411 Fact or Fiction Wrestling: Will Kevin Owens Retain at The Clash?

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 are 411’s Rob Stewart and Mike Hammerlock!

Questions were sent out Monday.

Participants were told to expect wrestling-related content, as well as possible statements on quantum physics, homemade pharmaceuticals, the Turtle Total Trip Theorem, pizza and hydroponics.

1. Kevin Owens will not retain the WWE Universal Title at Sunday’s Clash of Champions PPV.

Rob Stewart: FICTION – Fun fact: I am awful at prognosticating wrestling live specials, so use the two days’ advance notice I am giving you to run out and place all your pennies on Seth Rollins to win the Universal Championship this weekend! That said, I just can’t picture Seth winning here; that would give us a THIRD Universal Champion since the belt was first awarded at SummerSlam just a shade over a month ago. That’s far too much hot potato-ing for a primary championship that is still trying to build its importance. The best way to establish the Universal title is to let one guy (in this case, Owens since he is the current champion) run with it for a while and build its value and prestige so that winning it is a big damn deal not just because it’s a world title but because the champion has been guarding it so zealously. Also, there’s really no reason to cut off Owens at this point; he’s been absolutely terrific since about 3 seconds after he walked into WWE. Let him be the top heel that the rest of the roster can chase for a while… perhaps all the way to WrestleMania.

Mike Hammerlock: FICTION – Rollins is doing a slow burn face turn. Doesn’t make sense to give him the belt until the turn is complete. The WWE has a great heel champ at the moment in Owens. He’s the perfect foil for emerging good guy Rollins. Mind you, a double turn with Rollins going to the light while Roman Reigns goes full darkside would be even better, but they don’t seem to want to pull that trigger. Anyway, when Rollins next wins the title, it should be a universal feel-good moment and we’re not there yet. That means Owens should retain at Clash of Champions. Maybe Chris Jericho will get involved and save his new bestie. And don’t rule out HHH reappearing to spoil Rollins’ night.

2. TJ Perkins was the right choice to win the WWE Cruiserweight Classic.

Rob Stewart: FACT – For as big of a fan of Gran Metalik made of me throughout the tournament–and for as prominent of figures as Kota Ibushi and Zack Sabre Jr are in the wrestling landscape–I can’t in good conscience go “Fiction” here. Perkins was a revelation in the CWC, and he 100% deserved his crowning moment there. Not that the CWC was lousy with bad matches by any stretch of the imagination, but Perkins put on five highly entertaining bouts to really announce his arrival to WWE’s rebuilt Cruiserweight division. And while the CWC was about ambition and proving yourself on a large stage, we all know that Raw is going to want more character-driven storylines out of its cruiserweight division; to that end, Perkins has the ability to roll as either a face (the unexpected champ who is still trying to prove he belongs) or a heel (the cocky young stud dabbing in everyone’s faces). He’s a great choice overall.

Mike Hammerlock: FACT – To be fair, there were a lot of right choices. That’s what made the CWC so compelling. Yet from his first match Perkins was a revelation. That was a tournament with a ridiculous amount of talent, and Perkins’ speed, precision and inventiveness were off the charts. I did not realize how complete his game was until the CWC. The man is spectacular inside the ring. If what you want is an all-action division which pushes the envelope in terms of the athleticism involved in pro wrestling, Perkins is a fantastic guy to lead that charge. I’m already marking out for Perkins vs. Akira Tozawa. That’s going to happen some day, and it’s going to be a ****** match (that’s right, I typed six stars). If, as I suspect, Perkins has barely begun to dip into his bag of tricks, get ready to sweep your brains off the floor, because he’ll be blowing our minds on a regular basis.

3. Billy Corgan has revealed that he is in negotiations to buy TNA, and there are rumors that both WWE and ROH parent company Sinclair Broadcasting are interesting in a possible purchase. Which of the three do you feel will end up purchasing TNA and why?

