Bleacher Report - Articles by Miss Annie aka AK127

Clues in the Photos: Does PPV Posters Reveal Anything?

Miss Annie aka AK127 — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 08:58:21 -0400

They say a picture says a thousand words, and surely they put a lot of thought in picking and designing these posters. And as I was looking for the official poster of the latest WWE PPV to use as my wallpaper, I just had to wonder if the choice of who to put on the poster actually has anything to do with the results. So I decided to go all “Dan Brown” on them and look up the results of the last twelve month’s PPV results in relation to the posters. And here’s what I came up with. Note: I picked PPV posters featuring only one superstar, so the Wrestlemania, Royal Rumble and Summer Slam covering this period are not included.

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Trading Places: Randy Orton and John Cena

Miss Annie aka AK127 — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 05:33:11 -0400

Ever wondered if by some bizarre twist of fate (see, I miss Jeff already), the biggest face and most evil heel there is switched places?

Now, before you get some funny idea, imagining Orton in denim short pants prancing around making up rap songs about everything, and by gosh Cena wearing trunks, allow me to stop you right there. That’s not what I meant.

Those two guys got in the WWE almost at the same time and have stayed in their roles for as long as you can remember; that being Cena as a face and Orton as a heel.

But what if they were given different roles? Cena was a heel before and Orton tried being a face but it didn’t last that long. How or what would the storyline be if they were to turn them the opposite of what they are now? Would it work? Would it sell?

Let’s start with the HOW.

I think it’s easier for a face to make the heel turn, especially for Cena who gets heat as much as he gets pops in most places.

For the last couple of PPV’s, Cena has been booed, whether he’s exchanging blows with Triple H or with Randy Orton. And this could be the “root” of his turn. He could go Jericho on the Cenation.

Imagine this: Cena’s music hits and he walks in to a huge heat, of course there’s the little voices screaming for him still but that would be drowned out by big booming boos. He doesn’t do the salute, and he walks to the ring with a really somber mood. He takes the mic and this is what he says.

“Week in and week out, I try to be the best man I can be. For this company, for the fans, for everyone. I work hard, harder than anybody. I follow the rules to a t, I respect every single one of the people I work for, every single one of the people I work with, and every single one of you who are sitting in the stands and watching at home!”

That gets a huge pop. And then…

“And what do I get?” Crowd goes silent. And then he continues. “You buy arm bands, you buy my wrist bands, you buy my caps.” He takes off the said items and throws them on the canvass as he mentions them. “YOU BUY MY DAMN SHIRTS!” He takes that off and throws it to the canvass as well. “Do you think I care?!”

Jerry Lawler says something like, “Michael, what’s going on here? Cena’s acting crazy!”

“I don’t know King, but this is so unlike the John Cena we know.” Responds Cole.

Cena hears them talking and gets crazier, “You two need to shut your mouths when I’m talking or I’m gonna go down there and shut it for you! Nobody wants to hear the crap that comes out your mouths and you don’t even realize it!”

He looks at the crowd again, and shakes his head. “See, this is what I’m talking about. Nobody respects me! Week in and week out I do what I do to please all of you and yet I get disrespected by you people, and I’m TIRED OF IT!

"From now on I’m going to do what I want to do, when I want to do it for myself and not for anybody else, and because I CAN and there’s nothing you can do about it!”

He drops the mic then he walks out to the backstage, brooding, with no music, leaving the audience in shock, and BOOM, the heel turn begins.

They can fuel it more if they bring the smack talk with The Rock to the front. Rock and Cena have kind of been exchanging banters in the media haven’t they? So there’s plenty of material there.

They could even bring the Hulkster back since Cena’s been compared to him, and Cena would play the “I’m nothing like you, I’m better than you!” card.

In Orton’s case, with all the evil deeds he has done, it’s really hard for him to make a face turn. Although, they might have done it if he hadn’t gotten his collar bone injured and re-injured as he was supposed to star in Marine 2 instead of DiBiase.

And with Ted’s inevitable face turn probably coming soon enough; I just had to wonder how they were going to do it if it was Orton.

He can’t just grow a conscience all of a sudden. It has to be slow and gradual.

The last time he had a face run, he was unceremoniously betrayed by his group Evolution. And even then, Randy still had the heel characteristics of being cocky and arrogant. But then, we have to remember Triple H and Shawn Michaels were once cocky SOB's themselves.

Betrayal seems to be the custom in the storylines when they are making someone turn. (e.g. Morrison by Miz, Matt through Jeff). But really, it’s hard for me to picture any of the Legacy guys betraying Randy right now.

But think about it for a second: If the plan of him starring in the movie actually happened, and he has to be a face to promote the movie because he’s going to be heroic in it. And then the betrayal card has to be played. How will the Legacy that he built betray him?

Someone from the group must have a hidden agenda of some sort and an insatiable taste for glory.

He had taught them well so that someone will use everything he taught them, and sort of use his “play book” to secretly sabotage him. They like using the “masked guy” so they can do that to hide the real identity of the perpetrator.

They could go the Matt-Jeff way, and have the masked assailant attack Randy in and out of the ring. Suspicions will surface that it's one of the guys, but then whenever it points to one of them, the assailant attacks when the suspect is with Randy.

Some fans would probably not feel sorry for him in the beginning, but will start to sympathize when the attacks get more grave and severe.

They would have to make him humble and thankful to the fans for their support through all his trials. That should win everyone over...by doing a heart wrenching promo, of course.

And then finally, they reveal the betrayer—which is actually both the Legacy boys and Brett DiBiase if he makes it to the group. The two (or three) gets on Orton and beat him up. And then they go on a feud, crowd gets behind Orton and the turn is complete.

He already gets pops as a heel, so it could only make it bigger with the sympathizing women and children demographics. We know how we all love the underdog.

Now, the question is could it work?

If it’s done right, I think it could. The fans who want Cena to turn heel would get what they want finally. Orton could get the demographics he lost. He won’t have to lose his fans as long as he doesn’t become too cheesy.

Of course, this is only if it were up to me. I don’t believe they’re ever going to do it. Why should they turn Cena heel and allow the sales of his merchandise to go down? Right?

Now the last question: Would it sell? Would you buy it? You decide.

….actually, tell me on the comments.

Thrilla In Manila: My Smackdown & ECW Experience (Part II)

Miss Annie aka AK127 — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 19:48:53 -0400

If you haven't read the first part, please do so.

This part is a bit foggy in my memory, but I’ll try to recall as much as I can.

We stayed there at the South Gate even after the bus had arrived and the gates were closed. It started raining so we couldn’t really go anywhere.

There was guy who were checking people’s passes to determine who can go in and who cannot, and we kind of “entertained” him with our wits hoping he’d at least help us get the note to Chris Jericho.

While waiting outside, Satch related to us about his relationship to Jericho’s dad. He told us that he knew his dad from way back when they were playing hockey in Canada.

He told us stories about Jericho when he was still a young boy, how he was such a huge wrestling fan and all that. He told us he’s been in the Philippines for quite some time, and was now married to a Filipina.

I have to admit that I had lowered myself to flirting with the security who’s guarding the gate from inside. Every time he would open the gate to allow someone with a pass in, I would flash him my smile and flutter my eyelashes, and proceed to ask him to tell me if any superstar comes, to open the door just a little bit so I can take a picture.

God, what will Randy Orton think of me now? Don’t worry, Randy, I was just using him.

Jack Swagger went out for a while to smoke and the security opened the door to allow me a peek and snap a picture. It was too far though, and I had to zoom the camera so much it ended up really blurry.

So, anyway, we exerted all possible efforts to help Satch get in touch with Jericho. We had his original hand-written message delivered by the head of the security team. We also sent the green poster board in too.

And then we made another letter, with a piece of paper I asked from the security, and had the promoter’s official photographer personally deliver it to Chris Jericho! Yes, that was indeed some good luck that we chanced upon that guy. Now, we just had to wait…and wait some more.

While waiting, the bus driver came out of the gate and the guys asked me to talk to him too. I don’t know why, but the guys always ask me to do this. I have never flirted so much in my life.

We learned from the bus driver that the superstars were going to fly out the next morning, and that they were to leave the hotel at around 5:30 A.M. So being WWE Addicts that we were, we devised a plan to…uh…”camp out” (some call it stalking, though) outside the hotel to see them.

Ryan and Jay gave us their contact numbers and told us to contact them if we decide to pursue with the plan and even offered to let us stay the night at their place before heading to the hotel.

Let me just take this space to comment on something remarkable. It is the fact that all of us were practically strangers before that day and yet, there seems to be some level of trust amongst us.

Me buying the shirt for Mijiata, when she could just disappear afterwards (It never crossed my mind before Kervin mentioned it, in which I responded with a nonchalant “That’s okay”), and Ryan and Jay offering us what they did when they didn’t know anything about us. I guess there’s an embedded camaraderie amongst us wrestling fans.

Moving on…

Unfortunately, the five of us had to disband. The doors were opened and they started letting people with tickets in. Ryan and Jay had to leave. They didn’t have tickets, they were just there to see if they can catch a glimpse of the superstars.

They were actually job-hunting around the area and headed straight to the arena. LOL! Ryan and Jay left first then the rest of us went inside the arena, leaving Satch and his wife at the South Gate.

