The Triple Threat 01.04.09: 122nd Edition – The JBL/HBK Storyline, The Legacy’s Future, More

Welcome back to the Triple Threat Column. This week we are all back together. We a slow week in wrestling news we tried to put out the most interesting topics we could think of. This week we discuss the WWE’s/TNA’s thoughts on the new movie The Wrestler, who we think is underrated in the business, and what we want to happen in 2009. Our Superstar Highlight this week is up and coming Sim Snuka. Plus much more! Please enjoy.

Topic # 1 With the recent release of The Wrestler, both the WWE and TNA have posted their thoughts on the movie. While TNA praises the movie, the WWE gave it a little thrashing. What are your thoughts on this?

David Martell: I don’t see why the WWE has to talk down a movie just because they say stuff like that doesn’t happen. News flash WWE, have you ever seen Jake “The Snake” Roberts? A lot of wrestlers who are past their prime end up in the same situation that happened in the movie. Although I haven’t seen the movie myself ( I will), I have only heard good things from wrestling fans and movie fans alike. I personally think this movie is good for the business. It shows you what these guys go through day in and day out. These people put their bodies on the line every night to entertain you and to make their ends meat. Its their job. Some of these older guys who are no longer in the big leagues continue to wrestler because that’s all they know how to do. WWE should praise the movie for being a good movie instead of trying to make themselves look better. Pitiful!

Alex Mattis: Classic Vince here. What doesn’t he like the movie? Well the message of it may have something to do with it, but bottom line is that Vince stands to make no money off of it so he doesn’t like it. If it’s wrestling and it doesn’t have Vince tied to it, Vince doesn’t like it, especially if it stands to make money. The most idiotic thing about this is the fact that the movie is universally being praised and given incredible reviews and even Oscar buzz then Vince comes along and doesn’t like it and doesn’t want his E sheep to toss some $’s down to see it. Now on TNA’s praise of the film it shows what is grand about TNA. Now say what you will about TNA, and I for one don’t like their current product, BUT they are always looking for the advancement of pro wrestling and not just TNA (the opposite of Vince). Anyway I’ve gotten off track. Bottom line I’m not surprised that Vince didn’t like it, how many movies has he made that were utter failures? He may just be really upset that someone not on his payroll was able to make such a great piece of film about what “he created.” I personally can’t wait to see “The Wrestler.”

Zach Brown: First of all, I have to say that I can’t wait to see this movie. I highly recommend a similar movie called Beyond the Mat, because The Wrestler definitely draws inspiration from Jake “The Snake” Roberts and Terry Funk. That’s pretty much a no-brainer just by watching the trailer. That being said, I can understand why WWE would disapprove of this movie. I hate to say it, but for guys like Terry Funk and Jake “The Snake,” the WWE is their former employer, plain and simple. Now that’s not to say that WWE “did this” to guys who used to wrestle for them. But it’s somewhat of a trend that these older wrestlers end up on the indy circuit working for pennies and some end up with substance abuse problems. I don’t believe that WWE is really responsible for how these guys ended up, but the link is there, and anyone with a grudge against WWE can connect the dots pretty easily. So yeah, to preserve their public image, it makes sense for WWE to denounce this movie. I don’t think it’s the right thing to do, but they’re a corporation, so they do whatever they deem necessary to preserve their image. As for TNA, they got into the business way too late for anyone to make the argument that they caused damage to anyone’s body or made them form a drug addiction. TNA has nothing to lose, so they might as well be honest and praise the movie for actually being good. As for WWE, it saddens me that they are putting down a movie that is an honest portrayal of what happens to these guys after they have sacrificed their body for years. The wrestling business definitely has it’s evils, and WWE should own up to them a little more instead of trying to sweep them under the rug.

Topic # 2 Who is currently underrated in the wrestling business today?

