TLC Live Notes

01.03am

Interesting opening gambit - ECW title match and all babyface effort aiming to steal the show.

Still no ECW commentary team it seems - Cole, Lawler and Striker. Makes sense, I guess.

01.29am

Enjoyed that opener, although there were quite a lot of setup spots where you could see one man was getting to where he needed to be.

Interesting to see Christian getting patched up (sort of) for the blood flowing and then the crowd chanting for the blood to increase!

Christian's retention makes sense. He has done almost all he can in ECW now - he is crying out to brought onto another roster - Smackdown I would think.

01.40am

Great moment. Morrison went for Starship Pain and grazed his opponent, and rather than insist it was devastating, Matt Striker called that it only just connected. Then, looking for a pin, Morrison got two before the ref spotted a foot under the ropes. Good continuity and logic.

01.42am

Wow, and thats it - title change. Odd finish to the match, as Morrison took his belt off for apparently no reason - I thought he was going to smack McIntyre with it, but he simply threw it down, distracted the ref, allowing Drew to poke his foe in the eye and then plant him with the double arm DDT.

01.44am

Teaser for Raw's Slammy awards. "What will be the Match of the Year?" Oh, that's a tricky one........

01.45am

Oh, another awesome moment - for us Brit fans anyway. A confident new IC champ Drew McIntrye is interrupted by Sheamus, who says he will also win gold tonight. Two mainstays of the UK scene for years on the up and on the TV - great stuff.

01.47am

Time for more title action, as it's Mickie v Michelle.

01.50am

Side note - I know I hardly hide the fact that I think Striker is great, but what I like about him tonight is that he is being really heelish, defending every heel action, but doing it intelligently. I genuinely would have Grisham and Striker on Raw. I really would.

01.56am

Realistically that's the wrong result (Michelle retained), but I'll give them credit, it was a better match than I'd anticipated. The story was very well told, with Mickie out for revenge and the jock girls belittling their rival. I'd like to have seen Mickie win, and so would the crowd by the sound of it - their sigh when Mickie rolled Michelle up for a near fall was the loudest reaction in a girls match I have heard in ages.

02.01am

Nice Sheamus and Cena video package. Cena's line "You impress me, but not for one second do you intimidate me" was money.

02.06am

Did Striker just say that the last champ born outside the US was Yokozuna? How about Bret? How about Edge? If you include the World Title you've got (whisper it) Benoit and The Great Khali.

02.22am

TLC - The Lucky Charm?

02.23am

Wow - Sheamus is the champ! That's shocking, I have to say, although I did consider it due to the position of the match in the middle of the show.

The downside was that it wasn't the best match. In fact it was quite sluggish and rather the slow. The end in particular seemed to take forever to come, and it didn't make Sheamus look amazing.

Nice post-match touch, as Cena took, it appeared, a shard of the broken table - it has to be Cena v Sheamus next up, which I assume is the Royal Rumble. (I'm actually a little annoyed that Sheamus won't be in the Rumble, unless there is a change of plan before that.)

02.29am

Batista v Undertaker next. DX v Jerishow for the main event, then, I guess.

02.32am

Still a few cheers for Batista. I think they should change his ring music, it's upbeat babyface music. I'd have something slower and more menacing.

02.52am

Hmm. I didn't care for that particular. If you didn't see it, Batista won after hitting Taker with a low blow and a chair shot to the head, before Teddy Long ordered the restart because of the low blow. Taker swiftly hit the tombstone and won.

The thing is, why didn't Long come out and make the McIntyre/Morrison match start again? That had a misdemeanour behind the ref's back - not very fair on Morrison.

The match itself wasn't great. Like the Tables match with Sheamus and Cena, I think the stipulation actually hindered the wrestlers. They have affected the matches negatively.

03.25am

Orton overcomes Kofi, and again I enjoyed that without it being outstanding. There have been a couple of intricately put together matches tonight. The story to that one was really good, with a few moments in it which made you sit back and say wow, namely Orton's dropkick when Kofi was coming from the top rope to the floor.

It puts Orton in a strong position again, and I'd suggest he'd go into the Rumble now, claiming he wants to win it again. Kofi, I'll say again, is going to win Money in the Bank at Wrestlemania.

So who will Jericho's mystery partner be....?

Ah, the old Mystery Partner. Usually such a great concept, and so often punctuated by a crappy pay off.

