The Wrestling 5&1 12.01.12: The Divas Royal Rumble Week #3

Before the interview on RAW, I was really only familiar with one of the three men who would become known as The Shield. Having covered NXT into its newest season, it gave me the opportunity to see Seth Rollins in action on the mic and in the ring. My reaction; unimpressed. Ok, maybe that’s too mean of a response. In the ring, he was pretty solid. He had his own style and had a few good matches. I enjoyed the one against Jinder. But, nothing really stood out. Then, he got on the microphone. I don’t know if it was intentional, or if it was the hair, but he came off as a poor man’s CM Punk. He tried really hard to create his own character, but came off as boring and….boring. All that to say that no, I don’t think it will be Seth Rollins as the break out star of The Shield.

Then there’s Roman Reigns who, with like 11 words, left a lasting impression during the interview of The Shield. He’s an imposing fella with tons of potential that comes from a family of bad assery. All we’ve seen is a few powerbombs, and one wasn’t done all too well recently. Still, he’s got the size and the dominant persona that could really, really be something in the future. Even so, it’s not Roman who I see as an immediate break out star…

I recall watching The Dark Knight and just loving each little tic and jerk that Heath Ledger added to the character of The Joker. He added so much with these little body movements that really spelled out “psycho” only to juxtapose his intelligence. That is exactly what I saw in Dean Ambrose during the interview. All things I’ve heard about the man claim that he’s something to behold, and although I haven’t seen the ring work, his presence in the interview was nothing short of amazing. If the talks of his matches are true, then he is pretty solid in the ring as well. It’s really hard for us to use this ONE interview as the basis of our decision, but if we are to ask simply after it, then my money is on Dean Ambrose.

You Decide: Who will be the biggest break out star of The Shield?

All three members of The Shield have break-out potential, as Tony so eloquently opined above. But along with the high expectations comes the potential for disappointment. So I’ll play Devil’s Advocate and predict the man who will be the biggest loser—in a bad way.

Why it could be Dean Ambrose…
Dean Ambrose has an amazing level of potential. Think “love child of Roddy Piper and Brian Pillman” potential. Early reports indicate that the WWE was very happy with his work during The Shield’s first major promo.

And deservedly so.

Ambrose has so much potential, that he could likely end up in a position where he could say anything. And that’s not the type of situation that always works out. Sure, CM Punk has some leeway in his promos. But so did Muhammad Hassan. So did Abraham Washington. And where did they end up?

On the street. Neither man had bad intentions, and they were likely directed to do the things that got them released. Could that happen to Ambrose?

Why it could be Seth Rollins…
Seth Rollins, the first NXT Champion, enters the WWE with a ton of hype surrounding his skills. And his in-ring ability speaks for itself. He’s exciting and energetic. Fans will latch on to that.

Oh, but I almost forgot…he needs to cut promos.

Look, Justin Gabriel has the potential to be one of the very best in-ring performers that the WWE has under contract. But have you ever heard him cut a promo? Yeah…not good.

Coming out of Ring of Honor as Tyler Black, Seth Rollins generates a level of anticipation that the WWE fans haven’t shown in a while. Remember the last time someone came in with that level of anticipation?

Yeah, I remember Sin Cara, too!

Rollins has the ability to get to the level of Shawn Michaels—in the ring. But on the mic, he’ll be outshined by so many other wrestlers. Could that be his undoing, causing him to remain on the undercard for his entire career?

If so, that will be labeled a huge disappointment.

Why it could be Roman Reigns…
For The Shield, Roman Reigns is the great unknown. The son of Sika, he comes from a great Samoan heritage. He’s already positioned as the “Batista” of The Shield—talking only when he has something to say, and always being the coolest bastard in the room.

But he’s severely green. Remember the last really green Samoan to hit the WWE? You don’t? His name was Manu. And he certainly didn’t pan out. Other recent Samoan wrestlers? The Usos. Remember them? Does Vince McMahon. I don’t think he realizes they’re even Samoan—they’re not fat.

So a very green Roman Reigns has shown early flashes of greatness. But when does he top out? Will it be at a level far below what we expect to see?

