411 Fact or Fiction 06.07.12: Orton Gets Wellnessed, Joey Ryan, Eve Torres, More

1) The John Cena vs. Michael Cole main event segment on RAW was effective.

Tony Acero: FICTION. Effective in what, pissing me off? My biggest issue with the main event segment on RAW was the fact that it added nothing to the product or the future of the product. As an episodic television show, it’s the job of the WWE to make you tune in from week to week. Compelling stories and characters is what does this; not Michael Cole getting doused in BBQ Sauce. You know, when Michael Cole was stinking up Season 3 of NXT and slowly becoming the most annoying guy on television, people were clamoring at the bits for his comeuppance. There were times where people thought it was coming, but to no avail. Near the tail end of 2011, going into 2012, Michael Cole, the character, was toned down. Sure, he was still a heel announcer, and he still supported those that we were not supposed to like, but the obvious grating voice of Michael Cole was all but gone and the announce booth became a bit calmer and easier to deal with. So tell me, why we were supposed to care that this was all happening to Cole?

The first segment, where Cole dug into Cena was actually well done on Cole’s part because he was doing two things; he was pointing out his very own flaws and reflecting them on someone else (a perfect heel tendency) and he was speaking the truth, largely. Then, John Cena, ever the complex character, calls Johnny Ace a bully and proceeds to put himself in a match with Michael Cole. The end of RAW sucked, plain and simple, and there’s really no one that can convince me otherwise. I was half expecting Big Show to show up and knock Cena out before anything retarded happened, because at least that would have made sense. But instead, we get what seems like the end of Tensai’s reign of dominance (however light that was) and Cena giving the Attitude Adjustment to an announcer. Effective? No.

Dimitri Dorlis: FICTION. Effective how? Effective at showing that Michael Cole stands no chance against John Cena? Check. Effective at showing that Cena is, in fact, a giant bully? Yup. An effective segment of television that will build towards the next PPV? Well not so much. I have a friend who told an analogy of the situation that was pretty spot on, and it goes like this: Back in elementary school, you always had the small, weaselly kid who would talk trash about the people playing basketball, and most people didn’t mind it because they all know that if he were to actually compete, he’d lose in 5 seconds. But one day, one of the basketball players decides to challenge the kid, and drags him onto the court, and instead of just beating him quickly, he just drags it out, completely embarrassing the poor boy. Now, plug in Cole and Cena into this analogy, and ask yourself: why are we cheering this guy? It wasn’t effective, and the only person it really helps is Big Show because he doesn’t look like the biggest bully on the roster anymore.

Score: 1 for 1

2. WWE has too many guys doing a monster/badass gimmick.
(Question submitted by Mike Ray, author of Impact Insight on Offtheteam.com)

Tony Acero: FACT. It’s not so much that the monster/badass gimmick is being thrown around so much, it’s just that the build to said gimmick is being used too much. We can name soooo many superstars that are debuted with a string of wins that ultimately mean absolutely nothing. For whatever reason, however, in 2012 they seem to be abundant. Brodus Clay, Ryback, Damien Sandow, Antonio Cesaro, Tensai. Not all of these guys are monsters, yet they’ve all had (or are having) the same build of beating no names for a number of weeks, and truly only Tensai has been able to go higher than that. Brodus is boasting a record of 22-0, but before the entire Funkasaurus thing, he was squashing people on a weekly basis for no reason on Superstars. Ryback is now beating two no-name jobbers AT LEAST, on a weekly basis. Sandow and Cesaro, both with compelling characters are getting the no losses tract as well. This is tiring and boring and will lead to nothing, because once they put these names up against someone that matters is the moment where people will invest their time, and by that time it may be too late. Let’s say Cesaro started out in a match against Tyson Kidd. Sure, Kidd is pretty low on the totem pole, but he can go. Let’s say that instead of Cesaro finishing him offf in 2 minutes, that they have a 10-15 minute match that goes back and forth, with Cesaro getting the win. Would this NOT make him a bigger deal than a Yoshi Tatsu sqaush? Not only that, but it would make Kidd a contender for some matches on Smackdown as well! Or how about Brodus? Do the 22 wins previous to Big Show knocking his ass out mean ANYTHING as it stands right now? No. So I will say Fact, that the WWE has too many guys doing the particular gimmick, but I think the focus should go more towards the build up, not so much the gimmick.

Dimirti Dorlis: FACT. If it isn’t abundantly obvious right now, the WWE doesn’t understand the meaning of the phrase “too much of a good thing.” It’s one thing to have one, maybe two guys doing monster gimmicks, especially if you have one per show. But right now we have Ryback, Brodus, Tensai, and Big Show all doing the monster/badass gimmick, and that’s not including an injured Mark Henry. That’s way too many guys doing the same thing, and it begins to bleed into each other.

