Deadpool Movie Review

I will start off by saying this movie had more laugh out loud moments that any movie I have seen in the last 6 years. While it was an average at best action movie, The humor made it my early favorite for movie of the year. I found my self immersed in the story and when the movie was over I actually was disappointed because I wanted more. They also didn't waste anytime with grabbing you and making you laugh because the opening credits were written in a very sophomoric humor manner.

It will help to have a basic understanding of Deadpool going in. He is a former special ops solder who developed cancer. While seeking a cure for his cancer he developed incredible regenerative powers but the process left him really scared. Now he is a mercenary. Also I can't stress enough, This movie is not for children.

I'm not going to give any spoilers so I will just say that it is a typical action story with entertaining flashbacks and enough humor that it didn't get stale. Ryan Reynolds is hilarious, Morena Baccarin is amazing in her role. The role of the Ajax was played brilliantly, as well, by Ed Skrein,

I loved the fact that they made an origin story without dragging it on forever and ever. The origin of Deadpool was done through flashbacks that entertained in a way that it didn't pull you out of the movie or confuse you in anyway. The fight scenes were also done really well with a whole lot of the Deadpool comedy that you would find in the comic books. All in all I am going to say this is a must see and I'm going to give it 4 and 1/2 stars.

That’s all I have for now, be sure to check out my other blogs and follow me on Twitter using the links to the right. Take a look, also, at my articles on The Sportster and my YouTube Channel. My podcast with Shane is always a fun listen too as we discuss anything and everything in the world of pop culture.

This Week in Wrestling 2/27/2016

Unlike other wrestling results pages, after all let’s face it there are literally thousands of them. We aren’t going to focus so much on the results but give a rundown on what we feel the product is looking like for the week.

WWE

This week in the WWE, we saw the return of Shane-O-Mac who was somewhat violently thrown into a match with the Undertaker at Wrestlemania 32 I’m not going to spend a ton of time on this or any of the other matches that came out on Raw this week. If you want to read that you can check out the blog we put up earlier this week, also our Youtube Channel has a riveting wrestling rant that goes into detail. I’m just going to say that this match is a very bad decision and does nothing to help the WWE or Wrestlemania look good.

Also this week we had a heel turn by the big guy. We’ll have to see how that plays out in the coming weeks but it seems like a move destined for failure since the last time Ryback turned heel it essentially killed all momentum he had.

We've been saying for weeks that we think WWE should cut down the amount of matches on Raw and let the talent work longer matches to show what they can do. They got it half right, we got less matches but not longer ones as Raw was essentially destroyed by promos taking up more than an hour of air time.

We also wish the WWE would move forward with the League of Nations vs New Day because quite frankly we are getting sick of seeing them against the Lucha Dragons on ever damn show.

Its good also to see the Dudley’s as heels, Bubba Ray was probably the best heel in the business during his Bully Ray run with TNA.

It’s confusing what they are doing with the New Day. It seemed like at Fastlane they had made their official face turn but now twice these week they were back to playing the heels.

It’s really great to see the way AJ Styles is being treated with WWE too. So many times we get people who either get promoted to the main roster or come in from somewhere else and get buried. The WWE is going out of their way to give AJ big wins, Make him look incredibly tough by withstanding and breaking the Walls of Jericho more than once, and having people like Jericho talk him up as a real big deal.

NXT

We are really becoming huge fans of what NXT is doing. Corey Graves may be the best heel color guy in the business right now and the storylines tend to move effortlessly. This week we got to see American Alpha, Apollo Crews, and Bayley put on entertaining matches. We also got to see the final match for Bull Dempsey in NXT as he is moving on to bigger and better things. Which is sad because the Bull-Fit stuff was very entertaining.

The number one contender story also gave us something to look forward two as Samoa Joe and Sami Zayn are going to compete in a 2/3 falls match which very well could be a match of the year contender. Samoa Joe is looking revitalized now that he is allowed to be the vicious guy we saw in TNA and all signs are pointing to him winning this match.

TNA

This week we got TNA’s annual Lockdown show from London. We had a couple of really solid performances by EC3 and Beer Money. Otherwise the only thing notable about this episode is a heel turn by Rockstar Spud as he viciously attacked Carter. The only thing that I don’t like about this is that EC3 should be the heavyweight champion not feuding with Spud. Maybe they can fix this though  by having Carter feud with a Heel faction ala Stone Cold against the Hart foundation in the late 90’s.

ROH

This week was packed for ROH as they had their weekly program which was a go home show for Friday night’s PPV. The PPV will have a review up later Saturday or early Sunday since we watch it on a delay.

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Roderick Strong, War Machine, BJ Whitmer and the Briscoes were all victorious on this week’s show leading up to the PPV, while the Addiction came out to put the boots to Alex Shelly as Chris Sabin just watched and wouldn’t participate in the beatdown. ACH drug Alex Shelly out of the ring while Daniels and Kaz argued with Sabin. This is a story line can continue to be entertaining. Alex Shelly has been one of the most underrated wrestlers of the last decade and he has such great chemistry with Daniels, Kazarian, and Sabin. Really hoping for a Motor City Machine Guns reunion.

Lucha Underground

The ongoing story with Vampiro and Pentagon Jr is really intriguing. Vampiro makes a great color guy but I’m really enjoying his dark side as well. And “The Plastic Man” Jack Evans is just a treat to watch. Every week he goes out and gives a 4 plus star performance and his over the top heel moves are just plain fun. Thankfully Johnny Mundo got an assist from Taya Valkyrie in his match with Cage because he was really getting stale. Hopefully this livens up his character a little.

NJPW

The Honor Rising event took place this last week in Tokyo with some amazing matches. Matt Sydal wins with Air Sydal which is frankly a thing of beauty. Kyle O’Rielly is a budding star. He teamed with Bobby Fish, Shibata and Goto to take on Bullet Club in a very entertaining  match that is worth it to watch for O’Rielly alone. Michael Elgin mentioned that he wants to chase the IWGP Heavyweight belt after his match. Bullet Club picked up a new title too, when Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks defeated The Briscoes and Toru Yano to become the new NEVER Openweight 6 Man Tag Champions. Omega is also the current Intercontinental Champion too so this should be interesting going forward.

