Michelle Beadle, Lockdown recap, Return of Artest, NBA Playoff Preview, Daniel Bryan, Richards vs. Steen, and more!

These four things I know are true…

- Ron Artest is back and more thug than ever!

- The next “must see” match in professional wrestling does not involve John Cena or Brock Lesnar.

- Daniel Bryan is the new Zack Ryder.

- And, I’m Aaron Goins. All my thoughts on these topics and so much more (including Michelle Beadle’s words to me regarding her ESPN contract situation)… in The Highlight Reel!

NEWS and NOTES
**“I only make moves that benefit me. Don’t worry. Sports is not all I know or want.” - Michelle Beadle

That is the direct message I received from Michelle Beadle on April 11th after I tweeted a question about Michelle Beadle’s future away from ESPN. She is receiving countless offers from networks for her services and I believe that leaving ESPN would be career suicide. Beadle, seeing my statement, responded with words that were reassuring and kind while also reaffirming what I believe: her days in Bristol are numbered.

Michelle Beadle’s contract with ESPN expires on May 31st. She started fielding offers on April 16th from other networks and the rumors are that offers were huge. NBC wants Michelle because of her connection to the youth demographic. She is one of the most popular personalities in all of sports TV with men and women in the most coveted demographics. FOX Sports wants Michelle for the same reasons. Of course, Michelle also wants to do things other than sports TV. Rumors are that she has fielded offers from E! and CBS for shows outside of the sports arena. While I believe that Michelle Beadle is awesome and will rock any show she gets, I am a little concerned that Michelle may be the victim of something she has shown dislike in from athletes during her tenure on SportsNation. Michelle Beadle may just believe her own hype a little too much.

She is beautiful, funny, smart, self-deprecating, and is not afraid to share her opinion with the world regardless of what others think. It works on SportsNation. Michelle took a new show with Colin Cowherd, a co-host hated by the majority of sports fans, and turned it into one of the most popular and successful shows on ESPN. With that said, I just do not see the smarts in leaving a sure thing at ESPN for a new endeavor that more than likely will fail in comparison. I do not see any of these new opportunities with same exposure or chance to keep the legions of fans that Michelle has got with SportsNation. I just don't believe Michelle is going to land the “dream job” she wants and is going to fade off to obscurity (or E!). Her chemistry with Cowherd was so great that SportsNation could have lasted for a decade. Instead, it will end on May 31st, less than three years after it started. It is a shame.

I will continue to be a Michelle Beadle fan. I hope that I will get to watch her regularly with her next show. While nothing is official, I do believe that Michelle is gone from ESPN. The writing is on the wall; it just needs to be read aloud. As I stay a BeadleManiac, I know Beadlemania will die down because, despite her own words to me, moving from SportsNation and ESPN is career suicide for the lovely Michelle Denise Beadle.

**TNA Wrestling brought it once again to an audience much smaller than WWE because the casual fan believes that wrestling without Vince McMahon is not wrestling at all. That, as I’ve said, is a “you problem” to the idiotic fans who missed TNA Lockdown on April 15th. Lockdown, the all-cage match PPV that WWE is ripping off later this year, delivered two of the best matches of the year in Jeff Hardy-Kurt Angle and the collision of Beer Money over the TNA World Heavyweight Championship.

In the main event, TNA World Champion Robert Roode defeated “Cowboy” James Storm in an epic cage match. There was bloodshed, violence, and everything that a steel cage match between two bitter rivals should have. The Nashville crowd was on fire for Tennessee native Storm. Ultimately, an untimely Last Call super kick from Storm sent Roode through the cage door to the floor in a finish reminiscent of Jimmy Snuka and Don Muraco from 1983 at Madison Square Garden. I believe that the title change should have occurred, as James Storm will never be as over as he was on that night in Nashville. Still, his loss takes nothing away from a cage match that people will talk about for years to come. It was an incredible wrestling match and the culmination of an outstanding night.

