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Monday, October 31, 2016

WWE Hell in a Cell 2016 Thoughts


Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone shares his thoughts on WWE Hell in a Cell 2016.
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Wednesday, October 26, 2016

Wrestlemania 31 Blu-Ray Unboxing


Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone unboxes a Blu-Ray edition of Wrestlemania 31.
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TNA’s Trials and Tribulations


The wrestling industry has never been the same since the fall of WCW in 2001. Vince McMahon has ruled the professional wrestling world for the last 15 years with ease as the closest thing to competition the WWE has had is Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, and that isn’t really saying much. TNA started with promise as its blend of veteran talent with young and up and coming stars looked poised to make the company a credible threat to Vince McMahon’s wrestling empire. Unfortunately a series of bad contracts and storylines have seen ratings for its weekly “Impact Wrestling” show decline as well as many of the company’s stars leave for greener pastures. Things have gotten so bad that the future of the company is in limbo.

About a month ago, TNA’s version of Wrestlemania, Bound for Glory, was in danger of being cancelled as the company was scrambling to find funds for the pay-per-view. The company is currently for sale, and the two leading candidates to buy the company from owner Dixie Carter in the week leading up to Bound for Glory were McMahon’s WWE and TNA president and Smashing Pumpkins front man Billy Corgan. It was expected that news on who purchased the company was going to break on that Friday.

Twitter was buzzing as it was widely speculated that McMahon had purchased TNA, and he would once again be able to put another notch in his belt of competitors he conquered. However, neither company confirmed the purchase and on Saturday, it was being reported that TNA had managed to attain the funds needed to pay for both Bound for Glory and its Impact Wrestling tapings for the rest of the year. According to reports, neither WWE nor Corgan funded the pay-per-view, and Bound for Glory went off without a hitch, and TNA was also able to tape enough Impact Wrestling shows for the rest of the year.

A few days later, reports began to surface that WWE and Carter had reached an agreement in which WWE would buy TNA, but apparently Carter backed out at the last minute and still owned the wrestling promotion. It was then reported that WWE had purchased the TNA video library, and Corgan had purchased TNA with the intent of rebranding and rebuilding the company. Those reports turned out to be false however, and Carter is, at the time that this article was written, still the owner of TNA. The drama is not over though as Corgan is now suing TNA despite being the company’s president. In the latest development, TNA’s funds for Bound for Glory and the Impact Wrestling tapings reportedly came from Anthem Sports & Entertainment. Anthem Sports & Entertainment owns Fight Network which is in a global distribution partnership with TNA.

Needless to say this is the most interest TNA has garnered in a long time. The drama of whether or not the company would be able to stay afloat as well as the interest of Vince McMahon in the company set the wrestling world on fire with rumors and speculation. Part of me wants to see McMahon buy TNA so that some of the TNA wrestlers could go toe to toe with the WWE roster and so that the TNA video library could be added to the WWE Network. The other part of me wants to see Corgan buy the company so that TNA can get a second chance at being a credible threat to WWE. That would then hopefully usher in a period of creativity and innovation that has not been seen since the Monday night war between WCW and WWE. Until a report of TNA being sold is confirmed to be true, wrestling fans are left to speculate and wonder about the future of the company. Hopefully something develops in the near future.




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Autograph Page Update

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Photo Page Update

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Wednesday, October 19, 2016

Bengal Graphs 2016


Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone shows off the different autographs he has gotten through the first four weeks of the 2016 NFL season.
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The Gift of Jericho



WWE Raw can feel like a chore to watch sometimes. It may be the third hour of programming or the lack of character development that wrestlers such as the cruiserweights have, but sitting through Raw every Monday night can be a tough thing to do. The brand split has changed the dynamic of WWE by making SmackDown the premier WWE show as its programming is very well done and is a joy to watch every Tuesday. Despite the blue brand overcoming Raw in terms of quality, Raw has something that SmackDown does not: the gift of Jericho.

