wrestling / Columns
The Wrestling 5 & 1 07.28.12: Maria Kanellis vs. Torrie Wilson!
Listen while you read! Former WWE/FCW Diva Su Yung (formerly Sonia) spends 45+ minutes on the show—and provides great stories, laughs and more! One of our most fun interviews to date.
BRING ON THE GIRLS!
Last Week:After a near record 2239 votes were cast, AJ Lee officially joins the 411Mania Wrestling 5&1 Hall of Bang!
She won by less than 2%, beating out Stacy Keibler—a woman who has stopped several Hall hopefuls in the past–by a mere 41 votes. With that, we’ve had a modification to the Hall line-up…
Future Versus Updates:
* Maria Kanellis will continue her journey with two wins…
* Brooke Tessmacher has one win in her bid to return to the Hall…
* Candice Michelle has one victory and will look to continue her journey…
* AJ Lee will soon begin her own “Battle of the Bang” to determine her position in the Hall…
* Tiffany will receive a new opportunity at the Hall as soon as the opportunity is available…
This Week: Maria Kanellis sits at two wins, and “The First Lady of Ring of Honor” goes for #3 in her own Hall quest. This week she is challenged by a classic beauty. And on the off chance that Billy Kidman is reading this, he’ll be kicking himself after he votes for his ex-wife…
MARIA KANELLIS!
TORRIE WILSON!
The Choice Is Yours!
MARIA KANELLIS vs. TORRIE WILSON
Take your pick and vote in the poll below!
Remember, you can vote multiple times—once every 12 hours.
And you can track the results right here, too!
This past Monday, the WWE held the 1000th edition of Monday Night RAW in front of a very vocal St. Louis crowd. It was an eventful show, but one storyline topped them all…
Some people have been quick to call this a heel turn, and others (including my Greg DeMarco Show cohost “The Wrestling Realist” Patrick O’Dowd) are taking a “wait and see” approach. Not me. I see this as a heel turn, and the revelation of 2012’s big summer angle. 2010 had The Nexus, 2011 had the CM Punk walk out, and 2012 has the CM Punk heel turn.
And it came at the absolute perfect time. Why? Let’s see…
Face CM Punk Was About To Get Stale
You know why I and so many others kept calling for John Cena to turn heel? It’s the same reason so many of us loved when he busted out “The Doctor of Thugganomics” on The Rock during the WrestleMania build. We wanted something different—because he got stale. A heel turn was the easiest option because it was a complete 180 from the current character. CM Punk is doing a 180 at the perfect time. He wasn’t turned face out of need—the fans turned him face. In fact, the WWE is in need of a hot heel right now—there are none outside of Brock Lesnar. And even Lesnar will get cheered. But go back and watch the post-wedding promo involving Punk & Daniel Bryan. That’s not CM Punk—it’s the Diet Coke version of CM Punk (or should I say Diet Pepsi?). The exchange with The Rock? That was more like heel Punk, and that’s not even the half of it.
What can Punk really do as a heel? His work with Rey Mysterio was impressive, but he can do even better. Take a look…
That’s the infamous 2005 promo that Punk cut in his “last night in Ring of Honor.” He won the ROH World Championship from (current TNA World Heavyweight Champion) Austin Aries, and proceeded to turn on the fans. He made them think he wasn’t really leaving for the WWE, only to say he was taking the title with him. And he did all that after turning heel. And in a subtle point that many miss, he said he was taking the title with him after he declared it the most important belt in the world. You now have the potential to see this CM Punk in the WWE, for the very first time.
He’ll Bring Out The Best In The Rock
The Rock is a good wrestler, and an even better talker. CM Punk will bring out the best in The Rock in both areas. In the ring, Rock and Cena put on a good match to close out WrestleMania. CM Punk and The Rock will top that at The Royal Rumble (which I am in fact predicting will be the WWE Championship match in Phoenix). Both men will work their asses off, sell, and put of an early Match of The Year candidate that will make the WWE consider running with it again come WrestleMania 30.
