From the Desk of Mr. V #145
June 29, 2012
Written By: Anthony J. Valvo of Wrestleview.com
Introduction
Welcome to the latest edition of “From the Desk of Mr. V”. I am Anthony “Mr. V” Valvo, your Wrestleview resident “language arts and physical education” teacher with the same material, but different names, matches, and articles.
Quote of the Week
“Leadership, like coaching, is fighting for the hearts and souls of men and getting them to believe in you.” – Eddie Robinson
The Teacher’s Lecture
Mr. V’s Teacher’s Lounge Independent Wrestling Road Trip (IWC Super Indy XI)
It would be unfair to say it was entirely my road trip. My friend Travis (the friend that led me to this website years ago) and I always talked about attending some pro wrestling shows this year. Well, we made sure this year that we freed up some time and attended a WWE Monday Night Raw Taping last month in Pittsburgh. I already spoke about this show and you can hear it for free on the May 16th Edition of Wrestleview Radio.http://vip.wrestleview.com/?cat=4&paged=3.
The past weekend I want to write about my first independent pro wrestling experience. Travis and I planned our trip to witness International Wrestling Cartel’s “Super Indy XI” for months. I would check the IWC website to see all the names and it is literally a Who’s Who that has participated in at least one Super Indy tournament since it started back in 2002. Heck, last year El Generico, Colt Cabana, Adam Cole, Ricky Reyes, and Samuray Del Sol all participated in the event along with the great talent those are in the IWC. The Kings of Wrestling (now both signed to WWE contracts) were also on the card so I could tell that the show that IWC run are top notch from start to finish.
I always wanted to attend an IWC event since my column previewing their Winner Takes All show from 2010 and I think I made notice of the company back in the 96th column. However, when I looked at who was competing in this year’s tournament as well as a very strong undercard I could not resist. I paid for my friend’s ticket and mine (he was driving so that was the least I could do) and we traveled to Elizabeth, Pennsylvania well before the bell time of 7:00 pm.
First off, I must compliment the facility this event was held in. The Court Time Sports Center is a great building to host professional wrestling. I know most of their shows are held here, and the atmosphere of the place was great throughout the evening. The fans that attended the event were courteous towards everyone and no one (seriously) tried to “outsmart” another fan. These fans were there to see a good product that is done right.
I could tell that the event was going to be special because of the way they handled a difficult situation. Before the doors opened for Super Indy XI, the gentleman at the ticket table announced that two participants of the Super Indy Tournament, Davey Richards and Kyle O’Reilly (both from Ring of Honor) were not able to appear due to transportation issues. They asked if anyone wanted a refund they would be happy to offer a refund. The reaction was only a hint of disappointment, as I never heard one person complain and I did not see any refunds. So instead of a 10-man Tournament, Chuck Roberts (The IWC Owner and Promoter) announced before the show that it would be a single-elimination eight-man tournament. Mr. Roberts said that he really tried to get someone at the last minute, but he could not reach anyone on such short notice and again offered a refund. Again, no one left and the crowd was great. I could not explain how much of a joy it was to witness the fans having a great time and getting their money’s worth for this event.
The event still had some talent outside the promotion. They brought in two wrestlers who are well-known in the Eastern Pennsylvania independent promotions. Combat Zone Wrestling’s Sami Callihan and Chikara’s Chuck Taylor were both in the tournament and they also had a great card outside of this tournament.
Independent wrestling gets a bad rap about having some sloppy wrestling from some inexperienced talents. Honestly, every wrestler involved in Super Indy did a fantastic job and there was never a dull moment of action. Now I won’t do a long rundown of what happened during each match, but I want to give credit to everyone who made this an experience that I highly recommend to my readers.
The first match was a opening round contest between Gory and Matt Justice. It was a fine opener with Gory winning with the Pestilence finisher. It was a solid opener with some good moments, but I believe it set the tone for an upcoming match later on in the card.
The next opening round match was Michael Façade, the IWC Super Indy Champion entering the event, vs. Pepper Parks (w/Cherry Bomb) who was a last-minute addition to the tournament. It was a true battle of quickness (Façade) vs. power (Parks). The biggest spot in the first round was probably the moment when Façade accidently hit Cherry Bomb with a sliding dropkick. I was impressed with the way Façade sold pretty much anything Parks delivered. In the end, Façade won the match with The Dreadlock Submission that looked really hard to execute. But Façade did a great job applying the hold.
