wrestling / Columns

The Wrestling 5&1 2.4.12: Stacy Keibler Versus Angelina Love!

February 4, 2012 | Posted by Greg De Marco

The weeks keep rolling on as we’ve entered February! Where does the time go? February also means we’ve officially entered the Road to WrestleMania, largely considered to be the best time of the year. So sit back and enjoy some wrestling talk, including the Road to WrestleMania, Buggy Nova, TNA and more!

But first…time to feed the trolls!

Still have not taken up my challenge I see? … Go one week without using any diva pictures or the 5 and 1 gimmick and title the article “Greg’s Thoughts.” … That is all. Then let’s see the comments/hits roll in…
Posted By: Guest#6603

Greg, why persist with this TERRIBLE format? You don’t have to include a load of pathetic gimmicks to draw our interest…just write about your views on the weeks news. You’re a pretty insightful guy when it comes to wrestling, so stop producing this childish article and come up with something I would actually look forward to reading each week.
Posted By: Guest#6584

Has it been six weeks already? Because this seems to come up every 4-6 weeks around here. I’ll happily re-explain… when 411Mania made me an offer to write here, that offer was for The Wrestling 5&1. A pre-existing column with a pre-existing format. There are 5&1 columns all over the place, and Versus and And1 are staples of each. So if I did take you up on your offer, I’d be pissing off the bosses. And why in the hell would I do that, especially for you?

Why would he take away one of the most recognizable parts of his column to prove someone who can’t even choose a name wrong?
Posted By: Dr Wiki

And listen to the good doctor, he knows what he’s talking about!

Ok, ok, Brodus Clay is pretty entertaining. But will it last??? And what happens when he has to have a match over a minute?!?!?
Posted By: SilentOx

I don’t know how long it will last for Brodus. But I can say with 100% confidence that it’ll last longer than a generic monster.

For my Rumble pick, I’m going to say Sheamus. I would think that he certainly has the endurance to be the iron man in the match and at the very least be in the final 4 of the match.
Posted By: The Hodge

There you go Hodge, it’s in print for you. You did in fact accurately predict the outcome of the Royal Rumble.

AND … *High Fives Self* I got the “It doesn’t matter what you think!” pic!
I pick Rosa aswell or are you going to not count my vote again Mr. De MARKo?!
Posted By: #FACT

Wow, you’re so clever. Yes, I counted your vote. She still lost. And I must say that I’m impressed. With MYSELF. I’ve built something so well that people are proud to be called a moron.

Regarding Syd, I’ll say this. If a guy can have a falling out with Adam Pearce who is known as one ofthe best guys in the business, something’s up. Everyone falls out with Aries, although i honestly doubt the lockeroom did as Aries seems to interact fine with the guys from what I see on twitter and stuff. Aries left over money,plain and simple.
Posted By: Guest#8981

So you’re basing our opinion on what you’ve heard about two guys, and what you’ve read on Twitter. Right.

Great story about Syd, fascinating stuff.
Posted By: Mark

I’m glad you liked it. I seriously considered not including it.

Posted By: Guest#6618

I think it had more to do with Aries’s profile being too big. Same with Joey Ryan. The most well-known guy they used was a lower card ROH guy.

Still holding out hope that we don’t get HHH/Taker III and instead we get either Barrett, Ziggler, or Sheamus vs. Taker. It would be a HUGE boost to either one of their careers and barring any Hardy level breakdowns would effectively cement them in the main event scene even with the loss.
Posted By: One Man With An Opinion

Time to give up on that hope, pal. HHH-‘Taker appears to be the match.

Stacy. because she’s a couple of inches taller. I would really like to have sex with a tall woman. I mean really tall. Like a like a giant.
Posted By: George Costanza

+1 that shit. Awesome.

Posted By: The Great Capt. Smooth

Some guy named Google? Honestly, I wish I knew. I’d give that person credit, it was an awesome graphic.

The fact that she is not already in the hall of bang in an embarrassment to all the readers of this column…shame on all of us
Posted By: guest

Really, THAT’s an embarrassment? Have you read what some of these trolls write?

That you would even consider Rosa before Stacey is as ludicrous as a hall of fame where Koko B. Ware is in, but Randy Savage is not…
Posted By: Jay Evans

I see what you did there!

