My buddy Jeff is walking this weekend at the Walk MS 2015 in Chicago! Visit his page and see if you can help him out!
Walk MS 2015: Chicago Lakefront: Mr. Jeffrey Ledebuhr - National MS Society
Tuesday, April 28, 2015
Tuesday, April 21, 2015
Spotlight on Non Super Hero Comics
Super hero movies have been a money making business for the past few years. I'll be the first one to admit that I love every single one of them. More importantly, I love the years of work that great comic book writers and illustrators have been doing to bring these characters to such relevance. The super hero has paid it's due, and comics are a driving force in storytelling again. I've been on a mission to read every single New 52 comic from DC and every Marvel NOW title from Marvel. I'm only about a third of the way through, but now and then I read other titles, that aren't super hero related that just blow my mind. Non-super hero books have held their own for a while now. Examples being Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The Walking Dead, Archie, The Crow, and so on. I'm going to list a few newer titles that have been amazing. The writing in comics right now is at an all time high, along with people's interest. If you wondering what is your next book, look no further. (Just a side note here, if you haven't read The Superior Foes of Spider-Man you are letting the best of life pass you by).
Deadly Class by Rick Remender, Wesley Craig & Lee Loughridge
You will see Rick Remender's name quite a bit in this entry, because he is the man. Deadly Class takes place in 1987 at a school for assassins. Your typical High School is escalated with gang war, unique weaponry and the inexperience of "skilled" killers. The first volume (issues #1-6) is fast paced, drug induced insanity with a 80's "we own the world" attitude. I'm looking forward to volume two which was just released.
The Manhattan Projects by Jonathan Hickman & Nick Pitarra
Jonathan Hickman has been known for his exploits at Marvel, and more importantly as the author of East of West from Image Comics. Before that, he wrote an insane re-imagining of the Manhattan Project. The worlds' geniuses are gathered by the U.S. military, use the atomic bomb project as a front, and create all sorts of doomsday devices. Outer worldly dimensions and evil doppelgangers are just the beginning of the madness that The Manhattan Projects exhumes.
Black Science by Rick Remender, Matteo Scalera, & Dean White
The art of this book was truly the first thing that drew me to it. Add the fact the Rick (the f'ing man) Remender is writing it, I had no choice but to give it a read. Following suit with mad scientists, Black Science follows a rogue scientist and his fellow "Dimensionauts" through worlds that would be impossible to describe with just words. I can't emphasize the beauty of the art in this book. I've followed their journeys through two volumes so far and every issue leaves you begging for more. Definitely my favorite comic in a long, long time.
Andre the Giant: Life & Legend by Box Brown
This is not a single issue comic, but a graphic novel. Being a huge wrestling fan, this was a no brainer. If you aren't a wrestling fan, this is an interesting way to see into the life that was Andre the Giant's. It is a collection of stories told by other wrestlers over the years, some are true, some are unbelievably true, and some are legend in wrestling folklore. Graphic novel biographies are being done more and more these days, and I completely support that. This is a must read.
The following is a list of comics that are related to the ones above, but I haven't finished reading or they are just a few issues in.
Deadly Class by Rick Remender, Wesley Craig & Lee Loughridge
You will see Rick Remender's name quite a bit in this entry, because he is the man. Deadly Class takes place in 1987 at a school for assassins. Your typical High School is escalated with gang war, unique weaponry and the inexperience of "skilled" killers. The first volume (issues #1-6) is fast paced, drug induced insanity with a 80's "we own the world" attitude. I'm looking forward to volume two which was just released.
The Manhattan Projects by Jonathan Hickman & Nick Pitarra
Jonathan Hickman has been known for his exploits at Marvel, and more importantly as the author of East of West from Image Comics. Before that, he wrote an insane re-imagining of the Manhattan Project. The worlds' geniuses are gathered by the U.S. military, use the atomic bomb project as a front, and create all sorts of doomsday devices. Outer worldly dimensions and evil doppelgangers are just the beginning of the madness that The Manhattan Projects exhumes.
Black Science by Rick Remender, Matteo Scalera, & Dean White
The art of this book was truly the first thing that drew me to it. Add the fact the Rick (the f'ing man) Remender is writing it, I had no choice but to give it a read. Following suit with mad scientists, Black Science follows a rogue scientist and his fellow "Dimensionauts" through worlds that would be impossible to describe with just words. I can't emphasize the beauty of the art in this book. I've followed their journeys through two volumes so far and every issue leaves you begging for more. Definitely my favorite comic in a long, long time.
