Tag: Wrestling

NXT Takeover: Wargames II…

Posted on by anele25

It’s the day before Thanksgiving and one of the things I am thankful for is great wrestling. This past week I have had the opportunity to watch some of the NXT product and it gets me excited to watch wrestling. This year I have also attended two of New Japan’s show, one in Los Angeles and the other in San Francisco. Both shows also reignited something inside me to love wrestling on a different level. The wrestling I grew up with not only gave me characters, funny storylines, and action but they also gave me nostalgia. This product that I am watching now gives me a glimpse into how wrestling is now with storylines that build up to a crescendo with a payoff. The one thing that both the NXT and the New Japan product does is show me how much of a good feeling it gives you to see action in its purist form. The particular show I want to touch on is NXT Takeover: Wargames II. The particular show took place in Los Angeles at the Staples Center. I’ll have a few pictures down below to highlight some of the characters that I will be talking about.

The four matches on the card (well besides the surprise at the beginning of Matt Riddle vs Kassius Ohno which went 6 seconds) were as follows: Undisputed Era (Bobby Fish, Adam Cole, Roderick Strong, and Kyle O’ Reilly) vs Rowe and Hanson (War Raiders) Ricochet and Pete Dunne in the classic War Games match. The match itself takes places inside a steel cage that surrounds two wrestling rings. The team with the man advantage (example would be there could be a 2 on 1 advantage or a 3 on 2 advantage) was the Undisputed Era who were the bad guys in the match in this dual until both teams were in the ring with the rules being that if anyone from either team left the steel cage that team would forfeit the match for their team. The only way to win the match would be to submit someone from the opposing team or pin them otherwise. I really liked the match with a devastation of moves from both sides with backbreakers, suplexes, backflips, and use of weapons. The match itself went 47 minutes with some of the highlights including a 650 splash from the top of the cage of sorts from Richochet onto 7 of the competitors in the match. I also enjoyed some of the aspects of the match with using the ‘smaller’ guys in Undisputed to be thrown around by the War Raiders from one ring to the other. I also enjoyed how O’Reilly and Strong worked together in the match to take down Ricochet and the War Raiders with some chops kicks, suplexes, and some backbreakers. This was the 2nd time that the WWE version did their version of the original NWA invention back in the 1980’s. The story was built in and it didn’t have to have too much complication to it. Something I did not mention before hand was that both teams started at one point or another had their team members inside these small cages so that they would not leave before it was there turn to enter the ring (a new member would enter every 3 minutes). One of the other highlights (related to the previous sentence) was waiting for Dunne from the War Raiders and Richochet team was held inside the cell before he would come out and he was locked inside by Bobby Fish of the Undisputed Era. Eventually, some refs came down to free Dunne from the cage with some boltcutters. Honestly, it delivered but probably my only gripe was that it went 12-13 minutes too long and it could have gone a little less time had it not been with the story being played that Dunne was locked inside the cage. The finishing sequence saw Dunne hit his finisher the Bitter End and afterwards Richochet hit Adam Cole with a splash from the top. I would watch this again for my own entertainment.

The second match that went on was Johnny Gargano vs Aleister Black. This to me was tied with the other match that I wanted to review which was Velveteen Dream vs Tomasso Ciampa both matches delivered in their own unique way. I felt the story in the Gargano/Black match was that Gargano had laid out Black a few months before and Black was now out for revenge. The reason he had attacked him was because for most of the year Gargano and Tomasso Ciampa had been fighting over the NXT Championship. Well, Black was inserted into their match at the previous NXT Takeover in New York and now Gargano felt that was rather unfair. He himself saw it as a heroic act but in reality it was selfish of him to do so. Now we were here and boy was it ever a classic. The one thing that may get overlooked in the match is how psychology plays into the match. Both wrestlers had a knack in the match to ask the other wrestler to come at them with their best shot until they realized that they were just messing with them and wanted to just play with their emotions.  They hit their signature dives, suplexes, and slams but what impressed me the most is how well the two gelled in the ring together. I enjoyed how Black kept up with Gargano’s cheap shots by coming back with a fiery comeback one after another. The match from what I can recollect was the first time that they had wrestled each other. We saw how well also Gargano has officially become “Johnny Takeover” by now participating in his 11th Takeover which is now an official record. The match itself did wonders for both because we saw the evil diabolical Gargano got what was coming to him after Black hit the Black Mass. Defintely a classic that I would watch again and who cares if they didn’t sell in the match.

