411 Fact or Fiction 01.26.11: Royal Rumble, Orton’s Return, Bourne/WWE, More

1. You are interested enough in Sunday’s Royal Rumble PPV to purchase the event or view it via other means.

Ari Berenstein: FACT. These days if I’m watching broadcast Pay Per Views it’s usually with my boy Chris Miccio (former contributor to Column of Honor might I add) and only UFC shows and not WWE, except for Wrestlemania which is still an annual tradition. We just happen to enjoy Mixed Martial Arts as a party / hang-out activity more these days and generally they are worth the money spent more than a WWE show. So it’s very rare that we are motivated to order a WWE Pay Per View. The last one was Money in the Bank in July 2011 and that was to throw our support behind the “Summer of Punk” angle. We were rewarded with a great show definitely worth the money. So it’s interesting that as Royal Rumble nears, there is discussion about purchasing and hanging out for the show this coming Sunday.

I think our interest has been piqued by Chris Jericho’s return and just exactly what he will do as a part of The Rumble Match (which is generally entertaining anyway). Then there is the matter of the high placement of both CM Punk and Daniel Bryan on the card in title matches. They are two incredibly gifted wrestlers who we have supported going way back to our days of watching them at live Ring of Honor events. It is great to see them both placed in high profile title defense situations…and quite frankly, some may call me an independent fan boy or other such name, but I feel more inclined to support WWE when they put the guys I’ve seen rise up through the ranks of this past decade’s independent wrestling scene into prominent positions. So, count me in for The Royal Rumble. I think this one will be a fun and entertaining watch, and more than likely worth the purchase price.

Wes Kirk: FICTION. Honestly, the Royal Rumble doesn’t interest me at all this year for the first time in a long time. In general, the Rumble is used to give somebody who is new to the main event scene a big push in time for WrestleMania and has been used as such since 1993, when Yokozuna was the winner of the first Rumble that granted the winner a title shot. Last year, the fast rising Alberto Del Rio took the victory but wasn’t able to gather as much interest as people hoped and he ultimately has become more of a memory than a lasting main eventer. The last few years before have been people who didn’t need the victory to get to the next level such as John Cena and Edge who were already there. This year, the individuals who are being mentioned as potential winners have all held the WWE or World Championship at some point: Randy Orton, Sheamus, and Chris Jericho. Frankly, I have no confidence whatsoever in some new star suddenly being born in the Rumble this year and instead, the WWE will likely push another one of their safe stars to the main event again.

Score: 0 for 1

2. Randy Orton’s comeback will result in a Royal Rumble victory.

Ari Berenstein: FACT. It’s incredibly difficult for me to decide on whether it would be better served if Orton won The Rumble Match in his hometown, or if Chris Jericho (the other most likely candidate) won the match and brought about the “end of the world as we know it” or whatever he and WWE have in mind for his Wrestlemania angle. WWE have used return and comeback angles before leading to The Rumble winner (John Cena and Edge being most prominent) and Orton winning in his hometown would fit right into that mode and no doubt result in him being treated as a major hometown hero. I guess it comes down to—can you get to Jericho-Punk or whatever high profile match is planned for the WWE Title without Jericho winning the Rumble? Does Randy Orton have a natural and logical route to the World Heavyweight Title match at Wrestlemania without a Rumble win? I think the answers are “Yes” to the former question and “No” to the latter. So in my mind, I’d say Orton wins the Rumble, but personally, the Jericho fan that I am-I’d love to see that win happen instead.

Wes Kirk: FACT. Simply put, Orton has been the golden child of the WWE for a long time even with severe attitude issues and a few mishaps with substance abuse. Orton debuted in 2002 and was a world champion two years later, a main eventer by 2006, and has already won the Royal Rumble in 2009 with help from his group Legacy. The fact that Orton is making his in-ring return this night in his hometown usually would mean he ends up losing but I can’t see Orton losing to anybody EXCEPT the two other people I mentioned earlier, all established WWE names. The only way I could see Orton losing is if he has too significant an injury to continue to work through, and frankly that should be the forefront of the WWE’s booking as if Orton cannot work the match he shouldn’t be put into it in the first place. Safety first!

