Best Talkers In WWE History

Ok, I know this blog post is a little bit out of nowhere, but I was annoyed so much that I had to post about it. It got to me THAT much.

WWE released a list a few days ago (I think) about the Top 25 Best Talkers in WWE History. Let me say that again: WWE HISTORY. These are the 25 of ALL-TIME best talkers that they've compiled:

1. Stone Cold

2. Roddy Piper

3. The Rock

4. Ric Flair

5. Chris Jericho

6. Jake Roberts

7. John Cena

8. Dusty Rhodes

9. Bobby Heenan

10. JBL

11. Randy Savage

12. CM Punk

13 Hulk Hogan

14. Mick Foley

15. Billy Graham

16. Vince McMahon

17. Edge

18. Paul Heyman

19. Triple H

20. Jesse Ventura

21. The Miz

22. Ted Dibiase Sr.

23. Santino Marella

24. Rick Rude

25. Captain Lou Albana


Ok, I have a SERIOUS problem with this list. Let me just go through a few problems with the list.

For starters, where the hell are Shawn Michaels, Kurt Angle, Brian Pillman, and "Road Dogg" Jesse James? You can't look at me with a straight face and say that Santino, John Cena, and Miz are better than them. You really can't.

Why in God's name is Santino on here? As a matter of fact why is he ranked ahead of "Ravishing" Rick Rude?

Jake "The Snake" should be a little bit higher on that list. He's definitely Top 5 in my book.

John Cena at #7? Ahead of Edge, Triple H, Paul Heyman, Mr. McMahon, and The Macho Man? This has to be some sort of joke.

Speaking of Triple H, why is he so far down? 19? Really? Did people forget the MASTERFUL job he did as a heel in the Attitude Era?

I've never really heard Captain Lou Alabana or Billy Graham speak on the mic, but I know Graham is a little too high on that list for my liking.

My biggest debate here is with Rock and Austin. Austin was great on the mic, but I really don't know if he's #1. The Rock could hold the people in the palm of his hand. A skill that very few wrestlers have. It's one thing to wrestle, but to really make the fans do whatever you want and have them hang on to your every word on the microphone is truly a skill in its own right. Austin is known for his vulgarity, beer-drinking, foul mouth, and entertaining personality.

But the way The Rock would talk, his mannerisms, the seriousness in his voice, the insults he would throw out and his overall hilarious personality is something that cannot be duplicated. Austin was good, but Rock was that much better. There was really something about the way Rock spoke when he cut a promo that made him so entertaining.

People have to realize what goes into being a "Master of the Mic" You have to be connect with the fans in way that, if you do your job right, they will love you or hate you and let you know about it. Just because you  know how to talk and articulate, it doesn't mean you're a great talker on the mic. You have to know how to take that next level, tap into your full potential and character and really let loose and give these people a reason to listen to you, boo you, cheer you, whatever.

CM Punk finally tapped into his full potential and look at him now. Jake "The Snake" Roberts was probably the best on the stick because of how deep he would make his voice, the poetry that tied together in his promos, his mannerisms, the overall tone of his voice. Rock and Austin were absolutely entertaining and could hold the crowd in their hand with ease. They could make them do whatever they want.

All these things have to be taken into effect to be considered a "Master of the Mic." Then again, this is only my opinion.

All that being said, this is MY list. A list that is actually believable. Well...at least I think so anyway. And before you jump down my throat and call my list crap, you should do some Homework on these people and come up with some valid arguments before jumping on here and throwing out insults.

1. The Rock

2. Stone Cold

3. Jake "The Snake" Roberts

4. "Macho Man" Randy Savage

5. Chris Jericho

6. Brian Pillman

7. "Rowdy" Roddy Piper

8. Ric Flair

9. Triple H

10. Dusty Rhodes

11. Shawn Michaels

12. Mr. McMahon

13. Edge

14. Paul Heyman

15. "Road Dogg" Jesse James

16. CM Punk

17. Mick Foley

18. Kurt Angle

19. Mr. Perfect

20. Bobby Heenan

21. Ted Dibiase Sr.

22. "Ravishing" Rick Rude

23. Jim Cornette

24. Bret "Hitman" Hart

25. The Miz


As you can see, there are PLENTY of names that were forgotten about. If you have a better list, then please, feel free to share them with me.


Feel free to Comment.


By: Gerald "Showstopper" Prophete

WWE Monday Night RAW Review! (5/28/12)

After a week long hiatus, the RAW Review is back! For those who missed my RAW Review, I have a job so I'm not going to be posting at the rate I was before. Just a little heads up. For those who don't care, I could care less what you think.

Time for the RAW Review!

After a LONG recap from RAW last week, we kick off RAW with the Big Show coming out and cutting promo saying how nobody in the WWE is in his league. He rips on the people for not caring about him when he got fired, ripping on John Cena and his absolutely horrendous "Loser" fiasco on RAW 2 weeks ago. He went on and on about Cena and how he knocked him out and how he'll do the same at No Way Out. At this point, he just began to ramble on.

Show's promo started out well, but he just began to ramble on and recycle what he said last week. Nothing new or interesting. There needs to be more sizzle to this feud. Let's hope they add that soon in the next few weeks.

