Tuesday, January 11, 2022

Like a Prayer: 2022 and the Championship Mayhem

Like a Prayer: 2022 and the Championship Mayhem
(A Weird Soundtrack for and Orange Cassidy Match)

*This blog post was started on January 11, 2022.

As Mark Hamill tweeted, "Is it too late to resolve not to spend that as much time on the Internet?", I am envious. My bank job is forcing me to spend more time on the Internet, or should I say, my former bank job. If anyone has some awesome job offers that will pay $15 an hour at 40 hours, send an email to russthebus07@gmail.com. Relocation is not an issue.

It took a few days to get into the Disney World Vacation, and the job loss is probably the primary reason. Usually it takes time in a crowd of strangers for me to feel alone, but this was the opposite experience. I may not have wanted to come home. The pay cannot be great and I lucked out in terms of the Covid risk, but to see great hospitality by the cast and hotel staff...and it feels like home. Curse my atheism.

Of course, the chorus sings "When you call MY name, it's like a little prayer." For someone with an ego, it feels right.

Fortunately, my retail job is taking care of me. It has been a hell of fight to get in the position to get funds that would cover the unpaid vacation, but the frustration goes beyond that. There was a hell of a lot of wrestling last week to catch up on, and the Samsung TVs (I am more of a Sony guy.) were not new enough to Airplay Fite TV. If only I knew my dad would bring his HDMI cable for his laptop to try and catch the Buffalo Bills. If only he knew that I could have resolved that for him. At least we got to see some the Rivermen hockey.

The worst thing about all the wrestling I missed, there was a lot of newsworthy moments. I am not in the mood for the real news right now, so lets try to make some sense about the wrestling scene before tomorrow's Dynamite.

The Disgruntled's Real Men's Power Rankings (1/11/2022)

The Number 1 Wrestler in the World:
Hangman Adam Page

You can win the WWE Championship at a moment's notice, but can you go ninety minutes with Bryan Danielson?
He is the current AEW World Champion.
He is the current Disgruntled's Real Men's World Champion.

Pinterest @KVASHI1967

The Number 2 Wrestler in the World: Kazuchika Okada (Debut)

He is the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion having defeated Shingo Takagi to obtain it on January 4 and defeating Will Ospreay on January 5 to retain it.
The IWGP Heavyweight Championship has been recognized as a qualifier for the Disgruntled's Real Men's World Championship.

The Number 3 Wrestler in the World: Brock Lesnar (Debut)

He is the new WWE Champion having defeated the champion in a Fatal Five Way. They need a new name to differentiate it from a Fatal Four Way.
The WWE Championship has been recognized as a Disgruntled's Real Men's World Championship in the past.

The Number 4 Wrestler in the World: Trevor Murdoch

He is the current NWA World Heavyweight Champion.
The NWA World Heavyweight Championship was the original Disgruntled's Real Men's World Championship.

The Number 5 Wrestler in the World: Roman Reigns

He is the current WWE Universal Champion.
He is the current DRCW Modern Poser Champion. The Universal Championship is not recognized as a world championship by DRCW. If WWE is working towards a title unification match between Lesnar and Reigns, he maybe able to finally climb the rankings.

The Number 6 Wrestler in the World: Hiroshi Tanahashi (Debut)

He is the new IWGP United States Champion after defeating KENTA.
He is the new DRCW OCHO Secondary Champion.

The Number 7 Wrestler in the World: Adam Cole (Bay Bay) (Debut)

He is undefeated as a single's competitor in AEW.
He is currently the number one ranked men's singles wrestler in AEW.

The Number 8 Wrestler in the World: Bobby Lashley (Debut)

He is the current top contender to the WWE Championship.
He came out looking the strongest of the Fatal Five Way bout where Brock Lesnar won the WWE Championship.
He won a Fatal Four Way bout to become the contender.

The Number 9 Wrestler in the World: Tetsuya Naito (Debut)

He is the next challenger for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship. He issued a challenge that Okada accepted.
He is the former champion who won and held both the IWGP Heavyweight and IWGP Intercontinental Championships simultaneously on two occasions.

