The Triple Threat 03.15.09: 132nd Edition – MITB, Destination X, JBL, More

Welcome back once again to the Triple Threat Column. We have only a singles match today because Alex is out of town for spring break. First off, we would like to give our condolences to Andrew “Test” Martin’s family for his tragic death. Rest in peace. This week we talk about TNA’s Destination X, the MITB ladder match, Jerry Lawler facing Jericho at Mania, Kizarny getting the Axe and JBL possibly retiring. Abyss is our superstar highlight so please enjoy.

Topic # 1 TNA‘s Destination X is this Sunday. What are your thoughts on the card?

David Martell: I am surprised to say that Destination X actually looks decent. Most of the matches look solid and the return of the Ultimate X match is awesome. The Ultimate X match is one of the only gimmick matches from TNA that I actually like. The line up for that match looks great. Kurt Angle vs. Sting should be good but I am hoping that Jarrett and Foley don’t get too involved. AJ Styles vs. Booker T should be decent as long as Booker brings his A game. I still don’t see a use in the Legends title but whatever. Although I wish Beer Money would beat Team 3D so they would get fired, I am sure Team 3D will some how prevail. No offense to their fans but Team 3D is past their prime. None of the women’s matches seem to spark any interest but its great to see this many women’s matches on the card. Abyss vs. Matt Morgan should be brutal. I can handle tacks sometimes but I hope it doesn’t get too gruesome. Last, but not least, we have Joe vs. Steiner. It could be alright but if Steiner ends up making the match unwatchable, I have no simpy for him. Yes, I meant to say simpy. Over all the card looks good and every match has a chance to deliver for the most part. Seems like one to check out in my book.

Zach Brown: In the recent weeks, I’m sure that everyone and their dog is overlooking TNA because all they are thinking about is Wrestlemania. Perhaps I’m partially guilty of this as well, but I don’t think this PPV should be overlooked, because it looks pretty decent to me. First of all, there are two matches that will absolutely tear the house down. First of all, Sting vs. Angle sells PPVs, so of course this will be the best match on the card. And TNA hasn’t had a dream match main event for a while now, so it makes perfect sense. Can’t wait to see that match. Second, the Ultimate X match looks like it could be a classic due to all the players involved. They could put, Team 3D, Rhino, and Rhaka Khan in this match, and it would still probably be pretty decent simply because the match design is awesome. Booker T vs. AJ could also be great, but it really depends on which Booker T we get for this. Same goes for Joe vs. Steiner. This could be a great match, but it’s all riding on how good Steiner decides to be for this. Both Booker and Steiner are just really hit or miss for me sometimes. On the bad side of things, I fully expect Team 3D vs. Beer Money to be downright awful. I hope Beer Money pulls their weight in this match, because it’ll be the only thing making the match worth a shit. On paper, Abyss vs. Matt Morgan is terrible, but Abyss usually has great hardcore matches, and a”10,000 tacks” match sounds like it was made just for him. And both Women’s matches are take ‘em or leave ‘em. Awesome Kong will destroy someone, and I expect The Beautiful People to win, but who knows? All in all, TNA knew they had to pull together their best possible card for right now, and they did a decent job. If the card goes the way it’s supposed to, it’ll earn a solid B+.

Topic # 2 Kizarny recently got the axe by the WWE. Is this a good or bad thing?

David Martell: Kizarny getting fired isn’t a big surprise. He was in the WWE doghouse from the get go it seemed and his in ring ability was terrible. He didn’t have the worst gimmick but it is just something that wouldn’t get over right now. IT seems as if the WWE is continuing to take out the trash and I guarantee more people will get the axe in the near future. I am personally happy with most of the recent cuts. Almost everyone that has been fired in the last few months have been god awful. Seriously, who is going to miss the Boogeyman? The WWE roster seems to look better every day and I hope they continue to cut the fat.

Zach Brown: Wow I only remember him wrestling once, and he was just ok in my eyes. This is just the latest of WWE’s spring cleaning, and I’m not surprised in the slightest that Kizarny got the axe. His gimmick didn’t seem all that great, and I guess he just wasn’t over for whatever reason. Either way, I don’t care that he got released. I wish him the best, but like the rest of the WWE audience, I didn’t get to know him well enough to care.

Topic # 3 JBL is rumored to be retiring after sometime after Wrestlemania. What are your thoughts on this?

David Martell: I think it is a good time for JBL to retire. With him winning the IC Title, he has now one all of the original WWE titles, except for the Light Weight Title of course. He is still great at cutting promos but the fact is that his wrestling ability has dwindled over the years. Sometimes it is hard for me to watch his matches. I will give him credit though, he has been a great stepping stone for some of the younger talent. I hope that he will go back to the announce table. He still has a golden tongue and he was one of the best at putting over younger talent on the mic. If this is his last Wrestlemania, he better show us what he has left. He better put on a great performance that we can remember him by. After all, I have never really hated JBL, there have just been times I didn’t like his wrestling. Whatever he ends up doing after his career in the ring is over, I wish him all the luck and I thank him for what he has done over the years.

Zach Brown: I wouldn’t say it’s too soon, or long overdue. It’s just altogether appropriate. JBL is getting a little old, and maybe he thinks it’s time he gave his spot to someone younger. But at the same time, if JBL stayed for another year or two, I wouldn’t mind all that much. Like him or not, the guy still cuts entertaining promos. And I’m not a huge fan of his in-ring matches, but I’ve had to sit through far worse. The only thing that I haven’t liked about JBL lately is that it feels like WWE always has to have some sort of place for him. I also wish he would have stayed on commentary instead of making a return to in-ring action at all. Hopefully, JBL could find a place at the announcer’s table, because Michael Cole is God-awful, and I’d like to see JBL around WWE at least every once in a while.

