The Triple Threat 2.06.11: The 222nd Edition – Alberto Del Rio, Booker T, Kevin Nash, More

David Martell: It is good to see that someone new and fresh won the Royal Rumble this year. At the end of the match I was just hoping it wouldn’t be Cena or Orton so I am all for Del Rio winning the match. I guess they were right when they said he was suppose to be a big deal quick. They just need to keep his momentum up on his way to Wrestlemania. I wasn’t to fond of his interactions with Hornswoggle this past week on Smackdown because I don’t want them to make a joke out of Del Rio winning the Rumble. He needs to continue to dominate, not play around with a joke of a wrestler. The more I think about it though, Edge vs. Del Rio doesn’t feel like a big Mania match. I am hoping they add Christian to the equation since his name as been dropped several times now. It only makes sense for him to be a part of the feud since Del Rio took him out. I think with whatever happens, someone who hasn’t held a world title in the WWE will get his victory at Mania. Either way, I am happy.

Jacob San Antonio: The Royal Rumble was planned pretty well, for the most part. It felt as if the entire first half of the match was aimed specifically at internet smarks, and as a result the crowd was red hot. The Intercontinental and US Champions both lasted a great deal of time, which did well for showing how talented the title holders are. Finally, you had the presence of Cena and Orton in the closing minutes of the rumble. This move was a smart one on the part of the WWE, since I’ll admit that I completely fell for it. Though Del Rio and Wade Barrett were both in the ring, I had pretty much resigned myself to another Cena/Orton rumble win. The Miz’s interference and Barrett’s elimination did little to help my attitude, since I figured Orton was about to pull out a win. To see Orton go over the ropes was such a big deal. Del Rio’s celebration in the ring with his announcer was awesome to watch, heel or not. I still can’t fully believe we’re going to see someone as new to the company as Del Rio main eventing Wrestlemania, but I am all for it. This is the WWE testing the waters; they’re trying to see if trusting the younger talent is a good move. I can’t predict the buyrates for Wrestlemania, and I can’t predict whether or not Del Rio’s involvement will be one of the bigger matches of the card, but I’m optimistic about the attitude the WWE is taking. Morrison, Bryan, Sheamus, Kofi Kingston, CM Punk and even Zack Ryder got to look good (though Ryder looked good for about ten seconds) in a match in which the WWE didn’t necessarily have to showcase anybody. Similar to the debut of the Nexus, the Royal Rumble has lead me to believe that the WWE is almost ready to seriously level the playing field. Congratulations go to Del Rio, though. For a variety of reasons, I couldn’t be happier for the guy. Here’s hoping to a great Wrestlemania match.

Zach Brown: Alberto Del Rio winning the Royal Rumble is a fantastic surprise. His Royal Rumble win is kind of historic as well. Not because it was a 40 man Rumble, but because he was not already a main eventer when he won the Royal Rumble. When was the last time that a guy won the Rumble as a mid-carder? I mean Alberto Del Rio has only been in WWE for around 6 months, and he’s already won the Royal Rumble, which is one of the biggest pushes that WWE can give. It’s pretty awesome that WWE has so much faith in Del Rio already. I had picked CM Punk to win the Royal Rumble, and I was bummed when he was eliminated halfway through the match. Towards the end, I was running out of people to root for. I didn’t want Cena or Orton to win the match, so I found myself rooting for ADR. And seeing him win was an awesome sight. And considering what he did to Christian, it made much more sense for ADR to challenge Edge for his title. We’ll have to see how the match goes at Wrestlemania, but I am stoked that Del Rio won the Royal Rumble. He really is destined to be a World Champion in WWE.

Topic # 2 How do you feel about Booker T returning to the WWE at the Royal Rumble?

