Movie Review - Spider-Man 3

Over the past month or so, I have sat and read review after review take movies I enjoyed and rip them apart. Some of these reviews came from sites and people I felt were pretty close to my tastes. I have to take this time to step up and have my say:

WARNING - My reviews contain spoilers. If you don't want to be spoiled, read no further.




Spider-Man 3 - 5/4/2007

If the Spider-Man series ends with this movie, it would be a great ending. Each of the Spider-Man films has improved on each other. From start to finish, this movie had me. I enjoyed how there were shots from the first two movies in the credits as a recap. Always a nice touch for the folks who are not die hard Spider fans.

This film really explores the darker side of Peter and Spider-Man. The movie starts with Peter having life going his way. He's a famous superhero, his pictures are selling, school is going well, and he and MJ are going out. What could be better? To quote a famous Sith, "Twice the pride, double the fall.". After Spider-Man saves Gwen Stacy from falling to her death, there is a rally held for Spider-Man. With one "familiar" kiss, Peter's life starts to fall apart.

Harry Osborne has picked up where his father left off and is the New Goblin. In a stunning battle over the city, Peter seriously hurts Harry and takes him to the hospital claiming he was a victim of a hit and run. At the same time, MJ loses her role in the play she's in and her displeasure is compounded by multiple instances of Gwen showing up. To top it all off, we find out that Uncle Ben's killer was not who we thought it was and the real killer is on the loose. Cue Flint Marko aka The Sandman, who has his own back story and reasons for being bad.

All these negative feelings plus his powers cause an alien symbiont to be attracted to Peter. It merges with him to form the black suit. While amplifying Peter's power, it also amplifies him primal emotions. This leads Peter to do some very "unPeterlike" things. It takes a shocking moment between him and MJ to snap Peter back to reality. Peter tries in vain to remove the suit until, in a bell tower, he successfully removes it.

At this point, Eddie Brock Jr discovers both Peter's secret identity and come in contact with the symbiont becoming my favorite Spider-Man villain; Venom. Eddie, who has a grudge with Peter already, combined with the rage the symbiont has for being abandoned by Peter, track down Sandman and concoct a plan to eliminate Spider-Man. This leads to an action set piece that is at least the last 25-30 minutes of the movie. I wont spoil it here, but it is an amazing sequence that I feel was a great payoff to the wait for this movie.

Many of the bad reviews of Spider-Man 3 claim the story element and characters came on too fast and/or it varied from the comics too much. I don't' believe they ever wanted to do an exact copy of the comic. This was Sam Rami's vision of Spider-Man, and I enjoyed it.

Other complaints were about the "bad" or "fake looking" effects. What movie were you watching? If you've seen a man made of sand or a alien symbiont and would like to elaborate on how it should look, please, let us know how it should have looked.

As with any movie I see, in the end, I ask myself the question, "Was I entertained for the past X minutes?". If I can say yes, then the movie gets the thumbs up from me.

Starcraft II

I have to agree with the tagline:

"Hell, it's about time."

http://www.starcraft2.com/

Random Things

The term ended about a week ago here at Dominican and as most "break weeks" it's been slow. I've had a few calls and such, but nothing too severe. The big news has to be that the Pepper Construction trailers are not at the Parmer Hall site anymore which means we're closer to the building being handed over to Dominican. This summer will be very busy, exciting, and full of getting the new building ready for classes in the fall. Once there is some shape to the interior, I'll do a new photo album for the blog and for my Facebook profile. By the way, if you've not seen it, check out the links section on the right for some of the photos I've taken of the work done at Dominican over the past year. You can also find a link to out wedding site.

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Gears of War - New Maps / Annex

In the world of gaming, Epic released the Annex expansion and four new maps for Gears of War. I do like the new maps, with Subway being my favorite. All the new maps are based off of sections of the single player that we're represented in the original maps:

Garden - Probably my least favorite of the new maps, but I've played it the least. This map looks like the greenhouse you fight the 2nd Berserker in. In line with the free set of maps from last year, this map has an environmental hazard; to go into the greenhouses you have to turn off the gas or you will choke and die.

Bullet Marsh - This looks a lot like the areas outside the start of Act 4. It's a multi-level marsh setting with the environmental hazard being a generator you can turn off and then the Kryll will attack anyone stuck in the dark. Most matches seem to end up on the top middle of the map near the Boomshot. Watch out for snipers on the ends of the bridges.

Process - This uses the graphics from the end of Act 4 when you battle the Corpser. All the Imulsion around the level looks dangerous, but I haven't found a way to fall into it...yet.

Subway - My new favorite map. It's large and works best in 4 vs 4 matches. There is a large subway tunnel to fight in with derailed subway cars and a large above ground area with concrete guard rails to hide behind. Be you a sniper, a torque master, or a shotgun surgeon...you'll find something to love in Subway.

The game mode Annex adds a new spin to Gears. The other game modes rely on you sneaking around and taking cover as best you can to not get killed and then have to wait for the next round to help your team. In Annex, the goal is to hold a specific spot on the map, similar to King of the Hill in other games. After 60 seconds of being held, the hill moves to another location. To make it easy to find, the hill only appears at weapon spawn points. You also get a nice new part of your HUD so you can find it easily. Also, you respawn in between 2-15 seconds depending on how your previous life went. It seems the more good you do (killing opponents, taking the hill, etc) the quicker you respawn. It breaths a fresh air into Gears. Execution and Warzone were still good, but having Annex in the mix makes it feel new again.

Feel free to send me a buddy invite to my GamerTag - GrzeTim

In 40 Years...

I hope I can still be half the gamer this Grandma is when I'm 70. This is 100% amazing.

http://oghc.blogspot.com/

The Ultimate Star Wars Personality Test

Lots of Stuff...Guitar Hero 2, Dominican Happenings

Wow,

Haven't done a post in a while and it shows since I have tons to write about now:

- Kathy and I got Guitar Hero II last week for the X-Box 360 and it is A LOT of fun. I never thought I would get into a game like that, but it's very challenging and most likely the closest I'll ever come to playing a real instrument. I would highly recommend it.

- I finally got to get inside of Parmer Hall at Dominican today (4/16). I thought the building looked big from the outside. It's even BIGGER from the inside. I took a whole bunch of pictures of the inside and I have a link on the side for both pictures of Parmer and the new Parking Pavilion, which is now complete and cars have been parking in it for about a month now. You can find the links to the pictures on the right of the blog in the Links section.

- While in the Links section, you can visit out wedding site as well. Six months and counting as of last Friday. Kathy maintains a lot of that page and she updates from time to time.

Well, I have to get back to Raw...

Transformers Posters

New posters for the Transformers movie have been released. The movie comes out July 4th, 2007.

Transformers posters

My "friend" Jack Thompson

Well,

He's at it again:

Thompson countersues Take-Two

I wish people would focus on all the REAL problems there are in the world. Remember when people used to play games for fun and that was it? Good times...

Let It Snow...

I hate people in SUVs. I know some of my friends, and even family, drive them, but they are a pox on humanity. I live in the Chicago area and today it starting snowing overnight and was a very hard drive to work today. The roads were so bad, my normal 25-30 minute drive took over an hour and a half.

I don't mind driving in bad weather...when I got my car back in 2002, it was in December, in a snow storm. My first week driving it, I saw three people spin out in front of me. The weather doesn't bother me. What bothers me is when a 200 ton piece of crap SUV gets behind me at a red light and honks at me when I don't start moving right away because of all the slush and ice on the street. Then, once I get moving, he blows past me with all his four wheel drive and glares at me. This is all in the RIGHT LANE. Sorry, buddy, some of us don't have a SUV that makes us feel that we can go 45mph in the slush and ice.

Now that I got that out of my system, I have to get back to work. Anyone caught in the storms, take it easy and if you drive a big car, watch out for those little guys...they need to take their time.

Latest "Parenting Terror"

So I was browsing through the web comics I read and I found a link to this news story:

Nintendo Hand-Held Child Molester Target

The story is about the Nintendo DS and its ability to do short range wireless gaming and chat. The "official" range of the wireless antenna of the DS, according to Nintendo, is about 65 feet.

Anyone who has worked with any type of wireless device knows that a lot of things can hinder your signal. These are not limited to physical obstruction, other wireless signals in the area or interference (electrical, environmental, etc). The folks at FOX Channel 6 Milwaukee took two DS units and went to the local shopping center and were able to connect across the food court (about 200 feet) with no problems.

This wasn't to show how powerful the device is, but how a child molester can use a DS to lure your kids into giving away personal information. They actually come up with a scenario where while you are driving and your child is playing with a DS in the back seat, a child molester can be driving next to you and chatting with your child. Let's ignore the facts that:

1. If they wanted to find out where you lived that badly, they could follow you home and
2. They are driving AND writing on a the DS with a stylus at the same time and not crashing into other things in the road.

