Exploring the Show of Shows: WrestleMania 29

by: Connor Okey

This Sunday is the biggest pay per view of the year, WrestleMania 29. I’m happy to say that I’ll be attending this event, making it the 4th WrestleMania that I’ve attended. From what I read about this WrestleMania, it seems people have mix opinions of this event. Even going out saying it will be the worst Mania of all time. WrestleMania 7 says HELLO!!! I say lets watch the show & see how the performs work this Sunday, before we judge how terrible or great this show is. Right now, I would like to give my thoughts/opinions on this card.

WWE Championship Match: John Cena v. The Rock(c)
It would appear that this match is the cause for all the hate on this card. Yes, I understand we saw it last year & depending on how you thought that match went, I can see why people wouldn’t want to see this again. For me, I’m excited for the rematch. I was there at WrestleMania 28 for the “Once in a Lifetime” match & the crowd ate this match up & the pop at the end was one of the biggest that I’ve ever heard. The difference I feel this match has compared to last years is, this years feels more personal. We haven’t had battle raps, rock concerts or just back n forth insults. The tone of this match is personal. Maybe the result of this match is clear, but I’m not too sure anymore.

World Heavyweight Championship Match: Jack Swagger v. Alberto Del Rio(c)
Clearly this match is a shocker for this years WrestleMania. I don’t this anyone could have predicted that both these performers would be in this spot in the card. This match is gonna be very good wrestling match. The build of this have been also very very good. It started out great with Swagger bringing in Zeb Colter & starting the “WE THE PEOPLE” stuff. After feeling this feud start to drop a bit, but Swagger “breaking” Ricardo’s ankle turn up the heat for this match. One guarantee in this match, it will last longer that 18 seconds.

CM Punk v. The Undertaker
Will it be 21 - 0 or 20 - 1? This is the match, most fans, are looking forward to the most. I think we will get the best out of these two performers considering the injuries of both men. Sadly the untimely death of Paul Bearer really jump started this feud. Making this match extremely personal. Another match that I’m looking forward to & will have the crowd on the edge of their seats. It’s just what there two wrestlers do for the fans. The true shocker of the evening would be if Punk would end the streak & if this is Undertaker last ride, maybe he is the 1 in 20 - 1.

No Holds Barred Match: Brock Lesnar v. Triple H
(if Triple H loses, he must retire)
It’s a rematch from SummerSlam, but everything about that match back in August is gonna be turned up a notch or two. It’s a No Holds Barred Match, so it’s gonna be a fight. Triple H’s career is on the line as well in this match. I would love to see some involvement from the McMahon family, maybe Stephanie coming down to kick Paul Heyman’s ass. The result is a coin toss for me. Brock is gonna be performing more this year, so it make sense that he would end Triple H’s wrestling career. Also who else does Triple H have to have a program with? I can’t think of someone off the top of my head. I expect brutality & with Lesnar in this it certainly will be.

Ryback v. Mark Henry
I for one can’t wait for this match. Yes, it’s not pretty, but come on people we know that going in. It’s gonna be just a clash of titans. It’s gonna be hard hitting & a short match. If this match goes pass 10 mins, I’d say that would be too much time for this match. Also very curious is: Can Ryback put Henry in the Shellshock?

Chris Jericho v. Fandango
Another surprising match on the card for WrestleMania. It is finally the debut of Fandango & to be honest the character is growing on me. Clearly the WWE is behind the gimmick as well. With giving him his 1st match on Mania & adding more & more to his entrance. I think this is gonna be the start to a good run for Fandango. Jericho will carry this match to show that Fandango belongs in the ring with Jericho. It will be entertaining to say the least.

Six Man Tag Team Match: The Shield v. Randy Orton, Sheamus & Big Show
The biggest thing that I can’t wait to see in this match is The Shield coming through the crowd in Metlife Stadium, that will be freaking awesome. Ever since Orton, Sheamus & Show got together they have shown how well they will work together. It appears no weakness in the team & they look unstoppable. With everything looking so positive for the face team, I don’t see The Shield losing this match. If anyone should hand The Shield their first lost, it should be Ryback at a future PPV.

