The Triple Threat 04.19.09: The 136th Edition – The WWE Draft, TNA Lockdown, DragonGate USA, More

Topic # 1 TNA’s Lockdown is this Sunday. What are your thoughts on the card?

David Martell: This is one of TNA’s biggest shows of the year and it is looking pretty good. The Motor City Machine Guns vs. No Limit vs. LAX for the New Japan Jr. Tag Team belts should be a lot of fun. I expect some high spots here and MCMG should retain. I think Daffney will win the Queen of the Cage match. Why? Because I like her! Awesome Kong should have no trouble retaining the belt. Who will ever beat this woman? The X Division Xcape match should be great but I see Suicide retaining here. I think that Team 3D will win the title vs. title match. Lethal Lockdown is always fun. Team Jarrett should win here because I know they want the Front Line to look strong. There has been teases that Jarrett will turn heel but I don’t see it happening just yet. I could be wrong. Sting will retain because lets face it, who thinks Mick Foley would be a good World Champion right now? TNA is smarter than that, I think. Sting’s reign of dominance continues! Should be a solid show.

Alex Mattis: Well a classic rematch between Sting and Mick Foley is set to go down… only about 15 years too late. I love the idea of this match and in theory this should be great… but don’t expect that. Expect Sting to win a match that is rather hard to watch. The Lethal Lockdown match has me greatly interested however. Having Christopher Daniels being one of the main points of the feud makes me very happy. The Lethal Lockdown matches are always a blast and I expect this one to be no different. Elsewhere on the card The Xscape match should be a blast, and the New Japan Jr. Tag Title match should be great. Like all Lockdown PPV’s this should be fun, in a completely untraditional sense.

Zach Brown: All in all, Lockdown looks pretty solid this year, with one of the only missteps being the actual title match. The thing that makes this PPV buyable is that this looks like one of the best Lethal Lockdown matches that TNA has had in it’s entire history. It’s kind of a dream team in my opinion. The X-Division Xscape match also looks very solid. And I actually expect Abyss vs. Matt Morgan to deliver somewhat considering it’s just a good ‘ol deathmatch. As for the women’s matches, it always seems a little offputting to have a women’s match in a cage, let alone 2 matches. But I fully expect the matches to be pretty decent because TNA does their women’s matches well for the most part. Beer Money Inc vs Team 3D is what it is. I’m kind of over having any sort of faith in Team 3D. Hopefully Beer Money can pull their weight and make it a match worth watching. Danny Bonaduce vs. Eric Young is going to be a supreme sandwich making opportunity. And as I said before, Sting vs. Foley is just extremely lame. Not looking forward to that one bit. But all in all, looks like a solid night of wrestling, and hopefully it can pick TNA out of the funk it’s in.

Topic # 2 Dragon Gate USA was recently announced. How do you feel about this?

David Martell: This is an interesting development. I am all up for some Japanese wrestling coming to the US. This might also serve as some competition for RoH. Do I smell indy night wars? No? I couldn’t help myself. With Gabe Sapolsky being apart of the organization, things could be pretty damn awesome. He is a great booker after all and it will be interesting to see what Dragon Gate USA does with the indy circuit.

Alex Mattis: Awesome. I’m totally all for this; the more international flavor brought to the US the better. I’ve always been a fan of DragonGate and the talent they offer so seeing them in the US would be a real treat. Everyone and their dog should at some point in their life seeing the Blood Generation-Do Fixxer match from Supercard of Honor in 2006. If that is what they can bring to the US then they really are going to make a splash. Being of fan of Dragon Kid and a HUGE fan of CIMA I can’t wait to see what comes of this development.

Zach Brown: I’ve only seen a select few of Dragongate’s matches, but what I’ve seen has been great. The 6 man tag match with Blood Generation vs. DoFixxer was an absolute classic in my eyes. Sure, it was kind of a spotfest, but it was possibly the best spotfest I’ve witnessed. Easily one of the only 5-star matches I’ve ever seen. That’s really the match that opened my eyes to Dragongate. I don’t know what kind of plans Dragongate has for a US promotion. Could they rival ROH as one of the biggest US indy promotions? I really have no idea. But I’m interested in what they have up their sleeve, and I’d love to see more of wrestlers like Dragon Kid or CIMA mixing it up in the States.

Topic # 3 What are your thoughts on the overall draft for RAW?

