Let's talk about sex (tapes)

Paige
Courtesy: WWE

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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Sex tapes seem to make or break celebrities. It's been like that for quite some time. Pam Anderson and Tommy Lee became even more famous. And sex tapes are responsible for giving the world celebrities like Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian. Now a few WWE Superstars find themselves at the center of a sex tape scandal.

Xavier Woods
Courtesy: WWE

Recently a video with former Divas Champion and NXT Women's Champion Paige was released. She is seen doing very personal and private things with former referee Brad Maddox and current Superstar Xavier Woods. It's been reported WWE does not plan to punish Paige nor Woods. Maddox no longer works for the company. I think the decision to not punish the parties involved is a good one. Paige's phone was either stolen or hacked and the videos and images released without her knowledge.

Paige and Alberto
Courtesy: TMZ

Paige's fiance Alberto Del Patron has withdrawn from an upcoming appearance at WrestleCon. His statement “Due to the invasion of our privacy I need to be home with the person that needs me more at the moment and our family. Thanks for your support and I’ll be seeing you the next time.”

There have been countless memes and jokes made about the situation online. Now that the news is about a week old, and WWE has had live events since the situation will come to pass. I do expect taunts and chants at WrestleMania next week and on the Raw that follows. 

Paige in NXT
Courtesy: WWE

I'm not going to lie, I've chuckled at some of the memes I've seen. But sometimes we fail to remember that celebrities are real people. Paige is deeply hurt by this leak and her family is legitimately worried about her well-being. Whoever chose to hack and share the information needs to be held accountable and prosecuted for the act. I realize sometimes these things are done intentionally to garner attention, however that is not the case with this situation.

Then one could argue too, if you don't want those types of images stolen, don't have them in the first place. Hindsight is 20/20. Be more thoughtful of other people's feelings before judging them and sharing the hate. 

Adios Alberto

Alberto Del Rio
Courtesy: WWE

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter
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Friday morning WWE officially announced that former World Champion Alberto Del Rio has been released by the company. Del Rio was serving a 30 day suspension for violating the Wellness Policy. Still no word on what's behind that, but his departure comes as no surprise. He's floundered since losing the U.S. Championship earlier this year to Kalisto.

League of Nations... what could have been
Courtesy: WWE

It was about a year ago that Del Rio returned to WWE, beating John Cena for that title. Admittedly, I've never been a huge fan of Del Rio's, but I do respect his work in the ring. After losing Ricardo Rodriguez as his personal ring announcer, I lost interest in the character. It's a shame too, because he has the talent, but I never felt a connection to his character. I was hopeful the League of Nations faction would take off, but the gimmick was over almost as fast as it started.

Paige & Alberto

Word on the street now is that Paige has or will be requesting her release from the company. For those who don't know, she and Del Rio have been dating for a while. The loss of Paige will definitely be a bigger than Del Rio. Paige is one of the top females on the roster, and she undoubtedly helped to shape the women's division and laid the groundwork for the "revolution" we see today.

Paige
Courtesy: WWE

But Paige sadly got caught in the cycle of WWE only doing one program at a time for the women, along with being injured. The tide is turning again, but it's likely too late for her to ride the wave. Luckily though Paige is young and talented and even if she is granted her release (again it's an internet rumor right now) she'll be back in the company before she calls it a career.

Both Del Rio and Paige will thrive and survive in their post-WWE lives. Del Rio has done it before after all. Best of luck to both of these Superstars. 

Controversy Creates Cash or Cry Babies?

Contract signing
Courtesy: WWE

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter
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I realize the title is probably a bit harsh and while I'd like to say it's not my intent to offend anyone, I'm not sure that's totally true.  There's a broad message here, but I'm tying it to a specific wrestling-related event.

