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.

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.

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."

Superior Spider Man

I've never been a big Spider Man fan. My brother has always been, always telling me to try it out. I enjoyed the Spider Man animated series back in the early 90's. I've enjoyed every Spider Man movie, even Spider Man 3 and ESPECIALLY The Amazing Spider Man 2. So why would I not enjoy reading the Spider Man source material? Personal bias? I'm just a stubborn mule sometimes. I gave in and checked out Superior Spider Man Vol. 1: My Own Worst Enemy from my local library (wink). Dan Slott, the writer, has crafted a very creative twist on the Spider Man universe. He's taken a huge risk with this current story line, and in my eyes it has paid off. It was a great idea to start from issue/ volume one for new fans. The old model of comics was outdated and issue 1076 made it difficult for new readers to jump in. I'm glad the rise of trade paperbacks has really sky rocketed and gives more people access to comics material.

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

I get really excited about years 1995 - 1998 so I tend to ramble on so the last post ran really long and I imagine this one will too. The Attitude Era of wrestling was so damn entertaining and exciting, it's forever etched in my brain. I grow up with Degeneration X and Stone Cold Steve Austin. I was lucky enough to witness the rise and fall of ECW. Lucky enough to have buddies that would watch with me every week.

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.

The First 15 Years of Wrestlemania: XI - XIII

Wrestlemania XXX has come and gone, obviously I didn't keep my word and publish these before the biggest wrestling event of all time, but who really cares? Anyways, WM 30 was an awesome event. Lots of new stars were made, Daniel Bryan shined as our new WWE World Heavyweight Champion. Antonio Cesaro won the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal in astounding fashion. Super Cena came came out as victor over the vicious and vile Bray Wyatt. Finally the Undertaker loses at Wrestlemania to Brock Lesnar ending an impressive 21 match winning streak. No one saw this coming and the reactions were priceless. This was easily one of the most entertaining WM's of all time. The right guys and gals won, and a new generation of wrestler is on the rise. Now let's jump back to 1995 with WM XI and witness the beginning of a rocket ride to the top.

Wrestlemania XI: April 2, 1995 - This was a weird event, and didn't feel like WM to me. The card was awesome, the matches were solid but it didn't feel like the grand daddy of them all. I can probably attribute it to it being in Hartford, CT, not the biggest arena. The opening match was pretty entertaining. The Blu Brothers were pretty talented, and had a good match against Bulldog and Luger. The Blu Brothers would have a tough time getting over in the future. They've changed their gimmicks so many times and had some success as part of the biker gang DOA. Razor vs Jarrett was decent, lots of Memphis shenanigans going on. Undertaker would continue his streak against King Kong Bundy. Bundy was let go from the company later that year. I was really excited to see Yokozuna and Owen Hart team up seeing that they are my favorites from the early 90's plus heel Doink of course. The main event featured Bam Bam Bigelow vs. NFL veteran Lawrence Taylor. The match wasn't bad. LT played his role perfectly, got beat up by the bad guy and somehow got the win. It was entertaining but shouldn't have ended the show. Diesel vs. HBK Shawn Michaels really stole the show. That's what these guys are known for and they didn't disappoint.

Wrestlemania XII: March 31, 1996 - The opener had really good potential especially when Vader and Yokozuna squared off. Unfortunately, the match itself was sloppy and didn't deliver. That's ok though, because we got to see HHH get squashed by the Ultimate Warrior in his first match back in 4 years. Undertaker continues his dominance at WM with a win over Diesel. Roddy Piper made his WM return with an interesting, hilarious Hollywood Backlot Brawl with the eerie and controversial Goldust. They tried to spoof the OJ Simpson car chase with sporadic segments throughout the show. Priceless stuff. The brawl itself got really brutal at times, showing a glimpse of the future of WWE matches. The main event was easily the most important match at WM since Hogan vs. Andre. It showcased two of the best wrestlers in the world. Bret Hart was the fighting champion from Canada. Shawn Michaels was the rising star and had the crowd behind him. The build up of this match was perfect. The vignettes were honest, and real. The match itself was an instant classic. Hart and HBK battled for an hour, trying to gain the advantage and reached a 60 minute time limit. Hart would walk away with the belt since it was a draw. They really turned up the volume at the end of the match with HBK in the Sharpshooter for over a minute without giving up. The match went into sudden death over time, and with two Sweet Chin Musics, Michaels beats the Hitman for the title. This is a match that I've seen at least 20 times, and it still gives me goosebumps. Wrestling at it's finest.

Wrestlemania XIII: March 23, 1997 - WM 13 is the first big event with the label of the Attitude Era. The theme of this show was Heat. Heat is a wrestling term that personifies the hatred towards a wrestler. A bad guy wants a lot of heat, a feud requires a lot of heat to really make an impact. The two matches with the most heat were the Nation of Domination vs. Ahmed Johnson and LOD, and Bret Hart vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin. Chicago was the perfect place for these feuds to blow up. The rest of the card was ok. Undertaker beat Sycho Sid to win the WWE Championship and continue his streak. The Rock made his debut at WM along with Mankind, big things will happen with these two later in their careers, but lets focus on the heat. The Nation of Domination really did not like Ahmed Johnson and beat the piss out of him on a weekly basis. So what did he do? He got the two baddest dudes to ever step into a wrestling ring, Hawk and Animal, and went to war in a Chicago Street Fight that went all over the arena. This was a fun match that showed intensity, and the right guys won. Stone Cold was the most hated man in wrestling at this time. Bret Hart was still a fan favorite, doing what was right. Hart had an issue with Stone Cold attacking people from behind and cheating to win. He also had an issue with his language and obscene gestures. These two guys were on fire when they walked into the Allstate Arena. The match stipulation was a submissions match meaning one guy had to willingly quit. They brawled, they hit each with chairs, slammed each other into the barricades and had a hell of a fight. Mid-way through the match, something happened. Stone Cold started garnering the sympathy of the fans. He was a bad guy, but he was getting whooped and wouldn't give up. Hart kept on laying them in, and giving Stone Cold his all. Eventually they end up back in the ring, Stone Cold bloodied, and Bret slaps in the Sharpshooter. In a pool of his own blood, Austin refuses to give up. He eventually passes out from the pain and Hart is rewarded the victory by referee stoppage. Hart may have won the match, but Stone Cold won the crowd, and that's the most important part of wrestling, having the crowd behind you. The scene of Austin screaming NO with blood dripping down his face is the most iconic scene of 90's wrestling.