The story then shifts to some parents whose children have the DS and were shown how easy it is for someone with another DS to start a chat with their child. Of course, this person would have to be within 65-200 feet of them, and the further they are away, the fewer obstructions there have to be. The parents are outraged that this can happen and wonder why Nintendo did not inform them of this feature. The sad part is, the ability to chat is right in the manual and on the information page for the DS.

In both the manual and on the website, Nintendo recommends talking with your children (imagine that, talking to them...) about the dangers of chatting with someone they don't know and about the dangers of giving ANY personal information away. But, why should the parent be expected to parent? Isn't that everyone else's job? Maybe if parents were smart consumers and looked into what they are buying and not just bending to the pressure their child is applying they could avoid looking like idiots.

Have a good weekend, true believers.

Back From The Dead...Yet Again

Well,

Looking at the last entry I did, it's been about three months I've been away. It's also a new year...I'm going to try and update more often...yet again.

I can't believe it's 2007. When I bought my car back in 2002 and the last payment was listed in the fall of 2007 that felt like forever. Where has forever gone? The past few months have been filled with some bad, but mostly good.

- Kathy had her purse stolen back in December (part of what lead to me not posting consistently). It was hard for her and she had much trouble with some of her cards giving her a run around on things. It's all sorted out now, but it was not a fun two or three weeks right before Christmas.

- Christmas itself was great. This was the first year Kathy and I tried to spend time with both sides of the family. Christmas Eve was at the condo with Kathy's family for dinner. Christmas Day was spent at my folks' place with my side of the family. It worked out pretty well, but we were both burned out after that.

- Da Bears. What else can I say? Over the past three seasons to go from a 5-11 team one year, to playing in the Divisional Playoffs the next, to winning the NFC championship the next is something special. Do I wish they had gone all the way? Yes. Am I any less proud for the team and for being a loyal fan all these years? NO. Sure you have a lot of people bad mouthing the team, but the sad part about the playoffs is someone has to lose and someone has to go home disappointed. So, congrats to the folks in IN. The Bears will be back next year and be they 13-3 or 3-13, I'll be there to cheer them on.

- I turned 29 just a little over a week ago. The people around me make a bigger deal of my birthday than I do. It's just another day for me. Thanks to everyone for the wishes, all the same.

- Jib is back! Jib is our friend who went to Dominican with Kathy and me years ago. She moved back to Thailand a while back and has just moved back to the US full time. I'm looking forward to seeing her in a few weeks for a welcome home party.

Time to get back to work...

Wii Wii Wii

In a move that has shocked me and many others, my wonderful fiancée Kathy went to Best Buy at 6:45am on Sunday and got us the Wii and The Legend of Zelda - Twilight Princess. She had mentioned the night before she was going to go, but I figured that she was playing around and I went to bed.

The next morning, she wakes me at 6am or so to let me know she is leaving. I asked if she was serious and she walked out and was on her way. About two hours later, she comes walking back in with the Wii and Zelda. She then got together to go dress shopping with her friends for the wedding we're attending this weekend (only three days Liz & Ted!).

Later that evening, we played around with Wii Sports and had a blast. The Wii is not a gimmick; it works as well as the demo videos show. We just tried Zelda last night and, so far, it stands up to the Zelda legacy. I agree with some that the graphics aren't as impressive as you might have hoped from a next gen system, but it looks beautiful and it's a Zelda game at launch (the first time Nintendo has launched a system with a Zelda game at the start). I hope to have some more time this weekend to play with it. I also have to be sure not to ignore Gears of War and my 360.

Seriously, Christmas came early for me this year, in a big way.

It Lives!

I got my replacement X-Box 360 and it works! The overall experience is amazing; I can see why people were raving. Gears of War is intense and hard and fun all at the same time...and I haven't even tried online play yet.

Now for sleep, and then tomorrow a DSL install at Kathy's folk's house.

The Boy Who Cannot Win

There is a time when you wonder if there is a God. Then there are times if you wonder if there is God that takes joy in making your life crazy.

I FINALLY got an X-Box 360. There is a GREAT deal for the next week at Micro Center for the Core for $199 and the Premium for $299 after $100 mail-in rebate. It's a steal, no tricks, no hitches. I don't eat lunch and drive to Micro Center; they have a TON of them. I buy it and get a free charger for the wireless controller for being one of the first people at the new gaming section they just opened.

I wait all day to get home and open it. I set it up, power it on...and get an error. I call support and it's a hard drive issue. Since the unit is so new, I have to FAX my receipt and info so they can process a new hard drive. Until then, I can't use it. The WORST part? My fiancée surprised me after hearing I got one with Gears of War, the biggest game out for the X-Box 360.

So I have an X-Box 360 and the hottest game for it, but I can't play it. To play Gears, you need an update for the 360, which you can't do without X-Box Live, which you can't do without a hard drive.

As I said, God is a vengeful child with a hot poker.

WWE - Eric Bishoff as GM again…

Eric Bishoff as GM again…

Controversy = Low Quarterly Ratings

Transformers The Movie!

I had read about it and heard the trailer was coming and here it is!

http://www.transformersmovie.com/

Michael Bay directed and Steven Spielberg produced!

July 4th 2007!

I was excited about this summer's movie season; next summer is already shaping up to be something too...Spider-Man 3, Pirates 3, Transformers.

I love summer movies.

Return + GrzeTim Books...WWE Vengeance

I'm back after a little break. One Night Stand and the weeks after it saw me get upset at the handling of the WWE Title. The lack of respect for it by RVD was terrible. He's keeping it because "it spins". Please. It's like taking a dump on all the stars that MADE professional wrestling and without the WWF / WWE Title there NEVER would have been an ECW as it is know and RVD would be back in Battle Creek going "Dude, do you want fries with that?". Ok, end rant.

The PPV for tonight looks good, let's get to it:

GrzeTim Books...WWE Vengeance

Match 1 - Eugene vs. Umaga – While I think it’s a mistake to open with this match; I wouldn’t put it anywhere else because it’ll kill the crowd. I would like to see Eugene get the win here via some new “tutor” or some outside interference, but Umaga is being built up for something, who knows what, but something. All we can hope for is a quick match.
Winner – Umaga

Match 2 - Mick Foley vs. Ric Flair – 2 out of 3 falls – This match worries me because of how they are promoting it. Foley was talking on Monday about how it was going to be a stinker so he could embarrass Flair in Charlotte. I know Foley isn’t a great matt wrestler, but this could still be salvageable. I look for Foley to win the first fall with a backslide or something using the ropes. Flair will win the 2nd fall in the same manner. The final fall will most likely be Foley tapping to the Figure Four.
Winner in 3 falls – Ric Flair

Match 3 - Intercontinental Championship Triple Threat Match – Shelton Benjamin(c) vs. Johnny Nitro vs. Carlito – This and the match between Angle and Orton could steal the show. All three of these guys are hungry and very good at what they do. I look for some great spots between Shelton and Carlito and with Nitro in the mix, this could be something special. I look for Nitro to get the win over Carlito. This will setup some nice rematches in the future between all these guys.
Winner and NEW Intercontinental Champ – Johnny Nitro

Match 4 - John Cena vs. Sabu (Extreme Lumberjack Match) - This match will be interesting just for the fact of how they are booking Cena with ECW. I thought the segment where he proposed the match was great. The ECW guys seemed both shocked Cena would walk into their arena and also that he would call them all out tonight. They seemed to respect it. In the end, that is what I think this is about, respect. I don’t see Cena getting the win, but I do see him giving Sabu a great fight…enough that the ECW guys will finally respect him, including Heyman.
Winner – Sabu

Match 5 - Kane vs. "Impostor Kane" – I have no idea where they are heading with this, but I have liked the way they built it up. Kane is afraid of this man, and the only person Kane has feared is Undertaker. I don’t think it’s Taker, but I think it’s someone from his past, maybe another half brother from Paul Bearer and a different woman (not Taker and Kane’s mom). It could also be the true killer of Taker and Kane’s mother and step-father. We will see, or maybe we won’t till Monday. I still have to make a pick:
Winner - “Imposter Kane”

Match 6 - Kurt Angle vs. Randy Orton – Like I said earlier, this could be the match of the night if it’s given time. These two had a decent match at One Night Stand, but it felt too rushed. Give them a solid 15-20 minutes and you have a match of the year candidate. I look for Orton to get the win back and setup for a rubber match in the future.
Winner – Randy Orton

Match 7 - WWE Championship - Rob Van Dam(c) vs. Edge – While I never like booking the title match below something else, the crowd will not go home happy on this one. I think Edge will win this for two reasons:

1. If RVD retains, then without someone coming to ECW and beating him for it or him coming to Raw, the next time there is a Raw PPV is SummerSlam. I don’t see Raw being without a main title that long.

