Let There Be Basketball!!!

Finally, after 130+ days, the cloud has been lifted and now we shall have basketball this season. The season starts off with a bang because not only does it start on Christmas Day, but we will have a three-headed monster of a double-header (Celtics-Knicks, Lakers-Bulls, Heat-Mavericks). We will have 66 games this season, but that is fine because at least it is more than the 50 games that we had back in 1999. This kickoff to the 2011-2012 season is terrific, because of the three marquee playoff level games which caused TV Ratings and Revenue to skyrocket as well as light a new fire in the league with the storylines from LeBron and Bosh joining Wade in Miami, to Amare and Carmelo joining forces in NY, the Mavs winning the title to the emergence of Derrick Rose in Chicago. These are what make the games compelling and exciting, especially for a hardcore hoops fan and basketball purist like myself. The increase of stars in the point guard pool has been very refreshing with the rise of D-Rose, Russell Westbrook, CP3, Derron Williams, Steph Curry and others. The rise of talent is always what keeps the league strong, which is what has sparked an interest in me that has not been this strong since the '90s. Now, compared to that time, it is a downgrade, like comparing CM Punk to The Rock, Macho Man Randy Savage, or Shawn Michaels. The quality, atmosphere, marquee names, and team success do not match up to that time, but it is great for today, although players like Kobe, LeBron, Wade and Dirk are moving up the all-time ranks at a fast rate, which I am very proud to see. The League always has to have players in their prime mixed with younger, rising stars to pass the torch to when their time is done. Although Kobe, Duncan, KG and Jason Kidd do not know when to quit and want to hold on for one last shot of glory, the torch has already been passed to Wade, LeBron, Chris Paul and Dwight Howard to pass on to Rose, Durant, Westbrook and others. The latest MVP race has been strong with Derrick Rose, LeBron, Durant and Wade which is yet another sign of things to come in the near future. Until then, let there be Basketball!!!

Cowboys-Jets Running Diary

Tonight, we remember and honor the victims of September 11, 2001, as the NFL season just happens to kickoff on this day. Appropriately, the New York Jets and Dallas Cowboys will be playing in New York. What a terrific story around this game, as I know the game itself will be a blockbuster.


8:05 (E.T.)- National Anthem/Kickoff

8:39- Dez Bryant catches a 3 yard TD pass from Tony Romo. Cowboys 7, Jets 0. Great way to start the season off. (9 plays for 74 yards)

8:49- Dallas has possession again after Jets go 3 and out, Romo hands off to Felix Jones
8:50- 2nd Down, Romo drops back to pass. As line breaks down, Romo slips through to throw an incomplete.
8:52- Tony Romo throws great pass to Dez Bryant to convert for a 1st Down
9:05- Now, back from a quick dinner break. Jets have the ball on 3rd & 4. Sanchez connects with Santonio Holmes for a Jets 1st Down after Mike Jenkins gets some of the wind knocked out of him.

9:08- Following a commercial break, Jenkins is back on the field covering Plaxico and causing another 4th Down. Cowboys with the ball in their own goal line, Romo hands to Jones, 2nd Down. Tony gets sacked again, 3rd down.

9:15- DeMarcus Ware does a great job pressuring Mark Sanchez for incompletion. Al Michaels and Cris Colinsworth discuss the difference between Mark Sanchez and Tony Romo. Commercial Break- Still, Cowboys 7, Jets 0. Dez Bryant is a very solid & promising player.
9:20- Back from break. Dallas at own 10 yard line. Romo rolls out to Witten for 1st down.
Jets are pressuring Tony Romo to move more. Romo passes again to Witten, but this time short of the first.
9:25- Dallas' Defense is doing a great job pressuring Mark Sanchez. Another 3 & Out. Rob Ryan has the D playing with its head on straight

9:30- Dallas picks up another 1st down after Romo passes to Jason Witten. Cowboys are picking the pace back up after starting the quarter slow. Romo throws a laser to Miles Austin in the slot for another first. Tony Romo is being very efficient. (11/14, 150 yds, 1 TD)

9:35- 2nd quarter- Cowboys 10, Jets 0. Cromartie catches kickoff, and is stopped in tracks. Sanchez rolls out to Holmes for 1st down.

