From the Desk of Mr. V #126
July 1, 2011
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 teacher with the same material as last time, but different names, matches, and articles.
So sit back and grab some coffee, a cold beverage, and buy me some peanuts and/or cracker jacks. I hope you enjoy the 126th installment of “From the Desk of Mr. V”.
Enjoy some music while you are reading the early parts of the column. How about some “Party Rock Anthem”? This is the same song that was featured on Claudio’s Café weeks ago.
Quote of the Week
“What is not started today is never finished tomorrow.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
The Quick Teacher’s Lecture
1) CM Punk
I am sure all (if not most) of my readers watched the CM Punk promo from the June 27th edition of Monday Night Raw. It went something like this (somewhere in the 1:25 mark).
Now I listened to this promo every day since he delivered it and if you believe it is a work or a shoot here are some friendly words from some that I follow on Twitter, Matt Carlins (who files this under Old Pro Wrestling Adage.
@TheMisterV I think it goes like this. Rule #1: If it’s on TV, it’s a work. Rule #2: When in doubt, refer to Rule #1
And I think that is what my readers should believe. It is a 100% work job. The WWE could have easily cut off CM Punk any time they wanted to if it was a “shoot”. Maybe there is some truth that CM Punk said, but the whole segment as a whole is a complete and utter work.
Now that I got the “work” word out there, I got to say there are some promos like this that happened before. I am a casual wrestling fan (not by all means a person who spends all day watching wrestling) and what I saw was the first promo of this nature since Joey Styles cut one all the way back in 2006. This sure had a lot of people talking about The Money in the Bank Pay-Per-View, but as what many of my WrestleView peers already stated “will it move the buyrates up?”
To answer that question, I don’t think it will as much. Punk’s delivery was targets to us, the fans that analyze everything involved in professional wrestling. As Dave Stephens mentioned in the next “Teacher’s Lounge” (and I agreed) the crowd was over its head for the most part. Outside of us, if I were to go to a teenager who does not know much about pro wrestling and ask if they know what Ring of Honor was, they would not know. Does the general wrestling fan know who anyone working in WWE outside of the wrestlers, Vince McMahon, and his family are? Probably not.
So, long story short I thought this was right up there with The Rock’s first promo as the best of the year. CM Punk has come a long way to being the best in every aspect (wrestler, speaker, and at times announcer) and I feel we as wrestling fans should just enjoy what CM Punk did last Monday on Raw.
2) Chavo leaves WWE
Hey, he requested his departure from the WWE because he felt “underutilized”. I can understand his point, as there were jobs I had where I felt the same way. However, I would never air my dirty laundry on Facebook or Twitter because the Internet lasts forever.
Now that I got that out of the way, I felt that the time was right for Guerrero and the WWE to part ways. Guerrero has been with the WWE for many years, but to say he was underutilized is not entirely right. Recently, he may have a point. But the WWE did try to give him a high-level program with Rey Mysterio, CM Punk, and many others.
With all due respect, Chavo just was not a draw. He was a solid veteran in which always gave his best efforts. What he tweeted was not a meltdown, but not the most intelligent thing either. He was an excellent presence, but sadly can be easily replaced.
I do wish Chavo Guerrero well, and hope he does enjoy success outside of the WWE.
Quick Notes from “The Notebook of Mr. V”
Linda Hogan is completely crazy. If she was truly mentally harmed by Hulk Hogan, she should have reported that information years ago to the authorities instead of putting this all in a book for profitable gain. This is the first time in over a year that I do feel sorry for Hulk Hogan.
Ric Flair will not go to jail, as he (or someone) paid $35,000 to Highspots and everyone is happy. I think now anyone interested in Ric Flair’s services will really have to watch out. He is like someone with a bad driving record. He is a liability.
I did watch the ROH Internet Pay-Per-View “Best in the World”, and this weekend I will provide some thoughts on the show along with WrestleView VIP member Jason Namako. I will say kudos to ROH for a pretty solid show, and well worth the fifteen dollar price for the show.
