The Heat and the Shine

The Undertaker's loss at WrestleMania XXX wasn't a screwjob.  It wasn't kept secret from the announcers and it wasn't a call in the ring.  It was planned.  It was his choice.  It was business. Brock Lesnar has been a financial disappointment to the company thus far, and this will give him a shot in the arm.  A deca-durabolin sized shot?  Time will tell.  It does put a shiny new coat on Lesnar and that could mean something. WWE needs a boost right now.  WrestleMania may have been an aesthetic success and a non-sports gate record for the Super Dome, but a soft belly lies beneath.  The weekly television audience is not growing.  Money-drawing stars are down to two.  The company becomes relevant in popular culture on increasingly rare occasions. Kudos to Undertaker, the McMahon-Helmsleys and anyone else who saw the lay of the land and made this brave decision.  There are a lot of WWE fans that wanted the Undertaker to keep t...

Back when I wrote with a writing partner, we used procrastinate a lot in the afternoons.  (Maybe this is why one of the top comedy guys in Hollywood is named  Christopher  and not Benjamin.)  Our favorite procrastination activity was watching ESPN's afternoon lineup, and our favorite ESPN afternoon lineup gimmick was "Coors Light Cold Hard Facts".  The gimmick involved some ex-jock making predictions by saying "fact" or "fiction".  It was glorious and we began to integrate it into our daily lives (much to the chagrin of girlfriends, baristas and call center representatives).   Here, then, is the first of what might become a series (provided that I finally kick that procrastination bug):  Pro Wrestling Fact or Fiction.  Just as with ESPN's "Coors Light Cold Hard Facts", none of this is fact, much of it is fiction and all of it is speculation. Fact or Fiction: Dish Network will not off...