Summer of Excitement: The beginning of vacation! - [a case of the summer]

As I've stated in the past, the Summer of Excitement is not necessarily about me doing anything particularly epic.  It's just as much about me making an honest effort to go out there and have fun, particularly in situations where it would be easier to just stay in and relax.  And last night I found myself in such a situation.

The family and I are in Long Beach Island for our yearly vacation (we rent a house).  I woke up relatively early (for me, on a Saturday), packed my bags and the remainder of my car, and then made my way to Beach Haven -- a 2+ hour drive.  I arrived around 4:00 (I made a pit stop at the K-Mart here.  They sell this brand of shorts I really like for softball, and neither of the stores near my hometown had my size.  Who knew I had to travel a few hours to finally find them?) and then had to unpack my car and set myself up in the house.  Not long after that, my nephew, niece, and their cousins (on my brother in law's side) dropped by and I spent a couple of hours playing with them.  By the time dinner was over, I was pretty beat.

By complete coincidence, my brother in law's sister (who is the same age as me) was in LBI as well. She had told us that they're taking it a bit easy tonight, but that they were hanging out and playing drinking games at the house the had rented.  My brother in law and I initially turned down the invitation to join them, but after some contemplation we both agreed, "Hey, why not get out of the house?"

They were celebrating a friend's birthday, so we decided to stop at the liquor store and pick up some drinks.  We happened upon these premade Kaluha mixed drinks, so we decided to buy those (they came in cases of four).  We got two Mudslides (a personal favorite of mine from when I was a lifeguard) and one pack of White Russians.  They ended up being a pretty big hit, actually.

Oh, and I'm wrong.  The night was not devoid of epicness, because Sharknado was on TV.

As I've also explained, the Summer of Excitement is also about facing something difficult.  And that doesn't always bring the happiest results.  This past Thursday my aunt and uncle made the decision to put down their dog, Tyler.  While not my dog, I saw the little fella numerous times a week, every single week, for the near 18 years he's been with my family -- so I can't help but feel a little bit of ownership of him as well.  He's a funny guy, because he's behaved like a grouchy old man even when he was a puppy.  He just didn't seem to like many people.  Yet, for whatever reason, he adored my aunt, one of my two cousins that he lived with, my dad, me, and he'd sell out ALL of us for my grandpa.  So I felt an additional connection with him because of that.

While he's had some health issues -- some even severe -- he always fought back and survived.  Yet over the past couple of months he completely deteriorated.  One night, out of no where, he went completely blind.  He had already been pretty much completely deaf by that point as well.  He also had a bad back and bad hips, so he could barely walk.  And he completely lost his voice, so he couldn't even bark.  For the past few weeks, all he really did was sleep and lie around.  It seemed like my aunt, my cousin and I were the only ones who felt like he was still "alive" because he would still eat and respond to people.  Yet, by the time last week rolled around, even I thought it was time to let go.  And because I came to that realization, I do consider this something worthy of a Summer of Excitement "face something difficult" status.

It is sad that Tyler is gone and I miss him already.  But I do know that this was the right decision and that he's better off now.  It is going to be really strange not seeing him at the house, though.  Here's a photo of us the night before he passed:

Next week's Summer of Excitement will be a little cheerier.  I promise.

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Throwback Thursday: Top Ten Cases: Best Current WWE performers (9/4/08) - [a case of the summer]

Guess what!  It's an edition of Throwback Thursday that's ACTUALLY posted on a Thursday!  This week, I look back at a 2008 edition of True or False where I ranked the top ten best performers in WWE.  While obviously analyzing each individual's overall performance, it was also a critique of what each person had to offer.  Using hindsight, I'll let you know if I was on or off the mark in that regard.

As always, my present day comments are in bold italics within parentheses.

Top Ten Cases: Best current WWE performers

This is definitely going to be a subjective list. And, I'll admit, the logic may be inconsistent at times (I may say one person isn't ranked higher because of his spot on the roster, while I may rank another person high because he overcomes his status). Nevertheless, here you go.

I'll warn you right off the bat that there are two notable names that won't be on this list: Triple H and Randy Orton. No, I'm not a Triple H hater (I should say that I'm not a "stereotypical Triple H hater."  I don't particularly like him.  But it's for reasons other than the classic "he holds people down!" argument). To be honest, I just don't think he's all that good. Actually, I think the greatest contribution he can make to the wrestling business is when he retires and takes an office job (How insightful!  In my view, this is ABSOLUTELY proving to be true.  As best as I can tell, he's made incredible contributions to the company and perhaps even the industry since going corporate). I can easily see him being the next Pat Paterson: Somebody who has an incredible mind for the business, who has great ideas and knows the mechanics of a great match (actually, he's gone way beyond that.  He's shown to have a great appreciation for the company's history and has been a great diplomat for the company). As far as Randy Orton goes, while I like him and all, I find both his promos and his matches to be terribly choreographed and robotic (he wouldn't make the list today, either).

Click the "Read More" link to view the top ten current performers in World Wrestling Entertainment (don't know why I went with the full name here). 

10. Santino Marella

Yeah, it may be a bit of a stretch putting this guy on the list, but honestly, he's unlike anybody else on any of the three brands (wow, remember when there were three brands?). I daresay that his comedic timing is unmatched, and his broken English routine gets me laughing each and every time. He's also one of the few heels who is willing to make a complete ass of himself, and really never, EVER gets the upper hand in any situation. When he loses, it's usually within minutes. When he wins, it's through VERY dastardly conditions, and he still usually ends up getting his ass kicked afterwards. The fact that they've given him the #2 title on Raw -- their flagship program -- despite the fact that he's portrayed as such a loser is a testament to his abilities. His latest shenanigans with Beth Phoenix has reinvigorated both characters. He's truly one of the main reasons to watch Raw.

Oh, and the Honk-A-Meter is pure comedy gold. Nuff said. (I wouldn't put Santino on the list today, and it's not because he's been out for a significant amount of time, either.  I understand why he turned face, but in the long run I don't think it was a wise decision.  His comedy was far better when the fans wanted to see him get his ass kicked.  And the decision to briefly make him an inspirational hero was, well, questionable).

9. JBL

Yeah, this guy barely made the list. Nevertheless, I think he deserves this spot. Unlike virtually everybody else on this list, JBL won't receive a long winded explanation as to why I included him. The fact is, JBL serves a very crucial role in the company, that of a team player. He's absolutely phenomenal on the mic, and he's adequate -- if a bit rough around the edges -- in the ring. At this point in his career, he's a believable champion, so he's always an option should they decide to give him the strap. But more than anything else, he's pretty much the ONLY person on the Raw roster that has helped establish CM Punk as a credible champion.

