The Wrestling 5&1 1.28.12: Rosa Mendes Versus Stacy Keibler!

Posted by Greg De Marco on 01.28.2012

Stacy Keibler battles Rosa Mendes in Vs, a preview of the Royal Rumble, Brodus Clay continues to impress, WrestleReunion brings the action this weekend, Ring of Honor loses an original, Buggy Nova is your "& 1" Model of the Week and more!



I made a return to the old format this week, just to see how you like it. It's been a while, and it's always good to gauge what people like. To an extent. Remember, it's my column.

This week was a fun little roller coaster ride. Thanks to last week's column, Buggy Nova got a ton of play all over the internet. More than ever before. That picture that I had? Yeah, that exclusive photo was reported everywhere, and no one bothered to give any credit. One guy did after I posted under his pic on Facebook (and he deserves credit for that). I easily saw my story used, or my picture used, over thirty times. You know how many sites credited me for the report? Three. One linked the column, one said it was "the latest 411Mania column," and one site actually used (GASP!) my name. As I posted on Facebook earlier in the week, I do have a new respect for the PWInsider's and Wrestling Observer's of the world. I now know what it's like to have my news stolen.

On the real world front, my place of employment announced on Tuesday that they were reevaluating our business model, and that there would be layoffs by the end of the week. Now, if you've been paying attention for the past five months, you'll know that this is my third go-round with layoffs since September. But this one had a much different result—Greg DeMarco is still gainfully employed! Which is good, because I love my job.

Despite what is going on, I always know I get to write for you—my readers. And I get to provide a radio show for you. And an Impact Wrestling Report. Thanks for that.







The WWE Royal Rumble takes place this weekend. The Royal Rumble is a personal favorite of mine, and largely considered to be the #2 PPV event of the year. It's also the official kick off for the Road to WrestleMania. This year's card is comprised of only 4 matches. But all four are main events. Let's take a look!

Embrace The Hate
John Cena vs. Kane

This match has been the equivalent of a groaner for everyone watching. We've been stuck with a soap opera storyline, special effects, and a horror movie starring Kane, Cena, Eve Torres and Zack Ryder. And Cena has been the worst actor of the bunch! But the match itself will be a good one, as it features two of the WWE's best. I don't expect a real finish here, as this one likely needs to drag out through Elimination Chamber before The Rock comes back.
Prediction: No Contest

Steel Cage Match for the World Heavyweight Championship
Daniel Bryan (champion) vs. Mark Henry vs. The Big Show

I'm not sure if Daniel Bryan will be the World Heavyweight Champion come WrestleMania. But I think he leaves this cage match with the title. Bryan is doing a great job in his role as the heel champion, and I think he will continue to grow and progress towards a featured match at ‘Mania. Big Show has been a great face for D-Bry to play off of, but he's headed into a showdown with Shaquille O'Neal at ‘Mania. That leaves Mark Henry and Randy Orton to fight for the belt at ‘Mania. How do we get there? I'm not sure. But I see Daniel Bryan escaping the cage after Henry & Show have taken each other out.
Prediction: Daniel Bryan retains the World Heavyweight Championship

In a bonus prediction, expect this match to open the show.

WWE Championship (John Laurinaitis as the special referee)
CM Punk (champion) vs. Dolph Ziggler

I really thought we were in for a slam dunk for Ziggler here. CM Punk vs. Chris Jericho doesn't need the WWE Championship, even though I think it will be involved in their ‘Mania match anyway. John Laurinaitis serving as the referee was the easy way to get the belt off of Punk and keep him strong for ‘Mania. But that's not what we have anymore, is it? On Monday's RAW, it was revealed that Triple H will be evaluating John Laurinaitis's job performance on the RAW after the Rumble. This seems to change the set-up, eliminating the possibility of Johnny Ace screwing Punk. I think it's the opposite. I think Laurinaitis will screw punk...on accident! And in a bigger swerve, I don't think Ace gets fired—not yet. He's doing a great job and developing into a good character. Triple H will give one chance to keep his job—all he has to do is complete one little task. Deliver The Undertaker to Triple H. But as for the Rumble, Punk's getting inadvertently screwed.
Prediction: your winner and NEW WWE Champion Dolph Ziggler

