What About Chris Hero?

I'm a huge fan of Chris Hero formerly known as Cassius Ohno. Everyone is sitting around debating whether or not CM Punk is staying or going, meanwhile WWE had one of the best guys in wrestling in their hands and let him slip through. There's no definitive explanations as to why he was released. There have been speculations such as he was just not a good fit, bad attitude, to his conditioning. Either way it sucks for fans that wanted to see him in WWE.

Hero rose through the indies with all of the guys that are being praised as the ones putting on the best matches and the future of wrestling right now such as Punk, Daniel Bryan, Sami Zayn, Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose, and his former tag team partner Antonio Cesaro. I didn't mention Roman Reigns because unlike most people I'm not allowing myself to be tricked into falling for this guy. He isn't an indie guy. He never was. He went from college football to a deal with WWE. It doesn't hurt that he's a part of the Anoa'i family. In less than two years he'll be in Hollywood so enjoy him while you can.

If you've never watched a Hero match go and find some of them online. His stuff from Ring Of Honor is good but I prefer his Pro Wrestling Guerrilla stuff. PWG is slept on when it shouldn't be. I'm going to try my damnedest to see some of their shows this year since its here in California. Hero has the ability to play all kinds of roles ranging from bad guy to super baby face. He's athletic, does hardcore when he needs to, and has finishers for days. Whenever I have a wrestling game he's one of the first people I always create.

This is a guy that has been wrestling for years and has such passion for it. He loves to wrestle and you can see it. So what if he doesn't have abs or a deep tan. He's good at what he does. He was one half of the Kings Of Wrestling. Meanwhile everyone is crying over Punk, a guy that if he worked at my job I'd beg for him to quit. Here's this dude that is always on the verge of quitting, never seems happy unless he is getting his way 100%, and is talked about more for his talking than his actual wrestling skills. Speaking of his wrestling skills...

KENTA! Why isn't anyone talking about the fact that Punk took his entire signature moveset and finisher from him?! But KENTA does it better. Fuck, that guy is good. But I digress. I actually wish Hero the best in his future endeavors. Watching him wrestling is fun. I don't think of any backstage drama, who he is banging, or wonder what he is doing outside of the ring.

Click to follow me on Twitter.

read more...

The Spider Slayer

Last night I got the very rare opportunity to watch a UFC pay-per-view live. While hanging out with some friends enjoying pizza and hooch, we checked out the UFC 168 pre-show. While looking at the ring I kept asking “Where the hell did all that blood come from?” because so far no one had bled that much. I found out later it was from the William Patolino/Bobby Voelker fight and was shocked that the ref or doctor didn't stop the fight. Voelker was just pouring blood from his nose to the point he changed the color of Patolino's hair. It was very Ric Flair like.

Overall the show was entertaining. I got to see Chris “The Crippler” Leben fight Uriah Hall and was surprised that Leben was still even fighting. At least he finally got his tattoos filled in. At the end of the first round he got his ass rocked, wasn't sure if he had gotten knocked out, and threw in the towel. Can't blame him. I've seen that damned roundhouse kick that Hall has and the last thing I'd want is to end up on a KO of the year list trying to get up off the ground using my shoulders. The other fights were cool but I was waiting for two specific ladies. Ronda Rousey versus Miesha Tate.

I've been a fan Rousey since I first saw a picture of her but wasn't sure what she did. I started following her career and watching her damn near break arms in every match with an armbar. So Tate comes out and she is all smiling and chipper on her way to the octagon. From the clips that were played and from what I've seen from their Ultimate Fighter coaching I know I am supposed to hate Rousey. But I can't. She's hot. I'm stupid. Its a bad combination. Rousey stormed the ring like she didn't have a friend in the world. The crowd booed the shit out of her. I cheered. I wanted Tate to get destroyed.