Stacy,Taeler,and Buggy FTW!!
Posted By: Mutatron101

I love it when this guy posts!

I am a fan of the Funkasaurus. I wasn’t when he first debuted, but I’ve become a fan of the Funk. He is very entertaining, and it’s not like the WWE needed another heel monster when they have Henry, Kane, and maybe Big Show. I love Regal getting involved with Brodus.
Posted By: Still Guest#8287

A lot changed in three weeks, huh?

Because in MY personal opinion, NEITHER woman should have even been submitted for consideration. However since those were the choices presented I went with the “lesser of two evils”.

MY criteria for judging a female include alot more than just looks. Over the last few years Ive been fortunate enough to meet quite a few of these ladies. (friends of friends, that sort of thing) All around, MY top two HoB entries are Velvet Sky and Maryse. ANY photo taken or video Ive seen PALES in comparison to actually being face to face with these ladies. As for personality, how they interact with fans and how they treat “civillians”, Ive yet to meet two women in this business nicer, willing to do anything (within reason) to make an interaction memorable and both ladies just generally light up a room. Both Jamie Szyantr and Maryse Oullette have that “intangible” factor in SPADES and are FAR from being properly marketed and used by their current or in Maryse’s case former employer.

Returning to the original point, neither lady you presented for consideration have anything CLOSE to what I mentioned about Velvet or Maryse. Either woman could be easily replaced with hardly a notice to the average consumer. There just isnt anything there that stands out in MY opinion. This is why I provided the caveat “grudgingly”. Once again, love your stuff. You do a FANTASTIC job shining the spotlight on the ladies of pro wrestling. Far better than any Ive seen in the past! Sorry to be “long winded” but I wanted no confusion with regard to my motivations. Thanks.

Posted By: CottonMouthWolf (Guest) on January 28, 2012 at 09:40 PM

Two things:

One, your post is the perfect example of why the IWC is considered to be mostly a large collection of lonely virgins. Thinking that you know the “real” women because they were polite to you at a convention is not only sad, but downright creepy.

Two, if Maryse hasn’t faded in to complete obscurity by this time next year, she should consider herself lucky. She has no real talent and her looks won’t get her far outside of the wrestling business. TNA basically is obscurity, so Velvet’s already there.

Posted By: Guest#7910

I’m staying out of this, except to make one statement. CMWolf has been posting here for a while, and does it with nothing but respect. Guest#7910 is hiding behind a number. Wolf wins.

Miz winning the Rumble? I sure hope you have your “REALLY?” picture ready next week…
Posted By: Guest#4961

Hey, I made a prediction at the end of 2011, and I had the balls to stay with it. It’s not like you predicted Sheamus…

Still force feeding the Buggy pictures, eh? Still gross…
Posted By: Bella

You think?

You think wrong.

The WWE presented the 25th Royal Rumble (or, if you prefer, the 24th Anniversary of the Royal Rumble) last weekend, and it officially kicked off the Road to WrestleMania. And if the Rumble is any indication, we’re in for a few surprises.

While all signs pointed to a Rumble win for either Chris Jericho or Randy Orton, it was The Great White Sheamus who picked up the victory, and punched his ticket to WrestleMania. Sheamus’s stock has risen significantly over the past 12 months, and this is just the latest step in his elevation to “face of the company” status. And he’s a spectacular choice.

In a recent interview, Sheamus noted that he would wait until after Elimination Chamber to name his match for ‘Mania. And given that we have two championship matches taking place inside the chamber, it makes sense for him to wait. In fact, I’d be okay if he didn’t even have a match on the card, rather joining us for commentary in both chamber matches. What I’d love to see is the Smackdown brand go on last at EC, have Daniel Bryan escape with a win, only to have Sheamus walk step onto the commentary table with a mic… “Hey fella! Looks like I’ll be seein’ you…at WrestleMania!” Pound chest, scream “Fella!” and we’re out. That’s how I would do it. But what do I know—I’m just a guy.

Did you watch the Royal Rumble? No? Well here’s a great highlight package, found on YouTube. Enjoy!

You Decide: What did you think of Sheamus’s Royal Rumble win?

