MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS

I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and a Happy Holiday.

THE PROFESSOR

BROCK LESNAR VS A.J. STYLES: A MODERN CLASSIC

Brock Lesnar vs. A.J. Styles at Survivor Series 2017

Last night at Survivor Series 2017 Brock Lesnar defeated A.J. Styles in a Champion vs. Champion match for the ages. Brock Lesnar came into the match as the Universal Champion for RAW and AJ represented Smackdown as the WWE Champion. Brock Lesnar dominated early with suplexes and power moves but A.J. used his speed and quickness to off set Lesnar. When Brock attempted a running knee in the corner A.J. dodged it and Lesnar hit his knee and A.J.  focused on Brock's knee and attempted a flying forearm leading to a cover, which Brock kicked out of. When A.J. attempted a second flying forearm Brock caught him and delivered an F-5 to A.J. Styles. Brock walked out as the winner and A.J. gained more respect from the fans. 

As a fan this was the classic big man vs. small man match with two of the very best wrestlers of this era. Brock is a beast and A.J. Styles is a great hybrid of wrestling and aerial ability. This is the type of match that WWE needs to focus on more with wrestlers that fans want to see compete against each other. 

I haven't always been the biggest Brock Lesnar fan but he has delivered some of the best matches in the last five years against opponents like The Undertaker, Seth Rollins and John Cena, and Samoa Joe.  Last night was another testament to why Brock is a once in a lifetime athlete. 

With this match, Brock Lesnar and A.J. Styles have cemented their spots in the WWE Hall Of Fame in my opinion. Thank you Brock Lesnar, Thank you A.J. Styles, and Thank you WWE for this amazing match. 

THE PROFESSOR

MAGNUM P.I. REBOOT ORDERED AT CBS

TOM SELLECK AS MAGNUM P.I.

CBS has ordered another reboot of a classic 80's series: Magnum P.I according to TVLine. The original series starred Tom Selleck as Thomas Sullivan Magnum an ex-Navy Seal who served in Vietnam. At 33 he goes to Hawaii and becomes a private detective. The series ran from 1980 to 1988 on CBS. The showrunner for the rebooted versions of Hawaii Five-O and MacGuyver, Peter Lenkov will write the pilot for the series along with Eric Guggenheim, a writer on Hawaii Five-O. 

The new reboot will follow the format of the original series as Magnum solves cases and deals with returning veterans coming home from combat. A timely issue in today's world. 

As someone who grew up in the 80's it will be interesting to see who they cast as "Magnum" and hopefully he will be just as charismatic as Tom Selleck was in the role. Only time will tell but I'll definitely be watching this new series. 

Class Dismissed, 
THE PROFESSOR

KURT ANGLE RETURNS TO ACTION IN WWE AT TLC

KURT ANGLE

This Sunday at TLC (Tables, Ladders and Chairs) Network Special, Kurt Angle will wrestle in WWE for the first time in over 10 years. Angle will be in the main event replacing Roman Reigns in The Shield when they fight The Miz, Sheamus, Cesaro, Braun Strowman, and Kane. Roman Reigns is out of the main event due to illness. 

Angle's last match was in March of 2017 against Cody Rhodes in Northeast Wrestling. Angle worked for Impact Wrestling from 2007 to 2016. 

This is huge news for WWE and Angle should do well in the match. Hopefully Angle will be used sparingly in the match and do a big hero spot at the end making The Miz tap out to the ankle lock. 

Welcome Back Kurt! You're the best in the world.

THE PROFESSOR

R.I.P. LANCE RUSSELL

Lance Russell with Ric Flair in WCW

Lance Russell, the legendary voice of Memphis Wrestling has died at the age of 91. For over three decades he was the play by play announcer for Memphis Wrestling calling some of the greatest matches and working with some of the most recognizable names in wrestling. Many legendary names worked in Memphis before they were stars in WWE like Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, "Mr. Perfect" Curt Hennig, "Macho Man" Randy Savage, "Ravishing" Rick Rude, King Kong Bundy, Sting, The Rock, and Jerry "The King" Lawler.

