Boston Bruins vs. Vancouver Canucks

It is well documented that I am a sports fan. It is even more well documented that I am a huge Boston sports fan. So, you can imagine the excitement when Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals ended at around 11pm.

The Boston Bruins entered the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 1992. After the last couple of years of heartache, Boston finally made it in. Now, for the first time since 1990, they are going to play for a Stanley Cup.

Last challenge? The Vancouver Canucks. The Bruins have been pretty much been put down the entire playoffs. They have been written off as the weaker team, the crappiest power play, mainly a defensive team. Yet, here we are, watching the Black and Gold going into the Stanley Cup.

All the experts are stating that Vancouver is a better team. They have a strong power play which they took advantage of against the Sharks. The experts are now going to say that Vancouver is going to do the same against the Bruins. But, Boston fans always have that one thing that makes it worth watching: Hope.

We all believe that our team will win. That's what got Red Sox fans through 86 years of pain. Bruins have only almost 40 years of pain to deal with, but it is still pain. Every other Boston team has won a championship since the Bruins won a cup, now it is their chance to finally bring home a championship to Boston. Just four more games and the Boston Bruins have a championship.

Can't wait for the series to begin. Hopefully Boston sees another championship this year.

WWE Over the Limit 2011 Aftermath & Comment on Raw

So, I mentioned that last night I wanted to write this post before I saw Raw. Well, I wasn't able to/forgot to, so now I will post it now. I am also going to comment on Raw itself, because I found it very interesting. Here goes.

Aftermath to Follow

It is now 3am in the morning and I haven't written up an aftermath about the PPV that happened last night. I just had to come on here and write this first:

I was 5 1/2 for 6 on the matches I knew about going into watching Smackdown tonight. But, I wouldn't really count the Divas match. That division is so fucked up it's not even funny.

I predicted pretty much the entire night down to a T. The only thing I got wrong? Ezekial Jackson won his match, but by DQ, thus not giving him the title. That was the only thing. I, of course, couldn't guess that Bret Hart would come out during the Lawler/Cole match, but I think that was a definite surprise for the crowd in Seattle.

Cena and Orton remain on top. Shocking.

But, I am off to bed for now. I will write more hopefully before Raw tomorrow night so I can write it unbias and without any knowledge of what did happen.

Night all.

"Macho Man" Randy Savage

This will definitely be brief, just because it is late and I really don't have too much to say about this. But since I am a wrestling fan, I feel that I must say something.

It very rare for a wrestler's death to make it into the mainstream. When Eddie Guerrero died, it was mentioned for a brief second and then went away. I would say that Chris Benoit didn't make it into the mainstream, but unfortunately it did under different circumstances.

The Macho Man was definitely a different case. Even if you don't watch wrestling or have never watched it, you knew who the Macho Man was. Just as much as you know who Hulk Hogan is. It is just one of those things that you just know because these celebrities extend over from their medium and broaden them into the mainstream.

I started watching wrestling in the mid-90's and really didn't get to see the prime of all those wrestlers in the 80's. Macho Man, Hulk Hogan, Ricky Steamboat, Jimmy Snuka, etc. I did get to see Macho Man and Hulk Hogan wrestle in WCW, but it was just really different. He was getting older and wasn't as flashy anymore. I hadn't watched the matches of Savage from the 80's yet, but I knew that this wasn't the Savage that the 80's had seen.

Now, I am in the boat that think that the late 90's were the best time for wrestling. The attitude era was in full swing and there was finally life back in the WWF. People were drawn into what Stone Cold would do next to his boss and The Rock was running rampant in the ring. But there are definitely purists who believe that the 80's were the best. I do not have a complete opinion on the matter because I haven't seen many matches and rivalries from that time, so my opinions starts when I started. But, I do have a goal and that is to watch some of the best from the 80's to see who is right.

That includes watching what a lot of people call the best Wrestlemania match of all time: Randy Savage vs. Ricky Steamboat at Wrestlemania 3.

