wrestling / Columns

The Wrestling 5&1 10.08.11: Brooke Tessmacher versus Layla El!

October 8, 2011 | Posted by Greg De Marco

Let’s talk about breasts for a minute. Boobs. Fun-bags. Titties. Whatever you want to call them. Most of the people reading this column are men (not all, but most). And let’s be honest here, we take breasts for granted. We love them. We love to look at them, touch them, and obviously even more. We consistently ignore the fact that they are a very important part of a women’s body. Not just important to us, but very important to them!

Thus, I want to open this week with a talk about October and Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I am lucky enough to not have any immediate family impacted by the disease of breast cancer, my wife has had one aunt impacted by the disease, and she is currently cancer free. Christina Applegate had a double mastectomy in 2008, and for some reason that one hit home with me. I mean, this is Kelly Bundy and Veronica Corningstone we’re talking about here! Plus, I was taken by the manner in which she reached. She simply said “get rid of them” and is now cancer free (yes, I know it’s more complicated than that, but she was very business-like in her approach and defeated breast cancer in record time).

Throughout the entire month of October, our good friend Terra Calaway is sponsoring her own fund raiser called Terra Calaway’s Takedown Breast Cancer ’11. In support of this, she paid for her own photo-shoot, and is selling the photos. All of it goes to The Susan G. Komen Foundation at the end of the month. All of it. Terra is not making a profit at all, in fact she’s likely losing money in this one. But it’s obviously worth it to her, and we should all pitch in.

Go to her site and pick-up some limited edition photos of Terra. An 8×10 is only $5, and any purchase or donation totaling $25 or more will get you a Terra Calaway’s Takedown Breast Cancer ’11 t-shirt, with your name listed on the back as a donor!

Now, I’m talking right to the men reading this column. That’s right fellas, for only $25 you can score 5 pictures of a very beautiful woman, donate to an extremely worthwhile cause, and get your name listed on a commemorative t-shirt. That’s a freaking steal! Steve Cook is already on board with the cause, and Greg DeMarco is following suit.


Now be a man and click on the pictures above to participate.
Give back and support the boobies you love so much!

Last Week: Brooke Tessmacher made it into the Hall, and it seemed like she wasn’t going to get past Velvet at #5. But a late surge did in fact push her into the #4 position. How far can she go? We’ll see…

This Week: With Brooke officially in the #4 position, she challenges Layla El for #3. Can she do it? Hell, I doubted her last week, I simply can’t keep doubting her now! It’s in your hands.

Can Brooke overtake Layla at #3??

Take your pick.
Stay tuned as next week as I’ll reveal the winner!

Man, Divas of today have nothing on the Divas of a few years ago. Nothing.

You Decide: I think Maria deserves another shot in Versus, and soon. What do you think?

Hit up the ‘Mania on 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
http://www.twitter.com/demarcolives – that’s me!

I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I actually like what TNA is doing in regards to Roodes push and road to his title match.
~APrince66

I have to agree with you 100%. I was skeptical of the “Robert Bobby Roode versus Fortune” storyline, but it is working.

The marketing concept for internet shows that you lay out here is money, Greg. I’m not even sure it would need a title (they have enough trouble keeping the shine on the US and IC belts), but it would be really forward-looking to promote & deliver the product this way. It would cost next to nothing – they’ve already sunk the costs into the talent, venue, production, etc. If it works, you could branch out into single match videos, shows aimed at different market segments (kids, IWC, etc), showcasing different kinds of wrestling (tag teams, women’s, you already have a “rookies” show in NXT), Heat-style pre-PPV shows ala UFC’s Facebook prelims…and every hit increases what you can charge for ads online, and serves as an advertisement for cable, live and PPV shows.
~s1rude

I’m glad you see it my way. At least this time. Online marketing isn’t rocket science, and the WWE’s failure to use it effectively shows just how out of tough they are with their audience.

Yeah, I already see Bellas vs Blossoms. Double twin magic in a match.
~Guest#9821

You are my hero.

