The Triple Threat Column1.29.12: The Farewell Edition – Rumble Preview, CM Punk, More

David Martell: Lets be honest here, there are really only two people in contention. On one had you got Randy Orton. He is returning from a minor injury, he’s the top star on Smackdown and will most likely be in the main event for the World Title at Mania. He has been out of the title feud long enough and winning the Rumble will put him back in the hunt. On the other hand, you have Chris Jericho. He recently returned to RAW in typical cryptic Jericho fashion. For weeks he hasn’t talked at all and has only been pandering to the crowd. Last week, in his first sentence since returning, he said that at the Rumble it will be the end of the world as we know it. Seems like Jericho is set on winning the Rumble. Overall, I will have to pick Jericho over Orton. The Jericho storyline is the bigger deal right now. Jericho’s character has obviously snapped and it could be because of CM Punk declaring himself the best in the world. Months prior to Jericho’s return, he was very bitter about all the different wrestlers “stealing” his moves, the way he talks, and even his catch phrase. I think Jericho winning would set up a great feud with Punk that could give us some of the greatest promo work in the business. If I had to pick a dark horse to win the Rumble, it would have to be Sheamus. If anything, I imagine Sheamus will have the most eliminations in the Rumble and maybe be in the rumble the longest.

Jacob San Antonio: In my wildest dreams, Zack Ryder would return in a wheelchair and take it all. Since my dreams are stupid and I’ve been reminded of such many times, I’m going to go with the obvious Chris Jericho. I’d love nothing more than to see Wade Barrett or Sheamus win the Rumble, this is true, but we’re inching closer and closer to Wrestlemania without the foggiest idea who’s fighting over the titles while Rock and Cena throw down. Jericho should win it, call out CM Punk (or Daniel Bryan, really; either match would be a treat to see), and lock up one of the title matches. I mentioned Sheamus and Barrett earlier, and I’m hoping the two of them both have notable roles for the majority of the match. It seems a no brainer that Barrett will wind up getting eliminated by Randy Orton, but until then I’d like for him to be one of the wrestlers that stands out throughout the brawl. It’d be a nice gesture to see The Miz hold his own as well, given how little he’s had over the past couple of months aside from getting quacked at by R Truth. Overall, I think this Rumble has a very small group of possible winners compared to last year’s, though the execution is always going to be what matters most.

Zach Brown: I think the winner of the Royal Rumble will be and should be Chris Jericho. Throughout Jericho’s entire career, he is one of the only major main eventers of the last decade who hasn’t won the Royal Rumble. That’s kind of a crime, and Jericho needs to win. The only other person that I think deserves to have a Royal Rumble win at this stage of his career is CM Punk and he is already WWE Champion. There have been whispers of Randy Orton being the man to win the Rumble. As much as I am a fan of Randy, he really does not need it at this point. He already won once in the past, and he is easily the number two guy in the company behind Cena. What would a Rumble victory do for him at this point? Even though Jericho is a solidified top guy, he’s never won one, he deserves it, and I’m very interested in his current character, so Jericho is the guy to bet on this year.

Sean Garmer: I know the PPV is in St. Louis, but do they really need to have Randy Orton win this match. He does not need to win the Rumble to make him a viable contender or to pad his career statistics. The way Chris Jericho has chosen to make his return leaves the door open for him to win the event as well. I would not mind Jericho winning it because it would cement his “end of the world as we know it” statement. However, I would rather see Sheamus, Barrett, or Rhodes win (I am thinking maybe Ziggler might not participate because he is in a title match.) If it has to be one of the two I mentioned above, I will be hoping Jericho gets to win the 2012 Royal Rumble match.

Alex Mattis: The common logic here goes with the world-ender, Chris Jericho. It just seems to be the perfect fit right now and could lead to something really special at WrestleMania. What I’m most hoping doesn’t happen is a Randy Orton victory. It’s a very likely scenario and one I fear they may go with. Honestly, who isn’t bored with Orton at this point? Dark horses that need to be monitored are Sheamus, The Miz, and possibly even Christian. The angles that have built around Sheamus and Miz leading into the event have made a Rumble victory seem realistic. In the end, my money is on Jeri.

