Barber Shop Window: Backyard Wrestling Champion

Well, I'm possibly addicted.  I recently received my fifth wrestling t-shirt and have already ordered two more.  It's these sales that are doing me in!  Like more than a couple of wrestling fans out there, my friends and I partook in the whole backyard wrestling scene.  And, of course, I was the world champion!  For those of you wondering, we used a replica of the ECW Championship as our World title, shown above with the featured t-shirt.

Anyway, a couple of months back Barbershop Window released a "Backyard Wrestling Champion" t-shirt for the low price of $12.99.  I was tempted to purchase it -- since I fit the requirements, after all -- but to be honest I didn't particularly like the color scheme (a brown t-shirt with yellow lettering) -- and the design/font was pretty plain.  When I ultimately decided to buy it, the shirt was moved to its overstock page and the price was raised to the usual $20, at which point I decided it wasn't worth it.  However, the shirt went back on sale for Cyber Monday (at about $15), so I decided to go for it then.  I still would've preferred a different color combo, but the shirt was just too damn fitting for me to pass up on!

To be honest, I didn't even follow how long the shirt took to arrive this go around.  It wasn't until I checked for the purpose of this post that I realized it took just short of a month (I ordered it on November 26, and it arrived on December 24).  However, I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and assume they made it a priority for everybody to get their shirts by Christmas, in case it was a gift (in my case, it wasn't).  However, Barbershop Window has outlined their delivery policy in a very detailed fashion, so I encourage you to give it a read:  http://barbershopwindow.com/shippingstructure.htm

Seems fair.  However, when your client base has made complaints about the ordering to arrival turnaround, two tweets every single day about not stressing out and smoking pot probably aren't very encouraging.  But, as I say every review, the shipping delays haven't discouraged me from ordering.  Like I said, I've already ordered two more.

Barbershop Window's website
Follow Barbershop Window on Twitter

Read more!

REPOST: Top Ten Cases: WWE 2011 Year-End Awards

The new year is almost upon us which means I’ll be once again doing my WWE year-end awards.  So check back on January 1^st for the survey so that your voice can be heard as well.  But before I do that, I thought it’d be fun to look back at the 2011 Year-End Awards and see how we did with some of our predictions.

SUPERSTAR OF THE YEAR

My pick: CM Punk; Your pick: CM Punk (100%)

This one was a no brainer – even more so considering that the year ended with CM Punk winning the title in the main event of a PPV.  I think most people conceived that things would have continued along that course.  Having said that, I think people from 2011 would have been disappointed with the first half of Punk’s 2012 – wrestling in a title match at WrestleMania that wasn’t even promoted as a featured bout and not main eventing a PPV until, I believe, August.

BREAKOUT STAR OF THE YEAR

My pick: Zack Ryder; Your pick: Zack Ryder & Dolph Ziggler (33% each)

This was probably the biggest heart breaker.  Again, the year ended GREAT for Zack Ryder.  He was mega over and finally captured the US title.  It seemed like he was finally accepted by the front office and that he might break through to even better things.  Now he’s in a MUCH worse place than he was a year ago today, and only in a slightly better place than he was before the revolution began (because he at least usually appears on Raw).  Dolph Ziggler, while having a great year, was overall pretty stagnant.  I’d say he’s in a slightly better spot than he was a year ago today, but not by much.

SUPERSTAR WITH THE MOST DISAPPOINTING YEAR

My pick: John Morrison; Your pick: John Morrison (50%)

This award already provides us with the luxury of hindsight, so there’s not much to add to this.

SUPERSTAR MOST POISED FOR A SUCCESSFUL 2012

My pick: Dolph Ziggler; Your pick: Dolph Ziggler & Sheamus (33% each)

I’d say, between Sheamus and Ziggler, you’d have to favor Sheamus.  He won the Royal Rumble, won the World Heavyweight Championship in record time, went on to have a lengthy reign with the gold, and always looked strong.  His only downfall was the fact that the World Heavyweight Championship was an absolute afterthought for the entire year (even more so than the prior year).  And while Dolph had a really great year, I think I might even say Daniel Bryan (another option for that category) had a more successful 2012 than he did.

