WWE Extreme Rules (April 26, 2015) -- Results & Afterthoughts

WWE Extreme Rules (2015) was held on Sunday, April 26, 2015, on the WWE Network. It is the seventh event under the Extreme Rules chronology. Extreme Rules is available for free to new subscribers on WWE's monthly subscription service in the month of April, the WWE Network in over 140 countries.

Kick-Off Match - Neville def. Bad News Barrett

Since Daniel Bryan wasn't medically cleared to compete tonight (reportedly still ongoing recovery from his injury during UK tour), so it was reported on WWE.com that Neville was named as BNB's opponent for tonight's kick-off show. This was one of the most mat-heavy bouts on the card, with Neville and BNB exchanging momentum like a hot potato. These guys have crazy good chemistry together and I happily approve of more matches between these two Superstars. That's saying a lot as I'm not really too fond of BNB's ring work in the first place, but Neville makes him look like a million bucks.

I'm sure the marks were happy after Neville on his first WWE PPV appearance as part of the main roster.

Street Fight Match - Dean Ambrose def. Luke Harper

This match "officially" kicked off this PPV event, but it was derailed after Luke Harper stole car and Dean Ambrose dove through the window, "Dukes of Hazzard-style" to pursue as the car sped out of the parking lot. I guess both Superstars have been playing too much Grand Theft Auto V...

This match continues during the post-match interview between the New Day and Renee Young after their win tonight only for the brawl to resume in the ring where both Superstars pile a ton of steel chairs into the ring as the fans chant "ECW!" A Dirty Deeds onto the pile of chairs seals the deal and gives Ambrose his first singles victory on a WWE PPV to date.

"Kiss Me Arse" Match - Dolph Ziggler def. Sheamus

After a vicious beating from Sheamus for the duration of the match, Dolph Ziggler manages to endure through several near-falls and sneak away with a win.

Despite the chants from live Chicago crowd and a rather ironic "MAKE HIM HUMBLE" sign in the audience, Sheamus refused to kiss Ziggler's ass. Sheamus promptly laid Ziggler out in a post-match attack and forced an unconscious Dolph Ziggler to kiss his "arse" instead.

(Sighs) Really? Is this what we reduced these two talents to? C'mon, WWE, BOTH of these guys deserve better than this. Match-wise, this was a solid match but I just wish WWE would take both of these guys more serious than pitting into a throwaway match such as this.

WWE Tag Team Championship Match - The New Day (Big E & Kofi Kingston w/ Xavier Woods) def. Cesaro & Tyson Kidd (w/ Natalya)

First of all, I'm glad to see that the tag team titles are being to defended on the main part of a PPV instead of the preshow/kick-off.

Solid match from start to finish. I can't even be mad that this horrible (read: stereotypical) gimmick went over the Brass Ring Club (Cesaro and Kidd). I understand why WWE did it though. The thing that since crowds are chanting "New Day Sucks" means that they are over, when in reality, fans aren't behind them at all. I'm just disappointed that WWE decided to take the belts off of Cesaro and Kidd when they have been white hot as of late. Sure, it puts them back into the "chase" for the upcoming boring summer months, but c'mon, don't kill their momentum when it just was getting off of the ground.

United States Championship Match - John Cena (c) def. Rusev (w/ Lana)

I'll be completely honest and say that I hate these Texas Bullrope-type matches as it merely transforms into the wrestling equivalent of a typical session of tug-o-war. We have seen John Cena and Rusev go at a grand total of two times prior to this match, so what makes match #3 in this series much different?

I wanted get into that ring and fight Rusev myself after he ejected Lana from ringside, urging her to go backstage.

Both Superstars roll with the other's punches and properly sell their offense until the typical Cena comeback sequence in the vein of Hulk Hogan until #LOLCenaWins to set the IWC (internet wrestling community) off in an eruption of unaminous groans of disgust.

I don't hate Cena like everyone else does just to be cool, but I'm ready for Rusev to move onto something else. I think we deserve that "proper" Ryback versus Rusev feud that we were denied last year.

WWE Divas Championship Match - Nikki Bella (c) (w/ Brie Bella) def. Naomi

Going into this match, I wanted Naomi to win, but looking back I figured she would not just for the sole fact of typical WWE booking. Nikki Bella and Naomi haven't shared much time in the ring, nor has WWE spent enough time properly building this feud up to make the fans care about a title change. While I have thoroughly enjoyed this breath of fresh air to Naomi's character, not everyone shares my opinion on the matter.

First things first, I'm SOOOO glad that WWE has decided to give Naomi NEW music. About fucking time. Like how the HELL did Cameron get her own music before Naomi after all of this time?

Secondly, let's talk about the actual competitive aspect of this match. You have to be crazy to not realize that this is one of the better Divas title defenses in quite some time. Naomi was a solid competitor and worthy challenger for Paige when she was reigning Divas Champion in AJ Lee's absence and I'm glad to see WWE has faith in her to try her hand again at challenging Nikki Bella's title reign. Naomi brought a lot of new breath-taking and flashy moves to the table in this match, only to receive a series of near-falls.

I hope this feud doesn't end from here after Brie Bella's interference (with a Chick Kick that JBL referred to as a "Yeti Kick" -- just wow at that shade towards Daniel Bryan...) to assist Nikki to retain the title after a well-placed Rack Attack.

Last Man Standing Match - Roman Reigns def. The Big Show

I think I can safely say that this was the match of the evening and the most "extreme" bout of anything else on tonight's card. Tons of crazy spots here in this match, building up to a climax that destroys the majority of the commentary area - tables and barricades included.

I hope this would make everyone shouting at The Big Show (and Kane) to "Please Retire" to STFU. The Big Show still can put on great matches, such as this one. Kane and Big Show are still valuable assets to WWE's product.

Hell, I want one more Big Show & Kane tag team title reign much like their run around 2005-2006.

After this match, Ryback beat Bo Dallas in a quick squash match if anyone cared. I know I didn't...

Moving on...

Steel Cage Match for WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match - Seth Rollins (c) (w/ J & J Security) def. Randy Orton
** RKO is banned **
** Corporate Kane is acting as "The Gatekeeper" **

Not really a bad nor a great match. It's just another run of the mill steel cage matches. The cage didn't prevent the Authority's goon squad from getting involved, but it's looking like Kane is fed up with both sides at play, namely Seth Rollins and the Authority as a whole. 

