Photo Page Update @ https://t.co/JzwEdxiFEu With #Bengals Training Camp Pics#Reds #WhoDey #LetsRoar #LetsGoReds pic.twitter.com/M88OBGgFWy

— Cincy Fan Zone (@CincyFanZone) July 31, 2016

Bengals Training Camp 2016

It has been a busy summer. The Cincinnati Reds are in the midst of massive rebuilding project, FC Cincinnati has captivated the city with its inaugural season, and as I write this, Cincinnati’s own Dean Ambrose is enjoying his first reign as WWE World Heavyweight Champion. It’s a lot to focus on as the Reds, FC Cincinnati, and Dean Ambrose all have my attention every week, but my summer is about to get a bit more chaotic as the Cincinnati Bengals start training camp.

Training camp starts on Friday July 29 and goes until Thursday August 11. Gates will open 30 minutes before practice starts with most practices starting at 3 p.m. The only exceptions are when practice starts at 6 p.m. on Friday August 5, 1 p.m. on Saturday August 6, and 11 a.m. on Thursday August 11.

Practices are also held on the practice field right next to Paul Brown Stadium, and this year the Bengals will have two joint practice sessions with the Minnesota Vikings on August 10 and 11. The only practice not held on the practice field will be the Family Day event on August 6. The Family Day practice will be held inside Paul Brown Stadium and will feature a lot of activities and a giveaway for kids. If you are an autograph hunter like me, the family day practice is the best training camp session to attend as every player is available for autographs once practice concludes.

The Cincinnati Bengals training camp is a great way to check out the team up close and personal. It is really cool to witness the current players mix it up the rookie draft picks and see how well they mesh together. It is also a great opportunity to get some autographs from your favorite Bengals players! Attending training camp is something that I highly recommend as every true Bengals fan needs to experience it before the season starts.

Who Dey!

Photo Page Update

Photo Page Update @ https://t.co/JzwEdxiFEu With #FCCincy Pics#Reds #Bengals #CINvsNYJ #LetsGoReds #ATOBTTR #USL pic.twitter.com/4Ze2wbLXK0

— Cincy Fan Zone (@CincyFanZone) July 27, 2016

WWE Battleground 2016 Thoughts

Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone shares his thoughts on WWE Battleground 2016.

Zack Cozart Bobblehead Unboxing

Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone unboxes a Cincinnati Reds SGA Zack Cozart bobblehead.

My All Time Favorite Wrestling Moment

If you have been a frequent visitor of my website or follow me on Twitter, then you know that I am a diehard fan of professional wrestling. I have been a fan ever since I was kid when guys like Stone Cold Steve Austin and the Rock were the top guys of the industry. I have watched tons of episodes of Raw and Smackdown and have seen numerous pay-per-views. I have seen matches that were duds and others that were thrillers, and I have witnessed moments and segments that have blown the roof off arenas. However, Money in the Bank 2016 produced the moment that is easily my all time favorite in my nearly twenty years of being a wrestling fan. That moment of course was Dean Ambrose successfully cashing in his Money in the Bank contract to become the new WWE World Heavyweight Champion.

Going into Money in the Bank, the two favorites to win the contract were Ambrose and Kevin Owens. I had predicted that Ambrose would win the contract after his feud with Jericho ended at Extreme Rules. However, Owens is the best heel in WWE today, and I began to think WWE would make him the winner. I like Owens and normally I would have been happy to see him win the contract, but Ambrose is my all time favorite wrestler so I was rooting for him to climb the ladder and grab the briefcase. Of course, the match came down to Owens and Ambrose battling atop the ladder and when Ambrose knocked off Owens and grabbed the briefcase, I was elated. I thought the night could not get any better...but WWE had a few more surprises.

The main event was a WWE World Heavyweight Championship match between Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns. The match was a very entertaining bout, and I thought that Reigns was going to retain his title. After Rollins countered a spear by Reigns into a pedigree, he hit another pedigree to pin Reigns cleanly and capture his second WWE World Heavyweight Championship. Rollins was celebrating with the belt, and I thought that was how the show was going to end. Then Ambrose’s music hit.

The arena exploded. I stood up out of my chair. The cameras showed the entrance, but there was no sign of Ambrose. The camera showed Rollins again when from out of nowhere, Ambrose appeared and smashed his Money in the Bank briefcase into the face of Rollins. He exited the ring, handed the referee the briefcase, and it was official. Ambrose was cashing in his Money in the Bank contract. I was ecstatic. The bell rang, Ambrose picked up Rollins, hit him with a Dirty Deeds, and pinned him to become the new WWE World Heavyweight Champion. I went crazy!