MOST SHOCKING STORY OF 2011

My pick: The Summer of Punk; Your pick: Edge retires (44%)

Again, we already had hindsight here, so there’s not much to add.

BEST SHIFT IN CHARACTER

My pick: Mark Henry; Your pick: CM Punk & Mark Henry (44% each)

The irony of this particular award is that Mark Henry had a pretty forgettable 2012.  He spent much of the time either injured or jobbing to Sheamus.  And Punk ended up reverting back to his heel character halfway through this year.  So neither character really “stuck” for the entire year.

SUPERSTAR MOST NEGATIVELY IMPACTED BY SOCIAL MEDIA

My pick: Matt Hardy; Your pick: Matt Hardy (62%)

And now he’s pretty much irrelevant (and certainly NOT an “Extreme Legend”).

GREATEST STORYLINE FUMBLE

My pick: Anonymous Raw General Manager; Your pick: Anonymous Raw General Manager (55%)

Not much to add.

WILL THE WWE CHAMPIONSHIP BE REDESIGNED IN 2012?

My pick: No; Your pick: Yes (66%)

Haha, I was right!  Despite MANY logical opportunities (Punk’s heel turn, the 1,000^th Raw, Punk’s one year anniversary) and rumors of a new belt actually being created, they resisted the temptation to redesign their top championship.  Sadly.

WILL THE WWE NETWORK LAUNCH BE A SUCCESS?

My pick: Yes; Your pick: Yes (88%)

We were all wrong here.  While it still remains to be seen whether the WWE Network will be a success (I still think it has a significant upside), the implication of the question was that the network would launch in 2012.  And it did not.  So I have to say that we were all wrong on this one.

Read more!

Top Ten Cases: Best Christmas Episodes

Merry Christmas, everyone!!

Read more!

Random Tribute to the Troops Observation

With Christmas just a couple of days away, and WWE's latest Tribute to the Troops now behind us, I thought I'd briefly discuss an observation I made on Twitter earlier this week.  Frankly, I really don't like the current presentation of the show.  Don't get me wrong -- I absolutely commend all that the WWE does to honor the troops.  WWE is top notch in that regard.  My issue is purely based on the presentation of the show since they've discontinued filming the show in the Middle East (and, again, I understand why they did this).  But this year more than any other year, it's begun to feel like "just another show."  You ignore the ring apron and the red, white, and blue ropes, and the show feels identical to any typical Raw, Smackdown, or PPV.  And that's a real travesty.

On top of being a really honorable and kind thing to do, Tribute to the Troops felt like something really special.  It was unlike anything you'd see from your average WWE program.  The ring was set up in the middle of the desert, with military personnel surrounding ringside.  People were standing on tanks.  In some instances, the entrance way appeared to be nothing more than a tarp draped over an archway.  And everybody was standing out there in broad daylight (it was almost surreal seeing Undertaker, in his current Dead Man persona, wrestling out in the sun).

But this year the show was held in an ordinary sports complex with their flashy high definition screens and padded barricades.  Honestly, why not try to do the show at the Naval Station Norfolk?  I believe that's what they essentially did in 2010, when the show was held in the United States instead of Iraq or Afghanistan.

Again, I think WWE is doing an awesome thing for our military personnel.  I just think that, in this particular case, less is more.  They should go back to what made the show appear so charming and special.  This show was sorely missing that feeling.

Read more!

The End of the World: 5 Things I Wish I Had Done

Hey, just in case the conspiracy theorists are right...

Read more!

LIVE Raw thoughts (Slammy Awards Edition) - December 17, 2012

11:06 - Okay, once again.....I'm interested in the AJ turn and how that impacts her volatile relationship with Dolph and Vickie....but I'm not sold on this new dude.  Honestly, could they have picked a stranger looking person?  He looks like a reject Nation member (with the black/yellow/red/green color scheme).  I recognize they need some fresh characters and I'm not opposed to that, but wouldn't this have been a perfect opportunity to reintroduce Jack Swagger?  He's got history with Dolph and Vickie (making the conflict interesting) and he quit while AJ was GM, and she tried to get him to come back.

Anyway, strange episode tonight that failed to live up to MY expectations.  Especially with all the returns and special appearances, and coming off of a strong PPV.  Let's see how the rest of WWE Week goes.

