All posts by Doiner

Doiner has been writing reviews, cutting promos and writing whatever comes to mind since 2009. In 2010 alongside Drunken Zombie became the 2010 Splatcademy Award Winners for Best Horror Podcast. In early 2012 he made Head Writer. 2016 saw the closing for Drunken Zombie, now starts a new journey with Krueger Nation Horror Podcast, and Geek-Nerdery. To be continued…
Wrestling, WWE

You Can’t See Me…

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The 13th of December John Cena will have his last match at Saturday Night’s Main Event… My history with Cena goes back to the Prototype era with Road to Glory DVD. This was a compilation DVD filled with matches, promos, and a behind the scenes look from at the time current WWE Superstars like John Cena, The Miz, Chris Masters, and the reason I bought this DVD, for the Joe-Daniels match. I was hitting the dirt sheets hard around that time finding out indie promotions.

Gunther… I like this match. As I stated, Knight-Cena would be to “WWE Style” where with Gunther I can see Cena pull out a few indie comebacks. Pro Wrestling Guerrilla – BOLA 2017 is where I laid my eyes on Walter. He was a big guy who wrestled a Regal style. I then YouTube all his highlights and followed him ever since. You know the only way to get his action figure at the time was only through Ringside Collectibles. Now he’s in every wave of Mattel WWE figures. WWE’s top heel, if you will…

A lot of people don’t know this but John Cena did appear at WrestleMania 19 and as WWE likes to do, making WMXX his “first appearance” in ring. Cena came out rapping to two cardboard cutouts of Mini-Me and Austin Powers with Jay-Z and Puff Daddy’s faces on them. 

I been watching a lot of Cena interviews. CVV, Rogan, Simmons, etc anyway… I’m expecting Cena to tell these great stories about these matches and moments but all I’m getting is life lessons and ass kissing. At least CVV got a few good answers out of him. Undertaker’s Last Ride DocU series was excellent. A lot of questions I had throughout his career were answered. Where is the purple costume, Why did the streak end. I guess Cena will never sit down with HighSpots or Kayfabe Commentaries. Closest we ever got was with CVV in my opinion.

I watched all of Cena’s SmackDown! run as the Doctor of Thuganomics, watched him defeat Big Show for the US Championship and the rest is history. My favorite opponents from Cena’s whole run goes Kevin Owens, AJ Styles, and Edge. I got to watch Styles and Owens put on great matches with Cena, but with it Edge it was a blood feud. Cena AA’ing Edge off a ladder, Edge cashing in and getting the victory and becoming WWE Champion. The most recent Cena-Styles match was fantastic. So much call back and love in that match. 

He states, he will never wrestle again and he is fully retired from in ring action and do I believe it… Yes, I do. I do think Cena has had enough and he may be a little slower than some of the current NXT or main roster guys. And he sees that and he’s ready go. That’s cool. But your heel turn was terrible. Everything after that has been great.

Cena’s acting is okay. I enjoy Peacemaker and seeing the memes that come from those Fast and the Furious movies… Family… Cena’s later run like US open challenge, or with Punk and Nexus, Mania match with Taker, to me Cena was just there. I wasn’t enjoying seeing Super Cena and the same thing other and over. His work with Bray Wyatt was good even though I don’t understand it. AJ, Steen, was good. Anything with Brock I payed attention too. That story goes back to The Next Big Thing. Hated his matches with Big Show one on one but put Edge or Angle in a triple threat with them and I’m down. His slap promo with Danielson stands out to me the most. Both matches with the Rock could’ve been better. I don’t think Rock thought it through. He wasn’t ready. Cena was game, Rock broke like glass.

Gunther will go over, Cena is a company man and you always do the favor on the way out. Word is Cena’s match is up first so he can give the spotlight the NXT and main roster people. I think Cena will tap. Gunther has to beat Super Cena and history will be made… I enjoyed watching John Cena. He did good at One Night Stand, he became a Hulk Hogan or Stone Cold to a whole generation. His best work in my opinion is with indie or none WWE produced wrestlers. Word Life or as I remember the very short lived… Ruck Fules!

AEW, WCW, Wrestling, WWE

What the World is Watching

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World Wrestling Entertainment as I know it is no longer available, that version died when Vince sold the company and eventually left. WWE doesn’t have that magic anymore. I keep up with it through social media and if needed I’ll watch a PLE like a Rumble or Mania… Yes, I been following Last Match John. I like who WWE chose as Cena’s finial opponent, Gunther. Cena-Knight would seem to “WWE Style” or boring.

Other promotions like AEW or GCW I follow on a daily basis. I attend their shows every time they’re in or around my area. The E stopped doing house shows and their ticket prices are ridiculous. I never made it to a WrestleMania but have watched a Royal Rumble live. One out of the big two isn’t bad. Edge won that year.

What WWE is good at for me is all the history they love to spread around. Like on YouTube with WWE Vault or their partnership with Mattel. I’m loving those Monday Night War figures. nWo 4-Life. You peeps know. On the other hand… Once 2025 is over all WWE content is leaving Peacock. I’m really going to miss watching those WCW Saturday Night or Thunder tappings.

It all started when my mom had enough and sat me in front of a TV and so happened WWF was playing on the USA Network. I don’t remember what match got me hooked, love to know that answer. I was a Hulkamaniac, I watched the Mega Powers form. Pay Pre View wasn’t an option for me back then, but a family friend did buy and record WrestleMania XIV for me. Tyson-Austin along with the Heartbreak Kid was the hottest thing going in 1998.

