The Old School Raw might have been just what this WWE blogger needed to boost his spirits. The shows the past weeks have been sub par. Okay, in actuality they sucked. I'm trying to be nice but it's hard. Even Smackdown didn't do much for me. I'm not going to mention TNA and their lame ass new title. Before Raw, I have to get to a great email I received the other day from a loyal reader.
J Call,
I've been reading your blogs for a while. I'm disappointed you've never taken an email. You talk about several wrestlers past and present. The WWE roster is full of potential. Who do you see as an underutilized wrestler in WWE?
Mark Robinson, Portland, Oregon
My apologizes for not taking email before. I love your question because yo u could name several guys or Divas. I keep coming back to Teddy for the answer. Ted Dibiase Jr. could be a U.S. champion already. His body of work isn't huge. He was part of a great stable for 2 years. Dibiase, along with fellow Legacy brethren Rhodes, has only held tag gold. Daniel Bryan has nobody as a threat to his title. I'm sick of the Goldust thing. Teddy has the skills and tools. He should have had Million Dollar Challenges when he brought in that belt. He and Morrison never matured. Crowds don't feel he is relevant. The fans are right. I wouldn't have changed his music either. The way I see Teddy is getting in the U.S. picture once the Goldust deal finishes. He's going to be in the MITB match at Mania. In another year, things will be different for the Fortunate son. Thanks for you the email.
If you would like to email a question to me, send it to jcall@bigbadsportsdaddy.com. I am still conducting my WWE DVD contest. If you send me a picture with a sign that says, "Sheamus the Irish Ghost" and I can tell you took the sign to a WWE event. I will send you a WWE DVD. I'm not lying. This contest is in conjunction with BBSD.
I must say I'd love to see Raw start using that video package and music every week. They could keep the platform out front as well. I loved when they did live interviews in front of the crowd. It keeps them involved instead of staring at a large screen. Sometimes simplistic is better than trying to out do other and creating fancy backgrounds. I could tell after the 1st segment, I was going to love Raw. The feeling brought me back to my childhood.
I was very happy to see Ziggler on Monday night again. I hoped he was facing Bryan. Henry's sexual chocolate role was a sweet touch. I forgot all about that. They had a quality match. Nothing special but forged Ziggler in the right direction. My problem is Ziggler's finisher. Henry kicked out of the Zig Zag which makes me believe the sleeper is going to finish Ziggler's matches. The Zig Zag is much better. He can hit that for a surprise finish. The sleeper is to predictable.
The Dynasty finally broke up for good. The finish works much better now that Kidd is going to be the heel. David will make a better face. After the match, I couldn't help but wonder what the Nexus would do with the tag titles. They need a new contender. Luckily Raw later in the night solved the issue.
We haven't seen Harvey Whipelman or the Brawler in years. I don't need to see them again either. Big Zeke is on a tear but I think he's got to be a heel before he strikes it big. He has the look and he made a good heel on ECW. The change will come soon.
The GM is certainly not old school. The match made with Barrett and Truth was interesting. Barrett hasn't done enough to win over fans as a true main event star. At least Nexus was banned from ringside so it was a classic one on one contest. Barrett needs to win without interference week after week. Before Raw hit the airwaves, I worried this show wouldn't help continue stories. By this time of Raw, they had which eliminated my fears.
Miz weaseling out of his match with Cena wasn't what I had in mind. The match with Riley wasn't anything more than a typical match with Cena. Riley didn't show much offense. The finish was good. Orton and Cena furthered the story and the announcement of Piper's Pit to boot. I've said for weeks that I'm tired of Cena. Well I am. Survivor Series couldn't come soon enough for the send off.
The WWE needs to learn to stop giving the Shiek a live mic. He always rants on Hogan. Shocking, the tag titles have a future opponent. I've mentioned before Santino and Kozlov would make a good tag team match for Nexus. The Morrison save leads to a match at Survivor Series with Sheamus. Thank you! The setup with Brisco and Arn was really well done. Good to see Brisco and Arn needs to be on TV more.
Kofi's return was nice but he hasn't had much interaction with Nexus over on Friday night. He isn't doing anything on Smackdown. He feuded with Ziggler for the IC title for a long time and now has nothing to do. I'd like to see them start a Kofi Rhodes story. I think those 2 would mesh well. George "The Animal" Steel? Hilarious. I can't recall the last time I saw that guy. Kofi hit a beautiful Trouble in Paradise. Opponents need to take lessons from Otunga on that move. Sometimes it looks horrible.
Truth and Barrett put on a decent match. I thought it should have went 2 segments. They had it set up for 2 and instead of a commercial Raw stayed with it. Barrett still didn't show much offensive skills. That's why the match needed to be longer. He still hasn't proved enough to me that he can headline pay per views. WWE had to give Barrett time and failed.
Tito Santana looked great. Tito never got the credit he deserved as an in ring performer. I know some people don't like Del Rio. I'm in the opposite field. Del Rio does a good job and actually gets a crowd reaction. He gets serious heat. His mannerisms are a bit much at times. Even so, Del Rio is here to stay and I'm all for that. Got to love the Sarge except for his wrestling. I didn't need to see that. He could have called someone down to face Del Rio. I guess it got Alberto over. MVP isn't finished with Ziggler yet so the save didn't make much sense. MVP deserves one more shot for the IC title before moving on. Hell, Ziggler hasn't had many opponents since winning it from Kofi. Perhaps, they could make a triple threat and give the IC title meaning.
Mae Young didn't know what PG meant either. Bitches and sluts, sweetness. You see the world didn't collapse when she said that. WWE take notice. We like hearing that. It even got a big pop. I'll bet you if your grandma said slut or bitch you would laugh your ass off. The whole segment didn't help Natalya and LayCool. I'm sure Smackdown will do that.
My heart warmed up to see JR. Bryan and Swagger, with time, could put on a wrestling clinic. They did a nice job with the time given. To bad the entire match was ruined by douche bag Cole. He ruins everything and that's his character. Cole could be wiped off the face off the Earth and only his mom would miss him. Good Ole Jim Ross could have told him Raw got their highest ratings ever when he and King called the action alone. What should have been something cool was a cluster of 3 guys talking over each other. Vintage Cole. Bryan and Swagger is a match I would watch again. I swear I wrote about Dibiase way before Raw started. You know my feelings on the attack. Dibiase and Bryan, where do I sign up?
