This past week after the WWE Royal Rumble and after Edge making a “surprise” appearance and making a surprise win of the Rumble match, we saw both Raw and SmackDown entrances for the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view in a couple of weeks.

If you didn’t read my thoughts on the WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view, I am surprise that Edge won the Rumble. One thing I am surprised at is it seems like they are still building towards a Edge/Jericho match at WrestleMania. Why would I say that? Shawn Michaels didn’t win the Royal Rumble. Shawn Michaels didn’t win his match to get into the Raw Elimination Chamber. And Shawn Michaels wants to face the Undertaker at WrestleMania. I can see, and I would like to see, but I’ll be surprise if this happens that Michaels screws the Dead Man somehow at the PPV, costing him the World Heavyweight title.

That’s what I would like to see, but that’s a few weeks in advance. But to look at it more, on Raw, Edge commented on Jericho. How those two once were Unified Tag Team Champions then Edge got injured, and Chris Jericho was happy about that. Jericho said that he and the Big Show were better tag champs than he and Edge would ever have made. That made Edge upset. And on SmackDown, Jericho came out during Edge’s talk segment, “the Cutting Edge.”

I may be reading into it a little too much, but I think the WWE Creative may be doing something that they’ve been teasing since the summer. Granted if this happens, I can see Edge winning the World Heavyweight title from Jericho, but it would set up a feud that could be brought into the summer if Jericho doesn’t leave to tour with Fozzy. ..click here to read more

If you, dear reader, have anything in common with me right now, it’s probably the fact that we are both unemployed and are desperately tearing out our hair in order to land a full-time job with benefits. What do you do in order to keep from going stir-crazy or completely and utterly depressed?

It is a question I have had to ask myself many times since I graduated in May. After some trial and error, I have come up with a list of fun, free or cheap activities to do. Bonus-some look excellent on your resume.

So, without further ado, I give you the list:
• Volunteering. Volunteering for non-profit organizations or animal shelters looks fantastic on your resume and shows potential employers that despite a lack of full-time work, you’re keeping yourself busy. Plus, there’s nothing like the sense of accomplishment when you realized that you actually made a positive change in the world, small though it might be.

• Writing. For my fellow aspiring creative writers, working on your portfolio is a great way to pass the time, especially if you are applying for jobs where writings skills are needed. It might not be volunteer work but it does show that you’re keeping busy and that your writing skills are up to par.

• Promoting indie bands. Have musician friends? Do they need help promoting upcoming gigs? Helping to pass out cds and flyers is a great way to go out and about so that you’re not cooped up in your house, slowly going stir-crazy.

• YouTube skits. Into acting? Why not gather a few friends, write out a script, film and then upload it to YouTube? If the Joker Blogs are anything to go by, with the right promotion, your video can wind up being ..click here to read more

(NOTE: This column may be offensive to anyone who is a friend, fan, or relative of Andrew “Test” Martin. Though I soften the blow and explain my perspective later in the article, I was politely asked by my colleague and site runner Eric Gargiulo to either change the tone or provide some kind of disclaimer in this writing. I will mention here, as I will again do later, that I have no problem with Andrew Martin whatsoever. I wasn’t a big fan, but I do respect that he has since passed on and has left behind many who appreciated his gentle nature and kind spirit. I just hope that when you read this, you understand that there is no malice here, but rather an unbiased presentation of a marketing pattern that Mr. Martin falls into. Again, may God bless the soul of Andrew Martin, and may his loved ones find peace in knowing that he’s in a better place.)

Why did people cheer for Hulk Hogan?

Well, that’s easy. Hulk Hogan won over the majority of wrestling fans nationwide (and hordes more overseas) with a simple, yet hard-to-obtain formula. Hogan had unmatched charisma, a knack for telling a basic story between the ropes, and a Herculean physique that helped present him as an unbeatable fighter, one who no mortal man could beat without weapons or chicanery.

It’s this last quality that World Wrestling Entertainment (Vince McMahon moreso than anyone) seems to be the most enamored with in terms of deciding who to push.

According to Bret Hart’s autobiography, “Hitman”, Hart regularly cycled himself on steroids throughout the late 1980’s as a way to ensure a future for himself, which stemmed from Vince off-handedly telling Hart that he prefers for his wrestlers to have a strong ..click here to read more

Madden gamers woke up to an unexpected new EA Madden roster update this weekend. EA has been more diligent than ever this year in providing updated rosters and player attributes on a regular basis. While none of these Madden 10 updates are ever perfect, never in the history of Madden has this update sparked more controversy. The controversy revolves around the removal of Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner.

