Meryl Streep: Not Overrated, but Over-Nominated

by Michael Drinan
@mdrinan380

Meryl Streep is one of the greatest actors of all time. She’s right up there with Katherine Hepburn, Marlon Brando, Daniel Day-Lewis, Diane Keaton, Bette Davis, Jack Nicholson and whoever else you want to throw on the Greatest of All Time list. She deserves every accolade thrown her way. Seriously, I don’t have a problem with Meryl Streep, well, except for Mamma Mia! but that’s totally ABBA’s fault (fucking ABBA). However, it’s this love affair The Academy has with Meryl that I have a problem with because they throw an Oscar nomination her way for what seems like every role she takes on, even roles that aren’t Oscar-worthy performances. This practice started out modestly but has gotten worse in recent years and now it’s impossible to ignore.

Listen, we are all used to The Academy handing out bullshit nominations and even getting the winner wrong from time to time, but the fascination with Meryl, the downright idolizing of the actress, has gotten way out of hand. Here are the roles Meryl Streep was nominated for that weren’t Oscar-worthy, in chronological order.

Music Of The Heart (1999)

This Wes Craven film (yes, that Wes Craven), based on a true story, has Streep playing Roberta Guaspari, a violinist who was abandoned by her husband and is struggling with suicidal tendencies before taking on a position as a substitute violin teacher in an inner city school. Yep, one of those movies. She then builds a successful string program and begins to fight the administration when her program faces budget cuts. She stages a fundraising concert at Carnegie Hall (eye roll) in an effort to keep the program running. This film was a great feel-good story, an underdog redemption story that we all loved, especially The Academy. But Oscar-worthy? Not by a long shot, but because Streep takes on an accent all of a sudden it’s mindblowing! Give me a break. There’s nothing about her performance that warrants a nomination here, it’s just a good performance. It’s hardly a role that I remember out of her long career. Streep eventually lost out to Hilary Swank for Boys Don’t Cry. Hard to argue with that one.

The Devil Wears Prada (2006)

This critique of the fashion industry for the longest time was a guilty pleasure of mine, until Meryl was nominated for this role. Her nomination made me not want to watch it again. Streep plays Miranda Priestly, a high-powered fashion magazine editor who just crushes the soul and morale of anyone she comes across. She’s cold, soulless and people find her terrifying. Once again, Streep adopts a peculiar diction and well-defined posture and she does a good job with the character. Since when are we giving out nominations to actors for simply playing a character that’s a merciless hardass? I actually found Anne Hathaway more impressive in this film than Streep. I hate fashion exposés because they try to get me to sympathize with those working in the fashion industry and I just don’t. Anyway, Streep lost to Helen Mirren for The Queen because it was a no-brainer.

Movie Review: Hell or High Water (2016)

by Dave Moore

Well the Oscars are only a few weeks away and I'm trying to see as many Best Picture nominees as possible (Sorry La La Land). I have only seen two so far and the one I want to talk about is Hell or High Water. Going into this film was pretty excited. I mean Jeff Bridges is in it. The guy makes everything cool. I was not disappointed with this movie at all.

The movie centers on two brothers, Toby (Chris Pine) and Tanner (Ben Foster). Toby is a straight-living, divorced father just trying to make a better life for his son. Tanner is an ex-con with a short temper and an itchy trigger finger. The brothers are robbing branches of the bank that is foreclosing on the family land and using the banks' own money to pay for the land. They end up running afoul of U.S. Marshall Marcus Hamilton (Jeff Bridges), who is on the verge of retirement but has one hunt left in him. This turns into a cat and mouse game to figure out when the next bank is going to be hit.

The heist scenes themselves aren't trying to top anything that was in Heat. These are done by desperate men, not professionals, men who don't really know what they are doing. Mistakes are made and people pay for them. Watching them pull off one heist after the next you feel that these two men are doing what they think is right, not keeping the money for themselves but simply maintaining way of life.

All three actors do a fantastic job in this film, especially Chris Pine.  Bridges is great in this as usual, earning his 7th acting nomination this year for his supporting role in the film. Foster has been an exciting and intense actor for years, particularly in 3:10 to Yuma. Chris Pine, mostly known for his role as Captain Kirk in the Star Trek reboot series, turns in a more focused, quieter delivery than we are use to seeing from him.  That Pine can hold his own with these two accomplished actors suggests a promising future.

Hell or High Water is also nominated for Best Picture, Best Film Editing and Best Original Screenplay (written by Taylor Sheridan, who also wrote last year's Sicario). I hope it wins the screenplay award, beyond that I think La La Land has everything else locked up.  The film is fantastically written and perfectly executed; for a late August release you can't do much better than Hell or High Water.  Highly recommended.

I give the film *** out of ****.

WWE Elimination Chamber 2017: Smackdown's Best PPV So Far

Well I may not be happy about most of WWE's creative direction heading to WrestleMania 33, but I'll be goddamned if they aren't 2 for 2 thus far in 2017 PPVs.  Last night's Elimination Chamber show featured two really solid women's matches (and a third that was decent), an unexpectedly awesome Randy Orton-Luke Harper match, and one of the best Elimination Chambers the company has ever put together.

As I said, most of the likely matchups penciled in for WrestleMania are uninteresting to me at best, and from what I've read a few of them are downright nonsensical.  But fortunately the talent roster is so good right now they'd be hard-pressed to deliver a bad standalone PPV.

Elimination Chamber opened with a very well-worked Becky Lynch-Mickie James match, featuring some great mat wrestling and a nice "cocky veteran vs. young babyface" story.  I hope this isn't the last of this pairing, because they meshed wonderfully.  Becky unexpectedly got the win with a rollup, and frankly I think she oughta still be the Women's Champ on Smackdown.  This bout was much more compelling to me than the actual Women's Title match.  More on that in a bit.

Next was probably the weakest match on the card, Dolph Ziggler vs. Apollo Crews and Kalisto.  I loved the heel move of taking out Kalisto during entrances, making this a one-on-one match for most of the running time.  The wrestling here was fine but not very memorable and not given much time.  Kalisto finally entered the fray in the last minute or so and Ziggler fell to Crews's spinout powerbomb.  I would've booked Ziggles to get a tainted win, but whatever.  I'm not sure where this double feud goes from here.

