Hanukkah Heroes: Day 2

Chad meets Kelly Kelly

By Chad Smart
@chadsmart on Twitter

The second installment of the Top 8 Jewish wrestlers brings some sex appeal to the My123Cents page. Number 7 on the list is former WWE Diva's Champion, the girl so nice they named her twice, Kelly Kelly. 


K Squared made her wrestling debut in the WWE version of ECW in 2006. Kelly was only 19 when she first appeared on ECW.  At first, Kelly played the role of an exhibitionist who performed a striptease during the weekly ECW show. Each week she would start her striptease and shortly into her performance her "boyfriend" Mike Knox would come out and stop her. Kevin and I had the pleasure of meeting Kelly at an ECW show in Poplar Bluff, Missouri. I got her to autograph a Kelly Kelly shirt I had made for the show.

Kelly Kelly as champ (from WWE)

Kelly had a brief reign as Diva's champion earlier this year and looks to be staying in the title hunt. I have to admit that last year, Kelly Kelly would have probably made my top five of most improved wrestlers. While I don't know why she has started yelling like Monica Seles during her matches, I have to compliment her with her seeming willingness to improve on her in-ring skills instead of resting on the laurels of her beauty. 

Only six more Jewish wrestlers to announce. Who will make the cut. Get it? Make the cut? It's a bris joke. We like to stay classy here at My123Cents.

Follow us on Twitter and Facebook. Come back tomorrow for number 3 on the Top Jewish Wrestler list. 

Boo: Divas in Disguise

Divas costume party...

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger on Twitter

Since the WWE started introducing us to the Divas division years ago, the ladies of the ring have been dressing up for various holidays.  We've seen them dressed as elves around Christmas, Pilgrims at Thanksgiving, and various sexy figures for Halloween.

So, instead of writing a lot today, I'm going to borrow some photos from the WWE and TNA and show some of the Diva Halloween celebrations through the years.  Ladies who read this blog, if you're offended, I'm sorry...

Melina as Spiderwoman 

So Cal Val as Jessica Rabbit

Various Divas

Velvet Sky as Rambo

Eve as a Ninja Turtle

Kelly Kelly through the years

Trish Stratus as Wonder Woman

Highway to Hell

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger on Twitter

Sunday is the next WWE Pay Per View.  This time, it's Hell in a Cell.  You might be asking, wasn't there just a PPV two weeks ago?  Yes, yes there was.  And so far, three of the four announced matches were on that event.  Technically not all three of them, but John Cena, CM Punk, and Alberto Del Rio are all connected from Summer Slam more so than Night of Champions.  Instead of predictions, this is more of my Wish List or What I Think Will Happen list. (Also, keep in mind I haven't read any spoilers for SmackDown!)

As of this posting, Wednesday 9/29/11, Mark Henry will defend the world heavyweight title in the Hell in a Cell against Randy Orton.  I'm pretty sure this will be Henry's first time in the cage.  Orton has been in a few, including against John Cena, Sheamus, and the Undertaker himself.  I really hope Henry's push continues and he goes over Orton in this match.  I feel like (and lots of other fans do too) that there's more money to be made out of Orton being the challenger, rather than the champion. Plus, I really don't want to see another title change, since the championship has been passed around like a hot potato (keeping it PG). If Henry wins, that would prime him for a championship program against Sheamus.

John Cena will also defend the WWE title in the first ever 3 Way Hell in a Cell match.  I don't know where to begin with this one.  I'm not sure what the point was of having ADR lose the belt in the first place.  I think he'll end up winning the event.  Cena and Punk will cancel one another out.  They're the two big dogs in this match, and ADR has kind of been flying under the radar.  Although the former champ did make quite the impact Monday night.  There's all kind of talk about Del Rio holding the title when the WWE visits Mexico soon, so I'm also basing my guess on that.

I'm hoping the third time is a charm as Beth Phoenix challenges Kelly Kelly one more time.  Kelly has come a long way from her days with Extreme Expose.  I enjoy her work and find her to be the most beautiful of the Divas.  But I feel like Beth Phoenix and Natalya are exactly what the division needs.  They've both picked up where Kharma left off.  Plus I still like the scenario I wrote about a couple of months ago with Beth winning the Divas title and leading up to a one on one with Kharma at Wrestlemania.  Here's the link to that in case you missed it.

