Check out my Dean Ambrose vs. Rob Van Dam article at Get Real Wrestling

This writing thing has been a passion of mine for a long as I can remember. It didn’t dawn on me until a couple of years ago that I should start my on blog and try to get my name there through different outlets.

I was flatter and humbled when Get Real Wrestling.com invited me to be a part of their team and get paid to write. It’s the first time someone has asked me to write for them instead of the other way around so that must mean I’m doing something right.

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It’s time to Ring the Damn Bell with SummerSlam.

Growing up, SummerSlam used to fall on or near my Birthday so for me, it was the perfect way to close out the summer before heading back to school. I think Summer Slam could benefit from being stadium show like WrestleMania because there are more weather friendly venues in the summer time. Plus, it would truly give the event that “Biggest party of the Summer” feel.

The ladder match at Summer Slam 1995 between Shawn Michaels and Razor Ramon was a great match that captivated the audience from beginning to end. Unfortunately, it is a victim of its success because everyone remembers their classic encounter at WrestleMania 10, and as a result, the sequel gets lost in the shuffle.

A hallmark of SummerSlam is the amazing Intercontinental title matches. Rey Mysterio vs. Dolph Ziggler in 2009 doesn’t get the credit it deserves. It was twelve minutes of bell-to-bell action that told a fantastic story in the process.

The fine folks over at Ring the Damn Bell invited me on as a guest blogger to help breakdown Top Five Summer Slam matches of all time. There have been so many amazing matches this event has produced over the years, it’s hard to narrow them down but that didn’t stop us from trying.

Click here to check out our choices for the Top Five SummerSlam matches.

Undertaker vs. Undertaker: The Gravest Match In Summer Slam History

Column written for gerweck.net

I thought that Undertaker vs. Undertaker was going to be the greatest match of all time. To say I was wrong is a huge understatement. The forgettable encounter at Summer Slam 1994 is remembered as one of the most horrendous main events in wrestling history. As a kid, I ate up anything and everything that wrestling had to offer, but this was a match that can’t be defended.

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Heyman Hustle Shines on Pay-Per-View

Money in the Bank was an excellent event that pulled out all the stops and produced a great moment when Paul Heyman blindsided CM Punk with a ladder and cost him the MITB briefcase. These moments are normally reserved for Monday Night Raw. It’s not hard to understand why, considering that more people will always watch free Raw than a pay-per-view. Still, I would have bet any amount of money that the turn would have happened on Raw and build to a Brock Lesnar vs. CM Punk match at Summer Slam.

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Remembrance of Chris Benoit

Column I wrote for Gerweck.net

Chris Benoit was my professional idol. There, I said it. It’s something that no one except my close friends know. In a way, I’m ashamed of this even though no one could have predicted the horrific events that occurred six years ago this very day. I remember where I was when I heard the news about the murders. I had just gotten out of class and my friend Reid call me and said: “I have something to tell you and you should sit down.”

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What if the Fake Diesel and Razor Ramon Actually Worked?

In the Summer of 1996, Professional Wrestling’s Monday Night Wars were heating up. The nWo became an instant ratings bonanza for World Championship Wrestling while the World Wrestling Federation was struggling for their piece of the pie. In August of that year, Jim Ross announced that Diesel and Razor Ramon were heading back to WWF. This created a tidal wave of controversy as the men who performed as Razor and Diesel, were under contract to WCW.

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The New WWE – for better or for worse?

Dolph Ziggler cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase and defeated Alberto Del Rio to become the World Heavyweight Champion. It was a moment many wrestling fans have been clamoring for and it occurred the night after WrestleMania 29. That’s the problem, it happened after, and not at WrestleMania.

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Things I forgot about WrestleMania 2

With WrestleMania 29 upon us, I got the sudden urge last week to dig into my DVD collection and watch WrestleMania 2. It’s not the most popular Mania of all time, but it was a big deal back in 1986.

The first time I watched this event was in the early 90’s when I rented it from a mom and pop video store that had a massive wrestling collection. I believe this was the first time I had watched it since and boy, did I forget a lot about this event! In fact, I forgot so much of what happened that I almost turned in my wrestling fan card.

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G.I. Joe: Retaliation Movie Review

I got to see The Rock’s new movie, G.I. Joe: Retaliation, and I have got to say it was pretty decent. If you grew up screaming “Yo Joe,” you will have your likes and dislikes about the film.

We pick up where the 2009 movie left off as the Joes, under the command of Duke, are ambushed and all but wiped out by order of the Zartan under the guise of the President of the United States. Roadblock, Lady Jaye, and Flint are the only survivors, and they put a plan in action to stop Cobra’s sinister plot as the fate of mankind hangs in the balance.

The movie was scheduled to be released in June 2012, but the studio pushed the date back to convert it to 3-D. It was also reported that the film tested poorly and that the main source of criticism stemmed from the fact that Duke, played by Channing Tatum, was killed off so quickly.

The majority of the original cast was not brought back for this film, which was designed to give the franchise a fresh coat of paint instead of going into reboot mode. Now you know, and knowing is half the battle. Several subplots were embedded throughout the film. Some work, but some don’t, as more time should have been spent on character development.

Adrianne Palicki was sensational as Lady Jaye, D.J. Controna was useless as Flint and Ray Stevenson was picture-perfect as Firefly, Cobra’s deadly saboteur. Enough about these jabronies. What you really want to know is, did the WWE Champion bring it? The answer is absolutely yes. Rock and Palicki were the only ones who felt comfortable and natural in their roles as Joes.

G.I. Joe: Retaliation is a fun enough movie that sometimes gets in its own way. While Retaliation scores higher marks than its silver screen predecessor, it lacks the gravitas that made the cartoon a pop culture staple.

Don’t go into the movie expecting a carefully crafted story. It’s an action flick that just so happens to have the name G.I Joe plastered on it. Expecting absolute greatness out of any film will never live up to such an elevated expectation. Just sit back, relax, and enjoy the explosive ride.

It’s Official, John Cena is a Good Wrestler

Guess what folks? John Cena can wrestle, and he proved it last Monday when he and CM Punk tore the house down, and arguably had the best match in the history of Monday Night Raw.

Is Cena the world’s greatest wrestler? No. Are his promos gods awful and infuriating at times? Absolutely. The fact of the matter is you can’t suck and have the kind of match that he had. CM Punk does bring the best out of him, but Cena wasn’t carried in any way, shape, or form.

“I’m serving humble pie and I hope all of my critics are hungry” were the first verbal shots fired by John Cena in his pre-match promo. He was determined to have the kind of match that fans will be talking about for years to come.

Cena is a lousy mechanic, which is what he gets such a bad rap for. However, he can tell a great story and knows how to work in the right situations. Don’t believe me? Let’s take trip down memory lane and look at the best John Cena matches.

Click here to read the rest of my column at Gerweck.net: Pro Wrestling News Since 1997