What I think about ...

NXT at the moment.

Okay, I've managed to catch up with WWE's NXT as far as last week's show (this week's doesn't air here until tonight) and I'd like to know why they seem to have broken up the tag team of Leo Kruger and Kassius Ohno ?  This could have been such a dominant tag team. 
I understand that both wrestlers are beyond fabulous singles wrestlers, but I really thought that there was going to be a big push for them as a team. 
Bit disappointed that they got jammed out of the tag tournament.

The feud between Bo Dallas and the Wyatt Family, is one of the few that makes sense.  Well, as much as they are letting the Wyatt Family make sense. Are they going to reveal that Bo Dallas and Wyatt are brothers in real life, or not?  I would.  It would add just an extra bit of spice to the mix.

Corey Graves. I'd like to see what he could do on announce for a few matches.  We're not getting a whole lot of his personality with the little mic time they have given him recently.  Yes, I know he's a Heel, he's this bad ass who can turn anyone into a human pretzel, but can we hear him ... now? 

More Shield. Please. I think I've become addicted to them.  Dean Ambrose has totally won me over.  I know few months back, I was cheering just Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns, but Dean Ambrose has gotten under my skin. In a good way.
He's someone else I'd like to have take over the announce booth for a few episodes. Maybe that's it, maybe he's hypnotized me with that vampiric voice of his? 

Love Ardeth Blood

Can we make this happen?

So, I was hanging around GetGlue tonight, talking with some folks about movies. And we were saying wouldn't it be cool if blah-blah-blah-blah-blah were cast in this film?
And it got me thinking.  The 2004 Universal monster film, Van Helsing is getting a franchise reboot. Starring, wait for it... Tom Cruise.  We already know the dude can play a vampire. He played Lestat in the 1994 Interview with the Vampire, and we know he can handle action/thriller movies. (That's the only movie of his I've cared for)

But if I were casting a vampire movie of this caliber, I would want guys in it that have some real bite to them.  And what the hell, Triple H has already sunk his teeth into the role of  vampire Jarko in the 2004 movie Blade 3: Trinity.
And if you've been reading this blog over the last while, you know I totally see members of the Shield in a werewolf-ish light.  (Chris Sabin is totally on my werewolf wish list. Someone needs to build an entire trilogy just for him.  I think I would have to add Zema Ion to the werewolf list too)

So, if I was going to cast a big vampire movie, who in the wrestling industry would I cast?  

Okay, you have to put Sheamus on this list. He already looks like a vampire. And going by some old folklores and myths that say if you were a redhead you are... there is no doubt about it. 

Austin Aries (I'm just going to jump from company to company here as I think of them) I think would make a perfect vampire god. There is just something about how he can deliver a line that, with that smirk of his, totally screams vampire to me.

Dean Ambrose. I think he'd make a great Dracula. Or even a really good Lestat. He's got that undertone of cocky sarcasm. It would have to be the early versions of Lestat, before Tale of a Body Thief, cause I don't know how well he could pull off the self loathing depressed parts of the character?  Or you know, Santiago, maybe Armand.... okay I really want to see him as a vampire.

Leo Kruger, would make a picture perfect Vlad the Impaler, in a bio-pic. Just toss a sword and hat on him. (the only actor to ever pull off a decent version was Rudolf Martin  in the 2000 made for tv movie Dracula the Dark Prince aka Dark Prince the True Story of Dracula)

Seth Rollins, is on this list. Some of the things I've seen this dude pull off, I have to wonder if there is some bat in him?

Alex Shelley... come on, haven't talked about him in ages, but I think he'd make a decent vampire. Could totally see him as Nick Knight if they ever reboot that series. Actually, I could see him as one of the other roles in Dracula, like Johnathan Harker, or Arthur Holmwood. 

Wade Barrett would make a really good modern version of Van Helsing.   Huh, I sort of forgot about the vampire hunters.  The Miz or Kassius Ohno, or Corey Graves all come to mind as a vampire hunter. 

