Eyes On WWE: Ranking The Rock's Wrestlemania Matches

By @TrueGodImmortal

The Rock is a legend. He's on top of the world right now, as we've seen that he's been making major moves and having successful films, but the truth of the matter is, The Rock is still known more for being the Most Electrifying Man In Sports Entertainment overall. I wanted to take a look back at one of the most important pieces of the Attitude Era, and what better way to do that than to look back at The Rock at Wrestlemania. Let's take a look at The Rock's Wrestlemania matches and rank them from worst to best. Which match ranks at no. 1? Find out.

10. Rocky Maivia vs The Sultan
Wrestlemania 13

-Easily the worst of the worst, this match was honestly one of the worst matches on the Wrestlemania 13 card, which wasn't a solid event in its own right. This match featured Rock with his father by his side, a cheap attempt to get him more over using his family and despite Rock winning this match, it sticks out in a bad way in his arsenal of Mania matches.

9. The Rock vs John Cena
Wrestlemania 29

-The match that no one wanted. The rematch that has no purpose. This was a horrible main event and honestly, the more I think about it, the stranger it becomes. Cena vs Rock 1 was actually pretty damn good. The second was not needed. Yet, we got another match between the two. That was worse than the first. With all of the nonsense between the two prior to this match, and an unnecessary amount of finishers used in this match, this bout fell short of any expectations and Cena winning was just horrible to watch.

8. The Rock vs Triple H vs Big Show vs Mick Foley
Wrestlemania 2000

-Wrestlemania is a great time for many of the WWE fans, but one if the most interesting main events in Mania history remains this overly ambitious Fatal Four Way match with a McMahon in each corner and each man having to be eliminated. This match drags on and on, with the action picking up more when it was just Rock and Triple H at the end. The swerve at the end was predictable and the ending was pretty subpar. Triple H retains his title, but honestly, this match could have been so much better. The Rock should have won also. Clearly.

7. The Rock vs Ken Shamrock
Wrestlemania 14

-In his prime, Rock was a beast on the mic and one of the most enjoyable stars to watch on WWF programming. His promo before this match is iconic, but the match itself wasn't anything special. Rock and Shamrock had a solid feud and this match was essentially the final chapter of that particular feud. It was solid, but the ending was a bit underwhelming, which is why it is listed here a bit lower.

6. The Rock and Mick Foley vs Evolution
Wrestlemania 20

-I like this match a lot and I think it's underrated in terms of the Mania matches that Rock took part in. The chemistry in this match was pretty good, but the main story being built here was the eventual Foley vs Orton match that would come the following month. I think Rock served his purpose and his involvement gave us all the things we love about his matches. However, it would end up with Evolution as the victors and Orton getting the pinfall over Foley. Still, this was a prime entertaining match that might be a top 3 match at Mania 20. It might be. 

5. The Rock vs Stone Cold Steve Austin
Wrestlemania 15

-The first of the greatest trilogy in Mania history is a good match, but it pales in comparison to the other two matches. Still, this is the most traditional of the matches between the two, as Austin came in as the face looking to reclaim his title, and Rock was the top heel in the game, looking to defend his title. Rock and Austin would go at it with Mankind being a part of the match as an official, and he added a little bit of an extra element when you think about the interferences and the no DQ rule implemented. Austin picks up the win, but Rock put in a great performance in a losing effort and though I don't think is an actual classic, it is a very good match.

4. The Rock vs John Cena
Wrestlemania 28

-This should have been a once in a lifetime match. It really should have. The hype surrounding this match was absolutely special and it felt like a classic in the making with a big fight feel. Cena played the role of the heel in front of the Miami crowd and Rock actually seemed like he was able to keep and executed some solid work throughout, but Cena did most of the heavy lifting. Rock kept up and as a result, this match had the crowd invested, up until the final moment where Rock leapt up, hit the Rock Bottom, and picked up the victory. Some didn't like this match but I thought it was a solid contest and one of the best matches for Rock at Mania. It's close to a classic IMO, but falls just a bit short of that mark.

