There’s lots to discuss in this week’s Gimme Five but this time we’re doing it with a twist: True or False?
Our contributors will be faced with five statements to which they must respond either “True” or “False”. There’s no room for shades of grey in this week’s answers.
Dean Ambrose has possession of the WWE World Heavyweight Championship belt but will he legitimately hold the title by the end of the year? TNA’s facing stiff competition from ROH in the United States – has ROH emerged as the number two promotion?
Join us for this special “True or False?” edition of Gimme Five.
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1. Dean Ambrose will legitimately win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship before the end of 2015.
David:
True – look at the reaction he got at Elimination Chamber! The money’s in the chase, but Ambrose should have caught Rollins by the end of the year.
Mike:
True. But only if it suits the long term plans for Roman Reigns. If I was booking, I’d have Ambrose win the title from Rollins and let Reigns use his Money in the Bank shot (he’s going to win it, right?) to turn monster heel by knocking him out just moments after. That would be awesome.
Grady:
True. The crowd went crazy, it was almost like WWE was teasing and testing us. The crowd loved the idea and I think WWE will go forward with it sooner rather than later.
Corey:
True. Ambrose has been a heavy crowd favourite for a long time but with Rollins’ WWE title on his shoulder he’s proving he’s worthy to hold the gold.
Clint:
True. I’m not completely convinced the Roman Reigns experiment is over, but if WWE are smart they will put the belt on Ambrose next. He’s extremely over with the fans, is better in the ring and cuts promos a million times better.
Steve:
False. Only if Reigns gets hurt will they change their plans a second time. I’d love to see him take the strap but I think he’s another guy that’ll have to wait for someone else to step aside, despite getting amazing reactions.
2. With its television show now airing on Destination America, the same channel as Impact Wrestling, ROH has overtaken TNA as the number two promotion in America.
David:
True. ROH now has a stronger television and pay-per-view presence than TNA in the United States. TNA may still be a bigger promotional globally (with a strong presence in India and the United Kingdom) but when it comes to the US—and even here in New Zealand—ROH has stepped up to take the silver medal.
Mike:
True. I think the distance between WWE/NXT and everyone else is so big that the rest are fighting for scraps. The issues TNA are having with selling their television show is indicative that people aren’t that interested and that ROH has moved up.
Grady:
True. I don’t religiously watch either, but I don’t think ROH has taken a step up – more TNA has taken a step down and ROH just took over the spot they had.
Corey:
True. ROH has been the best in pure wrestling for over 13 years and it’s about time they got on cable TV. There have been rumours of TNA’s slow death with their impending cancellation so I’d say that ROH is indeed number two in the US.
Clint:
False. While I prefer ROH over TNA, I have say that right now TNA is still number two. They have a bigger following worldwide and Destination America pays for their television show, whereas they don’t for ROH. However, give it a few months and this will probably be a “True” as TNA’s days seem numbered.
Steve:
False. But give it a month or two, when they’ll probably be getting higher ratings than TNA, and it might be a different story.
3. Money in the Bank is too soon for a rematch between John Cena and Kevin Owens.
David:
False. Kevin Owens is red-hot right now, and he needs to be front-and-centre on as many events as possible. His match with Cena overshadowed both the Elimination Chamber matches during Monday’s special too, so they should be able to compete with the Money in the Bank Ladder Match.
Mike:
False. Let the momentum keep building. And I’m really interested in how this next match is going to go down. Clean finish for Owens in the first match means if Owens loses then it could halt his run. If Cena loses again to a pin? Then things are changing in the WWE world.
Grady:
False. They put on a hell of a show and they will put on another great showing at Money in the Bank.
Corey:
False. Owens and Cena’s match was so good it deserves to be seen again ASAP.
Clint:
True. What is there to gain from a rematch so soon? For Owens to kick Cena’s butt again? We know WWE doesn’t want that to happen. The only other outcome could be Cena getting revenge, but that would kill Owens’ aura in its tracks. Keep them apart for a while and do the inevitable Cena pay-off down the line.
Steve:
True. Let Owens enjoy his victory for a while longer. I hope the rematch isn’t marred with too many shenanigans.
4. Stone Cold Steve Austin will wrestle a match at WrestleMania 32.
David:
False. Austin’s semi-challenge to Brock Lesnar was certainly the most captivating part of the WWE Network special on Tuesday, but for now I don’t consider it anything more than a hypothetical scenario.
Mike:
False. It’s too much of a risk. I’m sure Stone Cold is champing at the bit for another match – but one wrong move, particularly if it’s against someone as stiff as Brock Lesnar, might end his life. As much as I’d love to see him back in the ring it’s just not worth it. Have him come out ringside. Throw some punches. Chug a beer. Get involved in it, for sure. But no match.
Grady:
False. It was a funny spot in the interview—they definitely teased it—but I just don’t think it will go ahead.
Corey:
False. It would be awesome for Stone Cold to have one last WrestleMania match but I just don’t see it happening.
Clint:
False. Austin knows he has no place in a wrestling ring other than the odd token appearance for cheap pops.
Steve:
True. Barring incident, we’re getting one more match out of The Rattlesnake.
5. Sami Zayn will be the next NXT talent to make the move to the main roster.
David:
False. Zayn looked to be on the fast-track to Raw or SmackDown before his shoulder injury, but now he’s going to be out of action for the next few months he’ll need to shake off some potential ring-rust by returning to NXT before he makes the eventual move up.
Mike:
True. He’s already been on Raw and I think with all the promotion NXT has done recently there needs to be a period of consolidation down there to ensure it retains its strong identity. When Zayn is back from injury he has the potential to go massive. If the injury keeps him out longer though, I wouldn’t be surprised to see someone like Finn Balor get a shot.
Grady:
False. NXT is making leaps and bounds, but while Zayn is injured surely another talent like Samoa Joe, Finn Balor, or Charlotte will move up while he is rehabbing.
Corey:
False. I feel that Sami will make his triumphant return to NXT before making his transition to the main roster.
Clint:
False. Given Zayn’s injury this an easy answer. But who will go up before him? Charlotte is one. Finn Balor is another. Balor is ready for the big show right now and that awesome entrance will be in front of the main WWE Universe before too long.
Steve:
False. He’s got months to rehab and then shake off ring rust. Someone else will have ascended (depending on your viewpoint) to the main roster by then.
