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We’re Baaa-aaack!

Much like One Direction, we’ve been on hiatus. We do sincerely apologize to our fans & friends for this, but I, for one, have plans to move forward with creating new and fun content on My Fangirl Life starting NOW. I definitely miss this as a writing outlet… and I can’t wait to get back into eating/sleeping/breathing/writing all this geeky content.

There are a ton of things in the fandom world which we’ve been unable to cover recently, so I’m going to run over some of the ones I am more excited about quickly here. We may discuss these in more detail in the near future, but I want to do a quick overview so that you know what I’m OBSESSED with right now. Gotta bring you up to speed, ya know.

The new Harry Potter book! – I re-read all the books in the series this summer prior to reading Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, and I am so glad I did. I’ve been living in the Potterverse since then, wanting to re-experience everything as though it’s the first time. Impossible to do, but reliving it all has been magical nonetheless.
Nashville! – So happy that one of my favourite shows, which gives me tastes of my favourite city, is coming back.
Niall Horan’s new single! – I heard it on the radio guys! It was so exciting! Good for you, Niall ?
Scream Queens! – I didn’t know how they were going to continue the story, and though this season is possibly more ridiculous than last, they’re totally making it work.
Pokemon Go! – The complete obsession has come and gone, but I would say that I am still solidly interested in playing Pokemon Go… I mean, I wanna be the very best like no one ever was.
The live action Beauty & The Beast! – I know this was announced ages ago, but every time a new bit of news comes out on this project, I get completely overwhelmingly excited all over again.
Shawn Mendes’s Illuminate! – This boy is the pride of Canada… in a good way.
About A Boy, the TV Show – So I’m a little behind the times on this one since it concluded a couple years ago, but this show is utterly delightful. They had me from the moment they used “What Makes You Beautiful” as one of the big songs in season 1.
WWE! – We’re going to WWE Live in Edmonton this Friday and our team is pretty darn stoked to see some of our favourite wrestlers (did I really just say that?) up close and personal.
Snapchat! – I recently got Snapchat and have been trying to learn what people use it for. I have to admit, it’s pretty fun. If you’re on Snapchat too and a total boss, add me (kristingevents) so I can learn from you.

That’s just a sneak peek of the things I’m into right now… I’m looking forward to expanding on that and creating some awesome content in the coming weeks. The My Fangirl Life team has missed you all – hope you missed us too!

Cheers,
KG

October 12, 2016 0 comment

Sports TV WWE

How to Avoid Spoilers for a Major Event

written by Kristin Glass

Have you ever been unable to watch something major live? If you have, you probably know how difficult it is to avoid spoilers in today’s online world, full of social media discussion and trending topics. Our team recently became huge fans of the WWE, and as such, we’ve been excited to experience our first Wrestlemania. That being said, as of the writing of this post, we still haven’t seen it. And as for myself at least, I have avoided spoilers. I won’t say it was easy, but I’ve done it. So I’m here today to help you do the same by providing tips on how to avoid spoilers for a major event.

Since not all of the internet is as nice as My Fangirl Life (we have a strict spoiler guide that we stick to), it can be hard to avoid having big reveals given away. But I’ve got a few strategies that I have put in place over the past couple weeks, and I’ll share them with you today!

Tell Your Friends

Do you have people you always talk to about the fandom that you’re hoping to avoid having spoiled? Let them know you’re on a blackout so they don’t inadvertently let anything slip. One of the people I usually talk to about wrestling was actually at Wrestlemania this year! Because I let him know I’d be on a blackout, he was nice enough to send me a few photos, but no spoilers at all… though I know he cannot wait to discuss all of it (slash I can’t wait to hear about it). That’s only a few days away at this point – huzzah!

Steer Clear of the Internet

Seriously, just do. At least for the night of the event, if not for a couple days afterwards. This is getting even more difficult to deal with because ads are now smart and know what you like. You can only hope something about your favourite show/fandom doesn’t pop up wherever you are hanging out online!

Don’t Look at Trending Topics

I will never forget the time I had the big return of Shane McMahon to Monday Night Raw spoiled for me a few weeks ago via Facebook trending topics. I mean, I’m such a new fan that this wasn’t a huge deal (I didn’t yet know anything about Shane O-Mac)… but it opened my eyes to how difficult it would be to avoid spoilers in this fandom!

Do Not Go On Reddit

This is a tip from contributor Johnny Rico. He’s been a longtime fan of the WWE and has been participating in our wrestling blackout so that we can all experience Wrestlemania together, and apparently some spoilers have been completely unavoidable on Reddit.

Don’t Google ANYTHING to Do With the Topic

I couldn’t even google things to include in this article. What’s Shane McMahon’s nickname? Oh, I can’t ask the Google machine for fear of spoilers coming up in the results or the autocomplete. How am I supposed to find the answers to all of life’s questions now?

Also Avoid the Internet During Following Episodes

I’m avoiding most of the internet so I don’t get Wrestlemania + 1 week spoilers from Raw. This might be more of a WWE-specific issue, since most major events won’t be followed by more episodes, but it’s still worth mentioning. I’m on a total wrestling blackout until Sunday, and I can’t wait to catch up.

I hope these tips can help you to make it through! Have you ever had anything major spoiled for you? What do you do to avoid spoilers? Let me know in the comments!

