Collingwood Brewery is a relative newcomer to the craft beer scene, opening its doors in picturesque Collingwood, Ontario in May of 2014. Since their initial launch of their flagship brew Downhill Pale Ale, Collingwood Brewery has become a serious player in Ontario craft brewing: their beers are served in several Ontarian restaurants and pubs and widely available in Ontario liquor stores. They’ve expanded their brew selection from the lonely Downhill Pale Ale to a three-beer repertoire that thankfully includes Fireside Extra Special Bitter, which won Silver in the English Pale Ale/Bitter category at the 2015 Canadian Brewing Awards. I’m a big fan of IPA’s but I only have limited experience with Bitters. Here’s what I thought …
Fireside Extra Special Bitter – First Sip
Much like Muskoka Brewery’s Unfiltered Cream Ale, Fireside Extra Special Bitter’s only superior in the English Pale Ale/Bitter category of the 2014 Canadian Brewing Awards, this bitter has a complex taste. Fireside’s incredibly low level of carbonation shows off its almost gritty mouthfeel. The flatness of the beer may surprise those used to more highly carbonated brews, so consider yourselves warned. But, those looking for a watery English pub-style ale need look no further. Other people who reviewed this beer talk about its caramel notes, which it definitely has. In my opinion, though, Fireside’s dominant flavour is walnuts with a malty caramel aftertaste.
Fireside Extra Special Bitter – Last Sip
Woe betide anyone who drinks this beer from the can. Fireside’s extra special quality should be enjoyed the way it would be in an English pub–although I don’t imagine it’d ever be on tap at an English pub–, from a pint glass. Its incredibly low carbonation level shows from its lacing, evident when you finish it. And, although most of us love ice-cold beer, I suggest letting this one warm up a bit. Its ideal temperature sits somewhere between 6 and 10º C, giving you another reason to pour Fireside Extra Special Bitter into a pint glass before enjoying it. A final cautionary plea before you start slugging these back: each one of these tall cans is 5.8% ABV so don’t be fooled by Fireside’s watery texture. One or two are usually plenty.
Fireside Extra Special Bitter – Other Comments
Being a fan of more heavily carbonated beers, I have to say I felt a bit out of my element during this review. When I opened the can and saw nary a bubble of foam I initially thought that the can had depressurized in the store. It’s important to try new things, though, and I’m happy I did. I’ve never had a flat, warm beer I liked more.
As someone who enjoyed Batman v Superman, but was confused and disappointed when I first heard of DC/Warner Brothers’ alleged no-humor policy with these films, I was happy to hear the recent online report that Suicide Squad is going through reshoots to add more humor.
First of all, I hope its dark humor. No one wants the throwback to the campy version of Joker or any of these characters that Joel Schumacher did. Second, what were they thinking? They were going to give us a version of The Joker without humor. Again, dark humor. Joker burns somebody’s face off or puts a pencil in his head and quips about it. Third, the report said that they were throwing tens of millions of dollars into these changes. But the release date is still the same. I know that movies traditionally go through reshoots to tweak things, but I hope they are not rushing anything. I hope the humor is dark and not campy. And I hope this trend continues throughout the DC movies, as the lack of humor was one of my biggest complaints about BvS. And I can’t imagine The Flash without humor, especially after the awesome TV show we’ve been watching.
What do you think? Are you still looking forward to Suicide Squad? Sound off in the comments section.
Minor spoilers for Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice.
One of the most frequent complaints about the last two Superman movies (Man of Steel and Batman v. Superman) is that the character of Superman is portrayed as too dark or “emo.” Some point to previous versions of the character where he would smile and wave at the crowd as the common folk cheered. As opposed to BvS, where his entire storyline was about people hating and fearing him. People point to Superman snapping Zod’s neck at the end of Man of Steel, something that Christopher Reeve would never do, as a disrespectful change to the character. However, Superman did throw a large cellophane “S” emblem at Zod and his minions In Superman II, resulting in them falling into a giant chasm in the Fortress of Solitude. So even the more Boy Scout version of Supes had to get rid of the bad Kryptonians.
“DIE!!!”
