Land of the Rising Sun

I was up until about 5 AM last night -- haven't done that in YEARS! Why is that? It's because I spent the last week in Tokyo, Japan. Yuke's, our external developer is headquartered there, and this was my first experience there. I didn't really know what to expect, as this was my first trip off the continent. I made sure to take my wife because of this, because you only get one first time...

We arrived in Japan, and after a 11 hour flight, we had to get on a bus from the airport to the hotel which took two hours. Needless to say, we were beat! The next morning was work time, as we boarded a subway train to Yokohama Station where Yuke's is located. I must say, if cars are not necessary in Tokyo -- the subway system is AMAZING!

Since we're getting pretty close to completion on SvR '11, we needed to review with the dev team (engineers), what was currently in the latest build, and give our detailed feedback on what exactly we'd like to see. The Yuke's office was cool, because it was my first experience at a Japanese studio, I didn't quite know what to expect. The office is rather small, but you definitely get a sense of what the studio has accomplished over the years (with SvR, UFC, Japanese wrestling games, etc.). We quickly got into it though, with the Yuke's 3 representatives from the game team watching us as we go through a build calling out our feedback (through a translator of course), while listening to their reasoning.

I'm not familiar with this process, because at EA, our dev team was right there with us. But, I quite enjoyed this part, as it's something different, and provides a challenge. The build is coming along nicely... We have alot of work to do, but we'll get there.

Tuesday was my birthday, and towards the end of the day, I heard a faint singing, and then the door busted open, and in came a herd of Japanese guys and girls, with a cake singing their rendition of Happy Birthday. I was overwhelmed, completely overwhelmed. They put a party hat and sash on me. They also gave me a hand drawing they did (picture above), and gave me a copy of Wrestle Kingdom 2 signed by the game's director. They hardly knew me, yet they treated me like they've known me for years -- this was a common feeling I got in Japan. I was humbled for sure.

By the time we left Japan, I didn't want to go to be honest. I loved my experience there, and can't wait to go back!

Next stop -- E3. Will you be there? How about that meetup!

Back to Work and Ready to Kick the Flu's A**!

I'm back to work after a few days with the flu. It's still not completely gone, but I'll survive. While sick, I was thinking about what my workout schedule would be like once I got back. At EA, I worked out religiously because there was a gym in the office. There is NOT a gym at THQ (that needs to change), so instead, I'm going to get a membership at the OG of gyms -- Gold's Gym in Venice Beach. After I get started back up at the gym, I'm going to begin exploring pro wrestling training. One of the guys on the team trains in Anaheim with Disco Inferno, so I might try my hand at that. I'm not looking to do shows, but rather just get the experience training since I've always wanted to.

I really enjoyed both shows last night (WWE and TNA) for different reasons. I'll spare you guys why...

I'm currently at my desk fleshing out a high-level design for the FUTURE (said in sci-fi narrator voice)!!

I wanted to address something, and I couldn't have picked a better time...

I'm seeing alot of negativity towards SvR as of late on some of the various boards around the world wide web. I knew what I was getting into coming in, so I expected that. We have some extremely hardcore fans of this business, and more importantly, our game. I'd say this is a plus for us, BUT it's very important that your expectations are in check. We make a game annually, so while wishlists are important, start to think about what we've done in the past, and how realistic it is to get to something in the next installment. Once you're thinking on those terms, I think we'll see a lot more progress in the wishlists that are provided. My goal here is to teach everyone about the development process of their favorite game, and in turn, you'll become more educated (in a good way) so that our two way communication is productive for everyone! I won't ever speak for our entire team, but In my time with these guys, there's no doubt that they know what they're doing. With that said, here are a quick FYI's for all of you as we move forward:

1.) Never assume - This is one of the first things you learn in game development, and I thought it would be an ideal place for all of you as well. Never assume how things are done, unless we tell you, you don't know. It's not me standing on my soap box declaring it, it's just a fact. With that said, I'll always be honest with you, even if the answer you get isn't something you want to hear. Honesty never hurts anyone :)

2.) Constructive Criticism - I love to hear what all of you have to say about SvR, so for the sake of time (for both of us), if you have a complaint about the game, be precise in what you're talking about and offer up a solution on what you would do if you were in one of our shoes. Everyone can complain or praise, but it takes some effort to explain why.

3.) We're human - We don't sit in a death star with storm trooper helmets on, we're real people that enjoy doing this for a living. You would right? I personally read pretty much everything that's said about our game... if you've written it, I've probably seen it.

4.) Time is limited - A new game comes out every year, and I'm doing my day job. As I put myself out there, understand that I can't answer or talk with everyone. I'll do my best, but if I don't answer, don't take offense -- it's nothing personal at all! Also, please take note of what's previously been said before. If 10 people have already said that something is wrong, it's just a waste of time to read about the 11th person saying it. In the end, it benefits all of you to know what's been said already.