If for some reason Beth doesn't win on Sunday, I think her chances are over for now.  I could see Kelly entering into a program with Natalya then and defending.  I want to see more of the Divas getting involved here too.  Most of the time, it's a four woman show (admittedly, I haven't seen SmackDown in a few weeks, so I might be wrong)  I'm just hoping the WWE hasn't written Kharma off and she does come back once her baby is here and she's ready to be on the road again.  And I know Gail Kim says she quit, but I think she's still technically with the company.  Let's get her back in the ring too.

So far the only other match announced is Sheamus vs. Christian.  I like both these guys, but I do enjoy Christian more.  However, I think he's going to slowly slip back into that upper mid-card status once again.  I look for him to put Sheamus over and hopefully Henry goes over Orton and we get a rekindled feud between the two big men.  It looked almost like there's a hint of Christian joining forces with some of the other "mistreated" talent from Raw, so I'll be curious to see where he's headed.  I would almost bet after Sunday's loss, he'll be talking more conspiracy theories.

For more thoughts on Hell in a Cell and a quick history lesson, check out my latest video.

Post your thoughts here, or on Facebook or Twitter.

SummerSham

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger on Twitter

SummerSlam is just 10 days away.  And right now, there are only 3 matches announced.  This stinks for any pay per view card, but consider the fact that SummerSlam is one of the original big 4 PPVs, this is even worse news.  By waiting a week or less before the show, it makes it seem less important.

Right now, we've got a CM Punk vs. John Cena title unification match.  Christian vs. Randy Orton for the umpteenth time, and Kelly Kelly vs. Beth Phoenix for the Divas title.  Now I won't spoil it for you, but there is one other match that gets added on Friday Night SmackDown!  But still, that's only 4 matches.  I know they'll add more at Raw and probably even the next SD.

The WWE has too many PPVs and programs that they've lost all focus on setting up good feuds and letting them simmer.  Orton and Christian, while compelling has lost its sizzle because these two have faced off on SmackDown, as well as the last 3 ppvs.  It's getting a bit repetitive.  That doesn't include all the extra tag team matches they've faced each other in too. This of course goes back to the underlying problem of their not being fresh talent pushed to the top.

Even the Punk-Cena match has lost its appeal to me because I feel like they hot shotted Punk's return.  He could have reappeared at SummerSlam, not in a match though.  There are ways they could have made that happen.

Okay, enough complaining.  My magic wand solution would be cut the number of pay per views, push new talent, and keep guys from fighting each other week in and week out on free TV.  Whether you agree or not, I want to know your thoughts.  Post them here, on Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube.

You're So Money

By Chad Smart
@ChadSmart on Twitter
(all photos are from WWE.com)

Since Kevin is off on assignment, I guess I should take care of the Money in the Bank preview and predictions. This is probably the most anticipated pay per view in quite some time. Honestly, I can’t recall the last pay per view I was this excited about seeing. Will it live up to the hype? Will WWE go the safe and predictable route? We’ll find out Sunday night. But for now lets concentrate on the matches and how I see the show playing out.

Divas Title: Kelly Kelly vs. Brie Bella

I guess I should be happy for Kelly Kelly winning her first Diva’s title, but honestly, ever since the storyline of Kelly Kelly and Balls Mahoney ended on ECW 4 years ago I haven’t seen any character or personality to the Kelly Kelly character. Then you have Brie Bella who is part of the anti-bullying “Be A STAR” campaign yet her character is the new diva bully now that Lay Cool are no longer around. This is a WWE Divas match when means it’ll get about 5 minutes and won’t be remembered 30 seconds after the match is over. MY PREDICTION: K2 retains setting up a match on Raw with Nikki Bella, which will lead into a K2-Bella Twins 3-way at SummerSlam.

Big Show vs. Mark Henry

Mark Henry has been on a tear for the past few months. Big Show, when motivated, can still put on an entertaining match. I think this could be the sleeper match of the night.  Since both guys are relatively mobile for their size this should be much more entertaining than watching a typical lumbering big man match. I’m not sure what show Big Show is a part of, I think it’s Raw so that’s what I’m using as a basis for my prediction. MY PREDICTION: Mark Henry lays out Big Show showing dominance which carries him over to be the next in line for a title shot at SummerSlam.

World Heavyweight Title: Randy Orton vs. Christian

This match is the epitome of what I dislike about the current wrestling product.  This is the fourth or fifth match between the two in the last three months. Yes there has been some shady officiating, but how many consecutive title shots should one person get before bringing in another challenger steps up to the plate?  MY PREDICTION: Either Christian wins the title or he accepts his position of eternal mid-carder. The way this story has played out if Christian doesn’t win, he’s going to look like the biggest choke artist of the last decade. Of course, Randy Orton is the one popular wrestler who if I never saw wrestle again I wouldn’t be disappointed so him being champion does nothing to make me want to watch any show.