The Attitude Era… Looking back it was nothing but moments and laughs. Some were good, but I wanted in ring work. I saw what Hitman brought to the table and I wanted more. Dean Malenko, Silver King, Benoit, Regal… That’s the type of wrestling not Stone Cold with a beer bath. I can say I was lucky enough to watch ECW on TNN. 

A lot has happened since the start of the Ruthless Aggression era… That’s for another time… I’m not fully given up on WWE. It’s apart of me, but that spark that Vince had is gone and I can feel the change, if you will. I will always love the WWE, World Wrestling Entertainment. but not like I did before, thank you TKO.

Toys

Top Five TMNT Action Figures

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Much like pro wrestling the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles has always been a part of my life. I grew up playing with the 80s and 90s playmates figures, birthdays and Christmas’ I would get maybe a couple figures or a vehicle. Overtime my childhood figures broke or been sold in a yard sale. As an adult, I have bought and sold my childhood TMNT collection twice. Right now the collection I do have I’m happy with and won’t be selling it off anytime soon… With that being said, here are my top five TMNT figures.

Shell Slammin’ Mike

Combining my two favorite loves in life pro wrestling and Ninja Turtles. I would use Mikey in my Hasbro universe facing the likes of Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, and Big Boss Man. Playmates really got this figure right with the accessories. Black cape, MWF Championship belt, and just like the gimmicks from the 80s an animal mascot with his Sewer Snake Buddy.

Ace Duck

I can’t tell you how many times I lost Ace’s wings and hat around the house. I would make Ace dive bomb on Shredder and his goons every chance I got… Nowadays, Ace Duck is one of the few carded figures I have in my collection.

Baxter Stockman

This figure, just like Ace Duck I had trouble keeping up his wings and back claws. But when he was complete he would rain terror in the sewer lair, sometimes taking over and calling it his place until the Turtles could regroup and take back their hideout. Baxter had another use in my childhood, I always looked at him as Cronenberg’s The Fly. It just made sense to me. A human fly character and there’s a movie called The Fly… It’s a no brainer!

Mutating ’ Bebop

Two figures in one, basically a Transformer… I would poor the Ooze on to human Bebop and transform him into the warthog mutant that he’s known for. I’m more of a Bebop guy when it comes down to it, I think it’s the punker look he sports.

Slash

When I got Slash, he ruled over everyone in my TMNT universe. He looked badass! Way cooler than his animated series counterpart. To me, Slash was something a baby face helping out the Turtles against Krang’s Android Body. 

Toys

Top Five Action Figures Of 2022 

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It’s been a good year in plastic form. A lot of new faces have made it into my collection and a lot of them were sold off or given better homes. Before the year ends I’m sure I’ll have another batch of figures waiting for me on my doorstep but for now these are my top five figures of the year.

5. NECA – RoboCop

A lot of my NECA figures just stand there, they tend to break easy. Haven’t had one do it to me yet but I seen many examples. With RoboCop, I have him standing on my shelf looking cool and that’s all I need out of a RoboCop figure.

4. AEW Unrivaled – Thunder Rosa

I been wanting a Thunder Rosa action figure since I first saw her on NWA Power. I was glad she signed with AEW because that gave me hope that she would get a figure of her own and she did, three of them!

3. Wulf’s Chop Shop – Corny

I don’t buy a lot of custom figures but when I do they mean something. I always liked Jim’s “That’s My Opinion” promos and the best way for me to remember those hot takes is in figure form. Chop Shop has made many figures this year but I gotta say this one is the best.

2. Marvel Legends – Morph (X-Men Animated Series VHS Collection)

I have bought and sold Marvel Legends a few times over but this time I’m sticking to my collection. First time around I was trying to build the animated series team but at that time Morph wasn’t available… Until now! When Hasbro announced their Morph figure I got back into the ML game and hopefully sometime in January I’ll have the team complete. Waiting on that Cyclops.

1. McFarlane DC Multiverse – Dark Knight Returns Robin (Carrie Kelley)

What a wonderful and spot on this figure is. When McFarlane announced this wave of figures I got excited because Todd can’t do no wrong when it comes to Batman and he knocked the whole wave out of the park. Do you know how big the Build-to-Collect horse is? It’s huge… Robin scales well next to Batman she’s a short figure and you can put her into so many dynamic poses with a flight stand. The head sculpt alone is near perfect and she comes with a sling shot.

Wrestling

THE AFTERMATH: WRESTLEMANIA 37 ​

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I like that WrestleMania is broken up into two nights. Because WrestleMania 35 went so long in 2019 I was falling asleep before the main event started. WrestleMania 37 was great, lots of good wrestling matches. Rollins-Cesaro, Sheamus-Riddle, Banks-Belair all stole the show. I could’ve done without the steel cage match with Shane and Braun. But a great show overall.

NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver was also two nights. In night one Walter and Ciampa told a good story, Walter chopping the announce table hurting his hand and working around it while Ciampa did more damage to it. I like seeing Walter chopping people, this match had some but not as many as I wanted. 

I haven’t seen much from Karrion Kross outside of WWE-NXT, but what I been seeing it’s great. He’s intense and can put on a good match. Balor didn’t have a chance winning the NXT Championship.

Hogan getting booed every time he would speak, you wouldn’t be a wrestling fan if it wasn’t for him.

I enjoyed some of the Hall of Fame speeches. JBL, Kane, and RVD to name a few. You can tell some of these people needed a crowd to feed off of and the piped in chants… Hate it!

The celebrity involvement was good this year. Bad Bunny put on a good performance and I was so glad Logan Paul didn’t do a run in on Owens-Zayn. To be honest, he really wasn’t needed. The E just needed that extra buzz.

