The TNA Vs WWE Super-Card 1 Edition

In a recent interview, Dixie Carter said she would support a Pay Per View event featuring the best of TNA wrestlers versus the best of the WWE. Now granted, Vince McMahon would probably never agree to it as well. But of course I couldn't help but imagine how it would turn out.

I sat down and picked matches that I would like to see as a wrestling fan. I then put together a group of four of my friends that are wrestling fans to vote who would win the match.

When selecting the matches, I tried to pick matches we have never seen before. I think that I was able to do that, with one exception. But I think you, the reader, would agree with me why we would need another of these matches. But that is still to come. The hardest part for me was limiting the card, which quite honestly I wasn't able to do. And that's why this is a super-card with fifteen matches on it. And I still didn't use all the guys that should have been used for this. That is why I am calling it Super Card 1. If the reaction is good enough, I will definitely do another one.

The votes were cast by myself, Steven, Chris, Jay and Carlos. Like I said, all five of us are die hard wrestling fans for as long as any of us can remember.

And on to the card

The opening match is the battle of the comic reliefs. Eric Young versus Santino Marella. The voting was not even close. 4-1 in fact. Most likely this match would be funnier than pure wrestling. We would probably see ODB and the Cobra get involved, but in the end, Eric Young wins. TNA strikes first!

The next match would be the complete opposite of the opener. Bobby Roode goes one on one with the Viper, Randy Orton. This match would be more physical and more brutal, as both men know how to punish their opponents. Voting for this match was much closer at 3-2. But Bobby Roode pins Randy Orton for a 2-0 lead for TNA.

Onto a six man tag match, featuring Aces and 8s members D-Von Dudley, Garrett Bischoff and Mr. Anderson going up against Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins, collectively known as the Shield. This match would be short and sweet, with The Shield picking up a much needed win for the WWE. All five of us agreed on this match.

There are several matches that could steal the show, and this next match is on that list. The Fallen Angel Christopher Daniels goes against Y2J Chris Jericho. This match would be a fun, fast-paced, back and forth match. Both men are technically sound and have been known to take high risks from time to time. It would be an entertaining match, but with a 4-1 vote Chris Jericho evens the score with a submission victory over Daniels.

Sometimes two different styles that you'd think wouldn't mesh well can make magic in the ring. I think this next match has that potential. Jeff Hardy will go next against Antonio Cesaro. Hardy is the risk taker, Cesaro is more power based. But with a 4-1 edge and a Swanton Bomb, Jeff Hardy will give TNA the lead once again.

Lower the steel cage for this next match. I figured it would be time for a gimmick match. The Monster Abyss will square off with the Big Red Machine Kane. This would, without a doubt, be the most physical match on the card, especially in the steel cage. It was another close match, 3 votes to 2. But Abyss picks up the victory for TNA

Speaking of physical matches, TNA World Champion Bully Ray Dudley squares off against former WWE Intercontinental Champion Wade Barrett. This will be a knock down, drag out battle, but with a clean sweep in votes Bully Ray defeats Barrett. TNA is up 5-2 now!

Former world champions square off next when James Storm goes one-on-one with Dolph Ziggler. This would also be a back and forth match with two hungry competitors. As one might have expected between these two, voting was close. But James Storm picks up yet another TNA victory. Voting was 3-2.

Time for another gimmick match. This time, AJ Styles and Kofi Kingston will compete in a ladder match. Both men can fly without the help of a ladder, but adding it would just add some serious high spots and fun moments between the two. Voting was not close though. AJ Styles defeats Kofi Kingston in a fast paced, high energy match.

It's been a question that has been proposed before. Who is better? The Diva's of the WWE or the Knockouts of TNA. I selected four of each for an 8 woman tag match. ODB, Velvet Sky, Mickie James and Gail Kim team up versus AJ Lee, Katelyn, Naomi and Cameron. Voting was not close on this one. TNA continues to keep rolling against the best of the WWE.

Here's another match that could steal the show, which is why it needed a stipulation. Austin Aries will go up against Daniel Bryan in a 2 out of 3 falls match. One of my voters was so conflicted that he said the third match would end in a draw, he couldn't pick a winner! But the rest of us didn't have that problem. So Daniel Bryan defeats Aries.

Now we have another physical match where Hernandez goes against Ryback. Two giant men beating the heck out of each other. This won't be a pretty match, but winning unanimously is Ryback. Which is both good for him, because really when was the last time he won on Pay Per View and for the WWE who get a much needed win!

