WrestleMania 30 Predictions

It's that time of year again. A week of the year where the entirety of the professional wrestling community (both fans and those in the industry as well) focuses its attention on one city for an event so massive in its scope that it could only be compared to the Super Bowl in terms of the world-wide attention it receives. Yes, I'm talking about World Wrestling Entertainment's WrestleMania, this year's edition being held at the Super Dome in New Orleans, Louisiana, marking the thirtieth iteration of the annual event which has been dubbed "The Showcase of the Immortals".

Only problem is, "The Showcase of the Immortals" was fitting back in the day when competitors like Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, Ric Flair, The Undertaker and others were on the card but that phrase doesn't necessarily seem as applicable this time around. While the Hulkster is involved in WM30 as the special guest host of the show (he's returned home to WWE after having been with iMPACT Wrestling for the better part of 3 years, which does nothing to explain why WrestleMania needs a host in the first place), the line-up for WrestleMania XXX isn't exactly making me want to throw down $60 to watch the show live on pay-per-view. If anything, it's making me want to ignore the whole thing in the hope that it blows over and the next day WWE's creative minds organize some kind of a company-wide nullification whereby the results make for a convenient reset of existing storylines. Things have gotten messy here lately and the only way out of it at this point, to me, seems to be to take the slash & burn route - razed to the ground, as it were, in the hope of going somewhere better than where we are right now.

In case you haven't been paying attention, the series of events leading up to WM30 have been interesting but not necessarily in the way that leads to people actually wanting to buy into what is most definitely the biggest wrestling-related pay-per-view event of the year. For one, Batista returned in similar fashion to how The Rock came back last year at WM29 - that being to use the WrestleMania appearance as a vehicle for promoting something, in this case the upcoming MARVEL film Guardians of the Galaxy in which Batista plays the role of Drax the Destroyer. It seemed as though WWE assumed the fans would welcome his return as being that of a hero, but the reaction he received was nothing short of remarkable. The fans immediately turned on him, booing him mercilessly. This wasn't "you're a bad guy and we're booing because we're supposed to"-booing, this was "WE HATE YOU AND WE WANT YOU TO DIE"-booing.

Why did they react that way? Because their true hero, Daniel Bryan, was getting snubbed from being in the main event of WrestleMania 30 in favor of some has-been wrestler who left to be an actor in Hollywood.

The adulation Daniel Bryan has garnered is magical, quite frankly. I cannot recall the last time a fanbase literally rose up and commanded that a performer (especially one who was: A) fired by WWE at one point for essentially having played his character too well, and B) looked upon by WWE management as being nothing more than a strong hand and good mid-card talent at best) be "the guy" the way that fans have for Bryan. I'm not saying he wouldn't have gotten to where he is without the fans; the fact of the matter is without them he'd be floundering somewhere in mediocrity right now (like what's happened to other talent - such as Zack Ryder, Fandango, Dolph Ziggler, and others - who got over with the fans on their own) instead of being at the top of the heap like he is.

Another aspect of why Daniel Bryan has become the focal point of WM30 is the fact that CM Punk left the company, taking what WWE Chairman Vince McMahon himself referred to during a WWE shareholders meeting as a "sabbatical". Punk's sudden departure made Bryan the biggest fan-favorite on the card (greater even than John Cena - some people hate Cena whereas no one seems to dislike Bryan) and set in motion a series of events that have lead to several matches on the WM30 card being augmented due to his presumed absence on the show. It was believed that Punk's opponent for WM30 would be Triple H, even though Hunter had by that point long assumed the role of company brass rather than in-ring performer. The two had begun sparring with one another, albeit indirectly, and Punk vanished as soon as the feud looked to have ignited itself organically. Try as the fans might to will Punk back into the ring by chanting his name during televised events, Punk has shown no signs of returning and the reality of the situation is that he may never come back as his contract with WWE is set to expire this Summer.

All that having been said, as of this writing there are 5 confirmed matches for WM30. If recent history is an accurate indicator of what the final card will look like, there will be a total of 9 matches - 1 on the pre-show and 8 on the main broadcast, as has been the format for the past two WrestleManias. I've done my best to try and predict not only the outcome of each match but also what those final 3-4 matches will be. I stand to be wrong on a lot (as in A LOT) of these predictions this year because of the uncertainty of things, however I'm going to do the best I can based on where things seem to be headed as of right now.

WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match - Randy Orton (c) vs. Batista vs. HHH/Daniel Bryan

You have to assume that Daniel Bryan gets into this match by way of defeating HHH earlier in the evening. If he doesn't, I wouldn't think it out of the realm of possibilities that more than a few people in attendance at WrestleMania 30 begin making their way to the exits. Unless they're hanging around to fling random bits of refuse at the ring, that is, which would be an amazing visual and a big middle finger to everything WWE has done creatively for the past 5-6 months.

Even if we do wind up with this match being Orton vs. Batista vs. Bryan, I don't expect Bryan to walk away from WM30 as champion and for a number of reasons. Bryan is getting married (no, really, he is - it's not some silly wrestling wedding) soon to one of the Bella Twins. You'd think he's going to take a little time off to celebrate his nuptials, or at least I assume he would, and there's no point in putting the belt on him when he won't be around full time. Additionally, Batista signed a 2 year deal with WWE when he returned to the company meaning he's not going to up and disappear as soon as the final bell rings. I feel as though either he or Orton will come out of WM30 as champion, and as much as it may pain me to say it, I think Batista's getting the rub.