I don’t think Zack has been built up enough with viewers to be US champ now.
~Guest#2851

The WWE has put mid-card titles on wrestlers in their debut match before! Zack Ryder’s popularity is stronger now than it’s ever been. An easy build to Vengeance (in just two weeks) could lead to a huge pop for his win. You could save it for Survivor Series, but I think Ryder is a great resource for any face team of 5.


On the Matt Hardy rehab, now I don’t see it going well. It was reported that a judge gave Matt a choice between rehab and jail time. I haven’t seen rehab work if the person didn’t want to be there and wasn’t ready to put in real work. I hope it works out, but don’t like the odds.
~Guest#7817

I don’t care how he got there, I’m just glad he’s there. I agree with you, though, I truly hope it works out.

To put Ryder’s YouTube show into perspective, he draws 9-10% of what Impact does. Sometimes about 15%.
~Guest#7988

Crunching the numbers makes you…

It is crazy when you put it into perspective like that. Ryder’s popularity is growing, and I hope the WWE decides to capitalize on it. He’s very young, and he could be built into a legit main eventer over the next few years. Notice I said years, I’m not saying they should push him into the main event anytime soon.

The fact that Ryder is a self-made man is only going to hurt him. Vince punishes people for getting over when he doesn’t want them to. And for all the guys who say that Tessmacher has a bad face every time she comes up in a column-what is wrong with your eyes?
Posted By: Guest#6760

I think the popularity of CM Punk will change that. I address his popularity below, but he’s damn near the most popular guy in the WWE. And he did most of it on his own. If it ends up bringing in money, it’s hard to ignore.

… but I’m worried that Roode will lose via Storm turn and then Angle feuds and possibly loses the title to JEFF HARDY. That would really suck because Roode has earned a run with the title, even if it is short.
~Still Guest#8287

If that does happen, I will be a very unhappy man.

Another thng, you mentioned it would be nice to have someone “natural” in the HoB…did you forget Layla was in there???
~SS87

Are we sure she’s 100% natural? I’m not saying she’s not, just checking

Although, I don’t have a clue how Maryse got in there and sits at #1. No ass, OK face, decent tits. But a top the Hall of Bang? Really?
~Guest#0776

She earned it, in the eyes of the voters. It’s the people’s Hall, friend.

And Blossom Twins VS Bella Twins anyone?!?
SilentOx

Sometimes all you have to do is ask… it’s on the agenda for the future.

The fact Brook is not and Maria isn’t is a goddamn tragedy.
~TROOF

I assume you’re talking about Brooke being in the Hall and Maria not. And I agree, it’s a tragedy. Maria does belong.

Velvet is that hot chick in high school that never took care of herself in her 20’s and coasted on her looks until she got to be 30 when a newer hotter chick comes along and bumps her from her spot. Even Karen Jarrett mentioned that she’s getting chubby. She still has time to fix this. … Tessmacher is better looking and is a better wrestler. She is everything that Velvet SHOULD have been.
~#Imjustsayin…

I’ve never liked when people use “tell me how you really feel,” but it really does apply here.

They really could have used Superstars as an alternative non-canonical WWE program. They could have really experimented with that show with Wacky storylines or new gimmicks. … If only they let Superstars become one of those places where the inmates essentially run the asylum, then we’d see who actually has potential the organic way instead of force feeding them gimmicks, storylines, and promos. I’m fairly damn sure guys like Justin Gabriel, Health Slater, Tyson Kidd and others could easily create themselves a little niche. Just make it a corporate hands-off experiment and see what happens. If it totally flops, who cares, it’s not seen by a whole lot anyways, but if it succeeds they can really use it to create new stars.
~Guest#7825

Now that it’s back (so did it ever really leave?), maybe they’ll use it better. Maybe not…

Just wanted to point out that after Sin Cara Negra pulled off his blue mask to reveal the black, they pulled the shot back to reveal his armbands and tights were now black, as well.
~G-Walla

You are correct. My bad. I do wonder where that all goes after this feud is over. Let Hunico wrestle as Hunico?

