John Cena vs. Kane

Ever since Kane’s been back, he’s been after John Cena.  Kane feels that Cena should embrace the hate, and has focused on destroying Zack Ryder to do so.  If this is just a regular match, it’s going to end in a double DQ or no contest.  If it becomes no DQ or something similar, then I see Kane getting the win for now.  I don’t think this feud will be over until after Elimination Chamber, but I do see Cena getting heelier after this.

WWE Championship
CM Punk vs. Dolph Ziggler [Special Ref: John Laurinitas]

Let’s see, Ziggles has been on a tear recently, nabbing four wins in a row over Punk, albeit in screwy fashion.  Does this mean that ole’ Ace Crusher is going to screw Punk over and give Ziggles the title?  Nope.  I foresee a slightly longer Punk reign, especially with the Chamber next month.

World Heavyweight Championship – Cage Match
Daniel Bryan vs. Big Show vs. Mark Henry

Ever since Bryan won the belt, his subtle heel-ness has be growing more and more.  Henry re-injured his knee this past Tuesday, so now he’s got a messed up ankle, knee, and groin.  Jesus.  Big Show doesn’t need the title to be over.  I see Bryan escaping the cage after the two monsters down each other.

The Royal Rumble
Confirmed entrants: Miz (at #1), R-Truth, Randy Orton, Wade Barrett, Chris Jericho, Sheamus.

Who’s going to win?  I see Jericho pulling this off, starting the “End of the World as We Know It,” as prophesied on RAW.  I think Brodus is going to be ridiculously entertaining and that Orton’s going to get a strong showing since St. Louis is his hometown.  We’ll probably see Cena, Ziggles, and Show from the earlier matches as well.  No Ryder, since Kane chokeslammed the friggin’ life out of him on RAW.  Perhaps we’ll get a redebut, I hear Skip Sheffield is back as some “Ryback” nonsense.  Hmm…

Special notes:  I’ve read that they are planning a few surprise entrants as usual this year.  My guesses?

Safe: John Morrison, Christian, Triple H
Wacky: The Rock, Brock Lesnar, Undertaker
Most Eliminations: Orton, maybe Kane
Number 30: Jericho
Iron Man: Miz (makes it over halfway to #25)

So there you have it.  Honestly, I don’t really care if any of this comes true.  It’s the Rumble.  It’s the very first Pay-Per-View I ever watched.  And it’s one of my absolute favorite PPV’s of the year.  I’ll see you back here on Monday for thoughts on the Rumble and maybe a preview of RAW.

That’s right.  We’re bringing out ol’ Zeus to have us rise from the grave!  For the record, I played the hell out of Altered Beast as a kid.  It was the only arcade game I remember from the bowling alley where my Dad bowled.

Let me tell you something else, bowling is no joke.  Sometimes you bowl for fun, and sometimes you go way too overboard and…well… things burst at the seams with fun.

Speaking of fun, how does some Exuberance sound?  Fantastic, I knew you all would want some!

HANKS-DOUKEN!

“I swear to God, no more House Special Enchiladas!”

“Hey, Asshole!  Do I have anything in my teeth?”

Moving on…

I thought the cover to New Avengers #24, which is smack-dab in the middle of the Avengers vs. X-Men crossover, was appropriate considering a recent conversation.

And just in case you were wondering?  X-Men all the way.  I don’t care one bit, X-Men over everyone.  Even the Justice League.  Well, maybe not the Secret Six, but they’re not around anymore.  Sad days indeed.

School is in full swing.  I’ve got English Composition II, which is pretty much Intro to Literature.  Whatever, I need it to get my degree, so that’s all that matters.

Next Tuesday, Soul Calibur V comes out.  I’m really excited about this one, and it seems a lot of fans are too.  It’s getting pretty good hype.

Then again, my fighting game muscles are really just holding out for Street Fighter X Tekken, coming out on March 6th.  Just look at some of these old favorites…

Well, that’s enough for now.  Tune in soon for a look at this Sunday’s 25th annual Royal Rumble!

BEST FILM OF 2011

The Tree of Life directed by Terrence Malick

Astounding. Few films of any year will find it hard to match the sheer beauty on display in this film. Terrence Malick has an eye like no other. At least three sequences moved me to tears. Cut together in a way that resembles how we experience memories, there’s not really a misstep in this entire film. Lovely, brilliant, deeply moving filmmaking.

Runners up:

Drive, Moneyball, Young Adult, Attack the Block

BEST MUSIC OF 2011

Watch the Throne Kanye West & Jay-Z

Come on, really? Do I need to explain?

Runner Up- Camp Childish Gambino

BEST TV OF 2011

Community

Again, I do enough talking for about ten people when it comes to this show. Honestly, if you don’t dig this show, then we can’t be friends. Really. Not kidding at all.

Runners Up-Breaking Bad, Parks and Recreation, Happy Endings, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia

So there you go. Hopefully the co-author will follow suit.

