The Triple Threat 11.20.11: The 258th Edition – Survivor Series, TNA Title Changes, Foley Back in WWE, More

Topic # 1 WWE‘s Survivor Series PPV is this Sunday. What are your thoughts on the card?

David Martell: Lets be honest here. We are all getting this PPV to see The Rock return to the ring. How well does this card really stack up? The Rock and Cena vs. Miz and Truth should be fun. Its what we are all looking forward to but I think its going to be a 50/50 sort of fight. Its easy to say that Rock and Cena will win because they are two of the biggest superstars of all time but the fact is, they don’t like each other and one could make the turn. Since they are in MSG, I can see The Rock turning on Cena and letting Miz and Truth get the win. It makes sense, Awesome Truth looks strong and MSG will eat up and still cheer for the Rock. The rest of the card is really just there. I felt like the build for the other matches were not strong. John Morrison vs. Dolph Ziggler for the US Title makes no sense. Zack Ryder has tons of history with Ziggler, even having stuff on his you tube show and a petition that is gaining steam and he still doesn’t get a US Title match. Morrison has like two matches with the guy and gets his match with not heat going into it. Lets not forget that its in Zack Ryder’s home town. I guess this is just the WWE laughing at the internet fans. Ziggler should get the win here. Eve vs. Beth Phoenix for the Divas Title in a Lumberjill match will be uneventful. I hate any type of Lumberjack match in general. We have seen the combination of Eve, Beth, Natalya and Kelly Kelly so many times that I just don’t care. Beth should keep her title here. Alberto Del Rio vs. CM Punk for the WWE title should be a decent match. I think Del Rio has been a bust as WWE Champion thus far. He just isn’t over with the crowd and his promos are the same every week. Whatever spark he had earlier in the year is gone. CM Punk, on the other hand, has been hot since Chicago but they kind of depushed him after SummerSlam. I think its time for them to put the strap back on Punk and let him have the reign we all want to see. I hope Punk can get the win here but since the WWE likes to play with the fans I can see Del Rio keeping the belt some how and giving us another grueling month of him as champion. Big Show vs. Mark Henry for the World Title is intriguing. Without a stipulation to the match I am kind of worried if it will be any good. What I am worried about the most is that Daniel Bryan might cash in his MitB briefcase. There must be some reason Daniel Bryan is part of this storyline after all but it would be such a waste to see him cash in and most likely lose to Mark Henry. I want to see Bryan get his Wrestlemania match but what WWE wants WWE gets. I don’t quite see Henry losing the belt just yet. Lastly we got the traditional 5 on 5 Survivor Series match between Team Orton and Team Barrett. It is hard to bet against a team that has both Orton and Sheamus on it. I think Barrett’s team is a lot more solid minus Hunico. I think the match will be a lot of fun but I see it ending with Orton and Sheamus as the last two standing. Overall, the PPV is decent at best but with the Rock returning to the ring I think it’s a must buy PPV.