 
Jerry "The King" Lawler and Lance Russell

In Memphis Wrestling, Lance Russell and Jerry Lawler were an entertaining team on TV with chemistry akin to Howard Cosell and Muhammad Ali on ABC Wild World of Sports. Lawler was the biggest star in Memphis Wrestling because of Lance Russell. Lance had a calm delivery that gave credibility to all of the storylines that Memphis Wrestling created. The audience trusted Lance Russell and that made them love Memphis Wrestling. 

If you want to learn more about Memphis Wrestling and Lance Russell then watch the documentary Memphis Heat. 

Thank you Mr. Russell. Your contributions to the wrestling business will never be forgotten.

THE PROFESSOR

R.I.P. HUGH HEFNER

HUGH HEFNER

Hugh Hefner, the publisher of Playboy Magazine passed away on Wednesday Sept. 27th at the age of 91. Hefner began Playboy in 1953 with Marilyn Monroe on the cover and an inside pictorial. Now over six decades later Playboy is an entertainment and media empire worth millions of dollars.


Pamela Anderson on Playboy January 1996 cover

Playboy has featured some of the most beautiful women in the world helping to launch the careers of many celebrities including Pamela Anderson, Jenny McCarthy, Kelly Monaco, Cindy Crawford,  Elle McPherson, and Kim Kardashian.

In the 1960's and 1970's Playboy further entrenched itself in pop culture with the TV show Playboy After Dark. Hefner would be joined by some of the biggest celebrities of the time including George Carlin, Jerry Lewis, Bill Cosby, and Sammy Davis Jr. 

Hugh Hefner was a visionary in entertainment and provided an escape to millions of Americans through Playboy. He will be missed but he will never be forgotten. 

THE PROFESSOR

R.I.P. BOBBY "THE BRAIN" HEENAN

Bobby Heenan

Bobby Heenan, one of the greatest performers in wrestling both inside and outside of the ring has died. He was 72 years old. Bobby Heenan came to worldwide fame as a wrestling manager in the WWE during the 1980's as he managed some of the biggest stars in the industry such as Andre The Giant, King Kong Bundy, Ric Flair, Rick Rude,  "Mr. Perfect " Curt Hennig, Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard among others.


Bobby Heenan, Nick Bockwinkel, and Harley Race

Bobby Heenan first came to prominence in the AWA (American Wrestling Association) as the manager of Nick Bockwinkel. Bockwinkel and Heenan were a great pair as two arrogant bad guys. Bockwinkel playing his role as the star athlete and Heenan as his cocky manager. They would have great success working against Verne Gagne who was the promoter and main event star of the promotion with Bockwinkel becoming World Champion four times. It was in the AWA where Bobby Heenan would meet Hulk Hogan. Hogan became a main event star in the AWA and would challenge Bockwinkel for the championship on numerous occasions.



Andre The Giant, Haku, and Bobby Heenan

By the 1980's Vince McMahon and the WWE were taking over the wrestling business and grabbing all the talent from different areas promising more money and a global stage. Bobby Heenan left the AWA and joined the WWE in 1985. Heenan would manage "The Heenan Family" a rotating group of bad guys that included Andre The Giant, King Kong Bundy, Ric Flair,  Rick Rude,  "Mr. Perfect " Curt Hennig, Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard and others. The Heenan Family would work against heroes like Hogan and The Junkyard Dog.


Hulk Hogan vs Andre The Giant at Wrestlemania 3

Bobby Heenan's greatest moment may have been in 1987 at Wrestlemania 3 when he managed Andre The Giant against Hulk Hogan for the World title. Andre was billed as being unbeaten and over 90,000 fans packed the Pontiac Silverdome to see if Hulk Hogan could do the impossible. Andre would lose that night but the spectacle of that match would put all three men in the history books forever. 


Bobby Heenan and "Mr. Perfect" Curt Hennig

In later years Bobby Heenan retired from managing and became a color commentator or as he once called it a "broadcast journalist" working for the WWE until 1993 and then moving onto WCW (World Championship Wrestling) until they closed in 2001. Bobby was inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame in 2004.

Thank you Mr. Heenan. The memories you've given fans will endure forever. 

