wrestling / Columns
The Wrestling 5 & 1 07.21.12: AJ vs. Stacy Keibler!
We safely returned home from the DeMarco Family Vacation—a trip that included Disneyland & California Adventure, Coronado Beach, The San Diego Zoo, and Legoland. The wife, kids, and I all made it back in one piece, so the trip was a success! The only setback was a dead car battery that I needed to replace. Luckily that was on our travel day from Anaheim to San Diego, and didn’t impact our trip. In fact, we were able to spend some extra time at the beach that afternoon.
Listen while you read as we spend 45 minutes with Silas Young & his manager (and real life spouse) Valerie Malone and over an hour with DeMarcette Terra Calaway!
BRING ON THE GIRLS!
Last Week:Mickie James was sent packing last week, and now Candice Michelle joins the list of women with Hall of Bang potential?
Does Candice have what it takes to join this elite group?
Future Versus Updates:
* Maria Kanellis will continue her journey with two wins!
* Brooke Tessmacher has one win in her bid to return to the Hall!
* Candice Michelle has one victory and will look to continue her journey!
* Tiffany will receive a new opportunity at the Hall as soon as the opportunity is available.
This Week: It’s go time for AJ. She’s taken the wrestling world by storm in 2012, and this week she has the biggest opportunity of her career—The Wrestling 5&1 Hall of Bang! Standing in her way is someone who has kept more than woman out of the Hall. She’s a favorite of many, and she’s been damn close herself. She’s got legs, and Stacy Keibler knows how to use them!
AJ LEE!
STACY KEIBLER!
The Choice Is Yours!
AJ LEE vs. STACY KEIBLER
Take your pick and vote in the poll below!
Remember, you can vote multiple times—once every 12 hours.
And you can track the results right here, too!
John Cena won the WWE Championship Money in the Bank, much to the chagrin of wrestling fans all over the internet. I rather like the move, and the reasons why lie right alongside the two biggest complaint I’ve read or heard about the match…
John Cena Didn’t Need To Be Elevated
If you’ve filed this complaint, guess what? You’re 100% right! John Cena damn sure doesn’t need to be elevated, he won his first WWE Championship at WrestleMania 21—and has held it a total of 10 times over the past seven years. Hardly a wrestler who needs the rub from winning Money in the Bank in order to cash in and win the title.
But answer this one for me? Where does it say that Money in the Bank is designed to elevate someone? Sure, it’s been used for that in the past. Alberto Del Rio was already a Royal Rumble winner and wrestled for the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 27 before getting a briefcase. Kane was already a former world champ and definitely established before getting a briefcase. Rob Van Dam was already set to be ECW’s biggest star and the guy to build the brand around before getting a briefcase. Yet no one complained. Hell, CM Punk won it twice, meaning he was a former world champion when he got his second. And while Edge didn’t win the MITB ladder match twice, he damn sure didn’t need it when he beat Mr. Kennedy (Anderson) to get his second briefcase.
The Money in the Bank briefcase, and the world title match that accompanies it, is a storytelling device. Nothing more, nothing less. Now, of the 12 ladder match winners, most of them were elevated by the win. Despite being a former World Champion, even CM Punk’s second win (pictured to the right) turned out to lead to a far greater push than the first. And it will likely be used in the same manner for this year’s other winner, Dolph Ziggler (who is technically a former world champion, but that “reign” did more harm than good). But it doesn’t always need to be used in that that way.
In fact, John Cena winning the briefcase and declaring his intentions ahead of time adds far more intrigue to your typical cash-in does. Cena can do something with that briefcase that’s never been done—he can lose. He can be the first Money in the Bank Ladder Match winner to cash in and lose when he faces CM Punk at Monday’s 1000th RAW in St. Louis. And John Cena doesn’t miss a beat in losing.