Topic # 2 What are your thoughts on the rest of the Rumble card?

David Martell: Well as of right now, we only have three other matches on the card. First up we have Kane vs. John Cena. For the most part, I really don’t like this storyline and its not because of Cena. I like Kane coming back with the mask but once he opened his mouth it was just the same old crap. He would have been much more interesting if he didn’t say a word. If he just attacked Cena and made his life hell each week if would have been a lot more entertaining. I will say this though, I like the Cena part of this storyline. Embrace the hate. I like Cena being ruthless. When Cena is ruthless, he is fun to watch. I am so tired of the goody two shoes always joking around John Cena. I imagine we are going to continue to see ruthless Cena leading up to Wrestlemania and I am pretty sure he will win against Kane. The triple threat cage match for the World Title is going to be interesting. How is Mark Henry going to wrestle? The guy is so beat up right now, how will he manage to have a match? I have a feeling that the whole plan was for Henry and Big Show to take out each other and somehow Bryan escapes once again as the World Heavyweight champion. Now I have no clue if Henry will even be in the match. I still think Bryan will come out as the champion but the way he does it will be interesting. I really dig Bryan’s heel persona and I hope it carries out all the way to Wrestlemania. Finally, we have CM Punk vs. Dolph Ziggler for the WWE Title with Johnny Ace as the guest ref. Punk and Ziggler both plan on stealing the show and with the amount of time they could possible have on the show, it could be possible. Ziggler is still trying to become a main eventer and a good showing here could really shoot him up. I think Ace will still try to screw Punk over but maybe with the help of Foley, he will still walk out champion. Overall, the PPV looks pretty solid all around and everyone the Rumble is a must buy PPV.

Jacob San Antonio: CM Punk versus Dolph Ziggler should be a fun match. Punk will most likely be backed into a corner from start to finish, thanks to efforts of Johnny Ace and Vickie both involved in the match. On that note, I’m expecting the return of HHH in this match to put away Johnny Ace. Laurinaitis had a good run, especially this last month and a half, but it’s about time to put the character away and return to the status quo. Punk will win when HHH returns and removes all other obstacles from the match. Daniel Bryan has to hold his own against the likes of Mark Henry and Big Show in a steel cage, and I hate that this match will most likely be terrible. Mark Henry is simply in no condition to even be on his feet at the moment, and expecting him to work a physically demanding match in a steel cage is ridiculous. He could hardly keep himself up on Smackdown! Expect Bryan to talk his way into a Henry/Show confrontation, and to slip out of the cage while nobody’s looking. It’d be the stuff of legends if Bryan won on a submission maneuver, but as I mentioned before my dreams are stupid and should never come true. Finally, the Jedi John Cena resists the temptation of the Sith Lord Kane in a singles match that should prove to be cheesier than the past couple of promos between the two. Can Cena resist the dark side of hate? Can Kane shoot force lightning? Does this whole analogy make Zack Ryder Qui-Gon Jinn? I don’t pretend to have all the answers, friends. All I know is that we’ll see a smug Kane and an unhappy Cena; I expect to see Cena win but remain emotionally confused. Overall, not too much to this card but the potential is there. It’ll come down to execution, and two-thirds of the card don’t inspire me with too much hope in that department.

Zach Brown: As for the rest of the card, it is what it is. The title matches look decent enough but there isn’t a great story going on in either one. The “Punk might get screwed” storyline holds some interest because of the strength of Punk’s promos. But at the end of the night, I don’t think DolphZiggler will walk out of the Royal Rumble with the belt. I would be totally on board with Ziggler being champion, but I don’t think it’s happening tonight. As for John Cena vs. Kane, I expect Kane to win. I can’t believe I typed that, but I think it’s true. SuperCena is who he is, but Kane needs to win this to solidify his masked return. Or I could imagine WWE doing something like a double count out…not sure. But I think it will be merely a middle of the road match. And finally Daniel Bryan vs. Big Show vs. Henry…I don’t expect this to be epic or anything, especially since Mark Henry is newly injured. I expect Daniel Bryan to retain the belt. Big Show winning doesn’t do anything for anyone. The card overall is kind of so-so, but everyone buys it because it’s the Rumble. Can you really resist not seeing who wins the Royal Rumble live? I know I can’t. It’s the freakin Rumble.