20 minutes of my life that I wish I had back.

Alberto Del Rio vs Santino Marella


Santino goes for the Cobra, Del Rio dodges and makes him tap out in the cross armbar. Short and sweet. Del Rio wins and is being built up to look strong heading into No Way Out.

It's not everyday that the United States Champion gets squashed in under 30 seconds. Hmph...





Backstage Segment:


After we see a shot of Eve in all her sexiness, Big Show throws Alex Riley into a wall. I hope they build up Show this way. Let him really bully around the entire locker room and cap it off with that showdown with John Cena at No Way Out. There has to be a payoff and I hope in some form that Show ends up winning to solidify this new heel turn.

WWE Tag Team Championship Match
Kofi Kingston & R-Truth (c) vs Dolph Ziggler & Jack Swagger


A rematch from the AWESOME Tag Team Title match these four men had at Over the Limit.

I didn't expect it to be as good as their match at Over the Limit, but it was still solid nontheless with a good deal of back and forth action. Truth gets the win for him and Kofi by pinning Jack Swagger.

But what's more important about this is what happened AFTER the match. Dolph Ziggler yelled at Swagger and left in the ring saying "I'm better than this." Dolph Ziggler is finally beginning to split from Vickie and Swagger. Hmm...it'll be interesting to see where this goes. I've been waiting to see Dolph break away from Vickie and see what he can really do.





Backstage Segment:


Big Show attempted to bully around Santino, but was stopped by......Brodus Clay? o_O

This is the most interesting Clay has been since his debut as the Funkasaurus. He challenged the Big Show and we have what could be an interesting showdown later on between these two.

I'm actually excited for this.

In-ring Segment:


Big Johnny comes down and does his usual shtick talking about John Cena and the people. Then he goes on to make the match between Cena and Show at No Way Out a Steel Cage match!

Johnny somehow got into talking about WWE '13 and People Power and reveals a pretty cool looking cover of WWE '13 with John Laurinatis on the cover. I see the little WWE Attitude Logo in the top right of the cover. Hmm....

Enter CM Punk.

Punk comes out, rains on Johnny's parade and reveals a GREAT cover featuring CM Punk, which is probably going to be the actual cover. Laurinatis then wishes Punk good luck on his match with Daniel Bryan and leaves.

Talk about a plug.

Oh and by the way, Sin Cara returns to SmackDown this Friday Night. He's been gone so long, I doubt people even remember who he is. Not like he made a HUGE splash when he debuted anyway.

CM Punk vs Daniel Bryan


Every time these two step in the ring, they put on a great match and this was no different. Obviously, this wasn't their classic from Over the Limit, but it was a great match. These two do what they do best and put on a great technical wrestling match. A lot of submission holds and almost little brawling. They really put on a great match here and they were given a lot of time to work with.

Now, here's where things get a tad interesting. The whole match, AJ Lee was at ringside cheering on Punk wearing a CM Punk T-shirt. Thanks to AJ's interference, Bryan was able to drive Punk into an exposed turnbuckle and pinned him for the win!

But wait, there's more.

Kane comes out of nowhere and beats Daniel Bryan down with a steel chair and follows it up with a chokeslam. He turns to go after Punk, but AJ slides Punk a chair to use as a defense and he uses it to send Kane out of the ring.

This is an interesting angle indeed. AJ inadvertently costs Punk his match, Bryan now can challenge for the WWE Championship again and to top it all off, Kane is somehow going to get involved!

I love this actually. Kane getting involved adds another layer to this feud and I think No Way Out will finally be the night where the big payoff with AJ goes down. This angle is setting things up very nicely. Best feud going on right now.

Christian vs The Miz


A great match followed by another solid match? I'm cool with that.

Cody Rhodes was on commentary during this match and this wasn't too bad of a match either. Miz showed some great intensity which is what's missing from his character. There was a lot of back and forth action between the two and Christian wins the match with a frogsplash.

I'm really saying all this because the thought of a Miz/Christian feud is absolutely genius. Both men can wrestle and can provide some entertaining promo battles. Once Christian is done with Rhodes, I'd love to see him and Miz feud for that title.

A staredown ensues between Rhodes and Christian afterwards.

Aftermath:


Back from the commercial and Miz is STILL in the ring talking about what he's done and how he's not getting treated the way he deserves. Orton comes out and gives him an RKO.

But wait, Dolph Ziggler is looking on from the background. Ziggler wants to the "The Man" like Randy Orton is. It's like Ric Flair used to say, "To be the man, you gotta beat the man." I think Dolph Ziggler's time has finally arrived.





Sheamus vs David Otunga


Sheamus puts the beatdown on Otunga, allowing almost no offense whatsoever. He shuts down Otunga with the White Noise and Brogue Kick combination. Wonder what happens to Otunga now as life is all sunshine and butterflies for the World Heavyweight Champion.

Big Show vs Brodus Clay


Brodus Clay....in the Main Event. How about that? But this actually an interesting showdown. The newfound Big Show Monster vs the Undefeated Brodus Clay.

