Thinkings Aloud

Just thinking aloud on a few things going on in the world of professional wrestling... er... Sports Entertainment... er.... I mean entertainment? Funny how the classification seems to jump all over the place, more so recently. And apparently it is all in an effort to avoid paying a sports tax or something? Sheeh, the economy must be pretty bad off.

This might seem a little random, but eh... it's been a long while since I wrote anything really wrestling related. I still enjoy watching it (when and where I can)! Surely I see now what some people have said about how, after a certain amount of time, stories and ideas end up repeating themselves. To me, it is like watching football or baseball in that we see the same things, season after season. But the faces change and with these fresh faces, sometimes even the oldest and most used idea can seem fun and new all over again.

One thing I was surprised about took place at Wrestlemania 25 this year, with CM Punk being the first ever two time winner of the Money in the Bank ladder match. I wonder if they are going to do with Punk as they did with Edge? By that I mean have him win the title again by use of the contract in the briefcase?

Speaking of Edge, I wonder if he'll ever have a long title reign? The guy has been on the dark side for the past few years now. I guess a reunion with the returning Christian will be out of the question at the moment, considering how I think E&C reteaming will likely get these guys cheered.

Christopher Daniels finally returns to TNA! Well okay, technically he never left in the first place. But after going through being Curry Man, then the video game character turned "real" wrestler Suicide, he finally returned as himself!

I wonder if this will lead to a X-Division revival? It is interesting in a way, seeing Samoa Joe, AJ Styles and Christopher Daniels in the same ring again. Those guys have come a long way since their classic battles over the X-Division title a few years ago.

Bobby Lashley in TNA... hmm... I wonder what's the deal with this?

Kind of like Mick Foley winning the TNA World title. I wonder what's the point?

Following along the lines of asking myself questions, I wonder what the point of putting Matt Hardy over to Raw in the middle of his feud with his brother Jeff? Which ties into...

My surprise, after reading how Jeff Hardy has yet to sign a new contract with WWE. Though considering how they have all but buried his ass during his brief feud with his brother Matt, I can't say I blame him for feeling "burnt out." It is a long fall from being WWE Champion to losing damn near every match you're in.

I was disappointed to see the tag team of John Morrison and The Miz being split. To me, they are/were the best tag team in the WWE at this point in time. While it is true that there are not that many actual teams, I do consider them head and shoulders better then Cryme Tyme, The Colons (whom they lost to during a pre-Wrestlemania 25 match) and damn near anyone else that company can slap together.

One last little thought here: I am happy to see Dragon Gate (a wrestling promotion based in Japan) is expanding itself into the United States. They have a number of talented guys on their roster and it will be interesting to see how far these guys can go here in the states. Hell, I hope this means they'll make another trip over here to Hawaii... their live show was awesome!

CIMA, WWE Bound?!

Once again, fearing that I would not be able to meet my own personally issued challenge, another topic of interest has appeared to save me!

And continuing on the topic of professional wrestling, this one is big time news (especially if you follow Japanese wrestling).

CIMA (pictured, red and black trunks), former champion and "Ace" (top guy) of Dragon Gate wrestling, disappeared after having his return match for the Dragon Gate promotion back in December of last year.

Apparently CIMA disappeared without a trace and as such, his faction Typhoon, disbanded after they lost a unit banishment match.

While all of this was happening, people wondered where did their beloved CIMA go?

That question was answered as it has been reported that CIMA competed in a dark match (un-televised match) on WWE Smackdown! recently.

My wonder is this: Does this mean CIMA is trying to invade the US? Granted, he has wrestled in the USA before. But never (as far as I know) has he come to the US while not under the Dragon Gate banner.

Then again, who's to say that CIMA is really gone from Dragon Gate? And as I've come to know, guys that leave Japan tend to eventually return home for good. I suppose it goes along with the countless others who've gone to Japan to gain more experience.

In any event, wow... I wonder what my co-worker/friend must think about this? He is a diehard Dragon Gate fan, as well as a CIMA fan to boot.

Things sure are getting interesting in the overall world that is professional wrestling folks.

Dragon Gate Wrestling

So last night marked my first chance at seeing the Dragon Gate wrestling promotion live. It was only their second show in the US and it was a real treat to see these guys straight from Japan. They employ a faster pace then American wrestling and they tend to stick to a more "faction-based" system. Just about everyone in the company is aligned with a group.

In my honest opinion, after seeing some of the local wrestling and seeing a show or two of the WWE's, I think it is fairly safe to say that I actually enjoyed Dragon Gate the most. At least I didn't leave the show feeling like I could have spent my money on something better.

What I appreciated so much about it was it's pacing, as the matches started out slow. Nothing really fancy, just a lot of straight forward wrestling. As the night (and show) progressed, the tempo and the action began to pick up. By the time the main event rolled in and by the time the final bell rang, the place was absolutely fucking nuts!

I was also happy to have gotten to see Dragon Kid (pictured above), who is a pretty crazy wrestler in his own right. But then I witnessed the insanity that is PAC, who flies like I have never seen anyone fly in (and out) or a wrestling ring before. And I don't dare to forget to mention Don Fuji, who I liked watching just because of the comedy that he does. He is funny, but man I still believe he could kick the ass of anyone who steps into the ring with him.

As I overheard them saying as we (my girlfriend and a co-worker) were leaving, they announced that they would be back next year. Needless to say, I surely look forward to when that day comes again.

