Interview with Chase Matthews

Every once and while you meet someone who has passionate and dedicated to their craft. Even through the obstacles and tough times that passion allows them to push forward on for what they want. I have had the opportunity to meet and see another new and upcoming pro wrestler named Chase Matthews. Chase has overcome adversity and health problems. Those health problem could have shattered his dreams of being who he wanted to be. I had the opportunity to interview Chase Matthews and find out more about the man, the wrestler and hard worker he has become.

What made you want to be a professional wrestler?
Ive grown up watching wrestling. My first ppv that I remember seeing was Wrestlemania 9. I remember having one of those "wrestling buddies" when I was a child, and I would wrestle with it all the time. Ive always had a dream to be a wrestler.

Who were influences as a kid?
When I was younger, I would always pretend that I was either Macho Man, or Bret Hart, but to be completely honest, I like too many wrestlers today that I dont really have an influence. That probably sounds weird.

Who has trained and mentored you? 
When I started training at 15, it was Dan Severn, and Mark Pennington. Then I was trained by Josh Raymond. I had to have surgery on my tailbone to removed some cysts so that took me out for a while. At age 20, I was on my way back to training, when I had a pretty serious heart problem stop me from doing anything. Im 22 now, and my problem has been taken care of. I finished my training with Josh Roderick (Roderick Street)

Who is your favorite opponent to work with?
I would have to say as of right now, my favorite opponent, or opponents are either Roderick Street or "Gentleman" John Campbell. I share pretty good chemistry with both guys, and we put on some pretty good matches.

If you had a choice of going to WWE, TNA, ROH, or Japan which one would you choose? And why?
I would love to visit Japan, because Im a fan of the strong style wrestling they have. Next would have to be definitely ROH, only because the atmosphere of the fans is absolutely fantastic. Ive seen one ROH show in person, and was absolutely blown away from the support from the fans. Last but not least is the obvious. Workers can say what they want about the WWE, but Im pretty sure EVERYONE wants to work for THE company. Even if it isnt for very long, they can still say they "made it"

What promotions have you worked for?
I have worked for POG, HCW, CWM, OCWA, MCW, CHRW, TXWE, VIP and soon to be HOG.

What goals do you have in the world of wrestling?
My goals are to take my skills, and evolve them, and become better every match I have. Right now Im living the dream by doing something that Ive always wanted to do since I could remember. But my bigger dream is to some day make it to one of the main promotions. If it happens, then it happens, and all would be well, but if it doesnt, then that wouldnt really bother me either, considering Im still doing what Ive always wanted to do. Ive even thought about trying out for Tough Enough if its still around by the time Im ready to go.

If you could face five guys past or present who would they be and why?
This is hard question. Some are gunna be from the Fed, and some from the indies.
1 - I would love to have a match with Jack Thriller. When I was younger, I went to every POG show before I started training, and always liked his character.
2 - Dan Severn. I feel that it would be a honor to show the man who once trained me how far Ive taken my skills. I just wish I could grow a mustache like him. He should take pride in that thing.
3 - From the Fed, I would pick CM Punk. I am a huge fan of his, and it would be a dream come true.
4 - Also from the Fed, Chris Jericho. Ive been a huge fan of his since way back in WCW. I can proudly say I was a Jerichoholic. I love how his character has morphed the way it has, and he can play any role without missing a beat.
5 - Dean Malenko, just because the man was bar none of the best to ever step foot in a ring. (And I kinda stole his Tiger Bomb into a Texas Cloverleaf, too)

Any road stories you would to share?
As of right now, I would have to say the LONGEST I have ever spent in a car was close to 2.5 hrs, and that was going to Wabash, Indiana to wrestle for CHRW. It was my very first match....so I was completely scared out of my mind. When I got there, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. The building wasnt really what you would call "eye candy", but it was where I met my now good friend John Campbell. He gave me my first pair of pants for wrestling. I was pretty stoked about that. My first match was with Roderick Street.

Another story was when we traveled to Montrose, MI to wrestle for MCW. We had just got done walking in a parade to help advertise the show that was just a few hours later, and before the parade was over, it had started to rain. By the time we had got back to where we were staying, it had turned into a pretty nasty storm. I guess a tornado had touched down or something, so obviously the show ended up being canceled.

Any final thoughts?
It was an honor doing this interview. Hope more come my way, just like I hope to throw my name out there for more people to see. My name is Chase Matthews, and I strive to be the best. Everyone knows coming in 2nd sucks.

Details on 2012 NCAA March Madness Tournament

With March Madness right around the corner it's time to get into the details of where the games are being played. Here is a guide of how to follow the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament.

First Four (March 13 and 14)University of Dayton Arena, Dayton, Ohio

Second and third rounds (March 15/17) and (16/18)
Rose Garden, Portland, Oregon (Host: University of Oregon)
The Pit, Albuquerque, New Mexico (Host: University of New Mexico)
Consol Energy Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (Host: Duquesne University)
KFC Yum! Center, Louisville, Kentucky (Host: University of Louisville)
Nationwide Arena, Columbus, Ohio (Host: Ohio State University)
CenturyLink Center Omaha, Omaha, Nebraska (Host: Creighton University)
Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, Tennessee (Host: Ohio Valley Conference)
Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, North Carolina (Host: Atlantic Coast Conference)

Regional sites (March 22/24) and (23/25)
East Regional, TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts (Host: Boston College)
West Regional, US Airways Center, Phoenix, Arizona (Host: Arizona State University)
Midwest Regional, Edward Jones Dome, St. Louis, Missouri (Host: Saint Louis University)
South Regional, Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia (Host: Georgia Tech)

Each regional winner will advance to the Final Four, held March 31 and April 2 in New Orleans at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, hosted by Tulane University.All games will be televised on CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV. A lot of pretty well known names will be covering this years tournament. Guys like Steve Kerr, Charles Barkley, Reggie Miller, Marv Albert, Kevin Harlan and Jim Nantz are just some of the few that will be covering the annual March Madness tournament. 