That leads to a bigger problem with the way we view wrestling—often referred to on The Greg DeMarco Show as the “playlist mentality.” We have a set playlist for music, and many of us have a set playlist for what we want to see from the WWE, TNA and to a lesser (or even possibly greater?) extent independent companies like Ring of Honor, PWG, Dragon Gate USA, Evolve, Chikara, etc. And if it isn’t on our playlist, we don’t like it. Remember the radio? Sometimes you’d enjoy the song, sometimes you’d hate the song, you’d get excited at the times your favorite song would come on, and you lived for the time when a new song came on and you immediately loved it. Let wrestling have that. Allow wrestling to surprise you, allow yourself to discover new things you love. Who cares if it isn’t on your playlist! Sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride. Besides, wouldn’t it make the smarkiest of internet fan happy to see CM Punk make John Cena be the first man to ever cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase and lose?
You Decide: Was it really that bad to allow John Cena to win the Money in the Bank briefcase?
Dolph Ziggler’s Money in the Bank win was met with a much different response than John Cena’s. Hell, his mere inclusion (delayed for a week over the initial set of competitors) garnered a much difference response than John Cena’s. As many of you know, I am a huge Dolph Ziggler fan, and am excited by the proposition of a World Heavyweight Champion win for him. I know it won’t be his first world title, but it’ll be his first real one. So now we all get to play booker and determine when he cashes in his Money in the Bank briefcase.
Dolph Ziggler: How Do You Do It?
There is no most common time for the Money in the Bank briefcase holder to cash-in, but I recommend late fall early winter. Two of the most memorable cash-ins came in that time frame, those being Edge’s first against John Cena and The Miz against Randy Orton. And despite Sheamus’s popularity, I fully expect Ziggler to get a big pop when he does cash in. The unannounced cash-in is still one of the most exciting moments in wrestling, and it really energizes the crowd when it happens.
And while I think Ziggler’s cash in will be of the unannounced variety, and in that time frame, I’m not sure we’re considering one wildcard possibility: The 1000th RAW. When the WWE presents its one-thousandth RAW on Monday in St. Louis, they expect to hit one out of the park. You already have the promise of The Rock, a DX Reunion and CM Punk defending the WWE Championship against John Cena. You’ll have at least one more legend out to beat up Heath Slater. But having Dolph Ziggler cash in his briefcase would really drive home an edition of RAW that the WWE hopes to make epic. Do you run the risk of his win being lost in all of the hoopla? Sure. But if Ziggler goes on to have a respectable reign, it will be a memorable RAW moment for many years to come.
You Decide: When should the WWE have Dolph Ziggler cash in his title shot?
We’ve all seen recent reports about the concern within the WWE about being able to produce a quality weekly three-hour RAW. RAW 1000 is already in the bag with tons of special guest appearances and potential surprises, including a newly rumored/speculated big happening to end the card. It is that time of year, as Summer 2011 saw CM Punk’s infamous Las Vegas promo that kicked off his monster push and 2010 saw the Nexus attack.
But after Monday, the concern within the company is that filling three hours will be a challenge. Here’s a newsflash, WWE:
We’re worried about your ability to do it, too!
Personally, I don’t think the WWE needs to worry that much about it. I think filling three hours should be an easy task given the amount of talent on the roster. Even incorporating the WWE’s insistence on social media overload, formatting a three hour RAW could easily work. Some of the new format was rumored (two main events, one starting hour 2, one at the end of the show), making it even easier to create the show.
Hour #1:
Kick things off with a show opening promo or (gasp) a wrestling match. I expect it will be a promo that starts the show off, as we’ll need to know what role social media will play in the match itself. Segment two you come back with a good mid-card match (10-12 minutes spilling over into segment three), segment three you mix a the segment two match spill over with a backstage segment (updating the social media involvement of the first main event) and a video package, segment four is a squash match and an “earlier tonight” moment to push the first main event.
Hour #2:
Hours #2 starts off with the first main event of the night, which spans segments one and two. Segment three is a backstage segment and a divas match. Segment four is likely a video package/promo segment that sets up the show’s second main event match.
