From the Desk of Mr. V #90
October 7, 2010
By: Anthony J. Valvo of Wrestleview.com
Introduction
(By: James Taylor)
Just as the Falcons soar each week in the NFL. I, Anthony J. Valvo will bring you to new heights each week in the world of professional wrestling. (Thanks, James)
This one is from Josh Piedra, still a very good friend of mine.
Just like the Patriots dismantled the Dolphins in the ultimate schooling of how to play football, I, your resident teacher here at WrestleView, will dismantle the world of professional wrestling and bring you all into the classroom as I sit, once again, behind the Desk of Mr. V (Thanks Josh. Hope all is well with you.)
Welcome to the latest edition of “From the Desk of Mr. V”. I am Anthony “Mr. V” Valvo, your WrestleView resident teacher with the same material as last time, but different names, matches, and articles.
So sit back and grab some iced coffee. Relax as you read the 90th Installment of “From the Desk of Mr. V”.
Countdown to Mr. V #100…70 Days! (Yes, it is worthy of a WrestleMania in itself!)
Quote of the Week
This week, I am actually kind of sad. Honestly, I am. I can’t believe this is happening, but Mr. V is turning the BIG 3-0!! And honestly, I am frightened by it. So, thanks to Rob here are some quotes for those that are feeling a bit on the older side right now.
(From Rob Goulding)
“Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young.” – Henry Ford
“How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are?” – Satchel Paige
“You can’t help getting older, but you don’t have to get old.” – George Burns
Teacher’s Lecture
1) John Cena is Nexus.
My Thoughts: I thought this was not going to happen, and I will be the first to admit that. John Cena, the face of the WWE and beloved by his adolescent fans. Cena, the man who jumps over buildings and be the face of a generation of WWE fans is now forced to do evil bidding. On Saturday, I mentioned that it would be a no contest because no way will Nexus disband and Cena join Nexus.
Well, I was 50% right. However, this was a shock that I needed. In my eyes, I was predicting what was going to happen and the timing of this could not have been better. Sure, many will say what Wade Barrett is doing to Cena is similar to what JBL did to Shawn Michaels last year (or two), but now we are seeing it live and in front of us. Many fans grew tired of Cena’s gimmick and his character. The WWE did the right thing by going outside the box, have Cena lose, and force him to join Nexus and do Barrett’s bidding.
At first, Cena wanted to destroy Nexus from within. I found that somewhat predictable. First, he took out Michael Tarver and pretty much sent him to FCW. Then Barrett said he did not want him all along. So, out goes Darren Young and Michael Tarver and enter Michael McGillicutty and Husky Harris*
*remember when I thought in NXT Season 2 that it would anyone’s guess between Kaval, Riley, McGillicutty, and Harris? Well, now all four of them have something in the WWE now. Riley is now the associate to The Miz. Harris and McGillicutty are now potential associates to The Nexus. Kaval is somewhere on Smackdown as the winner. Someone said that I needed to pat myself on the back. Well, consider my back patted.
Anyways, with Cena now being forced to listen to Wade’s bidding. Yes, this may upset the core of Cena’s fans but it tells a great story. There are many questions and there are so many ways to move around in this storyline.
Will Cena find a way out? It won’t happen soon, but I expect something before year’s end. If Cena does go heel like many want him to do, will this hurt the WWE’s bottom line. Remember, professional wrestling companies listen to the green before they listen to us. If the fans aren’t buying, it’s time to switch the plan. With that said, unless business and merchandise sales start to fall I expect Cena to stay in Nexus (even in character he just can’t do it). If anything, I credit the WWE and Cena for trying something new for Cena. Let’s face it, he needed it. And even if it is in a “tweener” role something had to be done.
