WWE 2K20- Is it really worth it?

     Every year wrestling fans in North America anxiously anticipate the release of the new WWE video game. Myself, I have been a supporter and player of these games since the early 2000’s. Over the past two decades, the game has changed dramatically as the world of wrestling itself has evolved. More specifically, the role of Woman in sports gaming has become much more prominent since the new release of 2K20 this past week. If you are interested in hearing more about the differences between 2K19 and 2K20- sit down, relax, grab a cold one and read on!

MyCareer Mode

      Keeping consistent with last years addition of WWE gaming, this years release still has the MyCareer mode except with a slight change. In WWE 2K20 for the first time in history you can now select a Woman archetype as your character for MyCareer game play. This was highly requested by WWE fans worldwide and I was pleased to see that WWE finally incorporated woman into their gaming. In keeping with the trend, Showcase mode now features “Women’s Evolution” which is a documentary-style, objective based game play which replaced the rise and resurgence of Roman Reigns in the 2k19  game mode.

Quality and Control Changes

      When looking at the improvements in picture and audio quality there are minimal changes. Players have reported that the overall vibrancy of the colours has improved as well as small details such as tattoo’s are more vivid then ever before. However, the lighting in the ring in the new version is not as bright as 2K19 and this has bothered some players. 2K20 has also decreased the que time as well as made general improvements on fluidity through out the game. One major change in terms of the controls is that on 2K20 you must now double click for finishers and OMG moments. This is a small, but annoying change that avid gamers will have to adjust too. By adding another button to click for these special moves- this is also a step in wrong direction in terms of accessibility.

Archetypes

     There has been some major changes to the archetypes in the new edition of 2K20 as there are now
over 200 playable characters. In the past, a common trend among WWE gamers was that they felt there was not enough selection for their avatars. This is no longer an issue as WWE is adding legends such a Chyna and soon to be: Rob Van Dam, Icing Kong Bundy and NXT UK’s Walter. In the meantime, players can take advantage of the Creation Community which is a feature that allows you to upload your own logos and scan your face to create your own archetype.

So is it worth it?
If you are looking for a slightly improved version of 2k19 than 2K20 is for you. Although there are few dramatic changes, the new features such as the Women’s Evolution is attracting more players than in previous years. By expanding their gaming demographic I am hoping that this translates to increased numbers in viewers watching wrestling on a weekly basis.

WWE 2K20 FOUR HORSEWOMAN GAME PLAY

Wednesday Night War

             If you are a wrestling fan be prepared to clear your schedule for Wednesday evenings.  TNT’s All Elite Wrestling and WWE’s NXT have been battling for viewers the past fours week for the prime time spot. Wrestling fans are now forced to either pick between the two shows or switch back and forth between networks Last night was an exciting night for both shows as they were filled with great storylines and entertaining matches. It was definitely the most exciting night of the past four weeks of Wednesday Night Wars which is why I was surprised to see such a dramatic decline in views.

           Captivating new fans to tune in and remain watching seems to be an increasing problem in the world of wrestling. However there are some factors affecting this including the MLB World Series.  Last night 1.018 million viewers tuned in to AEW Dynamite compared to the previous week of 1.4 millions viewers. 878,000 of these viewers fall in the 18-49 years old demographic which is the most popular audience for wrestling. (I can speak to this as I fall in this category). Many people believe that the ‘Golden Era’ of Wrestling has come and gone but I think that we are on the cusp of another golden age that is only possible with the support of true wrestling fans.


         Dynamite had  an agreement with TNT that if the Cardinals and Braves played past 8:30pm in last nights’ National League Division Series game then AEW programming would be moved to TruTV. This was the case last night and I believe that this could have contributed to the decline in viewers. On the other hand, WWE’s NXT had 790,000 viewers last night with 414,000 of them falling in the 18-49 years catergory. They also faced a decline since last week where 891,000 viewers tuned in. Another reason that could have led to the downturn of  views could be the ‘casual viewers’ who were flipping through the channels browsing for something to watch. It is possible that new fans landed on either event and continued browsing or selected other sporting events.


At the end of the day true wrestling fans should always tune in regardless of other sporting events- this is the only way to enter the new ‘Golden Era’ of wrestling.

Sportsnet Send Off

NXT on USA

                          WWE vs USA for NXT

Today is an exciting day in the world of wrestling. It was announced this morning that NXT will be broadcasted on the USA Network instead of the WWE Network. Wrestling fans everywhere are anxiously awaiting tonight’s episode of RAW where they will be announcing the new NXT show that will debut on September 18th. There are some mixed emotions about these changes. Here I will explain the pro’s and con’s and this network switch.