9:41- 2:00 minutes left in 2nd quarter. Sanchez throws deep in blitz. D. Ware with his 2nd sack. Ware is playing a well-rounded game, switching from LB to Linemen. Sanchez barely avoids a sack to throw screen to Tomlinson, who comes up big for a 1st & Goal.

9:43- 2nd & Goal, Jets score TD from Sanchez to TE Keller after botch'd play from Derrick Mason. New York Jets finally get on the scoreboard, 10-7. Now fans are chanting: J-E-T-S, JETS, JETS, JETS!!!

9:50- End of First Half. This first half has been great. Our Defense has been very solid. DeMarcus Ware has been all over the field. Tony Romo has had a strong 1st half, with great connections to his 3-headed monster receiving corps. (Dez Bryant, Miles Austin, Jason Witten).

10:03- Start of 3rd Quarter. Cowboys D stops Shaun Green. Penalty on Cowboys Defensive Line. Come on Dallas, NO MORE!!! Old Man Mason comes short of the 1st. Alan Ball squashes 300 year old Mason for 3rd & out.

10:10- Pass to Kevin Ogletree for 1st Down. Cowboys pull out a great trick play. WR Reverse from Felix Jones to Ogletree. Keep it movin' Dallas!!

10:13- Touchdown from Tony Romo to Miles Austin! After review of the play, it stands. Cowboys 17, Jets 7. We are lighting up the Jets' secondary like a Christmas tree.

10:21- Justin Keller has been coming up big in place of Plaxico & Mason. DeMarcus strikes again!!

10:54- We are up 24-10, and have given the Jets a pounding, from the passing game to the pass defense. Now, the Jets have caught a break with Plaxico Burress catching his first TD in 2 years since his release. Cowboys 24, Jets 17. Antonio Cromartie has been getting thrashed and exposed all night by Dez Bryant and Miles Austin for big plays & TDs.

11:00- Romo pass to Witten for 1st & goal. We later go 3 and out.

11:14- New York has stormed back with a 26 yard Touchdown pass from Mark Sanchez to Plaxico Burress. The score is now tied, 24-24. Still 5:00 minutes to go.

11:30- Romo throws a ridiculous interception to Darrell Revis, as if Revis is wearing a silver helmet with a star on it. Once again, we have shot ourselves in the foot when the game is right in our hands.

Now, former Cowboys kicker Nick Folk has hit the game winning Field Goal.
Final score: Jets 27, Cowboys 24.

This meltdown has become repetitive and is unacceptable for this franchise. What else must we do?

Let There Be Football!!!

