From the Desk of Mr. V #68
May 12, 2010
By: Anthony J. Valvo of Wrestleview.com
Introduction (By: James Taylor)
“Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention? Let me introduce to you: he is the all time, undisputed champion of WrestleView: ANTHONY J VALVO!”
Thanks for the kind introduction, James. I hope Joe Baiamonte is not reading this…He may bring out the alter ego Sheik Baiamonte.
Welcome once again class to “From the Desk of Mr. V”. I am your resident teacher of WrestleView and I (and my students this week) will provide you with the good and bad of pro wrestling. Each week I will keep the predictions records up. Inside today will be a lecture on a few buzz worthy wrestling stories, detentions, Honor Rolls, and of course some Gold Stars (still sponsored by JR’s Family Bar-B-Q). Also, I would like some more takes on your thoughts from WrestleMania a few days ago. So students have a seat and grab a beverage of your choosing. School is in session for the 68th time and I am your teacher.
Quote of the Week
This week I realized that we are missing good pro wrestling commentators. That’s right, since I abandoned the “Commentator Report Card” it appears that the commentators from WWE, TNA, and ROH have been lackluster. The only ones that I think have been consistently good would be Dave Prazak (ROH) and Todd Grisham (WWE). Both really call moves with the little airtime they receive. So, this week’s quote I found came from two commentators who fed off each other the best. The two commentators that called matches when I became a wrestling fan. That team is none other than Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby “The Brain” Heenan. They don’t make announce teams like them anymore.
Thanks to pwwew.net for these quotes.
Gorilla Monsoon: “The corner of the steps hit him in the trapezius.”
Bobby Heenan: “That’s what they use in the circus.”
Gorilla Monsoon: “The Pendulum swings.”
Bobby Heenan: “Like a pendulum do.”
Gorilla Monsoon: “is that a tune?”
Bobby Heenan: “Why do you hear music?”
Gorilla Monsoon: “No.”
Gorilla: “Brain, if you keep quiet, no one will know how stupid you are.”
Bobby: “You’re kidding.”
And if you need a good laugh…
Teacher’s Lecture
Well, this week I am actually (legit) on vacation. After enduring a big year as a substitute journalist and a professional wrestling columnist, I thought this week I am going to take a break from the Lecture. Please check out WrestleView for all the headlines and if you want a personal response to a story, then e-mail me at mistervwv@hotmail.com or leave a message on Facebook. I will answer you then. But for everyone’s sake, I will pass on the lecture this week. Consider it a gift.
Detentions (limited this week)
ETS and the Praxis Series – Because it is my column and they deserve to be on here.
Radio DJ that has some sort of army – Remember, I won’t mention the name in my column. He does not deserve to be on here that much anymore. Good move TNA, good move.
TNA Creative – For what will happen on Impact (I read the Spoilers for this week, it is disturbing).
Pittsburgh Pirates Ownership – At least everyone else saw a winning team in this millennium, but not us! Wait, did the Baltimore Orioles have the same decade-long losing streak? I am not sure.
Mother Nature – That is what happened on my vacation. It snowed two inches on May 11.
WWE Creative – Because of what will happen on Friday.
Drew McIntyre – He got one for not following the rules. Teddy Long had no choice but to “fire” him. Don’t worry “Drew Crew”, he will be back sooner rather than later.
TNA – For signing Betsy Ruth. Who is she you ask? She is the woman that almost ended Daffney’s career. Way to go TNA for once again signing someone that may be a danger to your company.
The Recent WrestleView Poll voters – not addressed to my friend Matt O’Brien, but to the fans for not acknowledging Smackdown as the best show so far. I will explain later in this column.
