The WildC.A.T.s television series was created in 1994 and aired on CBS. The series was produced by WildStorm Productions in association with Nelvana. Although DC Comics owns the rights to the characters (due to DC's 1999 purchase of WildStorm), FUNimation Entertainment distributed the series' run on DVD, which was released on July 19, 2005.
Yeah, I know the theme song is cheesy, but I liked it...
It ran for thirteen episodes with a family-friendly storyline. WildC.A.T.s featured a rock soundtrack, and a theme song performed by Sheree Jeacocke and Gerry Mosby. WildC.A.T.s, along with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Skeleton Warriors, was grouped into the "Action Zone" showcase that used a wraparound animated fly-though pre-credit sequence to bookend the three very different programs.[citation needed] The series was canceled around the same time that the "Action Zone" concept was officially retired (although TMNT retained the "Action Zone" credit sequence until the end of its run two years later).[citation needed]
The group was composed of all the original WildC.A.T.s. The major villain was Helspont, and the Troika and the Coda were featured as supporting characters. Mr. Majestic also made appearances, though not as a member of the group.
Differences between the comics and television series
The main differences of the series and the comic books were:
Jacob Marlowe, the Kherubim Lord Emp, was an ordinary human.
Warblade discovers his powers when he becomes part of the group, in the first episode. Because of this, he is the group's rookie, a position occupied by Voodoo in the comic book.
Void is an android and a Kherubim artificial intelligence.
Majestic is an antagonist, obsessed with finding the Orb and destroying the Daemonites.
Max Cash, Grifter's comic universe younger brother, is the older brother, and the leader of an International Operations special unit called the Black Razors.
Pike, who in the comics is a human/Kherubim hybrid working for the Daemonites, is a Daemonite himself in the TV series.
Voodoo is a telekinetic in addition to being a telepath.
Maul does not have a human form; his Titanthrope form is permanent. In addition, he becomes more enraged as he grows in size, as opposed to losing intelligence.
Zealot and Grifter become a couple by the series' end.
Spartan was a Kherubim rebuilt as a cyborg instead of being an android.
Also, Playmates Toys released a toyline based on the TV series. The characters featured in the toyline were Grifter, Helspont, Maul, Max Cash (as a Black Razor), Mister Majestic, Pike, Slag, Spartan, Void, Voodoo, Warblade, Zealot and a generic Daemonite.
Collection Status
As pictured, I own Spartan, Zealot, Warblade, Helspont, Pike (Stealth variant), Void, Voodoo, and the Grifter vs. Daemonite (2-Pack).
What's left to collect?
Bullet Bike
Daemonite
Grifter
Deluxe Grifter (optional) Helspont
Helspont in ceremonial battle dress (optional)
Maul
Mr. Majestic Black Pike
Pike
Black Razor
Slag
Black Spartan (optional) Spartan Warblade Void Voodoo Zealot
Zealot (variant) Grifter and Daemonite 2 pack
Spartan Vs Helspont 2 pack
10" Grifter (optional)
10" Spartan (optional)
Unfortunately, I'm limited to mostly online outlets to find these figures as most people don't even bother collecting them at all. Fortunately for me, when I have ran across them in stores and local comic book shops, they have been dirt cheap.
If anything, I would be happy to get all of the basic figure if at all. I can live without all of the vehicles (Bullet Bike) and the variant/duplicates that sport only VERY minor differences from the original figures they were based off of.
Why?
- These figures were VERY detailed and living examples of Jim Lee's artistic talents. Playmates toys' were very popular and known for their ridiculous amount of detail at the time
- One of the first non-Marvel based comic book properties I adored growing up. This team opened my eyes to experiment and look into more possibilities outside of Marvel.
- Here's a secret about me: I RARELY like the full roster of ANY superhero team. There's always that one (or many, nowadays) member who irks me so much either character-wise or design-wise that I can't find myself enjoying the group as a whole because of it. With WildCATs I liked everyone - the heroes, the villains, even the minor cameos from other Image Comics' characters.
- Last but not least, WildCATs has had a rough time after the big boom of comics in the late 90s. After that these heroes have popped up in Image and more recently DC Comics off and on to mixed results. Collecting the figures is out of respect to Jim Lee's former grandeur with their original run.
Now that's out of the way, I hope all of my loyal readers have a wonderful and safe holiday.
Don't worry I'm not going to make this a long post.
Last year, I was still friends with someone in particular who I recently stopped wasting my time and breath interacting with. This particular person was negative about everything in life, even belittling and disrespecting the value of our so-called friendship. I got fed up with this individual's attitude and told them to make me a list of things that they were thankful for since everything is so horrible (our so-called friendship included) and worth complaining about all the time. That particular person's list was rather disappointing and lack, but I KNOW that I can do a much better job at the task.
Note: For those of you who are some of my friends from the world of e-federations, then yes, I'm referring two one of the quitters...
Friends & Family
Whether I know you personally for a lifetime or we have never met in person but have shared laughs and unique experiences together in an online environment, I'm thankful to have those individuals in my life.
There are times that we may butt heads and not see eye-to-eye, but I love my family (by blood or my surrogate internet family of friends) nonetheless.
My Means of Escapism
Anime, Video Games, Film, Comic Books, Cartoons, Etc.
Media and it's various forms cannot cease to amaze me. They serve as fuel to my already overly-active imagination.
While we're talking films, I cannot thank Marvel Comics enough for adapting their comic book universe into the Cinematic Universe. They started something that almost every studio in Hollywood is trying to replicate.
Blogging & Social Media Outlets (Facebook, Twitter, Instant Messaging, Etc.)
I do this for two reasons - my sanity and for you guys, my loyal followers and fans. I've met and reacquainted myself with you guys over social media. I wouldn't have it any other way. For the time being, I have quality friends and fans here over quantity. Quantity will come in time - I value the meaningful and intelligent conversations with those of you who take your time to comment on ramblings.
I cannot thank you all enough.
My Life
Tomorrow isn't promised to anyone in this world, but I'm thankful for these roughly 30 years of life on this planet. Not many people can say that they have good health or two feet that they can stand and walk on, but that is something else that I won't take for granted and be thankful for.
My individuality
In a world where I notice that it is becoming a rarity to value this trait as most people are so preoccupied with being like everyone else to the point where they lose what makes them different. I was ridiculed for it when I was in my adolescence but now it's one of my greatest personality traits that draws people to get to know me on a personal level.
My Love of Professional Wrestling
Last but not least... I'm drifting off to sleep here, but I'll wrap this up. Normally I would keep wrestling to just Let's Talk Wrestling, but I have met most of my closest friends through discussions and my love of wrestling over the years. For that, along with the endless amount of entertainment that I have for this sport, I cannot thank the promotions and the wrestlers themselves enough.