** PROJECTED WINNER: Batista **

It's old-school booking, but there's just more that can be done with a heel champion in wrestling than with a good guy.

The WWE Championship and World Heavyweight Championship were unified in 2013, and the new title is referred to as the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. It was a unification more or less in name only seeing as how Randy Orton has been the champ ever since then but he's had to carry around both of the old belts. One of the rumors going into WrestleMania 30 is that there's a chance we may finally see a new singular belt to represent the company going forward, possibly something that will feature a new WWE logo like the one that's been used thus far in promoting the WWE Network and also in the logo for WrestleMania 31.

Whether or not that happens remains to be seen - it would be a significant development in the eyes of people like myself who have an interest in graphics, especially those relating to championship belt designs.

John Cena vs. Bray Wyatt

Bray Wyatt (formerly known as Husky Harris, who is the son of Mike Rotundo - better known as Irwin R. Schyster - and brother of WWE NXT star Bo Dallas) is one of the best things to come out of WWE in a very long time. Not only has the gimmick been a throwback to an era where wrestling villains could be legitimately scary, but Bray has displayed a unique style of violence with his ring-work that makes contests featuring him feel more like back-alley brawls than matches.

On the other side of the coin, John Cena is John Cena. He's been doing the same thing for years, and there's no end to it in sight because he sells tickets & merchandise like no one else. People are going to adore Cena regardless of whether or not he wins or loses at WrestleMania, which makes him winning this match completely pointless.

** PROJECTED WINNER: Bray Wyatt **

Wyatt wins at WM30, and I fully expect him to go on to greater things in the year that follows.

The Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar

It has become an expectation, or perhaps a presumption, that The Undertaker will return every year around WrestleMania and begin a feud with someone so that he can continue his WM winning streak. (Fun Facts: Undertaker's winning streak began in 1991 at WrestleMania 7. He did not compete at WM10 or WM16. During this run, he has faced Kane and Shawn Michaels twice but HHH holds something of a record of his own as he's lost to Taker 3 times at WrestleMania.) At this point, the Dead Man is a perfect 21-0 at WrestleMania, having defeated a literal who's who of top-tier competitors over the past twenty-three years.

Brock Lesnar will be win number 22 for The Undertaker.

** PROJECTED WINNER: The Undertaker **

This match, to me, has had the least fanfare in its build up of any match associated with the Undertaker in the past 5 years. There's been some cool moments leading up to where we are now but this doesn't have the same appeal. Fact of the matter is that Brock does not deserve to be the one to break Undertaker's streak. He's a fine athlete and has had fantastic success in both pro wrestling and mixed martial arts, but when it comes to his long term value within WWE he's simply not fit to be the one to unseat Taker.

Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal

This match is a new addition to WrestleMania lore as it will apparently become a regular aspect of the show (we'll see how long that lasts). Previously fans could count on a "Money in the Bank" ladder match - a bout where the winner would receive a contract for a guaranteed shot at the WWE champion - somewhere on the card as a means of elevating young talent (it's also a means of getting a whole bunch of people involved in the show without having to expel much effort on doing so), but this seems to be the latest & greatest idea for accomplishing that task at WM30.

Thirty competitors will enter the match which will be played out under normal battle royal rules; that being no pinfalls or submissions, the only way to eliminate an opponent is to throw them over the top rope so that both of their feet touch the floor (a rule that has been used to create drama very effectively over the years). As of this writing, the list of known participants is as follows.

• Cesaro
• Sheamus
• Christian
• Rey Mysterio
• Big Show
• Cody Rhodes
• Big E Langston (current Intercontinental Champion)
• Ryback
• Curtis Axel
• Fandango
• Dolph Ziggler
• Alberto Del Rio
• Titus O'Neil
• Damien Sandow
• Mark Henry
• Heath Slater
• Drew McIntyre
• Jinder Mahal
• The Miz

That leaves 11 more spots in the match. Who the final 11 will be is anyone's guess but if I had to assume who will get in based on the remainder of the roster I would put in Sin Cara, Wade "Bad News" Barrett, Brodus Clay, Darren Young, Goldust, The Great Khali, Jack Swagger, Kofi Kingston, R-Truth, Santino Marella, and Alexander Rusev. A lot of prognosticators have said that this is Rusev's coming out party as he's been getting built up in promos for weeks now. I don't see it that way because there's another guy out there who has been wowing people with his abilities lately who could use a big win like this to further get himself over, and that's none other than "The Swiss Superman" Cesaro.

** PROJECTED WINNER: Cesaro **

Notice that in this match you have the potential for several existing tag teams - Swagger & Cesaro, Ryback & Axel, Rhodes & Goldust - to be put in play on the card but not in the confines you'd expect. What this does more than anything else is it potentially eliminates them from contention in terms of having a match against The Usos for the WWE Tag Team Championship. It's not unlikely that some of those guys get pulled from this match to be in a tag match for the titles, in which case I would hope the available spots in the battle royal would be filled by rising stars from WWE NXT. Wrestlers like Sami Zayn, Adrian Neville, Mojo Rawley, and others.

