Fire Ryan Poles | Fire Ben Johnson

Days after being inducted into the Hall of Fame, the Ultimate Warrior has left us all.

This past weekend, was probably the best one times I’ve had if not in a long time, than ever. I finally had time to actually take a vacation. Wrestlemania weekend was unbelievable and hanging out with over 75,000 of my closest friends was a great experience. I arrived home late Monday night and went into work Tuesday still feeling great. Then, this happens.

I was at the Hall of Fame ceremony and took the picture above as Ultimate Warrior about to speak. I saw him both at the ceremony and of course, on the stage Sunday. I actually wanted to go to Raw the next night but had to get back for work. I wish I had now because as he did on Saturday, the Warrior made another great speech on Monday. After finding out the news of him going away, he must have known something was happening to him.

One thing he said in his speech on Saturday that made me really smile was talking about how many athletes portray pro wrestlers with their gimmicks but, you never see a wrestler do something that a football player does, for example. He mentioned an example as Ray Lewis with his face paint. It didn’t make sense until he brought it up but Lewis always had the face paint similar to the Ultimate Warrior and he admitted, it was him paying homage.

Even though I am not an athlete, I do the same thing as well. I even had my chops (by cracky) as an homage for CM Punk before finally shaving them a few weeks back. I guess the thing I find funny about it is that not many people, such as customers or family members know why I did that. If you explained to them why, they still wouldn’t understand. It’s a wrestling-thing.

It’s because we’re wrestling fans and that’s what we do. We drive 12-13 hours for Wrestlemania. Some of us fly from other countries for a show and most of those people, dress up as one of their favorite wrestlers. From the outside, it’s geeky and some may think we’re morons. But that’s fine. We, as fans shouldn’t give a shit what people think of us. It’s what we love and that’s all that matters. The Ultimate Warrior felt the same way. He told us both on Saturday and on Monday that it was us, who made him.

Nobody becomes a legend on their own.

Well, I have about 150 of them but had to pick the best of the best from this past weekend. Enjoy.

Matt Striker

Ladies and gentleman, New Orleans was a time to remember. On the way down, I had to exit off to two different towns because of  at least one or two tornadoes south of St. Louis. I admit, it was a little bit scary. I have to say, Chicago is still the greatest city in the world but New Orleans is a distant second or third. I can’t forget about Memphis either on way there. I went on Beale Street and had Cajun chicken pasta. When I arrived in New Orleans, Spirits and Willie’s on Bourbon had great burgers and wings. It rained the entire weekend and it was so damn humid, but that didn’t stop more than the 75,000 people that were in town, including myself. I ate three times as much food and had a million times more fun. It was truly a blast.

During the Saturday at Spirits, I was able to meet former wrestler Matt Striker along with Josh Isenberg, Brian Gulish and Justin LaBar of the show Chair Shot Reality on Wrestlezone.com. Their show airs in segments on weekends on Wrestlezone. Check it out. Those are the best.

When The Undertaker was pinned, you could hear a pin drop. It was that shocking. People who bet against The Undertaker are still counting their cash. Around me, there were grownups crying, both men and women. Even a “fake” sport can still bring out true emotions in people. Not a lot of people liked it, but this is why we watch it. Wrestlemania was awesome. At least Daniel Bryan finally surpassed every road block. The roof came off the place. Your thoughts, as always, in the comments section.

And before I forget, Antonio Cesaro has, in Chucky’s words, grown on me. In fact, he’s grown on everyone now. Unbelievable.

Alright ladies and gentleman, yours truly will be taking off Thursday afternoon. On my way to the Big Easy, first, I will making a stop in Yeti’s neighborhood (he recommended a restaurant right off the interstate in his area). I am staying overnight in Memphis and may check out Graceland Friday morning/afternoon. I’ll get to my hotel Friday night. I will be at the Hall of Fame ceremony and then, of course, the big day on Sunday. The weather calls for really shitty storms during the entire trip so I will try my best to take it easy. I’ll return Monday night/Tuesday morning.

If you can believe it, Vegas has odds for every pay-per-view (it’s still real to me damnit!). Daniel Bryan is the favorite at 8/2 to win the title. Bray Wyatt is favored over John Cena at 3/2. The biggest margin isn’t such a surprise with Brock Lesnar being the underdog against the Undertaker.

Mr. T is predicting pain for the Hall of Fame ceremony. I suggest if you are going to bet, don’t against Mr. T.

We’ll see what happens. Enjoy the show folks. I’ll try to stay off your televisions/computers.

To the surprise of many, Jared Allen is a Bear. The deal is four years, but only the first two years are guaranteed. According to the cap geeks, the Bears picked up Allen and Lamarr Houston for about the same price that Julius Peppers would have been paid if the Bears had kept him. Regardless, this is a victory for the Bears.

This goes back to what Phil Emery has done since arriving. The draft hasn’t even arrived yet and the defensive line looks like this: Willie Young, Nate Collins, Israel Indoije, Lamarr Houston, Jay Ratliff and now, Jared Allen. The line is stacked and the Bears could still add one more to the mix come the draft. We can’t forget the other additions on defense with Ryan Mundy and M.D. Jennings.

With the Bears having seven picks this upcoming draft, you still would think they draft defensive players in the first two rounds. The linebackers consist of Jon Bostic, Lance Briggs, Khaseeme Greene and D.J. Williams. As excited as I was for both Bostic and Greene last year, I still think the Bears should get a linebacker in one of the first two rounds. The line may be fixed but the rest of the defense needs help. Seven picks should get a linebacker, safety, cornerback, running back, defensive lineman, an extra offensive lineman and possibly, a backup quarterback.

