The Triple Threat 6.20.10: The 192nd Edition – Fatal Four Way, Scott Hall, Tommy Dreamer, More

Topic # 1 WWE‘s Fatal 4Way PPV is this Sunday. What are your thoughts on the card?

David Martell: With only five matches announced for this PPV, this is obviously going to be a very storyline heavy show. The two biggest storylines going on right now literally have nothing to do with the actual matches. First you have the NXT invasion angle. This will for sure be apart of the show since they gave Bret Hart till Sunday to answer their demands. You also have the whole Kane/Undertaker storyline going on. Maybe this is where the Undertaker returns. The sad part is, the storylines are a lot more interesting than the matches. Kofi vs. Drew for the IC title will probably be bland because I find it hard to watch Drew McIntyre. He is just plain boring to watch. I seriously doubt Kofi can bring him to a great match and I also expect Matt Hardy to have something to do with this match. I think run ins are going to be a big part of this PPV overall unfortunately. The Miz vs. R Truth also doesn’t interest me any. I don’t see much of a build here and since Miz just won the belt back, I doubt he is going to drop it this fast. If Miz loses that is just terrible booking. The fatal four way divas match could be alright I guess but still nothing to be excited about. The RAW fatal four way match for the WWE title could be good. Once again, there really isn’t that big of a build to me. I am sure it will be a good match but I just don’t care about it. I am going to say that Cena loses the title here to Orton with Orton pinning Edge. NXT will have something to do with that I am sure. The Smackdown fatal four way has more intrigue but I think Swagger will retain here. I don’t see any need for him to lose right now but they could put the belt on Punk and let him feud with a returning Undertaker. Overall, this PPV just doesn’t have much that I want to see. I would stay away from this one.

Jacob San Antonio: This card isn’t that impressive, honestly. It’s pretty much “Rematch: the PPV.” Cena will retain the title, most likely through some Wade Barrett interference after he sics the NXT Rookies on everyone. It’s tough to make a call in the Heavyweight Title bout, especially since I’m pretty sure Kane is just going to run in and beat everyone anyway. If I had to make a choice though, I’ll go ahead and say Big Show walks away as the champ. Swagger’s run as champ hasn’t been terribly effective, and if all the WWE wants to do is further develop him as a heel, he doesn’t need the belt to do so. For the Divas championship the only contenders are Maryse and Eve, while the other two are just pin fodder. Currently, I expect Gail Kim to get pinned by Eve and start some crazy feud between faces. I can dream, right? The Miz will retain against R-Truth in an exciting match. The only justification I have for this decision is that with every other match on the card (the exception being the Divas match), there is a very likely chance of someone interfering with the match and interrupting the action. Miz/Truth looks like the only vanilla match on the card, so I expect the two to put on something special. Finally, Kofi loses to McIntyre after heel tactics and possible Vince McMahon shenanigans. Overall, not too excited about this PPV. Then again, I don’t think I was when it was first announced so many months back.

Zach Brown: This show is kind of a mixed bag in my opinion. In terms of the card, it’s not particularly a strong one. The actual quality of the matches is somewhat lacking, and it’s essentially a two match show. Kofi Kingston vs. Drew McIntyre is probably going to be an average TV match at best. Kofi should retain. The Miz vs. R-Truth is going to be worse than that. I just hope The Miz retains here. The Divas Fatal Four Way match doesn’t look awful, but it is a Divas match after all. I expect Eve to retain. And then the real Fatal Four Way matches. For my money, I actually prefer the Smackdown Fatal Four Way. Rey and Punk have been putting on some show stealing matches lately, and I expect them to really push the pace of the match and make it the best one of the night. But I hope that Swagger retains here. If not, I could live with CM Punk winning, but it probably won’t happen. And as for the Raw one, you can’t argue with the talent involved in the match. Cena always delivers on the big shows and everyone else in the match will make this pretty entertaining. But I expect Cena to retain here. If not, I’d think Edge would win it for no discernable reason. Both Orton and Sheamus are working fine without a title at the moment. But the biggest storylines leading into Fatal Four Way are the NXT invasion and Kane’s warpath. I expect them to make their way onto the show somehow, and result in a match or some other craziness. The thing about this card is that far less focus was put into matchmaking this time around, as WWE was focusing far more on storylines recently. But the other thing that makes this card interesting is that it is about that time for something shocking to happen on PPV. This show has that certain feeling about it that makes it seem like anything can happen and that anyone can walk out with a title. But that sort of thing is hard to predict, and shouldn’t constitute purchasing a PPV. Overall, if you feel like you want to watch something shocking happening live instead of reading about it later or seeing still frames of it on Raw, go ahead and order it. And even that is only based on gut instinct. WWE could definitely disappoint in that regard, making the whole PPV a wash. Because based on match quality alone, this PPV is an easy one to pass.