I was cheering and clapping as if I was there in person. I finally saw a world championship come to Cincinnati. The Reds have not a World Series since before I was born, and the Bengals have never won the Super Bowl, but Cincinnati’s own Dean Ambrose won his first ever WWE World Heavyweight Championship, and for the first time since 1990, Cincinnati has a world champion. I have never been more excited for a wrestling event in my life, and Ambrose winning the title is easily my all time favorite moment in professional wrestling. Even though the initial excitement has worn off, I am still thrilled that Ambrose is the champ. He is one of the few guys in WWE that I think deserves to be in the main event as the champion, and I can honestly say that this is the most interested I have been in professional wrestling in a long time.

Bobblehead Page Update

#Bobblehead Page Update https://t.co/f6kg2Fon2e with a New #Reds Nodder#BobbleheadAddicts #BobbleHOF #LetsGoReds pic.twitter.com/L6z3BSX1Se

— Cincy Fan Zone (@CincyFanZone) July 17, 2016

Vacation

No new content this week as I am on vacation! A new post and a new video will be up next week!

Jack Billingham Bobblehead Unboxing

Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone unboxes a Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum Jack Billingham bobblehead.

Duvall the All-Star

In a year that has Reds fan down in the dumps, one player has given Reds Country something to cheer about as he continues to grow and progress as a major leaguer. That player is Adam Duvall, and he is the lone Reds All-Star for 2016.

The Reds acquired Duvall from the San Francisco Giants in exchange for former Reds pitcher and fan favorite Mike Leake. As of now, it appears that the Reds got the better end of the deal as Leake and the Giants failed to make the playoffs last year while Duvall has continued to establish himself as one of the cornerstones of the future of the Reds.

As I write this post, Duvall currently has 22 homers and 59 RBIs. He is emerging as the next offensive powerhouse for the Reds and is garnering more fans every time he knocks a ball out of the park.  

I could not be happier for Duvall as he truly deserves this great opportunity to represent the Redlegs at the 2016 All-Star game. Of course I would love to see more Reds at the All-Star game, but aside from Jay Bruce and Zack Cozart, Duvall is really the only guy who deserves a spot on the National League roster. He is performing exceptionally well this season, and I hope he continues to get better and better. Congrats Duvall, and good luck at the All-Star game!

Go Redlegs!

Bobblehead Page Update

#Bobblehead Page Update @ https://t.co/f6kg2Fon2e With a New #Reds Nodder#BobbleheadAddicts #BobbleHOF #FCCincy pic.twitter.com/S3v8WQHe1R

— Cincy Fan Zone (@CincyFanZone) July 3, 2016

Photo Page Update

Photo Page Update @ https://t.co/JzwEdxiFEu With #CINvBST Pics#FCCincy #Reds #Bengals #USL #CINvsWSH #FCCincinnati pic.twitter.com/bUxElzdYjL

— Cincy Fan Zone (@CincyFanZone) July 3, 2016

1976 Cincinnati Reds World Series Championship Replica Ring Unboxing

Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone unboxes an SGA 1976 Cincinnati Reds World Series Championship replica ring.

SmackDown vs Raw…Again Part 2

In my previous post on the WWE brand extension, I discussed its history from its inception until it was pashed out completely. In this post, I will talk about why I am not a fan of WWE’s decision to bring back the brand extension, and why I think not having separate rosters is the way to go.

The last time there was a brand extension in WWE, both shows started out as equal before more and more attention was given to Raw each week. Maybe it was because SmackDown is on tape delay and Raw is live or maybe it was because Monday nights attain better ratings than Thursday nights. Either way, with each passing year, more attention was given to Raw than SmackDown as Raw always had guest stars, special episodes, and the most popular wrestlers on the roster. I do not see that changing because Raw has more airtime than SmackDown since it is a three-hour show. Raw will need to retain viewers for an extra hour and a way to do that is by having guest stars, special episodes, and the most popular wrestlers on the roster.

Another reason I am not a fan of the brand extension is because of what happened to the championships. Every championship was essentially doubled during the last brand extension, and it took away the prestige of winning a title. I have no problem with their being two midcard championships. However, having two tag team champs, women’s champs, and world champs is ridiculous and defeats the purpose of having those belts as those titles are supposed to represent the best tag team, woman, and man in WWE. I really hope WWE decides to leave the championships alone and have the champions appear on both shows. That would keep the prestige of the titles in tact.

