Thursday, July 19, 2012

Better Opportunity

I'm not doing any intro or anything like that because I want to address this clearly. It has been much more enjoyable the 2nd time around doing my own blog. I've got to enjoy it more instead of just force feeding information. That's the thing about writing is that you need to put your heart and passion into it. You'll get your days where you have to talk about an uncomfortable topic or something that continues to drag on, but most days you'll do things that you love talking about. For me it would be football, basketball (both national and collegian), soccer, MMA, and wrestling. It was a joy then I would mix it up with some pop culture topics whether it was music or comedy. I'm pretty versatile when it comes to having conversations with people and I think it shows in my writing. In this world today, you need to be able to carry conversations with whomever although you could tell after five minutes if you are talking to an absolute nut job or lame a**. Anyway let me get to the point I'm trying to make.

I'm leaving my own blog to join my first legitimate site. The website is called TJRSports.com which is run by John Canton. I've name dropped John a few times in past blogs but you might have heard the name. If you follow me on twitter, you would see that John and I chat a lot. Just like me, he's a sports junkie and likes just about every sport that I like. He's more of a baseball guy than soccer or MMA so that's a shame but at least he's not your typical Canadian and thinks hockey is the greatest thing that ever lived ( I love Canada but seriously calm down with hockey). John has his own site already known as TJRWrestling.com which evolved from TheJohnReport.Net. I'll do all his plugs later on to follow him if you aren't already. He's got two separate accounts that has one for wrestling/life then just sports. Anyway John offered me a spot to be on the staff and it was easily a great opportunity. I'm not getting paid or anything but this will be getting me more exposure as a writer and I can write with a bunch of good guys. I'd be crazy to turn it down because even though my views have gone up recently, it will be a much better experience going to a legit website. I'm not sure how many guys will be on the staff but I've already seen 10 to 12 be mentioned in a private e-mail. John is well organized and I think similar to TJRWrestling.com that the site will be well organized and efficient.

I know a few people will be like that I might not get enough opportunities to post or be lost in the shuffle since most sports I like are common. I'm sure that I'll at least get to post once a week even though twice a week would be very ideal. The sports that I'm looking to cover were mostly football, basketball, and MMA. College basketball could be a possibility but the issue is that I don't really get into it until January. I'm sure someone will step up and be fully on it plus this is a legitimate site where you need to know the sport because people will nail you for a lack of information. They could see right through what you wrote that you were just winging it or going on ESPN just to write down a bunch of stats. NFL and NBA are my first and main true loves so I'm hoping to get a spot in both. I'm pretty positive that I'll do a lot of NBA work because I've noticed that basketball has decreased recently with fans. Just the general perspective of people that I know don't watch basketball and can't stand the sport so it could rub off on even the writers. Its just an assumption but I think I'm sure I'll get a spot there. As for football, well I'm not sure because it's the most popular sport in America. I can't say in the world because soccer and baseball go global so I have to stick to America. So many people watch and know football so it could get crowded but I'm hoping to get a spot doing something whether it's discussing games or possibly being a fantasy football guy. I'm not like Matthew Berry but I'm pretty good with fantasy football and I'm starting up drafts soon enough. MMA is another strong possibility although I'm still not fully confident when I talk about it. I know most fighters and their styles but on a legit site, you need to know the entire main card and I struggle with that sometimes. I could do some MMA writing (mainly UFC) but I've already heard someone will take control of the main spot so that's fine with me. The last thing people might be wondering is that since I covered the Euro Cup and got praise for it, why am I not mentioning soccer (football for Europeans) to join. I'll always love the sport in general but their can be weeks where I'm not going to watch it and I'm just not interested. Soccer can be a very crooked sport with poor refereeing and lot of off the field issues that play onto the field. My heart just won't be into it so I'm hoping someone from England or wherever in Europe will take control since they have the passion to watch it every week. I enjoy the Premier League but their weeks that I'll watch Tottenham but not really care about anything else. I'm not trying to be negative but I'm telling the truth and I want to give the site what I truly know along with that I'm passionate about.

I'm going to wrap it up right now by saying thanks for reading and always supporting. It was frustrating at times but when I eased up, I saw people started to take notice and it feels good. I'm moving on though because this is a great opportunity to improve as a writer and to get noticed more. John Canton is a good friend of mine and I've always been a big supporter of his work. The fact that he's choosing me to write is generous and I couldn't be more excited. I'm going to live all the links below but this is goodbye to blog spot. I'm looking forward to a new future on the new website even if I'm the youngest person at nineteen years old on the site. I did put a lot of effort on the blog and it got me noticed which makes me really happy of my long consistent work for about 10 months. I took a mini break but I quickly recharged and began to put out quality editions once again. The future is looking bright now with the new site and I can't wait to see it hit full force. I want to thank all of you for reading my work once again and I look forward to you guys visiting the links below to continue to check out my writing. Im really honored to already get my first writing gig on a legitimate site this early in my life but I'm going to take it and put even more effort into it. I won't go on with the cheesy responses to the opportunity but please make sure to stay in touch with what's going on and the movement at TJRSports.

Plugs
http://tjrsports.com/ - New website I will be a part of.

http://tjrwrestling.com/- John Canton's official wrestling website

@JohnReport- John's twitter for wrestling and life

@TJRSports- John's twitter for anything sports related 

@AllenOutraged- I'm looking to change my twitter name in a few days so if you can't find AllenOutraged, just type in Allen Strk and you'll find me.

AStrk19@gmail.com is my e-mail if you want to send me things. 

http://www.facebook.com/allen.strk- That's my link to add me on Facebook as well.

That is all from Blogspot if you want to keep track of my work, be sure to add me on one of those sources or follow the website tjrsports.com. It has been fun on here and I thank all of you once again for reading my work. Now get ready for a major upgrade and something that looks far more legitimate with more talented writers. 

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Reminiscing Classics

I'm in dire need of football but its still summer so the fun doesn't end yet. Its Monday morning and its sunny as usual, I can't remember the last time it rained. That's a good thing well until Thursday when I have to take care of watering duties around the house. I'll be listening to podcasts while doing it but then my neighbor will come behind me and start bickering how the Jets are going to make a serious run this year. That's not going to happen just like ever having a break in life. I'm already 19 and I could barley lay on my bed to relax other than a Sunday. It's a good thing and it will get me prepared for the future I guess.

The review will be shorter than usual due to some personal thing going on. It will be an all wrestling issue which may annoy people but trust me, bigger things are on the horizon. I'll get into that more later in this edition but let's talk about a pretty solid PPV. I'll recap Money In The Bank which was a predictable but a really good show. I got my predictions right and I'm happy that was right because it was the right booking decisions even though if Chris Jericho won, how cool would have it been. Overall though it was a solid show and I'm happy I got to see it live. I'll still always be haunted that I was in Croatia during last year's Money In The Bank. I was watching Cena vs Punk from last year and I still get goose bumps. The crowd was incredible and the match was near five stars worthy. Everything just went together perfectly in that match and to see Punk prevail made me jump out of my chair watching it 1 in the morning on Thursday night back home. I told the story that I was on 28 hours of sleep but after a night out with friends, I needed to see the match. I'm happy I did then I saw the next morning how Daniel Bryan and Christian (two favorites of mine) won big match ups. I rarely buy PPV's on DVD but this one was a must buy when it came out on DVD. I got it signed by Punk when I met him in October. He thought it was cool so that made me feel better about it. Even though I didn't see it live, I got to see just about everything else so I'm still happy. Here's the picture of Punk and I before I review the show.