Two days ago, Rocksteady released this first gameplay video of the latest footage to come from the upcoming final Batman video game in the Arkham series, Arkham Knight. I don't know about you guys but I can't stop watching this over and over without getting excited.
(Stands up and applauds) After Batman: Arkham Origins (I know that I still owe you guys a review on that game...), I was really starting to worry about the future of this franchise, but this trailer as COMPLETELY restored my faith in these games.
I was a little skeptical on how the Batmobile would be implied from the initial trailers before this. I felt that it would take away from Batman's gliding and swinging around Gotham, but this trailer proves that the transitions between the two will be seamless. I thought the ability to pick up and drop off victims/hostages with the Batmobile was pretty damn cool too.
The ability to link/chain multiple takedowns was something I wanted in since Arkham City, so that was an added bonus to see here. About time they went outside of the box in terms of improvements and upgrades to Predator actions as well. I would love a complete breakdown to exactly how the "Fear Takedowns" differ from the standard normal stealth Takedowns.
One thing I have to wonder is Rocksteady keeping up that bullshit idea about the cannons on the Batmobile firing "non-lethal" rounds when it's clearly exploding on contact like damn grenades. These guys in the Arkham Knight's "army" are clearly wearing body armor, so I'm doubt some bullshit non-lethal rounds are going to keep them down for long.
I'm not dwelling too hard on story/plot details for now, but I'm anxiously awaiting the next part in this gameplay teaser series.
Big Hero 6 is a 2014 American 3D computer-animated superhero comedy film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. Inspired by the Marvel Comics superhero team of the same name, the film tells the story of a young robotics prodigy named Hiro Hamada, who forms a superhero team to combat a masked villain.
Big Hero 6 is the first Disney animated feature film to feature Marvel Comics characters, whose parent company was acquired by The Walt Disney Company in 2009.
In a futuristic metropolis called San Fransokyo (a portmanteau of San Francisco and Tokyo), 14 year-old genius robotics expert, Hiro Hamada, is hustling at bot fighting; one of his opponents is angry at his loss and has his friends prepare to beat Hiro up, but his older brother, Tadashi, rescues him in time. However, the cops show up, getting both brothers into legal trouble and having their aunt Cass pick them up from the station. After this incident, Tadashi is worried that Hiro is wasting his potential and takes Hiro to the robotics lab at his university. There, Hiro meets Tadashi's friends: GoGo Tomago, Wasabi, Honey Lemon, and Fred. Tadashi presents Baymax to Hiro, a personal healthcare robot that Tadashi created. Amazed, Hiro decides to apply to the school. With help from Tadashi and his friends, he designs his own project for the annual exhibition to gain admission: microbots, controlled by a neural-cranial transmitter that can link together in any arrangement imaginable. This impresses Professor Callaghan, the program head, and Alistair Krei, a scientist only motivated by wealth, who offers to buy Hiro's microbots but Hiro refuses. Hiro is admitted to the school and the group leaves to celebrate. Shortly after, a fire breaks out at at the university, and Tadashi rushes in to rescue Callaghan, but the building explodes and both are killed. As a result of losing his brother, Hiro enters a depression, giving up on the university and avoiding his friends.
One day, Hiro accidentally activates Baymax, who discovers a single microbot left in his jacket that is knocking against its class case hapharzardly. Baymax thinks the microbot is trying to go somewhere, but Hiro insists it's broken. Baymax, with Hiro behind him, follows the direction of the microbot to an abandoned warehouse, where he and Hiro discover that someone has stolen Hiro's microbots that everyone believed perished in the fire. They are attacked by a masked man controlling the bots as Hiro did. After Hiro and Baymax escape, Hiro decides to catch the masked man and upgrades Baymax with armor and a battle chip containing various karate moves. When they return to the warehouse, everything is gone. Baymax, Hiro, Honey, Gogo, Wasabi, and Fred go to the pier to find the masked man. The masked man attacks the group but they manage to get away. The 6 friends hide out in Fred's family mansion where Hiro decides to make more upgrades for Baymax to find the masked man, and provides his friends with super-hero suits so they can join him in the fight.
I KNOW I can't be the only one who thought about Amon from The Legend of Korra when I first saw Yokai...
Baymax locates the masked man on a quarantined island, where they discover a former Krei Tech lab that was experimenting with teleportation technology. The experiment went awry when Krei sent a human test subject inside one of the unstable portals and the exit portal explodes. Upon meeting the masked man again, the team fights him and he is revealed to be Callaghan, who explains that he survived the fire by using Hiro's microbots to shield himself. Realizing Tadashi died for nothing, Hiro removes Baymax's healthcare chip, leaving him with only the battle chip. In blind fury and heartbreak, Hiro orders Baymax to kill Callaghan. Baymax attempts to do so, fighting off the team while they try to stop him. Baymax attacks Callaghan until Honey Lemon manages to plug the healthcare chip back into him, allowing Callaghan to escape. Angry at his friends, Hiro goes home to try and remove Baymax's healthcare chip again but Baymax prevents him from doing so. Hiro breaks down when Baymax asks him if killing Callaghan will make him feel better. To soften Hiro's loss, Baymax shows several clips of Tadashi running tests on Baymax. Hiro realizes that killing Callaghan is not what Tadashi would have wanted and makes amends with his friends.
The group then discovers that the human test pilot that was killed in Krei's experiment was Callaghan's daughter, Abigail, and that Callaghan is seeking revenge on Krei, whom he blames for her death. The group finds Krei already caught in the grasp of Callaghan and the microbots, and in danger of being sucked into the rebuilt portal which killed Abigail. The team manages to destroy the microbots, but the portal remains active, becoming increasingly unstable. Baymax detects Callaghan's daughter still alive within the portal, and he and Hiro rush in to save her. However, on their way out, Baymax's armor is destroyed by a lone chunk of debris, and he realizes the only way to save Hiro and Abigail is if he stays behind to propel them forward with his rocket fist. Hiro repeatedly refuses to leave him but Baymax insists until Hiro tearfully gives in. Hiro and Abigail make it back, Callaghan is arrested, and Abigail goes to a hospital.
Some time later, Hiro discovers Baymax's healthcare chip (which contains his entire personality) in his rocket fist. Hiro rebuilds Baymax and they happily reunite. The six friends continue their hero exploits through the city, remaining unknown, and helping those in need.
In a post-credits scene, Fred, back at the family mansion is speaking to a picture of his parents and admitting he wishes he and his father would spend more time together. He accidentally opens a secret door and finds weapons and superhero gear. His father arrives and embraces Fred, admitting they both have plenty to talk about.
The Verdict:
Hiro Hamada - kid genius and inventor that could definitely give Tony Stark a run for his money in a few more years.
Right off the bat, the first that I have to praise Disney for is their complete creative freedom with re-imagining Big Hero 6 to separate it from it's comic book equivalent from Marvel Comics. Moviegoers should be relieved that they will not require ANY previous knowledge of the source material to get their head around what's going around this film.