Finally, the cloud of the NFL Lockout has been lifted. As a result, preseason and training camps are fully underway. Along with that, there have been some MAJOR transactions, from free agent signings to retirements. Teams like the New England Patriots and the Minnesota Vikings have made the most noise in the free agent market with the Pats signing lightning rods such as Chad Johnson (aka Ochocinco) and Albert Haynesworth, while the Vikings signed Donovan McNabb (Albert & Donovan from the Redskins). The Patriots' signings of Haynesworth and Johnson gave me mixed reactions. One of excitement like "Wow! This is great! New England is going to be an even bigger powerhouse offensively with Brady throwing to Chad & Deion Branch!". Another reaction was a head scratcher like "Wow! What is Belichick going to do with these guys? Is he trying to be Jimmy Johnson with two of the biggest headcases outside of Randy Moss and T.O.?" Either way, New England has left me saying "Wow!", and I think that this was their goal through this whole time. I think that I am going to go with the first reaction, because Coach Belichick, as much as I have not liked his past methods of winning (tuck rule, spygate), I like how he is taking this Jimmy Johnson kind of approach and signing two players who are viewed as renegades by the NFL and molding them into his system and style of play, much like how Dallas signed Charles Haley and later Primetime in the early to mid '90s. Fast forward 16+ years later, and it is the same deal. Now the Patriots look more like the Dallas Cowboys and the Oakland Raiders than your daddy's Patriots from the Drew Bledsoe 1994 days!!lol. I am a guy who likes to see chemistry when there are at least 2 or more stars on one team (49ers- Rice-Montana of the '80s Rice-Young of the '90s, Smith-Aikman-Irvin of the '90s Cowboys). Now Tom Brady has a cool new weapon at his already stacked arsenal next to his biggest gun, Deion Branch. I am looking forward to this WR combo of Chad Johnson/Deion Branch to torch defenses throughout the season, especially when you have the best QB in the league (Tom Brady) throwing the ball. These guys have a major chip on their shoulder after that embarrassing loss to the Jets in the playoffs. I am just waiting for the regular season and playoffs themselves to go undeway before anyone makes hasty comparisons to the Montan-Rice-Taylor trio in San Fran during the '80s. Now, to the Minnesota Vikings. When I learned that Donovan McNabb signed to the Vikings, I was not surprised, but happy, because this is where I had been telling people that Donovan would and should go. I knew that McNabb would eventually join Minnesota, and now that Brett Favre's corpse is no longer taking up space, Donovan can freely operate. I firmly believe that this is the proper place for DNabb to thrive in, because of the weapons that he has to throw to (Sydney Rice, Percy Harvin, Bernard Berrian) along with the league's best running back (Adrian Peterson), who will help open up the field for him to do his damage. Donovan's career has come full circle to that of another Philadelphia Eagles legend, Randall Cunningham. Both he and Randall were huge star QBs for the Eagles for 11 years. (Cunningham- 1985-1995, McNabb- 1999-2009) However, Cunningham took one full year out of football (1996), while Donovan floundered for one year with the Washington Redskins (2010). He might has well left for a year himself. In 1997, when Cunningham returned, he was fully rejuvenated, both attitude wise and performance wise, as he signed with the Minnesota Vikings. The following year in Minnesota would be Cunningham's best since his prime in Philly, where he became the starting QB for an injured Brad Johnson and had a phenomenal season leading the league's most powerful offense with rookie sensation WR and future hall of famer Randy Moss and star WR and should-be hall of famer, Cris Carter. That year, Randall had his best season since 1988, (completing 259-425 passes, 60.9 completion percentage, 3,704 yards, career high 34 TDs, career high 106.0 QB rating) while leading the Vikes to a 15-1 record and coming a game of going to the Super Bowl (which they would have won by the way). With this move to the Twin Cities, McNabb is following in his predecessor's footsteps by reviving his career in the land of 1,000 lakes and adding to his legacy. As I have said before, I knew that he was going to sign with Minnesota. The Vikes also have an edge heading into the season, because the same way the Pats are looking to rebound from that humiliating playoff loss, they are cleaning up the mess that Brett Favre has left behind. Meanwhile, down in the Lone Star State, my Cowboys have been doing the opposite by cleaning house because of the salary cap. Dallas has released 8 players because of the lockout, which included WR Roy Williams and RB Marion Barber (both have signed with Chicago since then). This offseason has been filled with great surprises and excitement and is only a sign of things to come this year. Let's get ready for football!!!!

