G fails to appear for the first half of the show, leaving the rest of the crew to wonder whether or not the 75 week appearance streak would end. JT fills in for him in his absence while we relive what happened on wrestling television this week. After the break song, picked by Jorge, G returns for the news, as Joe defends himself from Ustream commenters insisting he does whatever WWE tells him to do. It’s a claim Joe denies despite tweeting while watching the WWE App during SmackDown on Friday. In the news, we hear of Hogan’s horrific injury, mourn the loss of Hector Garza, and get a detailed report from our dear friend Benson about the fan brawl during RAW. Find out what happens when you call Bully Ray a “mediocre athlete.” Has WWE been reading BWF? Joe ponders this as news of an animated Flintstones movie featuring WWE stars makes it’s way through the offices. Meanwhile, the crew attempts to uncover the identity of the mysterious “Mavenfan.” Tune in!
So I spent some time seriously thinking about who were the 5 best women’s wrestlers without a contract for the Big 2 (In this case, WWE & TNA/Impact.) I’m probably going to upset some women and some fans of those women. That’s why there is a comment section. So please understand this is simply my opinion.
So what was my criteria? Are these my favorites? Not necessarily. All the below are great workers that I like, otherwise they obviously wouldn’t be on this list. My Fav 5 (to steal a Booker T-ism) is another topic for another time. Are these the best workers out in the indy scene? Not necessarily. Obviously I’d say Jazz, Beth Phoenix, Awesome Kong & Rain are in the top. But they’ve been to the big dance. I’d like to concentrate on those who haven’t been to the big dance. And are these my favorite workers to watch? Not necessarily. I love watching Allysin Kay & Athena & Veda Scott, but that’s not what this is about. These are the wrestlers that I feel could go to WWE or TNA/Impact tomorrow and contribute immediately. This is my collection of who I think are the 6 (I couldn’t narrow it down to 5.) best unsigned (by WWE or TNA) female wrestlers in North America.
Mia Yim-Is there a better combination of beauty and wrestling ability? Yim’s look is exotic. She would look great in a Diva’s model shoot. She has the experience of having traveled all over the world. And this woman doesn’t break noses because she’s clumsy. She breaks noses because she’s trying to decapitate you. There is photographic proof known as Allysin Kay. Could Mia Yim show up tomorrow in the WWE or TNA and make an immediate difference? You can bet on it.
Courtney Rush-If this Canadian were not a wrestler, you would probably see her as a beach volleyball player or a track star or some other kind of athlete. She is a tremendous athlete, like watching a wild gazelle run on a Discovery documentary. But that’s not all she offers. I recently saw a match in SHIMMER (Volume 48, to be exact) where she carried it mostly by her personality. The story was that Sara del Rey was looking for a tag team partner, and she couldn’t find anybody to be her partner, except for a way-too-enthusiastic Courtney Rush. The vignettes were entertaining, and the match was something I have not seen done in wrestling before. She is very over with their crowd and just continuing her simple gimmick, tweaked for the Big 2’s creative minds, I could see her being very successful.
Melanie Cruise-Every once in a while, wrestling needs that one woman who can come in and destroy every one. This has been a role that Awesome Kong/Kharma, Jazz and Chyna have played in the past. I think Cruise would be perfect for this role. The thing is that Cruise is still a beautiful woman. Much like Beth Phoenix, Cruise could be the respected woman renowned for her wrestling ability but still has the right amount of femininity.
Leva Bates-The biggest minus for Leva in the past was AJ Lee of the WWE. Now AJ has evolved beyond the geeky character to psycho leaving room for the geek to return. Leva has the dorky cuteness that appeals to a lot of wrestling fans. She’s good on the mic and very good in the ring. She can play whatever character she wants to. I could see her breaking the hearts of many wrestling fans who would be in love with her.
Brittney Savage-As some of these wrestlers are great workers, Savage has one thing going for her. Savage is unbelievably hot. The WWE and TNA love them some hotness. I think she could show up tomorrow in a WWE or TNA ring and break hearts everywhere. Now, just because I think she has the look most companies crave doesn’t mean she’s not a good worker. She knows her way around a ring and is really good on the mic. She is a natural heel and would be a great addition to any if the big two.
