The Wrestling 5 & 1 12.17.11: AJ Versus Kaitlyn

Posted by Greg De Marco on 12.17.2011

AJ Lee faces Kaitlyn in Vs, a look back at the returns of Kane and Triple H, a review of TNA’s Final Resolution PPV, a look at the Wrestling Retribution Project roster, Barbi Hayden returns as your “&1” Model of the Week and more!



Welcome to The Wrestling 5&1 with your host, Greg DeMarco! (I'm Greg DeMarco...) Another big column this week, but at least it all fit into one posting! We've got plenty to talk about, but let's start with some comment responses, shall we?



Our first set of comment responses comes from last week's Wrestling 6&1 PreShow:

I think the Undertaker should skip wrestling at Wrestlemania 28 because his 20th win will be overshadowed by Rock/ Cena. I'd say he should just make his return at Wrestlemania- maybe by interrupting someone who deserves a tombstone like Michael Cole and then go on an unofficial year long retirement tour and finish up at Wrestlemania 29 against John Cena
Posted By: Guest#5788

If The Undertaker is healthy enough to tombstone Michael Cole, then he's healthy to wrestle, and that means he'll wrestle at ‘Mania. There's nothing left for the guy to do outside of competing at WrestleMania, and regardless of who else is on the card, The Undertaker is synonymous with the event—he'll be competing.

Turning the ECW Arena into a concert venue only would be stupid. We already have a lot of concert venues in philly now as it is. But i guess all good things must end sometime
Posted By: MadCorky

The building has escaped death before, so we'll see. But all signs seem to point towards the end, or impending end, of wrestling at this historic venue. Even if it is a dump, it's a historic dump that has seen it all. I don't know who maintained the arena's Hall of Fame, but I hope that is moved and maintained elsewhere.

Wow! This screams of trying to eek out a couple extra hits for the site. ... I understand that is the whole point, but come on! Please tell me you aren't doing this every week...
Posted By: Guest#3070

In all honesty, that's a human reaction, and a perfectly acceptable one. It has nothing to do with trying to squeeze out hits. It's because my column kept on running long, and I felt like the content was still useful. So I came up with a solution, and management liked it.

Rejected Stories: I wonder if WWE wants to still wants to sign Rima and make her a diva after this. ... I like this preshow part of the column. Great preshow.
Posted By: Still Guest#8287

I think Rima is now more qualified to wrestle for TNA. (#DeMarcoTrolling) In all seriousness, Alex Riley got hit with a DUI and got a push because of it. And thanks for the compliment! Granted, I don't think you've ever taken a glass-half-empty approach to anything on the site!

You know you have one hell of a column when it gets its own pre-show! ... And I can't believe the edited out Kaitlyn join Pinup Strong on Smackdown. Maybe they changed their minds on the whole program.
Posted By: SilentOx

Dude, when you got it like I do...

Kidding.

As for Pin-Up Strong, I really hope they haven't changed their minds. Given the other future Divas the WWE has, I think putting Kaitlyn in this group can only help build her for the future.

Calgary needs a PPV period..but a big 4 would be unreal! don't think they've had a PPV since IYH canadian stampede...pretty thin me thinks
Posted By: ramone

I'd be down for a Calgary PPV. Place holds around 20,000 people, and it's an area that will draw very well.

I still think Undertaker will have Number 20 at WM28 and then will officially retire. I don't think anyone will break the streak, but I do think CM Punk should be Number 20. If Cena and Rock are going to wrestle for the strap, then Punk needs a worthwhile match. What better way than to face the Undertaker at Wrestlemania? Oh, the promos would be so awesome! I hope this is the case!
Posted By: SteveyMac

I really hope the WWE keeps the belt off of Cena/Rock at ‘Mania, it just doesn't need to be for the title, and it telegraphs the ending. I think Punk will hold the belt through ‘Mania, but it can easily change if they want Punk for the ‘Taker match. Jericho is a good possibility, but they have so many options there. Triple H seems to be the front runner at this point, though. If WM29 is in Texas, I could see him doing the exact same thing in 2012 as 2011—wrestling at ‘Mania, going away and returning for the next ‘Mania. But then he'd retire after WM29. He might even get the Flair treatment and be inducted into the Hall of Fame before his last match.