Miami Meltdown

Lately, The Miami Heat have been in a serous funk after losing four games in a row. First, the Heat blew a 24 point lead to lose to the Orlando Magic at home, then lose to the New York Knicks will newly acquired stars Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups. On Friday, the Heat were murdered by the San Antonio Spurs (125-95), and the icing was put on the cake as the Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls came to town and ripped their hearts out, 87-86. After the game, Miami's big 3 of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Christina, I mean Chris Bosh, were all crying. Now, they have become an even bigger punchline for other players, reporters and fans all across the country. There are even headlines that read "It's Crying Time". This is pure irony coming from a team that had the audacity to have a live press conference celebrating their free agent pickups of James and Bosh to makeup the 3 Muskateers, or as I call them "The 3 Stooges". They were celebrating prematurely as if they had won the championship, even though they had not even gone through training camp yet. Everything about that press conference, to the interview itself was classless, distasteful and downright immature coming from the entire Heat organization, from the players to even Pat Riley himself. I have all of the respect in the world for Riley, but he was the one that was responsible for luring in James and Bosh, and he never said a word during this entire fiasco, so part of the blame is on him. During the interview, the reporters talked to LeBron about how he was coming to bring a championship and egged him on by saying that he might bring one home and LeBron goes on to say not just one, but 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and even over 7. I believe that as a player, you do not blow your horn that way, because I believe that is mainly for the fans to do. However, you as a player are supposed to perform at a high enough level to back up what the fans are saying. I expect a fan to run their mouth off about how many championships they want their team to win, but not a player. Players should be more professional and respecful in their response, and I believe that everyone was completely caught up in the moment. Big Mistake!! Now, I believe that it has come back to bite them even harder, because they are crying just as bad as they were celebrating, because during the summer, they walked around as if THEY were the champions, but if my memory serves me correctly, the Champions were a team in Los Angeles wearing Purple and Gold with a guy named Kobe Bryant, who now has FIVE RINGS!!! I repeat FIVE!!! Which means that his entire hand is covered! Which also means, that he has more than all three of those guys have combined. Wade has 1 ring, while LeBron and Chris Bosh each have zero! Even Kobe was not as out of control about his win as these goons were. After the loss to Chicago, Chris Bosh justified the reason why I call him such names as "Christina" and "Bosh Spice". The guy reminds me of the kid in school that wants to desperately fit in, so instead of being himself and not kissing up to anyone and being true to himself, he follows the crowd of "popular" kids, the guys who like to ride motorcycles, go out with the best girls, and who are stars in varsity football or basketball. LeBron and D-Wade are those same "popular" kids. Bosh does everything he can to prove that he is "tough" but he just does not have it in him. It is like trying to imagine Will Smith playing Tony Montana, it does not work. Kevin Durant saw right through him as well. The other night, Bosh shot 1-for-8, which is horrific. He has been eaten alive on the boards by more established rebounders, and he is a world class defensive liability. LeBrick James has infected Dwyane Wade with the un-clutch virus, because each of them has missed major shots to tie or to win the game. LeBron has thrown up so many bricks, that he could have single handedly built the Dallas Cowboys New Stadium, which is one reason why I call him "LeBrick". His three point shooting is horrendous and if the fate of the world was on the line, he would be one of my last options for the earth saving shot. He has even said himself that he does not have that killer instinct. His crying also further solidified the name "Queen James". As Tom Hanks said "There is no crying in baseball!". Well I say "There is no crying in basketball!". 

Los Angeles Lakers: Best in the West

Last night, the Los Angeles Lakers came into San Antonio and authoritatively bulldozed the San Antonio Spurs 99-83. Kobe Bryant had another regular day at the office dropping 26 points along with Pau Gasol's 21, but the big equalizer in this equation was a healthy Andrew Bynum, who transformed into Sabretooth, tore the Spurs to shreds with 17 rebounds despite 4 points. I know the last part was a stretch, but when Bynum is at perfect health, the Lakers are the most dangerous frontcourt in the league with their 3 giants (Gasol, Odom, Bynum) who are a headache for anyone. Now the Lakers have won seven straight games since the All-Star Break, which is what I have been claiming even before the season started. I have constantly stated that the Lakers will turn up the heat after the All-Star break, so this is no surprise to me at all. On the other hand, San Antonio surprised me, in a very tricky way, because not only is this the team with the best record in the league (51-12) with a 22-game winning streak, but the same team that butchered The Miami Heat (125-95). However, the same Lakers who had extended losing streaks without Bynum slaughtered these same Spurs 34-13 in the first quarter and decimated them in blocked shots (4-0). Los Angeles looked nearly flawless in first half scoring opportunities by converting 10-12, and wiping the paint with the Spurs with 12 of 21 chances inside. This game was nothing but a torture as the Lakers' largest lead was by 32, when San Antonio's best lead was by only 2 points. Ironically, Ron Artest was the peacemaker during the game when Kobe and Manu Ginobili got into an argument that would have given Kobe another technical which would have led to a suspension. This was another classic shootout in the old West, but the Lakers came into town with the biggest guns and wiped the Spurs out. Just when everyone wanted to count the champs out because of their lackluster play previously, now they are showing everyone why they are truly the best in the Wild West.

