March 2011 | SYDRIFIEDBLOG | PHILIPPINE SPORTS BLOGGER

By Sydrified
On March 31, 2011
No Comment

It’s his destiny.

It’s his spear.

And here’s Christian!

For the benefit of those with flash photography, here is one of their poses.

EDGE (c) vs ALBERTO DEL RIO

WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP

EDGE’S ROAD TO WRESTLEMANIA

Years after performing as Sexton Hardcastle, young Adam Copeland tried his luck in the WWE. He joined The Brood where he formed a “WWE” bond with fake-brother and real-life friend Christian. After the Terri Invitational, the tag team known as Edge and Christian was born. They were one of the top teams in the WWE and they battled the likes of the Hardy Boyz, Dudley Boyz, Too Cool, and APA.

Anyway, after they separated Edge would grow on people as a heel. He battled the likes of John Cena, Triple H, Shawn Michaels, CM Punk, Rob Van Dam, Jeff Hardy, Kane, and The Undertaker. His in-ring and outside the ring battles with Matt Hardy (for fooling around with Matt’s then-girlfriend Lita) gave him humongous notoriety. He is the current World Championship title holder and has amassed a lot of titles since. When he fought his last Wrestlemania, he lost to Chris Jericho. This was for the same belt he is wearing right now and he got the shot by winning the Royal Rumble.

ALBERTO DEL RIO’S ROAD TO WRESTLEMANIA

He is termed as the Mexican version of John Bradshaw Layfield. ADR has the looks, riches, and skills to become Smackdown’s top draw. Hell, he is now accompanied with a bodyguard in Brodus Clay and an announcer/valet in Ricardo Rodriguez. After getting acclaim in Mexico under a mask, he debuted in the WWE as a spoiled aristocrat bent on succeeding on everything as if it is his destiny. Just like Edge, Alberto claimed this spot by winning the Royal Rumble. Will Alberto del Rio fumble his shot as did Edge the year before?

CHRISTIAN’S ROAD TO WRESTLEMANIA

Currently, Christian is the number one contender for Edge’s belt. When Edge broke the glass ceiling, Christian was at the midcard cashing in on every chance to grab the intercontinental title. He was in various gimmicks where he became an Un-American, bet on a girl, became a Creepy Little Bastard, and became a Rock wannabe. Feeling left out, he bolted out from the WWE to test the waters in TNA. As a TNA superstar, Christian learned the ways of carrying a company in his shoulders and there he was a massively over main event guy. He then returned to the WWE via ECW where he again carried the brand. He then moved to Smackdown and was about to hit main event gold until he was injured at the hands of Alberto del Rio. He has been longing for vengeance ever since.

THE BATTLE

Edge and ADR are both good workers. Edge will come to this match injured so expect the Rated R Superstar to sell his arm. This arm is going to be tormented by Del Rio. I’m guessing Brodus and Ricardo will be involved in this match. However, the biggest problem at hand is the involvement of Christian. Christian can be Edge’s great equalizer but he is also hungry for recognition.

I have three scenarios for this match:

1 Edge wins and Christian helps him fend off his enemies and they will embrace and create a Wrestlemania moment. They will fight for the title eventually.

2 Alberto del Rio wins with Christian costing Edge by mistake. Christian won’t turn on Edge but Edge will likely turn on Christian.

3 Edge’s injury is so severe that he’ll relinquish his title and ADR will have to face the number one contender for the title – which is Christian. Christian wins and Edge and him will have a Wrestlemania moment.

Of the scenarios, I choose number three.

PREDICTION

Edge will likely win the match with Christian in tow. They will hug it out and then for the benefit of those with flash photography, they will give the fans a five-second pose.

EDGE RETAINS!

Hopefully this match will reek in awesomeness!

Game over!

By Sydrified
On March 31, 2011
No Comment

(Pictures taken from the PBA website. I will gladly delete this if asked. :) )

I am not trying to instigate anything. Sure, after winning their first three games, the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters have dropped their last four assignments but this problem is more of a “fantasy” one rather than a real one.

For those who play PBFANTASY, it is hard for a manager to use Rain or Shine players. Yeng Guiao has made it hard for managers to select players in his squad because even if you know who the obvious star players in the team are, it may not be the right player to take at that particular time.

Even Hassan Adams can’t be stat threat!

