Tag Archives: Over the Limit

May 25

Weekly Plus/Minus: LA Kings Advance, Punk and Bryan Dazzle, Big Show Bores, Nobody Guarantees and More!

Posted on by

The Stanley Cup Finals are nearly set, while the WWE put on most of a good Pay-Per-View followed by a pretty average RAW. Needless to say there have been some highs and some lows this past week. Let’s get to it.

Hit my banner!

When Punk Met Bryan: Their match at Over the Limit was faced with a very good (but difficult) problem. How could it possibly live up to it’s own hype? Heading into Sunday, this match was set up to become hyperbole.

Yet somehow, it delivered. These two went out and put on an absolute technical classic. These two traded holds, counters, and moves after moves after moves. The ending was amazing, with Punk reversing the Yes Lock into a pinning combination and then having a photo finish.

Somehow these two were able to deliver a great match with a slightly controversial finish that was both satisfying and left people wanting more.

How can anyone not be excited for the rematches between these two?

As the Big Show Turns: Has there been a heel or face turn more predictable in recent memory than this one?

Really, who the hell asked for this anyway? Big Show was going along just fine as a happy face that punches Cody Rhodes every so often, and could have transitioned nicely into a decent power feud to establish Tensai. So why this? There is a ton of fresh blood on the heel side who could easily feud with John Cena, so why do a rehash of the worst feud of 2009? It simply makes no sense in the long term and is downright boring in the short term.

To top things off, Show’s attack on Cena at the end of RAW seemed very dull. There is some potential for a Nuremberg style “Only Following Orders” heel and Show could do it, but it seems like he’s already evil.

Long Live the Kings: Mad congratulations are in order for the LA Kings. How could one not be impressed by these guys?

Even with Jonathan Quick having a bad (read: not super human) game the Kings are still able to get it done. They have four lines rolling and are simply amazing.

It’s great that the Kings may just be catching on in Southern California. They have rarely had traction in a very crowded sports market, so this run could help things out in the long run.

Us Against The World: Was anyone else struck by the paranoid nature of the Coyotes post game comments?

Mike Smith talks about how Dustin Brown should be “Gone Forever”,. Shane Doan says that he doesn’t know where he got those penalties. Keith Yandle says that having no owner somehow hurts the teams chances. One can’t help but wonder if the Coyotes helmets are lined with tinfoil.

Maybe this explains the success of the team in the last three years. Perhaps the culture of the team is to instill an Us Against the World mentality. They have no owner, they are given no credit, and yet the succeed. If true, it clearly works on the ice so there is no arguing.

But please, leave it in the dressing room, it looks classless, or at least they need to learn how to say “conspiracy” in French. They may need it come training camp…

As the Rumour Turns: With twenty-seven teams now focused on the off-season now, we’re finally starting to see the rumour mill heating up.

First we hear rumblings that Edmonton and Columbus are considering swapping picks — a great move for both teams.

Next we hear that Vancouver may keep both goalies, and that Tampa will try to draft or sign a goalie and may not make a trade after all — so clearly Luongo is going to Tampa, why would either team try to deny it at this point other than to drive up the market?

No matter what happens with Tampa, Vancouver, Edmonton, Columbus or anyone else, it’s great to be talking trades again!

Leave Messier Alone! Yes, everyone who was watching hockey in 1994 remembers Messier’s famous guarantee heading to New Jersey in Game 6. Yes, everyone who is watching know as well notices a similar situation.

But we should all notice that Messier isn’t playing anymore, so everyone needs to stop goading the Rangers into making a similar statement. Other than Martin Brodeur and Lou Lamorelio there are no connections between 1994 and 2012, leave it alone people.

It’s a historical curiosity and nothing more…unless Callahan gets a hat trick, then it’s getting eerie.

 

Prediction for the Week: Zack Praise scores a hat trick in Game 6 to clinch a trip to the Finals.

