wrestling / Columns
The Wrestling 5 & 1 11.24.12: Vs Royal Rumble Week 2 plus Trish Stratus!
We hope your Thanksgiving was happy, and full of great food and time with the family. And hopefully you didn’t succumb to the insane madness that is Black Friday!
What follows is an awesome edition of The Wrestling 5&1. Seriously, this is one we can be proud of! We hope you enjoy it!
BRING ON THE GIRLS!
Eleven weeks long, the Versus Royal Rumble features the women who have come so close to the Hall of Bang—three time winners Mickie James (who did it twice), Stacy Keibler, Gail Kim, Lita and Christy Hemme. It also features two former hall members in Brooke Tessmacher and Taryn Terrell. Add in twenty three more women from the WWE, TNA, NXT, the indies, overseas, old school ladies and more!
The results are in, and three women were eliminated in the first week of The Versus Rumble!
Sensational Sherri received the most votes for elimination, much to my dismay. I really thought Sherri would have a good run with some grass roots support. Sadly, no. Mia Yim wasn’t far behind her, either. Hannah & Holly Blossom narrowly avoided elimination by receiving seven less votes than Tealer Hendrix—I guess Steve Cook just didn’t vote for them enough!
Now it’s back to you—the reader—will pick three women to eliminate. That’s right, you are NOT voting for winner, you are voting for someone to get eliminated. Three to be exact. We’ll narrow the field over the next eleven weeks until we get to the final two. At that point, a winner will be crowned!
At stake? Oh nothing, just a spot in the 411Mania Wrestling 5&1 Hall of Bang!
So who will win? We’ll get there, but first we need to eliminate three more of these beautiful ladies. Here is the remaining field, and you can vote below. Vote for the three you want to send home, and vote often. You can vote once every 12 hours, and voting closes Tuesday night.
Ladies and gentlemen…
The poll expires at 10 pm on Tuesday, and you can vote once every 12 hours. Now get voting!
Last week in The Wrestling 5&1…
Ken Wood •
Is Miss Elizabeth goes out in the first round I’m going to be very disappointed… I’m actually kind of disappointed that Sensational Sherri is going out, but that’s because no one realizes how awesome she is…
I’ve already said that I hoped for a Sherri run. But your colleague might have been correct…
Jake •
Hardly anyone remembers Sherri. The IWC overrates her because she passed away. I never heard anybody even mention her until WWE tossed her in the HOF. And I doubt even the people that do remember her would consider her a hottie. She had a cool personality but average looks.
It’s hard to say. I think people appreciated the job she did as a manager far more than her appearance.
james •
I been watching wrestling for 20 year and i say the heart attack angle wasnt in bad taste and i have a huge problem with people who do, look punk is a heel and one of the biggest problem with the wrestling now a days is that heels cant be heels because someone has a problem with things said and done a, women just throw a fit because del rio ripped her sons sign playing up the fact that he is a heel and jericho was supended for kick a flag in brazil, alot of the guys now a days are not getting over as heels because the thing they do either gets the wrong reaction or is called in bad taste, people just need to relax not everything is in bad taste sometimes its just great heel work
It’s a tough balance. Don’t touch someone’s property or violate something sacred. There are certain lines you don’t cross, and Punk did NOT cross one of those. The angle was fine. I’d be willing to wager that Lawler asked for it. He’s both a) a fan of the business who wants everything to get used, and b) a spotlight hog who wanted to be thrust right back into the main event angle upon his return.
RD Greg DeMarco •
I agree with it all.
I remember when the IWC bitched out WWE for suspending Chris Jericho for the flag incident and then the IWC bitched out WWE for firing Abraham Washington for controversial comments. Both times the IWC said that both Jericho and AW were just heels doing what heels do and that WWE was too PC in punishing them for their actions.
And yet this past Monday, CM Punk (a heel) did something that heels do and that WWE let him do and now those same people bitch out WWE for Punk being a heel.