DUNCE CAP OF DOOM GOES TO……VICKIE GUERRERO! Many of my loyal readers asked me to place her on the list because they were tired of seeing her face on any brand. When she appeared on RAW last Monday, I had a few say they would boycott WWE for this (later rescinded because she resigned). Look, I know she generates heat better than anyone in that company and that is a shame. LayCool is starting to be interesting, but because of this “cow” (as Kelly Kelly said) I find it at times to be subpar. It is all because of Vickie Guerrero “hogging” up the WWE television time.
Since I could not find anyone to receive this award, I left it to my WrestleView student body. They all attacked the “Cougar” (I almost threw up at that). So Vickie, lay off of LayCool for one week and head to the corner. You ma’am, are a Dunce!
Past Dunces include: Kate Gosselin, ????? the Love ?????? (twice), Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Ben Roethlisberger, Michael Cole (twice), and the Virginia Men’s Lacrosse Player.
Mr. V’s Honor Roll for the week of May 3 – May 9, 2010
This Week, I will not be able to provide thoughts on each match. I just hope that if you watched all the programming you would agree that these were the best three matches of the week. I am sorry to disappoint.
Here was Mr. V’s schedule in regards to grading these matches.
5/03 – Graded WWE Monday Night Raw and TNA Impact matches (TNA will be graded Thursdays next week)
5/04 – Graded WWE NXT Matches
5/05 – Column Writing. After that, I watched ROH on YouTube and recap the show.
5/06 – Graded WWE Superstars.
5/07 – Graded Smackdown Matches
5/08 – OFF DAY
5/09 – It will now be an OFF DAY until I finally get an FCW link.
**No FCW this week. I did not get a stream for any of them. My apologies**
Distinguished Honors – Kofi Kingston vs. Dolph Ziggler, Friday Night Smackdown, May 7.
How it ended: Despite a very strong effort by Ziggler, Kingston defeated him by hitting the Trouble in Paradise Kick to advance to the Intercontinental Championship finals.
Grade: B+
High Honors – Christian vs. Cody Rhodes, Friday Night Smackdown, May 7.
How it ended: Christian hit the Killswitch (or Unprettier) to earn the other spot in the Intercontinental Championship final. Give Rhodes a TON of credit for his much improved ring presence this past week.
Grade: B.
Honors – Shad Gaspard vs. JTG, WWE Superstars, May 6.
How it ended: In a surprisingly good back and forth contest, Shad was able to defeat JTG with the S.T.O. (short for Shad Taking Over) to even the score between these two former tag team partners. Both really surprised this columnist and decided to give them the Honors spot this week.
Grade: B-.
And now…Mr. V’s Overall Grade book
A+, A, or A-: None to report this week.
B+: Kofi Kingston vs. Dolph Ziggler (Smackdown).
B: Christian vs. Cody Rhodes (Smackdown).
B-: Delirious vs. Austin Aries (ROH); John Morrison vs. Ted DiBiase, Jr. (RAW); and Shad Gaspard vs. JTG (Superstars).
C+: Roderick Strong vs. Joey Ryan (ROH); Batista vs. Daniel Bryan (RAW); John Cena vs. Wade Barrett (RAW); and Michael Tarver vs. Daniel Bryan (NXT).
C: Shannon Moore and Jesse Neal vs. Douglas Williams and Brian Kendrick (TNA); AJ Styles vs. Abyss (TNA); R-Truth vs. David Otunga (NXT); Carlito vs. Primo (Superstars); Chris Masters vs. Chavo Guerrero (Superstars); MVP vs. Luke Gallows (Smackdown); and Kane vs. Jack Swagger (Smackdown).
C-: Kory Chavis and Jon Davis vs. Caleb Konley and Pee Wee (ROH); Necro Butcher vs. Robbie Wolfe (ROH); Tyson Kidd and David Hart Smith vs. Vladimir Kozlov and William Regal (RAW); Team 3D vs. Beer Money, Inc. vs. Motor City Machineguns (TNA); and Rob Van Dam vs. Desmond Wolfe (TNA);
D+, D, or D-: Mark Henry vs. Zack Ryder (RAW); Madison Rayne, Velvet Sky, and Lacey Von Erich vs. Tara, Taylor Wilde, and Sarita (TNA); Beth Phoenix vs. Rosa Mendes (Superstars); and Layla and Michelle McCool vs. Kelly Kelly and Tiffany (Smackdown).
