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.