Tag Archives: RDT

RDT Reviews Iron Man 2

May 16, 2016 rdtworldofsport@gmail.com

Big spoilers here…I mean the film has been out for six years now.

Unfortunately, Iron Man 2 undoes a lot of the good will the Tony Stark character developed in Iron Man 1. That’s probably my best explanation. There’s two stories going on concurrently in Iron Man 2 and they’re both quite weak with little payoffs. Story #1: After developing the Iron Man “weapon”, Tony Stark is forced to testify in Congress about possession of such weapon and whether or not it should be turned over to the American people. The big argument going for Stark is that no one else in the world is even close to developing the technology that powers the Iron Man suit. Of course, someone has (Whiplash). Instead of going toward a direction that focuses on the character who has built the tech, he’s overshadowed by Stark’s rival Justin Hammer and story #2.

Story #2 revolves around Tony Stark dealing with his mortality as the chest piece that powers the Iron Man suit is also killing him. This is the weakest story in the entire MCU, as this makes Stark regress from a maturity standpoint. He becomes reckless and endangers others. While becoming reckless to a point is fine from a character standpoint (justifying the race car part), becoming drunk in the Iron Man suit during a party is embarrassing and disappointing. After seeing what Tony Stark went through and overcame in Iron Man 1, I expect more from Stark. I don’t really care to see a mirror image of who he was before Iron Man 1, but for some reason we see it here.

Worst yet, story #2 comes to lame end as Nick Fury and the Black Widow cure (or help Stark find the cure, same idea) Stark and get him back on track as Iron Man. Overall this story arc led to several embarrassing moments and a less than stellar reason for Fury and Widow to be involved. It all feels forced, although Black Widow definitely has her moments here.

The conclusion to all of this is quite disappointing too, as Tony Stark accepts Col. Rhodes as his partner in what’s basically a throw away scene. They dispatch the drones Ivan Vanko had been working on in relative ease, then dispatch Vanko himself in a couple of minutes afterwards. It’s all a let down.

The biggest shame is that I think the actors do a great job overall with the limited material they are given. It’s probably not Robert Downey’s strongest performance, but it works. Mickey Rourke is pretty much wasted as Whiplash. Don Cheadle is an improvement over Terrence Howard as Rhodey. I really liked Gwyneth Paltrow’s Pepper Potts here too and her role as someone trying to keep the spiraling Stark in check is a highlight. Sam Rockwell makes the most out of what otherwise would have just been an annoying character in Justin Hammer. Scarlett Johansson doesn’t show much emotion here, but that might have been the intent. I always get a kick out of Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury though. The performances in this film save an otherwise weak film.

Pros:

+Performances from the actors are very good all around and make the most out of poorly drawn characters.

+A really good first half hour or so, it basically goes downhill once Vanko survives a car to the groin.

Cons:

-We went from believing in Tony Stark to being stupid we did so. Getting drunk in the Iron Man suit? Really?

-Whiplash is wasted.

-Avengers tie in is a bit forced.

A huge step back from Iron Man 1, but nothing Marvel couldn’t come back from.

Grade: C

Other (DC, Marvel, Disney etc.)

RDT Reviews The Incredible Hulk (2008)

April 29, 2016 rdtworldofsport@gmail.com

Big spoilers here…it’s pretty early in the MCU and you probably know what happens anyway.

The Incredible Hulk is an okay film that doesn’t really stand out. It’s just there. Considering the titular character and the lead actor playing him (Edward Norton),the film being nothing special has to be considered as a big disappointment.

The film is made up of three stories. First of which is about Bruce Banner and his search for a cure to the gamma ray radiation that’s plagued his body. If this film does one thing right, it’s the opening sequence which brilliantly kinda-sorta references the previous Hulk film released in 2003. That scene gives us a great visual of just why Banner feels like he has to hide and how much pain he feels in regards to hurting anyone. But after that, his entire story arc is as follows: hide, get found, run, fight, hide, get found, run, fight, suddenly possibly unable to turn into Hulk, suddenly is needed to turn into Hulk, does so and fights. In between we see him working on his breathing exercises and working on his determination to make sure his heart rate doesn’t hit 200. It’s a good story, but not exactly a compelling one and unfortunately Norton isn’t able to shine in this role.

The second story is General Thunderbolt Ross’ goal to recapture Banner. William Hurt’s performance as Ross is my favorite part of the film as he effortlessly can go from a calm, even fatherly figure to someone barking orders and commanding an army to take down the Hulk. Unfortunately, Ross’ story is quite simplistic too, as he tries to capture the Hulk, fails, attacks again, argues with daughter, then eventually is forced to align himself with the Hulk. It’s so systematic that it’s just not that compelling.

Ross plays a big part in the third story which had the highest upside but turns out to be the biggest dud. Ross helps solider Emil Blonsky gain abilities to help him battle the Hulk. While Blonsky’s character starts off strong and has a compelling battle with the Hulk during his super speed and agility phase (where the Hulk shows off perhaps his best moment: kicking Blonsky into a tree, “killing” him), his arc takes a really disappointing turn as he becomes Abomination, a big monster that leads to a monster vs. monster confrontation. Iron Man did it better with a suit vs. suit battle to be fair.

There’s also the love interest for Banner, Liv Tyler’s Betty Ross. While it’s not bad at all, once again she can be described as “just there”. I was honestly more interested in her interactions with her father than Banner overall.

When a film called The Incredible Hulk fails to stand out, that means it’s failed to meet expectations. It’s the Incredible Hulk! It should probably have been the most over the top Marvel film ever. Perhaps the Hulk just isn’t the type of character to have a whole film dedicated to him.

Pros:

+General Ross is a strong character for the most part. At least in the first two acts.

+There’s nothing really bad about the film, but…

Cons:

-Nothing particularly good either.

-Abomination is a disappointing route to go for Emil Blonsky.

A decent film with no real stand out moments. Well, except when Tony Stark shows up at the end.

Grade C+

Other (DC, Marvel, Disney etc.)

RDTWorldofSport Podcast #1: Batman v Superman

April 24, 2016 rdtworldofsport@gmail.com

JonRoyalty and I discuss Batman v Superman!

Other (DC, Marvel, Disney etc.)

RDT Reviews Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

April 24, 2016 rdtworldofsport@gmail.com

Big spoilers here…I mean you probably aren’t going to see it if you haven’t already…

Somewhere inside Zack Snyder’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is a great film. While apparently a four hour cut, the two and a half remaining hours still feels rather challenging to get through. It’s a shame that this is the case as when this film hits its peaks, it hits them amazingly. Some of the scenes in this film are A+ material no doubt. But unfortunately there are a lot of F scenes in there too. I want to get to the performances before the actual plot as there’s a lot to digest here.

I’m pretty sure Snyder wanted to make just a Batman film. Most of the Batman/Bruce Wayne stuff is tremendous. I rolled my eyes that again we were going to have to see Bruce Wayne’s parents murdered, but the scene is done so well that despite seeing some version of it probably ten times by now it still stood out. After that Ben Affleck absolutely owns the role, giving us the perfect Bruce Wayne and a sinister, blood thirsty Batman. Affleck’s great at changing gears here. He effortlessly switches from the super serious detective one moment to suddenly joking around that he “had one martini too many”. Affleck is the best live action Batman and the best live action Bruce Wayne. As a result I have high hopes for the stand alone Batman film coming out in the future. I should also point out that the Batman fight scene that felt like it was lifted straight from the Arkham Series of games is the best cinematic Batman sequence ever.

Wonder Woman also delivers. There was tons of skepticism regarding Gal Gadot but she nailed the role. She steals almost every scene she’s in and when she finally gets into the battle she’s awesome. She also has good chemistry with Affleck’s Bruce Wayne (so much that again, this was probably a lot better off as a Batman film featuring Wonder Woman) and I am excited to see how the Wonder Woman film plays out. But Gadot is a huge positive here.

Jesse Eisenberg’s Lex Luthor is interesting. I dreaded seeing Eisenberg in the trailer as he felt like a Batman Forever Riddler and at times his character does feel that way. Other times it feels like a homeless man’s Heath Ledger Joker, which also doesn’t work. But there are scenes where his character was thought provoking and creepy which is a nice new direction to take Lex Luthor in. Luthor would have been lost in the background had he been a serious character like everyone else. Instead a chance was taken. Sometimes it worked well (like when he’s in his home speaking with Senator Finch), sometimes it didn’t (like his rooftop scenes with Lois Lane and Superman) and sometimes it was downright awful (his speech or the end). I do think he did a better job than he’s been given credit for.

