Cincinnati Bengals 2017 Season Outlook

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

The Grand Slam Champ

SummerSlam 2017 saw numerous titles change hands. One of those titles was the Raw Tag Team Championship. The team of Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins defeated Cesaro and Sheamus and were crowned as the new kings of the tag team division. For Seth Rollins, the win marked the second time he was part of a tag team championship team as he previously held the belts with Roman Reigns. For Ambrose, this is the first time he has held tag team championship gold, and it also granted him access to a very exclusive club in WWE: the grand slam champion’s club.

In WWE, a grand slam champion is a wrestler who has won the tag team championships, two secondary titles, and the world title. It is a very short list that is filled with some of the most elite wrestlers in history. Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Jeff Hardy, Kurt Angle, Eddie Guerrero, Daniel Bryan, and Chris Jericho are some of the wrestlers who have accomplished the feat. While these wrestlers are current and future hall of famers, not every legend and big name wrestler can call themselves a grand slam champ. As of the writing of this post, there have only been 16 grand slam champions, and guys The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Hulk Hogan, Randy Orton, and John Cena are not on that list of grand slam champions.

As I said earlier, a grand slam champion must win two secondary titles, the tag team titles and the world title. Dean Ambrose has won the United States Championship, the Intercontinental Championship, the Raw Tag Team Championship, and the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. The last jewel in his grand slam crown was the Raw Tag Team championship which he won at SummerSlam. The win not only made him the 16^th grand slam champion, but it also made him the youngest grand slam champion in history. Congrats to Dean Amrbose on the accomplishment!

Bobblehead Page Update

#Bobblehead Page Update @ https://t.co/f6kg2Fon2e with a new #Reds Bobblehead#LetsGoReds #bobblehof #ATOBTTR #MLB #BobbleheAddicts #sports pic.twitter.com/dwVaBvb6Wy

— Cincy Fan Zone (@CincyFanZone) August 22, 2017

Plight of the Cruiserweights

When WWE announced that they were bringing back the cruiserweight division, I was excited. The Cruiserweight Classic on the WWE Networks was producing unbelievable matches, and it was arguably the best cruiserweight action on television since the days of WCW Monday Nitro. The cruiserweight division that WCW had during the Monday Night Wars featured some of the finest wrestling on television at the time and helped propel guys like Eddie Guerrero, Rey Mysterio, Dean Malenko, and Chris Jericho into superstardom. The bouts were often fast paced and filled with high flying action. People were tuning into WCW for the big name wrestlers and New World Order storyline, but they were staying because of the action that the cruiserweights brought to the ring.

I thought a similar style would be replicated on WWE television. I was wrong. The cruiserweight division is struggling. Instead of being presented as an athletic showcase for wrestlers who meet the 205 pound weight limit, the division barely gets any television time on Monday Night Raw, and the 205 Live show on the WWE network generally features two matches with an in ring segment in between. The action is not as quick or as dazzling despite the fact that many of the cruiserweights are some of the most athletically gifted on the roster. Cedric Alexander is a perfect example of this. He is arguably the most athletic wrestler in the division but was involved in a horrendous storyline with Noam Dar and Alicia Fox and really has no direction that enables him to show off his wrestling skill.

If WWE stripped the division down, gave the wrestlers more television time, and focused more on the actual wrestling, I think it would improve. The Cruiserweight Classic proved that fans were invested in matches because of the action in the ring. Short video packages highlighted each wrestler before the match, but the wrestlers did not cut promos or have an in ring segment to get over with the fans. They let their abilities do the talking, and it spoke volumes. If WWE can make the cruiserweight division more like the cruiserweight classic, I think the plight of the cruiserweights will finally come to an end.

SummerSlam 2017 Thoughts

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

Cincinnati Reds Replica Pete Rose Statue Unboxing

Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone unboxes a Cincinnati Reds replica statue of Pete Rose.

Who Will Walk Out as Champ?

SummerSlam 2017 will boast a huge main event as Brock Lesnar will defend his WWE Universal Championship in a Fatal 4 Way match against Braun Strowman, Samoa Joe, and Roman Reigns. The match should be a war as four of WWE’s most over wrestlers battle it out to determine who is the top guy on Monday Night Raw. So will a new champ be crowned?