The Great One Returns

Finally, The Rock has come back home!!! Those were the famous words spoken by The Rock during his tremendous return home to WWE after seven grueling, long years. Since 2004, the landscape of the company and wrestling as a whole changed drastically. From that point on to 2005, John Cena's star skyrocketed into the wrestling stratosphere. However, along the way, the company lost a huge piece of its backbone because The Most Electrifying Man In Sports Entertainment and one of the Cornerstones of the Attitude Era was long gone. Since then, Cena has become WWE's marketing machine and constantly in the Main Event for 5 consecutive years and at least in the main event picture constantly. With the Great One gone, there was a tremendous void, because the mainstream acceptance and television ratings began to drop in comparison to its heyday from the days of The Rock. Chris Jericho himself proclaimed that he would save the WWE from becoming boring and stale, but he went from getting the fans to cry "Save_Us" to "Save_Me" after failing to end Randy Orton's reign as champion, which was the same from the time that he returned in 2007. Nothing quite changed in three years. Fortunately, The Great One has returned to fulfill Jericho's task of reviving a once proud, and profitable company. Something that was once a captivating and trendsetting program has now deteriorated into a "boring" snoozefest, where the fans are forced to cheer for and care for mediocrity. Those words from Jericho were a joke back in 1999, but 12 years later, they are the truth. TV ratings have taken a downward spiral, pay per view buyrates have plummeted, mainstream acceptance is null and void, and the crowd reaction from longtime fans and wrestling purists is complete and utter silence. These poor fans are silent, because they are embarrassed to be there watching, and as a fellow longtime fan, I am embarrassed for you. For 5 straight years, Cena has used the same gimmick, won the exact same way in every match and has never ever gone heel. This is one of the things that has hindered Cena, badly and the thing that I was happy about Monday Night was the way The Rock came straight to the point and addressed John Cena's verbal bashing in the media during interviews in magazines and the internet. This was pure vindication for me as a fan, because this return has broken the usual mold that the WWE has been stuck in during these past 5 years, especially these last 2 years. PG has not been as much of the problem as the quality. Think about it, when names such as Hogan, Savage and others dominated the scene in the '80s and early '90s, WWF was still PG, but the product was better without question, because of the promos, feuds, buildups of characters, rivalries, tag team division, managers, and blend of established stars along with stars on the rise. These are the things that were the key ingredients and components of WWF's success, which brought tremendous ratings, revenue, buyrates and mainstream acceptance all across the board. This same formula, along with an extra twist is what made the company excel to higher heights during the Attitude Era ('98-'01). As I have previously said before, The Rock was one of Vince McMahon's centerpieces during this time period, and the way that he commanded the crowd with both his skills and words was beyond extraordinary. 

Here is My Real Top 50 (pt.1, 1-10)

1.      Shawn Michaels- First ever Grand-Slam Champion, which proves how versatile he truly was. Revolutionized Specialty Matches. (Ladder, Elimination Chamber, etc.)  Influenced future generations of wrestlers from Chris Jericho, Edge and John Morrison. Terrific athleticism, great durability as well as technique. Storied career with a perfect ending. 4-time World Champion (3-time WWF Champion, 1-time World Heavyweight Champion). 2-time Royal Rumble Winner (1995, 1996), 3-time Intercontinental Champion, 1-time European Champion, 5-time WWF/E World tag champion (2 w/Diesel, 1 w/Steve Austin, 1 w/John Cena, 1 w/Triple H), 1-time WWE Tag Champion (w/Triple H). 11-time Slammy Award Winner. 11-time PWI Match of the Year Award Winner. PWI Most Popular Wrestler of the Year (1995, 1996), PWI Most Inspirational Wrestler of the Year (2010).
 2.  The Undertaker- Career longevity is unmatched with the most enduring gimmick in wrestling history. Only Superstar in History to be Undefeated at WrestleMania (18-0). Greatest Big man in History (6’10 ½ 299) with dominating power mixed with awesome speed. 7 time World Champion (4 WWE, 3 World Heavyweight) multi-time tag champion, 2007 Royal Rumble winner, and Match of the Year back-to-back with Shawn Michaels (WM XXV, WM XXVI). Shawn is “Mr. Wrestlemania”, but Undertaker is the “Wrestlemania Phenom”.

  3.  Bret “The Hitman” Hart- Greatest Technical Wrestler in History. Greatest Submission move in Wrestling History (Sharpshooter). Brought completely new meaning to the term “Excellence of Execution” with a scientific style that was hard to counter or match, along with a decent balance of quickness to defeat larger opponents. 5 time WWF Champion with 2 of the greatest reigns ever. (1^st, 2^nd) 2 time Intercontinental Champion, 2 time Tag Team Champion, 5 time U.S. Champion, 2 time WCW Champion. Won King of the Ring twice (’91, ’93). Royal Rumble Winner (’94) and Superstar of the Year (’93, ’94).

