UFC 203: CM Punk vs Mickey Gall Preview

UFC 203: CM Punk vs Mickey Gall Preview

It's taken just under two years but CM Punk will finally make his UFC debut at UFC 203 against Mickey Gall. In that time, everyone associated with both professional Wrestling and Mixed Martial Arts have had their say on Punk signing for the UFC. Now, I won't go into an in-depth analysis of Punk's decision to switch to the UFC from WWE but I will say that I very excited to see Punk fight (ironically, Punk will make his MMA debut in the building where he walked out of the WWE - Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio). I will say that the positioning on the card is slightly questionable, being the third to last fight on the main card, but I guess with the expectation/excitement around Punk's debut that Dana and co can justify it. 

I think that Mickey Gall has definitely been left in the background in the lead-up to this fight but I think that this was going to happen to Punk's opponent, no matter who it was. Gall will be extremely confident due to Punk's limited training time and notable age gap and predicted on MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani that he would knockout Punk in the first round. I hope that doesn't happen, not just because I'm a CM Punk fan, but it will be slightly underwhelming after nearly two years of build to Punk's debut. 

One battle that is clear Punk has won is the mental battle. With 'The Evolution of Punk' being shown every Monday night in the U.S, and a little later on UFC's official YouTube channel, Punk's journey to the Octagon is well documented in a four-part series and what you notice from viewing this transition is that Punk is mentally focused on this huge career switch which he is doing only to prove to himself that he can do it. 

I think anyone with a dream can respect Punk for quitting WWE to pursue his dream of competing in MMA, as he ultimately made himself happy. 

Tale of the Tape

Name: Phillip Jack Brooks (A.K.A CM Punk)

Age: 37 (Born on 26th October 1978 in Chicago, U.S.A)

Height: 6 Foot 2 Inches

Weight: 185 Pounds

Reach:

Mixed Martial Arts Record:

0 Fights


Name: Mickey Gall

Age: 24 (From New York, U.S.A)

Height: 6 Foot 2 Inches

Weight:

Reach:

Mixed Martial Arts Record:

2 Fights

2 Wins


My Prediction

My Prediction is that Mickey Gall will win by technical knockout in the second round of the fight. My Heart wants to say that CM Punk will win but I think that Gall's superior technique and years training will topple Punk. Punk must put in a good performance regardless of whether he wins or not in order to show that his near two years training has been highly seriously and that he can continue his UFC career without questions being asked about his abilities.

CM Punk makes his UFC debut against Mickey Gall at UFC 203 in Cleveland, Ohio (which will also be the first UFC event in Cleveland).



My Top 10 Most Iconic Wrestling Moments

My Top 10 Most Iconic Wrestling Moments

Although Wrestling is pre-determined, obviously, the entertainment side, both in and out the ring, of Wrestling can often provide moments that will make them cry, laugh and/or be overcome with shock. In this post, I will be giving the 10 most iconic Wrestling moments, in my opinion, that fans and those in the industry will remember forever.

A few honourable mentions that didn't make the list:

- Eddie Guerrero dies (13th November 2005).

- Vince McMahon signs Hulk Hogan (27th December 1983).

- First-ever episode of Monday Night RAW (11th July 1993).

- WWE Buys WCW (23rd March 2001).

- WWE is deemed PG (22nd July 2008). 

10, The first-ever Money In The Bank Ladder Match (Wrestlemania 21 - 3rd April 2005)

The first-ever Money in the Bank ladder match took place at Wrestlemania 21 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles and featured Chris Jericho (who actually created the concept to get onto the main card of the show), Chris Benoit, Edge, Kane, Christian and Shelton Benjamin. Now a massive part of WWE's identity, the concept even has it's own PPV which started in 2010. What makes this match iconic is that it launched a series of remarkable ladder matches that pushed a mid-carder to the main event scene on their respective brand. Edge did this as he won this match and produced the first-ever cash-in ten months later at New Year's Revolution 2006 against John Cena and subsequently won his first WWE Championship. 

