If you've ever been intrigued by the popularity of professional
wrestling, now is the time to give the oft-misunderstood performance art
the ol' college try. That's because this Sunday is the 32nd
annual WrestleMania, which is frequently referred to as the Super Bowl
of pro wrestling. The event is the culmination of a year's worth of
narrative build-up and is where the biggest showdowns of the year take
place. This WrestleMania is even more special than usual. With
around 100,000 fans expected to pack Dallas, Texas' AT&T Stadium,
it'll quite literally be the biggest wrestling event in America's
history. It'll be available in the US on pay-per-view for $60, but most
people will be watching it on the WWE Network,
the wrestling world's Netflix, which costs $9.99 per month. If you're
new to the Network, you'll get the first month -- WrestleMania included
-- for free. The main show starts on Sunday, April 3 at 4 p.m.
PT/7 p.m. ET (Sunday 12 a.m. UK and 9 a.m. AEST), with the pre-show,
packed with matches and interviews, starting on the Network two hours
earlier. Not only does the Network air monthly special events, but
it also has a backlog of every WWE pay-per-view ever, as well as a ton
of original programming. That's handy if you're new to wrestling, as you
can use the Network to get yourself better acclimated with Sunday's
stars (more on that below). A brief primer for the uninitiated:
Pro wrestling combines the storytelling of a weekly TV show, the athleticism of sports and the theatre of, well, theatre.
The endings of the matches are predetermined, but the action itself is largely improvised (and often dangerous).
It's
about heroes and antagonists, with fans getting behind different
characters and watching them (hopefully) rise through the ranks to
become a champion.
The headline bouts on Sunday are: Roman
Reigns vs. Triple H for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship; Dean
Ambrose vs. Brock Lesnar; and The Undertaker vs. Shane McMahon in a Hell
in a Cell-style cage match.
Here's a quick rundown of what you need to know about each of the biggest matches.
WrestleMania 32 match: Triple H vs. Roman Reigns, WWE World Heavyweight Championship
WWE
Story background:
Behind the scenes, Triple H (aka Paul Levesque, the actual Executive
Vice President of Talent, Live Events & Creative of WWE) is being
groomed to take over the company from current CEO and Chairman Vince
McMahon. This feeds into his onscreen persona of the company's "COO" and
the leader of the Authority, a villainous faction that does its best to
keep the little people down. Challenging Triple H for his WWE
Championship is Roman Reigns. Though the odds are often stacked against
him on TV, behind the scenes the company has been trying for two years
to establish him as its leading man. There's a problem
here though: He's cast as a top babyface (good guy) but a large section
of the fan base has been rejecting him by booing him out of arenas. Stakes:
The big question going into this match, then, is will the WWE have
Reigns topple Triple H on Sunday and become "The Man", as has been the
plan for a year, or will it finally throw the towel in on the Roman
Reigns experiment? What to watch on the WWE Network to prepare Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar: WrestleMania 31, March 29 2015, Levi Stadium, California The
main event of last year's WrestleMania. A brutal, hard-hitting match
that saw Reigns play an underdog against then-champion Brock Lesnar, who
was written as an unbeatable monster of a fighter. Triple H vs. The Undertaker in a Hell in a Cell: WrestleMania 28, April 1 2012, Sun Life Stadium, Florida Taking
place in a Hell in a Cell-style cage and officiated by WWE icon Shawn
Michaels, this bout is a bona fide epic encounter with as many twists
and turns as a Gillian Flynn novel.
WrestleMania 32 match: Dean Ambrose vs. Brock Lesnar, No Holds Barred match
WWE
Story background:
Most bouts in WWE see a good guy take on a bad guy. This will be an
exception, as it'll feature two heroes duking it out to see who's
tougher. Brock Lesnar is a former UFC Heavyweight Champion and is
the company's best athlete and most believable fighter. He's famous for
taking his opponents to "Suplex City" -- that is, for tossing them
around the ring up to 16 times before dealing a fatal blow. Despite
being about 65 lbs (30 kg) smaller, Dean Ambrose is the perfect
opponent for the former mixed martial artist. He's fearless, written as
the only wrestler with enough moxie to slap "The Beast Incarnate" Brock
Lesnar across the face. Stakes: This is a No
Holds Barred match, meaning there are no rules and weapons are legal.
Imagine this match as David vs. Goliath, except instead of a slingshot,
David has a barbed wire baseball bat. Many expect this bout to steal the show. What to watch on the WWE Network to prepare Dean Ambrose vs. Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns: Fastlane, February 21 2016, Quicken Loans Arena, Ohio This
wonderfully chaotic triple-threat contest from February set up both
Roman Reigns vs. Triple H and Dean Ambrose vs. Brock Lesnar. Dean Ambrose vs. Seth Rollins: Hell in a Cell, October 26 2014, American Airlines Centre, Texas Ambrose's
2014 rivalry with his arch nemesis Seth Rollins culminated with this
cage match. It perfectly shows off why Ambrose is a beloved,
larger-than-life character.
