BROCK VS. CENA AT EXTREME RULES

(Image Courtesy of WWE.COM)

WWE announced on RAW Monday night that Brock Lesnar will face John Cena at Extreme Rules. It's yet to be seen what lasting impact Brock will have on WWE but it should be fun to watch.

The Professor

WRESTLEMANIA 28 RESULTS

(Image Courtesy of Google Images)

Hello Class,

Today I'm posting the Wrestlemania 28 results courtesy of  THE BALTIMORE SUN. I didn't actually order the PAY PER VIEW so I won't make any comments.

RESULTS

Match Rundown
Sheamus d. Daniel Bryan to win the World Heavyweight Championship

Kane d. Randy Orton

Big Show d. Cody Rhodes to win the Intercontinental Championship

Kelly Kelly and Maria Menounos d. Beth Phoenix and Eve

Undertaker d. Triple H in Hell in a Cell

Team Laurinaitis d. Team Long

CM Punk d. Chris Jericho to retain the WWE Championship

The Rock d. John Cena

Class Dismissed,
THE PROFESSOR

DC: A LESSON IN IRONY

On June 12, 2012 DC will release a DVD called, "SUPERMAN VS. THE ELITE". This DVD is based on Superman #775 entitled, "What's So Funny About Truth, Justice and The American Way?" by Joe Kelly.

In the 1990's there was a comic called "The Authority" (who are described in an article on the BLEEDING COOL website that you can read HERE ) as a "team of self-appointed moral guardians of the planet, saving it from the bad guys. In a possibly too subtle note, the lead characters were the bad guys themselves, just up against something worse." Joe Kelly in his story created "The Elite" a version of "The Authority" in DC Comics. A group of bad guys who fight worse evils than themselves and are considered the "good guys."


(THE JUSTICE LEAGUE OF DC'S NEW 52)

DC Comics has even turned "The Justice League" into a version of "The Authority" starting in issue # 7 according to Bleeding Cool which says about the contents of the issue, "They act independently of government, even when suckling on its teat. They are autonomous weapons of mass destruction, that the American government distrusts and fears. And despite the good that they do, and the reaction of the audience, they are sloppy, lazy, self assured and… well, basically, the bad guys. It’s just there are worse things out there."

I guess you could call it ironic, that the behavior that DC is condemning in one project, they are supporting with their comic book line.

I'm reminded of a quote from Walt Whitman who said, "Do I contradict myself? Very well, then I contradict myself, I am large, I contain multitudes."

I will be watching the "SUPERMAN VS. THE ELITE" DVD and the "JLA: DOOM" DVD's and posting a review for each.

CLASS DISMISSED,
THE PROFESSOR

ROCK VS. CENA AT WM 28 AND I DON'T CARE

THE ROCK AND JOHN CENA courtesy of Google Images

Wrestlemania occurs on April 1st, and the main event that WWE is building on is John Cena vs. THE ROCK. Some are comparing this fight to the match that THE ROCK had at Wrestlemania 18 with Hulk Hogan but I think this is a bad comparison.



ROCK VS. HOGAN-WM18 courtesy of Google Images

First of all, ten years ago Hulk Hogan had just returned to WWE after a ten year absence after leaving WWE for WCW. During that time, he went from being Hulk Hogan to Hollywood Hulk Hogan and creating the NWO with Kevin Nash and Scott Hall. With this Hogan was apart of The Monday Night Wars with WWE until WCW closed in April of 2001 after being bought by WWE.

During Hogan's absence, Vince McMahon launched "Stone Cold" Steve Austin and THE ROCK into superstardom with THE ROCK equaling Hogan's accomplishments not only with titles in wrestling but with appearances in Movies and TV.

It was truly Wrestling's ICON of the 80's vs. the ICON of the Attitude Era. That is what made me and millions of other fans care about this event.


THE ROCK AND JOHN CENA courtesy of Google Images

This match, I don't really care about. John Cena is already the biggest star in WWE. He doesn't need The Rock to solidify his status in the company. Cena says he's fighting THE ROCK because he's fighting for all of the wrestlers who live and breathe the business while Rock went to Hollywood and forgot about the wrestling business.

Frankly, it's a lame motive for a wrestling match. THE ROCK left because he took the business to new heights and then went on for bigger opportunities in Hollywood. I can respect that decision. By the time THE ROCK left , the business was in decline as the lack of a viable competitor, like WCW hurt WWE.

I know this match will mean big money for WWE because it's taking place in Miami where THE ROCK grew up. WWE will probably gross over 1 million buys on Pay-Per-View with this match, but I think there are more deserving stars that could use this type of publicity like CM PUNK.

WWE may market this match as the biggest match in Wrestlemania history but it's not. Whoever wins or loses between THE ROCK and John Cena, the WWE won't change much. Cena will go on to win more championships and THE ROCK will make more movies. So  why should I care?

If you like this blog let me know @SEMSCORPIO.

Class Dismissed,
THE PROFESSOR

MATT MORGAN: HIS TIME IS...WHO THE HELL KNOWS?!

