Brock Lesnar vs. The Undertaker

One of the main selling points and one of the highlights of Wrestlemania the past few years has been The Undertaker's undefeated streak at the event. The matches have become tough to follow because there are over two decades of history behind the streak and it's something that won't be done again. The performances have delivered and there's anticipation for who will be the next opponent to challenge the streak. This year Brock Lesnar will challenge The Undertaker, but will the match live up to the hype?

The pivotal point of any match included in the streak is to put the streak in some type of jeopardy and there has to be some point when the audience believes that there's a legitimate chance that the streak might end. If there's not some believability that The Undertaker could lose, there's not really anything to build the match around and there has actually been a lack of built up to the match on Raw. The segment on Raw this past week was critical because it finally put The Undertaker in jeopardy and made Lesnar look strong for the feud. There has only been a few weeks of build up and Lesnar was attacked during most of the segments on Raw so The Undertaker being attacked was needed to sell the possibility that the streak could end.

In reality, Brock Lesnar is getting paid major money to be an enhancement talent and as I've said before, that's what Lesnar should be used for, considering he's there for the money and putting talents over help the WWE get the most for their investment. Don't get me wrong, Lesnar isn't a jobber and delivers great matches, but considering his run the past few years, how many fans actually believe it's possible that he will defeat The Undertaker? It depends on the match and if they can create some doubt about the streak, but it seems like it will be more difficult to get believability for it because Lesnar has done the job for almost every major PPV match during his most recent run in WWE. That being said, the streak probably won't and shouldn't end. As great as the matches that put the streak in jeopardy are, the majority of the fans don't want to see the streak end and there would probably be a major backlash if the streak was actually ended.

The other aspect of the streak is if the matches can still deliver and it seems as though The Undertaker has showed his age during his appearances on Raw. There are some fans that think The Undertaker should retire, but I think he should retire when he decides to hang up the boots. He has earned the right to retire on his terms and he has earned the praise in the wrestling business as a leader that always contributes to the business. As far as the criticism that The Undertaker only appears a few times a year, he doesn't have anything left to prove and it actually makes it more of a special appearance that he rarely wrestles for major events. Basically, until the matches don't live up to the hype, there's no reason for The Undertaker to retire. I doubt The Undertaker vs. Lesnar will get the fans to believe the streak might end at Wrestlemania, but it should be a good match because as mentioned, the streak has been one of the highlights of the show. It should be extremely interesting to see if String debuts on the Raw and if there will be The Undertaker vs. Sting at Wrestlemania.

My own Frankenstein's monster?? Part 1 Hacking Higher Education

This post title is a bit misleading but true none the less.  Over the years I have always been quick to give advice but never take my own so in a sense I am Doctor Frankenstein and the monster.  Hopefully my results will be a bit better and I will not turn into a misunderstood creature.  With this new feature of SCU I will use myself as the so called crash test dummy and see if my own advice is good or just blowing smoke. 

Experiment 1  Hacking Higher Education

Hacking higher education sounds like I am going to tell you how to lie and cheat your way to a degree right?  Not at all but I will tell you of a way to take classes for little or no money.  I was a dumbass when I dropped out of college when I got my first full time job I had taken seven classes in accounting working at getting an associates degree.  Now with that being said I have been working in banking and finance one way or another for the past sixteen years but I have always regretted not finishing my degree and taking the easy way out.  Now I plan on making up for that my way.

Last month I was up late doing some research like a good Dr Frankenstein when I came across a website called edX.  EdX offers open coursework from some of the best Institutions of Higher learning in the world with many of the classes offerd for free or a small nominal fee.  With many of the courses you have the option to audit the course or try for a certificate using the honor system.  I opted to enroll in Introduction to Computer Science as offered by Harvard Extension for someone like me just getting back into classes for the first time in almost twenty years it being self paced.  The only requirement is that you have to complete all twelve lessons by December 31,2014.  I can not wait to get into the first lesson where I will  get to design a simple game or a piece of interactive digital art.

Taking this class is the start of what I hope will be a successful experiment in taking control of my own life.  I also hope to prove the point that higher education can be achieved by anyone no matter how long you have been out of school.  I also want to prove the merit of classes like this added to ones resume do mean something just like any degree or cetificate but only time will tell that.  I will be back over the weekend to rate the first lesson of the class and just maybe I will have another experiment to talk about. Always remember to embrace the "Monster".

A Quick Shout Out!!!!!!

Many thanks to Jim my brotha from another mother!!!  Without your help this Blog would have gone the wayside ages ago.
Here is to "Livin the Dream!!!!"

