The Kaos Engine XV

[Skaos]

XV
You Can’t Teach An Old Dog New Tricks (But Don’t Tell That To Triple H)

“Have you seen this, it is like a game of one upmanship!” – J.R describing John Cena and Triple H taking turns on Edge at Backlash 2006.

Hello All
We all love a conspiracy theory. Regardless of where the theory originates, develops, nurtures or grows the fact is that everyone will listen in. Some will dismiss it, some will pay attention. Many people love gossip, regardless of legitimacy or not. But on the odd occasion a theory will pop up in front of you and before you know it; you have one of your own. I have one of my own and today, I would like to share that with you. I was discussing this topic with a friend of mine, Marksman in LOP, and we both concluded that my theory has substance. After a few weeks of observation and match watching we come to a conclusion. For that conclusion we compiled the following information, facts and knowledge, a dossier if you will.

Triple H. John Cena. In the whole of wrestling today, there are probably no names that are better known or famous. Mention their names on forums, websites or in passing and people in a wrestling community will know of who you speak. We all know the history, the legacies, title histories, feuds and controversy surrounding them. We all know why they are hated or loved and we all know why they got to where they are in WWE today. Unfortunately, this is wrestling, so I will always be one of many who will find something to write about them. It is that point we stumble on my self confessed conspiracy theory.

My theory is this: When John Cena wrestles someone; Triple H has to do it better. It sounds simple enough really. Having been a fan of WWE for many years now I actually noticed this in passing. I was watching Randy Orton v John Cena from Summerslam, a classic might I add, and I was stoked. However, with Randy Orton v Triple H still fresh in my mind it got me thinking. Did Triple H try to outdo Cena there? This question stayed with me for some time until I came to the conclusion that I needed to find out for myself. And I did. I watched several contests involving Triple H and John Cena and I realized that my theory was actually something that held water. Like I said, I mentioned this to Marksman and he believed I was onto something. This is an open ended column, so I will leave you to decide for yourself on this. All I will do is present you with the facts. So here we go...

June 3rd 2007
One Night Stand
Falls Count Anywhere Match for the WWE Championship
John Cena(c) v The Great Khali

The Build: At Judgment Day, weeks before, John Cena had made The Great Khali tap to the STFU. It was a controversial victory because it was the first time Khali had ever tapped out. WWE, in a bid to save face on Khali announced (and booked) that Khali’s foot was under the ropes thus making the match null and void. Before One Night Stand would occur Cena and Khali would exchange barbs with one another to set this feud up. What happened? Cena got his arse handed to him on every occasion, first with the Head Chop and second with the Chokebomb. Cena would also get dominated in a match with Khali at Saturday Night’s Main Event. He would be pinned with a solitary boot to the chest. And this was our WWE Champion? Embarrassing. Unfortunately the pace was set for the second (and final) match between these two controversial wrestling competitors.

The Match: Well, it was better then expected. I didn’t like it myself; I find it very hard to accept that Khali is a suitable competitor in the ring. Putting him in a match with Cena is hardly doing him any favours but for some reason it kind of worked. There was one reason for this, and that is John Cena literally looked like an underdog champion. From the bell Cena had zero offense. Khali would rebuff anything Cena threw at him. After four minutes Cena got his first offensive move in and quickly sat back to a Khali beating. Cena would obviously win here but with no more then nine moves in the match itself. This was an amazing feat which really did establish Cena as a true WWE Champion. We all know Cena won with the FU off a crane to the floor and finally did put to rest the worst feud of 2007. One more realisation on this match was this: It made me realise just how much I miss J.R and King on commentary together. Having watched a total of ten matches for this column this one was the worst. Thank God I had the dynamic duo on commentary to liven this baby up.

