On A Personal Note...

I was just going through some old e-mails, and one caught my eye that I think I'll hold very near and dear for a long, long time to come. It was October 8, 2010, and the contents of the email look like this:

Yes, for a very brief moment in history (about a month) Chris Jericho, a personal hero of mine, was following me on Twitter.

I can only guess that he took a certain amount of interest in my blog, and then the fact that I am a Winnipeg, MB native, currently enrolled in CreComm and my heart set on a Journalism Major.

Anyways, I can't remember how many followers I had on Twitter at the time, but during the month or so that Jericho was following me, I was getting 2-4 new followers per day. And for someone who is just starting up a brand new blog, and just getting out there on Twitter, that was a HUGE boost for not only my blog hits, but my confidence too.

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't bummed as hell the day I discovered he was no longer following me, but I think it's good enough to just know that he recognized me, even just for a couple minutes, and also gave me a huge helping hand with my blog and my online presence.

So if a certain fellow-"viking" still reads this blog from time to time, I'd just like to say thanks. And if anyone else has suddenly got the urge to follow me on Twitter, you can get me with @WrestleWriter. Goodnight!

Remember When...

Remember when Edge cashed in his Money in the Bank contract for the first time? I'll never forget it. John Cena was on the streak of a lifetime, and it was a getting to the point of insanity. After he won the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 21, he was steamrolling everyone he came up against, and in case anyone was wondering, this was the nine-month period where Cena generated the heat that is still attached to him today. JBL, Christian, Chris Jericho, Kurt Angle, Shawn Michaels... They all fell before the might that was John Cena's ultra-push.

But now, January 8, 2006, Cena would step in to the Elimination Chamber to face not one, not two... but FIVE opponents. Surely, this was it. His reign would finally end. We would be freed from the monotony of watching him overcome the odds night after night after night.

Kurt Angle would be the first to fall, pinned by Shawn Michaels after being blasted with a superkick. One down, no need for panic yet.

Carlito and Chris Masters would strike next, in tandem, piling on top of Kane for the three-count. Damn...

Shawn Michaels somehow manages to get pinned by that sneaky little bastard Carlito, and things are looking grim. Surely I can't place much hope in Chris Masters or Carlito escaping the Devil's Playground with the strap...

Sure enough, Masters falls next to a low-blow by Carlito, and I watch in horror as Cena creeps in the back door to steal a victory with a roll-up.

I remember feeling a passionate wave of furiosity (it's like curiosity, except not actually a word) sweep over me, and I imagine that if I were Bruce Banner, I would have gone through an fairly epic Hulk-Out at that precise moment. I was on the verge of questioning the existence of the Almighty, when I heard a heavenly voice whisper...

"You think you know me..."

Alas! My fellow Canadian Edge emerges through the thick fog now rolling in to the arena, briefcase in hand, and marches purposefully toward the ring, and an exhausted and injured John Cena. What is this all about??

I watch as he hands the briefcase to the referee in the ring, and points at it, shouting furious commands. And then in one sweet, delicious instant, it clicks... He is cashing in! The contract never specified when it could be cashed in, and The Ultimate Opportunist was born. If only we could all be so brilliant.

The bell rings, and the fire in John Cena's eyes appears to have finally been snuffed; he knows his fate. Edge, crouched in the corner, waits with rabid impatience for Superman to turn and face him, for he knows he is pure Kryptonite. SPEAR! A glutton for punishment, Cena the Foolish kicks out at two. Edge regroups, and strikes again. SPEAR! 1... 2... 3!! It's over!

John Cena's empire crumbles to the ground, and Edge is handed his WWE Championship, his hand raised high. Remember when Edge cashed in and shocked the world? I do.

Remember When...

You know what this blog has been missing? A weekly feature! So I’d like to introduce ‘Remember Wednesdays’. A weekly post I’ll be doing (on Wednesdays for the slow kids) where I’ll take some time to look back on a particular event, or moment that I think was awesome, or that I really enjoyed. Let’s get goin’.

Remember when Batista turning on Triple H was AWESOME? I’ve never really been a huge Batista fan, or even a huge Triple H fan, but I think if I was pressed to pick my favorite feud build-up, I’d have to pick the feud between these two leading up to WrestleMania 21.

Nowadays it seems as though the writers think week-to-week about feuds and storylines, but back then, this feud in particular, the seeds were being planted already at Survivor Series (maybe even earlier). I remember when Evolution was feuding with Benoit, Jericho, Maven, and Orton, because Eric Bischoff took a leave of absence for a month. Evolution was the powerhouse faction at that time, and with no GM to keep the inmates in line, they were bullying everyone in the locker room, until that group, led by Orton, stepped up to challenge them.

The premise was that the two teams would face off at Survivor Series and whichever team of four won, each member would get to be RAW GM for one week. And everybody was saying the same thing: “When I get my week as GM, Triple H, I’m coming for your title!” Even the guys on Triple H’s team were saying it! Triple H thought his only friend in the world was Dave Batista, and they had this one shot, that set up the entire feud, where Triple H is sitting in the locker room talking to Batista, and as he gets up and leaves, Batista just picks up the World Heavyweight Championship, and looks at it, with a look of deep contemplation in on face. Five seconds to plant the seeds for a fight that would take place almost five months later!

They just kept doing small things like that until the eventual contract signing, where Batista first gave Triple H the thumbs down, and holy smokes did that crowd go nuts. We’d been waiting four months to see Batista kick Triple H’s ass and he delivered an enormous powerbomb right through the table… Oh so satisfying.

Remember when feuds were developed properly? When feuds made sense? I do.

The Awesome Era

The referee's three-count ushered in a brand new era in the WWE last night, as The Miz successfully cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase on WWE Champion Randy Orton! Enter the Awesome Era, which, in my opinion, is going to be truly awesome. Anyone looking for a picture-perfect example of hard-work personified need look no further than Mike 'The Miz' Mizanin.

