This Or That (1/7/2015)

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:

Better Christmas movie?

A Christmas Story – 67%, Christmas Vacation – 33%

Better Home Alone movie?

Home Alone – 73%, Home Alone 2: Lost In New York – 27%

Better Christmas movie?

Elf – 52%, Bad Santa – 48%

Better Christmas cartoon?

How The Grinch Stole Christmas – 80%, Frosty the Snowman – 20%

All questions are submitted by good ol’ Nightlife (@AnimeKing420) this week so he’s on the panel.

Worse Royal Rumble moment: Batista’s 2014 win or The entire Royal Rumble 1999 match?

Which Royal Rumble moment made you cringe more?

Tim:

The end of the 2014 Royal Rumble is probably one of the most heartwarming moments in wrestling to me. To see and hear so many people acknowledge that a great (and arguably the best) wrestler wasn’t getting what he deserved was amazing. Any other time and place and I doubt Batista would’ve received that reaction. Poor Rey Mysterio, though. After seeing the reaction to Daniel Bryan’s return I have some hope that maybe Roman Reigns will be in Batista’s shoes at the end of the Royal Rumble this year.

Both of these moments say a lot about WWE. I can’t think of any Royal Rumble that was as bad as 1999’s. In fact, that whole year was pretty ridiculous. It did way more harm than good and is the Royal Rumble I go back to watch the least.

Royal Rumble 1999

Joey:

Last year was worse at the time but it ended up being an amazing moment. I’ve watched the last 5 minutes of the 2014 Royal Rumble at least 20 times in the last year. It’s amazing television that is so glorious. I’ll go on record and say I’d rather see Roman Reigns win the 2015 Rumble and get the Batista treatment than someone like Dolph Ziggler win it.

The 1999 Royal Rumble was just a train wreck. But I think I’m gonna go with 2014 just because of the whole “it’s so bad, it’s good” logic. 2014’s Royal Rumble was the epitome of that. Therefore it wins for being good and bad. Get it? Good.

Royal Rumble 2014

Nightlife:

I rewatched the ’99 Rumble for the first time in a few years just for this, and my god, was that match horrible. The entire focus of the match was a tedious, drawn-out arena-wide brawl between Stone Cold and Vince, the cool Rumble spots and surprises being thrown to the wayside in favor of the continuation of the top feud. Besides the Austin/McMahon brawl, all I remember from that match was Big Daddy V being kidnapped by some jabronies.

While overall the Stone Cold/McMahon feud was legendary, this was absolutely a low point. As bad as Batista winning in 2014 was, this was as bad as that one short moment, but also stretched out over an hour and featuring Vince McMahon returning to commentary to bury everyone. It also doesn’t help that the Rumble match went on right after Rock and Mankind tore the house down.

Royal Rumble 1999

Tom:

Sick of all these marks talking shit about Vince Russo’s masterpiece. Royal Rumble ’99 was PRETTY DUMB but I don’t have bad memories of it at all. Batista winning the Rumble last year was hilarious on one level, but just really depressing on another. Thank God the Punker sacrificed himself to save Wrestlemania, like the wrestling Jesus he truly is.

Batista’s 2014 win

What will be more successful in 2015: WWE Network or NJPW World?

Which will find more success next year?

Tim:

Hell, I don’t know  I’m not some, uhhh… math magician. But as I look here at my pie charts and stats I am going to go with NJPW World. I don’t think they have as high of a bar set for it to he successful and may have already reached that. I like The WWE Network a lot more than a lot of people do but I think it could be way more amazing. Even then, I don’t know if that alone would put the Network into the successful bracket. The product needs to get better. I hope it reaches a certain success though. I love it.

NJPW World

Joey:

Man, that’s a tough one. I can’t see WWE Network ever getting to what WWE expects to become a financially profitable business venture unless the current product becomes hot. With the current plan being to build around Roman Reigns as the face of the company in 2015, I can’t see that working out for the better so I can’t see the Network becoming a hot product. For that reason, I’ll go with NJPW World. Their expectations seem to be worlds smaller and is already a success so it should stay the course.