3. The Rock vs Hulk Hogan
Wrestlemania 18

-While not the greatest match overall, this contest was a once in a lifetime match that felt like one of the biggest matches of all time. The return of Hulk Hogan was a huge deal, as the NWO making their mark on WWF was something to see. Hogan vs Rock was a legend vs legend, icon vs icon match and it was sold perfectly. In any other arena, this might have been a good match, but for the Toronto crowd, this was their main event. Rock and Hogan went at it, giving the crowd moments to stand up and cheer for, including a Hogan hulk up moment. Rock would rightfully win, and Hogan would shake his hand, ending the match on a higher note. It's a classic for so many reasons, though I would personally pick a few matches over it, but this is a top 3 Rock Mania match. It's important.

2. The Rock vs Stone Cold Steve Austin
Wrestlemania 19

-The last Austin match. A tough moment for fans. Rock was heading back to Hollywood and as a result, he had a few more matches on tap and Stone Cold was heading out the door. As a result, we would see Austin vs Rock to close out an excellent trilogy. Austin and Rock had a match that felt more emotional than anything they had put on before and as the match wore on, you knew what the end game was. Rock had never defeated Austin at Mania and this was his mission. He would do so without an issue here, but it took three Rock bottoms to put Austin down for the three count. Still, as a final match for Austin and one of the last matches for Rock for years, this is a classic and despite not being the best of the trilogy, it's very close to it and is clearly the second best match between Austin and Rock.

1. The Rock vs Stone Cold Steve Austin
Wrestlemania 17

-The standard for Mania main events in all honesty. I love HBK vs Taker. I love Hogan vs Warrior. I love Hogan vs Andre. HBK vs Cena. I love Brock vs Angle. However, my favorite main event in Mania history remains Austin vs Rock at WM17. It was the biggest match ever. It was two stars in their prime going at it for the title. Everything was at stake. Rock was leaving to shoot a movie, but we didn't know that at the time. Austin was ready for a new change, but we didn't know that at the time. The match was no DQ, which came out of nowhere and in the hometown of Texas, Austin was the favored competitor. Fans liked Rock as well of course, as he was more popular than Austin in certain areas (the south loved Austin more, East Coast was split, West Coast loved Rock a bit more), but these two were basically neck and neck in terms of popularity. This was Austin returning to form after missing a year and winning the Rumble. After 30 minutes, Austin would turn heel with the help of Vince McMahon and win the WWF Title. Rock would lose, but the action here was so excellent that it didn't even matter. I will say I didn't like how Rock was booked, as kicking out of finishers and so many other big time moves was a bit of overkill, but still, the match is a classic. Austin vs Rock is one of the greatest feuds ever and this match is the best one between the two legends and easily the greatest Rock match at Mania.

-True

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Eyes on the Ring 11:58 PM  No comment

Retrospective: What Super Bowl 52 Meant To Me

By @Peagle05

I normally handle the video game load for the DAR site but as of Sunday, February 4th, 2018, I haven’t been able to focus on games. My mind has been on one thing and one thing only: The Philadelphia Eagles just won the damn Super Bowl. I mean this is all I’ve been thinking about, so I knew I need to write about it. I just didn’t know how at first.

I wasn’t born into this life, I didn’t share the fanhood with my Dad (Washington fan), I chose this life. Does that make me nuts? Probably, but maybe that’s why I’m so well suited to live this life. It’s been a life of supporting a franchise that’s “good but not quite good enough”, or maybe even “good, but not quite lucky enough” and even now I’m not sure which is worse. The fanbase has a pretty simple relationship with the team, bust your ass and we love you, don’t and you can see yourself out the door. It’s why despite so much heartbreak, the love for this team never waned. For the most part, Eagles teams were at the very least, tough. 

