Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeelcome to the 35th No Smark Zone. We have a hell of a show for you this week as we have everyone’s favorite FACT or FICTION. This time around we have the US Army’s best kept secret, Montana. Then, hailing from Puerto Cuba, or one of those countries who want to be part of the US, we have the man, the myth, the legend, SOULLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL brutha number one, Soulpower. We also have the always wise cracking PeepShow and the newest member of the NSZ FF round table, HHHforever. And then there’s me too! Ok so lets get on with the WRESTLEMANIA edition of Fact Or Fiction.
From the Money In The Bank ladder match, to the Big Show/Mayweather fight, all the way up to the big title matches, this is one of the least predictable WM's of all time.
PeepShow: Fiction To say this is unpredictable is quite absurd. Sure, there might be a few last second changes and a few upsets we may not have thought to happen, but when you take a gander down at the card, the only match that I see as really unpredictable at this point and time is MITB, even though I think Kennedy will walk away w/ it. The WWE Title match is coming down to obviously Cena and Trips, but I think Trips will more than likely get it. None of the other matches have that factor. Sure, like I said there may be a couple surprises, but nothing that I would call, unpredictable.
HHHforever: Fact, I really have no clue what's going to happen this weekend. In the triple threat I think it's consensus that HHH or Cena will win, but really no clear cut favorite in my opinion. The MITB is totally up for grabs I think and I'm expecting a surprise entry or something but I don't know who. Overall I'd say that this is an incredibly unpredictable card.
soulpower: Fact: Other than Taker vs Edge, and Bunnymania the matches are unpredictable. Granted, the MITB is only unpredictable due to Jeff's stupidity. The WWE title match is unpredictable because both Cena and HHH have a strong chance of walking out with the belt.
Montana: Fact. I actually think this is one of the more unpredictable WM's top to bottom. Generally you can predict all the matches except for maybe one. I think for the most part, these matches can go either way. The triple threat can go to either cena/hhh. The MITB is a toss up. Edge/Taker, there is a outside shot Edge could win. HBK/Flair many are predicting HBK, I dont think Flair is going to lose his last match. Big Show/Floyd, Its different now that Floyd is the heel, so that could go either way, although im thinking DQ.
Kaedon: FACT: I don’t care what anyone says, there is not ONE predictable match on the card. Edge has the best chance to end Takers streak, no one knows who will win the triple threat, and since Orton was treated like a bitch wrestling logic gives him a chance to win, even if he his fighting HHH and Cena. MITB is a toss up, and was even when Jeff was in it, despite what everyone else would have you think. The Big Show is the WWEs whore at Wrestlemania but I don’t see how he can be beat by some guy that I was bigger than in 7th grade. Flair/HBK is as up in the air as any of them. And who can really predict the winner of a 24 man Battle Royal? Besides Stu Finer of course….(And if you don’t know who that is, GO READ MY LAST COLUMN!!)
The WWE's use of Floyd "Money" Mayweather is the best use of a celebrity ever in the WWE.
PeepShow: Fiction While I will say this is imo probably the second best I have seen WWE use since I've been watching, I will go w the way Mike Tyson was used. You may say he wasn't utilized as much or whatnot, but the fact remains that at that time, he was so controversial. You can not begin to tell me that Mayweather is controversial. WTF has he done? Break Big Show's nose? The way Tyson came in and worked w/ the Austin/DX storyline was great. I didn't like to see him interfere in the ME of Mania, but for my money, it was better set up.
HHHforever: Fact, There's been a lot of great celebrity usage throughout the history of the WWE, but I think this one is really, really good. I like the David-Goliath type thing they're going with. Mayweather, as a heel, has been pretty natural on the mic. I really have no idea whether this match is going to be good or not, my guess is probably not that great, but the attention that it's been getting outside of wrestling has been great. That alone makes it probably the best use of a celebrity ever by the WWE.
soulpower: Fiction: You could say that Donald Trump last year was the best use of a celebrity (Hell, the buyrates reflect that). And you could say that Ali in the early years had the most impact in the business. Floyd's run has been a bit lackluster at times, and I see it as something that people will forget about in a couple of years. To add a bit more, if Floyd was such an important figure, WWE wouldn't have added other celebrities/pseudo celebrities like John Legend, Snoop, etc.