The Number 10 Wrestler in the World: Bandido

He is the current ROH World Champion. This belt is a belt that has been declared the Disgruntled's Real Men's World Championship in the past.
With ROH scheduling Supercard of Honor in April, I would assume he will be defending the championship with the Original ROH Champion John Gresham.

It is not a good time for secondary champions. WWE is not pushing either their United States or Intercontinental Championships and AEW has their championship divided between an official and an interim champion. Thus, there maybe too many which is something I shiver to say.

I am saddened that I currently cannot pay homage to the old Apter magazine. With WrestleMania season coming up and I think a imminent WWE sale, perhaps things will narrow down. Making championships mean something is my preference in booking, but that may be because no one was ever going to attach a top championship on me...despite the ambitions and efforts that I had over all other Peoria wrestlers.

Fuck Norman "Apocalypse" Calloway. As for Alex "Trip C" Larson, WWE cosplay never works on the indies.

There are my hot takes. Best directed at those guys than my former employer I suppose. Of course, bad mouthing promotions had got me in trouble before. I have a history of walking on the harshside.

Monday, January 10, 2022

NinetyForChill: The #Podcast - Disney World & Eva's Disdain for Aristocats

NinetyForChill.com: The #Podcast

Episode 51: Disney World and Eva's Disdain for Aristocats (Duchess was not responsible for my job lost.)

My working class kitty should not blame the spoiled for my job loss

Cool Movies Darth returns from Walt Disney World (and to unemployment) to deal with his fascination about "The Aristocats" backpack/purse sold in Orlando. He reviews the animated movie and discusses his trip to the most dangerous place on earth, Florida. Thanks Ron Desantis for another family member's Covid diagnosis.

I do not regret spending all my money on booze and a light saber, but it was difficult to say no to a $70 cat-themed bag. "The Aristocats" is fondly remembered, but did it do anything for Disney animation? It is tough to argue against "Ratatouille" having the ride at Epcot's France pavilion instead of this 52-year old film.

I wish I would have been able to get into more of the Disney World experience, but with no guest for this episode, the time was not there. Perhaps, ThePoeticCritic will return and chat about this trip, but that is a wait and see scenario.

Before the trip, the bank that I worked at decided to let me go because of my blog "Maine Event of the Dead". Since I have yet to mention their name, the gods know I am upset and depressed. This may have led to me having a slow start when it came to enjoying this vacation. But, once you get to know the parks, there maybe no better vacation spot.

Well, as long a Desantis is governor of the state, it is actually the most dangerous place on earth. Despite being raised conservatively, the Stevens are true patriots and not idiots. Too bad Florida encourages the false and the moronic. If it was not for booster shots, I would be prepping a lawsuit against the state.

A simple lesson for anyone who visits Orlando, a thousand people shoulder to shoulder is the same as being indoors. Wear a motherfucking mask and get the freaking shots. If I had to register to be drafted to fight for idealologies and oil, you can actually do something to care for your fellow Americans by being vaxxed and masked.

I have made it home Omicron-free, so I really should consider the trip to be a win. If I get IDES to straighten their files up, unjustly losing my job should not be that big a hit. Despite the lack of efforts by my big sister, a reservation was successfully made to get my ultimate light saber (Despite the lack of yellow kyber crystal, I did my best to pay homage to Rey...FYR.) and I am figuring out how to enjoy my time by myself.

I still wish my cat(s) were there, but you just have to pay attention to your surrounding. It sucks that the event did not happen till our last day at the parks, but I met a cool girl from Iowa who runs an Etsy shop. Smiles were shared thus egos were boosted. That is tough to find, so hopefully sharing a link to Once Upon A T Shirt will be respect enough.

My Twitter account is @catbusruss. This is where I want your hate to be directed if you disapprove. Otherwise, positive feedback would be best displayed as subscriptions to my podcast and five-star reviews. Lets work that algorithm.

If you think you have a film or franchise that you are an expert on. Send an email to russthebus07@gmail.com. Most franchises have at least one feature that will qualify for NinetyForChill. The runtime just needs to be between 74 and 99 minutes. We have four episodes to fill.

