The Triple Threat 01.25.09: 125th Edition:The Royal Rumble, Vince's Return, Rumble Moments, More

Posted by David Martell on 01.25.2009

The Road to Wrestlemania is upon us! This week we preview the Royal Rumble, we talk about Vince's return, and our favorite Rumble moments. MVP is our superstar highlight plus much more inside!

Welcome back once again to the Triple Threat Column. This week we preview the Royal Rumble, talk about Vince's return (One shot deal?), the Dudleys in singles competition, Tommy Dreamer's retirement storyline, and our favorite Rumble moments. MVP is our superstar highlight so please enjoy!


Topic # 1 WWE‘s Royal Rumble is this Sunday. What are your thoughts on the card?

David Martell: I haven't been this excited about a PPV in a long time. There's a lot of quality storylines coming into play here and I honestly have no idea what's going to go down. The road to Wrestlemania is definitely here. First off we have the Women's Title match between Beth Phoenix and Melina. This is probably the least important match to me on the card and I don't expect it to be all that great. I love Beth Phoenix and Melina isn't to bad but I don't see anything spectacular here. Beth should retain here without a problem. Next we have the ECW Title match between current champion Jack Swagger vs. Matt Hardy. I have fully jumped onto the Swagger bandwagon and I honestly believe he has a bright future ahead of him. I have enjoyed the matches him and Matt have had and I expect this one to outshine their previous encounters. Matt Hardy did a great job by putting over Swagger as a viable holder of the ECW Title. With the pin fall Hardy received over Swagger on Smackdown not to long ago, this is somewhat of a rubber match. I am hoping for a clean Swagger win and I expect Matt to move on to bigger things come Wrestlemania time. John Cena vs. JBL for the World Title is certainly interesting. It has been done before and the match doesn't look to be all that good but with the added addition of HBK in the corner of JBL, who knows what will happen. Will HBK cost Cena his world title or will HBK lash back on the controlling JBL? If he turns on JBL will he end up in the Rumble match? There are a lot of questions here and I can't wait to find out where all of this goes. I think Cena will keep the strap because of HBK shenanigans causing HBK to be in the Rumble but later lose the Rumble because of a JBL interference. Jeff Hardy vs. Edge should be fairly decent and everyone, including me, is wondering if Christian will make awe inspiring return to the WWE. Edge almost always wins dirty and I can see Christian helping him obtain the title here. A match idea that has been going around is a TLC fatal four way match between Christian, Edge, Jeff Hardy, and Matt at Wrestlemania for the WWE Title. I think this is a great idea and I also had this thought. Book it! Last, but not least, is the Rumble match itself. I am set on Randy Orton winning here. I don't see why anyone else would win. A lot of people are rooting for HBK and some are saying Triple H but I don't see the point for either of them winning. Triple H does not need a Rumble win to have a big match at Mania, we all know that. HBK is eventually going to butt heads with JBL and I just don't see this being a title match. Does anyone want JBL to be the World Champion? Orton is on the cusp of greatness right now and a Rumble win would only get him closer. With all that said, I am totally stoked for the Royal Rumble.

Alex Mattis: Should be an interesting card. Big PPV debut for Jack Swagger. I think it was actually a smart idea to save his first PPV match for one of the big four. Vince & Co. are really putting a lot of stock into this kid and think that he may be the next Morrison or Punk; the next "ECW" guy to transition to the big show. This guy getting more and more solid in the ring so a great performance here is necessary to cement his current status. I think this could be a nice little match up to start the card. Next to the Rumble match, the match I am anticipating the most is the Melina-Phoenix Women's title match. Melina has come a long way since her debut, Beth is always solid and I'm excited to see what these two can put out. The JBL-Cena match is going to either be hit or miss, as all there matches have been. I didn't like their last PPV match at all, so let's see if they can turn it around. Cena retains due to HBK interference. Jeff Hardy Vs. Edge... This should be a good ladder match... Hardcore match... Table match? Wait, you mean these two are going to have just a straight up singles match? Interesting. I never thought I'd say this but Edge might actually be the one to carry this. I have no idea what to expect out of these two outside of lots of brawling and HEEL TACTICS from Edge with the potential run-in. Any loyal reader of mine knows I can't stand either of these guy, so rather than endlessly point out their faults I'll just say what I think is going to happen with this match. I don't know who is gonna run in or what but I see Edge capturing the strap here as I think the E is set on having Edge-Trips on 'Mania. Hardy got a title run... he should be happy with that. Say what you will about the E, but one thing you can't deny is their ability to deliver one of the most exciting, fun hours of wrestling each year. And that hour comes in the form of the Royal Rumble. The great mix of all the stars in the company and, as was on display last year; the unpredictability of the match makes the Royal Rumble one of the staples of WWE. This year, just like any other, should be exciting and action packed. And this year I'm given it to my boy Orton. With the way things are going I just have a feeling that he gonna win this one. Whatever the case, I'm looking forward to the match and the event.

