Predictions from the Faculty
TNA Against All Odds Edition
February 14, 2010
Introduction by: David Stephens of WrestleView.com
Ending by: Anthony J. Valvo
Predictions by: WrestleView Columnists, recappers and students.
Intro (By: David Stephens)
Yes it is I, WrestleView’s ECW Recapper and Columnist of ?That’s a Wrap? & ?WrestleView Road Trip?. I will be your guide this evening as it is Valentine’s Day here in the states, and I think Mr. V deserves a relaxing evening with Mrs. V!
This past year saw the UK’s own Joe Baiamonte lead for the vast majority of the season. Only David Stephens (hey, that’s me!) and Jose Marrero were able to unseat him, but our glory was brief. Credit also goes to Josh Boutwell for tying for the lead with Joe & Jose for several PPV’s. 2009 was certainly the year for the ?J’s? here in the Faculty Predictions, but who knows what 2010 will hold?
It’s a new year, a new semester, so the proverbial slate is wiped clean. And by proverbial, I mean figurative. And by figurative, I mean metaphorical. Allegorical? Is that a simile? I have no idea.
Standings
Before I present our first set of predictions please allow me to show you the final predictions of the previous season.
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)
Starting with This Pay-Per-View, we will be presenting the ?Student of the Week? Award. The award will be presented to the student with the highest record from the previous pay-per-view. So with that said, since we got one student that posted a 5-0 record from the Royal Rumble show the first ?Student of the Week? will be none other than Evan O?Brien!
All we can ask is will Joe Baiamonte continue his reign as the WV Heavyweight Champions of the World or will runners-up Josh Boutwell and Jose Marrero put him in his place? The quest begins now because the standings we all see above us is the last time we will see them again! We start at 0-0 tonight!
Absent or Tardy are the following: All ?regulars? are present. As for Phil Chroniger, Mike Klubnik, and Ryan Droste, they will associate professors and will occasionally post picks this upcoming season. I did send an invitation to Daniel Browne, but no answer so we will see on that.
8-Card Stud Tournament First Round (Winner gets Title Match at Lockdown)
D?Angelo Dinero vs. Desmond Wolfe
Joe B. – DESMOND WOLFE.
Jose M. – DINERO.
Josh B. – DINERO.
David S. ? This is really tough. I expect WOLFE and Angle to meet in a later round, so I?m going to give him the win over The Pope.
Josh P. – DESMOND WOLFE.
Anthony V. – The match of the first round in my opinion. I think both guys will really break through in 2010, but I think WOLFE will advance. Dinero may not be ready right now for the main push, but he is very close.
Mike S. – THE POPE over Wolfe.
Matt O. – WOLFE.
Chris K. – DESMOND WOLFE.
Doug L. – WOLFE via ‘Sure I like him, but not so much that I’ll push him immediately after saying so” mentality. Amazing that there are a lot of these Hogan-stamped talents in this tourney huh? Shock…
Sean H. – DESMOND WOLFE.
Mike T. – DESMOND WOLFE.
?Student of the Week? Evan O. – The TNA midcard has been very I’m going to win one week your going to win the next. However THE POPE is the one their highest on so i’m going to go with him.
Consensus: WOLFE 9; Dinero 4.
The Faculty believes that while Dinero may be ?The Pope?, he is not ready to move on and lead TNA to salvation just yet.
Hernandez vs. Matt Morgan
Joe B. – HERNANDEZ.
Jose M. – MORGAN.
Josh B. – HERNANDEZ.
David S. ? Hernandez is a great wrestler, but I?d like to see him give the rub to Matt Morgan. MORGAN has the ?look?, so I think that is where Hogan will put his faith.
Josh P. – HERNANDEZ.
Anthony V. – It just seems to me that Matt Morgan is very lost in the ring since Bound for Glory. With that said I am going with the proven talent rather than questionable one, and that is HERNANDEZ.
Mike S. – HERNANDEZ over Morgan.
Matt O. – NO CONTEST.