August 17th 2008
Summerslam
Standard Match for the WWE Championship
Triple H(c) v The Great Khali

The Build: If anyone doubts my seemingly paranoid delusion that Triple H is out to bury many of his foes, this could be the proof. Khali won a Battle Royale over Jeff Hardy, Mr Kennedy, MVP, Umaga and The Big Show in order to qualify for this contest. And what happened? Khali would win by eliminating Jeff Hardy last. Khali had just, in theory, buried five of Smackdown’s greatest superstars. This should be no surprise right, after all he made Cena look like a tool in his match build up? Well...no. It might be worth noting also that Triple H has a three minute promotional video aired before the match with NO shot of Khali ANYWHERE. Triple H was truly dominant in his build. Well, seems like we forgot the crepid arm wrestling contest that happened prior to the PPV. You know the one, where Triple H WAS owned for once?

The Match: Standard affair really. The Great Khali would dominate the entire contest and Triple H would roll him up out of nowhere and win. Then Khali would annihilate him after the contest and give him a goat as a present. All would be well on Smackdown...well, no not really. What ACTUALLY happened was that Triple H was shown as The Great Khali’s equal. How so you ask? Well Triple H got in the first offense with the typical face-heel contest of strength, in this case with running shoulder blocks. Eventually Khali would regain control and start to dominate Triple H but not before the Champion had let us know who was really in charge. Less then ten minutes later, Triple H hit the sloppiest pedigree (yes, even sloppier then the one that nearly killed that guy) and won the contest. In all fairness Triple H carried Khali in a respectable match and made him look like a solid challenger but there was no doubt that Triple H was coming out the victor. Because of the execution Khali looked as clunky as ever in this contest. Had Khali dominated we might all have respected Triple H a little more for finally winning. However in this match Triple H never looked in danger of coming out second best.

Verdict: Triple H was blatantly guilty of getting one up on Cena. Not only did he beat Khali in his first and only contest with the Punjabi Playboy but he did it in a standard match. He also got in more offense then Cena did (if not double) and made Khali look like a mere jobbing Giant. The worst factor though was that Khali easily beat five of Smackdown’s greatest superstars and yet Triple H made Khali look like his bitch. Maybe it was a coincidence but I can’t help that WWE made this happen at the behest of Triple H to save some face for the five participants. It didn’t matter because Triple H would own them all later anyway. Cena came out looking a decent Champion but Triple H came out looking like a badass.

January 28th 2007
Royal Rumble
Last Man Standing Match for the WWE Championship
John Cena(c) v Umaga

The Build: One of my favourite feuds in the WWE, since Cena has been wrestling, culminated in this barnstorming match at the Rumble. Ever since Umaga appeared on WWE Television I have been impressed with his performance, agility and overall work rate. At New Years Revolution (back when WWE did a thousand PPV’s a year) Umaga was handed his first pinfall loss at the hands of John Cena. Many thought the game was up for Cena going into that match. Umaga, and his manager Armando Estrada, chose the stipulation for the rematch (thanks to Jonathan “I wish I was the Heel GM that Bischoff was” Coachman) and Cena immediately signed the contract. Cena would then attack Umaga and start to dominate the feud. The week before the Rumble Umaga attacked Cena and splashed him through a table in an awesome spot. Cena was sporting bad ribs in this contest. The odds were firmly against him...

The Match: Frankly this was an amazing match. For a contest to last around twenty minutes is not only a testament to the participants themselves but to Umaga who carried this match on his shoulders. Cena and Umaga can both be attributed to making this match a classic, but Umaga was the one who held the pace. The story was similar to Cena-Khali, except Umaga was not portrayed as an out and out beast like Khali. He did show that he was a main event talent though. And he did take Cena to the limit. In terms of ability on show here we had it all. We had broken tables, ring steps in the ring and at one point tossed over the ropes on top of Umaga in a top notch spot. We also had a spectacular juice job from our WWE Champion which not only made Umaga look like a legitimate threat but showed just how far he would go to win the title. The problem is, Umaga is a savage and towards the end his mentality went all out. Everyone remembers the top rope being broken by Estrada and everyone remembers Cena choking out Umaga in a modified STFU. However, and I may be alone here in thinking this, Cena came out looking like a proper champion, someone who deserves his spot on top. A fitting finish to a well laid feud.