The only rematch on the card is up next as we get to the first of three main events on the Super-Card. These two wrestlers faced each other many times in Ring Of Honor but now it's for Bragging Rights for their company. Samoa Joe competes against CM Punk. And the winner this time is CM Punk with a 4-1 margin in voting.

This next match would have been better if one of the wrestlers was in their prime, but he is not. Regardless I think the similarities between these two would make for an entertaining match. Hulk Hogan goes one on one with John Cena. As expected the voting was close. But John Cena got three votes, Hulk Hogan got two. Maybe we could have The Rock be special guest referee in the rematch?

And tonight's final main event features Sting going against the COO of the WWE Triple H. Again, neither man is in their prime but it still has potential to be a great match. Voting was close as one might expect on this one as well. But Triple H delivers the last blow with a Pedrigree to Sting for the victory.

And there you have it. In a close final vote, TNA wins 8 matches to WWE's seven wins.

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I am proud to announce a special partnership between this blog Inside the Wrestling Ring with a wrestling blog. Check out http://clubkayfabe.podomatic.com/ for the latest news about WWE and TNA. There will be a lot of cross promotions between us. Check them out! I think you will like what you hear!

Special thanks as always for my wonderful Editor!

The Curtis Axel Booking

I admit it. I'm a huge Mr. Perfect fan. Always have been. And I guess because of that I have always enjoyed Michael Mcgillicutty. Now he is Curtis Axel. Still a fan. I legit marked out when he was announced as the next Paul Heyman guy. He has a great lineage in the business. He is so respected backstage that when The Rock wanted to get into wrestling shape, he turned to Axel. That says something!

And yet he is being booked horribly. Again. Let's take a look at his matches so far. He beat Triple H technically when he couldn't finish a match. Plus whatever that was on this week's episode of Raw with Vince ending the match before it began. He has two count out victories over John Cena. He beat Chris Jericho because Heyman distracted him with CM Punk's music. Oh, and he has two clean victories over Sin Cara. Yes, he is undefeated. Technically. But if he is to be pushed to main event status, he needs to win. Cleanly. Heel or not. Paul Heyman guy or not. He deserves better.

Ever since the days of Stone Cold Steve Austin there have been a few superstars who walk the fine line between a face and a heel. Randy Orton is a perfect example. He doesn't smile. And that's fine. But there are two people who take being a tweener to a new level. I'm referring to Triple H and one of his protégés Sheamus. For example whenever something doesn't go Sheamus's way, what does he do? Like when he lost to Mark Henry in arm wrestling he sucker punched him, followed by a Brogue Kick. He even Brogue Kicked Damien Sandow's computer cause he couldn't beat a chess challenge. And where did he learn this behavior? Triple H! He kicked Wade Barrett in the junk for no reason a few months ago. And Paul Heyman has gotten his share of pedigrees in the last few months. He is a manager, never really been a competitor of any level. Let's not forget whenever things go bad for Hunter, what does he do? He gets his sledge hammer. That's not very face-y now is it?

I am glad to see that the WWE didn't rush to judgment when it came to Dolph Ziggler's concussion. A lot of wrestling fans were calling for him to be stripped of the World Title due to injury. Instead they gave him all the time he needs to heal up. It was the right decision to make. Now if it lasts another month, that's a different story. Hopefully he will be at full strength for Payback.

Kurt Angle was the second inductee to the TNA hall of fame. While I think it should have been Jeff Jarrett, I accept Angle. I just find humor that both inductees are still active. And that's why Jarrett makes more sense. Though there are more rumblings that Sting is all but done in TNA. He continues to talk to the media about performing at Wrestlemania against the Undertaker. That can't rub anyone in the front office too well. I know if I was Dixie Carter I'd tell him to only talk about their organization if he wants to be a part of it.

Fixing Raw and Smackdown

If you watched Raw or Smackdown in the past few weeks, you've seen a few good matches. You also saw things that really didn't need to happen on a wrestling program. By that I mean shilling pizza, two dance contests, a truck pull, a tug of war between the World's Strongest Man and Tons of Funk and another one with Sheamus. And just because there wasn't enough randomness they threw in an arm wrestling contest too. First let us not forget we watch wrestling for the wrestling matches first and foremost. But lately the WWE seems to be dropping the ball on that. I think if I see one more Team Hell No vs Prime Time Players match I am going to be very angry! And you wouldn't like me angry. So I have a few ideas that might help the WWE (cause you know, they read this, right?) get back on track.