These two went at it. Me being me assumed that the match would be over in the first round with Tate on the ground holding her arm so imagine my surprise when Rousey wasn't able to finish her off. Same with the second. At this point I was starting to get worried. Would Rousey lose to these cupcake wearing dame?! Of course not. She tapped her out in the third round and I cheered. The crowd kept booing her but once she posts a picture wearing close to nothing they'll shut their mouths. This woman is damn near perfect. Up next is the main event.

Chris Weidman beat Anderson Silva a few months back and when I read that I was pissed. All my life there have been fighters that I just never wanted to lose. Ever. Mike Tyson, Manny Pacquiao, Cong Le, and Silva. I had seen a few of Weidman's matches and while I know he is a great fighter, he's no Silva. So when Silva got rocked by that punch while doing what he always does, I was pissed. So getting to see this live rematch, which was unplanned last night, was awesome. Me and my three friends all picked Silva to win. I think. I was drinking. Leave me alone.

The fight starts and during the first round Silva is on his back trying not to get knocked out and managing to bust Weidman open. The second round starts and Silva throws a kick and then drops. I shouted “Oh, no!” because I saw what happened. The replays that they mercifully stopped playing showed Silva's leg snap on impact with Weidman's leg and wrap around it. I had seen this in an old MMA match where the guy didn't realize what happened and got mad at the ref for stopping the fight. I'd seen something like this in boxing where a guy broke his leg on the way down after being knocked out and woke up as his leg spun back around.

We couldn't believe what we just saw. People are wondering if he'll ever fight again. I was more concerned with if his ass would walk properly ever again. Seeing a fighter that you like lose is bad. Seeing a fighter that you like have his leg snap in two on live television fucks you up. I hope Silva can make a full recovery and possibly return. Until then we have Weidman to cheer for. I guess.

Click here to follow me on Twitter.

read more...

Make Me My Own Boss

About five years ago I started writing for Tha O Show. It was awesome to watch the show grow from being in the basement (literally) to a awesome ass studio and having wrestlers on I never dreamed they would. Over this time I have written about what I loved about wrestling and tried not to be one of “those guys” that just sit and complain about it as if they have the magical answer to solve a problem. Instead I've continued to work, try to contribute to the show, and do my own thing.

For a while now I have been writing my own stories. Fiction. They range from comedy, suspense, horror, to drama. Whatever they are I try to be original with it and hopefully by the time you're done you like it enough to talk to me about it. Recently with the help of my friend Kiyoshi (whose book “The Death of Death” you can purchase here) I've finally started the process of publishing my own stories.

This is something that people have said I should do over the years but never made any real attempts at. Now I am hoping that with the help of friends, fans, and O-Sters that I can live the dream of self employment. Please keep me away from reality television (what I've been doing the past three years)!

These cost $1.25 and can be used on Kindles and all that other magical technical stuff you kids use. You can even order one in paperback for people like me that are afraid of The Singularity! Thanks for even checking these out (you can always read free samples). Please share this and take care.

Click for “Lady Bug” Smashwords and Amazon and paperback.

Click for “The Enabler” on Smashwords and Amazon.

Click for “Morbid Curiosity” on Smashwords and Amazon.

read more...

Tha Classics Part 9

Back when I was around ten years old I was sitting at home watching an episode of Superstars on a Saturday morning as I usually did. On this particular episode I had my mind blown by a situation involving John Tenta also known as Earthquake. This was back in the day when the audience barely brought signs and the only time fans were brought into the ring was when Ted DiBiase would offer money for things (fact: a young Rob Van Dam was one of these fans and kissed some sweaty ass just wrestled feet for a hundred bucks) or when Rick Rude would jam his tongue down some woman's throat.

So The Ultimate Warrior, Dino Bravo, and Jimmy Hart are in the ring doing what was cool back then but makes me groan now which were tests of strength. Tests of strength, pregnancies, and weddings never work out in wrestling. Now, in my house you were either a Hulk Hogan guy or a Warrior guy. My oldest brother was a Warrior guy as well as me, so when Hart called this big ass dude into the ring to sit on the back's of Bravo and Warrior we knew Warrior would win because fuck you its The Ultimate Warrior. This guy could do anything.

