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.

WWE Extreme Rules 2011 Predictions

Now I am certain if you know me well enough, you know how much of a wrestling fan I can be. Wait, I guess they don't want to be called a wrestling company anymore. I am a huge WWE fan and have been watching since I was about 8. Last month, I posted on Twitter my predictions for each match at Wrestlemania. I got the majority of them right, so I figured I would throw down my predictions for the next PPV, which is WWE Extreme Rules. So, without further ado:

1. Michelle McCool vs. Layla (No DQ, No Countout, Loser Leaves WWE)

Right before Smackdown even came on the air, I checked Wikipedia for the list of matches. I thought for certain that this match had already been announced (and while yes, I do check the spoilers for Smackdown on occasion, I hadn't this week). So it wasn't a complete shocker that after a buildup from Smackdown to Raw and back again to SD, this match was announced tonight. What I didn't see coming was the stipulations. While that doesn't put too much of a damper on my prediction, it does make my prediction that much easier. Because Layla I think has a future with the WWE and Michelle has been wrestling for a while now, I see Layla winning.

Winner: Layla

2. Jerry Lawler & Jim Ross vs. Michael Cole & Jack Swagger (Country Whipping Match)

It is weird. Whenever they put Jim Ross in the ring, it tends to devolve into a whipping match. Shocking that it happened again, huh? Well, the difference is that he will be on a team with his longtime announcing partner in Jerry Lawler. While the feud between between Jerry and Cole has been a little too one sided (especially with Cole repeating the same word/phrase OVER AND OVER AGAIN IN ALL OF HIS FUCKING PROMOS!) I think it has to start twisting over to the good guys side. While Jerry did win but didn't win at Wrestlemania 27, I think he wins again at this PPV. It will set up the climax of the feud at the next PPV, and hopefully it shuts Cole up finally.

Winners: Jerry Lawler & Jim Ross

3. Rey Mysterio vs. Cody Rhodes (Falls Count Anywhere)

This feud is a weird one. When I put my predictions together for Wrestlemania on the fly, I mainly picked all the faces because I believes that the majority of them would win (and I was right). But, I picked Cody Rhodes because I thought that with the way they were fleshing out this injury angle, he would get a push. Needless to say, I was right. It also sucks that Mysterio always tends to be on the receiving end of a push. But, with Rey leaving to Raw after this match, I think he is going to go over there with a win over Rhodes. Especially since Cody has been embarrassing Rey the last two weeks on SD. Rey will win, Cody will get really pissed, and he will start a feud because of it with another SD superstar (I don't know who yet).

Winner: Rey Mysterio

4. Randy Orton vs. CM Punk (Last Man Standing)

This match is a weird one for me to pick. For one, Orton won at Wrestlemania and did it on "one leg". He also did it with an even playing ground, with him punting every Nexus member before the match. Now, the Nexus is back again to skew the playing level once again. So, how does this match play out? Well, the first half of the match will be "fair" and one-on-one. The two of them will beat each other up very nicely. But after the halfway point, Nexus is going to take over and I think that they will be the reason the Randy doesn't get up. It sends Orton to SD pissed off and CM Punk will be all smug on Raw for a few weeks.

Winner: CM Punk

5. Christian vs. Alberto Del Rio (Ladder Match for the World Heavyweight Championship)

This match is a weird oddity of chance. This match a few weeks ago was to determine the #1 contender for Edge's title. Then, we get the retirement of Edge because of his neck injury thus pushing Christian from mid-level sidekick of Edge who probably wasn't going to compete for the title until the end of the year maybe, to the new champion. Why will he be the champion and not a rising Alberto? Because I said about Wrestlemania that Alberto is definitely shining, he isn't ready to hold the title. I still believe that. I think he will win it in a couple of PPVs from now, but I think with Edge retiring (and was probably going to hold onto the title until Alberto won it from him), they are going to give Christian the title mainly because he is Edge's partner. Edge will be at the PPV and I won't be surprised if he gets involved in the match lightly. Like maybe to drop Alberto from the ladder or maybe give him a spear.

Winner: Christian

6. The Miz (c) vs. John Cena vs. John Morrison (Steel Cage Match for the WWE Championship)

I posted on Facebook in a note that I absolutely HATED the title match at Wrestlemania 27. I hated that it was just SO slow, Cena was not the Wrestlemania Cena that he usually is, and it was SHORT. Main events are supposed to be a little longer than what that was. Now, I understand that Miz probably did suffer a concussion and thus wouldn't have been able to end the match because of it (and thus the match was cut short), but it was just an overall sloppy match.

Now, three things are going to happen the night of Extreme Rules:

1. R-Truth is going to take out Morrison and the match will turn into a rematch of Cena vs. Miz.
2. R-Truth is going to take out Morrison and he will be inserted into the match instead.
3. R-Truth is going to take out Morrison DURING the match, and allow the other two to finish the match without him.

In all those scenarios, this match is going to be the launching point for an R-Truth/Morrison feud that is going to brew for the entirety of the summer. It has already started on Raw and will just flesh out the R-Truth heel turn and maybe launch him into a title match soon. I think turning R-Truth into a heel was a good move, now they just need to flesh it out some.

Now, I just spent three paragraphs about what the match is going to do in the future, but didn't predict a winner yet. Initially, I have thought that Cena is going to win the title, but now I am unsure. I don't know why they are keeping the title on the Miz for so long, but I think they are doing it because he obviously is showing the bookers something to keep it on him. While I think that Cena will get his wish (and defend the title against the Rock at Wrestlemania 28), I don't think he will win it until later. Maybe the November PPV or Royal Rumble. So, I think The Miz holds onto the title (unfortunately).

Winner: The Miz

The aftermath of the PPV:

• Michelle McCool is going to take some time off from the WWE or might leave for good. Layla might get another title because of it.
• Cody Rhodes is going to be pissed about his loss to Rey that he will start taking it out on the SD locker room and enter into another long feud.
• Jerry and Cole continue their feud for one more PPV. I think Cole might end up leaving the WWE for a while because of it.
• Christian becomes an in-between champion from Edge's end until Alberto Del Rio's eventually title reign. He might continue the feud with him leftover from Edge.
• Cena will probably challenge Miz again at the next PPV for the title, but won't win it until November or January. He will defend it against the Rock at Wrestlemania 28.

That is all I have. Let's see how much I get right! See you Sunday!