That's it for now, but I'll add more when I think of any. I hope this doesn't come off as snobby or cocky. I love interacting with all of you -- it's my background, and I believe that it is necessary in order to have a game that satisfies everyone.

If you have any questions at anytime, please feel free to Tweet me, or PM me on the message board you go to. My name on messageboards is always "stephensonmc"

Day 2 of the Flu...

Three days in our new place, and I have the flu...

A couple of the guys on our SvR team invited me to the PWG show on Saturday (Pro Wrestling Guerilla), but I didn't feel so hot. It's a shame because I really wanted to go...

RAW and Impact tonight. I anticipate Mondays so much, because the show's happenings serve as our team's discussion topics for the rest of the week. It makes you feel pretty lucky to work on a passion of yours.

I've really been enjoying NXT lately. I think I just love seeing the new blood out there. Which reminds me, I'm JUST asking, but how would YOU implement NXT into SvR? I know a "career mode" is the obvious thought, but how would you go outside of the box with it? Please don't jump to conclusions, I just wanted to ask...

What's your NXT rookie order? Mine:

1.) Bryan
2.) Heath Slater
3.) Gabriel
4.) Wade Barrett
5.) David Otunga
6.) Skip Sheffield
7.) Darren Young
8.) Tarver

I'm seeing alot of wishlists in the various communities across internet land -- keep them coming. If I can't answer something guys, please don't take offense. I'm here to have discussions with you guys, but for obvious reasons, there's really no way I can answer everything.

"Hart and Soul"

Have any of you seen this yet? I've been meaning to pick it up, and add it to THQ's WWE video library of goodness!

Let me know what you guys think of this!

Long Time, I Know!

I know it's been far too long since I've posted here, so let me take you through the last three weeks of my life...

THQ has been fantastic so far. My first day was about three weeks ago, and the team has accepted me with open arms. They're really passionate about what they do, and are complete wrestling fanatics (which should really make alot of you feel good)!

The first couple of days at the office were like run together for me. There was the getting to and from, which equals traffic, and to avoid it, I found myself leaving at around 7 AM every day, and leaving at 6:30 -- which made the driving pretty tolerable.

I've been thrown right into it at THQ -- and I'm also trying to impact other parts of the company as well, in particular, their community efforts. As most of you know, THQ has a co-developer, Yukes working on the SvR franchise. Working with them has been quite a learning experience, but a welcome one. I love the respect the Japanese developer shows, and their knowledge and passion for a 10+ year franchise is pretty clear.

My wife and I are LOVING the food here. We're vegetarians, and LA really offers us alot of options. Abbots pizza, Mao's Chinese Kitchen, Seed, and the traditional Chipotle have been recent stops for us.

We also found a place, and are now living in Venice, CA which is our type of neighborhood. We really dig the laid back vibe here.

The cable company came, and hooked up our TV -- FINALLY I get my TV again, which I've missed since we've been in temporary housing. I was disappointed that our new place didn't allow DirecTV, because I really wanted the NFL Sunday Ticket so I could watch my Dallas Cowboys. Instead, I have the MLB Extra Innings package, and have my first DVR -- what an experience.

I'm finding myself really getting in to the Dodgers here. I'm a huge baseball fan, and I don't feel like I'm cheating on my Indians since the Dodgers are a NL team.

What do you guys thing of wrestling on the tube so far? I loved the way HBK retired, and will remember it forever. I'm glad NXT is getting around to telling us, the viewers, how the competition plays out, and Smackdown continues to have excellent matches! TNA had a great ladder match last week between Angle and Anderson, and Orlando Jordan has been one of the most confusing characters I've ever seen in wrestling.

I can't comment too much on the game at this point, but we're taking a trip to Japan in May to spend some quality time with Yukes. This will be my first trip out off of the continent, but my wife is going with me, so it makes me feel good about it.

Are any of you going to E3? I keep forgetting it's in my backyard now, so I hope to see alot of you there -- we have some good stuff to show!

Anyway, I'll be posting more often, because we got a brand new laptop -- our first Mac!

Thanks for the patience, and you should see me on the different boards very soon!

FLASHING...LIGHTS, LIGHTS, LIGHTS....

Ladies and gentlemen, Marcus Stephenson is BACK in the United States! After a long, slightly hectic, day we're comfortably in our temporary housing in Marina Del Rey, California (a little outside of Santa Monica -- were we want to live). I start work at THQ on Monday, but I'm going through the traditional orientation that this industry loves to run us through.

If it's anything like EA's, I'll actually start on Tuesday :)

I'm looking forward to meeting the people who I've been in contact with via e-mail at THQ. They all seem like smart, passionate people that I'm excited to share ideas, and create a fantastic WWE product!

Short post today, I know -- but I'll be sure to update all of you on my first official day at THQ soon.

Until then, bye for now...

Saturday is Before Sunday

First off, what did you guys think of Smackdown on Friday night? I loved CM Punk's promo!

