5 REASONS TO BUY BATMAN: YEAR ONE ON DVD

Hello Class,

Today I'm going to give you 5 reasons to pick up Batman: Year One on DVD:









 Origin of Batman
In 1987 Frank Miller wrote Batman: Year One and changed the way we see Batman today. From this book we see how Batman became the Dark Knight Detective. Miller gave Batman a reason to exist as Gotham City was so corrupt that it needed a Batman to give it hope. Without this book and Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Christopher Nolan and Tim Burton would have had nothing to draw from for their films.

Origin of Jim Gordon
The animated movie like the comic book focuses on Jim Gordon, a former Chicago police detective who returns home to Gotham City with his pregnant wife. Jim Gordon is a cop who has lost faith in the system and hates the corruption in Gotham but refuses to be corrupted by the Gotham Police.

He finds an ally in Batman and the two begin a friendship that will bring hope to Gotham.

Action and Animation
For fans of Batman and comics there is a lot of action in this film and the animation is beautiful. All the characters pop off of the screen.




(Image Courtesy of Google Images)

Catwoman
This movie also features the origin story of Selina Kyle aka Catwoman as a prostitute in Gotham with her young friend Holly. There is also a Catwoman animated short film written by Paul Dini (Batman: TAS and Superman: TAS) that shows Catwoman as a sexy and powerful woman and it has a connection to the Batman: Year One animated movie.

(Image Courtesy of Google Images)

Eliza Dushku
Catwoman/Selina is voiced in the feature-length movie and the short by Eliza Dushku (Buffy, Angel, Bring It On!). ELIZA. DUSHKU. IS. THE. VOICE. OF. CATWOMAN. Need I say more? So Go Buy it!!!

This movie is definitely for teenagers and adults but also it's easy to understand whether you're a comic book fan like me or not.

If you like this blog tweet me @SEMSCORPIO at this LINK.

Class Dismissed,
The Professor

WHAT'S IN A NAME?

 
James Storm
(Picture Courtesy of Google Images)


Last night at the TNA Impact tapings, James Storm beat Kurt Angle and won the World Heavyweight Championship according to ProWrestling.net. The title change can be seen on Thursday night on Spike TV(Check Local Listings).


This is a great thing as Storm is a credible wrestler who can cut a good promo and has been with TNA since 2002 and the fans love him.



Bobby Roode
(Image Courtesy of Google Images)


TNA had been building to a set up where Bobby Roode would win the title at Bound For Glory but that changed when Hulk Hogan thought that Roode was not ready for the title run, according to PWInsider.


Marketing has been a huge part of wrestling ever since the 80's when Hulk Hogan and Vince McMahon changed wrestling in 1984 with Hulkamania. From then on, every wrestler had to have a persona that was "Larger Than Life" in order to become the World Champion.


When Hulk Hogan said that Bobby Roode wasn't ready, it didn't mean that he couldn't wrestle or wasn't a good athlete. It meant that he didn't have a persona that was larger than life like Hogan's in the 80's.


The "Tennesee Cowboy"James Storm does and that's why he won the World title. He lives in the South, drinks beer and likes to have a good time. Fans can relate to that.


I don't blame Robert Roode, I blame TNA creative. They don't have the best track record for giving their performers personas that fans can buy into.


Four years ago Robert Roode was "Mr. Money"  and was supposed to be some guy who was rich due to investments. That didn't work because TNA didn't put any marketing into it such as video packages or Roode using his "money" to buy lavish things or embarass fans like the WWE did with the "Million Dollar Man" Ted Dibiase in the mid-80's.


Fans respond to a name that tells them something about a wrestler's persona or the way he wrestles. In WWE, Bret Hart was "The Hitman" or "The Excellence of Execution." As a fan when I heard that I knew exactly what to expect from Bret Hart.


Bobby Roode needs a name that highlights his athletic ability like, "The Natural" or "The All-Star."



Matt Morgan
(Picture Courtesy of Google Images)


Matt Morgan also needs a name that highlights his athletic ability and his arrogant persona. He's an intense big man who has a believable style where he can hurt you with a few moves because of his size.


But he is saddled with "The BluePrint" as his moniker. The name isn't as intense as Morgan and doesn't say "I'm the Best Big Man in this Business" which Morgan believes he is. I know Morgan came up with "The BluePrint" moniker but someone in TNA should have said that wasn't the best one to use. Morgan should use a moniker like "MVP" or "The Alpha Male" to communicate to fans what he is all about.


I've heard Hulk Hogan and Kurt Angle say that the talent need to "step up." Well I say TNA needs to write storylines and create personas that can make the talent larger than life and appeal to fans so they can step up.


Class Dismissed, 
The Professor 

MY FAVORITE INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPIONS

(Courtesy of Google Images)

Hello Class,


Now that Cody Rhodes has brought back the Intrercontinental title used in the 80's and 90's I thought I would write a blog about my favorite wrestlers that held that title.


