The Triple Threat 11.23.08: The 117th Edition – Survivor Series, Releases, Jack Swagger and More!

Topic # 1 Survivor Series is this Sunday, what are your thoughts on the card?

David Martell: Survivor Series doesn’t look as good as I wanted it to. I think that the traditional Survivor Series matches could have been a lot better but obviously it doesn’t matter to the WWE what I think. So lets do this. The Undertaker vs. Big Show looks to be fun but for some reason I think Edge is going to return. I just have a funny feeling about that. It should be an all out brawl between the two and I have a feeling some how Show is going to pull the win off here. Jeff Hardy vs. Kozlov vs. Triple H for the WWE title should be a decent match. I doubt it will be too terribly long but I think Jeff Hardy will get the win here giving him his first world title. I thought that they might save this for Mania but I don’t see a better time to do it. Right now Jeff is on a roll and I could easily see him as the WWE champ. Team Batista vs. Team Orton is the better of the two Survivor Series matches in my opinion. The only weak points here is R-Truth and Mark Henry. Orton has been looking strong lately and I have a feeling that is going to keep up. If not, Cody Rhodes will probably cost him the match. Team JBL vs. Team HBK could be OK but nothing more. I rather not see JBL, Kane or the Great Khali in a match. Team JBL had a strong outing on Monday but I think Team HBK will get the easy win here. The RAW divas vs. the Smackdown divas will end with RAW on top. As long as Beth Phoenix is on your team, you cant go wrong. Jericho vs. Cena for the World Title should be a lot of fun. Jericho will retain here and if he doesn’t I will cry! I am not a fan of people returning and automatically getting a title shot. Jericho should win. The PPV looks alright but I think it could be better. Most matches could go either way here but I hope that it isn’t too far off from my predictions.

Alex Mattis: A very interesting card for one of the biggest events of the year. Of course the most anticipated match would be the Cena-Jericho showdown. I don’t really know what to expect here, but don’t expect the title to be going anywhere and I’m sure as hell praying that it doesn’t. As for the Trips-Hardy-Koslov… have fun with that; I don’t see these three different styles meshing together in a good way. Many great looking classic Survivor Series style matches promise to fill the card with the goodness. And with the string of solid matches that Taker and Show have been putting on I’m sure their casket match should be great.

Zach Brown: This year’s Survivor Series is a very solid buy in my eyes. The Diva Survivor Series match will probably be a pretty quick chaotic match, and I expect Team Raw to win. The talent is actually pretty even because while Raw has Beth Phoenix, Mickie James, and Candice, Smackdown has Michelle McCool, Natalya, and Victoria. So I think that rounds out the talent pretty evenly. But I think Beth Phoenix will be the deciding factor. As for the Team Batista vs. Team Orton match, this one is easily the best Survivor Series match. The only slightly weak link is Mark Henry, and I think even he will do his job. Mark Henry isn’t my favorite, but he doesn’t get stale if he only wrestles for about 2-3 minutes. I just hope they give this match time, because cutting it short is the only way to ruin it. Team Michaels vs. Team JBL isn’t my favorite, but it should deliver as well. Is it just me, or does Shawn Michaels have a downright terrible team? Shawn Michaels is literally the only one I’m looking forward to seeing on that team. And it’s kind of weird to say it, but I actually think JBL is the weak link of…Team JBL. Kane isn’t great either, but I’ve been entertained by him lately. And MVP, Miz, and Morrison are all pretty solid. Granted MVP is on a losing streak, but he’s still a great wrestler. As for the Triple Threat match for the WWE title, go make an awesome sandwich. Like seriously, make that thing rock. Use three slices of bread, like a Big Mac! That would be awesome. Seriously though, the only reason that I’m even slightly interested in this match is if Jeff Hardy takes home the title, which is something I’m seriously doubting. Maybe the match could be decent, but I’m just not a huge fan of HHH or Koslov. As for the casket match, I think this match will be pretty decent, but I think this match is a supreme opportunity to bring back Edge. Since Edge was “sent to Hell” by The Undertaker, wouldn’t it be cool to have Edge be in the casket? He could jump out and help Big Show win. And I don’t remember ‘Taker ever losing a casket match either, so it could be an entertaining swerve. That’s just how I would write it. But hey, I’m just any old writer for 411. And for Jericho vs. Cena, I hope the match is great, but I could live with it being terrible just as long as Cena doesn’t win the title on his return. When the argument is brought up about John Cena not deserving a title shot, some people are quick to say, “Well he had a title shot in the Scramble match before he got injured.” Great! He’s using a title shot opportunity that he didn’t deserve back THEN!!! Jericho has been a great champ, and they shouldn’t end it just because Cena is back. But that’s my rant on that. As for Survivor Series itself, it’s a buy. There are just too many matches that are a must see, so WWE did a good job with this one.

