411 Fact or Fiction 11.01.07: Edge’s Return, Chris Hero the Hot Indy Act, Angle Winning the TNA Title and More!

1. Cyber Sunday once again proved that WWE doesn’t care about delivering decisive finishes in title matches.

Larry Csonka: FACT. You’re damn right they don’t care. It’s continuous bullshit on every PPV. Here’s my evidence.

-WWE Summerslam: WORLD TITLE MATCH: Batista defeated The Great Khali @ 7:00 via DQ
-WWE Unforgiven: WWE TITLE MATCH: Randy Orton defeated John Cena @ 7:33 via DQ
-WWE No Mercy: ECW TITLE MATCH: CM Punk defeated Big Daddy V @ 1:45 via DQ

Three PPV’s in the last three months with DQ finishes in each brand’s title match. THIS IS BULLSHIT! As far as I know People do not pay $40 for PPV to see this shit, they pay to see resolution. And the fact is that people are not getting resolution. Part of that is because they insist on having all three title matches on every show instead of staggering the title matches and properly featuring them. Instead they throw all three of them out there, and then when they decide they have to extend the feud, they do bullshit like above. Four PPV’s in a row and four DQ finishes in title matches. Nothing but bullshit. I will say that the DQ finish CAN work in the proper story, like when Taker and Brock feuded and they ran the DQ finish and that led to the HIAC and Brock went over Taker there, that made sense. But them again it only works when they don’t happen every month and that is what is happening here. I cannot explain how pissed that this makes me, and if you paid for this show you should be upset as well because once again WWE rammed it in with no lube and broke it off. That isn’t taking care of the customer, that isn’t pleasing to the fan, that’s just bullshit. Some will tell me that this is the way the DQ is done right, and in theory yes it is. But not when it is done on four straight PPV’s. NO BUYS!

Steve Cook: FACT. I’m not as outraged as Larrold is by the debacle that is WWE PPV, but that’s probably because I haven’t seen one since Backlash. When you don’t have to watch the bullshit, the bullshit doesn’t bother you so much. I do feel it’s necessary to point out that WWE really doesn’t give a shit about how their title matches end…their goal is to get you to keep buying their shows. Some rubes like Meehan & Wilcox will surely insist that WWE does the right thing every show they do, and that’s what WWE uses to justify their actions. There will always be people that buy these shows no matter how they end. Good for them. I applaud their dedication to mediocrity.

And let’s face it, sometimes a non-conclusive ending is better than a conclusive ending. Many of the greatest television shows of all time have continuous cliffhangers that keep their viewers interested. If everything got neatly wrapped up in 30 minutes to an hour every week, why would you need to tune in next week? Thing is…you need to have characters involved in these situations that people care about. During the Attitude Era, WWF/E could do nonsensical finishes like Breakdown 1998 (Steve Austin as guest referee knocks out both UT & Kane and declares himself the winner, leading to Vince firing him) and get away with it because people wanted to see what would happen next. If Randy Orton gets DQed because he low-blowed Shawn Michaels, will people tune in next week to see what happens? On a personal level, I won’t because I really don’t care about Randy Orton and Shawn Michaels hasn’t mattered to me in years. I don’t blame WWE for utilizing the B.S. finish, but it gets to a point where you just don’t care anymore. I reached that point a long time ago.

Score: 1 for 1

2. The WWE was negligent in the way they handled Candice Michelle last week when she was injured in the ring.

Larry Csonka : FACT. Now mind you not criminally negligent, but negligent nonetheless. Yes, a disturbing visual a week later that’s for sure. First of all I hope that she gets better and recovers with little to no problem. I never like seeing anyone get injured. Candice has worked very hard and has improved. She’s not a great women’s wrestler, but she is “good.” I think she has a long way to go and can get even better, of course only time will tell there. That all being said WWE handled this situation badly. They looked like a bunch of goofs that have never handled an injury before. I still feel that they should have stopped the match instead of having Beth pull her out and pin her. That was a bad move. And then there is the idiocy of Stephanie McMahon giving her water, while she is laying flat on her back in a neck brace. Causing her to gag and freak out, yeah, that’s just the thing you want to do with someone with a potential neck injury. Also there’s the whole don’t give them water thing. There was some bad decision making last week to be sure. As Jim Ross has said it is a minor miracle that she was not injured more. I also think that while she has improved, she doesn’t need to be trying some of the stuff that she is doing. That spot was designed for her to take the bump and flip and land on her back, asking someone of her experience level to do that was a mistake. So when you add in what they are asking her to do when she shouldn’t be and the way Chioda and Beth handled the situation was negligent.