"Can you please explain the concept of the pre-show a little bit more?
I want to wrap my head around it before I pass judgment as it just seems like the 5&1 light... Are you going for a WWE type brand split or something?"
Posted By: Guest#6568

That's a very good question, and it's still very much a work in progress. However, let me give you the history behind the Pre-Show:

Two weeks ago, I added a new concept to the column, the 2 Point Perspective. I love that format, and it might even grow into its own column someday. That, combined with a renewed commitment/focus on the comment responses, made the 5&1 too long. Not as in "it's too long and too much work" too long, but simply too long for the website submission form. It got cut off by the site, two weeks in a row. The Word document that's been between 10 & 15 pages long suddenly grow to 20-25 pages long. But I feel like there's plenty of good stuff in there, and I don't want to waste that writing for the sake of space. The first week grew into a two-part column, but I felt the need to deliver a Versus match-up and "&1" Model of the Week for each part, and that's not something I can do each week.

The second week I decided to move the comment responses to a special "Pre-Show" section of the column, but once it was too big again, I decided to make a Pre-Show column. I track my stories throughout the week, so to make that Pre-Show worthwhile, I added the rejected stories.

I don't know if I'll produce so much content that we break the form each week. As my loyal readers know, I just started a real job. I also have this little radio show, which is blowing up! This week we have one column to share. However, my hope is that we'll grow this into two columns, full time. The Wrestling 5&1 is a staple of the wrestling section of 411, and I am proud to be the author.

Now we'll hit-up the comments for last week's edition of The Wrestling 6&1 proper:

The PR that comes from that and the praise Cena gets as a person in general not only shows how horrible of an idea it would be to turn him heel since it wouldn't look good for the company, but it also shows that it just wouldn't be believable. I don't think Cena wants to be a heel and if he's gonna be like his real life persona, he pretty much never can be one.
Posted By: SHADE

If they were to pull it off, they'd need to have someone else already in place as the face of the company, and they'd likely go into it with the idea that it's a short term move. But I agree, it ain't happening!

Nearly 25 pics of a girl
Posted By: Terra WAS talking about you!

What's wrong?



I truly believe once Triple H is fully in charge, he will do wonders for the Diva, Cruiserweight, and Tag Team divisions because he doesn't have McMahon's hard-on for big, lumbering hosses- and I think as an actual in ring performer he understands the need for each division to succeed in order to contribute to the company as a whole.
Posted By: Guest#0757

I could see that happening, and I'd welcome it.

something.
Posted By: Guest#4554

Only at 411Mania can a commenter say nothing by saying something.

As much as I'd like to a heel turn for Cena, he's the guys all the kids love and is this generations Hogan, so you have to keep him face. ... And hopefully WWE is getting the message & start taking the divas division seriously. Bringing those newly signed ladies up can only help the future of the division.
Posted By: SilentOx

I'm sure that, somewhere in the WWE, Vince simply laughs at anyone who suggests turning Cena. If anyone internally even suggests it. As for the Divas, it makes business sense to take it seriously. A hot woman who can also wrestle is more marketable and has more longevity than one who is just hot.

The 3: I want to think they are going to take the division seriously with the DoD, Kharma, and these recent signings, But I can't. I don't trust that they want the division to be better. ... Video-A-Go-Go: I enjoyed CCC when he first arrived, wish they did more with him and wish he was more motivated.
Posted By: Still Guest#8287

I don't think Vince wants the division to be stronger, but I think Triple H might. As for Carlito, I agree completely. A motivated Carlito was one half awesome and one half phenomenal.

If WWE signed those women to build a division around Kong, there is hope. I'll wait until I see it, but that's a lot of talent. ... Ironically the division would look kind of like the KO's when they debuted. Kong as the immovable object.
Posted By: Guest#5722

Well, TNA was building the division at that time, and the WWE would be basically be rebuilding theirs. Kong appears to be the go-to-woman for both.

love the column but really> is it possible to be able to watch the videos without having the other background noise?
Posted By: raven

Yes, I'm moving the location of the embedded show so it can be paused or you can adjust the volume right at the top.

I first want to say how much I enjoy your column. Secondly, I actually think it's great that you put versus at the bottom (it actually forced my friends to read the article). Now to comment on your opinion of Sheamus, I whole-heartedly agree, as I believe the WWE as well. Sheamus is your atypical face in the WWE. He's, for a lack of a better term, "different". And it may be the fact that HHH saw potential in him that he is now being pushed as a top face, but I (in my delusional thought process that the WWE actually cares about the next generation of fans) truly believe that the WWE knows they have someone that can connect to the majority of younger fans.
Posted By: Mr. SC

I think Sheamus is a tremendous talent with a good heart—just like John Cena. I do think he's got a tremendous future as a top face. I'm thinking John Cena has a better chance of going down to injury than being turned heel. Either way, Sheamus would be right there to carry the torch.