For starters, have you seen Gabe Norwood’s average right now? Furthermore, have you seen Ronjay Buenafe’s average right now? These guys suffered a massive stat drop after Yeng Guiao took over as head coach. I can understand why Norwood got this since he is new to Yeng’s system but wasn’t Buenafe part of the Air21 squad Guiao coached a conference ago? Fact is, Buenafe alongside Beau Belga were brought in here because they are familiar faces in Yeng Guiao’s system. Buenafe is averaging less than 12 minutes per game which is 17 minutes short of his Philippine Cup average. Meanwhile this could be the first conference where Norwood failed to average at least 35 minutes a game. His playing time is ten minutes down and this contributed much to his stat decline. This is turning out to be his worst season in the PBA.

Aside from Norwood and Buenafe, once dependable players that are hits or misses now include Ryan Arana and Jeff Chan. These players combine for 26 minutes per game this conference which is seven points higher than RJ Jazul’s minutes haul.

Of course, there are plus points when Yeng Guiao takes over. His former wards Larry Rodriguez, Doug Kramer, and Beau Belga are getting their share of breaks. RJ Jazul is getting his break with Josh Vanlandingham, TY Tang, and Jervy Cruz getting ample minutes to shine. Steady defensive specialists Jireh Ibanes and Jonathan Uyloan are getting sporadic playing time. John Ferriols, the team’s elder statesman, is also getting the minutes for Coach Yeng.

SCORING / There are no ROS locals that average in double figures. Kramer, Rodriguez, Norwood, and Arana score eight points and more for the Painters. Ronjay Buenafe, who averaged 17.1 in the previous conference, is only good for 5.7 points as of this moment.

REBOUNDING / There are three ROS locals who gets six rebounds per night – Kramer, Rodriguez, and Belga. This is sporadic though since they may or may not play near their normal playing time.

ASSISTS / As of this moment, unless Gabe Norwood gets this up, I don’t think this stat would matter. This is where the need for Sol Mercado happens.

STEALS / Norwood leads the team with barely a steal per game but again, this is a stat that barely matters.

BLOCKS / Rodriguez is the team’s leader but again, this is a garbage stat to check out because no manager will use this category as gauge.

PLAYING TIME / This is the most important stat we need to check out. Sure, it won’t get you anything but at least it’s great to know that NO ELASTO PAINTER average 26 minutes a game! This means you need to pray that the player you’ll get will have a great game or else you just wasted a pick.

Which reminds me – there are a lot of managers wishing and hoping that ROS will not reach the next phase.

I’m including myself to those well wishers.

There will be more usable players if Meralco, Air21, and B-Meg will reach instead of the Elasto Painters.

There is still hope for the Elasto Painters. They need to make use of Norwood and Buenafe more just like how Caloy Garcia would use Norwood and Sol Mercado. Also, its not as if this is the first time Rain or Shine has their backs against the wall. They are a fiery squad that plays hard until the dying seconds.

Hopefully by the next conference, the Rain or Shine players will be familiarized in Yeng Guiao’s system so they can boost their chances in winning the Governor’s Cup and at the same time...

... Become valuable pawns for those who like Fantasy PBA Basketball.

BONUS!

Here is the unofficial list of the leaders in the Power Rankings that will be posted on April 4 (As of March 27, 2011).

