The ESSENTIALS: The Royal Rumble

Welcome to this very special edition of the ESSENTIALS.  This Sunday marks the 25th Anniversary of the Royal Rumble.  Personally, after Mania, the rumble was always my favorite WWE PPV.  With so many classic moments and matches being held at the event, only so many are truly essential.  With that said, I find it only fitting that before the 25th event, we highlight the top 25 most memorable moments in the history of the PPV.  For those of you who are not familiar with the PPV, this article will provide an overview of the best and worst events and obscure facts that made the PPV what it is today.


Find out what makes this PPV so historic after the jump!

Awesome! Photo of the week! January 22-28, 2012

Apparently, Punk's just as good with the ladies as he is in the ring.  Here's a retro pic of the WWE Champ with former divas Maria Kanellis and Mickie James!

WWE EXCLUSIVE! Rey Mysterio Injury update!

Check after the jump for the latest on Rey Mysterio and when he is expected to return.

The ESSENTIALS: Kurt Angle

Welcome to the fourth edition of the ESSENTIALS. Every once in a while I will post one of these articles basically to educate the newbs (casual fans this is for you). If your new to the WWE or just an old mark who likes lists, then this will be your favorite part of the blog. Let's just assume an alien crashed landed at Wrestlemania and became a member of the WWE universe, what superstars would you tell him about? Which of these superstars matches would you show this creature?



Kurt Angle is one of my all time favorite WWE superstars.  Still, when you think about his WWE career, in hindsight it was relatively brief.  Having only performed for the WWE from 1999-2006, Kurt left an undeniable mark on the company.  He is inarguably, the best mat wrestler ever in the history of pro wrestling.  His legacy is set in stone and whether or not he will be in the WWE Hall of Fame remains to be seen.  Still I feel he should be recognized as an ESSENTIAL WWE superstar and on that note, ladies and marks I give you....

THE ESSENTIAL KURT ANGLE

Raw video review for 1/16/2012

Check after the jump for a review by Maria and boyfriend Mike Bennett from their hotel room!

WWE EXCLUSIVE! Has the Rock ever been depressed?

We all go through tough times, and it's in those times that we find out who we really are and what we desire to become.

Here's how The Rock dealt with his depression:

WWE NXT: January 18, 2012

Watch the latest episode of WWE NXT after the jump!

BREAKNG NEWS: Marty Jannetty rambles on HBK on facebook!

Marty Jannetty, who noted on his personal Facebook account late last week that he had been drinking Jack Daniel’s for 48 consecutive hours, posted a status update rambling on longtime friend Shawn Michaels.

WWE Friday Night Smackdown Thoughts 1/13/2012

Tonight ended a boring show with a very interesting twist...find out what it was after the jump!

The ESSENTIALS: What it takes to make it in the WWE

Welcome to this very special edition of the ESSENTIALS.  Per a special request, I will be listing the top ten tools that turn an aspiring superstar into a WWE legend.  Every would-be wrestler should get well acquainted with this article, because if you follow these necessary guidelines, you will have no problem getting to the upper echelon of the WWE.  With each entry, I will explain why it's necessary and provide you with the one superstar who capitalized on each quality the most.



*Side note: I will be accepting further requests from you all for future editions of the essentials so keep em' coming!

Find out the 10 most essential qualities it takes to become a successful WWE superstar after the jump

Awesome! Photo of the week! January 8-14, 2012

The Rock revealed the cover photo for his new DVD “The Epic Journey of Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson” on Twitter yesterday. The set hits stores on February 21st:

WWE RAW Thoughts: 1/9/2012

There is something very odd afloat in the WWE and I like it...

....well.....SOME of it....


Check after the jump for my thoughts on the show as it happened:

Roddy Piper hints at unhappiness with Edge's Hall of Fame induction on twitter!

Check for Piper's controversial tweet after the jump!

***CONGRADULATIONS EDGE***

If you saw my favorite superstars post, then you know Edge is one of my all-time favorites!  Last night, we got the great news that Edge will be inducted into the 2012 Hall of Fame along with the legendary Four Horsemen! I could not be more happy!

Check out my  ~'*Edge appreciation post*'~ after the jump!

Top Ten most followed wrestling personalities on twitter!

This list has been recently released for all those who are interested.  This list includes current and former WWE superstars, divas, announcers etc.  Wrestlers from TNA, ROH and various other promotions have been tallied up as well.

See who made the cut after the jump!

Chris Jericho's harsh words for the IWC!

Chris Jericho's return has caused a shitstorm amongst the IWC.  Everyone is going batshit at the fact that they cant figure out what he's up to and over analyzing everything.  A lot of people are up in arms over the fact that he has been recently quoted saying that he will never return to the WWE.  I for one, am happy that I don't read the dirt sheets and I just enjoy the show.  I believe that is what great performers like Jericho deserve.  He's obviously put a lot of thought into his return, so why insult him by trying to predict the outcome?




As a result of all of the haters, Jericho has sworn off the IWC because he knows they will never be satisfied.  One of Jericho's wild claims was that he would retire if he lost a match.  The Internet went into a shitstorm and Jericho retorted with a great rant on all of the smarks out there.



Read the now infamous quote after the jump.

WWE Friday Night Smackdown Thoughts: 1/6/2012

Operation 'make Daniel Bryan very annoying' is in full effect...


Here are some of my thoughts on the show as it happened:

Great insight from Tommy Dreamer about life on the road!

