The Wednesday Wire: 3.28.12: WednesdayMania!

It’s WrestleMania week, which means there is absolutely a mega ton of news, stories, events and everything else you can think of going on right now. This weekend is obviously the biggest weekend of WWE’s year and arguable the biggest weekend of the year for ROH and Dragon Gate as well. I’m also using this weeks’ column for two major purposes: 1) to excite myself for the weekend ahead 2) to hopefully persuade some of you that haven’t yet checked out an ROH or Dragon Gate show to purchase one of their events this weekend (there are 4 to choose from!). Before we get too all of that as well as the news and any other crap I can throw in, let’s see the banner!

Speaking of the banner, I intend to continue evolving and making my column easier on the eyes. Mostly because I am insanely jealous of Greg DeMarco’s stunningly beautiful presentation every week, and I don’t just mean Buggy!

Ignore the “haters” as they say. Is it weird that I feel awkward saying “haters”? I don’t really know why, but I feel like a nerd. I am a nerd, but that’s neither here nor there.

Haters.

_________________________

Arn Anderson spoke to the Charleston Post and Courier about his induction into the Hall of Fame over the weekend. He had high praise for Barry Windham as a performer and also said that it will simply be an easier and more fun day with Windham as part of the crew instead of having to deal with [journalistic license] that ornery old curmudgeon of a codger that we know as Ole Anderson. Ole was an old man 30 years ago and somehow I get the feeling that there are some days he just curses the fact that he’s woken up again. Granted he’s not even 70 years old, but when you’ve never seen a guy perform when he’s under 40 it feels like he was born an old man. He also hates everybody. If he ever reads this I’ll probably be added to that long list as well.

__________

Adam Pearce is trying to bring some prestige back to the NWA World Heavyweight Championship belt. He’s a 67 or 68-time champion at this point and there’s likely nobody better than him to take the belt everywhere and make it seem both old school and relevant for a newer wrestling audience. He wants to defend the championship as far and wide as possible, and I think he would be most successful in bringing the NWA Title name out of the gutter (it has had its moments over the past few years, to be fair) by not only defending it on every indy from New York to Alaska, Europe to Australia, etc but also by bringing it to the bigger name indy promotions. If he can make some appearances in Dragon Gate USA and ROH to build up to a special attraction match against one of the company’s stars, it gives more credibility to the NWA belt. If he can bring it to Dragon Gate in Japan and defend it in New Japan or NOAH, that would help the reputation worldwide. Bring it to WXW in Germany, get it on Rikishi’s shows in Italy (if that still exists). I also bet that if everybody was open to the possibility, if he defended it in TNA it would help get the title some national and international intention. Ring Ka King, too. India is a huge wrestling market.

I wonder if I still have Adam Pearce’s phone number…

__________

He almost looks… happy.

__________

David Otunga decided to randomly attack TNA last week on Twitter. His Tweet elicited a response later on from A Double himself.

“If imitation is the highest form of flattery, I’m flatter than Impact’s ratings right now. #OtungaLaw.” – David Otunga

“Shocked @DavidOtunga took time to comment on @ImpactWrestling. I’d think he’d want to become at least a good hand first… #MrJenniferHudson.” – Austin Aries

I’m going to assume Otunga wasn’t actually watching Impact and rather was told about the segment by somebody, but what’s the point? Did Dixie Carter ask Jennifer Hudson to sing the National Anthem at LockDown but refuse to plug Otunga Law? Aries, of course, is right, but I do think the Mr. Jennifer Hudson thing is played out, though.

__________

DDP had a much different vision for his debut in the WWF. He stated in a recent interview with Sports Town Chicago that he actually told the Big Show about his destiny to join the WWF right after he signed a contract extension with WCW. It doesn’t say exactly when he said it… was it late 1998 before Show debuted or was it closer to the end? His idea was to have the lights go out in the arena and when it turns out to not be Jericho (which doesn’t clear up whether it was before or after 1999), his voice suddenly says, still in darkness, “I am the real People’s Champion”. He would then go down to the ring and rip The Rock a new asshole. Sounds like an awesome idea to me, and I still think it’s a damn shame that he didn’t get the respect he deserved when he first came in back in 2001.