WWE Tag Team Championship Match: Dolph Ziggler & Big E Langston v. Team Hell No(c)
At least Daniel Bryan match this year wont be 18 seconds this year. I didn’t see Ziggler & Langston challenging for the tag titles, but I think it’s a good spot for everyone. AJ is gonna be a great element in this match & I wouldn’t be surprised for a run in by Kaitlyn. At first I was thinking this would be the start to the end of Team Hell No, but maybe this isn’t the event for the moment to happen. I would love to see Ziggler becoming one half the tag champions & to cash the briefcase for the world championship.

Eight-Person Mix Tag Team Match: Tons of Funk & The Funkadactyls v. Team Rhodes Scholars & The Bella Twins
I can honestly say I didn’t see Tensai being apart of WrestleMania 29, especially his just terrible return last year. This is gonna be a fun match, with a lot of characters in it. I don’t expect this to go very long, but will be enjoyable. Ill be rooting for Team Rhodes Scholars & the girls who have saved the divas division, the Bella Twins.

Overall, I’m excited & looking forward to WrestleMania. Yeah, I know I’ll be at the event, but if I was staying home, I still would be looking forward to the show. Only really disappointing thing for me is that, the Intercontinental Championship Match: The Miz v. Wade Barrett(c) is going on the pre-show. But that’s just one small little issue I have. I also hope on the pre-show Cesaro gets a match, then I would say you have everyone that deserves a spot on Mania on the card. All I can say is, just have fun on Sunday April 7. WrestleMania is a celebration, it’s not to get all stressed about & upset. It’s the biggest WWE pay per view of the year, so just get a group of friends & order it, sit back with your food & drinks & just have a great time.

Calling Their Shot

"Brogue, brogue, brogue."

"Oh, hey Sheamus. Thanks for yelling 'brogue' with the fans while beating your chest. I'm going to go ahead and duck your Brogue Kick. You know, I don't feel losing our match improves my standing as a dominant heel."

To me, I don't understand why wrestlers call out the fact they are about to hit their opponent with their finisher. I know if I were a wrestler, I wouldn't want my opponent to know I'm about to hit my finishing maneuver. However, it continues to increase in usage.

Shawn Michaels popularized the act. He is one of my all-time favorite performers, but this simple act bothers me. He would "tune up the band" by stomping his foot on the ring before hitting his patented "Sweet Chin Music." Since Michaels inspired the wrestlers of today, it occurs more often on television. I couldn't find a video of him tuning it up, but here is a montage of kicks.

Bret Hart never yelled out "Sharpshooter" before locking in his finishing hold, and that led to him becoming one of the greatest wrestlers in history. (Photo/ Katie Vanderkolk)

The aforementioned "brogue" chant began when Sheamus turned face and the WWE creative wanted the fans to cheer with the "Celtic Warrior" turned "Great White."

Zack Ryder "Woo, woo, woo's" before hitting the "Broski Boot." Calling his shot leaves little to wonder why Ryder's opponents tend to end the night with their arm raised.

There are other instances where wrestlers audibly signal their attacks, but these are the ones that stick out to me the most.

Yes, wrestling is scripted, and it is supposed to be entertainment. At the same time, it is supposed to resemble reality. Why not taunt them silently or hit them out of nowhere?

No. Randy Orton does not hit the RKO out of "nowhere." He usually smacks the mat before striking. The announcers are fed a line, and they regurgitate it.

Announcers: that's another topic in its entirety.

So, do you think wrestlers need to being more secretive with their strikes, or am I overlooking a simple act?

Tips on Attending Live Events

I have made plenty of trips to professional wrestling shows over the years. I have been to four pay-per-views, two live Raw shows, five house shows, and multiple independent events. Each time has been a different experience for me. Plus, I am attending Heroes and Legends Wrestling inaugural event on March 23 so this will help prepare me for the day.