Score: 2 for 2

3. Randy Orton will still be a WWE Superstar by this time next year.

Tony Acero: FACT. He’s too hot of a commodity not to be. It’s truly unfortunate that Orton was suspended because he is one of my current favorites. I like the style and he’s had a hell of a year. There’s really no one for him to blame but himself. With the most current suspension being his second violation, speculation that he may not make it to next year is both expected and understood. Call this a hopeful FACT, because I still WANT him to be around this time next year. I’m not one to tell any person to kick their habits and get right, because I can only imagine the difficulties that come with addiction. (I have a hard time quitting Mountain Dew). From a fan, however, I hope that whatever it is he has issues with isn’t so strong a monkey on the back of him that it effects his career with the WWE or his life. I don’t want to sound like a cynic, but for some reason I still feel that the WWE finds ways to keep certain superstars around if need be, and considering Orton is a big draw, I feel that rather than get a third strike, he’ll curiously not get any more. Maybe they go away after two years of good behavior? I don’t know. In all seriousness, I’d like Orton back sooner rather than later but it is telling that the WWE would allow the second suspension to come forward to the public.

Dimitri Dorlis: FACT. As much of a screwup as Randy Orton is, and let’s face it, he is a rather big screwup, I can’t see him being let go. Now, I don’t see him being that high up the card for awhile, but that’s a different story. My guess would be the WWE would rather pay him and have him get clean or something than risk him going to TNA, even though there’s no way Orton would get over in TNA, mostly because TNA is bad at promoting talent. But that’s a whole different story. I feel like, as angry as Vince is at Orton currently, he also realizes that Orton is a good asset to have around, and who knows? Maybe this will finally be the wake up call that Orton needs (it won’t be, but it’s nice to think about it).

Score: 3 for 3

4. Dolph Ziggler will be in a main event match at Wrestlemania 29.

Tony Acero: FACT. I can answer this because of the terminology. I truly think that he will be in A main event match, but probably not THE main event match. Dolph is seriously on the cusp of greatness right now. While some call him average on the mic and in the ring, there’s something he has that is just begging to come out. I think that he has average mic skills, but in the ring he’s quick, agile, and can sell for anyone. His charisma, when allowed to flourish organically, is pretty amazing. I talked recently about his one promo against Pat Patterson and how horribly that went. I’d like to think that this was due to a writing team behind him and not so much his inability to cut a promo. He’s showing a bit of an edge recently, and with Orton out of the top spot, this may very well be his moment to shine. If done right, then by the time Mania 29 comes around, it could be Dolph gunning for a title.

Dimitri Dorlis: FICTION. This isn’t anything against Ziggler, who I think is phenomenal; I just feel like the main event spots will be a bit too clogged to have Ziggler in it, unless it’s a Triple Threat match with Punk and Bryan (ok this is a really good idea and needs to happen right now). With Cena, Rock, Brock, and the Undertaker already set to be on the show, plus a dominant Sheamus run currently underway to go along with Punk and Bryan tearing things up, there isn’t a lot of room for Ziggler. And yeah, that sucks, but if he can go out and have a great match at the show with that much star power attached to it, then it would bode really well for his future.

Score: 3 for 4

SWITCH!

5. Joey Ryan should have received a TNA contract.

Dimitri Dorlis: FACT. Hell, I’m not that convinced that he doesn’t have a contract already. Between his angry tweets after the fact (he even released a video on Tuesday talking about the segment) and how the segment ended on Thursday, it’s hard to believe Ryan doesn’t have a contract with the company. But since this question is in relation to the GutCheck segment from Thursday, then yes, Joey Ryan deserved a TNA contract, way more than Alex Silva did (thanks for that one, Flair!). The fans online love him, the fans in the Impact Zone were chanting his name, and yet TNA decided to punish Joey for some reason, following its tradition of doing things that go against common business sense. As the resident 411mania PWG fanboy and huge Joey Ryan fan, I’m happy that Joey has received a ton of publicity from this thing, but TNA really dropped the ball here.

Tony Acero: FICTION. I say Fiction, not because I think he isn’t good enough, but because of the way he attempted to get the contract. This is of no fault of Ryan’s, either. I don’t like this Gutcheck concept and find it deplorable that they’re cutting into the show with it. From all accounts, we are to suspend disbelief for a second and watch this because this is real. It’s another way for TNA to look at me and say, “hey check it out, I know you’re an internet dude, so look what we know, too.” We get it, you’re more in tuned with your audience than the WWE is, but damnit…put it towards the product. Anyways, Ryan went in for a match at an attempt for a contract and was judged by Tazz, Al Snow, and Mr. Prichard himself. In true “America’s Got Talent” fashion, they were to vote as to whether or not he was getting a contract. Now, I truly don’t know how much of this is real or not, and that’s my own fault for – yet again – losing interest in TNA, but from all accounts, he truly didn’t get a contract and both Joey and his fans were quite upset about it. So much, in fact, that Joey cut a pretty funny promo about it on Youtube. The reason why I say Fiction isn’t because I don’t think he’s deserving it’s because the process is flawed.

Score: 3 for 5

6. Sting will win the TNA title from Bobby Roode at Slammiversary.

Dimitri Dorlis: FICTION. Hahahaha nope. The story TNA seems to be telling right now with Roode proclaiming himself the greatest TNA Heavyweight Champion in history and the James Storm vignettes points toward another meeting down the line where Storm is victorious and takes back the title. But, this being TNA, I wouldn’t be shocked if Sting won the title, although Sting doesn’t need it and an actual victory over Sting rather than one where Sting knocked himself out would benefit Roode in the long run.

