Category: TV

Coffee Talk #517: Confusing Moments in Pro-Wrestling History

Today’s column was inspired by a chat I was having with RPadholic Tokz_21 on the RPad.TV Google+ Messenger group. On last night’s WWE Monday Night Raw, wrestling legend Jerry Lawler suffered a heart attack on air. It’s sad and I hope everyone sends positive vibes to Jerry, hoping for a speedy recovery. Now to be completely honest, initially I wasn’t sure if it was real or if it was an angle. Pro-wrestling can be funny that way. The writers have no boundaries and have crossed several lines over the years. Would an angle involving Lawler’s age (he was in the ring that night too) be out of the realm of possibility? Of course not. Sadly, the heart attack was real, but the whole thing had me thinking about times when I wasn’t sure what was real and what wasn’t in pro-wrestling…

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, wishing that Andy Murray becomes a one-hit wonder, Emma Watson searches leading to computer viruses, or iPhone 5 fever, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Today’s column was inspired by a chat I was having with RPadholic Tokz_21 on the RPad.TV Google+ Messenger group. On last night’s WWE Monday Night Raw, wrestling legend Jerry Lawler suffered a heart attack on air. It’s sad and I hope everyone sends positive vibes to Jerry, hoping for a speedy recovery. Now to be completely honest, initially I wasn’t sure if it was real or if it was an angle. Pro-wrestling can be funny that way. The writers have no boundaries and have crossed several lines over the years. Would an angle involving Lawler’s age (he was in the ring that night too) be out of the realm of possibility? Of course not. Sadly, the heart attack was real, but the whole thing had me thinking about times when I wasn’t sure what was real and what wasn’t in pro-wrestling.

When Owen Heart died due to a harness mishap during the Over the Edge PPV, I initially thought it was an angle. He was playing The Blue Blazer, a masked idiot that thought he was a superhero. He was actually supposed to have a botched fall to the ring, keeping with his character. Sadly, the harness released him too soon and he suffered a tragic fall. I distinctly remember watching the PPV at my friend Justin’s place and arguing that it was a work. It wasn’t until the cameras completely pulled to the crowd that I was aware that something very bad and very real happened.

On a lighter note, a pair of WCW angles vexed me for a long time. The first involved Brian Pillman. In an “I Respect You” match against Kevin Sullivan, Pillman suddenly bailed with the words, “I respect you, booker man!” I knew that Sullivan was a WCW booker, but this was something that was never said on air. Pillman was fired and that’s where things got cloudy. Did he really get fired or was it part of a storyline? Former WCW exec Eric Bischoff said it was part of an angle and that Pillman was supposed to develop his “Loose Cannon” character in ECW before returning to WCW. Pillman said that he wanted to get fired and had no intention of going back to WCW. He ended up going to ECW and eventually brought the “Loose Cannon” persona to WWE.

Kevin Sullivan was involved in an angle with his wife, Nancy Sullivan, and Chris Benoit. The story was that Benoit, who was feuding with Sullivan on TV, took things too far by stealing his wife. Sullivan booked it so that Nancy and Chris traveled together, ate together on the road, and stayed in the same hotels. Art imitated life, with Nancy and Chris actually falling in love and eventually getting married. For a long time, I thought it was just an elaborate angle. It wasn’t until kayfabe went out of style that I realized, “Oh…that really happened.”

Anyway, those are some wrestling moments where I wasn’t sure what was real and what wasn’t. I’d love to hear about some angles that you weren’t sure about. Please share some stories in the comments section!

Nike Designer Darrin Crescenzi’s Game of Thrones Logos

Nike designer Darrin Crescenzi is a big Game of Thrones mark. He’s so much of a fanboy that he created a series of A Song of Ice and Fire icons. They’re pretty awesome. I could totally see a pair of basketball sneakers with a Lannister logo or hoodie with a Stark dire wolf patch. Here’s what Crescenzi had to say about turning Westeros houses into brands:

These brands become such a key part of the reading experience. Night’s Watch black might as well be Tiffany blue or UPS brown or T-Mobile pink.

I never thought of the project as a series of logos; The approach was much more that of creating an icon set. All I wanted to do was give them a sort of unexpected and unified visual language.

Be sure to hit up the source to see more of Crescenzi’s Game of Thrones icons. Very cool stuff!

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(Thanks for the link Koh!)