NXT got a new twist, as Derrick Bateman returned on NXT: Redemption. By default, I am hoping for a Bateman win, he is genuinely entertaining and his wrestling skills can improve with time. Also, this does wonders for Daniel Bryan. I thought Bryan’s best work since his time with the Miz actually was when he was Bateman’s pro.
The Rock signed on to be in the next “Fast and the Furious” movie. Great (sarcastically). My reason is after watching the first one in theaters (and it was a good movie), people had to rev up their stupid “souped-up” Honda Civics and Ford Focuses. However, it is a good move for The Rock. He is going to get a heavy check for the next movie.
Finally, WWE VP of Talent Relations John Laurinaitis stated that he was not pleased with “Big Andy’s” lack of selling a Stone Cold Stunner at the finale of WWE Tough Enough. Well, in all due respect Big Andy had to get the heck out of there. Right after that R-Truth went on another conspiracy rant.
Any Questions?
I did not get any questions this week (the only ones were for the radio show), so this week I will not have any questions to answer from my loyal readers.
If you want to ask me a question, then please send it to me at mistervwv@hotmail.com.
Detentions
NewsCorp. – This is the company that bought MySpace for $580 million in 2005, but after six years and the downfall of MySpace they decided to sell the site to another source at the price of $35 million. Someone should be in serious trouble if one loses over $500 million in one investment.
Any reality dating show – I only know one or two of them working out for the best, but the rest is just a train wreck. I do not care about seeing them in “breaking news” segments on Yahoo. Get over it.
Any wrestling fan who thinks what CM Punk said was a “shoot” – It is a work. 100% work. It tells a tremendous story and instead of analyzing Punk’s promo word by word we should simply just enjoy what he said. In my opinion, it is still the best promo cut in years.
Michael Cole – Is it me, or does he really kill a match when he just makes fun of his commentary partners? The WWE should seriously muff this guy because quite frankly how he has a job still drives me crazy.
Chavo Guerrero – I understand that you were upset that you were “underutilized”. In some places where I was employed, I felt the same way. Why Chavo is in detention is because he expressed this in social media. Remember, the Internet lasts forever.
Matt Hardy – He needs to stop being delusional and realize where he stands in a company.
The Time Out Chair – Linda Hogan. My goodness how far have the mighty fallen? Linda complains that Hulk was a violent man on “Today” and compared him to O.J. Simpson. When I listened to it, I thought she was crazy (I could think of other words but my column is “PG”). If Hulk actually did that stuff, then shame on him. But from what I read the past few years she just loved for money.
Eternal Detention
Praxis and the ETS Series
Teachers that get arrested
Stinkbugs
2010 French Soccer Team
Jeff Hardy and “The Other” Hardy
“Undefined” Alicia Fox
Mike Tenay
Westboro Baptist Church
Hulk Hogan
Activists
Toni Morrison
LeBron James
“Roggio”
“The Brody”
Who can it (The Brody) be now?
As previously announced on Mr. V #120, this is a feature to the column after given the blessing by Editor-In-Chief Adam Martin. This is not a direct insult to anyone, but more of a “warning” to those who post ridiculous, uneducated, and puzzling comments under articles, columns, or recaps on WrestleView.com. I have a team of scouts who will be looking around to see who truly earns a “Brody” as the dumbest comment poster of the week.
This week, I almost had to take a pass on The Brody. There were just no idiotic comments while I was searching for topics to cover in my column or the radio show I co-host with Dave Stephens. Until June 30th, I almost was about to say that everyone was on their best behavior.
Then I checked the recent attendance figures for some WWE house shows in Texas. When I read them, they looked pretty good. I mean, they are getting usually 5,000-7,000 at a show and that is pretty impressive. Then I look below at the comments and SOMEONE had to be “The Brody”. So I happily obliged to this.
This week’s Brody of the Week is Mike Byron who posted this under the Attendance Figures for the WWE.
“bad numbers for the 60+ year old company. No reason not to get 9,000 at the least if the arena can hold it, which Hidalgo can not since it is the only one that sold out”
Mr. V’s Thoughts to this comment: When one does not capitalize the first word of a sentence one is already asking for trouble. Seriously though, I don’t get the reason for Mr. Byron’s comment.
