Wrestling Fact Or Fiction - February 10, 2012

Tossing Salt Presents: Wrestling Fact Or Fiction
February 10, 2012
Doug Maynard

Are you ready to do this one more time? It's time again for the wrestling column that calls it like it is, "Wrestling Fact or Fiction". I'm Doug and as usual, I'm joined by the baddest man on the planet, Mr. Russell Jackson. You know the drill, right? We take ten questions / statements about the "King of Sports" and decide if we agree with them or not by stating "Fact or Fiction". And then we explain why. Sounds easy enough, right? Of course it does. Now let's get to hopping because time is a'wasting. Let's do this...

Chris Jericho will be the next WWE Champion?

Russell - FICTION: I don't see Chris Jericho bein the WWE Champion in his fued against CM Punk...I seriously look for Jericho in stayin in the WWE long enuff to feud with CM Punk til WrestleMania XXVIII then takin time off, yet again, to tour with his metal band Fozzy when summer time comes around...

Doug - FACT: The only question is when will he win the title? Will Jericho win the Elimination Chamber match and enjoy a brief reign as the Champ until he's forced to defend the title against CM Punk at Wrestlemania or will Punk manage to squeak by and get through the Chamber only to lose the title to Jericho at the big show? Chris Jericho is only back in the WWE for a short run, based on what I've read, and has obligations with Fozzy for later in the year so I'm going to assume that it'll be Option # 1. Look for Jericho to kick ass and impress (or more likely pull an "Eddie Guerrero" and lie, cheat and steal) to get the WWE Championship at the Elimination Chamber. And then we get great promos, great back and forth games of "top this" and any and every possible scenario besides a one on one match for a month leading up to the biggest show of the year. And then CM Punk gets a "Wrestlemania moment" as he defeats Y2J to re-capture the WWE Championship. Works for me. Book it, Vince!

WWE was right to "suspend" Mark Henry indefinitely on Smackdown this past Friday?

Russell - FICTION: I can understand if Mark Henry needs to take time off to heal from injuries, but havin him get suspended indefinitely by the WWE makes no sense what-so-FREAKIN-ever...Leave it to those Jackasses that is the WWE Creative for ya...
Doug - FACT: The scenario is pretty stupid. Henry was suspended indefinitely for flipping Teddy Long's tie? "WHAT? WHAT?" (Don't what me!) Sorry, I was channeling "Little Jimmy" there for a moment. "WHAT?" So on RAW, you can physically abuse the GM all you want and there are no consequences, but on Smackdown, if you rough up the suit, you're suspended. Stupid booking!

Oh wait, I said I agreed with it, didn't I? The suspension is stupid, but I think there's a reason for this particular piece of fluff (as opposed to the tons of stupidity we're normally forced to endure, aka "Kane versus Cena", "Anonymous RAW GM's" and "Michael Cole" for examples. Mark Henry has been working injured for quite a while now with a pulled groin muscle and most recently a hyper-extended knee. He needs some time off to heal up a bit if he's going to be back in time for Wrestlemania (and let's face it, Henry has been a great monster heel all year and deserves a Wrestlemania paycheck.) So give Mark the time off to heal with a stupid "indefinite suspension". Then, when Mark has had a chance to heal up a little bit, he can come back (probably in about 2 - 3 weeks) and do something to someone and make an instant impact. When Teddy Long tries to complain and say that Mark isn't supposed to be there, due to his "suspension", Mark can use the argument that he went to the Board of Directors or Vince and had the "suspension" overturned precisely because it is for such a weak reason. Makes sense to me. Book it, Vince!

The WWE should bring back the Cruiserweight Division and Cruiserweight Championship?
Russell - FACT: The WWE should bring back the "Cruiserweight" Division but should call it the "Light-Heavyweight" Division...I personally never liked the term "Cruiserweight", the wrestlers that weigh less than 230 lbs are not vehicles...
Doug - FICTION: I'm torn on this one because I love the Cruiserweight wrestlers and the different styles that they bring to the ring and the WWE product. But it'd be hard to make the smaller guys stand out in today's WWE because the top guys (CM Punk, Daniel Bryan) are smaller guys. Plus the WWE doesn't know how to properly book a separate division and would just turn it into a joke in the long run (remember Hornswoggle as the last WWE Cruiserweight Champion?). Also, we don't need any more Championship titles in the WWE. There are too many already. If they want to hire more Cruiserweights and have great matches (let Dean Malenko and Jamie Noble do the booking for these matches), then that's great. But don't try to make it seperate part of the WWE. The WWE just never knows how to get that right.