Charlotte strikes
Courtesy: WWE

Recently on Monday Night Raw a verbal battle between Divas champion Charlotte and number one contender Paige fired up the Internet Wrestling Community.  Charlotte brought up her brother Reid Flair (not by name) who died in 2013 of a drug overdose.  She told Paige she was in WWE to fulfill his dream.  Paige retorted with "He didn't have much fight in him, did he?" The comment sent Charlotte into a rage and the two Divas brawled around the ring.

The comment seemed to impact fans even more.  The backlash against Paige and WWE has dominated social media.  Fans claimed to be insulted and offended by the remark and that WWE was out of line using another wrestling death to put over an angle.  Some even plan to boycott the company and this weekend's Survivor Series event.

Reid Flair

I don't offend easy.  The remark didn't bother me.  But as a father, I could see where Ric Flair (who says he had no knowledge the remark was going to be made) and Reid's mother Beth are owed an apology.  In my opinion they're the only two who really truly have a dog in the fight.  Considering Ric's relationship with Triple H (WWE COO) I think he was owed the courtesy of knowing the line was going to be dropped.   My question is this: Are fans really offended by the comment or do they feel like they SHOULD be offended?

Craig Kilborn
Courtesy: World Wide Pants & CBS

I remember the day after Owen Hart, who was dressed as the Blue Blazer, plunged to his death in Kansas City, Missouri Late, Late Show host Craig Kilborn made a tasteless JOKE about the incident.  Fans came unglued, but this was long before social media was around. Kilborn and CBS did apologize and we all moved on.  I bring this up because I feel like the Paige-Charlotte incident wasn't meant to insult or degrade the memory of Reid Flair.  It was clearly being used to create heat for Sunday's match, which I don't really think this feud needs, but I digress.

Today's society is looking for things to be offended by.  Skin color, religion, sexual orientation, politics and heck now even coffee cups seem to have divided many of us online. As Ric Flair said on Woo Nation, this "controversy" is nothing in comparison to the events currently happening in the world right now.  So instead of being butt hurt and offended every time something happens that we disagree with, take the high road, turn the other cheek and do something to make the world (or at least your community) a better place.

Hello Ladies

Charlotte, Becky and Sasha join the Divas Revolution

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter
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For months fans have been waiting for an overhaul or at least an update in the WWE Divas division.  I think it's fair to say that's exactly what happened on the July 13 episode of Raw.  Three of the best from NXT appeared on the big stage as a part of Paige's Divas Revolution. As I write this Tuesday afternoon, Charlotte, Becky Lynch and NXT women's champion Sasha Banks remain on the NXT roster on WWE's website and are not listed as WWE Divas.

Putting these three young and talented women on the main roster is a breath of fresh air in a often forgotten division.  During the segment on Raw, Michael Cole said "take a look at the future of women's wrestling!"  That statement spoke volumes to me because rarely do you hear the words "women" (it's usually Divas) and "wrestling" (it's usually sports entertainment) on WWE programming.  I don't think the company is abandoning its trademarks, but it was nice to hear a brief break from the norm.

While the presumed transfer of these three women to the main roster is exciting for the division, I do have some concerns.  I hope the moves mean WWE Creative will put more thought into the Divas division, as it seems they focus on just the champion and a particular challenger most of the time.  I also hope that the likes of Natalya and Emma aren't lost in the shuffle.  

Finally, if Charlotte, Becky and Sasha are all leaving NXT, what's next for the few women left there?  Overall that group is so talented but the division is small on NXT.  I understand they're just doing an hour a week as opposed to the five hours the main roster does, plus specials on the WWE Network.  Will Sasha do double duty or drop the NXT Women's title and move on completely?  Time will tell.  I'm going to remain optimistic that it'll be a win-win for everyone involved and hopefully before the end of summer there's a new Divas champion.  Wooo!

Tough Isn't Mean

The bottom 3
Photo courtesy: WWE

By Chad Smart
@chadsmart & @my123cents on Twitter

The new season of Tough Enough is still new enough that I haven’t learned all the contestant’s names. Doesn’t help that I missed the second episode. What I do know is there are only two contestants who have made an impression on me enough for me to remember them five minutes after the show ended. Unfortunately, both of those contestants were in the bottom three on this week’s episode. 