Like wise, all year long I have heard the IWC whine and cry about WWE being too PG, too kid friendly, not having any edge. Yet WWE did something that wasn’t too PG and those same people were still whining and crying over it.
So tell me, do you want more some what edgy stuff like that that you claim to want or do you want WWE to still be too PC and too family friendly that you have been bitching about all year?
You’ve got it all wrong, RD. People want the WWE to be edgy AND use only the angles that they come up with for the WWE. You know, since we’re all in a position to submit ideas to the company.
(Read: I agree with you!)
Double J •
Remember when anybody actually cared what Jerry Jarrett thought? Me neither.
No, actually I don’t remember that. I do, however, remember that he’s responsible for bringing The Great Khali to the WWE. Thanks for nothing, Jerry!
i8mypants •
personally, i found the fact that they had cameramen videotape Lawler as he was dying being more distasteful than the angle from Monday night.
like we needed anymore reasons that show how Vince is one fucked up person.
G-Walla •
I figured they recorded it for in case of litigation.
G-Walla is correct. They likely wanted to show that they did everything possible to keep him alive. It’s a sad world we live in, friends!
Ollie By Golly •
Jerry Jarrett’s memory is starting to go. Memphis took real life injuries and drama and turned them into angles all the time. Even HEART ATTACKS! Stay of the internet machine, senile hypocrite.
Hell yes they did! Memphis was famous for that shit. Well, that and a bald heel claiming the face pulled his hair.
Sergio Toro • 6 days ago −
Lawler is always fine with anything WWE does when it comes to his character. it is all fake after all so i dont see why some people would be offended by this weeks segment. the people that got offended are the same people that want the attitude era back and want PG to be gone. we had a Attitude era, none PG like segment this week on Raw featuring CM Punk and they got “offended”? hypocrites!!
Okay, so since I last did this, I’ve heard that you’re a total tool. This comment doesn’t seem to say that to me. Good work…this time.
ojmendez •
my vote is for Rosa Mendes
To win or to lose? Don’t go proving Larry Csonka right, you fucking idiot!
Jake •
Why not just put every woman in to the hall of bang? It seems like the only qualification is that they were mildly attractive and in the business at some point in time. Heck, it doesn’t even matter if they are alive or not.
Actually, the only “qualification” is that they get selected by you, the readers.
Happy?
K Bon Vivant •
Miz face turn ! Now that was something that never crossed my mind. Thinking on it though. He already does a hell of a lot of media work for WWE considering his place in the food chain( and is very good at it too). Got a good look and has as much of a moveset and mic skills as Cena. Therefore he has most of the skills that the WWE wants from a top face. It will all come down to how they book him. Can he work as a face ? ……definately. Will he work as a face ? ……..who knows ?…..I don’t have any confidence in anything the writers do ,so am saying it will be another stop start ,missed opportunity.
Hell, Miz will probably be the guy to unseat Punk when it’s all said and done. Why? Because he has movies to sell!
Only a couple of years ago, saying that The Rock would come back to the wrestling world would have got you a slap in the face, or at the very least, a look of oddity from wrestling fans everywhere; particularly those fans who bad mouthed The Rock for “never returning to his roots.” I’ve never been mad at the man for getting out while he can, but that doesn’t mean that the moment I heard he was coming back I wasn’t as excited as a thirteen year old boy mistakenly walking into a Fredricks of Hollywood dressing room in Los Angeles; because I was! I’ll also admit, however, that the build up to he and Cena’s Wrestlemania was underwhelming and, at times, kind of dumb. Still, it was The Rock, and everyone was ready to see him go in the ring. Questions such as, “Does he still have it?” and “What kind of roids is he taking?” were everywhere, and when he got in the ring, he didn’t disappoint! The man was on fire in and out of the ring, and although it took a minute for me to believe that he could actually pull it all off, I got into it fully.
