My Hall of Fame Class # 2 Edition

Before we get started with the second class of the Inside The Wrestling Ring Hall of Fame, something happened this past week that warrants a mention. I want to congratulate Darren Young for having the nerve to come out as a gay man in the world of professional wrestling. It can't be easy for someone in a testosterone filled locker room to do what he did. So his actions to TMZ is all that much more impressive.

And without further adieu it's time to induct the 2nd class into my Hall of Fame. And there is no one better, no name bigger to induct then Shawn Michaels. My first memory of Shawn Michaels was with the Rockers. He didn't make such of an impression on me, but my first Mark out moment was the day he turned on Marty Jannety and tossed him through the Barber Shop Window. Who would have thought we would see him grow to become Mr. WrestleMania after that. There is not a belt he has not won. Michaels is a 3 time WWE champion, 1 time World Champion, 3 time Intercontinental Champion, 1 time European title and a five time tag team champion.

My next inductee will be tied to Shawn Michaels forever. Because it was against Shawn Michaels that he wrestled his last match. I am talking about Ric Wooo Flair! Flair's career is even more impressive considering in 1975 he was in a plane crash. He broke his back in three different spots and was told he would never wrestle again. Keep in mind that was in 1975! Think of all that Ric Flair has done in that time. Most people wish they had 1/3 of his career. Ric Flair is a 16 time world champion in the WCW and WWE.

Next up to be inducted The Inside the Wrestling Ring Hall of Fame is Jake The Snake Roberts. The man never won a single belt in the WWE. But there was no man that could deliver a better promo then Jake The Snake Roberts. There wasn't any one better at ring psychology then Roberts. He invented a basic move that is still used today as well, the DDT. Jake has fallen on hard times but is looking to get back into shape. There are rumors that he wants to be in the 2014 Royal Rumble.

My final inductee is Ted DiBiase, the Million Dollar Man. His list of titles won isn't that high. He never won a singles belt in the WWE, not including the belt he created The Million Dollar Belt. He only won the tag team titles once in his career. But very few people in the business owned a gimmick like Ted DiBiase owned the Million Dollar Man gimmick. Some wrestlers are brawlers, some are technically sound. Ted DiBiase was a little bit of both. And again, one of the best talkers in the history of the sport. Can anyone forget this classic moment?I never truly appreciated his skill when I was a kid. It was only recently in watching some of his older matches that I have grown to appreciate him.

The final inductee of the night goes to my fiancée. And she has picked not just an average wrestler, but a great one. In fact, The Great One. The Rock. What can you say about the Rock that hasn't been said? He is a 2 time World Champion,8 time WWE Champion, 2 time Intercontinental Champion and a 5 tag team champion. There is no one that can control a crowd like the Rock can. He is the biggest cross over wrestler in the history of WWE. Hulk Hogan made movies, but they weren't good. The Rock has starred in huge blockbusters and number one movies all over the world. He can be funny, dramatic or be an action star. What more can you say?

Definitely check out our partner Club Kayfabe where a special guest was on this week's episode. None other then me! And I want to say thank you to Chris, Pat and Dan for allowing me to fill the fourth chair.

Special thanks to my wonderful editor and fiancée for helping as always.

Summerslam 2013 Predictions

Welcome to the first of two blogs for the day here at Inside the Wrestling Ring. The first blog will be about my predictions for Summerslam 2013. So let's get started with the kick off match.

This past week we saw a 20 man over the top battle royal to decide who would face Dean Ambrose for the United States Championship as part of the pre-show. It came down to Mark Henry vs Rob Van Dam and your winner was RVD. I would love to see him win the strap, but I don't think he will. I think that The Shield will attack during the match and Big Show and Mark Henry will come down to even the odds. I think that at next month's Night Of Champions we will have a winner take all match between the six of them. But I predict this will be an incredible way to get Summerslam started.

Next up will be the Total Divas match between Natayla and a Bella, in this case Brie. I think that Natayla SHOULD win, but probably won't. So expect some twin magic to occur and a Bella victory

Kane vs. Bray Wyatt in a Ring Of Fire match. This is the first Ring of Fire match, not to be confused with an inferno match. No one will be set on fire in this match. Bray Wyatt has to win. It's his first match and he can't start off a loser. I would be interested in this to see what Wyatt is like in the ring. I saw him as Husky Harris and I saw a match he had 2 years ago at FCW against Richie Steamboat. I was not impressed either way, but he has supposedly improved dramatically so I will give him the benefit of the doubt!

The match I am most looking forward to is Cody Rhodes against his former tag team partner Damien Sandow. Both men can go in the ring, they are both good at telling a story in the ring, and as former partners they know each other's moves well. I don't think either of them will be a Jannety or a Neidhart. I think Damien Sandow will win this match, but this really could go either way in my book.

Next up is AJ and Big E. Langston vs Kaitlyn and Dolph Ziggler. This match I keep going back and forth on who will win. But I will stick with my guns and say AJ and Big E. She is the diva's champion and he is up and coming. Plus I want to see if Big E. tries to kiss AJ again!

Now it's time for my thoughts of the Best vs. The Beast, CM Punk vs. Brock Lesnar. I think this will be as brutal as the build up has been. I think it ends in a DQ with either Curtis Axel or Paul Heyman interfering. Maybe a chair is used. We have not seen the last of these two though. Expect a huge stipulation match at Night of Champions

The World Heavyweight Title will be defended when Alberto Del Rio goes against Christian. I expect Del Rio to win. I like Christian, but I think more can be gained by Del Rio winning. His heel turn has fallen flat. I think that is why Del Rio attacked Ricardo Rodriguez on Raw two weeks ago.

And finally John Cena versus Daniel Bryan with Triple H as Special Guest Referee for the WWE Title. I think having Triple H as the Special Guest Referee changes everything. I expect Daniel Bryan to walk out as champion. John Cena is hurt, first off. Secondly no one is hotter right now than Daniel Bryan. I also expect Randy Orton to cash in his Money In The Bank and lose setting up a great triple threat match at Night Of Champions.

A Special Thanks to my fiancée who helps edit this page!

The Wrestlers I Have Met Edition

If you haven't already, definitely check out Club Kayfabe, a great wrestling podcast.

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

Before we get started, don't forget to check out Club Kayfabe podcast, available on PodOmatic, an awesome new partner of Inside the Wrestling Ring.

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.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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.