From the Chilly City and the Mind of An Aspiring Journalist: Pro Wrestling Insight.
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
I've Moved!
Well this is long overdue. I've moved my blog to a new location. Same guy, same content, different name. Journo JT.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Yup.
I was published a total of 46 times in my first year of Creative Communications:
- 26 times by the Manitoba Bisons, writing sports journalism and game recaps. Each of these 26 stories taking up around 4-5 hours of my night. I'll do the math for you, it's 104-130 hours.
- 13 times by The Winnipeg Free Press, the city's most credible and highly regarded newspaper. Some opportunities I asked for, others were offered to me.
- 5 times in various industry magazines: Local Fare, The Manitoba Mining Review, The Ontario Mineral Exploration Review, The Saskatchewan Oil Report, and the Official Publication of the School Plant Officials Society of Alberta (SPOSA).
- 2 times in The Projector.
As an aspiring journalist, I knew that just as important as my school work, was doing everything that I could to get my name out there, and I think I successfully managed to do both. As those who have been through the program know, CreComm itself is hard enough on its own, when you're not working at three journalism-related jobs, have two learning disabilities, are trying to plan your wedding and pay bills for two on a single income.
Unfortunately, talking, even when you don't have anything to say, is apparently far more important in determining your success than anything else.
I was recently informed that I would not be able to select the major of my choice (Journalism, if you haven't been paying attention) because of a low Professionalism grade that has resulted in me landing a mere 4% short of the required grade. I was also informed that this is because I didn't speak enough in class, didn't freelance as much in second semester (I actually freelanced more but hey, what do I know), and just generally lost interest in journalism.
Interesting, especially since I started work this past Monday (the first week of our summer break, my choice) at a magazine publisher, as an intern editor, where I will be working for the entire summer, and will likely be published another 50 times. Meanwhile, I've really enjoyed reading vacation updates from other J majors who are enjoying a nice relaxing summer break. There's truly nothing wrong with that.
But I think there is something wrong with all of these undeniable facts proving my strong interest and hard work in journalism not being enough to add four marks to a section labeled "Professionalism", because, as far as I know, I have taken journalism a lot more seriously and professionally than most other students have. My latest story:
BREAKING NEWS: Some people are just quiet. Look a little deeper.
- 26 times by the Manitoba Bisons, writing sports journalism and game recaps. Each of these 26 stories taking up around 4-5 hours of my night. I'll do the math for you, it's 104-130 hours.
- 13 times by The Winnipeg Free Press, the city's most credible and highly regarded newspaper. Some opportunities I asked for, others were offered to me.
- 5 times in various industry magazines: Local Fare, The Manitoba Mining Review, The Ontario Mineral Exploration Review, The Saskatchewan Oil Report, and the Official Publication of the School Plant Officials Society of Alberta (SPOSA).
- 2 times in The Projector.
As an aspiring journalist, I knew that just as important as my school work, was doing everything that I could to get my name out there, and I think I successfully managed to do both. As those who have been through the program know, CreComm itself is hard enough on its own, when you're not working at three journalism-related jobs, have two learning disabilities, are trying to plan your wedding and pay bills for two on a single income.
Unfortunately, talking, even when you don't have anything to say, is apparently far more important in determining your success than anything else.
I was recently informed that I would not be able to select the major of my choice (Journalism, if you haven't been paying attention) because of a low Professionalism grade that has resulted in me landing a mere 4% short of the required grade. I was also informed that this is because I didn't speak enough in class, didn't freelance as much in second semester (I actually freelanced more but hey, what do I know), and just generally lost interest in journalism.
Interesting, especially since I started work this past Monday (the first week of our summer break, my choice) at a magazine publisher, as an intern editor, where I will be working for the entire summer, and will likely be published another 50 times. Meanwhile, I've really enjoyed reading vacation updates from other J majors who are enjoying a nice relaxing summer break. There's truly nothing wrong with that.
But I think there is something wrong with all of these undeniable facts proving my strong interest and hard work in journalism not being enough to add four marks to a section labeled "Professionalism", because, as far as I know, I have taken journalism a lot more seriously and professionally than most other students have. My latest story:
BREAKING NEWS: Some people are just quiet. Look a little deeper.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Sin Cara... Breathe.
If Sin Cara was standing in front of me right now, I would say one thing to the young man: "Breathe." ...err, "Respirar."
I just watched his match from this past Monday, and hot damn, he is a textbook case of someone who is completely overwhelmed in his first few weeks in the "Big Leagues".
He's botched his entrance twice already, and whether that's his fault or the guys who put the trampoline in place, HE is the one who comes out looking bad.
But his biggest problem right now is he is going 150 km/h in his matches. You can tell by his body language that from the moment he comes through the curtain until the time he leaves, he takes one, maybe two breaths. He's not hitting his signature moves cleanly since he's rushing into all of them, and that's a real good way to bury yourself. That moonsault at the end of his match last Monday was downright embarrassing. He was a solid three or four feet off his mark.
So, Sin Cara, Mistico, my dear Mexican friend, PLEASE... Breathe. You're a young guy, and have plenty of time to make your mark in the WWE. You're not helping anyone by trying to force yourself to be phenomenal. All you need to do is remember that it comes naturally, and you'll be just fine.
- WrestleWriter
I just watched his match from this past Monday, and hot damn, he is a textbook case of someone who is completely overwhelmed in his first few weeks in the "Big Leagues".
He's botched his entrance twice already, and whether that's his fault or the guys who put the trampoline in place, HE is the one who comes out looking bad.
But his biggest problem right now is he is going 150 km/h in his matches. You can tell by his body language that from the moment he comes through the curtain until the time he leaves, he takes one, maybe two breaths. He's not hitting his signature moves cleanly since he's rushing into all of them, and that's a real good way to bury yourself. That moonsault at the end of his match last Monday was downright embarrassing. He was a solid three or four feet off his mark.
So, Sin Cara, Mistico, my dear Mexican friend, PLEASE... Breathe. You're a young guy, and have plenty of time to make your mark in the WWE. You're not helping anyone by trying to force yourself to be phenomenal. All you need to do is remember that it comes naturally, and you'll be just fine.
- WrestleWriter
The Moonlight Sonata of Beethoven Blatz
The Moonlight Sonata of Beethoven Blatz is a play written by former CreComm instructor, Armin Wiebe. I, along with my classmates, attended this play and had an alright time. I've not been to very many plays in my lifetime, so I don't really have anything else to compare this to, but I feel like if I did, perhaps I wouldn't have enjoyed this one as much as I did.
As far as the play itself, I could have taken or left it. I don't consider it a waste of an evening or a waste of $12, but I wouldn't be heartbroken to have missed out on the experience.
One thing I didn't like too much about the play was the use of German spattered throughout. I'm all for some good use of a foreign language, but I felt that Armin's use of German in this play was ill-placed and alienated his audience a little bit. I found that sometimes in the play, one of the characters would use a German word in a pretty important place. They would be explaining something for a little while, and then the last word of their entire speech would be a German word, leaving me feeling like I really didn't know the entire context or meaning of everything they had just said. It was rather frustrating sometimes.
Armin actually addressed this issue when he visited us during our Thursday seminar, and said it was a risk he was willing to take. Hey he's the playwright, but I felt that it was really effective at derailing the momentum of a scene at certain parts of the play.
Overall, I thought the play was alright, a little slow moving at times.
I found that during the talkback and also the seminar, Armin could definitely have been a little more enthusiastic about his work or at the very least pretended to be excited to talk to us. The snark and sarcasm in a few of his responses was a little bit unmerited, and a lot of his answers were extremely short where I'm sure he could have gone into much greater detail.
Plays aren't my bag, and after seeing this one and talking to the playwright behind it, I don't imagine that is going to change anytime soon.
As far as the play itself, I could have taken or left it. I don't consider it a waste of an evening or a waste of $12, but I wouldn't be heartbroken to have missed out on the experience.
One thing I didn't like too much about the play was the use of German spattered throughout. I'm all for some good use of a foreign language, but I felt that Armin's use of German in this play was ill-placed and alienated his audience a little bit. I found that sometimes in the play, one of the characters would use a German word in a pretty important place. They would be explaining something for a little while, and then the last word of their entire speech would be a German word, leaving me feeling like I really didn't know the entire context or meaning of everything they had just said. It was rather frustrating sometimes.
Armin actually addressed this issue when he visited us during our Thursday seminar, and said it was a risk he was willing to take. Hey he's the playwright, but I felt that it was really effective at derailing the momentum of a scene at certain parts of the play.
Overall, I thought the play was alright, a little slow moving at times.
I found that during the talkback and also the seminar, Armin could definitely have been a little more enthusiastic about his work or at the very least pretended to be excited to talk to us. The snark and sarcasm in a few of his responses was a little bit unmerited, and a lot of his answers were extremely short where I'm sure he could have gone into much greater detail.
Plays aren't my bag, and after seeing this one and talking to the playwright behind it, I don't imagine that is going to change anytime soon.
Friday, April 15, 2011
Montage
Well, here it is. The almighty montage.
As far as the actual project is concerned, I believe my montage is quite a bit different from most everyone else's. The primary reason being that while most people CREATED a concept, planned it exactly how they wanted and then filmed it, I was completely at the whim of whatever these performers allowed me to capture on camera. I also only had opportunity to get a shot, with no option for a re-do, so it was definitely a frightening risk for me to take to try this, considering it was my very first outing with the ENG camera.