This was a major highlight of 2011 of many highlights. 

Money In The Bank Recap
Its about damn time!

Money In The Bank (World Heavyweight Championship)-  The opener was the match that I was looking most forward to. With all the different talents in this match, I was looking forward to see a few guys stealing the show and seeing some extreme spots. It looked clustered at first and it was really botchy at first. Sin Cara continues to show that he's a bust with an awful botch with Dolph Ziggler on the third turnbuckle. Then Tensai was going for a power bomb on Santino but lost him in the air which was pretty brutal. Cody Rhodes had some sloppy moments at well and I'm starting to lose some interest in Rhodes even though he'll still be a major player in the future. Eventually the match started to heat up thanks to some great chemistry with Damien Sandow and Christian doing some great work. I would love to see a feud between both guys especially with Sandow looking good. Christian was an absolute workhorse in this match and I think everyone could agree with me. People may say I'm a bit too high on Christian but he was in the middle of everything for a reason. He took command of the match and really took some good bumps then doing some great moves. Tyson Kidd finally got in the fold and he got to shine with his athleticism. The sunset flip power bomb on Ziggler was spot of the match which made me literally say "holy s***".  Kidd could have done a bit more but overall I'm happy with his performance. Tensai had some big moments and looked like a monster but I'm just not feeling Tensai. If he was let go this week, I would really be happy because he doesn't do anything for me. It was cool to see him power bomb through Sin Cara a ladder then throwing Dolph Ziggler into the commentating table which Dolph Ziggler sold like a champ like usual. I want someone to make a GIF of Dolph getting thrown over the table. Another spot that was awesome was Christian paying homage to Edge from Wrestlemania 17 with the spear on Rhodes jumping off the ladder. It wasn't as crazy as Edge's from 11 years ago, but it was still a great moment. The ending was pretty abrupt with Christian alone on top and I swore for a second that he was about to win. As much as I love Christian, I'm happy he didn't win and took a painful fall once Dolph regained his composure. Nobody deserved it more than Dolph and hopefully he'll finally get his well deserved title reign. He did some great bumps and had his moments like hitting the Zig Zag on Rhodes so I can't complain. Tyson Kidd, Christian, and Damien Sandow also looked great in the match and looked like stars.

Alberto Del Rio vs Sheamus (World Heavyweight Championship)-   The build up was pretty good for this match even though both guys aren't great on the mic. The match was pretty solid overall but the ending was terrible. You have Del Rio being dominant but then Sheamus wins so easily? You have Del Rio targeting the arm but you don't have one attempt at the cross arm breaker. Thats not the right way to make Del Rio look like a threat but not even attempting his finisher once. It was lame and it made it feel like an easy victory in the end. Sheamus just hits the Brogue Kick so easily with no reversal from Del Rio. I'll admit that when Del Rio did the back stabber, it got me pretty excited but other than that it wasn't a great match. This was probably Sheamus worst match as a champion but he's had a lot of quality matches so that doesn't mean it was a complete disaster. Ziggler went for a cash in and it didn't feel right so I knew he wasn't going to win. I popped for about 3 seconds but then I knew Del Rio would interrupt it. He did enough to let Sheamus hit him with the Brogue Kick which is lame. Every week Sheamus hits Ziggler with the brogue kick, it will be very satisfying when Ziggler cashes in on Sheamus in a month or so.

Primetime Playas vs Epico/Primo-  This was an odd match with the tag champs being R-Truth and Kofi Kingston just watching. I'm happy their was some type of tag team wrestling and it was decent. It went on a bit too long but it had some good moments. Abraham Washington is joining my list with David Otunga on guys that need to be future endeavored. He's not entertaining at all and he makes me want to mute my television. Epico and Primo winning was pretty shocking but I don't mind because both guys impress me. I'm a huge Carltio fan and he's related to Primo so I'm in support of the Colons winning matches. After the match, R-Truth soaking Abraham Washington with water was funny and it brought back memories of Truth being a heel feuding with Cena. R-Truth being a heel was by far one of the most entertaining things I've watched since getting back into wrestling in 2008. I miss those days, please turn Truth soon.

CM Punk vs Daniel Bryan (WWE championship)-  This match turned into a no disqualification match last minute which was a positive. It was another classic between both outstanding wrestlers and having AJ as a ref didn't hurt. She didn't do a lot to really affect the action which was a positive. I was really sick of her after the stupid marriage proposals from Monday but she did a good job here. She messed with each guy once while trying to go for a weapon so it told a good story. The skipping is still lame in a serious match but you can't win them all. It also hurts that this wasn't the main event but that's another battle that we can't win as fans. The match is a possible match of the year contender and right up there with Punk's best matches against Jericho. I loved when Bryan included the kendo sticks and they did a lot of creative things with that. Both guys countering each other was a joy to watch and it goes to show how much it is to watch these two perform. That's why I want to see more ROH or TNA guys going to WWE. These guys have so much past chemistry that they can work so easily and it would been epic. Thats why guys like Samoa Joe or Austin Aries being paired with Bryan or Punk would be special. Hopefully it happens someday, all four guys still have plenty of time in wrestling so I have hope. Overall this was easily the best match of the night and I'll miss these two performing. Hopefully in a few years, they can feud again with Punk being a heel and Bryan being a face. The mat wrestling and dramatic spots were so well timed that nobody can complain. Bryan kicking out of the GTS was huge for him because it makes him look even more credible. People may rip on the ending that a back suplex was the finish through a table but it looked painful and I didn't see anything wrong with it.

Ryback vs Curt Hawkins/ Tyler Reks-  I'm a big fan of Hawkins because he's from Long Island and he's pretty crafty in the ring. He's a wrestling lifer and very talented all around so I was happy to see him. Tyler Reks is slowly improving and I'm gaining appreciation for him. These two were bound to lose to Ryback who I really don't care for. He'll get pushed to the top but Ryback hasn't really done much to shed off the whole Goldberg persona. I'm happy the match went more than just a minute and Ryback actually took some bumps but other than that, nothing to really talk about. 

Layla, Kaitlin, Tamina vs Beth Phoenix, Eve, Natalya-  This was your usual divas clustered match at the last minute. I went to get a drink for this match and get some cantaloupe for this one. Its terrible how Beth Phoenix character has been diminished and how she's not a monster anymore. Its even worse that Kharma has been apparently released although I can't confirm that. Divas division continues to suffer and Layla gets as big as crowd reaction as Ryback's jobbers got. She's not a credible champion and things are getting pitiful. It was nice to see Natalya in a match because she's very underrated and should get a bigger role. In the end, this was an afterthought and I'm bored of Layla.

