Wrestlemania 29 predictions and Hall of Fame preview

It is the WWE's annual rite of Spring. Wrestlemania weekend. This year, Wrestlemania goes outdoors at MetLife Stadium in the Meadowlands of East Rutherford, NJ, but tonight, the annual Hall of Fame induction takes place at hallowed Madison Square Garden. Let's take a look first at the Class of 2013, which has a decided New York flavor........

*Mick Foley (inducted by Terry Funk): Foley has oft told the story about how he was at MSG 30 years ago when "Superfly" Jimmy Snuka dove off the top of a steel cage onto "Magnificent" Don Muraco after their match. Now, he joins them in the Hall after arguably becoming more famous than both. In addition to his 3 WWF titles and a number of tag titles in WWF & ECW, Foley has also become a best-selling author in both non-fiction (his memoirs) and children's literature.

*Donald Trump (inducted by Vince McMahon): 6 years ago, Trump put his famous weatherproof hair up against McMahon at the big dance, but, like, did you really think the hair was really in danger? Now, McMahon, whose ring persona was a candidate for the looney bin for the last decade and change, will welcome his good friend into the celebrity wing of the Hall. Trump is the only one to host back-to-back Wrestlemanias (4-5 were at Trump Plaza in Atlantic City in 1988-9), and that's not likely to change. On the other hand, with all the hot air Trump's been spewing out lately, do we really need him in this spot? Hmmmmm, wellllllll, of course not!

*Bob Backlund (inducted by Maria Menounos): In his prime, the Minnesota-born Backlund had heels taking advantage of the revival of a certain 50's icon in their promos, dubbing him "Howdy Doody" because of his cherubic face. He has the record for the longest stretch between title reigns (10 years, 11 months), having lost the title in December 1983 to Iron Sheik, then beating Bret Hart in November 1994, only for that final title reign to last just a couple of days before losing to Kevin Nash (as Diesel). For those keeping score at home, current champion Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson went 10 years and 5 1/2 months between title reigns (lost to Brock Lesnar at Summerslam in August 2002 before beating CM Punk at the Royal Rumble in January 2013).

*Booker T. Huffman (inducted by Lane Huffman, aka Stevie Ray): Queue up Harlem Heat's theme song, "Rap Sheet", as the former WCW tag champs will reunite for one night. Stevie Ray retired rather than join his brother in the then-WWF in 2001, and watched little brother add 4 more tag titles and a World title during his first WWF-E run (2001-7), among other things. Currently the figurehead GM of Friday Night Smackdown (complete with a look that makes him look like Whoopi Goldberg's little brother), Booker's not about to dust off the tights & boots any time soon.

*Trish Stratus (inducted by Stephanie McMahon): She was only on the active roster for 6 1/2 years, but the Toronto-born Trish made a lasting impact in the women's division, shattering the record for most title reigns by a woman (she retired with 7), a mark not likely to fall any time soon. This will be the first time Trish & Stephanie will be on the same stage at the same time in 12 years (at the most), both now successful businesswomen after hanging up the tights. Sorry, boys, but like Stephanie, Trish is taken.

*Bruno Sammartino (inducted by Arnold Schwarzenegger): This is the one everyone wants to see, and they can thank Triple H for making it happen. Sammartino had a falling out with Vince McMahon several years back over the direction of the company that saw him end his run as a color analyst, during which time he served as a buffer between McMahon & Jesse Ventura. However, I can't think of anyone who sold out MSG more often than "The Living Legend". Not even Hulk Hogan comes close, and wouldn't you know? MSG is sold out for tonight, too.

Now, it's on to Wrestlemania 29 at the Meadowlands. The recent cold snap in the Northeast may be a factor, and not everyone is accustomed to these adverse conditions on a big stage like this.

WWE title: The Rock vs. John Cena: Last year, with no titles on the line, Rock beat Cena, which made a lot of people happy. Those people despise Cena because they don't like that he's been marketed as this generation's Hogan, even though his won-loss record on PPV in 2012 wasn't that good. Cena moves too much merchandise (t-shirts, caps, etc.), so a heel turn ain't happening, despite what a lot of people think. Cena in this spot is like Shawn Michaels vs. Hogan at Summerslam 2005. The difference is, there will still be haters. Rock has another movie opening later this month ("Pain & Gain" with Mark Wahlberg), and while he had a zillion press junkets the last couple of months, he doubled as an ambassador for the company while champion. However, it's time for this thrill ride to end and for things to go back to normal. The Pick: Cena.