The next match I wanted to talk about was Tomasso Ciampa vs Velveteen Dream and my gosh this match was just as awesome as the previous match. I enjoyed how the veteran Ciampa kept giving Dream everything he could in the match. Both men were trying to outdo each other by taunting each other with their poses and what not. Dream kept coming back and the crowd was right behind him every step of the way. He in fact used a figure four leg lock reminiscent of the Ric Flair and Bret Hart days of using a figure four leg lock. He even used a Hulk Hogan Leg Drop that got me jumping me out of my seat. The match itself ended because we saw how overanxious Dream got because he was so close to winning the match itself with his elbow drop and his finish. He worked so that his charisma could shine right through. I remember when the show Tough Enough was still airing and he got cut from the show and somehow I felt that he would become a superstar. Lo and Behold here he was in a prominent spot on one of the biggest shows of the year. I enjoyed how once Dream hit his finish and then his elbow off the top rope that he had it down to a second and he could have won. Once Dream missed his elbow drop again Ciampa got up and his finish the Fairytale Ending. What a Match!

The last match I want to review is Kairi Sane vs Shayna Baszler for the NXT Women’s championship match which delivered again with some hard hitting moves and on both sides there was interference from Baszler’s side and also Sane’s side as well. The match was 2 out of 3 falls. The 1st fall was won by Baszler and the 2nd by Sane and then lastly by Baszler.  I liked how they kept putting on holds so that the other would not escape. These two whenever they wrestle we know something crazy is going to happen and this was no different. Sane I thought would end up winning but in fact I was wrong because she got help at the end from Io Shirai and Dakota Kai and Baszler was assisted by her friends Jessica M Duke and Marina Shafir which helped the match because the two had had 4 matches previously and we had already seen several matches between them before hand. The match itself was impressive for what it was and this match itself was the opener for the card.

For everything that happened during the card itself, the Takeovers deliver and give you a special feeling whenever they come on because they are built up so well for the audience that is watching. I would recommend this for anyone that is looking for something to watch this weekend. Have a safe and happy thanksgiving everyone take care of your loved ones and give them a tight hug on this very special day that is coming up. Just in general, remember that those few precious hours you have together are good enough just to laugh and take everything in little by little life is too short (p.s. I posted a few pictures below of the Takeover event)

Image result for kairi sane vs shayna baszler nxt takeover wargames

Image result for shayna baszler vs kairi sane takeover

Image result for nxt takeover wargames

Image result for nxt takeover wargames

Image result for nxt takeover wargames

Image result for nxt takeover wargames

Image result for nxt takeover wargames

Something to wrestle with and my memories of Bret Hart’s 1996-1997

Posted on by anele25

1-1

The land of wrestling podcasts has recently taken over my life. The craze started not too long ago and needless to say, they help when you are washing the dishes, washing the car, or doing laundry. This is beside the point however; I want to cover today a recent podcast done by Bruce Prichard of something to wrestle with fame. The topic for this recent podcast was Bret Hart. If you don’t worry who that is, do not be alarmed you will by the end of this post. My memories of that time are quite extraordinary and full of joy. First, I’ll go through some major points that Bruce Prichard covered and then I’ll give some of my perspective.

 

The podcast does a very good job of painting Bret at this time as someone who could have an excellent match with anyone during that era. He worked with a who’s who of wrestlers. His matches included excellent storytelling, great selling, good flow, and a way of sucking you in so you could believe it. One of those matches was Bret Hart vs Steve Austin from WrestleMania 13. The match did a good job of telling the classic story of the cocky upstart who is being a rebel vs the proud hero who stands by his morals. Hart of course, was the hero who stood by his morals. The fans at the time were clamoring for a change and wanted something new. In storyline, the idea was to do a double turn and have one guy go ‘good’ and another go ‘bad’. Bret at this time was portrayed as being good and Austin as bad. The fans saw how much Austin clawed and scratched to try and win but to no avail. The fans by the end of the match knew that Austin had given it his all in the match and Bret was just being a bully by beating down on a limp body. That is why that match is (by those days), considered a classic. It works because it was believable and it gives credit to the performers that were out there. The match was bloody, full of hard hitting action, and kept you on the edge of your seat. More on these excellent feuds later on. One of my favorite pieces of the podcast included the insights into how the Montreal Screw job came about. The incident famously known as the Montreal Screw job was orchestrated in 1997 as a way to get the belt off Bret Hart so he wouldn’t walk away from the company with the belt.