David Martell: One guy that I would personally like to point out is Matt Striker. This man has basically become the best commentator in wrestling over night. JR is great, don’t get me wrong, but Matt Striker knows wrestling. He knows indy wrestling and Japanese wrestling. He is always making references that only avid wrestling fans would know. For some unholy reason, he also makes Todd Grisham a decent commentator as well. Shelton Benjamin has been underrated for years but I have a feeling he might end up winning the MITB Ladder match finally. Well, maybe not. It could end up MVP’s, who I also think is underrated. There are countless guys in TNA who are severely underrated. I don’t know how many times I have heard that Kurt Angle is underrated. I differ on that subject because I feel that everyone knows how great he is and everyone knows he is holding TNA up right now. Kurt Angle is great and that is a known fact so I don’t see how he can be underrated. Wrestlers like Petey Williams, Alex Shelly and Chris Sabian are the ones that aren’t getting their just due. Christopher Daniels is greatly underappreciated. I can only thank god that TNA dropped the Curry Man gimmick. Hopefully he will get a much needed push when he returns.

Alex Mattis: I wasn’t sure which route to take in answering this question. I didn’t know whether to bring the underappreciated into the mix. I don’t really know if that is what is meant by the question, but just for the record let me get out there that I think Kurt Angle and Jerry Lynn are the most underappreciated wrestlers in the game today. Now onto the actual underrated wrestlers. I could be like most people and just say that Shelton Benjamin in the most underrated/underutilized wrestler in the E, which he is, but it’s not like me to go with the flow so I’ll change it up. Though he has shown no motivation or drive for quite awhile now, I still feel Carlito is severely underrated. He wasn’t given the ball much, but when he was he would bring his A-game and deliver. I think the E really dropped the ball on this guy and it shows. Also I can forget to bring up Petey Williams in this discussion. Right now TNA sees him as nothing more than a one-move-wonder, which if you’ve watched TNA from the start you know that isn’t true. Christopher Daniels, Arik Cannon, Masada, Hernandez, Charlie Haas, there is quite a list of underrated wrestlers today.

Zach Brown: For most underrated wrestler, I have to go with The Miz. I would talk about guys like Jamie Noble or Charlie Haas, but almost everyone already knows that those guys are good. As a tag team, Miz and Morrison almost never get a chance to shine in any of their matches. I can count on one hand the number of matches they had in 2008 where they dominated the competition. But on rare occasions, Miz and Morrison get to pull off a surprise win. That’s just how heels do it. And even when that happens, 9 times out of 10, it’s with John Morrison doing something awesome like a Superkick or a Moonlight Drive. So what’s left for Miz to do? He gets his ass kicked up and down that ring. And that’s something he deserves credit for. Also, I think that to say The Miz has very few fans is an understatement. So how exactly is he underrated? Well, first of all, I honestly believe that The Miz cuts great promos when given the chance. He’s actually a funny guy, and The Dirt Sheet is evidence of that in my opinion. Miz and Morrison are kind of held back by censorship because I can just tell that they want to be just a little more raunchy than calling Cryme Tyme “a bunch of misfits.” But they work with what they have, and it works for them in the end. And to spot that The Miz can cut it in the ring just as well as Morrison can, you have to look for rare instances of his talent. The Miz isn’t the flashiest younger guy in WWE, but he’s effective nonetheless. As much as I like John Morrison, he’s not a classic heel because he still does all his high flying stuff. Miz takes a page from Edge in the sense that he gets dominated the entire match, and then somehow pulls off the right move at the right time to get the win. I just always find myself enjoying his matches. I think the Reality Check is a good finisher, he’s good on the mic, and I’m hardly ever disappointed by his matches. All in all, I think The Miz is a much better wrestler than how he is usually portrayed in WWE.

Topic # 3 What do you think WWE‘s plans are for the Legacy?

David Martell: I have a feeling that Randy Orton’s time with the Legacy is ending in the near future. I hold by my belief that Randy Orton is using them to win the Royal Rumble. Genius writing here if that’s the case. With that said, I don’t think the group will be ending any time soon because Ted Dibiase Jr. will be and I have a feeling after Orton drops them like a bad habit, Ted will pick back up where he started. Orton used Kelly Kelly for sex why not use the Legacy win the Rumble? It all makes sense to me. I am sure there will be some kind of feud there after but it will all subside when Wrestlemania comes around. After that, who knows. I can see them earning tag team and intercontinental gold but they really wont have anyone to feud with. Unless WWE decides soon to introduce several new tag teams, I think it is going to be hard for the Legacy to get to far. Who knows.

