- Miranda Lambert is awesome for more than just joining CM Punk in hating Chris Brown.
- Daniel Bryan vs. Sheamus should have top billing for WrestleMania XXVIII.
- Kate Upton is the human incarnation of “Giggidy.”
- And, I’m Aaron Goins. All my thoughts on these topics and so much more (including the 2012 Oscars and Grammy Awards)… in The Highlight Reel!
NEWS and NOTES
**The Road to WrestleMania XXVIII is well underway with tons of familiar faces finally making their first appearances since last year’s WrestleMania. Frankly, we all know where I fall in this discussion. I hate it. Some of the greatest WrestleMania events of all-time featured the Superstars and Divas who perform night in and night out having the biggest match of their year on the biggest stage of them all. Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant did not disappear for a year between WrestleMania II and III. Steve Austin and The Rock did not disappear between WrestleMania 2000 and X7 (Austin was out because of injury and not filmmaking or old age). Sadly, the current WWE would rather reward names from the past that only show up for one night than reward the men and women who break their bodies nightly so that there is a business to have WrestleMania in the first place.
The main event for WrestleMania XXVIII is John Cena vs. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Set almost one year ago, Dwayne Johnson finally returned to the WWE on February 27th to discuss the match up after taking time away from the ring to promote his latest film. No, let’s rephrase that with the truth and not the WWE rhetoric. Dwayne Johnson appeared on RAW, taking time away from his Hollywood career, to pander to his former wrestling fans in hopes that they will see his next film and believe that he still cares about their support and not just their money. I have adamantly trashed John Cena and the “Super Cena” for years. However, I respect John Cena as a man and I respect Cena’s dedication to the business that has made him millions. That seems to be the basis for this feud. While it works for a match, should it be the main event? Hell NO! A feud based on tweets because one of the participants is a Hollywood actor should not be the main event for the biggest event of the year. Of course, that is a better basis than the co-main event.
The Undertaker will go 20-0 after he defeats Triple H, again, at WrestleMania as they meet inside Hell in a Cell on April 1st. Nobody wants this match. Hell in a Cell makes the match more appealing. However, the gimmick is taking a dead horse and standing it up. The horse is still dead and it will not run. I do not care for a bloodless, neutered WWE PG-version of Heck in a Cell featuring the Son-in-Law and Old Man Callaway. The only buzz surrounding this match is how The Undertaker shaved his head and his hair did not return for WrestleMania. Nobody cares for this match but the promotion machine will push it as if it has fans on the edge of their seats. Again, I am sure it will be entertaining. However, is this match between a semi-retired wrestler and a guy who works one night a year really a main event? No.
This illogical booking mindset has even tarnished the WWE Championship CM Punk will defend the gold against the returning Chris Jericho at WrestleMania. While this will be an outstanding match, the sad truth is that the match should not be happening because Chris Jericho, who returned on January 2nd, will be leaving for his musical endeavors in April. Chris Jericho is taking the main event spot that should belong to Dolph Ziggler, Alberto Del Rio, or anybody else who has worked more than a handful of dates since 2010.
The only match currently on the WrestleMania card that should be a main event is a match in danger of becoming a “DVD exclusive.” Don’t believe me? It happened last year so why wouldn’t WWE pull World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan vs. Sheamus in favor of Dwayne Johnson delivering a 20-minute monologue. The World Heavyweight Championship and winning the Royal Rumble clearly do not matter in the WWE anymore so anything can happen concerning this match, the only legit main event on the card, being disrespected beyond belief.
As the Road to WrestleMania XXVIII continues, I have little to no doubt that WWE will waste men like Dolph Ziggler, Cody Rhodes, The Miz, Mark Henry, Alberto Del Rio, Jack Swagger, Christian, Kofi Kingston, and even Randy Orton at WrestleMania. They are too close to a consistent performer to grace the main event of the biggest show of the year. They perform until injuries (or failed drug tests, right Randall?) force them from the lineup without taking time off for music, Hollywood, or vacation. They are the professional wrestlers who should be in the main event spots. Yet, Vince loves his relics from yesteryear. WrestleMania XXVIII will stand as testament to that.