David Martell: I think overall, RAW had a half decent draft. I think they got a good amount of mid carders but unfortunately, I have a feeling that none of them will be about to step up and get their shot at the main event. When you have a show with Triple H, John Cena, Randy Orton, Batista and HBK, there’s not a lot of room for others to be on the upper card. I wish Triple H would have stayed on Smackdown and the loss of Chris Jericho sucks pretty bad. Adding MVP, The Miz, Matt Hardy and Mr. Kennedy will spruce up the mid card. I like the tag champs being on RAW also but it seems like they did that just to give the Legacy the belts. I guess I am fine with that but I hope they let tag teams from other shows have shots at the titles. Other than that, I don’t really care for anyone else. It was a decent draft for RAW but I think in the long run we are going to get some terrible RAWs in the near future.

Alex Mattis: * US Champion MVP :Drafted from Smackdown to Raw – This could work out well for MVP and really help elevate his title run with his stint on Raw.
* The Big Show: Drafted from Smackdown to Raw – I’ve always been a fan of the Big Show and I think he could potentially do some good on Raw.
* Matt Hardy: Drafted from Smackdown to Raw – I was really happy about this move and thought it could lead to something until….
* WWE Champion HHH: Drafted from Smackdown to Raw – Yep. Welcome back to 2002. It’s the Triple H show. Joy.
* The Miz: Drafted from ECW to Raw – Well at first I didn’t think much of this, but with his turn on Morrison rose my eyebrows. I think a big future may be in order for the Miz on Raw. Time will tell.
* WWE Diva’s Champion Maryse: Drafted from Smackdown to Raw – Neat.

Zach Brown: Overall, the draft for RAW was extremely disappointing. Forget the glass ceiling; this is a spike laden ceiling of death that is coming down to crush the midcarders like that scene in Temple of Doom. Batista, Cena, HHH, HBK, Big Show, and Orton? Really? That’s way too much. Was WWE trying to create some sort of supershow? Because I can’t stand all these main eventers on one show. Sure, HBK is taking a post-Wrestlemania break, but I don’t expect it to be for very long. And that still leaves 5 main eventers to hog all the time on RAW. I was waiting with baited breath to see MVP move to RAW, but now that this happened, I wish he was still on Smackdown. And if you thought The Brian Kendrick was getting jobbed out before, just wait till he’s on RAW. Wahoo. Same with The Miz. I feel so terrible for every midcarder on this show. I hope these storylines are freaking amazing for the next year, because roster-wise, this is just a terrible show.

Topic # 4 What are your thoughts on the overall draft for Smackdown?

David Martell: I think Smackdown got the best draft overall. This will truly be the place where the young guys get to shine and maybe we will get to see some new guys hold a World Title. First there needs to be a World title on Smackdown. Adding Jericho, CM Punk, Rey Mysterio and John Morrison will make things interesting. I think all of these guys could main event and they might just have their chance with Triple H being on RAW. I think we might just get a decent title reign with CM Punk. A lot of great feuds could happen here and I just can’t wait to see what happens. I do wish Matt Hardy was still on the Smackdown roster because I think he’s going to get lost in the mid card over on RAW. Overall I love the Smackdown draft. I think we are going to get some quality wrestling for the next year and I am very interested in the feuds that will be created.

Alex Mattis: * WWE Women’s Champion Melina: Drafted from Raw to Smackdown – Interesting turn of events with the Women’s champs changing spot, Gail Kim-Melina… BOOK IT!
* Mr. Money in the Bank CM Punk: Drafted from Raw to Smackdown – Now Punk will take over SmackDown and win all of their titles. Now hopefully we can have a big Punk-Jeri feud.
* Kane: Drafted from Raw to Smackdown – Should do to SD what Show does to Raw.
* Chris Jericho: Drafted from Raw to Smackdown – Excellent move. Now that Triple H is on Raw Jeri needs to be somewhere where he will succeed.
* WWE IC Champion Rey Mysterio: Drafted from to Smackdown – Eh, same shit different show.
(Supplemental note – Morrison to SmackDown promises to bring awesomeness)

Zach Brown: In my eyes, Smackdown has definitely become the show to watch. Early in the draft, I was livid when Jericho made the move to Smackdown. But now, I’m glad that it’s his show. I’m also glad that Edge stayed on. And John Morrison should be built up pretty well on Smackdown this year, so I’m excited to see how hell be be used. Melina on Smackdown also works. And Rey and Punk are also both solid additions to Smackdown. But will we see Punk cash it in on Edge again? I hope not. Overall, it’s the place for mid-carders to become main-eventers this year, and I’m excited for Friday nights.

