BLEACHERS BREW EST. MAY 2006

Someone asked me how my blog and newspaper column came to be titled "Bleachers Brew". It's like this, it's an amalgam of sorts of two things: The bleachers area in the stadium/arena where I used to sit when I would watch baseball, football, and basketball games and Miles Davis' great jazz album Bitches Brew. That's how it got culled together. I originally planned on calling it "The View from the Big Chair" that is a nod to Tears For Fear's second album, Songs from the Big Chair. So there.

Monday, September 8, 2014

Pro wrestling blog: Five Moves of Doom: A case for aggression


This appears on abs-cbnnews.com

Five Moves of Doom: A case for aggression
by rick olivares

TNA Impact Wrestling

Samoa Joe vs. Bobby Lashley
The tough guy match. Love this match up even if it is not for title belts.

Never was a fan of Lashley who I think is just a power wrestling who brawls. The Samoan Submission Machine on the other hand presents a frightening mix of power, speed, skill, and aggressiveness. The latter I believe is what makes him dangerous and gives him an advantage. Now this is a man who loves to fight.

Even against Lashley’s entourage that includes MVP and Kenny King. Without a doubt, Joe is out to provoke them into a fight and maybe figure in a heavyweight match down the road.

He’s successful but the numbers game is a foregone conclusion. Samoa Joe loses both the impromptu brawl and the match later with King playing a large role in both.

This will go down for a few weeks.

It isn’t only Samoa Joe who MVP wants to sink his meathooks into. He is seen sowing discord between Eric Young and Bobby Roode who are about to battle for the number one contenders spot (to Lashley’s title).

Love how MVP is a heel especially with his mike skills. A TNA version of the Nation of Domination? Why not?

Gail Kim vs. Taryn Terrell
The rubber match – for the TNA Knockouts Championship -- between the two that features some terrific wrestling. Love it as there’s isn’t much talking between the two and just action unlike the Bella Twins fallout in WWE that is becoming boring and pathetic.

Don’t think that Terrell is in Kim’s class just yet but she does hold her own. Unfortunately for Taryn, Kim pins her to retain the title. Lots of respect between the two fighters after the match.

It is short-lived as -- no surprise – Jessicka Havok, looking like Chyna 2K, enters the six-sided cage and demolishes both Knockouts post-match.

Is Havok being played up to be the next dominant/unstoppable force ala Awesome Kong? Why not? And I certainly look forward to Havok going to war with the Beautiful People.

Eric Young vs. Bobby Roode
Much has been made about their friendship and how they know each other so well. And fans were treated to some terrific moves and countermoves. A technical wrestling fan’s delight. These Canadian wrestlers sure know their stuff.

My fear was there would be the usual fallout storyline when friends go up against one another. Luckily, there was no such thing when Bobby dropped the Roode Bomb on EY for the pin.

Backstage after the match, Bobby Lashley and Bobby Roode stare each other down. Gonna be a good one. Will Samoa Joe – yes, I know he’s X-Division champ – come into play?

Those were the matches I liked and am looking forward to the next where Chris Melendez makes his TNA debut.

TNA may be playing to small crowds but television-wise, the September 3 Wednesday episode drew 1.095 viewers. That’s a huge jump from the 928,000 viewers of the previous ep.

WWE

I guess they decided to add spice to the upcoming Night of Champions rematch between Brock Lesnar and John Cena by throwing in Chris Jericho, Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, Kane, and Randy Orton in the mix. All who have legitimate claims to being a contender status except the muddle storylines have them doing something else.

Looks like the WWE is really building up Roman Reigns but in my opinion, he needs to handle the mike better. As a John Cena fan, I am fine where he is. No need to make him a heel as there is no gray area for fans – they either like Cena or they hate him.

There aren’t many wrestlers with Cena’s mike skills. Love his comebackers to Triple H about tapping out and if he has forgotten then he can watch that for $9.99.

Personally, I want to see how and where the WWE takes this battle between Lesnar and Cena. It can’t be Cena simply exacting revenge with his own beatdown. This has to be the mother of all pro wrestling matches.

And speaking of Cena, with the Bella Twins storyline spiraling out of control, maybe WWE matchmakers might consider Cena and real life girlfriend Nikki Bella teaming up versus Daniel Bryan and Brie Bella. Whenever Bryan returns from injury (said to be three more months).

With Bryan out of commission and CM Punk vowing never to return to the WWE, they are looking for someone to carry the company into the rest of the decade. Is Reigns that?

Well, can’t fault one for trying.

Speaking of a war, the one between Seamus and Dolph Ziggler versus the Miz (who I love to hate as a heel) and Cesaro (who in order to be a heel of the first order has to be better at his cheap heat) has been fun. Not many heels are really fun to root against than the Miz who is using schticks once a part of the storylines surround Rick Martel and Shawn Michaels (with the Sensational Sherri by his side) to name a few.

The Miz has been winning some battles here and there so we’re headed for a wind up.

It would be interesting to see how Mark Henry figures in the upcoming match versus Rusev. Henry has threatened to induct Rusev into his international wing of his Hall of Pain but the problem is he’s more of a power wrestling while his foe has legit moves.

They’ve got something here. Let’s hope they don’t botch this up the way the last Divas match went. Ugh.

Love this feud between Paige and AJ Lee with Stephanie McMahon getting involved. I hope the matchmakers do something more than rehashing the Mickie James trolling Trish Stratus plotline.

Lastly, can we have more of The Bunny? And LBJ is simply hilarious!




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