Hour #3:
Hour #3 starts off with another mid-card match that might be more storyline focused and not spill over out of segment one. Segment two is either another squash match or another divas match. Segment three is your video package segment to push the upcoming PPV, also the final push for the main event and potential backstage segment setting something up for next week. Segment four is the main event, which spills over into the overrun, where you have a dramatic finish of some sort.
To summarize…
Hour 1, Segment 1: opening promo
Hour 1, Segment 2: solid mid-card match that spills over into segment three
Hour 1, Segment 3: finish prior match, backstage segment/video package
Hour 1, Segment 4: squash match, final push for the first main event
Hour 2, Segment 1: first main event that spills over into segment two
Hour 2, Segment 2: conclusion of first main event, backstage teaser for segment three
Hour 2, Segment 3: Divas match, backstage promo/video package
Hour 2, Segment 4: promo segment (likely setting up second main event)
Hour 3, Segment 1: storyline focused mid-card match
Hour 3, Segment 2: either a squash match or Divas match, backstage promo, video package
Hour 3, Segment 3: backstage promo, video package, PPV push, next week tease, main event push, etc.
Hour 3, Segment 4: main event
Overrun: dramatic finish
That gives you a show with seven matches, three to four of which are longer than 3-4 minutes. You still get your social media involvement, you still get to push your other projects and PPV events. Plus, I utilized squash matches to showcase talent (new or established) and get more Divas on TV. It’s not that hard!
You Decide: Can the WWE consistently produce three hours of quality TV each Monday night?
From last week’s Wrestling 5&1…
Roode vs Storm is still a great story. Yes it has been lessened by Roode’s defeat but in what the Aries story, BFG series story and the X division have gained that is more then mitigated.
TNA have three months to build to Roode vs Storm at BFG be it title or non title and given the job they have done creatively lately they will make it epic no matter what.
Posted By: Hyde_Hill
I still believe that Roode-Storm will be for the title, and it will be awesome. People are too quick to say that it’s been ruined for the short term Austin Aries gain.
How is Mickie James winning?!?!?!?!?!
Posted By: SilentOx
Haven’t you seen Candices face?
Posted By: Anthony
Apparently lots of people saw her face, as they voted for her!
Concerning Hornswoggle, I still want to see a “Falls-Count-Anywhere” match that goes under the ring to where Hornswoggle and all his kind had the “Little People’s Court”. Heck, put a “Have you seen me?” poster on the wall for The Boogeyman. If somebody is pinned down there, you could have the loser claim it shouldn’t have counted, because it was “in another land”.
Posted By: The Great Capt. Smooth
What they actually did was bad enough…
I can not note for mickie’s roast beef labia, google it. Not to mention she was defiled by supercena
Posted By: manface
That is the common thought regarding those two.
I’ve been watching Impact since it was announced last year that Bruce Prichard was put in charge, coming in with an open mind, just as I have every time TNA has shifted in their creative structure. I have enjoyed more of Impact than not since then, but Destination X showed me that they are still the same company TNA has always been since moving to Spike and as such are not worth the 2 hours of my time every Thursday night.
Posted By: Brian from Cincy
TNA is in a building process. Roode is built. Storm is built. Now, Aries is built. The long-term goal is to develop and assemble a roster that can produce a product that can be taken on the road more often. With Aries added to the mix, they’ve taken a step in that direction.
I was one of the guys worrying that an Aries victory would lessen the Roode-Storm storyline. But they decided to go with the hot hand, and take AA’s push all the way to the title. I do respect them for having the guts to pull the change when they decided Aries was the hottest guy in the company right now. I am quite willing to ride with it, and see how it plays out. As long as they keep Roode in the mix, I’ll be reasonably happy.
Posted By: the ghost of Buddy Rogers
Roode isn’t going anywhere. Give it a year, and people will be complaining that Roode is still in the main event. That’s how we do it on the internet!
All that picture proves to me is that even CM Punk looks like a giant compared to Austin “Hornswoggle” Aries.
Posted By: Guest#1434
Aries isn’t as short as people are making him out to be.