Rob Stewart: Corgan – Corgan certainly seems to have the inside track, at least. If news leaks are to be believed, WWE’s full offer was close to Corgan’s offer for 30% ownership, so it seems highly unlikely that they’re really “seriously” in the bidding. Out of the other two, Corgan seems to have the most passion to actually take the reigns of TNA, and he is already invested in the company. At this point, I’d be surprised if Corgan didn’t factor into the final purchase.

Mike Hammerlock: Corgan – I’m making this pick based on the notion that TNA isn’t worth much. It doesn’t have a thriving live events business or PPV business. Its television product is dated. It seems to have regular problems paying its employees. So what’s the asset here? I doubt the brand is worth much. The WWE or ROH would simply ingest TNA and cast aside its brand. Maybe they’d do an invasion angle, but TNA would be defunct as a separate entity with its own weekly television program. Eventually the WWE will own the video library. No one else has the platform to monetize it. Vince could buy that separately when TNA liquidates. That pretty much leaves the roster. I agree TNA has some talent. Yet most of the top guys in the promotion are WWE castoffs. Why would Vince McMahon pay a premium to buy a company filled with guys he once had and let walk away? He could just pick up the guys he really wants as their TNA contracts expire. That’s a much more cost-effective way of doing business. The same goes for ROH. Yes, Lashley, Drew Galloway, Michael Bennett, EC3 and Aron Rex would shake up the ROH roster in a positive way, but enough to justify a corporate acquisition? I’m not so sure. I’m also not sold on ROH wanting to carry that heavy of a payroll. That leaves Corgan as the last man standing. He’s there. He clearly wants to stay there. The whole “TNA for sale” drama could be a work. It might already be a done deal and they’re going through the motions of shopping it in order to add some drama. So my pick is Corgan officially becomes the owner and nothing really changes, which means the TNA deathwatch may continue as normal.

SWITCH!

4. WWE is rushing to the triple threat between Charlotte, Sasha Banks and Bayley.

Mike Hammerlock: FACT – Time + pressure = drama. We haven’t had enough time with these ladies or enough pressure placed on them to yield the drama the WWE wants to squeeze out of them. Most WWE fans haven’t seen the NXT matches they reference in their promos. You’ve got to show a whole new group of fans that these women are consequential talents. None of them are 100% there yet. Sasha is the closest, but she’s been derailed by some injuries in 2016. Bayley’s brand new in the WWE. Charlotte’s gotten the most attention, but she hasn’t done much to merit reverence. She’s more Paige-style annoying at this moment, than Trish Stratus-style excellent. It’s possible to advance all three as they feud each other, but it would be much better if they made us wait for this clash for a year or so. That way it would come with a major creative payoff.

Rob Stewart: FICTION – I might have said “Fact” two or three months ago, but WWE put on a successful Triple Threat between the former members of The Shield at Battleground of all places, so I’ve given up thinking that specific matches “need” to take place on certain cards or at certain times. The implication of this question seems to be that WWE can never go back to this match once they’ve done it, or that it will feel less special if they do it again a few months from now. I don’t buy the logic in either of those points; I want to watch these three ladies go at it early and often because they are going to provide great encounters pretty much any time they’re all in the ring together. Besides, at this point, what’s the alternative? Either Sasha or Bayley go after the Womens’ Championship while the other feuds with Nia Jax for a while? That doesn’t really move the needle for me. So nope… there’s no rushing here. Give me Charlotte vs. Sasha vs. Bayley now!

