The Triple Threat Column 1.30.11: The 221st Edition – The Rumble, Stone Cold & Tough Enough, More

Topic # 1 The Royal Rumble is this weekend. What are your thoughts on the card?

David Martell: First off I would like to say that the Royal Rumble is always a must buy PPV in my eyes. It is the start of the road to Wrestlemania and one of the biggest matches of the year always takes place at the Royal Rumble. Yeah, the lower card matches usually never matter but that’s ok, you but the Royal Rumble for the Rumble itself anyways. So lets break down the card. Natalya vs. LayCool is basically just the filler to either calm down the crowd between title matches or the Rumble itself. I think it would be stupid to take the title off Natalya right now but I have a feeling LayCool is going to regain the title. Although I like Natalya as the champion, they haven’t really done much for her since winning the belt. I also have a feeling that the womens Wrestlemania match is going to be Layla and McCool turning on each other to take the strap for themselves. I think LayCool will win here. Orton vs. Miz for the WWE Title should be fun and hopefully Miz can show us more of what he can do. I like the Miz as the champ but I really cant see him going into Mania with the title. With that said, I don’t think he is going to lose the belt at the Rumble. I really don’t know what plans the WWE has wit Orton in the long run but I don’t see him being champion quite yet. Miz will pull of the victory here with some kind of hijinks. To me, Edge and Ziggler for the World Title is the more important title match. This is another chance for Ziggler to show us he can hang with the main eventers. I honestly believe Ziggler is a future World champ at this point although I don’t think his time will be at the rumble either. Even with the spear being banned, I have a feeling Edge will find some way to win. With Ziggler losing and with Vicky in power of Smackdown, I think Ziggler will find his way in the Rumble at number 40. I don’t care what anyone says, having 40 superstars in the rumble is awesome to me. The more the merrier. A lot of people believe that this years rumble is just filled up with a lot of jobbers but I think differently. First off, one fourth of the rumble is taken up by the Corre and the Nexus. Although all the members of the group arent big stars, they all have a purpose in the rumble match. The Nexus has the job of taking out Cena and helping CM Punk win the rumble. The Corre is about taking everyone out and leaving only them to fight for the win. They all have a purpose and that is what is important. It seems that we also have many potential winners this year. CM Punk, John Cena, John Morrison, Alberto Del Rio, Daniel Bryan and Shamus have all been names that have been thrown around to win it all this year. Lets not forget other upper card wrestlers like Rey Mysterio, Kane, Big Show and Kofi Kingston. I wouldn’t consider any of them jobbers. Also we have supposedly three mystery entrants. Triple H will most likely be one of them. The other two will probably be just for fun but still worth the watch. Like I said earlier, Dolph Ziggler will probably sneak his way in there as well at number forty. So basically half the rumble is filled up with guys that matter or have some type of purpose. A lot of people also feel like the WWE made it 40 men because they are lacking the creative ability to put on more quality undercard matches to the rumble. I honestly think the reason the WWE is making this rumble so big, is because this year they really want to showcase as much talent as possible. Let the lower guys look good. I could be wrong but I have a feeling this is how it is going to work. If I had to pick someone to win the rumble this year it would either be Cena or Punk. Either way, this PPV is definitely a buy.

Jacob San Antonio: Not a lot to watch this year, what with the bigger Royal Rumble. That being said, I think I’m going to enjoy what’s available. I think Natalya is going to lose to Lay-Cool, unfortunately. She’s had a good run, she’s looked as dominant as she should, but I think the WWE might be ready to put the title back on their go-to Diva in Michelle McCool. Edge will retain against Dolph Ziggler after Vicki interferes and accidentally gets the ref knocked out. Edge gets to use his spear at will, Ziggler loses. I’ve heard a few friends bring up the possibility that Ziggler could win, but I just don’t see it. It looks like another match with Vicki at ringside. She’ll get involved and screw things up for Ziggler. It’s hard to say who’s going to win between Randy Orton and The Miz. I would think the WWE would wait til Elimination Chamber before taking the the belt off of The Miz. That being said, this match could go either way. I’m pulling for The Miz to retain, and go into the Chamber as the champ. Randy Orton will get his chance, but it will not be this day. Finally, the big Royal Rumble. It’s always hard to guess which direction the match is taking. I haven’t counted out Christian’s appearance in the Rumble, since the WWE has tricked us before. If Christian doesn’t return, I think it’s a toss up between CM Punk and John Cena. I expect to see Punk/Cena at Wrestlemania, and this would be one way to set that up. There’s the slim chance that Wade Barrett could win, in order to set the stage for Barrett/Undertaker at Wrestlemania, but I think that feud might be taken care of before ‘Mania. Still, the Royal Rumble is rarely about who wins. I’m looking forward to all the surprises and antics of the wrestlers in between each countdown.

