Daniel Bryan defends the WWE World Heavyweight Championship against Sheamus in his first WrestleMania match

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Whether you like him for being an underdog champion or hate him for stooping to such tactics as putting his diminutive girlfriend AJ in harm’s way in order to keep his title, you have to respect the fact that Daniel Bryan has overcome a lot of obstacles on his way to his current World Heavyweight Championship reign in WWE. From wrestling around the world as a top indie contender to his tumultuous relationship with his NXT mentor The Miz to overcoming giants like Mark Henry and the Big Show to retain his title, Bryan has been a bit of an indie hero since entering WWE’s ranks. In a somewhat odd twist of fate, he finds himself in one of WrestleMania XXVIII‘s main events defending that title against Sheamus, the same man he faced in the WrestleMania XXVII dark match for the United States Championship last year. As the man previously known as Bryan Danielson gets closer and closer to the biggest match of his career to date, he talks to Wrestling with Pop Culture about his rise from indie wrestling obscurity to World Heavyweight Championship gold. If you’d rather listen to the interview, check out the March 21 edition of Ringside Rap.

Courtesy WWE

Last year at WrestleMania you were the United States Champion in what was basically a dark match against Sheamus that devolved into a battle royal. How does it feel to be going into this year’s WrestleMania holding the World Heavyweight Championship in one of the main events against the same opponent?

It feels really vindicating that both me and Sheamus for the past year have really stepped up our games to be at the point we’re at now, to be in a World Heavyweight Championship match at WrestleMania. Last year was such a bitter disappointment that we weren’t on the actual main show because I really felt that, if we had been given the opportunity, we really could have done something to steal the show. This year that’s what we intend on doing. I absolutely intend on, for my first WrestleMania match, to go out there and steal the show.

 

I didn’t even think about the fact that it will be your first WrestleMania match.

Yep.

I talked to you briefly last year at the WrestleMania Art Auction when you were still the U.S. Champion and I remember asking you if you thought holding that title was a stepping stone towards bigger opportunities in WWE. You’ve obviously had bigger opportunities since then and you’ve overcome some big obstacles as the World Heavyweight Champion. As you return to Atlanta for Raw less than week before WrestleMania, do you know what your role on that show will be?

You never know what’s going to happen at Raw. You literally never know. You show up having no idea what’s going to happen or what you’re going to do. But I can only assume it’s going to be a huge show and there will be big plans for everybody because that is the last Raw before we head into ‘Mania. That’s always one of the most exciting, unpredictable shows of the year.

Like I said, you’ve overcome some big obstacles as champion, but Sheamus is a little different opponent than the Big Show or Mark Henry. How are you preparing for him at WrestleMania?

I prepare for him the same way I prepare for everybody. I keep doing my grappling, my kickboxing and all that kind of stuff. The thing with Sheamus is he’s tough to keep down, he keeps coming at you and he hits very, very hard. But he’s also kind of an idiot. So if you can goad him into doing something stupid, he’s bound to do something like that if you can take advantage. I wrestled him on SmackDown six weeks ago and I goaded him into doing something stupid. You can just get away with things like that with people like Sheamus.

Courtesy WWE

A lot of people said last year’s WrestleMania was a changing of the guard because a lot of the matches featured veterans facing younger guys. But this year, your match included, WrestleMania is relying on the vets to carry the card. You’ve only been in WWE for a few years, but overall you have a lot more experience as a wrestler than a lot of the other people. How do you feel about this year’s card and your spot on the card?

It’s definitely an exciting card, but I’m ultimately a little disappointed that it isn’t trying to establish new stars more. Hell in the Cell is going to be awesome with Triple H and the Undertaker. Rock and Cena is going to be an amazing atmosphere. But come April 2, those guys aren’t going to be on the road full time. Those aren’t going to be going on the European tour with us. Those guys aren’t going to be doing all that kind of stuff. This is really the biggest WrestleMania of all time, so for them to be more highlighted than some of the younger guys who are going to be continuing on the wrestling tour, it’s kind of unfortunate. I would have liked to have seen Undertaker wrestle somebody from my generation. That would have been cool to see somebody from my generation to take on the Undertaker and potentially beat him. That said, this year’s WrestleMania card is stacked. It’s just going to be an awesome show, but from a performer’s standpoint I wish there were more younger guys getting opportunities.

