The Triple Threat 9.11.11: The 250th Edition – TNA No Surrender, Kevin Nash, More

Topic # 1 TNA‘s No Surrender PPV is this Sunday. What are your thoughts on the card?

David Martell: On paper this PPV actually looks decent. The problem is, who is going to watch this PPV? With it being 9/11 and it being the first week of football, this buyrate is going to be awful. Bully Ray vs. James Storm in a semi final match for the BFG series should be decent. Bully Ray has been on a roll lately but I think Storm will end up winning here. To be honest I think they best outcome they can have for this BFG series, is to have Storm vs. Roode. Which means I also expect Roode to beat Gunner. I think everyone enjoys tag partners facing off against each other. I am hoping some how the main event at BFG will be a triple threat with both members of Beer Money getting the shot. Both men deserve to be in the main event and I am hoping TNA will make the right move here. Matt Morgan vs. Joe wont be anything special. I have never been sold on Morgan but I think Joe can get a good match out of him. I am going to go for Joe on this one. Kendrick vs. Aries for the X Division Title should be the best match on the card. Aries should win here. Mexican America vs. Devon and Dinero for the tag straps should be decent at best. I really don’t see Mexican America losing the belts yet. Mickie James vs. Winter for the Knockouts title should be a good bout. I think Mickie will win here cause it would be a bigger match for BFG if she is the Knockouts champion. Kurt Angle vs. Sting vs. Anderson for the TNA World Title will be interesting. Will Kurt lose his belt because of his DUI? That’s really the question here. Matt Hardy gets fired, Jeff gets suspended, why should Kurt get off with no punishment? I have a feeling that TNA is going to sweep that under the carpet and Kurt will come out of No Surrender still the TNA World Champion. Overall, the PPV looks decent but probably will end up forgotten.

Jacob San Antonio: I’m still on the fence about this PPV. It’s got potential, but I’m more invested in seeing where things go after it’s over. Bully Ray takes on James Storm while Gunner faces off with Bobby Roode in the Bound for Glory series, and I think we’re going to just barely miss out on a Beer Money Inc final. When it’s all said and done, I think we’re going to be left with Bully Ray and Bobby Roode in the finals. Matt Morgan will try and most likely succeed in getting his revenge on that mean ole’ Samoa Joe. It’s hard to say who will win between Kendrick and Aries in the X Division title match, but if I have to pick I’m going to go with the champion. Between the two of them I think we could have a serious contender for match of the night. I see no reason for Mexican America to lose their titles to Devon and the Pope, so I expect to see standard fare in the ways of tag matches. I’m going to go with Winter snatching the title from Mickie James again, since it’s bound to happen sooner or later and I’d rather it happen sooner. Kid Kash is going to become the number one contender for the X Division title, I have no doubt. Finally, I think Kurt Angle’s going to retain against Sting and Anderson. I’d prefer things to proceed without any run ins or interference, so Sting can be left to his feud with Hogan, but I doubt that will happen. The overall quality of this PPV is going to rely pretty heavily on the BFG series and the X Division, and for the viewers’ sake I hope both aspects really deliver.

