From the Desk of Mr. V #53
February 4, 2010
By: Anthony J. Valvo of WrestleView.com
Introduction
Hello classroom! Once again, it is Mr. V here providing you with some of the highlights and lowlights of the week that was in professional wrestling. I have much material to share this week. I have some Gold Stars to deliver, but I also have detentions to assign. I don?t have class rules (but maybe a rule or two soon). I do have an Honor Roll and a Worst Match of the Week. I also have a homework assignment for you all and I am still looking for some new ideas (I will share with you the ones that I already got from some students of WrestleView). So, sit back and enjoy the day. School is in session and once again for the 53rd straight week Mr. V will be the teacher. It is time to educate.
Before the quote of the week, I want to thank that HUNDREDS (not thousands yet) that have e-mailed me commending my work over the past year. I can?t believe that this column will begin Year 2 of the Mr. V column. Honestly if it was not for all of you loyal readers I don?t think I would have the drive to continue the column. So to those that e-mailed me your opinions, predictions, suggestions, and homework assignments I thank each and every single one of you.
Quote of the Week
While I was looking at the e-mails that I received I came across an e-mail from Richard Misfeldt. Not only did he share with me an idea that would be good for this column, but he let me to his blog in which he has many quotes that he permitted me to use for my weekly column. So, here is one of the quotes that I found on his site.
?The angry man will defeat himself in battle as well in life? – Samurai Maxim
For all the quotes on his site, please check out http://tyedyemind.tripod.com. I know I will check his site out many a times for some of the best quotes I have seen in a while.
Headlines
Well, I decided to briefly go over a couple of the stories this past week that caught my eye when checking out the fine website of WrestleView.com.
Headline #1 – TMZ busted Jericho and Helms?Matt Hardy fled the scene.
Look, when I first saw this I joked that Chris Jericho is going through a mid-life crisis. Jericho is nearing his 40s (if he has not reached that yet) and is now getting himself publicly in trouble with the law. Though I wonder what is going on inside the head of Jericho this past year I must say that it was an accident and we all should give the man a second chance. But if we hear the same stories going on in the upcoming months, then I think it will be a big deal.
Helms apparently had a drug on him during the arrest and may or may not have struck a woman. If that is the case given the fact that he is a mid-card level guy on ECW (or whatever it will be called in 19 days) I think this may be a death blow to Helms. Look, I never want to see anyone lose their job and Helms is one of my favorites. However, if there is something wrong that we don?t know about expect Helms to be out of WWE and perhaps on the TNA roster. However with TNA, I am not sure if he will pan out there.
Matt Hardy ran from the scene. I guess that is what true friends do, huh? Well, if that is the case I would say shame on Matt Hardy. But again, we don?t know the facts and probably never will.
So, what do I think will happen to all three guys? Well, I would worry a bit if I am Matt Hardy and Helms. As for Jericho, he will still be a top man on the Smackdown brand. His feud with Edge is just starting to heat up and I can?t wait to see how this plays out at WrestleMania 26 (the REAL 25th Anniversary of WM).
As with all juicy rumors and news this was first reported by TMZ. I think earlier in 2009 Jericho joked about being on TMZ and now is furious with the tabloid media company by banning everything that is TMZ. To Jericho all I have to say is this. That is a part of being a celebrity. You will be followed anywhere and everywhere. If you can?t handle it, then simply relax at the hotel room instead of being in a state of drunkenness.
Headline #2 – ECW will be off the air.
ECW loyalists rejoice! After ruining the letters for a few years they are finally going to let ECW rest in piece! I for one was estatic that ECW returned, but after a few shows I will admit that I said ?this is NOT ECW and I won?t watch it again!? However my mood changed when I became a columnist. I followed ECW and all the superstars.
I witnessed the evolution of some success stories (Morrison and CM Punk) and I witnessed stories that will be continued (Swagger and Bourne). When I watch ECW, I know that it is not the hardcore style that I watched in high school but what I watched were some hungry young superstars and veterans perform. You could tell when they were in ECW if they were going to be successful or join the list of future endeavors.
