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Friday, December 30, 2016

Donald Trump and Bobby V

According to a recent WEEI.com report, United States President Elect Donald Trump has compiled a short-list of candidates for the position of United States Ambassador to Japan, and one of the names on that list is former baseball player/manager Bobby Valentine. Along with managing many Major League Baseball teams (most recently the Boston Red Sox), Valentine also managed Nippon Professional Baseball's Chiba Lotte Marines in 1995 and from 2004-2009. He made history in 2005 by becoming the first American born manager to win the Japan Series Championship. Bobby Valentine also guided the Chiba Lotte Marines to the Asia Series Championship that year, and was a recipient of the Golden Spirit and Matsutaro Shoriki awards. Fan attendance doubled during his time with the team. http://dld.bz/fqteR

Chiba Lotte Marines and Jason Standridge

Good news for Chiba Lotte Marines fans! According to Marines' official Nobuhira Hayashi, the team and Jason Standridge are currently in the process of finalizing a new contract for the pitcher from Alabama. Although Jason Standridge has completed only one year with the Chiba Lotte Marines so far, his baseball career extends back to 2001. After playing for a number of Major League Baseball teams, Standridge's career led him to Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan, playing for teams including the Hanshin Tigers- who he was with for four seasons. Jason Standrige's biggest career achievement has been helping bring the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks to two Japan Series Championship victories.

Saturday, December 17, 2016

WWE Shines the Spotlight on Independent Wrestling

When WWE presented the Cruiserweight Classic this past summer, it was the first time that they acknowledged independent wrestling talent in a major way, as the tournament included independent wrestlers from all over the word. There were even participants who were signed to WWE contracts as a result of their efforts.

As groundbreaking as that was, WWE is now putting an even bigger focus on the the independent wrestling scene, and the UK is the target of that focus. The WWE United Kingdom Championship Tournament is a WWE-produced tournament that will take place on January 14 and January 15, 2017, and will feature UK-based independent talent. The winner of the tournament will become the very first WWE United Kingdom Champion.

The WWE United Kingdom Championship Tournament is a great idea, and I think it's safe to assume that although there are many talents in the UK who are satisfied with the current state of their careers, the majority of them would jump at the opportunity to be spotlighted by WWE. After all, pro-wrestling is a business, and the goal in any business is to make it to the top. In today's industry, WWE is the only company that has that distinction.

Along with that is the attraction of becoming WWE United Kingdom Champion. This is the first time in pro-wrestling history that a global company has established a championship that gives prominence to independent wrestlers who are based in the UK. The talent who becomes champion will stand head and shoulders above all of the others.

With that said, it would benefit WWE to branch out beyond the UK's shores with this idea. Japan and Mexico bring styles to the pro-wrestling industry that are very unique and are an asset to WWE. Puroresu and lucha libre is currently utilized in WWE via Japanese talents such as Shinsuke Nakamura, Hideo Itami, and Asuka; and Mexican talents such as Kalisto and Sin Cara. Puroresu and lucha libre divisions could feature talent from Japan and Mexico on a regular basis, wrestling talent that is already on the WWE roster, giving fans new, different, and exciting matches to watch.

WWE would need to bring in people with knowledge of the Japan and Mexico pro-wrestling scenes in order to branch out this idea in that fashion, but that would not be a problem- the eyes of the WWE machine are everywhere. They see everything, and if they become aware of someone who was the ability to help them bring a plan to fruition, they have the resources to acquire them.

The WWE United Kingdom Championship Tournament can be just the beginning of WWE spotlighting the different styles of pro-wrestling that the world has to offer if they desire to go that route, with, "WWE Asia Championship" and, "WWE Lucha Libre Championship" tournaments. The potential is definitely there, and would benefit WWE long-term.

Tune in the WWE United Kingdom Championship Tournament on WWE Network next month, so that you can see independent UK talent in action and find out who will take their career to another level and become the WWE United Kingdom Champion.

