Your Midweek Links: Yes, You Have to Read Bleacher Report Now

Your new fab five
Photo Credit: Bleacher Report

It's hump day, so here are some links to help get you through the rest of the week.

Self-Shilling:

- The Wrestling Podcast is equal parts rasslin and baseball as Jeffrey Paternostro and I talk about Dragon Gate, Alberto del Rio and Sabermetrics. Longest podcast to date. [Episode 16: For Those About to Man Mountain Rock, We Salute You]

- I make my Fair to Flair podcast review, bring up Nitro Parties and elicit a group laugh for my crack against Impact's (lack of a) drug policy [Episode 8: He's Got Great Hair]

- My Fair to Flair article from this past week, why we need to cool it on calling Alberto del Rio one-dimensional and maybe appreciate him for what he is, a WWE rookie whose first year is pretty outstanding. [Alberto del Rio and Taking It Slow]

Wrestling Links:

- Yes, I'm linking to my own site here, but screw you, this is a guest review that I'm quite fond of. Brandon Stroud reviews ACW's latest event. [The Wrestling Blog]

- Another guest blog that I was quite fond of, Jordi Scrubbings compares CM Punk and the onset of the Reality Era to a similar occurrence in horror film making. [The Wrestling Blog]

- My blogging Adrien Bro-dy recaps what went down in his absence as only he can. [PizzaBodySlam]

- Is John Cena a face or a heel? I'd say the answer is, he's a character. [International Object]

- If they don't integrate more wrestlers into the Reality Era, David Shoemaker it may not be so much an era but a footnote as part of the character of CM Punk. [Grantland]

- What is CM Punk's motivation? [Hitting the Mark]

- What's Kevin Nash's deal? He's there to galvanize CM Punk as a good guy, that's what. [Fair to Flair]

- Eric Gargiulo lists five takeaways from the CM Punk/John Cena angle thus far. He's a bit more pessimistic than I am, but hey, it's a good counterweight. [Camel Clutch Blog]

- The Best and Worst of RAW, f/ a shoutout to me. [With Leather]

- Razor's RAW live blog. [Kick-Out!! Wrestling]

- The world's biggest Edge fan gets to meet her idol. [The Muse Manse]

- Tom Warren argues that NXT should morph into the waiting room between FCW and WWE. Not a bad idea, actually. [Tom Watches Wrestling]

- Speaking of NXT, here's Trey Irby waxing romantic about the current eternal season. [Wrestling Theory]

- Justin Henry has a message for Matt Hardy. [Wrestling News Source]

- The XWA Interview [Wrestlegasm]

- Maryse has a hernia. Ouch. [Diva Dirt]

- Nattie Neidhart and Beth Phoenix want booty popping to stop, but they pose for risque pics for the website? Something tells me WWE really doesn't believe in the narrative they're giving the Divas of Doom to sell. [Grapple Kingdom]

- In non-exploitative women's news, there's a big match on the horizon Down Under featuring Madison Eagles, Nicole Matthews and Jessie McKay. DDS has the lowdown on it. [Dirty Dirty Sheets]

- Yeah, The Rock totally sold a sitcom based on '80s wrestling to NBC. [Warming Glow]

- Foley in talks to come back to WWE and possibly wrestle... not sure how good an idea that is, but I guess we'll have to wait and see on that one. [Cageside Seats]

- CMLL recap, featuring a .gif with a guy dressed as a chicken. [Luchablog]

- Mistico's return to TV as Sin Cara is so good they wanted him to do the same match over again. Oh wait, you mean it wasn't because they wanted an encore? [South Atlanta Wrestling]

- New blog! We Watch Wrestling is new and they're good. Here's their profile on Alex Reynolds. [We Watch Wrestling]

- Want to make Wrestlespective Radio better? Let Jason Mann know! [Wrestlespective]

Jamie Dobson Interviews:

No new interviews this week.

