The Triple Threat 5.04.08: The 90th Edition - Jeff Hardy, Title Changes, Tomko and More

Posted by David Martell on 05.04.2008

This week we talk WWE title changes, Jeff Hardy's Career, Tomko as our superstar highlight, and we respond to your comments. Everything you want and more! Come inside!

Welcome back to the Triple Threat. This week we have several goodies. We are talking about Triple H winning the WWE Title, Jeff Hardy's career, Tomko is our superstar highlight, and we respond to your comments from last week. Have a good read.


Topic # 1 Triple H won the WWE Title last week at Backlash. What are your thoughts on this?

David Martell: I can't stress this enough, I hate Triple H. Maybe I am just bitter because he beat Orton for the title but I cannot stand when Triple H is the champion. It will be a sad, sad day when Triple H beats the record of most world titles. I know that all he cares about. His title reign might only last a month, but in the end he will be the seventeen time world champion. It is funny to note that every time Orton has lost the title, it was by the hands of Triple H. I will at least say that a cage match between the two at Judgment Day is intriguing. I do hope we will get the fourth title run of young Orton and the wrestling gods, no not JBL, can smile once again.

Alex Mattis:
Triple H with the world title? Anyone surprised? Me either. I was and am so pissed that this happened. Not just that HHHitler is champ again, but I feel that ending Orton's title reign at this point was a horrendous move. I vented enough about this topic on my column earlier this week, so I'll try to not be so negative. I don't see much of a title run here, in fact I think Orton has a good chance of getting the gold back at Judgment Day. But is Trips gets out with the title, I suppose that means he's going to lose it to Cena at SummerSlam. What an awesome scenario!!!


Zach Brown: I'm very disappointed that Randy Orton lost his title to HHH at Backlash. Orton was a great champ, and I really don't like that they took the title off him at Backlash. Even though last year's Backlash delivered, no one watched it because let's be honest, no one expects big changes at the PPV after Wrestlemania. And I really thought that Orton's win at Wrestlemania meant that WWE had long term plans for Orton as WWE Champion. I guess if I had to pick someone besides Orton to have the belt, HHH isn't the worst idea in the world. I'd much rather have him hold the belt instead of JBL or Cena. But I'm not too crazy about HHH either. I don't know, I guess I'm just sour on the whole thing. I really wouldn't have minded if Orton lost his title to Triple H at a bigger event like Summerslam or something like that. But because it was done at Backlash, it kind of makes his reign look a little weak in my opinion.


Topic # 2 Matt Hardy won US Title gold last week at Backlash. Your thoughts?

David Martell: It is about damn time. This feud was arguably the best feud of 2007 and it got cut short by Matt Hardy's injury and secret surgery. I really like how these guys worked together and I really doubt the feud is over. It is good to see some gold around the non-drugged up Hardy. Not only is Matt a better wrestler than Jeff, he keeps himself clean. I really wish this could have been at Wrestlemania or another big PPV instead of at Backlash. It just doesn't seem as important. Like I said, this isn't over yet. Expect to see many other Hardy vs. MVP matches throughout the summer time.

Alex Mattis:Another big title change happened at Backlash, only this one was after much build. This was a big win for Matt, but it seems to me that it was long overdue. It may have meant more and been more special for Hardy if he had won it several months ago, but you know you can't control injuries. From here I'm not sure if Hardy is in for a long title reign, or if he'll just lose it back to MVP. Either way, it was good to see this feud finally pay off and for Matt Hardy to finally get something going for him.

Zach Brown: I'm pretty indifferent about Matt Hardy beating MVP for the US Championship. I know Matt Hardy is a talented guy, but lately, I just never really want to see him wrestle. And I know MVP is good too, but I don't really care too much if he has the US Title or not. They've had a pretty entertaining feud, but I'm not a huge fan of either guy. Both of them are just ok to me, and the US Title is just a piece of jewelry to me. So yeah, if WWE thinks this is a good idea, so be it. But I'm just not too interested.


Topic # 3 Mr. Kennedy made his return this past Monday night on RAW. How do you feel about his return and possible face turn?