Thursday, December 8, 2016

Bouquet

Hans Brumann is considered by many to be the Philippines' leading jewelry designer. But when he isn't creating jewelry, Brumann spends time searching junkyards in Cavite for inspiration for his other interest- sculpting. One of Brumann's creations is called "Bouquet", and it was made from the steel, chain rings, and other parts of a bicycle, formed into flowers and painted various colors. The round flower on top of, "Bouquet" was created from a bicycle wheel.

Materials that Hans Brumann uses for his sculptures usually come from bicycles, and "Bouquet" as well as 15 of his other creations (which Brumann altogether calls, "Divertimento") were unveiled last month at Lobby Lounge Luxe by Hiraya Gallery at the Makati Shangri-La mezzanine in the Philippines. You can see some of his innovational sculptures on the Hiraya Gallery website at http://www.hiraya.com/j_exhibition/divertimento/

Thursday, March 17, 2016

[EVOLVE][PREVIEW] EVOLVE 56 (3/19/16) & EVOLVE 57 (3/20/16)

As EVOLVE continues to grow and be a major part of the independent pro-wrestling scene, they will bring their brand of action back to New York this weekend, as they present EVOLVE 56 (March 19) and EVOLVE 57 (March 20). Both events will be very crucial for EVOLVE and all talents involved, as they continue on the road to the upcoming WWNLive Experience event that will be talking place in Dallas. Below are the cards for both events taking place this weekend:

EVOLVE 56 (March 19th - Queens, NY at 6pm EST)

Timothy Thatcher defends the EVOLVE Title against Matt Riddle (2016 Style Battle winner)

Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Johnny Gargano (former NXT talent) in a, "Best In The World Challenge Series - The WWN Icon" match

Team Tremendous vs. Anthony Nese (former TNA talent) & Caleb Konley (former FIP Tag Team Champion) in a, "Grudge Tag Team" match

Chris Hero (former EVOLVE Champion) vs. Tracy Williams in a, "Special Challenge Match #1" match

Sami Callihan (2010 Jeff Peterson Memorial Cup winner) vs. TJ Perkins (former TNA X Division Champion) in a, "Special Challenge Match #2" match

Drew Gulak (2013 Style Battle Tournament winner) vs. Fred Yehi in a, "Special Attraction" match

Ethan Page vs. Mike Bailey (bonus match)

EVOLVE 57 (March 20th- Brooklyn, NY at 8pm EST)

Drew Galloway (the new TNA World Heavyweight Champion) & Johnny Gargano (former NXT talent) defend the EVOLVE Tag Team Title against Team Tremendous (Dan Barry & Bill Carr)

Timothy Thatcher vs. Caleb Konley (FIP World Heavyweight Champion)- if Thatcher successfully retains at EVOLVE 56, this match will be for the EVOLVE Title

Matt Riddle vs. Chris Hero (former EVOLVE Champion)- if Riddle wins the EVOLVE Title at EVOLVE 56, this will be a title match

Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Drew Gulak (2013 Style Battle Tournament winner) in a, "Best In The World Challenge Series - The Technician" match

Sami Callihan (2010 Jeff Peterson Memorial Cup winner) vs. Tracy Williams in a, "Grudge" match

TJ Perkins (former TNA X Division Champion) vs. Mike Bailey in an EVOLVE 43 rematch

Ethan Page vs. Fred Yehi in a, "Special Challenge" match

William Regal will be attendance at both EVOLVE events, and the question is- why? Being that he is General Manager of NXT, Regal is no stranger to making an authoritative impact. All fans in attendance will have the opportunity to meet him at meet & greets taking place before both events. The price for a picture and autograph is $20, and Regal autograph tickets can be purchased right now in the DGUSA.tv Store.

