Extreme Rules proved to be a great ppv. We saw all 3 world titles change hands. Something that has only happened once on a ppv. I know that stat seems kinda cool, but the first time it happened was two months ago at Backlash. The WWE followed up with a Raw that had some memorable moments and one great return. However, its what the WWE is doing out of the ring that has this writer pissed off.
Lets take a look at the ppv 1st:
The 2 big stories coming off Extreme Rules, Batista won the WWE title over Orton and CM Punk cashed in and beat Hardy for the World Heavyweight title. Il have more on Batista later in the Raw portion. Y2J also won the IC title for the 9th time. Jericho and Rey will have at least another match or two on pay per view. Jericho unmasked Rey and won the belt. Belt vs Mask seems highly likely at the Bash. Also, Tommy Dreamer won the ECW title. Cena made Show tap out, I was in shock. I would say thats pretty much it from Extreme Rules.
What WWE seems to be doing out of the ring is cutting payroll. I guess they felt Umaga, who just had 3 very good TV matches in the last 3 weeks wasnt good enough. WWE released Umaga last night. WHAT? You are gonna keep Goldust on your payroll but a solid performer like Umaga has to go. First Kennedy, now Umaga. I can say I understand Kennedy, but this is simply mind twisting. Umaga has been in a top notch feud with Punk. He had a great match with Morrison 2 weeks ago on Smackdown. I havent heard any reasoning yet. I cant wait to hear it. WWE keep the guys that can perform and get rid of waste of space. To quote Ron Simmons, "DAMN".
Ok time for Raw. Batista starts the program. He won the WWE title Sunday night over Orton in the cage in under 10 mins. He talks about doing it for Flair and all fans sick of Orton. Legacy comes out and lays out Batista. They "break" his left arm. Heres the problem: Batista went over at the ppv even though he has a torn bicep. I guess him winning and then getting taken out doesnt show weakness in the Animal. Randy Orton shined in the first segment. His facial expressions were fantastic. He was ruthless and malice on taking out Batista. Orton deserves the belt, which he takes to end the segment. If you watched any segment of Raw, you saw this. It opened up every damn segment coming back from commercial. I get it, we needed to see Batista getting taken out, but not after every commercial break.
First wrestling match of the night was Kofi vs Regal. Kofi is the US champ and should get at least 10 mins to show why in the ring. Instead he and Regal had 5 or 6 min match. Kofi won. Later on in the night Matt Hardy faced MVP. Those 2 have had to many matches against each other as well. I would have rather seen MVP vs Regal and Kofi vs Matt. I look forward to Hardy being back at a 100%. Hes a solid wrestler. MVP did say something about being in the WWE title hunt. Now that is something I can go for. Giving a guy a mini push into a main event match is somewhat a new concept to Raw. Smackdown seems to develop the talent and then the wrestler gets drafted to Raw where they blow it. MVP is right on the edge right now. I just hope Raw writers dont screw it up.
Diva Title match Kelly Kelly vs Maryse. Not a bad match. Mickie was doing commentary. I hate to sound repeatative but Mickie vs Maryse is a better feud. Why? Because Mickie can wrestle thats why!
The snoozer of the night was a 6 man tag match of Santino Goldust and Festus vs Noble Kendrick and Chavo. The only thing I like about this is Kendrick and Noble could be a legit tag team. They are small but smart wrestlers. I could see potential in them. Of course Santino pins Noble after Hornswoggle distracts Noble. All the kids under 5 were happy.
The semi main event was suppose to be Cena vs Miz... Finally. Miz ran his mouth again before Cena showed up. When the match was about to start, Show came out. I hate to say it again but, I told you so. Show tapped out at Extreme Rules. Cena nailed Miz. Show chokeslammed Cena and then laid him out...again. Miz actually did something tonight. He came back in the ring and hit Show with a few terrible looking chair shots (not Miz's fault) and then hit Cena with a good chair shot before leaving the ring.
Raws' GM Vikki came out. She said earlier in the night she had an announcement that will change the face of the WWE. She was correct. Vikki quit as GM of Raw. Thank God! We also got a great treat of Edge showing up. He made the segment a lot more enjoyable. He made me laugh by mocking "his wife". He finished up demanding a divorce. Way to go Edge. Come out and have the best segment of the night on the mic on a show you are not suppose to be on. Who will be the new GM of Raw? Next weeks 3 hour program will tell us. My guess "the boss" is back. Vince will take over again.
