Ten Greatest WCW Cruiserweights of All-Time

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The international flavor of WCW’s Cruiserweight division produced some of the most innovative wrestling matches and served as the launching pad to some of the biggest names in the industry. The hot potato nature of its title reigns makes it impossible to rank the wrestlers by championship merit.

Oftentimes, these matches would not only open the show but downright steal it. Jushin Liger and Brian Pillman deserve honorable mentions in this conversation. Their matches took place in the Light Heavyweight division, a precursor to the Cruiserweight division, and put lighter-weight classes in professional wrestling on the map in the United States. Today, we rank the top ten WCW Cruiserweights of all time.

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CM Punk: The Best DVD In The World

The gold standard of WWE DVD releases are The Ultimate Ric Flair collection and The Rise and Fall of ECW. After spending 3 hours with my Blu-ray player, CM Punk: Best in the World can be added to that list and may be the crown jewel of their catalog. I am of the opinion that CM Punk is currently the best worker in the business today. This is coming from someone who is not his biggest fan.

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Combat Sports Lose Two of Their Finest

This week, combat sports lost two of its most influential and beloved members in Jeff Blatnick and Emanuel Steward.

Blatnick won the gold medal in the 1984 Olympics in Greco Roman wrestling and was a color commentator for UFC 4-32. He was instrumental in drafting the unified rules that govern the sport today and coined the term Mixed Martial Arts.

Stewart won the national golden gloves tournament in 1963. He transitioned to training professional fighters and became one of the most accomplished and sought after trainers in the sport. The founder of Detroit’s legendary Kronk Gym not only produced a plethora of championship fighters such as Thomas Hearns but helped get troubled youths off the streets.

Todd Martin of the Wrestling Observer wrote an insightful piece on Jeff Blatnick, and ESPN posted a wonderful article on Emanuel Steward. I highly recommend you check them out.

I Know How To Beat Ryback

(Column I wrote for gerweck.net)

Ryback vs. CM Punk headlines the Hell in a Cell Pay-Per-View event this Sunday. The WWE has booked themselves into a tight little corner because they played the Ryback card way too soon. In contemporary wrestling where wins and losses don’t matter, Ryback’s undefeated streak is everything. If he loses under any circumstance, the gimmick is dead and he is just another superstar on the roster.

 

In my opinion, let him win the title. He is over and as long as you don’t mess with his formula of destroying people, he will continue to be over for quite some time. While the common wisdom suggests Ryback must win, there has to be a creative way for him to be pinned without losing his momentum. I’m going to have a little fun with this and put on my booking hat and throw out an idea that could work.

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Buzz Off, Bozo: An Ewok Adventure Story

I honestly don’t even know why I’m about to share this story except for the fact that it gets a laugh out of everyone, and my wife thinks it would be good to tell. Besides, it’s Star Wars related, so it kind of works with the blog.

To say I took things too literally as a kid would be an understatement.

When I was in kindergarten, a third-grader on the school bus told me that I would get free candy if I showed my middle finger to the bus driver. “That’s all I have to do to get free candy?” I thought. Sign me up! The bus driver looks in her rearview mirror and sees me flipping her the bird as I smile ear to ear. Do you think there was any candy in my future?

Nope.

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Justice League #13 Review

Justice League #13 | Writer: Geoff Johns & Jeff Lemire | Art: Tony S. Daniel, Richard Friend & Batt | Colors: Tomeu Morey & Jay David Ramos | Publisher: DC Comics | Price: $3.99

Geoff Johns pens a new two-part story arc with Tony S. Daniel working the pencils in place of Jim Lee. We get some clarification on the kiss heard around the world in the last issue, and then the action starts off swinging in a beautiful two-page layout of Wonder Woman and Cheetah duking it out.

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Is Jon Jones vs Chael Sonnen A Bad Thing?

What happens when only 624,000 viewers watch last week’s episode of The Ultimate Fighter? Dana White works his magic, and Jon Jones changes his tune from not fighting Chael Sonnen to coaching the next season of TUF against Sonnen and fighting him on April 27, 2013.

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Are Steel Cage Matches Dead?

(Column I wrote for gerweck.net)

There is no other encounter in professional wrestling that signifies the pinnacle of a feud more than the steel cage match. Its confines are unforgiving and blood shed is a virtual guarantee. Villains of bravado and champions of heroic destiny square off in this last resort encounter where the referee’s three count is not enough. Finish your opponent or escape the cage is often your only option for victory. In two weeks, CM Punk will defend the WWE title against Ryback. This match has everyone talking for a variety of reasons but none of them include the Hell in a Cell itself. This makes me wonder; are Steel Cage matches dead?

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Is it time to Reboot the WWE?

WWE Television is currently a stale product. Professional wrestling always has its down time before another boom period arrives. In order for the boom to take place, however, a new star needs to emerge. This person needs to be a bonafide superstar the caliber of Hulk Hogan, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and The Rock. Simply being a wrestling star such as John Cena, CM Punk, and Randy Orton will not move the needle in the required direction. When this boom period finally occurs, it’s usually a wrestler who was waiting in the wings for their big break. These days, Dolph Ziggler is the usual suspect. He is a good worker but can he be the box office smash that brings the business to Attitude Era heights?

 

On October 1, 2012, Monday Night Raw drew its lowest rating in 15 years. The company improved its rating by having its 67-year-old chairman wrestle the WWE champion. While it was certainly an attention grabber, it was only a short-term solution since Vince can’t wrestle every week. While Raw moving back to two hours would be a move in the right direction, it doesn’t address the larger problem at hand. The process of booking by committee dilutes what storylines ultimately end up on television. If the big three can’t do any more than they already have and there is no legitimate heir apparent on the horizon; what else can be done?

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Daredevil: End of Days #1 Review

Daredevil: End of Days #1 | Writer: Brian Michael Bendis & David Mack | Art: Klaus Janson, Bill Sienkiewicz | Colors: Matt Hollingsworth | Publisher: Marvel Comics | Price: $3.99

Extra, extra, read all about it! Daredevil is dead and no one cares. The Man Without Fear’s untimely passing is the backdrop to a much larger picture.

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