The Wrestling 5&1: Why We All Should Have Cheered for CM Punk, Backlash Review, Paige, More

Ladies and Gentlemen…a word from Greg DeMarco:

It’s hard to believe that we are approaching the six year anniversary of my 411Mania debut. It feels like just yesterday I was writing about wrestling for such a great audience… and pissing off quite the large percentage of you!

I’ll always be grateful that Larry Csonka handed me the keys to The Wrestling 5&1, an established vehicle that drove tons of traffic to start. I didn’t innovate it, but am extremely proud of the run it had.

When I knew that run was coming to an end, I actually got to hand pick Tony as the successor. And I am thrilled he’s bringing it back.

A lot has changed since October 2010, where I started as “ROH > Everyone” guy and evolved into “let’s look at this from a business perspective guy.”

But one thing never changed:

The Importance of You!

We can’t do this without you. Providing you with an entertaining product is always job #1, for me and for Tony. I still strive for that today with PHX Wrestling.

So I hope you enjoy the return of The Wrestling 5&1, once again fully in the hands of the best creative writer I personally have ever read, Tony Acero. He’s the man, and you already know that.

As for me? Keep following along with PHX Wrestling–and of course 411Mania–because you never know when I’ll show up!

Thanks Greg, it means a lot. Yes, everyone, this is the official return of The Wrestling 5&1. I believe the last edition of this column was posted almost two years ago to the day, when Alicia Fox took on Kelly Kelly in Versus, and The Hall of Bang was a thing. Unfortunately, both of those sections of the column are retired, as well as a few other minor things. You’ll notice an immediate change in the column as it is currently presented, and moving forward. Simply put, I’ve stripped the once gloriously filler-filled column to its bare-bones in the hopes that it sticks to what brought us to the dance; strong opinion backed by good writing. I’ve never been ashamed to toot my own horn, but I only toot said horn for one site, so no need to head elsewhere, and certainly no need to Google me…we’re right where we need to be. 411wrestling.com. The Wrestling 5&1 is mine as it is yours, so I hope you enjoy this bi-weekly look into the world of wrestling that we know and love.

FIVE

Why We All Should Have Cheered for CM Punk

This past Saturday, CM Punk took the final step in a two year journey to get to the octagon with hopes of impressing the world and proving naysayers wrong. It’s been a long trip that we’ve all had the (dis?)pleasure of watching. From podcasts to interviews to documentaries, we’ve been right along for the ride, and there’s something I’ve noticed as time went by – people soured on CM Punk the MMA fighter almost immediately. Whether it was the podcast that sent the world into a frenzy, or the fact that AJ Lee looked extremely happy to be married to CM Punk, fans everywhere simply couldn’t side with the man. In many interviews and talks, he came off as a humble human being who had something to prove. He came off as aware that he was given a golden ticket to the Dana White factory, and soon our own Charlie Punkett was off to the kingdom. Soon thereafter, he found his edge, and he became that arrogant, cocky son of a bitch that we seemingly all knew and loved – only this time it was real. Was it too real, though?

The fight was announced, the weigh-in was set. CM Punk didn’t shake Gall’s hand, and we were only hours away. From my perspective, there was a very obvious disdain for Punk from wrestling fans and MMA fans alike. MMA fans didn’t want CM Punk involved at all, while wrestling fans felt betrayed by one of their favorites. Simply put, there were far fewer people cheering for a knockout than a victory, and it became ever apparent that this really bothered me, I just couldn’t figure out why.

Hours leaked off the clock, and I began to grow hot with anticipation. It was with this feeling that I realized something – I wanted Punk to win, but it had little to do with wanting PUNK to win. I knew at that moment that he was pretty much an asshole of a human being, I knew he was happily married to my beloved AJ Lee, and I knew that he didn’t deserve the chance he was getting handed to him because of popularity – and yet, I wanted him to win. No, I needed him to win. I sat at my bar, staring at the big screen, and this buzz inside was felt. CM Punk needed to win. He needed to win for me. How’s that for a selfish thought?

