- Danica Patrick’s move to NASCAR is her final declaration that she’s done trying.
- The more things change the more they stay the same in the WWE.
- Mickie James is one of the greatest to ever lace a pair of boots.
- And, I’m Aaron Goins. All my thoughts on these topics and so much more (including my brief college football preview)… in The Highlight Reel!
NEWS and NOTES
**Since Triple H took over the reins from Vince McMahon on-screen in World Wrestling Entertainment, things have remained the same despite all of the hype from Triple H’s promos of change and the announce teams all losing their mind describing the changes. If anything, the only change that has occurred is that the “status quo” has returned to form. On July 17th, the Money in the Bank pay-per-view event saw CM Punk win the WWE Championship, Christian win the World Heavyweight Championship, and both Alberto Del Rio and Daniel Bryan look like future champs with their respective Money in the Bank Ladder match victories. I watched millions say that this was the first night of a new age and laughed because I knew WWE would return to the same old garbage. It happened in less than a month.
CM Punk’s push has ended and he’s being lined up for job duties to Triple H at Night of Champions and Kevin Nash afterwards when Nash can finally be cleared to work a match. Randy Orton is World Heavyweight Champion again and Christian is on a slow train back to mid-card. Alberto Del Rio is currently the WWE Champion thanks in part to the WWE preparing for a tour of Mexico in October while Daniel Bryan is jobbing to everyone under the sun as the WWE builds Bryan as a legit World Champion contender by having him lose to everyone. I know, it makes no sense to me either.
Recently in this “era of change” in WWE, Triple H announced on RAW that the Superstars from both RAW and SmackDown would begin appearing on RAW as WWE was going to begin presenting RAW Supershows every Monday night. Essentially, this is the end of the brand extension that WWE has been using since 2002. This would be huge news except for one thing: WWE has ignored brand separation and had people appearing willy-nilly on both shows for years. In the last month alone, RAW stars Alberto Del Rio, John Morrison, R-Truth, Beth Phoenix, and Zack Ryder have been all over SmackDown while SmackDown stars Kane, Sin Cara, and Natalya Neidhart have been on RAW. I would have a book written if I documented ever one of these slights in the face of brand extension in the last five years.
This is nothing more than a ratings ploy that WWE is attempting to use in order to keep viewers from watching Monday Night Football, Dancing with the Stars, and everything else that people eagerly watch on Mondays in the Fall. Of course, WWE is going to promote this as a big deal and more “change” under the leadership of Triple H. But, when you’ve watched wrestling as long as I have, you can smell Vince McMahon’s bull coming from a mile away. And yes, I know it’s Vince McMahon’s bull. Triple H has as much power in the WWE as he’s ever had. Granted it is a lot more than he should have, Triple H’s power still is only as much as the slack in Stephanie’s leash and as much as Vince McMahon wants to give up at the moment. Triple H can bring in the Kliq for one last slumber party of dominance but that is it. John Cena and Randy Orton will remain untouched. The Undertaker, when he feels like returning (i.e. at WrestleMania) will remain untouched. The under-utilized and squashed future will remain what they are and the status quo is will remain.
There is an old saying: “The more things change the more they stay the same.” For every bit of change in World Wrestling Entertainment that the blind sycophants are embracing, the more the status quo is remaining in place as there is not a damn thing changing in the WWE.
**The NFL preseason has came to an end (well, technically there is one more game but Raiders vs. Seahawks isn’t that important) and there are many huge storylines coming out the preseason.
For me, my eyes first go to the Dallas Cowboys and the Carolina Panthers. In Dallas, everybody appears to be healthy and prepared for another season where Dallas will have tons of potential and hype causing many to predict great things even though this squad has been a bitter disappointment for over a decade. Meanwhile, Carolina is starting to see that Cam Newton appears to be closer to what I though (and feared) than what we all hoped for. Newton is a run-first, pass-second quarterback who looks scared to death at times when put against an NFL defense. For every healthy and improved member of the Panthers roster ready to win now, there will be no victories to be found with a scared Cam Newton at QB running like a chicken with his head cut off.
