Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Unbalanced.
Reviewing Hikaru Shida's Big Win at Dynamite 200
200 episodes already?! By my mental math, that's nearly four years' worth of wrestling episodes. Time sure flies, doesn't it? October 2, 2019, that was the date that the very first episode of AEW Dynamite aired on television. August 2, 2023: that's the date that the show's 200th aired on TBS, and it was amazing. WWE Hall of Famer Rob Van Dam made his appearance on Dynamite to confront the now-villainous FTW Champion Jack Perry, and speaking of champions, we saw World Champion MJF actually bare his soul, call out Adam Cole, and officially sign a title match between the two of them at All In, the upcoming event set to take place at Wembley Stadium in London.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
A Look Back at Layla's 2013 Heel Turn (and What Could Have Been)
One thing I've noticed as a wrestling fan is that for the last decade-plus, August has been the month for the women of wrestling to go from good to evil. A lot of female heel turns seem to take place in the eighth month--including, but not limited to, Beth Phoenix and Natalya banding together to form the villainous Divas of Doom duo in August 2011, as well as Nikki Bella turning against twin sister Brie Bella at SummerSlam in 2014. One such moment that has stayed in my memory even now, 10 years to the day later, was Layla's heel turn in 2013.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
CFL Week 8 Recap: Blackjacked
Well, they did it. The Edmonton Elks now have the new record for consecutive home losses. The game between the Elks and the BC Lions was over from the opening kickoff. I knew Edmonton was not going to win, because the Lions are on a whole other level this season. Even so, I expected the Elks to actually try, to give something to this game. Instead, what I saw was the Lions playing against a bunch of nobodies posing as a pro football team. Even worse, the Elks wear the same colors as the Green Bay Packers! I really need to start a petition for them (as well as the Oakland A's) to change their colors; they have not earned the right to wear Green and Gold.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
Pros and Cons: The WWE Divas Championship
It's hard to believe that the now-defunct WWE Divas Championship first appeared on WWE television 15 years ago. It was during the summer of 2008 that the Divas Championship was added to WWE's collection of titles, originally serving as a title for the SmackDown's Women's Division for the first few months until the 2009 WWE Draft saw the title switch brands with the more prestigious WWE Women's Championship. The two titles became unified at Night of Champions 2010, and it was the Divas Championship that ended up as the sole title for WWE's Women's Division until WrestleMania 32 in 2016, when the title was replaced with the revamped WWE Women's Championship.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
Cale Makar: The Real Elite 8
All Hail Cale! This is my 888th story on Vocal, and with three eights on my story total, I just had to make #888 a piece about a young player who can easily be the best defenseman in the NHL today: the next/true Great Eight, Cale Douglas Makar. Now, I'm an Avalanche fan, so of course, I'll say that Makar's the best dman in the league. But here's the thing. I say it on social media quite a bit. Some people know I'm an Avalanche fan, but despite this, I never get accused of playing favorites. That tells you that a vast majority of hockey fans know that Makar is the best blue-liner in the game right now.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
Will Britt Baker’s Exit Hurt AEW’s Women’s Division
Britt Baker is one of AEW’s top female wrestlers. She’s been a prominent part of the company since its launch in 2019 and is considered the face of the women’s division. The former AEW Women’s Champion has achieved many milestones, yet a series of injuries sidelined her.
By Carol Cassadaabout a year ago in Unbalanced
The Captivating Career of Patrice Bergeron
On July 25, 2023, just one day after celebrating his 38th birthday, Patrice Bergeron called it a career. This was not surprising news. When the Boston Bruins were shockingly defeated in Game Seven of the opening round against the upstart Florida Panthers, we saw Bergeron tearfully hugging longtime teammate Brad Marchand. It had been hinted for months before the playoffs started that this past season would be Bergeron's last. That moment with Marchand basically sealed it, as it was reminiscent of Aaron Rodgers and Randall Cobb's moment in the Green Bay Packers' 2022 season finale.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
CFL Week 7 Recap: You Can't Spell "Ottawa" Without OT
It is hard to believe that I've been watching the Canadian Football League for ten years now. It's also hard to believe how fast this season has gone. We are now one-third through the 2023 season, and the game that officially locked the season in that one-third mark was the battle between the Ottawa Redblacks and the Calgary Stampeders. Every time I look at that matchup, I always think back to 2016, because that year's Grey Cup Championship pitted those two teams against each other. The Redblacks won in overtime to take their first Grey Cup in only their third year of play.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
The 2023 New York Yankees: The First 100 Games
Oh man, where do I even start with this? The 2023 New York Yankees season had a lot of promise. After all, this team was in the American League Championship Series in the previous year, and even though that ended in immense disaster, the promise was right there. Everything was going quite well for the Yankees at the start. Even with the Tampa Bay Rays winning games left and right, April and May looked really good for the Bronx Bombers.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
A Look at the 1948 Cleveland Indians
Those who have read a lot of my sports stories know that I've written about some memorable Stanley Cup championship runs in the NHL. With MLB in the second half of this season, I felt that it's time to write about a few notable World Series runs, and I may as well start with this one, because I don't think I'll have any chances to talk about this franchise. The name may have changed (and for the better), but one thing--unfortunately--hasn't changed: this team is immensely hard luck.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
CFL Week 6 Recap: It Ain't Over 'til It's Over
Week 6 of the 2023 CFL season was absolutely full of such nail-biting drama. Pretty much every game went down to the last possession, all of them were close. We have the CFL's rules to thank for this, because they create the mayhem and chaos that we love to see in this league. All four Week 6 games had their drama, but the best of the four had to be the battle between the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the Ottawa Redblacks on Saturday.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
Stating the Obvious: NFL Running Backs Need to be Paid
This is getting out of hand. A number of NFL teams seem to not want to pay their top running backs, and I can't figure out why. I've been hearing this story for a long while now, and I finally decided to write my piece about it. The ironic thing: if this was about seven years ago, I wouldn't have given this a thought, because back then, I didn't think rushing was so important.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
