Tuesday, March 26, 2019

The 2019 Cincinnati Reds Bobbleheads Are...


With the Cincinnati Reds celebrating their 150th anniversary season this year, the team has announced that they will be giving away seven bobbleheads that represent different eras of Reds baseball. Six of these bobbleheads are of Redlegs legends who have been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. So who is being featured as a bobblehead this year? Let's take a look. 

The first bobblehead that will be given out is a 150th anniversary Mr. Redlegs bobble. This will be given out on May 4 against the San Francisco Giants. This is the bobblehead game I am looking forward to the most as Mr. Redlegs is a timeless mascot who is synonymous with the team, and it makes perfect sense that the franchise wants to incorporate him into their 150th anniversary season celebration. 

The second bobblehead of the season is of Ernie Lombardi. This will be given out to fans when the Redlegs host the Dodgers on May 18. While this is the first time the Reds team is giving out a bobblehead of Lombardi, it is actually the second year in a row in which fans can attain a bobble of the legendary player as the Reds Hall of Fame and Museum gave out a Lombardi bobblehead last season. 

Third on the list of Reds 2019 bobblehead giveaways is Joe Morgan. This bobblehead will be given out when the Washington Nationals come to town on June 1. Considered to be one of the greatest if not the greatest second baseman of all time, it is a little shocking that this is only the second Morgan bobblehead the team has ever given out to fans with the first being distributed in 2004. The Reds Hall of Fame gave out a mini bobblehead of Morgan in 2012. I would expect a big crowd for this game as Morgan is a heavy fan favorite in Cincinnati. 

On June 15 against the Texas Rangers, the Reds will give out a bobblehead of local legend and National Baseball Hall of Famer Barry Larkin. The Reds have previously given out Larkin bobbles three times and the Reds Hall of Fame gave out a bobblehead of Larkin in 2014. The crowd for this game should be large too as Larkin played his entire career with his hometown Redlegs and is a huge fan favorite.

Tony Perez will have his bobblehead given out on July 27 when the Reds play the Colorado Rockies. The Reds gave out a single bobblehead of Perez in 2005, and he was featured as part of a triple bobblehead alongside Sean Casey and Joey Votto in 2017. Considering how scarce Perez bubbleheads are, this could be the hottest giveaway of the season.

On August 17, the Reds will give out a bobblehead of Johnny Bench when the St. Louis Cardinals come to town. I believe that Bench is the player to be featured the most as a bobblehead by both the Reds and the Reds Hall of Fame. Despite that fact, the Big Red Machine is held in high regard in Cincinnati and a bobblehead of Bench is sure to garner a big crowd.

The last bobblehead the Reds will give out in 2018 will be on September 7 when the Reds take on the Arizona Diamondbacks, This bobblehead will feature Ken Griffey Jr. who is not only a popular player in Reds Country but in all of Major League Baseball. The Reds have previously given out bobbles of Griffey Jr. three times with the most recent bobble having been given out in 2016. With Griffey Jr. being inducted into the Hall of Fame a few years ago, this bobblehead could rival the Perez one as most sought after stadium giveaway item for 2019.

Those are the bobbleheads the Reds will give to fans in 2019. All the featured players have already been immortalized as bobbleheads by either the Reds, the Reds Hall of Fame, or both. All of the bobbleheads except for Mr. Redlegs are being given out as two sets of three with each set representing three different eras of Reds history. These eras include the Crosley Field era, the Riverfront Stadium era and the Great American Ball Park era. A cool feature of these sets is that when they are put together, the backdrops will form the 150thanniversary logo of the Reds.

While I am excited to add these 150thanniversary bobbleheads to my collection, I am bummed that no current players are being featured. I would have loved to add bobbleheads of Jesse Winker, Amir Garrett, Jose Peraza, and Luis Castillo among others to my collection. The bobblehead I am looking forward to obtaining the most this season is Mr. Redlegs. He is a great mascot, and I love adding different Mr. Redlegs bobblehead variants to my collection. In conclusion, the lineup of Reds legends will make for a highly desirable series of bobbleheads that will make Reds fans happy.