Apparently, a few minutes after we left, Chris Jericho did call Satch on his mobile phone. He then came out with a bodyguard and they met face to face finally.

Chris Jericho even gave Satch and his wife a couple of ringside tickets and a couple of WWE Tour Shirts as they were soaked in rainwater already.

He let them in through the back door and they took pictures with each other and talked, and talked, and talked some more until it was time to start the show.

Man, I tell you…I LOVE HEELS. Even more so now than before. And this makes me think that the more evil they are on TV, the nicer they are actually in person.

That’s not saying the babyfaces are evil, I have no doubt they are all nice people. I’m just trying to point out that not because they’re evil on TV that they are actually evil in real life like some would believe.

So, Kervin, Mijiata, and myself went inside and looked for our seats. Kervin had a “Lower Box” ticket, I had a VIP ticket, and Mijiata had a ringside ticket.

Now, Mijiata and I have been talking online and we’ve talked about making each other a sign so we can see each other since we weren’t sitting together. So, when I got to my seat I looked around to see where she was seated.

I couldn’t see her, so I sent her a text message and told her to raise the sign she made for me.

She didn’t want to raise it though because she kind of felt awkward about it. I am telling you, it was really huge. It was a hassle bringing it along, but she did it.

Anyway, so, she didn’t want to raise it. I just told her to sit tight, and I’ll go look for her. I asked the guy next to me to watch my seat.

Well, he didn’t really have to, since the seats were reserved and no one can sit there but me. So, I went on my merry way and walked around the ring looking for Mijiata, knowing her seat is at ringside.

I found her shortly and her seat was on the third row. She was the first one on her row so I sat with her for a while taking pictures of the ring, ring steps, the entrance ramp and whatnots. We had our picture taken by a guy in favor of taking his picture at ringside too.

As the ringside seats started to fill up, we decided to…uh…cheat. We conspired on a plan to “upgrade” my seat to ringside instead of VIP. Well, actually, the plan was that I was to go back to my real seat if anyone with the right ticket claim the one I was sitting on.

Every time someone would come near us, my heart would skip and I would say a little prayer: “Please don’t take my seat!” It was a crazy time. Fortunately, no one did claim the seat. I guess no one wanted to buy a single seat, except Mijiata and I. Who would want to watch alone, right? (We are an exception since we’re real nuts.)

Finally, the show started. We were welcomed to the show by none other than Announcer Justin Roberts. When he was in the middle of the ring, I hollered at him, calling his name.

When he looked, Mijiata and I raised the sign I made for him and he smiled at us. That must’ve made his day…at least I hope so.

So Justin introduced the first guy—the Shaman of Sexy, Guru of Greatness, John Morrison! When his entrance music started to play, Mijiata and I ran to the security rail in hopes of touching “greatness.” We took pictures of him too.

I made a sign for him as well, as he’s one of the guys I liked. When John was waiting for his opponent, we screamed out his name and raised the sign as he looked. He pointed at us and said something while clapping his hands.

I cannot, for the life of me, recall what exactly he said to us. But I can only guarantee that he was happy with our sign. Who wouldn’t be so honored to be called “The Next HBK”, right?

JoMo’s opponent was Shelton Benjamin, and we took pictures of him too, coming up the ring. We went back to our seats when they were both in the ring, but we marked the hell out for JoMo.

After he won, we rushed to the security rail again to snap pictures. I remember his old entrance when he was still in MNM with Mercury and Melina, with the paparazzi. Anyway, the crowd gave Shelton a round of applause too before he left the ring.

Next up was Evan Bourne vs. Mark Henry. Evan came in first and I got a slap on the hand from him. (How I wish it were JoMo instead…oh well.) He was wearing a “Pilipinas” basketball jersey with No. 7 on it to the delight of the crowd. Then Mark Henry came out. Man, he IS huge. Anyway, Mark won.

After that, it was the Divas’ turn. It was a tag team match between Michelle McCool and Alicia Fox vs. Melina and Gail Kim, with Maria as the special guest referee. During their respective entrances, Maria slapped my hand (really hard, like I got tagged in.) and got to rub forearms with Melina and Gail Kim. Melina and Gail won.

Next match was between Dolph Ziggler and the Great Khali. Dolph came out first and did a promo. All the while, I was screaming “Spirit Squad.”

He said he was going to increase the divorce rate of the country singlehandedly just by taking off his vest, and he teased us with it from all corners before he actually took it off.

He sure would be disappointed that this is not possible, as divorce is not yet legal in the Philippines.

I gotta admit though, he’s got a nice set of abs. But Morrison’s was much better. BUT, really, the best set of abs is still owned by Randy Orton.

Moving on…

Khali came out next. He got some pop from the crowd and then they started the match. It was a fun match. In fact, it was so much fun I forgot who won. LOL

After their match, Announcer Justin went up the ring and announced that there was going to be a short intermission. As usual Mijiata and I went to the rail carrying my “Justin" Sign and battled with the event security to get closer.

Justin came down and we called him over. He obliged and approached us, and let us take his picture. Their own security tried to block us, but he told him it was okay, so the guys didn’t bother us again.

After the brief intermission, Justin came back up to the ring and announced the next match. It’s a triple threat match for the ECW Championship between Christian, Jack Swagger, and ECW Champ Tommy Dreamer.

Christian came out first and the electricity from the crowd was very evident. Everyone in the ringside seats was on their feet. Mijiata and I, as usual rushed to the barricade and ignored the security. Come on, it’s Christian! We took pictures of him and screamed along with everyone.

Next came Swagger. We cheered for him because he’s a heel, and personally I kind of like Jack. Then the Champ came out to a huge pop too.

Before they started the match, Christian made the crowd go “boo” and “yey.” When he points to himself and Dreamer, the crowd says “yey,” but when he points to Jack the crowd goes “boo."

He even pointed at the referee and got the crowd to go “yey” too. It was fun.

Anyway, hell broke loose and the champion Dreamer retained his title. He even invited a guy carrying a sign (I don’t remember what it said) from the crowd to come up to the ring. Lucky!

Next match is for the Intercontinental Championship between Chris Jericho and Rey Mysterio with Ricky “the Dragon” Steamboat as special guest referee.

Chris Jericho went out first. He did a promo calling us all hypocrites, which we cheered him for. Really, if anybody else not a heel superstar would have called me that I would be introducing my fist to his face. But, he’s Jericho…and we just take everything he gives us.

Then Rey Mysterio came out next to a really huge pop. Kids lined up at the barricade to slap hands with him. Then Justin introduced the guest ref., and the match was on.

Mysterio had so many chances of using the 619 but only connected at the last attempt. Jericho on the other hand, is a showman, and he entertains the crowd not only with the spots, and stunts but also with his in-ring antics. Mijiata and I marked for Jericho as the kids surrounding us were screaming for Rey.

Finally…it is time for the MMMMAAAAAAIIIIIINNNNNN EEEVVVEEEENNNTTTT!!!

Justin introduced the challenger first, the extreme enigma Jeff Haaarrdddyyy!! As usual, Mijiata and I rushed to the front. But this time, we didn’t battle with the security that much.

Mijiata has pleaded to him to allow us to get close just for Jeff Hardy, and just pretend like he couldn’t control us anymore. But, everyone else rushed to the barricade as well so we actually had to battle them off to be able to take pics and touch Jeff.

Then Punk came out. He’s definitely embracing his heel persona now, so he didn’t do much crowd pleasing. He did throw his shirt to a girl somewhere in our side of the ring, and told her to put it on. Unfortunately for him, the girl is a Hardy fan, and she let Punk know it screaming, “I like Hardy!” back at Punk.

The match started finally and they did some amazing spots and aerial maneuvers. One time when Jeff hit the floor, we felt the vibration up to our seats.

But Hardy lost after a “whisper in the wind” attempt that Punk countered. We didn’t really expect him to win, since it’s just a house show and titles don’t change hands on house shows.

We ran to the barricade again and I snuck in behind the security officer. I managed to put the sign I made for Jeff over the barricade and Punk saw it on his way down. It says: “JEFF HARDY THRILL RIDE WITH A PULSE” in bold colorful letters.

He pointed at it and laughed. I don’t know what to make of that gesture. Was he making fun of us because Jeff lost or did he find it witty and creative and he appreciated it? If it’s the latter, he should say so to Jim Ross because I heard it from him. He always says it on TV.

Jeff was left on the ring, getting his emotions across, that he’s disappointed and frustrated. ( I wonder if it’s because of his contract which is expiring soon?) I called his name out and he looked, and he saw the sign and nodded a little bit.

Anyway, he stood up and got a huge applause from the crowd even though he lost. His music played and he went to all four corners to rev the crowd up for the last time. He threw both his armbands out too, but we didn’t get any.

WWE’s own photographer took a picture of us holding the sign. I checked out the pictures of their Asian tour on the website but didn’t find it. I guess we didn’t make the cut…or the photog kept it for himself. LOL

After Jeff left, we prepared to get out of the arena. Then suddenly, Satch’s wife approached us telling us what happened to them after we left.

We went to where they were seated and talked a bit with Satch before we headed out. He told us how happy he was, and how everything was all worth it. We saw them again outside and we took some pictures with them.

Then we met up with Kervin and that’s when we made up our minds to go to the hotel they were staying in. Kervin and I went to a McDonalds and waited for Mijiata while she downloads her files to her PC.