David Martell: I think it is great to see Booker T back in the WWE. I have always enjoyed his work and his moment at the Royal Rumble was indeed a mark out moment. I am also glad that his deal isn’t just about wrestling. I think it is interesting that he is now a part of the Smackdown announce team. Makes you wonder where Striker is going to go. I think wrestlers are always the best color commentators. JBL was freaking awesome at the announce booth. Hopefully Booker will shine there as well. The fact that his going to be a trainer on the new season of Tough Enough is also interesting. If I am not mistaken, he has his own wrestling school down in Houston so this should be easy for him. So right now Tough Enough is looking pretty sweet. I do hope he does wrestle from time to time because he still has it and could be a valuable asset to the Smackdown locker room. As long as he puts people over I think its great to see him back.

Jacob San Antonio: I think it’s very important that the WWE try and focus their attention on furthering the development of younger talent. The old vets aren’t going to be able to stick around much longer, and it’s about time that the WWE start filling its roster with newer faces in order to get ready for that transition. However, you don’t want to lose all the old hands you’ve got. Older wrestlers with decades or more of experience can help younger guys develop skills they may not otherwise have. For this reason, along with satisfying older fans of the WWE, I was and still am excited to see the return of Booker T. He shows a desire to work with the commentary crew, which is a serious blessing to the two crews that are struggling in some form or another. Booker can stick around on commentary for as long as the WWE needs him, and he can just as easily get worked back into the ring if the situation requires it. It’s a win-win for the company, since there’s been criticism of their commentary since even before Michael Cole’s heel turn. In the long run I hope to see Booker stick around in any form possible. He’s been through three drastically different big name wrestling companies, and with that kind of experience there’s knowledge to go with it. There’s also something to be said about me marking out like mad at the sight of a spinneroonie, but that’s another story entirely.

Zach Brown: Booker T entering the Rumble was awesome. Did you see the pop the guy got? I have to admit, I marked out hard. It was awesome to see Booker again and see him hit all his old favorites. There are talks that Booker has signed a one year deal, and he took his place at the Smackdown announcing table on Friday night. He’ll also be a coach on Tough Enough, apparently. But honestly, I kind of doubt that Booker will stay in these roles. A return to the ring is inevitable in my opinion. And part of that makes me excited, while another part of it makes me uneasy. One of the reasons he exited TNA in the first place is that he was asked to job to Matt Morgan, but didn’t want to do it. Why would WWE want that kind of attitude in their locker room? I really hope Booker T has had a change of heart in terms of putting over younger talent. Booker has a lot of name value, and WWE is in the middle of a youth movement. If Booker T is going to jive well with WWE, he needs to be ok with putting the younger guys over every once in a while. Honestly, I think Booker T was boring in TNA, but I think I was bored with how they wrote his character. He just didn’t seem all that impressive in TNA and none of his feuds were memorable. He was part of Main Event Mafia, but his involvement didn’t do much for the stable. Yes, his signing with WWE goes against the youth movement mission statement that WWE has been so focused on lately. But as long as he stays away from all the titles (he needs none at this point), and puts some guys over, I’m fine with him having a short nostalgia run in WWE. If he does in fact stay at the commentary table for the majority of his WWE run, I would be ok with it, but I doubt it’s going to happen.

Topic # 3 How do you feel about Kevin Nash returning at the Royal Rumble?

David Martell: It was good to see Nash back in a WWE ring although I hope he doesn’t wrestle that much. I think he still has some life in him because he still is a former world champion and he can still put over some of the younger talent. I know he signed a legends deal but I have no idea if he will be back in the ring. Honestly, I think Nash would have been a better color commentator over Booker T. Nash is a witty guy and I think he would have been a lot more fun to listen to. His stare down with the Big Show was interesting but I have no idea if it will turn into anything. Although the match would probably be god awful, it would still be fun to witness.