For tickets and more information on both EVOLVE events, go to DGUSA.tv or call 267-638-6583

If you're in New York this weekend, EVOLVE 56 and EVOLVE 57 will definitely be the places to be. In fact, EVOLVE 56 will be EVOLVE's largest Queens attendance yet. But if you're not in New York this weekend? That won't be a problem, because you'll be able to catch all of the action in the comfort of your own home, no matter where you in the world, LIVE on iPPV courtesy of WWNLive.com; Both events are currently available for pre-order, but that's not all: Those who purchase both EVOLVE events as well as the upcoming March 20th Tier 1 Wrestling events with VOD option will also receive one WWN Brand VOD (EVOLVE, SHINE, FIP, Viva La Lucha, WWN China Tour, WWN Supershow or ACW) and one Tier 1 VOD for free. Simply send your paypal receipts to Help@WWNLive.com with your free choices. This buy 3, get 2 free offer will be available until this Friday at midnight EST.

Harold Williams
@HWilliams13 on Twitter

Saturday, February 6, 2016

25th anniversary of the NY Giants Super Bowl XXV win

With many football fans turning their attention to the NFL's Super Bowl 50, which will feature the AFC Champion Denver Broncos going against the NFC Champion Carolina Panthers, most New York Giants fans are preferring to focus on the fact that last week was the 25th anniversary of when the Giants won the Super Bowl for the second time.

The NY Giants is one of the most popular teams in the NFL, and for good reason. They boast a total of eight League Championships, five NFC Championships, and has had a total of 28 Hall of Fame players on the team. The NY Giants are so popular that their waiting list for season tickets consists of 135,000 people, which is a longer season ticket list than other sports franchises' in North America.

The NY Giants apparently also has worldwide appeal- according to Alexa (a web traffic and ranking website), although 85.5% of visitors to Giants.com are in the United States, 4.5% of them are in Pakistan, 2.9% of them are in the United Kingdom, 1.8% of them are in Canada, and 0.8% of them are in Germany.

Even though your favorite football's team season is over this year, you can still show your NY Giants pride by purchasing a wholesale football jersey. Where you might ask? Thanks to the Internet, you can purchase one no matter where you are located in the United States, whether it's in the Giant's backyard of New York, or one of the other 49 states.

AliExpress claims to provide, "Smarter Shopping, Better Living" and the best value online, with prices that can't be beat, and free shipping. They sell a variety of products, and have a special section for wholesale NY Giants jerseys.

Nike has the NFL's uniform contract -which includes NY Giants jerseys- so of course Nike's online shop may be one of the most reliable place to purchase a NY Giants jersey from. Other reliable places are the NFL Shop (the official online store of the NFL), and http://shop.giants.com/ (the official Giants store) (the official Giants store). All of them all have the Nike-produced Nike Game, Limited, and Elite styles for men, women, and children.

Fanatics is an official partner of the NFL, and although they also sell Nike Game, Limited, and Throwback styles, Fanatics specializes in Elite styles. So if you are looking for a jersey of your favorite Giants players, Fanatics is one of the best places to check out.

Another popular option is FansEdge. They sell licensed NY Giants jerseys for a low flat rate in Nike Game, Limited and Elite styles for men, women, and children. FanEdge specializes in Throwback style jerseys (by Mitchell & Ness) of retired Giants players, available for longtime Giants fans.

Other popular places where NY Giants jerseys can be purchased online are DHgate.com (an e-Commerce website that connects China-based companies with overseas customers), and sportsjerseys.us.com (a China-based wholesaler company that serves customers worldwide and specializes in Giants jerseys for women). It should not be surprising that China-based companies sell Nike merchandise- many of Nike's factories are located in China.

So even though the Giants are not in the Super Bowl this year and the eyes of football fans nationwide will be focused on the Broncos and the Panthers this Sunday, there are multiple places where NY Giants fans can purchase a jersey of their favorite team online so that they can show their fellow football fans which team they will be rooting for during the 2016 season.