Aries winning has elevated Aries, The X division and made the BFG series a lot more interesting. Storm vs Roode will still be great. If you enjoy the show enjoy the show if you don’t that’s fine too but don’t be a bandwagon guy.
The Aries win was in NO WAY a huge step backwards.
Posted By: Hyde_Hill
Completely agree…
Mickie James then, and Mickie James now.
Posted By: SS87
Umm…about that…
“The three most important champions in Ring of Honor’s history are Samoa Joe, Austin Aries, CM Punk, Bryan Danielson/Daniel Bryan, Nigel McGuinness/Desmond Wolfe and Tyler Black/Seth Rollins”
Counting is overrated.
Posted By: Chris
Indeed it is, Chris. Indeed it is.
Yeah, we get it. Future legends have to start somewhere – WE DO NOT CARE! If people cared, more than 50 fans would show up. Until the are recognizable wrestlers (i.e. in WWE), it is not worth following.
Posted By: John
No John, if more people KNEW ABOUT IT, more than 50 fans would show up. The biggest challenge facing independent promotions isn’t WWE name value, it’s marketing in general.
Wow. Mr TNAsylum to the rescue AGAIN! Seriously, enjoy the 0.85 ratings and let the IWC love all over the product. The rest of the world will continue to tune out and/or not care.
Posted By: Guest#5242
0.85 ratings are more the fault of the DirecTV/Viacom deal, as they have been hitting higher than that—even with the timeslot move. And they do very well overseas, so obviously the rest of the world does tune in and does care.
TNA has me hyped for the build to BFG I have no clue where they’re going and I love it. So instead of over analyzing every thing I’m going to do something I haven’t done in years sit back and enjoy the ride. I watched impact as a fan and not my usual smarky ways and I enjoyed it.
Posted By: Guest#7428
Since going live, TNA has made it easy to watch and enjoy as a fan. Now if they could just get back on my TV!
Aries is very entertaining and was a great X Champ…but his stature and character dictates that is where he belongs. And that’s not an insult. Like you said wrestling is a variety show and the hardcore fans who enjoy Aries will continue to do so no matter where he wrestles on the card or which belt he holds. … TNA has decided that placating the existing audience of hardcore wrestling fans, the audience that generates a 1.0 rating for Impact and already buys PPV, should be the focus of their creative direction, as evidenced by appeasing them with Aries as champ. … That’s disappointing to me and I won’t be tuning back in anytime soon. Maybe I’ll check out what they’re doing next year, but for now I know TNA is not for me.
Posted By: Brian from Cincy
You’re leaving TNA because Aries is too short? Because they hit the pause button (not the stop button) on Roode-Storm to allow each guy to focus on other things? Bound for Glory is in October, not August.
I hope Cena loses because I am sick of seeing the majority of people guaranteeing that Cena is going to win just so they can complain when he does(I’m not saying you are)
Posted By: Guest#4983
Ironically, I wanted him to win so he could lose! I am looking forward to seeing him lose on Monday night.
The people crying about Aries win are living in the past. The days of long angles taking a year to happen are done and over with. This isn’t the 80’s anymore. Today it’s all about adapting and going with who’s hot. … Aries got the best reaction in Arlington and TNA smartly gave us what we wanted which is what every company should do. It’s idiotic to piss off your fans by not following there wishes. … The long term plan was never for Storm vs Roode for the title at BFG. People who think it’s still gonna play out for Storm are delusional. TNA realizes Storm is horrible and somebody else will win the BFG series. If TNA thought he was worth a shit, he would’ve gotten the big win, the confetti, and ended Roode’s long run…but he didn’t. Roode should beat Storm at BFG and move back into challenging Aries. There is not enough heels for Aries to run through, so TNA can’t let the Cookie Cutter Cowboy get in the way. … Aries will still be champion at BFG and some time afterwards because TNA learned there lesson from last year. Give the fans what they want and they want there favorite babyface to be champ and that is Austin Aries.