Montana: Fiction. He had a couple good promos, but i'd have to see WM before i can proclaim he is the best used celebrity. I actually really liked how they used Bob Uecker. I think Trump did a solid job. I really liked K fed, and i thought he could be a great manager. Mike Tyson was used well. The wwe genereally does a good job when they are shelling out the big bucks, but i think its too early to proclaim Floyd the best ever. His deal has included a lot of appearances, so that does his him a advantage.
Kaedon: PUSH: Its hard to say. It really is. I think they have used him very well and I think theor turning Big Show face and him heel was genius. And them using what appeared to be real life heat is even better. It really is almost perfect. But there have been a lot of other great uses of celebs. Tyson was controversial, but he didn’t do shit. The Donald and Vince getting his head shaved last year was pretty damn good and the fans sure loved it. And I will admit the things like money falling from the ceiling was a nice touch.
The WWE are wrong for forgoing the traditional one on one match as the main event at WM.
PeepShow: Fact I've always and will never be a fan of three ways or triple threats, if you will, at Mania. Mania is the biggest show of the year, and should come down to your 2 biggest stars. This years wasn't too bad of a setup for it, but the concept still just doesn't seem right.
HHHforever: Fact, I'd like to say that I really like this match and think it's going to be very good. However the reason why I feel that this is a fact is because of the absolute shit way that they've booked Orton in this match. If he wasn't walking around with the title you'd have no idea that he was the champion from the way he has been booked. I've said it before and I'll say it again, if they wanted Cena-HHH 2 then why not just do it? Because from the way this has been booked that's pretty much all it's been. I think it's going to be a great match, I'm just not a huge fan of how they've booked Orton, particularly having him tap to Flair last week.
soulpower: Fact: Its easier to build-up a one-on-one match than it is a triple threat. We've seen this year how one man in particular (Randy Orton aka the Champ) has been made to look like an afterthought during the build. Besides, its the biggest show of the year. It should be the two top guys going after the title. The extra man adds a dimension, but chances are that one guy will be knocked out for a long period of time while the other two continue slugging it out.
Montana: Fact: I guess we won't know for sure til the event, but i'd love to see Flair vs HBK close the show. I'd also rather see Taker vs Edge close the show. The Triple Threat isn't doing much for me. We've seen HHH/Cena/Orton battle so many times in singles matches, the main event doesnt mean much to me.
Kaedon: FICTION: What a surprise, Kaedon doesn’t go with the crowd. I really don’t think it is that big a deal for a few reasons. One, it’s something different. I know different doesn’t always equal good, but it is a nice change of pace. Another thing is that you have your two biggest stars and a heel the fans love to hate. Say you took one of the men out of it, say Cena. What would Cena then do? Money In The Bank? The Battle for Brand Supremacy? Maybe he could retire Ric Flair, but where does that leave HBK? The last time we had a triple threat, it was one of the greatest matches in the history of the PPV. I don’t think this one will be nearly as good form a workrate perspective, but the hot crowd is gonna make it a damn entertaining match.
There is not one match on the card that could be considered one of the greatest matches in Wrestlemania history.
PeepShow: Fiction You can't say that yet. Sure, you can say you don't think so, but until it is delivered, you can't truly judge that on the fact. You never know, the MITB match could pull off one of the greatest spots in the history of wrestling, or something to that effect, but until you see them, it's hard to judge. Of the matches that have that potential, I would go w/ MITB (obviously), and HBK/Flair.