Overall I had a great time at the show, and it was awesome to get some of the shots that I ended up getting. Lots of talent in that company, and I am happy to announce that I will officially be working with Steeltown Pro Wrestling over the next year to create a video documentary on independent pro wrestling in Winnipeg (and area). Stay glued to the blog for any and all updates concerning this next project, and I'll also post more footage.
Hope everyone enjoys the montage.
As far as the actual project is concerned, I believe my montage is quite a bit different from most everyone else's. The primary reason being that while most people CREATED a concept, planned it exactly how they wanted and then filmed it, I was completely at the whim of whatever these performers allowed me to capture on camera. I also only had opportunity to get a shot, with no option for a re-do, so it was definitely a frightening risk for me to take to try this, considering it was my very first outing with the ENG camera.
Overall I had a great time at the show, and it was awesome to get some of the shots that I ended up getting. Lots of talent in that company, and I am happy to announce that I will officially be working with Steeltown Pro Wrestling over the next year to create a video documentary on independent pro wrestling in Winnipeg (and area). Stay glued to the blog for any and all updates concerning this next project, and I'll also post more footage.
Hope everyone enjoys the montage.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Thank you, Edge.
13-year veteran.
11-time World Champion.
31 Championships in the WWE.
Mr. Money in the Bank.
Royal Rumble winner.
Tag-Team legend.
To WWE Superstar Edge (Adam Copeland), not a single one of these things means more to him than the fact that he can still walk. And that is the way it should be. In the midst of his eleventh reign as a World Champion in the WWE, Edge has decided to walk away from the business that made him a legend, but is now threatening to make him a cripple.
In 2003, Edge suffered a severe neck injury that put him on the shelf for close to year. There is no such thing as a permanent fix for a broken neck, and while I'm sure he knew that at the time, he is being painfully reminded today. After beginning to lose feeling in his arms, and living with daily chronic pain, Edge has decided to take the advice of his doctors and say goodbye to professional wrestling, and for that, I applaud him louder than ever.
Had Eddie Guerrero or Chris Benoit been able to make this brave decision years ago, they would still be here with us today. Had Edge not been able to, perhaps it would be him that we buried next.
So to my fellow Canadian, I say I have never had more respect for you. The memories that you are leaving us with will more than suffice, the sacrifices you've made can never be repaid to you, and the legacy you have forged will live forever in the hearts and minds of the millions of Edgeheads around the world. It's time for you to enjoy your life, and nobody is more deserving of that privelege than you. Thank you, Edge.
11-time World Champion.
31 Championships in the WWE.
Mr. Money in the Bank.
Royal Rumble winner.
Tag-Team legend.
To WWE Superstar Edge (Adam Copeland), not a single one of these things means more to him than the fact that he can still walk. And that is the way it should be. In the midst of his eleventh reign as a World Champion in the WWE, Edge has decided to walk away from the business that made him a legend, but is now threatening to make him a cripple.
In 2003, Edge suffered a severe neck injury that put him on the shelf for close to year. There is no such thing as a permanent fix for a broken neck, and while I'm sure he knew that at the time, he is being painfully reminded today. After beginning to lose feeling in his arms, and living with daily chronic pain, Edge has decided to take the advice of his doctors and say goodbye to professional wrestling, and for that, I applaud him louder than ever.
Had Eddie Guerrero or Chris Benoit been able to make this brave decision years ago, they would still be here with us today. Had Edge not been able to, perhaps it would be him that we buried next.
So to my fellow Canadian, I say I have never had more respect for you. The memories that you are leaving us with will more than suffice, the sacrifices you've made can never be repaid to you, and the legacy you have forged will live forever in the hearts and minds of the millions of Edgeheads around the world. It's time for you to enjoy your life, and nobody is more deserving of that privelege than you. Thank you, Edge.
Monday, April 11, 2011
Montage Teaser!
Finally got a look at some of the footage I shot at the Steeltown Pro Wrestling show over the weekend, and am very pleased. One shot in particular stuck out in my mind, so I checked up on it to see if I captured it the way I wanted to; I did. Yeah this one's makin' the final cut, that's for sure. So here's a VERY brief teaser shot of the type of content you can expect to see in my final montage, which will be up in about a week. Big thanks once again to SPW and all the talent at that show. Enjoy!
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
As Promised...
A WWW-exclusive (unless WWE shuts me down)... Here is the video package played for The Miz at WrestleMania 27. Awesome, awesome video. If you don't know much about The Miz, I suggest you check out my post on him before watching the video, to fully understand the story it's telling.
Enjoy.
01 by DGenerate
Enjoy.
01 by DGenerate
WrestleMania 27 Review
Alright, let's get right into this. I'm sure a lot of folks aren't going to like what I have to say about this disaster of a PPV, but that's what they make a comment box for.
So we open with the World Heavyweight Championship match, whose brilliant idea was that? That was my first thought; then I saw the match, saw a Royal Rumble winner's momentum get thrown in the trash, and the cheap, childish antics that followed, and my thought changed to "Ok, I'm actually glad they got that out of the way, I probably would have been more disappointed if I saw that as the second-last match..."
Rhodes and Mysterio was alright. The match was alright, but don't think I'm praising it. It was a Smackdown-caliber match, not something I would have expected to see on a WrestleMania stage. Sorry Rey and young talent like Cody Rhodes, but in a completely separate but equally idiotic move, the WWE decided to scrap the Money in the Bank match from WrestleMania. That means you guys need to step up and fill the "spot-void" that we are now accustomed to seeing at Mania. Anything less just feels like the bar has been lowered.
Four minutes of Daniel Bryan vs. Sheamus probably would have been the best match on the card, it infuriates me to no end that I have to watch eight time-fillers come out and wrestle a four-minute pointless, piece-of-shit match that is literally a slap in the face of everyone who paid their hard-earned money to tune in. Yeah, I'm not writing out everyone's name, hopefully you know which match I'm talking about.
Punk and Orton wasn't bad, but pretty much same issue as with Mysterio/Rhodes. I shouldn't have my ass firmly planted in my seat for an entire WrestleMania match. Shouldn't happen.
Cole and Lawler... Whatever, I didn't really have high expectations for this one, though I still managed to be surprised at just how atrociously abysmal Cole is at wrestling. Like I said, Stunners and a beer party is what the people paid for, and that's what they got.
Triple H and Taker. Sigh... Here's where I get my heat. Hated it. Hot garbage. Opened with the three biggest spots of the entire night and then spammed their finishers for, what, 15 minutes? And people are saying "It told a great story", yeah, well my Grandpa tells some pretty good stories too, but that doesn't mean I'd pay $70 to hear one. Next.
Nice flippies Snooki. Next.
Best part of the entire night came next, and that was The Miz's video package. I'm going to try and post it here later tonight. Absolutely epic. Cena's gospel choir was so random and confusing, I'm glad they got booed. Cena and Miz was good. Too short. Thought Miz was dead after smacking his head, God that was ugly looking. But anyways, it was pretty obvious that the entire show was basically designed around the final five minutes. It was cool, but couldn't save the entire show unfortunately.
Safe to say this is the most disappointed I've been with a show. Not the worst show ever, but I think it had the most hype and most potential to be good, for how bad it turned out to be. Danielson and Sheamus could have put on a clinic too, but they decided to have those garbage tag matches instead.
As a lot of people are saying, and I tend to agree with, WrestleMania 28 already looks better than 27. Very, very interesting development to have that match made a year in advance. I'll be very interested to see what Rock chooses to do between now and then.
Also, REALLY enjoyed seeing Austin wrestle as much as he did last night, damn, he's still got it. Lou Thesz and the Elbow were flawless, granted far from a whole match, but I was surprised at just how well he delivered. He looked match-ready to me.
Sorry this post has been a little random, lots to say, very little time to do it. I may post again tonight, with the Miz video package and maybe some more well-composed thoughts or anything I forgot to say. Anyways, flame away!
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Friday, April 1, 2011
WrestleMania 27 Predictions
Before I get into the predictions, a quick note about an interesting development that took place during a house show in Champaign, IL last weekend. Apparently in the finish to a Daniel Bryan vs. Sheamus match, Bryan actually took a chair shot to the head. Very interesting and puzzling as well, I'm not sure why they would have decided to do that, and it would be interesting to know whether or not they had permission to do it. Perhaps foreshadowing of events to take place at Mania? We'll see.
So that time of year is almost upon us. A momentous occasion for pro wrestling fans everywhere, and bloggers such as myself; WrestleMania weekend!
It will kick off on Saturday evening, with the Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Headlining the class of 2011, is the 'Heartbreak Kid' Shawn Michaels, and I've got to say; I find it unfortunate timing that he is actually involved in an angle with his inductor, Triple H, at the moment. I truly hope that they will decide to put ALL kayfabe aside, and I won't have to see any staged displeasure from Hunter because HBK doesn't believe he can defeat the Undertaker.
If we can avoid that, the Hall of Fame ceremony is always great to watch, just to see the Superstars in a completely genuine atmosphere, and also to see the legends of the business be given the recognition they so deserve.
Now, without further ado, let's get down to the business of WrestleMania 27; which promises to be a big one. For the first time since WrestleMania 19, both The Rock and 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin will be on the show, and that right there is more than enough to sell out the entire arena. Let's break down the matches.