Kellie Skater-If you have never seen the Ratetank persona, I think it is well worth a view to watch how she applies the persona into every aspect of her match. I really love her hair and see little girls dressing like her in arenas. (Note to self: Daughter must do if she ever sees her live.) There aren’t enough Aussies in the international wrestling market, and I feel that between Skater and fellow Aussie Shazza McKenzie, hearts of teenage boys would melt. Skater has a great physique and plays a great heel. I could see her lasting well in the WWE or TNA.
I would like to thank AAPW for graciously sending me a copy of this DVD. They first showed the crowd, which was a good thing. They looked enthusiastic and happy to be there. The commentary had a good enthusiasm without extending into Mike Tenay shrill mode.
First match: Greg Anthony vs. Heath Hatton
I was really hoping for this guy, but alas, it was not. Anthony had a look and feel of one of the Texas Hangmen from WCW days. Anthony started off with a rather shrill promo. Not that it was bad, but there wasn’t a lot to differentiate him from every other wrestler out there. He would also be better-served to use his lower register for promos. He got the crowd nicely involved though. Hatton was pretty enthusiastic and made time for the fans. It seemed like it took forever for the first match to start. Hatton looks like a pretty impressive athlete. He had some nice vertical to his dropkick. Anthony wrestled a very good heel style. Hatton pulled a small package for the win.
Winner: Hatton
This was a nice opener. The crowd was engaged, and it started the night off on a high note. We had a brief interview with Stacey O’Brien. It sounded like an interview with your local sports team player, which is exactly what it should be.
Second match: Pokerface vs. Matt Cross
Pokerface has an impressive look. And is there a better heel move than coming out to Lady Gaga? And whether I like him or not, Matt Cross has got to be one of the best in-ring workers I’ve ever seen. They told a nice story of Pokerface being frustrated by Cross having an answer for every move. Pokerface eventually pulled a victory out.
Winner: Pokerface
Matt Cross is just a once-in-a-lifetime athlete and is just a sight to behold. Pokerface is very solid, though I haven’t seen “it” from him. It will be interesting to see where he goes.
Pac and Generico were interviewed backstage.
Third match: “Playboy” Paul Rose vs. Billy Hills vs. Jay Spade vs. Justice vs. Bull Bronson
I hated Rose’s look which I think is the point. It fits a heel style really well. Billy seems to be the hillbilly element. Being the Texan that I am, I love hillbilly elements. Spade is a little guy. Bull Bronson looks like a building with hair. He is announced from Tarrant County, but the announcer mispronounced it. The announcer pronounced it like “tar.” It should be pronounced like “tear” as in “tear a piece of paper.” I know that sounds little, but I live in and am from Tarrant County, Texas. It’s the little things. Justice was kind of the middle-sized guy in the match. This was a 5-man Free for All so I really have no idea what happened. Bronson is a nice monster. If you went into the biker bar, he’d be the leader of the rival gang. Spade had nice aerial moves. If this were a Ring of Honor crowd, he would have gotten a “Please don’t die” chant. Justice was sent packing pretty early. If you didn’t know he would come back out again, you have never seen wrestling before. Spade sure can bump. Bronson ended up winning.
Winner: Bronson
Of course I am the only person going for Bronson since he is from my home county.
Fourth match: Bull Bronson & Roscoe D. Harris vs. Money Makin’ Jam Boys
The announcers were asking why Bronson was coming out again. As far as I’m concerned, Bronson can be anywhere he wants to be. Harris’ gimmick is that he looks like he needs a bath. The MMJB are KC Jackson & Mississippi Madman. I’m pretty sure that the Madman has his own zip code. Mr. Zip Code makes Kevin Nash look like Usain Bolt. KC Jackson is a polar opposite so the two have a nice contrast. The more the match went on, Madman reminded me of George “The Animal” Steele sans body hair. I really found myself enjoying this match.
Winner: MMJB
I really like these two as a tag team. Colt Cabana cut a very nice promo about who he is and what he does.
