A Dying Division in Need of a Fix

Tag-Team Championship wrestling in WWE has an incredibly rich history, as rich as any of the other major titles in the company, and I was lucky enough to experience the Attitude Era, an era created and popularized by some of the greatest characters and in-ring performers of all-time. Names such as Triple H, Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, The Undertaker, Kane, and these are just a few names on the heirarchy of singles competitors. When it comes to the Attitude Era you can't just divide the pie among the singles competitors because that era was also a golden age for tag-team wrestling in WWE, and todays tag-teams are living proof that the good 'ol days are gone.

And so begins my elaboration on why WWE is killing their tag-team division and what it can do to not only restore it, but keep it fresh and exciting for many years to come.

Anyone who's been watching WWE programming since the Attitude Era knows that the Tag-Team division was built on teams like Edge & Christian, The Hardy Boyz, and the Dudleys, just to name a few, and tag-team wrestling was actually once something to see and be excited about. I remember being a young lad and mimicking Edge & Christian's 5-second pose. I remember yelling, "D-VON! GET THE TABLES!" as loud as I could, and I can still recite every single word from 'The Road Dogg' Jesse James' in-ring introduction of the New Age Outlaws. But there was something about these teams that made them successful, and more importantly, memorable. It wasn't just the in-ring antics (E&C) or the cool looking finishers (The Dudleys) that made them memorable, it was the fact that WWE put time and effort into making these teams relevant, in addition to making teams that made sense. That's something I can't say about the Tag-Team division today.

Building on what I said about making tag-teams that made sense, the Attitude era had it right. Let's have a closer look at some of the teams during that period:

The Dudley Boyz - A legendary team to anyone who knows ECW or tag-team wrestling in general. D-Von and Bubba Ray won many titles together before they hit the mainstream, so it would only make sense that they were a tag-team in WWE. They also went on to win many Tag-Team Championships in their WWE run.

The Hardy Boyz - Matt & Jeff Hardy, two real-life brothers. Not only were they exciting, but they were perceived as the under dogs most of the time, but that's what made them great. It's obvious why it makes sense to have them together.

Edge & Christian - Two best friends from Toronto, Canada who have been through it all together on their way to the top. They had similar looks and skills, so teaming them together was a no-brainer.

The New Age Outlaws - Road Dogg and Billy Gunn, a great example of WWE teaming up two guys who complimented each other well because while neither of them were well-rounded performers, each of them had one particular skill that the other one lacked. In this case, Road Dogg was gold on the mic but wasn't a great in-ring performer, while Billy Gunn--not the best on the mic--was a solid in-ring performer. Slap those two together and you had one of the best teams ever created.

I get goosebumps watching this.

Fast forward to the PG Era and there's a common trend among the WWE; tag-teams don't last very long. Too many times have I seen a new tag-team created, only for them to disband a few months later. Not only that, but it's too common these days that superstars meant to be singles competitors, are paired together. Take the current Tag-Team Champions, Daniel Bryan and Kane, for example. Both have experienced singles success and are meant to be singles competitors. So why is the WWE pairing them together? What purpose do they really serve together? Their team is already based on the fact that they can't work together, so why would it make sense to make a storyline out of it? In a few months we're going to be back at square one. Daniel Bryan and Kane will disband and go back to singles competition. You could also look at the newly created 'Rhodes Scholars,' consisting of Cody Rhodes and Damien Sandow, two superstars who do not need to be a tag-team. So why are they teaming up? Also, whatever happened to Sandow feuding with Brodus Clay? My guess is that WWE creative just had no idea where the Sandow-Clay feud was going. As for Rhodes not being a singles competitor, I'm guessing it's because he came off of a long Intercontinental Title reign and they're not quite ready to push him into the Heavyweight Championship mix, but they need him to do something until then.

Staying on the topic of teams not lasting very long, it's exactly what is killing the Tag-Team division, a division in dire need of longevity and talent injection. What I don't understand is how the division isn't flourishing, considering the number of legitimate tag-teams that are on the roster. Consider the following tag-teams:

The Usos: Following the same formula as the Hardyz, Jimmy and Jey Uso are real life brothers who also happen to be the sons of former WWE superstar/awesome fat guy, Rikishi. Not only do they bring high energy throughout their matches, but they have a fun and exciting intro that encourages fan participation, thus having a hot start to their matches.

