Why Yes, This Is A Photo Of CM Punk And Al Bundy With The Gracies

Written by Brandon Stroud / 01.18.13

CM Punk Al Bundy Gracies

The jiu-jitsu prowess of ‘Modern Family’ ‘Married … With Children’ star Ed O’Neill is no surprise. The man is a God in these parts, and in the past we’ve written about how he could kill a robber and how he was more or less Brock Lesnar to the kid versions of Ryron and Rener Gracie. We’ve also written about him kicking Bubba Smith’s ass more than once.

We also write a lot about WWE Champion CM Punk. He’s a fixture of The Best And Worst Of WWE Raw column, and kinda-sorta changed the direction of the company (or at least the company’s “main event in the middle of the show” scene) during 2011′s ‘Summer Of Punk.’ He’s a Gracie practitioner, as well, and has shown up on the Gracie Breakdown.

Oddly enough, I never thought I’d see them together.

Rener Gracie CM Punk

So hey, who do we need to talk to about having Al Bundy as the celebrity guest host of Raw? He knows his way around a wrestling ring. He once went the distance against a Gorgeous Lady Of Wrestling.

[h/t to Andrew Johnson]

9 Comments TAGS: , , , , , , , ,

The With Leather Interview: Three-Time WWE Divas Champion Eve Torres

Written by Ashley Burns / 10.17.12

For the first time in my life as a casual wrestling fan, I tuned into Monday Night RAW specifically to watch a Divas match. I say specifically because I obviously never complained about watching Trish Stratus, Stacy Keibler or Torrie Wilson battle it out back in the day, but this time I was doing it as a brand new superfan of the WWE’s Divas Champion Eve Torres.

Before I had the chance to spend some time talking with her last week, I admittedly didn’t know much about the woman who has held the Divas title more times than any of her peers in the four years since it was created (she’s also tied with four other WWE women’s champions for 4th on the all-time women’s champions list). I knew that Eve was a dancer for the Los Angeles Clippers back when they were still the laughing stock of the NBA and I knew that she had recently won the NBC reality series Stars Earn Stripes.

But after talking to her, I can say with confidence that she’s going to be a star well beyond her days in the WWE, as her combination of talent, confidence and compassion have developed her into the rare breed of entertainer that welcomes challenges and the chance to bust her ass for success. Eve gave me some insight on what it’s like to jump blindly into the WWE, how she kicked Superman’s ass, why she should be the star of the WWE’s next action movie, and how learning Jiu-Jitsu has made her one of the most influential women in the country.

Read the rest of this entry »

29 Comments TAGS: , , , , , , , ,

Al Bundy Was Brock Lesnar To The Gracie Kids

Written by Brandon Stroud / 09.24.12

Al Bundy Ed O'Neill Gracie

‘Modern Family’ star Ed O’Neill (“star” meaning “one of the 34 people from the show nominated for Best Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series at Sunday’s Primetime Emmy Awards) is a 22-year veteran of Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Long story short, if Ed had gotten into MMA a little earlier, our ‘Married… With Children’ edition of Sports On TV would’ve been lighter on softball and heavier on Al shooting a double-leg takedown on Jefferson D’Arcy and tapping him with a Kimura lock.

Because “Al Bundy is a jiu-jitsu master” is a story that never stops being amazing, Ed O’Neill stopped by the Gracie Academy in Beverly Hills to make an appearance on ‘Gracie Breakdown’, helping Ryron and Rener Gracie analyze the important moments from UFC 152′s Jon ‘Bones’ Jones/Vitor Belfort fight. At one point the brothers explain that when they were little, “Uncle Ed” would trap them on the ground a la Brock Lesnar and beat them up. It is the best.

The breakdown begins with an analysis of the beautiful armbar that Belfort landed on Jones in round one. Ed explains how Jones’ style of ground and pound leaves him exposed to armbars, and then they analyze why Vitor wasn’t able to fully dislocate Jones’ elbow joint. They also discussed the critical details of the round 4 Americana Armlock that Jones’ used to seal the deal and retain title. Very exciting stuff.

Video is below.

Read the rest of this entry »

5 Comments TAGS: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Partnered With

Sign Up

Follow Us