Author: Tom Lynch

The Spotlight On The WWE Network- 24: Roman Reigns Never alone

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This past Monday night WWE launched the latest “24” Mini documentary following Roman Reigns on his road to Wrestlemania on the WWE Network.  First off, let me start off by saying how great it is that the WWE Network is producing more original programming for the Network.  I returned from my vacation Monday and while there I tried to keep up.  I watched Extreme Rules (How cool is that by the way? I watched a pay per view from my phone from my hotel room the same night as the show.  I used to have until the end of my vacation in order to catch the show that I missed but with the network this isn’t the case) and caught some of Jerry Springer’s “Too Hot For TV” but once the wedding craziness took over (my best friend got married and I was his best man) and then my family and I embarked on 3 days at Disney World and 2 days at Daytona Beach, I realized I wasn’t going to be able to keep up with all of the new content.  Honestly, I was pleased with this. I want the WWE Network to have so much new programming that it’s hard to keep up with everything.  I would love to see a time when the WWE Network has three hours of original programming each night during the primetime hours like most other networks & I think they’re moving in that direction.

As for the 24 series, it is quickly becoming my favorite series on the Network.  Being that I went to Wrestlemania this year I was intrigued to see how Roman Reigns’ Road to Wrestlemania unfolded from a behind the scenes perspective.  I can tell you now that you should go out of your way to watch this piece.  The piece, at only 33 minutes long, flies right by and even leaves a bit more to be desired.  I think the piece did a good job in showing the man behind Roman Reigns.  I feel like if this type of special were to be released while Reigns was recovering from his injury at the end of last year, then people may have gotten a bit more behind him in going for the title at Wrestlemania.    Let’s get into some of the highlights and lowlights of the piece.

Highlights

1) The Mania of Wrestlemania–  I always love to see the crazy schedules that the WWE superstars go through during Wresltemania week.  Does it look hectic?  Of course it does, but it also looks like such a good time and all of that is featured in this piece.  Reigns is followed going through all of his different media appearances, the hall of fame, his autographs signings and more.  They even show some footage from the Wrestlemania dress rehearsal, as you see Triple H preparing for his entrance.  It’s all really cool material that amplifies how big time Wrestlemania is.

2) I Can I Will- I enjoyed the parts of the piece that focused on Roman Reigns interacting with the fans as he seemed like a guy that you’d want to meet at a signing.  I particularly enjoyed the part where he was talking about being a role model and how he was embracing the role.  I’ve always admired Tim Tebow for the same thing as Reigns explains that he wants to be a role model despite the reputation he knows he has to live up to in being one.   Having kids then explain how the “I Can, I Will” catchphrase inspired them was a great tie in and showed how Reigns was already becoming a role model to many.

3) The Family Man–  All you hear about the famous Samoan wrestling family is how close they are and here you really got to see it.  It was nice to see how much support Reigns gets from his family especially when they showed his mother watching from the rafters at WrestleMania.  I enjoyed the scene which featured his family sitting at the table on the deck relaxing and reminiscing about the past.  Then the stuff with Reigns and his wife and daughter tugged at the viewer’s heart strings to show that he is a pretty good guy and a family man in every essence of the word.

4) “Everyone Stays At The Fairmount”-  Anyone who went to Wrestlemania knows that the Fairmount was one of the busiest places in San Jose that weekend as fans quickly found out that this was the WWE hotel.  If you were able to get into the building, you would have enjoyed the WWE replica chocolate belt but many fans seemed to enjoy waiting outside for a glimpse of their favorite superstars.  I really enjoyed the piece on the Fairmount as it showed that the building had history and gave a nice tour.  One of the first things I remember from Wrestlemania week was when Roman Reigns & Hulk Hogan took to the balcony of the Fairmount to greet the fans, really nice stuff.

Lowlights

Again this was a great piece that flew by and that I would really suggest checking out, I don’t think there were any clear lowlights of the film.  That said, there were a few things that I would have personally changed.  For one, I don’t think it was necessary to show as much of the main event in the documentary.  The match was great but that’s what the show itself was for.  Instead, if they are married to the 33 minute running time, I would have liked to see a lot more of the crowd reactions and maybe some of the wrestler reactions instead.  Where I was seated, on the floor towards the entrance ramp, there were many WWE superstars, NXT superstars and divas enjoying the main event live in person.  I would have loved to see some of those talents’ reactions as it would have added to importance of the match.  I would also have loved to see some of the crowd reactions and hear some of their reactions left in rather than the music.  Being a part of that crowd, I can tell you it was one of the best live crowds I’ve ever seen and the fans passion enhanced the match that much more.  Yes, Reigns was booed a good amount during the match but that’s ok as they established that some of the fans booed him at the Rumble and he’s just going to work hard to win them over.  I believe that Reigns is starting to win people over and pieces like this will only help his cause.  Imagine the story of Reigns getting booed out of the building during Wrestlemania 31 and then coming back to win the title at Wrestlemania 32 to much fanfare and adjulation.