I have been asking for weeks for assistance in composing an episode dedicated to vampire features like "The Lost Boys" trilogy, "Near Dark", and the "Underworld" movies. Here is to hoping that this bunch of critiques will stir up some inspiration in my audience to step up and hold off on the garlic. If this is a topic you up for discussing, feel free to send an email to russthebus07@gmail.com. All I need is a half hour on Zoom to get this done.

I hope I am impressing or at the very least amusing you with this podcast and I am open to any and all criticism. My biggest want is more guests and more suggestions on what to chat about (@catbusruss, russthebus07@gmail.com @coolmoviesdarth). If we can get 3 hours out of "Little Nicky", the possibilities are endless. Thanks for visiting.

After WrestleMania Backlash, I will tell you that we need to take zombie pro wrestling back. My suggestion is that we finally get my low-budget zombie movie, "Main Event of the Dead" off the ground. The script lacks a lumberjack match, so you know it has got to be better than the "Army of the Dead" advertisement. Ask for a treatment or give me suggestions on how to get it to a crowd-sourcing stage with an email to russthebus07@gmail.com.

Pinterest - @lvsmunsters

The Undrafted and Wrongfully Drafted

"Bull Durham" was not drafted on the Baseball Draft (A film that can only be drafted at #1)
"No Fear of a Black Hat" on the Fictional Band Mini-Mega Draft
The entire George Lucas Draft
"The Birdcage" instead of "La Cage Aux Folles" on the Drag Draft
"Road Trip" was not even mentioned during the Road Trip Draft
"Major League" instead of "Drop Zone" on the Wesley Snipes Draft
"Black Swan" instead of "Mermaids" on the Wynona Ryder Draft
"Akira" instead of "Ghost World" on the Comic Book Movie (Non-Super Hero) Draft. Tetsuo is a Supe.
"Now You See Me" instead of "Diggstown" on the Con Artist Movie Draft
"The Onion Movie" instead of "Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex * But Were Afraid to Ask" on the Sketch Comedy Anthologies Draft
"The Big Lebowski" not being marked eight on the Coen Bros. Draft
"Labrynth" or "Dark Crystal" not receiving the number 1 or 2 spot in the Jim Henson Draft
"Stage Fright" on the Giallo Draft. It is a slasher despite the presentation.
"Assault of Precinct 13" and "Prince of Darkness" Instead of "Escape from New York" and "The Thing" on the John Carpenter Draft
"Con Air" instead of "US Marshalls" and "Universal Soldier" instead of "Time Cop " on the 90's Action Draft
"WarGames" instead of "Spies Like Us" on the Cold War Draft
"Traffic" instead of "Side Effects" on the Steven Soderbergh Draft
"Fight Club" instead of "The Virgin Suicides" on the 1999 Draft ("Suicides" made the Actor Directorial Debut Draft)
Any Kirk Douglass instead of "The Shining" being on the Kubrick Draft
"Return of the Jedi" instead of "Tokyo Drift" on the Threequels Draft (there's only one "Return," okay, and it ain't "of the King," it's "of the Jedi.")

Deserves a Second Chance

Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016).

I find the DC movies, or at least Zack Snyder, was trying to bring comic books to the big screen as opposed to adapting comic books for the big screen. If you read, (or watch the excellent animated adaptation of) "The Dark Knight Returns", it is a very slow build to the battle between the Bat and Supe. This is regarded as one of the best threads in comics.

As a guy who fell in love with wrestling in the 1980's, the very methodical showdown is what I loved. It's a love letter to comic book fans who read and note every detail and want to try figuring out the plot before the character do. Come at the flick this way, and I think you will get something out of it.

Tropic Thunder (2008)

This is a feature that dares you to be offended. When director Ben Stiller is that forthcoming like Robert Downey Sr. was with 1969's "Putney Swope", an audience saying that something is in poor taste, hence not funny, means they are afraid to make a mockery of a concept.

My own experience with junkies bankrupting me allows me to thoroughly enjoy Jack Black's making addiction seem ridiculous. Robert Downey Jr. nails his taboo performance and I would say helps the call for actors from a demographic to be the first people called on for the roles representing them. As for the "Forest Gump" knock off jokes, they serve as a way to ridicule us for what we accepted (and encouraged) as fine a decade prior. The narrative that controls the pace in the second act can drag, but the content that is delivered cannot be cut.

Tuesday, January 11, 2022