Posted By: Honest Abe
You started off so well, Abe! But I seriously doubt they think Storm sucks, since they’re building him up as “their [Steve] Austin.” They did give the fans what they wanted by making Aries champion. But what they’re building won’t stop. I fully expect to see Roode-Storm for the title at Bound for Glory. But Aries will be in a big match as well.
Whoa… was that Austin Aries/Joe Match typical of TNA? If so, I’ve been missing out. All I’ve ever watched in the last 12 years is RAW. The only TNA I ever watched was one time I flipped to it and watched part of a promo where the Dudley Boyz and the Steiners were arguing about the greatest tag team of all time, BORING, changed to something else. If this match was typical, though, I forgot how great Pro Wrestling can be… and the most amazing thing… NOT ONE REVERSE CHINLOCK, LOL!
Posted By: Guest
I hope you don’t have DirecTV, because you need to be watching this show. Thankfully, that’s been resolved so we can all watch now.
lets give a round of applause to ROH!
they are clearly the proving grounds form some of the best athletes in the world & they produce fresh new world champions for the big companies wwe & tna!!!
ROH: SAMOA JOE, AUSTIN ARIES, CM PUNK, BRIAN DANIELSON
Posted By: Guest#9291
We’ll see if that well has run dry…what can Tyler Black do as Seth Rollins in the WWE?
now as far as aries winning, it was definitely the right move… aries was on fire and tna finally pulled the trigger and made another heavyweight contender! … it was also necessary to boost the x division, because of this huge accomplishment by aries, every year at destination x we can really believe the x champ has a shot at the world title!!! … without the win, we would just see it as a usless gimmick that would never have a payoff, plus it would have made the x division look weak!!! … this was the right move! good job tna!!
Posted By: Guest#5595
This is why I picked Aries to win—there wasn’t even a doubt in my mind. TNA practically booked themselves into a corner. If Aries didn’t win, it would have been a crushing blow to the X-Division.
If you judged the Aries title win debate just based on the comment sections of 411 this week, there is a pretty big trend that points to which side has more validity:
The Aries supporters are all about how the Aries win elevates Aries and the X-Division, everything else be damned. … The Aries opposition are all about how logically it would have made more sense to finish Storm vs Roode first and then start the Aries angle. … One side preaches impatience and how TNA has to rush the title on Aries now or else it will somehow be “waiting too long”. … The other side argues that Impact has been good precisely because it was patient and well paced. … One side seems to be unable to set aside being a fan of one wrestler to see a bigger picture. … The other side is fairly dispassionate about who gets the belt, rather their desire is logical and coherent stories. … Others can decide who makes the better case. … It should be pointed out to the people who think if you don’t strike while the iron is hot, everything is ruined. … Steve Austin won the King of the Ring in June of 1996, cutting his now famous Austin 3:16 promo and at the very next Raw signs began appearing en mass at every show…and yet Austin would not be crowned WWF champion until almost 2 year later. … The WWF could have moved faster and gone with Austin sooner…but they didn’t have to. Much like TNA decided to do the Aries angle this summer…but they didn’t have to.
Posted By: Ronnie
1996 was sixteen years ago. SIXTEEN. The wrestling product is different now. Hell, everything is different now! You can’t compare the two.
I know Scott Steiner. We’re not friends or anything, but we know some of the same people and I’ve been around him many times over the last 15 years. … I mention him because he is my measuring stick for determining a guys size. Scott is about 5’8. When he has faced Roode in the past they’re roughly the same height. Because of this I can deduce that Aries is not 5’8 as he is billed but rather 5’4-5’6. … That is abnormally short for a man and I just don’t have much interest in seeing such a small man anywhere other than tag team or X-Division matches. … I’m not giving up on Impact just yet, but between this, the soap opera, Brooke, and masked villains, TNA has to work to keep me watching.
Posted By: Guest#1292
You don’t know Scott Steiner. His billed height is 6’3″. That’s an additional seven inches being added it he’s really the 5’8″ you claim. Boots plus lifts (inserts) add about three inches to your height, if you even use both. That puts him at 6′, minimum. You don’t know Scott Steiner.