Now let’s get to one of the big problems here. Lois Lane and Superman are awful in this film. And unfortunately they’re both in it a lot. In Amy Adams’ case I don’t feel like it’s really her fault. The Lois Lane story arc here just doesn’t work. While I get where they were going with whole desert framing Superman deal it really wasn’t well done and I couldn’t have cared less about Lois’ adventure trying to prove Superman’s innocence. There’s also some cringe worthy moments from Lane as well. “I’m not a woman I’m a reporter” was a pretty awful line despite the empowering effect it was supposed to have. Superman is practically lifeless here and has exactly one good moment, which is when he takes Doomsday into space. Everything else is rage that I don’t completely buy, him shaking his head despite atrocities, or Clark Kent complaining about the Bat Vigilante. While perhaps I felt bad about his death, it feels like such a wasted moment. Superman’s death is supposed to be something that every hero in the history of DC was supposed to mourn. Here, it’s a rushed moment that only Batman and Wonder Woman experience. Adding to that, Wonder Woman and Superman don’t even have an interaction together, so while I’m sure she was upset at his death it’s not as if there’s a heavy emotional feeling to have here. What a mess.

Speaking of Superman’s death, Doomsday was horrible. Whoever had the idea that the DNA of Lex Luthor and General Zod should create Doomsday needs to stay away from all comic books films forever (assuming it was Snyder). While admittedly it was always going to be difficult to match the greatness of Batman’s rogues gallery, horrific portrayals of Superman’s isn’t going to help. The effect was laughable. At least there were two good moments here: Superman taking Doomsday to space and Wonder Woman showing up. Still, what a waste.

There’s some small other plusses here: Jeremy Irons as Alfred is great, Senator Finch is good and some of the Superman imagery is cool (like when he saves the girl during the Night of the Dead celebration). But going on with the ongoing theme of there being a lot of positives and negatives, Mercy Graves (and probably Jimmy Olsen) is absolutely wasted here. Why would Lex want her dead anyway?! I didn’t even get into Batman’s dream sequences. There’s just too much going on here.

Be prepared for a lengthy pro-con list.

Pros:

+Ben Affleck is great as Wayne/Batman.

+Batman vs. Superman fight is pretty good.

+Pretty much all things Batman here are incredible. The Arkham inspired fight scene is my favorite live action Batman scene ever.

+Gal Gadot steals every scene she’s in.

+Justice League cameos are cool.

+Jeremy Irons is a great choice for Alfred.

+Good references to comic book stuff, especially The Dark Knight Returns.

+The themes are pretty solid, just not explored enough.

Cons:

-Plot is all over the place. Even once you understand it, it doesn’t always make sense.

-While I liked Jesse Eisenberg’s Lex Luthor in some moments, this is still overall a negative because the bad is awful.

-Mercy Graves is completely wasted here.

-As everyone’s said so far, the film just isn’t fun.

-Some awful references to comic book stuff, like the Death of Superman.

-All things Lois Lane.

-Almost all things Superman and his motivations here don’t work.

-Doomsday.

-Doomsday again.

I’m going to give this a better grade than most have. The reason being that the Batman stuff is awesome. Not just good, but awesome. I can get through some of this bad Superman stuff as long as I get my Batman (and Wonder Woman) action. It’s enough for me. Still, if you told me Batman v Superman would have to settle for a grade and not be an automatic A, I would consider that a disappointment.

Grade: B

Other (DC, Marvel, Disney etc.)

RDT Reviews Batman (1989)

April 2, 2016 rdtworldofsport@gmail.com

Big spoilers here…it has been out for over 25 years afterall.

Tim Burton’s Batman is the prototype characterization of Batman that we see today. After Batman’s popularity had sunk throughout the 1970s, mainly due to the camp version no longer connecting with audiences, several producers (primarily Michael Uslan) looked to restore the dark, serious version of Batman. Many movie studios scoffed at the idea though until Warner Bros. decided to take a chance on it. It still took years to for Warner Bros. to truly believe in a Batman film adaptation project. This mainly happened because of several successful comics depicting Batman as that serious, dark character (The Killing Joke and The Dark Knight Returns for example).

Ultimately this direction worked. While the film isn’t perfect by any means, it set the tone to which DC Comics and Batman especially uses today. Batman has two major positives that outweigh pretty much all of the negatives. For one, it’s visually impressive. Batman looks great, the Joker looks great, the set pieces look pretty cool, especially since the film was made in the 1980s. The film’s dark look also helps the Joker stand out, which is a positive. Lastly, I should point out that the Batmobile is pretty awesome as well.

The other major positive that makes Batman work is that Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne and Batman is very good, and Jack Nicholson is incredible here as the Joker. Had those two performances not worked we may be looking at an entirely different way comic book films are looked at. Nicholson outright steals pretty much every scene he’s in. Most of the memorable scenes in the film involve him. The defacing of the artwork. The parade. “The pen is truly mightier than the sword”. And of course, his first appearance as the Joker.

It’s interesting that Batman v Superman has gotten so much heat for not being fun when this film is pretty much just as depressing. Roger Ebert made this argument that it looked like it was a depressing experience for everyone, even those who made the film. Perhaps Nicholson’s Joker was fun enough that no one cared? Maybe it was what people wanted from the comic book characters in 1989, especially from Batman? I’m not sure, but it definitely worked here.

There’s really not much else that’s to write home about in Batman. Kim Basinger is bland as Vicki Vale (no reaction whatsoever from finding out Bruce Wayne and Batman are the same person?). The plot is pretty basic with several changes from the comic book that would infuriate comic book fans today (like Joker being the one to kill Bruce Wayne’s parents). The only other standout is that the music is great and really sets the dark and gloomy mood.

But none of these negatives really matter. Batman is about two comic book icons (or freaks, as Tim Burton put it) creating one another and then finally having their big fight. It’s about two characters who operate with different levels of freedom: one operates in the shadows while the other opening mocks the city he’s attacking. And both characters are done exceptionally well. That’s what mattered.

Pros:

+Jack Nicholson as the Joker is amazing.

+Michael Keaton also works well as Bruce Wayne and Batman.

+Great change of the darker version of Batman that served the prototype for many future comic book films.

+Visuals are pretty good.

Cons:

-Outside of Keaton and Nicholson no one stands out whatsoever and Kim Basinger falls flat.

-Nothing special about the plot.

One of the most influential films in history that inspired some of the biggest comic book blockbusters in history. And it even holds up thanks to the performances of the main characters.

Grade: A

Pro Wrestling

Wrestlemania XXXII Predictions

April 2, 2016 rdtworldofsport@gmail.com

Wrestlemania 32! This year’s Wrestlemania card seemed lacking at first glance, but hopefully the natural progression of Dean Ambrose and the nostalgic excitement around Shane McMahon vs. The Undertaker can save the show. Anyway, let’s get some Wrestlemania predictions going!

The Kalisto-Ryback rivalry goes back to Survivor Series when Kalisto upset Ryback in the WWE Championship tournament. While WWE clearly hasn’t given up on Ryback yet and he’s now sporting a new look I think WWE really likes Kalisto and are going to give him a Mania win.

Winner: Kalisto

Brie Bella’s last match! Truthfully I really dislike how these teams are set up as Lana and Summer Rae were enemies last year and I don’t think anyone on the Total Divas team likes Eva Marie. My suspicion is that WWE wants to get Eva Marie over and a Mania kickoff win will be the way to do it. Plus the Total Divas TV show is probably going to go over.

Winners: Team Total Divas

No reason for the Dudleyz to win here unless they are going to challenge the New Day in the upcoming months. I assume they are going to put the Usos over here.

Winners: The Usos

The New Day have to fight 3 to 4 odds, but the fans will be behind him and with Wade Barrett on his way out he’ll probably be the one to take the fall. There’s a backstory here too that I’m sure has been forgotten…that the New Day walked out on Sheamus at Survivor Series.

Winners: The New Day

I think Braun Strowman is the popular choice here but I think WWE’s quickly losing faith in him. Another popular theory is that Cesaro will return and win his 2^nd Memorial Battle Royal. I’m going to go one greater than that. I don’t think it is a coincidence that the Battle Royal was moved to the main card. And with recent reports that perhaps John Cena is healthy I’m going to call him as a surprise return pick to win the Battle Royal and give it the prestige that it lost when it was moved to the kickoff last year.