In other stories from the preseason, I have noticed that the injury bug has bit a few teams particularly hard. In Indianapolis, Peyton Manning’s off-season neck surgery appears to have Manning on the verge of missing his first game since 1998 and has Indianapolis looking more beatable than ever with 16-year veteran and recently un-retired Kerry Collins holding down the fort until Manning can return. The New York Giants, who I believe will be a player in 2011, have suffered a lot of losses to their secondary. The New York Jets’ newly acquired weapon for QB Mark Sanchez, Plaxico Burress, has been sidelined with back and hamstring troubles. Also, Houston Texans’ stud running back Arian Foster has suffered a hamstring injury that may keep him off the field for the Texans’ first few games. While every team has a lot of injuries coming out of the preseason, these injuries in particular could play significantly into the early season storylines for their respective teams.
The Tennessee Titans finally got running back Chris Johnson to end his contract holdout as they made him the highest paid running back in the league with a four-year, $53 million dollar extension. Michael Vick signed a six-year, $100 million dollar contract extension in Philadelphia that left many shaking their heads. Plus, the Oakland Raiders made a surprising move by taking former Ohio State quarterback Terrell Pryor with a third round pick in the supplemental draft and announcing that they believe him to be a QB of the future for the silver and black.
Within the next week, the final round of cuts will lead to a ton of free agency signings as each team will make the final moves they believe necessary to turn their team into a Super Bowl contender. Also, within the next week, The Highlight Reel will bring you the only NFL Preview that you will need as I’ll publish the 2011 NFL Preview. It will be awesome.
**The obvious finally became official when Danica Patrick announced that she was leaving the Indy Car Series that made her a household name for the bigger paychecks of NASCAR. Ever since she began entering Nationwide Series events, I knew Danica Patrick would eventually make the jump to NASCAR because of the higher profile and bigger paychecks that she could make. And, it was during this time period where I lost what respect I once had for Patrick.
Once upon a time, Danica Patrick showed that she was a tremendous talent behind the wheel. She led the Indianapolis 500 with ten to go in her first start and remained a legitimate threat at the Brickyard every start she has had since her debut. She won in 2008 at Twin Ring Motegi in Japan. But, as she showed her talents on the track, Danica allowed herself to be drawn to the spotlight and endeavors outside of on-track ones. Sports Illustrated swimsuit modeling duties, commercials with GoDaddy, and other money-making endeavors took Patrick away from her work at improving her racing skills. Then, she said the one thing that turned me off of her forever: Danica was more concerned with pushing her brand than working on her driving. Her brand; her words, not mine.
Danica Patrick is now a mere sideshow attraction. So, of course, it is fitting that she would pair herself with Dale Earnhardt, Jr. because he has been nothing but a sideshow attraction since his father passed away. All about making commercials and endorsing products without doing anything successful on the track, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. is the perfect person for Danica Patrick to learn the NASCAR way from.
Of course, all of that said, Danica Patrick will win in NASCAR. Mike Helton and Brian France will make sure she wins something. They are already booking her first major stock car victory. And yes, I know I said they were booking it. NASCAR is as scripted as professional wrestling, boxing, the NBA, and any other major sport where a lot of money is involved and agendas are to be met. That is why the arrival of Danica Patrick full-time to NASCAR is just another in a long line of nails into the coffin of NASCAR. For every sycophant who still believes NASCAR is great, they need to look no further than the empty seats and plummeting TV ratings in comparison to what the sport had before the Chase for the Ratings (I mean Championship) tarnished the sport in 2004. NASCAR is now professional wrestling on wheels. Mike Helton books the sport in the same vein that Vince McMahon books WWE. It’s pathetic. Instead of having the most talented drivers getting praised and pushed for their talent, Danica will be followed in the same vein of Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Also, I suspect that, in the pushing of Kyle Busch as their “bad boy,” Busch will say or do something to Danica that will be viewed as disrespectful to cause an uproar in the audience while Busch and Patrick celebrate with the powers that be after playing their roles to perfection. It’s the new NASCAR: one huge unfunny joke on wheels.