Andre the Giant: Life & Legend by Box Brown
This is not a single issue comic, but a graphic novel. Being a huge wrestling fan, this was a no brainer. If you aren't a wrestling fan, this is an interesting way to see into the life that was Andre the Giant's. It is a collection of stories told by other wrestlers over the years, some are true, some are unbelievably true, and some are legend in wrestling folklore. Graphic novel biographies are being done more and more these days, and I completely support that. This is a must read.
The following is a list of comics that are related to the ones above, but I haven't finished reading or they are just a few issues in.
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| Descender by Jeff Lemire |
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| Outcast by Robert Kirkman |
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| Rebels by Brian Wood |
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| Chrononauts by Mark Millar |
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| ei8ht by Rafael Albuquerque |
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| Trillium by Jeff Lemire |
Thursday, October 9, 2014
My hopes and dreams for Wrestlemania 31
I know it's a bit early to be talking about Wrestlemania next year, but with the recent editions of Raw and Smackdown, I can only look to the future and hope for the best. The last few weeks have had some really cool moments, i.e. Rollins & Ambrose continuing feud, the Rock returning to confront Rusev, and Dolph's IC title reign. I'm also a huge fan of Damien Sandow playing the Miz's stunt double, pure gold. The undercard is a mess, and we need some meaningful matches and feuds.
So where do we even start to book an event that's 6 months away? I hope WWE has that answer. Jim Ross would have the thing booked by now, I can tell you that much.
A few disclaimers here; I'm not a wrestling genius, I've never wrestled or booked a match in my life, but I am a big fan and hope that the WWE, TNA, ROH, PWG and all other wrestling promotions garner some buzz and make wrestling awesome again. Second, there are some factors that may change, like injuries, return from injuries and new debuts that will happen in the mean time. I'm going to try to accommodate those as much as possible. I don't know when Bryan Danielson, Roman Reigns, and Bad News Barrett will return, hopefully in time for WM because I have a few plans for them. Lastly, these are all my opinions and dreams, so let's have some fun and see how close or far off I am next April.
Main Event: World Heavyweight Championship match
Brock Lesnar(c) vs Roman Reigns
This one match has changed for me several times. Originally I was hoping to have Cesaro vs Lesnar. This would entail Cesaro turning Face in the mean (which is still possible) and Cesaro winning the Royal Rumble as well. Since he is the King of the Battle Royal, it wouldn't be a far stretch to see him win. I also like this booking if Roman was still injured, or if WWE didn't think he was "the guy" yet. I personally don't think he is right now, maybe in a couple of years, but certainly not next year. Since Roman came so close to winning the Rumble last year, it would be a good story to see him win it this year. This upcoming Rumble features 40 wrestlers and I can see him meet or beat his old elimination record and winning it all. This dominating performance would make him a huge baby-face and make it look believable that he can beat Lesnar. I would have Lesnar beat Orton at the Rumble since that was Reign's last big singles win. Roman Reigns beats Lesnar with four spears and becomes World Heavyweight Champion. Seth Rollins teases a cash in next night on Raw.
Special Attraction Match 1:
Hulk Hogan vs John Cena
I've read that the Hulkster has one more in him and he wants to wrestle the biggest wrestling draw of the last ten years. Minus well have him go out after an AA.
Special Attraction Match 2:
Sting vs HHH
I hear a lot of groans in the background for this, but I think it would be an interesting match up. Sting was the WCW guy and HHH is the ultimate WWE guy (he will run the show some day). This one pretty much writes itself, and I've "heard" that Sting wants to work Undertaker or HHH so I've saved Undertaker for someone else. I wanted Stinger to face Daniel Bryan, but I don't know if Sting can hang with Bryan. Sting wins and retires from the ring for good.
*If there isn't time for both singles matches I would put John Cena and HHH vs Sting and Hulk Hogan. The veterans go over and retire at the same time. I would like both legends to get their own singles match, but this would be a cool match.