The best wrestling match of the night was Priceless vs Colons. The reason it was the best match is more by default than anything else. They were given time when no one else was. The match was a solid tag team contest. It had an 80s feel to it. The bad guys gain momentum and one bad break to either team could have changed the outcome. Priceless got the break and won the match. They are now #1 contenders for the tag team titles. Ok, something that makes sense. Give Orton the WWE title back and give Priceless the tag titles. Legacy needs a boast right now. If they had all the gold, it only makes the faction look stronger.
The main event of the night was suppose to be The Legend Killer vs Batista. No way Batista could compete because he was taken out earlier in the night. Legacy is in the ring waiting for him to come out. The ref gets up to 9 in the count and stops because he sees an ambulance. No Batista but they never rule the belt to Orton. Instead..THE GAME IS BACK. Triple H comes on camera. Not sure why he came back in an ambulance. Common sense says, when Batista didnt show up after a few seconds, HHH music should have hit instead. If you are gonna return, dont show him on the big titantron first. The impact gets lost. If his music just started, it would have been a bigger suprise for the audience at home and a bigger "pop" by the live audience. Triple H comes out and lays out Rhodes and then Dibiase. He destroys Orton all over the arena. The crowd was into the moment. They screamed for a pedigree. Triple H gave Orton just that to end Raw. A pedigree on a steel chair. At least, the game is back. He brings focus back to Raw. The end of Raw left me with at least some hope that the WWE can turn Raw around because right now Smackdown is kicking their ass.
Two small side notes and I'm done. One, Michael Cole drink a redbull before the show. Holy crap he was dull and boring throughout the telecast. Normally, I dont notice a lack of intensity in his voice but tonight was terrible. Even when Triple H returned, Cole still couldnt get into the whole moment. Im not saying have a heartattack like JR, just get excited about what you are doing.
Lastly, you have a few more days to email me on which wrestler has the greatest wrestling entrance ever. I have still been getting emails from quite a few people. I will be recapping some of the email I receive along with who I believe has the greatest wrestling entrance ever. If you have an opinion, email me at mccall316@yahoo.com. I will be finishing up that blog Wednesday night and you can read it right here on bigbadsportsdaddy.com on Thursday morning. Thanks for reading.
J Call
Monday, June 8, 2009
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
A Night of Extreme Rules
With a nice Raw providing a spark going into the ppv this Sunday. I am back again to preview the one and only night every match on the card has Extreme Rules. I am looking forward to quite a few of these matches. But before I run down the whole card and give you my predictions, I want to show you some of the feedback I have received so far on my question of who has the greatest wrestling entrance ever. If you have an opinion, send me an email to mccall316@yahoo.com. I will personally read them and I will reveal who I believe has the greatest entrance next week. Thank you for those who have already emailed me.
Hey J Call,
I would have to say I have two favorites of all time.
The Undertaker
- As a kid the Undertaker scared the piss out of me. He was dark, unknown and the other wrestlers were terrified by his strange behavior. When the lights dimmed and the bells tolled, the hair on the back of your neck would stands up. Also with an even creepier Paul Bearer, and the power of the Urn there was no entrance like the Undertakers.
Mr. Perfect
- I am giving Mr. Perfect an honorable mention because he was Perfect! No flash, no flair, just perfect. His entrance music is awesome and it just made you feel perfect. He would only have a white towel around his shoulders when he would come down to the ring and an intercontinental title around his waist. Everyone hated his guts because he was so confident in what he was doing. No matter who he faced he was always, Perfect!
Terrance, Ames, IA
Hi J-Call,
My name is John Conner and I live in Hurst Texas. My favorite entrance of all time is The Ultimate Warrior. I could not stand the wrestler himself, but the entrance brought instant energy. I thought it pumped the crowd up immediately, and was very entergetic. Like I said, I don’t like him as a wrestler, but I always got goose bumps watching him run down the aisle to the ring.
J-Conn
P.S. I still hate Chris Jericho
J-Call,
Hey man been checking out the website. I read your Raw blog and saw you were asking a some what difficult question. I have grown up my entire life in Detroit. I am in my 30s now and I went to Wrestlemania 3. I was a young boy and loved Hulk Hogan. The roar of the crowd when he came out to face Andre was breath taking. The atmosphere was something I cant describe. After that I always loved hearing Real American song. Hogan captured every audience member someway. I would say he has the greatest wrestling entrance of all time. Thanks and keep up the good work.