The production of the WWE version was great. For the most part, I enjoyed watching the program since I went back to watching ECW over a year ago.
With Tommy Dreamer not out of the WWE, I think that Vince McMahon finally made the right move to drop the brand name. We don?t know what it will be called yet, but expect the same roster as you are seeing now. You will see a lot of young, not-ready-for-prime time superstars and the veterans that will help them get over. ECW did great for CM Punk’s career. Punk ended up being a multiple-time World Champion and is the leader of the Straightedge Society (which I think is great). ECW elevated the careers of both The Miz and John Morrison. ECW did wonders for Mark Henry. The new name won?t change the product right now. As for the ?ECW? letters, let us remember what the truly stood for when Paul Heyman ran the company back in the late 90s and what they did for the likes of Christian, Morrison, Punk, and others ten years later.
Detentions
As you can tell I deleted the ?demerits? and the ?eternal detentions? portions. Instead, I will create ten things that I think deserve to be in the detention portion of the column. I hope you enjoy it.
ETS and the Praxis Series – Don?t think I forgot about you, right? With vague rules and the inability to show the test taker what they did wrong on the tests, expect to be on this list until Hunter and Adam give me the pink slip.
?LayCool? – I am still disgusted that this storyline was still on PG television. I am proud to see that Mickie James won the Women’s Championship (and so is Andy Knowles). I am sure we will see McCool and Layla interfere in Mickie’s matches, but look at this: at least McCool is not the champion right now.
Brian Knobbs – You know you should retire when you need to get a breather after cutting a promo. This is not a TNA bash job here, I am enjoying the product. However, I can?t stand looking at him.
Sean Morley – Remember when you threw a towel in the WWE and fans would fight for it? Well, on Impact I saw him throw a towel to the crowd and no one wanted a piece of that. I guess TNA’s fans are good ?cast members?, huh Steve Small?
The Great Khali – A humorous detention for you for not focusing on the Rumble just to get a kiss from Beth Phoenix. That lovely siren cost you a title shot at WrestleMania. Then again, I know a few students that would sacrifice a match a WM for a kiss from ?The Glamazon?.
Mike Hogewood – I know some of you are saying that I should lighten up. Actually since he is actually calling clotheslines and kicks, I will let him slide next week.
Shawn Michaels – For attacking a referee after losing your Royal Rumble match last Sunday. It was not his fault that you got elminated.
Chris Jericho – For you recent arrest. Perhaps you should join CM Punk’s Straighedge Society. Don?t blame TMZ for you actions, I think you should blame yourself for this one.
Hurricane Helms – see above.
Matt Hardy – For running away from the danger. I am actually glad to hear that you were eliminated from the Rumble very quickly.
Burger King and Just for Men – Aren?t these commercials pathetic? I have vowed to not use these products until this crap is off the air. Besides, I hate Burger King food and my head only has six gray hairs. This will be a piece of cake.
The Sports Media – When a wrestler does something good, we see NOTHING about it! However when one breaks the law, it is F?N BREAKING NEWS!!!! If you don?t want to report the good, then just don?t report pro wrestling news at all! The men and women perform as much as 300 times a year! How many athletes around the world can claim that?
Ok, so that was twelve. Next week I will have to add and subtract, but it should be fun, right?
MISTER V?S HONOR ROLL FOR THE WEEK OF JANUARY 25 – JANUARY 29, 2009
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: To continue my craziness and to be fair (I know have FCW links that I can watch) starting next week I will be adding FCW matches to this honor roll! Why you ask? Because what I saw from that show the past few weeks have been impressive. You have to see Joe Hennig if you have not, he is definitely WWE material!
I am sad to report that I did not give any ?A? grades this week in the world of wrestling. The matches were just simply average at best. However, there were three matches that received a ?B? that were pretty enjoyable. Let me run them down for you.
Distinguished Honors – HHH vs. CM Punk, Friday Night Smackdown, January 29.