If the Tag Belts were built up, potential contenders from RAW & Smackdown could have faced off on Superstars to see who would challenge next.
Not enough to make the show its own brand, but enough to draw in more viewers. But WWE has trouble booking 2 interesting angles (World & mid-card belt) per shown. No way they would have had creative energy for a third show.
~Guest#3677

That’s the thing. It’s also a great place to develop younger writers. You know, until Vince gets a hold of them and beats them down until they have being “creative.”

Not for nothing guys….but that Internet Championship belt does kick ASS on MANY levels! =)
~CottonMouthWolf

It does work for me, too. One day I need to rank the specialized belts.

I really like Bobby Roode, both because he’s pretty good in the ring, and he’s shown he can play both heel and face characters convincingly. But, if he wins the belt, who are the main event heels he can feud with?
~the ghost of Buddy Rogers

You raise a great question, one that I plan to explore once Robert Bobby Roode wins…

But for now, I think Bully Ray is ready. Jeff Hardy is obvious, but he needs to put Roode over, and strong. Samoa Joe could be a good match, but he’s been booked in a manner that leaves that as an option for an Impact main event. In fact, Impact Wrestling main events could be very important for Roode as champ—defenses against Joe, Hernandez, Gunner, Scott Steiner, etc. could be key in developing him as a fighting champion.

The main difference between Bully’s and Anderson’s character is that Ken will verbally piss you off, but also be upfront about pounding the bejeesus out of you. A verbal face-off between the two next week would really cinch the feud for Bound For Glory, if Anderson can get his promo work up to snuff and Bully does what he’s been doing on the mic for the last few months.
~Hillraiser

They did very well with it this week, but I don’t need a “Philadelphia Falls Count Anywhere Match” as the stipulation.

Another great column this week, thanks for the great read.
And thanks for listing the columns worth reading at this site. That’s helpful.
~Guest#7410

Thanks to you as well…

But be sure to check out other columns as well. There are too many great ones to list!

I’m disappointed at the lack of pictures this week. 🙁
~The Missing Link

What…

This. No one wants to read your damn opinions. Less opinion more pics.
~Guest#0056

Huh.

This week’s Impact Wrestling featured Robert Bobby Roode vs. James Storm as Kurt Angle’s ploy to gain the mental advantage over Roode before he defends the TNA World Heavyweight Championship against him at Bound for Glory. We also saw the “retirement” of Hulk Hogan.

RC Sutton’s Impact Wrestling Instant Analysis was used for the segment breakdown and match times. But those ratings are mine. And to make sure it’s different, I am rating things out of six. Six—the number of sides the TNA ring should have. Please check out Steve Cook’s live results report as well, as it is the definition of “fair and balanced.” Seriously.

Segment #1 – BEER… MONEYTALKING! (4/6)
Nice to see Fortune getting the opening spot here. It’s a great way to build both the in-ring main event for tonight, and the Bound for Glory main event.

Segment #2 – Kazarian sorta beat Gunner by DQ (5:00ish, 3/6)
Good TV match with a logical finish. At least the original finish (where Gunner forces Kazarian to submit). But the reversal made no sense. Gunner was being a typical heel, and while he needed to be pulled off, he didn’t earn a disqualification.

Segment #3 – ANDERSOOOONNNN! And Bully Ray. (3/6)
Thank you Bully Ray. This was crap before he arrived, and he saved it. Anderson will never be Austin, and if he maintains the current character, he’ll always be a cheap rip off of the legend. And why can’t we just have a Street Fight, Falls Count Anywhere or a Hardcore Match? Has naming a match after a city ever popped a buyrate or caused locals to buy tickets. “Are you going to Bound for Glory?” “No, you?” “Well, YEAH! They just booked Bully Ray versus Mr. Anderson!” “And…” “In a Philadelphia Falls Count Anywhere Match!” “Well damn, you just changed my mind!”

Segment #4 – Mishmash of backstage skits and some Knockout intros (1/6)
Don’t care what Bischoff had to say. Don’t need to see Kid Kash attacking Brian Kendrick, when I don’t care about Kendrick anyway. Velvet was the best part, and the only good part. So she brings the average up.