Then we get to this moment; the present, and I’m all kinds of excited, moreso than the moment I found out The Rock was coming back. Why am I excited of the return of The Rock? Well, because his opponent is CM Punk! Maybe I’m jumping the gun here, but the mic recripication between these two should be nothing short of amazing! While Cena did the unthinkable and actually bested The Rock on an occasion, I was shocked, but still not invested in the match as much as I already am for the prospect of Rock and Punk. True, this may be due to my disdain of the Cena character, coupled with The Rock’s inability to turn off the potty humor, but there already seems to be a more serious approach to The Rock and Punk match.
Of course, I could be completely wrong and The Rock may be the juvnile one in this one. I just don’t see what cereal Rock could possibly compare Punk to. I jest, but there’s something to be said about the claims that The Rock can make against Punk, as it most likely won’t be all that childish and “rooty poo” ish. All in all, I’m completely invested in the program before it has even happened, and it’s WWE’s ball to drop. The question is; will they?
You Decide: Are you excited about The Rock and CM Punk’s upcoming feud?
If you know anything about me, it’s that I love to bring up the Montreal Screwjob. I’m the reason that people yell and scream that we need to let it go, get over it, etc. But why do that? This is much more fun!
On November 9, 1997, a 20-year old Greg DeMarco sat there in college and read the details of The Montreal Screwjob as they happened. The guy reporting the information? Some kid named Ashish Papari on a crappy Geocities site called 411Wrestling! the entire time I read the details, I did one thing—I laughed.
Fifteen years later, I still laugh every day. You see, I’ve never wavered on the Screwjob. I’ve maintained that it was a work since the night it happened.
We can talk about all of the reasons. I’ve already covered them in the past. But there are two key items at play here…
It’s Wrestling
Bret Hart didn’t want to job to Shawn Michaels in Canada. Vince didn’t want Bret to be champion after his contract expired. These we can all easily accept as fact.
But do you not think that suggesting to Bret that he be screwed in order to allow both men to get what they want isn’t all that far-fetched? Is it THAT hard to believe that this was the best way out for all parties involved? Just like Bret says at the end of Hitman Hart: Wrestling with Shadows?
You Want It To Be Real
This is one area where I have evolved over the past fifteen years. Since the Screwjob took place, I really thought people were being naïve in believing that this was real. Now, I know why you insist that it’s real. You WANT it to be real. You NEED it to be real.
You have this insane desire to cling to something in the world of wrestling that’s real. In this giant land of make believe, where warriors chiseled from granite fight to declare a winner, where 99% of the women are beautiful, where good prevails over evil—you want something to be legitimate.
And you picked this?
You picked wrong, pal!
So do me a favor and keep pretending that it was real. Keep arguing that it was real. It’s a guaranteed laugh for me—every single November.
You Decide: Are you still clinging to the silly notion that The Montreal Screwjob was real?
Lost in the excitement of last week’s WWE Survivor Series was last Friday’s Shine Wrestling event, main-evented by a tag team match featuring former WWE Diva Kharma (using her old Amazing Kong persona) teaming with former WWE Women’s Champion Jazz to take on long-time independent standouts Mercedes Martinez and Rain.
According to Diva-Dirt.com, Rain broke her wrist in multiple places.
Rain herself confirmed the news on Twitter:
“Broke my wrist into pieces last night. This is why we say dont try this ar home. No joke”
The most impressive aspect of this? Rain finished the match—as planned. Not only did she finish it, she was on the receiving end of Amazing Kong’s Implant Buster prior to being pinned. This happened after her wrist was broken.
Rain—who has also competed as Ms. Peyton Banks in TNA Wrestling and as Felony in the most recent incarnation of Wrestlicious—had far more to lose than gain in going through with the match as planned.
Rain detailed her life and career in an interview I conducted with her in January 2012 (which can be heard here). She was open about the fact that she’s on “the wrong side of 30” to obtain a WWE contract and also discussed her ventures outside of wrestling. These include her college education and personal training business.
Rain herself described women’s wrestling as a world where hair extensions, make up and breast augmentation are equally as important as in-ring talent and skill. Some might point to the WWE hiring lingerie and swimsuit models as proof that the in-ring talent and skill take a backseat to the more aesthetic side of wrestling.