On Monday’s RAW, a deadman made his return to the WWE. Or more accurately, THE Deadman. The Undertaker returned, interrupting the apparent future endeavoring of John Laurinaitis as the interim General Manager of RAW. And he couldn’t have picked a better time. The segment was dragging and was your typical Triple H humor—meaning it wasn’t funny. Also, I’ve grown to enjoy Johnny Ace in his role, and think there is plenty more left to explore there. And another piece of the WrestleMania puzzle is in place.

The idea of Triple H vs. The Undertaker is dividing the IWC as we speak. Some people are very excited about the possibility of Taker-HHH based on their classic match from last year. Plus, there is the chance of Shawn Michaels to be involved as a special guest referee. It was Michaels, of course, who was retired by The Undertaker to close out WrestleMania 26, in what was a rematch from the WrestleMania prior. But we’re also faced with the reality that the longest standing attraction of WrestleMania—The Streak—has been kept aside for Triple H and Shawn Michaels, two superstars who are now past their prime.

My anticipation for this match is being tempered by the fact that The Undertaker has been out for almost 12 months, and likely won’t wrestle until the show itself. He wore a pathetic wig on RAW, and we have no idea if he’s really in shape to compete. His legacy is set in stone. But will this match meet the standard we’ve come to expect from The Undertaker at WrestleMania? Plus, when ‘Taker hits 20-0, 15% of his streak will be over Triple H, and 25% of it will be over the leaders of “The Kliq.”

In an ideal world, the match would be reserved for someone like Wade Barrett—a man with the size and promo skills to drive the feud home. And while I do hope Barrett occupies a good spot on the card, I actually prefer that The Undertaker and Triple H face each other. This removes them from the other storylines. Now, if you told me that Taker was going to give the rub to Barrett and Triple H was going to job to Cody Rhodes or Dolph Ziggler, I’d immediately change my stance. But I think we all know those aren’t going to happen.

You Decide: What match would you pick for ‘Taker at WrestleMania?

Look, a real crowd! A sellout crowd!

Impact Wrestling came to us taped (on Saturday) from a sold out Wembley Arena in London, England. Over 7,000 fans packed the arena, to the point that TNA couldn’t bring a full stage or video wall in for the show. The result? The best damn episode of Impact Wrestling in a looooooong time!

It was a great episode from a wrestling perspective, as well. The opener saw Samoa Joe & Magnus beat World Tag Team Champions Samoa Joe & Crimson in a Buckingham Brawl. The gimmick was silly—the team winning a coin toss could have both members in the ring at once. It could have been far worse. The problem for TNA was just how over Joe & Magnus were. I mean, they had to know that would happen, right? In the second match, X-Division Champion Austin Aries beat “local hero” Mark Haskins…except that Haskins got zero reaction and Aries was almost as over as Joe & Magnus. I know that didn’t see THAT one coming. This match should be remembered for just how awesome Austin Aries was playing the dick-heel character. Unfortunately, it will be remembered for Mark Haskins doing his best impression of Brock Lesnar!

Now, you could be like TNA and watch it twelve times, since they insisted on showing the replay over and over and over…

James Storm wrestled the first of his two matches on the broadcast, losing to World Champion Bobby Roode. This match went on in the middle of the show, and with no advanced promotion. But that’s TNA for you! It’s not like the WWE doesn’t give away matches without any advanced notice either. What we got was a great match out of both men. Continuing the interesting and likely unintentional theme of the night, , Tara won the fourth non-title match of the show, beating Knockouts Champion Gail Kim. The show ended with James Storm wrestling his second match, beating Bully Ray.

There were a few newsworthy points from the show as well. Hulk Hogan returned as Garett Bischoff’s trainer, looking even older than when he left. He also cut a backstage promo that made TNA look even more bush league in the process. We also got the announcement from Sting that Against All Odds will be main-evented by a four-way match for the World Championship: champ Bobby Roode vs. James Storm vs. Jeff Hardy vs. Bully Ray.

For me, this show had a very cool “Clash of the Champions” feeling to it. There was no big stage, five great matches, and a white-hot crowd to support it all. No wrestling show is prefect, but this was a home-run for TNA. I know it’s not financially feasible, but getting out of Universal Studios needs to be priority #1 for Impact Wrestling. Far too many matches and angles are wasted in front of that horrible crowd.

You Decide: Would this show been as good hailing from the Impact Zone?

