411 Fact or Fiction Wrestling: WIll Rey Mysterio Return to WWE?

Welcome back to the latest edition of 411 Fact or Fiction, Wrestling Edition! Stuff happened, people loved/hated it and let everyone else know. I pick through the interesting/not so interesting tidbits and then make 411 staff members discuss them for your pleasure. Battling this week: First up is the one and only Steve Cook! He battles Greg DeMarco!

Questions were sent out Monday.

Participants were told to expect wrestling-related content, as well as possible statements on quantum physics, homemade pharmaceuticals and hydroponics.

1. Lucha Underground has a better chance at becoming a true alternative to WWE than TNA or ROH do.

Steve Cook: FACT – I have the feeling that people are going to look at this and say “OMG COOK THINKS LUCHA UNDERGROUND CAN COMPETE WITH WWE.”. I got yelled at by readers for years because I suggested that lucha libre could find an audience in this country with the growing Hispanic population. It can, but that’s not why I’m favoring their chances of becoming a “true alternative” to WWE over TNA or ROH. Simply put, TNA & ROH have been around too long. If people are going to decide that they would rather watch TNA or ROH over WWE, they already have. We know what they are. Lucha Underground is a new product. Admittedly, it’s on a limited network. The visibility isn’t there, and early indication is that the ratings aren’t there. The show itself has been pretty damn solid so far. The matches have been good for the most part, but I think where the show shines is outside the ring. The backstage vignettes with the owner of the company, Konnan & others have been fantastic. The videos explaining characters such as Mil Muertes, Prince Puma & Sexy Star have been very effective. The cinematic feel is something that I dig. Matt Striker has been a good pbp guy for the most part. I think Vampiro needs to cut back on his use of the word “brother”, but him being there makes sense. It’s a darn good wrestling show. It’s not perfect, but it’s also not something you’re going to see from WWE. That, I think, makes it a “true alternative”. I mean, TNA is a second-rate WWE at this point, what kind of an alternative is that?

Greg DeMarco: FICTION – There’s a few ways to look at this question, and they all have me coming up fiction…

Sheer Numbers – From a sheer numbers perspective, there are three alternatives named: Lucha Underground, TNA Wrestling and Ring of Honor. Giving each an equal share means that each has a 33.33% chance of being a true alternative to WWE. Thus, Lucha Underground vs. The Field is 33.33% over 66.66%…I don’t like those odds.

But this doesn’t really come down to sheer numbers, does it?

History – There are two elements of history at work here. First off, ROH has the longest history out of the three, beating TNA by less than a year and Lucha Underground by a city mile. Ring of Honor also started as a territory, much like WWE, NWA and WCW back in the day. TNA and LU did not. LU is filmed on one shot, in a warehouse, using independent wrestlers (alongside international stars) under alternatives names. Sounds an awful lot like Wrestling Society X to me, and that promotion didn’t finish its first season.

But I think the real reason comes from a little thing called distribution.

Distribution: TNA is struggling with distribution now, likely cutting its reach in half when it leaves Spike TV. Lucha Underground has a small reach, and isn’t even touring. They’re technically behind Lucha Libre USA in that regard. Ring of Honor is drawing near capacity houses everywhere they go, and despite having an old school local syndication approach, they’re rumored to be doing bigger ratings than TNA when you add up all of the markets.

The fact is, Ring of Honor offers a product that is very different from the WWE, have a distribution model that works, and has turned itself into a sustainable business. In my mind, they’re already the #2 promotion in the United States, and are poised to offer fans the only true alternative to WWE on a regular basis.