The Tag Team Turmoil match was third, and had some nice, furiously-paced action.  With six teams involved this realistically had to go over 20 minutes, and it did.  It was quite clear which teams matter on this roster and which don't.  American Alpha, The Usos and Rhyno & Slater were all booked pretty strong, The Ascension got to almost win the belts thanks to the match structure, and The Vaudvillains and Breezango looked like geeks.  But every segment of this match was at the very least watchable.  I liked AA eliminating The Usos only to later get killed by them, creating suspense as to whether The Ascension might steal the gold here.  The big feud is obviously AA vs. The Usos, which can be saved for another show; this feud's been building since September when The Usos "injured" AA to take them out of the inaugural Title tournament.  The match also made Gable and Jordan look like superheroes when they overcame the Usos' attack to eke out a win against a fresh team.

WWE Elimination Chamber 2017 Preview & Predictions

Welcome to another (ANOTHER) round of WWE Predictions here at Enuffa.com!

This Sunday marks the return of the Elimination Chamber!  After being absent from the 2016 calendar, supposedly due to modern arenas no longer being able to support this 80 million ton structure (I believe that's the official weight) hanging from the ceiling, WWE has apparently figured out a workaround.  The Chamber PPV generally has major 'Mania implications and we should see the Smackdown side of The Showcase of the Immortals begin to take shape.  As usual this Smackdown-only PPV is pretty thin on paper, but the blue brand always seems to find a way to deliver an enjoyable show that doesn't overstay its welcome.  So let's get into it....

***I lead Dan for this season's predictions 69/109 to 63/109***

Nikki Bella vs. Natalya

The first of three (THREE!) women's matches on this show (and I'm not complaining) features probably the most heated rivalry in the division right now.  Nattie beat the crap outta Nikki on Talkin' Smack last night to add some fuel to this match.  Should be a fine contest.  I'd like to see Nattie win this, but I don't think it's in the cards.

Justin's pick: Nikki
Dan's pick: Natty

Handicap Match: Dolph Ziggler vs. Apollo Crews & Kalisto

I hate handicap matches.  They do nothing for anyone.  If the two guys beat the one guy they've simply done the obvious, and if the one guy beats the two guys, the two guys look like chumps.  Ziggler really needs a big win to solidify his heel turn but I dunno if I can see them jobbing out both babyfaces here.  Unless maybe Ziggles takes out Crews with a chair before the bell?

Justin's pick: Ziggler wins by cheating
Dan's pick: I concur. Love Ziggles as a heel. Needs a dirty win here.

Becky Lynch vs. Mickie James

This might be the second-best match on the whole show.  James has still got it, and Becky is Becky.  Not much more to say than that - I'm looking forward to this one.

Justin's pick: Mickie wins to continue the feud
Dan's pick: Yup

Luke Harper vs. Randy Orton

Are they finally gonna push Harper in some capacity as a monster babyface?  They should.  But I doubt it.  Harper's just here to keep Orton occupied till his inevitable clash with Bray Wyatt, at which time Orton will be a babyface again (yawn).  This should be a solid outing though.

Justin's pick: RKO
Dan's pick: Viper

NJPW The New Beginning in Osaka 2017 Preview & Predictions

by Landon Wayne
@LSWayne21

Well, Sapporo fucking ruled. Osaka may fall short of its sister show, but there will still be some great matches on the second half of the card. But will they hold up the bloated first half? We'll find out.

Tomoyuki Oka(?) & Henare vs. Hirai Kawato & Yoshitatsu

I assume Oka will be replacing Finlay the way he did at Sapporo in this match. Interesting dynamic here, very remaniscent of the purely Young Lion openers of 2015 and 2016 (No offense to Yoshitatsu here). The good news is that David Finlay should be cleared for BOSJ this year.

Landon's Pick: Yoshitatsu and Hirai
Justin's Pick: This match is literally of no consequence.  Sure, Team Yoshitatsu.

Suzuki-gun (El Desperado, Takashi Iizuka & Yoshinobu Kanemaru) vs. TenKoji (Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima) & KUSHIDA

Throwaway 6-man with Suzuki-Gun on one side and Tenkoji and the Jr. Ace (all three really wasting their time) on the other. Don't even have any expectations one way or another. It will be a match.

Landon's Pick: Suzuki-Gun
Justin's Pick: Suzuki-Gun

CHAOS (Gedo, Hirooki Goto, Jado & YOSHI-HASHI) vs. Juice Robinson, Jushin Thunder Liger, Tiger Mask & Yuji Nagata

The glaring problemm with having the double show format like the New Beginning shows is that it tends to leave a lot to be desired with the undercards. But, multi-man mashups tend to lead towards entertainment more than not.

Landon's Pick: Nagata pins Goto, seting up a new contender and making Goto continue to look like a dork.
Justins's Pick: CHAOS

CHAOS (Beretta, Kazuchika Okada & Rocky Romero) vs. Suzuki-gun (Minoru Suzuki, Taichi & TAKA Michinoku)

I'm running out of things to say about these undercard 6-mans.

Landon's Pick: Suzuki-Gun I guess. Let's bury this feud even deeper below ground.
Justins's Pick: Suzuki-Gun to save face after all three of them lost in Sapporo

Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots & Tom Brady: GOAT

by Dan Moore
@SouthieDanimal

Is there any doubt? Can there ever be a question again about who the greatest quarterback of all time is? After playing dead for roughly 42 minutes on Sunday night, Tom Brady put the New England Patriots on his back and forced them to win a game they decided not to show up for. Brady threw for 466 passing yards on 43-of-62 passing along with two touchdowns and one TERRIBLE interception. He willed them to a victory, his fifth in seven (SEVEN) Super Bowls. Oh, he also won his 4th Super Bowl MVP, ho-hum (though I think that honor shoulda gone to James White, but hey, whattya gonna do).

This game was a NIGHTMARE to watch as a Pats fan. They came outta the gates DEAD. Just nothing going on. To say we were discouraged at the half, with the Pats losing 21-3, is an understatement. Many creative curse words were being hurled about at the party I was at. One of my favorite things as a sports fan is that feeling you get when your team is in a big game. That nervous, giddy, excited feeling. That feeling was dead in the first half of this game. Just nonexistent. But then #12 started to do his thing, and it came right back. Watching him start to play like he’s capable of playing got me excited in all my peeing parts. The GOAT was here to play. And play he did. Like a champion. As usual.

Pictured: Tom Brady

Bill Belichick also stakes a claim as the greatest coach of all time with 5 Super Bowl victories as head coach and two more as an assistant elsewhere. The man is a genius when it comes to the pigskin. The coach with the dour expression at all times even managed quite a few smiles after being handed the Lombardi trophy again.