Now, we have a mystery partner angle involving Christopher Keith Irvine, better known as Chris Jericho. Formerly the Ayatollah of Rock and Rolla. Formerly Y2J. Currently calling himself simply “The best in world at what he does.”

And he may be right.

Jericho has been nothing short of awesome for the last 16 months or so, with quality encounters with Shawn Michaels and Rey Mysterio punctuating this period. His emergence as half of a Smackdown “Dream Team” which netted the Unified Tag Titles, along with Edge, seemed to signal a fun coalition and a logical use of Edge and Jericho on all shows.

Now, though, Edge is kaput. He is broken. On the shelf.

Hence the quick rewrite this week. Jericho emerges with a document stipulating he can choose his partner, who will become his co-champion. It remains to be seen whether his cohort will be named next week on TV or at the PPV itself.

In the meantime, I offer you three options for who it could be. The first is, I think the most likely. The second less likely, a little less logical, but a bit more fun, in my opinion. The last, though, is unlikely, won’t happen, and is a flight of fancy. But it’s my favourite, and would be a terrific idea.

1) Jack Swagger

Jack Swagger has two major negatives about him. One is his stupid nickname, “The All-American American.” It’s nonsense, get rid of it. The second downer is his ricockulous (thanks CJ) pantomime as he heads to the ring. I don’t mind the press ups, but the cross between an epileptic fit and King Kong is ludicrous. Lose it.

That aside, the guy is clearly a keeper. He has the WWE physique and look which is a bonus, of course, but more importantly he can wrestle, has character, is a good heel, is young, and has already had a number of very decent matches.

His move to Raw is very obviously an indication that he is moving up in the world, and a clean win over MVP further evidence of his upward mobility. My instinct was that blowing off of a potentially feud with MVP was ludicrous, but thinking about it, it was probably done to allow Swagger a free run at being Jericho’s upstanding partner. Who better than Jericho than Swagger to learn from and who better than Young Jack to be given a boost from this position?

It’s the most likely scenario.

2) The Miz
This is less likely, but not impossible.

Let’s look at the evidence. Miz has been in a brief little angle with John Cena, which although it didn’t go fabulously, most definitely gained respect in certain quarters. He, like Jericho, is a genuinely over heel thanks to the almost lost art of being a complete prick (and I mean that in the nicest of ways).

Miz is an experienced Tag Team wrestler, after his successful stint with John Morrison (my Mizorrison nickname never took off, did it? Everyone went with “JoMizzy” instead. Rubbish) and would be good from a logic perspective, since Jericho would likely pick someone like Miz, as a bit of a trailblazer and a successful Tag Team guy.

Other factors would be Miz’s little Twitter battle with Jericho. This is clearly something that they are doing for a joke between the boys, but it would indicate that they are good friends, I would think. Jericho is a man who is known to have respect backstage and gets a lot of input into his own angles. I can envisage the powers that be going to Chris, asking his advice, and his request to work with Miz.

They would be a stunningly over heel team. They would be really hated, and if WWE actually had any (and I mean, ANY) tag teams then a babyface one would have a perfect opportunity to get the fans behind them, since folks really don’t like Miz and Jericho (Mizco?).

When you think about this combination, some of the promo and segments ought to be absolute dynamite. I’d like to see Miz emerge as the partner.

Unless...........

3) I’ll tell you in a minute.......

So then, Chris Jericho needs a partner. He needs someone he’d like to work with, someone who is a skilled worker, someone who needs a direction, could do with a change of scenary, and can work as a cocky heel if necessary.

Can you see who I mean? Can you see what I’m getting at?

‘You’ll see if you just close your eyeeeeeeees. If you just close your eyes’

Now open them again (which, I suppose, you have if you are reading this again) and think about Christian finally, FINALLY being given a chance to shine again on a proper scale, and not the bloody ECW.

The problems here are plentiful, and I understand how unlikely this is. But wouldn’t it be fun?

WWE don’t appear to be that high on Christian, perhaps as a knock on him for disappearing to TNA before returning, but it ought to be remember that Jeff Hardy did this too, and long at the push he has had over the last couple of years.

Yes, Christian has a match scheduled for Night of Champs, but don’t forget Jericho had wrestled already when he emerged with Edge to grab the belts in the first place. That shouldn’t be a stumbling block.

The logic holds through here (mostly). Jericho wants someone he can trust, and since he knows Christian and has a history with him, can claim that he trusts him. Admittedly, Christian turned on Jericho and went off with Trish, who Jericho had a thing for. Incidentally, this was probably the last ‘boy meets girl’ storyline that has been done successfully.