Though it ended in a disqualification, I give kudos to both men for opening Smackdown with a tremendous match. Though HHH did have control in the beginning and end (until Serena jumped on his back to cause the DQ), CM Punk looked very impressive against a main event superstar in The Game. CM Punk was able to hit his marks, especially with the figure four headlock and the leg strikes that can make one cringe while watching the match.
High Honors – Sheamus vs. John Cena, Monday Night Raw, January 25.
This match was a good showing of Sheamus? strengths. As Hunter Golden mentioned, no one sells better in the wrestling industry than John Cena right now. For once, Sheamus controlled a match that featured a main event level guy and I though it was by far his best match. It ended with Orton delivering the RKO on Sheamus, which I thought continued the story between Orton and Sheamus which led up to their match at the Rumble. Sure, Sheamus should not be holding the championship right now, but he is not as bad as what many fans out there are saying.
Honors – R-Truth vs. Chris Jericho, Friday Night Smackdown, January 29.
Again, I say kudos to Jericho in this for allowing a mid-card wrestler get a pinfall victory over a top notch performer. R-Truth throughout the match was very aware (probably this was his best since coming back to the WWE) around his surroundings. Jericho still performed top notch with various holds and kicks throughout the match, but it is a shame that what he did outside the arena got the headlines.
Honorable Mention (graded C+ or higher): Briscoes vs. Cheech/Cloudy on 1/25; K. King vs. El Generico on 1/25; HHH/HBK vs. Rhodes/DiBiase on 1/25; Regal/E. Jackson vs. Christian/Kane on 1/26; Goldust/Tatsu/Helms vs. Ryder/Barreta/Croft on 1/26; Wolfe vs. Morley on 1/28; Hernandez vs. Daniels on 1/28; Anderson vs. Jarrett on 1/28; McIntyre vs. Morrison on 1/29; and HBK vs. Mysterio on 1/29.
Worst Match of the Week – Michelle McCool vs. Layla (dressed as ?Piggy? James), Friday Night Smackdown, January 29.
This was the ONLY thing that was terrible on a very strong Smackdown last Friday. All I will say is that WrestleView.com’s Smackdown Analyst Mike Tedesco gave this contest NEGATIVE four stars. He even gave a match with Kizarny a better rating. That is all I need to address.
Dishonorable Mention (those with a C- grade or lower): Brown vs. Shields on 1/25; Big Show vs. MVP on 1/25; Maryse vs. Eve on 1/25; Kim vs. Fox on 1/25; Bella Twins vs. Jillian/Katie Lea on 1/28; Kendrick/Sabin/Shelley vs. Red/Generation Me on 1/28; and D. Williams vs. Red on 1/28.
Commentator Report Card
In column #52, I decided to scrap grading all the commentators at once. However, I decided a new format that I will being NEXT WEEK on Mr. V #54. Since I usually watch the shows very closely (and my wife thinks I am a total nerd but she is a wresling fan), I will use randomizer.org (what Doug Lackey used to determine the winners of those Ric Flair tickets) to pick two commentator teams each week in which I will grade. They will be different each week and it should be very entertaining. So I will tell you all who will be graded in the next set of columns:
Column #54 (week of 2/1 – 2/6) – Team SD! (Grisham and Striker) and Team FCW (Saxton and Barrett)
Column #55 (week of 2/8 – 2/13) – Team ROH (Hogewood and Prazak) and Team Impact (Tenay and Taz)
Column #56 (week of 2/15 – 2/20) – Team ECW (Mathews and Saxton) and Team Raw (Cole and Lawler)
I think this is the best way to give my students a great opportunity to see which commentators will shine on a particular week. In case you are wondering Byron Saxton is a commentator for both FCW and ECW. In ECW, he is the color commentator. In FCW, Saxton is the play-by-play commentator.
So, Team Smackdown and Team FCW, you will be watched this week!