Sean Garmer: I am surprised they did not just add 10 more people to the Rumble match out of nowhere like they did last year. I have a feeling we are gonna see a few impromptu matches because with Big Show and Henry both being hurt, I can’t imagine the cage match will go very long. John Cena vs. Kane not having a stipulation befuddles me because unless Kane shows off something we’ve never seen before, this has five minute brawl written all over it. Ziggler vs. Punk could go an hour if they had to I guess, but I do not see that happening either. I am glad WWE has done some big promotion for the Rumble match this year because without it this PPV would not have much going for it. I care about Ziggler vs. Punk, if Bryan loses the title the Cage match is a sham, and I am hoping we get a surprise win during the Rumble match.

Alex Mattis: Well, AmDrag has held the world title for much, much longer than I expected but his reign may come to an end tonight. The steel cage triple threat with he, Big Show, and Mark Henry is a match that most would figure gives Danielson no chance. A nifty finish with Dragon retaining the title could be just what is needed to push his new heel persona rolling. Ziggler-Punk is bound to be awesome. Two of the best workers in the company will put on a show. I don’t really care for the whole Dynamic Dude aspect, so the Laurinaitis as referee will probably get annoying. Anywho, Punk will win a great match. Kane-Cena will be definite food/bathroom break. The match won’t be longer than 10 minutes and it’ll probably be harder to watch than the angle it has bred. Honestly, I feel bad for Cena but I understand the E just has to find something to pass the time with him until March. A fun show this guarantees to be.

Topic # 3 What things do you think the WWE should do to make 2012 a success?

David Martell: First off, they need to continue to make new stars. I think, for the most part, they really arent doing a bad job on this. CM Punk became a mega star last year, Zack Ryder became an internet sensation and Daniel Bryan became the World Champion. As long as they keep these guys going, things will get better but WWE tends to depush anyone who gets mildly popular. The WWE needs to revamp it’s Diva and Tag Team divisions. Actually have diva’s matches that last a good amount of time. They have some very talented women on the roster, let them show off their talent. With all the talent WWE has overall, they could make several tag teams that people could get invested in. Tag teams should matter because it gets the lesser known guys over. I think with these three things, WWE could become a lot better product overall for the fans.

Jacob San Antonio: Developing more than three TV show ideas for the WWE Network should be the number one priority for the WWE, no joke. They’ve teased absolutely nothing worthwhile on their network, and the only shows rumored to debut with the channel itself don’t really seem that interesting. If they don’t want another XFL on their hands, they need to work harder on developing this idea of theirs. Second biggest priority for the WWE is the same issue they’ve ignored for years: their veteran talent continues to age, their biggest names continue to wear themselves down, and the WWE has little more than a handful of new stars poised to rise up through the ranks. In the course of two-three years, we’ve seen the rise of The Miz, CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, Dolph Ziggler, Cody Rhodes, Sheamus, and Wade Barrett. Are those enough stars to rest your company on when the likes of HHH and The Undertaker could be on their out of the ring? It bears repeating: the WWE needs to redevelop how their push their next big thing, and they need to do it fast. Frankly, Wade Barrett and Dolph Ziggler got lucky with how over they’ve become. The booking for those two was spotty at the best of times, horrid at others. Kofi Kingston, Alberto Del Rio, and Jack Swagger are the three big examples of how the WWE gets it wrong. If Vince is the cause of this curtain jerking, maybe/maybe not booking, I say it’s time for someone else in the company to pull him aside. John Cena cannot sustain your entire brand forever; either make more stars or suffer the consequences.