I still remember the good ol' days of 2004 (holy crow, I did NOT realize it was so long ago...), in my mother's living room watching the $1,000,000 Tough Enough competition, and telling her to come check out the Big Show slapping the piss out of all these young, green WWE hopefuls. She was disgusted, and got mad at me. But I digress. One of those hopefuls was Mike Mizanin, already rocking his monicker of 'The Miz'. The guy had charisma, that's for sure, but he was definitely not in physical WWE shape, and certainly didn't possess any outstanding professional wrestling ability.

He, along with many others, was man-handled by the 500-pound Big Show, degraded by an irate Kurt Angle, made out with Mae Young (worst of all?), and went through extensive physical exertion only to be runner-up to the walking embarrassment that was Daniel Puder. He was eliminated from the competition, but far from defeated. The saying goes, "if you want something bad enough, you can get it" and The Miz is living proof.

He was eliminated from Tough Enough on December 16, 2004, but had made a lasting impression on the WWE. He worked his tail off under a developmental contract for close to two years, before making his WWE debut on Smackdown! on April 21, 2006. And from there on, we witnessed the non-stop growth of a young man who is without a doubt going to comprise the young talent that will be the future of this business.

For the most part, Tough Enough is completely despised by the men and women in the WWE locker room. Reason being that they all had to work their ass off wrestling on the independant scene in order to catch the eye of the WWE, and these guys are given a golden opportunity to compete against FAR fewer individuals, win a million bucks and be invited into the WWE. That's why despite the opportunity, most of them don't last (see Daniel Puder's appearance in the 2005 Royal Rumble, where he got the shit chopped out of him by Eddie Guerrero, Chris Benoit and Hardcore Holly, before being dumped over the side of the ring like a corpse, never to be seen again).

It's the guys that truly want it who will make it in this business, and it was obvious that The Miz wanted this more than anything. I mean, how amazing is it that in 2004 Mike Mizanin lost the Tough Enough competition to Daniel Puder, who didn't last a week in the business, and now, six years later, The Miz is the face of the company: the WWE Champion. I never thought I'd be able to sensibly use the words 'Cinderella' and 'WWE' in the sentence, but it seems appropriate now.

Way to go Mike, you are one of the few (lately) who TRULY deserve to have that belt around your waist, and you've convinced someone who has lost interest in the current product, to tune in once again. The company is in good hands. Scratch that, it's in AWESOME hands.

Auto-Fail!!

Gonna have to be a short one today, folks, life calls.

So apparently on the WWE's latest DVD release, 'The Top 50 Superstars of All Time', they actually MIS-SPELLED Bruno Sammartino's last name in the chapter index, spelling it as "Summartino". Are you fudging kidding me? That is a complete and total embarrassment.

It makes me wonder if CreComm is the only program in the world that makes you live and die by the spelling of proper names. And also makes me realize just how integral to your reputation it is that you can spell them correctly and consistently. So way to go CreComm, things like this reassure me that there is logical reasoning behind why I sweat just a little bit when writing assignments.

Happy Friday, hope everyone has a great weekend and stays safe on the roads with all those maniacs! Farewell!

Top Ten Favorite Wrestlers

Well folks, I am tired and busy and think I'm coming down with a nice, juicy flu, so rather than delve deep into my intellectual pro wrestling thoughts, I'm going to whip up my own personal Top Ten List of my favorite wrestlers, past and present. I'll also be introducing my first poll to the blog, hopefully some visitors will take part in that if they don't want to leave comments. So here we go!

10) Matt Sydal: I remember seeing one of his Ring of Honor matches on TV, can't remember who it was against, and being absolutely blown away. The things this guy can do in the air, and how flexible and athletic he is, it's truly awe-inspiring. Definitely the Rey Mysterio of this generation, in the way he is re-defining high-flyers.

9) AJ Styles: AJ Styles is the perfect blend of technical wrestling, and high-flying. I love how crisp almost every single thing he does in the ring is. Very impressive to watch.

8) Jeff Hardy: You either love him or you hate him. A lot of people call Jeff a "spot monkey" or a "glorified stunt man", but I don't see how you can take anything away from a guy who continuously puts so much of his well-being on the line for our entertainment. Jeff has been the driving force behind multiple 'Holy Shit!' moments for me, and I will always have a great deal of respect for him.

7) The Rock: Not a lot of explanation needed here. The Rock is professional wrestling. Not Hulk "I have a tummy ache, sorry" Hogan. He was the height of charisma, and the height of athletic ability, and the two met at the top to combine into some of the most entertaining television you'll ever see.

6) Kurt Angle: Contrary to the chant that will always accompany his (WWE) entrance music, Kurt Angle does not suck. Kurt Angle is an amazing amateur wrestler, and brings out the best in his opponents. I love his physicality, and how intense his matches are. And damnit if Kurt Angle couldn't be funniest son of a bitch on WWE programming sometimes. I think I might just have to post 'Sexy Kurt' at the end of this entry...

5) Bryan Danielson: The guy was fired in, what, his first couple weeks with the company? And the outcry by the fans was so great, that they actually brought him back. That says a LOT about a guy's talent. When does the WWE EVER listen to it's fans??? Bryan Danielson vs. Chris Benoit might be the very first thing I request to see upon reaching the pearly gates.

4) Randy Orton: Recently Orton seems to have contracted "Stone Cold Syndrome". The disease of being such an amazing heel, that people start to cheer you, and all of a sudden you're a babyface, but you don't really have to alter your personality whatsoever! I hear a lot of people say Orton is crap on the mic, but I think he's awesome. You guys know he's trying to generate heat right...?

3) Chris Jericho: I don't even really know why, but there's just something so insulting about being called a 'parasite'... Another guy who is incapable of having a bad match. And one of the few who still has a credible submission hold. I miss hearing a pop for a submission attempt... But Danielson is bringing it back!

2) Eddie Guerrero: It takes a lot to truly amaze me when it comes to pro wrestling, but the way Eddie could hold a crowd in the palm of his hand, was amazing. Good guy, bad guy, it was truly up to him, not you. I definitely took him granted, as I'm sure most of us did, and would give anything to see one more Eddie Guerrero match.

