There are several characters in DC Comics’ stable of heroes and villains who will make their long overdue debut on the silver screen when Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice hits theaters on March 25th. We will also be introduced to different versions of familiar characters with a new actor stepping in to fill the role.
Jesse Eisenberg will be the next contestant to play Superman’s arch nemesis, Lex Luthor. While the Academy Award nominee (The Social Network) has a diverse body of work on his résumé, the reaction to his casting has been met with mixed reviews. Some are cautiously optimistic that Eisenberg will fit the bill. Others find the 30-year-old Eisenberg is too stark of a contrast to the older and more established actors who’ve played the part.
Then there was a vocal group of fans who were extremely let down when learning that Bryan Cranston wasn’t even offered the role after rumors had him all but confirmed. Plus, Director Zack Snyder’s youthful “Wunderkind” description of this incarnation was hard for some people to swallow.
Old, young, hair or no hair, Jesse Eisenberg is tasked with making this mere mortal become the Man of Steel’s most villainous foe. There are many actors who’ve played a more traditional Lex Luthor. Most of them found a way to bring the character to life whether his superior intellect shined, or his ruthless nature highlighted his adulterated evil in various forms.
Wow, what a turn of events that occurred on Raw this past Monday! Shane McMahon made his unexpected return to WWE after a 6-year absence and received one of the loudest audience reactions in recent memory. If that wasn’t shocking enough, Shane will stand inside Hell in a Cell across the ring from The Undertaker at WrestleMania in a featured bout that absolutely needs to close the show.
In a segment where life imitated art, Shane put Stephanie McMahon on blast for the company’s falling stock prices, low television ratings, and the string of wrestler injuries. The Air-Jordan-wearing executive also stated that he “never lost his place in line,” which is contrary to why Shane reportedly left WWE in October of 2009.
Click hereto read the entire column at Gerweck.net: Pro Wrestling Since 1997
WWE FastLane2016 | Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland Ohio
– Kalisto defeated Alberto Del Rio in a 2 out of 3 falls match to retain the U.S. Championship
It’s a shame this match was on the pre-show because these two worked very hard to put on a great match. Del Rio sacrificing the first fall by hitting Kalisto with a chair was something a true villain would do. Del Rio’s intensity was on point and Kalisto sold everything like he was getting killed. Del Rio showed even more frustration after Kalisto scored the second fall. Strategy turned to frustration as the steel chair that served Del Rio well could have been his undoing if he can’t keep his emotions in check.
The match was a little clunky at first, but got better as it went along. Lynch is a lot better of a wrestler than the casual audience gives her credit for. Banks kicked out of Naomi’s Rear View in a good near fall spot. The finish was a double submission with Banks applying the Bank Statement and Lynch locking in the Dis-arm-her for the win. This keeps both women strong should one or both get placed in the Diva’s title match at WrestleMania. Continue reading “WWE Fastlane 2016 Review”→
The final trailer Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice dropped yesterday, and it’s perfect in every way! Not only does it show that the marketing is now clearly on the fight we’re paying to see, it also primarily focuses on Batman. Sounds kind of unfair considering he shares the marquee with Superman. Nope, and I’ll tell you why.
We’ve already seen what Superman brings to the table as a character in Man of Steel. This trailer gave us our first real peak at what kind of Batman we can expect. He was the supreme fighting machine in every way imaginable, and it was awesome!
Batman blocking Superman’s punch is the money shot of the trailer. The look of disbelief on Henry Cavill’s face absolutely sells this moment to the highest magnitude. It tells us that %$#@ is about to go down and that March 25th can’t get here fast enough!
In an odd turn of events, WWE suspended Titus O’Neil for “unprofessional conduct” due to an incident during the final seconds of the WWE Network stream of Daniel Bryan’s retirement celebration. O’Neil is seen “playfully” grabbing Vince McMahon by the arm right before he was shoved by McMahon in retaliation.
Yesterday seemed as if it was going to be just another day in the world of professional wrestling with a new episode of Monday Night Raw on the horizon. Then, all of a sudden, a particular tweet from a particular wrestler changed all of that. 20 words, or 137 characters, informed the world that Daniel Bryan has retired from professional wrestling. Continue reading “Daniel Bryan Retires from Wrestling due to Injuries”→
Batman #612 | Creators: Jeph Loeb, Jim Lee, Alex Sinclair | 2003
DC Comics has treated fans to many fights between Batman and Superman over the years. Some have been great while others left a lot to be desired. Of course such an endeavor is easier said than done because there are so many creative masters to satisfy when having the two most iconic superheroes lock horns with one another.
During the critically acclaimed story arc Hush, where a villainous foe was sabotaging Batman from afar, Superman, under the control of Poison Ivy, was ordered to kill Batman. Superman’s tactics are predictable, which Batman uses to his advantage while respecting the fact that Clark could kill him with the flick of his finger.
Superman finds a way to pull his punches, which is a key component here, but they still pack quite the super-powered wallop. In the end, Batman realizes that even with all his know-how and Kryptonite, he is not going to win a fist fight. He pulls out some devious tactics that appeal to the one thing about Superman that will always reign true: His love for Lois Lane.
In the second BVS trailer, an angry Superman yells to Batman “Stay down. If I wanted it, you’d already be dead.” This implies that he is trying to prevent another Zod neck snapping scenario. Perhaps Superman’s unwillingness to kill is the opening Batman needs in order to win the fight? We will all find out the answer on March 25.
