Could Roman Reigns Learn From Diesel?

On November 27, 1995, I turned on the TV to watch WWF Action Zone and expected it to be just another episode of recaps and squash matches. You can imagine my surprise when the entire show revolved around the shocking news that the night before at Madison Square Garden, Diesel pinned Bob Backlund in 8 seconds to become the new WWF Champion.

“Huh” was my first reaction followed by “Really?” as I found myself disillusioned with this turn of events. Back then, I bought anything Vince McMahon was selling, however, something about this transaction felt hollow. In the end, Diesel never showed the fans why he was worthy of his instant push into the limelight and was the least profitable champion of all time.

Take that, founding father of the highly successful nWo!

There is a lot of talk in the wrestling world about Roman Reigns these days. Is he ready to be “the guy” in WWE? I feel he needs more time to mature as a performer. Plus, he hasn’t had that one hot angle to distinguish himself.

I wrote an article for WhatCulture.com about the possibility of Reigns becoming the champion and beyond. Click here to check out 5 Ways Roman May Reign WWE

Darth Vader #1 Review

When it was first announced that Marvel obtained the comic book rights for Star Wars, everyone wondered what kind of stories we would get. Instead of looking towards the Expanded Universe, the publisher revisits the familiarity with the franchise’s most infamous character in Darth Vader. Dark Horse Comics produced several limited-run Vader books over the years.

Most of them did a great job of highlighting the dark lord’s ruthless aggression. Still, Kieron Gillen goes into uncharted waters by exploring Vader’s psychology at a time where he has lost favor with Emperor Palatine. Continue reading “Darth Vader #1 Review” →

Women’s Wrestling In The Main Event

Can a female wrestler headline a WWE pay-per-view event? Former NXT women’s champion Charlotte believes it can happen, as she stated in an interview with the Gorilla Position podcast, “I know one day I will main event a pay-per-view. It might not be WrestleMania, but it will be a pay-per-view.” The idealist in me says it can and should happen, but WWE isn’t currently at a creative junction where they can make this a reality.

Charlotte deserves a lot credit for stepping up and publicly setting this goal. Women’s sports in general has a distinction of being second rate due to a gender bias that is ingrained in our culture. If you get tickets to an L.A. Sparks game, you’re checking out women’s basketball. If you go a Boston Celtics game, you’re simply enjoying a basketball game with no designation attached. Continue reading “Women’s Wrestling In The Main Event” →

Spider-Man Swings Into The Marvel Cinematic Universe!

FINALLY, after months of negotiations and years of audience demand, Spider-Man is now a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Marvel has never been able to use the iconic wall-crawler in their films because Sony purchased the movie rights in 1999.

The deal was announced late Monday night as a partnership between Marvel Studios and Sony where Spider-Man will appear in a Marvel Studios film, which will see him rub shoulders with The Avengers. Also, four of Marvel’s Phase 3 films have been pushed back as a new Spider-Man movie opens in theaters on July 28, 2017.

Sony has fumbled the ball with this franchise since 2007, with The Amazing Spider-Man 2 being the last straw. An e-mail from the “Sony Hack” revealed that Marvel president Alan Fine was highly critical of Sony’s script two years before the movie’s release. Continue reading “Spider-Man Swings Into The Marvel Cinematic Universe!” →

Superman: Earth One, Volume 3 Review

Superman is more than a comic book character who saves the day by leaping into action in a single bound.

He is an ideal that we all strive for every single day. At least, that is what most people would have told you several years ago.

In 2015, the general consensus was that he’s too powerful, and therefore, he’s boring and unrelatable.

When you peel back all the layers of contempt that didn’t exist a generation ago, the answer is more intuitive than a super-powered skill set. The affluence of Superman’s deeds still causes us to look inward, but instead of finding inspiration, we see an underlying arrogance in the ease of his endeavors.

That is how much of an imprint The Man of Steel has on our culture: that we look beyond the obvious nature of truth and justice only to see a pronounced representation of what we can’t do. Continue reading “Superman: Earth One, Volume 3 Review” →

Finn Bálor and Adrian Neville Set The Stage For NXT Takeover

– WWE NXT Results – 2/4/15 | Fail Sail University, Winter Park, FL | Commentators: Corey Graves, Rich Brennan, and Alex Riley

NXT kicks off in SWAFT fashion as Enzo Amore and Big Cass get the crowd going. They introduce Carmella who tells the crowd that Blue Pants (who defeated Carmella on 1/1/15) went back to the clearance rack. Emma comes out next with her usual bubble entrance and dance number.