Global Force Wrestling

So week this week had nothing going or for GFW fans as a lot of their roster is tied up in other promotions for the week and weekend. ROH is having their 14^thAnniversary PPV Friday night and TNA had their Lockdown event in London.  Nick Aldis, Sonjay Dutt Christina Von Eerie and The Bollywood Boyz remained the champs.

That’s all I have for now, be sure to check out my other blogs and follow me on Twitter using the links to the right. Take a look, also, at my articles on The Sportster and my YouTube Channel. My podcast with Shane is always a fun listen too as we discuss anything and everything in the world of pop culture.

What we know about Wrestlemania 32 so far

       After watching Raw this week I’ve come to a couple of conclusions. Number 1 the WWE is out of touch with its fans. Number 2 the WWE universe is really sick of the PG era and they really want a return to the Attitude Era. Or at the very least a return to the Ruthless Aggression Era. In all honesty I agree, maybe not the wild west everything goes culture Attitude Era. Just go back to a little bit of an edge. I think that would, at the very least, make some of these guys more interesting.

       Sadly they have been pushing this Roman Reigns thing to exhaustion for two years now and the WWE Universe is not buying in. Fans are getting so sick of Roman that he is bordering on X-Pac Heat. It’s not Roman’s fault at all, it’s just his super hero persona doesn't fit in today’s reality world. Roman Reigns is an incredibly talented in ring worker, just not oozing with charisma. He is somebody who would really benefit from having a manager to be his mouth piece. Sound Familiar? (In my best Paul Heyman voice) Brock Lesnar! Roman Reigns can be the man. Just not the way they are currently marketing him.

       Now all that being said, I only have one question? Are you ready? Oh wait wrong era. However, that era Triple H is who came out and savagely beat Reigns to close out Raw. I’m guessing he did that to play up the I’m the bad guy thing. All that did was remind us what a bad ass Triple H is and how bland Reigns is compared to him. I have zero interest in seeing this story plays out. I realize they had to scramble when Seth Rollins got hurt since Seth vs Triple H is what they were building to, but they had to realize a year ago that Reigns wasn’t connecting as the hero they want him to be. I have even less interest in seeing these two collide on the grandest stage of them all.

      What I do have interest in seeing is a Brock Lesnar (again I channeled Paul Heyman) vs Dean Ambrose. The only problem with this match is that they have made Dean look like a cartoon character against Brock. The Triple threat at Fastlane was a horrible match, In fact I only gave it 3 stars. In that one match it seemed like there were three separate matches going on. There was Brock vs Roman, Roman vs Ambrose, and Brock vs Ambrose. It was puzzling to watch Dean just get pummeled by Brock at every turn, but actually hurt and bring the fight to Reigns who was able to hold his own against Brock, the whole thing just made no sense. Throwing punches that Brock couldn’t feel and the ridiculous spot where he couldn’t lift Brock for the German suplex just made Dean look like he didn’t belong in the same ring with Lesnar. The fact That Brock keeps beating Dean down on every show and Dean hasn’t looked strong against him at all makes me not want to see Wrestlemania. Why would I want to see the guy, who should be in Roman Reigns spot, get beaten mercilessly. There is no reason to watch this match if you don’t believe that Ambrose has a legitimate chance at beating him. This is also hurting Ambrose long term, if he can’t hang with the beast he will never get out of the mid-card because will believe him as a champ.

     Which brings me to Shane-O-Mac. Look I marked out just as much as everyone in the crowd did when he walked out. It’s incredibly great to see him back and he will bring a lot to product. The storyline of his exit and reason to come back makes sense, and is a compelling story but that is where this ends. Let’s not even bother with getting into the fact that here we are in 2015 dealing with more McMahon family drama. Let’s focus on all the other illogical holes in this. Number one why would the Undertaker fight on Vince McMahons behalf? They haven’t been involved in a significant story line together for almost a decade and nothing in their history together even slightly suggests they would be friends. The other problem I had is that this match will be for control of Raw. Great Idea, let Shane win and let’s get back to brand extension so talent like Cesaro, Neville, Cody Rhodes, Heath Slater don’t continue to get wasted because there are too many people we need to see every show. My problem with this is that when Shane asked for it Vince’s reply was “Then you’ll control the company”. Wait what? So you mean to tell me that I am wasting my time with Smackdown and the Pay Per Views on the WWE network because, according to what Vince just said, they really don’t matter.

     Then there is the corner the WWE has now painted themselves into. On one hand you have the Phenom, 22-1 at Wrestlemania. A legend a guy that even at 50 has gone into Wrestlemania and dominated. Shane McMahon is a 46 year old man who was never a wrestler and last competed in the ring in 2010. If he comes out of a boardroom and beats the Undertaker, it devalues Brock Lesnars win. It makes Bray look like a weaker person then they have already made him and it makes the Undertaker look like an old man that can’t cut it anymore. If the Undertaker wins then the fans are treated to another disappointing McMahon family storyline that makes Vince look good.

    One last point and then I’m done. Where was Kevin Owens? We are on the road to KOMania and the Intercontinental Champion was nowhere to be found? I think the WWE has some major work to do but this is seriously shaping up to be one of the worst Wrestlemania’s ever right on par with 29 and 11.

     That’s all I have for now, be sure to check out my other blogs and follow me on Twitter using the links to the right. Take a look, also, at my articles on The Sportster and my YouTube Channel. My podcast with Shane is always a fun listen too as we discuss anything and everything in the world of pop culture.

The Best, Worst, and Unsung of the Miami Dolphins

     I kind of wanted to take a look at the history of sports and each team to determine who is their best and worst of all time. Every team has that one player that is head and shoulders above every one else. That one player that is the heart and soul of the team but never gets enough national recognition. Players that come in through the draft or free agency that seriously disappoint. And that one guy who's talent doesn't match his ego or his paycheck. Of course I'm going to start with my teams and if I get the gumption I may branch out to some of the others, For now though, lets take a look at the Miami Dolphins.

                             Best of All Time--- Dan Marino

 
     Like there would ever be another person in this spot. This pick was so obvious that I almost didn't even bother with it. He not only is he the greatest Miami Dolphin of all time arguments could be made for Dan being the greatest NFL quarterback of all time. When he retired from the game he held nearly every passing record, both career and single season, in the NFL. 15 years later and he still holds multiple records some that may never be broken. He was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 2005 on his first ballot and has since had his number retired and been inducted into the Miami Dolphins Ring of Honor. Some of his records have been passed because of the fact the NFL is a passing league now with rules favoring the wide receiver and quarterback. It is frightening to think how high Dan would have set the records if he played in todays NFL.

