The Triple Threat 02.22.09: The 129th Edition - HHH, Edge, Stevie Richards, More

Posted by David Martell on 02.22.2009

This week we talk about Edge and Triple H winning the titles, Stevie Richards, Scotty Goldman, and the upcoming Wrestlemania 25 card. The Miz is our Superstar Highlight! Read on true believers!

Welcome back once again to the Triple Threat Column. This week we discuss the title changes at No Way Out, Stevie Richards to TNA, Scotty Goldman to the unemployment line, and our thoughts on the Wrestlemania card. The Miz is our superstar highlight this week so please read and enjoy!

Topic # 1 Edge won the WWE World Title this past weekend at No Way Out. What are your thoughts on this big surprise?

David Martell: Edge winning the World Title at No Way Out was definitely a shocker. I am angry with myself because I had the chance to watch the PPV but I decided not to. At least I will be attending Wrestlemania. I guess we are going to end up getting Edge vs. Cena at Mania but I am not very fond of this. We have seen this so many times before and I honestly think the WWE could do better. I would much rather see Edge, Christian, Matt and Jeff in some type of fatal four way but that is obviously not going to happen now. I guess as long as they have a decent match at Mania I will be happy but I am not particularly excited about this at all. Thanks for the surprise WWE, but please follow it up with a good Mania match.

Alex Mattis: Interesting turn of events I suppose. Any long time reader knows that I don't like Edge and don't get all the hype surrounding him, so I'm not jumping out of my seat with joy for this but I can understand this shuffles things up. You want to know what I don't understand? What gave Edge's the ground to be in the fuckin' match in the first place? I understand that he "took out Kofi" and whatnot, but it makes no sense and is just poor storytelling on the part of the E. So who's the champ of what now? Edge back to Raw? Like I said it's an interesting turn of event even if I don't particularly dig the dude.

Zach Brown: This is just the latest example of the WWE making their product harder and harder to predict. Most recently, it started in a big way with John Cena's entrance in 2008's Royal Rumble. Since then, WWE has been a product that continues to surprise the fans. And that's something that TNA should pay attention to. And the "Ultimate Opportunist" side of Edge serves that mind set well. I think a lot of people could have predicted Edge losing in the Smackdown Elimination Chamber. But could anyone have seen him beating the living hell out of Kofi Kingston and taking his place? I certainly didn't. It's like the WWE is constantly doing this sort of thing to prove to the IWC that wrestling can still be unpredictable. It's all proof that wrestling can still be exciting long after the Attitude Era is over. In terms of Edge being champ, it's not all that new. I don't mind him as champ, and the promo he cut on Raw was hilarious. But there's always the possibility that they giving him the title just to have him lose it at ‘Mania. For now, as long as John Cena doesn't have the belt, I'm fine with Edge as champ.


Topic # 2 Triple H won the WWE Title at No Way Out. What are your thoughts on Triple H‘s 13th title reign?

David Martell: I, like most people, called Triple H winning the WWE Title. At first I wasn't to happy with him getting involved in the Randy Orton storyline. Like Edge vs. Cena, this match has happened many times before. After watching RAW this past Monday, I changed my mind completely. Randy Orton and Triple H pulled off the ending segment perfectly and everything just makes sense. I have never seen Triple H so mad before. Just a great segment overall and I pray that Randy Orton will get the clean win at Mania. Right now Orton is on the verge of superstardom and this whole McMahon/Triple H storyline is completely genius. I am expecting a great match at Mania because this is make or break for Orton. If the WWE truly wants to make this guy the face of their company, everything has to work perfectly. So far so good and with Triple H in the mix, we could be welcoming a great Wrestlemania moment.

Alex Mattis: Joy! More Triple H as champion!!! Sarcasm aside this set the tone for the whacky night that would ensue at No Way Out. Trips is hell bent on winning more World championships than Flair so this brief, meaningless title reign have become something of habit. Although it has me more nervous than Cena going in as champ, I'm near positive that Orton will beat H and start his magnificent, lengthy title run.

Zach Brown: At this rate, it's only a matter of time before Triple H will surpass Ric Flair in World Title wins. That's a sad future in my opinion. Triple H is a boring champ nowadays. But the reason I like that he won the title is because it seems perfectly clear that Triple H will face Orton not only for the title, but in a grudge match at Wrestlemania as well. And that's a perfect scenario to me. Normally, I wouldn't be too happy about Hunter with the belt once again. But he's not just the same old H this time around. He's not his jokey DX gimmick, and he's not his serious competitor image either. To quote The Rock's classic promo, Triple H isn't saying "You're gonna have to face The Game-uh." Instead, what we're getting is a Triple H that actually has his emotions invested in a match. And that's a fresh side of Triple H that makes him worth watching again. For now, I don't mind Hunter with the belt, but I have a feeling that he's only keeping it warm for Orton.