Anyway, I really don't have much else to say. RIP Macho Man. Give the big man a big OHHHH YEAAAAA when you get there.

WWE Over the Limit 2011 Predictions

World Heavyweight Championship Match: Randy Orton (c) vs. Christian

I have not yet made my opinion clear about how much it annoyed me that the WWE writers gave the title to Christian just because it would be a feel good moment with Edge. Then, 2 days (or as the on screen time stated 5 days) later take it off him in favor of Randy Orton. I did mention in my last prediction that Christian would be an in between champion for Alberto Del Rio. I also now noticed that I said that TWICE after knowing the Del Rio was going to Raw. So, I am a complete idiot. But, i still think that Christian would have dropped the title at the next PPV to someone. I didn't think they would do it so soon and give it to (shocking) recently acquired Randy Orton.

With that being said, I wish that the WWE writers believed in Christian more than they do. I mean, there is a rumor that most of the backstage people think that Christian would not be a good champion. Hold that thought. *Runs to Wikipedia* Look, he held the NWA Heavyweight Title for almost a year combined over two reigns. So, yea, he totally can't hold a title in an organization that is currently thriving. I think the WWE writers need to watch the other organization some more when they say that Christian can't hold a title.

I don't think they will give Christian will get the title back at the next PPV, even though that he should get the title back and hold it, since he is very popular in the WWE. Oh well. I hope that I am wrong and they give Christian another shot.

Winner: Randy Orton

"I Quit" Match for the WWE Championship: John Cena (c) vs. The Miz

Best tweet I read the night that Randy Orton won the title: "Oh shocking. Cena and Orton are on top of the WWE once again" I might have paraphrased that a little bit, but that was pretty much the gist of the tweet. I wasn't shocked that someone finally said the obvious. But I am rather shocked that it is actually the truth. I also read somewhere that the WWE is not suspending the disbelief that the mid-card superstars have a shot at beating the main event superstars. That the main event superstars are all the same and every once in a while you get a random mid-carder propelled into the main event status to break the status quo (aka The Miz).

With that ALL being said. John Cena will retain the title for now. I still think he will drop it probably around Summerslam, probably to Alberto Del Rio, and win it back in time to defend it against The Rock at Wrestlemania. Now, what happens in that match I still haven't figured out. Once I see that feud open up again in December, I'll let you know.

Winner: John Cena

Intercontinental Championship: Wade Barrett (c) vs. Ezekiel Jackson

I find it random that after all the in-fighting between the Corre on Smackdown led to only Ezekiel Jackson being taken out of the group and causing a feud to start. So, it makes me wonder: Is the entire group going to be disbanded because of this match? I mean, if Ezekiel Jackson wins the title at this PPV, then the group is going to turn on each other, Wade Barrett is going to go into single status and go after the title, and the other two will probably continue into the tag team role or fade off TV again.

What do I think will happen? Exactly what I just said is going happen in the last paragraph. Ezekiel Jackson will take the title and probably rot in mid-card hell when he loses the title very quickly.

Winner and New Champion: Ezekiel Jackson

Kiss my Foot Match: Jerry Lawler vs. Michael Cole

I do believe I mentioned in the last predictions that this feud will finally end at the next PPV. With the stipulations they added to this match, it makes me believe that the feud will definitely end with a Jerry win. Why would they put Cole into the HoF that quickly, give away Jerry's ring to Cole, if only to prolong the feud further. I think the feud has definitely run its course and needs to finish once and for all.

Now, I wrote all that before Raw. Which I am now realizing that I should probably hold my predictions until I see all the shows before the PPV. With the stipulation of the match being a Kiss My Foot match and Swagger (supposedly) being out of the picture, there is no doubt that Lawler finally gets the win.

Winner: Jerry Lawler

Rey Mysterio vs. R-Truth

So, this match showcases how to fix a broken feud. Since John Morrison is out with a legit injury, the feud that I called last month during that Triple Threat Match, they had to continue the R-Truth heel turn somehow. As much as I hate to admit it, Rey is a very good launching point for most up and coming characters. Since R-Truth has brought out this very good heel persona very quickly, I think that putting him in a feud with Rey might give him a chance to get into the championship picture in the near future.