To be fair, Superman snapped Zod’s neck because it was either him or the innocent people he was about to filet with his heat vision. And he felt terrible about it, so he didn’t kill anyone in BvS. Well, he didn’t kill anyone that he didn’t already kill in the last movie (Zod was Doomsday). Batman, on the other hand, with his machine guns on the Bat-plane…is an article for another time.
When I saw Man of Steel for the first time, I attributed the dark elements to the fact that the character of Superman was being brought into a more cynical, modern world. He was still just as idealistic as he has always been. The destruction of Metropolis at the end of Man of Steel had more to do with his inexperience as a superhero than him not valuing human life. Like in the second episode of the 90’s cartoon when he tries to catch a plane that is falling, and the wing rips off. “Nice one, Clark!” In BvS, he is shown saving people from fires and floods. Bruce Wayne even references him rescuing cats from trees. But this Superman had to work harder to stay that way, especially with the public hating on him. Christopher Reeve’s Superman was buddy-buddy with the President, proudly declaring that “We’re all on the same team!” in the closing moments of Superman: The Movie. THIS Superman had his motives questioned by the Senate. More to deal with. Still Superman.
Many comic book writers and even those who have adapted the character to film and TV have pointed out that it is difficult to figure out how powerful Superman should be. Some comic books in the 50’s made him so powerful that he was either too absurd or made it difficult to come up with villains that could present a challenge. I do think that showing this character upset about the state of the world or the fact that he was adopted (a situation relatable to many) was an attempt to make him more relevant to the audience. But still, it was the same idealistic character working hard to stay that way in a cynical world, possibly with a cynical movie-going audience.
There are also many Superman stories that attempt to show how dangerous the Man of Steel could be if he weren’t such a nice guy. Superman: The Animated Series and the Justice League cartoons had quite a few episodes exploring this idea, whether he was brainwashed by Darkseid or becoming a dictator because he thought Lois was dead. Or because he thought The Flash was dead (didn’t realize they were that close), so he kills President Luthor with his heat vision. And then, there was the one where the entire Justice League became dictators in another dimension and called themselves the Justice Lords. And the Batman Beyond episode where he had Starro attached to his chest for years. And in the comics, my favorite Batman story Hush, where Poison Ivy controls Superman’s mind with some toxins.
The scene in BvS where Batman has a dream about The Flash coming through (what looks like) a Boom Tube, telling Batman that he was “right about him” and to keep Lois alive, reminded me of those darker Superman stories. Is this where they are going with the character of Superman in the Justice League films? Is he going to be brainwashed by Darkseid like the last few episodes of TAS after he is revived from his current state? Will Darkseid be the one who revives him?
Only time will tell, but the exploration of what Superman would be like if he were darker is nothing new. I agree with the naysayers in that I would prefer to have a scene where Superman is waving at a crowd of people who like him rather than a bunch of creepy people in skull masks trying to touch him like they want him to heal their leprosy. And maybe we will see that in the Justice League movies, after he comes back to his senses and whoops on Darkseid. Maybe being part of a team of superheroes and feeling less alone will soften the old softie.
So, between the cynical modern world we live In and the only people he’s met from his home world so far being monsters (literally or otherwise), it’s no wonder that the only time this Superman smiles is when he gets into the bathtub with Lois Lane. What do you think? Do you think we will see a more optimistic Superman in future films? And what about the rumor that they are reshooting a bunch of things in Suicide Squad to make it more fun? Is DC’s no-humor policy with their movies part of the problem? If they loosen that up, will Superman loosen up too? Comment below.
After a two week hiatus, The 100 forcefully announced its return with ‘Stealing Fire’. Forceful is an especially apt criticism of this episode as the events within were brutal and the delivery may have been even more so.
FULL SPOILERS AHEAD:
I’m going to veer a little off topic regarding the episode in this review but I believe what happens outside the walls of our beloved show are equally as important in the progression of season 3. Bear with me here…
Just two weeks after the death of Lexa, we are subjected to another major, more established character death: Lincoln. Killing off two gigantic characters so closely together might, to some, feel like The 100 being back up to its old, brilliant games which take no prisoners. Unfortunately, this doesn’t feel as gleefully insidious or deftly planned as the deaths of characters like Finn or Wells. Part of this reason is because they both simply had to happen.