Meanwhile, many will look at Danica’s departure from the Indy Car Series as the deathblow to this series. Indy Car was here before Danica and will remain long after Danica. Considering the way she has performed since beginning her NASCAR money-making scheme, the Indy Car Series has been without Danica Patrick for two years now. Eventually Danica will realize the error of her ways when he thinks back on how she wasted her talent for open-wheel cars like Dario Franchitti, Sam Hornish, Juan Montoya, and Scott Speed have all done recently. But, she’ll have far too much money from the NASCAR sheep to care about selling her soul.
**America is not only excited because of the return of the National Football League. College football has began and, between the NFL and the NCAA action dominating television screens all weekend long in homes, bars, and restaurants across the country, it is safe to say that America’s pastime has returned as it is football season.
Last year, the Auburn Tigers shocked the college football world with terrific play under the leadership of Cam Newton and won the National Championship. Auburn started the year ranked #22. Nobody really gave Auburn a serious chance at becoming National Champion. Then, the games were played on the field and Auburn showed themselves time and time again to be the most elite team in the college game in 2010. The story of Auburn is a perfect example of how looking at the pre-season rankings in college football and making predictions can be a very tricky idea.
For five straight years, the SEC has been the premiere conference in college football with the SEC being home to every BCS National Champion since 2006. But, the college football world is wondering if 2011 will see the SEC continue their trend or if another school from another conference will finally step up to the plate and end that SEC dominance. Frankly, I think that this year will be the year the dominance ends and the team to do it will be coming from a conference that is crumbling before our very eyes.
If I had to put money on an early season favorite to win the National Championship Game on January 9th, 2012 in New Orleans, Louisiana, I believe that the Oklahoma Sooners have what it takes to end the SEC dominance and bring the National Championship to the crumbling Big XII conference. Loaded with a defense full of returning juniors and seniors and led by the arm of junior quarterback Landry Jones, the Sooners looked primed for a huge run in 2011. While their schedule is not easy as games against Florida State and rivalry matches with Texas and Oklahoma State appear daunting, I believe wholeheartedly that Oklahoma has what it takes to win big and often in 2011.
Many love the Alabama Crimson Tide to return to the dominance they showed when winning the national title in 2009 while others believe that either the national title runner-up from one year ago Oregon Ducks or the Stanford Cardinals could come out of the newly-formed Pac-12 Conference and win the national title. The Florida State Seminoles appear to be returning to the form they showed in their glory years under Bobby Bowden while the Boise State Broncos once again hope to play BCS spoiler. The college game is loaded with so many teams and so much potential for anarchy to begin on any given week that, even with the ridiculous BCS Standings and not a playoff determining a National Champion, college football is truly a fascinating sport to follow on a weekly basis.
**On August 25th in Huntsville, Alabama at a TNA Impact Wrestling taping, Mickie James defeated Winter to win the TNA Knockouts Championship for the second time in her TNA career. With the victory, Mickie James became an eight-time Women’s World Champion as Mickie has two Knockout Championships to go along with five Women’s Championships and one Divas Championship from her time in World Wrestling Entertainment. Those eight championships put Mickie at the head of the class when looking as the most decorated and accomplished female wrestlers of all-time alongside the Fabulous Moolah’s eight world title reigns and just ahead of Trish Stratus’ seven world titles.
As a huge fan of Mickie James, I am glad to watch and support as Mickie James continues to shine among the best female competitors in the world today in TNA Wrestling. Personally, Mickie James is one of my favorites, male or female, in the entire history of the business. I’m glad to see that she didn’t let the final years in WWE take any of the competitive fire and determination away from her. A lesser woman would have been turned off the business after the harassment she suffered on and off camera from WWE management but Mickie James has just continued to prove why she is the best in the world as WWE struggles to find another woman with a tenth of the charisma and hundredth of the talent that Mickie brought to the ring. As World Wrestling Entertainment is finding out and wrestling fans have known for years, Mickie James is truly one of a kind.