WrestleMania 32 match: The Undertaker vs. Shane McMahon, Hell in a Cell
WWE
Story background:
The Undertaker is WrestleMania's phenom. The WWE's most enigmatic
performer, he went undefeated at the event for over two decades before
having his winning streak broken at WrestleMania 30 by Brock Lesnar. His
current record is nothing to scoff at: 22-1.
Shane McMahon is known for taking lots of punishment in his matches.
WWE
Shane
is the son of WWE CEO Vince McMahon and recently returned to the
company after a seven-year absence. Now back on the scene, the onscreen
story is that he wants to wrestle the company off his father. He'll need
to beat 'Taker to do that. On the surface, this is a horrific
mismatch -- Shane is more average Joe than first-class athlete, while
The Undertaker has been written as a near unbeatable competitor for 20
years. However, as you can see to the right, Shane has a reputation for
being able to put his body through insane trauma. It begs the question:
How much is he willing to endure to defeat the undefeatable? Stakes: This
is another rare protagonist vs. protagonist match. It was put together
by the tyrannical Vince McMahon (the character, that is), who said he'll
give his son Shane control of the company if he can defeat The Undertaker in a Hell in a Cell match. However, if The Undertaker loses, he'll be made to retire. What to watch on the WWE Network to prepare Shane McMahon vs. Kurt Angle: King of the Ring, June 24 2001, Continental Airlines Arena, New JerseyIn
2001, McMahon took on Olympic gold medallist Kurt Angle in a match that
shows just how much punishment he's willing to go through for the
enjoyment of the fans. The Undertaker vs. Mankind: King of the Ring, June 28 1998, Civic Arena, Pennsylvania This match, which also took place in a Hell in a Cell cage, features one of the most (in)famous stunts in wrestling history. There's likely to be more where that came from on Sunday.
If you've ever been intrigued by the popularity of professional
wrestling, now is the time to give the oft-misunderstood performance art
the ol' college try. That's because this Sunday is the 32nd
annual WrestleMania, which is frequently referred to as the Super Bowl
of pro wrestling. The event is the culmination of a year's worth of
narrative build-up and is where the biggest showdowns of the year take
place. This WrestleMania is even more special than usual. With
around 100,000 fans expected to pack Dallas, Texas' AT&T Stadium,
it'll quite literally be the biggest wrestling event in America's
history. It'll be available in the US on pay-per-view for $60, but most
people will be watching it on the WWE Network,
the wrestling world's Netflix, which costs $9.99 per month. If you're
new to the Network, you'll get the first month -- WrestleMania included
-- for free. The main show starts on Sunday, April 3 at 4 p.m.
PT/7 p.m. ET (Sunday 12 a.m. UK and 9 a.m. AEST), with the pre-show,
packed with matches and interviews, starting on the Network two hours
earlier. Not only does the Network air monthly special events, but
it also has a backlog of every WWE pay-per-view ever, as well as a ton
of original programming. That's handy if you're new to wrestling, as you
can use the Network to get yourself better acclimated with Sunday's
stars (more on that below). A brief primer for the uninitiated:
Pro wrestling combines the storytelling of a weekly TV show, the athleticism of sports and the theatre of, well, theatre.
The endings of the matches are predetermined, but the action itself is largely improvised (and often dangerous).
It's
about heroes and antagonists, with fans getting behind different
characters and watching them (hopefully) rise through the ranks to
become a champion.
The headline bouts on Sunday are: Roman
Reigns vs. Triple H for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship; Dean
Ambrose vs. Brock Lesnar; and The Undertaker vs. Shane McMahon in a Hell
in a Cell-style cage match.
Here's a quick rundown of what you need to know about each of the biggest matches.