8-Man Tag Team Match:
Kane, Big Show, Santino Marella & Vladimir Kozlov vs. The Corre (Wade Barrett, Ezekiel Jackson, Justin Gabriel & Heath Slater)
***
All I can say is: Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Wade Barrett was just recently a main eventer, Marella was a credible wrestler for all of maybe two or three weeks in his entire WWE career (despite being a very talented wrestler), and both Big Show and Kane are multiple-time world champions in the WWE. And they've all washed up on shore to take part in a piss-break match. I've got to give this one to The Corre, since age is at least on their side, and they would get a lot more mileage out of the victory than the other side.
Winner: The Corre (Wade Barrett, Ezekiel Jackson, Justin Gabriel & Heath Slater)
United States Championship Match:
Sheamus (c) vs. Daniel Bryan
***
Possibly my personal favourite on the card. At WrestleMania, where all the barriers are removed, talents like Daniel Bryan and Sheamus can steal the show in a heartbeat. This is just a nice, one-on-one matchup with not a lot of angles surrounding it (which makes it hard to predict) that will just be a lot of fun to watch. It reminds me of Chris Benoit vs. MVP from WrestleMania 23, which was also for the US Championship, which was just a great, straightforward wrestling match.
Winner: Daniel Bryan
6-Person Mixed Tag Team Match:
John Morrison, Trish Stratus & Nicole 'Snooki' Polizzi vs. Dolph Ziggler, Layla & Michelle McCool (w/ Vickie Guerrero)
***
First and foremost, who gives a shit? That being said, it's clear that Morrison and Ziggler will have to steal the spotlight on this one. They'll give Snooki her Lou Thesz Press, and I pray that's all they give her. Ziggler and Morrison could actually put on a brilliant match one-on-one, it's a shame they chose to soil that matchup. With Stratus being back, Snooki being a celeb-aspect to the match, this one seems like a no-brainer to me.
Winner: John Morrison, Trish Stratus & Nicole 'Snooki' Polizzi
Singles Match:
Rey Mysterio vs. Cody Rhodes
***
I'd be lying if I said I was up on my Smackdown!. I caught a bit of this feud, when Mysterio had apparently ruined Rhodes' beautiful face with a 6-1-9, but didn't see much after that. Mysterio is on his way out, and especially now that he can pass the torch to Sin Cara, and Rhodes is a talented up-and-coming heel who could use the heat. The question is whether or not they need a match that will just make the fans happy. But I'd be disappointed to see them do that to Rhodes.
Winner: Cody Rhodes
Singles Match:
CM Punk vs. Randy Orton
***
Another fine matchup between two competitors that have likely been holding back on network television, and will have a phenomenal match on the big stage. The 'Nexus Factor' in this matchup worries me, and I have visions of a DQ, though I can't decide which side yet. Obviously I'm leaning towards Punk being DQ'd due to interference from all of the recovered 'puntees', but on the other hand I can also see Orton dishing out a handful of RKOs and picking up a pop-worthy win. Orton is a pop-machine these days, even though I find his viper-like demeanor incredibly forced and way over the top, and I don't think they'd pass that up.
Winner: Randy Orton
Singles Match:
Jerry 'The King' Lawler vs. Michael Cole (w/ Jack Swagger)
Special Guest Referee: 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin
***
This one is actually posing some problems for me. First there's the issue of the WWE's plans for Michael Cole. If they really want to establish him as a mega-heel, seems to me there's no better way to do it than have him somehow manage to thwart two beloved WWE legends. However, when Austin is on the card, fans are paying to see Stunners. They're paying to see Stunners and a beer party. And the WWE very rarely (if ever these days) denies them of their desire to see that, this is another one that seems fairly obvious to me.
Winner: Jerry 'The King' Lawler
No Holds Barred Match:
Triple H vs. The Undertaker
***
The match of all matches. One that I'm sure a lot of the younger or less knowledgeable fans might think is "years in the making", but it is actually a WrestleMania rematch. Taker and Triple H went one-on-one at WrestleMania 17 and, obviously, Taker reigned supreme. It's nice that it worked out to be not only ten years later, but also that at this point in time, Triple H and The Undertaker are two active wrestlers that have been in the WWE the longest. Whereas previously it was two Superstars going at it, this time it will be two legends. I've said it for years, and I'll say it again: IF the streak is to be ended by someone, it will be an up-and-comer who has a huge amount of potential, and the win will be used to establish his legacy in the business. Nobody benefits from Triple H going over Taker. Not a single person. It is not going to happen. I will be interested to see what sort of role HBK plays in the match, though.
Winner: The Undertaker
World Heavyweight Championship Match:
Edge (w/ Christian) (c) vs. Alberto Del Rio (w/ Brodus Clay)
***
Some interesting elements here. Is it time for an Edge/Christian feud again? It seems like the WWE is high on Del Rio these days, making it hard for me to believe he won't win the strap. And it seems like a convenient option to use Christian as the catalyst to launch Del Rio to the top and also pull Edge out of the picture, since I don't see much potential value in a re-match between the two. It's time for guys like Edge to take on feuds that can still be interesting, while not tying up the main event, in an effort to let some younger talent shine through. And an Edge/Christian feud would still be appealing in my opinion, and could possibly get mileage out of a couple PPV's after Mania.
Winner: Alberto Del Rio
WWE Championship Match:
The Miz (c) vs. John Cena
***
Here we are. The main event. This is very simple: At the conclusion of WrestleMania 27, John Cena will be fully locked into a feud with The Rock. The Rock is not going to be a contender for the WWE Championship, making perhaps the biggest match on the card the most predictable. The Miz deserves to be in the elite group of wrestlers who have retained their world title at WrestleMania, and that's exactly what I think he's going to do. I'm seeing a downed referee and a Rock Bottom, possibly followed up by a People's Elbow. I find it refreshing to think we could have two young, talented Superstars on top of both brands, with wide open feud possibilities at the closing of the show. Cena has had MULTIPLE WrestleMania moments, probably more than he deserves. No way that he is walking out of the Georgia Dome with the WWE Championship.
Winner: The Miz
***
So there it is, my WrestleMania 27 predictions. Questions, comments and insults are always welcome. Happy WrestleMania weekend everybody!
Friday, March 25, 2011
Will The Rock Walk His Talk?
With Monday Night RAW fast approaching, and a guaranteed appearance of The Great One looming, three big questions are plaguing the minds of Professional Wrestling fans everywhere.
The first question is the obvious one: Will The Rock actually deliver on his promises-a-plenty? Saying "I am never, ever going away" is not only a huge promise to make, but it's actually as crystal clear as a freshly Windex'd window. There's no reading between lines in a statement like that, The Rock has simply stated that from here on out he will always be a part of the WWE.
Thus far, his presence has been felt primarily via satellite, through which The Most Electrifying Man In All Of Entertainment loses about 10,000 volts. Fans have taken to the rooftops crying "Fraud!" among other things, but the bottom line is that The People's Champ will be live on RAW this Monday, WrestleMania on Sunday, and Monday Night RAW after that. Two weeks, three electrifying appearances that I think will answer all of the pending questions and uncertainties surrounding The Rock.
At this point in time, I can't realistically see The Rock not laying a hand on John Cena. And if The Rock ends up laying the Smackdown on Cena, how could that not lead to at LEAST one match? Which brings me to my next question:
Can The Rock still go? Seven years is a long time to be away from the ring, and I would imagine Rocky's got a few inches of rust on him right now. He obviously won't be wrestling any dark matches, house shows or anything like that before jumping right into his first headlining match. So you've got to think: If The Rock is not intending on wrestling more than one match, will he wrestle at all?
Shawn Michaels was gone for four years, and when he returned to fight Triple H at SummerSlam 2002, he intended it to be a one-time-only match. He details in his book how he specifically requested a Street Fight, since that is one of the easiest and least technical matches to wrestle, since he had so much ring rust. Just to put in to perspective what four years away from the ring can do to a legend like HBK.
Would The Rock really want to risk wrestling one single match with seven years of ring-rust on him, and having his final WWE match be a shit show? There's only one way to get, and keep, the ring rust off and that's to wrestle on a regular basis. So at this point, I'd say it's either ten matches or none for Rocky. I think we all share the same preference.
While questions and controversy continue to swirl around The Rock, the only thing we can do is wait and see. We may never get answers to these questions at all. The Rock may just disappear one day, and leave us forever wondering when he'll be back. And it may be seven days, seven years, or... never. But I'm confident that the next two weeks will be very telling of The Rock's intentions, what we can realistically expect from him, and will answer perhaps the Greatest question of all: Are we truly entering into The People's Era?
The first question is the obvious one: Will The Rock actually deliver on his promises-a-plenty? Saying "I am never, ever going away" is not only a huge promise to make, but it's actually as crystal clear as a freshly Windex'd window. There's no reading between lines in a statement like that, The Rock has simply stated that from here on out he will always be a part of the WWE.
Thus far, his presence has been felt primarily via satellite, through which The Most Electrifying Man In All Of Entertainment loses about 10,000 volts. Fans have taken to the rooftops crying "Fraud!" among other things, but the bottom line is that The People's Champ will be live on RAW this Monday, WrestleMania on Sunday, and Monday Night RAW after that. Two weeks, three electrifying appearances that I think will answer all of the pending questions and uncertainties surrounding The Rock.
