411 Wrestling Fact or Fiction: Was AEW’s Jon Moxley/Inner Circle Angle Too Predictable?

Welcome to Round 1 of the 411 Wrestling Fact or Fiction Road to Wrestlemania Invitational Tournament!

I’m your host, Jake Chambers. I’ve gathered together 8 writers from 411mania who have all participated alongside me in the Wrestling Fact or Fiction column over the past few months, and I am pitting them against each other in a battle of wrestling smarts and wits, as they dare to explain what they think is totally factual or completely fiction for statements on pro-wrestling history, culture and current events. No middle ground will be tolerated!

Over the next few months, this single elimination tournament will feature the familiar format we all know and love along with a few surprises along the way. Polls will also be included so YOU can play a part in who advances to the next round (more on the voting at the end of the column). Now, let’s “tourn” it up and meet today’s participants.

Round 1, Week 1

Recapper of NXT and rater of matches extraordinaire, Kevin Pantoja

vs.

Thoroughly missed IMPACT Zoner in absentia, Dino Zee

Statement #1: The Chris Jericho/John Moxley Inner Circle membership angle in AEW was predictable and thus lame. 

Dino Zee: FICTION – Look, I’ll be honest here…  when it started, I felt like it was totally obvious that Moxley was going to turn on the Inner Circle.  I mean, after all, No Good Dean Goes Unpunished, duh.  However, after minutes and minutes and minutes of celebration, I finally started to think that they were actually going to try this grouping out, even if it felt totally weird.  And *then* Moxley turned.  So, sure, slightly predictable, but not lame, because they managed to do it in a way where, even though I *CALLED* it, I was still surprised by the execution.  So, good on them!

Kevin Pantoja: FICTION – You could kind of go either way here. It’s a fact that it was 100% predictable. I saw it pointed out that it was basically the same thing that TNA did with Christian Cage and Team Canada back in 2006, except that segment was better. However, it’s tough to flat out call it lame because Jon Moxley and Chris Jericho are entertaining enough to make it work. That’s why I ultimately went with FICTION. Sure, it was unoriginal and predictable but it wasn’t lame. It wasn’t great, either. Maybe it’s because it came after terrible segments for the Dark Order and Brandi’s Nightmare whatever they are, so it seemed better by comparison. It wasn’t lame.

Statement #2: If you could see Shawn Michaels in his prime versus one wrestler today, in a PPV main event, it would be Seth Rollins.

Dino Zee: FICTION – Had to really think this one over, and while Rollins indeed ranks high as an option, I’d still lean Daniel Bryan over him.  There’s probably a few others I’d pick first, but Daniel Bryan is the obvious one that I’d like to see instead of HBK/Rollins, making this a quick and easy FICTION for me.  Sting/Shawn Michaels remains my top HBK Dream Match, but for wrestlers going right now, Daniel Bryan is the match I’ve wanted to see forever, and I’d hold out hope to get it any time HBK teases a return to the ring.

Kevin Pantoja: FICTION – I want it to be known that this FICTION isn’t meant to be a knock on Seth Rollins. I know that bashing Seth Rollins became the cool thing to do in 2019 because he has a bad Twitter account (so do plenty of other wrestlers that get constant praise) and other things, but I still like him. In fact, a prime Shawn Michaels against Rollins would be awesome. It just wouldn’t be my go-to match if HBK could only ride one more time. That honor goes to Daniel Bryan. There’s a built-in story with Michaels being the guy who helped train Bryan. There’s the fact that Bryan is arguably the best wrestler I have ever seen. Together, they would make absolute magic.

Statement #3: Tessa Blanchard is currently the best female professional wrestler on the planet. 

Special Task: Quick Hit – please write your response using only one sentence

Dino Zee: FACT – She’s currently the best one I’ve seen on a regular basis, so I’ll give this a FACT because I still have a ton of love for Becky Lynch, and of course Charlotte Flair is Charlotte Flair, but I think Tessa really brings a physical style that always entertains and obviously in light of the recent Twitterstorm, her shine took a bit of a hit, but I’ve been on the Tessa Bandwagon for a bit now, and while I’m clearly disgusted and disappointed in these accusations, I can still answer this honestly, and yes, Tessa’s tops in my book.

Kevin Pantoja: FICTION – Io Shirai, Charlotte Flair, Asuka, etc. all still exist.

¡SWITCH!

