WWE GOES OLD-SCHOOL WITH LESNAR VS. THE UNDERTAKER AT SUMMERSLAM

On RAW last night we saw Brock Lesnar and The Undertaker engage in an epic brawl. Lesnar came out and attacked The Undertaker after he interrupted Paul Heyman's promo. They brawled in the ring as security and most of the WWE locker room came out to separate them. You can watch the brawl itself here.


It was announced that Lesnar vs. The Undertaker will take place at Summerslam next month when WWE comes to the Barclays center. This is an old-school type of fight in wrestling where two guys who really don't like each other are out to settle a score. Brock Lesnar ended The Undertaker's WrestleMania win streak at WrestleMania 30. On Sunday night, The Undertaker interfered and cost Lesnar his shot at the WWE title in his match against Seth Rollins. Each man has a score to settle with the other and they will settle it at Summerslam.


As I said this is an old-school type of fight. These guys don't need to cut a long 20 minute promo to get fans excited about their match. The fans believe in both performers and want to see this match. I hate to say it but this type of fight is rare in wrestling and especially WWE nowadays.


WWE will need to make more attractions like Lesnar and The Undertaker if they want the fans to stay interested in the product. Future Superstars like Kevin Owens and Seth Rollins will need to be believable characters with strong motivations going against strong heroes like John Cena and Randy Orton.


The match between Brock Lesnar and the Undertaker will be great and harken back to an era where scores were settled in the ring and stars were stars for life.


THE PROFESSOR

IN TODAY'S CULTURE BATMAN IS A WARMACHINE; SUPERMAN IS JUST SUPERMAN

By now we've all seen the trailer for Batman Vs. Superman.  The trailer shows how the events from Man of Steel have impacted the world, specifically Bruce Wayne.


I never liked the direction of Superman in Man of Steel and how dark it was. Business Insider has an article on why filmmakers have such a hard time making a good Superman movie. The article even quotes Henry Cavill from an interview that he gave to Entertainment Weekly when he says, "People like the darker vigilante... I think it speaks to the human psyche more easily rather than the god-like being that we can't really understand." I disagree with Mr. Cavill on that statement.


I would argue as a counterpoint to Mr. Cavill's statement that Superman hasn't changed much through the years but the culture has changed dramatically over the last 75 years.


When Superman was first created in 1938, the idea of a hero or strongman was a circus acrobat. In the 80's he was modeled after Arnold Schwarzenegger. In today's world the idea of a hero or a man of great strength is someone like a soldier or a spy. A man or woman that has been trained to fight and succeeds in their mission no matter what. Batman fits that mold perfectly. He has spent years training in different martial arts in order to become Batman. He is DC's version of a soldier, a spy, even an MMA Fighter. If you look at the movie Batman Begins, director Chris Nolan paints Batman as the human warmachine against terrorists in Gotham City.

If I were DC I would reinvent Superman as a soldier or spy in the vein of  Captain America. While Batman is responsible for Gotham City, Superman would have adventures all over the world like James Bond. That would make him work better in today's culture.


There's also the problem that Superman is invulnerable to everything so DC might want to go back to Superman being invulnerable to bullets and knives like he was in the 1930's. This won't happen anytime soon because DC and Warner Bros. don't want to damage the Superman brand.


DC and Warner Bros. won't do anything to change the story of Superman not even a little bit because they're worried that they might lose fans and possibly lose money. The problem is that they've lost fans already as Marvel has put out better Superhero movies.


Filmmakers don't have to change Superman's attitude or life story, just change a few key elements and Superman could truly have a cultural resurgence.


THE PROFESSOR

R.I.P. DUSTY RHODES

DUSTY RHODES


Dusty Rhodes passed away yesterday at the age of 69. Rhodes came to prominence in the late 1960's as a member of the tag-team known as the Texas Outlaws with Dick Murdoch. They were a feared tag team and one of their big-time feuds was with the Crusher and the Bruiser in the AWA.


Dusty would move onto Florida where he became a good guy known as "The American Dream". Dusty was a common man who related to the people because he wasn't a muscular specimen buy any means but rather a heavy set man with great athleticism. People saw themselves in Dusty Rhodes. He was a man who fought against the odds to attain his dreams.


In wrestling the dream of any pro wrestler is to be a World Champion. Dusty was no different. He engaged in multiple rivalries with Terry Funk, Harley Race, and Ric Flair over the NWA World title. Dusty was a 3-time World Champion defeating the likes of Harley Race and Ric Flair to become a legend in the sport.


In WWE in the 1970's Dusty had a great feud with Superstar Billy Graham for the World title. Both men redefined the industry with their interviews that were exciting and entertaining.


In Florida Dusty would work under the tutelage of Eddie Graham and became one of the best creative minds in the business. He helped Jim Crockett Promotions become one of the most powerful promotions in the 80's.


Recently Dusty worked for WWE in their developmental programs and helped the young talent develop their characters.


There are no words that I can write in this post that can do justice to the career of Dusty Rhodes and his impact on Professional Wrestling.


All I can say is Thank you Dusty for everything you've done to entertain me as a fan. Your impact will never be forgotten.