As of this writing their are still twelve teams fighting for the spot in the tournament.

ON THE BUBBLE
Last Four In
Miami
Xavier
Texas
Northwestern

First Four Out
South Florida
Saint Joseph's
VCU
Colorado State

Next Four Out
Oregon
Colorado
Dayton
UCF

Also as of this writing this is what the conference representation looks like with how many teams in each conference that are going: 

Big East 9
Big Ten 7
Big 12 6
SEC 5
ACC 5
Mountain West 3
West Coast 3
Pac-12 3
Atlantic 10 3
Missouri Valley 2
Conference USA 2

Tune in on March 13 to watch the Madness, upsets and Cinderella stories begin. Are you ready for some March Madness?

Finally...the 2012 Daytona 500

By Chris Greenbauer

Persistent rain in the Daytona Beach area forced NASCAR to postpone the 500 from its scheduled 1 p.m. starting time on Sunday. Shortly after 5 p.m., it was announced, that for the first time in its 54 years, the race was being cancelled and would be held Monday, starting at noon. Well Monday had come and NASCAR had to move the start to 7 p.m. Monday night because of rain. With Carl Edwards on pole and Greg Biffle his Teammate alongside the question was, would they dominate the 500? Eventually 7:00pm arrived on Monday and the start to the much anticipated race was moments away. Who would win? Will it be a crash fest? Can Danica finish in the top ten? Or will we have a first time winner like we did in the Truck and Nationwide series? All these questions were asked as the green flag fell. I know I was full of anticipation to find out the answers to all these questions.

The green flag fell at 7:14 p.m. and with much anticipated excitement. On lap two there was a big crash on the front straightaway. Involved in the first crash where Jimmie Johnson, Danica Patrick, Trevor Bayne, David Ragan and Kurt Bush. Danica received some damage but was able to continue, Kurt Bush and Trevor Bayne where also able to continue with repairs. Unfortunately this is the result of NASCAR'S new aero package for these cars. The cars have less down force in the rear end because of a spoiler that is 1 inch shorter in the middle and 2 inches shorter on the ends. So when a car gets on the left rear of a car in front of it, the front car will get real light in the rear, and spin. David Ragan and Jimmie Johnson are out of the race at this point. They restarted on lap 9 showed how good the racing was going to be, with a lot of two and three wide racing throughout the field. Ryan Newman blew a tire and spun down the backstretch, to bring out caution number 2 on lap 12. All the teams decided to pit during this caution. Some did fuel only, but most changed four tires and fuel. Carl Edwards won the race off pit road. There was a collision on pit road during this stop when Newman lost a tire and AJ Allmendinger ran into the back of him, sending AJ to the garage.

The race restarted on lap 16, which saw Paul Menard lead the field to green, and bunched the field up again. Here we went with more two and three wide racing. Denny Hamlin took the lead on the restart, but this would only be one of many lead changes through the night. On lap 50 we made the ¼ way mark and the racing had been pretty good, as the drivers have seemed to settle down a little at this point. Jeff Burton was the leader at lap 50. At this point it was anybody's race. Greg Biffle had run the fastest lap to this point. Green flag pit stops started at lap 53 with some of the leaders starting to pit for tires and fuel. All pit stops were 4 tires and fuel, with some adjustments to help the cars handle better as the rubber builds up on the track. Lap 60 saw Tony Stewart, the last to pit under green, pit by himself after some miss communication. Pitting by yourself at Daytona can be suicide because you have to have another car to draft with you to maintain top speed. Lap 63 the third caution came out for debris in turn two. Lap 66 saw Danica Patrick return to the race several laps down, but repaired, this is important to her for experience. They restarted on lap 68 and bunched the field up again with Jeff Burton the leader. Remember NASCAR is paying $200,000 to the leader of the race at half way. As we approached  lap 100 the intensity will pick up over such a big amount paid to the leader. Lap 70 Joe Nemechek retired from the race with handling issues, Robby Gordon has also retired from the race.

Jeff Gordon blew an engine that resulted in an incredible fire ball on lap 81. This caution saw the field come to pit road for pit stops. Most teams at this point took two tires and fuel, trying to be the first one off pit road. Greg Biffle won the race off pit road. With only 17 laps till halfway the drivers will start getting aggressive due to the large payout at halfway. Greg Biffle led them to the restart on lap 86. Lap 88 caution again for a spin by Terry Labonte. It was nice seeing him out front though. They restarted on lap 92, and it was eight laps until the $200,000 pay out. Biffle was leading at the restart, and tried to get the big payday at half way. After overheating problems early in the race Matt Kenseth began fighting for the lead at half way, and never gave up. They finally reached the half way point, and Martin Truex jr. became $200,000 richer after leading at half way. Once the halfway point is reached the race would become official if weather decided to return. The next ¼ of the race saw things calm down a bit, but things did heat up before the end. Lap 128 saw Clint Bower run out of gas and his stalled car brought out caution number 6. This happened as green flag pit stop begin, some teams were pitting as the caution came out, while other teams pitted after the caution came out. Martin Truex came out as the leader, and led them back to the green on lap 132. With 55 laps to go the drivers aggression was picking up, and at this point I didn't think to many cars are going to make it. NASCAR was reporting rain on the way which would explain the intensity picking up. The last 40 laps have traditionally been the best of the race. With 45 to go they had ran the fastest lap of the race  at a 198 MPH avg. Some of the drivers riding in the rear most of the night were starting to work their way to the front, which made the pack tighter.

