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:
Who do you side with in the Reality Era WWE war?
Triple H – 93%, Kevin Dunn – 7%
Which company do you side with in the Reality Era wrestling war?
ROH – 72%, TNA – 28%
Which Reality Era faction is most deserving of the ECW legacy?
Tommy Dreamer’s ECW – 54%, Ezekiel Jackson’s ECW – 46%
What should be the official sugar-based confectionery of the Reality Era?
TIE: Caramel: 50%, Fudge: 50%
More annoying chant: “WHAT?” or “CM Punk”
Which heckling chant grinds your gears more? Question suggested by site reader @GayWrestlingFan.
Tim:
CM Punk chants don’t really bother me that much when it’s during a boring match or segment. They do irk me when it’s being chanted at AJ Lee or during something I find intriguing but I get over it. They’ll die out eventually. WHAT chants, though… those get on my nerves no matter what’s going on because they’ve been around for so long. When will it end?!
WHAT?
Joey:
I’m going with the “WHAT” chant for the reason that I consider “CM Punk” to be the new replacement for “BORING” where the fans chant for Punk when seeing something or someone they don’t want to see. Well, aside from Chicago who just wants to chant it all the time. As for the “WHAT?” chants, those are usually made for more apathetic times and just come off as bland. At least “CM Punk” chants either piss people off or make them laugh.
WHAT?
Tom:
The WHAT? chants are lame, but nothing makes me cringe more than the CM Punk chants. I’m not sure if it’s fans trying to be edgy and #HijackRaw or if they genuinely think there’s a chance of P. Brooks giving up his life of live-tweeting hockey and MMA to come back to something he seems to pretty much hate, but it’s just so embarrassing.
It’s funny, a year or two ago, one of my goals was to see a big show live in Chicago because it seemed like such a fun atmosphere to be a part of. Now, I can’t imagine anything worse – as awful as New York can be when it comes to self-satisfied smarkiness, Chicago seems to be on another level.
CM Punk
Cooler faction: nWo or Bullet Club?
Which faction is indeed just too sweet?
Tim:
I am going to have to slightly pick the nWo over the Bullet Club here. They have a huge legacy and that is pretty damn cool. The nWo was one of the main reasons wrestling was mega-popular and that is cool. They have an iconic logo and that is cool. The overall idea of the nWo was cool. Were there uncool things about them? Why of course. Buff Bagwell was involved but you could overlook that because “DAMN THIS IS ALL SO CRAZY AND COOL!” the Bullet Club has the coolest tag team around in it. They have AJ Styles… but only Styles’ wrestling is cool. He is not very cool. Quite frankly, I don’t think the Bullet Club gimmick is that cool, it just had and has some cool people/cool wrestling involved. Cool? Cool.
nWo
Joey:
Here’s a tough one as both are very similar in their pros and cons. The main pros to the Bullet Club are that they have AJ Styles and The Young Bucks. Hard to top that with so many shitty people in the NWO, especially arguably the worst human in wrestling Eric Bischoff, but the tie breaker swings to the name of Dennis Rodman!
I loved The Worm way too much and his work with the New World Order was amazing to my 8 year old mind at the time. Someone out there should find me the exact Nitro Rodman repeatedly hit elbow drops on an unconscious Giant/Big Show and upload the video. Also, WCW TV was a huge part of my childhood where I rarely get to watch NJPW these days, though it was cool as can be seeing Bullet Club live at the ROH/NJPW show.
nWo
Tom:
I wish Devitt was still in the Bullet Club, because then it’d be almost impossible not to choose them. There’s no dude in wrestling who comes off as effortlessly cool and, while I like watching AJ’s matches, he’s no replacement. Even if he came out in Spider-man bodypaint, he wouldn’t come close.
Meanwhile, even though the nWo was primarily middle-aged men in leather jackets, they had Kevin Nash. Good God, I love Kevin Nash so much. I’m not sure if it’s the hair or his general demeanour or the way he’s so effortlessly dismissive and sarcastic, but I love him a lot and want to see him part of wrestling again. No-one in wrestling will ever be as cool as Big Sexy, and brother, you KNOW that’s a shoot.
nWo
Which promotion do you prefer: CHIKARA or CZW?
“I kinda get why CZW and Chikarra hate each other. One’s like a comic and the other is horror.” – @BradFGN. Question influenced by @SovietNicholas.
Tim:
I can’t do CZW. I don’t care for the atmosphere. I do enjoy the crazy aspects of it and love hearing and reading about the dumb shit that has happened there, onscreen and off… but I can’t get into the product. I really do find Chikara enjoyable. It can be a bit contrived and comes off like they’re trying too hard but the storytelling is probably the most fun and well-done in wrestling. The characters are great and the wrestling is incredible. They definitely have their problems but I enjoy the product a whole lot. It’s definitely something different than most promotions and that helps. The pro wrestling formula is open to be played around with and I think Chikara has done a good job for setting up their own little fantastical world.