MATT MORGAN (Courtesy of Google Images)

"I got into the pro-wrestling for one reason and that's to be the top dog and to be the World Champion. I know it sounds like a saying or a catch-phrase but this is what I truly believe. I came out of my mom's womb a future world's champion. And I'm sick of waiting." -Matt Morgan courtesy of SLAM WRESTLING.

Matt Morgan stands at seven feet tall and weighs 330 pounds and he is a former 2-time TNA tag-team champion. He is a former American Gladiator and has all the confidence in the world (as you can see from the quote above) to be a world champion.

So the big question is: Why has this man never been a world champion?

The answer is simple: TNA Impact Wrestling didn't want him to be the star of the company

Let's go back in time shall we? It was the summer of 2009 leading into TNA's October PPV, "Bound For Glory," Matt Morgan had joined a group called The Main Event Mafia consisting of Booker T, Scott Steiner, Kevin Nash, and led by Kurt Angle who was the World Champion at the time. Morgan was promised full-time membership in the group but never received it and realized that he was just being used as hired muscle to help Angle fend off challenges from Sting and AJ Styles.

This led to Morgan confronting Kurt Angle and a scheduled match at "Bound For Glory." You would expect it to be for the title since this is "TNA's biggest Pay-Per-View" but AJ Styles defeated Kurt Angle for the belt in September of 2009 and fought Sting that year at, "Bound For Glory."

Kurt Angle would go on to defeat Morgan in a great match that showed Morgan's potential as a main-eventer. But I think that was all wrong. Had Kurt Angle vs. Matt Morgan been for the World title and Morgan won, he could have played the young, brash, arrogant, bully, champion who thought he was the greatest ever. His challengers could have been Angle, Sting, AJ Styles, and Samoa Joe.

In November 2010, Morgan got a shot at Jeff Hardy but Hardy won because he was a bigger star than Morgan. The fans were behind Morgan but TNA wanted Jeff Hardy to be the "face" of the company but that backfired due to Hardy's problems with drugs.

Kevin Kelly wrote a great piece on the WWE about when guys there get a chance to shine, you can read it here. Kevin Kelly says that all WWE Superstars have their time on the "wheel" and some go from comedy acts to champions over the years.

TNA hasn't let stars like Matt Morgan shine and now they're paying for it. Ratings are low and the hardcore fans aren't excited about the product.

With TNA and their lackluster booking you never know what will happen. Matt Morgan may be sick of waiting, but who knows when his time at the top will come.

Class Dismissed,
THE PROFESSOR

COMEDY: IT'S NOT JUST BLACK AND WHITE

Keegan Michael-Key and Jordan Peele in a sketch from "Key and Peele"

There is a great article on CNN.com (which you can read HERE) about the comics behind "Key and Peele" on Comedy Central, Keegan Michael-Key and Jordan Peele. It gives you information on their background and their show.



I would like to focus on the critics of the sketch comedy series, "Key and Peele" say that it doesn't appeal to black audiences because it isn't as edgy as its predecessor, "The Chappelle Show and that it tries to appeal to the, "white liberal" view of a post-racial world."



I've often wondered why as a black culture that we look down upon people that are trying to do something that's funny and that anyone could enjoy. It doesn't have to be racial comedy to be funny. Comedy is something that should not be defined by race, creed, or culture.  



Yes I know that comics such as Richard Pryor and Eddie Murphy are Icons in black culture because they attacked taboo subjects like race and sex in a comedic way but why should it be expected of every black or bi-racial comic to do that?


EDDIE MURPHY AND RICHARD PRYOR


We as a culture need to just let comics do their thing and be funny without putting race into the equation. Comics like Bill Cosby and Sinbad are very funny without having to use race or racial themes in their comedy.








BILL COSBY
For the record  Keegan Michael-Key and Jordan Peele are bi-racial men who are funny as hell. As an African-American male I find their show to be very funny.



One of their best skits is about President Obama (Peele) who uses Luther(Key) as an "anger translator" to get his message across. You can see the video HERE.


It seems that Comedy Central and its audience disagrees with the critics of "Key and Peele" as it has renewed it for a second season according to TVBYTHENUMBERS. Key and Peele had the best launch for a series on Comedy Central since 2009 drawing in over 2 million viewers.










It's great to see these men have success as in today's TV marketplace, it's hard to draw in a new audience and keep it. Congratulations to them.





Class Dismissed,
The Professor

ROCK GETS BEATEN ON THE MIC...BY JOHN CENA, WTF?!!

DWAYNE "THE ROCK" JOHNSON AND JOHN CENA

Last night, "THE ROCK" returned to RAW and cut a good promo on John Cena. He called Cena a "Kung Pao Bitch" and made the point that because Cena has been shoved down people's throats for so long is why some fans hate him.

Cena countered saying that Rock needed crib notes to remember his promo and that he didn't need to run him down when he wasn't there but he could run him down when he was there too. He said that Dwayne Johnson is selfish and self-centered.  Rock seemed stunned. For the first time, Rock had been beaten on the microphone.

Eventhough, The Rock got the fans back by the end of the promo witrh his classic energy, the audience knew Cena meant business. If you want to watch the full segment you can go HERE.

As a fan I was stunned and this segment almost made me want to order the PPV bit I won't. More on that in another blog.

Class Dismissed,
The Professor

If you like this blog then tweet me @SEMSCORPIO.