First, get rid of the jobbers and actually let everyone earn a spot on the roster. I am not saying get rid of them and fire them, but give everyone mini pushes. Let them earn it. I can think of a few guys that at one point had solid spots on the roster that are now just used to fed people that are being pushed down our throats. Guys like Ted Diabiase (I know he is healthy again, he has been on house shows recently), Yoshi Tatsu, Curt Hawkins, Alex Riley and JTG for example. I'm not saying Yoshi needs to win his matches but allow him to try to be entertaining and see if the fans take to him again.

Sit the people that need to be sat down. I don't care if John Cena is the WWE Champion. Everyone deserves a few weeks off to rest, especially if he is injured. If he were to get hurt even further, what good does it do the company then? CM Punk has it right. He is injured. He needs some time off to rest both his body and his mind. And he is taking it. Even when Cena was going through a nasty divorce he didn't take time off. I have never wrestled a day in my life, but I would imagine it would be way too easy to burn out considering what they put their bodies through. At least they are doing the right thing when it comes to Dolph Ziggler and his concussion. There is no reason why a man and a concussion should be competing in a ladder match.

I read something recently that said the Brand Extension was officially going away. I say put it back full force. That way more people earn their spots and we don't see the same match on Raw that we saw on Smackdown. Use shows like Main Event and Saturday Morning Slam as Super Shows. Let Raw and Smackdown focus on the putting on the best shows with the talent that is "signed" to that roster.

The last thing they can do to help is just go back to two hours. With all the injuries they have had recently, part of it has to do with being over worked. The wrestlers are clearly over worked with on average six and a half hours of wrestling every week, they are bound to be putting more stress on their bodies. Plus clearly the writers are reaching for things at this point. So if they pushed Raw back to two hours, I think it will help the overall product

Top Five Matches Ever Edition

I have probably seen 10,000 matches if not more in my life from the WCW, WWE and TNA that I have watched. So I thought it would be cool to take a look at my all time favorite matches. This will be my all time top five matches list, with perhaps a 6 through 10 list coming in the near future as well.

In at the number five goes all the way back to March 29th, 1987. Some people say it may be the greatest match of all time. Clearly I think an argument can be made for that. But I will put it in at number five. It is Randy "Macho Man" Savage vs Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat for the Intercontinental Title. Two great men in the prime of their careers fighting for the second most prestigious title. It was back and forth. This match was a chess match between two great rivals who just couldn't defeat each other. And after near fall after near fall, Ricky Steamboat got his revenge and won the intercontinental Title with a roll up.

Number four on my list is brother versus brother at Wrestlemania X at Madison Square Garden. Owen Hart vs Bret Hart. It doesn't get much more personal then a fight between two brothers. Owen had felt he was living in Bret's shadow for too long (and for many fans like me, it was true). Bret was known more as a technical wrestler but Owen definitely proved not only could he hang with his older brother, he can defeat him. Of course Bret would get the last laugh winning the WWF Title later that night.

I'm proud to say that I was there for match number three on my list. WOOOOOOOO! Ric Flair's last match in the WWE was on March 30th, 2008. He hand selected his opponent for the night, though Shawn Michaels was very reluctant to do it. Who could blame him? Would you want to be responsible for retiring a man that you looked up to? Neither did HBK. But Flair goaded him into taking the match. The stipulation for Flair would be if he lost, he would be forced to retire. Flair threw everything he had at Shawn Michaels. And Michaels lived up to his name as Mr. Wrestlemania. Even though we all knew what the outcome would be, there wasn't many dry eyes in the arena when Michaels whispered "I'm sorry, I love you" followed by a sweet chin music for the 1, 2, 3!

Next on the list is the most recent on the list. July 17th, 2011 was when CM Punk and John Cena went one on one for Cena's WWE Title. CM Punk announced win or loss it would be his last night in the WWE (HA!). Anyone who knows me knows I don't like John Cena. But he gained a little bit of my respect that night. Again, it was back and forth. It seemed like a forgone conclusion that John Cena would retain his championship and we would never see CM Punk again. They hit finishers and signatures and their opponent just kept kicking out. It took a distraction from Mr. McMahon and John Laurinaitis for CM Punk to win the title and disappear into his hometown crowd of Chicago, Illinois. What does that say about this match to be the only match on my list not to take place at Wrestlemania, by the way?

And my all time favorite match has to be from Wrestlemania XXVI when Shawn Michaels tried his best to beat the streak. He failed the year prior to defeat the Undertaker at Wrestlemania. He fought almost an entire year to get the rematch. The first match was really good. The rematch was amazing. For most of Undertaker's Mania streak, there was little doubt that he would lose. But in this match, you felt that Shawn Michaels had what it took to beat the streak. But in the end, The Undertaker was able to defeat Shawn Michaels again. And the great Shawn Michaels had wrestled his last match. Unlike Ric Flair who then went and wrestled for TNA, Michaels was firm in that he was retired. And so far he has kept his word. So far....

