The Triple Threat 7.08.07: The 53rd Edition

Posted by David Martell on 07.08.2007

The Undertaker, is he really the dead man? Find out inside!

Welcome once again to the Triple Threat! Ok, this column has nothing to do with our teaser about the Undertaker being the dead man but it did pull you in right? This week was still filled with the drama of the Benoit incident but we did the best we could to find topics you wanted to hear about. We hope you enjoy this weeks column and if you don't, read it anyways!



Topic #1 IWA-MS has had some harsh times recently with the lack of merchandise sales and their last show "Point Proven" failing to bring in the big stars. Do you think IWA-MS is on the verge of dying and how do you think this will hurt the indy scene?


David Martell: This is really bad news for IWA-MS and indy wrestling fans. Back in April, Alex, Zach and I attended an IWA-MS show and it was amazing. We got to see Senshi vs. Hot Stuff in probably the best match I have ever seen live. This is really sad considering how hard the company works at making a quality product with great wrestling. I really hope that they are able to get back on their feet and to continue with what they do best.

Alex Mattis: Not too out of the norm in the indy wrestling world to hear that IWA-MS is having some problems. But this seems pretty serious. It seems like the Candio Cup buried them in a deep hole, and that the "Point Proven" show suffered from it. I knew they were serious about getting money when I saw that ROH is now selling IWA-MS DVD's on their online store, and Ian doesn't care too much Gabe and Ring Of Honor but I guess he needed to pair up with them in an attempt to make more money. I surely hope this isn't a hole they can't get themselves out of because their absence would leave a huge gap in independent wrestling. At this point, however, they really need start thinking some things through, the things that make no sense. They have just as good of shows, if not better than ROH has, but they draw half of the crowd. They need to figure things like this out.

Zach Brown: Having witnessed the amazing IWA-MS show, "Sunday Bloody Sunday," I recently had a newfound respect for Ian Rotten and his promotion. IfIWA-MS went under, I think it would have a huge negative impact on the Indy scene. While IWA-MS might not get mentioned as much as ROH or PWG,they are definitely a respected Indy brand. These guys host what is basically a giant King of the Ring for the Indy circuit – the Ted Petty Invitational. Ian and his promotion have a reputation for putting on very good shows, so it would be a huge loss if they left. That being said, this isn't the first time that IWA-MS has had problems with their big name talent showing up. Maybe they have had a streak of bad luck but who knows. As a fan it's disappointing. However, wanting to sell large amounts of merchandise is a natural step for any company to make, and I hope it's a sign of them growing, and not a sign of desperation. I don't know what kind of state the promotion is in, but if it went belly up, I would be sad to see it go.


Topic #2 Word has it that Samoa Joe is refusing to sign a TNA contract extension. Should he re-sign? Does he have a reason to re-sign? Has or will TNA use him properly?


David Martell: This seems to be the norm these days with talent in TNA not wanting to be in TNA. Joe has worked his ass off in TNA to prove that he can be the top dog and every time TNA drops the ball with him. Joe should of already had the TNA title by now. Joe could of been TNA's golden boy that made then the true alternative instead of the WWE lite. The fact that he is back in the X division is ridiculous. TNA has failed to utilize his abilities in every way possible. If I was Joe, I would not resign with TNA and I would move one to bigger and better things whether its WWE or ROH.

Alex Mattis: I think it is the right thing for him to do right now. He came into TNA with some much momentum, he was already over...way over. He got his huge push,dominated the X-Division, then began to be a main eventer, then in came Kurt Angle. It completely screwed Joe over. Now he undefeated streak was up, and he wasn't in the title picture. He got a title shot against Christian in an excellent match, the best TNA has had this year, but wasn't expected to win, and didn't. Then came the King Of The Mountain match, the 2 year anniversary of Joe being in TNA, what felt like Joe's night. And the first ever TNA champion is... Kurt Angle. The next week Joe won the X-Division title back for no solid reason. So all Samoa Joe has really done in these two years has been being an X-Division champ. If he doesn't resign I will miss seeing him on TV but will understand. TNA needs to wise up because losing Joe would be a crippling blow.

Zach Brown: This is really bad news for TNA. Joe is easily one of their top 5 guys, and should be THE top guy, but I digress. It's easy to see that Joe hasn't been treated the way he deserves to be. First of all, the main gold should be around his waist. Second, he should have a well
deserved raise that I hear he has been wanting. If Joe jumped ship, it would be a HUGE loss for TNA. When I think of TNA, Samoa Joe is the first name I think of, and that says a lot. If he threatens to go to the WWE, I hope to God he is only doing it to leverage a better deal. If not, it would only add to the McMahon-opoly of wrestling. I hope that Joe stays, and if he does, I hope it's a wake up call to the TNA booking staff.



Topic #3 Umaga won the IC title on RAW last monday, what do you think of this and do you think he deserves the title?


David Martell: Santino was a big sack of shit. Santino could not only get over, but he couldn't wrestle. Umaga deserved to beat Santino and he defiantly deserves the IC title for all the hard work hes been doing this year. Not only has Umaga had great matches this year but he was also part of the biggest match at Wrestlemania. I really think that Umaga could have a great run with the IC belt if used right. I think if they gave him a long run with the title crushing everyone in his path that they could easily put someone over by eventually beating this monster.

Alex Mattis: Anyone is better than Santino Alfredo I suppose. Umaga is such an incredibly awful gimmick but Jamal, the wrestler is good and can do impressive things for a man his size. So it's kind of a bittersweet thing. He could be so much better if they would just drop the lame Kamala style gimmick. As for deserving the title, the belt has little to zero importance or prestige around in right now. But if he has a good run and gets people to start caring about the title, then props to him. It will indeed be interesting to see what happens.