                            Worst of All Time--- Jackie Shipp

     Certain criteria needs to be met here. The player needed to be a first round draft pick, needed to play a minimum of 5 seasons and needed to be put in a significant roll with the team. For those reasons people like Ted Ginn Jr. John Avery, Chad Henne, and so many countless others that could very well get the mantle won't because that would just make this to easy. Jackie Shipp on the other hand was drafted #14 over all in the 1984 draft. He started 41 games over 5 seasons for the Dolphins and had 1 sack and 1 interception and 0 tackles. The Dolphins were so happy to have him that they called the media into their draft room to watch a tape of Shipp from his workout. For a team to be that high on a guy and have him a starter for 3 years you would expect him to have more than 0 tackles.

                  Biggest Draft Bust of All Time--- Ted Ginn Jr

     While it would have been very easy to just give this honor to Jackie Shipp he was at least a very solid draft pick That the team and fans were high on. He just never translated his game to the NFL. Also it would be easy to go with Cecil Collins or Yatil Green or any other of the countless draft picks that never even saw the field I had a couple criteria 1. They needed to be a first round pick. 2. They needed to play for the team at least 2 years 3. They needed to have been given a fair shot to succeed. That last one is the reason why Dion Jordan is not on this list. Yes he was taken 3rd overall, yes he has been in the league more than 2 years, No he was never given a legitimate chance to succeed by Joe Philben who made it no secret that he wasn't wanted on the team. When Dion Jordan was on the field he was an absolute beast the problem is, like Lamar Miller, he was never given enough time on the field to really make an impact. Ted Ginn Jr., on the other hand, Does meet all those criteria Not only was he taken #9 overall in the 2007 draft, he was also made the #1 receiver on the team, and played exactly 3 years with Miami before they got fed up with his underwhelming play and shipped him off to the 49ers. While in Miami he had 128 receptions, 1664 yards and 5 touchdowns. Looking at those numbers it's a bit deceiving while they are decent numbers over a 3 year period for a number 3 receiver they are no where near good enough for a number 1. Brandon Marshal had numbers like that in one year. I will give credit where credit is due. He was an astonishing return man that actually holds a dolphin return record by scoring two kick off return touchdowns  in a single season in 2009. The only problem is a great return man is fine but for a first round draft pick unless you are named Devin Hester you need to perform in other aspects as well

    Most Underrated of All Time--- Zach Thomas

        It is really difficult to call one of the NFL's elite underrated but the fact that he isn't in the Hall of Fame yet proves that he was. Zach Thomas may be the smartest middle linebacker to ever play the game. Peyton Manning once said that he hated playing against Thomas because ever time he would change a call he would look across to Zach and see that he was changing the defense to match what Peyton was doing. Thomas was a generational type player who was the heart and soul of the Miami Defense for 12 years and it is a shame that Bill Parcels and Tony Sporano just let him go because he didn't fit their plans. If there was ever a player that deserved to be a life time Dolphin it was Zach Thomas and his 1720 total tackles through out his career prove that.

       Biggest Free Agent Bust of All Time- Mike Wallace

     When Mike Wallace was a free agent there were to trains of thought. 1. he was a malcontent who couldn't get along with other players, which was why Pittsburgh was so willing to give up on him. 2. he was a corvette in his prime. There were people that couldn't understand how a player with his talent just entering the prime of his career was allowed to be a free agent. The Dolphins Threw $60 million at him and quickly realized that the first portrayal of him was closer to the truth. There is no doubt that He was a very talented receiver but he got off on the wrong foot in Miami. After his debut game where he had 1 catch for 15 yards he pouted and refused to talk to the Media. He essentially blamed his coaching staff by saying it wasn't his game plan. Things just got worse from there, He never developed chemistry with Ryan Tannehill, In two years he never led the Dolphins in receptions and he quit on his team. most notably in refusing to go out in the second half of his final game in Miami. At least the Dolphins were able to get him off the books after only 2 years with the team and receive a 5th round pick from the Vikings for him. 

      Best Free Agent Signing of All Time--- Earl Morrall

Earl Morrall won the 1968 league MVP when he led the Baltimore Colts to a 13-1 record.but lost in the Super Bowl to the Jets. In 1972 the Dolphins claimed him off of waivers for $100. this obviously was years before free agency officially started but since it wasn't a trade I think it qualifies. As a Dolphin people forget that the 72 perfect season would never have happened with out him. Earl Morrall played and won 11 of the 17 games for the Dolphins that year and played 5 total years backing up Hall Of Famer Bob Griese.



That's all I've got for now. Be sure to check out my other blogs and use the links on the side to follow me on Twitter, Read my articles on the Sportster and to listen to my podcast with Shane on both Youtube and Blog Talk Radio

WWE Fast Lane Review

Kalisto vs Alberto Del Rio 2/3 falls US Championship Match

Highlights:

JBL "he's going to take care of this little neon green pinball".

Kalisto wins the first fall by DQ when ADR hits him with a chair from the timekeepers area when Kalisto jumps up to fly at him from the top of the barrier. He then beats Kalisto down out side the ring in between falls.

ADR wins the second fall by pinfall after punishing Kalisto mercilessly

Kalisto blocks the double stomp by executing a Frankenstiener out of the Tree of Woe.

Kalisto performs a West Coast Pop then a Tornado DDT in the middle of the ring.

Kalisto wins the third fall and the match with a surprise roll up out of the corner.

Winner: Kalisto retains the US Championship 2 falls to 1

Thoughts:

I had stated in my preview that I would rather watch my dog go to the bathroom and that statement still holds true. There was nothing new, Kalisto hit his high points and so did ADR. For a 2/3 falls match it went barely 15 minutes. This match reminded me of a mid card raw match, not Pay Per View Quality. I guess it's good that it was on the kick off show.

Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch vs Naomi and Tamina

Sasha and Becky alternate blind tags to play up the fact they are not friends.

Naomi gives Lynch a Stunner from the top rope draping Lynch over the turnbuckle

Winner: Lynch and Banks when Tamina taps out to the Bank Statement

Thoughts:

     The WWE gave the women plenty of time to work and it paid off, all four women put on a compelling show and had plenty of time to hit all their spots. Very well worked match. My only problem is why is this match taking place? What was the point of having Sasha Banks come out and confront Lynch and Charlotte at Royal Rumble? Obviously they are setting up for a Banks vs Charlotte Wrestlemania match but how did this match help progress that story. If anything this should have been a match between Banks and Lynch for a number one contenders match.

