The Triple Threat 01.09.11: The 218th Edition – TNA Genesis, Kofi Kingston as IC Champ, Douglas Williams, More

David Martell: I have to give props to TNA. It looks like they actually put together a solid PPV this time around. I really believe that this is the ppv that Immortal takes all the title belts. Seems kind of obvious with how they are setting up the storylines but I could be wrong. Lets break down the card. Kurt Angle vs. Jeff Jarrett in an “exhibition” MMA fight seems interesting. As long as Kurt Angle beats the crap out of Jarrett I will be happy. I am not a fan of Jarrett’s MMA gimmick and hopefully this will be the end of it, but I doubt it. Kurt should win here. MCMGs vs. Beer Money should be good again. I know these guys have good matches and all but I would love to see different tag teams going for the title. Beer Money should win here. RVD vs. a mystery opponent should be interesting. I am guessing it will be Matt Hardy. Did I say interesting? I meant completely awful. If this is Matt Hardy I definitely don’t want to watch it. “Mystery opponent” will probably win. Kaz should be Lethal for the X Division title, which is awful. I don’t know what it is about Kaz but I could never get behind the guy. It should be a decent match overall but I know I wont be happy if Kaz wins. Doug Williams vs. AJ Styles should be a great match but once again I think all members of Immortal will win their matches tonight. Mickie James has been on a roll since going to TNA and I really don’t see anyone stopping her right now. James should win over Madison Rayne. Devon vs. Brother Ray will probably be the worst match of the night. I hate the storyline, it is awful and this match will be the same. Devon will probably win here. Matt Morgan vs. Mr. Anderson is a great main event. Both men are hungry for the title and TNA did a great job of building up this match to make it something special. I think it is Mr. Anderson’s time to be TNA World Champion. He has busted his ass in TNA and is really having a strong run. Overall, the PPV looks to be good and is definitely a buy.

Jacob San Antonio: An interesting card, especially with the lack ofJeff Hardy. Jeff Jarrett faces off against Kurt Angle, which should prove to be a solid match. I expect it to the start the show off, and hopefully it’ll really get the crowd going. Angle will find some way to overcome Jarrett despite the match leaning in his favor. I feel as if the Tag Title reign of the Motor City Machineguns might finally come to end, with Beer Money Inc. finally getting the win for the gold. There should be a lot of back and forth in this match, since these two teams have become pretty familiar with each other by now. I’ve got my fingers crossed that they’ll manage to show off what a real tag team match looks like. RVD takes on a mystery opponent, who I can’t really seem to guess. Whenever the chance for a mystery opponent appears, I generally like to avoid the most common answer. Who knows, maybe it’ll be Matt Hardy for kicks and giggles. Either way, I think RVD will win through DQ as his opponent will most likely resort to cheap tactics. Jay Lethal should retain against Kazarian barring any surprises, and hopefully it’ll be another great match for the current champion to put under his reign. Douglas Williams will defeat AJ Styles for his spot in Fortune, leading to some interesting dynamics in the heel stable. Don’t be surprised if Fortune comes out to help Styles, only to stab him in the back. Mickie James will beat Madison Rayne for the Knockouts Championship, getting her comeuppance on the thorn that’s been in her side for the past few months. There’s really no easy way to guess who will win between Brother Devon and Bully Ray. Ray’s point of Devon’s becoming weak may ring true should he win, so I’m hoping for Ray to win and shake the confidence of Devon. Who knows, that match might just surprise me. Finally, Matt Morgan takes on Mr. Anderson for the number 1 contender spot against Jeff Hardy. Morgan’s had a nice series of matches against Hardy, but I think his time in the spotlight is over. Anderson will win, and go on to face Jeff Hardy. I feel as if TNA is finally ready to push Anderson to the top again, so I’ve got my fingers crossed that he doesn’t run into any more bad luck along the way. All in all, a different but interesting card. At the very least, I feel like TNA might be off to a good start this year.