I went for my usual run this morning, but I already miss the gym at EA. I'll have to get a membership to a gym in LA -- I doubt I can just roll up on muscle beach and hit the weights...

"WWE Vintage Collection" was on today, and they dedicated the entire show to WrestleMania XII's 60 minute Iron Man Match between Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart. I remember when I was younger and watching this, I was amazed by HBK's entrance. The funny thing though is that I don't know whether that image is something I remember experiencing, or the WWE showing that video so much, that I just took the thought from that...

I'm writing late because we just got back from our going away party, I'll definitely miss the folks here in Vancouver, but I know I'll still see them -- this industry is smaller than one would think.

All for tonight (it's 1:09 AM)

Who Won This Week? (WWE or TNA)

Hey everyone,

Thanks so much for the support this week even though I didn't update the blog. I'll be back next week with thoughts and reviews of the shows. For now though, take a look at the poll to the right and vote for whichever promotion you thought won this week.



Right now, the WWE leades 1-0! Because I didn't update the blog this week, I won't vote, so the outcome is directly based on your votes.

Last Week's Winner Is......

The WWE! Combined with all of yours (thanks for voting) and my vote, the WWE is the winner.

So that's the WWE 1, TNA 0.

I'll post a poll after Friday Night Smackdown! for this week's shows.

On This Day in Wrestling History...

April 26th, 1994 - The Headshrinkers defeated The Quebecers for the WWE Tag Team title.

WWE vs. TNA -- Who Won this Week? 4/20 - 4/24

If you're wondering what this is about, please read this entry.

The WWE wins for me this week because of WWE Superstars (the show). I ALMOST want to give it to TNA because of last night's Smackdown!, but iMPACT! was promo city this week. I have the WWE up 1-0 over TNA en route to next month's PPV battle. What do you guys think? Sound off via the poll to the right and I'll combine those votes with my score to get a final outcome for this week!

Friday Night Smackdown! Review 4/24

Two days away from "Backlash" meant that the WWE had to do their very best to try and encourage us to buy the PPV. Did they come through? NOT AT ALL.

After an awesome Smackdown! last week, I was almost positive that we were seeing a new trend in the WWE. If we wanted to see good wrestling, we could count on Smackdown! to deliver that. If we wanted "Days of Our Lives" wrestling style, we could watch RAW. Who knew that RAW would be the better show this week? And on top of that, by the looks of things, WWE Superstars topped them both, and that's only an hour show. Anyway, let's get on with it (this is almost as painful writing this as it was watching).

The show opened up with JR and Grisham teasing the main event of the evening which was the Undertaker vs. Big Show. I was thinking, "ok, ok...here we go." They also mentioned that Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase would matchup against Shane McMahon and Batista. I immediately felt like I got punched in the stomach. Aren't these guys on RAW? Didn't they say last week on Smackdown! that this week would feature the newly drafted Smackdown! superstars? More on that later.

Cue the best music in the WWE. Edge comes out to the ring and does a pretty serious promo. The only thing was that all of a sudden, the lights in the arena went out making it a bit too gothic for me. Edge did show his mic skills, and did his best to pump up his match against Cena at "Backlash." He (Edge) mentioned that he won his first world championship in 2006. Well, it's 2009 now which made me think of something...

He's won the title 8 times in three years. If he wins Sunday against Cena, which I'm sure he will, he'll have won the title 9 times in three years. Isn't that a bit obnoxious? Do you think the WWE realizes this? How much does this tarnish the legacy of the world championship in the WWE? In my opinion, this superficially catapults Edge onto lists of former champions like Hulk Hogan, Macho Man, Ric Flair, Triple H, The Rock, HBK, Bret Hart, and Stone Cold. You get what I'm saying... Edge is fantastic, but his three year reign happens a bit too soon.

Matt Hardy and Kane vs. CM Punk and Jeff Hardy

I'm really not a fan of mid-card matches at a PPV being promoted via a pre-show mixed tag match. Back in the day, a mixed tag match before a big PPV showdown was left to main eventers. Because this formula has been used so often, it's become stale to me.

The match was alright though. I thought for certain that because Kane was involved, they'd lose, but I was wrong. Matt Hardy and Kane won, which left JR and Grisham to say "That's three in a row for Matt over his brother Jeff." Here's where I have the problem. Doing this three times in a row all but cements a win for Jeff at "Backlash." Does the WWE really think we think Matt has Jeff's number? It bit too obvious guys. We shall see though at "Backlash."

Big Show vs. Undertaker

This match started with the Big Show doing a promo in the ring. Personally, I can't stand it when Big Show talks. I want to imagine him as this gigantic phenom that just destroys people, but the minute he opens his mouth, he ruins it for me. The gimmick's over. When Andre opened his mouth, you could hardly understand him. That was part of the appeal... Question: Do you still get chills when the Undertaker comes out? I do. His entrance is still one of the best, and it's good to see it hasn't changed much. Although the minute his matches start, he loses the persona of "the dead man," and becomes a boxer.

