The Triple Threat 9.14.08: The 108th Edition - TNA No Surrender, Gimmick Matches, The Undertaker and More

Posted by David Martell on 09.14.2008

This week we tell you our thoughts on No Surrender, the newly crowned champions in the WWE, our favorite gimmick matches, and our Superstar Highlight, The Undertaker.

Welcome back once again to the Triple Threat Column. Did anyone see the "All American" American on ECW? Absolutely terrible. You cant get more generic than that guy. The only thing Matt Striker could say good about this guy was that he had a good smile. Anyways. This week we are talking about No Surrender, the WWE title changes from last week, our favorite gimmick matches and our superstar highlight is the Undertaker. Please enjoy!


Topic # 1 TNA‘s No Surrender is this Sunday. What are your thoughts on the card?

David Martell: Just to start off, I don't get to watch TNA that often due to work so I am sorry for my lack of knowledge in advanced. Lets get this started. ODB vs. Kong should be an all out brawl. There two biggest women going at it should be fun to watch but I am not too sold on ODB. She cuts some terrible promos. I absolutely hate the Prince Justice Brotherhood. TNA is making a joke out of Christopher Daniels. I know he has had this gimmick before TNA, but he is so much better as the Fallen Angel. I am going to pull for the Rock N' Rave Infection in this one. Why does TNA have to give matches special names? The Ladder of Love match sounds ridiculous but is should be alright. These guys are both good workers but I hope this feud ends soon. The Kockouts championship match between Taylor Wilde and Angelina Love should be solid but I don't expect anything special here. The MMA match between Styles and Trigg will probably be an eye sore. This is wrestling not MMA, get that shit out of here. (I am not saying MMA is shit but this is wrestling and that's what I expect to see) I am not high on Petey Williams Maple Leaf Muscle gimmick, I think Bashir is worse then Muhammad Hassan, and Creed should go back to the 70s. With all of that said, this should be a decent match. I like all of these guys wrestling abilities and this should be a fun triple threat match. I hope LAX kills Beer Money but I believe I heard somewhere that they want to get Hernandez a singles push. Beer Money will most likely win this match and keep their titles. The TNA world title match looks good but I think it is sad that three of these guys are ex-WWE wrestlers. Where are the TNA originals? This should be an easy win for Joe here and it is probably the best match on the card. Overall, this could be decent but I doubt it will be worth talking about.

Alex Mattis: Several matches on the card look promising but others look bleh. For what it's worth I think ODB Vs. Awesome Kong could be the best match on the card. Ladder of love? Wow. The rest of the undercard is just more of the same with the usual suspects. Then we move on to an MMA match with AJ Styles and Frank Trigg, LAME! I love AJ, but this shit is ridiculous. There is no believable way that Styles could beat Trigg in an MMA environment. Trigg is on the bubble on being a top 10 middleweight in the world... AJ is a professional wrestler. This whole thing just reeks of lame. The triple threat for the X Division title could be spotty fun. I'd like to see LAX get their gold back, but I do love the pairing of Storm and Roode... but they seriously need a new fuckin' name. And in the main event, 3 former E stars will take on the lone spirit of TNA. I don't see a need for this match at all. At the end of the event though don't expect to see Joe without the title.

Zach Brown: No Surrender looks like it could be pretty decent, but I think it has a few missteps. First of all, Frank Trigg vs. AJ Styles in an MMA match!? Is a win or a loss here actually going to count towards Frank's record? Of course not. What a farce. I hate when professional wrestling tries to do anything related to MMA. Wrestling and MMA are two completely different breeds, and I hate when WWE or TNA tries to appeal to the MMA crowd. On the other hand, the two women's matches looks pretty decent. ODB vs. Awesome Kong could be a great showcase of power, while Angelina Love vs. Taylor Wilde will probably be as good as any women's match TNA puts on. Also, the Tag Match with Beer Money and LAX looks pretty good because both teams are excellent wrestlers. Meanwhile, I fully expect Team 3D vs. Abyss and Matt Morgan to be awful. As for the "Ladder of Love" match, I wish this feud would just end already. The storyline is God-awful, and we've had Sonjay vs. Lethal for months now. The match could be decent, but it's just tired at this point. The 3-way match for the X-Division championship is hard to determine because I really only like Petey Williams. But who knows? They might have some good chemistry. The Six person Inter-gender match is not very promising either. And finally, the Four Ways to Glory match looks like a great match, but I don't think Joe's in any danger of losing the belt. Overall, that's about 4 matches that I'm excited for, 4 that I'm worried about, and probably 1 that's a toss up. Does that warrant a purchase? I'm not entirely sure. None of these matches are "must-see" matches in my opinion, so it's not that hard to pass on. But it's not the worst PPV that TNA could have offered us. I'd say it's just average. But why isn't Sting wrestling!? He's the best thing that TNA has going for them, and he's not even on the card. That my friends, is the real crime here.


