The Triple Threat 4.24.11: The 232nd Edition – R-Truth, Jay lethal, Rey Mysterio, More

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David Martell: It is know amongst my friends that I am not an R-Truth fan. Didn’t like him in the WWE and didn’t like him in TNA. I never though he was a terrible wrestler, I just never really found him entertaining. I hated his flippty-do special. Honestly, I just didn’t care to see him on my TV screen. I have to admit, I was very shocked when he won the chance to have a WWE Title shot. But thankfully, the WWE fixed that and gave it to Morrison. Yeah, that’s great and all but honestly, Truth’s heel turn was a lot better. I thought it was great and for the first time ever, I liked what R-Truth was doing. Everything he was saying, all his mannerism, the way he would pick up Morrison just to throw him back down, it was just great. R-Truth didn’t need a title shot to make him legit, he needed a change of character. If they did some fake cigarette burn at the end, that would have been priceless. To my knowledge, I cant remember Truth ever being a heel. Now it is time to really see what he can do. I look forward to his feud with Morrison.

Jacob San Antonio: After getting his big chance stolen away from him, I really doubt a new change of character is really going to help him. Taking into consideration that this new Truth may not come out rapping to “What’s up,” it’s very possible a heel change is the last thing R-Truth needs. His face character was over, mostly due to his rap gimmick. Take away the rap, and the appealing to the audience, and I really don’t know if he can still stay relevant. With the WWE’s writers and booking making less sense than I do when predicting the outcome of a TNA PPV, this could very well be the last gasp of R-Truth in the WWE. It takes more than just a heel turn to stay interesting. You have to showcase yourself, and the company has to do their part to keep you involved in storylines. In Truth’s case, I see neither outcome coming to pass. R-Truth just hasn’t been relevant for a long while. Even if crowds cheer for the guy, they don’t care one way or another what happens to him. I wish R-Truth luck, I really do, but I see this heel turn going the way of “get buck.”

Zach Brown: Well, it would appear that it’s time to get buck. R-Truth doing something interesting for once in his WWE career? I’m definitely on board. The segment started out somewhat weak, as Morrison and Truth weren’t having a ton of promo chemistry and there were a lot of awkward pauses. But then they had their match, and R-Truth was taken out of the title match, which is something I definitely approve of since Morrison facing Cena and Miz makes much more sense as Miz now has great history with both men. But by far, the best part was when Truth turned on Morrison, having remorse for each bit of violence that he inflicted upon Morrison. I really dug the spots with the water bottle and the cigarette. In this day and age with WWE’s commitment to PG programming, I’m shocked that they let any of their talent pick up a cigarette on TV, even a heel. I was sort of convinced that the only times I would ever see a wrestler smoking would be on the indy circuit. So I’m pleasantly surprised that the WWE grew some balls and let Truth smoke. For all of his WWE career, I strongly disliked R-Truth. Now I’m interested to see what he does. Hopefully he cuts out most of his flip-de-do stuff and makes his heel transformation complete. For now, I’m interested in what happens next.

Topic # 2 This past week on Smackdown, The Big Show and Kane won the WWE Tag Team Titles. Your thoughts?

David Martell: I cant really complain about it to much, its not like the tag division has been worth anything. This is all just storyline because the Corre is breaking up. Which could result in them being moved around in the draft. Kane and Big Show are just holding on to the titles until the next tag team group comes along. Who ever beats them will look legit cause they took out two giants and all will be back to normal. Once the WWE starts caring about the tag team belts, I will start caring about who has them. Until then, congratulations are in order for Kane and The Big Show. Great job!

Jacob San Antonio: Words can’t describe how bad I’m face palming at this news. Despite how much I may rag on the WWE’s booking decisions, I like to think of myself as an optimist. I hoped against all odds that the Corre was going to stick around and be something special. A heel stable that doesn’t collapse on itself, but prides itself on teamwork and looking out for each other. Surprise, it collapsed after a clashing of egos! If that weren’t bad enough, we get yet another reminder that the WWE doesn’t care about the tag division. Instead of filling time with tag matches and showcasing some of their other talent, they’d rather push out garbage promos and pointless backstage vignettes. How do I feel about Big Show and Kane winning the belts? Logic is trying to tell me that in the hands of experienced veterans, there’s the possibility that Kane and Show could actually do good with the titles. Ignoring logic and getting on the WWE wavelength, I expect crappy squash matches and childish comedic relief endings to most of their matches. Yep, I’m pretty much expecting an exact do-over of the Corre match at Wrestlemania, only every time Show and Kane come out. I’m in full smark mode today, folks!

