WrestleMania and my love for fake fights

Two weeks ago I took a 5 day weekend and drove to Phoenix, Arizona. The purpose? WrestleMania. For those who know me, they know that ever since I was a child I have been hooked on the pageantry of the WWF/WWE. I still remember being a 8 year old boy and arguing with my best friend David, that Wrestling was real. He would tell me how it was fake and stupid, and I would argue that it was real and that Hulk Hogan's fights were legit because he would often bleed. It would be at a house show at the Old Salt Palace that would forever change the way I looked at Wrestling. Brutus the Barber Beefcake would be facing The Honky Tonk Man for the Intercontinental Title. I remember being extra excited for this match as Beefcake was my mothers favorite wrestler. I'm sure it was because of his see-through spandex. Anyhow, during this match Beefcake went to kick Honky right in the chest. Problem was he missed by a good two feet, yet Honky just acted like his chest just caved in. He rolled around in pain and the crowd ate it up. I thought to myself, "Damn it!!! David was right!".

It wasn't long after that match that I stopped watching wrestling. The characters became too cartoon like and other interests came in my life. I played baseball, basketball, and other rec sports. I also fell in love with music and was once again burned by someone pretending to be something they weren't, Milli Vanilli, but that's another blog. It took about another 10 years for me to fall for wrestling, but I did in the summer of 2000.

I became friends with a nice kid named Adam, who worked at Smiths with me. Adam is a very eccentric person and one of his favorite things is Pro Wrestling. He likes it a little too much maybe. If you don't belive me, just look at his High School photos. He liked to lug around a 20 pound replica Heavyweight Championship belt with him. I like wrestling, but not like Adam does! :) But anyhow, Adam asked me to go to a show with him and I agreed. We scored front row tickets and the show was very fun. We saw The Rock, Triple H, and many more attitude era stars. I was hooked again. Which brings me to the present day. I am stuck on this phony fighting. It's my guilty pleasure. I am intrigued by the "art" of pulling off a match. The production of the show, and how two fake fighters can tell a story through choreographed risk. One of my favorite performers is a man named Michael Hickenbottom. Of course he doesn't go by that name, he wrestles as Shawn Michaels, or HBK as some call him. It's short for his nickname, The Heart Break Kid. HBK will go down in this fake sport as one of the top five performers of all-time. Other wrestlers say his matches are so good, he could go out with a mop and make it look like a fight. At this years WrestleMania, he was booked in match he couldn't "win" and placed his career on the line if he lost.

In the world of fake wrestling, Shawn Michaels had booked his retirement match. He was scheduled to fight a man called The Undertaker in a rematch from last years Wrestlemania classic. The twist this year was that if Shawn lost, he would retire. The Undertaker is undefeated at Wrestlemania, and the WWE is going to keep pushing his streak as the ultimate accomplishment in the business. So any "mark" (lingo for wrestling geek that is in the know) knew that Michaels was going to lose and move on. I had to go to the show. I had to see the "Show-Stopper" one more time. I asked Jill if we could go. She laughed at me, but said ok, probably thinking I was just being silly. But then I did it. Booked a hotel and bought two tickets online. Phoenix, here we come.

We invited some friends to come down, who agreed but politly declined to watch the phony fights with us. We had a good time in Phoenix as we went to the Zoo, and to two sping training baseball games, but the highlight for me, and even Jill, was WrestleMania. Over 72,000 fans packed The University of Phoenix Stadium to watch the event. The production value of the show was amazing. Many of the matches were well told, but there were a few stinkers (McMahon VS Hart). But in the main event for the night, HBK would take on the "Dead Man" in another instant classic. The match went back and forth and for 20 minutes it had 72,000 people in attendance and millions around the world on the edge of their seats. We all were caught in the moment and suspended disbelief. Finally, after the Undertaker delivered another devastating tombstone piledriver, Michaels was pinned for his final three count. Fire works shot off, and an 18-0 logo appeared on the jumbo tron. Undertaker did his trademark pose, and then did something out of character. He picked up Shawn Micahels, shook his hand and then they hugged. Shawn Michaels received a huge ovation from the live crowd and thanked everyone. Tears filled his eyes, as it did many in the arena. Jill herself, who thinks wrestling is foolish was moved to tears. In the world of fake wrestling, this moment was very real.

