The Wrestling Club: Hogan Bombs and AJ Lee is TNA bound....oh hang on, thats not right

Is Hogan WWE bound?

To me the signs are all there that the legendary Hulk Hogan is on his way back to WWE in time for Wrestlemania 30 next spring.

 

It is being widely reported Hulk Hogan’s current TNA contract expires next month and whilst late contract renewals are not uncommon you got to wonder why would either party want a new contract? All in all Hogan in TNA has been a flop; they are not really much more famous, their weekly show Impact hasn’t improved and financially they are at an all-time low. On the other side of the fence, whilst TNA is a nice earner for Hogan no doubt it is not the spotlight he craves. Hogan is Hogan, love him or hate he’s the greatest of all time and is the sort of man that needs to be on the biggest stage possible, TNA is many things but the biggest stage it is most certainly not.

 

And then there are the signs. Couple of weeks ago a bombshell hit the Wrestling world that Brook Hogan had been released by TNA, that’s right-Hulk Hogan’s very daughter! You can’t imagine him being happy about that unless, of course, he knew he was soon going the same way and was just hanging around to tie up loose ends. Then came the announcement that Hogan would be one of the main stars of WWE’s next video game WWE 2K14 and already is being used for promotion. Now I know the deal he signed is with 2K and not WWE but you telling me 2K and WWE don’t liaison about such things? And then this week, wwe.com post a gallery of nearly 200 unseen Hogan photos, really?

 

Better than you

WWE are already starting their drive towards Wrestlemania 30 and when you consider Hogan put Wrestlemania on the map (Yes you read that Shawn Micheals fans) it’s only fitting that he makes an appearance. And I don’t know how much TNA are paying Hogan but I can imagine he could earn a lot more from a 3 month run climaxing in Wrestlemania than he could in a year (or even more) in TNA.

 

It's happening

AJ Lee Super Diva

The WWE script writers get a lock of stick from the fans for bad continuity, not referencing the past enough, not proper story telling etc. Yet this week on RAW saw one of the cleverest little script tricks that, like most of genius from the E, went right over most people’s head.

Start of RAW, Promo (no,not THE promo of raw, be patient) HHH drops in a line about how Orton took the ring and ran with it(or something to that effect). Now we all know Orton did this bloody years ago and that’s why most people generally agree he’s a great man to have as champion but just over an hour later came the huge talking point from RAW; AJ Lee’s Pipe bomb!

 

AJ Lee is a class example of somebody who was given a chance and they took it with both hands and just ran, ran and ran. Her promo this week was pretty much as good as what the main event guys chuck out week in, week out. In some ways better because it broke through the fourth wall a little and spoke directly to the fan; there is a reason this is being called the pipe bomb of 2013 and that’s because it’s one of them clever promos where they have taken the general thoughts of internetz fans and put it into a character. Total Divas has been a huge hit for WWE but still there are those sad people who refuse to see it for what it is and have to bemoan the women  (for A. Getting their face on tv and B. following a script. I know-as if them and their boyfriends wouldn’t do the same!)

 

The thing that really stood out to me was the confidence. When it comes to promos and Divas, confidence is usually the biggest problem; they can’t carry their words with conviction. Even the legendary Trish Stratus was caught drowning in silence on regular occasion. Now of course let’s not all be naïve here; You can bet your bottom dollar the same person who wrote Punk’s pipe bomb was the same person who wrote AJ’s (I mean, you’re not all still believing that Punk just said all of that of the top of his head are you?) so it begs the next question-who is WWE’s ace in the hole promo writer?

 

But yes back to AJ, is there a better women in the world of wrestling today? Also did you hear the crowd chanting Kaitlyn? When was the last time you heard the crowd care about a women’s feud so much? And wait it gets better-AJ Lee, Kaitlyn…it was a proper slow build feud! Former tag partners turned enemies! Let’s all stop before the internetz has to start praising those ‘useless’ scriptwriters.

 

#SaveWrestling, Save The Trees and keep it Mr Fight and Write

Heroes in Boston: UFC Fight Night, Shogun vs Sonnen

 

Heroes in Boston: UFC Fight Night, Shogun vs Sonnen

 

Two spits in a bucket and can we all agree that was a kind of special UFC card? From Prelims to Main Event every fight was at the very least interesting and at the most as fascinating as it was thrilling.