The nature of making TV shows is a mercurial process. Writers change, showrunners get fired, cast members receive undeniable offers. All of this can happen in the middle of a season, or even before a single episode is aired (just ask The Walking Dead or Marvel’s Daredevil). The latter situation, I believe, is what pushed all of these recent in-show happenings to the forefront of this season’s plot. Put plainly, Alycia Debnam-Carey (Lexa) and Ricky Whittle (Lincoln) are working on two bigger and conflicting series. Debnam-Carey is a series regular on Fear the Walking Dead and Whittles has recently been cast in the lead role in Starz’s adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s novel, American Gods. This is just life when working in TV and it all comes to the dismay of fans of The 100 and Jason Rothenberg and the writing staff.
Now, how a show deals with said events is rarely smooth but the circumstance isn’t an enviable one. When two essential characters are snatched out of the hands of a team of very smart writers, I can almost feel the blood run totally cold in their Room of Ideas. Some viewers might believe this is right up the alley of these particular writers as they’ve been so adept in the past at slyly killing off characters right under our noses. Believe me, those moves that look and feel sudden and 0f-the-moment are meticulously planned and incredibly difficult to pull-off. Some rare luck and fortune aside, these forced exits usually don’t pan out as well as the organic story the writers initially may have had planned.
This is the case here.
‘Stealing Fire’ is mired in so much plot and exposition while leaning on unestablished characters and relationships that it all feels as sticky as Teflon. So much is thrown at the viewer regarding conclaves and missing Nightbloods and random, child-murdering Ice-Nationers that I don’t know who to care or root for. This all feels super reactionary to Lexa’s death while Lincoln’s eventual demise seems, if not slightly more planned, also more anti-climactic.
Lincoln is a character who we’ve seen undergo arguably the most physical hardship on this show. From being a tortured prisoner to a bloodthirsty Reaper, Lincoln has seen some shit. Now, this doesn’t at all necessitate his demise to be an extravagant one and, in fact, the wiser move would be to make it a quieter moment, much like the one in ‘Stealing Fire’. But Lincoln’s arc this season has been noticeably unnoticeable. It seems as if the writers knew Whittle would be leaving and had little choice but to pen him up in a cell for almost all 9 episodes. One also has to wonder if the eventual sentencing of Kane and Sinclair were placed in order to draw attention away from Lincoln’s eventual execution.
The moment was handled nicely, with Lincoln going back to save his people and die nobly. Pike continues to earn his enemy cred with his actions here, though he does strangely promise to keep the other Grounder prisoners safe. Pike giving Lincoln respect like that doesn’t feel like something he would do. Also, he could probably have pressed Lincoln for some crucial information but we’re on a time table here so we have to get to the blood ASAP.
The best moment in the episode, which honestly gave me a chill, was Octavia’s reaction at seeing Lincoln’s execution. She’s understandably weepy leading up to the moment but once that bullet exits Lincoln’s skull, the look of frozen anger plastered on her face was fierce and intense and immediately had me worried for Pike’s health. This was one of Marie Avgeropoulos’ best moments, for sure.
All the plot contriving in Arkadia is lamentable, but almost tolerable because it deals with the characters we know and understand the most. It’s the stuff at Polis that really flies off the rails as all this new myth and circumstance is added to an already shambling plot. The writers clearly want to get a Lexa replacement as quickly as possible and their haste shows as Ontari is introduced, immediately decapitating a batch of children vying to be Heda.
Ok.
Clarke and Murphy must bicker about staying, leaving, staying, leaving… no, staying in order to keep Ontari from ascending. In a whole bunch of other plotty moves, Clarke leaves Polis with the “Flame” (the AI sensor that was lodged at the top of Lexa’s spine), Titus forces his own throat open upon Prince (now King? He seems to be King, but must bow to the Nightblooded Ontari) Roan’s knife and dies in the cleansing tub and Murphy stays alive by being the ornery cuss that he’s always been. Ontari fakes to Grounder Nation as if she’s been ascended as Clarke sneaks away with the truth and in search of the lost disciple, Luna, who could rightfully stake claim to the Heda-ship.
