Henry's World

Ladies and gentlemen, here it is. My first NXT Takeover recap on this blog, and I couldn't be more excited. I just finished watching an excellent show, and I can't wait to share my thoughts. NXT was in a position they're not used to, having to follow a recent upward trend from the main roster. Roman Reigns has really stepped in as the top face, leading the WWE to a massive burst of momentum. TLC on Sunday was great, probably the best PPV since Wrestlemania, but that was mainly thanks to a few good matches. NXT's strength has always been a complete card, and that led them to victory, at least in my eyes. The crowd was hot all night, beginning with the opening contest, Japanese sensation Asuka and a revitalized heel Emma. This match was nothing special, but delivered on every spot that was required. Dana Brooke is an excellent manager, and has come a long way from the nuclear heat she was receiving when she first debuted. Up next is a true MOTN candidate, and was prob...

Wow. Just, wow. (Note: This review was written before Raw aired and as such will not include any aspect of the show. Raw was amazing though.) The WWE over the past few years has prioritized safety over any other aspect of the company. It's the primary reason they've stuck with PG programming for as long as they have, as it has dramatically lowered the rate of injuries(sorry to Daniel, Cesaro and Seth). Tonight was an exhibition of how to push the limits of PG to the absolute maximum. Let's run through one of the best shows of 2015. Also, these recaps have changed in format. I'm no longer going in depth into every match, and saving most of the analysis for the main event(s). The show opens with the kind of match a show should open with: a ladder match. I have to say, this match was INSANE. Pretty much every team delivered(looking at you, Usos) with a big spot or two, and it was just so much fun to watch. Kalisto delivering the SDS, Xavier doing commentary and throw...

F**k. It's Finale Night on South Park, and time to end a season long story line. Or so you think. Yep, in the ultimate swerve, the story continues, PC Principal is a good guy, Randy is right, Kyle is wrong, and Matt and Trey spend too much playing Mortal Kombat. Is that you, Vince Russo? Where to begin? On a season of fairly strong episodes, this one stuck out to me as one of the worst. Although it delivered some great moments, they were few and far between, washed out by a combination of incredibly wonky pacing and bad storytelling. Let's run through the end to each individual story. PC Principal ends up becoming the main focus this episode, nothing I would've ever seen coming. Even more surprisingly, he was fantastic for the role. He fights a brutal battle with ads at the beginning, gets pissed off for a while, then murders Leslie. Everything felt natural, a guy who had been manipulated by a higher power, found out that his beliefs were being challenged, became unh...

I created this blog because I wished to write about South Park, to stare down writers' block with a steel gaze, and see if I could not review forever, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not blogged. -Henry David Thoreau  Keys Hope you enjoyed that. On to more serious matters. We got some South Park sh** to talk about, more specifically "Truth and Advertising". I've read some complaints about this episode, and I don't believe they're truly warranted. This episode wasn't the best of the season, but it delivered on several levels. There were some storyline nuances that needed sorting out, but I didn't feel they really made the episode horrible. There was no true main or side plots, but about three or four seperate branching storylines that I'll go through one by one. We start with Jimmy, the star of last week, who has just discovered that Leslie is an ad. Despite that, she manages to fool him into letting her go("His d*** has...

Taking breaks in-between seasons longer than any active TV show, it's the Philly Flyers GM Mode! Finally, the Philly Flyers GM Mode returns to my blog. It's been about four months, but I've returned to this series ready to continue forward. When we left off, we'd just lost the Stanley Cup Finals to the Colorado Avs, and I was pretty upset. Let's start off the return of the series with the annual Prospect Watch. Prospect Watch(top 15 prospects not currently on the NHL team): 1. Logan Brown, center, 20 years old, 75 overall, 4 1/2 yellow star potential 2. Cale Fleury, defenseman, 19 years old, 65 overall, 4 1/2 yellow star potential 3. Logan Flodell, goalie, 21 years old, 78 overall, 4 1/2 yellow star potential 4. Ivan Provorov, defenseman, 21 years old, 73 overall, 4 1/2 red star potential 5. Samuel Morin, defenseman, 23 years old, 79 overall, 4 yellow star potential 6. Evan Weinger, right winger, 21 years old, 77 overall, 4 yellow star potential 7. Alexis...

