If You Smelllllll...What The Rock's Cousin...Is Cooking... "Royal Rumble 2015"

Royal Rumble

WWE Network

Only $ 9.99!

So another year has come and gone, and the greatest PPV of the year is now over.

However this year's Rumble felt a little... flat.

I expect more carnage and mayhem and fun in the Rumble, and I can't help but think the WWE Universe was short-changed just a bit.

The matches leading up to the main events were fine.

The World Heavyweight Championship between Rollins, Cena and Lesnar was a classic for the ages, and at the end of the night, the decision to let Brock retain the gold for WrestleMania is the right one, especially if you're going to build up a new star.

Which leads us to the Rumble.

A few returns from some names of Superstars past was fun. It was also nice to see Zack Ryder back in action from his injury.

But Bray Wyatt throwing everyone out early left the first third of the Rumble kind of boring.

It didn't fill with people and mayhem until almost the final third of the match, and by then it's almost too little, too late.

Eliminating fan favorite Daniel Bryan early this year caused them to lose the Philly crowd for almost the rest of the night.

Even Kofi Kingston's usual survival antics were telegraphed and really short-lived. :(

Note to WWE Executives: When you book a PPV or Raw in a Heel Town, expect the crowd to cheer the bad guys and Daniel Bryan.

Don't be shocked when they turn on whatever other decisions you have planned.

When Dolph Ziggler came out at the #30 and final spot, you began to think they are really going to push Ziggler as the David and Goliath story against Lesnar.

Nope.

It's all about Roman Reigns.

The beast from LAST year's Rumble gets his win, and moves on to WrestleMania to face Brock Lesnar.

Even an appearance from his cousin, The Rock, could barely turn the crowd back in Reigns favor as the crowd wanted, well, pretty much anyone other than the obvious choice.

Then the PPV ended with over 20 minutes to go in the usual running time...

Sorry WWE, that's not Best for Business.

Even at just $9.99.

Final Grade: B  And considering I normally give this show an A/A-, you can feel my Philly heat!

:)

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I might watch parts again on the WWE Network, otherwise, see you next year for the 29th installment of my favorite PPV!

The Rock Is "Hercules". Talk About Typecasting!

Hercules (2014)

Rated PG-13

Starring Dwayne Johnson, Ian McShane, John Hurt, Rufus Sewell,

Directed by Brett Ratner

The Story:

Hercules (Johnson) is much more man than the legends would have you believe. However, he travels with his companions to earn their wages and set up for an eventual retirement. When he is approached to help Lord Cotys (Hurt) train an army to defend themselves, Hercules and his companions may have finally reached the end of their legend.

I think the biggest knock against this one, aside from Brett Ratner directing, was that it didn't play up the actual legend of Hercules.

On the contrary, it actually made sense out of how a legend of Hercules could have grown without him being the actual son of Zeus.

If he indeed was not the son of Zeus.

McShane and Sewell provide great support to The Rock as his compatriots.  The whole ensemble works, and makes the most of their screen time together building camaraderie amongst the group.
Naturally, Dwayne Johnson is his usually charismatic self and plays the part of Hercules with his usual wink and smile delivery, but enough remorse and regret because of his troubled past.

It may not be the greatest adaptation of the legendary warrior, but I enjoyed it.

Come to think of it, I'd be hard-pressed to come up with a better version anyway.

So there!

:)

Final Grade: B-

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I enjoyed it enough, and was pleased to see a copy under the tree for Christmas. :)

If You Smell... What The Gods... Are Cookin' "Hercules"

Hercules (2014)

Rated PG-13

Starring Dwayne Johnson, Ian McShane, Rufus Sewell, John Hurt, Aksell Hennie, Ingrid Berdal, Reese Ritchie, Tobias Santelmann, Rebecca Ferguson

Directed by Brett Ratner

The Story:

Hercules (Johnson) is now a mercenary, traveling the lands with his trusted companions (McShane, Sewell, Hennie, Berdal and Ritchie), earning their keep by giving the people what they want: the legendary Hercules.  When hired to help Lord Cotys (Hurt) save Thrace from the centaur army of King Rhesus (Santelmann), Hercules and his crew are going to be able to retire from their  mercenary ways and live life like the kings they have served...
Provided they live through it!