Wrestlemania XXX Predictions

Wrestlemania 30 is right around the corner, and it's sure to be a great spectacle regardless of the quality of matches and results. It's always a night full of drama and passion. Every wrestler's dream is to main event Wrestlemania. Some people will, most definitely will not. Making it to Wrestlemania in itself is an achievement for many, they can have their Wrestlemania moment. I'm excited, I always get excited this time of the year. The wrestlers get geared up, management gets geared up and the writers get creative. Magic will happen Sunday and I think I know what's going to happen. I hope they prove me wrong because I like to be surprised. So here are my predictions:

Andre the Giant over the top-rope battle royal: 30 wrestlers have a chance to go after a newly created, highly coveted trophy honoring the late great Andre the Giant. In Andre's days, battle royals were used to make the big guys look unstoppable. It definitely worked for Andre, he dominated the 70's and 80's going 15 years undefeated. Winning this match would be a great honor for any wrestler. So who is going to win it? I hope they go with someone who can take this momentum and turn them into a main event player. If I had my way I would have Drew Mcintyre win it. I see big potential in him, and he needs to break away from the 3 Man Band. The obvious choice is the Big Show just because of his giant stature and dominating presence. I will however go with the current intercontinental champion Big E. Showcase his strengths and have him eliminate the Big Show to win. He can keep defending his belt and look dominant eventually challenging the world champion.

Tag-Team Championship Match: The Usos are currently the tag champs. I like them as a baby face team, but have faced some really stiff competition since winning the straps. They have to defend them in a four way tag bout this weekend, and I have a feeling they aren't going to leave with them. They are facing Los Matadores (no chance), Ryback and Curtis Axel (I actually really like this pairing) and the Real Americans. Cesaro and Jack Swagger have gotten over like crazy lately, and I can see them continue to rise. The Real American will leave WM XXX with the bronze belts.

Vickie Guerrero Divas Championship Invitational: AJ Lee has to defend her Divas title against 13 other wrestlers. The odds seemed completely stacked against her considering the match ends with one fall. The only problem is that I don't see any of those divas ending her reign without a purpose. Maybe Tamina to make things interesting, but I think they should build that feud. I see AJ Lee somehow retaining her title this Sunday.

The Shield vs. Corporate Kane and the New Age Outlaws: I didn't see this match coming at all. I thought the Shield would break up, and Roman Reigns would be pinning Dean Ambrose to take his US Championship away. Instead they have banded together to fight HHH's cronies. The Shield wins this match no problem. Just the vets putting over the young guns and making them look strong in the process.

HHH vs. Daniel Bryan: HHH has vowed to end Daniel Bryan's Yes Movement. I've been a Bryan fan since 2005. I've seen him wrestle in gyms. I've seen him wrestle with a dislocated shoulder, a detached retina and a really bad sun burn. He deserves to be on top of the wrestling world. He deserves to be world champion. HHH has done a great job at making Bryan look good. He has played the evil corporate role to a T. Bryan will win this match and be entered into the main event against Batista and Randy Orton for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.

Bray Wyatt vs. John Cena: If this was 1988, John Cena would be guaranteed to win. Good always trumps evil. Even in 2008 this would have flown as well. But its 2014 and people are ready for a change. Bray Wyatt is the most interesting character to invade WWE for a very long time. He is on a crazy role, and the depth of his character is bottomless. Bray Wyatt has a lot to prove. Cena is a guy who is untouchable, but I see a start of a big change with a Bray Wyatt victory.

Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar: Will the Beast Incarnate beat the streak?? No, no he won't. Brock is huge and a formidable foe, but the streak is so legendary, I never see it ending. Especially not to a part time guy like Brock. Undertake goes 22 - 0. 

Randy Orton vs Batista vs Daniel Bryan: The main event for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship will be a good match, with a ton of drama. HHH will come out and try to screw over Bryan, fail and Bryan will become world champion, FINALLY. The Yes Movement will be in full swing, and my prayers will be answered. All of Daniel Bryan's hard work will have paid off. All the sacrifices he has made will finally find retribution. YES YES YES YES YES!

The First 15 Years of Wrestlemania VI - X

So I've purchased my subscription to the WWE Network, and I have lost a lot of my life as a result. You can watch every WWF, WCW and ECW pay-per-view in history. Even ECW Heatwave '98!! Along with all those shows, they put new originals and let the new generation shine with the premiere of NXT (their developmental system). If you are a wrestling enthusiast like myself, or a casual wrestling fan, you can't beat the price of $9.99 a month for all that wrasslin'. Now that my endorsement of the WWE Network is over, let's get back to Wrestlemanias six through ten. 

Wrestlemania VI: April 1, 1990 - With over 67,000 people packed into the Toronto Sky Dome, the air of a new era can be felt throughout the night. The wrestling product was getting better. The best example of this was the Rockers (Marty Jannetty and Shawn Michaels) vs. The Orient Express. Fantastic tag bout, and a flare of new flavor. It was cool to see Ax and Smash become tag-team champions in beating the seemingly unstoppable Haku and Andre the Giant. Piper vs. Bad News Brown was interesting to say the least. I don't know how Piper got away with a lot of his promo work. It came off as a bit racist. The icing on the cake was when he came out to the ring, in half black body. Not just black face, but half his body was painted black. The match itself was pretty miserable, but the entertainment value was definitely there. This would never fly these days. The show was capped with the proverbial passing of the torch. The ultimate challenge. Hulk Hogan was the WWF Champion and The Ultimate Warrior was the intercontinental champion. Both were really hot, and both were good guys. There's never been a main event between two good guys fighting for the belt, so it had an interesting dynamic. If I were there live, I'm sure the atmosphere would have been electric. The crowd went absolutely insane when The Ultimate Warrior became champion.

Wrestlemania VII: March 24, 1991 - Well the Ultimate Warrior as champion experiment flopped. And they put Hogan back in the spotlight. This happens a few more times before he high tails it off to WCW. The main event is Sgt. Slaughter, america's second biggest hero, vs. Hulk Hogan. They decided to have Sgt. Slaughter become a bad guy and Iraqi sympathizer. This was right in the middle of the first Gulf War so fans were absolutely livid about his betrayal. I've never seen a more hated man in wrestling, it was awesome. Hogan eventually overcame the odds and beat Slaughter after being mauled for twenty minutes. He hulked up and leg dropped Slaughter back to the 80's. It's unfortunate that Slaughter was only champion for about a month and a half, but good must always triumph over evil. Legion of Doom had their first WM appearance beating Power and Glory. The Rockers had another spectacular match against the Barbarian and Haku. Finally, the Undertaker's undefeated streak by taking about the beloved Jimmy Superfly Snuka.