Her MMC card has run out of memory from all the videos she took of the event. It was already 1 in the morning when she came back, and then we proceeded to go to Ryan and Jay’s place.

We forgot what the name of their street was so we kept calling and texting Ryan to no avail as he had already fallen asleep. (How dare he?!)

After an hour of making fools of ourselves, (we did have fun though, so we forgive him), he finally picked up and we got directions to their place. When we got there, I brushed my teeth because I just cannot last a night without doing so. It’s an impulse.

Then after a while, we left for the hotel. It was only around 4 in the morning then, and we were the only people outside aside from the guards.

I guess it’s the lack of sleep mixed with the excitement that made us all act a little bit crazy than usual and we took pictures of ourselves doing crazy things, like posing like our favorite wrestlers, and going up to the superstars’ bus, and just really pester the security team.

Finally, the superstars started to come out one by one and loaded the bus.

Chris Jericho was the first one out. He didn’t seem to be in a great mood. Well, either that or he’s still “in character.” He did kind of come closer to us, but didn’t sign anything. He would look our way when we call him so we can take pictures, but he never smiled.

Total opposite of Chris Jericho was Tommy Dreamer. He’s such a nice guy! He took the time to pose for the cameras and take pictures with us, and signed a few autographs too. He got in the bus after we thanked him profusely as we were just so grateful.

Out came Maria next. She’s really nice too. She signed autographs and allowed us to take pictures of her and with her too. Blimey, I was too busy snapping pics that I didn’t get one of me with her. Bummer.

Dolph Ziggler was next out. He was supposed to go to the other bus, which was farther from us, but he came over to sign autographs and take pictures too.

Announcer Justin Roberts came out next. Mijiata and I brought out the sign I made him and had him sign it. We also took pictures of him. The one I took was so damn close I hope I didn’t blind him with the flash.

Gail Kim came out next and was also nice enough to sign autographs and have her picture taken.

Steamboat and Punk came out next, but they didn’t even stop or looked at us so we can take their pictures. Bah! Whatever, I never liked Punk anyway.

Some other wrestlers came out but didn’t approach us because they quickly went up the other bus. I guess they were kind of running late for their flight.

Rey Mysterio went down the bus after he put his things down. We took pictures of him without his mask. Their security told him to get in the bus already, telling him the fumes from the bus is going to kill him. Actually, the first time, I thought the security told him to get in the bus or he’ll kill Rey. But he said it again, so I heard it clearly.

Really, the fumes were really bad that my eyes were starting to tear up and swell really bad but...it’s a small price to pay for this kind of opportunities.

Khali came out and approached us too. He posed for the cameras and we took pictures before he went in the bus. We asked him to come closer so we can have pictures with him and have him sign autographs.

He said he was going to come back down, but he didn’t. I guess he was having difficulty moving around the bus so he couldn’t come out again. It’s okay, Khali, we understand.

And then, the moment I’ve been waiting for personally. Jeff Hardy came out of the hotel. He was to get in the bus that was closer to us. He went in immediately and settled himself inside the bus.

The rest of the gang were teasing me, saying I shouldn’t like Jeff anymore because he’s a snob and all that stuff that Punk use in his promos. But I knew better. And I was right.

Jeff sat at the other side of the bus, away from the sidewalk. I went around the bus, leaving my group, running in my high heels and a few people followed me. Jeff opened the curtain and saw us, and we screamed for him to come out for a while.

He came back down from the bus and signed autographs and took pictures with us. He even signed my magazine with him on the cover (Said magazine is now beautifully laminated and displayed in my room).

He’s so cute up close. No, Randy, I’m not replacing you with him. That’s a promise

Anyway, Kim, another guy whom we met outside the hotel, and was a huge CM Punk mark…I mean fan, asked Jeff if he could ask Punk to come down. Here’s what Jeff said, “Oh, no…” while laughing a little. What does that mean? I have a few theories.
1. Jeff was offended that someone would ask for someone else when he’s there. I don’t think this is the case.
2. They were running late, and Jeff was already holding them up because of us.
3. Punk is a real punk that Jeff doesn’t think he’ll come down even if he asks. That’s what I really think, personally. But, who knows?

I didn’t even see Swagger and Benjamin come out. I guess they had another transportation waiting at another exit like what the hotel security told us.

So, anyway, after Jeff got back on the bus, they closed the door and left for the airport. And then we left too. That was already around 6:30 in the morning. I got on the train and got home around 8:00 and FINALLY got some sleep.

Well, that’s it. The End. Finis. Now get outta here before I RKO your computer! LOL

Thrilla In Manila: My Smackdown & ECW Experience

Miss Annie aka AK127 — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 11:50:29 -0400

Several months ago, I learned that the WWE was going to have a live show in my hometown—Manila, Philippines. And the great part was, that I would be home in time for it.

To be honest, I wasn’t exactly spoiling to buy a ticket to the show as soon as I learned. At the time, two of my major favorite wrestlers, Triple H and Jeff Hardy, were on the show.

But there was an impending draft in the WWE so, even though they were initially in the lineup of superstars who were coming, I decided to wait to decide if I was going to buy a ticket until after the draft.

True enough, the top guy on the show, Triple H was drafted to Raw. Still, I was having second thoughts. I mean, Jeff Hardy was still there.

Jericho and John Morrison ended up in Smackdown after the draft, and the top heel mainstay, Edge is also there. But I guess I needed more pushing.

I got that when I read an article here in b/r, written by AkD. It was about his “adventure” watching a Smackdown and ECW Live show, which was being taped for TV at the Madison Square Garden.

He was so ecstatic about it, that I could not help but feel…well, jealous. I wanted to experience that, too.

So, then after a month of contemplation, I decided I wanted to go. Luckily, information about the event was readily available in the Internet.

The only choice left that I gave myself was whether to buy a ringside ticket or a VIP ticket, which was half the price and five rows behind the closest seat to the ring.

Now, my number one favorite of all the wrestlers today is none other than “The Legend Killer”, “The Viper”, the Third Generation Superstar, Randy Orton.

And, since he’s on Raw, I didn’t see any reason why I would want to buy a ringside ticket and decided to buy a VIP seat ticket instead. So I asked my dad to get me a ticket. (I already paid him back by the way.)

And then several weeks before I was to fly home, I learned that not only was Smackdown coming but ECW, too.

Little did I know that it was going to be a whole lot more of a steal at the night of the show itself…but let’s not jump too quickly on that part. There’s still a lot more areas to cover before that.

Then, I started looking for people I can hang around with at the night of the show through the Internet. I posted an announcement on all four of my most active social networking accounts—MySpace, Facebook, Friendster, and Twitter—asking everyone who’d read to contact me if they were going.

And true enough, I found one in Mijiata. There were actually two, but the second one came at a later date, or rather at the exact date of the event itself.

So, then, everything was ironed out. I’m flying out of Canada in two weeks, I got my tickets to the Smackdown and ECW show secured a month ago, and I’m in contact with possible company. I packed my bags and got everything ready.

A couple of days before my flight, something unexpected happened. This was a week prior to the event. The top heel superstar on Smackdown, Edge, got injured.

Learning that, naturally, it made me sad. He was one of the reasons I wanted to watch the show. I like heels better, although I support some faces as well. I just think heels are more interesting and…yeah, I lurrrve bad boys. *wink*

Mijiata was more affected than I was. When she learned about it, she kind of has gotten in to a mild depression. Well, that’s what she tells me.

But, although it was a massive loss for us that Edge wasn’t going to make it. We rest to the fact that we would still have Jeff Hardy.

So anyway, I left Canada on July 6 and got to Manila on July 8 (Yes, that’s why I wasn’t around). I stayed in contact with my cohorts via mobile phone since I didn’t have Internet access at that time.

Then, Mijiata told me the night before the event that Jeff wasn’t coming either! What a travesty that would’ve been!

We tried to verify it to no avail, until finally I was as depressed as Mijiata upon learning of Edge’s absence. Imagine how I’d have felt if it was Raw and it had been Orton. Jesus!

In trying to verify the news, Mijiata called the promoter, the ticket seller, and the WWE itself. The promoter got pissed off because people keep calling them.

The ticket seller have no idea what they were talking about, even going as far as telling Mijiata that Edge was going to be in the main event against Jeff Hardy and CM Punk when he was recovering from a surgery just two days ago.

A certain Adam (no, not Copeland) from the WWE provided assurance that Jeff was going to be in the show. And all was right in the world again, at least for me. Mijiata still wanted Edge.

Another guy Mijiata had in contact with was Kervin. The night before the event he told her that some WWE Superstars were going to be at a local afternoon variety show the next day.

Mijiata asked me if I want to watch it live too. Of course I did. But, we haven’t decided for sure if we were going to do it until the next morning.

And that, my dear friends, is when it all happened…the longest day of my friggin’ life.

It was July 10, at 8 in the morning. I woke up really excited, packing my bag with paraphernalia I may or may not need like an extra poster board, and markers of different sizes and colors.

I looked at my outfit for the day: My Jeff Hardy “Immune to Fear” shirt, and a pleated skirt like what former WWE Diva Ashley Massaro used to wear.

I was having second thoughts about wearing the skirt because I was thinking I might not be able to move freely if I wear that, as, knowing myself, I would probably be running and jumping around during the show.