Zach Brown: I’m not a fan of this at all. Big Show and Kane being the Tag Team champions is nothing new, and I wasn’t a fan of it the last time that they were champions either. But then again, The Corre were pretty weak champions themselves, so it’s whatever. This is just the latest symptom of WWE not knowing what the hell they are doing with their tag teams. Kane and Big Show are not fresh or exciting in this stage of their career, and them holding the belts definitely won’t change that one bit. Big Show was awesome in both Jerishow and ShowMiz. But it’s because he was paired with two men who were both great talkers, and brought the right amount of agility to make a team with Big Show work. Kane is not that man. There is nothing more boring to me than seeing two huge guys in a match, either facing each other or working together. Until WWE comes up with a few new fresh and exciting tag teams, I could care less about these belts. This is one of the few instances where I wish WWE could watch TNA and take some notes, because that is one of the few things that TNA does very well. Look at Beer Money, Ink Inc, Motor City Machine Guns, Eric Young and Orlando Jordan, and British Invasion. Each team has a great act, are very talented in the ring, and bring something fresh to the table. WWE does not have the same type of inspiration when it comes to their tag division, and it really is a shame.

Topic # 3 Jay Lethal recently left TNA. How do you feel about this?

David Martell: Just another case of a young guy leaving TNA for green pastures. Do you blame him? TNA just doesn’t really care about the young guys right now. Its not like Lethal never did anything in TNA though. I personally loved his Black Machismo gimmick and he always been a fun wrestler to watch. If anything, this guy has a lot of potential. I really wouldn’t be surprised if we see him get a WWE developmental contract in a few months or so. He is a great talent and someone that WWE could use. He has already shown that he has plenty of charisma, so know he just need to prove himself to the E. Where ever he goes I am most certain that he will be successful.

Jacob San Antonio: Welp, wasn’t really what I was expecting to hear from TNA. If you want any evidence that things aren’t looking so good over there, here you go. Why TNA would let Lethal go just boggles my mind. He’s talented, he’s over, and he had been doing a pretty good job with the company up until recently. Even now, I thought he was just waiting for his next big storyline to come up before he got back into the thick of things. As it is, I’m not too worried about Lethal. He made a great showing at TNA, and I don’t think for a second that he’ll have a problem finding a new home. Is he headed for the WWE? With the news of some future endeavors coming soon, I doubt he could break in right now. I’d expect to see him head to RoH or just do some indy shows for a while. Honestly, should things pick back up at TNA he could very well be back within the next 6 months. There’s no telling where he’ll go from here, but I’m sure he’ll be just fine.

Zach Brown: This news is very disappointing to say the least. I find it very surprising that TNA released Lethal, and that Lethal didn’t decide to leave on his own accord. Jay Lethal is a great wrestler, and I honestly feel that he is a prime example of TNA not using what they have. He is a multiple-time X-Division champion, and a one-time Tag Team champion, but still, the guy never really broke into the upper echelon of TNA. When Lethal became Black Machismo, he was one of the hottest acts in TNA at that time, by far. Why TNA didn’t push him more than they did is beyond me. His shtick as Macho Man was golden, and while it wouldn’t have been quite right at that time to give him their World Title, I think Lethal is good as a serious character too, and he would have been a great choice to be their champion eventually. That’s the problem with TNA…they rarely ever put all their stock into a young guy. Then Lethal formed Lethal Consequences with Consequences Creed; a seemingly pitch perfect team that TNA completely squandered. He had a decent feud with Ric Flair, but I guess in the end, it did nothing for him. And now Jay is gone. Jay Lethal is still in his twenties, so his career is still only blossoming. If WWE doesn’t pick up Jay Lethal, they are making a huge mistake. I think it is inevitable for Jay Lethal to end up in WWE eventually. He may do the whole indy scene thing and may get snatched up by ROH or DGUSA, but I hope that he doesn’t stay with that period for long because he belongs in the big leagues. In my opinion, TNA made a huge mistake.

Topic # 4 The WWE Draft is this Monday. Who do you want to be drafted to RAW?

