The Bell To Bell News Report 08.04.11

Hello wrestling fans and welcome to this week’s edition of the Bell to Bell. There was a bit of a lull when it came to wrestling news in the past seven days, but I’ve tried to wring out the best of it to keep you all informed on the happenings inside and outside of the squared circle. Not a lot of other things going on in the world of sports to talk about this week before we dive into the column (outside of the 4-1 Bombers playing the 5-0 Eskimos in an early season showdown for CFL superiority), so I thought I’d discuss another of my likes before kicking things off.

Longtime readers of my stuff going all the way back to my days in 411’s MMA Zone are aware that I have been a fan of Kevin Smith movies as well as a fan of Chris Leavins. For people who don’t quite know who the second is, here’s a little taste…

Now when I found out last fall that Jason Mewes (of Jay and Silent Bob fame) along with Leavins would be taking part in a new Canadian horror/sitcom called Todd and The Book of Pure Evil, I knew that I had to check it out. What took place in the next thirteen episodes was one of the best shows I’ve ever seen as Todd (played by Alex House) and his friends chase an evil book around the halls of Crowley High School in one of the rudest, crudest and most original shows that has come along in years. From talking penis monsters to toxic fat to gigantic babies, Todd, his one-armed friend Curtis, his longtime crush Jenny and his longtime crusher Hannah take it all on in an attempt to destroy the book and find out what happened to Jenny’s missing father. The catch? The town was founded by Satanists and a group of them (including Leavins’ hilarious guidance counselor Atticus Murphy Jr.) are also looking for the book to wreak evil havoc on the world. Mewes’ character of Jimmy the Janitor has been funny, but Leavins has stolen the show with his deadpan portrayal of Atticus and was even nominated for a Gemini Award (Canadian Emmy) for outstanding actor in lead comedic role earlier this week.

Here’s some clips of all of the evil hijinks as well as a highlight reel full of some of Atticus’ best moments in the series. For some context, the Satanists have told Atticus that to find the Pure Evil One that will lead him to the book, he has to find an evil mark on the Pure Evil One’s penis…suffice to say that it’s awkwardly hilarious. I’m pretty sure I don’t have to spell it out for you, but it’s raunchy horror stuff so I wouldn’t be clicking on these if you’re in your cubicle, ok?

The show quickly developed a cult following and has grown popular enough to earn a second season, which is currently in production, and after only being available to Canadians via Space Channel, FearNet HD in the US has picked up the show with episodes beginning to air this past Tuesday. If you’re one of the few people who gets FearNet, check it out every Tuesday night and if you’re not, find some way to see this show as it is pure greatness. It’s the internet and it should be easy enough to figure out how to do that without me spelling it out for you.

Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, it’s time to move on to the wrestling news, including the latest update on CM Punk and SummerSlam, the crowning of a new NWA World Heavyweight Champion, TNA cashing in on the CM Punk craze, PWG announcing the participants in their 2011 Battle of Los Angeles tournament and an update on Maryse’s stalker situation. No more jibber jabber, let’s do this!

You know the drill…

Ding Ding….

— The return is complete and the main event has been set as CM Punk and John Cena will meet at SummerSlam to decide who is the one true WWE Champion. Punk showed up this past Monday on Raw to talk about why he re-signed with the company and no matter your feelings on whether they brought Punk back too soon or not, the explanation actually made some sense. The whole deal before Punk left was that he was sick of the status quo in the WWE and the stagnation that has seen the company become a cookie-cutter production. Punk began to shake things up and left with the belt, leading to the removal of Vince McMahon and anarchy on the WWE’s flagship program.

From there, the WWE held a tournament to crown a new champion and Rey Mysterio won, but he ended up bowing to John Cena later in the show. With Cena back as the company’s champion, it’s almost as if the changes that Punk had fought so hard for and the anarchy that he had worked so tirelessly to create was undone. Sure, McMahon was gone, but the guy that has become the poster child for a bland and predictable WWE was back on top and Punk didn’t like it. Rather than complain from the sidelines and become more of a whiner than a voice for the everyman, Punk came back to affect change the best way he knows how. By taking Cena’s title for the second time.

