The Rock & John Cena

Long-time visitor Kyle brought up some interesting points and questions over in the comments section of my LIVE Raw thoughts this past week. Let me answer some of the questions he asked...

I'm not convinced this idea that the Rock is pushing anyone out is accurate. There are, in the end, going to be MAYBE two people I think can have a legitimate gripe. One is Punk, because he's been on a huge roll but now has to play third from the top despite being in a big WWE title match (however, HHH and Undertaker are just as much to blame as Rock...for the record, no problem with HHH/Undertaker, just saying). The other is MAYBE whichever random midcarder gets bumped.

I’ve been pretty outspoken about the Rock lately and I don’t want it to be misinterpreted (I’ll do a whole long blog post on that another time). As a fan, I love the fact that the Rock is back and I have no complaints about his WrestleMania placement whatsoever. As a person who understands business, I totally understand why WWE offered the spot to him and I don’t condemn them for that either. And as a person who loves performing, I don’t fault Rock for taking the spot.

BUT, I have always said that I understand why some Superstars might be annoyed. Are Superstars being actively bumped? No, probably not. But Rock’s presence is certainly impacting them. Like Kyle said, there’s CM Punk. Even during the Summer of Punk, where it seemed like Punk might be the second coming of Stone Cold Steve Austin, he knew that he had zero chance of closing the show at WrestleMania. And that is a huge deal.

And to all the people who say “but they’ll make more money because Rock is there!” should consider the possibility that it’s not all about money. I don’t have the numbers, but I’d venture to say that Austin made more money from his WrestleMania X-8 match with Scott Hall than he did with his WrestleMania XIV match with Shawn Michaels. But I’m guessing the Michaels match meant much more to him.

More than anything else, these guys are beating up their bodies and traveling all over the world all year with the hope of being able to showcase their abilities at WrestleMania. Who are we to tell them that they don’t have a right to be upset, as we sit comfortably at home?

Here's a question for you...who do you think SHOULD (not will) win at Wrestlemania between Cena and Rock?

Here's my take (and I know this is coming from a Rock fan who isn't a big Cena fan, but I'm trying to be fair here ;) ). Originally I thought Rock, then I thought Cena because I didn't know if Rock would wrestle again at any point after and I didn't think Cena should be made to look inferior to the Rock.

Now I've gone back to Rock and here's why. First off, I think Rock does wrestle again. He'll never be anything remotely close to a regular again, but I could see, say, a Summerslam rematch against Cena (I think a WM 29 rematch is less likely). Or perhaps Rock wrestles Punk or Orton in the future and puts them over. My only concern would be putting Rock over Cena, Rock never wrestles again, and it appears Rock > everyone in the company as a result.

Who SHOULD win? In my opinion, John Cena. Not because I like him more or I think he’s better or because the storyline demands it. I just don’t see any advantage, from a business standpoint, of giving Rock the win.

It’s not as if either guy “needs” the win, they’ll both survive just fine despite the big loss. But at the end of the day, John Cena is still going to be with your company on a day-to-day basis, and for better or worse he’s the horse you’ve hitched your company wagon to. In a nutshell, it’s more important to make him look strong. The Rock is such a big star, and people will always be so excited to see him, that they really won’t care if he loses the match. Do people even remember that he lost his last match before his return at WrestleMania XX? He’ll be an attraction – and thus draw – no matter what. Cena doesn’t have that luxury.

The only justification for a Rock win, in my view, is if they use it as the catalyst for Cena turning heel.

Also, I disagree with the notion that the fan hostility towards Cena has much to do with his win/loss record. When Cena returned from his pec injury he suffered pretty clean losses to Orton, Triple H, Batista, JBL, Big Show, and pretty much every other big name that put him over during his year plus reign. It didn’t really impact the crowd reaction towards him….it just made their biggest star and babyface look like a loser. Fine tuning his character will go much further than adjusting his win/loss record. And building up believable challengers would go a long way too.

Just curious as to what your thoughts are...not necessarily who you think WILL win but who should win?

On the converse side, if you’re wondering who I think WILL win…..at the moment, I think I’m going with Rock.