SMACKDOWN MONEY IN THE BANK

Participants in this match are, Kane, Sin Cara, Daniel Bryan, Wade Barrett, Justin Gabriel, Sheamus, Heath Slater and Cody Rhodes.

Kane won last year and hasn’t done much over the past few months so I don’t see a repeat victory for him. Wade Barrett, Justin Gabriel and Heath Slater made the NWO B Team look like the most dominating stable by comparison and I’m not sure where they stand as far as in-fighting goes, but I see them hindering each other from winning. Daniel Bryan’s stock has fallen faster than a two-ton weight dropped off the Empire State Building. Unless WWE wants to throw a bone to the Internet Wrestling Community, Daniel Bryan’s chances of winning are slim to none and slim just left town.  Sin Cara . . . um, they guy doesn’t speak English. Unless he suddenly gets a manager in the next 48 hours, there’s no way WWE will put the title on him. Cody Rhodes and Sheamus are the only two I feel have a legitimate chance of winning. Sheamus is a former champion while Cody has the character that is perfectly suited for a MITB winner. MY PREDICTION: Sheamus has been interacting with Randy Orton and Christian over the past few weeks. Look for Sheamus to win and hold the briefcase until the most opportune time to cash it in.

RAW MONEY IN THE BANK

Participants in this match are, Alberto Del Rio, R-Truth, Jack Swagger, The Miz, Evan Bourne, Rey Mysterio, Alex Riley, and Kofi Kingston.

Where to start with this one? Evan Bourne lost his first match after having a hype video.  That doesn’t bode well for a sustained push. R-Truth, while being more entertaining in the last two months than in the last 8 years, got his token title match and will now be shifted back down to the mid-card. Jack Swagger got punked by Michael Cole. Alex Riley is too new to the scene. Unless WWE has major plans for him and wants to have him hold the briefcase for a good 9-10 months, I can’t see him winning. Plus, with The Miz in the match, there should be no way Miz would allow A-RY to win.  By the same reasoning, A-RY should try and prevent The Miz from winning. Kofi Kingston is “that guy.” He’s a multi-time champion but he’s missing something that makes you see him as the focus of either brand. That leaves us with Alberto Del Rio and Rey Mysterio. MY PREDICTION: While it is Alberto Del Rio’s destiny to become champion, he won the Royal Rumble this year. I can’t see him also winning MITB. While I don’t really think Rey Mysterio is the one who should win, his winning plays into my plan for the main event.
 

WWE Title Match: John Cena vs. CM Punk

The match everyone is talking about. CM Punk is on his way out of the company and has vowed to take the WWE Title with him. Vince McMahon has declared if Punk leaves with the title then John Cena will be fired. Stupid stipulation aside, the build for this match has been the most interesting and compelling in recent wrestling history.  As Kevin and I have written about before, after the past few weeks of Raw, there is no way John Cena should win. CM Punk has to win for there to be a satisfying pay off. Then as Punk is celebrating, Rey Mysterio (who lost his title after winning a title match at last year’s MITB) comes out to cash in the briefcase and keep the title in possession of a WWE employee. Given the history between CM Punk and Rey Mysterio this would also be a good last match for CM Punk. For further insight you can read my post, “Take the Title and Run” to see how I’d end this scenario.

The best thing about this upcoming pay per view, one word: unpredictable. WWE has the wheels in motion to get people captivated again. Will they succeed or will they sabotage themselves and take the easy, safe way out. Only one way to find out. Tune in on Sunday, buy the DVD, or just watch Raw on Monday to find out what happened.

If you Liked us on Facebook, followed us on Twitter and watched our YouTube channel, you’d have known Kevin was Zack Ryder’s Broski of the Week. What will be our big announcement next week?

Sisters of Destruction

Photo courtesy: WWE

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger on Twitter

When it was announced in 2010 that Awesome Kong had left TNA and had signed with WWE, I think a lot of fans were excited about the possibilities.  I know I was.  It seemed like it took FOREVER to get Kong on television.

Finally we saw some promos featuring different dolls getting their heads, legs, and arms snapped off.  Then an almost crazy cackle filled the air.  We were being warned that Kharma was coming.  This was indeed going to be the new character Kia Stevens would be playing.

Finally, in early 2011 Kharma made her presence known.  She took out Diva after Diva, in what one could only assume was going to lead up to what I'd consider the Divas money match: Kharma vs. Beth Phoenix.