The third opening round contest was between Chikara’s Chuck Taylor vs. Aiden Veil. Veil had this drummer gimmick and was over with the section I was sitting at. Chuck Taylor was terrific even before the match started. He was asking a kid to shake his hand, only to yell back at the child at the last moment. Taylor overpowered his young opponent for the majority of the match and won it with The Kentucky Crab. It was short, but it really helped Veil get a following in the IWC audience.
The final opening round match was CZW’s Sami Callihan vs. Rickey Shane Page. This match was easily the hardest-hitting of the opening round contests. Page matched a brawling moveset with Callihan and was in control for over half of the match. In the end, Callihan overpowered his larger opponent with The Stretch Muffler submission.
The first non-tournament match happened and it was for a shot at Logan Shulo’s IWC World Heavyweight Championship. The match featured Super Hentai, Dalton Castle, Dennis Gregory, Ray Rowe, and Chest Flexor. Flexor was added into the match by IWC owner Chuck Roberts, as punishment for all the cheap plots to foil the main event scene. The match started off with Flexor being attacked by the remaining combatants. I was real impressed of how the match flowed given a short timeframe. After Flexor was taken out, all four showed determination to be the top contender and took each other out. Rowe looked to be in control after hitting a couple devastating power spots to Flexor and Castle, but when Gregory speared Rowe out of the ring the referee noticed that Flexor actually pinned Castle for the victory. Yes, Chest Flexor won the match despite not hitting a single offensive move. I enjoyed the outcome and the story was set for their next event, which is Proving Ground next month.
During the intermission, I walked around the Sports Center and witnessed how great the IWC wrestlers were to the fans in attendance, especially the kind acts performed by Rowe and Façade. John McChesney, the top heel, had a huge following and he was very cordial to them. I actually picked up a couple DVDs because I felt like I needed to support this promotion, so I ordered two DVDs from the 2011 collection. I picked up Super Indy X as a recommendation to the fans that attended last year’s event and The Night of the Superstars 2011 show that featured John McChesney, Logan Shulo, Matt Justice, Colt Cabana, Carlito, Gail Kim, Chavo Guerrero Jr., and many others. I did not get a chance to watch them yet, but will find time over the weekend as an escape from my language arts lesson planning. My friend Travis bought The Best of CM Punk Vol. 1. If you are a fan of CM Punk, I would recommend going to the IWC website and purchase the DVD. You won’t regret it.
I also walked around and I saw Chuck Taylor. I picked up a “Kentucky Gentleman” T-Shirt and talked to him briefly. I am not an autograph seeker or a picture taker, so all I said was that I was a big fan of his and shook his hand. I also wanted to meet Callihan and Façade, but there were fans surrounding them and I did not want to bother these guys. I did come across IWC Owner Chuck Roberts and I shook his hand and thanked him for an exciting event. He appeared genuinely proud of his promotion and he was smiling throughout the show unless he had to cut a promo. As we went back to our seats, we saw some hostility between Michael Façade and Gory. They brawled through the crowd and it finally went into the ring, abruptly ending the intermission in a very original and enlightening way.
Façade was probably the best on this card when it came to the high-flying tactics. He was absolutely perfect. This match had the most emotion, especially when Gory was slowing the pace down and showing some impressive technical wrestling. Gory did everything well in this heel role that he is playing and despite controlling most of the match, Façade found a way to budge his way to pin Gory for the three count. After the match continued their bitter feud, as Gory brought a chair to the ring and clobbered Façade with the chair. In the end, Gory did a double stomp on the chair with Façade’s ankle wedged between. The Façade story will continue to the next round.
The other Semi-Final in the Super Indy Tournament was a comedic and hard-hitting battle between Sami Callihan and Chuck Taylor. There was a lot of emotion in this match and at one point in the middle of the match Taylor screamed to a quiet crowd “Chuck Taylor you are SO handsome!”. Taylor was the star of the match, screaming for a break when Callihan was applying a hold and Taylor used the always-famous “I have a grenade” liner. Callihan’s big highlight in this match was hitting five German Suplexes on Taylor and it led to another submission victory for Callihan with the Stretch Muffler.