WWE World title: Alberto Del Rio (w/Ricardo Rodriguez) vs. Jack Swagger (w/Zeb Colter): Del Rio is being posited as WWE's new Latino superhero. Rey Mysterio has lost favor, it seems, and Sin Cara has been injury prone and otherwise a disappointment. Del Rio, from this desk, is the 2nd coming of the late Eddie Guerrero, and the feud with Swagger recalls Guerrero's 2004 feud with John Bradshaw Layfield, who will be calling the match alongside Jerry Lawler and either Michael Cole or Jim Ross, depending on what WWE decides by this time tomorrow. However, Dolph Ziggler is waiting in the wings with the Money in the Bank briefcase, which he has teased cashing in, but doing so now would be anti-climatic and a waste of everyone's time, since Ziggler's about as charismatic as a used bar of soap, and has no credibility. The Pick: Del Rio.

Triple H (w/Shawn Michaels) vs. Brock Lesnar (w/Paul Heyman): Return match from Summerslam. Lesnar's broken the "Cerebral Assassin"'s arm twice, but he won't make it three times. I look for HHH to dust off an old submission finisher from his WCW run 10 years ago as Terra Ryzing, and make Lesnar tap if he can with the Indian Deathlock. Heyman's not going to be a factor, and maybe HBK can do us all a favor and knock him out with a superkick so he doesn't return later in the night. The Pick: Triple H.

CM Punk (w/Paul Heyman) vs. The Undertaker: Punk is so confident in thinking he'll end the Deadman's 20-match winning streak at the Big Dance, such that he stole the urn that the late Paul Bearer used to carry. To paraphrase the late Jim Croce, you don't tug on Superman's cape, you don't spit in the wind, you don't pull the mask off the Lone Ranger, and you don't beat the Undertaker at Wrestlemania. Enough said.

Big Show, Sheamus, & Randy Orton vs. The Shield (Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, & Dean Ambrose): Since crashing the party at Survivor Series, the Shield have run roughshod over everyone. They always travel as a pack, like unto a gang of muggers, and they claim to fight injustice. Sorry, but they're the ones perpetrating the injustices, and their warped world view needs to be straightened out. Internet "insiders" seem to think Orton's due to turn heel. Show just turned face after his latest heel run netted a World title run, but now's the time to shut down the Shield. The Pick: Show/Sheamus/Orton.

Chris Jericho vs. Fandango: Fandango (they want you to pronounce it Fahn-dahn-go) is the former Johnny Curtis, winner of Season 4 of NXT, with a new gimmick. They've stalled on his first match as long as they could, which in this writer's opinion is wrong. The gimmick is lame, and Fandango's top rope legdrops on Jericho on Monday barely landed on target. Still, Vince McMahon wants to push this kid to the moon, even though he'll probably flame out before the end of the summer. See, McMahon is nuts. Jericho, though, is the vested veteran who doesn't need to win here. The Pick: Fandango.

Mark Henry vs. Ryback: Ryback (Ryan Reeves, formerly Skip Sheffield) is finally in the ring with someone who matches up with him in the power department. Henry's in the Jericho role of the vested veteran. Like, if Brock Lesnar could hit Henry with the F-5 11 years ago, the former Olympian could get a case of Shellshock. The pick: Ryback.

Intercontinental title: Wade Barrett vs. The Miz: Barrett, the current champion on his 2nd go-round as IC titlist, would, on paper, have enough of an advantage on the smaller Miz (Michael Mizanin), who has adopted the figure four leglock as his new finisher of late. The trick is getting Barrett down long enough to apply the submission and get him to tap. I don't see it. The Pick: Barrett.

WWE tag titles: Team Hell No (Daniel Bryan & Kane vs. Dolph Ziggler & Big E. Langston (w/AJ Lee): There has been talk of merging this match with a Divas title match between current champ Kaitlyn and Lee, with both titles on the line, which would ensure that Team Ziggler captures all the gold, and set up Ziggler for a World title match later in the show with the idea of being greedy enough to have virtually all the gold (save for the IC or US titles). However, they're better served just putting the tag titles on Ziggler & Langston. The latter is the NXT champ, but they've stalled on putting him in a match on WWE-TV as well for no real reason. Team Hell No's run ends here, and Bryan loses at the Big Dance for the 2nd year in a row. The Pick: Ziggler & Langston.

Divas title: Kaitlyn vs. AJ Lee: If they're smart, they'll leave Ziggler & Langston out of this one and let Lee, who hails from New Jersey, go it alone against her former friend and tag team partner. The last time AJ wrestled in front of her family & friends before the cameras, she was screwjobbed on Raw six months ago, but of course they want you to forget that now. It's time for AJ to get a reality check. The Pick: Kaitlyn.