Which makes the McNabb years a very strange period. McNabb was one of my favorite players growing up, yeah it had a lot to do with a black guy playing QB but he was just good. Elusive as hell, strong arm, tough to take down. He was fun to watch and is without a doubt the best QB in the franchise’s history. BUT that’s also where things get murky. You ask any of the older Eagles fans, and they’ll tell you that Ron Jaworski is the greatest the franchise has ever seen. Now while there might be other things factoring into that, there is one thing between the QBs that EVERYONE in the fanbase can agree on, Jaws embraces Philly top to bottom and that’s a big reason he still gets the love he does. McNabb, never did. He always came off as distant and aloof. Now he doesn’t HAVE to embrace the city. Hell I’m not even from Philly. I just love the Eagles. But he doesn’t necessarily owe the fanbase that. It just helps with the connection to the team. But on top of all of that he was just so damn sensitive. EVERYTHING got under his skin and it just seemed like he was never really able to handle it. So for that reason, I understand the OG Eagles fans feeling how they feel about him. But from a football standpoint, the fact of the matter is McNabb IS the greatest in franchise history. No one did more with less than him...

But just like it’s been for so long...good but not good enough. 5 NFC Championships and 1 lost Super Bowl. And so we saw Jeff Garcia become somewhat of a local legend before losing to the Saints in the playoffs, we saw the Kevin Kolb era come and go, giving way to one year of a resurgent Michael Vick, eventually leading to the end of the mostly great Andy Reid era with a disastrous 4-12 season following his own personal tragedy. It seemed like the wheels were falling off QUICKLY. And so the move was made to fire Andy Reid and hire Chip Kelly out of Oregon. Now I’ve been on record prior to that hire saying I had ZERO desire to see that man coach the Eagles. And for a bit, I had to take my fair share of crap as the team went 10-6 in his first two seasons. But then the cracks in his style started to show and the questionable personnel decisions he made cutting away the most talented Eagles roster in years led to his downfall with a 6-9 season in his last year. The one positive of the Chip Kelly era? The Nick Foles explosion...but we’ll come back to that.

So after the disaster that was the Chip Kelly era, we find the Eagles in the middle of a coaching search. Rumors had placed Adam Gase and Ben McAdoo at the top of the Eagles list before the Dolphins and Giants, respectively, scooped them up (Thank You New York). So where did that leave us? Going after former Eagles backup QB Doug Pederson. Now I’ll be honest, I had NO interest in a potential rehash of the Andy Reid years when it comes to play calling. So while I was willing to give him a chance, I wasn’t expecting a whole lot. Then we get to the draft and throw the house at Cleveland to move up and select Carson Wentz out of North Dakota State. The team now had its franchise QB, at least through its actions. 

I’ll be the first to admit, I wasn’t sure about Wentz and it had more to do with not seeing much of him in college than anything else. But with Sam Bradford set to start, the idea was he learned behind him, and then took over....BOY WERE WE WRONG. The Eagles shipped Sam out to Minnesota and Carson became the week 1 starter as a rookie. His first game against the Browns, (you can’t get a better game 1 for a rookie QB) and he walks the team downfield for an EASY TD. And it was on that drive that I thought “this dude might have it” but still, I tempered my expectations. Week 2, against Chicago, he does the same exact thing and now I’m thinking “yeah he got something but let’s see how he handles Pittsburgh”. I made a promise to myself that if he showed out against the Steelers I was buying his jersey. And show out he did. The Eagles blew them out behind a great performance from Wentz that saw him evade pressure on more than one occasion including a great play where he floated a pass to Darren Sproles after escaping the pocket. That was honestly all I needed to see from him and I bought that jersey. 

To this day, I can’t explain why it took only 3 games for me to know he was the guy, but it did. But then, Lane Johnson gets popped for 10 games and the team circles the drain the rest of the season and Carson falls victim to more than a few rookie moments. But I knew we had the right guy and though the Eagles finished 7-9, we all felt confident that if they could just get him some weapons, this team could take off. So why did I just drag you through a fairly abbreviated history of the last 20 years of the Eagles? Because this year was the culmination of ALL of that. The joy, the pain, the disappointment of the last 20 years led to February 4th, 2018.