1/29/19 Update:
Today the Cincinnati Reds announced that they will be giving out a bobblehead of newly acquired outfielder Yasiel Puig. Aside from the Mr. Redlegs bobblehead, the Puig bobble is the one I am looking forward to the most. Puig came to the Reds via a trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He is one of the most popular players in baseball and considering how the Reds currently only have him under contract for one season, having a Puig bobblehead game is a no brainer.








Reds 2019 Season Outlook


Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone previews the 2019 Cincinnati Reds season. 

Tuesday, March 19, 2019

The Norse are Dancing


March is here and that means spring has sprung and the madness is about to start! I love March Madness and try to watch every game that I can by using a combination of various screens. I fill out a few brackets and root for teams that I'm a fan of and also ones that I have going deep into the tournament. This year will be a little different though as for only the second time in history, I will be cheering for my Alma mater.

Last Tuesday, the Northern Kentucky University Norse won the Horizon League Conference Tournament and earned an automatic bid to the big dance. I couldn't be happier. After seemingly coming from out of nowhere to win the conference tournament two years ago to make their first March Madness appearance, the team was upset in last year's Horizon League Tournament and had to settle for the National Invitation Tournament despite being crowned Horizon League Regular Season Champions. For those of you who do not know, the Horizon League is a small mid major conference and only the conference tournament champs get to go dancing in March. That is why winning the conference championship is so important for schools in smaller leagues.

For NKU, the 2018-19 season has easily been the best in school history. The team won a share of the Horizon League Regular Season Championship, Drew McDonald was named Horizon League Player of the Year, and the Norse defeated the Oakland Golden Grizzlies in thrilling fashion when McDonald drilled a game winning three pointer 1.6 seconds left in the game before cruising past the Wright State Raiders to win the Horizon League Conference Tournament Championship. Hopefully the momentum the Norse have captured continues into the NCAA tournament. Cinderella teams usually make their mark in March, and the Norse just might be wearing some glass slippers.

Norse up!









Aaron Harang Bobblehead Unboxing


Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone unboxes a 2007 SGA Cincinnati Reds Aaron Harang bobblehead.

Tuesday, March 12, 2019

2018 Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum Bobbleheads Review

2018 featured some pretty cool Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum bobbleheads. The Reds Hall of Fame continued its tradition of distributing bobbleheads to fans on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays of each month during the season with the purchase of an admission ticket. I did not get every bobblehead that the Reds Hall of Fame handed out this season as some were of repeat players. In this post, I will review the bobbleheads I added to my collection courtesy of the Reds Hall of Fame.


The first bobblehead I received from the Reds Hall of Fame this year was a members’ exclusive bobblehead of Chuck Harmon. In order to obtain the bobblehead, you had to be a Reds Hall of Fame and Museum member. This is the first ever Reds bobblehead of Chuck Harmon and the reason why I became a member. The membership also included some other perks, but the Harmon bobblehead is the best benefit of being a member in my opinion.


The second bobblehead from the Reds Hall of Fame that was added to my collection was a 1988 Rookie of the Year Chris Sabo bobble. Sabo is a bigtime fan favorite among Reds Country, and this particular bobble honors his Rookie of the Year award. I do not actively try to get repeat players unless the bobblehead is significantly different. I have the 2010 Sabo bobblehead that the Reds gave out when he was inducted into the Reds Hall of Fame. The 2018 bobblehead came free with my Reds Hall of Fame membership, and even though I already have a Sabo bobble, the Rookie of the Year version is a pretty cool addition to my collection.


Third on the list of Reds Hall of Fame bobbleheads that I received was a bobblehead of Ernie Lombardi. He is a Reds legend, and I had been wanting either the team or the Reds Hall of Fame to give out a bobblehead of him for what seemed like an eternity. This bobblehead looks great and came free with my membership.


Fourth was a double bobblehead of Johnny Vander Meer. Like Lombardi, I had been wanting the Reds Hall of Fame or the team to give a bobblehead of Vander Meer for a very long time. He was on the 1940 World Series Championship team and became the first player in history to throw back to back no hitters. As such, his bobblehead is a double bobble and it might be one of the best that the Reds Hall of Fame has ever produced.


The fifth Reds Hall of Fame bobblehead for my collection in 2018 is a Tom Browning on a Building bobblehead. This bobblehead commemorates his famous 1993 stunt in which he left Wrigley Field during a game and perched himself on a roof across the street from the stadium. This is a fantastic bobblehead of Browning, and I consider it significantly different from other Browning bobblehead in my collection. 