The Belfast Bruiser
Thanks you as well

Welcome Back to the Underground

Over the years here at SCU we have tried to bring you the some of the best pop culture coverage wether it be movies or wrestling but now I feel it is time for a bit of a change of focus.  As of March 28th of this year I will no longer be working in a career that I have enjoyed doing for the past decade.  With that being said I am not afraid of what the future may hold for me but now it is time to use this blog for what my original intention was.  Steel City Underground is as the name says a showcase for the underground, the independent thinkers,  fringe artists,  and the "outlaws".  When I say outlaw I do not mean criminal I mean the modern day pirate and the hacker.  With that being said we will still bring you the best of pop culture  but now also with a little bit of life hacks and social commentary.  Welcome to the Underground!!!

TNA Booking

The recent "Lock down" pay-per-view was promoted as a new era for TNA, which is something the company has tried before and very similar to previous attempts, it yielded mixed results at the PPV. One of the criticisms of TNA the past few years is that the promotion is presented as "WWE Lite" and they didn't establish their own brand. As part of a deal Jeff Jarrett made before his departure from TNA, the company has a working agreement with the Wrestle-1 promotion. There was a talent exchange, including TNA taping a PPV event at a Wrestle-1 show and some Japanese talent is booked for TNA. Sanada won the X Division title during the TNA tour of Japan and it seems like he will be appearing for the company on a regular basis, as he defended the title at a recent TV taping. There was a six man tag at Lock down with The Great Muta, Sanada, and Yasu vs. Christopher Daniels, Kazarian, and Chris Sabin. The booking of international talent is a very wise decision for the promotion because it's something different than the WWE product. The other international talent on the card was Tigre Uno, who is known as Extreme Tiger in AAA in Mexico. The problem with booking the international stars for the PPV was that TNA barely promoted their appearances prior to the show. There was almost zero mention of the Wrestle-1 team on TNA TV before Lock down and considering they had access to footage of them from the Japanese taping, there could have been a video package to promote The Great Muta appearing in the United States.

For some prespective of the situation, The Great Muta is a legend and in some ways, he's The Undertaker of Japan with the gimmick and accomplishments at many of the major companies in Japan. Obviously, Muta had several injuries over the past few years and he isn't the going to be the same performer he was a decade ago, but the six man tag format allowed him to do a few key spots while Sanada and Yasu worked the majority of the match. The point is, The Great Muta appearance could have been a major selling point for TNA, but similar previous angles, they fumbled the opportunity to promote something unique to TNA. Granted, the company has a track record of extremely low buy rates, but if they would have hyped Muta's appearance, it would have given them another selling point for the show. As mentioned earlier, Tigre Uno was also booked for the show and again, there was almost zero promotion for another international star. Since TNA has a working agreement with AAA, it seems possible that they could have used a video package to promote Extreme Tiger, especially considering it was mentioned during the broadcast that he wrestled in AAA so it's not as though he was presented as a brand new character that started in TNA. As I said, the international stars could help TNA establish themselves as their own brand, but lack of promotion and other events from Lock down seem to prove that TNA is content to be seen as a mid card version of WWE.

Bobby Lashley returned to the company and he defeated Ethan Carter III during an open challenge. Lashley debuted for the company in 2009 and he didn't do anything too stellar during his relatively short run before his departure to train for mixed martial arts. Lashley fought in some smaller MMA organizations and wrestled in Japan the past few years, but hasn't exactly done anything too major to boost his name value. This isn't a jab against Lashley, but he's basically known as another WWE mid carder and is it really necessary for TNA to sign him? How many fans are really going to tune into TNA to see Bobby Lashley? It seems as though this is another case of a competitor getting a spot on the TNA roster because they are a former WWE star. Another case of this is MVP, who improved drastically after his run in New Japan Pro Wrestling but he hasn't been on main stream TV in the United States for years and he was a mid carder in the WWE. He went from being a mid carder in the WWE and he's automatically booked for the main angle for TNA. That's not to say that MVP can't contribute to the company because his promo work thus far has been the best of his career and as mentioned, he has improved in the ring since his run in WWE, but it seems like TNA's top talent are secondary to former WWE stars, which is one of the reasons TNA hasn't established their own brand.

There were some really ridiculous matches and angles booked in TNA history, but after seeing the conclusion to the Magnus vs. Samoa Joe match, you have to wonder if Vince Russo is actually booking again? For those that didn't watch the clip, Abyss reaches through the canvas and drags Joe under the ring. Joe emerges from underneath the ring and attacks Magnus while waiting to be attacked again. Abyss hits Joe with a weapon and Magnus retains the title. The only problem with the angle is...LOGIC. If Joe was just dragged under the ring, why would he turn his back toward Abyss? Why would he just stand there choking Magnus if he knew Abyss was under the ring? It looked ridiculous and angles that look that goofy are probably one of the reasons why the arena was less than half full during the show. Quite frankly, Samoa Joe deserves better and at 35, WWE might not be an option for him, but TNA isn't exactly letting his career flourish, considering he could be the top star for the promotion, but he's booked for ridiculous angles.