**At February’s Against All Odds pay-per-view, the major story to come out of TNA’s event was that former head writer/booker Vince Russo was no longer a part of TNA Wrestling. For years, Russo’s inept booking held TNA back. However, Russo’s final days with the company became a much bigger story than they really should have been because Russo has not booked TNA Wrestling since last Fall. When TNA removed Russo from the head booker position, Robert Roode and James Storm became main event players while Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff moved into sideshow roles within the company. Honestly, I had no clue Russo was even contributing to the company in any form or fashion when news broke of his release.
What should have been the biggest story to come out of Against All Odds is that World Champion Robert Roode has firmly established himself as one of the premiere heels in the industry today. Roode defeated James Storm, Jeff Hardy, and Bully Ray to retain the TNA World title despite the wishes of Guest Referee and TNA “official” Sting.
Shortly after Against All Odds, Storm became the number one contender for the TNA World title on Impact and will receive his championship match on April 15th at Lockdown in Nashville, Tennessee. Meanwhile, Roode and Sting’s conflict will come to a head on March 18th at Victory Road in a non-title match. I love that Storm and Roode’s rivalry will come to a head on the Lockdown stage. That event is one of the marquee events of the TNA year and a perfect battleground for the collision of Beer Money. In addition, if Roode can score a victory over Sting, it will only help establish Roode as a main event star even more. TNA continues to move in a positive direction in the Post-Russo Era that began shortly after Bound for Glory 2011.
Of course, not all is well in TNA Wrestling. With Gail Kim still as Knockouts Champion, the Knockouts Division is stuck in a lull that will remain until Kim drops the title to anyone else. While I would prefer Mickie James as champion, I like the idea of Madison Rayne battling Kim at Victory Road. With both as partners in crime and Knockouts tag Team Champions, the animosity and professional jealousy make for a great angle. If the payoff is that Kim drops the title to Rayne, everything about this is a win.
I do find myself watching TNA and wondering when some of their singles stars will find their way back into the shuffle. Abyss, Devon, and Elijah Burke have all disappeared over the last month. Thanks to the AJ Styles-Christopher Daniels feud, Frankie Kazarian and Ken Anderson have spots on TV again. Robbie E is slowly bringing back some credibility to the TV Championship. Samoa Joe and Magnus are now Tag Team Champions after defeating Matt Morgan and Crimson while Austin Aries continues to dominate the X-Division title picture. Meanwhile, the main event picture has guys like Kurt Angle, Jeff Hardy, and Bully Ray participating in main event angles without being in the main event. They are talents stuck in limbo without anything meaningful going on right now. Hopefully they will find themselves in a meaningful angle soon enough because TNA needs more solid main event angles without involving Garret Bischoff, Hulk Hogan, Gunner, Eric Bischoff, or Ric Flair.
**Ring of Honor Wrestling celebrated 10 years in business on February 23rd. In conjunction with that anniversary, ROH returns to pay-per-view on Sunday, March 4th with their 10th Anniversary Special: Young Wolves Rising from New York City. The more I look at this card, the more I believe that Ring of Honor is the best company that nobody is watching today. Also, I believe that Ring of Honor could benefit from a change within the booking staff to prioritize the World Championship over the Tag Team titles.
The main event at Young Wolves Rising is a tag team match where World Champion Davey Richards and his Team Richards training partner Kyle O’Reilly take on Eddie Edwards and O’Reilly’s former Future Shock partner Adam Cole. Instead of having a World Championship match on this important card, the main event is a tag match based on petty squabbling that spilt up two tag teams. The World Champion is in the match but the feud is about training partners, tag teams, and desires to win the Tag Team Championships more than anything. As important as tag team wrestling is, and ROH emphasizes this, the World Championship should be the ultimate prize in any promotion. Ring of Honor says this but their booking does not enforce what is said.
Meanwhile, the Tag Team Champions Mark and Jay Briscoe defend against Matt and Nick Jackson while former champions Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin face Kenny King and Rhett Titus of the All Night Express. TV Champion Jay Lethal will defend against the undefeated Tommaso Ciampa and Kevin Steen, one of ROH’s most polarizing figures, will battle Jimmy Jacobs in a Fight Without Honor.
I’m sure that the event will be a terrific show for fans of professional wrestling. I wish that the main event featured Davey Richards defending the ROH title. Even more so, I wish he were losing that ROH title to someone else. However, soon enough, the Richards Era in ROH will end and perhaps the ROH title can become as interesting and important as a world title should be.