I’m looking forward to Monday Night RAW and SmackDown. Mainly to see what Edge is going after Mania, maybe another match or take time off.

Lastly… Congratulations to Jimmy Lloyd for joining the Hurt Business.

Wrestling

WrestleMania 37 Night Two

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The night started with Titus O’Neil and Hulk Hogan dressed as pirates, giving a rundown of tonight’s event. Every time Hogan would get on the mic the crowd would just boo him. O’Neil was the crowd favorite. 

The opening match is one I been waiting to see. Orton came to the ring first but it was the Fiend who made a spectacle of his entrance by coming out of a jack in a box. The Fiend didn’t sell much but he got distracted by Alexa Bliss and got RKO’d and picked the L.

Enchantress.

Night one at Mania Natalya and Tamina won the tag team turmoil match so they could face the champs at night two. Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler walked in and out with the belts. This match was a cluster, you can hear spots being called for days and Natalya’s Jericho style hair was a bit distracting.

The rivalry between Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn I been following for years. Whenever you put them in the same ring together it’s always gold. The factor in this match was the celebrity guest, Logan Paul (thank the Wrestling God, JBL who was on commentary for this match.) who was just a spectator but got a stunner by Owens after the match… The match itself was great, Owens took some wild bumps and took a nasty helluva kick. This match had that ROH feel at times.

The match that stole the show at Night One was Rollins-Cesaro, yes I went back and watched the match. I was so happy Cesaro won and the world got to see the UFO spin. The match that stole the show at Night Two was Sheamus-Riddle for the US Championship. I thought for sure Riddle was walking out as champ since he’s been on a roll since facing the Hurt Business, but Sheamus won with a brogue kick to a spring boarding Riddle. Now I like to see where Riddle goes from here, maybe rematch or new storyline.

The Nigerian Drum Fight match was basically a hardcore match with drums and a gong surrounding the ring. Big E got screwed by an assailant who attacked him to help Crews win to become the new IC Champion. Big E did do his spear through the ropes and Crews hit a DVD on the hardest part of the ring. I wish this match was a bit longer and without it being hardcore. These two can go and want to see more from them. 

Rhea Ripley took on Asuka and became the new RAW Women’s Champion. I wasn’t really feeling this match. I stopped supporting Ripley about a year ago, I just don’t find her character entertaining. She’s just a punk rock chic… At least Lita was entertaining. Asuka did come to the ring wearing a F13 inspired hockey mask.

The main event was the triple threat match for the SmackDown Championship. I been on a Roman Reigns kick as of late, he’s been a great heel. It was great seeing Edge back in the ring too, and yes it did feel like Daniel Bryan was a third wheel. Edge did his greatest hits when it comes to moves and finishes. Even hit a conchairto on Bryan. The highlight in the match came when Edge and Reigns both went for a spear and collided in mid air. Reigns had a lot of help from Jey Uso and because of that Roman walked out with the W. He pinned both Edge and Bryan.

The Big Dog.

On a side note… I loved Orton and Edge’s ring attire. Both wearing white and red. Also, since Rhea Ripley is called the Nightmare, and Asuka had a F13 mask… So, Freddy vs Jason? Just a thought.

Wrestling

WrestleMania 37 Night One

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The night started off with Vince McMahon giving a speech thanking every WWE Superstar for their hard work during the 2020 pandemic, and thanking the WWE Universe for their support.

Probably the best image to come from WrestleMania 37 Night One.​

The first match was for the WWE Championship. Drew McIntyre taking on champion Bobby Lashley, but the opening match got delayed because it started raining. For thirty mins while waiting for the storm to pass we got backstage interviews. Thirty mins later we finally got the first match and it didn’t end as I thought it would… You see, Drew McIntyre is all about his WrestleMania moment and wanted that moment to be defeating Lashley to becomes champion again but it didn’t turn out that way. Bobby locked in the full nelson and Drew passed out, not tapped out passed from the pain. Referee called for the bell and Lashley is still your WWE Champion. I thought for sure Drew was going to win but Bobby is untouchable right now in Vince’s eyes.

The second match tonight was a Tag Team Turmoil match to name number one contenders for the Women’s Tag Team Championships at Mania night two. It looked like the Riott Squad was going all the way but they got defeated by Natalya and Tamina.

Harley and the Joker.

AJ Styles and Omos beat the New Day to win the RAW Tag Team Championships. Omos was made to look like a powerhouse throwing around New Day all over the ring. AJ even hit a springboard forearm off Omos’ shoulders. 

The cage match between Braun and Shane McMahon was filled to me. It was a cage match with Shane getting the upper hand with help by Elias and Ryker, but Braun limped out the winner. Shane did do a Van Terminator and Braun threw Shane off the cage into the ring. High spots.

Okay… Shut up! I know what I said in my Top Five Overrated, Overplayed WrestleMania Moments about celebrities getting into the ring, BUT! Bad Bunny was actually good and looked good pulling off moves. I heard he’s been training in the PC for weeks and it showed. I was impressed. He and Damian Priest defeated Miz & Morrison. 

The main event of Night One was champion Sasha Banks putting her belt on the line to face the 2021 Women’s Royal Rumble winner Bianca Belair. This match blew me away. I’ve seen Banks put on damn good matches but this one tops everything she’s done in the past. Belair gave it her all and left it in the ring to win the SmackDown Women’s Championship.

It’s Boss Time!

The one match I missed out on tonight was Seth Rollins v Cesaro, I was cooking dinner around that time. But I will go back when the replay is available. 