Winner: John Cena

While this is a dream feud, we saw these two fight last month. It really only makes sense for Jericho to put over AJ Styles here. Perhaps Jericho wins and AJ wins the rubber PPV match next month, but I hope that’s not the direction that its going.

Winner: AJ Styles

It’s too bad we’re not getting Owens vs. Zayn straight up. Anyone I’d be shocked if anyone other than one of these two won this match and I think the belt is staying with Owens.

Winner: Kevin Owens

I guess this is proof of the Divas revolution? While Sasha Banks is probably the crowd’s favorite to win I think WWE is going to build to Bayley vs. Charlotte for the title. Charlotte will cheat to win again.

Winner: Charlotte

I am stunned at how many people think Shane McMahon’s winning this match. While I understand that people want to move past the Authority, Shane was clearly brought in as a short term part timer and isn’t going to be sticking around. There just simply wasn’t anyone else to put against Undertaker. Undertaker might not have the Streak anymore, but losing to Shane at Mania will devalue what Brock did two years ago and put a damper on the history of those other 22 victories. And I think WWE realizes that. And Goldberg’s not showing up either.

Winner: The Undertaker

This is the big chance for WWE to make a huge star out of Dean Ambrose. Is Ambrose wins here he immediately becomes a bonafide Main Event guy. Too bad that I don’t think WWE is going to take that chance. Not that they really have to either, since Brock is still amazing.

Winner: Brock Lesnar

The Rock is going to show up and help Roman beat HHH to win the title. I’d be shocked if this went any other way. If I thought Rock would wrestle another match in the future I’d go Rock heel turn and Roman vs. Rock next year, but that’s not happening.

Winner: Roman Reigns

Baseball, Basketball, Football, Hockey, NASCAR

Top 25 Greatest Teams That Failed To Win The Championship

March 28, 2016 rdtworldofsport@gmail.com

#25: 1988 New York Mets

Notable Statistics
Record: 100-60 (1st in NL)
Won NL East
Led NL in HRs, RBI, Slugging, OPS, ERA
Notable Players: David Cone, Dwight Gooden, Gary Carter, Keith Hernandez, Darryl Strawberry
Manager: Davey Johnson
Finish: Lost in NLCS to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 7.

Only two years removed from their ’86 World Series, the Mets were at it again, dominating the National League for the season. The Mets led the NLCS 1-0 and 2-1, but the Dodgers came back to lead 3-2. Future Met and NL Cy Young Award Winner Orel Hershiser blanked the Mets in Game 7 and the Dodgers went on to win the World Series.

#24: 1998 #6 Team, Roush Racing (Mark Martin)

Notable Statistics
Finished 2nd in the Winston Cup Points Standings
1998 Statistics: 7 Wins (2nd), 22 Top 5s (2nd), 26 Top 10s (2nd)
Average Finish: 8.6 (2nd)
Crew Chief: Jimmy Fennig

Mark Martin’s most impressive single season came at the same time that Jeff Gordon was setting modern day NASCAR records. Year in and year out Martin has finished in the top 5 of the points standings but each year he would just fall short for one reason or another. Usually, Martin would score two or three wins a season and fill out the rest of the year with a steady dose of Top 10s. In 1998 Martin would win seven times, and if Gordon wasn’t out putting up the most ridiculous season in NASCAR history at that time (13 Wins, 5.7 average finish), who knows how many other victories Martin could have gotten.

Consider this. In 1998 Martin averaged 150.4 points a race. That would have beaten Jeff Gordon’s 1997 Championship average (147.2), Terry Labonte’s 1996 Championship average (150.2), Gordon’s 1995 Championship Average (148.8). Dale Earnhardt’s 1994 average (151.4) beats Martin’s ’98, but Earnhardt also won that title by about 400 points. Hell, Martin’s point total in 33 races is actually greater than 2nd place Earnhardt in 2000 (34 races) and Tony Stewart’s 2nd place total in 2001 (36 races). Martin would have flat out WON the Championship in the 36 race 2002 with his 33 race total in ’98.

#23: 1995 Cleveland Indians

Notable Statistics
Record: 100-44 (1st in AL)
Won AL Central
Led NL in HRs, RBI, Slugging, OPS, ERA
Notable Players: Orel Hershiser, Charles Nagy, Jim Thome, Albert Belle, Manny Ramirez, Kenny Lofton, Omar Vizquel
Manager: Mike Hargrove
Finish: Lost World Series to the Atlanta Braves in 6.

A monster offensive team with a monster record. Prorate that 100-44 record to 162 games and you get about 112 wins. You had five guys on this team hit at least 25 home runs that season (again, a shortened season). You had good pitching. The Indians had 10 more wins in the regular season than anyone else in baseball. This Indians team should have tore through the post-season and ended Cleveland’s long lasting drought.

Cleveland ripped through the Red Sox and Mariners in the post-season, but ran into the great pitching staff of the Atlanta Braves. Highlighted with a World Series winning 1 hitter by Tom Glavine and Mark Wohlers, the Braves upset the Indians and continued to do quite well in the National League throughout the rest of the decade.

#22: 2005 Indianapolis Colts

Notable Statistics
Record: 14-2 (1st in NFL)
Won AFC South
NFL Ranks: 2nd in Points, 2nd in Points Allowed
Won First 13 Games in the Regular Season
Notable Players: Peyton Manning, Edgerrin James, Reggie Wayne, Marvin Harrison, Bob Sanders, Dwight Freeney
Head Coach: Tony Dungy
Finish: Lost in the Divisional Round to the Pittsburgh Steelers 21-18

An epic upset forgotten by the Colts winning the title the very next season. There was a lot of undefeated talk for the Colts during the 2005 season and it looked like, with New England not being as good as they had been in the last couple of seasons, that this was their year. Elite passing, elite running and a good defense seemed like it would be enough.

The Steelers had other plans, pressuring Peyton Manning all throughout the game, sacking him five times and rushing him everywhere. Peyton failed to complete a pass in the first quarter, and the Steelers ran up an early 14-0 lead. The Colts wouldn’t score a TD until the 4th quarter, but the Steelers would barely hang on 21-18 (this included one of the worst referee overturn challenges in the history of the league, when Troy Polamalu intercepted Manning cleanly and it was ruled incomplete). In fact, we may not be talking about the Colts losing here had Ben Roethlisberger not made the tackle of his life when Jerome Bettis fumbled as the Steelers were looking to ice the game and Mike Vanderjagt made the game tying FG. The Steelers would become the first #6 seed to get to the Super Bowl a week later.

#21: 2000-2001 New Jersey Devils

Notable Statistics
Record: 48-19-12-3, 111 Points (2nd in NHL)
Won Atlantic Division
NHL Ranks: Goals 1st, Goals Against 5th
Notable Players: Martin Brodeur, Scott Niedermeyer, Scott Stevens, Patrik Elias, Alexander Mogilny, Petr Sykora
Head Coach: Larry Robinson
Finish: Lost in the Stanley Cup Finals to the Colorado Avalanche in 7.

It’s not even that it was an upset victory for Colorado. The Avalanche had a huge 118 point season and seemed destined for the Cup. That doesn’t change just how good the Devils were. The Devils were already the defending Stanley Cup Champions and brought back most of the team from the season before. Martin Brodeur had proven he could win tough, low scoring playoff hockey games with his stellar performance from the season before. Colorado proved to be too talented and too deep for New Jersey though.

#20: 2011 Green Bay Packers

Notable Statistics
Record: 15-1 (1st in NFL)
Won NFC North
NFL Ranks: 1st in Points, 19th in Points Allowed
Won First 13 Games in the Regular Season
Notable Players: Aaron Rodgers (MVP), Ryan Grant, Donald Driver, Greg Jennings, Charles Woodson, Clay Matthews Jr.
Head Coach: Mike McCarthy
Finish: Lost in the Divisional Round to the New York Giants 37-20

In the pass happy post 2007 NFL, Aaron Rodgers put together the greatest QB season in NFL history as the defending Super Bowl Champion Green Bay Packers ripped through the league with ease. It wasn’t like they were just ranked 1st in points, they scored 35 a game and no one could hang with them. When you have a QB having the best QB season in NFL history at that point, a lot of things that could be considered weaknesses get swept under the rug. The Packers had one weakness, their defense was average at best.
The Giants tore that defense apart. The Giants D caused some turnovers and never let Green Bay get into rhythm. The Giants would find ways to come up with points on each drive of theirs. The big moment? When The Giants looked comfortable taking a 13-10 lead at halftime and Ahmad Bradshaw broke a big run. With six seconds left, Eli Manning took a hot at the end zone and suddenly it was 20-10 Giants. Green Bay never recovered.