30-Man Royal Rumble

This is the 25th Royal Rumble (not the 25th anniversary mind you—it's actually the 24th anniversary...I had the same problem with WrestleMania 25), and man is this a star studded match! Take a look at the list of superstars either announced or available for the match: The Miz, R-Truth, Cody Rhodes, Jack Swagger, Mick Foley, Randy Orton, Wade Barrett, Brodus Clay, Sheamus, and Chris Jericho. Add in lower card guys like Ted Dibiase, Santino, Jinder Mahal, Justin Gabriel, Primo, Epico, Tyson Kidd, William Regal and others. Plus, you have the likely re-debut of Skip "Ryback" Sheffield and possible returns for Triple H and The Undertaker. Lastly, the seven other guys wrestling on the card have been deemed eligible for the Rumble—in fact, the WWE has indicated that every superstar is eligible. So could this be the first Royal Rumble since it was used to determine the WrestleMania title match that features one or both of the world champs?

So it's prediction time. The smart money is on one of two guys. First off you have Randy Orton, the hometown hero and a face of the company. Orton vs. Daniel Bryan, Mark Henry or both would be a great WrestleMania match. The other top choice is Chris Jericho. Jericho has promised the end of the world for Sunday, which lends itself to him not winning—possibly on purpose—to make a statement. Personally, I would love to see Sheamus pick up the win and go on to face Daniel Bryan. Imagine that—they were bumped from last year's PPV! However, in my year end column, I made the prediction that Randy Orton wouldn't be able to participate due to injury and the winner would in fact be The Miz. He's now entering at #1, but a prediction is a prediction, so I'm sticking with it.
Prediction: The Miz wins he 2012 Royal Rumble



You Decide: Who will win the Rumble? Buy or no Buy for you?



Last Week: In another close match-up, Rosa Mendes squeaked out a win over former GoDaddy.com girl Candice Michelle.



This Week: With some of the longest legs in captivity, Stacy Keibler steps in to challenge the happy valet for Primo & Epico.



Does Rosa Mendes jiggle her way to win #2?



Or does Stacy Keibler make her own claim to the Hall?



YOU MAKE THE CALL!



Rosa vs. Stacy. Take your pick!
Stay tuned as next week as I'll reveal the winner!






After three straight squash matches, Brodus Clay got to show his skills in a different setting, and with better co-stars. Last Friday's WWE Smackdown featured a Dance Off between Brodus Clay and Vickie Guerrero. Brodus was hilarious, and once again had the crowd in the palm of his hand the entire time. And did you hear the multi-level pop for Brodus? He gets a pop when he's announced, his dancers get an even bigger pop, and when Brodus comes out the crowd goes nuts.


Don't do it like that, baby! – Booker T

William Regal inserted himself and was so great in his comedy that I think some of the live audience missed it. And yet Brodus still commanded the spotlight. The guy is so money it's not even funny.

"My bad! Somebody call his momma!" And then Brodus proceeded to help Regal up! 100% awesome.

Monday's RAW featured Brodus Clay's victory over Heath Slater. Two new things happened in this match: Brodus wore white, and he took an offensive move! Slater connected with a dropkick that actually made Brodus move backwards, the first time anyone has gotten any offense in on Brodus since he was repackaged. Slater's offense was nothing in the end, as Brodus picked up another win. But he was great in doing it!



How do you not love this guy?!?!



You Decide: Don't you love this guy?!?!



This week we see the latest work from our friend good Michael Ornelas, a trailer for Shenanigans.



Hit up their Facebook page to be updated on the latest episodes.

Do you want to support Shenanigans? You can support their new Kickstarter campaign here!






WrestleReunion takes place in Los Angeles this weekend, and I wish I could be there. Work and my son's first soccer game of the season will keep me away this time around. Outside of the convention (and great guests like Terra Calaway and Buggy Nova!) there are three wrestling events.

Dragon Gate USA: "Open The Golden Gate"
January 27th, 2012, 8:00pm Pacific

Open The United Gate Title Match: CIMA & Ricochet defend vs. Masaaki Mochizuki & Jimmy Susumu (Yokosuka)

PAC vs. Akira Tozawa

Masato Yoshino vs. Naruki Doi

Anything Goes Match: AR Fox vs. Sami Callihan

Low Ki vs. BxB Hulk

Chuck Taylor & Rich Swann of Ronin vs. The Young Bucks of Nick & Matt Jackson

Jon Davis vs. Caleb Konley with Larry Dallas

Pro Wrestling Superstars
January 28th, 2012, 8:15pm Pacific

"Man Scout" Jake Manning v. Roderick Strong

"Unholy Alliance" Tajiri and Mikey Whipwreck v. "7OH!4" Cedric Alexander and Caleb Konley