At this point in time, I can't realistically see The Rock not laying a hand on John Cena. And if The Rock ends up laying the Smackdown on Cena, how could that not lead to at LEAST one match? Which brings me to my next question:
Can The Rock still go? Seven years is a long time to be away from the ring, and I would imagine Rocky's got a few inches of rust on him right now. He obviously won't be wrestling any dark matches, house shows or anything like that before jumping right into his first headlining match. So you've got to think: If The Rock is not intending on wrestling more than one match, will he wrestle at all?
Shawn Michaels was gone for four years, and when he returned to fight Triple H at SummerSlam 2002, he intended it to be a one-time-only match. He details in his book how he specifically requested a Street Fight, since that is one of the easiest and least technical matches to wrestle, since he had so much ring rust. Just to put in to perspective what four years away from the ring can do to a legend like HBK.
Would The Rock really want to risk wrestling one single match with seven years of ring-rust on him, and having his final WWE match be a shit show? There's only one way to get, and keep, the ring rust off and that's to wrestle on a regular basis. So at this point, I'd say it's either ten matches or none for Rocky. I think we all share the same preference.
While questions and controversy continue to swirl around The Rock, the only thing we can do is wait and see. We may never get answers to these questions at all. The Rock may just disappear one day, and leave us forever wondering when he'll be back. And it may be seven days, seven years, or... never. But I'm confident that the next two weeks will be very telling of The Rock's intentions, what we can realistically expect from him, and will answer perhaps the Greatest question of all: Are we truly entering into The People's Era?
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Love Him Or Hate Him.
There's a lot to be said about John Cena. Good and bad. I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with the guy, so let's dissect this a little bit.
On the one hand, he has very limited ability in the ring. Unlike most of the big names in the WWE, Cena actually got into the business rather late in his life, and didn't come up on the independents at all. He was trained by one of the WWE's training schools, and broke out from there, although The Miz was much of the same story. I simply don't care for Cena's wrestling style whatsoever; you will never see anything unpredictable from him, and that's a good way to lose the intelligent wrestling fans quickly.
At the end of the day, all big decisions come down from the man himself, Vince McMahon, and I know that Cena's gimmick of 'Hustle. Loyalty. Respect. Never back down, never quit.' is the product of Vince and the WWE Creative Team, but unfortunately Cena is the messenger and I absolutely detest the creature that he has turned in to. The Doctor of Thuganomics was great TV. It was edgy, it was entertaining, and it was a lot more of Cena's actual personality than his current gimmick. Again, it may appeal to the little kiddies of the WWE Universe, who love seeing Superman save the day again, but the older and smarter fans like seeing Superman come up short every now and again.
On the other hand, though, there is no denying that John Cena may possibly be the hardest working man in the entertainment business. Not only that, but he manages to somehow remain one of the nicest as well, and this I can personally attest to.
I met Cena on September 18, 2006. I was down in Montreal, with my parents, to see the WWE Supershow that was rolling through town. The show was amazing, and is probably my second favourite of all that I have attended, and we were also staying at the hotel that a large portion of the WWE roster happened to be checked in to.
We were waiting down in the lobby, watching the WWE Superstars roll in to the hotel, and my mother was somehow lucky enough to find herself enjoying some friendly conversation with the one and only Ric Flair (Wooooh!). Stars like Carlito, Jerry Lawler, and a couple of Divas walked through the lobby, signing an autograph here and there, but suddenly, and without warning, a buzz began to make its way through the crowd, and before I knew it, everyone was outside; Cena had arrived.
Security cleared the fans to either side of the doorway, so Cena could get through, and when the limo door opened, all hell broke loose. Cheers, boos, taunts, and expletives flew at Cena from all angles, and the tension was almost unbearable. I couldn't believe some of the things people were saying to him, inches from his face. "Fuck you, Cena!" "You fuckin' suck!" It's never been put into clearer perspective for me what these guys go through on a day-to-day basis, and Cena did not look happy. After a PPV and RAW back-to-back, he was clearly beat up, and tired.
It was at this moment in time that a particularly idiotic fan decided it would be a good idea to reach out and grab Cena's shoulder. Cena turned on a dime, and went nose to nose with the man who violated his personal space. It took about five seconds of inaudible words out of Cena's mouth to put a sheepish look on the man's face, and also silence the entire crowd of people. Very tense moment.
Cena went inside the hotel, and waited in line with everyone else to check in to his room. Somehow (and I'll never really understand how) security managed to make every single Cena hater disappear, and by the time he had checked in to his room, he came over to the group of about 50 of us who were actually happy to see him. The guy had just been through a hellacious Tables, Ladders & Chairs match, and RAW the next night and had visible battle wounds.
No doubt the only thing he wanted to do was go to bed, but he came over and spent about an hour signing autographs and taking pictures with every single person who was there. And for that, as much as I can't stand him on my television, I have the utmost amount of respect for him. From his physical state, to the fact that he'd just been harassed and disrespected, I was totally impressed with how much he gave back to his fans.
So Cena, I'll almost always be cheering every time you get put on your back for the 1-2-3, but as a person your class and hard work goes a long way, and I'll always have a lot of respect for how much you give back to the business and to your fans.
(Now goddamnit Jericho, include Winnipeg on your book tours, because I need a picture with you next!)
On the one hand, he has very limited ability in the ring. Unlike most of the big names in the WWE, Cena actually got into the business rather late in his life, and didn't come up on the independents at all. He was trained by one of the WWE's training schools, and broke out from there, although The Miz was much of the same story. I simply don't care for Cena's wrestling style whatsoever; you will never see anything unpredictable from him, and that's a good way to lose the intelligent wrestling fans quickly.
At the end of the day, all big decisions come down from the man himself, Vince McMahon, and I know that Cena's gimmick of 'Hustle. Loyalty. Respect. Never back down, never quit.' is the product of Vince and the WWE Creative Team, but unfortunately Cena is the messenger and I absolutely detest the creature that he has turned in to. The Doctor of Thuganomics was great TV. It was edgy, it was entertaining, and it was a lot more of Cena's actual personality than his current gimmick. Again, it may appeal to the little kiddies of the WWE Universe, who love seeing Superman save the day again, but the older and smarter fans like seeing Superman come up short every now and again.
On the other hand, though, there is no denying that John Cena may possibly be the hardest working man in the entertainment business. Not only that, but he manages to somehow remain one of the nicest as well, and this I can personally attest to.
I met Cena on September 18, 2006. I was down in Montreal, with my parents, to see the WWE Supershow that was rolling through town. The show was amazing, and is probably my second favourite of all that I have attended, and we were also staying at the hotel that a large portion of the WWE roster happened to be checked in to.
We were waiting down in the lobby, watching the WWE Superstars roll in to the hotel, and my mother was somehow lucky enough to find herself enjoying some friendly conversation with the one and only Ric Flair (Wooooh!). Stars like Carlito, Jerry Lawler, and a couple of Divas walked through the lobby, signing an autograph here and there, but suddenly, and without warning, a buzz began to make its way through the crowd, and before I knew it, everyone was outside; Cena had arrived.
Security cleared the fans to either side of the doorway, so Cena could get through, and when the limo door opened, all hell broke loose. Cheers, boos, taunts, and expletives flew at Cena from all angles, and the tension was almost unbearable. I couldn't believe some of the things people were saying to him, inches from his face. "Fuck you, Cena!" "You fuckin' suck!" It's never been put into clearer perspective for me what these guys go through on a day-to-day basis, and Cena did not look happy. After a PPV and RAW back-to-back, he was clearly beat up, and tired.
It was at this moment in time that a particularly idiotic fan decided it would be a good idea to reach out and grab Cena's shoulder. Cena turned on a dime, and went nose to nose with the man who violated his personal space. It took about five seconds of inaudible words out of Cena's mouth to put a sheepish look on the man's face, and also silence the entire crowd of people. Very tense moment.
Cena went inside the hotel, and waited in line with everyone else to check in to his room. Somehow (and I'll never really understand how) security managed to make every single Cena hater disappear, and by the time he had checked in to his room, he came over to the group of about 50 of us who were actually happy to see him. The guy had just been through a hellacious Tables, Ladders & Chairs match, and RAW the next night and had visible battle wounds.
No doubt the only thing he wanted to do was go to bed, but he came over and spent about an hour signing autographs and taking pictures with every single person who was there. And for that, as much as I can't stand him on my television, I have the utmost amount of respect for him. From his physical state, to the fact that he'd just been harassed and disrespected, I was totally impressed with how much he gave back to his fans.
So Cena, I'll almost always be cheering every time you get put on your back for the 1-2-3, but as a person your class and hard work goes a long way, and I'll always have a lot of respect for how much you give back to the business and to your fans.
(Now goddamnit Jericho, include Winnipeg on your book tours, because I need a picture with you next!)
Thursday, March 17, 2011
It's Official: I'm Psyched.
While watching Monday Night RAW last week, I received a truly shocking and truly wonderful surprise. There, on my television screen, was an advertisement for a RAW house show on May 27 in... WINNIPEG! I couldn't believe it, I don't think it's even been a year since they were here last, and typically it's every two years or even more than that... Tickets are on sale this Saturday, but wait, there's more!
A penciled card has been released for the show, and it looks so delicious I can barely contain my excitement:
---
WWE Championship Match
John Cena vs. The Miz
Fan’s Choice Match – Submission Match or Falls Count Anywhere
Randy Orton vs. CM Punk
Fatal Four Way Match for the United States Championship
Daniel Bryan vs. Sheamus vs. John Morrison vs. ?
