The Triple Threat 1.23.11: The 220th Edition – The Royal Rumble, CM Punk’s Nexus, Wade Barrett’s Corre, More

Topic # 1 This year the WWE decided to make the Royal Rumble match the biggest one yet with 40 participants. Is this a good or bad idea?

David Martell: I am actually excited about there being 40 people in this years rumble. There have always been jobbers in the rumble so what if there might be a few more. At least everyone is getting a pay day they deserve. Plus this give the WWE the opportunity to have several mystery entrants in the rumble match. That is always exciting. For whoever ends up winning this years rumble can say that they won the biggest rumble ever and it will be a big deal. It just seems like more fun to me and it makes the match longer which means more excitement. Lets face it, the Royal Rumble PPV is all about the rumble anyways so it doesn’t bother me that the rumble is probably going to take over half the show. I really don’t see why people are complaining here.

Jacob San Antonio: Given the inevitable Nexus/Corre clash or cooperation, it doesn’t surprise me to see another ten men added to the Rumble. It’s going to be really interesting to see elements of teamwork throughout the chaotic match, and with more wrestlers added to the event there’s a good chance the match will last a bit longer. I’m really looking forward to this year’s Royal Rumble, if only because it’s taking a good idea and trying to improve on it. The only real concern is whether or not every wrestler is going to get their time to shine. I’m all for more competitors. However, if there aren’t moments like CM Punk’s preaching or Beth Phoenix’s involvement last year, the rumble could fall flat in a lot of areas. So long as the WWE remembers to try to make the match interesting on an individual and team basis, I’m sure we’re in for a serious treat.

Zach Brown: It’s hard to decide if this is exciting or needless fluff. 40 men in the rumble? Really? Even with 30 men, there are jobbers left and right. Now 40 men? On one hand, yes, it’s unprecedented and a little exciting. But this could just be a cheap way to get everyone on the roster involved. And what’s the point of 40 men when there is always just one winner? It’s kind of dumb to me to be honest. So now there are only 3 matches on the card. The Royal Rumble, and the two title matches. Honestly, I would have liked to see the time that it takes to include 10 extra men instead given to the title matches to make them amazing. Because having 10 extra men in the Rumble doesn’t matter when it is all said and done. When people talk about Royal Rumbles, nearly the only thing they talk about is who won it that year, not specific things that happened during the match. So how is 10 extra men really going to make a difference? After all, its just going to make Triple H’s stats look better when he returns towards the end of it. I’m kidding, but I really hope that doesn’t happen. I’m not totally writing off the Rumble because after all, it’s the freaking Rumble. But I’m not exactly thinking this is a revolutionary thing happening in WWE.

Topic # 2 What are your thoughts on CM Punk‘s New Nexus thus far?

David Martell: I have been enjoying CM Punk’s version of the Nexus thus far. I like the cult aspect of the group, its something fresh that I haven’t really seen in awhile. Yeah, it has gotten weird at times like when he beat Husky with a leather strap but hey, its different right? The thing about the New Nexus is that none of them need to stand out except for CM Punk. If you think about it, they are all just bodyguards to Punk. Punk is the cult leader that no one can touch and he makes his followers feel like equals. Punk is the New Nexus. His promos, his actions, and mannerisms are all perfect for his character. I think as this storyline goes on with Cena, people are going to realize how genius Punk really is. Lets face it, none of the Nexus members are stand outs. Yeah, they are all talented in some way but this is really just a way to catapult CM Punk to becoming a permanent main eventer. I have a feeling that when it is all said and done, this is the storyline that people are going to remember 2011 for.

Jacob San Antonio: This New Nexus of CM Punk’s gives me a lot of mixed feelings. On the one hand, I’m glad we get to see CM Punk go into his cult leader persona again. His crazy looks and bizarre thought process on running the group has been interesting to watch every Monday, since he’s taking the Nexus in a really deranged direction. It’s just a little distressing to see very little change in how the Nexus operates. With so many newer faces in the stable, I’d like to see more opportunities for the individual members to shine. CM Punk can steal the show all he wants, but if nobody remembers anything anyone else in the Nexus accomplished after the stable’s end I’d feel like it was a failure. The Nexus is a great way to put untested talent in main event level situations and see how they handle it. The WWE needs to try and test its younger talent a bit more.