David Martell: The first name that comes to mind is Alberto Del Rio. He has already been showcased on RAW more than any other Smackdown superstar so the move would make sense. I also wouldn’t mind seeing Wade Barrett getting moved back to RAW. After his move to Smackdown, he just hasn’t seemed as important. With the break up of the Corre, it just makes sense really. I can see them trading off the IC champion for the US champion anyways. Cody Rhodes is also another guy I wouldn’t mind seeing on RAW. His gimmick is phenomenal right now and I feel like he could really become a big deal. RAW is a perfect place to showcase him right now. With Smackdown being so heel heavy right now, it really only makes sense to get rid of some of the heels.

Jacob San Antonio: “Want” is a tough word. If I had my way, nobody would go to Raw. It’s unfair to midcard talent, and only a select few can manage to flourish there. If I had to choose anybody, I’d say Drew McIntyre and Ezekiel Jackson. McIntyre’s quest to actually catch the audience’s attention can continue on the bigger show, where he’ll fail yet again and be that much closer to release. Jackson, on the other hand, has a look that can make up for any deficiencies in promo ability. You send Big Zeke to Raw, have him destroy a couple of baby faces, and let the ball start rolling. I don’t think he’ll make it big on Raw, but if given chances every now and then, he’ll be a much bigger name than he was before. JTG might have some luck on Raw as well, since Smackdown has done absolutely nothing with him. It’s a desperate shot, but anything’s better than nothing. The problem with people going to Raw is that only top level talent get the proper amount of exposure. The lower midcard just doesn’t exist anymore without the tag division.

Zach Brown: So finally, we are getting the Draft again. I have to say I’m very happy about this since I thought that WWE had nearly forgotten about the Draft. However, I don’t think Raw has that many meaningful additions to make since they have the majority of the good stars already. But there are some guys that I’d like to see move up to the A show for more exposure. The number one guy I want to see traded to Raw is Dashing Cody Rhodes. He had a great match at Wrestlemania, he has had a great series of matches with Rey Mysterio, and he has a great character lately. Moving to Raw could really help him break out into a bigger star. Someone else that could really use a move to Raw is Jack Swagger. Swagger has been stagnating on Smackdown as of late. His partnership with Michael Cole is about to come to an end, and he needs to get back into some main event spotlight. Raw is the place for him to do that. And to even out the heel trades, someone like Kofi Kingston could be great to have back on Raw. He is someone else that hasn’t been doing much, and he could really use a trade to Raw in order to have his character get into some serious storylines. All in all, Raw will get some decent people, whoever they get. But I’m willing to bet that Smackdown ends up with the better trades when all is said and done.

Topic # 5 Who do you want to be drafted to Smackdown?

David Martell: I really think Sheamus is a dead give away. With Edge being gone, Smackdown really needs a main eventer and I think Sheamus is perfect for the job. With that said, I really think the people going to Smackdown will be more face heavy. I would love to see Daniel Bryan head over to Smackdown where he would probably get used. John Morrison is another guy who would make perfect sense. Evan Bourne is also another likely candidate. The person who I would want to go to Smackdown the most is Zack Ryder. This guy is gold and I feel like the only way he might get used is if he gets moved to Smackdown. The WWE is really dropping the ball with this guy so lets hope that this wish comes true.

Jacob San Antonio: Daniel Bryan, Evan Bourne, Yoshi Tatsu, Zack Ryder, and Sheamus. Sheamus would help Smackdown and its lack of big stars. I realize he’s the current US champ, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Barrett and Sheamus swapped places. Daniel Bryan needs to get out of Santino’s troop and go back to beating the tar out of people. With the opportunity to feud with the likes of Cody Rhodes, Rey Mysterio, Jack Swagger, Alberto Del Rio, and whatever’s left of the Corre, it’d be a whole new ballgame if Bryan got added to the mix. If he follows Sheamus to Smackdown, we can see their feud continue as well. Evan Bourne had the misfortune of returning from injury right before Wrestlemania. In order to once again work his way up the ladder, I think heading to Smackdown and having some awesome matches could seriously help him. I seem to remember some amazing stuff he pulled off with Mysterio a few years back; an opportunity to see that again would be great. Finally, Tatsu and Ryder should head to Smackdown so that they can actually wrestle. Neither of them are improving anything by getting stuck in stupid backstage segments. Get those two to Smackdown, actually have them compete, and then decide whether or not you want to take away the audience’s Ryder signs. I swear, the WWE just doesn’t make sense anymore.