11:05 - Still intrigued b this AJ turn and how she continues to interact with Vickie.

11:00 - Cena will likely call AJ crazy for her erratic behavior, but is Cena any better?  He should've been furious coming into tonight's show, but instead he's giving a rousing speech in favor of Flair.  Then he attacks Dolph, suddenly seemingly fuming with anger.  And now he's all jokey coming into this match.

10:57 - AJ's theme really changes significantly as it continues to play on.

10:40 - I'm guessing Rock vs. Cena wins this.  If not that, Undertaker vs. Triple H.  That's what I think people will vote for, anyway.

10:27 - For newcomer of the year, you've gotta go with Ryback.

10:24 - It's no secret that I found ADR unbearably boring as a heel.  I'm willing to give him a shot as a face.

10:20 - I'm reading a lot of comments on Twitter about how John Cena wasn't acting like a babyface by attacking Dolph Ziggler from behind.  I don't have a problem with that.  To me, that falls into the category of somebody getting what they deserve.  I'm still bothered by the fact that he left Ric Flair to his own devices in a potentially dangerous situation.

10:08 - I don't think it was necessary for Dolph to say "just like you."  An unnecessary low blow.  I think people would've put two and two together if he just used his words deliberately.

9:59 - Wouldn't the greater revenge be to let the bell ring and THEN beat up Dolph?  That way, Dolph either wins by DQ or Big Show manages to pin him.  Either way, the Money in the Bank contract is lost.

9:49 - It is remarkable how many of these Slammy Award categories have nothing to do with actual wrestling.

9:45 - I'm SHOCKED that Zack Ryder and Layla came out to Zack's music, and not Layla's.

9:32 - I don't even need to see the other nominees.  Anger management MUST win.  And might we see the return of Albert?

9:29 - At least JBL's "match of the year candidate there" comment made me laugh.

9:20 - Hustle....what?....and Respect?  Loyalty, right?  Where the hell was Cena during that whole routine?  Daniel Bryan and Kane come out for the save.  Ryback comes out for the save.  Where was Cena?

9:14 - Wow, these commercial breaks are dreadful.  And did John Cena walk into the abyss or something?  He's clearly in the arena and he just called Flair the man.....yet he didn't save him during Punk's attack, and now he's not doing anything when the Shield are SLOWLY making their way to the ring.

9:05 - IF the fans really did vote for Cena to win, Punk brings up a lot of great points as to why they're idiots.  From a kayfabe perspective, this really HAS been the worst year of Cena's career.  And Punk deserves to be Superstar of the Year solely for that awesome t-shirt.

9:02 - Really?  Even for a pandering Cena, how could he possibly think that Flair is the Superstar of the Year?

9:00 - Again....don't get what's written on the envelope if we vote for the winners.  And I'm to believe that this overwhelming negative response to John Cena ALSO voted him to win?

8:56 - So that Flair soundbyte had to be an error, right?  I can't get over that.

8:52 - Wow, was that the most anticlimatic way of introducing Ric Flair EVER?  My God.....how incredibly underwhelming.  Honestly, that was terrible.

8:43 - At this point, I'm just going to tell you who I would vote for.  I'm done voting.  Too much trouble and all the lame or obvious options are winning.  By the way, I'm intrigued by this AJ arc.  Is she a heel?  I don't know, because she still doesn't get along with Vickie.  Her character truly excelled when she straddled the line earlier this year, so let's see what she can do with this.  I just wish she had a more enjoyable foil than John Cena.  Punk, Bryan, and to a certain extent even Kane had deeper characters that allowed them to truly react to her actions.  Cena....not so much.

8:36 - I'm kinda in love with the fact that "Best Kiss" is just AJ's various kisses with the different Superstars. I'm going to either vote her and Punk (because of the kiss where she pushes him through the table) or Kane (because of the one where she jumps into his arms).  Eh, I'll go with Punk.

8:34 - More time has been devoted to explaining how to vote for the Slammy Awards than any of the matches tonight.

8:26 - Please, I'm begging you....just put a little message at the bottom of the screen telling viewers they can vote for the next category during a match.  Then have somebody come out, announce the nominees and the winner.  This whole process of going to a commercial break so that people can vote must be KILLING the live audience.