The final bobblehead of 2018 that the Reds Hall of Fame gave out was of Harry Wright. This bobblehead was given out in exchange for a donation to the Reds Hall of Fame "150th Anniversary Legacy Campaign" to help cover the costs of renovating the actual Reds Hall of Fame and Museum building. Wright is the "Father of Professional Baseball" as he paid every player on the 1869 Cincinnati Red Stockings making them the first professional baseball team. This is by far my favorite Reds Hall of Fame bobblehead of 2018. 

Those are all the bobbleheads that I added to my collection courtesy of the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum in 2018. They all look great and do an excellent job of representing different generations of Reds history. My favorite from this batch might be Ernie Lombardi. It’s hard to beat a bobblehead of a Reds legend and National Baseball Hall of Famer which is what Lombardi is. The only bobbleheads from the 2018 Reds Hall of Fame lineup that I did not get were Adam Dunn and Johnny Bench as I already have bobbles of them in my collection, and I felt that the 2018 versions were not significantly different enough. 2018 was a solid year for Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum bobbleheads, and I cannot wait to see what the Reds Hall of Fame unveils for 2019.









Alexander Global Promotions Prize Pack Unboxing


Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone unboxes an Alexander Global Promotions prize pack.
Follow Alexander Global Promotions on Twitter: @AgpBobbleheads

Tuesday, March 5, 2019

2019 Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum Bobblehead Preview


The Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum is a great way to learn about the history of professional baseball's oldest franchise. With the team celebrating its 150th anniversary season this year along with the Reds Hall of Fame and Museum building undergoing a renovation this offseason, 2019 will be a year in which visiting the Reds Hall of Fame at least once is a must. Need another reason to check it out this year? The Reds Hall of Fame will be giving out a total of six bobbleheads with five of them being distributed on Saturdays and Sundays with price of admission from May through September.

The first bobblehead announced by the Reds Hall of Fame is if George Wright. George is the brother of Harry, the man credited with establishing the Cincinnati Red Stockings as the world's first professional baseball team in 1869. George played shortstop for the Red Stockings and was awarded the Clipper Medal in 1868 for being selected as baseball's best shortstop. He is a member of both the Reds Hall of Fame and the National Baseball Hall of Fame and his bobblehead is exclusively being given out to 2019 Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum members. I believe this will be the first bobblehead to feature Wright.

The series of Reds Hall of Fame bobblehead giveaways officially kicks off in May with a 100th anniversary celebration of the Reds' first World Series Championship when a bobblehead of Pat Moran will be given to fans. Moran was the manager of the Reds from 1919-1923 and guided the team to their first ever World Series Championship in 1919. As far as I know, this will be the first Reds bobblehead of Moran.

The second bobblehead will be given away in June and will celebrate the 75th anniversary Joe Nuxhall making his major league debut at the age of 15. Nuxhall was a fan favorite if Reds Country both on the field and in the radio booth as the longtime broadcast partner of Marty Brennaman. With Marty retiring at the end of the season, this bobblehead of "the Ol' Left-hander" should be a popular one with fans. This will be the third giveaway bobblehead of Nuxhall as the Reds gave out a dual bobble of Marty and Joe in 2003 and a bobblehead of Nuxhall as a player in 2004.

The July bobblehead will be the third of the series and will feature Gus Bell. He played for the Reds from 1953-61 and was a four time All-Star. He was later inducted into the Reds Hall of Fame in 1964. Bell is the father of Buddy who was a former big leaguer who played for the Reds from 1985-88, and is the grandfather of current Reds manager David. This is the first Reds bobblehead of Gus that will be distributed to fans.

Vada Pinson is the fourth bobblehead of the series and will be given away in August. He played for the Redlegs from 1958-68 and helped the team capture the National League Championship Series in 1961. He was also named to the National League All-Star team in 1959 and in 1960 and won a Gold Glove Award in 1961. Pinson was inducted into he Reds Hall of Fame in 1977 and will have his first Reds bobblehead distributed this year.