2. You need to start establishing the ECW Title again. RVD can’t do that if he’s on Raw too.
For those reasons, I see Edge becoming a two time WWE Champ tonight. It’s also a good place to be with the title on an established heel that can be chased all summer up to SummerSlam.
Winner and NEW WWE Champion - Edge

Match 8 - D-Generation X vs. Spirit Squad - Most people consider this result a no brainer, but I beg to differ. One side is Triple H and Shawn Michaels and while that is a formidable team on the other side you have not just the Spirit Squad, but the McMahons. They should NEVER be underestimated or forgotten about. Still, I would be surprised if DX doesn’t get the win tonight. I also don’t see ANY new or old members of DX showing up. I don’t think it’ll happen tonight or ever. I look for Michaels to be the face in peril for most of the match. He then gets the tag to Triple H and they clean house. The finish is either a botched attempt by Vince and Shane to interfere or a tandem Pedigree and Sweet Chin Music.
Winners – D-Generation X

That will do it. Enjoy the PPV and I’ll be back.

GrzeTim

GrzeTim Books...ECW One Night Stand 2

Tonight is ECW One Night Stand 2 and it’s shaping up to be an interesting show. Let’s get to the picks:

I’m not even going to try and predict an order to the matches since I expect there to be unannounced matches, so I’ll work with what they gave me:

Tazz vs. Jerry Lawler – I like both guys but this will be hard to watch. I hope Tazz will go back to doing commentary with Joey after this or maybe manage. Anyway, I see Tazz getting the win with the Tazzmission after a short match.
Winner - Tazz

The FBI vs. Super Crazy & Tajiri – This is actually one I’m looking forward to. I love watching Tajiri wrestle and with Super Crazy, it’ll be something to see what double team madness they can come up with. I’m picking Crazy and Tajiri to pull this one out (and I hope to see at least one mist tonight by Tajiri).
Winners – Super Crazy and Tajiri

Mick Foley & Edge vs. Tommy Dreamer & Terry Funk – This match will be the only sure blood bath of the night. All four of these guys are nuts and will do ANYTHING. I just hope all four come out without any major injury. I’m hoping this match will be for the Hardcore Title, because that plays into my theories about later on in the show.
Winners and NEW co-Hardcore Champions – Tommy Dreamer & Terry Funk

Balls Mahoney vs. Masato Tanaka - Sadly, I have never seen Balls wrestle and the first full match of Tanaka’s I have seen was last One Night Stand with Mike Awesome. I would GUESS that Tanaka will get his win back from last year.
Winner – Masato Tanaka

Kurt Angle vs. Randy Orton – This one could be a clinic. I see Kurt playing the face in peril for a while and then coming back to make Orton tap out. I am afraid of what Kurt could be thinking of doing tonight based on how badly he wants to get ECW over. I just hope he remembers this will be a marathon not a sprint to sell ECW to the WWE faithful who were groomed to “hate” WCW and ECW as the “enemy” in years past.
Winner – Kurt Angle

Now, here is where things get dicey and I am going to get flak from some for it:

World Championship - Rey Mysterio(c) vs. Sabu – Considering that both these guys have mostly ariel offence, they will have to be careful how they book this so it doesn’t become just a high spot fest. I don’t see Vince giving either title to ECW (also, see my notes about the WWE Title Match).
Winner and STILL World Champion – Rey Mysterio

WWE Championship - John Cena(c) vs. Rob Van Dam – Now here it the tough one. I do NOT see Vince giving Heyman even the storyline victory of destroying the history of the WWE Title, which was the WWF Title. It would be killing the history of that title, a title that Hulk Hogan, Bret Hart, Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, Undertaker, Triple H, Chris Jericho, and many many others help build. I also think it would turn classic WWE / WWF fans off from the ECW brand. So, how to keep the belt on Cena without killing RVD…here’s how I would do it:

The match will be something special, with each guy taking the other’s best shots and still coming back. In the end, RVD will hit a move on Cena and knock him out. RVD will then look to the crowd and go to the top to hit the Frog Splash. As he is about to jump, Lita comes down and pushes RVD off the top. Cena starts to come to and stumbles up. RVD starts to recover from getting pushed off the top rope and walks into a FU attempt by Cena that RVD counters into a DDT or some other move. Edge hits the ring and coils in the corner ready to strike. He rushes out of the corner and spears…RVD. He then places Cena on RVD. 1…2…3. Cena retains.

The reason for this? As Edge will tell us on Monday, he is the #1 contender for the WWE Title at Vengeance in a few weeks and he’ll be damned if he’ll lose his chance to get the title back cause Cena lost the title in a “bingo hall” to an “ECW chump”.

Flash forward to Vengeance…Edge has Cena beat and is waiting for Cena to get up so he can hit the spear. Cena dodges the spear, Edge hits the ref on accident, and then walks into a FU but Cena is unable to make the cover and falls over. From the crowd, RVD comes out and jumps to the top rope. He looks over his targets, shrugs, and jumps…OVER the prone Cena and hits Edge. He then places Cena on Edge. 1…2…3. Cena retains.

The next night on Raw, Edge is pissed at RVD and promises to get revenge on RVD. He’ll be at ECW’s show Tuesday night! This also moves Edge and Lita over to ECW.

Feud commences and all is well in the world.
Winner and STILL WWE Champion – John Cena

Well, that is what I see happening tonight. I’ll be back next week with the results and my thoughts.

Take care.

Return

I can't believe I fell behind again... The biggest thing to happen over the past few weeks was asking Kathy to marry me on May 18th. Last year around her birthday, I had promised I would ask before her next birthday (May 19th). I cut it pretty close, huh? Of course, she said yes and we've already set a date: Saturday, October 13th, 2007. Why so far off you ask? Kathy wants to have a fall wedding in October and this October would be WAY too close to try and get everything ready. Also, one of our friends won’t be coming back from Thailand until this Fall, and that's just too close to risk. So I am now made her an "honest woman" as she used to put it. :)

I'm going to work on an ECW One Night Stand predictions post and have it up before I go to my folks to watch the PPV. This one is always hard to predict since they never let us know all the matches.

Atari Quiz

Again, I am too big a nerd for my own good...

WWE Thoughts

It's been a long two weeks or so for me. With the end of term, I didn't get a chance to finish my Backlash results and it's a little late to do them now. Gotta try better with Judgment Day. Speaking of Judgment Day, it seems JBL is going to be fighting for the World Title. This leads me to an interesting theory...JBL vs. RVD and One Night Stand 2 for the World Title. Follow me here...

Right after winner the MITB match, RVD said the timing was "extreme". This pretty much cements that he'll use the shot at One Night Stand 2. This past week on Raw, we had our first face to face of Cena and RVD as Cena left and RVD came out for the IC title defense. I consider this a ploy; they are waving Cena vs. RVD in our face to mask the truth...JBL vs. RVD at One Night Stand 2.

The World Title match for Judgment Day is Mysterio vs. JBL. I see JBL pulling out a cheating win here. Do you recall the leaders of the WWE factions that were at One Night Stand last year? Eric Bishoff and JBL. There was even some blowback with an incident between JBL and The Blue Meanie that came onto SmackDown for a few weeks.

Now, how to get RVD to notice JBL...easy, have JBL jump all over ECW. I say the week after Judgment Day, start doing the ECW tapings before SmackDown. Before the first match can start, have JBL's music hit and he comes down to the ring with some other SmackDown heels. He can run his mouth about ECW ("This isn't a bingo hall...", "Extremely Crappy Wrestling", etc, etc). Once he's done, the WWE gang rushes the ring and destroys the ECW guys. They could even rip into Joey Styles a bit. This can continue up to the Raw before One Night Stand 2.

That night on Raw, RVD calls Vince (or a GM if named by then) to the ring to announce that he is going to cash in. Before he can finish, Cena's (or whoever has the title then) music hits and he comes down. RVD will tell him to chill and that he isn't using his shot tonight...and not against you. Queue Teddy Long's music and he struts to the ring. Teddy gets on the mic and confirms that RVD will be using his MITB shot at One Night Stand 2 to challenge for JBL's World Title.

The next day on WWE.Com, they can have a video from JBL taunting RVD and challenging him to show up on SmackDown. That night, for the whole show, they have a camera watching for RVD to arrive. Near the end of the show, still no RVD. JBL and his crew from the ECW taping head to the ring and JBL again calls out RVD.

Nothing.

JBL then runs down ECW and RVD some more. RVD's music hits and the crowd goes nuts. RVD comes out on the ramp and stands there. JBL and his crew are then jumped from behind by the ECW stars they attacked. JBL tries to flee and is trapped on the ramp between RVD and the ECW stars. JBL ends up back in the ring and takes a few signature moves from the ECW stars before RVD walks down and gets on the mic.

"I hope you liked that, JBL, because that is just a taste of how EXTREME this Sunday will be. Our match at One Night Stand is an ECW Rules match!"

The crown goes wild.

Now, ask yourself, would you order One Night Stand 2 now?