David Martell: It is good to see Mr. Kennedy back. For awhile I had no idea he was shooting a movie so I was clueless on where he was. I like the fact that he will be feuding with Regal. It is definitely something new and maybe the only fresh feud on RAW at the point. Right now we are going through feud rehash with HBK vs. Jericho and Triple H vs. Orton. I am all for the Kennedy face turn mainly because RAW has been lacking in faces. Kennedy is one of those wrestlers that people like whether they are a good guy or a bad guy. I see this working well for him because he does somewhat resemble the Rock. He is worth watching and I am looking forward to see where this gets him.

Alex Mattis:It's good to see Mr. Kennedy (Kennedy) back, after a brief absence. An exciting, yet odd, return as it could have marked the beginning of the face turn of Kennedy. I really don't understand what the E was trying to accomplish with Ken confronting Regal. I guess they are going for the Stone Cold "confronting authority" approach to getting Kennedy over. I think it is rather unessacary because Kennedy could get way over just doing what he's doing. I think a match between the two could be good, I just think they're taking a wrong approach to getting Kennedy over as a face.


Zach Brown: I'm really happy that Kennedy is back. I think it's funny that he's pretty much only gone for 3 weeks, but they are already touting his "return." It would have been MUCH better if he re-debuted a week prior and won King of the Ring, but I digress. If Kennedy is immediately going to start feuding with William Regal, I'd really enjoy that. Not to mention, I'm kind of eager to see him turn face again. While he's a great heel, I really want Kennedy to get a huge push. And in my opinion, the best way to do that is to really have the audience behind you when you're a face. Overall, I'm glad Kennedy is back, and I want to see an actually entertaining feud with him because I don't think the WWE has been using him to his full potential for the past few months.


Topic # 4 ROH is heading to the Hammerstein Ballroom on May 10th. What are your thoughts on this event and the importance of the show?

David Martell: It is always good to see wrestling in the Hammerstein Ballroom. It is a very historical wrestling landmark. ROH is definitely deserving of having a show here and it would be a great site to see. This show should have a great atmosphere and this is a great place to have their 6th anniversary. ROH has a good track record of shows at the Hammerstein ballroom and this should be just as good as its predecessors.

Alex Mattis:What a huge event this is going to be for Ring Of Honor. Some could make the argument that it is their biggest to date. The venue where they are running has so much history behind it and they card they are presenting is excellent. ROH's biggest stars will be in action at this huge show, as well as some big names from Japan. In tag action Kevin Steen & El Generico will take on the NRC of Rocky Romero and Davey Richards. The FIP title will be on the line when Roderick Strong defends against Erick Stevens and Go Shiozaki in a triple threat match. In a rematch from Final Battle 2005, Bryan Danielson will take on Naomichi Marifuji in what should be a classic. In what promises to be a wild tag match, Jay Briscoe & Austin Aries will take on the AOTF with no DQ. In the main event world title match Claudio Castagnoli will try to take the gold away from Nigel McGuinness. And in a match I've wanted for a long time, and can't wait to see... the one and only Necro Butcher will face Takeshi Morishima. I lost my shit when I read this match was signed. I can't stress enough how awesome this match should be. This could be the stiffest match ROH has ever seen, and I expect both to need a little down time after this encounter.

Zach Brown: I love seeing wrestling shows out of the Hammerstein Ballroom. Seeing a PPV take place there is completely nostalgic for me. Not only does it remind me of old school ECW, but it even reminds me of the One Night Stand PPVs that WWE used to run in there. Like the sign that read "If Cena Wins, We Riot." Or Sandman's iconic entrance through the crowd. Or Stone Cold Steve Austin cutting a hilarious promo about Eric Bischoff and all the other WWE heels in the building and addressing JBL as "JBL with your little yella tie." Classic. But seriously, if there is any promotion that deserves to run shows out of the Hammerstein Ballroom, it's ROH. Due to the complete smarky/anti-Cena attitude that the WWE received when they did One Night Stand, I think it's safe to say that WWE won't do another PPV there. So yeah, ROH is pretty much the only promotion (besides old school ECW) that I would think is acceptable to run shows there. The Hammerstein Ballroom is a historic place. There's no other way to say it. ROH's last two shows in the Hammerstein (Final Battle and Glory by Honor) were amazing, so I expect this next one to be just as great as those two shows.