Money In The Bank (WWE Championship)-  This went on last because John Cena is in it and he's more important than anything including the WWE championship. I'm not happy about it but I'm always trying to be positive. The Miz made his return which was a major positive. I've soured on Miz a bit due to his de push but I'll always be a supporter of Miz. Other than Ariel Helwani, no celebrity was more friendly to me than Miz when I met him. It was nice to see Miz with a new hairstyle since his faux hawk was getting lame. The match was better than I expected especially since Miz was added to it. The early spot with Cena hitting the AA on Big Show through the Spanish announce table was a great beginning. Big Show eventually recovered and looked good for the most part. I was really excited to see them bring back the ladder from the 2010 match that Show used when he was in Money In The Bank. It annoyed me that Michael Cole reacted like it was the first time he seen it. It annoys me when they can't even remember two years (Michael Cole is the absolute worst). Chris Jericho was the work horse in the match like most people expected. He played a Christian role of doing lot of great bumps but landing several moves. He brought back the Lion tamer on Miz which was cool to see. Kane played a pretty minimal role which was disappointing since he's been really putting on good matches the past few months. In the end, John Cena won as expected although it was pretty odd to see the briefcase come loose before Big Show fell. It might have been a botch but I was just relieved to see Cena win. If Big Show won, I would have been really annoyed because Big Show has no value. When he knocked out Jericho from the ladder which was hilarious, I was yelling "no" like an eight year old. Cena won and it got me excited because now will get Cena vs Punk again which was the feud of the year in 2011.

Overall this was a decent show that was better than I expected but also predictable. Its never good when I predict everything right but the quality was great. Now with 1000th episode of Raw coming up along with the build to Summerslam, I'm really excited to see what happens. I'm also excited to see the returns of Rey Mysterio, Wade Barrett, and Randy Orton which will help the roster. I've been annoyed with wrestling especially the WWE recently but things may be on the rise going forward which is a big plus. 


Top 10 Favorite Raw Moments
I might be doing this a bit early but I got a few more things in the future to talk about so I rather do it now while I'm talking mostly about wrestling. I'm going to recap the 1000th episode of Raw and look very much forward to watching it but right now I want to give out my favorite moments all time. I've watched it from 1998 to 2005 then late 2008 to now. I've missed a decent amount but I've seen a lot of wrestling as a fan. I'm only 19 years old so their might be a shortage of attitude era moments. That's because I was still a little kid at the time and my memory isn't that great. My memory is really good but some things I just forget. Of course I'll still have some old school picks because attitude era is still very much considered the golden age of wrestling. Remember when reading the list that these are my personal favorites and not the most important moments. I'll post clips then talk about them and it will be in numbered order. These are my selections so don't be too harsh if some picks are a bit odd. I'm sure the main writers like Dave Meltzer, Wade Keller, or my buddy John Canton will make far greater lists. Anyway here are the top ten picks for my Raw moments. 

1. Stone Cold saves WWF from the Alliance 

I'll never forget being a little kid growing up when it was still real to me. I'll never forget seeing the merger between ECW-WCW and I would hate them so much because they would destroy the WWE. Stone Cold at the time was at a crisis and WWF was in dire need of help. When Austin was taking out everyone, I'll never forget hopping around the television. Stone Cold was my favorite wrestler growing up and he was the perfect guy to save WWF. Now I'm not going to rate the whole Invasion angle because it ended up being a disappointment but this moment still makes me remember why I love wrestling so much. Also listen to Jim Ross in this video, that's why he's the best commentator ever in sports. I don't care if you want to call this a sport, nobody beats Jim Ross. The way he was yelling and showing so much passion still blows me away. It was cool to see Team WWF be true hall of famers in business with Austin, Undertaker, Chris Jericho, Kane, and even Kurt Angle. That was a dynamic team full of great performers.

2. CM Punk shoot promo

It's no surprise that this was going to be on the list. Nothing makes me happier in life than seeing hard working people in anything get what they deserve. CM Punk was easily the most underutilized performer from 2010 to June 2011. When he finally got the opportunity to speak his mind, it was an unforgettable moment. This led to a summer that was known as the Summer Of Punk where it was must see TV to see what he'll say next. It was also a blessing that Punk stayed because I couldn't imagine how awful Raw would have been without him. He was that great of a performer and for WWE to finally loosen up their PG rating and let something like this was brilliant. Punk will be in the Hall Of Fame first ballot one day and will at least go down as one of the top 25 wrestlers in history (just from a star perspective, not actual in ring and character). The main spotlight started on this day although it should have started far earlier. I've talked about this promo several times already so I'm not going to go on and on. This will always be a memorable moment in wrestling that will be talked about forever.

3. Chris Jericho heel turn 

The moment that got me back into wrestling. This is a moment that many people will savor because it began a career change for Chris Jericho. It's no secret that Jericho has a huge fan base and that many people look at his heel run to be a huge success. It brought Jericho a few title reigns and some really entertaining feuds. When I heard Jericho returned, I didn't get back into wrestling right away because I was going through some personal problems in my life. Then when people were telling me that Jericho was going to feud with Michaels, it became must watch. I'll always love the Y2J character but it was great to see a character change. When Jericho started speaking slowly with the suits, it became fun to watch and my vocabulary would go up listening to him. Chris Jericho is my favorite wrestler of all time and Jericho has said in interviews that his 2008-2010 work was the best of his career. That says something and I can agree with him because at times in mid 2000s, he wasn't in the spotlight as much. Some may say its too high but this is what got me back into wrestling and if it wasn't for this feud then who knows if I would be making a list like this.

4. This Is Your Life

The highest rated segment in Raw's history will easily be on everyone's list. This was easily the funniest segment I've ever watched in wrestling history. Even though I'm more an Austin fan, The Rock is the funniest wrestler in history. I've been critical of The Rock's latest return to wrestling but there is no denying that Rock is one of the greatest ever if not the greatest. This segment was hilarious bringing back Rock's teacher, coach, and girlfriend and having The Rock own them. Mick Foley (Mankind) was a great host playing the co-star of the segment then delivering great presents. The Rock socko made me laugh so hard along with the jackets which were cool. It's amazing how they tried to do the same with John Cena in 2011 and it was a complete fail. This is 1999 and the segment was so entertaining that even as a six year old at the time, I really enjoyed it. Then watching it in 2012 now, it still doesn't fail to crack me up. The Rock hit all his punchlines and everything flowed perfectly. The ending was a bit lame with Triple H but overall you'll never get a comedy segment that good in wrestling like that again. This built up to a championship later that night between The Rock and Triple H which was a great match. 2000 was the golden age of wrestling with everyone performing at the top of their game. It still amazes me how Jericho, Edge, Christian, Angle, and Benoit were in the mid card. That says a lot looking back on it.