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LIVE Raw thoughts - February 27, 2012

11:20 - That was an incredibly interesting promo. I feel like I've come across as very anti-Rock lately, which isn't intentional. I don't blame Rock for returning, I think it's great for WrestleMania. I think he's wildly entertaining and immensely talented. He's a once in a lifetime talent. However, he was pretty awful in this segment. It was absolutely falling apart. He rambled, he didn't say anything of substance. He repeated himself. He prompted lame chants entirely too often. He struggled, big time. Truth be told -- and again, this is going to sound biased -- but John Cena absolutely saved that entire segment. He came out, he said his piece, and he hit the emotion and focus that Rock lacked. And his line about not needing promo notes on his wrist was epic. And then he left, almost condescendingly. It was great. But afterwards, Rock couldn't match the emotion. Again, he stumbled on his words and rambled. How often did he say that the Rock and Dwayne Johnson are one in the same? And the worst part was, he knew it. He looked legitimately pissed afterwards.

I'm legitimately interested in seeing how people respond to this, and if your usual Cena bashers and Rock defenders remember it differently.

11:13 - For what it's worth, Rock has mentioned Twitter more in this promo than Michael Cole has all night.

11:10 - Kung Pao Bitch isn't trending on my Twitter....

11:00 - The Rock has a guy come to the ring to bring him bottled water. Yeah, he hasn't gone Hollywood or anything....

10:55 - Alright, let's sit back and enjoy the Rock's magic.

10:53 - By the way, Mark Henry is another guy who I believe would probably be in a better position if the Rock wasn't at WrestleMania this year (regardless of apparent injuries). Not a shot at all at Rock or WWE or anyone really. Just an observation.

10:45 - Oh yeah, and my prediction for the GM announcement: It'll either be that, for the week, the GM's will switch shows (Long will run Raw while Ace will run Smackdown), or they'll announce a super tag match between Raw and Smackdown Superstars to determine the new WWE GM.

10:42 - I am going to be really, REALLY disappointed if they insert Randy Orton into the World Heavyweight Championship match at WrestleMania. Daniel Bryan and Sheamus have the ability to tell their own story. And I like the fact that they're fighting for the World Heavyweight Championship exactly one year after their match got booted off of the main WrestleMania card.

10:38 - Has anybody seen the poster for "Bending the Rules"? Jamie Kennedy is the spitting image of Todd Pettengill. It's almost creepy.

10:35 - Eve is an effective heel because she's so well spoken. Not sure where it's going, though. Will it lead to Ryder's return?

10:07 - So all this time, people could just pull down the blind on that backstage camera? Good to know...

10:02 - So at the beginning of the year I would have thought Miz vs. Truth was a lock for WrestleMania. But now they've faced off so many times and their feud has lost so much steam that I'm not sure that's going to happen. So, what is happening with Miz at Mania? Aside from the matches we've already seen, I honestly haven't a clue what to expect. Big Show vs. Rhodes and Ryder vs. Kane seem like a possibilities, but what about Ziggler? Henry? Christian? ADR? Mysterio (if healthy)? Barrett (if healthy)? Kingston? In addition to Miz and Truth?

9:44 - There was A LOT of debate over the Undertaker/Triple H match, and after that video package I firmly believe what I had always said.....that it was an exhilarating and epic match. Really had me on the edge of my seat.

9:34 - Great how they almost missed the continued build for the WWE Championship Match at WrestleMania so that they could show the two GM's arguing.

9:23 - I kinda love how each GM has an assistant/sidekick. Although I'm not sold on how Raw's GM supports SmackDown's champion while the SmackDown GM supports Raw's champion.

9:18 - That was a really incredible opening segment. Fantastic job of building up that match. Five more weeks of that and I'm a happy fan. AND on top of that, we get Punk vs. Bryan. And AJ!!!!

9:11 - "Did you invent him being Canadian?" Love it.

9:08 - Jericho referring to himself as part of a "literal dying breed" was uncomfortable considering his running mates.

9:06 - I stand corrected.

9:03 - I love how more time and effort seems to be going into CM Punk's feuds with Daniel Bryan and Chris Brown than his WrestleMania feud with Chris Jericho. In lighter news, though: Looks like Punk is growing his beard back. That's definitely a step in the right decision.

9:00 - The Rock is on Raw tonight and it's sure to be an exciting couple of hours. Let's get this thing started.

Meanwhile, have you read my Review of WWE's YouTube shows? Give it a read!

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Reviewing WWE on YouTube

At the beginning of this month, WWE relaunched their YouTube page with brand new original web shows. I was pretty excited, to be honest, because WWE.com used to produce some pretty entertaining shows a few years ago. Remember The Dirt Sheet? And while they weren’t my cup of tea, Cryme Tyme and Matt Striker had weekly shows as well. Let’s see what these nine new shows have to offer.

