Red Neck Soap Operas

So I admit I have been silent for far too long during a time when there is plenty going on to talk about in the world of wrestling. In this post I begin to try to piece together my thoughts on what has been happening since my last post.

The first item on the agenda is R Truth turning heel. Great choice. I expected him to be a great heel, and he has so far proven me right. He plays crazy very well, and I think he is on the right track to getting over if he doesn’t play it too silly.

The next thing that happened was Christian Being screwed out of the WWE title. I thought this was wrong and cheap. I think Christian deserves better. However I will say it launched a great rivalry that kept me tuning in wondering who was going to turn heel, and when it was going to happen. It ended up launching another great heel turn in Christian who is carrying on the angst of Edge. Christian is doing a great job of filling the hole that edge left behind, and he is now the title holder again. So it all works out in the end.

On the TNA front, Wrestling started to matter! The Stinger came back with a vengeance and won the title and started his campaign to restore TNA to it’s core ideals and original vision. There has been some great TV in his rants at Hulk Hogan that gave me the goose bumps. It did so because Sting was speaking the truth. Then launched the wind up to destination X, that brought a bunch of the indie boys to TV to compete in the PPV. Lots of good matches and surprises that kept me watching. Then angle whooped double J’s ass multiple times. Street fight was great, and worth mentioning. And now Sting seems to be losing his mind, and I think that he thinks he is the joker, but he is still speaking truth to Hogan Bishoff and making Impact wrestling relevant and exciting again.

Back in WWE CM punk began to shoot on the mike at a live Raw event. This whole story line (if that is what it is), has been brilliant!!! The things that Punk has been saying are mind blowing. He says things that are not allowed to be uttered in the WWE like “wrestling”, “Wrestler”, he mentioned other promotions, indie wrestlers, and even Took shots at the McMahon family. Being a fan of indie wrestling and specifically of Colt Cabana I thought that the shout out to his fellow second city saint was awesome. (And if you do not subscribe to the Art of Wrestling podcast, you should. It will give you a greater appreciation of not just indie wrestling, but what a wrestler’s life/career is really like.) This rant launched the most entertaining story line that the WWE has seen since God knows when. It has blurred the lines between a shoot and a work, (or between reality and fiction), and also made for Great TV. Of course the WWE didn’t miss a chance to reestablish Cena as a stand up guy, and the “Baby”-face of the company. The relieving of Vince McMahon of his position, and giving it over to Triple H was a stroke of genius and completely unexpected. Every week for the last 2 months the WWE has managed to really draw me in and leave me wanting more. I can’t wait to see where this story line goes. The WWE has gone from Blah to Relevant and exciting TV in the span of two months.

So while Impact has Taken the focus back to the roots of wrestling and what put them on the map, the WWE has put the focus back on what they do the best… story writing and entertainment value… whichever way you go, there is no denying that it is a GREAT time to be a wrestling fan!

Thanks for reading,

JPeg

Macho Madness

I wanted to take an opportunity to write about a Legend that was lost today. Randy Macho Man savage.

When I first started watching wrestling I remember a handful of names that stood out in my mind. But my three favorites were hulk Hogan, Ultimate warrior, and Macho man. I assume that macho and warrior were my favorites at the time because they were larger than life and wore bright colors and as a little kid those are the kinds of things that impress you, and Hogan because… well everyone loved Hogan then.

As I have said before on here I remember my brother and I wrestling in the pool, on our beds, or on the couches. When one of us would lose, … who am I kidding? When my older brother would pin me, I would call out the name of a different wrestler that I was now and we would go at it again. “Now I am the ultimate warrior.” “Now I am Macho man.”

Now that I am older and I have been able to go back and rewatch some of that stuff, and pick what I like, Macho Man is in two of my favorite matches of all time.

Macho Man vs. Ricky ‘the dragon’ steamboat at wrestlemania three for the intercontinental championship. This match was great! When I watched it I remember thinking going in that macho was a gimmick with big muscles, and after thinking “Wow that guy can freaking wrestle!” I remember feeling proud at my choice of favorites when I was too young to know better. An “I always did have good taste” sort of thing. I like the use of the bell and the taking “time outs” out of the ring just to remind us that he was the heel of the match. Not only did those guys go out and tear it up from a wrestling stand point but they also told a hell of a story at the same time. Overall a great match!!!