With 44 to go David Stremme lost an engine and brought out a caution. All the teams hit pit road during this caution for tires and fuel. They would make it from here with no more pit stops. Then the craziest thing happens under this caution When Juan Pablo Montoya had something break on his car it slammed into a track jet dryer, and exploded! The ensuing fire was awesome and took track crews awhile to get it out. Montoya was o.k. and the safety truck driver was taken to a local hospital for observation. The red flag was out while the track crews cleaned up the mess and inspect the track for damage. I have never seen anything so crazy at the track. NASCAR has spent 20 million dollars repaving the track and one of the things they did was study how to fix the track in situations like this. The fire was definitely intense and for the track to survive it was awesome. Once they had the truck and car removed, they actually used Tide laundry detergent to remove the kerosene left in the track, and this actually works really well. NASCAR had to put down a track sealer to cover the rough surface left when the jet fuel caught fire. Dave Blaney was leading at the red flag and I think he wanted it to rain so he could steal a win. The white knuckle racing was going to be intense as soon the race resumed. After a 2 hour and 5 minute red flag the caution flag came back out with Dave Blaney leading, but unfortunately he had to pit, giving the lead to Matt Kenseth.

Restarting with 34 laps to go, the pack made it through the patch with no problem. 25 laps to go saw the intensity really picking up. 23 to go and the caution waved again, for a spin by Marcos Ambrose and Casey Mears. Their was minimal damage to their cars and they were able to continue. Restart with 18 laps to go, Matt Kenseth was still leading. 13 to go saw a caution for a big crash involving several cars, including pole sitter Carl Edwards. Those involved where Carl Edwards, Brad Keselowski, Kasey Kahne, Aric Almirola, Regan Smith, Jamie McMurray and Tony Stewart. Edwards and Stewart where able to continue. Restart with 7 to go, Matt Kenseth  was still leading. 4 laps to go and it saw another big wreck involving Tony Stewart, Ryan Newman, Kyle Bush, Dave Blaney, Ricky Stenhouse jr., David Gilliland, David Reutimann and Landon cassill. Most of the cars were able to continue, setting up a green-white-checker finish. Matt Kenseth was leading at the white flag and was able to hold off a hard charging Dale jr. to win his second Daytona 500.  After three days of coverage on TV the checkered flag finally dropped at 1 a.m. on Tuesday.

All in all it was a good race with lots of excitement and unusual stuff happening. The finish was exciting and the fans got their money's worth. Next weekend they will be at Phoenix Raceway, a little slower than Daytona but just as exciting. It took three days, lots of rain, and a huge fire but the 2012 Daytona 500 will go down in history as one to remember. 

Unofficial results: 

FIN ST CAR DRIVER MAKE SPONSOR PTS/BNS LAPS STATUS 1 4 17 Matt Kenseth Ford Best Buy 47/1 202 Running 2 5 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet Diet Mountain Dew / National Guard 42/0 202 Running 3 2 16 Greg Biffle Ford 3M 42/1 202 Running 4 31 11 Denny Hamlin Toyota FedEx Express 42/2 202 Running 5 9 31 Jeff Burton Chevrolet Caterpillar 40/1 202 Running 6 37 27 Paul Menard Chevrolet Peak / Menards 39/1 202 Running 7 13 29 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet Budweiser 37/0 202 Running 8 1 99 Carl Edwards Ford Fastenal 36/0 202 Running 9 12 20 Joey Logano Toyota The Home Depot 36/1 202 Running 10 22 55 Mark Martin Toyota Aaron's Dream Machine 35/1 202 Running 11 30 15 Clint Bowyer Toyota 5-hour Energy 33/0 202 Running 12 26 56 Martin Truex Jr. Toyota NAPA Auto Parts 33/1 202 Running 13 7 9 Marcos Ambrose Ford Stanley 31/0 202 Running 14 32 47 Bobby Labonte Toyota Kroger 30/0 202 Running 15 24 36 Dave Blaney Chevrolet Ollie's Bargain Outlet 30/1 202 Running 16 3 14 Tony Stewart Chevrolet Office Depot / Mobil 1 29/1 202 Running 17 14 18 Kyle Busch Toyota M&M's Brown 27/0 202 Running 18 43 32 Terry Labonte Ford C&J Energy 27/1 202 Running 19 41 26 Tony Raines Ford Front Row Motorsports 25/0 202 Running 20 21 6 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Ford Ford EcoBoost 0 202 Running 21 18 39 Ryan Newman Chevrolet U.S. Army / Quicken Loans 23/0 202 Running 22 39 83 Landon Cassill Toyota Burger King 22/0 202 Running 23 33 38 David Gilliland Ford MHP Power Pak Pudding 21/0 202 Running 24 6 78 Regan Smith Chevrolet Furniture Row / CSX "Play it Safe" 21/1 200 Running 25 36 13 Casey Mears Ford GEICO 19/0 199 Running 26 38 93 David Reutimann Toyota Burger King 18/0 196 In Pit 27 10 33 Elliott Sadler Chevrolet General Mills / Kroger 0 196 Running 28 34 87 Joe Nemechek Toyota AMFMEnergy.com / Pellet & Wood Stoves 0 194 Running 29 20 5 Kasey Kahne Chevrolet Farmers Insurance 15/0 189 In Pit 30 11 98 Michael McDowell Ford K-Love / Curb Records 14/0 189 Running 31 19 1 Jamie McMurray Chevrolet Bass Pro Shops / Tracker Boats 13/0 188 In Pit 32 23 2 Brad Keselowski Dodge Miller Lite 12/0 187 Running 33 27 43 Aric Almirola Ford Smithfield "Helping Hungry Homes" 11/0 187 Running 34 15 22 A.J. Allmendinger Dodge Shell / Pennzoil 10/0 177 Running 35 40 21 Trevor Bayne Ford Motorcraft / Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center 0 164 Running 36 35 42 Juan Montoya Chevrolet Target 8/0 159 Running 37 42 30 David Stremme Toyota Inception Motorsports 7/0 156 Out of Race 38 29 10 Danica Patrick Chevrolet GoDaddy.com 0 138 Running 39 28 51 Kurt Busch Chevrolet HendrickCars.com 5/0 113 Running 40 16 24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet Drive to End Hunger 5/1 81 Out of Race 41 17 7 Robby Gordon Dodge Mapei / Menards / Speed Energy 3/0 25 Out of Race 42 8 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet Lowe's 2/0 1 Running 43 25 34 David Ragan Ford Scorpion Truck Bed Liners 1/0 1 Running