GoGo Tomago doesn't get much screen time, but I dig her attitude and personality.
The film is called Big Hero 6, but for the bulk of the narrative from start to finish, it feels like Big Hero TWO as the story centers around Hiro and Tadashi's (then later Baymax) relationship. That's not necessarily a bad thing in the least, but I wish that the rest of the "team" was given some room to benefit from some character development. I can settle for the whole mutual bond through friendship and the common loss of the dearly departed though. That leaves room for their individual characters to develop more in a possible sequel now that Hiro and Baymax's bond has been established in this film. You cannot help but love the bond between these two as goes beyond words. Hell, I'm not ashamed to admit that I even wanted to give Baymax a hug by the time the credits rolled around.
Tadashi's parting gift is Baymax, who ends up being MUCH more that mere medical assistant to Hiro Hamada.
Speaking of Baymax, he is the star of this film without a shadow of a doubt. Scott Adsit did a brilliant job lending his voice to the character to bring him to life. Baymax will make you laugh, he may make you cry, but by the time the credits roll you will love him nonetheless and understand why he's the perfect companion and guardian to Hiro Hamada.
Wasabi is black in this version of Big Hero 6 and acts as the token black guy (and big brother) to the team.
While we are on the subject of emotions in this film, let's talk about the amount of feels here. From Hiro and Baymax's friendship to the drama that drove Hiro towards a blood-thirsty path of revenge towards Callaghan for Tadashi's demise, I couldn't help admire these themes in a kids' cartoon of all things. Speaking of Tadashi, I saw grown adults with tears streaming down their faces in the movie theater. If you move grown adults with the power of your narrative with a kids cartoon, then you definitely get a thumbs up in my book. You have to give Man of Action (team behind Ben 10 series, Generator Rex, Ultimate Spider-Man) props for bringing a narrative to the table that both kids and adults who are young at heart could both enjoy here.
Honey Lemon - She tends to be a bit overly-excited about EVERYTHING at times but she's one of the few people in the film who pronounces Hiro's name correctly...
I was also impressed that the action sequences in this film were on par with the rest of the action sequences found in the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, despite being an animated feature. The chase throughout the city in Fred's car stood out to me the most, followed by the final encounter against Callaghan.
Fred serves as the only guy who gets how much of a big deal it is that the group are a team of superheroes now.
At the end of the day, Big Hero 6 is a welcome addition to both Disney's growing library of 3D and Marvel's Cinematic Universe. There's no clue if these heroes could show up again in future live-action films, but it would be cool to see this get an animated series later down the road, much like How To Train Your Dragon, Monsters vs. Aliens, or Kung-Fu Panda. If you got some time to kill, go see this movie, you won't be disappointed.
Big Hero 6 gets a 8.5 out of 10.
Also, I suggest staying throughout the credits as Stan Lee's best cameo to date occurs in a post-credits scene...
WWE Survivor Series (2014) took place on Sunday, November 23, 2014 at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri. It was the twenty-eighth annual Survivor Series event. WWE offered the event free to new subscribers of the WWE Network.
It's that moment that you've been waiting for. Post-PPV reactions, results, and afterthoughts on the event where WWE and the man known as Sting broke the Internet. Without further adieu, "It's showtime, folks!"
Pre-Show: Fandango (w/ Rosa Mendes) def. Justin Gabriel
The kick-off show saw the repackaging of Fandango as a salsa dancer with Rosa Mendes as his valet. I can dig this. There's no reason to give up on this guy yet, especially as WWE were mostly to blame for killing his momentum in the past when he got over all on his own. I wish he would cook up a better finisher (John Morrison's Moonlight Drive maybe?) instead of that Diving Leg Drop if he expects to not have hip/back problems when he gets more mileage in the ring.
Even though Fandango came out the winner, I thought Justin Gabriel looked strong in this match. I really wish WWE would have given that guy a serious singles push when they had the opportunity. He truly shines as an enhancement talent on both the main roster and down on NXT.
Pre-Show: Bad News Barrett Returns
Shouldn't they brought him back during the UK tour? That would've made a LOT more damn sense. If they are implying that he could be the future GM or RAW/Smackdown! then I wouldn't mind that in the least.
Pre-Show: Jack Swagger (w/ Jeb Coulter) def. Cesaro
A quick, mat-based match. Once again, Cesaro is reduced to a pre-show filler match. To say that Swagger was allegedly "injured" that took him out from representing Team Cena, he was booked on Main Event earlier this week and now on the night of the actual PPV? Gotta love WWE's booking sometimes, geez...
WWE Tag Team Championship - Four Corners Tag Team Match - The Miz and Damien "Mizdow" Sandow def. Dust Brothers (Goldust & Stardust), The Usos (Jimmy & Jey), and Los Matadores (w/ El Torito)
I personally felt like the live crowd ruined this match for the most part. They were too preoccupied with chanting for Mizdow that they didn't care about the fact that this match was actual not that bad. All four of these teams are capable and legitimate tag teams on their own right, but the crowd was heavily invested into Mizdow's antics. Mizdow didn't do next to anything in this match, but he managed to sneak by with the win regardless while the other three tag teams worked the majority of the match.
This title change brings a bit of new life into the struggling tag team division, but I rather see a solo push for Sandow. The guy deserves much more than this piss-poor comedy relief act. And he definitely doesn't deserve to be playing second fiddle to The Miz.
Classic Survivor Series Match - Team Nattie (Natalya, Alicia Fox, Naomi, and Emma) def. Team Paige (Paige, Summer Rae, Cameron, and Layla) in a FULL sweep
I was thinking that Paige would end up as the final member on her team and pull a Randy Orton Survivor Series moment and floor everyone on the opposing team, but I can live with her losing.
I don't believe that WWE were trying to "bury" her either. Paige needs her jets to be cooled a bit for the time being. If they keep pushing her at the rate they were after her debut, she would run out of things to accomplish and aspire to in WWE - if she hasn't already. She already won the NXT Women's Championship once and won the WWE Divas Championship on multiple occasions. She has plenty of years left in her - she's still very young and very new to the company. They don't have to race to do everything with her right off the bat. She still has many years in her to become an even better wrestler than she already is.
There's a few things between the lines that most fans didn't notice with this match.
Naomi was the one who eliminated both Cameron and Paige, looking the strongest out of everyone in this match.
Emma and Cameron wrestled the longest duration in a high-profile PPV in what seems like forever. For Emma, it's been since NXT ArRIVAL, for Cameron, it has been since her feud with Naomi during the summer.
Despite her few botches, Cameron is actually improving.
Summer Rae and Page are teasing a potential pairing/team-up. They have been encouraging this on social media throughout the evening.
