The Triple Threat 11.09.08: The 115th Edition: TNA Turning Point, Jericho Winning the Title, Adamle and More!

Topic # 1 TNA‘s Turning Point PPV is this Sunday. What are your thoughts on the card?

David Martell: Just a reminder, I don’t watch TNA and we are required to write about PPVs, so bare with me. This PPV looks to have a lot of solid matches. Obviously this PPV is shaped around the newly formed Main Event Mafia. What a terrible name. Abyss vs. Kurt Angle should be solid. Kurt Angle can usually have a good match with anyone and Abyss is actually a good big guy wrestler so lets hope nothing goes wrong here. We have Booker T vs. Christian for the Legends title. Christian is obviously going to lose to join the MEM. It only seems to make sense. Should be a good match but nothing special. Samoa Joe vs. Nash is great for storyline but I doubt this will be a great match. Nash is old and it is not hard to see. I just hope they pull of something decent. We also get A.J. Styles vs. Sting for the TNA World Title. This should be great and the best match on the card. I still believe that Sting will win here because they want to make MEM looks strong. Everything else on the card is kind of overshadowed on the card because of this storyline. Overall the card looks to be solid so I hope that it delivers.

Alex Mattis: I thought this was the December PPV… I’m confused. Anyway, this seems like another PPV card that TNA has thrown together at the last minute with very few matches of interest. First of all, why is the X-Division champion not in a title match, or at least in a match against another X-Division wrestler? I suppose the “seeding” match explains it, but still. Abyss Vs. Angle is a fine match, but we’ve seen it over and over and over. Expect Krazy Kurt to pick up the W. I think the Machine Guns really have a shot at getting the tag straps, which would be a refresher for the tag division. I don’t see any of the Main Event Mafia to lose at Turning Point so don’t expect the “Legends” title to change hands. Joe-Nash should be an interesting match and it could be pretty solid, but like I said the MEM isn’t going to go down yet so I think a DQ victory is in store for Big Sexy. And in the main event, we should be treated to a classic from AJ and Sting but I don’t think anyone is expecting a title change. I know it’s TNA and all, but this really could be an excellent match. Now we have to wait and see what we’ll get.

Zach Brown: Turning Point looks pretty decent this year in my opinion. Samoa Joe vs. Kevin Nash…don’t really care about it, but it could be good. Abyss and Kurt Angle is a match I definitely want to see. I just hope Abyss wins. The match for the Tag Titles could also be good, but I really hope The Motor City Machine Guns get the belts. They need to be champs more than ever right now, and I’m tired of Beer Money. The X-Division match looks great as well. I fully expect another “X-Division video game,” but I like that video game! The women’s tag match looks decent as well, but the Women’s title should be defended instead. Booker T vs. Christian Cage should be a great match, but I fully expect Christian to join the Main Event Mafia, because it only makes sense. Abdul Bashir vs. Rhino should be terrible because I hate both of those guys. And finally, Sting vs. AJ Styles is a match that I definitely want to see. I expect Sting to retain, but he and AJ should put on a great show. All in all, I think Turning Point is a solid buy this year. There are a few missteps, but all around it’s a decent card.

Topic # 2 Chris Jericho won the title back from Batista this past Monday on RAW. What do you think of the sudden title change?

David Martell: This was a shocker in my opinion because it is not often that the title changes hands on free TV. Of course I am excited that Jericho won the title back because I thought he was a great champion. Jericho has been doing some excellent work this past year and I honestly think he deserves the belt. I really see this setting up a Batista heel turn on John Cena. I think Batista is going to be mad that Cena already gets a shot at the title and that Batista is going to interfere or cost Cena the belt. In my head, I think that Batista is going to go against Cena at Wrestlemania. I believe that they will have a match before Mania where Cena wins and at Mania they can have their rubber match. It all makes sense! Either way, I am glad Jericho is once again the champion and I really think this is all just a set up for a Batista/Cena feud.

Alex Mattis: Woot! This is great news for Raw and their title status, but why do this? Why have Batista win the title in the first place? The whole situation just doesn’t make much sense to me. But the fact is the strap is back around the waist of Chris Jericho, who may be at the absolute best he’s ever been, and the brand once again has a strong, heel champion. Unfortunately his days as champion may be numbered, just look at the following topic.