Tim Tebow vs. Brady Quinn and More

Starting Grid for the 2012 Daytona 500

Ladies and Gentleman, we had the Shootout and the Duels but now it's time for the Great American Race. Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth and Tony Stewart have seen Victory Lane this week but will they see it at the biggest race of the year. Here is the starting grid for the Daytona 500.

1 Carl Edwards Ford 99 

2 Greg Biffle Ford 16
3 Tony Stewart Chevrolet 14
4 Matt Kenseth Ford 17
5 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet 88
6 Regan Smith Chevrolet 78
7 Marcos Ambrose Ford 9
8 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet 48
9 Jeff Burton Chevrolet 31
10 Elliott Sadler Chevrolet 33
11 Michael McDowell Ford 98
12 Joey Logano Toyota 20
13 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 29
14 Kyle Busch Toyota 18
15 AJ Allmendinger Dodge 22
16 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet 24
17 Robby Gordon Dodge 7
18 Ryan Newman Chevrolet 39
19 Jamie McMurray Chevrolet 1
20 Kasey Kahne Chevrolet 5
21 Ricky Stenhouse Jr Ford 6
22 Mark Martin Toyota 55
23 Brad Keselowski Dodge 2
24 Dave Blaney Chevrolet 36
25 David Ragan Ford 34
26 Martin Truex Jr. Toyota 56
27 Aric Almirola Ford 43
28 Kurt Busch Chevrolet 51
29 Danica Patrick Chevrolet 10
30 Clint Bowyer Toyota 15
31 Denny Hamlin Toyota 11
32 Bobby Labonte Toyota 47
33 David Gilliland Ford 38
34 Joe Nemechek Toyota 87
35 Juan Pablo Montoya Chevrolet 42
36 Casey Mears Ford 13
37 Paul Menard Chevrolet 27
38 David Reutimann Toyota 93
39 Landon Cassill Toyota 83
40 Trevor Bayne Ford 21
41 Tony Raines Ford 26
42 David Stremme Toyota 30

43 Terry Labonte Ford 32

Coverage of the Daytona 500 starts at noon on Sunday on Fox. Who will take their place in racing history?

Review of The Epic Journey of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson DVD

Road to Wrestlemania 28: Week 4

Baseball Off-season Moves as of 2/22/2012

Spring Training is upon us and it's time to recap the last couple of weeks of wheeling and dealing. Most of the rosters are set and it's time to separate the men from the boys. Here is a recap of the last couple of weeks of transactions.

-Texas Rangers agreed to terms with C Mike Napoli on a one-year contract.

-Oakland Athletics agreed to terms with OF Yoenis Cespedes on a four-year contract. Also agreed to terms with OF Manny Ramirez on a minor league contract.

-Chicago White Sox agreed to terms with OF Kosuke Fukudome on a one-year contract.

-Toronto Blue Jays agreed to terms with RHP Casey Janssen on a two year contract

-New York Yankees agreed to terms with OF Raul Ibanez on a one-year contract. Traded RHP A.J. Burnett and cash to Pittsburgh for RHP Diego Moreno and OF Exicardo Cayonestwo

As you can see the moves are getting to be fewer and fewer but their are still some good names out there that can contribute to a team. Keep staying tune for more news leading into the regular season of Major League Baseball.

Lineups for 2012 Gatorade Duel 125's

Kyle Busch won the Bud Shootout and Carl Edwards won the pole for the Daytona 500. Now it's on to Thursday for the Twin 125's to determine the running order at the 500. Here are the lineups for each race:

Duel 1 Race:
1 99 Carl Edwards Ford Fastenal
2 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet Diet Mountain Dew / National Guard
3 9 Marcos Ambrose Ford Stanley
4 6 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Ford Ford EcoBoost
5 21 Trevor Bayne Ford Motorcraft / Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center
6 14 Tony Stewart Chevrolet Office Depot / Mobil 1
7 43 Aric Almirola Ford Smithfield "Helping Hungry Homes"
8 27 Paul Menard Chevrolet Peak / Menards
9 34 David Ragan Ford Scorpion Truck Bed Liners
10 22 A.J. Allmendinger Dodge Shell / Pennzoil
11 2 Brad Keselowski Dodge Miller Lite
12 29 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet Budweiser
13 31 Jeff Burton Chevrolet Caterpillar
14 42 Juan Montoya Chevrolet Target
15 30 David Stremme Toyota Inception Motorsports
16 1 Jamie McMurray Chevrolet Bass Pro Shops / Tracker Boats
17 10 Danica Patrick Chevrolet GoDaddy.com]
18 32 Terry Labonte Ford C&J Energy
19 140 Michael Waltrip Toyota Aaron's Dream Machine
20 11 Denny Hamlin Toyota FedEx Express
21 98 Michael McDowell Ford K-Love / Curb Records
22 83 Landon Cassill Toyota Burger King
23 38 David Gilliland Ford MHP Power Pak Pudding
24 37 Mike Wallace Ford Poynt.com
25 7 Robby Gordon Dodge Mapei / Menards / Speed Energy