There you have it. My top five matches of all time. Tell me what you think!

My Wrestling Hall Of Fame-First Class

I understand that I can't always agree with who the WWE adds to their Hall Of Fame. So, I will do the next best thing. I will create my own! After every major PPV of the year, I will induct four wrestlers into my Hall of Fame. In addition, my fiancee will also induct a wrestler on her own.

Together, we can induct anyone regardless if they are still active or not. They could have competed for WCW, ECW, WWF(E), NXT, TNA or any other promotion in the world. I am sure that some of our choices will not be the most popular choices, and I am okay with that.

My first inductee is Randy "Macho Man" Savage.In his career in WWF and WCW, Savage won the WCW title four times and the WWF Title two more times. He is also a former Intercontinental Champion. Every single time he stepped in the ring, he put on great matches. His match with Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat at Wrestlemania III is a must watch for any young wrestling fan. For whatever reason, he isn't in the WWE Hall of Fame. But as a life long fan of the Macho Man, I have to say OHHHHH YEAH! He's in mine. For his career highlights take a look at this video that the WWE released at the time of his death.

The next inductee to My Hall of Fame is Mr. Perfect, Curt Hennig. Originally he wasn't the one the WWF wanted to portray the role of Mr. Perfect, Terry "Red Rooster" Taylor was. But Hennig won them over with his style and charisma and became the perfect choice. From everything I have heard about him, he was a great guy. Just listen to Major League Baseball Hall of Famer Wade Boggs talk about the day that Hennig saved his life Curt Hennig was a two time Intercontinental Champion as well as a United States Champion and WCW Tag Team Champion. But for whatever reason he never won a World Championship, which to me is mind boggling. After he died, he was inducted to the WWE Hall of Fame in 2007.

Another person who never won a World Title which to me never made sense is Andre The Giant. I refuse to acknowledge when he had the title for a minute before he was stripped by Jack Tunney. There is a reason why Andre was referred to as the Eighth Wonder Of The World. There was never and will never be another Andre The Giant. Granted his move set was very limited due to his enormous size, Andre was still an accomplished wrestler. And he was one of the few wrestlers in his day that transcended wrestling. You could ask non wrestling fans in the 1980s who Andre The Giant was, they could tell you. Hulk Hogan would most likely be the only other wrestler from the era that would be as easily recognizable. Who could forget his memorable role in The Princess Bride? He won the Tag Team Titles with Haku. Andre The Giant was the first inductee into the WWE Hall of Fame, and he is in my first class as well!

The next inductee is manager Bobby "The Brain" Heenan. What is there to say about him? Whether he was managing his stable of wrestlers The Heenan Family or was at the broadcast booth he was always entertaining. He seemed to enjoy being heel more then most people I can remember, especially back in the day. The chemistry he had with all of his broadcast partners has gone unmatched with the exception of Jerry Lawler and Jim Ross. I always enjoyed Heenan, whether it was in WWF or WCW. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2004. Right now that he has been fighting throat cancer.

The Final inductee of the first class of my Wrestling Hall Of Fame belongs to my Fiancee Lori. And she inducts The Big Show. I know that she has been a fan of his ever since she started watching wrestling. He is athletic for a big man. But I think what she likes most about him, and I completely agree, is how goofy he can be one second (Just watch Knucklehead) and how much of a force he can be when he wants to the next. If you look up accomplished wrestler in the dictionary, you will see a picture of the Big Show. He has won every title he could possibly have won. He has won the WCW World Heavyweight Championship twice, WCW World Tag Team Championship three times, ECW World Championship, World Heavyweight Championship twice, World Tag Team Championship 5 times, Intercontinental title, WWE Tag Team Championship three times, United States Championship WWE Championship twice plus a reign as the Hardcore Champion as well. If you don't think that he is one of the best big men of all time read this article from Bleacher Report.

So there you have it. The first class of Inside the Wrestling Ring's Hall of Fame. Check back around Summerslam for the next class!

Wrestlemania 29 Predictions!

It has been two years since my last blog but now I will be back to blogging in the world of pro wrestling.  And what better time than to make Wrestlemania 29 predictions. I will have huge news coming soon as well on my next blog.  But that will be next week.  First, it's time for predictions!

First off, I have to say as a life long fan of the WWE I am rather disappointed in this year's card. There is nothing that jumps out at me and makes me say "I have to see this match!"  We have seen Rock-Cena.  We have seen Lesnar-HHH.  We have seen Undertaker-Punk. It bothers me that I am not impressed.  But oh well.

