Tag: John Cena

That’s a Wrap! 🎁💪🏻

It’s the end of 2025 warriors with my last post of the year and what an ultimate one it will be. Today, though is my husband‘s birthday so we will celebrate him later. 🥳 Also, this month is all of Warrior’s girls with December being their birth month along with my mom on Christmas Eve. Whew~~~ that’s a lot. Yep, Warrior and I both married a Sagittarius! You’ll see him ⬇️ for my last photo this year as Dingo. I couldn’t edit to make it “Christmasy” so that’s what you get as I wrap up all my writings to end until January. There have been 50 posts this year! What a nice round number. It all started with number 400 early on and all the way to now. Thank you to all who read, follow, like, or even subscribe to my writings. I wish everyone a fun and relaxing last few weeks and new year of 2026.

I’ll begin by asking what any of you thought of John Cena’s final match on SNNE last Saturday. I do not have Peacock so had to watch clips on YouTube. Gunther is a brute and I expected a little more offense from Cena. I kinda expected the outcome but I think it could’ve gone a little better for fans. Great to see all the talent and legends there to support him as well. He’s an amazing guy and wrestler so only fitting that he would get such a tremendous sendoff. He will be missed in the ring but I’m sure has lots of projects in the works. John has been so very dedicated to WWE and I loved this quote of him from an interview. “ My skills can’t match the product.” So very humbling to say that. Warrior alluded to similar words too in his HOF speech to the roster of talent.

Let’s get into my tradition now of listing the MOST memorable posts for the year. I picked 6 because well, that number makes sense! Seriously though, I did not know at all until making my notes. There are 3 honorable mentions because we need a 3 count, right? A few I stayed away from as I was too angry then and didn’t want to end the year like that. I also did not choose “ I will Always…” concerning the 11 years of Warrior’s passing. It was not overly sad but I just wanted to concentrate on others. I had to write about the 35th anniversary of WMVI as 2 more Warrior WM’s will have their milestones in 2026. Hulk Hogan‘s passing (with my tribute) and my yard with 52 Bluejay feathers was in the same post as that truly filled me with joy and then comfort… 🥹

So many good ones, where to start? Honestly readers, I did look at my entire list this year as many always stand out as some do not. LOTS of great ones as I can be a little biased, but I should be! I do hope any, some, or all affected you in a way be fitting to my style of writing, experiences, and of course Warrior himself. Maybe you even can remember your favorites. Ready for my list? Here it is:

TOP 6

~~~My Happy Harmotions

~~~The Kindness of Kamala

~~~Blast From the Past ( Dream…)

~~~Hand me the Sledgehammer!

~~~ “Hello, my Name is…”

~~~ Before You RUN!

