1)I don’t care what anyone says, Rajon Rondo is the catalyst to the Celtics’ team success. Everything begins with him. If he doesn’t initiate the offense and/or draw the opposing team’s defense by either penetrating the paint or giving the ball at the right time/spot to other players, then it’s going to be a long series. We need the Rondo that started off the season with an average of 16.7 assists in the first three games. If we get the inconsistent/slumping Rondo, I don’t know, put the damn headband back on or something! Get your mojo back somehow!
2)Shaquille O’Neal is not going to play in Game 1. Here’s what I’m hoping: IF, and a BIG IF, the Celtics can somehow not get forced into a Game 7 and can prolong Shaquille O’Neal’s return later down the line, I’d be all for it. The Knicks’ center position does not scare me at all. If the guy is not healthy enough to play, I see no reason to play him at all.
3)Big chance to see if the bench players will step their games up and incorporate whatever they’ve learned since the deadline. Managing minutes for the starters are going to be crucial.
4)Honestly, I think the Celtics can sweep the Knicks in 4. Realistically, it might go 5.
5)People might be talking more about the Pierce/Anthony and/or Garnett/Stoudemire matchups, but I’m more interested in the Rondo/Billups matchup than anything.
6)I hope we see more moments like this in Madison Square Garden:
PRICELESS
7)Has Troy Murphy done ANYTHING ever since he came here?
8)Can we expect more M.V.P. type numbers from Sasha Pavlovic? (If he makes it into the playoff team, of course) (19 points, 7-10 of shooting; 4-5 from beyond the arc, 2 rebounds, 1 steal)
9)I hate when they keep saying “Flip The Switch,” it brings me awful nightmares when the C’s once had a player of this magnitude:
But… but… the BALL DON’T LIE!
10)If the Celtics don’t get out of the first round (BUDDHA FORBID), then it was because of the whole Kendrick Perkins trade and the destruction of the old bench. End of story.
FINALLY… DQ… HAS COME BACK… TO HIS BLOG! So I finally finished watching WrestleMania 27 and I wanted to give my thoughts on it. It only took about a week or so for me to finish watching it. I actually stopped around certain points because it’s hard for me to sit down for four hours straight watching something. Nonetheless, I got through it!
On a quick note: Edge has officially retired as an active in-ring performer. I’ve been watching professional wrestling (OOPS!) entertainment ever since I was about 10-years-old. So it’s like I’ve watched these guys grow as a person and a performer throughout the years. Stuff like this makes you really appreciate what these men/women give on a daily basis. They’re on the road nonstop to entertain people all around the world. It’s great that he is calling it a career because if not, like he said, he could’ve ended up in a wheelchair for life.
Enough babbles…
Hosted by: The Great One aka The Brahma Bull aka The Most Electrifying Man in All of Entertainment aka The People’s Champ aka THE ROCK.
-I did my Pretty Girl Rock when Keri Hilson sang “America, The Beautiful.” Whatever that means…
***The Rock comes out and does his usual YABBA DABBA routine to get the crowd pumped for WrestleMania.
World Heavyweight Championship Match
Edge (c) w/ Christian vs. Alberto Del Rio w/ Brodus Clay
-What we all didn’t know was that this was going to be Edge’s final match in his career. There wasn’t a career ending stipulation in this match so don’t get any wrong ideas. It was a regular title match. Both competitors had someone of relevance with Edge having his best friend Christian in his corner and Alberto Del Rio having his NXT rookie.
Del Rio works on Edge’s left arm to show some in-ring psychology. Both Christian and Brodus Clay make their presence known and try to help respective guys. At one point, Del Rio is able to hook onto his cross-armbar but Edge is able to reach the ropes. After some scrambling, Edge locks on his inverted Sharpshooter but Del Rio is able to counter, which leads to Edge hitting his Spear for the 1-2-3. Great start that got about 15-17 minutes of action.