Wrestlemania VIII: April 5, 1992 - If you stopped this event right after the sixth match, Savage vs. Flair for the WWF Championship, I have claimed that this was one of the greatest Wrestlemanias of all time. Unfortunately it didn't, and we all had to suffer through Hulk Hogan vs. Sid Vicious in the main event. The main event ended with a disqualification, come on man. Why not put Savage vs. Flair on last?? It's for the belt! Oh well. A lot of great moments occurred on the under-card. Shawn Michaels has his first singles match after turning on Marty Jannetty, and eventually becomes Mr. Wrestlemania. Undertaker battles Jake the Snake Roberts in an awesome match, continuing the streak. Bret Hart beats Rowdy Roddy Piper for the intercontinental championship and starts his ascent to the top. Finally, a match that I've always loved. Ric Flair is the best villain to ever grace the squared circle. He can talk his way out of everything, and makes it sting when you fall for it. After coming back from "retirement," Macho Man sets his sights on gold. Flair makes it personal by forging lewd pictures of Miss Elizabeth, and that drives Savage into madness. Savage wins, him and Elizabeth are reunited creating a feel good moment that I can even get on board with. 

Wrestlemania IX: April 4, 1993 - That breath of fresh air I mentioned earlier, is in full force when WM nine comes around. A new roster, a new look and wrestlers hungry to make a name for themselves makes WM nine special. With all the Caesar's Palace foolishness aside, this was a great show. I do want to add that Bobby the Brain Heenan coming down to the ring riding a camel backwards, makes this show. Everything he touches is gold. I've always been a Doink the Clown fan. Especially when he was an evil clown. Not the greatest gimmick, but he was an outstanding wrestler. He wrestled Crush on this event, which was ok, but I love hearing the evil Doink entrance music. Shawn Michaels retains his intercontinental championship against Tatanka. I was excited to see Razor Ramon vs. Bob Backlund just because I loved both of their work, but something didn't click there. Undertaker continues his streak with a horrendous match with Giant Gonzales. Man he is bad. Bigger doesn't always mean better. This was the only match Undertaker has won via disqualification at WM. The main event was our Canadian hero Bret Hart vs. the villainous Yokozuna. Yokozuna eliminated Randy Savage at the Royal Rumble to earn his championship match against Bret. The match itself was not bad given the limitations of a huge wrestler. Yokozuna shocked everyone by beating Bret Hart, even though it was controversial. Yokozuna would be the only bad guy to win the championship at WM up to that point. And then Hogan happens. He comes out with a shiner (and a lot of speculation how he got it) and beats Yokozuna in seconds with a leg drop. Way to make your champions look like crap. Hogan wins his last WWF belt before leaving for WCW.

Wrestlemania X: March 20, 1994 - The tenth anniversary of WM was pretty special in it's own way. Most of the wrestling was sub par, but the good wrestling was amazing wrestling. Bret Hart and Owen Hart had the greatest opening match in WM history. The story was stellar and the ring work was spectacular. Owen Hart gets the biggest win of his career when rolling up Bret for the three count. The main even featured a rematch from last year with Yokozuna defending his championship against Bret Hart. Yokozuna defeated Lex Luger in the night so both men would have wrestled once before their match. Bret's leg was injured in his match against Owen so all odds were stacked against him when challenging the all powerful Yokozuna. Shocking fans, Bret gets the win and becomes "the guy" in WWF. Finally WM X featured its very first ladder match with two guys who were out there to steal the show. Razor Ramon vs. Shawn Michaels for the intercontinental championship. It's still regarded as one of the best ladder matches of all time. The new era was finally here after teasing change for a couple years. Vince agrees to stick with the future stars and it pays off in dividends.

The first 15 Years of Wrestlemania: I - V

Over the last few months, with a help from my library, I was able to watch the first 15 Wrestlemanias. The 30th anniversary of Wrestlemania occurs on April 6, 2014 and my goal was to watch the first 29 before then. With the announcement and launch of the WWE network, I think this goal will be much more obtainable. So how does the grandaddy of them all hold up over the last three decades? Were they as great as everyone remembers? Did Hulkamania really run wild? We shall find out.

Wrestlemania 1: March 31, 1985 - Wrestlemania was the great invention of Vincent K. McMahon. He wanted to cross over into Hollywood once a year and hold a huge wrestling extravaganza. He succeeded, but the matches were absolute garbage. The main event was the saving grace. It featured Mr. T and Hulk Hogan vs Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff. Cowboy Bob Orton and Jimmy Snuka were ringside for support of their teams. Muhammad Ali and Pat Patterson were both guest referees for some reason. I know Vince wanted to pack as much star power into his main event, but this was ridiculous. The best part of the match, was Roddy Piper's hate for Mr. T. It seemed legit and he didn't let T do a single move. This was easily the worst Wrestlemania of the first 15.

Wrestlemania 2: April 7, 1986 - This Wrestlemania was held at three different venues throughout the U.S., Chicago, New York and Los Angeles. Sounded like a cool idea, but people in the stands in Chicago, couldn't see the matches that happened in L.A. and New York. It was a first though! McMahon is all about making history, even if it's bad history. The matches on 2 were a step up from 1, but there was a ton of filler. Who would want to see Adrian Adonis vs Hillbilly Jim for no reason? Again the most entertaining part of the show was Roddy Piper. He had a boxing match against Mr. T. Piper that's been building for a year. I don't know how they got away with Piper's promos. They were oozing with racism. But nonetheless they stole the show. The Main event in Los Angeles was Hulk Hogan vs King Kong Bundy in a steel cage match for the WWF Championship. The match was decent and I was glad to see that the company's biggest title was defended in the last match. I know this won't happen in future Wrestlemanias and really doesn't make any sense at all.

Wrestlemania 3: March 29, 1987 - For the longest time, this was regarded as the best Wrestlemania. It definitely features the best Intercontinental Championship match between Ricky the Dragon Steamboat and Macho Man Randy Savage. This was a red hot feud. Macho Man was a villainous heel and was hated by many. No one could take the title off of him though. Macho Man took Steamboat out with a throat injury, and his come back was monumental. This was a perfectly built match, from beginning to end. Honky Tonk Man and Jake the Snake Roberts put on a fun short match as well. The main event contains one of the most talked about moments in wrestling history. Andre the Giant has been undefeated in 15 years of wrestling, and he's never been WWF Champion. He turned on the Hulkster and swore he would destroy Hulkamania. The match itself was slow, but that's ok, I know Andre wasn't in the best shape of his life. After 12 minutes of bear hugs Hulk does the unthinkable and body slams the 500 pound giant. The crowd erupts and Hogan keeps his title.

