Hogan vs Russo and the Death of WCW

Near the end of the Monday Night Wars between WCW and WWE, Vince Russo left the WWE and was brought in as the head of Creative for WCW in the hopes of boosting the ratings and turning the struggling company around. Russo did not like all of the politics going on in the dressing room between the wrestlers backstage and was determined to do something about it.

Russo wanted to create new stars and in doing so remove the old guard which was led bythe legendary Hulk Hogan.

The conflict played out on screen on July 9, 2000 at Bash at the Beach. The main event was set for Hogan to face Jeff Jarrett for the WCW championship. Jarrett was favored by Russo and was getting the push to win the WCW championship. Hogan did not like the way the match was scripted and decided to play his creative card clause that was in his contract. When the match began, Jarrett did as Russo ordered and lay down on his back in the middle of the ring. Hogan pleaded for him to get up, but to no avail. Hogan pinned Jarett using his foot and then cut a real promo stating "thats why the company is in the damn shape it's in because of bullshit like this". Hogan left with the belt and moments later Russo came out and addressed the audience. He cut a promo on Hogan, trash talking him to the audience, and promising that Hogan would never be seen again in the WCW, which he never was.

Hogan filed a defamation of character law suit that was eventually thrown out.

This was the breaking point of WCW. Poor management and wrestlers with too much control eventually led to WCW closing its doors for good in March of 2001.

WWE NEW ERA

Recently the WWE entered a "new era" they have spit the roster in two and made Smackdown a live 2 hour show on Tuesday nights. The brand split happened in the WWE once before 2002-2005 with exiting programing coming from the brad split. Raw and Smackdown will have there own story lines and talent rosters. I am hoping that this will make the WWE great again, as lately I have been disappointed with production and the story lines that they have had in the past few years.

the WWE held a draft on July 19th 2016 (the first ever Smackdown live show) this epsisode was the best I had seen in a long time. the Rosters for RAW and Smackdown were selected live. when all the picks had been made it seamed to me the Rosters were split right down the middle with no clear winner! Here are some of the best picks in my opinion.

Raw- Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, Charlotte, Fin Balor, Brock Lesnar, The New Day, Sasha Banks, Nia Jax, Darren Young

SmackDown- Dean Ambrose, Randy Orton, John Cena, AJ Styles, Bray Wyatt, The Miz, American Alpha, Eva Marie, The Vaudevillains

The next week Monday night Raw was the first show of the "new era" I was very impressed by the show the wrestling was at its best and the mic work kept things flowing smoothly thought the show.

The following night smackdown live had its turn with there new roster. Shane Mcmahon had a big announcement that Backlash would be returning as a Smackdown pay per view in September! to my surprise Smackdown live was just as good if not better than Raw the night before.

I am hoping that Raw and Smackdown can continue with the great programming. I for one am one happy WWE fan at the moment. this is bet best WWE programming I have been since 2003!

Welcome Back Ron!

Thank goodness that Rogers and Hockey Night In Canada are finally thinking with their heads. Getting rid of George Strombolopoulous and Glenn Healey was the best thing they've done in a while. I can't wait to have Ron MacLean (together with the one and only Don Cherry) as host of Canada`s favourite sports television show. As hard as Strombo tried, and he did give it his best, it was apparent to everyone that his knowledge and appreciation of hockey was limited. And under his watch, the show was way too gimicky. He was picked by Rogers because he was younger than Ron and Rogers was trying to appeal to a more hip generation. Guess what? It didn`t work. Moreover Strombo`s too tight suits always looked ridiculous. So Rogers wisely is going back to the tried and true Ron MacLean -- a very safe pair of hands who loves the game. His knowledge of hockey history and tactics is unsurpassed in our country. And let`s face it -- the ratings with Strombo and co were way way down. So Rogers is taking this step as a means to better protect their investment and to reach out to more Canadians. I for one am thrilled. Thank you Rogers for giving us back our game the way it should be presented.

England Needs

England is about to enter the knockout stage of the European Championship. while watching there group stage matches I have noticed some things that the team can improve on, if they want to take it all the way!

1. England needs more scoring opportunities in the first half. They will not be able to make it very far by leaving everything to the last minute!

2. I would like to see Jamie Vardy play a bigger role. He played great starting against Slovakia, and surly the top goal scorer in the Premier League should not be coming off the bench!