Look hillbilly, Storm only appeals to red neck brokeback mountain country boys. If James Storm is your main focus then only 3 1/2 states will tune in. You want a western, go watch Eastwood.
Posted By: happy panda
Then why did Steve Austin appeal to so many?
Is it just me or does Maryse look a hell of a lot like a dead ringer for Carmen Luvanna from the Pirates porn.
Posted By: Mark for PORN
I think many immediately dismissed your opinion once they Googled Carmen Luvanna (and hopefully they didn’t do it at work). But Maryse is one of those women who can look like a completely different person depending on the picture. So yeah, you can find pictures that support your theory.
Uh, I just googled up some images of her & I’ve got to say – it’s just you.
Posted By: TNAsshole
While I do agree that 99% of the Maryse pics out there don’t look at all like Ms. Luvanna, you can find a few—a very select few—that support Mark’s point.
Like most people disappointed with TNA’s decision, it has nothing to do with Aries. If TNA sees him as the guy to lead the company, that’s fine, but they invested so much time in Roode vs Storm that it made no sense to not finish it…and then bring Aries in the mix. … If they give the belt back to Roode and he faces Storm at BFG, it will feel like a restaurant promising a big meal with all the trimmings, but when the waiter brings you the food, it’s just a plain burger with some fries. … There’s nothing wrong with a burger and fries, but if you were expecting a calamari starter, followed by a steak with a baked potato, asparagus, and chocolate pie for desert, then the burger is a HUGE letdown.
Posted By: Jose
I just don’t think it would have worked to wait on Aries. I think it was now or never, and TNA decided to go with “now.” But if Roode-Storm kicks ass all the way through Bound for Glory (and possibly beyond), then I don’t think people will be complaining as much as they are now. Let it bake, people.
Until I see an Austin Aries shirt on a kid at the mall, he isn’t relevant … This is a biz built around merchandise sales…when John Cena takes a dump, 12 posters and 8 sets of wristbands are sold … Cena = $$$, Aries = dookie
Posted By: Strictly Biz
So wrestling success is found at the mall?
Some of the best wrestling I’ve EVER had my privlidge to see was Bryan Danielson vs. Austin Aries as the two of them put on a CLINIC of at least 30 plus minutes of wrestling just before Bryan was headed to WWE on his goodbye tour in ROH. It was literally a 5 star match. If I could give it six stars, I would have. It was that damn good! So whenever I hear people today saying how stars like Kevin Steen or Davey Richards could never make it in the big leagues, I laugh my ass off. I’ve seen these guys wrestle and they are top notch wrestlers, athletes and performers, and most importantly, decent good guys. Just because they aren’t wrestling in the WWE or TNA, doesn’t mean that they couldn’t make it in the big leagues. And it means that these people who criticize indy wrestlers haven’t the faintest clue. They will remain forever ignorant until they decide to open their eyes and give independant wrestling a chance. I fully support independant wrestlers because they give it their all, whether wrestling in a packed arena or in a bingo hall in front of 25 fans. Personally it needs to be supported for those are going to be your future stars in TNA or WWE, and not supporting indy wrestlers and independant promotions only serves to weaken the business overall. And bottom line, you can’t call yourself a true fan of wrestling until you give smaller independant promotions a chance.
Posted By: AGNJoe
Can’t say I disagree. If you’re a true wrestling fan—not a casual fan—then you seek out as much of the product as you can.
Are you saying that anybody who does not like Steen, Aries, Richards, ROH, etc style wrestling is ignorant? … Wrestling is about personal taste. You may love Aries and I love Bully Ray, you make like ROH or TNA and I like WWE, you may be a slave for workrate matches like Punk/Bryan and I’m only interested in the paced, storytelling matches like HHH/Taker.
Posted By: Guest#0368
I think the argument that AGNJoe was making is that people are dismissing the independents or its talent before really giving it a chance.
Hey DeMarco,
Just wanted to say thanks for the excellent column. It was always my favorite on the site and I always appreciated the time you took to respond to my comments thoughtfully, when you could make them relevant to the discussion.