So I decided to substitute the skirt to a pair of gray pants that looked kind of like what Jeff Hardy wears (only his is black).

Then I received a message from Mijiata, the first of many throughout the day. I forgot what it was about, but I asked her if we were going to the variety show. I still wasn’t decided, but if she wanted to go then I would just tag along.

It was already 9 a.m. then. I knew if we were to get in the show that we needed to be there at least by 10. She told me though that Kervin was going to reserve seats for us. So I agreed, and proceeded to take a shower.

I have never taken a quicker shower in my life. It only took me approximately 10-12 minutes, and then I had to dress up as fast too. I decided to just pack my Jeff Hardy shirt and wear a black tank top instead. That would later prove to be prudent as the day went on.

It was almost 11 a.m. when I got to the studio and met Kervin who was still on a queue to get in the show. We waited for Mijiata and she arrived 5 minutes after I did. We waited for a bit longer, to no avail, as the studio was already full.

We still decided to wait for the wrestlers to arrive outside. Unfortunately, we missed their arrival as well. I could not help but laugh at our misfortune.

Anyway, we still caught a glimpse of Evan Bourne and Christian Cage on their way out. I even got a picture of Christian, only his head was almost in the car already.

After our failed variety show attempt, the three of us, Kervin, Mijiata, and myself decided to head straight to Araneta Coliseum. It was only around 2 p.m. then and the show was at 7. But what can I say? We were THAT excited.

We wanted to ‘scout’ the venue, hoping to find a way to be able to sneak in backstage and see the wrestlers since there was no scheduled meet and greet that was known to the public.

(Later, we learned that there was such a thing, only around 30 ‘privileged’ people were going to be involved.)

Anyway, we were walking around the venue when Kervin saw a couple of guys he knew. Kervin introduced the two to Mijiata and me. They were Ryan and Jay and they are as nuts about wrestling as we are. The boys talked for a while. A really long while.

Finally they let Kervin go, and we left, continuing our reconnaissance mission on the venue. We saw a merchandise stand outside our entrance gate, where we bought a couple of shirts. Two “Edge Rise Above” T-shirts. One for me, and one for Mijiata.

She has not withdrawn money from her ATM Card yet, so I bought it for her and she paid me later that night. And then we moved on along again.

We found two men talking near the VIP and Ringside entrance with some kind of pass strapped around their necks, so we talked to them. While we were talking to these men, Ryan and Jay came around again and decided to hang with us.

We asked the men if there was some way we could get a pass. They said it was impossible since even they were restricted to go to places other than where they were supposed to be.

They did, however, tell us where the Superstars’ bus was going to pull in. They told us they were coming through the South Gate.

So being the nutcases that we were, we headed to that gate and sort of camped out there. We were going to wait for the bus and maybe for a chance to meet them in person.

Waiting outside the gate too, was a Canadian guy, named Satch. The guys asked me to talk to him and ask him if he was with the WWE. So, being me—whatever that means—I went and talked to the guy.

He wasn’t with the company, but apparently he knew a certain superstar from way back. I’m talking about Chris Jericho. We talked to him for a while and learned that he and Jericho’s dad were friends from before and he knew Chris since he was a kid.

We had no way to verify this, but we thought: “What the heck? What have we got to lose if we believe this guy?”

He showed us a note that he wrote to Chris and had told us that he’d been trying to ask the arena’s security not to let him in, as the place was really off limits to outsiders, but to just hand his note to Chris when he arrives. He’s gotten no help from them though, much to his chagrin.

Fortunately for him, he found us! The nice people that we are –all five of us, Ryan, Jay, Kervin, Mijiata, and myself decided to help him. Somebody suggested we make a sign for Jericho so he can see it from the bus on its way in.

I told them I had a spare poster board and some markers so they had me write, “Chris Jericho, Satch is here.” in huge bold letters.

Ryan promised to jump in front of the bus carrying the sign so Jericho would see it. We waited for hours waiting for the bus, and finally it arrived.

But it was too high and the curtains were closed that we couldn’t even see anyone inside the bus. I think we saw Swagger and Tiffany though.

Will we ever get to help Satch? Will he ever get in contact with Chris Jericho? Find out next episode as the saga continues!

Casting Calls: WWE Goes Hollywood

Miss Annie aka AK127 — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 22:15:39 -0400

I was looking at some stuff here on b/r like which actor could play a certain wrestler, and comparing comic characters to wrestlers and stuff like that. Then I remembered those WM ads they made when the WWE went Hollywood so, I got an idea. Which movie WWE Superstars would have been perfect for the lead role/s in a movie? Just a foreword: Some ideas might be a stretch, but please use your imagination and cut me some slack. LOL

Begin Slideshow

Dinara Safina: Always the Bridesmaid...

Miss Annie aka AK127 — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 06:39:24 -0400

I like Dinara Safina, and this article is by no means a way of putting her down, especially after that heart-breaking loss to fellow-Russian Sveta Kuznetsova at the finals of the French Open.

Dinara has been world No. 1 now for at least a couple of months, and there’s really nothing to be ashamed of. But for someone of her talents, combined with all the hours and hard work she puts in, it has got to be pretty frustrating to always come up short when it matters the most.

In Beijing last year, we saw her fight in every match and give it her all, but she still ended up bringing home just the silver medal after losing to another Russian, Elena Dementieva.

This time around at the French Open, it’s the same story. Important match, facing another Russian, gave it her all but still ends up in second place.

She hasn’t won a grand slam before. Maybe it’s the nerves, you would argue. And I would agree with you. She was stiff, and her movements looked constricted. Her emotions got the better of her, too. She got increasingly frustrated with every error she made and lets everyone know it, venting her frustrations on her racket.

Her brother Marat is the same way, and sure, it made him interesting to watch. But he could’ve achieved so much more, had he learn to be in control of his emotions on court. He has two grand slam titles under his belt, but he’s captured those when he’s not combusting. Dinara should learn from her brother’s experience, and she needs to learn fast. Otherwise, the title of this piece might as well be the title of the story of her life.

I’m hoping it won’t be.

WWE Extreme Rules: Mysterio Unmasked, Show Taps, Punk Cashes In

Miss Annie aka AK127 — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 02:51:48 -0400

This PPV was formerly known as One Night Stand. After watching it, I think they should’ve just stuck to it because it wasn’t that extreme. Below is a recap of what happened, and maybe I’ll say something else.

Fatal Four Way Match for the US Championship (Kofi Kingston vs. MVP vs. Matt Hardy vs. Regal)

Matt Hardy tries to talk Regal into teaming up against the other two. Regal looks to be agreeing only to push Matt towards Kofi and MVP. Matt pays him back, and pushes Regal towards Kofi and MVP too. And all hell broke loose from there.

Kofi leaped out of the ring to MVP and Matt, then got back in and covers Regal. MVP gets in and he and Kofi gets pummeled by Regal. We hear the crowd go “Regal Sucks!” at this point. Regal suplexes Kofi who was on the top turn buckle, but MVP tried to stop it. It still goes and the three of them crashes to the mat. Matt takes advantage and focuses on MVP.

Kofi gets back in the mix and as Cole said, (I can’t believe I’m quoting him.) “Bodies flying everywhere!” So yeah, it’s kind of hard to see everything.

But there were lots of good spots though. Kofi goes after MVP. He worked on him at one corner then Regal pulled Kofi off MVP by the hair down to the mat. That really looks rough by the way.

Regal takes MVP out with an elbow that dropped him from the apron. Then he tries to throw Kofi out of the ring but Kofi caught the top rope, drop kicks Regal and went for the pin for a three count.

Kofi Kingston retains the US Championship.

It was a pretty good match. If I actually cared about anyone in this match I’d give it a 5, but I don’t so 4.5 out of 5 will have to do.

No Holds Barred Match for the Intercontinental Championship (Rey Mysterio vs. Chris Jericho)

Jericho’s music played but he didn’t come out. They show him outside in the merchandise stand. (Why is he so mad? Maybe no one was buying his merchandise. LOL). He walks towards the ring through the isle from the nosebleed seats, and occasionally snaps at the fans when they touch him. Now, I love heels but I’m getting tired of his whining.

After Jericho’s lengthy speech, Rey finally comes out. He goes after Jericho as soon as the bell rang. They go at it outside the ring. Rey starts out strong, slamming Y2J to the announce table face first, and then all over the place, (Read: On both stairs and around the security walls.) before putting him back into the ring. Chris regains control then. He catapults Rey to the bottom rope.

Rey gets up and goes to the top turnbuckle but Y2J pushes him off. Jericho tries a springboard move but Rey kicks him out of the ring to the floor. Jericho tries to get back up, but Rey does a 619 on the ring post, then splashes on Y2J with a cross body.

Back in the ring Y2J tries a Wall, but Rey turns that into the cradle and gets a two. Lot’s of near falls from there. Then Rey attempts the 619 again but Jericho counters and pulls a back breaker, which almost gave him a three count. People started to cheer for Jericho. I guess they want the mask off too. And Jericho almost pulled it off him, and we can see half of Rey’s face.

This is my favorite sequence of the whole match: Jericho gets a chair but Mysterio drop kicks it to his face and gets a two. Rey puts the chair under his legs as he did the leg drop, which he hit.