This change could potentially acquire many new wrestling fans. By having NXT broadcasted on network television, this allows non-wrestling fans to stumble upon the channel and it may grab there interest. This could also bring back some ‘old school’ wrestling fans as well. Another benefit would be that viewers would not have to be subscribed to the WWE network in order to watch this show. The stock market shows that since the announcement this morning, the WWE stock has risen from $2.57 to $72.18!

Fox Sports is not too thrilled about the change. They were hoping that the WWE would replace the screen time that UFC had which ended at the end of 2018 on Fox Sports 1 and 2. In an interview with Forbes Magazine, Dave Meltzer could not of said it better himself. 

“FS1 obviously lost God knows how many hours of UFC programming which hurts them because UFC programming is some of the strongest stuff they had — NASCAR was kinda like the strongest I think on FS1 — but, UFC was very strong on FS1 and they lost all of that," explained Meltzer. "Part of the deal was the idea that ‘the money that we’re going to spend on UFC we’re gonna spend on WWE. They had a shot, but the thing is that if nobody said anything then people would be like whatever, but they told their affiliates that we’re going to be getting NXT and they’re not.” -Dave Meltzer, Wrestling Observer Live. 

In my personal opinion, I believe that NXT should live on the WWE network. However, I do see the value in sharing the experience of wrestling with network television viewers. Myself, I can not wait for tonight’s episode of RAW where we will find out more information about this transition. Stay tuned for a recap tomorrow of tonight’s announcements.

Signing off, 

Nicholas Wright, Sports Broadcaster and Analyst. 

Interview With Former NHL’er and now High School Coach, Shawn McEachern

For many Ottawa Senators hockey fans, the 1996-97 NHL playoff series against the Buffalo Sabres is an unforgettable one. For my younger readers, let me explain one of my strongest memories as a Sens fan. The 7th seed Ottawa Senators took on the 2nd seed Buffalo Sabres in the Eastern Conference Quarter-finals. It was a classic very hard back and fourth series. They were in overtime in game 7, just one goal away from pulling off a major upset against their heavily favoured opponent. Sens star centre Alexei Yashin was taking a face off in the Ottawa zone. When he won it, the puck slipped by an unsuspecting Ron Tugnutt, the Sens number 1 goalie in the playoffs. So the series tragically ends with Alexei Yashin putting the puck in his own net. It’s a memory and a dramatic Sens moment that I will never forget.  

I had the pleasure of interviewing Shawn McEachern, the Sens right winger who got two goals in that series. Shawn had an impressive 13-year NHL career. Over that span, he netted 254 goals and got 317 assists for an impressive 571 points. I hope you enjoy my interview with Shawn, a really nice guy who has only fond memories of his time with the Sens. 

1. Do you have special takeaways from your ‘96-97 season with the Sens since it was such a pivotal season for the franchise?                                                                             

(Shawn) 1996-97 was my first season in Ottawa.  Sports Illustrated had called the Senators the worst franchise in sports! We had a great group of guys on the team, a blue collar group.  Jacques Martin, Craig Ramsey and Perry Pearn were really good coaches.  We played a team game and got it rolling -- and made the playoffs in the last game of the season!  Still one of the most fun seasons I had in the NHL. The city of Ottawa was so excited, the atmosphere for the 1st playoff game was crazy. Just a great time to play for the Sens.

2.  What were your thoughts on Palladium/Corel Centre, as it was known back in ‘96, when it                was first opened and was a fresh new build?

     

(Shawn) The building was great! One of the best in the NHL at the time. I really enjoyed living in Kanata and driving a few miles to the rink everyday.

3.  What were your feelings about (Coach) Jacques Martin? As he was in my view a driving force in their improvement through ‘96-2001. 

(Shawn) Jacques was one of the best coaches I’ve ever played for.  He was low key but really knew the game.  I use a lot of what I learned from Jacques today with the team that I am coaching.  I’m not surprised Pittsburgh has had success with Jacques on their coaching staff.  He’s also a good person.

4.  Was there anything you struggled with or were frustrated with while playing with the Sens that you’d like to share? Or any significant struggles you had in your hockey career?  