Zach Brown: I think this year's Royal Rumble is a pretty solid card. First of all, Swagger vs. Hardy should be sleeper hit of the night. As long as they are given time, I expect their match to be just as good, if not better than their match on ECW. And maybe I'm in the minority here, but I'm actually looking forward to Jeff Hardy vs. Edge. I can see both guys bringing their A-game in this one, and maybe Christian will make his return. Who knows? Beth Phoenix vs. Melina should be somewhat entertaining, but I won't be very happy if Beth loses the title. Cena vs. JBL could be alright, but this is the match that we have seen time and time again. I don't think JBL has a chance in hell to win the title from Cena, but if he did, that certainly would freshen things up a bit. And of course, the star of the show is the actual Royal Rumble match. I expect this year's match to be pretty unforgettable. I'm predicting Randy Orton to win it since it looks like he will be (kayfabe) fired from WWE if he doesn't win the match and secure a spot for Wrestlemania. This PPV is almost always a definite buy just to see who wins the Royal Rumble match, but the other matches on the card are just good enough to make this a solid show altogether.

Topic # 2 What are your thoughts on Vince‘s return last Monday on RAW?

David Martell: This was an absolutely genius segment. Vince and Stephanie playing faces always makes me laugh because lets face it, they are not very liked. Jericho apologizing to the crowd was hilarious because his tone and actions just reflect how disgusted he was. I liked how Stephanie made Jericho get on his knees after the crowd started chanting for it to happen. Everything just worked well together. Of course this was only half of what happened and the best was yet to come. Randy Orton continued his string of amazing promos. He is an expert at making people look like shit. From Kelly Kelley to Manu and now Stephanie McMahon. Vince's talk to Randy about his father was a great way to put Orton in his place but it just didn't matter to him. I marked out when Orton slapped, kicked and punted Vince. I haven't seen a moment this exciting and unexpected happen in wrestling in a very long time. Randy Orton, at least to me, is the next Steve Austin. The crowd was behind him, people watching were behind him, and he is suppose to be the bad guy! Great stuff here and I can't wait to see what this does for Orton.

Alex Mattis: Ah the strut was missed and it hath return. Eh, I don't care too much for the on-screen presence of any of the McMahon's so I can't say that I'm jumping with joy with that his back on TV but I will say that the Randy Orton segment was pulled off very well and the ending was awesome. Let that be a lesson to the world... NO ONE FUCKS WITH RANDY ORTON! Not even the guy who signs his paychecks. If Orton wins the Rumble I expect to see Vince trying to take his title shot away at WrestleMania thus building tension between Orton and Vinny, thus making what should be good TV drama. So all in all this comeback may not be as bad as I first thought.

Zach Brown: Well I'm going to venture a guess that his "return" is pretty short lived. I really enjoyed McMahon's exchange with Jericho, and his amazing argument with Orton. It amazes me that McMahon is willing to potentially injure himself with a kick to the head like that, all for the popularity of his company. And I honestly wish that McMahon was willing to stick around a little longer, because the history lesson he gave Randy made me miss him as a heel authority figure. It was just an all around great promo. But I guess McMahon only wants limited TV appearances from this point on, and I guess that makes sense. Thankfully, he provided us with a great memorable moment that reminded me of his clash with Stone Cold way back when.

Topic # 3 What are your thoughts on the Tommy Dreamer retiring angle?

David Martell: I am quite impressed that ECW manages to have decent storyline without getting big payoffs from PPVs. Although this is going to end at a PPV, One Night Stand, this should give us some interesting TV to watch for the next several months. I enjoyed how Dreamer put over Swagger in an earlier storyline and I can see this one being just as good if not better. Dreamer is great at making sad promos. I actually feel for the guy every time he talks. He is a huge part of ECW history, the real ECW, and I think he deserves a farewell tour. I have no idea how it is going to end but I am ready for the journey.