On the same token, you and CM Punk have become these unlikely indie heroes as the two main champions in WWE over the past few months. A lot of people thought that you especially would not still be champion by the time WrestleMania came around. From that perspective, how do you feel about guys who aren’t necessarily new, but are still somewhat new to WWE, getting a bigger spot?

It’s interesting because CM Punk has been with WWE since 2005 and came up on TV in 2007. He’s been in some big matches and he’s been in some big WrestleMania matches. So this isn’t his first rodeo. He has earned his spot being in the WWE Championship match. For me, it’s honestly been a dream come true. I honestly did not think after WrestleMania last year that I would be anywhere near the position I’m in this year. It’s one of those things where it’s a real true blessing and I feel very fortunate to be in this spot. There are a lot of guys who haven’t gotten that opportunity, so it’s interesting. Me and CM Punk wrestled each other in front of about 35 people in a 45-minute match in 2005. The two current top WWE champions – the WWE Champion and the World Heavyweight Champion – seven years ago wrestled in front of 35 people against each other. To me that’s just incredible that now we’re going to be on the same show as the champions wrestling in front of close to 80,000 people.

Ring of Honor recently released a best-of DVD, Bryan Danielson: The American Dragon, that features a match between you and Punk, among a lot of other matches. What did you think about Ring of Honor showcasing your career prior to going to WWE?

I think that’s awesome. They actually sent me a link to it and the matches that are on there and everything and I thought, “Oh, OK. That would be kind of like the best matches I had in my Ring of Honor career.” It wasn’t. It was just the best matches I had up until 2005. So they must be planning on releasing another one, too. There’s another huge gap of matches that weren’t on there that should be on another one. I think it’s cool and I think it’s important that they capitalize on my success and CM Punk’s success because you need places like Ring of Honor to develop the new stars. Me and Punk are as good as we are because we honed our craft in Ring of Honor in front of those hardcore fans who wouldn’t accept anything less than our best efforts. You need a place like that for new stars to come from.

I look forward, when I watch the Ring of Honor shows, to see who’s going to be next to come up to WWE. Right now under developmental contract is Seth Rollins, who wrestled in Ring of Honor as Tyler Black. He did amazing last weekend. He came up to the live events and did a dark match on Monday and everybody was like, “Wow! This guy’s really good.” That’s something I knew from the beginning, but he needed that opportunity to showcase it.

Since you keep talking about giving younger guys a chance, assuming you’re still the champion after WrestleMania, and with the recent influx of Ring of Honor and other big indie guys in Florida Championship Wrestling, is there anyone on the current WWE roster or in FCW that you’d like to have a shot at your title?

It’s funny because I talked about giving younger guys an opportunity, but deep down there are still guys that I’m a fan of. These are the guys that when I was growing up I watched and thought were amazing. I would love to be in a program where I was wrestling Chris Jericho for the World Heavyweight Championship. That doesn’t seem likely, but that would be so much fun. I’d love to be able to wrestle the Undertaker. The Undertaker appeared on WWE TV when I was, like, ten years old. Being able to wrestle him for the World Heavyweight Championship would be awesome. Or guys like Triple H and all that kind of stuff. All of that would be amazing, but I would love for Seth Rollins, for Dean Ambrose, who wrestled in the indies as Jon Moxley, Antonio Cesaro, who was in Ring of Honor as Claudio Castagnoli, I would love for those guys to come up shortly after WrestleMania and give them opportunities for the World Heavyweight Championship for people to see what those guys can do. They’re really incredible.

Of course Chris Hero, now known as Kassius Ohno, seems to have made a nice debut in FCW recently.

I haven’t seen his debut, but I can’t wait to see it. I’m going to try to find it on YouTube.

For more information, go to www.wwe.com.

Cody Rhodes readies himself for the Big Show at WrestleMania

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At WrestleMania XXVII, Cody Rhodes had one of the best matches of his career in front of his home-state audience against one of WWE‘s smallest competitors, Rey Mysterio. This year, Rhodes goes into WrestleMania XXVIII in Miami as the Intercontinental Champion to face a man billed as “The World’s Largest Athlete,” the Big Show. Friction has been building between Rhodes and the Big Show since Show eliminated Rhodes from the Royal Rumble in January. But over the past few weeks, Rhodes has been determined to embarrass Show by pointing out his lackluster showings in previous WrestleManias, while continuing his campaign to restore the Intercontinental title to the prestige it once held. Before he takes on the biggest challenge of his career, Rhodes talks to Wrestling with Pop Culture about the Big Show, Goldust and returning to Atlanta for the final Raw before WrestleMania. You can also hear the full interview on the March 19 edition of Georgia Wrestling Now.