But nothing—neither aesthetics nor a broken wrist—stopped Rain on Friday night. The fans packed into the Ybor City, Fla. Orpheum Theater and those watching the Internet pay-per-view stream didn’t get a shortened match. Rain, along with the three other performers, delivered on the promised main event.
Rain’s ability to work through the obvious pain of a broken wrist is an element of toughness that we don’t see enough from the ladies we regularly see on television.
The physical risks and dangers are both obvious and great in the wrestling business. In a situation where she would not have been faulted for exiting the match, Rain put the fans, her fellow competitors, the Shine Wrestling promotion and all of women’s wrestling ahead of her own personal health and interests on Friday night.
Her desire and passion` should be commended and used as a model for WWE Divas and TNA Knockouts for years to come.
You Decide: Should Rain, 31, get another shot at the big time?
Listen to this week’s Greg DeMarco Show, as Rain is slated to kick the show off to discuss her injury!
I recall several months ago someone posted something regarding the WWE’s product. To this day, I’m not sure if it was a comment or a writer, but the essence of the post was that the WWE sometimes dumbs down their product – or in some cases – puts on little effort when they know they have time. The argument was that the WWE already has a built-in audience and throughout most of the year, they are on auto-pilot, using only a few strong storylines until the strong months of the Royal Rumble through to Wrestlemania. After all, those are the months when wrestling is at its peak and needs the rigorous attention that the names demand. My thoughts on this matter was that it couldn’t possibly be true. After all, the writers have a job; and that’s to write. Given that title, there MUST be something within them that requires them to put out their best efforts each and every time they go to create something with these characters that they’ve essentially help build.
I’m starting to rethink that sentiment.
Last week’s edition of RAW, I noticed something a bit unsettling. For the most part, it was a solid show with some ok wrestling. Kofi and Barrett did great, and the tag match between Hell No and the Mexican Jumping Beans was pretty cool, too. My issue was that everything else seemed like such a placeholder where either a) nothing happened or b) what did happen was insignificant. Now, I’m aware that weekly episodic television is a different beast altogether, but I’d really like to sit in on a writer’s circle within the WWE. I imagine a template where they tell themselves they have X amount of weeks until the next PPV, and must assure that whatever story they’re trying to get across must be built within that timeframe. In some cases, the story is simple and needn’t too much exposition; so be it. In other cases, it’s a continuation of another story. Finally, it could be the beginning of something larger. In each situation, there needs to be a particular dedication that is set. Why is it, then, that it seems there are some weeks that appears to be wasted completely?
I don’t want to be completely cynical and accuse the WWE of being fully aware of their audience, but when a RAW like Monday’s happens, it seems like there’s an unfortunate holding pattern that happens after every PPV. For the past few months, it typically ends up like this:
PPV
RAW – Recaps the PPV, sets up rematches more often than not
RAW – Storyline progression sometimes. Maybe one or two added folds.
RAW – Storyline progression. Contiuation of previous week, nothing new.
RAW – Final RAW before PPV, rushed rising action. Last minute attempts to create matches
PPV – Impromptu matches with no mention the previous four weeks, storyline progression to SELL RAW (which shouldn’t happen), attempt at closure.
Of course, this is a small sample, and I’m not sayin this is the template for EVERY month and for EVERY storyline, but it’s extremely formulaic and if three months out of twelve is the only time you deviate from said template, then there’s an issue. Not only does this stifle creativity, but it places the product in an area of stagnancy that is very hard to get into from a fan’s perspective and even harder to get out of from a writer’s perspective.
My claim is that the system is broken and tired. It lacks excitement and in a time where CM Punk dropped bombs, The Rock returned to wrestling, and there’s a man headlining the product that only a handful of others have been able to do, this “system” should be the easiest thing to use. It’s not, though, because it’s caused issues and made even the most exciting moments of wrestling (such as described as above) something that was just…”meh.” My original idea behind this thought was that I was becoming jaded, then I remembered that it wasn’t always like this.