Randy Orton using the Pedigree and Seth Rollins retaining with Orton's own RKO finisher were sweet moments in this match, but neither of these Superstars are in better positions prior to this event. It just seems like another day at work where WWE Creative is just running through emotions until Brock Lesnar's next compete date is up on the calendar. If I were to guess, one of those days would be Summerslam for sure. 

Closing Thoughts 

I personally don't understand why WWE does this event to follow-up the aftermath of feuds and rivalries coming out of the fallout of WrestleMania. It would make more sense to do Payback (much like Backlash in the old days) here then do a gimmicky Pay-Per-View event instead. To say WWE is trying to look out for the well-being of their talent, one would think that they would not put their talent into another set of dangerous gimmick matches, especially after WrestleMania's Ladder Match for the Intercontinental Championship that saw the bulk of the midcard scene in competition. 

I was active on Twitter during this broadcast and found it amusing that people were quick to throw this event underneath the bus tonight. It was far from bad, but to be fair, my expectations weren't high to begin with. As a result, I thoroughly enjoyed this event. Sure, it wasn't WrestleMania but it served it's purpose. The only matches on the card that dragged were the US title and main events, but that was to expected as those were rematches from WrestleMania with little "new" flavor thrown in to keep it fresh.

I just hope WWE doesn't fuck up with the momentum from here after this event. They have a lot of great material to work with here. 

Impact Wrestling Presents: TKO - A Night of Knockouts (April 24, 2015) - Results & Afterthoughts

With this special edition of Impact Wrestling, TKO: Night of Knockouts, TNA is set to deliver what WWE fans have demanded of late and not received: a proper showcase of women's wrestling.

Wrestling fans, especially supporters of women's wrestling, have been clamoring for women to be given a chance and TNA ALWAYS delivers in that department.

Broadcast opens with an in-ring segment between Kurt Angle and Eric Young

Kurt and EY exchange words, hyping up a possible title defense later tonight between the two as Kurt has reached EY's better nature. Feast or Fired holder, Austin Aries, interrupts and names himself the challenger to Kurt Angle's TNA World Heavyweight Championship tonight instead as he's cashing in the briefcase. EY doesn't seem too happy with this turn of events...

Let's hope he can keep his cool...

Fatal 4 Way for #1 Contender to TNA Knockouts Championship - Brooke Tessmacher def. Madison Rayne, Gail Kim, and Angelina Love

Angelina Love and Madison Rayne work together, showing shades of their former Beautiful People companionship before Rayne turns on Love to work alone. Remember that all of these women are multiple time former Knockouts Champions.

Insane 4-way submission spot between all four women before Rayne broke the hold. Slow start to this match, but definitely had a lot of great spots once the action picked up. Finish occurs after all four Knockouts hit their finishers before Brooke rolls Rayne up into a school boy to a near-fall. She quickly recovers and hits her finisher on Rayne to pick up the win.

The Rising vs. BDC - Micca (formerly WWE's Camacho) def. Kenny King

Pretty average match. Nothing to rave about here. The post-match brawl was pretty sweet though. I figured this was filler until the next Knockouts-related match on the card.

Gimme the BDC over the New Day ANYDAY of the week...

I thought it was pretty irony that MVP was assaulting Drew Galloway with the same lead pipe that Scott Steiner was beating people up with while he was a part of the Main Event Mafia faction many moons ago.

(Laughs) I guess that's Steiner's way of "passing the torch"...

Laura Dennis (Cherry Bomb) def. The Dollhouse (Jade & Marti Bell) via disqualification

Most of you should remember Jade as Mia Yim (former SHINE Champion and ROH alumni as part of The Embassy stable) and Marti Bell (or rather Belle) from Knockouts Knockdown from last year.

(Whistles) The match itself wasn't half bad, but the exclamation point was how Marti Bell got involved after attacking the referee, forcing Christy Hemme to end this match via disqualification. This sent the Dollhouse over the edge and they attacked Christy Hemme viciously at ringside, ending with a ruthless slam into the steel steps.

Excuse me while I mark out that Marti Belle, Mia Yim, and Cherry Bomb are all
competing in a TNA ring...

It makes me wonder with the signings of these two that they could be considering the return of the Knockouts Tag Team titles... In singles or as a tag team, I'm anxious to see more from this group. Marti Belle was phenomenal with her antics on Knockouts Knockdown last year while Mia Yim is a welcome asset in terms of in-ring ability. I'm proud to see these ladies as part of the Knockouts roster. If Cherry Bomb is sticking around as Laura Dennis then that's another welcome bonus as well.

Seriously, these are all women who I thought WWE would have picked up for NXT by now. Oh well. WWE's loss is TNA's gain - as always.

Mickie James' Special Announcement 

Mickie James announces her retirement to become a full-time mother to infant son, but the leader of the Revolution, James Storm, convinces her to change her mind with a rather VERY babyface motivational speech that ends with Mickie James agreeing to one more match. Magnus doesn't seem to be too happy with this turn of events. 

I'm all for this if it leads into a James Storm vs Magnus feud with Mickie James and a returning Havok as the newest addition to the Revolution. I don't take credit for that idea as one of my Twitter followers mentioned it during tonight's broadcast. 

Besides, it's about time that the Revolution recruited a Knockout to their ranks. 

Plus if we were serious here... Mickie James is FAR more qualified for a Hall of Fame spot than AJ Lee is. Just saying...

Davey Richards def. The Revolution's Manik

Pretty standard fair for these two guys. Much like Josh Matthews mentioned on commentary, Davey should consider a run in the X-Division after a high-octane match such as this. 

It's 15+ years since their debut and the Hardys are still showing people how tag team
wrestling is done...

After Davey picked up the win, the rest of the Revolution assaulted Davey in a post-match beatdown where Abyss chokeslams Davey onto the ring apron. The TNA Tag Team Champions, the Hardys, came to make the save with a double neckbreaker on Manik to send the Revolution running backstage with their tails between their legs. 

Ethan Carter III nominates himself as the NEXT TNA World Heavyweight Champion

I approve of this message.

EC3 names himself the next TNA World Heavyweight Champion in a political-style campaign segment. Mr. Anderson interjects which results into a brawl (read: physical political debate) between 

the two Superstars.

I don't know about the rest of you but I'm all for a EC3 World Heavyweight Championship title run. The guy is a superb heel. He deserves it at this point. I don't see why he would need to be feuding with Mr. Anderson at this stage. It's more like Anderson is feuding with him to stay relevant.