Non-Wrestling Links:

- Bleacher Report realized it had terrible content, so it went out and got some of the best writers on the Internet to be their lead writers in a bold new initiative that looks to raise the game in online sports journalism and opinion writing. Put the feeds in your RSS reader, folks. Dan Levy [Wide Left] Josh Zerkle [The Go Route] Bethlehem Shoals [Court Vision] Dan Rubenstein [Your Best 11] Matt Miller [Huge Upside]

- As a counterbalance though, Larry Brown argues that B/R is going to have to do a WHOLE lot more to fix its reputation (Although you can RSS the above five and just get the good content). [Larry Brown Sports]

- Hey, remember that earthquake yesterday? Yeah, while it didn't destroy much of anything, it was good for some high comedy on Twitter. [UPROXX]

- Apparently, Tiger Woods is the worst celebrity tipper in the world right now. At least he can win something! [The Post Game]

- What killed Miami? Money, it's always money. [Seventh Floor Blog]

- Al Golden left Temple for a plum job in Miami. Yeah, about that... [Dr. Saturday]

- Why does this Texas A&M-leaving-the-SEC talk sound so familiar? [TAMU 24/7]

- Even more college football, Drew Magary has your hater's guide to the top 25. In case you had trouble conjuring bile for kids playing football, of course. [Deadspin]

- Nike is not content with just fucking with Oregon's uniforms anymore [Every Day Should Be Saturday]

- Sandra Lee groping herself. Yep. [Food Network Humor]

- Castro and Plichter take a pizza challenge. Do they win? It's a tough one. [Doughboys]

- The most popular restaurants check-ins on Facebook are Starbucks and Buffalo Wild Wings? I FOR ONE AM SHOCKED AND APPALLED!!!exclamationpoint1 [Gawker]

- Just when you think they're getting soft, those [SQUAWK]in' smart Canucks come back with something like Big Mac sausages. Don't be a hater, hater. [Epic Meal Time]

- Fox News may suck, but Andy Levy is full of fucking own right here. [Imgur Gallery]

- Why do most Americans hate economics? Probably because you hate what you don't understand. [First Thoughts]

- "It wasn't gay, it was just wild sex with a male prostitute." [Indy Star]

- Wanna feel old? Read this then. [Buzz Feed]

- Want to win at the casino? Microcameras are the answer. [Boing Boing]

- Pat Summit was diagnosed with early-onset dementia this week. Holly Anderson writes that Summit doesn't want your pity. [SI.com]

- Abby Wambach singlehandedly brings the US Women's National Soccer team to the World Cup finals, and the best advertisement she gets is fucking Magic Jack? STEP UP YOUR GAME, ADVERTISERS, GAWD. [Hugging Harold Reynolds]

- Pokemon is NOT supposed to be this sexy. [Unreality Mag]

- Charlie Manuel drops the F-bomb on live radio. [The Fightins]

- Jonah Keri outlines his plan for the Cubs to stop sucking. [Grantland]

- Ten greatest roles of nerd icon Lance Henriksen [Topless Robot]

- New poster for the cult film Swamp Thing [Blast-o-Rama]

- Michael Fassbender as Magneto in drag. It's a deleted scene too. Christ, if I looked that good in a cocktail dress, you bet your sweet ass I'd have petitioned to have that scene in the actual movie. [Film Drunk]

- How adults play online games [The Oatmeal]

- Eight things that stopped suicides, or, if you're a pretty woman and see a dude looking to leap to his death? Make out with him, you might save his life. [Cracked]

- Haha, it's funny because herbal tea isn't tea at all. [Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal]

- Metal bras, just in case you're going into a war zone and want to look damn stylish. [Gamma Squad]

- The funny thing about that? That number is a Lancaster Co., PA area code. Wait a second, no, that's not the funny part at all. [Skull Swap]

- 49ers owner Jed York blames shootings at a preseason game on the fact that the regular season isn't 18 games long. Sure, and my dog poops diamond encrusted scepters. [Kissing Suzy Kolber]

- Ten other thoughts from the weekend in the NFL preseason [With Leather]

- Will his wife's health scare make Matt Cooke stop gooning it up? [Puck Daddy]

- Did Jay-Z and Kanye West illegally sample someone on their Watch the Throne album? [The Smoking Section]

- Dave Letterman to terrorist death threats: "Pfft, NBD" [Warming Glow]

Allison Danger Doesn't Quite Care For Talentless Girlfriends of Workers/Bookers

Support her. Dammit, support her.