Daniel Bryan vs. HHH

Of all the matches on the card, this one stands to be the most emotionally charged. Not Shawn Michaels vs. Ric Flair emotional, but  Daniel Bryan has fought for months to overcome being thought of as a "B+ player" and the fans have rallied to his cause, meanwhile HHH and Stephanie McMahon have continued to belittle him despite his successes. It's a true David vs. Goliath scenario and I'm certain that these two will have a fantastic match structured around that kind of narrative. It will be violent, brutal, and quite possibly beautiful.

The bigger picture here is the added stipulation that whoever wins this match will then be added to the WWE World Heavyweight Championship match in the main event of WM30, making that contest a three-way bout where the current champion doesn't even have to be involved in the decision to lose the title.

** PROJECTED WINNER: Daniel Bryan **

Unless WWE truly wants to take a huge, steaming, dump on its fans (as if to say "We don't care who you like or what you want!"), Bryan wins this match and goes on to the main event. I admit that I want Bryan to win, however I won't lie to you here as it would be epic to see him lose and the audience go nuts about it. I'm fairly certain the Super Dome would get burned to the ground if that happens.

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AUTHOR'S NOTE: Every match from this point forward is pure speculation on my part. I've done my best to put together the remainder of the line-up based off where things stand as of the date of publication for this entry. In other words, if you're reading this a month, year, or whatever after WM30 and are wondering what the hell I was thinking, now you know.

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Kane vs. Roman Reigns

The thing about a group like The Shield is that it's not going to last forever. At some point a break up will occur and the three of them will go their separate ways. The questions are how and when it happens, and who's the real star to emerge from the ashes of the wake? The how and the when haven't been answered yet (even though there's been more than a few teases lately of its impending development) but all signs are pointing to Roman Reigns coming out of whatever leads to The Shield's implosion as someone who could be a big-time player in WWE for years to come.

Reigns is a physical specimen with the kind of warrior good-looks that make most women and certain men feel all warm & fuzzy in their naughty bits. Despite this fact he's not equipped with the gift of gab and his wrestling ability is questionable. He's been carried along by Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins, two journeymen wrestlers with a wealth of experience on their side as a result of having been stars on the independent pro wrestling scene for years prior to coming to WWE. They're more than likely going to be the Marty Jannety's of The Shield to Roman Reigns' Shawn Michaels.

** PROJECTED WINNER: Roman Reigns **

Kane is 46 years old, has been with WWE for almost 20 years, and has held every major WWE title (other than the long defunct European Championship) at one point or another in his career making him one of only 12 wrestlers who would qualify for Grand Slam Champion status. He'll be fine for having lost this match is what I'm getting at.

The Shield (Dean Ambrose [current United States Champion] & Seth Rollins) vs. The Wyatt Family (Luke Harper & Eric Rowan)

Oftentimes there will be a match on a card that gets little to no hype but that flies in under the radar and blows everyone's minds with how awesome it was because the players involved realized the opportunity that was in front of them. If this match happens, that's what will take place when Ambrose & Rollins pair up against Harper & Rowan.

These teams have already had what some view as match-of-the-year caliber bouts at pay-per-views and other live events, and it's likely that they'll turn in another similar performance if they're allowed the time at WM30. It would be as good a moment as any to have something with a sense of finality transpire that leads to The Shield's split, with Ambrose potentially turning on Rollins or vice versa.

** PROJECTED WINNER: The Wyatt Family **

There is one thing about the prospect of this match that bothers me, and it's the same sentiment I have towards Big E Langston being in the battle royal. Ambrose and Langston hold WWE's other singles championships, both of which are viewed historically speaking as being stepping stones to a competitor potentially being a world champion down the line. You'd think then that they'd be worth defending on WWE's biggest event of the year, but that simply isn't the case. The Intercontinental title was defended at WM29, albeit on the pre-show, and the United States title was nowhere to be found. The US Championship in particular seems to be of no concern when it comes to WrestleMania cards; MVP and Chris Benoit wrestled for the strap back at WM23, and it was later defended in a dark match at WM27 but hasn't gotten any attention since then.

ALTERNATE: The Shield vs. Kane & ?

There are rumors circulating the web (meaning some guy with a blog and/or website, like myself, wrote about it then someone else picked up on it and it became gospel on pro wrestling news sites from there) that instead of the two matches I just described we could get a 6-man tag match featuring Ambrose, Rollins & Reigns vs. Kane and two compatriots of his choosing. Since it stands to reason that The Wyatt Family (Harper & Rowan) will be involved with Bray Wyatt and John Cena's match, the decision of who to put with Kane isn't at all cut and dry. There's a tag team in WWE's NXT developmental system that would make perfect sense to make subordinates of Kane - Konnor & Victor, otherwise known as The Ascension, the current NXT Tag Team Champions.

Konnor once worked for a promotion in Charlotte, North Carolina (NWA Charlotte, may you forever rest in peace) where he was known as Ryan O'Reilly. He was a star in that company thanks to his size and ability, and I am glad to have been able to see him there as he's no doubt bound for greater things in his career.

Truth be told, the idea of these 6 guys going at it is really cool to me. I have a feeling it would be a visceral bout that might not be the best thing on the card but it would be an old school brawl of a match featuring a lot of bright, young talent and one of the most respected veterans on WWE's roster.

** PROJECTED WINNER: Kane & The Ascension **

No matter which of the three matches we get involving these groups at WM30, the fact remains that The Shield's time is almost up. They're either done at WM30 or soon thereafter.