1) Chris Benoit: If I actually had a decent amount of people commenting, I'd say something like "This is probably going to create some controversy..." Benoit didn't have a lot of traditional charisma, but he had his own personal type of charisma. And it was all in the ring. Holy smokes could that guy go. So physical, and so flawless. His Northern Lights Suplex will probably always be my single-favorite wrestling move to see. HIS. Not only did we lose a fantastic wrestler back in 2007, but we lost a fantastic legacy and it truly is a shame.

So there it is, like it or not, those are MY top ten favorite wrestlers to date! It's hard to cut it down to ten, but there ya go. Talk about your own, disagree with mine, whatever you like! Take us home, Kurt!

Tribute to the Fans

I’ve been a Professional Wrestling fan for about seven years now. Over the course of these years, I’ve been privileged to attend about six or seven live WWE shows. The shows each varied in significance, from a non-televised house show to WrestleMania 23, but no matter the grandeur, there is one thing that seems to stay constant throughout: the fans. A quick scan around the arena can usually give me a pretty good idea of what kinds of fans are in attendance. It doesn’t take an in depth conversation with the individual to recognize which category they fall in to.

First there’s the ‘mark’. A mark is a wrestling term, used to define someone who cannot separate fiction from reality when it comes to Pro Wrestling. Marks are wrestling fans at heart, but for all the wrong reasons. They have absolutely no concept of the matches being pre-determined, or the characters and personalities being staged. Marks can most often be seen on YouTube, in self-shot videos, chastising Kane for burying The Undertaker alive, and tragically ending his life. Or standing from their seats, hand-over-mouth and wide-eyed after seeing John Cena dumped through a wooden table. Marks will forever be a source of laughter to more educated fans, and they will forever wonder why.

Next is the ‘smark’, which is simply a play off the previous term, to stand for ‘smart mark’. Smarks are just as big of fans as marks, only they have a firm understanding of the ins and outs of the business. Smarks understand that every match is pre-determined, and that there is a lot of acting involved in the personalities portrayed in the ring. Smarks will often have knowledge of backstage politics, or certain wrestlers’ personal lives. Smarks can often be seen cheering for the heels (bad guys) and booing the babyfaces (good guys), since they have grown weary of seeing the stereotypical ‘Superman saves the day’ win.

‘Dedicated fans’ are a rare breed but by far the easiest to spot. They are typically 35+ but not exclusively. Dedicated fans are dressed head to toe in WWE clothing and merchandise. They are usually wearing a WWE brand baseball cap, t-shirt, armbands, and jeans. But they’re not finished yet. Slung over their shoulder is a $250 replica championship belt, in one hand is the program for the evening and they could very well be carrying a WWE plush toy or other paraphernalia. Dedicated fans are usually seen walking the halls around the concession booths, and not in their seats, simply because they’ve been to so many events that seeing the show isn’t of high priority to them; they come for the atmosphere… and to show off their merchandise.

‘Clueless fans’ are also fairly easy to spot, and the majority tends to be comprised by one sub-category: girlfriends. Clueless fans typically have no desire to be in attendance, and don’t watch the programming regularly. They view Pro Wrestling as a bunch of rednecks throwing fake punches at one another, and can often be overheard saying, “who’s that?” and “what just happened?” Clueless fans can be seen blowing bubbles with their gum, twirling their hair, looking annoyed, and texting.

Last and least are ‘the crazies’. The scary thing about the crazies is that they cannot be easily identified at first; they fit no standard physical definition. But once the crazies reveal themselves, there is simply no mistaking them. They can be seen either in the arena, at a show, or just in a regular setting with a wrestler present. The crazies can be seen leaping out of their seats and rushing in to the ring to confront a wrestler, or verbally and physically assaulting a wrestler in an everyday setting. They can then immediately be seen being punched in the face by Eddie Guerrero or Chris Jericho, among others, and dragged off by security.

So whether or not you’ve ever been to a Pro Wrestling show in your life, chances are if you sat down in attendance at one, you would fall into one of these five categories. Together they make up the classic atmosphere of a Professional Wrestling event. Try to spot each one the next time you’re out at a show, like a twisted game of bingo. And if you don’t spot a crazy, then you may just have to suit up and fill that role yourself.

WWE Show and Unexpected Twists!

Ok, here we go. Went to the WWE show last night at the MTS Centre, and had a great time as I always do! The matches themselves weren't anything over the top, I was trying to remember if that was the same at every house show I've been to. Nobody did anything overly flashy, or high-risk, and I certainly understand that it's a non-televised house-show, things are going to be toned down to a certain extent, but I found last night to be a little bit more toned down than usual. No 450 Splash, no Starship Pain, I think Rey's West Coast Pop was the most impressive thing I saw all night. But I've seen great matches both live and on TV, for me it's just about seeing the guys, hearing the crowd, and being a part of the WWE experience.

Edge was the "ambassador", if you will, of the night (would have been Jericho if he'd been there), taking the mic and talking about how he and guys like Jericho, Lance Storm, Christian, all got their start in Winnipeg. It's great to hear them talk about what our city means to them, and we paid him back by giving him by far the biggest pops of the night. Double 619, into a Spear and the roof came off the place!

I saw a lot of guys I'd never seen live before too, and that says a lot about how much new talent has come in to the WWE in such a short amount of time. To think about Sheamus' rise to the top... It's got to be one of the quickest in WWE history. Never, have I seen a brand new guy be brought in as a main player, earn the fans' respect so quickly. Big time props to him.

And big time props to The Miz, whose legendary dance moves entertained the crowd for literally about three straight minutes. He let his character down for a little bit to have some fun, and that was great to see. We had a great time, but it's just got me dying to go out to a televised show again now!

Maybe WrestleMania 27, what with the enormous buzz surrounding that event after what happened last night.... At a UFC PPV! Whaaat!?

I'll never bring MMA into my blog here (unless it's related), but I am a huge MMA fan on top of being a WWE fan as well. Last night saw Brock Lesnar spanked by Cain Velasquez, to strip him of his UFC Heavyweight Championship. Mark Calloway (The Undertaker) was in attendance, and after Brock's fight was being interviewed about his thoughts on the fight and the event.

Next thing you know, here comes Brock, walking past Taker towards the locker room, and Taker turns away from his interview and stares down Brock, saying "You wanna do it?" Brock glares back at him and keeps walking without saying a word.

