The Royal Rumble has been and gone now and I think we've all settled down and stopped crying after the inevitable happened - The Rock winning the WWE Championship and John Cena winning the Royal Rumble match - which will lead us to their second encounter at Wrestlemania 29. Nothing more needs to be said - Cena will, undoubtedly, get his win back.
As a result of this, they will need to be separated until they can build towards their up coming money-spinner. This will happen with the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view. The Rock will face off in a rematch against former champion CM Punk, while Cena will join forces with Ryback and Sheamus to try to get some retribution against The Shield. The separation between Rock and Cena will be made easier as it appears that The Rock won't be on Raw a hell of a lot - this weeks Raw an example of that - I don't even remember an excuse as to why he wasn't present being made, either.
So what will go down at Elimination Chamber? Well, I can't see anything other than a Rock win against Punk - is it even worth watching? As for Team Cena vs The Shield, I'm not so sure.
There seems to be a lot of rumours/talk that this should be an Elimination Chamber match. This baffles me. Why does it have to be that type of match? The WWE are giving us a Chamber match for the number one contendership for the World Heavyweight Title; they've covered their ass there as far as matching up to the name of the pay-per-view? And anyway, it's a ELIMINATION Chamber match - where you, y'know, ELIMINATE each other until there's ONE winner?! Simply doesn't make sense and is not needed.
For me, this will be a simple six-man-tag match that will be an all-out brawl - and if it's on after the WHC number one contender's match, then I expect to see the Chamber lower, trapping The Shield for the beatdown that they have had coming to them. I hope for this but I also hope The Shield don't simply lose - that could be very damaging to them.
So what should we expect from our Wrestlemania build-up? Who should we expect to face off with each other in the next two months? Let's start with our two mid-card champions;
Intercontinental Champion Wade Barrett, and United States Champion Antonio Cesaro look to be very dominant mid-card champions. Cesaro in particular has been made to look a strong champion, as well as elevating the belt's worth along with his own. As it stands though, they both have somewhat 'nothing' opponents - Barrett is currently having a small rivalry with NXT up-and-comer Bo Dallas. This has been good exposure for Dallas since his Royal Rumble appearance and subsequent surprise win over Barrett the following night on Raw. This will end soon though; I can maybe see it going to the Elimination Chamber where Barrett retains, teaching Dallas a lesson in the process, before he returns to NXT. But then what is next for Barrett? He has disposed of Kofi, who in turn has jobbed to others or not been on tv. There could've been an Intercontinental Cup Tournament on Main Event to determine a new number one contender, but this was scrapped last minute.
Cesaro is currently feuding with The Miz. This is possibly the most credible opponent that he has faced to date. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem that this feud has much left in it as Cesaro defeated Miz in the pre-show of Royal Rumble. This can't be a good sign. Cesaro's reign has been so dominant that it is hard to see someone on the roster worthy enough, as well as believable enough, to dethrone him at the moment. With all this Cesaro 'never being beaten by an American' talk, though, surely he should have a surprise US hero to face (and beat) for Wrestlemania? No one springs to mind though...
Along with these rising stars, there is also questions over the futures of Damien Sandow and Cody Rhodes. In my eyes, these were the biggest threat to Kane/Daniel Bryan's Tag Team Championship reign. After the Rumble they decided to remain 'best friends' but part ways to pursue singles careers - which hasn't worked out for them - jobbing to John Cena, Sheamus and Alberto Del Rio in the last couple of weeks. Now, some might see this as good exposure; to be seen in the ring with the main event crew; but we've seen this before, haven't we? These talented guys have jobbed to the Cenas and Sheamus' on every outing - most of the time in complete squashes. How is this elevating them?
This brings me to the Tag Team Champions - Kane and Daniel Bryan. It seems very likely that despite the harmony that they have found recently, the end is near for this pair. Maybe it's the right time, too. Recently, the spark and comedy that was once there, is now dying. There's been several examples of tension between the two, and I think this will escalate if both are included in the Elimination Chamber match at the pay-per-view of the same name. There are two shames to this: (1) It feels kind of cheap and predictable that they are going to split-up - the teasing of dissension in the ranks kind of feels like there's no other route to go now that they (WWE) have made the decision. (2) If this was the case, why not keep Rhodes/Sandow together and win the titles to legitimise their team? Then run the Tag Team division with them at the top? If not, who will be the next Tag Team Champions?
The obligatory Elimination Chamber match that the WWE will give us will be for the number one contendership of the World Heavyweight Championship. This match, it seems, will be contested by ONLY former World Champions. So far it seems as though Randy Orton and Fat Rey have been handed spots because they're Booker T's favourites. Daniel Bryan has since been added to the match. This leaves three spots to fill.
It appears that to continue the rift in their tag team, Kane will probably be entered into the match to have a further falling out with Daniel Bryan. The other two spots are still a little debatable. With the returns of Mark Henry and Jack Swagger, it seems that some fresh faces might be added to this match. These are my picks (along with Kane) to fill the remaining spots. I was a little worried that they were going to put Khali in there, but after being disposed of by Henry on the latest Smackdown - hopefully for good - it seems that his chances are over. Good. It would be good to see some dominant heels smash everyone in the Chamber.
Cody Rhodes has also staked his claim at the World Heavyweight Championship. I'm not sure if this is just testing the waters at the moment, though. Although he got put in his place by Alberto Del Rio on Raw, he then went on to beat everyone's favourite jobber; Kofi Kingston, on Smackdown. He also continues to say that he should be in the Chamber match (despite not being a former World Champion); maybe he'll still get in there somehow?
The last two superstars that I'll comment on are possibly two of the most important going forward. Chris Jericho and Dolph Ziggler.
Chris Jericho returned at the Royal Rumble to a HUGE ovation. It was a well kept secret, for once. This led to he and Ziggler going at it for the best part of 50 minutes before Jericho was eliminated. A great showing by Jericho. And a great return.
It's common knowledge that Jericho is only about until Wrestlemania's done. So where will he be used? The good thing with Jericho, over most 'part timers', is that he's here to invest in the future - he proved this last year by putting over CM Punk, Sheamus and Ziggler before being 'exiled' by Ziggler just after Summerslam. What a perfect excuse to resurrect this rivalry.
To keep Ziggler busy until he cashes in Money in the Bank, and to elevate him further, what better way than to have a well put together program leading to Wrestlemania with a megastar like Jericho. Maybe these two can go at it for the next two months - having a match at Elimination Chamber, before having a epic, 'blow-off' match at Wrestlemania that leads Ziggler to be a legitimate, 'ready' contender to cash in.
The other option that I've heard thrown around is that Jericho will turn heel and feud with Ryback. I'm not sure what worth this has? Yes, Jericho is here to elevate but I think he's way too popular for this potential turn. I don't think people would care enough if he turned on Ryback. Also, it would be a desperate move to bring something new to the table as far as Ryback goes. He's kind of lost that momentum he had lately, and is in need of something to get him back on track. At Wrestlemania, I can see him in some kind of match to finally end the feud with The Shield. Possibly he, Sheamus and 'Partner X' to face off with the former NXTers.
I've been trying to figure out how the Wrestlemania card might play out and so far I've got about nine matches noted down WITHOUT even considering Rhodes/Sandow/Barrett/Cesaro... worrying. Someone will be missing out, that's for sure.
@jimmosangle
"I'm not here to make a mark; I'm here to leave a scar" - Corey Graves
Saturday, 9 February 2013
Thursday, 7 February 2013
Stuck in the Mid-card: Is Kofi Kingston the 'new' Shelton Benjamin?
For a while now I have been thinking that Kofi Kingston and Shelton Benjamin have got a lot in common. And this is not a black thing. Kofi's current predicament and booking is baffling to me. Of everyone I can think of in my time watching wrestling, I can't see anybody that compares as much to him as Benjamin does.
In this post, I'm going to attempt to show that Kofi seems to be stuck in the same 'mid-card obscurity' that Shelton found himself in, pretty much his whole WWE career.
Shelton Benjamin
Shelton 'graduated' from OVW in the same era as future World Champions Brock Lesnar (his former tag team partner in OVW), Randy Orton, Dave Batista and John Cena. He was first introduced to WWE fans at the end of 2002, forming a tag team with Charlie Haas, and aligning themselves with Kurt Angle to form Team Angle.
This would result in them having a high-profile first feud with main event stars Brock Lesnar, Chris Benoit and Edge - a hugely trusted first taste of WWE life. Benjamin and Haas would go into their first Wrestlemania (19) as Tag Team Champions, just a short three months after their television debut. They would successfully defend their titles - winning on the grandest stage of the year so early on must have meant that big things were expected of these young men.
After Wrestlemania XX, in 2004, Shelton was thrust into his first big test as a singles competitor - feuding with Triple H and Evolution. He would go onto defeat 'The Game' three times before feuding - unsuccessfully - with Randy Orton for the Intercontinental Championship. A huge step in the early career of Benjamin. This would be the start of something special, no?
Through the rest of 2004, Shelton would continue to chase the Intercontinental Title eventually winning it from Chris Jericho at Taboo Tuesday 2004 - his first singles title. This would lead to the longest IC Title reign of the decade; eventually losing it in mid-2005. During this time, and throughout 2006, Benjamin would have interactions with the likes of Shawn Michaels and Ric Flair in what could be seen as an attempt to push him towards the main event scene (this would also involve a time when 'Momma Benjamin' would be a prominent character in Benjamin's feuds).
Benjamin's finest hours have been at Wrestlemania during the Money in the Bank matches. He competed in the inaugural MITB ladder match at Wrestlemania 21 (won by Edge), and would go onto compete in a further four of this match type - failing to win the briefcase/contract on every occasion despite having the standout performance of the match.
From the end of 2007 until his release in April 2010, Shelton would either be used on Smackdown or in the lesser-ECW brand. It was during this time that things would go downhill for him - although he would go onto win the US Title; including a 243 day reign. He would 'put over' several up-and-comers in Sheamus and newbie Kofi Kingston (more on this later).
Since his release, Shelton has enjoyed success on the independent scene as well as another run with Haas in Ring of Honor. There has also been rumours of a return to the WWE.
Championships in WWE:
Kofi debuted on the ECW brand in January 2008 and would go on a winning streak before being drafted to Raw in April of the same year. Clearly, big things were in the future of Kofi if they were moving him to the A-Show.
In late 2008, Kofi would have his first taste of WWE gold when he beat Chris Jericho at Night of Champions for the Intercontinental Championship - repeating Shelton's accomplishment. He would also go onto win World Tag Team gold with CM Punk in October.
2009 would be an eventful year for Kofi, seeing him have some exposure at the top of the card. He would earn an Elimination Chamber spot (No Way Out) but did not compete due to Edge's attack. At Wrestlemania he would follow in Shelton's footsteps and compete in the Money in the Bank ladder match (along with Shelton) in a losing effort. A four month United States Championship reign would happen later in the year, before Kofi would get the best opportunity yet - a feud with a top star.