What does it do for Nexus? Well, it gives Nexus a ton of staying power. They lost Daniel Bryan (lost, but found), Darren Young (exiled), Skip Sheffield (injured), and Tarver (exiled perhaps). So, they replaced these four with Cena (the biggest name in pro wrestling today), McGillicutty, and Harris. I think with that it makes the Nexus faction stronger than ever. Some reported that Nexus would have been gone by now. Well, my honest pick now is Nexus will be strong until the New Year. In 2011, I can really see the winds changing again. My early WrestleMania prediction now (and it will be ever-changing) will be Cena’s Freedom vs. Barrett’s Union. It will be something new and fresh for WrestleMania.
2) Mr. V? What is Abyss talking about? Who is “They”?
Thoughts: I got this from a few readers on Facebook. Who will “they” be? Hogan? Dixie? The 1977 Philadephia Flyers? Team 3D?
Do you want my honest answer? Ok. My answer is…I don’t know. I don’t know who “they are”. I am actually hoping that it would be James Mitchell. I mentioned it on the Friday Fishbowl. However, here is a list on who I think “They” could be.
Dixie Carter – This is obvious…too obvious. I don’t think she want to be “the bad girl”.
Eric Bischoff – A swerve like this is right up his alley.
Sting and Kevin Nash – As much as I want to think it is “them”, I think their expiring contract will be the issue. Besides, Nash’s contract is up on 10/12/10, right?
Hulk Hogan – If he gets off the hospital bed in time. Seriously, I pray for a good recovery.
Vince McMahon – Oh my, would that be funny it ended up being people in suits with the WWE logo on them?
James Mitchell – Oh, I hope so! When Abyss was at his best, who was with him?
Matt Hardy – With grapes and guns in tow? Nope, not Matt Hardy.
Paul Heyman – As much as I don’t want to say it, it can’t happen. Heyman I think is happy where he is at right now.
Spike TV Executives – Hey, no one is talking about “them”.
Here is my prediction on who “they” are. I will stick with James Mitchell. However, don’t be surprised if it is Eric Bischoff or even Mr. Anderson. All I hope is that it is worth the hype. I want to see wrestling do well, and I honestly feel that Bound for Glory 2010 is crucial for TNA as an entire company. Bound for Glory will be somewhat a one year anniversary since Hogan inked a deal with TNA.
I guess all we can do is sit back on our TV or computers and enjoy. Maybe “they” will live up to the hype. I hope so for TNA’s sake.
3) ROH cutting back on talent use?
Thoughts: When I read this on WrestleView, I was kind of shocked that the two names that were not going to be used for a while on TV Tapings and other shows.
The first is The Necro Butcher. He is probably one of the better brawlers in the business and was in a feud with a ragtag team led by “Skullkrusher” Rasche Brown. I thought this had a good bit of potential, but if the reports are true that is a little sad. Necro was getting something special as the “Crown Jewel” of Prince Nana’s Embassy and I was hoping for a conclusion to their story. If this is true, I am disappointed.
The other name is Austin Aries. If true, I don’t know why they are doing this. Aries is arguably their best heel, but he has toned it down a bit since his feud with Delirious. I know Aries is now taking a back seat as a manager for Rhett Titus and Kenny King (The All-Night Express) and on the latest iPPV, he was wrestling mid-card against Christopher Daniels. I kind of expected a slight de-push since his ROH Championship loss, but nothing like this. Aries is an amazing character in the ring and if you lose that element, it would be a huge blow to the ROH roster in my opinion.
So, I hope the reports are just simply “untrue”. I think they are off the DVDs and TV because there is nothing for them to push forward now. However, if this is true then I do worry about the future of ROH to let two heels off of the ROH schedule.
Detentions
Mr. V – Once again, I lost again on the WrestleView Fantasy Football League. Last week was not even close. Now I am 0-4 with no relief in sight. And Thanks to Tom Van Stone, I found out that I have been on the wrong end of the Blowout of the Week on 3 of 4 occasions. See what I am doing Tom? I am putting a curse on the Yankees.
Edge – For spearing the Swagger Soaring Eagle. What’s next? Will he defecate on a Swaggie?
Michael Cole – Many want me to put him here. So, even though Cole plays his role splendidly I have no choice but to send him in detention.