WrestleMania Night One was good, not great. It felt like Mania, and I’m glad to have fans back at live events. Because I can’t stand those piped in crowd reactions.

Wrestling

Top Five Overrated, Overplayed WrestleMania Moments

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Everyone has their favorite WrestleMania moments or matches. I even did my Top Five, but today these are my least favorite Mania moments because they are overrated, overplayed, and just overall bad.

5. Celebrity involvement or celebrity matches. Big Show vs Floyd Mayweather, or Akebono. WrestleMania with Hogan and Mr.T vs Piper & Orndorff. To me these matches are bad, you know the celebrity will go over and the E is just doing it to get the views and get people talking.

4. Brock Lesnar defeating Undertaker at WrestleMania XXX. I watched those Last Ride episodes and know why Taker lost. But the streak was something special, something that probably will never happen again. Taker should’ve won and retired with it. But the E needed that shock feature to get buzz. 

3. The Rock vs John Cena at WrestleMania 28 and 29. I liked the build to these matches but the matches itself wasn’t that good. I think I hyped myself up to much, knowing that their first match was bad the second one could be better but it wasn’t. 

2. Hogan-Andre… I don’t mind this match, I know why it was done. To get Hogan over as the super babyface, but it’s WWE go to whenever they want to tell the story of “WrestleMania.” A lot was riding on WM but a lot more was riding on WM III. 

1. If I get heat from this so be it. I said this for years and I won’t back down from saying it again, Savage-Steamboat is overrated and overplayed. It’s the greatest WrestleMania match in WrestleMania history, I don’t think it is. There was a time in WWE when they were all about WrestleMania and it’s history and the one match that was always talked about more than Hogan-Andre was Steamboat pinning Savage to win the IC Championship. The E hyped this match to death and it’s why I can’t stand it, plus I’ve seen it so many times prior the E running it to the ground. I need a good ten to twenty years before I can watch it again.

I bet you didn’t expect those matches making my top five list. Do you have any Mania moments you can’t stand to watch or just find bad? Comment below. Also, look for my coverage of WrestleMania 37 right here at Geek Nerdery. And for more wrestling related talk or if you’re into action figures visit Doiner dot com. Massive!

Wrestling

Top Five WrestleMania Moments and Matches

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You know it’s WrestleMania season when the Massive One returns to… Geek Nerdery! 

WrestleMania 37 this year, like last year is a two night event. Moments will be made and history will be written. Only difference this time around there will be some people in attendance. I can’t stand the piped in crowd chants. I digress… I’m here to tell you my top five WrestleMania moments or matches.

5. WrestleMania 9 is known as one of the worst Manias in history, but one match stands out from all the rest and that’s the Steiner Brothers v The Headshrinkers. The Steiners went over, but it was the first time I saw the frankensteiner and I was blown away. I never seen a move like that, flipping someone over while you yourself is doing a backflip roll through.

 4. The build to WrestleMania XII and the iron man match between Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels. I was so invested in Hart winning because I knew he was the better wrestler but it didn’t turn out that way. Overtime was needed and Michaels walked out champion. What got me hyped was the thirty min pre-show Free for All before the Pay-Per-View started. It recapped the build to Hart-Michaels. 

3. At WrestleMania X-Seven the second TLC match was held. You couldn’t find a bigger Hardy Boyz fan than the Massive One at the time. I didn’t have my own backyard promotion but I was jumping off ladders with the neighbors kids. Hardys and Dudleys sadly lost to E d and C but that didn’t stop me from being a fan.

2. The Undertaker v Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 25… I probably watch this match twice a year, it’s that good. The false finishes had me on the edge of my seat. This was the first time Undertaker had a chance at losing at Mania because I can see HBK going over, but that didn’t happen. 

1. WrestleMania VIII Hart-Piper… I’ve known Piper as a brawler throughout his career but he and Hart put on a damn good wrestling match with a little bit of color. The pin fall at the end was a beauty, Piper had Hart in a sleeper but Hart walked the turnbuckles to flip head over heels to lock in a pin fall.

There you have it my top five Mania moments and matches. I have another one of these top fives in I’m mind, look for it in the next few days… Massive.

Wrestling

Pre-Taped Mania 36 Night Two

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The Firefly Fun House match was a crazy fever dream on LSD and I loved it. It wasn’t even a match mostly a bunch of segments put together highlighting John Cena’s wrestling career through the eyes of Bray Wyatt. All the little inside jokes from Wyatt or from the video packages had me H-A-R-D. I mean, this “match” is a call back from a match they had at WrestleMania 30. Cena’s biggest failure was his Ruthless Aggression gimmick, but when Bray said, You can look but you can’t touch that’s a gut buster calling back to Cena’s relationship with Nikki Bella. How about the video package towards the end when they showed every wrestler Cena held back or buried throughout the years, tell me you didn’t see CM Punk blowing that kiss. I popped when all the WCW stuff aired, talking about an alternate reality. WCW winning the Monday Night War and John Cena leading a new version of the nWo. Dogs and cats living together, mass hysteria! In my Night One write up I said, the vision Vince McMahon has for Sports Entertainment was the Boneyard match. You can now add Firefly Fun House match to said vision.

 I been all over Twitter reading IWC tweets and this “match” is split down the middle. Some likes this goofy mini masterpiece and other thought it was killing the business. As much as I love wrestling on one hand and bash it with the other… (See Benoit meme) I enjoyed every bit of this match because it was for the smart marks like me who’s been watching wrestling for decades.