Christian and Jericho have always had an onscreen chemistry, and are friends in real life. It would work nicely.

And here’s the clincher. Christian as the new partner. Christian, replacing EDGE, as a partner. Play up the idea that Christian is the superior one of the old E&C duo. Then, if you can keep a certain focus on Christian and Jericho as a duo for long enough – not necessarily as a tag team, but at least as allies – when Edge is ready to return, you have a plethora of options.

Edge can come back to conquer Jericho and Christian, with his own partner. Christian and can turn on Jericho and reform his partnership with Edge. Jericho could turn on Christian and once again align with the Rated R Superstar. Any man could be heel, any man could be face, in any combination.

I am aware that my last big idea was about Christian and Edge, but I’d like to point out that I was half right. While the world was all about Christian being Jeff’s attacked, and Vince apparently all anxious about a leak, I said Matt to be the culprit all along. Admittedly I then fantasy booked Edge and Matt to be in league, with Christian returning to assist Jeff, but you can’t have everything.

It should be Christian. It’ll be cool if it’s Miz. It’ll likely be Swagger. And that would be fine too, but I prefer one of the other options.

If you have your own idea, I’d love to hear it. Comment beneath or send to robthegreen (at) hotmail (dot) com.

Raw Thoughts - June 14

· Really liked the start to Raw. Most people would be tuning in for the title matches, so give them a piece of info about a new GM being named, and then King says “Vince is here for something else.” You’ve essentially got five things – the three titles, GM and Vince – to look forward to.
· Huh? Jericho v Mysterio? So why the hell wasn’t this promoted? Surely at least a few people would be extra persuaded to tune in for the extra hour, especially if they know that calibre of match is at the top of the show.
· Terrific match again, though. I could watch Jericho and Mysterio wrestle every week. Poetry in motion. I love the logical endings too. Jericho gets the better of a relatively even contest by pulling the mask, distracting Rey, and then hitting his Codebreaker. There is still mileage in that one.
· Selling Monday Night Raw? OK, that’s quite the big deal to be throwing into the middle of a show. I could throw out a few guesses, but it do little good since I’m reviewing a taped show, and you’ll simply accuse me of writing the name in later.
· Oh, sod it, lets put out everything it can be. The obvious one is Flair, but where would he get the money from. Heyman.......um, no. Bischoff? That could happen, but do we really want him to have Raw again, after he was GM for like four years?
· Who else......Ted DiBiase Snr? He has a lot of money, at least in his gimmick, so that would make sense. Plus, if he came in as a babyface, there could be great antagonism between him and Legacy.
· I like the thought of JBL. He is a man we know of as having a lot of money. He is a businessman. He has close links to Vince. He has been gone for a while and would make a fantastic authority figure. I’d suggest that he wouldn’t want to work for someone, so he’d buy Vince out.
· Did Striker take a shot at Obama? So does Joey Styles feed the ECW guys through their headphones?
· What a great sign. Guys, if you are going to spell out P-E-E-P-S in five separate signs, make sure the fourth guy holds up that second ‘P’......
· That clock is absolutely pathetic. It’s one thing to do it with 45 minutes until the WWE title match, but to put up a ten minute clock after the ECW Title has only just started is absurd. How disrespectful to a) focus on another match, but b) to explain that they will only get ten minutes to have their contest.
· Crowd are very quiet, by the way.
· I liked the finish there. If they had to rush it – and to be fair, a long match isn’t Dreamer’s friend – then Christian getting injured and a small package was practical.
· So, Orton wins, and we are back to how it was. This really has been an odd couple of weeks. If they knew Batista was injured (and they must have done) why put the belt on him and mess things about. It might have had a short term angle made up and a little bit of intrigue, but in the long term it hurts the title, because the champ is now a guy who lost clean eight days ago.
· Donald Trump? Really? I don’t think any of us could have predicted that. I still like my JBL prediction. Wouldn’t that have been great?
· Hard to get excited about the Trump thing, because we haven’t really an investment in his character, really. I would think he’d appoint a GM soon enough, and then pop up from time to time, maybe do a little cross promotion here and there.
· Did Punk say to Matt that he had never been World champion? Is that a definitive example of WWE admitting that the ECW title is not at that level?
· “You’ll notice how Punk was trying to hook both of Edge’s legs.” As it happens I did see that, and that is why JR is the best announcer in the world, because he spots things like that. I assume that it is also why the boys love him, because they can do something clever and logical and JR will call it, not just let it be missed.
· I didn’t really think that triple threat got going, but I think it was the fault of the schedulers. I felt that the advertisements came at the wrong point, and hurt the flow of the match.
· The finish makes sense. I really hope that whomever wins between Punk and Hardy at The Bash (terrible name, by the way) they have a 25 minute give and take match which helps both guys. I liked the ending here with Punk winning, and they have given him a couple of clean wins of late, but I’d really like to see him have several PPV main events where he is treated with the utmost respect. He deserves it.
· Hmmm, “more better” from DiBiase and then Cody pauses before saying “Great American Bash”
· That’s where I hate just throwing a team out there for no reason. The Raw audience first glimpse of “The Hart Dynasty” is that they got their ass handed to them in about three minutes by the Colons, and the commentary never even bothered with the match in the ring. You may as well hire in two jobbers and let them get killed, because it does nothing for TJ and Harry.
· Why does MVP have a Manchester United shirt on?
· Big Show in Battle Royal is such a boring feature, but I really liked the spot of pulling Matt back in then throwing him out again.