1 GARY DAVID / POWERADE

2 LA TENORIO / ALASKA

3 MACMAC CARDONA / MERALCO

4 JOE DEVANCE / ALASKA

5 MARC PINGRIS / B-MEG

6 SOL MERCADO / MERALCO

7 DANNY SEIGLE / AIR21

8 JAY WASHINGTON / SAN MIGUEL

9 MARCIO LASSITER / SMART-GILAS

10 PETER JUNE SIMON / B-MEG

11 SONNY THOSS / ALASKA

12 JIMMY ALAPAG / TALK N TEXT

13 CHRIS TIU / SMART-GILAS

14 JV CASIO / SMART-GILAS

15 CYRUS BAGUIO / ALASKA

16 JAMES YAP / B-MEG

17 KELLY WILLIAMS / TALK N TEXT

18 MARK CAGUIOA / GINEBRA

19 ARWIND SANTOS / SAN MIGUEL

20 JAY-R REYES / AIR21

21 RABEH AL-HUSSAINI / SAN MIGUEL

22 GABBY ESPINAS / MERALCO

23 DONDON HONTIVEROS / AIR21

24 RONALD TUBID / GINEBRA

25 ALEX CABAGNOT / SAN MIGUEL

26 RANIDEL DE OCAMPO / TALK N TEXT

27 WILLIE MILLER / GINEBRA

28 JONAS VILLANUEVA / B-MEG

29 RYAN REYES / TALK N TEXT

30 KERBY RAYMUNDO / B-MEG

31 ASI TAULAVA / MERALCO

32 RUDY HATFIELD / GINEBRA

33 REYNEL HUGNATAN / MERALCO

34 CHRIS ROSS / MERALCO

35 LARRY RODRIGUEZ / RAIN OR SHINE

36 ALI PEEK / TALK N TEXT

37 GABE NORWOOD / RAIN OR SHINE

38 DOUG KRAMER / RAIN OR SHINE

39 JOSH URBIZTONDO / AIR21

40 MIKE CORTEZ / GINEBRA

Game over.

By Sydrified
On March 31, 2011
No Comment

When the teaser 2/21/11 started to show up in WWE programming I thought that it was to introduce Sting to the WWE ring. However, it wasn’t meant to be as The Undertaker headed to the ring to signal that he is ready for Wrestlemania.

And then, this happened.

It was an epic promo.

It was so epic that it didn’t even need to use words or actions to ignite the intenseness of their rivalry!

Undertaker calls himself “The Last Outlaw”.

Triple H says otherwise.

One wants to protect the streak while the other wants to destroy it.

Two of the biggest names in sports entertainment go head to head.

And these guys will collide at Wrestlemania 27.

UNDERTAKER vs TRIPLE H

UNDERTAKER’S ROAD TO WRESTLEMANIA

The Undertaker is perhaps the most durable main eventer of the WWE for 20 years or so. He has been ably carrying the torch whether as a face or a heel. His promos could be generic and his walk could be boring but you know you’re watching an awe-filled match when this man is involved in it. Sure, injuries have appeared but this is not a reason to doubt his abilities. He is a many-time WWE champion and is a cinch to the Hall of Fame. He has defeated the best of the Attitude Era as well as the best of the current era. He barely drops the ball during matches especially inside the grandest stage that is Wrestlemania 27.

TRIPLE H’S ROAD TO WRESTLEMANIA

Next to Ric Flair, he has the most World Championship titles. He had numerous faces in the federation. From becoming an aristocrat to degenerate to sadistic monster to frat boy – one could wonder if there is still missing in his long list of accomplishments. Hello streak! Shawn Michaels during their UFC-like match preview tells everyone of Triple H’s ability to succeed in everything that he needs to accomplish. Triple H is addicted to winning and will resort to whatever means necessary to achieve it. This is why he is called the Game.

THE BATTLE

He owns the best gimmick ever. As the Deadman, he has the “mystical” powers to thwart his opponents with the evil that contains him. Over the years, his movesets have developed. Sure, the Tombstone piledriver and his choke slam are still credible finishers but he has since added the Hell’s Gate submission and The Last Call to his arsenal. He is also a feared striker and for a big man, he is fast. Triple H is one of the soundest wrestlers ever. He can brawl and go technical on his opponent if given the chance. He can also go hardcore with his trusty sledgehammer. I remember when he was still new in the main event scene that he has this “four moves of doom” like John Cena. He’ll hit the running knee, then the spinebuster, and then the kick to the groin to set up The Pedigree. In other words, expect this match to make headway. For perhaps not longer than 20 minutes, you can see duelling chants to fill the arena.

One thing WWE isn’t really telling you is that Triple H is already part of the streak back in the early 2000’s.

Will lightning strike twice?

PREDICTION

Believe it. Lightning will INDEED strike twice as I can’t see Triple H defeating the Undertaker in Wrestlemania. There are reports that Shawn Michaels will have something to do with this match that will make Triple H angry and it will lead to HBK coming out of retirement to “retire” Triple H. However, this move is to protect the awesomeness of Triple H, something that is too valuable to lose grace even in defeat to Taker at Mania. Undertaker’s days are numbered though. John Cena, Alberto del Rio, Sheamus, The Miz, and Rey Mysterio are a couple of wrestlers that he can face as his career closes.

Besides, imagine the backlash Triple H and the McMahons will garner if their son-in-law is the one who’ll cash in on the imperial streak?

And besides, Triple H is afraid of losing – as seen when he jobbed to Ric Flair, Batista, Chris Benoit, and John Cena in previous Wrestlemania instalments.

Maybe it’s finally time to see Sting in a WWE ring?