The other is Macho man vs. Hulk Hogan at Wrestlemania five for the WWF heavy weight title. This match is on my list mostly because of the nostalgia that goes along with that time for me.  I remember that feud and the lead up to that match. My two favorites from that time wrestling it out for not only the WWF title, but for Ms. Elizabeth. There is a move in there that I have always been impressed with. Randy started a running bull dog with Hogan. Instead of planting him face first into the mat, he hurtles the ropes and turns it into a hotshot, with Macho landing on the outside of the ring and Hogan’s throat taking the full weight of macho madness across the ropes! Still like to rewind and watch that move over and over again.

In short this is a Wrestling great that meant a lot to me as a fan. He was one of the most iconic figures this sport has ever seen, and one of the first images of this sport that I remember seeing. He will be greatly missed! My thoughts and prayers go to the Poffo family, and especially his wife.

R.I.P Randy Savage. Oooooh Yeeeeaaaah. The tower of power, too sweet to be sour, funky like a monkey, and space is the place. The lord and master of the ring. You will be missed.

In the words of Tommy dreamer “Hope u walk the aisle w/ Liz & Sherri again”

Stable Soapbox

I want to preface this, and everything I post on here by saying that I know I am just a fan and this is just my opinion.

When I say Evolution, Dx, nation of domination, main event mafia, wolf pack, N.W.O., the four horsemen, the heart foundation, or Legacy, what comes to mind?

They are all stables right? One of the ongoing traditions in pro wrestling is the stable. Usually, not always, but usually a more experienced star in the lead building up and mentoring younger athletes. This has helped advance the careers of many young superstars: triple H, Randy Orton, Batista, X-Pac, Mark Henry, and on and on…

Where have the stables gone in the WWE? There are stables now I suppose in WWE to some extent. Nexus and Corre, but I think that stables comprised of all newer stars are pointless. I would like to say that I respect that CM Punk has been put in the position to head up nexus. I think that is the element that was missing from that group of guys. They needed an elder statesman to give them some guidance. Even if that guidance is how to be a top notch heel.

I think that TNA has it dialed in pretty well with immortal, and fortune. WWE should take note. I feel that in the WWE there is a good base of young talent, but that they are all pushing and floundering trying to make a name for themselves. I don’t know if it is that the established stars don’t want to be bothered to invest the time in their younger counterparts, or if the WWE creative team feels that it is unimportant. I assume the later. (And of all the stars out there I think it is interesting that CM punk, the most unlikely guy personality wise is the one leading a stable at present). I figure that the “elder statesmen” as I termed them before, do in fact help the new guys and take guys under their wings. The problem is that it is not televised! Association with their favorite superstars will put the next generation “over” in the eyes of the fans. It HAS worked multiple times in the past!

In my opinion it is past time to start rising up the next gen of superstars in the WWE, but not too late. When WWE is losing guys like Hunter, Taker, and HBK recently or in the near future to retirement they are losing the opportunity to put over younger guys to take their place. I know for a fact that there is plenty of young talent in the company already. Anyone who is familiar with Indy promotions knows what these guys are capable of, but not all the fans spend the time to seek out Indy shows. All they need is the help of the company and the existing stars to put them over.

I sometimes feel like (from things I have heard, seen, and read) that the WWE has an aversion to putting guys “over”. Like they are scared that if they put a guy over that they will have to shell out more cash to that guy, so they keep them down to some extent. The company needs to realize that soon the older guys will start disappearing and then the bottom will fall out on the fan base of the WWE. We have seen it happen multiple times now, (NXT, ECW, Superstars). When there is no established talent on a show, then the fans get bored and stop tuning in. the WWE was built thus far with one to two weekly shows with all of the talent dispersed between them. They need to stop dumping all the new talent on a show by themselves because the fans eventually tune out.

I was thinking of writing examples here of what possible stables there could be, but I am quickly realizing that the options are literally endless. The times that the business has been the best is during times of competition, and not just company to company competition, but stable to stable also. The creative team seems intent to make the “over” guys (like Cena, Orton, Hunter, etc) out to be super heroes that can take on any stable single handedly. Can you imagine the possibilities of Giving Cena a Stable? A week to week association with that guy would be priceless for the young guys. This would also set up future story lines about teacher verses student etc.

