The DeMarco Files 05.24.13: The Shield is Golden, UCW-Zero is Introduced & Scarlett Bordeaux is Featured!

andy
Is Jay Briscoe a devout Christian? If so, fuck you for judging him, DeMarco. If not, carry on, carry on.

If you’ll notice, I didn’t judge Jay Briscoe. *I* am a devout Christian, and I understand the fact that the Bible is about love, not hate. I attend and serve at the largest church in my area, and we welcome all sinners. Because we all fit in that category.

Jay
Great to see a Friday column, Thanks Greg. Brilliant read and like the polls too 🙂 … I think ROH should definitely turn the Briscoe situation into an angle. … Ryback… yeah, something’s definitely missing. Maybe having Cena as his first face opponent has hurt things? … Oh and get your show on Stitcher too!

Thank you for the kind words, Jay! I don’t see ROH turning this into an angle. Sinclair is a very conservative company, likely having multiple high ranking officials who (privately) share Jay Briscoe’s opinion. And you’re right in the fact that Ryback as the first opponent totally screwed things for Ryback—especially when Cena dismissed his complaints. As one Wrestling 5&1 commenter pointed out, the best faces (Hulk Hogan, Dusty Rhodes) sold it when someone turned for those same reasons (Andre The Giant, Barry Windham). They were shocked, felt bad, and tried to make amends. Cena simply poked fun at Ryback over it.

Oh, and here’s that Stitcher link!

I’ll add the Stitcher and iTunes links to the bottom of the article moving forward!

HercStrongs
Finally a friday news/opinion column. Thanks for pulling double duty, Greg.

Thursday, Friday, I’ll carry that torch!

HuH???
“Far too many soldiers have died for Jay Briscoe, Greg DeMarco, the fine same-sex couples of Delaware and every citizen and resident of this country to share some awesome rights and privileges.”

What the hell are you talking about??

I’m choosing to not address this…as my friend Jericho Ricardi obviously gets it.

Jericho Ricardi
He’s saying that those soldiers have died for us to have the right to express ourselves the way we want to, for better or worse.

Now wasn’t that easy?

JasonDarrick
Has anyone suggested that Shieky-baby fuck Briscoe in the ass and make him humble? I kid, I kid. Jay needs to learn from this, if only as an exercise in public speaking. I doubt very much that anyone could sway his opinion, which he is entitled to. I’d have him drop the strap, apologies in this type of situation are always forced and ultimately have no consequence.

I get where you’re coming from, but Jay Briscoe’s apology made me feel as though he gets it. Also, I have to share that I’ve met both Jay and Mark Briscoe in a private backstage setting, and they were extremely humble and gracious. I feel like if anyone who was raised with a certain opinion might learn something from a situation like this, it’s Jay Briscoe.

KipSmithers
I love the “files” look of your column! It fits with the name, giving it a gimmick without looking gimmicky.

Some might call it a gimmick, others might call it a theme. Either way, I’m glad you like it! I tried to pull off something like that with the last incarnation of The DeMarco Files, and it simply didn’t work. I’m glad this one does!

DKF
I don’t uproar with what wrestlers say. … I watch movies all of the time with racist, sexist, homophobic, pedophile, homicidal, deranged villains all of the time. I see no problem with wrestlers using the same methods for cheap heat. … Just to be clear too, I am pretty liberal on social issues, but come on people this is pro wrestling we are talking about.

I have to start by saying that I don’t think he did it for cheap heat, or any heat at all. It was a poorly timed and reactionary tweet. However, I completely agree with you—this is commonplace in many other forms of entertainment. And it’s wrestling—a place I come to escape reality, not confront it!

The TradeMark Experience
Turn the Jay Briscoe thing into an angle. Have him defend the ROH Championship as a heel against notable “gay” wrestlers like Rico, Kwee Wee/Alan Funk, Lenny Lane, Lodi, Dustin Runnels, etc. until somebody, some new babyface (I don’t follow ROH, so I have no idea who would be appropriate for this role) beats him, and then announces proudly after the match, “oh, and I’m gay.”

Interesting idea. I think the best guy for the job would have been Joey Ryan (granted, he did it as part of the Wrestling Revolution/Retribution Project that we may never see), but he’s a little busy. Well, maybe not busy, but definitely under contract!

Last week I asked you to chime in on two different polls, and you jumped all over both!

First, I asked you to weigh in on the WWE Extreme Rules main event, and if John Cena should be defending the WWE Championship against Mark Henry or Ryback.

Your voice was heard loud and clear, as 79.7% of you would have preferred to see Mark Henry facing John Cena over Ryback.

I also asked you to let me know how you felt about Ring of Honor’s handing of Jay Briscoe’s Twitter fiasco.