World of Sport Rules: Colt Cabana v. Fit Finlay

ROH World Champion Davey Richards v. Harry Smith

Lucha Minis Collide - Mascarita Dorada v. DEMUS 316

LA Street Fight, No DQ and No Countouts "The Antichrist of Wrestling" Kevin Steen v. "Innovator of Hardcore" Tommy Dreamer

The Young Bucks v. The Great Sasuke & El Generico

Legendary Tag Teams Collide: The Steiner Brothers v. The New Age Outlaws with Mick Foley as the special enforcing referee

WrestleReunion's "nearly famous" 20 Man WrestleRoyale (Legends Battle Royale).

Pro Wrestling Guerilla "Kurt RussellReunion III"
January 29th, 2012, 1:00pm Pacific

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)

Masaaki Mochizuki vs. Roderick Strong

American Wolves (Eddie Edwards & Davey Richards) vs. The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson)

Naruki Doi vs. Willie Mack

BxB Hulk vs. Jimmy Susumu (formerly Susumu Yokosuka)

If you're within driving distance of LA, this is the weekend to head out there. And I haven't even listed the vendor guests that will be available. For that information, hit up www.wrestlereunion.com.



I always enjoy the HOF debates...at the end of the day atleast WWE isn't as bad as the rock n roll HOF...I'm still waiting for Jake the Snake to get the call
Posted By: ramone

I agree about Jake Roberts. I think the WWE is waiting for him to get himself into presentable shape. And now that they've inducted The Four Horsemen, I think they're waiting for Scott Hall to get into presentable shape before inducting the nWo.

buggy said she was learning from the best in the world.
Posted By: Guest#0144

She has been since February of last year, pal! In all seriousness, one thing I've known about Buggy for a while is that she can point out something she's learned from every experience.

TNA has for the past few months done a better job on the booking. The matches have been free of overbooking and the characters are developing nicely. While there have been a few annoying things such as the Mickie James promo after the match with Madison and the EY/ODB commedy angle nothing too bad. ... One thing I would really like to see is if they gave the TV Title against someone like RVD or Gunner. They could have Gunner take the belt from Robbie E and have him Piledrive most challenger every week. Hire some jobbers and give him the opening match where he destroys a jobber differently every week.
Posted By: Dr Wiki

I've been talking about the TV title for months in TNA. It's a huge missed opportunity for the company. RVD and Gunner are great choices. Actually, having RVD beat Robbie E for the belt, then building a nice little 2-month long feud between he & Gunner that sees Gunner leave with the title would be a great move for the division.

The reason the Garret vid is being panned is because it's asking us to care about a referee (and really name ONE angle that was centered around a referee that DIDN'T suck) and because the only reason he's being given this 'push' is because he's Eric's son. ... Imagine if Charles Robinson suddenly decided he was going to be a wrestler and started getting cheesy training videos. No, no one would like it and WWE would (rightfully) get ripped for it.
Posted By: One Man With An Opinion

And your opinion is valued, one man. You are right about the history of referee angles in wrestling. But Garett is far more believable as a wrestler than Charles Robinson. He is far bigger than Charles, and far younger.

Candice, I would've said Rosa before I kept hearing all those rumors about her "oral" agreement with Micheal Hayes. Besides Candice had the best Go Daddy commercials, the new commercials always suck.
Posted By: Ryan

I don't know if there is any truth to that one right there, pal. But if you listen to my interview with Rain from a few weeks ago...

Very happy Shelly is back. Wish he was back earlier, but at least he can now have some good-great matches with AA. ... It would be great if Buggy and Lizzy became WWE divas.
Posted By: Still Guest#8287

I think Alex Shelley vs. Austin Aries is great for the X-Division. You know I am obviously pulling for Buggy's success. Sadly, Lizzy might actually be approaching an age that puts her out of the WWE's desired age bracket. Which sucks, because look at her! Still plenty of youth there.

Have to go with Rosa on this one, albeit grudgingly.
Posted By: CottonMouthWolf

And why is that?