Jacob San Antonio: Will Survivor Series be as good a PPV as it should be? I couldn’t tell you! At the very least, we have a promising Survivor Series matchup and a main event that will once again unite the fans of yester-year and today’s more Cena-inclined wrestling fan. Dolph Ziggler yet again desperately tries to hold onto his US Title, this time against John Morrison. As dumb as this sounds, could we see a Zack Ryder run in? A part of me tells me that they’re ignoring Ryder for a reason. Perhaps he costs Morrison the match? Otherwise, another narrow victory and title defense for Ziggler. Beth Phoenix will destroy Eve in a Lumberjack Match, and even having to say that bothers me. I just know that when she finally does lose her title, Phoenix will do so in a manner that will not sit well with me. Team Barrett takes on Team Orton in a Survivor Series match, and Team Orton will come out on top. That said, I’ve got my fingers crossed that Cody Rhodes, Barrett, Sheamus and Kofi are the standout talents throughout the match. Every Survivor Series match has that one workhorse you can point out and be impressed by, and should any of those four deliver in such a fashion I’ll be satisfied. Mark Henry will retain his World Heavyweight Title after Daniel Bryan costs the Big Show his title shot. There’s got to be a reason why the WWE keeps
throwing Bryan into this feud, and I think Bryan will turn heel and attack Show midway through the match. Alberto Del Rio defends his title against CM Punk, and I don’t think Punk wins the belt here. It’ll be a close match, but someone will run in and ruin everything. With my luck lately, it’ll be Kevin Nash again. Finally, Miz and R-Truth will lose a match they have no business losing against Cena and the Rock. Either Cena or The Rock is going to flip on the other, leaving the other to take on Truth and Miz alone. Honestly, I expect Cena to turn on the Rock. At this point, it’s not exactly a heel tactic to get back at the Rock for screwing you over at Wrestlemania, so I’d argue that abandoning the Rock during the match would be one of those gray area things the WWE loves teasing so much. Overall, Survivor Series as a PPV depends entirely on the work ethic of Team Orton and Team Barrett. If the SS match can deliver, we get a solid PPV worth buying.

Sean Garmer: First, let me say it’s great to be back at 411, I’ll be spending most of my time in the Games section writing the Games 5 & 1, but I was an original member of the Triple Threat crew when this column first came to be on 411, so you’ll probably see me contribute in the wrestling section in various ways too. I’d like to thank David for picking me to fill-in for Zach this week.

Well the show looks like a good one I think this is the first time that on paper, I’m excited about every match on the card in a way. Beth vs. Eve should be another good Divas match, though I think Beth should win as they’ve been trying to push Alicia Fox into the picture against the “Pin-up Strong” team for weeks now. If Eve wins there just isn’t much she can do other than throwing in the Bellas just to make something different happen, because having her face off against Beth and Natalya for another month is going to turn channels on RAW. It looks like WWE is just playing the waiting game on turning Natalya against Beth for Wrestlemania, but they have to figure out what to do with this whole situation until then. I have no idea why Ziggler is competing twice on this show again, and especially against John Morrison? Why have all this television time with Ziggler vs. Ryder only to give the title match to Morrison? It doesn’t make sense to me. I hope maybe this is just a way to surprise the New York fans with an impromptu addition of Ryder to the title match making it a triple threat (hey that’s the name of this column, zing!) If Ryder doesn’t at least become involved in the match somewhere the entire build-up with him seems like a waste. The Survivor Series match looks interesting because a lot of the bad guys are in the middle of a push with Rhodes, Ziggler, Barrett, and Swagger to an extent all on the upswing. While Orton and Sheamus should be their dominant selves and win I just hope it provides some nice moments to the traditional Survivor Series fare. Mason Ryan is getting a push too, but come on who cares about him? Since Evan Bourne was taken away for wellness issues this should have been a good time to put Daniel Bryan back in the mix, unless they are just planning on throwing away Bryan’s Money in the Bank shot before his planned Wrestlemania moment, Bryan should have at least been on the show and this match was perfect for him. Kofi getting the spot just seems like WWE didn’t want him to suffer for Bourne’s issues.

Mark Henry vs. Big Show should be good once again, though I have no idea how they are going to top Vengeance. I’m hoping Mark Henry gets to keep the belt again as his run as champ has put a fresh coat of paint on the World Title picture. Not to mention it would really add to his dominance if he can put Big Show away once again. Punk vs. Del Rio should be very good and possibly has match of the night implications. Punk has lost a lot on PPV, and since they should be starting the big push for Cena vs. Rock on this PPV, this leaves the door open for CM Punk to finally get the title back and do something with it. I can’t think of a better way to stick it to Johnny Ace week after week on RAW (as long as they don’t move Foley into that spot soon) then CM Punk being champion. I’m excited to see The Rock back in the ring but unless WWE just gives us the swerve of the century and let’s Miz and Truth win without extra issues, this will probably be Cena or Rock costing the other the match by accident or on purpose that gets Miz and Truth the win. As a total smash win by Cena & Rock is great for all of us fans, but it doesn’t look good in the long run for the credibility of Awesome Truth.