#19: 2010-2011 Vancouver Canucks

Notable Statistics
Record: 59-19-9, 117 Points (1st in NHL)
Won Northwest Division
NHL Ranks: Goals 1st, Goals Against 1st
Notable Players: Daniel Sedin, Henrik Sedin, Ryan Kesler, Roberto Luongo
Head Coach: Alain Vigneault
Finish: Lost in the Stanley Cup Finals to the Boston Bruins in 7.

It’s quite difficult to beat a team that scores the most goals and allows the least, but that’s what Boston managed to do in the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals. The Canucks almost lost in the Quarterfinals, luckily winning Game 7 in overtime against the Blackhawks.

Still, the Canucks were stacked, featuring the Sedin twins and 41 goal scorer Ryan Kesler. They just got outplayed in the Stanley Cups Finals.

#18: 2001-2002 Sacramento Kings

Notable Statistics
Record: 61-21 (1st in NBA)
Won Pacific Division
NFL Ranks: 3rd in Offensive Rating, 6th in Defensive Rating
Notable Players: Chris Webber, Peja Stojakovic, Vlade Divac, Mike Bibby, Doug Christie, Bobby Jackson
Head Coach: Rick Adelman
Finish: Lost in the Western Conference Finals to the Los Angeles Lakers in 7.

First of all, we have to consider all the referee shenanigans that cost Sacramento Game 6. It’s one of worst officiated games in league history.

Getting past that, the 2002 Kings had everything it seemed. A star player in Webber. A crunch time guy in Bibby. A dead eye shooter in Stojakovic. The 2002 Kings were so close. Robert Horry hit a dagger in Game 4 that saved the Lakers from a 3-1 deficit. Were the Lakers beating the Kings in three straight? Not likely. Game 7 went to overtime as well. The Kings were so close to knocking off the Shaq-Kobe Lakers and just couldn’t get it done. It’s a shame, because the Nets were waiting in the NBA Finals and stood no chance of beating that Kings team (the Lakers swept them with ease). The Kings spent the next couple of years losing Game 7s to Dallas and Minnesota. They never had a greater chance than they did in 2002, referees or not.

#17: 1994 Montreal Expos

Notable Statistics
Record: 74-40 (1st in NL)
Led NL in ERA
Notable Players: Pedro Martinez, Moises Alou, Larry Walker, Ken Hill
Manager: Felipe Alou
Finish: Baseball Went on Strike

A really tough break for Montreal as some cite the strike as a big reason Montreal moved to Washington years later. The Expos were on pace for a 105 win season led by some really good pitching led by Ken Hill and Pedro Martinez. Moises Alou was on pace for a great season as well. Montreal would lose most of their players in Free Agency.

#16: 2010 New England Patriots

Notable Statistics
Record: 14-2 (1st in NFL)
Won AFC East
NFL Ranks: 1st in Points, 8th in Points Allowed
Notable Players: Tom Brady (MVP), Wes Welker, Rob Gronkowski, Aaron Hernandez, Jarod Mayo, Devin McCourty, Vince Wilfork
Head Coach: Bill Belichick
Finish: Lost in the Divisional Round to the New York Jets 28-21

This was supposed to be the year the New England Patriots got back on track. Ever since their upset loss in Super Bowl XLII the Patriots were in a bit of a funk (for them). Tom Brady got hurt in Week 1 the very next season and while New England went 11-5 they managed to miss the playoffs. The following year they got beat up by Baltimore in the opening round. But Brady was fully healthy in 2010 and showed it, throwing for 36 Touchdowns against merely 4 Interceptions. With the double TE combo of Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski causing trouble for the rest of the league, as well as Wes Welker being Brady’s security blanket, it would be difficult to see how the Patriots weren’t going to win this year.

Bring on the New York Jets. The Jets were led by Rex Ryan and were the cause of one of the Pats two losses during the regular season. Still, it looked like the Jets stood no chance as they were destroyed by New England during Week 13 on Monday Night Football 45-3. But all of that didn’t matter. Ryan’s defense swarmed Brady all game and the Jets had a big 2nd quarter and went into halftime up 14-3. And just like that, New England’s return to dominance was stopped in its tracks.

#15: 2015 #4 Team, Stewart-Haas Racing (Kevin Harvick)

Notable Statistics
Finished 2nd in the Sprint Cup Chase
2015 Statistics: 3 Wins (5th), 23 Top 5s (1st), 28 Top 10s (1st)
Average Finish: 8.7 (1st)
15 Top 2 Finishes
Crew Chief: Rodney Childers

One of the best examples of the new eliminator Chase for the Cup format crowning the wrong driver. Kyle Busch, who had an impressive season after missing the first 11 races, was nowhere near as dominant as Harvick was in 2015. Harvick showed his 2014 wasn’t a fluke by reeling off Top 2 after Top 2. Even though he had a good Chase and even finished 2nd at Homestead, Kyle Busch won the season finale and the title. It doesn’t seem right.

#14: 1996 Denver Broncos

Notable Statistics
Record: 13-3 (1st in NFL)
Won AFC West
NFL Ranks: 4th in Points, 7th in Points Allowed
Notable Players: John Elway, Terrell Davis, Shannon Sharpe, Steve Atwater, Bill Romanowski, Alfred Williams
Head Coach: Mike Shanahan
Finish: Lost in the Divisional Round to the Jacksonville Jaguars 30-27

How do we know this Denver Broncos team was great? They brought back basically the same players and won the next two Super Bowls.

So what the heck happened here? Jacksonville, who was only in their 2nd year of existence, put together a 9-7 record and had barely survived the Bills the week before. Denver was a two touchdown favorite here. The first half was played evenly, with Jacksonville surprising everyone by leading 13-12 at the half. Mark Brunell then played what was probably the greatest half of his life. Everytime Denver got close, Brunell would throw a big TD pass and make the lead a double digit one. It’s incredible to hear just how silent Mile High Stadium became. At the ned of the game Mike Shanahan was asked if Elway was coming back next year. Luckily for Denver, he did and they didn’t blow it up.

#13: 2013 Denver Broncos

Notable Statistics
Record: 13-3 (1st in NFL)
Won AFC West
NFL Ranks: 1nd in Points, 22nd in Points Allowed
Notable Players: Peyton Manning (MVP), DeMaryius Thomas, Wes Welker, Julius Thomas
Head Coach: John Fox
Finish: Lost in the Super Bowl to the Seattle Seahawks 43-8

This is Peyton Manning’s record setting year where he trashed all the records with 5,477 yards and 55 TDs. Denver’s defense wasn’t as strong as it would be, but offensively it probably wouldn’t have mattered. They scored a crazy 606 points thoughout the regular season. Only three times did they score under 30 points in the regular season, and two of those were 27 and 28 point outings.

Unfortunately the Seattle Seahawks defense was waiting for them and Denver got smashed in the Super Bowl. Everything that could have went wrong for Denver did. I don’t think that takes away from just how dominant Denver was the rest of the season. Even in the post season they handled San Diego and New England with relative ease.

#12: 2007 #24 Team, Hendrick Motorsports (Jeff Gordon)

Notable Statistics
Finished 2nd in the Nextel Cup Chase
2015 Statistics: 6 Wins (2nd), 21 Top 5s (1st), 30 Top 10s (1st)
Average Finish: 7.3 (1st)
Crew Chief: Steve Letarte

In 2007 we got the Jeff Gordon of old. Gordon dominated the NASCAR season that invoked memories of his late 90s dominance. Gordon has approximately a 300 point advantage before the Chase reset everything, and then Jimmie Johnson proceeded to win six of ten Chase races to steal the title from Gordon. Despite Johnson’s run, Gordon kept it competitive. Jeff Gordon would never be this dominant again. This was his best chance at a 5th Cup.

