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Submitted by SkittleZ on Tuesday, November 11, 2008 at 6:27 AM EST
 What's up homies. We're back with the November edition of LOP's Fact or Fiction! The tradition is alive and well. Some no names are getting their chance to shine in the limelight and might I add how damn generous I am. MavsMan is making his second appearance in F or F while LOP original XanMan rounds out this bunch with some respect and credibility. If you're a stranger to these parts, allow me to explain how we run things around here. These five lame duck columnists... er I mean four (my apologies Xan) will be faced with the complicated task of answering five mind bending questions which pertain to professional wrestling. They must decide whether the statement is 'FACT' or 'FICTION' and then defend it with a detailed explanation. Need I say more? Probably... but I really don't feel like it. Entering the fray are... XanMan author of The Northern Star Ghost author of Ghost in the Machine MavsMan author of Nothing but Net Sean moderator of the Insert Coin ds69100 author of Hot Off The Shooting Star Press ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ FACT or FICTION: Megashows such as RAW's 15 Year Anniversary Special and 800th Episode help draw uninterested fans back into watching the product. (XanMan) This would be a difficult question to answer, if I were an uninterested fan, but considering that I've been growing into a harsher and harsher critic of the b.s. that the WWE has given us lately, it really isn't. This show didn't draw me back in at all, until the main event. Adamle's resignation, Orton's sudden reinstatement, the divas match, the I-C Title #1 Contender's battle royal, etc. only bored me and half the show seemed like an advertisement for WWE 24/7. The DX segment was pretty funny, and the cage match was epic. Other than that? Wah-wah. I'm going to say FICTION, because if they think the way to draw fans back in is to do swerves that make no sense and re-team old teams for one night only, they need to do some more thinking. (Ghost) While those special shows may draw in some uninterested fans, I believe the majority of uninterested fans do not tune into some special episode like the 800th celebration. Therefore, I'll have to say FICTION. I say this as a fan that currently has a loss of interest in the product WWE is putting out. If you're a fan who’s not interested, you probably still keep an eye on things to see if there is an improvement and/or something that sparks your interest. Unless you're a relatively new fan who has lost interest, you pretty much know what to expect from the special WWE shows... be it a special RAW, Smackdown or Saturday Night's Main Event. The ratings for these shows do not indicate that uninterested fans are tuning in. (MavsMan) I’m going to assume that by “uninterested fans” the meaning is meant to be people that were once regular viewers of WWE programming but for one reason or another stopped watching. On the one hand, these shows often have a nostalgic theme to them, which could appeal to those who pine for the wrestling of yonder years. On the other hand, if the viewer stopped watching wrestling years ago, what about today’s product is going to KEEP them watching after the nostalgia wears off? Why should the viewer feel inclined to come back the next week, or the week after that? I cannot come up with an answer to either of those questions, so I must say FICTION. (Sean) FICTION. In a time where the internet rules all, and smarks are being born every eleven seconds, those who are uninterested in the product probably won't get into it again. Those that do, are only doing it for nostalgia's sake, and will most likely drift away from it again. It's the sad circle of professional wrestling fanhood. (ds69100) Do Megashows bring back uninterested viewers? I would have to say FACT on the basis that i would maybe watch a show that i had not followed for a few years if i knew it was a special addition or i was gonna see an old character make a cameo, but i would imagine the returning viewers would stay uninterested after watching the 800th show. They would have seen Adamle totally fucking up on the mic again and some awful Kung Fu Naki segment. That was embarrassing to watch. So if WWE is hoping to draw back some fans through these shows, they need to make them solid. FACT or FICTION: When it's all said and done, Jeff and Matt Hardy will be better remembered for individual accomplishments rather than their success as a tag team. (Ghost) This is somewhat hard to say definitively. When you look back now at least, the Hardy Boyz were such a great tag team. Along with Edge and Christian, they really raised the bar for great tag team wrestling, be it cage matches, ladder matches, or TLC matches. They were tag team wrestling for a while there. Throughout the time they have been singles competitors, Jeff Hardy has been involved in far more memorable matches and feud than has his brother Matt. As iffy as I am on Matt Hardy every experiencing great success as a singles wrestler, I'm going to say FACT almost entirely because of Jeff Hardy. Matt is the ECW Champion, and that doesn't seem to mean much outside of having the silver belt on WWE's C show. Matt is an excellent wrestler though, and there's no denying the fans love him, so it is entirely possible that he could become a main eventer himself before it's all said and done. I wouldn't be super shocked to see Matt Hardy win the big title one day down the road, but at the same time, I wouldn't hold my breath for it either. Jeff Hardy has been involved in some really great matches as a singles competitor, is quite possibly the most over guy on Smackdown, and unless he screws up again, he's no doubt a guy on the verge of winning the big one. The sky is limit for Jeff Hardy in a way where I think the only thing that can hold him back and prevent him from getting to the next level is himself. I believe when the careers of the Hardy's are over, fans will most likely remember their individual success, or failures, over that of their team days. (MavsMan) FACT. The future is bright for these two wrestlers. Matt is currently the main champion of a brand (ECW is a brand. I know, I was surprised to learn that too). Jeff has shown a knack for garnering crowd support, and it is my belief that by the end of 2009 he will have been WWE (or World Heavyweight) Champion. Maybe from cashing in a certain briefcase from a certain WrestleMania event… Regardless, I feel that when all is said and done, both Matt and Jeff’s singles accomplishments will outweigh what they did together. That isn’t to say that they won’t be remembered together. I am still able to associate HBK with Marty Jannetty and Edge with Christian. But I think I’ll remember Jeff more for being WWE champion than for being one half of the tag team champions.  (Sean) I'm going to have to say FACT for this one. The Hardyz are multiple time tag team champions. True, they have had multiple singles titles, but what is one feud that sticks out most for you? Jeff vs The Undertaker was a great one, and sure enough Jeff vs Trips is great. Matt is slowly fizzling into nothingness. A feud against Mark Henry? Lame. I could think of a few great matches that they have had back in the day. The first match that comes to mind is the Triangle Ladder match at WrestleMania 2000 in which the Hardyz were pit against The Dudley Boyz and E&C. That match, and all the other TLC/Ladder matches they have been in, will always live on in my memory and other fans' memories as the greatest ladder matches in history. (ds69100) I think this question has a lot of relevance right now, due to the fact that i think they are both at the point in their singles career where the next 2 years will define there legacy in the business. If both guys stopped now i think we could all say that they underachieved in their singles careers but were one of the great tag teams, However (Jeff Hardy Fucking up withstanding) i think they both will flourish over the next couple of years and cement their places in singles competition history. So i say FACT to that. (XanMan) This statement is absolute FICTION. Both are pretty good single's wrestlers, and it's even possible that they will become the first brothers to have each held World Titles in the WWF(no, the ECW one doesn't count,) but the are a legendary tag team, and I don't see either of them making it to that level as professional wrestlers. Matt is a steady performer, but doesn't seem like he's ever going to rise above that level. Jeff is amazingly talented, but seems to be a ticking time bomb outside the ring. No, I'm afraid this duo's exploits as a tag team will forever overshadow what they do as singles, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. FACT or FICTION: TNA is evolving into a mirror image of WCW during its' latter years. (Mavsman) I never watched WCW. FACT because that’s what SkittleZ told me to say. (Sean) As someone who never watched WCW, I am unqualified to answer this with complete knowledge. However, I will say FICTION due to the fact that I am a huge TNA mark, and from what I do know about WCW, TNA is like it in a couple ways. Lame booking, terrible match ideas, and messed up stable pairings. (ds69100) I did try to watch TNA over the period of about 2 months. That is about 14 hours of my time that i will never get back. I don't watch it but am aware of who is in it and how it seems to operate. WCW never developed their own stars (Except Goldberg) and only pushed the ex WWE guys all the time, so if i had to make an uneducated statement it would be FACT. I believe they now have the main event mafia, with Nash, Angle and Sting. That says it all really about the direction of that company. (XanMan) Mirror image? No. If it was a mirror image, it would be vibrant, where WCW was nearly dead. It would be overrun with youth in prominent roles, whereas WCW failed to get their young guys over. What it is, right now, is almost an exact copy of what WCW was towards the end, right down to running a similar angle to the Millionaire's Club vs. New Blood that crashed and burned once Goldberg turned heel. The difference is that this one might actually head to conclusion and end up putting the "TNA Originals" on top. But, if you're really going to go with "mirror image," it's obviously FICTION. (Ghost) I only see pieces of TNA anymore, but I'm still going to have to say FICTION to this one. If anything, I see TNA as more 1994, pre-Hogan, WCW. Although that could just be the Impact Zone being compared with WCW's usage of MGM for Saturday Night. They have the talent, I would argue they have a better collection of talent than the latter years of WCW (which I'll consider late 1999-2001). Like WCW in 1994 and indeed in their latter days, TNA just lacks direction. Although the similarities are certainly there (God bless him, I think of WCW every time I hear David Penzer), TNA doesn't appear to be as far in the toilet as WCW was circa 2000. FACT or FICTION: WWE is content with Shelton Benjamin's role in the company and thus he will remain a solid midcarder for the remainder of his career. (Sean) FACT. Benjamin is an astonishing athlete, there is no doubt about it. The way he is being booked is great from a midcard position. He'll be around in the WWE for a long, long time. I also have no doubts that the WWE will give him a main event push in 2010, and he may just perhaps get a WWE title run. All he needs to do, is work on his mic skills, which have already been improving each time he's speaking. (ds69100) WWE tried to push Benjamin a few times in the past and it never quite happened for him. I think it is his total lack of charisma that holds him back. It now seems to me though that they are happy with his Gold standard gimmick. It won't ever sell out arenas or anything but it gives one of the best athletes in the business the time in the ring to do what he does best. So again i say FACT. I seem to be saying that to everything. He won't ever get higher than a solid mid carder. (XanMan) As much as I wish this were fiction, it's probably FACT, and thus ends the streak. I love Sudden Shelton, and I wish the WWE viewed him the same way I do, but wish in one hand and shit in the other and see which one fills up first. It's certainly possible that Benjamin will get a World Title run as a kind of lifetime achievement award the way Benoit and Guerrero did, but other than that he's stuck as a midcarder, and after the spots he's blown when given opportunities to move up, it's probably justified.  (Ghost) I'm a big mark for Shelton Benjamin, so it pains me to say this, but I'm going to have to go with a big FACT on this one. And that's a damn shame too, because Benjamin is an extremely gifted athlete and is capable of putting some great matches. He has been with the company since 2002 though, and whatever push he seemed to be getting recently was killed by the arrival of R-Truth. I don't see WWE ever elevating him up the card any, although they may use him from time to time to put over some main eventers. He will be midcard throughout his WWE career, without a doubt. (MavsMan) Shelton Benjamin is, to borrow from Dr. Evil a little bit “You're quasi-(entertaining). You're semi-(entertaining). You're the margarine of (entertaining). You're the Diet Coke of (entertaining). Just one calorie, not (entertaining) enough.” I feel that this is how Vince and the WWE creative staff view Shelton. For as solid of a wrestler as he is, the man can put me to sleep with his promos. The charisma just isn’t there. So to the question, I say FACT. He’s a solid option to hold a mid-card title where his flaws as an entertainer aren’t as obvious or important, but he doesn’t have the “It” factor to make it to the main event level. All in my humble opinion of course. FACT or FICTION: Shane and Stephanie McMahon have learned enough to keep the WWE afloat for several years once Vinnie Mac steps down or passes away. (ds69100) Who really knows the answer to that? From what i hear it is Stephanie that would step in to the big mans shoes if he popped his clogs or stepped down. If that were to happen i would worry about the future of the company. I don't really have any evidence as to why i feel that way but i just do. However with the team that WWE has in place throughout management i am sure that Shane and Steph could make it work. So once again i say FACT. (XanMan) That's the granddaddy question of them all when it comes to the future of "entertainment," isn't it? There's no real way to know the answer, either, because we haven't seen a time where Vince McMahon was incapacitated and someone else had to man the ship. I would guess that growing up in the company was a great learning experience, and both of them have been given responsibilities in different areas of the company, so they likely know enough to keep it going for at least a few years. The question, however, says "several," though, and while there's no way to know that, my gut says that may not be possible even with Vince still running things, so I'm going to say FICTION. (Ghost) This one is easy, FACT. WWE is such a huge company now and have so many business intelligent people working for them, it would be ridiculous I think to assume that WWE would crash if Vince stepped down or died. Shane and Stephanie, with the help of numerous folks backstage, will do just fine when they take over; whether they control the company together or one controls it over the other. WWE will do just fine without Vince McMahon, and I would argue that Shane McMahon at least appears to be a little more logical and reason headed, so things would likely be better under his control. Just let the writers write and the wrestlers wrestle, and it will be just fine. (MavsMan) FACT. Mainly because there will be two of them to fill Vince’s might shoes. Linda will also be there to help out with the business decisions. Shane is already a big part of the WWE corporate world, and Stephanie is plenty involved in the creative decisions. I don’t think there will be that big of a problem when Vince moves on. In fact, I’m curious to see just how much the product will change. Will the product be better? Worse? Only time will give us the answer. (Sean) Shane is, essentially Vinnie Mac Jr. So this gets a nice juicy FACT straight from the oven. Shane has proven many times that he is capable of such a task. While I do have my doubts about Stephanie's ability to keep WWE afloat, with Trips (who'll probably do a lot of the work, given his "OMGZORZ TRIPS RUNZ RESTLENG!" reputation) and Shane-O at the helm, I actually see the WWE being run a lot smoother when daddy steps down or passes. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ Well the fun is over for now, kiddies. Time to pack up your belongings and head home. Hopefully, you enjoyed this latest installment of Fact or Fiction. These guys aren't the only talented homosexuals around here. They've made their names in a pretty popular place. It's called the LOP Columns Forum. Perhaps you've heard of it. That's where me, Xan, MavsMan and the entire Main Page roster come from. The stuff of legends is created in that forum I kid you not. So do yourself as well as them a favor and go check out the abundance of columns floating around in there. As for this column, don't forget to hit these five up and tell them what you thought of their overwhelming inputs. Did they convince you? Did they disgust you? Voice your opinions by dropping them an email or two. Click Here to Email XanMan (just please excuse the aggravation) Click Here to Email Ghost (who vanished from the Columns Forum as quickly as he appeared) Click Here to Email MavsMan (though he might be busy getting an education) Click Here to Email Sean (he actually paid me for some Main Page exposure) Click Here to Email ds69100 (who's probably slacking off at work as we speak)
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