WINNER and STILL champion: EDGE
***Extracurricular activity by Edge and Christian as they smash up Del Rio’s fancy shmancy car.
Rey Mysterio vs. “Undashing” Cody Rhodes
-Rey Mysterio comes out to an altered Captain America wardrobe. Two years ago, he came out as The Joker. Last year, he came out as an Avatar Na’vi. This year, he’s Captain America… or Mysterio since there was an “M” instead of an “A” on his mask. I see a trend here. I definitely know what he did there. The only thing he was missing was the shield. HOW DO YOU FORGET ABOUT THE SHIELD!
-“Undashing” Cody Rhodes is wearing his fugly mask since Mysterio made him fugly for the time being. I like the darker side of Cody Rhodes. I also liked the “Dashing” gimmick he was doing before Mysterio “disfigured” his face. It’s a progression in character for young Mr. Rhodes. Gives him an edgy feeling.
-There was a cool spot where Rhodes had Mysterio on the top rope and Rhodes was giving him a prolonged superplex, showing off his strength. But, I’m thinking anyone could’ve done that to Mysterio since he only weighs a fraction of what these other guys weigh.
-Back and forth action and at one point, Rhodes’ mask comes off and I’m guessing it’s legal to use in this match without disqualification? How did they figure that? Mysterio puts on Rhodes’ mask and uses it as a weapon. Mysterio’s knee brace was taken off by Rhodes and he ends up using it to clunk Mysterio on the head. Rhodes hits the Cross-Rhodes and gets the pinfall on Mysterio.
WINNER: “UNDASHING” CODY RHODES
***Backstage skit with Snoop Dogg and Teddy Long where they’re doing BUDDHA KNOWS WHAT since I wasn’t paying attention to that nonsense. I liked Zack Ryder singing Rebecca Black’s “Friday” song. That song is terrible. I mean TERRIBLE. The only good thing to come out of that song is this…
The Corre vs. Santino Marella, Vladimir Kozlov, Big Show, and Kane
***Vladimir Kozlov was taken out by The Corre during one of the matches at WWE’s Fan Axxess. So… KOFI KINGSTON gets to replace Vladimir Kozlov since there was nothing else better for him to do.
-You know it’s bad booking when the entrances take longer than the match itself. IT WAS THAT SHORT! THAT’S WHAT SHE SAID! DUD TO THE MAX!
WINNERS: SANTINO MARELLA, KOFI KINGSTON, BIG SHOW, and KANE
***Another backstage skit but this time it was with The Rock and Eve. That’s what the host of WrestleMania does and that’s to hide in the back and NOT in front of the audience? Who thought of that? At least we got cameo appearances from Mae Young and that S.O.B. “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. WHAT?
Randy Orton vs. CM Punk
-Now here’s a match with ACTUAL buildup. Proper buildup, I might add. This dated back two years ago when Orton punted Punk in the skull and made him unable to defend his championship.
-For once, Randy Orton is actually susceptible to being hurt! They remembered to tape up his leg that CM Punk dinged up weeks ago! Brilliant booking! OH MY LORD!
-+1 point for Punk locking in the Anaconda Vise on Orton. +100 points for Punk locking Orton in the Figure four leg lock on the ring post! Haven’t seen the move in YEARS! Literally, YEARS! Bret Hart made that move vicious. Nice to see that spot used.
-Orton tries to punt Punk but isn’t able to do it because of his bad leg. Great storytelling as it makes us wonder if Orton is able to pull out a victory over Punk. With the punt out of the question, Orton tries to sneak an RKO to Punk but at the last second, Punk is able to push Orton out of it. Punk scurries over to the outside ropes and it able to hit his springboard clothesline but Orton is able to counter that into an RKO. Perfectly executed! Orton is able to get the 1-2-3.
WINNER: RANDY ORTON
***More backstage skits with The Roc, this time with Pee Wee Herman making a cameo. Ugh.
Jerry Lawler vs. Michael Cole w/ Jack Swagger. Ref: “Stone Cold” Steve Austin
-Very good buildup to this feud. Everyone and their mom wanted to see Michael Cole get his tush kicked. Perhaps the best heel at garnering heat other than Vicki Guerrero. Two non-wrestlers are able to get more heat than the superstars! Crazy.