The Pre-Show match, airing on YouTube, sees Tensai (the former A-Train), Brodus Clay, & the Funkadactyls (Naomi & Cameron) vs. Team Rhodes Scholars (Damien Sandow & Cody Rhodes) & the Bella Twins, who re-upped last month. Tensai's stock dropped in a hurry after returning last year, and he's been in a similar tag team gimmick before, with Scotty 2 Hotty 11 years ago. Figure Tensai & Clay win here, positing them as challengers to Ziggler & Langston in due course. Have to get the show off to a positive start.

Also on tap: 80's rockers Living Colour have been added to the bill, likely to play "Cult of Personality" for CM Punk. Sean "Diddy" Combs was previously announced as a performer. These kind of segments are distractions that cost the fans extra matches. They complain online, of course, but for McMahon it's all about getting across as many demographic platforms as possible for his bottom line. Not only that, but you'll get this on DVD 5-8 weeks later..........

Of course, I could be wrong about the picks. I usually am.

Blurring the lines of local newscasts

In my home district in upstate New York, we have six broadcast channels, each attached to a network affiliate. Not all of them have locally produced nightly newscasts, but that may soon be changing in more ways than one.

The trend started a number of years ago when CBS affiliate WRGB of Schenectady had a joint sales agreement with WNYA, the MyNetworkTV affiliate. Currently, WRGB is now under the same corporate roof as CW affiliate WCWN, both having been purchased by Sinclair Broadcasting at the end of 2011. Anyway, for the duration of their link with WNYA, WRGB would repurpose their morning newscast on the latter channel. Today, WCWN airs a 10:00 pm (ET) newscast, utilizing WRGB personnel, which has been heavily promoted since its inception. The CW15 News at Ten has grown in the last couple of years from a 10 minute broadcast to a more traditional half-hour, and gives the station a bridge from CW programming to syndicated fare.

Recently, the area's Fox & ABC affiliates have entered into an agreement which enables news personnel from both stations to work together under the News Center umbrella. Long-time WTEN meteorologist Steve Capporizzo, also the host of the station's nightly Pet Connection feature, is now pulling double duty, delivering forecasts for WXXA as well. That moves Steve Teeling, who had been the meteorologist for WXXA, to the anchor desk, where he shares duties with Christine Arangio for WTEN's noon news. So far, it's been a good fit. Veteran news anchor John Gray is on the shuttle as well, co-anchoring WTEN's 6 pm news as well as WXXA's 10 pm broadcast. Gray, also a columnist for the Troy Record, surprisingly hasn't made much mention of his increased duties in his Wednesday columns. Hmmmmmm.

On the heels of the WXXA-WTEN union came rumors, reported by the Albany Times-Union a few weeks back that WNYA would soon be on the way to a sales agreement with NBC affiliate WNYT, which could conceivably lead to WNYA finally getting its own evening news. With MyNetworkTV likely to be a distant memory down the road, as their schedule consists entirely of reruns outsourced from other networks (i.e. USA's Burn Notice), the station is searching for its own identity, and potentially could get there with WNYT's help. We'll just have to wait & see.

None of this is unprecedented. In New York City, WWOR & WNYW are under the same corporate roof, with the New Jersey based channel 9 having been bought by Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation a while back. Granted, this would've been unheard of at least 15 years ago, but in an age where digital media is taking over, bit by bit, traditional news outlets are finding that it may be necessary in the long term to pool resources together for each channel's future health. I cannot speak for anything outside New York, as I know nothing of any similar mergers in other parts of the country, but this could be a growing trend.

Roger Ebert (1942-2013)

Just one day after announcing he was taking a leave of absence from writing movie reviews due to a recurrence of cancer, Roger Ebert lost his battle with the disease, just 2 months shy of his 71st birthday.

Ebert was a Pulitzer prize winner for his work in the Chicago Sun-Times before a local television station there signed him and rival Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune to host a monthly series, Coming Soon.....To a Theatre Near You, in 1975, which evolved into Sneak Previews, which went national on PBS in 1977. Siskel & Ebert hosted the series until 1982, when they left the show over a contract dispute. It didn't take long for them to land a similarly themed series, At The Movies, which spent six years in syndication, distributed by Tribune, Siskel's long time employer. After that, Disney signed the team for Siskel & Ebert & The Movies, which lasted under that title until Siskel's passing in 1999.