First of all, do not take your children if they are too young. This focuses primarily on the pay-per-views. I attended WrestleMania 23 when I was 14 years old, and I loved going. However, whenever I look back at that day, I realize I made so many mistakes. I chose poor moments to use the restroom; I focused more on taking pictures of the "TitanTron" than watching the in-ring action. The worse thing about the night was the younger kids who sat behind us. They left midway through the show. I'm assuming to prevent the children from staying up too late on a school night. Don't take young people to big wrestling shows. It will be a waste of money.

Attending shows with friends follows not taking children. Whether or not they watch wrestling on a regular basis, taking a few friends to tag along makes for a great time. From my experiences, those who do not watch regularly have a good time which has made them want to watch more often. Wrestling shows allow anyone to be loud and obnoxious without judgment coming from anyone.

These fans had a blast attending EWF's Diesel Powered event in June. Don't be afraid to cheer when you attend wrestling shows. It adds to the enjoyment. (Photo/ Michael Vanderkolk)

Along with attending with your friends, make sure you buy tickets that allow your group to sit with each other. When I attended Raw this past June, my friends and I decided to sit in the front few rows. We also wanted to pay for them separately. The only problem that occurred was not finding seats next to each other. We ended up with three tickets that were in three different rows. Luckily (somewhat), one of my friends could not attend so we had to sell his ticket. This allowed my other friend and me to sit two rows from each other rather than on the opposite side of the arena. The show entertained us, but we both would have enjoyed it more sitting side by side.

The Beauty of Independent Wrestling

Professional wrestlers who work for the WWE are able to enjoy fame and fortune. Those who work for TNA receive less than the WWE but more than plenty of others. Those others are the independent wrestlers.

Most independent wrestlers begin their careers by receiving training from others who have a knowledge in the business. Training usually costs the aspiring wrestlers hundreds or thousands of dollars. This puts the wrestlers in some debt. Debt that many may not ever pay back. That's because small-time independent wrestlers usually do not get paid, but if they do it is not much.

So why would they keep wrestling? The do it because they either love to do it or want to improve their skills in order to earn a big payday someday. Either way, they provide fans with entertaining shows. Well, they try to at least.

I didn't watch much independent wrestling early in my life, but lately I have spent just as much time watching it as I do WWE. That's in large thanks to independent wrestler Mark Vandy.

My brother not only wrestled Kevin Nash, he pinned him. What made it better was that it was the day before my birthday. (Photo/ Michael Vanderkolk)

Why lie to you? He is my older brother. However, he is young and talented in the ring. He's only been doing it for a little over a year now, but has made a name for himself all over the state of Indiana as well as parts of Ohio and Massachusetts. He was even mentioned by Kevin Nash in his infamous article with Grantland when he called Chris Benoit and Eddie Guerrero "vanilla midgets." However, Mark is not the only reason that I enjoy watching his shows.

Fan and a Friend Podcast

I'm trying to convert his friend JuJu into becoming a professional wrestling fan. Here's a little conversation about us going over some professional wrestling basics. I hope you enjoy it and let me know. If you don't, still let me know so what I can do to fix it.

Thanks,
Mike

Edit: Would you look at that? I learned how to convert my audio into a video. I'm learning already! Either the link or the video works.

- Mike

Where is the Divas Division?

by: Connor Okey

Since the start of 2013 there has been a something missing on WWE programming, mainly on Monday Night Raw. We have seen very little from the divas in 2013. I know this doesn’t matter to many fans, but I just wanted to bring up this issue. There have been many Raws with out any mention of the divas, let alone a divas match. At the Royal Rumble we didn’t have a match & at the Elimination Chamber event at Divas Championship match was built on the Monday, before the event, on a video for the WWE app. At this time, I wouldn’t be surprised if at WrestleMania, there isn’t a Divas match. This division has been on the decline since last year. During 2012, the divas division lost many of it’s stars & talents. We lost: The Bella Twins, Kelly Kelly, Beth Phoenix & most recently Eve. Let’s take a look at the current divas division & just see what the WWE has to work with.