Alex Mattis: I'm really diggin' what I'm discovering about this angle. It is similar to the program Homicide ran in ROH on his quest to the world title, and I loved that angle. Tommy has always been a hard worker and synonymous with the letters ECW so it's nice that he is getting a storyline that has some emotion and meaning behind it. I think this could be a great storyline is pulled off the right way with a Rocky Balboa feeling about it. I think Tommy could be on a huge win streak and get the title shot he so dearly desires but I think that where it would end. I would love to see Tommy make it to the title match at ONS and come so close but ultimately do the right thing and go out on his back. I'm anxious to see how this develops.

Zach Brown: I like the idea of this storyline, but I don't like what this could mean for the ECW title. Tommy Dreamer cut a pretty good promo on ECW, and it made me realize that yes, it is about time he retired. His issue with not being able to look himself in the mirror was heartfelt and interesting to me. I like that he feels he has to prove it to himself if he can keep going or not. But the thing is, should he really be going after the ECW title? Yes, Swagger and Dreamer have had good matches together. I don't think that can be denied. But the fact of the matter is, he's going to be taking a run at the title, which means there's a chance that he might win it. And that's something I just don't want. I like what the ECW title does right now; providing a stepping stone for younger talent to make a career for themselves in WWE. Tommy Dreamer just doesn't need the title in my opinion. When Ric Flair was retiring, you didn't see him saying, "I just need to win one more title." Now if Dreamer takes a run at the title, fails, and then decides that it is indeed time for him to hang up the boots, then I'll definitely applaud that storyline. But if he wins the title, I just won't be a fan of that.

Topic # 4 Brother Ray and Devon are going back into singles competition. How do you feel about this?

David Martell: This gives me a sour feeling. It didn't work in the past and it certainly wont work right now. I understand that they have basically done everything they can as a tag team and now want to move on in singles action but the fact remains, they are not good singles wrestlers. I can understand that TNA wants some bigger names to head the Frontline but can you honestly see either one of them being a TNA World Champion. Hopefully this is only a phase and I hope Team 3D stays a team, that's what they're meant to do.

Alex Mattis: Wow, do we not remember how bad this failed in 2002? Is D-Von going to start asking for offerings again? "Please call my name!" Is Buh Buh gonna start wearing those horrendous cameo cut-off shorts again? We can only hope right? Plain and simple some teams are only worth a damn when they are together, not singles wrestlers... together. The Dudley's should have learned this the first time, TNA will test the waters here but I can't see it lasting to long.

Zach Brown: I think there's a reason that Ray and Devon have spent most of their career together. Because they suck by themselves. They were fantastic in the original ECW, but today, their talent on the mic and in the ring have just faded into oblivion. Nowadays, they're completely overweight, they don't pose a threat for anyone in TNA, and they've gotten downright lazy. I thought Ray should have retired years ago because he's in completely terrible shape. Devon is overweight too, but at least his arms are jacked. But this is just the latest example of TNA running out of possibilities for the title picture. When they've exhausted all of their possible challengers and match-ups for the title, they start doing things like breaking up wrestlers who are nothing without each other. Was anyone anxiously waiting for Ray and Devon to have a singles run in TNA? If so, I'm definitely not one of them. I can barely stand Team 3D as a tag team, let alone by themselves. I expect this to be their 15 minutes of fame with the TNA Heavyweight Title, and then back to the mid-card they go.

Topic # 5 What is your favorite Royal Rumble moment?

David Martell: There are so many good ones to go around. There are even simple things that I never forget like when Jericho decided to be number two in the rumble to match HBK who was number one. I enjoy everyone going after the Big Show to eliminate him. I always liked when Christian would hang out on the bottom rope for the majority of the match. Stone Cold winning three times is excellent. I loved the entire Big Show/ Rock fiasco when Big Show had to prove the Rock hit the ground first. John Cena's shocker of last year was pretty nuts even though in the end I realized it wasn't good at all. The ending of the 2007 Royal Rumble with Taker and HBK was also amazing. There isn't one single moment that really stands out to me because every Rumble match is always exciting. It should be no different this year and I am sure in some way everyone will be pleased.