I'll take the 14 year old for 200 Alex.
Posted By: Bob The Builder

Was that a vote for AJ? ‘Cause I counted it...

At this point the only possibility of a Cena heel turn could IMO be a "semi" heel turn a'la Bret Hart in 1997 (i.e. being a heel in the U.S and a face in Canada and Europe). In Cena's version he would retain his goody two-shoes character and keep the support of all the kids and the women, but would start acting heelishly towards the boo-boys in the audience.
Posted By: Migz

He's basically there now. Just doesn't act heelishly towards the older males, instead making those fans look like the heels.

I really think Cena could be the first headliner to get booed at his own HOF induction.
Posted By: The Great Capt. Smooth

They might do that out of respect—it also depends on the city. Imagine if he got inducted in NYC? OR CHICAGO?!?!?! Honestly, I guarantee that after his acceptance speech, he'd get a standing ovation.

Also, another problem with Seamus as the face of the company could be the accent. His does get a little thick at times, and it can be a bit hard to understand him. I'm sure that if he ever became the face of the company VKM/HHH might have him sit down with a speech expert and maybe get him to tone it down a smidge.
Posted By: Guest#2364

If the WWE thinks that obstacle is still there, they can overcome that—much in the manner you suggested.

I would like to say something about Cena. The IWC hypcorisy of the guy is unbelievable. By all means, dislike the guy because you(the IWC) want to, that's fine. But don't try to actually back up your points though. You either say he has childish catchphrases(while worshipping the Rock), childish insults(while worshipping the Rock) and then you refuse to praise him(he's far bigger than Evan Bourne but manages to pull off the same ring entrance perfectly) ... Mr. De Marco, what do you think of the IWC and it's hypocrisy?
Posted By: Guest#2498

Are you addressing me directly? Because I don't speak for the entire IWC. I speak for Greg DeMarco. Card carrying IWC member? Not exactly (more on that later). Card carrying John Cena fan? Yes. I've never hid the fact that I was a Cena fan. Last I checked, we don't have a writer named "The IWC." If we did, I'd forward your question their way.

As for Sheamus ... yep, you're spot-on. If Cena suffers a career-ending injury (not a la Ric Flair where the doctors underestimate a man's determination to rehab, but straight up even rehab won't fix him), Sheamus could easily be slotted in. He even had an anti-bullying segment on the Muppets episode of RAW. He's totally an adult role model for kids. Heck, even as a heel he could be a role model, save for the fact that he was exceedingly arrogant as a heel.
Posted By: Nick V

Yes, Sheamus could. But as I pointed out, he's merely a year younger than Cena. So think of him as a back-up quarterback. But who is the next franchise quarterback.

Why does their need to be a face of the WWE? Why does it have to be mainstream accepted? Doesn't everything in the mainstream mostly suck? Call me old fashioned, but I like the idea of Wrestling being for Wrestling fans, and people who look down on you for liking it, can suck IT!(pun not intended) Wrestling is something that is just ours, and frankly that's part of it's appeal. Every time a celebrty tries to show they have a conscience it pisses me off to no end since they're only doing it for good PR. If I don't care when Tom Cruise and Bono do these BS charities I sure as hell am not going to care when HHH's Irish flunkie suck-up is going to.
Posted By: awsome69

Umm...because that's why I wrote about? That's what we're talking about? That's a major part of Cena's character—both in real life and in storyline terms? It's also because, unlike you, the majority of us realize that wrestling isn't for wrestling fans, it's a business built for shareholders and advertisers. So I don't care how you feel about the good that celebrities are doing. Advertisers—and most sensible people—care about that type of stuff. Because we have a soul.

Guys, guys. This is based on "who is hotter," not "who would be more likely to give me their phone number." ... Maria is x1000 times hotter than AJ.
Posted By: Guest#6007

It's not "Who is hotter?" It's who you want to vote for. In the past, people picked Lita "because she can actually wrestle." I don't care why you make the selections you make. Just participate and I'm a happy man.

Maria...she dates ROH Superstar "The Prodigy" Mike Bennett. Lucky bastard.
Posted By: In the know...