Well, you see where my brain takes me when I'm left alone too long, into the shadows and under the graveyard.

love Ardeth Blood

What I'd like to see at Wrestlemaina

"Hunger makes beasts of men and demons of beasts" - Dracula Rising.

Yeah, that's yet another quote from yet another vampire movie.  I'm just chalk full of vampiric goodness. And it seems, now I have to get wrestlemaina next month. I was just going to not and catch the results on the website, but since I found out the Shield have a match... well I can't miss my favourite vengeance demons. (if you're a Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan you'll get that one)

So of what we know about the schedule for wrestlemaina at this point, here's the short list of what I want to see happen.

- The Shield win their match. No, I don't think I'm asking too much here. I get that it's Wrestlemaina, the payperview that started it all, and that it will mark the change in storylines for the coming year, but that doesn't mean that we have to follow the same old same old.  I know this point would be where normally, the faces win, after months of being repressed, but damn it! I think having the Shield come out on top will show something many fans already know. You don't have to be the face to be good.

-CM Punk, winning over the Undertaker. Yeah, I said it. I want the streak to end and I think that Punk is the one to do it.  Why?  Because he's got the skill to back up the talk.  I think it would be a brilliant move on the part of WWE to have CM Punk overturn the Undertaker, then get the belt back the following night.  I want to see CM Punk beat his own record for longest title reign, at lest have him reach six hundred and sixty-six days this time. (if you followed my last post that will sink in, in a minute)

-more NXT guys on a ppv.  I'm a few weeks behind again on episodes of NXT, so right now I can't comment on much, other then let's bring them into the spotlight more.  Even something like a tournament or four way for NXT number one contender during the ppv.  Which could you know, springboard one month in the coming year an NXT ppv... that would be cool

-Speaking of the Shield, I would love to see them get involved in the Rock/Cena match.  Cause I neither like Rock nor Cena (pictures Seth Rollins with the belt held high)

- Alberto Del Rio vs Jack Swagger... I'm tired already of this story.  Obviously thou, I want Del Rio to win this.  I want him to keep his title, and defend it against Wade Barrett soon.  I want to see that particular belt on the waist of Barrett.

Well, we're still a few weeks away from the year's ppv, but that's what's coagulating in my vampire movie soaked brain right now.

love Ardeth Blood

Are we a cult?

I used screen capture for this post

Two of the most interesting new shows are The Following and Cult.   The first is about a group of people who use the works of Edgar Allen Poe as their religion base, and the second is about the way fans respond to a particular tv show. 

This all got me thinking,  are we a cult?

Wrestling fans have been called everything, from marks/rubes, nerds/geeks, fanatics to followers.  We buy the product, the characters, the gimmicks, with or without question (I question everything admit to nothing or is it the other way around?) the dvds/videos/tee shirts and wave them like banners.
We have our heroes and our villains who we would do anything (or almost anything) for, and some cross the line to groupie.

I think we can say that whether you call us part of the "universe" or if we "even matter"  we the fans have built the wrestling industry up to cult status.

If you look up the word cult, you will find part of the definition to be a group who's beliefs are considered abnormal in larger society and using ritual practices.  Usually, lead by someone of an extreme charismatic influence.  Some of the followers eventually are elevated to leaders themselves.

Some would say television itself is a cult.  It's definitely the medium in this case.  WWE has shamelessly tried to have a "cult leader" storyline few years ago with CM Punk's character, spreading a message about living a clean and honorable life; which tanked but still managed to show he could balance on the fine line of Heel or Face.  The message was a good one, the way the company handled it was a bad idea.(his Jesus Christ Pose as I called it.  And another song title actually by the group  Soundgarden) And even now (at the time of this post anyways) Punk's theme song is Cult of Personality by the group Living Colour from 1988

Wrestling fans have been accused, and rightly so, of being some of the most rabid fans out there. (second only to soap opera fans. Twilighters come in a short third. I learned never to get physically between a Team Edward fan and a Team Jacob fan the hard way)  Maybe that's because wrestling has no end season, and is available 24/7-365.