THE PROFESSOR

R.I.P. RICHARD ANDERSON

RICHARD ANDERSON AS OSCAR GOLDMAN

Richard Anderson, who rose to fame in the 70's in the classic TV shows, The Six Million Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman died on August 31st. He was 91 years old. Anderson portrayed Oscar Goldman on shows who is the head of OSI (Office of Scientific Intelligence) that gives bionic implants to Steve Austin (Lee Majors) after he is badly injured in an airplane crash. The show was based on a book called Cyborg by Martin Caidin. Anderson would go on to play Oscar Goldman in The Bionic Woman which starred Lindsay Wagner as Jaime Sommers.

Anderson had a long and prolific career throughout the 60's, 70's and 80's appearing on many classic TV shows including Perry Mason, The Rifleman, Gunsmoke, Knight Rider, The A-Team, Murder She Wrote, and Remington Steele. 

As a fan of classic TV and of comic books I had to write this blog about Richard Anderson. When he came to fame as Oscar Goldman in The Six Million Dollar Man, science fiction TV shows were not as popular as they are now. The Six Million Dollar Man TV show combined action, adventure, and espionage to create a long-lasting imprint on pop culture that is still felt today. 

Thank you Mr. Anderson for your contributions to the entertainment industry. You will never be forgotten. 

THE PROFESSOR

NBC IS GOING TO REBOOT THE MUNSTERS AND MIAMI VICE

THE MUNSTERS

NBC is heading back to 1313 Mockingbird Lane as the network is planning to do a reboot of the classic TV show The Munsters according to TVLine with Seth Meyers as an Executive Producer. The original TV show ran from 1964 to 1966 and put a family of monsters in a fictional California suburb. The Munsters were a normal American family that didn't realize they were monsters and the comedy came from their human neighbors reacting to them.

The new concept of the show is that The Munsters will still be a family out of place but in Brooklyn, New York with hipster neighbors. This reminds me a lot of The Brady Bunch Movie that became a hit in 1995 when it placed the 1970's Brady Bunch in 1995 and let the comedy ensue. This isn't the only reboot that NBC is planning.



NBC just recently announced another property that want to revisit as Vin Diesel is working on a reboot of Miami Vice according to Variety. The series which ran from 1984 to 1989 featured  Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas as Crockett and Tubbs,  two undercover cops fighting against the seedy underworld of Miami. 

The Munsters and Miami Vice are memorable series that could work as reboots. The question is, Will audiences tune in? As a fan of classic television, I know that I will. 

Class Dismissed,
THE PROFESSOR

FRANK MILLER AND JOHN ROMITA JR. TO DO SUPERMAN: YEAR ONE

Clark Kent/Superman

At Comic-Con this past weekend it was announced that Frank Miller and John Romita Jr. will be tackling Superman's origin story in Superman: Year One. This isn't the first time that Miller and Romita Jr. have worked together as they collaborated on Daredevil: The Man Without Fear in the 1990's. John Romita Jr. is one of the most renowned artists in the world having worked on all of the major characters in the comics industry including Superman, Spider-Man, and Wolverine.

Daredevil by Frank Miller

Frank Miller is known for redefining iconic characters. His run on Daredevil and Batman in the 1980's have become seminal works influencing the Batman movies, and Netflix's Daredevil live action series. 

Batman in The Dark Knight Returns

In the 1980's Frank Miller wrote two seminal works on Batman: The Dark Knight Retuns and Batman: Year One. The Dark Knight Returns focused on an older Batman returning after a 10 year retirement to face off against old and new enemies in Gotham as well as the U.S. Government. In Batman: Year One Miller told the origin story of Bruce Wayne and Commissioner Jim Gordon.  

As a fan I'm extremely excited for Frank Miller's take on Superman's origin story. There are no details on when the book will arrive but I'll definitely be first in line when it comes out. 

Class Dismissed, 

THE PROFESSOR

R.I.P. MARTIN LANDAU

Martin Landau as Rollin Hand in Mission:Impossible

On July 15th, Martin Landau, one of the most prolific actors of his generation passed away at the age of 89. Mr. Landau's career spanned six decades appearing in such movies as Ed Wood and North by Northwest. Landau won an Oscar for his portrayal of Bela Lugosi in Ed Wood. Mr. Landau may be best known for his role as Rollin Hand on the Mission: Impossible TV series on which he appeared on from 1966-1969.