After vanquishing the Falcons in the first overtime game in Super Bowl history, the moment Patriots nation had been waiting for was about to happen. That lying, conniving, backstabbing douchebag of a Commissioner, Roger Goodell would finally have to realize that FrameGate was a total and utter bust. The scheme cooked up by NFL management, Ravens and Colts ownership to tarnish the legend of TB12 and to get rid of him for a quarter of the season was a failure. He would now have to hand over the Lombardi trophy once again to the team from Foxborough. And the Pats fans in attendance did not disappoint. In a display of boooing I can only call Bettman-esque, Roger’s voice was defeated by the wall of boos thrown at him. It was glorious. Sure, in the long run, this man making around $40 million a year probably won’t even care about this. But on the biggest stage of the year for any program on television around the world, getting booed like a goddam cartoon villain has to hurt his huge ego. Has to.

So that’s that. In one of the greatest comebacks in sports history, Tom Brady has cemented his legacy as the greatest of all time. There is no doubt. You wanna talk about squishy footballs, or warm Gatorade, go for it. Keep looking for reasons for why this man and this coach constantly beat your team. They’ll be busy getting ready for the next one while the other 31 teams keep making up excuses.

JB Note: My office is right on the parade route, so I got about sixty pics of our boys on their way by.  Celebrate, you magnificent bastards!

Grammys 2017 Preview & Predictions

by Michael Drinan
@mdrinan380

Ah yes, the Grammys, probably the most detested of the awards shows. Every time the nominations are announced I see the annual string of “Grammys are irrelevant” type comments not far behind. Let’s face it, the Grammys are all about ratings and not just about the music, a glorified popularity contest, one that is more reliant on record sales (with exceptions) than actual quality. Yes, I still watch the Grammys because a lot of times, they tend to get it right, even though I grit my teeth out of frustration. I mostly watch the Grammys for the storylines and this year, and there are quite a few interesting ones.

I’ve taken ten of the categories and given a quick rundown and prediction of who I think will win and who I’d like to win. Let’s jump in!

Album Of The Year

25 – Adele

Lemonade – Beyoncé

Purpose – Justin Bieber

Views – Drake 

A Sailor's Guide To Earth – Sturgill Simpson

This category is more or less between Adele’s 25 and Bey’s Lemonade, which makes for an interesting storyline as to which way the Academy swings this year for two deserving works: the safe choice in Adele, or supporting the social and politically charged Lemonade. What is also very interesting about this category this year is the presence of Sturgill Simpson’s A Sailor’s Guide To Earth, a country album by an anti-country establishment artist, which I would LOVE because that album was tremendous. Most analysts are considering the possibility of Sturgill being a protest vote if neither Adele or Beyonce sits well with Academy voters. It’ll be interesting to see how it all plays out. All I know is Beiber and Drake’s albums should not be in consideration, but hey...ratings.

Will Win: 25 - Adele
Should Win: Lemonade - Beyonce

Record Of The Year

"Hello" – Adele

"Formation" – Beyoncé 

"7 Years" – Lukas Graham

"Work" – Rihanna Featuring Drake

"Stressed Out" – Twenty One Pilots

Adele and Beyonce once again go head to head in this category with two monster singles this year. No matter where you looked Adele’s “Hello” was there. I had gotten tired of hearing it after two weeks of its release. On the other end, Beyonce’s “Formation” was performed at the Super Bowl where it garnered widespread criticism because of its PERCEIVED anti-police, pro-Black Lives Matter attitude. Just like Album of the Year, it will be interesting to see which side the Academy favors, safe or controversial.

Will Win: “Hello” - Adele
Should Win: “Formation” - Beyonce

SUPER BOWL PROP BETS

by Dan Moore (@SouthieDanimal), Mike Parker (@UncleMiggsy) and Brandon Cuddemi

Here we are, the end of the NFL season and it’s the Super Bowl, or as it has now come to be known “The New England Patriots Invitational." Never mind that this is a dream matchup for me as I bet both the Falcons and the Patriots to win the Super Bowl back in week 6 for some sweet futures money. I’m already in the red…or the black. Whichever the good one is. But as always, the Super Bowl is a haven for silly prop bets, and here we go with our choices.

Dan’s Choice: Tails never fails, I’ve heard. And back in my day, I used to get all kinds of tail. You know what I mean? You know? Sex. I’m talking about sex.

Cuddy’s Choice: By “all kinds of tail” Danny is referring to both hands. Go with Heads here. Easy money.

Miggsy’s Choice: I too am going with the rhymey one. Tails always prevails.

Dan’s Choice: So easy, B-Cuddy will be higher. Only thing with more smoke running through it is a chimney.

Cuddy’s Choice: He ain’t lying. Ultimate insider info here. If you find a book that will take this bet, hammer me all day. Phrasing? I don’t know anymore.

Miggsy’s Choice: I was going to say B-Cuddy as well but I don’t think he’ll be at his uncle’s house that day so I’m going Brady rushing yards even though he runs like kimodo dragon.

NJPW The New Beginning in Sapporo Preview & Predictions

by Landon Wayne
@LSWayne21

NJPW's 2017 kicks off following a fantastic WrestleKingdom. A Bullet Club-less pair of New Beginnings is packed full of every title being defended (some defended twice, in the exact same match…). The 2016 New Beginnings had results that shaped the landscape of New Japan for all of 2016, between Kenny Omega claiming the vacant Intercontinental Crown, and Hirooki Goto’s most recent shortcoming to Heavyweight gold leading him to eventually join CHAOS. Will 2017’s New Beginnings have the same effect? Well, we’re sure to find out.

Hirai Kawato and KUSHIDA vs. Suzuki-gun (El Desperado and Yoshinobu Kanemaru)

I’m wondering why Teruaki Kanemitsu, my favorite Young Lion from this batch, is not on this card. Oh well, Suzuki-Gun needs momentum, and KUSHIDA loses nothing with Kawato losing.

Landon’s Pick: Suzuki-Gun
Justin’s Pick: I have a feeling the Suzuki stable is gonna murder just about everyone on the roster for a few months.

David Finlay, Henare and Yoshitatsu vs. Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima and Yuji Nagata

Another throwaway match in the New Japan Style. I’m one of those people that feels like Yoshitatsu deserves better. Henare definitely shows a shining promise, and for reference he is billed at 229 lbs, missing the Junior weight class.

Landon’s Pick: The 3rd Generation
Justin’s Pick: Sure, Nagata & Tencozy

Chaos (Gedo, Jado and Will Ospreay) vs. Jushin Thunder Liger, Katsuyori Shibata and Tiger Mask

A match solely to fuel the Ospereay/Shibata feud going into Osaka. Their match in Osaka is officially going to be for the Revolution Pro Wrestling British Heavyweight Championship, which is a great step in the Title’s history, and reinforces the alliance between NJPW and RPW. With Jado and Gedo, and the two old school juniors on the other side, should be an okay fill

Landon’s Pick: Shibata, Mask and Liger
Justin’s Pick: Seems like Ospreay's team oughta get the win here to build up the singles match six days later.  I'll go with CHAOS.