Amazon Adds Epix to Prime Instant Video

Amazon has announced that it has inked a deal with Epix to more than double the amount of choices on Prime Instant Video. The streaming-video service is part of Amazon Prime, which gives customers free two-day shipping and reduced rates on express shipping. The videos are available for viewing on PCs, videogame consoles, mobile phones, and tablets. Epix’s studio partners include Paramount Pictures, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, and Lionsgate. Confirmed additions include The Avengers, The Hunger Games, and Transformers Dark of the Moon. Here’s a clip from the press release:

This agreement between Amazon and EPIX will add new releases such as The Avengers, Iron Man 2, The Hunger Games, Transformers Dark of the Moon, Thor and Rango as well as popular favorites such as Kick Ass, Paranormal Activity 2, True Grit, The Lincoln Lawyer, and Justin Bieber Never Say Never. EPIX also brings original programming including comedy specials and concerts such as Kevin Smith: Burn in Hell and Usher: Live from London.

It’s awesome to see Amazon beefing up the content for Prime Instant Video. I’ve been a Prime member since the program’s inception, which was before streaming movies and television were offered, so the video content was always the cherry on top of the sweet shipping savings. The video component of Prime started off as lame sauce, but now it’s a viable alternative to streaming competitors Hulu and Netflix.

How do you feel about these additions to Prime Instant Video? Are you more likely to subscribe to Prime

What I Learned From HBO’s The Newsroom

Season one of The Newsroom ended last night and I was left satisfied with Aaron Sorkin’s HBO show. Many critics have slammed the show, while many viewers praised it to the heavens. Both sides have their points, but funnily enough those points are being taken to extremes in a way that’s reminiscent of the political climate the show is supposed to be a commentary on. Anyway, here are some random thoughts on The Newsroom. If you’ve watched the show, I’d love to hear your take too.

I Love Sorkin’s Writing: Yes, I know his characters speak in an unrealistic way, but I’m just a fan of condensed dialogue with wit and heart. I love that style and Sorkin is arguably the most commercially successful writer that employs it. It’s the same reason I love Kevin Smith’s writing. To me, they’re two sides of the same coin. One side is unapologetically liberal, while the other is stoned and lewd, but they’re both witty and have heart. You know, I wish I had a coin like that.

Lisa Munn Was Good: While it’s still unbelievable that she’s an economics godess with dual-wielding PhDs, I came to enjoy Olivia Munn’s character. Her awkward charm grew on me. She was fun. Don’t get me wrong — I will still exploit her for traffic and am not a fan of her as a person, but I completely admit that I came to enjoy her performance as Sloan Sabbith.

Sorkin’s Women Are Silly But the Men Are Sillier: I actually argued this a bit with a friend last night. He, and many others, feels that Sorkin writes female characters that are flawed and idiotic. I feel that most of the characters on the show are flawed and idiotic. The women are just honest about it, while the men cover it up with bullsh*t. For all of Will’s bravado and gruffness, he’s a romantic softie that’s overly sensitive. Don comes off as a dick, but he’s also insecure and sensitive. If anything, I preferred that the women were being real. Heart on sleeve baby!!! (You have to picture me saying that the way Chris Jericho says, “Come on baby!!!”)

Retroscopic News is Easy: Many fans of the show point to it as a sterling example of everything that’s wrong with news reporting in America today. There’s a point to that, for sure, but The Newsroom makes reporting the news “right” seem much easier than it actually is. While the fictitious News Night has its share of struggles, there are times when they look like the most brilliant newsmen and newswomen that ever existed. It’s easy to like like a genius on a fictional show that uses last year’s news as plot devices. Anyone can look good through the retroscope. Doing it in real-time is a whole other matter. Some people forget this this is fiction. It’s like when all the kids in the neighborhood saw Gleaming the Cube and became experts on skateboarding. Really, it’s exactly like that.

The Show is Extremely Left Wing: I’m honestly shocked by Newsroom fans that think the show is anything but ultra-liberal. They point to Will’s character being a republican that’s dissatisfied with the tea party and trying to restore balance to The Force the GOP. Uh-huh. I have zero problems with a fictional show being ultra-liberal or ultra-conservative, but let’s not pretend The Newsroom is something it’s not. Sorkin is on the extreme left, but his writing has charmed (fooled?) some people into thinking this show is only slightly left because the protagonist is a conservative. That’s just nonsense. It’s like believing Fox News or MSNBC reports the “proper” version of the news. That kind of stuff can be dangerous, especially in an election year.

Season Two Will Kick Ass: Now that the actors have had a season to get into their characters, I’m sure they’ll be even better in season two. More importantly, the show will have the benefit of an election to cover. It’s similar to how The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, and Saturday Night Live are at their best running up to an election. I can’t wait to see how Sorkin’s team covers the 2012 election through the retroscope. It’ll be fun, witty, and full of heart.

Also, I hope Jim and Maggie stop being weenies and finally get together. Yes, I love to the soap-opera aspects of The Newsroom too.