The 1960's may have been Martin Landau's best decade as an actor as he starred in many classic TV shows during the golden age of television including Bonanza,  Gunsmoke, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., The Twilight Zone, The Wild Wild West, The Rifleman, The Untouchables, The Detectives,  The Outer Limits. The only 1960's TV show that he didn't star in was Star Trek. 

Martin Landau was the first choice of Gene Roddenberry, the creator of Star Trek, to portray Mr. Spock on Star Trek. Mr. Landau turned it down. In a documentary, "The Pioneers of Television" he explained that he thought playing the emotionless Mr. Spock was the "antithesis of why I became an actor" and that Leonard Nimoy was a much better choice for the role. In an interesting turn of events Leonard Nimoy would replace Mr. Landau in Mission: Impossible when he left the series in 1969. 

Thank you Mr. Landau for your great contributions to the entertainment industry. You paved a road that many are walking down today. You will never be forgotten. 

Class Dismissed, 
THE PROFESSOR

THREE REASONS WHY PACQUIAO VS. HORN WAS A SUCCESS FOR ESPN

Manny Pacquiao vs. Jeff Horn

This past Saturday night on ESPN, Jeff Horn defeated Manny Pacquiao by unanimous decision to become the new WBO Welterweight champion in a stunning upset.  While many are upset with the judges scoring, here are three reasons why I think the event was a big success for ESPN:

CONTROVERSY CREATES CASH

Everyone on social media was talking about the controversial decision Saturday night. Even Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers weighed in on the controversy calling boxing a "joke". ESPN received a lot of free publicity from this fight which will make their next boxing events even bigger. This could even amount to a bigger rating for the network when Manny Pacquiao faces Horn in the rematch. 

BOXING WAS BACK ON FREE TELEVISION AND GOT GREAT RATINGS

USA TODAY reports that the Pacquiao-Horn fight was the highest rated fight on cable TV this decade with a 1.8 rating and a 2.4 overnight rating. It was the highest rated fight on ESPN networks since the mid 1990's. ESPN treated this fight like an event promoting it through it's highest rated shows including First Take and SportsCenter. Now that ESPN has partnered with Top Rank and Bob Arum, they have the opportunity to create some great fights and build its own brand of stars like HBO has with Canelo Alvarez, Triple G, and Andre Ward. 

ESPN CREATED THEIR OWN "ROCKY" STORY

Jeff Horn became a modern day Rocky when he beat Manny Pacquiao for the WBO Welterweight title. No one gave Horn a chance as everyone thought this would be an easy fight for Pacquiao. Horn's style was unorthodox and he was aggressive all night as he made Manny Pacquiao look "old" but at 38, Pacquiao showed the heart of a champion and fought to the end. He was gracious in defeat and said that he would like a rematch. Even if Horn loses to Pacquiao in a rematch he can still say that he beat one of the biggest names in boxing in his native Australia. Horn will be a star in his home country if not all around the world for that accomplishment. 

Jeff Horn and Manny Pacquiao will have a rematch. No matter who wins, ESPN will benefit and establish itself as a force in the boxing world once again. 

Class Dismissed,

The Professor

RANDOM THOUGHTS ON WRESTLING....

CODY RHODES WINS THE ROH WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP


Cody Rhodes as GFW Champion

On Friday night Cody Rhodes, son of the late great Dusty Rhodes, defeated Christopher Daniels to become the new ROH (Ring of Honor) World Champion according to WRESTLEZONE. Cody Rhodes is a former WWE Intercontinental Champion and  WWE Tag-Team Champion. In May 2016, Cody Rhodes left the WWE and started wrestling on the independent circuit. 

Now Cody Rhodes is the "American Nightmare" as a bad guy and next weekend on July 1st, he will face the IWGP (International Wrestling Grand Prix) champion, Kazuchika Okada. This will be the first time that the ROH World Champion and the IWGP Champion will face each other. Cody will be a great representative for ROH as he is a "classic" heel champion in the spirit of Tully Blanchard or Ric Flair. 