Yes! Alright, I'm back to recap another incredible WWE pay per view! Today, on Otterworld, we're recapping- WWF Survivor Series 1998! An incredible show, led by a strong main event, featuring one of the best tournaments in WWF history. I just cannot wait to give you my thoughts on this event............wait a second. Are you telling me that I'm not recapping Survivor Series '98? Instead, I have to watch.......NO! You can't be serious! Goddamit Vince! RECAP 1st match: Roman Reigns vs Alberto Del Rio                          Winner: Roman Reigns As you may or may not have gathered, I was not particularly enamored with this show, but this was definitely the best match on the card. When that's your first match........we have some problems. It was an entertaining match, and delivered on everything it was supposed to. Del Rio looked like a serious threat, Reigns was put over to the fans, and the crowd was hot for it. The ac...

This week on South Park, we deal with: ads! Of all the characters, Jimmy was chosen to be the focal point in the endgame to this season. While I had my doubts during this episode, Matt and Trey absolutely made the right choice, as Jimmy killed it this episode. One of the best aspects of this season is it's elevation in some of the more minor characters, as Officer Barbrady and Jimmy have put together much stronger and more interesting performances as main characters than anyone else this season. Jimmy launches the first real shot in the war against PC this week, using his platform as editor of the school newspaper. He clashes with PC Prinicipal, which is an opportunity to showcase Jimmy's true abilities in a starring role. His moral character and ethics work extremely well against PC and their beliefs, and the scenes featuring Jimmy and PC Prinicipal are the strongest of the season so far. Jimmy has a strong belief that his paper will remain clean, free of ads or censorship...

We return to the land of South Park after a brief hiatus, and with the end of the season starting to get closer, this episode upped the ante. We get a brief look at the set up for the season finale, and I couldn't be more excited. Officer Barbrady was the focal point for this episode, a welcome sight. He's been overlooked the past few years, and he delivers a strong performance. From top to bottom, Barbrady is entertaining and worth watching, as he deals with the PC changes to South Park. As the viewer, you can really understand how much he loves his town, and what it would mean for him to ever leave it. Its yet another step forward for the gentrification of the town, and a shining example of the struggle between the new and old South Park. The episode opens with a call to the police department from PC Principal, as he yells at Leslie for no particular reason. These seemingly throwaway scenes become more relevant by the end of the episode. Barbrady panics, and shoots an una...

Just a brief update on my upcoming universe mode on this blog. I, like most, am waiting on the universe mode patch to fix the title match issue, and the attire glitch. Once the patch is released, I'll begin pretty quickly. I've been playing quite a bit of universe mode in the meantime, just messing around, and I love the game this year. There are a few presentation issues, most of them are just a lack of Paige pictures in the menus, but the game is pretty much perfect. I can't wait to bring you this brand new series.

After the disaster that was "You're Not Yelping", South Park has really taken a turn for the better. That continues this week with "Tweek x Craig", as Matt and Trey explore one of the more popular fan fictions. This week's episode follows a very crazy episode last week, and I was interested to see how Matt and Trey would do with this one, particularly based on the premise. For those that don't know, South Park fans have been actively shipping Tweek and Craig as a pair since about season 3, and this was the first time that possible relationship was explored. Yaoi is the central theme of this episode. For those who don't know what that is, look it up, as I will not be describing it here. Anyway, Wendy's new friend and some of her friends are actively making Yaoi showing Tweek and Craig getting it on. Of course, this is entirely fantasy, but the show does seem to portray this as actual match-making. Soon enough, the whole town has heard about it...

