Cena 'Nuff?

by Rick Nash

“Your time is up, my time is now,” bellows the theme song of John Cena. Yet, as his ever-increasing list of injuries pile up, one has to wonder is the WWE Champion’s time atop of pro-wrestling’s mountain coming to an end?

His WrestleMania main event win over The Rock was, in theory, supposed to be a passing of the torch moment. Yet watching the match, history didn’t echo throughout the arena as perhaps WWE bosses had hoped. It was kinda sad actually.  We later learned that The Rock had suffered a hernia injury during the bout. Cena, on the other hand, just seemed tired.

The following night on WWE Raw, he joked with a raucous crowd about the possibility of a ‘heel turn’ (responding to older fans’ wishes to see him embrace his dark side), twisting his heel for full effect. Little did any of us realise that, within a matter of weeks, that same heel would prove to be his undoing.

Whilst on a European Tour, hyping a new WWE Championship feud with emerging prospect Ryback, Cena injured his Achilles tendon throwing said feud – and his 11th Heavyweight Title reign – into jeopardy ahead of their scheduled bout at WWE Extreme Rules (this Sunday, Sky Box Office).

They say that the body knows when an athlete is done before the mind. A quick look at Cena’s injury history may unearth a disturbing trend.

WWE Royal Rumble Picks Special

by Rick Nash

There was once a time when we were the baddest team in Ireland. And, by baddest, I mean we lost a lot.

Angry Andy and I (in my old Ragin' Rick moniker) started out as the tag-team known as Anger Management in Irish Whip Wrestling (for non-Irish fans: the place where WWE stars, Sheamus, Drew McIntyre and Wade Barrett cut their teeth). There were wrestlers there who aren't currently earning millions and living the dreams: that's were we come in.

Nope, it's been one long, downward spiral: from being in the ring with Sheamus, to community radio, to podcasts, to blogs now. We're still a team, we still job out like nobody's business, we just use a pen instead of our bodies now.

That's not to say we don't still dabble in the world of professional wrestling, though. You see, earlier this year, we founded WWE Parties Ireland, in doing so answering a simple problem wrestling fans have had for years: why can't WWE fans watch their events down the pub the way football, rugby, GAA and even NFL fans over here can?

Fortunately, Irish wrestling fans agreed that this was a travesty and the idea has taken off: WWE themselves now sponsor the events, stars such as Zack Ryder and Jim Ross have plugged our parties, and our regulars have ensured that every night has an amazing atmosphere. This Sunday, we run the first-ever Royal Rumble Party in Captain America's Grafton Street.

So, with the Royal Rumble also coinciding on a weekend were the Premier League is giving way to the FA Cup 4th Round (and I was spectacular dumped out in the 3rd round, going 0-5 in my Cup-set Specials) and Andy's regular muse - the NFL - taking its traditional pre-Superbowl holiday for the Pro Bowl, I've given him the week off and am instead devoting this week's picks to the WWE spectacular! Feel free to join in: we'll be running a prediction contest on the WWE Parties Ireland Facebook this weekend.