Are You Serious? (Sundays)
WWE’s answer to Mystery Science Theater 3000. This is definitely one of the best shows of the bunch, with Road Dogg and Josh Matthews looking back at some of the more peculiar and downright ridiculous moments in wrestling history. I often find that WWE is at their best, comedically, when they’re willing to laugh at themselves, so I’ve really enjoyed the episodes I’ve seen thus far. The Triple H puppet is a little unusual – is this some sort of inside joke? – but overall I definitely recommend this show.

WWE Download (Tuesdays)
This is a blatant rip off of Tosh.0, but I have to admit it’s a fun show. Like Are You Serious?, it pushes the envelope and drifts somewhat from the PG stuff you see on TV. And Dolph Ziggler is a pretty charismatic and humorous guy, so it’s fun seeing his natural personality shine in this web show. While he may already be pretty high up the card, I could see this doing for Ziggler what the Dirt Sheet did for Miz and Morrison. If nothing else, it could add a little personality to his already over and successful character.

Backstage Fallout (Tuesdays & Fridays)
Backstage Fallout just seems to be the backstage, TMZ-style videos they’ve been posted on WWE.com for the past several months, only repackaged. Nothing special, but nothing bothersome either. I never watched TNA ReAction….but I imagine it was something like this.

WWE Inbox (Wednesdays)
This is pretty straight forward. People send in basic questions (such as “What’s your favorite movie?”) and various Superstars and Divas answer them. Not “must see,” but worth checking out. If nothing else, it’s enjoyable seeing some of the performers let loose and act a little more natural. Getting a glimpse into some of these guys’ real personalities is rarely a bad thing.

Outside the Ring (Thursdays)
The title is pretty self explanatory. I initially imagined this to be like WWE.com’s former “Lifestyles” webshow, where it gave us a glimpse of the Superstars’ and Divas’ homes – but it appears that this will focus on other extracurricular activities as well. Episode #2 is about Orton’s WWE 12 photoshoot. And based on the intro, it looks like we’ll see an episode on Kelly Kelly’s Maxim photoshoot as well. I’m sure this show will only be as interesting as the subject matter.

Z! True Long Island Story (Fridays)
Remember when Noah’s Arcade took over Wayne’s World? I’m sure that’s the fear most people have when Zack Ryder moved his show over to WWE’s YouTube page. Truth be told, I have no problem with Ryder moving his show over since Z! True Long Island Story has been under WWE’s microscope for a long time now. If they wanted him to change something, they probably could have done it then. To be perfectly honest, though, the magic of this show was lost months ago (for me, anyway). When it began, Ryder was extremely clever in his passive aggressive comments towards his treatment (“Nobody pushes Zack Ryder!” “I’m trying to get over!” “This is WWE having cold feet about putting Zack Ryder on TV.” “This is WWE putting Zack Ryder on the backburner.”) But ever since Ryder began consistently appearing on WWE television, his web show pretty much transformed into a Raw clip show. I don’t begrudge him for this – the allure of the show was that he wasn’t being used. Plus, the show has been hurt somewhat by the fact that Ryder is constantly forced to sell an injury angle. But c’mon, having a successful wrestling career is a lot more important than being an underground YouTube phenomenon.

Santino’s Foreign Exchange (Saturdays)
Santino’s an interesting case. Some people find him utterly hilarious. Others find his brand of comedy unbearable. I tend to think that Santino’s a really, really funny guy with a genuine knack for comedic timing, but he’s probably best kept at small dosages. It’s a fun enough show, from what I’ve seen. Basically there’s a subject matter and Santino interviews various midcard Superstars and Divas. Thus far, it’s one of the better shows….so I guess he hasn’t worn out his welcome yet.

WWE Presents
There’s only been one episode of this show, and to be perfectly honest it wasn’t that entertaining (the Bellas visit West Point). That isn’t to say the show doesn’t have potential. For example, I could see an episode focused around their recent tour of Abu Dhabi being rather interesting. But the premiere was a bit weak. To tell you the truth, I think I would have enjoyed an in depth look on the new Live Events set more (which seems to fit with the description of this series).

Superstar Toyz
I’m not a huge car guy, so the Alberto episode didn’t enthrall me, per se, but I do really enjoy the concept of this web show. This also reminds me of the former WWE.com “Lifestyles” show, with us getting a glimpse into the personal lives of the Superstars and Divas. Based on the intro, it looks like we might take a look at Hunico’s mask collection, which could be interesting. Just from what I know, a lot of these guys and girls have some unique collections, and this series will seemingly showcase that. Worth checking out.

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LIVE Raw thoughts - February 20, 2012

11:08 - So it's official....it's Punk vs. Jericho at Mania. And based on the booking of the battle royal, perhaps Big Show vs. Cody as well? WrestleMania is certainly taking shape now. A good show, as far as I'm concerned.