F or INC: Maryse vs. Nikki Bella (RAW).
PREDICTIONS FROM THE FACULTY STANDINGS!
As of WWE’s Extreme Rules (previous PPV standings in parentheses)
1) Josh Boutwell (Viva La Raza and TNA Recapper)……………….28-16 (5-2)
2) David Stephens (That’s a Wrap and RAW Recapper)………….27-17 (6-1)
3) Matt O’Brien (Notes From The Nosebleeds)…………………………27-17 (6-1)
4) Daniel Browne (For Queen and Country)……………………………..26-18 (4-3)
5) Students of the Week (The Best from Prev. PPV)………………26-18 (5-2)*
6) Jose Marrero (Wrestling Rumblings)……………………………………26-18 (5-2)
7) WrestleView Students (The Loyal Readers)………………………..25-19 (5-2)
8) Joe Baiamonte (Baiamonte’s Casa/2009 WV Champ)………24-20 (5-2)
9) Anthony Valvo (From the Desk of Mr. V/ROH Recaps)……….22-22 (6-1)
10) Sean Hurley (The Sharpshooter)………………………………………..21-23 (2-5)
11) Mike Tedesco (Smackdown and NXT Recapper)…………………20-17 (6-1)
12) Doug Lackey (Reality From Ringside)………………………………….20-24 (3-4)
13) Jeff Springer (WWE Superstars Recapper)……………………………18-14 (4-3)
Out of the Students, we had a three-way tie for the win. David Sumroy, Crystal Mai, and Michael Phillips went a perfect 7-0 and will be the Students of the Week for the TNA Sacrifice PPV in two weeks.
Mister V’s Gold Star Segment (Sponsored By: JR’s Family Bar-B-Q!)
This is no laughing matter here, but Jim Ross’ hometown of Norman, OK got torn up when a tornado hit the city. According to his blog, Jim Ross is ok and the tornado was very close of hitting his home. He also mentioned that Meat Loaf (the singer) was on Last Monday’s Raw. He also mentioned that Meatloaf (the food) would taste great with some JR’S CHIPOTLE KETCHUP!
Try it out for yourself by purchasing The 6-Pack Power Slam package for $29.88
I will say it again, I got this as a Christmas present from my wife in 2009 and I loved every drop of it, including the Chipotle Ketchup.
I am going to be a little stingy with these Gold Stars this week, but here are those who deserved them.
James Taylor – Thank you kindly for the introduction.
To all who completed the homework assignment – I thank you very much and your answers will appear later.
Matt Striker – He earns one for his little shoutout to one of my favorites right now, Prince Nana from ROH.
Bryan Danielson – That promo after NXT was excellent. He will be a player for the US Title this year.
Kofi Kingston and Christian – Two men that paid their dues in 2009, let’s hope this match will be in this week’s Honor Roll.
Matt O’Brien – Matt accepted our invitation to join us on the Teacher’s Lounge next week.
Dave Stephens – He will be going solo this week on The Teacher’s Lounge. I will be on assignment (or the fact that the FCC suspended me for a week because of my “f” bomb).
JTG and Shad – I will admit I was bored with the swerve, but right now their feud is pretty interesting.
Jay Lethal – His promo last week still deserves another gold star. I never realized how bad that entire show was on 5/3, but Lethal truly stood out.
Taylor Wilde and Sarita – Great to see them on again.
ROHBrazil – For posting ROH on HDNet clips for me because HDNet has yet to appear in Pittsburgh (I am waiting Mark Cuban).