October 28th 2007
Cyber Sunday
Street Fight
Triple H v Umaga

The Build: Many months later, Umaga would enter a feud with Triple H. On Raw some weeks before this contest Triple H would enter a dominant phase and bludgeon Umaga to a bloody pulp with a sledgehammer. This was the first and so far only time that Umaga has been dominated in WWE television. Umaga was missing from TV for sometime before returning to Raw and to a match against Triple H at No Mercy. Triple H, who won the WWE Championship at that same PPV, would defend his title against the Samoan Bulldozer and eventually lose it in his third match that night against Randy Orton. Now, we all know that Cyber Sunday is voted for by the fans...or is it. I think it is more then coincidence that this match happened to have the same outline as Cena and Umaga’s contest...

The Match: Again, Umaga showed that he can hold his own with the main event clan in WWE. However, for once Triple H had the same offense as Cena. It would only be a matter of time though until Triple H would fall to the savage tactics of Umaga. It might be worth noting that Umaga delivered a spot in this match that Cena had in his. The spot in question was Umaga running along two announce tables and squashing Triple H with a splash through the final table. Cena would avoid this move in his match but Triple H didn’t. Maybe a way to show he was better? Who knows? Many weapons would find their way into the ring for this contest but finally Triple H would nail a sledgehammer-pedigree combination to win this hard fought battle. It was a fair match, full of incident and some exciting crowd interaction from the beginning. Unfortunately Umaga by this time has lost Armando as his mouthpiece and Umaga was starting to wind down as a purely dominant force. He had also lost a few contests since his epic match with Cena. And let’s not forget that regardless of how this match played out, Umaga v Cena was a much better contest.

Verdict: Cena levels it here. Let’s face it, Umaga was dominant. He destroyed everyone in his path on his debut in 2006 and until he met Cena he went undefeated for nearly eight months. In that time he had wins over Shawn Michaels, Kane, Triple H and many others. Cena proved that he is the man when it comes to relishing a challenge, from an underdog position or otherwise. He also proved that he can carry pretty much anyone through a match and with is work rate make the contest worth viewing. Cena beat Umaga at a time that stacked the odds against him and he also produced a classic match. And he won by using the ring ropes! That is a winner right there. Triple H, for all his apparent influence could not make himself look better against a foe that had lost his edge. Regardless of what strings he pulled, Cena won this fair and square.

August 26th 2007
Summerslam
WWE Championship
John Cena(c) v Randy Orton

The Build: John Cena had been on a roll. His WWE title reign was coming to a year landmark at this point and the list of people he had beaten was quite extraordinary. He had beaten Shawn Michaels, Umaga (above), Bobby Lashley and The Great Khali (also above). However at the same time, in the same place a certain Mr Orton was establishing a new edge to his persona. The Legend Killer was back...but he was more sinister then ever. The RKO Punt was introduced and in the process kicked Shawn Michaels, RVD and Sergeant Slaughter out of their shoes. RVD and Michaels would also semi retire for a while as a result. Orton went on a rampage, one that is yet to be rivalled in WWE. Yes, when Jonathan Coachman announced Orton was the new challenger to Cena’s title this feud started with a bang...or an RKO, whichever suits best.

The Match: A wrestling clinic. If anyone doubts Cena’s ability to wrestle, tell a story, work like a horse or produce the goods then they should watch this match and eat their words. Orton and Cena showed just why they are at the top tier of the company. This match nearly earmarked thirty minutes but it seemed like ten. The match flowed superbly. Orton would dominate during the middle of the contest but then again which heel doesn’t? Orton would also tease the fans (who were very anti Cena by the way) with the RKO and the RKO Punt. He would hit the RKO once but to no avail as it followed an STFU attempt. Orton, as far as I remember, would also introduce his walk around the park stomping here. I don’t remember him using it before this contest. Anyway the match would finish when Cena hit an FU out of nowhere for the win. However, this match in my eyes would always be remembered for the fact it made Orton what he is today. That is a sinister, evil lurking snake like character. The Age of Orton was well and truly in motion.