Pete, Detroit MI.
I sure appreciate all the emails and keep them coming. You havent hit on my guy yet so Im happy about that. Now lets get into the ppv prediction.
Fatal Four Way US Title
MVP vs Kofi vs Matt Hardy vs Regal
In cased you missed Raw, Kofi and MVP had one of the best matches of the year so far, at least on Raw. Kofi ending up winning the match and now has his first title defense against 3 other competitors. I love this match up. If done correctly, it has great potential. Since Kofi just won the belt, I cant see them giving it back to MVP. The other two, forget it. Kofi deserves the push and will keep his title.
Submission Match
John Cena vs The Big Show
If you read my Judgement Day prediction blog, I could probably just write the same thing. They have made Show look unstoppable, unbeatable, and indestructible. WWE has teased us that Cena cant lock in the STFU. I wonder what will happen on Sunday..? Its just to predictable not to happen. Cena wins via tapout with use of the STFU.
Somoan Strap Match
Umaga vs Punk
Umaga last week on Smackdown had a great back and forth contest with John Morrison. Im very high on Umaga. Hes big, agile, athletic, and can actually speak english now. He beat Punk in his hometown of Chicago at Judgement Day. As much as Umaga has been pushed, its time to move on to another opponent. Im hoping a returning Undertaker Umaga feud. Punk gets the win.
No Holds Barred Match IC Title
Rey Mysterio vs Y2J Chris Jericho
As was the case @ Judgement Day, this could be the best overall match on the card. The build up to this has been Jericho trying to unmask Rey. The 2 have had a great feud. 2 ECW originals, Im talking before WWE bought out Heyman, go at it in a ECW classic. I believe Rey will keep the belt and hold off Jericho from getting his 9th run as IC champ.
Hog Pen Match
Santina vs Vikki
Um... Do you really want me to break this down? Moving on
Hardcore Rules Match ECW Title
Christian vs Swagger vs Dreamer
I hate to say it, wait no I dont. I told you so! I called this in my Judgement Day preview. Dreamer gets 1 more shot at the ECW title. I like all 3 of these guys. Christian is the best wrestler on ECW and deserves to keep the belt. Although, Dreamer deserves a nice send off and get the belt he only held when the original ECW went under. So who will I take in this contest? Neither, Swagger will stop the fairy tale ending and takes the title back from C squared.
Cage Match WWE Title
Randy Orton vs Batista
The twist in this feud has been the return of the Nature Boy. The punt Flair received from Orton on Raw didn't look great but served a purpose. I just dont care for Batista. I love the Legend Killer. This feud has carried Raw since Backlash. I think its time to end it. They have had 2 main events on ppv. Orton will continue to dominate which is ok by me. The best performer in the WWE will keep his WWE title. When will we see HHH?
Ladder Match World Heavyweight Championship
Edge vs Jeff Hardy
If you are not excited for this, stop watching wrestling! The history of these 2 men in ladder matches is more than enough to be excited. WWE has teetered Jeff on this championship line for quite sometime. Edge is the best heel in the company. Im looking forward to this match the most. The ladder match between these two will be insane. Im sure both of them will be innovative and out do one another with the ladder. This is worth buying the pay per view. Will Matt Hardy come out again? Will Punk finally cash in? I dont see either one happening. I said it at Judgement Day, I want Jeff as the champion. I think its time to see it!! Hardy wins and finishes the Rated R Superstar's reign as champion.
Thanks for reading,
J Call
Hey J Call,
I would have to say I have two favorites of all time.
The Undertaker
- As a kid the Undertaker scared the piss out of me. He was dark, unknown and the other wrestlers were terrified by his strange behavior. When the lights dimmed and the bells tolled, the hair on the back of your neck would stands up. Also with an even creepier Paul Bearer, and the power of the Urn there was no entrance like the Undertakers.
Mr. Perfect
- I am giving Mr. Perfect an honorable mention because he was Perfect! No flash, no flair, just perfect. His entrance music is awesome and it just made you feel perfect. He would only have a white towel around his shoulders when he would come down to the ring and an intercontinental title around his waist. Everyone hated his guts because he was so confident in what he was doing. No matter who he faced he was always, Perfect!