Divas Championship Match - AJ Lee (c) vs. The ENTIRE WWE Divas Division

I can't lie, I have literally no idea what's going on in the WWE Divas Division right now other than the fact that AJ Lee is the current champion. All I seem to hear about in regard to women's wrestling as it relates to WWE is the Total Divas TV show - by some way or means that show has become what women's wrestling should be about in the realm of World Wrestling Entertainment, and that's a real assault on the fact that there are many, many talented wrestlers out there who just happen to be female. They shouldn't have to belittle their athletic abilities by having to play the role of ditzy or catty women. It's disrespectful but I gather it pays well, so at least there's that.

As for who AJ will potentially face at WM30, the possibilities are seemingly endless because there doesn't seem to be a clear number one contender. Since I have to make a guess here, I'm going to say that the most likely scenarios are for either Natalya, one of the Bella Twins, or Tamina to be Lee's opponent. Of those, the better match would be either AJ vs. Natalya or AJ vs. Brie Bella.

** PROJECTED WINNER: Someone Other Than AJ Lee **

No matter who AJ faces, I don't think she's leaving New Orleans as the Divas Champion. She has the misfortune of being a piece of wreckage left floating around in WWE after CM Punk's departure. The two of them have been romantically linked for quite some time now, and it's not uncommon for WWE's management to take out their frustrations on someone for who they happen to be associated with.

Tag Team Championship Match - The Usos (c) vs. The New Age Outlaws/The Shield/The Wyatt Family/Los Matadores/The Real Americas/RybAxel/The Rhodes Brothers

I truly don't think WWE knows what they want to do with the Tag Team Championship at WM30, if anything. As I've mentioned already, a lot of the talent who are in existing tag teams have been listed as participants in the battle royal. While it's not impossible that they could have two matches on the same show, it's highly unlikely seeing as how it's all but certain that Daniel Bryan is pulling double-duty (no point in going to the well that frequently, in other words).

There have been attempts lately to establish a number one contender in the tag division recently but those matches have ended in ways where no clear winner was decided. It appears to be that we'll see a 3 or perhaps even a 4-way match for the Tag Team Championship at WM30. The Real Americans (Cesaro & Jack Swagger) and RybAxel (Ryback & Curtis Axel) are their most likely opponents but The Rhodes Brothers (Cody Rhodes & Goldust) and The New Age Outlaws (Road Dogg & Billy Gunn) are lurking out there. It's not out of question that The Wyatt Family (Harper & Rowan) get an opportunity, however the more I think about it the more I expect they'll have some involvement in Bray Wyatt's match with John Cena.

** PROJECTED WINNER: The Usos **

I, personally, am not a fan of Jimmy & Jey Uso. They just have never appealed to me for whatever reason - most likely because when I think of Samoan wrestlers I like to think of big, burly brawlers who look like intimidating tribal warlords instead of two guys who wear face paint and, for reasons unknown, have back pockets stitched onto their ring gear. They've established themselves with a following, though, and I wouldn't be shocked if their run as tag champs continues for another couple months.

An Update on My Life & Times - March 2014 Edition

I mentioned in a recent entry (this one, about my trip to Winston-Salem, North Carolina for an evening of professional wrestling action with Premiere Wrestling Xperience) about how I'd set a goal for myself this year to publish at least three blog entries a month. It was a do-able quota in my mind, seeing as how it wouldn't require me to be burdened with an arbitrary obligation to churn something out every week but it would also serve as a reminder to use this tool to document the major points of interest from my life (or at least those that I perceive to be as much). That's what an online presence is about for me nowadays, the usage of sites like Blogger, Facebook, etc. towards the purpose of creating a personal repository of memories and experiences. Call it a museum or whatever else you please, I think services like this are a dandy mechanism for recording the brief length of time we're given from the moment we first open our eyes to when they're closed forever that is our lives.

There's no ego in this statement whatsoever but who's to say that (hopefully) years from now (knock-on-wood) after I've long been buried that someone won't find entertainment, solace, or knowledge in my contributions? I'd hope that I've done a worthy job of leaving a lasting impression thus far and to continue doing as much.

Life In General

Things are going pretty well right now, although we're at what comes off as a dull point in the year as far as personal events are concerned. The Holiday Season is behind us, Spring and Summer are still on the horizon, and we're sitting here in the middle. It's not such a bad thing seeing as how it allows for a moment of respite before activities ramp up again once the weather improves.

One thing I can always count on this time of year is a dose of change-of-season crud, which is attributable to my lifelong battle with seasonal allergies. I took injections to treat them throughout my childhood but I get by these days with over-the-counter medication. I'm good for 2 or 3 sinus infections a year and right on schedule I came down with one last week, immediately after we had our first warm day in gosh knows when. I took advantage of the weather that day to start on a woodworking project for which I've had the materials for several months but haven't had the free time, opportunity, or gumption to finish. (I still haven't finished it, to be honest; getting a late start and a few equipment issues set me back, however I'm probably 75% of the way done.) I don't know if I got lambasted with the first dusting of pollen of 2014 or what, but the past week has been filled with sinus pressure, headaches, coughing, and apparently snoring more violent than my usual nightly output.

I don't know that it's ever been proven that people may have a genetic predisposition to snore but if it hasn't I think my family might add some credence to the idea. My Grandpa was a prolific snorer; I can remember seeing him many times napping in his recliner, still wearing his glasses, his mouth agape and the sound of the roaring snore that came from it. Likewise, my Mom is known to saw logs while she sleeps and I do as well.