The attendance for the house shows that the WWE produces are actually pretty good despite the tough economic times that many of us are suffering. I remember going to a live event in Pittsburgh during the “Attitude Era” in (possibly) 2000. It was when Val Venis was the Intercontinental Champion. I can’t really guess how many were at that event, but I sure as heck knew it was under 4,000 fans.
There are some obvious reasons that house shows do not get 9,000 fans unless it is a super show in New York or in one of the other large markets around the country (heck, even big markets don’t get over 6,000 sometimes).
Let me conclude so I don’t waste the time of the reader. WWE house shows that draw numbers like that are still pretty successful. Anyone who thinks WWE numbers are bad should look and see what the figures are for any other wrestling promotion. Then those people can come back and “try” to post a comment as stupid as the one Mr. Bryon posted.
Oh, and it is “cannot”. Other than that, the grammar was actually not too bad on this comment.
Let’s get the failure clips going.
I also take suggestions for “The Brody”. Send your picks to mistervwv@hotmail.com. Subject: The Brody. Thanks.
Mr. V’s Weekly Honor Roll For the Week of June 20 – June 26, 2011
6/20 – WWE Monday Night Raw
6/21 – WWE NXT
6/22 – OFF DAY.
6/23 – WWE Superstars and TNA Impact
6/24 – WWE Friday Night Smackdown
6/25 – This was the day you planned on listening to the “The Teacher’s Lounge”
6/26 – OFF DAY.
Overall, while there were no terrible matches on television this past week we did not get a match that is easily an “A” match. This week was pretty easy when it came to determining an Honor Roll. There were a couple good ones on the 6/20 edition of Raw as well as a shocker on NXT. Below is a list of my Top 3 for the week and my overall grade book.
Distinguished Honors – CM Punk vs. Alberto Del Rio vs. Rey Mysterio, WWE Monday Night Raw, June 20.
Notes: This was a superb match. It was a bit chippy, but the action and story inside the ring was very well done. Mysterio was 100% all in and was a great adversary to both Del Rio and Punk (his two recent rivals). Everything that Mysterio hit in this match was excellent. I thought Del Rio was a pretty good wrestler in this match as well. Sure, he was the worst in the group, but he has improved bounds since his debut mere months ago. CM Punk was the lead character in this match, and he did everything near perfect from the start of the match until the end.
Finish: After Mysterio hit the 619/Top Rope Splash combo on Del Rio, CM Punk pulled Mysterio off of Del Rio to earn the pinfall and the #1 Contender spot for the WWE World Championship.
Grade: B+ (leaned toward B).
High Honors – John Cena, Randy Orton, and Alex Riley vs. Christian, R-Truth, and The Miz, WWE Monday Night Raw, June 20.
Notes: The eliminations were brilliant first off. Riley was eliminated first, but still worked a good program and may be the best talent to come off of NXT since Wade Barrett. Then you follow it up with The Miz, R-Truth, Orton, and Christian. I won’t continue because I want this to be brief, but the order of elimination was the pecking order without hurting anyone’s status in their pushes. I liked almost every part of this match in way of chemistry and interaction between the opponents, except for possibly the exchanges between R-Truth and Randy Orton. Overall, it was a very good tag match that was pretty enjoyable.
How did it end? After Christian took satisfaction in defeating Randy Orton, Christian stood facing Cena. Orton then popped up and hit the RKO on Christian. Cena followed it up with an STF submission hold.
Grade: B.
Honors – Vladimir Kozlov, Conor O’Brian, and Yoshi Tatsu vs. Chavo Guerrero, Darren Young, and JTG, WWE NXT, June 21.
Notes: First off, they gave all six some decent time in this match. Sure there were moments in which the action was inconsistent, but the match overall was solid. Will it be on the WrestleView Match of the Year boards, I don’t know (YES, this was an inside plug for a forum in which I am active in). However, I thought O’Brian’s selling was at his best since he debuted on NXT 4 and it was the first time I really thought he was a strong character in the ring. The team of Guerrero, Young, and JTG worked on the rookie good with fluent short tags and just keeping him mostly grounded. The final segment was not good at all, but it was just a small problem to an otherwise good match.