Pittsburgh Penguins and Montreal Canadiens – I for one did not expect this to go seven games. I don’t know who won yet because I am typing this before the game begins. Good Luck to both teams. I will be pulling for whichever team wins to beat either Boston or Philly.
Wade Barrett – He is currently #1 in the NXT Rookie Poll.
Friday Night Smackdown – I really believe that despite their losses in star talent, they still put on a strong show.
William Regal – His rapping was better than most I have listened to.
Dolph Ziggler – Please someone give this guy a title?
Paul Meade – This WV Student sent me an e-mail recently on how Nash still had that Feast or Fired Case. Well, tune in Thursday to see what happens. Meade was not surprised about the outcome.
The Million Dollar Title – Because it is shiny.
Duane Duncan – for this:
Good Ideas and Bad Ideas (by: the WrestleView Students)
From Russ
Good Idea: Eddie Edwards as the ROH TV Champion.
Bad Idea: Eddie Edwards with a mic.
Good Idea: TNA using Jay Lethal’s charisma wisely.
Bad Idea: TNA not using a dozen others with equal charisma wisely.
Good Idea: Strap matches in which all four corners are touched.
Bad Idea: The strap being so long in a small Indy Promotion’s ring, the winner did not even have to move his opponent to travel post-to-post.
Good Idea: Money In The Bank Bouts create quick opportunities to build young stars.
Bad Idea: A PPV theme is overkill, and will create a mess of unnecessary title switches.
Good Idea: Recruiting young NCAA Amateur Wrestlers for the WWE Developmental.
Bad Idea: Releasing Charlie Haas & Shelton Benjamin who were already standouts. Oops.
Good Idea: Jack Swagger as Champion looks solid most days
Bad Idea: Jack Swagger losing majority of his matches overrides anything good he accomplishes.
Good Idea: Catching a Chikara Podcast, and realizing how much fun that promotion is.
Bad Idea: Watching a TNA Orlando Jordan Segment afterward.
Good Idea: King Of Trios 2010 on DVD.
Bad Idea: Step Up 3 in 3D at the movies.
From Paul Meade
Good idea: Finally take the tag titles off of Matt Morgan.
Bad idea: Give the titles to 2 guys, one who hasn’t held any title besides the legends title in 10 years, and one who can’t wrestle who the last title he won, he threw it in the trash (who else remembers the WCW TV Title debacle when Hall threw it in the trash).
Good idea: Bringing the feast or fired briefcases storyline back in the picture.
Bad idea: Having Nash cash his in and win the tag titles with Hall.
If you have any good ideas or bad ideas, send them over to mistervwv@hotmail.com.
WrestleView Students Homework
1) (From Mr. V #64) Which show in professional wrestling do you believe is the best one so far. Summarize your reasoning as to why you believe it is the best show on television right now. The choices are Raw, Impact, NXT, Smackdown, Superstars, FCW, and Ring of Honor on HDNet. (Due 5/13/10)
MR. V’S ANSWER: Now first off, I am heavily considering bringing back the Weekly TV Wars because of what I witnessed in our poll that Matt O’Brien does a fantastic job on. This week, WV goers get to determine which show is the best right now. So far, here are the results (as of May 12, 2010).
RAW (44% of vote) – It is the flagship show of the greatest pro wrestling company in the world. They usually keep the viewers entertained with the current guest host spot and have a tremendous amount of main event star power. It is hard to argue that they would be ranking #1, but not according to this teacher.
TNA Impact (27% of vote) – Since the Hogan/Bischoff era began, it was out with the old and in with the new. They totally changed up many of the attractions in years past and brought in some names and they are getting a ton of attention. True, viewers will not see the same thing again. The only problem is it is a grab bag of storylines and characters. One does not know what to expect, and again that can be good or bad. Currently, they are not a bad show. However, right now I have to score them at average.