Last weekend our own Buggy Nova made her way to WrestleReunion, and despite not getting to hang out with her favorite radio host Greg DeMarco, she made quite the impression! Buggy was there as part of the Arena Chicks crew, and I can tell you that she was honored to be asked to join.

The Arena Chicks occupy WrestleReunion!

But that wasn’t it for our dear Buggy, oh no! Among the obviously impressed was Dragon Gate USA vice president and booker Gabe Sapolsky, who used Buggy as a valet for The Scene. Buggy joined fellow ladies Amber O’Neal and Larry Dallas (see what I did there!?!?) at ringside, interacting with the fans in support of her team. Was she paid? If you and I bet on it, our bet would likely be more than she was paid for the appearance. But she’ll be on DVD, and she got to provide the fans in attendance with a nice surprise. And she obviously had a blast!

Buggy accompanies The Scene to the ring

Buggy plays her part, and plays it well!

The Arena Chicks booth was right next to the VOC Nation booth, where two special editions of the Voice of Choice were recorded. I was to be a co-host for one of them, but real life decided to rear her ugly head! There is some great stuff over at VOCNation.com, including time spent with “Superstar” Billy Graham, highlights, interviews and more! It’s worth a listen.

On a side note: The future of WrestleReunion in Los Angeles seems to be in doubt, according to the post-convention wrap-up put out by the organizers. The linked blog post discusses issues with the hotel, the insane amount of vendors, the low attendance at the wrestling events, and the low attendance all around. It does appear that the overall attendance was fine, but the wrestling shows had a significant drop. Last year there were two shows: Ring of Honor and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla. This year you had three shows: Dragon Gate USA, Pro Wrestling Superstars and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla. Dragon Gate USA drew a reported 250-300 for their show, a far cry from what ROH drew last year. Despite what some people might want you to believe, DGUSA is still a serious downgrade from ROH. Pro Wrestling Superstars is a great concept—combining the top indy stars of today with the great stars of wrestling past. And PWG always delivers a great show. Unfortunately, there was some decent talent overlap, and the attendance just wasn’t there. All three shows looked entertaining enough, and it’s rare to see that much great wrestling in one place. I think there should have been some more supplemental wrestling during the convention itself, for free. Not entire shows, but a sampling to entice people to buy tickets. Arena Chicks also presented some free action during the convention.

WR is currently without a contract to run a convention in LA in 2013, and they aren’t likely to run more than three conventions in any given year. Boston and Chicago are targeted for future conventions. My big hope is that the organizers give LA only a small rest, returning in the summer of 2013 for Summer Slam weekend. With Miami & Toronto playing host to conventions within weeks of each other, waiting for SS 2013 will give the convention over a year to rest, which should help attendance in 2013.

You Decide: Do you attend wrestling conventions? What attracts you to them? What makes you decide to pass?

You guys tend to hate this—but I don’t care. It’s my column! I haven’t decided if I’ll do this weekly during the Road to WrestleMania, or if I’ll be more sporadic. What is it? WrestleMania 28: The Board!

Let’s take a look at the biggest event of 2012, WrestleMania 28! I’m using three sections for “The Board”: Known Matches, Assumed Matches, and Speculated Matches.

Known Matches

Main Event
The Rock vs. John Cena

Analysis: This match has been known since the day after WrestleMania 27, and I have nothing against that concept. There is still a buzz around this match-up, and the build will only make it a greater buzz. I think this will work so well that we’ll get a second helping on the night after WrestleMania, where John Cena vs. The Undertaker is booked for WrestleMania 29.

Assumed Matches

The Streak vs. ???
The Undertaker vs. Triple H

WWE Championship
Cm Punk vs. Chris Jericho

Celebrity Match
The Big Show vs. Shaquille O’Neal

Analysis: We’ve expected Triple H vs. the Undertaker for a while now, and after RAW that seems to be a given. However, until it’s announced it stays in this category. Same for CM Punk vs. Chris Jericho. Notice I didn’t say who will be champion. I’m 50/50 on Jericho leaving Elimination Chamber with the title—and sending Punk on the chase. I would love to see CM Punk have a successful title defense at ‘Mania. But there is money in the chase. Show vs. Shaq was reported awhile back, but we haven’t heard much lately. It should probably be in the “Speculated” category, and I’m willing to hear arguments and would even consider moving it down for next week.

