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The Wrestling 5&2 06.22.13: Velvet Sky vs. Maria Kanellis!
Wrestling 5&2? Whaaaaaaa????
What the hell happened here?
By Tony Acero
The most recent reports regarding the match between Orton and Bryan on RAW have one believe that it was completely unscripted. I have struggled with this thought for the entire week (far more than I think anyone ever should). Even now, as I write this, I feel that there is still merit in claiming that it was a work, and one not even that elaborate. What with stories becoming more complex (albeit barely), it’s not too far to believe that they simply wanted to add fuel to the “weak link” fire. So forgive me if I didn’t jump on the report of it being legit. Now let us assume for a minute that it was real. Let me sign on to the petition claiming that this thing was NOT a work, and shortly thereafter, Daniel Bryan went behind the curtain to give the ol H’s a piece of his mind. This leaves us in a bit of a quandrous state. When is it fair for Triple H, Vince McMahon, doctors, etc. to step in the middle of a match in order to protect wrestlers who, as King said, will go until they run out of gas if we let them? The vast majority of fans actually sided with Triple H (or whoever made the decision to stop the match), but I’m afraid I’m not so quick to do the same.
The reasons are all valid. With concussions becoming a growing concern, and the safety of wrestlers becoming a bigger issue since Benoit, stepping in the middle of a match to stop it for the safety of a performer seems like a good idea, one that is putting a human above a business, something we’re not too used to hearing the WWE do, but I’m going to have to side on the alleged response of Daniel Bryan. According to reports, Bryan’s rant was along the lines of the fact that he has performed all over the world and knows his limits. The confrontation reportedly ended in a hug and a mutual understanding, but the question remains: did someone overstep their boundaries?
I say yes. Look, compassion may be the key in this, but I am afraid that I have to remove that for a second. If I am Daniel Bryan, I am well aware of what I signed up for, and judging by the match at hand, he was more than capable of continuing. Make no mistake about it, this was not about pride. It’s about doing your job, and not ruining the flow of the show. Can anyone remember any ONE time a match was stopped due to something like this. Hell, King had a heart attack, and a tag match continued without interruption. Typically, if something goes awry in a match, there is an audible called. If Bryan couldn’t go, Orton and he would have talked and acted accordingly. Instead, we had one of the more bizarre moments and a pissed off Bryan. Moreover, it all comes down to contracts, for me. You see, Daniel Bryan is an independent contractor. He is his own boss, his own performer, and his own person. His job is to perform, and the person that hired him hindering it because HE feels necessary seems a bit odd to me. I’ll admit this, there are chances that we are blaming the wrong person. After all, it was the DOCTOR who called a stop to the match, and maybe his merit is far more important than my entire argument.
In the end, it all matters very little, considering on Smackdown they do what they can to fix what happened and add it to the storyline that has been presented. So is my backing of Daniel Bryan the act of a selfish wrestling fan? I don’t know. Upon rewatching the match, and writing this, I feel that maybe it is. Maybe my siding with Daniel Bryan is based more on the possibility that the Dubs is actually caring about its performers and it’s shocking me (which, to be honest, isn’t all that fair, considering they DO take good care of their performers), or maybe it’s the fact that I want to believe that Bryan could go just as well as he thinks he can. Either way, the small moment of RAW has caused quite a stir. What’s your take on it?
You Decide: Was the Daniel Bryan match a work or a shoot? What would you have done?
Which RVD will show up in the WWE?
By Greg DeMarco
Back in December 200, Rob Van Dam made an unannounced appearance on Monday Night Raw—this was the 15th Anniversary Edition of RAW, and RVD easily defeated Santino Marella. He would return to the WWE again in 2009, as a surprise entrant into the Royal Rumble. He didn’t win, but he was in the final five—and the “One Shot Deal” comment was born. Thank goodness that eventually died down…
At Sunday’s WWE Payback pay-per-view, the viewing audience was shocked to see a Rob Van Dam promo video for July’s Money In The Bank pay-per-view event. The same video has been replayed all over the WWE programming.
Since that time, RVD fans everywhere have pondered about his upcoming WWE run: One shot deal? Full-time? Part-time?
Well, Rob Van Dam himself answered those questions when he joined our friends over at the VOC Nation…
Nature of his current deal with WWE: “It’s definitely not a couple of appearances and I’m gone.”
