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