Fifth match: PAC vs. El Generico
Matter of full disclosure: PAC is perhaps one of my favorite wrestlers, perhaps top 3. I liked that the crowd had Ole chants for El Generico. There was a “That was awesome” chant about 3 minutes into the match. Insane. I can very easily call this the best match I’ve ever seen Generico have. These two are very familiar with each other. They just seemed to kind of release and do what Terry Funk described as “the dance.” I don’t use this word very often, but I dare call this a “great” match. They also earned a “This is wrestling” chant.
Winner: PAC
The fans gave a “Thank you both” chant. And I completely agree. At the beginning of Disc 2, Ax Allwardt cut a quick promo that sounded like he was lip-syncing Hulk Hogan promos. There is a “hit-by-a-car” storyline? If somebody hit me with a car, I would call the police, not wrestle them in a ring.
Sixth match: Stacey O’Brien vs. Rebecca Raze
If Sheamus ever wanted an Irish Catholic female buddy, it would be O’Brien (not because of her skin tone, just the Irish thing going). They were going to present O’Brien with a Female Wrestler of the Year award but Raze attacked her. I was very impressed with Raze’s ring style and power. I was impressed by O’Brien’s style and power too. This match turned out to be really good. O’Brien took the win with a bridge.
Winner: O’Brien
Stacey is a nice face of their women’s divison. And what guy wouldn’t love the green pleated skirt? Also, Raze is a very good heel to complement her. This was a good match I would let my daughter watch. Easily the sleeper match of the night.
Mike Masters cut a promo. I think he thought he was leading basic training.
Seventh match: Colt Cabana vs. 3G Eric Wayne
Matter of full disclosure. I’m an avid listener of the Art of Wrestling (which you can find on iTunes). He looked genuinely happy and enthusiastic to be there. I’ve never seen him “mail it in.” He did the AAA torreador spot with Wayne. Funny stuff. Nobody does comedy better than Colt. Plus I thought Wayne did a nice job of playing straight man to Colt’s comedy. It was difficult to see Wayne’s star amid Colt being Colt. But I did like his aerial style. Wayne pulled out a win with the Spicolli Driver.
Winner: Wayne
Very entertaining match, well-booked. LiveWire cut a very nice promo. He’s a good “man of the people” type guy.
Eighth match: Mike Masters vs. Kevin Hunsperger
There was a nice video package leading up to this match. It looked like they were telling a nice story. Masters had a very nice crowd reaction (of hatred). Hunsperger was allegedly making his pro wrestling debut. So he gets a mulligan. There was a story to be told and he told it very well. It wasn’t PAC-Generico, but it was still very entertaining. Masters is such a good heel, I hated him.
Winner: Hunsperger
I put this in the category of Vince-Shane Wrestlemania 17 as not the strongest technical match but really freaking entertaining. Good feel-good moments and Masters was such a vicious heel, it made the victory so sweet.
Main event: Livewire (c) vs. Ax Allwardt
The commentary was really good and made this match seem important. Livewire moves and acts like the champ. This was a brutal brawl with a lot of emotion. While this was no PAC-Generico, this was a very good brawl. There were some ref bumps, but it made sense in the context of the match. The crowd was very behind this. Livewire ended up hitting the superkick for the win.
Winner: Livewire
All in all… I thought this was a very good DVD. Was it worth the $15? Did I mention PAC vs. Generico? You also get Matt Cross & Colt Cabana. There was enough to get me to tune in, but if it takes those 4 to tune in, it’s going to take those 4 to keep on tuning in. However I found some intriguing wrestlers. I liked Livewire, Mike Masters (as a heel), KC Jackson, Mississippi Madman, Rebecca Raze and especially Stacey O’Brien (possible swoon). All a company needs is a few fascinating characters and a few intriguing storylines.
The biggest strength by far is the crowd. They were genuinely happy to be there and were ready for a wrestling show. The wrestlers also had a lot of enthusiasm and looked like they were happy to be there. The commentary was also really good and helped to put over their talent really well.
