Thursday, September 25, 2014

Be A STAR

Tonight I will be participating in a Twitter chat along with the WWE Moms. While the chats are always fun, they are usually focused on very serious subjects, which is the case tonight. Tonight's chat is about the Be A STAR movement.

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Be A STAR (Show Tolerance And Respect) is a program to stomp out bullying. The goal is to teach everyone to be kind to one another, and to be an example for others to follow. The message in itself is very encouraging, but it just means so much to me that it is coming from the WWE.

WWE has such a huge global presence, and the fact that they choose to use their influence to spread such a positive message is so inspiring. Bullying is, unfortunately, such a huge issue nowadays. Anything that helps teach kids that it is cool to stand up against bullying is wonderful.

As a parent, bullying is something I will always worry about, but the fact that my son has autism and it is likely that my daughter does as well(we have been having her evaluated), my fears are only intensified.

I want my children to be different, because being different makes a person interesting, but I don't want the differences that they have no control over to be a source of stress for them. I experienced bullying as a child, and I would never wish it on anyone.

My experiences were not nearly as severe as many cases I have heard about, but I was Caucasian girl in a neighborhood nearly exclusive to African Americans. I did not fit in. They did not want my family there, and it was made very clear. At school, while there was more of a mix, I was still the target as we rode the same buses.

The fact that we were also very poor did not help at all, and almost nobody wanted to be my friend. I was not a target of violence or horrible teasing, but I was very clearly unwanted, and it is a horrible feeling. I would never want any child, especially my own, to feel like that.

I will do anything I can do to help prevent my kids and other kids from being bullied(or bullying others), and the fact that WWE is doing everything they can to help as well means a great deal to me. I hope that through the Be A STAR initiative, we will be able to put an end to bullying once and for all. We all need to work together to prevent bullying.

To learn more about this wonderful program, please join me tonight for the #BeASTAR Twitter chat from 7-8pm EST. You could win some great prizes, but supporting the cause is the best prize of all. I hope to see you there.

Saturday, September 20, 2014

WWE Live: Daytona Beach Review

If you know me at all, then you already know that I am a HUGE, lifelong, WWE fan. This past Sunday, my family and I had the pleasure of attending a WWE Live Event in Daytona Beach, FL. It was a huge deal for us, not just because we love WWE, but because WWE almost never comes to Daytona Beach, or anywhere else that is as close to our home. Although we still attend WWE events anytime they come within a few hours of us.

While this was not a televised event, the superstars in attendance and the matches were spectacular. Almost all of my favorite superstars and divas were there. We had fantastic seats and got to see all of the action up close. Being at the events live is so much more incredible than watching at home. You can just feel this insane energy in the arena.

You are there in community with hundreds or thousands of other fans. You are (mostly) all cheering and booing the same people. Your energy is literally fueling the superstars, and their passion is fueling you. It really is indescribable, but it is something that any WWE fan needs to experience. In fact, even if you are not already a WWE fan, but you appreciate action, excitement, athleticism, and emotion, you need to see WWE live. You will become a fan after just one show.

As much as I love WWE and was looking forward to the show, I think my kids were just as excited, if not more so. My daughter especially had been talking about the show since we told her about it. Every day, NUMEROUS times a day she would ask: "Are we going to wrestling?" "Is it time for the show?" "Why is there no wrestling?" It's safe to say she is following in her monther's footsteps as an obsessed fan.


This particular show was the best house show I have been to so far, and I have been to a few. There were so many main event level stars in attendance, and PPV quality matches. I was actually shocked by how great the show was, although having been a fan of WWE for so long, I should have known they would exceed my expectations.

The show kicked off with Dolph Ziggler (accompanied by Lana) facing off against Rusev (accompanied by Summer Rae). Ziggler is one of my favorites and has been for a very long time. He always steals the show, and this was no exception. It doesn't hurt that Ziggler is extremely easy on the eyes either.


The fans were solidly behind Ziggler. Summer Rae tried to get involved, only to be tackled by Lana. Lana and Summer fought among themselves, keeping Summer from getting involved in the match again. With no interference, Ziggler was able to pick up the win with the Zig-Zag.

Next it was Miz TV. I was so excited about this because I love The Miz. He is a great heel and he does not get nearly enough credit. He is great on the mic and is always able to rile up the crowd, which is his purpose. Not to mention he is not bad on the eyes either.


The Miz was set to have Jimmy Uso as his Guest on Miz TV. Before Jimmy could come out, Adam Rose came out onto the ramp and started badmouthing Jimmy, only to realize Jimmy was behind him, just before Jimmy took him out.

Then Jimmy went to the ring where The Miz talked about how he is such a good dancer, which prompted Jimmy to challenge Miz to a dance off. The Miz's dancing was unique to say the least, but he looked so adorable doing it. He was quite confidant afterward.