Terrance, Ames, IA
Hi J-Call,
My name is John Conner and I live in Hurst Texas. My favorite entrance of all time is The Ultimate Warrior. I could not stand the wrestler himself, but the entrance brought instant energy. I thought it pumped the crowd up immediately, and was very entergetic. Like I said, I don’t like him as a wrestler, but I always got goose bumps watching him run down the aisle to the ring.
J-Conn
P.S. I still hate Chris Jericho
J-Call,
Hey man been checking out the website. I read your Raw blog and saw you were asking a some what difficult question. I have grown up my entire life in Detroit. I am in my 30s now and I went to Wrestlemania 3. I was a young boy and loved Hulk Hogan. The roar of the crowd when he came out to face Andre was breath taking. The atmosphere was something I cant describe. After that I always loved hearing Real American song. Hogan captured every audience member someway. I would say he has the greatest wrestling entrance of all time. Thanks and keep up the good work.
Pete, Detroit MI.
I sure appreciate all the emails and keep them coming. You havent hit on my guy yet so Im happy about that. Now lets get into the ppv prediction.
Fatal Four Way US Title
MVP vs Kofi vs Matt Hardy vs Regal
In cased you missed Raw, Kofi and MVP had one of the best matches of the year so far, at least on Raw. Kofi ending up winning the match and now has his first title defense against 3 other competitors. I love this match up. If done correctly, it has great potential. Since Kofi just won the belt, I cant see them giving it back to MVP. The other two, forget it. Kofi deserves the push and will keep his title.
Submission Match
John Cena vs The Big Show
If you read my Judgement Day prediction blog, I could probably just write the same thing. They have made Show look unstoppable, unbeatable, and indestructible. WWE has teased us that Cena cant lock in the STFU. I wonder what will happen on Sunday..? Its just to predictable not to happen. Cena wins via tapout with use of the STFU.
Somoan Strap Match
Umaga vs Punk
Umaga last week on Smackdown had a great back and forth contest with John Morrison. Im very high on Umaga. Hes big, agile, athletic, and can actually speak english now. He beat Punk in his hometown of Chicago at Judgement Day. As much as Umaga has been pushed, its time to move on to another opponent. Im hoping a returning Undertaker Umaga feud. Punk gets the win.
No Holds Barred Match IC Title
Rey Mysterio vs Y2J Chris Jericho
As was the case @ Judgement Day, this could be the best overall match on the card. The build up to this has been Jericho trying to unmask Rey. The 2 have had a great feud. 2 ECW originals, Im talking before WWE bought out Heyman, go at it in a ECW classic. I believe Rey will keep the belt and hold off Jericho from getting his 9th run as IC champ.
Hog Pen Match
Santina vs Vikki
Um... Do you really want me to break this down? Moving on
Hardcore Rules Match ECW Title
Christian vs Swagger vs Dreamer
I hate to say it, wait no I dont. I told you so! I called this in my Judgement Day preview. Dreamer gets 1 more shot at the ECW title. I like all 3 of these guys. Christian is the best wrestler on ECW and deserves to keep the belt. Although, Dreamer deserves a nice send off and get the belt he only held when the original ECW went under. So who will I take in this contest? Neither, Swagger will stop the fairy tale ending and takes the title back from C squared.
Cage Match WWE Title
Randy Orton vs Batista
The twist in this feud has been the return of the Nature Boy. The punt Flair received from Orton on Raw didn't look great but served a purpose. I just dont care for Batista. I love the Legend Killer. This feud has carried Raw since Backlash. I think its time to end it. They have had 2 main events on ppv. Orton will continue to dominate which is ok by me. The best performer in the WWE will keep his WWE title. When will we see HHH?
Ladder Match World Heavyweight Championship
Edge vs Jeff Hardy
If you are not excited for this, stop watching wrestling! The history of these 2 men in ladder matches is more than enough to be excited. WWE has teetered Jeff on this championship line for quite sometime. Edge is the best heel in the company. Im looking forward to this match the most. The ladder match between these two will be insane. Im sure both of them will be innovative and out do one another with the ladder. This is worth buying the pay per view. Will Matt Hardy come out again? Will Punk finally cash in? I dont see either one happening. I said it at Judgement Day, I want Jeff as the champion. I think its time to see it!! Hardy wins and finishes the Rated R Superstar's reign as champion.
