411 Fact or Fiction 11.21.13: Survivor Series, Chris Hero, Jim Ross, More

1. Overall, you are disappointed with the build to the WWE Survivor Series PPV.

Todd Vote: FACT Without question. Going into this weeks go home RAW, we had what? Three matches set, and nary a mention of a traditional Survivor Series elimination tag match. You would be hard pressed to find anybody refer to that as a good build for any PPV, let alone one that is supposed to be included in the WWE’s ‘big four’. Survivor Series has usually been one of my favorite PPV’s behind the Royal Rumble. The Thanksgiving tradition deserves better. Granted after this weeks RAW, there were a couple of new matches announced, including two traditional SS matches, but that doesn’t mean the build to the show has been great.

Sean Garmer: FACT I’ve been disappointed with how WWE builds to their PPV’s for a while now. I have no idea where they got the idea that their Wrestlemania philosophy, (only worrying about booking the main events ahead of time,) needs to pertain to all their other PPV’s. This method obviously doesn’t work and usually means we get a bunch of matches added on at the end that the fans are basically told not to care about. Survivor Series 2013 is no exception and the bad thing is it even pertains to one of their main events. The PPV being in John Cena’s hometown of Boston always meant Cena would be in one of the main events whether he had the World Title or not. The issue comes with the WWE Championship match, which has been much more about “The Authority” screwing with both Orton and Big Show then it has been about the two men in the match. Not to mention, it has progressively received much less TV time as the weeks have passed by. My birthday is Monday and Survivor Series has always been one my birthday gifts since I was 10 years old. Survivor Series has a special place in my heart and It makes me sad to see the PPV not be on the level of the other big PPV’s.

At least, WWE has done a very good job of building the Survivor Series stuff, namely Bryan & Punk vs. The Wyatts. But all of the other stuff was put in place on RAW Country, which didn’t have to be the case. I understand that they wanted to make Monday’s RAW feel like a big deal, but up until the last 40 minutes I would have never thought there was a PPV coming up. I mean really we make a multiple Divas match using musical chairs? What’s the point of having a mystery partner if you bring him back on the go home show? And I bet we will have a few matches added randomly on SmackDown or on the pre-show too. It seems like WWE can’t wait for the network to get here so they can push all of their PPV’s except Wrestlemania on to it and then treat them like just another TV show. Because in WWE’s eyes RAW is more important than PPV’s at this point.

Score: 1 for 1

2. Since the WWE released Chris Hero with him never appearing on WWE TV (Raw/Smackdown), TNA should take a shot and bring him in.

Todd Vote: FACT Why not? They are looking for new talent, and Hero is a very capable hand in the ring. Bring him in, take a shot on him. I would say this strategy would be a much better one than looking for the next person to be cast off of WWE television (I know they haven’t signed a former WWE talent in a while). This would offer a lot of fresh match-ups for their current roster as well as give them someone new to build into a potential star. They could do a lot worse than bringing in Chris Hero for that position. Plus the guy has plenty of indie cred, which could translate to a few new eyes on the TNA product, which is always a good thing.

Sean Garmer: FACT If TNA had stayed “on the road” I would have said it would be a no brainer to bring in Chris Hero because they might get crowds that would know who he is. The problem is they are going back to the “IMPACT Zone” where the crowds are mostly total non-fans. If I were TNA, I’d let Hero take this year to finish out all his bookings and continue to work on revamping my television product. Since they sort of hit the reset button at Bound For Glory I’ve felt TNA has gotten better with their storyline writing and with having things on the show that make sense. I’d like to see them continue to keep that going and get through their Genesis PPV. Once they’ve figured out where they are going from a booking perspective then go after Chris Hero. I just don’t want to see Hero linger around in TNA like a lot of these guys tend to do. I’d like to see TNA have a plan for him and build him up into a star, because lord knows they need fresh blood even more than WWE does. TNA should sign him, but I’d be worried that Hero would be wasting his time if he goes there because TNA has given me no faith they know what to do with talent that isn’t established from WWE TV.

Score: 2 for 2

3. With news that she was recently at the WWE Performance Center, Mickie James would be a welcomed addition to the WWE Divas Division.

