Michael Rickard's Blog, page 12
February 25, 2019
The History of "Saturday Night's Main Event"
Editor's Note: Here's a blast from the past, a column I wrote nearly 12 years ago for World Wrestling Insanity. No edits made other than formatting so enjoy it in its original format.Copyright 2007 by Mike Rickard II Originally published at World Wrestling Insanity June 2, 2007 As Saturday Night's Main Event (SNME) makes its 35th appearance on TV, it's easy to look at it as just another wrestling show. However at the time of its inception, SNME was one of the biggest happenings in professiona...
February 22, 2019
The Trade Winds of Change: Emily Cartwright’s Ignorance and Corruption in the Novel "Cambridge"
Copyright 2019 by Michael W. Rickard II
Editor's Note: Last fall I took a class on neo-slave narratives. Here is an essay I wrote on Caryl Phillips’ CambridgeCaryl Phillips’ Cambridge utilizes the maxim that there are three sides to any story—my side, your side, and the truth to explore the historical and cultural gaps in society’s narrative of slavery. It also examines Emily Cartwright’s easy corruption by her own ignorance and the societal forces she is exposed to, inviting an examination of...
Editor's Note: Last fall I took a class on neo-slave narratives. Here is an essay I wrote on Caryl Phillips’ CambridgeCaryl Phillips’ Cambridge utilizes the maxim that there are three sides to any story—my side, your side, and the truth to explore the historical and cultural gaps in society’s narrative of slavery. It also examines Emily Cartwright’s easy corruption by her own ignorance and the societal forces she is exposed to, inviting an examination of...
February 17, 2019
Madison Square Garden Magic: Tito Santana vs. "The Hammer" in a Lumberjack Match. Part Two of Two
Copyright 2019 by Michael W. Rickard IILast time around we took a look at one of the key matches in the memorable feud between Intercontinental Champion Greg “The Hammer” Valentine and former champion Tito Santana, a feud that seemed to have no end in sight. On March 17, 1985, Santana challenged Valentine for the Intercontinental Championship in a match where Valentine had no means of escape—a Lumberjack Match.. Join me now as I look at the conclusion to this action-packed Lumberjack Match be...
February 15, 2019
I Waiting Until the Cows Come Home: Male Sexuality in Toni Morrison’s "Beloved."
Copyright 2019 by Michael W. Rickard II
Editor's Note: Last fall I took a class on neo-slave narratives. Here is an essay I wrote on Toni Morrison's novel Beloved.Beloved presents an array of situations examining the effects of slavery on enslaved individuals whether it’s trauma, broken families, disrupted communities, or sexuality. Toni Morrison’s exploration of slavery’s impact on the male sexuality of the enslaved males at Sweet Home raises questions about male desire and the objectificatio...
Editor's Note: Last fall I took a class on neo-slave narratives. Here is an essay I wrote on Toni Morrison's novel Beloved.Beloved presents an array of situations examining the effects of slavery on enslaved individuals whether it’s trauma, broken families, disrupted communities, or sexuality. Toni Morrison’s exploration of slavery’s impact on the male sexuality of the enslaved males at Sweet Home raises questions about male desire and the objectificatio...
February 10, 2019
Madison Square Garden Magic: Tito Santana vs. "The Hammer" in a Lumberjack Match. Part One of Two
Copyright 2019 by Michael W. Rickard II
The feud between Intercontinental Champion Greg “The Hammer” Valentine and former champion Tito Santana seemed to have no end in sight. While Santana had recovered from a leg injury suffered at the hands of Valentine, his quest to regain the Intercontinental Championship from the man who’d wrested the belt from him remained unsatisfied. On March 17, 1985, Santana challenged Valentine for the Intercontinental Championship in a match where Valentine had no...
The feud between Intercontinental Champion Greg “The Hammer” Valentine and former champion Tito Santana seemed to have no end in sight. While Santana had recovered from a leg injury suffered at the hands of Valentine, his quest to regain the Intercontinental Championship from the man who’d wrested the belt from him remained unsatisfied. On March 17, 1985, Santana challenged Valentine for the Intercontinental Championship in a match where Valentine had no...