1. "MACHO MAN" RANDY SAVAGE



The "Macho Man" beat Tito Santana in 1986 with illegal tactics and became one of the fastest rising stars in WWE. While Hulk Hogan was the good guy champion everyone loved, Savage could be the villain people loved to hate but also one of the most entertaining wrestlers ever with his outfits and interviews. One of the great things about Savage was his interviews. Check out "WWE: Macho Madness - The Randy Savage Ultimate Collection" for some of Savage's best and most entertaining interviews. Randy Savage would go on to lose the Intercontinental title to Ricky Steamboat at Wrestlemania 3 in 1987. But it was the start of a wonderful career in WWE as he would win the WWE World title twice before leaving the WWE in 1994. We lost Macho Man this past May but he will never be forgotten OHHHH YEAHHH!!!


2. "MR. PERFECT" CURT HENNING

(Courtesy of Google Images)

Curt Henning beat Tito Santana in 1990 to become the WWE Intercontinental Champion. A former AWA World Champion, Henning was one of the best wrestlers of his generation. He set a standard with his technical ability and his cockiness that made every fan believe that he was "Absolutely Perfect." Many people when they think of the Intercontinental title, they think about Mr. Perfect. 

  3. "THE HITMAN" BRET HART

(Courtesy of Google Images and WWE)

During his reign as Intercontinental Champion, "The Excellence of Execution" defended his title against everybody and anybody that wanted it. He is a two-time WWE Intercontinental Champion beating "Mr. Perfect" and "Rowdy" Roddy Piper. In an era that celebrated big guys like Hulk Hogan and The Ultimate Warrior, that used their power to defeat opponents, Bret Hart was something different. He used his intelligence and skill to break an opponent down and subsequently make them submit to the Sharpshooter. I became a fan of Bret Hart when he was the Intercontinantal Champ because Bret Hart made me believe in wrestling.

One of the great things about these three men is that they treated the Intercontinental title like it was the most important title in the company. That's missing in today's wrestling in both WWE and Impact Wrestling.

If you like this post or would just like to comment on the blog you can tweet me @SEMSCORPIO.

Class Dismissed,
The Professor

5 GUYS THAT SHOULD BE CHAMPIONS IN IMPACT WRESTLING

Good Afternoon Class,

Today I want to look at 5 wrestlers that should be champions in IMPACT WRESTLING. In my opinion, it doesn't matter if they are World, TV, or X-Division champions, these guys can make the program exciting and fun to watch if given the right opponents and marketed correctly.

1. MATT MORGAN


(Courtesy of Google Images)

"The BluePrint" has been with Impact Wrestling since 2007 and has had great matches with the likes of Kurt Angle, A.J. Styles, Mr. Anderson, Sting, and Jeff Hardy. All these men have been World Champions but not Matt Morgan.  With his atleticism and size (he is 7-feet tall and 330lbs.) he could be the X-Division champion as well. He had title shots against Jeff Hardy in 2010 but was passed over by Imapct Wrestling management so that Mr. Anderson could win the title from Hardy. In 2009, at Impact Wrestling's October PPV, Bound For Glory, he had a match with Kurt Angle. That match could have been for the world title but Impact Wrestling promoters decided to take the title off of Angle a month earlier and put it on A.J. Styles. I always thought that was a mistake, because if Morgan had won the title from Angle at that event he would have been launched as a major star.  

I hope that Impact Wrestling realizes what they have and places Morgan in a title program soon so that he can prove how valuable he is to the company.

2. JAMES STORM

(Courtesy of Google Images)

The "Tennesse Cowboy" has been with Impact Wrestling since its inception in 2002. He has been a multi-time tag champion with Chris Harris and Bobby Roode. He can cut a great promo and he definitely appeals to people of all ages. He's a guy who likes to drink beer and fight and who doesn't like a guy like that? He had a great match with Kurt Angle on Impact last week and he is surely a top draw no matter what title he holds.

3. CRIMSON

(Courtesy of Google Images)

Since entering Impact Wrestling, Crimson(Tommy Mercer) has been a force. Impact Wrestling has given him a great push with his undefeated streak and feuds with top stars like Abyss and Samoa Joe. Due to his size (he is 6 foot 6, 260 lbs.), strength, and badass look, he has great fan support. It wouldn't surprise me to see the X-Division or Tag-Team title around his waist in 3-4 months.

4. The Pope

(Courtesy of Impact Wrestling)

"The Pope" (Elijah Burke) is one of the most charismatic people in Impact Wrestling. His promo style is great and it reminds me of a mix between Dusty Rhodes and Randy Savage. Recently Pope has been in some lackluster feuds with Samoa Joe and now Brother Devon as the bad guy. He is much better as a good guy and deserves a World title or X-Division title run.

5. Austin Aries

(Courtesy of Google Images)

The former Ring of Honor World Champion and current Impact Wrestling X-Division champion is currently in a feud with Brian Kendrick but I'd rather see him in a feud with any of the four men listed above on this list. Those feuds would really make Impact interesting. Aries has been wrestling for over a decade and is one of the best wrestlers in the world. Any feud that he's in will be excellent when he's the antagonist. Despite being a small wrestler (He's about 5'10 and 220 lbs.) he can hold his own against anyone and could be the Impact Wrestling world champion.

Hopefully Impact Wrestling will see the potential in these men and use them to make their company more marketable and their storylines more interesting. These 5 guys are the future of Impact Wrestling and the business itself.

Class Dismissed,
The Professor