Over half of you felt good about the outcome (Jay’s public apology), but over 30% of you still wanted him to drop the ROH World Championship.

After viewing the 2013 edition of WWE Extreme Rules, it’s safe to assume that this won’t go down as one of the most memorable events in wrestling history. In fact, it’s not even one of the most memorable events of 2013.

This is because the event lacked a punch—the midcard was full of traditional stars going over their opponents as Randy Orton, Sheamus and Chris Jericho all emerged victorious. The double main event saw Brock Lesnar beat Triple H, but with the help of Paul Heyman on one match, and John Cena’s no contest against Ryback in the other. IF some reigns are labeled “transitional reigns,” this should be termed a “transitional pay-per-view.”

But there is one way in which this event might be remembered for many years to come—the night The Shield won gold.

The Shield’s first promo—during the Extreme Rules post show—as champions…

Now, as I said on Sunday’s edition of The Greg DeMarco Show, I was quite apprehensive about Dean Ambrose wearing the United States Championship and Seth Rollins & Roman Reigns holding the WWE Tag Team Championships. That feeling has absolutely nothing to do with any member of The Shield, but the fact that when you consider how brilliantly The Shield has been booked, the belts might be a demotion.

After seeing all three men enter the arena through the crowd with the gold, I realized that my feelings were premature and ill-founded. The Shield looks quite appropriate wearing the gold. The their promo—where Ambrose explains that the belts now hold more power and meaning than they have in years was perfect.

The Shield’s promo during the Monday’s Raw…

Roman Reigns: “The Hounds of Justice run this yard…and we carry the collars to back it up!”

What a great use of history here by Dean Ambrose, bringing many major events of the past three months in the WWE back to The Shield.

When The Shield made their debut, they were outsiders, immediately acknowledged as talents from the WWE’s developmental territory, NXT. They were fighting for justice in what they perceived to be an unjust world. They were immediately linked to people like Ryback, John Cena and CM Punk. Team Hell No and others eventually joined the action, leading up to their first official match, a victory over Ryback and Team Hell No at WWE: TLC.

They grew into WrestleMania performers, feuding with former world champions Randy Orton, Sheamus and The Big Show. They consistently stole the show, being used overseas on both brand’s shows—multiple times on the same day! This proves that The Shield weren’t just a gimmick that had taken off, but a group of wrestlers who were already proving themselves as reliable and bankable. In an environment like the WWE, that’s huge.

But a funny thing has happened since The Shield’s title wins. Take a look at some of the comments in Larry Csonka’s Tremendous Tirades for Monday’s Raw.

ShiftyTheDrunkenClown
So is anyone else just SICK of seeing the Shield every week or is it just me? I mean for awhile it was original but now I’m just bored… so they’re unbeatable as a team… so FUCKING WHAT? So Ambrose won the US title? that title has meant NOTHING for YEARS… what’s the fucking POINT of it all? Justice? Justice for WHO? *sigh* I guess I make the point… I just don’t GET it

Cause_I_Can
Im with you. They just crushed their tag team champs of like 9 months for some newbs. Not only that they’re using little logic when it comes to it. They beat hell no twice hell no moves to the back of the line this feud is over, but hell no will be back next week for some reason probably with title shots. They cant continue to put 3 NEW guys over the entire locker room. Its not just ethically wrong its bad booking. Shield is basically John Cena and all these guys voting you down are just like those 12 yr olds who they make fun of and crap on for liking the unstoppable Cena.

Now, I know that these comments are isolated and I’m not printing the dissenting opinions. But this is how these things start. Someone starts commenting, and slowly but surely others will join in.

You want my opinion? (I can’t believe I just typed that. Of course you do, you’re reading my column!)

The Shield is a representation of the best booked talent in years. Look at who they’ve put down: John Cena, Ryback, The Rock, Brad Maddox, Kane, Daniel Bryan, Kofi Kingston, 3MB, Randy Orton, The Big Show, Sheamus, The Undertaker and more. Fifteen-plus talents all used to put The Shield over, and how many character casualties? I’d argue one: Ryback. Given the options, I’d say it was a worthwhile sacrifice, as I see Ryback as a short term star and I see The Shield as future WrestleMania main event level talent.

But we all know this crazy place called “The IWC,” and I expect the hate to grow. I don’t think they’ll eclipse the minority, but it’s something we should have seen coming. It’s the internet, and no one—even the internet’s own darlings—are safe.

Was The Shield’s push too “expensive” for the WWE (in terms of other stories/characters)?

One thing I love to do is bring promotions to light that I think the bulk of my readers aren’t familiar with. Many of these promotions feature “that one guy” that people know, and they don’t realize what’s behind that guy.

This time (my first as part of The DeMarco Files) that one guy is WWE Tough Enough alum Martin Casaus, and that promotion is Utah’s UCW-Zero.