Zach Brown: The Royal Rumble can get away with what most wrestling cards these days can’t. The thing about the Royal Rumble is that it doesn’t really matter what is on the rest of the card; the event will still do well because it is a tried and true wrestling event. So that being said, I’m not expecting much from all of the other matches. First of all, Edge vs. Dolph Ziggler…I expect this to be the stronger of the two title matches. Dolph Ziggler will have a lot to prove in his first Pay Per View title match. Will Dolph Ziggler win? It’s tough to say. Edge is a great person to beat for the title. It’s believable for Ziggler to beat Edge, but would WWE put the title on Ziggler so close to Wrestlemania? I somehow doubt it. Besides, the Royal Rumble is never about the title matches anyway, so its good to get it out of the way, so Dolph can look more credible in the future. I think Ziggler won’t win, but Edge will make him look awesome in the process. Orton vs. Miz will be another match that is more about testing a new star than it is about match quality. I think Orton vs. Miz will be decent, but it will concentrate on showing Miz’s main event mettle. I think Miz will retain though. Natalya vs. Laycool is a tough thing to predict. Natalya looked dominant against Melina this past week on Raw, but aside from that, she hasn’t been doing much as champion. WWE loves Laycool, and I think they are going to give Laycool the belt again for another run. And finally, the star of the show, the Royal Rumble. 40 men…it’s kind of just fluff, but it will probably be just as exciting as any normal Royal Rumble. I like how the Rumble will be significantly longer, but again, I hope a good amount of time is given to the title matches as well. And this year’s Royal Rumble match is very interesting because the ratio of newer and younger talent to more established guys is overwhelming. It really gives a good feeling of someone fresh winning the Rumble. As to who will win it…it really is tough. I will be pulling for CM Punk to take home the win. Punk has had his awesome title reigns in the past, he has had great feuds, and yet he still isn’t a permanent main eventer like other guys in WWE. This could be what puts Punk over the top and into the permanent main event scene. I’m predicting CM Punk for the winner of the 2011 Royal Rumble.

Topic # 2 What are your thoughts on Stone Cold Steve Austin hosting the new version of Tough Enough?

David Martell: It will be great to see Stone Cold on WWE tv once again. I think this will help bring in many of the old wrestling viewers just to see Austin. Honestly, who would be better to host? I kind of hope this means that he will have some interaction with some of the rookies. I can imagine Stone Cold getting in one of their faces and chewing them out. It would be priceless. This is a very smart move by the WWE and it help them gain viewers from the get go when the new Tough Enough starts in April.

Jacob San Antonio: I hate to be blunt about this, but I’m just going to say it: there’s no reason to ignore Tough Enough now. I’ll admit I wasn’t exactly hopping on board for the show, since even watching NXT was getting to be a chore. That being said, having a guy like Steve Austin leading the guys in Tough Enough is just a great idea. Whether he’s in kayfabe or not, Austin will be entertaining to watch. He put in enough experience in the business to teach anyone the many stages of being a wrestler. From the frustrating times as Stunning Steve Austin in the WCW, to handling his skyrocketing to the top in the WWE, Steve Austin has dealt with every stage of the business. Add to that his ability to grab the audience’s attention at a moment’s notice, and having Steve Austin host Tough Enough seems almost too generous. I’m looking forward to seeing his take on teaching new talent, and learning about wrestling through his eyes. It’s amazing how this one announcement has completely changed my outlook toward Tough Enough, but that’s just how it is.

Zach Brown: This is probably the only way WWE would have gotten solid ratings for this show, in my honest opinion. The only other way to get good numbers for it would be to probably get The Rock to host it, which wouldn’t happen. And even then, I think the ratings will drop off after the first 2 weeks or so. But anyway, Steve Austin is always great to see in the wrestling world. It does confuse me because I thought that his induction into the Hall of Fame and guest hosting appearance on Raw were pretty much his final appearances for WWE. Not that I’m complaining; you can never have enough Stone Cold. But it is what it is. Stone Cold is extremely popular and it makes sense for him to host Tough Enough. It won’t set the world on fire, but I expect him to go through his signature sayings several times, and make the rookies feel like complete morons when the time is right. I’ll be watching, but I don’t think Stone Cold’s inclusion will add anything significant to the format of the show.

Topic # 3 There is a rumor going around that there will be three mystery entrants in the Royal Rumble. Two from the past one and one from the present. Who do you think it will be?