What is going on here?? For the first time, the UFC and WWE Universes are buzzing about the same thing. Currently, the #1 speculation is that WWE has extended an offer to Brock Lesnar to come back to the WWE for one match, against Taker at WrestleMania 27. Interesting.

Brock could do fantastic things for the WWE's current product right now, and his UFC momentum was just halted in it's tracks. It will be interesting to see what develops from this, I'm sure we'll know a LOT more in the coming week. I'll post the video of the incident below.

One last thing I have to just stuff in here quickly: I was looking through my WWE Encyclopedia today, and saw something horrifying. THERE'S A US FLAG NEXT TO HIS NAME?? Now that's something I never thought I'd see. At the end of the day, Jericho is Canadian, and he'll gladly remind you. Or whoever was in charge of his entry... Or I will if he's too busy ;) Here's a picture:

And the confrontation at UFC 121:

The Gems

I just re-organized my DVD collection. It was horribly unorganized since being unpacked from boxes when we moved in to the new apartment. I feel better now. I don't care what people say, I friggin' love my DVD collection, I'm proud of it. It's a product of about seven years, and is still growing. I'm sure an impressive amount of money has been dumped into it, and some DVDs I had to look high and low for, or even pay an outrageous price for.

But the bottom line is, NO GARBAGE in my DVD collection. Only the best of the best get in there. Some DVDs I bought actually just for one single match, or one single moment, just to have it captured forever. So without further ado, world, meet my DVD collection:


I feel like maybe it's not really all that impressive, but it's a work in progress. From top left to bottom right, it's organized alphabetically in these groups:

- WWE produced Superstar DVDs
- Independant 'Shoot' DVDs
- WWE PPV DVDs
- Miscellaneous WWE DVDs
- Other promotion DVDs (TNA, ROH, PWG)
- UFC DVDs (there's like five, relax)

I'll run down a few of my favorites, the 'gems', if you will:

Wrestling with Shadows: How embarrassing, I just realized this DVD should not be up there, as it's not WWE produced... Regardless, this DVD is amazing. It's a product of Bret Hart inviting a camera crew to follow him around as he wrapped up his run in the WWF. It gives an unprecedented look at what goes on behind the scenes in the WWF (back then), and one wrestler's issues with "the boss". Gives an incredible, can't-see-it-anywhere-else perspective on the 1997 Montreal Screwjob. Love this DVD.

Breaking the Code - Behind the Walls of Chris Jericho: Jericho's first DVD! This is the first DVD of it's kind that the WWE has released in a long time; an actual documentary. Gotta love this DVD, Chris talks about growing up in Winnipeg, and going through CreComm too! Not only is this a great DVD for wrestling fans to grab, but it would interest anyone from Winnipeg as well. I love what Jericho says on how he wants to go out; "Getting dragged kicking and screaming out of the ring, begging for mercy from whoever it is that fires me, and never be seen again; that's how I want to go out. Yeah, I don't want any hero's goodbye, or a big send off, I don't want a retirement ceremony, that's not how I'm built. I just want to disappear into the sunset, and have people go 'man, that guy was a jerk wasn't he, wow... we're glad he's gone."

ANY Shoot DVD: I love ALL of my shoot DVDs. Basically what it is, is when a wrestler (or two) sits down with someone, and it's just a two (or so) hour long interview. Usually these happen when the wrestler is no longer with WWE, so they can spill all the beans about what happened in their time working with the WWE (or other promotions). It's completely unscripted, genuine, and gives an awesome look at behind the scenes in wrestling, and what the guys are really like.

WWF Million-Dollar Tough Enough: Produced by WWF & MTV. 'Nuff said. This was the first Tough Enough competition, that combined a contest to win a WWF contract, and living together 'Big Brother' style. It's an awesome combination of reality-show and professional wrestling. When I think of this DVD, all I can hear is Taz: "If you got a question, it BETTAH be a good one, because if it's a stupid one, I will kick your ass."

I wish I could talk about every single DVD in that case, because I love them all, but I won't put you through that. With the addition of Chris Jericho's new DVD, I'm officially out of room in the bookcase. Time to start thinking of upgrading. Sometimes I wonder how much my collection is worth, and if I'd ever sell it, but surprisingly I think it may be one of the only things that is "priceless" to me. I mean, I'd sell it for a million dollars and then buy it all back, but you get what I'm saying.

Next blog post will come AFTER October 23rd, which means it will be a review of the WWE Super(house)Show that will be here on that evening! I'm bummed that Sydal won't be there, but it's still going to be awesome! I might actually be more excited for Nikki to see it, since it's her first WWE show. So yes, next post will probably be Sunday, Oct. 24, after the show. Looking forward to it!

The Chris Benoit Tragedy

Chris Benoit was hands-down one of my favorite wrestlers of all time. One of those guys that crossed over to a whole other level for me. Someone who could actually give me goosebumps just from watching him wrestle a match. The list of wrestlers who could/can get that kind of reaction out of me is pretty short.

Benoit was legendary in the ring. From the opening bell until he was off camera, he gave 110%, and was one of the most physical wrestlers you'll ever see. And that's what I loved about him, not only was he great, but he brought the best out of anyone he stepped in the ring with. And the reason for that is simple: If you're not at your best when you're in there Benoit, you're going to find yourself chewing on your own ass by the end of the match.

I've seen Benoit wrestle live a few times, but I'll never forget his match with MVP at WrestleMania 23. We had Undertaker vs. Batista and Shawn Michaels vs. John Cena, and Jeff Hardy's mind-boggling spot in the Money in the Bank Ladder Match, but on the train ride back to the hotel, all I could talk about was the wrestling clinic Chris Benoit put on in his match against MVP. Awesome.

I remember June 25, 2007 pretty vividly. Or at least what I was doing when I found out. I remember going to WWE.com and seeing Chris Benoit's portrait, against a black background, and that is never good. Sure enough, the caption read "Chris Benoit Found Dead", but more than that, the smaller print below it said that not only was Chris found dead, but so was his wife, Nancy, and their seven year old son, Daniel.