Cheers,

April 13, 2016 0 comment

Mangirling Sports TV WWE

The Fangirl Glossary: WWE Wrestling

written by Johnny Rico

The WWE Universe is a gigantic and very weird space. I’ve often argued that wrestling fans sit at the very bottom of the fandom pyramid because of the level of disdain we receive from humanoids who don’t understand what we watch and why we watch it. For example, I’m regularly told by outsiders “Wrestling isn’t real”. My stock response to this is “Thanks tips, the sky is blue and Han Solo isn’t real either”. Wrestling is just as “real” (or “unreal”, I guess) as any other area of entertainment, from the small screen to the big screen to the stage. The other reason that the WWE is seen as different from so many other fandoms is the sheer volume of content wrestling fans get to sift through. No other fandom gets as many weekly hours of sanctioned content with no off-season. For the above two reasons, wrestling fans have developed their own language to discuss their passion without drawing the ire of wrestling muggles. But how does a new fan learn the language? With a custom WWE wrestling glossary brought to you by the marks and smarks (look these up below!) of My Fangirl Life. Read on to find out all the terms you need to know to watch Wrestlemania 32 today!

Angle (noun) A fictional storyline where excuses are made for wrestlers to interact with each other.

Babyface (noun) A good guy. Often abbreviated as “face”.

Bump (verb) The act of being on the receiving end of a potentially dangerous move.

Divas (plural noun) Female wrestlers.

Face (noun) Short and more widely used term for “babyface”.

Championship Belt (noun) A belt that signifies a wrestler is the champion. Also referred to as belt, strap, gold, or many many other words.

Gimmick (noun) A reason for a wrestler to act the way they act. ie// The Miz is a Hollywood A-lister and may therefore act like an arrogant jerk.

Gorilla Position (noun) The backstage area wrestlers wait in, directly behind the Titantron, before coming to the ring. Named after former wrestler, Gorilla Monsoon.

Heat (noun) Negative reaction from the fans. If a heel has heat, this is a good thing.

Nuclear Heat (noun) The highest level of heat. Fans, at this level, become legitimately angry.

X-Pac Heat (noun) The most ironic level of heat. Named after a wrestler named X-Pac when fans just hated the guy and wanted him to go away. It probably had something to do with his rampant alcoholism and the sex tape featuring him and Chyna. DO NOT watch this. Actually, forget I said anything, this is not a rabbit hole you want to go down.

Cheap Heat (noun) 1. Generally when a wrestler insults the audience with something unrelated to wrestling to illicit a quick negative reaction. 2. A wrestling themed ESPN podcast.

Heel (noun) A bad guy.

Kayfabe (noun) The important act of keeping the appearance that wrestling is real competition.

Kayfabe Only (noun) The theory that wrestling is better if you don’t bother going on the internet to find out the real life story behind the wrestling story.

Luchador (Mexican) for wrestler.

Lucha Mask (Mexican) DO NOT mess with these masks. They’re a physical representation of a Luchador’s power.

Mark (noun) A wrestling fan who loses sight of the business of wrestling whilst watching wrestling. Marks are looked down upon by smarks (like a carnival barker looks down at a rube) for being taken or fooled by seemingly obvious plot twists.

Match (noun) When wrestlers fight. Often two wrestlers simply having a fight isn’t enough to keep fans interested, so matches often include stipulations or gimmicks. Common versions below.

Hell in a Cell Match (noun) Like a steel cage match, but with a roof. You can’t win by escaping because there is no escape, you know, because of the roof.

Ladder Match (noun) 1. Hang something from the ceiling and the first person to climb a ladder to get the object of desire wins. 2. A match where someone is going to jump or fall from somewhere high.

No Holds Barred Match (noun) A match where literally no holds are barred. Wrestlers can go where they want and use whatever they want in an effort to incapacitate their opponents.

Steel Cage Match (noun) A match that takes place inside of a steel cage. You can win by escaping the cage

Monday Night Wars (epoch) The late 90’s era where WWF and WCW battled for wrestling supremacy. During this time WWF Monday Night Raw and WCW Monday Nitro combined rating were roughly 5 times what Raw’s ratings are today.

No-selling (verb) The act of making yourself look impervious to your opponent’s attacks.

NXT (noun) WWE’s minor league feeder promotion.

Over (noun) The goal of every wrestler or angle. Being over happens when the fans give the desired actions. Heels are lustily boo’d and faces are enthusiastically cheered. A state where everything is right in the wrestling world.

Part Unknown (noun) An imaginary hometown when a wrestler’s gimmick seems otherworldly.

Pipebomb (noun) A event that blurs the line between reality and kayfabe. CM Punk’s 2011 pipebomb is the current gold standard. Watch it now. Seriously.

Pop (noun) When an audience audibly “pops” for a move, wrestler, or event. The opposite of heat.

Popcorn Match (noun) 1. A match in the middle of the card designed to relieve tension and allow the audience to take a bathroom break, get some popcorn, or generally relax. 2. Any match involving women prior to 2015. 3. Please note, this is not an official type of match.

Promo (noun) What a wrestler does when they grab a microphone and tell the audience about what they’re doing or what they’re going to do and who they’re going to do it to.

Selling (verb) The act of making it look like your opponent is really hurting you.

Shoot (noun) When a wrestler goes off script in an interview, promo or match. These are high points of entertainment for smarks and confusing for marks. The opposite of a work.

Smark (noun) A wrestling fan who never loses sight of the business of wrestling whilst watching wrestling. Smarks are looked down upon by marks (like a person with a job looks down at a nomadic carnival worker) for not being able to lose themselves in an obviously fictional world that’s designed and exists for the sole purpose of drama.

Spanish Announce Table (noun) 1. A prop for someone to be body slammed into. 2. A table at which the Spanish speaking announcers theoretically call matches. This has never happened.

Spot (noun) Any pre-planned action or series of actions. Contrary to non-wrestling fan beliefs, wrestling matches are not totally scripted. Yes, the outcomes are scripted, but for the most part everything you see is improvised, or called, by the most senior wrestler in the ring. Spots are scripted for storytelling purposes.

High spot (noun) A super exciting spot that either looks dangerous or is dangerous.