Honorable Mentions:

~~~ The Sci-Fi Cyborg

~~~ The Galaxy of Self

~~~ My February Loves ( this is about SONGS, not just Valentine’s Day…)

No to need to explain but with those titles, feel free to look up on your own if you missed any. Also, if you have extra time during my two weeks off, catch up on old posts to relive memories I wrote about this year. I still could’ve picked a few more to add to that list but I think those topped it and became winners as this year long match comes to a close. Oh, and the BIG winner that remained at the top of the stats was “ Family Business Banter.” A great read too from several years back. “ The Mysterious Batteries” and “ Disciplines of Destrucity” also remained much viewed. I actually had a little dream a few weeks ago of explaining “ Destrucity” to my daughter as I was showing her Warrior’s 8 disciplines from the first comic book! He was not part of it but his beliefs were. I’ll take that tag from him anytime.

Another newbie to add this year, even though it wasn’t a post technically is the new spiritual app I began using back in August. It’s still frequents my time for a few moments, a few times a week. I love playing around with ideas and keeping track of my notes although more has to be deleted from my phone storage! It has provided me with more clarity which is one of the C words I have been working on. We’ll see what 2026 holds but I’m always inspired by the content. Hard to believe that this week marks 4 months but I did take some time off just to regroup a little and organize my thoughts.

I actually want to end with this today. Last week on “ 80’s wrestling the podcast” it was all about Wrestling Biographies so I did call in once again around the 20 minute mark. I was referencing my brother’s books ( and of course the one I own on Warrior) , but then randomly brought up my own which guess I never did before!!! The hosts were very interested and then of course I had to do a shout out to this blog as well. I really did think I had brought it up, but they said NO!!! Tommy Fierro also turned into Santa 🎅🏼 by sending a Christmas gift package to all the callers! More on that in a later post but I was very overwhelmed and touched. I can’t wait to hear their thoughts on my book 📗 as I can answer any questions they send my way. Always will I do my best in making my experiences relatable to all.

Well, that’s a wrap warriors for 2025. I can’t forget another post that is worth the read called “ Stomp out the Dust.” It concerns the word NOUS… Sounds intriguing, right? I do wish you all a wonderful season however you celebrate, and with whomever you celebrate. Take some time for YOU as well since we deserve to care for ourselves too. I wish you all happiness, good health, peace, and relaxation. Whatever you do, bring Warrior intensity to it all. I will too. Until January in a few weeks, this is Kathy saying~~~ that’s a wrap!

P.S. Check out my book if interested! “ Spirit and Belief” is on Amazon or wherever you find books. Had to plug 🔌 it right??? I’m always ultimately grateful. ☃️🎅🏼❄️🎄🦌🫶🏻🧑‍🎄

Back to the Mat 🤼💪🏻

Hey there, warriors! I am back with some wrestling news for this one. Not always my favorite topic so much anymore, but I share to stay in the loop or even just to have my own point of view. We all need that, right? First off, that pic today is from one of the many ol’ WWF commercials that aired back in the day. This one was from 1990 when UW was champ. I had never used one so yet another that came to mind. Yeah, I know it’s a little blurry but super hard to capture an action shot.

So, the first HOF inductee of the WWE this year is Stephanie McMahon. I think it was kinda early to announce someone already but that news broke a month or so ago. Guess I forgot to post about it so here it comes today. I do believe she deserves it but here’s my POV. With her husband Triple H just receiving that honor last year, it seems a little too close together. Maybe that was their plan. Maybe they wanted to induct her last year but because of the scandal with Vince, they switched to him~~~ who knows? Vince should be there for his daughter so we shall see what happens. Who will induct her? I believe it should be a female opponent of hers years ago, just my thought. It shouldn’t be Triple H, she didn’t induct him. Undertaker is an idea, but he inducted his wife last year even though he does seem to be everywhere… 😯 Time will tell on it all, but she should be in. The only McMahon that might possibly ever be…

Now, we’ll move onto John Cena as I’ve been following the end of his career just a bit like I had said. So, there’s going to be a tournament to see who his final opponent will be. Wow. Has that ever happened before? He has been with the business over 20 years but not consecutively as is the case with many popular performers nowadays. He’s had a reality show and is a big movie star along with his own show “Peacemaker” on HBO. I’m so glad he will not end as a heel, at least I hope not. They might bring back a few of his past opponents from years ago which would make it interesting. It all happens mid December. Let’s just hope he doesn’t pull a Tom Brady and come back out of retirement a year or so later! 🙄 My guess is a no what with all the other WWE programming available nowadays. John can have his own podcast, cohost another show, or whatever. He did write a book and cohosts the obstacle reality show “Wipeout” so the future is bright for him. He’s still so young.