Kaitlyn: The current divas championship, but she hasn’t done really anything since winning the championship. I think she is solid, but she still has some improving to do. I do love that she has started doing the spear as a finisher.

AJ: Currently only playing the role as Dolph Ziggler’s girlfriend. During 2012, AJ really become the top diva in WWE. She been in a relationship with Daniel Bryan, John Cena, CM Punk & Kane. I would love to she her wrestling more in WWE & with Kaitlyn as the Divas Champion, there is an easy feud right there. I expect AJ to finally be done with being in these relationship & just be an unstable crazy force in the divas division.

Aksana: All she really does is crawl on her hands & knees during her match.

Alicia Fox: A former Divas Champions, but that was back in 2010. She hasn’t done anything in really since her run as champion.

The Funkadactyls: Recently we have started seeing Cameron & Naomi in matches more. To me, the Funkadactyls are just a poor man’s attempt to be the Bella Twins. They have a long ways to go to be even close to the twins.

Layla: Another former Divas Champion & is pretty decent in the ring. I would prefer to have as a heel, rather than a face. Like back when she was with Michelle McCool doing their “Mean Girls” gimmick. It was that gimmick that made her a star, but now she just lost with the rest of the divas.

Natalya: No one can’t say she isn’t the best diva in the division. She is also being so underused at this time. Currently she is paired with The Great Khali & Hornswoggle. In 2013, I hope to she Natalya back to doing what she does best, wrestling.

Rosa Mendes: Rarely in any matches, only being used at Primo & Epico’s manager. That’s all.

Tamina Snuka: I think with Beth Phoenix leaving WWE, the office is trying to make Tamina the monster of the division. But for me, It’s not working. Tamina isn’t nearly as skilled as a performer as Beth. Maybe she will eventually become the monster of the division, but I hope she changes her attire.

As you can see the current divas roster consist of 10 divas, but only about 4 of them are being featured from show to show. The biggest problems with this division is that most of these girls are forgettable & the same. This division also lacks true workers, like Natalya & it’s missing the star of the division. AJ is really the only star of the division at the moment. 2012 was the year of the improving of the tag team division & I hope that 2013 is the improvement of the divas division.

What if Someone Else got Rich?

I was watching Money in the Bank 2011 the other day, and it got me thinking about those who have competed in the MITB matches and lost. This match has helped propel the careers for many of the winners. So, what if somebody else who competed in these matches won instead? Since the first six MITB matches were held at a WrestleMania, I figured now is a fitting time to take a look at each MITB match:

1) WrestleMania 21 - Chris Benoit
Chris Benoit's prior championship success would not have made him a surprise winner. That said, the impact of his win would have changed 26.5 months later after he murdered his wife and son before committing suicide. The WWE doesn't even mention his existence outside of record books.

For this sake, be thankful it was Edge who won and became known as the "Ultimate Opportunist."

Actual winner: Edge

2) WrestleMania 22 - Matt Hardy
Matt is the older of the Hardy brothers, but he has always been treated as the younger one by wrestling promotions. Unlike Matt, Jeff Hardy has been the one to win world championships in both WWE and TNA.

I feel like he had risked enough during the Attitude Era to receive at least one world championship run.

Actual winner: Rob Van Dam

I've witnessed three MITB matches: WrestleMania 23 (pictured) and the two in 2011. It is easily my favorite match type that I have seen in person. Although, a Royal Rumble would probably top it if I see one. (Photo/ Robert Vanderkolk)

3) WrestleMania 23 -  Mr. Kennedy
Alright, you caught me! Mr. Kennedy technically won this match, but he never had the chance to cash in the contract. It seemed like every time Kennedy was about to receive a push, something happened that caused for it to come to a halt. First, the WWE overreacted to an injury. Secondly, he was suspended for a wellness policy violation.

Now he's in TNA as a two-time TNA World Heavyweight Champion.

Technical winner: Edge

4) WrestleMania XXIV - Carlito
Carlito had enough charisma and in-ring ability to make a credible champion. Also, I'm sure it could have helped make Carlito more pleased with his standing in WWE.

Actual winner: CM Punk