Takashi Iizuka vs. YOSHI-HASHI

Fucking why?

Landon’s Pick: YOSHI-HASHI
Justin’s Pick: Iizuka.  But yeah, pointless.

Dragon Lee, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Manabu Nakanishi, Michael Elgin and Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI, EVIL, Hiromu Takahashi, SANADA and Tetsuya Naito)

It’s a preview of three matches on the Osaka card, with champions and challengers making each side. It should be a wonderful clusterfuck, with Elgin tossing BUSHI and KAMAITACHI around, and people bouncing off of Nakanishi. Still can’t help wishing we had all the titles on LIJ still, but hopefully after Osaka, the 6-Man titles will be back on the Ingobernables Trio.

Landon’s Pick: Team Not LIJ.
Justin’s Pick: This should be a ton of fun, and it's the match where this card will really get going.  I'll go with the babyfaces, again to build up the singles matches on the 11th.

The History of NXT Takeover: San Antonio

by Landon Wayne
@LSWayne21

The Road to Wrestlemania Weekend began here, in San Antonio on a Saturday night. In what seems like a quickly settling tradition, the Takeover events seem to all align before Big Four PPVs, which is brilliant both as a showcase for the NXT stars to people getting ready for a weekend of wrestling anyway, and to make the Sunday event feel bigger because of it. Takeover: San Antonio, like the Rumble to come after it, sets the board for the weekend upcoming in Orlando, as we may get a better feeling for who will challenge for what titles. But before we can go to Wrestlemania weekend, we have to get through Texas.


Eric Young defeated Tye Dillinger in an opening match that was better than I think many were giving the two a chance to give. It told a very good story of Tye being the superior athlete to Eric, but for the numbers game of Wolfe and Dane (Wait…). I really don’t know what the plan is with Tye, despite continuing to look good. He is destined to be a mediocre mid-card man in WWE if he ever leaves NXT. Eric Young and Sanity looked really strong as a unit coming out of this match. Young was able, with the finish the way it was, to show that his finisher could be hit from a variety of situations, something I think every finish needs. Sanity should be groomed for a tag title shot, IF DIY were the tag champs. But they’re not. Oh, we’ll get to that.

Roderick Strong defeated Andrade “Cien” Almas in a match that felt a lot like a match midway through the G1. There was a general sense of stake, but no specific motivations for either man. There was a clear sense that the man who won would get more opportunities or better ones than the other. Both Roddy and Andrade looked very strong in their performance. The biggest news is that they’ve decided to call Roddy’s running dropkick the Sick Kick.

The Authors of Pain defeated DIY for the NXT Tag Team Titles in a match that was as good as it really could have been. Like I mentioned in the preview, I’m not high at all on the Authors of Pain idea. I liked them better when they were called The Ascension, and The Dudleys…and Demolition, and finally the Road Warriors. I don’t know where we go from here, because we really don’t have any face teams to go up against the Walls of Meat. And I don’t know where DIY goes from here. Really an odd choice, but they must have ideas behind it.

WWE Royal Rumble 2017: Best Rumble PPV Ever?

Well damn.  Last night's Royal Rumble was about as good as can be expected in 2017.  Better than that even; I'd say the 30th edition was on par with the best Rumble PPVs they've ever done.

I've read a lot of negative feedback about the show, mostly due to the booking which was admittedly pretty unexciting.  No one new was positioned to be "made" with this match; it centered around the "safe" choices and we didn't get the expected Samoa Joe debut or a Kurt Angle return.  However we did get a very unpredictable Rumble with a larger field of potential winners than we've had in a very long time.  There were easily ten or so guys who could reasonably have walked away with the WrestleMania title shot, and that's nothing to sneeze at.  Aside from that, the Rumble match had a couple little surprises, like Tye Dillinger entering at #10 and Jack Gallagher making the most hilarious use of an umbrella I've ever seen.  Other highlights were Jericho as the long man once again (lasting just over an hour), Braun Strowman pulling a 1994 Diesel and killing a buncha guys before being eliminated, Goldberg besting Brock for the second time, and Roman Reigns eliminating The Undertaker and setting up their WrestleMania match (a prospect many are grumbling about but I'm actually fine with - it's something different and maybe we'll see Reigns go heel).  This Rumble match was not unlike the 2001 version in some ways - the surprise entrants were minor but the match had a good amount of star power and primarily served to reinforce the established names.  That's ok as long as a) the build to 'Mania unfolds logically and b) future Rumbles create some new stars.  I have few gripes about this Rumble match, except that the frequency of these two-time Rumble winners is gettin' to be a lot, and it's taking away from the specialness of that achievement.  But that's fairly minor.  Also in our Rumble pool I ended up with Roman Reigns and was ultimately the runner-up (Second time that's happened with Reigns, fourth time overall).

What really made this show stand out was the undercard.  I say without hesitation this was the finest Rumble undercard WWE has ever produced.  Two stellar Title matches and two solid title matches, with not one stinker on the entire PPV (I'm not counting the pre-show - Jax vs. Banks was a throwaway).  One can't really ask for more than that out of a Royal Rumble undercard, which generally trends toward uneven at best.

The Women's Title match opened the show and this was the absolute right move to get the San Antonio crowd invested.  Charlotte vs. Bayley felt like the first match in a series, and they got a respectable 13 minutes to tell a story.  Charlotte is such a major star right now in every facet of her game, it's really quite something to behold.  Bayley still hasn't quite recaptured her NXT magic on the main roster but it'll come.  This match didn't blow the doors off the place but it wasn't designed to - we'll doubtless see numerous superior rematches in the coming months.  For now this felt just about right for its place on the card, and the finish was novel if sudden - Charlotte nailed Natural Selection on the ring apron before rolling Bayley away from the ropes and scoring the pin.  Good opener.

WWE Royal Rumble 2017 Preview & Predictions

Welcome to your official Enuffa.com predictions for the 30th Annual Royal Rumble!  Or as Vince McMahon would like you to call it, "The 30th Anniversary of the Royal Rumble." 

We're about to begin a pretty unpredictable Road to WrestleMania, as only a few matches on that show are set in stone right now (Rollins vs. Triple H, Goldberg vs. Lesnar, and apparently Big Show vs. Shaq????).  Thus the Rumble and the Title pictures on both shows are very hard to call.  Generally speaking that's a good thing, though it does open the door for WWE to make some horrendous creative decisions as they scramble to arrange the pieces on the chess board (see Undertaker vs. Shane McMahon, 2016).  But overall I'm pretty jazzed about this show for those reasons, also because WWE is returning to the Alamodome after 20 years.  The 1997 Rumble, though it hasn't aged all that well, was a thoroughly entertaining PPV that felt like a big deal in no small part because of that expansive venue.  They're also extending this show to a four-hour format as they've done with SummerSlam and Survivor Series, so every match should get enough time.