He won Season 3 of NXT.  Once he moved up to the main roster, he started assisting his NXT mentor, Alberto Del Rio, in his matches.  The guy brought an odd charisma and presence to the ring.  And a boatload of promise.  So how did the monster come back?  Take a look:

Holy Crap, it’s the Funkasaurus from Planet Funk!  Seriously, this is going to be amazing.  Nobody, and I mean nobody, expected him to come out in a gimmick like this.  Monster heel?  Yeah, that would have been apropos, but Funkmaster?  Swerve!

And the big thing is, this gimmick can actually work.  Like I said earlier, the kid has this bizarre charisma.  His “Suplex, baby!” before the exploder was fantastic.  He reminds me of Dusty Rhodes, and as well all know, that’s some damn high praise from me.

I’m pumped for what he’s going to bring in 2012.  Now let’s just hope somebody calls his Momma.

2011 was not a great year for most people; that said, let’s take a look back at some of my favorite things of last year, and what they might mean for 2012.  Join me after the cut.

Disclaimer:  This is based entirely on what I personally experienced last year.

Best Album!

Adele – 21

This shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone that’s turned on a radio this past year.  Adele stormed the airwaves with the mega-hit single “Rolling in the Deep” and American audiences still haven’t recovered from it.  21 is a masterwork of emotion, stirring heartbreak with revenge and serving it in a sound unheard of in some time.  Adele writes from her own experiences that bleeds through, leaving an authentic feel on every track.  This is a soulful and painful supernova of an album.  Believe the hype, this one is amazing.

What does this mean for 2012?  Probably a string of Adele inspired tag-alongs, with the off chance of a few of them actually being good.  I honestly don’t think we’re going to get 23 this year.  Maybe next though.

Best album runners-up!

Kanye West & Jay-Z – Watch the Throne
The Decemberists – The King is Dead

Quite frankly, either of these albums would be the best any other year.  They’re just that good.

Be here tomorrow for another installment of Darb’s Best of…2011.

You’re welcome.

I’m not going to lie you, my dear readers, I haven’t had the urge to blog since the start of my vacation. Well, I figure that should change. I mean there’s no reason that Zak should get all of the glory, right?

So stick around, you all should see some pretty interesting Holiday content from us. And remember, make yours Exuberance!

“Oh, hello there. I see you’ve caught me on the set of Sherlock Holmes 3: The Case of the Smug Fruit. I never thought it would happen, either. A third Sherlock Holmes film? We were lucky to get through one! I never gave up though. Oh sure, I could have gone with a better director, and Jude Law won’t stop being a dickhead about my British accent, but I don’t care. I needed to tell the tale of Sherlock Holmes, and I need to keep telling the Sherlock Holmes tales until I get enough money to get my new franchise off the ground. What’s my new franchise? Glad you asked. Sherlock in Space. That’s right, Sherlock has had enough of your earthbound mysteries. It’s time to take hold of THE UNIVERSE and solve every case out there. You’re not a real detective unless you can solve a murder on Jupiter. HA! Think Jupiter’s made of gas? WRONG! That’s the second mystery I solve. See, it turns out that everyone wants you to believe that Jupiter is made of gas because Tupac and Michael Jackson actually bought Jupiter when they “died” and throw 36-hour parties there 11 days a week. THAT’S RIGHT I JUST BLEW YOUR MIND AGAIN. Jupiter has days that last for 36 hours and weeks that are 11 days long. That’s the third mystery. Watson, who comes along with me yet again because he’s a little schoolgirl that can’t manage to do anything on his own, can’t figure out when we get there why the days seem so much longer than they do on planet earth. I tell him he’s a simpleton shithead and deduce using my powers of deducing that because Jupiter is far away from the sun THAT OBVIOUSLY the days will be longer, but he would know that if he wasn’t a twat, but he can’t know that because HE IS a twat. When we arrive, we also see that Steve Jobs is there already starting production on the IPhone 32, and I deduce once again using my deducing powers that this is approximately 28 versions better than the earth IPhone, so I steal a prototype. Actually, I steal THE prototype, and it turns out that this IPhone is psychic. Once you touch it, it tells you what you’re going to do for the day, week, month, and if you want to, it’ll tell you when you’ll die. I hand it to Watson and he is shot instantly. That’s right, there are guns on Jupiter. I pick up the phone only to see that the screen told Watson that he was about to die but his twat brain couldn’t read fast enough so he died. That’s the initial mystery that brought me here. Watson was murdered. I HAVE BLOWN YOUR MIND FOR THE FOURTH TIME. I saw into the future that if I brought Watson along with me that he would get murdered by an unknown assailant while holding the IPhone 32 and that I would have an excuse to be solving a Jupiter murder. The third act twist that I am psychic comes out of nowhere and slaps you right in the teeth. I create a fourth act in ANOTHER TWIST on filmmaking that I am actually Sherlock Holmes in real life. Robert Downey Jr. does not exist. Never has. I have been Sherlock Holmes this whole time impersonating an actor impersonating Sherlock Holmes. I also invented meta, not Wes Craven. I also invented Wes Craven and A Nightmare on Elm Street. So now that you know my secret, it’s time for you to die, apple.”