How did it end? When the smoke settled around the ring, Yoshi Tatsu struck JTG in the head with his (as Dave Stephens called it in the ECW recaps) KA-RA-TAY kick to the head.
Grade: B (leaned towards a B-).
Mr. V’s Grade Book for the week of 6/20 – 6/26
A+, A, or A-: None to Report.
B+: CM Punk vs. Alberto Del Rio vs. Rey Mysterio (RAW);
B: John Cena/Randy Orton/Alex Riley vs. R-Truth/Christian/The Miz (RAW); Vladimir Kozlov/Conor O’Brian/Yoshi Tatsu vs. Chavo Guerrero/Darren Young/JTG (NXT).
B-: Kane vs. Christian (Smackdown); Christian and Mark Henry vs. Kane and Randy Orton (Smackdown).
C+: David Otunga/Michael McGillicutty vs. Santino Marella/Vladimir Kozlov (Superstars); Crimson/Matt Morgan vs. James Story/Bobby Roode (IMPACT); Abyss vs. Sting (IMPACT); Sin Cara vs. Ted DiBiase, Jr. (Smackdown); Cody Rhodes vs. Daniel Bryan (Smackdown); Ezekiel Jackson vs. Wade Barrett (Smackdown).
C: Kofi Kingston vs. Dolph Ziggler (RAW); Daniel Bryan vs. Cody Rhodes (RAW); Zack Ryder vs. Titus O’Neil (NXT); Natalya/AJ/Kaitlyn vs. Alicia Fox/Rosa Mendes/Tamina (Superstars); Bully Ray vs. Scott Steiner (IMPACT); ODB/Miss Jackie vs. Velvet Sky/Miss Tessmacher (IMPACT); Zima Ion vs. Fredrico Polocios vs. Dakota Darsow (IMPACT); Heath Slater and Justin Gabriel vs. Jimmy Uso and Jey Uso (Smackdown).
C-: Kelly Kelly vs. Brie Bella (RAW); Mason Ryan vs. Evan Bourne (RAW); Gail Kim vs. Melina (Superstars); Winter vs. Mickie James (IMPACT).
D+, D, or D-: None to Report.
F or INC: None to Report.
Current Wrestleview Prediction Standings (As of WWE’s Capitol Punishment)
2011-2012 Predictions from the Faculty Roster
1) Jose Marrero (Wrestling Rumblings/The Eye Gouge)………………………….48-24 (4-3)
2) Nicholas Gray (The Velvet Room)……………………………………………………….47-26 (4-3)
3) Ryan Rivera (ROH on HDNet Recaps)…………………………………………………46-27 (5-2)
4) Dave Stephens (Raw Recaps/That’s a Wrap/Teachers Lounge)……….46-27 (4-3)
5) WrestleView Students (The Readers of the article)………………………..46-27 (5-2)
6) Josh Boutwell (TNA Impact Recaps/Viva La Raza)……………………………45-28 (4-3)
7) Gregory “Grash” Walek (WWE NXT Recapper)…………………………………….45-28 (4-3)
8) Greg McNeish (The Velvet Room)……………………………………………………..44-29 (4-3)
9) Mike Tedesco (WWE Smackdown Recapper)…………………………………..43-30 (3-4)
10) Anthony Valvo (From the Desk of Mr. V/Teacher’s Lounge)……………….42-31 (6-1)
11) Darragh O’Connor (WV International Desk)……………………………………..41-27 (5-2)
12) Evan O’Brien (WV International Desk)………………………………………………..41-32 (5-2)
13) Matt O’Brien (Notes from the Nosebleeds)…………………………………………40-33 (5-2)
14) Andrew Hayman (WWE Superstars Recapper)………………………………..36-24 (4-3)
Tie-Breaker Points – Which are based on Championship matches correct
23: Nicholas Gray
22: Gregory Walek
21: Josh Boutwell; Ryan Rivera; Mike Tedesco
20: Jose Marrero; Dave Stephens; Evan O’Brien;
19: Greg McNeish; Anthony Valvo
17: Darragh O’Connor
14: Matt O’Brien; Andrew Hayman
Extra notes on the Predictions for WWE’s Capitol Punishment
There will be eight NEW Students of the Week that will post their predictions for TNA’s Destination X. They are Travis Thomas, Jordan Benterman, Brian Czygan, Frank McMahen, Ken Konarzewski, Ricky Langston, Steven Horsecroft, and Brandon Glover. All eight earned a 6-1 record for the Capitol Punishment PPV.