Kevin Owens vs Dolph Ziggler Intercontinental Championship

Highlights:

I love the fact that Kevin Owens always comes out first even when he is the champ.

Why is it every show I watch claims that their hashtag is trending #1? WWE says it on every one of their shows and Sports Center did it this morning too.

Kevin Owens to Ziggler "your own town loves me more than you"

Sick Irish Whip into the corner and Dolph sold it so well that I seriously thought Owens broke his neck

Super Kick from Ownes and Ziggler dropped like a sack of potatoes. Reminds me of Owen Hart and how great of a seller he was.

Winner: Kevin Owens Retains the Intercontinental Championship by pinfall after the Pop Up Powerbomb 

Thoughts:

I will give credit where credit is do. This was an amazing match. Kevin Owens is the best heel in the game and Dolph when motivated may be one of the best wrestlers in the world. These two have amazing chemistry together and even though we've seen this match so many times over the last few weeks that these two really delivered. Great back and forth action with a great finish.

The Wyatt Family (Strowman, Harper, and Rowan) vs Big Show, Kane and Ryback

Highlights:

Ryback gives Harper 5 body slams followed by a power slam

Big Show Throws Harper over the top rope on to the rest of the Wyatt Family

Winner: Ryback by pin fall on Harper after Shell Shocked

Thoughts:

Ugh!!! I wish I this had been on the Kick Off Show too. There was about 3 minutes of actual enjoyment in this entire match. Three out of the six wrestlers in this match have absolutely no business being in a wrestling ring. Strowman is still to green and Kane and Big Show just can't maintain their characters anymore. I am enjoying Ryback more since his character has been altered and Rowan and Harper are incredibly underrated. Why was Bray Wyatt not in the match? He is the most talented guy in this match. He is way to misused by the WWE. To have him sit ring side like a manager is an incredible waste of his talent. This is why I called him the biggest disappointment in the WWE for 2015 because the WWE doesn't know how to handle him. And seriously Michael Cole "the Titans of WWE" is not going to get over no matter how many times you shoe horn it into commentary. This was a pathetic waste of time and this win does nothing for the three winners and makes the Wyatt Family look weaker.

Charlotte vs Brie Bella

Highlights:

Brie mocks Ric Flair at ringside with a Flair Strut

Brie with a Yes Lock into a single leg crab

Winner: Charlotte to retain the Diva's Championship by submission with the Figure 8

Thoughts:

Another match that makes no sense. I realize that Daniel Bryan retired but how does that make Brie number one contender. Why did the WWE waste our time with the Sasha Banks thing at Royal Rumble? This is the first time though that the Diva's revolution actually looked like a revolution. All 6 women that wrestled tonight worked hard and that includes Brie who worked a very good match with Charlotte. This was not a case of Charlotte making her look better either. Brie worked her butt off in this match. Had she won I would have been way more than okay with it because she earned it. She out wrestled Charlotte at almost every corner.

AJ Styles vs Chris Jericho

Highlights:

AJ goes for the Calf Crusher early on and Jericho is in the ropes

AJ turns a Walls of Jericho into a frankensteiner 

Jericho hits a dropkick from the floor as AJ was coming over the top rope for a splash

AJ hits a flying elbow on a seated Jericho

AJ hits Phenomenon

Jericho counters the springboard elbow with a springboard drop kick 

AJ hits a Pele kick on Jericho who was sitting on the top turnbuckle

AJ breaks a Walls of Jericho by crawling to the ropes

Jericho hits a Code Breaker on AJ as he comes into the ring

Jericho kicks out of a Styles Clash

Post match Jericho shows the ultimate sign of respect with a hand shake

Winner: AJ Styles wins by Submission when Jericho taps to the Calf Crusher

Thoughts:

Wow!!!! That just jumped into one of my match of the year candidates. Before I get to much into it, AJ's music may be my favorite theme ever. This match was down right Phenomenal. I want to see Jericho against AJ Styles at Wrestlemania and TLC and Summer Slam. These two have amazing chemistry and put on the best show of the night so far. and the best of the three matches they have had to date. I also like how strong they are making Styles look by having him get out of the Walls of Jericho and not submitting.

The Cutting Edge Peep Show with the New Day

Xavier Woods looks like Princess Leah and the glowing unicorn horns on Big E and Kofi are fantastic.

This is typical New Day and typical Edge and Christian had some very funny spots but nothing that really needed to be noted

League of Nations comes out to confront New Day. New Day exits then a little back and forth with the League and E&C. Then the New Day and Edge and Christian humiliate the League of Nations from the ramp. The Highlight was Edge throwing money at Kofi and Big E while they" turn the other cheek" to the League

The Social Outcasts come to the ring for some horrible interaction with the crown and are interupted by R Truth for an unadvertised match against Curtis Axel

Curtis Axel vs R Truth

Highlights:

none

Winner: No One especially not the fans

Thoughts:

    What a tremendous waste of time. How is this a match on a pay Per View when talented guys like Neville and Tyler Breeze and Damian Sandow can't even make a Raw. This one match brought down the overall quality of the show that up until now was a solid show with only really one stinker.

Triple Threat # 1 Contenders match Roman Reigns vs Dean Ambrose vs Brock Lesnar

Highlights:

Huge Pop for Dean Ambrose 

Boos For Reigns

Biggest Pop of the night for Brock Lesnar

They are making Dean Ambrose look like a cartoon character that doesn't belong early on

Ambrose and Reigns give Brock a double power bomb through the announce table

Ambrose kicks Reigns in the stomach and throws him into the steel steps.