Now, the big question...should RVD win the title? My gut reaction is yes. The main issue with this is then RVD has to move to SmackDown or the World Title comes back to Raw. Both pose issues:

- Move RVD to SmackDown and when Batista comes back, it's a foregone conclusion they are going to put the belt back on him. If RVD is squashed by Batista, it would destroy all the building they did here, but they've done it before.

- Move the World Title to Raw and now there is no major title on SmackDown....unless you turn the show into 100% ECW, but I doubt it with it being on network TV.

Of the two, I would wager on RVD coming to SmackDown, if this all happens, of course.

Well, enough for me, I should get back to work.

GrzeTim Books...Backlash

Once again, I’m in a rush at 1:30 the day of the show to put up my predictions. Let’s get right to it:

GrzeTim Books…Backlash

Women's Championship - Mickie James(c) vs. Trish Stratus – I’ve loved how they have gone about booking this feud. Trish dressing up as Mickie (they finally called her Trishy James on TV, as I’ve been doing since the first time she came out like that) has been a hoot. I’m expecting Trish to continue her mental attack on Mickie tonight. My only concern is that Trish might focus too much on mentally beating her and Mickie will pull it out with a quick roll up.
Winner and STILL Women’s Champion – Mickie James

Ric Flair vs. Umaga – I’m not even going to get into this match too much. It’s, once again, Ric Flair lying down for the new talent. Umaga / Jamal isn’t even new talent. Also, whose idea was it to put a Cuban manager with an Islanders rip-off? I see Umaga going over on this to push his character as a “monster” with his thumb of death.
Winner - Umaga

Kane vs. Big Show – I’m surprised how fast they jumped on this one. I expect the usual big man vs. big man stuff. It would be cool to see Kane go psycho and start to hit that MAYBE he is the man from the See No Evil movie. Maybe even bring the hook from the movie down with him. Kane will get himself DQed by using a weapon of some kind.
Winner via DQ – Big Show

Intercontinental Championship vs. Money in the Bank - Shelton Benjamin(c) vs. Rob Van Dam (MITB) – This could be the match of the night. Both these guys can deliver in the ring and while they have conflicting styles, if they can mesh, it’ll be something special. I expect a lot of “crash and burn” high spots in this one. With the ECW One Night Stand poster having RVD with the briefcase, I would be VERY surprised if he doesn’t win here and go on to One Night Stand to face the WWE Champ.
Winner and NEW Intercontinental Champion – Rob Van Dam

Carlito vs. Chris Masters – This is another match I’m looking forward to. The slow build has been great. They had been hinting at Carlito turning on him since before WrestleMania. The time is right; the crowd is REALLY into Carlito. He needs to be the one to break the Masterlock. I see it as he takes a bite of the apple, gets caught in the lock, looks up and spits in his face. This allows Carlito to break the hold and reverse it into the back cracker for the win.
Winner - Carlito

Shawn Michaels & "God" vs. Mr. McMahon & Shane McMahon – While this is a handicap match on the surface, a lot can happen here. I could see them doing things with the lights, ring, and pyro to make it seem like Michaels has a partner. I have the same feeling about this match as I did about the Michaels vs. Mr. McMahon match from WM. A lot can happen in this match, but I’m not building it up too much in my head. I expect the McMahon’s to get their win back in this one.
Winners – Mr. McMahon & Shane McMahon

WWE Championship – John Cena(c) vs. Edge vs. Triple H – Now the match everyone is waiting for. I thought I had this one figured out, but with RVD going to be using the Money in the Bank at ECW One Night Stand, everything is out the window. Let’s look at the three possible outcomes in the match starting with the least likely and going up:

3. Cena retains the title. I SERIOUSLY doubt this will happen. I think it would be a massive mistake to send Cena to the ECW PPV as the champ. The crowd there will eat him alive…or worse yet they’ll leave when he comes out. While I do see the flip side that it’ll make RVD into a superman to the fans, does RVD really NEED the cheap heat going into an ECW PPV?

2. Edge wins the title. If Edge wins, he will NOT pin Cena. That way, there is an easy setup for a rematch. I do like the idea of Edge bad mouthing ECW for a month. He could be pissed about how he is the WWE Champion, not the champ of a bingo hall and he wont defend there. Also, Edge just had a nasty Hardcore Match with Foley at WM, so his toughness won’t be in question.

1. Triple H wins the title. This could be a win over either man. Triple H is the most likely person to go into an ECW PPV as the champ. RVD and Triple H have some title history in the past and imagine Triple H walking into ECW Arena…the fans will go nuts on him. Even more so, what if he BEATS RVD there…he better get the three, grab the belt, and RUN.

In the end, this all comes down to who they want to walk into the ECW PPV as the champ. I have to go with the best choice (in my opinion)
Winner and NEW WWE Champion – Triple H

Enjoy the PPV folks. I’ll post the results tonight or tomorrow.

NES Quiz

This was a fun quiz. It shows you a screen from a NES game and the box art and you have to type in the title. I got all of them but one. Give it a shot.

The Sheep Say "Baaaa Cena Sucks Baaa"

I have to cover something that has been grating on me for months now; the crowds DRASTIC turn on John Cena. As a man over 25, I know I'm going out on a limb here by saying "I still enjoy watching John Cena.".

"The Sheep" is my term for the masses of wrestling fans that come to the live events and don't have A SINGLE CLUE as to what is going on. Why do you pay $40+ to go to a live event if you have no idea who is who and what is what? My favorite is the guys (that always seem to be in front or behind me) who chant the whole night for "puppies", chant "boring" at nice chain wrestling, and then again chant "We want puppies" or "HLA" when Trish and Mickie come out and put on a good match. It's disgusting. If you want HLA or puppies, might I recommend a strip club or the Playboy channel? It's cheaper, you can still drink, and it doesn't cost $6+ a glass.

Now, back to Cena. It has obviously become the "cool thing" if you're male over 13 to boo Cena. Why is this? Is it because the girls love him? Is it because he has become a bit younger fan friendly? Is it because he is Champ? I don't think so...I think it's because one crowd booed him. Not any crowd in particular...just a crowd. Here's where the "sheep" mentality comes in. Every crowd, every week, tries to out do the last. What we end up with is Cena being booed and Triple H being cheered...what? I thought the world hated Triple H...? Don't get me wrong, I have been a fan of Triple H for a long time...but I hate these sheep who cheer for him because he's against Cena. Heaven forbid we THINK FOR OURSELVES!

For my last point, and the lock on the sheep, think back to New Years Revolution. The crowd was all over Cena the WHOLE MATCH. When he won, they booed him. When Edge hit the ring and won, they cheered like crazy and then it dawned on them, "Wait, Edge just won the title.” You can see it in the tape. Watch the crowd, they are cheering and jumping because Cena lost...then it hits them like a ton of bricks...you can see it in your faces. Let me also make it clear that I am a big fan of Edge and I'm happy to see the push he's gotten as of late.

The SAME THING will happen at Backlash if Cena loses the belt. And, if they truly hate Cena and love Edge or Triple H, when one of them comes out with the belt the next night on Raw, they better cheer like mad.

Of course, they won’t. Cause they're sheep. They were sheep when they "hated" the Rock and booed him...but they would still talk along with his catchphrases. They were sheep when they would pop for Triple H when he came down, but when he would talk they would boo him because he was dating / married to Steph. So, as sheep, when Cena goes for the Five Knuckle Shuffle, they all go "You can't see me." If you don't like the man, then don't talk along with him.

If you don't like it, I got one word for ya!

Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

The Plague

Well,

Raw was fun back in the first week of April. It was a good show and it was great to see it. Sadly, the day after I developed what can only be described as the worst cold / flu / ill I have ever had. I was DOA from Tuesday after Raw all the way though until the Wednesday before Easter. For the first time in my life, I got medicine from the doctor (two things, a five day antibiotic and a prescription level cough medicine). I, of course, forced myself into work Wednesday and Thursday of that week and then spent my three day weekend in bed. I'm about 100% again, almost a month later, but I still have a bit of the cough.

Of course, this pretty much made anything beyond watching TV and trying to breathe impossible. You know I'm sick when I'm off for a week and I don't get online or turn on the X-Box once. Some people at work thought I must be dead since I never miss that much work unexpectedly. But, here I am, almost back to normal.

A lot happened here while I was away. The head of my department had announced he was resigning and moving to a new job in Connecticut about a month ago. His last day is this Friday. My direct supervisor is moving up to fill his position. We're not sure if she is going to stay there full time since the original head's boss (the Provost of the university) is ALSO leaving at the end of April. The new Provost won’t start till this summer, so it's all up in the air. What do I do? Keep on truckin...

I started playing Madden 06 on All-Madden recently. Man, it's tough. The DBs and LBs seem to know where the ball is going before I decide. Has anyone played with the sliders in the AI section and found a good setting where they are challenging but not psychic?