Zach Brown: Genesis isn’t a very strong card this year in my honest opinion. First of all, thank goodness Kurt Angle found a loophole in his promise to never wrestle in TNA again by challenging Jeff Jarrett to an exhibition match. Because man, that would have been such a waste of a recently renewed contract if he couldn’t break his promise to not wrestle in TNA again. In all seriousness, it’s pretty pathetic how TNA has nearly written themselves into a corner with Angle. But as for the exhibition itself, it could be good, but the storyline is too awful to enjoy in my opinion. Motor City Machine Guns vs. Beer Money is a tried and true match and should be the best match of the night. But the only con with it is that its obviously not very fresh at this point. Im not sure who RVD’s opponent is at this point but I’m betting it’s either Rob Terry or a reveal that Kendrick works for Immortal. I’m hoping for Kendrick because I’m hoping for a good match. Either way, I’m not expecting anything better than two stars. Doug Williams vs. AJ Styles looks like a solid match and could easily steal the show if these guys give it their all. Jay Lethal vs. Kazarian is a big step up from matches with Robbie E, and that’s another solid matchup in my opinion. Madison Rayne vs. Mickie James is a great women’s match for TNA, but I think Rayne will retain here. Ray vs. Devon won’t be anything special in my opinion, and I think Ray will win here in order to get his new bully gimmick over. And finally, Morgan vs. Anderson. I think Anderson should absolutely positively win this one. Anderson is arguably TNA’s hottest face, and Morgan’s heat with Hardy doesn’t nearly match Anderson’s. The match should be decent, but honestly not main event quality. Matches aside, something you have to keep in mind is that this could be a night that TNA is setting up for Immortal to claim all of the gold in TNA, aside from the Women’s belts of course. If you are ok with that awesome and amazing booking, I say go for it. And it’s only a possibility, but I doubt any of the non-Immortal champions will retain their titles tonight. As a whole, Genesis is by no means unwatchable, but definitely not TNA’s strongest foot forward. I’ll be saving my money on this one.

Topic # 2 What are your thoughts on Kofi Kingston becoming a three time Intercontinental Champion this past week on Smackdown?

David Martell: Since Dolph Ziggler will be out of the picture I can totally live with Kofi being the IC Champion. Don’t get me wrong, they have had great matches together but we have seen them feud for what seems like six months. This really isn’t that big of an accomplishment for Kofi right now because he seems to be stuck in the mid card. I hope they give him a fresh feud with the likes of Cody Rhodes. I think that would be the best possible feud at this point since Kofi has already had small feuds with Drew McIntyre and Jack Swagger. It is crazy to think that there was a point where Kofi was about to break the glass ceiling when he was feuding with Orton and now he is back doing basically nothing important. A fresh feud is definitely something he needs and hopefully he will make his third IC title reign a memorable one.

Jacob San Antonio: I can’t help but feel that this is yet another step back for Kofi. I realize that he doesn’t really have much to do currently, but I’m just not comfortable with Ziggler making progress towards the main event with Kofi still IC Champion. Don’t get me wrong, it’s great that he’s found gold again. However, I’ve heard people compare Kofi’s situation to MVP’s plenty of times. I think that’s an unfair comparison, as Kofi rarely bores me in the ring. He’s athletic, he’s willing to job, and I feel like he tries to make each match something special. On top of that, he’s not that bad on the mic when the WWE decides to give him a chance. In the short term, this is pretty cool for Kofi Kingston. It’s when I think about the long term that I begin to get worried. With Smackdown in dire straights as it is right now, as far as the heel to face ratio goes, it just boggles my mind to see Kofi stuck at IC Champ again. We’ll see where this goes, but I’m starting to get a little frustrated with the WWE’s handling of Kingston.