After the match, there was a big “Please Come Back” chant for Taylor, who made his IWC debut at Super Indy. I have no problem with IWC and Chuck Taylor working together in the near future.
The next match was a tag team match for the IWC Tag Team Championships between The One Nighters (Bobby Beverly and Nicki Valentino) vs. Blue Collar Slaughter House (Matt Sagaris and Bronco McBride). I mentioned on The Teacher’s Lounge that The One Nighters entered the ring to Katy Perry’s E.T. and it was approved by our show. This was a pure power vs. speed match as the Blue Collar Slaughter House (a team that my friend Josh Boutwell would be proud of..ROLL TIDE) showed great power and some surprising air attacks to wear down the One Nighters. The One Nighters had some pretty good combo plans and got the victory despite a mistake by the referee (I think it was McBride that had his foot on the rope). The story was that it was the second time that the BCSH lost due to a referee’s decision. So I am sure that the feud will go on for another couple months. I would be interested in watching how it ends, that is for sure.
The IWC World Heavyweight Championship match followed with John McChesney (with Marshall Gambino) challenging Logan Shulo for Shulo’s IWC World Championship. Personally, Shulo is my favorite IWC Superstar since I heard from former Wrestleview Columnist Sean Hurley that Shulo enjoys a “Mr. V column” every now and then. McChesney heeled it up big time and called out a fan that was heckling him. After hearing him on the mic, I can totally comprehend why they call him “Big League”. He is a good wrestler with a strong set of skills. He is also their best talker, which goes a long way and is why he is a draw in the IWC. Shulo has improved so much first time I watched him and he is a great champion for the promotion.
Shulo had the upper hand early until Gambino pulled his legs from him. Also, it helped that Gambino was choking him out as McChesney tried to get a kid ejected for making fun of him (the same kid was accused of costing Chuck Taylor his match. Plant or not it was hilarious). In the end, Shulo hit the Halo Bomb and was about to secure a successful title defense, but Gambino pulled the referee out of the ring and total chaos ensued. Pepper Parks and Cherry Bomb then joined McChesney’s faction. The match was a solid outing by two of the biggest names on the IWC roster. It was well done.
The main event was the Super Indy Finals between Façade and Sami Callihan. Façade signed a few poster boards which was a site to see and he held a sign that read “#SIorDie”. Callihan was as intense as ever and immediately attacked Façade’s leg and ankle that were destroyed by Gory in the semi-final match. Façade sold the injury as well as he could and I thought was the real MVP in this whole tournament because of his resiliency and his face-in-peril work. If Wrestleview has their Match of the Year project, I would recommend this as a Match of the Year. Callihan ended the match by applying the Stretch Muffler with kicks to the back of Façade’s head. Even though Façade never tapped, the referee awarded the match to Callihan. It was a perfect ending to a near-perfect night of professional wrestling.
After the match was over, Sami Callihan became the NEW IWC Super Indy Champion and cut a small promo giving Façade a lot of credit and said when he is 100% to come back and challenge for the title. Chuck Roberts then made his final appearance of the show announcing that Façade has unfinished business with Gory and that he booked them in a Steel Cage Match at Caged Fury on August 25, 2012.
The thoughts were plenty regarding Super Indy XI, but now Sami Callihan can join a remarkable list of IWC Super Indy Champions. Callihan joins a list that features Super Hentai, AJ Styles, Colt Cabana, Chris Sabin, Sterling James Keenan (now known as Corey Graves in WWE Developmental), Low-Ki, Delirious, John McChesney, Jerry Lynn, Shiima Xion (now known at TNA as Zema Ion), Egotistico Fantastico, Larry Sweeney, Johnny Gargano, Matt Justice, Troy Lords, and Facade. In my opinion, that is a very strong list of talented wrestlers that appear on television. And let’s not forget that long list of names that competed in previous Super Indy tournaments such as CM Punk, Christopher Daniels, Davey Richards, Adam Cole, D’Angelo Dinero (known as Elijah Burke in 2009), 2 Cold Scorpio, and many more talented wrestlers.
The DVD will come out in the near future for $15. I highly recommend it because it was a highly entertaining event. Despite the fact that Davey Richards and Kyle O’Reilly were not able to attend, the audience appeared to be proud to witness the event. Everyone involved were pleasant and I could tell they wanted to put on a great show (as a matter of fact, they got a brand new ring for the event). We were satisfied customers and I felt like I it was every penny worth the $20 to attend the event.