So this guy, John, gets on Bravo's back and I'm shouting “He isn't sitting all the way! He's cheating!” “Mean” Gene is there in the ring and everyone is amazed. Next it was Warrior's turn. John gets on his back and then just drops! I get all emotional and shit channeling my inner Jim Ross. “Oh, my god! He's been broken in half!”

Next comes the beatdown of Warrior, Okurland bounces out the ring not even trying to offer help, and a young me is wondering why security is letting this fat dude out of the audience beat up a wrestler. “That's not fair! There's two of 'em!” I'm shouting and my brother is just shaking his head probably wondering why he decided to share the gift of wrestling with me.

Next thing you know this guy from the crowd gets a name and outfit and becomes Earthquake which made me smile because I was born and raised in Los Angeles. His finisher is a simple leap into the air and dropping all his weight on someone laying in the ring. Sounds lame by today's standards but so does Hogan's legdrop. Its all about who is doing it. In this case it was a large Canadian man.

Earthquake went on to have a pretty good career. Lots of non-wrestling fans actually know of him as Earthquake and will ask what happened to him. He sadly passed away from cancer a few years back but will always have a place in my heart as the guy that traumatized me when he jumped onto Jake “The Snake” Roberts bag, squashing his snake Damien. Seriously. 

read more...

Is This What You Wanted?

Is this what you all wanted? Daniel Bryan floundering in a upcoming tag team with CM Punk? This can’t be what you all wanted. These two were arguably involved in the top feuds in WWE in the past possibly two years and they are each now working together to fight the powers that be. With Punk I’m not really all that upset with whatever happens to him anymore. Punk’s DVD actually made me like him even less. But Bryan pisses me off because he made me enjoy watching wrestling again after many months of just watching Dolph Ziggler flying around the ring clips. Damn, that man can make any move look painful.

Bryan was picked by John Cena to face him for the title which led to Vince McMahon saying that he didn’t deserve such a shot and HHH supporting Bryan. It was awesome. Bryan was putting on great matches weekly and even managed to make Ryback cool again. Seriously, Ryback is not all that awesome anymore. But this isn’t about him. Its about Bryan being turned into just another wrestler I used to enjoy watching.

So Bryan faces Cena at Summerslam, and goddamn, it was great! The match had moments where I was screaming at Cena “Tap you son of a bitch! I wanna watch wrestling again!” Then he wouldn’t and I’d go “Of course you won't tap, you asshole!” So when Bryan won I lost it. I seriously lost my shit.

This was not just Bryan’s moment, it was mine. You have to understand, at one point in my life I was watching close to 14 hours of wrestling a week which has now dwindled to 4 minutes Youtube clips. If Bryan had that belt I was going to be watching every show he was on. I wanted the shirt. I wanted the belt. This guy made me a kid again! And then…

Randy Orton cashed in his Money In The Bank contract after HHH screwed Bryan over. You know extreme highs becoming extreme lows? This was me. Truth be told, I’m a mark. I am that guy that hates being yanked back into reality when watching movies or any form of entertainment. I never refer to Edge as Adam Copeland. I’m a Black version of that “Its still real to me!” guy. Orton getting the title...belt...strap...fuck it. Championship. Orton getting the championship to me meant a few things.

1. In with the old, out with the new. Instead of seeing some great matches with Bryan being this underdog (whatever that means anymore) champion and fighting against whoever the man sent his way, we get Bryan being screwed over on TV and even pay per view for the love of it all. We get Bryan being told things that folks on the internet have said about him for years and what Vince, HHH, whoever may also believe to be true. We have his mentor, Shawn Michaels, turning on him.

2. Bryan got the belt back only to have it stripped away. This was just to fuck with me, I’m sure. I was sure they wouldn’t keep the belt on Orton. At one point I was a huge fan of the guy. But, like HHH, he started off one way, became another, and stuck that way for better or worse.