Backlash Preview

Backlash. The latest WWE Pay Per View. Read about it on WWE.com backslash backlash.

Or, indeed, read about it here, as you have chosen to do. I have had a few of you write to me and ask why I haven’t been updating so much of late. I apologise, but my schedule has been mad as of late. I’ve hardly been home and working on the read means I don’t get many chances to Blog. Will try to rectify this situation.

By the way, I would blog with more frequency but I have a slight problem. Because I write about wrestling professionally, when I think of an idea I want to write about I pitch it to write on a website or magazine. (www.thesun.co.uk/wrestling or Fighting Spirit Magazine available from WHSmith and precious few other bloody stockists) To this end, if you want to throw me a question down the line I’d be happy to give you an answer on the blog. Email rob the green at hotmail dot com, changing the format as appropriate. (I get a shitload of spam, don’t want to add to it by typing my email address too often.)

By way of a final piece of housekeeping, I’ll be back live tonight for Backlash to give my usual live blog, which is updated far more regularly and quicker than any other live wrestling blog. That is a scientific fact (Disclaimer, may not be a fact.)

Onto the Pay per View then, and I feel myself saying the thing that so often comes from my keyboard on PPV days. The card doesn’t look that appetising, but WWE have come up trumps so many times in the last two years or so on PPV. The (longest running) weekly (episodic) TV might not be up to much, but the big shows (not Paul Wight) tend to deliver.

Tonight is a test (Not Andr.....leave it) though. No Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, Rey Mysterio, Big Show, Kofi, Miz or Morrison, no Colons, no MVP Shelton or Umaga. The main event is a flimsy six man and the hype for the show features a rematch of a bout which was poor, had a twice filmed ending and lasted three minutes on Monday (Kane and CM Punk) and a segment about a man in drag kissing a 7ft4 Indian bloke. Hmmm.

CM Punk v Kane

We’ll start here, as it is such an odd choice of match. I like both of these guys – one for their wrestling, one for their character, and I’ll let you guess which is which – but was live in London for their match on Monday and it was poor. It was sloppy, with a botched ending, and the timing (maybe 3-4 minutes) they were given was horrifically short.

Even worse, Punk won cleanly, so why are we supposed to care about them having a rematch?

I have a horrible feeling about this, which I hope I might be wrong about. How about Kane beats Punk but Punk cashes in Money in the Bank? Punk is then champ with Edge and/or Cena demanding a rematch, and Kane arguing that because he beat Punk he ought to be number one contender. Could happen.

Prediction: Officially Kane to win. If the full scenario plays out then I get bonus points.


Santino/Santina/Khali kiss cam
I know this isn’t a match, so I can’t count it as a prediction really, but I wanted to offer an explanation as to why it’s on PPV. I can see the major blow up of Santino and Beth here. I can’t give a full picture as I can’t think how I’d do it, but I can see Beth interjecting and somehow (maybe on Raw) Rosa ends up siding with Santino. Their problem in all this might be how people end up post-angle. I think they’d want Rosa and Santino to be a heel couple with a Beth face turn, but the people will cheer for Santino no matter what.

I’m saying something major (well, major in context) may well happen since they’ve bumped this to PPV from regular TV.


Matt Hardy v Jeff Hardy – I Quit match
Until I read rumours of Jeff Hardy leaving I would have had him down as a banker winner. Now, I’m not so sure.