Now that’s out of the way, how about that Edge-Randy Orton Last Man Standing match? That’s another match the IWC wanted to end because it went far to long, but I didn’t think it did. I enjoyed every bit of Orton and Edge putting on a They Live style street fight and Edge won at the end. Sure everyone wanted to see Edge in a ring wrestling but give it time you’ll get it.

Brock Lesnar and Drew McIntyre had a “Brock Lesnar, Goldberg” type of match with finish after finish after finish until Drew hit another claymore kick and got the 1 2 3 and became the new WWE Champion.

Everything I just wrote about I liked, well that Lesnar-McIntyre I didn’t. My point is Charlotte Flair and Rhea Ripley was my match of the night. The selling Ripley did when Flair was working over her knee was on point. Charlotte is the new NXT Women’s Champion and I know both Ripley and Baszler both lost but Baszler just became a main roster wrestler and Ripley has a long career ahead of her and will get that victory over Flair.

The build to Otis and Ziggler I didn’t pay attention to but I was fully invested in the match and wanted Otis to win and he did and got a kiss from Mandy Rose. In my opinion I feel like if you’re connected to Dolph Ziggler your career won’t go anywhere, so get Sonya Deville as far away from him as possible.

The rest of the matches went something like this… Aleister Black defeated Bobby Lashley. The Street Profiles defeated Garza & Theory to keep the RAW Tag Team Championships. And Bayley won the fatal five way to keep her SmackDown Women’s Championship.

WrestleMania 36 is in the books. It was a different type of WrestleMania without all the hype and Hall of Fame but it’s Mania and I enjoyed it. 

Wrestling

Pre-Taped Mania 36 Night One

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Night One of WrestleMania 36 ended with the Undertaker defeating AJ Styles in a Boneyard match. This match took place at a cemetery with AJ arriving via hearse with a couple cloaked figures who were probably Gallows & Anderson. Undertaker road in with style on a motorcycle and we got a mixture of Biker Taker and Deadman all rolled up into one. The match itself is what I picture when Vince McMahon says I want Sports Entertainment and not wrestling. Some say this match felt like a cut scene from a video game or mini fight movie. I thought it was great. Sure the match was heavily choreographed and some of the edits didn’t make sense but for a match where Undertaker didn’t get hurt by his opponent I didn’t mind this match at all.

Everyone thought Shayna Baszler was going to make Becky Lynch submit but that didn’t happen and Becky got the pin fall in the same style as Hart pinning Piper at WrestleMania 8. The match was good and at one point I didn’t know who was going to win but Becky did it and from what I been seeing the IWC is mad that she did. Baszler is good but not that good.

Sami Zayn somehow defeated Daniel Bryan to retain the Intercontinental Championship. The match was a brawl and Zayn got the snot beat out of him. I like where this storyline is going and hopefully last a few more weeks.

The ending of the triple threat tag team match between Morrison, Kofi, and Jimmy Uso was a big strange. Morrison did fall with both belts in hand but landed on a ladder, his feet didn’t touch the ground but won anyway. The match was good and different because I’ve never seen a empty arena ladder match.

My favorite match from night one was Kevin Owens and Seth Rollins in their No DQ match. It was a back and forth but Owens got the victory and his high risk elbow to Rollins from the WrestleMania sign, wow! It was sick.

The opening match was a tag team match between the Kabuki Warriors and Bliss & Cross. I enjoyed this match but the camera edits were so bad. One minute you see Bliss on the outside selling and boom she comes off the top rope. Bliss and Cross won the match to become the new WWE Women’s Tag Team Champs.

So! The King Corbin and Elias match was awful. Elias was wearing the same ring gear when he fell off the balcony. Put some thought into this, change it up. Elias won by the way.

Goldberg and Braun Strowman had a Goldberg type match with high number of spears and running powerslams for about five mins. Strowman won and is the new WWE Universal Champion. I’m glad he has gold now, yea he doesn’t need it to get over but it’s a good pat on the back. 

That was night one of Wrestlemania 36 and I liked it for the most part. Night two is tonight, what is this a PWG show! Ha! 

Wrestling

Pre-TaPed Mania 36

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I been enjoying the empty arena shows for the most part. AEW has been consistently good each week and WWE as well when it’s not segments heavy they had some decent matches. With that said, WWE has been building to WrestleMania 36, I been loosely keeping up with their storylines but I have my predictions and favorites to win. 


WrestleMania this year is broken up into a two night event on the WWE Network, Saturday and Sunday. And what some people don’t know is that WrestleMania has already been taped with multiple endings to matches so no one can spoil the outcome. I think that’s a good idea for the situation we are in.

Back in January Drew McIntyre won the Royal Rumble and that gave him an opportunity to face WWE Champion Brock Lesnar for the belt. Brock has been a dominating champion for a while now and it’s getting old. Entrance, suplex, three minute match… It’s time for the Chosen One to get gold.

Roman Reigns is out of action and won’t be facing Goldberg for the WWE Universal Championship, but Braun Strowman will be taking his place… This match could be good if Goldberg could keep up and not blow up or get winded. Braun doesn’t need a championship to get over but give it to him at least once. 

Becky Lynch has been looking weak in her build with Shayna Baszler. Baszler distorted her opponents at Elimination Chamber, took a chunk out of Becky’s neck and so on. If Becky is gonna keep her RAW Women’s Championship she needs to knockout or submit her. 

Bray Wyatt and John Cena… Haven’t seen John Cena in action for awhile and it shows having Big Match John not in the title picture. But facing Wyatt again or the Fiend, what’s gonna be different this time? Wyatt strong style and not sale Cena’s five moves, lights out and Wyatt wins. This match, anyone one of them can win.