Anyway let's get to the predictions.

***I lead Dan 65/101 to 59/101.***

Pre-Show Match: Nia Jax vs. Sasha Banks

I'm actually quite interested in this match and feud so it kinda sucks they're stuck on the Pre-Show.  After finally losing her epic feud with Charlotte, Sasha has run into a brick wall by the name of Nia Jax.  Nia showed great potential in NXT that's blossoming on the main roster, as she's been presented as an unstoppable force.  This match will likely be a typical David vs. Goliath; Jax's dominance vs. Banks's resilience.  The female version of Strowman vs. Zayn, if you will.  If the rumors are true and the WrestleMania plan is a four-way for the Women's belt, this match and feud will need to be booked to make both women look strong.  But I see Nia winning here.

Justin's pick: Nia Jax
Dan's pick: Sure

Pre-show RAW Tag Team Championship: Sheamus & Cesaro vs. The Club

This'll be a solid tag team brawl.  Sheamus & Cesaro just won the belts a month ago so I don't see them losing already, especially not on the Pre-Show.  Not much else to say about this match.  It'll be fine.

Justin's pick: Sheamus & Cesaro retain
Dan's pick: I hate them putting a Championship match on the pre-show.  Kills whatever prestige these fake championships should have.  S&C should retain.

Pre-show Match: Alexa Bliss, Mickie James & Natalya vs. Becky Lynch, Nikki Bella & Naomi 

Wow, the Smackdown women's roster is actually a full boat.  We have three separate feuds going on right now and this match is a way to advance them all.  Feels a bit like a Saturday Night's Main Event kinda thing, but whatever, it'll be fun.  Mickie James's addition to the roster can only be a good thing - she's still got it by the way (See her match against Asuka for Exhibit A).  Also Nattie's back to being a heel and that makes me happy.  This match will need to establish Nikki as Alexa's next challenger.  So....

Justin's pick: Team Nikki wins
Dan's pick: Team Alexa, because I don't know

NXT Takeover: San Antonio Preview & Predictions

Welcome to another edition of Enuffa.com Predictions, as my colleague Landon Wayne and I pick apart this Saturday's NXT Takeover special from San Antonio!

The landscape of NXT has gone through quite a number of changes since Toronto, with several new faces added to the mix.  The Women's division in particular is in a rebuilding phase, as Asuka has destroyed everyone in her path since arriving on the scene a year and a half ago.  The Tag Title picture for the first time in about a year isn't focused on The Revival.  The NXT Championship has bounced back and forth between Samoa Joe and Shinsuke Nakamura (who is right now the sole face of the promotion).  It's an interesting and somewhat unpredictable time on the yellow brand.  So let's take a look at the matchups....

Roderick Strong vs. Andrade "Cien" Almas

Once again poor Almas is being used to put over an NXT newcomer.  They need to figure out something to do with this guy.  He's got the in-ring talent in spades, but his character isn't connecting.  As for Roddy Strong, it should be fun to see how he fares in NXT.  He's an obviously very accomplished indie star with a track record of fantastic bouts and I'm excited to see him interact with Austin Aries when Aries returns.  This match will be a fun opener and a great showcase for Strong.

Justin's pick: Roderick Strong
Landon's pick: This is the one match on the card that I think has the potential to be better than its placement. I have full confidence that these two will be able to make a great match out of what they’re given. I think Almas has a lot to offer the company that he isn’t, though that’s no fault of his. Strong’s place in the company is still to be determined in my mind, and the result of this match will tell all. My prediction is Almas, regardless.

Eric Young vs. Tye Dillinger

Dillinger is another solid hand who seems destined to make incoming guys look good.  I've never been much of an Eric Young fan but the Sanity gimmick is at least intriguing.  This'll be another competitive showcase match with an obvious outcome.

Justin's pick: Eric Young
Landon's pick: Eric Young. Tye needs to be number 10 in the Rumble or there’s gonna be riots.

WWE Royal Rumble Favorites: Who CAN Actually Win

by Dan Moore
@SouthieDanimal

January is Royal Rumble time. My favorite PPV to watch, the Rumble has up to 30 (and sometimes 40) men that enter the squared circle to possibly win a chance to be the WWE Champion. But let’s be realistic. Of the 30 (or sometimes 40) there’s only a handful that actually have a shot to pull off the victory. I mean, as funny as it would be to have watched Drew Carey win (or at least I assume that’s what Vince thought), most of these guys have no chance. Here now are the dudes that might have a shot to be the last man standing at the end of the night.


JB: I'll my adding my two cents to each section, just to annoy everyone.




NAMES BUT NEVER-WILLS

Dolph Ziggler, Dean Ambrose, The Miz, Randy Orton, Bray Wyatt, The New Day, Sheamus, Cesaro

These are all the mid tier of the WWE at this point. They’ll all put in a good showing, they’ll all get the crowd going, and they’ll all do something bad ass in the match. But none of them have a chance to win this thing.


JB: I would add Sami Zayn to this group.  He'll have a solid showing and give us all some fighting spirit, but he'll fall short.




LONG SHOTS

Kurt Angle ODDS 100-1
One of the greatest superstars ever. He could potentially end up being a surprise participant in the Rumble, but I put his odds at winning at ZERO.

AJ Styles ODDS 80-1
The man doing the best work week in, week out has to be put on this list. But I expect him to hold onto his Smackdown Title and move onto another feud for 'Mania.

John Cena ODDS 75-1
I mean, he’s always got a shot at it. Always.

Finn Balor ODDS 50-1
Due to come back from injury any time now, it’s not unprecedented to see a returning star win the Rumble in such fashion. However, I don’t see him pulling off the win here. Just doesn’t seem right from the storyline perspective.


JB: If Balor does indeed return on Sunday I'd put him in the group of Contenders, or at least the Possibles.  He'd be pulling a 2008 John Cena or a 2010 Edge.  And it would be awesome.  Also you gotta add Samoa Joe at probably 60-1 odds, as he's a very likely surprise addition.  He's all done with his NXT responsibilities and isn't even booked at Saturday's NXT TakeOver.  He'll be in this Rumble to kill a lotta people, but he won't win.  But it will set up a feud for him with someone, which is gonna be great.  #JoesGonnaKillYou

Movie Review: La La Land

Well Mr. Drinan and I have finally both seen La La Land, the new musical that's getting all kinds of award buzz (along with a host of awards).  Did it live up to the hype?  Mike and I will break it down a little for ya.  ***SPOILERS AHEAD*** 

Justin: Alright let's get into this.  What did you think of La La Land?