Alicia Fox worked the ENTIRE match as a babyface. I'm still very skeptical on how effective this could be. I rather her just be batshit crazy like Dean Ambrose, Stardust, and Goldust are supposedly are.
Tyson Kidd completely turned off his whole "douchebag husband" act during this match and let Natalya shine on her own.
This was the LONGEST Divas match in a very long time for the WWE Divas. This allowed all of the Divas in this match to showcase their ability and personalities more than they allowed to on a regular basis.
Bray Wyatt def. Dean Ambrose via DQ
Much like the entirety of this feud, this match was very underwhelming for the most part. I will admit that Ambrose mimicking Wyatt's corner taunt and Wyatt's offense near the end of the match did keep me entertained though.
I didn't see what was so "awesome" about Bray Wyatt being buried underneath the wealth of foreign objects and weapons in the ring post-match though. I saw that only as WWE doing cheap and obvious promotion for next month's, Tables, Ladders, and Chairs event. That's one thing I felt like that WWE has bumbled with Bray Wyatt's feuds. This reminds me of his feud with Chris Jericho, where WWE did little to keep you engaged or wanting to care about this feud for the long haul.
Impromptu Tag Team Match: Adam Rose & The Bunny def. Slater Gator (Heath Slater & Titus O'neil)
What the hell, man?
Get this shit off of my TV... I understand that WWE is giving us this PPV for free, but that's no excuse to give us the same bullshit that will be recycled on to WWE programming later this week on a PPV.
WWE Divas Championship - Nikki Bella (w/ Brie Bella) def. AJ Lee
In the words of Jim Ross, this over faster than a hiccup. AJ received the "kiss of death" from Brie Bella (I'm sure BOTH CM Punk and Daniel Bryan enjoyed that moment). Nikki Bella promptly knocked her out from behind and hit the Rack Attack to pick up the win.
I know the AJ Lee marks are pissed that the match ended like this, but that finish and result makes me think that those alleged rumors about AJ leaving by the end of 2014 could be true. I wanted more out of the Divas title match here, but I can live with this result. AJ's steamrolled through the division enough over the past year, it's about time that she got her just desserts for once. Nikki has improved a lot over the last few months and she deserves to be rewarded for her hard work.
I guess this win for Nikki Bella broke that alleged ruling about no one from the cast of Total Divas could not win the Divas Championship.
In all seriousness though, I think that Brie helping Nikki win was either one of three things: 1) merely payback for AJ taking her out on the past week on RAW and Smackdown! 2) The whole Bella sibling rivalry was a huge swerve and the Bella Twins are reunited as heels. 3) Brie is plotting a future swerve to doublecross Nikki later down the road. Remember Renee Young said that Sunday was the last night of Brie's "contract" as Nikki's assistant.
If WWE were smart, I would have Nikki Bella play a part in getting Authority back into play as we head into WrestleMania season. She could be Authority's trump card and curry Cena's favor into bringing Triple H and Stephanie McMahon into power.
Classic Survivor Series Match - Team Cena (John Cena, The Big Show, Dolph Ziggler, Erick Rowan, and Ryback) def. Team Authority (Seth Rollins, United States Champion Rusev, Intercontinental Champion Luke Harper, Corporate Kane, and Mark Henry)
Mark Henry jobs within the first minute to the WMD by The Big Show in an impressive show of force for Team Cena in the opening minute of this bout. I can live with this decision for the fact that Mark Henry is a veteran and he can easily bounce back from a loss like this. Plus, let's not forget that it was the exclamation point that Team Cena needed against the terrifying odds of Team Authority. That being said, I loved how Stephanie and Triple H were standing on the ring apron like they were actually going to fight in this match legally.
Ryback was eliminated by the combined efforts of both Seth Rollins and Rusev. I think the thing to take away from this part was how much the crowd popped for the Rusev versus Ryback match-up. It seems like WWE aren't too keen about propelling Ryback to the moon again, but a feud with Rusev would benefit both rising stars' careers. WWE shouldn't have given both Ryback and Rusev THAT much ring-time against each other. I wouldn't have had Ryback get eliminated that early on either. That's a future PPV match I wouldn't mind paying to see.
Rusev eliminated via count-out after putting himself through the announcer's table at ringside after Ziggler rolled out of the way at the last second. I was completely fine with this method to eliminate Rusev. He maintains his undefeated streak without anyone actually pinning him. If I had any complaints, it would be that there weren't enough camera shots of Lana at ringside...
Rusev threw Ziggler out of the ring with a F'N Border Toss...
The Big Show KOs John Cena with the WMD and walks out on Team Cena to aid Team Authority. I found myself facepalming (I'm a faithful Big Show fan) at this development with it being Big Show's millionth heel turn, but eliminating Cena from the equation made the situation bleak. That spoke volumes for this drama as Stephanie taunted Cena while a battered and bruised Dolph Ziggler laid unconscious at ringside.
In the end, it wasn't John Cena who won the big one for Team Cena. It was Dolph Ziggler who pulled out the win when it mattered most, channeling his inner Shawn Michaels, circa Survivor Series 2003. That was an emotional moment for me to see that WWE FINALLY has faith in this guy again - rightfully so.
Sting made his WWE debut (despite this being spoiled via social media more than 24 hrs. ahead of this event) to "save" Team Cena from Team Authority. My Twitter timeline exploded afterwards to the point where I had to walk away from the desktop and just sit on my bed as I watched the end of the PPV without any further distractions.
I think I would have enjoyed this moment more if The Undertaker appeared and stood in-between Triple H and the Stinger, teasing WrestleMania 31. Instead, it seems like WWE is teasing Triple H vs. Sting for either Royal Rumble or Elimination Chamber. I seriously doubt they are going to postpone that until WrestleMania when they have already planned the seeds for Triple H vs. The Rock.
I have to agree with Tommy Dreamer's tweet from last night that said that everyone who is happy about Sting being here automatically loses the ring to complain about the inevitable Triple H vs. Sting match in the near-future.
Closing Thoughts
Unlike most people, I didn't jizz my shorts off the debut of Sting. WWE made it well worth the way. About F'N time, I must say. Don't get me wrong, I don't hate the guy or anything, but from the reactions on social media, you would think that people didn't see him in Impact Wrestling prior to this and this was his first wrestling appearance since WCW closed it's doors back in 2001. I'm glad that he finally made his presence known, but I felt his debut took too much away from Dolph Ziggler's big win here tonight as the event came to a close.
Apparently, the guy signed a contract with WWE since post-WrestleMania... Would it have killed WWE to build up to this moment with a full-blown storyline instead of a random appearance like this? Instead, I wanted more from this debut than what was offered here. I'm sure long-time Sting fans were pleased just for him to show up in a WWE ring PERIOD, but I tend to want a LOT more out of my storytelling from WWE.