 

The scenario was in place so that Shawn Michaels (the incumbent champion) and Bret Hart could have a finish even though one person was not clued in. Essentially, the original plan was for the match to end in a disqualification and there would be members of the Hart Foundation (Bret’s group and faction) that would run in and have the match end in controversial fashion. However, at the end of the match Shawn put Bret Hart in his own hold (the sharpshooter, which is where Bret would put his left leg in between his opponents’ two legs and turn the person around and sit on the person’s back until they gave up). The finish of the match saw Bret not give up and the referee rang for the bell. Needless to say, Bret was very upset at the end of this and realized he had been double crossed. After this, he left upset and even had the guts to punch his former boss, Vince McMahon. There has been quite a bit said as to the different scenarios that would have come into place if this situation would not have happened. I also really enjoyed the 1996 portion of this podcast because you also got an insight into Bret taking a leave of absence for his TV shows and to take a break. I also heard the first time that he got a call to come back in 1996 and he flat out said no. It was almost as if Bret needed time to recharge his batteries at time to be with his families. I also learned from this portion of this podcast that Bret was a very smart man when it came to negotiating for his contract and for what he felt was right. At this time, it was rumored that Bret would jump to the rival company, WCW.

 

He would have been one of the members of the newly formed New World Order. The spot that was originally meant for Hart went to one Hulk Hogan. It’s funny because if that would have happened he would not have as a successful run as he did.  Bret however, knew that he still had an opportunity to work with one of the new stars in the WWF in Steve Austin. I remember at this time also that the podcast mentioned on how Bret was always keen on making his opponents look good and how he worked hard to make sure that everything made sense. One of these times where this was true was where Bret did a USA vs Canada angle and he was very successful at having the USA fans hate him. I have gone off the rails a bit and I am going to just cover what I remember from this time period of 1996-1997. It may be bit scattered but for me it is how I remember it. Anyway, getting back to the USA vs Canada angle. I had a sense at the time that what Bret was doing was fairly interesting because he had fans on one side of the border hating his guts. In another country, he had fans still cheering him as their hero. I still vividly remember Bret saying ‘we don’t shoot each other on the streets and we still care for our sick’. Ironically enough, this was done in Canada. Meanwhile, in the USA the fans still hated his guts for being pompous about pimping his home country. It would be as if I went around from country to country and I would be liked or respected only in one or a few. I also remember the summer of 1997 was awesome because this was where Bret Hart famed one of my favorite wrestling stables in the Hart Foundation. Bret Hart essentially went ahead and gathered his family members to start this group. It was composed of four great wrestlers (actually three) in Owen Hart, Davey Boy Smith, and Brian Pillman. The other member was Jim Neidhart. All five men ran roughshod over the federation. The pinnacle of the group came when they ran up against Steve Austin’s team of himself, Goldust, Ken Shamrock, and the Legion of Doom. I still remember this match as being emotional for me because my hero had come back from injury in 1997 after having that great run with Steve Austin. Just to backtrack a bit, Bret Hart had finished his series of matches with Steve Austin (including the classic at WrestleMania 13) and he had run an angle on TV where he was out injured due to some complications with his knee.

 