David Martell: Well it seems like the dirt sheets already let the cat out of the bag. It seems that Kevin Nash and Booker T are going to be the two mystery entrants from the past. I can dig that. Booker T can still go after all and who wouldn’t want him to do one more spinneroonie? I actually wouldn’t mind if Booker T came back full time. Kevin Nash is another story. I think he will be cool for a one shot appearance but I really don’t want to see him go full time in the WWE. Kevin Nash can barely go now a days and if you seen a good amount of his TNA work, he seems uninspired and sloppy. One night is good but after that, no thank you. I would assume that the mystery guy from the present would be Triple H. After all it says he’s back on the new WWE magazine. I can live with that, he has been gone for almost a year anyways. As long as he doesn’t win I will be a happy camper.

Jacob San Antonio: The current one is going to be HHH, no doubt about it. He’s running out of time to start a feud with Sheamus, and it’s an easy spot to run in and take each other out in the Rumble. I expect they might actually brawl around the ring though, so it might give us something to watch outside the ring, too. As far as past stars go, I feel that one of them is going to be Booker T. The rumors claim he’s canceled his prior appearances for the weekend. Take that along with the stories about his talks with the WWE in the past, and I think it’s entirely possible we’ll see the return of King Booker. Booker T’s always been a fun guy to watch in the ring, so I’m excited to see him make an appearance. As for the third surprise entrant, I really can’t guess. So allow me to pick a name at random and say we’ll see DDP. I’m expecting/hoping to see a greater focus on the WCW in the Hall of Fame this year, with it being in Atlanta and everything, and with DDP hosting the new Best of Nitro DVDs I’d say anything’s possible. I admit a lot of it has to do with me being a huge DDP mark, but there’s enough evidence around to loosely defend my claims. In any case, would it be too much to ask for Beth Phoenix to be in the Rumble again? She was a welcome addition last year, and I remember pulling for her to hang in there just a little bit longer.

Zach Brown: Two past stars and one current…lets see…well if one is to look at dirt sheets, and I do somewhat, my first guess for a past star would have to be Booker T. How awesome would it be to hear, “Can you dig it…SUCKA!!!” at the Royal Rumble? It’s been some time since he’s been in WWE, but it could be fun to see Booker again in a short run. But hey, maybe it’s just a rumor. If he doesn’t come back, whatever, I’m not losing sleep over it. Another one I’d have to guess is, and this is no surprise…Triple H. He’s healthy, he’s been gone for some time, and the guy loves the spotlight. He has to come back eventually to do a retirement run anyway, so why not now? I would hate seeing Triple H return in the Rumble, just to be clear. It’s just that I’d be more shocked if he DIDN’T come back in the Rumble. But does that put Triple H as a past star or a current star? Tough to say, since Sheamus “retired” him and whatnot, but he’s still listed on the Raw Superstars page…I don’t know. And for the last pick, I’ll have to go ahead and predict Christian. I honestly don’t know what the timetable is for Christian returning from injury, but I do know that nothing is for sure in the wrestling world. For anyone that heard that Christian is for sure still injured and not recovered enough yet, everyone thought the same thing about John Cena in 2008, and look what happened then. So I hope that Christian is indeed well enough to come back in the Royal Rumble, because it would be a nice surprise. And please for the love of God, no Great Khali. Please.

Topic # 4 If you could chose five guys in TNA to be in the Royal Rumble who would it be?

David Martell: The obvious first choice for me would be to see Kurt Angle once again. He is still one of the best wrestlers around and seeing him back in a WWE ring would be epic. Somoa Joe is another guy who comes to name that I would love to see in the Rumble. Sting is another obvious choice since he has never stepped foot in a WWE ring. Showing up in the Rumble is always one of the best ways to debut. If I had to pick two more it would probably be the Motor City Machine Guns. I just think these guys could mesh with anyone in the WWE. Both of them are great wrestlers, they have great chemistry and they are pretty good on the mic. For a tag team, they are the total package.

Jacob San Antonio: I think watching Amazing Red in the Rumble would be fun to watch. There’s never a ton of room to work with in the Royal Rumble, but that would just make the style of Red’s stand out even more. Seeing him make the most of the ring, running about and flipping everywhere would just be a treat. Inevitably, I think a staredown moment between Red and Mysterio would be pretty awesome. AJ Styles seems a given, having the experience under his belt to hang with just about anybody. It’d be a real treat to see him make the most of the Royal Rumble, going toe to toe with the likes of CM Punk and Sheamus, even Daniel Bryan. Speaking of Bryan, it’d be something else to see Desmond Wolfe throw down in the Rumble, especially with the current US Champion. The two had some fantastic matches back in RoH, and I’d be shocked to see the likes of that happen again in a WWE ring. Mentioning Sting seems old hat nowadays, since most WWE fans would give an arm and a leg to see Sting in the WWE in any capacity. If I was given the chance to see the Stinger Splash in the Royal Rumble, I don’t think I could describe how hard I’d mark out. Regardless of what you think of him, I think every wrestling fan should get a chance to see Sting in action. There’s a lot of history behind that facepaint, after all. Finally, and I admit this is kinda cheating, I’d love to see Kurt Angle in another Royal Rumble. Angle could probably wrestle a four star match with a mannequin, so putting him in a chaotic Royal Rumble would be a blessing to wrestling fans. There’s a lot of talent on the TNA roster that the WWE simply can’t replicate. It’s almost unfair that these dream matches will never come around.