NJPW World

Nightlife:

The WWE Network really is a gigantic cauldron of wasted potential. There’s so much of the WWE video library that isn’t in the Network for seemingly no reason, the original Network content itself isn’t very creative or inventive, and the whole thing at this point seems like they’re just going through the motions. There’s tons of potential in the sports entertainment model for lots and lots of cool little shows or shorts on the Network, but WWE just isn’t creating them for some reason.

They have approximately eight billion writers on staff and they can’t make one short where Tyson Kidd (the “corporate” name of TJ, the star of hit E! reality show Total Divas) leaves his wife at the airport because she was tripping on special brownies? NJPW World wins this hands down. Better wrestling, a lower price point, and you don’t expect tons of cool creative skits and shows from them because their product is purely a wrestling one. If I weren’t a dirty, dirty pirate, I would definitely pay for NJPW World over the WWE Network.

NJPW World

Tom:

It’s difficult to speak on this because the term ‘success’ can be measured in so many different ways. I don’t think the WWE Network will be considered a financial success for a very long time, if ever. As far as New Japan World goes, I think the bar was set so much lower that and that for as many English speakers to have bypassed the language issues to get on board makes it a success, even if it is just a few thousand.

NJPW World

Who will have a TV show with more viewers in 2016: Global Force Wrestling or TNA?

Predict the future.

Tim:

I just can’t see GFW ever becoming a promotion at this point. It’s a very weird thing right now so for that I’m going to go with TNA. If GFW ever becomes a concrete thing then I can see it surpassing TNA which is  quite the whimper on the Creating Noise In Wrestling Scale right now and I do not see that changing. The CNIWS is real.

TNA

Joey:

I’m still not certain Global Force will even be a real thing. However, TNA is going to lose a large portion of their already dwindling audience. Destination America is in less homes than Spike TV and it will be on Friday night where TV shows tend of lose a good portion of their usual viewers. If Global Force gets a TV show on any somewhat noteworthy network, I think it will pass Impact by the end of 2016.

Global Force Wrestling

Nightlife:

I predict both companies will be out of business and a revival of Wrestling Society X will be taking the wrestling world by storm.

Can’t wait to watch high-as-a-kite Teddy Hart do a shooting star press off a balcony while Kris Kloss screams, rails some coke, and eats a Quizno’s.

Wrestling Society X

Tom:

Count me as another who can’t see GFW ever having any kind of a real TV deal. Why would any company take a chance on them, given how TNA has ended up? TNA will splutter along in its current state for a while longer, thanks to there being enough guys on The Fed’s blacklist who don’t have any other options and wil llikely be willing to take a paycut to keep being on telly.

TNA

Better food: Chinese or Thai?

Better food?

Tim:

I’ve unfortunately only had access to Thai twice in my life and it was GREAT. Even if I had it more I don’t see it surpassing Chinese food for me. I like almost any Chinese good but my addiction to spring rolls and sweet and sour chicken knows no end.

Chinese

Joey:

Pad thai is outstanding but there’s not much other great options for Thai food plus you get sick of pad thai if you have it more than twice a month. Chinese food gives you options enough for each day of the week with better soups and some desserts. It’s more consistent and convenient.

Chinese

Nightlife:

Chinese food by a country mile, brother. Nothing says delicious quite like sweet and sour sauce drizzled on white rice. Thai food is for big city dweebs who think they’re cultured for eating non-Sino-Japanese Asian food.  Here’s a tip, jabronies: you’re not. Now pass me the lemon chicken.

Chinese

Tom:

Only Southern boys who’ve not had the pleasures of good Thai food would choose Chinese, so while that excuses Tim and Nightlife, Joey has completely embarrassed himself here. When Chinese is good, it’s fantastic. HOWEVER, it’s really generic and samey for the most part and YEAH that’s a god damn shoot. Meanwhile, as far as Thai food goes, it’s almost always very good. Pad Thai is the best but the curries are generally excellent, as are all the appetizers and so on.

Thai