Check after the jump for some awesome insight into life on the road for a pro wrestler.

The ESSENTIALS: Video Promos

Welcome to this very special edition of the ESSENTIALS.  There have been many great video packages in WWE history, but only so few truly defined what the match was all about.  Only few told the story and built immense hype for the upcoming match at the same time.  These packages I have chosen stand high above the rest.



See which of your favorites made the cut after the jump

BREAKING NEWS: Chelsea Handler responds to Beth Phoenix!

Check after the jump for the full story...

The 2000-2009 Decade Awards!

The 2000s were a great time to be a wrestling fan! Yes, there were some low points, but the decade provided us with consistently great matches and insane moments that we will never forget.


With that said, here are the categories for outstanding achievement in 2000-2009 and their explanations:

Superstar Awards:

Wrestler of the decade: Given to the top wrestler of the decade.
Diva of the decade: Given to the woman who best represented the division.
Tag team of the decade: Given to the team that accomplished the most.
Manager of the decade: Given to the most useful manager.
Most entertaining superstar of the decade: Given to the most consistently entertaining superstar.
In-ring performer of the decade: Given to the most consistent wrestler in the ring.
Champion of the decade: Given to the champion who brought the most to their respective title.
Most popular superstar of the decade: Given to the superstar with the largest fan base.
Most hated superstar of the decade: Given to the best heel of the decade.
Inspirational superstar of the decade: Given to the superstar who made the most out of a bad situation.


Misc. Awards:

Moment of the decade: Awarded to the most memorable event of the decade.
Match of the decade: Awarded to the decade's best match.
Feud of the decade: Awarded to the decade's best rivalry.
PPV of the decade: Awarded to the decade's must-see PPV.


So, what moments, matches and superstars were the BEST of the BEST of the decade?


FIND OUT AFTER THE JUMP!

AWESOME photo of the week! January 1-7, 2012

The Divas Of Doom look undeniably awesome enough in this pic to be the first Awesome photo of 2012!

BREAKING NEWS: Beth Phoenix and Chelsea Handler war continues on twitter!

Apparently Chelsea is the next person Beth Phoenix wants to make cry.  Check after the jump for the full story....

The ESSENTIALS: Chris Jericho

Welcome to the third edition of the ESSENTIALS. Every once in a while I will post one of these articles basically to educate the newbs (casual fans this is for you). If your new to the WWE or just an old mark who likes lists, then this will be your favorite part of the blog. Let's just assume an alien crashed landed at Wrestlemania and became a member of the WWE universe, what superstars would you tell him about? Which of these superstars matches would you show this creature?


Having recently returned to the WWE, I find no other superstar more appropriate for our third edition of the essentials.  This superstar will most likely craft another classic before this run is over, but I wanted to bring you all up to speed so that everyone appreciates him this time around.  With that said, ladies and Marks I give you...


 

THE ESSENTIAL CHRIS JERICHO

WWE RAW Thoughts: 1/2/2012

Tonight's show was good, but we were left with more questions then answers.  Check after the jump for my thoughts on the first Raw of 2012:

The WWE World Heavyweight Championship: Why it's the most prestigious belt in pro wrestling today.

There are many great belts in the history of pro wrestling, and in each decade, there is ONE belt that triumphs over them all.  In the 70-80s, we had the NWA Championship, the 90s, we had the Intercontinental Championship, and in the 2000s, it was the WWE Championship.  However, since 2010, one belt has stood high above the rest as the most prestigious belt in professional wrestling, the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.  In part one, of a two part series (the other being the essential WWE WHW title matches), I will highlight the reasons why this belt is held in such high regard.

The 2011 YEAR END AWARDS

2011 was arguably, the most eventful and game-changing year in wrestling's history.  We saw many classic matches, the survival of a streak, the return of an icon, the birth of many main event superstars, an emotional retirement, and many emotional victories.  I don't recall the last time I was so thouroughly entertained with pro wrestling for an entire year.

With that said, here are the categories for outstanding achievement in 2011 and their explanations:

Superstar Awards:

Wrestler of the year: Given to the top superstar of the year.
Woman of the year: Given to the woman who best represented women's wrestling.
Tag team of the year: Given to the team that accomplished the most.
Manager of the year: Given to the most useful manager.
Rookie of the year: Given to a new superstar with the most potential.
Most entertaining wrestler of the year: Given to the most consistently entertaining superstar.
In-ring performer of the year: Given to the most consistent wrestler in the ring.
Champion of the year: Given to the champion who brought the most to their respective title.
Most popular wrestler of the year: Given to the superstar with the largest fan base.
Most hated wrestler of the year: Given to the best heel of the year.
Inspirational wrestler of the year: Given to the superstar who made the most out of a bad situation.


Misc. Awards:

Moment of the year: Awarded to the most memorable event of the year.
Match of the year: Awarded to the year's best match.
Feud of the year: Awarded to the year's best rivalry.
PPV of the year: Awarded to the year's must-see PPV.


Special Awards:

The Torrie Wilson award: Given to the woman who entertained our eyes the most.
The Brock Lesnar next big thing award: Given to the superstar who I think will be the next year's breakout superstar.
The Randy Savage career achievement award: Given to a retired superstar who's Hall of Fame worthy.

So, what moments, matches and superstars were the BEST of the BEST in 2011?

FIND OUT AFTER THE JUMP!