Earlier in the night, Jeff Hardy pinned Kurt Angle in a fantastic cage match that I also believe is an early Match of the Year candidate. While the Hardy-Angle feud did not have the greatest reasoning behind it, these two brought it every match. The culmination of their feud inside the steel cage was outstanding with Hardy scoring the final victory after a Swanton bomb off the top of the cage through Kurt Angle’s broken body.

As for the rest of Lockdown, I watched a solid wrestling card with only a few misses amidst many hits. Lethal Lockdown was vicious. Garret Bischoff earned respect and stripes with the beating he took in the Team Garret vs. Team Eric match. Ultimately, Garret pinned his father to earn the victory for himself, Austin Aries, A.J. Styles, Mr. Anderson and Rob Van Dam over Eric Bischoff, Bully Ray, Christopher Daniels, Kazarian, and Gunner. Samoa Joe and Magnus retained the World Tag Team Championships in a great tag team match over the returning Motor City Machine Guns. Even though I disagree with her reign and call it a “reign of terror” over the Knockouts division, Gail Kim retained the Knockouts Championship over Velvet Sky in a good match between the two women. Of course, the entire show was not perfect. Crimson remained undefeated with a win over former partner Matt Morgan in a cure for insomnia while both the TV title match (Devon over Robbie E) and Knockouts Tag Team title match (ODB and Eric Young over Sarita and Rosita) were duds. Still, even in duds, those matches were better than the midcard outings offered from World Wrestling Entertainment because they were actual wrestling matches and not 90 second (or 18 second) squashes.

Lockdown was a tremendous event. Two match of the year candidates and an undercard filled with solid wrestling, TNA offered the best wrestling card for the month of April for the second year in a row. WrestleMania gets all the glory and coverage but Lockdown is the real spectacle that wrestling fans (real wrestling fans and not sports entertainment fans) will remember for wrestling action at its finest.

**The NBA Playoffs begin on Saturday. Despite my initial thoughts that a lockout would hurt the game, the NBA has actually thrived in this shortened season. Perhaps the concept of “less is more” worked for the NBA because the frantic pace of the season has created an interest in basketball not seen since the Jordan Era. With the playoffs upon us, here are my predictions for the 2012 run to the championship.

In the East, I believe that only two teams have a chance at making the NBA Finals: the Miami Heat and the Chicago Bulls. The Bulls have the top seed in the east again while Miami has the #2 seed. Yet, Miami still is my overall favorite in the Eastern Conference. Chicago’s leader, Derrick Rose, has sat on the bench injured for a majority of the season. The Bulls have played great without Rose. As crazy as it sounds, I believe that Chicago will be better without Rose because his return will ruin the chemistry of a team that played their way into the best record in the conference. Miami still has LeBron James disappearing in the fourth quarter while Dwayne Wade is going into the postseason banged up. Yet, I have said from day one of this season that this was the year of the Miami Heat. I really have no reason to change that now. The #3 seed Indiana Pacers are quietly lurking but I do not believe they have a chance at success unless they can successful pound their opposition into the ground every series through hard-nosed defense. The Boston Celtics have age, injury, and personality clashes working against them as the #4 seed. As for the rest of the East, the Atlanta Hawks continue to look good on paper but don’t impress me enough to believe they are a legit Eastern Conference contender. The Orlando Magic have disintegrated under the pressure of coach Stan Van Gundy and center Dwight Howard’s rivalry and Howard’s subsequent back surgery. The New York Knicks are a contender only on paper and the Philadelphia 76ers have backed their way into the postseason.

In the Western Conference, I think this is another two-team race as the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder are leaps and bounds above their competition. San Antonio has the experience on their side. In addition, unlike last season, the Spurs are going into the postseason healthy. Meanwhile, the Thunder have the youthful energy on their side to make them an easy pick to win it all. Kevin Durant has played on an MVP level while Russell Westbrook has not hurt the team with his quest for superstardom like last season. The concussion suffered by James Harden could hurt Oklahoma City’s chances if he is gone for an extended period. However, I believe Harden will be back before the real challenges of the postseason begin for Oklahoma City. The Los Angeles Lakers are sitting as the #3 seed and, at times, play like the best team in the league. Sadly for Lakers fans, those nights are rare. The Los Angeles Clippers and Memphis Grizzlies both are loaded with young talent and appear to be on the verge of great things. This is not their year though as neither club will go beyond the second round. The defending champion Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets, and Utah Jazz are all merely jobbers in this postseason as none of them have shown enough promise this season to pull off any semblance of a miracle run.

