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    Johnny Manziel's Last Laugh

    Johnny Manziel gets the last laugh: Cocky as ever and still the No. 1 star despite absurd NFL Draft drop

    Chris Baldwin
    May 9, 2014 | 1:17 am

    Johnny Manziel struts onto the Radio City Music Hall stage like he's the true No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft rather than the most prominent draft day drop since Aaron Rodgers. He rubs his fingers together, doing his infamous money sign, probably causes the uptight Roger Goodell to consider fining him on the spot.

     

    Everyone might have seen Johnny Football sweat. But he's not about to admit to being bothered.

     

    Manziel comes into the NFL as cocky as ever, arriving more like an over-the-top rapper than a public relations firm counseled professional football player. He'll somehow make it seem like he's had the last laugh. Sure, Manziel free falls all the way down to No. 22. Sure, everyone from the Texans to Jacksonville to Jerry Freaking Jones to Cleveland (twice) say thanks but no thanks before the Browns finally move up to grab him with a third chance.

     

    So what?

     

    It's just more Johnny Football high life. Just more great drama for the narrative. Johnny Manziel wants you to believe he could care less. It's all good.

     

    The crazy thing is he's probably right. He might be No. 22 in the draft book, but he's still the No. 1 most fawned over star. And it's not even close.

     
     

      Manziel comes into the NFL as cocky as ever, arriving more like an over-the-top rapper than a PR firm counseled pro football player. 

     
     

    No one else has the NFL Network cameras following him relentlessly through the back corridors of Radio City, documenting his every step long after the Browns end America's Johnny Football vigil. No one else needs a regiment of security types to inch his way through the crowd. No one else has people tweeting out doctored up pictures of them downing a beer at the NFL Draft (no that didn't actually happen — it's a fake).

     

    Johnny Manziel absolutely plummets — and he still emerges as the blinding star of the night. Go figure. It turns out that Kim Kardashian and Paris Hilton aren't the only ones impervious to reality.

     

    You know Manziel is loving it. Sure, the long fall costs Manziel around $13 million in his first NFL contract (based on those projections of him being the No. 4 pick). But this Rich Man's Son never needed the money. Besides you don't have to be buddies with Drake to know it's all about the endorsement cash.

     

    In the end, this draft day drama is good for the Johnny Football legend. As long as he goes out there and makes teams pay Randy Moss style.

     

    Which he probably will. Johnny Manziel may be too much of a rebel for even a clearly suddenly very old Jerry Jones, but he can play.

     

    There is no way Manziel should have gone No. 1 to Houston because of Jadeveon Clowney's blinding supernova talent. But there's also no way he should have dropped to No. 22 either.

     

    "Obviously, there were some spots where I thought I might end up," Manziel says in his televised press conference, "but when it didn’t happen there was no list (made) or no bitterness or grudge there."

     

    Sure. And Jennifer Lopez hasn't lost her mind. Forget Manziel's sudden PC talk. You can be certain he'll absolutely hold a grudge. And with the Browns playing 13 of the teams that passed him this season — including the Texans (good luck with Clowney and J.J. Watt in that one) — Johnny Football will relish the drama.

     

    No, he does not get the monster-sized stage of Jerry World. "I don’t know if the world could have handled that, honestly,” Manziel cracks when asked about him possibly being chosen by Dallas — a move that would have likely caused Tony Romo to explode into dust on the spot.

     

    No matter. Manziel will haul all the drama, the circus . . . and yes, his strangely undervalued talent to Cleveland. Suddenly, the Browns are must-watch TV.

     

     Johnny Manziel's TV Draft Drama

     

    Putting on a good TV show is something Manziel knows a whole lot about. He cannot hide his annoyance, sitting there in the green room (the expression of the young woman at his table avoiding eye contact with him at all cost as the picks inch into the twenties with Manziel still on the board is priceless) as both ESPN and the NFL Network's cameras hone in.

     

    Hey, he's a star. Above all else, stars know the show must go on.

     

    "I knew the TV part of it was going to come," Manziel says on a teleconference. "I knew that would be part of it. For me, it was a little nerve-racking.

     

     

    There's no way Manziel should have gone No. 1 with Clowney's blinding talent. But there's also no way he should have dropped to 22 either.

     
     

    "But at the same time, I went into the situation telling myself that everything would happen for a reason. I would land wherever I did tonight for a purpose."

     

    Now the purpose is proving a whole bunch of rigid NFL general managers wrong.

