Category: WWE

Brock Lesnar Blames Canada, Speaks Out Against Obamacare

Former WWE Superstar and current UFC fighter Brock Lesnar had some choice words for Canada after dealing with a life-threatening illness. During an interview with ESPN, “The Next Big Thing” took a shot at Canadian health care and the health-care reform efforts in America:

I went to the hospital in Canada, realized quickly that I had to get out of Canadian health care and get back to Bismarck in the United States.

It was like I was in a third-world country, I just looked at my wife and she saved my life and I had to get out of there. The only reason I’m mentioning this, I’m mentioning it to the United States of America because President Obama is looking for health-care reform and I don’t want it. I’m speaking on behalf of Americans. I’m speaking on behalf of our doctors in the United States that don’t want this to happen and neither do I.

It should be noted that Lesnar was comparing a presumably tiny hospital in rural Canada to The Mayo Clinic. The comparison is a bit…silly, but if he wants to use that to form his opinion on health-care reform…well, he’s a big guy and I’m not going to him that he’s being stupid.

Confession: I Want to See Tooth Fairy

I probably shouldn’t admit this, but I want to see Tooth Fairy starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. As a wrestling fan, I feel it’s my duty to support his movie career. Supporting The Rock’s movie career will help other sports entertainers be accepted as…uh…entertainer entertainers. Plus, he’s just good in that macho-man-becomes-sensitive-guy role (see The Game Plan).

Plus, the movie has Julie Andrews! I forget that this woman is alive and still bringing it. She was brilliant in The Sound of Music. It’s amazing that she’s entertaining a whole new generation of moviegoers more than 40 years later with excellent movies like Enchanted and Shrek 2. She deserves a Nobel prize for four decades of awesomness (I think they give one out for that, no?).

So there’s my confession. Any chance any of you are interested in the movie?

TNA vs. WWE: The Monday Night Wars Return!!!

Okay, that’s a bit of an exaggeration. There’s no chance (no chance in hell) that TNA is going to beat out WWE in Nielsen ratings tonights. The war is for one night only (for now), but pro-wrestling hasn’t had this kind of excitement since WCW went under. For better and for worse, it all stems from Hulk Hogan signing with TNA. Just look at some of things that will go down tonight:

– The Outsiders will reunite on TNA Impact. Scott Hall and Sean Waltman are reuniting with Kevin Nash to reform one of the most dominant factions the business has ever known. For years, fans ate up The Outsiders/Wolfpack/NWO. It’ll be huge for (at least) one night.

– Bret “The Hitman” Hart will return to WWE for what should be the start of a three-month angle. From what I understand, Hart signed a contract the runs until WrestleMania. Whether he’s used to feud against Vince McMahon or Sean Michaels (or both!), this is tremendous. As an HBK mark, I’m anti-Bret, but there’s no denying that this is a pretty big deal. Too bad Goldberg’s lack of wrestling skills ruined The Hitman.

– Along with Hulk Hogan taking up a bunch of time on TNA, there are rumors that he’ll be joined by Ric Flair, Jeff Hardy, Rob Van Dam, Ken Anderson (Mr. Kennedy), The Nasty Boys, Shannon Moore, and more. I’m surprised TNA didn’t do a better job hyping some of these “surprise guests”. Perhaps some of the deals went down to the wire, but the company needs all the juice it can get going into tonight.

– Rumored guests for Monday Night Raw include The Rock (he has that Tooth Fairy movie, after all) and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. Imagine Hart, The Rock, and Austin being on the same show again? That would rule!!!

The bottom line is the competition is good for both companies. Everyone will be bringing their A-game tonight, which will be brilliant for wrestling fans. I’m definitely sticking with Raw, but I’ll surely flip back and forth a few times. Stuff like this is what DVRs were made for.

What show are you most excited for tonight? TNA Impact? Or WWE Monday Night Raw?

Coffee Talk #51: Horrendous Moments in Professional 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, the sudden death of Brittany Murphy, how the NFL playoff picture is shaping up, or the U.S. government’s healthcare reform efforts, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

In Coffee Talk #45, Iceman asked for a column dedicated to the worst moments in professional wrestling. Here it is! As much as I love the “sport”, it has served up so many ridiculous storylines and scenarios, some of which made me question why I was a fun. At the end of the day, I’ll always love the violent soap opera that is professional wrestling, but I can’t forget its stupidity. Here are two moments that made me go, “WTF?!?”