My wife has dealt with my snoring to this point but apparently while I was sick it was so bad that she couldn't sleep in the same room as me. (She makes her share of noises at night but not always snoring; my wife's known to talk in her sleep, as in she'll carry on full conversations with whoever while she's unconscious. It's woken me up quite a few times as I can't always tell if she's trying to legitimately get my attention.) Similarly, there were nights in that stretch where she'd wake me up and I would go sleep in our guest bedroom. All I can say is I guess it's good that we have that room, otherwise one or the other of us would've wound up on the couch or in the bathtub (yes, believe it or not I've slept in a bathtub before). As a result it's been a frustrating week as neither of us have gotten what we should be getting in terms of rest. I'm finally coming around from the infection, though, so with any luck we'll be back to where we were before in relatively short order.

The Adoption Process - Where Do We Stand?

Plenty of friends and co-workers ask me for updates on a regular basis about how things are going with our adoption proceedings, and I appreciate their concerned interest in these matters. The answer to those questions here lately has been to say that we're playing the waiting game.

Jill & I had our home study conducted a few weeks back. It was handled by an investigator contracted through the Department of Social Services who came to our home; it was an invasive conversation but on a cordial level, which was exactly what I expected it would be. The kind of questions you get asked during the interview deal with everything from your childhood to your personal career goals, but the interviewer isn't just listening to your responses - they're watching your reactions and body language at the same time. It's a very interesting process, if you're into psychoanalysis at all. (Trust me when I say it's more fun to be the one doing the analysis than the one being analyzed.) The session lasted in the area of 3 hours and by the end of it my wife & I were both relieved to be done with what was the last piece of the paperwork/pre-approval end of becoming adoptive parents.

The investigator went outside of protocol in telling us that she was going to approve us to adopt up to 3 children. Normally when this interview is done you have to wait to receive an official letter back from DSS before you'll know whether or not your home study went well. I gather that that can take quite some time in certain instances seeing as how the investigator has (believe it or not) several months from the point of time they've made contact to when their report must be turned in.

Our investigator said that she usually submits reports no later than 10 days after the interview. I don't know if she was blowing smoke up our rear ends or not but we've not received any notification of our home study having been accepted and our caseworker has been on vacation here lately, meaning our requests for status updates haven't gotten a response.

All that said, we are where we are. "Hurry up and wait" couldn't be a more appropriate sentiment at this point. We're confident, regardless, because we knew going in that this is a process that can take some time. Now we have to be patient - we've done all we can to prove that we want this to happen, it's up to other people to allow it to happen.

My First Gamecock Baseball Games of the 2014 Season

I have the good fortune of knowing and working with a family who has access to tickets for University of South Carolina Gamecock baseball games, and they're generous enough to offer them to me on occasion. My wife & I went to quite a few games last season and we hope to make it to a few this year as well. I have a lead on my wife at this point in time seeing as how I took in a double-header last weekend while she did her duty to the ladies of Girl Scout Troop 471 by assisting them in selling cookies at a booth set up in front of one of our local grocery stores.

For this pair of games, the Yardcocks (as we affectionately call our baseball team) took on the Bears of Brown University. Brown is an Ivy League school out of Providence, Rhode Island. They're not an untalented team but they're not exactly up to the level of play USC encounters from some of our in-state and regional schools, and certainly not what we have to contend with in the South Eastern Conference or other Division 1 schools from around the country. That's my nice way of leading into saying that the Gamecocks defeated Brown handily in the two games I saw as well as the third game of the series which was held the following day, but what's more is the fact that Carolina didn't allow a single run to score during the trilogy. For that matter, USC has held its opponent to zero runs in 9 of the 16 games they've played thus far, and the Gamecocks are a perfect 16-0 on the 2014 season as of this writing.

What else can you say to that other than HOW 'BOUT THOSE GAMECOCKS?

Impressions on the Opening of Columbia's Destination XL

For as long as I can remember, I've been getting my clothing from a chain called Casual Male that specializes in big & tall styles for men. What can I say, I've always been big and tall? It's been a long time since I've had the luxury of being able to walk into a Walmart or any other store and grab something off a rack, unfortunately.

Casual Male has gone through a number of permutations over the years as it was originally called Casual Male Big & Tall. Later on it transitioned to being known as Casual Male XL as the company seemed to want to modernize its image; suddenly there was Shoes XL and Living XL, two offshoots that existed mostly as catalog operations that were specialized in what they offered (footwear & gadgetry, respectively). At some point all the various XLs were collected under one banner, that being Destination XL, and over a period of time the Casual Male XL stores were converted to Destination XL.

This conversion has been good in that the variety of clothing styles and labels offered has grown substantially, but it's had more than a few drawbacks as well. It's been bad in that the number of stores in this region has dwindled to merely a handful. To my knowledge, there are only two XL stores in the entire state of South Carolina, those being in Columbia and Charleston (there may be one in the upstate but if there is I've never shopped there). To make matters worse, when the local Casual Male XL became Destination XL it seemed as though all the existing staff were let go. The new folks who've been installed are decidedly more "uppity" in their presence and tactics, which is a far cry from how laid back the previous staff had been. The icing on the cake is that they now have personal stylists.

I mentioned the additions to the stock in terms of more styles and well-known labels, but what I didn't mention were the price points of these wares. The XL stores have never been cheap, however the kind of prices they're charging now are mildly insane - $50 for a shirt, $80 for a pair of pants, and what have you. Suffice to say that there's more than one reason why I don't go shopping for clothes all that frequently.