Topic # 2 Chris Jericho won the WWE World Title this past Sunday. How do you feel about him winning the belt?

David Martell: I have been waiting a very long time for this to happen. He has been in the best feud of the year with HBK and now he is our world champion. What can be better than this? NOTHING! It is kind of sad that they just dropped Punk out of the match. I guess that was a good way of getting the belt off him without him looking weak. I think the cage match next week between the two could be a lot of fun but I have a feeling it will end with an interference. I do look forward to the CM Punk vs. Orton feud, though. I also look forward to the rubber match between Jericho and HBK. I wish they could some how save this match for Mania because I really think it would go over well, but I see this ending at Survivor Series. Jericho is at the top of his heel game now and I am looking forward in seeing how his title reign pans out.

Alex Mattis: It's the perfect time for this. Jericho is the top heel on Raw and has been doing amazing work as of late, and CM Punk's atrociously booked title reign needed to come to an end. It was a pretty good surprise to see Chris enter the match and win considering he has a pretty brutal affair earlier in the night. I know he is now scheduled to go on and face CM Punk in a cage match this Monday night on Raw, but I don't expect the title to change hands. It should be a really good back and forth match, but in the end Jeri will pull it out with some sort of heel tactics. This could be a excellent run for Chris and his new phenomenal, while I really enjoyed his run in '01-'02 I think this could be the title run he deserves.

Zach Brown: Well this is exactly what I wanted, but not how I wanted it to happen. Kind of a double edged sword I guess. On one hand, Jericho is a great choice for the champ. He probably had the feud of the year with Shawn Michaels, and he's been one of the best heels in recent memory. With as good as he's been doing lately, I thought it was just a matter of time before he got the belt. But on the other hand, he should have beat CM Punk for it! Now I know that everyone says, "well it doesn't make Punk look weak because he can say that he never actually lost the title." That's true, but I don't neccessarily like that either. If CM Punk should rightfully have the belt, then I don't want anyone else to have it. It doesn't make Punk look weak, but it's just annoying that he doesn't have the title when he still should. And Jericho got the shit kicked out of him earlier in the night! It was a great surprise, and it made Jericho look good, but it was a little hard to believe. So yeah, I'm happy that Jericho is the new champ, but I'd be much happier if he beat Punk clean for the belt.


Topic # 3 Matt Hardy won the ECW World Title at Unforgiven. What are your thoughts on him being the champ?

David Martell: Matt Hardy finally wins one of the big belts, if you can call the ECW title that. It is great to see him as the face of ECW and I am glad he got a world title before his brother Jeff. I have always been on the Matt Hardy bandwagon and I hope, somehow, this boosts up his popularity level so he can move on to bigger and better things. Too bad there isn't any good heels on ECW for Matt to feud with. I do like Elijah Burke but who knows when we will see that guy again. It looks like we are stuck seeing more of Mark Henry.

Alex Mattis: It's what needed to be done. While Mark Henry was making a decent monster champion, in the long run it was just going to grow stale and not be able to cut the mustard. Hardy has always been loved by the fans and has deserved some big titles. This is a great chance for him, he is now the champ and face of a brand full of younger less known guys and can't really bring a lot of credibility to the brand and the title. I think he will have a good run for as long as he has the strap, and in the end he'll probably lose it to a up and comer.

Zach Brown: Who didn't see this coming? It was immediately predictable as soon as you saw his picture on the "Drafted to ECW" screen. Mark Henry wasn't necessarily a bad champ. Hell, I'll take him over Chavo Guerrero any day of the week. But Matt Hardy is just the obvious choice to push the brand. He's popular, but not quite popular enough (a must have for any ECW champion), and he just fits the all around image of ECW. And while I would rather see John Morrison, Evan Bourne, Finlay, or even Elijah Burke in his place, Matt Hardy is still a competent and talented champ. But I hope Mark Henry moves away from the title picture soon so that Hardy can have some better challengers. After he's done with being the ECW champ, I hope he can take a run at some bigger gold. He might have an elevated popularity level at that point, and being a former ECW Champion can't hurt his chances. Overall, I'm glad for Hardy. Pushing a brand is something he's deserved for a while now, and I'm excited that he got his chance.


Topic # 4 Manu made his debut this past week. What are your thoughts on him so far?

David Martell: Umaga Jr. anyone? This guy is going to get lost in the shuffle. He looks completely generic with plain black tights. His promo was bland on RAW and he doesn't fit in with Simply Priceless at all. I understand he is a second generation superstar and the WWE is trying to put together a 2nd generation superstar stable but he just turns me off with the whole idea. I much rather see DH Smith get his spot. Hell, he even used Umaga's head butt. As of right now, I am not impressed.