Think of it this way: Jericho is on such a roll that losing could slow him momentum (that sentence sounds strange now). Kane is supposed to be a monster, so getting pinned could potentially hurt his character. Randy Orton, in general, needs to continuously win in order to remain credible (I regret saying that). It sounds harsh, but I'm actually paying him a compliment: JBL is the top heel that can be repeatedly beaten but still remain at the top. To me, that's an asset. (He did prove to be a great asset and I stand by his placement on the list.  If he were still in that exact spot on today's roster, he'd probably still fill at least the #9 spot.  He might even rank higher).

8. The Undertaker

The Undertaker is truly a marvel. Somehow, some way, he's gotten better with age (and while he only wrestles a handful or less times a year, I'd argue that might still be true). And not just a little better, either. I remember when I was younger and I'd watch his various encounters against big (Kamala, Yokozuna, Giant Gonzales, etc) and small (ummmm, Jake the Snake and Superfly Jimmy Snuka?) competitors, and his matches would always be slow and plodding. Admittedly, you're not watching Rey Mysterio when you see Undertaker in the ring now, but the pacing and psychology of his matches have changed astronomically. Somewhere along the way, seeing an Undertaker match on the card guaranteed at least one good, solid match. Not bad for a guy who's in his mid-40's. It still impresses me whenever he whips out that plancha over the top rope. (I'm not sure he's still capable of doing that move, understandably).

I'm sure people will credit Undertaker's opponents for the vast improvement in his matches, but I'm not sure that's entirely fair. I mean, this guy had some really good to great matches with Batista. While Batista is certainly competent in the ring, I wouldn't put his abilities any higher than the Dead Man's. Hell, he's gotten some surprisingly passable matches out of Mark Henry. Combined with his great matches with Edge, and the Undertaker has been a stellar performer for the past few years. It's just too bad that they won't grant him a lengthy title reign and let him spread his wings with who he feuds with.

On top of that, he's majorly over. And they've handled his role as a "special attraction" exceptionally well. Virtually every encounter he's attached to has a "big match" feel. (I wouldn't rank the Undertaker at #8 today, but I would probably put him at #10.  Yes, he only appears once a year, but he still plays a really important role in the company).

7. John Morrison & The Miz

It's incredible. These two were seemingly put together by accident -- and, once again I assume, their pairing was supposed to be temporary -- yet they managed to find the proper chemistry to become the best tag team we've seen not only in the ring, but behind the mic, in quite some time. Their in-ring work is exemplary, as they're one of the few teams that actually utilize tag team maneuvers. (I would have loved to see them compete against our current crop of teams -- Team Hell No, Rhodes Scholars, Usos, Shield, etc.)

This team has also been mutually beneficial for both competitors. Before they began teaming, The Miz was nothing more than a comic foil, of sorts. He'd appear, say something obnoxious, and then some face would beat the snot out of him. Yes, they were beginning to make him a little tougher when he initially moved to ECW, but he still hadn't found his niche. I daresay that had he never been paired with Morrison, few people would consider The Miz a threat in the ring. Meanwhile, Morrison was being removed from the ECW Championship picture, and without a secondary title -- or a vast roster of credible faces -- the former Johnny Nitro could have easily wandered around aimlessly.

Instead, they won the tag team championship -- which was really more about the MVP/Matt Hardy storyline than anything else -- and went on to carry the titles for longer than anybody else in recent history. They'd defend the championship virtually every week, oftentimes appeared on both ECW and Smackdown, exhibiting their unique styles while putting on some damn fine matches.

And, of course, there's The Dirt Sheet. Not only is this without a doubt the finest program WWE.com has ever broadcast, but it's actually one of the funniest shows I've seen, period. These two have great on-air chemistry, that's undeniable. In my opinion, these two are THE reason to watch ECW (especially after CM Punk was removed from the show), and to trade them to another program would be a huge hindrance to the Land of the Extreme. And while Morrison has a huge upside, I think these two are far better together than they are apart. As such, I hope they resist the temptation to split them up. (Ultimately, they were wise to separate these two as they went as far as they could as a team.  And they did both find great success as singles competitors.  Unfortunately, they also found a lot of failure, with both going through lengthy and humiliating losing streaks.  At their peaks, Miz probably would have found himself in the top 4 or 5 on this list, and Morrison probably in the top 5 or 6.  Right now, honestly, Miz would probably rank in around the same place -- if that.  I think WWE missed the boat with Morrison and I think they're misusing Miz.  Both have shown they have a lot to give -- WWE would be wise to let them do what they do best).

Click here for The Dirt Sheet episodes (really, you should watch...) (Obviously, the link doesn't work anymore.  Zack Ryder takes a lot of credit for WWE's success with their YouTube web shows, but I think the Dirt Sheet really paved the way for these shows).

6. CM Punk

This guy is money. For the life of me, I don't know why they're so reluctant to get behind him fully, because this guy can easily hold his own as the champion of the flagship program (I probably could've written this exact sentence a year ago). He's versatile: exciting in the ring and more than competent on the mic (wow, remember when Punk was just "more than competent"?). While he's not Jericho, Edge, Shawn Michaels, or JBL when it comes to mic skills, he's solid (again -- wow). He speaks with confidence, and he never comes off like he's reciting memorized lines. On top of that, he appears very natural -- he doesn't act like he's playing a character (unlike, say, Randy Orton). This makes him somebody your audience can relate to, and, as such, an easy person to rally behind. (Obviously, Punk would make a huge jump in this list today.  Actually, all things considered, I'd probably put him at #1).

While he's toned down his ring style, he still provides us with something different. While Triple H, Randy Orton, Batista, John Cena, The Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, Chris Jericho, and Edge all fight the same style -- to varying degrees, of course -- CM Punk's knees and kicks is a refreshing change, reminiscent of RVD (still true to this day).

I do hope that they don't pull the plug on his title reign this Sunday. While it hasn't been ideal, seeing him with the belt over his should on Raw has been a breath of fresh air. Basically, since the creation of two distinct World titles, the Raw title scene has been dominated by Triple H and Cena, with brief detours with Randy Orton and Edge. In a perfect world, CM Punk will retain Sunday and eventually drop the gold to Jericho, perhaps at Survivor Series. (in an extremely strange turn of events, Punk did lose the title that coming Sunday.  To.....CHRIS JERICHO!  Who wasn't even scheduled to be in the match)

5. MVP

While I will attest to the fact that Edge IS Smackdown, MVP's contribution to the blue show should not be overlooked. Indeed, it was MVP who kept the entire midcard division alive. His feuds with you-know-who and Matt Hardy were long-lasting and surprisingly complex. I loved how he repeatedly came up short against Benoit, only to defeat him in two straight falls in a 2/3 falls match, leading some to believe that he didn't continually lose because he wasn't as good. Instead, he was simply studying his opponent to best determine how to beat him (I still love that booking.  I actually wish they would use it again). He went on to hold the United States Championship for nearly a year, having a memorable feud -- and brief alliance -- with Matt Hardy. Actually, I think the nuances of their tag team title reign went unnoticed by the announcers. Early on, if you recall, MVP would grab both titles and act as if he was the sole champion. However, through time, the two actually started working well together. In fact, there were instances in which MVP would actually come to Hardy's rescue. During this period, MVP would actually hand Matt Hardy one of the titles at the conclusion of the match. I thought that was a great, subtle action -- so subtle that the announcers seemingly ignored it. But, of course, all the while, people were left wondering: Is he just befriending Matt Hardy to protect his United States Championship? (They essentially redid this booking with Daniel Bryan and Kane, to awesome results!)