Chris Jericho has been the best part of Monday Night Raw ever since the draft, and he seemingly gets better each and every week. Even though he is a veteran on the roster and one of the last active wrestlers from the Attitude Era, Jericho has never been more entertaining than he is right now, and that’s saying something. From an in ring perspective, Jericho has been and still is one of the greatest wrestlers of all time. He usually delivers with solid action and a great performance no matter who his opponent is. However, his work on the microphone is what is really making him standout from the rest of the pack of the red brand.

Ever since his feud with Dean Ambrose resulted in Jericho replacing his light up jacket with a vest and scarf, Jericho has been adding layers to his character that make him one of the most interesting and entertaining wrestlers in WWE. His ability to turn the phrase “stupid idiot” and the word “it” into part of his gimmick is on par with Stone Cold Steve Austin turning the word “what” into an arena chant that is still said by wrestling crowds today. His latest additions to his arsenal of catch phrases in “you just made the list” and “quiet” have caught in with the WWE Universe rather quickly, and I’m sure it will only be a matter of time before WWE capitalizes on this by releasing merchandise featuring Y2J’s popular sayings.

Another great aspect of Jericho’s character is his “best friend” Kevin Owens. Like Jericho, Owens is a great in ring performer and is excellent on the microphone and when paired with Jericho, a segment that would otherwise seem like boring filler becomes instantly entertaining. WWE refers to them as Jeri-KO, but Jericho calls themselves Team Chris and Kevin and Owens says Team Kevin and Chris. It’s little details like this that display the great chemistry Owens and Jericho have with each other. Owens will often tell Jericho to put somebody on the list which Jericho does, and Jericho refers to himself and Owens as the WWE Universal Champion by constantly using the pronoun “we” when discussing the title despite the fact that Owens is the actual champ. This “friendship” with Owens is another great element of Jericho’s character that both gives him somebody to play off of while planting the seeds for a future rivalry.

In conclusion, it is plain to see why Jericho is the best part of Monday Night Raw. Despite being one of the oldest wrestlers on the roster, he can still perform in the ring like he did when he first burst on the scene. He continues to prove why he is regarded as one of the best talkers in the industry, and his ability to play off Kevin Owens is fantastic. However, words cannot do Jericho justice and to truly see how entertaining Y2J is, tune into Monday Night Raw so that you can drink in the gift of Jericho.




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Autograph Page Update

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Photo Page Update

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Wednesday, October 12, 2016

Bengal Shows 2016


With the 2016 NFL season officially underway, the opportunities for fans of the Cincinnati Bengals to get autographs are popping up each and every week in the form of Bengal shows. Bengal shows are shows where fans can get autographs from Cincinnati Bengals players, and I attend at least one show a week in hopes of snagging a signature for my Bengals autograph collection. In this post, I will discuss three of the Bengal shows that take place each week.

The first show of the week is “Benagls Line.” It is held at the Holy Grail on the banks in Cincinnati the day after Bengals games and can be heard on ESPN 1530. The show features radio personality Lance McAllister and former Bengals player Dave Lapham as the hosts and goes from 6 pm to 9 pm. There are usually two guest players who are interviewed during the first two hours of the show. One player is interviewed from 6 pm to 7 pm and the other is interviewed from 7 pm to 8 pm with the final hour being mainly discussion between McAllister and Lapham. Players sign autographs during commercials and there are raffles throughout the night with the prizes ranging from Bengals apparel to Bengals tickets.

The second show of the week is “Beyond the Stripes.” This show is presented by the Cincinnati Enquirer and is held at the Hofbräuhaus in Newport, KY. The show is streamed live on the Enquirer’s Facebook page from 7 pm to 8 pm and features a panel of four reporters interviewing the guest player before playing a game with the player to end the show. The interviews are always entertaining and usually feature a few laughs as some of the questions asked by the panel and answers given by the players are over the top. Once the show is finished, fans can line up and have one item signed by the player.