Ultra Championship Wrestling-Zero is a wrestling school that is paired with a promotion, running shows every other week in Utah and holding training sessions four times per week. The promotion also has a YouTube show.

The latest edition of UCW-Zero…

The company features some great talent. Everyone will be familiar with Martin “Donny Osmond” Casaus, who spent a long time on the company as Tristan Gallo. But some names you should see that you likely haven’t include Tyler Cintron, Junior X, Zack James, Sierra Rose (pictured above) and current champion Jayson Bravo. The talent is top notch, and the production is good as well. You can even hear my friend Josh Damian leading the Damian Nation on commentary as he continues to place his bid for General Manager!

Check them out in the following outlets:
>Facebook
YouTube
Twitter
And of course at their website!

Would you follow an indy that isn’t in your area?

Follow Scarlett on Twitter!
Like Scarlett on Facebook!

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Listen to the latest edition of The Greg DeMarco Show, as special guest Ivelisse Velez joins Greg and Patrick O’Dowd to talk about WWE Tough Enough, wrestling in FCW/NXT, and her TNA Gut Check tryout! Also hear the lowdown on her career in Puerto Rico and her moniker “The Huntress.” All this, plus WWE Extreme Rules reaction, Chad Perry, Tony Acero and a huge announcement about the guest for our May 26 2-Year Anniversary Show! And don’t miss Leanne Marie chiming in for Patrick’s birthday and Su Yung’s surprise call from Japan!

Ivelisse was quick to address her release from the WWE:
“The release … the rumors, they’re just rumors … no matter what I say, I could say it 100 times: no I don’t have a bad attitude … I know for sure that since day one since I started my career I always seek to approach my work as professional as possible. I’ve heard it all. … People close to me, people that work with me can testify to that … my work is everything to me, it’s all I know. I gave up scholarships from school and I was an honor student and I gave up all of it to go on this voyage with complete odds against me … Of course I’m going to approach it with all my heart.”

She expanded upon her character traits:
“I am a very assertive person … in a man’s world they’re not very used to that. … A woman being assertive and not being walked over. … Maybe it came from that, I don’t know.”

On her portrayal on Tough Enough:
“It was a very hard experience in the sense that a lot of the things that were on TV or things that didn’t make TV that probably should have. … I’m very grateful that opportunity, but I feel, honestly, that it could have portrayed in a little bit more realistic way of how things really happened. … they never showed the diagnosis of my leg, then I ended up looking like a wimp. … Nobody ended up knowing the gravity of the injury to my leg. … I was going to continue … Doctor [had to tell me] that I can’t continue or they have to tear my leg off. … You tell them because I am not going to, because I’ll rip my leg off and then I can’t have a career.”

On her FCW/NXT experience:
“It’s really frustrating to hear that [that you’re ready to be on television] and then you don’t [get used on television]. … That was mostly the hardest part. … You feel so ready but it’s a whole different ballgame—it’s not just having the skills or the talent or the look. You can have I all but there’s so much more to it there. … We’re all human and sometimes people make mistakes, and people sometimes mix personal with business and you get the backlash of that. It took me a long time to register what happened. … It’s tough.”

On her TNA Gut Check tryout:
“Definitely it was a surprise to me as well. … In my head I thought there was no reason for me not to. I felt that Lei D’Tapa was great, too, and she has a lot of potential. At least I thought I was ready now. … They would have benefited from signing us both. … I’m happy for Lei D’Tapa, she’s a great girl, she’s humble. … I’m sure everyone felt like TNA could’ve benefited from both of us. … The whole thing, they were really good at that—at all moments, we never knew. … I had no clue what was going to happen at any moment. … Everyone knows both of these girls should be here. … That was my real reaction, I was just speechless. … When I heard that crowd…I feel like, equally, we both created that with our hard work into the match. … It wasn’t just her! … And then I didn’t even make it to the ring. … I was like “damn, really?” … From wrestlers and fans, it was a big reaction. A lot of people agreed that both of us had a lot to bring to the table. The only difference is I could bring it now. … I’m ready now.”

Ivelisse also talks about her return to TNA, going back home to Puerto Rico to win a championship for WWL, being a member of Shine Wrestling’s Valkyrie & her upcoming match for Shine Wrestling at Shine 10 and the origin of her “Huntress” persona.

Listen here:

Tune in Sunday, May 26 at 10 pm eastern time as we celebrate two years on air with OVW talent and TNA Knockout Taeler Hendrix!

Please leave your comments & questions below and join the discussion about The Shield’s continued domination in the WWE and everyone’s reaction to it, the talented independent promotion UCW-Zero and “The Perfect Ten” Scarlett Bordeaux!