Personally, I prefer to think of myself as a junkie when it comes to wrestling, but I just can't help but wonder, as wrestling fans are we in fact a cult?

So I'm thinking...

I'm on GetGlue.  Have been since last summer, and I would more then love to see some NXT stickers. 
I think it's beyond time to see guys like Leo Kruger, Kassius Ohno, Seth Rollins,  Corey Graves, Alex Riley, Connor O'Brian,  getting put to print.
From what I've seen, there was one Wade Barrett sticker -which sadly was expired by the time I joined- and think it would be wickedly cool to see some new ones for him. 
I'm not the only fan who's feeling this way either. 

Yeah, it's stickers, it's silly, it's a fun way show some internet love to our favourite wrestlers. I'm silly and sometimes fun. Silly is good. Yes have some.

Speaking of NXT, I've been catching up with some of the last month's episodes (that's what parents are for, taping wrestling for you) and I really like the idea of this tag team tournament.  I've always been someone who has found the tag team divisions,  in most companies more interesting then singles.

-love Ardeth Blood

Feb 16th 2013

Have you seen the movie Underworld ? You know the vampire/werewolf movie series.  There is a line uttered by one of the most fabulous British actors  Michael Sheen, as the character Lucian when he screams at the group of werewolves who are fighting among themselves for no real reason, "You are acting like a pack of rabid dogs!"  
I think of that line whenever I watch The Shield.   I like that line, like the weight of it.

And I like the odds that The Shield have going into tomorrow's pay-per-view.  Even though, I'm a major fan of Sheamus,  I'm saying I hope The Shield destroy Ryback and Cena. Flatten them!

If you've been following me at all, you know I've made my statements in the past on Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose, most of them good, a few comments not so much. 
But, I think the advantage goes to The Shield in this match. 

At this point, I'm still unsure if I'm going to be able to see the pay-per-view, I've also missed about 5 episodes of NXT, so not sure what's happening from that stand point.

And I hope CM Punk wins his match.

I'm sure I'm not the only one who thinks that Reigns is total werewolf material when he does that roar in the middle of the ring right before/after they powerbomb someone.  Maybe a bear... keep expecting to see his image on the cover of one of those paranormal teen books that are everywhere these days.

Love Ardeth Blood

Random wrestling thoughts Feb 12/2013

I was once asked why I have never actively tried to get a writing job in the wrestling industry?

There are a bundle of reasons, one being I don't kiss ass very well.  Good enough an answer for you? 
I think being a fan is both great and horrible at the same time. Which, as we all know, being in the industry would be both great and horrible at the same time too.   Think about it, some of the guys work for years and never make it to either of the big companies. No matter how talented they are, luck just is not on their side.  Then there are those who are just in the right place at the right time and really don't offer much at all.

Such is life, such is rock n roll

As a fan, I can voice my opinion freely on if I care or not, for a match/storyline/etc without fear of loosing my job.  It's a luxury.  Something I was normally unable to do when I did book reviews and the few years I worked as a news reporter. 

Like today, I was watching a clip from last night's WWE Raw, of Wade Barrett vs Kofi Kingston, and thinking, as much as I love seeing Mr. Barrett on tv as often as humanly possible, I'm really really tired right now of this feud with Kofi Kingston.  I'm actually very eager to see him really jump into some matches with Bo Dallas, or possibly Damien Sandow, or for that matter Seth Rollins.  (Barrett vs Rollins, now that would be something to sink your teeth into) Something fresh, that we haven't seen five million times in the last three months.  
I get that the two work well off each other, and always give for fuller matches, but they've been dragging their heels on this for awhile.  Put Mr. Barrett in a few new feuds for a few months.  I am sure revisiting this one with Kofi in say a year and a half from now would make more sense. I would actually love to see Wade Barrett go against Antonio Cesaro for a few rounds.  Make it title vs title for a bit, elevating both titles in the process.

And speaking of something I don't care to see... I've admitted in the past that I really like Johnny Curtis, but I think this new Fandango dancer thing is just too much.  What the hell is it with the WWE and singing/dancing? 

as always, love Ardeth Blood