An interesting take on the legend of Hercules.

What if Hercules was simply that,  a legend of Greek Mythology?

Embellishing the stories and exploits of Hercules has brought the warrior fame and recognition around Greece.

Some of his labors are shown at the beginning of the movie, but as the story unfolds, the labors are explained away as heroic deeds, to be sure, but ones that were greatly exaggerated.

Now shunned from Athens because of a horrible mistake, Hercules just wants to be able to get far away from his legend and be free.

Brett Ratner does a fine job crafting a period action yarn.  The scenery is just beautiful and the massive battle scenes are very well done.

I have always loved seeing how the Greek/Roman armies fought in battle, and I wasn't disappointed.

Add in the occasional humorous moment or dialogue, especially from McShane or Sewell, and it makes for a fun 90 minute romp at the cinema.

Dwayne Johnson of course is a natural to play Hercules.  He adds a layer of sadness to the son of Zeus which truly humanizes the character.

At the end of the film, whether Hercules truly was the son of Zeus is open to interpretation, but there is no doubt that he is very much a hero.

Final Grade:  Solid B.  I had a good time.

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I'd happily buy this one and watch it again in the future.

Thirty Years Of "Wrestlemania" Running Wild On You!

Every year, for 30 years, Vince McMahon has held a party around my birthday weekend.

For that, I appreciate my annual gift from the WWE.

This year with the WWE Network, I was able to see WrestleMania live for the first time...legally...

:)

I've purchased Royal Rumbles before, but otherwise, that's the only Pay Per View I don't want to miss.

Now, for 10 bucks a month, I get to watch every PPV and 1000s of other hours of PPVs and shows anytime, anywhere.

More stuff than I'll ever be able to actually watch, and I know for that, my wife is happy.

The night before, several superstars were inducted into the Hall of Fame, including 2 of my favorites from back in the day: Jake the Snake Roberts and Razor Ramon.

It was a long ceremony, with some rambling speeches, one by Mr. T that ended up getting called for exceeding the time limit.

Whoops!

:)

As for the program itself, it opened with Hulk Hogan coming down to welcome us to the Silverdome!

Only problem, brother, is that was the site of WrestleMania III, and we are actually at the SuperDome in New Orleans.

Stone Cold Steve Austin comes out to join him, and then the duo are joined by The Rock!

The first 30 minutes were worth the price of the admission alone.

Then a brutal contest opens with Triple H versus Daniel Bryan, the winner moves on to the main event against Orton and Batista.

Again, for those that say it's fake, find replay shots of the Daniel Bryan sized boot-bruise on Triple H's leg!  Yowch!

Great match, and the right outcome to keep the crowd happy.

The 30 Man Andre the Giant Battle Royal offered several great moments for superstars, especially Kofi and Cesaro.  Fun match.

And then it was time for...

The Streak!

The Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar.

Let me just say, I never in my life thought I would see the Streak end, except when the Undertaker decided to retire.

I've never seen 75,000 people suddenly so quiet...

The stadium stayed that way deep into the championship match before Daniel Bryan finally willed the people to cheer again.

Chaos ensued in the no disqualification match as it was literally a mountain of Attitude Era shenanigans that conspired to destroy Bryan's chances.

Did he overcome?

Yes.
Yes.
Yes.

Final Grade: A-

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: It's one for the ages.  I'll likely revisit several matches again in the future.

"The Rundown" - The Humble Beginnings Of An Action Star

The Rundown (2003)
Rated PG-13 for language and violence

Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Seann William Scott, Christopher Walken, Rosario Dawson

Directed by Peter Berg

The Story:

Beck (Johnson)  is a bounty hunter who wants to get out of his line of work and become a chef.  If he takes one last job, to bring back the boss's son, Travis (Scott) from the Amazon, he'll get his money, and be free to go.