Steve Cook : FACT. Two straight easy questions so far. Thing is, if WWE didn’t want to be all “insiderish” and show us what happened backstage, we wouldn’t be nearly as appalled by what happened as we are at the moment. Larry’s pretty much covered the situation, so I don’t know what to add other than I hope Candice gets well soon and if she needs any help she knows who to call. *wink*

Score: 2 for 2

3. Chris Hero is currently the hottest act on the Indy’s.

Larry Csonka : FICTION. I hear the Indy mutants about to attack me as we speak. Hero has had a great year, especially with the SOTF clean sweep he managed. But it isn’t him kids. Maybe you’re thinking the Briscoe’s, who have also had an amazing year, but it is not them either. It’s not Nigel, not the Age of the Fall, not Steen and Generico either. It is one man, a man born 25 years too late, this man is SWEET AND SOUR LARRY FN SWEENEY! I find it absolutely amazing that TNA or WWE have not picked him up and used him as a manager yet. This man is a new age Bobby Heenan. He has the look, the mannerisms, the gift of gab; he has the whole package. There is money is Larry Sweeney and WWE and TNA are missing out on it because, especially in WWE, manager is a dirty word. This guy is money to me, he entertains me and I constantly am tracking down anything he does on the Indy scene. So to me Larry Sweeney is the hottest act on the Indy’s.

Steve Cook : FICTION. Don’t get me wrong, I am a big Chris Hero fan. He was the Savior of CZW and now he’s moved on to something that just might be worth saving, Ring of Honor. Hero has become a damn good heel over the last couple of years and he’s only getting better. But he’s not the hottest act on the Indies. I gotta disagree with Larry though…Larry wishes that it was still 25 years ago, but it’s not. This is the Age of the Fall. This is the Era of Jimmy Jacobs, a man who reminds me of a younger emo Eddie Gilbert, and a short guy who can brawl and bleed with the best of them. Jacobs makes you care about what he’s doing like nobody else in the independent scene can, hell, like nobody else in the wrestling scene can. His promo skills are more than passable, he can take a hell of a beating and he can give one too. The only thing he’s missing is size, which is why he will have to settle for being brilliant in front of a thousand people instead of being mediocre in front of ten thousand people.

Then you have the Necro Butcher. A lot of people out there don’t get Necro, but for my money there is no better death match worker in the business today. Not only can he throw people on thumbtacks or get thrown on thumbtacks himself, he’s up for a good ol’ fashioned strong style throw down too. He’s taken beatings from the best strong style guys out there, and from where I sit he’s got the best punches in the business outside of Jerry Lawler. Maybe better, I haven’t seen Lawler throw one in a few months….but those two and Terry Funk are the best punchers I’ve seen live. A Necro Butcher match is an event you have to see or you’re afraid you’ll miss something. Jimmy Jacobs wanted to be Bruiser Brody when he grew up, but then he met Necro Butcher and saw the new Bruiser Brody. Now they’re under the banner of the Age of the Fall.

I haven’t really mentioned Tyler Black, that’s because I really haven’t seen enough of him to judge. I will put over Lacey as a woman that’s a skilled in-ring competitor and somebody who doesn’t get enough credit for her speaking roles. And it doesn’t hurt that she’s smoking hot. The Age of the Fall is upon us. Since Larry has the question half-right, the score will reflect that.