Jacob San Antonio: I have never been the biggest fan of Kevin Nash. Back in the days of WCW he was part of the problem with the company, and with TNA I rarely felt like his presence added anything to the excitement of the show. That being said, the man’s been with the business for two decades now and I just feel like he’s ready to call it quits. He found some of his closest friends in the WWE, and he probably wants to end his career where it really got its start. In that respects, I’m completely fine with the return of Kevin Nash. His work in the rumble wasn’t terrible, he got one of the biggest pops of the night, and he generally walked away from the match having put on a respectable show. If he wants to get involved with some of the angles on Raw or Smackdown, I don’t see a problem unless he gets into the ring. I don’t mean to trash Kevin Nash, mind you, but it seems common knowledge at this point that he simply can’t wrestle the way he used to. I’m interested in seeing what he can contribute to the WWE before Wrestlemania, but I have very little desire to see him work in the ring. One of Nash’s biggest talents is his gift of gab, and I think he’d be far better off playing off his strengths in the WWE. I’ll keep my fingers crossed and hope he ends up being the Anonymous Raw GM.

Zach Brown: Kevin Nash was another awesome entrant in the Rumble. It wasn’t as great as seeing Booker T, but it was still cool. And while Diesel didn’t do as many cool things as Booker in the Rumble, his impromptu stare down with Big Show was definitely awesome. But my problem is that I was strongly disenfranchised with Kevin Nash in his last year in TNA. In my opinion, he could barely cut it in the ring anymore, and he was starting to look like Father Time. So what is new now that he is involved with WWE? Well, he dyed his hair. Weirdly enough, it makes an interesting difference. But the fact of the matter is, Nash is 51…52 this summer. Why should he re-enter WWE at this age? Does he really have that much to contribute? My favorite stuff that Nash did in TNA were his backstage skits with Jay Lethal and Sonjay Dutt. Those were hilarious and got to show a great side of Nash’s personality. But note that my favorite stuff with Nash in TNA occurred outside of the ring. Nash is a huge guy and he is slowing down with age. He’s not Shawn Michaels or the Undertaker. I honestly believe that he cannot give us even a three star match at this point. Seeing Nash have one last run in WWE will be fun, but I want his time in the ring to be as limited as possible. It will probably kick off immediately with Big Show vs. Diesel, but aside from fun staredowns, let’s be honest, that match would be awful. For his sake and our own, a limited role will be best for Kevin Nash.

Topic # 4 Who do you think is in the 2-21-11 Promo video that has been all over WWE TV?

David Martell: At this point I just want it to be Sting. The funny thing is, when I first saw the video I didn’t even think of Sting. At first I thought it was the Undertaker or Awesome Kong. I just cant see it being the Undertaker. Why would they hide him in a video like that. Everyone knows who Taker is and it is not like he as been gone that long. I hope it isn’t Awesome Kong. I don’t want this to be one of those Gail Kim videos where you think it is going to be someone awesome but you end up being let down. Gail Kim is great and all but still. It just has to be Sting. Look at the buzz this video is getting. If it is the Undertaker I think everyone would be severely disappointed. If Sting signed with TNA already I think we would know it by now. TNA would probably love to kill the hopes of the WWE fans. It fits Sting’s character and it slightly resembles his 97 Starrcade promo video. I just hope this doesn’t end up letting everyone down.

Jacob San Antonio: I think it’s really great how they’ve given a specific date for when the WWE is finally going to give Zack Ryder a push. Or maybe it’s to announce the return of Evan Bourne! If they’re really feeling brave, that dark promotion was all about Skip Sheffield’s recovery! In all seriousness folks, I can’t help but think it’s just announcing the return of the Undertaker. He’s come back to less fanfare than this, which makes it kind of suspicious, but I get the feeling that the WWE doesn’t have their Wrestlemania plans fully figured out yet. Could it be Sting? It’s possible, sure. The bigger question we have to ask ourselves is whether or not Sting has agreed to anything at this point. If plans are simply plans at this point, and no real progress has been made towards getting him, then the date is simply to announce the Undertaker. In a way, it’s just the WWE covering for all possibilities. I would mark out as hard as anyone if the date was to set up a Sting/Taker feud at Wrestlemania. However, with no solid evidence to go on I’m going to resign myself to the fact that’s it’s just an Undertaker announcement. I’d rather be surprised at Sting’s appearance than be disappointed at his not showing up.