My predictions for the conference finals are that the Miami Heat will defeat the Chicago Bulls, four games to two, to win the Eastern Conference while I believe the San Antonio Spurs will defeat the Oklahoma City Thunder, four games to three, to win the West. Then, in the NBA Finals, I think it finally happens. The Big Three will win it all. As much as I love the Spurs, I just think that this season was custom-made for LeBron and company. The Heat win it all, four games to two, and Jester James claims a ring off the sweet of Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh.

**On May 12th, the next “must see” professional wrestling match will occur in Toronto, Ontario, Canada when Ring of Honor presents Border Wars on pay-per-view. I am sure the masses who love sports entertainment are looking forward to WWE Extreme Rules and the No Holds Barred return of Brock Lesnar against John “Jobber to the Stars Bigger than the Business” Cena. I could care less about that match. For my money, I want to see the Ring of Honor World Championship match as “American Wolf” Davey Richards defends the gold against “Wrestling’s Worst Nightmare” Kevin Steen.

This match has been over a year in the making. Steen has wanted a chance at the ROH title since he began he quest for reinstatement into the company. Richards, champion since June 2011, has served as the poster child for Ring of Honor under the leadership of executive producer Jim Cornette. Steen is an overweight brawler with a disregard for authority that connects the heel with the rebellious side of the audience. Richards is an athlete’s athlete who respects the business and connects with the respectful side of the audience. These two men are polar opposites brought together finally in Steen’s hometown to answer a simple question: who is the better man? I cannot wait for this match. I hope that Kevin Steen will shock the wrestling world and win the ROH Championship because, as much as I respect his in-ring ability, Davey Richards is the worst world champion in the business today. If critics called the late Chris Benoit “vanilla ice cream,” Richards is light vanilla frozen yogurt.

**Yes, I do have thoughts on John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar at Extreme Rules this Sunday. Frankly, the build to this match has showed me two things.

First, WWE Management views John Cena as the only wrestler left in the company who appeals to the masses. Cena is the “go-to-guy” when the company needs a big name to put up against a star from another arena for mainstream attention. It is not Randy Orton or CM Punk vs. Dwayne Johnson. It is not even The Undertaker or Triple H vs. Dwayne “Mr. Hollywood” Johnson. In addition, none of those men are getting the call to face Brock “I Got My Ass Kicked in UFC and Couldn’t Hack It as a Football Player” Lesnar. The WWE may get merchandise money off CM Punk, Randy Orton, Daniel Bryan, and Zack Ryder. They may have guys with backstage stroke like The Undertaker and Triple H. However, John Cena is the beginning and end of the list of guys who the company can depend on to appeal to the sports entertainment masses.

Second, World Wrestling Entertainment paid $5,000,000 for the shell of the performer who rose through the company in 2002 and 2003. Brock Lesnar is still a physical beast. However, he cannot talk to save his life. The endless boring promos Lesnar has cut since returning have led millions to call for the return of Paul Heyman. More importantly, I look at Brock Lesnar and do not see the interest in being in the ring that he once had. Brock Lesnar from 2002-2003 is not what the WWE paid for. They have purchased the Brock Lesnar who stunk up Madison Square Garden alongside Bill Goldberg in March 2004. They have purchased the man who believed the hype telling him he was the world’s most dangerous man and got his ass handed to him repeatedly in the end. WWE bought the shell of Brock Lesnar.

This match is going to be horrible. I never thought I would say this but… John Cena can only carry a match so far. Yes, I said it. John Cena will carry the action. Lesnar has not wrestled in years. He has barely fought. Lesnar is a jacked up beast who has done nothing for two years outside of fight illness and get beat down in the octagon. John Cena will have to carry this show solely in Chicago at Extreme Rules. I do not think he will carry it to anything other than a barely-enjoyable spectacle either.