Alex Mattis: Plans? That would constitute the E thinking about long-term ramifications of their storylines. I think we have already seen that The Legacy isn’t going to turn into Evolution or anything dramatic like that. For now it’s just going to function as a way to help these younger guys learn, and help get Randy Orton over more as a heel. I don’t see much of a future for Manu, with his less than impressive look and ability. I think Cody Rhodes could do something of merit in the right situation. And we all now how great Randall is. In my opinion there isn’t much of a future for The Legacy, they’ll work well for what is needed right now but I’ll be surprised if they’re around by the ’09’s end.

Zach Brown: At first, I thought WWE was handling this faction terribly. Lets form a faction and have them either lose or get a DQ or count out win for every match! What a way to put them over. But nowadays, I’m excited for where The Legacy is heading. The group took an interesting turn when Orton told them to win all their matches, or get thrown out. Now it looks like Manu has been dropped like a bad habit. But a 3 man stable? I just don’t know if that will work. Will Ted Dibiase rejoin when he returns? Maybe DH Smith will join? There are too many possibilities. I also wish WWE would let Nattie Neidhart drop her “Natalya” name and join The Legacy. I think they screwed up by putting her on Smackdown. But oh well. Hopefully, Orton will win the title somewhere down the line, and maybe either Snuka or Rhodes could win the IC title. They simply need titles to look like a threat. But I just don’t know who they could feud with. If they feud with any combination of DX, Cena, Kane, Shawn Michaels, or whoever else, they would probably end up on the losing side of things. Once The Legacy is well established, I would be interested in Dibiase and Manu teaming up to fight the Legacy, seeing as both of them have been wronged by Orton and the crew. I’m not a big Manu fan, but I think it could work. I also think it’s possible that Orton can turn on The Legacy at any time, especially if he gets the title. It’s just in his character. Overall, I’m interested in where WWE is taking the storyline, but there are just too many possibilities to really predict what will happen.

Topic # 4 What are your current thoughts on the JBL/HBK storyline?

David Martell: I have never been a fan of this storyline but last week on RAW it took me in. I was on the edge of my seat when it came down to JBL and HBK in the four way elimination match. When JBL told HBK to lay down for him I thought all hell was going to break loose. This was excellent storytelling by both of these guy and it gave us an interesting end to a half decent RAW. Now that the storyline seems to be jumping in to high gear, I really hope this doesn’t last till Mania. I am not a fan of JBL’s wrestling and I am no sure if HBK can actually pull off a great match with the guy. Personally, I will be at Wrestlemania and I don’t want to see that match. It will be interesting to see where this takes off. I want to know if it will affect the rumble at all since HBK is not in a match. If JBL wins the title will he make HBK walk out of the Rumble? There are many possibilities here. We will have to sit back and watch what happens but I pray that this wont be at Wrestlemania.

Alex Mattis: Eh, I haven’t bought into a feud that HBK was a part of since the Y2J feud leading into ‘Mania XIX so I’m not the best person to get an opinion from on this topic. HBK just isn’t what he used to be, he’s such on over-actor these days and him forcing out tears doesn’t mean he is making a feud better. It’s just weird, he doesn’t seem how know how to do what he used to. Look at his “lost my smile” promo or the feud’s he had with Bret, Sid, Taker, Austin, Vader, Davey Boy, Owen, etc. the stuff he does today isn’t even in the same league, and I’m not even talking about the matches. And even the most hardcore Shawn fans know I’m right. Now I’ve always liked JBL but his in-ring work has been slipping, his promos are always good, but his matches are nothing to write home about. With all this being said, I’m less than over-whelmed with this feud. I’m sure the payoff match will be very good, but I’m just not buying into this.