It's not that I'm resistant to change, rather it's that the DXL store hasn't grown on me yet. I'm very unaccustomed to walking into a store that looks flashy and modern like an Abercrombie or Aeropostale. I'm used to my store being dark and uninviting, the staff being the same people I've shopped with for 10 years, and the experience being comfortable instead of pushy. Most of all, I don't think I have it in me to admit that I've ever been associated with a personal stylist. That's one of those things where you have to turn in your man-card immediately and forfeit the right to all your beer & chicken wings.

I'm going to keep shopping there, though, mainly because I don't have a choice. It's either go there or use catalogs and I dislike catalogs seeing as how I prefer to try on clothes before I buy them.

Upcoming Events 

Free promotion for the following - you're welcome!

On March 30, WrestleForce returns to The Hangar in Cayce, SC for UNLEASHED. I attended their February event and was pleased with it overall. The big draw this month is that this will more than likely be Steven "The Fever" Walters final appearance in WF for the foreseeable future as he has gone and gotten himself a developmental contract with World Wrestling Entertainment. (Great to hear of a local talent getting to live out their dream!) Seeing as how he and his tag team partner in The Love/Hate Machine "The Southern Savior" John Skyler are the current WF tag team champions, I would expect something to go down leading to them losing the titles but who knows.

If you're not in the know when it comes to independent professional wrestling, you probably have no idea what Omega Championship Wrestling is OR what it was. Omega is actually an acronym for "Organization for Modern Extreme Grappling Arts", and it's the company that was founded by Matt & Jeff Hardy way back when they were both still in their teens. Omega was the genesis of their careers as well as those of talent like Shane "Hurricane" Helms, Shannon Moore, Christian York, Caprice Coleman, Joey Matthews, and others. I don't know that Omega ever truly died but it has certainly made a comeback as Shane Helms has resurrected the company and begun holding events regularly. CHAOS IN CAMERON will be happening on April 26 and I'll be there - the allure of seeing the Hardy Boyz take on the Briscoe Brothers (best known for their work in Ring of Honor) in what may be a once in forever match is too much for me to pass up.

A Trip to Duluth, GA for Valentine's Day Weekend 2014

I'm going to be blunt here for a moment. I'm not a fan of Valentine's Day - never have been and probably never will be. Why? I fail to see the point of the thing, quite frankly. If you truly love someone then you should tell them specifically that each and every day of your life (either with words or, better yet, by your actions), not just the one day of the year that retailers feel it's best for you to do so.

That said, Valentine's Day 2014 was a step in the direction towards changing my mind about February 14th (I refuse to refer to it as a holiday) because my wife and I took a weekend road trip over to Duluth, Georgia. Right about now, you might be asking yourself "Where's that and what's there to make the drive worth it?". Duluth is about an hour or so north of Atlanta and it happens to be home to Medieval Times Atlanta which is the only MT location in the southeastern United States we hadn't yet visited.

A month or so prior, we received an email from MT that contained an offer for a Valentine's Day package. The offer was actually a really good deal considering the usual cost of admission and what was included; for $99 we would receive our meals, a tour of the dungeon, a split of champagne (in etched keepsake flutes), a framed 8" x 10" photo, cheering banners (read, flags on sticks), and what I can only describe as a light-up "wand". ("Wand" is the only word I can use to describe it with eloquence; it looks like a fluorescent tube light bulb only shorter and it flashes with various colors when turned on.) The special package and the fact that we had the opportunity to take in an experience that was familiar but yet still new were more than enough to get persuade us to hit the road.

In describing my/our road trips in the past, I've mentioned how I prefer to take back-roads as opposed to interstates and main highways. Driving can be such a stressful thing these days - I figure why not enjoy it, if you can, by taking in sights and scenery between where you are and where you're going? Duluth presented us with an opportunity to do more of this kind of travel as we would leave our base of operations in Saint Matthews, South Carolina and head west via SC highway 6 before hitting I-20 west for a stretch only to then get back off the main road as we made our final approach.

The drive was very enjoyable for me as my wife is always great at maintaining a conversation. We talk all the time as is, so the fact that we were cooped up inside my truck for a few hours only gave us more of an excuse to rattle on about anything and everything. One area of contention we will probably never see eye to eye on are our favored radio stations. For me, it's usually either rock (I'd say hard rock & metal but you hardly ever see a station on terrestrial radio fitting that description) or sports talk whereas my wife prefers country. Not that I can't listen to country, it just starts to sound silly after a while (said the guy who listens to a number of bands known for wearing masks, face paint, and assorted costuming).

We'd had breakfast earlier in the day at a Sonic Drive-In and since we knew we were bound for a bountiful supper we opted to grab something from a convenience store while we'd stopped for fuel as opposed to a full-scale lunch. I forget what town we were in but I do remember that the store was a Flying J truck stop for two reasons: 1) they had a soda fountain capable of dispensing flavored shots into your beverage such as vanilla, lemon, cherry, and others and 2) they had a chill-chest embedded in the checkout counter that was stocked with, among other things, hard boiled eggs.