#11: 1990 Buffalo Bills

Notable Statistics
Record: 13-3 (2nd in NFL)
Won AFC East
NFL Ranks: 1st in Points, 6th in Points Allowed
Notable Players: Jim Kelly, Thurman Thomas, Bruce Smith (Defensive Player of the Year), Andre Reed
Head Coach: Marv Levy
Finish: Lost in the Super Bowl to the New York Giants 20-19

The first of the four falls of Buffalo might have been the best. Jim Kelly and Thurman Thomas made up a great one-two punch that would lead the Bills to four straight Super Bowl berths, and Bruce Smith was the premier Defensive Player of his era. Unfortunately for the Bills the New York Giants had a great gameplan that shut down the Bills offense. Despite this, Buffalo still had a chance to win it…but Scott Norwood famously missed “wide right”.

To get an idea how good this Bills team was, they took out Marino and the Dolphins in the Divisional Round but dropping 44, then kick the crap out of the Raiders 51-3 in the AFC Title game. The 1990 Bills were really good.

#10: 1997 Green Bay Packers

Notable Statistics
Record: 13-3 (1st in NFL)
Won NFC Central
NFL Ranks: 2nd in Points, 5th in Points Allowed
Notable Players: Brett Favre (MVP), Dorsey Levens, Antonio Freeman, Robert Brooks, Mark Chmura, Reggie White, LeRoy Butler
Head Coach: Mike Holmgren
Finish: Lost in the Super Bowl to the Denver Broncos 31-24

The Packers had avoided Denver in the Super Bowl prior as Denver had been upset by Jacksonville in the Divisional round. This time Denver had to come out of the Wildcard round to get to the big game and they did. Waiting for them were the defending Super Bowl Champions and three time MVP Brett Favre. The Packers just completed dispatching one of the powerhouse NFC teams of the last 15+ years in the 49ers. Denver was a big underdog here.

Green Bay couldn’t stop Terrell Davis. Hell, almost no one could. Davis destroyed the Packers for 157 rushing yards. While the Packers were in the game the whole way, Denver just did enough to keep their one score lead and win. If the 1997 Packers had one Achilles’ Heel it was that they at times struggled to contain the rush. And that’s how Denver won. The mid-90s championship level Packer teams came to a close as they didn’t get out of the Wildcard Round in 1998.

#9: 1995-1996 Detroit Red Wings

Notable Statistics
Record: 62-13-7, 131 Points (1st in NHL, 2nd All-Time)
Won Central Division
NHL Ranks: Goals 3rd, Goals Against 1st
Notable Players: Sergei Federov, Steve Yzerman, Paul Coffey, Chris Osgood, Mke Vernon
Head Coach: Scotty Bowman
Finish: Lost in the Western Conference Finals to the Colorado Avalanche in 6.

On this list strictly because 131 points in a hockey season is a hell of a lot of points. Both the Red Wings and Avalanche were stacked at this point so despite the big point differential it wasn’t that crazy that Colorado could beat them.

Like the ’96 Broncos, the Red Wings would win the next two Championships, showing that this is a great team. They’d be a title contender in the NHL pretty much for the next 20 years too.

#8: 2006-2007 Dallas Mavericks

Notable Statistics
Record: 67-15 (1st in NBA)
Won Southwest Division
NFL Ranks: 2nd in Offensive Rating, 5th in Defensive Rating
Notable Players: Dirk Nowitzki (MVP), Jason Terry, Josh Howard, Devin Harris
Head Coach: Avery Johnson
Finish: Lost in the First Round to the Golden State Warriors in 6.

There was proof that this Dallas Mavericks team was good: they were close to winning the NBA Title the previous year but only lost the Finals because Wade and perhaps the referees. Still, from an advanced metrics standpoint Nowitzki was unstoppable in 2007. It seemed that at worst, Dallas would have a tough series against Phoenix or San Antonio in the Western Conference Finals to get back to the Finals. But Dallas had every reason to be confident as they had beaten both of those teams in 2006.

What happened was absolutely shocking. The #8th seeded Warriors did whatever they wanted to Dallas and Nowitzki was shut down. Baron Davis and Stephen Jackson hit ridiculous shot after ridiculous shot. Don Nelson, the previous coach of the Mavericks, seemed to have the secrets for stopping Nowitzki. I have little doubt Dallas would have at least lost a tough series to San Antonio or Phoenix had they gotten by Golden State, and really Dallas might have just won the title there. Crazy match-up led to a crazy upset.

#7: 2011 Philadelphia Phillies

Notable Statistics
Record: 102-60 (1st in NL)
Won NL East
Led NL in ERA
Notable Players: Cliff Lee, Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels, Roy Oswalt
Manager: Charlie Manuel
Finish: Lost Divisional Series to St. Louis Cardinals in 5.

While the 2010 Phillies could have been on here, the 2011 version gets the nod because of the Four Aces. Halladay, Hamels, Lee and Oswalt? That’s one of the best pitching staffs in baseball history. While Oswalt wasn’t great, fifth starter Vance Worley was and the Phillies led the NL by ERA by a substantial margin. Plus, it isn’t like they were weak hitting the ball as they had Ryan Howard and Chase Utley on the hitting side as well.

Unfortunately the Cardinals surprised them in the opening round, which included a masterful three hitter from Dan Carpenter in the deciding Game 5.

#6: 1998 Minnesota Vikings

Notable Statistics
Record: 15-1 (1st in NFL)
Won NFC Central
NFL Ranks: 1nd in Points, 6th in Points Allowed
Notable Players: Randall Cunningham, Randy Moss, John Randle, Cris Carter, Robert Smith, Ed McDaniel, Gary Anderson, Robert Smith
Head Coach: Dennis Green
Finish: Lost in the NFC Championship Game to the Atlanta Falcons 30-27

Minnesota had a fearsome defensive line (Randle, McDaniel), a quarterback that dipped into the fountain of youth and returned to a near MVP form he once had in the early 90s (Cunningham), a 1,100 yard back (Smith), a perfect (or near-perfect, we will get to that) field goal kicker (Anderson), a rookie WR who only fell in the draft due to attitude concerns…only he’s turned out to arguably be the most dynamic WR ever (Moss). How could this team lose? They were 3 points away from a perfect regular season.

The Atlanta Falcons were no joke though, being 14-2 themselves and finishing off the Steve Young era in San Francisco. Chris Chandler played the game of his life. And still, Minnesota had Atlanta beat. Minnesota was up 7 and a Gary Anderson FG would put Atlanta away. Anderson missed. With John Randle injured on the sidelines Atlanta tied the game at 27 then won in overtime. Even as a 10 year old kid I remember being shocked at that outcome. I recommend the Missing Rings documentary about them.

#5: 2008-2009 Boston Celtics

Notable Statistics
Record: 62-20 (3rd in NBA)
Won Atlantic Division
NFL Ranks: 2nd in Offensive Rating, 6th in Defensive Rating
Notable Players: Kevin Garnett, Rajon Rondo, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce
Head Coach: Doc Rivers
Finish: Lost in the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals to the Orlando Magic in 6.

At first it seems like the 08-09 Cavs should be on here, but truthfully I don’t find that to be a great team. I find that to be a great player carrying a pretty bad team to insane heights.

What’s forgotten about the Celtics is that Kevin Garnett was injured and missed the entire playoffs. Garnett was still one of the most important defensive players of his generation as his presence alone allowed Boston to play at an elite level. Boston started the season 27-2, which in itself was insane. They slowed down throughout the rest of the year and it seemed age was catching up a little bit. But then Garnett had to sit out the playoffs. Boston still beat a Chicago team that seemed determined to do every single thing they could to win. They took Orlando to seven games despite big trouble trying to guard Dwight Howard inside without Garnett to help. Rajon Rondo went from the Big 3 + Rondo to arguably the best player for the Celtics. If Garnett’s there, Boston probably goes to the Finals again (sorry Cleveland). Remember, the starting five of Perkins-Garnett-Pierce-Allen-Rondo never lost a playoff series where all five played each game, and they proved that by making the Finals in 2010 (Perkins got hurt and didn’t play Game 7 of the Finals), beating both Cleveland and Orlando.

#4: 1990 San Francisco 49ers

Notable Statistics
Record: 14-2 (1st in NFL)
Won NFC West
NFL Ranks: 8th in Points, 2nd in Points Allowed
Notable Players: Joe Montana (MVP), Jerry Rice, Ronnie Lott, Charles Haley
Head Coach: George Seifert
Finish: Lost in the NFC Championship Game to the Giants 15-13

Everyone talks about the 1990 Bills losing in the Super Bowl (which is even on this list), but the 1990 49ers were a 14-2 juggernaut looking for their third straight Super Bowl. Led by MVP Joe Montana, it looked like nothing was going to stop the Niners from getting it done. The Giants hit five field goals and slowed Montana and the Niners enough to pull it off in Candlestick Park. Give Parcells and Belichick a lot of credit, holding Montana to 13 and Kelly to 19 was no small task.