I'm working on a post to recap the past few weeks of WWE and some Backlash predictions, which I'll have up by Friday (hopefully...).

Wish me luck kicking the rest of this cough.

WrestleMania 22 Results & Thoughts

WrestleMania 22 is done and there were a lot of great moments and a lot to discuss, so let’s get right to it and see how I did.

WrestleMania 22 Results & Thoughts

Match 1 - World Tag Team Championship - Kane & Big Show (c) vs. Chris Masters & Carlito – I was so off on the order of matches tonight, but my picks were very good. This was a solid opener and all four guys worked hard. Kane was on tonight and was on fire (no pun intended). I was surprised that Kane & Big Show retained. It wouldn’t surprise me to see a rematch tomorrow at Raw and it will either mark the end of Kane & Big Show as champs or it will be the spark that starts the Chris Masters / Carlito feud and the start of Carlito’s face turn. The finish saw Kane give Carlito the chokeslam for the win. Winners and STILL World Tag Team Champs – Kane & Big Show
My Score - (0/1)

Backstage - Coach interviews HBK about his match tonight.

Match 2 - Money in the Bank Ladder Match - Shelton Benjamin vs. Rob Van Dam vs. Ric Flair vs. Finlay vs. Matt Hardy vs. Lashley – I was very surprised to see this match so early in the card. I thought all six men worked hard. The spot where Hardy superplexed Flair off the ladder and they took Flair out “hurt” was a sure sign that he would come back to win. Some amazing spots in this…Shelton running up the ladder and flying to the outside and his mad jump from the middle of the ropes onto a ladder. I also dug the three man powerbomb on Lashley. There was a nasty spot near the end where Shelton and Hardy went off a ladder and to the outside. Hardy seemed to hit his head on the apron…I hope he’s ok. In the end, RVD comes out on top as Mr. Money in the Bank. 2006 just might be RVD’s year to shine. Winner - Rob Van Dam
My Score - (1/2)

Backstage – Josh Matthews backstage with Mean Gene. Randy Orton interrupts and rips on Mean Gene for getting into the Hall of Fame for holding a mic. Mean Gene gets upset and walks off camera mumbling about Orton’s father.

Hall of Fame Segment – It was great to see all the Hall of Fame superstars again tonight. I think it was TERRIBLE that Bret was not there. I had read that he was not going to, but I was hoping he would have a change of heart (again, no pun intended). It’s sad if this is how we will have to remember Bret Hart.

Match 3 - United States Championship - Chris Benoit (c) vs. JBL – This match went just about how I expected. It was great with JBL playing on Benoit’s love of Eddie to get him out of his game plan. The finish saw Benoit lock in the Crippler Crossface from a blocked Clothesline from Hell that JBL then rolled into a cover and a pin with help from the ropes. Winner and NEW United States Champion – JBL
My Score - (2/3)

At ringside - Joey Styles comes out to call the Hardcore Match. It was a great idea to let Joey cut his teeth at WrestleMania on a match like this. He did a great job and it shows how Lawler and Styles can do a two man show.

Match 4 - Hardcore Match - Edge vs. Mick Foley – As I said, this match was hard to call. The match was bloody and had some amazing moments. Foley wrapping himself in barbed wire to avoid the spear was classic. The tacks were something else. I said when Edge got them out “He’s going on those.” and so he did. Socko with the barbed wire to both Edge and Lita (she bled even if it was just pellets…) was nice as well. The finish saw Edge spear Foley though the ropes and through a burning table. Did you see: 1. That they both got burned because the table flashed and didn’t go out as fast? 2. The burn marks on the black mats at ringside? YIKES! Winner – Edge
My Score - (3/4)

Backstage – Booker T and Sharmell and talking over their match and wondering why all the psychos get drawn to them. They start walking to the ring and run into:

• Paul Burchill playing with his sword
• Eugene trying to win a bet with DiBiase and loses (classic Million Dollar Man here)
• Snitsky licking Mae Young’s foot (yes you read that right)
• Goldust in a dress as Oprah-dust

Goldust tells Booker that the only way he can win is to find his inner freak like they all did. Booker is NOT happy with this and storms out. Great segment!

Match 5 - Boogeyman vs. Booker T & Sharmell – This match was exactly what I expected. Booker used Sharmell to distract Boogey and get the early advantage, but Boogey fought back. In the end, Sharmell tried to hit Boogey with his own staff and got a worm filled kiss for her trouble. Boogeyman then hit a double handed sit-down chokeslam for the win. Winner – Boogeyman
My Score - (4/5)

Match 6 - Women's Championship - Trish Stratus (c) vs. Mickie James – While this was a good match with some great ring work and psychology, one thing stands out to me: the crowd TURNING on Trish! I couldn’t believe it. They were booing her and “Let’s go Mickie” rang out through the arena. I was amazed. I have nothing bad to say about Mickie. She has done great work with a hard role, but why would the crowd turn on Trish like that? What has she done to deserve it? Cause she didn’t give them HLA? The idiots in the crowd obviously wanted a T&A match (which they got later and chanted "Boring!” over) and didn’t get it. It’s a shame and a perfectly good match wasted on a crowd that I bet was les than 50% Chicago area fans. Mickie won with a Mick Kick after a botched attempt and Stratusfaction. Winner and NEW Women’s Champion – Mickie James
My Score - (5/6)

Backstage – Vince leads the whole McMahon clan in a prayer for Shawn Michaels. I can’t wait for the letters they’ll get for this one… :)

Match 7 - Casket Match - Undertaker vs. Mark Henry – This was a decent match for what it was. As always, Undertaker gives us a memory for WrestleMania. The vault over the ropes and casket was amazing. He then powerbombs Henry and gives him the Tombstone. RIP Mark Henry. Winner – Undertaker 14-0
My Score - (6/7)

Match 8 - No Holds Barred Match - Vince McMahon vs. Shawn Michaels – As I thought, all the “what ifs” about this match were just that; “ifs”. The match was solid for a part time wrestler being in it. Shawn controlled the early part of the match and then the Sprit Squad hits the ring. Shawn finally gets his vengeance on them too and lays them all out with their own megaphone. Vince does get the upper hand for a bit with Shane’s help. As they are about to have Shawn kiss Vince’s ass again, he reverses it and Shane does the honors. Once Shane is handcuffed to the ropes, Shawn proceeds to assault Vince with many weapons, deliver an elbow drop from a TALL ladder while Vince is on a table and in a trash can, and finally gives him a brutal Superkick for the pin. As Vince is rolled out bleeding he flips Shawn off, signaling that the Backlash will be hell (I love foreshadowing…:) ). Winner – Shawn Michaels
My Score - (7/8)

WrestleMania 23 will be at Ford Field in Detroit. That’ll be massive…I hope they can sell it out.

Match 9 - World Heavyweight Championship - Kurt Angle (c) vs. Randy Orton vs. Rey Mysterio – This is the match I picked as the main event…I guess not. This was an amazing match with a lot of action and many false finishes. The double German Suplex by Angle to both men was amazing. Kurt always gives 110% out there. Kurt got both Orton and Mysterio to tap, but the ref was distracted by the third man, something that will come up this Friday I bet. The end saw Angle go for an Angle Slam on Mysterio and he revered it into an armdrag that sent Kurt out of the ring. Rey then hit the 619 and West Coast Pop on Orton for the win. Kurt tried to break it up, but just didn’t make it. This had to be one of the biggest surprises of the night. Winner and NEW World Heavyweight Champion – Rey Mysterio
My Score - (7/9)

Backstage – We are shown Triple H and Cena preparing for their match later tonight. The crowd is very anti-Cena as they have been lately. JR tries to play this up to the fact that Triple H is more of a traditional wrestler and Cena is hip-hop and new. That’s crap…the crowd started disliking Cena when he became more kid-friendly as WWE Champ and when the girls started cheering for him. All I have to say is GET OVER IT. The guy and wrestler and worked his ASS off to get where he is. If you don’t like him, I can’t tell you otherwise, but don’t waste seats and WrestleMania if you don’t want to see the people there.

Match 10 - Playboy Pillow Fight - Torrie Wilson vs. Candice Michelle – As usual, this match throws off all my picks. There was bit more wrestling than you usually see in a match like this, but for what it is, it was ok. Torrie won with a rollup. Winner – Torrie Wilson
My Score - (7/10)

Match 11 - WWE Championship - John Cena (c) vs. Triple H – Whenever I think I have the WWE figured out, they throw me something like this…where to begin:

Triple H comes out dress like Conan the Barbarian to some new song about the “King of Kings”. While it was kind of cool. He looked rather uncomfortable in it. I hope this isn’t a new thing full time for him.

Before Cena comes out, we get a video about the Great Depression and the Chicago gangsters doing what they had to survive. The part that stuck with me was “Whether you liked or hated them, they sacrificed everything.” That is a very interesting quote to associate with Cena. We then get a car with gangsters and Cena firing off a Tommy gun before the match.