Jericho tries the Walls again, but Rey reached for the chair and hits his head with it. Rey was going for the 619 when Jericho pulls off his mask and got him off his tracks. Rey squirms into the ring, covering his face. Jericho takes advantage of that and pins him for a three.

Jericho is the new IC Champ. Rey scurries outta there covering his face. C’mon, is that fair? Probably half the people there wanted to see his face. I want to see his face. It was exciting though. Those two always give a good show together. I’ll give it 4.8 though because Mysterio didn’t show his face.

Backstage Segment: Batista is interviewed by Josh Matthews after the video of last Monday’s Raw with Flair and Orton. Batista gave some chilling remarks. I think he actually delivered that pretty well. He told Orton he was gonna take the WWE Championship, his pride, his health, and then destroy his legacy. (And I hoped not.)

Samoan Strap Match (CM Punk vs. Umaga)

The rule is that you have to touch the four top turnbuckles to win. Umaga touches two early. Then Punk gets one. Umaga hits Punk repeatedly with the strap, and gave him a couple of headbutts. Then he gets out of the ring and drags Punk to the corner and pulls his arm off using the strap. He gets Punk out of the ring, and went in. He grabs two turnbuckles but couldn’t get to the third because the strap isn’t long enough and Punk’s still outside the ring.

Punk gets back in and tried a GTS but it didn’t go. The strap gets tangled in between Umaga’s legs, and Punk used that opportunity to crush his set. (LOL). Punk goes for a running knee and a bulldog to knock Umaga down. He touched 3 turnbuckles until Umaga pulled him back to the middle of the ring for a beat down. Umaga touches 3, but Punk held on the ropes to prevent him from reaching the fourth. Umaga ran towards him and he pulled the rope down to send Umaga crashing to the floor.

People actually started to cheer for the heel. I love this crowd. Umaga gets back up and goes up top a turnbuckle. Punk pulls him down tumbling to the middle of the ring. Punk gets three turnbuckles and Umaga tries to stop No. 4. Umaga ran towards Punk only to be put into the GTS. Punk touches a fourth turnbuckle and the win.

This is a 4 for me.

Triple Threat Hardcore Match for the ECW title (Christian vs. Swagger vs. Dreamer)

There was a “Thank You Tommy” sign at ringside so it made me think maybe Dreamer’s retiring.

It started pretty slow, but it didn’t take long until Dreamer brought out a Kendo stick and Christian took a trash can cover. They both went after Swagger. (Side note: ECW announce team needs to speak more. They’re boring me.) Tommy tries to pin Swag but Christian stopped him. It was only a matter of time before those two went for each other.

Tommy sets Swag upside down on the corner of the ring, and puts a trash can in front of his face. He does the whole “E-C-W” chant while pounding his chest, but Christian pulled his leg under the rope. He gets back in the ring and copied the “E-C-W” chant and chest pound, and drop kicks the can onto Swag’s face.

Lot’s of crash and burn moves followed. Swag uncovers a turnbuckle but Tommy hits his head with a stick from the outside. He comes in and hits Christian with a trash can cover.

Dreamer puts in some three or four cans in the ring. He gets in and gets decked by Swag. Jack sets the cans up in a row and attempts to suplex Tommy on them from the top rope. But Christian gets under his legs and hits a double suplex. The crowd goes “Oh My God.” Well, the ringside people anyway.

Jack gets up and attempts the Swagger bomb (what’s that called, anyway?) on Christian, but Dreamer stopped him by hitting his side with the crutch. Dreamer DDT’s Swag and gets a three count.

Tommy Dreamer is the New ECW Champion. He may never retire. LOL. Seriously, it was good match. I’m gonna give it a 5.

Hog Pen Match for the Miss Wrestlemania Title (Vickie Guerrero vs. Santina Marella)

I personally do not care about this match. But it was funny.

Santina enters the pen first, then Vickie comes out accompanied by Chavo. She’s wearing a gown. And I ask: Why? It’s a pigsty! And then, Vickie turns it into a handicap match. Chavo gets punked.

Chavo gets in the pen, and the bell rings. Santina threw mud, Chavo threw punches, and then it’s on. At one point Santina was on the mud lying face down, so Vickie wants in to get the pin. Santina gets up, Chavo gets a pail of slop and accidentally splashed it on Vickie as Santina ducked. Santina dumps a slop bucket on Chavo’s head and then threw a punch knocking Chavo down. Vickie tried to get out of the pen but Sanitna pulls her back in and pins her. Santina wins. Chavo and Vickie rolled around the mud.

Whatever. I don’t want to give a score.

Backstage Segment: This was more interesting than the Hog Pen Match. Edge was waiting for Vickie in her office and saw her with mud all over. “Two months away from me and look at what you’ve become!” Says Edge. That made me laugh. Then it all unraveled. Edge drops the “D” word. That’s divorce for you.

And somewhere Andrea Claire is saying “Hell yeah!” LOL.

Steel Cage Match for the WWE Championship (Randy Orton vs. Batista)

As the cage was lowered I start to get nervous. Randy comes out looking really serious. Crowd chants RKO. Batista follows and gets a louder reaction from the crowd, as expected.

Bell rings and Orton tried to escape the cage early. He almost got out too, but Batista held on to his head and pulled him back in. Batista slams his head twice on the top of the cage, and pushed him down the mat. Batista speared Orton twice while he’s on the apron, he tried a third but Orton averted. Orton tries to escape again, and got pulled back in again.

Batista starts beating on Orton. Batista whipped him across the ring but he kicked him on the head. Orton tries to go out the door but Batista caught him. Orton delivered an inverted back breaker and then went for the door again. Batista pulled at his leg again to keep him inside. Batista continues the beatdown, and slams Orton on each side of the cage.

Orton trips Batista by a drop toehold, sending his head to the second turnbuckle. Orton gains control and stomps on Batista. He hesitates a bit and paid for it with a slam. Batista tries the Bomb, but Randy counters with a backdrop sending Batista to the apron. He pulls a standing dropkick slamming Batista against the cage.

Orton had a chance to escape but he didn’t. I wish he’d taken that chance, but he had to try the Punt. He didn’t connect and Batista puts him on the Batista Bomb which didn’t connect. Randy tried the RKO but it didn’t go, and Batista puts him on the Batista Bomb again. This time it connected, and Batista got the pin and the win.

Batista is the WWE Champ and Raw is dead. (LOL okay, I’ll give it a chance.)

Anyway, I think it was kind of short. There was no blood. No injury either (that one I’m happy with). How is this extreme anyway? They have steel cage matches on regular shows. Hell, last Monday’s raw saw more blood than this one.

I’m gonna give it only a 3.5 …because Orton lost. Hehe. What this means for Raw, I have no idea.

Submission Match (John Cena vs. Big Show)

I actually lost focus on this match because of the Orton loss, but I’ll try.

Big Show was pretty much in control from the get-go. He swatted Cena out of the ring with one arm when Cena came flying towards him. Cena does his shit (can I say that?), but gets trumped by Big Show all the time.

Big Show tried to put on a Full Nelson but couldn’t lock it. Cena escapes and puts on a sleeper hold, which staggered Show down to one knee until he pulls Cena off him.

Show puts Cena on his shoulders and dropped him face first to the mat. It hurt them both I think. Show then tries to strangle Cena using the ropes but Cena escapes. Show attempts a splash but Cena escapes that too. (It’s really the same thing over and over.)

Show puts Cena on the abdominal stretch. Cena turned that to a DDT and then attempts an STF but failed. (Why does he keep doing that?) Cena goes up to the turnbuckle and jumps on to Show, Show catches him and puts him a bear hug. Cena broke the hold and then we get the Five-knuckle shuffle. Show attempts the choke slam but failed.

Cena goes Attitude Adjustment and it connects, then he tried the STF again but gets elbowed in the face. (John, do something else!) He gets a right hand punch from Show that knocked him down and out of the ring. Show followed and tried to hit his head to the ring post. He escaped and knocked Show’s head on the post instead.

As show was getting back in the ring, Cena goes to the top rope and leg drops on Show. He pulled Show’s leg out a bit and hooked it between the ropes and pulls another STF, which actually just looks like a chin lock. (Why does he need the leg bended anyway?) Show taps out and Cena wins.

So, would this mean Cena’s through with Show? I hope so. Anyway, I’ll be fair and give it a 4.

Ladder Match for the World Heavyweight Championship (Edge vs. Jeff Hardy)

Momentum swung back and fourth early on, as expected. Lots of good stunts and spots too.

Edge tries a suplex, Hardy counters with a face first suplex of his own. Jeff goes out of the ring to get a ladder, Edge baseball slides towards him from the ring and the ladder and Jeff’s rib cage met in a crash. Somehow Jeff got back into the ring and managed to throw Edge out to an awaiting ladder rib first.

Edge gets back in, and they beat each other up for a while. Jeff gets crushed between the legs with a ladder (Ouch!). Edge spears his way through a ladder. Edge puts Hardy’s legs on an open ladder and shut it together like a pair of scissors. Then he puts Jeff on a Sharpshooter while still in between the ladder.

Then Edge sets a ladder under the belt and climbed it only for the ladder to be dropped kicked by Hardy from a corner turnbuckle. Hardy gets up, sets up a ladder and suplexed Edge onto it.