No main event but a Piper's Pit was sweet. You can give Piper a mic and he brings it every time. He can always deliver a great promo. The face to face with Cena was fantastic. It provided a different view for the heel turn on Sunday. The ending was a great prelude. I'm ready for the finish and see what Cena does. He got the final word on Raw. I honestly have no clue what is going to happen. I've always though Cena would turn on everyone. I don't know now. Orton should have been out longer in the segment. I've written it dozens of times, the WWE title takes a back seat to no one. The whole Cena thing took away from the title and made Cena the story. Yes, Cena is important but the title is what every body wants. Piper tried to make the title feel important. To little to late.
Raw felt special. This type of show was just what I needed. We saw some new things tonight. Dibiase and Bryan is a huge lift for the show. I can't wait for that to develop. The tag champs actually have a title defense ahead of them. We might see both on Sunday. Some of the backstage skits all the Rhodes and the Morrison segments worked and others, Atlas, didn't. Altogether, I felt Raw brought something to the table. I shall return later in the week with my Survivor Series picks. If you need more wrestling opinions, check out the podcast of Showstoppers on BBSD.
J Call
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Thursday, November 11, 2010
NFL Mid-Season Report
The NFL is halfway through the season. The final teams are getting their bye week this weekend. I wrote an NFL preview blog and I thought it would be fun to take a look at what I had then and see where we are now. I think I did pretty well considering the NFL is the most unpredictable league. I started with the NFC West back in August so we begin there.
NFC West
1st predictions: Divisional Champ San Fran 10-6, Arizona 8-8, Seattle 6-10 and Rams 3-13
At first glance, you would think this is a fat blunder. Well it was. I never thought Bradford was changing the entire landscape of football in St. Louis. I expected a fall off in Arizona and at 3-5, I was close. I had San Fran winning the division (so did everyone else) and Mike Singletary winning Coach of the Year. My bad. They stink and aren't sniffing either. Mike might be heading for the unemployment line. I have no idea what's going to happen in the 2nd half for the West. We could witness a 7-9 divisional champion. My rookie of the year is Bradford and I'm riding him and the Rams into the playoffs.
NFC North
1st predictions: Divisional Champ Green Bay 12-4, Wildcard Vikings 11-5, Bears 7-9 and Lions 5-11
I was right on line with the Packers, Bears and Lions. Detroit with Stafford may have been better than I predicted. We won't know because Stafford keeps getting injured. The Bears continue to be a roller coaster ride each week. Minnesota is the real fraud. Favre has stunk up the field and everyone around him has disappointed. The Moss trade was humiliating. Players are coming out to the media saying they wish Childress was gone already. Be patient because at the end of the year he will be fired. I'm taking away the Wildcard from the Vikings. I had the Packers winning and I still believe that. Rodgers was my MVP. With all the injuries Green Bay has had on the offense, he deserves more love for the award.
NFC South
1st predictions: Divisional Champ Saints 12-4, Wildcard Falcons 10-6, Panthers 6-10, Bucs 4-12
Who knew Moore and Clausen were going to suck and the running game was running away? I didn't. I felt Carolina had a legit shot to compete in the NFC. Instead they may not win more than 4 games. Tampa has been a huge surprise. The Bucs have a chance with a semi-easy schedule to make it 8-8. I won't push them farther than that. Other than having the bottom two in opposite positions, I'm sticking with the Saints and Falcons in the playoffs. Atlanta is good enough to win a wildcard and the Saints will do enough to win the division.
NFC East
1st predictions: Divisional Champs Cowboys 11-5, Giants 9-7, Skins 8-8 and Eagles 8-8
My biggest mistake in the whole preview. The Cowboys have one more than the Bills. They fired Philips (2 years to late). The Redskins and Eagles are right around what I thought they would be. The Redskins have made all the news and I still think they get to 8-8. The Cowboys have no chance for anything other than a top 5 draft pick. I'm giving the wildcard I had the Vikings with and picking the Eagles. The Giants have been much better than I believed. If they keep destroying teams, the NFC might go through New York.
AFC West
1st predictions: Divisional Champs Chargers 10-6, Denver 7-9, Oakland 7-9, Kansas City 5-11
Ok, Kansas City is playing good football and I thought they would suck. They also have the easiest damn schedule in the NFL. KC has played 2 teams with a winning record so far and have 2 left on the schedule. Denver is on the path of finding a new coach again. They are terrible. San Diego seems to be charging as of late. My Raiders are surging. A 3 game winning streak and the defense is coming together. The concern with Oakland is the schedule gets much tougher. I don't think they can over come the stretch of good games to make the playoffs. This division is still the toughest to predict. KC's easy schedule gives them the edge. But I'm a stand up guy and will stick with the Chargers to win the division.
AFC North
1st predictions: Divisional Champs Ravens 13-3, Wildcard Cincy 10-6, Pitt 9-7 and Browns 4-12
It's true, I bought into the Bengals. I thought with all the added talent on offense they would hold down Pitt. I was wrong. I still love Baltimore and think they are better than the Steelers. Cleveland has snuck up on the Saints and Pats in back to back weeks. The Browns will beat out the Bengals in the North standings. I'm swiping the Wildcard tag off Cincy and giving it to Pitt. Baltimore still wins the division.
AFC South
1st predictions: Divisional Champ Colts 12-4, Wildcard Texans 10-6, Titans 5-11, Jags 3-13
In my NFL preview I asked one simple question about the Colts, "Does Peyton Manning still QB this team?" Well he does and I'm sticking with Peyton and the Colts to hold off stiff competition from the Titans and Jags to win the division. Manning has lost several pieces of his offense and keeps winning. Houston hasn't found a secondary so that Wildcard prediction is wiped away. The Titans and Jag have played better ball than I believed. The South is very competitive. Tennessee adding Moss should keep them in the Wildcard hunt. I'm not willing to give it to them though.