In late October, Kofi would start a feud with Randy Orton due to Orton feeling that Kofi cost him a WWE Championship opportunity. This would lead to a traditional Survivor Series match between the two and their teams. Kofi would be victorious in this contest - lastly pinning Orton to be the sole survivor. A great achievement in Kofi's short career. The future looked bright, right?
Unfortunately, an opportunity was missed as Orton would end this feud with a victory at the TLC pay-per-view in Decemeber. Kofi would then get a number one contendership match (vs Orton vs John Cena) in January 2010, in which Orton scored the pinfall on him. Just when things were looking up, Kofi's momentum was lost.
After this taster of the main event, the Intercontinental Championship was the trophy that Kofi, once again, would compete for. This would be the case throughout 2010, 2011 and 2012 - with United States and Tag Team success along the way. Kofi could never seem to shake the 'mid-card' tag off.
As of late, Kofi hasn't been spectacular. In the last few months of last year, he was engaged in a feud over the IC Title with The Miz. This was prematurely ended when The Miz began a face run. Kofi's next challenger was Wade Barrett - another guy who was, and is, in desperate need of a main event push. This resulted in Barrett winning the IC Title from Kofi; Barrett has not looked back since. Unlike Kofi, Barrett has, for the most, been a strong Champion.
Unfortunately since this loss, Kofi has gone back to being a nothing; a jobber to those that need it - he's become 'that guy' who it looks good when you beat them. This is not good for Kofi though. Everytime he gets a good run; becomes worth something; he is then knocked back to square one.
As Champion, he looked weak - losing constantly and decisively to Barrett and even losing to Antonio Cesaro (current US Champion) several times whilst being IC Champion. Kofi, along with the belt, took a knock there. In recent weeks, Kofi has either not been on TV or has jobbed to the likes of Big Show and a returning Jack Swagger in squash matches (losing in under a minute to Big Show a few weeks ago).
Championships in WWE:
Crossing Paths...
From these profiles, you can see that there was an overlap in their WWE careers (2008-2010). Looking into this further, I found that there seems to be a passing of the torch along the way.
When Kofi debuted in ECW in 2008, his first major feud was against Benjamin. They traded wins (resulting in the end of Kofi's undefeated streak) before Kofi would end the feud with a win in an Extreme Rules match on ECW in June 2008.
They have also competed in two Money in the Bank matches at Wrestlemanias 25 and 26 (won by CM Punk and Jack Swagger). They have both failed in their pursuits of the briefcase/contract that comes with winning that match.
Verdict
It almost feels as though Benjamin has passed on the bad luck/inability to get to the main event scene when the two faced off in Kofi's first major feud. After Shelton's downfall and release, it seems as though Kofi has taken over the job of propping up the mid-card and putting over the up-and-comers in the process.
It's been said that they are both unable to work competently on the mic. This is somewhat true; neither were/are dazzling on the mic; but this shouldn't solely hinder their attack of the main event scene - Jeff Hardy is awful on the mic (in my opinion) and he's been a multiple time World Champion. Each man's ability in the ring is good enough to feature in main event matches. I just can't put my finger on why neither man - Shelton before; Kofi now - can't make that step up.
Both men have been given the opportunities; whether it be against future Hall of Famers Triple H and Randy Orton, or in Money in the Bank ladder matches. For me, the MITB match is the ideal chance to give them the push into the main event - this has been the case with Jack Swagger and The Miz; two such superstars that have since been brought back down to earth after somewhat unsuccessful World Title runs. This test could be placed upon Kofi Kingston and, with the amount of MITB matches to his name; Shelton Benjamin, too.
With his release in 2010, it seems that Shelton's opportunity has passed. Kofi, on the other hand, is still fairly young and, with the right direction, could still get himself to the top of the pile - this is if the WWE have enough faith in him to move away from putting people over at the mid-card stage of the card, and give him the strong push that his talents deserve.
In this post, I'm going to attempt to show that Kofi seems to be stuck in the same 'mid-card obscurity' that Shelton found himself in, pretty much his whole WWE career.
Shelton Benjamin
Shelton 'graduated' from OVW in the same era as future World Champions Brock Lesnar (his former tag team partner in OVW), Randy Orton, Dave Batista and John Cena. He was first introduced to WWE fans at the end of 2002, forming a tag team with Charlie Haas, and aligning themselves with Kurt Angle to form Team Angle.
After Wrestlemania XX, in 2004, Shelton was thrust into his first big test as a singles competitor - feuding with Triple H and Evolution. He would go onto defeat 'The Game' three times before feuding - unsuccessfully - with Randy Orton for the Intercontinental Championship. A huge step in the early career of Benjamin. This would be the start of something special, no?
 |
| Shelton's 1st IC Title win |
Benjamin's finest hours have been at Wrestlemania during the Money in the Bank matches. He competed in the inaugural MITB ladder match at Wrestlemania 21 (won by Edge), and would go onto compete in a further four of this match type - failing to win the briefcase/contract on every occasion despite having the standout performance of the match.
From the end of 2007 until his release in April 2010, Shelton would either be used on Smackdown or in the lesser-ECW brand. It was during this time that things would go downhill for him - although he would go onto win the US Title; including a 243 day reign. He would 'put over' several up-and-comers in Sheamus and newbie Kofi Kingston (more on this later).
Since his release, Shelton has enjoyed success on the independent scene as well as another run with Haas in Ring of Honor. There has also been rumours of a return to the WWE.
Championships in WWE:
- 3 time Intercontinental Champion
- 1 time United States Champion
- 2 time WWE Tag Team Champion (w/ Haas)
Kofi debuted on the ECW brand in January 2008 and would go on a winning streak before being drafted to Raw in April of the same year. Clearly, big things were in the future of Kofi if they were moving him to the A-Show.
2009 would be an eventful year for Kofi, seeing him have some exposure at the top of the card. He would earn an Elimination Chamber spot (No Way Out) but did not compete due to Edge's attack. At Wrestlemania he would follow in Shelton's footsteps and compete in the Money in the Bank ladder match (along with Shelton) in a losing effort. A four month United States Championship reign would happen later in the year, before Kofi would get the best opportunity yet - a feud with a top star.
In late October, Kofi would start a feud with Randy Orton due to Orton feeling that Kofi cost him a WWE Championship opportunity. This would lead to a traditional Survivor Series match between the two and their teams. Kofi would be victorious in this contest - lastly pinning Orton to be the sole survivor. A great achievement in Kofi's short career. The future looked bright, right?
Unfortunately, an opportunity was missed as Orton would end this feud with a victory at the TLC pay-per-view in Decemeber. Kofi would then get a number one contendership match (vs Orton vs John Cena) in January 2010, in which Orton scored the pinfall on him. Just when things were looking up, Kofi's momentum was lost.
After this taster of the main event, the Intercontinental Championship was the trophy that Kofi, once again, would compete for. This would be the case throughout 2010, 2011 and 2012 - with United States and Tag Team success along the way. Kofi could never seem to shake the 'mid-card' tag off.
As of late, Kofi hasn't been spectacular. In the last few months of last year, he was engaged in a feud over the IC Title with The Miz. This was prematurely ended when The Miz began a face run. Kofi's next challenger was Wade Barrett - another guy who was, and is, in desperate need of a main event push. This resulted in Barrett winning the IC Title from Kofi; Barrett has not looked back since. Unlike Kofi, Barrett has, for the most, been a strong Champion.
Unfortunately since this loss, Kofi has gone back to being a nothing; a jobber to those that need it - he's become 'that guy' who it looks good when you beat them. This is not good for Kofi though. Everytime he gets a good run; becomes worth something; he is then knocked back to square one.
As Champion, he looked weak - losing constantly and decisively to Barrett and even losing to Antonio Cesaro (current US Champion) several times whilst being IC Champion. Kofi, along with the belt, took a knock there. In recent weeks, Kofi has either not been on TV or has jobbed to the likes of Big Show and a returning Jack Swagger in squash matches (losing in under a minute to Big Show a few weeks ago).
Championships in WWE:
- 4 time Intercontinental Champion
- 2 time United States Champion
- 1 time World Tag Team Champion (w/ CM Punk)
- 2 time WWE Tag Team Champion (w/ Evan Bourne; R-Truth)
Crossing Paths...
From these profiles, you can see that there was an overlap in their WWE careers (2008-2010). Looking into this further, I found that there seems to be a passing of the torch along the way.
When Kofi debuted in ECW in 2008, his first major feud was against Benjamin. They traded wins (resulting in the end of Kofi's undefeated streak) before Kofi would end the feud with a win in an Extreme Rules match on ECW in June 2008.
Verdict
It almost feels as though Benjamin has passed on the bad luck/inability to get to the main event scene when the two faced off in Kofi's first major feud. After Shelton's downfall and release, it seems as though Kofi has taken over the job of propping up the mid-card and putting over the up-and-comers in the process.
It's been said that they are both unable to work competently on the mic. This is somewhat true; neither were/are dazzling on the mic; but this shouldn't solely hinder their attack of the main event scene - Jeff Hardy is awful on the mic (in my opinion) and he's been a multiple time World Champion. Each man's ability in the ring is good enough to feature in main event matches. I just can't put my finger on why neither man - Shelton before; Kofi now - can't make that step up.
Both men have been given the opportunities; whether it be against future Hall of Famers Triple H and Randy Orton, or in Money in the Bank ladder matches. For me, the MITB match is the ideal chance to give them the push into the main event - this has been the case with Jack Swagger and The Miz; two such superstars that have since been brought back down to earth after somewhat unsuccessful World Title runs. This test could be placed upon Kofi Kingston and, with the amount of MITB matches to his name; Shelton Benjamin, too.
 |
| Could a World Championship be in Kofi's future? |
Monday, 4 February 2013
My Weekend of (British) Wrestling
This weekend saw me attend my first British Wrestling events for some time. Unfortunately, I live in an area that isn't well catered with a good fix of wrestling! As it stands, the closest organisations that I am aware of are in Gloucester (over an hour and a half's drive) and Wolverhampton/Midlands (around the same journey time). In England this is a fairly long trek! But if you really want to see some top action, this is what is required to get that buzz.
Saturday 2nd February 2013 - Pro EVW - Lydney Town Hall, Gloucester
Saturday saw me, along with three friends - one wrestler, one referee and the ring announcer - go along to the Gloucestershire-based promotion Pro Evolution Wrestling. Along the way, these guys shared wrestling related stories and insight that I found fascinating to hear. I'm always willing to learn something new when it comes to wrestling and I'm always interested in what these guys have to say.
We entered the venue (Lydney Town Hall, Gloucester) and I felt very nervous as I wanted to be respectful but wasn't sure how to conduct myself. It was also extremely cold there! My nerves were eased when I started to meet the crew of guys that were either putting the ring together, or the wrestlers that would be putting the show on later that evening. I then felt very welcome. I still wanted to keep myself to myself until I was told otherwise.