Zach Brown: In all honesty, No Surrender is kind of a mixed bag this year. And the majority of this Pay Per View exists simply to set up Bound For Glory, so it kind of feels unimportant to me. Kid Kash vs. Jesse Sorenson could be decent. I’m predicting Kid Kash for this one, because I think TNA will be giving him a solid push sometime soon. Mickie James vs. Winter…I don’t think anyone will be interested in this match. But I predict Winter to retain. Mexican America defending against Devon and D’AngeloDinero could be pretty decent. Not really sure how all these styles will match up but we might get something decent out of it. I predict Mexican America to retain. Matt Morgan vs Samoa Joe is honestly a match that I think will stink up the arena. I like Samoa Joe a lot, but I don’t think he can bring Matt Morgan to a decent match. Morgan had almost zero chemistry in matches against Hernandez, so I’m thinking the same kind of thing will happen here. I don’t really care who wins that one either. Brian Kendrick vs. Austin Aries could probably steal the show if given enough time. I would love Aries to win, but I’m thinking Kendrick will keep the belt a while longer. Bobby Roode vs. Gunner…could be half decent. I’m hoping Bobby Roode wins here. Bully Ray vs. James Storm…I hope Bully Ray wins because he’s the more interesting character. And finally, Kurt Angle vs. Mr. Anderson vs. Sting. I strongly believe that TNA will hand the belt off to Sting in this match. I’ll talk more about the Angle situation in Topic 5. But Sting is surprisingly the stronger of the three to have the belt on. Anderson would not be solid enough of a champion going into Bound For Glory, since the job of that champion is most likely to job to the tournament winner. Sting is the better choice. And if the match isn’t the best on the card, that’s a problem considering all the talent involved. All in all, No Surrender could be amazing if TNA goes all out. But on paper, it just looks inconsistent, and only for the most die-hard TNA fan.

Topic # 2 Do you think Kevin Nash was actually fired or its all just a work?

David Martell: Oh how I wish he was getting fired. Nash has done nothing except for give us bad promos week after week. I thought this guy was one of the better promo makers from back in the day but obviously he has lost it. The only reason I wanted to see Nash vs. CM Punk was so I can see Punk beat the living hell out of him. Nash just isn’t relevant for todays audience. Unfortunately, I doubt he is actually fired. I still see him running in on the Triple H vs. Punk match. I have a feeling Triple H will still act like he has nothing to do with Nash after another run in. I think Nash would be great for backstage stuff but honestly, he has no business being on TV in 2011.

Jacob San Antonio: Nope. The way things are going right now, it looks like Laurinaitis is going to find a way to keep Nash involved with things. As such, I really don’t see the upcoming HHH/Punk matchup to actually achieve anything. The big question right now would be where Stephanie gets involved with all of this. We’ve far more of Laurinaitis at work than her, but I really doubt we’d have seen as much of her as we did at MitB if she wasn’t involved somehow. In any case, Nash is still going to play a pretty big part in this feud. Whether you like it or not, Big Sexy is here to stay.

Zach Brown: Honestly, I think it can be a little difficult to say. I think that the fix is definitely in against CM Punk at Night of Champions, and it’s painfully likely that it’s Nash breaking up the match. But if Nash really was released, I would find it absolutely positively hilarious. Ruined a great storyline…for what? So that Nash and Triple H can hog some spotlight by adding their “star quality” to the scenario. So that they can “help put CM Punk over?”But hey, it’s most likely all a work anyway. And if WWE kept that up, people might not be able to tell if someone is actually released or not. Either way, I wasn’t much looking forward to any match that CM Punk and Kevin Nash could put together. Their styles just do not matchup whatsoever. Long story short, I’ll be glad if Nash is out of the storyline. The storyline was far cooler before Nash got involved. But I’m not getting my hopes up for either scenario.

Topic # 3 What are your thoughts on Alberto Del Rio as the current WWE Champion?

David Martell: It just wasn’t the right time for Del Rio to be the WWE Champion but I guess it was his destiny. Coming off the hot storyline between Punk and Cena, this kind just killed the heat. Don’t get me wrong, I think Del Rio is excellent. He is a great wrestler and deserving of a world title but right now he just isn’t the main focus. They seem to be building him up as a transitional champion, only holding it till Cena wins again. I hope he is able to pull off a win against Cena at Night of Champions. I am just sick and tired of Cena having the title or being in the title hunt. Is it possible for Cena to have a match that isn’t title oriented? I think a win against Cena will make him a more credible champion. Just have to wait and see.