9, Owen Hart dies (Over-The-Edge - 23rd May 1999)

Owen Hart sadly died when he fell from the rafters of the Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Missouri. Before his Intercontinental Championship match against The Godfather, Hart fell approximately 78 feet. After many attempts, he later died of internal bleeding and blunt force trauma. This was the first time that a WWE Wrestler had died within the ring and a special episode of RAW was put together in Owen's memory, in which the final shot was of Steve Austin leaving a beer in the ring in tribute to the late great Wrestler.  

8, Scott Hall appears on WCW (WCW Monday Nitro - 27th May 1996)

Scott Hall and Kevin Nash left WWE for WCW in 1996 as they wanted more money and more creative control. Hall appeared on WCW's episode of Nitro in which he says he's an 'outsider' and that WWE wants a war (in terms of ratings). This would be another step to the infamous Monday Night Wars between WWF and WCW and this is also iconic due it being the first example of kayfabe being broken in order to boost the ratings.



7, Hulk Hogan emerges as the third man in the nWo (WCW Bash at The Beach - 7th July 1996)

Following on from the previous point, the infamous nWo was created by 'outsiders' Scott Hall and Kevin Nash in May 1996. They talked about a third man being apart of the nWo and at WCW Bash at The Beach 1996, Hulk Hogan emerged to join the nWo and turn heel on the fans that had once embraced him in the 80's Wrestling boom.



6, CM Punk drops the 'Pipebomb' Promo (RAW - 27th June 2011)

I've talked about this event before but for those who don't know, CM Punk cut one of the most amazing promos in recent WWE History when took to the mic in Las Vegas on the 27th June 2011 edition of RAW to run down his anger at everyone from the fans to Vince McMahon. I really recommend that you watch it to fully understand it but this is iconic due to it's ability to blur the lines between fiction and reality and work or shoot. Even some of my favourite lines portray how ground breaking this was ("And I'd like to think that maybe this company will be better after Vince McMahon's is dead") ("But the fact that Dwayne is in the main event of Wrestlemania next year and I'm not makes me sick") ("I'm leaving with the WWE Championship and hell who knows maybe I'll go defend it in New Japan Pro Wrestling. Maybe I'll go back to Ring of Honor").



5, Chris Benoit's double-murder and suicide (22nd- 24th June 2007)

Chris Benoit was one of the most hardworking and most impressive technical Wrestlers of all-time. Sadly, his legacy was seriously damaged when he killed his Wife and Son in a fit of rage that ended in him hanging himself. Benoit was scheduled to win the vacant ECW Championship at Vengeance 2007, beating CM Punk, but this never aspired, obviously. It's extremely sad that not only Benoit committed such awful acts against his family but that he also that his legacy was tainted and he will unfortunately be remembered for this, rather than his fantastic matches and his desire and love for the Wrestling business.



4, The Montreal Screwjob (Survivor Series 1997 - 9th November 1997)

The most infamous Survivor Series moment ever. Shawn Michaels, Vince McMahon, Triple H and others screwed Bret Hart out of the WWF Championship, due to Hart refusing to drop the belt in Canada before he left to go to WCW. Now, there are a ridiculous amount of articles explaining the specific details of the Montreal Screwjob (only one Google search away!) but what makes this so iconic is that it was one of the first-ever incidents that showed that Vince felt pressure from one of his top stars jumping ship to WCW.



3, Hulk Hogan bodyslams Andre the Giant (Wrestlemania 3 - 29th March 1987)

It's the original WWE moment. A big blonde man slamming a much bigger man down to the mat before winning the WWF Championship at one of WWE's favourite-ever Wrestlemanias. Looking back now as a Wrestling fan, it can seem quite tame compared to the moves that are performed on a weekly basis around the World but back in 1987 this was an amazing moment as no-one had body-slammed Andre the Giant on WWF Television before and seeing Hogan do this only solidified Hulkamania.