The match itself was something in itself with the crowd solidly against Cena. Over the course of the match, I was saying “This will be like when Edge won…they’ll cheer that Cena isn’t the champ anymore, then it’ll dawn on them, Triple H is the champ again.” Personally, I am a fan of Triple H. I have been since he started and was feuding with the Rock when he was in the Nation. Near the end of the match, Triple H went for the Pedigree but Cena backdropped him out of it. Cena then hit the FU near and Triple H kicked out. Cena then went to the top rope and missed a cross body. Triple H then tried to hit the Pedigree again, but Cena stepped through and locked in the STFU for the 2nd time in the match. Cena did a neat trick where he had Triple H’s hand that was closer to the ropes tied up in the hold. They sat in it for a LONG time and the ref checked to see if Triple H was out. After two drops, Triple H looked like he would fight back. Cena put some extra power into the hold and Triple H tapped out! Amazing! The crowd was stunned; there were shots of the fans just amazed. It was the first time all match that they stopped harping on Cena and were silent. Winner and STILL WWE Champion – John Cena
My Score - (7/11)

We then get a video recap of the night and we go to black.

Final Thoughts & Questions

• WrestleMania usually has some of the best matches of the year, and it this year was no exception. From top to bottom I enjoyed the card. I started off cold in the pick department but then came back with seven in a row. I ended seven for eleven, which isn’t bad. I’ll be interested to see where some feuds and stories move from here.



• I’m not sure where you go with the tag titles on either show at this point. Unless Masters and Carlito pull it out tomorrow on Raw, there is no one left for Kane and Big Show to beat. Also, did you notice there was NO sign of MNM except for Melina bringing out William Perry? I do see one possible solution for the titles…make the tag titles a floating title. It is the only title that can move shows. It would allow for there to be just one strong tag division. That or just drop them. They are both afterthoughts now, which is a shame for the talent that is being wasted.



• RVD having the title shot will be interesting. If they put him against Cena, he’ll be the 100% crowd favorite. If they move him to SmackDown to face Mysterio, that could be interesting due to the fact they were tag champs way back when. Of course, it took Edge almost eight months to use his shot, so who knows.



• I’m looking forward to JBL feuding with some of the newer talent in the US Title picture. I would move Benoit right back into the World Title race NOW.



• I’m a big Mick Foley fan, and I know he isn’t a full time wrestler anymore, but why do they keep neutering him by having come back and lose again and again? Sure, he beat the tar out of Edge, but anyone who saw Edge in the TLC matches or at Money in the Bank last year knows he’s tough.



• Where do you go with Booker T now?



• Where do you go with Boogeyman now?



• I’m also looking forward to watching Trish fight to get her title back. I wish wish wish they would bring back some wrestling divas. Hire them trained or send them to be trained! I don’t want to see Melina, Maria, Ashley, or any others take that title off Mickie or Trish unless they can give a decent match.



• Have we seen the last of Mark Henry?



• What’s next for Undertaker? Will it be another month before we see him again?



• Is a WWE Title shot in HBK’s future? I think a win over Vince gives him the right to one.



• Will Vince be back on Monday night? Will he be back in his custom Mr. McMahon wheelchair?



• How will Rey wear the World Heavyweight Title? The thing is almost as big as his chest. Seriously, I’m happy for Rey, but I don’t know if you said to someone who didn’t watch WWE programming, “Here’s the World Heavyweight Champion” and showed them Rey it would be impressive. Yes, Rey deserves it, but how long can he keep it?



• How badly will the crowd rip into John Cena tomorrow on Raw? Will there be a rematch tomorrow or at Backlash for Triple H?



• I think the people that claim Triple H is having thing handed to him because he is the happy husband of Stephanie McMahon can finally SHUT THE HELL UP! He has lost at the past three WrestleMania main events, twice by submission:
  
  
  
  1. Tap out to Benoit to lose the World Heavyweight Title at WrestleMania 20
  
  
  2. Pinned by Batista to lose the World Heavyweight Title at WrestleMania 21
  
  
  3. Tap out to Cena in a WWE Title match at WrestleMania 22
  
  If that’s favored treatment, treat me like a regular Joe!

I’ll post some Live Raw notes tomorrow and MAYBE get some non-wrestling related posts up…we’ll see.

Until next time, true believers, take care of each other.

GrzeTim

GrzeTim Books…WrestleMania 22

Well, here we are, WrestleMania weekend is upon us. I was at the HOF on Saturday night and I’ll write something up about that tonight or tomorrow…I have to get this up and then get to my folks house from the show, but, for now.

GrzeTim Books…WrestleMania 22

United States Championship - Chris Benoit (c) vs. JBL – I think starting with this will get the crowd going early (not like they need to pump up the crowd for this one…). JBL can cut a promo and then lead into Benoit coming out. I see this being very physical and rough. I think Benoit would be better off moving up to the World Title picture and JBL would be a great US Champ and there is a lot of mid-card he could help.
Winner and NEW United Stats Champion – JBL

World Tag Team Championship - Kane & Big Show (c) vs. Chris Masters & Carlito – Some might frown on putting the two mid-card titles early like this, but there is SO MUCH on this card that it needs to be early so it isn’t lost in the shuffle. The WWE has shown Kane & Big Show to be unstoppable and overcoming Masters & Carlito all month, BUT I think it’ll do Kane & Show good to move on and Masters & Carlito would make a great heel team that escapes each week by cheating to win. It also sets up for a renewal of the tag team division which has been a mess on BOTH SHOWS for a long while now. But, I’ll do a post on that later in the week.
Winners and NEW World Tag Team Champions – Chris Masters & Carlito

Hardcore Match - Edge vs. Mick Foley – This is a hard one to pick. I’m a big Mick Foley fan, but I don’t see how having him beat Edge will do anything but hurt Edge. They will both bleed and give their all, but I see Edge coming out on top with Lita’s help. It’s POSSIBLE Lita could bleed in this, but they usually shy away from that since they don’t want to risk scars on the ladies.
Winner – Edge

Boogeyman vs. Booker T & Sharmell – While I think the Boogeyman angle has gone better than I thought it would, I think they’ve let it run its course and it needs to end tonight. I would love to see Booker get the win over Boogey, but I see Booker leaving Sharmell in the ring and Boogey pinning her for the win setting up more to this feud, which I feel is a mistake.
Winner – Boogeyman via pin on Sharmell

Playboy Pillow Fight - Torrie Wilson vs. Candice Michelle – These matches usually don’t have a clear winner other than the crowd. With Candice’s Playboy still on the shelves, I have to give her the nod.
Winner – Candice Michelle

Casket Match - Undertaker vs. Mark Henry – This one will be interesting to see. With all the superstars Undertaker has beaten at WrestleMania, I don’t see Mary Henry being the one to snap the 13-0. I’m going to take the safe bet.
Winner – Undertaker 14-0

Women's Championship - Trish Stratus (c) vs. Mickie James – Of all the matches on the card, this one has the most buildup and storyline to it. They have done a great job of not jumping the gun with Mickie’s turn and doing it on SNME was a great call. While I love Trish to death, if she wins, who does she fight (unless they have a new woman up their sleeve)? Trish chasing Mickie for the title for a few months would be fun to watch.
Winner and NEW Women’s Champion – Mickie James

Money in the Bank Ladder Match - Shelton Benjamin vs. Rob Van Dam vs. Ric Flair vs. Finlay vs. Matt Hardy vs. Lashley – I loved the first Money in the Bank match and while I’m happy to see it back, I don’t know if the people in this one will mesh as well as the first one. Don’t get me wrong, they will tear the house down and this will be the match to beat for the three main events, but of the people in this match, only three of the six are ladder match tested (yes, I know Ric was in one, but that was with Edge who is one of the masters of the ladder match IMOP) and it’ll be a challenge to mesh all the varied styles together. I’m going to pick one from Raw and one from SmackDown here.
Winner (Raw) – Rob Van Dam – The crowd always goes crazy for RVD and I think it’s time to put him in the main event picture.
Winner (SmackDown) – Lashley – When he first came on, I was impressed with him. Now, the great feud with Finley has made him a crowd pleaser. Time for the real test, being Mr. Money in the Bank.