AFC East
1st predictions: Divisional Champ Pats 11-5, Jets 9-7, Miami 8-8 and Bills 2-14
We end with my best predictions. I was spot on with Buffalo and Miami. Buffalo plays hard but can't get over the hump. Miami is 4-4 and switching quarterbacks. I don't fully comprehend that decision. New England dumped Moss for Branch and it worked. They are still winning the East. The Jets are now getting my other wildcard spot that went to Houston. Their defense is great and the Jets offense will survive.
I'm giving myself a chance for redemption. I hope I can do a little better the second time. I finished my first prediction with the Super Bowl pick of Baltimore and Green Bay. I'm not backing away from that. Baltimore and Green Bay both have great shots to make it. As good a shot as anyone in the wild NFL.
J Call.
NFC West
1st predictions: Divisional Champ San Fran 10-6, Arizona 8-8, Seattle 6-10 and Rams 3-13
At first glance, you would think this is a fat blunder. Well it was. I never thought Bradford was changing the entire landscape of football in St. Louis. I expected a fall off in Arizona and at 3-5, I was close. I had San Fran winning the division (so did everyone else) and Mike Singletary winning Coach of the Year. My bad. They stink and aren't sniffing either. Mike might be heading for the unemployment line. I have no idea what's going to happen in the 2nd half for the West. We could witness a 7-9 divisional champion. My rookie of the year is Bradford and I'm riding him and the Rams into the playoffs.
NFC North
1st predictions: Divisional Champ Green Bay 12-4, Wildcard Vikings 11-5, Bears 7-9 and Lions 5-11
I was right on line with the Packers, Bears and Lions. Detroit with Stafford may have been better than I predicted. We won't know because Stafford keeps getting injured. The Bears continue to be a roller coaster ride each week. Minnesota is the real fraud. Favre has stunk up the field and everyone around him has disappointed. The Moss trade was humiliating. Players are coming out to the media saying they wish Childress was gone already. Be patient because at the end of the year he will be fired. I'm taking away the Wildcard from the Vikings. I had the Packers winning and I still believe that. Rodgers was my MVP. With all the injuries Green Bay has had on the offense, he deserves more love for the award.
NFC South
1st predictions: Divisional Champ Saints 12-4, Wildcard Falcons 10-6, Panthers 6-10, Bucs 4-12
Who knew Moore and Clausen were going to suck and the running game was running away? I didn't. I felt Carolina had a legit shot to compete in the NFC. Instead they may not win more than 4 games. Tampa has been a huge surprise. The Bucs have a chance with a semi-easy schedule to make it 8-8. I won't push them farther than that. Other than having the bottom two in opposite positions, I'm sticking with the Saints and Falcons in the playoffs. Atlanta is good enough to win a wildcard and the Saints will do enough to win the division.
NFC East
1st predictions: Divisional Champs Cowboys 11-5, Giants 9-7, Skins 8-8 and Eagles 8-8
My biggest mistake in the whole preview. The Cowboys have one more than the Bills. They fired Philips (2 years to late). The Redskins and Eagles are right around what I thought they would be. The Redskins have made all the news and I still think they get to 8-8. The Cowboys have no chance for anything other than a top 5 draft pick. I'm giving the wildcard I had the Vikings with and picking the Eagles. The Giants have been much better than I believed. If they keep destroying teams, the NFC might go through New York.
AFC West
1st predictions: Divisional Champs Chargers 10-6, Denver 7-9, Oakland 7-9, Kansas City 5-11
Ok, Kansas City is playing good football and I thought they would suck. They also have the easiest damn schedule in the NFL. KC has played 2 teams with a winning record so far and have 2 left on the schedule. Denver is on the path of finding a new coach again. They are terrible. San Diego seems to be charging as of late. My Raiders are surging. A 3 game winning streak and the defense is coming together. The concern with Oakland is the schedule gets much tougher. I don't think they can over come the stretch of good games to make the playoffs. This division is still the toughest to predict. KC's easy schedule gives them the edge. But I'm a stand up guy and will stick with the Chargers to win the division.
AFC North
1st predictions: Divisional Champs Ravens 13-3, Wildcard Cincy 10-6, Pitt 9-7 and Browns 4-12
It's true, I bought into the Bengals. I thought with all the added talent on offense they would hold down Pitt. I was wrong. I still love Baltimore and think they are better than the Steelers. Cleveland has snuck up on the Saints and Pats in back to back weeks. The Browns will beat out the Bengals in the North standings. I'm swiping the Wildcard tag off Cincy and giving it to Pitt. Baltimore still wins the division.
AFC South
1st predictions: Divisional Champ Colts 12-4, Wildcard Texans 10-6, Titans 5-11, Jags 3-13
In my NFL preview I asked one simple question about the Colts, "Does Peyton Manning still QB this team?" Well he does and I'm sticking with Peyton and the Colts to hold off stiff competition from the Titans and Jags to win the division. Manning has lost several pieces of his offense and keeps winning. Houston hasn't found a secondary so that Wildcard prediction is wiped away. The Titans and Jag have played better ball than I believed. The South is very competitive. Tennessee adding Moss should keep them in the Wildcard hunt. I'm not willing to give it to them though.
AFC East
1st predictions: Divisional Champ Pats 11-5, Jets 9-7, Miami 8-8 and Bills 2-14
We end with my best predictions. I was spot on with Buffalo and Miami. Buffalo plays hard but can't get over the hump. Miami is 4-4 and switching quarterbacks. I don't fully comprehend that decision. New England dumped Moss for Branch and it worked. They are still winning the East. The Jets are now getting my other wildcard spot that went to Houston. Their defense is great and the Jets offense will survive.
I'm giving myself a chance for redemption. I hope I can do a little better the second time. I finished my first prediction with the Super Bowl pick of Baltimore and Green Bay. I'm not backing away from that. Baltimore and Green Bay both have great shots to make it. As good a shot as anyone in the wild NFL.
J Call.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Raw 11-8
I would like to move forward and not dwell on the horrible Raw from the previous week. You've moved on and so have I. Didn't happen like Rocky V. I will say I enjoyed Smackdown. The addition of Nexus was unforeseen and added to the story. I thought Raw might focus on wrestling in the United Kingdom. I was wrong. For the second straight week, Raw was a huge failure. I think it's mainly the Cena Nexus story since I can't stand it. I will get to what pissed me off most about Raw after we hit a different topic.
