The Schizophrenic WWE

Written by RY2J

After the less than impressive return of Prince Albert (a.k.a. Lord Tensai) this past week on Raw, it brings to mind the number of other superstars who have felt the need for a full on character revamp.

Now by this, I don’t mean your everyday Face-to-Heel/Heel-to-Face change (something which divas such as Melina used to do on a weekly basis), but rather a fully pledged change to the persona of the wrestler.

Below we take a look at some other superstars who felt the need to bring out their schizophrenic self.

Stand Back, There's a Hurricane Coming Through

Gregory Helms – The Hurricane

Accompanied by his side-kick ‘Mighty Molly’ (someone who also seems to have been bit by the schizophrenia bug), Hurricane was able to build a successful character for himself as a clumsy, yet hard-trying super hero.

Foley is Good: Comedy Tour Review

Bang Bang: Nights in Red Flannel a Hit

Written by RY2J

On Tuesday night, the Just Blog It team ventured down to Sheffield to once again see the Hardcore Legend himself Mick Foley and his UK comedy tour, Nights in Red Flannel. After driving around Sheffield for the good part of an hour trying to find the damn place, we finally arrived.

We attended the same event last year, only in Manchester, but once again the demographics of the audience were the same. A large amount of 20-to-40 something’s, 95% male, and all keen to come out of the closet for this one night and proclaim their love for all things wrestling.

Opening Acts:

Chris Brooker was the host of the night (@TheBrookerMan) as he was last year as well and once again the long haired ginger man managed to warm up the crowd perfectly. With a range of wrestling related comedy at his disposal, Brooker soon had the audience eating out of his hand, and the man who came out to CM Punks music knew it.

Steffen Peddie was the first support act to be introduced to the stage, and after being outed as an ex-wrestler himself, was always going to go down well with the crowd.

The big Geordie gave comical insight into past experiences of his in ring action, and from start to finish was able to engage the audience. A man who can make you smile with just the accent, Peddie went down well and was a good choice for a support act for Foley.

We were then introduced to the second support act of the night. Now, if Steffen told the odd story that may have been a bit edgy, it was just about to get a lot edgier. Ladies and Gentlemen: Mr Martin Mor.

To say that the Northern Irish comedian is a tad controversial with his act is an understatement, but at the same time, it works. From prison rape jokes to outrageous sex puns and everything in between, Mor’s style of comedy fitted in perfectly with the testosterone filled crowd, and deservedly left the stage to a loud ovation.

Foley Time:

After a short interval, it was finally time to see the man himself. Coming out to his traditional wrestling music, Foley was greeted with rapturous applause, and it was evident from the very start of the show; no matter what Mick said, the crowd would love it.

A witty insight into the world of a professional wrestler mixed with comical remarks about wider issues such as politics, the hardcore legend was able to appeal to a wider crowd than just us wrestling fans.

Now, I don’t want to ruin the show for anyone who is reading this and planning to go themselves, so I will just leave it by saying it is a definite must see for any wrestling fans.

From the start of the night with a meet and greet, through to the Q&A at the end, the show went down without a hitch. Even when there was one person who was talking too loud in the audience, he was soon put in his place by Mick himself!

A fantastic night out for all comedy and wrestling fans, Nights in Red Flannel will have you laughing from start to finish, and in my personal opinion, has even improved from last year’s show. Some new material mixed in with the better bits of last year’s tour means that Foley has found the formula for a great night of comedy.

Someone call Mick Foley… WWE’s lost its “Hard-Core”

The Hardcore Legend Himself

Written by Hollywood Hinchcliffe

Before I start, yes I know WWE now has to be PG. God forbid we ever hear a bad word or see a certain Stone Cold taunt. But wait a minute… I grew up during the attitude era and I turned out alright (subject to opinion).

I can remember it as if it was yesterday, watching SmackDown in my parents’ bedroom, The Rock walking down to the ring while almost the entire audience were blatantly giving him the finger. Or slyly hearing some rather bad language from some of the superstars when they were fully pumped up and in character. I must’ve been around 7 years old when I was first really fascinated with wrestling, and I was watching two bloodied athletes throwing each other into a pile of thumbtacks and imagining the pain they must go through after a match, having to remove them one by one.

Long gone are the days when a superstar lifted up the ring cover and we got a shot of a wide array of weapons and implements, ranging from kendo sticks to dustbins. And where the hell did all the road signs come from?!

I realise I’m going on a rant, and I want to make the point of saying I know anytime there has ever been a good hardcore match, the superstars involved have never come out the same. It takes a toll on the human body, but that is all part of the spectacle that is WWE. The superstars are dedicated to the sport, and they should at least be given the option of entering into a hardcore battle.

 I can see this insert suddenly turning into a plea to bring back the hardcore championship so I’ll wrap it up. But why not bring the title back? There are rumours surfacing now that the Hardcore Legend Mick Foley could return to in-ring action later this year and I can only hope that this provokes WWE to concentrate more on the Hardcore matches we know and love… oh and the return of Steve Blackman and his kendo stick sure would be a nice surprise too.