Via her own blog

Allison Danger, in addition to being a full-time mother, booker and one of the best female wrestlers in the game, is also a blogger and a feminist. She's not burning bras, but she is doing what everyone should be doing, standing up for women in wrestling. This one's a must read if only because of one of the horror stories she had to go through in North Carolina. Take a read at this passage:

A few years back I was booked to do a show in North Carolina. I was part of a baby face tag team against a heel team of a female with similar time in as me and another female with a little less time but a monster build. Both good opponents to share a ring with. Unfortunately, the worker booked as my tag partner had to cancel off. The promoter, instead of finding a suitable female wrestler, decided to put in a worker’s girlfriend who, I believe, had never even taken a bump yet. Good times! We were able to structure a match around this person’s limitations and the match was go. Sadly, about two minutes into the heat, this gal tags out and leaves the rings because....wait for it....SHE GOT BORED TAKING THE HEAT. Thankfully, the remaining members of our match, who were not bored, were able to pull together a somewhat decent ending that didn’t kill them and told a story. In the back we get no apology and no explanation other than the “I was bored” and “I was in there for so long I thought you guys were playing a joke on me”. She spent the rest of the night suction cupped to her boyfriend while fixing her hair so she could manage him in the main event. Worst part is, neither the boyfriend (who was also her trainer) nor the promoter saw any problem with this behavior. Guess what, gang. This happens all the time (well, not the bored part, that was new to even me!). In this case, we were lucky that no one in the match was hurt. Not everyone gets that lucky. This does not happen to the guys so why are us females subjected to it? This is where we need to learn to say no. To do so in a respectful and professional manner. I feel secure in myself and my position that I can finally say no to doing matches like that. If the promoter chooses not to use me then cool. As long as I know I handled it professionally and within reason then I know I can sleep well having lost that booking. Not every female wrestler has that luxury though. We as women need to band together to protect one another. If we stand together we have a genuine shot as changing this mentality and providing a safer environment for one another. I am going to summarize something Lufisto told me one of the first times we met (I repeat this sentiment in training and seminars regularly now); “We may not like everyone but in the ring we are all best friends. And that is how we need to protect each other”. Perfection.

Yeah. That definitely happened. So yeah, if you think that WWE treats women bad, things can be even worse, just as some indie promoters can be sleazier than the mainstream.

Photo Credit: Scott Finkelstein - Please visit his site to view the plentiful amounts of pictures he's taken for DGUSA, ROH and other indie feds: Get Lost Photography

The Wrestling Podcast, Episode 16: Jeffrey Paternostro

For Those About to Man Mountain Rock, We Salute You

Do you like baseball, Dragon Gate and longing for Daniel Bryan's theme song to be "The Final Countdown" once more? Then you'll love the podcast this week as I have longtime friend and Amazin' Avenue blogger Jeffrey Paternostro on the show. We dish about Alberto del Rio, CM Punk, Toryumon and Dragon Gate, CIMA, women's wrestling and a lot of baseball talk. Is Curt Schilling a Hall of Famer? Do the Phillies have a good offense? Do I revel in the fact that in two months, Jair Jurrjens' ERA went up about a run? All that and more are tackled in this week's edition, the LONGEST episode ever.

Direct link for your downloading pleasure.