Brock Lesnar was all the talk two weeks ago. Everyone was speculating on Brock and Taker at Wrestlemania. We need to scrape that idea and toss it aside. Someone else makes much more since and will have a greater impact. I'm going on a trip back in time, 9 years ago to Wrestlemania 17. Vince had purchased WCW. McMahon vs McMahon, HHH vs Taker and Austin Rock were main eventing. Austin turns heel and teams with Vince to end Mania. The story goes that night another man was suppose to drop from the rafters. Fast forward to the present. Wrestlemania 27 is in Atlanta, GA, WCW's old stomping grounds. WWE is planning to do an entire WCW Hall of Fame. That same man who was planning to arrive from the rafters at Mania 17 is a free agent. The man is from Omaha, NE but was always announced from Venice Beach, CA. I'm sure you know by now I am referring to Sting. Sting should sign with the WWE. A Sting Taker match would trump everything. He would go into the Hall and wrestle the biggest Wrestlemania Icon in wrestling. Even if Taker is still hurt, Sting could meet Triple H. The stories are endless and would be a fantastic sendoff. Sting has never wrestled in a WWE ring. I don't think this would be Bret Hart in WCW situation. TNA can't do justice to Sting. WWE is the perfect place for a final run in one of the greatest wrestling careers of all time. It's showtime Sting!
We can focus on the b.s that was Raw. The reason I liked Nexus invading Smackdown was because it would develop something other than Cena and Barrett. I was wrong. The opener kept it to Barrett and Cena and a small mention of Otunga's failure from Friday night. The pop Orton received was deafening. I knew U.K. fans were smart. The announcement was fine until they added Cena as the ref again. We had seen this already. The 5 on 5 happened on Smack. The only difference is the wrestlers from Raw and Cena. I'm tired of the freaking Cena story. Orton made the point that Cena isn't his opponent, that's Barrett. We wouldn't know that unless he said it. I understand they are trying to build up the suspense. It's not working.
I thought Maryse stopped wrestling. The whole soccer thing was a good idea. I'd rather seen someone other than the Bellas though. Tamina looked good for the short time she wrestled. She has some skills and a future. I'm really pleased she is away from the Uso's. The only way she will be taken as a wrestler is to continue wrestling and stop managing. Right after the pin fall, Josh Mathews made me feel like I was watching Superstars.
The Dynasty and Uso's use to mean something. I know you laughed because it never did. The crowd didn't care and David Hart Smith is from the U.K. Just break the Harts up already. I guess they are waiting for Survivor Series and have them fighting and cost Natalya during her Diva title match.
The Goldust Dibiase thing hasn't gotten enough exposure. One week it feels like something. The next, Dibiase is doing something else. I'd much rather see Bryan and Dibiase for the U.S. The finish was even more confusion. Is the feud over? I have no idea. The writers don't know either. They throw something on the table and hope Vincent likes it. I said last weeks was awful and WWE wouldn't change. By the midway point of Raw, I was right.
Cena and Otunga was a glorified squash. Otunga was looked as a weak member when Nexus began. That part keeps going. There isn't much more I can say about Cena and Nexus. It's stale. The build hasn't developed like I thought it would. We aren't witnessing a Hogan like heel turn at Survivor Series. I just want it over no matter the outcome.
I'm still waiting for an email of you holding a "Sheamus the Irish Ghost" sign at a WWE event. I told you I don't care if you make it on TV. I want to see a picture that shows you are at any WWE event and I'll send you a WWE DVD. I don't know how much easier I can make it. Send your picture and email to jcall@bigbadsportsdaddy.com. This is freaking legit. A WWE DVD will go to the first person who sends a picture. The tea party was entertaining. Santino had some great lines and Kozlov was hilarious. I forgot how great it is when he use to say double double E. Morrison and Sheamus is setting up nicely. We have seen him make the save for two weeks straight. Next week it will be announced for SS.
Main event time. The great thing about foreign crowds is how much they respect the mat wrestling. They enjoy actual wrestling inside the squared circle. I love it and respect that. They are old school wrestling fans. The 5 on 5 match had some pros and cons. The pros are you see glimpses of how good guys like Harris and McGillicuty can be with Bryan, a few guys that have nothing to do get on TV and it helped Orton and Barrett. The cons are it did nothing for Miz, Bryan or Truth unless they are planning a traditional Survivor Series match. Miz hosed Orton which does nothing. Orton is set up with Wade not Miz. Where the hell is the pay off? Stupid.
Raw had to many backstage skits, fillers and not enough wrestling. Oh, so it was the same show we have seen for years. Pretty much except the main story bores the hell out of me. The mid-carders are doing nothing. I'm intrigued with next weeks three hour old school Raw. I am a self proclaimed old school wrestling fan. It can't be worse. The WWE needs changes, not fire Wade and make Garrett the coach changes. I'm talking real changes. I'm praying for those after Survivor Series. I don't know what to do if no changes arrive and we continue seeing the same bull crap. I look forward to seeing your emails.
J Call
Brock Lesnar was all the talk two weeks ago. Everyone was speculating on Brock and Taker at Wrestlemania. We need to scrape that idea and toss it aside. Someone else makes much more since and will have a greater impact. I'm going on a trip back in time, 9 years ago to Wrestlemania 17. Vince had purchased WCW. McMahon vs McMahon, HHH vs Taker and Austin Rock were main eventing. Austin turns heel and teams with Vince to end Mania. The story goes that night another man was suppose to drop from the rafters. Fast forward to the present. Wrestlemania 27 is in Atlanta, GA, WCW's old stomping grounds. WWE is planning to do an entire WCW Hall of Fame. That same man who was planning to arrive from the rafters at Mania 17 is a free agent. The man is from Omaha, NE but was always announced from Venice Beach, CA. I'm sure you know by now I am referring to Sting. Sting should sign with the WWE. A Sting Taker match would trump everything. He would go into the Hall and wrestle the biggest Wrestlemania Icon in wrestling. Even if Taker is still hurt, Sting could meet Triple H. The stories are endless and would be a fantastic sendoff. Sting has never wrestled in a WWE ring. I don't think this would be Bret Hart in WCW situation. TNA can't do justice to Sting. WWE is the perfect place for a final run in one of the greatest wrestling careers of all time. It's showtime Sting!