WrestleMania 32 match: Triple H vs. Roman Reigns, WWE World Heavyweight Championship
WWE
Story background:
Behind the scenes, Triple H (aka Paul Levesque, the actual Executive
Vice President of Talent, Live Events & Creative of WWE) is being
groomed to take over the company from current CEO and Chairman Vince
McMahon. This feeds into his onscreen persona of the company's "COO" and
the leader of the Authority, a villainous faction that does its best to
keep the little people down. Challenging Triple H for his WWE
Championship is Roman Reigns. Though the odds are often stacked against
him on TV, behind the scenes the company has been trying for two years
to establish him as its leading man. There's a problem
here though: He's cast as a top babyface (good guy) but a large section
of the fan base has been rejecting him by booing him out of arenas. Stakes:
The big question going into this match, then, is will the WWE have
Reigns topple Triple H on Sunday and become "The Man", as has been the
plan for a year, or will it finally throw the towel in on the Roman
Reigns experiment? What to watch on the WWE Network to prepare Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar: WrestleMania 31, March 29 2015, Levi Stadium, California The
main event of last year's WrestleMania. A brutal, hard-hitting match
that saw Reigns play an underdog against then-champion Brock Lesnar, who
was written as an unbeatable monster of a fighter. Triple H vs. The Undertaker in a Hell in a Cell: WrestleMania 28, April 1 2012, Sun Life Stadium, Florida Taking
place in a Hell in a Cell-style cage and officiated by WWE icon Shawn
Michaels, this bout is a bona fide epic encounter with as many twists
and turns as a Gillian Flynn novel.
WrestleMania 32 match: Dean Ambrose vs. Brock Lesnar, No Holds Barred match
WWE
Story background:
Most bouts in WWE see a good guy take on a bad guy. This will be an
exception, as it'll feature two heroes duking it out to see who's
tougher. Brock Lesnar is a former UFC Heavyweight Champion and is
the company's best athlete and most believable fighter. He's famous for
taking his opponents to "Suplex City" -- that is, for tossing them
around the ring up to 16 times before dealing a fatal blow. Despite
being about 65 lbs (30 kg) smaller, Dean Ambrose is the perfect
opponent for the former mixed martial artist. He's fearless, written as
the only wrestler with enough moxie to slap "The Beast Incarnate" Brock
Lesnar across the face. Stakes: This is a No
Holds Barred match, meaning there are no rules and weapons are legal.
Imagine this match as David vs. Goliath, except instead of a slingshot,
David has a barbed wire baseball bat. Many expect this bout to steal the show. What to watch on the WWE Network to prepare Dean Ambrose vs. Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns: Fastlane, February 21 2016, Quicken Loans Arena, Ohio This
wonderfully chaotic triple-threat contest from February set up both
Roman Reigns vs. Triple H and Dean Ambrose vs. Brock Lesnar. Dean Ambrose vs. Seth Rollins: Hell in a Cell, October 26 2014, American Airlines Centre, Texas Ambrose's
2014 rivalry with his arch nemesis Seth Rollins culminated with this
cage match. It perfectly shows off why Ambrose is a beloved,
larger-than-life character.
WrestleMania 32 match: The Undertaker vs. Shane McMahon, Hell in a Cell
WWE
Story background:
The Undertaker is WrestleMania's phenom. The WWE's most enigmatic
performer, he went undefeated at the event for over two decades before
having his winning streak broken at WrestleMania 30 by Brock Lesnar. His
current record is nothing to scoff at: 22-1.
Shane McMahon is known for taking lots of punishment in his matches.
WWE
Shane
is the son of WWE CEO Vince McMahon and recently returned to the
company after a seven-year absence. Now back on the scene, the onscreen
story is that he wants to wrestle the company off his father. He'll need
to beat 'Taker to do that. On the surface, this is a horrific
mismatch -- Shane is more average Joe than first-class athlete, while
The Undertaker has been written as a near unbeatable competitor for 20
years. However, as you can see to the right, Shane has a reputation for
being able to put his body through insane trauma. It begs the question:
How much is he willing to endure to defeat the undefeatable? Stakes: This
is another rare protagonist vs. protagonist match. It was put together
by the tyrannical Vince McMahon (the character, that is), who said he'll
give his son Shane control of the company if he can defeat The Undertaker in a Hell in a Cell match. However, if The Undertaker loses, he'll be made to retire. What to watch on the WWE Network to prepare Shane McMahon vs. Kurt Angle: King of the Ring, June 24 2001, Continental Airlines Arena, New JerseyIn
2001, McMahon took on Olympic gold medallist Kurt Angle in a match that
shows just how much punishment he's willing to go through for the
enjoyment of the fans. The Undertaker vs. Mankind: King of the Ring, June 28 1998, Civic Arena, Pennsylvania This match, which also took place in a Hell in a Cell cage, features one of the most (in)famous stunts in wrestling history. There's likely to be more where that came from on Sunday.
vendredi 1 avril 2016
Gasoline versus electric, the old world versus the new -- these
primal conflicts play out in the automotive landscape of today.