What could possibly go wrong?

Ah, the Rock's first film, free from the Mummy-verse, this was the 2nd production offering from the newly created WWE Studios.

This is one that's a guilty pleasure that I usually leave on if I'm surfing through channels and stumble across it.

The Rock gets off to a great start as an action hero, even getting the proverbial passing of the torch from Ah-nuhld at the very beginning of the film.

Seann William Scott is annoyingly hilarious as the 2nd half of the proven successful buddy cop/partner film.  The oil to the Rock's water.

Great B Movie fun, enhanced by Christopher Walken chewing up the Amazon as the bad guy who's making life difficult for both of the guys.

The fight scenes are impressive and very well-choreographed.

Peter Berg is a very underrated director in my opinion.

The running time is just about perfect, just over 90 minutes, and there's really never any dull moments.

I hear rumors that a sequel is in the works.

About time.

:)

Final Grade: A-

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I own it, and I try and watch it at least once a year.

Relive The Heist Heard Round The World..."Empire State"

Empire State (2013)
Rated R for language and violence

Starring: Liam Hemsworth, Michael Angarano, Dwayne Johnson

The Story:

Chris (Hemsworth) starts working as a security guard for the Empire State armored car company.  Shortly after starting, he is involved in a robbery attempt.  At that point, he mentions to his friend Eddie (Angarano) that the security is pretty lax and the millions they store in the vault would be easy pickings.  Well, Eddie talks... wheels get set in motion, and suddenly the company is robbed.  Detective Ransone (Johnson) begins investigating and all signs point to the robbery being an inside job.

Did I mention that this was a real story?

The actual Chris involved wrote the script and produced the film.

Guess where he got the money?

:)

You'll find out at the end that some of the money that went missing was never recovered. 

Things that make you go...hmm...


Overall, not a bad film, though Hemsworth could use a shot of charisma.  He's definitely not his brother, but come on, between this and Paranoia, I'm finding it hard to take him seriously as the star of a film.


Don't let the cover fool you, Emma Roberts is nothing more than a glorified cameo.

Even The Rock...sorry, Dwayne Johnson, only is in the film for less than half the runtime.  His parts are well used to bridge the movie together.

But this is all Hemsworth, all the time.

As Heist Films go, it's okay.  Considering they got away with it, to some extent, way to go guys.


Now streaming on Netflix as of this writing.


Final Grade: C+

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Not a purchase, but I could watch it again if it was on and I couldn't find the remote. ;)

Whatchoo Gonna Do When "The WWE Network" Runs Wild On You, Brother?

First the Marvel Universe comes to the big screen and doesn't suck...

Then a 24/7 WWE network launches...


It's like I found a magic lamp and got three wishes, but I couldn't make any wishes that would solely benefit me, nor could I cure any disease or cause world peace.

So yeah, that sounds about right!

:)

For those that are still reading, the WWE Network launched last Monday.

For 10 bucks a month, they are streaming on your tablets, phones, computers, Playstations, Xboxes...

If you can get a signal, it'll stream!

What are they streaming you ask?

Well for starters, every Pay-Per-View event in the history of the company is online.  I've heard rumors that about less than a handful of events are missing, but I'm sure they'll be added.

In addition, they've added PPV events from WCW and ECW as well.

Plus, they've got past replays of Raw, Smackdown, Main Event, Superstars...

There is the wrestling superstars of tomorrow with NXT.

They have original programming...

There is so much content it will literally blow your mind.

Plus, it works just like a regular channel, you turn it on and there is something already in progress playing.  You have the option to jump in and continue watching, or start over from the beginning.

Or go to the menu and choose from any of the items that I listed above.

The place is interactive and user friendly.

Oh yeah, I failed to mention that subscription to the channel brings each NEW PPV to your home, live when it happens.  That includes the Big Four: Royal Rumble, Wrestlemania, SummerSlam and Survivor Series.  Plus the other 8 that round out the calendar year.