Todd Vote: FACT I think Mickie, when motivated, is a solid addition to any roster. Her work as a heel to close out her TNA run was some of the best work I recall seeing from her in a long time. AJ Lee definitely needs more ring-competent females to work with, and it would have the added bonus of giving all of the new divas another veteran to work with, and bounce things off of. Mickie can still go in the ring, she is still really hot, and it would be beneficial to the diva’s division to bring her back into the fold.

Sean Garmer: FACT Mickie James would be a welcome addition from a wrestling perspective. A whole generation has passed since Mickie James was a rising star in WWE’s Divas Division. So, I don’t know that there will be too many of WWE’s casual audience that will know who she is just by saying “Hey, Mickie James is back.” But regardless of her star power, Mickie James would provide not only good matches, but some decent feuds as well. Not to mention, she could go down to NXT and help train the up and coming Divas as well. Other than the chance that she will cause issues backstage, namely with Nikki Bella over John Cena, it would be a mostly positive thing for WWE.

Score: 3 for 3

4. A potential Ryback vs. Brock Lesnar feud is not a good idea.

Todd Vote: FICTION I’ve went back and forth on this one in my head since the initial rumors. Ultimately, I’ve come to the conclusion that this is a good idea, but now is not the time for it. Ryback has been booked like pure dog snot as of late, so a feud with Lesnar makes zero sense. But, if you look at putting this rival beyond WMXXX, then you could possibly get some mileage out of it. In order for it to be effective, Ryback is going to have to be built back up into a threat. First, figure out a way to turn him face (a good story, not just a random turn because you need him turned). If you could get Ryback back to being booked as a threat to his opponents, then you are headed in the right direction. If you can do that, then a potential Lesnar/Ryback feud is a lot more appealing. If you were to do it now, nobody would expect Ryback to have a snowball’s chance in Hell, so nobody is going to care. But, you build Ryback as a threat, come up with a great way to turn him face that the fans will care about, and I think this feud would have a lot more potential.

Sean Garmer: FICTION It’s not a good idea for Wrestlemania that’s for sure. If we were talking about for Summerslam I’d be ok with it. Unless Taker just doesn’t feel up to it, WWE has to know Brock vs. Taker would be a huge seller for Wrestlemania 30 and give Taker a true test for his “streak.” Besides, WWE doesn’t need to rush turning RyBack face. He needs to get back that audience and prove that he can be the monster face he once was. I like what they are doing now using his “feats of strength” to see if it gets him a response. Then you can start incorporating parts of the old character back in slowly. I just don’t think a Brock vs. Ryback match would benefit WWE in the long run without a prolonged face turn for RyBack. Because it won’t matter how badly Lesnar beats up RyBack in the build up, if WWE has made him mean so little lately that they probably won’t even care what happens to RyBack once it is time for the match anyway.

Score: 4 for 4

SWITCH!

5. It is a BAD idea that WWE is giving talents a chance to erase a wellness strike from their records.

Sean Garmer: FICTION The Wellness policy should not just be there to scare superstars and divas. I think granting someone like a Randy Orton the opportunity to remove one of his strikes is a good thing. Sure, there is the possibility that once removed he would be at risk to think he is in the clear again. But removing strikes would go with WWE’s “giving second chances” policy that Vince loves to use time and again. To me, if they can get through the 18-month probation and pass all the random tests and what not, then they deserve to have a strike removed. Just like criminal probation, there’s always that chance they will screw up again, but that’s on the person and not the system. Most of the time, the ones that have real problems with wellness issues won’t make it through the probation period anyway. Besides, how do we know if WWE won’t come down harder on those that have a strike removed and then get another one in short order. We won’t really know if this system works unless you try it.

Todd Vote: FACT The only thing this does is give Vince and co a way to keep second strike offenders from being fired over the wellness program. There is a way to work this out so that a Redemption Program could work, but it should come from so many years without a violation, I think. Not from participating in an 18-month treatment program, where all you have to do is not piss dirty during that 18 months. It should not be this easy. If you get popped for a violation, and you go 5 years without ever pissing dirty again, then sure, you may have earned your strike back, but you should have to do more to earn it.