4.      Stone Cold Steve Austin- Greatest Trashtalker in WWF/E History. Highest selling superstar in history. 6-time WWF Champion, 2 Time Intercontinental Champion. 3-time Royal Rumble Winner (1997-1998, 2001). Only wrestler in history to accomplish this feat. Multi-time Tag Champion, 1996 King of the Year. 1997 Match of the Year (w/Bret Hart- Wrestlemania 13/Submission Match). Superstar of the Year (1998). Headlined 2 out of 3 consecutive Wrestlemanias w/The Rock (WM XV, XVII). Rejuvenated company from losing Monday Night Wars w/feuds against The Rock, Vince McMahon, etc. One of the cornerstones for the Attitude Era.

5.      The Rock- 9-time World Champion (7 WWF/E, 2 WCW), 2-time Intercontinental Champion, World Tag Team Champion, 2000 Royal Rumble Winner. Headlined 5 straight Wrestle Manias (XV, XVI-2000, XVII, XVIII, XIX). Co-headlined the Greatest Rivalry in History with Stone Cold Steve Austin that helped save WWE and win the Ratings war with WCW. Along with Austin, a cornerstone for Attitude Era.

6.      Ric Flair- 16-time World Heavyweight Champion (8 NWA, 6 WCW, 2 WWF). First and only wrestler in history to win the World Title in all 3 major promotions. 6 time U.S. Champion, Intercontinental Champion, 1992 Royal Rumble Winner. Great technician, with Incredible Stamina. Matches with Harley Race, Dusty Rhodes and Sting are all NWA Classics. Top 10 in mic skills.

7.      Triple H- 13-time World Champion (8 World Heavyweight, 5 WWE), 5-time Intercontinental Champion, multi-time tag Champion, European Champion, 2002 Royal Rumble Winner 1997 King of the Ring. Perfect Combination of Ric Flair and Harley Race, with great wrestling IQ which earns him the name “Cerebral Assassin”. One-half of the Founding Fathers of D-Generation X with Shawn Michaels. Maintains high level of consistency.

8.      Hulk Hogan- 12-time World Champion (6 WWF, 6 WCW) Headlined 4 of the first 5 Wrestle Manias (WM I, WM II, WM III, WM V). One-time Tag Champion (w/Edge). Rejuvenated Career with heel turn by forming the NOW and becoming “Hollywood Hogan”. Match with Andre the Giant at WM III is his greatest trademark with his signature body slam. Involved in the greatest feuds of the Golden Age of Wrestling (vs. Roddy Piper ’84-’86, vs. Andre the Giant ’87-’88, vs. Randy Savage ’88-’89, vs. Ultimate Warrior ’90, vs. Sgt. Slaughter ’91). Brought wrestling to mainstream in the 1980s by teaming up with Cyndi Lauper and MTV to form “Rock ‘n’ Wrestling”

9.      Sting- 13-time World Champion (6 WCW Heavyweight, 2 NWA Heavyweight, 2 WCW International Heavyweight, 2 TNA Heavyweight, 1 WWA- World Wrestling All-Stars). The “Franchise” of WCW as he was their cornerstone. Most well-known star from the company to never sign with WWE. Great technique combined with speed and power. Incredibly athletic, with stellar matches against Ric Flair, Four Horsemen, Vader, Road Warriors, Rick Rude, Lex Luger, and others. Rejuvenated image in 1996 with all white face paint, black trench coat and all black outfit with baseball bat similar to the crow. This would become his signature style.

10.    Harley Race- 8-time NWA Heavyweight Champion during a time where repeats were rare. 1^st NWA U.S. Heavyweight Champion. One of six men inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, WCW Hall of Fame, Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame, and Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame.

