Cincinnati Reds 2017 Season Outlook

Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone previews the 2017 season of the Cincinnati Reds.

My Thoughts on the ROH Rumors

With Wrestlemania 33 just around the corner, I thought it would be appropriate to write a post that dealt with professional wrestling. I was thinking of doing a post with my match predictions but ultimately decided against it because of the latest wrestling rumor swirling around the internet. It is without question that WWE is the largest professional wrestling company in the world ever since it bought out World Championship Wrestling in 2001. It has been 16 years and not a single professional wrestling company has come close to giving WWE a run for its money like WCW did during the Monday Night Wars.

That is not to say WWE does not have its competitors. Overseas there is New Japan Pro Wrestling, and in the Untied States there are Total Nonstop Action Wrestling and Ring of Honor. While these are alternatives to WWE’s product, they still have yet to prove to be viable competition. NJPW is still trying to broaden its global reach to match that of the WWE, and TNA has been barely afloat as a company for the past few years. It was even rumored that WWE was in the process of buying out TNA in the fall of 2016. While the sale ultimately did not happen, the rumor generated a ton of buzz around the wrestling world. Fast forward five months and now the rumor is that WWE might be buying out the other major American wrestling promotion I mentioned earlier: Ring of Honor.

This was very shocking to me. ROH is currently owned by the Sinclair Broadcast Group and is aired everywhere a Sinclair station is broadcasting. For example, I can get my ROH fix on either Saturday at 10:30 pm or Monday at 12:30 am on Star 64. While the strange schedule and one hour format of the show does not allow it to compete head to head with WWE, it is still a viable alterative to wrestling fans that prefer in ring action over storylines. It is a formula that works for the company as it has garnered a respectable audience and has been the career launch pad for various wrestlers such as Daniel Bryan, Samoa Joe, Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens, and A.J. Styles among others. A lot of former WWE superstars have also wrestled for Ring of Honor such as Alberto Del Rio, Charlie Haas, Shelton Benjamin, the Hardy Boyz and Cody Rhodes. Needless to say, Ring of Honor has made a significant impact on the world of professional wrestling. So what would happen should WWE buy ROH?

ROH is loaded with talent. The Young Bucks, Adam Cole, Kazarian, Christopher Daniels, and Lio Rush make up a small sample of the talented roster that makes up ROH. Should ROH become a WWE property, I would think that a majority of these guys end up in either NXT or on the main roster. While the idea of the Young Bucks taking over the tag team division and potential WWE matchups between Styles and Daniels are enticing, an ROH buyout would not be good for guys like Cody Rhodes who left WWE for greener pastures. WWE would also add the ROH video library to its already massive collection of professional wrestling footage. As a diehard wrestling fan, it would be both awesome and extremely convenient to have the ROH video library available on the WWE Network.

While the possibility of WWE buying ROH is appealing in some ways, I think it would be better for the wrestling industry as a whole if WWE did not buy ROH. Competition is necessary in professional wrestling. It forces creativity and innovation and everybody benefits from it. WCW and WWE competed for ratings and professional wrestling supremacy and it took the industry to new heights. The product was at its best, ratings were at an all-time high, and fans were able to soak in a quality wrestling product for years. That is why I hope ROH does not get bought by WWE. Perhaps the company can rise to a level similar to that of WCW, compete with WWE at a global level, and rejuvenate the professional wrestling industry as a whole.

Bobblehead Page Update

#Bobblehead Page Update @ https://t.co/f6kg2Fon2e with a new #Reds Bobblehead#RedsST #LetsGoReds #BobbleHOF #BobbleheadAddicts #MLB pic.twitter.com/PmOLrB6FrG

— Cincy Fan Zone (@CincyFanZone) March 23, 2017

Crosley the "Vintage" Cincinnati Reds Bobblehead Unboxing

Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone unboxes a "vintage" Cincinnati Reds Crosley bobblehead.

What Dey Doing?