You think the "farting jokes" involving Natayla are funny?

Russell - FICTION: I don't find it funny with "farting jokes" involving Natalya, especially when it's tryin to get her over with the crowd/fans...I really do believe that the WWE in general is really tryin to kill their core product...Get your WRESTLERS over with WRESTLING, NOT with something that can accidently happen at the spur of a moment's time...

Doug - FICTION: One time was funny. Two times was pushing it. Any more than that is just plain insulting to the fans intelligence and even more insulting to Natayla. I'm not sure who she pissed off to get stuck with this stupid ass schtick, but she's a beautiful lady, who also happens to be not only a third-generation superstar, but she can also wrestle as well as (and better than) most of the men on the roster. They need to build her, push her and use her as a star - not as a joke. It's just plain wrong!

Both CM Punk and Daniel Bryan will make it past The Elimination Chamber PPV with their titles intact?

Russell - FACT: In my opinion, I think both CM Punk & Daniel Bryan will make it past The Elimination Chamber PPV with their titles intact...CM Punk has been on runnin with the ball since winnin the WWE Championship at The Survivor Series 2011 PPV, I don't look for him to lose the title any time soon...Daniel Bryan has been holdin his own since winnin the World Heavyweight Championship from the Big Show at the TLC 2011 PPV...As much as I don't like his new character persona, I'll say that he'll retain the World Championship at the Elimination Chamber PPV only to lose it at WrestleMania XXVIII...
Doug - FICTION: I think Daniel Bryan will squeak by and keep the title because it wouldn't make sense for him to lose the belt yet. But as for CM Punk, as I explained earlier in the first question, the most logical booking from a storyline perspective, to give Punk a big time major league "Wrestlemania Moment", as well as allow the WWE to get the best out of Chris Jericho during his time in the WWE would be to have Jericho walk out with the belt at the Elimination Chamber and then have Punk as the challenger at Wrstlemania. It just makes more sense that way. Book it, Vince!

<<<--- SWITCHEROO --->>>

The TNA Impact Wrestling show from London, England was a step up from the usual TNA Thursday night shows?

Doug - FACT: It was a good show. The live crowd and big time arena feel really added to the show and made it look like a legitimate sports event. The crowd was hot all night and really into the matches and the wrestlers that worked on Impact seemed to feed off the crowd's energy and worked their asses off. Plus, TNA kept it simple with only a few things focused upon instead of the usual jumping around that they tend to do when working from Orlando and the Impact Zone. The technical aspect of the show wasn't quite as sharp, but everything else was on target and everyone at TNA should be proud. They put on a great show. Now if only they can keep it up... lol.

Russell - FICTION: I can't really say that it was a step up from the usual TNA Thursday night shows bein from London, England coz I haven't kept up with TNA's product in general...TNA's organization doesn't interest me...

Bobby Roode versus James Storm versus Jeff Hardy versus Bully Ray in a Fatal-4Way Match for the Impact World Championship is a good match to headline the upcoming TNA "Against All Odds" pay per view.

Doug - FACT: I prefer one on one matches to group events and I still don't personally feel that Jeff Hardy should be working main events for TNA just yet. BUT, that being said, these are four good workers. There's a lot of history here and it's honestly anyone's game who will walk out of the PPV with the World Championship. Will Storm have his moment? Can Roode trust Bully Ray? Is Jeff Hardy ready to be the Champ again? Will Roode manage to find a way to keep the gold? So many possibilities and that's what makes good wrestling matches. Plus, all four of these guys are on the ball these days and looking good. It'll be a good match and a fitting main event for the show. Book it, Vince (Russo)! ... lol.
Russell - FICTION: I've said it b4 & I'll say it again, Jeff Hardy has no business bein in a World Championship match for ANY organization after the turmoil he had caused not only himself, but for the TNA organization...They (TNA) need to find some other wrestler (AJ Styles for example) to take Jeff Hardy's spot in the TNA Championship match...