This year we saw what was by far the most complete and resilient Eagles team in forever. I remember texting True through multiple Eagles games this season with the same pessimism that years of being an Eagles fan as beaten into me “I know my team, these are the games we’ve been losing” and every time, they wouldn’t. Losing Jason Peters, Darren Sproles and Jordan Hicks were sure to be death blows right? NOPE. This team just kept right on moving, even riding a 9 game win streak. And it was here that not only was Carson Wentz making a strong case for MVP but I didn’t recognize my team. Doug Pederson was exceeding EVERY expectation I had of him. He was smart with his play calls, he ran the ball and he was aggressive as hell and I loved it. I no longer felt like heartbreak was around the corner every game.

Until L.A. happened. A great game played by two of the top teams in the conference, an entertaining shootout, a near class.."why is he limping?...what the hell just happened? YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME” Carson Wentz walks off the field with a knee injury. But not before delivering the touchdown that would seal the division for the Eagles. The kid is crazy tough man. But now panic sets in. Here comes Nick Foles and all we can think is, “man he hasn’t played well in FOREVER”. 

That “forever” being a 27-2 TD to INT ratio for the Eagles during the Chip Kelly era. A time in Foles career where I began calling him “The Hardcore Legend Nick Foley” after a performance against Washington in which he was beaten down consistently but got up and kept firing. I knew Foles had the talent but I said before the playoffs, “We need the Hardcore Legend, not Rams Foles”, and for 3 games I still wasn’t sure which one of them was showing up for the playoffs. And it was scary. I mean we had EVERYTHING going right and it was just snatched out from under us. Number 1 seed, home field advantage and the Russian Roulette of QBs starting. Now it’s worth noting that prior to the playoffs starting, True had asked me what I thought going in and I told him, “best path to a Super Bowl is Atlanta and Minnesota”. I truly believed that a game with LA or NO was resulting in a swift exit due to not being able to survive a shootout with Nick at QB (FORESHADOWING). 

We had to play ugly to get by and Atlanta and Minnesota would provide the best chance at that. So ATL advances and I’m confident. I know we can beat them. And it took some luck and a couple of gutsy calls but we squeak by. So now, my eyes are on Minnesota and NO and these two are slugging it out near the end. Until Brees takes them down for the lead. Now I’m feeling it, that dread that comes with what you KNOW is gonna be a tough game....

And then the Minnesota miracle happens. “HOLY SHIT MY CALL IS STILL ALIVE”. Now I’m confident again, after all Case Keenum has had a good year but we can get to him. NFC Championship rolls around and here go the damn Vikings WALKING down the field for an easy 7. I’m at work, pissed but still feeling like it can be turned around and what a turnaround it was. They never scored again and the Eagles slapped 38 on the board. On to the Super Bowl..and who else should we play but the team that took it away from us in Super Bowl 39? Now the New England Patriots are waiting for us. And I CAN’T. WAIT. I’m pretty confident that most Eagles fans like me wanted these dudes BAD. Revenge was on the table and Nick Foles was looking like the man who could deliver it. After all, he just carved up the league’s best defense, why couldn’t he do the same to NE? So Nick was no longer my worry, it was the defense. Tom’s no slouch at this QB thing that’s a fact, no matter how you may feel about him.

Sunday, February 4th, 2018. The game is on. The Eagles, standing in the tunnel and fire out with Meek Mill’s Dreams and Nightmares intro blaring through the stadium. I’ve never seen a team in the Super Bowl so loose, so hyped up. They KNEW they were winning. And based on that, I should have known too, but that’s not how fanhood works, I was a nervous wreck. So after trading field goals, both teams decided that was enough of a warm up and put up 28 more points before the half, including a RIDICULOUSLY ballsy call by Nick Foles and Doug Pederson on a goal line 4th and 1 that was without a doubt one of the biggest plays of the game. Halftime score: 22-12 Eagles.

Blah blah blah, Justin Timberlake, blah blah blah, Prince tribute/fake outrage, blah blah blah.

