Trophies In Pro Wrestling

In professional wrestling, championship belts are the benchmark for success. Those who wear fifteen pounds of gold and leather around their waist are either considered the best in the world, or at worst, the top two out of three.

Trophies in wrestling also award athletic achievement and recognize merit of a particular accomplishment such as winning a battle royal or tournament. Declaring an honor such as “best wrestling match” or “coolest finishing maneuver” also earns with the winning nominee a trophy.

In 2013, Prince Devitt (Finn Balor) won the Best of the Super Juniors tournament for the second time. BOSJ is held annually by New Japan Pro Wrestling and is a round robin style tournament featuring 18 wrestlers divided into two blocks. Devitt defeated Alex Shelly in the finals to take home the trophy deeming him the best junior heavyweight in the world.

My latest article at What Culture.com reviews some of the trophies in professional wrestling that either played an important part in a particular match or a wrestlers career. Click here to check out 10 Wrestling Trophies You Need To Know About.

Star Wars #1 Review

I was barely five years old when my father came home with a VHS tape that said Star Wars on the cover.

This unfamiliar title sparked a resounding sense of curiosity because there was no explanation or synopsis as to what I about to witness or how it would change my life.

Five minutes before my bedtime, I was told to sit down, stare at the TV, press play and prepare to be transported into a galaxy far, far away. Continue reading “Star Wars #1 Review” →

Somebody Get Me A Condominium On The Moon: Randy Savage Makes The Hall Of Fame

After all this time, it’s finally official. Macho Man Randy Savage will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame the night before WrestleMania 31. Regardless of what anyone thinks of the HOF’s legitimacy, Savage’s induction is long past due.

To me, Randy Savage will always represent the moment professional wrestling became a lifelong passion of mine. While channel surfing on a hot summer night in 1988, I stumbled upon a Mega Powers promo and was immediately drawn in as they vowed to bankrupt the Mega Bucks at Summer Slam 88.

Continue reading “Somebody Get Me A Condominium On The Moon: Randy Savage Makes The Hall Of Fame” →

Ant-Man #1 Review

Marvel timed the release of this book perfectly as the teaser trailer for this summer’s Ant-Man film recently debuted. More people are talking about the micro-hero than ever before. Hank Pym is the predecessor of this insect mantel, but this new generation will predominately associate the name Scott Lang with the character. Continue reading “Ant-Man #1 Review” →

A Wrestle-less Christmas

Hello everyone. I hope you all had a safe and happy holiday season and I hope that continues as we enter the New Year. Christmas has come and gone and it took me a few days to realize this, but I didn’t receive a single wrestling related gift.

Let me explain.

In my circles, I’m known as the wrestling guy and when in doubt during any gift giving time of year, someone gets me a wrestling gift. I’m not nearly the collector I was in my younger years. My wife and I had a very relaxing Christmas but still, not a single WWF/WWE labeled item in my stocking or under my tree.

Maybe it’s some weird sign that I’ve finally grown up?

Nah!

Continue reading “A Wrestle-less Christmas” →

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Movie Review: A Fun Experience

I watched the newest Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie, and I was thoroughly entertained from beginning to end. The 9-year-old me who saw the original 1990 film on opening weekend would have had his mind blown by this silver screen incarnation of turtle power.

Most believed this movie was doomed to fail when Michael Bay’s name was attached to the project. In fact, his name was mentioned so often that people thought he was the director when he was only a producer. Directing duties went to Jonathan Liebesman.

Continue reading →

Secret Six #1 Review

One of the disappointing causalities of DC Comics New 52 was the Secret Six series. Once again, the talented Gail Simone is at the helm of this clandestine awakening. Continue reading “Secret Six #1 Review” →

UFC 181: Thank You

UFC 181 - Hendricks v Lawler — Past and Present Welterweight Kings

I almost hate admitting this, but I have been bored with MMA as of late. The UFC’s overwhelming slate of shows has given me little cause for excitement. While I understand their business strategy is to create new stars, appealing content extends beyond merely two people fighting in a cage.

We’ve been spoiled for so long with a plethora of intriguing personalities. Gladiators like Royce Gracie, Ken Shamrock, Dan Severn, and Tank Abbott introduced us to this combative spectacle. At the same time, warriors such as Chuck Liddell, Randy Couture, BJ Penn, and Matt Hughes ushered in the sports boom period.

The new generation of fighters have evolved quite nicely, but besides Ronda Rousey, no one else has mass appeal. People want to like Jon Jones, but his Ill-mannered and disingenuous personality is a turnoff. Cain Velasquez, Demetrious Johnson, and Chris Weidman seem like the type of athletes you’d want your kids to look up to. Unfortunately, they lack that larger-than-life persona.

UFC 181 rejuvenated my excitement for Mixed Martial Arts. The event had everything you could ask for and then some, and I wrote a column about it at What Culture.com titled 5 Things We Learned From UFC 181.

WCW Had Some Issues

wcw11

Remember when WCW was the top wrestling promotion in the world? It’s sad that they are out of business because WWE no longer has competition to push them to create quality content on a consistent basis.

For every great idea WCW had, they had one that was equally as bad. On top of that, their lack of continuity at times was down right insulting to the audience.

My my newest column at What Culture.com highlights about some of the company’s creative missteps. Make sure you check out 10 Incredible WCW Storylines That Never Got Resolved

Thoughts On CM Punk Signing With UFC

This past Saturday at UFC 181 in Las Vegas, it was announced that former WWE Superstar CM Punk has signed to fight in UFC and will make his Octagon debut sometime in 2015.

Punk was interviewed at cage side by Joe Rogan and said he is done with professional wrestling and that MMA is his full-time career now because it’s now or never for him.

Punk said that the weight class he will fight at is up in the air, but he is looking at middleweight (185 lbs), but welterweight (170 lbs) is a possibility. He also said that he will not fight at light heavyweight (205 lbs)

When asked who he was going to train with, Punk said he didn’t want to tip his hat just yet and that he is making inquires with a few camps. Continue reading “Thoughts On CM Punk Signing With UFC” →