Category: TV

Jeff Hardy Continues to Murder His Career

Alleged drug trafficker and TNA wrestler Jeff Hardy continues to squander his talent by making stupid decisions. Already due in court for charges of drug trafficking, Hardy’s match with Sting at the Victory Road pay-per-view lasted mere seconds. Apparently Hardy was in no condition to perform. According to ProWrestling.net:

Sting and Hardy locked up. Sting punched Hardy twice, grabbed him by the hair, and then performed the Scorpion Death Drop. Sting covered Hardy and scored the clean pin to end the match. Afterward, Sting appeared to respond to fan calls of “bullshit” by saying “I agree” as he stood on the stage.

It’s kind of sad watching Hardy self destruct. He’s tremendously talented and TNA has given him a lot of rope…but he seems intent on hanging himself with it. Time and time again, he continues to embarrass himself and TNA. Apparently in TNA you’re allowed like eight strikes before you’re out.

Any thoughts on “The Drug Trafficker” (as I like to call him)?

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Orapa = Internet TV on Xbox 360?

It looks like Microsoft is getting closer to launching an Internet television service for Xbox 360. ZDNet’s Mary Jo Foley received some details on the company’s “Orapa” IPTV service, which will hit Xbox 360, Windows PCs, and Windows Phone 7. Here’s the skinny:

Orapa, in development now, is going to be a combination of Xbox Live and Microsoft’s Mediaroom IPTV, from what I’m hearing. It would give Microsoft a way to turn TV into a service that it could deliver to Xbox customers first, and Windows, Windows Phone and set-top-box customers, later.

Orapa will enable the mash-up of Mediaroom features, Xbox Live social features (like avatars and recommendations), Kinect sensing capabilities, and some of those forthcoming Ventura music/video services. Remember the circa-2007 rumors about Microsoft “Carbon,” an add-on for Xbox that was supposedly going to add IPTV video playback? Orapa seems to be the successor to that initiative, my sources say.

I’m so excited by the prospect of “cutting the cord” from (crap bag) Time Warner Cable. Right now Apple TV is the most interesting option, with its recently announced live HD streaming of NBA and MLB games in addition to a large selection of movies and TV shows. That said, I see a ton of potential with Orapa, simply because I’m confident that Microsoft will throw an obscene amount of money behind it (see Zune, Kinect, etc.).

My dream is for a console that lets me stream live HD of WWE programming, HBO boxing, Yankees games, and American Idol. Is that too much to ask?!?

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I Love the WWE Legal System

Michael Cole was set to have JBL as his special guest referee at WrestleMania XXVII…but “Stone Cold” Steve Austin had other plans. As JBL was about to sign his referee contract, Austin hit the ring, landed a stunner on JBL, spilled beer all over the place, signed the contract, landed another stunner, and spilled some more beer.

I love how WWE contracts work. I remember when Chris Benoit was about to sign a WrestleMania title match against Triple H. Shawn Michaels hit the ring, gave Benoit a superkick, and signed the contract to face Hunter. It’s a plot device that has been used over and over again. It makes absolutely no sense, but people buy it. It’s awesome and I love it.

Now let me get back to my master plan of crashing Albert Pujol’s next contract signing. I’m going to lay him out with a baseball bat and sign a multi-year contract that’s worth more than $100-million. It’ll be legit by WWE logic.

Mistico Will Wrestle as “Sin Cara” in WWE

At a press conference in Mexico City, WWE announced that former CMLL star Mistico will perform for the company as Sin Cara. For those of you not familiar with Mistico, he’s been the lead face in CMLL for the last six years and one of the biggest draws (of any kind) in all of Mexico.

Time will tell if Sin Cara can make the transition from luch libre to the WWE television style, but the signing will surely nab viewers in Mexico and other countries where CMLL is popular. The WWE has been aggressively pursuing viewers in Central America and Latin America for the last few years. Signing the biggest face in CMLL will go a long way in those markets.

Check out the clip of Mistico embedded above and let me know what you think (please). I absolutely love his tilt-a-whirl head-scissors take-down that transitions into an arm-bar submission. It’s a nice, modern twist on a classic move.

