Henry's World

Beware of Dog isn't just an excellent life lesson, it's also the subtitle a one-of-the-kind production by Vince McMahon and the WWF, one that hasn't been seen before or since in company history. With severe thunderstorms taking place in the local area, Vince decided that "the show must go on", flagrantly ignoring the warning signs that the big man upstairs had some issues with his booking plans. The storm knocked out power to both the arena and the WWF production trucks, cutting the pay-per-view feed off after the opening match, and only being restored in time for the main event. Those in attendance witnessed the scheduled matches taking place in semi-darkness, and the WWF then offered an encore presentation on pay-per-view two days later, with replays of the two matches that were televised, and a re-shoot of the three matches that did not. All in all, it's about as generous of a response as you could expect out of Vince, and ends up with an intriguing viewing...

Though the show on the whole wasn't a barnburner, it felt like the WWF had begun to turn a corner with the main event of WrestleMania 12 , as Vince McMahon putting all his booking might into transforming Shawn Michaels into a true top level superstar. Shawn's grand zipline entrance and heart-stopping victory in the Iron Man match with Bret Hart was clearly designed to immediately become the stuff of legend, and with a performer as talented and over as Michaels at the helm, better days seemed sure to come for the WWF in 1996. But even before the confetti could drop on the crowning of a new champion, the WWF would suffer what would come close to a fatal defection. Kevin Nash and Scott Hall, who, as Diesel and Razor Ramon, had become the top names on the continually thinner roster, jumped ship to WCW for better pay and fewer dates than Vince could or was willing to offer. Vince, as you might guess from his reputation as one of the pettiest human beings to ever grace God's gree...

Leaping Girl and Tailwaggerz, each scoring over 170 points last week, combined to knock Bark Force off their perch atop the Dog League, giving the league it's fourth lead change of the year. (Reminder: the Dog League is a custom fantasy football league run on NFL.com) Canine Comets Record: (1-6, 8th Place) The Comets just can't catch a break, as a little over 140 points was nowhere near enough to beat Tailwaggerz last week, dropping this expansion team firmly into last place. They do get a lifeline in the form of a potential Nick Chubb return, plus Diontae Johnson coming back from bye, and list both players as their top options at running back and receiver. They also add the top option on the waiver wire, Kenneth Gainwell, and will aim to start him at their flex spot, benching Jaylen Waddle. Their final move is to start the Bills defense over the Buccaneers.  Week 8 Starting Lineup(vs Ridiculous Rascals) QB Patrick Mahomes RB Nick Chubb RB Devontae Booker WR Diontae Johnson WR ...

My WWE pay-per-view reviews return today, as we're hot on the build-up to WrestleMania 12. At the Royal Rumble (my review here ) Shawn Michaels took his expected leap up the card, moving from flashy midcarder to legitimate main event threat after winning the titular match, taking on some of the biggest monsters on the roster in the process, including Vader, Yokozuna, and Diesel. The showdown between Shawn and WWF Champion Bret Hart in the main event of WrestleMania isn't locked in stone, however, as the WWF's expansion to their pay-per-view schedule means there's now one extra stop between the Rumble and 'Mania. Vince decided to make it the finale of two simmering feuds, as Shawn would put his title shot on the line against Owen Hart, who had sidelined the rising star with a kayfabe concussion a couple months prior, while Bret would defend his gold against Diesel inside of a steel cage, marking the fourth and final singles encounter between the two. How would the WW...

Week 7 sees 6 different NFL teams go on bye, which includes a large amount of Dog League players that will now be unavailable. As such, lineups will be significantly weaker than normal, and you will see wholesale changes for several teams that essentially won't have a bench this week. In addition, you will now see more starters, as I have instituted a 3 starting receiver policy, in addition to the flex starting spot. (Reminder: the Dog League is a custom fantasy football league run on NFL.com) Growlers Current Record: (1-5, 8th Place) Week 6 meant another loss for Growlers, although they were competitive, putting almost 140 points in defeat. This week, they are missing Josh Allen, Austin Ekeler, Mike Williams, Emmanuel Sanders, and Dalton Schultz, and their spots are taken by Derek Carr, Cordarrelle Patterson, Allen Robinson, Calvin Ridely, and Tyler Higbee. In the flex, Growlers has brought back Damien Harris, who starts over the only member of the bench, Javonte Williams, and the...