I'm not a huge fan of eggs in any form (other than scrambled and even then they need a healthy compliment of cheese or various other proteins to make them edible), but boiled eggs are about my least favorite food, ever. The consistency and flavor of a boiled egg is just this side of wretched. I saw them and all I could think of was some trucker making his way on the interstate, chowing down on those things and stinking up his cab to high heaven with sulfurous ass-gas. I hate to drum up a stereotype of trucker culture but it's difficult not to given that there's apparently a market for such food items in stores such as these.

I made the comment to my wife before we left home that I've made more trips to Georgia in the past year than I have over the course of my entire life, which was an entirely true statement. (Purposeful trips to Georgia, that is - it would've been a horrible lie if I counted the number of times I passed through with my family as a youngster on our way to Florida.) We stayed overnight last May in Covington, GA for our anniversary trip that included stops in Atlanta and Porterdale. In July I got to spend a week in Atlanta as I was in town to attend a pair of training classes. And here we found ourselves going to another Georgian city, that being Duluth.

I couldn't tell you much about the town other than to say that Duluth is one of many cities that benefit from their proximity to Atlanta. What little bit of Duluth we did have time to see (we were only in town for one night, after all, and our arrival was delayed after we wound up having to take a lengthy detour to get around the scene of an accident that happened on a bridge we needed to cross) appeared to be incredibly busy. Traffic is something that folks living near Atlanta seem to have gotten used to over time, so as an outsider I'll say that the volume of traffic we encountered was a bit startling. Duluth's not that close to Atlanta, but even though there aren't any high-rise buildings nearby it sure felt like Atlanta.

Our hotel for the evening was the Duluth Hyatt Place. I'm not sure how old the Hyatt Place is as a chain but we've now stayed in two of their locations (the other being in Charleston, SC) and been very pleased with them both times. You get a modern, no-nonsense room fit for travel geared towards business or leisure at a price that would make you think its quality wouldn't be anywhere near what it is. It's almost like they took the sensibility of a franchise like Microtel and combined that with the luxury of a Hyatt. What's more, they have a great continental breakfast with plenty of variety - no do-it-yourself waffles, though.

After we checked in, we relaxed in our room for a short while before making our way to Medieval Times. You might read between the lines when I say that we, a young couple on a Valentine's Day jaunt, "relaxed in our room" but the funny thing is we sat there, watched TV, and played around on our phones. Bear in mind, we were still emerging from ICE-OCALYPSE 2014 and we'd been without cable or internet for most of a week. Suddenly having access to those creature comforts was too much to pass up for us, I guess, although that probably speaks to there being a larger problem of our addiction to content and the gadgets we use to consume it than anything.

Medieval Times Atlanta is an anomaly in terms of its setup when compared to other MT locations in that it's attached to a shopping mall, the Sugarloaf Mills. (The name is taken from the fact that the mall sits on a road called - you guessed it - Sugarloaf Parkway.) As far as I'm aware, all the other MT castles are stand-alone structures. That it's connected to the mall detracted from its presentation somewhat for me, not because the decor was sub-par (quite the opposite, actually; MT ATL is one of the more authentic-looking MT castles we've visited as the interior of the lobby is made to look like the walls are constructed from stone and wood) but because Sugarloaf Mills is essentially an ultra-high end flea market. We were shocked to find that a majority of the shops there seemed to specialize in cheap baubles and knock-offs. There were big chain stores but the landscape was dominated by what came off as fancy flea market booths. In all fairness, I can't not be critical of our home castle's location as well seeing as how Medieval Times Myrtle Beach sits in between a deserted shopping mall and an abandoned theme park. At least MT ATL is a part of a still thriving outlet.

We'd arrived at MT ATL about an hour before the doors were scheduled to open so we killed the time by browsing a few stores. Like I said in the previous paragraph, we couldn't help but laugh when we saw the sort of stores that make up the majority of Sugarloaf Mills. The only one that was all that interesting, realistically, was a Sears that had nothing but appliances, most of which were of the scratch & dent variety. We made a lap of the mall and by the time we got back to MT a line had formed at the gate so we took our place in the queue.

Right before the gates opened, a number of serfs & wenches (read, the MT wait staff) appeared before the crowd. Their presence was heralded by a pair of trumpeters as well as the Lord Chancellor who drew attention to the event by making an announcement of the tournament and feast to come that evening. The Lord Chancellor's role is more or less that of an emcee, which made this moment all the more fitting. If I remember correctly, I believe they do something similar to this at MT in Myrtle Beach but it's more of a walk-over in that the King, his daughter, the Lord Chancellor, and a few other players make a public walk from one side of the castle gates to where the crowd enters the castle just before guests are let into the building.

Not long thereafter we were allowed to enter. The admissions staff won't always honor this type of request but we asked to be seated in the Black & White Knight's section as it's in the middle of the arena and makes for ideal viewing. After we had our crowns we got our picture taken then made our way to an area that was set up for patrons who'd purchased the Valentine's Day package to pick up the accessories that came along with it, including our split of champagne. I'm not a connoisseur of wine or champagne by any means, but the champagne we were served was not like the champagne I've had in the past. By that I mean it tasted bitter and dry, and it left me willing to sip my wife's Diet Pepsi just to get the taste out of my mouth.

We toured the dungeon, which was exactly like every other MT dungeon we've seen in that it has the same set of replica torture devices on display. I must say that the setup in the pre-show bar/lobby area of MT ATL is quite the sight to behold. The bar itself is an impressive visual but the real draw is the absolutely massive fireplace that dominates one whole section of wall. It's a fantastic addition to the room and a useful one on a chilly evening like this.