The Ascension: Made up of 'Bad Guy #1' Conor O'Brien and 'Bad Guy #2' Kenneth Cameron, The Ascension seems to be a Ministry-esque tag-team. They might not be the best tag-team, but their intro is cool as hell and they're something different, and different is exactly what the WWE could use.

Epico & Primo: Following the family formula, Epico & Primo are cousin and brother of former WWE superstar Carlito, and are pretty solid in-ring performers. Get them to ditch Rosa for a much more hands-on manager (See: Abraham Washington,) and they could be something special.

If there's one tag-team that's got the right idea right now, it's the Prime Time Players, Darren Young and Titus O'Neil. You see, Titus is, in my opinion, a horrible wrestler. For a guy who has 'the look' of a monster, he can't wrestle like one. He's sloppy at times and lacks in-ring charisma, something that a guy his size shouldn't lack. Then there's Darren Young, the obviously better wrestler of the two. You might be reading this and thinking that I haven't justified why I like this team, but I'll back that up by saying that they have a gimmick that works and they're great in the ring together because Titus' lack of wrestling skill is masked by Young's impressive in-ring skill. You only see just enough of Titus O'Neil before he makes the tag to Young, who carries the team. This is why they're successful and deserve more mainstream success.

For the grand finale of this article, what the WWE needs to do to ensure a stronger and more relevant tag-team division, is bring up these NXT tag-teams to the Smackdown & Raw roster to gain some top-level exposure. Keeping them in NXT forever isn't going to do them any good. Yes, it gives them exposure, but it doesn't give them enough. WWE's creative team (And probably Vince) has a habit of scrapping teams almost right away when the crowd doesn't give them a reaction. Have they ever thought that the reason these teams get no reaction is because the audience doesn't see enough of them to gauge a proper interest level? Another thing that WWE needs to do is not make everything revolve around the Tag-Team Championship. Back in the Attitude Era you had teams that feuded over who was better, not just campaigning for a title shot. I understand that being the Champion means you're the best, but what WWE did right during the Attitude Era is they had multiple tag-team story lines at the same time, and they had the top-level singles superstars, and they got it all done within two freakin' hours. Since Raw's time slot increase to three hours, they've done nothing but fill it with a million recaps or 'Slam of the Week' as WWE likes to call it. Call up the Usos. Call up the Ascension, promote Epico & Primo more. I'm 100% convinced that the tag-team division's relevance and reputation will increase ten fold. It's time again that being the Tag-Team Champions is worth something, and that it's not an accessory.

What do you think needs to be done to make the tag-team division more relevant? Who's been getting too much attention? Who hasn't been getting enough? Email me at freitas.j@live.ca and tell me what you think!

Cheers!

OH MY GOD! HE'S SUCH A NICE GUY! #Sandwich

Damn. It's been a long couple weeks but I'm back on the blog thing. This won't be a long entry, but I'll make it as delicious as I possibly can. Let's do a little house cleaning before we get this thing going.

1)  For those who watched Wrestlemania, it wasn't bad. I had Cena beating The Rock to signify the 'passing of the torch' but I was wrong, and OH BOY have I never been happier to have been wrong about something, especially when it's scripted.

ROCKY! ROCKY! ROCKY!

2) I said a few posts back that I was looking into a Twitter account. You can now reach me @iAmFreitas.
https://twitter.com/#!/iAmFreitas

3) American Dad is an underrated show. That's why I will strongly urge you not to watch American Dad on Sundays @8:30pm/Eastern time on FX.

4) In case you missed #2, please follow me on Twitter @iAmFreitas

One of the best characters on Television right now.