May 20

WWE Over the Limit: What Should Happen vs. What Will Happen

Posted on by

Randy Orton and his mutton chops will be in action this Sunday! - Photo from Wikimedia

With the WWE putting on their monthly extravaganza this Sunday, we will have the first of a regular series here at Blade Jobs of Steel. We will look at the event and examine what (probably) will happen according to current WWE logic and trends and compare it to what, in our humblest of opinions, should happen.

This event seems to have been rushed together, taking place not long after Extreme Rules. This also seems to lack the big match that the last few events had, but still there is some intrigue with a WWE Title Match between the two best in the world (sorry Jericho), a Super Star vs. Authority Figure version 9000, and a Four-Way Title Match featuring four very good wrestlers that is sure to be entertaining.

The card order will be in the order of what SHOULD happen, with some discussions as to what will happen along the way.

YouTube Pre-Show Match
Zack Ryder vs. Kane

What SHOULD Happen: Zack Ryder pulls out an upset victory over the man that injured him a few months back. Kane flips out and attacks Ryder post-match to set up some sort of stipulation match to settle things next month, which Ryder should win.

What WILL Happen: Kane squashes Ryder and nobody mentions their unresolved feud ever again.

Match #1
Kofi Kingston and R-Truth vs. Dolph Ziggler and Jack Swagger
WWE Tag Team Title  Match 

 What SHOULD Happen: These four men will go out and bust their asses popping the crowd and getting everyone excited for the sure. The Booming Truths or whatever they are called will most certainly get the win after one of the faces hits their finisher out of nowhere. Afterwards, Abraham Washington and his cronies come down and level the champs to set up some sort of stable war going forward.

What WILL Happen: Probably more or less the same thing, maybe no Abraham Washington group coming down after. Also, this match will almost certainly open things off.

Match #2
Layla vs. Beth Phoenix
WWE Divas Title  Match

What SHOULD Happen: The match starts out fairly competitive but Beth begins to take a clear upper hand. As she is about to hit the Glam Slam, in runs Kharma who absolutely destroys these two. She beats up Beth so badly that she needs to be taken off TV for a while. This lets Kharma feud with Layla for June and July, winning the title along the way, before Beth Phoenix makes a huge return in time to set up a money match at Summerslam.

What WILL Happen: Layla will win from some sort of a rollup, Kharma won’t show up since we are all expecting her to.

Impromptu Match/Segment #1

NOTE:  If Extreme Rules is any indication, the company seems to really like the idea of putting unannounced matches and/or extended segments on their big events, we can try to predict a few of those here at the appropriate parts.

What SHOULD Happen: The Miz vs. Brodus Clay – The two have a fun and competitive match with Miz being unable to figure Clay out, while Clay shows resiliency kicking out of some of The Miz’s big moves. The Miz pulls out a cheap win, then tries to hit on one of the dancers only to be turned down and attacked by a recovering Brodus in a post-match brawl.

What WILL Happen: Cody Rhodes vs. Santino Marella – A rematch of the Smackdown Champion vs. Champion match, this time with Cody winning.

Match #3
John Cena vs. John Laurinitus
NO DQ Match
If Laurinitus loses he is fired as GM, if anyone interferes they are fired

What SHOULD Happen: Other than this match not happening you mean? Well Cena wins in a squash, Laurinitus, dejected later leads a group of outsiders to do some sort of “Invasion” (possibly including Brock Lesnar?) while he tries to reclaim his job – maybe even a War Games type match at No Way Out.

What WILL Happen:  Does anyone not see Big Show costing Cena this match and then get restated on RAW? Does anyone not see this match going on last?

Impromptu Match/Segment #2

What SHOULD Happen: Cody Rhodes cuts a promo, stating that he is not defending his title since nobody on the roster deserves a shot. He is then interrupted by a returning Justin Bourne who knocks him down, hits the 450 Splash and poses with the title, setting off a fun feud for the next month or two, with Cody obviously retaining the gold.