Friday Night Smackdown (16% of vote) – They are overlooked so much it is not even funny. They have wrestlers that can tell some good stories, a full-time GM, great storylines, and a slew of talent. Every Draft writers mention how “screwed” ECW or Smackdown got. You know what? Smackdown usually does the best by getting something out of nothing. And now look? The brand’s World Champ and Intercontinental will average under 30 years old. The show is brilliantly written and I can’t wait for their move to Syfy later this year. I think a LOT of fans will take notice of this show.
ROH on HDNet (7% of vote) – ROH is not going to be everyone’s cup of tea. If you love professional wrestling that tells a story at times, this show is right up your alley. If you like to be entertained, then maybe it is not for you. When I took the recap position, I knew it was going to be a challenge because I don’t even get HDNet. However, when I catch it on other sites I usually am impressed with these athletes. For the best in pure wrestling, this is the best. But there is little outside of that.
NXT (5% of vote) – This show’s concept was great at first. But now it ran its course. These guys are hungry for that spot to be a WWE Superstar and some of them can very well be on their way. However, the lack of a long match and the challenges really hurt their spot.
WWE Superstars (1% of vote) – With all the WWE programming going on, I am surprised they got votes. This show is for those that did not make the card on Raw or Smackdown. However, with this show you are going to get a consistently solid main event. However, there is no star power on this show, which is why it is in the bottom of the pack.
Here is how I would rank them. I will do my best to be unbiased on this, as I do recap one of the shows yet watch them all.
1) Friday Night Smackdown
2) Monday Night Raw
3) TNA Impact
4) ROH on HDNet
5) WWE NXT
6) WWE Superstars
Now, here are what the students said about this assignment:
From C.R.:
I believe that week for week, the best wrestling show on TV is probably TNA IMPACT! My reasoning for saying that is because it is very unpredictable, and every week, it’s interesting to see what they are going to pull out of their hats to “compete” with WWE. While the ratings don’t show it, TNA has had some solid matches over the course of the past couple months. In addition, TNA, week after week, has the best women’s division in wrestling and also has good cruiserweight/X-Division matches.
If I had to pick another wrestling show, I’d go with Friday Night Smackdown as that is THE wrestling show of the WWE. And on some weeks, I believe that it is the best wrestling show on TV. However, I think what TNA is doing right now in terms of trying to find the right balance and having quality matches every week puts it just a little over the top of Smackdown. We’ll see after this latest draft if that changes or not.
From Jeremy Samples:
TNA is, by far, the best wrestling product on television right now. It is the exact combination of everything the other shows offer. It combines FCW and NXT’s young talent, ROH’s technical wrestling, and the rest of Superstars, Smackdown, and Raw into one. With the new move of Rob Van Dam as champion, it proves that anything can happen on a Monday night. It allows the wrestling fan to have that sense of unpredictability, once again available to them on a television show.
Just this past Monday night (NOTE: Jeremy e-mailed me this a couple weeks ago) with having Rob Van Dam vs. Jeff Hardy and Rob Van Dam vs. AJ Styles for the World Heavyweight Championship, and the result of RVD as a new champ. To me, that was the most beneficial and important week of TV for Impact and TNA as a whole. It had the most long-term effects that a television show will have on the wrestling business moving from WWE’s stale formula of weekly TV to a show that is centered around wrestling…that’s what the fan desires in today’s market. And TNA, is giving it to them.
From Michael Fox:
Favorite Show of the year is defiantly Raw. I look at it like this. This year since January we had several new feuds Randy Orton/ Sheamus and HHH/Sheamus come to mind. They built up several new stars such as Sheamus, Evan Bourne, Kofi Kingston, and The Miz (NOTE: This was sent before the WWE Draft).
I am not choosing NXT because it’s too much like Tough enough. Smackdown has built no new talent. Impact is just like watching Nitro in its dying days and they are not creative at all. I have seen ROH’s old product and Pay Per Views but the fact is I think they just lost a step. FCW has great talent but I have just not had time to watch. The only real downside to Raw is Michael Cole and that is why I am making my choice for the best show so far RAW.