To say that Ebert was a fighter would be an understatement. Thyroid cancer cost him a portion of his jaw seven years ago, which resulted in the loss of speech and the ability to eat. He continued to write, and for his appearances on television, a voice-over narrator would read his reviews. As noted, Ebert had only just announced on Tuesday that he was stepping away for a period as the cancer had returned. Unfortunately, fate, it seems, had other ideas. The movie industry has lost one of its most powerful voices, and Chicago, one of its most famous native sons.

Rest in peace, Roger.

Another black eye for basketball.......and maybe lacrosse, too.

Rutgers basketball is better known for its women's team, coached by C. Vivian Stringer, which was publicly embarrassed by radio talker Don Imus a few years back. The men's team, however, is making headlines for something even more embarrassing.

On Wednesday, coach Mike Rice was fired after a video went public showing Rice verbally & physically abusing his players during practice. Rice wasn't a winner in three years at the New Jersey school, and I'd not be too surprised if someone suggested they couldn't beat the women's team in a co-ed scrimmage. Rice is shown pushing and taunting players, using homophobic slurs, and even tossing basketballs at them.

This is not how you teach your players to be winners. The frustration, clearly, had set in for Rice, but school officials had a chance four months ago to cut bait with him after a former assistant coach, Eric Murdock, presented video evidence of abuses. Instead, Murdock was fired himself. Obviously, Rutgers suits didn't want a situation similar to what happened at Penn State in 2011 happening to them, but, sad to say, it may just happen anyway. The athletic director and president of the university have come under fire for not acting sooner than they did. The most glaring question raised by the media on Wednesday, particularly on ESPN's Around the Horn, was why Rutgers administration sat on the tape for 3-4 months when they could've nipped the whole thing in the bud?

For his part, Rice has apologized and expressed regret & remorse for his foolish actions. However, I doubt very seriously he'll land another head coaching job right away.

Closer to home, a similar situation has erupted at Shenendehowa High in Clifton Park, where boys' lacrosse coach Chuck Holohan has been suspended indefinitely. School officials have kept mum on specific charges, per school policy, but according to local press, it seems Holohan may also have engaged in some physical abuse. As of now, there are no videotapes exposing any of the abuse that has been alleged, but given that Shen has one of the most respected athletic programs in upstate New York, and has for years, this is even more shocking. The timing of the allegations against Holohan, in light of the Rice case, is merely coincidental. Shen officials made the decision to suspend Holohan prior to Tuesday's league opener against Niskayuna.

Naturally, all the facts will emerge in due course, and then the case will simply go away, like things like this usually do in Section II. Unless someone with a video camera comes along........

Weasels of the Week: David Stern & LeBron James

In November, the NBA issued a fine of $250,000 to the San Antonio Spurs because coach Gregg Popovich chose to leave stars Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, & Manu Ginobili back in Texas while the rest of the team traveled to Miami for a nationally televised game against the Heat. There was a great deal of controversy about that one, of course, but when the Heat traveled to San Antonio for an Easter Sunday game...........

LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, & Mario Chalmers were held out of the game with injuries. They claimed that James suddenly pulled a hamstring, and that Wade & Chalmers had ankle issues. Miami still won, but not in blowout fashion. No fines were issued. Why? Because the Heat have gained favored nation status with the NBA office, due largely to the commercial endorsements of James (Sprite, State Farm) and Wade, whose two ads for Unilever's Dove Men-Plus Care products are getting major airplay this month. Couple this with James' whining about Chicago's rough play when the Heat saw their attempt at erasing the Los Angeles Lakers' 33 game winning streak go by the boards last Wednesday. Double standards and sour grapes, anyone?

Of course. The Heat have taken some heat for some choppy play, particularly by Wade, over the last couple of years, and James in particular thinks he is untouchable, because he sees himself as the NBA's golden child. Well, apparently, the office and their Madison Avenue partners think so, too, which is why Heat owner Mickey Arison's wallet hasn't gotten lighter. The Association announced Monday that there would be no discipline forthcoming against Miami, even if there exists a perception that the injuries may be a case of playing an April Fool's prank a day early, a little gamesmanship in the name of payback for Duncan, Parker, & Ginobili being too tired to fly to Miami in November.

It's wrong either way, and David Stern picks up his 2nd set of Weasel ears for allowing this to go unpunished. More than a year ago, James' circle of leeches were cited for doing something stupid just because of their association with James. This time, after I'd considered not doing so, I've decided to hand LeBron a set of Weasel ears as well, along with a pacifier for crying like a baby 'cause things didn't go his way. Reality is calling, pal. You ain't winning the title again in June. For the sake of the league and the game.