What WILL Happen: Brodus Clay squashes the Miz in less than five minutes

Match #4
Sheamus vs. Randy Orton vs. Chris Jericho vs. Alberto Del Rio
World Heavyweight Title Match

What SHOULD Happen:  Randy Orton hits RKOs on everything that walks and looks ready to pin one of the heels, but the Sheamus hits a Brogue Kick on Orton out of nowhere knocking him out of the ring and the Irishman steals the pin on the heel. This can start a good simmer for a summer feud between the two top faces at Smackdown. Which simmers until they finally erupt in a one-on-one match at Summerslam.

What WILL Happen: The planned feud was between Sheamus and Del Rio, so that stays in focus here. Sheamus pins Jericho and Del Rio throws a fit because he thinks that he has it won and attacks Sheamus post match.

Match #5
CM Punk vs. Daniel Bryan
WWE Title Match

What SHOULD Happen: Can you say 60 minute draw? Last summer they had no problem taking a page from Ring of Honor, so why not do it again this time? Have Punk and Bryan do a full sixty minutes, with the time running out at the end. They can have a steel cage match next month, which results in a draw, the Bryan wins one of the Briefcases and challenges him at Summerslam, where they do an Austin-Bret style double turn, making both men bigger names going forward.

What WILL Happen: Punk will win cleanly in a very good 20 minute match that goes in the middle of the show. Both men move on to new opponents, because why the heck not?

May 11

Weekly Plus/Minus: Paul Heyman on RAW, Braden Holtby is Made of Rubber, Fatal Four-Way, Some People are Jerks, and MORE!!!

Posted on by

Welcome back to our weekly look at the boons and busts in the world of hockey and professional wrestling! Three of the four Conference finalists have been set, with the last series going seven games. Monday Night RAW got a huge surprise when Paul Heyman showed up and delivered an amazing promo, and a ton more happened!

Hit My Banner!

Braden Holtby is Made of Rubber: Why you ask? Well because he always bounces back!

Holtby’s numbers coming off of a loss are simply insane. After his great performance in Game 6 against the Rangers, he is 9-0 after losing a game. This is simply insane, how can you be so good to have not lost two games in a row?

Add to the fact that the last six of those wins have been against the New York Rangers or the Boston Bruins during these playoffs. Right now, George MacPhie looks like a genius for trading Varlamov for a 1st and 2nd round draft pick, and for not panicking when Vokoun and Neuvirth were not getting it done earlier. Obviously we need to wait and see if he’ll turn out more like Ken Dryden or more like Jim Carey, but it’s very fun to watch right now.

Phony Press Conferences with Greg Jamison: Seriously, what is going on in Glendale?

The NHL announces a Press Conference and it seems like we finally have a local owner in Arizona, who can keep the team there…right? Well not so fast. It later gets turned into a “Media Availability Day” to update everyone on the state of the sale, which is that nobody knows what’s going on. No offer has been presented to City Council, nothing was really made of the Goldwater Institute, and here we are in the middle of May with nothing concrete going forward.

This isn’t like in Atlanta where things fell apart very quickly, this has been going on for seriously three years. It’s simply unbelievable that this has dragged on for this long and nothing has been resolved. One can’t help but wonder if they are just throwing up smoke screens until the Coyotes are eliminated from the playoffs and then announce the move, because remember who the tickets sales are helping…

Paul F’n Heyman:  Paul Heyman graced our screens for the first time in a very long time this past week, and how could you not get excited for it?

Despite not appearing for a wrestling promotion in a few years, Heyman never missed a beat. Even in reading a prepared statement Paul Heyman is able to get everyone to hold on to every last word coming out of his mouth. This man is an absolute genius on the microphone, and we can’t help but hope that he plays a part in the Brock Lesnar storyline going forward, the thought of him working as an agent/mouth piece/corner man for Brock Lesnar in his Summerslam match against Triple H is every bit a plus.

9/11 First Responders…really?: In the intro to Game 6 of the Rangers-Capitals series, CBC Host Ron MacLean foolishly compared NHL Players to the firefighters and policemen that rushed into the flaming wreckage of The Pentagon and World Trade Centers on September 11, 2001.