As for the rest of Extreme Rules, CM Punk will lose the WWE Championship to Chris Jericho this Sunday. While Jericho is set to leave the company before SummerSlam, I believe that Punk does not retain the gold in his hometown of Chicago. They will have a rubber match somewhere down the road where Punk can regain the gold. Sunday will be Jericho’s night though. Sheamus will retain the World Heavyweight Championship over Daniel Bryan in their Two out of Three Falls match because Bryan is never going to see the world title again. Plain and simple. Honestly, I don’t know the rest of the card nor feel the need to look up the rest of the card. WWE has done nothing to build anything but those three matches so why should I care about the rest of their undercard.

**There was a time when the New Orleans Saints rivaled the Dallas Cowboys for the title “America’s Team.” They won a Super Bowl and were the favorite team of everyone caught up in post-Katrina sympathies. That time seems to be over as the Saints have fallen from America’s favorite comeback story to the most evil team in the history of football. First, the Saints fell on the sword for every other team in the sport over the defensive incentive program called bounties. Now, ESPN has broken the story that the Saints wiretapped the opposing locker rooms of visitors to the Superdome from 2002-2004. What’s next? Did the Saints cause 9/11 to happen?





I am not a Saints fan at all. There were times I have screamed about all of the Saints’ love recently because of post-Katrina sympathy from bandwagon jumpers. However, the level of hate thrust upon the Saints is growing more ridiculous with every accusation thrown their way. It will not surprise me, with the rate things are going, what people will say next about the Saints. Perhaps they will get the blame for September 11th next. Enough is enough though. This story about Saints GM Mickey Loomis bugging opposing locker rooms is eerily reminiscent of the New England Patriots and “Spygate.” So, New England was not alone in cheating and spying on the opposition after all. That reminds me of an old saying that is very true: “If you’re not cheating, you’re not trying.”

The NFL needs to get off the New Orleans Saints’ back right now. The bounties are all over the game. Teams cheat to get an advantage on their opponents. Big deal! I could see New Orleans deserving all this punishment if they dominated the sport for a decade. However, they didn’t. They won one championship and, even with two scandals, have yet to embarrass the NFL anywhere near as much as the hideous Cleveland Browns, perennial underachieving Dallas Cowboys, or hot dumpster-fire in Washington called the Redskins.

**I would like to preface this by saying that I am a fan of Daniel Bryan, the wrestler. No, I should say that I am a fan of the “American Dragon” Bryan Danielson. I respect his ability and believe he is one of the most talented in-ring performers of our generation. Please remember this as you read the following.

I HATE DANIEL BRYAN. The current gimmick that is polluting World Wrestling Entertainment television is one that I loathe. I would have never believed that, after losing the World Heavyweight Championship in an 18-second burial at WrestleMania XXVIII to Sheamus, I would hate the push Bryan received in the aftermath of WrestleMania. Yet, I do. Fans voiced their displeasure with Bryan’s burial on the big stage by chanting “Yes! Yes! Yes!” repeatedly during every segment on RAW and SmackDown. Daniel Bryan’s “Yes!” t-shirt has sold out all over the country. The internet wrestling community has lost its collective mind as Bryan’s “Yes-Mania” has captured their imagination. Daniel Bryan is 2012’s version of Zack Ryder.

The internet wrestling community got behind Zack Ryder in 2011. They made Ryder a star because of his goofy catchphrase and internet show. Ultimately, Ryder won the United States Championship on the same night Bryan won the World Heavyweight Championship. Then, the wheels fell off the Zack Ryder train. Ryder lost the title to Jack Swagger, looked like a moron in love with Eve Torres, and was destroyed countless times by Kane during Kane’s rivalry with John Cena. Zack Ryder is now an unfunny joke. Therefore, the IWC moved on to another snazzy catchphrase and misused talent in Daniel Bryan.

