411 Fact or Fiction 3.06.08: The Machineguns on MTV, WWE’s New Announcing Philosophy, TNA Ticket Sales and More!

Posted by Larry Csonka on 03.06.2008

Week ONE HUNDRED and SIXTY-EIGHT features Mikey MiGo, Ari Berenstein and discussion of Tammy Sytch seeing “Sunny” days in the WWE.

Welcome back to another week of 411 Fact or Fiction: Wrestling Edition! This week, two 411 writers go to battle as Ari Berenstein enters the 411 Arena to do battle with Mikey MiGo!

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Let's get to it!

1. WWE's change in announcing philosophy (focusing more on story and less on action and the moves) will make for better TV.

Mikey MiGo: FACT. The WWE fan base knows that the product is a story. The stories build the PPV matches, characters, and main focus of the shows. Do we really care about the rest hold from the middle of a Snitsky/Michaels match or do we care about the big build up to the Flairs retirement? I almost wanted to say Fiction because is this philosophy so new? I don't think so. It's pretty much been the same since the Attitude era. Maybe we realize it more so now because we were in denial because of all the dream matches we were getting and all of the money angles. New philosophy or old, this helps move along the focus of the shows.

Ari Berenstein : FACT. Although, I don't see how this is an different from how WWE's commentary philosophy has been over the last few years. In '05-'06, we here on the internet would always be reading these stories where Joey Styles was taken to task for calling too many moves on not focusing on the overall story of the match. Jim Ross's commentary in WWE has always been more on the story and the emotions being told rather than whether or not Cody Rhodes is using a hammerlock or a short arm scissors. WWE TV is basically about emotion and personality, so it makes sense that keeping the focus on such things will help to go with their already developed environment. Laying out for the more dramatic moments is also the right call to make--its much better to "show" rather than tell in a story and letting the visual and audio speak for itself can help to create many more memorable moments for WWE programming. It's a lesson the TNA commentary position desperately needs to learn.

Score: 1 for 1


2. With his injury history, Rey Mysterio shouldn't be messing with experimental surgeries on his torn bicep and should instead reliable on proven methods surgery.

Mikey MiGo: FACT. Rey had his run on top for a cup of coffee, but he's not really being missed from the Smackdown main event scene. Sure, he's a great second or third from the top face, but I'm not even sure there are enough higher tier heels to balance it out. He should take his time and comeback healthy. He's not a big guy or even average so his stock is limited. I am a fan of his work when he's with the right person, but the second he's not capable of flipping around and using a fast pace work rate he's sorta useless. Why not casually fade out rather than risking a chance of abruptly ruining your potential longevity? I'd like to see him get fixed up, come back, join ECW and be a big fish in a small pond.

Ari Berenstein : FACT. Now granted, I don't know much about surgery and I don't know much about this experimental procedure, but it stands to reason that if you want to really be sure that something will be taken care of and fully healed, you go with the proven methods that have worked. Wrestlers can feel the pressure to rush to get back to the ring as soon as possible and I believe that is a part of what Rey is going through, especially with missing Wrestlemania and the huge angle with Mayweather. Mysterio just came back in August of '07, and he above all people should realize that if you don't take care of injuries the right way, it will just come back to haunt you in the future. Or, he could just ask Batista.

Score: 2 for 2


3. While Tammy Sytch (Sunny) has been great in her ROH run, it will not translate into a return to the WWE.

Mikey MiGo: FACT. It won't help her at all. ROH is not even a blip on the WWE radar. Consider the fact that WWE is brass enough to advertise a TNA PPV on their site. Does anyone really think a glorified Indy who couldn't even sell as many PPVs in Canada as Dante Hick's girlfriend sucked d**ks? In hip hop music (often covered on the Music Zone of 411Mania.com!) you have "street cred", for wrestling its "net cred". Sytch working ROH builds up her "net cred", but I don't think it adds much stock to her WWE return. Despite the fact that I grew up a huge fan of hers, I don't see her back in WWE. I'd like to be wrong on this, but how often does Vince bring back former divas when he can just have a "Diva Search" and take four or five from there and see who lasts?

Ari Berenstein : FICTION. Although, it won't be an immediate return, I think a consistent performance in ROH will do everything in the world for Tammy Sytch to have a "sunny" return to WWE. Now there are certain factors that could impact WWE's desire to bring her in, age being one thing, but to be honest WWE has always been the sort of place where its alumni in good standing will get second chances at glory. Sytch has been very good in her two ROH appearances thus far and there is a ton of great segments and angles that can be done with her while she's still there. Yet, many of wrestling's "stars" make short runs in ROH and are soon on their way back to the E (Mick Foley, James Gibson / Noble, etc.) Sunny could be back in WWE towards the end of the year.

