The Triple Threat Column 01.15.12: 263rd Edition

David Martell: I really think it is way too soon to have Edge inducted into the Hall of Fame. Does he deserve? Yeah but there our tons of other guys that have done way more that deserve to be inducted before he is. I feel like the WWE needed some marquee name this year so they just threw in Edge for name value. What about Mick Foley or hell, even Kevin Nash? These men have made a much bigger impact than Edge has. It isn’t my choice on who goes in and when. On the other hand, I am happy about the Four Horsemen. I mostly happy about Arn Anderson who deserves to be in the Hall of Fame on his own merit. I don’t know about the re-induction of Ric Flair, but I am glad he will be there and hopefully he will be the one to introduce them. I think the WWE should stop caring about getting the biggest names possible this year and instead have the people who deserve to be inducted to get inducted. The place is going to sell out either way since it is now a part of the Wrestlemania experience.

Sean Garmer: I remember when I used to argue with the other former triple threat guy, Alex Mattis, about EDGE´s credibility all the time. It may have taken EDGE a little longer to get over with the fans and find his true calling as a heel, but he made it work. The best part is he really did not have to play a ridiculous character to do it either. He just played a heelish part of himself turned all the way up. The greatest thing about EDGE to me was that even as a heel as a solo artist or along with Christian he brought comedy to all of his promo stuff. EDGE knew when to be serious as well but it was the fact that you never knew when he was going to say something to funny that made people want to listen to him. EDGE eventually became a multiple time world champion and is one of the few guys ever to become a complete grand slam champion. The complete version includes winning the King of the Ring and the Royal Rumble during their careers along with all three major titles WWE has to offer. Whether he was part of the Brood, tagging with Christian, or making the most of his opportunities as the “Rated R Superstar” there is no doubt EDGE is a hall of famer.

I do not think much needs to be said about the Four Horseman that has not been said about this stable already. At various times during its existence you could not argue that the Horseman contained four of the best performers the NWA had at the time. There would be no nWo, DX, Evolution, Nation of Domination, or Nexus if they did not exist. They were four superstars of wrestling and they should everybody else how to have a dominating team, while also bringing popularity along with them. Arn Anderson really should have gotten the chance to go in by himself before being inducted as a Horseman. If they do not think his career merited a HOF solo appearance than they should at least consider it for all the stuff he has done as an agent for the WWE. Tully Blanchard may be an underrated part of the group that Flair once described as “the essence of cool.” I like the inclusion of Barry Windham as the fourth guy because he is the epitome of what the Four Horseman does for people. Windham was truly elevated by being in the Horseman two different times and it led to him finally winning the world title as well, being the son of Black Jack Mulligan might also be another reason he was chosen over someone like Ole Anderson. I think we all know why Sting could not be chosen (not to mention he truly deserves to go in by himself first.) If anyone was hoping for Lex Luger or Chris Benoit they be the fourth guy, you all are crazy. With Mil Mascaras also being confirmed by WWE and rumors of Yokozuna also being inducted this year, it could be another great year for the WWE HOF.

Zach Brown: I think both of these inductions are interesting. First of all, Edge? Really? So soon? I mean we aren’t going to wait at all? Edge is the type of guy that is still so young that he is bound to make a handful of appearances for WWE no matter what. Why does he need to go in so immediately? I mean don’t get me wrong, Edge is a solid wrestler who has had a storied and amazing career. His career ended far too soon and it’s really a shame that it was so unexpected. But let the guy get a little age on him before his induction. But oh well, it’s a done deal and Edge deserves to be there, even if it is super early. As for the Horsemen, it’s awesome they are being inducted. But are guys like Arn Anderson ever going to get a sole induction? He has to be inducted with the other three guys? It’s just kind of a small disservice for some first time guys to be inducted under the banner of “The Four Horsemen,” and not just as themselves. And Ric is going to be a two time Hall of Fame entrant? It just left me scratching my head with how it’s going to work. I am a huge fan of the Horsemen though. I can’t tell you how many pictures that I’ve taken with friends who are fellow wrestling fans, and we all throw up the “4” for the picture. They are probably the greatest stable of all time in my opinion. And it really makes me laugh that WWE clearly could not care less about which wrestlers are in TNA at the time. I wonder if WWE will announce Sting or Kurt Angle next year to see what kind of reaction that will get. But that’s besides the point. Barring a few reservations I have, both inductions are well deserved. Congrats to Edge and The Four Horsemen.

Topic # 2 What are your thoughts on Brodus Clay‘s debut on RAW?