Topic # Ted Dibiase Jr. is going to be taking more time off to make the Marine 2. How do you feel about this?

David Martell: It kind of sucks that he will probably be taking a lot of time off for the Marine 2. I cant imagine how bad this movie is going to be because the last installment was god awful. I kind of wanted to see where thing would go between him and Orton. It could of set up a nice little feud between him and Orton or Simply Priceless and Orton. Either way it would have been entertaining. Instead we get Cody Rhodes feuding with Orton, which isn’t bad at all, and Ted taking a back seat. With Simply Priceless not in full formation, it is only a matter of time before Manu falls all the face of the earth.

Alex Mattis: Man, at least this guy has a good reason to be taking time off… Seriously how awful was the first Marine? And now a second? I can’t wait to see if Ted can beat the stellar performance that John Cena gave us. All joking aside, I’m sure the experience of filming a movie is fun and something Ted is happy to be doing. I’m sure when he returns he’ll be just fine but find himself at the butt of many Marine jokes.

Zach Brown: Well I definitely understand getting written off TV to get married. That’s great news for Ted. But you’re STAYING off TV to do The Marine 2!?!? Who talked you into that Ted? I have been one of the unfortunate people to have actually seen The Marine. It is hands down one of the worst movies I have ever seen. How it did so well on DVD, I have no idea. I guess it makes the perfect gag gift. And by gag gift, I mean the perfect “hey man, I really do hate your guts” gift. I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that doing The Marine 2 will not be a good choice for DiBiase. When he comes back, is he going to start doing the salute as well? I hope Ted comes back soon because the fact that he is taking time off wrestling to do this movie is just sickening to me.

Topic # 3 Both the Hardy Boys have been stepping up the game. Matt is the face of ECW and Jeff has been on a roll on Smackdown. What are your thoughts on their recent progress?

David Martell: Both of these guys have been working their asses off lately. Matt Hardy IS the face of ECW at this point and without Even Borne there, he has to work a lot harder to keep the fans going. Lately, and this is probably because of Survivor Series, he has been wrestling on every show non stop. He has also defended his title in the last few weeks twice. His match with Finlay was a great TV match to boot. Jeff Hardy has also been impressive. He has pinned both the Undertaker and Triple H in the last two weeks. There are not a lot of men out there who can say that. Although both matches had their own interference, he still looked strong and it seems like his title hunt could actually be accomplished at Survivor Series. His character has also changed in the last few weeks. I guess you can call him extreme Hardy. He is absolutely crazy and will do anything to win. I like that. For some reason, it also makes him cut good promos. I hope both of these guys keep it up in the weeks to come.

Alex Mattis: Matt has always been a very hard worker and I’m glad his hard work is finally started to show and pay off. He is doing a damn fine job of carrying the ECW title thus far and looks to have a great run ahead of him. As for Jeff, well everyone already knows how I feel about Jeff Hardy. He’s had some big wins and is getting more title shots, and how the E can put ANY faith in this guy now is beyond me. New face paint… NEAT! I don’t get it with this guy. I really hope his head is on straight and he makes the best of this now. I hope all the effort, time, and money the company has put behind this guy finally goes somewhere and pays off.

Zach Brown: Well I guess the Hardys deserve their props. I do think that Matt has been the work horse for WWE for a while now, and he deserves some recognition for it. He’s a good go to guy to fill out a match. He’s decently over, no one outright dislikes the guy, and he’s a good wrestler to boot. Matt is literally wrestling on every show nowadays, and only a few of those matches have anything to do with his title. Now granted, I wish a few of these matches didn’t involve Matt because he ends up getting pinned every once in a while, and I don’t like the champ looking weak, even if it is the ECW champion. As for ECW itself, I think Matt was taking a back seat to Evan Bourne for a while, but now that Evan is injured, Matt is back to being the star of ECW, and that’s good for Matt. As for Jeff, this new turn of character intrigues me. The face paint was a nice touch. I just hope he incorporates it into his character full time because his character needs a little repackaging in my eyes. But Jeff has become interesting again because he’s cutting good promos for once, he’s having good matches again, and it’s just looking all around better for him. I honestly hope this is a sign of him winning the title soon, because anyone is better than HHH at this point. HHH is just brutally mundane as champ, and even though I haven’t always liked Jeff, him winning the title would be a breath of fresh air.