The National Football League is officially in its offseason, and the free agency period is underway. Players whose contracts are up are free to shop themselves around the league in hopes of attaining a new contract, joining a Super Bowl contender, or both. During this process, the various NFL franchises have the duty of determining if they want to re-sign players or test the waters of free agency and see if they can acquire an established player or a young up and comer. Most teams make moves that generate a lot of buzz around the league. The Cincinnati Bengals however, are generating buzz for their apparent lack of moves.

The team preaches drafting well to obtain young talent to replace the veteran players who often leave via free agency. For the most part, it has worked well. Their run of five straight postseason appearances proves that the bengals were able to draft well and build a formidable team with 2015 being the peak of that draft success. After the end of the 2015 campaign, players like Mohmmed Sanu, Marvin Jones, and Reggie Nelson left the Bengals for new teams and more money. Bengals fans didn't think much of it. The team had lost players before and seemed to still do well the following season.

That was not the case in 2016. The team struggled on offense and defense and missed the playoffs. Draft picks like Cedric Ogbuehi did not pan out the way the fans and the franchise thought they would. Once free agency began, veteran players like Andrew Whitworth and Domata Peko headed out west for the Rams and Broncos respectively. Kevin Zeitler signed a massive contract with the Browns. Rex Burkhead is now a Patriot. A defensive stalwart, two of the best offensive linemen on the team, and a running back who had a breakout year are now gone.

The team was able to resign Dre Kirkpatrick and Brandon LaFell, but that does not seem like enough to stop the bleeding. The only big free agent signing they have had was bringing back Andre Smith, but his history with injuries makes him more of a liability than an asset. Fans aren't the only ones questioning the moves of the team. Defensive end Carlos Dunlap tweeted that he didn't know what the team was doing. When the players are confused about what the team is doing, that generally is not a good sign. Maybe the Bengals know something that we fans don't. I guess we just have to trust the process.

Who Dey!

NKU Norse Championship Shirts Unobxing

Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone unboxes two Northern Kentucky University Norse basketball championship shirts. 

Norse Up

With March Madness finally here, college basketball fans across the nation will be glued to their television sets as the best teams in the country battle it out for the right to be called national champions. I love March Madness and am a tournament junkie. I will try to watch every game simultaneously in order to make sure I do not miss a single second of the action. In the past, I have watched merely as a fan as the Louisville Cardinals, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, the Xavier Musketeers, and the Cincinnati Bearcats took to the hardwood in the national tournament. I root for all of those teams as a fan without any ties of my own to the universities that they represent. The college I attended had never qualified for the “big dance.”

I went to Northern Kentucky University from 2010 to 2014. During my freshman and sophomore years as an undergraduate, the athletic teams competed at the Division II level of the NCAA. They had some success as a D-II university as they won a few national titles in women’s basketball and a men’s soccer national championship my freshman year. Despite the successes, the fandom among students and those who lived around the university was not that great. The logos of other universities were a common sight, and the attendance at sporting events was usually pretty low.

That began to change toward the end of my sophomore year. The university announced that they would be moving up to Division I. They joined the Atlantic Sun conference and even qualified for the conference championship tournament in men’s basketball in their first year at the D-I level. They eventually moved to the Horizon League conference and qualified for that conference championship tournament as well. Even though they participated in conference tournaments, they were not allowed to participate in the national championship tournament for four years per NCAA rules after moving up to D-I. Any chance I had of seeing the Norse play for the national title in March would be as an alum and not a student.

So here we are in 2017 and it is NKU’s first season of national championship eligibility. Under the leadership of second year coach John Brannen, the Norse qualified for the Horizon League Conference Championship tournament as a 3 seed and went on a run that culminated in the school winning its first ever D-I conference championship for men’s basketball as well as qualifying for the national championship tournament. Words cannot describe how proud I am of my alma mater. As a student, nobody cared about Norse athletics. As an alum, Norse athletics are the current talk of the town.