This was a ridiculous moment. Undertaker has entered the ring, and he's doing his removal of the hat routine, and while this is going on, Big Show is jumping up and down, shaking his arms, and shadow boxing as if he's getting prepped for a heavyweight boxing fight. Again, this just ruins it for me. I want to see Big Show just look straight at him. Not move, just stare at him. The match begins and they both start at each other as if it was the beginning of UFC 98. I guess I'm just old school here, but to me it's absurd to see the Undertaker get hit, and then stand up throwing punches at the air indicating that he can't see straight, if at all. Who made the decision to turn the Undertaker into this? I just can't let that go guys, I'm sorry.

I also want to comment, yet again, on the predictability the WWE shows. Why is it that it seems whenever someone initially goes for a choke slam, it's countered. Seriously, the next time you watch a WWE show, I guarantee the intial choke slam attempt will be countered. They make such a big deal about the "slap" noise of getting the lock on for the choke, but it's always countered. The WWE MUST see this. And of course, the Big Show did his usual, pin opponent up against the ropes, take a running charge missing him completely, fall to the outside of the ring.

Anyway, the Big Show won with a knockout punch, but instead of winning by pinfall, the ref called the match. Seriously? Since when does the towel get thrown in? WTF? This match sucked.

BTW -- JR and Grisham kept referring to this match as the "Main Event." If this was the "Main Event," then why is it ending the FIRST hour of the show?

Gail Kim vs. Maryse

"sandwich break"

A pretty cool Jeff Hardy promo happened where he appeared to be in a boiler room talking about his match with his brother at "Backlash." Reminded me of the old days. Good job here.

Chavo vs. MVP

Why did the WWE even bother with this one? And isn't Chavo and MVP on RAW now? Didn't they say on Smackdown! last week that it would be MVP's final appearance on Smackdown!? Inconsistent WWE, again, YOU MUST SEE THIS! Add the fact that MVP is AGAIN facing Dolph Ziggler next week on Smackdown!, and I'm certain that the WWE thinks we're idiots.

MVP won the match

At this point, I don't know how much more I can take. It has been an awful show, and I was ready to turn it off.

I didn't even want to watch the actual "Main Event," and turned the TV off. I couldn't help myself though, and turned it back on. Luckily, I did catch an awesome promo of John Cena talking about his match with Edge. Cena was right, they both are the Yankees and Red Sox of the WWE. The WWE has made certain of that. I'm looking forward to this one at "Backlash," but I can't see how Cena walks out of there with the belt. If he did, what a pleasant surprise that would be from the WWE.

Shane McMahon and Batista vs. Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase

I love Ted, you guys know that, but I'm not even commenting on this match. These guys are RAW superstars taking Smackdown! real estate to hype their "Main Event" match at "Backlash," because the bookers / writers aren't convinced, after beating us over the head with this storyline, that we are convinced. The only thing this match showed was that Batista may turn at "Backlash." They won the match by the way.

No random notes guys. Why do you think I've waited this long to write my review? It's 9:08 PST, and I still haven't gotten over it. The show sucked, and if I wasn't gone last weekend, "Lockdown" would've been my PPV of choice because of this show, I've lost hope for "Backlash."

I hope I'm wrong. Sort it out WWE!

On This Day in Wrestling History...

April 23rd, 1990 - Curt Henning aka "Mr. Perfect" defeated Tito Santana in a tournament final for the WWE Intercontinental Championship.

I Want YOU to Help Select a Pay Per View!

First off, let me just say that my rhymes are DOPE!

Alright, now to the point of this post (besides showing a "sandwich break" in an "Uncle Sam" outfit). In these economic times, one must be super careful where and how they spend their money. I'm not saying I'm dirt poor, but I wanted to make a game of this. To be honest, only one brand actually deserves money each month, and in that EXTREMELY rare occasion that both PPVs are a lock for quality, I'll purchase both. But that probably won't happen because let's face it, both promotions don't bring it every month.

So here's how the game will work. Each week Headlocks 4 Breakfast will review Monday Night RAW, WWE Superstars, TNA iMPACT! and Friday Night Smackdown!. I'll then, at the end of each week give one promotion a nod over the other. So, if I think RAW, Smackdown and Superstars was better than iMPACT this week, I'll give the WWE a score of 1-0 and vice versa. "But that's not fair! TNA only has one show that's not a recap!" I took this into account. That's why I'm doing it American Idol style! Every Friday, after Friday Night Smackdown!, I'll post a poll asking you guys which promotion won this week. I'll then process that final poll vote with my own personal score and use a very super complicated method to pick a winner for the week (which I'll announce). Whoever wins the most amount of weeks before the PPVs, will win my cash and extremely prestigious review skills.

Make sense? If not, actually READ this story.