While Bryan remains in the World title picture for now, I believe this is only to serve as a jobber for Sheamus. Daniel Bryan will never win the World Heavyweight Championship again as long as the crowd is chanting “Yes!” like morons alongside their hero. Daniel Bryan is no longer a wrestler rewarded for his tremendous in-ring talents and classic matches. Bryan is now a comedy act with a one-word catchphrase and a push to nowhere. I know it will shock the IWC because the downfall of Zack Ryder fooled them. The premature end to the Summer of Punk shocked them. The IWC is comprised of morons though who believe Vince McMahon has their entertainment interests at heart so they will continue to get shocked too. I just wonder how long it will be before “Yes!” is replaced by the next wrestling fad. Daniel Bryan is the new Zack Ryder and fans need to realize it now before those joyous “Yes!” chants are replaced by anguish-filled “No!” reactions to Bryan’s descent down the card.

**Authorities finally arrested George Zimmerman for the murder of Trayvon Martin on April 11th. Murder is not legal in Florida after all; arrests just take months to occur.

While this case is a long way from completion, I think it is amazing that public pressure finally led to the right thing happening in Florida. Zimmerman was charged with second-degree murder for the February 26th murder of the teenager. While authorities should have arrested Zimmerman the night of the crime, the fact that he was finally arrested shows that there is still a semblance of justice in America. Now, the legal system needs to do the right thing and prosecute him to the fullest extent of the law.

**On April 28th, 2011, Steve Carell appeared in his last episode of The Office. While I went into the future of The Office optimistic, I knew that things would never be the same in Scranton. One year later, I now have one thing to say I never thought I would say: NBC needs to cancel The Office. NOW!

Michael Scott truly was the straw that stirred the drink in Scranton. While the show replaced Carell with talented actors and actresses (namely James Spader and Catherine Tate), their characters have not come close to filling the void left behind as Robert California is not funny and Nellie Bertram is annoying and unrealistic. The promotion of Andy Bernard to manager initially looked like a new chance for Ed Helms to shine. However, writers crippled Helms’ character with the unwanted rehash of the Jim and Pam romance in the form of Andy and Erin’s courtship. Unlike Jim and Pam’s relationship, one of the most popular and endearing in television history, Andy and Erin have been nothing short of annoying and painful. The new characters have been the focal point of the majority of this season. Jenna Fischer’s real-life pregnancy took Pam off the show for a month while both Jim and Dwight (Rainn Wilson) have been spinning their wheels. The appearances of the excellent secondary characters, especially Creed, Stanley, Kevin, Oscar, and Meredith, are practically non-existent. The show’s writers have ignored everything great about The Office in favor of fruitless attempts to fill Steve Carell’s shoes. Carell’s performance as Michael Scott, as insane or wacky as it may have got, kept The Office on course. He was the rudder on the Dunder-Mifflin ship. Without Carell or Michael Scott, The Office has devolved into a direction-less hot mess that needs to end now rather than tarnish its comedic legacy any more.

**Three races into the 2012 IndyCar Series season, I believe that Will Power has shown this season is finally the year he wins a championship. After winning the pole for the season opener at St. Petersburg, Power finished 7th. Since that disappointing finish, Power has scored victories at Barber Motorsports Park in Alabama and on the famed streets of Long Beach, California. More importantly, Power has driven through the field to score both victories. This is not a case of staying in front from the beginning; Power is driving like a man possessed. Power’s main rival for the last two seasons, Dario Franchitti, currents sits 13th in points after a disappointing start to the season for the four-time champion. Power has not been without tough competition though. St. Petersburg winner Helio Castroneves, rookie Simon Pagenaud, Scott Dixon, James Hinchcliffe, and Ryan Hunter-Reay all have shown tremendous promise with their great starts to the 2012 campaign. However, the IndyCar Series currently looks like Will Power’s world with everybody else racing for second.

**The time is almost here. On April 28th, The Highlight Reel presents the 2012 Top 50 Most Beautiful Women in the World. For the ninth year, I reveal the hottest of the hot in my opinion on my birthday for my loyal readers. I started this year’s list with 725 women ranging from music and movies to wrestling and sports. After a lot of deliberation, I now have the 50 beauties who get my heart racing more than anyone else.