Ron Simmons is a good pick to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2012?

Doug - FACT: The first black man to be a World Champion, who was also a founding member of the Nation of Domination and the APA? Of course he's a good pick. I'm going to give the WWE credit here. With the entire WWE HOF Class of 2012, they've been on target and really bringing in some great and deserving names. True that there are still some major names missing (Bruno, Backlund, Savage, Elizabeth), but every name picked so far is just off the charts (Four Horsemen, Edge, Mil Mascaras, Yokozuna, Mike Tyson and now Ron Simmons) and there's not a bad name in the group. Of course, we still have a few more weeks and there's time for the WWE to drop a stinker in there, but so far, it's been a great list of deserving folks and to be honest, I'm looking more forward to the Hall of Fame Induction ceremonies right now than I am Wrestlemania. The choices and picks have been that good. And Ron Simmons belongs right on up there. I can't wait to hear his speech. He'll stand there for twenty minutes, just staring at the crowd and then... finally... just go "DAMN!" Works for me! Book it, Vince!

Russell - FACT: Considering that Ron Simmons is the first official African-American to win a recognized World Heavyweight Championship (WCW World Heavyweight Championship), I'd say that Ron Simmons is a good pick to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2012...

You are interested in the TNA "Against All Odds" pay per view coming up on Sunday?

Doug - FICTION: On paper, from what I've read, it looks like it'll be a solid pay per view effort by the men and women of TNA, but I rarely watch TNA's tv show (if I do, it's mainly for the purpose of this column) and I just really don't care about their pay per views either. I'll follow it on the computer because it's part of my job as a wrestling pundit, but that's honestly just about it.

Russell - FICTION: Read my response to "The TNA Impact Wrestling show from London, England" statement...

You agree that Beth Phoenix has run out of challenges as the WWE Divas Champion?

Doug - FICTION: Well, she still has Tamina to face. She still has her gassy tag team partner to face. And what about that big woman with the attitude who kicked ass at the Royal Rumble roughly a month after giving birth to a baby boy? (Congratulations to Kharma for that!) And after those names are used and abused, we still have Trish Stratus as part of the WWE roster. And I'm sure that there are a few ladies out there (Ivory, Lita) that would come back to WWE if someone gave them a call. So has Beth ran out of challenges? I don't think so. I think Beth is a great Divas Champion and a dominant wrestler, but even with just the few names I mentioned, I think her best is still yet to come. By the way, Beth versus Kharma at Wrestlemania? Book it, Vince!

Russell - FICTION: I don't agree that Beth Phoenix has run out of challenges as the WWE Divas Champion coz just like the TNA Organization, I'm not interested in the WWE Divas Division, period...

So there you go. We went 4 - 6 this time around, agreeing mostly towards the end, but starting off a little rough. Not a problem though - it's all good. My thanks once more to the true "Legend Killer" Russell Jackson for his help and participation each and every week in this little venture. I can honestly say that I look forward each week to getting that e-mail with his responses because I never, ever know what to expect, except for that Russ never holds back... and that is cool!

If you'd like to join the fun here and be a part of the Fact or Fiction posse, drop me a line at Doug28352@yahoo.com and you can join Russell and myself in disecting the world of pro wrestling each week and doing our best to make things right. Questions and comments can be sent to the same addy as well. And if you have the time, go check out my blog-site at www.tsfiction.blogspot.com. There's lots of good stuff (wrestling and otherwise) posted there. It's all things Dougie. Check it out!

Don't forget "Against All Odds" on Sunday night. And Happy Valentines Day (next Tuesday) as well. I hope that everyone manages to get plenty of loving. Have a great weekend and I'll catch you on the flip side. Back tomorrow with a new edition of "Tossing Salt - Worldwide News". Later gators!

Ubuntu!