Ok. We’ve reached the point now where the game really begins. There’s nothing else at the end, there are no breaks, this IS the game. And the Patriots make their run right out the gate, hitting Gronk multiple times to easily get a TD to get back in it. “AWWW SHIT. HERE WE GO WITH THIS CRAP”

But NOOOOOO. The Hardcore Legend Nick Foley decided to keep showing up to the shootout. And now I’m looking at this game thinking, “this man is staring down Brady and Belichick in the Super Bowl, in a shootout and he is NOT blinking”. Nick was making every read, every throw and every play he needed to keep the Patriots back. But then the Patriots take the lead and now we have some conflict. The Eagles led the entire game and now with 9 minutes left, we’re down one. The drive starts off well enough until a bad swing pass on 3rd and 1 results in a 4th and 1 with just under 6 minutes left. Here’s where 30 coaches in this league are punting and hoping for the best. There are only two coaches in the NFL that Do. Not. Punt. Here...and they’re coaching in this game. Doug makes the call, Foles evades the rush, makes the throw and Ertz makes the catch. “I CAN'T BREATHE”. The drive continues until a 3rd down that sees Foles get the snap JUST in time to throw a perfect slant to Ertz...he catches, takes three steps, dives...TOUCHDOWN.

(Let me stop here and say that Cris Collinsworth needs to be suspended or investigated by either NBC or the NFL because his commentary throughout the game but in particular on this play was absolutely disgusting and horribly biased. Even after multiple replays that showed Ertz was a runner and therefore AT THE WORST, fumbles and recovered for a TD, he continued to express his dismay at the TD call. He genuinely sounded like he had money on the Patriots and it negatively impacted the broadcast as a whole and he shouldn’t be allowed to call a game until that’s handled.)

But yeah...TOUCHDOWN. Eagles up 5. But Tom has the ball with 2 and half minutes and a timeout. That’s equivalent to a month in Brady Standard Time. Now it’s worth noting that the blueprint over the years with Brady has been, hit him and you beat him. While the Eagles got some pressure throughout the game, they hadn’t registered a single sack throughout the game, in fact, the Patriots didn’t either..until Brandon Graham grown manned his way into Brady’s chest and not only sacked him but forced the fumble. Derek Barnett recovers and we’re in at least FG range. At this point, I just stood there in disbelief. “Are we REALLY about to do this?” To Doug’s credit, this was the one time you wanted to play it safe. Pats blew their TOs, and we took more time off the clock leading to another big FG from Jake Elliott.

Now the Patriots are getting the ball back and they tried a reverse on the return “WUT”. The consistently good Eagles special teams unit gets the stop and Tom has to start at his 9 yard line with less than a minute to go down 8. He drives them down a decent distance but even he can’t fight the clock too hard. One more play. One more play to finish. One more play to forever be called Super Bowl champions. Tom drops back, gets away from what could have been a sure sack and fires the ball towards the end zone. I swear I could have watched The Godfather in its entirety before that ball came down, it bounces off a few hands and hits the ground. I see :00 on the clock and in a fairly appropriate moment, it felt like time stopped. “Did this really just happen? Did we just win the Super Bowl? YOU’RE GOTDAMN RIGHT WE DID”.

Understand something about Eagles fans that differs from other long suffering fanbases, we don’t find joy in that shit. We don’t market, monetize or commercialize our suffering. We aren’t the “Lovable Losers”, we aren’t “Aints” fans, we don’t put paper bags on our heads, and we don’t speak ironically of curses or billy goats or Bambinos. We. Hate. This. Shit. We want to see our team win. So when I say, that I fell to my knees and cried when that game was over, understand that I say that with no shame. I say that with every bit of pride I can muster. This team means something to me. Sports has a weird way of connecting to us. Through family or individual ties, it grabs us and does not let go. And that’s what the Eagles did for me. When my grandmother, who didn’t really care much about football, would watch Eagles games for me and update me when I couldn’t watch, that meant the world to me. She was my best friend and when she died, at my absolute worst point in life, I leaned on my love of football and my love of the Eagles. I wear this shit on my sleeve, I eat, sleep and breathe and bleed Green. So when that confetti dropped, and I sat in the floor of my apartment crying, I thought of her. I thought of every game, every year that was supposed to be the one, I thought of what it meant to see this through as a fan, through the good and bad, how it felt to finally be “good enough” and how it felt to FINALLY call my team Super Bowl Champions.