THE PROFESSOR

KEVIN OWENS: THE REAL FUTURE OF THE WWE

KEVIN OWENS NXT CHAMPION


Seth Rollins may be called "The future of the WWE" by Triple H, but we may have seen the real future of the WWE last night on RAW. NXT Champion Kevin Owens (Kevin Steen) came out during John Cena's U.S. Open challenge. Owens and Cena engaged in an exchange that established Owens as a force to be reckoned with. Owens ended up Powerbombing Cena and stepping on the United States Championship (watch the video HERE).


In one segment, Owens established his character as a bada$$ and made the world stand up and take notice of him. He didn't back down from Cena and that put him on equal footing with the biggest star in the company.

SETH ROLLINS WWE CHAMPION

Although Seth Rollins is the current WWE champion, he isn't perceived as a fighter. Rollins is more of a thinking man's wrestler who uses his wits to take advantage of his opponent's weaknesses. In today's world, with MMA being prevalent, people respect fighters more than opportunistic heels. That's why Brock Lesnar was such a respected and popular champion. 

Owens has a lot of the qualities that Brock has and that's why fans are attracted to him. During that confrontation with Cena, you can hear the fans cheer for Owens. WWE has a great chance to bring fans back to wrestling with performers such as Owens, and Brock Lesnar who use MMA-style tactics in their wrestling matches.


If WWE is smart they'll put men like Kevin Owens at the top of the business to attract fans that have left wrestling for MMA. That would definitely be best for business.


Class Dismissed,
THE PROFESSOR

THANK YOU BRYAN DANIELSON

Bryan Danielson aka Daniel Bryan


Last night on WWE RAW Daniel Bryan (Bryan Danielson) vacated the Intercontinental title due to injuries. He said that because of the injuries, he isn't sure if he'll be able to wrestle again. I'd like to use this space to say a big THANK YOU to Mr. Danielson for all of his accomplishments in pro wrestling and WWE specifically.


As a fan I had only heard of Bryan Danielson on the internet and read about his time in ROH (Ring of Honor). I remember being very excited when I heard he was signed by the WWE because I knew I'd get to see this great wrestler on my TV every week.


Bryan Danielson overcame all of the odds including being fired by WWE during his first run to coming back and winning the U.S. Championship and feuding with The Miz. He would go on to win the World Heavyweight Championship and work with A.J. Lee as his on-screen girlfriend. Their combination of ability, talent and humor elevated both of them into WWE's upper echelon.





Danielson would go on to feud with Kane and they became Team Hell No winning the world tag team titles. Kane and Danielson produced some of the best skits and matches not seen since the Rock and Sock Connection days with Mick Foley and The Rock.













His most triumphant moment came when he won the title at WrestleMania 30. In an almost year long storyline he battled against The Authority to prove that he could be the "Face of the WWE" and he became a household name in the process. Thanks to him and CM Punk, the WWE has added more guys that may not have "the look" such as Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn.







I hope that Bryan Danielson does come back to WWE to wrestle but if he can't I just want to thank him for all of the terrific memories he's given me as a wrestling fan.


THE PROFESSOR

THEORY: IS "OLD-SCHOOL" SUPERMAN COMING BACK TO DC IN JULY?

Superman in Batman/Superman # 22


In July, DC will present Superman in a whole new way after their two-month convergence event. Starting in July Superman will get a makeover. Gone is his spandex suit and cape. Now Superman will wear a T-Shirt (with the "S" symbol on it) and jeans but what if the costume isn't the only thing that Superman loses?


In the picture above Superman is shown riding a motorcycle into Gotham City. Why would Superman need to ride a motorcycle if he can fly or run at super speed? What if he can't do either of those things?


My theory is that something happens that causes Superman to lose his powers and return to one of  his early incarnations where he could only leap tall buildings in a single bound, had super strength and invulnerability to bullets and knives. One piece of key evidence is the Superman shield on his T-shirt. Hardcore fans know that particular symbol is from the Fleischer Superman cartoons that ran during the 1940's


If Superman does have only some of his powers then fans of the hero will wonder what happened and what caused this change in the status quo.


Critics of Superman say that he is so powerful that it's tough to relate to him because he can't be put in life or death situations like Spider-Man or Batman. If my theory is correct then that may all change.


We can only wait and see what happens in July.


Class Dismissed
THE PROFESSOR

THE ONE

RONDA ROUSEY

Back in the 1980's Hulk Hogan was "The One." In the late 1990's Stone Cold Steve Austin was "The One". In 2001 The Rock became "The One" and his career has gone where no other wrestler's career has ever been. All these men have some things in common: charisma and believability.

In MMA right now Ronda Rousey is "The One". No one else has her skills or charisma. She beat her last two opponents in under 30 seconds. Her career is taking off with mainstream roles in movies like, "Fast and Furious 7".

In WWE Brock Lesnar is "The One," not just because he beat the Undertaker but because fans believe in him due to his background in amateur wrestling and MMA. He also has a magnetic personality.

WWE needs to decide who they want to be "The One" in women's wrestling. They need someone who is believable and has a skillset that is unique. Natalya Neidhart could fit that description. She has the family legacy and the skillset. WWE doesn't seem to trust her in the title picture. They want someone who looks more like a model like Nikki Bella.

TNA wrestling had someone who could have been "The One" in Awesome Kong back in 2007. She had the look and the skillset that fans were attracted to. TNA misused Kong and she left the company. She's returned now but hasn't gotten the same momentum of her first appearances.

I hope WWE is serious about it's women's division, it could be one of the best parts of WWE programming if handled correctly.

THE PROFESSOR