Zach Brown: Kofi deserves the title, but this is not necessarily an improvement of his situation, and it’s not anything fresh either. Kofi Kingston has got to be one of the longest reigning midcard champs with reigns of both the US and IC titles. Is this really anything fresh or exciting in anyone’s eyes? WWE clearly has no solid plans for Kofi, but Kofi always delivers, so he’s always a safe bet to hold that title. But in the grand scheme of things, this does nothing for anyone. Dolph Ziggler became the number one contender for the World Title, and it makes sense for him to lose the IC title, but WWE should have picked someone else, like Dashing Cody Rhodes. He would have been a fresh pick to hold the IC Title in my opinion. OR how about JTG? The dude is a good wrestler that hasn’t been used well in the past few months. Give the guy a shot! Kofi is just a tire pick in my honest opinion.

Topic # 3 How do you feel about Dolph Ziggler becoming the number one contender for the World Heavyweight Title?

David Martell: Dolph Ziggler is the man on Smackdown. Not only is he the work horse, but he is showing that he can be in the main event. This guy has worked extremely hard to get to where he is and I am glad to see him finally getting a main event push. Although his match is basically a throw away title match at the Rumble, this could be a precursor for things to come. I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if Ziggler became a world champion in 2011. He is the best thing happening on Smackdown and I loved the way he weaseled himself into being the number one contender. I have always been a fan of someone losing a mid card belt to end up going after a world title. John Cena and the Miz did it, why not Dolph Ziggler? Dolph Ziggler has a big future ahead of him and I can’t wait to see how it unfolds.

Jacob San Antonio: Despite what I said earlier, I am still impressed with Ziggler’s making it this far. He stands to have a great match with Edge, much like he has great matches with everybody. Looking back, it still amazes me to see Ziggler make it this far. A year ago I was complaining about Rey Mysterio’s refusal to drop the IC Title to Ziggler, and from there he managed to make gold out of anything that came his way. With a little help from Vickie, Ziggler has managed to really stand out for himself and become a far more recognizable figure to the the crowds and fans at WWE events. He had a bizarre yet entertaining angle with Vickie’s mentoring of Kaitlyn and the love triangle that followed. He’s currently on a roll as a mentor to Jacob Nov–er, Byron Saxton, and he’s taking the chance to develop his heel persona as he goes along. When you consider how far he’s managed to get over the matter of a year, it’s not something to brush off. He may not have won any more titles than the Intercontinental, but his run with the belt was a solid one. In the matter of a year Ziggler has developed into a far more reliable, entertaining wrestler. I am all for his title shot, and all the possible good it could bring. With any luck, here’s hoping this isn’t the last of Ziggler in the main event.

Zach Brown: Now this is a fresh and awesome decision. WWE definitely notices that Dolph can cut it in the ring, and that he is solidifying himself in the fans’ eyes. Out of Ziggler, Big Show, Dashing Cody Rhodes, and Drew McIntyre, would anyone have honestly guessed that Ziggler would have won? If I could have guessed anyone, I would have obviously predicted Big Show, or even Drew McIntyre, considering his “Chosen One” gimmick. But wow, Ziggler…I mean this is the guy that started out on the Spirit Squad. He has definitely come a long way and proven himself to all the haters. Plus, I am a big fan of Dolph, and I’m excited to see him get a shot at the title. Now will Dolph beat Edge? It’s doubtful in my honest opinion. The Road to Wrestlemania is about to start, and I sincerely doubt that WWE is going to hand Ziggler the championship so close to ‘Mania. Ziggler having the title at Wrestlemania is something I would love to see, but it won’t exactly put butts in the seats. Sure, he could win it at the Rumble and lose it at the Elimination Chamber, but that would also just turn the title scene into a huge cluster so close to Wrestlemania. Plus being a one and done champion won’t really do Dolph many favors. It could be good to call him a former World Champion, but it would be probably the weakest title reign in recent memory. All in all, I’m very excited to see what WWE does with Dolph, b ut I just don’t have faith that they will push him to the moon in this case.

Topic # 4 It seems that Wade Barrett has been moved to the Smackdown roster. Your thoughts?