Zach Brown: CM Punk’s Nexus looks good, most definitely. But can I say with any real certainty that there are any standout members besides CM Punk? Not really. This new youthful version of Batista, Mason Ryan, looks interesting enough for the time being. It’s good for Punk to get a legitimate looking enforcer with Skip Sheffield injured. But obviously it is way too soon to tell if he’s any good in the ring, as I don’t have access to FCW shows. But hey, he’s the FCW Heavyweight champion, so he can’t be all that bad. I wish David Otunga would somehow look more promising than he actually is in the ring, but whatever. And I have yet to really be impressed with Michael McGillicutty or Husky Harris. So again, the success of this stable is really riding on Punk, and thankfully, he is awesome. His stunt on top of the Titantron was nerve-racking but genius because while it wasn’t believable that Punk would have sacrificed himself for the good of Nexus, the possibility of an accident is always looming overhead when WWE pulls something like that. Punk is a genius on the mic, and as long as he is healthy and awesome, this stable will do very well for itself.

Topic # 3 What are your thoughts on Wade Barrett‘s new faction, the Corre?

David Martell: It is good to see that WWE cares about factions once again. It is hard to really say where the Corre is going to go right now but I will say its members are a lot more impressive than CM Punk’s Nexus. It is kind of interesting to see how this Teddy Long storyline plays out because with him out of the picture, I can only assume the Corre will run the show. I am sure who ever actually took out Teddy will end up joining the Corre and making their numbers even with the New Nexus. I assume that Punk will face Cena at Mania and Barrett will square off with Taker. With that said, I think we will end up seeing Nexus vs. The Corre at Wrestlemania without their leaders. I just hope they get the ball running on Smackdown because right now the Corre doesn’t really look much like a threat.

Jacob San Antonio: It’s more or less the same group it has been for the past couple of months, but I still see it as a step up for the NXT Rookies of season one. Without John Cena to draw in more people, the Corre is going to have to try and be just as interesting as they were on Raw. With a lot of a the top talent either occupied or gone from Smackdown, the Corre is only going to be able to get by on their talents alone. This is a great thing for the group, since we’ll finally get a good look at just how far along each member actually is. With any luck, we’ll see more singles matches from the stable and more chances to see each person pull their weight. If Wade Barrett claims this new group is more focused on the team instead of the individual, then I can’t wait to see how this new team progresses. So long as we don’t get “mob takes down wrestler B” every Friday, I’ll stay interested in the group.

Zach Brown: The Corre is still in its infant stage, but it’s already looking promising. Wade Barrett was always a capable and talented leader of The Nexus, so more of that is always welcome. Justin Gabriel was the stable’s most valuable player besides Wade Barrett of course, and he will surely do more of the same in this stable. Heath Slater was kind of one of those members of Nexus that just filled out the group. He was never terrible, but never all that impressive either. The stable won’t live or die with his involvement. And finally Ezekiel Jackson. I’m somewhat relieved that WWE found a worthwhile spot to put this guy. He was the final ECW champion before the brand ended, but no one really remembers that or cares at this point. And then he got injured. So for a while, people were starting to forget about Ezekiel Jackson. But now he gets to do what he is best at: being a bodyguard. But like the New Nexus, this brand will survive on the talent of Wade Barrett. They have a leader who is great on the mic and great in the ring. But this group isn’t as hot right now as CM Punk’s group. I would like to see The Corre win some significant gold in the next few months in order to make them relevant.

Topic # 4 How do you feel about TNA running another “They” storyline?

David Martell: This is just unoriginal. Didn’t they already do a They storyline a few months back. I just don’t see the point. Abyss comes out looking like he wants to hug all of immortal only to fall on his face with Janice in his back. What horror movies did they watch to write this storyline? Supposedly They is just the MEM. I have to say that this is a terrible idea. The Mafia was awful in the first place. TNA just isn’t good at making factions. They don’t know how to put them together and make them interesting. Once again TNA fails to use their home grown talent just to put more old guys again other old guys. I just cant get behind this. With the incredible talent roster TNA has, they still fail to make compelling storylines. And they wonder why there ratings haven’t changed in the last three years. If the WWE can take a group of nobodies from NXT and make them into one of the most dominating factions in WWE history, why cant TNA use their superior home grown talent and make a faction that could be something really special? It really boggles my mind.