Special Attraction Match 3:
Undertaker vs Bray Wyatt
If Bray Wyatt is still heel by next year, he can claim that he is the new Undertaker, the Walking Deadman. He wants to take over his path of destruction and the only way to achieve that is running through the Undertaker. If this is Taker's last match, I would have him go on last, but I have a feeling he'll retire next year in Texas, his home state. If I had my way, Bray Wyatt would win becoming the monster heel he deserves to be. He's already lost at WM so I would assume he's got nothing left to prove, but you never know. WWE will probably play it safe and have Undertaker win, maybe Wyatt turns face afterwards when the Wyatt Family tries to "take out" the Undertaker. Regardless the build up for this match will be awesome.
Special Attraction Match 4:
Rusev vs The Rock
This one might be a big stretch, considering their altercation was probably a one off here. I would love to see Rusev still be undefeated and BEAT the Rock, but it would be a special moment to see Rusev get his first loss against Rocky. I'd be fine with either decision.
Intercontinental Championship & US Championship: Unification Match
Bo Dallas (US Champion) vs Bad News Barrett (IC Champion)
These two have a little history dating back to the Royal Rumble 2013 when Dallas eliminated Barrett out of nowhere. One of these championships needs to go. I think the US overstayed it's welcome and needs to retire. I would have Bo try his hardest to cheat his way to victory and Barrett become the first ever IC-US unified champion.
Number One Contender's Match: Elimination
Dean Ambrose vs Seth Rollins vs Daniel Bryan vs Cesaro vs Randy Orton vs Dolph Ziggler
How exciting would this match be? Hopefully Dragon is back by WM, if not I would put Hideo Itami (aka Kenta) if he's already on the main roster. I don't want Seth Rollins double dipping, so he won't win. I would save Dean Ambrose vs Reigns for a feud down the line. I can't see Daniel feuding with Reigns since they would both be Faces. Ziggler and Orton are simply placeholders at this point, but would definitely add to the excitement. Cesaro can get another huge win at WM and give Reigns an awesome opponent right out of the gate.
Diva's Title Match:
Paige(c) vs Charlotte
Both come from wrestling families. Paige wasn't as privileged as Charlotte and still made it to the top. She was the youngest Diva's champion ever. Charlotte comes in with a huge chip on her shoulder, being a Flair. She is also coming off a long NXT Women's Championship reign (being longer than Paige's NXT reign). Both have something to prove. In the upcoming months, Paige needs to become Face, and Charlotte needs to start cutting promos stating that she's the better champion. Paige barely retains her championship.
Tag-Team Championship:
The Usos(c) vs The Ascension
I hate to put a title match in the pre-show but time constraints will do that. The Usos will eventually get their tag titles back from Gold and Stardust. The Ascension will shortly debut and start crushing tag teams. The Ascension runs through the Usos and become tag-team champions.
There is so much talent that has to be left off, and usually they put them in a battle royal so every can get a WM payday. If they do have time for it, I'm all for it. Wrestlers that should be included: Sam Zayn, Damien Sandow, The Miz, Tyler Breeze, Adrian Neville, Kane, Titus O'Neil, Darren Young, Rybak, Curtus Axel, Adam Rose, etc. Personally I would have Sandow win in a sneaky way, he deserves a win. But Mark Henry or the Big Show will get it.
Let me know what you think. I could be completely off, considering I know next to nothing about the inner workings of WWE. Had a blast writing it though! Let me know what you think in the comments.
So where do we even start to book an event that's 6 months away? I hope WWE has that answer. Jim Ross would have the thing booked by now, I can tell you that much.
A few disclaimers here; I'm not a wrestling genius, I've never wrestled or booked a match in my life, but I am a big fan and hope that the WWE, TNA, ROH, PWG and all other wrestling promotions garner some buzz and make wrestling awesome again. Second, there are some factors that may change, like injuries, return from injuries and new debuts that will happen in the mean time. I'm going to try to accommodate those as much as possible. I don't know when Bryan Danielson, Roman Reigns, and Bad News Barrett will return, hopefully in time for WM because I have a few plans for them. Lastly, these are all my opinions and dreams, so let's have some fun and see how close or far off I am next April.