Match starts with Show cutting a promo on Clay comparing to Doink, except the fact that Doink had talent. They both charge each other and Show hits a BIG spear really taking Brodus Clay down. He then proceeds to beat on Clay while Naomi and Cameron watch on from the ring.

R-Truth and Kofi try to help, but Show catches a leaping Kofi in mid-air and throws him into the oncoming R-Truth! And then, Show tears apart the announce, starts beating on Brodus Clay with pieces from the announce table, throws Truth around and sends Kofi through the Security Wall! He finally finishes it up by knocking out Brodus Clay.

This ending was REALLY, well done. We haven't seen an aggressive, violent Big Show since the ECW Reboot in 2006. He left carnage and destruction in his path and left the fans in shock and awe. This is the perfect booking for Show's new heel turn. The people he used to call his friends, he DESTROYED.

But still, Cena will probably still beat the Big Show. This ending all but solidified that. Who's going to stop the rampaging Monster? Take a wild guess. Bingo. John Cena. I like John Cena. I really do, but Big Show needs this win or else what he did on RAW and everything up until No Way Out will be a complete waste of time and effort. But I'll save that and more for when the pay-per-view approaches closer and closer.



Overall, it was a solid RAW. Some interesting angles were set up for No Way Out and it's going to be great seeing how most of these are developed over the next few weeks, especially Ziggler/Orton and Punk/Bryan/AJ/Kane. And a RAW without Cena. The kiddies must be so disappointed.



Feel free to Comment.


By: Gerald "Showstopper" Prophete

WWE Over The Limit Reaction

People Power Battle Royal


Over the Limit kicked off with a battle royal with a number of superstars from both rosters including Miz, Alex Riley, Tyson Kidd, Yoshi Tatsu, David Otunga, and a returning Christian! The winner of the battle royal could choose to face the US Champion Santino, or the IC Champion Cody Rhodes.

It was almost automatic who was going to win, but I digress.

The battle royal was short and fast paced. A quick shout out to Tyson Kidd who had a damn good showing with some cool spots attached to his performance.

The last three were Christian, Miz, & Otunga. Miz gets rid of Otunga and after a few moments, Christian eliminates The Miz and chooses to go after Santino's US Title later tonight.






Over the Limit intro


After the battle royal, a video re-capping the feud between Cena & Laurinatis is played.....followed by the intro. Huh?

WWE Tag Team Championship Match
Kofi Kingston & R-Truth vs Dolph Ziggler & Jack Swagger


Amazing tag team match. Just like I said it would be. From start to finish, all this match was great wrestling and storytelling. We need more of this.

This match stayed at a great pace and never lagged on. Kofi and Ziggler had two of the greatest spots in the match. Both men got the hot tag, Ziggler hops over the ropes and Kofi springs off the ropes and launches halfway across the ring to take him down. And then, Ziggler charges into a flying trouble in paradise.

The Tag Team Champs retain, but I don't think this is the last we've seen of these two teams. If it means more matches like THIS one, then I'm all for this feud going on for a little bit longer.

Great performance from all four men and even the crowd was hot for it.

Divas Championship Match
Layla (c) vs Beth Phoenix


Honestly....

Probably the best Divas match I've seen in quite a while. This match had a great story told in it as well. Beth kept working on the knee of Layla, trying to weaken it and do all sorts of damage to it only to set up Layla's comeback and eventual win. Both Divas showed that they can put on a great match, if given the time compared to the minute or so they get on TV.

Nothing more to be said. One spot that can actually be mentioned is Beth countering a top rope DDT in the crossface Chickenwing. Solid match, although the finish was a little bit out of nowhere. Seemed anti-climactic.

Fatal 4 Way match for the World Heavyweight Championship
Sheamus (c) vs Randy Orton vs Alberto Del Rio vs Chris Jericho


Another great match.

Fatal 4 Way started out with Orton and Sheamus taking out Del Rio and Jericho leading to them having a showdown. The action was pretty fast paced and all over the place. Great spots and some even better wrestling thrown in there.

The end of the match was absolutely well done. There were so many spots, finishers, near falls, and close calls. I myself, and the fans were loving every second of it.

Sheamus gets the win by pinning Del Rio.

This pay-per-view is pretty damn good so far.

Brodus Clay/Miz Dance Contest and Match


I prefer to not comment on this. Let's move on.

Brodus Clay WAS entertaining, but now, he's tiresome and annoying. Miz has fallen so far and it really bothers me.

WWE Intercontinental Championship Match
Cody Rhodes (c) vs Christian


Oh yeah, Christian changed his mind and decided to challenge Cody Rhodes for the IC Title instead.

Meh. Not great like the last 3 title matches, but it was still solid. Some great back and forth wrestling and it ends with Christian winning the IC Title!

I like this move, because not only does it give Christian relevance upon his return, but it also sets up (maybe) a feud with Cody Rhodes and Christian which I would Love, or maybe Christian could feud with some other mid-card talent superstars and help them out.

Either way, that belt is going to look good on Christian though.

WWE Championship Match
CM Punk (c) vs Daniel Bryan


Here we go...