I'm back for the second installment of monthly WWE ppv recaps, and this time around, I'm covering WWE Hell in a Cell. One of the more gruesome events in a few years, Hell in a Cell was one of the better WWE events this year, and I'm excited to bring you the recap. Note: This was written before RAW, and is limited as such. RECAP 1st match: John Cena US Open Challenge          Winner: Albertoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo We kick off the show with Cena's US Title Open Challenge. There were a lot of rumors flying around the internet about how would be the mystery challenger, and there was a lot of hype for this match. Zeb Colter answered the challenge, and announced Cena's opponent: Alberto Del Rio. Yep, this one came from outta nowhere. Del Rio makes his return to the WWE, while still holding the AAA Mega Title, which is interesting. The match was pretty fun, and these two have got some very good chemistry, having fought extensively in the past. Del Rio en...

2015 has been the most successful year in my blog's history, but I'm not finished yet. The South Park review will continue until the end of the season, when I might pick up a new TV show. My Hell in a Cell 2015 recap is coming soon, with the event taking place later. I'll need to watch it, take notes, and then make the post. I'm aiming for a Monday release for that. However, as written in the title, this is a hype post for a new series that will be starting within the next month or so. So, WWE 2k16 is releasing in a few days, and I'm planning on picking it up soon afterward. Not sure how soon, just soon. Once I've gotten a feel for it, I will be starting up a universe mode on the blog, which should be a lot of fun. The plan is to have 3 posts per in game week, with Raw, Smackdown! and NXT. Monthly pay per views will get their own post. Each post will include the five matches that took place on that show, with some brief comments from me on the main event, and ...

Alright, so I'm back with another one of these f***ing reviews, and despite the intro, I'm in a much better mood. Does my mood swing have anything to do with a strong episode this week? F*** you, how should I know. In all seriousness, this was one of the best episodes of the season. After a lackluster showing last week, Matt and Trey stepped up to the plate and kicked Daniel Murphy out of the box. This episode showcased some very strong writing, a couple very hilarious moments, and a ton of good ole South Park fun. The episode is centered around shaming, both in conversation, confrontation, and on the web. For the first time this season, there is no true main plot/subplot divide. The episode is instead broken into three sections: fat shaming, charity shaming, and Butter being everyone's b****. Not sure whether I should censor that. The fat shaming plot centers around Cartman, as he posts pictures of his body on the internet, a cardinal sin. The expected backlash follows...

This week on South Park, I write a review about reviewing. Will it go over well? Does anyone care what I write in this intro? Stay tuned to find out! Following the gentrification storyline last episode, this week focuses on the actual restaurants brought in by the city's recent efforts. I did like the look of these new restaurants, as they combine the classic South Park look with a more modern, Soda Sopa kind of flavor. However, despite some good moments, the overall quality lacks a bit with this week's episode, which starts right with the premise. At the beginning of this installment, we are treated to some shots of Gerald, Cartman and other assorted characters using Yelp as a weapon to earn better treatment in restaurants. That's the problem with this episode, you see, Yelp is not really a modern thing. Without trying to rant too much, South Park has always been hip and ahead of the times, but this is a case of falling behind in a massive way. The restaurant owners ...

This was a post that was meant to go up a long time ago, but got delayed for whatever reason. It's just a brief prediction of who I think will win each series, skipping the wild card games, as those have already been played. NL NLDS: Los Angeles Dodgers over the New York Mets, 3 games to 1 St. Louis Cardinals over the Chicago Cubs, 3 games to 2 NLCS: St. Louis Cardinals over the Los Angeles Dodgers, 4 games to none AL ALDS: Texas Rangers over the Toronto Blue Jays, 3 games to 1 Houston Astros over the Kansas City Royals, 3 games to none ALCS: Texas Rangers over the Houston Astros, 4 games to 3 WORLD SERIES  Texas Rangers over the St. Louis Cardinals, 4 games to 2 In a 2011 rematch, the Rangers come out on top this time, winning their first world series in six games. DISCLAIMER: These picks were made before the postseason began: originally, I had Pittsburgh winning in the NL, so I changed it here to Chicago. It didn't effect my predictions anyway.