11:02 - "Well it's a good thing Miz won't be headlining WrestleMania again." Considering Punk's legitimate gripe for Punk going into Mania as the top heel, I found taht comment humorous.

By the way, that was a really nasty fall Dolph, Barrett, and Truth took outside. I truly hope everybody is okay.

10:54 - Is Dolph Ziggler taking fashion tips from Jeff Hardy now? Honestly, ditch that t-shirt tucked into the back of your trunks look.

10:49 - Not to beat a dead horse, but Punk REALLY needs to grow his beard back. Aside from looking cooler with it, it actually fit with his everyman, voice of the voiceless character. With his clean shaven face and slicked back hair, he looks like he could be a lawyer or on Wall Street. Way too corporate and clean.

10:46 - In my view that was a really great promo from Cena. It was the first time in a long time that he actually seemed angry and hostile towards the Rock, and not super respectful with a couple snide remarks. And he hit all of the important points. I think one of the best parts was how he mentioned that he's filmed a couple of movies too, but even while doing those, he was still there every single week (true). My only issue, really, is that they spent all this time driving Cena to the edge and have now seemingly abandoned any of that character development.

10:32 - Looks like the writers of the second hour remembered that the Bellas are heels.

10:17 - That was an interesting segment. To be honest, I think it struggled a bit before Triple H showed up. Undertaker just seemed to repeat himself a lot. But things certainly picked up once the two began interacting with each other. But I enjoyed it, overall. The mind games were actually a lot of fun, with Undertaker manipulating Triple H into the match by mentioning Shawn Michaels' name. And I REALLY liked the way Undertaker condescendingly patted Triple H on the shoulder (like Triple H had done to him) after the challenge was accepted. The Hell in a Cell twist was unexpected. Unfortunately, it's been so diluted since we started seeing, like, three in a given night.

10:09 - Wait, aren't Kane, Big Show, and Mark Henry essentially the same era as Triple H? And they're certainly more active than him. So why are Undertaker and Triple H "the last of the era"?

9:52 - I'd hate to see anybody lose their job, but I'm guessing that Zeke is involved in the post-WrestleMania Spring Cleaning.

9:50 - Finally, the resolution to that New Nexus/The Corre feud!

9:43 - A well deserved honor for Ron Simmons. And overdue as well! But how sad is it that Kofi, Booker, and Mark Henry were the only three black Superstars that they bothered using in that video package?

9:37 - I'm going to have to agree with a lot of the other people who are disappointed that instead of naturally building a story between Punk and Jericho, they're just resorting to their old standby of the Royal Rumble. And like I said, why bother winning a 30 man Royal Rumble for a World title match at WrestleMania when you can just win a 10 man Battle Royal for a World title match at WrestleMania a month later?

9:31 - Am I wrong or has R-Truth's theme changed slightly? Wasn't "The Truth shall set you free?" during his heel run? Now it's "The Truth has set me free." By the way, I'm disappointed that Kofi changed the style of his trunks. I liked his creepy smiley dreadlocks guy.

9:24 - A fine enough match, but I wish Sheamus was a bit more dominant. He won clean, but he's going into the title match at WrestleMania while Henry doesn't have anything set in stone. Make Sheamus look as strong as possible.

9:14 - We've seemingly shifted from Cena's "Embrace the Hate" stuff, as he was very jokey, but Eve was surprisingly an effective foil to get the fans back on his side. This was a fun enough performance. I think Eve could be a great heel Diva, in the same vein as Lita. Who to pair her with, though?

And that Undertaker promo still annoys me because the bit of him cutting his hair is so lazy. There's absolutely no context or symbolism behind it. Why does cutting his hair equate to getting another match with Triple H? What's the connection? A lazy moment in an otherwise great story.

9:05 - So let me tell you what I liked and what I didn't like about that opening.

What I liked: Aside from the over the top laugh, Eve was actually surprisingly good at being an evil bitch. She's incredibly well spoken and always seems comfortable and confident.

What I didn't like: First and foremost, why were the Bellas used in that segment? It's been established that they're bitchy and shallow, yet they're being compassionate towards Zack Ryder, and then act in disgust when we find out Eve was just using him (like the Bellas did with Daniel Bryan)? Where were Kelly and Alicia, two girls that Eve has been friendly with?

And while I appreciate that a certain level of suspension of disbelief is necessary with the backstage camera, I DETEST when somebody reveals their evil plan in front of the camera. And why exactly would she need a recording with her phone with the camera man right there?