TNA Knockouts Championship Match - Taryn Terrell (c) def. Awesome Kong to retain

After making the match a no disqualification match, Taryn puts up little defense again Kong's ongoing assault until the Dollhouse come to watch the match at ringside. After assaulting Kong with kendo sticks, they assist Taryn with a powerbomb out of the corner and through the table in the ring. 

Afterwards, Taryn takes the mic and decrees that she is the leader of the Dollhouse. 

Taryn reigning supreme with the Dollhouse

My reaction? OH. MY. GOD. I remember Taryn showing hints of going heel a few weeks ago but it was brushed underneath the rug rather quickly. Who knew that TNA would pair up the Dollhouse with Taryn to make another heel dominant stable? This is interesting stuff indeed. I'm anxious to see how the other Knockouts rise up against this new threat. 

I read some tweets with people groaning in disgust at another heel stable forming in TNA, but I look at it this way. The more stables/groups in a promotion, the more opportunities you have to make those said factions cross paths. Plus, it makes more interesting television than everyone trying to stop the evil boss/owner in just about every other promotion today in wrestling. Also, let's face facts. There's not many female heel factions in mainstream wrestling anymore.  I see this as breath of fresh air. 

Sure, it's not SHINE's Valkyrie stable, but it's better than nothing. Don't hate on it before it even gets good. Hell, the Shield even needed time to pick up traction before all of you marks were tossing your panties and jizzing your shorts off everything they did.

TNA World Heavyweight Championship Match - Kurt Angle (c) vs. Austin Aries

This match didn't transpire as an enraged Eric Young raced down to the ring and assaulted A Double with two deadly Piledrivers before the match could actually start. Kurt Angle tried to reason with EY, only to receive a similar beatdown with EY focusing his assault on Kurt's surgically-repaired knee. I've said it once, I'll say it a million times but the best Eric Young is a heel EY. I'm glad to see that TNA are remedying the mistake they made with promptly switching him back babyface when he was the heel leader of the World Elite stable after the arrival/signing of Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff. 

Closing Thoughts

Night of Knockouts? Hmph, tonight's episode of Impact Wrestling should have been dubbed "Night of Crazy People" instead. It started with Eric Young declaring that he wasn't right in the head and ended with him going bat-shit crazy on Kurt Angle and Austin Aries when his TNA World Heavyweight Championship opportuniy was pulled out from underneath his feet.

From top to bottom, I was satisfied with tonight's card, but I was a little bummed at the lack of Rebel to say that tonight was about putting on all of the TNA Knockouts on display. I thought Rebel would have came to the aid of her best friend, Christy Hemme, being attacked by the Dollhouse. Speaking of the Dollhouse, they are going to be a great addition to the Knockouts division. In their debut night, they already made an impact (no pun intended) by aligning themselves with the reigning Knockouts Champion after her rather brilliant heel turn. Seeing Taryn abandon her squeeky clean babyface tactics is a breath of fresh air as it gives the other Knockouts room to change things up as there's a TON of heel Knockouts with only Gail Kim and Brooke recently switching back to being babyfaces/fan favorites.

Last but not least, I love that Impact Wrestling takes the time to highlight their women's division on a level such as this. I swear, if you can't give TNA props for the little things that they do right (such as tonight's show) instead of focusing on everything that they do wrong, then I can't respect your opinion as a wrestling fan. 

REVIEW -- Marvel's Agent Carter (TV Series) - Season One

Marvel's Agent Carter, or simply Agent Carter, is an American television series created for ABC by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, inspired by the films Captain America: The First Avenger and Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and the Marvel One-Shot short film of the same name. It is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), sharing continuity with the films of the franchise.

The series was officially ordered on May 8, 2014, and the first season aired from January 6 to February 24, 2015, during the season two mid-season break of Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Despite steadily dropping ratings, critical response to Agent Carter was positive, with much praise going to Atwell's performance, the series' tone and setting, and its relative separation from the rest of the MCU.

Cast:

Main

Hayley Atwell as Peggy Carter
James D'Arcy as Edwin Jarvis
Chad Michael Murray as Jack Thompson
Enver Gjokaj as Daniel Sousa
Shea Whigham as Roger Dooley

Recurring

Kyle Bornheimer as Ray Krzeminski
Ralph Brown as Johann Fennhoff
Dominic Cooper as Howard Stark
Meagen Fay as Miriam Fry
Lyndsy Fonseca as Angie Martinelli
Bridget Regan as Dottie Underwood

Guests

Lesley Boone as Rose
Alexander Carroll as Yauch
Kevin Cotteleer as Alex Doobin
James Frain as Leet Brannis
Ralph Garman as the radio announcer
James Landry Hébert as Sasha Demidov
Toby Jones as Arnim Zola
James Austin Kerr as Jonathan "Junior" Juniper
Neal McDonough as Timothy "Dum Dum" Dugan
Devin Ratray as Sheldon McFee
Walker Roach as the "Captain America" radio actor.
Leonard Roberts as Samuel "Happy Sam" Sawyer
Benita Robledo as Carol
Costa Ronin as Anton Vanko
Richard Short as Percival "Pinky" Pinkerton
Erin Torpey as the "Betty Carver" radio actress
James Urbaniak as Miles Van Ert
Ray Wise as Hugh Jones

Stan Lee cameos in "The Blitzkrieg Button" as a shoeshiner patron, while John Glover cameos in "The Iron Ceiling" as a journalist and friend of Dooley. Chris Evans appears in "Now is Not the End" as Steve Rogers / Captain America via archive footage from Captain America: The First Avenger.

Premise: 

In 1946, Peggy Carter must balance the routine office work she does for the Strategic Scientific Reserve (S.S.R) while secretly assisting Howard Stark, who finds himself framed for supplying deadly weapons to the top bidder. Carter is assisted by Stark's butler, Edwin Jarvis, to find those responsible and dispose of the weapons.

Episode List:

Episode 1 - "Now Is Not The End"

In 1946, Peggy Carter, mourning the apparent death of Steve Rogers, returns to work for the Strategic Scientific Reserve in New York City following the end of World War II. The S.S.R. investigates industrialist Howard Stark for apparently selling weapons to enemies of the United States. Stark secretly reaches out to Carter, and asks her to help him clear his name. Before he leaves the country, he tells her about his formula for molecular nitramene that is going to be sold at a club. Infiltrating the club in disguise, Carter learns that the formula has been weaponized. She shows one such nitramene bomb to Stark Industries scientist Anton Vanko, who deduces that it came from a Roxxon Oil refinery. Carter, along with Stark's butler Edwin Jarvis, investigates the refinery, and encounters Leet Brannis, who apparently works for an organization called Leviathan, and escapes with a truck full of the nitramene weapons. Before leaving, Brannis drops a nitramine bomb, and as Carter and Jarvis escape, it destroys the entire building.