Like I said earlier, you can say what you will about whether the WWE blew this by bringing Punk back early or whether they could have done more to draw this out by having Punk return at SummerSlam instead, but the WWE is doing the best that they can to make this make sense and it’s working fairly well so far. It’s unfortunate though because this angle felt like a chance for the WWE to finally make their next shift into a new phase for the company, a shift that has been well overdue for quite some time. Yes, SummerSlam threw a bit of a wrench into the plans because the company had to bring Punk back early, but if you think about it the biggest wrench that has forced the WWE’s hand is also one of the biggest stars the sport has ever produced.

When The Rock vs. John Cena was announced for the main event of WrestleMania 28 in Miami, people talked about the risks of booking a match so far in advance when injury could essentially undo a year’s worth of work just weeks before the showdown. What people didn’t realize is that there was the potential for Cena to end up in a hotter angle that had more current appeal than Cena vs. Rock. Cena and Rock have been trying to do the slow burn and give this a big match feel since Rock returned earlier in the year, but it’s been falling flat to me for a while now. They trade insults and yap at each other and do pretty much nothing else while Rock disappears for months at a time. Not a very compelling angle if you ask me.

Instead of having that run for the course of the year until WrestleMania, the WWE could have easily milked Punk vs. Cena throughout the summer and into the fall, continuing to create controversy and headlines and mainstream publicity all the way through. Have Punk return in the fashion that he did but give Rey a couple of months with the belt and bring Punk back when Cena wins it from whoever holds it in September or October. Have Punk wreak havoc with Cena’s professional career for the next few months while appearing sporadically on Raw and at select house shows and pay-per-views. One of the few things that WCW did right during the whole nWo angle was making people salivate for every appearance that Sting made. If he was just standing in the rafters looming over the show or if he was kicking nWo ass and taking names, the people were hungry for whatever he would do next and we could have seen the same thing had the WWE been able to devote the time to Punk leaving the company.

If Punk really wants time off from the ring he would have gotten it by still appearing but not wrestling and it also could have given us two layers to the story. The first of whether Punk will actually re-sign with the company and bring back the title belt and the second of whether Cena would ever get the best of Punk. After two or three months of slowly building the intrigue, the angle would be at a fever-pitch by the time WrestleMania rolled around. Instead, the company has locked itself into a main event that has to take place, no matter what else is going on at the top of the card.

I spoke a few weeks back about the Attitude Era and what made it what it was. One of the biggest things that made it so successful was the willingness of the WWF to not just force storylines and say “this is what you want to watch, now watch it”. They actually listened to the reactions of the fans and crafted their storylines around it. Of course, the most notable instance is the Bret/Austin double turn, but there were numerous occasions where the WWF shifted their plans and went in a new direction to capitalize on something that was working and getting over. By doing things the way that they did with Rock vs. Cena, the WWE has left little room for any type of developments in the main event scene, which means that when lightning in a bottle like the Punk angle comes along, they have to rush through it so that they can get back to the “real angle” of Cena vs. Rock to make sure they fit everything in before WrestleMania. It’s unfortunate that in booking what they thought was the biggest match in WrestleMania history, they may have actually missed out on something that could have been even bigger.

— Big changes are afoot in Pro Wrestling Guerrilla as they have announced the field for the upcoming Battle of Los Angeles 2011 tournament and things are decidedly different. Instead of running on two nights with sixteen men vying for the crown, the promotion has gone in a different direction and will instead hold a one-night, eight-man tournament to determine the winner. It’s a huge change from the previous formats and while it means that there will likely be more quality matches in the ring, I feel like it takes a little bit away from what the tournament was. Maybe it’s just me clinging to the past and how fun it was for me to see things like the Crockett Cup tournaments when I was younger, but I’ve always liked the bigger tournaments that take place over multiple days.

That being said, the field for this year’s tournament is incredibly solid with seven of the biggest stars in PWG as well as a bit of a wildcard in none other than Dave “Fit” Finlay. Finlay is in his fifties, but looked great in his recent EVOLVE appearance by all accounts and should add an interesting dynamic to the show. Here’s the first-round match-ups for the August 20th tournament….

El Generico vs. Claudio Castagnoli
Willie Mack vs. Chris Hero
Dave Finlay vs. Kevin Steen
Eddie Edwards vs. Roderick Strong

Wow, that is a stacked line-up to where any combination of the four would make for an excellent semifinal round. Castagnoli and Generico put on a tremendous match earlier in the year and will get a chance to one-up themselves in the opening round, while Finlay and Steen will likely be a stiff, brutal showdown. Edwards and Strong can always bring the heat and this bout should be no exception, while Willie Mack will face off against Chris Hero with Mack coming into the tournament on a string of incredible matches throughout California. This one could be set up as a Steen win to further establish his dominance in PWG, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see Mack get the nod to set him up as the next challenger for Steen’s title as Mack has been tearing up the promotion as of late and seems to be on the cusp of breaking out.

