This Or That (6/10/2014)

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 @TomBlackett 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:

If he can’t return until Summerslam, should Daniel Bryan be stripped of the WWE title?

YES – 62%, NO – 38%

More exciting rumored NXT signing pair?

Kevin Steen and Willie Mack – 56%, KENTA and Prince Devitt – 44%

Who would win in a fight?

The Avengers – 53%, Godzilla – 47%

Better panda?

Red Pandas – 53%, Panda Bears – 47%

Thanks for breaking our past This Or That record for most poll votes!

Which Paul Heyman client is more likely to win the WWE Championship this year: Cesaro or Brock Lesnar?

With Cesaro in Money In The Bank and Brock Lesnar fresh off ending The Streak, who is more likely to become champion this year?

 

Tim:

I don’t think they’ll pull the trigger on Cesaro soon. They have way more to work with, story-wise, with Brock getting the title and having someone beat the man that ended Undertaker’s streak for the title. Maybe that man will be Cesaro? I don’t know. They haven’t really done anything good for anyone that came out of Wrestlemania hot. I do think Lesnar will and should be champion before Cesaro will be.

Brock Lesnar

Joey:

This could go either way but I think it comes down to if WWE is willing to put the title on Brock Lesnar knowing he won’t be a regular active wrestler. I can see him winning it at the Royal Rumble and losing it to John Cena or Roman Reigns at Wrestlemania but I doubt it can happen in 2014. With Bryan injured, it opens a spot and I think Cesaro could be the guy to grab the brass ring. WWE definitely believes in him and it wouldn’t surprise me if he wins it at MITB so I definitely think Cesaro has a better chance of being champ before the year ends.

Cesaro

Tom:

Honestly, even though it’s sure to be brief, I think a Brock title run is the way to go. He’s been kept at arm’s length from it since he’s been back, and now he’s conquered the Undertaker’s Wrestlemania streak, I can’t think of any other goals left for him.

Also, it’d be an incredible reintroduction for Bryan if Lesnar was somehow the one holding the title by Summerslam (maybe through being a mystery entrant in the Money in the Bank match?) and they faced each other then. Even if he didn’t get the win, it’d put him firmly back in the main event scene and hopefully banish all memories of the regrettable nonsense with Kane.

I’d really like to see Cesaro hold the title eventually, but I think that’s still a year or so (and a face turn) away.

Brock Lesnar

Who do you dislike seeing featured on TV more: Big Show or Kane?

Who stinks more?

 

Tim:

They are both horrid and drag down any show that they appear on. Neither has a “character” really. They move back and forth between comedy, heel, and face just to fit into whatever creative needs. There is no real progression or sense behind them. Their matches aren’t good or even fun. So, I do remember both Daniel Bryan and CM Punk having a decent match against Big Show at different points within the last three years. I can’t say that I’ve ever seen anyone have a decent match with Kane.

Kane

Joey:

Can’t I choose both?! Both guys slow down momentum of the show with their random pushes and it’s frustrating as a fan who doesn’t enjoy seeing either of them in a large role. That being said, I dislike seeing Kane more. Big Show is charming and I respect his “legacy” a little more and while Kane can be funny at times, his heel character is unparalleled today when it comes to boring me. I’ll say Kane who sets my excitement for wrestling on fire and humps it in its casket every time he’s pushed to the main event picture.

Kane

Tom:

It’s insane to think back to just a year and a half ago and how Kane was consistently part of the most fun segments and matches in WWE, and now he’s back to being the part I dread the most. Big Show isn’t much better, but he at least seems a little more self-aware and can make some funny faces from time to time. Also, I like when he brings out weapons and furniture that’s Big Show sized.

Kane

What will be the more successful PPV: ROH Best In The World Or TNA Slammiversary?

Who ya got?

 

Tim:

It doesn’t matter what TNA does at Slammiversary because it is TNA. It will not be good and just the very atmosphere that embodies a TNA show makes everything seem nasty. They’ll have okay matches on the card but nothing can make that company be anything more than a joke to me at this point. I can’t get behind their storylines and it makes the matches pretty boring for me because nothing makes sense. It’s pretty sad.