Duel Race 2:
1 16 Greg Biffle Ford 3M
2 13 Casey Mears Ford GEICO
3 24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet Drive to End Hunger 

4 56 Martin Truex Jr. Toyota NAPA Auto Parts 

5 55 Mark Martin Toyota Aaron's Dream Machine 

6 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet Lowe's
7 17 Matt Kenseth Ford Best Buy
8 39 Ryan Newman Chevrolet U.S. Army / Quicken Loans
9 20 Joey Logano Toyota The Home Depot
10 5 Kasey Kahne Chevrolet Farmers Insurance
11 26 Tony Raines Ford Front Row Motorsports
12 18 Kyle Busch Toyota M&M's Brown
13 109 Kenny Wallace Toyota American Ethanol
14 36 Dave Blaney Chevrolet Ollie's Bargain Outlet
15 51 Kurt Busch Chevrolet HendrickCars.com
16 33 Elliott Sadler Chevrolet General Mills / Kroger
17 87 Joe Nemechek Toyota AMFMEnergy.com / Pellet & Wood Stoves
18 78 Regan Smith Chevrolet Furniture Row / CSX "Play it Safe"
19 47 Bobby Labonte Toyota Kroger
20 97 Bill Elliott Toyota AMFMEnergy.com / Pellet & Wood Stoves
21 93 David Reutimann Toyota Burger King
22 23 Robert Richardson Jr. Toyota North Texas Pipe
23 249 J.J. Yeley Toyota America Israel Racing
24 15 Clint Bowyer Toyota 5-hour Energy

Coverage of the Gatorade Duels starts at 1pm on Speed. It's win or go home for some of these drivers but at the end of it all we will have the majority of the running order figured out. Keep checking back for more on the Daytona 500. 

Results and Recap from the 2012 WWE Elimination Chamber

Tonight was the final stop before Wrestlemania 28 and the Road to Wrestlemania took some interesting turns tonight. The first match was the Raw Elimination Chamber for the WWE Title. In my opinion this was the better of the two Chamber matches. The story here was Chris Jericho being taken out of the match by a stretcher meaning he was never pinned or submitted. I believe he will use this to advance his storyline with CM Punk. As for Punk he proved tonight he was a top guy. He started first and went the distance. He's not a legend yet but his reign as WWE Champion is starting to become legendary.

The second match featured Beth Phoenix and Tamina Snuka for the Diva's title. This was actually a good Diva's match and I don't say that often. Beth retains the title and one has to wonder who is left for her to face? Maybe Michael Cole has the answer.

It appears headed into Wrestlemania both Johnny Ace and Teddy Long are pushing themselves to run both shows. Mark Henry, Alberto Del Rio and Christian are all in support of Johnny Ace. I could see at Wrestlemania Team Long vs. Team Ace for control of the WWE.

It is hard to believe that the dark match of Wrestlemania 27 is now a main event match at Wrestlemania 28. Daniel Bryan succcesfully defended his title in the Smackdown Elimination Chamber match. He had a took a huge beating for Barrett and Big Show which proves he's tough. After the match Sheamus came out and cleaned house signifying that he will take on Daniel Bryan at Wrestlemania 28.

The worst part of the show was the fact that John Cena and Kane was the last match. This match had me uninterested from the start. Everyone knew Cena was going to win and then set his sights on The Rock. The last image you should have seen tonight was Daniel Bryan being attacked by Sheamus which adds more buildup to their match.

All in all it was an okay pay-per-view. It's nothing worth bragging about or getting excited over. I do think the next 6 weeks of WWE Television is going to interesting to watch. The Road to Wrestlemania 28 continues on and the fireworks will begin. For more coverage on the Road to Wrestlemania 28 go to http://www.youtube.com/user/HollywoodsWorldSport and watch the weekly videos of all the happenings in WWE.

Road to Wrestlemania 28: Week 3

Thoughts on Jeremy Lin and Linsanity

Bring Back an NFL-WWE Battle Royal at Wrestlemania 29

It has been announced that on April 7th 2013, Wrestlemania 29 will be taking place at Metlife Stadium in New Jersey which is the home of the NFL's New York Giants and New York Jets. Let me bring you back to Wrestlemania 2 which featured an NFL-WWE Battle Royal. Some of the names in the match included William Perry, and Bill Fralic. Andre the Giant won the match but no one ever forgot how tough the NFL players proved to be.

If I was booking Wrestlemania 29 I would have a 20 man Battle Royal like they did at Wrestlemania 2. I would have 10 WWE Superstars, 5 Giants and 5 Jets in this Battle Royal. Considering how big of rivals these two teams are, it would make for a great confrontation. A lot of athletes of over the years have competed and participated at Wrestlemania. Some of those athletes include Lawrence Taylor, Floyd Mayweather, Joe Frazier, Muhammad Ali, and many more from the world of sports.

If I had to pick 5 Giants and 5 Jets it would be hard but obviously they would have to lineman because we all know those QB's, RB's and WR's wouldn't risk it for a thrill.

From the Giants I would pick:
Jason Pierre-Paul
Justin Tuck
Osi Umenyiora
Chase Blackburn
Johnathan Goff

From the Jets I would pick:
Calvin Pace
Sione Pouha
Nick Mangold
Bart Scott
David Harris

From the WWE I would pick:
The Great Khali
Jinder Mahal
Zack Ryder
Brooklyn Brawler
David Otunga
Ezekiel Jackson
Mason Ryan
Ron Simmons
Hacksaw Jim Duggan
Mick Foley

Now you're probably asking yourself why I chose the WWE list I did. Either because they are big man, from New York did play in the NFL at some point. Both Duggan and Simmons played in the NFL. Foley and Ryder make sense because of their New York and New Jersey roots.