GREAT match. It was really everything I expected and even more. Punk and Bryan used a lot of great chain wrestling and a series of submissions, counters, and reversals. Even through all the chain wrestling, they got a few high-flying spots and brawling moments as well. It was a great match. The pace was slow and methodical. DUH! This is what wrestling is all about: setting a good pace, telling a story, and finishing strong. Punk and Bryan blew me away with this match.

BUT...

That finish was poorly done. Bryan caught Punk in the YES! Lock, but Punk rolls him over. The ref counts Bryan's shoulders down and Punk taps AFTER the 3 count.

I see what they were going for. Punk was supposed to tap as the ref counted down to 3 for it to be a controversial finish, but he did it well after the referee had counted the fall. I say Punk screwed that one up.

Nonetheless, I think this feud is going to continue.

Amazing match, but a bad finish.

And....where was AJ? I should've known they weren't gonna pull the trigger on her turn yet.

Ryback vs Hunico & Camacho


Ryback squashed them both. Nothing further to say here.

John Cena vs John Laurinatis


*Sigh* where do I start?

For starters, I'm not going to totally dump on this match. It was entertaining. It wasn't entertaining to the point where I was laughing, but the stuff John Cena was doing was very well done. He was trying too much to be like Rock, but I digress.

The comedy stuff went on a little too long. After Cena dumped garbage on Laurinatis, the boss came back with an unexpected elbow and started coming in with some offense. He didn't have much offense as Cena quickly came back and started beating on Johnny again.

Johnny crawls away into the crowd, backstage and into the arms of the Big Show! Did I call it, or did I call it?!?!

Show drags Johnny back to the ring and just as Cena is about to drop him with the AA, Show clocks in the face with the WMD. Laurinatis pins Cena for the win!

This match seemed eerily similar to St. Valentine's Day Massacre when Austin beat on Mr. McMahon for about 15 minutes and Big Show interfered. Only difference is that Austin won and Cena lost.

There are TONS of people complaining about this already, but what did you expect? People knew it was either gonna be Brock Lesnar, or Big Show. The way that match was going, something was bound to happen eventually.

I understand WWE has really lacked in the shock value the past few years, but people let's be real, no way was this "predictable." If you thought Show was going to interfere from the jump, you're a damn liar. A LOT of people were saying and sticking to Brock Lesnar. And also, Big Show was so convincing on RAW last week, you almost had to rule him out and put him on the back-burner at least, but nobody had Show as the primary candidate to step in.

Then again, WWE set themselves up for this when they added all those stipulations on RAW last Monday. They took away any sort of shock factor because you just knew that somebody was bound to interfere.

I'm looking forward to another Cena/Show feud. The last time they had a feud, Big Show chokeslammed the man through a spotlight.





Overall, the show wasn't spectacular, but it was pretty damn good. The five title matches were amazing. Great action and wrestling from bell to bell. I could've done without Brodus Clay and Ryback, but that's neither here nor there. Out of the last 3 poor Over the Limit pay-per-views, they finally hit the nail on the head and put together a solid show.


Tomorrow's RAW should be most intriguing.




Feel free to Comment.


By: Gerald "Showstopper" Prophete

Breaking Point -Lebron James

    

   (White Plains, NY)       Who's the best player in the NBA thats a question many want to know, the answer is Lebron James we all have our favorites but the answer is Lebron James. Lebron James is the only player to posess speed, strenght, court vison and a high basketball iq. He does it all score rebound assist and defend from the point gaurd to the power forward. Lebron James is the best player because  if you take away one thing from his game he still finds away to dominate whether its the boards or assist.  Many will say im hyping or being a Lebron homer and then say Kevin Durants a better shooter,  Lebrons a better rebounder has better court vison I.Q and a all world defender. What about Kobe Byrant, Kobe isnt in his prime anymore point blank, how about D howard and D rose neither  better all around players than Lebron. 

       

     So why no rings you say because basketball is a team game, one great player can only take you so far and you need luck and also you have to have ice in your vains in crunch time and a hunger to win and thats the only department Lebron lacks in. We are the age of   the espn top ten play, love to remember the last 10 seconds of a game but not the whole game. The heat are down 2-1 in the playoff  and Lebron James  has been about as consistent as can be but he gets all the blame he did choke on free throws in game two but wilthout Lebron and Bosh do you think this team would  make the playoffs. D wade has not been living up to his status and has been getting a pass because he has one ring which he won when i was a FRESHMAN in college. Lebron James has been caring his teams for years while racking up three MVPs and that is where the problem occurs. 

          

        His teammates get use to easily looks in games that dont matter in the regular season but when the playoffs come they tense up. I watched Lebron turn Mo williams into a allstar  point gaurd in the regular season but watched him miss open three after three in the playoff cause of the pressure, him Delonte West now in Miami Mike Miller , Mike Bibby and now Shanie Battier. Lebron James gift is his curse cause in crunch time his teammates just feel "o lets just give it to Lebron he'll make it happen'" but when its their time to step up no one wants that moment. Lebron James teammates took the fire out of once a loved kid from Cleveland trying to change the game, to now  someone who  seems as a self center Superstar that doesnt care, that doesnt demand the ball or passion to try and take over the game. The problem even involves management they believe that Lebron can carry anybody but the question they never asked was how far. Juwan Howard is still on this teams bench which is so puzzling to me, Mike Miller is terrible Chalmers and Hasleem currently rank as the two worst players left in the playoff according to Espn. So where is the help the Heat had a whole offseason to bring in another shooter or big man they didnt now Chris Bosh is out and the team looks like a colone of the Cavs. D Wades health concerns arent helping matters. 