Topic # 5 Upon his return, where does Jeff Hardy's career go from here?

David Martell: I am not going to lie; I actually had hope for Jeff. I jumped on his bandwagon and was even hoping he would win the title, which looked eminent. Then he fucked up once again. I should have listened to Alex; I should have never praised Jeff Hardy for anything. You are what you are and he obviously hasn't changed. It is hard to say where his career will go from here. I have a feeling the E will forgive him and stick him right where he left off. He is way too popular with the kids and wrestling fans of old. He is a money making machine and it would be smart, not right, to stick him back in the main event scene. If I was running the show, I would keep him on the mid card for a very long time. This is his job; he needs to learn how to do it without any complications.


Alex Mattis:He is screwed. Plain and simple. This last stunt of his has put him in a horrible position. The E was giving him the push of his life and he proved that he isn't trustworthy, thus the E will never want to invest too much in him again out of fear of this kind of thing happening again. Even worse his fans, which I am not one of, will have some trepidations to hop back on his bandwagon and support him because he may do something like this again and let them down. Like I said, he's screwed.

Zach Brown: I know exactly where Jeff Hardy's WWE career is going. Mid-card purgatory. Jeff really screwed the pooch. He was supposed to get a WWE title run and a huge push as well. But no, he thought it was a good time in his career to forget about WWE's Wellness policy. If WWE gives him another push for the title like that again, I'll really be surprised. He'll probably have some entertaining feuds with Mr. Kennedy, Chris Jericho, MVP or other good mid-carders. But I think his shot at greatness is long gone now. Just as he was about to taste the biggest accomplishment of his career, he blows it with something stupid like drugs. I honestly do feel bad for him. But if I was Jeff, and I wanted to accomplish greater things in my career, I would look outside WWE. Because at this point, he's just doomed to the midcards for the rest of his career.

Superstar Highlight

Tomko


Our thoughts on Tomko.

David Martell: I have never really cared for Tomko. To me he always seemed like a Test type wrestle. Yes, I am referring to the wrestler Test. He has never been a very talented wrestler but the times he was with Christian, he was gold. I have enjoyed his stints in the WWE and TNA with Christian. He plays the body guard character really well and he is a pretty good tag team wrestler. I did enjoy the Christian Coalition where him and AJ Styles were the tag champs. Now that he is "on his own," I am not interested at all. He doesn't have the character or the wrestling ability to be a main eventer. Of course, TNA isn't very intelligent on this matter. Tomko needs a lot of work and it is possible that one day he might be able to be a decent singles wrestler, but his time is not right now. I do like the fact that he expanded his knowledge of wrestling by going to Japan but even then he was just another tag team wrestler. Put him on the mid card, let him wrestle with some decent guys and give him some mic time. In due time, he will learn how to better himself as a singles wrestler.


Alex Mattis:I enjoy watching Tomko so much these days, and that's something I though I would never say. Tomko got kind of an easy ticket in the wrestling world, he had a good look, good size, and debuted in the E in a pretty high profile program. But he would later come to earn my respect and appreciation when he used the opportunity he had to improve himself as a wrestling, and today is one of the most rapidly improving wrestlers around. Tomko is 10 times better today than he was back in his E days, and today is one half of what I think is one of the best tag teams around. Who'd have ever thought that Tomko and AJ Styles would make such an awesome team? I know he is in quite a bit of hot water with TNA, but I think this will blow over, and I look forward to what his future hold. I feel he has alot to offer TNA, and the wrestling world for that matter.