Chris K. – MATT MORGAN.
Doug L. – HERNANDEZ via snapping off one of Morgan’s four lanky appendages and going all Louisville Slugger on him… if you need a decent face/heel match for Round 2, take the bigger faces and heels to win.
Sean H. – MATT MORGAN.
Mike T. – MATT MORGAN.
?Student of the Week? Evan O. – I’m going with MATT MORGAN here. I think this could go either way but hey I had to pick one Morgan seems like the best choice to advance.
Consensus: HERNANDEZ 6; Morgan 6; No Contest 1.
The Professor are evenly split on this matchup, so much so that the deciding vote ended up as a No Contest!
Kurt Angle vs. Mr. Anderson
Joe B. – KURT ANGLE.
Jose M. – ANGLE.
Josh B. – ANGLE.
David S. ? As I stated before, I?m rooting for Angle v. Wolfe in a later round, so ANGLE takes the win in the first round.
Josh P. – KURT ANGLE.
Anthony V. – All of you know I am taking KURT ANGLE here not because he is from Pittsburgh, but because I don?t think Anderson is durable to wrestle three times in one night.
Mike S. – ANDERSON over Angle.
Matt O. – ANGLE.
Chris K. – MR. ANDERSON.
Doug L. – ANGLE via Anderson gimping from what will be known as “The Cataclysmic Toenail Clipper Incident”. Again… take the bigger of the two.
Sean H. – KURT ANGLE.
Mike T. – KURT ANGLE.
?Student of the Week? Evan O. – I see Anderson taking it to Angle in this one, however with the way ANGLE has been booked on television I’m picking him to go over.
Consensus: ANGLE 10; Anderson2.
Not even close, the Faculty predicts Angle will win this one without even breaking a sweat.
Mick Foley vs. Abyss
Joe B. – ABYSS.
Jose M. – FOLEY.
Josh B. – FOLEY.
David S. ? FOLEY has sure been losing a lot lately. If they have interest in continuing this feud, then Mick has to win this one to give it legitimacy.
Josh P. – ABYSS.
Anthony V. – I may be the only one to think this, but I am really going to go outside the box and call this one a NO CONTEST. I think there will be shenanigans and Abyss will probably lose the mask this week. If it does not end that way (and this won?t count), I will say Abyss by countout.
Mike S. – FOLEY over Abyss.
Matt O. – ABYSS.
Chris K. – ABYSS.
Doug L. – ABYSS via Foley doing his best to stay melodramatic. I would love to put HBK and Foley on a stage trying to win the part for the wrestling ring version of MacBeth…
Sean H. – ABYSS.
Mike T. – MICK FOLEY.
?Student of the Week? Evan O. – I’m going to go with MICK FOLEY since Abyss got the win at Bound for Glory.
Consensus: ABYSS 6; Foley 6; No Contest 1.
The Faculty is once again evenly split with the deciding vote being cast as a No Contest.
8-Card Stud Tournament Semifinals
Dinero/Wolfe Winner vs. Morgan/Hernandez Winner
Joe B. – WOLFE.
Jose M. – DINERO.
Josh B. – DINERO.
David S. – WOLFE
Josh P. – HERNANDEZ.
Anthony V. – Wolfe vs. Hernandez, now this could be fun. I say if there is a time to help Wolfe a bit, this will be the time to do it. I pick WOLFE in a close one.
Mike S. – HERNANDEZ over The Pope.
Matt O. – WOLFE.
Chris K. – DESMOND WOLFE.
Doug L. – HERNANDEZ via some kind of violently aggressive maneuver that makes Wolfe’s offense look like mild petting on a first date. One thing I have never liked about tourneys in wrestling: After the winner is established, what happens to everyone else? What is there to build on?
Sean H. – WOLFE.
Mike T. – DESMOND WOLFE.
?Student of the Week? Evan O. – DINERO over Morgan.
Consensus: WOLFE 7; Hernandez 3; Dinero 3; Morgan 0.