Segment #5 – Knockouts Champion Winter & Madison Rayne beat Mickie James and Velvet Sky when Madison pinned Velvet with a roll-up(Fives, 3/6)
Okay, here is the problem I have with booking-by-numbers. I get that we have all four of the BFG KO title match participants in there. Fine. But it doesn’t take much creativity to go with Mickie & Velvet (they have a history together) versus Winter & Angeline Love (an obvious pairing). Then you have Madison Rayne run interference that allows Winter to get the pin, just as it appeared either Mickie or Velvet had Winter beat. It makes the heel champ look vulnerable, the two face challengers look strong, and makes the heel challenger look like the smartest person out there. It builds the match, and isn’t booking by numbers. See, not that hard. Brother Love isn’t the answer, Dixie. I am!

Segment #6 – Eric Bischoff/Jeff Hardy in-ring confrontation (4/6)
Good for them. Bischoff was effective here (see what happens when he isn’t with Hogan?). Hardy’s statement that the people might agree with Eric was perfect, and his attack gave him some edge back. Very effective, I liked it.

Segment #7 – Crimson pins Samoa Joe (Sixish, 3.5/6)
Once again, TNA uses the same template as last week, as Joe & Crimson meet in the same segment. Good hard-hitting match, but I didn’t like the cheap roll-up. I hate that they have to keep Crimson undefeated.

This segment gets a bonus half point for Bully Ray’s backstage promo. He’s the best in TNA at what he does.

Segment #8 – Robert Bobby Roode video package, plus intros (4/6)
Great backstage promo from Storm, showing that he can get himself up for a match against his best brined. As for the Roode video package? He better win Bruce. Seriously. I loved the video, and the only thing that would have made the ring entrances better would be having them come out together (although it would have made less sense after Storm’s promo).

Segment #9 – Bobby Roode beat James Storm (16:00 including commercials, 5/6)
Damn near perfect until the finish. Seriously, when the horribly-booked-finish-penalty drags you DOWN to a 5/6, you’re doing something right. You know what I would have liked? To see Angle run in, eat a double team move from Beer Money, then have security push him to the back as Roode & Storm keep wrestling. That’s what I would have liked. Drive home their unity, but keep the match finish competitive and clean. If this was the first ever one-on-one match for Storm & Roode, it deserved a clean finish.

On another note, TNA continues to make their refs look bad. First, Brian Hebner reverses a call that didn’t warrant a reversing. Here, he blatantly moves Storm’s arm out of the way during that last near fall so he’ll have room to oversell the kickout. TNA had several weeks to edit this match, and they didn’t have ANY other angle to use and not show that?

Segment #10 – Hulk Hogan doesn’t retire (6/6)
Really? What bothers me about this segment is the fact that before it went down, people were reporting that Hogan vs. Sting wouldn’t happen. Really? Whatever.

But I need to separate that from this segment. Because this segment was perfect. Really, it was. I still wanted Roode-Storm as the main event, but given Angle’s interference, this was actually a more satisfying ending. So I am okay with it. In fact, if you change nothing about either segment, then I say you put this on last.

Hogan was playing up his retirement, but it never seemed right. When Hogan really does retire, it will likely be equally awkward. Like when Michael Jordan retired from basketball (even though he’s still involved). Hogan will likely NEVER go away. But once Sting came out, it made more sense. I hated the backstage footage, I would rather they use Joker-Sting (in full force here) to make Hogan simply admit it—possibly using the threat of footage. But Hogan was so furious at Sting—so mad, that he put his control of the company on the line. And Sting basically admitted that he manipulated the entire thing to get that reaction.

So now we know that Hogan vs. Sting at Bound for Glory is for control of the company (Hogan representing himself, Sting representing Dixie Carter). It still better not go on last. But I am okay with it sharing the spotlight with Angle-Roode. As long as Angle-Roode get at least 51% of the spotlight. As long as they go on last, after Sting has won control of the company for Dixie Carter.

