Extreme Rules may have received mixed reactions from several of the wrestling column writers from around the nation, but I, for one, was very impressed with the show. Now, I don’t know how it came across on television, but the action from the fifth row of the Scottrade Center was pretty impressive. To make things clear, I had low expectations going into the pay per view, so that may have also played into my positive review of the show.

Things started off with a quick, solid match on the pre-show, as the Miz defeated Cody Rhodes to retain the Intercontinental Championship. Just quick notes on this match; because it seems as if WWE writers don’t quite know what to do with the Miz. He’s very skilled on the microphone, and has greatly improved in the ring. It would be a shame for them to waste him. I’m not sure how I feel about him as a face, but he could have some solid mid to upper-mid card matches. This is the company’s chance to make the Intercontinental title relevant again.

The actual pay per view kicked off with Fandango against Chris Jericho. The crowd was hot for both guys. I was rocking my Fandango shirt, which countless people inquired about through the evening. I also had 5 year-old kid come up to me and tell me Fandango sucked and needed to learn some better dance moves. Nonetheless, both wrestlers delivered a solid opener. Jericho got the win with an impressive code breaker. While, I am not sure why you would have a match with no extreme rules stipulation at Extreme Rules, this will likely lead to another rematch.

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Come Sunday, things will get “Extreme” over at Scottrade Center, as the WWE invades St. Louis for the pay per view event. Now, I know that this pay per view has been heavily scrutinized by myself and other wrestling fans for being filled with a lot of rematches and missing some key stars. However, I think this could be a great pay per view if the WWE play their cards right.

The Miz and Cody Rhodes will open the even with a pre-show match. Looking at this match, it shows just how much the WWE could use a solid match to open the show. I think it also shows just how unhappy the WWE is with Rhodes and The Miz, especially. The Miz has main event talent that was evident as he headlined WrestleMania 27 with John Cena. He is as gifted on the mic as any superstar in the WWE, but he seems to have had a falling out with WWE writers. The poor guy can’t get a decent storyline. I’m going with The Miz in this match. I think the crowd will be hot and he will draw from their energy. Afterall, St. Louis is a big wrestling city and the fans know when they are watching good wrestling. Rhodes and The Miz will put on a great opening match, there’s no doubt about that.

One match that most fans are bummed out about is Alberto Del Rio vs Jack Swagger for the number one contender to Dolph Ziggler’s title. I feel the WWE handled this poorly. There’s no doubt that Ziggler needs to sit this one out, but why not throw Big E Langston into the match. This could create a good storyline between Langston and Ziggler. Ziggler suffered a concussion that was pretty serious. He suffered memory loss and still has lingering effects from the kick to the head he took on Smackdown. I hate to say it, but I don’t really care who wins this match. Neither opponent does much for me. I will go with Del Rio, because I expect Swagger to fall back down the ranks to lower mid-card status.

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For one night only, see the classic musical Singin’ in the Rain on the big screen at B&B Wildwood 10!

Watch Gene Kelly, Donald O’Connor and Debbie Reynolds star in the film that AFI ranks #5 on their top 100 movies of all time – in theaters! Tickets are only $5 each, and you can only see it tonight at 7pm at B&B Wildwood 10!

About Singin’ in the Rain

Hollywood, 1927: the silent-film romantic team of Don Lockwood (Gene Kelly) and Lina Lamont (Jean Hagen) is the toast of Tinseltown. While Lockwood and Lamont personify smoldering passions onscreen, in real life the down-to-earth Lockwood can’t stand the egotistical, brainless Lina. He prefers the company of aspiring actress Kathy Selden (Debbie Reynolds), whom he met while escaping his screaming fans. Watching these intrigues from the sidelines is Cosmo Brown (Donald O’Connor), Don’s best pal and on-set pianist. Cosmo is promoted to musical director of Monumental Pictures by studio head R.F. Simpson (Millard Mitchell) when the talking-picture revolution commences. That’s all right for Cosmo, but how will talkies affect the upcoming Lockwood-Lamont vehicle “The Dueling Cavalier”? Don, an accomplished song-and-dance man, should have no trouble adapting to the microphone. Lina, however, is another matter; put as charitably as possible, she has a voice that sounds like fingernails on a blackboard. The disastrous preview of the team’s first talkie has the audience howling with derisive laughter. On the strength of the plot alone, concocted by the matchless writing team of Betty Comden and Adolph Green, Singin’ in the Rain is a delight. But with the addition of MGM’s catalog of Arthur Freed-Nacio Herb Brown songs — “You Were Meant for Me,” “You Are My Lucky Star,” “The Broadway Melody,” and of course the title song — the film becomes one of the greatest Hollywood musicals ever made.

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Maybe you know a “geek.” Maybe you know several “geeks.” Ladies and gentlemen who dig stuff like science fiction, fantasy, and most of all, superheroes, comic books, and graphic novels. For these folks, comic book conventions (known colloquially as comic cons) are the culmination of their pop culture beings, where actors and actresses from their favorite films and TV series make appearances, where the authors of their favorite comics come and draw art and sign autographs.

For years, cities around the country have been hosting annual comic cons, to the delight of their denizens. St. Louis, however, has had no such luck, and folks hoping to attend one were forced to migrate to Chicago, Philadelphia, or any number of cities to attend – all while clamoring for an event to be held here in the Gateway City.

This year, though, Wizard World heard the pleas, and from March 22-24, America’s Center hosted St. Louis Comic Con 2013.

And there was much rejoicing.

Yay.

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As I write this, I’m still in a euphoric state.  Not because I was finally able to get my hands on a few key issues and fill some major holes in my collection.  Not because I was able to get an amazing custom sketch from Chris Samnee.  Not because I was able to see a Q & A with Stan Lee (though that’s high on the list).  No, I’m in a state of euphoria, because we showed Wizard World and the pop culture community that St. Louis can be a power house in the pop culture community.  With a truly astounding turnout (yes, even Sunday after the terrible snow), patrons and retailers alike turned out in droves to the very first Wizard World Comic and Pop Culture convention in St. Louis.  I was blown away by the people who came to the show, and I’m even more excited to say that Wizard World will be coming back next year (April 4th-6th, 2014).

When the con was announced, I was really skeptical.  No one had tried to put on a show this size in St. Louis before.  I had no idea what the turn out was going to be or if there was a market for the show here in town.  I felt like the comic community was pretty small in our area, and I didn’t think we could support the show.  Man, was I wrong.  When I walked into The America’s Center, I was greeted by a line that went almost all the way to the back of the building.  As I made my way into the building, I was greeted with the sight of cosplayers and fans of every “geek culture” genre.  I felt overjoyed.  We did it.  We made this work.  We showed that St. Louis can be a powerhouse on the convention circuit.

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