The closing moments of the PPV should have been about Ziggler celebrating his moment in the spotlight with the members of Team Cena who didn't defect over to Team Authority. Sting's debut seemed to completely overshadow that moment and rob Ziggler of the praise he rightfully deserved.
Triple H struggles to keep Steph under control like a black girl ready to throw down in a fight...
Stephanie McMahon losing her shit after Team Authority lost was an added plus. I'm going to be sad now that we won't have anymore amazing Stephanie McMahon heel promos on RAW every week. In the back of my mind, I think Triple H and Stephanie wrote themselves off TV just to be at home with their kids for the upcoming holidays...
This was the first time in like an eternity (at least since WrestleMania XXX) where one of the "Big Five" PPVs felt truly special. And all that it took was WWE actually listening to its fans for once. Oh that and making a FULL-length PPV FREE on the WWE Network. If I may add, the Network showed little to no hiccups during the event, despite the record of random errors and disconnects throughout the week prior.
While the bulk of the WWE Universe acted like this was the best PPV of 2014, I have to disagree with that statement completely. The first 2 hours of this event were mediocre at best (and I'm being VERY generous there...) with too much unnecessary filler and littered with commercials and video packages, while the final hour was an emotional roller coaster, reminiscent of the emotions that went through fans' minds during WrestleMania XXX. Oh the irony...
If I was to give the entire event a grade, I would go with a solid B rating. The final hour is what we love about wrestling - action, drama, storytelling, and some nostalgia, but everything else just weighed the show down in comparison.
When I read some of the comments on my Twitter timeline and across social media, I really have to wonder if WWE is the ONLY company some of you guys warrant your opinions of professional wrestling's current status on. Go out there and watch some Impact Wrestling, who are doing great things right now. Most of their talent (along with FWE's) worked House of Hardcore VII for Tommy Dreamer's promotion. If you're a fan of WRESTLERS instead of ENTERTAINERS then you need to take the time to watch that event. Do yourself a favor and check out Lucha Underground if you haven't already. Trust me, they are doing things that will blow your mind. Last, but not least, give Ring of Honor a freakin' chance. Most of NXT's top prospects (along with the beloved CM Punk, Seth Rollins, Cesaro, and Daniel Bryan - along with NXT Trainer, Sara Del Rey) are ROH alumni, with more of their former top stars, such as Kevin Steen (as Kevin Owens), set to debut by the end of the 2014.
WWE Monday Night RAW (November 24, 2014)
The Authority's Farewell Address
RAW opens with Triple H's usual banter of cheap pops and cheap shots to cater to the live crowd while a very emotional Stephanie McMahon continues to play up the "tragedy" of their loss at Survivor Series.
The Authority gets one more shot in the gut as they head out of the arena as Daniel Bryan returns to lead the WWE Universe in a "YES" chant to rub the salt into The Authority's open wounds.
Daniel Bryan named as General Manager for tonight's show
The best thing to come out of this segment was the transformation of Corporate Kane to Concessions Kane. I hope Ringside Collectibles will have that figure in stock for 2015...
All jokes aside, I felt that naming Daniel Bryan the GM for the night screamed the same situation as Shawn Michaels as commissioner back during the Attitude Era. Both men had career threatening injuries when they were assigned these positions. I can't knock WWE for that as it's a good way to keep Daniel Bryan relevant and in eyes of the fans during his recovery process.
Ryback def. Mark Henry
This was over rather quickly. It wasn't as fast as Henry's elimination during the Survivor Series main event, but damn. When Mark Henry loses momentum, he falls HARD.
Intercontinental Championship Match - Luke Harper (c) def. Dean Ambrose via DQ
It was rather strange to see Dean Ambrose receive a title match over Dolph Ziggler, but I'm not the one writing this shit. We all knew in the back of our heads that
Larry The Cable Guy & Santino promote Jingle All The Way 2
Get this shit off of my TV. How can you do a sequel to that movie without Arnold? It's not going to be the same!
I haven't been that happy to see Goldust and Stardust in my life...
WWE Tag Team Championship Match - The Miz & Mizdow (c) def. Dust Brothers (Goldust & Stardust) to retain
Mizdow gets more offense in this match, but it ends up with The Miz stealing Mizdow's thunder for the team to retain. If they have the tag titles by the end of 2014, I'm going to be shocked. It's obvious that they are going to implode from Mizdow being more over with the crowd than The Miz.
Fandango (w/ Rosa Mendes) def. Justin Gabriel
This was merely a rehash of their match from last night's pre-show bout before Survivor Series. I still say they need to consider changing Fandango's finisher before he has back/spinal issues like Hulk Hogan when he starts to have a lot of mileage in the ring.
The Big Show Explains His Actions
The Big Show goes completely bipolar (or rather tri-polar) in this segment until Erick Rowan (who is dubbed "Upside Down Sheamus" by The Big Show) comes out to express his disgust with bullies.
I guess this is how WWE is going to keep both The Big Show and Erick Rowan relevant...
Brie Bella (w/ Divas Champion Nikki Bella) def. AJ Lee
I guess everyone forgot that tonight is the last day that Brie is under "contract" as Nikki's assistant. I won't lie that I enjoyed AJ on the mic tonight though. If they actually take the time to plot this out carefully, WWE could actually have something good here. This is a feud that should have happened when AJ Lee first dropped her "pipebomb" back in 2013 that belittled the cast of Total Divas. We can finally address the elephant in the room about that show, their conflicting fan-bases, and how AJ Lee is the only Diva who seems to segregate (read: alienate) herself from anything to do with that show.
AJ won quote of the night with that line about "talent isn't sexually transmitted."
I love how AJ's fanbase tends to think quite the opposite, when she was trained by her previous boyfriend, Jay Lethal. (Grins) Now who's the hypocrite?
Tyson Kidd & Natalya def. Adam Rose & The Bunny
Ugh... How many times do I have to endure this bullshit? I just want Adam Rose to beat the shit out of the Bunny and revert back to Leo Kruger for my viewing pleasure.
Ryback Checks In With Concession Kane At Work
Ryback: "Hey Kane, you forgot your NUTS!!"
This resulted in the mandatory food fight of the evening at Kane's new job.
I want my Concession Kane action figure with action condiments, dammit.
3-on-2 Handicap Match - John Cena & Dolph Ziggler def. J & J Security (Jamie Noble & Joey Mercury) and Seth Rollins
I wouldn't even call this a "match" by a stretch. Rollins bailed at the first sign of trouble and left Noble and Mercury to fall victim to the Attitude Adjustment and Zig-Zag (after a Super Kick that would make Shawn Michaels blush) from Cena and Ziggler. With the heels laid out, Daniel Bryan came out join them as RAW closed out...
That is until the return of the Anonymous RAW General Manager. (Sighs) Apparently, WWE wants us to forget that Hornswoggle was in control of that gimmick the last time. The Anonymous RAW GM is said to be in control for next week's RAW on Cyber Monday.