It’s my turn now, yay! I will G.L.O.W. for a minute here. Last weeks “ 80’s wrestling the podcast” was all about that big Vegas showgirl venue of highlighting those Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling. Any readers remember it airing from ‘86 to ‘90? Of course I had to call in as it was pretty exciting to talk about more women for a change. The guy caller before me even was interested in what I had to say~~~ from my perspective so I had to bring my A game for sure.

I spoke for almost 10 minutes and wanted to remember much from memory instead of googling. I eventually did look up a few performers and watched one match with my favorite- Americana. 🇺🇸 I had others, but she was my girl., Ah, the memories and it was a great episode listening to all the other callers. They asked me to pick a topic for next week! What pressure. I DID before the show ended so they’ll expect a call from me again. it will be all about “ Wrestling Families.” You can say dynasties too, but not the Heenan family! My idea is several members who wrestled related by blood. OK, we do have a few parent child combos but I’m looking for at least three in a family. Here are a few I thought of : The McMahon’s, – (of course) The Hart’s, The Poffo’s , The Roberts’s, the Rhodes’s, The Funks’s, The Von Erich’s, and the Anoai family. Some are still quite active in the business, but some have hung up the boots or passed on. So many criteria to choose a favorite so I’ll be waiting to see how the guys do with that topic.

Well, I guess that makes yet another 3️⃣ count for you all today. Stephanie McMahon, John Cena, and G.L.O.W. What a combo. I hope you readers enjoyed and we’ll see what next week brings. I will let you know what the group explored on the podcast all about wrestling families so stay tuned for that! Oh, and a few guys added these comments regarding G.L.O.W. It did have similarities with “ Hee-Haw” in some country type of segments so Minnie Pearl would’ve been great guest starring in some role. What a hoot to have seen that! Also, someone suggested Sherri Martel being on G.L.O.W. I think she also could’ve pulled that off whether she was “sensational” or “scary.” I totally agreed with both.

If anyone is ever interested or are fans of wrestling, please check them out if you can. It isn’t all 80s all the time either as they have covered way back and even to today’s world of the current WWE talent. I listen with the free Podbean app live most of the time since I’m home. It airs 10 AM, Thursdays, ET or you can find replays. They have a great group and I’m usually the only girl caller. The hosts are very friendly and Tommy Fierro is pretty famous himself. He owns ISPW in New Jersey and has been in the business since he was 17! His store is called “The Wrestling Collector” in New Jersey. If in the area, check it out as I have mentioned it before. He has tons of merch and *LOTS* of things wrestling related. It’s so super cool! They do have a website also… Tommy does 80s and 90s wrestle cons every year with huge turnouts and he also has another local podcast. The other cohost is Jumpin’ Jay and he is a fun guy too who primarily runs the show. Such a great time always.

I will connect with you all next week so enjoy whatever your day brings. Plus, they might do an action figure merchandise episode soon similar to that commercial below. I’ll have to share the story of how my UW figure came to be. I only have one ya know, and that story has been shared and is in my book! 📗 I’ll meet you here back on the mat for my Wednesday writings… 🙋🏻‍♀️🫵🏻

P.S. I just thought of this to add. Tommy and Jay are always so complementary of me every time I call. It’s so heartwarming 🥹 to hear. They want me to call in more often and they say how I know more than I let on. It is true, but if I talked, I would talk forever! 😂😂😂

*** Nattie Neidhart will be signing her new book at Tommy’s store this weekend!

Fascinating… yet Ruthless🤬

That title fits for sure. I absolutely had to use some words describing and yet pertaining to it after all, didn’t I? What is she talking about anyways you may ask? I bit the bullet and it hit me HARD… The Ultimate Warrior’s face down below says it all but really~~~ my face was much more contorted. I watched it. All 6 episodes of ” Mr. McMahon,” Netflix’s docu series recently released. Once I watched one, I had to keep going right? One of the words I kept using when texting my brother was “fascinating.” You can apply that word either positive or negative, but I meant indifferent. The other word of “ruthless” fits as Vince McMahon became synonymous with that expression but it also connected to John Cena with while quoting his boss became ” ruthless aggression!” I had finished watching after my bro, imagine that? There’s just a few points I am going to make that DO involve Warrior believe it or not. I also think it’s a 3 count so that fits too. They have to involve Warrior because then today it would be my Mr. McMahon writings and that is not what I am doing. 