HHHforever: Fiction, The main reason why I said that is because we haven't seen the matches yet. The triple threat will be great, so that has possibilities. Taker-Edge will be fantastic, both are great in the ring and in addition some type of history will be made. Either the streak will end or Taker will be 16-0. The MITB has a lot of great participants and a lot of guys that can really do some things in a ladder match so that one also has possibilities. Not to mention Flair-HBK, which I think will be the most memorable match of the night, maybe no the best work rate, but the most memorable. I don't think you can really say that there isn't a match that could be an all-time great without actually seeing it first, a lot of good possibilities on the card.
soulpower: Fact: Flair vs HBK is the only one with that potential, but that will be based on emotion and the fact that it might be Flair's match. Ultimately, I feel that the match will be remembered, but as a great moment and not as a great match. Edge vs Taker will be good, but there's no guarantee that both men will click. I will say that Finlay vs JBL is a dark-horse candidate because with the no-dq stip we might see a brutal slugfest between two of the toughest guys in the business.
Montana: Fact: You gotta figure, there is 24 WM's and probably over 200 matches. I can't see any these matches in the top 5, or top 10. We may see a top 20 match, but nothing is really standing out to me. I think HBK/Flair match has potential to be a very memorable match, but there is no telling how great this will be. I doubt it would be a top 10 match.
Kaedon: FICTION: It’s hard to tell. HBK and Flair has the potential to be one hell of a match and I think, hope, and believe that Edge vs. Taker could tear down the fucking house. As I said the 3 way might not be the best technical match, but with the crowd and all of the men’s mastery of psychology, it could be at least a great match on the night. The MITB match is guaranteed to at least be entertaining and I believe that Batista/Umaga could really surprise everyone, if given enough time.
The build up to this years Wrestlemania is some of the WORST in the history of the PPV.
PeepShow: Fiction I can say I have seen worse. The buildup for 22 for example was complete and utter shit besides Trips/Cena and parts of the Triple Threat. I guess you could throw in Foley/Edge, but it was nothing to get excited about at all. The point is, I have actually enjoyed parts of the past month. The Triple Threat Takeover was nice in some spots, the MITB stuff w/ Jericho and MVP and others was well done. The build for Show/Mayweather has been decent, and the Horny thing is hopefully coming to an end. Not the worst by far.
HHHforever: Faction, I think that although Orton has been booked horribly, they've done a good job building up the triple threat for the most part. Taker-Edge hasn't been built-up terribly, but it could be a lot better. Flair-HBK has been built up perfectly imo. The promo last week was great and they've done a good job with that one overall. They've also built-up the MITB very well, with the showcases, we've gotten some real good matches out of it. Where they've lacked is the utterly awful build up of the Umaga-Batista match, JBL-Finlay has also been terrible but I think that's because that story is going to die soon. So overall parts have been built-up well, other parts not so much.
soulpower: FACT:Again, Orton has been made almost irrelevant in the triple threat build. Edge vs Taker has been built up much like every other Taker match in his WM career. JBL vs Finlay has just been a stupid storyline all around. Umaga vs Batista didn't start getting any attention until two weeks ago. The ONLY match that has been built up properly is Shawn vs Flair and that's thanks in large part due to the greatness of both wrestlers. Other than that, the build-up has been terrible.
Montana: Fiction: This card has some pretty good depth. I like the HBK/Flair build up. The Big Show/Floyd build up is really good. The main events arent being hyped that much, but then again you dont really need to hype them as much. And again, im not a huge fan of the triple threat main event.
Kaedon: FACT: Oh man am I pissed about this. Especially when it comes to Taker/Edge. God damn it. I really feel the WWE just pissed away a great opportunity to have a genuine dream match with NO fucking build. There have been 4 matches that actually have had an interesting build, MITB, the triple threat, Big Show/Mayweather, and HBK/Flair. That’s it. Except for the last SD, the Taker/Edge build has been for shit and the build for Finlay/JBL and Batista/Umaga has been relatively non-existent
Alrighty then. That’s it. Everyone go out and enjoy the big show. And not the wrestler, he might eat you, I mean Mania. Make sure if youre going out to watch it you don’t drink and drive but you are allowed to drink and hit some guy in the bar with a stunner for looking at you funny! Don’t forget to go check out SP’s ECW Review and my Smackdown Review on this very forum. See ya next week!