Famed writer Chris Kreski was once ridiculed for using storyboards as a WWE writer, and created some of the most compelling and well thought out storylines that we know and love. With his death in 2005, so too did the complex storytelling go. Of course, I am not saying he is the only one to blow the minds of fans. I also want to point out that I’m aware the writer’s table isn’t the only influence on the product (Ego, Vince McMahon, and ratings are all strong factors of where writing goes), but there needs to be something new brought to said table because the product is growing as stale as the Divas division.
You Decide: What would you alter in terms of the writing process of the WWE?
Playboy Model Leanne Marie, Referee Jay Stone, coverage of The NXT Three and more on this week’s Greg DeMarco Show!
The Voice of Choice Nation presents The Greg DeMarco Show with Greg DeMarco and Patrick O’Dowd. The Greg DeMarco Show airs Tuesday night at 10 PM—WORLDWIDE—at www.VOCNation.com. Listen live and call in on the NetCarrier “N Cloud” Listener Line—855-VOC-RADIO.
This week:
Greg and Patrick discuss The NXT Three of Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns. Are they a copy of TNA’s Aces & Eights? Can they emerge as main event stars? Are they aligned with CM Punk?
The First Lady of the VOC Nation, Leanne Marie, makes a surprise return to the program. Aside from making Patrick’s day, Leanne provides in depth details of her role in Martin Scorsese’s 2013 blockbuster The Wolf on Wall Street. Leanne gives us the scoop on her role as a high-rate prostitute, whether or not she will appear nude in the film, how she was personally chosen by Scorsese for the role, and which co-star she prefers to spend time with—Leonardo DiCaprio or Jonah Hill.
3D Academy graduate Ref Jay Stone joins the show to discuss training with Bully Ray and Devon, why he left Orlando, his role with Millennium Pro Wrestling, the major influences on his referring style and more!
Finally, Terra Calaway and Tony Acero occupy hour number three to discuss AJ Lee’s kiss with John Cena, wrestlers continually training in the basics and more.
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 all over the world of wrestling, Greg DeMarco and Patrick O’Dowd present opinionated analysis of the wrestling world that remains rooted in a love, passion and respect for the industry. The show is presented live each week by the VOC Nation and streams live, worldwide 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.
Plus, next week, Shine Wrestling’s Rain and Chikara’s Gran Akuma join the show!
The best unsigned talent in wrestling today? Hard to argue against that claim by “The Greek God” Papadon.
Hit up the ‘Mania on the TWITTER (so Ashish will like me, okay?)
http://www.twitter.com/411mania
http://www.twitter.com/411wrestling
http://www.twitter.com/411moviestv
http://www.twitter.com/411music
http://www.twitter.com/411games
http://www.twitter.com/411mma
Currently #1 in The Hall of Bang: Trish Stratus!
(Maryse, erroneously featured as #1last week, is actually #2)
Get reading!
Randle’s Wrestling News Experience!
The Tuesday Communique with Nick Marsico!
The Wednesday Wrestling Week That Was with Sam Smith!
Kelly’s Thursday Sports Entertainment News!
Gavin Napier’s Handicapping the News!
Fact or Fiction featuring Trent Howell and Brandon Hodgson!
Ryan Byers lists his Top 8 Fantasy Survivor Series Teams!
Tony Acero presents The Low End Theory! 
Plenty to talk about in the comments!
Is The Montreal Screwjob a work?
Will The Rock’s return be worthwhile?
Should Rain get another shot at the big time?
Did the WWE waste a week?
And don’t forget about the Versus Royal Rumble—PICK 3 TO ELIMINATE!
Until next time…
Find Tony:
Twitter: @TonyAcero411
Facebook: Be my Fwend!
Amazon: Check out my books!
Find Greg:
Twitter: @GregDeMarcoShow
Facebook: Be my friend!
Bleacher Report: Read more of my stuff!