Jeff took another ladder, a longer one and sets that up in the ring. He goes back to Edge and pulls the Twist of Fate. He climbs the longer ladder, but it’s far from the belt so he jumps and grabbed the belt. Edge yanked him down and Jeff crashes to the fallen ladder below. The belt was still hanging above.

Jeff gets up again and pulls the Whisper in the Wind from the really long ladder, which was about 20 feet up. He gets another ladder in to the ring, clothesline Edge over the top rope, but he falls down too. Edge got up first and sets up a ladder between the ring and the security wall and tries to suplex Jeff on it. Hardy escapes that though.

Edge slams Jeff to the steel steps and security wall. Edge took the top part of the steel steps and tried to hit Jeff with it but Jeff tripped him. Jeff pulls a running neck breaker on him over the security wall. Then Jeff placed Edge on the ladder Edge set up between the ring and security wall earlier.

Here’s your HOLY SHIT moment: Jeff climbs another ladder, and looked like he was going to do Swanton Bomb on Edge lying face down on the other ladder. But Edge got up and climbed the opposite side of the ladder Jeff was on. The ladder tips over and sends them both crashing to the other ladder, breaking it in two.

They both got back to the ring. Two ladders were there. Jeff climbs one under the belt, and Edge climbed the other one. They turned to face each other, and they both jumped at each other at the same time, but Jeff pulled a Twist of Fate on the way down.

Jeff climbs up the ladder again and Edge followed and pulls him down. Edge climbed the ladder but Jeff pulled his legs through the middle of the ladder. Edge was stuck hanging and couldn’t get out. Jeff climbs up to the top of the ladder and took the belt! Jeff Hardy wins!

AND THEN…..!!!!

CM Punk decides to cash in his MiTB suitcase! He gets booed. Bell ring and he goes to the GTS quickly, covers and gets a two as Jeff kicked out. How did he do that?! Jeff gets Punk in a cradle and gets two. Punk goes for GTS again and it’s a three! Punk is Champ!

What the hell?! Jeff gets all of what? Two minutes? Oh, well… What does this mean though? Maybe Punk will turn heel and feud with Jeff? Is Edge dropping the Ultimate Opportunist moniker and giving it to Punk?

We’ll just have to see on Friday. But I’m giving this a 5.

WWE Judgment Day: Verdict Is in, Champions Retain

Miss Annie aka AK127 — Mon, 18 May 2009 01:06:08 -0400

CM Punk vs. Umaga

It did what a filler match is supposed to do.

With Punk starting the show, I thought he might have enough gas in the tank to cash in the Money in the Bank case later in the night. That would have required a win against Umaga without being devastated by the Samoan Bulldozer in the process. That would've made the home crowd happy.

Punk actually tried to lift Umaga for a GTS, which was funny. He didn’t try it just once, either. Does he never learn? Umaga’s too heavy for him. Who did he think he was? John friggin’ Cena?

Umaga won via Samoan Spike. I would give it a three out of five.

Vickie Guerrero, Big Show, and Edge

I don’t usually talk about backstage segments, especially when they involve this trio, but this was actually kind of interesting.

Anyway, Show threatened to put Cena on the shelf but admitted it would be bad for business. It’s true, too, and I’m not big on Cena. By then, I was sure Cena was going to win no matter what.

Christian vs. Jack Swagger

Matt Striker said the championship atmosphere favored Christian, but Swagger was champion for 100 days or so and a couple of pay per views, so I didn’t think he would have a disadvantage. To prove my point, he showed focus.

The match had its good spots. Jack threw Christian rib-first against the post.

Commentator Josh Mathews put it well: This was a game of cat and mouse. I agree, complete with chase scenes.

Captain Charisma wins again by out-cheating Swagger. Four out of five.

Edge Owns Chavo

Here’s a pitch to Markus Griffith, who's writing the “You Got Owned” series.

Shelton Benjamin vs. John Morrison

AkD will be happy this wasn’t made into a dark match, as it wasn’t even announced.

I've got two sides to this: From a wrestling fan perspective, it was a fantastic match. We got to see great spots, amazing counters, and near-falls. There was even a “holy shit” moment when JoMo dove out of the ring onto Shelton.

JoMo wins via his nameless corkscrew moonsault. I guess he’s officially a face now. I’m supposed to like heels, but I still like Morrison anyway.

From a girly perspective, John Morrison has got such nice hair. It's so soft and silky…wouldn't you agree, Andrea?

OK, enough of that. This match earns a five out of five.

Miz’s Segment

I’m not sure this was necessary. Did he just call JoMo Marty Jannetty? I think he’s more like HBK. He’s gotten that comparison a lot, right?

So, Miz disses everyone—the audience, Cena, Alfonso Soriano of the Chicago Cubs—and then Santino comes out. To quote the great backstage interviewer Gregory Helms, “What’s up with that?”

It was funny, though. Apparently Santino thought Soriano was a fellow Italian. I’ve always maintained Santino is funny as himself, and not as Santina.

Then Chavo comes out and takes advantage of a fallen Santino to defend his family’s (namely Aunt Vickie’s) honor. Uh-huh.

Chris Jericho vs. Rey Mysterio

Jericho promises there will be no 619 finisher, and he did a good job getting out of the way of the first three attempts. He looked like he had a game plan, and it was going smoothly.

However, it came time for a cover and his conspiracy theory is kind of obvious. The ref was counting a bit slower when it was him on top. Maybe that’s just me taking sides with the heels again.

Good spot on the leg drop by Rey, though, while Jericho was hanging on the rope. At one point, the fans started to chant "Y2J." I liked when Jericho turned the third 619 attempt into the Walls of Jericho, but Rey rolled out.

The fourth 619 connected, and Rey retained the intercontinental title. Four-and-a-half out of five for this match.

Randy Orton vs. Batista

I was nervous for this. Really. Just this. Right from Orton’s music.

Batista comes out with stitches on his forehead. I wonder where he got them, but the announcers answer it for me, saying he got into some kind of altercation.

So anyway, Batista overpowers Orton early, as he does regardless of whom he’s facing. He targets the lower back. Orton gets the momentum back after hitting a standing drop kick while Batista was on the apron.

At one point, Randy did the arms-stretched pose and that made me smile. I was thinking maybe he was saying he’s in the “zone,” so I got excited. He does the standing drop kick again (I really like it when he does that) and an elevated DDT. He went to the floor for the RKO, but tried for a punt instead. It didn’t connect, though, as Batista countered with a spear.

Orton, being the heel, gets out of the ring and asks to be counted out. He even holds on to the post. Batista gets him back in the ring, though, before he sneaks out again and starts walking out with the title.

Batista takes him back and tries the Bomb, but can't pull it off. Randy tries the RKO but fails again. Then he slaps the ref and gets disqualified. He loses but retains the title.

Legacy comes out to beat up on Batista. I thought that was a cue for Triple H, but no, Ric Flair comes out! Again, “What’s up with that?” And really, Flair drops Cody with the chops?

Everybody wants to get involved with Randy Orton. I guess there’s not going to be a heel turn for Batista, either. If Triple H comes back, will there be a feud between Evolution and Legacy? Or is Flair simply making way for his son to join Legacy down the line? Kind of like how Cody started?

I can only give this match a four out of five.

John Cena vs. Big Show

It’s everything a Cena match is: a show of power from both parties. Show dominates early, as he should. He must’ve been watching Swagger and Christian’s match because he does the same thing Swagger did. Show slams Cena to the ring post rib-first.

Cena tries the STF submission a couple of times. Didn’t he try that before and it didn’t work because Show’s too big to get it locked? Why keep trying the STF? And then he gets splashed/squashed by Show and still kicks out. He is Super-friggin-Man!

Cena wins by a miracle Attitude Adjustment. I’ll be fair and give it a four out of five too.

Edge vs. Jeff Hardy

It was very fast-paced, as expected from these two superstars. Lots of high risk maneuvers that kept failing for Jeff in the first half of the match. Then he pulls the sharp-shooter but Edge gets the bottom rope.

Jeff goes to expose the security wall and slams Edge on it, but as he attempts to do another stunt, Edge spears him to the floor and runs back to the ring, leaving Jeff out for the count out. Jeff gets back at the count of nine. It looked as if Extreme Rules came early for these two.

They both go over the security wall after Jeff jumps on Edge from the stairs. Then Matt Hardy comes out of the crowd and hits Jeff on the head with his “broken arm.” Jeff struggles to get to the top rope and he pays for it. Edge wins and retains his WHC title.

Extreme Rules should be exciting if they book these two in a match again. I’ll give it four-and-a-half out of five.

Russian Korobov Beats Bartinelli In Two

Miss Annie aka AK127 — Sun, 03 May 2009 05:45:13 -0400

Undercard for the Hatton-Pacquiao match is Matt Korobov vs. Anthony Bartinelli.

The Russian Korobov showed power and still improving skills as soon as the bell tolled in the first round, peppering Bertinelli with jabs that does not only intend to set up another shot, but to hurt his overwhelmed-looking opponent. Bartinelli’s mouthpiece even flew off from his mouth before the first round ended.

Matt Korobov looks to be in a hurry as he again barrages Bartinelli with heavy punches with pin-point accuracy to the face, prompting the referee Robert Byrd to stop the fight at a little over two minutes in the second round.