Random Thoughts on WWE SummerSlam 2012

Last night I was at The Staples Center for WWE SummerSlam 2012. It was a strong show live, but I’m not sure how it came across to fans watching via PPV. What stood out for me was watching Antonio Cesaro (Claudio Castagnoli), Daniel Bryan (Bryan Danielson), and CM Punk (Phil). I loved watching these guys wrestle in Ring of Honor. It’s awesome that they’ve gone from performing in bingo halls and high school gymnasiums to wrestling in huge arenas. Here are some random match-by-match thoughts (not a review!) on SummerSlam 2012.

Antonio Cesaro vs. Santino Marella: This dark match was free on TV, YouTube, and Facebook. Before the match started, I asked my friend Jose, “Why is this the dark match? We’re darker than both of these guys!” Seriously though, I found it funny that two European wrestlers were fighting for the U.S. Championship. I found it awesome that Cesaro won. It was a decent match that had Santino deliver his comedy spots and Cesaro get in a few solid moves (though not nearly enough “Very European” uppercuts).

Although he hasn’t gotten to show how incredible he is in the ring on WWE TV, this could be the start of an awesome run for Cesaro. Remember, Bryan Danielson wasn’t given enough time to show off his formidable arsenal on WWE TV for like 18 months. Hopefully things move faster for Cesaro. Dude is very tall, very European, and an outstanding wrestler. Signs point to Cesaro and Christian feuding for the U.S. Championship. The matches should be awesome since both guys are strong workers, but it’s funny Cesaro went from wrestling an Italian to wrestling a Canadian for the U.S. strap.

[Jose and I were trying to work the old Claudio Castagnoli gimmick, shouting, “Heeeeeyyyyyy!!!” for much of Cesaro’s offense. It was funny to approximately five people in the audience.]

Chris Jericho vs. Dolph Ziggler: The PPV started off with a great match from two great wrestlers. Jericho can work with anyone. Ziggler has always been fantastic at selling and his offense has gotten much smoother over the last few years. The highlight was Ziggler attempting a Jericho-style pin by putting his foot on Jericho, flexing, and yelling, “Come on baby!!!” A lot of people were surprised that Jericho got the win considering that he’s set to tour with Fozzy shortly. For me, it made sense because he hasn’t won much of anything in his latest WWE run. Dolph will get his eventually, but it was important to give Jericho some credibility considering how much he has lost in 2012.

Since this was the first PPV match, many people expected Ziggler to cash in his “Money in the Bank” suitcase later on in the show. It was a bit disappointing that he didn’t. Storyline-wise, he’s demanding a rematch. It looks like he’ll be sending Jericho on the road with a loss before moving onto his World Heavyweight Championship challenge.

[Naturally, Jose and I spent a large portion of the match screaming, “Ask him!!!” We do that for every match, but it’s especially meaningful during Jericho matches. Both of us have this t-shirt too. For Ziggler, we tried to bring back his old Spirit Squad gimmick by shouting, “Nicky!!!”]

Daniel Bryan vs. Kane: The crowd was hot for this match, with plenty of “Yes! Yes! Yes!” and “No! No! No!” chants. It’s awesome that Danielson is getting over like this, but I fear that his comedy act will restrict him to mid-card status. Things started slowly, with Danielson trying to use distance to keep away from the larger Kane. There were some good near-falls and near-submissions too. I’m happy that Danielson got the rub, but I’m kind of annoyed that it looks like these two will have a few more matches. Most of you know that I’m a big Danielson mark. I want to see him move onto bigger and better things. For my money, he’s the best pure wrestler in WWE today.

[Jose kept using “Shades of (insert wrestler here)” lines. When Danielson went for a flying head butt, Jose said, “Shades of Chris Benoit!!!” Things got quiet in the suite, so I asked, “What? Too soon?!?”]

The Miz vs. Raymond Stereo Rey Mysterio: The crowd was surprisingly flat for this match. I was expecting a bigger reaction since Rey hasn’t been back that long and he’s from SoCal. It was a good match, but it felt more like a SmackDown main event rather than a PPV match. Rey wore a Batman mask…but jobbed like King Tut.

[G4tv Blair Herter was in our suite. He’s pals with The Miz from those Real World / Road Rules Challenge shows. Remember when Miz had those “Hello, I’m Awesome” t-shirts that looked like those stickers you write your name on? Blair had a similar business card…like in 2004. I’m convinced that The Miz stole this idea from Blair.]