Unfortunately, MVP's greatest feud was cut short due to Matt Hardy nearly dying a few times in succession. But nevertheless, he's persevered as one of the true highlights of Smackdown, which says a lot considering that he was brought in with much fanfare, only to disappoint most people. He's pulled a complete 180, and I can easily see him capturing the WWE Championship within the next year or so. He's teased a face turn and possible feud with Vickie Guerrero and La Familia, showing that he's able to play both roles. (This proved to be the peak for MVP.  I dug him during this time, and even enjoyed the roundabout way they turned him face.  I think he could have found more success, but it became obvious that he was only as interesting as the company made him.  While somebody like Daniel Bryan could make lemonade out of lemons, MVP failed to be engaging when he was thrown into random tag teams and midcard face feuds).

4. John Cena

I have absolutely no problem whatsoever admitting that I'm a John Cena fan. Ever since his uprising on Smackdown as a freestyling bad ass, I knew he was going to be the next big thing. Yes, his character was neutered -- terribly so -- but nevertheless, I still find him entertaining behind the mic and in the ring. No, he's not the best wrestler in the world, but he's one of the VERY few top guys who actively tries to improve his game (compare him to The Rock, who greatly diminished his moveset once he realized a catch phrase is all he needs to be over).

And honestly, how can you not consider this guy one of the most valuable assets WWE currently has? He's exceptionally well spoken (which helped them a lot during the Chris Benoit backlash), he appears to be very likable and genuine, and he works his ass off to keep WWE in the public's eye. Under the WWE banner, he's released a CD and he's starred in a movie. He also appears at virtually every WWE oriented press conference or event, no matter how big or small. More than anybody else, this man is THE face of World Wrestling Entertainment. (I'd rank him higher now.  If I put Punk at #1, I'd probably put Cena at #2.  I'd MAYBE put him at #3, but definitely no lower.  This guy is a company's dream).

Cena will be out of action for the next four months or so due to a broken neck. Upon his return, I don't think WWE should waste any time making him their top star again. The guy returned to a HUGE ovation at Royal Rumble 2008 (January). While he did win the big event, he went on to lose every other major match until his injury at SummerSlam (August). That's eight solid months of doing the J-O-B, and I still fail to see who it benefited, exactly. (Could you imagine Cena doing 8 months of legitimate jobbing now?)

3. Chris Jericho

For a while, I felt bad for Chris Jericho. He disappears for two years and gets people salivating for his return after the release of his extraordinary autobiography. He finally makes a really thrilling return -- after a great deal of hype using viral marketing -- only to be used as a stepping stone to add credibility to Randy Orton's WWE Championship reign. Then he gets thrown into a pretty lackluster feud with a returning JBL. Then he gets saddled with the Intercontinental Championship (yep, I'm sure THAT'S what he envisioned when he imagined his long-awaited return). What's worse is that during this Intercontinental title reign, he was left off of a Pay-Per-View or two.

Meanwhile, guys he was more or less on par with when he left, like Edge and Randy Orton, are receiving main event pushes and are defending World Championships at WrestleMania. Most people were saying, "you returned for THIS???" (that sentence would probably be said about Jericho's 2013 return)

Then came along the Shawn Michaels/Batista feud. Batista, who considered Ric Flair his mentor and friend, was more than a little sour about the fact that Shawn Michaels had retired the wrestling legend. And these two, despite both being babyfaces, managed to carry on a very complex and entertaining feud. Chris Jericho just added icing onto the cake.

And despite his admirable efforts, Batista just couldn't hang with Michaels and Jericho. As such, it wasn't long before these two were the ones feuding with each other. And Jericho's progression during this period was amazing. He started off as a simple pot stirrer. Then he was simply calling things the way he saw it. Yeah, he was accusing Shawn Michaels of faking his knee injury, but he wasn't really doing it in any particular heelish way. Then he was briefly apologetic, when he came to the realization that Michaels might actually be hurt. When he found out that wasn't the case, Jericho became increasingly bitter. And, again, his development was absolutely brilliant. (Re-reading this now, that was a truly epic, awesome feud)

The past few months have shown us one thing: While Jericho has always been great (perhaps even one of the best), he's just SO MUCH better now. For one reason or another, he was never able to escape that sarcastic, snarky, colorful character. And most would argue that that's why he was never considered a legitimate main eventer to the powers that be. Well, I've say he's shaken that character, exchanging his flamboyant, sparkly shirts with designer suits, his smirk with a frown, and his tights with short trunks.

And whether it's been the acting experience he acquired during his absence or the overall storytelling ability he picked up while writing his book, Jericho's promos have been arguably incomparable (probably a combination of both). He's actually quite reminiscent of Jake "The Snake" Roberts, who used to speak in a whisper in order to make everybody truly pay attention to what he's saying.

One thing I've admired about Chris Jericho is his willingness to give up aspects of his character that will garner an easy reaction, if it means his character will be developed (a la Triple H ditching the DX stuff in the late 90's). He ditched the Highlight Reel, all of his catchphrases, and even the highly marketable Y2J nickname. (Compare the success Jericho found giving up all of his "crutches" to Zack Ryder, who gave up his show, his sunglasses, his hair style, his attire, and his headband to absolutely no results whatsoever.  Jericho understood that you not only have to give up these things, but you need to find something different and better.  Ryder hasn't understood that second part yet)

If WWE has any sense, they'll make Chris Jericho the #1 heel on Raw. He brings FAR more to the table than Randy Orton ever will. Ideally, CM Punk will retain his title at Unforgiven, only to drop it to Jericho at the next Pay-Per-View or even Survivor Series. (Again, I was pretty on the mark here.  WWE DID recognize Jericho's awesomeness by awarding him the World Championship just three days after I posted this.  He would go on to have championship feuds with Michaels, Cena, and Batista.  Not too shabby.  Jericho would still make the list today, but following his frequent absences and the fact that each return is just a little less thrilling than the one before, I probably wouldn't put him in my top five, to be honest).

2. Shawn Michaels

Yeah, I know that a few weeks I said that Shawn Michaels is the best -- even better than Edge -- that WWE has right now. So why am I ranking Shawn as #2, and Edge as #1 on this list (SPOILER ALERT!)? It's an important distinction: Without a doubt, Shawn Michaels is the best thing happening on Raw. On the other hand, Edge IS Smackdown. I'll discuss that more when I talk about the Rated R Superstar himself.

