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The Wrestling 5 & 1 06.05.10: When Melina Met Layla

June 5, 2010 | Posted by Ryan Merholz

BEFORE WE BEGIN…
Hello everyone and welcome to the Wrestling 5 & 1!!!

I am your host, Ryan Merholz and if you think I’m as swell as I do, you should follow me on Twitter!

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Learn cool things about me maybe, and at the very least, stock up on real life wrestlers to follow yourself!

Probably follow the rest of the fine 411 Twitter feeds as well…

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Alright, let’s get this show on the road!

VS.

Last week’s contest was Trish Stratus vs. Stacy Keibler. This was barely a contest as Trish Stratus annihilated Stacy Keibler by a tally of 144 – 59!

Thanks to everybody who voted!

This week, we get back into the regular swing of things with two current WWE Diva’s:

Melina VS. Layla

VOTE IN YOUR COMMENT!

I’m sure that it’s dawned on everyone already that there are only so many wrestling ladies I can realistically use in the column before I have to start repeating. That said, I’ve begun to plan for the eventual running dry of the well.

In a few weeks time, keep your eyes peeled for the star-studded debut of The 5&1 VS. Tournament of Hawtness!

5 THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT…STING

Sting is back in the world title hunt in TNA despite the fact that nobody knows why they insist on turning the guy heel. Here are a few other things you might now know about Steve Borden:

1. Sting is the only wrestler to win Pro Wrestling Illustrated’s “Most Popular Wrestler of the Year” award four times

2. Sting’s in-ring debut was as part of a tag team with Jim Hellwig, later the Ultimate Warrior, billed as the Blade Runners

3. Sting is the only wrestler to appear in all 10 WCW video games.

4. Eric Bischoff has originally planned for Sting to be the 3rd member of the New World Order (NWO) until Hulk Hogan suggested himself right before Bash at the Beach 1996

5. After his victory at TNA’s Bound for Glory, he became the oldest wrestler to ever hold the NWA Championship.

He was also really glad when that Crow movie came along.

VIDEO A-GO-GO

Technically this is a few days late, but I thought it was still worth including. Last week on Smackdown CM Punk took on Kane for a spot in the Fatal 4 Way match for the World Heavyweight Title and somehow the finish of the match was probably the most horribly botched GTS in history:

To make matters worse, apparently they botched it even worse on the first try and what we saw on TV was actually the retry they shot for the match. Not even editing for TV could save that stinker, I can only imagine what happened with the one we DIDN’T see.

The other videos this week come from Thursday’s edition of TNA Impact and feature the interaction between Ric Flair, AJ Styles, and Kurt Angle.

This is the perfect shit for Flair to be doing – being the mouthpiece for his guys Kaz and Styles. Flair was on his game here and Angle’s mannerisms were great – I really loved the whole segment:

DON’T MAKE ME TALK OF MY SPORT COAT!

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Alright kids, tuck in with a snack because it’s time now for the legit Wrestling 5 & 1, that’s 5 tasty tidbits of news from this week, & 1 smokin’ hottie to send you all home happy!

NXT Season Wraps – What’s Next?

This past Tuesday saw the season finale of WWE NXT with Chris Jericho’s protégé Wade Barrett walking away as the winner of the competition.

First off – think this was definitely the right call among the remaining competitors – Justin Gabriel is entertaining but pretty bland on the mic, David Otunga is great on the mic but pretty damned bland in the ring, but Wade Barrett seems to be the guy with the most going for him.

But has anybody heard my bloody entrance music?!

In addition to Barrett, it seems almost a given that we’ll also be seeing more of Daniel Bryan Danielson as evidenced by his “one night only” contract on RAW.

The current rumors suggest we may be seeing Chris Jericho and Wade Barrett teaming in a Fatal 4 Way match for the unified tag titles, as well as a rematch between Bryan and Miz at the PPV. Jericho and Miz are both as of yet unsigned for the event, so I wouldn’t be surprised for these plans to come to fruition.

With the close of Season One, Tuesday also saw the announcement of the roster of Rookies and Pros for Season Two, which begins next week:

* Husky Harris (Duke Rotunda in WWE developmental, Mike Rotunda’s son, had been teaming with Bo Rotunda in developmental). His pro will be Cody Rhodes.

* Eli Cottonwood (seven footer who at one time was signed to the Dallas Mavericks, been in FCW since last year). His Pro will be John Morrison.

*Percy Watson (his gimmick is a play on Urkel and Little Richard). His Pro is MVP.

*Titus O’Neil (former football player for the Florida Gators and NFL’s Jaguars). His Pro is Zack Ryder.

* Kaval (the former Low Ki in ROH, TNA, etc.) His Pros are Layla El and Michelle McCool.

* Lucky Cannon (Johnny Prime in FCW, gimmick that he is lucky). His Pro is Mark Henry.