Zach Brown: There are a few things I think WWE could do to improve in 2012. I’ll just say them all in one long winded breath. Concentrate on making the WWE network great. Let Jericho’s new character develop naturally and the way he wants it to. Give the people what they want: Zack Ryder. On that note, don’t kill pushes out of nowhere. Put Cena in the midcard. Better yet, write Cena off TV for 3 months. Let him do a big movie, I don’t know. Let other stars grow and you may get a new main eventer you didn’t know you had. If a storyline catches fire, keep Triple H and/or Kevin Nash away from it. Push Christian. Push Cody Rhodes. Repackage JTG (maybe with a Kanye West type character…just my suggestion) and give him a push; he deserves it. Hire John Morrison back. Let Kharma come back and dominate as if no time had passed. Don’t put a green guy like Mason Ryan on TV without giving him a lot of training first. If you hire an outside talent, put them through FCW first, no matter what (I’m looking at you Sin Cara). Put a new focus on tag teams. Create a few first time world champions, and give them solid reigns. And I think that should about do it. I’m not saying that I know everything about what works or that things would be awesome if I were the booker; I’m just calling it like I see it from a fan’s perspective.

Sean Garmer: I hate questions like this because I always feel like no matter what I say as a fan or critic, I will get flamed in the comments for whatever is said. I think for the most part WWE has done a good job of promoting a few of its stand out guys such as: Dolph Ziggler, Sheamus, CM Punk, Mark Henry, and to an extent Wade Barrett. They seem to be slowly turning John Cena in another direction that may give new life to his character and Randy Orton has turned into probably the most dependable guy in the company. Tag team wrestling is slowly coming to form, but they lack the interesting characters that the attitude era provided with EDGE & Christian, Dudley Boyz, and Hardy Boyz.

I think mainly they just need to focus on continuing to build up their other divisions. The Women’s division is an afterthought right now and they need to change that if they want people to care about it. I understand they are trying to build up Tamina but it does not mean they need to do it at Natalya’s expense. Unless Aksana is going to become a serious wrestling diva, they could have used someone like Alicia to get the pin in her first match. They killed an angle that could have been something interesting for the divas by suddenly forgetting what to do with them. Tamina and Natalya have history in this business from their famous father’s that could be built into a two or three month feud, not something to just throw away in a couple weeks on television.

WWE also has to make sure their network takes off and doesn’t go under during it’s first year in existence or they are going to lose quite a lot of money. WWE can use the network to do so many things for its superstars and it will benefit everyone greatly for it to do well. WWE could make characters on the network by building webisode type stuff around new wrestlers. If anything, the network can be a source of income to help WWE improve resources elsewhere and that is always a good thing.

Overall, if WWE can build a few more stars and build excitement around all of their divisions they can continue to succeed in 2012. Cena turning heel could be huge for the WWE and if they do it right they could draw big numbers. Mainly it comes down to the little things, continue to do what you know works and expand upon it. Do not cramp your two television shows around six people, expand it to the rest of your roster so that you have more chances to strike gold with a new wrestler. The brand extension was a wonderful concept when it was conceived almost ten years ago. I hope they do not kill it off and make the show even more concentrated than usual.

Alex Mattis: They need to put all their focus on Wrestlemania 28. Fortunately, it seems that is what they are doing. Rock-Cena is probably the biggest match in the history of the company and they need to treat it as such. It has the potential to make the most bank of any ‘Mania, ever, so they need to make it top priority. Following that, it’s hard to say. The E seems to have a clear idea of where they want their company to go, but if they are wanting to transition into this technology-blazing, entertainment conglomerate they need to do so steadily and not make any awful business decisions like we’ve seen in the past. Testing the waters with their new network is a good start. They’ll have to feel it out from there. If they want to go back to a company that emphasizes actual professional wrestling, they just need to do things like they did this past June, July, and August. The WWE had a solid 2011 and could be readying for a better 2012.

Topic # 4 What things do you think TNA should do to make 2012 a success?