Mike: Over. Rated. I don't think it's a bad movie, it's just okay. However, the amount of praise being heaped on this movie, I feel, is undeserved and overblown. It seems like Hollywood is falling over itself because this movie is about Hollywood and LA and plus, it's a musical! Hooray. Okay great, it's a musical, but it's nothing different than what's already been done. Everything about this film is drenched in nostalgia and tribute. I couldn't count how many old time movie posters were hanging on the wall during Emma Stone's number before the ladies went out on the town. Is LA really covered with lamp posts from the 1950s on every corner? Ryan Gosling's wardrobe was also old timey with the wing-tipped shoes. I thought this movie was going to be a modern take on the musical and all I got was a movie that had the 1940s and 50s written all over it.

I found the plot to be generic and boring. What was the plot? Two white people are having a tough time breaking into show business. **Yaaaawn**  No one needs a two-hour musical to realize that show business is tough to break into, so spare me the pity party. Also, the characters barely have any backstory and the script makes them uninteresting to the point that I don't care about them or feel invested in whatever happens to them. All movie long I was waiting for something to happen and nothing ever did. I was bored to tears over this movie.

Now, the music was the best part of this film for me even though I didn't think it was all that great. In fact, there were only two songs in the film that I felt lent anything to the story. The first was "City of Stars." I loved how it was the recurring song throughout the film. The other was Emma Stone's "Audition (The Fools Who Dream)." Other than those two, the film didn't benefit from any of the other musical numbers, they were just spectacle. The opening number made me feel as if I was watching an Old Navy commercial. Plus, there was a long stretch in the middle of the film that didn't have any musical numbers at all. I even wondered to myself, "Wait, is this still a musical?" before the music started up again. It was almost as if the film itself forgot it was a musical at that point.

This film was straight out of the "Old Hollywood" playbook. It was so formulaic and obvious. Again, okay movie but undeserving of all the praise it's getting.

NJPW WrestleKingdom 11 Review: Greatest Main Event Ever?

Well this was a big deal, folks.  WrestleKingdom 11 was, as expected, a major hit for New Japan, proving unequivocally that they've recovered from the significant talent losses of 2016.  This was as good as PPV as we're likely to see all year.

The big news coming out of WrestleKingdom 11 is that the 2017 Match of the Year has already been decided.  Hell, this may have been the match of the decade.  I almost don't know how to describe it.  I can't remember being this blown away by a wrestling match since the Triple H-Shawn Michaels-Chris Benoit main event at WrestleMania XX.  If anything tops Okada vs. Omega in 2017 (or anytime soon) I can't wait to see it.  This was nearly 47 minutes of just about everything you could ever want out of a main event.  The match started methodically with both men showcasing their grappling skills.  Act 1 lasted roughly 15 minutes and then the match surged to another level, with Act 2 consisting of some of the most insane high spots I've seen since the Attitude Era.  Omega landed a moonsault from the top rope, over the railing to the floor, he took a back body drop over the top rope through a table on the floor, Okada took a Dragon Superplex that looked like it killed him, and so on.  And this was only the second act of the match!  After this the drama actually escalated as both guys tried to put each other away, Omega kicked out of the Rainmaker (joining a very exclusive club) and tried in vain several times to hit the One-Winged Angel before finally falling to the fourth Rainmaker of the match.  Again, this went 47 minutes and didn't feel a moment too long for me.  I've never seen anything like this.  Dave Meltzer awarded this match an unprecedented six stars, and in no way do I consider that hyperbole.  Okada vs. Omega was one of the most incredible wrestling matches I've ever seen in my thirty-plus years as a fan.

The main event was so good in fact that I feel like the rest of the card got unfairly overshadowed.  I had a hard time objectively rating the other nine matches after only one viewing, but I'll do my best....

The show opened with Tiger Mask W (aka Kota Ibushi) vs. Tiger the Dark (aka ACH) in a quick, lighthearted six-minute match.  Nowhere near what these two are capable of, but it wasn't supposed to be.  Ibushi needs to go back to being Ibushi ASAP.

Drinan's Top Ten Albums of 2016

by Michael Drinan
@mdrinan380

With the passing of such great musical icons as Prince, David Bowie, Merle Haggard and George Michael, it’s really helpful that this year was also filled with really great music to help ease the grief of losing those whose art meant so much to us. It only made sense to make a list of my Top Ten Albums of 2016.

AUTHOR’S NOTE: This list was compiled and written before Run The Jewels dropped their album RTJ3 on Christmas Day. Since I have not given it more than 1 ½ listens thus far, out of fairness to the albums that made the list, I had to leave it off. However I’m confident if I had the opportunity to give it more listens, it would have definitely made it; from what I've heard so far, it’s incredible. Okay….on with the list!

10. Metallica - Hardwired...To Self Destruct

Ah yes, I love a good Metallia record and they really delivered on this one, to the point that a lot of Metalli-haters have doubled back and actually given the band a little applause. Impressive since the album really combines all eras of Metallica (even the dreaded 90s era *GASP*) quite seamlessly. Even though there are a few missteps on the album, the songs that are really good leave you with your jaw on the floor. “Moth Into Flame” is surely to be added to the long list of Metallica’s best-written songs and no one leaves “Spit Out the Bone” without screaming out of pure giddiness. These songs keep playing in my head and I rush to put this album on, almost as if I need a daily dose of it to get me through the work day. Also, being a Metallica fan since the “Black Album”, it’s sure nice to have an album to make the “I like ‘old’ Metallica” crowd shut the fuck up for a minute.

9. Kendrick Lamar - untitled. unmastered.

In 2015, Kendrick Lamar released his third studio album To Pimp A Butterfly, which was a stunning work of hip hop, a genre-defining work. Critics and fans praised the album for its infusion of funk, free jazz and hip hop while tackling a wide range of topics like racial disparity, poverty, police violence, and substance abuse. If there were anything more thrilling and fulfilling than that album, it was the performances. Instead of just performing the tracks from the album, Kendrick would perform unreleased songs, tracks that didn’t make the album for a variety of reasons. After a desperate plea from basketball superstar Lebron James to release these songs, Kendrick released this 8-track EP that featured the songs in unmastered, some even unfinished, form. The release showcased Kendrick’s songwriting process to the point where people, including myself, marveled that his throwaway songs are better than most of the finished albums released by other rappers today. The themes he tackles and the way he spins them to make them relevant to himself and relatable to the listener is incomparable. The EP shows how deft a lyricist he is and how well-thought his verses are. It proved that his nickname “King Kendrick” is well deserved.