2. Team Authority will win this Sunday’s Survivor Series main event.

Steve Cook: FACT – I’m going to use the old theory that the people standing tall at the end of Raw before the PPV won’t be going over. It worked pretty well during the Austin years, as ol’ Stone Cold was always selling for some goof that wasn’t going to win on Sunday. Same for that John Cena guy during most of his run. Some dastardly heel always beat him up on the Monday before the PPV, and then LOLCENAWINSONSUNDAY. Now that Triple H, who lives & breathes for WWE & sports entertainment in general, has been beaten up on Raw, it’s fairly obvious that his team will go over on Monday. Sure, the opposing team has John Cena. It also has The Ryback, and it also has The Rowan. So those are long odds. But H does have The Harper. He’s also got Rollins stomping people, Kane still being around, and I think Cesaro might be the sixth person on the five man team but who the hell knows. I don’t think he knows at this point. I would like the Authority to go away for a while. But it’s not like these heel authority figures actually leave when they lose their power. They’ll still be there & talk all the time like they’re Dixie Carter or something. If they’re going to be on TV they might as well have a reason to be there.

Greg DeMarco: FICTION – Even without referencing the Smackdown spoilers that make the outcome obvious, all the signs point to Team Cena coming out on top. You have a well-oiled machine in Team Authority, and a bunch of misfits in Team Cena. Obviously Team Authority will fall apart at the seams during the match. Outside of Ryback’s decision, Team Authority continues to come out on top each step of the way as we head to the pay-per-view. That’s a standard booking move that points us to Team Cena coming out on top. The WWE loves the “Who will be in charge?” angle, and they can play that after Team Authority loses. And the main reason Team Authority loses is the reason everyone is thinking…because John Cena.

3. Judging by results of his latest meeting with WWE, Rey Mysterio will never wrestle in a WWE ring again.

Steve Cook: FICTION – If I learned anything from Hulk Hogan’s Hall of Fame induction speech, it’s “Never Say Never”. I never thought that Bruno Sammartino & WWE would get back on the same page. I never thought that the Ultimate Warrior would be back in the fold after the self-destruction bit. I never thought that Bret Hart would be back in the good graces of the McMahon family. I believe that if Randy Savage was still alive that they would have gotten him back eventually. All of those men mentioned in the previous paragraph had bigger axes to grind than Rey Mysterio does, to the best of my knowledge. Perhaps there’s more behind the scenes that I don’t know. I know Rey’s on the outs with WWE now. But maybe that changes…if they let him go now. And they should. If they end things now, maybe they can get Rey back later. And hell, if he gets some time off he could even do a match. All I know is what the Hulkster told me brother, and he told me never say never.

Greg DeMarco: FICTION – Never is a strong word. Too strong of a word here. In all honesty, Rey Mysterio isn’t getting any younger, and is in a state I prefer not to watch. I’d much rather watch him in his glory days on the WWE Network when he could actually do things like flip around and be a great cruiserweight. The Rey Mysterio of today is but a novelty act, and is best off ending his career in Mexico before he goes and gets “Konnan-fat.” But never? That’s too strong. He’ll have at least one WWE match before he retires.

SWITCH!

4. You are more interested in a Luke Harper singles run than a Bray Wyatt singles run.

Greg DeMarco: FICTION – I don’t see how anyone can say “Fact” here. Bray Wyatt is FAR more interesting than Luke Harper, who owes his entire backstory to Bray himself. Add in the fact that Luke Harper wears a disgusting wife-beater for each match and I’d be more interested in seeing him get new gear than get a singles run. Jokes aside, Bray Wyatt is money. And I like Luke Harper. I just feel like he can’t differentiate himself enough to matter when Bray is still around. The biggest part of Luke Harper’s career (despite the nonsensical Intercontinental Championship win that will be paid back on the Raw after Survivor Series) is being a member of The Wyatt Family, and he’ll be at his most relevant when they reunite before the end of 2015.

Steve Cook: FACT – The thing about Bray Wyatt is that he’s pretty awesome as that Kevin Sullivan/Raven-type cult leader. You don’t really get excited about his matches, you’re interested in all the freaks that he has with him that add to his matches. Guys like the Rowan, and yes, guys like the Harper. The Intercontinental Title may be seen as a curse in this day and age, but I have to believe it means SOMETHING that they gave it to the Harper. It also means something that the Harper & the Rowan are in the Survivor Series main event while Bray Wyatt is off with Dean Ambrose doing whatever. Luke Harper is a better wrestler than Bray Wyatt, therefore I’m more interested in what he’ll do if he gets a chance. Pretty much all there is to it right there.

