Fastlane 2015 Thoughts

Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone shares his thoughts on WWE Fastlane 2015.

Still a Dream?

Tyson vs. Ali. MJ vs. Lebron. Murderers’ Row vs. The Big Red Machine. What do all of these mythical bouts have in common? They are dream matches: battles between sports icons that are only able to happen in the fantasies of sports fans. However, not every dream match has remained a dream. Just ask World Wrestling Entertainment.

Throughout the years, the WWE has managed to bring to life many different bouts that originated in the dreams of wrestling fans all over the world. Back in 1987, Andre the Giant and Hulk Hogan were two of the biggest names in wrestling. Having these two titans clash in the ring was something that many wrestling fans wanted to see. The WWE delivered as the main event of Wrestlemania 3 saw Hogan and Andre battle it out for the WWE Championship.

In 2002, the New World Order made its debut in the WWE and marked the return of Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, and Hulk Hogan to the company that made them international superstars. This opened the door for another dream match as Hogan took on one of the wrestlers that rose to power in his absence, the Rock, at Wrestlemania 18.

A decade later, the WWE once again gave fans a match that they thought would only be possible in their dreams as the Rock wrestled the current face of the WWE, John Cena, in the main event of Wrestlemania 28. It was quite possibly the most hyped match in the history of Wrestlemania as one of the faces of the Attitude Era took on the man who has been the staple of the Reality Era.

While WWE has delivered when it comes to matches that fans want to see, there have been instances when the biggest wrestling promotion in the world has missed the mark.

In 1991, the man who had been the face of World Championship Wrestling, Ric Flair, signed with the WWE. As soon as he appeared on WWE television programming, wrestling fans started salivating as the possibility of a dream match between Flair and Hulk Hogan appeared to be imminent. WWE was seemingly setting up the match as Flair won the WWE Championship at the 1992 Royal Rumble and a Wrestlemania 8 dream battle with Hogan looked like it was on the horizon. However, Flair defended the title against the “Macho Man” Randy Savage, and Hogan took on Sid Justice. It would not be until WCW’s Bash at the Beach 1994 event when Hogan and Flair finally wrestled for a world title.

Another missed opportunity was when Hogan and Stone Cold Steve Austin were both with the WWE in 2002 and in 2003. Hogan was the face of the WWE in the 1980’s and Austin and the Rock became the faces of the company during the Attitude Era. While the Rock and Hogan fought at Wrestlemania 18, Austin and Hogan never had a one-on-one match. Wrestlemania 19 could have served as the stage for the dream bout, but Hogan instead took on Vince McMahon, and the Rock and Stone Cold had their third Wrestlemania match against each other.

One of the biggest dream matches of wrestling fans is Sting vs. The Undertaker. These two men were the foundations of their respective companies during the Monday Night War, and their characters drew many comparisons as they both oozed of mystique. When Sting made his WWE debut at Survivor Series 2014, many wrestling fans, myself included, thought that the Icon and the Phenom would finally have a match against each other at Wrestlemania 31. However, it appears that Triple H is going to fight Sting while Bray Wyatt will challenge the Undertaker. Personally, I am disappointed as I have wanted to see Sting and the Undertaker battle it out ever since I was a kid. Both wrestlers are getting older and the window for this dream match to become realty is closing fast.

Sting vs. the Undertaker is a primetime, big money matchup that would only be able to happen on a Wrestlemania stage. Hopefully WWE knows what its doing as I would hate to see Sting/Taker go the way of Flair/Hogan or Hogan/Austin. Maybe Wrestlemania 32 will be the site where these two legends of the business finally clash. If not, this dream match might remain a dream.

Cesar Geronimo Bobblehead Review

Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone reviews the 2012 Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum SGA Cesar Geronimo bobblehead.

Roman Empire or Yestlemania?

This Sunday, World Wrestling Entertainment will present its final pay-per-view before its biggest event of the year. WWE Fastlane will take place from the FedExForum in Memphis, TN, and it will feature a key matchup that will shape the main event WWE World Heavyweight Championship match at Wrestlemania 31.

It is no secret that WWE seemed to have originally intended to have Roman Reigns win the Royal Rumble, march into Levi’s Stadium, and proudly dethrone the reigning and defending champ, Brock Lesnar, in front of a roaring and adoring crowd. However, the reaction that Reigns received at the Royal Rumble and at the Raw and Smackdown events since has apparently caused WWE to rethink their setup for the biggest match of the year.

At Fastlane, Reigns and Daniel Bryan, the man that many believe should have won the Royal Rumble, will face off in a match to determine who goes on to the main event match against Lesnar at Wrestlemania 31. Who that man will be is anybody’s guess.

If Reigns wins, then the odds of various social media sites erupting with comments filled with rage and displeasure over Reigns securing his Wrestlemania spot are pretty great. At the Royal Rumble, Reigns did not even eliminate the perennial fan favorite Daniel Bryan, and the reaction he received was still brutal. Imagine if he actually defeats Bryan. The internet wrestling community might burn down Titan Towers.

On the other hand, there is a scenario in which Bryan defeats Reigns. A majority of wrestling fans will be overjoyed should that be the result, but it would completely nullify the Royal Rumble, which is one of WWE’s biggest events of the year behind Wrestlemania and SummerSlam. As much I want to see it happen, I have a very hard time believing that WWE would book Bryan over its handpicked successor to John Cena and ignore the result of the Royal Rumble match.

