Professional wrestling consumed my life at the early age of 8. In fact, as far as I was concerned, the WWF was the only game in town. This idea that other wrestling promotions existed never dawned on me until a random Sunday afternoon of channel surfing. Fate brought me to TBS and I got my first taste of the National Wrestling Alliance.
Continue reading “Piledriving introduction to the National Wrestling Alliance”
Super Bowl weekend traditionally plays host to one of the biggest UFC events of the year, and this card is no exception. I can’t even begin to tell you how excited I am for UFC 156. Every fight on the main card could be a main event and is reminiscent of the early Zuffa cards before the sport’s ascension. All of the bouts have important divisional ramifications and it is all topped off by what could end up being the greatest fight in the history of mixed martial arts.
-Joseph Benavidez vs. Ian McCall
It’s takes a clever fighter with the ludicrous speed to dethrone the likes of Joseph Benavidez and Ian McCall. That fighter’s name is Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson. Joseph Benavidez was the odds on favorite to win the Flyweight tournament and was kept guessing and off balance for the entire five round affair. Ian McCall had more hype than anyone, going into the tournament and fought Johnson fought twice due to a judging error in the first bout that was scored a draw and some felt McCall won.
Benavidez brings to the table his explosive wrestling ability along with his power and athleticism. McCall is the more technical fighter who is very crafty and could catch Benavidez going in wild for a takedown or a submission. Both have tremendous cardio and are hungry to get back in the mix as they are the number 2 & 3 contenders in the world. McCall is preoccupied with personal issues outside of the cage in the form of childcare issues and separation from his wife which he feels will lead to a divorce.
McCall is a charismatic individual who could go a long way in the UFC, but he needs to find a way to put his personal issues aside to handle the razor sharp Benavidez. While McCall is dangerous on the ground, Demetrious Johnson was able to take him down pretty easily in their second fight. There will be some close calls in this bout, but Benavidez will have an easier controlling where the bout takes place.
The Pick: Joseph Benavidez by decision
Continue reading “Calling the Shots of UFC 156: Aldo vs. Edgar”
Randy Couture has signed a multi-year deal with Spike TV and will be a coach on the new Bellator MMA reality show. Dana White cannot be happy about someone with such strong UFC colors working for their only competition. This doesn’t surprise me at all. Couture’s tumultuous past with the Ultimate Fighting Championship is well documented. Couture would not sign off on his likeness being used for merchandise purposes due to the absence of compensation.
Continue reading “Randy Couture signs with Spike TV and will coach for Bellator MMA”
-Wrestling Soap Box: The Examination of CM Punk
434 days of championship bliss was ended by the people’s elbow on Sunday night. The 26th edition of the Royal Rumble is officially in the books, and The Rock is your new WWE Champion. If you are a hardcore wrestling fan who scourers the internet, you were probably bored with the predictable nature of this show. If you are a casual fan who stays away from the internet, or one who used to watch wrestling and came back for the Rumble, you probably loved this show. I spoke to a boat load of former fans leading up to the Rumble and here are some of their poignant comments in regards to CM Punk.
“He is not all that”
“This Punk guy is a joke”
“He is not believable at all”
“Why would this guy be your longest reigning champion?”
“The Rock is fighting that guy???”
“He looks like a skinny crack head”
Click here to read the rest of my column at Gerweck.net: Pro Wrestling News Since 1997
The Rock is your new WWE champion and John Cena is the 2013 Royal Rumble winner. The two are on a collision course for their rematch at WrestleMania 29 on 4/7/13. While folks online are ragging on the predictable nature of the card, you have to remember that sometimes, predictable is what’s best for business.
Continue reading “2013 WWE Royal Rumble Thoughts: The Rock Captures WWE Title”
The main course of this Sunday’s Royal Rumble will be the WWE championship match between CM Punk and The Rock. While the rumble match is still the apple of many eyes, this is a one match show that has everyone talking for a variety of reasons. Who do you want to win? Who do you think should win? What do you think is the likely going to happen? Let’s talk.
Continue reading “WWE Royal Rumble 2013 Predictions”
Pro Wrestling Illustrated will discontinue its sister publications, The Wrestler and Inside Wrestling. These two magazines were combined into one large issue recently and have been in circulation since 1968. Growing up, my magazine of choice was a combination of Pro Wrestling Illustrated, The Wrestler, and Inside Wrestling.
Before internet websites, these magazines were where one would go for all the latest wrestling news. I was unaware of the Kayfabe nature of the articles that teased inter-promotional dream matches such as Sting vs. The Ultimate Warrior, which were impossible at the time. There were also speculative articles about wrestlers leaving one company for another. Sometimes it was true, and other times it was tabloid gossip.
Continue reading “The Wrestler & Inside Wrestling Magazines Cease Publication”
The first UFC event of 2013 kicks off in Brazil as Michael Bisping vs. Vitor Belfort headlines the biggest main event on FX to date. The immediate future of the middleweight division hangs in the balance as one result determines Anderson Silva’s next opponent while another result puts the division in limbo.
Continue reading “Calling The Shots of Vitor Belfort vs. Michael Bisping”
The pay-per-view portion of UFC 155 got off to a boring start with three fights that were anything but exciting. Then, the evening’s co-main event began, and fans saw the beginning of what would be, as the elders say, one for the ages.
Fights like Jim Miller vs. Joe Lauzon remind me why I’m an MMA fan. A good fight is fun, but it’s those special encounters that produce the type of story you will be telling your grandchildren about.
Continue reading “The Blood and Guts Ballad of Lauzon vs. Miller”
Brock Lesnar came close but names like Jack Johnson, Rocky Marciano, Muhammad Ali, and Mike Tyson carried Boxing to a prominence mixed martial arts has yet to reach. Saturday nights encounter could be a step in the right direction towards changing that as the two best heavyweights in the game will lock horns for a second time at UFC 155.
Continue reading “Calling The Shots of Junior Dos Santos vs. Cain Velasquez 2”
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