Same as when I found out Eddie Guerrero had died, I'm pretty sure I was in shock for a couple of days. It just doesn't seem real, the gravity of someone simply not being here anymore is too much for anyone to fully grasp in one sitting. I started reading up online, and heard everything from "Nancy and Daniel got sick and died, and Chris killed himself when he got home and found them" to "Nancy killed Daniel, and Chris killed her and then himself". It seems strange now, but it never even entered my mind that Chris could have killed them both.

Monday Night RAW was tough to get through that night, as the entire show was cancelled and they filled the three hour time slot with a tribute show to Benoit, featuring his greatest moments, matches, and emotional testimonials from other wrestlers.

This post is titled "The Chris Benoit Tragedy" so I will tell you the facts of the tragedy, as they've been reported: Chris Benoit killed his wife Nancy, then his seven year old son Daniel, and then himself. The apparent catalyst was massive brain damage, caused by repeated concussions and blows to the head over his wrestling career. There.

Chris Benoit was 14,633 days old when he died. I think the real tragedy is that a man who led such an inspirational life, will forever be defined by three of those days. That a man who worked so hard to forge an amazing legacy doing what he loved, will be remembered for his crimes.

I remember way back when I was just learning Pro Wrestling, in December, in a garage with no insulation, and a ring with no springs, just a lot of wooden planks and carpet. I'd just taken a horribly botched leg drop from a 350 lb man-beast, which broke my nose. And as I rolled out of the ring, blood steadily trickling from my nose, I remember thinking "Ok, what would Benoit do?" And I may not have liked it, but Chris Benoit would have stuffed some kleenex in there so he wouldn't get blood all over his instructor's mat, and climbed back in there to take some more leg drops. I mean, the guy broke my nose, he obviously needs more practice. Glad to help.

I'm gonna wrap it up now, there isn't enough room on the internet for me to say everything I want to about Benoit, so I've got to end it somewhere. What Chris Benoit did in the last three days of his life, should not be forgotten, or looked past. But it shouldn't nullify everything that he did before it. I still try to model myself after Chris's example; humble, hard-working and respectful. I just wish that I could say that I consider Chris Benoit to be one of my heroes, without needing to add "the man, not the murderer" after it, but that is, unfortunately, the sad reality.

For most people, when they hear the name 'Chris Benoit' they think of a monster who murdered his wife and son, and then hanged himself. I think of a hard worker who earned my respect and millions of others', and influenced a lot of who I am today. What he did was unforgivable, but it won't stop me from appreciating who he was, and what he did for my love of professional wrestling. Benoit was the best. I miss him every time I watch a match.

Let's end off with a classic Benoit moment. I remember having to pick my jaw up off the floor after I saw this live. O_O.

John Cena: The Ultimate Heel

If there is a God, someone within the WWE will read this.

At this very moment in time, the WWE has the opportunity to break the 'dry spell' they've been in ever since they entered the "PG Era".

As a little bit of a background, the WWE recently entered it's latest "era", The PG Era. Basically what happened was Chris Benoit snapped, as a result of way too many concussions, killed his wife, his seven year old son, and then himself. This brought about MAJOR changes in the WWE, and the way they treat their talent. Obviously a double murder-suicide is NOT good publicity for a company. So the WWE decided to alter it's image to a much more family-friendly one, and in the process protect it's talent. They banned blading. They banned ANY type of head shots (chairs, foreign objects, anything.) And they toned the language down, and stopped doing anything overly violent.

For hardcore fans like myself, it was the saddest day in WWE history, and the reason why I don't watch the product much these days. I mean, look at this promo from the Attitude Era:



Maybe it's not fair of me to use to The Rock and Steve Austin as examples, because nothing could EVER compare to their feuds, but just the entire feel back then compared to now is like Disney World to Tinker Town. But I digress from the matter at hand.

The WWE right now is staring at the greatest opportunity they've ever had to bring some life to the PG product, and that opportunity's name is John Cena. Ever since 2005, John Cena has been the ultimate babyface, he stands up for justice and honesty, and sends a wholesome message to the youth watching the product. Five long years I've had to endure this crap, because the WWE was just too selfish to take the loss in revenue from Cena's merchandise sales, and turn the guy heel.

Now, Cena belongs to The Nexus. Anyone here ever watch Power Rangers as a kid? Think evil Green Ranger, the ULTIMATE Power Rangers baddie, that is what Cena could become here. One of the greatest villains in WWE history. Five years children have been cheering for this modern-day Superman, it needs to end. Evil Cena... I get chills just thinking about it.

Last week was just the beginning, Cena turned over the victory to Nexus leader, Wade Barrett. This could be good, start off slow. Maybe next week have Cena take a bullet for Barrett, but eventually Cena needs to get his hands on a babyface. I'm talking complete annihilation. But it needs to be someone lower down on the card, like Matt Hardy, or maybe The Hart Trilogy. Have Barrett send him after Smith and Kidd, and just destroy them.

The only problem I foresee is what to do when The Nexus angle is done with. How to keep the guy heel? The fans don't want to boo him, and even if they boo him throughout this Nexus angle, they're really booing The Nexus, not Cena... Tricky tricky.

I'm sure in the end Cena will turn on Barrett (I hope they at least drag it out until WrestleMania...), and be a babyface again by the end of this angle but... Someone once said, "You may say I'm a dreamer... but I'm not the only one." Am I so wrong for dreaming of a world where John Cena is a heel?

I think I've rambled on enough for today... I think next week I'll try to tackle the Chris Benoit murder-suicide. Chris Benoit was (my opinion) THE greatest professional wrestler of all time, and a personal hero of mine, and I don't care how ridiculous it sounds, it was one of the worst days of my life when I found out what he did. I'll leave a video at the bottom to preview next week's blog post: The Chris Benoit Tragedy.

Jericho is from Winnipeg, you idiots! ;-)

Just wanted to throw this up because I love it so very much. Regular blog entry will still be up later this week.

Farewell Jericho!

WWE Monday Night RAW 09/27/10

Monday Night RAW kicks off with The Miz, cutting a promo on Daniel Bryan, followed by a tag team matchup.

First off, let me just give props to The Miz. He's officially "broken out", and is a staple in the WWE now. His mic skills really are awsome, and considering where he started, his success is impressive.