Speaking of the word, 'underrated', y'no what word is overrated? The word, 'overrated.'
The majority of people I know, have no f**king idea what that word even means. To me, something (or someone) is overrated because it receives far too much popularity than it deserves, when in reality, it's not nearly as good as advertised. Kind of like:
- The Walking Dead (I don't care how many enemies this makes...it's overrated and you know it!)
- The Twilight series (So now I'm supposed to be okay with Vampires being impervious to sunlight, and that they shimmer and glisten like a Honey-Dip donut? Please leave.)
- St. Patrick's Day (It's the first of three Alcoholic Christmases. It's also a day that the Irish lose all credibility and good word they've spent the year acquiring.)

To the people I know, overrated is something (or someone) that everyone likes, so they choose not to like it because it makes them, 'different' and, 'cool' or, 'intelligent.'
People like to call LeBron James overrated, yet they have no valid reason to call him that in the first place. The guy is a freak both physically and athletically, and he came into the NBA with skill beyond his years. Adding to that, he's just fun to watch and I don't know a single Basketball fan that doesn't like dunking or seeing someone put on a show. (When necessary)
People tend to call LeBron overrated because he hasn't won a championship (which isn't a valid argument) or simply because everyone else likes him, so the only choice is to hate on him and call him overrated. Oh, and don't forget Laker fans. Youuuu f**king ridiculous Laker fans, you. You thought I forgot about you? Hell no. You think anything and everything not named, "Kobe Bryant" is overrated.

On a more serious note, you know who's the poster-boy for being overrated? Timothy. Richard. Tebow. The most popular backup Quarterback of all-time is the definition of overrated.
Yes, he lead the Broncos to many comeback wins.
Yes, he helped them get into the playoffs.
Yes, he brought energy, hope, and popularity to a team and a city that hasn't felt it since Elway's days.

Does any of this make him a good NFL Quarterback? Not in the bluest of hells. We tend to forget that in almost all of those games he played, he was horrible for most of them. We also forget that he doesn't play defense and it was his defense that kept the Broncos in the game. I'm not knocking on Tim Tebow at all, because from what I read and from what I see in his interviews, he's a person of great character and he's managed to become one of the most popular and polarizing figures in all of professional sports. The guy is talented as hell and he's a pretty big guy too. He possesses good size for the position and he has the potential to be good, but he lacks the skill and fluidity that a starting NFL Quarterback should have. What makes him overrated to me, is the fact that people tend to put him on this massive pedestal and glorify him beyond all belief, yet he's not that good at what he does. He's good in small doses, but he's not something you can completely rely on. On top of that, every time he mentions Jesus or God, jersey sales and Twitter followers shoot up. To me, that screams overrated. Does Tebow have the potential to be great? Absolutely. Just not with the Jets. In fact, nobody has the potential to be anything with the Jets. I was a fan of Sexy Rexy Ryan, then he started playing Mark Sanchez too much, when he should have glued his ass to the bench. Oh, and there was that thing with the foot fetish...Rex...what the f**k man?

*SIDE NOTE: Tim Tebow has created 2012's version of Allen Iverson's, 'practice' rant.

This is f**king gold.

*EXTRA SIDE NOTE: I know that this quickly turned into a sports comparison, but athletes are the easiest to deem, 'overrated' or, 'underrated.'

Next blog, I'll be talking about the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie coming out. I'll also give my opinion on a few NBA topics that are of interest right now. Finally, I'll be touching on a subject that I've been meaning to discuss for a while...Young people and their knack for being dumb. Check it out!

Closing out this entry is a song that recently entered my, "Stuck In My Head" Hall of Fame. Enjoy!

The chorus to this song > Jesus.

Like a God (College student) among children (High School students)

Now this the story all about how
My college life is upside down
And I'd like to take a minute, just sit right there,
I'll tell you why many college students' heads are filled with air!


Before we get this show going, consider the following:
1) I came up with those lyrics myself
2) Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is one of the greatest shows of all time.
3) When a Mommy and a Daddy love each other very much, they kiss for a long time. That's where babies come from. "It's Science."

                                                                        You're welcome!


Children, there's a reason I opened up with those lyrics. Daddy is mad. Daddy is mad because he pays thousands of dollars every year and has to sit in a room with f**king idiots who have zero respect for people who bust their ass to one day make something of them self. Daddy is especially mad that he actually might have to compete with some of these people for a job one day.