Topic # 3 Stevie Richards is now a part of the TNA roster. What are your thoughts on this?

David Martell: Sounds like a bad trade off to me. TNA gives up Petey Williams and gets Stevie Richards. I have never been impressed with Richards. I never thought he was a good wrestling and he was stuck in so many bad gimmicks that he just kind of faded in the background of the WWE roster. I never watched him in ECW so I don't know if he was anything special there or not but from what I have seen, he is nothing special. I guess I can hope that he can get somewhere in TNA because I can respect all the work he had done in the WWE. Everything should get their just due for working hard for such a long time. We will just have to see what happens.

Alex Mattis: Why not? TNA loves to grab themselves whoever the E lets go and Richards is a solid enough veteran to maybe actually do something within the company. I've always been a fan of Richards and the work he puts in so I'm actually kind of excited to see what he could do within the company with the possibility of fresh new matches and such. You'll see!

Zach Brown: I understand Stevie's desire to keep wrestling, but I don't think he will find success in TNA whatsoever. Don't get me wrong, Stevie Richards is a talented guy. But if he can't be utilized correctly in ECW, what makes him think that he'll have a good career in TNA? TNA can't even use their homegrown talent for crying out loud! I mean they made Christopher Daniels do his Curryman gimmick for almost a year! And they gave up Petey Williams! Is that a fair trade!? I like Stevie Richards, but he hasn't been over with the crowd in years. I think that only one type of outside talent is guaranteed to really get over in TNA, and that is former WWE main eventers. TNA is a sinking ship in many ways. If guys like Christian and Kurt Angle have wanted to go back to WWE, and if guys like Petey Williams and Chris Daniels aren't used properly, then I doubt that Stevie Richards will have a successful TNA career.

Topic # 4 Scotty Goldman/Colt Cabana was recently released by the WWE. How do you feel about his departure?

David Martell: Well this is a sad, sad story. I was really hoping Cabana would make it in the WWE. He had a likable gimmick and he was a decent wrestler. I figured he would fit just perfectly. I guess we cant always be happy. I even thought things were looking up for him because he got his own show on WWE.com. I guess he can go back to the indy circuit or even try to go to TNA but young guys aren't always welcome there. Maybe somewhere down the road he will come back to the WWE but until then I wish him the best of luck.

Alex Mattis: Eh, it makes sense. I mean I'm not really happy about it, but with all the spring cleaning the E has been doing as of late I could sense it coming. The E couldn't find anything for him to do and didn't know how to use him, which was very surprising, so if this hadn't happened he would have just squandered around forever. So this works best for both sides in my mind. Now we have the potential of Colt returning to ROH, possibly even for the WrestleMania weekend shows (which I'll be at), so that would make me happy.

Zach Brown: Talk about a missed opportunity. Yeah yeah, the E is doing some Spring cleaning and people are getting cut left and right, but for the love of God, did any one from WWE see Colt Cabana's stuff from ROH!? He was over as hell, he was hilarious, and he's actually a great wrestler. What could possibly have gone wrong here!? I am seriously scratching my head and wondering how this happened. When I try and imagine the guys who didn't understand what Scotty Goldman was about, I come up blank. It boggles my mind how a talent like Colt Cabana can be used so poorly. Well, I guess it's back to ROH for Colt, and hopefully someone can mail WWE a couple of ROH DVDs. Hopefully, it will make them realize that they were out of their damn minds when they signed Scotty's release.

Topic # 5 It is only six weeks away from Wrestlemania. How do you think the card will end up?

David Martell: Things seem to finally be shaping up, at least I think. Orton vs. Triple H at Wrestlemania for the WWE Title is pretty much booked. It fits with the storyline and the fact that Randy Orton won the Royal Rumble. This should be intense. Edge vs. Cena seems to be where they are going for the World Title although I could still see this changing. I don't see a lot of hype around this but we have several weeks to get something going. HBK vs. The Undertaker is a must in my eyes. This match could be one of the best matches ever and without it I will feel robbed. Christian vs. Swagger seems to be happening but Christian is already getting a title shot on ECW this coming week. This could also be changed easily. I am still praying for a Chris Jericho vs. Stone Cold match. If the WWE wants to put on some sort of super card, this would be a great addition. Stone Cold said he always wanted to have a proper match with Jericho and this could be what he was looking for. I would much rather see Jericho vs. Austin instead of Jericho vs. Rourke. Of course we have the Money in the Bank. I am going to make a guess that it will include Evan Bourne, CM Punk, Mr. Kennedy, MVP, Shelton, Big Show, JBL and Koslov. It is an awkward array of wrestlers but some of these guys have no place at Wrestlemania as of right now so it is fitting if they end up in the MITB. Then again, I left out Rey Mysterio who also needs a match. Matt vs. Jeff is very likely although they are also having a match next week on Smackdown. It would mean more if they waited till Mania to actually fight. I have no idea what else is in store for Wrestlemania. I think it is so odd that we only have six week but we still have no idea what is going on for the majority of the card. I will say this, it does make things interesting. I actually get excited to watch RAW every week. I look forward in seeing how things progress.