Score: 4 for 5

6. With TNA running less PPVs, you like the promotion running specialized Impact episodes like this week’s “Turning Point” edition of the show.

Sean Garmer: FACT I don’t have a problem with TNA using this setup because it keeps them from having to enter into extra contracts and use more money to put on the PPV’s. If the buyrates aren’t justifying the investment, then why have 12 PPV’s? I still think they should have cut their PPV number in half and not by 3/4. Especially considering how much they love the “Hardcore Justice” name and that they are still using “Option C” for Destination X I would have put the PPV number at 6. With something like Destination X, if built correctly, it can become what Money in the Bank is right now for WWE. I feel like there is just too much space between some of these PPV’s and they haven’t built to them well in the past either. They would have to move Genesis and Lockdown around, but you can have more of a balanced schedule with six PPV’s. That way you are only putting on six free shows, instead of eight. Getting back to the topic at hand though, they’ve built to “Turning Point” pretty well and all the matches on the show have a story and meaning. If they can do this for every free PPV then it could draw big ratings for TNA. But unlike a PPV where it is all about the hype, if every part of the TV PPV doesn’t work, people can easily change the channel and it doesn’t matter what you do later. Let’s see if the end result can help these free things feel more special and not like a glorified IMPACT.

Todd Vote: FACT Sure, why not? I’d much rather see a show promoted as being a special episode like Turning Point, than to see that the show is being advertised as a special night, because “we gon’ country”! Building to an episode of TV has proven in the past to work as far as bumping the ratings, even if it is a slight bump that is gone the next week. It rewards the people who tune in every week, because they get treated to what should be PPV quality shows on free TV.

Score: 5 for 6

7. While multiple DVDs on the subject have been produced, you are interested in ESPN producing a 30 For 30 program focusing on the Von Erich family.

Sean Garmer: FACT I’ve enjoyed quite a few of the “30 for 30’s” that I’ve watched. I love the detail and the love that goes into every one of them. The Von Erich story is a very sad one and it was depressing watching it be discussed on both World Class DVD’s. But it would be interesting to see an outsider’s perspective on it. To see it from perhaps a different angle on the tragedy that wrestling promotions wouldn’t cover. As long as it’s done with respect and not done as a way to hate on pro-wrestling I would be interested in watching a 30 for 30 on it.

Todd Vote: FACT I think ESPN would be able to offer something on the Von Erich family that none of these other DVD’s have been able to do. Offer a completely non-biased look at the family. As far as I know, most things about the Von Erich family thus far have been produced by companies that have a stake in the wrestling business. While that doesn’t necessarily exclude you from being able to produce a competent look at the family, there is always that potential of covering a certain angle with a slant, because you never know when you might need this person to do something for you. We’ve seen it with the Self Destruction of the Ultimate Warrior DVD, and almost saw it again with the Brett Hart DVD. ESPN has no real iron in the fire as far as pro wrestling goes if you take away the airings on ESPN Classic. I think that opens the potential for the program to offer a unique perspective.

Score: 6 for 7

8. AAA should do everything in their power to bringing Jim Ross to do their English commentary.

Sean Garmer: FICTION For the small amount of English viewers they are probably getting it might help bring more people over, but he won’t all the sudden get people to stop watching WWE or TNA just because he’s on it. At the end of the day, it is about the wrestling happening in the ring and even if JR makes the action understandable to casual lucha viewers it won’t matter if they can’t identify with the in-ring action. I just don’t think Lucha is JR’s style and it would be weird seeing him announce those type of matches when he comes from more of an old school based background. I don’t see JR wanting to live in Mexico either and how much is AAA going to have to pay JR to get him down there as it is. JR is the greatest wrestling announcer ever, but if he said no to TNA, why would he say yes to AAA?

Todd Vote: FICTION The man’s best years in the booth are behind him. Don’t get me wrong, he would still be better on commentary than most other choices out there, but I don’t really think AAA needs Jim Ross. They have established themselves just fine without him. I’m not against them bringing in Jim Ross, I just think there would be far better options to employ someone like Ross at this stage in his career, than on commentary. Talent relations, and things of that nature might be a better fit for him, and would probably benefit AAA more than having him call their matches.

Score: 7 for 8