8:38 - First off, it's my mom's birthday today....so Happy Birthday, Mom!

How about a quick pre-Raw discussion before the show starts. While the journey wasn't quite what we expected, the end destination of last night's show was what we predicted. Both Punk and Bryan retained (thankfully), and it looks like we're going to get Punk/Jericho and Bryan/Sheamus like we thought. This, in my eyes, is good (unlike Punk shaving.....he looks so much cooler with the beard).

Now, the beard is 100% on WrestleMania. The big headscratcher, from what I've gathered (I didn't see the show last night) was Cena's non-selling of going over the edge. While the feud with Kane had many, many pitfalls, one of the cool parts was that it did a great job of teasing a Cena heel turn. Or, at the very least, Cena showing a significant amount of edge that would garner a little support from the fans against the Rock. They were doing a really good job with this slow burn. Yet from what I've read, it seems like he was back to his happy go lucky self last night. They need to focus Cena on Rock now, so going back to all this stuff with Kane and Zack Ryder and Eve would really hinder the story that you're selling WrestleMania on. I'm interested in what's going to happen tonight, but I'm surprised they didn't make Cena a little darker last night.

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A Case of the.... The Vampire Diaries - Episode 3-15

“This house has too many men rolling around in it.”
“Just like you, Bekkah!”

C’mon, that was pretty funny.

Also great was Damon’s disgusted, “She told YOU?” in response to Alaric knowing about his romp in the hay with Rebekkah.

Continue reading "A Case of the.... The Vampire Diaries - Episode 3-15"....

I’ve been a bit of a broken record this season with my constant observations about how Damon and Stefan have switched roles, but it’s worth noting again – if only because this was our first real glimpse at their original personalities. When presented with the conundrum of potentially having to kill Bonnie and her mother in order to save Elena, Damon suggested the idea while Stefan resisted it. While neither of them wanted to do it, and both of their motivation was their love for Elena, it just seemed like Damon was more willing to do it, while Stefan wanted to think of an alternative (of course, Damon was the one who did ultimately come up with the alternative of using the dagger).

And, like last week, the complex allegiances and betrayals were extremely interesting. Elijah had conspired with Elena and her crew to take out Klaus. His alliance with them seemed just as strong as the one with his family. Yet when his (and their) existence was threatened, he quickly turned on Elena and put her life in jeopardy. And then he put Stefan and Damon in a situation where they would have to kill two essentially innocent women. It seemed that the original family had segmented into different pairs. Klaus and Colt seemed like legitimately dastardly people who wanted to inflict harm on people. Esther and Fin were the truly noble ones that were willing to sacrifice everything to right a wrong. And Elijah and Rebekkah were the two that would do anything to ensure their survival.

By the way, I was really happy that Caroline brought up the fact that Bonnie (and many others) always seem to suffer a loss so that Elena can be saved. Honestly, how often do innocent people have to die in order for Elena to live? And a lot of the time, it’s not even like Elena living is serving a greater purpose. It’s literally that people are choosing her life over others. I’m not saying that I want Elena to die – or that it’s wrong to save her – but I’m glad it hasn’t gone unnoticed, and quite honestly a little resentment towards the situation is understandable. In much the same light, I appreciated how Esther called out Elijah on the fact that he talks about his morals and nobility, yet he’s done plenty of sinister things as well.

I do find it interesting, though, that virtually every vampire on the show views their situation as some sort of punishment or curse. Yet these same vampires constantly use vampirism as an “out” to save other people from dying – often without their consent. Damon and Stefan took it upon themselves to turn Abby into a vampire, whether she wanted that fate or not. Damon also tried to do this to Elena in the past. I discussed this at length a couple of seasons ago when Caroline was made into a vampire, but I don’t think many of the characters (or perhaps the show as a whole) treats the transition as something tragic. Somebody’s life is essentially ending and many of their dreams and aspirations are now impossible. Turning somebody into a vampire shouldn’t be treated as a clever tactic to avoid killing somebody, it should be treated as a huge violation.

It was pretty stand up of Damon to selflessly do the deed when it should have been Stefan, though. While this role reversal has been a lot of fun, I’m also really enjoying the slow transition back to their normal dynamic. It’ll be interesting to see how Elena reacts to all of this.

Oh, and another episode, and ANOTHER Alaric death scene. I think I will just call him “Kenny” from now on. Unless he is REALLY dead. Then I’d just be sad.

