This Or That (10/10/2015)

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, @JoeyOnEarth 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:

Worst opponent choice for a star wrestler’s match?

Big Show facing Brock Lesnar at MSG – 79%, Kane facing Seth Rollins at HIAC – 21%

Who would you rather see return to WWE for one more Wrestlemania match?

Kurt Angle – 84%, Jeff Hardy – 16%

Which NXT champion will lose their title first?

Bayley – 58%, Finn Balor – 42%

Which FOX sitcom are you looking forward to the return of?

Brooklyn Nine Nine – 56%, Last Man On Earth – 44%

Who would you rather see Undertaker wrestle at Wrestlemania 32: John Cena or Sting?

‘Taker in Texas.

Tim:

I’m going to give you some inside baseball real fast. Joey is underneath me with his answer. He put his answer in before I did. I want to reference something he said as I had planned on saying the same thing so here’s what we are going to do. You’re going to go read his answer. When you are done you can scroll up a little bit or move your eyes up a little bit and read mine. Once this happens you will go “oh, I know what he’s talking about because I read Joey’s beforehand.” Go do that now. This is super necessary and important. It will not be a waste of time.

Are you back? Okay, cool. Let’s do this.

There’s a lot of things at play in this one for me. I’d love to see Sting get a proper retirement match at a WrestleMania if he and WWE think he could wrestle again. Like Joey said in his answer to this question, my dream match was always Sting vs Shawn Michaels growing up. I always saw the Sting vs Undertaker dream match as people going “these two characters are dark they should fight.” I’m not sure I ever even thought about that match as a kid. There was nothing there to ever make me interested in that. Sting and HBK’s styles would’ve been interesting to watch in a match.

NOW though… well, there’s nothing really interesting for Sting to do besides a spectacle-laden build-up and showdown with The Undertaker. It would have to be a retirement match at this point in his career but they wouldn’t do a double-retirement as it would take away from the impact of The Undertaker retiring (which I’m almost positive is happening… PLEASE?). If we get Cena vs Undertaker we could possibly get one final Undertaker match that is watchable. I guess that’s the answer but I’m so tired of Cena’s character that I can’t stand him and his matches. Even if they’re good he is insufferable but whatever. NO. Fuck this. Give me Sting vs Undertaker and don’t make me see either guy ever again afterwards.

Here’s my pitch. You reintroduce Brad Maddox. Sting doesn’t know if he should ever wrestle again. Brad Maddox had a vision while in that cave that he should be Sting’s protégé. He talks Sting into wrestling again and calling out The Undertaker because he saw that moment in the vision. Sting finds his smile and thanks Maddox for helping him get back into the game. Sting takes Maddox under his wing during the build up to the match.

Meanwhile, you do what seems to be a one-off comedy skit with Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose backstage. The Undertaker had just returned to accept Sting’s challenge. Ambrose is daring people to pick up the urn that is just chilling backstage and no one will. Of course, Reigns does because HE’S NOT SCARED. When he picks it up to laugh at everyone for being PANSIES he immediately vomits everywhere which causes him to drop the urn. Over the next few weeks Roman starts getting really strange. He still feels sick all of the time. He only craves raw meat and buys his first motorcycle. Lights flicker whenever he walks in a room sometimes and it’s really starting to freak him out.

The big match happens. Towards the end Sting and Undertaker are both out. The ref gets to the nine count. LIGHTS GO OUT. You hear screams. Lights flash back on. A baseball bat and the urn are sitting in the spots where Sting and The Undertaker were laying. LIGHTS GO OUT AGAIN. LIGHTING HITS THE RAMP. Lights back on! By the urn stands The New Undertaker Roman Reigns. By the bat stands The New Sting, Brad Maddox. The match continues. Whoever wins it doesn’t matter because of the 5 star classic they put on. The crowd is yelling and losing their shit. Grown men are ripping off their shirts and throwing money at the ring. Kids are being born. The Pope releases a statement the next day about the greatest match that ever was. WrestleMania 32 makes history.