So what will happen at Fastlane? Will the Roman Empire rise or will Yestlemania return for an encore performance? I think we will get both, and Bryan and Reigns will advance to Wrestlemania 31. There is no way this match ends cleanly with either Bryan or Reigns as the clear winner. WWE is not going to abandon Reigns, and they will not want a similar reaction to that of the Royal Rumble. The match will end in a shady manner, and it will set up a triple threat match at Wrestlemania 31 between Lesnar, Reigns, and Bryan for the WWE World Heavyweight title.

If I were in charge of writing the WWE’s programming, I would have Lesnar and Paul Heyman sitting at ringside for the Bryan vs. Reigns match. After 20 minutes of action, I would have Lesnar jump into the ring and destroy both Bryan and Reigns. The match ends with no winner, and Reigns and Bryan both come out of it looking like underdogs. This helps build their characters as they both chase Lesnar in hopes of pulling off an upset, and it continues to build Lesnar as a destructive storm of a man. It also bails the WWE out of having to either nullify the Royal Rumble or initiate a riot.

That’s how I would book the match at Fastlane. However the decision is ultimately the WWE’s to make. No matter how they book it, they are probably going to be criticized. If Reigns wins, a majority of wrestling fans will march to Stanford with torches and pitchforks. If Bryan wins, then the Royal Rumble will essentially be nullified, which will tarnish its reputation of being one of WWE’s premier events. If there is no winner and a triple threat match is booked, then people will complain that the main event is a copy of last year’s WWE World Heavyweight Championship match.

And to think that all of this could have been avoided if Daniel Bryan won the Royal Rumble.

Meeting Mesoraco (Devin Mesoraco Autograph Signing)

Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone goes to Reds Hot Stove League and gets a few autographs!

A Season of Controversy

If I could sum up the 2014-2015 National Football League season in one word, it would be controversy. Unless you have been living under a rock for the past seven months, then you know all about the woes that plagued the most profitable sports league in the nation.

In what was yet another season of incredible games, amazing individual performances, and outstanding plays that left football fans with their jaws on the ground in awe, the overall image of the NFL was tainted as instances of domestic abuse cast a dark shadow over the league for much of the season. The cases of Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson were discussed for the much of the year and rocked the National Football League to its core. However, the NFL appeared to weather the storm, despite being guided by a commissioner who has become a bumbling buffoon in the eyes of many football fans, and prepared itself for its most interesting and exciting series of games of the year: the playoffs.

Most of the postseason contests were exciting and memorable games that had the country talking for weeks. Who could forget the pounding the Denver Broncos suffered on their own home turf at the hands of Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts? What about the Seattle Seahawks’ improbable come from behind victory over the Green Bay Packers in what could be considered the greatest conference championship game of all time? It was all overshadowed by a potential cheating scandal that occurred during the AFC Championship game between the Indianapolis Colts and the New England Patriots.

Instead of building up the Super Bowl matchup between the Seahawks and the Patriots, all that was heard was speculation of how Bill Belichick, Tom Brady, and the rest of the Patriots organization deflated the footballs in their conference championship shellacking of the Colts. By the time the Super Bowl arrived, talks of "deflategate" continued to swirl around the game.

However, the entire “deflategate” discussion seemed to vanish after the opening kickoff of the Super Bowl as a fantastic football game unfolded before our eyes. It was an amazing battle that lived up to the hype. It managed to make everybody forget about the domestic abuse cases and the “deflategate” drama as well as remind football fans everywhere of the beauty of America's game.

A dramatic goal line interception by a player drafted from a college nobody had heard of ended the Seahawks’ quest for a second consecutive world championship. It was an incredible play that could have perhaps put a bit of a sweeter ending to what was a disastrous year for the NFL. Or so we thought...

As the Patriots attempted to kneel out the clock and head back to Massachusetts with their fourth Lombardi Trophy, a brawl broke out which resulted in a player being ejected from the Super Bowl for the first time in history. What a way to cap off the 2014-2015 NFL season.

In conclusion, this was a horrendous year for the National Football League. Great games will forever be sandwiched between domestic abuse cases and a Super Bowl that ended in a fight and was won by a team accused of breaking the rules. Will the NFL be able to shake this controversial image? Probably. Will the 2014-2015 season be considered one of the NFL's greatest years? Doubtful. Will the controversy of this past season shape the league for the better? As sports fans, we have to hope so. If not, then America's game might not be America's game anymore.

More Pro Athletes Follow Me

Former NBA player Corey Maggette, former NFL player Jovan Haye, and T.J. Barnes of the New York Jets follow me on Twitter! That is a sign that you need to follow @CincyFanZone as well!

The Reds Love My Tweets

Met #mesorocket at @reds hot stove! Thanks for the autograph! pic.twitter.com/2W8hKafXN5
— Cincy Fan Zone (@CincyFanZone) February 3, 2015

Met #mesorocket at @reds hot stove! Thanks for the autograph! pic.twitter.com/yJd0giNWbF
— Cincy Fan Zone (@CincyFanZone) February 3, 2015

The Reds favorited a few of my tweets! That must mean I'm worth following! @CincyFanZone

Photo Page Update

PHOTO PAGE UPDATE: http://t.co/yzF6TznxxM WITH #REDSHOTSTOVE PICS FEAT. DEVIN MESORACO #Reds #Mesorocket #OpeningDay pic.twitter.com/Q04WFWL8DV

— Cincy Fan Zone (@CincyFanZone) February 4, 2015

Soccer with Sanu and the Saints (Mo Sanu Autograph Signing)

Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone goes to the 12-9-2014 edition of "Beyond the Stripes" and gets the autographs of Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Mo Sanu as well as some players from the Cincinnati Saints soccer team!



Watch the entire "Beyond the Stripes" episode at http://t.co/avUlg3ss4i.