David Martell: I really don’t know how I feel about this one. Smackdown is already littered with too many heels at this point. Barrett has been one the biggest parts of the WWE for the past several months and now he is degraded to facing big show on Smackdown. Just doesn’t seem right to me. I thought he did great in the triple threat cage match this past week on RAW but I guess his hard work didn’t pay off. Most people are saying that he will feud with Taker at Mania but is Taker even going to be a Mania this year? I just hope he doesn’t end up getting lost in the shuffle on Smackdown. He is a main eventer and he should be in the main event. I hope the WWE knows what they are doing with Barrett.

Jacob San Antonio:Well, he’s got to feud with the Undertaker somehow, right? As sad as it is to say, that’s the only reason I see for Barrett’s moving to Smackdown. He’s not even going to be used for the recent change in Nexus, if the WWE is going to stick to their brands. While it’ll be interesting to see if Wade can find as much success on his own, it just seems stupid to leave him out of this new Nexus angle for any period of time. I’m not saying I’m disinterested in the Barrett/Taker feud, mind you, I just find it questionable to alienate the wrestler from the stable that he’s found such success with. Barrett’s good on the mic, so I doubt he’ll have any issues with setting up promos for the matches ahead, but without the Nexus behind him I feel as if his weaknesses in the ring might be noticed a bit quicker. While it may help him develop his skills in the ring quicker, there’s always the chance the crowd might not buy into his style now that he’s just Wade Barrett on his own. Despite my worries, I realize that this is the first real test the WWE is putting Barrett through. I’m optimistic enough about his chances at success, but with the WWE being what it is you never want to take anything for granted.

Zach Brown: Wade Barrett moving to Smackdown was a great decision in my eyes. They’ve effectively replaced Barrett with a more capable leader of Nexus. (Not that Barrett didn’t do a great job, but who can really compete with the awesomeness that is Punk?) And now Barrett has moved to Smackdown to apparently feud with Big Show for the time being. But everyone knows that his move to Smackdown is obviously to set up a feud for when Undertaker returns closer to Wrestlemania. All in all, it’s a good decision. On one hand, I’m a little disappointed that Barrett is removed from the Nexus situation so suddenly. There could have been a lot more to play out on Raw once Barrett was exiled from Nexus. He could have recruited some of the former Nexus members, he could have formed some sort of fragile alliance with Cena, Orton, or Sheamus and that would have been entertaining to me. But oh well; Wade has a fresh start, and that’s just how it is.

Topic # 5 How do you feel about Randy Orton becoming the number one contender for the WWE Title?

David Martell: This is a good and a bad thing. It is good because there is one less main eventer in the royal rumble. With less main eventers in the rumble, the better chance someone new will end up winning. It is a bad thing because it seems that John Morrison got pushed to the side. I was really digging this feud with Morrison and Miz and I feel like it could have been a bigger deal. Maybe they will have a Wrestlemania match, who knows. I don’t see Orton winning at the Royal Rumble. Miz is hot right now and to end his reign already would be stupid. It would be better if he lost at the Elimination Chamber anyways. They will probably have a decent match and it makes you wonder how Miz will end up winning this match. Should be interesting but I feel like we could of gotten something better out of this.

Jacob San Antonio: Complete garbage. John Morrison deserved to face The Miz at Royal Rumble, and their match on Raw proves it. Morrison has been entertaining me for the past half year, and despite some bad promos I still feel he’s ready to compete in the main event far more often. Randy Orton has done absolutely nothing to deserve another title shot, as I have been bored to tears week in and week out with his pseudo-face persona and ring work. Crowd pops or no, you’d have to be watching a different show to tell me that Orton’s exciting in the ring. He still follows a slow, methodical pace and generally slinks about for the majority of his matches. Against a solid heel like The Miz, I’m torn between rooting against Miz for the fun of it and rooting for The Miz because he’s able to entertain me. John Morrison has gone around the brands and throughout the card putting on great matches all year. Randy Orton has been stale as soon as he walked away from Legacy as the face somehow. Why is the WWE taking this route? Two reasons come to mind: either the WWE is still unable to fully trust a PPV to John Morrison, or they feel putting Orton in a title match will bring a higher buyrate. I may disagree with the first reason but one could argue the point with me. As far as the second reason goes, I don’t see why anyone in their right mind would think having ANOTHER title match with Orton in it would be an exciting, new development. That being said, crowds still go wild for Orton, and I’ve heard plenty of commenters on 411 sing their adorations for Orton. Maybe I’m the one who’s crazy.