Perfectly embodying each side of this struggle sit the Audi S7 and the Tesla Model S 90D. Tesla
represents the future, a window into how the average driver will
experience the road in five or 10 years. Its Model S eschews legacy,
automatically turning on when you get in. A 4G/LTE data connection comes
standard, connecting the car
to Tesla for periodic software updates and letting drivers navigate
with Google maps, listen to Internet-based radio stations and even
browse the Web. Favoring a giant touchscreen in the cabin, the dashboard
is essentially bare of buttons. Audi still builds engines that
burn fossil fuel, but the company brings cutting edge engineering to the
S7. This car's twin turbocharged V-8 and seven-speed dual clutch
transmission strive for maximum efficiency and power. Its cabin shows
old-world automotive craftsmanship, using diamond-pattern leather
covering seats that embrace the driver. Carbon fiber trim elements work
as a modern sign of performance.
The
Audi S7 and Tesla Model S 90D not only come in similar four-door
hatchback body styles, they match up in both performance and price.
Wayne Cunningham/Roadshow
Despite
these differences, the Tesla Model S 90D and Audi S7 bear striking
similarities. Both add a hatchback for increased cargo versatility to
their sleek, four-door sedan bodies. The S7 includes Audi's Quattro
all-wheel-drive system while the Model S 90D gains all-wheel drive with
two electric motors. Automatically adjusting air suspension lends to
ride comfort and handling performance in both cars. The S7 even
matches the Model S 90D with its own 4G/LTE data connection, and also
shows Google-derived maps in its navigation system. The Audi has
two siblings, the A7 and RS7, while the Model S can be had as the lesser
70D or more aggressive P90D Plus. We chose the S7 and Model S 90D
partially due to how well they match up in price. The S7 starts at about
$83,000 while the Model S 90D goes for $88,000. Add in options, and
both cars we tested come to around $95,000. Pitting the S7 and
Model S 90D against each other, we considered how it would be to live
with each as a daily driver, how they handled on a race track, and the
pure acceleration of a drag race.
Road-worthy
Where the S7
makes you hit a start button to fire up the engine, the Model S 90D
exhibits its future-forward style by readying itself to go as soon as
you enter the car. And lacking a transmission tunnel, the Model S cabin
feels light and airy, offering elbow room and little barrier between the
driver and passengers. The S7 may have premium cabin appointments, but
its seats feel a little more cramped, cocooning you among its controls
and trim.
Gasoline versus electric, the old world versus the new -- these
primal conflicts play out in the automotive landscape of today.
Perfectly embodying each side of this struggle sit the Audi S7 and the Tesla Model S 90D. Tesla
represents the future, a window into how the average driver will
experience the road in five or 10 years. Its Model S eschews legacy,
automatically turning on when you get in. A 4G/LTE data connection comes
standard, connecting the car
to Tesla for periodic software updates and letting drivers navigate
with Google maps, listen to Internet-based radio stations and even
browse the Web. Favoring a giant touchscreen in the cabin, the dashboard
is essentially bare of buttons. Audi still builds engines that
burn fossil fuel, but the company brings cutting edge engineering to the
S7. This car's twin turbocharged V-8 and seven-speed dual clutch
transmission strive for maximum efficiency and power. Its cabin shows
old-world automotive craftsmanship, using diamond-pattern leather
covering seats that embrace the driver. Carbon fiber trim elements work
as a modern sign of performance.
The
Audi S7 and Tesla Model S 90D not only come in similar four-door
hatchback body styles, they match up in both performance and price.
Wayne Cunningham/Roadshow
Despite
these differences, the Tesla Model S 90D and Audi S7 bear striking
similarities. Both add a hatchback for increased cargo versatility to
their sleek, four-door sedan bodies. The S7 includes Audi's Quattro
all-wheel-drive system while the Model S 90D gains all-wheel drive with
two electric motors. Automatically adjusting air suspension lends to
ride comfort and handling performance in both cars. The S7 even
matches the Model S 90D with its own 4G/LTE data connection, and also
shows Google-derived maps in its navigation system. The Audi has
two siblings, the A7 and RS7, while the Model S can be had as the lesser
70D or more aggressive P90D Plus. We chose the S7 and Model S 90D
partially due to how well they match up in price. The S7 starts at about
$83,000 while the Model S 90D goes for $88,000. Add in options, and
both cars we tested come to around $95,000. Pitting the S7 and
Model S 90D against each other, we considered how it would be to live
with each as a daily driver, how they handled on a race track, and the
pure acceleration of a drag race.
Road-worthy
Where the S7
makes you hit a start button to fire up the engine, the Model S 90D
exhibits its future-forward style by readying itself to go as soon as
you enter the car. And lacking a transmission tunnel, the Model S cabin
feels light and airy, offering elbow room and little barrier between the
driver and passengers. The S7 may have premium cabin appointments, but
its seats feel a little more cramped, cocooning you among its controls
and trim.