THE UNDERTAKER WINS AND KEEPS THE STREAK!

Will this match be shown last?

Game over.

By Sydrified
On March 30, 2011
No Comment

It all started when Jerry Lawler started to diss The Miz. It was no secret that Michael Cole was a huge mark for The Miz and he was downright loyal to his idol. This idolatry is lunacy for Lawler and that didn’t sit well for Cole. Cole began questioning Lawler’s sanity and even costing Lawler his matches. And then Lawler got a shot at Miz’ championship on Raw and it was a ladder match. Lawler was inches away from the title but Cole interrupted and held onto Lawler.

Lawler would have a second crack on the title but he was soundly defeated by The Miz again.

Afterwards, Lawler challenged Cole to a match in Wrestlemania. He was so bent on the match that he didn’t care that Jack Swagger will be in Cole’s corner and the guest referee is John Bradshaw Layfield.

Funny how Lawler, one of the more recognizable figures in sports entertainment has yet to fight in a Wrestlemania match?

He didn’t get The Miz but he got Michael Cole in a Vengeance match.

And by the way, scratch JBL out of the equation.

The new referee?

STONE COLD STEVE AUSTIN!

JERRY LAWLER vs MICHAEL COLE

JERRY LAWLER’S ROAD TO WRESTLEMANIA

Lawler is a well-known figure before he even set foot in the WWE. He was responsible for putting comedian Andy Kaufmann in a neck brace and is a many-time WCWA Champion and owner of many championship belts. His most famous feud in the WWE was when Bret Hart dubbed him as the “Burger King”. For a while he was a hated wrestler as well as commentator but this reaction eventually mellowed to respect. He will become a fixture in the WWE as the Raw commentator alongside Jim Ross and Michael Cole. With the current attitude of Cole, this prompted Lawler to match up against him. At 61, he is the oldest participant in Wrestlemania 27. It’s funny that his son Brian Christopher aka Grandmaster Sexay wrestled on the event a decade before he could.

MICHAEL COLE’S ROAD TO WRESTLEMANIA

He is the self-proclaimed “Voice of the WWE” following the retirement of Jim Ross. Cole was a former war correspondent and he climbed from the lower depths of WWE programming before getting his biggest break as Raw commentator in the late 90’s. When Ross returned, he became the voice of Smackdown. He moved to Raw as he switched places with Ross and is now appearing in both shows. Ever since he had beef with Daniel Bryan, Cole got this bias streak where his commentating was more heelish and his actions were leaning towards either smart or cowardly. He has never wrestled a match but with Swagger at his side, there is a good chance of him winning.

THE BATTLE

This will last ten minutes. Expect this to be booked perfectly or awkwardly. Jack Swagger, a former World Champion, will likely be involved in this match to some extent and Stone Cold will make sure that Swagger will respect the match. Cole will squirm but whenever he gets the opportunity will sneak an attack on The King. The King meanwhile will get his action of the cat-and-mouse chance would end.

PREDICTION

This is super obvious. The King will definitely win this match. Swagger will become a non-factor once Austin gets involved and with nowhere to go, perhaps Cole will get his ass whipped by the voice of the event which could be Jim Ross. Ross is a noted Austin ally and he’ll probably stun Cole in the middle of the ring. Austin will probably hit the Stone Cold Stunner on Swagger, Cole, and probably a JBL interference. A beer bash will eventually ensue with Ross and Lawler. This could perhaps be the perfect end for Jerry Lawler’s in-ring career.

JERRY “THE KING” LAWLER WINS!

Will The Rock and Stone Cold open a can of whoop ass on all the candy asses?

Game over!

By Sydrified
On March 30, 2011
No Comment

It’s scary.

Willie Revillame is a double-edged sword.

Elitists hate him because they think that his care for the masses is nothing but a ruse. At the same time, these same masses go all out to meet, greet, and get any amount from him and treat him as some sort of an idol.

If Willie Revillame becomes a cult leader, he’ll have a lot of devoted followers rallying against him.

One of my professors in college once told me that Filipinos would rather dream than strive.

Those words hold dear especially in this case.

I thought Willie’s jump to TV5 gave him a fresh start. It was like Kobe Bryant when he changed his number from 8 to 24. Sure, the swagger and the arrogance will always be there... but it wouldn’t be as rowdy and insane unlike years ago.

But then this happened.