Zach Brown: I don’t know how anyone can be convinced by this storyline. I know it’s just a wrestling storyline, but I doubt that even little kids would believe that HBK is out of money. Shawn easily makes at least six figures a year, so the man would have to have either some serious drug problems, or some serious spending habits in order for him to be anywhere near out of money. The economy is in bad shape, but wrestlers who are millionaires are never effected enough to the point that they need to work for other wrestlers. It’s just silly. That being said, I think HBK has been solid for at least the past two years. He is actually one of the few faces on RAW that I always like. Some people criticize his whole “5 moves of doom” thing, but when was the last time Shawn put on a bad match? I honestly can’t think of one in recent memory that was an absolute stinker. Combine his solid wrestling matches with his great acting lately, and I’m really liking Shawn as of right now. JBL also cuts great promos, but I’m never excited to see him wrestle. I’ve said before that I sometimes feel that JBL just gets thrown into feuds because WWE has nowhere else to put him. Sure, it’s in his character to whine about not getting title shots and inserting himself in feuds where he doesn’t belong, but I still can’t help but groan when I hear his music. I haven’t given up on this storyline yet because the matches might be solid when they actually start wrestling. But the goofy notion of HBK being out of money and the simple fact of JBL being in the feud keep me from totally buying into the storyline.

Topic # 5 What do you want to happen in wrestling in 2009?

David Martell: There are so many things that I want to happen but I am sure that most of them will not. Here goes. I hope another Age of Orton begins. To me, Randy Orton is the next Rock or Austin (my opinion of course). I think a long reign as World Champion would suit him and hopefully it will bring some good feuds. I hope that TNA gets their shit together so I can have more interesting wrestling to watch each week. I want someone to win the World Title that hasn’t won it before. Who? I don’t know really, just someone new. I would like for the WWE to change the WWE title back to a normal looking title belt. Maybe the Undisputed title look or even the old eagle one. I hope Christian makes a return and ends up winning the WWE title. He deserves it and I hope the WWE finally realizes that. I hope the WWE continues to cut the fat. There are still plenty of useless wrestlers on the roster and there are still plenty of great guys on the indys. Out with the bad and in with the good I say. I would enjoy to see Cena tap. I don’t think there’s anything I would rather see more then Chris Jericho to get his revenge on Cena in proper fashion. I want to see a better tag division or at least for them to get rid of one set of tag belts. With the tag teams on both brands you can actually have a decent tag division. I think these are all good ideas so lets hope that they all happen.

Alex Mattis: With my random head of thoughts I figured the best what to express what I want would be to list it!!!!
– The Briscoes to be signed to TNA or the E
– John Morrison to get bumped to the main event scene
– John Cena to turn heel and run through everyone (No I’m not kidding. It would be awesome and it would really shake things up)
– Bryan Danielson to get the spot he deserves
– More inter-promotion shows
– Necro Butcher Vs. Umaga (not gonna happen but let a man dream)
– Pro wrestling to turn the corner and get out of the slump it’s in.
– Christian and Tomko (as a pair) return to the E and get they spot they should’ve had
– LAX to the E and give their tag division the shot in the arm it needs
– The number of PPV’s to go down (12 is too many!!!)
– For world champions to be WORLD champions
– CZW to close shop (it’s time)
– Rey Rey to start giving a shit shit
– ECW to be renamed
– Samoa Joe Vs. John Cena (See. Necro Butcher Vs. Umaga)
– Kurt Angle Vs. John Cena (again, I’d like to see what would be different)
– Batista GONE!