Everybody wants an NKU conference championship shirt and finding one in stores is no easy task. The shirts hit stores last Thursday and sold out in hours. I had to order mine online form the NKU bookstore. Despite this minor inconvenience, I am still very excited to cheer on the Norse as they enter their first ever national championship tournament. I will be glued to a television screen hoping that the Norse become the 2017 Cinderella team. Maybe their magical season can culminate with them cutting down the net on April 3.

Norse up!

2017 Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum Bobbleheads Preview

The Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum have announced what bobbleheads they will be giving to fans during the 2017 season. For the first time since 2012, the Reds Hall of Fame will be giving out six bobbleheads as opposed to the usual five. This series of Reds nodders will feature players from a few different eras that celebrate the rich history of the Cincinnati Reds franchise. In this post, I will discuss the six bobbleheads that the Reds Hall of Fame will be giving away and share my thoughts on them.

The first bobblehead the Reds Hall of Fame will be giving out is Leo Cardenas. The former Reds shortstop from the 1960s will be given out during the month of April. Known as “Chico” and “Mr. Automatic,” Cardenas was a four time All-Star and is an excellent choice to be featured as a bobblehead.

The second bobblehead of the 2017 season will be given out during the month of May and will showcase former Reds second baseman Tommy Helms. The 1966 Rookie of the Year was a huge fan favorite, and many members of Reds Country were sad to see him dealt to the Houston Astros for future hall of famer Joe Morgan. While Morgan has been featured as a bobblehead many times, Helms has never been immortalized as a Reds nodder, and it is good to see the Reds Hall of Fame honor Helms with a bobblehead.

The third nodder will be of Pete Rose, and it shall be distributed in June. I am not excited for this bobblehead. Don’t get me wrong. I am a huge fan of Pete Rose. Charlie Hustle is undoubtedly the biggest baseball star to emerge from the Queen City, and I firmly believe he deserves to be in the hall of fame. That being said, I think the Reds should have chosen somebody else for the bobblehead. Rose has been featured on a Reds bobblehead every year since 2014. Instead of once again showcasing Rose, the team could have picked somebody who has not been featured such as Jose Rijo or Aaron Boone.

Fourth will be former Reds second baseman Ron Oester. The 2014 Reds Hall of Fame inductee is a Cincinnati native and was a member of the 1990 team that won the World Series. Despite losing his starting role to Mariano Duncan, Oester was a key pinch hitter and sported a batting average of .299. I think he is a solid choice to be featured as a bobblehead, and I plan on adding it to my collection.

Fifth in the Reds Hall of Fame series of bobbles is Dave Parker. Known as “The Cobra,” Parker was a fan favorite who won multiple awards during his playing days. He was a seven time All-Star, the 1978 National League MVP, and earned two World Series rings with the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Oakland Athletics. I got to meet him at Redsfest 2016, and I was able to easily see why he was a fan favorite. I think I am the most excited for his bobblehead, and I cannot wait to get my hands on it.

The sixth and final bobblehead of the year will feature former outfielder and 1977 National League MVP George Foster. Known for his powerful bat, Foster was instrumental in helping the Big Red Machine win back-to-back World Series Championships in 1975 and in 1976. The Reds Hall of Fame previously gave out a bobblehead of Foster in 2012, but it was a mini bobblehead that did not match the size of most modern nodders. Should this bobblehead be a regular sized nodder, I will add to my collection to replace the 2012 mini bobblehead.

That is the line up for the 2017 Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame series of bobbleheads. Overall, it is a solid series that features four players that have never been immortalized as a nodders. While I would have preferred to see two other players take the place of the already featured Rose and Foster, the selections of Cardenas, Oester, Helms, and Parker are stellar nonetheless. I plan on visiting the Reds Hall of Fame and Museum this season to add some of these Reds bobbleheads to my collection. Stay tuned for those unboxing videos!

Go Redlegs!