Wrestlemania IV: March 27, 1988 - Man this was a long show. With a total sixteen matches, it seemed to go on forever. WM 4 featured a WWF Championship tournament. It had some great wrestlers in the brackets including Ricky Steamboat, Randy Savage, Bam Bam Bigelow, and Jake the Snake Roberts. Most of the tournament matches were stinkers, and a lot of them ended in DQ's and non-decisions. The Ultimate Warrior stunk up the joint with a weak match against Hercules Hernandez. I really enjoy Hercules' work, and have seen a lot of his work since watching these. Can't see why he didn't get a bigger push. The main event was Macho Man vs. Ted Dibiase for the WWF Championship. It was a solid contest, and of course Hogan had to stick his nose in it since he wasn't in the match. Ultimately this led to Savage's first title, and it was a cool moment to experience. The picture that sticks out in my mind when remember WM 4 is Miss Elizabeth sitting on Macho Man's shoulder with his hand raised. Priceless.

Wrestlemania V: April 2, 1989 - A step better than last year, even though there were way too many matches on the card. Rick Rude pulled a pretty decent match out of the Ultimate Warrior for the intercontinental championship. My favorite match on the card featured Mr. Perfect vs. a young Owen Hart donning the Blue Blazer mask. It was Owen's first WM, and he proved he can hang with the best. The main event was built perfectly. This is easily Hulk Hogan's best WM match to date, and Randy Savage should be given all the credit for his performance. There was actual wrestling in this match, and it surprised the hell out of me. The story was crafted perfectly in which the Mega Powers (Savage and Hogan) split their tag-team over Savage's jealousy of Hogan. Savage accuses Hogan of stealing Miss Elizabeth, and the tension run really high during the entire match. Savage still has the belt from last year's WM and in typical Hogan fashion, he wins. But I can't complain because it made sense for him to win since he's the ultimate good guy.

A pretty slow start on the actual wrestling aspect of the show, but Vince McMahon didn't really care about the in ring show, just the spectacle aspect. In that way he had a very special event on his hands.

Building a Solid Heavy Metal Collection: Part 11 of 25

Seeing that today is the 28th birthday of Master of Puppets, I figured I take the opportunity to talk about my favorite album of all time. I know I say, "man I love this CD," or "this is my favorite!" quite a bit. I 100% mean it when I talk about Master of Puppets by Metallica.

Master of Puppets was released approximately four months and six days before I was born. It took me ten years to listen to it for the first time, but I couldn't really help that since toddlers don't usually thrash it up. Mine will, but unfortunately my parents weren't into the heavy metal scene.

Now where do I start to discuss the genius of this album? I consider it the best thrash album of all time, front to back. How about I start with the cover art? When I first saw the image of hundreds of crosses, being controlled the puppet master's hand, I didn't know what to think. It's not until my 8th grade trip to Washington D.C. and experienced Arlington National Cemetery for the first time, when I finally realized the message Metallica was trying to convey. That trip was special because it was my first dose of reality. Sure you've heard of all the craziness that's happened throughout history, and it just goes in one ear and out the other, but seeing those gravestones amassed in perfect alignment resonates heavily on a young mind. We hit up the mall that trip and I was able to find a Master of Puppets flag and I spent most of my money obtaining it, but I still have it to this day.

Just by the cover, I can tell this is a serious album. The musicianship is equally serious. Cliff Burton, the greatest bass player to ever grace the Earth, wrote a lot of the guitar riffs on this album. Cliff studied classical, old school rock and punk to create his sound. So when you mix that with the Kirk Hammett solo machine and James Hetfield's lyrical apex, you have a stainless piece of heavy metal steel.

It's hard to pick a few tracks off of here to spotlight. Master of Puppets is worth your time, every time. Orion could be the most beautiful metal song ever. Every time I listen to it, I get goosebumps. From Burton's memorable bass to Hammett's wailing guitar, Orion is full of passion and enchantment. A truly magical song. Disposable Heroes attributes to the unwieldy tone of the album. It's fast, unrelenting and almost punishing. The song Master of Puppets will go down as one of their most popular songs of all time. When I was in a thrash band in high school, Puppets was my favorite song to cover because of its energizing pace, and its shifting pieces. Its the fastest eight minute song, and I don't mean tempo. Its so awesome, you don't realize how long you've been listening to it. I had a complete blast tearing through that song every time.

Any music collection should include Master of Puppets. Its the most important metal CD of all time. Self-titled sold more records, but the importance of Master of Puppets is paramount. I feel like I grew up along with Master of Puppets and I am glad to celebrate its birthday.

Oscar Picks

I'm in no way a movie expert, but I do watch a lot of movies. Even though lately I've been engrossed with the WWE Network. I've watched a bunch of it. I mean who would pass up watching ECW Heatwave '98 or anything with Mean Gene Okerlund? Am I right or am I right? But I digress, I've watched a few of the nominees and have read my fair share of reviews for all the best pictures. So here are my picks for the 2014 Academy Awards.

The Big Ones:
Best Picture: American Hustle
Best Director: David O'Russell - American Hustle
Best Actor: Matthew McConaughey
Best Actress: Amy Adams
Best Supporting Actor: Barkhad Abdi
Best Supporting Actress: Lupita Nyong'o
Best Documentary: 20 Feet from Stardom

The Rest:
Animated Feature Film: Frozen
Cinematography: Gravity
Costume Design: Great Gatsby
Documentary Short: Facing Fear
Film Editing: Gravity
Foreign Language Film: The Missing Picture
Makeup: Dallas Buyers Club
Original Score: Her
Original Song: "Let it Go" from Frozen
Production Design: Gravity
Animated Short Film: Possessions
Live Action Short Film: Do I Have to Care of Everything?
Sound Editing: Captain Phillips
Sound Mixing: Captain Phillips
Visual Effects: Gravity
Adaptation Screenplay: Philomena
Original Screenplay: Blue Jasmine

Building a Solid Heavy Metal Collection: Part 10 of 25

My buddy Stephen described this CD as, "Metallica with a real singer." With that description, I had to check these guys out. In 2002, the renaissance of my metal youth, Shadows Fall was as integral as Metallica was in years past. They were the next evolution of heavy metal and revived thrash metal to its former glory. Many thrash bands followed suit and some classic thrash bands got back together. It has been a glorious ten plus years of thrash.