Episode 2 - "Bridge and Tunnel"

Carter goes undercover again to search for the truck with the weapons, and finds the address of the truck's official driver. The S.S.R. agents interrogate Miles Van Ert, the Roxxon scientist who made the weapons, and learn of the address as well. Carter and Jarvis arrive at the house first, and find Brannis, who they force to go with them. The three are attacked by Sasha Demidov, who works for Leviathan, an organization that it now seems Brannis has betrayed. Carter fights Demidov, but he still manages to mortally wound Brannis. Jumping to safety with Carter and Brannis, Jarvis forces the truck to careen off a cliff with Demidov, and the weapons inside implode. Before he dies, Brannis draws a symbol in the dirt. S.S.R. agents Dooley, Thompson, and Sousa later arrive to find Brannis's body, a woman's footprints, and a hotel key (belonging to Demidov). Meanwhile, Agent Krzemenski, sifting through the remains of the Roxxon refinery, finds the license plate for Stark's car that Jarvis and Carter used to get away.

Episode 3 - "Time and Tide"

Dooley and Agent Krzeminski investigate Demidov's hotel room, and discover a typewriter. Thompson and Sousa take Jarvis in for interrogation, and the former threatens him with revealing an old treason charge to the immigration office. Carter, feigning ignorance, botches the interrogation to get Jarvis out, and receives a stern reprimand from Dooley. Carter and Jarvis then follow the sewer system below Stark's vault, through which Brannis took the stolen technology, to the docks, where they find the weapons on board The Heartbreak (a ship bearing Brannis' symbol). Jarvis anonymously gives the S.S.R. their location, while Carter fights off a guard who had been working with Brannis. Carter and Jarvis are forced to leave him behind as the S.S.R. arrives. While being transported back to S.S.R. headquarters by Krzeminski, the guard is about to identify Carter as the woman interfering with the Stark investigation, when an unidentified assassin kills them both.

Episode 4 - "The Blitzkrieg Button"

After learning that Brannis and Demidov were supposed to have died during the Battle of Finow, Dooley travels to Germany to speak with the Nazi colonel who lead the opposing forces, and though he doesn't learn how Brannis and Demidov survived, Dooley does discover that their Soviet forces were seemingly massacred before the Nazis even arrived. With Carter's only job to collect lunch orders, she meets up with Stark, who has secretly returned in the wake of his technology's discovery. Looking at photographs Carter takes of the weapons, he identifies one of them as the Blitzkrieg Button, which he claims can cause a permanent blackout throughout the city. However, a suspicious Carter opens the device to find a vial of Rogers' blood. Angry at Stark for lying to her, she hides the vial. The criminal who smuggled Stark into New York, but was scammed out of his money by Carter and Jarvis, follows Carter back to her apartment, but he is killed by her new neighbor, Dottie Underwood.

Episode 5 - "The Iron Ceiling"

Carter decrypts an encoded message, received from Leviathan through Demidov's typewriter, for the S.S.R., learning that Stark will be selling weapons to Leviathan at a Soviet military complex. Thompson is sent to stop the sale and apprehend Stark, and is forced to take Carter when she enlists the help of her war comrades, the Howling Commandos. They discover that young girls are trained at the complex to infiltrate the US as sleeper agents, and realize that they have walked into a trap when one girl kills the Commando Junior Juniper. Soviet soldiers attack the team and Thompson freezes under fire, but Carter ensures that they escape, along with imprisoned psychiatrist Dr. Ivchenko. Meanwhile, Underwood, who is actually a sleeper agent trained at that complex, discovers the photos of Stark’s weapons in S.S.R. custody when searching Carter’s apartment, while Sousa realizes that Carter is the woman who has been interfering with the S.S.R.’s investigation.

Episode 6 - "A Sin to Err"

Carter and Jarvis investigate the women that Stark has been involved with over the last six months, believing that a female Leviathan operative may have been used against Stark and to kill Krzeminski, but their search is unsuccessful. Sousa reveals to Dooley that Carter is an apparent traitor, and all agents are tasked with tracking her down. They eventually corner her and Jarvis, but Carter fights them off. During the commotion, Dr. Ivchenko, who is actually working for Leviathan, hypnotizes Agent Yauch, who reveals that only Dooley can access Stark's weapons. Yauch shows Ivchenko how to get out of the S.S.R., before Ivchenko forces him to commit suicide. Carter retrieves Rogers' blood from her apartment. As she tries to escape the building, she is knocked out by Dottie Underwood, but not before realizing that Underwood is the Leviathan operative. Underwood is about to kill Carter when Thompson and Sousa arrive. She feigns ignorance, and the agents arrest Carter.

Episode 7 - "Snafu"

As Carter is resisting interrogation at the S.S.R., Jarvis appears with a fake signed confession from Stark, promising surrender if Carter is released. Carter sees Ivchenko communicating in Morse code with Underwood, and reveals the truth about her own investigation to her colleagues to gain their trust. Ivchenko hypnotizes Dooley and has him steal one of Stark's weapons from the S.S.R.'s labs: a gas cylinder that Underwood and Ivchenko activate in a crowded cinema before leaving and locking the door behind them. The agents find Dooley wearing a Stark experimental vest given to him by Ivchenko, which Jarvis explains will explode with no way to deactivate it. Dooley jumps out a window moments before the device detonates, killing him but saving the others. The gas in the cinema makes many in the audience become maniacal and attack each other violently, and when an usher arrives soon after, the entire audience is dead.

Episode 8 - "Valediction"

The S.S.R. discovers the gas cylinder in the cinema and realize that Ivchenko possibly plans to turn all of New York on itself. Stark returns and explains that he had developed the gas, named Midnight Oil, to give American soldiers extra stamina during war, but it caused psychosis and lead to them killing each other. During World War II, the American military stole Midnight Oil and used it on the Soviets at Finow. Stark believes that Ivchenko – real name Johann Fennhoff – blames Stark for the ensuing massacre, and allows the S.S.R. to use him as bait to draw Leviathan out. This plan goes awry when Underwood distracts the agents while Fennhoff kidnaps Stark, and uses hypnosis to convince him to drop the gas on Times Square. At Stark’s secret plane hangar, Sousa apprehends Fennhoff while Carter defeats Underwood (who escapes) and convinces Stark not to drop the gas on the city. Carter later dumps Rogers' blood in the East River, finally moving on with her life, while Fennhoff is imprisoned with the scheming Arnim Zola.