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Undertaker and Triple H Return, Will Meet at WrestleMania

Here’s a video of The Undertaker’s (expected) return, as well as Triple H’s (surprise) return. It looks like they’ll be facing off at WretleMania XXVII. As I mentioned to RPadholic RROD, Taker’s pop wasn’t huge because most people knew it was him featured in the teaser videos for 2/21/11. Hunter got a bigger pop since that surprised most fans. In addition to the Triple H surprise, I love how the two of them told a story without words.

‘Taker will be trying to extend his WrestleMania undefeated streak. Hunter can be the face by trying at avenge Shawn Michaels’ loss to The Undertaker at last year’s WrestleMania. He could also go heel and try to prove he’s better than Shawn — while pissing on HBK’s hall of fame induction on WrestleMania weekend — by ending The Undertaker’s streak. Either way, I see The Undertaker adding another notch.

Please let me know what you think of the setup and share your prediction for the angle/match.

Free Streaming Video on Amazon Prime is a Go!

The rumors were true! Amazon has kicked off unlimited streaming of movies and TV shows for its Amazon Prime customers. In addition to free two-day shipping and $3.99 next-day shipping on goods shipped and sold by Amazon, Prime customers now have access to “5,000 movies and TV programs”.

I strongly encourage you to consider Amazon Prime. I’ve been a customer since launch and love the service. You get great shipping rates and a decent library of videos to stream…and any purchases you make through this site help keep it going a bit longer. Honestly and selfishly, I think it’s a great value at $79. Plus, it’s cool to get free two-day shipping on really heavy items.

Today’s Poll: Who is the Best Pro-Wrestler of All Time?

During Chris Jericho’s promotional tour for his book Undisputed How to Become the World Champion in 1,372 Easy Steps, he told numerous reporters that he considers Shawn Michaels the best wrestler of all time. Let’s have some fun with today’s poll and debate the point. While I’m a huge HBK mark, I don’t consider him the greatest of all time. That designation goes to…

…”The Nature Boy” Ric Flair. It’s a close argument and I can see both sides. Michaels had a greater aerial arsenal than Flair, but Ric was better at mat wrestling. Both were capable of carrying scrubs to great matches. There are two things that put Flair ahead of Michaels in my book. First, Flair was extremely effective as a heel and a face. Michaels was much better at being a face than a heel. Flair is one of the greatest talkers of all time. While Michaels cut some great promos, I don’t think he’s in the same league as Flair on the mic.

Not it’s your turn! Kindly vote and discuss when you have a moment.

[poll id=”102″]

Coffee Talk #304: Your ’80s Cartoon Dream Game

With THQ set to release a Voltron videogame, it seems like every beloved cartoon from the ’80s has made its way to the realm of interactive entertainment. Are there any ’80s cartoons that you adored that haven’t made their way to a videogame console?

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, Joba Chamberlain becoming Joba the Hutt, if Nokia is destined to be just another handset maker, or if this is Albert Pujols last year as a Cardinal, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

With THQ set to release a Voltron videogame, it seems like every beloved cartoon from the ’80s has made its way to the realm of interactive entertainment. Are there any ’80s cartoons that you adored that haven’t made their way to a videogame console? Perhaps there’s an ’80s franchise that has mostly sucked in gaming and you’d love to see it get one more chance.

As for me, I’d love for Robotech to get another shot — specifically The New Generation. I was absolutely mesmerized by the third Robotech war as a kid and think it would make a brilliant game. I see the diverse action of the cartoon recreated in a diverse game; there would be third-person shooter action with guns, motorcyle levels with cyclones, and aerial missions with veritechs. A combination of awesome vehicles, diverse action, and Ulpio Minucci’s brilliant soundtrack would be a dream come true for me.

Now it’s your turn. What’s your ’80s cartoon dream game like?

Finally…RPad Has Posted The Rock’s WWE Promo!!!

Here’s Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s fantastic promo from last night’s episode of Monday Night Raw. It’s just brilliant stuff on multiple levels. He’s simply amazing on the mic, but it’s cool to see that he’s genuinely having fun and truly touched by the amazing crowd response. (When was the last time you heard a crowd pop like that, btw?)

Now for the downer — some of the best parts of the promo have been edited out. That’s like abridging Shakespeare. Why?!?