The training video was cool. The only real problem that I have with Bischoff's kid is that he just reminds me to much of Matt Hardy. I see him and flash back to 1998 Hardy Boyz...it might be just me though.
Posted By: Guest#1866

For a long time Matt Hardy was viewed as a success story. Hopefully Bischoff has a better head on his shoulders than Matt Hardy does.

and DeMarco, if I could give you one piece of advice it would be..... dont feed the Trolls, dont react to stupid ignorant, wallopers who are just looking for their comment to be printed in next week's column.
Posted By: me

But that's what I do, bro. And if I could steal a line from Chris Jericho (and Wolverine), I'm the best in the world at what I do. And feeding the idiots trolls is what I do. And I'm better at it than Wes Kirk for one reason and one reason only.
I'm excited for Aries vs Shelley, but why did it take TNA THAT long to find a high tier X-division guy for Aries to feud with? Kash, Xion, and Sorensen aren't threats in the least as they were never portrayed as serious threats. Had Shelley and Sabin still been injured, I would have liked ARies to have 'international guest challengers' for the X-title like Masato Yoshino, Prince Devitt, or even having the excuse to bring in Low Ki or Petey Williams.
Posted By: Mr. Ace Crusher

Aries & Petey had some matches in ROH that TNA fans would easily enjoy. Kid Kash, Zema Ion, Jesse Sorensen and Brian Kendrick were great angles & feuds used to build Aries reign. Now that reign is really kicking into high gear with the return of Alex Shelley. What's next? I think we have a column point on this one...

Garrett Bischoffs training video was okay, yeah the first stuff with the medicine ball and ropes was sorta silly but the rest was alright. Just seeing him do those moves to those guys make me realize he's a much better boxer than he is a wrestler. maybe he should stick to throwing punches and quit trying to do wrestling moves.
Posted By: Guest#6211

You make a great point, although not the one you intended to make. Bischoff does have some natural athletic ability. And talent. Plus, he's been around the business his whole life. He has the tools that will help him succeed regardless of his last name.

I agree that it's time (ok, it's been time) to put the bingo hall to rest, but part of the allure of it was that it WAS a shithole. Not that ECW wouldn't have made its mark without it, but wrestling in a shithole located in a shithole area made sense for ECW even aside of the money it saved. Joey Styles used to push for ECW to have shows in the Spectrum, but even as bad of a businessman as Heyman was, Heyman understood there was something to be said for keeping ECW as blue collar as it was.
Posted By: guest from Philly

Remember, my shithole comment was related to my experience there in May of 2006, long after ECW was dead and gone. ECW should have stayed there, just like ROH should have stayed at the Philly National Guard Armory. ECW folded, so other promotions took the Arena over. The National Guard Armory went offline due to military movement, so ROH went elsewhere in Philly. Now the Arena is finally closed, and ROH is back at the Armory. All is right.

Greg, thanks for the props!
Posted By: The Great Capt. Smooth

The credit is all yours Captain. You earned it.

RvD would be nice but i think they are gonna give it to bischoff...they building him up and he's perfect to take out Robbie e and get the title...it would give that title a new face a new start and a actual story just an opinion what yaw think????
Posted By: hmmmm

Who is "yaw"? And why do I care what an airplane's turn about a vertical axis thinks about the TV title?

But in all seriousness, the TV title does nothing for Garett Bischoff, and Garett Bischoff does nothing for the TV title.

Really? she's cute but fat making her a hall of no-bang contender. Fat people don't have sex anyway. Hard to do when your shoving food in your mouth and taking a dump 24/7. Now that I've pissed off 80% of America...Exit Stage Left
Posted By: Guest#5752

Umm, yeah. Nevermind. I double checked with a few women, and they all agree. You've never been laid, and you're never getting laid.

Candice over Mr. Ed, of course of course.
Posted By: Guest#6115

That's not even an accurate way to use that insult.

Exciting news about Buggy. The stuff I've seen of hers has been okay, and working down at FCW could help iron out some of her flaws. She'd make a great addition to the WWE women's division.
Posted By: RAW Guest Host

Trish had flaws three years into the business, too. Buggy has all the potential in the world to be great. And I believe she will be. I have for a while.

YESSS! Buggy and Lizzy Valentine are PERFECT for WWE! Now I just wonder what stupid names they're going to give them. ... Also, Candice and Rosa both have horrifying faces I just can't get past... Though in a situation of "Who Would You Do?" I'd have to go with Rosa.
Posted By: Guest#3455

Slowdown! Neither Buggy nor Lizzy have been signed to anything (as far as I know). I do fear for their names, especially miss Nova. Buggy, quick! Get a huge tat of your name on your stomach! On second thought...