5. Chris Jericho Debut

This remains the best debut in wrestling history. If you watch the Chris Jericho DVD, he talks about how he thought of the idea. It was pure genius since the millennium drop was happening that year. It was the first of many great promos from Jericho who got a major pop. Eventually it took a few minutes to get the crowd booing after he ripped on everything that the WWF was doing. It was a classic segment with Jericho ranting then The Rock using his usual catch phrases. I'll never forget watching this live and making fun of Jericho's haircut. My brother was telling me that Jericho came from where he grew up which was Jericho, New York. That made me an instant fan supporting the home town guy even though The Rock was one of my favorites. It was a great clash with The Rock getting the advantage then Jericho's facial reactions which resembled an 8 year old crying. Despite the awful beginning of 1999, the end of 1999 really picked up into 2000 which everything started to get better in the wrestling world. I do wish I was older for these moments since I would have known Jericho from his great promos in WCW. Instead I watched and learned to see these guys go at it with each other. I'm hoping for a debut that comes anywhere close to this someday but it likely won't happen. The fact that they used Jericho against the hottest star in the WWF on the first night showed that Jericho was going to be a star. 

6. Mick Foley wins first WWF title

I don't think I've ever met a wrestling fan that doesn't like Mick Foley. Other than Stone Cold and The Rock, I think Mick Foley is the most likable wrestler of all time. I usually don't like putting in matches because these are moments but Mick Foley winning was a special moment. The Monday Night wars were going on at the time and it was at a pivotal moment during it. WCW was winning in ratings and they would tell the results of what the WWF was doing. The beginning of their broadcast they immediately said that Mick Foley was going to win the title and they laughed about it. Even to this day that annoys me but luckily WCW got what they had coming along with that dirtbag Eric Bischoff. It shows how desperate WCW was on how they would spoil results of what the WWF was doing. At the time, The Rock was a major arrogant heel while Mick Foley was a great sympathetic baby face that fans got excited to see. If you were watching Raw a few weeks ago, they had Mick Foley talk about the event and it showed the statistics of what happened. When WCW announced what had happened, 600,000 people changed the channel to see Foley win his first title. The crowd was excited to see a guy that they can relate to which is Mick Foley. I've watched Foley's DVD how he never was jacked and wasn't really that strong but he would make up for it by doing the craziest spots and taking the most damage. That's what made him the legend that he is and why everyone loves Foley. The reason that this wasn't higher was because I didn't see it live at the time and didn't understand the importance. It means a lot now and it was great to see but this just misses my top five similar to Foley just missing my all time five favorite wrestlers list which is Jericho, Austin, Punk, Edge, and Kane. This is going to be really high on many lists and it should be because this was a great moment for all wrestling fans because like I said, you have to be insane not to at least respect Mick Foley.

7. Shawn Michaels & Bret Hart handshake

Even though I missed the Hart & Michaels era, this was still a special moment. Bret Hart isn't in my list of top ten favorites of all time but I still love the guy and is easily one of the greatest of all time. His matches against Owen Hart, Shawn Michaels, Stone Cold, and the list goes on were all special. I've seen the Montreal Screwjob several times and I've seen the rivalries DVD how much heat was behind that. When they shook hands, I'm sure everyone got up and cheered as wrestling fans. I'm sure many people would rank this higher but I didn't grow up in the era so I can't see I felt the full emotion. Nevertheless I'm sure everyone will have this in their top ten because it was always a major question if Bret Hart would ever return to the WWE. He finally did and to see them actually hug was a great moment for the WWE as a whole. Another cool part was that it almost looked like Michaels was going to hit him with the sweet chin music but instead he gave him a hug. Now Bret Hart is on good terms with WWE and makes appearances through the past few years. He'll be there for the 1000th episode and I'd love to see him interact with HBK for sure. The hatchet was buried for sure and it was great to see two of the greatest workers of all time finally become friends once again.

8. The Rock Promo About Hell In A Cell

When it comes to individual backstage segments from The Rock, this is the first thing that comes up. Everyone remembers the first and only 6 man Hell In A Cell. That led to Rock cutting the funniest backstage promo I've ever seen. The Kurt Angle part was great since Kurt was playing the all American arrogant heel character. Then Rikishi was next and they were still remembering how Rikishi ran over Stone Cold to help The Rock keep the title. "Shut up you thong wearing fatty" will be a line I hopefully use someday if I get mad at a party or something and notice it. Undertaker was probably the weakest one but it was tough to rip on Undertaker at the time since he was doing the American badass character. Triple H part was another classic part making fun of his voice and ripping on Stephanie McMahon. Other than Jericho, nobody was better than The Rock at doing segments with Stephanie. They were always very derogative but that's what made the Attitude Era great. The last was Stone Cold and that was hilarious as well. The Backstreet Boys line then putting the hat on Kevin Kelly was so well done. I'll always think of this promo when it came to Rock insults because he did such a great job. I wish he got to do this more of this when he came back but who knows, possibly at 1000th Raw he'll get to rip on some of the main guys on the roster. 

9. Kane Unmasked

When people hear one of my all time favorite wrestlers is Kane, they are shocked. When I talk about wrestling, I'm more of a fan of the wrestlers. That means guys like Jericho, Punk, Eddie Guerrero, Daniel Bryan, Kurt Angle, and Dolph Ziggler (can't say Benoit, just can't anymore). I'm a fan of big men that can wrestle which is something I wish Vince McMahon can get. I'm not like Vince where I need every wrestler to be 6'5 and weight 240 pounds but I do like to see athletic big man wrestlers. Kane is one of the greatest big men that can wrestle of all time. He was one of my favorites growing up because he was so mysterious with the mask. When he was a baby face, I liked him even more with his funny personality with RVD & The Hurricane. Eventually Kane lost in a big match which at first I didn't see coming because I still didn't totally understand how story lines were built. I knew it was a work but I'm sure most wrestling smart fans knew that when Stone Cold told Kane he needs to get meaner, you knew the mask was coming off.  I didn't know and when it happened, I was shocked to see his face. Then he choke slammed RVD and it was a "holy s***" moment. I loved every minute of it and I've never seen a Kane pyro explosion that big in my life. I wonder what the people in the front row was feeling after that happened. This led to a great monster heel run for Kane which led to some epic matches with Shane McMahon and RVD. It's highly unlikely that people would put this in their top ten, but I'm a huge Kane fan and this will always be memorable. Jim Ross once again shows why he's the best ever by saying the funniest line "Is that a human". Seriously Jim Ross should open up a school for radio broadcasters. 

10. Randy Orton Becoming The Man

I'm sure most people find this a bit forgettable but this was a great moment. I'm not as high on him as I was a few years ago, but I'm a major Randy Orton fan. He's much better as a heel but regardless, he's one of the best wrestlers in the world. When Orton was coming up, you see that he was going to be a star in the making. You could see that he was going to main events for years to come although who would have predicted that he would turn into a psycho dark character. Personally I'll always like the Legend Killer character more but he is a much better wrestler now. This was a huge moment for Raw in 2004 because Shawn Michaels was injured and Chris Benoit ran his course as champion. Other than Benoit, Edge, and Jericho nobody was really a big time star as a baby face (I'm not counting Eugene, bad flashbacks). Orton stepped up and became the hot shot baby face that people were happy to see. Even though his face run was considered a failure and it didn't last long, this was an awesome moment and it was the coolest thing to happen on Raw all summer. Evolution is one of the greatest stables of all time and it did its job producing two major stars in Orton & Batista. I'm sure most people will be shocked by this pick but Triple H did a great job being a heel and making this even better with Orton spitting in his face. The crowd was also hot for it and that makes for an even better segment.