I do enjoy when news sites report that Maria was backstage at an ROH event, but they don't even consider why. If they were smart, they'd use her as a backstage/in ring interviewer. Jim Cornette is the authority figure, no reason to use him as an interviewer.

And for telling the news sites hot it is, you are...



Well, really you're their teacher.


I think Sheamus could be a stop gap to fill the "face of the WWE" role that Cena currently occupies. ... I would like to point out however that Cena really did get that role by default. That role was going to be given to Brock Lesnar until he decided he didn't want to be a wrestler anymore. ... Cena isn't as popular as the other guys I listed, have the demographic hates his guts and the younger ones and the ladies are going to turn on him soon enough. ... Randy Orton is a spoiled brat that could have been the golden boy but is legendary in his douche bagginess. ... Sheamus is good, but he isn't that good. ... This is just another reason why the need for territories is so large because you have no one how is sharpening their skills and developing their voice and charisma that can come in as almost a complete package.
Posted By: TGFA (Guest)

I think you underestimate both the female wrestling fans and Sheamus. Unless Cena puts on 30 pounds of fat and gets his face permanently disfigured, the females will like him. Sheamus is that good, just look at the reaction he gets by doing very little and how great he is at interacting with fans in a more intimate setting. And the territories haven't gone anywhere. We just call them independents now. And we have the internet, so everyone knows about them—not just locals. On top of that, there's an extra step between the territories and TV. It's called developmental.

Maria by a cuntry mile
Posted By: supernovak



Personally, WWE developmental needs to bring in a young star and start grooming him to be the next John Cena now, as developmental has been lagging. By bringing in fresh faces, they can see who has the "IT factor", so to speak and who doesn't and work with that person to become the next face of the WWE. ... As for the current stars, I personally DON'T see any one of the them as the next big face of the company. However, as for the next big heel, CM Punk would fit the bill to a tee. His anti-establishment and freedom of character and rebelious nature makes him a perfect fit.
Posted By: AGNJoe

It's really hard to groom the next "face of the company." Cena wasn't groomed for that role. He himself has told the story of Vince McMahon talking to all of the talent, telling them that someone had to step up. Cena himself walked up to Vince—right after the meeting was over—and told Vince "I'm that guy. I'll step up, starting now." And he did. The rest is history. The ‘E can't groom the next face of the company, someone needs to step-up. Sheamus is.

Uh, Why Is Candice Michelle NOT in the Hall of Bang? Easily better looking than #4-6.
Posted By: M Dub Cee

That's a good question. I'll give Candice another shot soon.

And really, Sheamus is an excellent option to be the face of the company. When the fans turned him face I remember thinking: "Man, the crowds sure love the fella, if they keep him as a badass who takes names and kick asses, he'll be super over very soon". Fast forward some months and he's very very over as a face, and I' surprised they almost didn't change anything about him (except for that horrible nickname).
Posted By: Guest#0341

You don't like "The Great White?" Me neither. Just as bad as "The Showoff."

1st of all, I'm digging the new format with the pre-show stuff. ... I could see Sheamus as the face of the WWE regardless of his age. When it was brought up way back that he could be a good face, I laughed it off until I saw him initially on Smackdown. He was (and still is) being a face without running around kissing babies and being corny and cheesy, like the WWE has most faces do. It became natural instead of being forced. People WANTED to cheer him, and Sheamus gave them a reason to. I hated his initial heel run cause he was being so forced onto the crowd. So it's good he was able to develop into a good interesting face instead of the sort of generic heel he was.
Posted By: SS87

I'm glad you like it, since it's likely becoming a fixture! As for Sheamus, I think the potential was always there. Crowds really bought into the guy, and he showed the ability to continue to grow with them.

Thanks for the compliment...







This Monday's RAW proved to be eventful, despite the Slammy's gimmick (and the poor rating). There were two huge developments—one obvious and one sneaky. We'll start with obvious...



Kane returned to the WWE, and was wearing the mask—as expected. He started off with an Ironman-esque mask to start, eventually revealing a new Kane mask underneath. He appeared to be headed for Mark Henry (the man who took him out), but instead attacked John Cena.



This should start a Cena-Kane feud to keep the face of the WWE busy for a month or so. Kane was originally placed back onto the Smackdown roster, but he's since been moved to the RAW roster. He's also listed for some RAW houseshows, even opposite John Cena himself. It's also expected that the two will have a run-in at the WWE: TLC pay-per-view, as Cena is still advertised for the event despite not being listed in a match.