And what the hell are you smoking, pal? Horrifying faces? You're kidding, right? Not every photo ever taken of every woman makes them look their 100% best. But both women are very beautiful.

I was liking the article until you told me to go read The Wrestling Sandwich. For shame DeMarco. For shame.
Posted By: Alan



Honestly, I skipped through most of this. It was too 'Indy' for my liking. ... Btw, I pick Rosa.
Posted By: #FACT

Honestly, I skipped your vote, too. Good thing she still won.



I don't know why people get all uptight about Brodus's gimmick. The first intro to a wrestler doesn't need to get him into the main event, it really just gets the audience used to the guy and hopefully gets him over to some degree. ... I think Angle, Brock, Kane, and Undertaker are the only guys who kept the same character from their introduction all the way to the main event. Undertaker and Brock were intro'd there. Since Kane beat on UT, he arguably debuted in the main event, but they never too advantage. He and Angle had some changes before they got the title. ... Orton isn't going the underwear model thing, Cena isn't a rapper, and Christian isn't wearing big sunglasses. ... Brodus will have his turn as a monster heel. The ages of Kane, Big Show, Undertaker, and Mark Henry dictates it. The monster heel bit is great for a main event push and a large promotion needs at least on per show. But not now.
Posted By: Guest#4025

Normally I edit longer comments down to the important stuff. I can't do that here. Awesome job to you, 4025. Not just because you agree with me, either. But because you "get it" and you can step back and see the big picture. You, sir, are...



I can't write good.-DeMarco
I can't write well....dumbass.
Posted By: Guest#4945

Speaking of "getting it," in this comment above I present you someone who obviously doesn't.



You are one of the few that Ive seen in my 20+ years of being a wrestling fan that HASNT treated the women in pro wrestling as merely eye candy. Screw these neanderthals, keep shining the spotlight on these talented ladies Greg!
Posted By: CottonMouthWolf

Thank you! Seriously, it only took 15 months (15 MONTHS!) for someone to see the light! Women in wrestling are packaged, booked and promoted as eye candy. Their appearance is why 99% of fans care about them. Fine, if that brings the fans in, great. But it's what you do with those fans that counts. Just like this column, my readers, and my content.

You, sir, are a gentleman and a scholar.






Syd Eick's Ring of Honor tenure comes to an end. Long time Ring of Honor official Syd Eick finished up with the company last Friday in Philly. In the wrestling business, "finished up with the company" means he was fired. Laid off. Shit canned. However you want to spin it, Syd was sent packing. He was the company's longest tenured employee. The Briscoes love to talk about being there since "Day One." Syd was there before day one. He was a crucial part of building ROH from a littlee indy at the now closed down Murphy Rec Center in Philly to a multi-national promotion purchased by a corporate entity.

Here is the really sad part of this news. When PWInsider originally reported it, everyone took to copying and pasting only the top portion of the report, or blatantly ignoring the bottom half of it. At least we merely summarized the news—we didn't copy/paste it.

So to those sties who stole it: Look, if you are going to steal news, at least steal the whole damn thing! This way your readers get the full story, okay?

Here, I'll steal the whole thing for you:

Syd Eick, who was had been with Ring of Honor for its entire run as a backstage official and working the door selling tickets, finished with the company last night. I was told it was a Sinclair Broadcasting decision as part of their transition after taking over the company last year.
Eick started with the company when RF Video formed it in 2002 as a way to sell tapes and DVDs to replace their sagging business post-ECW bankruptcy. When Feinstein was forced to sell his minority ownership and Silkin took over the company, Eick went to work for Silkin and pretty much ran the ROH office day to day. He was heavily involved in business decisions, bookings buildings, paying talent, and other top administrative duties. While Silkin was the owner, Eick was in the trenches of the daily operations.

The reality was that once Sinclair took over the company, it was just a matter of time. They had their own structure and have brought in their own staffing - as someone who has lived through company takeovers, it's not unusual to see the old guard phased out. That's the way the world works.

The firing was not sudden and Eick was aware for several weeks he would be finishing up in Philly, according to sources. I was told he kept it to himself and didn't tell anyone until former ROH owner Cary Silkin brought Eick into the locker room last night before the show, announcing that it would be Eick's final night with the company.