We were that close to having a team win three straight Super Bowls.

#3: 2001 Seattle Mariners

Notable Statistics
Record: 116-46 (1st in AL)
Won AL West
Led AL In BA, Hits, ERA
Notable Players: Brett Boone, Ichiro Suzuki (MVP, ROTY), John Olerud, Freddy Garcia, Edgar Martinez
Manager: Lou Pinella
Finish: Lost ALCS to the New York Yankees in 5.

The record itself was staggering. The Yankees though did a great job of shutting Ichiro down (4 for 18) and the Mariners couldn’t get by the more experience Yankee team. Perhaps it’s unlucky for Seattle that they ran into the Yankee dynasty, but 116 wins is a number that’s tough to overlook. They ended up with eight All-Stars that year. It’s kind of incredible that they lost.

#2: 2012-2013 San Antonio Spurs

Notable Statistics
Record: 58-24 (3rd in NBA)
Won Southwest Division
NFL Ranks: 7th in Offensive Rating, 3rd in Defensive Rating
Notable Players: Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker, Kawhi Leonard
Head Coach: Gregg Popovich
Finish: Lost in the NBA Finals to the Miami Heat in 7.

Don’t let the record fool you, this is the best NBA team to not win the title. After steamrolling through the NBA playoffs (only a still young Steph Curry led Warriors team won any games) in a tough Western Conference with a record of 12-2, the Spurs went up against the PEAK of LeBron James.

You know how hard it is to beat one of the seven greatest basketball players of all time at his peak? LeBron had an incredible season that by advanced metrics even surpassed Michael Jordan’s best season. The Heat during the year had a shot at beating the Lakers’ 33 game win streak. There was no question LeBron James was the best basketball player in the world. He had two elite level players with him too: Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade. The Heat were the defending NBA Champions.

The Spurs probably came the closest to winning the NBA Title than any team ever without actually winning it. Game 6 the Spurs had a five point lead with 28 seconds to go. LeBron knocked down a three to bring it to two. The Spurs made one free throw, which led to Ray Allen hitting one of greatest shots in NBA history, a three from the corner to tie it up. Miami prevailed in overtime. From there it took a masterful performance from LeBron, a 37-12-4, to win the title from the Spurs. THAT’s what it took to beat these guys. The next year LeBron regressed slightly, Wade wasn’t the same and Kawhi Leonard improved and the Spurs easily won the title.

#1: 2007 New England Patriots

Notable Statistics
Record: 16-0 (1st in NFL)
Only 16-0 Regular Season in NFL History
Won AFC East
NFL Ranks: 1st in Points, 4th in Points Allowed
Notable Players: Tom Brady (MVP), Randy Moss, Mike Vrabel, Vince Wilfork, Asante Samuel
Head Coach: Bill Belichick
Finish: Lost in the Super Bowl to the New York Giants 17-14

The final tally on the New England Patriots 2007 season will forever read 18-1. Somehow Eli Manning escaped a for sure sack. Somehow David Tyree caught the ball on his helmet. Somehow The Patriots, with Brady throwing for 50 TDs that season, 23 of them to arguably to the greatest receiver of all time in his prime, had only managed 14 points. Somehow, somehow, somehow, the Giants upset the Patriots.

With all the spygate stuff out there the Patriots had been looking for blood all season. They routinely ran up the score and no one could really stop them. Only twice did they have scares: Baltimore nearly upset them and the Giants played them tough Week 17. In fact, it was that Giants game that allegedly gave them the confidence and momentum that got them through the playoffs as well. New England was so close to perfection, and instead ended up as the greatest team to not win the title.

Pro Wrestling

RDT Reviews Wrestlemania III

March 7, 2016 rdtworldofsport@gmail.com

WWF Wrestlemania III
March 29, 1987
Detroit, MI

While the first Wrestlemania was a huge success, the second one was a bit of a disappointment. Vince McMahon looked to expand the Wrestlemania idea by having it split between three venues didn’t completely work, and the main events were a bit lackluster. Vince McMahon had a solution to this though…the biggest main event you could put together in 1987: Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant. Oh, and instead of three venues Mania III will be in the 94,000 seat Pontiac Silverdome.

An insane idea for sure. But why couldn’t the WWF pack the Silverdome to the rafters? This is perhaps the golden era of professional wrestling. Vince McMahon had been riding this wrestling boom super high and there looked to be no end in sight. Hulkamania was running wild…and going against the “undefeated” Andre the Giant just seemed like printing money. Could Mania III fix the issues of Mania II?

The Card

I know it really isn’t 93,000 people, but those long viewed shots are incredible.

Aretha Frankin with the iconic “America the Beautiful”. Even in the opening moments you had a sense that this may have been the biggest professional wrestling card ever.

The Can-Am Connection vs. Bob Orton and Don Muraco

The Connection is Rick Martel and Tom Zenk.

The Connection win when Martel pinned Muraco in 5:37. Crossbody for the win. Fun opener that got the crowd into it as Zenk and Martel were popular.

Billy Jack Haynes vs. Hercules

Build-up involves Haynes offering Hercules to lock him in the Full Nelson, but Hercules taking him out instead. It’s Chris Masters 18 years early.

Haynes survives the Full Nelson and locks Hercules in one of his own!

Double Countout in 7:44. Haynes has the Full Nelson locked in, but Hercules is able to roll to the outside and takes Haynes with him. Haynes locks in the hold again and both men are counted out. Hated the finish, match told a good story though. Hercules levels Haynes with a steel chain afterwards, busting him open.

Hillbilly Jim, Haiti Kid and Little Beaver vs. King Kong Bundy, Lord Littlebrook and Little Tokyo

Littlebrook, Tokyo, Beaver and Kid are all midget wrestlers. The real issue was with Jim and Bundy.

Quite a drop off from Mania II for Bundy.

Rules state big guys fight big guys and little guys fight little guys.

Beaver actually elbows Bundy. This leads to a funny sequence where Beaver drops kicks Bundy before running to tag in Jim.

Beaver keeps attacking Bundy, who’s had enough.

Jim, Beaver and Kid win by DQ in 3:25. Bundy slams Beaver and drops an elbow on him for the DQ. Jesse Ventura makes a good point that Beaver kept attacking Bundy and shouldn’t have been DQed. The midgets all turn on Bundy too. This was more of a comedy match.

Junkyard Dog vs. Harley Race

If JYD loses, he has to bow to Race, if he wins he gets the wear the crown.

I don’t really know the details backstage I guess, but Harley Race seemed absolutely wasted in the WWF.

Harley Race pinned Junkyard Dog in 4:22. Belly to belly wins it. JYD bows to Race…then attacks him with a chair and wears the robe himself. Some good guy. Of course the crowd cheers him too. Ventura again makes a great point that JYD was wrong to do that to Race. Also, in the internet era JYD would have been booed out of the building for that.

The Rougeau Brothers vs. Greg Valentine and Brutus Beefcake

Really great double team move midway in when Beefcake holds Jacques over his head and Valentine comes down with a forearm. Beefcake ends it with a backbreaker.

We get some Bobby Heenan on commentary which is great. He’s 2-0 because the double countout was a win in his book!

Beefcake accidentally nails Valentine, leading too…

Valentine and Beefcake win in 4:03. Raymond has Valentine beat, but Dino Bravo breaks up the pin when coming off the top rope for Valentine to steal the win.

Afterwards Bravo celebrates with Valentine and leave Beefcake in the ring, which turns Beefcake. Odd choice to have the Rougeaus lose here if they were gonna break up Valentine and Beefcake.

Hair vs. Hair
Roddy Piper vs. Adrian Adonis

The build-up to this seems incredible. Piper was retiring, but he had been attacked by Adonis and took a flower pot to the face. Piper destroying the Flower Shop set is incredible as well.

It took an hour, but we finally have a big match to make this feel like Wrestlemania.

Piper starts off by whipping Adonis with a belt. Adonis gets revenge though. Already the intensity of this match sets it apart from the rest of the card.

Piper throws Jimmy Hart at Adonis and that sets him over the top rope. Entertaining stuff so far.

I like how Adonis’ sleeper is called “Good Night Irene”.