Closing Remarks
Going into Monday Night RAW, I was excited on how WWE would follow up the events from Survivor Series. Instead of carrying that momentum and excitement into RAW, WWE dropped the ball (literally and figuratively) and went back to their same ol' shit style of creative direction and booking.
To say that WWE had everyone amped up after Survivor Series, they really dropped the ball here with this post-Survivor Series RAW broadcast.
Much like Survivor Series, I'll give this show a grade rating as well: C- Unlike Survivor Series, this show wasn't a pleasure to watch.
Hey, WWE, when are you going to address the elephant in the room known as Brock Lesnar and the missing WWE World Heavyweight Championship?
The top question that I keep getting since Ultra Street Fighter IV has dropped in the post-Evolution 2K14 gaming landscape is, "Why haven't you bothered to pick up the game?" On top of that, I keep getting the other question, "Do you still play fighters anymore?"
To answer both questions, I'm going to take the time out of my evening and go in-depth on why I'm personally on hiatus.
I'm COMPLETELY burnt out on the genre.
After roughly 400+ hours total on ALL previous versions of Street Fighter IV since the initial launch, I'm done for the time being. I don't have it in me to grind my way up to B+ rank again on Ranked Matches when it took me about a year or two to do so in Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition version 2012. I'm positive that I have hit my plateau with that character (Chun-Li) and despite her balance changes/tweaks in the newest iteration of the game, I doubt I'm going to do much better. I'm not a "pro gamer" and I'm not in the grind to attend tournaments regularly. Lastly and more importantly, I'm not being paid to keep wasting so much time on this single game.
I haven't watched a single tournament stream, Cross Counter videos, nor Wednesday Night Fights/The Runback broadcast since Evolution. To be quite honest, I haven't had the desire to even care. When I was still playing the game regularly, I would check Eventhubs and Shoryuken for news on a daily basis. Currently, I barely pay attention to either site, but I still get news tidbits on my Facebook news feed. Previously, I would be excited to check out a new combo video or tutorial.
Nowadays, I get the feeling of "meh" off almost every new video. No disrespect to the players or the games themselves, but I'm positive that I'm burnt out on this genre for the time being.
Almost ALL of my close friends have moved on...
My friends who I used to regularly spar matches with in Endless Battle at every opportunity we were all online on Xbox Live have moved onto other things in gaming or in life in general - getting married, busy with school/college, moving onto different genres (Call of Duty, Madden, MMORPGs, etc.), or just moving onto a different console (PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PC, Xbox One, etc.) than I own (Xbox 360).
The simple solution would be to find new friends and I honestly tried that over the past few years.
Despite being an introverted person (I can easily admit that I'm not the guy who races out excited to meet new people as I have a hard time trusting people to begin with, but that's a story for another day...), I branched out and joined a few fighting game communities. I joined and I'm still a member of Facebook groups oriented towards the characters I main in Street Fighter IV, namely Chun-Li and Rose, but I haven't read nor posted anything in those groups in months. Before that, I was part of the local fighting game community in my home state, but I didn't stick with that as everyone was more preoccupied with either arguing with each other or self-promoting themselves as the "best" when I was under the impression the group should have been about pulling together as a community and helping each other out. That way the community levels up and gets better as whole instead of this one versus everyone mentality that the group had. Apparently, I was wrong. I thanked the admins for their time and quietly walked away from the group. People from that said community still send me event requests and what-not, but I kindly decline to each and every single of one of them. Even doing that got me bad blood with other players who see it as an insult that I'm not "contributing" to the community by playing in every little tournament or attending every event that pops up. It got to the point where I had to curse people out and explain to them that "You nor these games pay my bills, so get off my case."
It reminded me of a situation in a particular professional wrestling discussion group that I'm currently in. There weren't enough people striving for the better of the group and the community as a whole than the majority of people bringing the group down with negativity. Whether your intentions are pure or not, there's no "I" in team. One person can't bear that burden all on their own. For a LONG time, I felt like that had to continue contributing to this genre as one of the "little guys" who understands the struggle to be "not quite" a pro or godlike at these games. Now I see that I don't owe these people anything really. I should be playing these games for MY own entertainment. If people see my gameplay videos or like having games against me online, cool - that's a bonus, but I'm done trying to please people.
Then don't get me started on the people I know online personally who say I should be playing this game or that game because what fighting game I'm currently playing sucks. I had a personal falling out with one friend in particular that he was butthurt that I would only play my fighters on Xbox 360 (despite the fact that use a converter for playing in tournaments when they have the said games on PS3) while he played exclusively on PlayStation 3 and despised anything and everything made by Capcom and Namco-Bandai. Buddy, it's not my fault that you don't know there's other fighting games other than Injustice and Mortal Kombat 9... Protip: Calling the game I'm playing hot garbage isn't going to make me too keen to try out whatever you're trying to sell me into playing.
Allow me to run down my general experience with most fighting games with a quick Cliff Notes' guide:
Arc System Works
Guilty Gear series: Played the hell out of Guilty Gear XX on PlayStation 2 in college, but that was mostly solo play since most people there were into either Tekken or CVS2. Xrd looks okay, but doubt I'm going to be racing out to the store to buy it.
Persona 4: Arena series: Never got into the Persona gaming franchise at all (I plan to eventually...), but the characters do look cool. Haven't played this series at ALL.
BlazBlue series: I gave the original game a shot, but took it back shortly after getting frustrated trying to learn it. I've had friends at anime conventions drag me into trying the newer versions, but I'm still not that keen on playing it seriously.
Capcom
Street Fighter series: Played the original SFII briefly on Sega Genesis, didn't come back to the series until the Alpha series on the original PlayStation. I played Alpha 3 and Street Fighter EX+a more than anything else prior to Street Fighter IV. Unlike most hardcore Street Fighter fans, I can count on one hand how many times I've played Third Strike or Street Fighter III series in general, so go ahead and flame me for that.
Darkstalkers series: Much like the Vs. series, I only played this exclusively in arcades in my hometown. Barely anyone played it so I was left fighting against the lone AI. I know I suck at it, but I love Capcom's character designs for this game too much to let that deter me.
Vs. series: Played just about everything from X-Men: Children of the Atom to Marvel vs. Capcom 2 back in the arcades in my hometown. MvC2 in my area was mostly zoning with projectiles. All of this flying around and everywhere across the screen is COMPLETELY over my head in these newer games. Plus, let's factor in that I lost my "twitch" reactions, thanks to my college years of alcohol and smoking during the height of popularity of Halo 1 and 2. The Vs. series lost me completely after my frustration with Marvel vs. Capcom 3. I love the characters, but it's a game designed to piss you off at every level. For those wondering, I've played CVS2 even less times than I have touched Third Strike. I have NO shame admitting that I will always be a Namco guy over Capcom.