WWE Championship - John Cena (c) vs. Triple H – Triple H has lost the World Title at the last two WrestleManias…I think this time he’s going to get the win. The crowds have been all over Cena since before 2006 started. With the belt off him, they can retool Cena or turn him outright heel for the crowds “turning on me”. In the end, I’d be very surprised if Triple H doesn’t leave with the title.
Winner and NEW WWE Champion – Triple H

No Holds Barred Match - Vince McMahon vs. Shawn Michaels – Now, for the match with all the questions. While it would be easy to say this is where HBK gets the best of Vince, I’m not so sure. With all the press about Bret Hart not wanting to sign a contract and if he saw HBK at the HOF he would leave, I think there is something much deeper going on…or I could be seeing shadows. Again, since I’m already late, I’m going to take the safe bet.
Winner – Shawn Michaels

World Heavyweight Championship - Kurt Angle (c) vs. Randy Orton vs. Rey Mysterio – Ok, I lied, another match with questions. I could see the belt going to Rey since there is a massive following for him right now. I could see the belt going to Orton and Rey, Angle, and Benoit chasing Orton over the summer. I could see the belt staying on Kurt because he has just been so good with the title. Since I predicted a title change for all the others, I’m going to go with the champ here.
Winner and STILL World Heavyweight Champion – Kurt Angle

Well, there you have it…those are my predictions. Sorry for they being so short and so close to the event. I just got this in under the gun. I’m going to try and be more consistent with this. I will also try and get a HOF review up here and maybe some live notes from the Raw on Monday that I’ll be at. So awesome…new year of storylines starts Monday. Woo!

Until then, take care of each other.

GrzeTim

The Pain! The Pain!

Well, it turns out that GameStop shipped the Empire at War pre-orders on Wednesday Night. So, it won’t be till Monday that I get to try the game. I can't win with pre-orders. When I do pre-order, there are copies everywhere. When I don't pre-order, I have to run around the world to find it. Life likes to give me lemons and then I set them on fire and chuck them right back... ;)

I'll have No Way Out predictions up sometime on Friday or Saturday (depends on when I get to watch SmackDown).

New Year - New Post

How I neglect this Blog. If it was a friend, it would have left me long ago. I'll have to try and be better about posting. Well, here we go:

There has been a lot of shakeup in the WWE as of late. Batista is injured and went out for surgery and now Kurt Angle has moved to SmackDown and is the World Champ. John Cena won the Elimination Chamber at New Year's Revolution only for Edge to cash in his Money in the Bank from WrestleMania 21 and win by beating a worn down Cena. Then, three weeks later at the Royal Rumble, we Cena gets the title back via an FU and a tap out. Rey Mysterio wins the Rumble starting at number 2 and is going to WrestleMania (maybe...watch for my No Way Out booking and WrestleMania preview for more on that).

With all the WWE has going for it (the rating have been pretty decent the past month or so) now Raw gets moved to THURSDAY this coming week for the dog show on USA. MY GOD, you would think that when they were coming back to USA they would have gotten out of having to move for the ruddy dog show. There has to be a 90 year old man at USA who loves the dog show and wont budge (maybe he should be budged out a window....I kid! I kid!) or the folks that run the dog show have dirt on a USA board member. It's still crappy to take Raw off for the dog show. I know where I'll be on Monday night...watching ANYTHING else, maybe even Spike TV...again, just kidding...

My birthday was a few weeks ago and Kathy got me a great gift. I am going to my first Arena Football game in March. It's the Chicago Rush vs. the Colorado Crush (the AFL champs). Win or lose, it's going to be a fun time :) I also got a mini Arena football and a sweet Rush shirt. Thanks again, Kath, if you read this.

That leads into my newest game; EA Arena Football. For a first crack at an Arena Football game, EA didn't do a bad job at all. If you've never watched Arena ball, you might want to rent it first, but if you like Arena ball, you'll love it. The options are not as deep; there is only quick play, online play, and a really basic season mode; but all the teams are there and the rosters are accurate for this season. They also support downloadable content, so there should be roster updates for online play and maybe some other tasty features (downloadable expansion teams?).
Next week, Star Wars - Empire at War comes out for the PC. It's a RTS (Real Time Strategy) made by a new studio called Petroglyph that is comprised of people from Westwood Studios (the Command & Conquer series). The premise is that you control everything from what you build, to where you deploy, to what strategy you use. They also removed some of the more tedious parts of RTS, like resource gathering and let you focus more on the combat. I'll post a bit on it here after I get it on the 15th.

I hope to keep up more on this blog...I know I say that all the time, but I mean it this time.

Take care.

Viva La Raza

It's been a little over a week and my thoughts still drift to Eddie Guerrero. For those who don't follow pro-wrestling, Eddie Guerrero, one of the best in the business, died last Sunday from heart failure. In his past, Eddie had struggled with drugs and drinking. He had come back from it to become the WWE Champ two years ago and to cement his place in wrestling history. Sadly, Eddie's demons caught up with him. A lot has been said about Eddie in the past week. I never met the man, but I saw him compete, both in person and on TV, many times. It's amazing how someone can become attached to your life without ever having spoken a word to them. I will miss Eddie. I'll miss the entertainer and the showman. I'll miss how he made me laugh, made me sit up in my chair when he would hit an amazing move, and how I would look forward to his segments every week.

Still, I can't help but feel selfish in this. Eddie's family and friends are going to miss a lot more than I will. They are going to miss him in the simple, day to day ways that I was never aware of. For that reason, I feel selfish. We, as fans, demand so much from these men and women who give up their time, families, health, and sometimes sadly their lives, just to entertain us for a few hours each week. Someday, I hope to meet one or more of them and thank them in person. Eddie was one of those people I would have loved to thank. I have to hope, somehow, he knows, even more so now, what he meant to us, the fans.

Thank you Eddie. Thank you. I hope, someday, I get to meet you still...

Viva La Raza.

Long Time

It's been a long time...yet again...since I added to this blog. Every time I come back, I say "I'll stick with it" and something comes along. Well, here goes another try.

The big buzz this week is the release of the X-Box 360. Anyone who knows me would expect that I would be excited. I have to admit, I am...but I have some trepidation with this new system. First and foremost has to be the backwards compatibility. With both Nintendo and Sony already being upfront about backwards compatibility (the Playstation 3 will play all old games and the Nintendo Revolution will accept all Gamecube discs along with the ability to play any 8, 16, or 64 bit Nintendo game via the web) Microsoft had a lot of ground to cover. I realize that the new system has a different architecture and that it would be hard to do it, but the lack of backwards compatibility would hurt them. They kept silent for a while on it, then released this:

http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/backwardcompatibilitygameslist.htm

A list of the games that, at release, will be compatible with 360. While it is a large list (200+), there are many glaring omissions from the list:

- No EA games to be found...this includes all EA Sports & EA Sports Big titles, Burnout Revenge, X-Men Nemesis, and many others. There is a 360 port of Madden 06, but from the reviews I've read on Gamespot and the like, it's Madden 2001 with pretty graphics.

- No Splinter Cell games. The latest Splinter Cell games have a LARGE following on X-Box Live (and the original line was that X-Box Live games would be the first brought over to 360...Barbie Horse Adventure?).

- Lack of backwards compatibility for recently released games. How many parents are going to buy a 360 and an original X-Box game, not knowing the difference, and come Christmas the game won’t work at all. As of today, the top ten searched for games on Gamespot for the X-Box (bolded games are on the 360's list):

1. Half Life 2 - Supported
2. Need For Speed Most Wanted - Not Supported
3. Halo 2 - Supported
4. Star Wars Battlefront 2 - Not Supported
5. 50 Cent : Bulletproof - Not Supported
6. The Matrix : Path of Neo - Not Supported
7. Gun - Not Supported
8. True Crime : Streets of New York - Not Supported
9. King Kong - Not Supported
10. America's Army : Rise of a Soldier - Not Supported

So, of the ten games, two of them work on 360. One of them is a Microsoft release and the other is a PC port which worked on most PC hardware. You would THINK any Microsoft game would work on 360 at launch. MechAssault 2 on the list? I think not.

In the end, Microsoft has their work cut out for them. They have to provide a full online community and try and build the list of legacy titles that will work on the new system. I can say for sure that I will be hesitant to buy into the new system unless I can play some of my favorite, and more popular, titles on 360.

I'm sure that the five people who bought Barbie Horse Adventure got their 360s at midnight...sigh.

WWE - ELH (Edge, Lita, Hardy)

This is going to be a short post since I don't want to go on and on about this. I wouldn't have covered this at all, as I don't like digging into the real lives of actors, wrestlers, etc. I always look at it this way...I work on networks and computers and it's not a very glamorous job. What, if in a backwards universe, it was? Would I want someone watching where I went, who I dated, what I did, etc, etc? Not at all. So, I try to separate the "superstar" from the person. I can tell you all about a "superstar". When it comes to the real person, I can maybe tell you their name and maybe a few small things (interests, etc). Things like that you find out in interview and whatnot. I don't like hearing about the dirty laundry. It's their laundry, let it be their problem. That's my opinion.