Statement #4: Andre the Giant really did beat Hulk Hogan at Wrestlemania III following the failed bodyslam attempt in the opening minutes of the match.

Special Task: Please write your response in pro-wrestling kayfabe 

Kevin Pantoja: FACT – WELL, LET ME TELL YA SOMETHING BROTHERS. THE HULKSTER MAY HAVE GOTTEN THE 1-2-3 AT THE SILVERDOME BUT HE WENT BACK AND HE LOOKED AT THE FOOTAGE. ANDRE USED HIS 1,000 POUND MASS TO LAY ON ME AND HE SEEMED TO GET THE THREE COUNT WAY BEFORE I DID. I CAN’T TELL ALL OF MY LITTLE HULKSTERS TO SAY THEIR VITAMINS, TAKE THEIR PRAYERS, AND BE HONEST IF I’M NOT LEADING BY EXAMPLE. THAT’S WHY I’M DEMANDING A REMATCH AGAINST THE GIANT. WHATCHA GONNA DO ANDRE, WHEN THE HULKSTER SLAMS YOU AGAIN IN FRONT OF 70/90,000 SCREAMING HULKAMANIACS AGAIN?

Dino Zee: FICTION – Did you miss where the referee clearly said it was a 2 count?  If Andre “really” beat Hogan, he would have said so.  There may have been a third hand slap heard (to some), but we’ve seen plenty of referees apparently count a three, only to realize that they were a tad overzealous at the end, and rectify the mistake.  The fact is, 93,000 Hulkamaniacs willed Hogan to defeat the UNDEFEATED GIANT that night, and to say anything else would be a disservice to our great sport.

Statement #5: The Mount Rushmore of NXT Tag Teams is: American Alpha, #DIY, The Revival, Undisputed Era

Kevin Pantoja: FICTION – To be fair, I think this all depends on what kind of Mount Rushmore you’re building. If you’re looking at the most successful tag teams in NXT history, an argument could be made for the Ascension or the War Raiders. However, I’m doing my Mount Rushmore on a combination of success and quality wrestling. #DIY, Revival, and Undisputed Era are locks. That last spot is the question. American Alpha was great but like the War Raiders, they didn’t have a long run at the top. War Raiders were more dominant. There’s also the Authors of Pain, who had some memorable matches and were pretty dominant as well. I think I’d give the Raiders the slight edge.

Dino Zee: FACT – I’m not the greatest source of NXT History, but that sounds about right to me.  A little sad to see how quickly we’ve forgotten Blake and Murphy, and while I’d personally keep the Ascension up there, I see how recency bias keeps them out.  I’m going FACT, but with extreme prejudice at the omission of the Ascension.  The Revival would be the team I’d replace them with, and it’s basically a tossup to me since Ascension didn’t whine their way into title reigns the way The Revival did.  Zing!

Statement #6: Your opinion of a wrestler can change based on the quality of their merchandise.

Kevin Pantoja: FICTION – A lot of things can sway my feelings on a wrestler. For example, I didn’t care much about Drew McIntyre back when he first debuted in 2009, but then he got “Broken Dreams” as his theme and I was all in. That being said, merchandise isn’t something I care for. I’ve loved wrestlers with awful merchandise and disliked ones with awesome merchandise. It doesn’t impact me.

Dino Zee: FACT – Shit, I don’t think I’ve ever considered that before, but with me, it’s true.  I may hate you, but if you have a cool shirt, or some chain or gloves that I can rock, I’ll gladly become a fan.  The Usos having an USO CRAZY shirt a couple years after I drove that joke into the ground at home made me a diehard fan, so yeah, that’s legit.

Voting

To determine the victor in each round, the SIX other participating writers will cast a secret vote, along with a SEVENTH, and potentially tie-breaking vote, that will got to the winner of the reader’s poll below.

Anybody can, of course, vote however they like, but I’m introducing these criteria to help guide everyone’s decision:

Persuasiveness = ability to convince you that the writer’s Fact/Fiction choice was the best opinion

Knowledge = demonstration of the history and theory of pro-wrestling (even if not an expert on the topic in the statement)

Use of language = eloquence of the written word; creativity, imagery, comparisons, tone, voice

Plus = mastery of the “Special Tasks”

What a fantastic way to start out Round 1! Thanks to Kevin and Dino for participating, and good luck to them on the Road to Wrestlemania and their quest for the coveted 411mania Invitational Tournament championship title!