BONUS: Predictions from the Faculty Results
Well, after a full year of doing predictions we finally can crown a winner! With 116 predicted winners JOE BAIAMONTE is the first ever winner of the Dean’s Chair among the Faculty. However, in the latest Baiamonte’s Casa he declared himself the ?First Ever Undisputed WrestleView Heavyweight Champion of the Universe?.
Like I said, Baiamonte is a true class act and please if you did not read Casa #50, I encourage all of you to take a look. On behalf of the Faculty (or most of us, I don?t know) I congratulate Baiamonte as the first ever Champion of the Faculty!! Please treat the title with honor and respect. And promise that you do not throw it in the trash. After this column I will begin to make a document commending Mr. Baiamonte of his success.
On a smaller note, I am going to introduce a new category to the Predictions articles. That will be for ?The student of the week?. The student with the best ‘single? PPV record will not only receive a Gold Star, but will also show his picks for the next PPV for the world to see!
So, among the WrestleView students we got a sole winner. I got twenty one Royal Rumble Predictions from the ?Students of WrestleView?, the most since WrestleMania 25! Only one man got all the matches predicted correctly (even predicted Edge to win it all). And that man is EVAN O?BRIEN! So, congrats to you Mr. O?Brien and consider this an invitation to the Faculty Headquarters for the next PPV, which will be TNA’s Against All Odds.
Also, I should give credit to Josh Boutwell and Jose Marrero who came within one win of achieving the top spot.
All I can say is: 2010-2011 will even be better! I will have a couple other guys helping me with the article each PPV. I have many professors that said ?they are in? and ?they will unseat Baia?.
So, here are the final standings of the 2009-2010 WrestleView Faculty
1) Joe Baiamonte (Baiamonte’s Casa)?????????……..116-77 (4-1)
2) Jose Marrero (Wrestling Rumblings)?????????..??115-79 (3-2)
3) Josh Boutwell (Viva La Raza and TNA Recapper)…???115-79 (3-2)
4) David Stephens (That’s a Wrap and ECW Recapper)??109-85 (3-2)
5) WrestleView Students (The Loyal Readers)???????..109-85 (3-2)
6) Josh Piedra (The Shoot)???????????????????105-69 (4-1)
7) Anthony Valvo (From the Desk of Mr. V/ROH Recaps)?103-91 (4-1)
8) Mike Siciliano (Pro’s From the Palace)???????????97-91 (3-2)
9) Matt O?Brien (Notes From The Nosebleeds)????????95-68 (3-2)
10) Chris Kelly (King of All Wrestling Media)?????????84-60 (3-2)
11) Doug Lackey (Reality From Ringside)???????????.78-81 (4-1)
12) Sean Hurley (The Sharpshooter)??????????????.68-47 (2-3)
13) Phil Chroniger (On Second Thought..)??????????..64-62 (INC)
14) Mike Tedesco (Smackdown and Superstars Recapper)?.43-34 (2-3)
15) Mike Klubnik (Stylin? and Profilin?)?????????????..20-14 (INC)
16) Ryan Droste (Ask WV)?????????????????????.4-4 (INC)
(Royal Rumble picks in parentheses)
WrestleView Students averaged 3.3 wins, so I gave them a 3-2 record for the night.
On a personal note, I am proud of my record. My goal was .500, and I achieved something that the Pittsburgh Pirates have not done since I was 12!!!!
MISTER V?S GOLD STAR SEGMENT (Presented by: JR’s Family Bar-B-Q. If you want to try something new get a bottle of the Chipotle Ketchup today! You know it is good when Mr. V stops using Heinz 57 for this! Buy some today! All who attend my WrestleMania Party this year may get a bottle of that stuff (Invite Only of course!).)
Many Gold Stars to give out, so let’s begin:
Jack Brisco – Rest In Peace, we truly lost a legend this past week.
Evan O?Brien – He earned one for getting a 5-0 record for the Royal Rumble PPV, and now will be the first ?Student of the Week? when he shows the world his picks for Against All Odds.
