Wrestling Fact Or Fiction
January 10, 2014

It’s the second week of the new year and it’s time to do that infamous “Wrestling Fact Or Fiction” thing. A big shout out to my best friend and little bro, the original “Smooth Operator”, K-Mak, who turns 23 today. Happy Birthday bro… I love ya! And now, back to the column. The first eight questions came from 411mania.com/wrestling. The last six came from deep within my head. And all of the answers are just me, cause that’s what I do. Let’s do this.

1. If the Undertaker wants to face Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania, WWE should honor that request.

FACT: At this point, Undertaker knows his character better than anyone. He also knows better than anyone what he’s capable of still doing in the ring and who he could have the best possible match against, but with the least possibility of getting seriously injured in the process. He’s the freakin’ Undertaker and of all the WWE alumni, he’s the man who should have the most say in his career, apart maybe from HHH. He wants Daniel Bryan, then give him Daniel Bryan. It’s definitely what’s best for business.

2. Even with two title changes in the last month, you aren’t that interested in the current TNA X-Division.

FACT: It used to be one of the best parts of TNA< but bad booking and lack of attention or direction from the TNA powers that be have made it into just a weak joke compared to what it once was. They crippled it and there’s little to no chance of any kind of miracle revivial at this point.

3. WWE is making the right move by airing Chris Benoit footage in the future, since they will run an advisory before the show including the footage.

FACT: Like it or not, Chris Benoit is a big part of the WWE (and WCW) timeline and history and when they leave him out, it leaves a big hole in the stories and a big void. It’s impossible to do anything about the Horsemen’s last few years or the WWE during the early 2000’s without featuring Benoit. This warning label and then show the footage is probably the best way to go.

4. With Batista’s inclusion in this year’s Royal Rumble, this is the most interesting the match has been in years.

FICTION: I’ve always liked and been interested in the Royal Rumble, but so far as Batista goes, he’s never been one of my big favorites. My interest in the Rumble has absolutely nothing to do with him or his presence. He’s just there.

5. With his TNA contract reportedly ending in eight months, and TNA looking to cut costs, Kurt Angle will leave TNA to work a part time schedule with WWE.

FACT: It’d be the best move for both him and the WWE if it works out this way. Angle still has a lot to offer, but he’s not capable these days of a full-time schedule. His best days are behind him and a part time schedule would allow him to be used as the big star he is, but keep him from being burned out as quickly or risking injury quite as badly. It’s a win – win deal and I hope it works out that way.

6. It would be “best for business” for Brock Lesnar to win the WWE World Title and, at least for a short time, work a more full time WWE schedule.

FICTION: Brock’s a good talent, but I think he works best in small doses and with his appearances spead out. Right now, everytime he shows up, he’s built to be a beast and a monster and can dominate and come across as fresh. If he works the full time schedule, it’s exposes his weaknesses and turns him into “just another guy”. That wouldn’t be good.

7. Considering how he has been booked over the last few years, Wade Barrett will not be with WWE at the start of 2015.

FICTION: He’ll still be around and be working the mid-card and used as an example of how NOT to book a good talent, joining the likes of Drew McIntyre, Zack Ryder, Heath Slater, and Justin Gabriel, all of whom were getting over at one point and looking great, building a strong fan base until killed by the so-called WWE Creative teams.

8. Jeff Jarrett trying to start a new wrestling promotion in 2014 is not a good idea.

FICTION: If Jeff can get the financial backing he needs and line up national TV, it’s as good a time as any. Jeff knows the business as well as anyone and better than anyone not named Vince. He’s a smart guy and would have a better chance than anyone to get a new promotion over. He proved with the experiment in India a couple of years ago that he knows what to do. Now he just has to do it.

9. You were surprised when Jake “The Snake” Roberts appeared at the end of RAW on Monday night?

FACT: I had no idea that Jake was there and to be honest, when he came out, I marked out like it was 1984 all over again. Jake looked great and it was a great moment for the WWE and for wrestling in general.

10. You plan on subscribing to the WWE Network when it begins in February?

FACT: For ten bucks a month, with access to all the old WWE, WCW and ECW pay-per views… I’d be a fool not to get it. It’s a wrestling fans dream come true. I just hope that they get to the regional stuff (Georgia, Mid-Atlantic, Florida, Mid-South, World Class and AWA) stuff soon.

11. The SHIELD will still be a faction after Wrestlemania XXX.

FACT: Despite all the teases and rumors to the contrary, I think there’s still a lot of life left in the SHIELD faction and the current threesome. Keep the teases and unrest coming, but in the end, they’re stronger together than apart and I think they should hold off on any split for at least until maybe Summerslam.

12. Using Ric Flair on RAW was an effective way to build towards the Orton / Cena match at the Royal Rumble.

FACT: Flair stayed on target (for the most part) and since he’s the former “mentor” for Orton, as well as a known John Cena fan, it was a good way to use him. His comments to Orton about defending the title 10 times a week was dead on and while I know that Flair was from a different era, it puts emphasis on how important those titles are and how a champion should be. The segment worked and helped build the match for Orton and Cena, while using Flair’s status as a legend and 16-time World Champion effectively. Good move by the WWE.

13. Kaitlyn leaving the WWE is a major blow to the Divas division.

FICTION: It’s a shame to see her go since she was actually turning into a semi-decent wrestler, but the Divas division isn’t what it once was or could be and unless your name is AJ or Bella or maybe Vickie, any role that the Divas have is generally limited and interchangable. The WWE scarcely noticed when Beth Phoenix and Kelly Kelly left. Think anyone really cares about Kaitlyn leaving? Think again.

14. You enjoyed the “Old School” edition of RAW this past Monday night.

FACT: I’m a big nostalgia guy and seeing the former stars and legends pop up from time to time makes me happy. Plus they actually used Flair, Piper and Roberts effectively in roles to promote the current storylines and feuds which was cool, plus the DDP / Booker / Simmons segment was funny. Kind of annoyed me when the fans picked Sgt. Slaughter (yawn) over Arn Anderson for the special referee spot, but it’s the WWE fans. Arn was known as “The Enforcer” so who better to be a special guest referee? I think the voting was rigged. Also would have liked to see an encounter between Irwin R. Schyster (IRS) and Bray Wyatt. That would have been a mark-out moment as well, but it never happened. Maybe next year. But aside from that, it was a good and fun night and I enjoyed it.

And there you go. That’s it for me today. Catch you on the flip side.

Ubuntu!