So, the WWE has made the dirty laundry 100% public with the fact that Matt Hardy is now on Raw again. Even if this is a one shot deal to close this up, they have opened Pandora's Box and now they have to deal with it. For those who don't know, long story short:

Matt and Lita we're a couple, both on and off screen, for six years or so. This past spring, rumors started about Lita cheating on Matt with Edge (or Adam, his real name, as Matt referred to him on Raw). It turned out, some of this was true (I have no idea how much since I don't know any of the parties involved and care not to speculate). So, Matt goes onto the Internet and tells the world all about it. The WWE, trying to protect itself (they like to keep things like this quiet, like ANY company does...) released Matt Hardy back in April. For the past few months, Hardy has continued to rant on this. Also, the fans, who wouldn't have thrown water on Matt Hardy if he was on fire back in the fall and winter, started chanting "we want Matt" and "you screwed Matt" and many other more vulgar things. The WWE, seeing an opportunity and being a BUSINESS that likes to make MONEY (like any other business on the planet) gets Hardy back and starts this storyline.

Ok, now that we have the history, my opinion. I don't like it. I intentionally tried to keep the real world out of the story. While I knew in reality that Lita and Edge were together and what had happened, I tried to suspend reality and enjoy the storyline with Kane and the wrestling therein. Now, with Matt back, who’s to say what parts of the things the net was spewing are true or not...was this WHOLE THING a fake? Was part of it a fake? Was none of it fake and they are just using this to make some money (which I cannot knock them for)? We'll never know...at least not till Matt, Edge, or Lita write a book or sit down for an interview in 30 years.

So, again, my take? Let's make wrestling what it is...a story. Leave the real world where it belongs; in the real.

Take care of yourselves, and each other...we're all we've got.

So much for this being a short post...

WWE - 18 Superstarts Released In 24 Hours

I have to say that my faith (what little I had still) in the WWE is starting to shatter and I have to truly wonder if, in a year or two, there will even be a WWE as we know it. 18 (yes 1-8) have been released, bought out, or have had negotiations fail. The list so far (there are more cuts coming supposedly...)

Bubba Ray & D-Von Dudley - This is one of the biggest shocks to me. After they were in the ECW stuff, I was sure they were coming back. It shows how even with a good reaction from the fans, if the powers that be don't think of something for you, you're "useless". I will miss the 3D, the Dudleys, and the fire that they could bring to any match.

Joy Giovanni - While this cut surprises me, it doesn't surprise me at the same time. For those of you with G4 (the video game channel), she was just on a show there as "WWE SmackDown Rookie Diva of 2005". The show she was on was brand new and just started airing a few weeks ago. Again, it shows that, just like the draft, "No one is safe". If I recall, Joy has a kid in real life maybe that had something to do with the decision. Again, I find this cut odd since Joy was one of the few Diva Search ladies that got an actual story on TV...she feuded with the one that was with JBL's group and was Big Show's "girlfriend".

Kenzo Suzuki & Hiroko - Another cut that doesn't surprise me. WWE tried everything with Kenzo...evil guy, silly guy, crazy guy, nothing stuck. He was one of the folks involved in the trade between Raw and SmackDown. It's amazing that the draft stuff is GONE from the WWE website, so it's as if the trade never took place. I had heard good things about Kenzo when he was coming to the WWE, but when he got there, he seemed very slow. It's possible he had a hard time adjusting to a WWE style, but we'll never know.

Matt Morgan - Another shame here...I was hoping since Carlito and Christian switched shows, they would switch bodyguards. Morgan and Christian could have had some great interviews and such. He was also starting to get better in the ring.

Charlie Haas - Yet ANOTHER one of the drops where you have to read it twice to be sure you saw it right. This is a GIANT mistake by the WWE. Haas is an A+ talent, yet was given crap to work with storyline wise. I would hope, if business picks up again in a few years that they bring him back. A true loss for the fans and for the future.

Jackie Gayda - Not a surprise to see her gone is Charlie Haas is being release. I hope they both like this as a wedding present from the WWE. Jackie was one of the co-winners of the 2nd Tough Enough. She did some good valet work with Rico and also with Charlie for a while. Again, not surprising.

Marty Jannetty - Marty didn't surprise me here either. They brought him in for the Angle / HBK build for WrestleMania and I was shocked when they kept him on contract. There is also news that he was arrested for some domestic incident, which the WWE does not take very well. It was nice to see the Rockers together one last(?) time.

Dawn Marie - Another shock to me here...anyone who talks to me about wrestling know that I felt that Dawn Marie, given time to shine, could become the Sherri Martel valet of this generation. She was the senior (experience wise) Diva on SmackDown and was always on the mark, be it in the ring or on the mic. I would hope that she wasn't let go due to being pregnant...if so, WWE better get their checkbook ready when the lawyers start calling...yet another big loss to SmackDown and the WWE as a whole.

Mark Jindrak - Just like Matt Morgan, I think he could have been something, but never got the chance to shine.

Maven - And with the release of Maven, the Tough Enough experiment is complete...leaving only Josh Matthews (the announcer) as the remaining TE person on WWE TV. It'll be interesting to see if Al Snow is released soon since he and TE went hand in hand.

Shannon Moore - I'm honestly surprised Shannon lasted as long as he did. After Matt Hardy was off TV, I was surprised they kept him around...nothing against him, but WWE has very littler patience for the mid card.

James Yun (Akio) - See Mark Jindrak, Matt Morgan. Another good mid-card talent that could have been something.

David Heath (Gangrel) - Gangrel was signed for the stuff with Undertaker and Randy Orton for WrestleMania. I chalk this up to the same level as the release of Marty Jannetty but without all the arrest stuff.

Billy Kidman - Another BIG surprise here....I always thought Kidman had a lock since his real life wife, Torrie Wilson, has been a staple of SmackDown for a while now. Again, this shows that no one is safe...it'll be interesting to see if they keep Torrie around much longer. They've had her in Playboy twice and they have made their money. AGAIN, I am not trying to be vicious towards these people, but with the Diva search and such, it is VERY obvious they are intent on bringing in more and more girls they can parade around half naked.

Spike Dudley - Another loss for the fans. Spike had been hurt for a while but was on the mend...obviously not fast enough for the WWE...

Kevin Fertig - Most people will know him as Mordecai, the character that was in the white cloak for a few weeks on SmackDown a while back when Eddie was the WWE Champ...happy days....sorry, I'm back now. I had heard good things about him from OVW, but I don't think we got to see that on TV...another missed opportunity.

So, after all that was announced, the front page of WWE.Com has freaking BROCK "THE CROCK" LESNAR on there that he wants to come back. You have GOT to be KIDDING me! Mr. "I'm too big for the WWE" and "I want to play football" is now coming back with his tail between his legs after getting a nice dose of reality. I tell you right now, if he comes back, he will be the champ on either show in a second. There is some history between him and Cena (recall the reason Cena's finisher is the FU is a knock and Lesnar's version of the F5) and WWE loves to have their big man vs. big man matches even though the crowd falls asleep. Sorry, had to get that out of my system.

I have to imagine it's bad enough to be cut, especially some of these folks that have been with the WWE for a while, but then to see that they are cutting you, a loyal employee, to bring back Mr. "I carry logs cause that's what my head is made out of...har har har". I'm going to finish this post off...I could sit here all day but then it would never get posted.

WWE Draft Results, Trades, 7/4 Raw

A lot to cover in this post, so I'm getting right to it. My draft picks last week were:

Raw gets Eddie Guerrero & Rob Van Dam - Raw got The Big Show and Rob Van Dam. I got one! RVD was the guest on the Cabana last week and seems to be setting up for a feud with Carlito. The Big Show was a surprise since he was in the SmackDown title hunt. More on that next...

SmackDown gets Chris Jericho & Triple H - SmackDown got Christian & Batista. A double surprise here, Christian takes the place of The Big Show in the six man match. He had to be TIRED since he was in the match at the end of Raw (they taped both Raw and SmackDown at the same place on the same night back to back last week). After JBL won the six man match we found out Batista is on SmackDown with the Heavyweight Title. I found it interesting that this was not mentioned at all this week on Raw.

With that, the draft is over. With the trade that took place last week, the moves look like this:

Key -
1-5 = Draft Picks
T = Via Trade

Raw
1 - John Cena (WWE Champion)
2 - Kurt Angle
3 - Carlito
4 - The Big Show
5 - Rob Van Dam
T - Mark Jindrak
T - Rene Dupree
T - Danny Basham
T - Kenzo Suzuki (with Hiroko)
T - Chavo Guerrero

SmackDown
1 - Chris Benoit
2 - Randy Orton
3 - Muhammed Hassan
4 - Christian
5 - Batista (World Heavyweight Champion)
T - William Regal
T - Candice Michelle
T - Sylvain Grenier
T - Simon Dean
T - Steven Richards

The big thing this week on Raw, in my opinion, was Shawn Michaels turning on Hulk Hogan at the end of the show. I didn't see this one coming at all. Michaels was dancing around the ring as he usually does right up to the kick. Amazing stuff...the crowd went dead silent for a second or two and then the boos started. Nice job by Shawn, Hogan, and WWE to make that work perfectly.

Have a great, short week everyone.