But that was not to be.  In May, Kharma had an emotional breakdown in the ring in front of the other Divas.  A week later she announced she was pregnant and would be taking the next year off.  As she left the ring that night, she was being taunted by the Bella twins (who are clearly the bully-Divas in this sceneario)

Me & Beth at Wrestlemania 24 Axxess

Now without Kharma, I assumed the WWE would bring Beth and Natalya Neidhart back to television.  After all, I believe (and many others too) that these two former Divas' champions are the best two workers in that division.  Instead, we've seen very little of either woman.  If memory serves me, the last time I saw the Glamazon, she was doing high kicks in the ring with the other Divas as a tribute to Broadway.

Things haven't been any better for Natalya.  She's been involved in a few multi-Diva tag team matches and done very little in the ring.  In my opinion (and Old School Warrior's Mama's opinion) this is wrong.  Really the only Divas we're seeing a lot of are Kelly Kelly, the Bellas, and Eve.  I think SmackDown! has featured more of Kaitlyn and A.J.  All these ladies are lovely don't get me wrong, but I'd rather see a bit more variety.  Why no Gail Kim? Melina? Tamina?

I agree with OSW Mama that turning Beth heel now would be a great idea.  Turn her into the monster they planned to make Kharma.  Heck, do it with Natalya too and let them roll over the others in the division.  They could build Gail and Tamina as the top faces to feud with the "Sisters of Destruction."  I'd then have Beth win the Divas title.  Or Nattie, but I think a Kharma-Glamazon match at Wrestlemania would have more potential.

I know the timing may not be exactly right here, but I'm guessing Kharma would be able to return to the ring by January. (I know she said a year, but if they used her on TV and PPV only this COULD work)  That would mean a return to the ring at the Royal Rumble. In the weeks leading up to that event, I'd have Natalya and Beth align with the Bella twins.  Of course they'd all be trash talking Kharma, adding fuel to the fire and getting even more heat.  Then at the Rumble, Kharma destroys the twins in a handicap match and shows everyone she's not messing around.

Natalya at Wrestlemania 27 Axxess

This leads to a match with Nattie the next month at the Elimination Chamber pay per view.  Kharma again goes over, but gets attacked by the Beth at the end.  This sets up a match between the two at Wrestlemania.  I know the WWE wouldn't do just a singles Divas match, so I'm sure there would be Lumber Jills involved or some kind of silly 8 Diva tag match.  But I digress.

I'd have Kharma win the gold and prove all her critics wrong.  She becomes a bad ass babyface and continues the program with Beth Phoenix and Natalya.  I'm envisioning Beth and Natalya as a tougher version of LayCool.  Less talk, more ass kicking.

As we are waiting for Kharma's return, Beth would be defending the title against Gail, Tamina, Melina, etc.  Could this work?  I think so.  What are your thoughts?  Post them here or on Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube.

Open Mouth, Insert Foot

Randy Orton outside the 2010 Hall of Fame

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger on Twitter

This is post is going to irritate a lot of fans.  But as I've said before, when I have an opinion I want to share, I turn to this blog.  That was the whole point of creating it.  And as always, I welcome opposing view points.

For those who don't know Randy Orton recently did a radio interview in Phoenix where he lays a lot of things out on the table.  Too much on the table I think.  And I'm not just picking on Randy because I'm not a fan of his.  I would criticize anyone who did this.

Kelly Kelly and Kevin Kevin in 2006

Maybe he got caught up in the moment of the interview, but he came off like a douche in many of the segments I listened to.  Most specifically his conversation about Kelly Kelly's personal life.  Click that link above for that portion of the interview.  He essentially says the Kelly Kelly has gotten around the WWE locker room.  If that's true, is it really anyone else's business?  This interview reminded me of a bunch of frat boys sitting around telling tales of their latest conquest.  (I was a frat boy in college, so that's not a stereotype)

I think it's safe to say that Randy Orton is the company's number 2 guy, right behind John Cena.  In that role, I would assume you want someone who is a leader in the locker room too.  He's the top guy on SmackDown! now and probably will be for a while since the Undertaker appears to be done for the time being.  His interview sounded nothing like a leader to me.  Not only did he fill us in on who's sleeping with who backstage, but he dissed Mark Henry's work in the ring.  Understandable to a point, but I think as coworkers working for the common goal, you shouldn't be undermining the others.  At least not publicly.

