Let’s do this.
Obligatory Opening Paragraph About Football
I got the pleasure of seeing an amzing come-from-behind win over a pesky Wake Forest squad in Charlottesville on Saturday. A 52-yard kick to tie it and a pick and 38-yarder to win it in the last minute and change. The win was so good that I didn’t even mind that my car got towed. Hey, just like a student all over again! The ‘Skins improve to 3-1 by beating the Patsies and the fantasy squad improves to 4-0. Elliot Smilowitz’s team and the one owned by yours truly are the only undefeated ones left in the league. Can’t beat a perfect weekend, folks.
Second To Nun
In my most recent house show report, I challenged reader Andy Campbell to submit a Little Things Showcase entry for Nunzio. The man has answered the bell and come out swinging:
Since the early days of the Full Blooded Italians in ECW, Nunzio (Little Guido Maritato back then) was always an entertaining character. Whether teaming with Tony Mamaluke and Big Sal Graziano, or with the lesser incarnation (in my opinion) of Chuck Palumbo and Johnny “The Bull” Stamboli, it was always obvious who the standout talent was. Here are just a few things that make Mr. James Maritato so entertaining.
1) Selling — Nunzio is a terrific technical wrestler, but as we all know, it’s not just the offense that matters, it’s also how good you make your opponent look. And that is something that Nunzio has always excelled at. Psychology can play a big part in his matches because he doesn’t forget to keep selling the injured body part. He also tends to be more realistic than most in how he chooses to sell. For example, last week on Smackdown, he performed a jawbreaker on Kidman. As he appeared to be slightly out of position, he sold his OWN jaw after the move as if his head had snapped down. That, my friends, is attention to detail.
2) Italian mannerisms — Being a Full Blooded Italian, obviously it’s necessary for Nunzio to act as Italian as possible, which means acting out all of the stereotypes. He does this to perfection. From the confident walk, to the greasy hair, to the hands-under-the-chin F you, everything is played just right. The accent couldn’t be better either. It’s definitely there, but not so over-the-top to make it cartoonish.
3) Fully-loaded *ahem* tights — I swear, this was pointed out to me in someone’s column on this site, and now I can’t help looking…like a train wreck, ya know? Anyway, Nunzio has a habit of wearing very tight wrestling tights, with what appears to be a coke bottle inside. I suppose that adds to the “walk of confidence” mentioned above.
I should note here that I have received emails from guys who watch the show alongside their wives who note that this particular little thing ahem stands out. Different strokes for different folks, I guess.
4) Kiss of death to Rikishi — Another throwback to the mafia movies, the kiss of death was brought out by Nunzio shortly after the FBI debuted in the WWE. After pummeling Rikishi for a bit, Nunzio then gave him the dreaded kiss, to signify that his end was coming soon. Unfortunately, a lot of the crowd seemed to be not tuned in to mafioso tendencies, so they thought that meant that Nunzio was gay, and so they started various gay chants. Ah well…not everyone missed it, Nunzio!
5) Furthering the damage — As mentioned above in reference to selling, Nunzio has great attention to detail. This showed again last week on smackdown. When going for a kneedrop on Kidman, Nunzio first lowered his kneepad, so that his knee would go directly into Kidman’s head without the added buffer of the pad. Simply tremendous.
Very excellent work that proves even the midcard has something to offer everyone.
Readers’ Picks: Game On
Continuing the theme of different people picking up different little things that they like, check this out from Cory Laflin from the 411 Games Zone:
Being a games geek, of course I would notice this little thing: During the Jindrak/Cade/Maven/Les Res segment, Jindrak and Cade showed that they’re real gamers. At the first sign of distraction from their Wrestlemania XIX game, they hit pause. Just a smidge of believability from the newbies that I appreciated.
And you thought it was going to be about HHH.
Let’s now go to the sometimes imitated, but never duplicated Little Five for RAW 09.29.03:
1. I Have An Announcement Part III
Since I have covered this topic before and the tandem has changed a bit as of late, I thought I’d spend a few paragraphs on the topic. I have called for a change so some might think I’d be happy with the short-lived Snow/Coach tandem. However, if you will recall, I did want a change AND a return to the classic heel/face dynamic that we all grew up with. I feel that this situation best serves the viewers because more opportunities for humor arise and that it does not necessarily proclude any promotional work that is the staple of the current team. And let’s face it, we all knew Snow and Coach wouldn’t last long because neither is as good at hyping a match, product or event like JR. You really do think he is going to have a stroke over what happens and what might happen in the future and Vince isn’t going to let that go away so easily. I still feel that either Coach or Snow could play off of JR very well and that Jerry has got to go. Snow had me cracking up when he went solo and noted that Coach connects well with the crowd and has great agility as he hopped up on the 2nd turnbuckle. Just fantastic and funny stuff from a known jokester.
Of course, like other aspects of the show, Y2J showed he could be the best heel commentator since Bobby Heenan when he had the headset. Whipping out the old paragon of virtue catchphrase was enough to sell me on that, but then he compared Coach to Tito Santana and had me on the floor, literally.
ANYTHING BUT THE NORM GUYS, IT IS BORING!
2. Just Finished
I know I am biased as hell, but doesn’t Victoria make all of the other ladies in the ring just look awful? Her finisher is impressive enough but when she drops it and just sits there clutching her head it’s perfect – you know something gruesome transpired. Extra points for the outfits which are getting skimpier and skimpier each week.
By the way, I think my mom was right about Gail Kim. It really is a straight drop from lower back to thighs.
3. Back For The Attack
I will, however, give Lawler credit for what he did in the ring after JR’s victory over Coach. As he went to give him a congratulatory pat on the back, he realize that JR had been whipped repeatedly and torched by Kane a few weeks ago and instead just gave him a pat on the shoulder. Very Excellent stuff and it shows he still has the in-ring awareness that would make him useful in matches if he were not in the booth.
4. A Call To Arms
I think most of us enjoyed the drinking arm bit with Austin and the security guards. You knew it was coming, but it was hilarious anyway.
5. He(?) Knows How To Make An Entrance
Test is now mocking Stacy’s ring entrance. Wow, he still hasn’t stopped his streak of clever antics. I think he and Steiner would make an excellent tag team to pair off against the Dudley’s who need bigger opponents to face. Stacy has history with both teams as an added bonus.
Keep the entries, observations and comments coming. See ya next week!