NJPW WrestleKingdom 11 Preview & Predictions

by Landon Wayne
@LSWayne21

WrestleKingdom. The peak of New Japan's mountain. The show Young Lions aspire to be a part of one day. The show that has seen the greatest wrestlers from across the globe...and TNA World Champion Jeff Hardy. But enough about sour relationships that made mockeries of future main eventers. We're here for the wrestlers of New Japan Pro Wrestling, to see all the events of 2016 come to a head at the beginning of 2017. And here for you, exclusively on Enuffa.com, Justin and I are gonna go through each match on the card, give an index card's worth of insight, and let you know how we see it going down. Let's get started with Wrestle Kingdom 11, in...TOKYO DOME.

The New Japan Rumble

If this is your first WrestleKingdom, Imagine the pre-Mania Battle Royal you always ignored on the bonus features of your Wrestlemania DVDs. That's this. Near identical to a Royal Rumble, it's present on the pre-show mostly as a way for the rest of the New Japan roster to be in the Dome. There will also be cameos from the annals of NJPW and Japanese wrestling history in general, but nothing terribly important.

Landon's Pick: Doesn't Really matter. Haku, I guess.
Justin's Pick: Your guess is as good as mine. Probably one of the surprise entrants, but likely no one who will see a push because of winning this.  I'll go with Jushin Liger, why not?

Tiger Mask W vs Tiger The Dark (Kota Ibushi vs. ACH)

On paper this sounds like it's gonna be a fantastic match. ACH and Ibushi have styles that are unique, but will probably fit together perfectly. However, I can't help but flash back to Chris Jericho's first book, wherein he talks about his first, and last, night under the Super Liger Mask. Which was in the Tokyo Dome. Where he did such a poor job that the gimmick immediately died. I just hope both men practice together while wearing their masks. I'd prefer a choreographed good match over an ad libbed botch.

Landon's Pick: Tiger the Dark. And I still need to watch the anime.
Justin's Pick: Tiger Mask Ibushi.  And let's hope he soon takes off the mask and goes back to challenging for the big belts.

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Title Match: The Young Bucks (c) vs. Roppongi Vice

The Junior Tag titles are defended in a straight-up 2 in 2 match this year. Roppongi Vice winning the tag tournament was a surprise to many who may not have been paying attention to underlying stories. Probably the most predictable match on he card, we've seen enough Young Bucks and RPG matches to be able to guess where this match will go. I'm honestly struggling for things to say about it.

Landon's Pick: Roppongi Vice
Justin's Pick: I'm glad we aren't getting yet another 4-way Jr. Tag match here.  Those are always fun but they've been featured on the last three WK shows and they start to blur together (not unlike 7-man WrestleMania Ladder match clusters).  This should be an excellent bout and I'll also go with RPG Vice to win the straps.

Movie Review: Rogue One - A Star Wars Story

Well my esteemed colleague Dan Moore and I have both seen Rogue One and we have some thoughts to share with you, whether you like it or not.  So here we go....

*****SPOILERS AHEAD*****

Justin: So Daniel, what did you think of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story?


Dan: I liked it a lot. It felt totally different than any other Star Wars movies. I liked the new characters, with the exception of the lead. Jyn Erso I felt was a tad underdeveloped. Her mom dies, and she is raised elsewhere, and that's kind of it for her character. We're supposed to just assume she's a jaded badass after that without seeing any of it. The actress, Felicity Jones, was fine, but she played a non-character. As opposed to Rey in The Force Awakens, who seemed a much more vivid and REAL character.

But I enjoyed the rag tag, Dirty Dozen-like feel to this Star WAR movie. It was grim, it was gritty, and it helped erase the bad feelings of the truly inferior prequels. This one is THE PREQUEL in my mind. I choose to remember nothing of Episodes I-III until the inevitable Disney remakes.


Justin: I enjoyed it quite a bit, with a few reservations.  It definitely felt a little different while still feeling like you were in the Star Wars universe.  Everything was gritty and dirty and looked lived in, unlike three other movies I could name where the scenery was pristine and digital.  Rogue One is essentially a war movie, housed within the Star Wars setting (I saw nods to Saving Private Ryan, Apocalypse Now, and Bridge on the River Kwai).  It was a lot of fun to see this universe from a different angle, low and in the weeds.  This had the smallest scope of any Star Wars film thus far and I liked that; the filmmakers didn't feel the need to make it EPIC.  It also had some of the best space battle stuff they've ever done - it was chaotic but you could follow the action, there was some strategy involved, and a few legitimate surprises.

As for the reservations, I agree, Jyn was very underdeveloped as a character - we needed much more reason to care about her, since the plot itself was simply an exercise.  We already know what's going to happen, so it falls on the characters to draw us in.  She didn't quite do that for me.  My favorite character actually was the droid, who provided most of the humor.  The mystical blind dude was interesting as well and I would've liked to see more of his story.

The other minor gripe (very minor) is that this film is FULL of fan service.  Like it's all over the place.  Most of it works though, and is done tastefully.  But a few moments were a bit groan-inducing for me (Did we really need to see Walrus Man and Mr. Ugly?).  Obviously with a story so closely linked to A New Hope there's gonna be a lot of visual repetition, so the lion's share of that didn't bug me.  I appreciated that, unlike say Revenge of the Sith, this film actually respected the continuity with ANH and made sure there weren't any loose or contradictory threads.

The 2017 Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame

by Michael Drinan
@mdrinan380

It’s that time of year again when the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame announces its newest inductees. The Hall of Fame Class of 2017 are Pearl Jam, Tupac Shakur, Electric Light Orchestra, Journey, Joan Baez and Yes, with an Award For Musical Excellence to Nile Rodgers. Here are a few thoughts on this year’s inductees....


Thank God Tupac got in!

My first thought when I saw the list of inductees was “Thank God Tupac got in!” because of all the dipshits out there who think hip hop shouldn’t be in the HOF. Hip hop certainly belongs. The argument that “It’s not rock n’ roll” is a weak argument when you take into account that it’s a genre that was an offshoot of rock music in the beginning, aligned itself within the New York punk/new wave scene and became an integral part of rock music in the late 90s, for better or worse. The mission statement of the HOF is to recognize artists who demonstrate “unquestionable musical excellence and talent,” as well as having “had a significant impact on the development, evolution and preservation of rock & roll.” To suggest that hip hop hasn’t had a role in the development and evolution of rock & roll would be one of the most ignorant thoughts ever. Face it people, hip hop is in and it belongs and Tupac is deserving of induction.