Alex Mattis: Really disappointing and not needed, kind of like when Paul Roma joined the Four Horsemen. I just don't think this guy has the same array of skills that Cody and Ted do. I loved their tag work and them as tag champ. I understand the E throwing Manu in with them, wanting to create a heel stable or what not of 2nd and 3rd generation wrestlers but they gotta have more than these three. Perhaps Randy Orton and all of his greatness taking over the clan and using them as his henchmen.

Zach Brown: Well, my first thought upon seeing Manu at Unforgiven was that he looked bland. I know he's samoan, and I know he's Afa Anoa'i's son, but I still didn't get a good idea of who he was. He just looks like Jobby Mcjobberson. And on RAW, he didn't show much personality or talent in the ring. His promo was...ok I guess...but in his match, he did some pretty basic stuff. It's just too early to tell about this guy. And who thinks this guy fits in with the priceless guys? I mean, yeah he's another young talent, but there's nothing else that ties him in with them. When I think of Cody Rhodes and Ted Dibiase Jr, I think of cocky assholes that think they're better than all the older guys around them. That's why the priceless guys fit in with Randy Orton. I just don't get that same vibe from Manu. And why hasn't WWE picked up Mike Dibiase yet? He'd fit right in with Cody and Ted, and I can guarantee he's just as talented, if not more than Manu. In the end, I'll cut Manu some slack for a few more weeks, but if he doesn't demonstrate why he has his spot in WWE, I'll have made up my mind on him.


Topic # 5 What is your favorite gimmick match and why?

David Martell: I though long and hard about this one and I came up with the conclusion that the Hell in the Cell is my favorite gimmick match. There is so much about this match to like. First of all, it plays great with storylines. Inside the cage no one can escape (that's what it is intended for anyways) and no one can interfere. It is man vs. man and the winner is the one who can endure the most pain. This match is always a great way to end a feud. Edge and Taker just ended what seemed to be a forever lasting feud in the HITC and it was considered a four star match by many. The HITC match that is most memorable to me is the one between Cactus Jack and Triple H which was suppose to be Foleys retirement match. I remember how intense this match was and how Foley fell threw the cage and broke the mat beneath him. When you think the match is all said and done, Cactus Jack got back up! I was shocked and at the edge of my seat. At the end of the match, Triple H prevailed and my mom was crying. I am not kidding. My mom loved Mick Foley. She actually stopped watching wrestling after that. Moving on. With all that said, this match is great at ending feuds, the structure is phenomenal and every HITC match always has raw emotion. That is why it is my favorite gimmick match.

Alex Mattis: Ah another true gem of professional wrestling that has been driven into the ground. Such a simple way of taking a feud to the next level has been turned into freak show spectacles like the Elimination Chamber and Ultimate X. While I do love Ultimate X and all of its spot fest gimmickry, it's just not needed and doesn't have any place in the context of wrestling. The Elimination Chamber is just basically Hell In A Cell on steroids, HIAC is a cage match or steroids, its just the evolution and nature of the beast. For my money, when a cage match is done right... that's the best of the gimmick match you can have. Look at Edge-Matt Hardy, Bret Hart-Owen Hart, CM Punk-Jimmy Rave amongst other as examples of great cage matches. Also old school styles street fights where the guys where street clothes are always classic.

Zach Brown: Picking my favorite gimmick match is like picking my favorite Michael Bay movie. There's way too many bad ones out there, and that makes it too hard to decide. I mean I flat-out hate the bullrope match, the casket match, the buried alive match, the King of the Mountain match, the Elevation X, the electrified cage match, any match with handcuffs or blindfolds, and the list goes on and on. Meanwhile, there are others that are overly gimmicky, but are in some way entertaining like Wargames/Lethal Lockdown matches, or Elimination chamber matches. Gimmick matches like those can be so ridiculous, but oddly rewarding at the same time. I guess if I had to pick just one match, I'd have to go with a classic ladder match, with the best incarnation being the Money in the Bank match. Ladder matches are almost always good. Take a look at RVD's classic ladder match with Christian when they main evented RAW (the actual date escapes me). That one was one of the best. And the Money in the Bank consistently delivers year after year. Sure, they are spot fests, and I freely admit that. But out of all the possibilities, the only gimmick match that really builds psychology and tells the best story is probably a cage match, because that isn't terribly different from a regular match. I'm going with Money in the Bank because it's consistently entertaining every year, and it's usually one of the best matches at Wrestlemania. Not only do I always look forward to the spectacle of Money in the Bank, I'm also always curious about who's going to get a big push for the title. The match is exciting, it always has great athletes, and we get rewarded with someone winning a title shot. What's not to like?



Superstar Highlight

The Undertaker


Our thoughts on The Undertaker.