It’s only fair to begin with the man of the hour, the show stealer, the living breathing Gangster that is Chael Sonnen. Coming of his devastating one sided defeat to Jones a lot of questions hung over the former #1 contender, many felt a defeat would spell the end. Its crazy how many people saw him as a big underdog, in his walk in Joe Rogan talked him up, he obviously also found it hard to believe how many people had written him off. This is the thing with Sonnen-you either love him or hate him and if you hate him you tend to not rate him at all. But put me in the former and why? The first five seconds of the fight would be a place to start! Sonnen charges out of his corner and just puts the former World champ, Pride grand prix and BJJ black belt on his back! It was the sort of moment that reinforced his claim to be the best wrestler in UFC. Just watching him is a pleasure, he has such a unique style, he literally just mauls his opponents on the ground. Did you watch the pre-fight video? Did you listen to what Joe Rogan said? He said Sonnen had a very underrated submission game and his point was proven as he made Rua tap out. What’s the lesson in this kid? Listen to Rogan! He isn’t just some American guy who goes crazy when a knockout happens, he is a Martial Arts expert! You can read as many Bruce Lee quotes as you like but you will learn more by listening to Joe Rogan.

Special mention to Sonnen’s post fight antics-is there anybody better on the mic than Sonnen? Not just in MMA but in wrestling also? Picks up the biggest win of his career then cuts a promo calling out the Axe Murderer in 3 months time, grabs his wife’s hand and walks out the Octagon-WHAT  A GANGSTER! Is it silly talk to start talking up another Chael Sonnen run for the title?

 

Alistar Overeem. Oh Alistar Overeem-when will you learn? I want to tell you a story about myself. A few months back I entered a tournament in my home town. I was feeling good about things going in; I hadn’t been training properly but was confident enough with my fitness. Come fight time I was gassing within 30 seconds, I lost two fights that day and not to take anything away from the men who beat me but I lost the fight on my own due to being unfit. I was too cocky with my fitness and I learn a valuable lesson that day. Since then I have entered every tournament training to my absolute maximum and I know I never will find myself in that situation again, from now any fight I lose it will be because the other guy was a better fighter, not because I was panting like a fat dog. What’s this to do with Overeem? Well in my story I explained how I made a mistake in a fight and learned from it-Overeem made a mistake his last fight and he never learned from it!

For the second fight in a row he had victory within his grasp and for the second fight in a row he never respected his opponent and for the second fight in a row he got himself caught. Was the first time not a hard enough lesson for him? Taking nothing away from Browne, he was outstanding all in all; to weather the storm and go on to win by KO is some real heroics. But Overeem has to have a long look in the mirror, he should be number 1 contender now but instead he is in danger of being cut from the UFC. When he defeated Brock Lesnar it seemed he was destined to be heavyweight champion, now he looks destined to go down as a man who never lived up to his potential.

 

Other observations and thoughts

-Have you ever seen a fighter so early in his UFC career as over with the crowd than Conor McGregor? His walk in was a moment to remember and his performance was top draw stuff. I think after this fight everyone believes the hype, this guy very may well be the future of the UFC, he just screams money. Everyone loves a fighter they can get behind; it’s something that so very few have, that ability to muster a following by having a strong fighting spirit.

 

-Is Uriah Hall ever going to come good on his promise? 2 Fights in now and big question marks are starting to appear. The fight was a strange one; they both just respected each other to much. Hall seems to be caught between being an entertaining fighter and being a fighter who gets the job done. It takes years of experience to be both and even when you get there it’s not easy, look at Anderson Silva’s last fight for a prime example. Rogan hit it on the head when he said that the level of fighters in the TUF house was a lot below the level the current UFC roster. If he should bomb for a third time I can see UFC cutting him, for a man who looked so promising his legacy may just end up being the single most devastating knockout in Ultimate Fighter history. Which to be fair isn’t the worst thing to be known by.

 

The show was a huge success on all fronts for UFC. It was a show aimed at attracting new fans and for first time viewers this must have been a blast, it was a show that showcased what makes MMA such an addictive sport. It was also a ratings winner and a dream start for the new Fox Sports 1 channel (and same could be said for BT Sport in the UK).