We can focus on the b.s that was Raw. The reason I liked Nexus invading Smackdown was because it would develop something other than Cena and Barrett. I was wrong. The opener kept it to Barrett and Cena and a small mention of Otunga's failure from Friday night. The pop Orton received was deafening. I knew U.K. fans were smart. The announcement was fine until they added Cena as the ref again. We had seen this already. The 5 on 5 happened on Smack. The only difference is the wrestlers from Raw and Cena. I'm tired of the freaking Cena story. Orton made the point that Cena isn't his opponent, that's Barrett. We wouldn't know that unless he said it. I understand they are trying to build up the suspense. It's not working.
I thought Maryse stopped wrestling. The whole soccer thing was a good idea. I'd rather seen someone other than the Bellas though. Tamina looked good for the short time she wrestled. She has some skills and a future. I'm really pleased she is away from the Uso's. The only way she will be taken as a wrestler is to continue wrestling and stop managing. Right after the pin fall, Josh Mathews made me feel like I was watching Superstars.
The Dynasty and Uso's use to mean something. I know you laughed because it never did. The crowd didn't care and David Hart Smith is from the U.K. Just break the Harts up already. I guess they are waiting for Survivor Series and have them fighting and cost Natalya during her Diva title match.
The Goldust Dibiase thing hasn't gotten enough exposure. One week it feels like something. The next, Dibiase is doing something else. I'd much rather see Bryan and Dibiase for the U.S. The finish was even more confusion. Is the feud over? I have no idea. The writers don't know either. They throw something on the table and hope Vincent likes it. I said last weeks was awful and WWE wouldn't change. By the midway point of Raw, I was right.
Cena and Otunga was a glorified squash. Otunga was looked as a weak member when Nexus began. That part keeps going. There isn't much more I can say about Cena and Nexus. It's stale. The build hasn't developed like I thought it would. We aren't witnessing a Hogan like heel turn at Survivor Series. I just want it over no matter the outcome.
I'm still waiting for an email of you holding a "Sheamus the Irish Ghost" sign at a WWE event. I told you I don't care if you make it on TV. I want to see a picture that shows you are at any WWE event and I'll send you a WWE DVD. I don't know how much easier I can make it. Send your picture and email to jcall@bigbadsportsdaddy.com. This is freaking legit. A WWE DVD will go to the first person who sends a picture. The tea party was entertaining. Santino had some great lines and Kozlov was hilarious. I forgot how great it is when he use to say double double E. Morrison and Sheamus is setting up nicely. We have seen him make the save for two weeks straight. Next week it will be announced for SS.
Main event time. The great thing about foreign crowds is how much they respect the mat wrestling. They enjoy actual wrestling inside the squared circle. I love it and respect that. They are old school wrestling fans. The 5 on 5 match had some pros and cons. The pros are you see glimpses of how good guys like Harris and McGillicuty can be with Bryan, a few guys that have nothing to do get on TV and it helped Orton and Barrett. The cons are it did nothing for Miz, Bryan or Truth unless they are planning a traditional Survivor Series match. Miz hosed Orton which does nothing. Orton is set up with Wade not Miz. Where the hell is the pay off? Stupid.
Raw had to many backstage skits, fillers and not enough wrestling. Oh, so it was the same show we have seen for years. Pretty much except the main story bores the hell out of me. The mid-carders are doing nothing. I'm intrigued with next weeks three hour old school Raw. I am a self proclaimed old school wrestling fan. It can't be worse. The WWE needs changes, not fire Wade and make Garrett the coach changes. I'm talking real changes. I'm praying for those after Survivor Series. I don't know what to do if no changes arrive and we continue seeing the same bull crap. I look forward to seeing your emails.
J Call
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Raw 11-1
A relatively quiet week for wrestling. The week finished with Edge becoming Kane's new opponent and Bryan and Ziggler finished with 3 great matches. It's crazy to think two guys who never wrestled together stole 3 out of 3 shows. Raw needs more than Cena and Nexus. I'm so sick of the story before Raw started. I thought for sure this weeks' show would continue to push a few new developments. Sheamus and Morrison was the only one. Punk's injury put a damper on the Bryan feud. After watching Raw last night, I questioned why I keep coming back to wrestling. Raw was awful.
The man who holds the most important title in wrestling opened Raw. About damn time. I enjoyed Orton and Cena's back and forth. Orton making fun of Cena was great. I'd still rather seen Barrett first. However Orton needs to be setup so when Cena turns, the fans will sympathize with Orton. Either way, we were going to see Cena in the first segment. May I have your attention please. I just wrote an email that says and I quote, "Cole sucks." The tag match was ok. I didn't like the situation though. The WWE is pushing hard with Cena and Nexus. It dominates the #1 show. I was fine with Orton opening. By the end, I was even more disgruntled with Cena and it wasn't more than 10 minutes into Raw.
The Hart Dynasty received their 90th opportunity to become number 1 contenders for the tag titles. If only the WWE had more tag teams this crap wouldn't be happening. Another story going wrong. The Dynasty shouldn't be breaking up. WWE has 2 maybe 3 tag teams we know. The Dudebusters, Nexus and uh um... well the Dudebusters and Nexus. The division is sorry. Instead of attempting to build it, Smackdown dismantled Rhodes and Drew and Raw splits the Dynasty. Not hard to keep your titles when there's no one to defend them against. Put Cryme Tyme back together, push the Dudes and keep the Dynasty alive. You can't tell me the FCW doesn't have some tag guys to bring to the main stage. This is why Harris and McGillicuty shouldn't have been tossed in with Nexus. I realize it gave them something to do but they weren't doing anything on this episode.