Not very bloggy

So we are growing close to the end of March, and I have a whopping total of one blog posted for the year (minus this one) and it was mainly a recap I wrote ages ago. I haven't felt very inspired to write. It's not that nothing good is happening, because my life is pretty darn sweet right now. I just haven't felt like taking the time to share with you. Not that it's a big deal. I have zero regular readers and maybe a few friends that occasionaly glance in this direction. Perhaps soon I will feel inclined to finish my blog about greatest video games. Maybe I'll write about baseball and the two stadiums I will be visiting soon. Or perhaps about the fact I am going to WrestleMania Sunday. But for now, the spoilers are all I have. Goodnight!

Las Vegas Hotel Review Part 2

View from TI

Back in December of '08 I made a list of my favorite Las Vegas hotels that I have stayed in. Since that post I have stayed in a few more rooms that I hadn't before. So I will repost my original blog but I will add in the reviews of the following hotels, The MGM Grand, New York New York, and Treasure Island.

17. La Concha. I stayed at the La Concha during my many retreats after high school graduation. It would always be a spur of the moment decision to run off to Vegas with a group of friends. We were all minors and this was a rare place on the strip that let you rent a room under 21 and without a credit card. It was a major dive and I swear one room we had was once a murder scene. The trips were well worth it though. The motel has since been demolished for condos.

16. Westward Ho. The reason this room is listed so low is because I don't remember much other then it looked like a brown Motel 6 room. I was only around 9 or 10 when I stayed here so I don't remember it so well, other then I wasn't into the Cowboy theme. This was around the time MC Hammer was rocking my world. Sheesh... This motel has been torn down and is a future site for a McDonalds.

15. The New Frontier. On my honeymoon Jill and I traveled to Disneyland and had bookend stops in Vegas. On the way out we stopped at the Stratosphere, and on the way home we stayed at the New Frontier. The Casino was dingy and dark. It smelt of Cigars from years past. The room had a nice view of the strip, but the bed was hard, the room smelled, and it felt dirty. It did have some old Vegas charm and we laughed at the beer bottle opener built into the marble sink tops. The New Frontier has recently been imploded and a Swiss themed hotel is scheduled to take its place.

14. The Sahara. The ONLY reason I place the Sahara this high is because of the great times we've had watching The Amazing Jonathan performances. He no longer plays here, but he still performs in Vegas and I highly recommend his show! The Casino is ok if you like to gamble. The food is edible, but the rooms here are hands down the worst rooms I have stayed in, in Vegas. The beds are full size, not queen. The doors do not reach the ground so the hall lights shine in. The walls must be made from cardboard as you can hear your neighbors every move. The rooms do not feel clean, and even though they can be the cheapest room on the strip I suggest you pony up the extra couple dollars and stay at the other cheap hotels like The Stratosphere or Circus Circus.

13. Harrah's. I stayed here as a kid and they used to shine green lights at the building at night to make it glow green. I remember these lights being intrusive and interrupting my slumber. They no longer shine these lights however, and the room was clean and nice.

12. Stardust. As a kid, the Stardust was my favorite place. Back when Vegas was about the lights and not the huge buildings and crazy architecture. The Stardust seemed futuristic and the pink and purple lights lit up the night. The rooms were simple, but clean. The Echelon resort is being build on the site the Stardust once stood.

11. Imperial Palace. This hotel/casino has the worst car access from the strip. If you are driving south on the strip it takes forever to turn in. The Casino is small, but fun. The rooms are ok, but have nothing to do with the Asian theme of the resort. The only reason to stay here is the low room prices and the excellent strip location.

10. The Tropicana. The room we had here was a corner room, which are much larger then the standard room. It had a really nice view of the strip. But this room was located in the back tower which took forever to walk to from the hotel lobby. The rooms felt too warm even with the ac on. They also had tacky mirrors on the ceiling. Nothing about this room was really great, but nothing was really wrong either.