Last year WrestleMania was in Atlanta, your proverbial back yard. This year it’s in Miami, but the last Raw before WrestleMania will be in Atlanta. What do you have planned for that show?

With WrestleMania on the horizon and a one-on-one contest with the Big Show – last year it was with the smallest guy, this time it’s with the biggest guy – I’m sure I’ll be doing my damnedest to get under the Big Show’s skin. I’m a firm believer in what I’ve said about him. The Big Show is one of WWE’s top performers, but his WrestleMania moments haven’t exactly been immortal moments.

I definitely think you’ve gotten the best of him so far by showing him at the WWE restaurant and all that kind of stuff.

That’s the best one. Yeah.

Courtesy WWE

I guess a big question for me is, why did you choose the Big Show? Your brother Goldust was doing a Twitter campaign to face you at WrestleMania for the Intercontinental title, so why did you choose to go after the Big Show?

I’d love to work with Goldust. I’d love to stand across the ring from him and find out more about my brother. But it just happened to be that the Intercontinental title is very much in need of its moment at WrestleMania. I set out to bring it back to where it was, and I don’t actually know if I’ve done that. But I know going against one of WWE’s top names perhaps of all time, the Big Show, puts it in a position for me to maybe do that. That’s why I shifted to myself and the Big Show. If I knock off one top guy after another, the Big Show is on that list.

I don’t recall the Big Show having ever held that title before, but I know Goldust has held it and is considered by some to be one of the best Intercontinental Champions of the past few decades.

That’s actually the one title Show has not held. When I heard that I was a bit in disbelief. As far as things are concerned with Goldust, I wouldn’t count out me and him ever competing against one another. Certainly I can see that down the road. He’s had some shoulder problems and safety is a number one concern. I’d love to remain the Intercontinental Champion after WrestleMania and I’d love to follow up on all these things he’s brought down on me on Twitter and get in the ring with him, certainly.

Like you said earlier, last year your WrestleMania opponent was one of the smallest guys (Mysterio) and this year it’s the biggest guy. You’re not necessarily one of the bigger guys on the roster, so what are you doing to prepare for a match with somebody the size of the Big Show?

Well honestly, I’m not one of the bigger guys on the roster, but if you really take a look at the roster, I’m actually pretty close to one of the bigger guys on the roster. I’m not as tall as Randy [Orton], but I weigh about the same. I actually will say that I was concerned with the Big Show. I’m looking at him and I think he’s 400 pounds. If I’m going to be in the ring with him, I want to be as big as I can be. One of the things I’ve started implementing is high volume workouts, which is lots of sets, lots of reps, high carb, high fat, high protein, low sugar. So I’ve actually got a nice little diet written out for this thing. I didn’t want to show up too small.

I’m trying to remember now, have you ever faced the Big Show one-on-one?

No. I have yet to compete one-on-one against the Big Show. I’ve had tag matches and fatal four-ways, and there was an incident where there was an Armani three-piece suit I had worn for a long time and he ripped it to shreds on one of the pay-per-views in 2011. So we’ve had a brief, brief history, but we’ve never actually mixed it up on a fair one-on-one scale.

Last time I talked to you, you pointed out that WrestleMania XXVII was a changing of the guard of sorts with a lot of the more established guys facing a lot of the younger guys. This year’s card seems to be relying heavily on the more established guys, and in your match in particular the Big Show has a lot more experience than you do. How do you think your match stacks up against the rest of the card?

I think you don’t really know until WrestleMania is said and done and in the books what matches really captivated you. There are matches that are positioned to really captivate you: The Rock/Cena, Triple H/the Undertaker. Those guys, a hundred percent of the time, deliver. But that’s the beauty of WrestleMania. I feel it stacks up very well and I feel that there’s a lot of people that for a long time wanted to see the Intercontinental title genuinely defended on WrestleMania. Prior to the WrestleMania in Orlando, which was, I think, a three-minute match with Rey Mysterio and JBL, the title had not been defended on a WrestleMania since X8. For me that’s one of the more important things, so I think it stacks up well.

Another thing we talked about a lot last year was your history in Georgia with your father, Dusty Rhodes. With the Four Horsemen and Ron Simmons being inducted into the Hall of Fame this year – especially the Four Horsemen with your father’s history with them – what is it like to be part of the WrestleMania where those guys are also being inducted into the Hall of Fame?