I think that having one roster is the way to go because it keeps things simple. The championships remain prestigious, you can catch your favorite wrestlers on both shows, and storylines are a lot easier to follow. With two separate rosters, you have two separate shows, which doubles the amount of storylines and rivalries to follow. Some of these feuds might be between two wrestlers that nobody cares for, and instead of having a better overall product with few quality storylines, you get a worse product with more storylines that do not capture the attention of the audience. Also, there might not even be a payoff match at a pay-per-view. WWE’s montly pay-per-views are only four hours long if you include the kickoff show and with WWE having two separate rosters with their own storylines spread across five hours of weekly television, it will be nearly impossible to have all those rivalries culminate with a payoff match.

That is why I am not a fan of the brand extension, and why I think the WWE should not separate the rosters. The last time WWE separated the rosters, it failed. It started out well, but it ultimately did not work and the quality of WWE programming suffered because of it. Hopefully this time WWE does the brand extension right or ends it fast.

Photo Page Update

Photo Page Update @ https://t.co/JzwEdxiFEu With #14Forever Weekend Pics#Reds #SDvsCIN #LetsGoReds #MLB #CHCvsCIN pic.twitter.com/JZJ0335GZI

— Cincy Fan Zone (@CincyFanZone) June 26, 2016

Autograph Page Update

Autograph Page Update @ https://t.co/ULDHSOUCJg With a New #Bengals Autograph#WhoDey #LetsRoar #Reds #FCCincy #NFL pic.twitter.com/PRsyInYSNJ

— Cincy Fan Zone (@CincyFanZone) June 23, 2016

Induction Celebration

One of the biggest injustices in sports is the exclusion of baseball legend Pete Rose from being on the ballot for induction into the baseball hall of fame. His career is nothing short of legendary as he garnered multiple awards, won three World Series Championships, and immortalized himself as Major League Baseball’s “Hit King.” Unfortunately, Rose broke a cardinal rule in MLB by betting on baseball and has been banned from the league. As a result, he is not eligible for induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. However, the Cincinnati Reds announced that they will induct him into the team’s hall of fame, and they have a great weekend planned for the event.

The fun starts on Friday June 24 as the Reds take the field for their second of a four game series against the San Diego Padres. All fans in attendance will receive a 1976 Cincinnati Reds team photo, and the Reds will wear their 1976 throwback uniforms. There will also be a special pregame ceremony that will feature members of the 1976 World Series Championship team as well as a postgame fireworks show. If you bought a special ticket package for Friday’s game, you will also receive a replica 1976 Cincinnati Reds World Series Championship ring.

Saturday is the day of the actual Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame induction ceremony in which Rose will be inducted during a pregame ceremony. All fans in attendance will also receive a poster that features every Topps baseball card showcasing Rose as a member of the Redlegs. There is a picture of the poster online, and it looks very cool.

Sunday is the final day of the induction weekend. Not only is it “Family Sunday” at the ballpark, but it is also when Rose will have his number officially retired by the team. The retirement will happen before the game during a ceremony, and all fans in attendance will receive a free Pete Rose number retirement print. Kids 14 and younger will also receive a free wall decal of Devin Mesoraco.

The Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum is also honoring Pete, but they are doing it all throughout June. On Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, everybody who purchases a ticket for the Reds Hall of Fame and Museum will receive a free limited edition Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame induction Pete Rose bobblehead. I went and got mine the first day they gave them away, and it is easily a bobblehead that every Reds fans should try to attain.

As you can see, the Reds have a lot of stuff planned. Throwback uniforms and a replica World Series ring on Friday, the induction ceremony on Saturday, the number retirement ceremony on Sunday, and a free bobblehead of Pete, while supplies last, all weekends in June from the hall of fame and museum. I am going on Friday and will be getting the replica World Series ring. I wish I could go to all three games, but one out of the three isn’t bad, especially when the Reds are going all out to honor Charlie Hustle. Hopefully the team can sweep the Padres for him.

Go Redlegs!

Money in the Bank 2016 Thoughts

Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone shares his thoughts on WWE Money in the Bank 2016.

Photo Page Update

Photo Page Update @ https://t.co/yzF6TznxxM With #CINvTOR Pics#FCCincy #TFCII #NBAFinals #Reds #Bengals #USL #MLB pic.twitter.com/n8IKTue3Be

— Cincy Fan Zone (@CincyFanZone) June 19, 2016

Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame Induction Pete Rose Bobblehead Unboxing

Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone unboxes a Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame Induction Pete Rose bobblehead.