As he was coming back, I remember this promo Hart was cutting with Shawn Michaels in May of 1997 where Hart was calling Shawn all kinds of names and questioning his manhood. At the time, I was not smart to what was happening and realized that the TV time was running out. As the show was going off the air, I realized that the show did not officially end. Little did I know (according to the podcast with Prichard), Bret forgot the cue and he kept talking. All these later, I still felt that was how the show was supposed to end. Anyway, back to the match where they went up against Steve Austin’s team. The event took place in Canada in Calgary. The crowd that night was electric for the show known as Canadian Stampede. As the match was starting, I was in awe that all these people jammed into one arena to see their fellow countrymen do battle. The Foundation ended up winning after about 20-25 minutes of some hard hitting action. The time during my life at that time was also when my family and I would go to Mexico on vacation. As the time was rapidly approaching for us to leave, Summer slam 1997 was also happening. I remember watching Bret Hart’s championship match against the Undertaker at my mom’s work. Some of these times are priceless as I remember being a little kid and being excited for what was to come next. I think that was one of the magical things about Bret Hart’s 1996-1997 run. I remember after each Bret match, promo, or appearance I would ask myself what was next for the Hitman. One of those that I could remember was when before he left for his hiatus in 1996, he had a one-hour match with Shawn Michaels. The match was famous for going one hour without pinfalls or submissions. I also remember that the match went sudden death and about a minute in, Shawn Michaels was able to get the win with his superkick. After the match, Bret took his time getting back and the cameras followed him back to get his reaction and needless to say he was visibly upset. I know from this incident, I knew from there he was someone who could hook my interest from the beginning of a match or from the end of the match because he made you believe it was real. One of those times where I first got a peak behind the curtain was when the film “Wrestling with Shadows” was released.

 

The film showed us the intricacies of wrestling and how deep his belief went into wrestling. You also saw how much he cared about his family. His immediate family he cared about because you saw that what he grew up was almost like a sport that you had to take into account. If you not have seen the movie, I would highly recommend the film because you see the ins and outs of what it is like to be a wrestler and how one of the best wrestlers ever got to where he was. I’ll leave everything with this as one of my favorite memories of that run in 1996-1997. I remember when Bret had come back in 1996 and Bret came back and said how loyal he was to the WWF and how he wasn’t going anywhere. I was so happy at that time because for one he said he was staying and he also for the first time accepted Steve Austin’s challenge for a match at Survivor Series 1996. The idea for me at that time was that Bret would always be a WWF guy. In 2002, after Bret had officially retired full time from wrestling I wrote a paper about his time in wrestling. I remember I got a decent grade on the paper actually. I also was so happy when Bret Hart returned in 2010 to the now known WWE. He had a memorable run in 1996-97 but I believe here it warmed my heart that he let old wounds heal after the Montreal Screwjob and he was able to show the new generation of fans his skills.

 

Well, there you have it. I just wrote some great memories and some of my favorite times of my favorite wrestler, Bret Hart. Over the next two weeks I will be traveling on some weekends to Los Angeles and then after that I will be having some surgery to heal up some kidney stones. What I want to do for my next blog is include some little journal entries on what these trips were like and I’ll probably write them in my tiny moleskin that I was recently given as a gift. Till next time, everybody be on the lookout!

Top Ten Series #2: Top Ten things learned from wrestling(Pt.1)…

Posted on by anele25

Usually, there are those interests and activities which define us. For me, one of those happens to be wrestling. I like to think that wrestling is just like everything else on TV: pure entertainment that just happens to be as compelling or even more compelling than some TV shows. I can say that I have learned from wrestling that it is just like anything. We know what’s gonna happen but we want to see how the story ends. The good vs evil aspect of it is balanced well enough so that we hate the bad guy for his terrible misdeeds and we cheer the good guy for all his heroic actions. There is also the aspect of how cool and unreal some of these stories can seem when unraveling on TV or Pay Per View. This can come in the form of the actual wrestling matches or the interviews/promos they cut in the ring. I believe there are about 10 or so things that I have learned from wrestling and some of these may not seem obvious but to me they have developed my understanding of how wrestling works and what gets me hyped up to watch an in ring product. These have been essential in how I have come to appreciate and come to become a fan as would anybody that has come across a hobby or something they like. So, here I list my top ten list of things learned from wrestling.