-Peagle

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Eyes on the Ring 2:32 AM  No comment

Eyes On NFL: Ranking The Last 5 Super Bowls

By @TrueGodImmortal

Super Bowl 52 has just concluded and it was quite possibly one of the best we've seen in years, maybe a top 5 Super Bowl ever. Aside from the horrid halftime show, the game delivered on so many levels from an offensive standpoint with huge defensive stops coming at some of the most clutch moments. With that being said, the last five years have been interesting for the NFL and the Super Bowl and we wanted to take the time to rank them in order. Is SB 52 the best Super Bowl of the last 5 years? What Super Bowl is the worst of the last 5? Let's take a look.

5. Super Bowl 48
(Seahawks vs Broncos, 43-8)

-Of all the Super Bowls eligible to make the list, this is by far the worst of them. By far. As a Broncos fan, there might be nothing else more boring than watching a Super Bowl with them in it, but this was just sad. The Seahawks defense tore apart the Broncos offense at will, with Malcolm Smith winning the Super Bowl MVP award. The score was 22-0 at the half, and the Broncos couldn't get anything going as Peyton Manning finished 34/49 and 280 yards with only 1 TD and 2 INTs, while a more poised Russell Wilson finished 18/25 for 206 yards and 2 TDs. This game wasn't what anyone expected and as disappointing as it was, it marked a big moment for the Seahawks.

4. Super Bowl 50
(Broncos vs Panthers, 24-10)

-Simply put, this is quite possibly one of the most boring Super Bowls to watch even as a Broncos fan. There was very little suspense, with the Broncos mostly controlling the game throughout with their defense. The defense was the reason that they got there in the first place, as Peyton Manning was a shell of his self, and Cam Newton couldn't seem to get it going. Maybe it was the big stage, maybe it was the playoff experience, maybe it was all of these things combined, but the Broncos managed to overcome the Panthers in a mostly easy fashion, with Von Miller and his defensive pressure walking away with the Super Bowl MVP. The Panthers fought hard, but it just wasn't their night. Still, there wasn't much excitement behind the game.

3. Super Bowl 49
(Patriots vs Seahawks, 28-24)

-I hate this game personally. It felt as if the Seahawks had the win in the bag and they gave it away on purpose. With the ball on the 1 yard line, they threw it instead of letting Marshawn Lynch run it, even though he had put up over 100 yards on the ground. Russell Wilson was decent with 12/21 on 247 yards and 2 TDs with an INT, but Lynch was the one they needed to go to on that final play, which resulted in the Malcolm Butler interception that sealed the victory. I'll be honest, Brady wasn't necessarily spectacular in this game, but he would win Super Bowl MVP and his 4th championship, marking a return to Super Bowl greatness for the Patriots after a 10 year drought.

2. Super Bowl 51
(Patriots vs Falcons, 34-28)

-This. Game. The dreaded 28-3 game is one of the most historical Super Bowls in history just for how it turned out and how it ends. The Falcons controlled the first half, scoring at will and destroying the Patriots defense. The Patriots couldn't score. They couldn't get anything rolling, and as a result, they would end up down at the half 21-3. The Falcons would take a 28-3 lead early on in the 3rd quarter and it seemed as if they had the game in the bag. After the 3rd quarter, they were still up 28-9, and all they needed to do was get down the field for a field goal or one more TD and the game was essentially out of reach. 15 minutes. One more quarter. Unfortunately, 19 unanswered points would do them in, and take this game to OT. The Patriots would make the comeback complete with one final touchdown to win the game and the Super Bowl. It's the biggest choke job ever by a team in the Super Bowl and the Falcons should be ashamed without a doubt. Tom Brady rightfully wins the Super Bowl MVP and this solidified his legacy as the greatest. His fifth ring came in an amazing performance that saw him go 43/62 for 466 yards and 2 touchdowns.

