This week, I had the absolute privilege of sitting down this week with the one and only Ms. Kelly Floyd.
You may know Kelly from such columns as 10 Thoughts, or recaps like the WWE SmackDown! Report, or a plethora of news reports, or perhaps you stood next to her at the last EXW live show.
Either way, Kelly has been Pulse Wrestling’s all-around MVP in 2011, and it’s high time we found out a little bit more about her.
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Hey Kelly! So here’s the first standard-bearer that I like to start with, and then we’ll see how things go from there:
Why, Ms. Floyd, does WRESTLING MATTER to you?
Aw. I saw the word “bearer” and thought it said beer. Way to get my hopes up for nothing!
Of course wrestling matters to me. Why on Earth would I chatter nonstop about it if it didn’t? I’m the mark with gigantic posters of my favorite people on my wall. I’m the mark that refused to take off her “Elite Xtreme Wrestling” wristband, even when dressed up. I’m the mark who gets that funny feeling in my chest when I see a particularly spectacular match. Wrestling hit me like a tornado, and sucked me in just as quickly. I’m a new fan, but a true fan.
But, does WWE programming matter to me? Does TNA programming matter to me? As of right now…no, which is heartbreaking to say. A year ago, I’d never miss an episode of Superstars, let alone Raw or Smackdown. And here I am, checking Wikipedia before a PPV because I had no idea who was on the card. I’m not sure if the complete magnificence of EXW made me have an “affair of the heart” and jump ship, or if the content gave up on me before I returned the favor. But I’m not the same WWE fan I was last year.
And that’s a damn shame.
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That’s a fascinating and honest perspective if I ever heard one Kelly. So tell me, was there any one moment or series of moments where WWE lost you this past year? Same question goes for TNA, too.
Also, whose posters did you have on your wall when you first became a fan, and whose posters do you currently have on your shrine to wrestling?
It’s something that has been building. My boys of the Blue Crew have done well to keep me intrigued, but everything else faded out, TNA included. Whether it be the fact that they seem to appease the younger fanbase (something I’m all for, but it doesn’t exactly cater to me), or the “Fuck it. If it doesn’t work, throw Cena in there,” mindset. It’s never been more apparent that they’re doing this for the kids, and for the money. Which I’m not saying is a bad thing. I work with kids for a living. My day job is to offer help, support, and guidance to the youth of today. And the messages that WWE sends is fantastic. More than parents give, I’ll give them that. But does that mean that someone like me will be riveted during each show? Hell no.
I’m not going to be one of those that begs for the Attitude Era back, because they gotta do what they gotta do. This is the theme, the direction, and I’m okay with that. But again, it doesn’t mean I have to like it. Or, enjoy the material, for that matter. As a fan, I love being surprised. I love that moment, when the show ends, where I wonder what happens next. Where I DEMAND to know what happens next. That’s irreplaceable to me. But everything is so predictable!
As far as the posters…my sister works for a local sports bar that’s a “Blast Area” for WWE PPV’s. They show every PPV and offer a generous amount of alcohol while I watch. So, to promote, they receive the usual posters. And since my sister is an employee, I get first dibs. This means I have an ungodly amount of them in my possesion. Of course, I have the Wrestlemania 25 and 26 poster, as well as Summerslam 09 and 10. I also have the first Bragging Rights poster. Those are the ensembles. But I have the CM Punk Night of Champions, the Batista The Bash, the Randy Orton Fatal Fourway, the Edge Over the Limit, the Rey Mysterio Extreme Rules, and the Triple H Breaking Point. Consequently, Breaking Point and Bragging Rights were my favorite concepts, and The Bash in 09 was the first PPV my sister and I attended. Not to mention, Wrestlemania 26 was the first PPV I attended. So the sentimental value is stacked.
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If your sister still has access to WWE Capitol Punishment posters from earlier this year, can you grab one and burn it for me? That would be the ultimate symbolic gesture of how WWE has made me feel for nearly every PPV I’ve paid for this year, including WrestleMania (and excluding Money in the Bank, to be fair).
As for TNA, at least they are interesting to me and Impact is certainly more unpredictable than the very pedestrian Raw and SmackDown shows right now.