I also want to say here I have no idea what happened to Legacy. After that stable fragmented Ted and Cody should be much bigger names than they are. I feel like the company has messed up what they began there, especially with Ted Jr. I think that a new feud between Ted or Cody and Orton would rekindle those fires in the fans. It also bugs the crap out of me when they give a guy one televised match and if the crowd doesn’t FREAK OUT then they don’t see air time again for weeks or months. The only way a guy will get over is weekly exposure.

If the WWE reinstitutes the concept of Mentoring Stables then I will get REALLY excited about the future as a fan. If not, I am really dreading the awkward transition period that will happen when the guard changes. I know I have been speaking a lot in absolutes, and that there is also a good amount of mid card talent that will step into those rolls if necessity, but why not help them out a little with the stable system also?

I am climbing off of my soap box now. Hope you hear the point I am trying to make. As always I welcome your input. Thanks for reading.

JPEG

“Whatcha Gonna Do Brother?”

In the last few months I have been seriously trying to think of what (if anything) I should post here on this blog I created. Trying to find something interesting that I am passionate enough about to speak educatedly on, that people might want to read. Or if people aren’t interested in reading it, then at least I can get some stuff off of my chest and vent. After much thinking about pretentious crap that would sound forced, it dawned on me.

I LOVE wrestling!

I am VERY passionate about it. I spend most of my free time watching it on DVD or online. I love learning the history of the business, and looking for that next match to add to my favorites list. I know a lot of you have seen my tweets, (if not follow me @jamespegler *wink*), and called me a dork, nerd, or even gay, but I don’t really care about any of that. I realize that I am in fact a nerd, and a dork, and I am ok with that. I am glad that I have found something to be passionate about, “and if you ain’t down with that I’ve got two words for ya!” 

To be completely honest I think that most of you (males especially) have a spot somewhere inside that is a wrestling fan anyway, but because of pressure of people saying wrestling, (sports entertainment for the WWE crowd) is gay or Fake or whatever, you have suppressed the desire to watch it. I used to be in that crowd. And to anyone who says it is fake I would tell you to watch a few shows and see if you think that you could take the bumps that these guys take. The results of the match may be decided before hand, but the art, skill, and pain are very real I assure you.

I loved watching WWF when I was a little kid with my older brother on Saturday morning. I thought it was the coolest thing ever! My brother and I would pretend to be Hogan, ultimate warrior, hot rod, Sgt. Slaughter etc. and proceed to kick the crap out of each other every other week at our dad’s house. Until I was about 8 or 9 and we blew up a feather pillow doing it and in turn blew up our step mother’s vacuum trying to clean it up. From that day on wrestling was banned from the house.

Then there was a time around age 16 -18 where I used to spend a lot of time at the Hamilton’s house and Wayne the youngest in that family was a fan and I started to get back into it. I remember even tomb stoning him and his friends on a regular basis. But as time moved on I just forgot about it for years.

It wasn’t until I was bored one night and flipping channels that I stopped on Monday night Raw and my Girlfriend who used to be a huge wrestling fan had me stop and watch. I fell in love instantly, and haven’t stopped watching since. So I figured that since I have many opinions and ideas regarding this sport / industry, and I am so into it, then this is what I should be writing about.

So henceforth this blog will for the most part be about wrestling and related topics. I know this is strange and sort of  like dooming myself to low views due to the fact that not a lot of my friends are wrestling fans, but i gotta write what   i know, and what i am passionate about. I encourage comments and discussion, and hope you like it.