Your thoughts in the thread.

There may not be another tournament this year, but that doesn’t mean I can’t show the love and appreciation for someone in Chicago television. Earlier this year, personal favorite, Kim Vatis, left NBC 5 to pursue other opportunities. As expected, my ANGER! reached levels of Chucky after hearing about this. However, NBC 5 has went out of their way to mend my broken heart. Lauren Petty has arrived on your television on weekend mornings. You can also catch her on some weekdays doing some reporting out and about.

Some weekend mornings, you are lucky enough to see both her and winner of last year’s tournament, Cheryl Scott. Other weekends, you are stuck with Pete nutSack doing the weather. That’s alright though. As long as Lauren is front and center, that’s all that matters. As usual with these babes I talk about, fantastic at her job and someone I adore.

Lauren, keep up the good work. We’re paying attention. And one more thing, the picture below, is an all-star team of Chicago babes on one newscast. (Lauren Petty, Cheryl Scott and Michelle Relerford)

It’s tournament time. My Final Four is Florida, Arizona, Michigan and Michigan State. Florida beats Arizona 75-71 in the National Championship. Who do you have?

As we all know, every commissioner in every major sport is an idiot. We’ve gone in-depth with all the others and now, Gary Bettman will be the focus.

I am going to forget the fact that he’s been responsible for three lockouts and one strike. I am going to forget that he continues to let the NHL sign shitty television deals ( Two games of the Stanley Cup Final on cable? Still?). I am going to forget about the changes to rules (hybrid icing) and shallower nets. I am also going to forget about all of these outdoor games that are unnecessary (one is enough).

Instead, I am going to focus on how he let his own league come to the conclusion that a new playoff format should be introduced and agreed upon. I was fine with re-alignment. Obviously, it made sense to have the Red Wings and Blue Jackets in the Eastern Conference.

However, the way seeding is, is absurd. The simpler way, which was in effect for almost two decades, was fine the way it is. The old saying is, if it’s not broken, why fix it? The #1 seed plays the #8 seed and so on. Instead, there are wild card teams and the format is so damn confusing. I can’t even explain it all on why this is stupid. It just is. If you finish first in your division, you play one of the wild card teams. If you advance, you play the remaining team in your division in the second round.

Why is this? Why not just have the eight best teams in there and seed by record? This year, it seems to work fine with the records but next year, the eight best teams may not always make it. That’s the unfortunate part of this playoff system. Division winners should always get in. But what if only one team is good enough (division winner) and the next two are so bad, that they wouldn’t go in with the new format? That’s where the stupidity of Gary Bettman lies (no pun intended).

I know the idiots will come along, read this and think I’m absurd, which is very true by the way. But come on. In the years to come, the problems with this playoff system could be exposed and if so, there will be a team or two outraged at this.

Phil Emery seems to waving his magic wand again this offseason so far. It’s his third time doing this and after the first two, you as a fan should be excited. In the first year, he started off by getting Brandon Marshall. Last year, he fixed the offensive line with getting Jermon Bushrod and Matt Slauson on the first day of free agency. Later in the draft, he added Kyle Long and Jordin Mills. The offensive line was outstanding last year and every starter on offense will be back.

This year, Emery has brought in some help with the defense. First, Lamarr Houston comes to the team. From everything we have heard, he is all about putting pressure on the quarterback and is as good as anyone else. The Bears let go of Peppers and he ended up going to the Packers. With this, the Bears saved almost $10 million. Houston is much cheaper and younger. Willie Young from the Lions was also signed. Emery, already, brought in two starters for defensive end. In addition, Nate Collins was signed. With the draft coming up, the Bears will still need another defensive end or tackle, but when that happens, the line is fixed. The two new guys along with Collins will be pretty damn good.

Next up are the linebackers. They bring back D.J. Williams and for cheap. I am fine with that. They signed a guy named Jordan Senn who is a linebacker and will primarily be on special teams. With Jon Bostic and Khaseem Greene still here, I am not sure what Emery will do. If Bostic and Greene are as bad as advertised last season, then Emery needs to draft another one. Every team has draft busts at some point so I won’t give him too much criticism considering all the other work he has done. With Briggs on his last legs, they should keep their options open.

So what about that secondary? Well, first, Chris Conte is still on the team. How that is possible is beyond me. He shouldn’t even be allowed back in Chicago after he pulled a Danieal Manning. At least Major Wright is gone. The Bears brought in two safeties in free agency that they believe will not only contribute, but start in Ryan Mundy and M.D. Jennings. Jennings could be more known for that interception that wasn’t an interception when the Packers played the Seahawks on a Monday night in 2012. Regardless, the Bears still need to draft some help in this area. Tillman, Jennings and Hayden will all be back but I still think they should get another cornerback as well.

On offense, Domenik Hixon was signed. I believe Earl Bennett is on the roster so having a nice third or fourth choice wouldn’t be so bad for Cutler in a game.

The Bears have seven draft picks in this year’s draft. I think that’s more than enough to finish fixing the defense. You would assume they will get a defensive tackle in the first round, followed by a linebacker in the second. You would think, another safety and cornerback as well. With the other three picks, a linebacker, extra offensive lineman and a running back to help Matt Forte would round out the draft the Bears.

One thing is for sure: Emery has put the Bears in a great position financially. With the release of Peppers and reasonable contracts of the new guys, he has made this team much better and on the cheap. You have to give him credit for this. If the draft goes as well as I think it will, the Bears are contenders next year.

Your thoughts below.