Well that is going to do it for me, another strong documentary for the WWE Network.  Feel free to let me know what you think.

Spotlight On Today’s Sports: 05/05/2015

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Happy Cinco De Mayo everybody! I hope all those who are celebrating have a good but safe time. I’ll be celebrating by attending at 10:20 showing of Avengers 2: Age of Ultron tonight. But if you aren’t celebrating there’s a good amount of events and stories to monitor in the world of sports, let’s take a look at the big three for today.

1) E:60- WWE: Behind The Curtain– when I was a kid I always hoped that following a WWE I would turn on ESPN & get the results. I remember the first time I actually say it was in 1995 when Sportscenter talked about Lawrence Taylor’s Wrestlemania 11 main event. I thought it was cool to see WWE get a rub from LT & get a little coverage on Sportscenter. Well tonight on ESPN, a 60 minute documentary will air featuring a behind the scenes at the world of WWE & NXT. The special is unprecedented not only because their is a WWE special being promoted on ESPN but also because the special promises a rare behind the scenes look at the often guarded world of professional wrestling. If the special is as good as past E60 specials, then we’re in for a treat.

2) Welcome Back- It was announced today that Madison Square Garden will look to hire IsiahThomas as the new Co Owner of the New York Liberty  as well as the president of basketball operations. Wow, talk about someone having nine lives! Not only did Isiah Thomas have five unsuccessful seasons as Knicks team president & a record of 56-108 in his two years as Knicks head coach but he also cost MSG 11.8 million dollars in an ugly sexual harassment lawsuit. It should be pointed out that Thomas needs to be approved by the WNBA board of Governors before being recognized as a co owner. 

3) The Greatest Fight Of The Century…Again- It was revealed today that Floyd Mayweather sent a text to Stephen A Smith of ESPN confirming that he will in fact grant Manny Pacquiao a rematch when he recovers from shoulder surgery. While I felt their first fight was underwhelming, it’s rumored to have done record number of pay per view buys and I’m sure the rematch will be much of the same. I’m actually surprised that Floyd is so willing to do a rematch, maybe as his final fight, being that Manny had him on the ropes on several occasions in their first fight, bad shoulder and all. 

That’s going to do it for today, again happy cinco de mayo to all. 

The Spotlight On Today’s Sports 5/4/2015

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Back in the saddle again with a slew of sports on tap for what proves to be a busy week of sports as the NBA Playoffs as well as the NHL Playoffs,  move into their second rounds of action.  Let’s move into some of the bigger stories and games that are going on in the world of sports. 

1) You Down With MVP?- Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry was named the 2014-2015 regular season MVP today, the first MVP for the Warriors since Wilt Chamberlain back in 1960 and the first point guard to win the award since Derrick Rose in the 2010-2011 season.  Curry averaged 23.8 points per games, 2 steals per game, 7.7 assists per game and 4.3 rebounds per game. While the numbers are obviously very good for Curry, they aren’t career bests for Curry other then his steals per game & his overall numbers were better last season. With that said, however, Curry was the best choice for MVP this season, no matter what Houston Rockets fans tell you, as he led the Warriors to an NBA best 67-15 record only losing 2 games at home the whole season. As Curry stated today during a press conference, while MVPs are nice, the goal for the Warriors is the NBA championship, so far they haven’t been tested in the postseason. 

2) Counsell Gets The Nod– Major League Baseball’s worst record to start the season belongs to the Milwaukee Brewers at 7-18. Thus, it didn’t come as any big surprise when the Brewers fired manager Ron Roenicke after 4 seasons and a 342-331 record and one NL central title. The only think surprising about the firing is that it came off the heels of the Brewers first series win of the season. His replacement shouldn’t come as much of a surprise as longtime utlitity man Craig Counsell was offered the job this morning. Counsell retired with theBrewers  organization in 2011 and since has been working as a general manager to the team’s general manager. The Brewers gave Counsell, who will take over managerial duties tonight, a node of confidence by rewarding him with a 3 year contract through the 2017 season. 

3) The Defining Series- For years the dominance of Lebron James & the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference has been called into question. Would the Hear have been able to make it to three straight NBA Finals of Derrick Rose were healthy? Well well finally get somewhat of answer tonight as it will be Lebron James ba Derrick Rose except this time it will be Lebron leading a Cleveland Cavs team to do battle with the Bulls in the Windy City. With all do respect to what the Atlanta Hawks have accomplished, I think the winner of the East is coming out this series. The first game between these two teams kicks off tonight at 7PM EST! 

That’s gonna do it for me today but I’ll be back later today with my first review up on the site, which is a heartwarming story. Until then, be well & may the fourth be with you!