Score: 1 for 2

3. The Miz will be the Iron Man of this year’s Royal Rumble Match.

Ari Berenstein: FICTION. The Miz has to start at the number one slot, which generally makes an easier booking opportunity for the “Iron Man”—the wrestler who spends the most time in the match. To be honest, I think The Miz in at number one will be a red herring for the Iron Man, but that he will be the guy teasing several close eliminations in the early part of the match. The Miz is locked in with the feud with R-Truth, who I wouldn’t be surprised to see among the first fifteen entrants and for both of them to cause the other’s demise in the match.

It’s difficult to predict an Iron Man without a full list of entrants, but I’ll go out on a limb and say it will actually be Wade Barrett who is the guy for that slot. He’ll come in early and last a long time. I’d think Orton will come in late, in the last ten (21-30) and that Orton will exact some revenge by eventually eliminating Barrett from The Rumble on his way to the big win (see #2 above). That’s the way I would do it, but hey, I could be completely wrong.

Wes Kirk: FICTION. Like it or not, Miz has basically been depushed recently. Don’t believe me? Coming into 2011’s WrestleMania the Miz was the WWE Champion and main evented WrestleMania with a victory over John Cena. Coming into 2012’s Royal Rumble, The Miz jobbed out to R-Truth who isn’t even getting over as a face! I think Miz will do a decent enough job but frankly the writing is on the wall that the WWE is finished giving Miz a chance in the main event and probably won’t let him be the Iron Man, but instead will likely have him take a hike within twenty-five minutes of the match.

Score: 2 for 3

4. John Laurinitas’ job evaluation on next week’s Raw will lead to Triple H installing a new Raw General Manager.

Ari Berenstein: FACT. The only way that doesn’t happen if Triple H somehow swerves us and goes heel in siding with Laurinaitis, but lord help us all if that happens, because that would be illogical, nonsensical given past history and stupid. So it’s got a good chance of happening. It seems like WWE gave us the big Punk-Laurinaitis moment this past Monday on Raw with the Go 2 Sleep, but I don’t know if that means the storyline is finishing up or just advancing in a different direction, especially with the inclusion of Mick Foley last week. So, I think Big Johnny is either on his way outta here for now, or that Triple H will want to fire him but will be stopped by Vince McMahon or the other nameless WWE executives on the board in charge of making Deus Ex Machina decisions.

Wes Kirk: FACT. Laurinitas has sucked as the General Manager of RAW and seems immensely uncomfortable in a position to cut promos, early on requiring CM Punk to even point out how to hold the microphone correctly. Laurinitas has stumbled and bumbled repeatedly during his tenure and even on RAW had a few issues getting his relevant points across, although he was really only there to finally get smacked down by CM Punk. The probability will be HHH firing Laurinitas and appointing Foley or another WWE legend to the post, with the outside chance Vince McMahon could also make his return at that time to take over RAW. McMahon vs. Punk has a much better chance of working than Laurinitas vs. Punk, and comparing this crapfest to McMahon vs. Austin is insane. Punk is totally owning Laurinitas whereas McMahon and Austin both traded compelling promos and were terrific in their roles. Whatever happens, I believe it will advance Laurinitas ultimately revealing the guy he’s been texting all the time is Vince McMahon and teaming up on the corporate level against CM Punk and possibly HHH as well at some point.

Score: 3 for 4

SWITCH!

5. Evan Bourne will be with WWE at the end of 2012.

Wes Kirk: FICTION. Bourne has had his moment in the sun and he did well for himself but the biggest mistake was taking his second chance and flushing it down the toilet almost as soon as he returned. The fact his second suspension for a Wellness violation took place so quickly after he returned from his first is a sign that he’s likely not going to get pushed very well on his return and possibly not even returned to television, depending on how little faith the company has in him. Although he is a talented athlete, if he’s going to rely on drugs to help him through he needs to be cut loose immediately as he’ll be a danger to himself and others performing in the ring while on whatever he’s on. Should he return and even look at somebody cross-eyed, he’ll be on WWE.COM’s page for a third time being wished well and frankly nobody should shed a tear for the guy because he’s bringing it all on himself.