During the afternoon and setting up of things, I was very interested in seeing the guys training and warming up in the ring. Two of the most popular faces in this promotion, Zak Garrett and Justin Sysem, were warming up at one stage and challenging each other with agility exercises/drills. It was really interesting to see their athleticism on display before the show. I had previously seen Garrett at other shows and hadn't given him enough credit. Other wrestlers around, including a well respected veteran, complimented him on his progress; something he was very grateful to hear.
All checks were made, and fans entered the venue as show time approached. My announcer friend [Hank McCoy] and referee Paz made their way to the ring to start proceedings. What happened next was five very entertaining matches; classic 'good guy' vs 'bad guy' encounters that is the beauty and very basic element that I look for in wrestling.
Results
Match of the night - UK Dominator vs Justin Sysem; great heel/face battle with experience shining through for the veteran.
Sunday 3rd February 2013 - AWW - Wolverhampton Civic Hall
On Sunday afternoon, Hank McCoy (doing Colour Commentary on this show) and I travelled up to Wolverhampton to see the AWW (Alternative Wrestling World) show 'Breaking Point'. As we entered the building, I was lucky enough to meet some of the wrestlers, including former WWE and TNA star Brian Kendrick. I introduced myself, as he did - a very polite, nice guy.
Similar to the previous day/evening, I was fortunate to see some of the wrestlers warming up and training in their own unique ways. Around this time, other friends, along with Referee Paz arrived and we all said hello. For this particular show, Paz had brought his friend Jay along to watch - I had the pleasure of talking with him throughout the show and we shared our memories of watching wrestling throughout our lives. It was really encouraging to learn that Jay really wants to get into the wrestling business. I don't think I've ever spoken to someone so adamant that that's what they are going to do.
During the evening of eight matches, we commented on each and got equally excited by the action that was put on for us, and the 250+ crowd, in attendance.
The match of the evening, and possibly the weekend, was a very welcome surprise. Let me share a little background to why: my experience of women/ladies wrestling is limited to either the 'Divas' of the WWE or the 'Knockouts' of TNA. Both, to me, are simply very beautiful women that are awful to watch wrestle - no disrespect to them but they are too much about looks, and a very small amount of wrestling ability. The two ladies on show for us at AWW -Emi Sakura and Shanna - were quite possibly the best I have ever seen. Unlike WWE/TNA, these ladies didn't pull any punches; it was all hard hitting and very exciting to watch. I was shocked by this; my expectations were fairly low going into this - as a result I was proven wrong and very pleasantly surprised; something I am very happy to admit now!
Towards the end of the night, I was asked to film the last match (Andrews vs Kendrick) for one of the wrestlers. This was something I was more than happy to do, but with the hope that I captured everything and didn't mess it up! I'm very pleased with my filming and I hope I did get everything for the wrestler in question.
Results
Match of the night - as stated earlier; the Emi Sakura vs Shanna match was exciting, captivating and deserved the standing ovation it got. Excellent.
A great night AND weekend overall. I really enjoyed getting back to watching British Wrestling and realised that I don't mind travelling a bit to get to a worthwhile show.
Thank you to Hank McCoy, Ref Paz, MC Leo Orbison, Chris Walker and the promoters of Pro EVW and AWW for allowing me to gain a little more knowledge - it's greatly appreciated and I hope to do it a lot more often.
If you'd like to see some top British wrestling action then please visit the links above for these promotions' latest news and next show dates. YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.
@jimmosangle
Saturday 2nd February 2013 - Pro EVW - Lydney Town Hall, Gloucester
Saturday saw me, along with three friends - one wrestler, one referee and the ring announcer - go along to the Gloucestershire-based promotion Pro Evolution Wrestling. Along the way, these guys shared wrestling related stories and insight that I found fascinating to hear. I'm always willing to learn something new when it comes to wrestling and I'm always interested in what these guys have to say.
We entered the venue (Lydney Town Hall, Gloucester) and I felt very nervous as I wanted to be respectful but wasn't sure how to conduct myself. It was also extremely cold there! My nerves were eased when I started to meet the crew of guys that were either putting the ring together, or the wrestlers that would be putting the show on later that evening. I then felt very welcome. I still wanted to keep myself to myself until I was told otherwise.
During the afternoon and setting up of things, I was very interested in seeing the guys training and warming up in the ring. Two of the most popular faces in this promotion, Zak Garrett and Justin Sysem, were warming up at one stage and challenging each other with agility exercises/drills. It was really interesting to see their athleticism on display before the show. I had previously seen Garrett at other shows and hadn't given him enough credit. Other wrestlers around, including a well respected veteran, complimented him on his progress; something he was very grateful to hear.
All checks were made, and fans entered the venue as show time approached. My announcer friend [Hank McCoy] and referee Paz made their way to the ring to start proceedings. What happened next was five very entertaining matches; classic 'good guy' vs 'bad guy' encounters that is the beauty and very basic element that I look for in wrestling.
Results
- Zak Garrett pinned Sam Beech
- Pro EVW Tag Team Championship (vacant): The Magnums; 'Filthy' Chris Walker & 'Dirty Dick' Nick Reilly defeated The Lionhearts; Eddie Ryan & Jason Larusso to become new Pro EVW Tag Team Champions
- 'The Saviour' JD Knight pinned 'The Natural' Stevie Jones
- UK Dominator defeated Justin 'The Hammer' Sysem via DQ
- Pro EVW Heavyweight Championship: 'The Shark' Chris Andrews defeated 'Hotshot' Joey Sniper (c) to become new Pro EVW Heavyweight Champion
Match of the night - UK Dominator vs Justin Sysem; great heel/face battle with experience shining through for the veteran.
Sunday 3rd February 2013 - AWW - Wolverhampton Civic Hall
On Sunday afternoon, Hank McCoy (doing Colour Commentary on this show) and I travelled up to Wolverhampton to see the AWW (Alternative Wrestling World) show 'Breaking Point'. As we entered the building, I was lucky enough to meet some of the wrestlers, including former WWE and TNA star Brian Kendrick. I introduced myself, as he did - a very polite, nice guy.
Similar to the previous day/evening, I was fortunate to see some of the wrestlers warming up and training in their own unique ways. Around this time, other friends, along with Referee Paz arrived and we all said hello. For this particular show, Paz had brought his friend Jay along to watch - I had the pleasure of talking with him throughout the show and we shared our memories of watching wrestling throughout our lives. It was really encouraging to learn that Jay really wants to get into the wrestling business. I don't think I've ever spoken to someone so adamant that that's what they are going to do.
During the evening of eight matches, we commented on each and got equally excited by the action that was put on for us, and the 250+ crowd, in attendance.
The match of the evening, and possibly the weekend, was a very welcome surprise. Let me share a little background to why: my experience of women/ladies wrestling is limited to either the 'Divas' of the WWE or the 'Knockouts' of TNA. Both, to me, are simply very beautiful women that are awful to watch wrestle - no disrespect to them but they are too much about looks, and a very small amount of wrestling ability. The two ladies on show for us at AWW -Emi Sakura and Shanna - were quite possibly the best I have ever seen. Unlike WWE/TNA, these ladies didn't pull any punches; it was all hard hitting and very exciting to watch. I was shocked by this; my expectations were fairly low going into this - as a result I was proven wrong and very pleasantly surprised; something I am very happy to admit now!
Towards the end of the night, I was asked to film the last match (Andrews vs Kendrick) for one of the wrestlers. This was something I was more than happy to do, but with the hope that I captured everything and didn't mess it up! I'm very pleased with my filming and I hope I did get everything for the wrestler in question.
Results
- T-Bone defeated Robbie Dynamite
- Carnage, Dante & Matt Lightening defeated 'Tomcat' Kevin O'Neil, Rik Van Damage & Tukay (w/ Kaytlyn)
- UK Kid defeated Leon Shah
- AWW British Champion 'Messiah' Brandon Thomas (w/ Violet Vendetta) defeated 'The WonderKid' Jonny Storm in a non-title match
- AWW Tag Team Championship: Team H8; Gideon & Jekyll (c) defeated The Lionhearts; Eddie Ryan & Jason Larusso
- Emi Sakura defeated 'Portugal's Perfect Athlete' Shanna
- Kid Fite defeated Kris Travis
- 'White Lightening' Mark Andrews defeated Brian Kendrick
 |
| Me and Emi Sakura, AWW, 3/2/2013 |
A great night AND weekend overall. I really enjoyed getting back to watching British Wrestling and realised that I don't mind travelling a bit to get to a worthwhile show.
Thank you to Hank McCoy, Ref Paz, MC Leo Orbison, Chris Walker and the promoters of Pro EVW and AWW for allowing me to gain a little more knowledge - it's greatly appreciated and I hope to do it a lot more often.
If you'd like to see some top British wrestling action then please visit the links above for these promotions' latest news and next show dates. YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.
@jimmosangle
Dexter: Season 7 review: Episode 5
Episode 5 - 'Swim Deep'
This episode started with Dexter cleaning his boat. This leads him to find blood; and not blood that he would have been responsible for. He wonders who would have been on his boat. This is cleared up when he tests the blood and discovers that it was Louis'. But why?
Dexter arrives home and realises that someone has been/is in his apartment (we are shown Isaac Sirko in Dex's apartment awaiting his arrival). To test this theory he leaves a message on his answer phone (in a fake voice). This leads Isaac to leave the apartment - this is seen by Dexter from his car. Dex knows that he has seen this gentleman before - in the Foxhole - and thinks that the Koshka Brotherhood might know that he killed Viktor, and have, therefore, sent a hitman to target him. This then leads Dexter to follow him to a coffee shop where Dexter calls Isaac via the shop's phone. It becomes apparent that Isaac was there to avenge Viktor's death - and he gained Dexter's name due to Louis. Isaac also lets Dexter know that he will get him and anyone else in Miami Metro that is connected to Viktor's murder.
A little later, Dexter realises that Isaac is a powerful man - and one of the bosses of the Koshka Brotherhood. He devises a plan to get Isaac killed - this is as a result of the Koshka's rivalry with a Colombian cartel. Dexter leads Isaac into a bar run by the Colombians and leaves expecting his problem to be solved.
Unfortunately, after Dexter and the team are called to the scene, they realise that Isaac had killed his way out of trouble. The Colombians are slain and Isaac is nowhere to be seen. The silver lining was that whilst Dexter talks everyone through what he thinks happened, they find the blood of the culprit of this slaughter - Isaac Sirko. This then leads to Isaac being brought into custody - followed by prison. Problem solved?
Another key development is between Dexter and Hannah McKay.
She comes into help out with the Wayne Randall killing spree that she was involved in. Batista and Dexter show her some items that were collected along the way on their spree years before. With regards to a toy giraffe, Dexter feels that Hannah is 'nostalgic' when looking at this item.