Jacob San Antonio: Del Rio’s doing fine, despite Cena’s best efforts, but there is a small problem I have with his reign. I’d pay to see a strong, credible heel champion again. There’s more than one way to play a heel, and it just gets really tiring seeing each and every bad guy immediately turn coward. Del Rio is supposed to be rich, powerful, and very dangerous. He’s put away enough people prior to this Cena feud that I don’t understand why he plays the coward and resorts to run ins and cheap tricks. I’m ready to see a heel that’s willing and able to stand toe to toe with their opponent in the ring. You can still play by the rules and be a completely unlikable person. That said, I expect Del Rio to hold onto the belt for another month or so due to disqualifications. The day Cena loses clean to Del Rio is the day I scuba dive in a volcano.

Zach Brown: Alberto Del Rio is not very effective to me so far as WWE Champion, but he really hasn’t had a chance to prove himself in a PPV title defense. I really think that being absent from Raw for one week when your title reign is just beginning is crucial because it shows that the show can continue on without you and be just as entertaining on it’s own. After Night of Champions, we’ll probably have a better understanding of what Alberto Del Rio as champion can mean. I don’t think that they will take the belt from Del Rio yet because he just cashed in. But I highly doubt that Cena would job to Del Rio clean this early. Something has to happen to unfortunately protect Cena as that is what WWE is oh so fond of doing. I look forward to seeing where things will go for ADR, but I’m more inclined to believe that this will be a disappointing run rather than a good run. Something about the current state of WWE and RAW just gives me a bad feeling for Alberto.

Topic # 4 What are your thoughts on Randy Orton as the current World Heavyweight Champion?

David Martell: I actually like Orton as champion right now. I think Christian really rejuvenated Orton and make him a more entertaining champion. Now that he is back to being ruthless, he is fun as hell to watch. I honestly could of watched Orton vs. Christian all the way to Wrestlemania. They had damn good matches month after month and I just didn’t want it to end. This will have to go down has one of his best feuds. Instead of making Orton look completely unstoppable, every match it seemed that Christian could pull it off. This is just one of those cases where people have excellent chemistry. It still might not be over though. I can see Orton losing to Mark Henry at Night of Champions. If anyone deserves to be a world champion, its Mark Henry. I can see Christian costing Orton the match which will lead to their final match at Hell in a Cell. I can hope right? I think this would be the best match for the Cell for Smackdown but we don’t always get what we want. Either way, I am enjoying Orton as Champion, just hope he can keep the momentum going.

Jacob San Antonio: I’m glad that Christian brought back psycho Orton. I still don’t understand how he’s managing to stay face, but I like how he’s gone back to what I feel he is at his best with. After a summer long series of matches against Christian, Orton has really pulled out all the stops in his matches. Call me crazy, but I feel like I’m watching a completely different wrestler than the one I could not stand even a year ago. His matches are exciting, and he’s found more ways to change things up. I don’t know if Christian had anything to do with this, or if it was the ability to try new things in the middle of a long feud, but it feels like Orton’s retooled himself for the better. Don’t really know how much longer he can hold onto the belt, but I’m liking what I’m seeing either way.

Zach Brown: Randy Orton makes a great world champion right now, even though I believe that Christian should have come out on top in that feud. And Randy is good, but may not be good enough to get a decent title match out of Henry. Heck, it seems like Mark Henry could be headed for a solid push since this is most likely his last year in WWE. We could see Mark Henry have a run as champion for a few months. WWE did it for Kane, so there really are no limits as to who can be champion right now. But hey, we might all be subjected to Randy Orton consistently as champion all the way to Wrestlemania. You never know. Orton is a capable champion, and pretty entertaining lately, so I don’t ever mind too much when he is champion.

Topic # 5 What are your thoughts on Kurt Angle being the Current TNA World Champion?

David Martell: Personally I think he should be stripped of the title. If Matt Hardy gets fired for a DUI and Kurt gets no punishment at all, its just bogus to me. Yeah, Kurt highly out classes Matt Hardy in every aspect, but its about what’s right. I am not a fan of bias and I am not a fan of playing favorites. I know this is a problem in both companies but I think this best example of it right now. Kurt is a great wrestler, one of the all time best, but when you screw up you should pay the consequences.