Ari Berenstein: FICTION. The way things are going I don’t think Bourne will make it through the end of his sixty-day suspension still a part of WWE. I seem to recall WWE giving the pink slip recently to wrestlers who failed wellness a second time and not heading to rehab for it (as mandated on the second failure), so I guess if Bourne doesn’t agree to that he’d be hoisted out on his own petard regardless. I don’t know where things went wrong with Bourne—ok, yes I do know, it went wrong with weed and giving into personal whims rather than putting the focus on succeeding in his chosen profession. Still, Bourne is so talented and has so much potential to do more especially given that WWE has broadened its efforts to push smaller guys, but it was his mistake and he will have to pay the consequences for it. He is in hot water politically in WWE, it’s his own fault and he knows it. Maybe being contrite about his mistakes is enough to save his job, but I’d doubt it. And well, if he’s gone from WWE, then Ring of Honor (though more likely TNA) could hire him and fulfill that dangling carrot of a newswire storyline from last year about finding a ‘high flier” to add to their roster. Pun intended.

Score: 4 for 5

6. Bobby Roode is the most compelling world champion in pro wrestling today.

Wes Kirk: FACT. I’m a huge CM Punk fan and think he’s awesome, I’m even a fan of Daniel Bryan in terms of his in-ring work, but when it comes down to it I think Bobby Roode is the top main event guy going right now. Roode is redefining the chicken heel role to a point even Honky Tonk Man is getting jealous of, and the best part is that Roode himself is enjoying it and going all out to make his character as hated as possible. No other heel champion in recent memory has been as selfish and vicious in the retention of his title as Roode, who has spit in the face of the company President and used her as a human shield, beaten on his former best friend after he was given a concussion and split wide open, attacked both men in a #1 contenders match so nobody got a shot at his title, and even purposely took a DQ, countout, or a draw to avoid having to do any real work. Roode is being built as the champion who simply always finds a way to retain the title, much like JBL was during his world title reign, but in this case the champion actually has talent. Whoever defeats Roode for the belt will get a huge reaction akin to the SummerSlam 1988 Honky/Warrior match as people seriously want this guy defeated!

Ari Berenstein: FICTION. It’s funny, because both TNA and WWE are running with gimmicks involving their champions retaining the title cheaply and yet Daniel Bryan’s escapes from inevitable doom are far more compelling and entertaining to me than what’s been done with Roode. I don’t even think its Roode’s fault-as his charisma, personality and in-ring ability are definitely all there. It’s just that TNA has done the interference and cheap heat main-event finishes for as long as they’ve existed and what they are doing with Roode in the matches against Styles and Jeff Hardy feels the same as it ever was. With Daniel Bryan, first of all, it’s something that hasn’t been done in WWE in quite a while. It is being presented as a part of this change in Bryan’s behavior and it’s a slow burn with both style and subtlety. Conversely, TNA is hitting us over the head with their finishes, like the overt cheating that cost Hardy his match at the last TNA Pay Per View.

Meanwhile, Bryan has a lot of panache (and until this week, plenty of plausible deniability) in his manipulation of the World Heavyweight Title situation, which becomes more intriguing by the week. I mean, maneuvering Big Show into knocking over AJ and then chewing him out over it while Show is crying over his mistake or getting lumberjacks to brawl uncontrollably and sneak away with the title in the chaos is just all sorts of insane genius booking for heel heat. Its finishes that one should be angry about because there’s no decisiveness to it, but for weeks now it has just worked and I think Bryan is a huge part of that. I just find the way Daniel Bryan is cheating to be more compelling television compared to Roode, but that takes nothing away from Roode’s talent.