Best Match: Robert Bobby Roode vs. James Storm

Best Promo: Hulk Hogan and Sting

Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 6

Overall Thoughts: I usually like when TNA leaves the Impact Zone, but the way the set-up this arena made it look like crap. I already expressed my displeasure with some of the booking decisions, and Roode vs. Storm should have gone on last with better booking. But I’m coming around on Hogan-Sting, but it can’t be the #1 program in the company. I will literally scream and yell on various 411Mania Radio programs when Roode’s win over Angle doesn’t close Bound for Glory. So get ready for that.

Ratings: Ratings are in, and they’re not good. This edition of Impact Wrestling scored a 1.01 rating, with 1.37 million viewers. What does that mean? It means that this was the lowest rated episode of Impact Wrestling in all of 2011. We’ll see if TNA makes any more changes geared at short term gains, or if they finally realize they need to actually take some time to build something.

You Decide: What did you think of Impact Wrestling this week?

As horrible as I though the ending of RAW was (there were so many holes in the logic of some of the people that walked out), five choices made by the WWE are very telling. Look at who the WWE didn’t have walk-out on Triple H.

John Cena: John Cena is still the face of the company. He’s the top dog.
CM Punk: He’s the “new guy” at the top of the roster. He’s got a major push behnd him, and it’s only going to continue.
Randy Orton: Orton is the second-in-command poster boy.
Kelly Kelly: If Cena’s the top dog, she’s the top cat.
Sheamus: He’s the wildcard. Reportedly, Vince is really into a Sheamus face run at the top of the card.

Simply put, the WWE didn’t want the fans to boo these five in live television. They knew that Trips would command the fans cheers after the walk-out, and the WWE didn’t want Cena, Punk, Orton, Kelly Kelly or Sheamus to feel the brunt of the jeers.

Now, I know there might have been a few other omissions, but those five are the most telling. The WWE is a face company—the faces sell the most merchandise, and the faces are the goldmine. If we ever want to get that John Cena heel run, we need to elevate faces that can carry the merchandising side (in Vince’s mind, anyway – we all know that adults would buy plenty of heel Cena merch).

That said, it makes the face team at Survivor Series more clear. Triple H, John Cena, Randy Orton, CM Punk and Sheamus. I can see Alberto Del Rio, Mark Henry, Miz, and R-Truth on the other side. Wade Barrett spoke up on RAW…could he possibly be the fifth? I would love that.

You Decide: What did you think of the ending of RAW?

You might have also noticed that Sheamus was absent during the final segment of RAW. But have you noticed how strong he’s being booked? Who got the fall in the 12-man tag team match? Sheamus. Who had a face turn that fans were begging for? Sheamus. I think we’re seeing our next really big star. CM Punk is now there (more on that in my third point). But Sheamus is rising, and fast.

There is a speculative report out of PWInsider that Vince McMahon is very high on Sheamus. I can see this being true. First off, Sheamus is a big guy. He fills the void left by Batista at the top of the roster. Second, he can work the WWE main event style in a way that keeps fans engaged. Third, he can work as a face and a heel.

There is further speculation that the WWE wants to build up separate opponents for Mark Henry and Randy Orton for WrestleMania 28. Henry vs. Sheamus and Orton vs. ??? could make for two top flight matches at the big dance for Smackdown. They reportedly want to do the same on the RAW side as well (more on that in a second, too).

Personally, I was behind the Sheamus title win. I’m talking about the first one. They made the right decision when picking who to skyrocket to the top. The guy can work with big men like Mark Henry, traditional heavyweights like Orton & Cena, more mobile opponents like Christian, and even smaller technicians like Daniel Bryan. He’s the perfect tool for the WWE creative team, as he can be plugged in anywhere and it just works.

You Decide: Are you behind Sheamus as one of the top guys in the WWE?

According to a report from The Wrestling Observer, CM Punk has dethroned John Cena as the top merchandise seller for the WWE. Other big movers are Zack Ryder and Sin Cara. According to this report, CM Punk isn’t getting the de-push that usually follows what he just went through.