2, Launch of the WWE Network (24th February 2014)

The WWE launched it's own subscription service that allows for subscribers to view pretty much everything to WWE (except RAW and SMACKDOWN Live latest episodes). As of April 2016, WWE announced that they had around 1.82 million subscribers, with approximately 434,000 from outside the United States. Whilst this is something that happened outside of the ring, obviously, it makes the number 2 slot because it's clear longtime business strategy from WWE with the huge increase in online streaming. An example of the huge potential success from this is that the WWE have around 12 million subscribers on Youtube and they reported significant revenue from this, as reported by well-respected Wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer.


1, Brock Lesnar ends the Undertaker's Streak (Wrestlemania 30 - 6th April 2014)

The most shocking pinfall victory in Professional Wrestling History. The Undertaker's Wrestlemania undefeated streak was absolutely adored by fans and the majority thought that it would never end and would forever stay immortal long after the Undertaker retired from the squared circle. Well, WWE had other ideas and had former UFC Heavyweight Champion and general freak of nature Brock Lesnar conquer the Undertaker's streak. The moment after the bell rang, everyone live at Wrestlemania 30 and watching around the World went very silent in shock. That shock would lead to anger or sheer disbelief. If WWE should have ended the streak is a whole different discussion, which I'll leave out for the sake of staying sane, but there is no doubt in my mind that this is the most iconic moment in Wrestling History.

Paul Heyman congratulates Brock Lesnar on ending the Undertaker's Wrestlemania undefeated streak at 21-1. 

UFC 202: Conor McGregor vs Nate Diaz 2 Preview

UFC 202: Conor McGregor vs Nate Diaz 2 Preview

At the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, the most anticpated rematch in UFC History will take place between UFC Featherweight Champion Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz. At UFC 196, Nate Diaz made McGregor submit in the second round of the contest to give the Irishman his first UFC loss. McGregor had originally supposed to fight Rafael dos Anjos for the UFC Lightweight Championship at UFC 196 but when Anjos pulled out on 23rd February after breaking his foot, Diaz stepped in for a welterweight battle with the sliver-tongued Featherweight champ and ultimately shocked the World. Conor had been riding high on an impressive win streak that gained global attention when he knocked out then UFC Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo in 13 seconds and no-one expected Diaz to halt Conor's momentum like he did.

The rematch should been at UFC 200 but cancelled when McGregor had arguments with Dana White and refused to do several media obligations. McGregor then falsely announced his retirement on Twitter before then calming down to agree a Welterweight rematch at UFC 202. The hype around this fight is huge and it seems that the pressure is all on McGregor. Back-to-back losses could seriously damage his ambitions of climbing up the Welterweight division. However, a win would boost his repetition as a multi-weight fighter. It's quite the oppoiste for Diaz, as no-one expected him to win at UFC 196 so he won't be too affected by a loss. If he wins again, he may just knock McGregor off his preach.

Well, for one night at least.

McGregor has actually said that he lost the first fight because he didn't respect Diaz's experience and durability as a fighter but when talking about the fight, he said "If I was to make a prediction, which I will right now, I believe I will repay the favour and KO him inside the second round." He also added "The fans are in for a treat, but make no mistake, my hand will be raised." Many in the MMA World agree with him, definitely wanting to see a third fight to conclude the saga.  

Whatever fans think the result will, it will be one hell of a fight.