Blown spot (noun) When someone screws something up. This usually results in ten seconds of awkward non-action or an injury.

Squared Circle (noun) The ring. Don’t ask me why.

Squash Match (noun) A match that inevitably is short and one sided. The loser is set up to be squashed by an obviously superior opponent. This is also not an official match designation.

Superstars (noun) Male wrestlers.

Suplex (move) It starts as a hug, but the huggee gets flipped over the hugger and lands on his back.

Suplex City (bitch) Where Brock Lesnar takes his opponents.

Titantron (noun) The giant video screen the wrestlers walk out in front of. Named after the WWF’s former parent company, Titan Entertainment.

Turnbuckle (noun) The padded bits that connect the rings to the poles. Occasionally the padded bits are removed… this causes much hurt.

Work (noun) Anything planned. As in, the crowd is being worked over. Usually, everything in wrestling is a work, except when it isn’t. The opposite of a shoot.

Work (verb) To repeatedly attack a specific body part on an opponent, usually because the opponent “injured” that body part previously.

Vignette (noun) Pre-taped segments used to further a storyline or hint at an upcoming plot twist.

Did I miss any words from this WWE wrestling glossary? Do you vehemently disagree with my definitions? Want to tell me that wrestling isn’t real? Let me know in the comments below!

And if you missed out on our other editions of The Fangirl Glossary, you can check the entire resource out here for all the terms you need to know to make your way in the fandom world.

Sincerely,

Johnny Rico, a proud mark.

Image Sources: Featured image

April 3, 2016 0 comment

Our Favourite Things Sports WWE

Our Favourite Things: WWE Wrestlers (in honor of Wrestlemania 32)

written by Kris Padget

It’s Wrestlemania weekend! Woot! Time for some intensive, bone-crushing, soap-opera-style drama! For wrestling fans this is their big day – their Superbowl / World Series / Stanley Cup Finals / Daytona 500. Or should I say “our” big day, because we are wrestling fans. It snuck up on us, our love of WWE, but we are now a part of the fandom. On Thursday I presented you, our lovely readers, with 5 Reasons Why Every Fangirl Should Watch Wrestlemania 32, including points like showmanship, storylines, and hunks. But what I didn’t tell you was who to cheer for…

Of course I don’t want to directly tell you who is good and who is not; that is obviously a matter of opinion. But I also know that sporting events are WAY more fun when I’m invested in them, and I don’t get invested until I have someone to throw my support behind. So I am here to present you with some options – an array of wrestlers you could consider supporting. And to help you decide I have organized them by who we, the My Fangirl Life Team, cheer for. Below you will find one of our typical Our Favourite Things Venn diagrams feature each of our favourite wrestlers.

In the interest of full disclosure I’m going to give you the low-down on how informed each of our choices are:

Justine – The “I Guess I’ll Watch The Pay-Per-Views With You” Fan – Justine’s wrestling knowledge is based entirely on what the rest of us feed her and she mainly watches for the social aspect of hanging out with her best friends. This is her first Wrestlemania.

Kris & KG – The New (Yet Typical Obsessive Fangirl) Fans – KG & I only watched our first WWE PPV event in January this year. We only started watching Monday Night RAW in February. We didn’t delve into the world of Smackdown until early March. We are hardly long-running, years-of-background fans… yet we are fangirls, so you know we take this foray into a new fandom seriously. While watching PPVs we make sure to quiz Johnny Rico for all of the backstory and when anyone new shows up on Raw/Smackdown we Google them immediately so as to not miss out on any potential feuds or bromances. This is our first Wrestlemania.

Johnny Rico – The Long-Time “Real” Fan – Johnny Rico has been watching wrestling since he was 6 years old. He is a wealth of WWE knowledge. He watches all of the PPVs, Raw, and Smackdown almost religiously. If you need any more convincing that he’s the expert check out his Wrestling with Shame series that he continues to write for this blog (despite it being underappreciated by our viewing audience). This is his ?th Wrestlemania (he’s not sure).

wwe-wrestling-wrestlemania-our-favourite-things-wrestlers

Love & Luck,
Kris

April 2, 2016 0 comment

Music Sports TV WWE

Fangirl Playlists: Your WWE Workout Mix

written by Kristin Glass

We’re celebrating Wrestlemania weekend here on My Fangirl Life. That’s what I said… we’re celebrating wrestling. We fell pretty hard for this fandom in the last couple months. You can read on how this happened in Confession: I Like WWE Wrestling. But the fact of the matter is that now we are in so deep there’s no going back. Yesterday Kris wrote 5 Reasons Why Every Fangirl Should Watch Wrestlemania 32, and if you’re still skeptical I recommend you check it out. If you’re already on board with this whole wrestling thing, keep on reading. Today I am putting together a new Fangirl Playlist: Your WWE Workout Mix… so that you too can start to bring WWE wrestling into all parts of your life.

Entrance themes are one of my favourite parts of wrestling. As soon as the first notes of someone’s song starts to play, and the camera cuts over to them doing their typical entrance choreography, I get chills. It’s epic. So what better soundtrack for your WWE workout than these songs that tell so many stories? Don’t worry; I’ve got you covered with the perfect playlist.