ZZ
Photo courtesy: WWE

On the guy side of the contest, as I mentioned on the My 1-2-3 Cents Facebook page, if ZZ doesn’t walk out of the contest with a developmental contract, something’s wrong.  While he may not be the best athlete, ZZ has shown more personality in the first five minutes then the rest of the guys combined in two full episodes.  While he may never be a WWE Champion, ZZ could easily make a career out of being the comedy wrestler WWE seems to enjoy having on the roster. Given that ZZ is only 18, there is plenty of time for him to mature, get in shape and hone skills needed to be a serious competitor.

On the female side, one contestant stood out for me for the exact opposite reason why the judges condemned her. Paige has taken issue with Sara Lee for being too nice and not mean enough.  While I understand Paige’s criticism, I feel Paige is missing a bigger point. 

Sara Lee
Photo courtesy: WWE

By not being mean, Sara Lee is avoiding the trappings engulfing the other females. Granted, given the WWE main roster Divas only have two personalities, “crazy mean girl” or “crazier mean girl,” WWE creative won’t know what to do with Sara Lee should she win Tough Enough. 

However, when I watch Tough Enough and see the catty, petty fighting going on between South American girl, Blonde girl and the others, Sara Lee appeals to me as a human because she’s not a shallow mean girl. It’s a breath of fresh air to see someone who appears to be more concerned with trying to learn and do her best instead of engaging in social media insults.  

Sure, if Sara Lee has a huge smile on her face while getting a Horseman style beat down, that would be bad. However, being, for lack of better word, innocent could play into Sara Lee’s character.  Sara Lee could show up on NXT next week as Bayley’s BFF. Two happy go lucky girls trying to achieve their dream of being WWE Divas. Or, since Bayley is having a change of attitude lately, Sara Lee could try to convince Bayley to turn back to her loveable character which would ead to a feud between the two. 

So Paige, should you read this, don’t criticize Sara Lee for being nice, criticize the other girls for fostering the played out bitchy stereotype.  Sara Lee, if you’re reading this, continue to be you. Being tough and being mean don’t necessarily go together.

Planting the Seeds

Plan C in effect
Photo courtesy: WWE

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

I don't think there's ever been a time where I'm more optimistic that the WWE is headed in the right direction in terms of helping develop the next batch of Superstars.  Yes, Brock Lesnar, a part timer, has been named the number one contender to the WWE World Title for SummerSlam.  I'm not crazy about part timers getting that kind of rub, but I believe for the story that's developing (at least in my mind) this will all work out in the end.  As wrestling fans, we have to be more patient and enjoy the ride.  The best example of that was the Daniel Bryan story.

Roman rules
Photo courtesy: WWE

The July 21 edition of Raw showed me that the WWE does in fact support younger, developing talent on the roster.  But the seeds that have been planted need time to grow.  Lesnar facing and defeating John Cena at SummerSlam can help that build up the next guy and have the big payoff again occur at Wrestlemania.  If I were a betting man, my money right now would be on Roman Reigns.  I think that's the most logical choice right now.

Lesnar makes sense as the champion too, considering he has done something no one else has ever done, pin The Undertaker at Wrestlemania.  Paul Heyman can do the verbal work on a weekly basis and keep his client in the spotlight, because we all know Brock won't be at Raw week after week leading to Mania.  I don't have a problem with that, as you'll remember in the 80's, Hulk Hogan rarely defended the WWF Championship on Superstars or Wrestling Challenge.

Two more bright spots: Cesaro & Dean Ambrose
Photo courtesy: WWE

With up and coming talent on the roster like Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose, Cesaro, and Reigns; the future looks bright as far as I'm concerned.  I believe in time all of these men will wear THE gold at some point in their respective careers.  They're young, they're hungry, and they're the future.  Also, don't count out Bryan.  Once he's HEALTHY and able to wrestle, I think we'll find him as champion again too.