(Shawn) I think everyone has struggles in their career. Playing hockey in the NHL is so much fun.  But it's also very competitive.  Playing in a Canadian market there’s more pressure to perform. I loved that about Ottawa! But when you slump, it’s front page news -- so it can be tough, but that's what we signed up for.  

5.  Do you have any suggestions for the Sens this season as they seem to be faltering a bit?

(Shawn) I don't follow the Sens that much but I do root for them and especially Brady Tkachuk.  His Dad was my line mate at Boston University and Brady played at Boston University so I look to see how he's doing.

6.  How did you find your transition from NHL to being a coach at a private school? Were there lessons you learned in the NHL that you pass along to your players today?

(Shawn) I pass along everything I learned from the coaches I played for and players I played with in the NHL.  It's been a great transition and a fun way to stay in the game.  

Interviewing Former NHL’er Blake Dunlop

 Last week I had the pleasure of interviewing Blake Dunlop. Recognize the name? If not, here’s some info about him. 

 Blake Dunlop was born in 1953 in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. He grew up in the Ottawa area. Blake was an outstanding hockey player, he played four season with the Ottawa 67’s, leading the league in points in the 1972-73 season. In the 1973 NHL draft, he was picked 18th overall by the Minnesota North Stars. After being traded the the St. Louis Blues in 1979, Blake started to experience his most successful NHL years. After five great years with the Blues, Blake was traded to the Detroit Red Wings, where he would retire after one season with them in 1984. Throughout his career Blake played 550 NHL games, getting 130 goals  and 274 assist for an impressive 404 career NHL points. 

 I’d like to thank Blake for taking the time to answer these question for me, it is greatly appreciated. Now sit back, relax, maybe grab a coffee (or another beverage...) and enjoy the interview. 

1- Many NHL players give a lot of credit to family members or influential coaches that helped them become the player they are today. Do you have anyone that made a big impact in your hockey career? 

(Blake) Yes, there are always a number of people who become instrumental in you development and opportunity. Starting as a youngster it was my parents who gave me the introduction to hockey and also provided the time, energy and finances necessary to travel and compete not only in Ottawa where i grew up but across Ontario and Quebec as well. Then it was an individual, Grant Macintosh that provided the funding for the team I played for from Pee Wee up to the local JR.A level, affording me the place to show and develop my skills. Bill Long, my major JR. A coach was the one who gave me the most opportunity and helped me develop into a leader and a scoring champion through the crucial growing years of age 16-19. During my professional career, Pat Quinn, Bob McCammon in Philadelphia and Red Berenson in St. Louis were the coached that taught and brought out the best in me as a player!

2- Between 1973-1978 you got shifted around quite a bit between the NHL, AHL and CHL. And then between 1980-1982 you were a point per game player with the St. Louis Blues. What kept you motivated and do you have any advice for a young player trying to make that jump to starting his NHL career?

(Blake) I had suffered a couple of serious injuries (knee, hamstring tear) early in my NHL career that held me back but I was determined to prove that I was a quality player of NHL caliber. I had great success as the MVP in the AHL so I felt with hard work and the right opportunity I could succeed. The flyers gave me that chance and from there my career blossomed even further when I was given a bigger offensive role with the blues. Persistent, hard work and dedication to hockey are the most important qualities for any young person striving to succeed. 

3- You’ve had a lot of achievements throughout your career. Being drafted 18th overall in 1973, getting the Fred. T Hunt memorial award and the Lee Cunningham award in 1978 and the Bill Masterson trophy in 1981. What would you say is your greatest achievement in hockey?

(Blake) Winning the Bill Masterson trophy and being recognized for sportsmanship perseverance and dedication to hockey in the best league in the world was a great honour for me!

4- The years you played there were some of the best players to ever hit the ice in the NHL. In the 1980-81 season you were 20th in points. How did it feel to be in the top 20 in the league alongside big names such as Wayne Gretzky, Marcel Dionne and Mike Bossy. 

(Blake) It was exciting and rewarding for my career to finally reach that level of success that I had worked so hard to achieve and to be recognized or included with the group you mentioned was an honour. 

5- You retired after the 1983-84 season. How was life after retirement? Did you have any other goals or aspirations that you followed after you NHL career?

(Blake) Yes, I entered into the investment management business, right out of hockey in 1984 with AG Edwards and have had a very exciting, successful 34 career and counting! I have been blessed and now have my son, Connor as a partner in our thriving business. Thanks

 So there you have it! An outstanding NHL career and a great life after hockey. Thank you Blake for answering my interview question and I hope you all enjoyed it.