This Or That (1/27/2015)

Everybody loves binary decisions, especially wrestling fans! In This Or That, we’ve forced ourselves to choose between two options that relate to wrestling.

Over four questions, @TimWelcomed, @JoeySplashwater and @TomBlargh will have to choose one of two options and give their reasoning on each of their choices. You can then vote on which one you’d choose, giving you the false impression that you’re somehow involved and we care about your opinion chance to join the conversation!

Before we start, here’s last week‘s results:

More likely to have a great match at Wrestlemania 31?

Sting – 81%, Roman Reigns – 19%

Better Royal Rumble moment?

John Cena’s surprise return win at #30 – 56%, Shawn Michaels winning as #1 entrant – 44%

Better wacky Royal Rumble moment?

Maven eliminating Undertaker – 89%, Drew Carey’s Rumble appearance – 11%

Better ice cream flavor?

Vanilla – 62%, Chocolate – 38%

Better match: Nakamura vs. Ibushi at Wrestle Kingdom or Lesnar vs. Rollins vs. Cena at Royal Rumble?

Which early 2015 MOTY candidate was better?

Tim:

Both were great and I hate having to pick one. Lesnar vs Rollins vs Cena had me on edge. It was Rollins bringing out his best and showing he was a true star. It was Brock Lesnar showing that he is a monster and at the top of his game  it was… eh, well Cena was being Cena but that’s fine as the other two brought their absolute best. It was a near perfect storm.

 Nakamura vs Ibushi had incredible atmosphere. Two wrestlers with great chemistry went in with all they could muster and out on a spectacle on NJPW’s biggest stage. One of the best matches I’ve ever seen but I don’t think that eclipses the storytelling of WWE’s Beast vs Whiny Heel vs Hero. It’s just good stuff all around on both fronts.

Lesnar vs Rollins vs Cena at Royal Rumble

Joey:

This is the toughest question in the history of This Or That for me. I believe both of these matches were worlds better than anything in 2013 and 2014 so 2015 has already given us some treats.

My main memory of Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Kota Ibushi is watching with wide eyes at 5AM EST in absolute awe of what was happening causing my adrenaline to keep me up. My main memory of Seth Rollins vs. Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena was jumping out of my chair when Rollins nailed Lesnar with the briefcase setting up what was great false hope he’d win the title.

Those moments both represent everything pro wrestling should be about. Maybe it’s due to being more familiar with the American style/atmosphere but I’m going to lean towards the triple threat. Seth Rollins is someone I’ve believed in since the first day I saw a match of his almost a decade ago and seeing his star making performance just meant more to me. Emotional connections are a part of wrestling so due to that, I must select the WWE match.

Lesnar vs. Rollins vs. Cena at Royal Rumble

Tom:

TRAITORS! STRONG STYLE TRAITORS!

Nakamura vs. Ibushi at Wrestle Kingdom

[poll id=”119″]

Better Royal Rumble crowd: Pittsburgh in 2014 or Philadelphia in 2015?

Which of the last two Royal Rumble Pennsylvania crowds was better?

Tim:

I am fond of both but Philly was sure to make you know who they liked and who they didn’t. Not even The Rock could stop them from taking a stand against WWE’s inorganic bullshit and that’s nice. They made the actual Royal Rumble match worth staying tuned for after Bryan got eliminated.

Philadelphia in 2015

Joey:

This is a heartbreaking decision to choose one because both were perfect in every way. I think I’ll side with Philadelphia because it was tougher to pull off this year. Last year WAS Daniel Bryan’s year and anyone with half a brain could see that. To turn on Roman Reigns for a returning Bryan and forgotten Dolph Ziggler took a stronger crowd effort.

They also gave proper respect and appreciation to Seth Rollins, John Cena and Brock Lesnar when they put on a tremendous performance so they helped added to the good as well as the bad. And you don’t know how different crowds would have reacted to The Rock but Philly wins just for not letting WWE use a loved legend to manipulate them. Maybe Pittsburgh would have taken the bait? You just don’t know while Philly showed you.

Philadelphia in 2015

Tom:

It was fun seeing the crowd react to this year’s Rumble but there wasn’t the same purpose behind it as there was in 2014, so that’s why I’ll have to give it to Pittsburgh. Last year was the one time ol’ Vince Junior will ever bend to negative fan feedback and now we’re just going to have to take what he gives us for a while. Time to start kidding yourself that Roman’s not that bad! Good luck!

Pittsburgh in 2014

Which booed Royal Rumble wrestler(s) did you feel worse for: Rey Mysterio in 2014 or The New Day in 2015?

Have a heart.

Tim:

The New Day is full of great talent draped in a very McMahon garb. It is really sad but I like to hope the original jeers were for the gimmick and not the wrestlers. Smartest way for a crowd to handle it if that’s tge case? Well, probably not. The boos Kofi got when he entered the Royal Rumble were because he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I feel really bad for those guys. Rey Mysterio? He’s heard a lot of boos throughout his life even though I don’t always agree with why. He was fine.

The New Day

Joey:

I love all of these wrestlers so I feel just awful they were casualties in the storm of Vince McMahon vs. WWE fans. Rey Mysterio is the most under-appreciated wrestler of all time but he’s a first ballot HOFer who has been a babyface his entire career and is used to this in snarky cities. Plus he was #30 aka the “Daniel Bryan is not here” spot. I’m sure Mysterio was prepared and the boos to career status is not likely to effect him.

The New Day just are in a bad spot that hurts me to see them get torn apart by the crowd, mainly Kofi Kingston. That guy works hard, has great talent and got over huge the only time he was ever given a fair opportunity to grab the “brass ring” in WWE. Knowing how his career has gone and the way this gimmick is going just sucks.

The New Day

Tom:

Imagine how much it must hurt just for Rey to get out of bed after all those surgeries, he doesn’t need that abuse. The New Day are healthy young men, they can take a bit of stick.

Rey Mysterio

Who will win the Super Bowl: New England Patriots or Seattle Seahawks?

SPORTS!!!!

Tim:

I was raised in a very anti-Patriots household and as I’ve gotten older I actually can’t stand them on my own accord. I’ll fervently root for anyone who opposes them… except for Dallas. Fuck them too. I don’t watch or keep up with the NFL (or any other sport) as much as I once did but from what I’ve seen this year I’m completely okay with the Seahawks taking it.

Seattle Seahawks

Joey:

The Seattle Seahawks are the best NFL team I’ve seen in a few years and I love watching them play. Russell Wilson has already become my favorite NFL player of all time. The New England Patriots are great heels and I really want to see them lose but at the end of the day, I think Seattle are just the better team. Also, Daniel Bryan loves the Seahawks so they deserve to win more.

Seattle Seahawks

Tom:

Guess what, I don’t know anything about American Football!

Dan Marino