So tell me Kelly, does Survivor Series and The Rock’s return excite you at all? For me, the answer is an overwhelming no, especially after WrestleMania turned into one way-too-long Rock promo at both the beginning and end of the event.
Also, how do you feel about Kelly Kelly’s Maxim cover?!?!?! :)
I don’t think they even hung up that poster! It looked ridiculous, and was ridiculous. But that’s a whooole ‘nother story…
I know that The Rock returning should excite me, but it really doesn’t. Maybe if he was putting in the proper time and effort, it’d be something else completely. But it feels so fake. Yes, I said the “f” word. The same word I chastise others for using. Why the dick should I care about a movie star? Essentially, that’s all he is now. He’s not The Rock…he’s Dwayne Johnson, star of The Tooth Fairy! My god. I’d rather see someone who works their ass off day in, and day out get hyped for the card than just watching him take over. Blasphemous, I’m sure. But you can understand my point.
And you just HAD to throw on a Kelly Kelly question, eh? Give me a moment to remove my gloves.
Okay. I’m all for Kelly Kelly being on the cover of Maxim. I was actually pretty excited to see a Diva on there. And let’s face it…she’s a hot little cupcake. But before you clutch your hearts in shock that I said that, let’s get some things straight here. This is probably the one thing Kelly should be doing. Modeling. Isn’t that what she was doing beforehand? Or at least was trying to do? Standing still and smiling is something she seems able to handle. Much more than executing the same chain of moves before whipping someone’s hair around and being handed a victory. I mean, honestly…being named on the Maxim Hot 100 is the first title she’s actually been worthy of…
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You know what’s funny about Kelly Kelly, Kelly? My wife has watched wrestling with me for the past few years, and you know what she remembers Kelly Kelly for the most? The fact that she couldn’t even loosen up her buttons properly when dancing with Extreme Exposé! Just another female perspective on that.
By the way, I don’t know if our readers realize this, but wasn’t there a huge KELLY FLOYD sign that showed up on Raw a few weeks ago? How cool of a moment was that for you? Also, do you know who made the sign / how it came about?
See? Kelly needs to be somewhere that she can’t talk, can’t move, and can’t bug me.
And I loved that sign! Oh man. My buddy Cutler Wright of EXW/FSW texted me that Monday night while I was at work, asking if I was watching Raw. When I inquired about it a little more, he told me there was a sign for me! So of course, I watched it right when I got home. I found out that it was someone I knew through Twitter–one of the many people I met after beginning to write for Pulse. He’s a cool dude from Louisiana named Jonathon, and I’m still not certain why he did it. But it’s good to know I have at least one fan out there!
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Shout out to Jonathan then!
Speaking of EXW, please educate the uninitiated on what EXW is and why it does create those awesome moments for you that pro wrestling should…
Elite Xtreme Wrestling is an amazing local promotion in Arizona. They started up in February of 2010 and have blown up ever since. Their ring is graced with the amazing talents of Tyson Tyler, Ryan Castellucci, Cutler Wright, Johnny Manson, Shadow Fox, Andrew Hellman, Kyle Hawk…the list goes on and on. But others have been involved as well. Others as in Val Venis, Bill DeMott, Tommy Dreamer, Rellik, Johnny “The Bull” Stamboli, Big Vito, Chuck Palumbo, and Madison Rayne. Recently, even Kurt Angle joined forces with them for an appearance. And as of a few weeks ago, they can be found on AZTV, a local Arizona channel, every Saturday at 11:00 pm. Big things, my friend!
But that’s just the stuff on paper. In reality, they’re so much more. The storylines (most of them) make sense and hook you in…an artform that evidently has been lost elsewhere. You sit down for a show, and see some of the best talent not only in the indies, but in all of wrestling as well. These boys not only know what they’re doing, they’re very obvious about how much they love doing it. I think that’s the part that makes it…wonderful. I not only blame EXW for tearing me away from WWE and TNA, but I thank them for it.
Everyone should be watching them. Everyone. They do happen to be online, and you can find links to previous shows at EXWLive.com. You can also find some high quality interviews and features written by yours truly…but enough with the shameless plugs…
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It is like reclaiming a piece of the pro wrestling fan inside me to hear such a passionate response towards a promotion.