Jacob San Antonio: Eh, we’ll see. Like I said last week, if it’s the return of the Main Event Mafia I’ll be very concerned. If it’s a new group, simply an alliance against Immortal, then I’m all for it. It makes sense for a stable to stand up against another stable, you just have to be careful that you split the stables at some point. There’s nothing worse than a stable that outlives its welcome, the NWO and MEM being the two biggest offenders in my book. In any case, it will be interesting to see how Immortal takes the news of a group out there they know nothing about. Perhaps they’ll get a bit unhinged with the news, and start lashing out at random. We’ll see. Here’s hoping “they” aren’t a colossal disappointment.

Zach Brown: Ok, I know this may come off as anti-TNA, but whatever. I swear I want to like TNA, but they keep doing stupid stuff like this and it makes me not want to watch anymore. Seriously, you cannot watch Thursday’s episode of Impact where Abyss is hit in the back with Janice and falls over, seemingly dead, and not laugh hysterically. I mean really. It’s like it is out of an awful horror movie. So with that, and Crimson creepily saying that THEY are coming, it’s just kind of tired. I mean it’s almost like TNA realized, “Ok so when we did the “THEY” storyline, it was kind of underwhelming when “THEY” showed up and it was comprised of people already in TNA, thus it wasn’t really all that shocking.” So maybe, yes, TNA is realizing that they should actually have people debut in shocking manner when a new wrestling group is teased like this in order to get the wrestling world talking about them. Crimson seems an adequate enough messenger. But is he really a good wrestler yet? It’s tough to say, considering how few matches he has had in TNA so far. I’m definitely not writing him off because he seems to be a decent talker and he has a good look. But it’s a little odd that they are giving a really new guy such a great spot. Who knows, this could be TNA’s version of Wade Barrett: a great talker and a great wrestler who comes seemingly out of nowhere and leads a dominant group. That could definitely be a great spot for Crimson. Now the only thing I’m not excited about is that it’s probably the Main Event Mafia coming back. That’s not a great outcome in my opinion. And it’s like TNA can’t decide on which stable they like, so they are going to have two huge mega stables feud. Really? It’s just not what I want to see. It’s all pretty overly written and not all that interesting. I mean with all this crap going on, who is their World Champion again? Thank God they aren’t concentrating on that guy…

Topic # 5 Who would you like to see make a return in the Royal Rumble match?

David Martell: I would love to see the return of Gillberg in the Royal Rumble. After all, he was one of the greatest Light Heavyweight champions of all time. It would be great to see the likes of Goldust, Evan Bourne, and especially Christian to come back in the rumble. I really don’t know if Goldust is ready to go but Bourne and Christian should be pretty damn close. If Christian is in the Rumble I am going for him to win the whole thing. I think it would make the most sense for Christian to win and face Edge at Mania. It is a match everyone wants to see anyways so let it happen! I actually wont be mad if Triple H makes his return in the Rumble match as long as he doesn’t win the thing. I hate saying this but I actually like having Triple H in the rumble. He makes it exciting because it seems like EVERY year he is going to win it. The satisfaction of Triple H getting eliminated is always one of my highlights of every rumble match. Really I could live with anyone I haven’t seen in a long time. I don’t care if they are just going to job out, it’s the fun of the Rumble. Bring back Val Venis, The God Father, Rikishi, or Sid Vicious. I would be happy with any of them. Hell Steve Blackman returning would make my year! With 40 entrants in the Rumble there is bound to be someone we have seen in awhile re-debut at the Royal Rumble.

Jacob San Antonio: Two wrestlers in particular would be awesome to see in the rumble match. Skip Sheffield and Christian. Skip would be a complete surprise, but he’d make a huge presence in the eventual Corre/Nexus showdown. Which side would he join? How many people would he eliminate? Would he still be booked as a monster powerhouse? There’s a lot to work with if Skip enters the fray, and with any luck the WWE will take advantage if he’s fully healed. Should Christian reappear, he’d have a serious shot at winning the rumble. I expect Edge to hold onto his title all the way to Wrestlemania, so an Edge/Christian match for the title would be awesome. Barring those two wrestlers from making surprise appearances in the rumble, HHH will show up and eliminate Sheamus. Gotta start their feud early before they take it all the way to Wrestlemania. Two possibilities, and a third choice that seems a given at this point. I’m actually hoping there will be more than one surprise entrant in this year’s Royal Rumble. The surprise entrants are always a treat to see.

