These four things I know are true…
- The Miz winning the WWE Champion is awesome.
- Jimmie Johnson winning his fifth Cup Championship is historic.
- The return of the McRib is delicious.
- And, I’m Aaron Goins. All my thoughts on those topics and so much more (including sheep and why I hate them)… in The Highlight Reel!
NEWS and NOTES
**There was a time when the Survivor Series was among my favorite nights of the year. I loved the pay-per-view event when it was the special card where “teams of five strive to survive.” What’s funny is that you’d think the brain trust at World Wrestling Entertainment would return the Survivor Series to that style in this era where every PPV must be gimmicked to a point of ridiculousness. But, they don’t and the Survivor Series is only the Survivor Series in name only while the card resembles the previous month’s Bragging Rights card (and by previous month, I mean two weeks earlier).
The 2010 Survivor Series appeared to be nothing special. Randy Orton defeated Wade Barrett to retain the WWE Championship despite rumors running rampant that the company was ready to pull the trigger and put the title on a fresh face. John Cena was fired as a result. Edge and World Heavyweight Champion Kane wrestled to the first-ever tie in wrestling history because some moron ring announcer couldn’t muster the word “draw” out of his pudgy face. Natalya defeated both members of LayCool to win his first Divas Championship in a move that lets me know that Michelle McCool must be needed at home with Old Man Callaway (The Undertaker) instead of speaking volumes about how talented the daughter of the Anvil has been recently.
What? I lost you after saying John Cena was fired and not elaborating? Really, you know that it would be bigger news of John Cena was really fired. Instead, John Cena was “fired” because Vince McMahon has returned to the booking team after his exile to help Linda McMahon blow over $50 million dollars in a failed Congressional bid. Vince saw that the current booking didn’t smell bad enough and threw a steaming pile of his own excrement into the mix with the firing of John Cena. Cena was fired because, for some reason, the leader of Nexus - Wade Barrett has been given the power to fire and hire John Cena. Barrett fired Cena after Survivor Series and now Cena is appearing on RAW with purchased front row tickets and at house shows competing under a mask as Juan Cena. Yes, Juan Cena. Vince’s contribution is a rehash of an angle better seen as The Bullet (Bob Armstrong), The Midnight Rider (Dusty Rhodes), or about 1,000 other adaptations.
There was a time when the Survivor Series was among my favorite nights of the year. After reading about the “highlights” of the 2010 edition, is there still any wonder now why the Survivor Series is not that important to me anymore?
**Jimmie Johnson is now a five-time, five-time, five-time, five-time, FIVE-TIME Cup Series Champion after he capitalized on Denny Hamlin’s choking on the sweet air of success.
Jimmie Johnson finished second in the season finale at Homestead -Miami Speedway behind race winner Carl Edwards. That finish, along with Denny Hamlin finishing in 14th, was more than enough for Jimmie Johnson to lay claim to his fifth consecutive Chase for the Championship victory.
While plenty of haters will continue to disrespect Jimmie Johnson’s championships reigns, the fact of the matter is that Jimmie Johnson is not doing anything wrong to warrant the hatred. Johnson is winning the championships under the Chase format that NASCAR implemented. He isn’t cheating with illegal cars, parts, or any other infractions. He simply knows how to win in the system forced upon him and the other competitors in the Cup Series. NASCAR currently suffers from a “Don’t hate the player. Hate the game” situation. All of the Jimmie Johnson haters and naysayers don’t have grounds for their hatred because Jimmie Johnson has done absolutely nothing wrong. If they don’t like Johnson winning, their hatred should go onto chokers like Denny Hamlin, over-hyped names who can’t win in Cup like Kyle Busch, over-hyped names who can’t win period like Dale Earnhardt, Jr. or, more importantly, onto Mike Helton, Brian France, Bruton Smith, and the other powers-that-be who have made the first 26 races meaningless.
Kevin Harvick is the uncrowned champion in terms of considering the entire season’s worth of work. But, NASCAR doesn’t do that anymore. So, Jimmie Johnson is the five-time champion. Don’t hate the player, hate the game.
**TNA had their final PPV event of 2010 on December 5th with Final Resolution. While the card read like it was another great wrestling event, one story backstage outshined the in-ring efforts of Douglas Williams, AJ Styles, The Motor City Machine Guns, Generation Me, Mickie James, and Tara. The big story surrounded the condition in which TNA World Champion Jeff Hardy showed up in. Known to struggle with drugs, apparently Hardy arrived at the Impact Zone in less-than-stellar shape. Rumored ran abundant that Hardy was going to be stripped of the title, replaced in the main event, executed behind the Impact Zone, etc. What ultimately happened is that Hardy pinned Matt Morgan in the main event and is still TNA World Champion.