February 8, 2019
I Hadn’t Knowed: Intersectionality and the Synthesis of Dessa Rose and Miss Rufel
Copyright 2019 by Michael W. Rickard IIEditor's Note: Last fall I took a class on neo-slave narratives. Here is an essay I wrote on the novel Dessa Rose. 
Intersectionality is the concept that people who collectively experience discrimination face different levels of discrimination depending on race, sexual orientation, class, and ableism. This is seen in Dessa Rose where the title character shares oppression with Ruth Elizabeth (“Miss Rufel”), leading to a transformation in their relationship...
Intersectionality is the concept that people who collectively experience discrimination face different levels of discrimination depending on race, sexual orientation, class, and ableism. This is seen in Dessa Rose where the title character shares oppression with Ruth Elizabeth (“Miss Rufel”), leading to a transformation in their relationship...
February 3, 2019
Nutter! Remembering 1984's "Tag Team Wrestling" Arcade Game
Copyright 2019 by Michael W. Rickard II
It’s funny how certain memories stick with you whether it’s your first kiss, your favorite teacher in high school (hopefully this memory doesn’t connect to the previous one!), or a video game you loved as a kid. The other day I was mall walking and I passed an area where the mall used to carry several video games set up for people with a few quarters and some time to kill. Instantly, I was taken back to 1984 and the video game Tag Team Wrestling, the fir...
It’s funny how certain memories stick with you whether it’s your first kiss, your favorite teacher in high school (hopefully this memory doesn’t connect to the previous one!), or a video game you loved as a kid. The other day I was mall walking and I passed an area where the mall used to carry several video games set up for people with a few quarters and some time to kill. Instantly, I was taken back to 1984 and the video game Tag Team Wrestling, the fir...
January 31, 2019
“Faithful Are the Wounds of a Friend”: How Harriet Jacobs Is Not Afraid to Offend Her Audience in "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl"
Copyright 2019 by Michael W. Rickard IIEditor's Note: Last fall I took a class on neo-slave narratives. Here is an essay I wrote on Harriet Jacobs' traditional slave narrative (as opposed to neo-slave narratives). Harriet Jacobs’ Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl (Incidents) differs from other slave narratives because Jacobs is less sensitive to her audience’s sensibilities than other slave narratives of the time. Jacobs uses Biblical quotes to expose hypocritic attitudes towards slavery...
January 27, 2019
Madison Square Garden Magic: "I Broke Wahoo's, er Strongbow's Leg" Part Two of Two
Copyright 2019 by Michael W. Rickard II
The March 3, 1979 edition of Championship Wrestling (ironically taped on Valentine’s Day) had seen Greg “The Hammer” Valentine break WWWF babyface Jay Strongbow’s leg, putting out the kayfabe Indian with an equally kayfabe injury. In the meantime, Valentine set his sights on WWWF champion Bob Backlund, fighting the champion in two classic encounters at Madison Square Garden where he failed to win the belt. However, Valentine had more matches awaiting him...
The March 3, 1979 edition of Championship Wrestling (ironically taped on Valentine’s Day) had seen Greg “The Hammer” Valentine break WWWF babyface Jay Strongbow’s leg, putting out the kayfabe Indian with an equally kayfabe injury. In the meantime, Valentine set his sights on WWWF champion Bob Backlund, fighting the champion in two classic encounters at Madison Square Garden where he failed to win the belt. However, Valentine had more matches awaiting him...
January 24, 2019
Charles Dickens' Poison Pen Letter to the United States: Postcolonialism in "American Notes"
Copyright 2019 by Michael W. Rickard IIWhile Charles Dickens’American Notes can be considered a combination of travel writing and social criticism, it also invites criticism from the perspective of cultural hegemony, asking the question whether Dickens’ work is a cleverly disguised proclamation on the superiority of the United Kingdom and the inferiority of America. This in turn, provides an ideal opportunity for a post-colonialist examination of the text. Charles Dickens’ American Notes is...