The Verdict: 

I'm going to start off this review by addressing some of my readers and followers on social media who wouldn't give this show a fair chance because they only support Agents of SHIELD or want to disregard this show as non-important since it's not set in the present day Marvel Cinematic Universe. Agent Carter serves as a break between Agents of SHIELD's winter mid-season finale and also serves as gateway point to reflect on how SHIELD was established and how everyone (namely Peggy Carter) continue to live their lives in a world without Steve Rogers after the events of the original Captain America film. If you have been a fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe up to this point, it would benefit watching this mini-series. Agent Carter fills the gaps on some unanswered questions to this point in this continuity and opens the door to other tidbits that will make the pending future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe even more exciting to watch unfold.

Ties to the Marvel Cinematic Universe

The biggest note to take away from this mini-series is the introduction of the Red Room, the organization who were responsible for training Black Widow agents, including Natasha Romanov, along with the other powers at play within HYDRA's ranks in the wake of the Red Skull's disappearance. 

Episode 1 references Anton Vanko, who is the father of the same Vanko who becomes Whiplash and serves as Tony Stark's primary antagonist in Iron Man 2, along with a Justin Hammer. Roxxon Oil is a corporation that is referenced frequently in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In the comics, one of its subsidiaries are responsible for reverse-engineering the Deathlok (Michael Peterson) cyborgs.

Episode 2 references the Stark family mansion, which serves as the Avengers' home and base of operations in the comics continuity. Edwin Jarvis was their servant in the comics as well, but in this continuity of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Jarvis' human counterpart serves an inspiration to Tony Stark's computer AI assistant. 

Episode 5 references the Howling Commandos as they continue to fight for justice even after the war was won out of respect to Captain America's memory. The Red Room is hinted at in this episode as the ones responsible for training Dottie Underwood as a Black Widow. Dr. Faustus (Johann Fennhoff) makes his first appearance in this episode as Dr. Ivchenko. 

These references aren't just limited to these episodes but scattered throughout this mini-series from start to finish of this season.

Weighing In

Haley Atwell as Peggy Carter was one of the only things that I adored about Captain America: The First Avenger and it was a joy to see her back to reprise the role of Peggy Carter again in her own opportunity to shine on her own. Much like Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy, this was another risky gamble that managed to pay off for Marvel Studios.

I loved that retrospective aspect to the cinematography in this series. It wasn't nothing over the top nor futuristic. As a fan of film noir and this time period in general in cinema, I could personally watch this stuff all day. Sadly, we're limited to a eight-episode mini-series with this premiere season. James D'Arcy (Jarvis) and Atwell play off each other flawlessly throughout the course of this series; it's a match in cinematic heaven. Atwell's natural charm is reflected throughout Peggy Carter's character, making her captivating to watch. To see a woman shine as a star in this time period makes her an Avenger in her own right in this series, despite the lack of a fancy costume and super powers in this male-dominated world.

Isn't it ironic that it wasn't Scarlett Johannsen (Black Widow), Ming-Na (Melinda May), nor Chloe Bennett (Sky/Daisy Johnson) who got their own spin-off series, but it was Haley Atwell as Peggy Carter to serve as the first female of the Marvel Cinematic Universe to stand on her own with a spin-off. Despite my doubts, Marvel's gamble paid off. Why not cover the founding lady of the SHIELD organization? Agent Carter's personality and character was something that was merely glossed over in Captain America: The First Avenger, so it benefited to give her a chance to have her story (along with SHIELD's origins) to be explored further here. SHIELD needs to acknowledge their past for the past mistakes won't be repeated in the present as the organization is restructuring and rebuilding itself currently in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The series is on a grounded level, much like its counterpart, Agents of SHIELD, proving that you don't need superpowers to be a hero, especially for a woman. Once again, Marvel hits an unique milestone for this series and for their universe as a whole in this time period by showcasing that a woman can survive and dominate in this male-driven environment without being half-naked nor overly sexuallized. It was brilliant and clever writing for this series to have Carter use her "disadvantages" of being a woman in this era to be her greatest asset throughout this series, which allowed her to topple her male adversaries time and time again. In a lot of ways, Carter is a soldier comparable to Steve Rogers/Captain America. When you take the superpowers out of the equation, she is sometimes on par or even better than him with her battle prowess and resourcefulness.

Speaking of combat, the fight choreography in Agent Carter is top notch and a welcome improvement over Agents of SHIELD's normal fight sequences. Someone need to write a memo to Marvel and tell them to get these guys doing fight choreography for Agents of SHIELD regularly for the episodes following the winter break. The fights aren't over-the-top, yet they are believable for a woman in this era's build, given her experience. Bridget Regan (Dottie Underwood) got to fulfill some geek fandom as she was a fan favorite choice to play the role of Wonder Woman for DC Comics. Seeing her kick-ass as an early Black Widow had to be one hell of a consolation prize, right?

Favorite Episodes

Episode 4 - Blitzkrieg Button

Why? This episode serves as Carter's first moment of weakness as her iron walls of emotion came crashing down at the revelation of Steve Rogers' blood in the vial that Howard Stark asked her to retrieve for him. Carter is normally depicted as a strong-willed woman, so it's compelling to see her breakdown here.

Episode 5 - The Iron Ceiling

Why? The Howling Commandos. 'Nuff said. Plus, we learn more about the sleeper agents who are trained to become Black Widows by the Red Room. Not to mention that Carter is an absolute bad-ass among her peers once she steps onto the battlefield on this episode.

Episode 7 - Snafu

Why? We see the extent of Ivchenko's hypnosis at play as Dooley is forced to be his unwilling pawn. Before his noble sacrifice to save his colleagues, Dooley forces Carter to promise to bring Ivchenko to justice. Dottie Underwood aligns herself with Ivchenko as they test out one of Stark's experimental weapons in a cinema. It's ironic that the gas works similar to The Joker and/or Scarecrow's gas from Batman: The Animated Series, causing mass hysteria to the populace - resulting in the people violently lashing out and attacking each other.

Episode 8 - Valediction

Why? Howard Stark AND Peggy Carter come to grips with Steve Rogers' "demise". This episode serves as another emotional roller coaster for Carter, finally coming to grips with saying goodbye to Rogers and having to move on with her life. This episode also serves as the climatic finale between Carter's rivalry with Dottie Underwood.