Zach Brown: Man, WWE hasn’t made me jump for joy in a long, long time. I guess WWE snapped out of their bad decision before it took too long to set in. They must have noticed the dip in ratings when Batista was champ on RAW. But I really was in utter shock when they put the belt back on Jericho. I thought for sure that Batista was going to have the belt till ‘Mania. Cena-Batista II or III just made too much sense. But thank the Lord that WWE came to their senses. It’s almost like WWE was saying, “Sorry IWC!” I hate calling it that, but still. Anyway, I’m glad to see the title back in Jericho’s hands. He’s been putting on great matches, great feuds, and he’s such a great heel right now. Giving Batista the title was a big mistake, so I’m glad they retracted that decision. Not to mention, it was one of the best matches they’ve had on RAW in a while.

Topic # 3John Cena is getting a World Title shot at Survivor Series when he makes his return. How do you feel about this?

David Martell: Like I said before, this is all just a set up for him and Batista to feud. I am not happy that he already gets a title shot because he definitely doesn’t deserve one. When is the last time he actually won a PPV match? Before his injury, I believe he lost three PPV matches in a row. That doesn’t warrant a title shot. But like I said in the Jericho topic, this is all for storyline purposes. Cena will not win because of Batista. This will lead to a long feud with Batista that will lead all the way up to Wrestlemania, which I will be attending by the way. This my friend will sell tons of PPVs because if we like it or not, Cena vs. Batista sells.

Alex Mattis: This is what frustrates me with wrestling at times. I understand the E’s desire to put Cena over like none other but still don’t cheapen your title by giving him an undeserved title shot. Cena’s return at Survivor Series will be a big deal for the company but it doesn’t have to be against Jericho and it certainly doesn’t have to be for the belt. Making this match seem all about Cena’s return dwarfs the importance of the title. Now don’t confuse what I’m saying, I am not saying it’s bad that Cena is getting a title shot. I’m over the anti-Cena hump; I am saying that it’s detrimental to a title’s images when people get unwarranted opportunities.

Zach Brown: From a marketing standpoint, this makes perfect sense. John Cena is one of WWE’s biggest draws. Jericho vs. Cena (if Jericho still has the belt by then) will no doubt sell PPVs because it’s John Cena’s return match. He’s arguably WWE’s biggest star, so it makes sense to put him in the main event of his returning PPV. But in terms of storyline, booking, ethics, and fairness to the fans, it makes NO FUCKING SENSE WHATSOEVER. Cena’s back! Move over Batista, HBK, JBL, and Jericho…because the time has come once again to get squashed under Cena’s Reeboks. The only thing that would be even more offensive than Cena already being in the main event and getting a shot at the title in his first match, is if he beat Chris Jericho for the title. Let me quote a famous sign at ECW One Night Stand by saying, “If Cena wins, we riot.”

Topic # 4 It is going around that Adamle is done with is TV role and maybe done with the WWE. What are your thoughts?

David Martell: I actually didn’t mind him as GM that much. He seemed more like a real person to me but I guess they are going for better acting which isn’t bad at all. If he is leaving WWE in the near future, I guess this is just WWE saying we no longer need you. It looks like Shane and Stephanie are going to be running the show for a while now which is good. I think we are finally going to find out who exactly set up Vince, COUGH Stephanie COUGH, and hopefully this will lead to some good TV drama. What can I say, I like the storylines. All in all, where ever Adamle ends up, I wish him the best of luck.

Alex Mattis: I can’t give to valid of an opinion on this topic right now. For the past several months my E viewing has been rather limited. I usually only see the highpoints of the broadcast and usually not the filler segment, much of which Adamle is a part of. I watched, or listened to, much of Adamle on ECW and it didn’t take too long to realize that commentating is NOT his in place in wrestling. From what I saw of him on Raw, he made a pretty decent GM. He always seemed excited to do his announcements and such and really got over the importance of some of the matches and angles. This exit is quite abrupt, but I’m not thinking that the E will have much trouble replacing him.

Zach Brown: I was actually a little disappointed when Adamle retired from his GM position on RAW. Wow…I never thought I’d ever be saying those words…you win Universe…But seriously, I thought Adamle had finally found a place that worked for him in WWE. In the past, he made a terrible interviewer, a terrible commentator, and finally, he proved his mettle when he grew into the GM role. For so long, it was near impossible for me to find anything to like about this guy. And now, I honestly don’t want him to leave. At first, his move to GM was outrageous, because I, like many fans, hated Mike Adamle. But he made it work. And I was beginning to dig the whole “Adamle Original” thing. Had he kept going, I think he could have been one of the more memorable GMs in RAW’s history. So now he may be leaving WWE? Already? It makes me wonder if it’s his personal choice or if the McMahons aren’t digging him. Well the guy was making 6 figures already, and that’s more than a lot of their wrestlers make. Too bad, because I thought Adamle was finally starting to earn that six figures; at least more so than his interviewing or commentating ever did.