Who’s in line for the Predictions Prize?
See the latest Predictions article for details on how to compete.
First Place will win a wrestling DVD.
Second Place will win a T-Shirt.
Third Place will win a Coffee Mug.
Last Place will win TNA’s Victory Road 2009 (or now even 2011 whichever costs less), as it was as bad a PPV as what potentially someone’s picks will be.
I will just type out the Top Five readers at this time. The first set of parentheses is the W/L record for WWE’s Capitol Punishment. The second parentheses are the Tie-Breaker points.
1) Jason Namako…………………………………………………52-21 (2-5) (22) – #1
2) Michael Fox……………………………………………………51-22 (4-3) (23) – #2
3) Paul Meade……………………………………………………..51-22 (5-2) (22) – #3
4) Nick Latham…………………………………………………….50-23 (5-2) (23)
5) Jordan Benterman…………………………………………..50-23 (6-1) (22)
The person with the most picks incorrect is currently 43-30 with 16 tiebreaker points. Therefore, I deem that score the worst.
In two weeks, TNA will have their Destination X PPV. You can e-mail me your predictions when you feel comfortable, as long as it is before July 10th!
Mr. V’s Gold Star Segment
Gold Stars brought to you by: ColtMerch.com! Take a look at Colt Cabana’s merchandise and you won’t be disappointed.
Also, while you are at it check out www.jrsbarbq.com. Jim Ross has some specials on all the Beef Jerky you can consume. Look at his blog and maybe buy a product or two.
Finally, some Gold Stars! These are the people, teams, and many other things that I think did a great job in wrestling, sports, news, and even charity. So, here is who I am giving a Gold Star to.
Pittsburgh Pirates – They are still (?) over .500 as of the time I wrote this column. Can they finally break the streak of losing seasons?
Derrick Bateman and Daniel Bryan – Welcome back to NXT.
Shiima Xion – He won his X-Division match and in doing so earned a spot for the TNA Destination X PPV (his TNA name is Zema Ion). Hey, he did pretty good for what his other two opponents offered.
Mark Henry – He is just getting started with his latest personality.
Michael Elgin – As some of my readers already know, he is the best power wrestler that is not in the WWE at this moment. Just watch one of his matches, his power is unbelieveable.
CM Punk – He delivered a promo that was the talk of the month. It was very crisp, emotional, and might be the best promo I heard leading to a match in over five years. Remember, it is a work my students. A work.
WrestleView VIP members and ones that may be one – Adam Martin created a good montage of all the shows on the WrestleView Radio Network. By the way, one month of programming is cheaper than a Venti Coconut Frappachino at Starbucks. Believe me, I know. But to the VIPs, I personally want to thank you all. To listen, click here.
To the WrestleView recappers – Great job this week on your recaps. No matter what the majority of the comments say below, we have the most intelligent recappers in the business.
Tom Van Stone – In a small joke on my Facebook page asking for a “Mr. V coffee mug” to go on sale for WrestleView’s shop, it could potentially be a seller. So, I ask all my readers this. If they make a “Mr. V” coffee mug, will anyone be interested? Just a thought.
Claudio Castagnoli – He always will earn one for staying “Very European”.
Colt Cabana – He earns one for entertaining his fans with “The Art of Wrestling” podcast every week. This week he got Jay Lethal as a guest and I think wrestling fans would enjoy how close Jay Lethal’s family are with each other.
Davey Richards – He is the NEW Ring of Honor World Champion, and though I was hoping Eddie Edwards would have been a champion longer it was the smartest thing in a business scene. ROH fans pay to see Richards, who is deservedly the face of the company now.