April 27th 2008
Backlash
Four Way Elimination Match for the WWE Championship
Triple H v John Cena v JBL v Randy Orton(c)

The Build: At Wrestlemania Randy Orton would defeat Triple H and John Cena in a three way contest for his coveted WWE Championship. Cena had returned in spectacular fashion at the Royal Rumble and inserted his way into this contest along with Triple H and Randy Orton who has rekindled their feud. The fact is no one expected Orton to retain at Mania. But he did. However, this match at Backlash had an added element in JBL. A stipulation was added that this would be a four way elimination match, where the last man standing would become the WWE Champion. Make note that the RKO Punt will knock you out of the WWE...unless you are Triple H. He took one at Mania which allowed Orton to pin a disabled Cena. He returned to Raw the following night as if nothing had happened. HBK, Batista and co though...would be missing for months. Funny eh?

The Match: Okay, many will wonder why I picked this match out of all the Randy Orton – Triple H contests over the years. The main reason I picked it is because it follows Orton’s first match with Cena on a chronological timeline. I mean Triple H cannot outdo Cena before Cena had a chance to stake a claim. The second and final reason is because despite this being a four way match, this was blatantly an attempt to overdo whatever work was done at No Mercy in 2007. After Cena and JBL were eliminated in quick succession (JBL by tap out to the STFU and Cena to the RKO Punt) we had a clinic from Triple H and Orton that lasted another fifteen minutes. Orton and Triple H provided a great contest which ultimately ended in Triple H winning the WWE Championship from Orton. Much to the chagrin of the fans and everyone alike, this went down badly. Orton was on a great roll before this contest. Luck would have it that he would lose no momentum as Triple H was soon drafted to Smackdown. Thing is, where Cena beat Orton in a one on one, so did Triple H. Yet they went through two former champions beforehand. And Triple H still won. Randy Orton is a three time champion and he still only lost his belts to one man...you guessed it.

The Verdict: I am tempted to give this one a tie because the contests on show were both extremely satisfying to view. However, in this case I would be cheating so if I had to give the nod to someone here it would have to be...John Cena. The reason I did this? Triple H, you can bury as many people as you want on the route to the title but even that would not outdo the work that Orton and Cena put on at Summerslam. In a time where Raw was lapse with injuries to many including Triple H himself Orton and Cena were carrying the red brand. They put on one of the finest contests of 2007 and that should not, and will not, be taken away from them. Besides Triple H keeps burying Randy Orton and the man deserves better then to lose all his titles to Triple H, crap babyface or not.

April 2nd 2006
Wrestlemania 22
WWE Championship
John Cena(c) v Triple H

The Build: Cena would participate in his second WWE Championship match on two successive Wrestlemanias. Rey Mysterio won the Royal Rumble. However, Triple H who was third last in the Rumble staked his claim to the WWE Championship against John Cena. He earned this shot with a win in the Road to Wrestlemania tournament. Cena had just finished an exciting feud with Edge and was thrust into the feud with The Game. This was a huge match up. Possibly the greatest World Champion of all time against the possible future of the WWE. Wrestlemania never fails to deliver and this year was going to be no different. Let the one upmanship commence...

The Match: This match was a great affair, A slow methodical wrestling match that seemed to rely on the Cena haters in the crowd and Triple H (as a heel) playing up to them. If that is not a first class display of trying to outdo your opponent I don’t know what it. The other thing I noticed is that Triple H got in a great deal of offense to START the match which is uncommon for heels. He crowd were in heavy unison on anything Triple H did and it was no secret that a few weeks later D-X was reformed. However, Triple H had the advantage for most of this contest. Fortunately Cena has a habit of being an underdog and eventually would fight back into this contest. Despite the jeers and the chorus of boos, Cena would prevail and slap on the STFU to make Triple H tap for the second time in three years at Wrestlemania. But the fact remains that even though Cena was the victor, he looked like a petty wannabe compared to Triple H who dominated him in every way, move, counter and crowd reaction throughout this contest. Unfortunately this would not change for our next contest.

June 29th 2008
Night of Champions
WWE Championship
Triple H(c) v John Cena

The Build: Both men were now in respective runs as popular face superstars. Triple H was fresh off beating Randy Orton for the WWE Championship mentioned above and because Orton was injured at One Night Stand would enter a feud with Cena instead. It was the rematch we all wanted to see. Everyone remembered Wrestlemania 22, how Triple H tapped out to the STFU and we were reminded with promotional videos to boot. It was also designed as a revenge match for Triple H who openly stated (in character) that he was pissed off about the first contest and wanted retribution. So the night was set, at Vengeance (now dubbed Night of Champions) Triple H would face John Cena in THE rematch. Fans were divided equally on who to cheer for. Or so it seemed...