**I went with the Beavis to the historic Greensboro Coliseum on February 19th for one of the most awesome concerts I have ever attended. We saw Chris Young and Jerrod Niemann join country superstar Miranda Lambert as Miranda Lambert’s 2012 On Fire Tour hit Greensboro. This concert seemed almost destined never to happen. Originally scheduled for January 19th, I did not have the money to get tickets for the show on its original date. Then, Miranda’s husband, Blake Shelton, lost his father so Lambert postponed the concert for the funeral. I was able to get tickets and everything seemed fine until February 19th rolled around. That is when winter finally occurred in 2012. We traveled to Greensboro in snow, sleet, and conditions normally found in northern Canada. Still, driving by four crashes and making the one-hour journal in almost two hours, we arrived for the concert without a second thought of the dangers coming home.
The show itself was fantastic! If you ever have the chance to see Miranda Lambert live in concert, do not pass it up! Miranda’s set was energetic and on fire (as the tour was billed) from the opening numbers of “Fastest Girl in Town” and “Kerosene” through “Baggage Claim”, “Only Prettier”, “Gunpowder and Lead”, and “White Liar.” Miranda included covers of songs from Lady Gaga, Tom Petty, Aretha Franklin, and Waylon Jennings in her set. It was a phenomenal show. Chris Young continued to show that he is one of the brightest stars of country music’s future with an outstanding set full of hits like “The Man I Want to Be”, “You”, “Getting’ You Home (The Black Dress Song)”, and “Tomorrow.” Plus, Jerrod Niemann started things off in a rocking way with a terrific set including “What Do You Want” and “Lover, Lover.”
As for the journey home, it could not have gone smoother. Miranda Lambert was truly on fire because that show warmed the atmosphere enough to have the roads clear, the snow gone, and the North Carolina sky clear as a crystal. For a concert that seemed destined never to happen for me, it turned into one of the best concert-going experiences of my life. Miranda Lambert, Chris Young, and Jerrod Niemann put on one hell of a show.
**The 2012 Daytona 500 had a fiery crash that delayed things for over two hours after rain delayed the start of the race for 36 hours. Danica Patrick finished 38th. Jimmie Johnson crashed on Lap 2 and finished 42nd. Ratings were up 22% from last year for the race despite it airing on Monday night.
With all of these stories though, I had one question: Who won? I guess that was not important enough to crack the major media outlets. That is more of a testament to NASCAR’s place than anything else is.
**Since the last edition of The Highlight Reel, the music world lost one of the great voices of a generation when Whitney Houston passed away at the age of 48 on February 11th. Houston battled drug abuse and alcoholism for almost two decades. Her struggles, and denial of her demons, made her passing comedic fodder for many (including yours truly) because Whitney ultimately wasted her talents and her life on her own terms.
When I think of Whitney Houston, I will always think about her drug abuse first. The sad truth is that, as much of a talent as she was, drugs and alcoholism dominated her life more than music. However, that is not to say that I will forget her music. Her version of Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You” from The Bodyguard soundtrack was one of the vocal performances in R&B history while her rendition of the Star Spangled Banner before Super Bowl XXV in 1991 will go down as one of the greatest performances of our national anthem in sports history. Whitney Houston was an amazing performer. Sadly, her personal demons lessened her gifts and ultimately claimed her life much too soon.
**The 2012 Grammy Awards were the Night of Adele. Yeah, I do not understand why either. I have listened to the music of Adele enough to say I have given the British vocalist a fair chance. I don’t like her. I just don’t. Her vocals are too loud and unintelligible at times. I am not a fan. However, the Grammy voters certainly were fans as Adele walked away with five awards including all three of the major awards: Record, Album, and Song of the Year.
Despite having a majority of the top selling albums and tours in all of music over the last year, the Grammy voters ignored the country genre in the major categories. Therefore, my focus on the 2012 Grammy Awards solely went to the country genre awards. Taylor Swift left with two more Grammy Awards as she won for Best Solo Performance and Best Country Song for “Mean.” In addition, Lady Antebellum won their second consecutive Grammy for Best Country Album as they won for Own the Night. I support those awards wholeheartedly.