1. Super Bowl 52
(Eagles vs Patriots, 41-33)

-The greatest of the last 5 years by far. There is so much to this Super Bowl that makes it the best that it's hard to really explain. For one, the Patriots survived a game that I think they should have lost against the Jaguars, while the Eagles had the best underdog Super Bowl run in quite some time. After losing a number of players to injury, including the real MVP (Carson Wentz) and some important pieces, the Eagles had the odds stacked against them. With Nick Foles as the QB, most people wouldn't expect him to keep up in a shootout with Tom Brady. How mistaken we were. The Patriots trailed a majority of this game as the Eagles put up a dominant performance and kept their poise throughout even when the Patriots came back to take the lead for a brief period. The Eagles would win 41-33, in one hell of an exciting game, the best one of the last 5 to 10 years easily, with Nick Foles walking away with the Super Bowl MVP trophy. This is easily the best Super Bowl of the last five years without question.

-True

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Eyes on the Ring 2:33 AM  No comment

Eyes On NBA: Top 5 NBA Rookies This Season

By @TrueGodImmortal

The NBA Rookie of The Year race is heating up without question, and it looks to be a close two man battle for the trophy so far. As the rookie ladder changes often, I wanted to take a look at the current standing for the top 5 rookies, and the list might surprise you a little bit, but these are the top 5 rookies this season. Let's take a look.

5. Dennis Smith Jr.
(14.7 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 4.8 APG)

-The Lakers have ruined Kyle Kuzma that fast in a weird way. A month or two ago, Kuzma was easily in the top 5 of the rookies, but his minutes became limited and he went into a slump, and as a result, the Lakers haven't been good. To be fair, neither have the Mavs, but Dennis Smith Jr. has been good for the most part. He's been in a starting role so his production has meant more to his team at times. If Kuzma can get back on track, he will easily take over the top 5 spot from DSJ, who hasn't been the best shooter, but right now, deciding between the two, I would have to go with DSJ by just a little bit. Hopefully Kuzma catches fire in the coming weeks.

4. Lauri Markkanen
(15.3 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 1.3 APG)

-He is only on the list due to the fall off of Kyle Kuzma, but injuries will likely take Lauri out of the discussion for any rookie of the year talk, but he's been consistently impressive this season without a doubt. His injuries aren't severe and he will likely close out the season with the team, but before the recent injury, Lauri had been on fire, hitting threes at a high rate and showcasing his skill on a Bulls team that looks likely to be a Lottery pick team. Lauri could fall out of the top 5 if he doesn't return soon enough, but from what I've seen this season, he's clearly a top rookie on the year.

3. Jayson Tatum
(13.9 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 1.4 APG, 49% FG, 44% 3PT)

-In a winning culture, solo accomplishments don't necessarily mean as much, but for Jayson Tatum, he's doing a number of things that many rookies are not, and that alone makes him top of the class. He's been a solid three point shooter and solid scorer when needed, despite a few uneven games, Tatum has looked impressive for the most part. Aside from the fact that they always mention his age, Tatum has been a productive player for the Celtics and a big reason for their 39-15 record so far.

2. Donovan Mitchell
(19.3 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 3.5 APG)

-It is now a two horse race between Simmons and Mitchell for the ROTY award and there's a distance between them and everyone else. What Mitchell does best is score, and on a team like the Jazz, he has every ability to do that. He's put up 40 point games, multiple 30 point games, and is almost averaging 20 points a game, which is an elite rookie accomplishment in so many ways. He's been a solid shooter this season as well and at times, he's easily the best player on the floor for Utah who are attempting to make a playoff run after a long losing streak and getting back on track. If the Jazz manage to steal the 7th or the 8th seed, there is no doubt in my mind that the Rookie of the Year might have to go to Mitchell. For now, he sits as the 1B to Simmons and his 1A, with Simmons barely ahead. The ending stretch of the season will be interesting to see how it plays out. Donovan could become the top rookie by March.