Thanks for reading,
J Call
Monday, June 1, 2009
Raw Blog 6-1
The Raw before a pay per view is suppose to get you so excited that you will fork over 40 bucks to watch it. I have to say after Raw monday night, I might be doing just that. Raw was fun, exciting, and actually had a good wrestling match. Although not everything was glamorous, WWE finally put on a show worth watching.
I just want to say before I talk about Raw. I was absolutely shocked that the WWE released Kennedy. I read about it on Friday. Mr Kennedy has a crap load of potential but never reached it. He was pushed twice. First time, he won MITB, money in the bank back at mania 23. He got injuried and lost the briefcase to Edge. Second time he was to be McMahon's son. Instead he tested positive for a banned substance. Im saddened by the fact he is gone. Kennedy made last weeks Raw enjoyable. His return helped the show. I dont think we have seen the last of MRRR. KENNEDY!
Alright, now that I have that out of the way, lets get to Raw. Raw started with Legacy in the ring with a cage around it. Raw has been pushing the hell out of Orton and Batista. We find out Rhodes and Batista will square off in a cage match TONIGHT. WOOO, Flair interupts. He challenges Orton to a parking lot brawl. Im in for that. This hasnt been the problem for Raw. The main event has been great. The Batista Orton feud has been solid. Lets hope the rest of Raw can keep the momentum. The Batista Rhodes cage match starts right after the Flair Orton promo. Batista wins adding fuel to the fire for the main event.
Again Raw tries to show off some Diva action. Been saying it for weeks, please give me a Beth Phoenix Mickie James Maryse match for the Diva Champ. Maryse wins the tag match over Kelly Kelly and Mickie. Decent contest. The momentum starts to go down alittle in the following tag match. Matt Hardy and Regal vs the Colons. I dont understand why you would throw 2 men who just wrestled each other last week as tag partners. The Colons win again. Primo and Carlito need a damn feud!!! They also should be on Raw and Superstars each week. We dont see the last of Hardy and Regal. They ask Vikki for a rematch by helping her beat Santino tonight. Hardy and Regal help Vikki out later on. They take out Santino and Vikki pours slop on him. I missed most of this because I went and got my supper. Ya thats how entertained I was during the segment.
Yet another tag match tonight. Cena and Chavo, who won a drawing to pick Cenas partner, vs Miz and Show. Miz comes out again with a mic in hand. He talks before we go to break. Miz can hold his own on the mic, but enough already. We come back from break and Cena is coming out. Crowd was into him which is always a good sign. The match itself was actually very good. Miz and Show dominate early. Cena on the attack. Show chokeslammed Cena and Miz tagged himself in. Show layed him out as well. Chavo tagged in and won the match. Cena fu'd Chavo. Show knocked out Cena with a punch. Show then choked out Cena. Ok, Show is dominate again the week before a ppv. The same thing happened the week before Judgement Day. Cena hasn't locked in the stfu, so at the ppv what will Cena do....?
A ppv quality match occured on Raw. The show picked back up with a backstage interview with Kofi and MVP, a nice setup before the match. The match itself, AWESOME! Back and forth contest. Kofi has such a unique style of offense. MVP hit a sick kick on Kofi towards the end. Quite a few near falls as well before Kofi picked up a suprising win and became the NEW US CHAMP. A great headline from Raw. I hope they have a rematch.
The main event wasnt a match but a straight up fight. Orton was shown looking for Flair. Flair struck first. These 2 used the arena well. Flair got some good shots in. They ended up ringside. Flair had the advantage. He placed Orton on the announcers table and gave Orton a straight kick to the nuts. It was very funny. Figure 4 on the table. Things went down hill from there for Flair. Legacy came out and nailed Flair. The cage was lowered, Rhodes and Teddy got Flair into the cage. They beat him up for a while until Orton stepped in. He ordered Legacy out and lock the door. Batista came out alittle to late. Well it was because the animal must be afraid of heights. Legacy locked the door and Batista tried to break the door down. Uh, CLIMB THE DAMN CAGE!!! Flair received an RKO and a punt for his trouble. Is he gonna be gone now? I thought it was awesome the crowd had a TRIPLE H chant and not a Batista chant. You read that correctly. The crowd wanted Triple H more than the man who has been pushed to the top the last few weeks on Raw. Thank you WWE universe!! Ive been saying that since the night after Backlash.