Zach Brown: This is the part of the Draft that I am most excited about. Some people need to get traded to Smackdown in order to fill the void in the main event over there. A great choice for this would be Daniel Bryan. Bryan is now without the US Title, he has pretty much stopped feuding with Sheamus, and there is nothing tying him to Raw anymore. It’s time for his character to get serious, move to Smackdown, and take his rightful place in the main event scene. With all the fantastic matches he has, it’s a no-brainer. Even if he isn’t moved into the main event, whatever, he would fit right into the mid-card scene just as well. Someone else that needs a move to Smackdown is Zack Ryder. He has a larger fan base than most know about, and it’s time for WWE to take advantage of that. They need to move Ryder to Smackdown so that he can become a threat to the IC Champion. If they just give Ryder a decent storyline, he can prove to everyone why he remains popular even when he is barely on TV. He is a great wrestler who just deserves a decent shot to prove it. Lastly, I would really enjoy Randy Orton on Smackdown. He has become a huge face, for better or worse, and I expect WWE to take advantage of this to help fill the void that Edge has left. Overall, I’m very excited to see how Smackdown will turn out because the majority of the quality stars are currently over-stacked on Raw. I am interested to see how it will turn out.

Our thoughts on Rey Mysterio.

David Martell: I have never been a big Rey fan. I always thought that he sure did win a ton of his matches when he is considered the underdog. Jacob always says that he is similar to Triple H and it is kind of hard to disagree with him. With that said, I do, for the most part, enjoy his matches. His feuds with Chris Jericho and CM Punk were fantastic. I also loved that fact that he lost to Rhodes at Mania. Yeah, he can be frustrating when he’s always winning, but most of the time he brings the goods and gives us some damn good matches. With the draft coming, we will probably see him feud with some fresh faces. I wouldn’t mind seeing him have a feud with Sheamus. I think that would play perfect to his role. Overall, I don’t hate Rey Mysterio, I just don’t like him most the time.

Jacob San Antonio: Rey Mysterio, the Latino equivalent of HHH. He came, he saw, he buried. When I think of Rey Mysterio, I remember two distinctly different wrestlers. I remember Rey Mysterio of WCW, who would shock and awe his onlookers with some crazy athleticism and fantastic wrestling. I remember the dark time without his mask, and how I realized how important the mask was to his success. He came to the WWE, and things seemed to change. Mysterio got bulkier, and his agility diminished. He was still fun to watch, but the Mysterio of then and the Mysterio of now just didn’t compare. And oddly enough, the Mysterio of today has this bizarre hypocritical moniker as the “ultimate underdog.” Because of his size, Rey Mysterio is supposed to be considered less of a threat than most. With how often he wins his matches, and with two title reigns in his past, it just seems ridiculous to call him an underdog. At Wrestlemania Rey Mysterio reminded me that he can still shock and awe an audience when he tries. Unfortunately for me, that seemed to be the hardest he’s tried in quite some time. Don’t get me wrong, folks, I used to adore Rey Mysterio. However, he’s just not the same wrestler I enjoyed watching anymore. Who knows, though? Maybe his Mania match is a sign of good things to come. I’ll keep my fingers crossed.

Zach Brown: Oh Rey Rey…in all honesty, I’m just waiting for Rey to announce his retirement in a year or two. He has done all there is to do in WWE, and he hasn’t brought anything new to the table in a long time. At this point, I’m nearly clamoring for him to turn heel or something, just to freshen things up for him. I mean he has been the squeaky clean babyface for so long now. I guess he just doesn’t have it in his character to turn heel since he is such a small guy, kids look up to him, he sells a ton of merch, and he has a crowd-pleasing style. But at least incorporate a new finisher or something. Or get involved in a fresh storyline where you can say or do something different. His recent storyline with Cody Rhodes was interesting, but it was all Cody’s doing in my opinion. I mean look at Sin Cara. He is really showing Rey up with the things that he can do. I think it would be a great thing to see Sin Cara be the man to retire Rey Mysterio. It could be a great passing of the torch. But honestly, it really says something when the biggest thing that I have to look forward to for Rey is Sin Cara possibly retiring him. For my money, I’d like to see Rey step it up and make a change because he has just gotten stale again in my honest opinion.

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