Main Event: World Heavyweight Championship match
Brock Lesnar(c) vs Roman Reigns
This one match has changed for me several times. Originally I was hoping to have Cesaro vs Lesnar. This would entail Cesaro turning Face in the mean (which is still possible) and Cesaro winning the Royal Rumble as well. Since he is the King of the Battle Royal, it wouldn't be a far stretch to see him win. I also like this booking if Roman was still injured, or if WWE didn't think he was "the guy" yet. I personally don't think he is right now, maybe in a couple of years, but certainly not next year. Since Roman came so close to winning the Rumble last year, it would be a good story to see him win it this year. This upcoming Rumble features 40 wrestlers and I can see him meet or beat his old elimination record and winning it all. This dominating performance would make him a huge baby-face and make it look believable that he can beat Lesnar. I would have Lesnar beat Orton at the Rumble since that was Reign's last big singles win. Roman Reigns beats Lesnar with four spears and becomes World Heavyweight Champion. Seth Rollins teases a cash in next night on Raw.
Special Attraction Match 1:
Hulk Hogan vs John Cena
I've read that the Hulkster has one more in him and he wants to wrestle the biggest wrestling draw of the last ten years. Minus well have him go out after an AA.
Special Attraction Match 2:
Sting vs HHH
I hear a lot of groans in the background for this, but I think it would be an interesting match up. Sting was the WCW guy and HHH is the ultimate WWE guy (he will run the show some day). This one pretty much writes itself, and I've "heard" that Sting wants to work Undertaker or HHH so I've saved Undertaker for someone else. I wanted Stinger to face Daniel Bryan, but I don't know if Sting can hang with Bryan. Sting wins and retires from the ring for good.
*If there isn't time for both singles matches I would put John Cena and HHH vs Sting and Hulk Hogan. The veterans go over and retire at the same time. I would like both legends to get their own singles match, but this would be a cool match.
Special Attraction Match 3:
Undertaker vs Bray Wyatt
If Bray Wyatt is still heel by next year, he can claim that he is the new Undertaker, the Walking Deadman. He wants to take over his path of destruction and the only way to achieve that is running through the Undertaker. If this is Taker's last match, I would have him go on last, but I have a feeling he'll retire next year in Texas, his home state. If I had my way, Bray Wyatt would win becoming the monster heel he deserves to be. He's already lost at WM so I would assume he's got nothing left to prove, but you never know. WWE will probably play it safe and have Undertaker win, maybe Wyatt turns face afterwards when the Wyatt Family tries to "take out" the Undertaker. Regardless the build up for this match will be awesome.
Special Attraction Match 4:
Rusev vs The Rock
This one might be a big stretch, considering their altercation was probably a one off here. I would love to see Rusev still be undefeated and BEAT the Rock, but it would be a special moment to see Rusev get his first loss against Rocky. I'd be fine with either decision.
Intercontinental Championship & US Championship: Unification Match
Bo Dallas (US Champion) vs Bad News Barrett (IC Champion)
These two have a little history dating back to the Royal Rumble 2013 when Dallas eliminated Barrett out of nowhere. One of these championships needs to go. I think the US overstayed it's welcome and needs to retire. I would have Bo try his hardest to cheat his way to victory and Barrett become the first ever IC-US unified champion.
Number One Contender's Match: Elimination
Dean Ambrose vs Seth Rollins vs Daniel Bryan vs Cesaro vs Randy Orton vs Dolph Ziggler
How exciting would this match be? Hopefully Dragon is back by WM, if not I would put Hideo Itami (aka Kenta) if he's already on the main roster. I don't want Seth Rollins double dipping, so he won't win. I would save Dean Ambrose vs Reigns for a feud down the line. I can't see Daniel feuding with Reigns since they would both be Faces. Ziggler and Orton are simply placeholders at this point, but would definitely add to the excitement. Cesaro can get another huge win at WM and give Reigns an awesome opponent right out of the gate.
Diva's Title Match:
Paige(c) vs Charlotte
Both come from wrestling families. Paige wasn't as privileged as Charlotte and still made it to the top. She was the youngest Diva's champion ever. Charlotte comes in with a huge chip on her shoulder, being a Flair. She is also coming off a long NXT Women's Championship reign (being longer than Paige's NXT reign). Both have something to prove. In the upcoming months, Paige needs to become Face, and Charlotte needs to start cutting promos stating that she's the better champion. Paige barely retains her championship.