SAMOA JOE WON'T WIN THE TITLE FROM BROCK LESNAR


SAMOA JOE AND ROMAN REIGNS

In July, Samoa Joe will face Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship at Great Balls of Fire Network event. I don't believe that Joe will win the Universal title since Roman Reigns just announced that he will face the winner of Lesnar and Joe at Summerslam. If  the rumors are true as reported by Cageside Seats, then Reigns may win the title from Lesnar at Summerslam to increase ratings. Everyone knows that Roman Reigns is the chosen one in WWE, so as champion, he could have feuds with Braun Strowman, Seth Rollins, Finn Balor and Samoa Joe. If I were WWE, I would have Joe and Reigns face off for the Universal title at Wrestlemania 34. Joe could win the title from Reigns and that could be a great feud for both men. 

IMPACT WRESTLING SHOULD BUILD A "ROCKY" STORY AT SLAMMIVERSARY


BOBBY LASHLEY, IMPACT WRESTLING CHAMPION

Impact Wrestling will present Slammiversary on July 2nd. Currently the main event is World Champion Bobby Lashley vs. GFW Champion Alberto El Patron (formerly Alberto Del Rio) in a title unification match. It should be a good match but I don't know if it will entice more people to watch Impact Wrestling. 

If I were making matches I wouldn't bring up GFW titles since that promotion never got off the ground. I would have a battle royal at the Pay Per View and have the winner face Lashley in the main event. The winner would be a good guy who's never had a world title opportunity and who could be an underdog. The underdog could win and have a great celebration. I think that would be a better scenario than what they have planned but that's just my opinion. 

These are just some of my thoughts on wrestling as a longtime wrestling fan. 

Class Dismissed, 
THE PROFESSOR

R.I.P. ADAM WEST

Adam West as Batman

Adam West, the actor that played Batman in the 60's TV show on ABC passed away on June 9th. He was 88 years old. Mr. West played supporting roles in some of the most iconic TV shows of his generation including Maverick, 77 Sunset Strip, The Detectives, Perry Mason, and Bewitched. It would be his casting as Batman that made Adam West a star.



From 1966 to 1968 on ABC, Adam West and Burt Ward starred as Batman and Robin in Batman. Together they fought villains like The Joker (Cesar Romero), The Penguin (Burgess Meredith), Catwoman (Julie Newmar), and The Riddler (Frank Gorshin). At that time while other shows were in black and white, Batman was shown in color. This made the show look like a live-action comic book. Kids loved it for the action adventure but there were also jokes that adults could enjoy. 





After Batman ended in 1968, Adam West moved onto different projects. His career continued on so many different TV shows. Most recently, he played Mayor Adam West on Family Guy. 

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Bat-signal will shine over Los Angeles to honor Adam West on June 15th. This just shows how much impact Mr. West had on pop culture. Thank you Mr. West, your legacy will never be forgotten. 

Class Dismissed, 
The Professor

THREE REASONS WHY WONDER WOMAN GROSSED OVER 103 MILLION DOLLARS AT THE BOX OFFICE

WONDER WOMAN

Wonder Woman has grossed over 103 million dollars at the box office according to Variety. The movie stars Gal Gadot as the Amazon Warrior and is getting great reviews. I believe there are three reasons for this:

1. This is the first Wonder Woman movie ever 

Wonder Woman was created in 1942 by William Moulton Marston. Despite being one of the "big 3" characters (along with Superman and Batman) for over 70 years, Wonder Woman has never had a movie made about her life. Fans of Wonder Woman have wanted this for a long time and have shown their love for the character by coming out in droves to see this movie. Warner Brothers gave us a small sample of Wonder Woman in Batman vs. Superman and left her origin as a mystery and that made this movie a must-see event.

2. Gal Gadot 

Gal Gadot

Ever since she appeared in the Fast and The Furious franchise, Gal Gadot has been making waves in Hollywood. She fits the role of Wonder Woman perfectly with not only the physical requirements, but also she captures her personality. Gal Gadot has a strong on-screen presence and has been well-received by the audience. 