The Reds Hall of Fame and Museum's final bobblehead giveaway of 2019 will happen in August, and in my opinion, they saved the best for last. The fifth bobblehead of the series is of Reds legend Ted Kluszewski. Known as "Big Klu," and for cutting the sleeves of his uniform because they were too tight around his massive arms, Kluszewski belted 279 homers and drove in 1,028 runs. He also helped lead the Big Red Machine to back to back World Series Championships as the team's hitting coach. Without a shadow of a doubt, the 1962 Reds Hall of Fame inductee is one of the most popular Reds players of all time and will finally be immortalized as a bobblehead for the first time ever this year.

Those are all the bobbleheads scheduled to be given out by the Reds Hall of Fame and Museum in 2019. The lineup is loaded with Reds legends and aside from Nuxhall, features guys who have never been immortalized as Reds bobbles. I am very excited for the "Big Klu" bobblehead and cannot wait to get my hands on it. If you are a Reds fan, a bobblehead fan, or both, make you sure you visit the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum this season to add these bobbleheads to your collection.




Bronson Arroyo Bobblehead Unboxing


Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone unboxes a 2007 SGA Cincinnati Reds Bronson Arroyo bobblehead. 

Tuesday, February 26, 2019

Major League Crest


Earlier in November, FC Cincinnati unveiled their new team crest in preparation for their 2019 Major League Soccer debut. The new logo has an updated appearance from its United Soccer League counterpart and features a few details that pay tribute to the city of Cincinnati. 

The overall shape of the crest is inspired from the West End which is where the team’s stadium will be built. The font used on the crest for “FC Cincinnati” is said to be both German and modern and the way Cincinnati is displayed symbolizes how the city is on the rise. The winged lion has been given an updated look and is holding a sword to show how the club is ready for battle. The crown on the lion’s head is for the Queen City, and the three tiered wing commemorates the team’s USL seasons prior to joining MLS. It’s tail is in the shape of a capital “C” for Cincinnati, and the winged lion logo was retained to showcase the franchise’s winning spirit. 

I the crest was leaked a few days before the it was officially unveiled, and it received mixed reviews from fans. Personally, I love it. It looks sleek and much more professional than the USL logo. It also features Cincinnati much more prominently than the hold crest. I think as time goes on, more people will appreciate the new crest. I will always have a soft spot for the original USL crest as that is the symbol of the team that captured the attention of the soccer world and helped propel the franchise to MLS. I will continue to wear and obtain merchandise with both logos and support the team no matter what.

Go FCC!



FC Cincinnati 2019 Season Outlook


Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone previews the 2019 Major League Soccer debut season of FC Cincinnati. 

Tuesday, February 19, 2019

An Elite Challenger



Without question, professional wrestling reached its peak in popularity during the late 1990s and early 2000s. The World Wrestling Federation was engaged in a ruthless battle for ratings supremacy and company survival with World Championship Wrestling. Extreme Championship Wrestling grew from a small renegade promotion in Philadelphia and became a national phenomenon and formidable challenger to both WCW and the WWF. All three companies were putting on excellent matches and pay-per-view worthy television shows with an unbelievably deep roster. Ratings for pro wrestling television programs skyrocketed as quality programming became the weekly standard. That changed when ECW folded and WCW was bought by the WWF.

The battlefield became quiet as Vince McMahon's pro wrestling juggernaut emerged as the sole survivor. The WWF eventually became World Wrestling Entertainment and with no real threat to ratings or profits, the quality of WWE programming began to decline as did pro wrestling's popularity. It seemed as if the company began to rest on its laurels. Ring of Honor and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling have since emerged from the rubble left from the Monday Night Wars between WCW and WWE, but they do. It have the financial backing or popularity to really be contenders to WWE's throne. New Japan Pro Wrestling has made strides in garnering the interest of American wrestling fans, but the time zone difference and lack of a real television deal is a tough obstacle to overcome for the Japanese wrestling promotion. The reign of WWE over the professional wrestling world looked like it would last forever. If a pro wrestling company were to challenge WWE for the crown, it would need to be an elite challenger. Enter All Elite Wrestling.

Following the success of the independent "All In" wrestling event that featured wrestlers from promotions such as ROH, TNA, NJPW, and the National Wrestling Alliance among others, speculation on if top ROH stars and "All In" masterminds Cody Rhodes and the Young Bucks would start their own promotion ran rampant. Trademarks for "All Elite Wrestling" were filed for in November and Rhodes, the Young Bucks, and several other of ROH's top wrestler left the promotion in December. On January 1, 2019, All Elite Wrestling's creation was officially announced. The next day, the father and son duo of Shahid Khan and Tony Khan were announced as company investors with Tony also serving as company president. The Khans are billionaires as well as part owners of the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League and Fulham Football Club of the Premier League and are reportedly backing the new wrestling promotion with a $100 million investment.