All included in the price of subscription.

So basically, for the price of ordering Royal Rumble and Wrestlemania once each year, you get all of this...

And much...much more.

Kid. Candy store.

I think you can smell what the Rock is cookin'...

The only downside I can see, is there is probably no way that the price remains this low in the future.

I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.

Final Grade: A+

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Infinitely rewatchable.  I'm in.

Time To Play The Game... "Triple H: Thy Kingdom Come"

WWE: Triple H- Thy Kingdom Come

Starring Triple H, The Rock, Vince McMahon, Stephanie McMahon, Jim Ross, The Undertaker

The Story:

The WWE returns with another excellent documentary, this time chronicling the career of Triple H.

I've made no secret that I think Triple H is one of my favorite wrestlers of all time.

While The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin were the undeniable stars of the WWE during the Attitude Era, Triple H made an excellent foil for them both when they were not facing off against each other.

It's fun going back and watching his rise to stardom from very humble beginnings to where he is today.

I also make no secret that I find the criticism that he married the boss' daughter being the only reason that caused him to make it to the top, to be complete rubbish.

He was at the top before their relationship ever happened, and he has been far removed from the main title picture for so long now, it's not even remotely valid criticism.

The only thing it did allow, was for a smoother transition to the other side of helping run the WWE as his in-ring career winds down.

Which is really no different than what Vince McMahon has done for dozens of wrestlers who help behind the scenes after they hang up the boots.

Triple H just gets a bigger office.

;)

Great documentary, now available for streaming on Netflix as of this writing.

Final Grade: A

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I'd love to add this to the WWE collection side of the DVD library. :)

It's Time To Pump...You Up! "Pain and Gain"

Truth is stranger than fiction.

And way more coked up!

The Story:

Daniel Lugo (Mark Wahlberg) is a fitness trainer at a local gym in Florida.  He's tired of getting nowhere in search of the American dream, so he has a plan:  Steal it from a rich jerk, Victor Kershaw (Tony Shalhoub).  So he enlists his best friend Adrian (Anthony Mackie) and they bring in some even bigger muscle in ex-con Paul (Dwayne Johnson) to pull off their heist.  Things don't go so well, but eventually they begin to bleed Victor dry of all of his assets.  Then things begin to go from bad to worse for the trio...

Sure, some of the events are exaggerated for the big screen, but basically, this is a true story unfolding before your eyes.

It's unbelievable in the ineptitude of our trio, and also the sheer willpower of Victor to not get killed!  Insane...

I must mention that it's a film directed by Michael Bay, which should immediately make many people roll their eyes and groan.

Not this guy, I've got no problem with the majority of his films.  They're perfect popcorn films.

The hard part of this film is that it is based on a true story.  It's hard to root for either side because one side is doing illegal things and the other is a jerk.  But you feel bad rooting against either, because they do a good job playing their roles.

The guy deserves to have his money stolen... and they deserve to go to jail.

Hard to have a rooting interest when your own film divides the feelings of the audience.

Of the cast, The Rock easily steals the picture as the larger than life coke head.  He's funny and he delivers the best lines throughout the film. 

Also not mentioned is the always great Ed Harris as the private detective who helps bring the trio to justice.  Nice to see him playing a good guy again, as he's been wearing the black hat too often lately.

Crazy story you have to see to believe.

Final Grade: B-/C+ range.  Good but not great.

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor:  I'd probably have to pass on owning it, and I'm not sure I'd sit through it again.  Once was good.  Maybe after a few years have passed?

The Man Who Changed the Monday Night Wars..."WWE: For All Mankind: The Life and Career of Mick Foley"

Have a Nice Day!

The Story:

This is the story of Mrs. Foley's baby boy.  The man who grew up to be the wrestling icon known by many names, but forever linked as Mick Foley.

Wrestling fans will love this basic career overview.  Some things sweep under the rug if you've seen other DVDs/read books, but if you're going to have a well-made documentary on Mick, this is the one.