**I think that everybody with a shred of common sense and decency inside themselves hates Chris Brown. Not only is the R&B singer worthy of hatred because of his God-awful music, Chris Brown deserves hatred for his lack of remorse stemming from an incident in 2009 where Brown brutally assaulted Rihanna before the 2009 Grammy Awards. There are many stars who have been accused of domestic abuse and survived the scandal by begin apologetic and showing genuine remorse over the incident. Chris Brown is not one of those men. Yet, Brown is celebrated again in his musical genre and it is rubbing many people the wrong way. Thank to Twitter, two celebrities lashed out and have created two celebrity feuds as country singer Miranda Lambert and WWE Superstar CM Punk have both taken Brown and the music industry to task for celebrating the man.
At the 2012 Grammy Awards, Chris Brown won a Grammy and performed twice. Miranda Lambert, a Grammy winner in her own right, showed her dismay with this by tweeting about her disgust with him performing twice. Brown’s naïve fans supported him while Lambert’s fan showed support to her by suggesting Brown listen to “Gunpowder and Lead” before thinking of beating another woman.
Then, CM Punk entered the fray. The WWE Champion tweeted about a desire to curb stomp the R&B singer at WrestleMania. Brown replied that Punk was a steroid user unable to please a woman because of steroid-damaged private parts. The war was on. The two have bickered on Twitter for weeks now with most siding with Punk. However, the victim of Brown’s rage, Rihanna, has sided with her former beau in a sign that she perhaps does not deserve the sympathy she has received before of her sheer stupidity.
I think it is hilarious that Chris Brown bit when CM Punk trolled him. Brown has argued with Punk on Twitter and Punk has received some of the best mainstream press of his career from it. Meanwhile, Brown showed himself a coward by refusing to acknowledge Miranda Lambert. Lambert, a counterpart in the musical world, is a woman offering more of a physical threat to Brown than Rihanna so Brown is afraid and his fear is comical. CM Punk comes out with more fans and fame, Miranda Lambert comes away with more press and fans, and Chris Brown remains the jerk while Rihanna stays the fool by her jerk‘s side.
**The 84th Academy Awards took place on February 26th. It was a night all about The Artist. The silent French film took home Best Picture, Best Director (for Michel Hazanavicius), Best Actor (for Jean Dujardin), Best Original Score, and Best Costume Design. While I have not watched the film, I just don’t see how a black and white, silent film could be the best film cinema had to offer in 2011.
The Academy robbed The Help regarding Best Picture. However, the film did receive some recognition as Octavia Spencer won Best Supporting Actress. Meryl Streep won Best Actress for her performance in The Iron Lady while the most popular awarding of the night was The Muppets winning Best Original Song for “Man or Muppet.”
For my money, I said The Help was the best film of 2011 in my Year in Review edition of The Highlight Reel and I stand by it. I would add though that Drive, a movie I did not see until the end of January, was a film deserving of nominations overlooked and under-appreciated by the Academy. It was all about The Artist though at the Academy Awards this year. Good for it. Bad for us because the movie-going public is about to be inundated with knockoffs as silent, black and white, foreign films are going to become the rage in Hollywood.
**On April 7th, 2013, World Wrestling Entertainment will tempt fate once again with a WrestleMania seemingly destined for failure. WrestleMania XXIX will emanate from MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. WrestleMania will be in an outdoor stadium in New Jersey at a time of year when the average high is 50, average low is 35, and snowfalls of outstanding proportion occur regularly well into the second week of April. This could be an outstanding venue for WrestleMania. However, it could be one of the greatest disasters in the history of the industry too. I think we all know what I am rooting for.
**The 2012 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit edition hit newsstands a week or so ago. For the first time in a long time, Big A is full of interest for this magazine and it is because of the cover girl.
Kate Upton. That is all. Seriously, she is just… wow!
CHEERS and JEERS
Superstar of the Week: Jeremy Lin
On February 4th, Jeremy Lin outplayed Nets’ guard Deron Williams in a 99-92 New York Knicks victory over the New Jersey Nets. Little did we all know then that this game would be the beginning over a movement that swept the nation called Linsanity.
Thanks to injuries, New York Knicks benchwarmer Jeremy Lin received an opportunity to play major minutes for the Knicks. Lin took this opportunity and sparked a media-created movement that has taken the sports world by storm. Lin led a turnaround of the 8-15 Knicks, turning them into a .500 team at one point and a legit quality team in the Eastern Conference (currently 17-18, 7th in the conference). With this, the media jumped on the chance for Jeremy Lin puns in headlines and New York fell in love with their Asian American underdog.