DDP did indeed pitch the idea to Vince and Shane, but they were dead set on doing the stalker angle that ended up failing miserably. He said that he regrets not putting his foot down and telling them that he wasn’t going to work if they had him do the stalker angle. My question to you: do you think Vince would have changed his plans and worked with DDP do do something different if he did refuse to be Sara’s stalker? Was DDP a hot enough commodity that things would have been different?

__________

According to Andrew Goldstein, a former WWE creative team member and possibly a cousin of Colt Cabana, Vince McMahon absolutely hates the BikerTaker gimmick. Something about the mystique and aura of the Deadman character. A lot of people, myself included, were fans of the biker gimmick, and when he went Big Evil on us he became fantastic. As far as I’m concerned, The Undertaker was never better character-wise than when he turned heel, let the hair stay red and kicked everyone’s ass. Granted he had a couple stinkers… the Hogan match in which he won the Undisputed Title was beyond horrifying and his match with Triple H at King of the Ring is the kind of match that most people make believe never happened. I remember oddly enjoying the Triple H/Hogan match from Backlash though. I even liked (and please don’t hate me for this) the Creed song they used as the PPV theme song.

Man, Triple H did not look right with that Undisputed Title belt. And seriously, was the entire point of his return just to bury Jericho? Look at it this way:

– He tore his quad in a match with Jericho
– Jericho put him in the Walls after the match
– Triple H pays Jericho no attention and feuds with his estranged wife
– Stephanie becomes Jericho’s manager, quickly turns him into her lackey
– Jericho picks up dog shit and buys face cream for Stephanie
– Jericho’s most dominant moment: accidentally running over the dog
– But the dog didn’t even die — even Triple H’s dog no-sold Jericho
– Triple H kicks Jericho’s ass in his home country and takes the belts
– Triple H loses the Undisputed Title just over 1 month later
– Jericho wasn’t even booked for Backlash; he came out during the show and whined
– Jericho gets destroyed by Triple H in the Hell in a Cell
– Jericho loses to RVD at King of the Ring, throws a (internet trolling) fit about only getting three stars from the “important” sheets
– Eventually Triple H is handed the World Title and Jericho falls back to the midcard

I KNEW IT!

__________

According to “reports”, “sources” “say” that TNA is having “financial problems”. And the update on the story is that they aren’t experiencing financial problems, it’s just that Brother Love is very slow to share the love. Prichard is the new head of talent relations in TNA, and it appears that he’s a bum that replaced the former bum, Terry Taylor.

__________

How soon until somebody puts these on eBay?

__________

The Royal Rumble is estimated to have generated approximately 438,000 buys. I did not expect that many people to buy that show. The early estimate (based on averages or somesuch) for Elimination Chamber is 180,000, which is more than 100,000 less buys than the show of the same name in 2010. Wow.

__________

_________________________

There’s been a lot of talk about the possibly excessive use of Twitter by WWE and now TNA as well, as they used it a good deal during their Victory Road PPV. Some people are tired of the constant “this and that is trending”, and being told to use certain hashtags and all of that jazz. A lot of people seem to feel that way, actually.

DISCUSSION POINT: Is the Twitter barrage too much? Should Twitter be used to advance feuds? If so, should the wrestlers using it be told not to break kayfabe? Or, alternatively, does the fact that they are themselves on Twitter help add realism to what they’re saying about there opponents? Discuss!

_________________________

Ring of Honor Presents SHOWDOWN IN THE SUN

Showdown in the Sun Day 1: Friday 3/30/2012 @ 8pm

– Davey Richards v. Roderick Strong v. Eddie Edwards (ROH World Title)
– Jay & Mark Briscoe v. Mikey Nicholls & Shane Haste (Proving Ground)
– Kevin Steen v. El Generico
– Jay Lethal v. Kyle O’Reilly (World TV Title)
– Matt & Nick Jackson v. Kenny King & Rhett Titus (Street Fight)
– Lance Storm v. Mike Bennett
– Charlie Haas & Shelton Benjamin v. Caprice Coleman & Cedric Alexander

The first night of ROH’s WrestleMania weekend offering features a strong card that does a lot to set up the specifics of the card on the following afternoon. Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team has a warm-up match of sorts against the impressive pairing of Coleman and Alexander. I am hoping that Coleman & Alexander can pull off the upset win and get themselves a little closer to the World Tag Titles. It would be great to get some new blood near the top and I would love to hear Coleman, who is a fantastic promo guy, have some real material to work with instead of generic (but awesome) “we’re going out there to win” interviews.