* Michael McGillicuty (son of the late “Mr. Perfect” Curt Hennig, trained by Harley Race). His Pro is Kofi Kingston.

* Alex Riley (been in developmental since 2007). His Pro will be The Miz.

This second crop definitely features some interesting combinations, most notably LayCool serving as the Pro’s for Low Ki. Can’t imagine how that one’s going to play out, but then nobody bought Miz mentoring Daniel Bryan and look what that pairing did to establish Bryan.

Also curious how Zack Ryder can be considered a pro in any sense at this point, so one has to wonder if Titus O’Neil is going to end up being the next Michael Tarver.

Overall I enjoyed the first season of NXT, even though it was 100% fixed. Despite the fact, it accomplished what it set out to do – that being introduce fans to the next generation of talent rather than simply throwing them into a random match some week on RAW.

Additionally, the pairing of the Rookies with their Pros also helps them gain some instant credibility. When Chris Jericho gets on the microphone and tells you Wade Barrett is awesome, you’re a bit more inclined to take the bait than if Barrett just shows up and says so himself.

Here’s hoping some more impressive newcomers in the second season starting next Tuesday!

Rest in Pieces

Last weeks Smackdown! saw yet another setback for the Undertaker:

“the Undertaker suffered a broken orbital bone during his Smackdown match with Rey Mysterio that aired Friday night. The injury occurred during the seated senton spot Mysterio did. It has been recommended that Undertaker take time off, and the recommended time would put his return after the Fatal Four Way PPV. As of right now, it is “50-50” whether he will wrestle at the PPV.

Rey Mysterio was to take a month off for a vacation, but due to Taker’s injury, and the lack of depth on Smackdown, he will stay around to work TV and house shows. There has been no official decision made of the Fatal Four Way World Title match, but if Taker can’t go, Mysterio will be the likely replacement for him in the match.”

Tough break for Taker, as it seems like the guy is perpetually either injured or taking time off already anyway. Sure this appears to be a short-term setback, but I can’t help but wonder when Taker will seriously consider calling it quits, honestly.

What’s worse, I’m pretty sure nobody in WWE consideres Rey Mysterio a legitimate contender for the World Heavyweight Title anymore. Sure the guy puts on excellent matches with the right opponents, but he doesn’t exactly add the same allure to a match as the insurmountable Undertaker.

On the bright side, having Undertaker out of the match means they can’t kill yet another fresh main-event push and hand him the world title again.

Case in point.

Rated R for “Retirement”

Edge was recently interviewed by the Asheville Citizen-Times, the local newspaper of his new place of residence.

The news-worthy aspect of the interview is the point of Edge mentioning that he is contemplating retirement as early as 2012:
“As one of the WWE “Raw” main players, Edge is on the road as much as 250 days a year, performing at 220 shows. At age 36 and with several significant injuries under his belt, including two ruptured neck vertebrae and a torn Achilles tendon, he’s got an eye on retirement.

Sure, you can call wrestling “fake” if you want to — and for the record, I’m not (hey, the dude could squash me like a bug) — but these guys take a serious pounding, frequently falling hard and getting slammed to the mat countless times.

Edge started wresting at age 17 and joined the WWE in 1998. Mentally, Edge said, he’s “better than ever,” but … “I’m coming up on my 20th year, and I’ve definitely had some injuries that have shortened my career,” Edge said. “That’s part of the reason I bought up here — we want to retire and listen to the wind in the trees, and we want to do it fairly soon. I may have two more years. With each injury, it’s harder and harder to come back.”

Jim Ross actually blogged about the interview later this week and made some excellent points as far as why Edge actually has the right idea:

“Interesting article in an Asheville, N.C. newspaper on Edge where he said he could see retiring in two years. I think many in Edge’s generation who have made big money, and he has, and have wisely saved and invested it, and I suspect that he has, will not hang around the business too long simply so that they can preserve what physical health that they can.

Edge has had significant injuries in his illustrious career specifically his neck surgery and if asked, and I haven’t, I would advise him to call it a career sooner than later if he can financially afford it. Too many wrestlers have to stay longer than they need or should because of financial issues but I would be shocked if Edge even remotely comes close to that syndrome.

Guys in Edge’s generation can easily take a look at previous generations of wrestlers to learn what NOT to do as it relates to their career and personal life style. Smart wrestles who work hard, get a break, and plan for their future by using a professionals help can often times comfortably retire from in ring wrestling by the time that they are in their 40’s. “
I’d personally be kinda bummed if Edge was gone that soon, though his injuries obviously have cut down on his long-term availability and I guess I also didn’t realize he was already 36 years old. Hell Batista has stuck around into his 40’s and I’ve spent all that time wishing he’d have gone away.