Tale of the Tape

Name: Conor Anthony McGregor

Age: 28 (Born on 14th July 1988 in Dublin, Ireland)

Height: 5 Foot 9 Inches

Weight: 170 Pounds

Reach: 74 inches

Mixed Martial Arts Record:

22 Fights

19 Wins (17 By Knockout, 1 By Submission and 1 By Decision)

3 Losses (All By Submission)

Name: Nathan Donald Diaz

Age: 31 (Born on 16th April 1985 in California, U.S.A)

Height: 6 foot

Weight: 169 Pounds

Reach: 76 inches

Mixed Martial Arts Record:

30 Fights

20 Wins (4 By Knockout, 13 By Submission, 3 By Decision)

10 Losses (1 By Knockout, 1 By Submission, 8 By Submission)



My Prediction

I predict that Conor McGregor will knock Diaz out in the second round as I think that McGregor will adapt his bursts of lethal strikes and avoid Nate's takedown attempts. I think that it will be a tough fight in which all aspects of both fighters' abilities will come on show. If I'm right, a 'rubber match' will be set up to conclude the saga. Who wins that? At the moment, who knows but let's hope this fight is everything that MMA fans want to see.

Nate Diaz and Conor McGregor are separated by UFC President Dana White at a UFC 202 Press Conference. 





Euro 2016 Review: 6 Things We've Learnt

Euro 2016 Review: 6 Things We've Learnt

As Portugal win the 2016 Euros by beating hosts France 1-0 after extra-time, and gained the global headlines, it's the lessons that don't appear as obvious that I like to look at and in this post I will be detailing the things that have been apparent thanks to 2016 Euros.

6, England are a Joke

I have covered this in my reviews of England's games during the 2016 Euros but it was a massive realisation that despite all the great players that were in the England team, we lost to Iceland 2-1. Many would have thought that England were already a joke under Roy Hodgson but the humiliation of losing to the smallest nation at the Euros in the first knockout round is unbelievable on so many levels and thus England fans have officially (hopefully) given up with England for the foreseeable future.

5, Smaller nations provided passion and dire

In contrast to the failing expectations of England's tournament, two small nations have captured the fans' respect across the continent. Those nations are of course Iceland and Wales. Iceland may have gone out to France in the quarter-finals, losing 5-2, but the connection to their fans is unreal, that Viking clap is awesome, and reminds Premier League fans of the underdog mentality that lead Leicester City to the Premier League title. Wales went even further and were 90 minutes away from the final but lost 2-0 to Portugal in the semi-final. I mean to get to the semi-final of their first tournament in 58 years is an achievement that speaks volumes about the unity within the Welsh national side that England fans can only dream of.      

4, It's all about getting through

It's the name of the game in tournament football and there has been one team that has remind everyone that you don't need to play great to get through. That team is of course Portugal. Having drew all three group games, but still managing to knock-out Croatia, Poland and Wales, Portugal have been the nation that neutrals have willed to go out but have won the tournament and subsequently remained fans that it's not all about winning in 90 minutes by a decent goal margin, it's about getting through to the next round.

3, Some nations heavily unperformed

Whilst nations such as Italy, Portugal and Wales have had great tournaments, in regards to their expectations prior to the start of the tournament on 10th June, there have been several nations that have heavily unperformed. The three nations that spring to mind are Germany, Belgium and Spain. Although Germany reached the semi-finals, and lost to France, their performances this tournament haven't been as dominating as they were in the 2014 World Cup (just ask any Brazilian for confirmation of that). They were unlucky to have Mario Gomez be ruled out for the rest of the tournament after their quarter-final game against Italy but they really should have had a back-up striker to take the heat off the 'cursed' Thomas Muller.

Belgium went out to Wales in the quarter-finals and has thus continued their reputation as the World's most underperforming country. They have fantastic individual players, such as Lukaku and Hazard, but they can never link together to fulfil their potential. Spain, the ex-European Champions, were knocked out by dark-horses Italy in the last 16 and it is the second tournament in a row that the former World Champions have been sent home from earlier then they expected. It is yet again a lack of tactical advancement by a nation that you would expect to get to at least the semi-finals and concludes the theme of certain nations heavily underperforming at this Euros.