Every WWE superstar and diva has so many appearances, then WrestleMania is Sunday and the Hall of Fame runs deep into the night usually. Sometimes you look at it and say, “If they could do it on Friday…” But once you’re there, once you’re in the seats and watching the Four Horsemen being inducted into the Hall of Fame, Ron Simmons being inducted, Mil Mascaras being inducted into the Hall of Fame, that’s motivating, I don’t care how late it goes into the night, just to see those little clips that our team put together of the Four Horsemen. That’s the best thing that can happen at WrestleMania, and it’s extremely motivating.

For more information, go to www.wwe.com.

“21 Jump Street” puts a Hill-arious spin on teen cop show

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It’s inevitable that a lot of people are going to hate this new 21 Jump Street movie simply because it’s such a departure from the late ’80s/early ’90s TV show on which it is based. And I’ll admit I went into it with somewhat low expectations for that very same reason. But to my surprise and delight, 21 Jump Street is hilariously clever and entertaining, with enough nods to the original series to keep at least some fans happy.

Of course with Jonah Hill starring, you know it’s going to be amusing. But one of the major complaints about this take on 21 Jump Street is that, unlike the TV show, it’s a comedy. But the fact that the movie openly acknowledges that it is rehashing an old idea and cashing in on an established franchise is exactly what makes it work. It’s not a remake, but a sequel, with former high school nerd Morton Schmidt (Hill) and his hunkier counterpart Greg Jenko (Channing Tatum) reluctantly teaming up while training to become cops. After they prove to be incompetent officers, even as bicycle cops patrolling a park, the duo is reassigned to the secret Jump Street project, which still operates out of the abandoned church from the TV show.

Under the guidance of Ice Cube, who plays a stereotypically angry black police captain who, again, openly acknowledges that he is filling such a stereotypical role for comedic effect, Schmidt and Jenko are sent back to high school to find out who is dealing a lethal new drug called HFS (which stands for “Holy fucking shit” thanks to the hilariously hallucinogenic effect it has on the high schoolers consuming it). But a lot has changed since Schmidt and Jenko last walked high school halls, and a bit of role reversal takes place thanks to the fact that tree huggers, homosexuals and academic achievers are now the cool crowd and dumb jocks no longer rule the popularity hierarchy.

It doesn’t take long for both of them (especially Schmidt) to get sucked back into the high school life and try to catch up the things they might have missed out on the first time around. As a result, the bumbling duo continues to screw up, eventually getting them expelled and making Capt. Cube angry enough to kick them off the case. Continuing to follow in the cop caper formula, it’s after they are kicked off the force that they start to get big breaks in the case, giving them an opportunity to redeem themselves and prove that they can become good cops. But not without a few more mishaps, some silly self discovery and a couple of clever cameos that tie everything back in to the 21 Jump Street of old.

21 Jump Street is clearly not what fans of the TV show might be wanting or expecting. But since that would have been a difficult undertaking in itself, the film ultimately benefits from putting its own comical spin on things while simultaneously acknowledging its original audience.

21 Jump Street. Directed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller. Starring Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum, Ice Cube, Brie Larson, Dave Franco and Rob Riggle. Rated R. www.21jumpstreet-movie.com.

Matt Morgan looks to regain TNA Tag Team Championship at Victory Road

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Since his Total Nonstop Action Wrestling debut in 2007, “The Blueprint” Matt Morgan has been one of the company’s most dominant forces in the ring. Often referring to himself as “the DNA of TNA,” Morgan has been on the verge of title contention a few times, but only recently tasted singles success by becoming the first Heavyweight Champion for Ring Ka King, TNA’s Indian promotion. But it’s been his tag team success with the equally dominant Crimson that has kept American audiences watching as the duo has battled the unlikely pairing of Samoa Joe and Magnus for the TNA World Tag Team Championship. Having lost the belts to Joe and Magnus last month at Against All Odds (and failing to regain them a couple of weeks later in an Impact Wrestling rematch), Morgan and Crimson look to get back on the same page this Sunday at Victory Road and regain the title belts. As he prepares for this pay-per-view event, Morgan takes a moment to talk to Wrestling with Pop Culture about his recent successes.

You and Crimson have made a formidable tag team despite your differences as of late. What do you think it will take for the two of you to get back on the same page and get your titles back this Sunday?