Zach Brown: Tomko really hasn't won me over as a single's wrestler. I liked Tomko when he was paired with AJ Styles, but I think that was mostly AJ's doing. AJ is a superbly talented wrestler and a really funny heel too, so I don't know how much credit I can really give Tomko for their success. It's kind of bad when the only highlight of Tomko's career that comes to *my* mind is when Christian was about to rap battle Cena, and Christian says "Tomko gimmie a beat!" And of course Tomko says no. Pretty much everyone remembers that. It was hilarious. And you know I just don't really like much else about him. His tattoos are downright retarded. Actually, maybe it's just a smart marketing move on his part. If you don't know his name, it's tattooed on his freaking back. Actually, I take it back, that tattoo is definitely retarded. His wrestling style is just regular strong style and average at best. He really works best in a tag team or in a stable when he can kind of blend in. That's the thing about Tomko--he doesn't really stand out to me. He's just kind of there. To me, he's pretty much Mr. Blend-In. I mean granted, there are worse cases of wrestlers that don't stand out like Mike Knox or Rob Conway. But Tomko is actually a wrestler that is on TV for a good amount of time. And he's STILL average. It may seem like I'm kind of talking bad about Tomko, but I really don't dislike him. He's really so average that he's not good enough to like, and not bad enough to hate. All around, he's just "Eh."

Something to remember Tomko by. This video is too good, have to use it again.


Feedback Frenzy

This is our response to your comments and feedback of last week's column.

David Martell: I am honestly surprised that people actually hate Stone Cold Steve Austin. I really think he had the right to complain about jobbing to people like Coach. Hell, I wouldn't job to the coach. I guess a lot of people forgot that Stone Cold broke his freakin neck. Not only that, he also had bad knees. It is hard to be a great wrestler all the time when you constantly have pain. He was also a lot older than Cena. I honestly believe Stone Cold is one of the greatest of all time. He has way more memorable moments in his career. He had a reason to be angry and speak out against bad storylines. It is sad that someone like Cena who is on the top of the food chain doesn't speak out when needed. When you are the number one star of a wrestling company, you get some say so. If they lose the big star they lose a big chunk of money. It is that simple. Does anyone remember the match Stone Cold had with Bret Hart at Wrestlemania? That is better than anything that Cena has done. I don't hate Cena but he is still years behind Stone Cold.

Alex Mattis:First I would just like to thank all of y'all that leave feedback, whether is be good or bad it's good to hear from our readers. Now all this feedback about comparing Cena to Austin and so forth. There isn't much point in arguing in my opinion. There is no comparison to draw. Austin is in a totally different class than Cena, and always will be. I don't feeling like going on a long rant but I don't understand how some of y'all can bash Austin. Yeah, in his personal life he did some things I'm sure he regrets. But in the wrestling world there has never been a bigger star than Stone Cold Steve Austin. Austin was the all around best sports entertainer the industry has ever seen. I don't see anyone in the near future even coming close to the level of Stone Cold.


Zach Brown: What really shocks me about last week's comments was that a surprising amount of people are kind of anti-Steve Austin. How is this even possible? Was everyone present during the attitude era? To hear anyone honestly disliking Stone Cold Steve Austin is appalling to me. A few people made comments about how Stone Cold refused to job to people back in the day. To my knowledge, this had only happened twice, and one of the jobs was to JONATHAN FREAKING COACHMAN. So how can you knock Stone Cold for that? Granted the other was to Scott Hall, but I'm not a Scott Hall fan either, so it doesn't really upset me. And yes, there were incidents where Stone Cold walked out or no showed, but it was his way of protesting a terrible storyline. I mean honestly, if I somehow had the opportunity to stick it to Vince Russo, or the guy that wrote the Katie Vick storyline, or any of the other horrendous wrestling bookers throughout the years, I would do it in a heartbeat. So I don't knock Stone Cold for that either. Honestly, I think some of you guys need to re-watch some classic RAW segments. You can't honestly sit there and watch Stone Cold drive the zamboni into the arena OR watch him hose down people with the beer truck and NOT get goose bumps or at least a smile on your face. When David, Alex, and I talk about the greatest wrestlers of all time, Stone Cold is usually at the top of our list. We each have our own personal favorites, (such as Chris Jericho for David, Bret Hart for Alex, and The Rock for myself) but Stone Cold is pretty much the one person in wrestling that each of us agree on as the best of all time. I know a lot of people would disagree with that, but to each his own. So I really think Stone Cold deserves some respect. He may have his faults, but they are easy to overlook because in my opinion, he is pretty much the most popular wrestler of all time.

That is it for this week. I hope you enjoyed our column and we look forward to reading and responding to your feedback. Have a great week in wrestling. Cya!