So much to talk about in the world of professional wrestling this week… but tonight, I’ll just focus on the Blue Brand, Smackdown. Be sure to tune in for BWF Radio this Sunday as we run down the week’s news and results. Until then, let’s get ourselves immersed in the gambling culture pages like Ted is Real with some good reviews from www.boomtownbingo.com/good-day-bingo-review. Let’s not forget the grapplers that do battle there, shall we?
Have you ever had a plethora of unrelated thoughts bouncing around inside your brain-meat, refusing to go away until they are shared with others? I knew that you did. In the spirit of our very own legendary JT’s “Random Randomness” column, here are nine of mine. It almost rhymes, so it’s true. Yes, they’re much wordier than JT’s. (more…)
Fight to Survive is in the books. In the end, I thought it was very solid. The theme there is that a lot of workers are giving everything and experimenting in new ways in the ring (and some of them, outside it). It was PACKED. Every time I go, it seems to get more crowded. This is great news. It opened with a well-done recap. And then Kate introduced $Payday$. I don’t think $Payday$ has done a lot of promos, so what he said was fine. But how he said it lacked. Speaking to a crowd is not easy, and I probably couldn’t do too much better. But I would suggest giving him a mouthpiece or creating an essence to his character to where he doesn’t need to speak. (“A man of few words”, “He’s not there to speak, just to get his payday.”) $Payday$ wanted Carrion Arcane. Mike Dolenz told him that Arcane was already booked. But $Payday$ could have his match. Only it was going to be against Wally Darkmon. For me, this didn’t have the same drama. Wally and $Payday$ are both good guys. While I like getting to see both guys in the ring, it just was not the match I wanted to see (because as a fan, I want both guys to win).
First match: Ironheart vs. Carrion Arcane w/”The Angel of Mercy” Claudia
This was my first time to see Ironheart. Arcane was talking about “she was coming” and apparently, that Claudia. It’s nice that MPX has a valet, as women never hurt (but please don’t get “divas”). Her look is very gothic/Suicide Girl-ish. It is a great fit for Arcane. The match was solid. Claudia is a good throw-back to the old Woman/Nancy Benoit-type valet. And after Claudia attacked Ironheart with red mist, Arcane scored the pin.
Winner: Arcane
Second match: Kenny Steele vs. Ben Wylde w/Kyle Davis
This match was a lot better than I thought it would be. Steele is improving both in the ring and in his persona. Steele has great facials, and he’s learned other things than telling crowds he has abs. I saw something out of Steele tonight. He is an amazing athlete and has a heel charisma that you can’t teach. I can see him going places. I’m also loving the Kyle Davis aspect. Ben made him wear this green hat that was worth a million laughs in and of itself. I’m thinking this is probably my favorite storyline in MPX. The two wrestled a nice story of Steele not being able to bodyslam Wylde because he was injured. It was also a good way of Steele losing without making him look weak.
Winner: Wylde
Third match: Cash & Carry vs. Lucha Lucha & some masked guy
When Cash & Carry, came out with a grocery cart full of fun, I knew it was going to be a fun match. Maybe it’s just me, but I’ve been spoiled with seeing Necro Butcher through the years. The hardcore match was probably the un-stiffest hardcore match I’ve ever seen. I’m ok with it. I understand most of these guys are green. And I’d rather see them again, so I have to say it was fun. There was some nice plunder in this match: a baseball bat, lots of chairs (Lucha found a chair that had the Corona logo. Nice touch.), a bowling ball, a vuvuzela/”Grenade whistle” (of all things), stop sign, garbage can, grocery cart. The match was full of several OMG moments. Zach the Muscle at one point either got his bell ring or is the best seller ever. Also, there was a moment in the match where Zach attacked the masked man and he smiled a really saddistic smile. They can go a lot of places with this. I saw a little bit of of that Cactus Jack in him. I would like to see his character evolve a little bit more in that direction. He has the size to where I can see him going places. At one point, Cash & Carry found Kris Haiden out in the crowd and asked him if he wanted to hit Lucha or masked guy. He said no and this laid the groundwork for his face turn that night. This may not have been IWA-Mid South King of the Deathmatch Tournament-worthy, but IWA-MS isn’t running anymore, and a lot of those fighters aren’t fighting anymore. Not bad for a first hardcore match.