Ok if you missed out I need your feedback. I asked for you to email me your favorite wrestler entrance ever. Ive actually received a few already. I want everyone to email me at mccall316@yahoo.com. I will be posting a night of extreme rules preview with my predictions later in the week. I will put a few emails into that. Next week I will post a full blog on which wrestler has the greatest wrestling entrance ever. As always, thanks for reading.
J Call
I just want to say before I talk about Raw. I was absolutely shocked that the WWE released Kennedy. I read about it on Friday. Mr Kennedy has a crap load of potential but never reached it. He was pushed twice. First time, he won MITB, money in the bank back at mania 23. He got injuried and lost the briefcase to Edge. Second time he was to be McMahon's son. Instead he tested positive for a banned substance. Im saddened by the fact he is gone. Kennedy made last weeks Raw enjoyable. His return helped the show. I dont think we have seen the last of MRRR. KENNEDY!
Alright, now that I have that out of the way, lets get to Raw. Raw started with Legacy in the ring with a cage around it. Raw has been pushing the hell out of Orton and Batista. We find out Rhodes and Batista will square off in a cage match TONIGHT. WOOO, Flair interupts. He challenges Orton to a parking lot brawl. Im in for that. This hasnt been the problem for Raw. The main event has been great. The Batista Orton feud has been solid. Lets hope the rest of Raw can keep the momentum. The Batista Rhodes cage match starts right after the Flair Orton promo. Batista wins adding fuel to the fire for the main event.
Again Raw tries to show off some Diva action. Been saying it for weeks, please give me a Beth Phoenix Mickie James Maryse match for the Diva Champ. Maryse wins the tag match over Kelly Kelly and Mickie. Decent contest. The momentum starts to go down alittle in the following tag match. Matt Hardy and Regal vs the Colons. I dont understand why you would throw 2 men who just wrestled each other last week as tag partners. The Colons win again. Primo and Carlito need a damn feud!!! They also should be on Raw and Superstars each week. We dont see the last of Hardy and Regal. They ask Vikki for a rematch by helping her beat Santino tonight. Hardy and Regal help Vikki out later on. They take out Santino and Vikki pours slop on him. I missed most of this because I went and got my supper. Ya thats how entertained I was during the segment.
Yet another tag match tonight. Cena and Chavo, who won a drawing to pick Cenas partner, vs Miz and Show. Miz comes out again with a mic in hand. He talks before we go to break. Miz can hold his own on the mic, but enough already. We come back from break and Cena is coming out. Crowd was into him which is always a good sign. The match itself was actually very good. Miz and Show dominate early. Cena on the attack. Show chokeslammed Cena and Miz tagged himself in. Show layed him out as well. Chavo tagged in and won the match. Cena fu'd Chavo. Show knocked out Cena with a punch. Show then choked out Cena. Ok, Show is dominate again the week before a ppv. The same thing happened the week before Judgement Day. Cena hasn't locked in the stfu, so at the ppv what will Cena do....?
A ppv quality match occured on Raw. The show picked back up with a backstage interview with Kofi and MVP, a nice setup before the match. The match itself, AWESOME! Back and forth contest. Kofi has such a unique style of offense. MVP hit a sick kick on Kofi towards the end. Quite a few near falls as well before Kofi picked up a suprising win and became the NEW US CHAMP. A great headline from Raw. I hope they have a rematch.
The main event wasnt a match but a straight up fight. Orton was shown looking for Flair. Flair struck first. These 2 used the arena well. Flair got some good shots in. They ended up ringside. Flair had the advantage. He placed Orton on the announcers table and gave Orton a straight kick to the nuts. It was very funny. Figure 4 on the table. Things went down hill from there for Flair. Legacy came out and nailed Flair. The cage was lowered, Rhodes and Teddy got Flair into the cage. They beat him up for a while until Orton stepped in. He ordered Legacy out and lock the door. Batista came out alittle to late. Well it was because the animal must be afraid of heights. Legacy locked the door and Batista tried to break the door down. Uh, CLIMB THE DAMN CAGE!!! Flair received an RKO and a punt for his trouble. Is he gonna be gone now? I thought it was awesome the crowd had a TRIPLE H chant and not a Batista chant. You read that correctly. The crowd wanted Triple H more than the man who has been pushed to the top the last few weeks on Raw. Thank you WWE universe!! Ive been saying that since the night after Backlash.