Topic # 4 Jerry Lawler is rumored to be facing Chris Jericho at Wrestlemania. How do you feel about this?

David Martell: Wrestlemania is creeping closer and we still have no clue who Jericho is facing. The latest rumor of Jericho facing Lawler does not make me happy. A match with Lawler is not considered high profile. Maybe it’s the fact that I really want to see him face Austin. Yeah, I am selfish. I want to see Jericho in a great match at Mania and I just don’t think Lawler could deliver. I much rather see Jericho fight Lawler on RAW. It still makes sense for them to fight but I don’t think he’s the right choice for Jericho’s Mania match.

Zach Brown: You know how I hate the idea of Hogan vs. Jericho? Well at least that match has some sort of marquee value. If Jericho’s opponent at ‘Mania turned out to be Jerry Lawler, that would be a monumental disappointment. If WWE decided to make the match Stone Cold vs. Jericho, it would turn Wrestlemania 25 into an absolute super card. If they decide to make Lawler his opponent, it would almost be a complete bathroom break match. It’s just nothing I want to see whatsoever. Lawler’s place is at the announcer’s table. That’s where he’s talented these days.

Topic # 5 Now that the MITB ladder match has all its participants, are you satisfied with the wrestlers who are competing in the MITB and if not who would you change in the match?

David Martell: For the most part, I am happy with the participants in the MITB. The only two that shouldn’t be there is Kane and Mark Henry. Can Mark Henry even climb a ladder? He might even need two ladders just to get to the briefcase. I would much rather see Rey Mysterio and Even Bourne in this match. Hell, I would even like to see Mr. Kennedy in the match. Would anyone actually be disappointed if Mark Henry and Kane didn’t have a match at Mania? I personally would rather have it that way. I am guessing Bourne will now face off with Jack Swagger for the ECW title, which is still great in my eyes. Rey could possibly be facing JBL for the IC belt but I rather not see that match. It would just add another match on the card that we have already seen. I don’t even have a clue if Mr. Kennedy will show up at Wrestlemania. To a lesser extent, The Brian Kendrick and Hurricane Helms would also be fine additions to the match. I wouldn’t mind seeing Miz and Morrison in there as well but it seems they might be having a title for title match against the Colons at Wrestlemania instead. Either way, I am sure the match will be exciting.

Zach Brown: The Money in the Bank choices seem to always be surprising. Kane and Mark Henry? Really? What a freakin waste. I will only be rooting for either MVP or Christian. If they let Christian win it, it’s a huge push for having just returned to WWE. Not that he doesn’t deserve it, but I also think he could get by without it. And if CM Punk wins it twice in a row, I won’t be happy about that. And Kofi Kingston winning it would be way too soon for him. Shelton Benjamin winning it would be cool, but I think that guy has an eternal glass ceiling in WWE. And Finlay is a solid addition, but I don’t see him winning it at all. MVP needs a solid push, and I think he is the right choice overall to win the match. Now who would I like to see in the match? Obviously, Evan Bourne is a shoe in. Also, what on God’s green Earth is Mr. Kennedy doing right now? Put him in the match! I don’t want him to win or anything, but I want him to wrestle in some way, shape, or form. R-Truth also wouldn’t be a bad addition. I’m not a huge R-Truth fan, but I think he’s a better choice than Mark Henry. But overall, this year’s Money in the Bank should be solid, and I expect a decent surprise for this year’s winner.

Superstar Highlight

Abyss

Our thoughts on Abyss.

David Martell: I have never really been a fan of Abyss. His gimmick was over done when he started it. He has always been hit or miss for me. I never cared for the hardcore wrestling he does. I like my “hardcore” matches with tables, chairs, ladders, and stop sign. I can live with a bit of tacks and barbed wire every once in awhile but this guy takes it to the extreme. I have never been a fan of people getting gashed open. I liked Abyss a lot more when he didn’t talk. He was much more entertaining and more mysterious. Now he looks like a bubbling idiot in a psyche ward outfit. I’ll give him some credit, he can deliver when he needs to. It is one of the better big guys in the business and I would much rather watch him wrestle instead of watching Kane or The Great Khali. Hopefully he will one day go back to what he use to be, someone who doesn’t talk at all.

Zach Brown: I’ve always liked Abyss. I honestly think Abyss is more talented than Kane ever was. And I mean ever. A lot of what I’m about to say is true about Kane as well, but the difference is that Kane lost a lot more when he lost his mask. And Abyss is still solid in the ring, whereas with Kane, I don’t really care for his wrestling ability anymore. But that’s neither here nor there. Abyss has had some great feuds, great matches, and he’s just an all around great wrestler. The Black Hole slam is definitely one of the sickest finishers in the wrestling business, and Abyss is one of the only big guys that I enjoy watching nowadays. Even when he had that terrible feud with Sting, the matches almost always delivered. And therein lies my problem with Abyss: he has had some God-awful storylines and feuds. Ever since that Sting feud, it’s all been downhill for Abyss’s character. Before that feud, Abyss was just “The Monster.” That’s the only story he ever needed. He just needed to be a monster, nothing more. But no, TNA tried to make him sympathetic, and tried to give him a back story. It was just downright terrible. Abyss needs no explanation as to why he destroys people in the ring. He just does it! Now, he’s donning some terrible white convict outfit, and he cuts actual promos. Having Abyss talk was a huge mistake in my eyes. Before, Abyss was downright scary. He never talked, and that worked for him. Now that he talks, it just took away a lot of the mystique about his character. Overall, I like Abyss a lot, but his recent character just doesn’t compare to where he once was.

That is all for this week. Feel free to leave comments and have a great week in wrestling. CYA!