Touch of Nostalgia...

Do you remember the days before the WWE said "Don't Try This?" What were you "trying this" on? These bad boys of course! When I was a kid, you weren't cool unless you had one of these. The boys version of stuffed animals was the bees knees. You weren't a wuss if you had one, you were a legend! Whenever there was a sleepover, everyone in your clique would bring their own (mine was Hulk Hogan of course) and you all would put on matches. It all ended with everyone using them as pillows to beat each other with, but pre-mind fart, the matches you put on were epic!

Don't tell me you didn't recreate the Wrestlemania VII moment, and do the flying elbow off the arm of the couch onto the Ultimate Warrior 5 times. You did, so did I, and so did everyone else! Why? Because we're men and men didn't play with stuffed animals, we beat the shit out of them.

Wrestling Buddies, I salute you!

On This Day in Wrestling History...

April 21st, 2002 - Hulk Hogan defeated Triple H for the WWE Unified Heavyweight title.

Mr. "I Take Wrestling Way Too Seriously"

Go to YouTube, type in "wrestling figures," and what's the first thing you see? Yeah, I thought so...

I was a huge fan of wrestling figures when I was a kid (probably would still purchase some). I had all of them (except the Nasty Boys). I'd stand up and pretend my eyes were the camera as I did a fly around the arena (aka my living room) while doing my best Gorilla Monsoon voice. I bought the WWE entrance theme CDs, and would play them whenever I'd have a wrestler come out from under my chair (poor man's titan tron). I remember the awkward pause in between getting my figure ready for the squared circle, and myself pressing the right track for the wrestler's entrance music. It was quite embarrassing in my 12 yr. old mind if I messed up and mistakingly selected The Rock's music for Stone Cold, but in the days of no iPod, that's what you did. It didn't matter though, it was practically real in my mind....

With that said, there's no excuse for putting your imagination on the net for everyone to see! Seriously? Seriously! What's up with this? Just watching this travesty of childhood imagination makes me feel like I got robbed as a child. To actually put together a video like this gives YOU, Mr. "Wrestling Figures Guy," the title of "Mr. I Take Wrestling Way Too Seriously" for this week.

The effort of this video (and there's plenty more, so this isn't a one-off) is depressing for everyone. Play a video game....

Because I like to contradict myself though, I'm going to follow one of these wrestling figure federations (TEFW) for Headlocks 4 Breakfast. I think they're having a PPV shortly (WTF!)...

Friday Night Smackdown! Review 4/17

With only a week and 2 days left until "Backlash," and 4 days removed from the WWE "Draft" on RAW, Smackdown! was determined to make us buy that damn PPV, and I'll tell you what, they really worked their asses off!

If you didn't get to watch last night's Smackdown!, then you missed 2 hours of ALMOST wall to wall wrestling action. This show was packed to the gills with young talent that's sure to be the future of the WWE. The show also only had one "sandwich break!" (I'll explain later) Let's get on to the matches shall we?!

Jeff Hardy vs. Big Show

Smackdown! opened up with Jeff Hardy coming to the ring for a MATCH. Not to talk, not to spend the next 15 minutes in a promo, but to wrestle. Big Show came out next, and it was on. The match had your typical aerial maneuvers by Hardy, and your "I'm a big dude, so I move slowly and just use my weight" moves by Big Show. One thing that bothers me is that the WWE uses Big Show in a predictable fashion sometimes. Do you notice that every time his opponent is near the ropes and he (Big Show) gears up to run at him, the guy just drops to the apron sending Big Show over the top rope? You don't think we see it coming WWE, but we do! I'd also like to see Big Show go on a little undefeated streak. When I used to see guys like him, I used to think they couldn't be beaten. Now I KNOW they can be beaten and it's just a bit sad (just a little).

During Big Show's matches, the commentators are always talking about how he's "the largest professional athlete," and "an unstoppable force!" Well, use him like that. Let the biggest stars in the WWE only beat him, and in PPVs only for that matter. With that said, Big Show won the match (did I just contradict myself?) with his "knockout punch." The match was good and clean. Smackdown! was starting off on the right foot.

Side Note: Matt Hardy came down to the ring to distract Jeff Hardy, but Jeff would have nothing of it jumping over the top rope and onto Matt leaving him down for the remainder of the match.

Maryse vs. Gail Kim

"sandwich break"

R-Truth vs. John Morrison

You knew that when they promoted this match before the commercial break, that it was going to be a good one, and it was. I'm so happy to see Morrison in singles competition, and JR alluded to him possibly making a run on Smackdown!. R-Truth actually was the show stealer in this match though. He performed outstanding athletic moves that made the audience cheer while mixing in the occasional "Wassup?!" chant. After all of R-Truth's work, Morrison hit his "moonlight drive" quickly to win the match. It was a fun match to watch , but that's because R-Truth's work overshadowed what the WWE did for the match. They had a nice opportunity to have both of them go back and forth, but instead chose to go the usual route of having the eventual winner get beat down until an opportunistic moment for him to hit his finisher for the win. It feels like a cop out.