I'm excited about the return of Kane, and will be interested to see if Kane vs. Mark Henry is set-up for WrestleMania 28. I'd be down for that—provided Henry isn't the World Heavyweight Champion. I don't see that match doing much with the title. Either way, I'm happy to see the Big Red Machine return, and I wonder if he'll become the next big novelty act once his storyline brother retires. Speaking of his dead brother...



Triple H made his return to RAW on Monday, informing Kevin Nash that he should have finished Trips off when he had the chance. Now he's booked to face his former best friend in a unique ladder match at TLC that's turning into an interesting experiment for fans. It appears to me that fans can't watch a ladder match when a title (or at least a contract) is hanging in the balance. In fact, former 411 writer Michael Ornelas called it a glorified sledgehammer on a pole match during last week's Greg DeMarco Show. I'm not in that group, as I think it's a unique was to present the ladder match stipulation, and I'm laughing at the expense of those who can't think outside the box.

I'm also confident that it'll be a good match. Triple H and Kevin Nash go way back, and you know that Trips had a lot to do with Nash's return. He's not going want to look bad with this one, Sin Cara's already making him look bad!

But that's not what's most newsworthy about Triple H's appearance on RAW. That honor belongs to his comments about The Undertaker.



That pretty much confirms that we'll see Triple H vs. The Undertaker at WrestleMania 28. There's pretty much no other direction to go once Triple H claims he ended the streak. We all know he didn't, and that can't be ignored. And that's where I'm in a different camp than most of the internet myself. I actually think Taker-HHH can be a good match, and the final of their trilogy. If this is the end of the road for ‘Taker, then it makes sense. I don't see the streak ending, so I don't see the point in putting him in the ring with a rising star to retire. If the streak ends? Then it should be used to put someone over. Of all the options—and there are many—Triple H makes perfect sense to me. Michaels retired Flair, Taker retired Michaels, and now Triple H might retire The Undertaker. Does that make Triple H the WrestleMania novelty match? Possibly. And when Trips is done, who retires him? John Cena? Randy Orton?

You Decide: Where do you think the returns of Kane and Triple H will lead?






Sunday was met with TNA's Final Resolution PPV, and our own Larry Csonka handled the live coverage of the PPV (on his 12th wedding anniversary, by the way). Now I, the self-proclaimed most fair & balanced TNA analyst on the internet, will provide you with my own review.

Rob Van Dam pinned Christopher Daniels with a Five-Star Frog Splash in 9:45
Good opener, but it caused me to realize that RVD hasn't changed one bit since his ECW days, and Daniels continues to evolve. They're only a few months apart in age, too. Who would have thought that two 40-year old men would be in the "tear it up" spot of a TNA PPV, opening the show like an X-Division title match normally would. Good match, great way to start the show. Just wish I had a reason to care about RVD and a reason to believe TNA will do anything meaningful with Daniels.

Robbie E. pinned Eric Young following a code-breaker in 7:30 to retain the TNA World TV Championship
Eric Bischoff rendered the TV title meaningless in WCW, to the point where it was pulled from a trash can. In TNA, he's made it a comedy act prop. Just saying. Basic stuff until Robbie T got involved, which was expected from the start.

Matt Morgan & Crimson defeated The Pope & Brother Devon when Crimson pinned Devon following a double-chokeslam in 9:45 to retain the TNA World Tag Team Championships
This was more about Pope, Devon & Devon's "kids" than anything else, and that sucks. I love tag team wrestling, and TNA used to be a great home for that. Blah.

Austin Aries pinned Kid Kash following a brainbuster in 12:45 to retain the TNA X-Division Championship
Wrestling, at its core, has always been about good vs. evil. Sometimes a performers changes sides (oftentimes, actually), but the most basic aspect is good vs. evil. Now, when two faces wrestle, it's about athletic competition, so people can get with that. But when two heels wrestle? Yeah, no one has any clue what is going on. Much like the crowd in the Impact Zone. Too bad this wasn't in a real wrestling city, where the fans would just have picked Aries as the face and went from there (much like Philly did at Bound For Glory). The match wasn't bad—hell, it featured a super-rana! But the crowd was cheering for spots, not for the wrestlers. Hopefully this feud is over.