Ok.
All this aside, our characters are in good spots going forward. In Stephen King’s memoir-ish book On Writing, he calls story a fossil one has to excavate and plot being one of the tools used to do the excavating. There are many tools at one’s disposal to be used for many different purposes. Plot is your jackhammer. It gets the fossil out the quickest, but often leaves more crumbled rock than beautiful piece of history. Plot was the tool used in ‘Stealing Fire’ to get these characters to this point. Now, we’re looking ahead with much clearer direction and with the two characters gone who had no choice but to go. We can focus on the rest of the story at hand and put that bludgeoning weapon, Plot, back in our toolboxes for at least a few more episodes.
May we meet again, Lincoln. You and Mr. Whittle’s sensitively gruff performance will be missed.
“Death can be an act of unity, too. You don’t break, don’t show fear. The people will remember.” – Kane
Check out my reviews of previous episodes of ‘The 100’ here:
Did you see, Batman Fans? Scott Snyder (Batman New 52) is staying on Batman! Oh wait… No, Tom King (Vision) is taking over Batman? Oh! It is because Snyder is writing his own Bat-Book with All-Star Batman? No… He is writing the Batman Rebirth One-Shot. With Tom King? Oh! So confusing!
With all the back and forth, the creator differences between the one-shot (introduction) and the main title, and the books that do not even have one-shots, how are subscribers or even simply regular comics readers supposed to talk to their local shop about the DC Comic’sRebirth event? Even though the entire announcement from the Rebirth panel at last weekend’s Wonder Con was streamed live and watched by retailers, fans and bloggers all over the globe. Very little information was given other than who will be doing what within the creative process for ‘most’ of the upcoming books.
What continuity is being followed? What is post and what is pre-new New 52/DCYou? Why is one creator on the Rebirth One-Shot but not part of the main team once the story is rebooted? And what about the popular titles like Secret Sixor Harley Quinn’s Little Black Book? Both of which have only just begun. They seem to be far from an end but are not part of any upcoming solicit.
There are still many questions to be had and, it would seem, DC has a waning amount of time to explain them. But, until those few answers arrive, a more demanding point needs attention.
Even though DC’s solicits did not make it into the main PREVIEWSworld catalog that arrived in stores this past Wednesday (March 30), retailers must still have their initial orders in at the normal time (end of the month). We will be receiving a special one-off Previews catalog from DC on April 13th (free from your local retailer.) But this means there are two less weeks to make your subscription decisions than normal. So any extra support is beneficial.
To help streamline the process and, hopefully, make it easier for both you and your local shop. We have built a series of lists and diagrams to help you pick the best titles for your subscription pull lists. Though some of the following information may be liable to change, a start is a start. So, comic book fans. Let’s start talking Rebirth!
The Rebirth one-shots will lead us into many of the most exciting titles. But be aware, many of the creative teams change between the one-shot and the main release.
Not all titles will have a One-Shot. Even some of the most anticipated titles such as Detective Comics and Action Comics.
Here they are, all of the creative teams announced for Rebirth in one place. Right at your finger tips! And make sure to print out a list of all the new titles, fill it out and take it to you local comic shop.
Just to top if off. Make sure to check out PREVIEWSworld for the full DC Comics digital June solicits.
The Watchdogs originally appeared in Captain America #335. Wondering why Cap looks so angry on this cover? Steve had been temporarily replaced by John Walker who would later become US Agent. Also, it’s from the late ’80s
“Watchdogs” – The Recap
“Watchdogs” was another episode of Agents of SHIELD that lived up to its potential. Action-packed scenes with lots of tension building throughout made for a fast-paced episode. However, beyond the super-powered espionage that, when done well, makes Agents of SHIELD stand out, “Watchdogs” also included a couple of elements that I’ve been raving about in earlier reviews: Agents of SHIELD doesn’t make use of enough Marvel properties that originally appeared in the comics and many of the characters on the show aren’t fleshed out in a meaningful way. Featured in “Watchdogs” was the right-wing terrorist group known as, you guessed it, Watchdogs that originally appeared in Captain America #335. Meaningful fleshing-out of a character comes by way of humanizing Mac–or Alphie–who also originally appeared in the comics.