Topic # 2 How do you feel about Tommy Dreamer being in TNA?

David Martell: What a surprise. I think everyone saw this coming. I really don’t see what Dreamer brings to the table but I guess he is better than some of the TNA roster. I am sure that this is definitely good for Dreamer. He has a lot of friends in TNA and with the limited schedule, he can make good money and not have to work to hard. I doubt he will end up with the TNA World Title but he is a good enhancement talent. He still has the ability to put on some good matches but he definitely isn’t a main eventer, not at this point in time. As long as he can stay healthy, I have no problem with him in TNA. Lets just hope TNA can use him in the right way.

Jacob San Antonio: This can only be considered a good thing for the guy. He stuck with ECW till it finally sank, and it was pretty obvious by that point that Dreamer just didn’t want to work for the WWE anymore. He had gotten used to working a certain way, and it just didn’t mesh with what the WWE wanted from him. So now he’s heading to TNA, and I can only be happy for him. I hope he enjoys the company, and that he fits quickly into the roster. Dreamer’s a nice guy, and he deserves an opportunity to enjoy doing his job.

Zach Brown: This is not shocking to me in the slightest. It kind of sours that heartfelt goodbye speech that he gave on ECW in my eyes, but it’s still a move that makes the most sense for Tommy Dreamer. Now that Tommy doesn’t have the ECW banner to cling to anymore, it’s a no-brainer for him to seek out the closest thing to ECW, and that’s TNA. With RVD as their champ and old friends like Rhino, Raven and Taz in the company, I’m sure he’ll feel right at home. Plus, he gets to be in the company that is the underdog to WWE, which is a feeling he is no stranger to. Will he add any viewers to TNA? Heck no. I can’t even imagine him getting a run at any title, let alone having any worthwhile storylines. But then again, I don’t think that’s the sort of thing that Dreamer is after anyway. He is capable of putting on a decent match and he is far more capable than other recent “legendary” TNA additions. For the time being, I’m sure that Dreamer is a happy camper. As long as TNA is willing to pay his bills and put a legend like him to work, it’s fine by me. But I won’t be tuning in to see Tommy Dreamer every week.

Topic # 3 Do you think Bryan Danielson will ever come back to the WWE?

David Martell: I think he would be stupid not to go back to the WWE. Even though he is fired, he has a ton of support from many of the talent in the WWE right now. Hell, if John Cena wants Bryan Danielson back that has to mean something. If you think it about it, this could be good for Danielson. WWE would be stupid to let him go to TNA so I guarantee that the WWE would bring him back in with a bigger pay check. I just have a feeling that the WWE really didn’t want to fire Danielson. He was getting a big push, he was the star of NXT, he beat the Miz clean and was a big part of the NXT invasion. I don’t know, it just seems like a stupid reason to fire someone when you are pushing them to be a star. When ever he does return to the WWE, which I am sure he will, it is going to be a big deal.

Jacob San Antonio: I don’t see why not, though ultimately the choice lies with Danielson. The way the WWE has been handling the situation just confirms the suspicion that they were reluctant to let him go, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see them keep up with Danielson through this 3 month period. If rumors can be trusted, Vince himself seemed pretty impressed with the guy, and if that doesn’t tell you enough I don’t know what will. If Bryan Danielson wants to return after the end of his no-complete clause, he will. Though this fiasco with the firing leaves a pretty sour taste in everyone’s mouths, we still haven’t heard a peep of Danielson’s own thoughts on the matter. I’m going to be optimistic and say we will see Danielson again on the WWE as soon as he is able.