9. MGM Grand. As far as a casino and resort, the MGM Grand has it all. It is one of my favorite places to play, dine, and hang out in. They have a lion habitat in the casino with very large lions roaming around. Alright, they mostly just lay around, but it is still awesome nonetheless. But as far as the rooms go, they are clean and comfortable but the walls are paper thin. To make matter worse it seems like the "I'm only in Vegas to get drunk and act like a retard crowd" choose this hotel.

8. NY NY. Like the MGM Grand, I love the casino and theme of this hotel. The restaurants here are all great. There is a little cake shop that Jill and I like to stop by and visit. Every time I go to Vegas I spend a good amount of time in this place. When I got the chance to stay here last May I was very excited. My friend Andrew got free tickets to the Pacquio VS Hatton boxing match and two rooms at the NY NY for free! That trip was so much fun, my brother Keven came down too, and we all had a great time. The room itself was fairly large, but the beds and amenities seemed sub par far the resort and its price class. The pool is probably the worst on the strip.

7. Excalibur. I have a love hate relationship with this casino/hotel. I love the location, the theme, the casino, the restaurants, and I always park here when we go walking the strip. I do not like the rooms or the tiny pool though. The price here has come down in the past few years to make it a good choice, but the rooms are dingy and boring. But the good outweighs the bad here and I'll stay again.

6. Circus Circus. The casino here makes you feel lost. The old folks flock here. Kids run ramped here as their parents take them to the free circus shows and for the midway games. The buffet is weak and forgettable. But surprisingly the rooms in this old casino are nice. They have an old motel like building in the back, but I have never stayed there. I have stayed in the standard and upgraded rooms here and have not been disappointed. They have been remodeling the rooms too and though I haven't stayed in the new ones, I look forward to it as they look really nice. The theme park here can be fun. The Steakhouse is excellent and it is where Jill and I had our first dinner as husband and wife.

5. El Cortez. This place is located in old Las Vegas, just off Fremont Street. The Casino is small, but fun. It has the old Mafia feel too it. The main hotel is one of the oldest still standing in Vegas. They also have a tower that was built in the 70's. Jill and I stay in the tower rooms when we go. They are very large and clean. They have antique furniture and good views of Vegas. My brother stayed in the old portion and swears it was haunted and didn't sleep much. I love the old school charm of this place and want to stay again.

4. The Stratosphere. This place is my safe bet. I've stayed here many times because of the cheap prices, clean yet simple rooms, fun casino, good shows, and of course the Tower. Nothing about this place is mind blowing, but it has never let me down. I love the Tower and seeing the Vegas lights from 1,149 ft in the sky. The rides at the top are excellent, if not down right scary. The shows we've seen here are fun and between the mall and casino, there is always somewhere to go. If you want to do Vegas for cheap, yet still fun, I highly recommend this place.

3. The Luxor. My favorite themed casino/hotel. The Egyptian motif is fun, and staying in the pyramid hotel is so fun. We stayed 20-something stories up and the view from inside is just amazing. I suggest that everyone stay in the pyramid once. The casino is great, the food is awesome as Fusha is one of my favorite restaurants. The show here are great. The Imax theater and arcade are fun. Nothing bad to say about this place at all. PS- Chris Angel... UPDATE - Since I first wrote my review of the Luxor, Jill and I stayed here again. After we booked a pyramid room, they told us at check in that they only had tower rooms, and that they would give us the "free" upgrade for their error. The upgrade, was anything but an upgrade. They Luxor doesn't have the best amenities or beds, so this room as just a standard hotel room. Being in the pyramid is really what makes this place fun. Also, Fusha is closed now and sits vacant....

2. Treasure Island. We always visit the casino when we are here. We have even seen Mystere here a few times. But until a couple weeks ago, Jill and I had never stayed in the hotel. When we first got there I thought this place was going to be a nightmare. When we checked in there were about three employees checking in about sixty people in line. After the wait to check in, which was faster then expected, I was hit with a $20 a day resort fee that they tack on top of your room rate. I was SO MAD. But then as soon as Jill and I made it to the room, everything got better. We were 27 floors up, with a strip view. This view also gave us a perfect look at the Siren Pirate show they do 3 or 4 times a night. The fireworks they shoot off would pass by our floor to ceiling windows nightly. It was so cool. The bed in this hotel was probably the nicest bed I have slept in, in Vegas. It was so relaxing. The air conditioning unit was perfect. The walls were solid and the hotel was rather quiet. It was too cold to visit the pool, but everything else about this hotel was almost perfect. I would recommend this place to all, but warn of the resort charge!