         We as fans get spoiled by the highlights and images of Michael Jordan there will never be another Jordan ill say Kobe  is the closes to it but Jordan played with Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman and Steve Kerr etc, and Kobe had Shaq, Derick Fisher and Robert Horry and Rick Fox  then got Gasol and Bynum.   Great Players win championships because they have great teammates colder or just as cold blooded in the big moments with no fear to miss look at Robert Horry and Steve Kerr, who does Lebron have?. You can see the Heat players thinking too much rather than just playing basketball.

   The Lebron Effect has taken away his hunger because just like how we can see his teammates folding he can. Lebron James is human so he will either have two reactions get angry and take over or quit because he knows they quit on him first, I find it ironic how society expects Lebron to act a certain way, when half of us wont do that ourselves. Lebron is the kid in class that answers all the questions and his teammates are the kids that stay quiet cheating off him while getting As, but  when the teacher just decides to call on them they stay quiet or just say pass. I believe Lebron lost his hunger after the game seven lost against the Celtics where him and Paul Pierce went shot for shot only difference is pierce's teammates where there for him when it counted. I feel thats the last time  Lebron James had real hunger.

Hopefully one day sports fans can really see why the king remains ringless.  One thing i do agree with however is he need his hunger back because a player  with his talentis  too great  to not want that moment anymore.  Sometimes not makng the right play is the right play after all. 

By 

Phillip " Stats" Rodney

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WWE Over The Limit Prediction Vlog!

Just like the title says, below is a vlog with my predictions for Over the Limit. This might be something I do for every ppv. I'm not too sure yet. But watch and hopefully enjoy.

Feel free to Comment.

By: Gerald "Showstopper" Prophete

Monday Night RAW Review!!! (5/14/12)

Before I start this blog post, I want to make a couple of announcements:

1) Sometime next week, after the Over the Limit pay-per-view, I'm going to address the current State of the WWE and why I think people have been so turned off by it. I'm going to talk about everything from the current superstars, championships, storylines, and everything in between.

2) Also next week, I'm going to weigh in on a very HOT topic: Who is the biggest star the WWE has ever had? I'm going to choose from the 3 potential candidates: Stone Cold, John Cena, and Hulk Hogan. I'm gonna give my thoughts on who I think is really the biggest star the WWE has ever produced. I don't mean right now, but of all-time. My answer may just surprise some people.


And now, onto Monday Night RAW!

WWE Monday Night RAW is live tonight and this is the go-home show for Over the Limit this Sunday on pay-per-view. It's going to be interesting to see how they build up the angles heading into this Sunday. Maybe, just maybe it'll make up for the lackluster RAW we got last week.

RAW starts off with "The Game" Triple H! After some small talk with John Laurinatis, HHH came to the ring and cut a promo on Brock Lesnar. He talked about Lesnar and how he quit WWE, how he left UFC to come back to the WWE when he got beat, and now that he got beat by Cena, he left again. Very well said and only Triple H could deliver a promo that good.

Before he could finish, Lesnar's music hits and out comes Paul Heyman. Basically, he comes to say that Brock Lesnar is suing Triple H for breach of contract. This gets Triple H pissed and he puts his hands on Heyman. But the Corporate Triple H doesn't really go through with his attack. Instead he says, "You tell Brock he's going to get EVERYTHING he deserves" and leaves the ring. Heyman then comes back and says that HE is now suing Triple H for assault and battery.

Nice promo between Heyman and Triple H. I kind of expected more, but it's good enough and got across the Lesnar storyline without actually having Lesnar on RAW.

CM Punk & Santino vs Daniel Bryan & Cody Rhodes

Not a bad match here between these four. It seemed to lag at times, but overall it was a nice little match. There was nothing really special about it, or any spots to comment on. I will say this, Cody Rhodes gets better and better in the ring each and every week. He was always good, but he seems to be getting even better.

But CM Punk pins Cody Rhodes with the GTS with Bryan cowardly walking up the ramp, not helping his partner.

In case you forgot, because they've barely been talking about it, CM Punk defends the WWE Championship against Daniel Bryan this Sunday. Despite the poor build, I'm still looking forward to the wrestling match they're going to have.

Beth Phoenix vs Alicia Fox


Despite Alicia looking sexy as usual, Beth squashed her for a quick win. Beth wanted to inflict some more pain on Alicia after the win, but Layla came down to stop it. And afterwards, we had a staredown between both females.

On a side-note, the crowd was absolutely dead for all of this.




John Cena Make-A-Wish Segment:


They aired a John Cena vignette where he visits the Make-A-Wish foundation to further prove to us how much of a good guy John Cena actually is. We get it. This is not me being a hater. I'm just saying, we know he's a nice guy, we don't need to be reminded of that.