Topic # 5 Super Crazy recently got released from the WWE. Your thoughts?

David Martell: This really sucks to me because Super Crazy has a lot of talent. He is a damn good wrestler and is a lot better then most of the guys on the roster. They could of easily used him on ECW as a stepping stone for the younger guys entering the brand. I can only imagine how great of a match him and Evan Borne could have. Unfortunately, I didn’t put this topic up until after I found out about Paul London and Chuck Palumbo got released. Palumbo didn’t really matter but Paul London was also a big loss in my eyes. He also has a lot of talent and it sad to say that Kendrick got a big push and he didn’t. Maybe he wasn’t liked back stage, I have no clue but it is definitely a loss. I wish all these guys luck and hopefully we will see some of them back one day.

Alex Mattis: I’m surprised it took this long for this to happen. They hadn’t done anything with him in quite a while and I don’t really see a spot for him in the company. But this is better for him I think. He’ll have no problem finding work in Mexico and I’m sure he’ll make a killing on the indy circuit here in the states. As fans of both Crazy and Paul London I think the loss of their spot in the E is a big one, but could work to the benefit in the end.

Zach Brown: Doesn’t surprise me in the least. I think we all know that Super Crazy is a talented guy. But Super Crazy was basically doing the job that Funaki was doing. Funaki can’t be everywhere to job to people, so for that, there was Super Crazy. Sucks to think about that, but it’s true. I think Super Crazy is better off without WWE. He’s a good wrestler, and it’s no secret that WWE just wasn’t using him properly. I could see him having a run in the indy circuit, and maybe he could see if he’s wanted in ROH. I could also see him really getting over in AAA in Mexico. I just hope he doesn’t go to TNA because that’s a dead end. All in all, I’m glad Super Crazy got released. It’s not that I don’t want to see him on WWE, it’s just that I know he will be better used in other companies.

Superstar Highlight

Ted Dibiase Jr.

Our thoughts on Ted Dibiase Jr.

David Martell: This guy is an up and comer and I expect great things from him in the future. In the mean time he has a pretty nice stable going. I rather it just be him and Cody Rhodes because Manu just plain out sucks. I enjoy Randy Orton getting into the mix because these guys have similar characters in a way. Randy Orton is there to lead them in the right direction of course. It seems like a mini Evolution in the making. From what I have seen so far, Ted is pretty decent wrestler. He is very green of course but has the potential to be a main eventer one day. Maybe, just maybe, he will bring in the Million Dollar Belt to counter act the Legends title in TNA. That would be awesome. The only problem I have with this group is that they really don’t have anyone to feud with. There are only three other tag teams out there and that’s Miz and Morrison, Cryme Tyme and Kofi and Punk. Kofi and Punk is only temporary I am sure. More tag teams equals better feuds for Simply Priceless. He should have a great career ahead of him and I am looking forward to watching it.

Alex Mattis: One of the cream of the crop right now, in my opinion. Of course he was born into wrestling greatness, but this guy seems to know what he’d doing in the business. He’s got a great look, great talent, and it seems like he’s got a good head on his shoulders. Both he and his brother, Mike, are talent to be watch when it comes to “the future.” With a trailblazer like The Rock and greatness of Randy Orton, tack on the DiBiase’s and it’s clear that these third generation guys are no joke and are here to carve their legacy into the sport.

Zach Brown: In my opinion, Ted Dibiase Jr is among the best young talent that WWE has to offer. There seem to be two types of great young entering WWE right now; technical wrestlers, and great athletes/high flyers. On the technical side, we have Cody Rhodes, CM Punk, and Ted Dibiase. Obviously, Kofi Kingston and Evan Bourne fit into the other category, but I digress. Ted makes great use of his wrestling ability, and he’s already been impressing me. I mean he does the Million Dollar Dream! What’s not to like!? And when he was close to winning that Battle Royal recently, I almost marked out when I thought he was going to be the one to win. I think WWE knows what they have with him because it’s like they teased a huge push for Ted. Too bad they were clearly saying “not quite yet.” But overall, I think the best thing about Ted is his mic ability. He’s a solid heel, and he cuts a great promo every time “Priceless” is in the ring. I think Ted is a great addition to WWE’s younger talent, and I think he is a most definitely a future world champion in the making.

Feedback Frenzy

This is our response to your comments and feedback of last week’s column.

David Martell: I just wanted to say that I am sorry that our column was put up late last week. This was my fault because I put my part of the column up late because of work last weekend. Of course after what happened on RAW, half the column had no meaning anymore. So once again I am sorry for this and hopefully it wont happen again. Once again thanks for reading.