Ok if you missed out I need your feedback. I asked for you to email me your favorite wrestler entrance ever. Ive actually received a few already. I want everyone to email me at mccall316@yahoo.com. I will be posting a night of extreme rules preview with my predictions later in the week. I will put a few emails into that. Next week I will post a full blog on which wrestler has the greatest wrestling entrance ever. As always, thanks for reading.
J Call
Sunday, May 31, 2009
I want your feedback
Hey whats up its J Call here. I need your help. If you have been keeping up with my blogs you would know i love wrestling. Now I want to know how much you love wrestling. I am asking you to email me on the best wrestler entrance ever. I will personally read every single email you send me. I will post the best ones i receive, along with who I believe has the best entrance ever. You must go in detail on why he or she has the greatest ever. Is it the music, way they walk, what they do once in the ring, a combination of everything? I look forward to reading them. Oh, the email lol. Send your feedback to mccall316@yahoo.com. Thank you very much. Be sure to check out my Raw blog on Tuesday morning as well.
J Call
J Call
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Nations Past time
Since I moved back to Iowa, I havent been able to do much. Mostly because there isnt much to do. What I'm trying to say is; Im bored! I decided I am going to go on a spending spree. I will be purchasing two major league baseball teams. I will run one team and you can run the other one. You knew there was a catch though. The catch is my payroll will be 200 million dollars and yours' will be one fifth of that, or 40 million dollars. What? You don't feel thats fair. You must feel the same way about major league baseball. Well that's how they have been doing business for years. They don't have a salary cap. Baseball is small market teams vs big market teams. Which is the main reason why I feel our nations' pasttime has done just that: past its time.
If you do believe MLB's system is fair and makes sense, then prepare to have your eyes opened. I can't understand why they don't have an even playing field. I've heard it time and time again, big payrolls don't equal championships. You are correct. Big payrolls don't always bring titles but it certainly puts you in position to win. If you can find a Kansas City Royal fan, ask him when is the last time they played a meaningful game? I can bet it hasn't been in the last fifteen years. The Royals, Pittsburg Pirates, Toronto Blue Jays, and even Larry's boys, the Texas Rangers are normally out of contention by the All-Star break.
I do know, there are always exceptions to the rules. If you are smart with your 40 million, you could be the Tampa Bay Rays. They won the most competitive divisional race last year, beating the Yanks and Sox. The Rays made it to the World Series last year and their opponent, Philadelphia Phillies also had a normal payroll. The Florida Marlins won 2 world titles, but each time, they dumped payroll the following year. The most consistant teams who are small market teams are the Oakland A's and the Minnesota Twins. They use their farm systems and also spend wisely in the free agent market. I think that's the most important thing, spend wisely.
If you run the New York Yankees, you don't have to be smart. You have an endless amount of money. You can go out and spend alot on high dollar free agents. I get so upset about this the most. The big market teams get established stars, while the small market teams sign young raw potential talent, who may or may not pan out. The free agents the small market teams sign are veterans who are past their prime. The Yanks, Soxs, and Angels don't have to be smart. They sign anyone and everyone that can help their ball clubs. Small market teams don't have the same luxury. Last year, I rooted for the Rays because of these reasons. They do everything the right way. The Rays use their farm system to develop talent and sign crafty veteran leadership. They know they must be smart because one signing could hurt them for several years.
Major League Baseball has a version of a salary cap. They have a luxury tax system. MLB sets a number on what you can spend, essentially its a cap. If you exceed the "cap" then you pay into the tax. The tax is a certain percentage and if you continue to go over the threshold, you pay a larger increase. The maximum tax you will pay is forty percent. The problem I have with the system is that the tax does not go to the small market teams. The money goes to an industry growth fund. MLB uses that fund for player benefits and promoting baseball around the world. I think thats a nice cause but it should be shared. Baseball does have a revenue sharing, which is similar to the NFL. The NBA has both a salary cap and a luxury tax. They set the cap, it changes every year, and a team may go over it. Again, like baseball, if an NBA team goes over it by a certain percentage, they pay a tax. Most owners don't want to pay the tax, which is the reason you see teams trade a superstar for a quarter so they can get under the cap threshold. The NFL has the easiest system. The NFL has a salary cap and you can't go over it. They dont have a luxury tax. You can't exceed the cap. The only thing the NFL has is salary cap penalties for cutting players, since contracts aren't guaranteed, like they are in the NBA. If you cut players in the NFL, the penalty money gets taking away from your salary cap. Are you confused yet?