Topic # 4 Umaga is set to make his return in the coming month. What are your thoughts on him returning and who would you like to see him feud with?

David Martell: I am kind of excited for Umaga’s return. Smackdown could always use another monster and I usually enjoy Umaga’s matches. The one person I would love for him to feud with is Kozlov. Two monster type characters going head to head is always fun. There would be a big pay off here and I could actually see people getting into this feud. Of course, I would go for Umaga because I think he is way more talented. Kozlov is very green and has a lot to work to do and I think if he worked with Umaga, he could gain some more in ring knowledge. Remember, I don’t hate Kozlov I just think he needs a lot of work.

Alex Mattis: YOUMANGA!!! I really couldn’t stand this character at first, but this guy is such a force in the ring that you can’t help but fall in love with him. I have really missed him just straight up killin’ bitches in the ring and anxiously await his return. As for whom he should feud with… KOZLOV. I can’t stand the spot this Kozlov dude is currently in, but I think a Monster Vs. Monster program between he and Umaga could have some serious potential. Just classic old-school style, no talking just a straight up battle.

Zach Brown: Ah…good old Umaga. Finally, we get to utilize him on Smackdown. When Umaga gets back, he could have a good program with Vladimir Koslov. Koslov has been whining for months about how there is not legitimate competition on Smackdown. Now granted, HHH will beat him at Survivor Series, but feuding with Umaga will be a great opportunity to get Koslov away from the main event. Because technically, there is at least one person that he hasn’t squashed, and that’s Umaga, a monster in his own right. After Umaga is done with that, he should be HHH’s main opponent for a while, because the main event scene is getting a little stale in my opinion. I think that’s mostly HHH’s doing, but oh well. Overall, I’m glad Umaga is back. Smackdown really needs him right now, and now I’m only waiting for Edge and Mr. Kennedy to return for Smackdown to be running at full potential.

Topic # 5 With all the recent releases in the WWE the past few weeks, who would you like to be released?

David Martell: There are several people I wish would get fired but I am only going to name a few. I absolutely wish Snitsky would get fired. He is terrible in the ring and his character is absolutely lame. He is suppose to be some kind of monster yet he loses almost all his matches. He has no look and no charisma. His finisher is a pump handle slam! Guess what, Test sucked too. I would also like Ricky Ortiz to get the axe. A rally towel does not give you charisma and definitely not in ring ability. When he was trying to insult Jack Swagger on ECW this past week, his words were all jumbled. Last ,but certainly not least, Deuce should be gone. I really don’t care if he is Jimmy Snuka’s son, he is a terrible wrestler. He is stuck in a 1950s gimmick that isn’t over and he has barely been used since he got moved to RAW. Someone needs to crack him in the mouth.

Alex Mattis: You know I don’t want to wish bad things upon any one individual, so I’m not wishing unemployment upon anyone but if the E is looking to cut back on the budget and cut some of their losses several people come to mind that don’t really belong in a wrestling ring in the first place. First off, Snitsky. The E has tried soooooo many times to get this guy over and it has never worked. He’s like the new A-Train. Second, Carlito. Not because he’s a poor wrestler or he isn’t over, he just doesn’t care to be a part of the E anymore and it shows in his work. So I think a split would be the best decision for both sides. There are some other wrestlers the E could get rid of as a “trimming the fat” kind of thing, but those are the main two that come to mind.

Zach Brown: Well I think it goes without saying that most of these recent releases suck. You could probably tell from last week that I was upset about Elijah Burke’s release. But sometimes I jump for joy when terrible wrestlers get released. For example, Kenny Dykstra’s release was a little nugget of goodness. Maybe that’s a little harsh or insensitive of me, but sometimes, bad wrestlers just have to go. I think WWE needs to wise up and release Snitsky, Deuce, Manu, Michael Cole, Ricky Ortiz, Bam Neely, Snitsky, and even Snitsky himself. Also, Snitsky. Please WWE, make it a good Christmas and fire Snitsky. Or maybe give yourself a New Year’s resolution to fire him! I’d settle for that too. I just…hate…so much…about everything he chooses to be…As for everyone else I mentioned, do I even need to explain? They’re all downright terrible. Especially Deuce and Manu. I have a special dislike for them as well. And yeah, I know Michael Cole isn’t a wrestler, but did you notice last week on Raw that Michael Cole said “The Captain of Team JBL must be watching right now…” THE CAPTAIN OF TEAM JBL!!! Isn’t that just a ridiculously retarded way to say JBL!?!? I laughed for a good 20 minutes about that. Thank God Michael Cole’s voice is easy to tune out because if it wasn’t, I’d have a brain aneurism every time I watched Raw.

