Bleacher Report - Articles by warcroft

Dwayne "Not The Rock" Johnson

warcroft — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 10:22:36 -0400

One of the advantages of living in Australia is we get Smackdown a day before the rest of the world. Our Friday is America's Thursday.

So, after not watching the weekly WWE shows for some time, I was anxious to see the 10th anniversary of Smackdown, for one single reason...the appearance of The Rock.

Lets cut straight to the chase...

Disappointed!

The Rock, for the 10th anniversary of 'his' show, could only manage a pre-recorded video speech. Which was not The Rock at all, but rather Dwayne Johnson goofing around and occasionally slipping into The Rock persona to deliver the generic Rock catchphrases.

For the 10th anniversary of Smackdown the No. 1 draw card for viewers was the appearance of The Rock. What the fans got was a cheesy-grinned Dwayne Johnson pretending to be The Rock.

The disappointment was echoed through the audience. Many fans noticeably upset (pissed off) that The Rock couldn't make a live appearance on the show. Hell, even the Rocky chants were lackluster, stopping before the allocated time Dwayne had given them.

As much as I hate to say it, all the hopes and dreams by fans of The Rock returning to the WWE are over. The Rock is no more.

But...but...Dwayne has one final moment to redeem himself...to host Monday Night Raw.

Dwayne, during his video segment, said The Rock was going to host Monday Night Raw. Is there any legitimacy to his claims?

I'm not holding my breath. Especially after the non-appearance at the 10th anniversary of his own show, Smackdown.

The fans deserved better than this.

Origin of the Strap: Just Where Do Championship Belts Come From?

warcroft — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 07:47:01 -0400

Someone asked me the other day "Hey Crofty, just where exactly do the WWE belts come from?" Funnily enough, I knew the answer.

This isn't a lesson in the origins of title belts, but instead a little piece on who actually makes the WWE title belts, how they're made and where these marvels are crafted.

I'm a graphic designer in a rather niche market, and one of the products I produce are tap tops (Those beer logos on the tops of beer taps).

One of my clients is a cast metal manufacturer in Tasmania, Australia who has some large beer companies as his clients. One day he contacts me and asks if I could do some prototypes for him. I didn't think much of it because I quite often do digital print prototypes for him and his clients.

So, he sends me an email of the World Boxing Championship title belt and the artwork to go with it.

Needless to say, my interest was piqued.

The problem for him was he could not keep up with demand for producing the WBC title belts.

All the art detail on the belt is hand painted, section by section, colour by colour, and it takes over a month to produce one. Admittedly, he produces numerous belts at once (much like an episode of The Simpsons takes 12 months to produce so they make many at the same time).

The problem with the WBC belts is the WBC replica belts which are sold to fans are identical to the official title belts (unlike replica WWE belts which are cheap Chinese junk—some are even plastic. So he was unable to keep up with demand.

What he had me do was digitally print the flag ring around the outside and apply my lens coating over the top to give it a 3D effect. Then, he submitted that to the International Boxing Federation for approval.

It looked fantastic and would have cut his production time down to a matter of days as appose to weeks. Unfortunately, the Boxing Federation wanted to keep the title belts hand-painted for true authenticity.

At any rate, we got to talking and it turns out he not only makes the WBC title belts, he also makes the UFC belts and the WWE belts.

But, as I said earlier, the replica WWE belts are cheap knock offs so he doesn't have to supply them in great quantity.

And for those of you wondering...No, there isnt just one belt (eg: one WWE belt, one WHC belt, etc). There are the belts used for the shows and then there are the "real" ones. The real title belts are given to the superstar when they become champion to place in their trophy room at home.

Disclaimers:
1. I'm not telling you who the company is, as I'm sure they don't want to be flooded with calls from fans wanting belts.

2. No, I can't get you a belt.

3. No, I'm not telling you which superstar is next to have a belt made for them.

Is Ric Flair Suicide?

warcroft — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 22:45:25 -0400

Another week, another episode of TNA and another series of "WhoIsSuicide.com" images flashed across the screen.

So, let's take a look at what developments have happened since our last Suicide watch.

If you visit www.whoissuicide.com, you will be greeted with a few images of Suicide's mask and a short rant from Suicide himself stating he has not forgotten the pain and suffering he has been caused and that he will seek revenge for what was done to him. But first he claims he must be patient and the time will come.

Nothing exceptional—until we dig a little deeper.

The whoissuicide.com site, when it first appeared, had a single click-able image which took you to the WhoIsSuicide My Space page. Although there is no longer a link to the MySpace Suicide page, if you now visit www.myspace.com/whoissuicide you will be greeted with somehting very interesting.

A photo of Ric Flair, a title which says "Wooo is Suicide" and the old NWO logo written as WWO (Wooo World Order).

Dig further again...

Click the blog link for another Suicide rant telling viewers to watch Bound For Glory to see what happens.

So, is the MySpace page still related to TNA and the Who is Suicide promotion? Or has it been taken over by a hacker of sorts?

Ric Flair to TNA?

Is Kaz still Suicide?

It's all speculation thus far.

Cena Vs Batista: A Disappointment It Wasnt

warcroft — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 23:45:50 -0400

Well, here I am, eating my words.

After previously writing an article expecting the WWE to short change the viewers I am humbly admitting I was wrong and am happy to admit the WWE have restored some faith in me towards the company.

Cena and Batista put on a great show with some good moments and a great display of strength by Cena.

I sat through the match and as the minutes ticked by I was expecting someone to run down the ramp and cause interferance.

But the match played out unscathed. No run ins, no cheating, no low blows, no actions behind the refs back—nothing. I was very impressed! Not just in the match but in the WWE in letting this play out properly.

Come the ending, I was almost expecting the two of them to shake hands.

Thank you WWE. You did well by the fans.

Cena Vs Batista Set for Huge Disappointment

warcroft — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 23:09:34 -0400

So here we are...

The match between John Cena and Batista, five years in the making, is upon us.

The amount of hype surrounding this match is amazing. It's overshadowing both title matches and a Hell in a Cell match!

But for all the hype and promoting we are going to walk away from this match with a bland taste in our mouth.

The fans want to see who really is top dog out of these two. Thats how the match is being billed to us. But sadly, we wont see who.

In true WWE style this match will end due to outside interference, DQ, or something to prevent Cena or Batista claiming a clean pin.

When a match ends like this it makes the match null and void, pointless, all for nothing.

Its frustrating because I expect to see these two put on a great performance for 20 minutes only to have the match ruined by something or someone in the final minute.

As much as Id like to say "Please WWE, prove me wrong, don't do it!" you just know it's going to happen.