Analyzing the Potential of Shawne Merriman as a Wrestler in WWE

In the most newsworthy week in pro wrestling in many years, a lot of things fell to the wayside.  For example, Jim Ross was in the front row of the WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony after whatever led to his departure last year.  Another was the presence of former NFL player Shawn Merriman as an analyst on the WrestleMania and Monday Night Raw pre-game shows on WWE Network.  it was odd that he was being used in that spot instead of the usual older wrestler, but he’s friendly with WWE so at WrestleMania, it didn’t seem like a big deal.  He was more conspicuous when he came back the next night, though.

Now, as initially reported by Dave Meltzer in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (link behind paywall, h/t WrestlingInc.com) and supported by TMZ, it looks like the three time All-Pro has signed or is on the verge of signing with WWE.  Not only is he going to continue as an announcer, but he’ll be training for pro wrestling at the WWE Performance Center.

One of the ideas behind the Performance Center was its importance as a recruiting tool.  Instead of trying to direct blue chip athletes to whatever wrestling school had the developmental consulting contract at the time, they built their own state of the art facility.   Not only would this help WWE get college athletes, especially amateur wrestlers without aspirations of mixed martial arts careers, but also football players still in their athletic primes when their careers ended.  Merriman fits the latter category perfectly.

Merriman would be the most accomplished pro football player under contract.  He was a teammate of current NXT star Mojo Rawley (real name Dean Muhtadi) at the University of Maryland  before his pro career, and would be the most accomplished pro football player in WWE.  WWE has two other former pros on the roster, and one of them may surprise you.

The less surprising one is Roman Reigns.  While he comes from a wrestling family, he spent time on the rosters of the Minnesota Vikings and Jacksonville Jaguars, as well as the practice squad of the CFL’s Edmonton Eskimos.  While he wasn’t especially impressive in developmental, using him as the muscle in The Shield was a great way to help him along by hiding him in trios matches until he could hold up his end.  Meanwhile, he’d constantly be in matches with several great workers between his partners and opponents.

The one you wouldn’t be able to guess is Summer Rae.  Under her real name of Daniele Moinet, she was the cornerback of the Lingerie Football League’s Chicago Bliss from 2008 to 2011.  Say what you will about the LFL, but they were still real athletes playing real football, not just a bunch of models flailing around.  Of the current WWE Divas without prior pro wrestling experience (meaning no AJ Lee, Paige, Natalya, and so on), she really shines as an all-around performer, coming along much faster than her contemporaries.

While there are conflicting stories about how Merriman’s initial trip to the Performance Center went last year, adjusting to pro wrestling training is difficult and someone’s first class isn’t necessarily representative of their potential.  Being a NFL caliber athlete doesn’t always translate to pro wrestling, either.  When it comes to pro football players from the past, for every hall of fame level wrestler like Wahoo McDaniel, Ernie Ladd, Curtis Iaukea, and Bronko Nagurski, you have a number of popular mid-level stars like Brian Pillman, Russ Francis, and Don Manoukian, as well as total washouts like Jim Wilson or Otis Sistrunk, and whatever you want to call Steve McMichael.  While Lawrence Taylor and especially Kevin Green put in strong performances in their guest shots as wrestlers, Reggie White was terrible.

There’s also the question of how long Merriman will last.  It’s not uncommon for football players, prize fighters, and other contact sport athletes who have tried pro wrestling to say it’s the hardest thing they’ve ever done.

If Shawne Merriman sticks with it, and doesn’t see himself as “above” wrestling (a problem that affected the development of some “real athletes,” including Jim Wilson), he should do reasonably well.  Just how well will be determined by everything else, like who he gets to work with and learn from.

David Bixenspan is the lead writer of Figure Four Weekly. Some of his work can be seen in Fighting Spirit Magazine.

Follow @davidbix

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Fashion business: Lingerie by Elena Fenby of Gloucester exhibited in Paris and …

Being diagnosed with a rare degenerative condition just months after graduating from university, left Elena Fenby unable to get a job.

But in an inspirational turnaround, the 23-year-old from Longlevens has not only launched her own line of luxury lingerie but had it showcased around the world.

Less than two years after her diagnosis with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, the design graduate has already exhibited at shows in Paris, Hong Kong and Cheltenham and launched her own web-based company, By Elena.

“Because of my condition I was not able to get a job, which is why I decided to set up my own business,” said the 23-year-old. “I was not sure what I wanted to do and I came across the lingerie design, and it all went from there, really.

“But this is higher-end more expensive luxury lingerie which is very elegant and different to what people would normally buy.

“It has been very, very difficult but I have got to the point where I am getting my production run done and I have spoken to retailers who have given me some good comments and feedback.”

The creation of her products begins in her sewing room and she describes her range of bras, knickers and nightwear as functional items.

A number of her designs, which have been inspired by the Queen’s Jubilee, went on display at Cheltenham Fashion Week.

She studied lingerie design at De Montfort University in Leicester but was diagnosed in 2012 with ED- which causes stretchy skin, loose joints and fragile body tissues.

Elena also has postural auto-static tacycardi which affects the heart rate and blood pressure.

She said: “With Ehlers-Danlos, the body works much harder to keep the joints in place as they are extra loose which causes a lot of fatigue and pain. There were so many problems I came across and I could have quite easily said ‘I’m not carrying on’.

“But I have really enjoyed it. All of my products are made in the UK and that is something people are really interested in at the moment.”

Elena has saved the funds needed to launch her business and her website will go live as soon as her products are complete finished.

She was supported by the Prince’s Trust and its enterprise scheme, paid for by The European Regional Development Fund, which helps young people work out if their business ideas are viable and to get them off the ground.

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