2, A Contrast of Reviews

In the aftermath of Euro 2016, there will be a lot of posts that will review the tournament as a whole and how it has left European Football before the new season starts again in August. What makes me write this point in my own review of Euro 2016 is BBC commentator John Motson's thoughts on the tournament. He has details that he thinks Wales were the stars of the show and that France are now Europe's best team but he said that the standard of Football was lacking in certain group games and have only been forgotten thanks to the late, late goals that seen fans in scenes of joy or sorrow. Now, I can understand what Motty is saying, and God only knows he has the experience to be able to draw this conclusion from the tournament, but it is clear that there are a contrast of reviews to be written and published, whether they be written to promote a certain nation's performance, undermine the desire and passion of another or to call for the number of teams to be reduced.  

1, Antoine Griezmann is the Real Deal 

The build-up to the tournament for France saw one of their prolific striker, Real Madrid's Karim Benzema, ruled out from selection from the national team due to a court case involving the striker using an alleged sex-tape as leverage over Lyon's Mathieu Valbuena. Ultimately, it seemed that Antoine Griezmann would have to step up to finish off the chances provided by Dimitri Payet and co.

And he bloody did.

The Atletico Madrid striker scored six goals and provided two assists as France finished runner-ups and became my favourite player from the 2016 Euros. I wouldn't be surprised if there were a few clubs looking to sign Griezmann after his performances in France this summer. Will he go if he's approached? Who knows but he will have earned the move as he is the second highest goalscorer in European Championship History with his six goals, second only to Michel Platini's nine goals from 1984 in France.   

Top Goalscorer: Antoine Griezmann (France) (6 goals).

My Team of the Tournament: 4-3-3 Formation.

Gianluigi Buffon (Italy) (Goalkeeper).

Jermone Boateng (Germany). (Centre-Back).

Ashley Williams (Wales). (Right-Back).

Darjio Srna (Croatia). (Left-Back).

Giorgio Chiellini (Italy). (Centre-Back).

Mesut Ozil (Germany). (Midfielder).

Paul Pogba (France). (Midfielder).

Dimitri Payet (France). (Midfielder).

Gareth Bale (Wales). (Right-Wing).

Antoine Griezmann (France). (Striker).

Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal). (Left-Wing).

Captain Cristiano Ronaldo lifts Portugal's first-ever major trophy. 



My 10 Favourite WWE Matches

My 10 Favourite WWE Matches

In recent weeks, WhatCulture's Wrestling YouTube channel, WhatCulture Wrestling, have been publishing videos in which some of their staff have detailed their 10 favourite WWE matches. Now, I know I'm jumping on a bandwagon here but I'm just going to get into this list anyway and here are my 10 favourite WWE matches.   

 

DISCLAIMER: There aren't any Women's matches on this list as WWE haven't got a great track record when it comes to Women's Wrestling since I've been watching WWE, except from Lita and Trish Stratus' feud. 

10, Randy Orton vs John Cena vs Edge vs Shawn Michaels for the WWE Championship (Backlash 2007)

This match isn't brilliant, I accept that, but what I love the tension that Edge and Randy Orton display, with them both splitting up just a few weeks before the PPV, as they ultimately made John Cena look fairly decent. Obviously taking nothing away from Shawn Michaels, who was hands down the best performer. The finish is slightly annoying, with Michaels super-kicking Cena onto Orton and Cena subsequently retaining the Championship, but the performances of Edge, Orton and HBK make this my favourite fatal-four way and number 10 on this list.

Full Match: https://youtu.be/S6IIsATfkl0

9, Undertaker, John Cena, Shawn Michaels and Triple H vs Cody Rhodes, Ted Dibiase Jr, CM Punk and Randy Orton (10th Anniversary of SMACKDOWN- 2nd October 2009)

 

This match on SMACKDOWN was two days before the Hell In A Cell 2009 PPV and I admit that although it was quite unbalanced in terms of ring-time within developing the storylines at the time. CM Punk looked weak in contrast to the Undertaker, especially when he tags himself out when he see the Undertaker coming in, and it wasn't a surprise that he lost the title to Taker two days later. Legacy were very good, Cody Rhodes in particular displaying a good heel offensive style, but the team of Undertaker, Cena, Shawn Michaels and Triple H being together is something eleven year-old me dreamed about. The final moment of the match came when Orton was surrounded by Taker, Cena and DX, ending with a Tombstone from the Deadman, is a fantastic spot and perfectly rounded off the 10th Anniversary episode of SMACKDOWN.   

