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11/2 Wednesday One Shots: The Dot Net staff give their quick thoughts from the previous week in WWE, TNA, MMA and indy wrestling

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Nov 2, 2011 - 07:22 PM

Welcome to the Wednesday One Shot. Each week, we will present a quick "one shot" thought from each staff member about the previous week in each of the following areas: WWE, TNA and Other (MMA, Indies, etc).

WWE

Will Pruett (Twitter - @itswilltime): I was upset about the treatment of The Miz and R-Truth on Raw right up until I saw a tweet from former WWE Creative Team member (and friend of the site) Seth Mates where he mentioned that Survivor Series is basically a showcase match for The Rock. That makes total sense to me and although it does not make up for the lack of build for Truth and Miz, it lightens the blow.

Jake Barnett (Twitter - @barnettjake): he Rock opening Raw was a surprising move, and I'm not sure it paid off. He delivered a long promo via pre-tape, and I don't think his promo style meshes well without being able to gauge crowd reaction and riff along with the live audience. He has a high energy style that is a ton of fun to witness in person, but it definitely loses something when you don't have the human interaction. The disappointment was followed up by a poor close to the show with Cena pinning Miz and beating up R-Truth, which made you questions why all this hoopla with The Rock was even necessary. This didn't sell me on spending $50 on Survivor Series quite yet.

Mark Gessnar (Twitter - @MarkGessner): While seeing The Rock wrestle for the first time on nearly a decade will be the main draw for Survivor Series, C.M. Punk vs. Alberto Del Rio will be the match of the night if given enough time. And with the anaconda vice being reintroduced by Punk on Monday, and Del Rio's armbar being firmly over as his finisher, I predict we will be seeing a submission match between the two.

Ryan Kester (Twitter - @TheRyanKester): The one thing I am anticipating about next week's Raw is Brodus Clay's return. I got plenty of exposure to his new character on Superstars, and he seems to have improved drastically in his in-ring ability. If you have not yet seen the Fall of Humanity, you are in for a treat.

Chris Shore (Twitter - @TheShoreSlant): From an analyst of the business standpoint, WWE has done more than enough to get people to buy Survivor Series by having Rock return. But as a fan, they haven't even come close. Rock's reason for saying yes, "the people," is as lame as they come. And all Truth and Miz are there to do is serve as story fodder for Rock and Cena. There was a time when the idea of John Cena vs. The Rock stirred the little boy in me that still watches in wild-eyed wonder. Sadly, WWE has taken that away. It will do good buys. But it will not be good business. Not in the long run.

TNA

Will Pruett: I was pretty down on the major spoiler that came out of last week's tapings, but now as we are marching into it on Thursday night I'm oddly optimistic. There is something special happening with Robert Roode and James Storm. TNA has many opportunities to do something great with the two of them and I am excited to see it kick off.

Jake Barnett: James Storm and Robert Roode had a decent opening segment, and Robert Roode had a very good match with Samoa Joe. TNA's biggest problem right now in my mind is resisting the temptation to run through this story too quickly. They have an excellent opportunity with their young talent, and they have to show some patience in confidence in them to deliver the kind of action that will draw in new fans. They have all this transplanted older talent that amounts to known commodities, and they know exactly what kind of audience that delivers them. Now they have an opportunity to use that talent to catapult their next generations of stars to the next level, and see if they can build on that audience. The well of older talent is lower than ever in Pro Wrestling, and I hope TNA continues the steps necessary to make the transition to the newer generation takes place.

Mark Gessnar: Rather than bitching about hot shotting what could have been a six month or longer storyline, I'm going to dwell on the positives coming out of the tapings for tomorrow night's Impact. Getting Ronnie from the Jersey Shore is absolutely the best cast member from Jersey Shore they could bring in. If you haven't watched the show, YouTube "that's one shot kid" and "come at me bro" and you'll see why.

Ryan Kester: TNA did a good job of entertaining me last week. I had my gripes, but that was mostly picking nits. It's amazing what wrestling on a wrestling show can do for its entertainment value.

Chris Shore: Sometimes this job is a curse, especially when it comes to spoilers. When all I did was cover TV, I would avoid spoilers so that my "slant" was fresh and as devoid of pre-conceived ideas as one can possibly be. I have adapted, and spoilers usually don't influence me much, but the Impact spoilers are getting to me. There has been some good TV from TNA as of late, but I know what is on the horizon. And it tends to discolor even the things I like the most. I hope I'm wrong about how all this looks once it plays out, but I'm not holding my breath.

Other (MMA, Indies, Etc)

Will Pruett (ROH): This week I was really entertained by Roderick Strong and his heel act. Unlike others in ROH (The Briscoes especially) he actually comes off as a real heel that wants the fans to dislike him. This is so rare in ROH. He is a good wrestler with a ton of talent and ability that can still get the ROH faithful to boo him. This is impressive.

Jake Barnett (UFC): BJ Penn retired at UFC 137, along from Mirko Cro Cop. I'm happy for both of them, and I'm happy that the UFC feels like a place that is constantly refreshing itself with new talents. MMA is a very exciting sport as a result of the constant influx of talent, and UFC is lucky to have this vast pool of talent to draw from.

Mark Gessnar (UFC): Nick Diaz is a freaking beast. Unmotivated going into his fight with future UFC Hall of Famer B.J. Penn, Diaz set the UFC Record for Significant Strikes landed in a fight and put a beating on Penn that has never been seen before, and was a contributing factor to Penn's retirement. Diaz is now set to fight Georges St-Pierre for the UFC Welterweight Championship at the Superbowl weekend PPV and is the last and biggest threat for GSP at 170 pounds.

Ryan Kester (UFC): UFC 137 is in the books and Penn vs. Diaz could not have delivered in a bigger way. If this is truly the end of Penn's career, then my best wishes go to him. He's a shoe-in for an eventual Hall of Fame spot in the UFC.

Chris Shore(UFC): I have missed the last two UFC events and that saddens me, but it also serves to remind me that UFC needs a better TV presence. The deal with Fox is going to be great, and UFC should look to get as much programming on as it can. There is a fine line between saturated and overexposed. And you certainly don't want to error on the side of overexposure. But a little more presence to remind people that fights are happening would be a good idea.

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