The Wrestlers I Have Met Edition

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I have been lucky to have met quite a few wrestlers over the years. I've met one Hall of Famer, and a few that will be in the Hall of Fame one day. So I guess I can't complain. For the most part they have been very nice people, with one glaring exception. But we will be getting to him in a minute.

Starting back in 1995 I went to a Wrestlemania Fan Fest at the Hartford Civic Center. The Fan Fests back then were much smaller then they are now. Autograph sessions were free and there was quite a bit going on. It was there that I met people like Doink, Dink, Kevin Nash, Kama the Supreme Fighting Machine, Hillbilly Jim and Paul Bearer. Only Kevin Nash and Paul Bearer were seated signing autographs. The rest were wandering around the floor meeting fans. My encounter with Kama was exceptionally awesome. There was a chance to call a famous WWE match with a wrestler, for a fee of course. You did get to take home a copy of the match with your commentary on it on VHS (tells you how long ago it was). I just had to do it! So myself and another fan called the Bret Hart Vs Yokozuna match with Rowdy Roddy Piper as the special referee from Wrestlemania X. And we got to record with Kama, later known as The Godfather. He was in character as Kama the entire time. I admit that I said some things that I shouldn't have said, especially with someone named the Supreme Fighting Machine next to me. I kept making jokes about Yokozuna's weight, which he took exception to. Obviously I made it out okay! But there were times I wasn't sure that would happen.

Flash forward many years later and I am now living in Orlando, Florida. For three different book signings I got a chance to meet Chris Jericho, Batista and Bret Hart. Not together, mind you, because that would all sorts of awesome. Chris Jericho entered Virgin MegaStore as only he could. It was before his flashing jacket, but it would be an awesome complement to his entrance that day. He grabbed the microphone and delivered a promo for his fans. He was very cordial to everyone when it was their turn to meet him. It definitely seemed to me that the Chris Jericho you see on TV is what he is really like. Which is a good thing.

Meeting him was not a let down... unlike Dave Batista. He was there for a book signing right before Wrestlemania 24 vs Umaga. The word douchebag comes to mind. He wouldn't pose for any pictures with the fans. In fact I even got yelled at for taking his picture after I had met him. When I wished him "Good Luck" in his match, I barely got a grunt in return. He never even took off his sunglasses. He was the one and only negative wrestler I have ever met. I was never a huge fan of his, but I lost what respect I had for him that day. Yes, I know everyone has bad days. But from everything I have read about him, this was more the norm.

Then I met Bret Hart in the same building. It was an amazing experience to meet him. He hadn't yet returned to the WWE at this point. We hadn't seen him on television in a WWE ring since the Montreal Screw Job. So it was very cool to have a few minutes to talk to him. He was very nice and posed for several pictures. He genuinely seemed like a nice guy.

And then this past weekend I added another name to the list. My fiancée and I got a chance to meet former Tag Team, United States, and Intercontinental Champion Kofi Kingston. He has been out with an injury for over a month. We were hoping something he said was said with a wink wink, nudge nudge and that that he would return at Money In The Bank. He did! At least during the pre-show any way. He was also very nice. The smiling person you see on television was the same man that was there.

Meanwhile last week I made my predictions for Money In The Bank. And I missed only one. The only one I missed was the World Heavyweight Money In The Bank Ladder Match. I was relatively close. A Damien Sandow win is as good as a Cody Rhodes win, because it will hopefully push both men into the Main Event.

Once again I would like to thank my wonderful fiancée who is also my editor.

Money In The Bank 2013 Predictions

Welcome everyone to the Money In The Bank 2013 predictions here at Inside the Wrestling Ring. Before I start, once again if you are a fan of wrestling, and because you are here on this page I assume you are, check out our partner Club Kayfabe Podcast for more wrestling news and opinions.

All right, so here we go. I will get started with the pre-show match for the WWE Tag Team Titles. Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns will defend against Jey and Jimmy Uso. I think it's a safe bet to say that the Shield will retain. It should be a good match, but The Shield retain (even though the Usos deserve it).