Seeing Undertaker cutting promos feels like we are getting Biker Taker again. I’m looking forward to this match, AJ can keep up and hopefully a classic match comes from this. I do see Undertaker winning in the end.

I saw Edge return at the Royal Rumble and his return to Monday Night RAW has been handled perfectly. Heel Orton is great. The whole build up has been fire! But Edge needs a win after what Orton put him through. 

Charlotte Flair going to NXT challenging their champion is something different and new and I liked it. This is kinda like a dream match between her and Rhea Ripley. I want Flair to win but Ripley besting her would make her stock shoot through the roof! It’s a toss up. 

I Those are the matches I’m looking forward to. This two night event has like 18 matches I thought last years WM was long. Also, I like the empty arena setup or is it I don’t care if there’s a crowd. I watch a lot of wrestling on mute, I get more invested that way without the crowd chanting something stupid every few mins. I hope everyone enjoys Mania tonight and hopefully soon everything can go back to normal. 

Wrestling

Maria Manic: The Maneater DVD

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It’s been a long time since I bought a wrestling DVD but there’s always that rare occasion when I do and this is one of them.

I saw that Smart Mark Video was distributing a best of Maria Manic from her days in H20 Wrestling. I’m familiar with her work in H20. Her match with Mickie Knuckles, and Terra Calaway from Sweet Dreams (2018) was one of my favorite matches from last year. And I’m glad it’s added to this DVD set.

Speaking of this set, it’s two disc with a shoot interview from Maria on disc one with matches, and the matches continue on disc two. You get a lot of content.

All the matches you see listed are briefly talked about, some in great detail. But I enjoyed hearing how she transformed from this blonde Barbie type into the Maneater that we see today. She talks about getting a call from WWE, and her signing with Ring of Honor. That’s just some of the highlights, her interview offers so much more.

I’m pleased with my purchase, and hopefully we get more best of Maria Manic DVDs in the future. Maybe from other promotions, it doesn’t have to have an interview just a collection of matches.

Maria Manic: The Maneater is available on DVD and digital download.

Toys

My Holy Grail, Electronic WCW Monday Nitro Arena Found

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Everyone has that one piece that is missing from their personal collection. You might have seen it once or twice in the wild or maybe it’s overpriced… For me that was the Electronic WCW Monday Nitro Arena from ToyBiz.

I got this wrestling ring for Christmas back in 2001, if I recall correctly. I remember using it as my main ring for my BCA figs. I just loved the whole look to the stage and if you had a Sting figure you could lower him in the ring.

Like some things from childhood they just disappear, sold at an yard sale, or thrown away. I have no idea what happened to my original ring.

When I started to seriously collect some of my favorite childhood wrestling merch the WCW Monday Nitro Arena was on the top of my list. And when I came searching the price everyone wanted for a complete in box was around $300-$400 and an incomplete or loose ring juggled in price from $100-$150 those online prices was to pricy for me and I didn’t want to hunt around trying to complete it.

While going through my saved searches on eBay and buying WWF Hasbro figs I came across a listing for the Nitro Arena – complete in box for under $200 and I couldn’t pass this opportunity up to have this ring in my collection.

Three weeks later… Thanks to the doofus taking his time shipping it out, I can now put this white whale to rest.

As the listing said, it’s complete in box. The box itself has minor damage but I’m fine with that and it did come with every piece. I’m so happy to have this wrestling ring in my collection, it brings back so many fun memories when I used to play with my figs in the living room.

With all that being said, checkout my unboxing…

AEW, Wrestling

AEW: Double or Nothing the Aftermath

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A lot of this PPV was hit and miss for me. I loved the near perfect match between Cody and Dustin Rhodes, it was a bloody mess that reminded me of Austin-Hart from WrestleMania 13. Cody got the win but he had help by Brandi and a couple cheap shots to throw Dustin off his game.

The whole match was a emotional rollercoaster. Dustin hit Cody with Cody’s own finisher and having him kick out at two made the crowd go bananas. Earl Hebner was officiating said match and that kinda brought me out of the match at times. He still has that swinging arm when counting to three and he is up there in age and he seemed to be stumbling around too.

Hangman Page won the Casino Battle Royale and you talk about WWE type booking. Put over your own company guy that’s friends with bookers. Also, I’m not all that sad that PAC cancelled his match. I wanted MJF to win the battle royale, he’s the best on the mic and one heck of a worker. Put him against Jericho or Omega and said match would get five stars.

Young Buck and Lucha Bros. probably had match of the night outside of Cody-Dustin. The Bucks went over but Penta & Fenix never gave it. Sure it was a spot fest at times but I enjoyed every bit of the Bucks fighting from underneath.

Jericho-Omega was good, I liked this match better than their first in New Japan. This match felt like there was something to lose, where in New Japan it just a hardcore match seeing who can last the longest. Jericho won and he and Hangman Page will face off for the AEW World Championship in the future… But! the surprise from tonight came after the Jericho-Omega match when Jon Moxley came from the crowd and took out Jericho and a referee with a double arm DDT. He then had his sights on Omega, but Kenny fought back until they both wound up on the Double or Nothing stage where Moxley hit a double arm knocking him out.

Marvel, Movies

Avengers: EndGame (Review)

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Yes people, there will be spoilers. Duh!