     

    Two other Texas A&M University players go before the school's Heisman hero — offensive tackle Jake Matthews to the Atlanta Falcons at No. 6 and wide receiver Mike Evans at No. 7 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Central Florida's Blake Bortles — who Manziel vastly out performed in college — is the first quarterback gone. But the real shock hits Manziel's face when the Browns move back up to the No. 8 pick . . . and take a cornerback rather than Johnny Football.

     

    He sits for two hours and 45 minutes of agonizing TV time in all (it only seems like he's on the screen for every second of it).

     

    After all the hype, the "best pro day ever" and the apparent false NFL love, Johnny Manziel is just another player who is deemed to be too short and too slight to star in a league that still strangely insists its quarterback prospects come from Central Casting. Actual playing evidence be damned.

     

    This isn't the Texans regret (unless you count Bill O'Brien's decision not to move up into the first round again later when the Manziel free fall really picks up steam against him). But it sure figures to be Jacksonville's. And Tampa Bay's. And Minnesota's.

     

    Manziel absolutely befuddled Nick Saban's Alabama defense twice. He breathed belief into an entire program, managed to make Texas A&M cooler than UT. Johnny Football is no mirage. This guy can play.

     

    He goes into the New York night still certain he's a star. On that, Johnny Manziel couldn't be more right.

     
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    Premier Japanese women's wrestling league performs in Houston this weekend

    Jef Rouner
    Jul 9, 2025 | 12:30 pm
    Two Japanese women wrestlers compete in a ring. One is stomping in the other with both feet.
    Photo courtesy of Tokyo Joshi
    Hard-hitting women's wrestling for two nights in Houston

    For the first time ever, one of Japan's premier women's wrestling promotions, Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling, will be touring Texas, with a two-night stay in Houston this week.

    "Bringing TJPW to Texas reflects Tokyo Story’s broader strategy," a Tokyo Story representative writes in an email. "As a Japan-inspired toy and event company, we see major Southwest cities — especially in Texas — as prime for the growth of Asian pop culture. Houston, Dallas, and others are becoming more diverse, culturally curious, and open to new entertainment formats. This isn’t a one-off stop — it’s part of a long-term push to bring Japan’s creativity to cities with eager audiences. And we are making TJPW Live an annual event!"

    The events happen on Thursday, July 10 and Friday, July 11 at POST Houston (401 Franklin). Tickets are available at TokyoStoryUSA.com.

    TJPW split off from DDT Wrestling in 2012 as a sister promotion (or "league") that ran alongside its male counterpart before becoming its own entity in 2015. In that time, they've launched the career of international superstars like Yuka Sakazaki and Mina Shirakawa (both currently signed to All Elite Wrestling in America), as well as hosting non-Japanese guest grapplers like Thunder Rosa.

    The fighting is excellent and often brutal, but TJPW is also known for its playfulness. Matches embrace anime-like absurdity, such as having a wrestler work in a giant panda mascot costume. The promoters are hoping to one day partner with Texas truck stop icon Buc-ee's for a more mascot shenanigans. Many of the women also perform in J-pop girl groups on of their wrestling duties.

    On Night 1, strike specialist Miyu Yamashita will take on Maki Itoh, known for her flamboyant style and high risk maneuvers. Night 2 will feature much of the local guest talent, such as Houston's own Kaylia Capri (Reality of Wrestling) vs Yuki Arai in a singles bout, and Austin's Vert Vixen teaming with reigning TJPW tag champ Hyper Misao. Other Texans slated to appear ar Maya World, Alejandra Quintanilla, and Billie Starkz.

    The last decade has seen a marked rise in the quality and prestige of women's wrestling in America, with WWE hosting all-women Royal Rumbles and stars like Rhea Ripley and "Timeless" Toni Storm becoming household names. Most major promotions now feature robust line-ups of Japanese women wrestlers, with some like Asuka and Iyo Sky becoming world champions.

    For Japan, women's wrestling has a more consistent history of legitimacy going back decades, and the talent pool there is vast. TJPW branching out into Texas tours gives them a chance to showcase their wrestlers in the land that spawned legends like The Undertaker, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, and the Von Erich Family.

    "The response has been overwhelmingly positive," said the TJPW spokesperson. "Many who had never experienced joshi (women’s) wrestling before are discovering how entertaining, emotional, and uniquely captivating it is. Since announcing the Texas shows, we’ve received a flood of enthusiastic messages — not just from wrestling fans, but from people drawn to the theatricality, comedy, and creativity of TJPW. We've also heard from fans in other states asking us to bring the tour to their cities."

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