From the Money In The Bank ladder match, to the Big Show/Mayweather fight, all the way up to the big title matches, this is one of the least predictable WM's of all time.
PeepShow: Fiction To say this is unpredictable is quite absurd. Sure, there might be a few last second changes and a few upsets we may not have thought to happen, but when you take a gander down at the card, the only match that I see as really unpredictable at this point and time is MITB, even though I think Kennedy will walk away w/ it. The WWE Title match is coming down to obviously Cena and Trips, but I think Trips will more than likely get it. None of the other matches have that factor. Sure, like I said there may be a couple surprises, but nothing that I would call, unpredictable.
HHHforever: Fact, I really have no clue what's going to happen this weekend. In the triple threat I think it's consensus that HHH or Cena will win, but really no clear cut favorite in my opinion. The MITB is totally up for grabs I think and I'm expecting a surprise entry or something but I don't know who. Overall I'd say that this is an incredibly unpredictable card.
soulpower: Fact: Other than Taker vs Edge, and Bunnymania the matches are unpredictable. Granted, the MITB is only unpredictable due to Jeff's stupidity. The WWE title match is unpredictable because both Cena and HHH have a strong chance of walking out with the belt.
Montana: Fact. I actually think this is one of the more unpredictable WM's top to bottom. Generally you can predict all the matches except for maybe one. I think for the most part, these matches can go either way. The triple threat can go to either cena/hhh. The MITB is a toss up. Edge/Taker, there is a outside shot Edge could win. HBK/Flair many are predicting HBK, I dont think Flair is going to lose his last match. Big Show/Floyd, Its different now that Floyd is the heel, so that could go either way, although im thinking DQ.
Kaedon: FACT: I don’t care what anyone says, there is not ONE predictable match on the card. Edge has the best chance to end Takers streak, no one knows who will win the triple threat, and since Orton was treated like a bitch wrestling logic gives him a chance to win, even if he his fighting HHH and Cena. MITB is a toss up, and was even when Jeff was in it, despite what everyone else would have you think. The Big Show is the WWEs whore at Wrestlemania but I don’t see how he can be beat by some guy that I was bigger than in 7th grade. Flair/HBK is as up in the air as any of them. And who can really predict the winner of a 24 man Battle Royal? Besides Stu Finer of course….(And if you don’t know who that is, GO READ MY LAST COLUMN!!)
The WWE's use of Floyd "Money" Mayweather is the best use of a celebrity ever in the WWE.
PeepShow: Fiction While I will say this is imo probably the second best I have seen WWE use since I've been watching, I will go w the way Mike Tyson was used. You may say he wasn't utilized as much or whatnot, but the fact remains that at that time, he was so controversial. You can not begin to tell me that Mayweather is controversial. WTF has he done? Break Big Show's nose? The way Tyson came in and worked w/ the Austin/DX storyline was great. I didn't like to see him interfere in the ME of Mania, but for my money, it was better set up.
HHHforever: Fact, There's been a lot of great celebrity usage throughout the history of the WWE, but I think this one is really, really good. I like the David-Goliath type thing they're going with. Mayweather, as a heel, has been pretty natural on the mic. I really have no idea whether this match is going to be good or not, my guess is probably not that great, but the attention that it's been getting outside of wrestling has been great. That alone makes it probably the best use of a celebrity ever by the WWE.
soulpower: Fiction: You could say that Donald Trump last year was the best use of a celebrity (Hell, the buyrates reflect that). And you could say that Ali in the early years had the most impact in the business. Floyd's run has been a bit lackluster at times, and I see it as something that people will forget about in a couple of years. To add a bit more, if Floyd was such an important figure, WWE wouldn't have added other celebrities/pseudo celebrities like John Legend, Snoop, etc.