ROH is coming off of some good shows and although I’m not really into the card for this one I can guarantee whatever they deliver will be better for what ROH is and relies on than what TNA will deliver at Slammiversary in relation to what TNA is and relies on as a promotion.

ROH: Best In The World

Joey:

ROH has been on a big upswing this year but this card looks to be one of their weakest and the decisions for matches are quite suspect across the board. As for TNA, they have been on a big decline in just about every facet so I can see the buyrates being near even.

In terms of success, I’d say ROH has the opening at least to grow their audience and attract some extra eyes and while is just stuck in their rut until something big changes. Best In The World will be more successful from that point of view with most other facets being equal.

ROH: Best In The World

Tom:

I mean, define “successful”. I certainly can’t imagine any definition of the word applying to TNA anytime soon, but I’m not sure that Best In The World is necessarily going to be a home-run either. I only saw the second ROH/New Japan show, but it was pretty excellent and there was a genuine sense of excitement surrounding it. For Best In The World… I dunno, I think it’ll be fun but there’s nothing about it that I’m particularly anticipating.

This is the one that’ll be on regular PPV, yeah? Checking my TV’s listings, it’ll be $25 which is a pretty solid chunk of change given their past PPV issues and the fact that it’ll be that much less convenient to rewatch whenever I want afterwards. I hope it all works out, and I think it’ll likely do better than Slammiversary, but I still don’t know if it’ll necessarily be defined as a success.

ROH: Best In The World

Least fashionable E3 press conference: Microsoft or Sony?

Forget the games, we watch E3 for the style! Games developers aren’t always the best at knowing how to throw an outfit together, but which press conference was the least fashionable? In case you missed them, here are some pics:

Microsoft

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sony

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tim:

Both had some people with really strange fashion ideas for big stage shows. There were the people that looked like their mom dressed them. Their were the people with the too-big-puffy-button-up-shirts, and then there was Brian Michael Bendis who seemed to be cosplaying as The Least Fashionable Mafia Stooge. I’m willing to bet someone talked him out of a bad hat before he walked out on stage.

With this one though, I’m going to have to go with Microsoft. The host kept changing the shirt under his zip-up jacket. They had a lot more “Hey, I’m just like you” casual dressers than Sony and then there was the ID@XBox shirt that looked like it had been worn for days prior without a wash. Also is there someone that sews random buttons onto jackets for Microsoft presenters?

Microsoft

That being said, I would like to point out that the worst single fashion statement at the show was from a guy at the Ubisoft conference:

Joey:

I’m the only person here who did not watch E3 so I am completely taken back viewing these photos for the first time! I genuinely wondered if Tom photoshopped them for a second because they are some next levels of horrible clothing.

I must say Sony was horrible and I thought for sure I’d pick them but that “ID@XBOX” shirt is the worst shirt I have seen since “I’m A Chris Benoit Guy”. How can someone think wearing that is a good idea? Depression has hit me and I’m gonna to watch some reDRagon promo vids to rinse my mind with some better fashion.

Microsoft

Tom:

Man, what a showing. My original intention was to pull THE ULTIMATE SWERVE and cite Ubisoft as the truly least fashionable E3 press conference… but Tim’s taken care of that already. Really though, look at that guy’s leather jacket / cargo shorts combo! Do they not have mirrors at the conference hall? Who told him that was a good look?!

Microsoft was a real mixed bag, with most of them looking like they were forced into ‘real person’ clothes immediately before the press conference. God bless the one guy keeping it real in a black t-shirt with a stupid slogan on it – he looked bad, but at least it seemed like an honest portrayal of games developers.

Meanwhile, even though the Sony guys at least looked like they’d tried their outfits on before being rushed on stage, they’re REALLY pulled down by Brian Michael Bendis (i.e. this guy):

 

No idea what he was thinking with that suit, although my guess is that he’s just watched too much Boardwalk Empire and thought “HEY, old-timey gangster, that’s a look I can pull off!” Sadly not, but bless him for trying.

Sony