5. The New Japan Pro Wrestling WrestleKingdom 9 event, presented by Global Force Wrestling, is appropriately priced at $34.95.

Greg DeMarco: FICTION – I’m just a barrel of positivity today, no? New Japan Pro Wrestling is easily the #2 wrestling promotion in the world, just behind WWE. I am excited that WrestleKingdom is available on PPV, especially with Jim Ross behind the mic. And for the hardcore fan like myself, $35 is easily a fair price for this 4-hour extravaganza. But you don’t link up with Jeff Jarrett’s GFW when Ring of Honor could have easily offered you PPV distribution in the US. NJPW has to be looking to expand their fanbase, and you’re not doing that at thirty-five bucks. So yeah, they’ll make more money off of their existing iPPV customers, but very few new fans will tune in. and the appropriate price point is one that grows the business, bringing more customers into the fold on a routine basis.

Steve Cook: FICTION – I can get the WWE Network for three months for less than $34.95. In that time I’ll watch the three monthly “PPV” events, a ton of episodes of whatever classic show I’m currently going through (currently Saturday Night’s Main Event), NXT at random intervals, and whatever original shows they throw on there. And there’s a ton more stuff that I won’t get to because I have to leave the house fairly regularly. Global Force Wrestling expects me to pay $34.95 for one four-hour show. Yes, I’m aware that New Japan Pro Wrestling is the greatest wrestling promotion in the world today, and Wrestle Kingdom is their biggest show of the year. Every match will be five stars. I’m in full support of Jeff Jarrett trying to start something with New Japan & whoever else he partners with, and I wish them the best. But you’re going to ask me to pay more for one show than three months of the WWE Network?

Child please.

6. You are excited for Sunday’s WWE Survivor Series PPV.

Greg DeMarco: FACT – Happy? I said fact to something today. Look, I’m a sucker for PPV events. I have the WWE Network, so I really consider these free. Why? Because I’d have the WWE Network even if PPVs weren’t offered as part of the package. The added monthly “mega event” just makes it that much sweeter of a deal. Plus, this is the freaking Survivor Series we’re talking about here. There is some talent in each match, and Bray Wyatt is facing off with Dean Ambrose. It’s a Sunday night and I get to watch wrestling for free—how can I not be excited?

Steve Cook: FICTION – Maybe it’s more me than it is them. Most of the PPV/WWE Network events have delivered & I’ve been happy at the end of them, but the majority of what WWE presents on a weekly basis leaves me cold. So it’s tough for me to be terribly excited heading into these shows. Let’s look at the current card:

Team Cena vs. Team Authority: This will be good. There are questions about a lot of the people involved, but WWE does specialize in booking these multi-man tag matches. So I have no doubt that the main event will deliver.

AJ Lee vs. Nikki Bella: I don’t think a lot of people around here want to admit this due to their AJ bias, but Nikki Bella has been the best female worker on the WWE main roster over the past several months. I know, she’s just a model and isn’t a real wrestler! But damn if her matches aren’t better than what we’re getting from AJ & Paige & Natalya & whomever people want to tell me is a good Diva wrestler in WWE. Nikki’s the best. She’ll probably be #1 on the next Hot 100 barring somebody coming out in the next 6 months. Sorry in advance. So I expect this to be one of AJ’s best matches in awhile.

Dean Ambrose vs. Bray Wyatt: Two of the IWC’s favorite characters going at it! Will it be a good match? Who the hell knows? I don’t think it’ll be a scientific masterpiece. The best bet here is a crazy brawl that goes all over the place. Always a place for a match like that on a wrestling card as far as I’m concerned.

4-Way Tag Team Title Match: Um, yeah sure probably? Kinda sad when you have to go to Los Matadores to fill this thing out.

I can talk myself into this show better than WWE’s shows can. I’m really not sure what that says. Other than I think the show will be good but I’m not terribly excited.