The Jeff Hardy "Willow" character debuted at the PPV and he has wrestled a few matches on Impact, but there really isn't an explanation for the character. It was a wise decision for Hardy to remain some what recognizable with the gimmick because it can utilize his name value, while freshening up his character. Despite the lack of a storyline for the character, Hardy's run in TNA was getting stable so a new character could rejuvenate his career.

The Lock down pay-per-view was basically a summary of TNA's booking fumbles for the past few years and there's a trend of one step forward and two steps back for the company. They booked international talent for a PPV and they barely promote it. They have former WWE stars automatically booked in  main event angles and it continues to make TNA stars seem secondary. They also had a another ridiculous angle over shadow a decent PPV. These are all basically the same criticisms about TNA for the past few years and there's a great roster, but terrible booking. Don't get me wrong, I'm not say I know the answer to improve TNA, but another "new era" will probably be a similar situation to the past few years.

Does the WWE listen to their audience?

The WWE network launched this week and it's estimated that a few hundred thousand subscribers have already signed up for it in just a few days. There have been some technical glitches, but it's a common problem with new technology that will probably be fixed during the free trial that the WWE is offering fans for the launch of the network. After the result of the Elimination Chamber and the subsequent announcement on Raw this past week, Randy Orton vs. Batista was confirmed for the main event of Wrestlemania. Speaking of the biggest event of the year on the WWE calender, it's included for the initial six month package of the WWE network at $9.99 a month so it seems like the fans will get their money's worth. However, if the WWE is going to give the fans their money's worth, I have to ask, why isn't Daniel Bryan wrestling for the title at Wrestlemania?

The crowd nearly booed Batista out of the building at the Royal Rumble, not because he won the match, but mostly because Daniel Bryan didn't win it and he wasn't even in the actual Rumble. Follow that with the crowd chanting "Bootista" at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view and the reaction after the Chamber match, you have to wonder, does the WWE actually listen to the audience? Obviously, the crowd wanted to see Bryan in the main event of Wrestlemania, but the WWE has other plans. Despite the "Yes!" and "Daniel Bryan" chants on a weekly basis, the WWE seems like they will book Bryan vs. Triple H at Wrestlemania. Considering the outrage after the conclusion of the Rumble match and the reaction Bryan gets from the audience, you have to wonder why would the WWE continue to bury the wrestler getting the most reaction from the crowd?

Well, I don't know the answer and the crowd response to a Batista vs. Randy Orton feud will probably remain hostile. If I had to guess, I would say that pushing Bryan isn't in the WWE's plans and any amount of crowd response probably isn't going to change it. Again, this is just a guess, but a Wrestlemania main event might be apart of Batista's deal to return to the company so that could be another reason Bryan is being buried. This might be a case of  the WWE wants the stereotypical type of champion and Bryan doesn't fit the mold, which is very similar to the CM Punk situation from a few years ago. Punk left the company after the Royal Rumble , but at this point what can Daniel Bryan do to get the credit he deserves? He's the most over performer in the company and is one of the best in ring talents on the roster so what else can he possibly do to get the spot he deserves?

When there was the Triple H heel turn at Summer Slam, I mentioned that it was an angle that could make Bryan a bigger star and he could be a PG version of Austin vs. the corporation with Bryan chasing the title. However, instead of Daniel Byran getting the win to validate his status as a main event performer, the WWE booked a series of non finishes on PPV and then booked the Big Show in a title match at Survivor Series that had the crowd chanting "boring" during the show. As ridiculous as it sounds, it seems like the WWE is doing  everything they can to actually minimize Bryan's spot in the company because if he was going to be booked to finally get a title win, it would have happened during the Orton feud. There wasn't a come back or a major pay off for the heat and if anything, the conclusion of the Orton feud, demoted Bryan from the main event scene back to the mid card. At this point, you have to wonder if the Triple H feud is a way for the WWE to keep Bryan busy while Batista and Orton feud for the title.

There's a difference between heat for a heel and fans that are disappointed with the product. The heel heat was the swerve at Summer Slam where Triple H selected Orton as champion, but there was no come back or pay off for it. The reaction after the Rumble match was the fans that were disappointed that Bryan wasn't even in the match and it could sour a lot of fans on the product. At this point, even if the WWE would book Bryan into the title picture it won't have the same reaction as a Rumble win. The WWE had an opportunity to give Bryan a push and give the under dog get the credit he deserved, but it didn't happen.