The Briscoes have a warmup match of their own, taking on Australian team TMDK (The Mighty Don’t Kneel), Shane Haste and Mikey Nicholls. It seems like they’re going to be sticking around in America and may end up as regulars in ROH, but it’s not likely that they will knock off the Briscoes. I’d love to see them just barely lose to Jay & Mark and end up in a feud with WGTT (who lose to the Briscoes the next day) because they show respect to the Tag Champs.

Lance Storm is coming back to ROH, this time to wrestle Mike Bennett. I assume Lance sees something in him, because outside of the “loudmouth v. reserved guy” angle it doesn’t make a lot of sense. You’d think Lance would want to come out of semi-retirement to face a guy more renowned as an in-ring performer, but who knows? Kevin Steen is being put in the ring against an angry El Generico, who asked Jim Cornette for “la revancha”. I have a feeling that there will be no revenge for Generico to find in Fort Lauderdale this Saturday night. Steen is going to steamroll over everybody en route to Davey Richards, and Generico is just going to be another obstacle that Steen will push aside.

Jay Lethal will defend his TV Title against Kyle O’Reilly. That probably doesn’t sit well with Tommaso Ciampa, who is booked for the event but doesn’t have a match announced as of this time. Maybe he’ll “defend” the TV Title that he stole from Lethal at the 10th Anniversary Show. The All Night Express of Kenny King & Rhett Titus have a weekend worth of chances at revenge on The Young Bucks. Matt & Nick Jackson injured Titus’ leg and took him out of action for a number of months, and in the “Dual Duel”, day 1 will see the ANX taking on the Bucks in a Street Fight. I expect blood and possibly some guts.

Finally, the ROH World Title is on the line as Davey Richards defends against the two most recent champions, Eddie Edwards and Roderick Strong. I fully expect Davey to come out on top in this one. Kevin Steen is hot on his trail and there won’t be a title change yet. Michael Elgin has Davey on Day 2 and he’s more than deserving of a World Title shot, so that’s what we can look forward to.

__________

Showdown in the Sun Day 2: Saturday 3/31/2012 @ 1pm

– Davey Richards v. Michael Elgin**
– Eddie Edwards v. Kevin Steen**
– Roderick Strong v. Jay Lethal**
– Jay & Mark Briscoe v. Charlie Haas & Shelton Benjamin (ROH World Tag Titles)
– Matt & Nick Jackson v. Kenny King & Rhett Title (Tornado Tag Match)
– Kyle O’Reilly v. Adam Cole
– TJ Perkins v. Fire Ant

(** = may be for the World Title)

Day two will be the culmination of the WrestleMania weekend for ROH. TJ Perkins will have an exhibition match against popular CHIKARA veteran Fire Ant, in a continuation of what was intended to be a good-natured partnership that may become a war between Ring of Honor and CHIKARA. Kyle O’Reilly, who may be the World TV Champion by this match, will take on his former (short-lived) tag partner Adam Cole, and that one is definitely set to be a war. I would bet on Cole getting the fall here to further set O’Reilly up for a full-blown heel turn, and it would be interesting to see how they would pull that off while also keeping him respectful of Davey Richards. Kyle O’Reilly the vigilante?

In what will likely be less brutal and much faster-paced, the Young Bucks will be in their own element in a tornado tag-style match against the ANX. I don’t expect a lot of selling from the brawl they will have the night before, which makes me wonder why this wasn’t put on the first night with the Street Fight on Day 2, but maybe they have something special planned. Beats me.

The Briscoes v. WGTT feud will hopefully finally come to an end on this day. Haas and Benjamin have become bitter old veterans (especially Haas) while The Briscoes are still young men in their primes with the crowd firmly behind them again after a rough patch last summer. There’s not a whole lot to say about this one. The feud has been going on much longer than I expected it to go, and I’m ready to see Haas and Benjamin step away from the title picture and become the veteran team that puts over the up-and-comers.