Superstar Highlight

Jack Swagger

Our thoughts on Jack Swagger .

David Martell: Swagger is finally growing on me. He has much improved since he started on the ECW brand. He has new tights and as of late, has been able to cut some good promos. I really enjoy how ECW works. The guys with potential succeed and the guys who have no potential get the axe. Jack Swagger is succeeding in my eyes. He is in a decent feud with Tommy Dreamer and this is a great stepping stone for Swaggers future. Swagger is still a little slow in the ring, but that can easily be fixed. He is becoming a natural heel and the more time he gets on TV, the better he will be on the mic. Working with Dreamer should teach him some ring presence and it will let him hone his skills. I honestly believe he has a great future ahead of him and right now he is one of the better people to watch on ECW.

Alex Mattis: What little I have seen of this guy impresses me not. He has a terribly average look and the personality of a wet sponge (not named Bob). He’s currently locked into a program with Tommy Dreamer (the mark of excellence for any wrestler) and doesn’t really seem to be going very far past that. Like Ricky Ortiz and other on ECW, I don’t expect this guy to stick around too long unless he can completely change his cookie-cutter style and look.

Zach Brown: I haven’t warmed up to Jack Swagger yet. And I haven’t seen his supposed “good promo” yet, but I’m surprised that he has any mic skills at all. The longest promo I had seen him cut was when he was asked about Tommy Dreamer and he says, “Tommy Who?” All in all, I think Jack Swagger is as generic as they come. He’s a big guy, and he’s young, but his skill set is pretty generic, his look is generic, and calling a wrestler “The All-American American” and giving him a shit-eating grin is not a gimmick. Calling someone an all-American boy is as generic as they come. That’s like calling someone “Mr. Blend-In” or “that guy.” And I’m surprised ECW is pushing this kid at all. I’ve seen ECW ads where all they do is highlight this kid. I’ve seen his matches and a few of them have just been God-awful. I was not impressed whatsoever. But I may have passed on this kid too early. Who knows? He’s too new to say that he won’t have a good career in WWE. And I have to admit, I stopped keeping up with him when I saw how bad he was. I’ll continue to watch him, but if he doesn’t improve in the next few months, I’ll have made up my mind on him for good.

Feedback Frenzy

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

David Martell: I always think the trash talking we get is funny. Like I said, if you don’t like what we have to say don’t read it, simple as that. The fact that you click on our page is making us look better. Thank you for clicking on our column and we will continue to give our opinions, whether you like them or not. Thank you for the people who defend our opinions and thank you for the people who have real arguments. Trust me, I can barely watch TNA now what makes you think I could ever watch the replay? Once again thanks for the comments and we hope to see more from you guys this week.

Alex Mattis: I will take pride in the fact and demand that I be remembered for being the only column to ever have a cross-debate over the topics of Sarah Palin and Vladimir Kozlov. We did what no one thought could be done. But really people like Kozlov as a wrestler? I mean he’s a bad dude, but I don’t really think that pro wrestling is his calling in life. Being experienced in the Sambo discipline and given his natural girth I would like to see him test the waters in Sambo more. And “Guest#5640 ,” you made my day with your comment. I hadn’t smiled since Randy Couture lost and you amazing fight prediction gave me and ear-to-ear grin. Thanks everyone.

Zach Brown: To “Steiner,” I’ve got news for you buddy. We watch wrestling. To be able to write a WRESTLING column and not watch wrestling is completely ridiculous. End of story. Thanks to “The Other Guy” for defending us about that. That was cool. As for “Spyke,” I wasn’t bashing Sarah Palin. Did you not read that I am a Republican? You have to be a fool to not realize that Sarah Palin is unpopular. She had some of the most embarrassing interviews in the history of politics, and I was already reading opinion pieces talking about McCain making a mistake only a month after she was chosen for VP. Now I think she is an alright politician, but I was only commenting on how most of the media was treating her as a joke. I don’t know if TNA is trying to appeal to their Republican fan base, but either way, it’s not wise for TNA to pick her up, and that’s not a hard thing to see. To “Rude and Crude,” if you read the column, we’re not big fans of TNA right now. We used to think the product was great, but lately it hasn’t been all that great…so yeah. And thanks to “The Horrible Fanfare” and “17” for agreeing about Koslov. Anyway, thanks for the comments, and leave more so we can continue to debate!