WWE schedule: “I’m definitely not interested in a full time schedule. I asked WWE before I left if there was anything for me part time (like TNA had offered), and they wanted me back but they wanted me full time.”
WWE changing their thoughts on wrestlers working mandatory full time schedules: “Now things have changed; there’s different people in the office there that are more sympathetic and understanding to the road life combined with the wrestling career. They came around; this is going to be awesome. There is a lot of excitement.”
The way that his signing impacted the industry: “There are a lot of moves that can be done in the ring to pop the crowd; there’s not a lot of things that can be done to pop the industry – – guess what I did? BOOM!”
The power of the WWE brand: “A lot of people didn’t notice a lot of what I did over the last 3 years. With one 48 second video, WWE made RVD more relevant than he had been in the past several years. A lot of fans don’t watch (TNA). People were asking me if I retired, and I felt like a constant ambassador telling people to watch TNA to see me.”
To hear the entire interview, head over to www.VOCNation.com. Hey Bruce…you’re welcome!
So from the man himself, he’s informed us that he’s not going there for a one- or two- or three-shot deal. He’s under contract. He’s a part-time performer, which is what Rob Van Dam should be at this stage of his life. He’s 42-years old, and while he can’t do what he used to be able to do, he still connects with the audience and he can still deliver a good performance with many of the current WWE roster members.
In Rob Van Dam’s three year run with TNA, he held the company’s World Heavyweight Championship and their X-Division Championship. He went from pay-per-view main eventer to missing person in less than a month’s time. He was overprotected to the point of being termed “No Job Rob” by Greg DeMarco Show analyst Chad Perry. But he also delivered memorable performances when motivated. And every time he stepped through that curtain, he was over. Way over.
So I have to ask: Which Rob Van Dam will show up in the WWE?
Rob Van Dam returns to the WWE as a former WWE Champion, former ECW Champion, and former TNA Champion. He will be amazingly over—especially on night one as he returns in Philly.
The answer to which RVD will show up isn’t really a simple one. As I said earlier, Rob is 42-years-old. He simply cannot do what he used to do. But Sabu is 48-years-old, and think back 6 years. What could he do? The fact is, RVD has taken better care of himself and he can still wrestle. To compare him to the Rob Van Dam we saw in ECW or even in his last WWE run is unfair. But the WWE style is slower, safer, and builds to one big spot. Rob Van Dam can do that—and he will.
In the interview above, Rob mentions something very important—how he was viewed by most fans during his TNA run. The divide between the WWE and TNA isn’t a big one. It’s a huge one. It’s like the gap between Dragon Gate USA shows. Or great performances from Brooke Hogan.
You think that motivates someone? There’s a reason why AJ Styles. Bobby Roode, Austin Aries, Christopher Daniels, Samoa Joe and James Storm work so hard for TNA. They’ve never seen the greener grass on the other side. They’ve been to the dance—but not the big dance. Rob has. Sting has (n WCW). Kurt Angle has.
And so has Rob Van Dam. He knows that the moment he arrives in Philly, the expectations are high. He has to deliver, because there’s a crop of WWE superstars ready to reoccupy the spot on the card they gave up for RVD. No, we won’t see the Rob Van Dam of ECW (either ECW), but we will see a better Rob Van Dam than we saw in TNA. And at 42 years of age, I’ll take it.
You Decide: Which Rob Van Dam will show up in the WWE?
Let me hear your responses, and…BRING ON THE GIRLS!
With her win, Maria continues her climb through the Hall. Standing in her way is an opponent ready to let some pigeons loose.
VERSUS
Voting ends Wednesday night and you can vote once every hour!
The New Divas Champion!
By Tony Acero
Someone once told me to stop the AJ Love Fest here on this site. That someone is now dead. Look at how happy that girl is in that picture? It may be hard to believe, but the title in her hand is the first that she has won on the big stage, and as a fan, I couldn’t be more proud. But perhaps more important than my adoration for all things AJ, we must focus on wrestling as an entity, and one segment of that entity is the Divas Division, which has been floundering for YEARS. I mean, seriously, when was the last time the division was interesting?