That’s a very good question, and you hit the nail on the head as far as the differences going on between the two of us. I think our Achilles’ heel is not so much miscommunication. The way we started, we tried to outshine one another. But I’ve been in other tag teams where that just doesn’t work. Sting put us together for a reason and that was to go get the Tag Team Championships and hold those damn things for a very long time, not to lose them to Joe and his boyfriend Magnus. So we just need to put our competitive natures aside and put them in the right direction, which is Joe and Magnus, do what we do best and go out there and dominate. There’s no reason in hell why the two of us should not be the most dominant tag team in pro wrestling today, other than pure ego. I’ve got a hell of an ego, I can admit that. But I put that thing in check for the greater good of the team and he needs to do the same damn thing.

You’re obviously focused on this big tag team match this weekend, but is the tag team scene where your heart is? You’ve been on the verge of title contention a few times and some people think you’re long overdue for a singles reign.

I couldn’t agree any more with that. Winning the Tag Team Championships is ultra important and one should take pride in wearing them. But at the same time, I got into pro wrestling for one reason and that’s to be the top dog and be the World Champion. I know it sounds like a catch phrase, but that’s what I truly believe. I came out of my mom’s womb a future World Champion and I’m sick of waiting.

TNA recently had success in India with Ring Ka King and also drew some large and enthusiastic crowds in England. Do you think TNA has the potential to grow in other international markets?

When we did the Ring Ka King thing in India, I’ll be the first to tell you I had no idea what was in store. I had never been there before. I know we get a lot of Indian fans tweeting and saying, “Why doesn’t TNA come to India?” Lo and behold, we launched Ring Ka King. I haven’t been to enough other markets to answer that properly, but I would imagine with the success of Ring Ka King there’s got to be some places out there that are just dying to have a wrestling show of their own. That’s what Ring Ka King is. The Indian fans have something they feel is their own and when they’re energetic about something they come out in droves. I’m talking about when you’re leaving the show they stop your car and they’re shaking it. They treat you like you’re a Beatle down there, no exaggeration. I would want to be a part of it if there is a project in store to go to another market and do another company under the TNA umbrella. I think Ring Ka King’s been a great blueprint, pardon the pun. So why not try it in other markets?

It’s funny that you refer to Magnus as Joe’s girlfriend considering that they’ve gotten the better of you and Crimson more than once, including matches for the tag team title. It was also Magnus who defeated you for the Ring Ka King Championship. What makes you think you and Crimson can get back on the same page and win the title back this Sunday?

Would you rather me refer to him as his girlfriend? Magnus has gotten a lot better, and in my opinion this is nothing he hasn’t been capable of doing since he started. I wrestled Magnus in his very first match with our company at a house show in England – Gladiator vs. Gladiator I believe was the billing. He’s very young, he has great aptitude, he’s very intelligent and he’s a good promo. In the meantime, I think he’s also stepped up his in-ring ability. I think that happens with every wrestler. When you get an opportunity to be put into a spotlit angle and the attention is on you, it’s easier for you to get more confidence out of that. You’ve got to be really bad to blow that opportunity, but Magnus is the opposite. He’s stepped up and really has improved in the ring.

I noticed his confidence rise when we were over in India. It was a good opportunity for all of us to go over there and I was the first champion. We established who our babyfaces were and now there’s a heel group RDX led by Jeff Jarrett with Abyss, Scott Steiner, Sonjay Dutt and Magnus. Once you put the title in the hands of that group, it’s that much more dominant. So now the fans are just dying to see a group of babyfaces, or one babyface, come out there and serve those bad guys their comeuppance. That’s what this business has been built upon for years and that’s what I think has been so successful in Ring Ka King.

What makes us think we can beat those two? We’ve done it before and to be perfectly honest, we’re bigger, stronger and way more athletic. If we are on the same page, I like us being on the same page better than those two being on the same page. That’s why I think we can beat them.

Your partnership with Crimson has kind of outlasted many people’s expectations. Going into Victory Road, do you think this match will show what each of you guys can bring to the table individually?