 

Spotlight On Today’s Sports 5/2/2015

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So I know I’ve off the grid this week. I’ll be back business as usual starting on Monday when I return from my trip to Orlando, Florida where I was a best man for the first time in my life but there’s a lot of sports to get to today so I didn’t want to leave you stranded. Let’s jump right into it! 

1) The Fight Of The Century- The dream fight of dream fights finally takes place tonight. Some say boxing is dead but whether it was in California, New York or Florida this month all I’ve heard is who do you got Floyd Mayweather or Manny Pacquiao. I don’t know if my family and I have gotten a boxing fight since Sugar Ray Leonard returned but we will seeking out MayPac tonight on our last night in Florida. As for who I have? I gotta go Money Mayweather because of his affliation with WWE. I’m a wrestling fan sucker, I know but he was a highlight of Wrestlemania 24!

2) Game 7- There really hasn’t been any series in round 1 of the NBA Playoffs that’s been worth anyone’s time except for the San Antonio Spurs and the Los Angeles Clippers. The NBA Playoffs only series to reach a seventh and deciding game finally comes to a head tonight. I’ve seen this script so many times & I just don’t see the Spurs losing game 7, even on the road. 

3) NFL Draft- If there’s one draft that I really go out of my to watch it’s the NFL draft. It’s the unofficial kickoff to the NFL season and its a lot of fun now that’s it’s been spread out over a long weekend. My New York Jets continued their impressive offseason by trading up this morning to draft Baylor Quarterback Bryce Petty. 

4) Rivalry Weekend- On the baseball side of things many of the greatest rivalries in the sport take the focus today as the New York Mets take on the Washington Nationals, the Detroit Tigers face off with the Kansas City Royals for the American Leagues best record and of course, it’s Yankees- Red Sox. No matter how the teams are doing there’s still nothing like Yankees- Ref Sox. I’m not a Alex Rodriguez fan but the fact that he hit his 660th career homerun tying Willie Mays for fourth all time over the big green monster in Fenway Park? That’s pretty cool to say the least! 

So yes today may be one of the biggest days in sports history as with all I mentioned I didn’t even get into round 2 of the NHL playoffs or the Kentucky Derby. Whatever your sport of choice I hope you have a great time viewing it! 

The Spotlight On The WWE Network- Culture Shock

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This past week WWE launched its latest original programming for the WWE Network entitled Culture Shock. The idea behind the show is the Corey Graves will be visiting a variety of different landmarks unrelated to WWE that fans may be interested in. I for one was interested in checking it out and here are some highlights & lowlights from the premier episode. 

Highlights

1) Corey Graves- Im really glad that WWE has decided to allow Corey Graves to try his hand at different gigs within the company now that his injuries have ended his in ring career. Corey Graves has a unique charisma that is a breath of fresh air to the commentary team. That isn’t an indictmeNt on the rest of the commentary team but more of praise for Graves. He isn’t like your everyday commentator in that he has tatooes and he has a cool factor to him. He’s the perfect host for this show because he’s someone that fans would look at and think “If Corey thinks this place is cool than the place is probably pretty cool!” 

2) The Concept- I really enjoy this concept as I think it’s interesting. Being someone who really likes going to WWE events in different cities because I’m able to then turn that event into a mini vacation with my girlfriend, I also found this useful. I’ve constantly found myself wondering “well WWE is in Dallas for Wrestlemania 32, what other non wrestling related places can I take my girlfriend that she’d be interested in?” 

3. Marvel Headquarters- I live in Queens, New York and I had no idea that the Marvel Comics headquarters was in New York City! This is a fun look as to how the comics are made and how busy different times of the year can be for the people at Marvel. 

Lowlights

1) 9 minutes?!?!- when the show started, Corey Graves says “I’m Corey Graves, this is Culture Shock, let’s have a little fun!” Well I was just starting to have a little fun when the show abruptly ended out of nowhere! I hope this was just a sneak peak and that future episodes will at least be a full half hour. If there’s not enough content in the place Corey visited then string a few together in one place. Maybe add a place Corey ate or have him review a movie, the point is that 9 minutes is too short, if it’s that short, they oughta put Culture Shock in the Quick Hits section of the network.

2) The Places don’t have to be so random- Maybe it’s just me but I think it would be cool to have Corey visit places that WWE is either heading to the next week or places that WWE was just at. If you watch Raw & WWE is live from San Franisco then it would be cool to have Corey walking along the Golden Gate Bridge, for example. WWE hasn’t been in New York in at least a month so it almost seems out of place to have Graves review a New York landmark. 

3) More than WWE- It was great to see a Hurricane shout out as he’s related to both WWE & superheroes. That said, if the focus of this show is to be about the place that Corey is visiting, there should be a lot more he can talk about other than WWE. He didn’t even get into any of the Marvel films and the Avengers 2 is coming out next week. 

Regardless, I suggest checking out Culture Shock and I have hope for this show moving forward. Next week on the spotlight on the WWE Network we’ll take a look at the “True Giants” documentary in the Beyond The Ring section of the Network.