It is a hard list to make too. After all, here are the women who came in 51st through 55th: Brooke Tessmacher, Erin Andrews, Diana Agron, Kim Kardashian, and Grace Potter. If these five stunning examples of beauty could not make the Top 50, just how amazing do you have to be to get on the list? Find out on April 28th.

CHEERS and JEERS
Superstar of the Week: Philip Humber

Throughout the majority of his major league career, Philip Humber bounced around the league as a journeyman pitcher with injuries hampering his career. On April 21st, Humber joined the immortals of the game as he gained access to a club supermodel Kate Upton refuses to allow multiple-time Cy Young winner Justin Verlander to enter: the Perfect Game Club.

In a 4-0 victory over the Seattle Mariners, the Chicago White Sox right-hander pitched the 21st perfect game in the modern era of Major League Baseball. Humber, with nine strikeouts, scored his first victory of the 2012 season in perfect fashion with a performance that will rest alongside Roy Holliday’s 2010 masterpiece against Florida, David Cone’s epic in 1999 against Montreal, and Don Larsen’s 1956 World Series gem over Brooklyn. Congratulations Philip Humber. Regardless of what he does with the remainder of the 2012 season or his career, Humber now has a place in baseball history that cannot be ignored. He is among the few, the elite, the men of perfection.

Jerk of the Week: Ron Artest

Yeah, we are not playing the Metta World Peace nonsense right now. That was Ron Artest on the court Sunday afternoon who delivered an elbow suitable for the octagon in the Los Angeles Lakers-Oklahoma City Thunder. During the second quarter of Sunday’s game, Artest threw a vicious back elbow at Thunder guard James Harden. Harden went down from the shot and suffered a concussion from the shot. Officials ejected Artest immediately from the game and the NBA suspended Artest for seven games because of the incident. After years of reforming his image in the aftermath of the 2004 Palace Brawl, Artest returned to pure thug form with the elbow shot on Sunday. It was vicious. It was uncalled for. It was cheap. This elbow was not the move of the NBA hippie court jester Metta World Peace; it was the move of the NBA’s premiere thug Ron Artest. Welcome back, Jerk. We knew you would return.

POWER RANKINGS - Favorite Fast Food Restaurants
5. Quizno’s
4. Arby’s
3. McDonald’s
2. Wendy’s
1. Cook Out

BIG A RECOMMENDS…
Spicy Guacamole Chicken Club - Available now at Wendy’s


 
It is delicious! Wendy’s always delivers when it comes to chicken sandwiches and this one is no different. The guacamole and pepper jack cheese are perfect accessories to the spice in the chicken fillet. For me though, the ingredient that puts this sandwich over-the-top is the Applewood smoked bacon. This sandwich is 100 percent WIN! Eat one today before they are gone.

WHAT I LEARNED THIS WEEK…
Perhaps the Mayans were right after all. Perhaps the world is set to end on December 21st. After all, we will not ring in New Year’s with Dick Clark in Times Square as America’s oldest teenager passed away on April 18th at the age of 82 after a heart attack.

People will remember Dick Clark forever as one of the most important figures in the history of television. With his show American Bandstand, Clark legitimized rock ‘n’ roll in America. As kids danced and Clark played records and introduced artists, some of the greatest music of all-time entered the lives of a generation. While he never got the Beatles to play, every other major artist from that time period performed on American Bandstand during Clark’s tenure as host from 1956-1989. Clark hosted a multitude of game shows during his television career including Pyramid. His most lasting creation though started in 1972. Everyone, at one point or another, has counted in the New Year with Dick Clark watching Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve. Watching the festivities in Times Square in New York, Clark hosted the musical special every year since 1972 except for one (2004-05 after Clark suffered a stroke).

If you did not like Dick Clark, you are a communist heathen with a special place in Hell waiting for you. It is simple as that. Dick Clark was a great man who gave us all so much entertainment in a legendary career that nobody will duplicate. I hope that the Mayans are wrong. However, without Dick Clark ringing in the New Year on ABC, I think they could be right. The world will not be the same without Dick Clark’s infectious joy. Rest in peace and keep on rockin’.

- Aaron Goins