As Rey Mundo pointed out, WWE is usually good for one or two mark out moments per year, but with all of the time we invest sometimes it just feels like an eternity between those moments.
Speaking of WWE, how did you feel about the CM Punk MITB title win at the time it happened?
How do you feel about how he has been booked since?
And, well, what do you think WWE should do with Punk moving forward?
Lastly, I’d love your thoughts on Randy Orton right now. It’s fascinating seeing Randy step back a little from the main event world title picture on SD right at the same time that Cena is also miraculously removed from the WWE title picture on Raw, isn’t it?
That damn PPV! I never go on vacation, but finally found time to do so this summer, and of course I missed the MITB PPV! I was able to watch it eventually, thanks to a totally-legal-and-not-at-all-pirated disc a friend let me borrow.
I was pretty floored when I heard about that. I mean, come on…facing Cena, allegedly leaving the company, facing Cena, FACING CENA…who could have guessed that that would actually happen? WWE deserves an epic high five for that. For doing what–I believe–was the best thing they could at the time. They did something for the good of an angle, not the good of the merch sales. I gotta say, that’s some pretty steep growth for them. I think it rocked the wrestling community…or at least the part of it on Twitter. Even I have to admit, it was pretty incredible.
But since then…what the hell happened? He was pulling in more success than Cena. How does someone drop the ball on that? But they built him up and milked the aftermath so hard, only to completely flip it and watch it die? He was in a super heated feud with Trips for a hot minute…then teaming with him? Nash was against him…now he’s against Trips? I don’t know what to think. It’s confusing.
As far as what they should do with him…well, I don’t know. I don’t like to give advice on something that is beyond my comprehension. That side of the wrestling world is not a place I dwell. I’m a fan. I want to be surprised. I don’t want to over-analyze. Not to mention, I’m really, really bad at guessing, but I digress. All I know, is maybe it’s time for people as obviously and perpetually wise as Punk what THEY think they should do. I know, it’s a weird concept. But with how dull the programming has been lately, why not let the ones with first hand experience throw in a couple pennies? Couldn’t hurt, right? Okay, I sound crazy…
I rotate my favorite wrestlers out pretty frequently. From Rey Mysterio to Jeff Hardy to CM Punk to Chris Jericho to CM Punk to Wade Barrett to The Miz to CM Punk to Alberto del Rio…it’s constantly changing. Randy Orton was a big one for a while…shit, I still have his Fatal Fourway poster on my wall (right under Punk’s NOC). But I’m a sick, twisted individual, so when his superheel gimmick died, as did my adoration. I’ve been a little bored with him in the last year or so, and was especially tired of seeing him in every…damn…main…event. Especially when they handed him the belt when Christian had only held it for a few days. That fool was EVERYWHERE.
But you know what? I’m really, really digging this whole deal with Cody Rhodes. Sure, they face each other a lot. But bringing that big name to the midcard is heartwarming. It highlights the talent WWE tends to forget, and makes the fans take notice, as well. Though, of course, now that I want Orton out of the title scene, they go and put the belt on Mark Henry. Be careful what you wish for…
I also love when Cena gets all wrapped up with other things. I loathe the fact that the belt is about a victory or two away from being named after him. I think that it has been proven that others can bring success to Raw and PPV’s, without The Cena Show playing on loop. So this is yet another opportunity to get adventurous. See who can swim in this big pond, discover who else can rake in the dough. Anything to stop hearing “I brush yo mouth like Colgate…” Moron.
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Hahaha well played with that last line Kelly.
This the part of the interview where I ask you about some people we haven’t quite lamented on just yet. This time around, I’m going to mention a seven-pack of former wrestlers / personalities no longer with WWE or still with WWE part-time, and I want you to tell me your thoughts on each superstar and whether or not anyone on the roster has stepped up or can step up to fill his or her shoes:
–Chris Jericho
–Batista
–Edge
–Trish Stratus
–The Undertaker
–Shawn Michaels
–Jim Ross
Chris Jericho…oh boy. I’m going to use all my energy on this one! I talked about my numerous favorites, well…this one has been at the top of the list since the beginning. He might be the greatest of all time. Wrestling just isn’t the same without him, which is not a surprise. I remember those hopeful rumors that he’d be switching to a flipped version of Taker’s schedule, and that his hiatus wouldn’t be that long. But, god! I’m beginning to forget what he looks like. I think that wrestling needs him. The fans need him. I need him. But, I understand why he’s been away this long. When wrestling is all you’ve known, it’s time to discover some new things. And it looks like he did. Fozzy is a band I began listening to because, well, it was Chris fucking Jericho. But wow! Those guys can rock! Good for him. And although I miss him more than anyone/thing else, I can accept it. Wait…I’m a selfish bitch. So, no! I can’t accept it! COME BACK, JERICHO!