Although it can be said that the 26-year-old Matt Korobov was definitely out of Bartinelli’s league, I think he still needs to improve more. He needs to work on his defense, although he didn’t need that in this match. He also needs to work on his body shots.

Can you imagine how good he can still get when gets all that training? He has so much still untapped potential. I think I’m going to keep an eye on this guy.

Pacquiao-Hatton: East Supreme As Pacquiao Takes Hatton Out in Two

Miss Annie aka AK127 — Sun, 03 May 2009 05:17:39 -0400

After all the trash talk and talking down to from Hatton’s trainer, Floyd Mayweather Sr., Manny Pacquiao once again proved that he is at a whole other level than the much hyped Briton Ricky Hatton.

Hatton was just simply no match to the speed and accuracy of Pacquiao. Even the power his camp says was his greatest advantage was of no significance, as Pacquiao showed who packed the more lethal weapon.

From the walk to the ring, you can already see the difference. Hatton and his crew looked very serious. On the other end, everyone from Pacquiao's team looked as serious as Hatton's. Even the WWE Superstar Batista, who walked in as part of his entourage, looked as if they're raring for a fight.

That is, except Pacquiao who was a mirror of confidence. I think he even had a smile on his lips. Maybe he knew something nobody else knew. He must have known he was going to win quickly.

From the get go, Pacquiao was in an attack mode. He moved from side to side and kept to his fight plan never letting up for one second, rendering Hatton down the mat twice in the first round with some scintillating combinations of power punches to the head and body of the seemingly defenseless Brit.

Hatton did what he knew, and tried to take Pacquiao off his focus, but it didn't work. At 55 seconds left, Hatton goes down the canvass from a right hook from Pacman. He reunited with the mat at 10 seconds left before the bell ended the first round. He managed to stagger Pacquiao a bit, but that was all he could do.

It seemed Pacquiao was in a hurry as he dispatched Hatton quickly in the second round. He smelled the blood and capitalized on the still shaken Hatton and knocked him out with an explosive left hook. Hatton was out even before he hit the canvass. He couldn't even stand up for several minutes. He was glassy eyed.

If there was ever any doubt at Pacquiao’s skills or as being the Best Pound for Pound boxer in the world, mainly initiated by Hatton’s team, including Oscar De La Hoya, that has been clearly laid to rest.

Edge and Orton: Ultimate Heels' Guide To Success

Miss Annie aka AK127 — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 02:09:57 -0400

When it comes to opportunities, Randy Orton and Edge are two guys who have the keen sense to seeing it.

Edge just seems to have that instinct to see an opportunity when it’s presented to him.

At Backlash, he was presented with the opportunity to take the title from Cena when all of a sudden Big Show shows up and drops Cena on the huge stage light. He then instructed the ref to start counting.

Of course Cena couldn’t answer to the ten count, and alas, Smackdown has the WHC title belt back.

This of course, isn't the first time we've seen him do that. He probably won all his titles from circumstances like this. And you can be sure this isn't the last time either. He isn't called Ultimate Opportunist for nothing after all.

Orton, on the other hand, has that similar instinct as was shown on the No Disqualification Match he had on the Raw episode prior to backlash, when he RKO’d The Game after being distracted by the melee outside the ring.

But last night’s Backlash showed something else too. It’s not just the keen sense of seeing opportunities, it’s the knack for creating one. We saw him run backstage and made us think what a wuss he is. (Well I didn’t think that, I knew he had some kind of plan.) And then at an opportune time, he came back out and attacked The Animal.

And then the rest of Legacy joins in. And it’s a feast. Like a pack of wolves taking a bite out of a carcass. They did same thing with Shane O’Mac.

And then of course, the game finishing (pardon the pun) RKO, and punt to the head that turned Hunter over as if he belonged to the Cirque d’ Soleil, as he was again distracted by the melee outside the ring, particularly the threat of Batista getting disqualified.

And well, I can’t believe I’m quoting Michael Cole but, “The Age of Orton Begins Again.”

So there you have it, my little wannabe heels. That’s what you need to have to be a success. The keen sense to see opportunities, and the knack to make one when there’s none.

Backlash 2009: Jeff Hardy Didn't Quit, Orton and Edge New Champs

Miss Annie aka AK127 — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 01:39:49 -0400

Something went wrong with my transmission and I couldn’t hear the announce table, intros, ring talk and winner announcements up until the six man tag match. Anybody else got the same problem?

Anyway, let’s go through the matches.

Swagger vs. Christian – Cage wins. I thought it was about time. Although, I’m actually starting to like Swagger ever since he faced off with Cena on draft day. It’s funny they had the same idea to rip the cover off the turnbuckle. Another thing, I thought Christian might interfere in the Edge vs. Cena match, and turn heel. (I would be so happy if he did.) But, I didn’t really think there’s much chance in that.

Jericho vs. Steamboat – Once again the Dragon showed he’s got mad skills. It’s great seeing him in action. I was like in awe when he pulled himself up back in to the ring like how Shawn Michaels does it. How old is he again? Don’t know anyone that old that could do that.

Funny moment though, Jericho pulled him back up by the tights off of the “Walls,” and then he had trouble putting on the figure four. You think he forgot how to do it for a second? I don’t like how he lost though. Tapping out? No, no, no. That’s not right.

Kane vs. Punk – I don’t see any meaning to this aside from Kane taking revenge for losing in the MiTB match at WM. Or maybe there’s still more to come in a storyline between them, maybe for the briefcase or something. We’ll just have to wait and see.

Jeff vs. Matt I Quit Match – Although this is exactly what I wanted to happen, Jeff not quitting, it came as a surprise. I mean with all the rumors flying around about him quitting I thought he was going to quit. I’m glad he didn’t. He always answered with a resounding “No!” or “Forget it!” like he’s never ever gonna leave the WWE, when the ref asks him if he wants to say the magic words.

They obviously know each other’s moves very well. I was thinking if Jeff doesn’t quit Matt might quit in frustration. LOL

Then Jeff used the electrical tape and some kind of rope to tie Matt up like a squealing pig. Matt starts apologizing, and even brought up their dead mom. What’s with the ref though? Isn’t the mic supposed to be used when one wants to say “I quit” and not beg for mercy? Anyway, Jeff still jumped. And all is right again.

So what’s with the news of him quitting? Just a decoy to throw us off their real plans?

6 Man Tag: Legacy vs. McMahon Boys and Batista – The Age of Orton finally resumes via a resounding punt to The Game’s head. Didn’t I say this is what should happen somewhere here? I think it was in a comment. It’s great too that it was Randy who got the pin. I didn’t want the other boys to get it for him coz they need to stick together a little bit longer.

Anyway, I have to talk about the bit with Orton airing his thoughts for Batista. I think I said somewhere here that this is what they should have had him do in the weeks coming to this PPV. Convince Batista to turn his back on HHH. Didn’t play much a factor in the match tonight, coz Dave didn’t turn.

Although he did sort of cause HHH to lose. Didn’t I say something like this should happen too? Also I think this should end HHH and Orton’s feud for the meantime anyway. I would bet HHH would be sidelined for a while. I think if and when HHH returns after that punt to the head, he should start a feud with Dave, with HHH as the heel. Would be fun I think.

Cena vs. Edge Last Man Standing Match– As expected, by some anyway, including myself, Edge gets the belt. SD has to have one right? But, by golly, that was an awesome match. When Cena FU’s…sorry, I mean, Attitude Adjusted Edge to the crowd I literally got on my feet. I wonder if the people who got hit were actually with the company or just really fans because they looked hurt.

The chase along the corridors was great ending in a bulldog on the equipment boxes. Then Edge DDT’s Cena to the steel stage—that’s wicked. But what’s more wicked was Big Show showing up and throwing Cena to the, what do you call it? Spotlight? Whatever. And it blows up! Cena had some shards of glass sticking on his back and got some cuts as well.

On a side note, I’m glad Punk didn’t cash in. He’d have done it twice on Edge if he did.

All in all it was a great show. I would even argue that it was way better than the 25^thAnniversary of Wrestlemania, save for the Michaels vs. Undertaker match.

JuanMa Wins As Roach Stops Fight for Penalosa after Nine Rounds

Miss Annie aka AK127 — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 03:29:11 -0400

Freddie Roach asked the referee to stop the fight just before the bell rang to start the 10th round in the Gerry Penalosa vs. Juan Manuel Lopez fight.

I think it was the right thing to do, as it seemed like a lost cause from the start for Penalosa. Don’t get me wrong, Gerry was good, he has great skills. But in my opinion, it’s simply a mismatch. Lopez could take his punches without even wincing. He’s just simply too strong and much, much younger than Penalosa.

Juan Manuel Lopez dominated from start to finish. He took Penalosa’s blows lightly, as if a kid half his age was hitting him. He didn’t even get a scratch.

Several weeks prior to this match, I had a feeling it was going to go down this way. And as the day came closer, I was becoming surer that it would.

Penalosa didn’t want to stop the fight, but Roach had other ideas. He saw what prolonging the inevitable could do to a fighter like Gerry, and I think that is what prompted him to call it quits. No matter how skilled a boxer you are, there comes a time when you have to accept you are simply over the hill, and there are roadblocks that you just can’t go over anymore. And Lopez is just one of those roadblocks.