As an aside to the story I'm telling, I'd like to say this. If you're a parent taking a child to MT, I encourage you to do all that you can to make the occasion memorable, but for the love of God DO NOT BUY A TOY SWORD FOR YOUR CHILD. We watched a group of kids whack at each other mercilessly with plastic, light-up fencing swords for a good 15 minutes. They were beating the bejeezus out of one another, meanwhile every sensible adult nearby was looking at them wondering "Where are their parents?" who, of course, were nowhere to be found!

Finally, we were called into the arena. Guests are seated by section according to the color of crown you were given at admissions; the procession is always red-green-red & yellow-black & white-blue-yellow. We usually will wait until almost everyone is in the arena before we enter because you're more likely to wind up with a seat at the end of a row, which allows me to have a little more leg and rump room than I would otherwise (me being the Rubenesque fellow that I am). We thought we'd timed it right but I wound up being in the middle of a row - it wasn't bad, though, because the people who were seated next to me acted like I had the plague or some other communicable disease as they immediately began shifting their plates down the table.

Our serving wench (I think MT may be the only place in the world you can get away with calling someone a "wench" and not wind up getting your teeth loosened) was an outgoing young lass with an accent that most definitely wasn't that of a Southerner. It wasn't even American, for that matter. I think I caught her off guard when she asked if anyone had questions and I chimed in with "Yeah, where are you from?" Her response was something about not being able to answer because it would ruin the illusion. If I had to place it I would say she was from somewhere in the United Kingdom. She would've fit in well as a cast member at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Universal Studios Orlando, for sure.

The food at MT is always consistent in terms of its quality and their chefs are to be commended for that. No matter how many times we've had it, we can never get enough of the roasted baby dragon (half of a rotisserie chicken), barbeque ribs, herb-crusted potatoes, and desert pastry. A slight difference to the usual bill of fare exists at MT ATL as we were offered Pepsi products, water, and sweet tea as beverage options. I guess it goes well with the culture of Georgia but we're Southerners too and we don't get sweet tea at our castle in Myrtle Beach - go figure. The only negative comment I have about the meal at MT ATL was that the vegetable soup we were served didn't seem to be as good as what we've had at other locations. This soup tasted kind of like watery marinara sauce more than anything. It wasn't terrible but it wasn't quite up to par.

Aside from one or two uncooperative animals, the show itself at MT ATL was fantastic. (As W.C. Fields once said, "Never work with children or animals.") I dare say it may have been one of the best overall performances I've ever seen at any MT as the knights were all in top form and did a spectacular job of not only connecting with the crowd but emoting & selling the action. I don't know how much "the art of selling" (selling as in professional wrestling where a wrestler acts a certain way to convince the audience of their character, injuries, etc.) is emphasized when these knights are in training but the crew at MT ATL appeared to have been giving it their all this particular night. Unfortunately, our knight (the Black & White Knight) was the first one to get "killed" during the tournament, which has become a trend the past few visits we've made to MT and one made worse when you realize these have been the knights for whom we chose to root. What can I say other than that we apparently don't know how to pick a winner?

By the time that the show was over Sugarloaf Mills had closed for the evening, and since it was a Sunday we didn't expect there to be much else going on around town which is why we retired to our hotel room for more TV and web surfing. We snuggled up and watched coverage of the Winter Olympics, which we had seen practically none of since we'd been without cable at home for so long.

Speaking of being without cable, before we left for Duluth I had called Time Warner Cable about our services being down and at that time they said the earliest they could send out a technician would be the Sunday we'd be traveling. That wouldn't work because the TWC representative I spoke with said someone had to be home when the tech arrives. The next available time was Monday between 2-3 PM. I half way hated to agree to that scheduling because it cut into the time my wife & I would have to enjoy the remainder of our trip, but it was better than putting off whatever needed to be done for another day, so I took what I could get.

Consequently the drive back to Saint Matthews was more than a tad rushed, but we still took the time to document a few roadside attractions we encountered along the way. Additionally, we stopped at the same Flying J store for more vanilla Coke and sustenance - yes, they still had plenty of boiled eggs for sale.

We got home in the area of 1:30 PM, meaning we were back in plenty of time to make our appointment with TWC. When we pulled into the driveway I checked my phone to see if our WiFi was functional. Sure enough, I had data connectivity. Going inside the house revealed that our services had been fully restored. On the one hand, I was grateful for everything finally being back to normal around the house after the ice storm in terms of our modern amenities, however on the other hand I was pissed off because we rushed home because I was told we had to. All I can say is that this is one more example I can add to my already lengthy list of examples of how poor TWC's customer service is. (To the credit of the technician they dispatched to repair our services, he did call our home phone later in the afternoon to make sure things were still up & running.) I can only hope things will get better once they're assimilated into Comcast but I've heard plenty of bad things about how that company does business as well, so we'll have to wait and see where the situation goes from here.

This was definitely a quick trip, probably quicker than either of us would've preferred, but even with that being the case it's better to be thankful for having had the opportunity to do something like this than not. We visited places that we'd not seen before and got to enjoy an experience we both get a kick out of - nothing bad about that, I'd say. It never fails that my wife and I manage to make the best of whatever we might encounter. It takes patience (a virtue both of us struggle with), confidence that whatever will be is what we were intended to find, and that we'll all come out for the better in the end.