Ambrose and Reigns give a second double power bomb to Lesnar

Dean and Roman then bury Lesnar under the tables before Reigns punches Ambrose

Ambrose counters the spear with a knee to the face

Reigns kicks out of Dirty Deeds

Lesnar gives a German Suplex to Reigns while he is carrying Ambrose on his shoulders

Winner: Reigns wins by pin fall on Ambrose after a spear

Thoughts

     When will the WWE get it. No one wants to see Roman Reigns as champ. How many times does he need to be boo'd out of the building before you just turn him heal. The match itself not very good, I don't understand what purpose it serves making Ambrose look like a weak cartoon character. Also enough with the fire works and acting like Roman Reigns is Daniel Bryan. A fire work celebration is not what you give a guy who is getting loudly boo'd. The stare down to end the show did nothing for the fans or for me wanting to watch Wrestlemania

Final thoughts on FastLane

     All in all it was a very well done show. A little overly predictable since I only missed on predicting the winner in one match. AJ Styles and Jericho put on a 4 1/2 star match that is going to be one of my match of the year candidates and Charlotte and Brie had the best woman's match in months. Owens and Ziggler put on a strong showing that was fun to see and Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch had a strong match. The rest of the show was kind of a waste of time. The Wyatt family looks like a bunch of chumps, Ambrose looked silly not tough, and the WWE proved they are still out of touch with what their fans want by having Roman Reigns win to go on to Wrestlemania.

     That's all I've got for now. Be sure to check out my other blogs and use the links on the side to follow me on Twitter, Read my articles on the Sportster and to listen to my podcast with Shane on both Youtube and Blog Talk Radio

WWE Fastlane Rant and Predictions

     Tonight is the Fastlane event and just like everyone else on the planet I'm going to give my predictions. Unlike everyone else though I'm going to just give them quickly and get them out of the way because I want to focus on a bigger problem I think is happening in the WWE. Very quickley I think Kalisto, Charlotte, and Kevin Owens retain their championships. The Wyatt Family, Becky Lynch/Sasha Banks, and AJ styles will win their respective matches. And unfortunately Roman Reigns will win the triple threat and go on to Wrestlemania and face Triple H.

     I refuse to refer to this as a Pay per View quite simply because it's not. And thank God it's not because there is nothing on this card that I want to pay for. Part of the problem with the monthly Pay per Views is that they have become predictable and boring. Most of the matches we've seen multiple times before because they have 5 hours of programming to fill up throughout each week. And those that we haven't seen the WWE has painted themselves into a corner by setting up matches months and months ago.

     Never mind the hypocrisy with the main event match. Dean Ambrose should win this match. Dean Ambrose is the fan's pick to be at the top of the card. Dean Ambrose has worked his butt of over the last few years to become the fearless every man that the fans want to see at the top. Dean Ambrose not only should be in the main event at Wrestlemania this year but he should walk out as champion. A title that he should have held a year ago. Why? because he has earned it.

     The bigger problem here is the fact that they spend 5 hours a week building towards a monthly Pay per View by forcing us to sit through the same matches over and over again. Jericho and AJ Styles is going to be Phenomenal (pun intended). Want to know how I know that? Because I've already seen it twice on free TV. I think the WWE has forgotten how to build stories. You could blame the amount of TV that needs to be filled but I've been watching the Attitude Era on the WWE Network and they didn't have the same problem. It's become a formula. There is going to be a best of three between superstar X and Y. They are going to split the first two matches and have a final deciding match. And usually the deciding match ends the feud and wrestler X and Y move on to new feuds to repeat the same thing. It's become boring.

     What I wish would happen is that we go to brand extensions again. They have such a deep roster that deserving people never get any TV time. I can't remember the last time I saw Neville on TV or Damien Sandow for that matter either. Before I lay out my wish for brand extension let me first say that if they are going to continue on the way things have been why can't we start replicating the feud that Ambrose and Owens had. Instead of having Dolph Ziggler and Kevin Owens wrestle each other 5 times this last month why not have Owens wrestle against Neville, Sandow, Breeze, Kalisto, and Ryder while Ziggler faces off against Stardust, Breeze, Sandow, Curtis Axel and Heath Slater. This way you would give 8 deserving guys a chance to show what they can do against top talent. You save the match between Ziggler and Owens for Fastlane and you can easily build the feud between run ins, Back stage interviews, and the guys showing up on color commentary. I know it can be done. I'm currently watching it be done to perfection on the WWE network.

     My ultimate wish would be for a brand extension splitting the roster into three separate shows and adding in  NXT to the mix. NXT is the perfect example of how to do it. In one hour they properly build feuds and give talent just enough exposure to get them over and not burn them out. Then having only 4 Pay per View events a year, we have something to look forward too. I am actually excited to see the matches when we get to them because I haven't seen them 3 times already this month.

     With four separate rosters and each roster having a Pay per View every 4 months you give the feuds adequate time to tell a story. You'll have the ability to build new stars by not having the same guys in the same matches show after show. Most Importantly you will take away the predictability of the shows. Right now I really could care less about what happens between Alberto Del Rio and Kalisto because I've seen them way to many times over the last three months and I know when this rubber match ends they will both move on to have the same feud with some one else.

     As I stated earlier I have been going back and watching the Monday Night Wars on the WWE Network and for only $9.99 a month it is totally worth it. I've noticed that Stone Cold Steve Austin and Bret Hart have been in a feud now for over a year and half and I'm not sick of it. Each episode I am watching to see where it goes next and I'm excited when I finally get to see them go one on one against each other. Why after a year and a half am I still excited to see it but so sick to death of Kalisto vs ADR? I would rather watch my dog go to the bathroom then watch the Fastlane kick off show to see these two again. The reason being, quite simply, because in the year and half feud between Bret Hart and Steve Austin they have only been in the ring together for an official match 5 times. All of them on Pay per View, but not all in a row. Kalisto and ADR have been in 5 matches against each other this month on free TV alone.

     I personally would like to see a brand extension and roster split but even with out that I think WWE can make things interesting and unpredictable again by just taking the time to spread things out. Let stories be told like a real life struggle. Realize that a good feud isn't always built in the ring but can be built through interviews and promos without the wrestlers ever crossing paths between the ropes. Also it is possible for a guy to have multiple feuds at the same time.

     Of course I will be watching tonight  and if Fastlane is anything like the last 4 Pay per Views have been another rant will be coming later in the week. Shane and I will also be discussing it on our podcast "The Realest guys in the Room" which you can listen to on YouTube and you can also listen to on Blog Talk Radio. Follow me on Twitter and check out my articles on The Sportster.

      Until next time stick to you ideals, follow your dreams and check out my previous blogs and articles.

How would the WWE be different if Daniel Bryan had never gotten hurt

     With the recent retirement of Daniel Bryan I started thinking about how things have been in the WWE over the last few years. Well saying that I started thinking about it may be a little bit of a fib considering Shane and I Just did two weeks of breaking down the state of the WWE. You can listen to both episode here Part 1 and Part 2. Well today I decided to go back and play out how different things would have been had the Flying Goat not gotten injured shortly after winning the WWE Heavyweight Title.