Unified Diva Championship Match
Eve vs. The Bellas
R-Truth vs. Alex Riley
Special Raw Tag Team Match
Sin Cara & Evan Bourne vs. The NEXUS
Mark Henry vs. Tyson Kidd
The Great Khali vs. Ted DiBiase (w/Maryse)
Percy Watson vs. Zack Ryder
---
Yeah, ok, there's really only four matches on there that I really want to see, but they are great matchups.
I can't even articulate how over the moon I am about seeing Sin Cara team with Evan Bourne (seems the WWE was thinking along the same lines as me with wanting to get Sin Cara and Evan Bourne together... Though I'd still rather see them against one another). That match is going to blow the roof off the place. I've also never seen Bourne live, or Mistico obviously, so those will be awesome firsts for me.
Nikki will finally get to see John Cena in the flesh, which reminds me, I've never posted the picture of me and Cena on here, and I should. I will put it up within the next couple days, and also share the wild story behind that one...
So, if there's any non-fans out there reading this (there usually is), I highly recommend buying a ticket and checking out this show, even non-fans will get enjoyment out of this action, it promises to be a great night of wrestling. Tickets on sale this Saturday. See you there!
Click here for information and tickets!
A penciled card has been released for the show, and it looks so delicious I can barely contain my excitement:
---
WWE Championship Match
John Cena vs. The Miz
Fan’s Choice Match – Submission Match or Falls Count Anywhere
Randy Orton vs. CM Punk
Fatal Four Way Match for the United States Championship
Daniel Bryan vs. Sheamus vs. John Morrison vs. ?
Unified Diva Championship Match
Eve vs. The Bellas
R-Truth vs. Alex Riley
Special Raw Tag Team Match
Sin Cara & Evan Bourne vs. The NEXUS
Mark Henry vs. Tyson Kidd
The Great Khali vs. Ted DiBiase (w/Maryse)
Percy Watson vs. Zack Ryder
---
Yeah, ok, there's really only four matches on there that I really want to see, but they are great matchups.
I can't even articulate how over the moon I am about seeing Sin Cara team with Evan Bourne (seems the WWE was thinking along the same lines as me with wanting to get Sin Cara and Evan Bourne together... Though I'd still rather see them against one another). That match is going to blow the roof off the place. I've also never seen Bourne live, or Mistico obviously, so those will be awesome firsts for me.
Nikki will finally get to see John Cena in the flesh, which reminds me, I've never posted the picture of me and Cena on here, and I should. I will put it up within the next couple days, and also share the wild story behind that one...
So, if there's any non-fans out there reading this (there usually is), I highly recommend buying a ticket and checking out this show, even non-fans will get enjoyment out of this action, it promises to be a great night of wrestling. Tickets on sale this Saturday. See you there!
Click here for information and tickets!
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Chris Jericho: Distinguished Alumni
For those who haven't seen this video already (especially all CreComms), you should definitely check it out. You can find it on the RRC website, but it's easier to just post from YouTube. Not quite as interesting to non-wrestling fans, but all CreComms should be able to get some enjoyment out of it. Very cool to hear a guy who has achieved SO much, attribute a lot of his success to CreComm. Anyways, enjoy the video:
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Mixed Bag
Lots to talk about this week, and I'll even throw in a requested "Remember When..." as well, so let's get 'er goin!
The WWE is as buzz-worthy as it's ever been these days, for good, bad, and simply interesting reasons.
If you don't know that the Rock has returned to the WWE by now, well then this is probably your very first time reading my blog... But yes, the Rock is "back" in the WWE now, and unfortunately, these days I am forced to put "back" in quotations. Reason being that he was nowhere to be found a few days ago on Monday Night RAW. Now I know that the millions (and millions) of the Rock's fans heard him loud and clear when he said "I give you my word; I am never, EVER going away," myself included. The way he spoke about his return, made it sound like he was finished with Hollywood, and returning to his roots, but apparently this is not the case.
Last I'd heard, the Rock still has no intentions of wrestling another match, and the WWE is currently trying to talk him into doing one more at SummerSlam against John Cena. Sigh... So much for all of my fantasy matches. But this leaves me with one burning question: If the Rock isn't coming back full-time, then what in "the bluuuuest of blue hells" did he mean??? I get the unfortunate feeling that perhaps he was so high on the reception of his return, that he said something he (probably) now regrets.
Either way, we have an amaaaaazing-looking WrestleMania weekend to look forward to! The Rock as the host for the evening - John Cena vs. The Miz - Edge vs. Alberto Del Rio - CM Punk vs. Randy Orton - HBK inducted into the Hall of Fame...
And the latest development, Triple H vs. The Undertaker!! What a moment this past Monday night, as 2/21/11 was upon us, and The Undertaker made his 13th (real stat) return the WWE. Just as a side note, LOVED Johnny Cash's "Ain't No Grave" as a theme song for Taker... As he made his slow and painful way down to the ring, and as some of us were saying "Zzzzzzz... Same old," that familiar Motorhead riff boomed throughout the arena, and here comes The Game!! Great moment in WWE, and very nice to see that both veterans aren't so self-absorbed as to not be willing to SHARE a return, in order to make a great moment for the fans.
Personally, I think Taker and Triple H could tear the house down at Mania. Triple H can still go, Taker can still go once a year... I think it'll be an awesome showdown between two future Hall of Famers. But I will tell you this right now, if Triple H wants to really impress people, and not have smarks worldwide hate his guts for all of eternity, he WILL put Taker over. I've said it for years, that if anyone is EVER going to break Taker's Mania streak, it is going to be a young prospect that the WWE would need to have an insane amount of trust and belief in. To have Triple H end Takers streak, at this point in his (Triple H's) career, would truly be tragic. The question is: Does Taker have another Mania left in him to be able to give that enormous honour to someone who truly deserves it?
There's still a lot of room left on the WrestleMania card, and I think the WWE would be stupid not to have Evan Bourne perhaps compete in his return match against the WWE's latest talent acquisition: Mistico!! Mistico, who will be known as Sin Cara in the WWE, has successfully been brought to the WWE from EMLL in Mexico, and this guy is a truly phenomenal wrestler. The WWE had their eyes on him a few years ago, and I think it's a shame they didn't bring him in when he was even younger than he is now (28). It would have been nice to give him that extra time to really cement his legacy in the WWE, but also because Rey Mysterio would have been younger! At this point, I'm not even sure if I'm interested in seeing a Mistico vs. Mysterio match, Rey's knees are too bunged up (Fubar reference...). But Mistico vs. Bourne? All I can say is next topic, I'm ruining my Macbook with all this drool...
Welcome, Sin Cara, to the WWE! Looking forward to plenty of great matches.
Hey remember when Rey Mysterio and Eddie Guerrero went at it for five damn months?? Some of the greatest wrestling that's ever been aired. It all started at Wrestlemania 21 on April 3, 2005, in a singles match between the two, which remains one of my favorite matches of all time. It was the very first match of the night, and talk about setting the bar high.
Oh the ups and downs we endured with this feud, most notably Eddie declaring that HE was actually the father of Rey's little boy, Dominick. That storyline would culminate in one of the best ladder matches of all time, and also one of the most ridiculously named matches of all time. Picture this on the marquee: Eddie Guerrero vs. Rey Mysterio in a 'Custody of Dominick Ladder Match'! It was just so ironic to have such a gimmicky-named match be such a barn burner.
I can't remember exactly how many matches the two had together, but it was a LOT, and Rey was winning every single one them. The feud ended on September 9, 2005, on Friday Night Smackdown! when the two faced off in a Steel Cage Match. Eddie would pick up his first win in the feud, Frog Splashing down on top of him for the three-count. And he would also tragically die two months later. Thanks for the great memories, Eddie!
RIP
The WWE is as buzz-worthy as it's ever been these days, for good, bad, and simply interesting reasons.
If you don't know that the Rock has returned to the WWE by now, well then this is probably your very first time reading my blog... But yes, the Rock is "back" in the WWE now, and unfortunately, these days I am forced to put "back" in quotations. Reason being that he was nowhere to be found a few days ago on Monday Night RAW. Now I know that the millions (and millions) of the Rock's fans heard him loud and clear when he said "I give you my word; I am never, EVER going away," myself included. The way he spoke about his return, made it sound like he was finished with Hollywood, and returning to his roots, but apparently this is not the case.
Last I'd heard, the Rock still has no intentions of wrestling another match, and the WWE is currently trying to talk him into doing one more at SummerSlam against John Cena. Sigh... So much for all of my fantasy matches. But this leaves me with one burning question: If the Rock isn't coming back full-time, then what in "the bluuuuest of blue hells" did he mean??? I get the unfortunate feeling that perhaps he was so high on the reception of his return, that he said something he (probably) now regrets.
Either way, we have an amaaaaazing-looking WrestleMania weekend to look forward to! The Rock as the host for the evening - John Cena vs. The Miz - Edge vs. Alberto Del Rio - CM Punk vs. Randy Orton - HBK inducted into the Hall of Fame...