The four of us have been working together for a long time, especially me and Joe. We were working together for a little while and developed some really good chemistry. We threw Crimson into that mix in a three way on one of the pay-per-views and we stepped up putting together better matches with the three of us. Now throw Magnus in, who I have been working with previously for months in India, and worked earlier on with with the British Invasion when I tagged with Hernandez, so I knew what all four guys could do. And so does Joe. When we’ve teamed together in these matches, we’ve tried the best we could to showcase each of our talents, hide our weaknesses, play to our strengths and go out there and put on the best matches possible. I can’t stand how I keep hearing that tag team wrestling is dead, it’s not what it used to be. To a degree, there are certain truths to that. So it was up to us to check our egos at the door, go out there and put the match first. When you have four guys like us who don’t put ourselves first, but put the match and the story first, the result will be the match we had at the last pay-per-view. And I’m hoping we can go out there and do even better this next pay-per-view.

As a wrestling fan, are there any other matches you’re looking forward to seeing?

I’m a huge wrestling fan at heart. I wouldn’t be staying away from my wife four days a week if this wasn’t something I had crazy fandom over. I like Austin Aries a lot. He goes out and performs his job as a villain and makes those fans boo him. I’ve got respect for a guy who does that. No matter how many times the fans might cheer for him and might be impressed with the moves he can do, at the end of the day the guy still goes out there and makes sure he performs his job. No matter who he’s wrestling against, they’ll end up getting cheered as a result. That’s a heel’s job at the end of the day, so I respect Austin for that alone. But his in-ring ability is just ridiculous. I like his storytelling, I like everything about his promos and I’m very much looking forward to his match.

For more information, go to www.impactwrestling.com.

UFC 140: Jones vs. Machida DVD offers hours of fights and more

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UFC 140: Jones vs. Machida took place on December 10, 2011, main-evented by Jon “Bones” Jones and Lyoto “Karate Kid” Machida for the UFC World Light Heavyweight Championship. Some other highlighted matches include both Minotauro and Rogerio Nogueira, as they face off against Frank Mir and Tito Ortiz, respectively.

This Ultimate 2-Disc Collection features these matches and nine other bouts, as well as bonus material, including the weigh-in show, the countdown video package that aired prior to the pay-per-view and a brief look behind the scenes, offering more than four hours of content.

If there’s one thing that Ultimate Fighting Championship has really succeeded in, particularly over the last five years, it’s branding itself. After watching the video packages, the countdown videos and the weigh-in show, it’s very clear that UFC is constantly trying to attract new fans and crossover even more into the mainstream. From the music selection to the video production to the voiceover work, this DVD is an excellent example of how a company should brand itself. Once you’ve finished experiencing all that this DVD has to offer, you’ll find yourself waiting for the next UFC DVD to come out. This is a fantastic addition to your DVD library, whether you’re a long-time fan of mixed martial arts or just discovering this type of action. Because not only is the production value very high, but there also happen to be 24 pissed off dudes beating the living shit out of each other for almost four hours.

For more information, go to www.ufcstore.com.

WWE Studios’ “Bending the Rules” just isn’t Edge-y enough

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Having set records such as his 12 WWE Tag Team Championships and seven World Heavyweight Championships in WWE, Adam “Edge” Copeland is clearly deserving of his induction into the WWE Hall of Fame this WrestleMania weekend. And with his unexpected retirement from wrestling less than a year ago, it’s only fitting that Edge take his charisma to the big screen as peers such as The Rock, John Cena, Triple H and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin have done before him.

Nick Blades (Edge) and Theo Gold (Jamie Kennedy) team up in "Bending the Rules"

Edge makes his leading role debut in the new WWE Studios movie Bending the Rules, in select theaters today and on DVD and Blu-ray March 27. In this comedy cop caper, Edge plays Nick Blades, a New Orleans cop known for bending the rules to get the job done. Jamie Kennedy is Theo Gold, the down-on-his-luck District Attorney on the opposing side of the courtroom. In what is supposed to be a comical twist of fate, these two opposing forces become an odd couple who, despite their differing motivations and methods, are determined to get to the bottom of some sort of crime racket.

See, there’s this list of license plate numbers and someone is going down that list and taking out the owners of the vehicles. Somehow Gold’s beloved 1956 Studebaker Silver Hawk comes up missing, presumably because it is on this list. Blades hangs out with Gold’s mom (played by Jessica Walter, who is basically reprising her overbearing and self-entitled mother role from Arrested Development), Gold’s assistant (Alicia Witt) gets kidnapped, some gunfights break out and funniness fails to ensue.