     We know how things have been, Currently there is an injury bug going through the WWE. Triple H is the Champ because Seth Rollins got hurt. Dean Ambrose is currently the hottest face in the WWE and the Intercontinental Champ and in a fantastic feud with Brock Lesnar. Kevin Owens is in a great feud with Dolph Ziggler and the Phenomenal One AJ Styles is in the WWE. All of these things are great but would they have happened with out the Daniel Bryan injury. I believe life is a butterfly effect, one decision can create a ripple effect that leads to other decisions which can shape the cultural landscape we are in. Lets go back to Wrestlemania 30 and see if we can track things to how they would be now.

      The magical moment that Daniel Bryan had with his win at Wrestlemania 30 may never be repeated and his first feud out of the gate was a wise decision. Kane made a great first opponent because they were able to play off the history and build more momentum for Bryan. With an insane no holds barred match at Extreme Rules with Kane, that feud worked well as a one off but could have continued through payback as part of a four way elimination no holds barred match with Daniel Bryan joining forces with The Shield to take on the New Evolution with Kane.

      Moving on to Money in the Bank, the Shield reignite their feud with the Wyatt family who was hired by the Authority to take them out. Daniel Bryan is victorious in his title defense, a one on one match against Batista. The Stipulation of that match being that the winner must give Randy Orton his rematch the next night on Raw. John Cena wins the Money in the bank match and announces that he will face the winner of the Bryan vs Orton match at Battleground. Bryan wins his match on Raw and goes on to face Cena in a rematch from their fantastic SumerSlam 2013 match.

     In the main event of Battleground, Cena and Bryan put on a 5 star clinic where Daniel Bryan wins clean in the middle of the ring. After the match Bryan is attacked by a returning Brock Lesnar, who is acting on behalf of the Authority, and a challenge is issued by Paul Heyman for Summer Slam. Also on this card the Shield loses to the Wyatt Family when new member of the Authority, Ryback interferes to cost them the match by shell shocking Roman Reigns. After feuding all month do to Batista not feeling like he is getting his fair shake he and  Randy Orton go one on one ending in an Authority beat down with Randy Orton, Ryback and Kane all teaming up against Batista officially writing him out of future story lines.

     Summer Slam comes and goes with Bryan defeating Brock Lesnar in the main event when all hell breaks loose with The Shield, Authority and the Wyatt's all getting involved. Brock feeling he has been screwed out of his championship match by the interference is allowed to be a participant in the Elimination Chamber match that will headline Night of Champions. Brock defeates Bryan, Bray Wyatt, Randy Orton, Dean Ambrose, and John Cena to win the belt. Jealous that he wasn't included in the match Seth Rollins appears to cost Daniel Bryan the match while also turning heel on his "brothers" in The Shield.

     Hell in a Cell pit's The Shield against each other in a triple threat hell in a cell match with the winner receiving a shot at Lesnar at the Survivor Series. Bryan teams with a newly turned face, Randy Orton, against Bray Wyatt and Ryback in a tag team hell in a cell match to determine the stipulation for Team Bryan against Team Authority at Survivor Series. With Wyatt and Ryback winning the authority states that if Team Bryan loses than Daniel would be fired.

       Seth Rollins wins the triple threat match setting up a date with Brock at the Survivor Series. He wins his match when Dean Ambrose interferes costing Lesnar the title and setting up a feud between the Lunatic Fringe and the Beast Incarnate. Team Authority wins when Dolph Ziggler turns on Bryan. The next night on Raw Triple H declares that Daniel Bryan needs to win a best of Seven Series against Dolph Ziggler in order to keep his job and Dean Ambrose is named the number one contender after defeating Brock Lesnar and John Cena in a triple threat match on Raw when the Wyatt Family interferes. Brock upset that the Authority would send out the Wyatt Family to interfere on his behalf, ultimately costing him the win, goes on a rampage destroying everything and everyone in site and is suspended.

     Going into TLC Ziggler and Bryan are tied 3-3 and their tables, ladders and chairs match will determine if Bryan keeps his job. Bryan prevails in a grueling match and the next night declares himself eligible for the Royal Rumble. Triple H tells Bryan that if he want's to be in the Royal Rumble match he must win every match he is placed in until then, If he can win the matches he will enter at the number of wins he had. He is placed in a gauntlet match that night against the entire Wyatt family. Seth Rollins retains his belt against Ambrose when Lesnar cost him the victory. John Cena also throws his name in the hat for the Royal Rumble after taking time off to rest a shoulder injury.

     Bryan goes undefeated for the month while beating various superstars in gauntlet, handicapped and by winning all four of the matches scheduled for him on the Smackdown before the Rumble. He goes into the rumble at number 24 but is forced to put that entry on the line against John Cena, who drew number 1, in the opening match. Bryan loses to Cena and the two must swap numbers. Bryan enters at number one and lasts until the final 2 only to be eliminated by Cena. Rollins retains in a triple threat match also involving Lesnar and Ambrose. While Rollins is awarded the night off at Fastlane, Bryan is placed into a four corners match against Cena, Lesnar and Ambrose to determine the number one contender at Wrestlemania. Bryan wins the match when Lesnar destroys Cena with multiple suplexes on the stage but is unable to make it back in time to break up the cover of Ambrose (who he previously knocked out in the middle of the ring).

     Wrestlemania comes with Ambrose winning a triple threat match against Cena and Lesnar, making him the number one contender.. Bryan wins the title from Rollins setting up a rematch at Extreme Rules. In a falls count Anywhere match at Extreme Rules Bryan retains his belt against not only Rollins but Ambrose. The Authority incensed their golden boy didn't win the title force Bryan to defend his belt at Payback in a handicapped match against Rollins and Ryback. Seth Rollins gets the pin fall and is Set to face Dean Ambrose for the title in a ladder match at money in the bank. Ambrose wins the belt at Money in the Bank while Bryan wins the MITB briefcase.

     Ambrose successfully defends the belt at battleground against Rollins, at Summerslam against Lesnar and at Night Of Champions against a newly turned heel, Roman Reigns. Meanwhile Bryan defends his money in the bank suitcase against Bray Wyatt at battleground, John Cena at Summer Slam and loses the briefcase at Night of Champions to Bray Wyatt who cashes in the briefcase on Dean Ambrose after his match against Roman Reigns. Bray then defends his belt against Cena at Hell in a Cell while Bryan defeats Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose in a number one contenders match.