 The see-saw battle over first place continued in Week 5 of the Dog League, while several more high-profile names picked up injuries. (Reminder: the Dog League is a custom fantasy football league run on NFL.com) Growlers Current Record: (1-4, 8th Place) For the first time, Growlers looked like a legitimate powerhouse last week, as big performances from Austin Ekeler, Josh Allen, and Mike Williams kept them in a hard-fought battle with Bark Force all the way to the end, before finally being beaten by Lamar Jackson on Monday night. This week, Growlers are once again very active on the waiver wire, dropping Damien Harris and Kenny Golladay to pick up Darrel Williams and Emmanuel Sanders. Williams and Sanders head straight into the starting lineup, taking the RB2 and flex spots respectively, while Growlers will also bring Dalton Schultz into their lineup as the new starting tight end. Growlers make one more change, this one on defense, dropping the Patriots to add the Bengals, who get ...

Since No Surrender last month, TNA feels like it's really it's stride, especially on a weekly level. All four episodes of Impact! were consistently entertaining, even at the main event scene, which is traditionally TNA's weakest area, both in terms of workrate and characters. Jeff Jarrett and Rhino have been running roughshod over NWA World Champion Raven, which led to the champ forming an alliance with rival-turned-tag team partner Sabu, who hadn't appeared in TNA since August of 2004, dealing with a crippling back injury and some sort of virus. TNA presented both Rhino and Sabu as nuclear threats in this feud, with Raven routinely getting bludgeoned by the Gore at every turn, and Sabu turning the tides by throwing chairs at people and diving onto crowds of bodies. It's been a whole lot of simple but entertaining shtick, though nothing going on at the top of the card can compete with the glorious Super X Cup, which has gone through two rounds of competition in the ...

 With a new number one team crowned in Week 4, and a few more critical injuries affecting teams, the Dog League prepares to enter the second month of the season with tides still shifting. (Reminder: the Dog League is a custom fantasy football league run on NFL.com) Growlers Current Record: (1-3, 8th Place) The Growlers time spent out of last place proved to be brief, as they got smoked by the Ridiculous Rascals in Week 4, and now find themselves once again at the bottom. That last place position allows them to score two of the biggest names on the waiver wire, as they drop Alexander Mattison and Ty'Son Williams to pick up Cordarrelle Patterson and Dalton Schultz. Patterson, off to an outstanding start in Atlanta, immediately heads into the starting lineup, while Schultz remains behind Tyler Higbee for now, though the starting tight end spot could still be up for grabs. Also potentially in flux is the flex spot, where incumbent starter Allen Robinson may end up being replaced by eit...

 This may feel like it's come out of left field, but getting back to my TNA pay-per-view reviews is something I've been pushing myself to do for a number of months now. I had such a fun time reviewing Victory Road 2004 , Turning Point 2004 , Final Resolution 2005 , Against All Odds 2005 , Destination X 2005 , Lockdown 2005 , Hard Justice 2005 , and Slammiversary 2005 , and while I moved on to other projects in search of more views, a return to TNA has been in the back of my brain for the past year. Now, finally, I'm biting the bullet and going for it, and I'm thrilled I did. I don't know why I love this promotion as much as I do, it makes no logical sense for someone that is generally such a snob as a wrestling fan, but TNA/Impact Wrestling just feels like home. Let's get back to work.  As they have throughout most of their history, and likely will continue to do in the future, TNA is fighting through the loss of their TV deal, which in this occasion was with Fo...