Zach Brown: At first, I hated Umaga. I used to think that you take one part Samoa Joe, one part Papa Shongo, add a big helping of shit, and you get Umaga. However, these days I respect Umaga more as a wrestler. In these past few months, he's shown he can really hang with the big dogs. But for the longest time, the IC title has meant absolutely nothing. On Umaga, the IC title was nothing more than a piece of jewelry, and it wasn't even defended at Wrestlemania. Putting the IC title on Umaga just shows that WWE is clueless about what they should really do with that title. I think they should put it on someone who has a big future like CM Punk or Carlito.


Topic #4 Rey Mysterio is finally making his return in the next month or so, what do you think this will do for Smackdown and do you think he
will still be a top star?


David Martell: I think Rey coming back will do wonders for Smackdown. Smackdown got killed in the draft this year losing a lot of their top stars. Smackdown really needs a baby face to challenge Edge in a program that could last a few months. I mean it has to be better then seeing Edge vs. Kane, right? I expect him to come back with a huge ovation and maybe be bigger then ever.

Alex Mattis: I know to some it is sac religious to say, but I can't stand Rey anymore. He was never anything amazing, he doesn't deserve all the praises he gets. He was never in the same class as Jericho, Malenko, or Eddie. And I maintain that in their respective primes, Juvi was better than Rey. The final straw for me was when Rey took part in all of those Eddie angles, just showed how much character he had. That being said, Smackdown needs some stars right now, after the draft they are scrapping for talent. But Rey? He hurts the believability of the product. I know wrestling is "fake" and all, but it just makes it seems like a joke when you put Rey against damn near anyone outside of the cruiser weight division. Once again we will just have to see how this pans out.

Zach Brown: Who's that jumpin out the sky? I never thought I'd be saying this, but thank God, Rey is coming back. I've never been a HUGE fan of Rey Mysterio, but when a big name wrestler is injured, it can really hurt the company. I'm glad he's coming back and yeah, I think he should
definitely be treated as a big dog. Just as long as he isn't Heavyweight Champion, because that just isn't believable at all.




Topic #5 The draft has already past, which brand do you think ended up with the better end of the deal?


David Martell: I defiantly think that RAW ended up with the better end of the deal. RAW ended up getting three main eventers in the draft including Lashley. ECW didn't do to bad either getting Nitro. Smackdown on the other hand got screwed out by losing two main eventers and the best tag team on the roster. I hope WWE knows what they are doing with this and hopefully we will see some new stars emerge on Smackdown.

Alex Mattis: I believe ECW made off the best in terms of re-establishing itself. It lost Lashley and Snitsky, two guys that come no where close to represent what ECW should be about. But it gained Johnny Nitro someone who could be a serious catalyst for the brand. Raw made off pretty well too, it gained Londreick, Steve Regal, Lashley, and MIIIIIIISSSSSSTTTTTEEEEERRRR Kennedy (dramatic pause) Kennedy. In the end Smackdown really got F'd in the A on this one.

Zach Brown: RAW definitely had the better end of the deal. They gained Mr. Kennedy AND King Booker, but regrettably, they had to welcome Shitsky to their roster. ECW pretty much only had one big name join their roster, and we all know what the outcome of that was. Smackdown received The Great Tumor-li, and get ready for this…Torrie Wilson AND Eugene…if that doesn't improve the Smackdown roster, I just don't know what will...



Topic #6 There is a possibility of Ric Flair being inducted into the hall of fame next year and having his last match at Wrestlemania in Orlando, what do you think of this?


David Martell: Its about time! Flair is way past do to be in the hall of fame and to retire. I do think that he has had some great matches in the past year but this guy is just too old. The best thing to do is to make him lose in a big match at Wrestlemania to an up and coming star. They can even shake hands at the end of the match just to put icing on the cake. One thing I will always remember Flair for was what he said right before Taboo Tuesday 2005, "Cage, cage, cage, cage!" You may not know what that means but trust me, it was classic.

Alex Mattis: The sooner the better with "The Nature Boy." He is very depressing to watch now-a-days, and to me is tarnishing his legacy. At this point I'll have a hard time remembering the Ricky Flair that wrestled amazing match with the likes of Barry Windham and Dragon Steamboat, I'll remember the Flair, that unlike Windham and Steamboat, never stepped aside and tried to hold onto his spot for as long as he could. He just can't let it go, and it's almost uncomfortable watching him preform. He is so bad and his physical condition is upsetting. That being said the retirement-induction at the same time would just be a cheap ploy to make more $$$ and I don't think Flair would really want to do it.

Zach Brown: To be honest, it makes me sad to see Ric Flair go. I mean yeah, his retirement is long overdue. And yeah, his skin is pretty leathery these days. And yeah, Alex, David, and I make fun of Flair's gravity-challenged titties on numerous occasions, but hey, the guy is a
legend. Seriously though, I think it would be amazing if Flair delivered an amazing match for Wrestlemania 24. I would also be very happy to see Flair inducted into the Hall of Fame. Even though I believe this year should be Owen Hart's induction year, Flair is great choice. He's one of the most respected men in the business, and I think this is great year for Ric Flair's swan song.











Thats the column for this week and hopefully next week we will have a lot more topics to talk about. Stay tuned for another exciting week of wrestling and cya next Sunday! Peace.


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