As usual, I'll give a few honorable mentions for some great moments on Raw that didn't make the list. The backstage segment between Chris Jericho & The Rock when they were stealing each other's lines was hilarious. I know people will give me grief for not putting Stone Cold's beer machine but I didn't see that live and seeing things live usually puts things over. I do think that people overhype the beer truck in being an amazing moment. It was funny and great but it was just spraying beer on McMahon. I'm shocked that Edge didn't get on the list but then I realize that most of his main event career was on Smackdown. His retirement speech on Raw was great though and it all summed up how great Edge was. Shawn Michaels retirement speech was another unforgettable moment that was close to making the list. One last moment was The Rock returning to Raw which was awesome. I like to keep my lists with variety with not too much of one guy. Obviously it was a special moment and it reminded us all that The Rock can still bring it. The list may be a bit strange but I'm sure most of you will agree with my picks. This is from a fan's perspective and it also helped that I saw it live. Regardless if I was six years old or sixteen years old, seeing things at first hand always brings back fond memories. Raw has been an incredible show and hopefully it can avoid having episodes like last Monday's so we can see moments that we won't forget ever again.

Final Word/Plugs 
I'm ending this short mainly because something has come up. I'll be back Thursday to explain the situation and it will clear things up. This is a positive one and I think everyone that has read my work will be really happy. I'm happy and I'm excited so I'll explain what the future holds for me on Thursday. I know I said I was going to talk about NBA free agency but I'm already seeing how much work I'm going to be doing with my new project so I'm going to start doing that by the end of the week. On Thursday, I'll explain everything so stay tuned. Thanks for reading and I'll be back Thursday for the surprise that will be major. 


Twitter: @AllenOutraged

Gmail: AStrk19@gmail.com


Feel free to leave a comment below or contact me on any of those links above.

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Comedy In The Bank

The weather is actually not in the 90's for once. Its Thursday and I'm still struggling to comprehend what I watched on Monday Night when I got home. On my Twitter profile, you'll see that I mostly support five different sports or endeavors that involve something athletic. Now you can respect and watch whatever you want, but I usually want people not to rip on football, basketball, or MMA. Those sports should be respected by everyone for how much the athletes do and how much they have to work on a daily basis. You could say NBA is full of divas and can get boring but respect the true greats of the sport. NFL and MMA are sports that I usually can't take criticism for because the brutality is just ridiculous that I'll ignore you if you say I can't respect what they do. The other two things that I'm an enthusiast for are soccer and wrestling. Now I can understand if people want to rip on it all day long because at times, it can leave me so frustrated, bored, and wondering why do I watch this. Its cringe worthy sometimes watching an awful story line or a 0-0 bore fest between two teams. It can happen on numerous occasions so if people want to criticize it, well I get to the point where I can't even defend it. I'm not going to vent about Monday Night Raw but it was hour and half (watched it on youtube) that I was sitting there wondering "wait I support this"? This is coming after watching a great Destination X PPV from TNA which I'll praise later in this edition.

The preview for the edition will be about Money In The Bank and my predictions for it. I'm not going to talk about Raw or the current state of wrestling because I'm so annoyed with WWE at the moment. Hopefully this PPV will do some creative things and make me feel more positive going forward. I'm also going to get into TNA and how impressed I've been with them lately. People like to use TNA as a punchline and that was fun until the last two months when they have been delivered some great shows with two great PPVS. I'm going to talk about why they shouldn't be considered a punchline at the moment and why things have improved so much (thanks for leaving television Bischoff). Also for the pop culture part, I'll be talking about my five favorite comedy shows of all time. This is just comedy show selections because other than O.C (I was 9 when I saw it) and Boston Public, I didn't get into any serious shows. I'm mostly a comedy guy because most things dramatic bore me or make me cringe on how poor the acting is. Everyone was raving about Paranormal Activity 3 being amazing while I was wondering why didn't I use that eight dollars on Subway the entire movie. This is a strange world with so many different opinions which is why you have to enjoy life. 

Money In The Bank
As much as I love you Alberto, I need some creativity 

Money In The Bank has only been around for two PPVs but it has made a bigger impact than just about any PPV in wrestling in the past two years. Only Extreme Rules can match up to Money In The Bank in 2010 and 2011 in terms of actual quality. Royal Rumble hasn't been great the past two years, Survivor Series and Summerslam 2010 were laughable, and Wrestlemania 27 was a disaster. Money In The Bank in 2010 was highly entertaining and brought some feel good moments. Kane and The Miz winning the briefcases were both epic moments for me especially Miz since nobody thought he would be anything in the business. Rey Mysterio and Jack Swagger (remember when he was in the main event, yeah its been a while) had a good match for the championship and several great moments in the ladder matches. The PPV was so good that the lamest part was main event between Sheamus and John Cena but overall really enjoyable PPV that I got to see live on my computer. Then Money In The Bank 2011 doesn't have to be disputed because that has gone down as a top 10 PPV of all time, possibly even more. That was the night, the internet won with Daniel Bryan, Christian, and CM Punk all winning huge matches and making their claim to the top even if it was one night (Del Rio won too but he's not really an internet darling). My verdict in all of this is that Money In The Bank has produced before and it will produce again even if things have changed a bit. I'm still expecting great things even if I'm really annoyed at the product right now. Its pretty odd only four matches have been announced but I'm sure they'll add something in as usual.

Alberto Del Rio vs Sheamus (World Heavyweight Championship)-  This match originally was supposed to happen two months ago at Over The Limit but they needed to do something with Chris Jericho and Randy Orton so it turned into a fatal four way. Then it was supposed to happen at No Way Out but Del Rio had a concussion. This match finally will happen and I'm expecting a solid match up. The build up has been pretty good and it has gotten a lot of air time even though I'm not going crazy for it. I like Alberto Del Rio since his return with his new aggressive style and still has the great facial expressions. With his style against Sheamus, it should be a solid match to possibly open up the show or be a good for the middle of the show. Sheamus title reign has been great so far with every match he's had defending the title being a great one and near match of the night. I'm expecting another one to continue his reign since everyone is really high on him. With Randy Orton having all sorts of problems, Sheamus is probably going to continue getting this monster push and become the 3rd most important guy on the roster after Cena and Punk. Unlike Orton, you won't see Sheamus fail any tests or get injured three times in a matter of two months. He's a great champion and I'm expecting to go over here after deal with Alberto and the always entertaining Ricardo Rodriguez. I'm not sure when Sheamus will drop the belt but it seems to be sometime in the fall to whoever wins Money In The Bank. 

Money In The Bank (World Heavyweight Title  Contract)-  This could be a show stealer with all the talent in this match. You got athletes like Ziggler, Kidd, Christian, and Sin Cara then the usual power house in these kind of matches in Tensai. With all the different kind of talent, this is my favorite match on the card even though Punk vs Bryan will probably be better. Since their eight guys in this match, I'll go through what the chances are of them winning in separate parts.

Cody Rhodes-  This is my 2nd pick to win and I would have no problem with Rhodes winning it. I've lost some interest in him recently although his latest feud with Christian made me remember how good he is. I think watching him try to carry Big Show's clumsy body across the ring in matches made me forget then watching him be poorly booked. Cody is a main event waiting to happen and would be a great choice but he's not my pick.