Big Show vs Kane


Before this match happens, there's a recap of last week's RAW when Show mocked Laurinatis and Eve forced him to apologize. But then Friday on SmackDown, Laurinatis said he wanted an apology on RAW and it better be a damn good one. With that said, let's get to this match.

I enjoyed this match better than the tag match. The pace was slow, but Kane and Big Show have wrestled each other so many times, everytime they get in the ring, they can put on a decent match. This was a good match, but John Laurinatis got on the mic and demanded an apology during the match. Big Show got distracted, Kane took advantage and chokeslammed Show for the win.

After the match, John Laurinatis got on the mic and demanded an apology from Show or else he was fired. After giving a tearful speech about how much he loved the fans and the business, Show says, "I'm sorry." But that wasn't good enough, Johnny wanted Show to get on his knees and beg for his job.

After a few minutes, Show decided not to beg and after all the crying, Johnny says he'd "re-consider" it. He leaves, waits until he gets to the top of the ramp, and decides to fire Big Show altogether. He leaves and Big Show is left in the ring, on his knees, crying his eyes out. Wow.

Despite Big Show's great acting, that promo was painful. And by painful, I mean awful, like it was bad. It took too long and it made Big Show look like.....y'know, I'm just gonna move on.

On a brighter note, this segment made John Laurinatis look like an awesome Asshole Boss. I hated the promo, but it did its job to perfection.

Brodus Clay, Kofi Kingston, & R-Truth vs The Miz, Jack Swagger, & Dolph Ziggler


This was actually a very entertaining little tag team match. It wasn't very long, but it was short enough so that people didn't get tired of it. Everybody got in some decent action with Miz and Kofi wrestling most of the time.

Kofi's hits Miz with his Trouble in Paradise kick which Miz selled so perfectly, and Brodus Clay comes in for the splash and the win for all the faces.

And afterwards, they bring in the little kiddies to dance with them. How nice.

Randy Orton vs Chris Jericho


No surprise here as these guys put on a good one-on-one match. It was short for my liking but because of the time constraints, they put on some solid action.

As for the ending, I liked how they booked this. Jericho throws Orton into Sheamus, which causes Sheamus to go into this rage and attack Jericho and get him disqualified, giving the win to Jericho. Once Jericho retreats to the back, Orton and Sheamus get into a disagreement and are about to go at it until the referees break them up. Very good. Nothing like two fan favorites ready to rip each other apart.

Best part of the show in my opinion, but the show isn't over yet.

By the way, where was Del Rio? Unless plans changed, I'm sure he's involved in the Fatal 4 Way Match this Sunday too. But after seeing this, there was no place for him in this segment. Guess I answered my own question.

It's time for the final confrontation between John Cena and John Laurinatis before their match this Sunday.

This promo started out strong with John Laurinatis coming out and poking fun at John Cena and all of his fans in the arena.

Cue John Cena. He comes out and makes fun of John Laurinatis like a good guy would make fun of a bully. He started making fun of his voice again, calling him names, interrupting him with the word "loser" and calling upon the crowd to join in on the fun. The crowd was really into it. As for me, not so much. His insults were unfunny and he did that ridiculous "loser" thing twice. Once is enough. Not to mention, his back and forth with Laurinatis was boring and dragged on too long.

When Sexy Eve came out, things got interesting. She handed him a piece of paper from the Board of Directors, which John Cena took and read.

In the John Cena/John Laurinatis match this Sunday it will be one-on-one, the only way to win is by pinfall, or submission, and if any superstar gets involved in the match, they will be fired. But here's where things get interesting because if John Laurinatis loses to John Cena on Sunday, then he's fired!

This prompts Laurinatis to slap Cena in the face! Johnny walks off and Cena gives his serious face.

That promo went on WAY too long, but this does make things interesting. John Laurinatis has been a GREAT heel general manager and it's a little too early for him to lose his position of power. It's going to be intriguing to see how this match goes. I already have a feeling, but I'm going to keep that one to myself.



Overall, this RAW......was very bland. Nothing very spectacular. Another poor RAW with little to no wrestling and two promos that went on WAY too long for the message it was trying to get across. Poor show going into Over the Limit. Then again, the RAW before Extreme Rules was poor and that pay-per-view turned out to be pretty good, so I guess we'll see how the pay-per-view goes. I give this RAW a C, and once again, I'm being very generous.



Feel free to Comment.


By: Gerald "Showstopper" Prophete

Monday Night RAW Review!! (5/7/12)

After a recap of last week's RAW where Johnny Ace, Lord Tensai and his manager beat the hell out of John Cena, it's time for Monday Night RAW and we're just two weeks away from WWE Over the Limit!

RAW kicks off with John Laurinatis cutting a nice little promo on John Cena. Boy, he really put over this match with Cena at Over the Limit. He talked about him being in a position of power, losing his temper, Cena making fun of him, and that being the driving force for his attack. He says a man in power should be respected. All that stuff a corporate guy would say. I felt like he went a little overboard showing his Japan wrestling stuff, but he didn't talk and talk about it, so it was good to me.

