DANIEL CORMIER WINS UFC HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE AT UFC 226

DANIEL CORMIER

At UFC 226 on Saturday night, Daniel Cormier defeated Stipe Miocic to become the new UFC Heavyweight champion. Cormier is also the UFC Light Heavyweight champion and joins Connor McGregor as one of the only two fighters that have won a championship while holding another championship. Cormier has accomplished something that his rival Jon Jones could not.




After Cormier won the championship, he called out Brock Lesnar who was in attendance to see the fight between Cormier and Miocic. Brock entered the cage, made negative comments about the heavyweight division, and challenged Cormier. UFC announced that Brock Lesnar has started the process to join the USADA drug testing pool and should be available to compete in the UFC in six months. Cormier and Lesnar should fight sometime in 2019. 

Daniel Cormier is living proof that hard work pays off. His historic win at UFC 226 proves that he is one of the best fighters in the world and his upcoming fight with Brock Lesnar will be one of the most anticipated superfights of the last decade. 

Class Dismissed, 
THE PROFESSOR

R.I.P. BIG VAN VADER

BIG VAN VADER

Leon White, known to pro wrestling fans as Big Van Vader passed away on Monday June 18th according to CBSSports. He was 63 years old. At 6'4 450 pounds, Big Van Vader was one of the most intimidating and athletic personas in wrestling. Big Van Vader won 11 championships in a career that spanned over three decades. He worked in every major promotion in the world including the AWA, WCW, New Japan Pro Wrestling, All Japan Pro Wrestling, and WWE.

Big Van Vader best run came in the late 80's and early 90's. From 1987 to 1992 Vader worked for New Japan Pro Wrestling where he was the IWGP Heavyweight champion and worked with such legends as Antonio Inoki and The Great Muta. 

In 1992 he went to WCW (World Championship Wrestling) where he began a feud with Sting. Vader would win the World title on three different occasions. He would have great feuds with Sting, Rick Rude, "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan, Ric Flair, and Hulk Hogan.

By 1996 Vader had moved onto the WWE but due to injuries he was not the same athlete he had been. He feuded with Yokozuna, Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart, and The Undertaker, but he would never reach the top of WWE like he did in WCW. 

Vader was a true superstar that redefined what a super heavyweight could do in the ring. He made fans and wrestlers tremble with fear at the mention of his name. 

Thank you Mr. White. Your legacy in this business will never be forgotten. 

Class Dismissed, 

THE PROFESSOR

WWE SMACKDOWN MOVING TO FOX IN 2019

Fox is bringing Smackdown back to broadcast television after nearly eight years. According to THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, Fox and WWE are close to making a deal that would bring Smackdown to Fox in the Fall of 2019.  Fox will reportedly pay WWE one billion dollars over five years. Fox is looking to move away from urbane programming and is looking to bring in broad programming that will appeal to middle america. Currently Fox is paying 3 billion for five seasons of Thursday Night Football and spends 1 billion annually for their Sunday Night Football package. WWE Raw currently averages about 3 million viewers each week on USA while WWE Smackdown currently averages 2.59 million viewers.

With this new deal in place, USA Network and Fox will split programming rights. NBCUniversal has owned the rights to Smackdown since the show began airing on Syfy in 2010. In 2016 Smackdown began airing on Tuesday nights on USA. NBC Universal will most likely keep WWE RAW on the USA Network. 

Once this deal is complete Smackdown should begin airing on Fox in October 2019. Currently Smackdown airs on Tuesday nights on USA Network, but it was reported by The Wrap that Fox will move it to Friday nights. Whether that's true or not will be one of the many questions that Fox and WWE will need to answer next year. 

As a wrestling fan of nearly 30 years this is very exciting. WWE now has a major deal on a broadcast network that will be able to bring its programming to millions of people. Smackdown could even get higher ratings than RAW. The Fall of 2019 is shaping up to be very interesting. 

Class Dismissed, 
THE PROFESSOR

R.I.P. MARGOT KIDDER

Margot Kidder

Margot Kidder, the actress that played Lois Lane in Superman: The Movie and three subsequent sequels died on May 13th. She was 69 years old. As a child, I remember watching the Superman movies on WPIX and Ms. Kidder's performance always stood out as she captured the tenacity, honesty, and sense of humor of Lois Lane. Her chemistry with Christopher Reeve was great on-screen as the interview scene at Lois' apartment in Superman: The Movie is fondly remembered by all Superman fans. 

Thank you Ms. Kidder, your contributions to TV and movies will never be forgotten. 

THE PROFESSOR

THE MOST RELEVANT AND ICONIC VERSIONS OF SUPERMAN IN FILM AND TV

On April 18,1938 Superman first appeared in Action Comics #1 and in the 80 years since then he has become an American icon. To celebrate this amazing milestone I would like to rank the most relevant and iconic Superman appearances in film and television. 