Closing Thoughts

"Crikey O'Reilly!"

For those skeptical on this venture for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, give this mini-series a shot, even if Agents of SHIELD isn't your cup of tea. You can easily watch this without any prior Marvel Cinematic Universe knowledge and exposure.

From beginning to end, Agent Carter has a variety of lovable characters - Peggy Carter, Edwin Jarvis, Howard Stark, Angie Martinelli, Dottie Underwood, etc. There's something for everyone here.

I'm glad to see that Marvel Studios continue the high standard of fight choreography that they definitely raised the bar with after Captain America: The Winter Soldier. I'll say this now for those wondering, but Marvel definitely continues this trend in the Netflix-exclusive TV series, Daredevil.

I love how Carter and Angie's friendship is left open, along with just about everything else in this corner of the MCU so that if Marvel wants to revisit this era again, they can pick up where they left off.

Watch It or Don't Bother?

Definitely watch Agent Carter. Haley Atwell's Peggy Carter serves as the first woman in MCU to stand on her own in her own solo series in a narrative that isn't quite like anything else to date in Marvel Cinematic Universe. For those of you looking for a bit more drama and a faster paced spy-fiction than the slow, grueling pace of Agents of SHIELD, then you get your wish in this compact mini-series. For those of you looking for that Whedonesque charm that was reminiscent with Buffy the Vampire Slayer that paved the way for female heroines kicking ass and taking names on television, you can't go wrong with Agent Carter.

If you need anyone else's opinion on the series, take it from Peggy Carter herself:

“I know my value. Anyone else’s opinion doesn’t really matter.”
—  Peggy Carter

PREVIEWS -- A Week Of Amazing Upcoming Movie Trailers

Unless you've been hiding underneath a rock over the past week, then you would have missed a lot of great upcoming movie trailers for films coming to a theater near you - sooner more than later. That being said there's a LOT of great movies for my fellow geeks to enjoy on the horizon.

Ant-Man - Trailer #2

I honestly had my doubts about this film until I saw this trailer and I'm 100% sold onto this. Wasp (out of costume) AND Yellowjacket are in this? Sold. Plus, I'm sure there's going to be a few great action figures that come out of this.

Attack on Titan (Shingeki no Kyojin) - Live Action Movie Trailer #2

I don't care if I have to import a copy of the Japanese release on DVD, but goddamn, take my money NOW!

Avengers: Age of Ultron - TV Spot

I'm trying to avoid spoilers via commercials like the plague, but ugh, it's already bad enough that a lot of these trailers AND the toys on the shelves already spoiled quite a bit of content in this film. May 1st can't get here soon enough...

Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice - First Official Trailer

I've had people flipping out over this trailer, dying to know what I think of this so far, and I'm STILL very, very skeptical. I think DC/WB are trying to do far too much in one film given from this trailer and the reported news of casting, but let's see how it turns out when it's all said and done. Hell, I thought Avengers was going to be a colossal box office flop for Marvel Studios and I was proud to be wrong there. Let's see if DC does the same here.

Fantastic Four - Trailer #2 (First Look at Dr. Doom)

I honestly still don't see a reason for a reboot, but I hope this tanks for FOX can have a reason to give Marvel's first family back to where they belong along with Spider-Man. While they are at it, I want FOX to give up the ghost on X-Men too.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens - Trailer #2

Truth be told, I have NEVER been much of a Star Wars geek even though I've enjoyed the films (namely the original trilogy) since I was a kid. The prequel movies were the butt-end of jokes throughout college though. This is looking to be promising so far, especially to see that there's a prominent black protagonist this time around. Lando (Empire Strikes Back) doesn't count as he wasn't around for a full film until Return of the Jedi, then Mace Windu (Samuel Jackson) wasn't a "main" character, despite appearing in all three of the prequel films.

WrestleMania 31 -- Results & Afterthoughts, Hall of Fame Class of 2015 Ceremony Notes

WrestleMania 31 was the thirty-first annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by WWE. It took place on March 29, 2015, at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California.

It was the first WrestleMania event to be held in the San Francisco Bay Area, the sixth to be held in the state of California (after 2, VII, XII, 2000, and 21), and the sixth to be held in an open-air venue (after IX, XXIV, XXVI, XXVIII, and 29).

I know that I'm late covering this event, but better late than never right? I've had this article handwritten in my notebook for a while now and I owe you guys some new content here, so here's the beginning of that.

Kick-Off: Tag Team Turmoil - Brass Ring Club (Tyson Kidd & Cesaro w/ Natalya) def. Los Matadores (w/ El Torito), The New Day (Big E & Kofi Kingston w/ Xavier Woods), and The Usos (w/ Naomi)

Great opening match. I loved that Nattie and Naomi were given the time and opportunity to shine among the men just like the old days of yore in the Attitude Era where Divas like Trish Stratus and Lita got physical when it came down to assisting their respective teams in big matches such as this. This match had a ton of great spots and serves as a perfect example that there's hope and lots of potential with this budding tag team division, if WWE would take the damn time to properly build it up.

Kick-Off; The Big Show wins Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal

Ryback got a chance to shine here momentarily. The tag team division pull double duty in this match as the New Day, Los Matadores, Usos (half of the team as one of them got injured in the previous match), and Brass Ring Club all participated in this match as well (which kinda made little sense to me...). The highlight of this match was the partnership between The Miz and Mizdow (Damien Sandow) coming to an end, as Sandow grew a pair (FINALLY) and tossed Miz out of the ring only to be eliminated by The Big Show, much to the dismay of many ANGRY internet marks and fans at the live event.

Other highlights include, but not limited to: Cesaro eliminating Kane in the same manner as he eliminated The Big Show last year, Itami vs. The Big Show encounter (I would personally love to see that David v. Goliath-style feud between them in the 'E...), and everyone turning on Curtis Axel to bring Axelmania to swift demise at the start of the match.

Sure, I have marked for The Big Show since WCW, but he deserved this win. Hell, Big Show deserved to win last year as it would've made sense to let the giant win Andre's match. On top of that, I don't understand the complaints when the win didn't do anything for Cesaro's career last year, so I don't see why everyone was getting upset when their favorites were getting eliminated left and right. I didn't have ANY hopes for KENTA (Hideo Itami) winning this and even more so for the bulk of the undercard.