Alex Mattis: Man, tough question. The Rumble has given us so many great moments. The Rock's promo from 2000 is something that comes to mind. When he stated that the only people that he was worried about in the Rumble match were Crash Holly and Headbanger Mosh I laughed myself to tears. The Rumble in 2000 always gave us one of my personal favorite moments in Tazz's debut. It was well pulled off and the crowd lost its shit, it was just a great, memorable moment. The Luger-Hart fiasco in '94 also comes to mind. But I think my favorite Rumble moment or what have you would be the 1998 Royal Rumble match. Wrestling was just starting to elevate to the highest level it had ever been at and this match was a very important turning point for the WWF. Stone Cold was becoming the biggest thing they had and his winning of this match was the start of his quest to the top. It was just an awesome scene when the glass shattered, the crowd went nuts, and the action in the ring stopped. Every wrestling in the ring turned and looked at the entrance way and was waiting for Stone Cold. Austin came in from behind from the crowd and started beating everything in sight. Tremendous. Other fun stuff like Mick Foley being in the match three times (Mankind, Cactus, Dude Love) made this match so great and my favorite gem the Rumble's history has given us.

Zach Brown: This isn't necessarily my favorite Rumble moment, but it is definitely the most memorable in my opinion. And that's John Cena coming out at number 30 last year. It didn't make the rest of the match very enjoyable, but for about 15 seconds, it was the most amazing thing I had ever seen in a Rumble match. We live in an age where dirt sheets run amok, and I can barely watch Raw without accidentally reading a spoiler every once in a while. So this was an event where the WWE deserved a load of credit for keeping Cena's involvement a secret to everyone. If I had been a Cena fan, I would have marked out like none other. Since I'm not, I just respect it as a fantastic Rumble moment. One of my personally favorite Rumble moments was when Stone Cold won his first Rumble in 1997. Just a classic Rumble match in every sense.



Superstar Highlight



Our thoughts on MVP.

David Martell: I think MVP is very underrated. I think it is only a matter of time before he breaks out. I still cant believe this guy was in prison for eight years of his life. What a come back story. I respect the guy full heartedly. I am glad that this losing streak is over and hopefully he will make a good showing in the Rumble. I am almost certain that the WWE is setting up a feud with him and Mr. Kennedy which only makes sense. These guys were brought up near the same time and both have a lot to prove. Kennedy got over with his ability to talk but has yet to show us if he is anything special in the ring. MVP has show he is fairly decent at talking and wrestling but has only been able to show his ability against Benoit. I really wished he would have been moved to RAW in the draft because I can see him being more successful over there. Smackdown has too many things going on right now and it is sad that he has been in a losing streak storyline for the past several months. Although that is over, it is sad that he needed the help of Triple H to finally win. MVP still has a lot to prove and I hope it doesn't take that long for him to break out of the rut he's in.

Alex Mattis: Racial stereotypes!!!!! Gotta love 'em, Vince obviously does. Nah, I've always really liked MVP though. He works incredibly hard and more often that not has good, solid matches. He always put 100% into his match and for that I can't fault him. The God-awful losing streak storyline has done significant damage to his image and character and he may be too deep now for any fans to get behind him or start believing in him again. Time will tell on that one. I remember seeing MVP in ROH and thinking he was very solid and may make it onto the main stage, and behold... he did!! He has made the most of the spot he has had and I think he still has much more to offer. It'll be interesting to see what Vince & Co. have for MVP in the future. I hope they give him the ball again, because he can really run with it. I think given the opportunity MVP could be a main eventer just as good as anyone else on SmackDown right now. He has a lot of unutilized talent and I hope the E uses him better in the months to come.

Zach Brown: I have to say that I'm a fan of MVP. At first, I thought he had one of the worst gimmicks that WWE had cooked up in quite a long time. But by now, I'm used to it, and I can concentrate on what makes him great. First of all, I love the cockiness to his character. MVP has provided us with some great hilarious moments, like every little competition he had with Matt Hardy. Just classic segments all around. And the guy can definitely wrestle. With Chris Benoit, he had the best match at Wrestlemania 23 in my honest opinion. And even though a lot of wrestlers have used the Overdrive at one point or another, I like that he's kept it for himself. As for the whole losing streak storyline, it was a big mistake, but it seems like he's moving past that. I wish he could have won without HHH's help, but I guess you can't always get what you want. And if that storyline did anything for him, it might have gotten the audience to sympathize with MVP, so hopefully he'll get better face pops in the future. But overall, I'm excited for MVP's career. Unless something goes wrong, I think he's a future main eventer, and I can't wait for him to get a serious run at the title sometime down the road.


That is it for this week. Don't forget to leave comments at the bottom of the page. Enjoy the Royal Rumble and have a great week in wrestling. CYA!