WWE vs. TNA 12.09.06: Johnny Nitro vs. Alex Shelley
Posted by Jordan Linkous on 12.09.2006
After my one week hiatus I’m back with all of my wrath and fury! Oh, yeah, and there will be wrestling related stuff.
The Pre-Match Warm-up:
Hola bitchola. Its Jordan Linkous here and I am tired. I had two concerts in a row and am half awake as I am writing this. Wednesday night I went to the Key Arena and saw the Trans-Siberian Orchestra with my family, and those guys are always a pleasure to see. If you don't know, they combine electric guitars with Christmas music, and it is fantastic. Thursday I went to a concert put on by one of the local radio stations that showcased 8 bands with my friend from work. It lasted approximately six hours, so each band basically had fifty minutes, but it got dragged out. They opened with Pete Yorn, but I could pass on that. Things started to pick up with Angels and Airwaves, but the fans weren't quite getting into it yet. Then band number three came on and killed it. Melbourne's own JET came out and owned from start to finish, and they were my favorite of the night. Next up was Gnarls Barkley, who came out in Austin Power's costumes, from Austin to Foxy, and the big man himself was Dr. Evil. Taking Back Sunday put on a phenomenal show, even though I didn't know many of their tunes. Next up was the band I was there to see: MY F"N CHEMICAL F"N ROMANCE! I was pretty bummed that they only had fifty minutes, but they assured us that they would be back next year. After that we left before we saw The Shins or Snow Patrol, partially because we were tired and partially because we wanted to go to Dick's Burgers. These guys are legendary to Seattle. Seriously. Needless to say, we pulled a Harold and Kumar and spent an hour driving around to find it, but we were rewarded. Nothing says quality like being able to see through the burger wrapper. All right now to wrestling.
Abyss: 52% 261 votes
Gregory Helms: 48% 237 votes
That's right! TNA finally won. No matchup this week because I need to sleep as soon as possible. But TNA fans of the world rejoice, because your NWA champion is the winner. This week we have another great match comparing two up-and-comers in the wrestling business. ALEX SHELLEY vs. JOHNNY NITRO! IN A LADDER MATCH! Let's roll.
Alex Shelley vs. Johnny Nitro
Category 1: Strengths
Johnny Nitro: Although underappreciated by many, Johnny Nitro has proven he belongs as a key midcarder, and looks for World Title stardom in the near future. I'm calling it now. If you can't see the potential in Johnny Nitro, you don't know good wrestling. A multiple time Tag champ and IC champ, this young superstar has a promising future. He is athletic, cunning, and, to me at least, quite entertaining. Nitro proved himself in his ladder match against Jeff Hardy recently, and at December to Dismember. Let's break it down. First of is the athleticism, which is a broad term in and of itself. He can fly, and isn't afraid to take high risks. If you saw the ladder match, you saw him take a big risk and did a dropkick to Hardy off the ladder. Whether it is a corkscrew moonsault or some other high-flying aerial maneuver, Johnny Nitro is a very lithe performer. Speaking of lithe, Nitro is very flexible. He can hit a standing shooting star press, and his Breakdance Leg Drop. Hand in hand with athleticism is speed. Nitro is a quick guy, and uses that to keep his opponents off their feet. Nitro is also crafty. And sly like a fox. He thinks about his moves before he executes, and his skill shows. He comes to the ring in a somewhat comedic manner, but when he hits the ring it is all business. Along with his skill he has a nice manager in his corner, doing her part to make her main man win. Also, Nitro is a very competent tag partner. He displays great teamwork, and will do what it takes to get the job done. If Nitro were to meet Alex Shelley, I think Nitro should bring his high-risk offense, and use Melina to help him secure a victory.
Alex Shelley: Beloved by the IWC, Alex Shelley is a quick, technical, inventive, and charismatic performer. He has held several titles in many Indy promotions, including Pro Wrestling ZERO1-MAX, NWA Midwest, and Combat Zone Wrestling. Shelly has been a highly successful performer in TNA and Ring of Honor, but has yet to win a title in either. That doesn't quite matter, though, as Shelley is a beloved part of the TNA and Ring of Honor roster. First off, the light and agile performer is very quick. He, like Nitro, is very young, and he is able to use his youthfulness to his advantage. One of his finishers, Sliced Bread #2, requires the speed an agility that Shelley possesses. He was trained by Scott d'Amore, and was trained alongside Petey Williams. Onto the technical aspect of this great wrestler. If you watch any of his ROH matches, you see how easily he can sinch on his signature submission move, the Border City Stretch. He is a precise and scientific wrestler, focusing on a particular body part, and working it over, and then capitalizing. Along with his technical skills, his innovativeness comes hand in hand. Like I mentioned before, just look at some of his ROH stuff and you'll know what I mean. He can pull new moves out of his hat, and apply them very sufficiently. Alex's big break is, hopefully, closer than most people think, because this kid can wrestle. And, even as a heel, the crowd loves this guy. Seriously. He is so entertaining in his skits, and it is clear that him and Kevin Nash complement each other well. Shelly is also a great tag partner, winning the 2006 Trios Tournament in ROH along with Jimmy Rave and Abyss. If these guys met in a ladder match, I would like to think Shelley would combine his speed and technicality and do some pretty crazy and creative stuff with the ladder.