While I agree with some sports personalities like Michelle Beadle and Colin Cowherd that Linsanity has grown out of proportions already, I can not take away a bit of the talent shown by this young man over the span of a few weeks. Jeremy Lin made the most of his opportunity and that is all you can ask for in life: an opportunity. Lin got his chance and made the most of it. I have nothing but respect for the man behind Linsanity.
Jerk of the Week: Floyd Mayweather, Jr.
Over the last month, Floyd Mayweather has run his mouth off at levels even absurd for the man called “Money.” From showing cowardice by ducking the one fighter that could save his sport to playing the race card regarding a phenomenon he cannot understand, Mayweather’s mouth has made him an early contender for Jerk of the Year.
Repeatedly in February, Floyd Mayweather took to Twitter to call out rival Manny Pacquiao repeatedly. Mayweather continued to duck Pacquiao, using disputes about fight payments and other merely outrageous claims, through ridiculous tweets. Then, in the height of Linsanity, Floyd Mayweather took to Twitter to say that Jeremy Lin was only a popular news story because Lin was Asian-American. Really, Floyd? Did you need to say that at all?
Floyd Mayweather, Jr. is one of the greatest boxers of all-time. That is a fact. However, Mayweather is a complete tool in the game of life. His fear of Manny Pacquiao has reached ridiculous proportions. It is only a matter of time before he runs out of insults or excuses to duck PacMan. More importantly though, Mayweather had no right to criticize Jeremy Lin by playing the race card. The kid is winning basketball games and enjoying his moment in the sun. Similarly, Floyd would not have taken a cheap shot like that if Jeremy Lin was African-American either. Who looks like the racist? You do, Mayweather. Another great adjective to add to a list that includes greedy, cowardly, and jerk.
POWER RANKINGS - Favorite Miranda Lambert Songs
5. “Baggage Claim” off the album Four The Record
4. “Over You” off the album Four The Record
3. “The House That Built Me” off the album Revolution
2. “Kerosene” off the album Kerosene
1. “Only Prettier” off the album Revolution
BIG A RECOMMENDS…
Taco Bell presents the Doritos Locos Tacos - coming this March 8th
Normally, I recommend something that everyone can get immediately because I believe it is awesome. In this case, I am recommending an item in advance because it is going to be awesome. Case in point: the Doritos Locos Tacos. Taco Bell taco + a shell made from Doritos = Win, win, a thousand times WIN! March 8th will be one of the greatest days in the history of junk food. If you don’t have one on that day, I pity you.
WHAT I LEARNED THIS WEEK…
On February 27th at around 10PM, Rich Brenner passed away of a massive heart attack at the age of 65. While that name does not mean much to many, here in this neck of the world, Rich Brenner meant sports. Brenner was the long-time sports director and lead sports anchor on WGHP 8 for Greensboro, High Point, Winston-Salem, and the surrounding Piedmont Triad. Brenner worked for WGHP for 21 years before retiring in 2008. His Sports Sunday telecast after the Sunday evening news was appointment television for many (including myself) while his commentaries on the biggest stories in sports always gave insight and a human touch to the outrageous and sometimes outlandish world of sports in America. Rich Brenner was one of my favorite sports personalities growing up. I loved the energy, excitement, and genuine enjoyment that he took with the world of sports and displayed on every broadcast.
After he retired, I contacted Brenner on Facebook and spoke with him a couple of times over the years. Primarily speaking about NASCAR and how the sport lost its way, it was nice to find a sports anchor in the heart of NASCAR country who called out NASCAR concerning the way the sport sold its soul. It was his refreshing honesty in those brief conversations that showed me his commentaries on the local news were as genuine as they appeared. Rich Brenner was never a gimmick; he was genuine from day one.
Rich Brenner inspired me, as a young child, in the same way I was inspired by Bobby Heenan, Jim Ross, Pat Summerall, Mike Hogwood, Gordon Solie, Ned Jarrett, Benny Parsons, and Gorilla Monsoon. The men who reported the sporting news and performed the commentary for the events were just as important as the sports themselves. From a young age, I loved the discussion about the action as much as the action itself. It is why I love sports television today. The names and faces may have changed. I have Michelle Beadle, Colin Cowherd, Skip Bayless, Tony Kornheiser, Dan Le Batard, and Michael Smith now but it all started with the local sports man who perked my interest as a kid.
Thank you, Rich Brenner, for that. Thank you and RIP.
- Aaron Goins
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