It’s not that Bending the Rules is a bad movie. It’s just that it’s also not that great. Edge is basically playing Edge, but for some reason the charisma he portrays when talking to in-ring opponents doesn’t come across very well here. Jennifer Esposito plays his friend on the force, and she looks damn good in that blue uniform. But for some reason all of these ingredients don’t seem to gel, perhaps because Bending the Rules follows the rules of an action comedy too lazily. There is an attempt at a surprise twist at the end of the movie, but by that point it’s hard to even care about anything that’s happening anymore. And ironically, the Rated R Superstar only got a PG-13 rating.

Bending the Rules. Directed by Artie Mandelberg. Starring Adam “Edge” Copeland, Jamie Kennedy, Jennifer Esposito and Jessica Walter. Rated PG-13. www.bendingtherulesmovie.com.

“Friends with Kids” finds comedy in the tragedy of early-midlife mistakes

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Given the fact that my friends and I often have a hard time relating to the plights of the common man, given our superhuman abilities and all, it’s easy for me to forget what the average person’s worries are. I mean, when you’re busy saving the world and pummeling opponents in the ring, you don’t have much time to think about things like settling down and having babies.

Alex (Chris O'Dowd), Missy (Kristen Wiig), Leslie (Maya Rudolph) and Ben (Jon Hamm) share an elevator in "Friends with Kids." At least they're not sharing a baby.

That John Carter guy is someone I can relate to, but this new Friends with Kids movie is about as foreign to me as a four-armed Martian would be to you. So what happens is these three couples have been friends for several years. Leslie and Alex (Maya Rudolph and Chris O’Dowd) and Missy and Ben (Kristen Wiig and Jon Hamm) get married, have kids and become miserable. Jason and Julie (Adam Scott (not Tom Cruise, as I first suspected) and Jennifer Westfeldt) aren’t actually a couple, but have been close friends since college. Neither one of them seems to be good at relationships (well, Jason gets some hotties, but they never stick around for long, and neither of them wants to end up as unhappy as the two couples that got married.

A drunken late night joke about Jason and Julie having a baby without the constraints and expectations of a romantic relationship turns into, well, Jason and Julie having a baby without committing to a romantic relationship with one another. In fact, they both encourage each other to date other people, taking turns babysitting their offspring so the other can maintain a social life. Sounds like just the broken home recipe to spawn my next supervillain!

The other two couples are, at first, insulted, then shocked to see that Jason and Julie’s plan actually seems to be working. Julie starts dating a wonderful guy named Kurt (Edward Burns) and Jason’s latest little fling (Megan Fox) lasts longer than anyone is used to. But as Jason and Julie get more and more involved with their significant others, they expect more and more from each other in terms of taking care of the baby. They also start to exhibit signs of jealousy, implying that their feelings for each other might be stronger than either of them would like to admit. I think there was a TV show in the ’80s called thirtysomething that was similar to this, but I’m not certain of that.

Leslie (Maya Rudoplh) and Julie (Jennifer Westfeldt) prepare for another group gathering in "Friends with Kids."

Anyway, as their plan finally seems to start unraveling a little, the other two couples find relief in the fact that Jason and Julie may join them in their middle-aged mediocrity (misery loves company, after all). Everything eventually falls apart for everyone involved, which is when Friends with Kids actually starts to get interesting. I’ve heard about the complexities of many human relationships, where figuring out what you need versus what you desire is a difficult task. It’s just such a conflict that I found intriguing with this film.

From what I understand, friends with benefits and open relationships rarely work for the average person. But the situation with Jason and Julie is even more complicated than that, especially when one of them expresses a desire for something to pursue something more than platonic with the other, only to be denied. That kind of emotional pain is not something Flash Gorem is accustomed to, but it seems as if it is even harder to overcome than physical pain. I’ve heard a saying about not knowing what you’ve got till it’s gone, and that definitely becomes the case when the denier later realizes what got away (especially after things don’t work out with the new significant other).

At first, I really hated the seemingly happily-ever-after ending of this dramedy. Then I realized it may not be such a happy ending after all. If the decisions that have been made by all three couples previously in the movie are any indication, it’s highly likely that any new decisions (especially those driven by mixtures of emotion, lust and regret) could be even bigger mistakes. And with a conclusion like that, Friends with Kids is a somewhat unsettling look at people’s desperate attempts to find happiness as they feel their biological clocks ticking away.

Friends with Kids. Written and directed by Jennifer Westfeldt. Starring Jennifer Westfeldt, Adam Scott, Kristen Wiig, John Hamm, Maya Rudoph, Chris O’Dowd, Megan Fox and Edward Burns. Rated R. www.friendswithkids.com.