Batista…people really hated him. I can’t really fathom why. He’s the big mountain of muscles dripping sweat on his broken opponents that people tend to go apeshit for. But, whatever. He’s certainly not the only big man on campus. Plus, isn’t Batistwo–er…Mason Ryan–essentially the same person?
Edge…now there’s a sob story that really kicks you in the crotch. This one isn’t someone walking away because they want to pursue other ventures (Jericho), or because they’re burnt out (HBK), but because they had to. They were essentially forced to. The kicker is, he walked away because of an injury FROM his profession. That doesn’t seem fair. It’s easy to walk away when you’re ready to, but to be forced to do so? That’s heartbreaking. Edge had that…forgive me…”it” factor. Of course he knew how to put on exceptional matches, but he also had that flair. That ability to make you fall in love with him, or plot his death. He was always entertaining and captivating. Can anyone else come close to that? Well, probably. The problem is, no one is really given the opportunity to try. I always wonder how different Raw and Smackdown would be if they were run differently. Could people like Christian, and Sheamus, and Zack Ryder, and Evan Bourne embody the very things that made Edge such a legend? We may never know!
Trish Stratus…meh. I know she’s like, the Jesus Christ of the Divas Division to some people. But you know what I like her for? Training the Divas of tomorrow. She’s someone that seemed to “get it” during her time. She had talent, personality, and passion…quite the opposite of today’s Divas, eh? I loved her on Tough Enough, and think she might actually be able to correct the state of the division, or at the very least improve it.
The Undertaker…I sure do miss him. Not in a I-miss-him-because-he’s-been-gone-for-so-long kind of deal. But–at the risk of sounding like a damn hipster–I miss the old Taker. The one who didn’t make me anxious every time I watched him wrestle, for fear of him shattering like your grandmother’s vase in the middle of the ring. Of course he’s getting older. He’s been doing this for approximately 1390348 years…it’s bound to happen. And even with the wear and tear, he managed to still deliver a good chunk of the awesomeness we grew to love. But the question is, can anyone really come close? I don’t think so. Not yet, anyway. The Undertaker is a fucking legend, hands down. Anyone who disagrees needs an MRI. The gimmick, the look, the style, the persona, the streak…is that something that can be topped? Probably not in this generation.
Shawn Michaels…jeez. You’re exhausting me with these, because it hurts my heart! I was there. Wrestlemania 26 and the following Raw (you know, pretty much the only good to come of that whole debacle). And I’m man enough to admit that I wept like a school girl who gets her period in Algebra. We all knew it was coming, especially with the “Loser Leaves WWE” stipulation. Once that is applied, you know what’s going to happen. And it all made sense, while he was talking. The way he wrapped it all up, I could tell he was just…done. Which isn’t a bad thing, at all. The man had dedicated his life to his passion, and to the fans. What more could we have asked? Again, can anyone come close to that legend? Well, considering that Taker is still on the roster, I’d say yes. It’s incredible that the two have collided as much as they did, since they both seem to be evenly matched on that front.
Jim Ross…ohhhh, Jim Ross. I can’t figure out what’s in the heads of the WWE people. I mean, really. This guy is insanely over with the fans as a commentator, and they’re playing cat and mouse? Hell no. They need to quit dangling him in front of us, only to yank him away every time. What does he do wrong? Unless I’m missing something on his behalf that makes him not want to appear, but I’m not sure that’s the case. Why do we have to listen to the announcers bicker about Raw matches during Smackdown, over-plugging Twitter, and borderline speaking in irrelevant non-sequitors? Michael Cole is a loser, and not in the way they’re trying to make him be. Booker T is a rambling buffoon. Jerry Lawler is a creepster. And Josh Matthews…well, he’s entertaining as hell. But seriously. JR just works, so why mess with a good thing?