10. Promos or interviews make the feud much more awesome if done right

A good promo consists of a clear and consistent message as well as addressing the issue that is currently at hand. Ric Flair, one of the best at this, really knocked it out of the park when it came to this as he made his opponents seem much more tougher and legit than any regular wrestler would have been. One of my favorite feuds of all time, Ric Flair VS. Ricky Steamboat, was done correctly because of how Flair would essentially complement Steamboat’s skills as well as putting the idea in people’s heads that either guy could win. The story behind the matches they would have was that one guy was a family guy (Steamboat) and Flair was the player with all the women, cars, and gold that any guy would envy. This was done brilliantly as each guy would talk the talk but they would also walk the walk. If there is one thing that is essential in interviews, it is the fact that the tone also has to be right. Flair, with most of his interviews, would be over the top but he did it with such diligence that he made you believe what he was saying was true. I can say that Steamboat wasn’t the best at cutting an interview but back when you were able to create the image of what you wanted to say it was possible to get across your point. Each guy would be serious but that was the point behind each promo. It was to build to a big feud and blow it off at some point. If there was no talking the wrestling in the ring would seem dull and unimportant. With talking, we come to understand if we want to invest with person’s character and which guy would really win (or in some cases we believe either guy could win). Simply put, if you talk people into the building, you’ve done your job.

9. Pro Wrestling is fake but the injuries and time spent away from home are not

If there is one thing I don’t understand, it’s the idea that pro wrestling is fake. For one, pro wrestling is fake but mostly due to the combination of acting, laid out matches, and lines that are memorized. However, the hits, bumps, the traveling, the crappy hotels, the bad food, the not being home, missing birthdays, holidays, and all that good stuff is not fake. I can’t imagine having to go through all that as well as being under constant pressure to perform almost 3-5 times a week. It would be almost like you are living out of a suitcase hanging around people you may or may not like. I have often heard the phrase that you end up having a road family and then there’s your family. It would be difficult to understand how wrestlers end up getting immersed in that lifestyle of living on the road as well as missing the comfort of your own home. There is also nothing like the good old injury that happens to hamper a wrestler that puts his body on the line 300+ days a year. I have no idea what it’s like to separate a shoulder, dislocate my elbow, tear my pectoral muscle, break my neck, tear my groin, or even go through an ACL tear which are a few injuries that wrestlers have had over the years. What is also interesting is that just like any other TV show, they have to be in front of an audience and satisfy them instead of satisfying there own family. Yes, pro wrestling is fake but these days what isn’t fake on TV? News is compiled to get us to think a certain way (death and blood in the area), reality TV (fake fights), and your regular TV drama or comedy (so and so has to hide a secret from there son or daughter). It is all a matter of opinion is my point so for me pro wrestling is fake in a sense but the majority of it is not.

8. Not saying much can mean as much as saying a whole lot

A majority of the time, we all say what is on our minds but other times we can read so much into facial expressions and body language. The body language and facial expressions done when a guy is upset, upbeat, vindictive, or caught between a rock and a hard place causes some sort of reaction. I remember one of the few times that this did work was when one of the best of all time, Eddie Guerrero, had just traded going from good guy to bad guy he waited a few minutes before he spoke. He waited for the reaction before anything else and he had the crowd right in the palm of his hand. It was slow and methodical but the way he looked caused a reaction that invigorated fans so much that you couldn’t help but to boo the guy. We can’t connect with a guy on TV that has just turned on his best friend( in Eddie’s case) and we just want to know why he did it. The reason may seem obvious in our own heads but the way characters and emotions are drawn up make it difficult to understand that person’s reasoning. Another guy I can think that did this the right way was Barry Windham back in 1992. He was teaming up with his tag team partner, Dustin Rhodes, and all of a sudden he just attacked the guy during the match and walked away from him. He didn’t say much but the wole point of him turning was that he felt was weak and holding him down. I feel sometimes in life we could use a little bit of this. What I mean is that our explanations should be simple and not so much so that we confuse ourselves and others around us. That is something wrestling has brought full circle for me. That facial reaction and the tone we set can mean a whole lot more when we do it right and we want to get our point across.