Zach Brown: My 5 TNA stars that I would want in the Rumble would have to be: Kurt Angle, Samoa Joe, AJ Styles, Desmond Wolfe, and Alex Shelley. Kurt Angle is arguably the best wrestler on TNA’s roster, and of course it would be great to see him in a WWE ring one more time, for nostalgia’s sake. Samoa Joe is one of my favorites since I started watching TNA in ’05. He’s arguably one of the best stars TNA has ever had that never spent time in WWE. AJ Styles is probably TNA’s best homegrown talent. I can safely say that AJ will never be in a WWE ring, but it would be fun to imagine the kinds of things AJ could pull off in a Royal Rumble match. Desmond Wolfe, or Nigel McGuinness I should say, almost ended up in WWE. And considering that he got a great start in TNA against Kurt Angle and then was promptly forgotten about and then randomly injured, I can’t help but wonder what it would have been like had Nigel ended up in WWE. And finally Alex Shelley, or who I like to think of as the better half of the Motor City Machine Guns. It’s not that I dislike Chris Sabin, I just tend to drift a little more towards Shelley, especially since Sabin annoyed me in his seemingly never-ending runs as X-Division champion. And Shelley’s awesome fast style would work well in the Rumble. If I could have picked a 6th, I would want to see Mr. Anderson in a Royal Rumble since he is who I often wanted to win a Rumble anyway back when he was still in WWE. But hey he’s doing well for himself in TNA anyway, so it’s all good. So that’s that. It’s unlikely to see any of these guys in a WWE ring in the future at all, but hey, it’s fun to dream, right?

Topic # 5 If you could chose five wrestlers from the past to be in the Royal Rumble who would it be?

David Martell: I am going to stay away from the obvious choices of the Rock and Stone Cold in this one. I would love to see DDP make a one shot appearance in the Rumble. He has been getting friendly with the WWE lately since he is going to be hosting the Best of Nitro DVD. This really isn’t that far fetched. How about Steve Blackman? Ever since Derrick Bateman has mention him on NXT it made me realize how great the guy really was. Lets not forget what he did to Shane McMahon. Brock Lesnar would be amazing to see again. I was always a fan of Brock’s work even though he disappointed me for life in his match against Goldberg at Wrestlemania. I think it would be great to see Ricky Steamboat one more time if he was healthy. Lets not forget that the guy can actually still go and even out wrestle some of the guys today. Last but not least, Macho Man Randy Savage. Yeah, his is old as dirt but one more flying elbow and I would be able to die happy.

Jacob San Antonio: I feel obligated to give the first slot to Stone Cold Steve Austin for obvious reasons. Steve Austin’s in your face, physical style was exciting to watch in every setting. Putting him another Royal Rumble would guarantee another fantastic Rumble match. With 39 other wrestlers to face, the Stunners would be all over the place. There wouldn’t be a wrestler that walked away unscathed. It seems you can’t mention Steve Austin without mentioning the Rock, and I’d agree that it’d be great to see the Rock participate in the Rumble as well. The Rock knows how to keep the crowd excited, along with his habit of overselling all over the ring. As soon as the first Rock Bottom or People’s Elbow landed, the entire arena would be on their feet. I know some might not agree with this next choice, but I’d love to see Vince McMahon in the Rumble again. Having a figure in the ring that everybody universally dislikes just gives you someone to root against. Watching him eliminate wrestler after wrestler through tricks or manipulating other wrestlers would get the crowd red hot. I realize Vince isn’t exactly a decent wrestler, but as a character there are few in the business as loathed as he is. He’d stick out so much in the Rumble; it’d be awesome to see him in there again. Am I the only one who wants to see more big guys in the Royal Rumble? Seeing Vader again would be amazing, but seeing him go to town in the Royal Rumble would simply be a dream. Vader and Bam Bam Bigelow, now that I think about it. The Royal Rumble is always fun to watch, but it could always use more powerhouses in the ring. It’d be great if guys like the Great Khali could wrestle as well as they intimidate.