In short, this is why I hate some of the people I go to school with. I put strict emphasis on the word 'some' because a lot of the people I go to school with are actually pretty bright individuals and are actually there to master their craft, or at least discover a new interest (or find out where babies do come from, or why some dogs are brown.)
I admire the hard working individual. The individual that rises early in the morning, brews that fresh cup of coffee and reads the morning's newspaper, and the same individual who waves and offers good mornings to those who pass. Their days consist of hard work and application of knowledge and work ethic (*Side note: Mornings are awful. "Eff mornings, yo.")
What I don't admire is those who show up to work/class/anything that requires using your brain, half-ass their way through the day, while causing a ruckus and ruining it for everyone else. I'm talking about the individual who doesn't belong in a College/University/anything that requires using your brain atmosphere.

Anyone who knows me well, (you all know who you are!) knows that I've wanted to be a radio broadcaster since I was thirteen years old and that I'm a pretty goal-oriented person. I know what I want and where I want to go. Even though I might not know how to get there sometimes, I do what it takes to find out and I apply myself as best as I can to achieve the goal at hand. I know that a lot of people that are reading this, share this exact feeling about their passion/goals/life.

Remember when I mentioned the, "f**king idiots who have zero respect for people who bust their ass to one day make something of them self?"
That's where they become a part of the picture I'm about to paint.

I have a class on Tuesday mornings that involves a guest speaker, specifically someone who's directly involved in the Radio Broadcasting industry, whether it be through sales, on-air work, or production. These speakers take time out of their day to speak to us and give us insight into the industry.
These are people who have been to hell and back, and lived to talk about it. (Cliche line #1)
These are people who have worked their hands to the bone. (Cliche line #2)
These are strong, independent black women who don't need no man. (...Okay, I made that last one up.)

In all seriousness, these speakers don't have to show up.

They don't need us.

To them, we're just a sea of heads that are filled with knowledge/air/crap/Slim Jim's/coffee. No matter which way I put it, it doesn't change the fact that after these guest speakers finish their presentation, they have a career to resume.  

We don't.

Sure, there are people in the program that are further ahead than others because they've got internships and they already know people in the industry, but until they've established something significant, they're just another head.

Which brings me to my main argument about students and respect. (or lack thereof)
There's certain individuals in our class that have absolutely no respect for anyone or anything. They come to class, whip out their cell phone and do one of the following (or all...)
1) Begin texting their friends about how much life sucks or how the speaker looks lame.
2) Speak at room volume while the speaker is speaking, thus making it incredibly hard for me to hear anything.
3) They laugh/giggle at words that sound funny (fart, underwear, poop.)

I don't pay thousands of dollars in tuition to sit in a class and hear the voices in my head, (Credit: Jim Craig) nor do I pay thousands of dollars in tuition to hear a conversation that consists of these phrases:
1) OMG!
2) LIKE, OMG!
3) OMG! LIKE, OMG!
4) WHAT?! OMG.
5) OH.MY.GOD.
*Side note: As convenient as lists are, I need to stop using them so much.

Earlier, I mentioned that there are individuals that bust their ass on a daily basis to master their craft and are working to be successful. There are also those who half-ass their way through it all. What makes me sick is the fact that some people who half-ass their way through everything will end up being more successful than some of those who have dedication. I'm not writing this blog entry to make enemies. I'm writing this entry to speak for those who don't speak. (Great song by No Doubt.)
I say this stuff so other people don't have to. I AM THE VOICE OF THE VOICELESS. (#lame)


I could go on and on about this, because respect is something that this planet will always be lacking. It's a never ending vicious circle that everyone is a part of, along with a million other things that this world doesn't need. I'm not trying to be a Philosopher or pretend to be some all-knowing God, but I see this kind of stuff on a regular basis and I use this blog to talk about it. It might start discussions, it might start debates. Hell, it might even start a fire/protest/rally against me. Either way, I'm not afraid to speak the truth.

