Ronald Heard, a.k.a. “Outlaw”, Ron Bass passed away on Tuesday at the age of 68. Heard reportedly suffered complications from a ruptured appendix, which he wasn’t aware of and went to the hospital after his issue was discovered, but it was unfortunately too late to treat his condition by that point. Bass worked in every major territory and ended his career with a three-year run (1987-1989) in WWE. Continue reading “Remembering “Outlaw” Ron Bass”
Raw and SmackDown this week began to bring about some clarity to WrestleMania 33, which emanates from Orlando, Florida on Sunday, April 2nd. While several of the key matches, including the main event, were officially announced, there were no shocking revelations considering that the card was leaked online a month ago.
Vince McMahon deserves credit for sticking to his guns this time around where in years past he would change booking plans if he got the slightest whiff of a leak. So far, the storylines leading up to the matches have been good, thus making the journey as important as the destination. Continue reading “WrestleMania Officially takes Shape”
Randy Orton burns down the Wyatt Family compound, AJ Styles is going to WrestleMania, Kevin Owens defends the Universal Title against Goldberg and so much more!
This week on the Wrestling Soapbox, Atlee Greene and Adam Kohn review all of the goodness that was SmackDown and gives their preview and predictions for WWE Fastlane.
New Japan Pro Wrestling announced the brackets for this year’s New Japan Cup tournament. This will mark the 13th annual Cup where the winner of this single elimination tournament will earn a title shot at any singles championship they wish to challenge for at Sakura Genesis (formerly Invasion Attack) on April 9th at Sumo Hall.
The first round matches will begin on March 11th (The right side of the brackets) and March 12th (The left side of brackets) the quarterfinal matches will occur on March 13th and March 17. Semifinal action will take place on March 19 and the finals on March 20th. The Wrestling Observer has confirmed that the last two days will air live on New Japan World while the rest of the shows will air on a delay.
These matchups make for some interesting possibilities. I’d expect Hiroshi Tanahashi to at least make it to the finals of his bracket. Besides Toru Yano, who he’ll face in the finals is anyone’s guess.
Katsuyori Shibata vs. Minoru Suzuki in the first round is just all sorts of awesome. Booking their match in this position is the right call because placing them anywhere else in the same bracket makes the outcome too predictable.
O Kenny! My Kenny! What do we do with Kenny Omega? “The Cleaner’s” white-hot popularity makes him the easy pick to win the whole enchilada, however, does New Japan plan on having the Okada/Omega II on April 9th?
If not, how do you beat Omega? Continue reading “Brackets Revealed for the New Japan Cup”
If you’re an NXT fan, there is one question that comes up in every conversation: “when will Shinsuke Nakamura make his WWE main roster debut?” Those who appreciate the work of this ultra-charismatic and super talented superstar want to see him on either Raw or SmackDown, sooner rather than later.
Conventional wisdom says that Nakamura should be on the main roster by now. He’s a great worker who, unlike most Japanese wrestlers. is tailor made for WWE and the showmanship it requires to be one of their performers. I mean, come on…anyone who can dress as a hybrid of Michael Jackson and the Statue of Liberty, and make it work, is a performer through and through. Continue reading “Is Shinsuke Nakamura Ready for WWE’s Main Roster?”
Holy crap…Holy Crap!
Those were my thoughts while I was immersed in the physiological horror that is M. Night Shyamalan’s latest film, Split. The plot revolves around Kevin, played by James McAvoy, who suffers from dissociative identity disorder and has 23 personalities.
While Kevin is being treated by his trusted psychiatrist, Dr. Fletcher, one of his personalities becomes dominant over the others and has a compulsion to abduct three teenage girls. Continue reading “Split: Review”
Braun Strowman took a test on Raw last Monday when he worked the Big Show in the main event. It happens to every wrestler who’s been groomed for a featured role. Yes, he can bump, he can sell, he is a towering colossus but can he tell a story in the ring that is worth the price of admission? Continue reading “Braun Strowman Passed the Test”
The master of the Diamond Cutter will enter the WWE Hall of Fame as Diamond Dallas Page joins Kurt Angle, the Rock & Roll Express, and Teddy Long as a part of the 2017 class. There are those who question and completely dismiss the legitimacy of WWE’s HOF. Regardless of one’s position on the matter, it’s good to see these great performers getting a celebrated recognition with a payday to boot.
Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer brought up an interesting point regarding DDP’s pending induction into the Hall of Fame. Page’s one year run in WWE was a far cry from the heights he reached in WCW. In fact, backstage gossip made the rounds with rumors that Page couldn’t work (wrestle) and was made to look less than stellar on television as a result. Continue reading “Thoughts on DDP Joining the WWE Hall of Fame”
Growing up, I absolutely hated it when people said that wrestling is fake. Now, I knew damn well that what happened in the ring wasn’t actual combat. However, the word “fake” belittles the talent and dismisses the hard work that it takes for wrestlers to perform in the ring. So, I categorically denied wrestling’s predetermined nature. I didn’t know how else to defend the business as a kid but eventually came up with a ridiculous way do to so… Street Fighter. Continue reading “How I (Not So Much) Defended the Honor of Pro Wrestling”
I like to watch all of the films that are nominated for best picture before the Academy Awards ceremony, so I went into La La Land with a critical eye. I exited the theater, however, with a sudden urge to dance in the stars while humming some inspired musical numbers. Continue reading “La La Land: Review”
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