Gerweck Report Podcast: nWo Back in Black Series – 1996

The nWo made wrestling cool in the mid to late 90’s. Their gang like mentality and infamous black and white colors resonated with fans all over the world. Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, and Hulk Hogan were the founding members of this revolutionary faction, and other members followed.

On this special edition of the Gerweck Report Podcast, Frank Dee and Atlee Greene take an informative look at 1996 with introduction of the nWo storyline and its influence on the wrestling world. We give a very honest blow by blow take on the New World Order and how it all came to fruition.

Topics include the:

Hulkamania getting booed in WCW

Razor Ramon and Diesel in the WWF

The Outsiders’ debut in WCW

Who the third man originally was supposed to be

The rumored 4th man of the nWo who was in WWF at the time

and so much more in this 2 hour podcast so sit back relax and listen as we take a ride into simpler times with the nWo. Click here to listen and be nWo 4-Life.

UFC 190: Rousey vs. Correia Predictions

On Saturday, UFC 190 will emanate from the HSBC Arena in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. This event will be bigger than most as the main card will be four hours with seven fights as opposed to the standard three-hour show with five fights.

This might have something to do with Ronda Rousey finishing her last three opponents in 1 minute and 46 seconds combined, and many expecting her to do the same again, as she looks to defend her title against Bethe Correia.

If the main event doesn’t tickle your fancy, then fear not, this card is long on nostalgia via PRIDE Fighting Championship, including what could be a rematch for the ages. The women’s strawweight division gets a boost as arguably the divisions’ number one fighter makes her UFC debut.

There are also two protect bouts courtesy of The Ultimate Fighter Brazil and the cherry on top of this combative ice cream sundae comes in the form of a heavyweight slugfest that shouldn’t go anywhere near the distance.

While this card is short on divisional relevance, the entertainment factor, along with the continued rise of a superstar in the making, should make for an action-packed evening.

Continue reading “UFC 190: Rousey vs. Correia Predictions” →

Pixels is Pixelated

In the third act of Sony’s video game comedy, Pixels, Josh Gad’s Ludlow professes his love to his 8-bit crush, the deadly assassin Lady Lisa, while she has him pinned down by a pair of swords. I hoped she would run him through with the blade instead of falling for his romantic gestures because Gad’s annoying and uninspired performance represents the film’s overall tone.

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My Thoughts on Hulk Hogan’s Racist Comments

On April 1, 1990, I cried profusely as my hero, Hulk Hogan, lost the WWF title to the Ultimate Warrior at WrestleMania 6. Now that the cold hard sting of reality has reared its ugly head again, I realize that I was the victim of a 25 year April fool’s joke.

I would give anything to hop into Doc Brown’s DeLorean and travel back in time to that now tainted evening.

I’d sit next to my eight-year-old self on the couch, look him right in his watery eyes and give him a big hug while trying to convince him that the red and yellow man on the TV screen isn’t worth our tears.

Late last week, Hulk Hogan was fired from WWE after The National Enquirer, and Radar Online released a transcript of Hogan’s racist comments on the sex tape he is currently suing Gawker Media over. Hogan repeatedly used the N-Word, called to racial stereotypes as fact, and admitted that he is a racist. Continue reading “My Thoughts on Hulk Hogan’s Racist Comments” →

Jushin ‘Thunder’ Liger will appear at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn

Jushin ‘Thunder’ Liger captured my imagination from the moment he emerged from the curtain at WCW Superbrawl II. Liger lost the Light Heavyweight championship to Brian Pillman on that February evening in 1992, but it didn’t matter. The mixture of revolutionary high-flying moves and technical wrestling coupled with his anime inspired ring gear had me at hello.

Liger has wrestled all over the world. You name the promotion, and he has been there. That is, except for WWE. That will finally end as it was announced that Liger will appear at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn on 8/22/15. The event will air live on the WWE Network and spoiler alert, he will square off against Tyler Breeze. Continue reading “Jushin ‘Thunder’ Liger will appear at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn” →

Ant-Man Crawls to Prominence

Would you be surprised if I told you that Ant-Man is a comic book character created in 1962 by industry legends Larry Lieber, Jack Kirby, and Stan Lee? Would it also surprise you to know that Ant-Man is also a founding member of the Avengers?

You probably didn’t know that based on what has transpired on the silver screen with Marvel thus far. It’s ok, though, really. The prospect of a superhero that plays with ants doesn’t sound like a financially viable project for movie executives to invest in.

However, we got a talking Raccoon in a film, and it made millions.

Ant-Man is a character that really never did it for me. That all changed as Director Peyton Reed’s theatrical interpretation lit up movie screens in the latest entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

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Channeling My Inner Jim Ross

I had the pleasure of providing play-by-play commentary, this past Friday, for Northeast Championship Wrestling’s ‘Red, White, & Bruised’ event in Norwood, Massachusetts. I’ve done commentary before in post-production for a few different promotions. This was the first time I would do it live as the show was happening. I was nervous and excited for the opportunity. Continue reading “Channeling My Inner Jim Ross” →

Cesaro is Mid-Card 4-Life

I’m back after taking a long and overdue vacation where my wife and I put our phones on airplane mode and were unplugged from the real world. Now that I’ve caught up on all of the wrestling news, it seems that Cesaro is getting a lot of praise for his stellar matches with John Cena on Monday Night Raw.

Cesaro is truly one of the most talented wrestlers on the planet today.

He can have a good match with anyone and often has a great match with most. Due to Cesaro’s performance over the last three weeks, die-hard fans are waiting with bated breath and both fingers crossed, hoping this will be the time that WWE finally pushes the ‘Swiss Superman’ as the main event player he deserves to be.

Unfortunately, this shall not come to pass.

Continue reading “Cesaro is Mid-Card 4-Life” →

The Impact of Global Force Wrestling

Hell froze over last Wednesday when Jeff Jarrett entered the ring on Impact Wrestling while wearing a t-shirt of his own start-up promotion, Global Force Wrestling. The TNA founder announced his participation in the King of the Mountain match to be held at the Slammiversary, which he ended up winning.

This is all very intriguing considering Jeff Jarrett left the company on poor terms.

Continue reading “The Impact of Global Force Wrestling” →

Shamrock vs. Kimbo: A Work of Fiction

shamrockKimbo — Photo Credit: Sherdog.com

Last Friday, in the main event of Bellator 138, Kimbo Slice knocked out Ken Shamrock. The former bare-knuckle brawler seemingly came back from the jaws of defeat as he escaped from a rear-naked choke and landed a right hand that sent Shamrock crumbling to the canvas.

The thing is, there are a lot of people who are questioning the integrity of the bout. Some scoff at the very idea that there was anything fishy with the bout, while others believe without question that the fix was in.

When examining these matters, the two big questions you have to ask yourself are why the event would unfold this way and what Bellator has to gain from Kimbo getting a big win on national television? Continue reading “Shamrock vs. Kimbo: A Work of Fiction” →