After seeing Avengers: EndGame twice in one day I can say I’m ready for a third viewing. EndGame was filled with so much emotion. The death of Black Widow and Tony Stark… I knew someone was going to be sacrificed when Widow and Ronin went to retrieve Soul stone. But death aside, Captain America was the MVP of EndGame. Between his mirror match, being worthy, and squaring off with Thanos I can watch those scenes all day long. His ending and passing the shield to Sam was perfect. One expectation I was waiting on was seeing Pepper Potts suit up and become Rescue. I always enjoyed her in the comics when she put that suit of armor on.

The battle at the end when all the portals opened would have been a great opportunity for Wolverine to walk out and fight alongside the Avengers. One scene that hit me right in the feels was Thor speaking to his mother, if I had one more chance to speak to mine, I would… Oh! and overweight Thor, I’m down with that. Because I got myself a Thor body as well. Karen Gillan got a bigger part for starring in EndGame and I’m proud of her, she cut her teeth in Doctor Who and babyface Nebula is fine by me.

So, do you think Disney will rerelease all the MCU movies with a new edit and edit in all the time travel scenes into said films? They better be loaded with complete new extras or commentaries because I’m not buying these movies again.

Captain Marvel was good I’m glad she didn’t get much screen time. Opening and ending was about right for her. And with Brie Larson getting heat for her comments, might not be long before she’s dropped from the MCU… At one time it was rumored that Katherine Langford (13 Reasons Why) was going to have a role in EndGame, I was hyped for that news and thought she was going to be in it until I didn’t see her in the film. Looked it and come to find out it was a rumor.

Out of the whole MCU Civil War is my number one and EndGame came close to knocking it off. I love the airport scene in Civil War and the battle in EndGame rivals it, but I been waiting on Stark-Rogers to fight ever since I read Civil War years ago and that’s why it’s still holds up to me. Call it a emotional attachment, nostalgia, call it whatever you want. Woo! Nothing can touch that airport clash of heroes.

I been hearing people complaining about how there wasn’t a mid or end credits scene. The story is over people, this ten-eleven year story had a conclusion and there shouldn’t be a scene to setup something new. You’ll get your post credit scene in Spider-Man: Far From Home… maybe. Just enjoy the movie for what it is.

With all that being said! I enjoyed every minute of the movie and hope in the future I can see these characters again in a supporting role when it’s time for the New Avengers to take the spotlight… It all started with me sitting in a theater in 2008 watching Iron Man and ending it the same way I started, sitting in a theater. Massive.

Wrestling, WWE

WrestleMania 35 The Aftermath

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WrestleMania 35 is in the books and my last tweet said it all for me, “This years Mania was a whole lot better than last year.” Some matches didn’t last like I wanted them to, Joe-Mysterio I was looking forward to but it became a squash match and Joe won in minutes. The match was probably cut for time.

The main event was everything I was looking for between Lynch-Flair-Rousey. Sure the crucifix pin is questionable, guess I’ll have to wait until RAW or SmackDown to see what happens. Charlotte Flair told a great story during the match being the Queen and telling herself this is her WrestleMania. Rousey took some brutal bumps but she keep going doing her five moves of doom.

The Doctor of Thuganomics made his long awaited return and that to me stole the show up to that point. I knew someone was going to interrupt Elias but wasn’t expecting Cena.

So… Ryder and Hawkins defeated the Revival… Woo! Woo! Woo! So happy for those two. Also, Tony Nese defeated Buddy Murphy to become the new WWE Cruiserweight Champion.

AJ Styles and Randy Orton was my match of the night. I said this before and will say it again, AJ Styles hasn’t had a bad match since coming to the E. And he pulled a good match out of Orton.

Shane McMahon and The Miz was an insane match. Triple H and Batista had one hell of a fight. I enjoyed it. Oh! and the whole Fury Road entrance was the worst ever by Triple H. That CGI video package was bad.

Yes, the Divas of Doom (Beth Phoenix & Natalya) didn’t win the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships. I was really hoping they would because I’m a huge Beth Phoenix mark. But The IIconics won and I’m happy for them, they have been doing great work on the mic.

Seth Rollins defeated Lesnar with three curb stomps and a low blow. The match was quick in and out. Seth got the job done.

Kofi Kingston and Daniel Bryan had one hell of a match. There was a few times I thought Bryan was going to win but Kofi did it and it was awesome!

Kurt Angle lost to Baron Corbin. I knew Angle was going to do the right thing and let Corbin get the win. The match was just right for Angle.

Carmella, and Braun Strowman won their battle royal matches. The Usos won and kept their SD Tag Team Championships… Drew McIntyre lost to Roman Reigns, McIntyre should’ve won. And Finn Bálor defeated Bobby Lashley to become the new IC Champ. This match was one side and the Demon looked great.

Toys, WCW, Wrestling, WWE

The Massive One’s Wrestling Figure Hall of Fame (2019)

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Bret Hart (JAKKS Classic Superstars series one) For a while I stopped collecting figures, I still had my Bone Crunchers and a few Titan Tron figures but when I saw Bret Hart at Target I had to buy it. Because the Hitman is my favorite wrestler.

Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake (Hasbro series one blue card) This figure is so colorful and captures everything I think of when I picture Beefcake. Pink and black tights and having his right hand in a scissors pose. I don’t even mind his jumping action feature.

Greg Valentine (LJN Wrestling Superstars series two) LJN figures gets lot of love and hate because the poses the wrestlers were in. I had so much fun with Valentine between a punch to a close line, even a Japanese arm drag.

Kevin Nash (WCW Smash ‘N Slam ToyBiz) Probably the best looking Nash figure to that point. Black and red outfit, comes with a referee that’s wearing a watch, and Nash does the power bomb action motion.