Shelton Benjamin vs. The Undertaker

This is the first time I've seen the Undertaker since Wrestlemania 25 (WWE Superstars doesn't air in Canada until Sunday). Shelton Benjamin was a perfect opponent for him though. Benjamin's always been an incredible wrestler, but his mic skills are terrible leaving him in low to mid-card status for eternity. The Undertaker was apparently nursing a "neck injury" which left him vulnerable throughout the match. Benjamin took advantage of it hitting a devastating neck breaker that would change the momentum a bit. Benjamin, showing his cockiness (good writing), tried to go for a tombstone, but it was reversed by the Undertaker into a tombstone of his own to win the match.

MVP vs. Dolph Ziggler

This was my favorite match of the night. I love MVP as a face, and Dolph Ziggler is that perfect narcissistic heel. They went back and forth the whole match, and it looked like Ziggler was actually outperforming MVP, who seems like he's put on a little baby fat. The crowd didn't react much to MVP's call for support (stupid fans), but he did his usual ring gimmicks anyway ("Ballin!"). Ziggler won the match on a roll up for a pin while grabbing the tights. I loved the classic heel pulling the tights. It's a clean win, but not really which makes it great!

Batista vs. Ted DiBiase

It's good to see Batista back in a WWE ring, and I was pretty excited for this matchup. I think Ted DiBiase is already a phenomenal wrestler, and he proved it in this match. DiBiase always uses the ring well, working all four corners and focusing on individual body parts. This match was like the R-Truth vs. Morrison match though, with DiBiase winning the whole way until Batista hit his spinebuster which sent him into his "routine" (I hate those btw) resulting in a Batista Bomb for the win.

DiBiase really shined in this match, and I think the audience felt that he deserved the win for the effort he put in. Please WWE, make him JUST like his father. He's perfect for it. He wore red trunks tonight, but it just looked wrong. Keep him in black trunks.

Overall, I really enjoyed Smackdown! significantly over RAW this past Monday. Why? Because it had WRESTLING in it. Not tons of crap (they had promos too btw), but WRESTLING. I know I usually have my sarcastic undertones to show reviews, but I have to hand it to the WWE, Smackdown! was good. It may not have been the best wrestling in the world, but I don't know if I know what that is anymore.....

WWE fans, if you're looking for which show to watch between RAW and Smackdown! post-draft / Wrestlemania, I have Smackdown! 1, RAW 0.

Random Notes:

- Matt Hardy loves being a heel. You can just see it in his eyes.

- The Great Khali "Kiss Cam" is "wrestlecrap," and he could be used so much better!

- The Triple H / Orton "Face-Off" was out of place. I know they're trying to hype "Backlash," but it just broke up the momentum of the show. I think no matter how hard the WWE tries to promote this "personal" match, it's not working. Triple H won at Wrestlemania. Orton should be gunning for him, not the other way around.

- R-Truth sounds like DMX when he raps

- Triple H's entrance is still the best in the biz

- The "I Quit" match announced at "Backlash" between the Hardy's has the potential to be GREAT!

- The Undertaker is still going strong, but I don't want to see him as a human. He's a "dead man." Stop having him move around like a MMA fighter, and instead slowly creep towards his opponents.

- MVP to RAW is upsetting now that there's tons of talent on Smackdown! (US title's a joke)

"Yo" Taz(z) Speaks! (The Universe Continues to not Care)

Just in-case you haven't read my thoughts on Taz's / Milt McGee's announcement that he's now on Facebook, read here for context.

FINALLY, Taz has released his long awaited announcement. "Tazmania" didn't know what to do with themselves since they hadn't heard from him in so long. Here's the full writeup, afterwards I'll have my usual (thanks jimanju ;) ) commentary because I just can't help it.