David Martell: Not what I was expecting at all. With that said, I actually enjoyed his debut. I have a feeling Mark Henry’s monster heel run had something to do with making Brodus a face. There were rumors going around that the Hall of Pain gimmick was originally for Brodus but was later given to Henry. First off, where the hell did Brodus get all this charisma? He definitely did not show any of this on his days on NXT and during his brief time with Alberto Del Rio. The weird thing is, it actually works. Hes funny, he is still dominate in the ring, and we get to see around side of Brodus Clay. The best part about it, is that he can always turn heel and be that monster later on down the road. We just have to see where the Funkasarus goes.

Sean Garmer: Welcome one and all to the creation of “The Funkasarus” and his lovely dancing skills. I laughed pretty hard at the use of Ernest Miller´s “Somebody Call My Mama” music and the girls that are straight out of Flash Funk´s repertoire. I am not going to dog this gimmick just yet because I could see it help Brodus Clay get over with the kids and female fans. As long as they still keep Brodus strong in the ring and find a way to keep the whole about Brodus. Fans have shown of the years that they do not mind rehashes as long as they are not total copies of another wrestler. So if they find a way to make this uniquely a Brodus thing and not make him a Rikishi clone he will be ok. You can tell Brodus is trying his hardest out there to get people to like the dancing fool. I do not see the point of having another monster heel on the roster and this is a way to introduce him to the fans in more a friendly manner. Also WWE is not as restricted with this character because they do not have to have him destroy everybody.

Zach Brown: This was an absolute shocker. For over a year, Brodus Clay has been billed and pushed as a monster-type character. And now he comes out and re-debuts like this? Seriously? I mean I have to admit, I was completely cracking up because I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Never in a million years could I have imagined that a guy that looks like an ogre and has been squashing guys and was been built up the way he had was going to come out to funk music and start dancing with girls and doing the goofiest stuff imaginable. Clearly, this is Brodus’s doing. He was having way too much fun out there for this to not be his initiative. But honestly, I don’t know how far this can take him. He may become an audience favorite with this gimmick, but the more likely scenario is that the audience thinks he’s a complete joke, or gets zero reaction at all. We’ll have to see what Brodus Clay is like in the next few weeks. For now, it’s too difficult to tell how the audience will respond to his new gimmick.

Topic # 3 How do you feel about Jericho “crying” last week on RAW?

David Martell: Jericho is such a troll. He is catering to the fans but in turn pissing everyone off. He knows everyone wants to hear him talk but he refuses and has “excuses” every week. I think its hilarious and borderline genius. When will we hear Jericho talk? What exactly will he say? I imagine he will be pissed that he didn’t get the same reaction the same week he returned. I think we are going to get a psycho Chris Jericho and that is something I look forward to seeing. There is nothing better than heel Jericho and I can’t wait till he start talking but in the mean time, I will enjoy his mindless pandering to the crowd.

Sean Garmer: I am sure Jericho does get overwhelmed by the crowd response he has been receiving the past few Monday nights on RAW. However, this is just another tactic by Jericho and WWE to see how long they can keep up this charade of having him show up, play with the fans, and not talk. I think they can do this for one more show to really get the fans hyped up for the RAW right before the Royal Rumble. I do not think he can go into the Rumble match without having spoken a word to the fans about what his intentions are for returning to WWE. It has been an interesting few weeks with Y2J so far and hopefully everyone involved continues to keep it that way. I am excited for the proposed match with CM Punk, but I do not want them to jump right into it either. I would like to see Punk call out Y2J on how he thinks what Jericho is doing is stupid, that would be a fantastic way to start it off.

Zach Brown: Believe it or not, I even told David minutes before Jericho came out this week, “I bet you he re-debuts the same way this week.” So while I can’t say I’m surprised, I did like his shtick just as much this week. Jericho is absolutely hilarious and a genius when dealing with this kind of stuff. He holds the audience’s reaction in the palm of his hand, and it’s very entertaining to watch. Jericho is doing something very interesting and I can’t wait for him to snap into what he came back to WWE to do. He always said that if he came back to WWE, he would be doing something that he’s never done before. Maybe he is playing with the audience’s expectations regarding what they consider a face or a heel. If done right, we may be witnessing the beginning of the most interesting character of 2012. Jericho doesn’t make mistakes with this stuff and I know he has something big planned for the next few months. I can’t wait to see where this goes.

Topic # 4 Daniel Bryan has recently gone through a change of character on Smackdown. Your thoughts?