While Shawn Michaels' tremendous mic skills is pretty much undeniable, one thing that separates him from the other great talkers is his natural behavior in the ring. I'll never forget one time when he was on Carlito's Cabana, and during a down period, he seated himself on one of the lounge chairs and started drinking from one of the pineapples. How many people would have thought to do that? The only person I can think of off the top of my head is Eddie Guerrero (today, probably only Punk would think of this.  Maybe Daniel Bryan.  And PERHAPS John Cena). Regardless, Michaels just has an innate ring presence that is unmatched by anybody else in the company.  (Of course, Michaels wouldn't make the list today, but it's worth noting that the company STILL relies on him to add intrigue and emotion to their big time feuds.  They've done this the past few years with Triple H, actually.  He's continuing to manipulate the fans with his influence, even though he's rarely on the show anymore).

And, of course, there's his in-ring abilities. Much like the Undertaker, Shawn Michaels has gotten better with age. Perhaps it's because he wrestles "smarter," due in large part to his age and the numerous, career threatening injuries he's sustained. His psychological battle with Randy Orton last year, where Michaels was unable to use the Superkick, shows how versatile the Heartbreak Kid can be. That being said, he's not afraid to whip out his arsenal of high flying maneuvers. However, he's smart enough to reserve those moments for special occasions.

It should also be noted that more than anybody else, Shawn Michaels has the fans eating out of the palm of his hands. How many other babyfaces -- relatively virtuous ones, at that -- can get away with faking a knee injury in order to defeat two other faces, offering no explanation other than "I'm Shawn Michaels...." and still have the fans loving him more than ever? (That was a pretty epic moment)

1. Edge

Yeah, I'm biased. But still, how could you deny that this man has been the absolute MVP of WWE? In my opinion, the Rated R Superstar rescued Smackdown from that dreadful "B-Show" label. Once he moved over to the blue show, he became the absolute center of attention. It was either about his war with Batista, or his war with The Undertaker, or his war with both. After that, it was about his romance with General Manager Vickie Guerrero. Even when the almighty Triple H was traded to the show -- with his WWE Championship -- Edge was still the star. Hell, for a short time he was arguably the top heel on ECW, too. (Edge saved Smackdown from the "B Show" label on more than one occasion.  When they tried to move him back to Raw, the results were pretty lackluster.  He moved back to Smackdown, now as a face, and found some of his best success.  Frankly, Smackdown never recovered from Edge retiring.  It was immediately following his retirement that the World Heavyweight Championship was relegated to opening matches at PPV and stopped even appearing in the opening videos.  I honestly believe Smackdown and certainly the World Heavyweight Championship would be in a far better position today if Edge were still around).

And lets not forget about that romance with Vickie Guerrero. When the angle was first proposed, people were disgusted with the idea of Edge -- the man who had REALLY slept with his best friend's long-time girlfriend -- making out with the beloved Eddie Guerrero's widow (Strange seeing Vickie referred to as a "beloved widow"). Yet, they somehow both excelled to such a degree that fans couldn't help but get lost in the angle.

I'm really intrigued by the idea of Edge returning as a face. If there's one thing that's hindered him, it's the lack of variety of opponents. Since moving to Smackdown, he really hasn't feuded with anybody other than Batista and Undertaker. While the blue show is definitely face-heavy, Edge returning as a heel will definitely have that "same old, same old" feeling to it. I'm more interested in seeing him actually TEAMING with Undertaker to take down La Familia. From there, why not move on to a feud with the up and rising MVP (tension was teased between these two a few weeks ago)?

Back when Smackdown was created, it was dubbed "The Rock's Show," due to the program bearing the name of the Great One's catchphrase. Well, in 2008, people can't argue that it's Edge's Show now. (Look how much things have changed, with Superstars being so closely associated with one of the brands.  Most people probably don't even know which brand a particular Superstar "officially" belongs to these days.  Real quick:  Which roster is Big Show on?  How about the Prime Time Players?  Antonio Cesaro?  The Usos?)

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Trending Topics: The Vampire Diaries Season 5 Preview! - [a case of the summer]

So I just came across this preview for next season of The Vampire Diaries, and I have to admit that it looks pretty bad ass!  First off, it's a really cool history lesson on the relationships Elena shared with each Salvatore brother.  While Elena started the season off with Stefan, it still feels like so long ago that they were actually together.  It was really nice taking a look back at how they originally got together and all they had been through.  Likewise, the series didn't shy away from Damon's darker past, which, as a result, allowed us to appreciate how far he's come.  The preview culminated with a brief explanation of the Silas story, and then finally gave us some original footage of Stefan seemingly compelling the citizens of Mystic Falls.  Very chilling and extremely cool!  Check it out:



On a semi-related note, I'm thinking of giving up on True Blood.  I've missed the past two episodes and it really feels like a bother to even catch up on them.  I'm not particularly upset that I've missed them, either.  I've caught the first couple episodes of this season, but does it seem like it's worth continuing with?

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Summer of Excitement: 40 years in the making! - [a case of the summer]

This week's Summer of Excitement event is the culmination of several months of planning.  And a celebration of a 40 year marriage.  In August, my parents will be married for 40 years, and to ring in the occasion, my siblings (and their spouses) and I threw them a surprise party this Saturday night.

Like I said, this was several months in the making.  And since I even work with my dad, it was extremely hard not to slip and say something.  The planning of this goes back to April or so, so that's a long time to keep things hidden and to sneak around for meetings with the siblings.  It was a lot of work, but thankfully everything went pretty much according to plan.

We had initially "stolen" my parents' address book, which was of course out of date, to get names and potential addresses of the people we wanted to invite.  We talked to my aunts and uncles to see who else my parents might want to be there.  And then we did some internet searches to make sure we had the right addresses.  My parents were away on vacation with my aunt the week before the party, which was a huge blessing because it gave us the opportunity to take care of a lot of things without worrying about them finding anything.  They got back the day of the party.

My parents believed they were going to a friend of my brother and sister-in-law's engagement party.  That was the excuse to get them to the restaurant.  I was convinced that they had no idea what was coming, but my uncle and sister-in-law, in particular, voiced their doubts and suspected they might know.  However, when they walked into the room and we all yelled "SURPRISE!" you could tell they had no idea.  They verified that when we asked later on.  They were truly, truly shocked.

It was really exciting, too.  My mom's close friends, who live in Florida, flew in for the occasion (which was a GREAT surprise for them).  And it was great for everybody to get together and catch up.  There were many instances in which people had heard of each other, but never actually met.  It was a rare opportunity for everybody to come together.

The overall atmosphere was great, too.  There were two TV's in the room, so we had a slideshow of new and old photos playing on both (which was a hit).  We also had some really nice flowers and candles at each table, and the napkins were embossed with a "B."  Then we had their wedding photo printed on a foam poster, which everybody signed with some well wishes.