The Final NXT on Syfy – I would have hoped they gave us something, but instead for an hour I was treated to two contests and commercials. It was very frustrating to say the least.
Smackdown on Syfy – Outside of a few funny moments, the show did not start their new network on the right note.
Nolt’s Office Furniture Store – For not giving Rosie (a loyal student of mine) her desk! This is very disappointing and I will voice my displeasure. If not done by next week, I will have my students sign a petition to “Give Rosie her Desk”. You have one week, Mr. (or Miss, Ms., Mrs., etc) Nolt.
That is it with detentions.
The Eternal Detention Rundown
Praxis and the ETS Series
Teachers that get arrested
Ryan Clark
The Bee and Wasp family
Bubba The Love Sponge
The Pittsburgh Pirates Front Office
“Undefined” Alicia Fox
Quizno’s
5-Hour Energy
Matt Hardy (yes, even YOU “Matthew”!)
Mr. V’s Weekly Honor Roll for the week of September 27 – October 3, 2010
9/27 – Graded WWE Monday Night Raw Matches
9/28 – Graded WWE NXT Matches
9/29 – Column Writing. After that, I watched ROH on YouTube and recap the show.
9/30 – Graded WWE Superstars and TNA Impact Matches.
10/01 – Graded Smackdown Matches
10/02 – OFF DAY
10/03 – OFF DAY
The wrestling this week was ok at best. Only a few matches stood out, while the others were just average or were good but did not get much time on television. So with that typed, here is my top three for the week. It was actually pretty easy.
Distinguished Honors – Randy Orton vs. Chris Jericho, Monday Night Raw, September 27.
How it ended – The match was going back and forth throughout and it was pretty solid. In the end, Sheamus ran in and tried to make a statement on Orton. However, Orton planted the DDT on the ropes to Sheamus. The match ended in a no-contest and after that announcement, Orton punted Jericho’s head.
Grade: B (leaned toward a B+)
Why it was distinguished honors-worthy? The match told a nice, slow story inside the ring. I like how it flowed at the start, as they were just exchanging basic holds and moves. There were a ton of reversals, but based on the stipulation that if Jericho won he was in line for a title shot it really added to the match. Jericho was very fundamentally sound, he did not miss a beat throughout the course of the contest. The one thing I really liked about Orton was that he was intense from start to finish. Orton was very lethal after the bell rang. I gave this match a few bonus points because Orton brought out that “Legend Killer” instinct and punted Jericho to 2011 (when he will more than likely return). It told a story, and it did not take forever. It was a quick start and a quick conclusion. Sometimes, that makes for good TV.
Distinguished Honors – Roderick Strong, Christian Able, and Josh Raymond vs. Christopher Daniels, Jay Briscoe, and Mark Briscoe, ROH on HDNet, September 27.
How it ended – With the help of Strong’s manager Truth Martini (who grabbed Daniels’ foot slightly at the end), Strong got a hold of Daniels and hit the Death By Roderick Gutbuster to secure the pinfall victory.
Grade: B-
Why it was high honors-worthy? The pace was pretty much in the middle to start. The crowd was very much into Daniels to begin the match. Daniels I thought was more of the star in this contest because he told an amazing story in the ring. He was fluent with his attacks and sold the offense of his opponents very well. I was very surprised with Able’s power. He looks small, but his power was pretty good at times. I think that he will need a little more polishing and he could be someone that ROH can keep for a while. Even though Jay Briscoe did not do much in this match, Mark had a pretty good showing. He was the one getting attacked most of the time, but his awareness and moves were crisp. The finish was a bit spotty, as they needed to pick up the pace to get it all in before the show ended. Also, the ending was fine because it ended up being circled around Roderick Strong and Christopher Daniels. The way Truth Martini interfered it was perfect. He just did a quick pull of the leg and it was enough to have Strong get the upper hand this week. I was pleased, but there were just a couple spots that were just a little off.
Honors – Chris Hero and Claudio Castagnoli vs. Player Uno and Player Dos, ROH on HDNet, September 27.