Water vs. Milk. science of scrambles

i studied up on this today and i think this is right. feel free to leave comments to the contrary if you are a food scientist, chemist, or some one who REALLY KNOWS the truth. this is what i found plus what i know to be true about food.

it seems obvious that all of this comes down to preference…

Eggs contain lecithin wich is an emulsifier. basically it can grab onto water with one end and fat with the other. this is what makes hollandaise and other egg based emulsions possible.

that being said if you whip either milk or water into eggs it will attach itself to the lecithin, and therefore to the egg. 

if you use water it will attach itself, and then as you cook the eggs it evaporates and it creates steam that creates a bubble matrix similar to that of bread. this leaves your eggs light and fluffy. This is also what makes souffle possible. if you add too much water though you will have a watery mess. the general consensus is not to use more that a teaspoon per egg. i personally like less.

if you use milk it will also attach itself, and the water in it will evaporate also, but when it does this it leaves something behind, milk solids, and depending on the fat content of the milk you use, fat too. these solids and fats can leave good flavors but also weigh down the matrix making more dense eggs with creamier flavor.  the more fat the more weight.  now milk solids are what lends baked good their golden brown color. this is also the same for scrambled eggs. the milk solids left behind will make your eggs easier to burn or brown. if you use milk, especially high fat milk or cream, be carefull. watch you heat and don’t over cook. the fat in milk can also lend flavors that can be undesirable in the finished product, so a good rule is to use 2% or lower milk fat in your eggs for creaminess.

of course you don’t have to add anything, and as i said before it all comes down to preference. creamy or fluffy?

thanks for reading,

JPEG

double sad

This weekend i had planned to be out-of-town. I was going to Cape Cod to go to my older brother’s wedding.the process of getting ready to go there has been a long one. since we, (Andi and me),  said we would go we  have been pummeled left and right by financial woes, physical ailments, etc that have made it look like we could not go however we persevered and found ways around all of our obstacles…

then Tuesday morning Andi’s uncle mark was taken to the hospital…

 Mark Stanley is an awesome guy. He builds buildings for baker construction. He is the “on the job” boss for Baker.

• Saturn plant in Springhill, tn…mark
• Nissan building in franklin, tn… mark
• new stadium in Kansas city, mo… mark

and on and on and on. he has left monuments and reminders of his life all over this country.

Mark is also a huge Pittsburg Steelers fan, (like me).  Mark is also an awesome friend, and uncle to Me and my girlfriend Andrea. he is a constant grounding, positive, and warm presence at all Potts family gatherings.

Mark was diagnosed with leukemia last november, and has been fighting this disease ever since. he recently came down with pneumonia, and hasn’t been able to kick it, and it is starting to affect the rest of his body. last night andi stayed up at Vanderbilt with him overnight so that everyone else could go and  rest a little while. and right about now they are moving him down here to a hospice in Columbia, tn.

i dearly love mark and his wife Roberta. needless to say i am glad  to be with them, and support the family at this sad/ hard time they are going through.

I am torn…

i love my girlfriends family, and i now have come to see them as my family too, so i want to be here, and the whole situation with Mark is a sad one that weighs heavy on my heart… yet i am so excited about my brothers wedding that i am feeling very down about not being able to go.  on top of all this i am feeling very guilty for being bummed because i couldn’t go to my brother’s wedding because of what is happening here.

the final verdict is that i am staying in TN and spending time supporting  Roe, andi, and the rest of the family. i know this is the best decision. i was just  wondering if anyone has had a similar situation, and possibly had encouraging words to help pick me up. this is not the first time my heart has been torn between two places at once. it is never fun.

so i will be praying for Mark and Roe and the family for peace and comfort, at the same time i am praying for my brother and Dianne to have a wonderful and blessed time 2000 miles away in Mass.

thanks for reading,

JPEG

Time

today at work I had a deja vu. the kind of thing where you remember an experience as though you have been here, done this before. this phenomenon happens to me pretty often. the only difference was that this time I remembered having a dream about that moment at least 6 to 9 months ago!

after telling the guys at work about this, a co-worker made the statement that the past present and future happens at the same time, but our brains can’t comprehend it so we can only see the present.

we had a long conversation about it, and this is what I think/ what we discussed.

I believe that time does play out all at once. that it sort of over laps and can be viewed all at the same instant… IF YOU ARE OUTSIDE OF IT!  ie God can see it all at once, because he is completely unaffected by it, (outside of time), and possibly the spirits of the dead can also.

i told my co-worker that since we as humans have always looked for cycles, repetitions, and ways to measure time and it’s passing, that therefore it is built into our psyches. therefore we were made and meant to experience time as it passes. we were not meant to be outside of it, and that it is impossible to just jump outside of time at will to view all of it.

he responded “just because no one has ever done it doesn’t mean no one can, or that no one ever will.”

this got me thinking about a few things.