Tag-Team Championship:
The Usos(c) vs The Ascension
I hate to put a title match in the pre-show but time constraints will do that. The Usos will eventually get their tag titles back from Gold and Stardust. The Ascension will shortly debut and start crushing tag teams. The Ascension runs through the Usos and become tag-team champions.
There is so much talent that has to be left off, and usually they put them in a battle royal so every can get a WM payday. If they do have time for it, I'm all for it. Wrestlers that should be included: Sam Zayn, Damien Sandow, The Miz, Tyler Breeze, Adrian Neville, Kane, Titus O'Neil, Darren Young, Rybak, Curtus Axel, Adam Rose, etc. Personally I would have Sandow win in a sneaky way, he deserves a win. But Mark Henry or the Big Show will get it.
Let me know what you think. I could be completely off, considering I know next to nothing about the inner workings of WWE. Had a blast writing it though! Let me know what you think in the comments.
Thursday, August 28, 2014
Mick Foley
It may come to a surprise to you, but I am a huge wrestling fan. I've been since the early 90's and really got into it in the mid to late 90's. I wasn't a huge sports fan growing up, and I was even worse at playing sports when I was a child. I hated playing baseball, I hated running so soccer was my worst nightmare. I did however grow very attached to professional wrestling. I had a few friends that were very into it. Getting old VHS tapes of ECW and putting on matches in our basements. I broke my nose in a ladder match after seeing The Dudleys, Edge and Christian and The Hardyz tear up Wrestlemania.
Stone Cold Steve Austin was definitely my favorite at the time, he was probably everybody's favorite, but I have always had a soft spot for Mick Foley aka Mankind aka Cactus Jack aka Dude Love. He wasn't your traditional wrestler. He wasn't muscle bound, he wasn't a high flyer. but he had so much heart and that's what has definitely resonated in me for the longest time. His character mankind is probably the greatest character in wrestling history. His mannerisms, his voice, his actions, his wrestling moves all served a purpose and made absolute sense. His battles with Shawn Michaels, Vader, the Undertaker and most importantly the Rock made me realize how special and unique he was. Undertaker vs Mankind at King of the Ring 1998 is the match that I have watched most in my entire lifetime. Foley was thrown off the top of a 20 foot steel cage twice, and finished a match that included him losing teeth, being thrown onto thumbtacks and being hit repeatedly with a steel chair. He walked out of that match on his own accord. He is the definition of "intestinal fortitude."
While all his wrestling accolades speak for themselves, becoming world champion and best selling author, it's his personal life that really makes me respect Mick Foley. Every thing that he has done, was for his family. He would sleep in the cheapest hotels or in rental cars, just to save money for his family, even when he was world champion. Mick is the epitome of selfless living. The amount of charity work he does is insane even nowadays as a retired wrestling vet.
My favorite Foley fact is that he is a HUGE Santa Claus fan. He is currently in the works of making a documentary about Santa Claus actors in their "off-season" which is entitled "I Am Santa Claus." He's donned the red suit more times that he's donned the proverbial crimson mask.
Mick is my hero because is a family man, a Santa Claus impersonator, best selling author, has garnered hundreds of cheap pops, been hit in the head by a steel chair more than anyone, and he does it all with a smile on his face. Mrs. Foley's baby boy has done all right with me and the entire world.
Stone Cold Steve Austin was definitely my favorite at the time, he was probably everybody's favorite, but I have always had a soft spot for Mick Foley aka Mankind aka Cactus Jack aka Dude Love. He wasn't your traditional wrestler. He wasn't muscle bound, he wasn't a high flyer. but he had so much heart and that's what has definitely resonated in me for the longest time. His character mankind is probably the greatest character in wrestling history. His mannerisms, his voice, his actions, his wrestling moves all served a purpose and made absolute sense. His battles with Shawn Michaels, Vader, the Undertaker and most importantly the Rock made me realize how special and unique he was. Undertaker vs Mankind at King of the Ring 1998 is the match that I have watched most in my entire lifetime. Foley was thrown off the top of a 20 foot steel cage twice, and finished a match that included him losing teeth, being thrown onto thumbtacks and being hit repeatedly with a steel chair. He walked out of that match on his own accord. He is the definition of "intestinal fortitude."
While all his wrestling accolades speak for themselves, becoming world champion and best selling author, it's his personal life that really makes me respect Mick Foley. Every thing that he has done, was for his family. He would sleep in the cheapest hotels or in rental cars, just to save money for his family, even when he was world champion. Mick is the epitome of selfless living. The amount of charity work he does is insane even nowadays as a retired wrestling vet.