Jacob San Antonio: It seems TNA was getting this “youth movement” argument from multiple parties, as Angle seems prepared to take his championship and fight against the younger talent on the roster. At least, I hope that’s what’s in store after he takes on Sting and Anderson at No Surrender. There’s no way of knowing if TNA has any interest in pushing their younger stars at the moment, but it’s still nice to be reminded that they are listening. They’ve got my attention with Angle’s declaration against the youth movement, and I hope it really goes places. TNA has to get some younger talent at the top of the roster, and if it takes climbing over Angle to do it I’m all for it. Having a good match with Angle is a great way to get recognized and remembered. I’ve got my fingers crossed for Angle’s reign. It’s got a lot of potential.

Zach Brown: Honestly, I’m betting that Angle doesn’t stay champion for long. The guy has a lot of bad publicity right now for his possible DUI, and it’s just too risky to keep the belt on Kurt. Honestly, at this point, TNA’s best bet would be to put the belt back on Sting. They will probably want to push Sting’s joker gimmick, which in all honesty, people should give a chance. It’s not as bad as everyone says, and Sting is doing some decent acting. I mean when was the last time someone altered their character this drastically? Sure, saying it’s Dark Knight inspired is an obvious point, but Sting is still interesting with this gimmick. And in terms of who should put the younger talent over at Bound For Glory, it would be best to have Sting be the one to put the younger talent over if Kurt Angle is absent. Ideally, I would like Kurt Angle “the wrestler” to be the one to put over the younger talent, but Kurt Angle “the person” is probably going to prevent that.

Our thoughts on Yoshi Tatsu.

David Martell: I am digging Yoshi Tatsu’s new look but if he is going to look like that, he needs to drop the silly face music. I think with that look, he should turn heel. Tatsu as a more serious character would be interesting and would make him less of a joke. I think Yoshi is very underrated wrestling wise. He has great matches week after week on NXT or Superstars he just happens to be one of those guys who doesn’t have a place right now. A gimmick change is a great idea and maybe the WWE brass will take notice. WWE doesn’t have the greatest track record of getting Japanese wrestler over though. Hopefully we can see him get some real TV and test out this gimmick change. I think it has a ton of potential.

Jacob San Antonio: It recently dawned on me that Tatsu may in fact be the most overlooked talent on the WWE roster. It’s a shame, too, since he’s rarely been a disappointment in the ring. I’d wager he’s not really that bad on the mic, either, but I’d have an easier time pulling my own teeth out than convincing the WWE to let him cut a long promo in English. Oh well. With rumors abound of a possible revival of the Cruiserweight/Lightweight division in the WWE, Yoshi Tatsu has a serious light at the end of his jobber tunnel. While it’d benefit a ton of wrestlers to have a Cruiserweight division again, I think it’d be the best thing to happen to Tatsu’s WWE career. I’d wager most fans only remember him for his addicting upbeat ring music; if given more time in the spotlight I’m sure he’d really wow the crowds.

Zach Brown: I’ve never been a big fan of Yoshi Tatsu. The guy had some decent matches back in ECW, but besides those few times, he doesn’t really do it for me. And when I see guys like Yoshi Tatsu or SantinoMarella, I can only think, “Hooray for stereotypes!” Two things seriously work against Yoshi Tatsu ever being taken seriously in WWE. First of all, that theme music is downright grating on the ears. It sounds like theme music that would be on a bad late-90s kids show. And second, the guy can’t deliver promos in English. As talented and athletic as Yoshi Tatsuis, his inability to connect with the majority of his fans through a promo really works against him. I hope that he does learn some English soon, because I would like to see him in the midcard at one point if everything works out. He’s a talented guy, and I hope he gets taken a little more seriously in WWE, because this current character isn’t working for him.

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