The final three matches have been promoted as “Blind Destiny”. Michael Elgin, Kevin Steen and Jay Lethal have all earned the right to have a chance at a title shot on Day 2 of Showdown in the Sun. The winner of the World Title match on Day 1 will defend his title against the man he is scheduled to wrestle the following day. It seems unlikely that Davey Richards will lose the title on Friday night, and as I said above Michael Elgin is deserving of a title match, but who knows what will happen. The money match is Steen v. Richards, though, so you make your own conclusion.

_________________________

Randy Orton believes that his match on Sunday night is more important that Sheamus v. Daniel Bryan. He says that more people want to see what he and Kane will do than the two men in the World Heavyweight Championship match. I don’t know… Orton is a bigger star than both of the guys in the WHC match, but I don’t think anybody gives a hoot about Kane right now. Orton is in the same position as Kurt Angle in 2002, as he somehow ended up without a dance partner so they threw Kane at him.

__________

Contrary to that, Sheamus has said that he and Daniel Bryan are going to go balls out and are looking forward to stealing the show at WrestleMania. One would expect that after being bumped from the card last year, both men are ready to prove something at WrestleMania XXVIII.

__________

More fantasy booking from the sheets has come out and they are claiming that Shawn Michaels has been placed into the ‘Taker v. HHH match as the referee in order to set up next year’s big match — Triple H v. Shawn Michaels. I don’t know who actually bought that crap, but Shawn Michaels took to Twitter to refute that silliness.

__________

Roddy Piper will not be doing a WrestleMania edition of Piper’s Pit this year. I can’t see where it would fit in, anyway. Well, I guess they could have Piper and Edge in there. Holy shit! Please somebody from WWE! Read this! Make it happen!

__________

Maria Menounos is coming into WrestleMania with a couple broken ribs. Looks like dancing ain’t ballet! Wait — looks like dancing ain’t — looks like this ain’t bal– oh fuck it.

I didn’t know she was friends with Orlando Jordan!

__________

The forecast for Miami on Sunday April 1 is partly cloudy with a 20% chance of rain. It would be pretty badass if it rained during Undertaker’s entrance. I think everybody said the same thing last year. It’s still true. Plus this year it would make his head all shiny.

__________

__________

WWE is running a show on May 27 in Louisiana and of the matches announced, one has raised an eyebrow or two. The advertisement says Orton v. Sheamus for the World Title. Of course live show advertising often has errors like this, sometimes intentional “errors” to drum up some interest for the local fans. I doubt there’s anything to read into, but here it is.

__________

After being attacked by CM Punk on RAW, Christian has been pulled from the 12-man tag team match at WrestleMania. He’s been replaced by Drew McIntyre. So is Christian still hurt? Flash forward one day: yes, his ankle still indeed is hurt. Can we PLEASE get a Punk/Christian feud? Please?

__________

WWE and TNA have both confirmed that Ric Flair will be in Miami for the Hall of Fame induction of the Four Horsemen. As he should be. I hope Vince gives him some money for the appearance. I heard Ric needs some beer money for the weekend.

__________

Brock Lesnar is reportedly open to having a match at WrestleMania 29 against Steve Austin or The Undertaker. I don’t see it happening, not by a long shot. On the other hand, CM Punk and Steve Austin are continuing to tease a WrestleMania 29 match, which has a better likelihood of happening. Maybe not that much better of a likelihood, but the odds are for that one.

_________________________

I’ll be an honest man. The only independent promotion that I follow on a regular basis is Ring of Honor. A man only has so much time in a day. There is a ton of other action going on this weekend, and here’s the other iPPV choice.

Dragon Gate USA will be presenting two days of action, which, like ROH, will be aired live on internet pay-per-view. Competition will abound, and DGUSA has a special offer to attempt to gain some leverage. Their Friday show will be available for only $1.99!