Zach Brown: Who would I like to see return in the Royal Rumble…lets see…The Rock. Hey a guy can dream, right? Realistically though, I would like to see a lot of people return. At the top of my list is Christian. The guy could be healthy enough to be in the upcoming Rumble, and I’d love to see him win, but it’s not looking likely for him this year. Someone else I’d like to see return is Skip Sheffield. That’s kind of a minor name, I know, but I want to see him back. Of course I wouldn’t expect him to get very far in the Rumble at all. But if he’s healthy enough, a re-debut at the Rumble could be interesting. And while I don’t know what his schedule with Fozzy or his book tour is looking like, I’d love for Chris Jericho to return in the Royal Rumble. He doesn’t have to win it, even though I would love that for sure, but I’d just like to see him come back in the Rumble. And equally important, there are people that I want to not return in the Royal Rumble. The Great Khali is one that I could definitely care less to see at this point. Also, I think The undertaker’s return can wait a little longer because I’m not clamoring to see him back for some reason. And finally, it’s most likely futile, but I do not want Triple H to return in any capacity. All in all, I’m looking forward to the Rumble, but I just hope WWE makes the right decisions this year.

Our thoughts on John Cena.

David Martell: I actually hate the joking around John Cena. It takes the fun out of any feud he is in. That fact that he cant get serious just make it seem like no matter what John Cena will prevail. I want to see serious Cena, the one that acted like a gorilla against Edge last year. When Cena is serious he cuts better promos and makes better TV. It is just a fact. I am hoping we will see this with the CM Punk storyline. I almost think that is the point of the storyline as a while. Punk is sick of seeing Cena be happy go lucky and he wants to bring of Cena’s true colors. I think the best of John Cena is yet to come in this storyline. Once again I will say this, by the end of 2011 I think this will be the storyline everyone will be talking about.

Jacob San Antonio: John Cena is a stand up guy. If I could meet one wrestler, it would definitely have to be John Cena. Before you freak out and ask when I became a huge mark for Cena, let me clarify. I really don’t like Cena in the ring. He’s the top babyface of the WWE, and with that he gets the plot armor superpowers that come with that role. The five moves of doom always bore me, his promos are aimed at the younger kids a bit too often, and when it’s all said and done I groan audibly whenever he gets involved with a feud. However, outside of the ring John Cena is a great dude. As the face of the company, he makes the most public appearances, deals with the most fans, and generally gets mobbed by the kids more than any other wrestler on the roster. Even with all the attention he gets, he still goes out of his way to work hard on his charity cases. If you read up on the Make-A-Wish foundation news over the past few months, you’d have heard just how much he’s worked towards helping the kids. It’s an impressive accomplishment to me, if only because I know for a fact that I could not do it. With everything and everyone he deals with, inside and outside the company, John Cena still puts his all into putting smiles on all of his fans’ faces. I just don’t think I could do that in a similar situation. So whenever Cena takes center stage at a show or PPV, I’m torn. I respect the man and his work for the company, but there’s always another wrestler I’d prefer to see in the ring. I don’t think I’m alone in this predicament, either.

Zach Brown: Cena is who is he is at this point. He’s the face of the company and he has been for years now. Anytime he has the belt, it’s not the end of the world to me anymore. Because even though Cena has his haters, he has a goofy PG sense of humor all the time, and he often pulls out the same 5 moves on Raw, he always brings the goods when it comes time for a Pay Per View. In my opinion, if Cena stuck to the fierce, ruthless, man on a mission Cena that he busts out on occasion, then he would be much more watchable in my opinion. But instead, he talks about poop jokes and other stupid stuff around 70% of the time. But hey, for some reason, that stuff is popular with him, so whatever. Like I said, Cena is the face of the company. He is the man they put the belt on when there is no other obvious choice for a champion. Are there more entertaining people in WWE? Yes. Are there people that I would rather be champion instead of him? Sure. But I’m never really offended when he has the belt either. As long as he continues having awesome matches on Pay Per View, I’m totally fine with John Cena being in the main event for another 5 years or so.

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