I don’t want to justify a drug user. However, Jeff Hardy has shown that his in-ring talents are among the best in the entire industry and he brings viewers and interest to the program. The key thing though is that Jeff Hardy should not be a World Champion. He simply can not handle the pressures. Jeff Hardy’s last run in WWE was marred with drug issues that ultimately, I believe, led Hardy to quit the company. Hardy’s issues have caught up to him in TNA. The late, great Eddie Guerrero struggled with addiction for years. Many say that when he had to carry the company in 2004, Guerrero looked tempted to give drugs another try and so the WWE Championship was moved to John Bradshaw Layfield to save Eddie from relapse. It worked and Eddie’s untimely death was not as a result of an overdose like so many other wrestling tragedies. Jeff Hardy can wrestle and be something truly special to the show without having the pressure of carrying the company on his shoulders. Perhaps, that would be the kind of move needed to keep Jeff Hardy viable in the business and also clean enough to enjoy his life without drug dependency.
**The NFL season has only four weeks remaining in the regular season and the playoff picture is still cluttered as ever. There are plenty of “haves” in the 2010 NFL. However, there are also a lot of “have nots” that still have playoff opportunities in front of them.
First, the good teams. The AFC is loaded with high quality talent. The New England Patriots are sitting at 10-2 atop the conference and the AFC East. Pittsburgh leads the AFC North at 9-3 while Kansas City (8-4) and Jacksonville (7-5) are surprisingly leading their divisions. The New York Jets (9-3) and Baltimore Ravens (8-4) seemingly have the Wild Card spots locked up (if they don’t still win their respective divisions). Meanwhile in the NFC, the Atlanta Falcons are sitting at 10-2 atop the conference and the NFC South while the Chicago Bears are leading the NFC North with a surprising 9-3 record. Plus, the Philadelphia Eagles (8-4) own the tiebreaker over the New York Giants (also 8-4) in the NFC East. Also, the New Orleans Saints (9-3), Green Bay Parkers (8-4) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-5) are in the fight for a Wild Card spot.
The sad reality with the 2010 NFL playoff picture is that, a least in the NFC, one mediocre team is going to host a first round match when the winner of the NFC West (currently the 6-6 St. Louis Rams) host a much-better Wild Card entry. The Seattle Seahawks (also at 6-6) have a chance at winning that division. Meanwhile in the AFC, while Kansas City owns a two-game lead over the Oakland Raiders and San Diego Chargers (both 6-6), the realization that it is the Chiefs leads everyone to know that division is far from over. Also, the Jaguars only have a one-game lead in the AFC South over the 6-6 Indianapolis Colts and Indianapolis can never be counted out with Peyton Manning at the helm.
With still a month of NFL action to go before the postseason, the playoff picture is filled with congestion at the top of the mountain and at the middle of the pack. Any predictions made right now would look about as bad as my predictions at the start of the year (and we all know how bad they can be). One thing is safe to say though: the Carolina Panthers will end up as the worst team in the league for 2010. Thanks, John Fox and don’t let the door hit ya where the good Lord split ya.
**There was a time when winning the King of the Ring tournament meant that your star was about to be on the rise in World Wrestling Entertainment. With the return of the tournament on November 29th, I expected a new star to be established. Instead, two-time WWE Champion (and Triple H’s workout buddy) Sheamus added another accolade to his 2010 résumé. The field was loaded with guys who could have benefited from a King of the Ring rub: John Morrison, Alberto Del Rio, Drew McIntyre, Kofi Kingston, Daniel Bryan, or Cody Rhodes. But, instead, the two-time former World Champion was given the rub. While Sheamus has seen his star diminished with losses to Randy Orton, John Cena, and even Santino Marella, the reality is that Sheamus is still a main event talent who has already broken through the proverbial glass ceiling. With King of the Ring now gone, another opportunity for WWE to build another young star has also gone without a star being born.
**One of the major complaints a lot of wrestling fans love to make is that storylines happen way too quickly in today’s wrestling. In the days before a pay-per-view event every three weeks, storylines culminated at pay-per-view events that happened once every three-four months. In some instances, feuds would last for nine months to a year without anyone crying “boring” as people actually loved the great storytelling involved in professional wrestling’s heyday. Now, it is a miracle to have a good storyline last longer than two months.