The Match: Let me put this down now, I was totally distracted during this contest by Triple H’s amazingly bad tan job. Who said fake tan is a good thing? Anyway I have since discovered he used the tan to cover up sunburn from when he fell asleep on a lounger. What a dufus! The match was pretty much a carbon copy of the one from Mania, with a few minor adjustments. The Cena hatred had fizzled a little since his injury and absence from WWE. Triple H, now a full fledged face was in his honeymoon period as a twelve time WWE Champion. The crowd were not as alive in this contest as the previous one so it seemed a little flat. Mind you, witnessing several other championship matches beforehand would be pushing you to the limit. The problem is, Cena had lost all momentum he once had and this match died like a squib. Cena lost to a Pedigree, cleanly and in the middle of the ring. 2008 was clearly not the year for Cena to obtain his mojo, that year is saved for now. However, in two matches with Triple H, subjective or otherwise, Cena has paled in comparison.

The Verdict: Triple H wins this. John Cena, for all his merit, ability and massive commodity to WWE just paled in comparison to Triple H in the ring. Like I said, if this is accidental is beyond me but in the context of this column I do believe this is intentional. Triple H must know what a gem Cena is in the WWE goldmine. He must do, it is his livelihood and future birthright thanks to his wife. The fact Cena paled in comparison could be down to a number of things but the one thing that Triple H can control was orchestrated to make Cena look weak. It also was planned to take advantage of the preying fans. It worked. Triple H has levelled this at 2-2 now.

So first of all, I would like to thank Marksman for helping me compile this dossier. It seems clear from this evidence alone that Triple H does indeed like to outdo John Cena. In all honesty, you could look at just the two final matches on this list and conclude that from those alone. I produced a foursome of matches that showed that in many instances, Triple H does like to look better. In some cases that doesn’t happen. Cena is such a decent ring worker, his ability and passion shine through. In return we get an honest, yet dedicated ethic that makes his matches shine through and stick in the mind. No one doubts Triple H’s ability or passion, but then again, it seeps through too often on occasion. Yes, he is The Game. He is a multi time champion and for the immediate future he will have his grubby fingers all over anything he touches. But there is no need to boost your ego in this fashion. Seriously, does he need to?

He is married to Stephanie McMahon. The only way he could possibly lose his spot would be by self sabotage. His marriage pretty much guarantees him anything in WWE that he wishes. To book matches that could possibly be deemed egotistical (in the case of Triple H v Khali...come on, no one should be Khali’s equal) is just ludicrous and in some cases a blatant display of vanity. Yes, John Cena is the biggest commodity currently in WWE, but Triple H has been for what, fourteen years now? No one can deny Triple H the kudos for what he has done for this company, but in return no one should be sabotaged for achieving their dream. Triple H is not sabotaging Cena but he is trying to show that despite the fact Cena is quite phenomenal (as expressed in various interviews) he doesn’t want him stealing his spot. A spot that will never be in question unless he inflicts harm on himself.

Triple H is The Game. There was never any question of his ability or the fact he embodies wrestling as a whole. He constantly puts in a good performance in any match he has and most of all, he makes WWE look like a hell of a company. He has fun doing his job. I mean, this column is based on a theory I had that may or may not hold substance for many of you. But Triple H is married INTO the company. Whether he feels he should protect his future birthright is neither here or there, wanting to make yourself look better then John Cena, the biggest valuable prize in your company surely can not be good business? I will let you decide for yourself.

That is number 15 finished. Fifteen columns already? Sheesh, only ten more and I will complete the challenge that our fruity Columns Editor Skittlez set for me. That is, of course, if I get those ten complete before Wrestlemania. Trust me, it will happen. As for me, I am off to start on number sixteen and have a beer, Until next week, I wish to plug some work I have been impressed with recently in the forums. Read them, enjoy, feedback. Ciao!