Roddy Piper wins when Adonis passed out in 6:33. Adonis has Piper beat it seems, but releases Good Night Irene too early. While celebrating, Brutus Beefcake comes down and helps revive Piper. Piper gets the sleeper for the win. Beefcake cuts Adonis’ hair as revenge for an earlier situation where Adonis cut Beefcake’s hair. This led to Beefcake being called “the Barber”. Maybe not the best match, but it was fun and told a good story. When the character are over, matches become better automatically. Piper’s retirement wouldn’t last of course. Adonis left the WWF shortly after this.

It is beginning to get dark in the Silverdome which really helps the atmosphere.

Danny Davis and the Hart Foundation vs. The British Bulldogs and Tito Santana

Big heat for Davis as he’s was a heel ref that got “banned”. He gets in a few kicks everytime he’s tagged in and immediately tags out. Good stuff.

Davis tries a slingshot and the Dynamite Kid gets his knees up, allowing Tito to come in and attack Davis.

Davey Boy Smith gets an awesome Tombstone on Davis. Wow!

The Harts and Davis win when Davis pinned Davey Boy in 8:54. Big brawl erupts, but Davis gets the megaphone and takes out Davey for the win. Good, fun match. Davis gets huge heat. This was kind of a last hurrah for the Bulldogs, as Dynamite Kid had hurt his back a few months prior and was never the same worker again.

Butch Reed vs. Koko B. Ware

This is Reed’s PPV debut.

Reed pins Ware in 3:40. Reed reverses a crossbody and holds the tights for the win. Slick attacks Ware, but Tito Santana evens the odds and helps Ware fend off Reed and Slick. Not much to say about this one really. All these short matches are hurting the card for sure.

Intercontinental Championship
Randy Savage© vs. Ricky Steamboat

George “The Animal” Steele is in Steamboat’s corner, and of course Miss Elizabeth is in Savage’s.

Hot start with two perfect armdrags from Steamboat and a tree slam.

So far everything Steamboat and Savage have done has been intense and crisp. In North American Steamboat was arguably the best worker in the world at this point, and Savage had to be top 10 at worst.

Savage knees Steamboat in the back and sends him into the crowd. In 1987!

Savage comes off the top with an axhandle smash to Steamboat on the floor.

Steamboat backdrops Savage over the top rope and onto the floor. Savage goes over the top rope amazingly as well!

Steamboat jumps over the ref and takes Savage out with a flying karate chop! Two count only as Savage gets the ropes…but the crowd popped huge there!

Tons of near falls on Savage…and again they fool the crowd!

Great irish whip reversal takes out the referee.

Big elbow from Savage! But still no referee.

Ricky Steamboat wins the title by pin in 14:35. Savage grabs the ring bell, but Steele grabs it from him. Savage attacks Steele then grabs the ring bell again, but Steele pushes Savage off the top rope. A dazed Savage tries to slam Steamboat, but he rolls through and gets the pin and the title. The first great Wrestlemania match, and for a while it was the best Wrestlemania match of all time (some would say it still is, and some would say it’s the greatest match of all time). The story is tremendous, the in-ring action is tremendous and the match itself serves as the prototype to great matches of the future (up until about 1998). This match also showed that Savage could both be main event level guys, although Steamboat wouldn’t reach that level in the WWF. Both men were World Champions a couple years from this match as Savage was World Champion at the next Wrestlemania and Steamboat would win the NWA World Title from Ric Flair in 1989.

Honky Tonk Man vs. Jake “The Snake” Roberts

Jake has Alice Cooper in his corner.

Cool spot on the outside where Jake gets slammed into the post and sells it so well he ends up crashing into the railing.

Honky Tonk Man pins Jake in 7:04. Jake goes for the DDT, but Jimmy Hart holds onto Jake’s leg which stops him. Honky then rolls Jake up and holds the ropes for the pin. Not a bad match by any means. Alice Cooper and Jake get Jimmy Hart at the end and allow Damien, Jake’s snake, to get him.

The Killer Bees vs. Nikolai Volkoff and the Iron Sheik

Jim Duggan prevents Volkoff from singing the Russian National Anthem.

Sheik and Volkoff win by DQ in 5:48. Duggan whacks Sheik with the 2×4 for the DQ. Ventura complained about Duggan being on the outside the entire time and it turned out he was right. Match was fine. Duggan starts a USA chant which somehow offsets the fact that he ruined the match. Ah well.

WWF Championship
Hulk Hogan© vs. Andre the Giant

Arguably the biggest match in professional wrestling history at this point. Hogan, the invincible superman against Andre, the undefeated 8th Wonder of the World. Andre turned heel when he was given a smaller trophy than Hogan for being undefeated for 20 years. This was the Dream Match at the time.

There’s some perfect about Bob Uecker’s introduction of Andre the Giant.

To this day nothing for me matches Hogan and Andre’s initial staredown in terms of intensity and big match feel.

Hogan goes for the slam..but Andre falls on him! He gets a two count only.

For as bad match quality wise this match is, the beginning isn’t too bad. Andre just tosses Hogan around like he’s nothing, which was a perfect way to book this match considering Hogan never went through anything like that before.

Other than a small offensive from Hogan, this has been all Andre. Once again, its smart booking because you have no idea if Hogan could come back from this.

I couldn’t help but laugh that Hogan goes for a piledriver on the floor to Andre. Like that was going to happen.

Hogan slams Andre!

Hogan retains the title in 12:02. Legdrop wins. Easily the greatest smoke and mirrors match ever as the match itself was pretty bad (although it definitely could have been worse), but it doesn’t matter one bit. Historically this match was the perfect example of hype and being able to deliver despite obvious limitations. The feud would remain hot and continue through 1988, where Andre would win the title on the first Saturday Night’s Main Event. Hogan slamming Andre is still arguably the biggest moment in Wrestlemania history.

We had one of the most historic matches in wrestling history with Andre vs. Hogan, one of the greatest matches in wrestling history with Steamboat vs. Savage, and a few good matches (Harts/Davis-Bulldogs/Santana, Piper-Adonis). I can’t give it the perfect A+ because there was a lot of short stuff that wasn’t good, but this definitely was a great Wrestlemania.

This was the peak of the golden age of professional wrestling. While 1987 and even 1988 would remain strong for the WWF, things would go downhill after that.

But as of Mania III, Hulkamania was still running as wild as ever.

Final Grade: A

Uncategorized

RDT Reviews Wrestlemania

February 29, 2016 rdtworldofsport@gmail.com

WWF Wrestlemania
March 31, 1985
New York, NY

Wrestlemania is the most important wrestling card in North American wrestling history. Shown on closed-circuit, Wrestlemania was Vince McMahon’s big chance. As the legend goes, if Wrestlemania was a success, the WWF could skyrocket financially and change wrestling forever. If it had failed Vince could be nearly wiped out financially and wrestling would never be the same again. Those were the stakes (exaggerated or not, I do think pro wrestling wouldn’t be remotely the same had Mania failed).

But Vince’s plan was pretty good. He had the most popular wrestler in the world in the main event in Hulk Hogan. Probably the #2 heel in the world was also in that match (Roddy Piper). The show also was full of celebrities. Mr. T, Cyndy Lauper, Libarace, they all came to Wrestlemania.

Anyway, a successful show makes the WWF, a poor one ruins them. Let’s see how it turned out.

The Card

Mean Gene sings the National Anthem. Strange that there wasn’t a celebrity for this.

Lord Alfred Hayes sounds quite nervous. Mene Gene then interviews Tito Santana and The Executioner. Executioner’s mask looks ridiculous.

Tito Santana vs. The Executioner

Not much to say here, but crowd is into Tito for sure.

Santana makes the Executioner submit in 4:50. Figure Four wins it, the story being Santana’s calling out Greg Valentine. Executioner was undefeated before Santana won here…the first streak that ended at Wrestlemania!

Lord Alfred Hayes must have just had a bad night.

King Kong Bundy vs. SD Jones

Well, this is a record WWE continually looks to break at many Manias. I think they did it at 24.

Bundy pins Jones in 0:24. Avalanche and splash for the win. No five count though. The Fink says the match was nine seconds long…which it wasn’t.

Matt Borne vs. Ricky Steamboat

“Maniac” Matt Borne? Could have been cool to actually say he went under that name when he became Doink years later.

Some nice suplexes from Borne, but this has mostly been all Steamboat.

Steamboat pins Borne in 4:38. Steamboat pits a flying body press for the win. Alright match, seemed to be a showcase for Steamboat.