That being said, I think Truth gets the win. Might try to take out Rey a little more after match in his little crazy thing.

Winner: R-Truth

Tag Team Championship: Big Show & Kane vs. New Nexus (CM Punk & Mason Ryan)

I am actually getting sick of the Big Show and Kane getting beaten up by both the Nexus and the Corre. Granted, it works because those two do not get into many feud with teams/people that can take them down. So, in that sense, it is fine to watch them go down on occasion. But, with them just battling the Corre on Smackdown and then go to Raw and take on the Corre... I mean Nexus again, it gets stale. So, needless to say, I don't really care about this match.

Show and Kane keep the title for now. I don't think the Nexus will take the titles. I don't know who will and to be honest, do you really care? The Tag Team division in WWE has been slowly dying a slow death (and yes, the redundancy is necessary) and is really only there because of the tradition of tag teams. There is no real great tag team anymore. Which sucks, because I long for teams like the Hardys, Dudleys, E&C, New Age Outlaws again. That would be awesome.

Winners: Big Show and Kane

Sin Cara vs. Chavo Guerrero

Now this is a random feud that is brewing on Smackdown. Sin Cara comes into the WWE and just has a lot of random matches with random people. Including bigger opponents like Jack Swagger. Then along comes Chavo Guerrero, who has not been a real regular on TV for a while now. He comes out during a Sin Cara match and claims that everything this guy is doing was once a move that his family used. Needless to say, once he started saying that, I knew that a feud was going to be brewing. I think it is a good idea to start Sin Cara on a feud and I actually think it would be good to use Chavo. Especially since he hasn't seen much TV time and maybe he can make a comeback of sorts.

I see Sin Cara continuing to build a winning streak in WWE. I think that this feud might flesh out over the next couple of months, which is great because I have been waiting for a good feud to start for a while now.

Winner: Sin Cara

Looking Back

I frequent the site Journalism Jobs a lot these days. Mainly, because it is a really good place to look for jobs in my field of Journalism. I get the sense of what I will eventually need down the road at most of the major news outlets (if I ever chose that route) and just how many jobs are actually still out there in my field. I know that I am the start of the New Media Journalism movement that is going to kick off in the next few years, with newsprint becoming obsolete soon and magazines all but dying the slow death that should have been a few years ago. But, it's amazing that the Old Media Journalism is still fighting to stay relevant.

That is not the reason I decided to post this evening, however. I posted because on finding one job post on there that I could actually apply to and maybe have a shot at getting, I had to go through my old clips from when I interned at the Eagle Tribune in 2008. Looking back on them (and remembering how much of them was fixed later in edit by the sports editor), it still amazes me that I had my stuff printed in a newspaper not 3 years ago. That I actually set in motion a career that I hope to one day embark upon and enjoy doing for many years.

If you read my stuff here, I think it's safe to say that I like to write and convey my feelings through print. Every time I post here, I try to do so that it is mostly professional, free of error, and the best I can do. Those who know me know that I suck at self-editing my stuff, so you could probably go through all my posts and find multiple errors just poking their head out and screaming blue murder. But, I said mostly professional, so get off my back. :) (totally unprofessional smiley face)

I have always written better than speaking my feelings. That's why I have so many poems from high school (and a few I wrote a month or so ago) and that's why I decided to get into the field I am getting into. My words have been my life for a long time. Using them to convey a message to a large audience and get paid to do it? Not a bad idea in my mind.

My favorite thing is to tell people that I have an interest in video game journalism. I wish I could record the majority of them, because a lot of them are gold. Well, a lot of them are the same thing. "*Snicker* You want to sit and play video games for a living?" Well, yea! Sports and video games are a passion of mine, so why not use them in my career path? I have never been good at art and drawing, so design is out. I have never truly been creative enough to write a script or write a script for a video game, so that's out. Telling people a story about something random or something that truly interests me? That my friends is how I found journalism.