**On August 23rd, there was an earthquake that shook the world to its very core. Or, it shook the eastern seaboard to its very core. The funny thing though was that I didn’t feel it one bit.
Around 1:50PM on August 23rd, a 5.8 magnitude earthquake occurred with the epicenter located about five miles south of the town of Mineral, Virginia. The quake was felt all over the eastern seaboard with reports of the quake being coming in from as far south as Georgia, far north as Ontario, Canada, and as far west as Indiana. I was awake but might as well have been asleep because I did not feel a thing. Not a tremor or a shake, absolutely nothing. The quake was felt on Paw Paw Road here in Stoneville though as my dad thought the end was coming when the ground shook and the tin roof of a shelter cracked a little. But, both myself and my mom noticed nothing out of the ordinary. In my defense, I believe it is true that only Michelle Beadle herself can rock my world. But, I can’t explain why others (including Michelle Beadle herself) were not lucky enough to experience the great earthquake of 2011. All I know is that we all survived and have the story to tell.
**I have always had a tremendous respect for Tennessee Lady Volunteers’ women’s basketball coach Pat Summitt. Always carrying herself with class and dignity rarely seen at any level of sports, Summitt still has shown a fire and competitive nature matched by few of her peers. Her intense rivalry with Connecticut’s Geno Auriemma has made women’s college basketball a must-see game at times on the same level as their male counterparts. Summitt has proven herself over 36 seasons to be one of the greatest coaches in the history of the game regardless of gender.
On August 23rd, Summitt revealed to the world that she is suffering from early onset dementia. At the age of 59, Summitt’s diagnosis of this incurable disease has shaken the sports world, especially in the state of Tennessee. Pat Summitt has said that she will not relinquish her duties nor allow herself to become an subject of pity and mercy. Summitt is going to coach her girls with the same vigor and ruthless aggression that has led her Lady Vols to eight NCAA Championships and 1,071 total victories over 36 seasons. I hope that she fights this disease with the same vigor that she has fought her competition. I believe she will too.
CHEERS and JEERS
Superstar of the Week: Brad Keselowski
You know, I don’t give NASCAR must love or respect anymore. Frankly, the sport hasn’t deserved it. But, I heard a story come out of the Bristol race weekend this past weekend that impressed me a great deal. Brad Keselowski scored his second win in four weeks and his third victory of the season. What has made these two most recent victories impressive though? Keselowski has scored these victories while competing with a broken ankle.
Keselowski suffered a broken ankle during a testing accident at Road Atlanta in Georgia on August 3rd. Keselowski won at Pocono four days later and then won at Bristol on the 27th. In both cases, Keselowski showed the talent, skills, and determination that have reminded me of the good ol’ days when NASCAR was not the joke it has become. It’s such a shame that Brad is participating at a time when NASCAR is a ridiculous, gimmick-filled joke. While the sport and their governing body currently stink, there is nothing that can be taken away from what Brad Keselowski has recent done on the track. Winning two races at any level in any type of vehicle with a broken ankle is admirable.
Jerk of the Week: Matt Hardy
Instead of Jerk of the Week, I think I should rename the award Joke of the Week because Matt Hardy has been nothing short of an unfunny joke over the last few weeks.
On August 20th, Matt Hardy was fired from TNA Wrestling after being arrested for DWI in the Charlotte area after crashing into a tree. Four days later, Hardy was hospitalized after falling down in his home. All the while, Hardy defended his actions with videos on YouTube that ranged from the sad to the pathetic to the delusional. Finally, on August 30th, the videos went too far with Hardy making a faux suicide note in an attempt to get himself attention from the internet wrestling community. Instead, Hardy had local authorities at his home checking on his well-being.