3. Patty Jenkins


Patty Jenkins directing Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman

This past weekend, Wonder Woman had the biggest opening ever for a movie that had a female-lead and was directed by a woman. Patty Jenkins and her team should be proud as their vision of Wonder Woman is a hit with movie audiences. Wonder Woman has been in development for a long time at Warner Brothers. Even Joss Whedon (Buffy, The Avengers) was up to write and direct Wonder Woman in 2006 but that film never materialized. Hopefully, Hollywood will take more chances with female directors in the future given Wonder Woman's success. 

For over 70 years Wonder Woman has been a household name around the world. The successful box office opening of Wonder Woman shows just how beloved and popular she really is. 

Class Dismissed, 
THE PROFESSOR

R.I.P. ROGER MOORE

ROGER MOORE AS JAMES BOND

Sir Roger Moore, the actor who played James Bond in seven films, passed away on May 23rd after a short battle with cancer. He was 89 years old. Sean Connery is revered for his take on the role as macho and tough but also smooth and sexy, Roger Moore is my favorite James Bond because while he could be suave and sophisticated, he could also be very funny. I had never seen an action hero that could handle humor and action so effortlessly and that just made Bond more accessible to me as a fan. 

Roger Moore played Bond in seven films from 1973 to 1985 including Live and Let Die, The Spy Who Loved Me, Moonraker, A View to a Kill, Octopussy, The Man with the Golden Gun, and For Your Eyes Only. My favorite films are The Spy Who Loved Me with Barbara Bach and For Your Eyes Only with Carol Bouquet. 


Roger Moore and Barbara Bach in The Spy Who Loved Me.

In my opinion, The Spy Who Loved Me, may be the quintessential James Bond movie, featuring all of the elements that have defined the character for generations: The cool gadgets, Jaws as the henchman, the mad scientist, Barbara Bach the Russian super spy who hates Bond for killing her lover, but ultimately falls for him. All of these elements continue to appear in James Bond films even to this day. 

Eventhough Mr. Moore is best known as James Bond he did portray other famous roles before Bond. From 1962 to 1969 he appeared as Simon Templar in The Saint, a role similar to Bond as he played a suave wealthy adventurer who steals from criminals. He also appeared in Maverick as Beau Maverick, a cousin to James Garner's character Brett Maverick from 1959 to 1961. 

Thank you Mr. Moore for your contributions to this industry. You made a legacy that will never be forgotten. 

Class Dismissed, 
THE PROFESSOR

SUPERNATURAL AND SCOOBY-DOO TEAM-UP AT CW

Image courtesy of Twitter

TVLINE reports that Scooby-Doo and the Winchester brothers are going to team up in season 13 of Supernatural. Both properties are apart of Warner Brothers. Supenatural focuses on Dean and Sam Wincester who hunt demons and monsters. Scooby-Doo is an iconic property that everyone knows with Scooby, Shaggy, Fred, Velma, and Daphne as detectives that solve mysteries involving monsters. Usually the monsters in Scooby-Doo are humans in disguise. This isn't the first time that Scooby-Doo has teamed up with other shows or other celebrities. 



Scooby-Doo Meets Batman

In the 1970's Hanna-Barbera produced The New Scooby-Doo Movies which saw Scooby, Shaggy and the rest of the gang team up with various celebrities including Dick Van Dyke, Don Knotts, and Mama Cass. The most famous episodes of that series features team-ups with Batman and Robin against the Joker and Penguin and when Scooby-Doo teams up with the Harlem Globetrotters. 

When Sccoby-Doo and Supernatuaral come together in season 13 on the CW, I'm sure it will be an episode that will be remembered for many years to come.

Class Dismissed, 
THE PROFESSOR

R.I.P. POWERS BOOTHE

Powers Boothe

On Sunday May 14th, Powers Boothe passed away. Mr. Boothe leaves behind an outstanding career of movies including Tombstone, Red Dawn, and Sin City. He also made his mark in television with shows like Deadwood, and Nashville. Most recently Powers Boothe appeared in Avengers and Agents of SHIELD as Gideon Malick, the leader of HYDRA in the Marvel Universe. 




Gorilla Grodd in Justice League

Powers Boothe role as Gideon Malick wasn't his first foray into the world of Superheroes. Boothe appeared as the voice of Gorilla Grodd in Justice League and Justice League Unlimited as the leader of the Legion of Doom, which is how I came to know him. In the animated series, Grodd and Lex Luthor battle over control of the Legion of Doom.