My favorite Foley fact is that he is a HUGE Santa Claus fan. He is currently in the works of making a documentary about Santa Claus actors in their "off-season" which is entitled "I Am Santa Claus." He's donned the red suit more times that he's donned the proverbial crimson mask.
Mick is my hero because is a family man, a Santa Claus impersonator, best selling author, has garnered hundreds of cheap pops, been hit in the head by a steel chair more than anyone, and he does it all with a smile on his face. Mrs. Foley's baby boy has done all right with me and the entire world.
Welcome Back Kotter
It's been a while since I've been at it, and for all of those faithful followers :) I'm sorry it took so long to get back. This summer has been crazy, two weddings that at one I was best best man in the world, the other I was the second best man in the world. Both were a ton of fun, and a ton of time and work. Alas, this year's wedding season is nearly over and it's time to get working on some things. I'm really excited about the next few series that I'll be writing, so you should be ultra excited!
I've had this idea in my head for a long time. I've been lucky and have been surrounded by some fantastic people in my lifetime. Many have left an impact on me, but only a select few have really shaped me to be who I am in life. Some are fictional characters, some are people who play fictional characters, but most will be regular people who are super in my eyes. I see these people as heroes, even though they may not think the same and I will try my damnedest to do them justice, and explain how great they really are. So look out for some heart felt stories and some downright silly ones as well as I write my series about "My Heroes."
I've had this idea in my head for a long time. I've been lucky and have been surrounded by some fantastic people in my lifetime. Many have left an impact on me, but only a select few have really shaped me to be who I am in life. Some are fictional characters, some are people who play fictional characters, but most will be regular people who are super in my eyes. I see these people as heroes, even though they may not think the same and I will try my damnedest to do them justice, and explain how great they really are. So look out for some heart felt stories and some downright silly ones as well as I write my series about "My Heroes."
Thursday, May 15, 2014
Superior Spider Man
I'll give you a brief synopsis of the new Spider Man story line. Dr. Octopus, one of Spider Man's greatest foes, was dying from a terminal illness. His last evil plot was too switch his consciousnesses into the body of Peter Parker. Doc Ock discovered the secret identity of Spider Man and made it his mission to best him. He succeeded. He is now in control of Peter's body and mind. There is a part of Peter that still exists, forcing Spider Man to continue to fight crime. It's a little far fetched, but Dan Slott does a great job of convincing people that it makes sense. Even though Spider Man is still a "good guy," he is still controlled by Doc Ock and some of his methods are questionable. There's an internal dialogue between Ock and Spidey that's hilarious in itself. Peter starts a new life under the control, and succeeds leading Doc Ock to believe that he is far superior than his predecessor, naming himself the Superior Spider Man.
I've read the first five volumes and four team up tie ins. Below is a quick review:
Volume 1: My Own Worst Enemy - 5 out of 5 Burning Lariats
Volume 2: A Troubled Mind - 4 out of 5 Burning Lariats
Volume 3: No Escape - 5 out of 5 Burning Lariats
Superior Spider Man Team Up 1: Versus - 4 out of 5 Burning Lariats
Superior Spider Man Team Up 2: Friendly Fire - 4 out of 5 Burning Lariats
Volume 4: Necessary Evil - 4 out of 5 Burning Lariats
The Arms of the Octopus (X-Men team up) - 3 out of 5 Burning Lariats
Volume 5: The Superior Venom - 4 out of 5 Burning Lariats
The Superior Foes of Spider Man Vol. 1: Getting the Band Back Together* - 5 out of 5 Burning Lariats
Pretty awesome reviews across the board. Highly recommend getting into this series.
*This is technically not a Spider Man book, but it does center around his villains. This is actually my favorite book of the bunch because of its unique perspective. The drawing is simple, but it totally works. I'm a big fan of the insurgence of minimalist comic art, i.e. Hawkeye, Daredevil. The color really pops and grabs your attention. The coolest thing about Superior Foes is how hilarious it is. These villains are supposed to be menacing, but they are softies or self centered, and always greedy. Awesome story telling.