3. England can not afford to give up late goals like they did in the match against Russia.

If England can fix these small issues I can see them going far in the tournament! Come on England!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CcU085tGwE&list=PL4BE02DBC9130A4B8&index=6

European Championship Coverage

Having lived ten years of my life in London, I have very fond memories of watching English Football on BBC and ITV. Watching football coverage on Canadian television is not up to par and does not reach my high standards of football broadcasting that I have become accustomed to over the years. The good new's is that through the use of technology such Hola I am now able to watch live coverage of BBC and ITV through my computer.

BBC has immense coverage of Euro 2016 coverage lined up. All together BBC will be airing 140 hours of Euro 2016 programing across their four major channels. Gary Lineker will once again be the front man for BBC throughout the tournament. Gary alone is  a good reason why you should watch the BBC's coverage. BBC will also be airing three new football documentaries leading up to the June 10th kickoff. One which celebrates the 20th anniversary of Euro 1996, another the 1966 World Cup winning team and lastly one which will explore stories from past Euro competitions.

ITV will also have it's fair share of Euro 2016 coverage and will be airing two out of the three round robin match up's that England play's in. England's first and 3rd matches where they play Russia and Slovakia. England's second match on Thursday June 16th against Wales will be broadcast on BBC. Even if you Support another country England's coverage of the Euro's is definitely worth watching.
Here is the website which lists all the games covered by BBC and ITV.
http://www.live-footballontv.com/euro-2016-on-tv.html

England and the European Championship

Euro 2016 kicks off on June 10th and this years tournament is being held in France. I am excited and hopeful that England will make it to the finals and win the championship for the first time in the tournaments history. England will start the tournament in Group B which also includes Wales, Russia and Slovakia. England's tournament starts off on the second day of competition when they play Russia at 3pm eastern time.

The first Euro's that I remember watching were in 1996. England had a strong team that year and made it all the way to the semi-finals where they faced Germany. Germany won that game on penalties. As Gary Lineker say's"Football is a simple game; 22 men chase a ball for 90 minutes and at the end, the Germans always win". But this year is going to be different, (I think I say that every two years when the England football squad play's in a major international competition.) the team has looked fantastic in qualifying and should have no problem winning Group B. 

As a fan it is important to alway's believe in the team that you support. Last week I went out and purchased my new England Kit. I am still debating on which name to put on the back. When the tournament starts I will be all ready to go, wearing my kit and waving my England scarf around singing God Save the Queen and We are England. 

My feeling's on Liverpool and the Europa League Final

I woke up this morning nice and early unable to get back to sleep. Today is the day that Liverpool FC play Sevilla in the Europa league final in Basel Switzerland. This will be the biggest game Liverpool have played in since 2005 when they won the Champions League in Istanbul. I should have a feeling of excitement but instead I have a bad feeling about today's match. My nerves are getting to me and I can not help but think that Liverpool are destined to break my heart once again. Don't get me wrong, Liverpool winning would mean so much too me, I am just not sure they are capable of winning. I will be watching the game at home with some friends, with my Liverpool kit on, holding my Liverpool scarf and singing You'll Never Walk Alone as loud as I can, hoping for some type of miracle .

Wrestlemania 32 one for the ages!

Wrestlemainia 32 was in my opinion the best show in a long, long time. Not since Wrestlemainia 3 many years ago have we seen such high drama, excitement and surprising outcomes! I also understand that Wrestlemania 32 set a record for attendance at 101,763 —  wow! Moreover it was the highest grossing Wrestlemainia, earning more than $17 million. The fans came out in droves and, if results are measured in dollars and cents, this show was a WINNER!!!! Up until now, WWE had not had the best programing, but Wrestlemania 32 gives me hope that things are finally getting back on track. Thank goodness. For the record, here are some of my favorite moments from last night`s action. 

After a so-so match between The New Day and The League of Nations, the League of Nations issued a challenge, stating that no 3 men could defeat them and The New Day. Guess what???? The challenge was met by some of my favorite veterans — Shawn Michaels, Mick Foley as Cactus Jack and Stone Cold Steve Austin. What a troika of talent!! These veterans of yesteryear showed the League of Nations that they still had it in them by hitting all their signature moves, including my favorite — the old Stone Cold Stunner! 

One of the funnier moments in the evening came when the famous wrestling manager, Paul Heyman, entered the ring and was shocked by the enormity of the audience. He could only mutter out loud “oh my god!” before once again launching into one of his routine “Brock Lesnar is the best” monologues. Quite a moment which helped to capture this special evening. 

To my considerable surprise, the best match was not the headliner for the WWE championship [Triple H vs Roman Raines], but rather it was the women`s championship match. These ladies of the ring really showed the world that they can wrestle with the best on the grandest stage of them all. What a performance. 