Nile Rodgers and Chic

This is the eleventh time disco band Chic has been nominated and rejected for induction. If you’ve read any of my previous entries on the Hall of Fame nominees, you would know that I’m against Chic being inducted. I still feel they didn’t distinguish themselves apart from any other disco group out there while conceding their influence in the hip hop genre is strong and undeniable. Needless to say, I’m not upset that they didn’t get in. However, Nile Rodgers was given the Award For Musical Excellence which “honors performers, songwriters and producers who have changed the course of music history. These artists have dedicated their lives to creating influential, important music infused with originality, and have achieved a level of timeless distinction.” This creates a little controversy that even left Rodgers himself “perplexed.” Of course, the pro-Chic crowd is asking the HOF, “So, Chic isn’t good enough to get inducted but Nile Rodgers, who is a key contributor to the group, is given an award for being original and influential?” To which I say, “Yep, that’s right!” Rodgers has had a tremendous career on his own as a producer, songwriter and collaborator for a ton of artists like Diana Ross, Christina Aguilera, David Bowie, Sister Sledge, Madonna, Grace Jones, Michael Jackson, Duran Duran and Robert Plant. So it’s not as if he isn’t deserving of the award. Just because one member of a band is influential on his own doesn’t automatically translate to also mean the band was influential. Quiet down folks.



Journey

College girls everywhere are now celebrating the fact the band behind one of their favorite songs to sing while drunk and hugging their girlfriends, are now Hall of Famers. I don’t necessarily mind that Journey was inducted. There was a part of me that felt in time they would get in. It just seems a bit undeserved this year considering the other nominees.



Yes and ELO

Jesus. This fucking shit. This fucking shit right here. First, I kind of get ELO in the sense that Jeff Lynne was a close contributor and collaborator of George Harrison and Tom Petty to the point where he was a member of the Traveling Wilburys. So, I’m not totally shocked even though I think ELO sucks ass. But Yes? Are you fucking kidding me here people? So because they were a part of your 1970s high school soundtrack, you think they’re worthy of enough to be in the Hall of Fame? Fuck outta here. The only great thing Yes ever did was change their name from Mabel Greer’s Toyshop.



Joan Baez

For me, this was overdue. The biggest argument people have made against Joan getting in was she was mostly known for her covers, which is hard to argue. However, Joan was a key figure in the Greenwich Village folk scene that exploded in the ‘60s, and not only did cut a strong figure with her performances and iconic voice, but she influenced countless number of important artists within that scene, like Dylan, Phil Ochs and Johnny Cash. Hell, she even left an impression on rock gods Led Zepplin and Judas Priest. I like that she’s finally in as an artist. It feels right.



The Snubs

When the inductees get announced, the first thing we notice are the snubs and this year the list is a doozy. First, Chaka Khan. Third time nominated is not a charm for her and I think the HOF needs to take a long, hard look at itself. I was hoping this would be The Cars’ year to get in considering their accomplishments as opposed to fucking Yes, ELO and Journey, but looks as if I’ll have to keep on waiting.

However no other snub stood out like Janet Jackson. I’m pretty surprised she didn’t get in this year considering the nominees. She’s an icon that helped define an era in R&B which is more than you can say about Yes.



Looking ahead

Now that the Class of 2017 is in the books, next year’s list of eligible artists is looking pretty fucking awesome. We’re talking Beck, Rage Against The Machine, Radiohead, TLC, Dr. Dre, Tool and Stone Temple Pilots being the most notable. Throw them on top of the already eligible artists like Tori Amos, A Tribe Called Quest, Nine Inch Nails, PAT FUCKING BENATAR (!!!!!!!!!!!!), The Runaways, Alice in Chains, and the rest of 2017 nominees who didn’t get in this year, and there’ll certainly be quite a few people bitching about the HOF on social media.


There you have it! Leave your thoughts on the Class of 2017 in the comments section below. Who would you like to see get in next year?

The 2016 Enuffa.com Year-End Pro Wrestling Awards

Welcome to Enuffa.com's 3rd Annual Year-End Pro Wrestling Awards!  

2016 was a year of overwhelming change in the wrestling industry.  We saw defections, roster splits, new stars made, dream matchups realized, and above all a gluttony of available wrestling content.

The WWE Network alone added so many events, specials and series it became damn-near impossible to keep up with all of it.  Couple that with NJPW's usual, robust schedule, TNA, ROH, Lucha Underground, RPW, etc. and it's safe to say the wrestling business is financially pretty healthy overall.

WWE expanded to the point that their various sub-promotions are beginning to resemble the old territory days.  RAW, Smackdown, NXT, 205 Live, and the impending UK and Women's tournaments are providing something for just about everyone, and there's certainly no shortage of PPVs and Takeover specials to gorge on.  The second attempt at a roster split has been a mixed bag, but the two main roster brands have provided fairly divergent products thus far.  Adding to WWE's appeal this year was the influx of new faces and established outside talents, many of whom were allowed to keep their existing names and gimmicks.  It's created a refreshing set of new matchups and in some ways taken us back to the Monday Night War era, when known wrestlers would jump from one company to the other.  And much like the old territory days, familiar faces in a new environment allows some of these veterans to freshen up their gimmicks and movesets against a new crop of opponents.  It's all made for a very diverse WWE product, about which I obviously have numerous reservations and criticisms, but which does instill cautious optimism.

NXT continued growing into a full-fledged third brand, adopting a new TakeOver schedule based on the main roster's Big Four PPVs and making greater use of established veterans to add credibility and seasoning.  The "developmental" territory outclassed the main roster at every turn, providing most of the company's best major shows.

New Japan rallied after the loss of four top stars, quickly filling the void with some new blood and reinvigorating rising talent, thus allowing the company to break out of their comfort zone and take some booking risks.  Most of these paid off big, and while the overall quality might not have been quite at the pitch-perfect level of 2015, the company's long-term health looks extremely good.

Amid controversies and lawsuits, TNA still managed to hold on by a thread, changing up their product and employing some unconventional tactics, mostly involving Matt and Jeff Hardy.  I haven't kept up with TNA in quite some time, but from what I understand the product in 2016 was vastly improved from recent years.  So there's still hope for the Keith Richards of wrestling promotions.

Ring of Honor solidified and expanded their relationship with New Japan, making much greater use of NJPW's roster for special events/PPVs, and lending their own talent to the Japanese promotion.  ROH Titles were defended on NJPW shows, ROH stars captured NJPW gold, and it's allowed both companies to reach wider audiences.  TNA would be wise to try and get in on this action.