50 Greatest Superstars in History ( pt. 1- Review)

Recently, WWE released its list of the 50 Greatest Superstars of all-time. Originally, I had always pondered about this concept, because I knew that it would not disappoint, especially when it comes to the Top 10 with guaranteed lock-ins like Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, Hulk Hogan, The Rock, Ric Flair, Undertaker, Sting, Triple H, etc. This is the portrait that I had in mine and it was going to be a true work of art. Unfortunately, I was deceived very badly, because somewhere during the time of the release, I had seen a glimpse of the countdown and I was extremely disappointed. It looked like someone just threw up a list of random names out of their mouth, and it left me with a bad taste in my mouth wanting to throw up as well. Personally as a fan, I feel bad for the younger audience that had not been exposed to many of these Superstars on this count down like I have and as a result, WWE takes complete advantage of that. Therefore, fans will be convinced that John Cena and Rey Mysterio are truly  much greater wrestlers than Hulk Hogan, Bruno Sammartino, Ric Flair, as well as Dusty Rhodes, Kurt Angle, Chris Jericho, Edge, Eddie Guerrero and others, who have all been in the business longer, worked harder, were more exciting and accomplished more with tougher competition. Talk about being appalled, this goes beyond being controversial. This countdown has Vince McMahon’s handprints, fingerprints, and footprints written all over it, as you can obviously see that certain former WWE stars that have gone to another company (TNA) have been ranked considerably low. Hogan at 23?!! That is obviously Vince’s way of retaliation for going to TNA. I can understand if this is a business decision and you do not want your greatest wrestler/superstar of all-time to be someone who is currently in a rival promotion, but this is going beyond just business. This is a punch in the face to the legacy of a man who brought this sport to the mainstream, became a household name, sold out arenas, brought in millions upon millions for the company, headlined WrestleManias, and paved the way for others to break out. I will be honest and say that Hogan was not the greatest wrestler in terms of skills and he has built a reputation for backstage politics, but he was a great attraction with a very colorful persona, role model for children and had the ability to keep even the casual fans interested. If it was left up to the hardcore fans such as myself and others to create the countdown, the truth will be told, which is what Vince and WWE do not want. This is why the rankings were voted by only the Superstars, which can be pretty dangerous because many of them obviously have certain biases toward certain wrestlers and want to rank each other so highly because of what they have done just in today’s era. As a result, they are mainly fascinated by their own accomplishments and fail to take a careful evaluation of their careers and quickly jump to conclusions and rank themselves with proven talent who have legacies that are set in stone with a longer lasting impact, while their careers are still in process. For example, you cannot compare John Cena to Chris Jericho and Edge because both of them have at least 10 years experience over Cena. Jericho has wrestled internationally in places such as Japan and Mexico and has become  something of a legend in those territories with classics against Eddie Guerrero, Benoit, etc. Later, when I do my own rankings, I will go into further detail about both Edge and Jericho. When Chris came to the states in ECW, he established himself even more by becoming the ECW TV Champion and put on great matches with Tazz, RVD, Mick Foley, and others. Once Jericho joined WCW, he decorated his career even more by becoming the Cruiserweight Champion and dominating that division, with his biggest victim being Rey Mysterio, (who I will talk about even more later on) as well as becoming the WCW TV Champion. Chris’ Lionheart persona gave him greater recognition in both WCW as well as WWE, where Vince observed him. Therefore, as Chris Jericho joined the company on August 9, 1999, he had the most impacting debut in WWE History (at that time WWF) with a classic promo with The Rock that made his career skyrocket further into the stratosphere of wrestling. From this point, he became a 9-time Intercontinental Champion, 6-time World Champion, 1^st Undisputed Champion, and the rest is history. Edge is in the same situation, because just like Jericho, he made his debut at the peak of the WWF Attitude Era (1998), and became a force as soon as he entered the door. Edge would soon team up with Christian and form one of the greatest tag-teams ever (Edge & Christian) and become a multi-time tag champion, 5-time IC (Intercontinental Champion), 10-time World Champion, King of the Ring (2001), King of TLC, and the rest is history for him as well. Both Edge and Jericho are better technicians than Cena, more agile, more exciting, always entertaining, and made John Cena look better while wrestling him. This continues to prove that John Cena cannot be ranked higher than any of these men by any stretch of the imagination. As far as Rey Mysterio goes, he has been a terrific cruiserweight with great matches internationally as well, and even nationally when he was in ECW and WCW, but when it comes to movesets, championships, main-events and just overall presentation, I believe that not only are Edge and Jericho clearly head and shoulders above Mysterio (pun intended). When I say “presentation” I am referring to Rey’s image since coming to WWE. During those days in ECW and WCW, Rey had more of an edge, but now he has become watered down which is why I cannot take him very seriously. There comes a point where the underdog gimmick becomes stale and in Mysterio’s case, it has become more stale than a piece of bread. Another wrestler that I believe should be ranked considerably higher than him is Eddie Guerrero, because if it had not been for Guerrero, Mysterio would not have become the star that he is now. Overall, Eddie was the teacher and Rey was the student because he (Eddie) brought him under his wing and carried him and trained him on many of the ins and outs of the ring. When it comes to high-flying, Mysterio has the edge, but when it comes to pure technique, grappling, submission holds, charisma and being a far greater legend, Eddie wins in every category. Guerrero, much like Chris Jericho was a terrific international star and legend that had great success in the states where he would gain his greatest recognition. Rey may be more of a money maker because the majority of the fans are kids, but as far as greater legacy, Latino Heat will last longer. Eddie’s star grew even more in WWE, by winning 2 Intercontinental Titles, European Title, Tag Team Titles, U.S. Title, and the ultimate peak of his success was winning the WWE Championship against Brock Lesnar at No Way Out in 2004. This was by far the best Eddie Guerrero match that I had ever seen, because it was a combination of hard work, dedication, personal humiliation, downfall, and redemption all rolled into one.  His successful defense against Kurt Angle at WreslteMania XX proved that he was a legit champion that could main event. Ric Flair at no. 17 behind John Cena, Mr. Perfect, and Roddy Piper is ludicrous because Flair dominated wherever he went. Piper and Mr. Perfect were great competitors in their own right, but neither one of them won a World Title, while Ric has won 16. Mr. Perfect was actually an AWA Champion, but his reign is no where near as memorable as his career in the much larger WWE. Therefore, as a result he was considered more of a mid-carder and even in WWE, he did not have many main-events to move him further. On the other hand, The Nature Boy was and still is in a class of his own because anytime you can win 16 Heavyweight Titles is truly remarkable. Ric Flair is one of, if not the only wrestler that I know of that has dominated the main event picture in every company that he has been in by winning the World Title 3 major promotions (NWA, WCW, WWF). Flair further sealed his mark of dominance by going to the WWF and not only proclaiming himself as “The Real World’s Champion” but by also living up to that name by winning the companies Championship in the 1992 Royal Rumble, in Hogan’s playground. Flair’s persona and skills will always be unmatched because he had a great mind for the business as well as great technical skills and stamina. The Figure Four is one of the top 5 submission moves in wrestling history. Therefore, Ric Flair would be in my top 5 or 10.