Sting

Joey:

I’ve never been one of the people super into seeing Undertaker vs. Sting as a dream match. My personal Sting WWE dream match was always vs. Shawn Michaels. Sting/Taker would be cool but more so if it were Sting’s first WWE appearance. I’d rather see Undertaker face John Cena at a Wrestlemania because I desperately want to see it happen once before ‘Taker retires. Cena also gives a significantly better chance at Undertaker having a great match in what I personally think will be his retirement bout.

John Cena

Tom:

The Brock Summerslam match was somewhat of a return to form for ‘Taker, but I still think they’ve kind of missed the boat as far as doing something really special between him and John Cena.

Cena’s been on an absolute tear this year, having innovative, fast-paced matches with a great bunch of younger lads, so for him to slow it down to have an Undertaker match would be kind of a bummer. Let Sting have his ‘Taker match, for fuck’s sake. Spend all the time on the intros and then use spectacular special effects to make it look like they’re firing lightning bolts and crows at one another.

Sting

Which Sting WWE match was better: Triple H or Seth Rollins?

Stinger joins New York.

Tim:

The Triple H match was fun in the moment but it was REALLY atrocious. No sense was made. The Rollins match was weird in spots but there was this real emotion to it from Sting. He went all in and Rollins played his part perfectly. It wasn’t a technical marvel. It wasn’t full of great spots. It definitely went off the rails. Matches can be beautiful without a lot of grace. This one spoke to me in a lot of ways and I am really fond of it. It was something to see. The Triple H match was just a load of bullshit that made zero sense historically with a dumb ending.

Seth Rollins

Joey:

I enjoyed Sting’s match with Triple H more than most and enjoyed his match with Seth Rollins less than most. Sting took some crazy bumps vs. Rollins to represent himself well but I don’t think I’ll remember it in a few months. I loved the spectacle and nostalgia of the Triple H Wrestlemania match. Sting winning would have made the moment bigger but the shenanigans and big match feel gave me more fun memories than the Rollins match.

Triple H

Tom:

I’d have to rewatch the Rollins match, but the fact that Real Estate Steve came out of it pretty banged up made it a big old bummer. Also, I am an unabashed fan of dumb bullshit so it has to be the Triple H ‘Mania match for me.

Triple H

More promising NXT talent: Apollo Crews or Chad Gable?

NXT NXT NXT

Tim:

I think knowing the huge potential of Apollo Crews already works against him here for me. Chad Gable just kind of appeared and has been intriguing ever since. I really think there’s something there and it will be fun to watch him grow. Will that potential ever show and develop fully? Who knows.

Chad Gable 

Joey:

We all know how great Apollo Crews is while Chad Gable’s potential is mysterious but that has my attention more. I think Crews will likely end up in a spot slightly better than Tyler Breeze but Gable could become one of the hottest acts in NXT. At TakeOver Respect, the crowd started to connect with Gable in a way that’s only going to grow and he can become the biggest star in the developmental brand. With Sasha Banks and Kevin Owens likely done with NXT, I’m all in on Gable becoming my new favorite.

Chad Gable

Tom:

SORRY APOLLO MATE, YOU’RE GOOD AND THAT BUT GET YOUR NAME AND A TOWEL AND THEN WE CAN TALK.

Chad Gable

Halloween: Yay or nay?

Do we like Halloween?

Tim:

Halloween annoys the shit out of me. I understand people enjoy dressing up as their favorite pop culture things or whatever but it’s just not my thing. I’m also not into liking things that are there just to be “dark” or “grim.” I just don’t like things. I’m awful. You get toilet paper everywhere from all of those Greg Pikitis-ass chump kids without a life. Also, can I speak to you about my lord and savior Jesus Christ?

Nay

Joey:

Fuck Halloween. Unless you have children that love dressing up and celebrating, this holiday is a sham! Horror movies are overrated. Costumes are overrated. Degenerate pranksters are overrated. Most of all, pumpkins are overrated. No more pumpkins! Halloween stinks and I don’t like it.

NAY

Tom:

I don’t mind Halloween, man. Dressing up is kind of an okay deal, or at least it is now I own a kilt and a Hot Rod shirt and can just be Roddy “Rest In Power” Piper for the rest of my days. I like horror films, though not seeing them in the cinema so much because I do NOT appreciate loud jump scares. I also like there being cheap sweets in stores at the start of November. Halloween is broadly okay, man. It’s okay.

Yay