WWE Network Revives The Elimination Chamber

Break out that big ’ol cage! The Elimination Chamber returns as an exclusive WWE Network offering on May 31. This will be the second pay-per-view this month, and will most likely overshadow this Sunday’s Payback event since the event often produces a fun night of wrestling with some memorable moments.

It was reported by the Wrestling Observer that almost nobody watches the older content (I do), so there is no rush to add more of it. However, the most popular offerings happen to be the newer stuff, such as monthly pay-per-views, network specials, and NXT. Last week, Chris Jericho’s interview with Stephanie McMahon was one of the most watched shows. Continue reading “WWE Network Revives The Elimination Chamber” →

Calling The Shots: Paige VanZant vs. Felice Herrig

The opening bout of this Saturday’s UFC on Fox 15 main card features a women’s strawweight showdown between the experienced veteran in Felice Herrig and divisional prospect Paige VanZant. While I used the word prospect in regards to VanZant, she is being promoted as anything, but a prospect as the UFC machine along with a Reebok endorsement deal are promoting her as the belle of the octagonal ball. Continue reading “Calling The Shots: Paige VanZant vs. Felice Herrig” →

WWE Does Right By Hideo Itami

Last week’s episode of NXT flipped the script as Hideo Itami was made to look like a big deal. He won three highly competitive tournament matches at WrestleMania Axxess to earn a spot in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. As good as that was, the video segment highlighting Itami’s WrestleMania experience was amazing. Continue reading “WWE Does Right By Hideo Itami” →

The Invasion of Michael Bennett

This past Saturday, at New Japan Pro Wrestling’s Invasion Attack, Michael Bennett and Matt Taven defeated Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows to become the IWGP Tag Team Champions. This is the most high-profile moment in both of their careers, particularly for Bennett, whose success has bred some criticism.

For those who aren’t familiar with Michael Bennett, he is a wrestler from the Massachusetts area best known for his work in Ring of Honor. Bennett has also become a well-traveled performer who often finds himself in wrestling rings all around the world. Continue reading “The Invasion of Michael Bennett” →

WrestleMania 31 Recap

The thirty-first installment of WWE’s biggest event of the year, WrestleMania, took place at Levi Stadium in Santa Clara, California in front of a reported capacity crowd of 76,976. There were several big storylines going into this event.

Would this be Sting’s first, and last, WWE match? Could The Undertaker return to glory after his big loss last year? Would the fans reject the company’s new heir apparent, Roman Reigns, on the grandest stage?
Will John Cena stop the mad Russian and bring the U.S. title back to the states?

Click here to check out my review at Forces of Geek.com

The Fall of A Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle

IDW’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #44 featured the death of Donatello which capped off a four issue story arc titled Attack on the Technodrome. A second printing has already been ordered and will be available on April 8th. Most comic book stores were sold out of the book within minutes of its release, which has made the first printing a tough item to acquire.

So, why kill Donatello? While the series is consistently one of the best reads on the shelf, it was the right time for something drastic to occur. Team members die and return to life in comic books all the time, which often cheapens eerie hold that death is supposed to hold over someone.

The team dynamic will be different going forward because Donatello was the smart one and his intelligence was often the key in getting the team out of sticky situations. That is gone now, and adjustments will have to be made which should provide for some interesting stories down the line.

I wrote a column at Forces of Geek.com reviewing the last five issues of the series which shows how this moment was set up along with everything else that was happening with out favorite turtles. Click here to check it out.

Script-Mania and Thoughts on Brock Lesnar Resigning with WWE

Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns is the scheduled main event for this Sunday’s WrestleMania and all the chatter going into the match revolves around the popular opinion is that Reigns isn’t ready to be anointed ”the guy.” Looking at this objectively, I’m wondering what kind of match these two are going to put on.

Lesnar delivers in high-profile situations largely because his opponents have been able to mask his shortcomings as a worker by accenting his strengths. Reigns hasn’t had that standout singles performance and needs to be carried at this point of his career. Continue reading “Script-Mania and Thoughts on Brock Lesnar Resigning with WWE” →

Thoughts On The Passing Of Perro Aguayo Jr.

There was some sad news over the weekend as Lucha Libre star Perro Aguayo Jr. passed away after a match in Tijuana, Mexico at the age of 35. Coincidently, this was also Rey Mysterio’s first match since being released from WWE. There are some news outlets that have reported this responsibly, but there are other places that have used misleading headlines which blame Mysterio for Aguayo’s passing.

I know the real story here is that a young man tragically lost his life, however, something needs to be said for how the media is portraying Mysterio as having sole blame in this matter. I’m sure he is extremely heartbroken over the situation, and some in the wrestling media are trying to change the narrative at the expense of Mysterio’s reputation for the sake of web site click bait.

The footage of the match shows the sequence of spots leading up to Aguayo’s passing. Everything from Aguayo taking a spinning head scissors where he bumped on the floor, to the moment he took a dropkick into the ropes to set up the 619 and even when Manik hit the ropes while Aguayo was positioned on them are all inconclusive.

The fact of the matter is that we may never know the precise moment and move that triggered the fatal injury. The only thing that is clear is that this was an accident in every sense of the word. No one is to blame, it’s a sad situation all around.

I don’t know why, but all the discussion regarding the various moves that attributed to Aguayo’s passing made me think about the time I watched video of my backyard wrestling escapades two years after I began training to become a wrestler. Watching that footage with a trained eye scared me because there were several instances where I didn’t remotely have a clue how close I was to seriously injuring myself or someone else.

I’m not saying in any way, shape, or form that the men in the ring that night were careless or untrained. It just goes to show the risk that every single person who steps into a ring is taking when they perform. The bottom line is that someone died, and that should be the focus, not whether someone is to blame or not to blame.

My condolences go out to the family of Perro Aguayo Jr. I also want to wish all of the wrestlers well who have matches coming up as we go into our favorite weekend of the year. Please, be safe, and have fun.

Remember The Name: Joanna Jedrzejczyk

UFC 185 produced an interesting night of fights that not only provided some divisional clarity but crowned two new champions. One of the new titleholders became a star on Saturday night as she pummeled her way towards straw-weight gold and her name is Joanna Jedrzejczyk.

The first straw-weight title defense in UFC history hadn’t gained a lot of fanfare even though an entire season of The Ultimate Fighter was used as a vehicle to usher in the division. Carla Esparza seemed to have a firm lock on the title since her wrestling appeared to be unstoppable. Continue reading “Remember The Name: Joanna Jedrzejczyk” →

First Photo’s of Melissa Benoist as Supergirl. (Yes, I’m Blogging about a Costume)

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I’ve received a lot of messages over the last six days with everyone asking me one very important question. What do I think of the new Supergirl costume? I found this kind of weird since its WrestleMania season, but hey, I’m game.

CBS has just begun production on a new Supergirl television show that is scheduled to air this Fall. Melissa Benoist of Glee and Whiplash fame has been cast in the titular role and the first photos of her costume has received enormous feedback.

Most people seem to like the outfit, but there are others who don’t like because it’s too dark. Seeing the first image of any actor in a superhero costume is a big deal because it’s our first glimpse into a new world.

Continue reading “First Photo’s of Melissa Benoist as Supergirl. (Yes, I’m Blogging about a Costume)” →