Score: 2.5 for 3

4. TNA giving away the TNA Title change on free TV was a smart move.

Larry Csonka : FICTION. It was BULLSHIT for many reasons, and of course I shall explain them here. First of all you have the fact that for three straight years at Bound for Glory TNA has crowned a new champion (Rhino, Sting and Sting.) Rhino lost the title on TV, in a screw job just days after winning the title. Sting lost the title few weeks later to Abyss on PPV, where they re-invoked the old title can change hands on a DQ deal. Now for the third straight year the title changes hands, very shortly after the win and that sucks. Secondly there is the fact of HOW they lost. It is the same stuff again, and basically I have come to expect the bullshit. There was bullshit in the title changes at the show, and then in them losing the title. BULLSHIT I say! Thirdly, and this is along the thinking on the second fact, is that they obviously wanted to try and create controversy with the way they did the title change. And I will say that a fuck finish CAN work to create that controversy and get people to buy shows. That all being said it didn’t work here. You have Mike Tenay throwing a fit about there being a non-clean finish to the match. Well apparently he misses the 4 or 5 crap finishes on this show or the fact that 96% of the TNA Title matches for the last FIVE FUCKING YEARS have had some kind of a screw job finish. NO, this was not a smart move, it was just bullshit plain and simple.

Steve Cook : FICTION. When was the last time TNA did anything smart? OK, I’ll give them some credit for hiring hotties…err….talented female performers like Talia Madison & Rain, but other than that they’ve been screwing the pooch lately. How could having Angle beat Sting for the title on Impact be considered a smart move?

“It makes Impact seem like an important show because a major event happened on it.”

OK. To that I ask this…How important is Kurt Angle beating Sting when the title just changed hands a couple of weeks ago AND THE SHOW WAS TAPED TWO DAYS AFTER STING WON THE FUCKING TITLE? Don’t tell me “But it aired two weeks later”…doesn’t matter! In the Information age, everybody knows what happens on TV tapings hours after they happen. Unless you’re a punkass bitch like JT~! who refuses to read spoilers and pisses and moans every time somebody misquotes a mediocre quarterback for a football team that isn’t going past the first round of the playoffs. If it gets there.

But that’s beside the point, isn’t it?

More important question: How is Bound For Glory supposed to be an important show when these oh so huge title changes that happen on the show end up being irrelevant at the most a month afterwards? Larry said it, the longest title reign to follow up a BFG show was Sting’s last year, and that lasted all of a month. It’s the hugest show of the year that crowns transitional champions. How TNA expects this to draw, I’m really not sure. Hell, I’m not sure how they expect anything to draw. Furthermore, Mike Tenay is a douche bag. It’s a sad day when Don West is the voice of reason in any environment.

Score: 3.5 for 4

5. Team 3D’s current angle against the X-Division will, in the long run, help revitalize and put over the stagnant division.

Steve Cook : FICTION. I don’t see how Brother Ray’s promos that absolutely bury the X Division are supposed to help get it over. I don’t see how Team 3D putting 2 X Division guys through tables without much of a fight every week is supposed to help get it over. Everybody has told me that the X Division is what makes TNA different and is what will lead TNA to success. The question I have for them is…does TNA know that? I don’t think they do. Maybe Shelley & Sabin will get a win over Team 3D someday. Will it repair the damage done to the X Division by this angle? Probably not, it’ll always be seen as a secondary division like the Intercontinental & US title divisions. It won’t be seen as anything special.

Larry Csonka : FICTON. I agree. Thus far not only have 3D BERRIED the entire division with beat downs, but verbally on the mic. They have mocked their size, looks, and the style of the division that has made that division, when hot, great. While the X-Division is not perfect, it has fallen so far from grace that it is almost as nonexistent as the WWE Cruiserweight Division. This is a once proud division that was what made TNA different and exciting. This is the division that delivered a ton of must see matches. This is the division that when TNA would run 2-hour PPV’s highlighting the guys, would draw the best buy rates. The division made TNA different and exciting, and now they are a complete joke. TNA has forgotten what made them different, what could have set them apart from the WWE. The MCMG’s may get a win as Cook said, but I doubt the creative team has enough talent to get the division out of this rut they are in.

Score: 4.5 for 5

6. Edge’s return to the WWE roster will be a much-needed boost to the current product.

Steve Cook : FACT. Well, you can dispute how much of a boost it will be. I don’t think Edge by himself will set the box office on fire and I don’t expect ratings to go through the roof. But, Smackdown does need a top heel. Edge definitely fits that bill, and he’s got unfinished business with both Batista & Undertaker. He certainly can’t make the show any worse. I’m not as high on Edge as a lot of people on the Internet are, but I recognize that he has value as a foil to top baby faces. His presence should make Smackdown more interesting.