On a little side note, maybe more of a personal note to myself if I should end up re-reading this post again in the future, I need to remember one thing about this event. Try and find out how to get tickets to where they sat an ENTIRE section of Japanese girls!

This, of course, has nothing to do with me, despite how it might come across as you read those words. But rather to help out my co-worker and friend, who isn't with anyone and who knows? Maybe that is where destiny will happen for him. Or maybe he'll get punched in the face (by a wrestler or a fan, who knows?).

Either way, I was ragged on almost all night by not just him, but my GIRLFRIEND as well! Who's side is she on anyway?? Anyway, I was wised up and I left there a smarter person. Or at least smart enough to try and find out where this section will be the next time these guys roll into town!

Note to self: Lesson learned...

Besides all of that, believe it or not but those women were actually pretty damn loud and into the show from beginning to end. It ended up looking exactly how their shows do in Japan, with these girls screaming and cheering for their favorite guys. As a matter of fact, the heels (bad guys) spent the entire night yelling, spitting and throwing pineapples into that particular section.

It was a crazy and wild, yet very, very fun night and I might have said this before, but I'll say it again anyway: I can't wait until these guys come back next year.

Refresh

With me starting this new job soon, my intent is to try and keep both my new and current jobs at the same time. But, for obvious reasons, I am going to cut back the amount of hours I work at my present employer. However, in doing so I found out I would end up losing my several vacation days in the process.

It would be a total lost on my part, I mean they don't pay out for the days or anything. That shiz would just be gone! And that ain't cool, but that is one of the many ways they take great care of us, "their people."

So this coming week, I will not have to lift a box or check in deliveries or have people try to bitch me out because the 1.4oz package of kiri konbu isn't in stock for whatever wide range of reasons we tend to give.

But still I get questioned and huffed and puffed at by "adults" of all ages, for whatever it is that they are looking for. These days, even if I know a product is not in stock, I'll go and look for it anyway. It seems that is the easiest way not to get hit by a wall of complaints. What I wish some people would understand that we aren't your typical grocery store. The bulk of our stock comes from Japan and if the F.D.A. stops it, that will either hold it up for at least a week or, should they deem it a hazard or whatever, it's game over.

And from what I understand, the F.D.A. can be a little random on their holds.

Yet even after I assure said customer that the product should be in at (insert a time of week here) with the promise of a rain check of the item in question, I still get that scoff and an occasional comment said only to the wind ("We should go to Daiei!)...

I wonder if people realize that Daiei is long gone? Maybe I should suggest Holiday Mart as a worthy alternative....

But really, I don't get too mad or frustrated over this stuff as it might seem. It is a grocery store and we do draw a lot of old, old Japanese people (among many others too) to the place. Gotta expect the worst, in my opinion. And you've gotta have thick skin or else a lot of this shit would end up getting to you. Especially when you get asked about the same product, all day long.

Wow and then I was sidetracked to no end, which certainly derailed my whole original train of thought. Anyway, yes I am looking forward to having the week off and resting up my sore back (Rice will be the death of me) and a pair of sore knees. I guess walking back and forth, back and forth, back and forth for at least 8-9 hours a day, five days a week will do that to you. Then again, my shoes have been through hell so that could explain something as well.

In any event, maybe I'll get back into the groove of writing while I am at home in the coming week. Maybe I'll even finish a game or two that I've been meaning to play (Final Fantasy IV, Crisis Core, Lost Odyssey, Oblivion, Super Smash Bros. Brawl...). Or maybe I'll just prank call my workplace for a while...

Or maybe I'll just get the hell out of the house and keep my brain busy somehow. Yes, yes... that does sound promising. I'd sit around, but I don't want to get -too- lazy. August is going to be a busy month, no doubt about that.

Then Dragon Gate wrestling is coming in September! Which reminds me, I wonder if I'll still get to go...

Isn't this just random?

Uninspired at Best

I've been a little 'down in the dumps' lately and its a feeling I just haven't been able to shake off. I'm finding myself just dragging along through a day and my thoughts about whatever is in front of me (ex: at work) is generally uninspired and dreary.

Maybe it is because of the fact that I have this feeling like the company I'm with isn't going to let us all go in good terms. That is, whenever the plans get set and they (G.G.P.) start to tear the place down.

What I'm now kicking myself over is the fact that I've felt even a slight hint of loyalty to the company. But eh, this is becoming too much of a personal drama over a grocery store job!

Then again, I do depend heavily on the money made here, so getting screwed over isn't something I'd be happy with at all. I just hope it doesn't end up going down like that...

Anyway! Enough about that, it's starting to give me a headache all over again. On the flip side of things, a co-worker had recently sent me a Japanese wrestling match to see if I'd find any interest in it. Lo and behold, I have and now I'm looking for more matches like a junkie looking for another hit. The promotion of interest is a group called Dragon Gate, which I had to sit down and do some reading to kind of catch up with things.

One group within this promotion I like, though they might break since it's leader has been offered to jump to a different faction, is called Typhoon (Logo pictured above). They are a very talented group and I was absolutely amazed to watch them battle against the Muscle Outlaw'z (whom are the ones who offered a place within their group to the leader of Typhoon, a guy named CIMA).

I'd try to find the weekly shows, but goddamn folks... I still can't read/write/understand any Japanese and so that ended that. Blah.

If that doesn't keep me busy, we just rented Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, plus we picked up Juno and Appleseed EX Machina. I heard the first two movies were good, but I never heard anything about Appleseed. Good or bad sign? I suppose I shall find out sooner rather then later...

Then again, the previous Appleseed movie wasn't bad...