But The Rock’s greatest strength, much like Punk’s, is the promo. Both men can put on a great match, and they can deliver an even better promo. But against CM Punk, The Rock doesn’t need to resort to “Fruity Pebbles” and “Oompa Loompa.” The Rock does that against cartoon characters. John Cena is a modern day cartoon character. The Daniel Bryan that was standing across from The Rock—dressed in a white tuxedo and steaming after being left at the altar? That’s a wrestling cartoon character. But Punk will face Rock mano y mano. It’ll be a more serious Rock, and it’ll be entertaining as hell. It might top the build to WrestleMania 29 that will follow it.
So I am ready to state it as my 100% belief that CM Punk turned heel on Monday Night’s RAW 1000. And it also state it as my 100% belief that it was the absolute right thing to do, and the absolute right time to do it. The majority of “smart” fans weren’t calling for the heel turn—yet. But they would have. And as soon as they call for it, it’s too late. That’s why you do it now.
You Decide: Are you excited about heel CM Punk?
I haven’t had a chance to cover it here, but since tickets went on sale on Friday, I will now. At Destination X, TNA announced that their yearly Bound For Glory supercard will emanate from The GCU Arena on the campus of Grand Canyon University right here in Phoenix, Arizona! The GCU is a brand new facility, recently opened, and is absolutely perfect for a TNA PPV.
Home to the Antelopes of Grand Canyon University (aka The ‘Lopes), the GCU Arena is perfect for TNA. The venue holds 5,000 fans and is only one level, with the largest section going approximately 25 rows back. It is a new facility, having opened back on September 1, 2011. It has three video boards located within the arena, one that is 15’x35′ and two that are 10’x18′. Moreover, it has a wraparound ribbon board that is 3.5’x525′ going around all sides of the arena. As TNA has held many of their “road PPVs” in older arenas, the digital ribbon and boards are a rare sight at these events.
One interesting point is that Dixie Carter recently stated during a recent TNA Today video that the company is considering holding Bound For Glory “in the round.” I for one am in favor of a move away from the traditional “end-zone” stage that has become synonymous with the WWE and TNA during the recent decade (and beyond for the WWE). The ability to go in the round and turn the entire arena into a stage is a concept that I’ve long thought the WWE should explore. One concern that I have here is that, judging by the first picture you see above, The GCU Arena is the perfect venue for an end stage. TNA Lockdown and the London editions of Impact Wrestling were the closest the company came to an “in the round” feel. Lockdown had a set entrance, but it was a very small and cramped area with no stage, just a giant screen with some chain link fending around it.
However they do have the advantage of the temporary bleachers you see in this third picture—and once the basketball floor is removed, TNA could theoretically move those in closer to make a square shaped floor, providing a more intimate setting for the event. That decision could also hinge upon ticket sales. Last year’s Bound For Glory sold around 2500 tickets, and if they were to do the same this year, this move could still provide for a packed house that comes across great on TV/PPV.
Another option that Dixie and TNA have is to film with the hard-cam facing the round end of the arena. There are two potential entrances if they want to go old school with the entry ways, and they can use as much or as little of the sides of the arena as they need. I presume this is more of what Dixie had in mind when she referenced filming “in the round.” As a college freshman, I attended Monday Night RAW at the Richmond Coliseum during a fall break. It was the night after Survivor Series, and Bret Hart had just defeated Diesel for the WWF Championship. This a RAW that most will remember—Shawn Michaels ate a kick to the head from Owen Hart, and slowly fainted. This was to write Shawn off of TV, and the broadcast ended with HBK down, being attended to by Jerry Lawler in the ring. I bring this up because the WWF actually cut the arena in half for this event, pointing the hard camera towards the round end of the arena. The entrance was in view of the hard camera, and it provided a very unique viewing experience. I think this could work for TNA, pretty much guarantee a “full looking” house, and make Bound For Glory a memorable aesthetic experience.
All images and info are courtesy of the Grand Canyon University Arena site, GCUArena.com.
You Decide: What do you think of TNA possible experimenting with the arena set-up for Bound For Glory?