He will have the whole world in his hands one day
Photo courtesy: WWE

Bray Wyatt, Rusev, Paige, and even established guys like Cody Rhodes, Kofi Kingston, and Dolph Ziggler continue to impress me too.  And don't forget about the men and women toiling in NXT, like Adrian Neville, Sami Zayn, Charlotte, and the recently signed Kenta.  All will be contributing to the main roster when the time is right for them to be called up.  I believe it's a good time to be a wrestling fan and the WWE is on the right path.  Let's have fun and be patient.

Money in the Bank Predictions

Who will win?

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

I usually vlog my pay per view predictions over on my YouTube channel, but time is running out and things have been hectic this past week, so I'm going to just write up some quick thoughts on Money in the Bank.

Photo courtesy: WWE

Diva's Championship Match: Paige vs. Naomi: 
I still think the WWE has some work to do when it comes to Divas division.  There are some very talented women wrestling right now for the company, and they need the opportunity to shine.  I also don't think they've done a whole lot with Paige as the champion. Despite the fact that she's held the title for more than two months, I don't feel like I know much about her.  For that reason alone, I'd like to see her retain and the company do more to develop her character.

Photo courtesy: WWE

Tag Team Title Match: The Usos vs. Harper & Rowan:
This should be a great contest between two terrific tag teams.  The WWE in recent years has lacked solid tag team wrestling.  Every time I get hopeful that that's about to change a monkey wrench is thrown into the plans.  I like both of these teams, but I think Harper and Rowan have the edge here.  But no matter who wins here, I want to see the WWE continue to keep both teams together. No more breakups in 2014!

Photo courtesy: WWE

Stardust & Goldust vs. Rybaxel: 
I pick the recharged combo of the 'dust brothers.  I like what they're doing here and am interested to see where it's headed, perhaps another run as champs against the Wyatt Family.

Photo courtesy: WWE

Big E vs. Rusev:
This is a rematch from Extreme Rules.  Rusev has been on such a role.  I don't want to see him lose that momentum to someone he's already beaten.  So for that reason, I say continue the Rusev push.

Photo courtesy: WWE

Layla vs. Summer Rae: 
Lately, all I watch is Raw, so I don't know how this feud has been developing on other WWE programs, and honestly I haven't paid a whole lot of attention to it.  My gut tells me that Fandango, who is the guest referee, will turn on Layla and reunite with Summer. Honestly, I thought they made the better couple anyway.  Did I just say that???

Photo courtesy: WWE

MITB Contract Match: 
Here's where things start getting tough for me.  Part of my thinking is the winner of this match will cash in as soon as a new champ is crowned in the main event.  It seems logical the way the story has been building that Seth Rollins will win this match.  But Dean Ambrose has been such a thorn in his side, I could see him costing Rollins the win.  Does Triple H have something up his sleeve to insure a Rollins victory?  Since I need to pick, I'm gonna go with Rollins...

Photo courtesy: WWE

World Title MITB Match: 
Which leads to picking John Cena to win the championship. Rollins cashes in on a battered and beaten Cena, setting up for a feud with Daniel Bryan when he returns.  I only pick Cena to win this because I don't want someone new to hold the belt for a few seconds before a cash in happens.  I know there are "leaked" images of the SummerSlam poster floating around with Cena and Brock Lesnar, but I think that's all a swerve.  However, that being said, I don't know that the WWE has the faith to do a Rollins-Bryan program for the WWE World Heavyweight title.  I'd love to see Roman Reigns win it all, but I'd rather see him continue to develop and fight for it with a payoff coming at a bigger event, perhaps Wrestlemania.  I like Cesaro too, and if this was just for the contract, he'd be my pick.  

So there are my thoughts.  It's clear as mud when it comes to the two most important matches.  No matter what happens, it's sure to be interesting.  As long as Randy Orton walks out without the title, I'll be happy.  Sorry to all the Orton fans...