He was going good until he was interrupted by CM Punk. Big Johnny and CM Punk have had problems with each other since late October/early November, which really reinforces the fact that this John Cena/John Laurinatis match really came out of nowhere, but I digress.

Punk cut his usually rant on Big Johnny saying the same things he's been saying about Johnny since Day One. Let me just say, the insults he threw out were so......elementary, but hey, it's the PG Era, so I can't get too mad about that. But still, "you're stupid, you're ugly, and you don't have any friends." Really? That's what an anti-authority guy says to the Big Boss Man?

Nonetheless, Big Johnny makes CM Punk vs Lord Tensai for later on tonight.

Intercontinental Championship Match
Cody Rhodes (c) vs Big Show 


WHOA! A Championship Match?!?! On RAW?!?! Two weeks in a row?!?! How about that?

After throwing Cody Rhodes around for a few minutes, Rhodes grabs his belt and leaves and Show wins by count-out. I knew it was too good to be true to have a good Championship match.

Eve then comes out looking like a new generation Stephanie McMahon. She forces Show to apologize for making fun of John Laurinatis' voice.......and he did. What Era are we in where superstars apologize these days? The old Big Show never would've done that. Sheesh, I know it's PG, but at least give the good guys some sort of backbone.

Dolph Ziggler vs Kofi Kingston


A solid match. These two are great athletes so that's what you expect from these guys.

Ziggler gets the win after some interference from Jack Swagger. Maybe this will lead to a tag team feud that's been foreshadowed since before WrestleMania: Kofi/Truth vs Ziggler/Swagger. Let's just see where this goes.

On a side note: That Little Jimmy medallion/necklace that Truth was wearing looked pretty cool.

John Cena Interview


Time for a John Cena interview.......oh joy. And it's via satellite! Oh, the irony!

First of all, why was the camera so close up in Cena's face? I was seeing too much of him then I wanted to.

Nonetheless, Cena cuts the usually goody-goody promo. This is one problem I have with Cena. His promos lack depth, he's not speaking from the heart and he sounded he was reading off cue cards at certain points.

I will give him this, towards the end, the promo turned pretty good when he said he was gonna kick Johnny's ass. It was short, and he pretty much said what he had to. No harm, no foul.

Layla vs Maxine


Before I start, for those that don't know about Maxine, she's a developmental star from FCW, wrestled a bit on NTX and is actually pretty good in the ring. I recommend checking out some videos on her if you haven't.....I mean if you're interested that is.

Nonetheless, Layla wins with a rollup (I think) inside of a minute. Oh by the way, Layla will defend the Divas Championship against Beth Phoenix at Over the Limit.

Not that most people care because the Divas Division has long since been butchered, but that's a rant for another time I suppose.

Chris Jericho & Alberto Del Rio vs Sheamus & Randy Orton


Solid tag team match with these four superstars. Nothing spectacular, but it was good enough to give the crowd something to cheer for. A little interesting fact is that both men had some pretty good chemistry to put  on a good performance.

So, Sheamus accidentally kicks Orton in the face, Jericho comes back hits Sheamus with the codebreaker. Jericho just pinned the World Champion, then grabbed the belt and said "This is mine!" And then after the match, Sheamus tried to help Orton, but got an RKO for it! I think we all know where this might go: Fatal 4 Way for the World Heavyweight Championship. Interesting. Very interesting.... But wait.....there's more.....

Segment in Big Johnny's office


I knew it! What did I tell you?!?!

So Big Johnny was talking to Eve and then Jericho, Del Rio, and Orton barge in and say they want a shot at Sheamus. Everybody fights and Big Johnny makes the World Championship match at Over the Limit a Fatal 4 Way match. We haven't had one of these in a LONG time. Can't wait to see it!

Brodus Clay vs The Miz


How far has The Miz fallen where has to job to Brodus Clay?

Brodus Clay has gone from an entertaining part of the show to a new generation Barney the Dinosaur.

Getting to the match, I think this was the longest match Brodus has ever had......how about that? The crowd was dead, the match was slow, and Miz loses after like 3 or 4 moves.

No little kids dancing in the ring this time? Thank God.

Latest on the "condition" of WWE COO Triple H


Just looking at the recap of the footage.... Brock is a Gangsta.

So, Triple H will be on RAW next week and he's doing fine. That's what they wanted to tell us. Splendid.
Somebody inform WWE that Triple H was part of the Money Team with Mayweather on Saturday WITHOUT the cast on.

Meh....

But wait, back in the arena......it's Paul Heyman! PAUL HEYMAN!

Paul Heyman is back to represent Brock Lesnar, or at least speak on his behalf for tonight anyway. And he has NOT lost a beat. Heyman can still cut a damn good promo. Too bad these PG fans can't appreciate his greatness. They were quiet when he came out.

Paul Heyman read a few things off Brock Lesnar's contract and pretty told the fans that Brock had quit the WWE.

Things should get interesting in the next few weeks. Let's see how long this lasts. On another note, I hope Heyman sticks around for a while, we need a manager with good mic skills for a change. I'd like to see the team of Heyman/Lesnar back together for old times sake.