“My House” by Flo Rida (Wrestlemania 32 Theme)
“Phenomenal” by CFO$ (Theme for AJ Styles)
“Electrifying” by Jim Johnston (Theme for The Rock)
“Meat on the Table” by Jim Johnston (Theme for Ryback)
“Here Comes the Money” by Jim Johnston (Theme for Shane McMahon)
“The Game” by Motorhead (Theme for Triple H)
“Rebel Son” by CFO$ & Jim Johnston (Theme for King Barrett)
“Beautiful Life” by CFO$ (Theme Song for Brie Bella)
“Worlds Apart” by CFO$ (Theme for Sami Zayn)
“The Second Coming” by CFO$ (Theme for Seth Rollins)
“Next Big Thing” by Jim Johnston (Theme for Brock Lesnar)
“Retaliation” by CFO$ (Theme for Dean Ambrose)
“I Came to Play” by Downstait (Theme for The Miz)
“Live in Fear” by Mark Crozer (Theme song for The Wyatt Family)

The playlist starts on an upbeat note, so you can dive right into warming up and getting your body moving. The songs then level out a little bit throughout the first half, which is perfect for your strength training. Songs continue to build up the intensity into a great cardio section, and the last two songs drop off at the end to facilitate your cool down and stretching. I’ve got your workout arc all figured out!

I’m so new to the wrestling fandom that I’m sure I’ve missed some great ones in here – these are just the themes I’ve discovered in the past couple months and loved, or that I stumbled across on Youtube and thought would be a perfect fit. But now’s your chance! Let me know what I missed in the comments… I can’t wait to discover even more wrestling theme songs.

There you have it – your perfect WWE workout mix. Enjoy!

Cheers,

Photo Source: Featured Image

April 1, 2016 0 comment

Sports WWE

5 Reasons Why Every Fangirl Should Watch Wrestlemania 32

written by Kris Padget

I know what you’re thinking: “Why would I ever want to watch wrestling? I am a fangirl; I have discerning tastes. I know what I like and I can almost guarantee wrestling isn’t it”. I hear you… not long ago, when Johnny Rico tried to convince us to watch our first WWE pay-per-view with him, I went through a similar thought process. I didn’t think I’d like it; after all, I was into fandoms, not senseless violence. What I didn’t know was that WWE is just another fandom. Sure there is physical fighting mixed in, but it also has all of the elements that originally drew me into any other of my favourite fandoms. When you check out the examples below try to argue that the storylines aren’t as good as anything you’d see on your favourite CW show or in the next teen fiction novel you pick up.

1. Backstory

I know what you are thinking: “I don’t want to spend my Sunday evening watching two men beat the crap out of each other. Yawn”. Yes, if you watch Wrestlemania you will see two (or more) people fighting, but this isn’t UFC. The fighting is hardly the best part… for a fangirl at least. The joy in watching wrestling lies in the plot. Each wrestler has a persona and that character has a story littered with friends & enemies. It has performed team-ups and has a history. A history that can date back years, even decades. It can precede that wrestler’s time in WWE and reach back through the NXT Series (the WWE’s minor leagues) and beyond.

For example, Sami Zayn – who you will likely see as a challenger in the Intercontinental Title match – just made his Raw debut (aka first appearance on WWE Monday Night’s Raw show) on March 7th. This means he’s only been a full-fledged member of the WWE big leagues for a month, yet he still has a story to tell. In the NXT Series he frequently battled Neville & Kevin Owens (the current Intercontinental Champ) and has plenty of baggage regarding past betrayal by Owens. Oh, and he’s also managed to pick a fight with The Miz already… You’ll likely see all of these characters face off in a ladders match for the Intercontinental Title (yes, that is a match where they have to climb ladders to grab the coveted belt).
wwe-wrestlemania-32-sami-zayn-kevin-owens

2. Friendships, Romances & Feuds

But backstory alone isn’t enough. You can sit down and read the Wikipedia page of any athlete and know their own personal “backstory”. It is within these backstories and how they impact the match-ups of today that the magic happens. Because wrestler’s histories aren’t contained… they are messy and overlap with all of their competitors in some way. Sometimes one of the WWE stars falls for one of the Divas and love is in the air. This will inevitably turn into a love triangle and drama will ensue. Or perhaps two wrestlers will face each other multiple times, swapping wins back & forth (like happened early this year with Chris Jericho (aka Y2J) and AJ Styles). The feud is undeniable… that is, until they form an unlikely team-up to defeat a bigger enemy (and Y2AJ was born). But the beautiful friendship will be short-lived because tag teams don’t last forever (and Y2J betrays AJ Styles because of his overwhelming popularity).

But maybe you want a Wrestlemania-centric example; luckily the Divas match is perfect. Becky Lynch & Charlotte were best friends, inseparable… until Charlotte won the Divas title. Suddenly the new champ didn’t have time for her old friend. She became a right bitch to poor Becky. So Becky went out and made a new friend: Sasha Banks. Sasha & Becky had a chilly history but, after a few tag team team-ups, they bonded. That is until Charlotte informed the pair that one of them would face her for her title at Wrestlemania. Suddenly the new friends were facing off against each other for a chance to take on the Champ. Due to shenanigans by Charlotte (and her ancient, annoying father) there was never a winner crowned between Becky & Sasha and a three-way Triple Threat match will take place at Wrestlemania. Can any of the friendships survive?
20160229_WM32-keyart_MATCH_charlotteshasha_1920x1080--00d2d01d84316d7b478d90e8e83a37ed.0.0

3. But we mainly just want to see Bromances

Fangirls love a good bromance. Sherlock’s Holmes & Watson. Supernatural’s Sam & Dean. The Bachelor’s Clint & JJ. WWE has bromances to offer as well! Sometimes they’re fleeting (like the aforementioned Y2AJ) but sometimes they are long-standing, intense, and beautiful. What is more special than the love between a guy and his bro?

The bromance-to-end-all-bromances in the WWE right now is with Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose. They entered the WWE spotlight as part of a three-man tag team called The Shield (along with the currently injured Seth Rollins). The Shield is no longer together (as I said before, tag teams can’t last forever) but the friendship remains. These two are often featured on other WWE shows together, just hanging out & being besties. When Dean Ambrose was smashed through the windshield of a limo by Brock Lesner in the opening of one week’s Raw we were comforted to see Roman Reigns on the phone with the hospital later in the episode, checking on his bro’s condition.