The Art of Balance was Shadows Fall's second major release. Of One Blood was a great record, but was lacking the variety and intensity that The Art of Balance brings. Balance is definitely a theme throughout the record. Aggression, inner peace, brutality and meditation are contributing elements to the music that make this album whole.

Idle Hands lures you in with its intense inception and sets the mood for the rest of the album. Thoughts without Words enters the mind of Brian Fair and the way he questions life, always looking for answers. Destroyer of Senses is a short, anthem dedicated to sorrow and dependence on alcohol, and how easily you can fall into its traps. There are two acoustic interludes on this album, Casting Shade and Prelude to Disaster, which are absolutely beautiful, but serve a purpose as well. They balance the heavy and the melodic concocting a perfect potion of heavy metal.

The Art of Balance officially ends with A Fire in Babylon, a seven and a half minute piece of perfection. The musicianship is top notch, solos are perfectly paced and placed, and the message is meaningful.

As a bonus, Shadows Fall includes a Pink Floyd cover of Welcome to the Machine. Sometimes I wish they didn't put this on the album, but its a great cover. Listen to the album all the way through to A Fire in Babylon and press stop. After some thought, listen to the Pink Floyd cover. It has a much better flow that way.

Mechanical Bull

Kings of Leon were pretty cool in 2008. It was something different, and indie music was definitely on the rise at the point. I completely skipped the following album, not because of disinterest, I just didn't know they had put out a new album. So I decided to check out Mechanical Bull from my local library and gave it a listen.

I'm not gonna lie, I wasn't very impressed at first. Supersoaker and Rocky City didn't get me excited to listen to the rest of the album. I stuck it out and continued to listen to the Virginia "rockers." A few tracks caught me off guard and rewarded my time.

Tonight, Beautiful War and especially Last Mile Home are worth listening to. Lyrically they are the best. The guitar is simple but it is effective and gets to the point. Track 8, The Comeback Story,  has the potential to be a karaoke staple with the clever chorus: "I walk a mile in your shoes, Now I'm a mile away, And I've got your shoes."

All in all, this album wasn't the best. It had some highs, but a lot more lows.

I give Mechanical Bull by the Kings of Leon 2.5 out of 5 Burning Lariats.

Talk is Jericho

Tallllllkkk isssssss Jerichooooooo

A lot of wrestling Podcasts have hit the scene lately. I think people are finally realizing the potential of this format. Colt Cabana has mastered the art form over the last couple years. Stone Cold Steve Austin has jumped on board and created a very entertaining show. There are talks that WWE just started their own podcast as well. Now my ears will be flooded with more wrestling talk, which is cool in my book, with the addition of Chris Jericho.

Y2J has always been one of my favorites, even his days with Ralphus as his bodyguard. He's always been a natural one the mic, and it really translates well onto the podcast. He doesn't have the energy of a Colt Cabana or has the intensity of Stone Cold, but he can deliver a good interview. I think the quality of his first few guests have really attributed to that. I've listened to the Stone Cold two parter along with Edge's two part interview. Edge is a guy that doesn't really get talked about a lot, but he was fantastic. He made John Cena matches worth watching back in the early Cena days. His story is pretty unique and his "retired" life is very interesting as well. Jericho's third guest was Bret the Hitman Hart, and I can't wait to get that one started.

Jericho's podcast is a little different because it doesn't always focus on wrestling. One of his guests was his father Ted Irvine. His father was a pro hockey player and has a huge influence on Chris' life. The most recent episodes feature members of the bands Anthrax and Dream Theater, so the topics vary. If you can fit another podcast into your schedule, Talk is Jericho is definitely worth checking out.

You can listen to it here: http://podcastone.com/Talk-Is-Jericho

All New X-Men Vol. 1

The X-Men have always been my favorite Marvel comic characters to follow. They've had some great stories over the years: Deadly Genesis, Days of Future Past, Age of Apocalypse, Phoenix, etc. The more recent stories have included a struggle against extinction starting with the Avengers Disassembled arc in 2005. I would highly recommend reading the Marvel events following Disassembled up to and including the Civil War.

This book is a perfect place to start if you haven't read an X-Men book in a long time or would like to start reading X-Men stories. All New X-Men Vol. 1: Yesterday's X-Men follows the epic Marvel event, Avengers vs X-Men. Some truly devastating events happened in that story and this book is the aftermath.

Scott Summers aka Cyclops has become this generation's Magneto. He has disbanded from the X-Men and started his own group. New mutants are popping up once again and he's made it his mission to recruit them. Beast, on the verge of death, travels back in time to visit the original X-Men. He brings them to the present to show them what Cyclops has become.

Michael Bendis as the author and Stuart Immonen as the illustrator make a hell of a team and have really knocked it out of the park with his one.

I give All New X-Men 5 out of 5 Burning Lariats.

Plagues of Babylon

I'm going to start with a bold yet very true statement. Iced Earth is my favorite band of all time. I've been listening to them since 2001, I have every album, EP, live album and DVD they have ever released. I've seen them live 3 times with a different singer each time. I've never been disappointed in what they've released and Plagues of Babylon is no exception.

Plagues of Babylon was released exactly a week ago and I've listened to it 6 times since its release. I will probably listen to it another 10 - 15 times before the month of February is over.

If you aren't familiar with Iced Earth, they are a progressive thrash/ power metal band. Their instrumentation is very heavy and fast, but slow it down for ballads and well crafted choruses. Their singer has always been the focal point. They've have some amazing talent leading their charge. Matt Barlow, Tim "Ripper" Owens and now Stu Block. Block's range is quite dynamic and gives this album some depth. It's his second album with the band so you can tell he finally feels comfortable as their front man. Their last effort, Dystopia, was a triumph in of itself.

Plagues of Babylon is definitely their most unique sounding album. Iced Earth usually puts out concept album that revolve around a certain topic. Some songs on Plagues fall into that category, but as a whole its just a plain old awesome heavy metal album.

The album starts with the title track and in epic Iced Earth fashion. The first three tracks are definitely the heaviest of the bunch. Democide and The Culling are a throw back to old Iced Earth fans, especially fans of the very underrated Burnt Offerings. Among the Living Dead is a very cool track about zombies and I'm a sucker for zombies. Track number six, The End? is where the album really took off in another direction. Its the first sign of slowing down, but don't get too comfortable because there is some killer guitar work going on in this tune. If I Could See you Now, sounds like your traditional Iced Earth ballad but adds to that lighter side of the album. Peacemaker is one of my favorite songs on the album and it sounds like nothing Iced Earth has put out before. It sounds like a song that Bon Jovi would put out if they had some brass, but they don't so Iced Earth wrote it.

