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WrestleQuest Review With Special Guest Ray Carsillo

Former EGM editor, excellent friend, and fellow pro-wrestling smark Ray Carsillo was my guest for this episode of RPadTV 3000. This time around, Ray joined me for a WrestleQuest review. This game is the latest from the fine folks at Mega Cat Studios. Some of you might have played Mega Cat’s Coffee Crisis, which is a retro beat-’em-up that’s reminiscent of Double Dragon. The studio’s latest game is an old-school turn-based RPG infused with pro-wrestling awesomeness.

On paper, Ray and I should have loved this game. We both love classic RPGs and we both love pro-wrestling. However, as you know, videogames are not played on paper. They’re played on your television. In the WrestleQuest review above, Ray and I talk about how numerous pacing issues and even more bugs combined to turn a game that we should have loved into one that we merely liked.

Before we started the WrestleQuest review, Ray and I caught up on other news in the world of pro-wrestling. All Elite Wrestling’s historic PPV event, AEW All In from Wembley Stadium, was a great success. Unfortunately, it has been overshadowed by a backstage altercation between CM Punk and the man formerly known as Jungle Boy, Jack Perry.

RPadTV 3000 Episode 15: Ray Carsillo | Geeks | Sports | Bianca Belair | Summer Games Fest

Former Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM) editor Ray Carsillo and I hit it off the second we met. We’re both East Coasters, named Ray, pro-wrestling fans, NY Yankees fans, comics nerds, and videogame nerds. How could we not get along?!?

One of Ray Carsillo’s more recent projects is the Geeks Who Like Sports podcast. It’s a very cool show that mixes sports and videogame fandom. Ray is a very smart and opinionated guy, so it’s great hearing his takes. His co-host, Lee Elias, is also a loud East Cost dude, so things can boisterously entertaining on Geeks Who Like Sports.

With so many nerdy hobbies in common, it was great catching up with Ray Carsillo. Some of the things we spoke about in the video above include:

RPadTV 3000 Episode 10: Austin Aries

It was excellent catching up with my friend, pro-wrestler, and greatest man that ever lived, Austin Aries. He’s one of those guys that makes you go, “Damn. We’ve known each other way longer than I thought!” One of my goals with RPadTV 3000 is to introduce you guys and gals to some cool people and I absolutely did that with this conversation. I love that the podcast had very little to do with pro-wrestling and gave you some insight into the man behind the gimmick.

Some of the topics Austin Aries and I chatted about in RPadTV 3000 episode 10 included:

RPadTV 3000 Episode 6: John Foster and Jon Robinson

John Foster was a longtime PR executive for Bender Helper Impact, one of the most respect agencies in the business. He started as an account executive and finished his career at Bender as vice president. He moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in writing, but got sidetracked by the wonderful and wacky world of videogames.

Jon Robinson was a longtime editor for numerous videogame publications. Many GamePro fans know him as “Jonny Ballgame,” while many IGN fans know him as the editor for IGN Sports.

Both of these guys have become award-winning authors.

2022 WWE Royal Rumble Review

The dashing Jose “Fubar” Sanchez from Electric Playground joined me on RPadTV 3000 to talk about the 2022 WWE Royal Rumble. This year’s edition was a bit strange. People love the Royal Rumble for the surprise entrants, but WWE revealed many of the “surprises” beforehand. Additionally, the dirt sheets did a great job of revealing the returning talent, so many hardcore fans weren’t surprised at all.

Internet fans seem to be down on the 2022 WWE Royal Rumble, calling it predictable and boring. Personally, I didn’t think it was as bad as many people on Twitter have said. I enjoyed five of the six matches. That said, it certainly wasn’t as good as recent Royal Rumbles and there were certain “Superstars” that should never be in a WWE ring again (Shane McMahon, Brie Bella, Nikki Bella, etc.).

For people that just want the results, here you go:

RPadTV 3000 Episode 2: Jose “Don Fubar” Sanchez and Joey Abitia

Jose “Don Fubar” Sanchez, Joey Abitia, and I have been lucky enough to attend numerous pro-wrestling events, including several WrestleMania and Summer Slam shows. All three of us are lifelong wrestling fans and were thrilled to attend so many amazing wrestling events. With zero exaggeration I can say that I’ve had some of the best times of my life with these two gentlemen.

Millions of people know Fubar from the Electric Playground — the longest running show about videogames. He’s parlayed his following from Electric Playground into a successful (and hilarious!) Twitch stream. I’m normally not a fan of gameplay streams, but Fubar’s is supremely entertaining and I watch him play several times a week. You should too!

Joey recently launched a YouTube show called Infinite G. It started as a way for Joey’s son, Gio, to stream his Fortnite gameplay, but transformed into something more. It’s a really precious father/son show that’s surprisingly honest. You get to see the love and challenges of single father raising a son during a crazy time. Naturally, there’s a ton of pro-wrestling and videogame content in each episode.

In addition to talking about the Don Fubar Twitch and Infinite G, the three of us discuss:

Totally Excited for Young Rock

Young Rock makes its debut on February 16 on NBC. The show revolves around a flashforward and three separate flashbacks on the life of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. In the flashforward, Johnson is running for President of the United States in the year 2032. The three flashbacks cover his life in Hawaii as a young boy, his high school years in Nashville, Tennessee, and his college life at the University of Miami.

As a mark for 80s pro-wrestling, the trailer has me amped for the show. Before I ever heard of The Rock, I was a fan of his father — “Soul Man” Rocky Johnson. The trailer features Rocky Johnson, as well as other pro-wrestling legends of the 80s, including Andre the Giant, the Iron Sheikh, Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat, “Macho Man” Randy Savage, The Wild Samoans, and Junkyard Dog. Seeing TV adaptations of these legends is simply awesome. Check them out in the Young Rock trailer below.

The WWE Network/Peacock Partnership is Great for WWE, Peacock, and Me

World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and NBCUniversal have announced an exclusive U.S. partnership for WWE Network and Peacock. The two companies have already collaborated with a limited amount of content on the Peacock streaming service. This deal — rumored to be $1-billion over five years — greatly expands on the partnership. For U.S. customers, WWE Network becomes a new part of the Peacock streaming service starting March 18, 2021.

At a glance, the deal seems like a huge win for everyone involved. I’m excited by the potential of the partnership for both WWE Network and Peacock. As a self-absorbed writer, I’m also excited for what it means for me. Using the immortal words of the Degeneration-X theme song, read on as I “break it down!”

How Do You Feel About WWE During COVID-19?

As much as I enjoy WWE programming, I feel guilty about watching new shows while the coronavirus is running wilder than Hulk Hogan ever did. All major sports leagues in the world have temporarily ceased operations, but the first name in sports entertainment soldiers on. More than ever, watching WWE has become a guilty pleasure.

It’s a good time to be introspective and ask myself — and you — the following question: How do you feel about WWE during COVID-19?

New Day Rocks WrestleMania 33 With Final Fantasy

WWE faction The New Day rocked WrestleMania 33 with an assist from the legendary Final Fantasy videogame series. Serving as the hosts for WWE’s biggest event of the year, the team came out dressed as characters from Final Fantasy’s job system. Xavier Woods was dressed as a monk, Big E was decked out like a samurai, and Kofi Kingston made for a dashing red mage. The team even had a pushcart (filled with New Day ice cream, naturally) adorned with chocobos and moogles. Check out the clip below to see New Day’s spectacular WrestleMania 33 entrance.

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