Roman Reigns will be challenging the current Heavyweight Champion of the World, Triple H, for his title in the main event of Wrestlemania 32. Dean has also been making moves towards the greatest of all titles over the past month, hoping to defeat Triple H and get to headline Wrestlemania for the first time. Instead he will be facing off with Brock Lesner (yeah, the guy who put him through a windshield… rivalries are strong in this fandom) in a no-holds-barred street fight. We’re still not sure how this year’s WWE premiere event will affect our fav bromance, but I am sure it will come into play somehow.
wwe-wrestlemania-32-roman-reigns-dean-ambrose-bromance

4. Heroes & Villains

Who you cheer for is wholly personal in any contest/sporting event/shipping war/etc. It’s no different in wrestling…however, no story is complete without a cast of heroes and villains. Rivalries can’t just be between the best of friends; you also need to have “the good guys” and “the bad guys”. There’s nothing saying you have to cheer for the heroes though (like how I have a soft spot for Hans when I watch Frozen). Yet sometimes everyone seems to unite behind one character; a character that can do no wrong and makes the crowd cheer uproariously whenever they appear. Those are the special heroes, who sometimes can be “villains” in the story line… or heroes to the people but resistant to authority (much as people love might Robin Hood).

The perfect Hero vs Villain storyline at Wrestlemania 32 will be the ‘Hell in a Cell’ match between Shane McMahon and The Undertaker. Shane is the son of WWE Commissioner Vince McMahon, but has been estranged for years. He has returned to the spotlight and challenged his father for the rights to run WWE Raw. Vince has promised that if Shane can win his Wrestlemania match he can have the coveted Monday Night show. Seems fair right? Wrong. He has set up a near-impossible challenge for his boy: a Hell in a Cell fight (aka cage match) against The Undertaker (aka the hugest, scariest, looks-like-a-gravedigger-from-hell-iest opponent). The complexity in the story comes from the fact that Vince is technically a Hero, being as he runs the WWE, but everyone hates him, making him the Villain for the fans. Shane, on the other hand, is challenging authority, so he is the technical Villain. But he was also always a fan favourite when he wrestled, due to the death-defying stunts he used to pull, making him the fans’ Hero. We’ll have to wait & see what Raw’s fate will be!
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5. Hunks

Is there anything a fangirl loves more than a hunk? They inspire us to watch an entire 11 season tv show or sit through a 3 hour movie we otherwise couldn’t have cared less for. They inspire fanfiction and artwork, both innocent and graphic. They fuel the manic fangirl energy we live on. And WWE has plenty of hunks, most of which you will see at Wrestlemania 32. Don’t believe me? Rather than give a list of examples, here is photographic proof:
hottest-men-of-wwe-wrestlemania

Do I have you convinced? Will you be tuning in to Wrestlemania 32 this weekend? Let me know in the comments below … or, if you are already a WWE fan, add to the list with your own selling points!

Love & Luck,
Kris

Image Source: Zayn & Owens 1 – Zayn & Owens 2 – Sasha, Charlotte, & Becky – Dean & Roman – McMahon & Undertaker – The Miz – Reigns – Ziggler – Rollins – Barrett – Cesaro

March 31, 2016 0 comment

Confessions Sports WWE

Confession: I Like WWE Wrestling

written by Kristin Glass

As a fangirl, embarrassing confessions tend to be a common part of my life. Confession: I’m obsessed with One Direction. Confession: I watch The Bachelor every Monday night. Confession: I own a “magic” wand. These are all true, and all things that I’m sometimes embarrassed to actually confess. But one thing that I never thought I would say is that I like WWE wrestling.

For months our contributor Johnny Rico had been telling Kris, Justine, and I how much wrestling ties in to our beloved world of fandoms. He told us that the storylines are insane & hilarious, that the characters are interesting & dynamic, and that the athleticism is impressive (despite the fact that the whole world knows wrestling isn’t real…shhhhh! It’s a “secret”). We brushed off his claims for ages, not really giving Johnny Rico any credit.

He pitched a regular series on this very blog, titled Wrestling With Shame – it started as a Tuesday Walk of Shame takeover, which was incredibly fitting. His first Wrestling With Shame post introduced us fangirls to the wide world of professional wrestling. As I read through that post, I recognized many points he had brought up to us again and again. But for some reason when they were written down they held far more credibility than when they were being ranted at us. Johnny Rico continued to write Wrestling With Shame posts, which I read with growing interest. Respect the Past, But Do Not Worship It discussed nostalgia and how it affects both the WWE and entertainment in general. Character, Plot, or Both? delved into the storytelling of wrestling as compared to movies or television shows.

By the time I had read all of these posts, I was at least a little bit intrigued. It didn’t take much for Johnny Rico to convince Kris, Justine, and I to commit to watching the Royal Rumble with him in January. We scheduled it in to our respective Sunday evenings, rolling our eyes as we did. But we were promised food and entertainment, so how bad could it really be? Plus, the Royal Rumble did sound pretty cool – a free for all with 30 fighters, slated to enter the ring one at a time? That couldn’t be too boring.

So we watched. And we were far more interested in all of it than any of us thought we possibly could be. I mean, it does help that Roman Reigns is a total dreamboat (why didn’t Johnny Rico lead with that?), but we got incredibly caught up in the storylines and the backstory to each of the characters. The three of us fell in love with Roman Reigns, were delighted by The New Day, and hated both Charlotte and Triple H with a vengeance. After the Royal Rumble ended, we all decided we were definitely into watching Wrestlemania.