Intercontinental Championship Ladder Match: Daniel Bryan def. Bad News Barrett (c), Luke Harper, Dean Ambrose, R-Truth, Stardust, and Dolph Ziggler

This match proves why WrestleMania needs to bring back Money in the Bank as part of this special annual event instead of making it a separate PPV. Going into this match, I was fearing Daniel Bryan would go too "crazy" given his reckless ring work, despite coming back from a career-threatening injury, but I was relieved that he didn't do much here. To be honest, I was hoping for R-Truth to pull out the win here as he deserves a final title reign before he rides off into the sunset - he's not getting any younger. The craziest spot in this match by far was the Border Toss-style powerbomb out of the ring by Luke Harper that sent Dean Ambrose crashing THROUGH a ladder down to the floor. I was surprised that Ambrose wasn't injured off that, but he was walking around normally on Monday Night RAW the following night, but damn.

The finale between Dolph Ziggler and Daniel Bryan as they exchanged headbutts at the top of the ladder was well worth it. I hope WWE has the brains to allow them to work a program together during the summer as I'm sure Bad News Barrett is going to get his rematch first before it's all said and done. Daniel Bryan may have taken less risks than anyone else in this match, but his impact and merit in this match spoke volumes. This was truly a great match from top to bottom for everyone involved.

Randy Orton def. Seth Rollins (w/ J & J Security)

Great match but I felt that this gave away the cash-in later in the night as this match was FAR too early into the night's card to just sweep underneath the rug.

Rollins looked like he was trying to jump up to the next level on Super Mario Bros...

The main thing to take away from this match outside of the spectacular catapult RKO finish is that this match adds yet another bulletin pin to Seth Rollins' already impressive resume to show that he is ready for main event caliber matches. If you are not a believer of the Architect's in-ring prowess then you should be now.

AJ Lee and Paige def. The Bella Twins

I have to give it up to the Bella Twins. This promo and video package was just as good as the one for Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte at NXT Takeover: [R]Evolution.

In typical AJ Lee fashion, she spent 95% of this match at ringside on the floor as usual. Most of her fan base chucked this up to AJ giving Paige the opportunity to shine on her own, but I beg to differ. As a result, Paige works the bulk of the match while the Bella Twins run Paige through a speed session of Tag Team Wrestling 101, segregating and cutting Paige off from the other side of the ring and away from any help from AJ. Paige sold the Bellas' offense like a champ before making the hot tag to AJ, who made quick work of the Bella Twins before locking in the Black Widow for the win.

As a result, there wasn't really nothing overall great nor bad here. This was your typical run-of-the-mill Divas tag team match from either Monday Night RAW or SmackDown! that you would see on a weekly basis. I was really let down here as I was expecting a LOT more given the scope of WrestleMania and the meaning behind the #GiveDivasAChance movement.

Diva fans would not find out until that following week that this ended up being AJ Lee's last WWE PPV match before going into "retirement" for the duration of her contract. I'm going to discuss that in an ENTIRELY different topic at a later date so let's just move on shall we?

Triple H def. Sting

I don't care what anyone else says but that walking advertisement for Terminator Genisys that was Triple H's entrance looked fucking stupid. I couldn't fathom why WWE would invest in that much props and time for Triple H's entrance when the selling point of this match was supposed to be Sting's formal welcome to WWE. What happens afterwards is why I welcomed the negativity after this match.

Sting has stated in promos before this match that his quarrel with Triple H had NOTHING to do with the Monday Night Wars, but this ENTIRE match turned into the impromptu (or rather revised) finale of the infamous Invasion storyline that tanked in 2001 when the nWo and namely Sting were absent from WCW's marque line-up stars that migrated to WWE after Vince McMahon bought them out.

You would be lying if you were around for the Monday Night Wars and said that you didn't enjoy the nostalgia of D-Generation X and the New World Order (nWo) finally squaring off when it was limited to fantasy booking and e-federation lore for the past decade and a half. Sadly, WWE hit their maximum quota for most old farts in a single match - Kevin Nash, Hulk Hogan, Scott Hall, Sting, X-Pac (Sean Waltman), Billy Gunn, Road Dogg, Triple H, and even Shawn Michaels. I was in tears laughing at Nash falling to the floor selling like he tore his quad (again).

I would have been with Sting losing if they didn't force Sting to shake Triple H's hand like they are the best of buds afterwards. The guy cheated from start to finish then he somehow has Sting's respect? Not to mention that HHH and Stephanie are bragging about how they buried him later into the show on an in-ring segment so what was the point of all this you ask? Just to fed HHH and Vince's egos to say that they finally jobbed out every top guy from WCW on their home turf that's why.

United States Championship: John Cena def. Rusev (w/ Lana)

Rusev rode a freakin' TANK to the ring while Lana was escorted to the ring by a troop of soldiers. Sadly, that wasn't enough to topple the WrestleMania might of Cena in this rematch from Fast Lane.

There's nothing much to say about this match as it's pretty much a repeat of what we've seen at Fast Lane the previous month. If I'm honest, I was too infatuated with checking out Lana at ringside to care about watching what was going on in the ring for about 70% of this match anyway.

Cena wins. 'Nuff said. Now let's see how Rusev will bounce back with his first loss. Will he go the route of Vladimir Kozlov (Remember that guy? Don't worry most people don't either...) or will he bounce back stronger than ever?

The Rock and Ronda Rousey vs. Triple H and Stephanie McMahon in-ring segment

This was a welcome surprise for everyone that had the ENTIRE wrestling and MMA world wondering if Rousey was about to throw down in a WWE ring, crossing over from UFC to WWE much like Brock Lesnar. Ronda Rousey in a WWE ring was more surreal than seeing Sting wrestling in there earlier in the same night. (Laughs) I guess Sting knows how Ziggler felt when he completely stole the wind from out of his sails that night because Rousey just did the same thing to him here. I don't know about anyone else but this was a HUGE mark out moment for me. It makes you wonder if more UFC fighters want to make the jump to WWE like Brock Lesnar.

The Authority's gloating tossed more salt into the open wound of Sting's loss. I love you, Steph but it was really TOO soon for that...

This segment pretty much sold WrestleMania 32 for a match between The Rock and Triple H like that was teased on SmackDown! a few months prior to this encounter.

The Undertaker def. Bray Wyatt

After the rumors flooding social media all that day prior to this match, everyone was worried if Bray would even be able to work this match after news got out that he twisted his ankle training for the match.

I'm sure that everyone can agree that the commentary team mentioning Taker's win/loss record is pointless at this stage. There's no reason to act like The Undertaker is going to garner another Streak that long nor as historical as that original one. It was one of the last special things to look forward to at every WrestleMania and WWE already killed that. The awe and mystery behind an Undertaker match at WrestleMania is gone now. It's just a normal match without any smoke or mirrors.