From Suzanne Abshire:
I don’t get FCW so that is out. If you go by 1 hour shows it is ROH on HDNet followed by WWE Superstars and NXT. If you’re talking 2 hour shows then it is WWE Smackdown followed by RAW and TNA iMPACT!. I would put them in order Smackdown followed by ROH on HDNet, WWE Superstars, NXT, RAW, and TNA iMPACT!. I put them in order of entertaining and easiest to follow. At this point I am about to the point where I am about to give up on iMPACT! it is painful to watch.
This week’s Homework Assignment
There will be no assignment from me in regards to wrestling this week. Just do me a favor and vote for my friend, James Lacerenza, in his efforts to help those with muscle dystrophy.
(Posted from Mr. V #67)
My good friend Mr. Lacerenza is in the running for a wonderful charity for those who suffer from MD. I am still honored to have this guy as a weekly reader into my column and he does in fact need the students help. I happily obliged because it is for a noble cause.
For those that live in the United States, Pepsi is running a promotion called “Pepsi’s Refresh Everything”. Pepsi will be giving out grants for those that are voted near the top. Currently, Lacerenza’s cause is ranked 180th, but he does need our help. Lacerenza wants a grant worth $50,000 to send 70 children to a camp for children suffering from muscle dystrophy at no cost to the parents.
I am not asking any of my students to donate cash or anything, just go on this site
http://www.refresheverything.com/mdcamp
And vote for this idea. If it is ranked high enough, you may (not sounding cliché here) put a smile on many a child’s face. I thank all of my readers and friends for doing this.
You CAN vote everyday for his idea. Keep in mind thought I am on vacation I will be voting everyday on this until the deadline. I hope my friends and readers do the same.
Dismissal
Well, that does it for me this week. I thank you all for reading and I hope you enjoyed this column as much as I typed it out. If you want to get a hold of me during the week, please e-mail me at mistervwv@hotmail.com or by leaving me a message on Facebook. I do get a lot of e-mails and may not reply in a timely fashion, but I will do my best to give you a quicker reply.
Now, students you are allowed to leave the classroom. Please push in your chairs, line up straight, and exit to the closest door around you. Until my next Ring of Honor on HDNet recap (which should hopefully be up soon), you are all……DISMISSED!!!!
Look for Mr. V on Facebook under Anthony J. Valvo in the Pittsburgh Network
If you enjoy Mr. V’s WrestleView columns, then take a look at my work on my other site Examiner.com
I will be adding a feature on that website starting in May! I just don’t know what to call my column on there yet.
http://www.examiner.com/x-26526-Pittsburgh-Pro-Wrestling-Examiner
THE TEACHER’S LOUNGE IS NOW PLAYING ON SATURDAYS!!
Future Guest: Matt O’Brien from WrestleView.com
Already on the archives we interviewed Jose Marrero (Wrestling Rumblings), Crystal Mai from Diva-Dirt.com, and The YouTube Sensation who had choice words to CM Punk.
David Stephens (That’s A Wrap and Raw recapper) and I have a weekly Internet show only on the WrestleView Radio Network. It does cost a bit of money, but we will do our best to make it worth it. If you want to be a part of the Lounge for our “E-mails” section, you may drop us a line at teacherslounge@hotmail.com.
For $4.99 you can listen to the likes of Hunter Golden, Adam Martin, Tom Van Stone, Doug Lackey, and so much more!! I will be honest to say that we do offer the best value in paid content. So for a couple bucks less than a bag of Dunkin’ Donuts Coffee, you can get all of the above.
Finally to end this column, I would like to thank those who read all of my work. My ROH Recaps are still among the most viewed and my Examiner page is among the top 5 among all examiners in the Pittsburgh Area. This is the most motivated I have been in writing in some time, so thanks to all of you.
If not for the students, there would be no Mr. V. Thanks for reading my column.