Bonus time:
Remember Bound For Glory 2011? The company got blasted in the wrestling media, not only for the main event finish, but also for some camera shots that exposed the empty side of the arena. Here is a pic found on cagesideseats.com to show how the arena looked…
Definitely a look the company wants to avoid.
There were two releases that were finally confirmed this week, and both boggle my mind…for different reasons. Were they good or bad decisions? And why?
Kharma’s Release: Bad Decision…made by the WWE
Kharma is a beast—in the best sense of the word. Vince McMahon is often criticized for his love for wrestling characters (and physiques) that are larger than life. Apparently that only applies to the men. I’ve seen the phrase “creative had nothing for her” used to describe Kharma’s release, and I’ve read reports that they weren’t happy with her weight loss and look.
Kharma is the epitome of what Vince McMahon is looking for. Apparently his vision of larger than life talent only applies to male wrestlers and female breasts. Which is really funny, since his most talented (and over) female character doesn’t have implants.
I think there could be a little more behind this. Kharma was booked to come in and destroy the Divas. She was tearing up knockoff Barbie Dolls in her vignettes before making her initial appearances. She put away several Divas before the announcement of her pregnancy. She also made an appearance (her only official televised WWE match, strangely enough) in the 2012 Royal Rumble, where she was insanely over.
In the political era of the WWE (the era in which Linda McMahon insists on running for office), the WWE has to make decisions that impact more than business. Kharma can’t realistically compete with the men while Linda is in office. None of the Divas on the roster can compete with Kharma—outside of Beth Phoenix. So creatively they would need to completely destroy the division. Don’t let the rumored signing of Sara Del Rey fool you—the WWE Divas will always be more about Maxim photo spreads and less about in-ring competition. If Kharma destroys the division, puts Beth over, and leaves (because at that point creative would once again have nothing for her)…what is left?
That’s why, when she was brought in last year, I predicted she wouldn’t last a year. Technically she did, but she only had one real match. This isn’t he fault—the WWE had no idea what to do with Kharma in the long term from day one.
Velvet Sky: Bad Decision…made by Velvet Sky
Velvet Sky’s departure is a sad one for TNA. She was a company original, and The Beautiful People was a proven act that could draw. I understand their split, but when Angelina Love’s visa issues were resolved the company should have scripted a long-term plan to get them back together.
But when her contract came up, Velvet Sky was in a very strange position—she had zero negotiating power. Despite being one of the hottest women in wrestling, she was only known as a TNA Knockout. Her recent music video appearance? Thanks to TNA. When she leaves TNA, she likely can’t take that name very far until the company does something about it. And the WWE? They’re likely not interested. She can’t wrestle, and her sex appeal won’t fly in the PG-WWE. Plus, she’s got TNA all over her, and they’re avoiding that with their signings.
So when she went in to negotiate with TNA, where was her power? What do they lose by not offering her more money? The Knockouts are a proven ratings draw…not Velvet Sky. The Knockouts’ segments that have done well aren’t linked to any specific talents. The division is a draw, and Velvet was only a small part of that. While I agree that the company should have done more to keep an original talent in the fold—and one that I love to look at—I just can’t see them budging too much in their negotiations. They’re setting the table for negotiations with more important talent, and they need to set themselves up for success. Giving in to Velvet Sky sure won’t help in future talent negotiations.
You Decide: Who is truly to blame for the losses of Kharma and Velvet Sky?
We’ll take a hiatus from comments this week, and return next week. Except for the triumphant return of…
The Frisco Kid!
AJ is like that girl you meet at the mall. She just so bubbly and adorable that you can’t wait to see her again.
Before long, you’ve bought a shitload of Old Navy polos, all as just an excuse to see her again. When you finally work up the courage to ask her out, she accepts enthusiastically and you can’t believe your good fortune.
Only later do you realize the warning signs were there:
The way her male co-workers seemed to recoil in fear whenever she approached.
And when you showed up at her apartment and heard her talking loudly and angrily, but when you went inside she was all alone and when you asked her who she was talking to on the phone, she tells you her phone was broken.
But it’s only after your date when you end up at her place afterwards do you realize it, but by then it’s too late.