Let's be clear here, Daniel Bryan is over with the WWE audience and it's not just a bunch of jaded smart marks complaining about the WWE on the internet. The WWE audience wants to see Bryan in the main event picture and he should be, but he probably won't get further up the card than the mid card. Again, you have to ask, why? This type of booking, where the WWE basically ignores the audience is the result of lack of competition in the wrestling business. The bottom line is, if people want to watch wrestling on national TV, they will watch Raw and the WWE can basically book anything they want because there's not another option. Do you think if WCW still had a show head to head with WWE, the most over performer in the company would be minimized? The Attitude era was a boom period for wrestling because each company had to present what the fans wanted to see or they would change the channel to the competition.

Another aspect of this is another star returns to the company and goes directly to the main event of Wrestlemania. Don't get me wrong, Batista has name value, but should he automatically main event the biggest show of the year? Regardless, if it draws money, why not? If the WWE is going to draw major money for the Batista vs. Orton main event at Wrestlemania, why wouldn't they book it? The bottom line is, until there's competition for the WWE or people don't match Raw, there will probably be similar storylines. I'm not saying that people shouldn't watch the product because it's ridiculous to think that if a few people don't tune into Raw that it will change the direction of the product and the smart marks that claim that won't watch the product until Bryan wins the title are probably the same people that paid for the WWE network. As long as Raw gets ratings and fans pay for a network subscription, why wouldn't the WWE book the product they want for the audience? If it draws money, there's no reason for the WWE not to book it so the crowd can chant "Yes!" but it doesn't make a difference what they chant, as long as they are buying tickets. The WWE has a lot of talent and mostly a good product, but it's somewhat disappointing that the WWE's monopoly of the wrestling industry keeps Daniel Bryan on the mid card when the audience wants to see him in the main event. Bryan vs. Triple H is the consolation prize for the audience and despite it being disappointing that he isn't in the main event scene, it should be extremely interesting to see the crowd reaction for the Batista vs. Randy Orton match at Wrestlemania.

Sting to WWE?

Recently, Sting was written off TNA TV and subsequently made two rare house show appearances to work the amount of required shows for his contract. A few years ago, the WWE aired vignettes that many fans thought were the arrival of Sting and there was a major buzz around the wrestling world about a potential Sting vs. The Undertaker match at Wrestlemania. The promos were actually the return of The Undertaker, but the fan response indicated that there's a buzz around Sting possibly debuting in the WWE. After years of speculation, will Sting finally sign with the WWE?

Sting mentioned during interviews a few years ago that one of the reasons that he didn't sign with WWE after WCW closed was that he thought the WWE minimized WCW performers, which seems to be an accurate view of the situation, considering the botched invasion angle and many former WCW wrestlers floundered in WWE. Even Booker T, who was probably at the peak of his career when WCW was sold, didn't get a major title run in the WWE until he was repackaged as "King Booker," which was a character started in the WWE. Obviously, Sting didn't want to risk tarnishing his legacy and signed a TNA deal nearly five years after WCW shut down. Sting had a decent run in TNA, which doesn't exactly say too much considering it's TNA and they've fumbled a majority of angles for the company, but Sting was paid major money during his TNA run so he doesn't need to sign with WWE for a pay check. If not for the major money of a WWE deal and merchandise, why would Sting decide to sign with WWE?

Ironically, it's for the same thing that Sting has protected for years, his legacy. During his career, Sting has been known as the performer that didn't go to WWE and he doesn't need a run in WWE because he's already considered a legend. The launch of the WWE network will also give fans more access to Sting's matches and he will continue to be recognized as one of WCW's biggest stars. However, it would be great if Sting was inducted into the Hall of Fame and he had a Wrestlemania match as a conclusion to his career. Sting also deserves a better conclusion to his career than a few appearances at TNA house shows in front of a few hundred fans.

I think Sting will eventually sign a WWE deal, but I don't think he will wrestle at Wrestlemania 30 and considering the Raw after Wrestlemania has become known for surprises the past few years, it's possible he could debut on Raw. That being said, Sting doesn't need an entire run in the WWE, but if he's on WWE TV for a few months, it would make sense to only have a few key matches, similar to the way Brock Lesnar is booked. If Sting only had a match with The Undertaker at Wrestlemania, it would probably still be a successful WWE run for him because what does he really have left to prove? Regardless, I hope Sting signs with the WWE and he gets a good run in the company because as I mentioned earlier, Sting deserves a better conclusion to his career than a TNA house show in front of a few hundred fans.