Sheamus had a sweet look after he said, "I beat myself." Yeah that sounds strange you Irish Bastard. Santino must read the blog or just thought the whole Halloween ghost thing was funny. I've thought for a long time 'Irish Ghost' would be a sweet sign. I tell ya what, if you go to a WWE event and bring a sign that says "Sheamus the Irish Ghost" and send me a picture to Jcall@bigbadsportsdaddy.com I will send you a WWE DVD. I'm dead serious. First one that sends me a picture will get a WWE dvd. I have to be able to tell you went to a WWE event. I don't care if you make it on camera or not. You just have to have a picture of the sign with you holding it up. As far as the match with Kozlov, it was ok. Morrison and Sheamus is picking up steam. Sheamus needs to find a partner, then tag against Morrison and Santino.
Nothing says PG like a guy caught in a x-rated movie playing with himself. Lita was a nice surprise. I figured she was close to signing with TNA. Although she might run from that place with the Hardys over there.
Big Zeke and Ryder are two men that can match with Bryan. They have ruined Ryder so its more about Zeke. He's not doing anything else. We don't know whether to boo him or cheer. Raw had 3 matches that were a total of 13 minutes. They may as well call Raw a variety show. Take wrestling out of it. Pathetic!
Speaking of doing nothing, Miz is floating around in the wrestling atmosphere. They had to bring Big Show in just so Miz had something. A giant waste of time came to mind about the entire segment. I had to sound like a broken record but use the damn roster you have. They bury half, a quarter is injured and the others are wandering. The roster is weak. This week proved it with Show having to wrestle Miz. You don't see Raw guys on Smackdown. Why would you? They use their roster so efficiently. A guy like Kavla all the way to Kane are used each week. They develop the talents of Rhodes, Drew, Truth and then Raw ruins them. Edge has been on Smackdown for a little less than a month and is already being pushed correctly. Even if Miz and Show put a decent match, there was still no rhyme or reason.
Dibiase's new music sucks and Bryan should get an original theme. It was funny once. I said it in the opening paragraph, I'm bummed about Punk's injury. CM and Daniel could have saved Raw. Punk's loss is Dibiase's gain. I'm very happy if they were to continue with Bryan and Dibiase. They had a short yet quality was there. I'd written Dibiase and Goldust off and then give Teddy a win over Bryan. He'd be #1 contender for the U.S. and fill in for Punk.
LayCool had to help Raw too. As stunning as it sounds, Natalya and McCool had a wonderful match. Natalya showed off some solid skills and LayCool didn't get one past her for a change. They have 3 weeks to create a build for a Diva title match. I prayed to the wrestling gods that LayCool and Natalya would have this long story. It came true. The writers are finally writing a good Diva story. They were perhaps the lone bright spot on Raw.
The whole McMahon coma political nightmare dream skit was simply not funny. I'd like to see the real Vince back if it makes sense. I made a point to bring up Triple H last week and I stand by it. I miss Triple H. If either were to come back and not be GM or leader of Nexus, then I'm happy. The right idea comes up, Raw would be a better show with Vince and Triple H. In the meantime, keep your stupid ass political views to yourself and give me what I tuned it for, wrestling.
Main event time with Truth and Otunga. Is that a main event? WWE must have forgot they have Skip Sheffield too. He is a guy who be trying to get revenge on Nexus. He could easily be written in against one of the other guys not doing anything. Horrible execution all the way around. Truth got the main event rub. I recall Bourne getting that a few months ago and then was buried. I'm sure nothing will come of Truth either. I did laugh at the finish. Orton dupes Cena and Barrett for a finishing RKO the camera nearly missed. That's all I found good with the tag match.
Raw was PATHETIC! The writers continue to focus on Cena Nexus and are finally incorporating the man Barrett is facing. That's great it only took an extra pay per view to make Orton a focal point. He's only the freaking champion of the company. Name me one thing Raw had that was memorable? You can't. I'm not going to remember 1 damn thing. The lame ass attempt at humor with Pee Wee or the McMahons. The 5 backstage segments were worthless. The 25 total minutes of wrestling is the real humor. I use to be pumped to watch Raw. Th crowd was bored and so was this writer. Raw had quality last week. I was ashamed at myself to miss the World Series being crowned and a good MNF game for that crap. Raw ratings will suck and WWE will do nothing. They will blame it on the two games. The product is why ratings sucks. Wrestling doesn't need new characters, it needs new writers. Stand up WWE grow some balls and change something or this WWE blogger might walk away from something I dearly love.
J Call
The man who holds the most important title in wrestling opened Raw. About damn time. I enjoyed Orton and Cena's back and forth. Orton making fun of Cena was great. I'd still rather seen Barrett first. However Orton needs to be setup so when Cena turns, the fans will sympathize with Orton. Either way, we were going to see Cena in the first segment. May I have your attention please. I just wrote an email that says and I quote, "Cole sucks." The tag match was ok. I didn't like the situation though. The WWE is pushing hard with Cena and Nexus. It dominates the #1 show. I was fine with Orton opening. By the end, I was even more disgruntled with Cena and it wasn't more than 10 minutes into Raw.
The Hart Dynasty received their 90th opportunity to become number 1 contenders for the tag titles. If only the WWE had more tag teams this crap wouldn't be happening. Another story going wrong. The Dynasty shouldn't be breaking up. WWE has 2 maybe 3 tag teams we know. The Dudebusters, Nexus and uh um... well the Dudebusters and Nexus. The division is sorry. Instead of attempting to build it, Smackdown dismantled Rhodes and Drew and Raw splits the Dynasty. Not hard to keep your titles when there's no one to defend them against. Put Cryme Tyme back together, push the Dudes and keep the Dynasty alive. You can't tell me the FCW doesn't have some tag guys to bring to the main stage. This is why Harris and McGillicuty shouldn't have been tossed in with Nexus. I realize it gave them something to do but they weren't doing anything on this episode.
Sheamus had a sweet look after he said, "I beat myself." Yeah that sounds strange you Irish Bastard. Santino must read the blog or just thought the whole Halloween ghost thing was funny. I've thought for a long time 'Irish Ghost' would be a sweet sign. I tell ya what, if you go to a WWE event and bring a sign that says "Sheamus the Irish Ghost" and send me a picture to Jcall@bigbadsportsdaddy.com I will send you a WWE DVD. I'm dead serious. First one that sends me a picture will get a WWE dvd. I have to be able to tell you went to a WWE event. I don't care if you make it on camera or not. You just have to have a picture of the sign with you holding it up. As far as the match with Kozlov, it was ok. Morrison and Sheamus is picking up steam. Sheamus needs to find a partner, then tag against Morrison and Santino.