Montana: Fiction. He had a couple good promos, but i'd have to see WM before i can proclaim he is the best used celebrity. I actually really liked how they used Bob Uecker. I think Trump did a solid job. I really liked K fed, and i thought he could be a great manager. Mike Tyson was used well. The wwe genereally does a good job when they are shelling out the big bucks, but i think its too early to proclaim Floyd the best ever. His deal has included a lot of appearances, so that does his him a advantage.
Kaedon: PUSH: Its hard to say. It really is. I think they have used him very well and I think theor turning Big Show face and him heel was genius. And them using what appeared to be real life heat is even better. It really is almost perfect. But there have been a lot of other great uses of celebs. Tyson was controversial, but he didn’t do shit. The Donald and Vince getting his head shaved last year was pretty damn good and the fans sure loved it. And I will admit the things like money falling from the ceiling was a nice touch.
The WWE are wrong for forgoing the traditional one on one match as the main event at WM.
PeepShow: Fact I've always and will never be a fan of three ways or triple threats, if you will, at Mania. Mania is the biggest show of the year, and should come down to your 2 biggest stars. This years wasn't too bad of a setup for it, but the concept still just doesn't seem right.
HHHforever: Fact, I'd like to say that I really like this match and think it's going to be very good. However the reason why I feel that this is a fact is because of the absolute shit way that they've booked Orton in this match. If he wasn't walking around with the title you'd have no idea that he was the champion from the way he has been booked. I've said it before and I'll say it again, if they wanted Cena-HHH 2 then why not just do it? Because from the way this has been booked that's pretty much all it's been. I think it's going to be a great match, I'm just not a huge fan of how they've booked Orton, particularly having him tap to Flair last week.
soulpower: Fact: Its easier to build-up a one-on-one match than it is a triple threat. We've seen this year how one man in particular (Randy Orton aka the Champ) has been made to look like an afterthought during the build. Besides, its the biggest show of the year. It should be the two top guys going after the title. The extra man adds a dimension, but chances are that one guy will be knocked out for a long period of time while the other two continue slugging it out.
Montana: Fact: I guess we won't know for sure til the event, but i'd love to see Flair vs HBK close the show. I'd also rather see Taker vs Edge close the show. The Triple Threat isn't doing much for me. We've seen HHH/Cena/Orton battle so many times in singles matches, the main event doesnt mean much to me.
Kaedon: FICTION: What a surprise, Kaedon doesn’t go with the crowd. I really don’t think it is that big a deal for a few reasons. One, it’s something different. I know different doesn’t always equal good, but it is a nice change of pace. Another thing is that you have your two biggest stars and a heel the fans love to hate. Say you took one of the men out of it, say Cena. What would Cena then do? Money In The Bank? The Battle for Brand Supremacy? Maybe he could retire Ric Flair, but where does that leave HBK? The last time we had a triple threat, it was one of the greatest matches in the history of the PPV. I don’t think this one will be nearly as good form a workrate perspective, but the hot crowd is gonna make it a damn entertaining match.
There is not one match on the card that could be considered one of the greatest matches in Wrestlemania history.
PeepShow: Fiction You can't say that yet. Sure, you can say you don't think so, but until it is delivered, you can't truly judge that on the fact. You never know, the MITB match could pull off one of the greatest spots in the history of wrestling, or something to that effect, but until you see them, it's hard to judge. Of the matches that have that potential, I would go w/ MITB (obviously), and HBK/Flair.