David Martell: The Undertaker is one of the best wrestlers of all time in my opinion. I remember when I was five reading a WWF magazine seeing an article about the Undertaker being a dead man. I believed it! I remember telling my friends that the Undertaker was actually dead. This guy just seems to get better with age. There hasn't been a time that I didn't like Taker. I enjoyed his phase as Satan Taker when he would sacrifice people on his Taker T. I enjoyed his American Badass stage because he was being himself. This guys just doesn't age. He still gives us four star matches and I do not get why people bash this guy. With the shape that he is in and the high level performances that he still giving us, I still think he is one of the best wrestlers around today. I am sure I am going to get comments on why he isn't so great but this is my honest opinion.

Alex Mattis: He's pretty much the grand father of the E, I'm not takin' a jab at his age I mean it in the sense that he is the wise veteran of the company. To borrow some words from Rob Zombie when he was discussing The Ramones, he's always been there, he's always been great, you can turn on the tube look at the Undertaker and say "what year is it anyway?" Taker has been putting in the work this year, he has had a solid series of matches with Edge throughout this year. Right now I'm not really sure what the E is going to do with Taker, maybe nothing for the fall but once we get to the beginning of the '09 something big will surface for Taker headin' into WrestleMania in his native Houston.

Zach Brown: I've said it before and I'll say it again: The Undertaker is one of the best big men in professional wrestling today. Alex and I have commented several times about how Taker is like a fine wine. The guy just keeps getting better and better with age. If Undertaker is on a wrestling card these days, it's usually the best match on the card. It's hard to think of someone he doesn't have chemistry with. He brings out the best in several wrestlers, most notably Edge and Batista. In my opinion, those guys have to have the right opponent to be at their peak, and Undertaker is the best one possible for both of them. As for his move set, I already talked about Taker a lot last week, so I'll just say that it's cool to see flashes of Taker's love for MMA in the ring. If you watch MMA, you'll know what I mean. And The Undertaker has been in some of my favorite matches of all time. His Triple Threat with The Rock and Kurt Angle is absolutely amazing. I also love his match with Kurt at No Way Out, and his match with Edge at Wrestlemania 24 just to name a few. But there are some minor things about The Undertaker that annoy me. First of all, I can go eat Thanksgiving dinner during his ring entrance. Ok, I'm just kidding, and I'm not really annoyed by that, but man that thing is long. But more importantly, I hope that Taker plans to lose his last match at Wrestlemania. I'm confident he will, but I don't want WWE or anyone else to want him to retire with that streak. He needs to end the streak by putting a younger talent over. That's the best way to do things, and I hope it's given to someone that needs the push, and not someone who is already a top dog in the company. In the end, The Undertaker is one of my favorite wrestlers of all time, and he's one of the only wrestlers over 40 that have still got it.

Something to remember the Undertaker by.


Feedback Frenzy

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

David Martell: First off, thanks for all the comments from last week. I like to know that people are actually reading our opinions. I noticed I got a lot of bad rap for saying Punk looked weak when he got eliminated from the over the top rope battle royal. I guess none of it matters any more since he lost the title at Unforgiven. I didn't take in mind that Kane has the most eliminations in the Royal Rumble. Thanks for the history lesson, I really cant believe I forgot about that. I guess I just wanted him to look strong since he was starting a feud with Randy Orton. Once again, thanks for reading.

Alex Mattis: Thanks again guys for the feedback. I'm glad y'all enjoyed the work last week a bit better. Be sure to keep sending us your thoughts as well as what your favorite gimmick matches. Tell us what you want to hear about!

Zach Brown: I really appreciate the feedback that we got last week. It was pretty refreshing compared to the comments from a few weeks ago. So thanks again. As for Candice Michelle, I'm not a big fan of hers, but give her a chance! She really is improving. Yeah, her music is bad, and I'm not a big fan of her stealing the spotlight from Mickie James or Beth Phoenix. But she's not the worst wrestler. She was bad when she first joined WWE, but she's not the same person as she was back then. As for Unforgiven, who could honestly shit on that card? I guess I didn't read any other previews for Unforgiven, but I'm surprised people weren't stoked about it. Granted, there were a lot of scramble matches, but that's nothing to complain about. As for the comment that said, "Is this a WWE only column as there's no mention of any other company. Where's TNA and it's ongoing Sting saga?" Well the thing is, Sting is the one of the only good things about TNA right now IMO. TNA used to be great, and now they're in the shitter. I admit, they impress me every once in a while. But for the most part, their storylines are terrible, the commentary is God-awful, and they're constantly pushing down their homegrown talent. Should I be excited for Mick Foley's debut in TNA? We already talked about it twice, and it's still some of the only TNA news worth talking about. And we would write more about ROH or the NWA title, but there isn't much going on in the indies right now either. Anyway, thanks for the comments, and keep 'em coming!


That is all folks. I hope you enjoyed the column once again and we will be back next week. Have a great week in wrestling. CYA!