Where I really wonder what NXT is doing with championships

August 31, 2019August 11, 2020 ~ dannyhong ~ Leave a comment

It’s been a few days since NXT UK TakeOver: Cardiff, and I still can’t really get over the ending to the main event between Walter and Tyler Bate. It’s not the fact that Walter defeated Tyler Bate to retain the WWE UK Championship, it’s how he won the match that still has me feeling perplexed and amused at the same time: Walter won the match with a clothesline, after everything else in his arsenal failed to keep Bate down for the count.

I mean, it was still a pretty good clothesline that Bate sold like the champion he really should be, but the fact of the matter is that Walter hadn’t really ever bust out a clothesline in general in the WWE until about now. I guess the question is if he’s going to be using that as his signature move instead of the power bomb and/or big splash, to help reinforce the move, or if it really was an isolated case of an ordinary move succeeding at rendering a guy unconscious enough to end the match.

It reminded me of this classic wrestling match I saw once, where it was Rick Rude before he ever became Ravishing, versus some guy I don’t remember, and with Gordon Solie on commentary. The conclusion of the match came when the opponent was momentarily distracted by something, leaving him open to an ordinary axe-handle smash from behind, before Rude hit him with an ordinary snap suplex, and pinned him 1-2-3. All while Solie bemoaned the impact of a regular suplex and verbally sold that the match was over once he hit it.

Walter winning with a regular clothesline made me feel like I was thrown back into the early 80s with a finish that came from what is ordinarily a common move, and I couldn’t help but wonder if this was a deliberate throw back or if it was the seed to something that will continue to grow.

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I heard my child’s heartbeat for the first time

August 29, 2019August 11, 2020 ~ dannyhong ~ Leave a comment

And I nearly lost it. Seriously, I’m totally going to be the overly emotional dad that’s going to bust out in tears every two seconds like Soun Tendo from Ranma 1/2 whenever the smallest milestone or any realization of first-time father comes to pass.

I thought I got through the first stage of emotions that flooded through upon the realization that mythical wife was pregnant, but hearing the heartbeat for the first time, and the tech’s explanation that it was in fact, the baby’s heartbeat, and tear ducts welled up in an instant, despite the fact that I was able to keep them somewhat in check.

It’s like all the home pregnancy tests in the world confirmed what we already suspected, and it would be the lock of the century to bet on pregnant going to the doctor’s for the official confirmation. But then hearing the heartbeat for the very first time was still a crashing confirmation of just how real it all is, and that in a matter of months, I’m going to have my very own kid.

I’m going to take a wild guess and imagine that there is going to be a lot more of where this came from over the next few months.

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lol China

August 27, 2019August 11, 2020 ~ dannyhong ~ Leave a comment

When I saw the headline to this article, all I knew was that once I read the part that said “China’s First Ever Costco…” I knew that there was going to be some ironic gold, even before I got to the part about the fights over rotisserie chickens. Because let’s be real here, China isn’t just their own country, they occasionally act as if they’re an entirely different civilization from the rest of world, based on the shit they pull.

I mean, if the whole debacle with Ikea Shanghai weren’t any indication, where people routinely go into the store in order to take naps or just have a relaxing, air-conditioned venue in which to hang out or do chores like picking beansprouts, and Disney Shanghai, where guests would defecate in public places didn’t convince you, then it shouldn’t be a surprise that a Costco opening in Shanghai would also turn into a mammoth clusterfuck of a scenario.

Asians in general are notoriously cheap, so putting a known successful wholesale retailer in the mix with an entire Asian culture is an easy recipe for pretty much every Chinese person within the region to come and try to capitalize on those sweet, sweet savings.

I don’t think I could be paid enough money to go inside of a Costco in China, especially during its grand opening. Asian businesses are often encouraged to offer deals and discounts and prizes during grand openings to help entice shoppers and new customers to come in, but companies like Costco whose reputation precedes them, then clearly just the idea of them arriving was enough to get pretty much all of Shanghai to show up.

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I love everything about Andrew Luck’s retirement

August 25, 2019August 11, 2020 ~ dannyhong ~ Leave a comment

With the start of the 2019-2020 NFL season mere weeks away, the big news to come off the gridiron was the seemingly abrupt and out-of-nowhere announcement by Colts quarterback Andrew Luck, that he was retiring from football.

At a still young 29, this comes as a shock to many, as lots of star quarterbacks are typically capable of playing well into their late-30s, and you look at Tom Brady whom at age 42 is coming off of his sixth Super Bowl, and it seems to believe that Luck is walking away way early. Obviously, he has his own reasons for making this decision, but the reactions have definitely varied throughout the world of sports fandom.

Obviously, there are lots of enraged fans, mostly out of Indianapolis and/or are fervent fantasy football players, at the thought that their franchise quarterback and/or stat printer would have the audacity to abandon ship and leave them in the middle of the ocean. These people are the ones who are blasting comment sections across the internet to opine how selfish and stupid Luck is, abandoning Indianapolis, the fans, and how stupid he is to be leaving a kabillion dollars on the table by walking away early.