I guess what I'm trying to do is make this real simple. MLB is flawed. The steroid era helped gain fans back in the late 90's after the strike. Now steroids are hurting baseball. Many players we know and loved are getting caught now or did them back in the past. They need to implement a salary cap. I want to see baseball become fair and balanced. I also would love to see the media get on Bud Seligs' ass. This man should be fired. He turned a blind eye during the steroid era. He hasn't yet brought a salary cap to help those with less money. I know for a fact I would come back and watch baseball if I knew it was fair and an even field. Well, that and if I didn't have to hear athletes bitch about their contracts. I guess thats a whole other story. As always thanks for reading.
J Call
If you do believe MLB's system is fair and makes sense, then prepare to have your eyes opened. I can't understand why they don't have an even playing field. I've heard it time and time again, big payrolls don't equal championships. You are correct. Big payrolls don't always bring titles but it certainly puts you in position to win. If you can find a Kansas City Royal fan, ask him when is the last time they played a meaningful game? I can bet it hasn't been in the last fifteen years. The Royals, Pittsburg Pirates, Toronto Blue Jays, and even Larry's boys, the Texas Rangers are normally out of contention by the All-Star break.
I do know, there are always exceptions to the rules. If you are smart with your 40 million, you could be the Tampa Bay Rays. They won the most competitive divisional race last year, beating the Yanks and Sox. The Rays made it to the World Series last year and their opponent, Philadelphia Phillies also had a normal payroll. The Florida Marlins won 2 world titles, but each time, they dumped payroll the following year. The most consistant teams who are small market teams are the Oakland A's and the Minnesota Twins. They use their farm systems and also spend wisely in the free agent market. I think that's the most important thing, spend wisely.
If you run the New York Yankees, you don't have to be smart. You have an endless amount of money. You can go out and spend alot on high dollar free agents. I get so upset about this the most. The big market teams get established stars, while the small market teams sign young raw potential talent, who may or may not pan out. The free agents the small market teams sign are veterans who are past their prime. The Yanks, Soxs, and Angels don't have to be smart. They sign anyone and everyone that can help their ball clubs. Small market teams don't have the same luxury. Last year, I rooted for the Rays because of these reasons. They do everything the right way. The Rays use their farm system to develop talent and sign crafty veteran leadership. They know they must be smart because one signing could hurt them for several years.
Major League Baseball has a version of a salary cap. They have a luxury tax system. MLB sets a number on what you can spend, essentially its a cap. If you exceed the "cap" then you pay into the tax. The tax is a certain percentage and if you continue to go over the threshold, you pay a larger increase. The maximum tax you will pay is forty percent. The problem I have with the system is that the tax does not go to the small market teams. The money goes to an industry growth fund. MLB uses that fund for player benefits and promoting baseball around the world. I think thats a nice cause but it should be shared. Baseball does have a revenue sharing, which is similar to the NFL. The NBA has both a salary cap and a luxury tax. They set the cap, it changes every year, and a team may go over it. Again, like baseball, if an NBA team goes over it by a certain percentage, they pay a tax. Most owners don't want to pay the tax, which is the reason you see teams trade a superstar for a quarter so they can get under the cap threshold. The NFL has the easiest system. The NFL has a salary cap and you can't go over it. They dont have a luxury tax. You can't exceed the cap. The only thing the NFL has is salary cap penalties for cutting players, since contracts aren't guaranteed, like they are in the NBA. If you cut players in the NFL, the penalty money gets taking away from your salary cap. Are you confused yet?
I guess what I'm trying to do is make this real simple. MLB is flawed. The steroid era helped gain fans back in the late 90's after the strike. Now steroids are hurting baseball. Many players we know and loved are getting caught now or did them back in the past. They need to implement a salary cap. I want to see baseball become fair and balanced. I also would love to see the media get on Bud Seligs' ass. This man should be fired. He turned a blind eye during the steroid era. He hasn't yet brought a salary cap to help those with less money. I know for a fact I would come back and watch baseball if I knew it was fair and an even field. Well, that and if I didn't have to hear athletes bitch about their contracts. I guess thats a whole other story. As always thanks for reading.
J Call
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