Goodnight, world. /endofrant

And I thought YOU were racist? (RANT! part 2)

Less than twenty four hours after I post my Kony-Island blog entry and not one. f**king. person has posted something about Joseph Kony today. Funny how I mentioned that whole bit about most people not really caring, Mark my words that one of the following will happen:
1) This is just the calm before the storm and Kony-Island madness will return with a vengeance sometime this week.
2) It really is exactly what I said; Those who actually care will continue to do so and advocate human rights awareness. Those who pretend to care will fade away into obscurity until they find another thing to bandwagon.
Sometimes you just have to pat yourself on the back.

But enough of this madness talk. This is the rest of a fest of rant. Don't forget to 'like', comment, and pass this blog to everyone you know!

For those of you who don't know, (or refuse to pay attention to it) we live in a really bad time for music. Rock has completely lost it's edge (it's dead) and is more Pop-Rock than ever, Dub-Step is a bigger fad than guys who wear their pants below their ass, and 2011 saw arguably the biggest emergence of 'Party Rock' music, which somehow manages to make the dumbest of humans even dumber. It might sound like I hate Party Rock music, but I actually enjoy it thoroughly. The thing about 'artists' like LMFAO and 3OH!3 is that you can't judge their music based on it's lyrical content. It would be like watching Bruce Lee movies for the acting, because I guarantee you're not watching it for that purpose. Just like how you watch Bruce Lee films for the action, you listen to Party Rock music to have a good time. It's fast paced, energetic, and it often contains themes that deal with drinking, because alcoholism needs awareness too, right!?
As for Rock music, I grew up on all of my Dad's stuff (AC/DC, Van Halen, Zeppelin, Iron Maiden, and just about anything that was big at that time.) and I still listen to it today. When I hear how poppy Rock has become I just hang my head in shame.

And then there's rap music...boy do I have a f**king bone to pick with you...You make me hang my head in shame lower than anything on this planet, except for maybe ignorance and racism, 'cuz the world would be a better place without that s**t. Speaking of racism, do yourself a favour and check out, "Chicken Man" by Gillie Da Kid. I can't tell you anything other than if this is what Rap music has come to, I'm downright scared of the next decade of music. Let me borrow an excerpt from this song to explain my reasoning.

"Bitch, I'm the chicken man, I got that KFC, my n***ers cook it up, original recipe."

Uh, what? Keep in mind of the following:
1) That was only the third verse in the song
2) It's part of the chorus, which means it's repeated more than once.

                                                                   Face-f**king-palm.

How did I come across this, you say? A friend of mine sent me a link to a video on worldstarhiphop.com (under-rated site) and an ad played in front of the video I was supposed to see. It was right there that Gillie Da Kid flew in and scooped me up! (and proceeded to drop me on my head.)
I don't know why, but I couldn't stop listening to the song! Not because the song was good, (because it's f**king awwwwwwwful) but because I couldn't believe how rap seems to be the one genre that's evolved backwards at a faster rate than any other music genre. I don't care what people say, but today's rappers are tarnishing the genre. Ask Gillie Da Kid who his inspirations were in rap, because I'm willing to bet that names like Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, and Jay-Z are just a few of many names that come up. I'm also willing to bet even more that Dre, Cube and Jigga want absolutely nothing to do with Gillie Da Kid. If you've ever seen the film Get Him to the Greek, then you know what I'm about to show you. Just watch this scene and every time you hear the name, "Chocolate Daddy" substitute it with, "Gillie Da Kid."

                                                             This needs to happen more.

I don't know what's worse, the fact that a record label thought 'Chicken Man' was a good idea, or that guys like Jay-Z are allowing this to happen. I'm just waiting to find out that Gillie was doing a show, when out of nowhere, Jigga and Kanye West kick his ass off the stage and do, "N**gas in Paris" for twelve hours straight.

Before I conclude this, don't forget to 'like', comment, and pass this blog to everyone you've ever known in the history of ever. Thank you.

To close, I present to you Mr. Donald Gover, aka Childish Gambino. He's a pretty solid rapper and I'll be at his show in two weeks, so expect a review of that! Here's a little taste for the kids in the mean time.

Oh and by the way. Dub Step is a fad. I don't care who gets pissed off by that. It's a fact.