Transcending Trish: Why Kelly Kelly Is Vital to Viable Women's Wrestling in WWE

Kelly's evolution is crucial to survival of WWE women
Photo Credit: WWE.com

Once upon a time, there was a model who was signed by WWE. She really had nothing going for her outside of her sex appeal at first, and after beginning her tenure in a non-wrestling capacity, she started to tangle in the ring. The results weren't pretty at first, but she grew into her role, she started to become serviceable and then good in the ring. It took some time, but Trish Stratus eventually lived happily ever after, at least in terms of WWE women.

Kelly Kelly has a lot of things in common with Stratus, truth be told. Like Stratus, she started out as a model, albeit as a Hawaiian Tropic model rather than fitness. She started out in a non-wrestling capacity, only as a faux-stripper instead of a manager. And yes, she's not really that good in the ring here at the beginning of her run. But like Stratus improved over her run, Kelly is showing some signs of improvement. Last night, she held her own with Beth Phoenix. Some people, like Brandon Stroud, thought that Kelly was the better wrestler in the match. It's an argument that you could take seriously without being crazy.

It was one match, but it was a big improvement over the past, when all she'd do is look pretty, botch moves and bump awkwardly. So, going from that to being someone who could make a match look good because she bumped her ass off? That's huge, especially given that she's the prohibitive face of the Divas. It doesn't matter what Eve Torres, Maryse, the Bellas or anyone else do. They're not the ones whose faces are featured prominently on billboards and posters.

Of course, maybe the answer to that problem would be not to push the Barbie dolls. Yeah, and the problems I have could be fixed by hitting Powerball. That is to say it's not going to happen, at least not overnight. Would it behoove WWE to bring back Serena and hire Cheerleader Melissa, Sara del Rey, KANA, Madison Eagles, Allison Danger and Candice LaRae? Of course it would. However, change can't really come drastically like that, or else you're risking alienating your audience. It has to come over time. It's not like the entire roster consists of no-talent model-types. There's Phoenix, Nattie Neidhart, AJ and, when she comes back from bearing child, Kharma who are already on the main roster. Naomi and former SHIMMER wrestler Tenille are in FCW.

At the same time, those women won't get the hard push without Kelly. She's the key to all this. She needs to grow and continue her ascent so that she can prove that women in WWE aren't segment fillers. She's the ideal, so she has to show, like Trish, that the ideal isn't just someone who's pretty. When Stratus was in her heyday, the women's scene, despite having Lita, Phoenix and Mickie James on the roster, wasn't as deep as it is now. If Kelly can get the crowd invested in the women more for their looks, then WWE can build a viable women's division, something that can be called more than just a Divas division derisively.

So that's why Kelly needs to channel Stratus and needs to improve. That's why last night, while not really a good match graded without a curve, was so important going forward. Kelly is going to be a vital cog, and whether she evolves or stagnates is a key for credible women's wrestling in WWE. When Stratus evolved, she got women's wrestling's foot in the door. It's time for Kelly to take the next step.

I Am Beth Phoenix, Bringer of War

BETH SMASH PUNY HAWAIIAN TROPIC MODEL
Photo Credit: WWE.com

When Beth Phoenix won the Divas Battle Royale on RAW, I was excited as a fan. She is my favorite among the current crop of women's wrestlers in WWE, and really, even though she'd probably be offered up as a sacrifice to the ultimate underdog in Kelly Kelly, I'm glad she's getting a shot at SummerSlam.

Then, she turned heel.

I have to admit, I got a bit giddy when I saw her destroy K2, except when she rolled out the Impact Wrestling Knockout party line of destroying her because she was a bimbo. But it was forgivable in this one instance. Either way, it was a welcome change. I like her as someone I can root for as a simpler fan, but she's at her best when she's a wrecking machine. For me, this also gives some hope to the direction of the women's division in WWE.