Zach Brown: Now that it seems like the dust has settled somewhat, I don’t think this was a work. I think that WWE really can be that retarded sometimes with who they let go and how afraid they are to not breach their PG policy / remind anyone that Chris Benoit existed. And for those that still think this is a work, you have to ask, what is the purpose of this if it is? To screw with a fraction of the audience that reads dirt sheets? To throw Dave Meltzer and other reporters for a loop? All so Vince can have a nice laugh? None of the events surrounding Danielson seem to be leading to any sort of storyline. What Wade Barrett said on Raw was essentially a write off for his character. And if it was storyline, I would expect Michael Cole to make some sort of comment about it on the air. And of course, he has yet to do so. Some people say all signs point to a work, but I say the exact opposite. If Danielson comes back to the WWE sometime down the road, I’ll be happy to see him back. And if he somehow returns to WWE programming before his 90 day no compete clause is up, I would believe it would be because WWE realized they screwed up and thought that they need to hire him back because people actually care about this guy. We’ll have to wait and see what happens. And hell, I would like nothing more than to be incorrect on this matter. Bryan Danielson deserves a fair chance in WWE, and I would love for all of this to be a work. But my gut tells me otherwise, unfortunately.

Topic # 4 What are your thoughts on Scott Hall getting the axe by TNA?

David Martell: Now THIS is a step in the right direction for TNA. Scott Hall brought nothing to the table and has always been a waste of space in TNA. TNA needs to stop trying to relive the glory days and start making quality TV. Have creative storylines with younger talent. It can’t be that hard. I think this is the last we will see of Scott Hall in a major wrestling promotion. Well, unless he gets inducted into the WWE hall of fame one day. I am glad he is gone from TNA and I hope TNA continues to get rid of wrestlers who are basically useless in the growth and well being of TNA.

Jacob San Antonio: Am I shocked about this? Not really. Scott Hall has had issues with alcoholism for what feels like forever now, and it’s never really looked like he had managed to get any sort of control over it. It’s a shame that he’s been let go from a company run mostly by his friends, but that really just reinforces the fact that the guy has a serious problem and needs to do something about it. I hope Hall takes this as a sign and tries to deal with his addictions. There’s far too few stories in the wrestling industry where performers can successfully confront their vices.

Zach Brown: “Hey yo! I’m fired!” Just kidding. I don’t know why Dixie Carter and Scott Hall met and agreed that he should take time off, but my guess would be that he needs to go to rehab or some other counseling. The guy looks terrible and it’s no secret that he has some issues with alcohol. But maybe he had some other sort of issues to attend to. Either way, I’m just speculating. As for Scott’s involvement in TNA, I am not a fan of The Band in any capacity. I think they’ve been shoved down our throats since day 1, and I don’t even like either Scott Hall or Sean Waltman in the ring. If Scott Hall never comes to TNA again, I’m not exactly going to lose sleep over it. But I hope that Scott gets things sorted out in his life because far too many wrestlers have died in the last five years.

Topic # 5 There are rumors going around that TNA is going to cut the number of PPVs each year and instead have 3 hour specials. How do you feel about this?

David Martell: This is actually a great idea. let’s face it, TNA has terrible buy rates for their PPVs. By having fewer PPVs a year, they have a chance of getting bigger buy rates for those PPVs because they would be considered more special to the viewers. Maybe by having these three hour specials, they can have more exposure and bring in new fans. If they can make these three hour specials have a PPV type feel to them where there are title matches and what not, people are going to watch and the ratings are going to get better. I really think this could work but TNA has to start bring us quality programming. If they continue doing what they are doing there is no way this will work out for them in the end. I hope for the best.

Jacob San Antonio: Hmmm, this is a tough call. On the one hand, an extra hour gives TNA more time to incorporate other wrestlers into the show, and get more exposure to the performers who need it. My only concern would be the quality of matches, and which direction this change will take it. Slammiversary opened with an awesome fourteen minute match between Kurt Angle and Kazarian, and my hope would be that having a three hour show would offer the chance for more matches like that on TV. I guess I’ll be blunt: if TNA is going to take this opportunity and put on a show as bad as the WWE’s last three hour event, then they shouldn’t even bother. If you’re making the decision to expand your show, then you better have a solid idea of how to do so and improve the overall quality. Otherwise you’re just wasting the fans’ time and disappointing them in the process.