Sin Cara-  He's in the match for the spots and highlight reel moments. I'm not really interested in Sin Cara but I'm hoping he can do more with all the ladders around. Last year he was cut short due to failing a wellness policy that led to Sheamus hitting the Celtic Cross through a ladder on him. He doesn't have a chance to win the match but I'm expecting some cool spots.

Tyson Kidd-  The best performer that some people don't know much about. It's about time Tyson Kidd gets a bigger role and I'm excited to see what he can do. Tyson is the best athlete in this match and I'm expecting him to be the Shelton Benjamin in this match. He'll look to be the highlight reel in the match and open some people's eyes that he needs to be used more. He has no chance in winning but fans will be happy that he got included.

Damien Sandow- Another interesting choice to put in the match but I do question it a bit. He hasn't been on TV for all that long but they put him in a ladder match. I've liked what I've seen from Sandow so far with his serious gimmick so far of enlightening everyone. It will also be nice to see him actually be in a match more than four minutes. Other than Tyson Kidd, nobody has more to prove in this match than Sandow in terms of quality. He needs to make an impact even though he has no chance of winning. 

Santino Marella-  Santino is a great comedy character but I'm not a fan of him in this match. Even though he did a great job in the Elimination Chamber, he's never really showed he can do any high flying moves in his career. He's also not very imposing so I'm not sure what purpose he'll have in this match. I'd love to see someone toss him of the ladder and see him crash just to see his face when selling it. He's another one that has no chance of winning this match but I'm excited to see how he sells getting hit with ladders.

Tensai-  They needed to put a big man in this match and Tensai was the obvious choice. It would have been cool to see Ryback but they want to keep him undefeated. Tensai has been a disappointment so far in his return with his lack of crowd reaction when he comes out. He's pretty talented for a man of his size but he isn't someone that I'm crazy about. Its nice that he's back with the company for the first time in 2003 but I haven't been impressed so far. He's likely not going to win but if their was anyone that could mysteriously win, it could be him. If that happens, the next person I see with a hairy back or chest next to me will get smacked in anger of this choice.

Christian-  One of my all time favorites is involved in the match which is great to see. I still think Christian should have won in Wrestlemania 25 when he just made his comeback. The crowd was so hot for him but instead they gave it to CM Punk, which was a bit lame at first but that ended up being Punk's great heel turn so well done. Christian will be featured a lot in this match because he's one of the most consistent guys in the ring and can bring the best out of anyone. As much as I love Christian and would love to see him have "one more match" for the title, he doesn't have much of a chance in this match. He had his run as champion and will be mostly featured in upper mid card matches for the rest of his career. That being said since Christian is one of my all time favorites, I'll act like a 8 year old if he comes close every time from winning because that's how I roll! 

Dolph Ziggler-  The clear favorite in this match and the best wrestler on the roster that hasn't a legit title reign yet (they count his ten minute title reign in early 2011 as a championship win, so lame). Dolph has been in high profile matches through out 2012 and is right on the cusp of finally winning a title. He's right up there in the top five best performers in company right now and he's taken the role as best bumper in the company. The way he sells moves is incredible and I look forward to see him crash into ladders which will make him sell it like he got ran over by a mini van. Then I'll look forward to see him win the brief case and get what he deserves. He's my pick which shouldn't surprise anyone. 

Money In The Bank (WWE Title Contract)-  This will likely go down as the worst Money In The Bank match in history. I'm not sure why they would make it like this but WWE always has to ruin good things in some way, shape, or form. Since there only four competitors, I'm going to keep it like this. The match is headed towards a possible train wreck with only Chris Jericho being considered a great overall wrestler. John Cena has his moments but he's not going to carry anyone to a good match. With a match consisting both Kane and Big Show, I'm struggling to have any interest in this match. Kane is one of my favorites of all time but he's the least likely to win. He's had his run in main event and the title picture throughout 2012 along with having his championship reign in 2010 so its clear that his time is almost up. Chris Jericho is my shocker pick and it would really help save this match. Jericho is my all time favorite wrestler and how fitting would it be that he would win the match that he created in 2005. He's yet to win one and it would be an awesome surprise. It's likely not going to happen which leaves us with John Cena and Big Show. It annoys me that two established guys are the favorites to win the match. It should be a rising young star that could use the briefcase to benefit their career. That's why I hate this match and have no interest. My pick will be Cena for the simple fact that its just another achievement that WWE would love to see have and to set up Punk vs Cena at Summerslam which I'm all for. Big Show needs to retire already because his value is just about finished. If he wins which wouldn't surprise me (that's scary), it will be very disappointing.

CM Punk vs Daniel Bryan WWE Championship with A.J Lee as ref-  Daniel Bryan and CM Punk will put on a clinic like usual and possibly be a match of the year contender although the feud has really taken a downward spiral. I've enjoyed A.J's work up into this week. They have used her perfectly with her facial expressions and cute look to make fans have interest in her. She's getting crowd reactions that no diva has gotten since the golden age of Trish Stratus and Lita. That all changed to me when A.J was given a microphone and had the chance to give a promo. I'm aware of that the segment was meant to be long and have moments that were silent but she was flat out terrible. She was supposed to be confused but the acting was poor and she wasn't doing anything interesting. Then she went for a proposal to CM Punk and I literally smacked my self in the forehead. Daniel Bryan did his best to make it interesting with a proposal of his own and saying some hilarious lines "Don't talk to my future fiancĂ© like that" but he couldn't save the segment. Then we have CM Punk who's character has been destroyed. I'm expecting some pay off eventually but watching him be a part of that last night made me want to find the creative team and choke them out. Last summer at this time, CM Punk was making wrestling must see TV and something I would want to watch live. Now it has gone back to I'm going out and I'll watch it when I get home. He's lost his edge and is now has to worry about a 90 pound girl more than his own champion which has been an incredible reign. This whole feud has gone up in smokes and it saddens me because these two guys are elite wrestlers and amazing characters that can do much. I was enjoying the AJ saga but it all gone up in the shambles once it came down to fake marriages which is apparently more important than WWE title. CM Punk will win this match with out a doubt in my mind and will move on to face John Cena which is hopefully going to bring back out the CM Punk that we all know which is the best promo cutter in the company and can abuse anyone on the microphone like nobody can. If that can't happen, then please turn him heel and also give me back "This Fire Burns' as a theme. I like Cult Of Personality but it's nothing great that will make me go crazy for. I go crazy when I see Punk yell "Its Clobbering Time" to see the guy that I've enjoyed watching since 2008. I'm not sure what will happen with Daniel Bryan after this feud but I'll be all for Chris Jericho feuding with Bryan and turning Jericho face. That would be a great feud to watch even if it includes A.J. I'm not trying to completely bash A.J but she's done more harm than help in this feud. 