The first shots of what could be a new wrestling war were fired on January 8 when AEW held its inaugural press conference at TIAA Bank Field which is the home of the Jacksonville Jaguars. Wrestling fans packed the conference as WWE's SmackDown television program was airing live from Jacksonville later that night. At the conference, AEW announced a working relationship with Chinese professional wrestling company Oriental Wrestling Entertainment as well as some of the wrestlers signed to the AEW roster. Notable wrestlers already under the AEW brand include Christopher Daniela, Frankie Kazarian, Scorpio Sky, Pac (who competed in WWE as Neville), and Chris Jericho.

While it is still early and AEW has yet to produce an official show or announce any sort of television deal at the time that this lost was written, many wrestling reporters and fans, including myself, see AEW as a legitimate competitor to WWE. Apparently WWE might be feeling the same way. The company was reportedly turning away people from the SmackDown airing in Jacksonville who were wearing AEW merchandise. The company's inaugural event, "Double or Nothing," is set for May 25, 2019. There is still plenty of time for AEW to not only announce a television deal and build toward the event but also sign more wrestlers to its roster. The Revival and Mike Bennett have recently requested their release from WWE. I wouldn't be shocked if they wind up in AEW, and if they are first of a number of WWE defections.

As a wrestling fan, I am very excited for AEW. Having another legitimate professional wrestling company that has both the talent and the financial backing to compete with WWE is a fantastic development for the wrestling industry as a whole. Not only does it give fans another option to get their pro wrestling fix, but it can also bring about a surge in wrestling popularity and quality. The Monday Night Wars took professional wrestling a to unprecedented heights. Maybe AEW can be the catalyst to launch another wrestling boom.




Tuesday, February 12, 2019

The Taylor Era Has Begun


After weeks of speculation, the worst kept secret in the National Football League of Zac Taylor becoming the next head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals was made official last Monday. Taylor will become the tenth head coach in the history of the franchise and is considered to be a breath of fresh air for the team as his offensive mindset is the total opposite of the defensive atmosphere that was created under the Marvin Lewis regime. Despite being only 35 years old, Taylor has a plethora of coaching experience.

He started his coaching career at Texas A&M University in 2008 as a graduate assistant and tight ends coach before joining the Miami Dolphins in 2012 as assistant quarterbacks coach. In 2013, he became the team’s quarterbacks coach and served as interim offensive coordinator in 2015. Taylor had his first stint in the Queen City as quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator for the University of Cincinnati Bearcats in 2016. He then joined the Los Angeles Rams staff in 2017 as assistant wide receivers coach before taking over as quarterbacks coach in 2018. 

I am very excited to see what the Bengals can do with Zac Taylor as the new head coach. The team had become very stale and the fanbase had become beyond frustrated with Marvin Lewis and his style of coaching. With offensive innovation becoming the growing trend in the NFL, the Bengals wanted to hire somebody with a connection to one of the coaches leading that change, and I believe they did that by hiring a former protégé of Sean McVay in Zac Taylor. Hopefully Taylor can take what he learned from under McVay, make it his own, and turn the Cincinnati Bengals into Super Bowl Champions.

Who Dey!





Corey Dillon Bobblehead Unboxing


Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone unboxes a Cincinnati Bengals bobblehead of Corey Dillon.

Tuesday, February 5, 2019

Adios Ambrose?


The day after the 2019 Royal Rumble, rumors started swirling around the internet that Dean Ambrose was set to leave World Wrestling Entertainment after Wrestlemania 35. Those rumors seemingly turned to fact as WWE released a statement confirming that Ambrose would not be renewing his contract once it expired in April. Reports indicated that Ambrose had grown frustrated with the creative direction of his character and had reached his breaking point with the company.  