Category 2: Fighting Styles
Alex Shelley: Baby Bear's main style is what I like to call "Innovative Technical." As I said before, Shelley can put his opponents in painful holds, and is really revolutionary. Here, I found a cool tribute video. As you can see from the video, Shelley is able to put his opponents in very strenuous and complicated submission maneuvers, and does it with the greatest of ease. How frickin awesome would a Shellshock of the top of a ladder be? That's right. Really, really awesome. I would love to see him perform some submission move using the ladder, as well. Along with his technical portion, he has gained much "education" in wrestling from his time in Japan. It was actually there where he won his ZERO1-MAX United States Openweight Championship. Needless to say, Shelley is a very competent wrestler on many levels, and I think he deserves more than what he is getting out of TNA right now. They should bring something similar to the ROH Pure Title to TNA, and Shelley could be the first champ. Also, he combines his speed with his submission, and the result is nothing short of spectacular. If you watched the video, you would have seen how Shelley can turn a head-scissors takedown into his Border City Stretch. And he has gotten no recognition for his skills. Talk about underutilized. RUSSO! Anyways, it would definitely be wise for Shelley to use his "Innovative Technical" style of wrestling to gain the upper-hand in this matchup. And he should have Kevin Nash in his corner to neutralize Melina. Definitely.
Johnny Nitro: Nitro doesn't really have a definite fighting style, just many different things he is good at. I guess if I had to pick one, I would go with "Innovate Agility." OH YEAH! Whether it is his standing shooting star press or something else, he really is a tremendous performer. As previously stated, he puts his body out there to entertain the fans, and takes many risks. He can also pull of some crazy moves that haven't really been seen in WWE, and with those moves he has had much success. He is slowly rising through the ranks, and I would definitely credit his style and skills. He has been turning heads since he started out in MNM, and his singles career has been amazing, winning the IC title on two separate occasions. He was able to showcase his style in the ladder match, like I said before. He is also a charismatic superstar, and one of the great heels of the business. His feud with Jeff Hardy has really been what made him in the business, because both him and Jeff are daredevils and are willing to try new things, and they definitely have chemistry. It is obvious that Nitro, along with Shelley, is destined for greatness. If these two guys met in a ladder match, it would be a good idea for Nitro to do what he knows best in his offense, and also bust out some new moves. And bring Melina.
Category 3: Finishers
Johnny Nitro: Johnny Nitro has quite an large moveset, and has many moves that he can use to put his opponents down for the count. As mentioned many times before, Nitro likes to utilize the Standing Shooting Star Press, which is a move that looks exactly as it sounds. He also uses the Superkick, which can knock his opponents out. He has a striking resemblance to Shawn Michaels, actually. Started out as a tag team? Check. Turned on partner? Check. Female valet? Check. Won the IC Title? Lost first ladder match for the IC Championship? Check. If this is any sign, Nitro is really gonna make it big. He also has been know to hit a corkscrew moonsault, and off course, his Breakdance Leg Drop. I would look for Nitro to try and put Shelley away with perhaps a CS moonsault of Shooting Star press of the ladder, but that sounds really dangerous. Or maybe be standing on half-way up the ladder and hit a BD Leg Drop.
Alex Shelley: Similar to Johnny Nitro, Shelley has quite a few moves in his arsenal that he uses to put away his opponents. In ROH, he often used the Border City Stretch, which was that weird looking armbar thing in the video. If he can lock that on long enough to exasperate Nitro, I think he would have sufficient time to climb the ladder. He also uses the Shellshock, which is a spinning reverse STO. It would be crazy to se him hit that off the ladder, and I think if he did there would be no chance for Nitro. Recently in TNA he uses the Sliced Bread #2. Knowing how innovative he is, it would be cool if he set the ladder up normal, or in the corner, and used it to get extra elevation for the SB#2. Nevertheless, it is easy to see that Shelley has a wide arsenal.
The Final Result:
IMO, I think Shelley definitely has an experience advantage. He is also a very creative wrestler, and I think he would use the ladder in ways never before seen, na probably win. Nothing against Johnny Nitro, but at this point in both of their careers, I would have to give the big "W" to Alex Shelley. What do you think, though?
Well that's it for me folks. No polls this week because I have some plans for next week. Make sure to send me your ideas and whatnot. SEROUSLY! SEND ME YOUR FEEDBACK! I NEED IT! I'm gonna go play some OLD SCHOOL SUPER SMASH BROTHERS. Make sure you read the other columns and support 411mania by sending me the sum of $7.50. Check out these columns: That Was Then 12.08.06: Proud To Be A ROHbot and The Week In Hardcore Friendly Competition 12.9.06 by Stuart Carapola. Peace.