Desmond Wolfe looks to win this match slightly more than 50% of the time, and lose it the other 50%. If Wolfe cannot pull off the victory, the glory will go to either Hernandez or Dinero, but Morgan has absolutely no shot in this match-up according to the Faculty’s predictions.
Anderson/Angle Winner vs. Abyss/Foley Winner
Joe B. – ANGLE.
Jose M. – ANGLE.
Josh B. – ANGLE.
David S. – ANGLE
Josh P. – KURT ANGLE.
Anthony V. – Since I predicted a No Contest with Abyss and Foley, I pick ANGLE by default.
Mike S. – ANDERSON over Foley.
Matt O. – ANGLE.
Chris K. – KEN ANDERSON.
Doug L. – ANGLE via Abyss not remembering Ankle-Lock Counter #46. No, that’s not how many times he’ll break out of it… well… maybe…. I take that back, this match will be undeniably robotic and lethargic.
Sean H. – ANGLE.
Mike T. – KURT ANGLE.
?Student of the Week? Evan O. – ANGLE over Foley.
Consensus: ANGLE 11; Anderson 2; Foley 0; Abyss 0.
This Semifinal Round will be a breeze for the Olympian, and give him an easy ride into the Finals.
8-Card Stud Tournament Finals
Dinero/Wolfe/Morgan/Hernandez Winner vs. Anderson/Angle/Abyss/Foley Winner
Joe B. – WOLFE.
Jose M. – DINERO.
Josh B. – DINERO.
David S. – WOLFE
Josh P. – KURT ANGLE.
Anthony V. – Angle vs. Wolfe here. Wow, if they bring the intensity like they did at No Surrender I think this could be the best match of the night (but no guarantees on that happening). Will Hall and Waltman interfere? I think it will be after the match if so. ANGLE wins the tournament and gets a title shot at Lockdown.
Mike S. – ANDERSON over Hernandez.
Matt O. – ANGLE.
Chris K. – KEN ANDERSON.
Doug L. – HERNANDEZ via wishful thinking. If the Hogan-Bischoff regime has learned a lot of things, one of them is that you never repeat title matches within 3 months of each other that don’t constitute rematches. An easier way to put it? Let’s give someone else a chance…
Sean H. – ANGLE.
Mike T. – DESMOND WOLFE.
?Student of the Week? Evan O. – ANGLE over Dinero
Consensus: KURT ANGLE 5; Mr. Anderson 2; Dinero 2; Wolfe 3; Hernandez 1; Morgan 0; Foley 0; Abyss 0.
This match up will be hard fought, with the slight edge being given to Kurt Angle. While the most votes for a winner did go to Angle, it is important to note that there is a lean towards Angle losing this match-up from a percentage standpoint. 5 Faculty Members pick him to win, while 8 pick him to lose. So while it may appear that Angle will win, in actuality the Faculty is predicting him to lose, there is just no consensus as to the victor. (I really hope that made sense to someone either than myself [If not, just pretend Mr. V wrote this portion and not your favorite ECW Recapper]).
**Grudge Match**
Team 3D (Brother Ray and Brother Devon) vs. The Nasty Boys (Brian Knobbs and Jerry Sags)
Joe B. – I can’t believe this match is happening on a PPV in 2010. Dear Lord. TEAM 3D.
Jose M. – TEAM 3D.
Josh B. – TEAM 3D (. you very much Nasty Boys, I know u cant type that Anthony, it just needed to be said!) Mr. V Note: I will allow profanity when addressing the Nasty Boys.
David S. ? I?m excited for this match actually. I?ve really enjoyed the Nasty Boys on TNA since their return. They bring a unique, and dare I say it NASTY, win tonight.
Josh P. – TEAM 3D.
Anthony V. – I can?t believe I am predicting a match involving the Nasty Boys. Funny thing was I looked on Wikipedia and it stated that Knobbs is 45. Undertaker is older as is Finlay (who is either 50 or 51). Maybe Hogan’s other buddy Brutus Beefcake runs in and shaves Brother Ray’s receding hairline Mohawk. Enough about them, I hope TEAM 3D wins and we never see those slobs again.