War metaphors in sports really need to stop. Every game is not a “battle”, or a “war”, and these men are not “soldiers” or “warriors”. Brad Richards and Alexander Ovechkin are very talented athletes engaged in a struggle on behalf of their billionaire owners, nothing more. To compare them to soldiers, police officers, or anyone else is down right insulting to the people who are risking their lives.

In case you haven’t seen the video, have a look and wonder…

Fatal-Four Way: Alberto Del Rio challenging Sheamus for the World Heavyweight Title at Over the Limit wasn’t exactly setting the world on fire. After a very fun tag match on RAW, things got changed as Chris Jericho and Randy Orton were added to the match.

These four are certain to put on a great show, and hopefully are able to lead to some interesting spin-offs down the line. All six possible one-on-one matches featuring those four are incredibly intriguing and it should make for some interesting feuds going forward. This can add some much needed luster to the Sheamus-Del Rio feud since either of them can win this match without pinning the other to set up easy motivation going forward.

Of course, what puts this in the plus more than anything else is that it means that Orton-Kane is finally done.

David Menzies: How is this for a great hook to start an article?

Question: When do you know that a public figure really needs a P.R. boost?

Answer: When that person wraps himself in the rainbow flag.

If that doesn’t make you want to throw up, then I don’t know what will. The “columnist” David Menzies lead a recent article on the Canadian Version of the Huffington Post with this. What’s worse (and keeps it relevant to this site) is that the public figure he is accusing is Toronto Maple Leafs General Manager Brian Burke.

Burke, whose gay son was killed in a car accident, is also one of the founders of the If You Can Play, You Can Play initiative started a few months ago. Menzies accused Burke, as well as former New York Ranger Sean Avery, of standing up for gay rights as a means of shielding himself from criticism by “Milking the gay angle for all it’s worth”.

First off, to accuse Burke of starting “You Can Play” based on anything other than the memory of his son is disgusting, ever Brian Burke would not stoop to that level. Secondly, if he was out to escape criticism it has clearly failed, as people continue to call for his job. Lastly, Menzies also called for a boycott of the Grey Cup since they are allowed to use the Imperial System but nobody else in Canada is allowed to, alright so that point may not be relevant, but it shows what kind of a guy we’re dealing with.

By the way, he doesn’t work for Fox News, he gets to grace our televisions North of the Border, working for a company that starts with an “S” and ends with an “un Media”. What a wonderful time to be Canadian…


Prediction for the Week: Rangers win 3-1 against the Capitals, then get a split in Manhattan against the Devils.

May 04

Weekly Plus/Minus: WWE Extreme Rules, Second Round Showdowns, Brock Lesnar, Partying Russians, and More!

Posted on by

Has it been seven days already? With the second round of the playoffs in full-swing and a dynamite event from the WWE time just keeps flying by! What was good? What was bad? Well let’s just see here…

Extreme Rules – The Matches: Wow! What an event the WWE put on this past week. The company put on arguably their best event since last years Money in the Bank, coincidently in the same city.

In many ways, this event was what Wrestlemania could have been. Cena-Brock had a feeling of hatred that Cena-Rock didn’t, while Daniel Bryan and Sheamus showed what happens if they are given more than 18 seconds to do their thing. While Punk and Jericho really showed how to blow off a blood feud.

Add in the fact that we had a very good Orton-Kane match to start things out, and we had ourselves a damn fine PPV that sets the bar very high for the rest of the year.

Extreme Rules – The Decisions: Why on earth would they have Brock Lesnar lose his first match in eight years? Why on earth would they have John Cena cut that very bizarre (and wildly ignored) promo at the end?

Apparently after the match Brock Lesnar went crazy backstage, flipping out over the loss and Cena no-selling the beating he took. Or did he? Later reports were that this was exaggerated to “work the boys”. The reasons for this really aren’t clear. Of course, we all must keep an open mind as for what happens next, but at this moment it feels like things are not going in the direction that they should be.