Zach Brown: So this 2-21-11 video package has been playing for a while and everyone seems to be so sure as to who it is. Some people are SO sure it’s Sting. Others are SO sure it’s Undertaker. And everyone seems to be forgetting about the outside chance that this is the return of Kizarny. All kidding aside, this is the wrestling world, and no one can make solid predictions. One minute, everyone is so sure about what is going to happen, and the next, John Cena wins the Royal Rumble, or Punk wins his second Money in the Bank. But in my opinion, I think the possibility is much greater that it is Undertaker, and the likelihood that it is Sting is far less likely. Sure, Taker is rehabbing an injury. But the likelihood that Sting is finally making the jump to WWE is just less likely than the chances that Undertaker, a man who is already signed, will return to the ring. Do I want Sting to make a debut in WWE? Sure. Even though he is a few months older than Nash, Sting in WWE is something that we have never seen. It could be fun and exciting for a short time. But my rule of thumb in the wrestling world is: I’ll believe it when I see it. That’s the stance I’m taking on this one. We just have to wait and see.

Topic # 5 In TNA, “They” ended up being Fortune. Thoughts?

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David Martell: I am actually happy about this. With TNA losing Nash and Booker T (and possibly Sting), TNA is forced to scrap any idea of the MEM coming back. They are now forced to push some of the home grown TNA talent and that works for me. I digged the promo AJ Style cut on Immortal cause everything he said was true. It will be interesting to see where this goes but it is definitely going in the right direction. Hogan will probably be a big part of the storyline when he returns but I have a feeling Hogan will end up siding with the faces and everyone will be happy again. TNA has a good chance to make something good, I just hope they don’t end up blowing it.

Jacob San Antonio: Though this is certainly not what TNA originally had planned, I’m okay with this turn of events. I was not eager to see the return of the MEM, as I wasn’t completely sure if it’d be a good move in the long run. This sudden change of plans may not look good now, but with AJ at the helm I think things will work out for the better. Immortal and Fortune both need to increase the size of their stables, in a mad grab for power to decide how exactly TNA is going to be split. This will culminate in a huge feud that takes up most of a PPV. Can AJ take back TNA from Bischoff and Hogan? Are smarks still wanting to see revenge for the mishandling of WCW? Will Flair turn this into another feud with Hogan? There are some interesting places to take this angle, and should things go as well as I hope, then TNA will have some solid shows and PPVs under its belt for the next month or two.

Zach Brown: So “They” ended up being Fortune. Yet another iteration of the “They” gimmick has been revealed, and “They” are once again members of TNA’s current roster. So the original “They” turned out to be the new faction Immortal, of which the then semi-new faction Fortune was a part of. So now, the new “They” turned out to be a sub-faction of the original “They” who splintered off and turned face on Jeff Hardy and the rest of Immortal. What a clever bait and switch. The problem with these storylines is that each iteration of “They” has been treated as a mysterious arrival, and the audience is constantly reminded that “They” are coming. When in reality, every person that has ever been a part of “They” has been a part of the current roster. Who thinks that is good booking? It is seriously not interesting in the slightest. I’m sorry, but I thought that THIS time, TNA were going to get it right and sign some people super secretly and bring them in to feud with Immortal. A lot of people were predicting the Main Event Mafia, and even though those guys are mostly washed out and all that, it would have been at least semi-interesting to see those old names back and re-signed with TNA. It could have been a nice surprise. That’s what TNA seems to be super bad at: revealing surprises. The one thing they did right was Kurt Angle arriving to TNA back in the day. But I do admit, Fortune turning face on Immortal does solve one massive problem that I had with Immortal. Immortal was way too huge. It was seriously like the NWO. Everyone who was everyone was in it. Fortune didn’t even matter anymore because they were sucked into Immortal, killing whatever momentum they had. Immortal also seemed haphazardly thrown together to me. People from all walks of life and people that had nothing to do with each other were in this group. Someone please tell me how Ric Flair, Jeff Hardy, Rob Terry, and AJ Styles have common interests and should be in the same stable. Now that Fortune is removed from the equation, it might make Immortal seem like more of a cohesive stable. So in my opinion, while the reveal was somewhat tired in the sense that it just seemed like more of the same, it does mean interesting feuds for the near future in TNA, and that is what I am excited about.