I can’t speak for my friend, but I want to thank all the wrestlers, anyone involved backstage, the announcers, and especially Chuck Roberts for making this the best professional wrestling event I ever attended. I whole-heartedly mean that last statement. I recommend that if anyone lives close to the Pittsburgh area to give IWC a look. It is a glorious atmosphere.
What happened since the events of November 7, 2011? (Part 2 of 3)
Well, I think a lot happened since the last true “Mr. V” column. What I decided to write is what happened during professional wrestling from November 7 – November 13, 2011. I would like to type the television results of WWE, TNA, and ROH programming as well as the storylines in a 3-part series. The results may surprise you where they are at after a mere seven to eight months.
In this edition, I would like to rundown what happened on WWE NXT from November 9th, 2011 and WWE Superstars from November 10th, 2011. These were the last shows I covered since my last full batch of columns and I hope the reader is intrigued. I know I was.
(From the November 9th edition of NXT)
Match #1: Tyson Kidd def. Trent Barreta with a leg submission.
Tyson Kidd – Kidd had his ups and downs over the last few months. One thing is certain, he is finding a way to be on one of the shows in the WWE, and that is a victory in itself. He still wrestles as well as he can and it depends on the show as to whether he will be featured (such as NXT) or squashed (one of the big two). However, there are rumors that he will participate in the Money in the Bank Ladder Match next month. Also, he formed a good tag team with Justin Gabriel that shows some potential in being a top-tier tag team in the WWE.
Trent Barreta – Barreta has just fallen off of the WWE radar and is nowhere to be seen. If you want to see where he is at, check out the brief “Where’s Trent?” portions of Z! True Long Island Story.
Match #2: Jey Uso def. JTG with a Superfly Splash
Jey Uso – The slimmer Uso brother continues to be paired with Jimmy as The Usos are a recognizable tag team in the WWE. We don’t see much of Jey in singles action and if we do, it is not a showcase. As of now, look for him to continue working with his brother throughout 2012.
JTG – Well, what can I say about JTG? JTG is rarely seen on Raw or Smackdown, however he was featured in various NXT segments. His most recent story was when Alicia Fox gave him a makeover and now JTG is wearing bedazzled ring gear instead of the work boots and jeans.
Match #3: Johnny Curtis and BetaMax (Derrick Bateman and Maxine) def. Percy Watson and Titus O’Neil after Bateman pulled Watson for the pinfall.
Johnny Curtis – At that time, he was in the BetaMax love angle and he later transformed into a creepy, slimy heel with a hint of a goofy side. While the mainstream WWE fans did not watch this transformation it was a great reward for the fans who followed NXT. Now Curtis sadly has no story to go along with his “Let’s Get Weird” gimmick.
Derrick Bateman – The rebranding of NXT hurt Bateman the most. He has no Maxine anymore. His friend with benefits, Kaitlyn, is now involved somewhere else, and he is just getting squashed on televised matches. While he got one more match with Curtis on the rebranded NXT, the future at the moment does not look bright for Bateman.
Maxine – We can watch Maxine either on a moderately long Superstars match or just appearing on Raw or Smackdown for a sliver of time. Maxine proved that she could be a woman of power and she fit the role nicely on NXT. However, she too (like Curtis and Bateman) is trying to find some ground on the Diva roster.
Percy Watson – It is real tough to explain where Watson is at. Each week, he showed hints of improvement in his matches but may be suite for tag team action in order to keep a roster spot. When he was with Darren Young in FCW, there was some good entertainment. However, they never let it happen in the WWE.
Titus O’Neil – Since then he turned heel and formed the Prime Time Players with Darren Young. The PTPers are now the top contenders for the WWE Tag Team Championship and also have a manager in A.W. (Abraham Washington of ECW fame). The tag team benefits him over Young, as O’Neil still shows limited ability in singles competition.
(From the November 10, 2011 edition of WWE Superstars)
Match #1: Justin Gabriel def. Curt Hawkins with a 450 Splash.