When people talk about their favorite television shows, for example The Walking Dead, they’re discussed with a favorable disposition that all culminates with one question. What is going to happen next? Conversation regarding WWE, however, consists of “Who booked this crap?” or “Why is that guy getting a push?”
Lucha Underground is changing the way people talk about wrestling due its fresh presentation highlighted by engaging storylines, unique matches, interesting characters, and great wrestlers. Last week’s season 2 premiere stirred up quite the conversation. Some feel that it’s a joke, while others believe it’s the best thing going today. Continue reading “Lucha Underground: Don’t Call it a Wrestling Promotion”→
My wife and I recently saw the Oscar-nominated film, The Big Short. It’s the true story of some financial analysts who discovered and capitalized on the housing market’s eventual collapse. It was interesting to watch a movie about a subject that affected my family, just like it did millions of families across the country. Continue reading “Thoughts on Film: The Big Short”→
The 29th annual WWE Royal Rumble emanated from the Amway Center in Orlando, FL, with a jam-packed card full of great matches, good storytelling, and some major surprises. Traditionally, the 30 man over the top rope Royal Rumble match grants the winner a world title main event at WrestleMania. This year, however, things were quite different.
Roman Reigns spent the majority of 2015 being screwed out of becoming WWE World Heavyweight champion in front of the camera while behind the scenes, WWE has been working tirelessly to have him supplant John Cena as the face of the company.
On December 14th, due to a plethora of injuries that has plagued the roster, the decision was made to expedite Roman Reigns’ coronation as the top guy, and booking him to win the championship.
In front of the camera, The Authority comprised of Vince McMahon and Stephanie McMahon made the unprecedented move to force Roman Reigns to defend his title in the Royal Rumble match against 29 other wrestlers, while making Reigns the first entrant into the contest, essentially making it a one vs. all affair.
Royal Rumble Rules: The match starts with entrants one and two, and every two minutes after, another wrestler enters the Rumble, according to the number they drew.
Roman Reigns made short work of Bulgarian brute, Rusev, who drew #2. The next entrant was the surprise of the night as AJ MOTHER&^%$#@ STYLES made his way to the ring.
If you’re a wrestling fan whose only experience with the genre is what occurs on WWE television, the name AJ Styles might be foreign to you. The Gainesville, Georgia native, at 38 years old, is arguably the best wrestler on the planet today. He is an 18-year veteran who has been tearing it up in Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro Wrestling for the past two years.
Much to WWE’s credit, they didn’t change a thing about his character. They went out of their way to promote him as a big deal based on his illustrious past, and even made reference to the Internet rumors of his pending arrival. This is something WWE rarely does today.
Styles made a great showing for himself, lasting 28 minutes until he was thrown out by French Canadian braggart Kevin Owens, which was booed more than any other elimination.
Roman Reigns looked to have things well in hand until he was blindsided by the League of Nations with Vince McMahon watching on in approval. Reigns was escorted by medical personnel to the locker room, and it appeared that his night was over.
The Wyatt Family made their backwoods cult like presence felt as stable monster Braun Strowman eliminated wrestler after wrestler, making him the Rumble’s biggest obstacle.
Then Brock Lesnar arrived, and dished out his violence fused onslaught christened Suplex City. Lesnar eliminated Luke Harper, Erick Rowan, and Brawn Storwman, thus ruining plans to ensure victory for their leader, Bray Wyatt, who hadn’t entered the match until after the fact.
Later on, the eliminated Wyatt Family members interfered and threw out Lesnar, which appears to set the stage for a Brock Lesnar vs. Bray Wyatt showdown at WrestleMania.
NXT standout Sami Zayn was another surprise entrant in the Rumble. He made a b-line for Kevin Owens and eliminated him, hopefully rekindling their feud from last year.
Roman Reigns returned to the match, delivering Superman punches to everyone in sight. Triple H was the 30th entrant into the Rumble, which many predicted, and fell in line with Vince McMahon’s promise that Reigns will never see Triple H coming.
Triple H eliminated Roman Reigns, leaving him and Intercontinental Champion Dean Ambrose as the final two wrestlers. The Amway Center was electric as the prospect of Ambrose becoming champion excited the sold out crowd. In the end, Triple H eliminated the Lunatic Fringe, winning his second Royal Rumble while capturing his 14th WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
Earlier action saw Dean Ambrose beat Kevin Owens in a Last Man Standing match to retain the IC belt. The comedic trio of The New Day bested the Usos to retain the tag team titles. Kalisto beat Alberto Del Rio to earn a second, and hopefully more fruitful run as United States champion.
Charlotte defeated Becky Lynch in a great match to hold on to the Divas title. Post-match activity saw the return of Sasha Banks, the most popular female wrestler on the roster. She applied her Bank Statement submission hold onto Charlotte, sending a message to the champ that she is next in line.
This was one of the best booked Royal Rumble events in quite some time. Even though Triple H’s involvement and his title win could be seen coming from a mile away, it made sense with the plight of Roman Reigns story that WWE is telling.
man Reigns vs. Triple H appears to be the featured attraction for WrestleMania on April 3. Some question whether this match will draw a record crowd to AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
With John Cena, Seth Rollins, Randy Orton, and Cesaro being legitimately injured and missing the big event, Reigns/Hunter is probably the safest option since the hero’s chase of the title is always more compelling story.
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