How it ended – In a surprisingly set of exchanges by both teams, the ROH World Tag Champions managed to earn the victory in a non-title match. Hero ended up connecting the Moonsault on Player Dos for the win.
Grade: B- (leaned toward C+)
Why it was honors-worthy? This was the opener to ROH on HDNet, and it was pretty solid. If there is a tag team that has better in-ring chemistry than The Kings of Wrestling in 2010, I would love to see it. They rarely did a double team move in this match, and they still did an amazing job! The Super Smash Brothers (Uno and Dos) worked well together, but it seemed that they were out of their element. I found their double team moves good, but there were way too many of them. However, from start to finish I was entertained. This tag team match was better than what ROH offered the viewers the previous week.
Mr. V’s Grade Book for the past week
A+, A, or A-: None to Report
B+: None to Report
B: Randy Orton vs. Chris Jericho (RAW).
B-: Chris Hero and Claudio Castagnoli vs. Player Uno and Player Dos (ROH); and Roderick Strong, Christian Able, and Josh Raymond vs. Christopher Daniels, Jay Briscoe, and Mark Briscoe (ROH).
C+: John Cena vs. Edge (RAW); Kofi Kingston vs. Jack Swagger (Superstars); Max and Jeremy Buck vs. Jesse Neal and Shannon Moore (TNA); AJ Styles vs. Brian Kendrick (TNA); and Abyss vs. Kurt Angle (TNA).
C: Daizee Haze vs. Rachel Summerlyn (ROH); Cody Rhodes and Drew McIntyre vs. David Hart Smith and Tyson Kidd (RAW); Brie and Nikki Bella vs. Jillian and Alicia Fox (Superstars); Tommy Dreamer and Rhino vs. James Storm and Robert Roode (TNA); Mr. Anderson vs. Samoa Joe (TNA); The Undertaker vs. CM Punk (Smackdown); and Kane vs. John Cena (Smackdown).
C-: Natalya, Kelly Kelly, Brie Bella, and Nikki Bella vs. Michelle McCool, Layla, Alicia Fox, and Maryse (Smackdown) and Randy Orton vs. Cody Rhodes (Smackdown).
D+, D, or D-: Steve Corino vs. Aiden Chambers (ROH); Divas Battle Royal (RAW); Sheamus vs. The Great Khali (RAW); Dolph Ziggler vs. MVP (Smackdown); and The Nexus vs. The Big Show (Smackdown).
F or INC: NXT without one single match (NXT).
Current Predictions from the Faculty Standings
2010-2011 Season (As of WWE’s Hell in a Cell 2010)
1) David Stephens (That’s a Wrap and RAW Recapper)………….73-40 (3-2)
2) Josh Boutwell (Viva La Raza and TNA Recapper)……………….73-40 (4-1)
3) Students of the Week (The Best from Prev. PPV)………………68-45 (4-1)*
4) Jose Marrero (Wrestling Rumblings)……………………………………67-46 (3-2)
5) Matt O’Brien (Notes From The Nosebleeds)…………………………66-47 (3-2)
6) Daniel Browne (For Queen and Country)……………………………..65-48 (3-2)
7) WrestleView Students (The Loyal Readers)………………………..65-48 (3-2)
8) Anthony Valvo (From the Desk of Mr. V/ROH Recaps)……….64-49 (3-2)
9) Jeff Springer (WWE Superstars Recapper)……………………………56-38 (3-2)
10) Mike Tedesco (Smackdown and NXT Recapper)…………………53-37 (5-0)
11) Doug Lackey (Reality From Ringside)…………………………………..52-42 (NR)
12) Sean Hurley (The Sharpshooter)………………………………………..28-32 (NR)
13) Joe Baiamonte (Baiamonte’s Casa/2009 WV Champ)………24-20 (NR)
The next PPV will be TNA’s Bound for Glory 2010. Three of the Students of the Week were able to get 4-1 records at WWE’s Hell in a Cell. Therefore, they retained their status as “Students of the Week”. They are Michael Phillips, Gregory Walek, and Chad Robbins.