I just jumped the bandwagon here. Bloglandia has done tons of write-ups denouncing Willie Revillame for exploiting this Jan-Jan kid. For ten thousand pesos, the 6-year-old kid did something poverty could make him do 10 to 15 years in the future.

I’m not going to say that he’s right in this but I’m not going to chastise him much either. I raise my pointy finger on the very, very lively aunt who condoned this dance. Did you see the kid touch the table and made it a tool in his act?

This is not the first time the kid did this! Reports show (and on the press release you can read by checking out the Philippine Star’s entertainment section) that he has been doing this in small time-contests and it was his dad (who works in a parlor) who taught him this dance.

While some dads teach their kids how to ride a bike or how to fly a kite... his dad taught Jan-Jan how to dance like a gigolo.

Great work, dad.

The kid cried moments before the dance possibly because he saw the 6’9 former PBA behemoth-turned-comedian Bonel Balingit was scaring the shit out of him. The guy scared me when he dared to become the largest entertainer in the Philippines to do a sex scene (2005’s B-Movie Hayop sa Porma, Hanep sa Ganda) But as I checked the video, Jan-Jan cried because he wanted to win so badly. He even thanked his aunt and dad for taking him to Willing-Willie.

We educated people will never get these people for making fools out of their selves on national television for a shot of 15 minutes of fame and a semi-shitload of money.

If you remember the Ultra Stampede that happened because of Wowowee a few years back, Willie promised that he will be handing out money to the people... and naturally, the audience turnout was epic. The turnout was huge and people camped out at the streets near the Philsports Arena so they can get dibs on the dough. It was so epic that the network officials didn’t consider that the people literally fight and claw and kill and pounce their way for that shot to win a bunch of moolah.

Because of what happened, the event was cancelled and no one won.

How ironic.

Anyway, Willie even referred to the kid as his discovery. He likened himself to Usher while Jan-Jan was his Justin Timberlake.

It’s Justin Bieber by the way...

Moving on, he had I think three or four encore performances. One is already fun enough because it caught everyone by surprise. This was Willing-Willie’s biggest flaw. To quote rock and roll king Elvis Presley –

“One for the money, two for the show, three to get ready, and go, go, go!”

The kid created fuzz because the show made him one. The other contestant in the faceoff, a girl, was seemingly lost in the shuffle because she got upstaged. The DJ or the sound master kept on repeating and repeating the tune and the kid had no choice but to do his routine again and again.

Perhaps the lowest point of this act was when they closed the show with the kid in a spotlight, dancing on an elevated stage, while a bunch of people crowd him and adored his performance...

Just like a typical dancer.

I hope Willie compensated the kid more than the 10k that he got because the backlash their show got is tremendous and mind-numbing.

This is why kids are hard to work with in the field of entertainment. Not only are they protected by a bunch of laws but they are also known for not thinking in their decisions.

Willie’s team had it right by apologizing. I don’t like him in any way but sometimes I’m open to give people the benefit of doubt.

I swear that he didn’t think for one second that this would happen. I believe Willie was just like your average uncle who you can only see during family events and occasions and he will give you money if you can sing and dance in front of your other extended family members.

Association due to reputation led to the thought that he was exploiting the kid.

Hopefully he will learn from his actions.

And yet, I doubt if this will be the last time we’ll ever hear from the controversial host.

As long as the masses think that one day Willie will give them a huge amount of though... expect a lot of folks to act like numbskulls and expect a lot of educated dudes and dudettes to bash Willie for promoting this.

Game over.

By Sydrified
On March 30, 2011
No Comment

Randall Keith Orton and Charles Montgomery Punk have one thing in common – they just hate each other.

After Orton screwed Punk of his chance to defend his gold, Punk waited for two years to make Orton pay. He became the leader of Nexus to give himself an unfair advantage on those he think is not worthy to challenge his authority.

And then there’s his revenge angle on Orton.

This is a very interesting matchup.

RANDY ORTON vs CM PUNK

RANDY ORTON’S ROAD TO WRESTLEMANIA 27

Orton is the son of second generation wrestler “Cowboy” Bob Orton. He started out as a bland and generic character whose claim to fame is his dropkicks. And then he got injured. When he returned, he became part of an elite alliance dubbed as Evolution. Here, he befriended the likes of Triple H, Ric Flair, and Batista and this supergroup was responsible for giving him an Intercontinental Championship as well as a World Championship. He was booted out of the group after he won the championship and fended his enemies alone until he found Edge to form Rated RKO. After the team split, he created a group made up of sons of Hall of Fame wrestlers called Legacy. This team was able to lord Raw and had battles with Degeneration X. At this point Orton is evolving from “Legend Killer” to “Viper”. He became a face because fans loved his cold-blooded character a la Stone Cold Steve Austin. In his previous Wrestlemania, he fought against his fellow Legacy members and won.