Zach Brown: This is a little like Kofi winning the IC title in the sense that it is completely predictable and not very fresh. Don’t get me wrong, the cage match for the number one contender spot was very exciting and fun, but Orton winning was expected, especially since he was the only face in the match. So now Miz gets to prove himself against Orton at the Royal Rumble. This should be an entertaining match by all means. And even though Miz’s match with Morrison was very good almost solely because Morrison is awesome, it’s still a match that made Miz look good. So Miz is looking much more main event worthy lately, and what better way to test him than against Orton? In all honesty, I hope Orton doesn’t win. I’m a big Orton fan, but Miz is red hot right now, and I hope he makes it to Wrestlemania with the belt, as unlikely as that seems. I’m excited to see what kind of match Miz and Orton can have and how things will play out, but I Orton being the number one contender didn’t surprise me in the slightest.

Our thoughts on Doug Williams.

David Martell: Doug Williams is actually one of my favorite wrestlers in TNA. He is a damn good wrestler, decent on the mic, and his character is intriguing. Not often do you see a face Englishman. It just rarely happens because they are always great heels. I know that Williams is the TV champion right now, but I feel like he is vastly underrated. He is just another great talent in TNA that won’t ever really get the chance to shine. Luckily you can always get a good match out of him so no matter what position he is in TNA, he will provide the entertainment. Maybe he will get his chance at a World Title when the Hogan era is over.

Jacob San Antonio: TV Titles have always been interesting titles to me, and Doug Williams is doing a fine job with his current reign. He’s got a big match coming up at Genesis, facing Styles again with a spot in Fortune or his TV Title on the line. It’s weird seeing Williams running as face currently, considering he’s never done it in TNA before. He’s not doing a bad job, mind you; there’s just always a certain degree of surprise watching him come out as the good guy. It’s awesome seeing him feuding with Styles, since the two are both pretty good at having a solid entertaining match. I do think this face run will be short lived for Williams, as I expect to see him replace Style’s place on the Fortune roster. It’ll bring him back to his natural element, and it’ll leave Styles in an interesting position against his former teammates. If his run with the X Division and his current TV Title reign are anything to look into, I can see Williams work his way up to more main event matches by the end of 2011. He’s been made an irreplaceable part of the TNA roster, and his championship reigns have avoid being stale for the most part.

Zach Brown: Doug Williams is an excellent wrestler. He’s a good talker, he has decent charisma, and he is downright awesome in the ring. He honestly reminds me of a less experienced Kurt Angle when he wrestles. He is awesome at suplexes and proves time and time again that he is often an underrated technical wrestler. When he debuted with the British Invasion, I actually thought that Brutus Magnus was the brighter star in the group. Boy was I wrong. When that group ended, Williams really came into his own. His time with the Television title is some of the best in the title’s short history, and it’s not easy to make that title look important, but he manages to do it. And even though I doubt Williams will hold onto the title after Genesis, he’s had a solid run with the TV title. As for his spot in TNA, Williams is one of their most valuable assets in my opinion. I’d like for Williams to make a run at the World Title in a year or two. In due time, Williams could become one of the biggest stars outside of WWE. But it’s really in TNA’s hands to realize what they have with Doug. He’s entertaining, he’s a great wrestler, and he could become the next big thing in TNA if done right. All that being said, I think Williams should turn heel again once the Immortal angle is finished. He is a much more talented heel in my honest opinion.

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