to be fair, I had an interview and bunch of other stuff to edit this week) but I wanted to let everyone know that it's always been a joy to write for 411, since the very first day our first Triple Threat came out, to my latest game review, and everything in between. Ashish, Larry, and my boss in the Games section, Caleb, are the best people I could ever ask for. The staff, all the way around are awesome people and getting to know members in each section has been cool. It's also great to know there are people around here that share my love for Soccer. Anyhow, my point is that, I don't know how people could belittle all the work that goes on around here. 411 is not the #2 wrestling website (behind wwe.com that is) for nothing. All these column writers, news reporters, video reviewers, TV show reporters, and especially Larry Csonka work hard to make sure all the 411 fans have something new to read everyday. We are just a very small part of the big family that is 411. Props go to everyone in every section, because I find myself enjoying something everyday in each section. I'm glad to be able to lend a hand wherever I can, because it's a true privilege to write here. Not to mention it's amazing to see the Games section grow more every day right before my very eyes. In closing, I'll just say that, Mark you may not regret it ever, but you'll never know the great things you missed. Thanks again to Larry, Ashish, and Caleb for letting me write all around the website, it's truly a pleasure.


The End


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. Thanks everyone for the feedback, it's greatly appreciated, and let's us know, people read this column on 411. We are one week away from the big day, can you smell it. Next week, we won't be having a regular column. Instead, we will be going old school (we used to do this for every PPV on Myspace) with a full match-by-match preview of Wrestlemania 23. We hope you enjoyed the column and we will see ya later. Ciao Triple Threaters.


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