It could…you just never know. Reigns made his professional debut in 2010—September of 2010. He barely has two years of experience behind him. Dean Ambrose has six years of experience while Seth Rollins has seven. Reigns has never trained or wrestled outside of the WWE system. It may have worked for Dolph Ziggler, but I can’t be 100% confident that it’ll work for Reigns. Roman Reigns is the biggest unknown of the bunch, thus the biggest risk.

Who will it be…
All three members of The Shield are loaded with potential. The most talented in-ring performer is none other than Seth Rollins. But with a mic, he’s likely the least talented. So while I believe all three of The Shield members are likely to achieve greatness, Rollins has the greatest bust potential.

You Decide: Who will be the biggest disappointment of The Shield?

Okay, now…
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 more women were eliminated in the second week of The Versus Rumble!

The Blossom Twins are no more (not in real life—they’re still alive!) and have been eliminated from the Versus Royal Rumble. Joining her is the eliminated DeMarcette Su Yung—much to my sadness. Not as sad as Steve Cook last week, mind you. But still sad. And the third (well, technically fourth) member of the sideline crew? Melissa Anderson—a woman regarded by many as the best in the world.

Now it’s back to you—the reader—to pick three more 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 Tuesday night, and you can vote once every 12 hours. Now get voting!

Last week in The Wrestling 5&1…

Due to time constraints, I was unable to respond to comments. Look for them next week, because we had some good conversation.

The past year or so saw the WWE take the aspect of social media and cram it down our throats. For the most part, is has done them well, allowing fans to feel closer than ever to the “larger than life” characters that we know and love. But is it ultimately a good idea? I speak of Twitter, specifically, as it seems that this is where a bulk of stupidity seems to be focused. We’ve seen Kurt Angle shoot himself in the foot more than once, CM Punk seems to love trolls, and feeding them. John Cena attempts to annoy me on a daily basis with his good guy act. A number of wrestlers use it for storyline advancement or character development, such as Kofi and Damien Sandow. So the question that I pose…is Twitter good or bad for wrestling?

Unfortunately, I’m not sure I have an answer. My initial reaction is that it’s good for business but bad for personal use. There is such a thing as being too personal with our favorite celebrities, and I have to admit that as much as I love Kurt Angle, the athlete, he comes off as a pretty dumb guy. You know, one a few fries short of a happy meal…The man is a beast in the ring, and when you talk to him (even if for only five seconds, and exchanging 10 words), he seems pretty nice. But reading his Twitter just makes you want to slap him around a bit. CM Punk has come off as a bit crass in his tweets, and although you can tell he’s typing away with a smile, giving the trolls some good ol’ fashion shut up juice, there is still something a bit rude about it all. Sure, I love it, but I’m kind of a dick.

From a business standpoint, it only makes sense to capitalize on such a medium for the product, and they have been doing just that. Twitter is a world unto its own, but it has definitely made a lot of celebrities – both in and out of wrestling – look like dumb asses. From Cole to Punk to Angle, the Twitter world has gotten some people in trouble, but it has also been the catalyst for feuds such as Miz and Kofi from earlier in the year (even if it was only mentioned in passing).

In a sense, wrestlers using Twitter is just the same as society at large using Twitter; there are simply always going to be dumb asses. I feel the main issue is that perhaps we don’t want to know how dumb (or smart) some wrestlers are. Maybe we’re making them too real…

You Decide: So is Twitter good or bad for wrestling?

Last week there was a lot of discussion around The Rock’s return to the WWE, and it got really interesting as people got passionate about the promo battles between John Cena and The Rock.

Who was better? Tony and I both agree that Cena owned The Rock.

Let’s go to the video evidence, shall we? This was from March 2012, when John Cena and The Rock each hosted their own “concert.” Rock’s came complete with a bouncing ball teleprompter so he could sing his own special version of “We Will Rock You.” Take a look.

Yes, John Cena was only on for a few minutes—but he was out of character and would have been pushing an envelope that John “Face of the Company” Cena can’t push. The Rock’s was longer, and even more entertaining. But it served no real purpose in the story. Cena made an impact. Cena wins. Easily.

What about their final confrontation, before the big WrestleMania match? Take a look.

The Rock has all the flare, The Rock cracks more jokes, The Rock is pleasing to “the people.” But this isn’t about the millions…and millions of Rock fans. He’s a top flight movie-star, an “A-list” celebrity. He gets a bigger reaction than anybody to a point where it hurts the entire roster—including John Cena.