It’s common thought by now that a strong heel champion is a great foil for an up and coming babyface. Gone are the days of the Kelly Kelly reigns (at least, we hope, considering AJ can very well do the same), because we have a compelling HEEL in the place of Champion. There is simply no way to fuck this up (even if the Dubs will almost undoubtedly try and find a way). You see, with AJ, we have a story, we have a character, AND we have a wrestler. With ANY lady that faces her, so long as the matches are not squashes, they automatically gain something from it. AJ is on fire, and anyone against her is going to make things more interesting. As much love as we (I?) give her, she is a heel, and she gets them boos!
I can see minor issues, such as lack of compelling face characters (I mean, who’s getting the “YOU TAPPED OUT” chants?) but with a little bit of time and some dedication, there is some definite good shit to get out of all this. The only way truly is up, and I can’t wait to see it happen.
But there is one worry, and she is in the pants suit wearing (hiding?) Double D’s of Triple H. Ol’ Steph McMahon nearly did some unnecessary and downright shoddy work on RAW when she came down to be the ultimate defacto face against AJ. I want to HOPE that this is the beginning of a face turn for AJ so that she can continue to be aligned with the now face Dolph, but the chances are slim. No, I feel they agree with us in that there may not be anyone that can truly touch AJ at this moment, but that’s where they are wrong. They need to MAKE these Divas important, and a few matches and some simple storytelling is all they need.
You Decide: Can AJ Lee as Divas Champion help the WWE make the Divas important?
Hey Yo! Survey Time!
By Greg DeMarco
Back when the NWO was running all over WCW, Scott Hall would commonly cut a promo starting with a little survey. Inevitably, the NWO would win the vote over WCW, citing one of many problems with that stable & angle.
While the New World Order is but a memory, “Survey Time!” lives on!
Alberto Del Rio and Dolph Ziggler pulled off a rare double turn at the WWE Payback pay-per-view, followed up by CM Punk’s face turn the following night on Raw. These turns were a throwback to the Attitude Era—shocking turns that no one expected to see—especially with little-to-no build.
Even though we well past the Attitude Era, we still get the occasional shocking turn. We got one last year, when the same CM Punk turned from face to heel against The Rock. I loved it so much, I wrote a point for this column featuring the following graphic:
Now, that’s my opinion, but we here at “Survey Time!” want to know what YOU think!
You Decide: Do you want to see more of “Survey Time!” here in The Wrestling 5&1.
Listen to this week’s Greg DeMarco Show: WWE Payback Reaction!
Sunday’s Greg DeMarco Show featured our immediate WWE Payback reaction, as well as my amazing proclamation that Monday’s RAW was setting up to be a letdown.
Click here to listen, or listen here:
Be sure to tune into this Sunday’s episode, featuring special guest Nikki St. John and DeMarcette Leah Von Dutch! Plus, Chad Perry brings you OddsMakers, and Greg DeMarco & Patrick O’Dowd make a huge announcement about the show’s future!
Click here to listen or to set a reminder!
Or click here to join the Facebook event!
And the commenter with the most “likes”???
Curtis Beggs!
Curtis Beggs Dressed in his black finest, John Cena couldn’t help but cry during his speech at the funeral of Jack Swagger’s push.
Think you have what it takes to win the Caption Contest? Head on over to the Yes! Yes! Yes! Facebook group and join today to see what Tony, myself and the gang post next!
Want to enter? Caption this picture:
Well, I did name this The Wrestling 5&2, right?
Here they are talking about Total Divas, the new “reality” show from the WWE and E!
Tony joined 411Mania in April 2010, and currently contributes in both music and wrestling. Tony is an avid drinker of Mountain Dew and Jack Daniels. He is a writer who hardly takes himself seriously, yet has an innate ability to create moments that are both human yet fearful in his writings.
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Greg DeMarco is a graduate of Virginia Tech (Bachelor’s in Business Management) and Arizona State (Master’s in Higher & Post-Secondary Education). He works in online higher education. Greg started in improv comedy in 2001, making his stand-up debut in 2004.
Greg first appeared as a ring announcer for Rising Phoenix Wrestling in Phoenix Arizona in 2006 and served many promotions in both on-stage and back-stage roles for over six years, most notably Ring of Honor in 2010. He began writing for 411Mania in October 2010, founded The Greg DeMarco Show in May 2011 and opened WrestlingSmash.com (and Wrestling Smash Radio) in January 2013.
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Until next week…
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