And what is up with Morrison giving his glasses to kids in the crowd now, during his entrance? John 'The Hitman' Morrison...?

The Miz & Alex Riley vs. Daniel Bryan & John Morrison:

Thought the match was a good kick-off, got the crowd going, no real big spots though, nothing overly impressive. After the match things broke down, and in a pretty awful set up for a match, Daniel Bryan just attacked Morrison for literally no reason, I'll just overlook that....

So it's Daniel Bryan vs. The Miz vs. John Morrison at Hell in a Cell, in a 'Submissions Count Anywhere' Match.... Which is a no brainer considering The Miz and Morrison don't have submissions.... Sometimes I think they hire baboons to write the mid-card scripts....

Divas Battle Royal:

Ok, I'm gonna try to watch this seriously and critically, here I go.... Highlight of the match was Eve eliminating herself from the match. Nattie wins, and I suppose that's the best case scenario, can't go wrong with Hart blood in ya. She's a good wrestler, and I genuinely feel sorry her having to be in the company she's in.

Backstage with Ted DiBiase and Maryse:

Not sure what to expect for next week, returning Diva perhaps?

Sheamus looks like a cartoon character. I look at him and my mind refuses to believe a human being can look like that... White as snow, and fiery red hair. It's hard to stand out in the WWE these days, and he does a great job. He's got great mic skills as well, fella. Sheamus issues an open challenge and we cut to a commercial break.

Sheamus vs. The Great Khali:

Ah, two foreigners. One from Ireland and one foreign to a scrap of wrestling ability... Sheamus beats the shit out of him (holy cow Sheamus' chest really shows those chops, I'd have LOVED to see Sheamus vs. Benoit). Khali getting squashed? Now that puts a smile on my face.

Time for 'The Cutting Edge'. Tonight Edge interviews the anonymous RAW GM via the laptop. I caught myself laughing at "Why do you have to hate, yo?" and felt such shame... RAW GM sets up the next match.

Edge vs. John Cena:

I think Cena has a dropkick now. He's been perfecting it for three years I guess. In another three years will he debut a goddamn German Suplex? Edge hits the spear after an average match, and pins Cena clean, which I was impressed with. But of course, Cena's foot is underneath the bottom rope, and the RAW GM restarts the match. Aaaand Edge is tapping within 15 seconds, and I bury my head in my hands...

After the match Edge snaps and trashes the laptop. "You've got the crazy eyes..." Haha, oh that was good. Edge goes 'Flair' on the laptop and drops an elbow on it before going 'Benoit' on it and smashing it into his own forehead, busting himself open in the process. Don't imagine Vince was too happy with that. Just because you can't hit others in the head, doesn't mean you can do it to yourself!

First promo I've seen for Jericho's new DVD: Breaking The Code -- Behind The Walls Of Jericho. Looks AWSOME. Honestly, whether you know anything about him or not, Chris Jericho is a great reason to be proud to be from Winnipeg. What a personality, and an incredibly hard worker. Can't wait to watch the DVD, and I recommend everyone check it out as well.

Nexus vs. Mark Henry & Evan Bourne:

I don't like calling Matt Sydal 'Evan Bourne'. This is my blog, and damnit I'm calling him Matt Sydal. And don't even get me started on 'Daniel Bryan', Bryan Danielson you are free from the WWE's stupidity here on my blog! Rejoice!

Anyways, short match. Very sad to see that Sydal's push has officially bitten the dust, and he's tagging with Mark Henry now... But his Shooting Star is always flawless, and tonight is no different, though Nexus somehow picks up the win. And proceed to beat Henry and Sydal down. Matt Sydal is a lot like Jeff Hardy, he's an amazing bumper. There's very few who possess that natural ability, and Sydal is one of them. Guy can take some sick looking bumps.

What kind of accent does Wade Barrett have? I'm embarrassed to guess... >_> I always get British and English and... other accents... confused...

Johnny Knoxville hosts RAW next week! Well that should be good for a laugh.

David Hart Smith & Tyson Kidd vs. Cody Rhodes & Drew McIntyre:

TJ Wilson and Harry Smith that is... I'd better make up my mind about this whole "real name" thing. Don't worry, I'll never say Chris Irvine vs. Adam Copeland...

Should be a good match, let's see what happens here. Nice pace here, Kidd takes some stiff shots. Shorter than I thought it would be, Rhodes & McIntyre pick up the win. Oh no! Dissension in the ranks! Seems like they're flirting with breaking up The Hart Dynasty, smart move I think. Both guys could flourish on their own.

Chris Jericho vs. Randy Orton:

Jericho out to the ring! So listen up you gelatinous tapeworms! Jericho lists opponents he has beaten for... an impressive length of time. He is interrupted by Randy Orton's theme music, and out comes the Viper. Jericho has begun his tour with his band 'Fozzy', so he will unfortunately be written off the show tonight. Sad to see him leave AGAIN, but he will be back.

Jericho nails a beautiful Lionsault towards the end, before Sheamus interferes and draws the DQ. After the match Jericho hits the Codebreaker on Orton and stalks him with a steel chair. Jericho takes an RKO for his trouble, and then a STIFF looking punt to the head. Jericho is stretchered off to end the show. Not sure when he'll be back, hopefully sooner than later though.

I don't watch WWE programming very often anymore so I can't really say how this show stacks up to recent ones, but I didn't think it was bad. Lack of talent combined with PG Programming is DEFINITELY hurting the product, but tonight's show was alright.

Well, until next week, and in closing: To Chris Jericho!

The Wounded

May 16, 2004 -- As Eddie Guerrero wanders unknowingly towards the side of the announcer's table, John Bradshaw Layfield turns suddenly, steel chair in hand, and blasts Eddie with sickening force, right on the top of his head. The sickening sound of steel on bone resonates through the arena, as Guerrero crumples to the ground.

Moments later we are greeted with a horrific sight: As Eddie sits upright, his back against the fan barricade, blood cascades out of a gash in his forehead, covering his face and chest in mere seconds. The bleeding is profuse and uncontrollable. What would normally be considered a medical emergency goes untreated for 15 minutes, and Guerrero loses a drastic amount of blood as he finishes the match.