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LIVE Raw thoughts - February 13, 2012

11:11 - That was a pretty impressive bump, Mr. Ryder. I probably would have refrained from needlessly using the "X" signal just one day after it was used in a career threatening injury, though.

11:05 - I don't even understand what injury Ryder is selling right now.

10:58 - How far do you think Kane got before he realized Eve wasn't in the ambulance anymore?

By the way, curious decision ending the main event so close to 11 and then going to commercial. Do you think a lot of people thought the show was over? And do you think a portion of the audience saw it would end with Kane/Cena, and decided this was a good time to check out some Adult Swim?

10:48 - Eve kisses the big, strong jock and then tells the plucky babyface that she's been stringing along that she just wants to be friends? If that's not a heel turn, I don't know what is.

10:46 - Hate to pile on, but Cena, if you got Eve when you said you would, she never would have been in that situation.

But anyway, where do you see this story going? Eve was just scared and wanted to be with the guy who came to the rescue, and not the one who always needed to be saved? Or she's in cahoots with Kane?

10:35 - And now Cena is paling around with Josh Matthews? Zack Ryder flew from Long Island to San Diego to see Eve. You tell him you'll find Eve for him.....and an hour later, we see you're just shooting the breeze with Josh Matthews? Okay, THAT is heelish.

Also, it's peculiar that Tamina now gets to use the "Snuka" last name, but Joe Hennig is still walking around as Michael McGillicutty.

10:31 - How long does it take John Cena to find Eve?

10:26 - Remember earlier how I noted that it was strange how they called Kofi an afterthought, and then had him lose his match? Well, if they were going to have somebody sneak out a victory on Ziggler anyway, why not give the nod to Kofi there? Would have made sense in the fact that if you overlook Kofi, he'll take advantage and win.

10:19 - I didn't mind that promo. It continued to feed into why Triple H doesn't want to face Taker. For a moment, I thought we'd see a full blown heel turn when Triple H talked about how all of this would be his. One thing I didn't understand, though: If Undertaker is so weak and feeble now, what value does he have as a commodity? Even Triple H said they haven't seen him in a year. Both Triple H and Shawn Michaels have appeared more than he has.

I also understand why they needed to show Undertaker shaving his head, but I wish they went to the trouble of explaining the significance behind it. What does his shaved head symbolize, according to the story?

10:11 - Is it bad that this segment is making everybody want to see Shawn Michaels wrestle instead of Triple H vs. Undertaker at WrestleMania?

10:04 - Should Triple H and Undertaker take the hint when they constantly need Shawn Michaels to add interest and emotion to their WrestleMania match?

9:52 - Good to see that Orton doesn't have the balls to yell "STUPID! STUPID! STUPID!" to a guy that's 7 feet tall. And I do have to admit that I found humor in the fact that Cole sung Bryan's praises (over the top) when he was sitting right there, and then tore him apart the second he left. I'm actually okay with that, because it at least establishes that Cole is full of crap.

9:43 - It's so odd, but it's so incredibly refreshing to hear Michael Cole sing the praises of Daniel Bryan. I kinda love that it's over the top, too.

9:34 - Let's be honest, when Kane mentioned that somebody was going into the ambulance, we all knew Zack Ryder would end up on the show somehow.

9:29 - It's a bit odd that they pushed Kofi as an afterthought, only to essentially job him clean. Don't get me wrong, Jericho was the right winner. He hasn't really fought any singles matches yet, so he needed to win this. Which makes this particular pairing somewhat curious.

Oh, and did HBK shave? If so, that kinda sucks. I always thought he looked exponentially cooler with the stubble.

9:18 - Call me crazy, but I sorta liked that debate segment. It was one of those moments where individuals got to showcase their personalities, and even more fun, the others got to react to those personalities. The side comments made from the Superstars not speaking reminded me of the early seasons of NXT, when everybody was allowed to loosen up and be themselves.

As a side note, over the past couple weeks people have been talking about Miz's alleged backstage heat. And last week, people started discussing how many Superstars don't appear to like him. That idea made this segment even more fun. While guys like Punk and Ziggler seemed to be good natured with their jabs at each other and fellow Superstars, their comments towards Miz seemed a little more hostile. And it was also curious that the buzzer only went off for Miz.

But a much better segment than I expected.

9:11 - This crowd is just awesome tonight.

9:04 - Gotta love how CM Punk openly acknowledges the ridiculousness of the great debate. And speaking of the Attitude Era, if this happened then, you KNOW they would have named it "The Master Debate."

9:01 - It's odd. Even during the Attitude Era, the dog show pre-empted Raw. Yet now, when the ratings and general pop culture relevance is no where near that level, they shift the dog show to a sister network. What changed?