“Watchdogs” started off as a picture of fraternal bliss. Mac and his brother Ruben are working on their motorbikes and discussing their lives. And, though things aren’t going exceptionally well for either of the Mackenzie brothers, they’re both grateful to have some time together to commiserate. This bliss is short-lived though. Flipping through the channels, Mac and his brother come across a breaking news alert that shows right-wing terrorist group the Watchdogs attack and implode an ATCU building. Mac becomes visibly concerned when his brother describes the attack as “awesome.”
Here’s a comic that I own that features the Watchdogs! I think Steve’s back in the red, white, and blue in this one
Coulson calls Mac in to help investigate the attack. Although Mac wants to stay with his brother and enjoy some R&R, Coulson eventually convinces Mac to assist, reminding him that they recently lost two agents. Ruben is understandably upset, believing Mac’s cover story of working as an insurance advisor and not part of an elite team of international super-spies. Mac promises Ruben that he will be back before too long to work on the bikes.
The team is able to piece together that the attack was perpetrated using nitramene—Agent Carter fans may remember this Stark-created substance from that show’s first couple of episodes. Armed with the understanding that The Watchdogs are using nitramene, Coulson suspects that former SHIELD agent Felix Blake, who was working on advancing nitramene-based technology, may be the mastermind behind the attack. Longtime Agents of SHIELD viewers may remember Blake from the show’s first season in which Blake helped the team fight the Clairvoyant. And, as is mentioned in “Watchdogs,” viewers may also remember that Blake was put in intensive care after having his back broken by a brainwashed Deathlok.
Simmons is busy working on her headshots at the firing range, she feels responsible for whatever carnage Lash may have unleashed since she released him from his cell. Tired of putting her friends’ lives at risk in order to be saved, Simmons is determined to become a crackshot if not a human killing machine like May. So, when May asks Simmons to help her find Lash, Simmons immediately accepts. May and Simmons discuss a potential cure for Lash but May brushes the suggestion off saying that when she finds him she’ll kill him.
Daisy, Fitz, and Mac meanwhile are trying to come up with a solid lead on the Watchdogs. Daisy suggests an old-fashioned shakedown of a known Watchdogs member in order to find out where they meet. Mac, refusing to go along with the shakedown plan, describing it as “kind of Gestapo” decides to go back to his brother’s house but Daisy is able to convince Fitz to be her accomplice. When Mac gets back to his brother Ruben’s house, he finds him drunken and surly. Ruben accuses Mac of not being a good brother or son and exposes himself as a Watchdog sympathizer.
Daisy and Fitz’s morally questionable shakedown of a member of the Watchdogs pays off: they learn the location of a Watchdog compound. When Daisy, Mac, and Fitz arrive at the compound they locate former agent Felix Blake by identifying his voice. Daisy reports to Coulson that she has audio confirmation of Blake’s presence at her location. Coulson instructs the team to observe but not to engage. This order becomes impossible to follow when an apologetic Ruben shows up on his motorbike, having followed Mac to what he thought was an insurance investigation. Ruben effectively blows the team’s cover and Daisy engages the enemy against both Coulson and Mac’s orders.
Coulson, having enlisted Lincoln’s help with a side mission to one of Blake’s known safehouses is also following a lead. Surprisingly, Blake appears to be in the safehouse that Coulson and Lincoln are investigating even though Daisy just heard Blake’s voice at the Watchdog compound. In fact, neither Coulson nor Daisy are anywhere near the real Felix Blake, only holograms of him. Coulson’s mission, intended largely as a proving ground for Lincoln pays off in more ways than one. Not only does Lincoln finally prove to Coulson that his allegiance is to SHIELD and that he’ll obey orders, the two also realize that Blake’s plan was to have Coulson’s team bring an Inhuman to the compound in order to identify or kill one.