January 7, 2007 -- Triple H aggressively lifts Randy Orton to deliver his signature Spinebuster. At the point of impact, however, something is clearly wrong as Triple H clutches his right thigh, in agony. When his knee impacted the mat, the force tore his right quadriceps muscle (the largest muscle in the human body) right off the bone.

Triple H knew he was severely hurt, and communicated it to the three other men in the ring with him, as well as the referee, yet received no immediate medical attention, wrestled for over 10 more minutes with only one good leg, and finished the match. He would later undergo major surgery to repair the damage, and be sidelined for over eight months.

These are just two of countless other examples of WWE Superstars working through injury, something that is hard for a lot of people to understand. It seems odd to wrestle through a ruptured muscle, or a broken bone, or a severely lacerated head-wound, but it happens more often than you might think. Their is a sacred phrase in the Pro Wrestling universe, and that is simply "The show must go on." and anyone who chooses to lace up a pair of boots, needs to quickly learn to adopt this philosophy.

Half of it is passion. The undying drive to put on a good show for the fans, no matter what happens. The cameras are on, the lights are shining bright, and the fans are chanting your name. It would be hard for anyone to just pack it in, in spite of an injury.

The other half is kayfabe. From the moment the WWE logo appears on your TV screen, to the moment it's made its departure, the talent is living and breathing in kayfabe. Someone gets hurt during a match? Good, that's probably what their opponent said he was going to do to him. There are no breaks to get a doctor out to the ring and take a look at him, that is directly breaking kayfabe, and breaking kayfabe when the cameras are on is a gigantic no-no.

As a bit of an aside, breaking kayfabe in Pro Wrestling, would be like Rachel calling Ross "David" on Friends, and having it air.

Though some people may call it sheer stupidity and moronically reckless, there is a lot to be said for the dedication wrestlers have to their profession and their fans. To them, the show is #1 and everything else comes second. We should all be so lucky to find something that we're equally passionate about.

As of late, WWE has taken a much more family-friendly approach to their programming (something I will surely blog about later) and there are much fewer incidents like the ones I mentioned above, due to new "rules" being put into effect such as no more chair shots to the head, which can be partly credited to the discovery of extensive brain damage on Chris Benoit's brain (another topic I will cover here eventually.)

For those of you who stuck around to the end, you are rewarded (or possibly punished) with video footage of the two incidents mentioned at the top of the blog! Please be warned, things cannot be "unseen" in life, and if you are at all squeamish at the sight of blood, do NOT watch the Eddie Guerrero clip. I realize that now it is like a car crash, and you simply must look, but please be warned that it is extremely graphic not to mention mind-boggling that someone could lose so much blood and live to talk about it. The Triple H clip is harmless, though very interesting.

So whether you like Pro Wrestling, you hate it, or you just don't care, all I'm trying to do is help these guys earn a little more respect for what they do, and hey, maybe next time you hear someone talking about "all that ketchup on his face" you can say "Hey man! That shit's real!" Eddie Guerrero would appreciate it!

Eddie Guerrero at Judgment Day '04

Triple H at New Years Revolution '07

NOTE: Just as an interesting but related side-note, Chris Jericho actually attributes the fact that he's never sustained an in-ring injury, to being raised in Winnipeg. He says the cold makes us "Vikings", and you are welcome to take that however you please ;-)

The Basics

So before I jump right in to full on blogging, about my opinions and views, and reviewing things, judging things etc., I think it's a good idea for me to just dedicate one post to the basics. Things that seem so second-nature to me, but probably not so much to someone who isn't a fan. So we'll start at the top, and when I'm all talked out, I'll list some basic vocabulary at the bottom.

I think the "top", when referring to Professional Wrestling, is always going to be that age old argument: Is it real or is it fake? And my answer is simple: Professional Wrestling is not black and white. It simply cannot be classified as "real" or "fake", because there are so many different aspects to it, "Professional Wrestling" as a whole, simply cannot be labelled.

The best word to use when tackling the "fake factor" of Pro Wrestling, is 'pre-determined'. Every match has a pre-determined outcome, that the participants are aware of well before the match starts. Certain important moments, or 'spots', are choreographed beforehand, but for the most part, matches are called on the fly, and are spontaneous.

Pro Wrestling doesn't help it's own argument much sometimes, and it's primarily the punches that give it such a bad rap. Watch any wrestling match and, yes, the punches are painfully fake. What you need to keep in mind is that whenever two (or more) people are in the ring, having a match, they are working together. This is not a competitive sport (in this sense) like MMA, where you are actively working to defeat your opponent. Their #1 priority is their safety, and the safety of everyone involved in their match.

One thing that is important to understand is simply this: wrestling hurts. Yes, most things are pre-determined and the wrestlers willingly do the maneuvers, but they are not landing on a SleepNumber bed here folks. The ring is padded for slight protection (otherwise they'd break their backs), but when you're taking 20+ falls (or 'bumps') on it every match, 4 days a week, it adds up.

Another popular "fake vs. real" topic to discuss, is the blood. Most people are convinced that the blood is fake. If everything is pre-determined and planned out, then how could someone end up seriously hurt like that? While it may not be logical to most, yes, wrestlers cut their own foreheads and make themselves bleed in matches. This is called 'blading'. And while World Wrestling Entertainment has completely stopped the act of blading, it does still regularly happen in other companies, such as Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA).

These are all things that I'm sure I'll come back to in later posts, but for now I think that about covers the basics. From here on out I'll be blogging completely in wrestle-speak, as I'll call it, so I'll try to define most of the strange words below, and if I happen to miss one, I'll make sure to explain in a later post. I get mighty carried away when talking/discussing wrestling, so I hope I can at least keep it interesting even when posts go longer than I expected them to, like this one. I expect I'll have another post up sometime next week, and I'll be getting into current events, issues and shows. Hope everyone tunes in!

P.S. Take it from a CreComm grad, folks:

"Fake is not a word I like to use because there's nothing fake about what I do. It's a show, it's a predetermined outcome; we're putting on a television drama, action, comedy, whatever you want to call it -- but it's not fake. Fake would be if I was just about to take a body slam, and my stuntman did it. Fake would be if I was going to take a chair shot to the head, and the chair was made of rubber. I'll tell the world that it's a show, but I hate the word fake. It's such an unfair term to us."