Chikara
Joey:
I can’t lie; I dislike both for various reasons but mainly due to what I call “hockey fan mentality.” When you’re in the small bubble, it’s the best fan base in the world and you revel in it. If you’re not in the bubble, it can turn you off easily and potentially prevents growth.
However, I would have to say I prefer CHIKARA. I always enjoy King Of Trios where there’s nothing in CZW that really tickles my fancy. In general, I prefer corny comedy over bloody violence. I’m taking CHIKARA here.
CHIKARA
Tom:
LOOKS LIKE IT’S DOWN TO LITTLE TOMMY TO REPRESENT FOR THE DUB. I like a lot of the wrestlers associated with Chikara and, as a dude who likes silliness and comic books, it’s exactly the kind of thing I should love… but man, it really leaves me cold. Chuck Taylor’s antics in PWG are great, RD Evans is one of the best things about ROH now and seeing Jervis Cottonbelly live at an Evolve show was a tremendous experience, but I think I like them so much elsewhere because they stand out as something different and fun in otherwise somewhat serious companies. In Chikara, it’s non-stop wackiness so they just kind of melt into the background.
What’s more, the fanbase rubs me the wrong way a bunch of the time. I GET IT, YOU’RE SUSPENDING YOUR DISBELIEF AND BEING SUPPORTIVE OF EVERYTHING AND JUST HAVING SUCH A GREAT TIME WITH THE MAGICAL ARTFORM THAT IS PROFESSIONAL WRESTLING BUT HOLY FUCK STOP BEING SO PLEASED WITH YOURSELVES ABOUT IT ALL. I’m thirty years old and as much as I try to be positive, I like to indulge my cynicism and make fun of stuff so I do NOT appreciate how overly sunny the Chikarmy (ugh) is.
Meanwhile, while I don’t really watch much CZW either, I’m fascinated by it. The CZW follies page is such a great read and the company as a whole just seems like an awful, amazing mess. The fans are just as bad as Chikara’s (albeit in a completely opposite way), but fuck it, SEE-ZEE-DUB F-F-F-FOR LIFE.
CZW
What should LeBron James do: Stay in Miami or go back to Cleveland?
The Decision the sports world is anticipating. Question submitted by site reader @WillHousell.
Tim:
He should definitely go back to Cleveland. He won’t, but it would be nice to see. Miami has the money to pay him more than any other franchise can and the proven ability to get him to the finals. This is all show. At the end of all of this I am willing to bet he’ll still be with Miami. I am just saying things. I like to watch basketball but I don’t get into all of this. Not saying I don’t find it intriguing at all because I do but I’ve already got so many things I pay attention to. Maybe if a town in my state had a team I could be more invested.
He really should go back to Cleveland though. It’s a great story. Then he’ll finally lead them to a championship. He will retire at that moment. His basketball career maxed out. He’ll run for mayor eventually, only to fail. He then becomes a star in action movies. They do good enough numbers but eventually his career dies off. When he’s in his late 60’s he makes one last movie. It’s not an action film though, it’s a drama. It’s the most poignant film of the generation. It moves everyone who watches it to tears and leads the world to a new way of thinking. LeBron James shows that this whole time he had the ability to be one of the greatest character actors in history and with that, his last moment in the spotlight, LeBron James changes the face of the world. The movie didn’t come out in China. They then dominate the rest of the world because everyone else is all about peaceful discussion and loving one another. The End.
Go back to Cleveland
Joey:
As the resident NBA expert of this site, I’m going to pull rank and say my opinion matters most. THAT’S RIGHT – I said it. LeBron should go back to Cleveland because his biggest goal left is to challenge Michael Jordan as the best of all time. No matter what he does in Miami, there’s always going to be the blemish on his record of never winning a title for his hometown while playing there for so many years. Erasing that would help his legacy a great deal.
That automatically adds incentive but then you look at the future of each team. You’re basically trapping yourself in Miami if you take a deal smaller than two years. Dwyane Wade is a part time player and as good Chris Bosh is, he’s your only true asset on this team. Cleveland has Kyrie Irving, who shows a world of potential, a slew of young talent and assets to trade for another superstar.
Add in how everyone wants Miami to fail and roots against him while he’d become more popular back as a Cav. LeBron in Miami is Tom Brady, the villain. LeBron in Cleveland is Peyton Manning, the babyface.
Go back to Cleveland
Tom:
As the REAL NBA expert of this site, here’s what you’ve got to understand when it comes to basketball: it’s all about yardage. LeBron’s the kind of guy who can give the Cavs the edge when it comes to the yards, all while sinking some dunkers and swishing some layups. The true basket-heads will know what I’m talking about here.
Furthermore, The Miz is from Cleveland… and he’s AWWWWWWWWESOOOOOOOOME! Haha, just kidding, he’s a fucking dickhead. LeBron should stay with Miami just to cement himself as a true #heel. It”s much too early for a LeBronicus face turn. Gotta keep working those marks, brother, just like we did back in Mid-South with my main man Jim Ross. Great days.
Stay in Miami