When the locker room was told, the reaction as it was described to me by several of the wrestlers was pretty much shock and disappointment since Eick had been there forever. While there were suspicions Eick was on the way out from the day Silkin sold ROH, no one knew he was done before Silkin's announcement.

Eick gave a small speech saying that he had a good 13 year run working in the wrestling business and that the company was changing and was going more "big time." He said he was proud that he, Cary Silkin and Ross Abrams were able to get it to a point where Sinclair purchased it and said that he hoped to see the company grow forever. He thanked everyone for being there for ROH and helping it grow and said that he wished them and their families well.

A number of ROH personalities, including ROH champ Davey Richards, Prince Nana, Steve Corino and Bobby Cruise all gave speeches, talking about how much Eick did for the company. Richards told the locker room that you never truly appreciate what someone does for a company until they are gone. Several personalities were very emotional.

Within the company, Eick was a polarizing figure as he would play "bad cop" to Silkin's "good cop". There were a number of those who left the company that blamed (and still blame) Eick for their departures. TNA star Austin Aries, who butted heads with Eick while working for ROH, commented on Eick's departure via Twitter without naming him, writing, "Just heard some #GREAT news. About damn time someone got smart. #SeeYaPal #CutTheCancerOut." Eick was well known for saying, "How's it going, pal?" when greeting someone. During Aries' last ROH run, sources noted that Eick had pegged Aries as a "cancer" in the locker room at the time, so this was Aries' receipt on Eick for stating so.

I was told that the company made no public announcement at the show last night that Eick was leaving, nor should they have. It's a new world and ROH has to move forward, just as they did when other players who shaped the company in the past left. As I wrote earlier, that's life and the way the world works.

To be fair, Austin Aries joins Adam Pearce and Jim Cornette who have made insinuations about Syd in the past. And I've read that Gabe Sapolsky has said things, too. But I have never seen proof that Gabe said anything, and I've seen proof on the others.

So when he was let go, one guy made a negative statement about Syd, and many others said great things. Look, the guy was a key factor in building ROH from the ground up! Austin Aries is bitter, and he's pointing that at Syd. When Aries was let go, it was widely reported that he was a locker room cancer. ROH officials did meet about his backstage demeanor, and the decision was made as a group. Did Syd specifically point to him as a "locker room cancer?" Maybe. But he wasn't the only one that felt that way. As for the other people Syd had issues with? Those issues started when others would take to blaming Syd for something going wrong. The creative side and the business side rarely get along. If Gabe Sapolsky wants to fly in far too many expensive foreign wrestlers, Syd has to tell him no. That makes Syd the bad guy, when he's really just doing what's best for the company's financial stability.

But then you have idiots like these, who posted in our news report on the firing:

And the piece of garbage won't be missed.
Cary couldn't protect you forever could he Syd?
There's always used car sales, you scum bag.
Maybe next on the chopping block is Cary.
Nice man, always has time for the fans, pumped alot of money into ROH.
Thanks but he doesn't really serve a function. He made his money off the sale, he can go home.
Posted By: Mister Mike

That was likely a reader from the Declaration of Independents website, run by Sean McCaffrey (who also runs WSU, by the way), a guy who likes to post and comment throughout the internet.

This next one was obviously by DOI, as they outed themselves. Hell, it was likely Sean or Rob Feinstein, who posts there regularly:

Syd was notoriously crooked and apparently his shadiness was one of the main reasons Mark Cuban's interest in ROH was short-lived. I'm sure Adam Pearce and Jim Cornette will have some interesting stories to tell about ol' Syd in the future, to...
Posted By: DOIwrestling Fan

Now, I'm sure the idiots at DOI will love this, but they are far less important than they think.

Story time with Greg DeMarco!

There's a reason why I am so upset about the comments made towards Syd Eick. I know the guy. I worked with the guy. Many of you might remember that I was the person responsible for the two Ring of Honor shows that took place in Phoenix during WrestleMania 26 weekend. Way back in September 2009, I was told by a local booker/promoter/wrestler that I should reach out to ROH since they hadn't announced any events for WrestleMania weekend, and they usually had that nailed down by that point. Knowing full well that this person likely just wanted to get booked on the shows, I originally dismissed the request. But after a few weeks, I found it odd that nothing had been announced, so I did in fact reach out. One of the people I contacted was Cary Silkin, and he put me in contact with Syd Eick, the vice president of the company. That's right, now called a "backstage official," but Syd was basically running the company. The first task was to obtain a building, which I had in place when Syd himself flew out to Phoenix in late October 2009. We toured the facility and signed the contracts right there. Syd paid attention to every detail—things fans don't normally realize like the type of power run through the facility, and the rear facing access for loading & unloading. We also checked out the area hotels, airport routes and vehicle rentals. I took him to the sites of WrestleMania and Axxess, and showed him a few local sites. It was a quick 24 hours, but a very successful one.