Where to begin? Let’s start with the EMF song ” Unbelievable” from 1991. You know what they say in that song? You will from me soon. For fans of UW, we can all agree on this. That infamous 2005 DVD directed at him needs to be redirected at Vince or Mr. McMahon, whatever he prefers to call himself. Yep, that’s what he did. Professionally, not entirely as us fans and the performers owe much to him but business did play a huge part along with his personal life. That’s bad karma coming back with an ultimate vengeance. *** SPOILER ALERTS*** coming so read if you wish. Here are some parts that made me want to shake more than ropes if you know what I mean. I literally was saying WTF (like the song) over and over while screaming at my TV. 🫨 This was only mostly about the first few episodes. My rant wasn’t probably what you could be thinking about all the BIG stuff most fans know already. There were a few I wasn’t entirely aware of, but let me share my fits of inner rage. I’m not objective on any and will defend Warrior on these.

Vince said how he disliked the term “pro wrestling.” That was new for me to hear. He prefers “entertainment,” which is what they became with being the WWE. It is true, but isn’t that what the UW character was doing? I won’t get into previous posts of me going on about “technical” wrestling or entertaining, but how FASCINATING that Warrior gets gutted much in the wrestling media and by former talent for being exactly what Vince was changing the company into. OK, he was the boss while Warrior wasn’t naturally, but can you see where I’m going with this? He’ll get a pass if you will because he can say that but Warrior years ago could not? WTF indeed. 🤯Vince and Warrior had some similarities in their lives as I’ve said before. They both needed a character to release in a way but all of Warrior’s extreme disciplines or beliefs are tame in my opinion to how Vince led his life. BTW, I always thought Vince would’ve made a great choice for those ” 10 Most Fascinating People” specials hosted by Barbara Walters years ago. Remember those?

Let’s move on with some moments from Vince’s talent over the years. Hulk Hogan. Yeah, he was their brand and solidified WWF on the pop culture map indefinitely. I will NEVER take away anything he did for the business ever but how about his statements. Vince asked him to be totally honest on ” The Arsenio Hall Show” about steroids and he totally lied to the world. I knew that. Well, OK that came back to bite him in the A** but here’s the irony. Vince wanted Hulk to tell the truth, good for him. Only then~~~ years later, Vince also lied on the witness stand during his trials with Warrior. After perjuring himself~ luckily he recanted his statement. Yes, we all lie from time to time to protect ourselves but I just found it RUTHLESS how Vince wanted the truth from Hulk and yet couldn’t tell it on his own. I realize those topics differ much, but a lie is a lie. I was screaming folks, 😳 I seriously was and I did know this already. It just wasn’t a front and center memory anymore.

It’s Undertaker’s turn. Yes, yes, we all know his huge loyalty to Vince among many others including Cena, Bruce Pritchard, ( who is Vince’s lapdog 🙄) and The Rock but again, not my point here. I loved when he mentioned protecting his character. I’ve written on that too. He should since after all, his career spanned 30 years. Amazing. His story involved him saying how he wanted to go out in public looking frightful like his character was. He wanted people to think that ” that dude’s not right.” He stated how his idea was for others to think he really was that way. Maybe he was being comical, but it still resonates with me. All right, he didn’t legally change his name like Warrior but really? So, UT probably got commended for maybe doing that but someone else years prior did not. Warrior would get verbally attacked for God forbid, wanting to wear his face paint in public because of his character, but it could be acceptable for UT to look like that scary freak he portrayed? Yup, another WTF time for me. Don’t get me started on more of that. I do believe Warrior would’ve loved seeing UT going out in public like that however…

WHEW… It seems I’ve come to the end if you are still with me. So MUCH more could I add but they are other clips unrelated to Warrior so I will leave it at those. I *** DID *** cry lots too. Not just for all the tragedies, but Shane’s memories . Those really touched me deeply. 🥹Overall, I will say this. Regardless of Vince’s split personalities, he did create a billion dollar business that cemented sports entertainment and made us all fans. That being said, he had a horrible childhood and never faced it, maybe he never will. His business meant more to him than anything~~~ even some of those closest to him or so it seemed. 😐 I have different emotions and found it troubling how few could describe his legacy. I agree with Tony Atlas. The greatest promoter ever. He finally did make his dad proud. I hope someday Vince and Mr. McMahon both find healing in some way. ❤️‍🩹I wanted to pile-drive Vince MANY times while watching this and yet also hug that little boy inside who deserved better…

P.S. Fascinating and Ruthless best describes this series. At least to me anyway. WTF moments are over! Oh, and I couldn’t watch some clips they showed. 🫣They were either too vulgar or too violent. Long live The Golden Era for me…

“I Can’t Go Anywhere!”

“Congratulations!

Today is Your Day.

You’re off to Great Places!

You’re off and away!”