8:44 - It's been a while since I've done this, but my LIVE Raw thoughts are back! Check back in another 15 minutes for my ongoing thoughts on the show as we continue down the Road to WrestleMania.

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A Case of the.... The Vampire Diaries - Episode 3-14

I’ve spent much of this season discussing the general role reversal between Stefan and Damon, but this episode was the first time I really noticed that their general behavior and philosophies have switched as well. Yes, both of them have evolved and there have been extenuating circumstances, but for the most part I always viewed Stefan as the one who was ultra protective of Elena and wouldn’t go through with a good plan because it might put her in danger, while Damon was the one who pushed for a good plan even if it was dangerous, because he knew it would work out. Stefan seemed to have the attitude of “she could get hurt,” while Damon would say, “she wants to do this.” Again, they began to meet somewhere in the middle as time went on, but that’s mostly how I saw it. Damon always told Stefan he was clouded by his love for Elena. In this episode, Stefan told Damon the same thing.

Continue reading "A Case of the.... The Vampire Diaries - Episode 14"....

As the feelings between Damon and Elena become more obvious and transparent, and Stefan continues to soften up, I think this was the first episode where Elena was forced to choose between them. In her own way, I do think Elena made her choice. There were two moments that push came to shove. The first moment, she rejected Damon. The second moment, she fought for Stefan. Of course, it’s far more complicated than that (she did seem SOMEWHAT reluctant to trust Stefan, she obviously felt awful about going behind Damon’s back, and she definitely regretted her reaction to Damon’s profession), but I still think the sentiment was there. I do think she cares deeply for Damon. She may even love him. But I do think in her heart, she wants to be with Stefan. He’s the one she wants.

There’s one thing though, I didn’t hear what Stefan said when Elena pleaded with him to show her that he cares (right before he left). Can somebody fill me in? And did I misunderstand, or did Caroline officially throw her hat into Team Stefan? Did she encourage Elena to go to the ball with him?

I must say, this show is slowly but surely making the Original Vampires very interesting and complex characters. They went from pretty basic villains whose allegiances bounced around on a weekly basis to being extremely deep, borderline likeable characters. It truly does seem like each of them has something that’s at least mildly redeemable (except maybe the dude who broke Matt’s hand). And the interaction between Esther and Elena proved to be very fun. After revealing her plan, I loved the way Esther asked, “Will you do it?” when she lifted the dagger and then quickly followed it with, “Or shall I?” The delivery was perfect, with the first part making it seem like it was a respectful request for Elena to comply with the plan. The second part, however, quickly made it clear that this wasn’t a choice, and that Esther was simply asking the manner in which Elena would be complying.

Last year, Caroline emerged as my favorite “new” character. That is to say, the character that went from being pretty irrelevant (or even unlikable) to being a genuine favorite (perhaps I should call it “The Chloe Sullivan Award”). This year, Elijah may very well get the nod. He’s just proven to be a very noble, strangely loyal character. Yes, he’s turned on people (numerous times), but it’s always for a greater purpose. He betrayed Stefan and Damon in the finale (which cost Jenna her life), but it was for his own family. And thus far this season, he’s been true to his word with Elena and the Salvatores. Hell, his character actually made Elena and Esther BOTH contemplate not going through with the plan, because they knew he would die also. I was even kinda upset.

And surprisingly, they’re even making Klaus somewhat sympathetic through his courting of Caroline. Ditto for Rebekah and Matt. There’s so much going on as we near the climax of the season that I honestly don’t know where it’s all heading. Klaus is the primary villain, yet he’s being shown as not completely evil. And killing him would also kill Rebekah, who isn’t exactly purely dastardly, and Elijah, who’s kinda their ally. And they’re doing this all with the assistance of Esther, who created them in the first place. And then you have Elena torn between Stefan (who’s generally a jerk but has spurts of niceness) and Damon (who’s been a good guy this season, although gets impulsive and does hurtful things).

I honestly don’t know where it’s all going, and it’s making this season a lot of fun to watch. Yes, there’s a lot going on, but there’s not TOO MUCH going on. That’s an important distinction.

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Dive Bar Shirt Club: Antonio's Nut House

Not only did I just received my Dive Bar Shirt Club t-shirt for the month of February, but Dive Bar Shirt Club is now on Twitter as well! That's right, follow them at @divebarshirts. They're pretty cool guys and they've been supportive of my posts, so be sure to follow them.

