TNA Round 3, Match 3: The Motor City Machine Guns vs. The Fabulous Rougeau Brothers

[Shocky]

The following match takes place in the six sided TNA ring with TNA Rules.

The Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelly and Chris Sabin)

vs.

The Fabulous Rougeau Brothers (Jacque and Raymond Rougeau)

 

[Uncle Sam]

Recommended watching material:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBemliko_IQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQp34OdwW98&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gekBiHSfCuw&feature=related

Everyone watch that match. If nothing else, it's just a great match.

Now, recently in a thread appreciating The Rockers I put forward the Motor City Machine Guns as the modern day Rockers. They job a lot and have never held the gold despite being popular. They use a high flying style and spectacular team work (complere with spectacular moves). Not to mention the funky look and that one's more likely to make it than the other.

Does this mean that the Guns beat the Rougeau Brothers because The Rockers did? By no means, that's poor reasoning. In fact, go away from this having gained a new found appreciation for the brothers; that match shows you how good they were. That match is the closest we will probably ever get to seeing a Guns vs. Rougeau Brothers contest, however. And it shows how the Brothers are vulnerable to the agility and short bursts of teamwork of the Rockers. The Guns sport these exact same characteristics, perhaps more so if I'm feeling generous.

But the crucial factor here I think is the setting. TNA. Yeah, home crowd advantage for the Guns. But you forget that, as heels, the Brothers feed off of the hate. Balanced there then. Will the Brothers suddenly yell "Oh shit, there's just too many sides!" and run around like headless chickens? Obviously not. However, that extra angle of offense, that extra bit of springiness in the ropes and that little bit more familiarity the Guns have with the setting just edges them ahead. Minimal advantage perhaps, but crucial all the same.

 

[Father:_Polley]

Interesting you're comparing MCMG to the Rockers... because I'd like to compare the Rougeau Brothers to The British Bulldogs, who as it happens eliminated the Rockers from this very tournament.

There is no doubt the Guns are a very very good team with the ability to hit moves from anywhere in a six sided ring, but again, I have to question their ability to withstand abuse because there aren't a lot of able powerful teams in TNA. And the Rougeaus were big strong guys. This after all is the team which effectively ended the Bulldogs after a real-life incident with Tom Billington. The Dynamite Kid was no pushover, and yet Jacques knocked his teeth out.

In anticipation of the 'he used a weapon to do it' retort, big deal, he did what he had to do to get the win, and in TNA, that's what matters. So the Rougeaus won't take to any of the 6 turnbuckles, but they don't have to. The Rougeaus team based ground attacks will be enough to wear the Guns out.

 

[klunderbunker]

Have to go with the French Canadians. Before I go into why, let me make it clear that the MCMG are literally the only team ever, in TNA, WWE, WCW, wherever that I stop what I am doing to watch. They are just so much fun to see go out there. But the Rougeaus are just masterful. They literally flow in the ring. Jacques is as purely talented as any wrestler you will ever see in your life. I've never thought the 6 sides meant much, but if any team would benefit from being put into that style, its the brothers. I'll take the Rougeaus in a match I would pay a lot to watch.

 

[Uncle Sam]

Interesting you're comparing MCMG to the Rockers... because I'd like to compare the Rougeau Brothers to The British Bulldogs, who as it happens eliminated the Rockers from this very tournament.

Show me an example of the Bulldogs against a Guns-like team then. I had the courtesy to do it the other way around!

There is no doubt the Guns are a very very good team with the ability to hit moves from anywhere in a six sided ring, but again, I have to question their ability to withstand abuse because there aren't a lot of able powerful teams in TNA.

LAX are a damaging team, that's for sure. And The Rockers themselves were hardly renowned for their ability to absorb damage. No doubt, the Guns would be battered at the end just like Michaels and Jannetty were.

And the Rougeaus were big strong guys. This after all is the team which effectively ended the Bulldogs after a real-life incident with Tom Billington. The Dynamite Kid was no pushover, and yet Jacques knocked his teeth out.

Hey, hey, hey, this is kayfabe man. Quit trying to introduce shoot dynamics in it. Besides, you don't have to be big or strong to knock someone's teeth out, you just need to hit hard. For me, the appeal of the Brothers is that they are agile and athletic.

In anticipation of the 'he used a weapon to do it' retort, big deal, he did what he had to do to get the win,

Do what? Knock Dynamite's teeth out? What a pussy.

and in TNA, that's what matters.

Generally what matters in any competitive contest.

So the Rougeaus won't take to any of the 6 turnbuckles, but they don't have to. The Rougeaus team based ground attacks will be enough to wear the Guns out.

Again, I point you to the Rougeaus' distinct lack of ground tactics in dealing with the high flying Rockers.

Edit:

I've never thought the 6 sides meant much, but if any team would benefit from being put into that style, its the brothers. I'll take the Rougeaus in a match I would pay a lot to watch.

Or the guys that use it week in, week out?

 

[klunderbunker]

What I meant was that the Rougeaus wouldn't be at a disadvantage in that I think they could adapt quickly to it and have no issues learning that style.

 

[Father:_Polley]

Show me a match of the Guns against a team like the Rougeaus or the Bulldogs would be my retort to you. As I said in the previous Guns match, their major disadvantage is that they don't face the style of the Rougeaus on a regular basis. You mentioned LAX as a damaging team, but they're damaging in a different way. Homicide is the speed, Hernandez is the power.

The Rougeaus aren't like that, they're the kind of guys who will happily slow the pace down when they want to, but still take to the air when the other member of the team has a guy down in the ring. They fight smart, not reckless

 

[IrishCanadian25]

I also went with the old school French Canadians over the Guns, despite the fact that I consider myself a fan of the MCMG's. I thought the Rougeaus were too experiences, too versatile, and too technical for a very young and less experienced Guns team. It's totally possible, if the Guns stay together (doubt they will) that they'll be a top 5 team. But right now, they aren't.

I'd love to see Sam pull this one out for Team TNA, but the Rougeau Brothers are a team I am glad to see people have not forgotten.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

Each and every time I watch the Gunns as of late, I can't help but think that they're the most overrated team in wrestling today. Not a bad team by any means, entertaining I could say. But I think the same of Jesse & Festus.

The Rougeau's are underrated, or forgotten, depending on how you look at it. But it was hard to stand out or be dominant in that tag division at that time. Yet they gave it their best shot, and more than held their own against one of the eventual winning teams of this tournament.

Who have the Gunns been dominant against, ever?

 

[Uncle Sam]

Right, best two examples of Rougeau-like teams the Guns have faced. You're not going to get a bang on comparison like with The Rockers and the Guns so bear with me.

1) Beer Money
No, seriously. Although Storm and Roode might not have the agility of the brothers - and it's arguable they do - they are certainly more comparable to them than, say, 3D. Unfortunately, you can't find any matches between Beer Money and the Guns on YT or DM. I believe the record is 1-1, the Guns loss being picked up in a strap match.

2) Masato Yoshino & Naruki Doi
Yes, I copy and pasted their names! Happy? But remember that match they had when the X Cup was going on? Their tag team name is "Speed Muscle" or something. They were both speedy and both muscly though. Littler and perhaps quicker than the brothers, I'll give you that. The Guns beat them in an awesome match.

So there's your examples.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

But remember that match they had when the X Cup was going on?

No.

 

[Uncle Sam]

This one:

 

[Y 2 Jake]

Typical TNA match. Nobody stood out, too much going on, not worth me watching again. Like most Gunns matches.

 

[Uncle Sam]

Guns, Jake. Guns.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

The rules of spelling don't apply to tag teams Sam. Boyz, Xchange, Gunns..