Our thoughts on Edge.

David Martell: I haven’t really ever been a big fan of Edge. I enjoyed his work with Christian but other than that he has always just been there to me. He is the perfect example of a transitional champion but it is kind of disgusting how many world titles he has held. I can name tons of people who should of held more than Edge. But with that said, he is a decent wrestler and he knows how to bring it when the time is right. He usually can cut good promos so that is always a plus. I do like Edge much better as a cocky heel though. I have a feeling he will someone manage to make it though the chamber match and go on to Wrestlemania to face Del Rio. I just know Christian will end up in that match some how. Overall, Edge is pretty decent and is definitely a needed guy right now on Smackdown.

Jacob San Antonio: Let me start by saying Edge needs to find another finisher that doesn’t look like a hug from a narcoleptic. His spear sucks, and every time it lands I generally yawn before his victim even touches the mat. With that out of the way, I like Edge. He’s found himself a cozy little spot in grey area territory, playing a face that utilizes heel tactics or turns heel at the drop of a hat. Essentially, he’s succeeding where Orton is failing. Due to Edge’s past few years with the WWE, I’m always wary that he could turn into a bad guy again at any moment. He’s rarely allying himself with anybody, he’s not above tormenting baby faces, but he’s always up for destroying the heel of the week. Edge had a rough patch this past year, having an ineffective face run and an even worse run as…well, whatever he was after that. He started to regain steam while Kane carried the belt, the WWE noticed, and now we’ve got him holding the Heavyweight title. Going into Wrestlemania there’s very few wrestlers I’d prefer holding the belt other than Edge. Though I’m not exactly a mark for the guy, he’s rarely let me down at Mania. With Alberto Del Rio looking to show off what he can do, I’m seriously looking forward to what Edge responds with in their title bout.

Zach Brown: Edge is kind of in a holding pattern at this point in his career. Sure, he is the World Heavyweight Champion right now, but it is obvious that he is just a transitional champion at this point. Edge is a popular face right now, but not nearly as popular as he would need to be to have a successful and important run with the title. In my opinion, Edge needs to reinvent himself a little bit because his act is growing stale. As a heel, he is just kind of conniving and annoying. As a face, he talks like a much less successful version of Rock or Cena. Edge has played the same two characters for too long in his career, and he needs to change it up in my opinion because neither one are terribly interesting. And out of all the consistent main eventers, Edge gets the least amount of crowd reaction in my opinion. When he is face, he doesn’t get as big of a pop as Cena or Orton. As a heel, he doesn’t get as much of a reaction as Punk, Orton, Jericho, or even Sheamus at this point. He has his fans, no doubt, but Edge falls into the middle of the pack of main eventers when he should be somewhere near the top. Edge can have good matches as well, but it’s rare to see him have great matches. I’m never super excited to see Edge have a match. He’s kind of a basic wrestler. Not all that intimidating and kind of going through the motions at this point. Edge vs. Dolph Ziggler at Royal Rumble was a great match, but it was made great by seeing someone fresh in the main event scene, and Dolph Ziggler giving it everything he’s got. Don’t get me wrong, Edge is still in a very good spot. He’s a popular main event face. But at this point, quality storylines need to happen with him in order for me to stay interested. His awful feud with Kane was not what I was looking to see. He needs to feud with Christian in the future because that is long overdue in my opinion. But the bottom line is, Edge needs something to freshen things up and make him interesting again, because he has gotten stale in the last few months 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!