So, when there is a lengthy storyline with a lot of twists, turns, and interesting moments than justify its longevity, I can’t help but find myself giving a finger wag of shame towards the fans who fail to recognize that what they are yearning to see if happening right before their eyes. Case in point: the struggle for control of TNA Wrestling between Dixie Carter and the TNA talent vs. Hulk Hogan, Eric Bischoff, and the heels of Immortal. This storyline has been going on since the summer with no end in sight. Many of the marquee players are currently “banished” from TNA or have left (not returning under a mask as Kurtis Angle, El Sting, or Down Goes La Nash). Young stars like Samoa Joe, DeAngelo Dinero, Matt Morgan, Douglas Williams, and Ken Anderson are continuing the fight while Kurt Angle, Sting, and Kevin Nash are set to return in the next few months. This angle is layered with lots of the great storytelling and in-ring confrontations that fans have been yearning for. Sadly, because Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff are involved and it is in TNA, many are ignoring it because of preconceived notions about the company.
It is the ignorance of the majority of today’s wrestling fan that is killing the business. Besides believing that professional wrestling should consist of three minute matches and 12 title changes a week per the Attitude Era, they also seem to believe that anything with Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff is “WCW all over again.” Their blind allegiance either to Vince McMahon and WWE or blind hatred of Hogan, Bischoff, and booking staff member Vince Russo is costing the industry because of their refusal to give TNA Wrestling a chance. I was once guilty of this and now encourage others to not make the same mistake I did. Competition is the only thing that will ultimately get WWE in better shape. But, until fans give TNA the support they deserve to become a viable competitor, wrestling as a whole will just continue to deteriorate.
**Another college football season has concluded with another bowl season upon us. Sadly, once again, there appears to be no sign of a college football playoff system coming at all. While there are 35 college bowls this season, only a handful are actually worth watching and of importance in any manner. Here are my thoughts on the games that count and are must-see for anybody who is a fan of college football.
In the non-BCS games, I really am only interested in three bowl games. Sorry Little Caesars Pizza Bowl, you are not one of them. I am interested in the December 22nd Maaco Bowl from Las Vegas because of the match-up: #11 Boise State vs. #19 Utah. Both teams were non-big conference teams in the top five until one loss dropped them completely off the grid this season. After the season Butch Davis has had, I’m interested in seeing if the beleaguered North Carolina Tar Heels will be able to defeat Tennessee in the Music City Bowl on December 30th from Nashville. The Citrus Bowl from Orlando on New Year’s Day between #9 Michigan State and #16 Alabama should also be a tremendous game.
As for the BCS games, all eyes are on the National Championship Game between the #1 ranked Auburn Tigers and the #2 ranked Oregon Ducks. Newton vs. James. SEC vs. Pac-10. This game has the potential to be an offensive masterpiece and my only real complaint with it is that the game isn’t taking place until January 10th. In the other BCS bowls, I think New Year’s Day’s Rose Bowl match-up between #3 TCU and #5 Wisconsin has potential to be tremendous and January 4th’s Sugar Bowl between #6 Ohio State and #8 Arkansas could go right down to the wire.
The National Championship Game is going to be between the right two teams this season without a doubt. But, I still wish that there was a glimmer of hope out there that we could see a college football playoff system in place before the end of my lifetime. Sadly, I think I could live to 125 and there still won’t be a college football playoff. Another failed promise from President Barack Obama.
**The last few weeks have been magically because of the return of a delicious treat available for a limited time only. Yes, my friends, it has been a return to flavor country with the return of the McRib. McDonald’s reintroduced the McRib to the menu for a limited time only in early November. As the days pass, the window to have one is closing with every passing minute. I encourage everyone to stop reading now and flock to your local golden arch adorned establishment to reintroduce yourself to a long-lost friend before it is too late for who knows when the McRib will return again.
**Adding another seven names to professional wrestling’s unemployment line, WWE made some “budget cuts” and granted one misused talent his well-deserved freedom with the firings of Luke Gallows, Shad Gaspard, Vance Archer, Caylen Croft, Jillian Hall, Tiffany and the release of Montel Vontavious Porter.