Open The Ultimate Gate 2012: Friday 3/30/2012 @ 8pm

– Low Ki v. Pac
– CIMA & Ricochet v. Chuck Taylor & Johnny Gargano (Open the United Gate Title)
– Masaaki Mochizuki v. Akira Tozawa
– Masato Yoshino v. Rich Swann
– Sabu & Jon Davis v. Arik Cannon & Pinkie Sanchez (Stable Shootout Match #1 – Street Fight)
– Sami Callihan v. BxB Hulk (Stable Shootout Match #2 – Fox Picks Callihan’s Opponent)
– AR Fox v. Uhaa Nation (Stable Shootout Match #3 – Callihan Picks Fox’s Opponent)

__________

Mercury Rising 2012: Saturday 3/31/2012 @ 8pm

– CIMA, Ricochet & Masaaki Mochizki v. Low Ki, Akira Tozawa, & BxB Hulk
– Johnny Gargano v. Masato Yoshino (Open The Freedom Gate Title)
– Sami Callihan v. Sabu (No Rules Fight)
– AR Fox v. Arik Cannon
– Pac v. Rich Swann v. Lince Dorado v. TBA (Pac Invitational Aerial Match)

This show isn’t loaded up with matches yet, but they are bringing back the much-lauded “Dragon Gate Six-Man Tag” that became legendary in ROH when they ran their first couple WrestleMania weekend shows. For a lot of people that match alone will sell the show.

_________________________

WrestleMania is this weekend and I’m pretty excited for it. Come Sunday I am very well aware that I will be weighing whether or not I should drop the $50+ on the show. I did it last year and they burned me bad. Fool me once, they say. Fool me once.

Once in a Lifetime: John Cena v. The Rock

It all comes down to this. The time for talking, they say, is over. I’ve said a lot of shit about The Rock, and I really am upset at how he treated the business when he left. Do I think he loves being there? Absolutely. Is he great at it when he comes around? Except for executing the Sharpshooter, you’re damn right he’s great. I still don’t like how he acted like he was above wrestling though, essentially telling everybody within earshot that it’s some carnival side show that isn’t worthy of having him in their spotlight. John Cena will never be that guy, and I believe everything he said on RAW regarding his 10 years in WWE and how he will always be around. No matter whose side you’re on (and I’m clearly on Cena’s), this match will damn sure deliver and I’m looking forward to it like a motherfucker.

Prediction: John Cena via pinfall

End of an Era: Triple H v. The Undertaker, Hell in a Cell

I’ve been fairly vocal on my disappointment RE: the build-up to this one. It started out pretty intriguing, as Undertaker was actively begging Triple H for a rematch. It fell flat for me when it came down to Undertaker and Shawn Michaels insulting Triple H left and right, leading to Triple H, who proclaimed himself to be a new, non-partisan company leader, to act like a child being taunted on the playground. Maybe it’s time for the era to end. They’re becoming crotchety old men. Kinda like Ole. I expect both men to go all out in this one, and hopefully they won’t lay around so much.

Prediction: The Undertaker via pinfall

WWE Championship: Champion CM Punk v. Challenger Chris Jericho

Am I the only one who would have preferred that they would have just gone with the “best in the world” dispute? I think the feud was going along just fine and it would have made for a great competitive match at WrestleMania. Jericho could lose and then they could move on and get more personal as the weeks and months go on. It would make even more sense if this does end up being the show’s opening match. A straight wrestling match to decide the better man is more fitting than an emotional grudge match. That all said, I still think the build has been strong. Jericho is always perfect and Punk is poised to get to Jericho’s status as time moves along. I honestly don’t see Punk ending up as one of the tippy-top guys. He’s going to end up being the guy who can be an awesome heel that can lose to anybody and not lose any heat, and he can be the face that thrives in the upper-mid card and can have competitive matches at the IC Title level and the World Title level. I don’t know what tells me that, but I feel like it’s going to happen. So will this match be the show stealer? It seems like a lot of matches are poised to be show stealers. That can only be a good thing.

Prediction: CM Punk via submission

World Heavyweight Championship: Champion Daniel Bryan v. Challenger Sheamus

The match that was snubbed last year gets a second chance, and this time a bigger prize is on the line. In the time since last WrestleMania, Sheamus has become a hugely popular face (and never lost his badassery) and Daniel Bryan has shown his ability to be a heat-seeking heel that can get the crowd on him like the best of ’em. The landscape is far different this year, as two men who are as of yet still unproven as main event guys have been given the ball to shine in an undercard match for the World Title. Does anybody think that the World Heavyweight Championship will get to main event a show as long as either one of these guys is champion? Otherwise the belt becomes essentially another midcard title in a promotion with 4 midcard titles and no world titles. Like the Punk/Jericho match, these guys are looking to steal the show. It’s not easy to pick a winner for this one. Does the Royal Rumble winner get snubbed again? Daniel Bryan is a really hot act and as they say, the money is in the chase. Is it wiser to have him hold onto the title for longer or to give the win to Sheamus? I think Bryan should win, but I don’t know that he will.