8:22 - Ah yes, my least favorite way to create a new #1 contender.....having the challenger beat the champion in a non-title match.  Hate.  It.

So this has to go to Brock, right?

8:17 - Hmmmmm, if the fans are voting for the winners of each category using WWE Active, why did Booker have a sealed envelope revealing the winner?  Well deserved, though, for Kofi.  Still digging the Brad Maddox character.

8:13 - Okay, I was finally able to vote for the first category (I went with Punk GTSing Rock, but sorta regret not voting for Kofi's awesome handstand), but don't tell me we're going to have to wait for everybody to vote in between every single announcement of nominees.  I did mark out for that Boogeyman entrance, though, and Booker's reaction was awesome.

8:05 - I'm here with my LIVE thoughts!  And it looks like Rey Mysterio added a vest to the continuously growing layers of his attire.  And somehow Sin Cara is now at ringside.

By the way, I have the WWE App and it's up to date.  I STILL can't figure out how to vote for any of the categories.  And yet they're already giving an award out after this match?  Fail.

Read more!

A Case of the.... The Vampire Diaries - Episode 4-9

It’s almost as if the writers of this show are reading my reviews, because it seems like they’ve touched upon all of my recent not-quite-complaints-more-like-observations this past episode, most notably the differing motivations and philosophies amongst the various characters coming to a head.

Continue reading "A Case of the....  The Vampire Diaries - Episode 4-9"....

Read more!

A Case of the.... The Vampire Diaries - Episode 4-8

It feels like every week I make this observation that the show comes THIS close to creating a truly tense relationship between Elena and somebody close with her – usually due to the fact that she’s (typically indirectly) responsible for the demise of those around her – but they can’t seem to pull the trigger on it.  It seemed to happen again this week, particularly in when Caroline confessed that she did not quite like what Elena the vampire is turning into.   But, again, by the end of the episode they were hugging and apologizing to each other.

Continue reading "A Case of the....  The Vampire Diaries - Episode 4-8"....

Read more!

LIVE Raw thoughts - December 10, 2012

11:03 - A fun enough ending to the show, actually.  They continue to do a great job with the Shield and thus far have avoided making the same mistakes they made with Nexus.  Most importantly, they haven't had Ryback come in and completely dominate all three members of the Shield yet.  And their seemingly random attacks, followed by flawed but believable explanations, have been a great way to keep people guessing.

10:31 - I love the fact that Cody's mustache has a chant.

10:24 - Great showing by both guys.  They've actually done a wonderful job of pushing Cesaro over the past couple of months.  And him catching Kofi ON HIS SHOULDER following that body press was mighty impressive.

10:10 - Yeah, I've always argued the benefits of the brand extension, but it hasn't truly existed in over a year now.  With the US and Intercontinental Championship feuds so closely aligned, I wish they had the foresight to just make this a four way unification ladder match at TLC.

10:03 - I have to admit, AJ stopping her rampage for a moment of silence before slapping an innocent Justin Roberts made me laugh.  I'm guessing that Vickie will now give Maddox that contract he wants, in return for his work as referee in that match.

9:58 - Gotta admit, I'm digging this Brad Maddox character.

9:56 - After all these years, how does Vickie not have a theme music?

9:50 - Don't get me wrong, I'm glad Ryder got so much offense and that it wasn't a total squash....but just imagine that Del Rio got the reactions that Ryder got.  I honestly believe that somebody like Mick Foley wouldn't have a shot in the world of becoming the legend he became if this mentality existed during the Attitude Era.

9:37 - I can't stand them, but do Alberto Del Rio and Randy Orton even have matches?  And they're hardly feuding with each other, so throwing them in a match against each other just reeks of "we got nothin'."

9:27 - That was a really fun match with a really exciting finishing sequence, but it was a lose/lose situation.  I sorta hate when they put the competitors in the various main event matches against each other, because at worst somebody looks weak, and at best you screw the fans with a non-finish.  Instead, why not put each guy in a match with somebody not on the PPV, where they could both win a competitive match?  Of course, only the guys who appear on PPV are ever made to look good, so getting a win over, say, Santino and Tensai doesn't exactly make you look impressive.