The third show of the week is “Bengals Nation.” This show is held at the Moerlein Lager House on Wednesdays from 6 pm to 8 pm and is presented by television station Local 12. It is filmed in segments and is broadcasted on Saturdays. The show has gotten worse in my opinion as its move from the Holy Grail has really cut back on the interaction that the show used to have the fans. The area in the Moerlein Lager House where the show is filmed is a lot smaller than the Holy Grail, so some of the segments, such as fans asking the guest player questions and some of the games, have been eliminated. Once the show is finished, fans can get an item signed by the guest player only if they have an autograph pass. The autograph passes are handed out in the beginning of the show, and if you do not get there early enough to get an autograph pass, you will not be able to receive an autograph.

Those are the three different Bengal shows that are held throughout the week. They are a great way to not only get autographs but to also interact with fellow Bengals fans. “Beyond the Stripes” is my favorite show as it is easily the most entertaining of the three. I would say that “Bengals Line” is next with “Bengals Nation” being the least enjoyable show. They are all still fun to attend though, and I highly recommend checking out a few for yourself.

Who Dey!



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Autograph Page Update

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Photo Page Update

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Monday, October 10, 2016

WWE No Mercy 2016 Thoughts


Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone shares his thoughts on WWE No Mercy 2016.
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Wednesday, October 5, 2016

Reds Recap 2016


Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone recaps the 2016 season of the Cincinnati Reds.
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What a Debut!


As one of the world’s most popular sports, soccer is played in almost every country and has taken America by storm in recent years. International teams have American fan bases, and Major League Soccer is continuing to grow as more American cities vie for expansion franchises. One of those cities happens to be Cincinnati as FC Cincinnati, the city’s United Soccer League team, has exceeded all expectations in its debut season.

When it came to the pitch, I don’t think anybody expected the team to play as well as they did. The team finished third in the USL Eastern Division standings with a record of 16-6-8 and secured a home playoff game against Charleston Battery. They had outstanding goalkeeping performances by Mitch Hildebrandt and were led in scoring by breakout star forward Sean Okoli who was also the 2016 USL Golden Boot award winner. Other players such as Jimmy McLaughlin and Cincinnati’s own Austin Berry also had good years that helped FC Cincinnati have such a stellar debut season.

The attendance has also been a big factor in establishing FC Cincinnati as a premier team in American soccer. The number of people that have gone to watch FC Cincinnati soccer games at Nippert Stadium has been impressive to say the least. Halfway through the regular season, the team broke the regular season record before setting set the new all-time regular season attendance record of 259,437 at season’s end. They team also set the new USL single game regular season attendance record when 24,376 people packed Nippert Stadium as FC Cincinnati ended their regular season home stand with a 1-0 victory over Orlando City B. They then broke that record by drawing 30,187 people for their home playoff game. The team averaged 17,296 fans per home game, and if the friendly match against Premier League squad Crystal Palace is taken into account, the total number of people that saw an FC Cincinnati match at Nippert Stadium was an astronomical 333,353.

Speaking of Crystal Palace, FC Cincinnati was the only USL team selected to play Crystal Palace during their three-match tour of America. The FC Cincinnati versus Crystal Palace match outdrew the other two matches Crystal Palace played on their tour against the Philadelphia Union and the Vancouver White Caps. The Union and the White Caps, both of which are MLS teams, drew 12,881 and 14,788 respectively while FCC Cincinnati more than doubled both of those numbers by drawing in 35,061 people.

With FC Cincinnati being a contender in their first year of USL play while also consistently drawing impressive crowds, it appears that MLS has taken notice. It has been reported that FC Cincinnati executives met with MLS officials during the MLS All-Star break, and MLS Commissioner Don Garber is set to visit the Queen City in November. These reports have fueled speculation that FC Cincinnati is being considered as a possible MLS expansion team. Getting noticed by MLS is always a good thing. Getting noticed by MLS during your debut year? Incredible!

In conclusion, it has been a whirlwind debut season for FC Cincinnati. They made the playoffs with a third place finish in the USL Eastern Division, set attendance records seemingly all season, played an international team in Crystal Palace, and is being noticed by MLS. I have been to numerous FC Cincinnati games this season and was in the bailey for their inaugural home opener. Every game I have been to has been a blast, and I am proud of what the team has been able to accomplish in its debut year. Hopefully they will have continued success for years to come, and hopefully it will be at the MLS level.







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Autograph Page Update

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Photo Page Update

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