That isn't to say we didn't hit some minor hurdles.  We had some last minute cancellations, we almost didn't get one of the TV's hooked up to our computer so that we could show a slideshow, the salad was served AFTER the main course, and the silver marker I got for people to sign a poster with my parents' wedding photo didn't show just as clearly as I had hoped.  But all things considered, it was a near perfect night!

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The Walking Dead Season 4 Trailer

How incredibly epic does this upcoming season look? I don't want summer to end, but I cannot wait until October!



On a related note, I saw that the guys from The Walking Dead are on the cover of this week's Entertainment Weekly.  I've been eagerly awaiting my edition to arrive in the mail, and it finally did today!  I opened up the magazine and immediately went to the article and what's the first thing I see?  A spoiler warning!  So I didn't even get to enjoy the article, because I was scared I'd read something I don't want to know (and I want to go in completely spoiler-free)!

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Throwback Thursday: Vintage photo - [a case of the summer]

I know, I know, I missed ANOTHER Throwback Thursday.  Let's just pretend this was posted yesterday.  Or we'll call it "Flashback Friday."  Either or.

Anyway, this has been a CRAZY week (and I'll get into why in my Summer of Excitement post), so I don't really have time to give my recent thoughts to an old post.  So, in return, here's a fun photo of myself as a toddler.  Enjoy!

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Trending Topics: College Humor attacks The Dark Knight Rises - [a case of the summer]

In the wee hours of Thursday morning (which REALLY felt like late Wednesday night) before we headed out on our six hour drive to the Adirondacks, my brother-in-law's brother showed me this hilarious The Dark Knight Rises parody video produced by the fine people at College Humor.  As a result of this video, we had SEVERAL running jokes throughout the long weekend, like Batman constantly turning to Bane for approval over what he was saying.  Not to mention great lines like "....in an order that would surprise you," "I stabbed you first," "which one of these tubes do you smell out of?" and "I am the world's greatest detective!"  And I absolutely loved the fact that the actor portraying Batman maintained the gravely Batman voice as he said these over-the-top, massively obscene things.

The quality is actually quite top notch.  Everything from the costume to the set to the video production feels really authentic.  Just two warnings:  This does give away a fairly major plot point from the movie, so if you haven't seen it yet, this does contain spoilers!  Also, this is most certainly NSFW.  So watch at your own discretion.  Enjoy!

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LIVE Raw thoughts - July 15, 2013

11:09 - I have to hand it to WWE, they were pretty smart about how they handled that.  They kept Daniel Bryan off television all night, so the fans were truly hankering to see him.  And they kept CM Punk off of the stage, as he was the guy most likely to compete with Bryan's popularity.  It really went as well as they could have hoped.  Now I just beg for them not to overthink things.  Avoid an official heel turn and any involvement with the Bellas.

I do have to wonder, though, how Zack Ryder feels.  His supposed storyline best friend, John Cena, didn't even ask the fans if they wanted to see him get a shot.  And worse off, the fans didn't even fight for it.

11:00 - How sweet of Chris Jericho and Ryback to comfortably stand next to each other just one night after a fierce fight against each other.

10:54 - Really fun and competitive match.  Great stuff.

10:41 - Considering all of the major things that WWE ignores, I find it funny/strange that they continue to mention RVD's relationship with the King during the original ECW Raw invasion.

10:25 - Am I hearing Triple H and Stephanie telling Brad Maddox that he should have asked Vince McMahon permission to make the decision to allow others to decide something for themselves?  I hate this McMahon drama.

10:15 - Really fun segment.  Nothing earth shattering as far as heel motivations or babyface threats, but the execution was phenomenal.  I especially enjoyed the brawl between Punk and Lesnar.  Punk looked like a scrappy fighter who wasn't out of his league, yet Brock still managed to look like a dominant beast.  I don't think Lesnar should have plowed through the entire roster like some others have suggested, but I do have to admit that his less than stellar win/loss record is sorta impacting the epic-ness of this match.

10:01 - Curious decision to take away the element of surprise for one of Brock's rare appearances (assuming he is actually there).

9:50 - I cannot tell you how much I am NOT looking forward to Total Divas.

9:41 - Pet peeve:  When faces get a sneaky win and immediately roll out of the ring.  It makes them look cowardly.  LOVED Cody's surprise attack.  And the fact that the fans chanted his name.

9:37 - I think we're all happy to see that Christian won't miss 6 months of action due to his chipped tooth.

9:30 - Glad that the Usos aren't going into obscurity, but I would've preferred to see Swagger eat the pin there.

9:18 - Great touch having Bray Wyatt kiss R-Truth before hitting his finisher.

9:13 - I love Bray Wyatt's theme music.

9:03 - Fun match but everybody looked like an idiot with that ending.  Why would the ref be THAT distracted by the fact that the bell rang?  And -- again, like last night -- why was Dolph THAT bothered by AJ's presence?

8:48 - There is little I hate more than when the extremely wealthy Mexican aristocrat Alberto Del Rio wears a cheap WWE Authentic t-shirt for his entrance.  Terrible.

Bonus points to Dolph Ziggler, though, for wearing YET ANOTHER specialty t-shirt.

8:42 - By the way, I'm going to have to agree with Lance Storm's tweet:  Ziggler probably shouldn't have broken up with AJ until AFTER his match with Alberto Del Rio.  He has nobody to blame but himself if she screws him again.

8:40 - I'll be honest, following the rumors that the Shield are in the dog house, I was a little concerned that they'd have Mark Henry overcome them single handedly.  I'm glad that didn't happen.  Interested what this means, though.

8:31 - Like I said last night, I wish they had drawn out the break up between AJ Lee and Dolph Ziggler further.  I agree that it was right to have Dolph dump her (opposed to revealing that she was having an affair with Langston), but right now he kinda comes across as a jerk.  There's no reason to believe that AJ purposely screwed him out of the title.  She just made an error in judgment, and arguably was looking out for his best interests.  And after one time, he dumps her?  When things, seemingly, were going fine otherwise?

8:12 - Acceptable opening segment.  While it didn't set the world on fire, it did set things up properly for the rest of the night and the overall build to SummerSlam.  However, I'm hoping the rumors aren't true about the Bellas getting involved in the possible Cena/Daniel Bryan match.  Why overly complicate things?  Isn't Daniel Bryan's obsessive desire to prove that he's the best a good enough reason for him to want to compete against the WWE Champion?  The dude wants the top prize.  The story is already written.

7:57 - We're just a few minutes away from Raw and I'm hoping for a good show.  Money in the Bank is one of my favorite shows because, in my view, there's a new level of excitement that exists following the event.  Will the new briefcase holders cash in?  And what impact will this have on their characters?  In the past, we've seen it result in heel turns (CM Punk, Daniel Bryan).  I'm eager to see what will happen next.