At the crime scene where they look for bodies connected to this case, Hannah tells Dexter that she 'couldn't move' when Randall committed his first kill. Dexter also shares a story about the first crime scene he was a part of. Hannah compares this interaction to being 'on a date, sharing our first sexual experience'. Is there something between them?
After the discovery of two bodies at the crime scene dig, Dexter describes how they died to the others. At one point he hesitates as he realises that Randall didn't kill both victims - a smaller person seemed to have killed the female of the two. Dexter knows that Hannah would have been the one to do this. When the two of them are away from everyone, he presents his findings to her. She doesn't seem in denial about it too much.
A third situation looked at in this episode is that of Capt. LaGuerta's investigation into the blood slide that she found at the Travis Marshall crime scene at the start of this season.
Masuka is in fear of losing his job after word gets to him that LaGuerta has had an outside forensics team look at evidence (the blood slide). Deb hears of this and asks LaGuerta about this situation; gaining her trust so that she can keep close to this development - LaGuerta even gives the investigation file to Deb 'for her eyes only'. Lucky for Dexter that Deb caught wind of this...
Further to this, LaGuerta wants to interview the families of missing people - some of which Dexter is responsible for their 'disappearances'. They single out one such man who's family are still in the area - Deb makes sure that she is the one to interview the family. This is because the man that Dexter killed was a photographer, and was working a wedding when Dexter got to him - Deb fears that there is a chance that Dexter could be in photos taken at this wedding.
As they interview the son of the family, and look through photos from that wedding, Deb comes across a photo that contains Dexter. She convinces LaGuerta to let her look through the rest of the photos back at the station - she agrees. Dexter's ass is saved again as Deb later gives him the photo so that he can dispose of it. She then informs him that she doesn't want to be part of that side of his life anymore - she even had to lie to Batista to protect Dexter.
Other situations;
Things heated up in this episode as Isaac is now onto Dexter and will not stop until he avenges Viktor's death. Even though Isaac is behind bars this is far from over.
There seemed to be more sparks between Dexter and Hannah McKay here, too. Dexter now knows that Hannah hasn't told the whole truth. He does, however, lie for her when Deb asks about the blood reports from the Randall-bodies crime scene.
Batista also cannot let it go that he thinks that Alex Dubrovny did not carry out the killings that he 'confessed' to. This has led to a rift between he and Deb.
This episode started with Dexter cleaning his boat. This leads him to find blood; and not blood that he would have been responsible for. He wonders who would have been on his boat. This is cleared up when he tests the blood and discovers that it was Louis'. But why?
Dexter arrives home and realises that someone has been/is in his apartment (we are shown Isaac Sirko in Dex's apartment awaiting his arrival). To test this theory he leaves a message on his answer phone (in a fake voice). This leads Isaac to leave the apartment - this is seen by Dexter from his car. Dex knows that he has seen this gentleman before - in the Foxhole - and thinks that the Koshka Brotherhood might know that he killed Viktor, and have, therefore, sent a hitman to target him. This then leads Dexter to follow him to a coffee shop where Dexter calls Isaac via the shop's phone. It becomes apparent that Isaac was there to avenge Viktor's death - and he gained Dexter's name due to Louis. Isaac also lets Dexter know that he will get him and anyone else in Miami Metro that is connected to Viktor's murder.
A little later, Dexter realises that Isaac is a powerful man - and one of the bosses of the Koshka Brotherhood. He devises a plan to get Isaac killed - this is as a result of the Koshka's rivalry with a Colombian cartel. Dexter leads Isaac into a bar run by the Colombians and leaves expecting his problem to be solved.
Unfortunately, after Dexter and the team are called to the scene, they realise that Isaac had killed his way out of trouble. The Colombians are slain and Isaac is nowhere to be seen. The silver lining was that whilst Dexter talks everyone through what he thinks happened, they find the blood of the culprit of this slaughter - Isaac Sirko. This then leads to Isaac being brought into custody - followed by prison. Problem solved?
Another key development is between Dexter and Hannah McKay.
She comes into help out with the Wayne Randall killing spree that she was involved in. Batista and Dexter show her some items that were collected along the way on their spree years before. With regards to a toy giraffe, Dexter feels that Hannah is 'nostalgic' when looking at this item.
At the crime scene where they look for bodies connected to this case, Hannah tells Dexter that she 'couldn't move' when Randall committed his first kill. Dexter also shares a story about the first crime scene he was a part of. Hannah compares this interaction to being 'on a date, sharing our first sexual experience'. Is there something between them?
After the discovery of two bodies at the crime scene dig, Dexter describes how they died to the others. At one point he hesitates as he realises that Randall didn't kill both victims - a smaller person seemed to have killed the female of the two. Dexter knows that Hannah would have been the one to do this. When the two of them are away from everyone, he presents his findings to her. She doesn't seem in denial about it too much.
A third situation looked at in this episode is that of Capt. LaGuerta's investigation into the blood slide that she found at the Travis Marshall crime scene at the start of this season.
Masuka is in fear of losing his job after word gets to him that LaGuerta has had an outside forensics team look at evidence (the blood slide). Deb hears of this and asks LaGuerta about this situation; gaining her trust so that she can keep close to this development - LaGuerta even gives the investigation file to Deb 'for her eyes only'. Lucky for Dexter that Deb caught wind of this...
Further to this, LaGuerta wants to interview the families of missing people - some of which Dexter is responsible for their 'disappearances'. They single out one such man who's family are still in the area - Deb makes sure that she is the one to interview the family. This is because the man that Dexter killed was a photographer, and was working a wedding when Dexter got to him - Deb fears that there is a chance that Dexter could be in photos taken at this wedding.
As they interview the son of the family, and look through photos from that wedding, Deb comes across a photo that contains Dexter. She convinces LaGuerta to let her look through the rest of the photos back at the station - she agrees. Dexter's ass is saved again as Deb later gives him the photo so that he can dispose of it. She then informs him that she doesn't want to be part of that side of his life anymore - she even had to lie to Batista to protect Dexter.
Other situations;
- George Novikov informs Isaac that Joey (Quinn) used to 'look the other way' after receiving payments from them in the past. This interests Isaac, as he will have the police off his back then. Money is later left in Joey's car - which he puts in his glove compartment.
- After Isaac's arrest and imprisonment, Dexter goes to visit Isaac so that he can ask why it is so important that he kills him. Isaac replies that he liked Viktor; Dexter says that he killed Mike Anderson so he deserved what he got. After Dexter asks if this is now over, Isaac tells him a story of revenge involving his Grandfather and Great Uncle, which is a clear answer to Dexter's question - No.
Things heated up in this episode as Isaac is now onto Dexter and will not stop until he avenges Viktor's death. Even though Isaac is behind bars this is far from over.
There seemed to be more sparks between Dexter and Hannah McKay here, too. Dexter now knows that Hannah hasn't told the whole truth. He does, however, lie for her when Deb asks about the blood reports from the Randall-bodies crime scene.
Batista also cannot let it go that he thinks that Alex Dubrovny did not carry out the killings that he 'confessed' to. This has led to a rift between he and Deb.
Friday, 1 February 2013
The British Invasion
After contributing to an American based website (4crwrestling.com) in the last few days, I, along with a fellow Brit, were referred to as a 'British Invasion'. This instantly got me thinking of the British 'assault' on the American leagues of wrestling.
In my lifetime, there hasn't been a huge amount of British influence in American Pro Wrestling, especially at the top of the pay-per-view cards. In the 80s, I remember The British Bulldogs (Davey Boy Smith/Dynamite Kid) being a dominant tag team in the WWF. In the early 90s, Davey would go it alone after the retirement of Dynamite Kid, and would have his biggest moment when facing Bret Hart at Summerslam 1992 in Wembley Stadium. This would be, by far, his greatest achievement - winning the Intercontinental Championship on home turf.
Tragically, Davey Boy passed away on 18th May 2002 at the age of 39. Dynamite is partially paralysed and uses a wheelchair for mobility. In their wrestling careers, these legends never saw the heights of being a World Champion in a top organisation. This is a shame, but hopefully won't continue to be the norm.
Through the 90s and 2000s, we have had some excellent wrestlers populating the rosters of both WWF(E) and WCW. William Regal started in WCW in 1992 and would have two spells before becoming a WWE mainstay in 2000. From everything I read, Regal is a very well respected veteran and deserves his place in the company. Throughout his time in the WWE he has held numerous championships - Intercontinental, European, Hardcore, World Tag Team Champion and most recently the 2008 King of the Ring. This is the mark of this man. The only thing missing has been a World Championship to add to his outstanding achievements. He now does colour commentary on NXT and contributes to the future of the WWE.
In the last ten years we have also had some somewhat failures; Paul Birchill (along with 'sister' Katie Lea) didn't last long in any incarnation and would never reach any note-worthy height; Irishman, (Dave) Finlay, would debut with the WWE in 2005 - after having a 5 year stint in WCW before coming to WWE in 2001 as a trainer - and would go onto be a United States Champion. He, too, is now a respected veteran and valued member of the backstage set-up in WWE.
I'm not too familiar with TNA, but they have given opportunities to British wrestlers; Doug Williams made his biggest impact in America by becoming a two-time X Division Champion and two-time Tag Team Champion. Magnus teamed with Williams and, from what I've read, is doing well and progressing.
I've also come to learn about another man who finally found fame within TNA - Nigel McGuinness (known in TNA as Desmond Wolfe). He was also a prized possession of Ring of Honour, where he was their World Champion for 545 days - the second longest in ROH history (beat that Punk?!). Today, during my research, I proved to myself that you learn something new everyday. I'm man enough to admit that I had no idea that McGuinness was Wolfe. Maybe he could have gone onto greatness but I guess we'll never find out as McGuinness was forced to retire at the end of 2011. I fully intend on looking into his work now.
So what can we expect in the future? Who are our best chances of glory in the coming years?
Drew McIntyre
Scotsman McIntyre made his biggest impression in the WWE in 2009. It was here that he was given Mr McMahon's seal of approval, being billed as 'The Chosen One' - a man that would be a future World Champion. Unfortunately, this has yet to happen and we are nearly four years down the road from that proclamation. McIntyre is now part of the 'Three Man Band' (3MB). This is a comedy threesome at the moment, but maybe there is hope for him in the future? I suppose the positive to take at this stage is that he is on TV quite regularly at the moment.
Oliver Grey (Joel Redman) & Adrian Neville (PAC) - NXT
For those of you that don't know these guys; they are two young English guys that are signed to NXT. And why are they so special? Well, on a recent episode of NXT they were crowned the inaugural NXT Tag Team Champions (along the way they beat 3MB members Heath Slater and Drew McIntyre). This is a great accomplishment for these guys who haven't been in NXT all that long. It's also a sign that there is some belief in them, no?
Wade Barrett
I've blown Wade Barrett's trumpet before and I've got no problem doing it again. Since his debut in 2010, Barrett has been an exciting prospect for British fans.