And the latest development, Triple H vs. The Undertaker!! What a moment this past Monday night, as 2/21/11 was upon us, and The Undertaker made his 13th (real stat) return the WWE. Just as a side note, LOVED Johnny Cash's "Ain't No Grave" as a theme song for Taker... As he made his slow and painful way down to the ring, and as some of us were saying "Zzzzzzz... Same old," that familiar Motorhead riff boomed throughout the arena, and here comes The Game!! Great moment in WWE, and very nice to see that both veterans aren't so self-absorbed as to not be willing to SHARE a return, in order to make a great moment for the fans.
Personally, I think Taker and Triple H could tear the house down at Mania. Triple H can still go, Taker can still go once a year... I think it'll be an awesome showdown between two future Hall of Famers. But I will tell you this right now, if Triple H wants to really impress people, and not have smarks worldwide hate his guts for all of eternity, he WILL put Taker over. I've said it for years, that if anyone is EVER going to break Taker's Mania streak, it is going to be a young prospect that the WWE would need to have an insane amount of trust and belief in. To have Triple H end Takers streak, at this point in his (Triple H's) career, would truly be tragic. The question is: Does Taker have another Mania left in him to be able to give that enormous honour to someone who truly deserves it?
There's still a lot of room left on the WrestleMania card, and I think the WWE would be stupid not to have Evan Bourne perhaps compete in his return match against the WWE's latest talent acquisition: Mistico!! Mistico, who will be known as Sin Cara in the WWE, has successfully been brought to the WWE from EMLL in Mexico, and this guy is a truly phenomenal wrestler. The WWE had their eyes on him a few years ago, and I think it's a shame they didn't bring him in when he was even younger than he is now (28). It would have been nice to give him that extra time to really cement his legacy in the WWE, but also because Rey Mysterio would have been younger! At this point, I'm not even sure if I'm interested in seeing a Mistico vs. Mysterio match, Rey's knees are too bunged up (Fubar reference...). But Mistico vs. Bourne? All I can say is next topic, I'm ruining my Macbook with all this drool...
Welcome, Sin Cara, to the WWE! Looking forward to plenty of great matches.
Hey remember when Rey Mysterio and Eddie Guerrero went at it for five damn months?? Some of the greatest wrestling that's ever been aired. It all started at Wrestlemania 21 on April 3, 2005, in a singles match between the two, which remains one of my favorite matches of all time. It was the very first match of the night, and talk about setting the bar high.
Oh the ups and downs we endured with this feud, most notably Eddie declaring that HE was actually the father of Rey's little boy, Dominick. That storyline would culminate in one of the best ladder matches of all time, and also one of the most ridiculously named matches of all time. Picture this on the marquee: Eddie Guerrero vs. Rey Mysterio in a 'Custody of Dominick Ladder Match'! It was just so ironic to have such a gimmicky-named match be such a barn burner.
I can't remember exactly how many matches the two had together, but it was a LOT, and Rey was winning every single one them. The feud ended on September 9, 2005, on Friday Night Smackdown! when the two faced off in a Steel Cage Match. Eddie would pick up his first win in the feud, Frog Splashing down on top of him for the three-count. And he would also tragically die two months later. Thanks for the great memories, Eddie!
RIP
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Finally.
Finally. Finally...
Sorry, Hollywood, but he's ours again. For those of you who live under a proverbial "Professional Wrestling rock" (*cringe*), last night on Monday Night RAW, 'The Most Electrifying Man In Sports Entertainment' made a triumphant return to the WWE last night, after being gone for seven long years. 'The Great One', The Rock, shocked the world last night after showing up to Monday Night RAW, announced as the official host of WrestleMania XXVII.
Finally...
After painful deliberation and tension-building, "If ya smeeeeeelll!!" exploded into the arena, and the fans in attendance and everyone watching around the world went insane. It had been seven years since The Rock was last seen in a WWE ring, and he says that now, he's back and he's never leaving.
Finally...
WWE is must-see TV once again. The Rock is undeniably the greatest performer in the history of the business. From his untouchable mic skills and charisma, to his in-ring agility and endurance, The Rock is the total package when it comes to Pro Wrestling. It's still hard for me to get used to the idea that I not only want to watch Monday Night RAW every week, but I'm actually excited and looking forward to it. These are the moments that, when the product is at its lowest, remind you why you're a fan, and always will be. This is the payoff.
Finally...
We might possibly get rid of this PG crap. The censors could barely keep up with Rocky last night, and he's said before that if he ever comes back he is not abiding by any "family friendly" guidelines. A censored Rock is almost worse than no Rock at all. I think seeing the ratings from having him on on a regular basis will be enough to snap the big wigs out of their notion that PG was the right way to go.
Finally...
The business is in good hands. Before last night, the WWE was in a scary state. So much young talent, and only a smattering of break-out stars. The huge stars of the WWE are getting up there in age. They're burnt out mentally and physically and can't go the way that they used to. At this stage in the game, guys like Miz, MVP, Kennedy, Morrison; they should be main eventing. Two of those are gone, which is practically a damn tragedy. Miz broke through, but for the others, they're stuck in a sort of purgatory. The Rock creates superstars. I think he could really bring a couple of these young guys up HUGE, and really leave the business in a solid place before he leaves for good.
Finally...
The Rock is paying back the WWE and its fans. All these years, no one really knew if he was ever going to come back. And oh, the bitter taste in our mouths, to think that The Rock just used the fame he built in the WWE and used it to get his foot in Hollywood's door, abandoning his true home and his true fans. It just felt genuinely GOOD to see him saying (through his actions) "I didn't forget about you guys, I lived my dream in Hollywood, I loved it, but this is where I belong, and yes, I'm back."
Finally...
All the dream matches that we've been, well, dreaming about can become realities. The Rock vs. John Cena, vs. Bryan Danielson (now THAT one... has enormous potential, Rock vs. Chris Benoit were a couple of the greatest matches of all-time), vs. CM Punk, vs. John Morrison, vs. Randy Orton, vs. The Miz... I could go on forever. All matches that have never been done before, and all matches that could elevate those guys to levels they never even knew existed.
FINALLY...
The Rock has come BACK... home.
Sorry, Hollywood, but he's ours again. For those of you who live under a proverbial "Professional Wrestling rock" (*cringe*), last night on Monday Night RAW, 'The Most Electrifying Man In Sports Entertainment' made a triumphant return to the WWE last night, after being gone for seven long years. 'The Great One', The Rock, shocked the world last night after showing up to Monday Night RAW, announced as the official host of WrestleMania XXVII.
Finally...
After painful deliberation and tension-building, "If ya smeeeeeelll!!" exploded into the arena, and the fans in attendance and everyone watching around the world went insane. It had been seven years since The Rock was last seen in a WWE ring, and he says that now, he's back and he's never leaving.
Finally...
WWE is must-see TV once again. The Rock is undeniably the greatest performer in the history of the business. From his untouchable mic skills and charisma, to his in-ring agility and endurance, The Rock is the total package when it comes to Pro Wrestling. It's still hard for me to get used to the idea that I not only want to watch Monday Night RAW every week, but I'm actually excited and looking forward to it. These are the moments that, when the product is at its lowest, remind you why you're a fan, and always will be. This is the payoff.
Finally...
We might possibly get rid of this PG crap. The censors could barely keep up with Rocky last night, and he's said before that if he ever comes back he is not abiding by any "family friendly" guidelines. A censored Rock is almost worse than no Rock at all. I think seeing the ratings from having him on on a regular basis will be enough to snap the big wigs out of their notion that PG was the right way to go.
Finally...
The business is in good hands. Before last night, the WWE was in a scary state. So much young talent, and only a smattering of break-out stars. The huge stars of the WWE are getting up there in age. They're burnt out mentally and physically and can't go the way that they used to. At this stage in the game, guys like Miz, MVP, Kennedy, Morrison; they should be main eventing. Two of those are gone, which is practically a damn tragedy. Miz broke through, but for the others, they're stuck in a sort of purgatory. The Rock creates superstars. I think he could really bring a couple of these young guys up HUGE, and really leave the business in a solid place before he leaves for good.
Finally...
The Rock is paying back the WWE and its fans. All these years, no one really knew if he was ever going to come back. And oh, the bitter taste in our mouths, to think that The Rock just used the fame he built in the WWE and used it to get his foot in Hollywood's door, abandoning his true home and his true fans. It just felt genuinely GOOD to see him saying (through his actions) "I didn't forget about you guys, I lived my dream in Hollywood, I loved it, but this is where I belong, and yes, I'm back."
Finally...
All the dream matches that we've been, well, dreaming about can become realities. The Rock vs. John Cena, vs. Bryan Danielson (now THAT one... has enormous potential, Rock vs. Chris Benoit were a couple of the greatest matches of all-time), vs. CM Punk, vs. John Morrison, vs. Randy Orton, vs. The Miz... I could go on forever. All matches that have never been done before, and all matches that could elevate those guys to levels they never even knew existed.
FINALLY...
The Rock has come BACK... home.
Friday, February 11, 2011
Shoot Videos
There really is nothing else out there quite like Professional Wrestling. I guess that's a major part of the allure, at least for me. Not only is it one of, if not the, most physically demanding thing you can do (keeping in mind that these guys go four days a week with no off-season, and an insane traveling schedule...), but Pro Wrestling can be one of the greatest mysteries of all time.