9:14 - By the way, I have the WWE App on m iPhone 4S.  There are no updates available, yet I do not have that second screen thingie they keep talking about.  Truth be told, I find the App a little tough to navigate.  I see all of these Poll results, but never find the polls themselves.  And I still can't find the nominees for the Slammy Awards.  Anybody else have issues with the WWE App?

8:58 - I love when Punk wears the championship (because he actually wears it around his waist), but Heyman holding it during promos and matches is great as well.  I love when he just holds the title up in the air while Punk speaks.  Or when he hugs it with all his might throughout the match.  Just awesome.

8:40 - Truthfully, Rhodes Scholars were probably the right team to win, but I'm glad the Usos got that push throughout the match.  I say this often, but I hope this isn't a stop/start thing.  I'd really like to see what sort of attention they get going forward.

8:32 - I'm a bit surprised that the Usos don't get more attention.  They seem to get a reaction (or have the potential for getting a greater reaction than they get), they're talented, they have an actual tag team move set, and they have the family lineage.  What are they missing?  Particularly since WWE has a history of pushing Samoan wrestlers.

8:28 - The irony, of course, is that a towel would cover far more than actual wrestling attire does.8:

8:15 - So the Slammy Awards are next week, and while I don't want to give away my own Year-End Awards, here are the categories.  And I'll include who I think should win.  Who do you think?

- Superstar of the Year - CM PUNK
- Breakout Star of the Year - AJ LEE
- Trending Now Award – (Hashtag of the Year) - No, not answering this one
- Comeback of the Year - BROCK LESNAR (has there been any other comeback?)
- Kiss of the Year - AJ JUMPS INTO KANE'S ARMS AND KISSES HIM (close second, AJ kisses Punk and pushes him through a table)
- "Tell me I did NOT just see that" – (The Most Shocking Moment of the Year) - JERRY LAWLER HAS A HEART ATTACK DURING RAW
- LOL Moment of the Year - AJ SKIPS DOWN TO THE RING DRESSED AS KANE
- Match of the Year - CM PUNK VS. DANIEL BRYAN, MONEY IN THE BANK

8:12 - I enjoyed Ziggler's opening (and a great opportunity for him, too).  I liked how he brought up the fact that Cena already won a Money in the Bank briefcase, but he cashed it in and lost.  And yet, despite that, he received countless other title shots (meanwhile, Dolph has not received any, to my knowledge, which I wish he brought up) and now he's getting a shot at HIS briefcase.  I have no interest in seeing Dolph lose to Sheamus tonight, so I was slightly turned off by the Sheamus/Big Show takeover.  But at least it reminds everybody (and HOPEFULLY former WWE writers) that the blue briefcase is for the World Heavyweight Championship.

7:57 - We're just a few minutes away from a new Raw, and a lot has happened in the past week.  Most importantly, CM Punk is out of TLC and the new main event is now Team Hell No and Ryback vs. The Shield in a TLC match, which is going to be decided by pinfall or submission.  Um....what?  Don't get me wrong, I love the new match, but why do a TLC match when there's nothing to climb up the ladder for?  The MO of the Shield is putting people through tables....why not do the obvious thing and make it a Tables Match?  That way, everybody is protected and nobody needs to suffer a pinfall loss (primarily Ryback, who is in the WWE Championship scene, and the Shield, who are just debuting)?

Further, you can seamlessly shift the Ziggler/Cena match into a TLC match (since it's essentially the same as a Ladder Match), so your featured stipulation still remains on the card.  Having a TLC match that ends in pinfall or submission -- rendering the ladder itself useless -- is just lame.

Read more!

Season's Greetings from WWE

Actually mildly funny and cute:

Read more!

A Case of the.... The Vampire Diaries - Episode 4-7

Just last review I was remarking how selective the writers have been about vampires’ super hearing (most notably, Caroline, Haley, and Tyler openly acknowledging their ploy seconds after Klaus left the house), and this week’s episode featured numerous instances of vampires blatantly using that very ability.

Continue reading "A Case of the....  The Vampire Diaries - Episode 4-7".... 

Read more!