Money In The Bank should be a great show with three guaranteed solid to excellent matches. I hope some kind of swerve happens in WWE title MITB match, maybe Wade Barrett returns in some crazy stipulation and wins it. If that happens then I'll literally mark out and be a happy wrestling fan. It would be the kind of swerve that will make me positive once again. That likely won't happen so my hopes are for Ziggler to get his much deserved break, CM Punk to retain and get away from A.J finally, and John Cena to win so I can see him go at it with Punk again which will bring back epic memories from summer of 2011. I miss that summer a lot in wrestling, it brought back to many smiles. Until then let's just hope and see what happens on Sunday. 

TNA Making An Impact
Awesome Aires is the man finally

From the mega company to the company that wrestling fans love to make at the but tend of their jokes. Yet these days, TNA has been anything but a joke. I'll admit that I didn't start watching TNA until early 2010 when Hulk Hogan made his debut. That's when I heard about how TNA would attempt to go head to head with WWE on Monday nights. They had loads of talent like Kurt Angle, Beer Money (James Storm & Robert Roode), A.J Styles, and Samoa Joe which gave Dixie Carter and the rest of her crew to try to go at it with WWE. It turned out to be a massive failure and now TNA has now been considered a joke. I've made several jokes just like many wrestling fans would but in the past two months or so, it has started to deliver. This isn't the first time it has delivered because old school TNA fans know how great things were from 2006 to 2009. They picked up guys like Sting, Kurt Angle, and Christian to add to their pieces on the roster. I watch some old school TNA matches like Christian vs Sting or Kurt Angle vs Samoa Joe or A.J Styles vs Christopher Daniels (we've seen that way too many times but you get the idea) out of matches. Those were some top notch feuds and it made me realize that TNA really put on some great shows back in the day. Then when TNA brought in guys like Ric Flair and Hulk Hogan who were way past their prime to begin with, it really made me not care. It was awful to watch and I stopped watching because it was getting boring seeing the same past their prime guys be in the spotlight. It was stupid to see them try to start stables like Immortal and then try to form a ECW faction which turned out to be a major failure. It wasn't evolving while WWE was bringing up new stars like Sheamus, The Miz, and Wade Barrett at the time. Then TNA began to start pushing guys like Crimson and Garrett Bischoff which really turned me off even more. It got to the point where I didn't even want to see parts of the show because it would end up seeing my favorites like Samoa Joe and A.J Styles being barley used and being buried. Then things changed with Vince Russo being fired and Eric Bischoff finally getting off my TV screen. I'm not sure who changed that, maybe Scott Steiner's rants made people within TNA realize that things to change. Isn't it odd since Steiner has laid off the rants that the Bischoffs have been taken off TV. Who would have thought that Scott Steiner out of all people would help save TNA after literally tearing apart the Bischoffs and Hogan. We still got Hogan on TV but he's the general manager so he needs his parts. Anyway let's get to why TNA has really impressed me which all came apart at Destination X. 

What got me back into TNA was hearing about Austin Aries. People were telling me that Aries was TNA's version of CM Punk back in the fall but it still didn't interest me because I was just thinking another ripoff of WWE product, what else is new. What I didn't realize was after doing re search was that Aries feuded with Punk in ROH and they are close friends. Then I realized we may have something here and Aries started becoming must see TV. His matches were incredible to watch and his confidence on the microphone was pretty outstanding. After some more research, I read that WWE rejected him from signing up for Tough Enough. I literally laughed pretty hard and said way to go WWE in hiring actual talent. Aries would have blown all of them away including that Silent Rage jokester who isn't even employed with the company anymore. Aries has been on a roll and finally got his moment at Destination X. After a terrific match with Samoa Joe at Slammiversary, he got his main event match against Bobby Roode. It started a bit slow at first but they built it up to a really hot finish which led to the Aries upset win off a brain buster. It really shocked me considering Roode was on such a great run and everyone was predicting that it would be Roode vs James Storm at Bound For Glory in October. That could still happen but the swerve was pretty unexpected but it was a feel good moment. Right now in 2012, nobody has out performed Austin Aries with his ability on the mic and how he's making the most impact in any wrestling company. I've been hash tagging Summer Of Aries because it truly is with his performances. It's not all about Aries that has made TNA fun to watch again. Even though the storyline of A.J Styles and the crackhead has been brutal, Styles and Daniels put on another great match at Destination X. I'm just hoping that they put the storyline to trash because it has been some horrible acting and Dixie Carter has some brutal facial reactions. The Bound For Glory series is going on which is always fun to tune into even though last year, I stopped watching after some really shady booking decisions. Even though the Series has guys that I don't want to see my TV screen like Mr. Anderson and The Pope, it still has plenty of great talent. Kurt Angle and Jeff Hardy may  be head cases but they still put on great matches. I'm pretty sick and tired of Angle's antics outside the ring, but he's still a machine in the ring and that was shown Sunday against Samoa Joe. Joe is my favorite wrestler in the company and its great to see them actually using him in a bigger role. He's too talented not to be featured more and to see him in first place in the Bound For Glory series is great to see. It's about time they put him in major match ups and have him go over (screw you Russo). If they can have Joe, Angle, Ray, Angle, Hardy, and Storm be heavily featured in the series then it will make TNA even better. I didn't include Daniels and Styles because I don't think they'll be factors in the series. 

The one final note I'd like to mention about TNA is how they're fixing up the X division. When people look at the contrasts of WWE and TNA, people see that TNA has X-Divison wrestlers where WWE has completely negated the cruiserweight division. The division was in need of a revamp after Austin Aries held the title for a long time but vacated it to get a shot at the heavyweight championship. They brought in some new guys and some old talent to make a pretty entertaining tournament. Some matches were pure spot fests that didn't interest me but it had some stars shine. Kenny King really stood out to me as someone that could really make an impact and be a star. He's got the look like Shelton Benjamin but his athleticism is also on a Shelton Benjamin rate. Sonjay Dutt was cool to see return with his athleticism and actually having ring presence. In the end, Zima Ion won the title which was expected since he's been the most active wrestler. His character is pretty annoying but its effective in getting a reaction and now will see the build up for Jesse Sorensen's return against Ion. I'm not sure what to expect from Sorensen but they are going to give him a major push after his tragic injury. Overall though Destination X was one of the best PPV's I've seen in a while in terms of both companies. It had three outstanding matches in Joe-Angle, Daniels-Styles, and Aires- Roode. Despite all my praise for TNA, I want to give more credit to Bobby Roode because this is another guy that I have no idea hasn't been in the WWE yet. He's the best heel in the business right now that includes better than Daniel Bryan because he makes you believe that he's a heel and his personality is top notch to be a heel. I love Bryan but the fan reaction and some of his promos are more goofy than thinking he's a true heel. Hopefully TNA can keep this streak up because they've really impressed me in the past few months. For people that don't watch TNA but are major hardcore WWE fans should give TNA a chance. I usually watch all the shows over episodes and PPV's over Dailymotion.com. The internet is your friend, so use it and watch it because you'll be very impressed by some of the wrestlers. I'll still see segments where I'm going to fast forward it whether its Brooke Hogan, Dixie Carter, or any Mr.Anderson match but their has been far less segments that I'm pressing fast forward. It may sound harsh but these are positive steps for a company that has been in turmoil for far too long.