CHRISTOPHER REEVE IN SUPERMAN:THE MOVIE


Christopher Reeve as Superman

In 1978, Christopher Reeve made you believe a man could fly. Reeve with his great acting ability made Superman and Clark Kent two distinct personalities. His Clark Kent was shy, quiet, and unassuming while his Superman was strong, confident, and personable. Christopher Reeve's Superman is the most iconic interpretation of the character since he was created in 1938. 

GEORGE REEVES IN THE ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN

George Reeves as Superman

Before there was Christopher Reeve, George Reeves portrayed Superman in The Adventures of Superman from 1951 to 1957. In the 1950's comic books and superhero popularity were on the decline after World War II ended in 1945. When The Adventures of Superman debuted in 1951 kids loved it because of the action and adventure. Superman fought gangsters, scientists, and rescued Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen from peril. The Adventures of Superman became one of the most popular shows of its time along with I Love Lucy and The Honeymooners. It also cemented Superman as "The Big Blue Boy Scout" and paved the way for other superheroes on TV like Batman in 1966 and The Incredible Hulk in the 70's. 

TOM WELLING IN SMALLVILLE


Tom Welling as Superman

In 2001, Smallville debuted on the WB Network (now the CW Network) and focused on Clark Kent in his teens and young adulthood. Smallville was a teen soap opera mixed with science fiction and action adventure that defined Superman for a new generation of fans. The teen soap opera element was the focal point of the show as Clark dealt with love, puberty, and superpowers. Clark had to deal with his feelings for Lana Lang and he had to stop the machinations of his friend, Lex Luthor. In the 17 years since its debut, Smallville was the precursor to the cultural explosion of superheroes that we see today.

In the eight decades since his debut in Action Comics #1, Superman has appeared in every major medium in the world from newspapers to radio,TV, and movies. Superman is the most iconic and beloved superheroes in the world because of his never-ending battle for truth and justice. Here's to another 80 years.

Class Dismissed, 
THE PROFESSOR

R.I.P. BRUNO SAMMARTINO

Bruno Sammartino, a legendary star in pro wrestling during the 60's and 70's died on Wednesday. He was 82 years old. He came to prominence in 1963 when he became the World Champion of the World Wide Wrestling Federation, the precursor to WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment). The World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) was owned by Vincent J. McMahon, the father of current owner and WWE Chairman, Vince McMahon. Due to his muscular physique, Vincent J. McMahon marketed Bruno to the New York audience as a superhero. 

McMahon made the fans believe that Bruno could conquer all the different villains that were in wrestling at that time including foreign menaces like Ivan Koloff and giants such as Ernie Ladd and Bill Watts. Bruno Sammartino's first title reign lasted from 1963 to 1971 and for over seven years fans came by the thousands to see Bruno defend his championship in Madison Square Garden. Bruno Sammartino appealed to everyone no matter their race or social status.  In 1971 Bruno would lose the title to Ivan Koloff  in front of a shocked MSG crowd. He would regain the title in 1973 and hold it until 1977 when he lost it to Superstar Billy Graham. 

During the 1960''s and 1970's pro wrestling was built on regional territories and the WWWF was the powerhouse in the Northeast with New York and Madison Square Garden being the mecca of it all. Bruno Sammartino was the biggest star of that era. He paved the way for stars such as Hulk Hogan, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and The Rock to take the WWE to even greater heights. Bruno Sammartino was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2013.

Thank you Mr. Sammartino. Your contributions to pro wrestling will never be forgotten.

Class Dismissed, 
THE PROFESSOR 

R.I.P. STEVEN BOCHCO

STEVEN BOCHCO

Steven Bochco, one of Hollywood's most prolific writers and producers passed away on April 1st. He was 74 years old according to THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. Steven Bochco changed the way we look at television drama with shows that featured ensemble casts and gritty realism that focused on hot-button social issues including Hill Street Blues, L.A. Law, and NYPD Blue. With this formula he won 10 Primetime Emmy Awards and became one of the most influential figures in television during the 80's and 90's. 

His career started in 1960's working at Universal where he worked on such classic shows like Columbo and MacMillan and Wife. By 1976 he moved to MTM Enterprises. 

Besides introducing gritty realism and ensemble casts to drama, Bochco was also known for making his own rules and not bending to TV executives. When he created NYPD Blue in the 90's he asked network executives at ABC to give him freedom on the show's use of  language and nudity. Bochco knew that in order to compete with cable television he had to up the ante on network television. Despite protests from the religious right, NYPD Blue debuted in 1993 and ran for 12 seasons winning a total of 20 Emmys during its run on ABC. 

When we look at television today with shows like Law and Order, Law and Order: SVU, Game of Thrones, Grey's Anatomy, all of them owe a debt to Steven Bochco. He was a visionary that raised the bar in dramatic television. His contributions will never be forgotten. 

THE PROFESSOR