Some way somehow the WWE needs to have the Giants and Jets involved with Wrestlemania 29. I think bringing back an NFL-WWE Battle Royal would be perfect. Wrestlemania 29 is going bring in 62 million dollars in revenue to New Jersey according to numerous sources. It's going to be great to watch Wrestlemania 29 at Metlife Stadium in 2013.

Review of Lucha Libre AAA: Héroes del Ring on PS3

Recently I discovered a wrestling game that came out a while back and I was fairly surprised. Before I begin if you're looking to read a great review of how great this game is like WWE 12 you have come to the wrong place. However, if you are smart, intelligent, and passionate wrestling fan keep on reading.

The Lucha Libre style goes back many years and has even been brought to the United States. This game features 30 of the best Lucha Libre stars that currently wrestle for AAA down in Mexico. Like the style of Lucha Libre, you have to be very quick on the remote and not miss a beat.

It has has a couple of spots where it could be a little bit of an arcade game but overall I would say its pretty authentic to how the Lucha Libre's wrestle. The game is simple and doesn't have a lot of modes to it. You can create a luchador, have tournaments or be in story mode. It features an eight sided ring with about 10 different venues and features a variety of commentary and moves. Some of the moves in this game make it hard to put the remote down.

On a scale of 1 to 10 I would rate it a 6.5. It's different, unique and fun to play but it doesn't have a lot of depth. If you're a wrestling fan of the luchador style then you should buy this game. If you're strictly a WWE fan buy the game anyways and learn about a whole different style of pro wrestling. Lucha Libre is great and tons of fun. So all I got to say now is Yo, yo, yo, lemme speak on this.... Orale! Arriba la raza!

Entry List for the 2012 Bud Shootout

This Saturday marks the unofficial kickoff of the 2012 NASCAR season and it starts at Daytona. The Daytona 500 is a huge week long celebration of the drivers, crew members and fans. It all begins with the Bud Shootout on Saturday Night. Here are the names that will be in the Bud Shootout:

1 Jamie McMurray
2 Brad Keselowski
5 Kasey Kahne
9 Marcos Ambrose
11 Denny Hamlin
14 Tony Stewart
15 Clint Bowyer
16 Greg Biffle
17 Matt Kenseth
18 Kyle Busch
20 Joey Logano
22 A.J. Allmendinger
24 Jeff Gordon
27 Paul Menard
29 Kevin Harvick
31 Jeff Burton
34 David Ragan 

39 Ryan Newman
42 Juan Montoya
48 Jimmie Johnson
51 Kurt Busch
55 Michael Waltrip
56 Martin Truex Jr.
88 Dale Earnhardt Jr.
99 Carl Edwards

As you can see, the lineup is pretty star powered and it's going to be a very competitive race to kick of the Daytona 500.The Bud Shootout is not the only happening at Daytona within the next week. Here is a schedule of the races to come.

Thu, Feb 23
2:00 PM ET Gatorade Duel 1

Thu, Feb 23
4:00 PM ET Gatorade Duel 2

Fri, Feb 24
7:30 PM ET NextEra Energy Resources 250

Sat, Feb 25
1:00 PM ET NASCAR Nationwide Series at Daytona presented by GoDaddy.com

Sun, Feb 26
1:00 PM ET Daytona 500

Keep checking back within the next week to see all the news and happening at Daytona Speed weeks.  

Road to Wrestlemania 28: Week 2

Baseball Off-season Moves as of 2/9/2012

Another two weeks has passed by and more wheeling and dealing has gone in the world of baseball. Rosters are being sent and Spring Training is coming right up. Here are some of the moves that have happen since I last posted.

-Detroit Tigers agreed to terms with 1B Prince Fielder on a nine-year contract.
-Washington Nationals agreed to terms with RHP Brad Lidge on a one-year contract. Also agreed to terms with RHP Edwin Jackson on one-year contract.
-Philadelphia Phillies agreed to terms with RHP Chad Qualls on a one-year contract.
-Toronto Blue Jays agreed to terms with RHP Francisco Cordero on a one-year contract.

-Colorado Rockies agreed to terms with RHP Jeremy Guthrie on a one-year contract.

-Cleveland Indians agreed to terms with 1B Casey Kotchman on a one-year contract.

A lot of names from the past who were once impact players have recieved minor league contracts and here are some of those.

-New York Yankees agreed to terms with INF Russell Branyan, RHP Manny Delcarmen and Dewayne Wise on minor league contracts.

-Washington Nationals agreed to terms with OF Rick Ankiel and INF-OF Mark Teahen on minor league contracts.

-Milwaukee Brewers agreed to terms with OF Corey Patterson on a minor league contract.

-Seattle Mariners agreed to terms with INF Carlos Guillen on a minor league contract.

These are just a few players who have to earn their spots again. Make sure to check back in a couple of weeks for a final updated on roster moves. By then Spring Training will be upon us.

The Manning Theory

Could the Manning's headline Super Bowl 48 in New York?

Every so often you get someone who starts rumors, makes claims of sports being and rigged and make up supposed theories of how sports organizations are ran. I from time to time have been one of those people. Recently one theory and rumor I have read into is the possible chance of Peyton Manning heading to the New York Jets. It is no secret that the Jets are not supportive of Mark Sanchez right now and some have said they want Peyton Manning there. One conspiracy theory I have heard is that if Peyton goes to the Jets he and Eli will meet at Super Bowl 48 at Metlife Stadium, the home of the Giants and Jets. 