The album concludes with a cover of Highwayman. It was originally written by Jimmy Webb who was an american song writer. They Highwaymen, consisting of Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, and Waylon Jennings, made the song popular. Iced Earth's version actually contains four different singers on it from the metal genre. Stu Block (Into Eternity, Iced Earth), Russell Allen from Symphony X, Jon Schaffer from Iced Earth and Michael Poulson from Volbeat. The song isn't very metal, but the talent involved makes it a very unmissable song.

Give Plagues of Babylon a listen. Its a damn good album. I'm so glad that Iced Earth continues to make the music they want to make.

I give Plagues of Babylon by Iced Earth 5 out of 5 Burning Lariats.

Captain Phillips

On my journey to attempt to watch every best picture nominee, Captain Phillips was the proverbial next in line. I was able to check it out at my local library (insert cheap library plug). So far I've watched American Hustle, Gravity, Dallas Buyers Club (review coming soon) now Captain Phillips. I still have a lot to watch so if anyone wants to hit up the theaters, let me know.

Captain Phillips is based on a true story of an american freighter ship that was captured by a small band of Somali pirates in 2009. Tom Hanks plays a yankee ship captain from Vermont that is commissioned to sail a ship around the cape of Africa carrying food, water and other supplies to Africa. Phillip's boat is overtaken by four Somali pirates. This was the first American cargo ship to be hijacked in over 200 years. The leader of the "pirates" was played by Somali actor Barkhad Abdi.

The beginning of the movie pictures Hanks and his wife on the way to the airport. He shortly arrives at port and meets his crew. The pacing of this movie is very quick and intense in the beginning and there is a foreboding feeling of doom throughout the entire movie. Seeing the vastness of the freighter ship, it's truly amazing that four people in a small boat can take over this ship. It was true testament to human will and determination. Captain Phillips does everything in his power to stop the pirates from overtaking his ship, but he can't control every aspect of his ship. Once the pirates took control of the freighter, the chess match begins. Captain Phillips is a very smart, decisive character. Muse, Abdi's character, is a very desperate, but wary individual. He knows that Phillips is trying to outsmart him, but he holds the upper hand because of his shear intimidation.

I really enjoyed the intensity of this movie, and the cat and mouse game played between both parties. This is probably my favorite Tom Hanks role since Charlie Wilson's War. Adbi is up for an Oscar for best supporting actor. I can see him winning because it was a great performance for a first time actor.

Rated: PG-13
Run Time: 134 Minutes

I give Captain Phillips 4.25 out of 5 Burning Lariats.

If you have Ghost

Ghost B.C. formally known as Ghost, is a Swedish heavy metal band that really has crossed over and exploded in popularity. I originally picked up their first album a couple years ago, because they were described as the second coming of King Diamond. Who wouldn't get excited about that? Fortunately and unfortunately that description was a bit skewed. Yes Ghost looks like King Diamond. Both bands have a flare for a unique stage show. They both have face paint and costumes that can be seen as offensive to some people. King Diamond regularly drew an upside down cross in his face paint, where the singer of Ghost wears a costume that resembles the Pope or a clergyman of power in the Catholic Church.

The two musical styles vary vastly but that's not a bad thing at all. King Diamond was more of a thrash, traditional heavy metal band. Ghost is more of a trippy band more reminiscent of a Blue Oyster Cult. Regardless both bands are awesome and I was glad I become a fan of Ghost in the process.

If you have Ghost is an EP, drawing off the popularity of their last full length album Infestissumam. This EP has 5 tracks on it, four being covers and one live track. The bands they chose to cover was very interesting. Usually metal bands cover other metal songs or pop songs that are very popular and translate well to metal. Ghost decided to cover bands that they enjoy and have absolutely nothing to do with the heavy metal scene. I see this as very admirable. They cover ABBA, Depeche Mode, Army of Lovers and a gentleman named Roky Erickson. All of the songs translate well into Ghost's musical styling.

Crucified, the Army of Lovers cover, is easily the most evil sounding tune on the record. Waiting for the Night (Depeche Mode) is a beautifully haunting song.

I have been waiting to see Ghost on a live show for a very long time. It was nice to get a glimpse of their live sound with the live Secular Haze track. They are a lot heavier live than their studio sound.

A little side note of this EP. Dave Grohl produced it and actually played some guitar and drums on a few tracks. I know Grohl is a big metal fan and I'm glad to see that he is mixing it up with an up and coming band. His name alone can elevate talent.

Ghost is a band that's heavy enough for metal fans to enjoy and mainstream enough for non-metal fans to enjoy as well. They can be that one band that you can tell your friends and family about, that doesn't make you a complete metal weirdo like myself.

I give If you have Ghost 4 out of 5 Burning Lariats.

The Piano Guys

This CD was a recommendation by my cousin Walter Cronkite. He was studying for finals and classical music is supposed to help with memory retention. So what better album is there to listen to, than the Piano Guys?

The Piano Guys are a group of five ... guys that love and play classical music. They aren't afraid of new genres and exploring the limits of each instrument. Most of the tracks on this album are covers and remixes of old tunes.

My favorite track is entitled Cello Wars and is an awesome mash-up of Star Wars tunes. It starts with a nice build up of the Imperial March and busts into and often underrated Duel of Fates. Their renditions of Mozart, Bach and Beethoven are unique and incredible. Hell they even cover a One Direction tune and make it very enjoyable.

If you are looking for a nice twist on the classical genre, give the Piano Guys a listen.

I give Piano Guys 3.5 out of 5 Burning Lariats.

American Hustle

I saw American Hustle a few weeks ago in the theater. I had my $5 movie ticket, free bucket of popcorn and XL cup of blue raspberry Icee. I knew I was in for a great night of entertainment. I just want to mention that I'm glad Marcus theaters has wised up and given people a chance to watch movies for $5. I know it's only on Tuesdays, but it's a smart move that benefits both sides. The free popcorn promotion was a nice touch as well. Kudos Marcus.