David Martell: TNA also needs to continue to build up their young stars. Having Robert Roode and James Storm is a great start. They need to build off of that. If they could build up Samoa Joe to what he use to be, I think they would help out a lot. Get Alex Shelly in the main event seen would also be something that could help out TNA. TNA has always had good home grown talent but most of them have been bogged down by ex WWE and WCW guys. Let the older wrestlers build people instead of making them champions and the main focus of the show. TNA needs to be more consistent with their wrestlers and storylines. If you have Austin Aries on one week and then the next week he isn’t, its poor booking. He is the X Division Champion after all. The logical thing to say would be for TNA to cut ties with Hogan and Bischoff. I honestly don’t think people care much for either man at this point and most fans believe they are hurting the company.

Jacob San Antonio: They need to hire a smark and a mark each, promote the two of them to “Quality Assurance,” and spitball each and every booking idea past them. As dumb as it sounds, it’d be the best thing to happen to TNA in a long while. All too often a terrible idea makes its way from Creative to the ring, and every time it’s booed from the word go. Stupid mistakes like the booking for the BFG Series and the subsequent scrambling to fix it would never happen if TNA just had that one person with common sense to talk them down. If TNA wants to be taken seriously, they need to prove that they’re above making the same stupid choices that the WWE makes. If that means losing Hogan and Bischoff, so be it. Simply put, TNA isn’t going to be better if it doesn’t produce better. If the WWE’s only utilizing half of their
roster competently, then TNA needs to properly utilize all of its roster. You won’t see any worthwhile competition from two sub-par promotions, I’ll leave it at that.

Zach Brown: I’m going to use my same formula as the previous question. So here it goes. Fire Hogan. Fire Bischoff. You have no idea how close I was to ending my answer right there. Let the Beautiful People reunite. Drug test everyone on your roster, especially Jeff Hardy. As much as I hope he stays clean, you can’t let Victory Road happen again. Give Christopher Daniels the title; it’s 7 years overdue. Make Samoa Joe a big deal again. Give Austin Aries the title as well at some point. After calling it “Impact Wrestling,” please don’t rebrand again. Push D’Angelo Dinero again. Don’t start up the Monday Night Wars again. Build a bigger Impact Zone or move to a different arena; that small Impact Zone is seriously limiting the company. Focus on storylines; stop making it seem like a documentary is happening backstage…this is wrestling, not a film festival. If someone has a good idea for a storyline, let it stay pure without everyone adding their two cents in. There are too many cooks in the kitchen in TNA, and you can tell by the storylines. Focus on the X-Division and a style of wrestling that is different and more fast paced than WWE. Kill Immortal for good and never let any stable that big and stupid ever happen in TNA again. Let Sting go out with a bang. I wish TNA the best in 2012.

Alex Mattis: No idea. Virtually no one takes that company seriously, including members on their roster, so they first step they would need to take is restoring their credibility. The Carter-Russo-Hogan trifecta of terror is brutally killing TNA and is without question the reason they’re in the spot they’re in. Continuing to push the younger guys is always going to help, but it isn’t going to solve the creative and financially problems afoot. In 2012 TNA needs to figure out how to get back to how they were in 2006 and clean themselves up in time for 2013. Also, get rid of the impact crowd is awful… Something needs to be done about that.

Topic # 5 What indy wrestlers would you like to see make it to the big leagues?

David Martell: I am still waiting for Chris Hero to make his way to the WWE. Supposedly the WWE is still interested in him although his medical testing didn’t come back the way they planned. What ever the problem may be, I hope Hero could get it worked out. I think he could be great in the E as a tag team competitor with Claudio or a singles wrestler. He has a great look and size, not to mention he is one of the better people on the mic in the indys. I have actually had the honor to see him wrestle live and the guy is the real deal. Hopefully if he does make it over to the WWE, he can keep his name. Hero is a great name for wrestling and it has money written all over it. Hopefully 2012 will be Hero’s time to shine in the WWE.