At one time, Matt Hardy was “everybody’s favorite wrestler.” He was one of the most decorated wrestlers of the last decade. Hardy was a former ECW Champion, a United States Champion, and an eight-time Tag Team Champion among other accolades. Plus, Hardy was featured in many of the most intense feuds of the last decade; feuds with Edge, Kane, Montel Vontavious Porter, the Dudleys, and Edge and Christian. But, the Matt Hardy who was so great has been replaced by a needy, attention whore who has the maturity of a teenager. It’s tragic to see how far Matt Hardy has fallen. Matt Hardy has become a joke; an unfunny joke. That’s a shame considering how legendary Hardy could have been.
POWER RANKINGS - Best Female Wrestlers in the World Today
5. Madison Rayne - TNA Wrestling
4. Angelina Love - TNA Wrestling
3. Mercedes Martinez - Independent Circuit
2. Beth Phoenix - World Wrestling Entertainment
1. Mickie James - TNA Wrestling
BIG A RECOMMENDS…
Churros - Available in stores and restaurants everywhere.
Yeah, churros. They are delicious. What? All of these recommendations can’t be winners.
WHAT I LEARNED THIS WEEK…
Earlier this year, I wrote about how I care too much. I mentioned how I honestly think that it is an admirable quality to have and how I am dedicated to my friends, family, and favorites in life with the devotion that comes from a truly passionate person. At the time I wrote that, I was dealing with a lot of annoying people and the criticisms they had of various things I enjoy. I came to the conclusion that I would rather be passionate and take up for the people I love and admire than simply show apathy towards the ignorance of haters. Recently, I discovered that not only being passionate for people and ideas is apparently wrong, it is also wrong to have high standards. I discovered that through my love of professional wrestling.
On the August 22nd edition of Monday Night RAW, I officially called the Summer of Punk over at 11:01PM when CM Punk lost his immediate WWE Championship rematch to John Cena in their number one contender’s match after Kevin Nash interfered. I was offended by the fact that the future of the WWE main event scene and the harbinger of change, CM Punk, was reduced to a future jobber to the 52-year-old oft-injured best friend of Triple H. While many showed that same sense of disappointment on the pages where I vented my frustrations, I was told by a few that I should stop watching wrestling because I find nothing enjoyable about it. That is simply not true as I found a lot of things enjoyable about that very same show I vented on. But, I discovered that I am a man who has standards living in a world with an ever-increasing amount of people who happily accept mediocrity. That sickens me.
I hate the status quo. I hate things that are merely average. And, I really hate it when those things that are average and normal business absolutely suck. In the case of World Wrestling Entertainment, I hate that every main event must center around John Cena, Randy Orton, and now Triple H. I have complained for years about WWE having the same seven guys dominate the main event picture. Instead of fresh faces being created when many of these group retired or left the company, they just made the status quo even more narrow-minded and repetitive with emphasis solely on John Cena, Randy Orton, and the random jobber of the moment for them. It is lazy. It is boring. The status quo in the WWE is complete crap and I refuse to eat it and call it ice cream.
I have always had higher standards than most fans when it comes to professional wrestling. As a child, when the masses loved The Bushwhackers, I wanted them dead. I pulled for the Rougeau Brothers in that feud that would never end between those teams. I’ve always wanted the best out of the product and always criticized what I felt was wrong. I’m not one who acts superior and says that people are terrible for liking mediocrity and supporting the status quo. Yet, I’m evidently a terrible human being for having high standards and expecting more. The truth is that I have loved wrestling since I was five years old. I’ve seen more crap than a port-a-john at a three-day music festival. I praise what I like and complain about what I don’t like. If it makes me sound bitter, so be it. But, I think I’d rather be a critic or a *gasp* cynic than sit and mindlessly watch mediocrity and clap like a trained seal when told to cheer for the status quo.
I’ve learned that, not only do I care too much, I also have a problem with having standards. Who knew those were poor qualities to have, right?
- Aaron Goins
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