Gail Kim pinned Mickie James following the EatDaFeet to retain the Knockouts Championship in 7:45 after interference from Madison Rayne
Another title match where the heel goes over with a cheap finish. Seemed to foreshadow the main event? Thankfully not. Unfortunately, this match wasn't anything special, making the interference that much worse.

James Storm pinned Kurt Angle following a Last Call Superkick at 17:30
So much for medical clearance! Great match here, held down by both the crowd and the announcers. You have two great wrestlers, two great talkers, and you can great storytellers to that list. I think Taz & Tenay feed off of the crowd, which is why they are sucking. This match deserves a real crowd in a better wrestling town. TNA is hurting themselves by doing PPV in the Impact Zone.

Jeff Hardy pinned Jeff Jarrett with a Twist of Fate to win their Steel Cage Match in 9:45
A nine minute cage match. On PPV. And, based on the result, either Jeff Jarrett or Karen Jarrett will be fired! Yay! Sting does the firing...on Thursday. Of course, why would anyone want to be rewarded for paying for the PPV. I'm guessing Sting will fire Jeff, since we all want him to fire Karen. Or maybe he doesn't follow through. He never did fire Eric Bischoff.

Bobby Roode wrestled AJ Styles to a 3-3 draw in their 30-minute Ironman Match, thus retaining the TNA World Heavyweight Championship
Delirious booking! I'm actually glad they didn't do the overtime, because that's played out. But, there was no reason to go with a draw here, since they ran the injury angle with Styles at the end of Impact Wrestling on Thursday. Just trying to be "creative," I guess. Roode should have stolen a win (tonight, not Thursday), as it would fit in with his character. I know his stalling at the end was in character, but Roode stealing a pin at the end would have been in character AND exciting.

Overall Impression: Just a blah show. A few good matches, a great match in the main event that was hurt by the booking, too many run-ins, and the biggest payoff of the show will happen for free on Thursday. I don't understand why anyone would order a TNA PPV when they give you the same stuff for free each week. and I'd love to think we're getting Roode-Storm at Genesis now, since Storm's obviously fine to wrestle. But Jeff Hardy's cage match win gives him a title shot at Genesis. And I fear for that match—the outcome, anyway.

You Decide: What did you think of TNA's Final Resolution?





Last weekend saw the final Pro Wrestling Guerrilla event of 2011, titled Fear. As we covered last week, the event was set-up with the prior return of Super Dragon, who saved Kevin Steen from an attack by The Young Bucks. Their showdown served as the main event for Fear.

Full results:

--Kenny King & TJ Perkins battled to a no-contest when The Fightin' Taylor Boys attacked both wrestlers
--The Fightin' Taylor Boys (Ryan Taylor & Brian Cage-Taylor) beat Kenny King & TJ Perkins with an assisted front-flip piledriver.
--Roderick Strong beat Amazing Red with a Tiger Driver
--Peter Avalon, Ray Rosas, Joey Ryan & Scorpio Sky beat B-Boy, Famous B, Chris Kadillak & Candice LaRae when Sky pinned LaRae following a TKO
--Willie Mack pinned Chris Hero following Chocolate Thunder
--The RockNES Monsters (Johnny Goodtime & Johnny Yuma) beat Future Shock (Adam Cole & Kyle O'Reilly) when Goodtime pinned Cole following a Frog Splash
--The American Wolves (Eddie Edwards & Davey Richards) beat The Super Smash Bros. (Player Uno & Stupefied) when Edwards forced Uno to submit to a single leg Boston Crab
--PWG World Champion El Generico pinned Dick Togo in a non-title match following a Top Turnbuckle Brainbustah
--Appetite for Destruction (Super Dragon & Kevin Steen) beat The Young Bucks (Nick & Matt Jackson) when Steen pinned Matt following a Diving Footstop-Package Piledriver combo to win the PWG World Tag Team Championships

The event saw a few changes, starting with a family emergency that kept Los Luchas from attending. Their opponents, The Fightin' Taylor Boys, interjected themselves into the opening match between Kenny King & TJ Perkins, changing that into a tag team match. The surprises wouldn't end their, however, as B-Boy was a surprise replacement for Willie Mack in the 8-person tag. B-Boy is a PWG favorite, and reportedly got a HUGE reaction from the crowd. Willie Mack did appear, facing the next surprise wrestler in the evening, the Wrestling Retribution Project's Chris Hyde! Err…I mean Chris Hero! Hero made what many believe to be his final indy appearance, and he apparently eluded to as much during a post-match promo. If so, he did the right thing in putting Mack over on his way out.