Johnny Rico released another Wrestling with Shame post a few weeks later – Who is Daniel Bryan and Why Should You Care? – and it was honestly some of his best work. This post related wrestling to fandom universes in general, in a motivational fashion. I recommend checking out our most under-appreciated series here on the blog. Wrestling with Shame is worth a read, even for a non-wrestling fan.

This past Saturday, when we realized that there was a WWE pay-per-view showing on Sunday night that we had no plans to watch, Kris, Justine, and I immediately recruited Johnny Rico so that we could all watch it together (then chastised him for not keeping us informed). As we did, I felt myself falling deeper and deeper into loving this fandom. By the end of the episode, I was hooked. What would happen next with Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns’ bromance? Would anyone ever take Charlotte down? Would Becky & Sasha’s delicate trues outlast Wrestlemania? Why is Sheamus so incredibly white (he must be painted or something)? These are the questions that I needed answered.

So, I’m not even ashamed to say, Kris, Justine, and I sat down two nights ago to watch WWE Monday Night Raw. Since Sunday we have fallen deeply into the WWE wrestling fandom, and it’s fun. We went from not wanting to watch it at all, to deciding we’d be pay-per-view fans, to wanting to watch Raw every week… and I’m not even that ashamed to tell you about it.

Have you ever watched wrestling? Why do you watch it? And who’s your favourite? Share in the comments! We’re new to this wrestling fandom and want to learn all about it.

Cheers,

Image sources: Featured Image

February 24, 2016 0 comment

Mangirling Pep Talks Sports TV WWE

Who is Daniel Bryan and Why Should You Care?

written by Johnny Rico

Welcome to my regular blog series dedicated to justifying my wrestling fandom. Here I will tenuously relate the WWE universe to larger issues in the wide world of fandoms and maybe even that cold lonely place known as “reality”. Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to present to you: WRESTLING WITH SHAME. Read on for my current rant!

Daniel Bryan is a professional wrestler and former WWE Champion. There. The “who” part is answered. Easy. The hard part is why you, the non-wrestling fan, should care. You should care because Daniel Bryan is you. Metaphorically, of course. You are actually you and Daniel Bryan is actually Bryan Danielson, but that last part isn’t really relevant, so don’t worry about it. Daniel Bryan is metaphorically you because he simply wasn’t that special.

Daniel Bryan did not sound like a wrestler; he openly wept in front of a microphone while discussing Connor the Crusher, a 6 year old cancer patient. Daniel Bryan did not act like a wrestler; he has been known to describe himself as the toughest vegan on the planet despite being in an industry that pushed the prototypical alpha male. Daniel Bryan was not built like a wrestler; he looks vaguely like a goat and is 4 inches shorter and ten pounds (maybe 20 on a bad day) lighter than me.

Daniel Bryan, we were told, was not a wrestler who could be the face of the wrestling to the outside world. But he proved them wrong, and we proved them wrong. He out-worked his size, we out-cheered his competitors, and he out-thought his problems. We forced his way into main event stories, and he made believers out of skeptics. Daniel Bryan became the WWE Champion, main evented Wrestlemania, and became the touchstone good guy wrestler for a generation of fans.

You are Daniel Bryan. You do not have your future nicely laid out for you. The hand of god has not reached down from heaven on high and blessed you with a gift ensuring your future. The only assurance you have is, well, you. You, and you alone, are ultimately responsible for your life, your failures, and your successes. You have the ability to grab life and squeeze what you want out of it. It doesn’t matter if you boss says you’ll never succeed in business because you’re allowed to prove your boss wrong. You’re given the opportunity to push your mind, body, and spirit further than anyone, including yourself, thinks possible. So be Daniel Bryan and live your life to its fullest potential. Stop arguing with me and do it.

Daniel Bryan retired from professional wrestling Monday night. He’s suffered innumerable concussions and the doctors said his brain could no longer handle the damage professional wrestling inflicts on a body. It was a sad day for the collective wrestling fandom as soon as this tweet was posted and shared across our timelines:

In a retirement speech that lasted longer than the extra 15 minutes I set my PVR for, Daniel Bryan thanked the world for allowing him to be himself. In a rare display of broken kayfabe, all wrestlers appeared on stage – out of character – to help usher him into retirement. Every story line was broken because a great wrestler was thanked for being a great wrestler. The assembled crowd, in Bryan’s hometown of Seattle, was seen to be openly emotional. They were sad, grateful, and shocked all at once. Tears were shed in the arena and online as the community gathered to reminisce about the end of one of our favorite characters and while the grieving process is still ongoing the collective “we” have decided to be grateful for what Daniel Bryan gave us and thankful that he’s stopping before doing any more permanent damage to himself. As Bryan himself said, he’s getting older and he and his wife (diva Brie Bella) are thinking about starting a family.

Daniel Bryan and wife Brie Bella

So, in a spasm of fan-awareness, I’d like to apply the lessons of Daniel Bryan as outlined earlier in this post to each of us and to the entire universe of fandoms. Be thankful for the gifts our favourite franchises give us. The entertainment, the curiosity, the creativity, the conversation, the characters, the beginnings, middles, and ends. All of it. In a world where everything must be temporary, we should make the effort to enjoy the gift of right now. It hurts, yes, that Jon Snow is totally 100% <SPOILER> and never, and I mean EVER, coming <SPOILER> and that One Direction is on hiatus forever. But that doesn’t take away from the gifts they gave us. So even if the third Hunger Games movie was pointless, the video for Zayn’s new single is kind of gross, and the fact the next (or previous) generation simply will not understand why Harry Potter was so important to the 12 year old version of you, that doesn’t mean you can’t or shouldn’t enjoy losing yourself in the fanstasy world they provided.

Long live the fans and the heroes, each of us are needed and cannot exist without the other.