1. Ben Simmons
(16.7 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 7.2 APG, 1.8 SPG)

-Ben is losing ground as the Rookie Of The Year race heats up, and had it not been for the last performance from Donovan Mitchell tonight, he might have taken the top spot. Let's keep in mind that many people believe that Ben Simmons was snubbed for All Star, so if that's the case, it's clear he is still at the top of the ladder. Simmons has an all around game, being able to pull down boards, dishing out assists, and score in the post, his only weakness is that he doesn't have a jumper. The fact that he doesn't have a jumper and is still averaging 17 points a game in this era is impressive. If Simmons can develop a mid range game and perhaps the ability to make one three or two per game, he will be even more dangerous. Simmons right now is still at the top of the rookie ladder, but if he goes through another period like he did when he wasn't aggressive, the award is his to lose.

-True

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Eyes on the Ring 1:37 AM  No comment

EOTR Rivalry Of The Week: Triple H vs Mick Foley

By @Phranchize19

The fine folks at EOTR are bringing back our rivalry of the week column. A lot of thought was put into how I would bring this one back, so I chose a rivalry that’s rather underrated in some way, but classic in others. Triple H has had rivalries with plenty of Hall Of Fame wrestlers, but I would have to say this was the rivalry that got him into the main event scene. Triple H is one of the only men to face all 3 incarnations of Mick Foley, and that actually includes Mick Foley the man. Let's take a look back at the Foley vs Triple H feud.

Best Matches
There are a ton of great matches between these two, but I'll only select two of them for this portion of the rivalry.

*Triple H vs Cactus Jack
Hell in a Cell
No Way Out 2000
WWF Championship
-This is arguably the best match of the rivalry but arguably the best Hell In A Cell match ever (Editor's Note: It is not the best or even top 3, but opinions) This match put Triple H on the map as THE MAN. It felt slightly bigger than him defeating Mankind or Dude Love. Cactus Jack is the most famous (and infamous) incarnation of Foley for matches like these and for Triple H to "retire" this man in this incarnation was HUGE.

*Triple H vs Cactus Jack
Royal Rumble 2000
Street Fight
WWF Championship
-We discussed this already, but this match really got Triple H over as a tough heel. He went through a war with Foley and walked away victorious. After Foley brought back Cactus Jack, some thought he might win the title, but he was merely putting Triple H over for the belt. 

Underrated Matches
There are so many matches that are slept on between the two, as they've had a number of great matches over the years. Let's go with two matches that are superb, but not seen as a classic like three or four of their matches are.

Triple H vs Mankind
King of the Ring Finals 1997
-While not a masterpiece, this match was huge for both the HHH and Mankind characters. We saw a brawl that look like Triple H had injured Mankind’s neck. We saw Triple H finally achieve success after the infamous Curtain Call, as he pinned Mankind to become the new King Of the Ring. This was a great match.

*Triple H vs Mankind
Steel Cage Match
Summerslam 1997
-This match was the true continuation of their battle and it was a supremely slept on match. These two went toe to toe with Mankind going through his changes personality wise. We did get the one iconic moment with Foley hitting the elbow drop off the top of the cage. Chyna would get involved, but she only added to the quality of the match. All in all, this was a pretty damn good match.

Worst Match

*Triple H vs Mankind
WWF Championship
Raw
-This match was basically a transition to get the title off of Austin and onto Triple H. Mankind was the transitional champion for one night. There wasn’t much thought put into this match and you could tell both men kind of phoned it in. Triple H wins, but it really didn't even matter honestly.

Conclusion
This was a rivalry that went back and forth, with Triple H getting the first substantial win at King Of The Ring, but Mankind would pick up other victories as well. Triple H would take over the rivalry in the later years, especially in late 1999 and early 2000, winning every big match, so pretty clearly, Triple H won this rivalry and was put over by Foley countless times.

-Phranchize

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