Zach Brown: I really don’t understand this logic. So TNA is clearly having some sort of trouble with their PPV buy rates. Understandable. Honestly, TNA cards are only good 1 out of ever 4 times in my opinion. But is this the most logical solution? Here’s the news TNA: your ratings aren’t that spectacular either. Why don’t you just make your TV product better? That’s essentially what TNA is trying to do with this move, but doing it in a completely roundabout and ass backwards way. Or how about you make your storylines better!? Or your PPV matches! Why pull this move? It just makes very little sense to me. If the tried and true format of linking a weekly television show with PPVs is not working for you, it’s not the format that isn’t working, it is the company. It is some combination of the storylines, the matches, and the brand awareness. Instead of making radical changes to your programming style, how about get rid of Russo, Hogan and Bischoff? Hire someone that actually knows how to write storylines and book matches. TNA has the roster to make it work in my opinion. But besides that, they have some serious troubleshooting to do.

Our thoughts on The Big Show.

David Martell: For the most part, I have always enjoyed watching the Big Show. The first WWE PPV my family ever bought was St. Valentines Day Massacre, when the Big Show debuted. During his time on Smackdown with Brock Lesnar and Kurt Angle was phenomenal. I feel like that was his best work in the WWE by far. Now a days I think the Big Show is doing well for himself. He has been in two damn good tag teams, with JeriShow being the better of the two teams. His recent stint as a face has been fun so far. It is good to see him in the main event. Although I know he probably wont win the title, he can make people look good by losing. Beating someone who is seven foot tall always looks good for the other guy. I think this face turn will only last a little while but until then, I am enjoying his work.

Jacob San Antonio: The Big Show has a pretty appropriate name. Even way back in the WCW, the guy could just stand around and entertain me. Sure, he’s just another “big man” in the wrestling business, doing the big guy thing and destroying the smaller people. Even so, the guy’s been around for quite a while and I still enjoy the majority of his matches. He’s surprisingly good on the mic, in contrast to his mute/screaming days of the WCW, and he’s not too shabby for a big man in the ring. After spending what seems like forever as a heel and running in two solid tag teams, it’s refreshing and entertaining to see Show as a face again. I hope his face character goes somewhere, though. Babyface belt chaser only works as a long term gimmick if you’re type like John Cena, and I think Show could be used in other ways. Regardless, he’s had a good few months as a face and I’m enjoying it. I hope it stays that way.

Zach Brown: The Big Show has had a pretty solid year. JeriShow was a massive success, and it felt like he mattered for the first time in years. ShowMiz was also a good team, but paled in comparison to JeriShow, and wasn’t given nearly enough time to mature. And Big Show wasn’t the least important part of those teams either. He pulled his weight and was decent on the mic as well. I think it should have been JeriShow going Wrestlemania 26 as tag champs, not ShowMiz. But hell, Big Show winning at Wrestlemania is not exactly common, so whatever. Lately, Big Show is a main event threat again, and it seems to be lasting this time around. Before, Big show would just challenge someone randomly, and then he would exit the main event scene after losing just to prove that the champion can pass a test like Big Show. I have a feeling that he won’t go to the mid card for a good amount of time at this point. Now that Big Show has incorporated a knockout punch, it seems like he can end a match instantly, which is something he needed to add to his move set; much like how Jericho needed the Codebreaker for the exact same reason. Big Show is good in the ring these days, he’s good on the mic, very watchable in feuds, and gets to stretch his much underutilized comedic chops now that he is a face. I used to groan uncontrollably when Big Show would come out, almost for the same reasons that I now groan for The Great Khali entering the arena. But Big Show has evolved considerably in my eyes, and he is one of my favorite people to watch nowadays.

That is all for this week. Feel free to comment at the bottom of the page and have a great week in wrestling. CYA!