HHHforever: Fiction, The main reason why I said that is because we haven't seen the matches yet. The triple threat will be great, so that has possibilities. Taker-Edge will be fantastic, both are great in the ring and in addition some type of history will be made. Either the streak will end or Taker will be 16-0. The MITB has a lot of great participants and a lot of guys that can really do some things in a ladder match so that one also has possibilities. Not to mention Flair-HBK, which I think will be the most memorable match of the night, maybe no the best work rate, but the most memorable. I don't think you can really say that there isn't a match that could be an all-time great without actually seeing it first, a lot of good possibilities on the card.
soulpower: Fact: Flair vs HBK is the only one with that potential, but that will be based on emotion and the fact that it might be Flair's match. Ultimately, I feel that the match will be remembered, but as a great moment and not as a great match. Edge vs Taker will be good, but there's no guarantee that both men will click. I will say that Finlay vs JBL is a dark-horse candidate because with the no-dq stip we might see a brutal slugfest between two of the toughest guys in the business.
Montana: Fact: You gotta figure, there is 24 WM's and probably over 200 matches. I can't see any these matches in the top 5, or top 10. We may see a top 20 match, but nothing is really standing out to me. I think HBK/Flair match has potential to be a very memorable match, but there is no telling how great this will be. I doubt it would be a top 10 match.
Kaedon: FICTION: It’s hard to tell. HBK and Flair has the potential to be one hell of a match and I think, hope, and believe that Edge vs. Taker could tear down the fucking house. As I said the 3 way might not be the best technical match, but with the crowd and all of the men’s mastery of psychology, it could be at least a great match on the night. The MITB match is guaranteed to at least be entertaining and I believe that Batista/Umaga could really surprise everyone, if given enough time.
The build up to this years Wrestlemania is some of the WORST in the history of the PPV.
PeepShow: Fiction I can say I have seen worse. The buildup for 22 for example was complete and utter shit besides Trips/Cena and parts of the Triple Threat. I guess you could throw in Foley/Edge, but it was nothing to get excited about at all. The point is, I have actually enjoyed parts of the past month. The Triple Threat Takeover was nice in some spots, the MITB stuff w/ Jericho and MVP and others was well done. The build for Show/Mayweather has been decent, and the Horny thing is hopefully coming to an end. Not the worst by far.
HHHforever: Faction, I think that although Orton has been booked horribly, they've done a good job building up the triple threat for the most part. Taker-Edge hasn't been built-up terribly, but it could be a lot better. Flair-HBK has been built up perfectly imo. The promo last week was great and they've done a good job with that one overall. They've also built-up the MITB very well, with the showcases, we've gotten some real good matches out of it. Where they've lacked is the utterly awful build up of the Umaga-Batista match, JBL-Finlay has also been terrible but I think that's because that story is going to die soon. So overall parts have been built-up well, other parts not so much.
soulpower: FACT:Again, Orton has been made almost irrelevant in the triple threat build. Edge vs Taker has been built up much like every other Taker match in his WM career. JBL vs Finlay has just been a stupid storyline all around. Umaga vs Batista didn't start getting any attention until two weeks ago. The ONLY match that has been built up properly is Shawn vs Flair and that's thanks in large part due to the greatness of both wrestlers. Other than that, the build-up has been terrible.
Montana: Fiction: This card has some pretty good depth. I like the HBK/Flair build up. The Big Show/Floyd build up is really good. The main events arent being hyped that much, but then again you dont really need to hype them as much. And again, im not a huge fan of the triple threat main event.
Kaedon: FACT: Oh man am I pissed about this. Especially when it comes to Taker/Edge. God damn it. I really feel the WWE just pissed away a great opportunity to have a genuine dream match with NO fucking build. There have been 4 matches that actually have had an interesting build, MITB, the triple threat, Big Show/Mayweather, and HBK/Flair. That’s it. Except for the last SD, the Taker/Edge build has been for shit and the build for Finlay/JBL and Batista/Umaga has been relatively non-existent
Alrighty then. That’s it. Everyone go out and enjoy the big show. And not the wrestler, he might eat you, I mean Mania. Make sure if youre going out to watch it you don’t drink and drive but you are allowed to drink and hit some guy in the bar with a stunner for looking at you funny! Don’t forget to go check out SP’s ECW Review and my Smackdown Review on this very forum. See ya next week!