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Second part of that question Kelly, if it have it in you after such an impassioned response. Can anyone on the current roster fill any of these folks’ shoes either now or eventually, or is that wishful thinking at this point?
Also, it’s now time for the lightning round!
–Favorite tag team of all-time
–Favorite ring entrance, both today and all-time
–Favorite theme song, both today and all-time
–Favorite finishing move, both today and all-time
–Zack Ryder, are you in or out on Long Island Iced Z? Why or why not?
I did answer! I just shoved them into the epic paragraphs. =) Guess all of you will just have to read the whole thing!
Favorite tag team of all time: That’s tough. I’d have to say it’s a three-way tie between Christian and Edge, The Hardy Boyz, and the Dudley Boyz. Simply because these three teams kind of reinvented the division and made it into something different. I know that mentioning the Hardy name is insta-troll material, but they used to be so much more than they are now, and that’s something we can all agree on.
Favorite ring entrance: Undertaker. Hands down. Even after all this time, I get goosebumps on my arms when those bells chime. I love the abrupt sound, the deafening silence between chimes, the slow walk, the ambiance of the darkness and lightening, and even that crazy eye thing. My god, that’s almost all he needs to do anymore!
Favorite theme song: Tiffany’s theme, “Insatiable”. Ha! Oh my goodness, can you imagine? Jesus. JeriShow’s was pretty great. I also really liked the original Nexus’s “We Are One” a lot. Hell, even Midnight Express’s was quite the jaunty tune. But, no song really even comes close to Stone Cold’s. That song makes me want chug a 6-pack of beer and get into a full on brawl with the first bitch that makes eye contact for a second too long.
Favorite finishing move: I’m a heel at heart. Everyone knows that. So when I see a match finish, I want to see the victor win in the most dominant way possible. And what better way to do that than making your opponent tap out for dear life? Those moments before the tap are so intense, and it feels like a hard-earned victory. So, I ‘d have to say that the Sharpshooter is my favorite. Sure, you can see it coming from a mile away, but it’s deadly when it’s locked in.
Zack Ryder: How can you not love that guy! Is anyone anti-Z? I mean, really? Are you serious, bro?! He should be a damn role model to anyone trying to make it anywhere in whatever business they choose. He was underutilized, under-rated, and probably about a week away from release. And what does he do? Get himself over. He said, “fuck it, they’re going to love me whether they like it or not!” And he went from appearing on Superstars once a month (if that) to competing for the US Title against Dolph Ziggler, at a PPV, no less! So, yes. I’m fully on Team Z.
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I agree Kelly, I’m on board with Ryder too, plus I love his retro 1980s retro theme song!
Sadly, it’s about that time, so I want to thank you Ms. Floyd for letting me Take YOUR Wrestling Pulse.
Any final thoughts?
I just want to take this moment to encourage the Pulse realm to do some investigating of their own. I’ve discovered EXW, and it’s been the best thing to happen to me. But I know that it’s not the only indy promotion out there! All I’m saying is, WWE is bad, TNA is worse, and they’re not getting much better. So go look for the hungry, raw talent out there.
And, while you’re at it, check out Elite Xtreme Wrestling, too! What can I say, I’m biased. You can find them on the website (EXWLive.com) or Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/#!/EliteXtremeWrestling).
It’s been an honor, CB! I’ll see the rest of you Pulse peeps on Friday for 10 Thoughts on Smackdown!
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CB’s Take: I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Kelly Floyd is one of the coolest wrestling fans in the world. She’s smart, she’s invested, and she is just so genuine that it makes me wish WWE and TNA would do enough amazing things to keep a fan like her tuned in. Alas, what is the mainstream scene’s loss and EXW’s gain, and either way, we are lucky to have Ms. Floyd right here as an integral part of the Pulse Wrestling landscape.
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If you are interested in being interviewed for this special feature series, drop a line to takeyourpulse@4sternstaging.com.
And, for previous installments of Taking YOUR Wrestling Pulse, check out these links below and let us know what you think:
KON
Joseph Hargrove
Zork
Mike Gojira
FDSwayze
Blair A. Douglas
flamingwombat
sidehowbob
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That’s all from me — CB.