Overall, I would give this a 2.5 stars.

The DVD's complete 1 to 50 ranking is as follows:

1. Shawn Michaels
2. The Undertaker
3. Steve Austin
4. Bret Hart
5. The Rock
6. Harley Race
7. Ricky Steamboat
8. Andre the Giant
9. Rey Mysterio
10. "Rowdy" Roddy Piper
11. Eddie Guerrero
12. Triple H
13. Gorgeous George
14. "Macho Man" Randy Savage
15. "Mr. Perfect" Curt Hennig
16. John Cena
17. Dusty Rhodes and Ric Flair (tied)
19. Edge
20. Jerry "The King" Lawler
21. Lou Thesz
22. Terry Funk
23. Hulk Hogan
24. Bruno Sammartino
25. Chris Jericho
26. Ted DiBiase
27. Fabulous Moolah
28. Classy Freddie Blassie
29. Randy Orton
30. Pat Patterson
31. The Iron Sheik
32. Jimmy Snuka
33. Mick Foley
34. Kurt Angle
35. Buddy Rogers
36. Gorilla Monsoon
37. Junkyard Dog
38. "Superstar" Billy Graham
39. Jake "The Snake" Roberts
40. Big Show
41. Jack Brisco
42. Sgt. Slaughter
43. Kane
44. Nick Bockwinkel
45. Jeff Hardy
46. Dory Funk Jr.
47. Bob Backlund
48. Rick Rude
49. Batista
50. Killer Kowalski