CM PUNK’S ROAD TO WRESTLEMANIA 27

He first got national exposure from Ring of Honor and at TNA where he was part of Raven’s group. He moved to WWE and debuted in the ECW roster as the Straightedge Superstar. He became an ECW Champion and eventually he became a WWE Champion. He is also a 2-time Money in the Bank winner. He was unable to defend his title fairly when Orton and Legacy jumped him a couple of years ago. Afterwards, Punk changed from fan favourite to the sadistic, self-centered person with god complex. He then led a group called Straight Edge Society on Smackdown where they detest anyone that includes vices in their lives. He fought a lot of great battles with Jeff Hardy, Undertaker, Big Show, and Rey Mysterio. He moved to Raw injured and settled on the announce table before jumping on John Cena when he found his actions on Wade Barrett barbaric. He then became the leader of Nexus and made it a la his Straight Edge Society. After feuding with Cena, he set his eyes on Orton.

THE BATTLE

For more than a month, Orton had a lot of matches where he eliminated and injured the Nexus members so they can’t be at CM Punk’s aid at Wrestlemania. Unlike Wade Barrett, Punk can do it alone inside the ring. He is a masterful tactician and his level of technical awesomeness can be comparable Bret Hart at some point. Randy Orton is a robot but in a good way. He can program himself to work well inside the ring as well as a brawl outside of it. His RKO is an easier move to make than Punk’s Go To Sleep. However, at the course leading to Wrestlemania, Punk has been injuring Orton’s legs. If Orton sells the injury, this could be a problem in making the match a 5-star battle. This match can range to the 10 to 15 minute mark.

THE PREDICTION

I can see Orton winning here. If The Miz wasn’t the one holding the belt then I can see Orton headlining Wrestlemania. He owns the second-biggest face pop in Raw after Triple H. Orton should win here because he’ll “overcome” the odds in this match. If Punk can’t have Nexus or anything in his sleeve, then expect the Viper to finish this match in style.

RANDY ORTON WINS!

By the way, most of the Nexus were brought back to WWE Developmental. Husky Harris became the masked Axel Mulligan and perhaps David Otunga will be there to hone his wrestling skills and perhaps Mike McGillicutty and Mason Ryan could learns a thing or two about charisma.

Anyway, it’s puzzling to find out if they’ll have anything to work on in Wrestlemania.

Game over!

By Sydrified
On March 30, 2011
No Comment

There was a video posted in Youtube which I saw via my friend, Isko Villanueva.

The video basically tells us that Michael Jordan, the bar none greatest basketball player to ever lived, the guy that made basketball an international sport, the reason why Kobe Bryant, Lebron James, and Kwame Brown successfully jumped from high school to the NBA (wait, scratch Kwame Brown from that enumeration), and at 48 (born February 17, 1963), is seriously considering a return to the NBA.

Every Michael Jordan fan should love this. Let’s see how Kobe and LBJ could go up against His Airness! Sure, we have seen that but now Jordan with all the odds against him, will be extremely dangerous to boot out. Never underestimate MJ... and I believe that.

I would love this.

But here’s the thing.

There is something lacking in those videos.

Where are his Washington Wizards clips?

Where are his clips where he barely averaged 20 points a night? Where are his clips when there were no Phil Jackson, Dennis Rodman, Toni Kukoc, Horace Grant, BJ Armstrong, Bill Cartwright, John Paxson, Ron Harper, Craig Hodges, Luc Longley, Steve Kerr, and Scottie Pippen in the picture to play second fiddle for him but guys like Chris Whitney or Brendan Haywood or Jerry Stackhouse or yeah... Kwame?

See here’s the thing – he will surface in Charlotte – a team that recently traded Gerald Wallace and barely has an imposing big man and a point guard. The Bobcats’ best player is Stephen Jackson but just like Stackhouse and Richard Hamilton in Washington, the Bobcats will not fare well if there is no imposing frontliner to backstop them.