Rest In Peace Mr. Boothe. Your contributions to this industry will never be forgotten.

Class Dismissed, 
THE PROFESSOR

ROMAN REIGNS DOESN'T NEED THE WWE UNIVERSAL TITLE

ROMAN REIGNS AS WWE CHAMPION 

Roman Reigns is the man in the WWE. At Wrestlemania 33, he defeated The Undertaker in the main event of the pay-per-view, cementing his position as a top attraction in the company. Now it seems that Brock Lesnar and Reigns are headed for a confrontation in the future. Paul Heyman this past Monday at WWE RAW, said that Reigns and Lesnar must face each other since both men have defeated The Undertaker. Roman will win the WWE Universal Championship from Brock Lesnar at some point. 

Roman Reigns doesn't need the WWE Universal Championship. He's been the WWE World Heavyweight Champion 3 times and is one of the biggest names in WWE. With his position in WWE, Reigns could work with other wrestlers in a semi-main event position. The internet fans hate Reigns because he is the chosen face of WWE by Vince McMahon. 

MAGNUM TA AS NWA U.S. CHAMPION

As a fan I've never hated Roman Reigns. Reigns is a good-looking tough, strong man. You can believe that he is a wrestler.  He reminds me a lot of Magnum TA who was also tough and strong. Magnum could play the American hero fighting against foreign threats or he could play the hero who was rough around the edges. Unfortunately, Roman doesn't have challengers like Magnum had with Ric Flair and the Four Horsemen. I've often wondered how accepted Roman would be if there were some great heels in WWE like the NWA had in the 1980's. 

SAMOA JOE

Personally I would love to see Samoa Joe get in Roman's way and somehow win the Universal Championship from Brock Lesnar. Triple H and Joe could work together to screw Reigns out of the title with the justification being that Joe deserves it more since he has fought so long and hard to get to WWE. If Joe aligns himself with a tag team like Gallows and Anderson, Reigns and Joe could have an epic feud. Joe playing The Destroyer that will do anything to keep his title and Reigns being the never say die opponent could really change the fans perception of Roman Reigns. Only time will tell, and the card is subject to change.

Class Dismissed,

The Professor

THANK YOU 'TAKER

THE UNDERTAKER

This past Sunday, at Wrestlemania 33 the Undertaker retired after over two decades in the WWE. He left his hat, gloves, and coat in the ring after he was defeated by Roman Reigns in the main event. The Undertaker made one final salute while he walked up the ramp. This was truly the end of an era. 

THE UNDERTAKER AND PAUL BEARER

When the Undertaker debuted in WWE in 1990, he was in the age of larger than life characters like Hulk Hogan and "Macho Man" Randy Savage. He came in as a bad guy and beat many guys on his way to challenge Hogan for the World title at Survivor Series in 1991. That would be his breakout moment and he would remain one of the biggest attractions in WWE for the next two decades. 

The Undertaker has had great feuds with superstars like Sid, Shawn Michaels, Mankind (Mick Foley), Kane, Kurt Angle, Ric Flair, Big Show, and Brock Lesnar. He's held multiple World championships in WWE and in my opinion, he is the best big man in the modern era of professional wrestling. I am glad that he gets to leave wrestling on his own terms. 

All I can say is Thank you to the Undertaker for all of the great memories that he's given me as a fan. I hope he's inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame at Wrestlemania 34 in 2018. 

Class Dismissed, 

THE PROFESSOR

RANDOM THOUGHTS ON WRESTLING....

"Ravishing" Rick Rude

On Monday night it was announced that "Ravishing" Rick Rude will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame this year at Wrestlemania. Rick Rude was one of the best bad guys in wrestling history. He deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. Rude came up through the territories in the 80's. He worked for the NWA, WWE, WCW, and ECW throughout his career. In the mid-80's, Rude had great feuds with the Ultimate Warrior and Jake Roberts while in WWE where he won the Intercontinental Championship. In WCW he had great feuds with Sting, Ricky Steamboat, and Nikita Koloff. 