5. The debut of the Cruiserweight Division on Raw was very well done.

Mike Hammerlock: FACT – I know there were complaints about Foley’s introduction of the cruiserweights, and it was weak sauce. I also wish Mauro and Daniel were doing the commentary. Corey Graves really needs to step up his game when the cruiserweights take to the ring. He’s got to be the in-house expert on who these guys are and what they’re doing inside the ring. They really ought to find a way to present the cruiserweights as something different inside the Raw broadcast – enter from a different area, bring down the house lights, switch up the announce team, come up with a points/ranking system so we know what these guys are fighting for every time they come to the ring, maybe have a guerrilla ringside crew picking up shaky cam replays of the action,. So I’m not saying it was perfect. Yet it was the best wrestling match on the show. That’s their job: steal the show, every week. They didn’t steal it by a lot, but if you want action, they brought it. If they keep doing that for the next two months, then the division is established and fans will be all kinds of excited when they see the cruiserweights stepping out for their matches. One side complaint, Kendrick isn’t using Sliced Bread #2 enough. Enough fans remember that move that it would get a good-sized pop when he hits it.

Rob Stewart: FICTION – I don’t see any legitimate way to say “Fact” here; their introduction was basically “Hey, we have small guys! Now four of them are going to fight in tonight’s official Small Guy Match! Here you go!”. There wasn’t any passion or intensity in their introduction; it just kind of happened. And with four of them debuting all at once, they felt all the more diluted because it’s harder to get invested in an individual talent that way. I’m happy THE Brian Kendrick won, and I believe that to be the right call at the moment, but the debut of the cruiserweight division on Raw did nothing to maintain the momentum established by the Cruiserweight Classic. It felt forced and unimportant.

6. Smackdown doing big time matches the week of a Raw PPV will be commonplace going forward so that the show doesn’t get lost in the shuffle.

Mike Hammerlock: FACT – I’m not 100% sure about this, but it feels truthy. So I’m going with fact. I’d like to see them expand the tent on what constitutes “big.” Cena and Ambrose in the main event all the time will get repetitive. Yet it makes sense for Smackdown to make some noise on Raw PPV weeks. The powers that be don’t want it to become an afterthought show. Also, given how formulaic WWE go-home shows prior to its PPVs have become, a hot Smackdown five days before a Raw PPV would be a nice change of pace. Suddenly we’re getting something better than an infomercial for Sunday’s extravaganza. I’m for that.

Rob Stewart: FACT – Well, it certainly makes sense. If Raw and Smackdown Live are TRULY supposed to be battling for brand superiority, then the idea of putting on a big show the week of the other brand’s live special absolutely works in a “So you are having a big night? Let’s see if you can top THIS…” kind of way. You put your best foot forward and try to overshadow your rival’s big moment. And yes, that’s especially true in regards to Smackdown Live, which is always going to be viewed as the little brother brand out of the two. They’re going to have to scrap and fight for all the relevancy that they can get, and putting on mini-PPV quality shows to set the tone for Raw’s live specials to live up to displays that they demand to be taken seriously.

7. What is your excitement level for WWE Clash of Champions??

Mike Hammerlock: 8 out of 10 – Not for nothing, this is a stacked card. New Day vs. Gallows & Anderson is a relative afterthought, and that could be outstanding. Owens vs. Rollins, Perkins vs. Kendrick, Jericho vs. Zayn, Cesaro vs. Sheamus, Rusev vs. Reigns and the women’s title match – any of them could be **** or better matches. I can’t guarantee they will be that good, but if the WWE is truly dedicated to generating excitement over its brand split, this card can do the trick. On paper, this ought to be the WWE’s best PPV so far in 2016. If everyone works to steal the show, this show can steal the year. The matchmaking for this has been excellent. In particular, Owens vs. Rollins is a bit of a dream match. They’re two of the absolute best in the business and they’ve got history that dates back to their ROH days. The ring chemistry in this one should be off the charts. I also think Cesaro’s going to whip out some insane feat of strength to defeat Sheamus.

Rob Stewart: 7 out of 10 – For a non-major show in the NFL months of the calendar where WWE tends to sleepwalk their way to the Royal Rumble, Clash of Champions looks pretty damn interesting. We have the aforementioned Bayley/Banks/Charlotte encounter, a very promising main event (Rollins/Owens), two matches with show-stealing possibilities (Zayn/Jericho and Cesaro/Sheamus), and an intriguing US Title match (Rusev/Reigns). It has strong potential up-and-down the card, and I am on board.