As of this moment, small-city franchises are on the verge of bankruptcy. The New Orleans Hornets is now NBA-owned and the threat is looming for Charlotte, Toronto, and Memphis. With most of the big names moving to top city squads, the entry of Jordan could signal a random free agent to sign with the squad. Chris Paul and Dwight Howard are notable top guys who’ll possibly search for other teams to get money... or a championship.

There are a lot of elder statesmen that still continue to perform well. Kevin Garnett, Grant Hill and Chauncey Billups are notables. However, there are also a lot of players who are experiencing decline in playing time and stats – Tim Duncan is an example alongside Tracy McGrady, Shaquille O’Neal, Shawn Marion, Jermaine O’Neal, and Ray Allen, among others. There are others like Allen Iverson and Stephon Marbury who chose to play outside the NBA than be lounged at their team’s bench.

However, let’s face it. He is Michael F’N Jordan! Sure, the “air” part of his game might have gone AWOL but he has other arsenals that he can still use. Plus, he is undoubtedly the best clutch performer to play the game! Proving he can still play and score 50 points at age 50, surely he’ll make his Charlotte Bobcats jersey bolster its sales, create media stir, set arena attendance records, and make his franchise matter.

While I hope he doesn’t come back to not tarnish his wonderful resume (perhaps his brittle legs will be exposed?), who in the right mind wouldn’t want to see Michael Jordan in action?

Game over.

By Sydrified
On March 29, 2011
No Comment

Most of Rey Mysterio’s Wrestlemania matches come about because of lusts for revenge.

Does this pretty much tell us of Rey Mysterio’s character?

Yes kids... Rey is evil.

REY MYSTERIO vs CODY RHODES

REY MYSTERIO’S ROAD TO WRESTLEMANIA

After getting critical acclaim in his lucha work in Mexico, he decided to test the US waters through ECW. The original ECW gave him an outlet to display his speed and skill and it wowed people. He moved to an even bigger market and an even bigger budget via WCW where he fought against the likes of Dean Malenko, Eddie Guerrero, Chris Jericho, and others. Had he been in the Invasion storyline alongside the other WCW greats... that would have been an epic storyline! Years later he won secondary titles after secondary titles and it was about time that he’d be pushed to main event status. He won the Royal Rumble which eventually led to a successful chase for the gold in Wrestlemania. The best known Latino star of the company following the death of Eddie, he is basically one of the elite main eventers of Smackdown.

CODY RHODES’ ROAD TO WRESTLEMANIA

Before he became “Dashing”, Cody Rhodes was an up and coming star whose Dad is Hall of Famer Dusty Rhodes and his brother is the bizarre Goldust. Rhodes started as a singles performer that is bland in the ring which is why he was paired up with Hardcore Holly... an even blander performer with a bunch of years to show. He then turned on Holly to join the Randy Orton-led supergroup Legacy where he became a tag team with Million Dollar Man’s son, Ted DiBiase. After the group folded, it seems that Rhodes will be eaten up by the spotlight but turns out, this is all what he needs to become “Dashing”. His in-ring and taped promos on how to be handsome gave him massive heat and above all, a great reputation! This reputation will be loudly enforced when Rey Mysterio broke his nose and he missed a bunch of PPV’s and he rambled of having depression. This same depression caused Cody to not act like a narcissist goofball and become serious. He became so serious that his father turned on Rey because he felt his son’s pain.

THE BATTLE

I can’t really say how these guys will go here but I’m betting that it will be a fantastic brawl. Cody can be a cruiserweight while Rey is the epitome of one. While the Cross Rhodes finisher will work, I’m hoping he’ll use his Beautiful Disaster kick more because it doesn’t look generic (I can compare this to Shawn Michaels’ Sweet Chin Music). Unfortunately, kids of all ages will go giddy when Rey Rey flies to all sides of the ring. Expect this match to go ten minutes long with a bunch of high octane offense that these two should deliver. I’m not looking for this match to go more than ten minutes but I do hope we see a bit of Dusty Rhodes in this match.

PREDICTION

When Dusty Rhodes appears, expect Cody to win this match. However, don’t bet on it. While a Cody win would certainly push his stock as a top-tier midcard, I can’t see him beating Rey Mysterio especially in a one-on-one match in Wrestlemania. Dusty has stayed away from the ring since his betrayal on Rey and to build Cody as a contender, Cody needs to finish Rey by his wholesome.

REY MYSTERIO WINS!

I’m betting I can see a lot of kidding going wild when Rey connects with the 619.

Game over.