If there’s any positive to be had from PWG turning the tournament into a one-night affair, it’s that I know that I can for sure attend the show without having to worry about time off and I can’t wait to see how the promotion builds off of the excitement they generated at PWG EIGHT last month.

— Continuing on with the indy theme, Juggalo Championship Wrestling has announced a Legends and Icons show for their Gathering of the Juggalos festival and the card actually looks like one of the better “legend” style shows in a while. Here’s the rundown of what’s coming down on August 12th…

Tito Santana vs. Greg Valentine (cage match)
The Rock N Roll Express vs. The Headbangers
Bob Backlund vs. Ken Patera
Koko B. Ware vs. Kamala vs. Dutch Mantel vs. Jerry Lawler (Memphis Madness 4-way match)
Tracy Smothers vs. Tommy Rich
Raven vs. Al Snow vs. Rhino vs. Balls Mahoney vs. Shane Douglas vs. A Mystery Opponent (Philly Madness 6-way match)
Too Cool (Big Kish and Brian Christopher) vs. The Powers of Pain
10-Man Eliminations For Generations Battle Royal (Hacksaw Jim Duggan, Tony Atlas, Carlito, Honky Tonk Man, Superfly Jimmy Snuka, Big Daddy V, Rob Conway, Zach Gowen, Ronnie Garvin, U-Gene Dinsmore)
Scott Hall and Kevin Nash vs. Road Dog Jesse James and Bad Ass Billy Gunn (nWo vs. DX with Sean Waltman as special referee)
Terry Funk vs. Rowdy Roddy Piper w/Cowboy Bob Orton (I Quit match)

Sure, everyone’s going to be a step off because of the age issue, but the Santana/Valentine cage match is a fun nod back to their IC title cage matches, the Memphis and Philly matches will be good representations of those eras of wrestling and the Funk/Piper match will be two men attempting to out-crazy each other. Adding this type of a legends show into what JCW has been doing on iPPV as of late is just another reason why my opinion of the company has been changing for the better and why they’re quickly moving out of the realm of guilty pleasures and into the realm of a solid wrestling promotion. If anything, it’s got to be better than watching Tila Tequila get pelted with bottles again.

— Congratulations to “Scrap Iron” Adam Pearce, who became the NWA World Heavyweight Champion for a fourth time this past weekend by defeating Jimmy Rave, NWA North American Heavyweight Champion Shaun Tempers and NWA National Heavyweight Champion Chance Prophet in a four-way match held as part of the Ohio State Fair. The bout had originally been scheduled to be Pearce taking on the defending champion The Sheik, but Sheik refused to defend the title against Pearce and was stripped of the belt. Pearce has held the title for a grand total of over 700 days and is the tenth most prolific champion in the history of the NWA, fast approaching the likes of Jack Brisco and Pat O’Connor. Pearce returned recently from a neck injury to begin what he has called “One Last Ride” and it looks as though that last ride will be extended for a while due to the influx of championship gold around Pearce’s waist. I can’t say enough good things about Pearce both inside and outside of the ring and I am incredibly happy that he’s getting yet another chance to be the standard bearer for the NWA.

— Following up with last week’s story regarding WWE Diva Maryse and her stalker, 61-year old Lee Silber, I am happy to report that Maryse was granted a protective order by a judge in LA County Superior Court early Wednesday morning. The order requires that Silber stay at least 300 yards away from the foxy French Canadian at all times for the next three years. I would imagine that the order will be renewed following those three years and on into eternity or until Mr. Silber is no longer among the living, so it looks like the diva can breathe a little bit easier. Silber had been leaving threatening messages on her cell phone and sending letters promising extravagant rings and trips to Heaven, as well as promising to track her down. Hopefully Silber gets the help he needs as well as it’s apparent that something isn’t firing right and it leads to dangerous situations like this one.