Nothing says PG like a guy caught in a x-rated movie playing with himself. Lita was a nice surprise. I figured she was close to signing with TNA. Although she might run from that place with the Hardys over there.
Big Zeke and Ryder are two men that can match with Bryan. They have ruined Ryder so its more about Zeke. He's not doing anything else. We don't know whether to boo him or cheer. Raw had 3 matches that were a total of 13 minutes. They may as well call Raw a variety show. Take wrestling out of it. Pathetic!
Speaking of doing nothing, Miz is floating around in the wrestling atmosphere. They had to bring Big Show in just so Miz had something. A giant waste of time came to mind about the entire segment. I had to sound like a broken record but use the damn roster you have. They bury half, a quarter is injured and the others are wandering. The roster is weak. This week proved it with Show having to wrestle Miz. You don't see Raw guys on Smackdown. Why would you? They use their roster so efficiently. A guy like Kavla all the way to Kane are used each week. They develop the talents of Rhodes, Drew, Truth and then Raw ruins them. Edge has been on Smackdown for a little less than a month and is already being pushed correctly. Even if Miz and Show put a decent match, there was still no rhyme or reason.
Dibiase's new music sucks and Bryan should get an original theme. It was funny once. I said it in the opening paragraph, I'm bummed about Punk's injury. CM and Daniel could have saved Raw. Punk's loss is Dibiase's gain. I'm very happy if they were to continue with Bryan and Dibiase. They had a short yet quality was there. I'd written Dibiase and Goldust off and then give Teddy a win over Bryan. He'd be #1 contender for the U.S. and fill in for Punk.
LayCool had to help Raw too. As stunning as it sounds, Natalya and McCool had a wonderful match. Natalya showed off some solid skills and LayCool didn't get one past her for a change. They have 3 weeks to create a build for a Diva title match. I prayed to the wrestling gods that LayCool and Natalya would have this long story. It came true. The writers are finally writing a good Diva story. They were perhaps the lone bright spot on Raw.
The whole McMahon coma political nightmare dream skit was simply not funny. I'd like to see the real Vince back if it makes sense. I made a point to bring up Triple H last week and I stand by it. I miss Triple H. If either were to come back and not be GM or leader of Nexus, then I'm happy. The right idea comes up, Raw would be a better show with Vince and Triple H. In the meantime, keep your stupid ass political views to yourself and give me what I tuned it for, wrestling.
Main event time with Truth and Otunga. Is that a main event? WWE must have forgot they have Skip Sheffield too. He is a guy who be trying to get revenge on Nexus. He could easily be written in against one of the other guys not doing anything. Horrible execution all the way around. Truth got the main event rub. I recall Bourne getting that a few months ago and then was buried. I'm sure nothing will come of Truth either. I did laugh at the finish. Orton dupes Cena and Barrett for a finishing RKO the camera nearly missed. That's all I found good with the tag match.
Raw was PATHETIC! The writers continue to focus on Cena Nexus and are finally incorporating the man Barrett is facing. That's great it only took an extra pay per view to make Orton a focal point. He's only the freaking champion of the company. Name me one thing Raw had that was memorable? You can't. I'm not going to remember 1 damn thing. The lame ass attempt at humor with Pee Wee or the McMahons. The 5 backstage segments were worthless. The 25 total minutes of wrestling is the real humor. I use to be pumped to watch Raw. Th crowd was bored and so was this writer. Raw had quality last week. I was ashamed at myself to miss the World Series being crowned and a good MNF game for that crap. Raw ratings will suck and WWE will do nothing. They will blame it on the two games. The product is why ratings sucks. Wrestling doesn't need new characters, it needs new writers. Stand up WWE grow some balls and change something or this WWE blogger might walk away from something I dearly love.
J Call
Monday, November 1, 2010
The Defining Moment
The NFL season is coming to the halfway point. Some teams are a sinking ship and others are playoff bound. This season has been crazy wacky and any other word you can find for absolute nuts. The season for teams comes right down to a single moment. It's a defining moment. Your team will make or break the year on this moment. We have seen many of these moments so far this year. The biggest thing is if your team's moment is an injury that's not the kind of season you want. If it's a pick 6 for a win, your season might take off like a rocket. We start in the desert.
Arizona Cardinals- They are a mess. They are still contending in the NFC West. They are only one game back of the Seahawks. I don't know if that shows competitiveness in the West or describes the pathetic West. Their moment was Kurt Warner deciding to put on his dance shoes instead of football cleats. The Cardinals would have had one more year of domination in the NFC West with Warner. Derek Anderson and Max Hall aren't cutting it. They needed the Hall of Famer.
Minnesota Vikings- Their moment was when Brad Childress decided to send the house after Favre. Favre returned and looks an old man because he is an old man. The media still loves him and continues to praise his toughness. We should substitute the word toughness for pride. You can praise his pride. He has the heart but he doesn't have the tools. Also, Jared Allen should have never cut his mullet. Allen was a sack machine last year. He cut it and now the defensive line puts pressure on no one. Bring it back Allen.
New Orleans Saints- Last night. That was the Saints moment. Beating Pittsburgh at home on a Sunday night game. They needed that win. The offense hasn't looked the same, the running game struggles and lack of turnovers by the defense has put everyone talking "hangover." Well beating a Steeler team that was the best team in the NFL was a season changer. They got the turnovers. They got the big plays from Brees. They may have saved their season in one night.
Dallas Cowboys- The team a lot of "experts" picked to win the Super Bowl might be lucky to win 3 games. The moment Jones decided to keep Wade comes to mind. Wade is receiving most of the blame and rightfully deserves it. I say Romo's injury though. They weren't good while he was playing but any hope for a turnaround was flushed when Romo broke his collarbone. Why the hell are they waiting on surgery? The Cowboys should pack it in and get ready for some house cleaning. A top left tackle should be on Jones mind right now not salvaging the season. That's history.