The man took a beating for our entertainment, and for that we applaud him to this day.

A very good retrospective with some wonderful insight from a plethora of wrestling greats throughout Mick's career.

The new documentaries from WWE are really pushing their products to the next level.  Very well made, and including a whole lot of company representation offering insight.

Much less fluff, much more heart behind the product.

It's like they finally realized that we already watch your product, we don't need something special to make us turn in.

We want something memorable to tie the careers of our favorite wrestlers into a well made package.

It's actually a joy to hear Mick recount how and when he SHOULD have retired from the ring... 

The man had as many farewell moments as he had differing ring personas.

This one is right up there with the C.M. Punk offering.

Available to stream instantly as of this writing on Netflix.

As a reminder, that's only the documentary, for the matches, you'll have to buy the disc.

Final Grade: A

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Extremely high!  Naturally. : )  There was only one Mick Foley, and those of us who watched the Monday Night Wars will never forget him.

We Must Avenge Channing Tatum! "G.I. Joe: Retaliation" !

Get a piece of the Rock!

The Story:

Since the last movie, apparently all of the cool Joes are now gone, leaving only Duke (Channing Tatum) and Snake Eyes (Ray Park) as the only members still around.  They lead a new crew featuring Lady Jaye (Adrianne Palicki), Flint (D.J. Cotrona) and Roadblock (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson).  When all of the Joes are assembled to keep a nuclear warhead from falling into enemy hands, the President (Johnathan Pryce) orders them killed.  Remember, he's actually Zartan in disguise!  All of the Joes are killed except our new trio (and Snake Eyes...) and together they must discover who brought them down and why... before it's too late!

First, the lingering question of "Where did all the other Joes go?"... lingers.  I don't believe it was ever explained to satisfaction.  I think there was a throwaway line about after the nanomite incident... but that doesn't explain how your entire team disappears.  I was pretty sure everyone was still around when the last film ended.  If it was mentioned other than that, I missed it.

Second, the rumors of the movie being reshot to include more Channing Tatum (because every movie needs more Channing Tatum!!) proved false.  Yay!

If I spoiled that little factoid that Duke doesn't survive the film... well, sorry.  I gathered that piece of information from the trailer without even seeing the movie. :)

Sure, I was sad to see Duke killed, but it's a plot device, and if Scarlett, Duke and the rest are fodder, hasta la vista Duke.  When you think about it, every Joe is expendable at the end of the day, except Snake Eyes.

And apparently now, Roadblock.

Once again it is Dwayne Johnson to the rescue of a franchise.  He brought respectability to the Mysterious Island, and he proved to be an equal as the new guy in Fast Five, and helped propel Fast Six to even bigger box office heights.

Throw the guy into the G.I. Joe mix, and the guy owns the franchise from the minute you see him onscreen.

There is also the glorified cameo from Bruce Willis as the original G.I. Joe from which the unit was named.

A lot of fun, and as expected, even better than the original. 

And yes, I suppose the easiest explanation for the smaller cast, is you can tell a better story when you are only concentrating on a trio of heroes vs. over a dozen.

Plus, it's probably a lot cheaper. ;)

Final Grade: B+

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I don't own it yet, but I'm hoping that situation works itself out in the future. : )

The Only Way To Learn About True Stories is Through a "Snitch"

Don't do the crime if you can't do the time.

Unless your dad is The Rock.

The Story:

Jason Collins (Rafi Gavron) is out of high school, getting ready for college...and enjoys a little weed from time to time.  So his friend tells him he's going to send him a package and to hold it until he gets there.  The package arrives, and it's filled with pills...and a sting operation to arrest him.  His mother (Melina Kanakaredes) is distraught, and turns to her ex-husband, and Jason's estranged father, John (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson) who is a successful construction worker to get him out of jail.  The Prosecuter (Susan Sarandon) says if Jason is willing to set up other druggies, he'll get a reduced sentence.  Jason doesn't know anyone else, and refuses, so he's about to do some hard time.  Dad steps up and offers his services.  Soon he's in over his head as he goes from local distributor to working directly for the cartel.  Will John be able to save his son, or will the cartel find out he's a snitch and kill him first?