The First 15 Years of Wrestlemania: XIV & XV
Wrestlemania XIV: March 29, 1998 - The WWE put all of their chips down and bet a lot on themselves with this event. They were involved in the infamous "Monday Night Wars" with wrestling rival WCW Nitro. They were getting beat in the rating consistently and needed to change something up to get back to the top. Good thing for WWE that they had a pool of awesome talent, namely Stone Cold Steve Austin who was ready to step up to the plate. We'll get to him and the main event in a bit. The night opened with a tag-team battle royal to become #1 contenders. I love battle royals and this one didn't disappoint. My favorite tag-team of all time (besides the Young Bucks) The Legion of Doom won. The tag title match later that night would be The New Age Outlaws vs. Cactus Jack and Chainsaw Charlie was a brutal Dumpster Match. We saw some hits that would knock a normal person unconscious. The Rock was intercontinental champion for two consecutive WM's and defended against Ken Shamrock in a solid match. The WWE introduced the Light-Heavyweight Championship to rival WCW's Cruiserweight division that was making a lot of buzz worldwide. The finals of a tournament was held at WM pitting Taka Michinoku vs. Aguila. The match was fast paced and really grabbed the attention of the audience that night. I wish they would bring this back, they have a lot of guys that could benefit with this division. The Undertaker faced his brother Kane in his biggest WM challenge yet. The story is way more important than the match in this one. The Undertaker thought he accidentally murdered his parents and his brother in a fire when he was a kid. Kane survived but was disfigured from the flames. Undertaker tried to reconcile and swore to never face his brother in the ring. They did square off and it was a battle of titans. Undertaker had to finish off Kane with 3 tombstones piledrivers. One of the darker stories told in the Attitude Era, but it made perfect sense for each character's progression. Finally, the main event. HBK and DX have been running rampant through the WWE. Stone Cold has been on a meteoric rise to the top of the wrestling world, never winning the WWE Championship. They bring in Mike Tyson, who's a huge wrestling fan, in to referee the match. Their investment in Tyson and the story paid dividends, proving that WWE is the best wrestling company out there. This match garnered so much media coverage, just by having Tyson's name. The match itself was decent. Shawn was in a lot of pain with his back, and would retire shortly after WM. The explosion after Austin wins the title is deafening. People witnessed the culmination of the Texas Rattlesnake finally winning the belt. The best part is that this just began the Austin era, and so many more main events to come.
Wrestlemania XV: March 28, 1999 - WM 16 definitely wasn't as good as 15, but it had a better main event. The Rock and Austin have incredible chemistry. That's why they've headline WM 3 different times. My favorite moment at this WM was Professional Boxer Butterbean faced Professional Wrestler Bart Gunn. Gunn gets knocked out in such a violent way, it's cringe worthy. No idea why they would have this, it makes their wrestlers look weak, but it was entertaining. Mankind beat the Big Show who recently jumped ship from WCW. Mankind would become the special guest referee in the main event, playing a pivotal role in the decision. Shane McMahon has got to be the most under rated wrestler of all time. People hated him because he came from money, and show boated. He didn't get the credit because he was a McMahon. The guy was awesome. Taking some extremely dangerous bumps, getting heat, and displaying a solid wrestling repertoire. he defeated X-Pac in a very solid match. Undertaker continued his streak against the Boss Man in a Hell in a Cell match. Awful match and even more awful ending featuring Boss Man being hung from the cage. On to the main event and what a doozy it was. The Rock just finished a hellacious feud with Mick Foley that legitimized him as a main event player with a mean streak. They traded the belt a few times, and now Stone Cold gets his chance against the Rock. The Rock was Vince McMahon's hand picked champion. He's got it all and then some. Austin was a pissed off redneck who wanted nothing more than be champion. This bout was no disqualification and they brawled up and down the ramp, around ringside and in the ring. I can't stress how awesome their chemistry is, everything this did made sense and came to a perfect culmination. Stone Cold walks out as champion and the biggest wrestler of all time.
I wish I had written these sooner, but March and April were a very busy time. Lots of stuff happening, which is always a good thing. I will finish Wrestlemania's 16-30. I need to watch some tape and refresh my memory on some of those mid 2000's cards. I won't make the mistake of giving a timeline, because I don't want to raise expectations. Alas, thanks for reading, and thanks for letting me talk about my favorite thing in the world, Professional Wrestling.
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