The report is that the WWE wants to build up two big face challengers at WrestleMania 28. I already talked about Sheamus challenging Mark Henry. The other heavy dose of speculation is that the WWE has finally decided to take the WWE Championship out of the Rock-Cena picture, and instead build CM Punk as the challenger to Alberto Del Rio’s championship. As a big CM Punk fan, I’m all for this. But for a different reason entirely.

If the WWE does move forward with Henry & Del Rio defending at ‘Mania, we could see them holding their championships through Spring 2012. This is a big deal, as they would be firmly established as champions, much like The Miz was for WrestleMania 28.

CM Punk also took to Twitter to discuss the recent walk-out on RAW, and I think it’s a preview from what we can expect to hear from Punk, John Cena and Randy Orton on Monday’s RAW.

“I think a lot of people are missing the point. Fans and coworkers alike. Walking out is a pussy move. There’s a huge difference in what I did. I want change, and I can’t change shit from my couch.

I’m in the fox hole. I’m getting it done. I stayed to fight and I’m fighting for change. You can protest, violently or peacefully without actually showing up. Walking out isn’t a solution at least not one that I’ve ever seen work.

Hold ’em up. Make them change. Don’t just walk out, or lay down. Fight. This goes for fans as well. Bored? Don’t like @johncena? Want more @ZackRyder? Show up and be heard. Don’t be a pussy and just tweet about it. I want change, and I’ll stand and fight for it even if I’m alone.

Popular or unpopular, I could care less. Take your voting and shove it. Actions speaks louder than words. Except mine. My words are pretty awesome. No think about all that, and hopefully you’ll get it. #fight.

Too many tweets from me. Misspellings abound. You CAN’T protest without showing up. I am not Gandhi. I will kick your face. Don’t like HHH as COO? Punch him in the face. I did. It’s wrestling, not the NBA. #fight.

Next high kick to Johnny ‘Funkhauser’ Ace won’t be an accident.”

I think Punk’s rise will include him leading the “fight” for what Triple H referenced on RAW. The days when wrestlers simply fought. They didn’t whine, they didn’t sue. They fought. Adding a “fighter” element to Punk’s character will only raise his profile as a face, so count me in.

You Decide: Will the WWE stay behind CM Punk as a top flight face?

Shimmer presented their volume 41-44 tapings last weekend, and as usual the tapings were very eventful. Thanks to Diva-Dirt.com, here are the comprehensive results:

Saturday
SPARKLE (pre-show)
Bonesaw Jessie Brook, Buggy Nova and She Nay Nay def. Kimberly Maddox, Veda Scott and Su Yung after Bonesaw hits Maddox with a double underhook DDT.
Allysin Kay and Maja Svennson vs KC Spinelli and Cherry Bomb ends in a time limit draw.

Volume 41
Nikki Roxx def. Kellie Skater via school boy.
Mercedes Martinez def. Davina Rose via fisherman’s buster.
Hailey Hatred def. Kalamity via running powerbomb. After the match, the two embrace, but are attacked by Mena Libra and Melanie Cruise.
Sara Del Rey def. Yumi Ohka via Royal Butterfly in a fantastic match.
Kana def. Mia Yim via rear naked chokehold variation.
Ayako Hamada and Ayumio Kurihara def. Daizee Haze and Tomoka Nakagawa to become NEW SHIMMER Tag Team Champions. Ayumi got the pin on Nakagawa after two exploder suplexes.
Nevaeh def. Ashley Lane (Madison Rayne) via German suplex
Melissa def. Britani Knight via Air Raid Crash
Portia Perez def. Jessie McKay after Portia distracts the ref by bringing in a chair and hits Jessie using a chain.
Saraya Knight w/ Britani Knight beat Allison Danger w/ Leva Bates
Hiroyo Matsumoto def. Nicole Matthews via pinfall.
Madison Eagles def. Serena Deeb via Hellbound to retain.