"Yo, Well, after leaving WWE recently, I would like to make my first public comments here on the page. I would like to thank the Pro Wrestling fan base for the support through all my years with ECW & WWE! I especially want to thank all of you on this Facebook fan page from all over the world! I try to read most of your comments and I am truly flattered on how many of you supported what I did in the real ECW and my broadcasting accomplishments in WWE. Lets face it, after my debut at MSG vs the great Kurt Angle their wasn't much for me to "hang my hat on" as a wrestler during my tenure wrestling for WWE. Now, I want to clear up some "true & false" for all of you.... TRUE -My contract expired the end of March and I had given my notice several weeks prior -I ask WWE for my release to pursue other interest -I offered to call Wrestlemania while I was not contractually obligated....and offered to call the show for free to the company. -I have fulfilled EVERY obligation to the WWE, and pride myself on leaving the proper/professional way. -On my way out, from Vince McMahon, Kevin Dunn & Stephanie ALL treated me great...which was cool. -I APPRECIATE all of the offers for appearances but right now I'm just doing very few appearances (if any). I'm gonna chill out and watch my kid hit baseballs. -I am done wrestling. At 41 years old, several neck and shoulder issues...not happening. I would be a former shell of myself. -I too have hated the extra "Z" FALSE -Burnout (If anything, I'm more inspired & motivated now than ever) Hopefully that clears up some things people were saying in regards to my situation. Also, I have had the opportunity of becoming friends with so many talented & awesome people within the WWE while working there for nearly 10 years and will miss many of them! I would like to thank the writers, road & studio crew and all the talent...especially guys I have a closer friendship with. I especially want thank three of the main play by play guys I've work with. Joey Styles -A dear friend whom I've been goombas with for 15 years and will stay friends with! I felt Joey never had a chance to truly be "Joey Styles" in WWE as an announce talent...that's a shame. But the announce style is completely different than anything Joey ever really did in the business....tough to adapt. Jim Ross -The best of the best! True Hall of Famer and a man I respect and appreciate. I cannot thank him enough for all he has taught me as an announcer...as of recent JR & I were the Smack announce team and were doing a strong job in my view....we have shared some good times on many road trips as of recent...BOOMER SOONER!! And I'm a Nebraska Husker fan (lol) Micheal Cole -One of my best friends...a guy that truly gave me the confidence to excel as a color commentator years ago in WWE...Cole taught me how to get over the talent, the storylines and get over the brand! He was the only one that had the balls to flat out say to me "its not about you anymore"...I respect that. Amazing work ethic, always would try to find a way for me to get over on him...zero ego & underrated! I been hearing that Cole has been getting bashed by some on-line fans lately- check this out, if you work at McDonald's and your boss wants you to cook BicMac's...you than go and cook BIG MACS! Anyway, I look forward to working with Cole in the future in some capacity be it TV or Radio. I want thank World Wrestling Entertainment and the McMahon Family for all the years and all the opportunities...they allowed me a great ride which I truly appreciate. In closing, I've been in the Pro Wrestling business for 23 years and I don't plan on disappearing anytime soon. I plan to make an impact real soon in this, the ultimate in businesses and keep it's honor....lol....sorry for crossing the line with my sophomoric humor! Survive if I let you. FTW Taz"

First off, "Yo?" You have your pool boy "Milt McGee" (pen name) post for you because you can't figure out the world wide web, and when he finally shows you how to write on a computer screen, the first thing you say to your "Tazmaniacs" is "Yo?" Also, what's with the exclamation marks?(!) Taz writes on Joey Styles, "A dear friend whom I've been goombas (weren't those the little brown things in Mario?) with for 15 years and will stay friends with!" Cool Taz, but why are you shouting at me?

He also breaks down bullet-point style with the headers "TRUE" and "False." Did he take a lie detector test before telling the "Tazmaniacs" about these specific things? He also says "I APPRECIATE all of the offers for appearances but right now I'm just doing very few appearances (if any)." Firstly, does he think that the people he's turned down for appearances (Chuck E' Cheese and the Spokane, WA mall) are actually on Facebook awaiting the answer to their inquiries?

1) They have businesses to run, so they can't be worried about Facebook
2) Taz must have already told them, so he's just gloating about getting asked to do appearances

Micheal Cole is also his "best friend." Well, if he's your best friend, then why did you spell his first name wrong? (Michael) And if he taught you the ins and outs of announcing, no wonder you're not working in the WWE anymore....

Two more things before I end the last note ever about Taz on this blog. (probably not)

Taz probably used the greatest analogy ever when referring to "on-line (why the hyphen) fans" bashing Cole. Taz writes "I been hearing that Cole has been getting bashed by some on-line fans lately- check this out, if you work at McDonald's and your boss wants you to cook BicMac's...you than go and cook BIG MACS!" How the hell did Taz, with all of those grammatical errors in that one sentence, get that "McDonald's" had an apostrophe in it? That's skill buddy.

The last thing that really makes me laugh is the fact that he had to state that he hates it when people spell his WRESTLING name with an extra "z." First off Peter Senercia (Taz's real name), you've been "Tazz" forever. Don't believe me? Do a search for "Taz" and what do you find? The "Tazmanian Devil." Do a search for "Tazz" and what do you find? YOU! The internet doesn't lie.... Plus, you picked a name that was a long-established cartoon character, that's your fault.

Enough with you Taz(z). I now am paranoid about using hyphens, exclamation marks and where and when I'm using commas. That's what I learned from your Facebook post. What did all of you "Tazmaniacs" learn?

TNA iMPACT! Review 4/16

With only 3 days until TNA's annual (Lethal) "Lockdown" PPV, something had to happen on TNA iMPACT! in order for us to be remotely interested in buying it right? Well rest assured, something did happen. An entire 2 hour show happened. We were promised from "Double-J" that there would be a major announcement on iMPACT! that would change the main event of "Lockdown" significantly. Team Jarrett was going to have a new member for the PPV.