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LIVE Money in the Bank thoughts - July 14, 2013

10:49 - Well as I said, Randy Orton needed this victory more than anybody in the match.  That isn't to say he was the best person to win, though.  Having said that, I don't really have any issue with it.  If nothing else, the match told a series of really great stories.  Heyman finally turned on Punk and Bryan continued his journey to becoming a huge star.

10:24 - I liked the beginning, with everybody teaming up against one person in order to eliminate them, before dissecting into two different pairings.

10:21 - I'm highly disappointed.  It doesn't appear that ANYBODY in this main event is wearing new gear tonight.  And Punk still has that weird Wolverine sideburns thing going on.

10:15 - This is likely the toughest match to predict.  Do they go with the "sentimental" favorite in RVD?  The guy who has the most momentum in Daniel Bryan?  Or the guy who is most in need of a boost in Randy Orton?  I'm going to go with Bryan.

10:08 - Not surprised to see Cena win here.  I AM a bit surprised that we saw some edge to him tonight by not releasing the STF right away and shoving the ref when he was getting yelled at.  I'm always for adding a little edge to his character.

9:59 - By the way, Cena wins this.  A heel has won every single match so far.  No way Cena doesn't retain.

9:47 - Don't get me wrong....I LOVE the idea of a match that CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, and Christian are in closing the show over John Cena, but I have the same complaint as I did last year:  Having the ladder match AFTER the title match kills the suspense of seeing a potential cash in.  From a story telling perspective, it makes no sense.

9:45 - Wow.....a non-Rock, non-Brock match is closing over John Cena tonight!

9:41 - Sensible ending.  World Championship stays on Del Rio, but Ziggler had victory in his grasp.  I understand the need to break up Ziggler and AJ, since one is a face and the other is a heel, but I think it would have been wiser to just have AJ come out with Ziggler like normal and done the same ending.  That way, you have the motive for a break up without Ziggler looking jerky when she comes out.

9:38 - I don't really get Ziggler's reaction here.  Yes, her music playing was a bit distracting, but otherwise AJ didn't do anything wrong.  Ziggler turning to AJ and demanding she leave did more to distract him than anything she did.

9:34 - Who would have guessed that Ziggler would be THIS great a fit as a babyface?

9:23 - I like when Dolph has specialty shirts made in colors different than the ones sold on WWEShop.com.  Like when he had a pink shirt made, when the official shirt was black.

9:20 - I'm guessing we see three babyface wins for the final three matches.  Ziggler wins, but I haven't decided yet if he actually wins the title.

9:17 - Unlike most of the prior matches, where I said "the right person won," for this match I would say "the person who needed the win more won."

9:14 - Then again, every single match thus far has seen a heel win.  Would they do that AGAIN?  I just don't see Ryback losing another match.

9:03 - Tough to predict who will win Jericho vs. Ryback because both lose virtually all of their big PPV matches.  Theoretically, they both need a win.  I guess I am going with Ryback, since he's not yet established and thus would be hurt more by another loss.

8:59 - YAYYYY!  Another clean win for the right person!  With all of these clean heel wins and retained titles, I'm thinking there's a good chance that Ziggler wins the World Heavyweight Championship tonight.

8:50 - AJ Lee BETTER win this one!!  I won't even bet against her.

8:48 - Thrilled to see Curtis Axel win this match clean.  But, again, why not let him just use the Perfect Plex as a finisher?

8:45 - I really wish they didn't have people constantly kicking out of the Perfect Plex.  It's an immediately legitimate finisher.  Why waste that?

8:36 - Odd segment.  Like the all heel Money in the Bank match, who were we supposed to root for there?  Brad Maddox was making fun of Vickie, or Vickie for being made fun of?  By the way, new gear for the Miz!

8:29 - A lot of people on Twitter are calling this Cody's coming out party.  I certainly hope that's true.  Rhodes has done an awesome job with three very distinct characters.  It's incredibly unfortunate that he's been so much of an afterthought this year.

8:26 - Let's get all of that blood off of you before we sell that heartbreaking betrayal!

8:24 - New prediction:  Sandow costs Cody the match and wins it.

8:23 - I'm glad the Shield came out, because I kept asking myself why they wouldn't just come in and do that.

8:20 - Really, REALLY fun match so far.  But what does Swagger benefit from helping Cesaro win the briefcase?

8:10 - None of these heels are particularly likable or sympathetic, so I'm wondering who the fans will pull for.  Philly is a smart crowd, so Ambrose seems like a likely person.  Kinda surprised to hear "We the People" chants, though.

8:05 - This is a tough match to predict because the direction of all of the competitors and the title they're competing for are so inconsistent.  I'd love to see Cody Rhodes win, and if not him, Antonio Cesaro.  However, smart money is on Dean Ambrose or quite possibly Damien Sandow or Fandango.  I don't think Swagger or Barrett have a shot.  My official pick is Ambrose.

8:03 - Considering how blatantly the World Heavyweight Championship match AND that title's Money in the Bank match is completely glossed over, what's the purpose of even keeping it around?  Why not just unify the titles?

8:02 - I really wish CM Punk would just grow back his full beard.

7:58 - Not surprisingly, the Smackdown Money in the Bank Ladder Match is kicking off the show.  If that's not enough of a slap in the face, some (all?) of the entrances won't even take place on the PPV.

7:54 - Worth noting that I really like the new format of WWE's PPV pre-shows.  It's been said by others but I agree -- why not use a portion of the three hours of Raw for this panel-style discussion?  I understand the resistance to do it for the entire first hour, because people might write it off.  But why not devote 8:45 to 9:30 or something an intermission?  It'll at least break things up and give people a rest (although I understand why that would be rough for the live audience).

7:50 - Really great, fun opening match.  The right team won -- and cleanly, thankfully -- but I'm glad the Usos got a little big show exposure.  Hopefully they don't fade into oblivion, as they had some creative spots throughout the mach.  Cool that these two teams got a "This is awesome" chant as well.

7:43 - Odd that the Shield are on the babyface corner of the ring.

7:38 - Kinda lame that the pre-show has commercials.  It also just occurred to me that John Cena -- after getting "fired" by Wade Barrett -- said he looked forward to spending time with his family.  Then proceeded to appear on Raw as usual.  How is that much different than what Mark Henry did?

7:37 - Catching the pre-show right now with the Usos against the Shield.  I'm guessing the Shield takes the win here.  As they should.

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Summer of Excitement: Back to the Adirondacks! - [a case of the summer]

I'm rather exhausted right now, so I apologize if this is brief (although it never is with me).  I also apologize for not posting a Throwback Thursday this past week, but it's because I was on my Summer of Excitement adventure!  Similar to how this year and last year's Summer of Excitement series began with a wedding, I'm lifting from last year and once again using my family camping in the Adirondacks as this week's feature (photos will be added when I get around to putting them on my computer.  I'm beat).