Still, Edge can always be counted upon to deliver in his big matches and he would definitely be a loss to WWE whenever he decides to hang it up.

Chris Jericho…COME ON DOWN!

The only honest man in professional wrestling has signed on to host a new game show for the ABC network called “Downfall”.

According to the press release, the show will feature contestants competing to answer a series of trivia questions before “the largest conveyor belt ever seen on TV” sends a bunch of prize money, as well as their own personal possessions and family members, over the side of a high-rise building in downtown Los Angeles.

ABC sites Jericho’s flair for comedy as their reason for asking him to host the show, and I can’t say I blame them. The guy was always a highlight of the “I Love insert decade here” shows on VH1 when I used to watch them.

Now what would make this show awesome would be if Jericho were given free rein to play his heel persona on the show and just insult the hell out of the contestants while their stuff gets thrown off a building.

I’m willing to give the show a shot, and it can’t possibly turn out worse for Chris than being the first person eliminated from Celebrity Duets in 2006.

Oh yeah, and he lost to Carlton

Obligatory TNA Post to Garner Hits

Steel yourselves, fans, for I have a shocking confession to make this week.

I enjoyed TNA Impact.

Yep, there you have it. For the first time in recent memory I enjoyed the show overall. I loved the segment between Flair, Styles, and Kurt Angle, and enjoyed the other confrontations between Beer Money and Hardy/Anderson and Bischoff/Sting.

The matches were entertaining and the show overall featured a nice balance between storyline and action. Though I still wish Orlando Jordan would just go the fuck away.

So what was different this week? No Hulk Hogan. This week everything kind of centered around the feuding wrestlers as it should have all along – nothing with Hogan intervening in peoples shit or standing tall at the end of the episode after saving the day for some legit talent in the company.

I promised a few weeks ago that I would use the absence of Worth Your Wealth this week to address my dislike for TNA since it seems to bother so many people so much. This weeks episode of Impact was basically a perfect example of what the show could be like if you take away all the shit I don’t like about TNA.

No stupid swerves, no geriatrics fighting active wrestlers, no hulk up, no forcing Abyss down our throats – just solid progression of all the feuds on the show. Everything got time from Terry/Jordan to 3D/Band/Ink all the way up to the main even feuds.

We got solid, if not stellar matches, and no bullshit to close out the show – just the champion picking up the win and the dejected heel contender sulking off.

If Impact was like this every week I wouldn’t feel compelled to shit on TNA so regularly.

What’s a shame is everything I’ve praised here will probably be gone at Slammiversary when it really counts. And that’s what I hate.

Even before Hogan and Bischoff arrived, TNA was heavily criticized by it’s dumb booking decisions (not that WWE does not make bad calls, too) and confusing, pointlessly complicated storylines – both of which went a long way in tainting what was generally a very entertaining in-ring product. I think a lot of people were hoping for the arrival of Hogan to assist in changing that, as he came in touting change that would make them a true competitor of WWE.

Instead what we got was essentially a shift in the completely opposite direction – the in-ring product slipped in quality to make room for more stupid bullshit that everyone was really hoping would be gone.

AJ Styles heel turn? Ok why not.

Abyss pushed to the moon? I like him but he’s definitely not TNA’s John Cena.

Ric Flair vs Hulk Hogan in 2010? I shouldn’t even have to say anything about this shit.

Sting heel AGAIN? Did nobody see how badly this went last time? People want to cheer the guy and they insist on pushing him as a heel. Terrible.

The BAND? Again, I shouldn’t have to say anything. Terrible in-ring, terrible booking. Bury what little credibility Eric Young has only for him to turn around and join them at the end of the day? Makes sense.

THE NASTY BOYS vs TEAM 3D feud. Granted I’ll give them credit for killing this cancer a lot earlier than they had originally intended. Same with Hall and Nash – The Nasties in the ring in 2010 does not equal good TV.

Orlando Jordan? I really don’t care who he has sex with, I just don’t want to watch him wrestle.

I could go on and on, but basically what I’m getting at is that Hogan brought in a bunch of shitty people who really dragged down the work quality when that was really TNA’s most redeeming quality. If there was anything that made them a legit alternative to WWE it was the fact that their product focused more on wrestling…and that quickly wasn’t the case anymore since the arrival of Hogan.

This is a crucial time for TNA. The move back to Thursdays was a good call, albeit looking like an admission of defeat. The past few weeks have been better than the past few months – the feuds have been solidified, we’ve got less bullshit with Hogan fighting people, and Flair has been talking for his boys rather than wrestling with them.

I said last week that I really do want to like TNA, that’s why I still watch their show despite how awful it’s been in the past few months. They look like they’re really trying to get back on track at present, but I think the PPV next week will be extremely telling in terms of whether they’re cleaning up their act or if this week’s show was just a random mistake.

Your thoughts?