It’s the last Gimme Five of the month, so we’ve put together a special “true or false” edition.
All our contributors were faced with five statements, then asked to respond with either “true” or “false” and elaborate as necessary.
Is Daniel Bryan versus Triple H the most interesting match on the WrestleMania XXX card?
Will this year’s match against Brock Lesnar be Undertaker’s last?
Should Scott Hall go into the Hall of Fame as Razor Ramon?
And, is it fair to say the New Zealand wrestling scene has never been better?
1. Daniel Bryan vs. Triple H is the most interesting match on the WrestleMania XXX card.
Craig:
False. The Divas match is more interesting because it’s a lock Daniel Bryan will be in the main event whereas AJ should win the Divas match but there’s no guarantee. WWE has to pull the trigger on Bryan or feel the wrath of 70,000 fans. If Bryan doesn’t win, expect a reaction worse than the end of the Royal Rumble and the Goldberg vs. Lesnar match at WrestleMania XX combined. You can’t have that to close out an event where a face generally goes over to close the show.
Blake:
True. Not only has this match got the biggest star in WWE right now, but everybody is investing in Triple H’s failure. Furthermore, the result of this match impacts what should be the biggest match of the year: WrestleMania XXX’s main event.
Dion:
True. Although you’d have to put your money on D-Bry, the pessimist in me does wonder if Trips is going to leave New Orleans as WWE World Heavyweight Champion. You can’t deny it’s possible.
David:
True. Batista and Randy Orton are such afterthoughts at the moment, and the result of Brock Lesnar vs. Undertaker is such a foregone conclusion that Bray Wyatt vs. John Cena is the only competition for Bryan and Triple H. As good as Cena and Wyatt may be, it doesn’t really mean anything in the long-run, whereas Bryan vs. Triple H is the match that dictates which direction WWE goes in for the rest of the year.
Stevie:
True. I came here to say of course it’s not, as nothing about Triple H has been interesting since 2001… then realised that it is. Which says a lot about the rest of the card. A lot. Given that a couple months back, WWE.com booked their dream card for WrestleMania XXX from the current roster and it was amazing, it’s a real shame.
2. This year’s WrestleMania match against Brock Lesnar will be The Undertaker’s last.
Craig:
False. At some stage he will have to face Cena and that is certifiable box office gold. A license to print money which would easily dwarf the record-breaking Rock/Cena.
Blake:
False. Although I really would rather Undertaker stop considering his age, I don’t think I match against Lesnar could really be called his final masterpiece.
Dion:
False. But the end is nigh.
David:
False. Those Sting rumours will never die, and a match with John Cena has got to be on the cards before Undertaker hangs up his boots. That looks like to be two years at most left though.
Stevie:
False. Unless Undertaker chooses to hang it up, or gets permanently injured, we still have to get through Sting and Cena.
3. You’ll be watching one of the independent events (Dragon Gate USA, EVOLVE, Ring of Honor etc.) held over WrestleMania weekend.
Craig:
False. I have a life.
Blake:
False. Although I would absolutely love to, I’m simply not invested enough in American independent wrestling to pay the extra money.
Dion:
False. I do love the fact that WrestleMania weekend has become such a big deal amongst other promotions. Personally, I’m not interested in the smaller promotions, though I’m sure the action will be incredible.
David:
True. I’ll be there in person for both ROH and SHIMMER, and I could very well end up ordering either the DGUSA or EVOLVE iPPV events when I get back to New Zealand the way those cards are shaping up.
Stevie:
False. I have no time, sadly.
4. It makes sense to induct Scott Hall into the WWE Hall of Fame as Razor Ramon.
Craig:
False. He’s ahead of Macho Man and Honky Tonk Man? Come on! Scott Hall should be inducted alongside Kevin Nash as The Outsiders and then they induct Razor Ramon.
Blake:
True. Razor Ramon was when Scott Hall was at his peak: he was a worthy champion, unbelievably over, made being The Bad Guy ‘cool’, and was a truly talented wrestler. While we’ll never forget the name Scott Hall, we’ll forever love the name Razor Ramon.
Dion:
False. Hall made more of an impact on the business in WCW than he did as Razor – as great as the character was. It’s an interesting decision. Either way, it’s great that he and Jake are getting an acknowledgement.
David:
False. Mick Foley didn’t go in as Cactus Jack last year, so why put Scott Hall in under a gimmick name? Razor Ramon only existed for four years, whereas Scott Hall has publicly been part of the wrestling landscape since 1996. It’s good to have him in there, but confusing to do it in this way.
Stevie:
True. You want to leave the NWO open for later, without technically having double honours for someone like they did with Flair. Also, it’s a tribute to that character he portrayed, given the footage in the highlight video only showed that run.
5. The New Zealand wrestling scene has never been better.
Craig:
True. I have limited knowledge of the scene but I absolutely love going along to the Lynfield Recreation Centre and was really disappointed I couldn’t go last week but I had a work commitment. My daughter loves it too.
Blake:
True. Although I do feel this is a bit uneducated, I feel that New Zealand wrestling talent is popping up in tremendous ways throughout the entire country. Granted, we have had the likes of Ric Flair in New Zealand before, but he was still an international star. The New Zealand wrestling scene, the home-grown talent, is about to explode.
Dion:
True/False. A little from column A, a little from column B. To be fair, I’ve been removed from the scene for the last year, but the way I see it, the scene is in a bit of a rebuild phase at the moment. The new generation is coming through strongly though. There is some serious talent on the horizon and it looks like the boots of those who have gone will be filled soon enough.
David:
True. It’s been bigger before, but if you look at the quality of the events being put out by the main promotions, the New Zealand wrestling scene right now is competitive with any other era. Add to that the global expansion we’ve got going on, with more and more New Zealanders getting overseas experience which they then bring back into the country, and things are looking very good indeed.
Stevie:
True. I pretty much echo Dion and David here. There’s definitely a lot of talent emerging and thriving across the country with many promotions and regular shows.