Sincerely,

Johnathan T. Rico, esq.

Photo Sources: Featured Image

February 10, 2016 0 comment

Mangirling Sports TV WWE

Wrestling With Shame: Character, Plot or Both?

written by Johnny Rico

In the WWE, does it matter more: what the wrestler does or why the wrestler does it?

When professional wrestling was at its apex, during the Monday Night Wars, the WWE was different. Most people assume it was because there was more sex, violence, and swearing on Raw, but this doesn’t give the average wrestling fan enough credit. Wrestling nerds have never needed wrestling to fulfill those needs…we need wrestling to be entertained. This is best done through complex, multi-layered storytelling that just happens to be resolved through feats of athleticism. It’s easy to understand why the wrestlers at the top of the card are motivated. Fame and fortune (theoretically) exist for those who reach the pinnacle of the profession and win championship titles, but in a scripted drama only so many people can be actively chasing that dream. So what does the rest of the roster do while waiting for their chance?

During the “Attitude Era” the storytelling was focused on characters being individually motivated and pursuing their goals in the way best suited to their abilities. It didn’t matter to the APA that they weren’t vying for the tag titles because they were chilling in the basement, playing poker, waiting for their next contract. The Godfather was more concerned with his “business associates” than obtaining bling, Kurt Angel (same clip) was obsessed with being the perfect example of Americana, and DX wanted to save the wrestling institution by destroying it. Heck, Mick Foley managed to have 3 different characters, plus himself, because their individual stories were developed. Motivation mattered.

Many shows have suffered from a change in focus, sitcoms being the most noticeable. Friends and The Big Bang Theory, for example, were very strong comedies for the first few years of their respective runs…until the writers became obsessed with their characters finding drama, rather than finding love. Star Wars was a fun space western until Episode 1 turned it into a (semi-racist) conspiracy theory that pleased no one. NO ONE (Fix this, JJ, you’re our only hope).

In the current WWE, the so called “mid-card” wrestlers now exist only to fill time and to create YouTube moments. ~~Adrian~~ Neville has existed on the main roster for almost a year and, well, I have no idea what he’s about. Yes, he’s been involved in a bunch of matches and almost won a championship once, but his character has been mired in nothingness. Even the vague alien / superhero angle has never really be explained or explored. Adam Rose had a bunny – but then didn’t – and is now the anti-Adam Rose version of Adam Rose. This has never been explained and only barely mentioned. Wade – I mean Bad News – I mean King Barrett – just lurches from gimmick to gimmick looking and sounding great, but never doing anything interesting. This character malaise even extends to the very top of the roster. Roman Reigns is theoretically still a gun-for-hire since he got to keep The Shield’s entrance and attire, yet he immediately refused a very strong offer from the boss to get the Championship he so desperately desires. Why? I don’t know. Reasons, I guess. Randy Orton gets championship shots but is best known for the “RKO out of nowhere” meme. I’m not sure if his character is unhinged, super athletic, or an evil snake. Whichever is true, his semi-unexplained presence hasn’t been missed. <snark> John Cena hasn’t been missed nor is anyone looking for an explanation as to why </snark>.

Sheamus WWE Champion On Sunday night Sheamus became the new WWE Champion and his reign, no matter how short it is, will be remembered as a nadir for the company. Wrestling fans will blame Sheamus for being an uninspired champion and will openly wonder why he was given the most important role in the company. Sheamus became champion by winning the Money in the Bank match (MitB is an annual multi-wrestler event where the winner of the match is given a briefcase containing a contract to enter into a WWE Championship match at any time) in June and using contract to challenge Roman Reigns to a match immediately after Roman defeated Ambrose and Del Rio in separate matches during Sunday night’s pay per view broadcast. That is the totality of what Sheamus has done this year. Theoretically the time between winning the briefcase and cashing in the contract should be an interesting journey, but sadly the WWE uses it as a crutch to explain all back story and future motivation.

The Lord of the Rings franchise is occasionally derided for being 6 movies were the characters just go on a long walk; this is true, but what a walk it is. The journey was more than the sum of its parts. The characters grew, they learned lessons about themselves and the meaning of existence, and were pushed to heights previously thought to be unimaginable. That is the journey Sheamus should have been on. Testing and preparing himself for his one moment to not just grab the brass ring but hold on to it. If I draw an analogy better LotR and MitB I’d call the former “a long walk” and the latter “a long wait for the bus.’

I blame the WWE Network and reality TV for this. Like modern politicians, the WWE is now obsessed with the 10 second soundbyte or OMG moment. Did you know they now get 90 seconds on ESPN Sports Center? I’m sure they’ll try to cram as much character development as possible into that. It doesn’t matter if a key plot point doesn’t make sense, as long as people seem excited. Was it better for the Dudley Boyz to be a surprising return or could their character & story be better explained, making their subsequent actions matter more? Had Alberto Del Rio’s firing and subsequent return to the WWE been explained in a way that made the viewer care about his journey, maybe the MexAmerica gimmick would make sense. Or maybe they would have scrapped that idea all together because enough ground work would have been done to make people realize it was dumb.

A franchise like The Hunger Games succeeded because it made people care about Katniss. Even though some people (editor’s note: one person, only one person) don’t like her because of a few absurdly written character flaws, at least I can understand what she’s fighting for and why the question of Gale or Peeta would matter to her. If it matters to the character, it will matter to the audience.

Quick Slams: Sheamus has more X-Pac heat than X-Pac ever had… Survivor Series is not officially irrelevant, it needs to be reinvented or forgotten… Someone should have consulted a vexillologist before unveiling the awful MexAmerican flag… Had I named this series today it would have been called “Monday Night Rico” – I apologize for not thinking of that sooner… Bray Wyatt has done nothing but put wrestlers over this year and now it’s time for a push… The New Day should hold every title right now… Why did Charlotte not help Becky, and vice versa, on Raw?… Mark Henry should retire, for real this time, he’s being abused right now and it’s sad… But seriously, congratulations to Sheamus, I guess.