Kneel Before the King: Sure the LA Kings are not your typical 8th seed. They could have finished as high as 3rd up until the last day of the season, so to label them as a Cinderella team is misleading.

Having said that, who on earth saw this coming? After their 4-2 win in Game 3, they have a record of 7-1 in the playoffs, which is easily the best out of any team. What’s more impressive, is the fact that they have been playing against the top two regular season teams in the league, so victories are very tough to come by.

This team looks damn scary, and after those first three games against St. Louis, should be a favourite to come out of the West. Who the hell saw this coming?!?!?

Phoenix Rising: The Phoenix Coyotes shocked many by defeating the Blackhawks in round one, and shocked many more by jumping out to a 2-0 lead against the Predators.

But the most shocking thing of all is clearly the fact that the games are selling out. Even more shocking, news came out today the Coyotes are once again one step closer to staying in the desert.

The fans at Coyotes games seem knowledgable. They are all decked out in ‘Yotes gear and/or white, they are cheering at the right time and booing at the right time. So the most obvious question comes out: where the hell have they been for the past three years? Sure it makes sense to not go see a bad team, but this is their third year in a row in the playoffs and only now these people are showing up. If, and this remains a huge if, the Coyotes stay in Phoenix next year, it will be incredibly interesting, and probably frustrating, to see how many of them are showing up to Tuesday night games in November…

Punk vs. Bryan, YES! YES! YES!: Daniel Bryan defeated Jerry Lawler at the end of RAW this past week to win the Beat the Clock Challenge and earn a chance to challenge CM Punk for the WWE Title at Over the Limit.

With all due respect to Mr. Jericho, this truly is a match between the two best in the world, and it’s hard not to get excited at the thought of it. When these two were tearing it up in Ring of Honor, could anyone have imagined that they would one day be fighting for the WWE Title on a Pay-Per-View? The thought of this is beyond surreal.

The outcome of the match is really intriguing. Daniel Bryan is very hot right now and Punk’s six-month reign is the longest the company has had in a while, so logic may dictate that veganism defeats straight edge. Yet, things are rarely that simple. Could this just be a chance to get people to boo Bryan? Could this just be a chance to have Jericho interfere in one of Punk’s matches? Or could this be the start of a long feud that would destroy the internet by making all of our dreams come true?


Blame it on the Russians: You gotta hand it to David Poile. The GM of the Predators chose to bench two of their most dynamic forwards for violating team curfews prior to Game 2. Sure Andrei Kostitsyn had been pretty average these playoffs, and Radulov certainly looked hungover that game, but this was a gamble. The Preds were having trouble scoring, and you would think that these dynamic players would be part of the solution, and not the problem. Yet the classiest organization that doesn’t play in Detroit stuck to their guns and went on and won a must win game without two of their Top Six forwards.

But this is in the minus camp for a reason. The narrative in several places on the media has been overly simplistic: these guys are Russians, and therefore care more about drinking in Scottsdale than drinking from Stanley.

Let’s count the reasons that it’s a flawed idea:

- The Kostitsyns are from Belarus not Russia, let’s get that out of the way right now.
- Do you really think that Evgeni Malkin or Pavel Datsyuk would break these rules?
- Why was nobody saying “Typical American hockey player” when Patrick Kane got drunk and punched a cab driver? Or “Typical Canadian” whenever Sean Avery did anything?

It’s 2012 this type of xenophobia is completely unfounded. The vast majority of players in the NHL want to win. Sure some make dumb life decisions, and some of these dumb ones may be from Russia, but there are plenty of Canadian, American, Swedish, Finish, Swiss, Belarusian, Korean, Slovenian, Moroccan, Brazilian, and Martian hockey players that do stupid things off the ice. Keep with the time, ladies and gents, the Cold War is long over.

 

Prediction for this Week: The Phoenix Coyotes don’t win another playoff game.