After winning the first season of NXT, and subsequently becoming the leader of The Nexus (he, along with the runners-up of that competition), Barrett became a main player in his first few months on the main roster. His mic work is possibly the best I've seen from a Brit. He has held the Intercontinental Championship on two occasions and despite being sidelined by an injury early last year, he remains on the fringes of getting the nod to be one of the main players in WWE.
Unlike any Brit I've seen in the past, I genuinely feel that Barrett is our biggest and best hope of finally having a recognised World Champion. He has ALL the tools to get the job done.
Verdict
I'm not really sure why we haven't had an English/British World Champion in my lifetime. The British Bulldog was hugely popular when I was growing up but just couldn't make that step up. Drew McIntyre was given the nod by Vince himself and has still not reached the top of the pile.
As stated above, Wade Barrett is our best hope - I fully expect him to achieve this - whether it's winning the World Heavyweight Championship (more likely to start with) or winning the bigger prize of the WWE Championship.
@jimmosangle
In my lifetime, there hasn't been a huge amount of British influence in American Pro Wrestling, especially at the top of the pay-per-view cards. In the 80s, I remember The British Bulldogs (Davey Boy Smith/Dynamite Kid) being a dominant tag team in the WWF. In the early 90s, Davey would go it alone after the retirement of Dynamite Kid, and would have his biggest moment when facing Bret Hart at Summerslam 1992 in Wembley Stadium. This would be, by far, his greatest achievement - winning the Intercontinental Championship on home turf.
Through the 90s and 2000s, we have had some excellent wrestlers populating the rosters of both WWF(E) and WCW. William Regal started in WCW in 1992 and would have two spells before becoming a WWE mainstay in 2000. From everything I read, Regal is a very well respected veteran and deserves his place in the company. Throughout his time in the WWE he has held numerous championships - Intercontinental, European, Hardcore, World Tag Team Champion and most recently the 2008 King of the Ring. This is the mark of this man. The only thing missing has been a World Championship to add to his outstanding achievements. He now does colour commentary on NXT and contributes to the future of the WWE.
In the last ten years we have also had some somewhat failures; Paul Birchill (along with 'sister' Katie Lea) didn't last long in any incarnation and would never reach any note-worthy height; Irishman, (Dave) Finlay, would debut with the WWE in 2005 - after having a 5 year stint in WCW before coming to WWE in 2001 as a trainer - and would go onto be a United States Champion. He, too, is now a respected veteran and valued member of the backstage set-up in WWE.
I'm not too familiar with TNA, but they have given opportunities to British wrestlers; Doug Williams made his biggest impact in America by becoming a two-time X Division Champion and two-time Tag Team Champion. Magnus teamed with Williams and, from what I've read, is doing well and progressing.
So what can we expect in the future? Who are our best chances of glory in the coming years?
Drew McIntyre
Scotsman McIntyre made his biggest impression in the WWE in 2009. It was here that he was given Mr McMahon's seal of approval, being billed as 'The Chosen One' - a man that would be a future World Champion. Unfortunately, this has yet to happen and we are nearly four years down the road from that proclamation. McIntyre is now part of the 'Three Man Band' (3MB). This is a comedy threesome at the moment, but maybe there is hope for him in the future? I suppose the positive to take at this stage is that he is on TV quite regularly at the moment.
For those of you that don't know these guys; they are two young English guys that are signed to NXT. And why are they so special? Well, on a recent episode of NXT they were crowned the inaugural NXT Tag Team Champions (along the way they beat 3MB members Heath Slater and Drew McIntyre). This is a great accomplishment for these guys who haven't been in NXT all that long. It's also a sign that there is some belief in them, no?
Wade Barrett
I've blown Wade Barrett's trumpet before and I've got no problem doing it again. Since his debut in 2010, Barrett has been an exciting prospect for British fans.
After winning the first season of NXT, and subsequently becoming the leader of The Nexus (he, along with the runners-up of that competition), Barrett became a main player in his first few months on the main roster. His mic work is possibly the best I've seen from a Brit. He has held the Intercontinental Championship on two occasions and despite being sidelined by an injury early last year, he remains on the fringes of getting the nod to be one of the main players in WWE.
Unlike any Brit I've seen in the past, I genuinely feel that Barrett is our biggest and best hope of finally having a recognised World Champion. He has ALL the tools to get the job done.
Verdict
I'm not really sure why we haven't had an English/British World Champion in my lifetime. The British Bulldog was hugely popular when I was growing up but just couldn't make that step up. Drew McIntyre was given the nod by Vince himself and has still not reached the top of the pile.
As stated above, Wade Barrett is our best hope - I fully expect him to achieve this - whether it's winning the World Heavyweight Championship (more likely to start with) or winning the bigger prize of the WWE Championship.
@jimmosangle
Tuesday, 29 January 2013
The Realisation That Santa's Not Real...
Recently, I was talking with a good friend about wrestling and how knowing too much (backstage/insider knowledge) was a lot like not believing in Santa Claus anymore. My friend works on local (and national shows) as a Ring Announcer, Manager and also trained to become a performer, too. He admits that as a result he is no longer just a fan. He'd like to be, but it's almost impossible. This is unfortunate, but a result of being a part of 'the show'.
I expressed my frustration at this. I keep up with the goings-on around wrestling (mainly WWE). To a point, I enjoy knowing what happens behind the scenes. A bigger part of me just wants to be a fan. I love wrestling because it takes me away to a make-believe place - or at least it used to.
My earliest memories were back in about 1991 when I used to borrow video tapes from a friend. I didn't have Sky TV back then so had to rely on others for my fix. The first matches I remember were The Hart Foundation's Tag Team Championship loss to The Nasty Boys at Wrestlemania VII - a loss that had me DEVASTATED at the time as I was a huge Bret Hart fan. I believed 100% that they had been screwed out of the titles - I was a kid; I believed in Santa.
Video: Hart Foundation promo (Wrestlemania VII)
I went onto watch Summerslam 1991, where Bret Hart would go onto win the Intercontinental Championship from Mr Perfect - again, I was completely into this match and had no knowledge of any predetermining of it. He would then lose it to The Mountie (wrestling while having a high temperature), before reclaiming it from Roddy Piper at Wrestlemania VIII. Throughout this rollercoaster ride, I completely believed everything that I saw. I was a fan.
Even though I'm English, I was routing for him versus British Bulldog in their match at Summerslam 1992 in Wembley Stadium. Again, I was disappointed with the result; a similar feeling I would have when he lost the WWF Title at Wrestlemania IX to Yokozuna (before Hogan came and shit on the finish). This is the time when wrestling simply disappeared in my life. I'm not sure why but I didn't watch again until 1999.
Wrestlemania XV was the first wrestling that I would watch after my hero had lost back in 1993. A lot had changed; I was now 15 and the main wrestlers were Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock. Throughout 1999 I familiarised myself with what had gone on before - Hogan had left in mid-1993; Bret Hart had had several feuds through the years before being screwed in 1997; Shawn Michaels had risen to main event level and had then been severely injured and had to retire; there was no Repo Man anymore?
Like many of a similar age, I loved the 'Attitude Era'. There was a good level of violence, people turned on partners/allies unexpectedly - anything seemed possible. I found some of the so-called 'worse' angles really good - The 'Higher Power'/Vince/Undertaker angle really surprised me; I was excited for the 'Invasion' angle - it was a dream to have WCW/ECW 'invading' - no, not all the 'stars' of WCW were there, but I think what was left worked well and I stick to my opinion of it - ultimately, it ENTERTAINED me and kept me hooked and wondering what was going to happen the following week - isn't that the whole point?
Around this time, thanks to the internet, I started to get wise to what was going on. I started to know that it was a lot more of an act than I ever thought it could be. This probably started around the time of the Owen Hart tragedy.
I remember watching the Owen Hart Tribute Raw (which I still have on tape), and this brought to the surface of how 'real' wrestling was - heels such as newly turned Triple H were crying at the loss of Owen. I was devastated, too, as he was the brother of my hero and a hell of a performer in his own right. It was on this tribute show that I realised that these guys were human, just like me and you.
This would also be the case with the passing of Eddie Guerrero, Curt Hennig and even Chris Benoit. These guys were part of my childhood and teenage years - they had entertained me massively. In a strange way, you feel like you know these guys through watching them week after week - you go through what they go through. It's a really weird feeling to cry when these guys pass away - I'd never met them but I'd been there through the good and the bad via my TV. I respected what a fantastic show they'd put on.
Video: Classic Eddie Guerrero (last match)
As the 2000's went on, I got wiser and wiser to what goes on behind the scenes. This then led to watching a local wrestling organisation - this is where my friend (from the start of this article) became more and more involved. I was also lucky enough to speak with some of the guys involved with it which gave me more knowledge. My friend continues to work in this environment and enjoys it - massive respect to him. In a way I'm really glad that I only went training with them once... anymore than that and I think I would be in his position of not really being a 'fan' anymore.
Sometimes I worry that I know too much and it is starting to bother me that my enjoyment is being damaged as a result. Because I know of the money side of things - which was always going to become apparent to me as I got older - it really angers me that decisions are made just to make as much money as possible. I fully understand that a business' main objective is to survive by making as much money as it can (I feel like I've said this and defended myself on this matter a million times now!), and the WWE/wrestling is no different. It just bothers me that money seems to be more important than things making sense.
I don't see why wrestling can't make sense AND make a tonne of money. I've said this before, and I've read it again today, that when The Rock, Triple H and Undertaker finally give it up and hang up their boots PERMANENTLY, who's going to be trusted to run with the ball? Because the more these guys keep coming back and main eventing Wrestlemanias in the way that they do, the more the younger guys look weak and second-rate - untrusted would be a great way of putting it. Eventually these guys WILL BE the future, but they won't be seen as a big deal. At all.
This is where the line's blurred for me - I just want to be a fan. I just want to watch the hours and hours of programming they put on for us every week, and enjoy it. It really is as simple as that. I want to watch a match and have the same feeling that I did when I watched Bret Hart vs Mr Perfect in 1991. I want to be caught up in a Match of the Year contender and not worry at all that money is going to play a part in the outcome.
At the moment, wrestling results/outcomes don't make sense, but when they do (if they ever do again) I will be a happy fan again. I will be a big kid again! I just worry that now I know the truth about Santa, things will never be the same again...
@jimmosangle
I expressed my frustration at this. I keep up with the goings-on around wrestling (mainly WWE). To a point, I enjoy knowing what happens behind the scenes. A bigger part of me just wants to be a fan. I love wrestling because it takes me away to a make-believe place - or at least it used to.
Video: Hart Foundation promo (Wrestlemania VII)
Even though I'm English, I was routing for him versus British Bulldog in their match at Summerslam 1992 in Wembley Stadium. Again, I was disappointed with the result; a similar feeling I would have when he lost the WWF Title at Wrestlemania IX to Yokozuna (before Hogan came and shit on the finish). This is the time when wrestling simply disappeared in my life. I'm not sure why but I didn't watch again until 1999.