While last year was the 10 year anniversary of our first trip, this year was the 10th time we've been there (we missed a year).  And after last year was one of the smallest groups we've ever had attend (four people and one dog), this year was one of the largest (six people and one dog).  After a multi-year sabbatical, my brother-in-law's brother Chris returned to the island, and their neighborhood friend Steven joined us for the first time.  Having these extra people there helped make it an even greater time.  It also meant that Chris and I did daily beer shotguns.  So there's that.

It was a great, long weekend.  We arrived early Thursday afternoon (it's about a six hour drive) and we left Sunday morning (in what ends up being a longer than six hour drive).  The weather was perfect, which is very fortunate.  Apparently there was a hellacious storm the night before, and based on the excitement of the meteorologists on the radio over how great the forecast would be this weekend, you could tell it's been a REALLY rough season.

Of course, the weekend wasn't without drama and excitement.  Like I explained last year, grabbing the island that we always stay at is pure luck.  The beauty of it is that it's large enough that you have an entire island to spread out your things, but it's small enough that only one group could stay there.  It's a gift and a curse.  There are no reservations, of course, so you just have to paddle there and hope you get it (that also means you have to exhaust yourself by paddling all the way over there despite the fact that it might already be occupied).  So we sent one car ahead to get to the launch point early and we sent Chris in a kayak with a tent and chair.  He gets there and it's available.  So he sets up the one chair and leaves the tent.  He returns and I make my way there.  As I'm heading there, I see two canoes stationed there and an entire family on the island.  I hate confrontation, so I'm just waiting on the water for somebody else to arrive to help me "fight" for the island we had already claimed.  Thankfully, they turned out to be really nice and they were just taking a break from their paddle.  But I was very nervous for a while there.

As always, it was a great time and it felt great to relax and get away from everything (including my phone and the temptation of the Internet).  I wish I could talk more about it, but I'm absolutely exhausted and I need to eat.  Anyway, check back later this evening for my Money in the Bank LIVE thoughts.

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Trending Topics: Spring Breakers movie review - [a case of the summer]

....Or, as I'd like to call it, quite possibly the worst movie in the history of cinema.

Yeah, so earlier tonight I decided to order Spring Breakers.  I know, I know, but I have a mini crush on Selena Gomez AND Vanessa Hudgens, and hey, Ashley Benson isn't hard on the eyes either.  But it VERY quickly became a huge ordeal.  I struggled.  A lot.  And I watch A LOT of bad movies.

I'm not even going to do a spoiler page break, because frankly I don't even know what the story was.  This movie was literally devoid of a plot.  For some flimsy reason they desperately wanted to go on spring break and they went through completely inconceivable lengths to make it happen.  Were their actions supposed to be shocking?  Expected?  A sign of things to come?  I haven't a clue, because we had no understanding whatsoever about who these characters were.  So really it just came across as "Wait, did that just happen?  What, there are no repercussions?  And hold on, nobody seems to care or be disturbed about this?"

So then they go on spring break.  And what do they do?  I haven't the faintest clue, because we don't actually see them do ANYTHING.  And that was the even bigger problem with the movie -- we never, ever watch anything happen.  Practically every single scene in the movie is cut and spliced together.  Very rarely does the scene ever focus on somebody as they speak.  Instead, somebody starts talking and the narration plays over a series of rapid short scenes.  And then, for good measure, they repeat certain lines over and over again ("spring....break....forever....")  There's barely any dialogue between the characters.  Again, it's just a series of lines narrated over a series of short clips.

So, much like the beginning, there's no investment in the characters or their plight.  When they hit their first hurdle, am I supposed to be sad?  Do I want them to overcome it?  Am I supposed to think they got what they deserve?  Well, I don't even get a chance to contemplate these things, because it's quickly resolved after a series of quick clips!!

It's just one inexplicable thing after another, where the characters make decisions and take actions that you couldn't possibly fathom.  I visited IMDB because, for once, I DID want to read about the negativity.  Shockingly, there were people who tried to argue that this was actually some sort of social commentary.  What?  How so?  Honestly, I think it just existed so that we could see actresses who came from Disney saying extraordinarily inappropriate things.

But hey, I still have a crush on Selena and Vanessa.

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Summer of Excitement: Promotion, facing fears, and Sunday Funday - [a case of the summer]

So the purpose of the Summer of Excitement is to make sure I avoid taking the easy road and make sure I go out and find some excitement.  Hey, I'm 31 years old.  A lot of my friends are getting married, ARE married, or even have kids.  It's harder to find people to go out, and frankly after a long week it's awfully easy to just decide to stay in and watch some TV or a movie.  But you know what?  I'm not ready to give up on trying to have fun every weekend.  And that's why we have the Summer of Excitement.

Then again, it's still not entirely easy to follow through on that mission.  This week, for example, I had several friends go away.  And several others who didn't feel like doing anything.  So it wasn't an entirely exciting weekend, not necessarily by my own fault.  But it was a significant week nonetheless.  First and foremost, I got a promotion at work and it was my first official week in my new role (this was the purpose behind my "Countdown to July" graphic a couple of weeks back)!  I've been in the same workplace for the past five years and while my position hasn't been entirely defined, it wasn't exactly where I wanted to be.  Then a couple of months ago, one of the girls from my office (whose job was more in line with my interests) decided to leave and so I interviewed for her job.  It was a TOUGH and LONG process, but the ending was happy.  For the month of June I was essentially doing both jobs, but this week I finally got to (mostly) devote my time to my new position.  And it's going to be an exciting month, professionally speaking.  I'm going to have a lot of new responsibilities and there's definite room for growth.  Good stuff!

The Summer of Excitement isn't only about fun, though.  It's also about doing things that scare you.  And I tried to do that as well.  There was a personally troubling situation going on and while I was nervous to do so, I attempted to confront it.  The matter is not resolved -- and honestly, it probably didn't get better either -- but I did face it.  This will likely continue to be a challenge, but it's a challenge I'm set to face.

And don't worry folks.  While I'm being all vague above, I'm not dying or anything.

The week wasn't devoid of fun, though.  The greatest adventure came today, actually.  My niece was at my aunt's pool, so I decided to go there for a swim (and to finally solidify a nice summer tan!)  Since the day was so beautiful, the crowd kept growing and growing.  And by late afternoon, we had a floating table in the pool and we decided to play some beer pong.  My cousin and I dominated the table with 6 straight victories!  It was a really, really fun way to end a rather uneventful holiday weekend.

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Throwback Thursday: Should Cena be threatened by Orton? (9/29/10) - [a case of the summer]

In the second edition of Throwback Thursday, we take a look back at my blog post from September 29, 2010 (a day after my birthday!), where I discussed the rising popularity of Randy Orton and whether John Cena -- WWE's alpha dog -- should be threatened about losing his top spot.  Here's the original post:

http://acaseoftheblog.blogspot.com/2010/09/should-cena-be-threatened-by-orton.html

I will reproduce the story below, with my current comments in bold italics, inside parentheses.