By far the most shocking moment came when Shane McMahon leapt off the “hell in the cell cage” some 20 feet right on top of the announcers` table! What an incredible, and dangerous, move! This was by far the single craziest moment that I have ever seen in WWE history! And that my friend, is saying something. 

I hope you enjoyed hearing about my favorite moments of Wrestlemania 32. Dear readers, let`s hope that Producer Kevin Dunn and the rest of the WWE script writing team keep up the good work and the great shows keep coming! Party on fellow wrestling fans!! 

5 Changes that Need to Happen to the Ottawa Senators

The Ottawa Senators have had a disappointing season, coming of the miracle run that they had at the end of the 2014/2015 season. The owner of the Ottawa Senators Eugene Melnyk has stated that changes will be made. Here are five changes that I would like to see happen.

1.Coaching Change - This has happened too many times with the Senators since Bryan Murray has stepped down from his role as coach to become the teams general manager. Each time the new Senators bench boss has been a coach with very little or no head coaching experience. This trend needs to stop and a head coach with experience needs to be hired. 

2. Number 1 Center - Kyle Turris is a great player and in my opinion should be the best second line center in the league. Since Jason Spezza left the Senators, the team has been missing that big number one center that can put points on the board. If the team wants to make the playoffs and hopes to challenge for the Stanley Cup anytime soon, they must figure out a way to acquire a number one center via trade or free agency. Though winning the draft lottery would be nice.

3. More Ice Time for the Youth - Players like Curtis Lazar’s development have staled. Being down on the fourth line has not helped him grow into any type of offensive threat. Mike Hoffman the teams leading goal scorer has continually been demoted down the line up. It is important for young player’s to be able to grow and not just get stuck in a grinder role.

4.Trade Alex Chiassson - Please whatever they do this off season, I hope that they get rid of Alex Chiasson. He is given way to much ice time that he does not deserve. I can not stand him getting chance after chance on the team’s 29th ranked power play. 

5. Goaltending - This one may not be as urgent as the first couple of changes that I have mentioned considering that Craig Anderson did have a pretty good year. The reality is that the Senators have traded away both Bishop and Lehner to teams in their own conference leaving behind an aging Anderson with no plan of secession in site. 

WWE Wrestlemania 32 Predictions

With Wrestlemania 32 less then three weeks away, I thought I would share my predictions for the biggest event of the year in sports entertainment.
Here they are.....

WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match: Triple H (c) vs. Roman Reigns:

The WWE has gone to great lengths to build up Roman as the next big superstar. Wrestle mania will be his official coming out party.

Winner: Roman Reigns.

Hell in a Cell Match: The Undertaker vs. Shane McMahon:

This will be the first time in seven years that the WWE Universe will get to see Shane-O-Mac in action. I am little nervous about what the quality off this matchup will be considering the age’s of both of the competitors. It will be a shame if the Undertaker loses but I think the shock value of Shane winning would be one for the ages.

Winner Shane McMahon.

No Holds Barred Match: Brock Lesnar vs. Dean Ambrose:

Considering the style of wrestling these two men show in the ring and the fact that it will be a no DQ match, I predict that that these to Athletes will steal the show.

Winner: Lesner.

Divas Championship: Charlotte (c) vs. Sasha Banks vs. Becky Lynch:

These three ladies sparked the Divas revolution and have the potential to put on one of the best and most excited matches of the evening.

Winner: Sasha Banks.

AJ Styles vs. Chris Jericho:

I am sure this match will be good even though we have already seen it a couple of times. Hopefully AJ and Chris can bring it to another level.

Winner: AJ Styles.

The Usos vs. The Dudley Boyz:

I don’t know why this match is even on the card. I thought this feud had already dwindled away.

This match could have just as well taken place on Monday Night Raw.

Winners: Usos.

United States Championship: Kalisto (c) vs. Ryback:

Yet another match that has no business taking place at the biggest event of the year.

It is not even worth going into further details.

Winner: Ryback.

Intercontinental Championship Ladder Match: Kevin Owens (c) vs. Sami Zayn vs. The Miz vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Zack Ryder vs. Sin Cara vs. Stardust:

This match is looking to be very exciting. Watch out for Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens to steal the show. Dolph is alway’s great in these matches and was close to winning in last years version of this match.

Winner: Dolph Ziggler. 

WWE Tag Team Championship: The New Day (c) vs. The League of Nations:

Any match with the new day is fun to watch. That being said the lead up to this match as been awful. I feel like I have already seen this match take place a handful of times. 

Winners: The League of Nations.

The Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal #3:

This match will feature a bunch of wrestlers that make up the middle and lower ends of the roster. It wont be the most exciting match of the night.

Winner: Kane.