After being eliminated in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs, Kurt Warner announced his retirement. 12-year, three Super Bowl appearances, one Super Bowl win, and one Super Bowl MVP were enough. Over the last two years in particular, Kurt Warner and the Arizona Cardinals have turned into one of the most teams to play in Madden. Madden does a great job of transitioning high-powered offensive teams like the Cards and Saints into the game with relevant plays and player attributes. The Cards and Warner in particular have been one of the most popular teams to play online against opponents or just at home against the CPU. Well without warning, the party is over!

EA Sports released their final Madden update over the year this weekend. The final roster update is more or less a report card for the players in the game. For example, Ray Lewis’ overall play decreased from a 94 to a 94. L.T. decreased from an 89 to an 86, while DeSean Jackson and Sidney Rice saw increases. The idea of this is to represent the game and its players as real as possible to the NFL 2009-2010 season. Well EA may have gone a bit overboard this time because they have completely removed Kurt Warner from the game. Warner is now listed as ..click here to read more

I had a guy in my cab yesterday that worked in forensic accounting. For those of you who don’t know what that is (like me before I picked him up @ Grand Central) what these guys do is find the hidden income of wealthy individuals or corporations by examining their books and ID’ing the trouble signs. It’s kind of like body language experts who can tell a person is lying by the way their eyes look to the left when they’re talking. Forensic accountants are masters at the body language of accounting. This guy worked on Enron and he is now involved in determining who gets paid out in the Bernie Madoff sweepstakes. Fascinating conversation but based on the tip it’s safe to say he hasn’t kept too much of the hidden money for himself.

Luckily I won’t need it this week because after a playoff run in which I went 9-1 for all of you unappreciative assbags (hello talk radio host Mike Bower) I have done the forensic accounting of Super Bowl XLIV and found out where the money is being hidden. Literally hidden! And not just in this game but in every Super Bowl to come! I’m serious.

Anyone that has ever heard me talk about gambling on the radio, a little league game or a dance recital for that matter knows that I am a huge proponent of betting every game for the same amount of money. It is the single most important reason that I have come out ahead every football season since 1993. The reason I find this so important is because if you commit to bet every game equally it takes alot of the emotion out of the process and decreases the chances of you going ..click here to read more

There are only a few hours left until one of the biggest sporting events of the year: Super Bowl XLIV. It is also one of the biggest sports betting days of the year, and the Super Bowl line is set with the Colts favored by around 5 points.

After picking a winner, take some time and pick your most valuable player. Since the Super Bowl odds favor Indianapolis, the MVP will likely come from the Colts.

There is no need to be cunning; Peyton Manning is and should be the favorite to be the MVP. Not that we need to list the reasons, but he is the best quarterback in the league, and he is at the top of his game. He can manage, lead, and find any way to win. The Colts quarterback is known around the league as the most prepared player each and every Sunday, and with two weeks to focus on the biggest game of the year, Manning will be ready.

Manning means a great deal to not only the current league, but to its history as well. Even if one of his receivers has a strong game, it is still likely the voters will opt for Manning simply because of his work ethic and leadership. He is one of the few players that makes everyone better around him.

However, if we want to try to be clever, there may be few x factors who can benefit from Manning and earn the MVP as a result in an upset. Wide receiver Pierre Garcon was the best receiver on the field in the AFC Championship game against the Jets with his big performance. Manning spreads the ball around and will throw to who ..click here to read more

The buzz is already well underway for the next Ultimate Fighting Championship video game. UFC Undisputed 2010 is just a few months away with a scheduled May 25, 2010 release date. One of the designers from THQ recently revealed a ton of news and details about the upcoming MMA video game. As great as the first UFC Undisputed video game was, if even half of these changes and improvements live up to expectations, this game could go down as one of the greatest video games of all time.

Other than my countless hours spent playing Madden 2010, I have probably wasted more hours over the last several months playing UFC Undisputed 2009. Needless to say for a big MMA fan like myself, the game provided me with hours of fun and excitement. However, like every critic I also found myself frustrated and disappointed by many aspects of the game. Back in January I wrote a wish list for the next edition of UFC Undisputed. By the sounds of a recent interview on Gamespot.com, THQ not only listened to me but listened to thousands of critics on game and MMA message boards when it came to a wish list of game improvements.

One of the UFC Undisputed 2010 designers, Omar Kendall wasn’t shy in talking about the new game in his recent interview. Here are just a few UFC Undisputed 2010 highlights and tidbits revealed by Omar Kendall to Gamespot.com.

- Brock Lesnar will be the UFC Undisputed 2010 cover fighter. Last year’s American cover fighter Forrest Griffin went 1-1 since the release of the game, thus I don’t see the cover as a curse. Lesnar is a curious name though. For one, Lesnar has only been a part of ..click here to read more