Topic # 2 Gail Kim won the Knockouts Title at Turning Point this past Sunday. How do you feel about this?

David Martell: Its disappointing to me that Gail Kim returns to TNA and soon after is already the Knockouts champion. What ever happened to building people back up and letting them earn their spot. It also sucks that Velvet Sky finally won the title and barely even had it long enough to call it a reign. I think Gail Kim is a great women’s wrestler and her time in WWE was wasted but I am a fan of building people. Earn back your spot in TNA instead of getting vaulted to the top. It has always been a pet peeve to me when returning stars instantly get everything they want. Velvet Sky deserved a longer reign for all she has done in TNA. Just seems logical to build up a good feud that takes time.

Jacob San Antonio: TNA has a history of jumping on an idea as soon as they have it. In some ways, their approach works out well for the company. In others, you have a returning Gail Kim make short order out of other Knockouts and winning the title. At least with Kim she has a history with TNA, otherwise this angle would be even worse. Overall, this situation is no different than any other of its kind. TNA likes to reward the talents that jump ship, so it’s nothing too surprising to see Gail Kim win the title. It still rubs me the wrong way, though. I’m all for doing what you can to entice others to your side, but the way TNA does it steals away some of the various titles’ luster. In any case, it should be interesting to see if Gail Kim can thrive in TNA again. She wasn’t used well in the WWE, and even when she was she couldn’t capitalize. Can she regain her status as an elite female wrestler? Only time will tell.

Sean Garmer: Well Gail Kim comes in and it doesn’t take her long to show she is a very good Divas Performer. She took Velvet Sky to school at Turning Point and already has a familiar foe in Mickie James to face at the next PPV. Gail Kim didn’t get to do much in her 2nd run in WWE and TNA has had much more respect for the Women’s division in general than WWE has in a long time. So though many will say “this is another WWE reject getting a title in TNA” I beg to differ she was clearly better than the current champion and she should be able to showcase herself as champion for her new company. It will be interesting to see how long this reign lasts for the newest knockout.

Topic # 3 Robbie E won the TNA TV Title from Eric Young this past week at Turning Point. Your thoughts?

David Martell: What does TNA see in Robbie E? He is a Jersey Shore rip off with little talent in the ring. He is not funny or creative. He isn’t even fun to watch. I know That the TNA TV Title doesn’t mean much at this point, but at least try to make it credible with decent wrestlers. Robbie E is one of those guys in five years you won’t even remember. Here’s an idea. TNA is making a deal with OVW, why not send Robbie E there to get some proper training and then come back and become a decent wrestler. It makes sense and it literally benefits everyone involved.

Jacob San Antonio: I didn’t think Eric Young would hold the TV Title any longer than he did, and it feels good to see another wrestler get their first chance at a TV reign. The big question mark for Robbie E going into this championship is his past reliance on Rob Terry. Can Robbie succeed without Rob Terry there to watch his back, or will he falter as soon as Terry is unable to help out? I think this is Robbie E’s first big chance to thrive, and TNA would be doing itself a disservice to book him any other way. I wouldn’t mind a clash between Robbie E and Terry later on down the line, but the first priority should be establishing E’s status as champion with some exciting, convincing victories against tough opponents. I’d rather not see a short reign out of Robbie E. In any case, I think Robbie E’s title win happened at a good time. The TV Title could go anywhere from here, so no matter how E gets booked there are greener pastures on the horizon.

Sean Garmer: Turning Point also gave us another champion in Robbie E winning the TV Title from Eric Young. Young took off two sets of draws and still couldn’t win thanks to some assistance from Robbie T and a fluke roll-up by Robbie E. Robbie E (a guy that looks like a cross between a poorly done Zack Ryder and Pauly D from the Jersey Shore)had to quickly defend his belt against D-Von on Impact this week and again he wins by roll-up thanks to another outside involvement this time from angry ex-champ Eric Young. Robbie E doesn’t look like he does too well in the squared circle and unless he gets better I can’t imagine he is going to hold that belt very long. Of course, this is TNA so who knows what they will decide to do. Personally, I found this guy boring and was hoping D-Von would win the belt or something just so I wouldn’t have to see him again.