Prediction: Sheamus via pinfall

Intercontinental Championship: Champion Cody Rhodes v. Challenger Big Show

Cody benefits from a win and looks bad in defeat. Show gets nothing from a win and makes Cody look good in defeat. I think the winner should be obvious. It’s good for a heel to be right sometimes, because otherwise he comes off looking like a lying chump who can’t win a match. That’s okay when it’s your persona (Daniel Bryan), but Cody is more seasoned as a heel champion in WWE and he has been allowed to kick some ass. He shouldn’t kick Show’s ass here like he did to Khali a few weeks ago, but this match will likely be sub-10 minutes and if there’s justice in the world Cody will look strong. By no means should Big Show look like a bum, but this is Cody’s match. Show is just there to be a roadblock. Let’s hope Cody moves on to a real title feud with a young guy as the spring rolls on. Justin Gabriel could benefit from a feud with Rhodes both personality-wise and in the ring.

Prediction: Cody Rhodes via pinfall

Randy Orton v. Kane

As I said earlier, Orton has found himself in the Kurt Angle position in which he doesn’t have a match on the card and Kane isn’t doing anything, so BOOM, there’s your match. If both men bring their work boots, as the saying goes, this can be a very solid match that helps round out a stacked show. I don’t see anywhere either of these guys can go after WrestleMania, though. Kane seems to know how to somehow make a big return and matter even less than when he left and Orton is over huge but hasn’t really done anything since he lost the World Title to Mark Henry.

Prediction: Randy Orton via pinfall

Team Teddy (Santino, Kofi Kingston, R-Truth, Great Khali & Zack Ryder) v. Team Johnny (David Otunga, The Zig Zag Man, Jack Swagger, Mark Henry & Drew McIntyre)

What an eclectic bunch of guys we have in this one. To start, the teams are captained by Santino on the face side and David O-freakin-tunga on the heel side. Granted the fans absolutely love Santino and Otunga is really just an in-ring stand in for Laurinaitis, but it is odd to say that in a match with multiple former World Champions, Santino and Otunga are the top guys. No matter, though, as this one is about getting as many people on the card as possible without doing a ladder match. It’s much safer this way, certainly. I expect this to turn out to be more comedy than anything else and it’s going to be short. Not divas 47-woman tag team match short, but it probably won’t get more than 10 or 11 minutes. Should be fun while it lasts. Sadly, I think Team Johnny takes this one and forces Teddy out for a little while. Maybe getting one GM will lead to some titles being merged? We’ve been saying it for years, and just like The Undertaker’s retirement, I don’t think it’s set to happen just yet.

Prediction: Team Johnny via pinfall

Beth Phoenix & Eve Torres v. Kelly Kelly & Maria Menounos

I never thought I would say this, but Snooki this ain’t! Actually, Maria Menounos as proven herself in the ring as someone that can work hard and look like she belongs there as much as the actual divas do, and in the case of some of them (most of them?) even moreso. I was hoping for Beth v. Kharma and this is obviously a let-down. If WWE doesn’t care about the women, why should I care? I just wish they would get some respect.

Prediction: Kelly Kelly & Maria Menounos

_________________________

That’s going to be everything for this week. I’m looking forward to this weekend and I hope you are too. I bet these guys are!

– Ask 411 Wrestling with Mat Sforcina!
– Acero and his boys are the Triumvirate of Truth!
– Michael Ornelas and his Contentious Ten Most Rewatched Matches!
– Dmitri Dorlis always finds the Hidden Highlights!
– Experience Wrestling News with Randle!
– Visit Steve Cook in his Corner!

Next week: Professional wrestling talk. Who saw that coming?

WrestleMania!

– Nicholas A. Marsico