Sid Vicious and Vader Send a Midget to Blow Up Sting’s Boat

Every now and then, I have to watch this old WCW video to remember that this actually happened. While Davey Boy Smith and Sting played volleyball on the beach, the heels employed a short person to blow up Sting’s boat. Forget the overacting by the heels or the unintentionally gay beach-volleyball scene — some WCW writer thought the heels would get heat by sending a little person to blow up Sting’s boat! It’s especially sad that the legendary Harley Race was used in this nonsense.

Robocop Saves Sting From the Four Horsemen

WCW had a number of lame celebrity angles over the years — Jason Hervey, Jay Leno, David Arquette, Dennis Rodman, Kevin Green, Karl Malone, etc. The worst of the bunch involved Robocop. Sure, this angle took place when pro-wrestling wasn’t up front about being staged, but what kind of moron would believe that a fictitious movie character would come to the aid of Sting? On the plus side, major professionalism points have to be awarded to Arn Anderson, Ole Anderson, and Sid Vicious for pretending to be scared of Robocop and not bursting out in laughter.

Bonus: Shawn Michaels Oversells Hulk Hogan

Okay, this isn’t one of wrestling’s worst moments, but I love watching this clip and I wanted to share with you. Shawn Michaels bent over backwards to get Hulk Hogan over in this angle, even going as far as to turn heel. HBK was originally booked to win this match, but Hogan exerted creative control and put himself over. Annoyed that he gave up so much only to become a jobber, Michaels totally oversold Hogan’s offense in this match. It’s frickin’ hilarious. Not only did he make Hogan look silly, he also buried him on the mic on the following Raw. Hogan deserved it for being a prick.

What are some of your “worst moments in wrestling”? Please list them in the comments and let everyone know the reasoning behind your picks. I can’t wait to read your comments for this story!!!

Coffee Talk #51: Horrendous Moments in Professional 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, the sudden death of Brittany Murphy, how the NFL playoff picture is shaping up, or the U.S. government’s healthcare reform efforts, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

In Coffee Talk #45, Iceman asked for a column dedicated to the worst moments in professional wrestling. Here it is! As much as I love the “sport”, it has served up so many ridiculous storylines and scenarios, some of which made me question why I was a fun. At the end of the day, I’ll always love the violent soap opera that is professional wrestling, but I can’t forget its stupidity. Here are two moments that made me go, “WTF?!?”

Sid Vicious and Vader Send a Midget to Blow Up Sting’s Boat

Every now and then, I have to watch this old WCW video to remember that this actually happened. While Davey Boy Smith and Sting played volleyball on the beach, the heels employed a short person to blow up Sting’s boat. Forget the overacting by the heels or the unintentionally gay beach-volleyball scene — some WCW writer thought the heels would get heat by sending a little person to blow up Sting’s boat! It’s especially sad that the legendary Harley Race was used in this nonsense.

Robocop Saves Sting From the Four Horsemen

WCW had a number of lame celebrity angles over the years — Jason Hervey, Jay Leno, David Arquette, Dennis Rodman, Kevin Green, Karl Malone, etc. The worst of the bunch involved Robocop. Sure, this angle took place when pro-wrestling wasn’t up front about being staged, but what kind of moron would believe that a fictitious movie character would come to the aid of Sting? On the plus side, major professionalism points have to be awarded to Arn Anderson, Ole Anderson, and Sid Vicious for pretending to be scared of Robocop and not bursting out in laughter.

Bonus: Shawn Michaels Oversells Hulk Hogan

Okay, this isn’t one of wrestling’s worst moments, but I love watching this clip and I wanted to share with you. Shawn Michaels bent over backwards to get Hulk Hogan over in this angle, even going as far as to turn heel. HBK was originally booked to win this match, but Hogan exerted creative control and put himself over. Annoyed that he gave up so much only to become a jobber, Michaels totally oversold Hogan’s offense in this match. It’s frickin’ hilarious. Not only did he make Hogan look silly, he also buried him on the mic on the following Raw. Hogan deserved it for being a prick.

What are some of your “worst moments in wrestling”? Please list them in the comments and let everyone know the reasoning behind your picks. I can’t wait to read your comments for this story!!!

Healthcare Bill Includes Tanning Salon Tax (That Will Add to WWE Superstars’ Expenses)

One interesting inclusion in the recently passed healthcare bill is a tax on indoor tanning salons. As some of you know, most WWE talent uses tanning salons so that they don’t look pasty on HDTV (current WWE Champion Sheamus is the exception, of course).

While taxing indoor tanning salons seems stupid and trivial, it will impact the lives of most WWE talent. Remember, these guys and gals are all independent contractors and they have to cover their own expenses. The tax increase will lead to higher prices at the salons, which will lead to higher expenses for WWE Superstars and Divas.

