NFL Off-Season Moves as of 3/15/2013

It's been a month since I last reported on the offseason moves in the NFL. Earlier this week the free agency period started and there have been signings, trades and even some shocking releases. Here is a recap of all the major moves that have gone down:

-Green Bay Packers released DB Charles Woodson and C Jeff Saturday.

-Kansas City Chiefs released TE Kevin Boss and WR Steve Breaston. Also Signed CB Dunta Robinson, OL Bryan Mattison, WR Donnie Avery, QB Chase Daniel and TE Anthony Fasano.
-New York Jets released LB Bart Scott and LB Calvin Pace

-Atlanta Falcons released RB Michael Turner, DE John Abraham and CB Dunta Robinson. Also agreed to terms with RB Steven Jackson on a three-year contract.

-San Diego Chargers released LB Takeo Spikes.

-Carolina Panthers released CB Chris Gamble.
-San Francisco 49ers acquired WR Anquan Boldin from Baltimore for a 2013 sixth-round draft pick. Also traded QB Alex Smith to Kansas City for a 2013 second-round draft pick and a future draft pick. Signed DE Glenn Dorsey to a two-year contract.

-Minnesota Vikings traded WR Percy Harvin to Seattle for 2013 first- and seventh-round draft picks and a 2014 third-round draft pick. Also terminated the contract of CB Antoine Winfield.

-Chicago Bears agreed to terms with TE Martellus Bennett on a four-year contract.
-Tennessee Titans agreed to terms with RB Shonn Greene, FB Quinn Johnson and G Andy Levitre on multiyear contracts.

-Detroit Lions agreed to terms with RB Reggie Bush on a four-year contract, DE Jason Jones on a three-year contract and S Glover Quin to a five-year contract.

-Denver Broncos agreed to terms with Wes Welker and DT Terrance Knighton on two-year contracts and LB Stewart Bradley and CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie on one-year contracts.

-Seattle Seahawks signed DE Cliff Avril to a multiyear contract.
-New England Patriots Signed WR Danny Amendola and RB Leon Washington.

As always Hollywood's World of Sports only reports the deals that have been signed, sealed and delivered. Keep checking back during the middle and end of each month until all the big name free agents are signed. 

2013 TNA Impact Wrestling Lockdown Review, Results, and Recap

Tonight was a landmark night in the history of TNA Wrestling. Tonight was the annual Lockdown event and it proved to be one hell of a night. The first match was a triple threat match for the X Division Championship between champion Kenny King, Zema Ion and Christian York. I love the fact all three of these men were in a match together because they have their own unique styles. I really think these three guys are the head of the X Division and my belief is that the X Division should be one of the main focuses of TNA.

Two matches that didn't have much meaning were Rob Terry beating Robbie E and Joseph Park beating Joey Ryan. There little buildup for either of these matches. One match that had buildup was the Knockouts Title match between Gail Kim and champion Velvet Sky. It was a good match that saw Gail Kim fight with referee Taryn Terrell and ended up allowing Velvet to retain the title.

The triple threat tag team match between Chavo Guerrero/Hernandez, Bad Influence, and Austin Aries/Bobby Roode for the the tag team titles was most definitely a match of the year candidate between both companies. All three teams showed off and showcased just how really good they are. A lot of questions surrounded this match because Bobby Roode's contract expired two weeks ago and hasn't been on TV since. The team of Roode and Aries held on to the titles which obviously means Bobby Roode is here to stay.

The last three matches were inside a steel cage. The first being Kurt Angle and Wes Brisco. Kurt brutalized Wes multiple times in the match but thanks to the interference of D-Low Brown the result ended in Wes Brisco defeating Kurt. The second match was Lethal Lockdown which saw chaos, great moments and the highlight of Eric Young's career. Aces and Eights had control throughout most of the match until Sting came out. Sting brought out weapons and Team TNA beat the hell out of Ace's N Eights. In the end, it was Eric Young who did a flying elbow drop off of the top of the cage on to Mike Knox for the win.