Joe Baiamonte, Josh Piedra, Mr. V, and Doug Lackey – We all earned 4-1 records for the Rumble (Piedra did not pick Edge to win in the article). Great job to all involved.
Joe Baiamonte – The first ever Dean of WrestleView!!
Doug Williams – The NEW TNA X Division Champion. I think he is one of the men would should have the title.
Mickie James – The NEW WWE Women’s Champion. I am just happy to know that this storyline is near and end now!
Beth Phoenix – She earns one for being the first woman to participate in the Royal Rumble since Chyna!
Christian, Sheamus, The Miz, and The Undertaker – All of you retained your titles in one way or another, and thus earned a Gold Star for your efforts.
Edge – For winning the 2010 Royal Rumble in your first WWE appearance since your injury.
Sidney Crosby – A homer pick here, but congrats on your Third Hat Trick of the season!
Bobby Lashley – Nice job winning your match on Strikeforce with a KO! See class, we know what many media outlets don?t get. We know that pro wrestlers are tremendous athletes!
Hershel Walker – One of my all-time favorite NFL players defeated a MMA fighter that was TWENTY years younger than he is. Walker is known to do 3,500 sit-ups and push-ups a day (I for one can applaud that). Also, the man is in his upper-40s and just punked out a fighter in ?The Ultimate Fighter?. If you never saw his playing days in the NFL, you have to check them out on YouTube. He was a freak!
To the readers of my ROH Results articles on WrestleView – On a personal note, though my results get posted later than anyone else’s since I do not have HDNet for some reason it is the most searched results article on Google. So I have nothing else to do but say Thank You to each one of you. If you don?t believe me type ?ROH Results on 1/25/10? and my article is #1 baby!
Indy Colts and N.O. Saints – May the best team win. I will be flipping between the Super Bowl, Super Bowl Commercials, and The Puppy Bowl on Animal Planet.
Rocky Jr., Jeremy Samples, and Richard Misfeldt – For giving me some pretty good ideas that I will use in future columns on WrestleView. Thank You.
David Stephens – Thank you for your entertainment on your show on Wednesday nights. I will say good luck in your new venture in wrestling media. No, no cheap plugs here because it is not a sure thing yet?or is it?
To all the students – Thank you for reading this lengthy column.
Homework (from Column #52)
1) I put my 2009 Dream Tournament on hiatus and I hope that none of you forgot that it is still in progress. I have the winners of the Quarterfinal Round and all were pretty close. Here are the Winners and in the Semi-Finals of the Tournament! Please give me your pick on who would win the Semifinals of this Tournament. Thank you.
Results: (1) Chris Jericho def. (9) John Cena 12-8; (13) CM Punk def. (5) Christian 13-7; (3) Kurt Angle def. (27) The Undertaker 11-9; (7) Randy Orton def. (2) AJ Styles 12-8.
Semi-Finals (please provide your pick by next week)
(1) Chris Jericho vs. (13) CM Punk
(3) Kurt Angle vs. (7) Randy Orton
UPDATE: I currently got eleven votes for this one. I will take more votes until next week.
2) As I mentioned before, I would like to do a couple new ideas for the column. I am going to ask what you would like to see in the coming weeks. I am willing to read your suggestions, so drop me a line and I can figure something out.
Here are some of the ideas brought forth by students of Mr. V’s
Rocky Jr. – A vote for the Show of the Week as chosen by the Students.
Jeremy Samples – Mr. V’s Lesson Plan in which I pick an angle and detail how it should play out.
Richard Misfeldt – Indy Wrestler of the Week.
I like each one of them actually. However, it will all come down to timing on my part. Still, I can definitely do those topics occasionally.
Dismissal
Well, that does it for me this week. I thank you all for reading and I hope you did enjoy this column as much as I typed it out. If you want to get a hole of me during the week, please e-mail me at mistervwv@hotmail.com or by leaving me a message on Facebook.
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 the ROH Recap, you are??DISMISSED!!!!
Mr. V does read e-mail, so drop the teacher a line: mistervwv@hotmail.com.
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