Topic # 4 What are your thoughts on Crimson and Matt Morgan winning the TNA Tag Titles on Thursday’s Impact Wrestling?

David Martell: I am usually not a fan of makeshift tag teams but this actually works. Both are ok wrestlers at best that never seemed to become as big as TNA wanted them to be. In a tag setting, I think they could be great. Mexican America wasn’t really getting over as much as LAX did and with the lack of tag teams TNA has right now, this is a good thing. They looked strong in their match, they look good together and I think they will end up being a big deal. I never thought of them to be good singles competitors to be honest. The tag team setting should bring out the best in both men. Yeah, they don’t get along but neither did the Rock and Mick Foley but that ended up being great. Of course there is no way it will be on the same level as the Rock and Sock Connection but it can still be enjoyable. TNA made a good move here.

Jacob San Antonio: I am a bit ashamed to admit that my initial reaction to this development was one of disappointment. I enjoy the “tag team that hates each other” gimmick every now and then, but I rarely want to see such a team win the titles. That said, I had to stop and re-evaluate this turn of events. For the first part, this isn’t the WWE so most tag teams are at a higher level and are capable of doing more in any given show. Secondly, as far as oddball tag teams go you could do far, far worse than Crimson and Matt Morgan. There’s enough talent in this team that any shortcomings from this storyline handicap can be worked around, and still deliver an awesome match here and there. When I think about this team in those respects I’m far less critical. While that may be, I’d still rather have this team make nice and be friends or for them to lose the belts soon. If they hold the gold for too long, you start to send the wrong message about the other established tag teams.

Sean Garmer: Here’s the old, “we have two guys we don’t know what to do with, so let’s throw them into the tag division storyline” and they win because apparently Mexican America were getting tired of not having any decent opponents to pummel and underestimated them. The match itself was well done and it made the win seem like a big deal. It seems like TNA hasn’t figured out what to do with Matt Morgan so he got put in the Tag division again and he delivered. The two seem to work well as a team, and it could be good for them ala Kofi & Bourne. With TNA seemingly having a case of WWE syndrome when it comes to their tag division, I wonder where they go from here after the rematch with Mexican America happens.

Topic # 5 How do you feel about Mick Foley‘s return on RAW?

David Martell: I, for one, am happy to see Mic Foley back in the WWE. Of course I didn’t exactly like the “This is your life” segment with John Cena. The Rock “this is your life” segment was priceless but this was just stupid. It was saved by the Rock when he came out and Mick Foley was expecting a hug and got a Rock Bottom. That part was gold and probably my favorite part of the show. It will be interesting to see where Foley goes from here. The easy answer would be him becoming the RAW GM somewhere down the line. He could also have a one off feud with one of the younger guys to make him look good. Mick Foley is one of the best at making up and comers look legit. Look what he did for Randy Orton and Edge. I am just glad he is home where he belongs and I look forward to seeing more interactions between him and the Rock as we get closer to Wrestlemania.

Jacob San Antonio: Well, that was certainly…something. It was nice to see Mick again on Raw, I suppose, though I do wonder what the point was if he came out for just one week. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed the tongue in cheek return to “this is your life,” especially the ending. I simply question giving a guy that much time on the mic on your flagship show if he’s got no intention of coming back in the foreseeable future. It’s bad enough how little wrestling you get on an average Monday night as is, it seems especially wasteful to give away all that time for a throwaway bit. The only real solution to my problem with Foley’s involvement would be to involve him more. Don’t necessarily get him involved only in the Rock/Cena angle, but just have him stick around for a few weeks. Honestly, at this point who wouldn’t mind him replacing Michael Cole on the ringside mic?