Justin Gabriel – This was a time where Gabriel was starting to branch out into a singles wrestler. However, that was a bit derailed when he suffered an injury in April during the WrestleMania dark match. After a couple months of rest, Gabriel is back in the ring and forming a strong team with Tyson Kidd. Gabriel also has a new finisher, which is possibly a bit safer (the Tornado DDT) than his 450 Splash.
Curt Hawkins – Hawkins formed a team with Tyler Reks and were involved in the “Who kidnapped Matt Striker” storyline on NXT a few months back. At the moment, they are in limbo after briefly helping out John Laurinaitis during his run as GM for Raw and Smackdown. There were no signs of regression from Hawkins, but no signs of progress for his character.
Match #2: Alex Riley def. Michael McGillicutty with the Final Score.
Alex Riley – When he branched away from The Miz, there was a lot of potential. Now, Riley is just wrestling on Superstars and while improving shows no signs of returning to that status he had at this time last year.
Michael McGillicutty – There was an interesting storyline involving Tyson Kidd earlier this year, but after Kidd ended up the victory McGillicutty was involved in matches for the Internet shows. Fans are really missing a treat, as McGillicutty is one of the most improved wrestlers on the WWE roster thanks in part to his timing and the way he handles crowd reactions.
Match #3 – Daniel Bryan def. William Regal with the LeBel (now the YES)l Lock.
Daniel Bryan: He has shined since my last full batch of columns. Bryan became the World Heavyweight Champion a month later, had AJ as his girlfriend (now creepy stalker), and held the title until WrestleMania. Bryan also has a “YES” catchphrase that developed a huge following among the WWE fans. Bryan, in my opinion, turned himself into one of the biggest attractions in the WWE.
William Regal – Regal is now pretty much a part-time wrestler and NXT announcer at the moment. This was the match in which Regal walked down briefly to his “Real Man’s Man” theme and it was one of the best matches in 2011. He was involved in a storyline with Dean Ambrose in FCW, but now is most likely set with his commentary job.
Next Week: I will take a look into the November 10th edition of Impact Wrestling, the November 11th edition of Smackdown, and the November 12th edition of Ring of Honor Wrestling
Detentions
All school year, I never gave out a detention. So, let me provide some detentions to whet your appetite.
Jerry Sandusky – Maybe I am late to the party, but he is in eternal detention for being guilty on 45 of 48 charges of sexual assault to minors. In my opinion, there is no need for these people to be in our world. To abuse his status and those children makes me sick.
The Big Show – This heel character is something that I just can’t invest in at this time. He just cuts the same “ironclad contract” promo every week and it gets tiring.
Brooke Hogan – Explain to me why she is on television? Apparently at school she did not learn vocabulary expansion.
The twist to the AJ/Dixie Storyline – When the actress is supposed to cry, tears are supposed to form right? The whole scene was laughable.
Prime Time Players – They may need a bit more seasoning, but I am not sold on them.
Kyle O’Reilly – For his effort at ROH’s Best in the World. No one should bleed as bad as Adam Cole did in their match.
Ring of Honor Ring Crew – The show itself was fine, but someone should have told them that before the first match begins to tighten up the ring ropes.
The Eternal Detention List
Nickelback
Praxis and the ETS Series
Michael Cole (he must be placed her until #200, students orders)
2010 French World Cup Soccer Team
Jerry Sandusky
Brian Hebner
“Undefined” Alicia Fox
Linda Hogan
The Epic Fail (Teacher’s Lounge Joke)
Mr. V’s Weekly Honor Roll for the Week of June 3 – June 9, 2012
6/03 – OFF DAY
6/04 – WWE Monday Night Raw Supershow
6/05 – OFF DAY
6/06 – WWE NXT
6/07 – WWE Superstars and Impact Wrestling
6/08 – WWE Friday Night Smackdown
6/09 – ROH on Sinclair
Distinguished Honors –Eddie Edwards vs. Davey Richards, ROH on Sinclair, June 9.
High Honors – Tyson Kidd and Justin Gabriel vs. Heath Slater and Johnny Curtis, WWE NXT, June 6.
Honors – Kane vs. CM Punk, WWE Monday Night Raw, June 4.
Mr. V’s Grade Book for 6/3/2012 – 6/9/2012
A+; A; or A-: None.
B+: None.
B: Eddie Edwards vs. Davey Richards (ROH).