Saint Louis Rams- Are they the biggest surprise of the year? Yes in my opinion. You can look at any one's first preview and not find the Rams near .500 at the end of the season or even predict them to have 4 wins all year. Their moment was drafting Bradford. He's the real star out of the draft. The injuries were the focal point. I say were because we can't talk about them anymore. Bradford has proved his worth. The Rams have a fighting chance in a horrible division and a weak schedule.
Houston Texans- I can't predict games very well but the Monday night game tonight is the Texans moment. If they sweep the Colts with a convincing win, they will launch themselves to the playoffs. If their defense can't stop Peyton with half his targets out, the Texans will sit at home again. This is the game to define Kubiak's tenure. The term must win gets thrown out to often. I say it fits this scenario.
Cincinnati Bengals- I text the only person I know who is a Bengal fan for their moment: "When Palmer missed a wide open ochocince in the end zone at the end of the game against Cleveland and they lost. Or when he threw 2 ints against t.b (Tampa Bay) when they were ahead with 2 minutes left and should have just ran and punted and won the game." Hard to argue any of that. Palmer has been the defining picture for Cincy. Where did the franchise QB that was drafted out of USC?
Oakland Raiders- I had to finish with the team I love. Da Raiders moment was a few weeks ago against the Chargers. (I talked about it in the Streak Ends blog). The play with Huff diving for Rivers arm, getting the ball fumbled and Branch takes it to the house changed the complexion of Raider football. I realize since then they lost to San Francisco and beat up on two bad opponents. The fact they blew out 2 teams is proof enough they are well on their way. My only lame excuse for the Niner loss was McFadden was out with an injury. They are .500 at mid-season for the first time in years. I was begging for an 8-8 season. The Rivers reverse tuck rule play turned the whole season around. I still have my guard up, you would to if all you've gone through the heartache and despair like I have for a decade. Still, this is the first time in years I've been this pumped up to see a Chiefs Raider game.
The season is 50% over and some teams haven't had their moment. I'm sure I missed some but I only had so much time to write. The truth is your team's has 16 games to make their mark. You always know how the season will go in a matter of a few breaks. The pigskin needs to bounce your way. I can't wait to see how the rest of the year plays out. We are in for a treat and I thought Halloween was over.
J Call
Arizona Cardinals- They are a mess. They are still contending in the NFC West. They are only one game back of the Seahawks. I don't know if that shows competitiveness in the West or describes the pathetic West. Their moment was Kurt Warner deciding to put on his dance shoes instead of football cleats. The Cardinals would have had one more year of domination in the NFC West with Warner. Derek Anderson and Max Hall aren't cutting it. They needed the Hall of Famer.
Minnesota Vikings- Their moment was when Brad Childress decided to send the house after Favre. Favre returned and looks an old man because he is an old man. The media still loves him and continues to praise his toughness. We should substitute the word toughness for pride. You can praise his pride. He has the heart but he doesn't have the tools. Also, Jared Allen should have never cut his mullet. Allen was a sack machine last year. He cut it and now the defensive line puts pressure on no one. Bring it back Allen.
New Orleans Saints- Last night. That was the Saints moment. Beating Pittsburgh at home on a Sunday night game. They needed that win. The offense hasn't looked the same, the running game struggles and lack of turnovers by the defense has put everyone talking "hangover." Well beating a Steeler team that was the best team in the NFL was a season changer. They got the turnovers. They got the big plays from Brees. They may have saved their season in one night.
Dallas Cowboys- The team a lot of "experts" picked to win the Super Bowl might be lucky to win 3 games. The moment Jones decided to keep Wade comes to mind. Wade is receiving most of the blame and rightfully deserves it. I say Romo's injury though. They weren't good while he was playing but any hope for a turnaround was flushed when Romo broke his collarbone. Why the hell are they waiting on surgery? The Cowboys should pack it in and get ready for some house cleaning. A top left tackle should be on Jones mind right now not salvaging the season. That's history.
Saint Louis Rams- Are they the biggest surprise of the year? Yes in my opinion. You can look at any one's first preview and not find the Rams near .500 at the end of the season or even predict them to have 4 wins all year. Their moment was drafting Bradford. He's the real star out of the draft. The injuries were the focal point. I say were because we can't talk about them anymore. Bradford has proved his worth. The Rams have a fighting chance in a horrible division and a weak schedule.
Houston Texans- I can't predict games very well but the Monday night game tonight is the Texans moment. If they sweep the Colts with a convincing win, they will launch themselves to the playoffs. If their defense can't stop Peyton with half his targets out, the Texans will sit at home again. This is the game to define Kubiak's tenure. The term must win gets thrown out to often. I say it fits this scenario.
Cincinnati Bengals- I text the only person I know who is a Bengal fan for their moment: "When Palmer missed a wide open ochocince in the end zone at the end of the game against Cleveland and they lost. Or when he threw 2 ints against t.b (Tampa Bay) when they were ahead with 2 minutes left and should have just ran and punted and won the game." Hard to argue any of that. Palmer has been the defining picture for Cincy. Where did the franchise QB that was drafted out of USC?
Oakland Raiders- I had to finish with the team I love. Da Raiders moment was a few weeks ago against the Chargers. (I talked about it in the Streak Ends blog). The play with Huff diving for Rivers arm, getting the ball fumbled and Branch takes it to the house changed the complexion of Raider football. I realize since then they lost to San Francisco and beat up on two bad opponents. The fact they blew out 2 teams is proof enough they are well on their way. My only lame excuse for the Niner loss was McFadden was out with an injury. They are .500 at mid-season for the first time in years. I was begging for an 8-8 season. The Rivers reverse tuck rule play turned the whole season around. I still have my guard up, you would to if all you've gone through the heartache and despair like I have for a decade. Still, this is the first time in years I've been this pumped up to see a Chiefs Raider game.
The season is 50% over and some teams haven't had their moment. I'm sure I missed some but I only had so much time to write. The truth is your team's has 16 games to make their mark. You always know how the season will go in a matter of a few breaks. The pigskin needs to bounce your way. I can't wait to see how the rest of the year plays out. We are in for a treat and I thought Halloween was over.
J Call
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