Wrestlemania XV was the first wrestling that I would watch after my hero had lost back in 1993. A lot had changed; I was now 15 and the main wrestlers were Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock. Throughout 1999 I familiarised myself with what had gone on before - Hogan had left in mid-1993; Bret Hart had had several feuds through the years before being screwed in 1997; Shawn Michaels had risen to main event level and had then been severely injured and had to retire; there was no Repo Man anymore?
Like many of a similar age, I loved the 'Attitude Era'. There was a good level of violence, people turned on partners/allies unexpectedly - anything seemed possible. I found some of the so-called 'worse' angles really good - The 'Higher Power'/Vince/Undertaker angle really surprised me; I was excited for the 'Invasion' angle - it was a dream to have WCW/ECW 'invading' - no, not all the 'stars' of WCW were there, but I think what was left worked well and I stick to my opinion of it - ultimately, it ENTERTAINED me and kept me hooked and wondering what was going to happen the following week - isn't that the whole point?
Around this time, thanks to the internet, I started to get wise to what was going on. I started to know that it was a lot more of an act than I ever thought it could be. This probably started around the time of the Owen Hart tragedy.
I remember watching the Owen Hart Tribute Raw (which I still have on tape), and this brought to the surface of how 'real' wrestling was - heels such as newly turned Triple H were crying at the loss of Owen. I was devastated, too, as he was the brother of my hero and a hell of a performer in his own right. It was on this tribute show that I realised that these guys were human, just like me and you.
Video: Classic Eddie Guerrero (last match)
As the 2000's went on, I got wiser and wiser to what goes on behind the scenes. This then led to watching a local wrestling organisation - this is where my friend (from the start of this article) became more and more involved. I was also lucky enough to speak with some of the guys involved with it which gave me more knowledge. My friend continues to work in this environment and enjoys it - massive respect to him. In a way I'm really glad that I only went training with them once... anymore than that and I think I would be in his position of not really being a 'fan' anymore.
Sometimes I worry that I know too much and it is starting to bother me that my enjoyment is being damaged as a result. Because I know of the money side of things - which was always going to become apparent to me as I got older - it really angers me that decisions are made just to make as much money as possible. I fully understand that a business' main objective is to survive by making as much money as it can (I feel like I've said this and defended myself on this matter a million times now!), and the WWE/wrestling is no different. It just bothers me that money seems to be more important than things making sense.
I don't see why wrestling can't make sense AND make a tonne of money. I've said this before, and I've read it again today, that when The Rock, Triple H and Undertaker finally give it up and hang up their boots PERMANENTLY, who's going to be trusted to run with the ball? Because the more these guys keep coming back and main eventing Wrestlemanias in the way that they do, the more the younger guys look weak and second-rate - untrusted would be a great way of putting it. Eventually these guys WILL BE the future, but they won't be seen as a big deal. At all.
This is where the line's blurred for me - I just want to be a fan. I just want to watch the hours and hours of programming they put on for us every week, and enjoy it. It really is as simple as that. I want to watch a match and have the same feeling that I did when I watched Bret Hart vs Mr Perfect in 1991. I want to be caught up in a Match of the Year contender and not worry at all that money is going to play a part in the outcome.
@jimmosangle
Monday, 28 January 2013
Royal Rumble rant: The 'Future' Continues To Wait
Ok, I've literally just finished watching The Royal Rumble from last night and I'm livid... don't get me wrong; for once I was excited over a pay-per-view; I was very hopeful that the 'obvious' results wouldn't happen... I was then cock-teased and left disappointed.
The 'Future' has to wait and take a back seat to this shit leading up to 'Mania now.
I'll skim over the results; Alberto Del Rio retained after beating Big Show in a Last Man Standing match - this HAD to be the outcome otherwise the first LMS match would have been for nothing?! Kane and Daniel Bryan (quit the crappy team names) retained over Cody and Damien (quit the crappy team names) - I really thought Cody/Damien would finally get their win here. Instead we got a pretty straightforward title defence that really waters down Cody/Damien's threat to the titles - which is even more of a tragedy as they are/were the biggest and only threats to them titles?!
We saw a clip of the US Championship match between Antonio Cesaro and The Miz that had to settle for being on the pre-show. Obviously, they're not going to take the title off him on a PRE-SHOW match - they might have done it to Santino to give him the belt but there's no way they'll take it from him in such a demeaning way.
I was very hopeful about the Rumble match itself. My balls shrank when SuperCena came through with the win.
And to make matters worse, WWE came up with the ultimate tease when Punk got the three-count over The Rock... only for me to realise that there was 8 minutes left of the show... I thought it was too good to be true - I was right. The biggest travesty was that they took the title away from a 434 day reign with a People's Elbow. A FUCKING PEOPLE'S ELBOW.
So, Wrestlemania will be headlined by The Rock vs John Cena - that's right people; the Royal Rumble winner WILL headline this year. Shock. What a disgrace...
But why am I so surprised? This has been predicted for a while now. But now it's actually happened - this shit became real - it's sickening to think that they have gone down the 'big payday' route instead of thinking about the long term future.
The Rock vs John Cena was meant to be 'Once in a Lifetime' and all that crap, right? But we now have that exact same main event but for the title. The only situation that would warrant another meeting. Convenient. And while these two guys headline another Wrestlemania, the stars of the future - the Dolph Zigglers, Daniel Bryans, Wade Barretts, Antonio Cesaros and even CM Punks - will be in meaningless, shitty undercard matches to fill up the show. When you think of Wrestlemania 29, you'll remember The Rock vs John Cena, probably Triple H vs Brock Lesnar, and whoever Undertaker destroyed. Unfortunately, you won't remember the B-listers that are left waiting in the wings... again!
I think the WWE's take on this will be that there were some positives. I mean Ziggler lasted forty-plus minutes. But Cena still won. And Bo Dallas eliminated the Intercontinental Champion. But Cena still won the match and that's the only thing people will remember.
Is it even worth watching the WWE Title match at Elimination Chamber? Whether it's a straight up rematch between Punk and Rock, or a Chamber match; Rock is walking out the champion still... why would I want to pay money to see that kind of predictability?
The 'Future' has to wait and take a back seat to this shit leading up to 'Mania now.
I'll skim over the results; Alberto Del Rio retained after beating Big Show in a Last Man Standing match - this HAD to be the outcome otherwise the first LMS match would have been for nothing?! Kane and Daniel Bryan (quit the crappy team names) retained over Cody and Damien (quit the crappy team names) - I really thought Cody/Damien would finally get their win here. Instead we got a pretty straightforward title defence that really waters down Cody/Damien's threat to the titles - which is even more of a tragedy as they are/were the biggest and only threats to them titles?!
We saw a clip of the US Championship match between Antonio Cesaro and The Miz that had to settle for being on the pre-show. Obviously, they're not going to take the title off him on a PRE-SHOW match - they might have done it to Santino to give him the belt but there's no way they'll take it from him in such a demeaning way.
I was very hopeful about the Rumble match itself. My balls shrank when SuperCena came through with the win.
And to make matters worse, WWE came up with the ultimate tease when Punk got the three-count over The Rock... only for me to realise that there was 8 minutes left of the show... I thought it was too good to be true - I was right. The biggest travesty was that they took the title away from a 434 day reign with a People's Elbow. A FUCKING PEOPLE'S ELBOW.
So, Wrestlemania will be headlined by The Rock vs John Cena - that's right people; the Royal Rumble winner WILL headline this year. Shock. What a disgrace...
But why am I so surprised? This has been predicted for a while now. But now it's actually happened - this shit became real - it's sickening to think that they have gone down the 'big payday' route instead of thinking about the long term future.
The Rock vs John Cena was meant to be 'Once in a Lifetime' and all that crap, right? But we now have that exact same main event but for the title. The only situation that would warrant another meeting. Convenient. And while these two guys headline another Wrestlemania, the stars of the future - the Dolph Zigglers, Daniel Bryans, Wade Barretts, Antonio Cesaros and even CM Punks - will be in meaningless, shitty undercard matches to fill up the show. When you think of Wrestlemania 29, you'll remember The Rock vs John Cena, probably Triple H vs Brock Lesnar, and whoever Undertaker destroyed. Unfortunately, you won't remember the B-listers that are left waiting in the wings... again!
I think the WWE's take on this will be that there were some positives. I mean Ziggler lasted forty-plus minutes. But Cena still won. And Bo Dallas eliminated the Intercontinental Champion. But Cena still won the match and that's the only thing people will remember.
Is it even worth watching the WWE Title match at Elimination Chamber? Whether it's a straight up rematch between Punk and Rock, or a Chamber match; Rock is walking out the champion still... why would I want to pay money to see that kind of predictability?
Dexter: Season 7 review: Episode 4
Episode 4 - 'Run'
Episode 4 of Season 7 focused further on the Ray Speltzer situation, as well as looking further into Isaac Sirko's continued involvement in matters surrounding The Foxhole (strip club) and the Mike Anderson/Viktor Baskov murders.
In the last episode, Deb asked Dexter to move out of her apartment, as well as Ray Speltzer getting away from the maze-type house that he set up to kill his latest victim.
After having a dream about being in a bloodbath, Deb goes onto ask Dexter about Rita's (Dexter's murdered wife) death. Deb realises that she was murdered because of Dexter - because he was tracking Trinity (John Lithgow, season 4) and then got found out, leading to Trinity knowing that Dexter had a family. This, again, leads Deb to question the well being of Harrison. Later, Harrison goes away to stay with his grandparents and Cody/Aster. This is probably for the best seeing that Isaac knows who Dexter is now.
This is because they (Isaac and George Novikov) have files on Dexter now. They know that he's a 'lab geek' at Miami Metro. They also know that Louis worked there, too. This leads Isaac to believe that the whole of the department might be in on Viktor's death as revenge for Mike Anderson's murder. Isaac devises a plan so that the police will stop bothering them - to get an employee to take the fall for the Mike Anderson murder.
They turn to a bartender, named Alex Dubrozny, a family man to confess to the murders that have taken place in the last few episodes. Isaac does this by guilting him into doing so, so that his family will be looked after. This is the most important thing to Alex, who, it is clear, lives for his family. Alex writes the confession before having a shot of vodka, and finally shooting himself in the temple. This will then lead the police to think that Alex was responsible for the murders, therefore closing the case and leaving Isaac to carry on with 'business'.
Quinn receives a text that informs him that Alex has shot himself. This leads the police to take a look at this crime scene. Dexter explains how things would have gone down. Whilst doing so, he knows that Alex didn't do what he has confessed to and wonders who would have put him up to taking the blame. Batista also gives his opinion on the situation - he doesn't feel that this is as clear cut as it appears. It's too 'perfect' for his liking.