7. Being edgy and innovative brings about opportunities

Wrestling has always gone in weird cycles that define a certain generations. Back in the 80’s when it was booming, we had a lot of different territories with a different group of wrestlers. You had your places with flamboyant entrances and good wrestlers (WCCW, AWA, Mid-south) but you also had your places where you could have a decent to great wrestling match with some money to back it up. We as fans are spoiled sometimes because we’ve had that period where it was really cool to be a wrestling fan and there were the times where it was bad to be a wrestling fan. I can remember growing up thinking that wrestling was the cool thing to watch and follow. I saw the two rival companies going at each other playing a game of top this. As soon as certain characters and TV angles were getting good, everybody was all of a sudden was a wrestling fan. I can’t really say what it was like in the 80’s to be a wrestling fan, but in the mid to late 90’s it sure was a lot of fun. It was the cool thing to talk about at school because your friends liked it and so did you. I compare it now to reality TV before it got big and blew up. There was pregnancy storylines, beer trucks, monster trucks, limos, authority figures with a big mouth, kidnappings, beatdowns, and a lot of other random happenings. I credit much of this to the fact that TV was becoming a lot more edgy and violent. It was basically a defining point for our generation because we just wanted violence and craved for it. There weren’t 1000 channels like there are now and certainly there weren’t these gripping TV dramas like there are today. The options are endless now and wrestling was one of the first avenues that broke the barrier of being just a little different. I am the type of person that clings towards something that is different. If you asked me why I started the fake pro wrestling stuff I would say because it can be innovative and gripping TV. I can see the effort and pacing that TV writers on regular shows go through and it is the same thing with pro wrestling. You have to meet deadlines most likely but you also have to be able to keep a larger portion of your TV audience. Wrestling is near and dear to my heart and I can say that I will probably never stop watching. It may backfire on wrestling one day that there are so many other things to watch on TV now that it is easier to switch the channel. The world is a bigger place now and there are of course much more creative thinkers than there were before so cheers for TV becoming bigger.

6. Managers can make a guy’s character mean a whole lot

There was always something so cool about a guy having a manager and that manager kind of leading his guy towards the ring to cheer him on. It is almost like having a coach by your side and he is there to lead to victory. One of the best of all time, Bobby Heenan, was so great at this because he was so good at getting a crowd to hate him as well as laugh at him when he got what was coming to him. He would also make his guys that he was leading to the ring mean something. He wouldn’t put them down or call them stupid but he would make you believe that he was gonna win 100 percent. That is what makes a character mean so much when a manager is there. There is that element of surprise as well as the idea that the guy just might win and he will no go down without a fight. If the guy doesn’t talk, the manager will make the character seem legit and have the never say die attitude. It is also important that most bad guys have to have managers because the big monster bad guys don’t have to say  a whole lot and if the manager is there to say most of the talking then that guy has done his job. I wish one day that managers can come back but I can only hope as wrestling is a solo business and a lot of money is to be made.

Well, this is the end of part one and in the next few days I’ll be putting up part 2 so stay tuned for that and so much more in the top 10 series.

Do I dwell on the past…?