Have you ever had a family member who was a bit out there? Someone close, like a brother or cousin. You guys were the closest ever as children. Growing up, you fell in love with the same things. Then something changed. Distance grew, but you still cared. You started hearing about a big ego. Rumors swirled that he wasn’t nearly as nice as you thought. He no longer talked to you. Evidence of this horrid person growing was ever apparent.

Time passes. You hear things, like he’s trying out something new, and he’s no what he used to be. You grow a little anger in your heart that he’s not what he used to be.

Then the big day came where he had to prove himself, and even though you don’t talk, even though he may have changed to something other than you used to love, and although he may not give a damn….

You still want to see him win.

Then he lost…

Keeping with the family analogy, one can’t help but feel sorry for the poor lug. Sure, he’s not the man we once knew and loved, and sure, he kind of looked like a fool, but he was our poor lug, our fool. He was our representative, and he went into a world that has long since disrespected us only to get his ass handed to him, thereby throwing it into the faces of all of us that our “sport” is – and always will be – inferior. I certainly don’t agree with this sentiment, and have always found the direct comparison of MMA and the WWE to be completely laughable, but just look at fans and wrestlers alike when McGregor said something against our world. It stung, and we went into defense stance immediately.

If there is one thing that CM Punk’s loss taught me, it’s that we fans have such a stronghold on what we think is ours. It’s beautiful for the most part, but when CM Punk lost, I felt like I lost. CM Punk is two years removed from “our world,” and shows no signs of returning at this moment, but I still can’t help but feel like a member of the family was embarrassed, and it’s a damned shame.

Your Turn: Did you want CM Punk to win or lose before the fight, and did the result of the fight change your mind?
FOUR

Backlash Review

WWE’s first Smackdown-only PPV since 2007 was this Sunday, and although the build and card was relatively soft in terms of excitement and enticement, I’d have to say that they put on a pretty good show.

WWE Women’s Championship Match: Naomi is incredibly talented, but she continues to mess up on the smallest of things that make the largest of impacts. Her awkwardness with Nattie was only amplified by Natalya not even trying to adlib something. Other than that, this was a pretty good showing by all involved. Alexa Bliss looked hot as hell, and she did the best here than anything I’ve seen from her. As little as I care about Nikki, she’s there, and her program with Carmella seems to be moving forward on the positive. Carmella is being given some actual credibility, and it’s working for the better. Becky winning was quite possibly the best outcome, and one that gave us a feel-good moment. If there’s one thing I’m loving from this brand split, it’s the near-necessity to give new stars a chance, and they’re doing it.

WWE Tag Team Championship Matches: The Usos as heels was such a needed turn. They’ve got a tailor-made feud with the Alphas, so there was no need for them to win here. Having them go all the way with Heath was awesome, and proved that the WWE can actually END a story that they’ve begun. Good for them.

WWE Intercontinental Championship Match: The Miz has quietly been putting on consistently good matches for a while now, and this was no different. They were given time, and told a great story in the ring. Hell, they told a great story all together. Truly, the only thing lacking here was Dolph being the opponent. His loss at the previous PPV wasn’t all that bad, but it didn’t help his credibility which just lead me to wonder how he got this shot in the first place. Still, the match was solid, and we got natural character progression here.

Bray Wyatt vs Kane: One unfortunate thing about larger than life characters like Bray, is that the WWE thinks they can lose over and over again, and just promo their way out of it. That’s what Bray’s been doing since losing to Cena. He is continually on the receiving end of an ass kicking, only to cut a promo that, although solid in terms of substance, really lacks in terms of continuity. Expect just that come Tuesday.

WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match: Can we just take a second to understand the severity of this win? Guys…AJ Styles is the WWE World Heavyweight Champion. AJ STYLES. THE TNA guy! Since coming to the WWE, AJ Styles has been everything we’ve all wanted, and more. He beat Cena and ran with it. He’s now at the top of a whole new blue brand, and if you take a step back to look at the two heel champions of the WWE, there should be a happy little fan in you that is screaming YOU DESERVE IT to both men. The match itself was one of Ambrose’s greatest matches, and I hope he realizes that. As for AJ, he’s going to keep up his string of awesomeness, and I’m going to love it. And so….are…you.