The RKO Editions – Kano
Musings of a Mark – Sailor Jerrry (Yes, it is a chick)
(CSI) Real Time with Ry P – Ry P
And soon in the CSI Tournament...Backlash: Respect. Honor. Finality. - Ry P and Sean Taylor

[cicero]

the good


- The introduction (first paragraph) was sublime, perfectly written, and a brilliant hook to get me interested in the column.

- Generally very well written; nice word variation, effective use of syntax, few grammar/punctuation mistakes, etc

- Your summary and closing arguments at the end really tied the piece together and left with one with an overall positive impression of the column.

- Structure and balance of paragraph length were both excellent; really kept things moving along.



The not as good.


- A touch agressive. There seemed to be a lot of statements of undeinable fact to the point where one might not feel comfortable arguing with you.

- I questioned the early premise (HHH is an egofreak) as being somewhat... redundant. Although i'll add that your ending did well to assuage those concerns. Basically i thought you did a better job of explaining yourself at the end of the piece, clearly this is itself somewhat of an obtuse statement but i do still feel that when trying to persuade it's important you clealry state your premise and intentions early in the piece.





All in all, i dug this.

[Ipecac]

Interesting column.
Here's another slant on this whole one upmanship thing.
Triple H gets injured early on in 2001; comes back, wins a few matches; wins the Royal Rumble; defeats Y2J at WM X-8 to become Undisputed champion.
Cena gets injured in middle of 2008; returns, wins his FIRST match back against Jericho to capture the WHC.
Now, who won that one upmanship? Which one "buried" Jericho the most?

[Skaos]

Feedback

Cicero - Thanks for the comments dude. Glad I got some compliments from you. I tried something new here with formatting and the paragraph length. Let us hope I can stick to this in the future. I know I was agressive but in all honesty this is how I felt about the argument. The more I see it the more I believe it. Thanks for reading.

Ipecac - I like the argument you present. I would personally say that Cena buried Jericho the most considering he only held the World Heavyweight Championship for a week. Mind you, it does depend on whether Cena has that mindset. I maybe feel that Jericho was happy with both though hehe.

Any more examples are welcome.

[Kano]

I got plugged. A first ever, and youit right here in "The Kaos Editions"

Anyways mate, onto your column. This was a perfect column. I noticed no spelling errors, grammer errors or anything. I agreed with most of your points if not all.

Well done mate. Possibly your best. I'm looking forward to XVI

[The Maz]

Right now Skaos, how on earth could you call this an objective column. From your opening paragraph you have insinuated that you are out to bury Hunter and that is exactly what you have tried to do.

At least have the balls to call a spade a spade and promote the column as a Triple H bashing piece. I would then have read it (or not) knowing what it was. This was a well researched piece of work but clearly you have given a clouded view.

Does Triple H play one upsmanship? Damn right he does. He is focussed on being the greatest wrestler, not of right now, not of his generation but ever. There is nothing wrong with that and that is what drives the product to get better. If this is a bad thing, I suggest you look back at what made Hunter the man he is today. None other than your boy, and the king of oneupsmanship, Shawn Michaels. Not only did he take this trend to a new level in his first run, he taught Hunter everything he knew. And before you start on the crap of the new God-fearing Michaels being different, I'll draw your attention to the selling in Icon versus Legend. I mean geez, take the loss like a man and don't disrespect the guy who made pro-wrestling what it is (thereby giving you the opportunity to have a career). In fact I may address this whole matter in a column of my own soon.

As for holes in your arguement, your column is like swiss cheese.

Khali was a jobber by the time Batista and Cena had beaten him so there was not a believable monster image for Hunter to sell.

For Umaga see above. Jeff Hardy had been owning the Bulldozer all over the world by the time he got to Trips. Nice of you to mention Umaga's clean win over the Game before Cena beat him but not make it relevant.

Orton is a bad example to take as the feud never really got a chance to end. Hunter has done everything to help make Orton a main-eventer and it now looks like he is going to everything to make him top heel in the business with their upcoming feud.