You think the handcuffs were pretty hot, but when she pulls out a suitcase with jumper cables, KY Jelly, and a giant dildo, you start to worry.
And when she opens her closet and out walks a small bearded man and a tall thin man with unusual tattoos, both wearing leather masks and ball-gags, stark naked, that the fear overcomes you.
Not that this ever happened to me…it was my 3rd cousin, once removed. He’s never walked right since and he dribbles when he smiles.
Stacy…definitely Stacy.
Posted By: Frisco Kid
You were sorely missed!
And we also have this…
So this is not rhetorical and I’m not being sarcastic. This is a legit question that I’m just completely lost on. This is predicated on Roode/Storm still be for the title at BFG, so if you think Aries is keeping the title, while Roode/Storm is resolved, then this is not meant for you.
Pretend we can skip forward 6 months, tell me how Austin Aries would be different in the following scenarios.
Scenario 1: Aries winss the TNA title at Destination X and loses the title to Roode at Hardcore Justice. From there we go right back to the Roode/Storm build to BFG. Meanwhile Aries is booked tremendously strong, running through feuds with Magnus and either Angle or Joe working his way back into contention, before winding up back working with Roode for the title in January.
Scenario 2: Aries falls short against Roode at Destination X, fighting through all of Roode’s cheating, only to be done in by a Magnus run in. The two feud through BFG, then after Aries wins, he and the 2nd place BFG (Angle/Joe) feud over who next in line. Aries wins continue and Roode has reclaimed his title, they match up in January and Aries wins the title.
I don’t see how a 1 month reign does so much for Aries that it’s worth doing to the potential detriment of Roode/Storm.
It seems to me Aries will either continue to thrive or falter based on what he does moving forward, just like the X-Division. So if he jerks the curtain or moves into the background or is put in a shitty story or does a job, then the short title reign will be forgotten.
Again I honestly am at a loss.
Can you point to somebody “needing” to win the title and having the trajectory of their career dependent on it to show why Aries needed to win now?
Posted By: Random Fat Guy
I promised an answer to this, and I won’t leave you all without one. I never said Austin Aries needed to win. In fact, I said he’d be fine either way. The X-Division does need the win. The company is already pointing to the guaranteed Destination-X opportunity that comes along with the belt. Austin Aries is the hope for that opportunity. I don’t think the X-Division champion should win the TNA World Heavyweight Championship at Destination-X 2013. Because the company still has Aries to point to as the hope that the division’s talent can follow.
Is it at the detriment of Bobby Roode & James Storm. Nope. They still hate each other, and people still want to see them fight. Yes, their split was over Roode’s actions in winning the world title. But that doesn’t go away when the title goes away. Roode’s still a dick, and Storm is still TNA’s “people’s champion.” There is no reason why their feud can’t continue without the title. And if Roode wins the belt back at Hardcore Justice, their Bound For Glory match—two months later—won’t have any less heat behind it. And if we get Aries vs. Joe for the World Heavyweight Championship and Roode vs. Storm in a cage rematch or a different stipulation match? That might even work out even better.
Are you an independent wrestling promoter, wrestler or fan looking to get more exposure for your promotion? Send me an e-mail at [email protected] and I will check it out! Each week, one independent promotion will be featured in this column. Because independent wrestling is the future of the business.
This week’s independent promotion is…
BATTLEGROUND PRO WRESTLING!
From the Battleground Pro Wrestling site:
According to the BPW faithful, Legion Hall of Doom was our best show to date. However, BPW does not plan to rest on our laurels as the summer is just getting heated up for Red, White, and Bruised! The main event features the culmination of arguably the most heated feud in BPW history with Extreme Loco taking on Mikey O’Shea in a 2 out of 3 falls match. With his job secure following the glowing review of Those Guys, Commissioner Dan E. Ramirez is taking a vacation and leaving the Brothers Darevko in charge. Sasha Darevko has already released a video detailing the Russian brothers’ plans for Red, White, and Bruised, and there is no telling what other shady plans they have up their sleeves!