Lab Zero
Skullgirls: I had the demo for Xbox 360 while one of my good friends gifted me the full game on Steam. Once I get a gaming PC built, I'm going to put some time into this game. Much like DarkStalkers, I absolutely LOVE the character designs for this game.
Namco-Bandai
Soul Blade/Soul Calibur series: I think I have had said it back on the original Method to Madness blog, but I'll say it again - my first love of fighting games on the competitive scene was in Soul Calibur II. I attended my first tournament in this game and the first second game took REALLY serious on a competitive level. It's a damn shame that my enthusiasm with this series went out of the window after Soul Calibur IV and V were HUGE disappointments for me personally.
Tekken series: The first Tekken title that I played was Tekken 2 that came with my original PlayStation on a demo disk. I begged my dad to buy me the retail release shortly afterwards. That was the first fighting game that I sat down for hours, learning combos, moves, and experimenting. Like most fans, I loved the boom period of this series around the launch of Tekken 3 and Tekken Tag Tournament, but I fell out of the series when the system changes came around Tekken 4 that were adopted from Dead or Alive. I played Tekken 5 BRIEFLY when visiting friends in college, but I jumped back into the mix for Tekken 6 off and on.
Urban Reign: This was made in the style of Fighting Force from Eidos with a bit of flair from Final Fight/Streets of Rage in 3D. With over 40+ playable characters and some guest stars from Tekken (Paul Phoenix and Marshall Law), I convinced a few of my close friends to play this with me from time to time. It was simple enough to pick up but had enough depth to keep you playing for the long haul. To this day, I still hope and pray that Namco would consider a sequel to this game.
Shonen Jump-based anime fighters (Naruto, Dragonball, One Piece, Bleach, etc.): Oh, anime fighters... the bastard stepchildren of the fighting game genre... I've lost count of how many of these games I've played over the years, but I know for sure that I love the amount of dedication and love is put into this games' narratives to hold true to the source material. Let's not forget accessibility too. If there's anything I can't stand about the FGC at times, it's this so-called elitist attitude that nothing can't be regarded as a fighting game unless it has complicated inputs and one-frame links.
Nintendo
Super Smash Bros. series: Unlike most people, I DID consider this game to be a fighting game. I've attended plenty of anime conventions where people took this game FAR more seriously than anything with Marvel or Street Fighter in the title. I gotta admit that I played more Brawl than Melee though, but I can see why the pros stick with that game over Brawl though.
NetherRealms (formerly Midway)
Injustice: Gods Among Us: After that disaster that was Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, I was glad to see that DC Comics' heroes have proper representation in the fighting game genre, much like Marvel Comics' has their own heroes and villains. I rented this about for a week or two upon launch and QUICKLY grew bored with it. After playing SF4 prior, the animations were really clunky and distracting to me.
Mortal Kombat series: While I played the previous entries briefly with friends over the years, MK Trilogy was the first MK title I actually owned on the original PlayStation. After enjoying Mortal Kombat 4 in arcades, I got that as well, but I fell out of MK completely until their "final" title, Armageddon. I ended up REALLY liking that game, but next to NO ONE I knew played it. After that I stopped caring about Mortal Kombat. I only recently picked up MK9 on 360 after it was discounted on Xbox Live. That title left me feeling rather underwhelmed as well after I had SEVERAL people over-hype that game up.
SNK Playmore
Fatal Fury/King of Fighters series: I played the original Fatal Fury when I discovered the world of emulation in high school, but I played KOF '95 via demo disks for the original PlayStation until I acquired a full retail disk. KOF '99 got a lot of time between my close friends and I in high school for a while, but we quickly went back to Soul Calibur II. I've played the demo for KOF13, but I doubt I would pick up that game anytime soon or ever. The last KOF title I remember owning was 2002/2003 back on PlayStation 2.
Samurai Showdown, Garou: Mark of Wolves, etc.: I remember playing those games sparingly between time on MvC2, Soul Calibur/Blade, Darkstalkers, and Mortal Kombat 4 in arcades.
Tecmo/Team Ninja
Dead or Alive series: Out of ALL of the games that my older brother had on our import Dreamcast when he came back from Korea, I think I only played this ONCE and really didn't care for it. Out of most 3D fighters I'm going to hold Tekken higher than anything else.
Other misc. fighters:
Virtual On series: Another non-traditional fighter, but I enjoyed the competitive aspect of it back in arcades and both the Sega Saturn and Dreamcast ports. Good Lord, the fucking PlayStation 2 sequel was horrible though. I was bummed out that many people didn't play the PSN/XBLA re-release of Ontario Tangram though.
Anarchy Reigns/Max Anarchy: I really had high hopes for this game, but not many people picked it up nor gave it a chance like I did. Platinum Games are definitely my favorite gaming developers in the industry right now and I wish more people got behind this concept instead of allowing it to fall flat into the ground.
Ehrgeiz: Much like many Final Fantasy fans at the time, I played this mainly just to play as the folks from Final Fantasy VII in a fighting game. My best bud had a copy of the PlayStation port, but I preferred the arcade cabinet's setup over the PSX pad layout.
Battle Arena Toshinden series: While I have a love/hate relationship with the PlayStation titles in this series, I played the hell out of the Gameboy port with friends in high school. This was one of the few portable games that wasn't Pokemon that we managed to have mini-tournaments in.
Killer Instinct series: One of my friends growing up had the original for SNES while I played the sequel in arcades off and on. From what I have played of the newest iteration on Xbox One, it reminds me a lot of Street Fighter IV, so I'm sure I would enjoy it if I took the time to learn the game.
This wasn't overnight process either. My spirits were renewed when Tekken Tag Tournament 2 arrived and my close friends had all agreed to form a team on the World Tekken Federation community system, but it ended up with me doing the bulk of the work as I had more matches played and more experience earned for the team than ANYONE else on the team. Nothing against my friends, but if I'm going at this literally solo, then I'm better off not even being on a team. I left the team and only played Tekken Tag Tournament 2 out of my own personal enjoyment. I'm not a great player in that game by any stretch, but the lack of players to practice with locally, combined the frustrations with actually learning the game caused me to fall back into my comfort zone with Street Fighter IV.
I chronicled my journey to B+ rank with Chun-Li on this blog's Facebook page on social media over the past year. That felt like a crowning achievement and personal milestone, but I didn't necessarily feel like "celebrating" when I should have. It merely felt like a reward for my countless hours of online play. With Ultra Street Fighter IV set to release that following week, I made up my mind then and there that I wasn't going to waste my time grinding to this point yet again.
Keep in mind that I already did the level grind from D to B rank in both Super Street Fighter IV AND Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition after the online rankings were reset. To do this feat again, it felt like I was putting myself through the personal Hell that is the hit-or-miss online community of the FGC all over again.
Furthermore, I finally came to grips to the reality...