Orton coming out at Wrestlemania 27

Some of you know, I work in the news business.  I would never dream of throwing a coworker under the bus no matter how strongly I disliked their work, their personality, or them in general.  I don't do it when I talk to my non-news friends, and I would never do it on a radio interview.  It just showed a level of immaturity and unprofessionalism from Orton.  I think when part of your image now as a company is "anti-bullying" and you've got a guy gossiping and telling the world about the personal lives of co-workers, that's a form of bullying. (especially the way the hosts continued to laugh and bring up Kelly Kelly throughout the interview)

That's one thing that I like about John Cena.  While I'm not crazy about the Super Cena character you see on TV, John Cena the man is a standup guy.  I've seen him on non wrestling related events and he has been a class act.  People criticize the guy, but he truly is someone you want representing your company.

I'll close with this.  Randy did at least issue an apology through his Twitter account.  While I don't necessarily think he's sorry for what he said, the words he wrote seemed sincere.  I think it's more of a case of "I'm sorry...for getting caught."

Maybe I'm being too critical.  What are your thoughts?  Did Orton cross the line?  Does he have a right to share his opinion even if it hurts others in the process?  Should we even care about this? Comment here or leave your thoughts on Facebook, Twitter, or even YouTube.

Kelly Kelly, Giant Slayers, & Midget Stomping

Kelly Kelly & me in Poplar Bluff back in 2006

SmackDown! 2/4/11: 

Kelly Kelly has always been one of my favorite divas.  While her skills in the ring aren't on the same level as Natalya or Beth Phoenix, Kelly has certainly developed as a performer over the last few years.  Not only have her wrestling skills gotten better, but she seems more confident during her back stage segments too.

She's involved in a pretty big angle on SmackDown!, and even Dolph Ziggler had twitted something about "Kelly Kelly defending the World Heavyweight title" prior to the match Friday night.  I thought that was pretty funny.

I had watched the match totally expecting Kelly to take the fall and lose the title for Edge.  I was pleasantly surprised that she didn't.  And not only did she not end up losing, she won the match for her team.  Nice spear by Kelly.  But now that she's "fired" from SD, I'm curious to see how she ends up back on the show or if she's heading back to Raw.  She'll definitely be one I'll continue to watch in 2011, and hope for big things for her.

Other SmackDown! thoughts:

The Corre has pretty has pretty much slain the Big Show.  It seemed as if Show as getting a pretty decent push, but after relatively quick exit from the Royal Rumble (thanks to Ezekiel).  Then Friday night Wade Barrett beat the big man to advance on to the Elimination Chamber.  After the Rumble I thought maybe they were leading us to a Big Show-Diesel match at Wrestlemania.  Now I'm wondering if they're building to a battle with Zeke.  Or maybe Diesel and Show against the Corre. Or at least three of the members.  We'll have to wait and see.

What's the point of the number one contender to the world title beating up a little person?  I  know it was to get cheap heat, but really, I would like to think there are other ways to get Alberto Del Rio over as your top heel.  And your number one contender.  I would have rather seen him in a match Friday night.  Put him over someone and make the fans buy the fact that he's a contender for the title.

Booker T at Wrestlemania 22

Booker T is back on Friday nights too.  Personally, I wasn't sure how I was going to like him being on the announce team.  But again, like Kelly Kelly's performance in the ring last night, I was pleasantly surprised with Booker's announcing.  Michael Cole however is a whole other story.

Cole needs to leave SmackDown! or Raw.  We don't need him on both.  And they can call him the "voice of the WWE" all they want, but that doesn't mean we have to accept it.  I really wish they'd bring JR back to Raw.  But that's not likely to happen either.

Next week we get another title match between Ziggler and Edge.  This time Vickie Guerrero herself will referee the affair.  I'm not sure why they keep going back to the well on this one and stacking the deck against Edge.  Ziggler has really improved a lot and in my opinion has the skills to win the title without all these extra stipulations.  I still predict somehow Edge will come out on top of this one.  If Zig does win, I could see Edge regaining the title at the Elimination Chamber, as it's highly unlikely we'll get a Ziggler-Del Rio match at Mania.  While these are two rising stars, it's too risky to have both of them involved in one of the most important matches on the biggest card of the year.

I didn't take notes during SmackDown!, so I think that's all I wanted to talk about.  Nothing else is sticking out to me.  Oh yeah, the Chamber match is shaping up nicely.  I like McIntyre being in it.  Had to expect Rey just because.  I'm guessing we'll get Kofi Kingston vs. Jack Swagger on the undercard.  Thanks for reading, and check out My 1-2-3 Cents on YouTube too.  Also, leave your comments, both good and bad.  I appreciate it!