I stood there as Syd called Cary and told him everything was a "go." I stood there when he called their PR guy and told him to write up the release. I stood there when he made the phone call to direct the office to order the tickets, and what day do put them on sale. We shared another meal, and before he took off he made me an unsolicited promise: "This is going to be great. And when it is, we'll take care of you, I promise that."

Now, the whole time we worked together, I was very up front about the fact that I wanted nothing. All I really wanted was to see Ring of Honor, a company I was lucky enough to see when I lived in the northeast, have a successful pair of shows in my adopted home of Phoenix, Arizona. So from October to March I worked my ass off—getting the ring, arranging local ticket vendors, getting the light package, getting the replacement ring when the first one was crap, getting the guard rails, maintaining weekly contact with the office. All the while, several local wrestlers, promoters and bookers had tried to contact ROH, telling them that I had no clue what I was doing, or that I intended to screw ROH, or that i was gay, or that I was a drug dealer. Yes, those were some of the accusations (wrestling is a funny business!). Some of them knew Adam Pearce—one local person even contacted Pearce and told him I never coordinated a ring, and ROH would arrive and have no ring. This caused Pearce to freak out, and book a ring with this person directly. But in every phone call, every accusation, every claim made to ROH about me, Syd always had one response. "Greg's our guy in Phoenix. If you want to do anything with the Phoenix shows, call Greg." He never even questioned me, not once. In fact, we used the ring I arranged.

The shows were a rousing financial success. Turns out I saved them a ton of money compared to the options they were finding before I came into the picture. Remember his promise to "take care of me?" well they did, and in a big way. A little too big, actually. And when there was an error, it was immediately resolved. Immediately. Now how easy would it have been to screw me? They weren't coming back to Phoenix. And I was nobody. I didn't write for 411Mania, I didn't have a globally syndicated radio show. I was just a guy. Just a guy. But Syd told me this, and I never forgot it: "You were good to us, and we need to take care of you." And they did. I was just a guy, and they had absolutely zero motivation to "make it right." Yet they still did, and the only prompting it took was to make them aware of the error.

Syd was with that company from day one. He handled all of the financial matters for nearly 10 years. It's so easy to make accusations like those seen above. Skimming off the top? Hilarious! Double selling tickets? That claim is made for two reasons—NYC security allowing people to sit in the wrong reserved seats and then telling the proper ticket holders that they need to be moved, and Ticketmaster selling tickets that the office sold—in advance. None of those equal Syd pocketing any money.

From the day he purchased the company to the day he sold it (and even still today), Cary Silkin was he soul of ROH. He gave it depth, and he gave it meaning. If he was the soul of the body, then Syd was the heart—the one who kept it all going. TV deals, PPV/iPPV, contracts...who do you think was behind all of that? Syd was!

I kept in touch with Syd since the end of the Phoenix shows. Every time I called him, he said the same thing: "Hey pal! How's it going?" So as soon as I was told about his departure, I picked up the phone and gave him a call. I could tell he appreciated it. I don't think he got a ton of calls, simply because of what people have done to his name. Well, those people were wrong. I can speak from experience. Syd is a great guy, and did one hell of a job building up Ring of Honor. He deserves to be commended and celebrated on his way out, not turned into a tabloid scapegoat. Someone needs to point out all the good that Syd did for Ring of Honor, and I am happy to be that someone.

What did I tell Syd during that phone call last Saturday?

"For someone not actually ‘in the business'—I'm just a guy—I've been lucky enough to work with a ton of people in the business. Of all of those people, you‘re easily my favorite. You had a good run, pal."



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Listen to the latest episode of The Greg DeMarco Show, with Greg DeMarco and Patrick O'Dowd, powered by 411mania.com and streaming WORLDWIDE! on the Voice of Choice Wrestling Nation at VOCNation.com as Greg & Patrick welcomed Taeler Hendrix, Buggy Nova, Veda Scott, Steve Cook, Tony Acero and more!