We all know that Tiffany, the wife of Drew McIntyre, was fired as soon as she was arrested over the summer for beating her husband up. I am amazed she stayed on the payroll this long. Gallows was handed countless horrible gimmicks (fake Kane? Festus?) and turned everyone of them into something watchable. Jillian Hall was always tremendously over as a heel and was a wrestler sadly at a time when Divas needed to be anorexic models John Laurinaitis could sleep with or The Undertaker could sleep with. Shad was split from JTG with the break-up of Cryme Tyme only to have his own gimmick never get a week of TV time before he was demoted while Archer and Croft never made it on TV past Superstars.
The real story though comes in the release of Montel Vontavious Porter, MVP. MVP begged, in the same vein as Matt Hardy, for his dismissal from the company when it became apparent that he was never going to be anything more than a jobber to the stars. A former United States Champion and one of the most popular stars in the company, MVP still had tons to give and deserved much better treatment than he received. Yet, in the same vein as Matt Hardy and Mickie James and Shelton Benjamin before him earlier this year, MVP was misused and mistreated until he couldn’t work there anymore and quit (unlike James and Benjamin who were unceremoniously fired). While early talk has MVP heading to Japan to wrestle, I hope he finds his way to Orlando and TNA Wrestling. An easier work schedule along with people who treat the business like it really is without sugarcoating it as “entertainment;” TNA is on the verge of reaching new heights and giving the wrestling world something it desperately needs: great professional wrestling on American television consistently. I would love to see MVP (possibly as Antonio Banks again) be a part of that.
**The news of Prince William’s engagement to Kate Something-or-other has led me to one question: Who in their right might gives a rat’s ass about England’s Royal Family?
Since the announcement of Prince Edward Louis’ engagement to Kate Middleton, the entertainment world has been in an uproar about the upcoming nuptials of these two for reasons I cannot comprehend. For one, neither of them are entertainers so I can‘t see why they are on TMZ, Entertainment Tonight, or Access Hollywood. Plus, I don’t see why anybody would care about these two because this is America and they are fixtures of England’s Royal Family. Sadly though, when this wedding does occur, this country will lose it’s mind and I’ll be in the minority shaking my head in disbelief at the sadness that is attention wasted on Prince Edward and his little English tart.
**A melancholy Happy Trails to two figures who were giants in their respective industries: Leslie Nielsen and Don Meredith.
Leslie Nielsen passed away on November 28th at the age of 84. Nielsen was a hilarious man and star of many comedies including The Naked Gun series and Airplane. Personally, I’ll always remember Leslie Nielsen for two things: his performance opposite Ted Danson in a segment in the 1982 horror film Creepshow and his reunion with George Kennedy to search for The Undertaker over the summer of 1994.
Before there was a John Madden, Terry Bradshaw, or Cris Collinsworth adding on-the-field experience to the commentary booth, there was “Dandy” Don Meredith. Don Meredith passed away on December 6th as result of a brain aneurysm at the age of 72. Meredith played for the Dallas Cowboys for nine seasons in the 1960s and was part of the Monday Night Football booth alongside Frank Gifford and Howard Cosell in the 1970s and early 1980s. He was colorful and charismatic with a knowledge of the game that only came from experience on the field. Also, I’ll always remember Don Meredith for his guest appearance on King of the Hill in an episode where Hank Hill won the chance to win a million dollars at the Cowboys-Saints game in New Orleans. Hank let Meredith throw for the $100,000 prize and then tackled Meredith when Dandy Don’s throw was off-target.
Both Leslie Nielsen and Don Meredith were legends in their fields who will be missed greatly.
CHEERS and JEERS
Superstar of the Week: Mike Mizanin, a.k.a. The Miz
When The Miz debuted in World Wrestling Entertainment in 2004, I didn’t think he had a prayer of lasting in the company a year. Originally billed as the “host” of Friday Night SmackDown, The Miz annoyed WWE fans in arenas all over the country on a weekly basis while training and learning his trade working in Ohio Valley Wrestling. When he finally made his in-ring debut, I thought The Miz wouldn’t last a year again as he was nothing special. Yet, from 2006 to today, The Miz has improved a million times over the green, inexperienced kid with the Red Rooster starter kit hairstyle and turned into one of the most exciting talkers and a solid hand in an era where the majority of WWE’s talent can’t even spell wrestle.
