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.