 

 

 

Full Match: https://youtu.be/z3HdtZ5DMvY 

8, Randy Orton vs Kurt Angle vs Rey Mysterio for the World Heavyweight Championship(Wrestlemania 22)

Watching this match, I can't help but feel that Rey Mysterio wouldn't have been in this Wrestlemania match if Eddie Guerrero's death were still fresh in the minds of WWE and their fans. Anyway, this triple threat match is great as all three men really kept the fans on the edge of their seats with many false finishes and Mysterio selling the underdog babyface gimmick that WWE were riding in order to gain the most money from their audience (they are a business after all!). However, it is a fantastic finish to the match as Rey wins the gold and thus completing a fitting tribute to the late Eddie Guerrero.



Ending of the Match: https://youtu.be/SmalWq894dk



7, Undertaker vs Triple H, with Shawn Michaels as Special Guest Referee (Hell In A Cell - Wrestlemania 28)

 

This match was a heck of a lot of nostalgia for myself as these three men had practically defined my Wrestling childhood and I really didn't know what I wanted to come out of this match. There were some awesome moments, such as the three men watching the cell lowering down to the ring, DX trying to screw the Undertaker out of his undefeated streak and fittingly all three men walking to the ramp after Undertaker pinned Hunter to continue his streak to 20-0. It really was the 'end of an era' in terms of a certain growing up, maybe not me, as wrestlers such as Triple H were going to be giving young wrestlers more of a chance, at least in theory that this. But this was genuinely a fantastic match in which the nostalgia factor certainly pushed it up this list.



Full Match: https://youtu.be/2PFSn2iMzbg



6, John Cena vs Rob Van Dam for the WWE Championship (ECW One Night Stand 2006)

With John Cena as the designated heel for this match at the Hammersmith Arena in Pittsburgh, Rob Van Dam and ECW had the opportunity to upset the predictions of Wrestling fans. The match had several Referee run-ins, due to the brand split between RAW and SMACKDOWN, causing Cena to 'heel' it up for this match. However, with Edge's help, Rob van Dam became the first and only man in history to hold both the WWE and ECW Championships at the same time and give ECW their greatest-ever moment.


Ending of the Match: https://youtu.be/02WUftADD28



5, Eddie Guerrero vs Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship (No Way Out 2004)

When you talk about underdogs in Professional Wrestling, Eddie Guerrero is the absolute pinnacle. Coming back from losing his family due to massive drug and drink addiction, caused by his endless travelling across the World, Eddie came back against all odds to climb to the Wrestling mountaintop and win the WWE Championship from Brock Lesnar and become the champion heading into Wrestlemania 20. This match wasn't a huge in-ring classic that you would expect from Eddie but it was more the emotional significance that pushes it up this list to the number five spot.


Ending of the Match: https://youtu.be/dkx-p_JpYyk



4, The Rock vs Stone Cold Steve Austin for the WWF Championship (Wrestlemania X-Seven)

This match saw two of the biggest Wrestlers of the late 90's and early 00's main event the best Wrestlemania in history and it also saw the end of the WWF's Attitude Era. The match had some of the best theatrics that WWF had to offer, such as The Rock flipping around like a octopus on crack when taking a stunner from Austin. The near-falls were great but the shocking alliance between Austin and arch-enemy Vince McMahon for Austin to win the WWF Championship was an iconic moment that truly capped off the best Wrestlemania ever produced.