In the Main Event, Jeff Hardy walked in TNA World Champion against Bull Ray. This was a classic encounter that saw Hulk Hogan and Brooke come to ringside to cheer Bully on. Not long after Aces N Eights interfered for a second time. Devon then through the hammer to Bully which allowed him to defeat Jeff Hardy and  become the new World Champion. Once the match was through Bully got on the mic and ran down Hulk and Brooke. The fans began to throw debris in the ring much like when Hogan joined the nWo in the 1996. The show ended with Aces N Eights celebrating with their new President and World Champion Bully Ray.

Lockdown was a solid show with the last four matches being off the charts. I would give it a 7.5 out of 10 because some of the matches had no buildup but the heel turn at the end made it great. I look forward to seeing where this goes from here and how Bully Ray's reign as champion will affect the direction of the company. Stay tuned for more because 2013 just took a huge turn for Impact Wrestling.

Road to Wrestlemania 29: Week 6

This week on the Road to Wrestlemania it kicked off with The Undertaker returning to Monday Night Raw. Shortly after that CM Punk came out and said he was going to take on The Undertaker at Wrestlemania 29. Big Show, Sheamus and Randy Orton interrupted and said they deserved to face The Undertaker. A fatal four way was set and once it was all said and done CM Punk won and they stared each other down to close Raw.

Another return that happened this week was the return of the New Age Outlaws as they defeated the team of Epic and Primo. It has been over a decade since they teamed on Monday Night Raw. They will take on Team Rhodes Scholars this Monday.

Speaking of members from DX, Triple H challenged Brock Lesnar to a match at Wrestlemania 29 and Brock Lesnar will be on Raw this Monday to give Triple H his answer. It appears Paul Heyman will be with Brock Lesnar and CM Punk for Wrestlemania 29. Speaking of Paul Heyman associates, The Shield has continued to launch attacks on Sheamus, Randy Orton and now Big Show. It appears that The Shield will take on those three men at Wrestlemania 29 but plans could always change. Another match that seems to be in the works is Mark Henry vs. Ryback. Both men have had run-ins twice this week so I will be curious to see the buildup to that match.

The match of the week was most definitely Dolph Ziggler and Alberto Del Rio. It was a back and forth contest but once Big E and AJ were kicked out of the match the momentum turned into Del Rio's favor. Del Rio's Wrestlemania opponent Jack Swagger beat up Sgt. Slaughter, Hacksaw Jim Duggan, and Dusty Rhodes on Raw. Swagger and Coulter continue to spread their propaganda and continue talk about some of the most controversial topics that surround the United States.. The World Title feud is probably one of the most intriguing feuds I've seen quite some time. I suspect their will be more intense build up over the next four weeks.

The buildup for The Rock and John Cena just started this week and it took on a lot more of a serious tone this time then it did last year. Last year it was all fun and games, but I think this year we will see a different side to John Cena. I really hope that Cena and Rock actually deliver this year because this year they will have a better card underneath them then they did last year.

We know that three matches have officially been set in stone with three more potentially to be made this week. One has to wonder how Wade Barrett, Antonio Cesaro, Team Hell No, Team Rhodes Scholars, Dolph Ziggler, The Miz and a few others will be involved. Stay tuned for more on these individuals on their Road to Wrestlemania. Here are the three matches set for Wrestlemania 29 thus far:

Remember to check back every weekend to get a recap on the Road to Wrestlemania 29. Wrestlemania is now four weeks away and will be held at MetLife Stadium home of the New York Giants and New York Jets. More matches to be announced soon so keep coming back to Hollywood's World of Sports for all of you Wrestlemania 29 coverage.

More TNA One Night Only Dates and Tapings Revealed.