It's the question of what's real, what's staged, what's planned, and what's fake that really draws me in. There's something so fascinating about seeing someone get in the ring and say things that have the entire arena booing him relentlessly, and then seeing him being interviewed and coming off as the nicest guy you'd ever want to meet. When really, it's the exact same thing you'd expect to see if you interviewed Anthony Hopkins. Probably a really nice guy. Probably not going to cut your face off and eat the brains out of your head.
But it goes even deeper still. More and more these day I'm seeing young wrestlers show up on YouTube giving candid interviews, and acting completely out of character. And it's cool, but at the end of the day they're still employed by the WWE, and they are absolutely censoring themselves. So really, as baffling as it may sound, Pro Wrestlers walk around with three different personas; The one they portray on TV, the one that gives interviews but is still not being entirely honest about their company, and then, finally, they've got their 100% honest persona. And that's what you get when you watch a shoot interview.
Companies that produce shoot interviews will usually approach big name wrestlers when they've freshly left the WWE. Hearing some of the stuff that goes on backstage, or finally finding out what went wrong in that match you watched five years ago, is one of the biggest payoffs to being a Pro Wrestling fan.
One of my favorite shoot interviews is Ken Anderson's, who really got screwed over during his time in the WWE. Here's a small clip, to give you an idea of what a shoot interview is like, and how interesting they can really be:
It's the question of what's real, what's staged, what's planned, and what's fake that really draws me in. There's something so fascinating about seeing someone get in the ring and say things that have the entire arena booing him relentlessly, and then seeing him being interviewed and coming off as the nicest guy you'd ever want to meet. When really, it's the exact same thing you'd expect to see if you interviewed Anthony Hopkins. Probably a really nice guy. Probably not going to cut your face off and eat the brains out of your head.
But it goes even deeper still. More and more these day I'm seeing young wrestlers show up on YouTube giving candid interviews, and acting completely out of character. And it's cool, but at the end of the day they're still employed by the WWE, and they are absolutely censoring themselves. So really, as baffling as it may sound, Pro Wrestlers walk around with three different personas; The one they portray on TV, the one that gives interviews but is still not being entirely honest about their company, and then, finally, they've got their 100% honest persona. And that's what you get when you watch a shoot interview.
Companies that produce shoot interviews will usually approach big name wrestlers when they've freshly left the WWE. Hearing some of the stuff that goes on backstage, or finally finding out what went wrong in that match you watched five years ago, is one of the biggest payoffs to being a Pro Wrestling fan.
One of my favorite shoot interviews is Ken Anderson's, who really got screwed over during his time in the WWE. Here's a small clip, to give you an idea of what a shoot interview is like, and how interesting they can really be:
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Remember When...
Remember 'Save Us Y2J'? And how ingenious of a return angle that was? Remember enjoying a nice Monday Night RAW on September 24th, 2007 and seeing this little guy?
At the time I remember thinking "what the hell was that??" They used to just sneak them into such random moments, someone would be cutting a promo in the ring and that little viral video would hit...
I remember the wrestling community going nuts and analyzing every one of them, frame by frame, to figure out what all the code meant. And the craziest part was that all the code did actually mean something. It was over three years ago, so I'll never be able to remember any of it, but I do remember one line of code ended up reference the second (guessing) track on a specific WWE CD, which was -- you guessed it -- Chris Jericho's theme music. Things like that.
Almost two months this went on! Until November 19, and I just remember losing my mind when I saw that torch-bearer get smacked down. I knew it was him for a good month already, but it was just one of those moments where, whether you knew it was going to happen or not, you knew you were watching something AWESOME.
Notice how he DIDN'T return at a Royal Rumble and get dumped out in two minutes?
Jericho has said in a recent interview that his next deal with WWE is 90% complete. I just hope he gets here in time to save us from Alberto Del Rio! :-(
At the time I remember thinking "what the hell was that??" They used to just sneak them into such random moments, someone would be cutting a promo in the ring and that little viral video would hit...
I remember the wrestling community going nuts and analyzing every one of them, frame by frame, to figure out what all the code meant. And the craziest part was that all the code did actually mean something. It was over three years ago, so I'll never be able to remember any of it, but I do remember one line of code ended up reference the second (guessing) track on a specific WWE CD, which was -- you guessed it -- Chris Jericho's theme music. Things like that.
Almost two months this went on! Until November 19, and I just remember losing my mind when I saw that torch-bearer get smacked down. I knew it was him for a good month already, but it was just one of those moments where, whether you knew it was going to happen or not, you knew you were watching something AWESOME.
Notice how he DIDN'T return at a Royal Rumble and get dumped out in two minutes?
Jericho has said in a recent interview that his next deal with WWE is 90% complete. I just hope he gets here in time to save us from Alberto Del Rio! :-(
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Mysteries and Madness
Madness first. I can't believe Alberto Del Rio won the Rumble... Madness! I did pick CM Punk to win it, and he had a good thing goin' with Nexus for a while there, until that meddlesome John Cena came down to the ring... Oh well, perhaps I'll predict correctly next year. I'll make my guess right now! Daniel Bryan, winner of the 2012 Royal Rumble, you heard it here first!
The 40-man Royal Rumble wasn't AS bad as I thought it would be. There was a couple of moments where the ring was definitely over-crowded, but on the whole it turned out pretty well.
God do I feel bad for Booker T... Who the hell booked (no pun intended) that match, seriously.
"Oh, wow, look Chavo's back!"
*Chavo gets eliminated*
"Holy cow, Booker T is back!?"
*Booker T gets eliminated*
"Oh my god, DIESEL!!!!"
*Diesel gets eliminated*
Three returns in one night, none of them went over, and WWE puts the main focus on Diesel's return... Jesus... Like I said when Booker T got dumped over the top rope minutes after he came in, "Aaaaand now he remembers why he left..."
Now mysteries. This mysterious video aired on WWE RAW last night, and has caused a bit of buzzin'. So, who is it??
The 40-man Royal Rumble wasn't AS bad as I thought it would be. There was a couple of moments where the ring was definitely over-crowded, but on the whole it turned out pretty well.
God do I feel bad for Booker T... Who the hell booked (no pun intended) that match, seriously.
"Oh, wow, look Chavo's back!"
*Chavo gets eliminated*
"Holy cow, Booker T is back!?"
*Booker T gets eliminated*
"Oh my god, DIESEL!!!!"
*Diesel gets eliminated*
Three returns in one night, none of them went over, and WWE puts the main focus on Diesel's return... Jesus... Like I said when Booker T got dumped over the top rope minutes after he came in, "Aaaaand now he remembers why he left..."
Now mysteries. This mysterious video aired on WWE RAW last night, and has caused a bit of buzzin'. So, who is it??
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Remember When...
Yeah I realize I'm a day late here, but we'll just pretend I posted this yesterday.
Remember when Joey Mercury got his face destroyed by a steel ladder?
I remember watching this PPV live, and being completely stunned. Part of the reason I chose to feature this is because I can't believe it slipped my mind when I wrote my post on injuries in the ring. This is one of the only times someone has actually been removed from a match due to an injury. Immediately following this, Joey Mercury (Adam Birch) was rushed to the hospital. Part of the reason was probably because his eye would have fallen out had he stayed in the ring, and the other was because it was an 8-man match. So he was able to leave without compromising the entire match.
You can see in the video that right before Jeff jumps on to the ladder, Matt Hardy smacks Mercury and Nitro's heads together, before putting both their heads in position for the spot. Seems to me that with Mercury's gaze being straight down, he had no idea that Jeff had already leaped off the turnbuckle, and couldn't get his hands up in time. He took the full force of a steel ladder leg right to his nose and left eye.
The impact shattered his nose and orbital bone, and he received twenty stitches; five on the outside and "fifteen on the inside", which makes me shudder just hearing it.
Mercury said that at the time that it happened, he was certain he had lost his eye. You can see in the video that the first thing he does after the impact is clutch frantically at his left eye, to see if it was still there. The after-effect?
Try telling that guy that professional wrestling is fake.
Remember when Joey Mercury got his face destroyed by a steel ladder?
I remember watching this PPV live, and being completely stunned. Part of the reason I chose to feature this is because I can't believe it slipped my mind when I wrote my post on injuries in the ring. This is one of the only times someone has actually been removed from a match due to an injury. Immediately following this, Joey Mercury (Adam Birch) was rushed to the hospital. Part of the reason was probably because his eye would have fallen out had he stayed in the ring, and the other was because it was an 8-man match. So he was able to leave without compromising the entire match.
You can see in the video that right before Jeff jumps on to the ladder, Matt Hardy smacks Mercury and Nitro's heads together, before putting both their heads in position for the spot. Seems to me that with Mercury's gaze being straight down, he had no idea that Jeff had already leaped off the turnbuckle, and couldn't get his hands up in time. He took the full force of a steel ladder leg right to his nose and left eye.
The impact shattered his nose and orbital bone, and he received twenty stitches; five on the outside and "fifteen on the inside", which makes me shudder just hearing it.
Mercury said that at the time that it happened, he was certain he had lost his eye. You can see in the video that the first thing he does after the impact is clutch frantically at his left eye, to see if it was still there. The after-effect?
Try telling that guy that professional wrestling is fake.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
WWE's Royal Fumble?
Ladies and gentleman, mark your calendar! January 30, 2010, feast your eyes on the unprecedented 40-man Royal Rumble! Or the 40-man "What The F*ck Is Going On In There??" or the 40-man "Oh My God, ANOTHER One??" or the 40-man "We'll Be Taking a 10-Minute Commercial Break While We Rebuild The Ring".