Things aren’t going so well for Fitz and Daisy. Fitz, during his retreat from the Watchdog compound is hit by a the same kind of gel-like nitramene round that imploded the ATCU building. It sticks to his neck and threatens to implode him. Luckily, Daisy is eventually able to freeze it off like a wart with some handy liquid nitrogen, saving Fitz from a very messy end. The implosive device dealt with, a captive Watchdog reveals to Daisy and Fitz that Mac rather than Daisy was identified as their Inhuman. A Watchdog assault team is en route to Ruben’s house to kill Mac.
Ruben and Mac’s brotherly dispute about honesty and protectionism is interrupted by a Watchdog assault team seeking to kill Mac. The brothers are able to fend the Watchdogs off but Mac takes a bullet to the arm during his “shotgun-axe” heroics. Luckily Daisy arrives before long with medical assistance. While Mac gets coddled by paramedics, Daisy ensures Ruben that Mac is a great dude.
As the final scene reveals, though, the Watchdog attack on the ATCU building was all a distraction from the main event! Security footage shot before the Watchdogs’ attack shows a van with plates that can be traced back to Gideon Malick. The team suspects that Malick stole equipment from the building and staged the Watchdog attack as a cover-up. This is confirmed when we see Giyera reveal what appears to be a nuclear warhead to a non-holographic and wheelchair-bound Agent Felix Blake.
“Watchdogs” – My Critique
As I said earlier, this episode had a lot of what I look for in Agents of SHIELD. Although some of the fraternal bonding was a bit tiresome, it served to flesh out Mac as a character rather than have him be just an exceptionally well-built mechanic. “Watchdogs,” in a very superficial way, even contained a couple of topical issues facing the American government, including public paranoia about refugees and the questionable tactics of some members of governmental spy agencies. And, though some may have felt that the ending to “Watchdogs” was tacked on, I thought that it was a good way to top off this action-packed spy romp and remind viewers of the long game being played by Gideon Malick and the rest of Hydra.
Season six of AMC’s The Walking Dead comes to a close this Sunday; Matthew Sardo and EJ Moreno debate the merits of TV vs. comic book, who will survive the finale, and could you ever replace Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes.
The duo also tries to figure out what makes The Flash on the CW a special show. Plus, how will Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice do at the box office in week two?
Do you have a question that you would like answered during the show?
Email your questions to matt@popaxiom.com.
If you are looking to sponsor the podcast email matt@popaxiom.com as well.
Never heard of Matt Sardo?
For starters, he made the Kessel Run in less than 11 parsecs. Prior to that, he gave Doc Brown the idea for the flux capacitor and led the Resistance to victory over SkyNet – all while sipping a finely crafted IPA. As a radio host, he’s interviewed celebrities, athletes and everyone in between. He’s covered everything from the Super Bowl to Comic-Con.
Like so many actors before him, Jonah Hill is a starving artist who wants to express himself behind the camera as well as in front of it. He’s poised to make his feature directorial debut with Mid 90s, a coming-of-age tale based on a spec script he wrote himself. And though Hill build his career as an actor, the two-time Oscar-nominee has no plays to star in the upcoming feature.
Though details are skim at the moment, Deadline reports the story will center around a boy who learns life lessons alongside his skateboard crew while growing up in Los Angeles during the Clinton years. There’s no announcement yet regarding when he hopes to get this one in front of cameras, but Scott Rudin, Eli Bush and A24, the modern gods of mid-budget intellectual cinema, are backing the project, so it’s already got some serious clout. Expect this one to have some hustle in its step once Hill sends in his final draft of the screenplay.
While Hill has had no experience as a filmmaker, he previously directed a music video in 2011 for Sara Bareilles’ “Gonna Get Over You.” He also has been writing his own plays since college and has story credits under both 21 Jump Street and 22 Jump Street. Oh yes, and he helped create the short-lived animated sitcom Allen Gregory too, if you remember that one at all. Hill has made no secret about his love of cinema, particularly Martin Scorsese’s films, and was once attached to direct The Kitchen Sink in 2011, which eventually became last year’s Freaks of Nature.