      Bryan then teams with Ambrose  and puts the number one contender spot on the line against Team Authority headed up by Seth Rollins. With no clear cut winner do to multiple disqualifications the three settle the grudge at TLC in a triple threat tables, ladders and chairs match. While Bray Wyatt successfully retains the belt against Dulph Ziggler at Survivor Series and then Cesaro at TLC.

     Bryan then defeats Bray Wyatt at Royal Rumble 2016 While Kevin Owens wins the Rumble Match to set up a match against Bryan at Wrestlemania.

     Of course this is just what I would have like to see play out had Daniel Bryan never gotten injured. What do you think? Does the above sound Plausible? Let me know in the comment section your thoughts. Also Check out my podcast where Shane and I discuss Pop Culture as the Realest Guys on the Radio Also check out my articles on The Sporster and follow me on Twitter
   

Saying goodbye to a hero, Daniel Bryan

     This past Monday one of the most well respected wrestlers in history said his tearful goodbye and retired due to medical issues. For almost a year we speculated about his condition and weather or not the WWE was black balling him. After listening to his goodbye on Raw, we can safely say that the WWE made the right call in not allowing him to return. Even though a couple of independent doctors had cleared him the WWE stood by there guns and said no. Even Daniel Bryan himself admits that was the right call. As sad as it is to see him go, Daniel Bryan left behind a legacy that has changed the wrestling business and especially the WWE forever..

     I will hand it to the WWE, they let Daniel Bryan talk as long as he wanted. The WWE showed a ton of class by letting him go out in style. Shane and I will be discussing the career of Daniel Bryan in an upcoming episode of The Realest guys on the Radio. As for now though I think jst a simple goodbye is in order.

     Daniel Bryan was considered the king of the independents when he signed a developmental deal with the WWE. On the inaugural season of NXT, Bryan debuted with the Miz as his mentor. The Miz and Michael Cole, who was at the beginning of a heel turn, spent every moment they could downplaying Daniel Bryan's accomplishments. That is a problem that I think has plagued the WWE for a long time and it has come to the forefront again with AJ Styles. The WWE spends to much time downplaying accomplishments from other promotions and not enough time building up the talent that they worked so hard to obtain. And seriously? You can't understand why some of these guys fail?

     The fact that Michael Cole, who did everything he could to discredit Bryan when he first started out, made it a Surreal moment when he hugged him and told him he loved him on this weeks Raw. After his retirement speech, the love that the Superstars and ring announcers showed him weather Heel or Face, shows just how much this man meant to the business. I could give you a boring recap of his career but lets face it if you are reading this you are a fan and probably already know the stories.

     Instead I just want to say that once in a generation you get a talent that transcends the sport. Sure there are popular wrestlers, guys that no matter how long it's been will get a great reaction from the crowd. But this is the first time I have seen a man since Dusty Rhodes capture the fans the way he did. Daniel Bryan accomplished something that no one else ever has. He connected so well with the crowd that the fans forced the WWE to alter plans, forced them to re book matches and to change there course.

     There are plenty of wrestlers that the fans get behind that never go anywhere, Cesaro, CM Punk and  Dolph Ziggler are just a few of these guys. As loud as they cheer and as critical as they are on the internet, They were never as passionate about their hero as the Daniel Bryan fans were. The Fans got behind their every man in a way that over took shows. Batista was made a heel because the fans turned on him when they thought he took Bryan's spot. They truly shaped the way the WWE was going and all for their hero.

     Daniel Bryan was a man who could give us a 5 star match with a broom, he worked incredibly hard at his craft and despite his size he was extremely talented and very deserving of everything he got. Selfishly I didn't want him to go out like this, I wanted to see him one on one against Brock Lesnar, AJ Styles and Kurt Angle. I know I will never get those matches and it does sadden me to a point, but Daniel Bryan has left behind a legacy of matches throughout every promotion he has ever been a part of that will define the way we look at wrestling in the future.

     It's been almost a full year since we've seen Bryan wrestle a match and it has seemed like there was a void on my TV. Daniel as a fan I want to say thank you for all that you have given us. Thank you for the dedication to your craft and making it a joy twatch wrestling. Thank you for delivering what may have been the greatest Wrestlemania moment when you won the championship at Wrestlemania 30. And thank you for changing the business for the better.

     In the weeks ahead I will be taking some time to reflect on various moments in the career of Daniel Bryan including what I feel are his best matches and moments. I will also be doing a piece on what the WWE would be like had Daniel Bryan never gotten hurt. In the meantime check out my Articles on TheSportster.com and also listen to Shane and I as we discuss pop culture on a weekly basis here.
   

The Hall of Fame, is it time for a change?

      Yesterday the NFL Hall of Fame announced the 2016 inductees. Leading the class was Brett Favre who in 2010 I wrote a blog about him that deserves a read here. Other inductees are Tony Dungy, Kevin Green and the most confusing of them all Kenny "the Snake" Stabler. I say confusing because I'm not sure why he wasn't inducted 25 years ago when he retired instead of waiting until 6 months after his passing. This is part of a much bigger problem that I addressed on my podcast with Shane after the MLB Hall of Fame class for 2016 which you can listen to here.

      Every year they announce the hall of fame for all sports where someone is added that you could have swore already was in, Also every year there are names that have been left off the inductee list that seriously make you scratch your head. Kenny Stabler is an example of the former and Barry Bonds is an example of the later. This kind of thing really makes me think it is time for a change in the selection process,

      Now before I get lost in a rant of the faults of the current process, let me take a breath, drink of coffee, and scream into a pillow. Seriously the current process is so outdated that it makes me want to pull out every last hair I have on my head. The selection process includes a panel of sports writers from across the country who place names on a ballet and he who gets the required number of ballets is the in. This system was great in the 50's and 60's because a lot of the writers never saw some of the players. If you lived in California the likelihood of you seeing Joe Namath play was very slim. So the system worked because the local writers were there to represent their hometown teams.

     The reason I feel like this is an outdated system now is because of national TV contracts, sports packages and the internet. These new forms allow the average fan and writer to follow teams in any sport from anywhere, That kind of access means there is no longer the need for the local guy to represent his hometown player. I think maybe now is the time for a change to this archaic system because it seems like more often then not a player isn't getting due to a grudge a few writers hold.