#1 there was one guy who could, (and did),  jump outside of time at will, in mortal human form, and  when he did it changed a few things.

#2 what if the dead can not only see time from the outside, but experience different parts as they happen.

this is what i think.

about the first idea. at one point in history while hanging on the cross right before he died what if christ leapt outside of time and therefore his sacrifice covered all of time at the same moment? that would explain why time was split BC  and AD, and why it got all dark and spooky, and all the weird stuff like the temple veil ripped and world-wide history records wild events on that day. what if that was how it worked. that he covered every moment in time at the same time, and that at every moment in time we are redeemed in that moment! maybe that is why we can feel his spirit everywhere at once.

this made me think about idea #2. what if the dead can go back and re-visit moments from there past? or what if they could revisit places from their life, but only places they experienced while they were alive?  you hear of spirits hanging out in places they frequented in life. that at times you can feel a presence near you, or feel like you are being watched, or feel someone’s spirit lingering in an area.

this part was just a weird what if. like you can go to a place at any point in time but only the places you were at in life. if you go outside of that place then it becomes like the scene in beetle juice where you jump out into a weird desert where the weird stripped worms are waiting to eat your soul! lol

just some interesting thoughts i had today. i thought that i would love to hear what other people thought about time.

so what have you got? thoughts? suggestions? theories? i REALLY would love to hear them.

thanks for reading

JPEG

Two Weeks…

two weeks from today i go under the knife for the first time in my life for hernia surgery. you might say that i have had a charmed life to be 30 before i had surgery for the first time, and you might be right. some have surgeries as soon as they are born, some never have surgery. either way i am pretty nervous.

i am the kind of guy that freaks out at the dentist. i hate being in a bed, or chair being the center of attention, with tubes hanging out of me, or work being done to me of any kind. add to that the idea of being unconscious, naked, and having someone digging around in my guts. No Thanks!!!

then there is the recovery part. think about how many things that you do with your stomach muscles. fart, cough, sneeze, poop, walk, stand up, roll over in bed. all of these require ab muscles. so for a few weeks i am going to be hurting every time i move. yay again!!!

i know in the greater scheme of things hernia surgery is pretty tame. i also know that the doctors do so many of these that they know what they are doing and could probably do it blind folded… still doesn’t help too much.

today i went to the pre-op doctor’s appointment for my surgery where they gave me books about the possible complications with infection, recovery, reoccurrence of injury, and anesthesia. thanks doc but not helping.

then if you add that i am on a really strict diet, and the fact that nine days afterward i am supposed to attempt to drive aprox. 1200 miles to my older brother’s wedding in mass., and financial woes that arise because of all this fun!

a bit stressed out.

however i do get some time off of work. that is nice.

hopefully the time off of work, the road trip, and the atlantic ocean will be enough to relive my stress and relax my weary mind.

what was your first surgery?

what was it  like before and after?

does anyone have any tips about how to relieve stress?

thanks for reading

JPEG

long pause…

i am waiting to say something until i have something worth saying.

Finally…

In 2003 my cousin handed me a book on tape. it was called “the Gunslinger” by Stephen king. it was pretty awesome! i got hooked in immediately. it is a story of a gunslinger slash knight-errant from a different where and when, on a quest to the dark tower to save all worlds in all whens, including ours. it is a huge epic with seven books and lots of twists, turns, ups, downs, connections, and mind-boggling interwoven threads.

For the last seven years i have been listening to and/or reading this series. picking them up and putting them down. always coming back to them. i listened to them on CD as i drove my big orange Van across the united states when i moved to Tennessee. The dark tower series has come to be a very constant and important part of my life. The series for me may have replaced the lord of the rings for me as favorite epic series…

And now i am done!

last night at about 10:30pm after shooting fireworks i came home and finished. it was a decent ending. i don’t know what i expected to happen, but in the end it happened. as Stephen king says the joy of these books is the journey. i agree. awesome characters and story telling. thanks to Mr. king for the awesome journey!

now on to other things. i will miss Roland, jake, Susanna, Eddie, and especially OY, but i am glad it is finished.

any suggestions for more good epic reads?

thanks for reading,

JPEG