Sean Garmer: Foley has been slowly making his comeback on the European tour, but he made his official TV return on Monday to do a “Cena, this is your life” segment. It was nice to see WWE poke fun of themselves and I laughed pretty hard at seeing B-squared make a return along with John Cena’s dad doing (what many people think Cena should do) and turn on the crowd. The first segment with Rock is more memorable as being the supposed “highest rated segment in RAW history” then for the segment itself. I don’t think this one was much worse and having Rock come out and Rock Bottom Foley to kinda say “hey put a lid on it man” was a nice touch. I loved Foley & Ryder’s bit that was classic Foley as well.

After Survivor Series I wonder if they will reveal why Foley has truly returned. Many expect him to challenge Johnny Ace for the RAW GM spot and other than being a comic foil backstage, I don’t see what good he does being involved anymore in Rock vs. Cena. So I can’t imagine he is here for anything else other than to eventually become the first permanent RAW GM the show has had in a long time. I’m sure he may even have a match with Johnny over it, but his body can’t take much more carnage, so this is an on-air role that suits him right now I feel.

Our thoughts on John Laurinaitis.

David Martell: John Laurinaitis is almost as bad as Mike Adamle. He is incredibly boring, doenst know how to cut a promo and takes up way to much TV time. A GM is suppose to be interesting in some capacity but I just cant get behind this guy. He was fine as a lackey but really where is all of this going.? Is he actually going to fire anyone? Will he start being a real heel? I think the best thing that could happen here is if CM Punk wins the WWE Title at Survivor Series. He needs someone with power to go up against. I would enjoy Johnny Ace a lot more if he is trying to make Punk lose the title. Which could lead up to something like if CM Punk wins a certain match he will resign as GM and we can finally get a permanent RAW GM. As for right now, he really hurts RAW as a whole.

Jacob San Antonio: This is the best joke I’ve heard in a while. “Superstar” and “John Laurinaitis” should never go in the same sentence together. For what it’s worth, I’d really like to see Johnny Ace back in his prime. I genuinely wonder sometimes if he’s always been devoid of any charisma, or if that’s just a recent thing. Every time he takes the mic, I have to wonder if it’s the WWE’s idea of a joke. Like, is Vince sitting backstage laughing as Johnny Ace gets more “quality” mic time than up and coming midcarders? Regardless of the reason, watching Johnny Ace do his thing is painful on the eyes and ears. People have complained about the GMs of the past, but at this point I’d take Mike Adamle again in a heartbeat. There’s absolutely no upside to Laurinaitis, and his involvement in this stupid conspiracy between Punk, HHH, Stephanie, Vince, R-Truth and The Miz just makes a bad storyline worse. Simply put, I was done with Laurinaitis at the word go. He was bad from the start, and has showed no signs of improvement. Please cease his involvement; at this point I’d accept replacing him
with Hornswoggle.

Sean Garmer: You know a lot people don’t think that John Laurinaitis was a wrestler back in the 1980’s, but yet he was. He didn’t last too long and has spent most of his career behind the scenes as a once booker and eventual road agent at WCW, he trained wrestlers how to cut it in the big time companies of the industry. He came over from WCW to WWE after Vince bought WCW and for a long while he was still a road agent until he was given Jim Ross’s old spot that he likes to boast about today “Mr. Executive Vice President of Talent Relations.” Now the former FCW Tag Team champion is the interm RAW GM and has proven to be quite adept at being clever on getting his point across. He may not be the greatest on the microphone but similar to Michael Cole, he makes for a very easy guy to hate. Many in the IWC probably hate him because he’s been known as a “Vince ass kisser” and the fans don’t like the fact he just always seems to pop-up to make their favorites land in unfortunate circumstances. I don’t see him holding that GM spot for too much longer, but I have a feeling they will find a way to continue to have him on television in some capacity.

Fun Fact: John Laurinaitis is the brother of Road Warrior Animal (Joe Laurinaitis) and Uncle to Animal’s son James who plays Linebacker for the St. Louis Rams.

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