Show Rating: 8.5/10
A far better show than it had any right to be. I hope it doesn’t bomb, because there was some great wrestling here.

THREE

One thing you’ll remember Greg being big on is polls. While I won’t be doing this in each column, there is still something to be said about your voice being heard as a reader. When necessary, I’ll drop one in here to see how you guys feel about things pertaining to the column moving forward. Today’s poll is a pretty important one, as it can possibly remove the most intriguing part of the column. Don’t take this lightly, as I will consider each person’s vote.

TWO

Why Paige, Why?

In a story that people only cared to talk about long enough to give advice on growing up to Paige, we saw Alberto Del Rio and the WWE officially cut ties. News spread immediately after that Paige wasn’t far behind in doing the same. I’ve seen comments and columns all saying the same thing; that Paige is young, and has her entire life ahead of her, and is making a huge mistake if she leaves the WWE for Del Rio. I’ve heard alimony issues, possible cheating, the age gap, immaturity on Paige’s part, and all I could keep thinking throughout this entire thing is….who the fuck cares?! I’m not saying I don’t care about Paige. What I’m saying is that NONE of us are professionals on life, so who the hell are we to give her advice? She’s 24, yes, young as hell, yet still not nearly as young as people are talking about her being. She’s not the 19 year old kid that walked through the doors of the WWE. She’s 24. Del Rio is 39. Yes, that’s a 15 year gap. Yes, it may seem like Del Rio is just taking advantage of this poor, poor, pale youngster. Maybe that’s the case. Doubtful, but possible. Maybe that’s exactly what we’re seeing go down, but again – who are we to “advise” this “kid” into a better life with the WWE. What the hell do we know?

Look, if the girl is smitten, she’s going where Del Rio goes. She’s likely under the impression that she will both be taken care of, and find an alternative to her trade. What we have to understand is that the WWE is – in many ways – not what everyone wants it to be. It’s a rigorous schedule, a tough year, and your persona can be lost from one day to the next with no warning or care about your input. It’s possible that Paige saw Del Rio leaving as a way out. This may have less to do about love, and more to do about opportunity elsewhere.

The point is, regardless of whether Paige leaves the WWE are not, I find it hard to judge her decisions based solely on the fact that she is with Del Rio.

Your Turn: Is Paige just another lovestruck, young damsel in possible distress?

ONE
Caption Contest

Long time readers will remember a section of the column that presented a photo humorous in nature and an opportunity to make said photo even funnier by giving it a nice caption worthy of more than a guffaw or two. Well, I’m bring that shit back. Ladies and gentlemen, caption this shit:

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GRATUITOUS AD PLACEMENT SPOT!

Watch my good friend Michael Ornelas play Hide and Seek with Xavier WOods!

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It was long ago when this portion of the column was a collaged collection of photos of a model selected by Greg or myself. Although we are still the same people who talk about porn in the comment section of The Raw Report, I like to think that the portion of us who clamored and clawed our way to the bottom of this column without so much as a glance at the words is long gone. Still, in respect to the columns old format, let’s start this week’s edition with the lovely and beautiful Sasha Banks.

There you have it, folks. The first edition of the return is in the bag. Along with your opinions on CM Punk and Paige, let me know what you’d like changed here. More of something, less of another thing. With the change of 411’s way of writing and expectations of (most) writers, I’d like to make this more of a user-friendly, mature-filled content and quality than a male-pandering, slightly mysoginistic approach to wrestling journalism, but I can’t do that without your help.

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Tony Acero is a published author currently working on his third book. He has been writing for 411wrestling.com for 6 years, and does the RAW Report on a now bi-weekly basis. He wears sweater vests when he shouldn’t, and drinks more whiskey than is allowed in most states. He also speaks in third person at the end of each of his columns for no reason other than to feel better about himself. He loves you.