Ben Phillips was the only one defeated. He went 3-2.
I averaged out the Students of the Week Scores, they had an average of 3.75. So I gave them a 4-1 record.
Among the Faculty, Mike Tedesco was the best among everyone. Mike was the only person to get a 5-0 score.
Overall, we had 21 “WV Students” and the average amount of wins was 2.95. Since I estimate their results I averaged it out as a 3-2 record for the Students. Frank Contorno, KingoftheWorld, David Allread, Craig Alan Cope, and Jamel Watson all scored a 4-1 record. But since the SOTW members win a tie-breaker, they did not earn that status.
Past Students of the Week: Evan O’Brien, TJ Patton, Ricky Langston, Craig Alan Cope, Paul Lyons, SUPERSTARZZ, Jeremy Samples, Josh Logan, Eric Marin, David Sumroy, Crystal Mai, Michael Phillips, Sean Martin, Sam Newstone, Brian Czygan, Wade Bradford, Austen Allen, Paul Meade, Frank Contorno, and Benjamin Phillips.
Mr. V’s Gold Star Segment
Once again, the stars are in my hand and those that got one clearly deserved them. Let’s see who is awarded a Gold Star this week.
To all the Major League Baseball Playoff Teams (and to some of their fans) – To the New York Yankees (Mike Tedesco’s team, Tampa Bay Rays (Jerry Petuck’s team), Texas Rangers (Rocky Dominguez’s team), Minnesota Twins (Matt O’Brien’s team), Atlanta Braves (James Taylor’s team), Philadelphia Phillies (Dave Stephens’ team), Cincinnati Reds (Michael Arrasmith’s team), and the San Francisco Giants (ok, does anyone want the Giants?). All those teams earned their chance and may the best team win. My pick is still Yankees/Phillies with the Phils winning in six, as their pitching is dominant.
To Foster’s Home of Imaginary Friends – This cartoon left us way too soon. Since Smackdown was airing in Topeka this week, I thought I would share a great clip from this show.
Mike Tedesco – He got a perfect record in the Predictions from the Faculty game. He went 5-0 this past week. Here’s hoping that he can do well again this week.
Michael Phillips, Gregory Walek, and Chad Robbins – For maintaining their status as the Students of the Week thanks to owning a tiebreaker. They will be providing picks for TNA’s Bound for Glory.
Frank Contorno, KingoftheWorld, David Allread, Craig Alan Cope, and Jamel Watson – I will not forget this, they also did a fantastic job on going 4-1 for Hell in a Cell. However, in case of a tie with the students of the week they could not earn the spot. Honestly, it would have been tough to pick up eight different sets from the students so it could be a blessing in disguise.
Josh Boutwell and David Stephens – Once again, they are tied for the Dean’s Chair. So David was only able to secure it for one PPV. Boutwell already said he had pillow talk with Dixie Carter. Did Dixie tell Josh who “they” are?
Claudio Castagnoli – For staying “Very European”
To those that completed the homework assignment – If you are a VIP member, Dave Stephens and I will go over some of your selections. If you are not, don’t worry I will have something up later.
Charlie Batch and the Pittsburgh Steelers– Even though he lost last week, I will say this. The Steelers did a fantastic job without Ben Roethlisberger. Now with the franchise QB back from the suspension, let the points be high! 3-1 without him was a feat in itself. And to those “yinzers” (which are those that have little sports knowledge in Pittsburgh), please don’t pollute the phone lines and say that Batch should start against Cleveland. It is disturbing.
Advice from Woodsy Owl.
Enzo Medicino – With Mike Tedesco gone from recapping NXT, Enzo graciously sacrificed his time each week to write the NXT Recap. Welcome to the family, Enzo.
Jim Ross – We miss you.
Joey Styles – Reading what he wrote on Twitter during NXT was one of the highlights of the show.
John Cena – This has been his best acting ever! And YES, I even included 12 Rounds!