Full Match: https://youtu.be/hOQwtzGIaGc



3, Shawn Michaels vs The Undertaker (Wrestlemania 25)

Now this is often regards as the best Wrestlemania match of all-time. 30 minutes, two legends, countless false-finishes, Undertaker flying into a cameraman, it's bloody awesome. It's a shame that this wasn't the main event of Wrestlemania 25, which it really should have been when you watch the slow and boring WWE title match between Triple H vs Randy Orton. Anyway, this match reminds of why Wrestling can so great when two of favourite Wrestlers come together for a legendary match.



Full Match: https://youtu.be/7MRz4yrPjTM



2, Edge vs Eddie Guerrero (No Disqualification - SMACKDOWN - 26th September 2002) 

You might be surprised by this entry but this match is one of my favourites because it has excellent in-ring psychology between the recently returned Eddie Guerrero and the recently-new singles competitor Edge. The spot when Eddie sunset flips Edge from the top of the ladder is fantastic but ultimately Edge winning with the Edgecution from the side of the ladder was the right booking decision to cap off a very fresh feud on the newly-branded SMACKDOWN. As Eddie says in his book, 'He left me laying in the ring, and when I picked myself up the fans gave me a standing O.' Much deserved, Eddie, much deserved.



Full Match: https://youtu.be/gPasZ90HRog

1, John Cena vs CM Punk for the WWE Championship (Money in the Bank 2011)

My favourite ever WWE match and it involves one of, if not my favourite Wrestler, CM Punk. The Wrestling Observer Newsletter's Dave Meltzer gave it five stars in his review of the match (so you know it's a reasonable choice). This match has everything (as you'd expect in anyone's favourite Wrestling match). The atmosphere is electric from Punk's home crowd in Chicago, Cena and Punk put on an fantastic match and the moment when Punk leaves the arena with the WWE title after blowing a kiss to Vince McMahon. This moment broke the barrier between storyline and reality in a way that will never be replicated again, which is proven even more when Punk turned up to ComicCon in Chicago a few days later with the belt, as well as an independent Wrestling show in his hometown. Even though Punk never got the Wrestlemania main event that he deserved, this surely is something that he could consider the greatest moment of his career and is certainly my favourite WWE match of all-time.


Full Match: https://youtu.be/ojd1DIn0kgE

 

 

CM Punk during his entrance at Money In The Bank 2011.

 

Euro 2016: England 1- 2 Iceland: 'Brexit 2.0'

Euro 2016: England 1- 2 Iceland:'Brexit 2.0'

The most shocking and embarrassing day in English Football history was confirmed as they lost in 90 minutes to Iceland in the last 16 of the 2016 Euros, with manager Roy Hodgson resigning minutes after the final whistle. A lot of fans will feel as if this reality check has been coming for along time, maybe even since we failed to reach Euro 2008, but the awful display that I saw against Iceland was a combination of a lot of factors coming together to ruin what should have been a positive tournament for England. Before I get into these factors, here are some facts between England and Iceland to summarise the contrast in expectations on paper:

- There are 4.1 million registered Footballers in England. There is just 20,000 registered Footballers in Iceland.

- England's manager, Roy Hodgson, was paid £3.5 million a year by the FA (making him the best-paid manager at the tournament). Iceland's manager is a part-time dentist.  

- The overall cost of the English squad that went to France this summer is £175 million.

- England's population is approximately 66 million people. Iceland's population is approximately 330,000 people.

With those headspinning facts there for you to read over and over, the factors that came together to cause this loss aren't that shocking when you look at them in detail. There are three factors that lead to this disaster. The first being Roy Hodgson and his 'tactics'. Now, I've written three posts about England's previous games at Euro 2016 and I've vented my frustration enough at Roy, who resigned minutes after the defeat, but the fact that he started Raheem Sterling instead of Jamie Vardy, instructed to Harry Kane to take free-kicks, didn't take Wayne Rooney off until the 86th minute and subsequently only gave Marcus Rashford four minutes to get an equalising goal. The fans could spot these mistakes as the game unfolded and yet Roy just rubbed his chin when Iceland moved closer and closer to the biggest-ever victory. On top of this, there was no concrete selection of the starting XI and therefore lead to the player's not knowing what their role was in the system, which is the opposite of all the top international teams.