Would you like to know more?

Johnny Rico

November 25, 2015 0 comment

Mangirling Sports Tuesday Walk of Shame TV WWE

TWoS Takeover: Wrestling With Shame

written by Johnny Rico

Welcome everyone to an infiltrated version of Kris’ weekly blog series: Tuesday Walk of Shame. Here I hang my head low as I admit to having watched the previous night’s episode of Monday Night Raw. Today, I’ll tell you what wrestling is. I’ll tell you why you should care. And most importantly, I’ll invite you to share in my shame.

Some of you may remember me from my semi-regular series, Mangirling, in which I usually rant about whatever I want to yell at the internet about. Now, it came to my attention recently that the Bachelor family of network programs is on a break for three months, so after hours of brainstorming I came up with a solution to the vexing question of how you should spend your Monday nights, and I’d like to share it with you today. Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you: Professional Wrestling!

Why pick wrestling? Simple, wrestling is the apex species in the fandom Tree of Life. I know you Marvel fans think your movies and TV shows are pretty special and Doctor Who fans love that The Doctor is now in its 12th iteration and Harry Potter has 4 (and only four) Houses, 7 books, 8 movies, and one great photo of Daniel Radcliffe. But all that pales in comparison to the WWE. Wrestling gives us 5 hours of new TV a week that matter, many more hours that don’t, a monthly pay-per-view special, its own minor league system that also has weekly TV shows and pay per views, and the WWE network. Mind blowing, isn’t it? That doesn’t even include the dozens of podcasts, message boards, fan fiction sites, other wrestling federations, YouTube videos, action figures, video games, and Reddit. Oh, Reddit.

The true beauty of wrestling comes from the different levels of fandom. You see, there are actually two story lines happening at all times. There’s the kayfabe story and the real life behind the scene drama. We all know John Cena is the US Champion (there are 5 championships: WWE, Intercontinental, US, Tag, Divas) and Nikki is the former Divas champion, but did you know they are dating? Did you know Cena is the golden boy backstage and openly advocated for Nikki to break the record for longest holder of the Divas belt? Whether you know or not, care or not, pay attention or not, the backstage stories have a huge impact on what happens in front of the camera. Or does it? No one knows. Wrestling fans have literal decades of past drama and conspiracy theories to consider when we’re trying to figure out what is going to happen next. Whether John Stewart is going to come in and ruins a championship match or a baby face (good guy) becomes a heel (bad guy) in the blink of an eye or a wrestler gets a grotesque staph infection the story lines are infinite and so are the possibilities. Good luck making your fantasy book (script) match that reality.

Amazingly, the WWE story has been unfolding for the past 50 years by having world class athletes perform high wire stunts and acrobatics in front of an always snarky live audience. You know how the athletic scenes in sports movies never quite look right? Those scenes are the back bone and life blood of wrestling. Every single grudge, story, and conflict is solved by the most unbelievable part of a sports movie. Imagine how good Bull Durham would have been if it was judged on Tim Robbins ability to look like a pitcher. God that’s awful! That’s not what a pitcher looks like. His wacky throwing motion was designed to mask the fact that his arm doesn’t have a clue how to throw a baseball. Look again and watch his arm motion, a mid-level 12 year old can throw harder than him. Was Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story any less of a comedy because the dodgeball was awful? Hell no. That was a great movie, even if the actual dodgeballing was simply the worst. Wrestling, however, is not like that. Wrestling is judged by the acting second and the athleticism first. If anyone messes up a move or flubs a line on the first take you can be damn sure everyone noticed and someone is going to make a YouTube video of it. Search Botchamania – there are hundreds, if not thousands of hours of video devoted to minor screw ups. How fun is that? Even if you want to believe wrestling is fake, the athleticism is very real. The risks they take are real. The injuries are real. The eye-popping OMG moments man, those are real. Watch this video and think of what was needed to pull off that move in front of a live audience and get only one take.

Wrestling gives you an unparalleled combination of content, script, and action, but it doesn’t end there. WWE has broken down the fourth wall and turned the “WWE Universe” into it’s own character. It’s a character that matters and must be accounted for. Wrestling fans have elevated events in the pantheon of greatness and ruined big events when we didn’t like the (pre-determined) outcomes. Literally. The WWE had to edit crowd noise out of this year’s Royal Rumble. Two years ago the fans forced the main event at Wrestlemania to be changed because, well, we could force them to do it just by booing everyone. Other fandoms, bless their pretty little hearts, simple don’t have that level interaction. You ship Robin Hood and the Evil Queen from Once Upon A Time? Good for you! Tell the internet – see what happens. Wrestling fans can openly advocate for the storylines we want to see, in person and on TV, and the WWE listens! Have you ever seen a Survivor blooper reel? What about weekly series of comedic Game of Thrones vignettes from Jon Snow? (RIP – he’s dead. Forever.) How fun would it be to follow everyone from Frozen on twitter while they tweeted in character? What fan wouldn’t like that, if it was an option? Wrestling fans have all that at our fingertips 24/7 – an endless supply of official and fan created content. Fans of legitimate sports don’t get that much content; much less Maze Runner aficionados who have to wait another year for two more hours of entertainment.

The Undistputed MFL

Thank you for allowing me to takeover this week’s Tuesday Walk of Shame and come back next time as I launch a monthly blog series devoted to the action, drama, and fan speculation that makes the WWE my secret Monday Night shame.

Would you like to know more?

Johnny, the Undisputed, Rico.

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September 22, 2015 0 comment