If you couldn't tell, I'm not in love with the WWE's idea of having a 40-man Royal Rumble this year instead of the regular (like, 20 years regular) 30.
First of all, even 30 was too many at certain points. Sometimes there'd be 10 guys in the ring sluggin' it out, and the poor director backstage must just be crappin' his pants, because he can't keep it on a wide shot for five minutes straight, but as soon as he grabs a zoomed-in camera angle, he misses a big spot on the other side of the damn ring. It just doesn't work well. But 40?? I can only imagine...
Second, and this is a true story, a day before WWE announced the 40-man change, I literally thought to myself, "When we remove about six to ten Superstars who will be having regular matches at the PPV, are they even left with 30 wrestlers who could credibly be in the Rumble?" And now they have 40 spots to fill! All I'll say is I think it's a pretty safe bet that Hacksaw got a friendly phone call from Vince a few days ago...
I'm so sick of this company constantly trying to fix things that ain't broke. You know what were good Pay-Per-View names? No Way Out and Judgment Day. You know what are possibly the worst Pay-Per-View names ever created? "WWE Tables, Ladders and Chairs" and "WWE Hell-in-a-Cell"!!!! What is WRONG with you!?
You know who one of the greatest wrestlers in this era is? Bryan Danielson! You know what's just mean and brainless? Changing his damn name to Daniel Bryan!!!!
Boy, someone over there needs a stern talking-to, I'll tell you that much. Stern as hell! ...I apologize, I hadn't realized there was so much anger in my heart. But seriously, I'll give the Royal Rumble a shot, it's my favorite staple match all year, but I'm not expecting greatness. I'm definitely not expecting it to be as good as it used to be, that's for sure.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Royal Rumble Predictions
Is this premature? Maybe, but the Royal Rumble might be my favorite Pay-Per-View of the year. Might be; I'd have to have an hour-long argument inside my head of Royal Rumble vs. WrestleMania, but I simply don't have the time or energy to commit to that. It's also better for me to do it now, because the earlier I predict the winner, the cooler I'll be if I actually get it right.
January 30, 2011 is the date, 30 Superstars, an hour of madness. Let's have a look at some potential names. Unfortunately, this year there really isn't a lot of potential for the Rumble to end in a way that will please me. Short of Bryan Danielson winning it but... Let's get real. Maybe next year though.
John Cena: Assuming he doesn't have a match at the Rumble. I doubt that he will though, since he'll probably squash his current beef with CM Punk over the next couple weeks, and be good to go. However if he wins, that will be unfortunate... The Rumble is supposed to make stars, give someone a shot who normally wouldn't have it. Cena does not need a Rumble win to headline WrestleMania... Sadly it just kind of happens on its own, whether we like it or not.
Sheamus: I can see this as a possibility. Like John Cena, Sheamus has already established himself as a main player, but unlike Cena, he's never won the Royal Rumble. Even after winning the big one, wrestlers still like to have "Won the Royal Rumble" on their resumés.
Wade Barrett: I'd say if he doesn't win the Rumble this year, it's lights out for Barrett. Unfortunately, he was a big fish in a small pond with Nexus. Right now, he's... like a seal frantically trying to swim away from a gigantic Great White about to do that jump out of the water, bite you in half flippy thing. And even if he does win it... I don't see him lasting very long after Mania.
John Morrison: Would be a risky move, and not something I feel like the WWE is quite ready to do yet. They gave him a couple of weeks in the main event scene, seemed like they were sort of testing him out and seeing whether or not they liked it, or trying to get a better idea of what they will do with him when it comes time for his REAL push.
Alberto Del Rio: Lot of buzz around this guy. He seems to be one of the favorites for this year. Tragic.
Jack Swagger: Possibly the sleeper choice this year. I like him, and don't really know where he went. He was beginning to remind me of a young Kurt Angle (not just because of the Ankle Lock, but it helped), and I think there's still a lot left that can be done with Swagger.
CM Punk: Seems like a good possibility to me. I like his angle right now with Nexus, but his "cult leader" persona I could do without.
Who else? Any surprises? Triple H is not coming back. Like, ever. I've heard rumors that Booker T is on his way back over, and why the hell is Batista not back yet? I heard he was coming back like, five months ago. So possibly a surprise winner this year? I also left out some of the big boys; Kane, Undertaker, Big Show. Can't see any of them winning it though... So my prediction for the 2011 Royal Rumble winner is:
CM Punk!
He just seems like the reliable choice, everyone knows he's talented, can work a mic, work a crowd, and he's yet to win the Rumble which is a key factor. Risky choice though, picking a heel, but we'll see what happens. Feel free to share your own predictions!
Saturday, January 8, 2011
IPP? OMG!
IPP. Is there any three scarier letters in the English language? I think not. Well... maybe STD. Maybe. I digress.
IPP: Independant Professional Project. The lifeblood of CreComm. The time when Red River College graciously allows you to tap in to its plethora of technologically advanced goodies and undertake a professional project of your dreams. Novels, screenplays, radio shows, TV shows, documentaries, events, it's up to you.
When I first discovered the IPP I felt pretty confident that I would be one of the many who choose to write a novel. My passion is writing, and it's always been a goal of mine to write a novel. It's just simply been too intimidating for me to get going on it, and I've been sort of waiting for myself to get over that. But the IPP seemed like the perfect opportunity to force myself over it and see if I could really do it.
But the more I heard people speak about it, the more times I ended up hearing "use this as an opportunity to do something you would never be able to do when you're out of CreComm." What do I need to write a novel? A laptop and a good idea. Don't get me wrong; much easier said than done. So then I asked myself, what is something you would love to do more than anything in the world? Three words:
Professional Wrestling Documentary.
Winnipeg used to be a hotbed for Pro Wrestling, and to a slightly lesser extent, still is. Everyone knows by now that Winnipeg's greatest contribution to the squared circle is Chris Jericho, but tons of big name wrestlers cut their teeth right here in Winnipeg. The way I see it, is it will be documentary on independent wrestling in Winnipeg. Open people's eyes to the reality of professional wrestling on the independent scene.
I've got my eyes on two promotions: Premier Championship Wrestling (PCW) and Wrestling Fan Xperience (WFX). WFX is the big daddy, and they start taping in spring of 2011. According to their website, some big names could possibly be on their way over for the new season, among them MVP and Teddy Hart. Let me tell you, if I could somehow get my hands on that.... Someone catch the camera because I'm goin' down. Their current roster has got multiple former WWE stars, such as Charlie Haas, Bob 'Hardcore' Holly, and Tajiri. Amazing.
I don't want to get myself too excited about it yet, who knows if either company would even be willing to work with me. For the time being, I'm just spit-ballin'. I also had the fantastic (or not) idea or documenting myself receiving Pro Wrestling training, culminating with my first match. Would I love to do it, yes. But in that case I'd need a cameraman who who could work on my crazy schedule, and I could see it being much too time consuming in conjunction with my school schedule. All just ideas right now, nothing more!
A couple of off-topic things I need to get off my chest: WTF Canada... Seriously. And:
G'night everyone!
IPP: Independant Professional Project. The lifeblood of CreComm. The time when Red River College graciously allows you to tap in to its plethora of technologically advanced goodies and undertake a professional project of your dreams. Novels, screenplays, radio shows, TV shows, documentaries, events, it's up to you.
When I first discovered the IPP I felt pretty confident that I would be one of the many who choose to write a novel. My passion is writing, and it's always been a goal of mine to write a novel. It's just simply been too intimidating for me to get going on it, and I've been sort of waiting for myself to get over that. But the IPP seemed like the perfect opportunity to force myself over it and see if I could really do it.
But the more I heard people speak about it, the more times I ended up hearing "use this as an opportunity to do something you would never be able to do when you're out of CreComm." What do I need to write a novel? A laptop and a good idea. Don't get me wrong; much easier said than done. So then I asked myself, what is something you would love to do more than anything in the world? Three words:
Professional Wrestling Documentary.
Winnipeg used to be a hotbed for Pro Wrestling, and to a slightly lesser extent, still is. Everyone knows by now that Winnipeg's greatest contribution to the squared circle is Chris Jericho, but tons of big name wrestlers cut their teeth right here in Winnipeg. The way I see it, is it will be documentary on independent wrestling in Winnipeg. Open people's eyes to the reality of professional wrestling on the independent scene.
I've got my eyes on two promotions: Premier Championship Wrestling (PCW) and Wrestling Fan Xperience (WFX). WFX is the big daddy, and they start taping in spring of 2011. According to their website, some big names could possibly be on their way over for the new season, among them MVP and Teddy Hart. Let me tell you, if I could somehow get my hands on that.... Someone catch the camera because I'm goin' down. Their current roster has got multiple former WWE stars, such as Charlie Haas, Bob 'Hardcore' Holly, and Tajiri. Amazing.
I don't want to get myself too excited about it yet, who knows if either company would even be willing to work with me. For the time being, I'm just spit-ballin'. I also had the fantastic (or not) idea or documenting myself receiving Pro Wrestling training, culminating with my first match. Would I love to do it, yes. But in that case I'd need a cameraman who who could work on my crazy schedule, and I could see it being much too time consuming in conjunction with my school schedule. All just ideas right now, nothing more!
A couple of off-topic things I need to get off my chest: WTF Canada... Seriously. And:
G'night everyone!
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