The second factor being that the majority of the players didn't display a unity and passion for winning the match and ultimately didn't perform to the best of their abilities. The only players that played with any sort of passion and commitment were Jamie Vardy, Eric Dier, Kyle Walker, Gary Cahill, Adam Lallana and Chris Smalling. Joe Hart made two huge mistakes during the tournament, the second against Iceland to allow them to make it 2-1, Harry Kane looked exhausted, Dele Alli wasn't as effective as we all expected him to be. Why is this? Maybe because they care about their holidays than they do about representing their country. Yes, fitness is a factor but you could see the lack of leadership when they went down to Iceland. They all just dropped their heads down and hoped someone else would take on the role of leader.

The third and final factor that contributed to this defeat is that the overall mentality of the English FA, media and management. They seem to think that because we have good players, we should ultimately expect to have a fantastic tournament. How can we do this when we haven't had a good run at a tournament since 1990? The media should stop picking individuals' talents and talk about the squad as a whole to create a cohesive feeling within the team. I know it's a lot to ask for but that's what needs to be done in order to take a step forward from this tournament.

What's next for both teams?

England will head home and keep their heads down until the start of August, when the anticipation for the Premier League reaches unreal levels on Twitter. Iceland will head to the quarter-finals to face the hosts, France, at the Stade de France on Saturday.



Euro 2016: Slovakia 0 - 0 England: Hodgson's Changes Halts England's Momentum

Euro 2016: Slovakia 0 - 0 England: Hodgson's Changes Halts England's Momentum 

 

It didn't take long before the Media turned on Roy Hodgson and his 'genius' substitutes that had won England three points against Wales in Lens. As Roy made six changes to the Starting XI for their final group game against Slovakia in Saint-Etienne, (Jordan Henderson, Jack Wilshere, Nathaniel Clyne, Ryan Bertrand, Jamie Vardy and Daniel Sturridge in for Dele Alli, Wayne Rooney, Kyle Walker, Danny Rose, Harry Kane and Raheem Sterling), England's momentum was halted to such a degree that it left fans with a sense of disappointment and that we had gone backward in our selection of players.

 

Not that everyone played that came in played bad though.

 

Nathaniel Clyne created seven chances from the right-hand side, Jamie Vardy was alert to an opportunity to run in behind and exploit space (which unfortunately didn't happen often due to Liverpool's Martin Skrtel) and Ryan Bertrand did a decent job of creating space down the left-hand side. However, the players that didn't play well, Henderson, Sturridge and Wilshere, symbolise the controversial nature of Roy's Starting XI and one player's inclusion really gets me annoyed. That's right, Jack Wilshere. This argument is getting slightly boring to write but how can you expect a player to play well in an important international game when he's only played 144 minutes of Premier League Football over three games for Arsenal at the end of the season?? This only furthers my belief in the 'big club' bias within the England management structure.

 

Although the game was littered with chances, England having 29 shots and Slovakia having four, England couldn't get the job done and finished second in the group after Wales beat Russia 3-0 to top the group and thus cementing the hosts of the 2018 World Cup to the bottom of Group B. Credit to Slovakia for the countless frustrating blocks that they put in over the course of the 95 minutes but conclusively it's actually a shame that the selection of the team is once again the main topic of conversation following a very good performance by England but ultimately they didn't win and top the group like they really should have done.

 

What's next for both teams?

 

Slovakia will wait to find out if they have advanced as one of the four best third-placed teams in the tournament and England will play their last-16 tie against the runner-up of Group F on Monday 27th June.