Jacob San Antonio: Given the recent situation around Evan Bourne, I don’t think it’d be a bad idea to get someone else in the WWE that wrestles a similar style. For that reason, I’m going with Jack Evans. This guy’s been all over the world, and he’s built a reputation for being a ridiculous high flyer. With any luck the guy might be a little less drug-happy to boot, and if that’s the case you’ve got yourself a solid replacement. He could even form a tag team with Kofi! Other than Evans, though, I’d say it’d be nice to see Chris Hero sign with the WWE. For a while it seemed he was a shoe-in, but for whatever reason it never really came about. With Claudio Castagnoli already in development, the WWE is doing itself a great disservice by keeping Hero off the roster. Even if there’s no interest in rebuilding the tag division, these guys can still work well off of each other in promos. Give them the shot together, and watch magic happen. Finally, Colt Cabana cause blah blah CM Punk best friends blah blah he is a talented wrestler who works well with one of the WWE’s top talents. You can develop in ring skills, and you can gradually improve mic work. Chemistry is a little different; sometimes you just have to put together the pieces you know that work.

Zach Brown: There are a couple guys on the indies that I would really like to see make it in the world of mainstream wrestling. At the top of my list is Chris Hero. The guy is solid gold on the mic, a great wrestler, and worked very hard to earn respect on the independent circuit. Please, someone hire the guy. Another guy I really enjoy is Roderick Strong. He’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but I think he is a solid wrestler all around. I know he is better than at least half the guys in the midcard of TNA and WWE. Davey Richards is also remarkably solid. The dude is brutal and deserves to be…somewhere. At least TNA! Also got to give a shout out to Eddie Edwards; what a talented guy. The American Wolves were big for a reason. I think he has a very bright future. Lastly, I’m going to go the unconventional route and say Robert Evans, or R.D Evans in ROH. The guy is actually a good wrestler, and is supremely entertaining on the mic. He is destined to be a great heel in the future if he is just given the chance. He can get absolute white heat from a crowd; I would know, the crowd I was in at a past indy promotion almost rioted against him at times. Overall, there are several guys in the indies that deserve bigger things in wrestling. I just hope TNA and WWE are watching them.

Alex Mattis: Anyone who knows me knows that I believe Chris Hero is the most talented professional wrestler in the world and has been for years. There is no aspect of his game that is lacking and the drive and motivation he has shown over the past few years has been incredible. The independent circuit has some tremendous talents like Davey Richards, Eddie Kingston, and El Generico but none has the presence and ability of Hero. The fact that he isn’t on a grand stage is upsetting. I hope this past years failed attempt to get into the WWE wasn’t his one and only chance. I pray 2012 is the year for Hero to finally get the recognition he deserves.

Our thoughts on CM Punk.

David Martell: I have always been a big fan of CM Punk. He gave us probably the best feud and match of last year with John Cena/Vince McMahon. He has cut some of the best promos of the past year actually made wrestling relevant again for a little while. I am glad he is the WWE champ but he seems a little watered down after the whole MitB situation. He brought back some of the flair the past few weeks with Johnny Ace and hopefully it will continue all he way to Mania. I look forward to a possible feud between him and Jericho. I don’t think he has ever had the chance to feud with someone who has the same quality promo chops as he does. The verbal warfare could be awesome and its something I am dying to see.

Jacob San Antonio: CM Punk is heading to a Wrestlemania title match; of this I no longer doubt. I just don’t see him dropping the title to Dolph Ziggler, and after that the only other option would be to lose in the Elimination Chamber. Of course, this begs the question of who Punk will face at Mania. For a while, people had been resigned to the idea of a Punk/Jericho showdown. The match would have worked out fine, sure, with the two of them both being charismatic enough to keep the audiences’ attention to a technically sound match. Personally, I thought the matchup required a bit more buildup than time would allow, given how late in the season Jericho finally appeared. However, things have taken a bit of a turn for CM Punk. I don’t think he’s facing Jericho anymore at Wrestlemania. I think Punk’s going to get another shot, hopefully a better shot this time around, against HHH. The timing of this threat against Johnny Ace is too coincidental this close to Wrestlemania. With HHH’s name drop in the middle of a Punk feud I just don’t see things leading to a Punk/Jericho, HHH/Taker 3 at Wrestlemania. And honestly, despite my intense dislike of HHH I think this is the right move. Punk and HHH at Night of Champions didn’t really lead anywhere, and frankly it didn’t get the treatment it should have. Give Punk and Trips a real match at Mania, and let’s see how they take it. This is risky, of course, since you always run the risk of Trips winning at Mania. I’m willing to risk it though, since Punk losing would be far too devastating to both his momentum and the overall story to make any sort of sense.