3. Midcard madness! Now Bryan is teaming with Punk to take on the Wyatt’s. I liked Bray Wyatt...when he was called Waylon Mercy. I’m kidding. But seriously, watch an old Mercy promo with Wyatt’s music playing in the background and tell me its not the same character right down to the white pants. Now while I like the Wyatt’s fine, they should be nowhere near Bryan or even Punk. Wasn’t Punk in a high level feud with Brock Lesnar? Then Mr. Perfect’s son whose name isn’t worth recalling at the moment? Then Ryback? Who’d this guy piss off? Weren’t the Wyatt’s the fighting Kane who is now a part of the HHH regime? It makes no sense!

I remember the night Bryan was screwed over for the title. I went on Tha O Show’s Facebook page and was met with so many people telling me that I didn’t know how “the business” worked. That this storyline was “good for business.” I even had one guy explain to me how wrestling worked. I’ve been watching this for 31 years now. I know how it works. I know how my complaints mean nothing nor does my satisfaction because I’m not a consumer of the product.

I’m just another internet guy complaining.

read more...

Tha O Show: Episode 329

Happy Halloween O-sters!  Someone is getting a carbon footprint right in the mush this week!  Don't let it be you! Coming up on tonight's show.... In Part 1: Hell in a Cell fallout and future Shawn Michaels turn Damien Sandow, was his loss a mistake or a blessing? TNA departures and their immediate future Hogan and a possible return in the WWE Cena's role in the company and why he is irreplaceable In Part 2: We chat with former WWE and TNA star, "The Blueprint" Matt Morgan! "I wanted to reinvent the big guy" - Matt Morgan Morgan talks about a whole host of topics, including - reinventing the image of the big man in pro wrestling his inspiration outside of wrestling how Jim Cornette changed his outlook on working smart the change in the wrestling landscape / psychology and if wrestling is evolving fast enough his opinion on his TNA run and their current situation.  Thoughts on the potential sale the storyline pace in the business and how it hurts the fans' perception his first run in the WWE and the crucial mistake he made his passion for basketball and more!! This interview was sponsored by IpadsAndAndroids.com in conjunction with NWA Florida Underground who are running an iPPV this Friday, where Matt Morgan will defend the heavyweight title! Order the iPPV by going to http://wwnlive.com/ Join our Online Community! ThaOShow on Facebook Follow us on Twitter: @ThaOShow @BDDIsAnAsshole @notorioustid @VoodooDrew Follow us on Instagram: @BigDaddyDonnie @TID420 Watch us on YouTube: Tha O Show Dan-e-o Perfeck Strangers So Sick Social Club

read more...

Tha O Show: Episode 328

We areeeeeeeeeeeee back!!!  Tha O Show is on the air folks!  Big Daddy Donnie, Notorious T.I.D. and Voodoo Drew are all back in studio and ready to tear shit up! In Part 1: Lots of talk from WWE, TNA and more!   In Part 2: Check our exclusive interview with Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake!! Tune in! All that PLUS MORE! Join our Online Community! ThaOShow on Facebook Follow us on Twitter: @ThaOShow @BDDIsAnAsshole @notorioustid @VoodooDrew Follow us on Instagram: @BigDaddyDonnie @TID420 Watch us on YouTube: Tha O Show Dan-e-o Perfeck Strangers So Sick Social Club

read more...

Tha O Show: Episode 327

This week we bring you a shortened version of Tha O Show.   Big Daddy Donnie is broadcasting from his home studio - but NEXT week ... the whole crew will be back together, AND Tha O Show will begin broadcasting LIVE! On this week's show, BDD talks about WWE Battleground, the top programs in WWE, some mainstream news and more! Our featured interview this week is with the intellectual savior of WWE ... Mr. Money In The Bank, Damien Sandow! Your welcome. Join our Online Community! ThaOShow on Facebook Follow us on Twitter: @ThaOShow @BDDIsAnAsshole @notorioustid @VoodooDrew @Daneo10 Follow us on Instagram: @BigDaddyDonnie @TID420 Watch us on YouTube: Tha O Show Dan-e-o Perfeck Strangers So Sick Social Club

read more...