Topic # 5 What are your thoughts on the overall draft for ECW?

David Martell: The ECW draft turned out better than expected. I was surprised when Even Borne and Christian stayed on the show. I thought for sure that both would be moving on to bigger and better things. DH Smith can finally make a tag team with Tyson Kidd. If so, I could see these guys feuding with The Legacy in no time. That is if The Legacy gets the tag belts. Kozlov is a good fit here because he can look good on ECW as a monster. Hurricane Helms is also a good move to ECW. This is a place where he can reinvent himself. He has been stale for so long that he needs some refreshing. It will be good too see Big Zeke get a singles run. He is very green but had a lot of potential. I have no idea what they will do with Zack Ryder. He might just end up with a pink slip in the near future. Overall decent draft for ECW.

Alex Mattis: * Vladimir Kozlov: Drafted from Smackdown to ECW – I’m not a big fan of Kozlov, but I am ALL FOR a destructive monster on “ECW” killing bitches. Soooo which should see some good stuff.
(Supplemental note – Helems to “ECW” could mean good things)

Zach Brown: Vladimir Koslov? I guess this was the most logical choice. Koslov really has no place on either show, so hopefully he can “demand competition” on the C show. Hopefully, ECW can make me realize if Koslov has any sort of talent. And Hurricane Helms? Take it or leave it. I’ve never been a fan of Helms and I probably never will be. Same with Big Zeke and Paul Burchill; take it or leave it. But this show is much more about starting the new talent, and that’s why they don’t need much of a draft. They’ll recieve new talent through the year, and it’ll be much more exciting to see the new faces start out than anything else.

Superstar Highlight

Our thoughts on The Necro Butcher.

David Martell: I have never been a fan of death matches but for some reason it is occasionally fun to watch The Necro Butcher. I have had the opportunity to see the Necro Butcher live and he is absolutely sick. There is nothing fake about this guy, he will kill you. I am glad to see him wrestling for RoH. When he wants, he can be a half decent wrestler. It was also great to see him on The Wrestler. He has gotten a lot of publicity with that movie. It is good to see his career on the rise because I doubt it will last that much longer with what he does.

Alex Mattis: My love for the Necro Butcher is uncanny. In a weird turn, I absolutely hate garbage wrestling but worship everything that Necro does. Difference between Necro and most garbage wrestlers is the fact that Necro knows how to tell a story. His matches with Joe, Ki, and Masada are about as epic as they come. As someone who has met and talked to Necro numerous times and pretty much gotten to know him I’ve come to learn that he is a kind-hearted, intelligent man… oddly enough he wrestles barefoot on tacks for a living. I thought putting Necro in “The Wrestler” with a speaking role was brilliant. The man looks like Charlie Manson lite but is a well spoken man. The last I saw Necro was his street fight with Jimmy Jacobs and it was a classic. I’m a Necro fan through and through and can’t wait to see what the future holds for him.

Zach Brown: Choose Death! Alex and I have had the unique priveledge of seeing Necro Butcher as the face of our local promotion, XCW, for a solid 6 months. It was a pretty surreal experience. The entire crowd would sing along to Free Bird, and there wasn’t a lighter that was unlit in that building whenever that song came on. We loved Necro Butcher, and he loved us as well. Sure, Necro Butcher doesn’t know technical wrestling. He has no ring psychology whatsoever. He is what many call a garbage wrestler, or a deathmatch worker. That much is obvious if you’ve ever seen Necro. But I honestly believe that he is the best deathmatch worker in the business. Now many wrestling purists would say that’s like saying that you’re the best garbageman in town. But I can’t help but defend Necro Butcher. Sure, he looks like a homeless man, and he fights like one too. But he’s wrestled in so many promotions, including ROH for a pretty good stretch of time. That has to say something about how Necro can bridge the gap somewhat between deathmatch worker and actual wrestler. He’s easily one of the stiffest men in the business, and he just doesn’t care what he does to his body. As long as he puts on a show for the fans, he’ll do whatever it takes. And that’s something that I will always respect about Necro Butcher.