Zach Brown: See the difficult thing for this question is that a lot of past WWE wrestlers are in TNA, and I’m not even trying to be funny. For past wrestlers, I would like to have seen The Rock, Macho Man Randy Savage, Bret Hart, HBK, and hell, why not, Batista. Sure, each one of these are mega superstars of wrestling, and some are even recently retired, but it would be fun. First of all, I know the chances of The Rock coming back and doing any match in any capacity, let alone the Royal Rumble, is less likely than getting a class of ice water in Hell. But I have to list him by default because he is my all-time favorite. Macho Man is another favorite that could be fun to see in the ring again. You know, just a quick two to three minutes just to show that he can still go. Bret Hart is actually someone that is not an impossibility considering that he just did some time in WWE again, and that would be fun. Nothing overly physical or anything, just something fun. HBK getting into the Rumble is obviously an impossibility because he is about to enter the Hall of Fame, and it’s blatantly clear that his match with Undertaker at WM 26 is his last. But its Shawn Michaels, and it would be awesome, plain and simple. Batista is typically not someone I’d like to see in a ring, but Batista coming back in a surprise one-shot deal when he is supposed to be doing MMA…that would be entertaining, no doubt. So yeah, those are my 5. It would be fun to see lesser, fun stars like Ron Simmons and the like, but I automatically have to drift towards my favorite retired people, or someone who would actually make headlines with their involvement in the Rumble.

Our thoughts on CM Punk.

David Martell: CM Punk is basically taking Chris Jericho’s place as the super heel and I am enjoying every bit of it. CM Punk can be John Cena’s opposite. He can be the Joker to his Batman. That has always been the biggest problem with Cena, he has never really had an equal. I think this is the chance where we might finally see someone get the better hand on Cena. If CM Punk’s match with John Cena a few weeks back is any indication, the WWE has plans for CM Punk to be that guy, to be the main heel of the WWE. I love his cult leader aspect. He makes everyone feel like equals but makes them help him get the upper hand. He has been cutting damn good promos and he is one of the few guys who seems to be using real emotion when he gets out on the mic. Even his mannerisms are perfect. I think this will be the feud that keeps Punk at the top of the card for good. No more winning titles and being pushed back to the mid card. I think this is the time where Punk cements himself in the main event for good.

Jacob San Antonio: Punk has solidified his place with the WWE. If anyone thought his feud with Jeff Hardy was a fluke, I think we’re past the point of that being the case. CM Punk has become one of the biggest heels in the WWE. He’s got the promo power needed to get under the audience’s skin, with an exciting style that a lot of fans would cheer for if he wasn’t such a bad dude. Similar to Chris Jericho, most of the WWE fans would love to see Punk turn face again. His refusal to do so just makes them hate him more. On top of that, his feud with Mr. Babyface John Cena isn’t getting him any new friends. Punk knows how to play the audience, and he does it well. He leads them on, repeatedly points out just how bad he can be, and makes a point of never appealing to them. He’s fantastic to watch when he goes to work. I admit I was concerned during his run as a face, way back in 2008. His first title run went no where and it seemed he was doomed to be challenged by JBL at every turn. Skip ahead a year or two and he turned things around for himself. He pulled off one of the best slow turns I’ve seen in a while, gradually becoming more and more of an apparent heel. He finished it off with a heated feud against Jeff Hardy that cemented his place in the WWE and made sure the crowd would think twice before they cheer for him again. CM Punk succeeded in such a convincing way, that I just don’t think we’ll see him leave anytime soon.

Zach Brown: CM Punk is back to his old ways; being awesome. He really has been on a roll lately. First, he was awesome with his hilarious commentary on Raw. Who would have thought Punk would be that good at the commentary table? Second, it was intriguing when Punk suddenly announced that he would have revenge on someone in the WWE locker room. At that moment, Punk was back. And now he has assumed the role of leader of the New Nexus, declared war on John Cena and The Corre, and gotten back to cutting incredible promos. Punk really was born to lead factions. SES had it’s moments, but it was largely a failure for too many reasons to count. With the New Nexus, Punk actually has some genuine talent under his control, and it will be interesting to see what he can do with a faction when he isn’t the only one that has to pull his weight. And if you read the first topic, I predicted Punk to win the Rumble. Predicting the Rumble is a tricky situation because so many people can jump on you for simply making a prediction, when only one person can when and it’s incredibly hard to predict. Maybe Punk will win it, maybe he won’t. All I know is that he deserves it. Punk has a very bright future in WWE, and I can’t wait to see what he will do next.

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