The match I was most looking forward to, Roderick Strong vs. The Amazing Red, didn't deliver as many thought it would. However, reports that Red was hurt early in the match, dropping the action down a notch. Red appears to be okay heading out of the match, so thankfully there are no lasting injuries. El Generico got the win over Dick Togo in the Japanese superstar's final match on American soil. That's a tremendous honor for Generico. Finally, the event ended with an insane Guerrilla Warfare match that saw Kevin Steen & Super Dragon—aptly dubbed Appetite for Destruction—walk out victorious over The Young Bucks, and crowned the 25th PWG World Tag Team Champions.

Many are calling the card one of PWG's best efforts of 2011, as the company caps off what was an amazing year of events. Pro Wrestling Guerrilla puts on events that are the class of American independent wrestling. ROH is no longer an indy with corporate ownership and a television deal, and PWG sits a notch higher than Dragon Gate USA and CHIKARA in my opinion. That's great company to be in, but PWG is currently the top group of the three.

The company now moves into January 29th's Kurt Russellreunion 3 event, as part of the WrestleReunion convention in Los Angeles. Two matches have been announced to date:

Six-Man Tag Team Never-In-Your-Wildest-Dreams Match II
Super Dragon, Kevin Steen, & Akira Tozawa vs. El Generico, "The Man That Gravity Forgot" PAC, & Masato Yoshino

Dream Tag Team Match
Blood Warriors (CIMA & Ricochet) vs. RockNES Monsters (Johnny Goodtime & Johnny Yuma)

Neither match actually qualifies as a dream match, but I think they might be going with a dream match theme here. Nevertheless, both matches should be outstanding, and it appears like PWG will finally give the RockNES Monsters the push they deserve. Dragon Gate USA is in town for the event, so I'd expect more Japanese talent to get booked. It could be three phenomenal shows in a row for PWG.

For more information, hit up Pro Wrestling Guerrilla's website.

You Decide: SoCal fans, will you be at KRR3?




This past week's Greg DeMarco Show:

The latest edition of The Greg DeMarco Show, presented by 411Mania.com/Wrestling, aired on December 6, 2011, as Greg & Patrick welcomed Steve Cook, Tony Acero, Justin Freemyer, Buggy Nova and special guest Texas bombshell Barbi Hayden!

Barbi joined the program for the second time, providing everyone with an update on her career, as well as sharing a championship win that lives close to her heart. Barbi also provided candid comments on how the WWE portrays their Divas and how she is working towards that goal. No issue is ignored as Barbi provides her thoughts on the importance placed on a female's appearance in the wrestling business, the prevalence of plastic surgery and if she has had or would consider having plastic surgery herself---you might be surprised by her answer! Buggy Nova also joined the show for the worldwide premiere of the first Buggy Nova Greg DeMarco Show commercial!

Click here to listen to the program, or listen here:





The numbers came in for me on Wednesday night. And thanks to all of you listeners both here at 411Mania and over at the Voice of Choice Nation, over 10,000 people listened to last week's edition of the program! That is far and away the most that have ever listened to the program, shattering any "record" we set prior.

This does two things. First, it confirms our belief that we have let the program evolve into something that can be categorized as good to great. We have outstanding interviews, and we offer a perspective that is different than the cookie cutter programs that are out there. That's something that all of the 411Mania shows offer, in fact (both wrestling and MMA). Second, it means that we need to continue to step up our game. And we're doing just that. We've reformatted the "clock" for next week's show, and you can expect to hear a show that has a better pace and flow to it. It's still the dame show—with the same attitude and sense of humor. But we're putting together a more professional product.

Next Tuesday night, December 20, our friends at Ring of Honor have been great to us once again and provided The Young Bucks in promotion of their Final Battle 2011 iPPV. We're still hosting regular guests from Pro Wrestling Guerrilla as well, and now we've added Gabe Sapolsky's Dragon Gate USA/Evolve to the mix (starting with their January events). In fact, take a look at our guest list over there next month or so is quite impressive: The Young Bucks, Johnny Gargano, Lizzy Valentine, Rain (finally!), Ricky Reyes and more! Those are just guests who are committed to the program, we have several more in the works that I'm not prepared to announce yet—including a guest or two that will definitely make my broadcast partner (and best friend) Patrick O'Dowd a happy man. So stay tuned!