Test (JAKKS Summer Slam ‘99 Fully Loaded 2) I’ve always been a Test fan and finding him out in the wild was awesome. He came with a push broom but it’s the little details that mattered to me like his shoulder tattoo, I’m glad it was added to the figure.

There you have it the class of 2019. It was hard picking some of the figures specially during the JAKKS BCA era, there was so many figures around that time… If you like what you just read visit Doiner.com for action figure reviews!

Wrestling, WWE

WrestleMania 35 Predictions

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The build to WrestleMania has been interesting. Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair, and Ronda Rousey will be in a triple threat for the RAW and SmackDown Women’s Championship. I hope Becky wins it all because Rousey has been running her mouth far too long. As for Charlotte I feel like she’s a third wheel.

Seth Rollins is going face to face with Brock Lesnar for the WWE Universal Championship. I believe it’s time for Lesnar to drop the championship. He’s been doing nothing with it, a match every three PPV’s. It’s time for Rollins to hold gold and try not to reunite with the Shield every other month.

Triple H and Batista came out of nowhere. I didn’t even know Batista was coming back until I saw him attack Ric Flair, and why would he face Hunter? He already beat him at WrestleMania 21. This match is a toss up and… Batista wins.

Kurt Angle will have his last WWE match at WrestleMania and he announced on RAW that his last opponent will be Baron Corbin. A lot of disappointed IWC fans when Angle said who his opponent was. A bit underwhelming. I think Angle will do the job for Corbin.

Shane McMahon turned on Miz at Fastlane. This is another toss up match I can see both men winning but I’ll pick the Miz. Him winning would make a nice Mania moment with him and Papa Miz in the ring together.

Since his return Rey Mysterio hasn’t had a bad match. His series with Andrade might rival anything the SmackDown Six has done in the past. But he’s facing Samoa Joe for his US Championship. I see Joe dominating and since he just won the championship he’s going to leave Mania with it.

Randy Orton-AJ Styles should be good. I haven’t been high on Orton in a while. As for AJ, he keeps getting better and better with each match. AJ will walk away with the W.

I don’t watch much 205 Live but Buddy Murphy has been stepping up as of late and what I’ve seen he’s not losing that Cruiserweight Championship anytime soon, sorry Tony Nese maybe next year.

As for the André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal… Top pick is Braun Strowman, I guess he’s going to win. But if I had to fantasy book the winner, Zack Ryder or Curt Hawkins.

Is it time for Kofi Kingston to become WWE Champion? I think so! Over his eleven year career he’s comes close, just coming short being a top guy. As for Daniel Bryan, I like his heel character. Hopefully this feud continues after Mania.

I’ve never been high on Bobby Lashley, his TNA Impact run was probably the highlight of his wrestling career. Keep Lio Rush out of the match and Bálor will become IC Champion again.

I want McIntyre to win because I’m over Roman Reigns as a singles wrestler. But he’s the Big Dog and Vince’s boy. He’s going over.

Boss ‘n’ Hug Connection vs. Divas of Doom vs. The IIconics vs. Samoan Slaughterhouse… I’m just glad Beth Phoenix is back in the ring and from what I’ve seen with the build to this match Phoenix hasn’t lost a step. We getting new Women’s Tag Team Champs with the Divas of Doom.

WrestleMania Women’s Battle Royal… I know Asuka got screwed out of her championship to make the triple threat match have higher stakes. As for the winner, I want to see Nikki Cross win. Her work has been great since coming to the main roster.

The Usos will put their SmackDown Tag Team Championships on the line in a fatal four-way match against Ricochet and Aleister Black vs. The Bar vs. Shinsuke Nakamura and Rusev… This may be a fast paced match to make time for other matches, but I hope Ricochet and Black get time to make a Wrestlemania moment out of this match. But I’m going with Nakamura and Rusev to win gold.

As of publishing my predictions John Cena, Undertaker, Dean Ambrose, and the Revival hasn’t been booked. Maybe one of them will interrupt Elias or a rematch will happen between Cena-Taker from WM34.

Comics, Marvel, Movies

Breaking Down 10 Years of the MCU EndGame

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As of writing this Avengers: EndGame hasn’t come out yet but I do have a few theories, if you will… Copy and Paste writers have said, someone will die in EndGame some say Stark and others say Captain America. If Stark didn’t die in Infinity War he’s not going anywhere. As for Capt. I do like the theory of him going back to his own timeline. Maybe then we can see a sequel to The First Avenger, but! I still want that Bucky-Capt team up movie. I’m guessing Thanos will be facing off against Captain Marvel, should be a good fight but I hope the prelude has the Avengers we know and love take on Thanos one more time before Captain Marvel jumps in to save the day.

I know that time travel will be a big part of EndGame but I don’t know what for. Are they going back to stop Thanos before getting any Infinity Stones or going back to get their fallen friends to help defeat Thanos and army? So many questions… Also I hope Deadpool isn’t in this film, Deadpool fans are like CM Punk fans, take that as you will. Hugh Jackman has said he’s done with Wolverine but I don’t think he is maybe just maybe he finds a way into EndGame.

Also, if Marvel wants to reboot the MCU Civil War II would be the perfect story. Make Carol Danvers heel. Hawkeye kills the Hulk, Captain America could be working for Hydra and Stark trying to keep everyone together… And Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is worth watching, sure the first couple seasons are rough but season three is where it gets good.

There you have it 10 Years of the MCU through my eyes. Now I’ll leave you with my Top Five MCU films.

  • 5. The Incredible Hulk
  • 4. Iron Man 3
  • 3. Thor: The Dark World
  • 2. Avengers: Age of Ultron
  • 1. Captain America: Civil War