B-: Tyson Kidd and Justin Gabriel vs. Heath Slater and Johnny Curtis (NXT).
C+: Sheamus vs. Dolph Ziggler (RAW); Kane vs. CM Punk (RAW); Christian vs. Dolph Ziggler (Smackdown); Sheamus vs. Kane (Smackdown).
C: John Cena vs. Tensai (RAW); Percy Watson vs. JTG (NXT); Hunico vs. Yoshi Tatsu (Superstars); Jack Swagger vs. Zack Ryder (Superstars); AJ Styles, Kurt Angle, and Sting vs. Christopher Daniels, Kazarian, and Bobby Roode (Impact).
C-: Tyler Reks vs. Jey Uso (NXT); Tamina Snuka vs. Natalya (NXT); Jinder Mahal vs. Alex Riley (Superstars); Brooke Tessmacher vs. Mickie James vs. Velvet Sky vs. Tara (Impact); Sin Cara vs. Drew McIntyre (Smackdown); Michael Elgin vs. Matt Taven (ROH).
D+; D; or D-: Sin Cara vs. Hunico (RAW); Kofi Kingston and R-Truth vs. Curt Hawkins and Tyler Reks (RAW); John Cena vs. Michael Cole (RAW); Crimson vs. Austin Aries (Impact); Devon vs. Robbie E (Impact); Alberto Del Rio vs. The Great Khali (Smackdown); Antonio Cesaro vs. Jimmy Uso (Smackdown).
F or INC: Brodus Clay vs. Derrick Bateman (Smackdown); Ryback vs. Tony Andriotis and Kevin Mahoney (Smackdown).
Mr. V’s Weekly Honor Roll for the Week of June 10 – June 16, 2012
6/10 – OFF DAY
6/11 – WWE Monday Night Raw Supershow
6/12 – OFF DAY
6/13 – WWE NXT (Final week of NXT: Redemption and last official Mr. V grades for the show)
6/14 – WWE Superstars and Impact Wrestling
6/15 – WWE Friday Night Smackdown
6/16 – ROH on Sinclair
Distinguished Honors – Jimmy and Jey Uso vs. Johnny Curtis and Michael McGillicutty, WWE NXT, June 13.
High Honors – Hunico vs. Justin Gabriel, WWE Superstars, June 14.
Honors – Dolph Ziggler vs. Christian vs. Jack Swagger vs. The Great Khali, WWE Monday Night Raw, June 11.
Mr. V’s Grade Book for 6/10/2012 – 6/16/2012
A+; A; or A-: None.
B+: Jimmy Uso and Jey Uso vs. Johnny Curtis and Michael McGillicutty (NXT).
B: Hunico vs. Justin Gabriel (Superstars).
B-: Sheamus vs. Tensai (RAW); Dolph Ziggler vs. Christian vs. Jack Swagger vs. The Great Khali (RAW); Curt Hawkins and Tyler Reks vs. Percy Watson and Derrick Bateman (NXT).
C+: Zack Ryder vs. Michael McGillicutty (Superstars); Bobby Roode vs. Mr. Anderson (Impact); Dolph Ziggler and Daniel Bryan vs. CM Punk and Sheamus (Smackdown); Roderick Strong vs. Tommaso Ciampa (ROH).
C: Austin Aries vs. Chris Sabin vs. Zema Ion (Impact); The Bound for Glory Gauntlet Battle Royal won by James Stomr (Impact).
C-: The Big Show vs. Kofi Kingston (RAW); CM Punk and AJ vs. Daniel Bryan and Kane (RAW); Titus O’Neil and Darren Young vs. Jimmy Uso and Jey Uso (Superstars); Devon vs. Hernandez (Impact); Christian vs. Jack Swagger (Smackdown); Mike Bennett vs. Adam Page (ROH); Jay Briscoe and Mark Briscoe vs. Sam Shaw and QT Marshall (ROH).
D+; D; or D-: Beth Phoenix and Ricardo Rodriguez vs. Layla and Santino Marella (RAW); Sin Cara vs. Curt Hawkins (RAW); Vader vs. Heath Slater (RAW); Kaitlyn vs. Natalya (NXT); Brooke Tessmacher vs. Madison Rayne (Impact); Ryback vs. Ari Cohen and Mike Testa (Smackdown); Damien Sandow vs. Tyson Kidd (Smackdown).