Everyone should already know by now, that if The Rock is in the movie, I'm going to be watching, right?  I love the guy, always have, always will.

The fact is, he's only made two movies that I really didn't care for, Be Cool and Southland Tales.

Both were bad, but Dwayne isn't the problem.

Even the best action hero can't save a weak script.

And therein lies the problem with today's movie.

Inspired by true events...yawn...heard it all before...

The movie doesn't ratchet up the drama or the tension to really pull you in as a drama or a thriller.  The action pieces are spread too far apart to make this one an action flick.

Instead, it sort of labors along on the Rock's broad shoulders, but even he can only carry a movie so far on his own.

Along for the ride is Barry Pepper, looking an awful lot like Daniel Bryan under the most ridiculous beard this side of Duck Dynasty, as an undercover cop.  Then there is the "whatever happened to" Benjamin Bratt, as the cartel leader.  It was nice to see him again, I don't think I've seen him in anything since Miss Congeniality.

Not a total waste of time and effort to watch it, but could have been much better.

Final Grade: B-... I'm afraid if I give the Rock a C+, he might come and punch me!

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Sorry Rock, I'm afraid this one isn't going to be added to the collection.  But don't worry, we'll always have The Tooth Fairy! :)

You Will Believe A Lot of Things Can Fly... "Fast and Furious 6"

It's always been about family...

The Story:

The gang is enjoying their lives of luxury, when Agent Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) comes calling to enlist Dom (Vin Diesel) and the crew to help take down Owen Shaw (Luke Evans).  It seems that Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) isn't as dead as everyone thought, and she's working for Shaw to steal some military technology.  Brian (Paul Walker) says that they'll help catch Shaw and save Letty... if they can get full pardons and get their lives back.

The little franchise that could.

For those that have never seen one, the opening credits pretty much catch you up on everything you need to know.

For those of us that have been around since the beginning, this movie is as satisfying as Fast Five had been.

Plus, my long-standing question of how did Han survive Tokyo Drift gets answered. 

The correct order for viewing the franchise is now: 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 3, 7... coming to theaters next summer!?!

As for the movie itself, there are two moments that require a suspension of disbelief.  Diesel going Superman on the bridge... and the world's longest runway...

Other than that, Justin Lin goes out with a bang for the series.  Hopefully the new director keeps up Lin's vision and keeps the series both exciting and fun a the same time.

Fast Seven is set up, thanks to an ingenious flashback to Tokyo Drift.  While it's sad to see Han truly go... I've got to admit I'm really excited for the next installment.

Now playing in theaters near you this weekend...

Final Grade: A-

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Oh yeah, I'm all over this one when it comes to DVD! : )

The Best One Yet... "Fast Five"

What a Rush!

The Story:

After O'Conner (Paul Walker) and Mia (Jordana Brewster) break Dom (Vin Diesel) from the clutches of the man, they hightail it to Rio.  Needing to make some money, they attempt to swipe some cars from the DEA.  Whoops.  Turns out one of those cars belongs to the Kingpin of all Rio (Joaquim de Almeida) and he wants his car back.  Since escaping justice is a bad thing, the United States sends the biggest, baddest agent, Luke Hobbs (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson) to Rio to find the boys.  The guys decide to go for one last score, and then disappear forever.  To do that, they're going to need some help.  And who better to help than everyone that was in the first 4 movies?

Yes indeed, they bring them back: Roman and Tej (Tyrese Gibson and Ludacris from 2 Fast), Han (Sung Kang from Tokyo Drift)... but didn't he die?  They never do explain this one.  Glad he's back though.  I've heard rumors that Tokyo Drift is supposed to take place after everything that happens in these films.  Meh... I'll just assume Han got out alive. : )

Justin Lin puts his stamp on the franchise with the biggest, loudest, and best part of the franchise to date.