Speculated Matches

World Heavyweight Championship
Daniel Bryan (champion) vs. Sheamus

Randy Orton vs. Wade Barrett

Dolph Ziggler vs. Mick Foley

Intercontinental Championship & Dustin’s Retirement Match
Cody Rhodes (champion) vs. Goldust

Kane vs. Mark Henry

Money in the Bank
Jack Swagger vs. Kofi Kingston vs. Christian vs. Justin Gabriel vs. The Miz vs. R-Truth vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Brodus Clay

Divas Championship
Beth Phoenix (champion) vs. Kharma

Pre-Show World Tag Team Championship Match
Primo & Epico (champions) vs. Jimmy & Jey Uso

Analysis: I don’t think all of these matches will happen. There are simply too many. With the tag title match on the pre-show, we still have 11 matches listed for ‘Mania. I’m not sure Ziggler vs. Foley will happen, even if it would be a great way to give Ziggler the ‘Mania rub. I am equally unsure about Cody-Goldust, given Dustin’s recent comments about stepping aside for the younger talent. I do expect the WWE to put Money in the Bank back on the ‘Mania card, since the PPV is currently off the schedule. And I expect them to put some good talent in the match, too. I see a slow build for Orton-Barrett, but the WWE might want Orton to be in the main event mix with the World Heavyweight Championship. I could also see Daniel Bryan dropping the strap to Orton somehow, and being involved in Money in the Bank. I don’t know the status of Rey Mysterio, Sin Cara or Alberto Del Rio, so they are not currently listed.

You Decide: What matches do you expect to see at WrestleMania?

RAW featured an indy-fan dream match this week, as World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan went one-on-one with WWE Champion CM Punk. This really showed me that a feud between the two could really work at the main event level. It also showed me just how great Daniel Bryan is. CM Punk is a great wrestler—yes, one of the best in the world. But Daniel Bryan is better. The performances he can put on in the ring are amazing, and now that he has a World Heavyweight Championship reign under his belt, there is no denying what he has to offer.

So my suggestion? For starters, sit back and enjoy the ride…

Part 1

Part 2

You Decide: Would you be into a Bryan-Punk feud?

Listen to the latest episode of The Greg DeMarco Show, with Greg DeMarco and Patrick O’Dowd, powered by 411wrestling.com and streaming WORLDWIDE! on the Voice of Choice Wrestling Nation at VOCNation.com as Greg & Patrick welcomed WWE Tough Enough alum Martin Casaus, Steve Cook, Tony Acero, Justin Freemyer and more!

Martin Casaus returned to the program as he prepares for the 10th Anniversary of UCW-Zero and his opponent Luke Robinson. Martin also announced a second big main event for that same show involving Tough Enough cast members during his time on the program. Martin discussed a role he has in an upcoming vampire movie, filming commercials for Doritos, and his current status with the WWE.

The usual cast of characters chimed in as Steve Cook recounted his trip to the 2012 Royal Rumble, Tony Acero gave us a behind the scenes look at covering the Royal Rumble for 411Mania, and Justin Freemyer took us on a trip down memory lane as we kick off the Road to WrestleMania. Greg 7 Patrick also gave their analysis and perspective of the 2012 Hall of Fame class, and joined in the fun of speculating the card for WrestleMania 28. And let’s not forget a hilarious “appearance” by Buggy Nova!

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.411wrestling.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 [email protected], Facebook by searching for “Greg DeMarco Show” or Twitter @gregdemarcoshow.

As usual, you can hear the show on the VOC Nation this weekend. And you can also hear it right here:

As always, thanks for being one of our more than 10,000 listeners!

Last Week: The close calls continue, and this time it was Stacy Keibler barely edging out Rosa Mendes, ending her two week run!

This Week: One half of the original Beautiful People already takes up residence in the Hall…will the other half join her?

Is Stacy going into the Hall?

Or does Angelina take a step towards returning to Velvet’s side?

YOU MAKE THE CALL!

Stacy Keibler vs. Angelina Love. Take your pick!
Stay tuned as next week as I’ll reveal the winner!

One thing lacking from the 2012 Royal Rumble was that big surprise return in the main event level. Kharma’s return was awesome, but I look back to 2008 and John Cena’s return. That is how Randy Orton’s return should have been handled.