As for Cena, Trips tapped out... At Wrestlemania of all places. Did he have to with all the sway he supposedly has? Nope, he could have let Cena roll him up after dominating the match. The fact is at this point in time (and still) Hunter was the best in the business, having him dominate and Cena overcome the odds by making in tap is the obvious way to put him over. The STFU was not even established at that time. It made Cena a legitimate top guy and obviously come NOC, Hunter had to even the score for the future epic rubber match to take place, which Cena will be a shoe-in to win.

Whilst making himself look good, Hunter has put over most of the top talents in this business, a skill which is not easy and probably the only man who does it better is Shawn.

I think you ruined a very good column here with your undertones.

[JoeyShinobi]

I'm going to take the middle ground here. You obviously hold a bit of a grudge against Triple H (you've said it before, I'd quote you from another column but...damn!) and Mazza is probably the biggest H mark I've met. Unless I'm mistaken, you haven't made room for the explanation that Triple H is simply better than John Cena.

The matches selected for The Great Khali, for example, weren't the fairest. For one, Khali's 'aura' of size and strength had diminished in the 14 or so months that passed between Cena and H's matches, and there was little point in making Khali look like he was better than Triple H. Against Cena, it was new-ish still, so I can understand why WWE wanted Khali portrayed as stronger then (though I don't agree with it, the man's a joke in the ring). So I don't think that's a fair comparison. You presumably agree, because you picked out Triple H's 4-way match at Backlash involving Orton (and Cena) because it followed chronologically, despite the fact H and Orton have had quite a few singles matches down the years. I'm curious as to why you didn't pick out mid-2007, however.

Maybe you did lean towards Triple H trying to out-do Cena because of your pre-held opinions. But for me, that's fine; we aren't supposed to be impartial, we're supposed to have opinions. We're supposed to create debate, and I have no doubt you've created one here, so kudos for that. This was easier to read than previous editions, too, and I'm really glad you've addressed that; it was never the length, so much, some of it I just found difficult to get through.

Good stuff. It takes something good to elicit this long a response from me, and I have because I think you've accomplished fully what any good opinion piece should do. Well done.

[Skaos]

Feedback 2

Whoa...okay, here we go *takes deep breath*

Kano - Have I never plugged you before? I think the column was good dude, but not my best. That would go to KEXIV. Thanks for reading dude!

Joey - If you do not mind Joey, I am taking Mazza last. Yes I do hold a (minor, harmless) grudge against Triple H. However the reason I did not say Triple H is better then John Cena is because this column was long enough without it. There is no doubt Triple H IS better, through experience and ability. However, this is for an entirely different column.

Couldn't agree more here Joey. The problem with Triple H fighting Khali this late on, after his aura had diminished was that comparison would pop up. In all honesty the reason I picked Khali as an example if because of this: Not many wrestlers could have been used. I considered Edge...but Triple H and Edge have not had a blow off match yet. I considered Jeff too, but same applies, Cena has not feuded with him yet. I picked Khali because he was final. But like you said, maybe it was unfair.

As for Orton and Triple H I didn't pick mid 2007 for a few reasons. The first and foremost is that Triple H was injured for most of it. I did consider his early matches but that was before Cena even got hold of Orton. Orton and Cena didn't meet until late 2007. The second is that I thought the 4 way had relevance (not least involving Cena in the mix) but because it is when Triple H finally rid Orton of his second title. It was also a heck of a match and a better effort then most of their previous efforts (minus 2004 Unforgiven which was classic).

Glad you liked the work dude. I have started to address feedback slowly (despite it not being very obvious) and the work is coming along because of it. And I am glad I earnt a review from a MP writer like yourself. Thanks for reading dude.

Mazza - Here we go then. It was not a Triple H bashing column. It was merely an opinon on something that I have noticed from watching many hours of wrestling. I don't remember ever saying Triple H was shit in the ring, nor do I remember saying I do not respect the man. Like Cicero said, this "Triple H bashing" is redundant and I could not agree more. I don't like bashing the man. But then again, he shouldn't make himself an easy target like this. I doubt I am the only one who groans when he wins, not least at No Way Out this week (which he deserved for the record).

