Monday, November 24, 2008

CCW is better than WWE and TNA. Deal With It.

I have been a loyal WWE fan since about 1990 I would say. I watched wrestling off and on in the 80's but didn't get die hard about it till around 1990. I was 100% WWF. Never watched anything longer than a minute of WCW or anything else (sorry Eric, but I was loyal) Although I did turn an episode of Nitro on briefly only to hear Macho Man actually say... "If ya smell what the Mach is cookin." Seriously, he did. And I remained a fan even to this day. But over the past few years, WWE has well, gone to crap. The same ol same ol that goes on every Monday night. The same champions over and over again. Seriously how many times is John Cena going to win the title? It's boring.

Because of that, I broke away and tried to watch TNA, when Kurt Angle first arrived and even with Foley got there, something about TNA just didn't hook me. So I didn't stay with TNA for long.

I was pretty upset for awhile. My love for wrestling all but dead. Then CCW came along. Hulk Hogans Celebrity Championship Wrestling. At first I thought it was awesome just because of how stupid it would be. Screech wrestling? Come on. Then I started watching it, and after awhile, the matches that these celebrities were putting on became more entertaining than anything I had seen in WWE in YEARS. Sure these guys don't know all the moves, or how things exactly work, but it is something new, something fresh. It was pure entertainment.

This past weekend, changed everything. I knew at some point they were going to start "feuds" between the celebrities to bring in some storylines for the matches, but at the same time try to keep the "reality" of it all going. And we had Dustin Diamond Vs. Danny Bonaduce. Danny was injured and missed last week and because of that he was kicked off the show, but then he came back and was demanding to be put back on the show, Dustin did not like this at all and thought it was unfair so boom, a feud was born, and a match set. Dustin Vs. Danny, hardcore falls count anywhere. And good god, it was one of the best wrestling matches I had seen in a long, long time. Sure there was no blood, no huge bumps, but it was damn great. Entertainment. I was having a blast watching wrestling again. Then the finish came, Dustin was set to do his finishing move on a steel chair. A DDT. And he did it. Dustin Diamond pulled off the prettiest smoothest most perfect looking DDT I hadn't seen since Jake Roberts pulled them off. It was awesome.

Now don't get me wrong, there are some points in the show that are a little annoying. Like how the camera cuts to the pretaped shots of the crowd going crazy. (I've worked in television before, so whenever you see random shots of audience reaction, usually that's pretaped and they're acting, saves time during the real filming.) But honestly that is the only gripe. The guest spots by RVD and Goldberg were great. The teachers Brutus and Knobbs are fantastic. And the judging is done by people that KNOW what they're talking about.

This may be pushing it even further, but I have not sat and watched an episode of Raw in months. I have not sat and watched and episode of Smackdown in years. And ECW? Give me a break. I just read all the results of these shows online, and thank god I did because nothing ever happens. But CCW? I NEVER miss an episode of CCW.

CCW needs to branch out and be its own federation. Get some celebrities, and start a real show. I would be there weekly to watch.

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Brock Lesnar is the UFC Heavyweight Champion...But is He Being Taken Seriously Yet?

Brock Lesnar defeated UFC legend Randy Couture this past Saturday to capture the UFC Heavyweight Championship - with less than 5 MMA fights under his belt.

Ever since Lesnar entered the world of MMA the doubts have been numerous, with many people claiming it would only be a matter of time before Lesnar failed. Granted, he did lose his first UFC fight against Frank Mir (due to a rookie mistake, in a fight he controlled the majority of,) but Lesnar has since defeated the much more experienced Heath Herring, and now has beaten a UFC Hall of Famer in Couture. Lesnar has not only won fights, but has dominated in such an unstoppable manner, his fights are drawing major attention (and money) to UFC.

Of course Lesnar is not a guy who is cheered in any of his fights so far, as he hasn't, and probably never will break the "WWE Wrestler," since the WWE is where his name became famous, but Brock's huge win has opened the door for MMA fans and promoters to have no choice but to take qualified guys from the world of pro wrestling seriously. But even with the world title win, Lesnar is still new to the sport, and STILL has yet to be "accepted" by most as a serious MMA Star.

Lesnar beat Couture, but people will blame Randy being old as the reason Lesnar won. Brock is going to have to successfully defend his title against a wide variety of MMA names in order to gain the respect of the MMA industry. Up next for Lesnar will be the winner of the Interim Heavyweight Title fight between champion Antonio Nogueira and the man who defeated Lesnar, Frank Mir. Either fight with Lesnar would be another money fight and seemingly any future fight involving Lesnar garners interest from those who both love and hate him.

Some people may still think Lesnar will not be hugely successful in MMA aside from these first few wins, but no doubt Brock has made an impact, and the eyes of MMA are watching Brock Lesnar, who so far has proven he is "The Next Big Thing" for MMA, just like he was in WWE.