Needless to say, it was only a matter of time before it found himself behind the lens. Hopefully, he learned a thing a two working with the likes of Scorsese, Bennett Miller, Jay & Mark Duplass, Judd Apatow, Joel & Ethan Coen, Quentin Tarantino, David Gordon Green and David O. Russell as he makes his first go-around behind the director’s chair.
Meanwhile, as an actor, Hill will soon be seen in War Dogs and heard in Sausage Party on August 19 and August 12, respectively. It was also recently announced that he’ll make his television series debut with Maniac, the Netflix-distributed, Cary Fukunga-directed (True Detective season one, Beasts of No Nation) dark comedy that’ll reunite him with his Superbad co-star Emma Stone.
The Walking Dead season finale is this Sunday and with it comes the arrival of Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan). Early this morning, an audio file was leaked on Reddit and its alleging that this is, in fact, the final ten minutes of the season finale. You can easily make out Negan in the clip along with Rick as well. What do you guys think? Is this Legit? Take a listen?
Adding a little fuel to the speculation, AMC Networks this afternoon has been dedicating time and resources to having these clips pulled from various places on the internet. Why would AMC waste time and resources if the clip didn’t have any substance? Regardless, I can’t wait for Sunday night’s finale and be sure to keep checking our site as we will have a full recap of the finale on Monday.
It’s a great time to be a fan of professional wrestling right now. NXT is a showcase for young, different, and new talent. The biggest event in the industry is upon us as it is Wrestlemania weekend, and even if you don’t like WWE, you have options. Tons of options. Lucha Underground, New Japan Pro Wrestling, Ring Of Honor and various promotions in and out of the United States are accessible online or on TV. WWE is now taking things to a new dimension. Recently, WWE’s Head Of Talent Development Paul Levesque (better known as WWE Champion Triple H) has announced an event that will air exclusively on the WWE Network. Announced as the Global Cruiserweight Series, the event being produced in cooperation with the EVOLVE, PROGRESS, and Revolution Pro Wrestling organizations. This will be a 32 man tournament, taping will begin at Full Sail University (where NXT shows are taped) beginning in July with the finals scheduled for September.
For those who may not be familiar with the term ‘cruiserweight’, that usually signifies a performer 205 lbs. or less. Cruiserweight talent like Rey Mysterio, Dean Malenko, and Psychosis were a big part of WCW Monday Nitro in the mid-nineties, gaining acclaim for its technical superiority and fast pace, as compared to the main event talent. In this current era, the cruiserweight talent are becoming the main event and this tournament will show the world what these performers can really do.
The GCS does not start until July but 7 names have already been announced, and if the level of talent holds steady, this might be one of the most dynamic events ever. Current NXT talents Johnny Gargano, Tomasso Ciampa, and Rich Swann will be participating but let’s look at two others who you may not know, but will once this event kicks off.
Akira Tozawa
Akira Tozawa photo: PWG
Debuting in 2005 in the Dragon Gate promotion, Tozawa would find moderate success going into 2010 and 2011 when he would head to the U.S and begin performing with Pro Wrestling Guerrilla and Chikara. Tozawa wrestles a traditional Japanese “stiff” style mixed with grappling and a variety of suplexes. He may not go far in the GCS but is worth a look if you are interested in international talent. He has also had matches against talent like The Young Bucks, Kevin Owens, and Sami Zayn.
Zack Sabre Jr.
Zack Sabre Jr. photo: Rob Brazier
The best thing to come out of Great Britain since Colin Firth, Sabre is the early favorite to win here. He’s had battles with Bryan Danielson (Daniel Bryan in the WWE), Sami Zayn, and Prince Devitt (Finn Balor in NXT). He has won the Wrestling Observer ‘Best Technical Wrestler’ award in 2014 and 2015. He throws a serious penalty kick and his Sabre Driver has helped him notch victory after victory.
The WWE Global Cruiserweight Series will begin airing July on the WWE Network
The Walking Dead season finale is this Sunday and with it comes the arrival of Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan). Early this morning, an audio file was leaked on Reddit and its alleging that this is, in fact, the final ten minutes of the season finale. You can easily make out Negan in the clip along with Rick as well. What do you guys think? Is this Legit? Take a listen?