In a Ranting Sort of Mood...

Ladies and gentleman, can I please have your attention. I've just been handed an urgent and horrifying news story. I need all of you, to stop what you're doing and listen! I need a Twitter. Like, really bad. I'm finding more and more that I have small thoughts on my mind that I want to let out, but on a WAY bigger scale than just writing it down and keeping it on file. I'm really considering it and it's looking more and more likely that I'll be getting a Twitter account. I've got a sports podcast coming out soon (HOSTED BY MYSELF AND MATT PHILIPS!) that needs CONSTANT exposure. That podcast needs more exposure than this ridiculous Kony s**t going on. 

And SPEAKING of ridiculous s**t, this whole thing about Joseph Kony has got a crazy hold on the media world. This ranks between hashtags (#lame) and Antoine Dodson on my social media ridiculousness list.

(Curious as to what #1 on that list is? - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHg5SJYRHA0) 

In all seriousness though, if you don't know who or what a Joseph Kony is, do yourself a favour and get educated about this issue because something like this does need to be known. If you're reading this, you know the story, and you're spreading the word about it, that's great. Keep doing what you're doing. If you're a young teen/adult who has nothing better to do in life than complain about how much your life sucks because you can't be bothered to put in any work towards anything, or your weekend routine involves drinking, sitting at McDonalds, (#occupy) or if your opinion of law enforcement is, "lolfuckthapolice", then stay the f**k away from anything that involves Joseph Kony. Or anything that involves me. 

                                                                      KONY 2012

Staying on track, the past 24 hours has been nothing but Kony-Island madness. Facebook is infected with videos, statuses, photo memes and really cruel jokes about African children (How many African kids does it take -- hmm, too early?). I'm seeing many positive messages throughout Facebook and people are making an honest effort to spread awareness about this issue, but what absolutely makes me shudder is when I hear the mouth of an ignorant teenager/adult open. While I've heard some really good things about the awareness of Kony's actions, I've heard twice as much stupidity coming from individuals who have nothing better to say than, "If I had a gun and I was in Africa, I'd find that mother f**ker and blow his f**king brains out. No mercy. Just blood."

Jesus Christ, when the hell did so many people start trying to impersonate Floyd Mayweather or Lars Ulrich?  

* side note: Kids, NEVER EVER repeat what Floyd Mayweather or Lars Ulrich say. #badman

* Extra side note: Ulrich isn't a bad drummer, but anytime he opens his mouth I want to stuff my fist in it. There's a reason he's the drummer of Metallica and not the lead singer. Hetfield probably agrees.

                           Can somebody get him a Thesaurus? Dictionary? Hooked On Phonics?

The people that have the mentality I mentioned earlier are what makes things like MTV or Ke$ha thrive. They're the same people who bastardize the English language with words like 'swag' or 'doe'. What I find equally ridiculous is the amount of people who are posting these videos and photos, but don't actually care about the result of what happens to Kony or these children in Africa. It's those same people who complain about their lives constantly and have that, "there will be blood" mentality about Kony. They just want to shift the misery of their own life to something else temporarily. I can't stand it when people pretend to act like they care about a major issue, when in reality, as long as they've got a roof over their head and food in their stomach, they could care less about what's going on in the world. It annoys the hell out of me when people who know nothing about anything try acting like they've just learned everything about anything. It does nothing but make you look Lars Ulrich. (Lars Ulrich = an idiot. Not just in truthful terms, but in English language terms)

Enough ranting for tonight. This is only the first part of my two or three part rant (It might be two and half if I'm feeling lazy.) Tomorrow's rant includes teenagers, law enforcement, cartoons, and some truly terrible, terrible rap music. Expect it to be one massive facepalm.

Please 'like', comment, and share this blog with your friends. I'm not a writer by nature, but I have a writer's attitude. I need to constantly be validated. It's pretty much the only thing that makes me feel good about myself. Also, I'm open to suggestions and questions pertaining to the blog, so give me a shout!

To close this entry, I leave with you with this:

Invincible - Machine Gun Kelly

Cheers.