The Highlight Reel presents This Week's Recap for November 19th

THIS WEEK’S RECAP…

Superstar of the Week: Brad Keselowski 



I am not a big NASCAR fan anymore. To say I am a fan at any level is to tell a lie. However, I do respect the idea of a NASCAR Cup Champion who is a legitimate champion. Brad Keselowski is a Cup Champion in every sense of the word. 



Brad Keselowski won the 2012 Cup Championship after his 15th place finish at Homestead-Miami Speedway clinched the title over Clint Bowyer (-39 points) and Jimmie Johnson (-40 points). For Keselowski, this was his first Cup Championship. With the title, Keselowski joins only Bobby Labonte as a driver to claim both a Cup and Nationwide/Busch Grand National Series title. This was the first Cup Championship for team owner Roger Penske and the first title won by a driver in the famed #2 Miller Lite “blue deuce.” While Keselowski won the title via the Chase format, I respect his championship and recognize it because Keselowski also won the championship the hard way. Using the traditional format where the entire season counts, Brad Keselowski would have won by 19 points over Greg Biffle and 28 points over Jimmie Johnson. Either way you look at it, Brad Keselowski won the 2012 Cup Championship. Congratulations to Brad Keselowski, Roger Penske, and the Miller Lite crew on a victorious season.

Jerk of the Week: World Wrestling Entertainment

I know. I know. WWE is my Jerk of the Week again. Even when I do not watch the company’s product, they earn this honor. I am just a petty hater. There is nothing WWE could do deserve this again. What was so bad this time, you ask? Well, since you asked…

Almost 10 weeks ago, Jerry “the King” Lawler suffered a near-fatal heart attack on-air during Monday Night RAW. Thanks to quick-working medics and the arena’s proximity to a hospital, Lawler survived the heart attack. Of course, survival meant two things: Jerry Lawler could return to work for WWE and Jerry Lawler’s near-fatal heart attack could become the fodder for cheap heel heat. CM Punk, the man who used religion as a basis for heel antics on Twitter recently, interrupted Lawler’s return to cut a promo mocking Lawler’s health scare. Punk’s associate, human scumbag Paul Heyman, added a tasteless faux heart attack of his own to complete one of the most disgusting and tasteless angles in professional wrestling history.

"Ha ha ha! You had a heart attack, Jerry!"

"Paul, don't die on me. Your last check didn't clear."

Many fans were outraged. Legends like Steve Austin, Lance Storm, Jeff Jarrett, and Chris Jericho questioned the segment. I read countless Tweets and Facebook posts crying foul of the angle. However, World Wrestling Entertainment always has their sheep ready to defend the logo. Many called those offended “hypocrites” because the majority of those complaining are the same people wanting a more hardcore edge to the product. I do not think for a second that anyone complaining about the angle was hypocritical in his or her displeasure. Their criticism had a point. There is a line between tastelessly bad and horrifically tasteless. Monday night’s post-heart attack mockery crossed it. 

In 1999, the Big Boss Man ambushed the funeral of the Big Show’s father. It culminated in Big Show bodysurfing on his father’s casket as Boss Man towed it away. I thought it was hilarious then and think it is hilarious now. What makes this acceptable is that Big Show’s father was not recently deceased. This was not a fresh wound used for heel heat fodder. This was black comedy and part of the show - tasteless but for show. WWE used to know where the line existed. After all, during this same period, they did not use the death of Owen Hart or the paralysis of Darren Drozdov as heel heat fodder. WWE was above that and recognized the fine line. That is no longer the case.

Since 2005, WWE has exploited the death of Eddie Guerrero, the cancer scares and Bells Palsy of Jim Ross, and death of Jerry Lawler’s mother as part of their ongoing attempt at obtaining heel heat in the cheapest manner possible. As bad as Tim White’s never-ending suicide skits from 2005 were, they were based on horrible writing and Vince McMahon’s warped sense of humor; not a real suicide attempt from White. The other moments, however, really happened. They affected families and friends outside of the bubble that is World Wrestling Entertainment. These moments created genuine pain and should have remained off limits. However, WWE could not make light of them quick enough. 

The mockery of Jerry Lawler’s heart attack does not surprise me. However, expecting it does not mean I have to like it. Quite the contrary, it actually makes me happy because it reaffirms my belief that World Wrestling Entertainment is the worst company in entertainment today and wrestling fans should boycott it at all cost. 

Babe of the Week: Selena Gomez

Free at last. Free at last.
Got away from the Bieber. She is free at last!

A Melancholy Happy Trails to…
- Hostess Brands Inc., 82 - American manufacturer bakery products including Twinkies, Wonder Bread, Ding Dongs, Ho Hos, and Merita bread products. (November 16th)