Whose the Best? A Marks Answer

Time for a jaunt into lost youth, entertainment, and the world of professional wrestling. Kidding? Nope, I'm serious. While yes, it's scripted, it's still brings countless hours of joy to young kids, and the inner child of adult men across the country. Like most men of my generation, I started watching pro wrestling back in the 80's. The days of NWA, WWF (now called WWE), neon, flash, over the top characters, and REALLY BAD HAIR.And while this form of sports entertainment changes with every generation, there's a question on the lips of every mark out there. Who's your favorite wrestler?

For me, I've always been a black sheep with a lot of things. This area is really no different. Over the years, the average fan will utter the names of Flair, Hogan, the Rock, and occasionally Bret Hart, or Sting. While those men have made their mark and earned their way, the names I always wanted to watch were different. Piper, DDP, and Austin. Ok, not that different, but lets take a look at them.

The 80's were great. I started watching, and cheering like other boys. For me though, I could have given a rats booty about Hulk Hogan. While everyone else was Hulking up, I was excited to see Rowdy Roddy Piper. The man was a maniac. Hardcore, before hardcore was a thing. While most people were saying holy cow, I was saying PIPER, PIPER, PIPER! The 90's came around, and it got better. Hogan was starting to show his age, fans were starting to see him for who he always has been. A weak wrestler that could cut a great promo. So when Piper crossed over into WCW and was working a feud with him, it was a weird good time. I went from cheering for the bad guy, to cheering for the good guy because both men switched places.

But the 90's were a turbulent time for wrestling. The pomp and circumstance was no longer the status quo, as balls and attitude were the new demand. And while Piper will always be my first favorite, I was still cheering for the dark side. Enter Diamond Dallas Page. A bad guy with style. And he was just getting better and better. The best part, his finisher the Diamond Cutter can and would come out of nowhere. But there was something interesting that really pulled me in. In a short span of a few years of actually wrestling, everyone was cheering for the bad guy instead of the good guy. It wasn't because he was being bad, instead, it was because he was standing his ground and telling the good guys, and the bad guys where to stick it. He did what he wanted on his terms. It wasn't over the top, it wasn't flashy, it seemed somewhat real and could be related to by anyone. He was essentially opening up to take on the entire roster. It was incredible.

But DDP wasn't alone in this. Stone Cold Steve Austin entered his own here too. He had been fun to watch in the past, but this character was him. He turned on his handler, he gave the finger to everyone, and essentially was doing the same thing as DDP but in a different way. While DDP was the self made man doing what was best for him, Austin was essentially saying, "You're not the boss of me!" It was something that everyone from the adolescent to the working man could find. So seeing what the two of these men would do next was almost always a gamble. Unlike what Piper was doing, and the rest of the previous generation of wrestlers, it was no longer the predictable good versus evil. It was now a game of who could hit harder.

These days wrestling can still be fun. But it's not the same. It's a different generation, relating to a different audience. Sadly, some wrestlers haven't realized that 30 plus years is too much and haven't retired from full time involvement, while others occasionally show up as a blast from the past. But it's not a weekly venture for me any more. It's an on/off relationship that I come back to every couple months. The torch has been passed. And with all the change, not everything is different. Much like real sports, it's something that old fans and new fans alike can sit down and talk about.

Jackson Vs Ortiz: Bellator continues to fall behind the 8-Ball

In my best Paul Harvey voice here. Hello fight world! This is the Crypt Keeper. Standby for craaaappp! Before you get all defensive, read on further as I'm talking about one bout in particular. And in my sites today is the red-headed step child that's always behind the 8-ball, Bellator MMA.

Bellator directly in my site.

Before I get into the match I'm loathing, let me get those of you who don't know me up to speed on my opinion on Bellators current state. With Zuffa's purchase and integration of Strikeforce into the UFC, a lot of fighters were let go for various reasons. Some good, some bad, but none the less there were a good number of fighters looking for a new organization to call home. Bellator had the opportunity to really step up here, add some weight to their roster, and gain some main line credibility as a viable threat to the UFC just as Strikeforce was before their buyout. Bellator dropped the ball. Fighters that should have been picked up were left to walk. And instead of looking at a strong future, they pulled a play out of Dixie Carter's book, and started snatching up big names that should be retired or are just garbage. Essentially Bellator is now the TNA to UFC's status as the WWE of cage fighting. Is sad. It's not to say Bellator doesn't have any good fighters. They do. Their overall product just isn't up to par, and they're too blinded by the well polished turd in their hands to realize it's a turd.

So fast forward to the fight I'm talking about. The recently announced debacle between Quinton Jackson versus Tito Ortiz. What the french toast? Now that we know what match has my blood pressure up, lets take a look at the fighters. Then I'll go into the match.

Lets start with Jackson, who I have respect for. He stepped away from the UFC and admitted he just can't hang with the big dogs anymore. He's close to retirement and is looking at that horizon. He probably has one good fight left in him, but essentially he's done. His attitude reflects this as well. So now he has a contract that allows him to test the waters of the fight world to see if it's really still worth it to him, and he can start making a transition to "professional wrestling" with TNA. A world where his name can still pack an arena, and net some big money. He's at that stage where a crowd chanting, "One more time" actually means something. Rampage, more like Junkyard Dog these days, is a good veteran to Bellator to test its people against to see if they really are ready for that next level. Could Jackson hold a belt? Possibly, but he probably wouldn't hold that strap for very long.

Now for the Huntington Beach Bitch Boy. This classless dingle berry just needs to leave the fight world. It doesn't matter if he wins or loses, he's a bad sport and brings down the fight world anymore. Win, lose, or draw he always has a story about how he broke this, strained that, or some other training mishap that took away from his a game, but he fought anyways. Hey jackass, this isn't the WWE! You don't have to play a heel character! This guy has an excuse for everything. If it was just when he lost, it would be one thing. You could chalk it up to being pissed about the loss. But even when he wins he has something ugly spewing from the suck on his face. Then look at his record. Over the better part of the last decade, his loss record has quickly added up to almost match his win record. Some of those loses are to fighters that are not even up to Jackson's caliber. It's sad. Very, very sad.

The fight itself is good purely for nostalgia purposes. But really it's nothing more than a trip down memory lane as both are far from their prime. It should in no way be the Main Event status it's being given. It's like watching Hulk Hogan go one more round with Ric Flair. Will Tito do the Flair Flop? It's ridiculous. For me, it shows just how involved Spike TV/ Viacom really are with their programming. This fight is entertainment, not a fight. And I know I'm not alone in this opinion. If Bellator really wants to be taken seriously as a fight organization, and not as a stepping stool to "professional wrestling" they really need to change their game up.

TNA Wrestline Sting Vs Hogan. Purely a nostalgic match. So Sad.

This "fight" has the potential to go either way. It could be a money maker provided Tito takes it seriously, and does everything he can to actually deliver a fight. Or it could be just another match on Jackson's path to TNA. Either way, it's a gamble that Bellator has placed way too much in. Queue the music, I'm out. In the words of Paul Harvey, "Good Day."