Earlier in the day, there were rumors of text messages being sent to fans (who must've subscribed to TNA's mobile news feed -- which makes me wonder the kind of person who absolutely needs TNA news at every second of the day...) claiming that "Double-J" said that the person be selected for Team Jarrett was a "former TNA champion." My fingers were crossed for Ken Shamrock....

Anyway, let's get to the show.

Chris Sabin vs. Homicide vs. Naito

Sabin accompanied by his Motor City Machineguns partner came out first. I can't help but feel like The Miz and John Morrison as a tag team were copies of the Machineguns....

Sterotypical Japanese music started to play so I instantly knew it was No Limit. Why is it that wrestlers "from Japan" always have to have the same music? Wouldn't it be much more effective to have No Limit come out to "Make 'em say uhh" by Master P? They are "No Limit" after all. LAX then came out to complete the participants in the match.

It was a pretty intense match overall with tons of acrobatical maneuvers. One thing I can say is that while Homicide can certainly perform offensively, he's terrible at taking bumps. There was one instance where he flew over the steel barrier and into the crowd. There was a wall about 6 feet away which he was supposed to hit head first into. The move came up short, so he took about 5 steps running himself into the wall. It was pretty hilarious. Throught the entire match though, Homicide would brush off moves pulled on him as if he were the Ultimate Warrior (Warrior got hell for this from other wrestlers). I will give him this though, his 187 finisher is fantastic as it was performed beautifully for the victory.

Taylor Wilde, Awesome Kong, Raisha Saeed vs. Beautiful People

"Sandwich Break." You know my thoughts on women's wrestling. Although, Velvet Sky is actually a "knockout."

ODB and Cody Deaner vs. Abyss and Daffney

Althought ODB is technically a man (at least TNA would like us to think so), this match involved Knockouts so it was another "sandwich break." Peanut butter and jelly this time.....

SIDE NOTE: You secretly think ODB's hot right? Right?

Kurt Angle vs. Mystery Man(?)

"Double-J" came out to the ring and introduced Christopher Daniels as the new member of Team Jarrett. The crowd went crazy. I was pretty happy with the decision. Although Daniels looks like an unpainted member of the Blue Man Group, I dig his wrestling ability. This was a fantastic match with an even better ending. Daniels appeared to have rolled up Angle for the win, but after Angle repeatedly complained, "Double-J" came out and looked at the replay which clearly showed that Angle's shoulder wasn't on the mat. "Double-J" restarted the match and Angle won. Good surprising ending to the match which was a breath of fresh air. A clean match with a little drama for once!

I wasn't that impressed with this edition of iMPACT!(!) It's the show before a PPV, so it should rock right? It didn't in my opinion because two matches had knockouts, and Balls Mahoney and Brother "spike dudley" Runt should never take up air time. With that said, the PPV does look pretty interesting so I'll check out the encore because I have a commitment with my wife on Sunday night. It's called life.

Random Notes:

- Is it weird that AJ Styles is the "Legends Champion?" I'm just saying....

- The voice of TNA (narrator) is fantastic.

- The camerawork of TNA iMPACT! makes me dizzy.

- MEM's (Main Event Mafia) entrance music is ridiculous. It's a poor man's version of "The Godfather" theme, only it was done on a 20 dollar toy keyboard.

- It's hard to take Suicide seriously when we played as him in the videogame. Although, I'm always asking for new gimmicks so I can't fault TNA. Suicide is pretty damn interesting.

- Promo's seem better on TNA than WWE. The wrestler's seem more into it. It could be the intimate setting of the "IMPACT Zone" in Orlando...

- Funny how in the WWE wrestlers show up in a limo or monster truck, but in TNA, it's a taxi cab.

- Cornett's office is the only "office" that makes sense in wrestling because 90% of TNA iMPACT! shows are in Orlando.

- TNA is now on iTunes. They're really good at promoting their company (XBOX LIVE and iTunes FTW!)

- ODB's flask is awesome. You know there's nothing in there so it reminds me of being 3 and playing with "fun food."

- "Doulbe-J's" new DVD doesn't look bad at all

- Team 3D (Dudley Boys) considered a "legendary tag team?" Really?

- Have you heard of the IWGP titles? I didn't think so....

- I feel sad for Mick Foley. He can still promo, but those sweats are starting to look like spandex, which isn't a good thing.

- "Lions and tigers and bears, Oh My!" - quote on TNA iMPACT!

- Sting wants to look like the Joker (purple robe)

- I hate wrestlers who are just paid to bleed (Balls Mahoney and Brother "spike dudley" Runt)

- Angle's weight loss is dramatic. Is he gearing up for a MMA run?

- "Umaga" Joe

- Danny Bonaduce....is this TNA's answer to Mickey Rourke in the WWE? If so = Fail