Posted on by anele25

As I sit here writing this at 1:21 A.M., I have been thinking that sometimes (actually most of the time) that I dwell on the past just a little bit too much. It may be that something horrible happened yesterday, last week, or even last year that I keep repeating over in my head. The other day I was talking to a good friend discussing why we go over the past so much in our heads. I was thinking about that then and I am thinking about now. The reason(s) may be that sometimes there are things we had little control over and we just may be a bit harsh on ourselves for. For example, getting yelled at by one of your bosses because something wasn’t done right by their standards could just be a case of that person being made to look bad. I believe that what matters is what you do in the now and in the future. Sure you may have messed up, but what matters is what you keep doing in your field rather than thinking that you may make that same mistake again. This is where something like habit may come in, which coincidentally enough, I happen to be reading a book about this right now. It brings up numerous examples of how ordinary people don’t look to think about what they are doing but rather they just do it by instinct (i.e. putting yourself in motion to run a baseball drill should come automatically). I have written numerous times of how sometimes I would like to have some great things back in my life (i.e. friends, family, memories of eating at great restaurants, and certain vices). I feel much of this is actually still quite possible because I have the personality and drive to make it happen again. It may not be now, next week, or even next month but the fact that I have found my niche in giving myself plenty of room to grow has helped a bunch. I still have a close group of friends that I hang out with (albeit less than it used to be).  What matters the most is that instead of looking towards the near future (i.e. we gotta hang out again), as a person I have the ability to make friends and for the most part create new journeys and quests.   The comparison I make is that the wrestling that I grew up on is 10 times better than what is on TV right now, but you know what? I have seen it improve over the last two years or so due to the excellent storytelling and wrestling that is provided inside the squared circle. This gives me the idea that the better the product is on TV, the more the fans get their money’s worth watching a compelling product which gives them the drive to watch it unfold on TV. I can remember applying for a few colleges back in 2011 thinking I would be up and ready to go in Fall 2012 semester, however that was not to be as my classes were not yet completed. I went on to have one of the best years of my life from January of 2012 all the way to May 2013 taking in total 8 classes in order to transfer from the junior college level to the CSU level. As I’m looking back, I met some wonderful people and I wish them all the best but right now I believe it is time for a greater challenge and that is setting foot into the realm of Psychology. I believe this major was meant for me because of so many interesting theories and ideas that come from the field of Psychology. I feel that most of the classes at the CSU level will be challenging but looking at it from a long term standpoint it will serve a greater purpose. I am so happy to be able to think that now there is very little that will stop me from achieving my goals and one of those is to further my education and take the walk towards a career. I also have found it very rewarding that before my mom and dad would do most of the work around my house but now I am helping a bit as well. The dwelling on the past piece here is that I think sometimes I may feel inclined to think ‘man those were some good times when I didn’t do anything’ but now it feels pretty awesome to help out just a little more. This can come in the form of doing dishes, washing my own car, helping outside with yardwork, mopping my kitchen, sweeping, and giving my dog a bath as well. It allows me to be productive and send out feelers for how I want to be in 5-10 years. I also seem to believe that my brother was one of the best memory makers when he used to live with us. But, now I hardly see him and when I do it is imperative to discuss what is going on in our lives and continue to create our lives around our friendship and brotherhood. When we were little kids we never thought about the future just the now and we really didn’t look at the past. Now, that I am an adult it is difficult to change the fact that I did have a past that was fun and exciting. Being an adult, you start having some health complications (if possible, in my case this true), you have bills to pay, and you have other obligations. Looking at the past is easy and I try not to look at it too much. It seems like an escape route that seems too wide of a path to cross over into. Looking at myself now and in the future, I see myself being relaxed and looser than I’ve been in a long time. A lot of this has to do with there being an extra bit of pressure to finish school at the junior college and also realizing that my real personality is that of someone who is not shy to speak to someone. Going back to my earlier point about wrestling not being what it used to be, I compare living in the past to guys in that business reinventing themselves for the sake of staying fresh and getting with the times. For example, one of the all time greats, Mick Foley, prided himself on staying fresh by adding different dimensions to his personality that he showcased in the ring. He created a character by the name of ‘Mankind’ that was brutal and sadistic in the ring. He didn’t look at the past and wonder how his previous character (Cactus Jack) would be affected but rather he was looking at the now and how he could shape himself up to be. One of his best matches happened to be against the legendary Shawn Michaels which was a beautiful 26 minute masterpiece which showcased emotion, brutality, brawling, and also an extra gist of what a man will do keep his title.   This is just but one prime example of how staying fresh and getting with the times can positively affect someone. Someone said not long ago that feeling that negative thought in your head can be poison and what this can suggest is living in the now gives someone the power to think about that negative as it is happening. This person said that imagining it can be the greatest attribute because you put yourself in a situation that can be really funny or disastrous as well. I do my best to keep my head up about a deadline I may have for an assignment and imagine the professor having a good laugh at my expense looking at me as if I’m smartest guy in the room with no idea of what is going on. I may imagine that the deadline is the next class or next week in this circumstance. This serves as great motivation to move ahead with the idea in the back of your head that you’ve done all right by your standards and by everyone else’s. Being in a state where you just look at the now is one of the most difficult processes that the mind can go through. Walking through one of the local down towns recently (and right now) you realize that your movements are so fluid and you start noticing the small details around you. The walk down town gave me a bit of time to see everything in front of me and all the water that was coming from the fountains. The birds were flying at the top of the flags asking for something or rather giving each other signals. I started noticing that just now there is a pencil that has been on my desk for who knows how long and the same CD that I play every week is positioned right next to that pencil. My water is half way full and my California roll is almost done. Little details like these can seem peaceful and zen like because nothing else matters. The objects that are ahead of you are the only ones that matter. You give yourself time to breathe and notice that things are simple and peaceful at that moment rather than everything else that is going on in the immediate future. This is what I mean by dwelling on the past. It defines us but to look back on it and wonder ‘how awesome was that’ all the time makes me think that I have little to look forward to. All I have to say is that it’s time to create memories and live in the now. Good night everybody!