Sheamus vs. Alberto Del Rio: Initially, the crowd was flat for this match, but things picked up in the second half. Personally, I couldn’t get into it. This program should have been over a month ago. More importantly, I just don’t like Sheamus as a face. Yeah, I know he’s doing all those anti-bullying commercials, but he’s much better as a bully. Besides, he stole Del Rio’s car. That’s something a bully would do. The match ended with Sheamus pinning Del Rio while the latter’s foot was on the rope. Sheamus quickly got the foot off the rope so the referee couldn’t see it. That’s more bully-like behavior! Unfortunately, it looks like this program will continue until Ziggler is ready for his shot. I know that Sheamus is pals with Triple H in real life, but I much rather have Ziggler as the World Heavyweight Champion.

[When Sheamus wrestles, Jose and I abuse the world “fella”. We yell things like, “He punched him right in the fella!”, “Oh, a kick to the fella box!”, and, “He’s trying to use the fella-nator!”. When you say those things with a bad Irish accent, it’s hilarious.]

Kofi Kingston & R-Truth vs. The Prime Time Players: The WWE doesn’t care about tag teams anymore and has conditioned its fans to not care about tag teams, ergo nobody really cared about this match.

[The best thing about R-Truth matches is making fun of his “What’s Up?!?” song. We would randomly rap to the waiters in the suite, “People getting plates, what’s up?!? When you’re clearing our cups, you say what’s up? What’s up?!? What’s up?!?” You can use this stupid song in countless situations.]

CM Punk vs. John Cena vs. The Big Show: The right guy won the match. Cena has gotten to the point where he doesn’t need belts to get over. It would be terrible if Show had the strap. Punk benefits from having the belt way more than the other two. Some dirt sheets are hating on this match, but I thought it was well done. All three did a great job at playing up the “Triple Threat” angle. What really impressed me was that Show worked the entire match. Most triple threats have one wrestler getting tossed out of the ring for a rest period, changing the action to one-on-one for a bit. Cena and Punk had their rest periods. Show — clearly the wrestler with the worst cardio out of the three — never got a chance to rest and did a great job for a long period of time. It’s not something most fans would notice or care about, but it made me respect Show more as a worker.

[Punk is the coverboy for WWE 13. It would have been…awkward if he lost during a THQ-sponsored weekend. During the press event for the game, there were gift bags with either Sheamus or Cena stuffed toys. All the cool kids took the Sheamus bags…because Cena sucks.]

Brock Lesnar vs. Triple H: The dirt sheets are also hating on this match, but it was very good live. It felt intense (until the end) and the storytelling was good. Lesnar kept working Hunter’s arm, while Triple H kept attacking Lesnar’s midsection (remember, he had diverticulitis). I liked this match…except for the placement. The WWE Championship match should have closed the show. The crowd would have went home happy with Punk’s win. Instead, Triple H’s ego demanded that he was the last thing the crowd saw. It was just strange and awkward to have Hunter apologizing while the crowd chanted, “You tapped out!” He also looks like a dweeb for getting his arm broken twice in one year by Lesnar. As for Brock, it was important for him to get the win. Losing to Cena really cut into his “monster” persona. If the Fruity Pebbles guy can beat a supposed MMA badass…it just looks bad.

[Jose made me spit out my drink when Triple H approached a little boy in the audience to say he was sorry. In a gruff Hunter voice, Jose said, “I’m sorry for tapping out little boy.” The Maker’s Mark shot out of my mouth. The match also had plenty of, “Kick him in the intestine!” and, “Punch him in the colon!” chants from Jose and me when Hunter was on offense.]

Anyway, those are my random thoughts on SummerSlam 2012. Let me know what you thought of the results and the show when you have a chance (please)!

Scooby-Doo Teams Up With WWE Superstars and Divas

RPadholic N8R sent me this link about a Scooby-Doo animated special featuring WWE Superstars and Divas. No, it won’t be a wrestling card featuring matches like Fred vs. Alberto Del Rio, Scrappy-Doo vs. Hornswaggle, or a bikini battle royal that pits Daphne & Velma vs. Beth Phoenix & Eve. Instead, it’s the tried-and-true formula that has worked for hundreds of Scooby-Doo episodes in the past. Here are the details:

WWE Superstars and Divas including Triple H, John Cena, Kane, The Miz, Brodus Clay, Santino Marella, Sin Cara and AJ Lee will appear in animated form and lend their voices to the project. WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon will also lend his voice and appear in animated form.

When Shaggy and Scooby win tickets to WrestleMania, the entire gang travels in the Mystery Machine to WWE City to attend the epic event. However, when a mysterious ghostly bear appears and threatens to ruin the show, Scooby, Shaggy, Velma, Daphne and Fred work with WWE Superstars to solve the case.

I’m guessing it’s Old Man Smithers that’s trying to ruin WrestleMania…or possibly Eric Bischoff.

As a mark for WWE and Scooby-Doo, I’m totally down for this teamup. How about you?

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