Ambrose first debuted with the company in late 2012 as part of the faction known as the Shield along with Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins with Ambrose capturing the United States Championship in 2013. The trio ran roughshod in WWE before embarking on singles careers after Wrestlemania 30 in 2014. Ambrose would go on to capture the Intercontinental Championship in 2015 and the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in 2016 before winning the Tag Team Championship with Seth Rollins in 2017 making him the first member of the Shield to become a Grand Slam Champion. He missed most of 2018 with an injury and when he returned around SummerSlam, the Shield briefly reunited before Reigns had to leave the company due to cancer. Ambrose later turned heel on Rollins, but the feud between the two and Ambrose’s heel turn never gained any real traction.

With WWE confirming that Ambrose will not be renewing his contract, the top wrestling promotion in the world will be without one of its biggest stars following Wrestlemania 35. This could be beneficial for both sides as Ambrose leaving the company will allow somebody to take his place in the company. For Ambrose, there might be no better time than now to be a free agent in the wrestling industry. New Japan Pro Wrestling is growing in popularity outside of Japan and Ring of Honor has been a nice alternative to WWE for wrestlers looking for a new home. Impact Wrestling is seemingly rising back up the ranks, and the National Wrestling Alliance is starting to make waves in the pro wrestling world once again. There is also All Elite Wrestling which is a very real threat to WWE. It has legitimate big-name stars with Cody Rhodes, the Young Bucks, and Chris Jericho already signed to its roster, and it is backed by the Khan family. The Khans are billionaires and are providing the financial support for AEW. I would not be surprised if Ambrose winds up in AEW as he will undoubtedly become the hottest free agent on the market. 

This could also be a work by WWE. Their confirmation of Ambrose leaving the company was uncharacteristically addressed months in advance and was also very pleasant when compared to the statements that WWE released when they parted ways with other wrestlers. I would not be shocked if this all part of a storyline, but I would also not be surprised if Ambrose is truly leaving the company. Either way, it has definitely created a buzz for the WWE and Ambrose. Combine that with the upcoming Wrestlemania 35 pay-per-view, and you have must see TV for wrestling fans.

If Ambrose really is leaving though, it will be a sad day for Cincinnati wrestling fans. Ambrose is the most popular wrestler to come from the Queen City since Brian Pillman. He became the last undisputed WWE World Heavyweight Champion in company history and is also the first member of the Shield to become a Grand Slam Champion. More importantly, he made me heavily invested in pro wrestling again which is something that has not happened since I was a kid during the Attitude Era. Having a hometown favorite to root for in WWE is fun, and I will never forget where I was or how I reacted when Ambrose cashed in his Money in the Bank contract to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. I am and will always be a Dean Ambrose fan, and whether or not he returns to the WWE as Dean Ambrose or wrestles for another company as Jon Moxley, I will always be in his corner.














Anthony Munoz Bobblehead Unboxing


Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone unboxes a Cincinnati Bengals Anthony Munoz bobblehead. 

Tuesday, January 29, 2019

The Real Super Bowl Halftime Show


The Super Bowl Halftime Show has almost become as big as the actual game. Over the years, the biggest musical acts in the industry have performed mini concerts on a global stage while the AFC and NFC champions catch their breath before the start of the second half of the game. This year’s musical act is pop rock band Maroon 5. I am not a fan of the band and was most likely going to use the halftime show as a bathroom break and to restock my plate with food. That plan changed when World Wrestling Entertainment announced that they will bring back Halftime Heat this Sunday.

Halftime Heat is a wrestling match that occurs during the halftime show of the Super Bowl. It originated in 1999 when the Rock and Mankind battled for the WWE Championship in a very entertaining “Empty Arena” match. The match was fun to watch, and it allowed football fans to get their wrestling fix on Super Bowl Sunday. With the advent of the WWE Network as well as WWE’s various social media platforms, Halftime Heat is making its glorious return with a six man tag team match that features some of the best that NXT has to offer. The team of Aleister Black, Ricochet and Velveteen Dream will take on NXT Champ Tommaso Ciampa, NXT North American Champ Johnny Gargano and Adam Cole. These are some of the best wrestlers that NXT has to offer and some of the most athletic guys in professional wrestling. 

If you are a wrestling fan like myself, make sure you check out Halftime Heat. The 1999 edition was a fun alternative to the halftime show, and this year’s battle between some of NXT’s best is sure to be very entertaining. Hopefully Halftime Heat does well and draws a big enough audience to convince WWE to keep it going for future Super Bowls.