Earlier this week TNA Impact Wrestling announced more dates for their One Night Only themed pay-per-views. These shows are the some of the last shows that will be held at the Impact Zone as TNA is taking it's show on the road to a new location every week. Here are the only following dates and times for the special tapings:

Sunday, March 17:

1:00pm - TNA Knockout Knockdown: TNA Crowns the true "Queen" of TNA
7:00pm - TNA 10 Reunion: Celebration of the stars from the first 10 years of TNA all competing in the squared circle

Monday, March 18:1:00pm - TNA Tag Team Tournament: TNA determines the greatest TNA Tag Team in TNA history
7:00pm - TNA World Cup of Wrestling: Teams of wrestlers from around the globe compete in Heavyweight, X Division, Tag Team Division and Knockout Division matches

Tuesday, March 19:1:00pm - TNA Hardcore Justice 2: Hardcore rules for the stars of Hardcore wrestling
7:00pm - TNA Heavyweight Title Tournament: The top World Champions in TNA history battle to determine the greatest of all time

I like the idea of the themed One Night Only shows but I think having the shows being aired 6 months after they are taped is a bad move, especially if they are charging 15 dollars for them. These shows need to be on free television since there is only four big pay-per-views a year now. Moving out of the Impact Zone completely is another huge mistake. They should atleast have one show a month their considering it's those fans and their reactions that make the show what it is.

TNA is going to have an interesting year in 2013 with all these changes and I have a feeling this year will be the year TNA breaks through and make it or falls like WCW did. Stay tuned because business is about to pick up.

Do Professional Sports Violate the First Amendment?

Earlier this week NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin was fined 25 thousand dollars for criticizing the new Gen-6 car. He said he liked the old cars better. Vice President of Competition Robin Pemberton says that Hamlin crossed the line and should not be slamming the product. Hamlin said he will not pay the fine and ultimately risks suspension.

So many times in sports, anytime a coach or player criticizes the officiating or the way the game is played, they get fined. By fining an athlete an amount of money and punishing them for their opinion, wouldn't that be a violation of the First Amendment? The First Amendment states, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances."  (http://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/first_amendment)

 Cornell University Law School describes the First Amendment in this fashion:

"The most basic component of freedom of expression is the right of freedom of speech. The right to freedom of speech allows individuals to express themselves without interference or constraint by the government. The Supreme Court requires the government to provide substantial justification for the interference with the right of free speech where it attempts to regulate the content of the speech. A less stringent test is applied for content-neutral legislation. The Supreme Court has also recognized that the government may prohibit some speech that may cause a breach of the peace or cause violence. For more on unprotected and less protected categories of speech see advocacy of illegal action, fighting words, commercial speech and obscenity. The right to free speech includes other mediums of expression that communicate a message. The level of protection speech receives also depends on the forum in which it takes place." (http://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/first_amendment)

It would be an issue if an athlete threatened a fellow athlete, coach or official, but in Hamlin's case, he was accused of slamming the product. The drivers of NASCAR are the product, just like any other athlete is the product of their sport. If Denny Hamlin does indeed get suspended would he have legal right to take this to court? From a logical point of view, I would say yes, he could. He was voicing his opinion and got punished for expressing himself. That would be like if a citizen spoke against our President's decisions and were thrown is jail. It shouldn't and wouldn't happen.

A perfect way to resolve this is to have the referees in each sport have their own press conference after each game to hold themselves accountable for any mistakes they made. The other alternative is the refs to meet with the coaches privately to express any grievances or complain. The final alternative is to have the commissioner of each league whether it be the NBA, MLB, NFL or NHL answer any questions regarding officiating or how the game is played on a weekly basis. 

Athletes should not be punished for their opinion. They are not hurting anyone, they aren't threatening anyone and in the ends they are ones directly effected by how the games officiated and how the officials conduct themselves. In Denny Hamlin's case the way the cars are setup directly effects him and other drivers. So why shouldn't he have a say? He's voicing his concerns about the product the he is a huge part of. 

Punishing an athlete for their opinions and concerns is a huge violation of the First Amendment. I know there are details in the contracts on how you are suppose to address the media but no where in those contracts should it ever allow to limit an athletes freedom to express themselves. I think an athlete should be respectful to the media and conduct themselves in a professional manner but under no circumstances should they ever be punished for voicing there concerns over how a sport is played and officiated. 