Curtis Axel defends his Intercontinental Title against The Miz. I have a feeling this won't be as good of a match. But Axel will also retain his title.

Ryback vs. Chris Jericho is pretty much on the card for two reasons. One, Ryback needs a win on Pay Per View. He hasn't won since his days of squashing people. Two, Chris Jericho is getting ready to go back on tour with Fozzy so don't be surprised to see an injury angle take place to explain his absence. Again, I have a feeling that it will not be a quality match. I expect Vickie Guerrero to be involved somehow as well.

The Diva's championship will be defended when AJ Lee goes against former tag team partner Kaitlyn. These two have done more to make the Divas relevant again then any one has in many years. I think AJ retains in a very good, quality match.

Alberto Del Rio vs. Dolph Ziggler for the World title should be a decent match. Some days I really like Del Rio, though not really since his recent heel turn. I do think he retains though, which I think is a shame. But I am not completely sold that he will retain, I am about 50.1 % sure, so that tells you something. I would like to see Dolph win, but I think he will win it again sooner rather then later

John Cena vs. Mark Henry will be better than most people expect it to be. But in the end, Superman John Cena will retain as always. It's a shame. I want Mark Henry to win, he just won't.

They aren't calling the World Title Money In The Bank match a futures match, but they should because everyone (with the exception of Jack Swagger) is looking to get into the Main Event for the first time. This is a very hard match to predict. I think that there are six of the seven who could possibly win it. No disrespect to Faaaandaaaangoooo, but I just don't see that happening. I will go with who I want to win it. Cody Rhodes has been on the door step of main eventing for years now, and this could be the chance. Plus it will allow them to break up Rhodes Scholars when Damien Sandow gets jealous of Cody's win.

And finally the Money In The Bank All-Stars match. This is equally hard to predict in the fact we don't know if it will be a six man match now thanks to the "injury" to Kane or will he be replaced by someone like Kofi Kingston or Big Show (Wishful thinking on my part for either of them!). But I think it will be either Randy Orton or Daniel Bryan. Orton has done everything in his career except win Money On The Bank but it's hard to ignore the push that Bryan has gotten. I will go with Randy Orton though, because Daniel Bryan has won it before.

There you have it. Check in next week to see how many I got right. Special thanks once again to my wonderful editor

Ricardo Rodriquez vs Jack Swagger Edition

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I think the biggest story of the week had nothing to do with what actually takes place in the ring. Alberto Del Rio's personal ring announcer, Ricardo Rodriquez was suspended for 30 days this past week for violating the Wellness Policy. The rumor is that he was using fat burning vitamins he got from a store like GNC. I have a huge issue with this suspension.

Jack Swagger was recently arrested and found guilty in the court of law for marijuana use just days after he won the Elimination Chamber match. Was he suspended for that? No. In fact, one might even say he was rewarded for it. In fact, he is still being rewarded as he is one of the fourteen people scheduled for two Money In The Bank ladder matches in two weeks. Is the difference that the WWE weren't the ones who caught him as opposed to Rodriguez? I read a statement from the arresting officer that said Swagger was so high when asked for his license, he handed him his credit card instead. I would be willing to bet that there is nothing even remotely close to that with Rodriquez

I did a TMZ search for Ricardo Rodriguez. Do you know what came up? Nothing on this story. Because it's not worthy of a story. Because it's not even a story. It certainly doesn't deserve a thirty day suspension.

Now of course, I could be wrong and he could have tested positive for something a lot worse then Fat Burners. We may never know. But now we have to go without Ricardo's awesome Mexican Bow Ties and his bucket. Which is sad if you think about it.

In other news, this week we found out that the Wyatt Family will debut next week on Raw. There is quite a bit of buzz on them from the wrestling internet community. Hopefully it will go a long way in erasing our memories of Husky Harris. I know I am hoping for a lot from them. Hopefully they will not disappoint.

Until next time when I give my Money In The Bank Predictions. Special thanks as always to my wonderful fiancé and great editor

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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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!