OVW Women's Champion Taeler Hendrix joined the program to discuss her career, the impact of her trainer, defeating Awesome Kong/Kharma, OVW's relationship with TNA and more! "DeMarcette" Veda Scott makes her first show appearance to discuss her new backstage interview role in Ring of Honor and AIW's Girls Night Out 5. And Buggy Nova presents the an account of her WWE tryout!

The Greg DeMarco Show with Greg DeMarco & Patrick O'Dowd, presented by 411Mania and streaming worldwide through the Voice of Choice Nation—airs live every Tuesday at 10:30 PM eastern time and is heard by over 10,000 listeners throughout each week. Discussing current events in professional wrestling—including RAW, Smackdown, TNA, Ring of Honor and many US independent promotions and regularly features guests from Ring of Honor, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, Dragon Gate USA, Evolve and countless other promotions, Greg and Patrick present opinionated analysis on the wrestling world that remains rooted in a love, passion and respect for the business. The show is presented live on Tuesday nights by 411Mania at http://www.411mania.com/wrestling and streams worldwide each Saturday through Monday via Bruce Wirt's Voice of Choice Nation at http://www.vocnation.com. You can reach the show via e-mail at [e-mail], Facebook by searching for "Greg DeMarco Show" or Twitter @gregdemarcoshow.

As usual, you can hear the show on the VOC Nation this weekend. Once it's uploaded, I'll add the player here. As always, thanks for being one of our more than 10,000 listeners.





The fine folks at All-American Pro Wrestling passed along the press release for their biggest show to date, which was aptly titled "Main Event." The show drew over 400 fans, a record high for the Marion, Illinois company. As a fan of old school independent wrestling, I really like what they are doing. Definitely worth checking out!

All American Pro Wrestling releases 'Main Event' on DVD

MARION, Ill. - Southern Illinois-based All American Pro Wrestling made history on Jan. 14 when the promotion hosted "Main Event," the capstone live event for the first season of its television series "Collision."

"Main Event" marked a special occasion for AAPW on many fronts. The show broke an attendance record for the five-year-old company, drawing more than 405 fans to a jam-packed, standing-room-only venue.

The show also marked the debut of four internationally recognized professional wrestling stars in AAPW. Dragon Gate star PAC faced off with Ring of Honor's El Generico, while Colt Cabana faced third-generation star Eric Wayne and WWE "Tough Enough" contestant Matt Cross made a surprise appearance, answering the undefeated Pokerface's open challenge.

The list of accomplishments for "Main Event" continues weeks after this event, as this show will also be the first DVD release for AAPW. Pre-orders for the DVD begin at aapwrestling.com on Friday, Jan. 27, with shipping expected mid-February.

The two-disc DVD features all nine matches from "Main Event," including:

- Edmund "Livewire" McGuire vs. "Old School Warrior" Ax Allwardt
- AAPW Color Commentator Kevin Hunsperger vs. "The Masterpiece" Mike Masters
- Colt Cabana vs. "3G" Eric Wayne
- Stacy O'Brien vs. Rebecca Raze
- PAC vs. El Generico
- The Mississippi Madman and KC Jackson vs. Roscoe D. Harris of The Convoy and Bull Bronson
- A Five-Way Freestyle featuring Jay Spade, "Farmer" Billy Hills, Justice, Bull Bronson and "Playboy" Paul Rose
- "M-Dogg 20" Matt Cross vs. Pokerface
- Heath Hatton vs. "Golden Boy" Greg Anthony

The set also features a number of never-before-seen interviews featuring the stars of AAPW, as well as the show's special guests. "Main Event" sells for $15 and can be ordered through aapwrestling.com. German promotion wXw will also be distributing the DVD in Europe.

For more information about AAPW, visit aapwrestling.com. To view past episodes of "Collision," AAPW's television program, visit vimeopro.com/aapw/collision.

AAPW returns to live action on Saturday, March 17, at the Black Diamond Harley-Davidson Warehouse in Marion, Ill.



There are times when I'll use the "And 1" Model of the Week to highlight someone in the news. Well, someone had a ton of news surrounding her thanks to this very column last week. Who was that?



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Time to go! Does Rosa move on to her third Versus match-up, or does Stacy Keibler take over? What are your Royal Rumble predictions? Has your mind changed on Brodus Clay? Are you in the area of WrestleReunion? Did you go see Terra & Buggy? What format do you like better? Share it in the comments section!

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