Winner: Lucha & Masked Man (I will call them Team Enmascarado)
During the intermission, the wrestlers continued their mingling with the crowd. This is one of their strongest aspects. It’s good for the kids. After the intermission came the 6-Man Elimination match.
Fourth match: James Hawke vs. Zero the Antihero vs. WASP w/Kyle Valo vs. Regrub vs. Headbanger Gregory James vs. Carlos Esquivel (with Ryan Gauge as the special ref)
This was a very multi-layered match with a lot of storylines. This is difficult to weave together and I thought the booking was nicely-done. So forgive me for missing some of the highlights. Carlos and Zero have a good dynamic and chemistry. It reminded me of that moment in “The Wrestler” when Randy “The Ram” asks the Ayatollah how they’re going to do their match. Ayatollah says “I’m the heel. You’re the face. Any questions?”
James Hawke cut a nice promo where he apologized for his attack on Frankie Fisher. I waiting for “It will neeeeever eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeever happen again” but no Jericho heel turn for now. We do Streamers for Zero. I love the Japanese/ROH tribute. Also, WASP was a very engaging heel, getting the crowd going and making fun of Regrub for breaking up pins when it was an elimination match. Ryan Gauge who had been previously in a sling, took off his cast and revealed his arm was just fine. Then he attacked WASP and made sure he was pinned. It is difficult to comment on all the dynamics as it was complex. The match ended when James Hawke made Regrub tap out. This meant something and made Hawke look very strong to make the monster Regrub tap out.
Winner: Hawke
After the match, WASP and Valo came out of the back informed Headbanger he was going to be fighting in a handicap match. Kate whispered something to Headbanger and then announced that it would be an inter-gender match: WASP & Valo vs. Headbanger & Kate. I will give MPX the benefit of the doubt, but I HATE inter-gender matches. The only one I’ve ever seen done right is Beulah-Bill Alphonso in ECW.
Fifth match: $Payday$ vs. Wally Darkmon
There were two kids behind me last night that were really into the whole show. $Payday$ saw them on his way to the ring and danced with them. This is awesome. A wrestling promotion always needs wrestlers to dance with the kids. There was a watershed moment in Mark Henry’s life when Andre the Giant brought him to the ring and danced with him. It’s hard to remember sometimes that they are what it’s all about.
The match between the two wrestlers was really good. I think this is $Payday$’s best match yet in MPX. Wally is such a pro that it was a fun match, even though it was face vs. face. As a fan, I was a little torn, because I don’t want to watch either lose. There were hand shakes for everybody. Wally gives 100%, and it is evident from his matches. The match was declared a no contest when Carrion Arcane attacked both. (I’m ok with no contests and dq’s and all that. It’s when a wrestling company does the same finish over and over again that it becomes boring, aka TNA.)
Winner: No contest
Sixth match: Matt Andrews (c) vs. Barrett Brown
This was my first time to see Barrett Brown live. He looks all of 13 years old, but he has a great focus and ring presence. His intensity reminded me a lot of Chris Benoit’s. The Matt Andrews title reign continues. He is quickly becoming a lot like Gollum with his belt. That is as it should be. He makes the belt seem important. This was a really good match. Brown was very impressive in the ring, and I hope to get to see him again. Andrews submitted Brown for the victory.
Winner: Matt Andrews
After the match, Mike Dolenz announced that Andrews would be defending his belt at the next show. After attacking him, Kris Haiden came to his rescue. He then cut a really great promo about one thing he learned from his time there is that the boys in the MPX were some of the toughest SOB’s he’d ever seen. This was a GREAT face turn. I can’t think of the last time I saw a face turn this good in wrestling. In a show of support, the MPX roster unanimously supported Haiden’s reinstatement and receiving a title shot. It was an emotional moment.
For my complete blog where I talk about wrestling, MMA and anything else I’m inspired to, click here. To follow me on Twitter, click here. For Facebook, click here.