-Chris Jericho (WWE Unscripted, 2003)

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Wrestling Vocabulary

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Blade - The act of using a concealed blade to cut one's own head (or any other body part) and draw blood.

Ex. He did a pretty awful job of blading.

Bump - Describes any type of fall, whether it's onto your back, your front, your head, whatever.

Ex. That was a painful looking bump.

Card - Describes all the scheduled matches for an event.

Ex. The card tonight looks pretty good.

Job - The act of losing in a match.

Ex. I heard John Cena is expected to job to Funaki tonight.

Jobber - A wrestler whose primary function in the company is to lose in order to make his opponents look good.

Ex. Boy, MVP has become such a jobber lately.

Kayfabe - The Professional Wrestling world, not reality. To pretend or talk like events in Pro Wrestling are real, or when a wrestler speaks as his character not the actual person that he is.

Ex. Triple H said he hates Vince McMahon, but I'm pretty sure that was just kayfabe.

Mark - Uneducated wrestling fan. Someone who believes some aspect of Pro Wrestling is real, and that some storylines are real.

Ex. That kid is such a mark.

Over - Popular with the fans.

Ex. Chris Jericho is so over right now.

Pop - A loud positive reaction/cheer from the crowd.

Ex. Did you hear that pop when The Undertaker came out??

Sell - To make an injury look real, when it's not.

Ex. Wow, Randy Orton really sold that neck injury.

Shoot - Used to define something that's real, and not kayfabe. Opposite of a work.

Ex. I think Ric Flair's promo on Carlito tonight was a shoot.

Smark - Fans who have a good understanding of how Pro Wrestling functions, and who know that it is pre-determined. Opposite of a mark.

Ex. At least all the smarks got what he was talking about.

Spot - Used to describe a significant moment, maneuver, or series of events during a match.

Ex. Did you see that spot in Evan Bourne's match?? I thought he was dead!!

Squash - Used to describe a very short match where one wrestler was dominant for the entire match, and did not make his opponent look good whatsoever.

Ex. Hornswoggle got completely squashed tonight.

Stiff - Describes moves or punches/kicks that are harder than they need to be.

Ex. Mr. Kennedy was being pretty stiff with Cody Rhodes tonight.

Work - Used to describe events happening in kayfabe. Opposite of a shoot.

Ex. Was Rey Mysterio's injury tonight just a work?

Welcome to CreComm, maggots!

Well, the first week of CreComm is in the books, and they seem to be easing us into it slowly. Time for the Blog Assignment! So the primary function of this post is to introduce you all to my "new" blog, and let you know what you can expect to find here on a weekly basis.

I'm quite well-adjusted to being the only die-hard Professional Wrestling fan in the room at any given time, and I don't expect CreComm to be much different. My intention is to have a Pro Wrestling themed blog, hence the title. To give a brief education on my history with Pro Wrestling, I started watching probably sometime around 2003. I fell head-over-heels in love with it, and a lot of folks likely won't understand that, or will call me a redneck, but here's hoping that this blog can swing some opinions!

I also did some wrestling myself, have actual experience with the sport/business, and would still be doing it today if I hadn't fallen even more in love with something else (my fiancé). So expect to find show reviews, DVD reviews, hot topics, and breaking news right here, and my opinions on all of it!

I hope that even for the non-fans reading this, you can find it somewhat interesting, or that I can possibly inspire you to maybe check it out. I look forward to hearing from everyone, good or bad (I am always willing to debate), and I will see you for the first post!

A Writer Writes.

A writer writes. If you want to be a writer, write.
- Regina Brett

I work at Boston Pizza. Low pay, and even lower appreciation and recognition. Unfortunately, once you add on my tip pool every two weeks, it becomes quite difficult to find anything else that will pay more after presenting them a resumé with very little to read under the "Education" section. Of course, chances are that anywhere else I might work would probably recognize and reward hard work, so the potential money could be higher... But I just don't have that kind of energy to dump into dead-end jobs.

So it was at this particular dead-end job, that I was cut early from my shift and was sitting at the break table waiting for my fiancé to finish at her job and come pick me up. While perusing through non-fiction best-sellers on my Blackberry, I came across a particular work that intrigued me.

It was called God Never Blinks: 50 Lessons for Life's Little Detours, by Regina Brett. It's written by this woman who I guess (still haven't read the thing, this was yesterday for Christ's sake...) has been through an unfair amount of hardships in her life, and compiled a list of life lesson's based on her experiences. It started as an online, email-forward type of deal, but became so popular that she decided to expand on every lesson in a published book.

So late last night I decided to look up this list, and see what I could take away from it. It is interesting, and can really get your cogs turnin', but for the most part the lessons are vague; as you would expect any "life lesson" to be. These are things that are meant to affect the way people live, they can't speak specifically to one situation in your life. So her lesson's were more "Smile about something every single day." and less "Don't forget to let the dog in.".

But there was one particular lesson, lesson #18, that made me look twice. Because not only did it seem out of place amongst the other lessons, but it seemed to speak directly to me. Lesson #18: 'A writer writes. If you want to be a writer, write.' So simple, so straightforward, so logical.

I want to be a writer. But I don't write anymore. This blog as been sitting here, set up, ready to go, EMPTY, for months now. I've always been too concerned with pre-meditating what exactly I would write about, and who the hell would want to read it, instead of just doing what a writer does; write.

I'm going back to school August 31st. I was accepting into the Creative Communications course at Red River College, which I'm told is not only a hard course to get into, but an even harder course to complete. At this point, I'm probably equal amounts of excited and nervous. With a dash of anxious. I'm hoping that's a recipe for success by the way...

So I guess you could call this the introduction to my blog? The backstory on what inspired me to actually start writing. The prologue before the chapters. I have no idea what the first chapter will be about, I would be wise to at least mention wrestling though... So to those who read this blog, thank you, and to those who don't well... You just won't be one of the ones who can say "I read Jordan Thompson's very first blog."

-JT