Jimmy Uso's dance was more in the style of his father, Rakishi. He was feeling it and even did a moonwalk. The crowd was loving his dance, and as much as I love The Miz, Jummy's dane was pretty fun to watch.

By crowd decision, Jimmy Uso won the dance off. The Miz was not happy with that, so he attacked Jimmy. It wold go downhill for Jimmy from there, as Tyler Breeze would came out for his match against Jimmy as well.


While Tyler dominated most of the match, and was extremely cocky throughout, Jimmy Uso ended up taking the victory. The crowd was kind of split on this one. I for one was rooting for Tyler Breeze, but I like Jimmy Uso well enough too, so I was okay with the outcome.

Next up was the Divas Revolution. A 6 person tag match between Team Bad (Naomi, Tamina, and Sasha Banks) and Team PCB (Paige, Charlotte and Becky Lynch).


This was a great match. There was a lot of back and forth action and trash talking. Paige did a great job of pumping up the crowd and getting them to clap. Team Bad tried to bend the rules a few times and use distractions to their advantage, but in the end, team PCB took the victory.


After the match Renee Young came out and interviewed Team PCB. They announced that on Raw they would have a Beat The Clock Challenge to see which member of their team would be the number one contender to Nikki Bella for the Divas Championship.

Next up was my favorite match of the night. I have been wanting to see Kevin Owens face Dean Ambrose since Kevin debuted on the main roster. I love a good heel, and Kevin is an excellent one, not to mention he is great in the ring, so I have been a huge fan from the start.

However, Dean Ambrose is my absolute favorite superstar on the current roster, so this time I had to root against Owens, although I still loved it when he trashed talk the fans at ringside. He is so great at getting a reaction.


This match was excellent,as I knew it would be. Not only are both men physically at the top of the pack in WWE, they both have the charisma, the passion and the it-factor, that make them the most interesting thing to watch, no matter where they are on the card. Dean could sell me ice if I was an Eskimo.He'd melt all the ice, though, because my goodness that man is hot.

Anyway, back to how amazing the match was. Both men put on an amazing show. There was a lot of momentum shifts in the match, but I would say that Dean had a little more control throughout. Just watching these two in the ring was fantastic. I also got a lot (really WAY more than I am adding to this post) of pictures of Dean, which was a huge bonus.


The match was amazing, and I was happy just seeing it, but Dean hitting Dirty Deeds to pick up the win was the icing on the cake, not to mention the even more amazing pictures I got after he won. Seeing him up close was such a thrill.


The next match was really exciting to me because it was the first match that I have seen of Baron Corbin on the main roster. He faced off against Jack Swagger. The crowd was semi torn on this match. I was firmly behind Baron, I love him in NXT.


Unfortunately, it was a bad night for my NXT babies. After Breeze lost, Baron Corbin also lost to Jack Swagger, when he tapped out to the ankle lock. I wish Baron could have won the match, but it was still great to watch him in WWE. He fits right in. I can't wait to see more of him.

Next it was The Prime Time Players vs The New Day for the Tag Team Championship. The New Day is always looking to cheat, especially since they have the numbers advantage. The crowd was really into letting them know how much New. Day. Sucks. *Clap, Clap, Clap*. IN the end, their cheating did pay off, though, as they skated by with a dirty win.


After all that amazing action, the main event saw John Cena challenging Seth Rollings for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. Of course, the crowd exploded for Cena, and there were also the usual "Cena Sucks" chants. I don't hate Cena(or like him particularly), but I do love Rollins, so I was rooting for Seth all the way.


 Rollins, being the fabulous self-absorbed heel that he is, demanded that JoJo announced him first. He then proceeded to remove his shirt(yay) and mouth off to fans, which is always entertaining.

Rollins may talk a lot, but he can definitely back it up in the ring. And, whether you like Cena or not, he can go in the ring as well. The match was great. There was a lot of great moves from the turnbuckle, there was so much back and forth it was almost hard to follow. The match even went out to ringside a couple times.


The match ended when Rolling Brought a chair into the ring. He ended up getting disqualified, but the title doesn't change hands on a DQ, so he retained his championship. Cena was not happy with that outcome though, and caught Seth for an Attitude Adjustment.


The show was just incredible from start to finish. Hubby and the kids had a blast. Hearing my 3 year old cheer and laugh during the show was one of my proudest moments. Of course, I had a fantastic time at the show. I would literally go every single day if I could.

There is nothing else like this in the world. If you have never been to a WWE live event, you really have to go if ever you get the opportunity. It is one of the most fun things you can ever do. Have you ever been to a WWE live event? If so, I want to hear all about it. When was it? Who was on the card? What was your favorite part? Tell me everything.

*As a proud member of #WWEMoms, I received tickets for the show in order to facilitate my review. All opinions are always 100% my own.*