Mike S. – THE NASTY BOYS over 3D. (Jesus, if Bubba doesn’t wanna go back to WWE
after this, he never will.)
Matt O. – It’s time to get NASTY!
Chris K. – THE NASTY BOYS
Doug L. – THE NASTY BOYS via… why the hell do I need to give logic for this decision?! I just envision someone running out and causing the most laughable result in pro wrestling history! Break out the Werther’s Originals and Icy Hot! It’s gon’ git Nasty in da’ Impact Zone!
Sean H. – THE NASTIES.
Mike T. – Everyone loses. TEAM 3D
?Student of the Week? Evan O. – This one is going to be hard to pick. I see these teams having more than one match even though I never in a million years wanted to see it. This should be nothing more than a fun 10 minute garbage brawl. I don’t see it being atrocious but it certainly not match of the year. I’m going to go with THE NASTY BOYS for the simple fact that this is probably the first of many matches.
Consensus: Team 3D ? 6, Nasty Boys – 7
Well this is hilariously awesome to say: The Faculty predicts that the Nasty Boys will defeat Team 3D!
**FOR THE TNA WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP**
AJ Styles (c) (w/Ric Flair) vs. Samoa Joe
Guest Referee: Eric Bischoff
Joe B. – AJ retains.
Jose M. – AJ STYLES.
Josh B. – AJ STYLES.
David S. ? AJ STYLES
Josh P. – AJ STYLES.
Anthony V. – Simple answer. They don?t know what to do with Joe, which is why they are making him cash that case in for his title shot. It will be a good one but AJ STYLES takes the match. At least I will win one pick this weekend.
Mike S. – AJ over Joe. Nice way of doing the feast or fired.. I saw the clip.
what garbage.
Matt O. – AJ STYLES.
Chris K. – AJ.
Doug L. – STYLES via “If we’re serious about this ‘Flair Ver. 2.0’ gimmick, then we need to make it last longer than just one PPV” mentality. Besides, if Oscar Meyer were to win the strap, what kind of programs could you do with him? He hasn’t been on TV in over 2 months! Keep it on AJ and then mega-hype for his defense against Hernandez… THAT is worth watching!
Sean H. – AJ STYLES.
Mike T. – AJ STYLES.
?Student of the Week? Evan O. – This one is going to be easy for me to pick AJ STYLES has to beat Joe here. There’s no way around it they are gearing him up to have a pretty lengthy run with the belt I see him keeping it until at least Lockdown and hopefully beyond that.
Consensus: AJ STYLES 13; Samoa Joe 0.
Apparently Samoa Joe need not even show up for this match, as the Faculty predicts a ZERO percent chance of the Samoa Submission Machine walking out with the Title.
Faculty Quick Picks:
Wolfe def. Dinero
Hernandez v. Morgan – Tie
Angle def. Anderson
Foley v. Abyss ? Tie
Semifinals: Wolfe & Angle
Finals: Angle
Nasty Boys def. Team 3D
AJ Styles def. Samoa Joe
Thanks for letting me guide you this evening, I?m handing the reigns back to Mr. V to close us out. – David Stephens
Well, that does it for the first edition of Predictions From the Faculty for the 2010-2011 season.
And remember students, this is YOUR column too! Please present to me your choices for the winners of any PPV by e-mail at mistervwv@hotmail.com or by sending me an inbox message on Facebook. Winner of each PPV receives a coveted (and NEVER duplicated) Gold Star in my latest column and is named the ?Student of the Week? for the next Predictions article.
Well, that does it for us, class. On behalf of my peers on WrestleView I bid you farewell. We will be taking a six day break and will be back for our predictions for WWE’s Elimination Chamber!
As always, thank you for reading our predictions. Now go enjoy Valentine’s Day class! You are all???DISMISSED!!