Later, Quinn and Batista talk; Batista is still sure that it's all too good to be true. He convinces Quinn that they should take another look around the club. Quinn agrees but wants to wait until the next day - Batista realises from this that Quinn has a woman involved. It is then admitted that Quinn is seeing Nadia (stripper).
The other situation going on in this episode is that involving Ray Speltzer.
It is revealed that he has been found and arrested - by four police officers! - as a result of this LaGuerta wants a confession from him so that they can charge him. This is done between Batista and Deb; firstly Batista goes in and tries to play 'good cop'; saying that Deb gives him grief all the time and he'd love to take a shot at her given the chance - he gives the impression that he'd love to put a woman in her place, too. He lets Speltzer know that Deb wants to 'get' Speltzer - this interaction is all to rile him up before 'feeding' him to Deb.
'Bad cop' Deb then enters the room after Batista has left. She goes onto relate Speltzer's murders to that of his mother's. Deb sole intention here is to get Speltzer so pissed off that he will tell all - this is achieved when she, as good as, calls his mother a whore. Confession gained.
Unfortunately, this victory is short-lived as LaGuerta shows everyone a DVD of Speltzer being taken down by the police officers. In this, he is basically unconscious when they ask him if he understands his rights. This resulted in the judge throwing out his confession. He is then released.
Dexter decides that his way of doing things is the way forward. He goes to Speltzer's trailer (also on the grounds of the cemetery); he is surprised when Speltzer comes back to the trailer and a fight ensues, leading to Dexter being knocked out. When he comes to, he is in a larger maze-like building, that appears to be Speltzer's greatest achievement. There is a sign for Dexter, which reads 'RUN'. Dexter isn't fazed by this as normally he 'makes people run'. After a chase through the various levels of the building, Dexter manages to escape and make a run for it. The only problem is that Speltzer now knows what Dexter looks like - from now on Dexter has to be very smart about any approaches/attempts.
The next time we see Speltzer is at Melanie's (girl he killed) funeral. As Deb and Batista come out of the church/chapel, Speltzer is at the roadside taunting Deb. This leads her to attack him and verbally take him down. She is filled with rage in this segment.
Revenge is finally gained at the end of the episode when Dexter goes to the cemetery and attracts Speltzer's attention. He leads him to a sign that says 'STAY' - a perfect response to the note left earlier for Dexter. As Speltzer reads this, Dexter sneaks up behind him and smashes him across the back of the head with a shovel, rendering him unconsious.
Speltzer awakens, strapped to a table in the crematorium. Unlike previous rituals, Dexter doesn't take a blood slide as he knows that his 'trophies' have the potential to be found. He explains to Speltzer that he was meant to be how he [Dexter] and Deb came to an understanding about what Dexter does - "who knows - maybe our relationship can arise from your ashes".
After stabbing Speltzer through the heart, Dexter reaches for his box of slides, placing them on Speltzer's lifeless body - "goodbye friends" as he then enters the body and slides into the furnace to burn.
As Dexter looks up at the fumes coming from the top of the building, a car pulls up. As he enters the car, we see that it's Deb who has arrived - as requested by Dexter. He then informs Deb that the smoke is Speltzer:
Deb: "Did you do that for me?"
Dexter: "No. How do you feel?"
Deb: "Glad (she seems disgusted with her response). What does that make me?"
Dexter: "Human".
Other segments;
Summary
This was a good end to the Speltzer situation. Dexter's intention was to show Deb that his 'way' is an option. After the confession was thrown out, it was then left to Dexter to salvage what resulted. It showed that when the law was flawed, Dexter's code (or Harry's code) can come into play to serve justice. This seems to have opened Deb's eyes to this.
Isaac's power of persuasion and authority was shown further here; getting Alex to take the fall for the previous murders. As well as him knowing who Dexter is now, we were shown an unexpected turn of events as it seems that Isaac and Viktor were lovers - we now understand Isaac's motivation for coming to America. This will undoubtedly mean that Isaac and Dexter will cross paths further.
Deb is further conflicted here - it's been a very tough season for her so far. In the bloodbath dream, we see that her feelings towards Dexter are still very much there - she has a wedding ring on and Dexter proposes 'will you be mine'. With all that has been revealed so far, Deb's feelings will come to the surface, too, no doubt.
Episode 4 of Season 7 focused further on the Ray Speltzer situation, as well as looking further into Isaac Sirko's continued involvement in matters surrounding The Foxhole (strip club) and the Mike Anderson/Viktor Baskov murders.
In the last episode, Deb asked Dexter to move out of her apartment, as well as Ray Speltzer getting away from the maze-type house that he set up to kill his latest victim.
After having a dream about being in a bloodbath, Deb goes onto ask Dexter about Rita's (Dexter's murdered wife) death. Deb realises that she was murdered because of Dexter - because he was tracking Trinity (John Lithgow, season 4) and then got found out, leading to Trinity knowing that Dexter had a family. This, again, leads Deb to question the well being of Harrison. Later, Harrison goes away to stay with his grandparents and Cody/Aster. This is probably for the best seeing that Isaac knows who Dexter is now.
This is because they (Isaac and George Novikov) have files on Dexter now. They know that he's a 'lab geek' at Miami Metro. They also know that Louis worked there, too. This leads Isaac to believe that the whole of the department might be in on Viktor's death as revenge for Mike Anderson's murder. Isaac devises a plan so that the police will stop bothering them - to get an employee to take the fall for the Mike Anderson murder.
They turn to a bartender, named Alex Dubrozny, a family man to confess to the murders that have taken place in the last few episodes. Isaac does this by guilting him into doing so, so that his family will be looked after. This is the most important thing to Alex, who, it is clear, lives for his family. Alex writes the confession before having a shot of vodka, and finally shooting himself in the temple. This will then lead the police to think that Alex was responsible for the murders, therefore closing the case and leaving Isaac to carry on with 'business'.
Quinn receives a text that informs him that Alex has shot himself. This leads the police to take a look at this crime scene. Dexter explains how things would have gone down. Whilst doing so, he knows that Alex didn't do what he has confessed to and wonders who would have put him up to taking the blame. Batista also gives his opinion on the situation - he doesn't feel that this is as clear cut as it appears. It's too 'perfect' for his liking.
Later, Quinn and Batista talk; Batista is still sure that it's all too good to be true. He convinces Quinn that they should take another look around the club. Quinn agrees but wants to wait until the next day - Batista realises from this that Quinn has a woman involved. It is then admitted that Quinn is seeing Nadia (stripper).
The other situation going on in this episode is that involving Ray Speltzer.
It is revealed that he has been found and arrested - by four police officers! - as a result of this LaGuerta wants a confession from him so that they can charge him. This is done between Batista and Deb; firstly Batista goes in and tries to play 'good cop'; saying that Deb gives him grief all the time and he'd love to take a shot at her given the chance - he gives the impression that he'd love to put a woman in her place, too. He lets Speltzer know that Deb wants to 'get' Speltzer - this interaction is all to rile him up before 'feeding' him to Deb.
'Bad cop' Deb then enters the room after Batista has left. She goes onto relate Speltzer's murders to that of his mother's. Deb sole intention here is to get Speltzer so pissed off that he will tell all - this is achieved when she, as good as, calls his mother a whore. Confession gained.
Unfortunately, this victory is short-lived as LaGuerta shows everyone a DVD of Speltzer being taken down by the police officers. In this, he is basically unconscious when they ask him if he understands his rights. This resulted in the judge throwing out his confession. He is then released.
Dexter decides that his way of doing things is the way forward. He goes to Speltzer's trailer (also on the grounds of the cemetery); he is surprised when Speltzer comes back to the trailer and a fight ensues, leading to Dexter being knocked out. When he comes to, he is in a larger maze-like building, that appears to be Speltzer's greatest achievement. There is a sign for Dexter, which reads 'RUN'. Dexter isn't fazed by this as normally he 'makes people run'. After a chase through the various levels of the building, Dexter manages to escape and make a run for it. The only problem is that Speltzer now knows what Dexter looks like - from now on Dexter has to be very smart about any approaches/attempts.
The next time we see Speltzer is at Melanie's (girl he killed) funeral. As Deb and Batista come out of the church/chapel, Speltzer is at the roadside taunting Deb. This leads her to attack him and verbally take him down. She is filled with rage in this segment.
Revenge is finally gained at the end of the episode when Dexter goes to the cemetery and attracts Speltzer's attention. He leads him to a sign that says 'STAY' - a perfect response to the note left earlier for Dexter. As Speltzer reads this, Dexter sneaks up behind him and smashes him across the back of the head with a shovel, rendering him unconsious.
Speltzer awakens, strapped to a table in the crematorium. Unlike previous rituals, Dexter doesn't take a blood slide as he knows that his 'trophies' have the potential to be found. He explains to Speltzer that he was meant to be how he [Dexter] and Deb came to an understanding about what Dexter does - "who knows - maybe our relationship can arise from your ashes".
After stabbing Speltzer through the heart, Dexter reaches for his box of slides, placing them on Speltzer's lifeless body - "goodbye friends" as he then enters the body and slides into the furnace to burn.
As Dexter looks up at the fumes coming from the top of the building, a car pulls up. As he enters the car, we see that it's Deb who has arrived - as requested by Dexter. He then informs Deb that the smoke is Speltzer:
Deb: "Did you do that for me?"
Dexter: "No. How do you feel?"
Deb: "Glad (she seems disgusted with her response). What does that make me?"
Dexter: "Human".
Other segments;
- Dexter and Hannah McKay have another interaction when she comes into Miami Metro to potentially help with the Wayne Randall case. This is another awkward conversation where more chemistry is hinted at between the two.
- Also, Isaac visits an apartment - presumably Viktor's - where he looks at a framed photograph. He opens the back of it to reveal a picture of him and Viktor. As he starts to weep, he promises to avenge his death.
Summary
This was a good end to the Speltzer situation. Dexter's intention was to show Deb that his 'way' is an option. After the confession was thrown out, it was then left to Dexter to salvage what resulted. It showed that when the law was flawed, Dexter's code (or Harry's code) can come into play to serve justice. This seems to have opened Deb's eyes to this.
Isaac's power of persuasion and authority was shown further here; getting Alex to take the fall for the previous murders. As well as him knowing who Dexter is now, we were shown an unexpected turn of events as it seems that Isaac and Viktor were lovers - we now understand Isaac's motivation for coming to America. This will undoubtedly mean that Isaac and Dexter will cross paths further.
Deb is further conflicted here - it's been a very tough season for her so far. In the bloodbath dream, we see that her feelings towards Dexter are still very much there - she has a wedding ring on and Dexter proposes 'will you be mine'. With all that has been revealed so far, Deb's feelings will come to the surface, too, no doubt.
Friday, 25 January 2013
Film Review: 50/50
50/50 is a film starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Seth Rogen, and deals with Cancer and the events that follow for one young man.