Zach Brown: There are a lot of things I want from wrestling in 2009. The most important thing to me is that I want TNA to get out of the hole they are in. There are so many things that TNA needs to do in order to achieve their former greatness. First of all, get out of that bullshit Impact Zone. I loved that place when I first started watching TNA, but now it just feels like a high school gymnasium to me. It’s just too small, plain and simple. I’m not saying that TNA should sell out arenas like WWE does because they just can’t draw that kind of attendance. But they should find some sort of middle ground between the cramped Impact Zone and WWE style events. Secondly, Mike Tenay and Don West need to shut their mouths every once in a while. When wrestlers are cutting promos, I don’t need to hear them talking. When I’m watching a match between Kurt Angle and AJ Styles, I don’t need to hear about what is going on between Jay Lethal and Sonjay Dutt. Talk about the match I’m watching! And lastly, they need to concentrate on wrestling. Almost every episode of Impact that I watch, I barely get any wrestling at all. Back in the day, I couldn’t wait for TNA to get a two hour time slot. When they finally did, who knew that they were going to keep the amount of wrestling time the same, and just fill the rest with stupid crap!? It made TNA barely watch-able in my eyes. That being said, WWE isn’t perfect either. This year, I want a complete surprise Royal Rumble winner. As in, not someone who is already main eventing. Even if my one of my favorite main eventers win, I’d still be a little disappointed because I want a huge shock for the Rumble. And I don’t mean someone winning with the #30 spot AGAIN. I mean someone who is only in the mid-card or is only rarely in the main event. Someone like MVP (get rid of that losing streak in the best way possible!), Kofi Kingston, CM Punk, Shelton Benjamin, or The Brian Kendrick. Now I don’t claim to know two shits about booking, and I honestly don’t think any of these guys have a chance of winning, but I’d just like to see an honest change of pace for once. The Royal Rumble is just getting too predictable in the sense that you always know that the winner is someone that already main events. Even though WWE has had several huge surprises this year, I want them to continue that trend by making the Royal Rumble a huge shocker. John Cena’s win last year was only shocking because no one knew he was in the match in the first place. If we had known he was in the Rumble, many people could have projected him winning, and it would have ended up just being stale and predictable. So really, it wasn’t the outcome that was shocking, it was only his presence in the match that made it a shocker. But overall, that’s about all I want from wrestling in 2009.

Superstar Highlight

Sim Snuka

Our thoughts on Sim Snuka.

David Martell: Great job by the WWE by making a guy who once was a joke into something worth watching. The past few weeks he has shown that he can be a serious wrestler and that he knows more than two moves. I am quite happy that they chose Sunka to stay in the Legacy instead of Manu. Sim Snuka still has a long way to go to become something important but I think this faction is a good way to start. He has a lot to live up to because of his father and dropping the Deuce gimmick was a good way to start. I know that there are a lot of people out there who hate this guy but not everyone starts off in a great gimmick. Look at the Rock. He started off as a stereo typical Samoan guy. At least Snuka isn’t coming down in leopard print. I look forward to seeing where him and the Legacy are going and I am hoping that this will be a good start to a good career in the WWE.

Alex Mattis: Outside of his work as Deuce, or Domino, I’ve not familiar with ‘dis brutta at all. He’s the son of Superfly. GOOD. But his was also a part of Deuce & Domino. BAD. Now, I’ve always been a big fan of new guys getting a shot so I’ll give this guy some attention and see if he can live up to the legacy of his father. The E seems to be on a bender of giving these 2nd generation guys big shots so I’ll be anxious to see if Sim can make anything of the opportunity he has before him.

Zach Brown: For the past few years, I thought Deuce was terrible. “Crack ‘em in da mouth!” What a joke. And ever since I saw them, I just downright hated Deuce and Domino for some reason. They’re greasers! Get it? Wow, what a terrible gimmick that was. I knew he was Jimmy Snuka’s son, but the guy was just not impressing me one bit. Once WWE broke up Deuce and Domino, and then fired Domino, I just thought it would be a matter of time for Deuce because I hadn’t seen him on RAW for months. Boy was I shocked about WWE’s plans for ‘ol Deuce. I went from downright disliking Deuce to being very interested in Sim Snuka. All he had to do was say, “My name is Sim. Sim Snuka.” And suddenly, I want to watch this guy as much as I possibly can. Why the sudden change? Because he is abandoning a gimmick he knows is terrible, and he is finally embracing his heritage; something he should have been doing since the beginning of his WWE career. Now why he doesn’t go by Jimmy Snuka Jr. is beyond me (his name literally is Jimmy Reiher Jr.), but I’m satisfied with the change in character nonetheless. It’s too early to tell if Snuka has abandoned his old in-ring Deuce habits, but I have faith that this recent re-invention of his character will give him a much needed boost in his career, and I’m looking forward to seeing what he can do with The Legacy.

Thanks for reading once again and feel free to leave comments at the bottom of the page. Have a great week in wrestling. CYA!