Larry Csonka : FACT. Man I hate to agree with Cook, again, because I want dissention, but I agree with this. Cook is correct that Edge won’t set everything on fire, but we all know that he has been on a huge roll since his main event push, and I am all for him coming back and running on top. Edge was having great matches, good promos and interjecting him into the main event scene on Smackdown will not only give them a boost, but a lot of momentum heading into the Survivor Series. He’ll be a huge face, and I can’t wait to see how he screws the fans into hating him again.

Score: 5.5 for 6

7. TNA letting Junior Fatu compete on TV, in a major tournament with no contract is another in a long line of mistakes that the promotion has made.

Steve Cook : FICTION. Ok, here’s my beef with this statement…”major tournament”? Honestly, I couldn’t give a rat’s ass about the whole “fight for your right” nonsense. Wasn’t this a tournament that already had a match between Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin that didn’t have a winner? I’m pretty sure it was, but TNA confuses me so much that I’m not sure. Anyway, the point I’m getting to here is that I really don’t care about Junior Fatu, Rikishi, Kishi, or whatever the hell he’s calling himself these days. So WWE signs him. Who gives a fuck? As long as TNA isn’t dumb enough to have him win the tournament…oh shit, is it too late to change my answer?

Larry Csonka : FACT. Don’t fear Cook he isn’t winning as TNA has come to their senses and dropped him. But this is indeed a FACT because of a few things. First of all they gave away valuable time for this guy. He came in out of shape and unmotivated. Roode carried him last week, as KISH was so blown up he had to go to a knee and use one hand for covers, because he couldn’t get up if he went all the way down. HORRENDOUS! He was in four TV main events if I counted correctly, showcased even and taking away time from people that need and deserve it more. This was just a bad move on TNA’s part. And yes Cook, it is a “major tournament” because it is for a title shot. I know the set up is ridiculous, but the fact is that this is important. Finally, they had to rebook the tournament and place someone else in his place. I won’t spoil it completely, but the fact that they now have to come up with a cover story to drop him because they were A) Stupid enough to bring him in, and B) Too dumb to lock him into a contract. This was, indeed, another in a long line of mistakes that TNA has made, just like bringing in Savage with no deal, test with no deal, and probably 100 other things I am forgetting.

Score: 5.5 for 7

8. The Briscoe Brothers are overrated.

Steve Cook : FICTION. If you asked me this question in 2004, I would have totally said FACT. I didn’t really get the fascination ROH fans seemed to have with these glorified spot monkeys. But since they came back in 2006, they’ve been pretty damn good. In almost all the ROH shows I’ve seen from 2006 & beyond, they’ve been involved in at least the second best match on any given card. They’ve developed their characters pretty well and gotten the “Man up” catchphrase over huge. Now they’re feuding with the Age of the Fall, which features Necro Butcher & Jimmy Jacobs, who I consider to be two of the best guys in the business right now. Tell me that’s not going to kick major ass. People say the Briscoe’s are the best tag team in the business…tell me, who’s better? I don’t see anybody that is, and I defy Larrold to name me any team that is!

Larry Csonka : FICTION. Much like Cook if this was 18-months ago or longer I would have completely said that they were much like Cook. ROH fans have been jerking it for these guys for so long, and they did so at a time when they weren’t that great. They weren’t bad, but they weren’t nearly as good as they thought. Also as Cook mentioned in 2006 they came back and it started slowly and then, then they just hit the GROOVE! The have had great outings, especially if you have seen the ROH PPV’s where they have shined both times and reportedly will in the next show, which features an epic/insane ladder match. I think that there are teams that can be better than the Briscoe’s, but are held back by their company and the booking of that company. Thankfully for the Briscoe’s they have the talent, they have learned, the have evolved and they are in a company that let’s them do their thing. Damn fine tag team here kids.

Score: 6.5 for 8.

These two finish 6.5 for 8! Come on back next week for more of 411 Fact or Fiction: Wrestling Edition!