1. Trump International. This place is soooo nice. There is no casino here, just a top of the line hotel. Everything here is over the top fancy. The beds are so comfortable. The bathroom is as large as most Vegas hotel rooms. The mirror in the bathroom has a TV behind the glass. The tub is a huge jacuzzi. They give you slippers and robes. Plasma TVs here. Books to read. Amazing views. Excellent furniture. Everything is mind blowing. The only drawback is you have to pay for parking everyday. If you can afford to go stay here. The only reason I got to stay here is because of a sweet deal on hotwire.com and splitting the cost with a friend.

Christmas

Christmas was pretty good this year. Jill and I had our own little Christmas a few nights early. We lit the tree and turned out all the house lights. We set up each others stockings and exchanged gifts. We each got a bunch of great gifts this year and the moment itself was so special. It was a great night!

I didn't get to see my brother Brian, as he is home in Virginia, getting ready to go back out to sea. I didn't get to see my brother Keven, as he was with his friends. His two best friends were getting married and my brother actually got ordained a Reverend and got to perform the wedding on the 26th. I also didn't get to see my sister Sarah. She works at a ski resort in Park City and had to be to work at six in the morning. It was really weird not to see them, but I'm sure it will only get worse as we all get older.

I spent the night at my in laws house. They are great people and always make me feel welcome. I was surprised that they got up at six in the morning to open presents. All the kids are grown up, but the excitement was there and we all tore into our gifts. They were very sweet to Jill and I and gave us too much.

Later on we went and saw my Father, Wendy, my brother Zach and my sister Katie. It has been a tough year with my family and I. I love my family dearly, but I always seem to put my foot in my mouth and get myself into trouble. I was nervous to go over there, but as soon as I walked in, it all went away. Wendy and my Dad made me feel very welcome and they spoiled Jill and I too. It was very special for me to be there. I miss not seeing them as much as I'd like too. It was nice to try to put this summer behind us to move forward.

After that Jill and I found ourselves eating some Chinese food at a local restaurant. I thought about the movie A Christmas Story and sang "Fa ra ra ra ra" in my head the whole time. After we ate we unpacked all of our goodies at home and just sat and rested for a few hours. After that I took Jill to Anniversary Inn for her Birthday. Her B-Day is the day after Christmas, so I always try to spoil her on that day since she "only" gets goodies once a year. The Inn was nice as always and it was special to spend the night alone with my favorite person.

Christmas was pretty good to me.

Charlie

This is our Puppy Charlie.

We have had him for about two months now. He is such a good boy. He has done very well at potty training, yet gives you a silly look if you ask him to "come here". He is a sweet boy and loves to cuddle under the blankets at night. It is very curious and playful. He is perfect for Jill and I.

Fantasy Sports Update

So I just finished my first season of Fantasy Football. My team, Team Voltron, won the League Championship!!! I am the number one geek!

Jason Bay made my day!

The New York Giants controlled their own destiny to make the post season. All they needed to do was beat the Panthers in their final game at Giants Stadium, and then try to knock of the Vikings in Minnesota. The Panther game was suppose to be the easy one, and the Vikings game was suppose to be the struggle. Well, the Giants stunk it up in one of the worst played games I have ever seen. It was horrible. They got destroyed. No post season. Bye bye Eli. Have a nice summer.

I had to give up my Jazz season tickets this year. My new work schedule made it impossible to go to any games. However, I try to catch some games on TV and I always check the box scores. And just like always the Jazz are hanging around in mediocrity. They win games they probably shouldn't and lose games they should easily win.

But for now I have a lone bright spot in my sporting world. The New York Met's just signed the former Boston Redsox All Star, Jason Bay. This is a huge move as Bay is probably the best position player available this off season! This will give me plenty to cheer for. That is until the Met's take the field and lose like always! :)