This theory actually makes perfect sense because New York is the place for marketing and advertising and everyone wants to see a Manning vs. Manning Super Bowl. Sports is business just like any other profession and they will do whatever it takes to make the most money. The fact of the matter is, New York is where you're going to make the most money. It means a lot of dollars and it makes a lot sense. 

Don't freak out just yet because Peyton Manning has been linked to other teams like the Miami Dolphins, Kansas City Chiefs, Washington Redskins and San Francisco 49ers. There is still a small possibility that he could re-sign with the Colts but it's unlikely. In my own personal opinion he will sign with an AFC team so he does not directly compete with his younger brother Eli.

Where Peyton Manning winds up is as good as guess is any. Right now everyone will have sit and wait to see what happens. The one thing that is for sure is that where Peyton goes, he will make an immediate impact on what ever team he goes to. 

Yokozuna Inducted into the 2012 WWE Hall of Fame.

Before he was Yokozuna Rodney Anoaʻi wrestled as Great Kokina and Kokina Maximus on the indy scene and in the AWA. He comes from a long line of the great Samoans who have been in wrestling. He is the nephew of the Wild Samoans, Afa and Sika. He is also cousins with The Rock, Rikishi, Samu, Rosey, Manu and Umaga.

He made his debut on October 31st 1992, and started going through superstars such as Hacksaw Jim Duggan and Virgil. In 1993 he captured the WWE Championship on two separate occasions by defeating Bret Hart and Hulk Hogan. In the later part of 1993 he feuded with Lex Luger, Yokozuna and Randy Savage. Once his WWE title reign ended he took some time off and then returned to be apart of a tag team with Owen Hart.

Owen and Yoko feuded with the Smoking Gunns, Allied Powers and the Dudes with Attitudes. He also formed an alliance with the British Bulldog once the Bulldog turned heel. In 1996, he slowly began to turn face by turning on Jim Cornette, Owen Hart and British Bulldog. He feuded with Vader for the majority of 1996. Yokozuna was released in 1998 after he was given almost a year to drop his weight which at one time was reportedly 680 pounds.Yokozuna passed away on October 23, 2000 due to his continuous weight gain. His last known match was in 1999 as part of the Heroes of Wrestling event that was on Pay-Per-View. He teamed with Jake Roberts to take on King Kong Bundy and Jim Neidhart.

Yokozuna will always remembered as one of the greatest big  of all time. He moved so well for man of his size and was believable as WWE Champion. Congratulations to the family of Yokozuna who will be accepting the award on his behalf. No one will ever forget he word he uttered before each match...BANZAI!

Ron Simmons Inducted into the 2012 WWE Hall of Fame

DAMN! It has been announced that Ron Simmons will be inducted into WWE Hall of Fame. His pro wrestling career started in 1986 but before that he played football at Florida State University and played one year for the Cleveland Browns. He is in the College Football Hall of Fame as part of the 2008 class. He was also a teammate of fellow pro wrestler Lex Luger in the USFL.

He began his wrestling career as part of the team called Doom, with Butch Reed and their manager Teddy Long. They defeated the Steiner Brothers for the NWA Tag Titles and when it became WCW, they defeated Arn Anderson and Barry Windham. They held the titles for nine months and then Simmons  was pushed as a singles wrestler. His first feuds were with Lex Luger and Cactus Jack.

On August 2nd 1992, Ron Simmons captured the WCW World Heavyweight title by defeating Vader. That feat made him the first ever African American to win a world title between WCW and WWE. He held the title for five months feuding with Cactus Jack, Rick Rude, The Barbarian and Dr. Death Steve Williams. After he dropped the title he feuded with Paul Orndorff and Dustin Rhodes. After his departure from WCW he wrestled in ECW for a year before heading to WWE.

He arrived in WWE as Faarooq in 1996 and before to long he became the leader of the Nation of Domination feuding with Ahmed Johnson, and Legion of Doom. Once he was ousted by The Rock as the leader of the Nation he began to team with Bradshaw. They eventually became the APA (Acolyte Protection Agency). They were two rough and rugged guys who liked to drink beer, play cards and fight. They captured the tag team titles on three separate occasions. They teamed from 1998 to 2004 and took on every tag team that was hot in that time from. Once they eventually split up in 2004 Ron Simmons was no longer an active wrestler.

In 2006, Ron Simmons began to be apart of certain segments with comedy in the WWE and all he would say is one word. That one word was "DAMN!" He is an intricate part of WWE and will be remembered for so many things. He paved the way for African American pro wrestlers to be successful in pro wrestling. All I got to say about Ron Simmons being in the Hall of Fame is DAMN! It's long overdue.

Looking Back at the XFL

As I watched with a lot of disappointment during the Super Bowl this year, I kept thinking about the one and only season of the XFL in 2001. I remember how crazy, wild and hard hitting it was. It was very intense and unpredictable.

Looking back at the XFL, it had a lot of great concepts like the camera angles, the Halo Rule, Overtime rules and more. If Vince McMahon and NBC would have left WWE personalities out of the XFL I think it would have been successful.

The reason I bring this up is I wish the NFL would get back to the hard hitting and intense games I use to watch as a kid. These so called "dirty" players like James Harrison and Ndamukong Suh would have fit perfectly in the XFL culture. Quarterbacks got hit and got hit hard in the XFL. I have always said that if Harrison and Suh played 30 years ago they would have been praised as toughest and most aggressive players in the league who play the hardest.