David Martell: Daniel Bryan is slowly turning heel and I like that. This is the most character he has shown in a long time. He is basically an arrogant prick trying to make it look like he is a legitimate champion who has beaten the Big Show in a fair match. I see his character winning his matches simply by escaping or some how the circumstances play into his favor, such as Big Show hitting AJ and the match ending. How will he escape Mark Henry? What happens if there is a triple threat match between him, Big Show and Henry? What about the Elimination Chamber? I think some how, some way, Daniel Bryan is going to make it to Wrestlemania with the World Heavyweight title. Then at Wrestlemania, he will prove, win lose or draw, that he deserves to be in the main event.

Sean Garmer: So D Bry has turned into a bit of a jerk and I have to say that I like his new thought process. Bryan is a small wrestler and bigger guys like Big Show and Mark Henry are always going to be doubting him. I like that Big Show almost let the cat out of the bag Friday night on Smackdown. It lets us all know that WWE is planning for Bryan to eventually have him become a full fledged heel. I think the inclusion of AJ into the mix makes Bryan have a nice human side to him. It does not matter how much of a bad ass Bryan is in the ring, having AJ around to keep him grounded keeps his character relatable to the fans. AJ´s presence also keeps Bryan from getting into Chris Benoit character territory that I think WWE is trying to avoid on purpose.

It seems like WWE might be trying to keep Bryan as a tweener for the near future by having him be a total dick sometimes but showing he can still care about his girlfriend AJ. The perfect case of this may have been his reaction to AJ telling him “she loved him.” His initial reaction was one that most guys would have and instead of reciprocating the feeling, he turned the question back on AJ and asked the total dick question “how much do you love me.” Then when Big Show decimated AJ at the end, he showed he really did care about AJ. That was also a very interesting way to setup the triple threat match I called a few weeks ago between Big Show, Mark Henry, and Daniel Bryan for the World title.

Zach Brown: I do take back what I said about this topic last week. Daniel Bryan is obviously headed for a heel turn whether I like it or not. I say this because his character doesn’t seem sincere in his actions and he isn’t doing much of anything right now. For Big Show and Bryan, sure Bryan cashed in on Show, but it hasn’t turned nasty yet. For right now, the story has been bland and there isn’t much of a story to be had anyway. They are waiting for the story to develop and for someone to turn heel, and it’s about to be Daniel Bryan. Bear in mind, I am writing this without having watched Smackdown, but I think he is staying a tweener and then turning heel much like how CM Punk did at the beginning of his feud with Jeff Hardy. I just hope this story ignites somehow. It’s just not interesting to me at the moment, so hopefully Bryan turning heel will make this an instantly watchable feud.

Topic # 5 WWE decided to move there Network launch date from April 1st to later this fall. Your thoughts?

David Martell: This is actually a very smart decision by the WWE. Not only will it give them more time to finish up a good amount of their upcoming programming, but it will also give them more time get to get more providers for their network. I think there is a reason why we don’t know what cable/satellite companies have the WWE Network. This will also give them plenty of time to announce more programming, maybe even give us sneak peaks on RAW or Smackdown. This is the best decision they could have made for the Network. They are making a big gamble on this and if its not done right, they could lose a ton of money in the process.

Sean Garmer: Very smart move by WWE to make sure this thing is done properly. I totally understand why everyone was worried about the possibility of WWE rushing things to make the network available in time for WM 28. If they want this to become another crappy My 27 or something than they could have done that, however I think Vince has a lot bigger plans for the WWE network than that. They need time to develop more original programming for the channel and to get all these distributing contracts completed. WWE needs to have everything for the channel ready to go and at least the majority of its opening lineup setup before they give the network the green light. I see this more like when big companies delay AAA caliber video games than some catastrophic thing for WWE. If they can get more cable companies to jump on board the bandwagon before the launch that would be the best thing for them. They need the network to launch as strongly as possible and I think a fall launch is the best thing for them as well. All these new shows are debuting then and I think it will give WWE the most press from the entertainment media too.

Zach Brown: This is very disappointing to me. I wasn’t going to be glued to this channel 24/7…not by a longshot. The only thing that moderately piqued my interest was the guaranteed train wreck that will be WWE Legends House. But we’ve seen these dubstep acid trip commercials for this network week after week now. And now they just chicken out until next Fall? What a letdown. I don’t have much else to say about it; it’s not coming out for a while and that’s that. We’ll have to wait and see what this network will be like when WWE follows through on it.

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