-This match went on WAYYYYYY TOOOOOO LONNNNNG. This match should’ve gotten about 5 minutes TOPS. It got about 18 minutes. 18 minutes of what you might ask? 18 minutes of Cole “whooping” Lawler like it’s nobody’s business. Trying to have Lawler and that babyface comeback failed so hard that it actually drew a “boring” chant. Like I said, it shouldn’t have gone this long. It was depressing. The finish saw Jerry Lawler actually get disqualified by the Anonymous RAW GM because Steve Austin got involved and pushed Cole. That resulted in Lawler getting disqualified in his opinion. Or her. Or it.
WINNER: MICHAEL COLE
***Obviously you can’t let a match like that go on so of course, Stone Cold has to give away some stunners!
The Undertaker vs. Triple H
-Two Icons. Two Legends. Two Politicians. Just kidding. Or am I?
-You know how normally The Undertaker is the one who is made to look strong and invincible? Not in this case. Roles reversed. The Undertaker is playing the weak, guy-on-his-last-leg type of underdog who is going to do whatever it takes to keep the streak alive. Triple H is made to be the aggressor; the one who is going to put The Undertaker down.
-Very, very good storytelling with both guys putting in all stops in trying to beat each other up. It’s a No Holds Barred match. Tables were broken. Bodies were broken. Very hard bumps taken from both competitors. Lots of false finishes to keep the anticipation up. This year, you truly believed The Undertaker’s WrestleMania streak could’ve been broken.
-Both guys hit their signature moves but it didn’t seem like it was enough to put each other down. Triple H, at one point, actually hit the Tombstone on The Undertaker! Pretty sure everyone at the arena and at home thought it was over right then and there. Not so much. The Undertaker just wouldn’t quit and Triple H decides to end this when he goes for the sledgehammer. The Undertaker is in a vulnerable position and Triple H goes over to him but The Undertaker is able to lock in the Hell’s Gate! He literally held that submission in for about two minutes. Triple H has nowhere to go and is forced to tap. Excellent match.
WINNER: THE UNDERTAKER
John Morrison, Trish Stratus, and Snooki vs. Dolph Ziggler w/ Vicki Guerrero and LayCool
-Like the Eight Man tag match that happened earlier, I’m not even going to waste time with this. The only notable thing was Snooki actually doing something that made everyone go “WOW! I didn’t expect to see that from her!” Snooki did some gymnastic flips and stuff. And that’s all she wrote. Snooki got the pinfall on Michelle McCool.
WINNERS: JOHN MORRISON, TRISH STRATUS, and SNOOKI
WWE Championship Match
The Miz (c) vs. John Cena
-Cool introduction for The Miz detailing his journey/trials and tribulations into being where he is today.
-THIS was your main event for the evening? The match itself was nothing to write home about. It shouldn’t even have been the way it was. Nothing about the match screamed “main event for the biggest PPV of the year!” This could’ve been the main event on any RAW show. But WrestleMania? Come on. Not going to fly.
-The match actually went into a double count out. With that said, The Miz would officially retain his title. But, that’s not how the night is going to end! The Rock comes out and restarts the match so that there will be a winner. He changes so that it’s a no disqualification/count out match. After a couple minutes, The Rock sneaks in and hits John Cena with the Rock Bottom and The Miz pins him to retain his title.
WINNER and STILL champion: THE MIZ
-But, the night can’t end like this, either! Not with the heel closing out the show. With The Miz still in the ring, The Rock had to make sure he smells what The Rock is cooking and gives him the spinebuster and The People’s Elbow to the send crowd home happy.
Final Thoughts: Depressing. This is the not how the biggest PPV of the year should have went. The only match that delivered was Orton/Punk, Edge/Del Rio, and Undertaker/Triple H. All the other matches were not WrestleMania quality. I would feel ripped off if I went thinking it was going to be a good show. The one thing that bothered me and probably everyone else was that they took the Sheamus/Daniel Bryan match out and made it a dark match! Not even that but they CHANGED the match completely and made it a lumberjack match. ARRRRRRRRRRRRRGHHHHHHHHH! They extended other matches or even lessened some and bumped this match that could’ve potentially showcased these two for the future. Not great booking if you asked me.