Since my blog has been relatively negative lately, I decided I would post a list of my top ten favorite wrestlers. This list isn't based on in ring talent, social media followers or charity work. This is a list of ten guys who genuinely hold my attention both inside and outside of the ring, and give me a reason to watch them work. Keep in mind that I started following wrestling in 2010, so I've made no attempt to list workers from before that point. With that in mind, let's proceed. 10. Kofi Kingston We kick things off with the high flier Kofi Kingston, a true gem of a midcarder in the WWE. A classic case of a talent massively underutilized, he reminds me a lot of Booker T. Obviously they share the same race, but it's more than that. Both men have impressive movesets, incredible high flying maneuvers, and are genuinely likable people. Both had periods of time where they were massively over with the crowd, Booker in early 2003 and Kofi in late 2009, but the 'E di...

I figured this would be a pretty good time to post one of these. In terms of content currently on my blog, my South Park reviews have started strong and should only get better throughout the season. I'll start posting recaps of WWE pay per views, or whatever they want to call them, including the upcoming NXT Takeover. The NHL 15 Flyers series is very close to dead, though I may try to revive it in the next couple of months. I posted a scathing review of the FIFA 16 demo a little while back, but I have been playing FIFA for years now. That game will likely make an appearance on my blog, though I don't know in what capacity. I know for sure I'll be purchasing WWE 2k16 and Star Wars Battlefront later this year, but I don't know whether those games will make it here. Beyond that, I don't have any current ideas. I was thinking of posting reviews of other TV shows I watch, like Agents of SHIELD, Family Guy, The Simpsons etc. but I couldn't find the time. I won't...

Well, I'm a bit late on this one, but I've resolved to try and get the review up sooner next time. Episode 3 is up this week, let's get to reviewing it shall we? After a very crazy episode last week, it felt right to calm everything down. One of my main complaints with TV shows nowadays is that they never give the audience a break. It's all just intensity, with no real clarity in between the scenes. Matt and Trey managed that very well with "The City Par of Town", which was a unique look at the gentrification of South Park, and the ramifications of last episode. Mr. Garrison's campaign has had it's effect on South Park, as seen through jokes made by Jimmy Fallon. In an effort to repair the city's reputation, Randy leads the charge to bring a Whole Foods Market to South Park. However, to achieve this feat, the town will need to reinvent the low-income sector, or Kenny's house. They begin an ambitious project called Sodo Sopa, which consists ...

If you're wondering where my South Park review is, it should be posted either late tonight or tomorrow. I've been wrapped up in some personal stuff, and I need to sort that out before I can make time for the review. Until then, enjoy lots of blank space. Thanks, Henry

Before I begin this review, I'd like to stop for a moment to acknowledge a piece of recent news. Yankee legend Yogi Berra passed away the other day, at the ripe age of 90. Yogi was a true legend of the game, both on and off the field. He was a major part of many championship winning teams, and he will forever be immortalized in the Hall of Fame as one of baseball's greatest ambassadors. If you are a baseball fan, or a sports fan in general, I urge you to spend a few minutes in remembrance of one of the greatest catchers who ever lived. All right, let's get on with the review. Season 19 for South Park started fairly well, with Season 19's premiere setting the tone pretty well. It was a little lackluster in the laughs department, which you'll be happy to know is fixed in episode 2, entitled "Where My Country Gone?" South Park has featured immigration before, but in episodes like "Goobacks" it was treated as more of an abstract concept. Wit...

Seth freaking Rollins. I have nothing to add other than that. I've been watching most of the PPVs, and I finally decided to start recapping them. Let's get to it RECAP 1st match:  Intercontinental Title Match          Winner: Kevin Owens(new champion) Alright, so we kick off with.......Ryback vs Kevin Owens. Really? I mean nothing against these two, but they shouldn't be starting a PPV. This was designed to be a slow, methodical match between two big guys, and that's what it was. A slow match shouldn't start a PPV, period. Other than that. no problems until the finish. I know Owens is supposed to be the dastardly heel, but I would've preferred a more flattering finish. The eye rake was fine, but a Kevin Owens match shouldn't end with a roll up. Congrats new champ, you will get buried within six months, tops. Lesnar vs Taker scheduled for Hell in a Cell  Eh, not much from me. Hopefully they actually come up with a decent finish this time. 2n...