Sports this 'n' that

Union College was the last team from my district vying for a winter season championship, but were denied entry into the NCAA Frozen Four, losing Sunday to ECAC rival Quinnipiac, 5-1, the same score by which the Dutchmen had beaten Boston College the night before. Congratulations to coach Rick Bennett and the Dutchmen on another sensational season. The rivalry between Union & Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) is on a par with UAlbany vs. Siena in basketball, as momentum shifts between the two schools every so often. Maybe one day, both RPI & Union will make the Frozen Four. Like, hey, stranger things have happened.

Everyone, including this writer, picked the Mets to finish 4th in the National League East, miles in back of Washington. Well, the Amazin's served notice Monday that even though Johan Santana is gone, presumably for good this time, due to re-tearing his surgically repaired shoulder, they will be players in the division. Then again, we've seen teases like this before. While I didn't see the game, I am heartened by the 11-2 thumping they administered to San Diego opening day. I just can't see them doing that to Washington, Atlanta, San Francisco, et al.........

787 Pro Wrestling is no more. After three shows, the promotion is changing, due to some issues that cropped up at their last show 9 days ago. General Manager J. P. Black addressed this issue recently in the first public comments since the promotion's website and Twitter & Facebook pages were shut down a week ago............
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FROM THE OFFICE OF GENERAL MANAGER J.P. BLACK-
In the hours immediately following the 787 Pro Wrestling event entitled “Chase for The Championships,” a number of issues were brought to my attention by the Ultimate Wrestling Board of Directors, New York State, and fans that were in attendance. The biggest issue that needed to be addressed was the behavior of two particular wrestlers – 787 Pro Wrestling Star Cloudy, and the 787 Pro Wrestling Champion himself, Vik Dalishus.
787 Pro Wrestling was created upon the foundation of being a company aimed to entertain to the masses in a family-friendly environment. That has been the mission since the inception of this company and it shall remain that way for the entire duration of 787 Pro Wrestling’s existence. We do not condone, nor tolerate vulgarity of any kind, whether it be verbal or physical in nature.
The actions of Cloudy and Vik Dalishus are highly frowned upon by the entire Board of Directors, and their actions will be addressed in greater detail in the very near future. For the time being, there is no immediate punishment for either wrestler going forward. However, we recognize the severity of their actions and have decided to make a swift, wholesale change to our wrestling company.
Therefore, effective immediately, the brand of 787 Pro Wrestling has been folded and will cease to exist from this day forward. In its place, the Board Directors and myself have agreed to maintain the name of our governing body, Ultimate Wrestling. The new brand extension, specifically named Ultimate Wrestling EAST, will hold its next event as scheduled. “RedLine” will take place on Sunday May 5th, 2013 2:30pm at the Troy Boys and Girls Club.
Since our inaugural event back in January, we have set out to change the face of the Independent Wrestling scene in the Capital Region, and we intend to continue that mission by upholding our promise to deliver family-friendly entertainment in a fun and exciting atmosphere. It is the foundation upon which this company has been built and we will continue to deliver the very best of what we offer. Please continue to stay up to date on events, matches, and all news regarding Ultimate Wrestling at our new website, ultimatewrestlingeast.webs.com, new facebook page, facebook.com/UWeast, new twitter page, twitter.com/UWeast, and main website UltimateWrestling.US. Thank you for your continued support, and we’ll see you all in Troy on May 5th.
Sincerely,
J.P. Black
General Manager
Ultimate Wrestling EAST
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Whew! If I were Vik Dalishus & Cloudy, though, I'd be thinking about going to confession. Considering there are a handful of churches in the immediate vicinity of the Boys & Girls Club........!

On DVD: Slappily Married (1946)

Before joining The Three Stooges, Joe DeRita starred in a quartet of 2-reel shorts for Columbia, all of which can be found on a 3-disc Stooge DVD compilation that also features shorts starring Shemp Howard & Joe Besser.

You may have figured out that when DeRita finally joined the team to do movies, he'd shaved his head so's to closely resemble the late Curly Howard. Well, in "Slappily Married", a remake of an Andy Clyde short from a few years prior, DeRita has a full head of dark hair, combed to resemble Shemp's signature 'do.

Stooge damsel Christine McIntyre plays Joe's wife. 

Edit, 10/3/24: Had to change the video. This colorized print will have to do.



I'd say he should've quit while he was ahead, but he was never really leading man material.

Rating: C.