David Sammartino vs. Brutus Beefcake

Crowd ERUPTS when Bruno Sammartino is announced as he seconds David.

Speaking of which, wouldn’t Bruno vs. Hogan have been a legendary match? I wonder why that never happened. Bruno definitely wrestled later in the 80s.

Longest match of the night so far, but also quite boring.

Double DQ in 11:44. Johnny Valiant slams David on the outside, and Bruno kicks his ass. The crowd once again erupts when Bruno kicks ass. Double DQ. Not sure why that went 11 minutes if that was the finish, but the image of Bruno owning is a Wrestlemania moment that definitely doesn’t get enough credit. That was awesome.

JYD has entrance music and that also wakes the crowd up.

Valentine nails his manager, Jimmy Hart, the crowd goes bananas once again. Despite the quality of the matches there is great heat here. That’s 1985 for you.

Valentine pins JYD with the feet on the ropes…but Santana comes down to explain what happened to the referee. This leads to…

JYD wins by countout in 6:55. Weird finish for sure, but at least it furthered the Santana vs. JYD feud.

The Express is Mike Rotundo and Barry Windham.

Like Borne, it’s crazy how Rotundo and Windham would appear at future Wrestlemanias. Rotundo would become IRS, Windham would be at Mania 13 as Blackjack Windham.

The Iron Sheik and Volkoff win the titles at 6:55. Sheik uses Freddy Blasse’s cane to hit Windham and Volkoff gets the pin. Heels win in the first title change at Wrestlemania, who woulda thunk it?

$15,000 Bodyslam Challenge
Big John Studd vs. Andre the Giant

Also, if Andre were to lose here, he would retire.

Big reaction for Andre of course. Pretty sure even at the time there was no way Studd was winning this.

Really slow match here. This was past Andre’s prime obviously.

Andre wins in 5:54. Slam comes out of nowhere but the crowd goes crazy for it. Heenan steals the money.

We obviously don’t get “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” on the Network.

Like everything else on the show, this really isn’t anything to write home about.

Richter wins the title by pin in 6:12. Botched finish where Richter’s supposed to roll through a flying bodypress but fails. Eventually she gets over and gets the pin. It’s the moment that counts though, and the crowd popped huge for Richter. Interestingly, Richter would get legit double crossed by Vince and the Fabulous Moolah soon afterwards. There’s various rumors about why this happened. The most accepted story is that Vince didn’t want to pay her as much as she wanted (she was arguably the #2 face in the promotion at one point), and possibly even Hogan felt threatened about her.

Time for Celebritymania! Billy Martin! Libarace!

Hulk Hogan and Mr. T vs. Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff

Muhammad Ali is your special referee, which is pretty bad ass in itself. Funny story here: Pat Patterson suggested he be a second referee to make sure Ali was okay out there. Patterson would admit he would just find excuses to get on the Mania card for the payday.

Piper gets a live bagpipe entrance. Makes you wonder what Ric Flair could have gotten as an entrance had he been a part of this.

Oddly, this feels like the rich man’s version of the Dennis Rodman matches in WCW.

Mr. T does a good job early on slamming Piper.

Craziness ensues with Jimmy Snuka nearly coming off the top rope.

While it’s mostly been a standard tag match, Mr. T definitely did a great job.

Hogan and Mr. T win when Hogan pinned Orndorff in 13:24. Bob Orton comes off the top and misses Hogan, nailing Orndorff with the cast. Hogan pins him for the win. Good match, best of the night for sure. This definitely was what the WWF needed, the biggest match doing well. This would continue the Piper-Mr. T feud and start Orndorff’s turn.

Hogan, T and Snuka celebrate to end the first Wrestlemania.

Technically this show sucks. There’s not a good match until the main event, and even that wouldn’t be on most people’s top 50 Mania matches. But it worked in 1985. Actually, that’s an understatement. Over a million people went to closed circuit locations to watch it. And the WWF was off and running as a result. The WWF wouldn’t quite get the Mania formula right at Mania II (which I already reviewed and it didn’t do well), but they’d get it figured out soon enough.

Again, the show sucks…but that’s not what mattered here.

Final Grade: A-

Video Games

The (Fictional) World Series of Smash

February 27, 2016 rdtworldofsport@gmail.com 2 Comments

A random rant about the competitive video game community first. While I enjoy participating in and watching Super Smash Bros. tournaments, I always wished there was more diversity in them. Sure, the idea of competitive gaming is to minimize luck and maximize skill. But I believe more can be done to have casuals play more tournaments as well to expand the game. Giving casuals events they can do well in as well providing a tournament scene that allows them to have fun and not feel bad about losing to competitive players could only grow the Super Smash Bros. community.

If I ever become rich and wealthy, I would look to create a World Series of Smash, a series of tournaments that provide big money Guarantees for small buy-ins. I would try to have Nintendo endorse the series as well (so no Project M or Super Smash Flash) in this fictional scenario. I would look to have every single match recorded and uploaded. While some (most) of the events are standard double elimination style tournaments, some of the events are tournament types not even remotely seen in the Smash community. Right now, it’s just a dream.

Event #1

Game: Melee

Rules: Standard Tournament, Double Elimination

Buy-in: $20

Guaranteed: $15,000

Event #2

Game: Smash 4

Rules: Single Elimination

Buy-in: $20

Guaranteed: $10,000

Event #3

Game: Smash 4

Rules: 4 v 4, Double Elimination

Buy-in: $20 ($5 per player)

Guaranteed: $3,000

Event #4

Game: Brawl

Rules: 1 Stock, 3 Min, Best of Sevens, Double Elimination, Randoms

Buy-in: $10

Guaranteed: $4,000

Event #5

Game: Smash 4

Rules: Best of Fives, Must use different character each time.

Buy-in: $10

Guaranteed: $6,000

Event #6

Game: Smash 4

Rules: 8 Player Smash, 15 Mins, 10% of highest scores advance (closest to a multiple of 8).

Buy-in: $10

Guaranteed: $4,000

Event #7

Game: Smash 4

Rules: 3 v 3, Double Elimination

Buy-in: $21 ($7 per team)

Guaranteed: $3,000

Event #8

Game: Smash 4

Rules: 4 Player Smash, 10 HP, Randoms, Customs On, Single Elimination

Buy-in: $5

Guaranteed: $2,500

Event #9

Game: Melee

Rules: Single Elimination, Best of Sevens

Buy-in: $20

Guaranteed: $15,000

Event #10

Game: Brawl

Rules: Double Elimination, Low Items

Buy-in: $10

Guaranteed: $3,000

Event #11

Game: 64, Melee, Brawl, 4

Rules: Double Elimination, Game selection is a counterpick option. Game choice at the beginning is a result of striking.

Buy-in: $10

Guaranteed: $2,000

Event #12 (64 Main Event)

Game: 64

Rules: Standard Tournament, Double Elimination

Buy-in: $20

Guaranteed: $6,000

Event #13 (64 Teams Main Event)

Game: 64

Rules: Standard Tournament, Double Elimination

Buy-in: $20 ($10 per player)

Guaranteed: $4,000

Event #14 (Melee Main Event)

Game: Melee

Rules: Standard Tournament, Double Elimination

Buy-in: $20

Guaranteed: $40,000

Event #15 (Melee Teams Main Event)

Game: Melee

Rules: Standard Tournament, Double Elimination

Buy-in: $20 ($10 per player)

Guaranteed: $20,000

Event #16 (Brawl Main Event)

Game: Brawl

Rules: Standard Tournament, Double Elimination

Buy-in: $20

Guaranteed: $15,000

Event #17 (Brawl Teams Main Event)

Game: Brawl

Rules: Standard Tournament, Double Elimination

Buy-in: $20 ($10 per player)

Guaranteed: $8,000

Event #18 (Smash 4 Main Event)

Game: Smash 4

Rules: Standard Tournament, Double Elimination

Buy-in: $20

Guaranteed: $25,000

Event #19 (Smash 4 Teams Main Event)

Game: Smash 4

Rules: Standard Tournament, Double Elimination

Buy-in: $20 ($10 per player)

Guaranteed: $8,000

Event #20

Game: Smash 4

Rules: Standard Tournament, Double Elimination

Buy-in: $50

Guaranteed: $20,000

RDT World of Sport

Tag Archives: RDT

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Top 25 Greatest Teams That Failed To Win The Championship

RDT Reviews Wrestlemania III

RDT Reviews Wrestlemania

The (Fictional) World Series of Smash

And Games….And All Fun Stuff!