A lot of people think the XFL was a joke but not all of it was. Some players went on to be a success. If you don't believe me here is a list of XFL players who went on to play in a Super Bowl:

Ron Carpenter (Super Bowl XXXIV, St. Louis Rams) Isaac Davis (Super Bowl XXIX, San Diego Chargers),  Kelly Herndon (Super Bowl XL, Seattle Seahawks),  Corey Ivy (Super Bowl XXXVII, Tampa Bay Buccaneers) ,Tommy Maddox (Super Bowl XL, Pittsburgh Steelers), Yo Murphy (Super Bowl XXXVI, St. Louis Rams),Bobby Singh (Super Bowl XXXIV, St. Louis Rams) and Rod Smart (Super Bowl XXXVIII, Carolina Panthers). 

I hope someday that we will get to see the hard hitting football we once saw in the early days of the NFL and in the one season of the XFL. Who knows maybe Vince McMahon will bring the XFL back someday....as they always say, "Never say never!"

Kings of Wrestling (Claudio Castagnoli and Chris Hero) Sign with WWE

Finally, the Kings of Wrestling as they were known in Ring of Honor are now both apart of WWE. Both Castagnoli and Hero have made their fame in Ring of Honor wrestling for the great wrestling ability. It is well known fact that both men are good friends of current WWE Champion CM Punk. In case you have never heard let me give you some info about both men.

Claudio Castagnoli made his wrestling debut on Christmas Eve in 2000. He was trained by Dave Taylor who has a great wrestling background and great in ring work. Castagnoli has had 21 title reigns during his time with indies. Most impressive was the fact that PWI ranked him #44 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2011. He has been in WWE for several months now but now is joined by his fellow tag team partner Chris Hero who finally passed the WWE physicals.

Chris Hero made his debut in September 1998 and was trained by some legendary stars such as Dory Funk, Jr., Ian Rotten, Les Thatcher, Tracy Smothers, Dave Taylor, Fit Finlay, and William Regal. He has 34 title reigns during his time on the indy scene. Like Castagnoli, Hero also was ranked by PWI and they ranked him #36 of the 500 best singles wrestlers in the world in the PWI 500 in 2011.

If  WWE would sign Colt Cabana they could have a CM Punk lead invasion of Ring of Honor stars. Seth Rollins (Tyler Black) has been with the company for awhile now and is close to being put on TV. If Punk, Cabana, Rollins, Hero and Castagnoli were all on TV at the same time you could see a lot of great wrestling.

Keep staying tune for more on the Ring of Honor invasion in WWE. It could mean some great things ahead.

From the Wrestling Vault: Bret Hart vs. Mr. Perfect

In the late 80's into the mid 90's men defined what wrestling was all about. While everyone paid attention to the bigger sized wrestlers, Bret Hart and Mr. Perfect Curt Hennig were having classic matches. Both men are in the WWE Hall of Fame and both men were herald as two of the greatest in ring workers of all time. The two matches that stand out the most two me are Summerslam 1991 and King of the Ring 1993. Hart and Hennig were both on their games. Although Bret Hart won both matches, Hennig proved he was World Championship material. One thing I have always felt is a lot of guys were held back during the Hulkamania era. There are guys like Hennig, Dibiase, and Rude who should have been WWE Champion before Hogan, and Warrior were. If you take a lot at Hart and Hennig's accomplishments, they are almost even in what they have accomplished except for Harts WWE Title reigns. It saddens me that Hennig is no longer alive and Hart cannot wrestle like he use to. I honestly think the closest thing I've seen to a Hart and Hennig match is Ziggler vs. Punk. Dolph Ziggler reminds me of Mr. Perfect in so many ways. Then Punks Anaconda Vise is a deadly and effective at Hart's Sharpshooter was.

Bret Hart and Curt Hennig defined an era of what wrestling was and should be. Both men will always be remembered for their great in ring ability.

2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Schedule

With the Daytona 500 just a few short weeks away I thought I'd post the 2012 NASCAR Spring Cup Schedule. So with the being said here you go.

2/18	Daytona International Speedway (Shootout)	FOX
2/19	Daytona International Speedway (Daytona 500 Qualifying)	FOX
2/23	Daytona International Speedway (Duel)	SPEED
2/26	Daytona 500	FOX
3/4	Phoenix International Raceway	FOX
3/11	Las Vegas Motor Speedway	FOX
3/18	Bristol Motor Speedway	FOX
3/25	Auto Club Speedway	FOX
4/1	Martinsville Speedway	FOX
4/14	Texas Motor Speedway	FOX
4/22	Kansas Speedway	FOX
4/28	Richmond International Raceway	FOX
5/6	Talladega Superspeedway	FOX
5/12	Darlington Raceway	FOX
5/19	NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race (Charlotte Motor Speedway)	SPEED
5/27	Charlotte Motor Speedway	FOX
6/3	Dover International Speedway	FOX
6/10	Pocono Raceway	TNT
6/17	Michigan International Speedway	TNT
6/24	Infineon Raceway	TNT
6/30	Kentucky Speedway	TNT
7/7	Daytona International Speedway	TNT
7/15	New Hampshire Motor Speedway	TNT
7/29	Indianapolis Motor Speedway	ESPN
8/5	Pocono Raceway	ESPN
8/12	Watkins Glen International	ESPN
8/19	Michigan International Speedway	ESPN
8/25	Bristol Motor Speedway	ABC
9/2	Atlanta Motor Speedway	ESPN
9/8	Richmond International Raceway	ABC
9/16	Chicagoland Speedway	ESPN
9/23	New Hampshire Motor Speedway	ESPN
9/30	Dover International Speedway	ESPN
10/7	Talladega Superspeedway	ESPN
10/13	Charlotte Motor Speedway	ABC
10/21	Kansas Speedway	ESPN
10/28	Martinsville Speedway	ESPN
11/4	Texas Motor Speedway	ESPN
11/11	Phoenix International Raceway	ESPN
11/18	Homestead-Miami Speedway	ESPN