The Icon v Legend match....write it, I have some awesome views on that which will take up some space. Until then I will reserve judgment. But I don't see Shawn Michaels trying to outdo Cena, Orton or anyone. In fact Orton and Cena both beat HBK in their first respective matches. Umaga pinned HBK clean and Khali got put across because of the monster that he looked against HBK. Hell, HBK even allowed Orton to usher in his new evil persona. And he has not had any rematches since to put one over anyone...except against Orton where he STILL lost and made Orton look awesome.

I think your undertones have ruined some awesome feedback here. Funny how you dissed the theme but not the actual work. Funny how that must mean you are pretty impressed, if not taken aback that I may hold some merit here...

[The Maz]

Skaos, you know there is probably not a bigger fan of you work than me. For what it was, this column was not exception.

Originally Posted by Skaos

All I will do is present you with the facts.

^^^This is my beef. You only presented the facts that you wanted to. You have the right to an opinion but don't try and make out it is fact without examining the whole story, you are better than that. The digs at Trips have become a regular thing in your columns lately but never mind dude. Expect a CPR of SummerSlam 05 coming soon.

Read you next time.

[Kano]

Skaos: 1 Error

Randy Orton is a two time champion and he still only lost his belts to one man...you guessed it.

Orton is in fact a 3 time champion.....soon to be 4

Edited: Good you changed it.

[FoonZeeS]

HHH has always been about one-upsmanship. Don't you remember back in the DX days he had a penis size contest with Bad Ass Billy Gunn, only to see Chyna has a bigger doink than both H and Gunn.

I could take or leave this column honestly. Nothin really stood out for me. It was well written and an interesting topic, it just didn't hit the upper echelon of performance that I'm used to seeing from you.

I got another conspiracy theory for you, though it doesn't have to do with wrestling. When I was living in NorCal I met a guy named Steven Lightfoot. This guy was out there man, more out there than your normal Californian. Anyway this guy put out a pamphlet/mini book on how it was really Stephen King who killed John Lennon. HAHA. Now that was a funny conspiracy theory.

[Skaos]

Feedback 3

Mazza - I know I presented the facts I wanted to. I also included that the argument was open ended and you could form your own opinion. After all, all I did was show you what I saw. Proof? Debatable but you cannot deny what happened in those matches. I await your HBK bashing in the Summerslam review...many cannot defend Hogan. You will see...

Kano - He is officially a three time champion but he has only won the belt twice. The middle one was awarded to him. Sorry for that error.

FoonZeeS - Stephen King killed John Lennon? Hahahahaha! That IS a conspiracy. Sorry you didn't like this dude, it is a shame as you are an avid reader. Maybe one Triple H bashing too much for your liking? Yeah, that DX skit was hilarious, although I missed it the first time...thanks for reading!!

[SailorJerrry]

Heya Hotness,

Whilst Mazza was right that this isn't objective, if you read it back with that in mind I still think you are right.

As ever - well written and enjoyable, and yet another column where you do something a bit different and show your range.

What can we expect from Skaos next time? A hard hitting piece of analysis? A review column? A fairy tale? Who knows, but I'll be reading no16 to find out.

[Skaos]

Feedback 4

SJ - Hey sugarboots! I am glad you noticed my range here. My biggest surprise that I got anything written with our mammoth conversation and bonding in the last few days hehe. Oh and you sig now has relevance to me, I thought you should know. LOOM! ADVERTISING! Cheers for reading honey pumpkin!

[L-Man]

Originally Posted by Skaos

[center]Feedback 4/CENTER]

SJ - Hey sugarboots!

LMAO

This was a good column that proved a really good point about Triple-H that i never realy thought of before. You backed up all of your points and there were no spelling or grammat errors from what i saw. Another great column.

[Skaos]

Feedback 5

L-MAN - Hehehe, Sugarboots is a private joke, but fully intended hehe. Thanks for reading again dude, I thought this column needed to be done. Fair, it was not to everyones taste but the basic fact remains that if the footage exists how can you ignore that footage? I don't despise Triple H regardless of how I always write about him. But this sort of performance is something I cannot ignore. Thanks for reading.