But after the past 2 Sundays, I’m convinced that wrestling has passed me by and I’m giving up.
This is not a hasty decision as I’ve been teetering for a year, but this last week was the tipping point.
I’m posting late to avoid the normal angry responses to anybody with an opinion different from the majority, but to those who enjoy TNA and Austin Aries or WWE and John Cena, I say that’s great. No hard feelings on my end. Enjoy the show and pay people like me no mind.
I just wanted to say thanks to DeMarco and encourage anybody, who like me is consistently disappointed with WWE and TNA, to follow suit and walk away.
WWE and TNA will never change unless their ratings and buyrates plummet. So you can’t expect a new direction, no matter how often both companies tease it, until they feel it in the wallet. The only way you can express your disappointment, is by walking away and hoping they wake up.
That’s exactly what I’m doing.
Thanks, DeMarco!
Posted By: Barry O
Now, I’ve been readying Barry O comments for a while now. And if his name didn’t give it a way, he’s an old school fan. But you’ve told us what you didn’t like, and that’s completely fair. But what do you expect from the wrestling product?
By the way, if this really is the end for you (and I doubt it is, it’s hard to leave the world of wrestling!), then this one is for you!
Are you an independent wrestling promoter, wrestler or fan looking to get more exposure for your promotion? Send me an e-mail at [email protected] and I will check it out! Each week, one independent promotion will be featured in this column. Because independent wrestling is the future of the business.
This week’s independent promotion is…
A1 – ALPHA-1 WRESTLING!
If you’re looking for exciting, hard hitting wrestling north of the US border, then head into Ontario and check out Alpha-1 Wrestling. I discovered them earlier this year and connected with Ethan Page. Their in-ring action is top notch, and they run their business just as well.
Ethan Page was actually a guest on the May 29 edition of The Greg DeMarco Show, and he did an amazing job talking about the product and what they stand for. It’s a great listen, you can hear it here.
On July 28 & 29, A1 presents their annual King of Hearts Tournament (renamed from last year’s Randy Poffo Invitational). This 12-man field will compete for the King of Hearts tournament championship. Last year’s tournament winner Cheech parlayed that into a shot at champion Josh “Ronin” Alexander. Who will claim the win this year?
The 12 men in the field are Colin Delaney, Alex Vega, Brent Banks, Petey Williams, BJ Whitmer, Louis Lyndon, Flip Kendrick, Ethan Page, Scotty O’Shea, Alessandro Del Bruno, Cheech and Mike Rollins.
The first round matches have been announced:
Ethan Page vs. BJ Whitmer
Flip Kendrick vs. Alessandro Del Bruno
Scotty O’Shea vs. Louis Lyndon
Petey Willians vs. Brent Banks
Mike Rollins vs. Colin Delaney
Alex Vega vs. 2011 winner Cheech
with two more matches set to be announced
Also during Night 1, we have two title matches:
Alpha Male Championship
Josh Alexander (champion) vs. Joey Kings
Alpha 1 Tag Team Championship
Checkmate (champions) vs. Irish Airborne
Take a look at a video of the 2011 event, then titled The Randy Poffo Invitational…
For more information, check out:
Alpha-1’s website at Alpha-1Wrestling.com
A1’s Facebook here.
A1’s Twitter here.
Check out this video, meant to introduce new fans to the product:
Fans looking to acquire the product locally can do so here:
EVENT INFORMATION:
Germania Club of Hamilton, 863 King Street East
FAN FEST start time is 4:00 pm ($5 Admission)
NIGHT 1 (July 28th) start time is 7:00pm & the doors open at 6:30pm.
NIGHT 2 (July 29th) start time is 4:00pm & the doors open at 3:30pm.
(Including a $50 SUPER PASS to all 3 events plus T-Shirts & 8×10)
This will be to raise $$ for Heart & Stroke Foundation!
Get Your Tickets Now!