What’s the point of this post? Well, aside from pointing out an absurdity in the healthcare bill, I just wanted to post a photo of Sheamus. His whiteness is…dazzling.

Source

Chris Jericho on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon

Here’s a clip of Chris Jericho — the best in the world at what he does — on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. Jericho plugged WWE’s Tribute to the Troops event and had the good taste to make a Saved by the Bell joke. Check it out!

A photo of Jericho as The Phoenix is shown. I’ve never seen that guise before…it’s just…look for it, trust me. He also admits that the band Nelson inspired his early look. Wow.

Coffee Talk #48: Favorite Games of 2009 #3 SmackDown vs. Raw 2010

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, the Seattle Mariners making out like bandits in the big MLB trade, Boeing finally getting the 787 Dreamliner off the ground, or Freddie Roach calling out Roger Mayweather, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

As I mentioned last week, I’ll be counting down my five favorite games of 2009 in this week’s Coffee Talk columns and I’d love for you to join me! Let me know what your favorite games of the year were in the comments section. Remember, this isn’t about what games you thought were “best”. I want to know what you had the most fun with in 2009.

Smackdown vs Raw 2010 c

#3 WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2010 — I love videogames and I love WWE, so it’s no surprise that I love THQ’s WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2010 series. This year’s game was very special to me since it contained my first pieces of writing on that side of the business. The award-winning scripts of the Shawn Michaels and Mickie James storylines aside, it’s just a great game. In addition to the variety of matches and careers it offers, 2010 ups the ante on the creative side. WWE fans have been able to create wrestlers and moves in the past, but this year storylines can be created and content can be shared online. It’s cool stuff.

Sure, I joke about the game being nominated for the best videogame writing in the history of man, but I love playing it. Getting to beat up Randy Orton with dozens of WWE Superstars — whether they’re real or imagined or downloaded — never gets old.

WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2010 Community Contests Start Today

Smackdown vs Raw 2010 slider

THQ has announced details on the first community contest in a ten-week series for its game WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2010 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. (You might know it as the videogame with the best writing in the history of videogames.) The company is challenging its customers to create the ultimate WWE Superstar and/or Diva. Here’s a snippet from the press release:

The first community contest begins today, encouraging site members to use the game’s Create-a-Superstar Mode to construct and name their ultimate Superstars and Divas. Consumers will also submit brief written descriptions to further tell the stories behind their creations. All entries will be received via PlayStation Network for the PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system and Xbox Live Marketplace for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft. The entries will be judged on character design, character name and the written description. The winner will receive his or her choice of a WWE sweatshirt and WWE t-shirt from www.wweshop.com (subject to availability).

As a videogame lover and WWE fan, I encourage all of you to participate in these contests. If you happen to win with an original Superstar based on me, I’ll get you something special. The storyline can start off with something like this, “Cast off from the place he called home due to dubious circumstances, a lonely Superstar goes back to his roots to fight the battles he loves, the only way he knows how.” Ha!

Signs Point to Ric Flair Signing with TNA…and it Makes Me Sad

Ric Flair and Shawn Michaels

I just watched Ric Flair’s “retirement” match with Shawn Michaels from WrestleMania 24. It wasn’t the most technically impressive match I’ve ever seen, but in terms of storytelling and playing with the crowd’s emotions, few can top it. More importantly, it was the perfect send-off to Flair’s wrestling career in North America. With rumors swirling that Flair will sign with TNA for a series of matches with Hulk Hogan, I’m totally bummed that “The Nature Boy” is even considering ruining his storybook ending.

Don’t get me wrong. It’s absolutely Flair’s right to make a living any way he sees fit, but he’s not “The Nature Boy” anymore. He hasn’t been for a long, long time. Although I haven’t followed all of his career, I’ve watched a great deal of it. From the NWA to WCW to WWF to WWE, I have no doubt that Flair is the best wrestler of all time. His matches with Harley Race, Kerry Von Erich, Sting, and (especially) Ricky Steamboat were brilliant. He was also able to carry limited wrestlers (Lex Luger) to excellent matches. In the ring and on the mic, nobody was better than Flair and I can’t imagine anyone topping him.

It makes me sad that there’s a whole generation of WWE fans that know Flair as this old guy with a fake tan and loose skin. They see him as this guy that hits his opponents in the balls and pokes their eyes. If Flair works for TNA, there are going to be even more fans that will see this watered-down version of Naitch.

When Yankee great Joe DiMaggio retired in 1951, his brother Tom said, “He quit because he couldn’t be Joe DiMaggio anymore.” Flair can’t be “The Nature Boy” anymore and I wish he’d take a cue from the Fuel song WWE used for his retirement run: “Leave the Memories Alone”.