I do salute Penalosa for having the heart to want to continue. He never went down the canvass. He should be proud of that. He is a true champion.

Just one thing though: I think it was a stupid move by the referee to warn Penalosa to keep his head up when it was Lopez who was using his arms to keep Penalosa stooping down. If that’s not biased, I don’t know what is.

End of a Bromance: The Miz and Morrison Story

Miss Annie aka AK127 — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 07:06:05 -0400

Backstage after the draft, John and Mike were sitting in the locker room reminiscing about their past successes as the “Best Tag Team of the 21st Century.” How they got there, how they beat all the other tag teams they faced, and…how they were going to miss each other.

Or will they really?

“How could they? How could they break up the Best Tag Team of the 21st Century?” Miz said. Him and Morrison do the pose as he said it.

“Yeah! I mean really? REALLY? Just coz we lost to the Butt brothers at Wrestlemania they’ll just separate us?” He shook his head, as he took of his jewel encrusted sunglasses and placed it in his locker.

"We’re better than them! We’re better looking than them!” Morrison said. “And hell, we have better bodies than them!” He stood up and opened his fur coat to show his 30-pack abdomen. “Well, my body is anyway…” He added under his breath so Miz won’t hear.

“ABSolutely, man.” Miz said. Damn, I want a French fries right now.

“Man, I’m going to miss working with you.” John said. But thank god, I don’t have to see you eat those greasy junk food you love eating! Damn, it makes me sick just thinking about it.

“I know man, me too. I mean, it’s gonna be so different without you around.” Mike said. Man, would it be SO different! I don’t have to compete with you for the Divas attention anymore! Hoo-rah!

“Well, all right man…good luck at Raw.” Said John. I hope Orton punts you in the head, SUCKER!

“Yeah. You too. I’m sure they’ll make you champion again at ECW.” Mike said. No, they won’t LOSER!!

They stood facing each other, looking as if they were about to shed some tears.

Then Miz offered his hand for a shake. “Well, I guess this is good bye.”

Morrison took his hand, and they share a man-hug. “Okay, man.”

Then Mike left, and John was all alone. He looked at his hand that he used to shake Miz’s hand.

“Eeeww, greasy! Where the hell’s the alcohol when I need it!?!”

Cody and Ted's Road To a Million Dollar Career

Miss Annie aka AK127 — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 12:05:12 -0400

Like these two or not, you cannot deny that these two guys are very talented. They may not shine on the mic (as of the moment…I’m sure they’re working on that.), nor have they gotten any career making moves in the ring.

But this past Friday, we saw them get it on with the Colon brothers, and eventually demolished them. Master Orton came out, but didn’t really help much—well, he helped to get more heat.

So, is this the path they’re going to take next? Going after the Unified WWE Tag Team Championship? The title sounds prestigious doesn’t it? And I say, why not? Who better to carry the gold than these golden boys? I, for one, want to see them in contention and not just hang around Orton. I would not only make people take them seriously, but it will establish them as a force to be reckoned with. Sure they won a tag title before, but that was Priceless not Legacy.

I don’t think the WWE would have sanctioned the creation of this stable and not let them have gold...including Orton. And yeah…create t-shirts with their crest on it, if you want to talk about the merchandise business.

I know some have had the notion that Legacy is a burden to Orton, and/or Legacy is a burden to Legacy. And both have valid points. It may even be true. Then again, maybe it’s not.

I hope they don’t disband Legacy, just yet, in the coming draft later today (Monday morning as of writing). I think there’s more to come for Legacy if they keep them together long enough. I want to milk this stable out for more and I don’t see the possibilities drying up any time soon.

So are they going to finally set Ted and Cody on the “Road To a Million Dollar Career?” I hope so.

And yes, the pun was intentional.

The Flash and the Furi...Say What?!?

Miss Annie aka AK127 — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 10:29:49 -0400

First of all, this is strictly my opinion. So, I hope no one crucifies me. But, of course, everyone’s free to disagree with what I’m going to say.

I’m talking about this boxing event that’s to take place in Manila, Philippines this coming April 19. It is given the title “The Flash and the Furious.”

Now, I get why the word “flash” is in the title. I’ve seen a couple of Nonito Donaire’s fights and I think that giving him the moniker “The Filipino Flash” has basis. The kid is fast, and he has style. And he also has a knock-out punch.

I also get that the word “flash” is in the title because Donaire is defending his IBF Flyweight Championship to Raul “Cobra” Martinez.

Now, for who does the word “furious” stand for?

Undercard for the Donaire vs. Martinez fight, is another title match for the Light Flyweight Championship between Brian Viloria vs. Ulises Solis. And since it is taking place in the Philippines, it would be safe to assume that the “furious” represents Viloria.

Really? Brian Viloria is “Furious”?

He should be. Why only a couple of years ago, he was on top of his game. But ever since he sent Ruben Contreras to the hospital with his deadly power, Brian didn’t seem furious to me anymore if at all.

He looks like a kid who’s afraid to throw a punch. He doesn’t have that aggressiveness he used to have. He lost the ferocity that once made him a champion caliber boxer in it's truest sense. He just doesn't have it for me right now.

This match is being billed as somewhat a way for Brian Viloria to gain momentum and get back all the characteristics he had lost.

But Ulises Solis is not just any boxer. He’s not just some boxer you book in a fight to get another guy over. He’s brought down some notable boxers, and he has a deadly punch as well.

I hope Viloria is furious. Furious enough to at least bring as much to the table as I’m sure his opponent will bring. Or else, he’s just gonna be just plain furious at himself.

Safin's Sister is the New No. 1

Miss Annie aka AK127 — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 01:25:44 -0400

It’s been a long time coming.

Since she got the 2008 Beijing Olympics Silver Medal in Women’s Tennis, Dinara Safina has been a in the spotlight. But that’s actually not very fair.

Dinara has been working her butt off the entire 2008 up to now. She has been in contention for a while; the spotlight just never quite to shined on her.

Perhaps it is because of her older brother’s brighter shine (and perhaps personality) that kept her under the radar.

She never had the media’s focus as what the likes of Maria Sharapova or Ana Ivanovic had. But maybe it helped, too.

While she was hidden behind her brother’s shadow, she worked with a laser like focus. She lost weight, she muscled up, she has never been more fit, and her skills have greatly improved. All that work is paying off.

So she hasn’t won a grand slam. That will come. But Dinara Safin is the new numero uno, and it’s all because of her hard work.

I hope she hold this spot for a while. Maybe rub it in to her brother.

Keeping the Gold Away from Randy Orton

Miss Annie aka AK127 — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 08:19:36 -0400

Everybody has already written something about how under whelming this past week's Wrestlemania was. How disappointed they are about the matches’ outcome, one more than the other.

But from all that I have read, the worst let down of all was the match for the WWE Championship. And, well, I’m one of those people who feel let down.

First of all, let me just say this: I like Triple H. He’s on my top five favorite wrestlers. And with that out of the way, let me get to the point.

How much longer are they—The WWE—going to pretend not to hear the fans? The people in the arena this last Monday’s Raw were chanting “Orton” and/or “RKO” so loud it’s hard to miss it.

Orton has become so good and the fans did not neglect to appreciate that. The people want to see Orton get the championship. That’s why they are chanting his name. They want Orton to have a rematch at Backlash—since you didn’t give the title to him at Wrestlemania for whatever reason you had.

The WWE better start listening to the fans or the fans are gonna leave the WWE.

Randy Orton is the most talented guy not only on Raw, but in the entire WWE. Hell, he has more talent than all of TNA put together, and that’s being humble. And the other Legacy guys have so much potential that’s not being utilized.

I really don’t get what they’re doing to Orton down at creative. Vince needs to realize Orton’s already carrying the company on his shoulders. He is the future of the business and the future is right now!

Why are they making story lines that make him look weak so much as writing in the script to make him beg and say “Wait!” in the middle of a match? As the best heel character they have they should make him look strong and not afraid of anything and just plain psychotic even. He can do it, he’s a good actor. We’ve seen that.

What Orton told Vince in their promo a couple of months ago is the truth. People do pay to see him and not Stephanie or any of the McMahons. That includes you Vince. And they’re not necessarily paying to see Orton get his ass handed to him.

They want to see how his career is gonna grow. They want to see him fulfill his promise. They want to see him fulfill his destiny of becoming the best, because everybody knows, the WWE knows, and hell, if God watches wrestling, then even He knows he has the potential to be the best.

Randy Orton should have that belt around his waist because he deserves it. He’s worked so hard and improved greatly on both mic and technical skills, not only for his own career but also for the business.

And the WWE should be thankful to him because frankly he’s the only reason I’m still watching Raw. He keeps people interested. Leave HHH, Batista, and Cena out and I’ll still be watching Raw because of Orton.

And now after Wrestlemania, as if it wasn’t disappointing enough, they give us the McMahon boys vs. Legacy—no, no, scratch that—The McMahon boys with Batista vs. Legacy for Backlash instead of a rematch.

Or maybe Orton was right again in that other promo when he said that the McMahons are “Out of touch”, “arrogant” and “Just plain stupid.” Now I’m wondering if he ad-libbed on that part or it’s really in the script.

Anyway, if I had my way, I’d say Batista should turn on HHH at the last minute. That would make for a good feud. But not after Orton gets the title.