Bringing back all of the components from each of the films is a clever and welcome touch.  Gives plenty of screen time to catch up on the characters and see how they've changed, or not changed over the years.

After all, this marked a decade of franchise-ability for The Fast and the Furious.  I don't think it was their intention to make a tent pole franchise when they started, but they have one now.  And this one actually unfolds as if they had been plotting it this way since the very beginning.

That's pretty impressive for a movie about street racing.

Oh, and kids, don't try street racing at home!

The Rock and Diesel squaring off makes for an energetic fight sequence in the middle of the movie.

I will also go on record that the final car chase sequence is most likely my favorite car chase in this franchise, or in just about any other movie for that matter.

This one transcends the other films in the franchise by adding the heist element, and as I've gone on record many times, I love me a good heist flick!

And stick around after the credits as they set up the sequel for Part 6...in theaters NOW!

Final Grade: A-

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Infinite.  Really enjoyed watching this one again.  Impossible not to enjoy this film.

Finally.... The Rock has Come Back....To the "Royal Rumble" 2013!

If you smellllllllllllllllllllllllll....
What the Rock...
Is Cookin'!!!!!



The Rumble.

For this lifelong fan of the WWE, there is no better Pay Per View than the Royal Rumble.  Every star shows up, and the main event, or at least the reason we all show up, regardless of when it plays, is the Rumble itself.  30 men enter, 29 leave over the top rope and to the floor until there is only one left standing.

That man gets to go to the Main Event of WrestleMania in April and challenge for the belt of his choosing.

This year, the Rock said he would come back and win the championship, the first time he's held it in a decade.

And you know what, it's like he never left.  He obviously still has a passion for the business.  I'm sure you can agree that the money is probably not bad either, but the man has nothing left to prove to himself or the fans.  The man has still got it, and at least until Wrestlemania, it looks like we get an extended dose of The Great One, so I'm quite happy.

I'll not spoil the outcome for the rest of the matches in case you haven't seen the PPV yet, or are just going to wait and see it later.

It didn't disappoint.

The 3 surprise entrants of the Rumble last night were great, especially the first one who came in at #2.

Hilarious as the crowd chanted "You've still got it" and he replied "I never lost it, baby!"

Probably my favorite moment of the night.

This marks only the second time in my life that I have ordered a PPV.

It didn't disappoint.


The Road to WrestleMania has begun, and I'm looking forward to taking the trip.


Final Grade:  A

100 Greatest Movies of All Time...That I Own. # 51 ~ The Rock

Well, we know that the list was already perfected by the appearance of Nicolas Cage.

So apparently, it is now two times as perfect as it could have been, because Cage strikes again!

However, this movie lands on the countdown on the strength of Sean Connery's performance.

The 90s basically saw Connery wind down his acting career, but he went out with a bang, giving us The Rock and Entrapment (and Finding Forrester) before hanging up his accent.

I debated over which movie would make it, and in the end, the over-the-top action of The Rock beat out Catherine Zeta-Jones sliding under lasers...but only barely. : )

The addition of the always stellar Ed Harris as a misguided Marine also helped  push this movie onto the list with the pure starpower (and firepower!) from the assembled actors.

For those that haven't enjoyed this Michael Bay action-fest, the story in a nutshell:

Some Marines take over Alcatraz and threaten to launch the ever-deadly V-X rockets onto the Bay Area.  Naturally, the government doesn't think that's a very good idea,  so they send in one of their best agents (Cage) along with a former British Spy (Connery) who was the only man to successfully escape from...

The Rock!

Mayhem ensues.

Glorious mayhem!

As only Michael Bay can deliver.

And yes, you can mark me as a Michael Bay fan.

His first three movies (Bad Boys, The Rock and Armageddon) are all movies that hold up to repeated viewings, and Bad Boys made the original list, and then found itself bumped at the last second.  Armageddon was not in the running, because I can never fully get behind a movie that kills Bruce Willis.

Now if only Bay would stop directing movies about Autobots... unless they are voiced by Sean Connery!