~~~“Oh, The Places You’ll Go.”

~~~ Dr. Seuss, 1990. (love that year!)

I just had to quote that ever famous children’s book. Having been a teacher of young kids for years, it was perfect for today’s post. I immediately thought of that story while remembering the places I went that brought Warrior to mind after he passed.

If you recall in other posts, I’ve mentioned how I can’t go anywhere so wanted to share some of those “great places” that made me laugh and smile thinking of Warrior. Some vacation places stories are in my book Spirit and Belief.

Let’s rewind several years back yet again…

I Can’t Go Anywhere…

Feeling like I had brain fog was nothing new as the robotic me had to continue doing tasks while still dealing with the shock of his passing. The grocery store gave me that distraction I needed while walking down the frozen food aisle. Music is frequently playing so perhaps you can guess where this is leading… Have any of you seen the animated movie “Sing?” I know, I know… here I go again with a movie reference and another cartoon but they so connect! Anyways, it’s based on the show “American Idol” only with animals.

There’s this Mama Pig Rosita and she easily becomes one of my favorites. She’s shopping one day, hears music in the store, and breaks out some crazy dance moves! The security camera guy is amazed as she is greeted with applause afterwards. She is politely embarrassed but continues shopping. My adventure wasn’t as daring as Rosita’s but I so felt the music and was dancing with my cart just a little.

They usually play country or easy listening but then two songs in a row by Katy Perry. BOTH made me think of Warrior when they were released. “Roar” and “Firework.” How Ultimate! The lyrics also now make me think of me….. I couldn’t help but dance in the store that day as my fog disappeared for the next hour. Two songs by the same artist in a row in a store that doesn’t play music like that. Oh, the Places I Go.

I Can’t Go Anywhere…

The next place was Target but not in the parking lot this time. My son got a gift card for his birthday and wasn’t sure if he still wanted toys or not. He was ten but we looked in that aisle anyway. I had my eyes glued to where he was while knowing the WWE stuff was right across from us. This was early April 2014 so um, not gonna look over there… That wasn’t a problem at all, yay for my heart! We were however in line with electronics and all the giant big screen T.V’s everywhere. Our Ohio baseball team the Cleveland Indians were playing the Toronto Blue Jays in Toronto. Darn, thought I was in the clear with toys and then I saw that. It’s now called Rogers Centre and not Skydome but still… WMVI for anyone wondering! Who would’ve thought a few years later I’d get my first blue jay feather in line with Warrior. Oh, the Places I Go.

I Can’t Go Anywhere…

Onto place number three. This would be a great three count but I do have a four! I went to Five Below working on some Christmas ideas for the kids a few years ago. I then spotted some preteen girls near the displayed posters. How cool to look thru those and maybe see if some would work for my kids. They still hang up posters, right? If you’re not familiar, you just look at them displayed and then match the number to the rolled up ones on the shelf.

I did get my son a Super Mario characters one and my daughter a dog one but not before seeing another one. Any guesses? Nope, not an Ultimate Warrior one, too tempting–lol! It was a classic WWE poster of past and more recent Superstars. Warrior was right there next to Randy, Andre, Jake Roberts, Rick Rude, Bret Hart, Ted DiBiase, The Rock, Steve Austin, Undertaker, Ric Flair, (I think?) and some others. One person absent– Hulk Hogan. Interesting but I sent a pic to my brother yet again with the caption of this post. Oh, the Places I Go.

I Can’t Go Anywhere…

Here’s the last one and it was out of my memory until seeing something that brought it all back. A few Christmases ago, we took the kids to see the movie “Daddy’s Home.” Yes, a few inappropriate parts but they were getting older. We loved it and glad there’s a sequel.

Right away I noticed they said the movie takes place in New Orleans. (Warrior’s HOF induction city, WMXXX) The one count… Next, the family sits around and watches one of their favorite movies together– “The Princess Bride.” Andre the Giant was in that. The two count… Dana has mentioned their family loving that movie too! Then, nothing else for a while as I just kept thinking where that three count would be or even if there would be one.

Shaking my head while laughing to myself was quite common then. The three count came at the end and for all of you who know the movie, can you tell? John Cena appears! Love how he’s in the second one too. I actually laughed a little too loud in the theater while saying his name! My husband said:”Is he a wrestler?” Oops, well– he knows now and John has been involved in several movies. I remembered all this while watching U.W. wrestle Andre on the Ultimate Collection DVD one day. Oh, the Places I Go.

Well, there’s my stories for now and am sure there are others but these along with the Dr. Seuss book remained in my head. Like I’ve said before, it’s the little things and expect the unexpected. Do your life and the “signs” will appear. It could be places, people, or things but just become aware. I am grateful for this journey of mine and Warrior’s everyday. Too many things to not connect and dismiss.

Think of everything you are grateful for as this holiday approaches. Really stop and appreciate all the Universe gives us and say “thanks.” That doesn’t seem enough but it means everything.

Thank you warrior fans for all you do to keep his legacy alive while remaining true to yourself too. Roar, be that firework, dance, sing, play ball, shop, take photos, watch movies, and enjoy the little things. Who knows where you’ll go along the way…

www.spiritandbelief.com

#drseuss#sing#katyperry#roar

#firework#toronto#bluejays

#wrestlemaniaVI#fivebelow

#daddyshome#theprincessbride

#thanksgiving

😂🤪💪🏻💖🦃🌽🥔🥖🍗🥧