Volume 42
Martinez Martinez def. Leva Bates with a fisherman’s buster.
Mena Libra and Melanie Cruise def. Hailey Hatred and Kalamity via bridging Samoan drop from Libra to Kalamity.
Kellie Skater vs LuFisto vs Tomoka Nakagawa vs MsChif sees Tomoka pin MsChif to win.
Yumi Ohka def. Courtney Rush via chokebomb.
Portia Perez def. Davina Rose via crossface.
Nevaeh and Sassy Stephie def. Nikki Roxx and Ariel via pinfall after a team maneuver.
Cheerleader Melissa def. Christina Von Eerie via Kudo Driver.
Athena def. Jessie McKay and Mia Yim via O-Face on Yim.
Nicole Matthews def. Serena via Roll the Dice after Portia Perez distracts Serena.
Ayako Hamada and Ayumi Kurihara def. the Knight Dynasty to retain their SHIMMER Tag Team Championships when Ayako pinned Britani.
Kana def. Sara Del Rey via submission.
Madison Eagles def. Hiroyo Matsumoto via HellBound to retain the SHIMMER Championship.

Sunday:
SPARKLE (pre-show)
Jett Riley & Kimberly def. Buggy Nova & December via rope-assisted stunner by Jett to Buggy.
KC Spinelli def. Su Yung via powerslam variation.

Volume 43
LuFisto def. Maja Svennson via modified STO.
Regeneration-X (Allison Danger & Leva Bates) def. Sassy Stephie and Nevaeh after a Sonic Screwdriver on Sassy Stephie.
Nicole Matthews def. Davina via Roll the Dice.
Hiroyo Matsumoto def. Kellie Skater via Saito suplex.
Saraya Knight def. Ariel via sunset flip powerbomb.
Courtney Rush def. Nikki Roxx via Angle Slam.
Yumi Ohka def. Mia Yim via tiger suplex.
MsChif def. Tomoka Nakagawa via Desecrator.
Athena vs Mercedes Martinez ends in a double count-out
Jessie McKay def. Britani Knight via Boyfriend Stealer.
Serena def. Portia Perez in a No Holds Barred match via Spear off of a table.
Cheerleader Melissa def. Kana via Air Raid Crash to become #1 contender for the SHIMMER Championship.
Ayako Hamada and Ayumi Kurihara def. Sara Del Rey and Madison Eagles to retain their SHIMMER Tag Team Championships. Hamada pinned Del Rey after the AP Cross.

Volume 44
Davina Rose vs Kellie Skater. Kellie def. Davina via Kick/running neck snap combo.
Taylor Made def. Veda Scott via spinning neckbreaker.
Kalamity def. Tomoka Nakagawa via the Kalamity-ville Horror.
Nevaeh and Sassy Stephie def. Ashley Lane and Mia Yim after Sassy hits Yim with the Kiss My Sass. Serena def. Yumi Ohka via spear.
Allison Danger, Leva Bates, Christina Von Eerie and MsChif def. Bonesaw, Jessie Brook, She Nay Nay, Melanie Cruise and Mena Libra. Von Eerie with pin on She Nay Nay after a double underhook facebuster.
Hiroyo Matsumoto def. Jessie McKay via Saito suplex.
Sara Del Rey def. Courtney Rush via Royal Butterfly.
Athena def. Mercedes Martinez via DQ, after Mercedes attacks her with a chair.
Kana def. LuFisto via chokehold.
Britani Knight def. Saraya Knight in a No DQ match with a modified DDT.
Ayako Hamada and Ayumi Kurihara def. the Canadian Ninjas to retain their SHIMMER Tag Team Championships after Ayumi hits Portia Perez with a Uranage.
Cheerleader Melissa def. Madison Eagles to become the new SHIMMER Champion after reversing the Hellbound.

So Cheerleader Melissa is finally the Shimmer champion. She deserves it. She’s equally beautiful and talented, and a perfect representation for women’s wrestling in the world today. Also of note, Buggy got featured on the pre-show, and her development continues! Dave Prazak himself admitted that he booked too much talent, and will need to take it back a little next time. Britani Knight has signed with the WWE, so Saraya is likely done in Shimmer as well. Ashley Lane (Madison Rayne) appeared for Shimmer’s DVD tapings with permission from TNA.