     The Hall of Fame is supposed to be the best of the best in the entire sport, not the best of the best for a team. Jim Edmonds was an absolute stud in baseball. He was the heart and soul of the Angels and the Cardinals while he played with them, and some would argue he was the best player on either of those teams while he was there. Now I agree as a Cubs fan watching him on the opposite side of the field he was a thing of joy to behold but is he MLB Hall of Fame worthy? His accolades and numbers say no. However he absolutely deserves to be honored and that's what a team Hall of Fame is for, That's why teams retire numbers and place players in ring of honors to acknowledge the greats from that teams past. For a guy like Jim Edmonds I think that is a perfect way to honor him.

     I think a new way to elect people should be based on a specific criteria. After all the hall of fame is supposed to represent the best of the best, so the best should never be left out due to politics, grudges and hurt feelings. There should be a level you must achieve and if you achieve it you are in no questions asked. If you don't achieve it? well that's what team hall of fames are for. I think if at anytime in your career you win a league MVP that should be an automatic in. A league MVP may be the ultimate in greatness because it is saying that you were the best in your game at anytime, When I say MVP I am also referring to Cy Young awards, defensive MVP awards, and Vezina Trophy's also. This however should not include ROY awards, or Gold Glove, Silver Slugger or any other award that are handed out to acknowledge one part of your game and not your season as a whole . To many times to you get a guy who is just better than the other 5 new guys and that just doesn't translate to greatness later on. Perfect example of this would include, Rick Mirer and Mark Mcgwire.

    Yes you read that right, I said Mark McGwire. Now before you go and fill up the comments section with hate threads, Please continue to read on, then feel free to hate away.

     In addition to the awards being an automatic in I think there should also be career goals that you need to reach to get in as well. Like in the MLB if you hit 600 career home runs, that's an automatic in, Also automatic ins would be 3,000 hits 2,000 strike outs 300 wins 500 career saves 300 Stolen bases and averaging 8 or less errors per season in baseball. In hockey 500 career goals, 1500 career points, In the NBA a 25 point per game average, Football should be 50,000 passing yards or 15,000 receiving, 100 career touchdowns, 10,000 rushing yards and so on. Setting a platform for an automatic in like this is a way to honor people that were great in there time but played when Peyton Manning and Tom Brady were taking home league MVP's ever year.

     When you look at those criteria it brings to mind players that have been excluded who were clearly the best at what they did. Kenny Stabler won the 1974 MVP. That means in 1974 Kenny Stabler was the best offensive player in the game of football, so could someone explain to me why it took 25 years for him to get in?

     Some other deserving players that should be in based on numbers and achievement but currently are not because of politicking and grudges would be.

Pete Rose 4,256 career hits and the 1973 NL MVP
Sammy Sosa 609 Home runs and the 1998 NL MVP
Barry Bonds 7 time NL MVP 762 home runs and 514 Stolen Bases
Joe Theismann 1973 NFL MVP
Fred Taylor 11,695 yards

     And for all of you who were taken aback by my exclusion of Mark McGwire, Lets take a look at his career. 583 homeruns,1,626 hits 12 SBs Not quite hall of fame numbers, add to that he never won an MVP and I think you know why I don't feel he is worthy.

     In my opinion the Hall of Fame regardless of what sport is for the great not the good, if you can be Great for one year or a career you should be in. Adapting to these criteria would never allow a tragedy like Kenny Stabler to happen again.


     What are your thought's let me know in the comment section below. Also follow me on Twitter and follow me while checking out my back log of weekly podcasts with Shane on either Youtube or Blogtalkradio

The Religion of Star Wars

     On Wednesday Shane and I will be discussing Star Wars A Force Awakens giving our review and just general overall thoughts of the movie. So make sure you tune in and listen to Excuse the Aggravation. One thing that came out of our multitude of discussions got me thinking about the way that force is portrayed in the movies, and television shows.

      While discussing which of all seven movies was our favorite of course both of us agreed that Empire Strikes back was far and away the best of the bunch and we both agreed that Revenge of the Sith was easily in second place. Shane brought up the fact that he had seen an episode of Myth Busters in which they disprove the higher ground theory from the end of that movie where Obi-Wan tells Anakin that he can't win because Obi-Wan had the higher ground. I have always believed that line was not so much a statement explaining the Jedi art of war but more a metaphor for one of the biggest underlying tones of the Star Wars universe.

      I've always felt the force was just another term for religion and maybe because the tone was set early in the original movie with quotes like Han Solo : "hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a blaster at your side and Darth Vader : "I find your lack of faith disturbing" and then of course the most obvious line by General Motti who said " your sad devotion to that ancient religion". now obviously these examples are not as underlying as I originally alluded to especially since they come right out and say it. However it does set the tone for the remainder of the Star Wars Universe.

      There is of course the constant fight involving good vs evil, and the light vs dark aspect that is portrayed in the dark side being the ultimate evil and Vaders redemption at the end of Return of the Jedi which allowed him to repent and join the good guys again. Starting in Empire and working it's was through the rest of the movies are Spirits who guide you in Obi-Wan appearing to Luke whenever he needed help, and of course the classic line that is said multiple times by different Jedi by saying trust in the force and let it guide you.

       All of this leads me to my original thought that the line at the end of Sith is a metaphor that alludes to Obi-Wan essentially meaning that evil will never win because he has accepted the good and lets that lead him. The phrase higher ground I always felt was a reference to the fact that no matter what happens to Obi-Wan he wins because he has accepted to follow the light side. And in every religion across the world there is a variation of Heaven which is were the good go and a variation of Hell which is where the evil goes. the ultimate goal is to lead a pure and good life so you can reach Heaven and all the evil people will be tortured forever in the pits of Hell. That is exactly what I fell Obi-wan was not only referring to with that line but also when he told Darth Vader in a New Hope that "if you strike me down i will become more powerful then you can imagine." Obi-Wan in both instances was saying to Anakin that I will be heading to a better place so go ahead and end me because paradise awaits.

       That's all I have for now so i think at this point I will bid you adieu until next time follow me on Twitter @reejecoap and make sure you chek out our Star Wars review which will air later this week and all of Shane and I's podcasts where we discuss pop culture in all it's glory at Excuse the Aggravation