Zach Brown: CM Punk is by far my favorite wrestler right now. While no one has been able to reach the level of Stone Cold and The Rock in terms of sheer promo/catchphrase awesomeness, CM Punk is able to cut amazing promos with another awesome weapon: the truth. I love that a wrestler finally spoke their mind, and was able to do it passionately and in a way that resonated with anyone who hears it. Not only is he the best promo man of the last several years, he can back it up in the ring. He is, in my opinion, one of the best all-around wrestlers in WWE history. He has technical ability, he has muaythai striking, he has brutal submissions, and he has athleticism. CM Punk is the total package right now, and I honestly can’t think of why anyone who was a serious wrestling fan would not like him. Because of Punk, Money in the Bank 2011 is a DVD that you can show to anyone, and I believe they would enjoy it. And even though Summer of Punk II ended up fizzling at the end because the wrong people got involved, that wasn’t Punk’s fault. And hey, there wouldn’t have really been a storyline at all if it weren’t for his creativity and having the balls to be controversial. But all great things do come to an end. Punk won’t stay on top forever, and you never know, one day he may get burnt out and want out of WWE for real. But for now, CM Punk is at the top of his game, and anyone who cares about wrestling needs to be watching what he does.

Sean Garmer: CM Punk had his own summer where he exploded into a bonafide star on the WWE scene. CM Punk did a great job of being himself and saying all the things we wish we could say to our bosses. I do not think Punk is going to reach Stone Cold or Rock levels; as long as he provides WWE with someone they can build a show around for years is all that matters. CM Punk has made me care about being a wrestling fan again, he makes you feel like those of us that do not just blindly agree with WWE says may matter a little bit. WWE Champion yes, Best in the World yes, WWE star for the next five years at least? I would say that is a yes too.

Our Farewell to 411

David Martell: A lot of people don’t know this but the Triple Threat Column actually started on myspace. I met Sean and Alex though a facebook page for wrestling fans for our college, UNT. We became fans, watched wrestling together and talked about writing a column just for fun. After several weeks our writing our column, we saw the ad on here that 411 was hiring for the wrestling section. We figured we would give it a try, sent it in and soon after got hired. It was kind of a dream come true. I have been reading this website since I was in middle school and to actually be one if the writers for this site was unreal. Now we have been on 411 for almost six years. We started with walls of text, added a 3 different banners and eventually started having videos and pictures. We evolved. Overall we had 5 different writers on the Triple Threat and I am happy to say that I was there from the beginning to the end. It has been a lot of fun to write with some of my best friends on a topic that brought us all together. Of course all good things must come to an end ad our time with 411 is over. It really is bittersweet but we will never quite be done with the dirt sheets. I like to thank everyone on 411 for letting us stick around so long and most of all, I like to thank everyone who has ever read our column, good or bad, thanks for reading!

Jacob San Antonio: You know, before I started writing for the Triple Threat I wasn’t aware that present-day wrestling was under constant threat of Paul Roma. Before writing for 411, I didn’t know that there were so many one shot deals rumored about for so long. Had I never started writing here, I never would have known that TNA was horrible when watching TNA shows, and that the WWE was horrible when watching WWE shows. It’s been a “grass is always greener” moment no matter where you turn, but I’ve got to admit it’s been a ton of fun. You guys have called me out on any and all of my mistakes, and I’ve always appreciated the feedback. It’s been fun, it’s been grand, but there is one small thing that concerns me, dear 411 commenters. Whatever you do, please try to like TNA or the WWE. I don’t care which, just pick one and enjoy it. You guys worry me with all the negativity; there’s something out there for you, you just gotta find it. Good bye and good luck, yadda yadda yadda, thank you all for the fun times.