— After being mentioned on WWE TV and being in the crowd for CM Punk’s epic Money in the Bank title win, it appears as though Colt Cabana may be getting a second look from the WWE. Cabana was brought in and worked a dark match against former WWE Intercontinental Champion Wade Barrett prior to Tuesday night’s Smackdown tapings in Lexington, KY. Cabana took the pin after about five minutes of spirited action and live reports have the match coming off very well, which could be good news for Cabana. As many of you likely remember, Cabana was what many would call the WWE’s first “Internet Champion” with his Scott Goldman persona that came well before Zack Ryder took it upon himself to get over on YouTube. Cabana was very entertaining during his time with the WWE and I’ve always felt like he got a bit of a raw deal with how he was treated there, so I would love for him to get another chance at the big time. Who knows, maybe the WWE will do that Ring of Honor invasion angle that I’ve seen some people muttering about before Punk came back (though I honestly don’t think it would work).

— For as much as people enjoy slagging TNA, you have to admit that they know when to strike while the iron is hot. Following his titanic run in the past few weeks, TNA has gotten into the CM Punk business, using their online TNA On Demand service to offer up a selection of matches from Punk’s time in the promotion between 2003 and 2004. Now these may not be the greatest matches that TNA could offer up as Punk’s best work is with ROH and the WWE, but you have to give them credit for trying to make a little money off of the hottest commodity in wrestling at the moment. Of course, Punk was about the only guy that chose ROH over TNA in that whole Rob Feinstein fiasco in early-2004 and has spoken previously about how much he didn’t enjoy working in TNA so you have to wonder how happy he is that they’re using the footage, but it’s theirs to use how they wish. Smart move by TNA and even if it only gets a few extra folks trying out the TNA On Demand service, it’s still money in their pockets and in the end that’s what the business is all about.

— A few weeks ago we spoke about Edge’s first gig after retiring from the WWE when it was announced that he would take on a guest starring role in the popular SyFy series Haven and this week we have an update as it appears that Edge’s role has been beefed up a bit. Originally thought to be a one-week appearance, Edge’s character Dwight Hendrickson will now be seen in this Friday’s episode as well as the September 9th, September 16th and September 23rd episodes. Given Edge’s past with the WWE and their affiliation with SyFy, expect to see a ton of promotion for Edge’s apperances on upcoming editions of Smackdown, which airs directly before Haven. Congratulations once again to Edge on the new opportunity and here’s hoping the guy gets plenty of breaks in the future as he’s long been considered one of the good guys in the world of professional wrestling and he deserves some good things to happen after the way he had to leave the sport.

— Finally, TNA’s Hardcore Justice show is just around the corner and here’s the rundown of the card that we’ll see this weekend on pay-per-view…

TNA World Heavyweight Championship: Kurt Angle vs. Sting (C)
TNA World Tag Team Championships: Mexican America vs. Beer Money Inc. (C)
TNA Knockouts Championship: Winter vs. Mickie James (C)
TNA X-Division Championship: Alex Shelley vs. Austin Aries vs. Brian Kendrick (C)
Fortune (AJ Styles, Christopher Daniels and Kazarian) vs. Immortal (Abyss, Gunner and Scott Steiner)
Crimson vs. Rob Van Dam
D’Angelo Dinero vs. Devon

Top to bottom, it’s actually looking like a solid card as the two Bound For Glory series matches should be fun, the six-man has some good things going for it and the X-Division title match should shine. I can’t say that I’m terribly excited about the tag title match as Mexican America has been pretty bland for me and the TNA World Title match might be a bit of a disappointment, but the potential is there for a solid show to follow up one of TNA’s best shows of the year in Destination X. My only worry is that after seeing tons of wrestling and clean(ish) finishes at Destination X, TNA will go back to the same type of overbooking that their PPV shows have become famous for. I really hope that they learned their lesson from last month’s show and let the action speak for itself on Sunday. Be sure to check in with next week’s Bell to Bell with my full thoughts on the show including any new developments in the Bound for Glory series.

Alright wrestling fans, that’s it for me for another week. Be sure to check out DeMarco’s Wrestling 5 & 1 this weekend and also be on the look out for Aaron Frame’s Wrestling Framework, which is fast becoming one of my favorite columns here at 411. I’d say something about the Wrestling Sandwich, but everyone seems to be teeing off on Wes and my mom always said that if you can’t say something nice about someone, don’t say anything at all. I’ll be back next week with my thoughts on Hardcore Justice, the continuing build towards SummerSlam and a whole lot more, so in the meantime and in between time, I’ll see you all back here next time for another brand-new edition of the Bell to Bell!

Hit that donut!

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