WWE Fastlane 2017 Thoughts

Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone shares his thoughts on WWE Fastlane 2017.

Autograph Page Update

#Autograph Page Update @ https://t.co/ULDHSOD1kG With a New #Xavier Autograph#letsgox #LetsMarch #marchmadness #ncaa #BIGEAST #tourney17 pic.twitter.com/MukYzcODta

— Cincy Fan Zone (@CincyFanZone) March 5, 2017

David Fulcher Bobblehead Review

Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone reviews an unofficial Cincinnati Bengals David Fulcher bobblehead.

Return of the King

Every wrestling fans knows about WWE’s “big four” pay-per-views. Wrestlemania, SummerSlam, Survivor Series, and the Royal Rumble are WWE’s four crown jewels in terms of pay-per-view programming as they generally have the biggest buildup and a plethora of marquee matches. However, the “big four” used to be the “big five” as the King of the Ring pay-per-view was once viewed as another of WWE’s signature events. With WWE using the WWE Network to increase the amount of pay-per-views it produces, why not bring back the King of the Ring? In this post, I will explain what the King of the Ring is, why they should bring it back, and how I would organize the new tournament.

The King of the Ring was a single elimination tournament in which wrestlers competed for the prestigious title of “King of the Ring.” Tournament matches were held on Raw and SmackDown with the quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals taking place at the King of the Ring pay-per-view. The winner of the tournament was perceived to be the next big breakout star in the WWE, and history backs up that perception. Previous winners included Triple H, Brock Lesnar, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Edge, and Kurt Angle. All these wrestlers went on to hold world championship gold and became staples in the main even scene. The tournament was kind of like a summer version of the Royal Rumble match and was easily one of the most anticipated wrestling events of the year.

Despite the event having such a rich history, the King of the Ring pay-per-view was last held in 2002. The King of the Ring tournament has been held sporadically since 2002 having taken place in 2006, 2008, 2010, and most recently in 2015. The tournament matches were usually held on Raw or SmackDown with the finals being held at a pay-per-view. The lone exception is the 2015 edition that had its finals take place on a Tuesday night WWE Network special.

It has been 15 years since WWE last held a King of the Ring pay-per-view, and I think that it is time that WWE brought it back. With WWE reviving the brand split to try and create new stars, the King of the Ring tournament and pay-per-view could be a tremendous boost to WWE’s efforts. Rivalries could stem from tournament matches allowing for more airtime for wrestlers as well as intriguing storylines that would have a logical beginning. It would also enable WWE to load its programming with less filler content. WWE fans generally complain about the amount of filler that is featured on SmackDown and especially Raw. The King of the Ring tournament would easily give WWE more content to air on Raw and SmackDown in place of filler.

So how would the new King of the Ring tournament work? If I were in charge, I would have the tournament take place in the summer and split the tournament bracket into a Raw division and a SmackDown division with 8 wrestlers per division. There would then be qualifying matches to determine what wrestlers would participate in the tournament. Once the qualification process is complete, the tournament matches would take place on Raw and SmackDown until the semifinal round. The semifinals and finals would take place at the King of the Ring pay-per-view with the finals consisting of the winner of the Raw division taking on the winner of the SmackDown division with the King of the Ring crown on the line. The victor of the match will not only be the new “King of the Ring” but also earn either a WWE World Heavyweight Championship match or a WWE Universal Championship match at SummerSlam depending on their brand.

In conclusion, the King of the Ring was a fun wrestling tournament that generally saw the elevation of wrestlers from the mid card to the main event scene. Bringing it back would be beneficial for both the participating wrestlers and the WWE as a whole as it would allow for more ample storytelling from the WWE and more screen time for wrestlers on the roster. My format would allow both brands to have competing wrestlers as well as grant the winner a world title bout in addition to being crowned as the new King of the Ring. Hopefully WWE brings the tournament back and utilizes the overabundance of talent it currently has on its roster.