Zach Brown: Wow it’s kind of tough to say goodbye to 411. I’ll never forget when David and Alex asked me to join the Triple Threat column full-time. I was overwhelmingly excited to enter the world of professional wrestling writing. I started way back on July 1st, 2007. Almost 5 years…that’s a long time. When I started on the Triple Threat, it was hot off the heels of the Benoit murder-suicide…what a tumultuous time to enter the 411 Wrestling section. Over the years, I have had a lot of fun giving my opinions about the on-screen product for WWE, TNA, and ROH, as well as all the news that happens on and off screen. Throughout this column’s history, we’ve had our fair share of praise, as well as negative comments. What can I say? The IWC is a hard crowd to please; I would know because I critique pro-wrestling myself each week. One frustrating thing was being accused of only being a WWE fanboy. If you really knew me, you’d know that’s not true. I do feel that anyone that read The Triple Threat consistently each week would know that I believe there are problems with the products of both companies, as well as each company having a lot to like. I am a vocal critic of WWE all the time. Heck, John Cena alone is most of what is wrong with the wrestling business nowadays. And they often ruin storylines that start out great such as The Nexus or Summer of Punk II. I even used to be more of a TNA fan than a WWE fan. There was a period of about 2 years where I solidly believed that TNA had the better wrestling product. It hasn’t been as good as it used to be, but I believe this stuff goes in cycles, and TNA could one day have the better product once again. I own 3 TNA shirts, and that’s not something a WWE diehard does. What I’m trying to say is, I don’t blindly follow any wrestling company; I merely try to state what works and what doesn’t with every company from a fan’s perspective. Throughout my career here at 411, I have always strived to state my opinions on wrestling to the best of my ability, make you laugh a little, but more than anything else, encourage intelligent conversations about professional wrestling. It may sound silly, but I believe that last part is truly possible and that is what I will continue to strive for. For the record, we aren’t leaving the creative side of the IWC for long. We have just realized that our time has come to an end on 411. Though it would be inappropriate to promote the project that we are leaving 411 to do, I will say that we are simply leaving to have something that we can call our own. Whether you loved us, hated us or merely thought we were ok, from the bottom of my heart, thank you for reading. I would like to thank Larry Csonka and Ashish for the opportunity you gave to Sean, David and Alex, which in turn, eventually gave an opportunity to me. So wrestling fans, watch what you want, keep reading those dirtsheets, and keep the conversations going. Thanks and farewell. 

Sean Garmer: I will never forget being a newbie on this website back in April of 2006. David, Alex, and I brought this column to 411 from a myspace blog. The column might have changed authoring hands since those beginning days, but the essence of it has always remained the same. I am very glad to have been a part of this and always appreciated when David would invite me to fill-in for somebody too. I will still be around 411 in the Games Zone writing reviews and previews. I am also the new organizing head of the Games Top 5 as well. I will also be the Editor In-Chief and writing my own column on David and Zach’s future wrestling website. Anyway, I will see everybody around 411, but it is a sad day to see “The Triple Threat Column” leaving 411’s Wrestling Zone for good.

Alex Mattis: I’ve recently looked back at some of the work we, and I, have done for 411 for the past six years and I feel we all brought a lot to this great website. My writing has improved dramatically so I’m often humored looking back on some of my older work, but I feel blessed that 411Mania gave me a platform to write and to write about what I love most in this world: Rasslin! Without question, my time with 411 led me to the writing gigs I have today and I just want to thank them. I’d also like to thank my Triple Threat cohorts. We never agree on the world of wrestling, but I still got love for y’all! In closing, to all my former haters I ask this: Who was right about Jeff Hardy?

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