When Beth was in the Superstars Zone as a good girl, she worked good matches and had fun with the crowd, but she was an asset that really wasted away while Divas like the Bella Twins and Eve Torres drove the narrative. In the context of traditional WWF/E women's wrestling, it's an improvement, at least macrohistorically (it was better when Beth as a heel feuded with Mickie James), but in terms of what it can be? It's still woefully lacking.

However, one of the criticisms levied by CM Punk towards WWE in his current build has been the treatment of the Divas. There was an upturn for a little while when Kharma was doing her thing, and they've spent more time giving the Divas more time to do their thing. While that's nice, and while the models-turned-wrestlers do turn out slightly better results when they're given more time and care, well, let's face it, it's still not anything close to what the men can produce on their average day.

So, maybe they are turning Beth loose in an attempt to give their female fans more respectable heroines to hang their hats on. Maybe they're going to phase out the ones who can't go and focus more in on Beth, Nattie Neidhart, AJ, Tamina, Layla (when she returns from injury), Naomi and the newest developmental signee and SHIMMER alumna Tenille. Or maybe I'm just putting too much stock in a front office that has rarely ever cared about women.

Meanwhile, at least I can bask in Beth's return to her natural state. She should be throwing barbie dolls around. She should be splitting wigs. Hell, she should be wrestling men... okay, maybe I'm getting too ahead of myself in that regard. But I'll take her as she is now, because as she is now? She's one of the best.

The Wrestling Podcast, Episode 9: Razor of Kick-Out!! Wrestling

Logo credit: Razor

Episode 9: Wrestle-phenia

Razor of Kick-Out!! Wrestling and Fair to Flair appears on this week’s massive edition of The Wrestling Podcast. Obviously, CM Punk is the hot topic, but there are other conversations explored here. We talk about Razor’s deep-seated yet totally understandable hatred for Randy Orton, why the WWE Divas have a tough lot in professional life, why we love the idea of Wrestling Revolution and how wrestling journalism can be improved. Plus, my dog makes a few appearances.

Remember you can contact TH and ask him questions about wrestling, life or anything else. Please refer to this post for contact information. He always takes questions!

Know Your Indie Wrestlers: Sara del Rey

Death Rey

Who: Sara del Rey
Also Known As: Death Rey, Queen of Wrestling
Height: 5'9"
Weight: 150 lbs.
Hometown: Martinez, CA

Promotions: SHIMMER, Chikara, ROH, WSU, JAPW (alumna), ACW

Affiliations: In Chikara, she's a member of the devious and deadly BDK. Otherwise, she's found palling around with the Kings of Wrestling as their queen.

Twitter: @TheSaraDelRey

Signature Moves:

Piledriver


Top 10 Moves, including bridging fallaway slam and Royal Butterfly


Accolades:
SHIMMER World Championship
JAPW Women's Champion (current, perhaps final)
ROH Undisputed Intergender Heavyweight Tag Team Championship (w/ Chris Hero)

Promos:

Sara and Daizee are furious over the lack of competition


Promo on Kong and Raesha


A candid talk about women in wrestling


Promo on Daffney


All About Sara del Rey:

Her Matches - She's not the biggest competitor, even among her peers in the women's divisions or in SHIMMER. However, regardless of how much mass or height she has or doesn't have, she's always projecting a fearsome aura. She's definitely the prototype of the female bully, only one that isn't a larger woman. I think that makes her unique, whether she wrestles men or women. She's got some of the best strikes of any gender, especially her koppo kick which is strangely not clipped anywhere on Youtube (or maybe it is, and I'm lazy). I also absolutely love that she uses the piledriver as a finisher. Not a tombstone or a fire thunder or any other variant, but a regular, Memphis-style piledriver. She's definitely the best female wrestler in America right now, at least in my estimation.