It was odd to see Bray Wyatt slow down his style to accommodate The Undertaker but they managed to make it work for them.

The Undertaker looked great in-ring in this match, which was a vast improvement of how bad he looked during his match last year against Brock Lesnar. I was personally hoping for American Bad Ass Taker instead of the Deadman, but I suppose Big Evil was a nice middle ground though.

Cool to see Bray Wyatt terrified for once during the sit-up moment. That added to the laundry list of special moments during this WrestleMania.

After all it was all said and done, I think WWE just need to give fans that Sting v. The Undertaker match that everyone has been clamoring for at WrestleMania 32. It's in Houston, Texas and they can both retire in their home state and hang up the boots for good. I would like to be selfish and see them continue to wrestle every year, but all great things have to come to an end eventually.

WWE Championship Match - Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins cashes in Money in the Bank and becomes NEW WWE Champion

From start to the point Rollins came out to cash in MITB, both Brock and Reigns were working this match stiff as HELL. 90% of the match was Roman Reigns getting the holy hell beat out of him by the Beast Incarnate - as expected. I found myself rolling my eyes at Reigns' Cena-esque resilience by kicking out of a whopping three F-5s. Cena and even The Undertaker succumbed to that much abuse but this guy can kick out? Like really? C'mon WWE. There's only so much bullshit and Hogan-esque comebacks I can personally stomach.

I was scared at one moment where Roman Reigns was willing himself a comeback to what seemed like a John Cena-style victory, but that even proved to be null and void.

Just to clarify, I didn't mind Seth Rollins winning the match after cashing in MITB as WWE gave that away from how early into the card where they booked Rollins vs. Orton. I didn't like HOW WWE executed it. Rollins cashed in MITB MID-MATCH, something that hasn't be specified to date that it was possible to do so with the MITB briefcase. It just made it seem like a poor man's cop out for the ending/finish here as WWE was scared to have either Lesnar or Reigns go over. The execution was sloppy but WWE still managed to protect Lesnar and Reigns' credibility to this point.

WWE Hall of Fame: Class of 2015 Notes:

Madusa/Alundra Blayze delivered the speech of the night bar none

You watch it in its entirety above until someone takes the video down. It was an absolute joy for me to see her be inducted the same year as "Macho Man" Randy Savage. FYI if you're reading this blog and don't know I'm a LONG-TIME mark for Team Madness from WCW, then shame on you...

If you look closely at the crowd, you can spot Miss Madness/Mona (Molly Holly/Nora Greenwald) and Ivory (Lisa Moretti) in the crowd. Both Madusa and Natalya were looking simply GORGEOUS during this event. (Whistles) Madusa was one of my first crushes of women's wrestling and that woman had me falling in love with her all over again during this speech.

She gave the Women's Championship back to WWE, let it be known that she was the first Paul Heyman Girl (while part of the Dangerous Alliance), gave tributes to everyone in her career - ranging from Randy Savage to her career in Japan, and even verbally put over the current generation of WWE Divas. The ball is in your court now, ladies.

Tearjerker speeches from Connor's dad, Daniel Bryan, and Dana Warrior

Much respect from all three of these individuals for showing the courage to even come here and speak on the kid's behalf. That had to take more strength and emotional fortitude than anything what the wrestlers in the ring at WrestleMania did the following evening.

I don't remember who said it while I was live-tweeting during the event, but I agree with the idea of Daniel Bryan changing the name of the Knee Plus to "The Crusher" as a tribute to Connor.

I have to admit that the Ultimate Warrior statue behind Dana was the thing of nightmares though. I know I wouldn't want that shit in my house, staring at me like that...

Lanny Poffo speaks on the behalf of "Macho Man" Randy Savage

Even though I was rolling my eyes in disgust that Hulk Hogan of all people was introducing Savage, I enjoyed what Lanny had to say on behalf of his brother and spoke about Savage's charities and how he gave back to others.

This was the hardest induction for me to watch as you guys know how I highly I think of Savage. I wouldn't be a fan of wrestling today nor writing this blog if he didn't make me a fan of this sport.

Rikishi's induction was all about making him the ass-end of all of the Usos' jokes

Scotty 2 Hotty took to social media to express his disgust with Rikishi's lack of acknowledgement to his fellow partners in Too Cool (Scotty 2 Hotty & Grandmaster Sexay) in his Hall of Fame induction speech. I thought it was cool that the Usos got to induct their father into the Hall of Fame and share the stage with him in mock Too Cool-style dance off afterwards.

Kayfabe is NOT dead

I loved how Larry Zbsysko and Bruno Sammartino stayed in kayfabe/character during their speeches, despite the fact that Zbsysko was at a loss of words for the bulk of his speech since he was winging it from off the top of his head.

Fujinami got the shaft

There's no other way to slice, Fujinami flew from overseas to the Hall of Fame ceremony to have one of the shortest speeches of the evening, clocking in less than 4-5 minutes. He should have had a translator for he could have given his speech in his own native language.

Last but not least...

FUCK YOU to Triple H allowing Arnold Schwarzenegger and Kevin Nash/Diesel (along with his Kliq cronies) to speak after Randy Savage and Connor's inductions

I was so pissed off that I turned off the stream on the Network during the live broadcast. If every Hall of Fame from here on out is going to have that one Kliq induction then fuck Triple H and his damn cronies. Seriously, what has Nash done that was noteworthy in his WWE career as Diesel?

Closing Thoughts

After WrestleMania 31, I remember reading all over social media with comments from people saying that this was the BEST WrestleMania of ALL-TIME. Wait... hold your horses there, folks. There were a LOT of great moments on this WrestleMania broadcast, but I wouldn't go as far as saying it was the best one. To be fair, it's the best WrestleMania in quite some time in terms of quality, but saying it's the best one of all-time is a bit much. 

Sue me, but it's still going to take a lot to top WrestleMania X-Seven in my eyes. Great builds, even greater matches. This WrestleMania had a lot of lackluster and weak builds for the bulk of the card, so WWE were in a situation where they had to deliver big time on the grandest stage of them all. Not to mention that the live NXT house show event had a full, sold-out attendance for that evening with fans chanting, "BETTER THAN MANIA!" during the event. WWE were fucking idiots NOT to televise that show on the Network as part of WrestleMania week, but I guess they were afraid of NXT overshadowing the main roster talent, much like NXT Takeover: [R]Evolution and Rival did a few months ago.