We are introduced to Adam Lerner (Levitt) at the start of the film as he is jogging. He reaches traffic lights, and despite there being no traffic whatsoever, he decides against crossing. This is the most important character trait that Adam has - he is very sensible.
We are also introduced to his best friend, and work colleague, Kyle (Rogen) and his girlfriend Rachael (Bryce Dallas Howard). It appears that they are having problems in their relationship but Adam seems too nice to think that they might be serious enough to deal with. It is evident from his interactions with Rachael that she may be hiding something.
Adam goes to see his doctor, who casually tells him that he has a Neurofibrosarcoma Schwannoma (malignant tumor), before telling him what this is in plain English. After hearing the word 'cancer', Adam is in shock. After being so careful in life and never rocking the boat, how could something so bad happen to him? After researching this, he realises that he has a 50/50 chance of beating it.
This news shocks everyone, and each person responds in the way they feel will help; Kyle is a bit of a joker and he tries to put Adam at ease by wanting to have fun. Later, he also wants Adam to use his condition to pick up women. Rachael agrees that she will look after Adam despite him giving her the option to 'bail' if she wants to. Thirdly, Adam's mum, Diane, wants to protect her child (even though he is 27 years old), smothering him at every opportunity as she panics as to what's best to do.
After being out on a date, Kyle discovers that Rachael is cheating on Adam. He goes to see Adam that night and, in front of Rachael, shows him the photographic evidence of her betrayal. This leads Adam to end things with her. It also contributes to his change in attitude.
On hearing this devastating, life-changing news, Adam starts to doubt the way he lives his life. He has been so careful, never rocking the boat and it's as if he has been punished for this. He decides to take action; after all, he may die so this is now the time to live his life to the fullest.
Additionally, He reluctantly goes to therapy, where he meets his young and inexperienced therapist Katherine (Anna Kendrick). This is where his barriers come down and he is able to say how he feels. This doesn't happen at first as he is very sceptical about attending; especially when he realises that he is only her third patient. Eventually, they get closer and Adam feels he can open up more.
A very important encounter that he has during chemotherapy is with older patients, Alan and Mitch. Alan is probably in his late sixties/early seventies and Mitch a little younger. The three of them form a bond. When Mitch dies, Adam realises that this could very well be his fate, too. Alan doesn't respond well to this situation and doesn't help Adam's view of death.
The line between doctor/patient and friends gets crossed when Adam and Katherine share a car journey to get Adam home. There is an awkward moment between them that shows that there may be something there. Later, after Adam has a tantrum in Kyle's car, he phones Katherine and completely crosses that line when he tells her that he wishes that she were his girlfriend - this is something that seems to make her happy.
In a funny way, this situation that Adam finds himself in is the wake-up call that he needed in his life. He becomes unafraid of situations that he wouldn't have dealt with before: he does drugs (smoking weed with Kyle), he demands to drive Kyle's car (nearly causing an accident in the process!). He also stops accepting how his relationship is with Rachael, and once he finds out about her betrayal, he has no problem not pandering to her anymore. He also takes a chance and tells Katherine that he'd like her to be his girlfriend - something that a straight-edged Adam wouldn't have dared to do.
This film deals with various themes including friendship, reassessing close relationships, grief, and letting go and living life. Really good performances from Levitt and Kendrick, and some comic relief from Rogen in his awkward, try-to-say/do-the-right-thing role!
Jimmo's score: 5/5
@jimmosangle
We are introduced to Adam Lerner (Levitt) at the start of the film as he is jogging. He reaches traffic lights, and despite there being no traffic whatsoever, he decides against crossing. This is the most important character trait that Adam has - he is very sensible.
We are also introduced to his best friend, and work colleague, Kyle (Rogen) and his girlfriend Rachael (Bryce Dallas Howard). It appears that they are having problems in their relationship but Adam seems too nice to think that they might be serious enough to deal with. It is evident from his interactions with Rachael that she may be hiding something.
Adam goes to see his doctor, who casually tells him that he has a Neurofibrosarcoma Schwannoma (malignant tumor), before telling him what this is in plain English. After hearing the word 'cancer', Adam is in shock. After being so careful in life and never rocking the boat, how could something so bad happen to him? After researching this, he realises that he has a 50/50 chance of beating it.
This news shocks everyone, and each person responds in the way they feel will help; Kyle is a bit of a joker and he tries to put Adam at ease by wanting to have fun. Later, he also wants Adam to use his condition to pick up women. Rachael agrees that she will look after Adam despite him giving her the option to 'bail' if she wants to. Thirdly, Adam's mum, Diane, wants to protect her child (even though he is 27 years old), smothering him at every opportunity as she panics as to what's best to do.
After being out on a date, Kyle discovers that Rachael is cheating on Adam. He goes to see Adam that night and, in front of Rachael, shows him the photographic evidence of her betrayal. This leads Adam to end things with her. It also contributes to his change in attitude.
On hearing this devastating, life-changing news, Adam starts to doubt the way he lives his life. He has been so careful, never rocking the boat and it's as if he has been punished for this. He decides to take action; after all, he may die so this is now the time to live his life to the fullest.
Additionally, He reluctantly goes to therapy, where he meets his young and inexperienced therapist Katherine (Anna Kendrick). This is where his barriers come down and he is able to say how he feels. This doesn't happen at first as he is very sceptical about attending; especially when he realises that he is only her third patient. Eventually, they get closer and Adam feels he can open up more.
A very important encounter that he has during chemotherapy is with older patients, Alan and Mitch. Alan is probably in his late sixties/early seventies and Mitch a little younger. The three of them form a bond. When Mitch dies, Adam realises that this could very well be his fate, too. Alan doesn't respond well to this situation and doesn't help Adam's view of death.
The line between doctor/patient and friends gets crossed when Adam and Katherine share a car journey to get Adam home. There is an awkward moment between them that shows that there may be something there. Later, after Adam has a tantrum in Kyle's car, he phones Katherine and completely crosses that line when he tells her that he wishes that she were his girlfriend - this is something that seems to make her happy.
In a funny way, this situation that Adam finds himself in is the wake-up call that he needed in his life. He becomes unafraid of situations that he wouldn't have dealt with before: he does drugs (smoking weed with Kyle), he demands to drive Kyle's car (nearly causing an accident in the process!). He also stops accepting how his relationship is with Rachael, and once he finds out about her betrayal, he has no problem not pandering to her anymore. He also takes a chance and tells Katherine that he'd like her to be his girlfriend - something that a straight-edged Adam wouldn't have dared to do.
This film deals with various themes including friendship, reassessing close relationships, grief, and letting go and living life. Really good performances from Levitt and Kendrick, and some comic relief from Rogen in his awkward, try-to-say/do-the-right-thing role!
Jimmo's score: 5/5
@jimmosangle
Wednesday, 23 January 2013
Fantasy Booking: Royal Rumble Prediction
This Sunday is WWE's Royal Rumble and it sees the Royal Rumble match itself, as well as the WWE Title match between Champion, CM Punk and challenger, The Rock.
The popular belief is that The Rock will walk out of the Rumble with the WWE Championship. Undoubtedly, this is a money making opportunity that probably won't be missed. But what if they were to do something different?
I've had a scenario in my head for a few days now and after The Shield attacked The Rock on Raw, I'm going to go with it. It's a little hopeful and probably won't happen as I'm giving the WWE (and their creative team) far too much credit but here goes:
Oh, I should point out that I feel dirty writing this as I hate, hate, HATE predictions but, as said before, I have had this festering in my head and I need to let it out!
A way of killing three birds with one stone is this;
Let's assume that the WWE Championship match goes on last at the pay-per-view. That way, anything/anyone can screw with this match. I'm thinking that towards the end, The Shield come down, again with the intention of screwing The Rock - and yes, I know that Vince has said that any Shield interference would result in Punk being stripped - on their way down, their three main foes - Ryback, Sheamus and Orton - intercept them and it appears that the score is even. Now this is the point where some have said that Brock Lesnar makes a shocking return. I'm going with something else here.
For starters, Brock isn't 'scheduled' to be back until February/March time. So... in the panic of The Shield being cut off, Orton returns to the ring and RKOs The Rock, leading to CM Punk doing the unthinkable and retaining.
I know this is probably crazy talk - I kind of think it myself - but it keeps the title on Punk; appeases Vince's wish that The Shield don't get involved; and thirdly, it turns Orton heel. I know there are rumours about this happening and I can't think of too many ways that this is going to happen. Screwing The Rock would achieve this. The alternative would be him turning on Sheamus at some point but I'm not sure this will do it - Orton's RKO'd faces before and it's been seen as typical Viper behaviour. Maybe his motivation is that he's not had any opportunities to get to a title match, whereas The Rock just got one out of thin air?
This won't ruin any plans leading up to Wrestlemania either as they have plenty of time to put the title on The Rock (maybe Elimination Chamber) and they can then go with the Orton heel turn with Sheamus/Alberto Del Rio.
Just a thought; I'm glad I got that off my chest!
@jimmosangle
The popular belief is that The Rock will walk out of the Rumble with the WWE Championship. Undoubtedly, this is a money making opportunity that probably won't be missed. But what if they were to do something different?
I've had a scenario in my head for a few days now and after The Shield attacked The Rock on Raw, I'm going to go with it. It's a little hopeful and probably won't happen as I'm giving the WWE (and their creative team) far too much credit but here goes:
Oh, I should point out that I feel dirty writing this as I hate, hate, HATE predictions but, as said before, I have had this festering in my head and I need to let it out!
A way of killing three birds with one stone is this;
Let's assume that the WWE Championship match goes on last at the pay-per-view. That way, anything/anyone can screw with this match. I'm thinking that towards the end, The Shield come down, again with the intention of screwing The Rock - and yes, I know that Vince has said that any Shield interference would result in Punk being stripped - on their way down, their three main foes - Ryback, Sheamus and Orton - intercept them and it appears that the score is even. Now this is the point where some have said that Brock Lesnar makes a shocking return. I'm going with something else here.
For starters, Brock isn't 'scheduled' to be back until February/March time. So... in the panic of The Shield being cut off, Orton returns to the ring and RKOs The Rock, leading to CM Punk doing the unthinkable and retaining.
I know this is probably crazy talk - I kind of think it myself - but it keeps the title on Punk; appeases Vince's wish that The Shield don't get involved; and thirdly, it turns Orton heel. I know there are rumours about this happening and I can't think of too many ways that this is going to happen. Screwing The Rock would achieve this. The alternative would be him turning on Sheamus at some point but I'm not sure this will do it - Orton's RKO'd faces before and it's been seen as typical Viper behaviour. Maybe his motivation is that he's not had any opportunities to get to a title match, whereas The Rock just got one out of thin air?
This won't ruin any plans leading up to Wrestlemania either as they have plenty of time to put the title on The Rock (maybe Elimination Chamber) and they can then go with the Orton heel turn with Sheamus/Alberto Del Rio.
Just a thought; I'm glad I got that off my chest!
@jimmosangle
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)