Now to the movie. I'm a huge Christian Bale fan, so this movie and Out of the Furnace has been on my radar for a while now. Christian Bale playing an overweight con man was only sweetened by his fellow cast mates. Amy Adams provides a spectacular performance as Bale's partner in crime. I've never been the biggest Bradley Cooper fan, but he's proven me wrong with his performance in Silver Linings Playbook and now this movie. Jennifer Lawrence played a very repugnant character, which is a nice change of pace. She usually plays the hero or someone that you can at least like. I love Jennifer Lawrence, but her role in American Hustle makes me hate her guts. This just shows how convincing she can be, and how great of an actress she really is. Finally Jeremy Renner caps off this well rounded cast as a well loved politician from New Jersey. He comes across as a man of the people and it serves him well in this role.

The movie itself is remarkable. It follows Irving Rosenfeld, played by Christian Bale, who has been fighting and scraping for everything in his life. He cons people out of their money and shadows it with a legitimate dry cleaning business. He eventually moves into more risky business with Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams) and is looking for a bigger score. The two have amazing chemistry both as characters and actors. The two eventually get caught and the feds use them to catch the proverbial "bigger fish." Many parties get involved and things escalate quickly. Everyone seems to be conning everyone and no one realizes what's what until the end.

I would compare it to a modern day Goodfellas on the comparison of on screen talent, plot and tempo. This is a must see movie. I'm glad it was nominated for best picture and I'm equally glad that the four cast members were individually nominated for their respective roles. This years best picture category is very stiff when it comes to competition so we'll see if they prevail.

I give American Hustle 5 out of 5 Burning Lariats.

Battle of Los Angeles 2013

PWG is easily the best wrestling company in the United States right now. I can't claim that its the best in the world, because I can't really watch a lot from Japan, Canada, and Europe, and I don't really understand Lucha Libre from Mexico. That being said, the greatest American wrestlers get together once a year in Reseda, California for the annual Battle of Los Angeles tournament. Former winners include Low Ki, Kenny Omega, El Generico and Davey Richards. All wrestlers that have gone on to big promotions and made some money.

This year held a 16 man single elimination format which included some PWG regulars and some new faces to the company. The participants were Kevin Steen, Chuck Taylor, Brian Cage, Tomasso Ciampa, Johnny Gargano, Willie Mack, Roderick Strong, AR Fox, Drake Younger, Joey Ryan, ACH, Anthony Nese, Kyle O'Reilly, Rich Swann, Trent? and Michael Elgin. If you follow independent wrestling, this is a who's who of young talent. When I saw the lineup last fall, I was foaming at the mouth with excitement. The match-ups didn't disappoint. The first night of the tournament eliminates half the guys and features a tag team match usually spotlighting the tag-team champions. Night two spotlights the rest of the tournament and the intense singles matches.

Highlights of Night One:
Kevin Steen vs Chuck Taylor - This wasn't your traditional opener. It was very comedy heavy, and was very entertaining from bell to bell.
Brian Cage vs Tomasso Ciampa - The match was very bland and slow at points, but the high point was Ciampa powerbombing Cage on his neck on the floor of the arena. After some research and listening to a podcast with Cage, he was legit injured from this spot and finished a 15 minute match and wrestled the second night.
Roderick Strong vs AR Fox - It's always cool to see Roderick wrestle high flyers, his crazy strength and ability to pull off crazy moves makes this one exciting. It also helps that AR Fox seems to have no regard to his own well being.
Michael Elgin vs Rich Swann - I'm a big fan of Rich Swann on the basis of his Chris Jericho impression. He is a truly talented wrestler and deserves a shot at the big leagues. This was a great way to cap off tournament action for night one.
Adam Cole and the Young Bucks vs The Forever Hooligans and TJ Perkins - Great action from the greatest tag-team in wrestling right now. The Young Bucks can do no wrong in my eyes. TJ Perkins is crazy good and I would like to see him wrestle more on TNA as himself instead of the character Manik.

Highlights of Night Two:
Johnny Gargano vs Kevin Steen - The unpredictability of this match was my favorite aspect. A little spoiler here, I never expected Kevin Steen to tap out to a submission move from Gargano.
Kyle O'Reilly vs ACH - These two really tore it up for a second round match. I don't know how O'Reilly was able to wrestle two more matches after this spot fest.
Adam Cole and the Young Bucks vs Candice Larae, AR Fox and Rich Swann - Candice Larae shows that she can hang with the big boys and pulls off some awesome moves.
Joey Ryan, Trent?, and Chuck Taylor vs B-Boy, Tomasso Ciampa, and Willie Mack - Is it bad that my favorite match was not a part of the tournament? This was a full blown comedy match that had everything. Great wrestling, hilarious spots and amazing chemistry. Brian Cage even came out to return a powerbomb to Ciampa on the floor. The best spot came with Chuck Taylor's imaginary grenade. Every wrestler played into it, and the crowd exploded for it.

Overall this weekend was pure wrestling euphoria. The tournament matches were great, the only one that didn't have the best chemistry was ACH vs Anthony Nese from night one. Their performances on night two more than made up for that. You can tell the crowd was tired when the final match came around, but it still held a really special moment for Kyle O'Reilly.

I give PWG: Battle of Los Angeles 2013 4.25 out of 5 Burning Lariats.

If you want to buy these DVDs or stream them visit PWG Merch or High Spots PWG video on demand

Royal Rumble 2014 Predictions

It's officially my favorite time of year. Royal Rumble time. Once a year 30 wrestlers get a chance to outlast their competitors and a chance at the world championship at Wrestlemania. Business picks up within the next three months. Wrestlers make their returns, they plant the storyline seeds and speed towards wrestling's biggest event. So who is my pick to win the 30 man over the top rope rumble match? That's a great question. This year is a bit tricky. Last year was very easy to predict. We all knew that John Cena was going to win and face the Rock again for the championship. It made sense. This year is a bit different. My man Daniel Bryan is red hot and has the potential to reach new heights with a rumble win. CM Punk is a great pick this year, leading off in the number one position. We can't forget about the returning Batista. It looks like WWE has the Wrestlemania main event set to Batista vs Randy Orton. There are a lot of possibilities and that makes this coming Pay Per View exciting. I can't give you a solid pick, and that's a good thing. Here are my three scenarios for Sunday's event.

Batista: This could be the most obvious pick since the WWE has pretty much set up Batista vs Orton as a rivalry. It would make sense if Batista entered the rumble match around number 30 and clear the ring, showing his dominance and setting his sights on the championship and Orton at the same time. I don't see Orton losing to Cena since Cena main evented the last couple Wrestlemanias. If Batista wins the rumble, he's winning the title at Wrestlemania.

