Mike Jurewicz’s Blog

I’m sorry for the lack of updates lately.  I’ve been working a lot and the beer blog is taking off a bit.  Well as much as a small time beer blog could take off.  I’ve also been working on a wrestling related website and trying to catch up on my video watch which I mentioned in my previous blog.  But something historic in my mind happened over this weekend.  The MMA upstart promotion Affliction hosted their first event.

While I will say I have not watch all the fights from this event yet, the two matches I have watched made me realize that this company is the real deal and they are the biggest threat to UFC’s crown as the premier MMA organization in the world.

Affliction Banned is a new promotion that was started by Affliction Clothing with the help of M-1 Global.  Donald Trump bought into the company a week or two before the event.  In my mind, a great move.  They can viably argue that they have the best heavyweight roster in the world with the likes of Fedor Emelianenko, Andrei Arlovski, Josh Barnett, Tim Sylvia, Pedro Rizzo and Ben Rothwell.  All either top 10 or close to top 10 heavyweights int he world.  Also throw in some good to great middleweights like Matt Lindland and Victor Belfort and you have a really good all around roster.

So far I have watched the fights of Fedor vs. Sylvia and Arlovski vs. Rothwell.  Fedor silenced a lot of his critics, that said he hasn’t fought a competetive fighter in years, quite handedly.  His 36 second submission victory over Tim Sylvia was impressive to say the least.  Fedor was aggressive from the start and never let up until Sylvia was tapping from a rear naked choke.

I have been a fan of Andrei Arlovski for a few years now but have been disappointed with his last few fights.  He lacked the intensity that was a trademark of his and that garnered him the nicked “The Pitbull.”  I don’t know if he was frustrated with the treatment he received from the UFC or what but “the Pitbull” was back and in his true form Saturday.  He did not stop coming at Rothwell with flurry after flurry until he bruatlly knocked out his opponent.

I’m looking very much forward to seeing the rest of the bouts because I read that the Barnett vs. Rizzo fight is a great match as well.  Plus I am a fan of Matt Lindland and heard he put in a good effort as well.

Basically I believe that Affliction is a force to be reckoned with and depending on if Randy Couture can get out of his contract with UFC then we may finally get to see him fight that long anticipated match against King Fedor.

I think I’m due for a mark out moment by now.  I have recently made some purchases of wrestling DVDs that have put me so very far behind in my viewings.  Couple this with 3 seasons of Ghost Hunters and I should not buy any DVDs for quite a long time.  Here is a list of what I have to watch and what excites me about these.

• Straight Shootin Series with Shane Douglas & Terry Funk - Terry Funk is straight up a legend in pro wrestling and Shane Douglas was a great wrestler in his time and part of one of the most shocking moments in wrestling history when he threw down the NWA World Title and declared himself the first ECW champion.  This is a shoot interview with the two of them about their times in the business.  Lots of never before heard stories and their accounts on things that went down.
• ROH Presents Best in the World - It contains some of the best matches to occur in Ring of Honor with international talent or mega superstars.  It includes the 5 star classic match of Japanese legend Kenta Kobashi facing Samoa Joe.  I have seen some of the matches on this DVD before but others I have not so I am looking forward to this one.
• ROH Presents Greatest Rivalries - This DVD spotlights exactly what the title says, rivalries, and Ring of Honor has had some great rivalries.  From CM Punk/Raven to Samoa Joe/Homicide to ROH/CZW to the recent Erick Stevens/Roderick Strong it covers some the hardest hitting and bloodiest feuds to enter the ROH ring.
• ROH Dragon Gate Challenge II - This was one of the shows that I went to see on Wrestlemania Weekend in March.  It contained a series of matches placing ROH wrestlers against Dragon Gate wrestlers.  Great matches included Speed Muscle (Naruki Doi & Masato Yoshino) vs. Kevin Steen & El Generico, New Hazard (Shingo & BxB Hulk) vs. Age of the Fall (Jimmy Jacobs & Tyler Black) and a great main event as the No Remorse Corp (Roderick Strong, Davey Richards, Rocky Romero) faced Erick Stevens, Go Shiozaki and CIMA.
• ROH Supercard of Honor III - The second of two shows I saw Wrestlemania weekend was packed with possibly the best wrestling show I have ever seen.  Almost ever match was great.  Plus I want to see if I can be seen during the Bricoes/Age of the Fall brawl in the crowd.
• ROH Bedlam in Beantown - I got this DVD for the sole purpose of seeing Kevin Steen vs. Necro Butcher in a street fight.  I read that this is a bloody and brutal fight.  I’m not a huge hardcore wrestling fan but Necro is probably the best at brawling in the game.  Also the visiting Japanese sensation Kota Ibushi faces off against Davey Richards in a match that was really talked about.
• ROH Tag Wars 2008 - This marks the return of the Murder City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin) for one weekend.  On this show they take on Jimmy Jacobs and Tyler Black of the Age of the Fall.  This match is being totted as one of the best tag matches of the year.  I love me some fast paced tag action so this is a must.
• ROH Return Engagement - This card seemed packed with big things.  It includes the MCMG vs. the Briscoes in a rematch from their spectacular match from last year and many are saying this one outdoes that match.  This card also includes the start of the current Jimmy Jacobs/Austin Aries fued as well as Kota Ibushi vs. El Generico and Nigel McGuinness vs. Kevin Steen.
• ROH Southern Navigation - This was ROH’s debut show in Virginia and was the first shows of the year with Naomichi Marufuji and former ROH World Champ Takeshi Morishima on them.  Since Morishima’s last match in ROH he has returned full time to his home promotion, Pro Wrestling NOAH in Japan, and became the GHC Heavyweight Champion.  There is a stacked 6 man tag main event and a rematch from earlier in the year between Bryan Danielson and Tyler Black.
• ROH A New Level - ROH has run many shows at the Manhatten Center’s Grand Ballroom but this was their first show downstairs in the historic Hammerstein Ballroom.  The card looks good too as Nigel McGuinness defends the ROH World Title against Claudio Castagnoli, Bryan Danielson takes on Marufuji, Morishima brawls with Necro Butcher and more.
• TNA Global Impact Japan - In January TNA went to Japan to do a co promotional event with Japan’s biggest promotion New Japan Pro Wrestling.  Most of the matches pitted TNA vs. NJPW.  I have already seen the Kurt Angle vs. Yuji Nagata match but very much want to see Christoper Daniels vs. Wataru Inoue.

As you can see I have a lot ahead of me to watch and again I have 3 seasons worth of Ghost Hunters DVDs to watch as well.  Guess I’ll get myself some brews and watch some wrestling.

A fellow employee showed me this right before I went on vacation and I have to say it is one of the funniest things I have seen in a good while.  If you are familiar with tech stuff at all you will enjoy this (Wurm).  Even if you don’t I think you can kind of get the jist of it.  Enjoy Web Guy vs. Sales Guy.