Tickets NOW on sale at Crazy Bills @ 125 King Street East
If Any Locations are out of reach please call 905-517-6999 or 905-906-0848
The Greg DeMarco Show with Silas Young, Val Malone and DeMarcette Terra Calaway!
The Greg DeMarco Show, presented by 411Mania.com/Wrestling, streams all weekend at VOCNation.com. Greg and Patrick O’Dowd are joined by regular contributors Tony Acero, Justin Freemyer, Chad Perry and the First Lady of the VOC Nation—WrestlingMarx girl “The Guilty Pleasure” Leanne Marie! Plus, you never know who might call in or stop by “The Snake Pit” (chatroom).
This week: Greg DeMarco might be on vacation, but his show isn’t! Luckily for you listeners, Greg planned ahead, and reserved two great interviews for you—the listener! These are first run interviews, not “best of,” so sit back and enjoy! Plus, you get the “lost footage” that was missing from the original airing of Greg & Patrick’s One Year Celebration.
Independent veteran Silas Young joins the program to talk about his career, his brief WWE contract, his split from Dragon Gate USA/Evolve, his prior battles with drug addiction, life on the road with his wife and so much more! And joining the fun is his wife and manager Val Malone to talk about her cancer survival, marrying a wrestler, her recent injury and more! Don’t miss this 45 minute interview with two of the most knowledgeable veterans in all of wrestling.
DeMarcette Terra Calaway returns to spend over an hour with Greg in an in-depth interview talking about being the anti-social girl in high school, her amazing debut match that saw her successfully defend a championship, her current aspirations in and out of the ring and her upcoming reinvention. You won’t want to miss her very candid comments on her split with WILD (World Independent Ladies Division) and so much more!
Click here to listen to the show, or listen here:
About the show: 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 WWE RAW, WWE Smackdown, TNA, Ring of Honor and many US independent promotions and regularly featuring guests from Ring of Honor, Extreme Reunion, Chikara Pro, 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 industry. 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.
From last week:
“Back in the day” there was a little joke that went around the internet. After Hornswoggle was revealed to be the anonymous General Manager, I realized that the WWE just throws in the name Hornswoggle when they don’t know how to resolve an old storyline. And it reminded me of that joke. Bonus points to the person in the comments section that best explains the history.
So just what did all that mean? Well, no comments with an answer made it through, so many of you might not care. But here is the answer:
4.3 Who is Steve DiSalvo?
Before Who, the big RSPW in-joke was a guy named Steve DiSalvo. One time, back in the day, word has it somebody asked who Razor Ramon was. The reply: Steve DiSalvo, who it obviously wasn’t. (it was Scott Hall!)
After that, whenever some new wrestler appeared people would say it was Steve DiSalvo.
People have also made jokes that Steve DiSalvo was one of the Ultimate Warriors (there was only one, Jim Hellwig), an Undertaker (Mark Calloway and for one night only, Brian Lee at Summerslam ’94) or some other wrestler that people think looks different from the last time they saw them.
This can be found at the RSPW.org FAQ page. If you’re old enough to remember RSPW—congratulations. It’s the reason we have so many wrestling websites today!
If you haven’t seen it yet, the documentary titled “The Wrestlers: Fighting With My Family” is required viewing for any wresting fan. This family is pretty much wrestling royalty overseas, and of course it features current WWE developmental Diva Paige!
Hit up the ‘Mania on the TWITTER (so Ashish will like me, okay?)
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http://www.twitter.com/gregdemarcoshow – that’s me!
Two Hall of Bang members featured thus far…and now we have a third!
Get reading!
Randle’s Wrestling News Experience!
The News from Cook’s Corner!
Marisco’s Wednesday Wire!
Napier’s Handicapping the News!
Fact or Fiction!
Tony Acero presents The Low End Theory! 
Plenty to talk about in the comments!
Is John Cena winning MITB a good thing?
When should Dolph Ziggler cash in his briefcase?
How would you fill a three hour RAW each week?
Plus, vote in the poll above–AJ versus Stacy!
Until next time…
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