CM Punk: People may consider this a long shot, since Punk is entering the match at number one and must last over an hour to win. He's involved with a feud with the Authority and a lot of HHH's friends are in the rumble, looking to eliminate him. Punk could be the biggest underdog to win since Rey Mysterio, and it would be a great story to see him overcome the odds. My gut feeling is that he'll last a long time, show a glimpse of hope and get thrown out by the Shield. I'm hoping he wins the rumble, Orton retains the title, then loses it to Lesnar at Elimination Chamber, and Punk gets his redemption at Wrestlemania.

Daniel Bryan: Considering Daniel Bryan is not even announced for the rumble match, this prediction doesn't have a lot validity behind it. The Royal Rumble should be unpredictable. How cool would it be if Bryan enters the rumble after beating Bray Wyatt and becoming the biggest babyface the company has had. He can finally get his revenge on Orton at Wrestlemania and prove that he can be the face of the company. My fingers are crossed on this one. If Bryan doesn't enter or win the rumble, I can see him face the Undertaker at Wrestlemania.

Regardless what happens, this Sunday's Royal Rumble is going to be a great all around Pay Per View.

Graphic Novels of 2013

This was intended to be a best of 2013 graphic novels. but I didn't get to finish reading until after the new year. So here is a list of the graphic novels I've read over the last month.

Saints and Boxers by Gene Yang
People always save the "best" for last, but I think you should start with your best foot forward. Hands down, Saints and Boxers was the best graphic novel I've read recently and there has been some really stiff competition. Saints and Boxers is actually two books and is historical fiction. It covers the events of the Boxer Rebellion in the late 1800's. The two books each take a different perspective of the rebellion. Each side has its own beliefs and convictions. Its hard to tell who was right in this conflict because of the extremes both sides take to get their beliefs across. If you read any graphic novel, read these two books. The art may look a bit young, but the story and emotion definitely outshines the drawing.

Sweet Tooth Vol. 6 - Wild Game by Jeff Lemire
This was a very weird book, but not the most odd book on the list. The description was a cross between Cormac McCarthy's The Road and Bambi, so naturally I had to give it a read. Sweet Tooth follows Gus, a human deer hybrid. There has been an apocalyptic event, and Gus and his group are trying to find the origin of human/ animal hybrids. I wish I started at volume 1 because I had a few questions. Volume six was very good though and it wrapped up the story really nicely. The characters are likeable and the villains are heinous. I will be reading the first five volumes very soon.

Walking Dead Vol. 19 - March to War by Robert Kirkman
I've been reading the Walking Dead since day one and loved every moment of it. Volume 18 had some excitement but 19 kind of lulled for the most part. I really like the villain and where they are going, but it has taken too long to get there. It's kind of like season 2 of the Walking Dead on AMC. Usually the comic is very fast paced. I am definitely looking forward to volume 20.

The March - Book One by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell
The March is another historical fiction graphic novel, but a much more modern book compared to Boxers and Saints. The March is the story of Congressman John Lewis and his first hand experience of the Civil Rights Movement. Its presented in current time, with flashbacks to his childhood and young adulthood. I would recommend this book to any history teacher looking to explore the Civil Rights Movement in a different way. The art is fantastic and the message of non-violent resistance comes through in volumes.



Batman by Scott Snyder
The two volumes of Batman released in 2013 are incredible. I was worried when DC completely rebooted their universe and started the New 52. You can tell they pooled their resources and hired the right guy for Batman. The City of Owls and Death of the family are some of the best Batman stories ever told. The Talons are a new group of villains that really push Batman to be his best. The newest Joker story is haunting and truly psychotic. READ THEM ALL!

My Dirty Dumb Eyes by Lisa Hanawalt
My Dirty Dumb eyes was the weirdest book I've read, graphic or not. It has some pretty hilarious sections, namely the movie reviews done in drawings. My favorite being watching the Rise of the Planet of the Apes if you aren't a fan of monkeys. It gets a little odd after that. A lot of  "adult" sketches, some of them being hilarious with others being utterly ridiculous. Not a book for the kiddies.

Dark Tower: Last Shots by Robin Furth and Stephen King
The Dark Tower series by Stephen King is my favorite series of all time. Marvel and Robin Furth have done an amazing job bringing King's tale to the comics arena. This book is a collection of one shots and just fills in some gaps in the series. Some questions are answered, but nothing really happens to further the story. I hope they keep releasing the books in comic version, only the Gunslinger has a graphic adaptation. If you haven't read the books or comics, this book will make very little sense to you.



Honorable Mention:

Locke and Key: Volume 5 - Clockworks by Joe Hill
This was technically released in 2012, but I love this series so much I can't not not mention it. Joe Hill has really come into his own in this series. Locke and Key is the most original series in a long time, and has nothing to do with superheroes. I would recommend starting with volume one and working your way all the way through five. You will not regret it.

I'mmmmm backkkkkkkkk

It's been a crazy, crazy month but I am back in the saddle and ready to sail into the sunset.... ?

Christmas, New Years, St. Nicholas Day, Krampus Day, and Boxing Day have all come and gone. I've been busy with work, you know a librarians' got to eat, and all sorts of winter storms. I could have been writing while cozied up in my pajamas, but I decided to watch the entire Star Wars trilogy instead. I've actually read, watched and listened to a lot in the last month, so I have plenty to write about.

A little preview to what's ahead. I tried to read as many new graphic novels I could before year's end to compile a best of 2013 graphic novel list, but I had to wait for my turn at the library. I did finish a decent amount though, and you'll see how those fared. You'll see my first wrestling DVD review coming up. PWG's Battle of Los Angeles 2013 to be exact. If you're a wrestling fan and haven't heard of PWG, you need to re-think your life.

It's officially Wrestlemania season with the Royal Rumble coming up. I've been watching the first 15 Wrestlemanias over the past few months and I've been working on a write up on those since number 30 is on the horizon. I plan on watching the next 15 as well.

I had a very nice and generous Christmas. Received a handful of movies and books. I have viewed a few of them recently, but still have a lot of reading and watching to do. Awards season is coming up, so I will try to get my hands on some buzzworthy flicks.

Thanks for all of those who follow or read or even acknowledge that I write this Blog. I apologize to those faithful who have been waiting an eternity for my next post. I'm looking forward to an exciting year. My brother is getting married, along with my cousin. Hopefully starting a full time librarian position.  The new Iced Earth CD comes out. Lots of exciting things happening. Cheers to the new year and cheers to you all!