Score: 2 for 3

---SWITCH~!---

4. TNA continues to show bad business practices by having guys come in to work angles without having them signed to deals.

Ari Berenstein : FACT. TNA has repeatedly shown their ignorance when it comes to business practices, but good lord, how many times do they have to make the same mistake? TNA has been burnt by Scott Hall, Rikishi and so many others, and they're just lucky that they seem to be getting out of the larger part of the Messias storyline without any major backfires. Now if he leaves for whatever reason, the impact of his loss is minimal. GET IT TOGETHER TNA! You are not an "independent" wrestling promotion anymore. You want to be perceived as the "big boys", then you better use standard business practices and sign your talent to contracts, no matter if it's a short or long term deal.

Mikey MiGo: FACT. I'm not a WWE kool-aid drinker. I love the art of professional wrestling in general terms, but TNA makes it really hard to enjoy their product. I have a soft spot in my heart for Independent wrestling so I enjoy the under card and have seen some of them work Chicagoland shows on their way to making it to your TV. It doesn't change the fact that TNA is pretty much at where WCW was during the dieing days. They had kick ass cruisers, some solid under carders, former WWE/F Main Eventers, and home grown main eventers who'd be lucky to mid-card a WWE program. The latest with Mesias isn't so much a big deal as what has happened in the past with guys like Rikishi and others. Mesias is big and what not, but Abyss can fall on thumbtacks wrestling anyone. If you can't get something signed by these guys before they appear on television then it's just a sign of weakness and desperation. Consider this another tally mark for the "TNA F*ck Up List".

Score: 3 for 4


5. TNA will not take advantage of Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley appearing on MTV's "Made."

Ari Berenstein : FACT. In as much as they NEVER really do take advantage of their talent appearing in other media programs. Example: how much hype did Kurt Angle get on Impact for appearing on Pros vs. Joes? I think they were too busy doing "Kurt and Karen Angle argue...again" angles. The Motor City Machine Guns are young, hip and almost seem to be cut from an MTV generation perspective. This makes them exciting, and more importantly MARKETABLE both in and out of the ring. I just don't see that TNA will do anything real to capitalize on their TV appearances elsewhere. But...then again...do we really want to see some sort of outlandish angle with the kid they trained, like him being brought in to back them up...and then in a SHOCKING SWERVE ends up betraying them? Thanks, but I'll pass on that.

Mikey MiGo: FICTION. Are you kidding? If history and the Chicago White Sox prove anything, TNA will ride this one as far as they can and then drag it on longer that it should. I had to research this one a little more, but I did to find out that Sabin and Shelley will be training a young gay man how to wrestle. It all depends on how over the show is. I can still remember seeing Shark Boy, Rory Fox, and old Heartland guys on "True Life" back during the tail end of the last wrestling boom. Regardless, it's free publicity to TNA talent and just participating to me is "taking advantage" of it.

Score: 3 for 5


6. The Lockdown PPV from Lowell, Massachusetts will have the most success ticket sale wise of the PPV's that have been taken on the road.

Ari Berenstein : FICTION. Doing a bit of research into this it seems that TNA may be overreaching their bounds. They are running an 8,000-seat arena, about double the previous buildings they have used when taking the PPVs on the road. Now given the relatively poor response in ticket sales from previous road PPVs (having to paper tickets, moving fans to one side of the hard camera or the infamous 1,500 ticket purchase by Pacman Jones "for the kids")...having a new ticket sale record may actually be possible. However, I just don't feel positive enough about them doing it to go "Fact" on this one. In all likelihood, they will have to paper heavily one more time.

Mikey MiGo: FACT. I think this will solely be thanks to ROH and Smarks. The upper half of the East Coast is a smark goldmine. ROH seems to be successful in the area, which to me means money for TNA. Just put Samoa Joe, Styles, "Curry Man", and all the of the ROH magnets on and then add on the WWE castaways and you have yourself a half filled venue. They'll paper the rest, hold the details to themselves, and claim glory. If they're not a public company, I see no reason they shouldn't do just that. They can create their own milestones real or not. As for legitimate "draw", sure… but I wouldn't bust out the narcotics, cheap booze, and ring rats just yet. They're still just relying on ROH's central fan base, WWE diehards, and smarks.

Score: 3 for 6


These two finish 3 for 6! Come on back next week for more of 411 Fact or Fiction: Wrestling Edition!