I Love Comedy
You may think that just because I've never owned a cable box that I haven't seen any TV shows. I've missed out on a few good ones but I still got to catch several good shows. Most of them were on Fox 5 which delivered so many great shows that my brother and I would consistently watch. Then NBC brought out some good shows with eventually one show being my favorite of all time but I'm not spoiling it yet. CBS was always an awful comedy channel and it will forever be terrible. Two And Half Men stinks regardless of the psycho, Everyone Loves Raymond has no edge and is too dry, and Mike & Molly is a disgrace. That's about all the comedy channels since ABC was always mostly dramatic shows although Modern Family is pretty entertaining but not in my top five. 

You know it!

1. The Office-  When it comes to needing a laugh, nothing can top The Office. It makes it even better that it looks like a real life setting and you could feel like I'm watching something in real life. Then you get people like Dwight talking about ways to kill a bear, Michael sleeping with his boss on more than one occasion, and people like Andy who punch holes in the wall. The show is so dynamic with so many different people that you lose track sometimes on why isn't this person getting more camera time. I've enjoyed it from seasons 1 to 6 but once Michael Scott (Steve Carrell) left, the show was never the same. Jim Halpert went from great prankster to lame husband of Pam then they were using Stanley and Kevin less. The Office thrived on using everyone and doing random stunts that were so over the edge. If you watch the early seasons, you'll see how great Michael was and how the entire show was around him but they used everyone which made it epic. If you haven't seen this show, something could be wrong with you. I'm not going to take as an answer, I'm not really into shows that have such a lame setting. That's not the point and its better than whatever crap is going on MTV. If you use your brain and get the creativity, then you'll end up crying in laughter like I have done several times. The show is very popular so I can see people agreeing with me that this is easily up there.

2. Family Guy-  Another popular show that people will likely agree with me on. I'm not big on cartoons but this show was easily the hottest show at one point. This show was a must watch on Sunday nights for me with all the wild episodes. It didn't have much of a story but it was so good with the parts they would make references about anything going on in the world. Every Christmas for about five years, I would get the latest Family Guy season. It would be the main thing to buy along with The Office then on my Christmas break, I would watch every episode I could even if I saw it already. It was amazing how Seth MacFarlane could do the voices of Peter, Stewie, then eventually his original voice as Bryan. The diverse tones blew my mind and those three characters were easily my favorites of the show. I'm not sure how the show fell off other than the fact that I started to become busy with school and Sunday night football was finally having great games to watch. I've heard from many people that it's not the same and it has gotten pretty redundant. I think after the episode with the "Bird Is The Word", my taste in the show really started to fall off. Its tough thinking of new ideas because you could only go so far with a show before its over. People think The Simpsons are so great but it hasn't been funny in almost ten years. Just because a show goes long doesn't mean its that funny. Family Guy will always be one of the best comedies ever and in my view, the best cartoon ever. 

3. Arrested Development-  This is a bit old school and some people may have forgotten how awesome this show was. You have to be intelligent to watch this show, so if you are a dope then good luck getting this. The comedy may not be hard hitting but as the show builds, everything comes together and the payoff was hilarious. Even though he wasn't individually funny, Jason Bateman was the main focal point of the show. Then you add in his alcoholic mother, unstable sister, then his lazy brother summed up the dysfunctional family. Will Arnett was the highlight of every episode for me as Gob. He tried to be a magician but he lost gigs all the time then would attempt to pick up girls. Then his sister's husband Tobias Funke was another stand out from the show with his metrosexual comedy but would make these absurd one liners that would be memorable. The show won several awards and will be making its return in another year. I'm pretty excited to see it especially with Michael Cera becoming a major star. He was a decent guy on the show but I get a little bored of his awkward comedy. Overall though I have every season of Arrested Development and it was totally worth the buy. When I was young, the comedy would fly over my head because I was young. Now that I'm older and wiser, I can catch all the one liners and story telling.

4. Malcolm In The Middle-  Another old school show that hasn't been on in a pretty long time. This was my favorite show growing up on a great list on Fox. The Simpsons would start up Sunday night but then Malcolm In The Middle was right after which was great. The comedy wasn't that edgy but it was really feel good and had an occurring story line. Frankie Muniz was the main guy on the show but the whole dysfunctional family made the show. Francis going from military school, then getting married, then going to Canada. Hal was another great character but nobody talks about him. He was a father that I would love to have because he's so cheesy and so thoughtful to his kids. Every family member on the show had their mid life crisis and all of them ended up in the hospital at some point. Everything flowed so well and it made a great watch for every age group. In the end, the show fell off because I think the kids grew up and it was tough to make anymore story lines. Then a lot of the characters were growing up and went their separate ways. 

5. Seinfeld-  This goes even more old school than my last two picks. I've missed most of the live shows but I've seen so much repeats that this wins me over. I pick this just over The Simpsons because I'll always favor regular shows over cartoons. Seinfeld was pretty relatable to see just four friends going through daily shenanigans. George was easily my favorite character from his voice, facial expressions, and how he would react to trouble. I could watch George tributes on youtube all day (fire drill anyone?). Kramer is easily next on the list with all the nonsense he would get into. I'll always try to get hair like him someday even though I'll never take any black jokes from him if you get what I mean. Jerry and Elaine were decent but it was really George and Kramer carrying the show. George's dad and the Soup Nazi were my favorite mini characters from the show with there yelling every time they spoke. This is another show that most would agree on being one of the greatest ever because it lasted so long and the depth of episodes in a season were great. I wish I was in my teenage years during the 90's to see all the episodes and how great it was during the actual era. Thankfully Fox 5 is the best and it will always air repeats.

A few other shows that I'll give honorable mention to. The Simpsons miss out because they didn't have enough seasons that really made me laugh. It's obviously a great show but it has stunk for far too long for me to make me truly love it for my top five. Bernie Mac was a great show and it made me love Bernie Mac so much. When he died, I was pretty sad because he's not only a great comedian but did a great job for his show. Grounded For Life is random but I remember watching it growing up and really enjoying it. It was just another feel good show that always me laugh because it was another dysfunctional family living together. My Name Is Earl and Everyone Hates Chris round out my choices. Chris Rock is one of my favorite comedians of all time and he did a pretty good job with the show although it got pretty weird at the end. My Name Is Earl was great with the list and it had so many random incidents that you didn't know what to expect. 

Final Word/Plugs
I'm hoping for something major to happen at Money In The Bank. The product needs a dire need of something special for people to be excited. I'm aware that the 1000th Raw is coming up and I'll post some of my favorite moments on Raw in Monday's blog but still it's only one show. Hopefully they make smart decisions with how they book it and if they got a surprise with a Wade Barrett well then do it! I know that NBA free agency has led to many moves but I'm still waiting what the world's biggest diva Daniela, I mean Dwight Howard goes to. I've always a been a big fan of Dwight Howard, but I'm sick of his antics. Either way I'll probably do a huge post about free agency later in the week covering each team and their moves. Most teams have made at least one move so I can incorporate just about every team. I thank everyone for reading and keep supporting this. Enjoy the weekend and I'll be back Monday.


Twitter: @AllenOutraged

Gmail: AStrk19@gmail.com


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