Nope. Not at SummerSlam 2017 at least. I predict Brock Lesnar will walk into SummerSlam as champion and walk out as champion. That is not to say he won’t have a tough match ahead of him. Strowman has become the resident monster for the red brand, Samoa Joe was seconds away from choking out the landlord of Suplex City at Great Balls of Fire, and Reigns is the only other guy aside from Lesnar to defeat the Undertaker at Wrestlemania.

Despite the threat that each of the challengers pose to the champ, they will not take the Universal Championship for themselves. I think that Lesnar will win and hold onto the title until Wrestlemania 34 before dropping the belt to Reigns. The seeds for that match will be planted at SummerSlam as Lesnar successfully retains his title.

Ron Oester Bobblehead Unboxing

Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone unboxes a Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum Ron Oester bobblehead.

The Run Continues

FC Cincinnati’s legendary run in the 2017 U.S. Lamar Hunt Open Cup will continue after they defeated Miami FC of the NASL in the quarterfinals last Wednesday. After the first half ended with both teams scoreless, FCC took a 1-0 lead when Djiby Fall scored off a pass from Justin Hoyte. It was the only goal of the game and the only goal the team needed as FCC managed to hold off Miami FC’s offensive onslaught late in the game to move onto a semifinal matchup with the New York Red Bulls of Major League Soccer on August 15.

For FCC, the Red Bulls will be the third MLS team they have face in their last four Open Cup matches. They previously defeated Columbus Crew SC 1-0 and the Chicago Fire 3-1 on penalty kicks. Both games were in front of raucous crowds of over 30,000 at Nippert Stadium. Their win against Miami has given them the chance for another monumental victory in front of the hometown crowd. Not only is a trip to the Open Cup Finals on the line, but a third straight win over an MLS team would amplify the already thunderous buzz FCC has created for themselves in American soccer and further strengthen their case to be selected as an MLS expansion team.

I love this team and have been following them since they were established in the summer of 2015. Aside from seeing the Reds win the World Series and the Bengals win the Super Bowl, there is nothing I want more when it comes to sports than for FCC to join MLS. They have been hitting all the right buttons as a franchise, and the Open Cup has given them a national stage to prove that they are MLS ready. Hopefully they can muster up some more Open Cup magic on the 15^th and continue this incredible ride.

Bobblehead Page Update

#Bobblehead Page Update @ https://t.co/f6kg2Fon2e with a new #Reds Bobblehead#LetsGoReds #bobblehof #ATOBTTR #MLB #BobbleheAddicts #sports pic.twitter.com/UPnWY9AzwZ

— Cincy Fan Zone (@CincyFanZone) August 8, 2017

Hey U Bobblehead Unboxing

Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone unboxes a bobblehead of the former mascot of the Northern Kentucky University Norse, Hey U.

Double Bobble Weekend

What’s better than getting a bobblehead at a baseball game? Getting two bobbleheads at a baseball game! This Saturday, August 5, fans of the Cincinnati Reds will have the opportunity to attain two bobbleheads when they head to Great American Ball Park.

The Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum will be giving away a bobblehead of Dave Parker. The bobblehead of  “the Cobra” will be given away to fans who purchased a general admission ticket to the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum on Friday, Saturdays, and Sundays in August. There are only 6,000 bobbleheads available and with Parker being a fan favorite, this bobble could sell out pretty fast.

The Cincinnati Reds are giving away a bobblehead of star relief pitcher Raisel Iglesias to the first 20,000 fans on August 5. Iglesias has been the best pitcher of the Reds bullpen this year, and his excellent pitching has allowed him to secure the spot of team closer. Based on his popularity among Reds fans, I would expect a big turnout for this game despite the lackluster record the Reds have.

If you plan your day correctly on August 5, you will be able to add bobbleheads of Dave Parker and Raisel Iglesias to your collection. Parker is a Reds legend and Iglesias is becoming a bigger star every time he takes to the mound. I have tickets to the game and plan stopping by the Reds Hall of Fame to get the Parker bobble before heading into the stadium to get the Iglesias bobble. The only thing that would the weekend better is a win for the Reds!

Go Redlegs!