As of this writing, Denny Hamlin still refuses to pay the fine and will appeal it. The NASCAR rulebook states if a fine isn't paid a driver could be suspended or have the money taken out of you earnings at the end of a race. 

Tribute to Paul Bearer

Road to Wrestlemania 29: Week 5

This on the Road to Wrestlemania 29 things really heated up. The World Heavyweight title match is really heating up. Jack Swagger and Zeb Coulter had two interviews this week. Their first one was with The Miz and that ended in a beat down that led to a match in which Swagger won. He also had an interview with Jim Ross on Smackdown which led to Coulter doing all the talking and Swagger intimidating J.R. Alberto Del Rio saved Jim Ross and was also apart of MizTV this week. He defeated Damien Sandow on Smackdown and will take on Dolph Ziggler next weeks Smackdown. On the real side of this controversial storyline WWE sent Michael Cole and it's camera crew to Glenn Beck's studio on Monday where they tried getting an interview with him. They were forced to leave by the owner of the studio and security with the threat of having the police called on them. This storyline is going one of two ways for people. People are either absolutely loving it and think it's brilliant while the other side has people completely offended. I honestly believe that the World Title match is more intriguing than the WWE title match at this point.

Speaking of the WWE title, The Rock was not on Raw this week which left us with the match of the week. CM Punk and John Cena had one their best matches yet. It was back and forth the entire time. In my opinion, this was a Wrestlemania main event quality match. John Cena won the match and secured his title shot against The Rock. These two are going to have to get physical this time around because they did too much talking last year. It was all talk, all games and all jokes. I want to see Cena in a similar role that Punk was in and push The Rock. I hope their match this year is better this year because last year was a huge let down. Only time will tell.

As far as CM Punk goes, his rumored Wrestlemania opponent returned at a house show last Saturday in Waco, Texas. The Undertaker teamed with Sheamus to take on Antonio Cesaro and Wade Barrett. The Undertaker and Punk have had a brief history in the past but nothing on the level of Wrestlemania. I think Punk could be Undertakers best opponent yet. I will be curious to see how they play this story out when it happens.

CM Punk's manager Paul Heyman kicked off the show by fighting Vince McMahon. Heyman got the edge in the beginning but just as Vince was going to destroy him out comes Brock Lesnar. Before Lesnar could do any damage the old familiar music of "Time to  Play the Game" hit as Triple H returned. Lesnar and Hunter had a bloody brawl which resulted in Lesnar getting 12 stitches in the back of his head. It is obvious that Lesnar and Hunter will face off at Wrestlemania 29 but in what kind of match? Last time they had a normal match but I believe we will see a street fight, Hell in a Cell or something similar.

The Shield has been targeting Sheamus and Randy Orton quite frequently. On Monday Sheamus distracted Ambrose and Reigns as Randy Orton hit the RKO on Rollins. A few days later on Smackdown they got involved with Orton during his match with The Big Show. At one point Big Show was inadvertently bumped by Reigns and gave him a knockout punch for his troubles. We know The Shield will be involved at Wrestlemania but who will there three opponents be? Ryback was not involved this week, Sheamus has been feuding with Wade Barrett and Orton really doesn't have a storyline going. I am curious to see what WWE Creative comes up with.

Speaking of stars without a set storyline at Wrestlemania, what is going to happen with The Miz, Antonio Cesaro, Daniel Bryan, Kane, Cody Rhodes, Damien Sandow, Kofi Kingston, Mark Henry, Dolph Ziggler, and Chris Jericho. All of these major players don't have a set storyline or match for Wrestlemania 29.  There are only to matches set for Wrestlemania 29 so far and they are the two title matches:

World Heavyweight Championship

Alberto Del Rio (c) vs. Jack Swagger

WWE Championship

The Rock (c) vs. John Cena

The Road to Wrestling is full steam ahead and with an Old School Raw coming on Monday it could see the return of some legends to Wrestlemania. Keep checking back for more on the Road to Wrestlemania 29 at MetLife Stadium.