Edge – Though he got one detention this week, I will give him a gold star as well for making fun of Michael Cole.
Jack Swagger – It takes a lot of courage to go to your hometown and, in character, say “God Bless Texas” in front of a crowd of fans in Oklahoma City.
Johnny Knoxville – For staring in Jackass 3-D. Even though I am supposed to be a mature teacher, expect me to make an appearance in a Cinemark on opening night.
Seth Rollins – He was known as “Tyler Black” in Ring of Honor and now he is on the FCW web page. Best of luck to you, Tyler Black.
Colt Cabana – He earns one for his awesome merchandise. Also, The Art of Wrestling has been my favorite wrestling podcast. I never miss one.
To all the readers that played a part in my column this week – I thank you.
Homework Assignment (The Results will be up within the week)
I was very pleased to see many of you complete the homework so far. With that, I thank all of you that completed the assignment. Dave Stephens and I will actually go over the homework on this weekend’s edition of The Teacher’s Lounge and provide all of you with our rosters. Don’t worry to those who are not VIP members, I did not forget about you. I will analyze your homework and give you my thoughts in a later edition (more than likely when there is no PPV because I am swamped when I have to do PPV predictions).
If you still want to complete the assignment, here it is!
Pretend you are the only wrestling organization in town after buying off all the wrestling companies (yes, even Vince McMahon because he won’t live forever). It may take a bit of homework, but here is the question.
Hire 10-15 wrestlers regardless of where they wrestled at. They must be living.
Hire 2-4 women wrestlers as well.
This is due next week. Have fun with this assignment. I will show you my roster then as well. You may not like mine, but I shall give you two of my choices as a treat.
This will be a tag team: Colt Cabana and Yoshi Tatsu (talent and entertainment, what more could you want).
Good Idea, Bad Idea (By: Michael Phillips)
Good idea: Wanting to be happy where you work
Bad idea: Posting a video when you know you were sent home
Even worse idea: keep talking crap and setting up to lose a lot of money
Super terrible idea: Keep posting videos knowing that they won’t release you so they bury you even more!!! (GOOD FREAKING JOB STUPID! HOW’S THAT WORKING OUT FOR YOU?!?!?!)
Good Idea: using twitter, YouTube, and Facebook to progress story lines
Bad idea: using twitter, YouTube, and Facebook to progress story lines
Even worse idea: trying to control twitter, YouTube, and Facebook that u let your employees have to help the job
Super Terrible idea: Now outright violating first amendment rights by saying employees can not have these accounts (GOOD JOB SET YOURSELF UP FOR LAWSUITS WHEN YOU ARE BEING INVESTIGATED BY SEC BY SAYING WRESTLERS WERE INDEPENDENT CONTRACTORS! IN 2 WORDS…. YOU IDIOT!)
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, teacherslounge@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 next week, you are all……DISMISSED!!!!
Look for Mr. V on Facebook under Anthony J. Valvo in the Pittsburgh Network. I noticed a lot of you “like” my columns and to all those, I thank you for reading.
Mr. V FINALLY has Twitter. Follow me and my boring life at http://twitter.com/TheMisterV.
THE TEACHER’S LOUNGE IS NOW AIRING ON SATURDAYS!
Most recent guest: Former WWE and Current Independent Wrestler Aloisia (aka Isis The Amazon)
Dave was on assignment for this interview. So Jose Marrero and I had a very crisp, polite interview with a women’s wrestler who has gotten a lot of publicity over the past few weeks. Aloisia was a class act and we thank her (if she is reading) for being a part of the show this week. Her indie work, time in the WWE, and her future plans were discussed.
But wait class! There are more guests!!
Already on the archives we interviewed Jose Marrero (Wrestling Rumblings), Matt O’Brien (Notes from the Nosebleeds), Crystal Mai from Diva-Dirt.com, and The YouTube Sensation who had choice words to CM Punk, and ROH Wrestler Colt Cabana! For $4.99, you get all of this along with many other hours of content from the other shows on the WrestleView Radio Network.
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. To sign up, click here.