And then there are fans like me, who stand and applaud Andrew Luck for walking away while he still has his head, (most of) his health, and a world of potential ahead of him to mold and shape the rest of his life ahead of him that doesn’t have anything to do with football. Sure, he’s probably leaving a tremendous amount of money on the table by calling it quits now, but if there’s one thing that’s always been the primary adjective for Andrew Luck is that he’s smart; I think it’s safe to assume that of the nearly $100M he’s earned in his career, not including endorsements, Luck is going to be just fine throughout the remainder of his life financially, and I’d wager he’ll be just fine being a physically mobile and capable millionaire now, instead of being a physically addled, hobbling, brain-mushed multi-millionaire in ten years.

I always love it when professional athletes leave on their own terms, and not being forced into retirement by injury or old age. Especially ones like Andrew Luck who obviously have a lot left in the tank, but just don’t feel like putting their bodies on the line in order to bilk more money out of a machine that they’ve already gotten more than enough out of in the first place. Even if it means the teams they depart are left high and dry, it’s still admirable to me when a guy realizes that not everything is sports and money and has goals and ambitions outside of sports, and makes the bold decision to pursue them instead of letting themselves wreck their bodies in pursuit of what may never come.

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Pound-sign-Blessed

August 24, 2019August 11, 2020 ~ dannyhong ~ Leave a comment

This is an autographed picture of Sonny Chiba, crushing the shit out of some pleeb’s skull, personalized to me. This has tremendous meaning to me, because for anyone who’s known me for any lengthy time knows that Sonny Chiba is one of my cult idols. He’s basically the godfather of movie violence, and has had some of the most savage, bone-crushing combat scenes in the history of cinema, most notably known for getting the first ever X-rating from violence alone in the 1974 flick The Street Fighter, where he rips a man’s testicles off, among other brutal beatdowns he gives to other pleebs. This isn’t to say that I myself am a bloodthirsty violence monger, but damn if Sonny Chiba films weren’t always entertaining to watch growing up.

I received this treasure as a gift from one of my long time, twenty-year club friends Kat, to whom I am eternally grateful for such a thoughtful and meaningful present. Despite the fact that my brother kind of spoiled the surprise, it was still no less jaw-dropping when I opened the envelope in the mail and saw the picture that had Lord Chiba’s signature on it.

Like, most celebrities that do any sort of autograph sessions, they have some pretty standard headshot or studio shot, personifying one or more of their most iconic roles. My brother foolheartedly dropped a mammoth hint that I should expect to receive an autograph from one of my teenage heroes, but little did I realize that it would be to this magnitude.

Because Sonny Chiba is so far above his peers, not only does he not have some simple headshot or studio shot from a single role, he’s got some classic amalgamation of he himself, and all of the sadistic and overpowered characters he’s portrayed throughout his career, caving in the skull of an unnamed victim who had the gall to exist in front of the fists and limbs of the great Sonny Chiba. And as if that weren’t enough, the background is this epic collage full of stereotypical 70s Asian bad guys, hookers, and more Sonny Chibas.

Frankly, there couldn’t be any more perfect of a canvas for Sonny Chiba to be autographing for his fans. And I’m truly blessed to have great people in my life who think of me enough to take the time and effort to get this piece of treasure for me. It’ll hang proudly on the wall of my office, and always make me smirk.

Double standards sure are funny

August 22, 2019August 11, 2020 ~ dannyhong ~ Leave a comment

Came across this article about a restaurant opening up; named “Black Gurl Brunch Club.”

Pretty sure if any other demographic attempted to utilize a similar hierarchy, there would be some heads rolling. White Guy Steakhouse, Latinas Tacos and Empanadas, Korean Guy Soju Shack and Bollywood Girl Street Food would probably wrinkle some eyebrows and ruffle a few feathers, if people from those respective demographics attempted to open businesses with such ludicrous names.

Despite the restaurant’s claim that the restaurant is “for everyone:”

Though Black Gurl Brunch Club’s name highlights a specific demographic group, Lavender said the restaurant itself is meant for everyone.

“The majority of our fan base is black women,” she said. “So we wanted to be appreciative of that. Young black women are alienated a lot, so we wanted them to feel comfortable here. But the restaurant is about everyone coming together to celebrate each other. Everyone is welcoming, and everyone is welcome.”

When you use a name that sounds like you’re only welcoming a specific demographic, you’re basically pigeon-holing your expected demographic, and probably going to automatically scare off most people not in it, from ever visiting. Most people aren’t going to check a website or social media to see if they’re allowed to come in, they’re just not going to come in. I’d wager that is somewhat of a calculated expectation, and they’re saying they welcome all just to cover their bases, but in the end, it’s really a place meant for black gurls.

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