– Emma vs. Carmella

The crowd loves Emma and they’re happy to see her back at Full Sail. Carmella doesn’t care and goes right in for the attack but Emma catches her with some forearms. Carmella is able to out power Emma to take control of the match. Emma bounces back with a two clotheslines. Emma looks to have things well in hand until Carmella delivers a drop toe hold and applies a leg scissors choke, forcing Emma to tap out.

The SWAFT crew celebrates in the ring while Emma looks dejected. Emma was a little more intense this time around and it was mentioned that Emma is back in NXT to jump start her career and she might be a little sour as a result. Carmella compliments Cass and Enzo’s act but she isn’t as over with the crowd, yet. Enzo has charisma for days and “you can’t teach that!”

Winner: Carmella via submission Continue reading “Finn Bálor and Adrian Neville Set The Stage For NXT Takeover” →

Bitch Planet #2 Review

Bitch Planet #2 | Writer: Kelly Sue DeConnick | Artist: Valentine De Leabdro | Colorist: Cris Peter
Publisher: Image Comics | From my column at Forces of Geek.com

One of the many great things that Kelly Sue DeConnick accomplishes with Bitch Planet is that she sets the reader on one path and then without a moment’s notice, sends us down a completely different course.

The fact that we don’t see it coming is one thing, but the manner of execution along with the emotion the narrative extracts is pure genius. The titular planet is a prison where men send troublesome women who are “noncompliance.” Continue reading “Bitch Planet #2 Review” →

Smith Hart Talks WWE’s Creative Direction, Roman Reigns, Bret Hart, Vince Russo, and More

In this special edition of the Gerweck Report podcast, I talked to Smith Hart of the legendary Hart Family. Smith is the oldest brother of Bret Hart and the uncle of WWE Diva Natalya. Click here to find out what Smith had to say about various topics such as

-Earliest memories of breaking into the wrestling business

-His days as an amateur wrestler

-Stampede Wrestling

-Wrestling in Japan

-Thoughts on the UFC

-His relationship with his brothers Bruce, Keith, and Bret

-WWE current creative direction

-Would he ever work for WWE, TNA or ROH

-His dealings with John Laurinaitis

-How to book heels and babyfaces

-Does he believe Roman Reigns is ready to be the top guy

-His blog about the ten worst executives in the history of wrestling

-His challenge to Vince Russo

-and more!

Warning: strong language

Visit Smith Hart on Facebook and Twitter @SmithHart1

Calling The Shots: Anderson Silva vs. Nick Diaz

Anderson Silva vs. Nick Diaz main event at UFC 183 is a fight that was never supposed to be made. A middleweight that walks around at 220 lbs. and a thinly framed welterweight doesn’t make sense in the combative sphere of the MMA. However, a gruesome injury, along with the eclectic desire to only vie for a high valued prize, suddenly made this bout go from impractical to something that makes complete sense.

Silva is coming off a thirteen-month layoff after recovering from a broken leg he suffered in his bout with Chris Weidman. Diaz emerges from a 22-month retirement where a seven-figure payday in a loss to Georges St. Pierre made him very selective on who he does business with inside the confines of the Octagon. Continue reading “Calling The Shots: Anderson Silva vs. Nick Diaz” →

The Resurrection Of Jake The Snake

When you think of those who epitomize professional wrestling in the mid 80’s to early 90’s, the three most prominent names are Hulk Hogan, Ultimate Warrior, and Macho Man Randy Savage. The electricity of the Warrior, the fever of The Madness, and the power of Hulkamania have left an indelible imprint on pop culture and resonate with the most novice spectator.

Jake “the Snake” Roberts fits into a pantheon of his own, and rides on an advanced placement level of performance that has not only captivated a worldwide audience but his skill has earned him the utmost respect of his colleagues.

Even if you never watched a single episode of WWF television, chances are you know Roberts by two distinct characteristics: his signature maneuver, the DDT, and a giant python named Damien in a big green bag hoisted over his shoulder.

I recently watched a documentary that chronicles Roberts’ road to recovery titled The Resurrection Of Jake The Snake which just made it’s world premiere at the Slam Dance Film Festival. You can check out my review of the movie right now at Forces Of Geek.com