The Card:
Battleground Pro Wrestling presents RED, WHITE, AND BRUISED
July 28th @ 8pm, American Legion Post 716, 3252 Florista St. Los Alamitos, CA
Main Event: 2 out of 3 Falls
Extreme Loco vs. Mikey O’Shea
The Darevko Brothers (Alexis & Sasha) vs. The Working Dead (B-Boy & Chris Kadillak)
The Pussycat Challenge: 6-man Gauntlet for BPW Contract
Battle Royal for the Ramirez Cup
Nick Madrid vs. Tito Escondido
Levi Shapiro vs. Perry Von Vicious vs. Johnny Plinko
Lucha Machine vs. Seville Alvarez vs. Robby Phoenix
This will be a classic night of wrestling that you won’t want to miss—check it out if you’re in the area!
For more information, visit the Battleground Pro Wrestling website here.
The Greg DeMarco Show with Su Yung!
The Greg DeMarco Show, presented by 411Mania.com/Wrestling, comes to you each Tuesday night at 10:30 PM eastern and streams all weekend at VOCNation.com. Greg and Patrick O’Dowd are joined by regular contributors Tony Acero, Justin Freemyer Chad Perry and The First Lady of the Voice of Choice Nation, WrestlingMarx.com’s Leanne Marie! Plus, you never know who might call in or stop by “The Snake Pit” (chatroom). The call-in number is (310) 807-5103, and “The Snake Pit” generally opens 5 minutes before the show starts.
This week: Greg and Patrick are back live with special guest Su Yung!
With RAW 1000 in the books, hear what the show crew thought of the event, and where the WWE goes next. Did CM Punk really turn heel? What’s next for Daniel Bryan? Will AJ succeed as a general manager? All this and more will be explored on the show!
Su Yung (former WWE developmental Diva Sonia in FCW) will discuss her early career in Memphis, transitioning to being in WWE developmental when she was barely 20 years old, what she learned there and if she hopes to go back. She also discusss her current role in Shine, Shimmer, Anarchy Championship Wrestling and more. Find out Su’s video game preferences (Mortal Kombat or Street Fighter 2?), hear her shocking reaction to Patrick O’Dowd’s affinity for Asian women, and listen in as a surprise proposal is made during the interview. This is one of the most fun and entertaining interviews to ever take place on the program—do not miss out!
Leanne Marie stops by the broadcast to discuss the notion of size and look in professional wrestling. Plus, Greg and Patrick provide updated thoughts on TNA Impact Wrestling, Tony Acero lives to fight another day as AJ remains unmarried, Justin Freemyer gets old school, and Chad Perry leads the show in our own rendition of “Oddsmakers.”
Listen here:
About The Greg DeMarco Show:
Discussing current events in professional wrestling—including WWE RAW, Smackdown, TNA Impact Wrestling, Ring of Honor and many US independent promotions and regularly featuring guests from Ring of Honor, Chikara, Extreme Reunion and countless other promotions, Greg DeMarco and Patrick O’Dowd present opinionated analysis on the wrestling world that remains rooted in a love, passion and respect for the industry. The show is presented live on Tuesday nights by 411Mania at http://www.411wrestling.com/wrestling and streams worldwide each weekend via Bruce Wirt’s Voice of Choice Nation at http://www.vocnation.com. You can reach the show via e-mail at [email protected], Facebook by searching for “Greg DeMarco Show” or Twitter @gregdemarcoshow.
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After three straight Hall of Bang members, I decided to dig into the archives and bring back a reader favorite…Lizzy Valentine!
Lizzy for Versus?
Get reading!
Randle’s Wrestling News Experience!
The News from Cook’s Corner!
Marisco’s Wednesday Wire!
Kelly’s Thursday Sports Entertainment News!
Napier’s Handicapping the News!
Fact or Fiction!
Tony Acero presents The Low End Theory! 
Plenty to talk about in the comments!
Is Punk’s heel turn a good thing?
Will Bound For Glory be a great event for TNA?
Thoughts on the releases of Kharma and Velvet Sky
Plus, vote in the poll above—Maria or Torrie!
Until next time…
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