On November 22nd, I cheered the TV screen watching as The Miz cashed in the Money in the Bank contract and successfully defeated Randy Orton for the WWE Championship. I cheered The Miz because, unlike many fresh faces who come into the company and win the WWE or World Heavyweight title within six months of their debut, he earned this title. Mike Mizanin paid his dues and has busted his ass for over six years in WWE. Are there more worthy championship possibilities in the company? Yes. But, just because there are, it doesn’t mean that people should take this deserved moment away from Mike Mizanin. The Miz broke the rarely broken glass ceiling and absolutely deserves to be the WWE Champion.
Jerk of the Week: Sheep
No, I’m not going to hate on the wool-wearing, bah-bah animals who get unwanted loving from lonely farmers. They have enough problems (i.e. the farmers). I am going to talk about my hatred for fans who are blindly devoted to names pushed by the media despite the object of their devotion clearly being an overrated, untalented putz or an egotistical jerk in need of an attitude adjustment. In the last week, the sheep who follow Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and LeBron James have pissed me off with their idiocy.
For an eighth straight year, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. was named NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver. How? Why? In any other sport, the most popular athletes are the ones who win championships and compete in the big game. They aren’t the 25th best in a field of 30. NASCAR fans need to open their eyes to the worthlessness that is Dale Earnhardt, Jr. because this man will never, EVER, win anything meaningful the rest of his career. And, with every epic failure, it gives more evidence to my theory that his 2004 Daytona 500 win and all of his big restrictor-plate wins immediately following the death of his father were rigged for him to claim victory to appease the sheep.
Speaking of overrated talents who can’t win in the clutch, LeBron James’ fans seriously need to get a hold of themselves. LeBron returned to Cleveland for the first time since the Betrayal. The Miami Heat defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers in the latest example that God hates Cleveland, Ohio, 118-90, with James scoring 38 points. LeBron fans are using this as an example of how LeBron and the Heat will win the NBA Championship and are the greatest team in the history of the game. Really, people? Really? LeBron always wins games in December. He quits on teams in May and June when the NBA Playoffs are underway and the games count. Then again, these fans of LeBron also can’t understand what a jerk he has turned out to be as they support the egotistical actions of the NBA’s biggest drama queen.
I just don’t understand the loyalty the sheep have for Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and LeBron James. I know that admiration and devotion as a fan leads one to do stupid things in support of their favorites. I am a known Beadle-holic and member of the James Gang, among many other puns used to announce my support for various people. But, none of those I support have ever been an under-performing hype creation like Dale Earnhardt, Jr. or an egotistical punk like LeBron James has turned out to be. However, until the sheep that follow them open their eyes and stop supporting these jerks, Junior and LeBron will never attempt to better themselves or admit their faults. And with that, the sheep become just as big of jerks as the ones they blindly support.
POWER RANKINGS - Favorite Holiday Movies/Specials of All-Time
5. Mickey’s Christmas Carol
4. A Christmas Story
3. Frosty the Snowman
2. Rudolph the Red-Noised Reindeer
1. Silent Night, Deadly Night
BIG A RECOMMENDS…
The Town - currently available in theaters and available on DVD/Blu-Ray on December 17th.
I can not recommend The Town enough. Gripping, intense, powerful. Without a doubt, The Town is one of the best films I have seen in years. Set in Boston, MA and the surrounding Charlestown area, Ben Affleck superbly directs the story of career robber Doug (played by Affleck) and the aftermath of a robbery that resulted in a relationship with a hostage, Claire (played by Rebecca Hall), and a strained relationship with his cohorts in crime - namely Jem (played by Jeremy Renner). Jon Hamm plays the lead FBI agent in hot pursuit of the crew in the cat-and-mouse game between the criminals and law enforcement officers. Affleck and Hamm are tremendous in their performances but the most praise-worthy performances come from Hall and Renner. They are both captivating on-screen and bring out the best in their co-stars. The Town doesn’t do anything new with the heist genre but does everything you’ve seen before so right that unoriginality simply does not matter. The Town is Ben Affleck’s “labor of love” and that shows though his incredible effort in creating an accurate portrayal of Boston and its surrounding areas. It is an amazing picture and one of the best of 2010. Do not miss The Town.
WHAT I LEARNED THIS WEEK…
I’ve learned that there is no time like the present to begin shamelessly promoting my favorite Highlight Reel of the year: the 2010 Year in Review! All of the best, the worst, and my favorite moments of 2010 will be coming to you, my loyal reader, in the Highlight Reel 2010 Year in Review on New Year’s Eve. I can’t wait! Like The Miz, it shall be AWESOME!
- Aaron Goins