Also, be sure to check out our stream partner Bruce Wirt's Voice of Choice Nation program from Wednesday, which can also be found at VOCNation.com. Bruce hosted a tribute to The Arena, including guest appearances by Tommy Dreamer, Shane Douglas and Joey Styles! Yours truly showed up towards the end of the program, but you can hear me anytime. Tune in for the great look back at the historic Philadelphia wrestling venue, which will host its last wrestling event in January.

Once again, THANK YOU to our readers and listeners, from Greg DeMarco & Patrick O'Dowd!





Over at GeekWeek.com, Jeff Katz continues to reveal members of the Wrestling Retribution Project roster. Several of them are interesting, and I am picking out six this week. I might do this again as more details regarding the show's distribution become known.

Lord of War: Former WWE superstar MVP takes on this character, being labeled as a man without a country. This character appears to be the polar opposite of his WWE character, instead being a loner with an insane killer instinct.

Tommy Lee Ridgeway: NWA World Heavyweight Champion "Scrap Iron" Adam Pearce is being labeled as a "grand old predator" in the promotion. Much like his normal persona, he appears to be the grizzled veteran—crafty and conniving—with the ability to tear you apart with very little notice. Pearce is tremendously talented, showing great abilities in both serious and comedy roles. I have a feeling he's going to really stand out here.

Chase Walker & Aphrodite: Joey Ryan plays the character of Chase Walker, with the tag line of "no more secrets." Ryan's character is the most notable of the roster, mainly because we know the most about him. Chase Walker will be outed as gay during the season, and takes a very different attitude than most gay wrestling characters from the past. The promo where he reveals his orientation is said to be nothing short of amazing, and was done in one take. Ryan himself discussed this in a previous edition of our radio show, and I can't wait to see how this turns out. Joey Ryan is loaded with potential, and I think that once his promo airs, he will instantly become the hottest free agent in wrestling.

The Satanic & Profitable: The S&P are devil worshiping stockbrokers, played by Alex Reynolds and Sami Callahan. Form the looks of the photo, it's possible that Reynolds is the more controlled of the group, with Callahan being the crazed, brutal striker. It's also possible that both are equally evil and brutal. That's the fun of this project, all we can do is speculate.

Concrete: Former WWE superstar Chris Masters appears in the project as Concrete, with the tagline "I do not bend. I do not break." I'm intrigued by his character because it can go so many directions, from the conflicted warrior to an Ivan Drago-like assassin. I wonder if we'll have a different opinion of Masters once this airs.

Chris Hyde: Chris Hero plays the character with the tag line "we're all running from something." This is both interesting and hilarious, since we've barely heard anything from Hero since his last indy appearances, up until his recent PWG appearance. We all assume he's waiting to start in FCW, even though his Kings of Wrestling partner already has a new persona and has appeared on FCW TV. Hero has reportedly moved to Florida and has been primarily working small indy shows that receive minimal coverage to avoid having any ring rust. Reports are also that his character was one of the favorites among the fans attending the taping.

The show is taped in a tournament style, with a definite beginning, middle & end. No one knows if there will be another season. Whatever the future holds remains to be seen, but I have a feeling that this project will be remembered for many years to come.

You Decide: Are you excited to see what Jeff Katz puts out?



Last Week: in what should be considered an upset, AJ Lee took on and defeated the oft favorite Maria Kanellis. AJ now steps closer to her own immortality.



This Week: AJ, NXT3 alumnus as she is, will face a fellow NXT alum in Kaitlyn!



Does AJ get halfway to the hall?



Or does Kaitlyn start her own path?



YOU MAKE THE CALL!



Kaitlyn vs. AJ Lee. Take your pick!
Stay tuned as next week as I'll reveal the winner!



With all this Kane and Undertaker talk, the following Inferno match seems appropriate!





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In honor of her honest and candid time on The Greg DeMarco Show, our &1 Model of the Week is the beautiful DeMarcette Barbi Hayden!



Get reading!

Randle's Wrestling News Experience!
The News from Cook's Corner!
Marsico presents The Wednesday Wire!
Fact or Fiction!
The Wrestling Framework!
Kirk's Wrestling Sandwich!
The bossman, Larry Csonka, returns with his take on the Top 10 Wrestlers of 2011!

Plenty to talk about, as usual. Don't forget to vote for your favorite: AJ or Kaitlyn!

Until next time...



Listen to the show!