Oh, and the news gets better. Not only do I really like the latest t-shirt (let's see: It's blue, which is my favorite color. And there's a gorilla on it, which is always cool. And I'm definitely not too grown up for a solid innuendo like "grab your nuts"), but for the second month in a row the bar of choice has a website, which means all I gotta do is cut and paste:

Despite the glut of coffee bars and upscale eateries on this stretch of California drive, Antonio's is a prime example of a neighborhood bar -- high on the basic requirements of beer, burgers and pool. That said, it's a favorite of the party-hardy college crowd.

Doors open at 9am, when patrons can enjoy full proprietorship of the lone jukebox, billiards table or dartboard, but saturday night is all about elbow-to-elbow group imbibing. Antonio's nut house is a place to drink -- and drink some more. Sure, you can get actual peanuts from a mechanical gorilla; but even the seen-it- all bartender admits, "it gets a little wild sometimes." expect frequent spillage.

Azteca taqueria, a full-sized grill making Mexican specialties as well as burgers and grilled sandwiches, shares the large space with Antonio's, and is open late into the evening.

Antonio's Nut House Website: http://antoniosnuthouse.com/

Dive Bar Shirt Club: Website - Twitter

Dive Bar Shirt Club T-Shirt Gallery

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Super Bowl Champions!

Whatta game!

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A Case of the.... The Vampire Diaries - Episode 3-13

Alaric is slowly but surely becoming the Kenny of The Vampire Diaries. How many times is this guy murdered? This season alone, I think I’ve counted three.

Continue reading "A Case of the.... The Vampire Diaries - Episode 3-13"....

So we finally found out what was in the fourth coffin. I suppose it’s no surprise that it was the matriarch of the family, but it was still a cool reveal. For a moment I actually considered the possibility that Klaus’ family would kill him (first I thought it would be his siblings collectively, then I thought it would be his mother swiftly), but I wondered if they would really give the “kill” to somebody other than a main character. I mean, Klaus’ demise has been built up for the past two seasons – it would be a bit of a disappointment if somebody else swooped in and did the deed. Especially seemingly villainous characters.

While we’re on the topic of characters dying, this episode did result in a loss (even if it wasn’t necessarily a major one), as Caroline’s father died. This was actually a clever situation, where he was murdered but was resurrected because he still had vampire blood in his system. However, he opted not to feed in order to complete the transition, thus ending his life. So he had the rare opportunity to come back to life after his murder before dying again. It was certainly a unique situation, and it allowed for some touching moments where Caroline and her father got to clear the air and express their love. He was hardly a character we had the opportunity to truly care for, but his death still had an impact.

As matters with Klaus continues to progress, the writers have wisely introduced another mystery as members of the Founders Council are getting attacked and murdered. The obvious suspect was Dr. Fell, who had a motive. Another possibility is Tyler, which was proposed but quickly written off. The originals, as well as Stefan and Damon, were all together during Alaric’s attack, so any of their involvement seems unlikely as well.

I honestly don’t know who it might be, but the scenes did provide some great moments (in addition to the one I mentioned above). The first was Stefan’s pained reaction to Elena’s accusation if he had murdered the medical examiner, and his realization that she wouldn’t accuse Damon of the same crime. The next scene was when Elena discovered Alaric’s body and was forced to murder him in order to save his life. It was great because (a) Matt was there to sell the disturbing nature of the entire scene, and (b) Elena finally acknowledged the fact that she’s lost everybody in her family and that Alaric is all she has left (I also found it strangely sweet how she asked Matt to stay with her until Alaric wakes up). Speaking of Matt, I wonder if all these heart to heart moments between him and Elena are leading to something. They’ve had a few of these moments over the past couple of episodes, after being kept apart for most of the series.

Aside from the brief interaction between Stefan and Elena, this is one of the first episodes I recall of the season where both Damon and Stefan were kept away from Elena. And it provided an interesting look at how much things have progressed and changed over the past season. It’s been mentioned before, but Stefan and Damon have really switched roles within their little Scooby Gang. Now, Damon is the one everybody turns to (both Elena and Bonnie called him when something transpired), and Stefan is the one they reluctantly turn to when they don’t have any other choice. This is, of course, the reverse of what had always been true – and now that Stefan is no longer “turned off” and realizes how much he’s lost and how much more he could lose, you can see how much this bothers him. He seemed hurt that Elena would accuse him and not Damon of the attacks, and you could tell that he was bothered that Elena called Damon, and not him, at the end of the night. It’s easy to blame Stefan for all that has happened, but you do have to remember that he’s in this situation because of the sacrifices he made for Elena and Damon. And those sacrifices only brought them back together.

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