Here we go.  First with the Twice in a Lifetime match, I say there is absolutely no chance John Cena doesn't win this match.  I probably said that last year too, but now more than ever I think Cena wins and is your new WWE Champion. Anyone who knows me, knows I am not happy about this.  I am not a Cena fan.  Promo wise he is top notch, but there are only so many times I can see his five moves of doom.

Next up, we have Alberto Del Rio vs Jack Thwagger for the World Title. We may never know the original plans of this match, because I feel Jack's arrest changed the outcome of this match.  I think Swagger was going to win, but now he has no chance of winning.  It's not going to matter since Dolph Ziggler will walk out as the World Champion after cashing in his money in the bank.

Another match that the build up clearly had to change due to real life circumstances is Undertaker vs CM Punk.  With Punk being disrespectful due to the real life death of Paul Bearer,  I have to wonder what the original build was going to look like.  Regardless, Undertaker's streak will continue!

Triple H will have his revenge on his loss to Brock Lesnar as well, just like Cena will get revenge on Rock.  This match will be violent.  It will feature Shawn Michaels, Paul Heyman, and most likely a McMahon or two. It won't be a wrestling match, it will be a fight.  But I think it has the potential to be a great match.

Randy Orton, Sheamus, and Big Show Vs The Shield should be a decent match.  I have been very impressed with Roman Reigns. When The Shield was called up, Ambrose and Rollins were supposed to be the good ones and they are, but Reigns has shown me something. I do expect Big Show to officially turn face while Randy Orton turns heel. And then The Shield will win.

I think that Kane and Daniel Bryan will retain the tag titles, for now, against Dolph Ziggler and Big E Langston. I see them losing the titles at Extreme Rules more than at Wrestlemania, because Dolph will be more concentrating on cashing in. If Team Hell No is still champions by the end of May and a functioning Tag Team I will be very surprised.

Ryback vs Mark Henry will also be a fight.  But Ryback needs a win on Pay Per View. And he will get it here.

Chris Jericho vs Fandango could honestly go either way. But I think Fandango will let his A's breath with a win!

The fact that Antonio Cesaro, Kofi Kingston and Zack Ryder don't have a match on Sunday but Brodus Clay/Sweet T(ensai), Naomi, Cameron, And the Bellas all have a match is just mind boggling.  And how is this not the preshow match instead of Miz-Barrett for the Intercontinental Title? Makes no sense to me!

Randy Savage....

As I stated in my first blog, I have been a fan of wrestling since around 1986-1987. There have been many debates in wrestling history about top superstars. Today it's Orton-Cena. Before it was Rock-Austin. And before that it was Savage-Hogan. It was easy to be on Team Hogan. He was the larger then life superstar. He was power, but Savage was speed and finese. When my brother and I wrestled, I was the speed guy. I was the guy jumping off the top rope, or in my case the back of the couch. So I admired Randy Savage for all that he could do in the ring. He had some of the best matches in WWE history, including the one with Steamboat at Wrestlemania III. Was any of Hogan's matches on that level? Not really. Yeah, his matches with Andre were good, but it wasnt on the same level. Not even close.

Earlier today while driving, Randy Savage suffered a heart attack in Tampa. He crossed the median and smacked into a tree. He died. His wife of a year was in the car with him and survived with only minor injuries.

Another wrestler from my youth has died. I know it sounds cheesy, but I hope when he arrived in the wrestling ring in the sky.... the first person there to greet him was his ex wife Elizabeth. How these two are not in the wrestling hall of fame is still mind boggling. She was the first woman of professional wrestling for a reason. I know his relationship with Vince McMahon wasn't always the best, but there is no reason why he shouldnt be elected into the Hall of Fame. Especially now. I would have loved to seen his acceptace speech, but now if he ever gets in it will have to be post humously.

As a fan, everytime I heard "Pomp and Circumstance" I didnt think of graduations and gowns. No. I thought of Randy Macho Man Savage. I heard it just this past week and commented on it to another wrestling fan. Our girlfriends thought we were crazy. Just last night I was watching one of his matches from 1988.

He was 57 years old when he died. It's weird to think he had not been wrestling on a major promotion since his last appearance in TNA wrestling back in 2004. He will be missed.

I am glad to see that this story has been picked up by alot of news media, not just those that talk about wrestling. Several articles are on IMDB about it. I saw it even on ESPN and AOL News too. It was trending on Twitter earlier. I even just saw Weird Al Tweet about Randy Savage. So did Elizabeth Banks... her Co-star in Spiderman!