Should Cena be threatened by Orton?

Since the build towards this past year’s WrestleMania, Randy Orton has undeniably exploded with popularity, which has left many wondering whether or not posterboy John Cena is still the undisputed “top face.” Some are even proposing that Cena should turn heel (and now, you have people making this plea every week). Not only do I think a heel turn is extreme, but I actually don’t think Cena even has to worry about losing his coveted “top spot.” (I, of course, ended up being right about this.  Strangely, though, it wasn't even Orton that ended up being the biggest threat -- it would be CM Punk a year or so later)

The fact of the matter is, there’s a reason why John Cena is at the top. His merchandising sales are a huge reason, but that’s not it (although I do think people underestimate how over this guy actually is – and not just with the little kiddies). The truth is that he’s extremely reliable and “safe.” He’s a public company’s dream employ…..independent contractor (comedy!). Aside from injuries to his pec and neck, each of which took him out for a few months, he hasn’t shown to be susceptible to injury (he has, of course, suffered a couple more injuries since then.  But none of these injuries kept him off the shelf for any significant amount of time). This is actually what sets him apart from virtually every other main event talent (aside from Chris Jericho). Superstars like Triple H, Edge, Randy Orton, The Undertaker, Batista, and even Rey Mysterio seem to have to take extended breaks due to injury every year or so (funny that I say "even Rey Mysterio" back then.  Now, he's almost ALWAYS on an extended break due to injury). But Cena, for the most part, has remained injury free. While Orton has been lucky the past couple of years, he has nagging shoulder problems that may make the company weary of hitching their horse to his wagon (as best as I can remember, he's continued to remain injury free since the original posting of this article).

While these standards might not be fair, Cena’s promotional work outside of the ring is incomparable. He’s constantly making signing appearances or attending charitable functions. He’s also represented the company on a number of non-wrestling television shows, such as various Kids and Teen Choice Awards, and Late Night programs (and since then, the poster boy for breast cancer awareness and Fruity Pebbles).

And this may be a personal bias, but I find John Cena far better on the mic and more interesting in the ring. As far as mic skills go, I find Orton boring and by-the-numbers, with little emotion or personality (still feel this way). And I don’t find him particularly sympathetic, which make the “face in peril” segment of his matches (which tends to be the most significant part) difficult to get into (also why Triple H, in my view, is an unsuccessful face) (for what it's worth, I feel like Orton has improved SIGNIFICANTLY in this regard). Sure, the reaction tends to be split, but the audience is ALWAYS lively during a John Cena match. I have witnessed quiet crowds while Orton is in the ring with the wrong opponent. And while many online fans are tired of this supposed “Super Cena,” I think there’s something to be said for one of the few genuine good guys (I’m talking character here) overcoming the odds and succeeding.

Perhaps the biggest difference between these two – and the strongest reason why Cena should feel secure in his spot – is their public image. Again, while Orton has seemingly behaved himself the past few years, he has had severe behavioral issues during his tenure with WWE. He also has at least one Wellness Policy violation against him (I believe he now has two). These issues have resulted in suspensions from the company and even trouble with the law. John Cena, meanwhile, was able to represent the company – quite eloquently and respectfully, I might add – during their greatest PR nightmare, when WWE contracted Superstar Chris Benoit murdered his wife and seven year old son before taking his own life. Cena came across as intelligent, level headed, and sensible – an image they desperately needed to portray given the circumstances. I honestly do not believe they would feel comfortable putting Randy Orton in that sort of position. Between their PG image, their business relationship with family-friendly Mattel, and Linda’s possible Senate seat election, I think the company feels much, much safer branding themselves with John Cena’s likeness (while Orton seems to have grown up a great deal over the past couple of years -- and has continued to stay out of trouble -- I do think the sentiment of this point still rings true.  Do I think Orton is going to trash hotels?  No.  Is he going to defecate in people's bags?  I certainly hope not.  But I still don't know if he's able to come across as positively as Cena typically does during difficult public relation situations).

Quite simply, John Cena is a safe, reliable, money making machine. And until that’s no longer true, he’ll ALWAYS be the #1 face in the company. Like him or not, from a business perspective, he’s a smart decision (who would have guessed that a couple years later, Orton would become a non-entity?  He now stands firmly behind CM Punk, and likely behind Sheamus and Daniel Bryan, and quite possibly behind Alberto Del Rio.  While I didn't see him overtaking Cena's place as #1, I definitely didn't see THAT coming).

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Trending Topics: The curious booking of the Money in the Bank ladder matches - [a case of the summer]

So this year's two Money of the Bank Ladder Matches are as follows:  For the WWE Championship contract, you have CM Punk vs. Daniel Bryan vs. Sheamus vs. Randy Orton vs. Christian vs. Kane vs. RVD.  For the World Heavyweight Championship contract, you have Dean Ambrose vs. Damien Sandow vs. Cody Rhodes vs. Jack Swagger vs. Antonio Cesaro vs. Wade Barrett vs. Fandango.

Right off the back, something jumps out about this.  Specifically, the VAST difference in the level of caliber and name power competing in the two matches.  In one match, you have (by my count), 23 collective World Championships reigns (and that DOESN'T count the ECW Championship).  Number of World Championship reigns for the other match?  A whopping goose ONE!  And that one is widely regarded as one of the most disappointing World title reigns of the modern era.

But at the very least, they made a story out of it.  Vickie Guerrero pulled a fast one and swooped up all of the top Superstars.  And the silver lining is that guys like Cody Rhodes and Antonio Cesaro -- who I have supported a lot this year -- are getting to participate in a semi high profile PPV match.

So once you get past that, you'll begin to notice something even more curious about the line ups.  And that's the unusual heel/face alignment.  Have you noticed that every single competitor in the WWE Championship Money in the Bank Ladder Match is a face?  And, even stranger, every single person in the World Heavyweight Championship Money in the Bank Ladder Match is a heel.  And the match with all the faces are competing for the title held by a face, while the match with all the heels are contending for the opportunity to face the heel champion.

The "All Star" match (see, not even they are mincing words here) is a little easier to follow from a fan's perspective.  First off, you have two guys who act heelish (Bryan and Orton), and a guy who does a magnificent job of changing his alignment based on his opponent (Kane).  And since they're all faces, chances are there will be a contingent of fans rooting for at least one competitor at any given time.

But the heel side?  None of these "bad guys" seem to be heading towards a face turn (I suppose Cody Rhodes is your best shot), so who's left to root for?  Fandango (just based on his generally positive fan reaction)?  It's a bit of a dangerous risk to take.

So, what do you think?  Do we see a turn in either match?  Or will the fans be so torn or indifferent that they just won't respond at all?

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