Her Character - In nearly every promotion I've seen her, she seems to play down her femininity and work as a bully like she does in the ring. From the facepaint to the menacing scowl, she's the most unladylike of the current crop of women wrestlers. With her ROH/KoW-second character as the Queen of Wrestling, it works brilliantly. She's the new prototype of woman wrestler, one who, despite her obvious inherent good looks and somewhat petite size, doesn't rely on her looks at all and instead on her ability in the ring. It's a brilliantly simple character.

Why You Should Know Her - Honestly, I may be biased, because she's my favorite female in any wrestling promotion, but I think that Sara del Rey is must see whenever she's in the ring or even out of it. It's a good thing, because she's in very high demand. Whether it's in Chikara, SHIMMER, WSU, start-up women's feds or in any women's division, you can count on her being there and turning in great performances. She's clearly making her case to join her former peer Awesome Kong in WWE as part of a new movement of anti-Divas who can actually wrestle and do more than shake their tits and ass.

The thing is that she dowdies herself down and is actually very, very attractive when she accentuates her femininity. However, I think that it makes a very poignant point. She could very well make it to WWE by glitzing up, putting on a shit-ton of makeup and a push-up bra and trying to fit the mold. She doesn't, and I think she's a credit to women's wrestling for doing it. She's talented and it seems like she wants to make it on her merits as a wrestler. That's awesome to me, maybe the biggest reason why I think I have such a crush on her. She definitely has enough talent as well, maybe the most in my estimation.

SO yeah, you need to know her, because if she's not the best in the world, she's at least one of them. She's just about the biggest star remaining on the indie scene, maybe tied with Serena and Cheerleader Melissa, and if she's on a card in your town, I think you need to be there just to see what she does. I think that goes double for if she's in town with Chikara, because she's most likely wrestling intergender, and those are the best examples of her talent.

Photo Credit: Scott Finkelstein - Please visit his site to view the plentiful amounts of pictures he's taken for DGUSA, ROH and other indie feds: Get Lost Photography

Remember you can contact TH and ask him questions about wrestling, life or anything else. Please refer to this post for contact information. He always takes questions!

From the E-Feds to Reality: The School Girl

Underestimate at your own risk, sexist pig!

For those who don't know, TH is an e-fed enthusiast. Even in years when he wasn't watching wrestling, he was still e-fedding. He ran several characters in several feds at a time at his peak, but now, he resides only in Empire Pro Wrestling with one character. Still, he's handled and seen a ton of characters. Some may work in the real world, some may not. This is one of those characters from the former.

Name: Inoue Doi, The School Girl (handled by the inimitable Michael K. Dupin)

What's Her Deal: It's exactly what the name says. She's a petite Japanese anime-fetish style woman wrestler, replete with a school girl outfit. Yep. She also was among the most feared threats on the roster, an example of not judging a book by its cover. Her strikes and knowledge of how to dismantle larger opponents, especially with her feared URAKEN~!, were among the best in her home fed. Think about her as one of the ninja-hookers from Sin City. Underestimate her at your own risk.

Was She Successful in E-Feds: I'd say that since she was the signature character in her main fed, the Squared Circle, she was pretty successful. I'm not sure how many titles she won, but she was definitely one of the most memorable characters there.

Could She Get Over in Reality: It depends on the setting. WWE is under intense public scrutiny. If she would dominate over the males, it might drive some of the more meatheaded fans away (not that I'd complain, but money's money). If she took too much of a beating, the PTC and other watchdog groups would be on their asses. ROH strikes me as kind of the place where they don't care too much about women at all. She'd have to be a full-time character in PWG (where Candice LaRae and Christina von Eerie have wrestled the men), Chikara (where Sara del Rey, Daizee Haze and Madison Eagles continue to wrestle against men) or Inter-Species Wrestling (where really, anything goes). I'd love to see a character like The School Girl doing battle full-time in Chikara. I think she'd get the best treatment there, and the matches would be out of sight. Plus, URAKEN~! battles with Eddie Kingston!

Remember you can contact TH and ask him questions about wrestling, life or anything else. Please refer to this post for contact information. He always takes questions!