WWE Superstars #9 Review: Legend vs. Legend

There is a rumor going around that at next year’s WrestleMania, John Cena, age 37, will square off with a 61-year-old Hulk Hogan. The predetermined nature of professional wrestling allows for certain dream matches to occur that otherwise wouldn’t happen in Boxing or Mixed Martial Arts.

However, what if this match and others could happen when both men were in their prime? Mick Foley and Shane Riches give us a look, through a bizarre prism, of what that would look like. Wrestlers from different eras are being pulled into combat across a myriad of battle fields from the roman coliseum to the pirate ships of the seven seas. Continue reading “WWE Superstars #9 Review: Legend vs. Legend” →

Wrestling Game StArcade: WWF WrestleMania

It took me years to finally admit to myself that WWF’s first game for the Nintendo Entertainment System, WrestleMania, absolutely sucked. Deep down inside, I always knew it, but that didn’t stop me from playing it for hours on end. I mean, come on. You get to play as Hulk Hogan and Macho Man Randy Savage. What could go wrong? Well, quite a bit actually.

The most frustrating thing about this game for me was figuring out how to pin somebody. Every time I knocked my opponent down and drained his energy, I mashed the buttons at a feverish pace, hoping I would luck out and press the right combination. Thanks to this cool blog written by Alex Knapp over at The Johnson Transcript , I finally know how. (Hit the B button and the right D-pad)

The Johnson Transcript

by Alex Knapp

WWF WrestleMania
Year: 1988
System: Nintendo Entertainment System
Developer: Rare
Publisher: Acclaim

By the latter half of the 1980s, the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) was the unquestioned king of pro wrestling. Vince McMahon’s ambitious growth had seen the fed lay waste to the territorial promotions of old, neuter the AWA, and eventually defeat the one promotion that could compete with them nationally, Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP). The era of Hulkamania and the Rock ‘n’ Wrestling Connection was in full swing, wrestlers were appearing on MTV, and WrestleMania III had recently generated unbelievable attendance and buyrate numbers, as millions of paying fans witnessed Hulk Hogan slamming Andre The Giant (all 7,000 pounds of him, brother!).

A central component of the WWF’s success was its ability to ride the waves of the evolutions in media going on at the time. The developments of cable television and…

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Gone Girl Review

I didn’t know what to expect from David Fincher’s latest film, Gone Girl. Fincher is one of those directors whose projects gets an instant buzz because his name is attached to it. With Ben Affleck’s role as Batman on the horizon, anything he does will also garner a lot of attention. The book written by Gillian Flynn is immensely popular and was my wife’s bedside companion. Continue reading “Gone Girl Review” →

Rocket Raccoon #4 Review

I have been a junkie for Skottie Young variant covers over the past couple of years now. His work on the critically acclaimed The Wonderful Wizard of Oz series laid the ground work for his writing and drawing the Rocket Raccoon series which has been an excellent pairing thus far. Continue reading “Rocket Raccoon #4 Review” →

It’s Time For The IC Title To Rise

Most people that dream of a career in athletics or entertainment aspire to be a world champion or recognized by an academy of their peers as the best. I, on the other hand, had childhood ambitions of becoming the WWE Intercontinental Champion. Sounds kind of odd, right? Someone dreaming of being second best instead of number one is not normal. The thing is, I didn’t look at it that way.

Those who watch professional wrestling enjoy it for one or all of its different facets. I enjoy it for the matches more than anything and to me, the WWE title meant you were the biggest star while the IC title states that you were the best wrestler. That’s what I wanted to be, the best wrestler and tell great stories in the ring like Don Muraco, Ricky Steamboat, and Randy Savage.

Intercontinental title matches were one of, if not, the hottest match on the card. Summer Slam 1991 was a significant moment for me as a wrestling fan. Bret Hart upended Hulk Hogan as my favorite wrestler when he defeated Mr. Perfect for the title. Their match spoke to me in a way that I can barely put into words. It was epic, dramatic on its own accord, and was simply about being the best wrestler.

The IC title was highly regarded and held such prestige. Today, not so much. It’s an afterthought at best. So, I wrote about how WWE could fix that problem for my debut article at What Culture.com where I was invited to join them as a featured columnist. I’m very appreciative of this opportunity and can’t wait to get into the thick of things. Check out 5 Ways WWE Can Make The Intercontinental Title Relevant Again.

Raw is Rock But Not Solid: Thoughts on the WWE Product

WWE served up another episode of Monday Night Raw that spun its wheels before it was saved with a surprise appearance by The Rock. While the great one’s appearance is just what the doctor ordered, it also highlighted some of the glaring holes in the company’s current creative direction and talent roster. Continue reading “Raw is Rock But Not Solid: Thoughts on the WWE Product” →

Reflections of ElkMania 2

**Poster by Mark Marianelli of Six AM Comics**

This past Saturday night, I put my wrestling promoter’s hat on, again, for our second annual pro wrestling charity event, ElkMania 2. Last year’s show was a huge success as we raised $1400. 00 for the Elks National Foundation which funds youth programs, college scholarships, and veteran services. My colleagues and I put together a fantastic show with the goal of exceeding its predecessor in every way and we had a former WWE Superstar to help us out. Continue reading “Reflections of ElkMania 2” →

All New X-Men #32 Guest Starring Miles Morales

The displaced X-Men have found themselves displaced even farther forward in time and have landed into the Ultimate Universe.

While Beast, Iceman, and X-23 all have some interesting adventures ahead of them, the heart of the story is Jean Grey’s meeting Miles Morales. Being the writer of Morales’ Spider-Man series gives Bendis a distinct advantage in make this cross over something tangible by giving both characters time to shine as their interaction takes center stage. Continue reading “All New X-Men #32 Guest Starring Miles Morales” →

Scott Snyder Concocts a Wytches Brew

Scott Snyder is one of the most highly regarded comic book writers in the game today. He writes the ongoing Batman series, and each issue is simply amazing and delivers some of the best Dark Knight tales in recent memory. I met Mr. Snyder at the 2013 Boston Comic-Con, and he was a class act. I didn’t even have my press lanyard on, and he was still professional to a fault.

Snyder is pairing up with Image Comics with his creator-owned series, Wytches. The Snyder/Image dynamic is very fascinating because he won’t have to deal with the corporate, editorial process like he does with DC Comics. It’s all on him, and the chance to see the famed writer with no restrictions is a fun proposition. Some thrive in this environment while other flounder.

I recently got my hands on an advanced copy of Wytches in stores on October 8th, and my review is up now at Forces of Geek.com.

Superman Unchained #8 Review

Scott Snyder has done a fantastic job of giving Superman some opposition in Wraith that has taken him to his physical and mental limits.

Their give and take with one another over the course of events in Unchained has shown Wraith big brothering Superman, to a degree. You knew that their ideologies were going to create a rift in their “relationship” and that they would eventually come to blows. Continue reading “Superman Unchained #8 Review” →