Score: 4 for 6

7. You’re excited to see Alex Shelley back in Impact Wrestling.

Wes Kirk: FACT. Alex Shelley has been consistently entertaining whether he competed in the X-Division as a singles wrestler or in the great series with Beer Money as one-half of the Motor City Machine Guns. Shelley is one of those rare athletes who has not only the ability to wrestle but also talk things up and get people interested in what he has to say or do, and that’ll pay off in spades against Austin Aries since they are both gifted in wrestling and promo departments. Seeing Shelley take on Aries will be a great match in and of itself but after Thursday’s Impact we can also predict the promos will have an entertaining slant as well, something cruiserweight sized wrestlers are often given a lot of flak about. In this case they can walk the walk and talk the talk and this should be a fun little feud to watch!

Ari Berenstein: FACT. I’ve always been a huge fan of Alex Shelley going back to his 2004 days in ROH with Generation Next and then his heel run with The Embassy. I wish TNA would have given him the ball long before the Motor City Machine Guns tag team. However, he made hay with it and both he and Sabin have been fantastic together and ultimately found success in TNA as a result. Both he and Sabin were sidelined with injuries and the timing hasn’t been right to reform the Guns, which is unfortunate because the TNA tag team division desperately needs them right now. However, I am very excited to see that Shelley is back, foremost because it means he is healthy and likely back to ring-shape. I am also pumped for him to become involved with the X-Division and this time, he has a legitimate chance to shine in the spotlight. He and Austin Aries are no strangers to each other, both in ROH (where they co-led Gen Next and then feuded against each other) and in TNA where there was a brief pairing in the Papparazzi Productions angle when Aries was known as Austin Starr. There’s lots of history both old and new to play off in further interactions between the two and chances are high that they are going to produce excellent matches in the ring.

Score: 5 for 7

8. ROH & CHIKARA should continue working together after their double-header in Chicago on April 28.

Wes Kirk: FACT. Nothing is more important for a business than to satisfy their customers as often as possible, and since McMahon refuses to ever have a promotion vs. promotion war as long as he lives without total control of everything, the only way people are going to get what they want is through this cross-promotion between the indy kings CHIKARA and ROH. Both groups have talented wrestlers and some great promo men as well, and the idea of having these high-profile matches and dream matches for the fans in attendance is only going to boost business for both companies. Competition makes companies better, but sometimes cooperation can do the same thing such as when Motorola, Google, and Verizon all joined together to make the Droid as a feasible opponent for the iPhone. The creative collaboration between both companies will likely have some excellent matches and entertaining segments that will leave them with happy fans and probably some new viewers as well once word goes around of the show. The real winners here are the fans of both companies and those of us who’d like to see the same from WWE and TNA are envious of it!

Ari Berenstein: FACT. Make no mistake, Ring of Honor has been of late lacking in the diversity department in terms of characters and style—especially with the downplaying of El Generico and the departure of Colt Cabana and The Kings of Wrestling (until Hero only recently returned, but just for a few shows for now). There is something to be said about having some fun mixed in with the serious wrestling and their in-ring style focused on competition. That is what CHIKARA brings to the table with this angle-a lot of fun—fun characters, entertaining promos and most importantly, something new, fresh and different in terms of what ROH is presenting on their shows. So while CHIKARA certainly gains in visibility from this new crossover that’s happening as a built to the “Synergy” weekend in Chicago, it’s not so far-fetched to state that ROH is actually gaining a lot more in this partnership.

There is an excitement and buzz that came from the CHIKARA angle with a base of fans from both promotions that cannot be replicated and just has to be taken advantage of for more than one weekend of shows. The likes of Quackenbush, Ultramantis Black and The Colony wrestling in ROH vs. CHIKARA matches presents so many great possibilities that can be booked for shows going way farther into 2012. So while the Chicago weekend is going to be great for fans of both promotions, what would be really terrific would be for the synergy between the two companies to continue past that one weekend and last throughout the better part of the next year, with crossover matches happening on events held by both promotions and then perhaps culminating in a major team vs. team battle like a Steel Cage Warfare (an ROH favorite) or Cibernetico elimination match (which is a CHIKARA tradition).

Final Score: 6 for 8

Fantastic stuff from Ari & Wes! Hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did, and feel free to chime in with your opinions down in the comment section! Thanks to Ari & Wes for their contributions, and make sure to join us next week for more Fact or Fiction!