I am a huge fan of South Park, actually of most animated comedies for that matter, so I figure I would post a review of the Season 19 premiere and see how I enjoyed it. After the horrendous episode that was Season 18's finale, I went into Season 19's premiere not expecting much, and didn't get much more. The problem with this episode was that it just wasn't funny. The plot was actually pretty intelligent, and there was some interesting character moments to be had, but a South Park episode should be good for at least a few laughs, and that was not provided. The episode is a look into some of the social issues of the past few months, mainly focusing on Caitlyn Jenner(I just realized that how she spells her first name, so strange) and the Deflategate scandal. Honestly, I thought the episode was perfect for these two issues: interesting for 10-15 seconds of dialogue, but then completely boring after that. On the positive side, this episode introduced us to a new charact...

Alright, so I've taken an extended leave of absence from the blog, but I'm back for now. I'm looking for some new games to bring to my blog, since I'm bored of playing NHL 15 and NHL 16 doesn't look too promising. I'll be looking at demos for games like FIFA, PES and anything else I see pop up. I skipped Madden, after planning to buy it, because the game looks like a trainwreck. I might look at bringing that to the blog later, but not right now. (For those wondering, I also play a lot of games on my computer. I own OOTP, FM, Eastside Hockey Manager, and I'm planning on getting Franchise Hockey Manager 2, but I'll let you in on a secret. I actually live post these games, meaning when you see a trade happen in GM mode, it's something that just happened, making it difficult to make posts of computer games, as I use the same machine to blog and play). I've been playing FIFA for a few years now, having started with FIFA 12. For most of that time, ...

After a great playoff run that saw us miss out on lifting the Stanley Cup by two games, what will the future hold for the Flyers? The first step to seeing that future is the offseason, which will be covered in today's post. Enjoy! Here are the end of season awards. Stanley Cup: Colorado Avalanche Presidents' Trophy: Toronto Maple Leafs Maurice Richard: Tyler Seguin, Dallas Stars Ted Lindsay: Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche Frank J. Selke: Jonathan Toews, Chicago Blackhawks Bill Masterson: Fedor Tyutin, Columbus Blue Jackets William M. Jennings: Robin Lehner, Ottawa Senators Vezina: Robin Lehner, Ottawa Senators Conn Smythe: Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche Calder: Nikita Scherbak, Montreal Canadians Lady Byng: Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks James Norris: Erik Karlsson, Ottawa Senators Hart: Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche Art Ross: Tyler Seguin, Dallas Stars We did not take home a single award for the season, which definitely got me a little p...

As we entered the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 2011, all the hard work that had been put in during the season was about to pay off. Could we lift the Cup? Stay tuned! PREVIEW (Note: Jack Campbell was injured after the end of Game 7 versus Tampa Bay, but was set to return in time for Game 3. Andrei Vaslievsky would be in net in his absence). The Colorado Avalanche finished the regular season with a record of 38-36-8, good for 84 points, and the last seed to enter the Western Conference Playoffs. Once they got into the playoffs, however, they went off, sweeping the Ducks, beating the Sharks in five games and outing the Blackhawks in six. Colorado is another forward-heavy team, led by Matt Duchene and Nathan MacKinnon, who finished second in the NHL in points in the regular season. Their defense is not incredibly strong, but they do have elite goalie Semyon Varlamov in goal. Here are their lines. Forwards Landeskog(88)-MacKinnon(95)-O'Reilly(86) McGinn(83)-Duch...

An incredible run in the playoffs has seen us make the Eastern Conference Finals, where the dangerous Tampa Bay Lightning await. I'm going to be honest, I did not expect this series to even be close. The Lightning are an amazing team on the game and in real life, and it was going to take an amazing performance to dethrone the kings of the east. Could we pull it out? PREVIEW Tampa Bay came into the playoffs with one of the last seeds in the East, but have been on a tear thus far, beating the Senators in six games and blowing past Buffalo in five. They narrowly lost out to the Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Finals last year, and are two years removed from lifting the Stanley Cup. Their regular season record was 45-27-10, good for 100 points, just two points worse than us. The Lightning are led by the incomparable Steven Stamkos, who partners with Jonathan Drouin on the first line for one of the best pairings in the NHL. The entire team is stacked with talent, and features th...