MY TOP 3 FAVORITE WWE CHAMPIONS

In the history of WWE there are certain WWE champions that have left an indelible mark on me as a wrestling fan.

BRET "THE HITMAN" HART



In my mind Bret Hart was the reason I became a wrestling fan. I became a fan in 1991. The Hulk Hogan era was fading out. There was a new era coming in being led by smaller wrestlers like Bret, Curt "Mr. Perfect" Hennig, and Shawn Michaels. Bret as World Champion provided intense matches where he often used his technical skills to overcome much bigger opponents. Bret was a classic fighting champion who never quit and was always fighting for the honor and glory of the title.

DWAYNE "THE ROCK" JOHNSON


Long before he was a Hollywood movie star, Dwayne Johnson was "The Rock." An entertaining wrestler with a larger than life attitude. His great looks and entertaining catchphrases made him a favorite among fans. His incredible rivalries with Triple H, Mick "Mankind" Foley, and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin cemented his position as one of the greatest WWE champions that ever lived.

"STONE COLD" STEVE AUSTIN

Like Hulk Hogan before him, Stone Cold struck a chord with wrestling fans. Whereas Hogan was the ultimate good guy like John Wayne, Steve Austin was a rebel with a cause like Clint Eastwood. During the late 90's Austin captured fans' imaginations with an intense attitude like nothing you've ever seen before. He was the common man who fought against his maniacal boss, Vince McMahon and his corporate structure. Austin's great rivalries with "The Rock" and Vince made him the greatest superstar ever and made the wrestling business Must-See-TV.

Though all three of these men are different in so many ways, they have one thing in common: Their passion and dedication to the wrestling business made them great champions and entertained millions of fans.

The Professor

DVD Review: Justice League: Doom

Image Courtesy of Google

The Plot

Batman has created contingency plans to neutralize the JLA if they ever turn on the world. These plans are altered by Vandal Savage as he assembles a Legion of Doom (Bane, Star Sapphire, Metallo, Cheetah, Mirror Master, and Ma'alefa'ak). Each member of the Legion of Doom attacks the Justice League exploiting their greatest weaknesses. Batman finds a way to save each League member and reveals that he came up with the plans. The League comes together and vanquishes the villains and afterwards Batman leaves the League rather than wait on a vote on whether he should still be a member or not. The fact is that Batman isn't wrong for creating contingency plans for the League but it is the fact that he doesn't say anything to them. That's where the breach of trust comes in.

What I liked:

1. The Action was great and the battles were superb as always from Bruce Timm and Co.

2. The animation was also wonderful and made each character look realistic yet powerful.

3. Batman is the lone wolf and this is exhibited through out the film. Batman decides to take on the   Royal Flush Gang by himself in the beginning of the film and this establishes the motif of the whole film.

4. I love the fact that Vandal Savage knows Batman's secret identity. It adds a lot of credibility to his character as a supervillain.

5 Cyborg is used well and we haven't seen him do this much since Superfriends: Galactic Guardians.

What I didn't like:

There's not a lot of character development in this movie and that's a little frustrating. For example, we never get to explore why Hal supports Batman's decision to have contingency plans. I assume it's because he's an air force pilot and understands Batman's position from a strategic standpoint.

Overall, "Justice League: Doom" is a great movie and I recommend it for anyone who loves DC. This is the best JLA movie so far. Kudos to Mark Waid and the late great Dwayne McDuffie.

PAUL HEYMAN RETURNS TO WWE

Image Courtesy of Google

Last night on RAW, Paul Heyman returned to the WWE. He was acting as the "representative" of Brock  Lesnar just as he did in 2002 when Lesnar first arrived in WWE.

Heyman announced that Brock will not return to WWE due to unfair treatment by upper management. It should be interesting to see how this storyline plays out especially with Heyman involved.

It was good to see Heyman again. He was always one of the most brilliant minds in professional wrestling.

The Professor

AVENGERS GROSSES OVER 200 MILLION IN OPENING WEEKEND

Image Courtesy of Google Images

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY reports that Marvel's The Avengers movie grossed 200.3 million dollars in its opening weekend making it the biggest opening weekend for any movie.

Overseas it has grossed 441.5 million dollars since opening on April 25th, giving it a total gross of over 641.8 million dollars worldwide.

The real question now is: Will The Dark Knight Rises surpass these numbers?

The Professor

JOHN LEGEND REPLACES LIONEL RICHIE ON ABC'S DUETS

John Legend and Fiance Chrissy Teigen
(Courtesy of Google Images)

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY reports that John Legend will replace Lionel Richie on ABC's singing competition, "Duets" this Summer. He joins Robin Thicke, Kelly Clarkson, and Jennifer Nettles as mentors and judges.

Lionel Richie cited  “personal scheduling conflicts,” according to a statement fron his rep.

I wonder if ABC wanted someone younger to appeal to the 18-49 demographic which John Legend fits along with the other judges.

The Professor

Fringe gets renewal: Networks are listening to the Nerds

(Courtesy of Google Images)

According to THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, Fringe got renewed for a fifth and final season from Fox. It will run for 13 episodes so that writers can create a full and satisfying story for its fans.

Eventhough "Fringe" hovers around 3 million viewers on Fridays, Fox still renewed it. Fox Entertainment Chief, Kevin Reilly said, in regards to the renewal, “Fringe is a remarkably creative series that has set the bar as one of television’s most imaginative dramas. Bringing it back for a final 13 allows us to provide the climactic conclusion that its passionate and loyal fans deserve."

Kevin Reilly is a fan of Fringe and it's important to note that he realizes how much this show means to its fans. Finally, executives are thinking about what people like instead of the financial implications. Yes, Fox is losing money on "Fringe" but it is giving it a shot to tell its story. Once the fifth season is completed Fringe will have 100 episodes and can be sold into syndication.

"CHUCK" On NBC which ended its run in January got renewed  for 13 episodes in its fifth and final season but it only had 91 episodes in total. But in both cases network executives realized the loyal fanbase both shows had despite their low ratings and renewed them.

(Courtesy of Google Images)

Hopefully this starts a trend where executives re(cognize the passion of fans and keep shows that may not have the best ratings but a loyal audience.

Class Dismissed,
The Professor