El Generico – He is the NEW Ring of Honor Television Champion. Each match he participates in I realize that he is the biggest asset to the company, and after a tremendous feud with Kevin Steen last year he finally climbed a title ladder and became a champion. He is easily the best babyface they have in ROH.
Kevin Steen – He only appeared on “Best in the World” for mere minutes, but made the biggest splash by turning on Steve Corino and Jimmy Jacobs.
Ring of Honor – They earn one for a solid Internet PPV. They set a record for themselves with over 2,000 buys, and as long as they are improving in that number they are doing well.
Sting – Last week, I did not like the gimmick. But after thinking more into the character (and a few e-mails from some really good fans of mine) I get why Sting has this gimmick. And you know what? It is something I am definitely interested in.
Chicago – Not the city, the band. A truly underrated music group that should be considered among the best.
By the way, Happy 4th of July Weekend. Drive safe. Don’t drink and drive. And finally, enjoy the fireworks.
I know it is not a 4th of July fireworks celebration, but the ones I tried to use had too many background noises. I am sorry.
And that is all for now. If you want me to give out a Gold Star let me know at mistervwv@hotmail.com.
This Week’s Homework Assignment (If interested, due next week)
The Homework Assignment are as follows:
1) If you are interested in doing a Power Rankings system for professional wrestlers in the WWE (and possibly TNA and ROH if interest is plenty). Again, please send me an e-mail and we are going to set this up in a week or so.
Dismissal
Well, that does it for me this week. I thank you all for reading this column and I hope you enjoyed this column as much as I typed it out. If you like it, tell a friend! My classroom has many desks inside. If you want to get a hold of me during the week, please e-mail me at mistervwv@hotmail.com or at lounge@wrestleview.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!
Facebook: Add me if you want. I am Anthony J. Valvo in the Pittsburgh, PA network
Twitter: @MrVWrestleView
E-Mail: mistervwv@hotmail.com or lounge@wrestleview.com
To Send Predictions for “Predictions of the Faculty”: mistervwv@hotmail.com or Private Message via Facebook.
THE TEACHER’S LOUNGE IS NOW AIRING ON SATURDAYS!
Along with WrestleView’s Raw Recapper and Columnist Dave Stephens, The Teacher’s Lounge gives the WrestleView Radio Network Audience a complete rundown of the past week’s events in professional wrestling all in a one to two-hour program. We even have a few games, a detention segment, as well as interviews.
Most Recent Guest (on the 6/4/2011 edition of The Teacher’s Lounge)
Ring of Honor, SHIMMER, and Chikara Professional Wrestler Sara Del Rey
Sara Del Rey joined Dave and I on June 4th, 2011 to discuss Ring of Honor’s sale to Sinclair, portrayal of women’s wrestling, wrestling in Japan, SHIMMER, Chikara, the BDK, and Starbucks. This is an interview you truly do not want to miss.
Already on the archives we interviewed WrestleView.com staff members, including:
• Jose Marrero (Wrestling Rumblings and FYB Radio host)
• Matt O’Brien (Notes from the Nosebleeds)
• Josh Boutwell (TNA Recapper and Viva La Raza columnist)
• Mike Tedesco (WWE Smackdown recapper)
• CJ Bowman (The Velvet Room and one-time guest host)
• Nicholas Gray (The Velvet Room)
• Adam Martin even guest hosted an episode (find out which one) (Editor-In-Chief)
• Paul Nemer (Site Owner)
But wait, here is plenty more!
The Teacher’s Lounge also interviewed professional wrestlers and amazing writers, including:
• Ring of Honor Wrestler and Former NWA World Champion Colt Cabana.
• TNA Superstar Hernandez
• Isis The Amazon (formerly Aloisia of WWE)
• Lori Carrington (Author of “The Cruiserweight)
• Crystal Mai (from Diva-Dirt.com)
• ROH, SHIMMER, and Chikara Professional Wrestler Sara Del Rey
As always, Dave Stephens and I thank all our listeners as well as our readers. For $4.99 a month, you get all of this along with many other hours of content from the other shows 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 lounge@wrestleview.com. To sign up, click here.