I have lost my passion for this genre...
Nothing on the market right now really wants to draw me back in. The spark is gone. Sure, the Omega Mode changes to characters for Street Fighter IV sound cool, but I remember in the back of my head that the people I have to play or experiment with those said changes in-game are little to none.
The Mortal Kombat X trailers haven't done anything at all for me as I personally think the game looks like a hi-res version of Mortal Kombat 9. Killer Instinct Season 2 looks cool, but that's not enough to make me run out and purchase a Xbox One just for that. While I'm more inclined to purchase a Wii U in the near-future, I'm not running out for the new Super Smash Bros. like everyone else. Namco's Tekken 7 and Pokken (Pokemon-oriented fighter) are intriguing but not blowing my mind with excitement like they would have a year or two ago.
Everytime I see a new fighter, I get feeling of dread. Dread of having to going through the frustration and trials of learning characters, more dread of being pissed off at myself for not picking up said-characters, and it just gives me a headache thinking about it.
The irony of me not liking the "learning process" is pretty funny though.
A few weeks ago, I found myself discussing fighting games with one of my fellow fanatics of wrestling and he was talking about he was struggling how to do Super and Ultra Combos with charge characters in Street Fighter IV. I casually gave him a technique that I was doing out of habit to help myself and now the guy looks up to me as a mentor to help him learn stuff for the game that he was having trouble with. I don't feel like I'm qualified to be teaching ANYONE. That's why I gave up the Chun-Li Guide project I started on Google Documents back in 2012. It's still there if you want to reference it, but I'm sure that information is completely outdated now in Ultra Street Fighter IV. Consider that my humble gift to my fellow Chun-Li players as I'm sure there's more people who could benefit with all of that information in one place instead of scattered across the 'Net.
Regardless, I felt sorry for the guy and leave my door open for him to instant message me with questions from time to time. If I'm not playing, I guess it's the least I could do for those who are still passionate about the genre. No need for me to drag them down with me.
(Laughs) I guess...
All hope is NOT lost...
My friends, I think we need some time apart... I'm sure you'll be fine without me for a while.
I'm positive that I'm not going to give up fighters for good, but I think my time of playing these games trying to impress people are over. I'm a slightly above-average Joe in this genre, and I'm perfectly fine with that.
I just need a break... I'm sure that I will come back to see my old friends from this genre again sooner or later, but I have a whopping number of games on my always increasing gaming backlog to tackle. I've neglected FAR too many games in the last console generation of gaming and it's about time that I take the time and enjoy those said games and a bit more of life in general.
Bellatrix made TV history last week by becoming the first all-women wrestling promotion to have its own show on British television. Broadcast on My Channel on November 6, 2014, the premiere episode featured three matches from Bellatrix X and had a hot crowd giving the impression of a hot product. Coupled with the studio setting and long banners highlighting the big names in the promotion and it would have come across pretty favorably to new viewers.
As the channel is only available on satellite TV, there would have been people without the capability to view it but that has been thought about, as the whole programme has been uploaded online for the whole world to see, as you can watch the ENTIRE show on their YouTube channel below.
For those so-called wrestling fans who are above watching anything low-resolution, Bellatrix has their show in full HD (720 and 1080p respectively), so there shouldn't be any complaints in that department.
Erin Angel vs. Lady Lory
WINNER: Erin Angel via Diving Cross Body
Not a bad opening contest. Lady Lory dominated the bulk of the affair with her ruthless aggression - no pun intended, but the babyface underdog sneaked by with a win after enduring all of Lory's physicality. One thing to take away here if you're only accustomed to watching WWE Diva matches - note that both women took the time to sell each other's offense and make it believable while adding their own personalities/characters to the storytelling of the match. WWE Divas aren't allowed to do this nearly as much (unless you're AJ Lee or the bulk of the NXT Divas) as I would love to see that in today's product.
Saraya Knight vs. Chanel
WINNER: Chanel via Standing Moonsault
Interesting to hear that Chanel is billed as the "future of women's wrestling." I marked out a little when Sweet Saraya came out to Linkin Park's "Faint" - one of my all-time favorite Linkin Park songs. Mad props to the crowd chanting, "You're a Legend!" to Sweet Saraya.
After seeing Chanel transition from a Tarantula to a Hurracanrana Pin was rather impressive, so I can see why Bellatrix are getting behind this girl. Chanel won under a bit of controversy, but you can't fault the lady for taking advantage of the situation. She maintained her babyface alignment by helping Saraya to her feet out good sportsmanship post-match though.
One thing I want to give Bellatrix props on is the use of replays and highlights. Ring of Honor does NOT use this enough nor as effectively as I would like in their current product.
Sweet Saraya shoots a colorful (read: profanity-laced) promo on the woman who distracted her long enough for Chanel to pick up the win. Obviously, Bellatrix is going to setup a
Bellatrix British Ladies Title Match: Violet O’Hara vs. Penelope (w/ Axl Lynch) (Under British Rules/Rounds)
WINNER: Penelope wins with score 2 to Violet's 1 to become the NEW champion.
First of all, get comfortable for this one. It's a whooping 20 minutes long in length. If you're not too crazy about lengthy matches this one might not be your cup of tea.
First fall by Penelope via pinfall after a Swinging Neckbreaker. This was after a heavy technical exchange between the two at the start of the match to evade and escape each other's holds.
Round 4 (the bout is split into rounds like boxing under British Rules) is where the excitement happens. Violet gets "hot" on offense and starts speeding up the pace. I was skeptical at first, but now I can see why she's champion.
Second fall by Violet via pinfall after Asai DDT. The girls really threw out their big guns for the last ten minutes of the match.
Final fall by Penelope via pinfall after clocking Violet O'Hara with a Super Kick during a backflip counter. Violet gave it her best effort, but ultimately, Penelope came out of the match as the winner and new British Ladies Champion.
The broadcast ends with an update to their official rankings (something Ring of Honor did in the past) to show who are the top five women in Bellatrix who are in line for a future title opportunity. I thought this was a rather nice touch as it gives you an idea where your favorites stand after tonight's events, despite their wins and losses.
Closing Thoughts
Bellatrix was a great show from top to bottom. A solid presentation and great cinematography. Both of those traits are a must if you're looking to impress wrestling fans and get them to pay attention to your product. Otherwise, the superficial marks will be quick to disregard your promotion as "just another cheap indy backyard wrestling company" and go back defending World Wrestling Entertainment as the only entity that can product great wrestling.
If you care about women's wrestling or currently finding yourself becoming bored with women's wrestling in the mainstream promotions (especially WWE), I suggest giving this a shot. Impact Wrestling's Knockouts aren't the only girls in wrestling who can kick ass and take names. Besides, Paige's family is firmly behind this promotion, so you know the wrestling aspect is in great hands.
Differences between the comics and television series