Video game journalism just blends the two together. I get to tell people stories (news) about their favorite video games that are in development or already out. I get to give them my unbiased opinion on why they should or shouldn't buy the game. I also get to tell them what the next big thing in gaming will be and why they should pay attention. All things I am truly good at! It's a perfect blend!

And now that I have both used the word "and" at the beginning of a sentence and ranted about nothing really, I will go. Until next time...

WWE Extreme Rules 2011 Followup

So, Extreme Rules is now over and done with, so I figured I would post my reactions on how I did and what I think is in store.

I'll go in order of the matches that took place. I, of course, didn't predict two of the matches because I didn't know they would take place.

Last Man Standing Match: Randy Orton def. CM Punk

So, my prediction didn't hold water from the beginning of the match. The GM banned Nexus from ringside, so I totally lost my prediction from the start. So, I wasn't shocked to see Randy Orton win, because with Nexus there he was a shoe-in to finish the feud with a win. Nothing more really to say.

Tables Match for the U.S. Championship: Kofi Kingston def. Sheamus (c)

Now, I was kinda shocked after Smackdown went off the air Friday that both secondary titles were on the show. So, I knew going into the PPV or maybe on Raw, that this title, or the IC title would change hands before the end of next week. So, when this match was announced, I knew Kofi had already won the title.

Country Whipping Match: Cole/Swagger def. Lawler/Ross

I didn't get to order the PPV, because I am not rich, living with my parents, and really need to save to move out on my own. So, I am sad to say that I didn't get to see Cole walk down to the ring in bubble wrap. I have to imagine that it was pretty hilarious to watch him walk down like that. Now the outcome? Kinda shocked that they gave Cole another "win" in the feud. But, I still believe that the next PPV will be the climax, and hopefully shuts Cole up for good.

Falls Count Anywhere Match: Rey Mysterio def. Cody Rhodes

I said Rey would win, but I didn't imagine he would spew green slime into Cody's eyes to do it. But, it definitely reinforces the fact that Cody will be pissed on Friday and take it out on someone else.

Loser Leaves WWE: Layla def. Michelle McCool

I also said that Layla would win because I think Michelle wants to leave and spend time with the hubby. So, no shocker there. I was shocked to see them debut Kharma at the PPV like that. Not only that, but add insult to injury on Michelle. But hey, she had to debut sometime.

Ladder Match for the Heavyweight Championship: Christian def. Alberto Del Rio

I am fairly certain that I called that Edge would be involved somehow in the match, causing Alberto to lose. Now, I know it was only the horn, but he was still involved! I imagine that Edge will now go off TV for a while (he may show up at Smackdown and that will be his last appearance for a while), but Christian/Del Rio will continue until at least Summerslam, I imagine.

Lumberjack Match for the Tag Team Championships: Big Show/Kane def. The Corre (Ezekial Jackson/Wade Barrett)

This was another match I didn't predict because it wasn't there before the show. But, I will say that I imagine that they are dismantling the Corre just like they did the Nexus. I think that is wise, because unless they were finally planning on doing the Nexus vs. Corre match, then there really isn't a need for it anymore. Run its course, it has.

Triple Threat Steel Cage Match for the WWE Championship: John Cena def. The Miz (c) & John Morrison

Once again, I knew R-Truth would get involved, and knew so when I read that he cut a promo backstage at the start of the show. True to form, he took out Morrison and it became a battle between Miz and Cena. From what I read and saw on the site, the match was definitely better than the Wrestlemania match, which is good. But, I was shocked that they put the title back on Cena. This makes me wonder if they are going to keep it on him til Wrestlemania, which would be stupid. Before picking my winners, I did note to myself that if Cena won the title, he would lose it during the summer and regain it back at either November's PPV or the Royal Rumble. So, we'll just have to see how this goes.

So, 50% of the matches I got right. But, the Orton/Punk match wasn't a complete loss, because I knew Orton would win if it was a fair fight. It turned into a fair fight, so half a win on that match really. Anyway, I am off.