But what Cena says is heartfelt—he means it. The Rock panders to the people, claims it’s his home. It’s not. That’s a simple fact. The Rock claims he helped build “this house.” Hulk Hogan built the house. Rock AND “Stone Cold” Steve Austin upgraded the flooring, and Cena changed out the windows.

And The Rock’s “needing” to beat John Cena puts Cena over. He put him on the same level as the two names I listed above—Hulk Hogan and Steve Austin.

The Rock’s final speech was awesome—and it felt like a movie star delivering a monologue. John Cena’s final speech wasn’t nearly as awesome or entertaining—but it was more accurate. Cena wins.

The Rock beat John Cena at WrestleMania 28 in a very memorable match in front of an amazingly hot crowd. The Rock’s claims were proven true—yet another disservice to John Cena. But when both men are speaking—to each other and to the fans—Cena wins. He means what he says because he’s no actor (as his movies prove!).

Cena wins.

You Decide: Who won the wars of words leading up to WrestleMania 28?
WWE?

Rain discusses her broken wrist and so much more!

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:
Shine Wrestling’s Rain joined Greg and Patrick to discuss her broken wrist—precisely how it happened and how could impact her career. She also elaborates on her projects outside of wrestling, provides fitness advice to Andy Critchell, and even discusses something she rarely mentions publicly—her upcoming wedding. Rain hasn’t given any other interviews since breaking her wrist, and likely won’t have any more during 2012. Listen in for this exclusive half-hour interview with one of the most beautiful, honest and outspoken women in independent wrestling.

Andy Critchell joined Greg and Patrick in an extended discussion about The Shield. How has their run gone so far? Who is the leader? Who will see the most success and who will be a bust?

Terra Calaway and Tony Acero spend the third hour with Greg, ranting about Las Vegas’ Future Stars of Wrestling promotion and their rigged year-end online polls. Prior to her advertised appearance, Greg surprises Terra with a call as she’s in line ordering food—and she had a reaction for the ages!

Listen to this week’s edition of The Greg DeMarco Show 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.

You can also listen to The VOC Nation’s interview with Ron Simmons here:

Listen to Totally Driven Radio here:

Finally don’t miss next week’s edition of The Greg DeMarco Show, featuring TNA superstar “The Fallen Angel” Christopher Daniels, Northern California beauty Savanah Riley and DeMarcette “The Perfect Ten” Scarlett Bordeaux!

On a personal note, Tuesday might be the biggest show we’ve ever had. We’ve had “bigger” guests than Christopher Daniels, having interviewed Shane Douglas and Chris “Masters” Mordetszky. But Daniels is currently under contract, and performing on PPV that following weekend. For a show like ours to have a guest like Daniels is a big deal. Say what you want—but ask podcast out there if they’d love to have Christopher Daniels on and they’ll all give you the same answer—hell yeah!

So if you’ve never listened before, you’ve definitely been missing out. But this week’s upcoming show has it all: an amazing guest in Christopher Daniels, a PPV preview discussion with Greg DeMarco, Patrick O’Dowd and Andy Critchell, a shorter interview with a woman you likely don’t know much about in Savanah Riley, and what is sure to be another great visit with one of the most gorgeous women on the planet in Scarlett Bordeaux. Listen exclusively at VOCNation.com!

Our friends at All American Pro Wrestling rleased their “Zero Hour” DVD this week. Watch the trainer and order the DVD at !

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Currently #3 in The Hall of Bang: Layla El!

It seems like there’s still a lot of love out there for curly haired Layla!

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 Scott Slimmer and Jeremy Lambert!
Ryan Byers lists his Top 8 Fantasy Survivor Series Teams!

Tony Acero presents The Low End Theory!

Plenty to talk about in the comments!
Who will find success (and failure) in The Shield?
Is Twitter a good thing for wrestling?
Looking back, did John Cena own The Rock?
And don’t forget about the Versus Royal Rumble—PICK 3 TO ELIMINATE!

Until next time…

Find Tony:
Twitter: @TonyAcero411
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Find Greg:
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Facebook: Be my friend!
Bleacher Report: Read more of my stuff!

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