F or INC: Ryback vs. Willard Fillmore and Rutherford Hayes (RAW); Brodus Clay vs. Heath Slater (Smackdown); Beth Phoenix vs. Alicia Fox (Smackdown).
Mr. V’s Weekly Honor Roll for the Week of June 17 – June 23, 2012
6/17 – OFF DAY
6/18 – WWE Monday Night Raw Supershow
6/19 – OFF DAY
6/20 – OFF DAY (First week of the new season of NXT and it is not easily accessible)
6/21 – WWE Superstars and Impact Wrestling
6/22 – WWE Friday Night Smackdown
6/23 – ROH on Sinclair
Distinguished Honors – Sheamus vs. Dolph Ziggler, WWE Friday Night Smackdown, June 22.
High Honors – Sheamus and CM Punk vs. Daniel Bryan and Kane, WWE Monday Night Raw, June 18.
Honors – Kane vs. Daniel Bryan, WWE Friday Night Smackdown, June 22.
Mr. V’s Grade Book for 6/17/2012 – 6/23/2012
A+; A; or A-: None.
B+: Sheamus vs. Dolph Ziggler (Smackdown).
B: Sheamus and CM Punk vs. Daniel Bryan and Kane (RAW).
B-: Justin Gabriel and Tyson Kidd vs. Tyler Reks and Curt Hawkins (Superstars); Alberto Del Rio vs. Christian (Smackdown); Kane vs. Daniel Bryan (Smackdown).
C+: Zack Ryder vs. Drew McIntyre (Superstars); Davey Richards and Kyle O’Reilly vs. Kevin Steen and Jimmy Jacobs (ROH).
C: John Cena vs. David Otunga and John Laurinaitis (RAW); James Storm vs. Samoa Joe (Impact); Brooke Tessmacher vs. Mickie James (Impact); Jay Lethal vs. Chris Silvia (ROH).
C-: Dolph Ziggler vs. Jack Swagger (RAW); Mr. Anderson vs. Christopher Daniels (Impact); Magnus vs. AJ Styles (Impact); Tara vs. Taelor Hendrix (Impact); D’Angelo Dinero vs. Bully Ray (Impact); Jeff Hardy vs. Rob Van Dam (Impact); Eddie Edwards vs. Bob Evans (ROH).
D+; D; or D-: Alberto Del Rio vs. Santino Marella (RAW); Primo and Epico vs. Titus O’Neil and Darren Young (RAW); Hunico vs. Ezekiel Jackson (Superstars); Ryback vs. Frank Venezia and Jared Wachtler (Smackdown); Zack Ryder vs. Heath Slater (Smackdown); Titus O’Neil and Darren Young vs. Jimmy Uso and Jey Uso (Smackdown).
F or INC: Kurt Angle vs. Robbie E (Impact).
The 2012-2013 Wrestleview Staff Standings (As of WWE No Way Out)
(Next PPV: TNA Destination X on July 8, 2012)
1) Evan O’Brien (WV International Desk)………………………………………………53-17 (7-0)
2) Nick Gray (Independent Roundtable Host)………………………………………52-18 (4-3)
3) David Stephens (WWE Raw Recaps/Teacher’s Lounge)……………………51-19 (6-1)
4) Jason Namako (ROH/Superstars/FCW Recaps/Ind. Round. Host)……51-19 (5-2)
5) Anthony Valvo (From the Desk of Mr. V/Teacher’s Lounge)……………50-20 (4-3)
6) Josh Boutwell (Impact Recaps/Viva La Raza)…………………………………49-21 (5-2)
7) Wrestleview Readers…………………………………………………………………………48-22 (6-1)
8) Matt O’Brien (Notes from the Nosebleeds/WV Polls)…………………………47-23 (5-2)
9) Greg McNeish (WV International Desk/WV Telemundo)……………………46-24 (5-2)
10) Darragh O’Connor (WV International Desk)…………………………………….46-24 (7-0)
11) Gregory “Grash” Walek (WWE NXT Recapper)………………………………45-25 (4-3)
12) Jose Marrero (Wrestling Rumblings/Eye Gouge)………………………………33-15 (NR)
13) Mike Tedesco (WWE Smackdown Recapper/WV Telemundo)……………31-9 (NR)
Tie-Breaker Points – Which are based on Championship matches correct
32: David Stephens; Evan O’Brien
30: Nick Gray
29: Jason Namako; Anthony Valvo; Josh Boutwell
28: Greg McNeish
27: Darragh O’Connor; Matt O’Brien
25: Gregory “Grash” Walek
19: Jose Marrero; Mike Tedesco
The Wrestleview Readers Fave 5
1) Wade Bradford………………………………………54-16 (6-1) (30)
2) Damon Clark………………………………………..52-18 (5-2) (32)
3) James Lacerenza…………………………………..52-18 (6-1) (30)
4) Jordan Benterman………………………………..51-19 (6-1) (30) (2011 Winner)
5) Jamie Sowter……………………………………….51-19 (6-1) (30)
Special: A Mr. V “Coffee” Review
This summer I decided to try out some new flavors of coffee. In this special, I will just provide a couple sentences and tell you if they are recommended or not recommended. The past week I had three different coffee flavors so let me just take a brief moment and have some coffee talk with the readers.