Alex Mattis: Not as good as I had originally thought. Orton-Cena and Trips-Edge. Good. Edge-Cena and Orton-Trips. Blah. Granted all of these matches have happened before but Jesus how many times can we see Orton-Trips and Edge-Cena? Orton-Cena ALWAYS deliver and have had epic contests (SummerSlam/No Way Out) and I was looking forward to it. Trips-Orton, without a gimmick, has always been stale. Exact same thing goes for Edge-Cena. Their SummerSlam match was solid, but outside of that it was just gimmickness and repetitive. But then again its wrestling and both these matches could end up blowing my mind, so time will tell.

Zach Brown: As we get closer to ‘Mania, the obvious card speculation comes into everyone's mind. It's obvious that WWE is trying their hardest to set up a supercard for the silver anniversary of Wrestlemania. We have seen Edge vs. Cena and HHH vs. Orton, but HHH vs. Orton has a fresh coat of paint on it this time. Hopefully, WWE can crank something out to make Cena/Edge interesting as well. Undertaker vs. HBK should be Match of the Year. ‘Nuff said. And I don't want to speak too soon, but I think there's a chance that they might be setting up Chris Jericho vs. Stone Cold at ‘Mania. Think about it! Jericho has disrespected several legends already, and there's really only one that Jericho can't mess with and get away with it. If they put this match together, Wrestlemania 25 will be absolutely epic, and the pure definition of a supercard. Money in the Bank should be great with new talents such as Kofi Kingston and Evan Bourne tearing it up. Matt Hardy vs. Jeff Hardy will be a little weaker compared to all those matches, but it's an entertaining grudge match, so the crowd will be hot for this one as well. Something else that interests me is that there are several big guys that simply don't have a spot at Wrestlemania. This includes, Kane, Mark Henry, Koslov, The Great Khali, Big Show, JBL, Mike Knox, and others. I could see WWE putting together some sort of "Monster's Ball" match to give all these guys a spot at ‘Mania. If they don't do that, I don't know how these guys will fit in. And there's so much else that is hard to predict. Maybe WWE will change the titles up again right before ‘Mania. Who knows? WWE is so good at staying unpredictable right now, that it's uncanny.

Superstar Highlight

The Miz


Our thoughts on The Miz .

David Martell: The Miz is one of the most underrated wrestlers in the WWE. This guy has improved vastly over his short career in the WWE. One thing that I noticed the most is that he has learned how to take an excellent ass beating. This guy knows how to sell and makes everyone look good. I am enjoying his tag team with John Morrison and I hope this is a lasting gig for him for a least awhile. I don't think he is quite ready for singles competition and right now the WWE needs at least a few good tag teams. I think the Miz has a bright future ahead of him he just needs to keep up the good work and continue improving his skills.

Alex Mattis: Talk about a guy who has improved leaps and bounds since his debut. Miz today has become a pretty solid in-ring worker. And it's obvious the success he has had with his team with John Morrison. Miz & Morrison have been one of the best tag teams to come around in the E in quite awhile. They have always delivered in their tag performances and now Miz is usually bringing a solid effort to his singles work. I've always been caught up on the fact that his reality show status had much to do with why he got his spot, but now he has taken his opportunity and made the most of it and become a solid professional wrestler, and someone I am a fan of.

Zach Brown: I'm a big fan of The Miz. This is a guy that has improved exponentially since he debuted. He's definitely underrated, and a great heel to boot. I really like his mic work as of late. Just all around hilarious. Miz and Morrison are one of the best tag teams to come along in the last 3 or 4 years in my opinion. And as I've said before, Miz is an expert at getting his ass kicked. That statement may sound laughable, but you have to be talented to take a beating, and Miz excels at it. And 9 times out of 10, when Miz and Morrison win, it's because Morrison gets to show off and hit a finisher. You really have to look for Miz's flashes of talent. They're there, you just have to watch his matches a lot. And his finisher isn't bad either. It's simple, but it reminds me a little bit of the Stone Cold Stunner simply because it's pretty quick. All in all, Miz is always improving, and I'm torn between wanting Miz and Morrison to stay the great team that they are, and wanting Miz to have a solid singles career. Either way, I'm happy to watch him as much as I can.

That is it for this week. Feel free to leave us comments and always have a good week in wrestling. CYA!