Congrats to Shimmer on their successful tapings
Check out Shimmer Wrestling.

As you know, our own Buggy Nova appeared for Shimmer this past weekend. Check out some shots from her trip to Chicago!

And for those of you who haven’t seen it (or saw it and didn’t realize it was her), here’s Buggy’s appearance on Spike TV’s 1000 Ways to Die!

Mudsport
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Buggy in a sorority? Yes please!

Vince Russo was removed as the head of creative for TNA. Or more accurately, Bruce Pritchard was slotted in above Russo, creating another level of approval above Russo. I am not making a big deal out of it here until I see some real changes in TNA. Because I simply don’t buy it. if we start to see a real commitment to pushing younger talent (which has started), and we see the focus removed from the likes of Hulk Hogan and Sting after Bound for Glory (wishful thinking), then I will pay attention to a report like this. For the record, the former Brother Love, Bruce Pritchard, has taken the role above Russo. He was already their VP of Talent Relations (a post formerly held by Terry Taylor).

Also of note are reports that Hulk Hogan resigned with TNA. No details of the deal were released, but it’s important to remember that Hogan’s deal was set to expire on October 10, before Bound for Glory. So it is possible that he just signed on through the event (and got plenty of cash to do so). I am also waiting on this one, as I think there is more news to come as we approach BFG, and also after. I know that my listed possibility that Hogan signed on thru the PPV is wishful thinking at best, but a guy can hope, right?

As long as they remember one thing…

You Decide: Do either of these news bites make you think changes are coming for TNA?

Give this week’s edition of The Greg DeMarco Show a listen! You’ll get two great interviews with guests Jessie McKay (Australia, Shimmer) and Alex Reynolds (NYWC and Wrestling Revolution Project), Buggy’s report from Shimmer, and 30 bonus minutes with myself, Patrick O’Dowd and Steve Cook!

Listen to the show here, or here:

Listen to internet radio with Greg DeMarco on Blog Talk Radio

A few other items to hit in our bonus coverage this week…

Congratulations to Larry & Christy Csonka. On Friday, they announced that they are having a girl, their second. She will forever be Aleksandra Jaymes (unless they change their minds, of course). Looks like Hana will have a little sister to boss around!

If you didn’t already know, Patrick & Julie O’Dowd (he of The Greg DeMarco Show, of course) also announced they are having a boy, Connor Patrick. This is their first.

No, there will not be any more DeMarco babies coming. Geovanni and Penelope are too perfect to replicate!

Also, I want to direct your attention to my friend Tony Acero’s hip hop column, The Low End Theory. Tony faithfully recaps WWE NXT weekly, so you don’t have to watch it! His column is also featuring a contest to select the Hip Hop Hottie! Head over here to vote (and vote often!)

Just I’ll give you a preview, as he provided four great choices to pick from.

Tony actually knows those four models, too. That’s how he rolls, son.

For the record, I picked #3, Randyl Dawn.

She is your new Shimmer Champion, and she deserves to be regarded as one of the very best in the world. Who is she? Cheerleader Melissa Anderson!

Get reading!

Randle’s Wrestling News Experience!
The News from Cook’s Corner!
Marisco has the The Wednesday Wire!
Sarnecky’s Piledriver Report!
Ari’s Column of Honor!
Wes Kirk is in rare form in this week’s Wrestling Sandwich!

And it was my pleasure to participate in Fact or Fiction alongside 411Mania alum Geoff Eubanks! Geoff first reached out to me a few months ago, and I was honored that he enjoyed my work. The feeling is mutual, and I hope we can work together again in the future. I thought we both provided some spot-on analysis, and I hope you’ll read it, enjoy it and leave a comment!

Vote in Versus, talk about wrestling, have fun! But first, remember to support Terra Calaway’s Takedown Breast Cancer ’11 by clicking on the pictures below and contributing to a great cause…

Until next time…

Listen to the show!

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Greg De Marco

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