Margaritaville Pirate Gold – The bag cost roughly $8.00 and in my opinion it is worth more. The grounds are really dark, which makes the coffee flavor and delicious. It is tough to purchase K-Cups when they are over $10 for 18 cups, so this blend makes up for it. (4 out of 5 Gold Stars)
The Mister V Gold Star Segment
International Wrestling Cartel – The Pittsburgh independent promotion put on a GREAT show and I am thankful to attend the event.
Sami Callihan – He is the NEW IWC Super Indy Champion. It will be great to watch him wrestle in the area again.
Roddy Piper – He was the only saving grace in that Cyndi Lauper debacle on Monday Night Raw last week.
Scott Stanford – The man used a Dynamic Dude reference, and that is ok in my book.
Paul Heyman – Though HHH and Brock Lesnar are the ones “feuding”, give credit to Paul Heyman for gluing the boards together.
Sheamus and Dolph Ziggler – Both should get a separate star, but they both shine every time they are in the ring together. A viewer can’t go wrong when they watch one of their matches.
Davey Bones – He earned one for voting for Andrew McCutchen to be in the National League All-Star Team. If Cutch was wearing a big market uniform, he would be a shoe-in.
John Garrity – He admitted that McCutchen is a shoe-in. He is ok in my book.
Gerrit Cole – The Pittsburgh Pirates top prospect eats a line drive in the first inning of his most recent start. Usually pitchers are immediately out of the game, but Mr. Cole took some warm up pitches and finished the inning with a swollen face.
Adam Cole – For making the best out of what could have been a dangerous situation. In case my readers never witnessed it, Cole suffered a serious gash in his mouth after a strike by Kyle O’Reilly in his Best in the World match for Ring of Honor.
Kevin Steen – He has the makings to be a great ROH World Champion.
Tyson Kidd and Justin Gabriel – I think it is time to give them props. They are an exciting tag team that should get some more air time.
Bully Ray and Joseph Park – Outside of anything Austin Aries did in recent months, this is another fantastic storyline.
Homework Assignment
This month we are working on the 2012 Mid-Year Awards and the Top Young Professional Wrestlers (30 years old and younger). If you have nominations please send it to me at mistervwv@hotmail.com and I will consider placing it on the ballot. Thanks in advance.
Dismissal
Well, that does it for me this week. I want to thank you all for reading this column. If you like it, tell a friend! The classroom has many desks available. If you want to get a hold of me throughout the week, please e-mail me at mistervwv@hotmail.com or at lounge@wrestleview.com.
THE TEACHER’S LOUNGE EVERY SUNDAY!
Every Sunday, Wrestleview Raw Recapper and Columnist Dave Stephens and I have a brand new Teacher’s Lounge on the Wrestleview Radio Network! We give a quick rundown of all the news and condense it to a 60-90 minute podcast. We even have a few games, detentions, and Gold Stars.
Also, we have the occasional interview of either someone in the professional wrestling business or a member of the Wrestleview Staff.
Now, students you are allowed to leave the classroom. Please push in yoru chairs, line up straight, and exit to the closest door. Until next time, you are all DISMISSED!!
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E-mail: mistervwv@hotmail.com and lounge@wrestleview.com