Tony Acero: FICTION. At least, I hope not. I think Sting knows what’s going on right now in TNA, and he accepts his role as the veteran that someone could beat to get over. I’m assuming that Sting is well aware that he’s not going to win, but is still a big enough name it give Roode the boost that – although probably not needed – does nothing but makes him look better. Of course, TNA has done some dumb things in the past and if they give the title to Sting, I don’t see it being the worst thing. It just doesn’t seem like the best thing…

Score: 4 for 6

7. Having wrestlers on Twitter hinders their character.
(Question submitted by 411 reader John)

@OchoSports, yo

Dimitri Dorlis: FICTION. I don’t see how this can be true, considering that most guys on the roster don’t have specific characters to begin with. While you do have your Zack Ryders who are trying to push a specific gimmick, most guys have a regular joe thing going, so I don’t see how they’re hindered by being regular people. Sure, it can be jarring to see Kane send out a tweet discussing his libertarian views, but on the whole, I like Twitter. It provides another medium for wrestlers to engage the fans, and the wrestlers seem to take to it with a fervor that should be appreciated.

Tony Acero: FICTION. Twitter is truly a beast of a machine, but at the end of the day it’s just that; a machine. It’s the user who creates issues with Twitter just as much as he or she can create opportunities with Twitter. Aside from reaching out to fans, it’s an advertising tool and a way to continue a character arch that can enrapture moments otherwise unable to be seen on television. I’m not saying the focal point of any one feud should be based on a Twitter beef, whether fabricated or not, but I can see the positive effects of Twitter. Truly, the only negative things I’ve seen come from Twitter have all been user-induced. Whether it’s Kurt’s Twitter being hacked or Chris Brown doing a rant, it’s the idiots behind the keyboard that are causing issues with themselves, not Twitter itself.

Score: 5 for 7

8. Eve Torres deserved to be #1 in the 411 Wrestling Hot 100.

Dimitri Dorlis: FICTION. This is bullshit and you know it. Audrey Marie was criminally underrated, Rosa Mendes’ hip swivel is top 10, and the First Lady of RoH should have been number one, simply because she puts up with Mike Bennett. Not to mention the fact that Candace LaRae didn’t place anywhere. It’s almost like this list was put together by one guy and ordered in accordance to his weird Midwestern whims. I demand an audience with the Hot 100 Executive Committee to address these very real grievances.

Tony Acero: FICTION. Of course she doesn’t! AJ deserves #1 and any other spot besides that is pure blasphemy! In all reality, I want to speak to anyone and everyone that disagrees with the list and finds complaints necessary: this is Steve Cook’s list and the women are chosen by him, solely. Who am I to tell a man that the woman he chose as #1 is sub par and nowhere near as hot as AJ? It is a fun column, a chance for hot chicks to be seen, and just a good hit magnet, so I have no qualms with Steve’s list and I’m glad he did it again this year, considering there was a time where he was considering not doing it.

Final Score: 6 for 8

No love for Eve from the 411 writers! Tony & Dimitri agree on most of the topics this week but parted ways when it came to Dolph Ziggler & Joey Ryan. How do you feel about those men & the other topics presented this week? Let us know down in the comment section! Thanks to Tony & Dimitri for participating, and we’ll see you back here next week with more 411 Fact or Fiction!

NEW PODCASTS:
The OCHO sports show returned on Saturday! Steve Cook and Trent Howell discussed the NBA Conference Finals, the NHL Stanley Cup Finals, the latest news from the land of baseball and the NFL, discussion of Terrell Owens, soccer and even…Kim Kardashian? Oh yes friends, enjoy! You can listen to the show here.

The 411 on Wrestling returned on Monday night! The show was hosted by Larry Csonka and Andy Critchell and featured discussion of the latest edition of WWE Raw, the Chikarasaurus Rex iPPV, all of the latest news in wrestling, your calls, questions and much more! You can listen to the show here.

Thoughts From the Man Cave returned on Tuesday. Samer Kadi joined the Man Cave to review The Ultimate Fighter Live Finale and preview this Friday’s UFC on FX 4 card. We’ll start by looking back at the Finale of this TUF season, discuss what Martin Kampmann did wrong in his win against Jake Ellenberger, why Joe Silva poorly booked the card, and whether or not Michael Chiesa can achieve the same success as Jonathan Brookins. Then a preview of UFC on FX 4, which features an awesome rematch that everyone has forgotten about and a bunch of other fights. You can listen to the show here.

Thoughts From the Man Cave was also back on Wednesday. Jeremy Lambert hosted once again as Steve Cook joined the show to talk about the 3rd annual News From Cooks Corner Hot 100. Steve will take you through his thought process when it came to the rankings and the feedback he’s received thus far on the list. They’ll rundown the top 10 and Jeremy will all out Steve on his biggest mistake on the list. Plus they chat about various news items in sports including the NBA Playoffs, Cincinnati Reds baseball, and the feud between Michelle Beadle and Erin Andrews. You can listen to the show here.