Austin Aries as TNA X-DIVISION CHAMPION

This past Monday on RAW the feud between Neville and Austin Aries kicked off as the fans chanted for Aries as Neville proclaimed how great he was. Neville disagreed and Aries hit him with a roaring elbow smash. As the segment ended I wished that this was a match that was happening for a major title like the Intercontinental or World title. It had a great build as Neville has beaten all of his opponents and Aries has been great as a color analyst while recovering from injury. Aries would make a great World Champion. He has a charisma and confidence that you can't teach. The problem is that he's too small, at 5'10 and 200 pounds he would never gain the approval of Vince McMahon for that position. 


Matt Morgan

This past weekend Matt Morgan made his return to IMPACT Wrestling (formerly TNA Wrestling) at a TV taping in Florida. Morgan who retired from wrestling in 2013 has come back in an initiative by Jeff Jarrett and Impact's new ownership to make the company great again. After an exodus of stars like Drew Galloway and the Hardys, bringing in names like Morgan and LAX to gain interest in the brand from former fans seems like a good idea. 


Bobby Lashley

As a fan I hope Morgan gets to fight Lashley for the heavyweight championship because that would be an old-fashioned big man fight. Also it gives Morgan a reason to come back as he never won the world title while he was in IMPACT Wrestling from 2007-2013. 

These are just some of my thoughts on wrestling. Until next time...

Class Dismissed
THE PROFESSOR

2017 WWE HALL OF FAME CLASS SHOWS WHAT WWE IS MISSING

On March 31st, the WWE will present the Hall of Fame the Friday before Wrestlemania 33. Kurt Angle, Teddy Long, and The Rock N' Roll Express have been announced as inductees. Those 4 individuals reflect what makes the wrestling business great and shows what WWE is missing in today's wrestling product. Let's take a look at each inductee's contribution. 



KURT ANGLE

Kurt Angle is one of the most decorated wrestlers in the world. He is an Olympic Gold Medalist from the "96 Olympics in Atlanta. After his debut in WWE at the 2000 Royal Rumble, Kurt Angle slowly rose up the ranks to become a main event superstar. Angle won the WWE European, Intercontinental, Tag-Team and World Championships. Kurt Angle gained the respect of fans with great feuds with Chris Benoit, Triple H, The Rock, and Stone Cold Steve Austin. In those days, WWE had a deep roster full of stars. Roman Reigns is one of  today's stars but he isn't the biggest star that WWE has. If Roman Reigns had that kind of roster on his side he would be a much stronger star in WWE. 



THE ROCK N' ROLL EXPRESS

Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson have been a team for over 30 years. In the 1980's with their teen idol good looks, the Rock N' Roll Express were one of the most popular tag teams in the world. They first started teaming in Memphis under Jerry Jarrett. They moved to Louisiana with Bill Watts and Mid-South Wrestling where they started their most famous feud with The Midnight Express (Bobby Eaton and Dennis Condrey and later Stan Lane). Their greatest success came in the NWA during the 1980's with feuds with The Midnight Express, Rick Rude and Manny Fernandez, and Ivan Koloff and Krusher Krushev. One of the reasons that wrestling was so popular was because of tag-teams that have been around for many years that went back and forth from NWA/WCW to WWE from The Steiner Brothers to the Legion of Doom. WWE needs teams like that to make their tag division special. There are great teams in Ring of Honor and New Japan that are great teams that should be in WWE. 


TEDDY LONG W/ BUTCH REED AND RON SIMMONS

Teddy Long has been in wrestling for over three decades. He started out as a referee for the NWA/WCW in 1985. Long turned into a villain referee and then villain manager in the late 80's with one of his most well-known tandems being Ron Simmons and Butch Reed as Doom. By 1998, Long came to WWE as a referee until 2004 when he became an on-air character as a General Manager from 2004-2008. WWE doesn't use managers much anymore with the exception of Lana with Rusev. In it's heyday managers like Bobby Heenan and Jimmy Hart were very entertaining and made wrestling great. WWE needs managers especially since they have such a young roster that needs help getting over. 

As big as WWE is now, its popularity is down. The 2017 Hall of Fame Class shows some things that WWE could do to bring fans back in. Kurt Angle, Teddy Long, and The Rock N' Roll Express are great examples of what WWE needs right now. 

Class Dismissed,
THE PROFESSOR