CM Punk vs Lord Tensai & Daniel Bryan


Meh. For a main event, it was pretty dry and un-entertaining. Punk seemingly got beat up in the entire match and ends with Lord Tensai getting the pin. I see they really are putting some time into Tensai with two wins over Cena and Punk already.

But after the match, Daniel Bryan locks Punk in the YES! Lock and stands in the ring shouting YES! YES! YES! as RAW goes off the air. Obviously, this adds some more heat to their feud for Over the Limit.


Overall, I really don't know what to say about this RAW. It had some strong points, but the bad mostly outweighed the good in this RAW. No Lesnar, no HHH, Cena was via satellite, and we had an apology. I give this RAW a C- and this is me being very, very generous.

I expect a much better RAW next week. Why? Because it's the final RAW before Over the Limit. Any RAW before a pay-per-view should at least be halfway decent. At least, that's how things worked back in the day. But I need to keep telling myself that we are not back in the day anymore.

*Sigh*


Feel free to Comment.


By: Gerald "Showstopper" Prophete

Carmelo Anthony Is no Answer for the Problem

With every Answer there's a Problem 

      If I said the name Allen Iverson what would your first thought be? practice I assume. That interview has shaped the way many young NBA fans remember aruguably the greatest "little man" to ever play the game. Through the end of his NBA career the media painted Allen Iverson as a selfish, more about himself than the team ball stopping gunner. Allen Iverson problems and characteristics now have been thrown on another: Carmelo Anthony. 

       In order to realize how history is repeating itself, you must understand both players. Both are prolific scorers, both fan favorites, both considered saviors to a franchise, and both believed by many that their styles would never win a championship. You may ask why the comparison between these two? It comes down to the love both received from the people. Every player has fans but guys like Iverson and Carmelo give off a different aura. The comparison also involve their isolation game, both even had braids, and leading to the way the media have and will ruin their image.

      Growing up there was Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady, Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan , Shaq O'neal, and Allen Iverson. I'm here to tell you no one was more loved in his prime than Allen Iverson he was a inner city icon. Allen Iverson was the people's champ the smallest player on the court, all heart, deadly cross over and a jumper you had to respect. Many players are either quick or fast. Iverson was both, people paid to see Allen Iverson light it up and thats exactly what he did for the good of the team and the bad. 

     Even though Iverson reputation  paints him only as selfish gunner the facts are he played with 120 percent every game and was always league leader in steals. The people's champ help to bring life to the Philadelphia 76ers for 10 years electrifying the city but never bringing a championship which leads to the problem. Iverson only made the NBA finals once with a team he literally put on his back but unfortunately he ran into the Lakers on their way to a back to back championship season. Iverson was so loved, Kobe Bryant who is from Philly, was booed for years following that season. 

     Iverson was a top 5 player in the league; even his sneakers where popular only behind Jordans in popularity. Through all the success he was blamed by the media and coaches because his style never won a championship. Iverson's will to win and playing style held him back from ever becoming a better team mate thus ruining his legacy. 

Iverson's Career Achievements:

• 1996 Rookie of the year
• 2000 MVP
• 24,020 Career points, 5522 Assists, 1965 Steals
• Four time scoring champion
• 27.0 ppg over 13 full seasons
• Three time steals leader
• Ten time NBA All-Star
• Two time NBA All-Star MVP

•  Led the NBA in scoring four times as a Sixer, becoming one of only four players in league history to capture four-plus scoring titles.

               

     The sad truth is Carmelo Anthony is no Allen Iverson, even though coming out he had the potential to be much greater player. Carmelo helped turn around a terrible franchise in Denver, leading them to the playoffs his first season. Carmelo, like Allen Iverson, became a inner-city favorite instantly. He was one of the players that people gravitated to automatically. We fell in love with his one on one game, how he could score from anywhere on the court, all the flashy plays, but the older we become and more times Carmelo gets eliminated in the first round we ask ourselves many question, can you win with Carmelo and is Iso game, will he ever evolve into a better overall player? 


     Iverson was one of the greatest players in NBA history even though he isn't remembered as that. Carmelo unfortunately has less achievements that Allen Iverson so how will he be remembered? The  New York Knicks thought they found their home hero even though he's from Baltimore. Now, many are asking is he the right person to lead the team to a championship? Like Iverson, Carmelo has developed too much of the blame, but not once has Carmelo been on a real contender.


     However his style of play and lack of evolution as a player might be the reason the teams never  progressed. In the end Iverson and Carmelo are their own worst ememy. Iverson missed his chance. Will Carmelo follow and if the great Allen Iverson image can be scaled, what will we make of Carmelo? Every team needs a superstar but key to a championship is the right superstar.

          Carmelo Anthony:  

NBA awards and accomplishments

• 4-time All-NBA selection:

• Second team: 2010
• Third team: 2006, 2007, 2009

• 5-time NBA All-Star
• NBA All-Rookie selection

• First team: 2004

• Bronze medal with Team USA, 2004 Summer Olympic Games
• Bronze medal with Team USA, 2006 FIBA World Championship
• Gold medal with Team USA, 2007 FIBA Americas Championship
• Gold medal with Team USA, 

 By Phillip "Stats" Rodney

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