I still think Jeff could be pushed in a major way. If he leaves, he gets a big send off and the stage is set for if and when he returns. If he doesn’t leave, then all the better. The fear will likely be that he takes time off for burnout then goes to TNA (it’s happened before) so the more likely explanation is that Matt gets the stronger push out of this feud.

It’s likely to end here, I would think, especially with the two brother being on separate brands now. I feel for Matt a bit, and like Kennedy and Mysterio before him he may get lost in the Raw shuffle a little.

The scenario I envisage here is a rehash of the Bret Hart v Steve Austin match as Wrestlemania. You can put Matt Hardy over his brother one more time, but rather than uttering the words I Quit, Jeff simply cannot continue. He overcomes all odds to make sure he does not give in, but it’s someone else’s decision to stop the match. As long as Ken Shamrock doesn’t guest ref this, then we’re cool.

Prediction: Matt to win, but Jeff not to say “I Quit”


Chris Jericho v Ricky Steamboat

I can’t decide whether to be excited about this or not. It’s basically a filler match and a small capitalisation on Steamboat’s surprise (to some) success at Wrestlemania weekend. As someone who was there, the adulation of Ricky at Raw the night after Mania was truly special. I was chanting “You’ve still got it” for days.

I’m not to keen on this match, as like the words to that song they played for Ric Flair said “Leave the memories alone.” Steamboat could be remembered for his last two matches being a beautiful surprise, and not a B-show filler match.

I’d still expect this to be good. We’ve seen how Steamboat really does still have it and Jericho might be the best about at the moment, so this’ll likely be fun.

Prediction: Jericho to win, and possibly a nefarious act post-match to keep his heat sky-high and put The Dragon out of the picture.


Jack Swagger v Christian (ECW Title)

I’m not confident of predictions on any of the title matches tonight. This one included. Most of me says Swagger to retain. Partly because of them seemingly wanting to hold back Christian, partly because the internal reaction to Swagger v Cena two weeks ago was said to be very positive.

However, there are some Christian pointers. Someone, somewhere must have noted that Christian got by far the best reaction in Money in the Bank. If you are not going to give him the ECW title, why leave him on the brand in the draft? And this match has been done before on PPV, with Swagger winning. It seems to achieve nothing if the former Mr Cage is simply beaten again.

Prediction: I’m going to for the old guess you one you don’t want to win, so if you are right you get a point, if you are wrong you are happy about the outcome. Swagger to win, and I hope I’m wrong.



Edge v John Cena (Last Man Standing match, World Title)

Well there are three theories, and all stem from two obvious points. Those points are that Cena will be off House shows soon because he is shooting a movie, while Smackdown is shockingly without a World Title.

So, either they do the logical thing which is Edge wins and take the title to SD, or they have Cena win to swerve everybody, or they do either of the above and have Punk come in and steal the title like he did last year.

Going on the Punk theory for a second, that can work two ways, because it could be used to give Cena an excuse for dropping the belt. However, that makes little sense, because a) he’d then a) be mad at a guy on a different brand and b) would deprive us of the logical Edge v Punk feud. And Edge v Punk feud which would be more intense because Edge would be doubly mad since Punk cashed in last year MITB briefcase against him too.

The most likely thing, I think, is that a dirty rotten heel from Raw (maybe Jericho) helps Edge to victory, giving Cena both a reason for losing and a ready made feud on Raw while the title picture continues to revolve around Triple H.

I’ll offer this up, as something that I would do. I’d end the show with this match (already you know this isn’t going to happen since the build up is all about the Game) and have Edge win out in a really close one. Maybe both guys are counted out to nine and Vickie appears to throw water over Edge or something. Anyway, Edge wins, and Punk’s music hits. One of two things happens. Either Edge runs away and Punk can’t catch him, or Punk is just appearing to scare the shit out of the new champion, and the paranoid Edge character continues for a few weeks with Punk hovering and waiting to pounce.

Prediction: I’ll take the straightforward Edge title switch, for sensible reasons, and assume that he gets some help from somewhere. Would be wonderful to see post-match Punk, but no impromptu title match, just a build for the future. It’d make me watch Smackdown, that’s all I’m saying.


Triple H, Batista and Shane v Legacy

Even though I predicted this long before it played out on TV (obviously with Vince instead of Big Dave) I don’t want to see it. I hate the stipulation of someone other than the champion being pinned and there being a title switch, and I hate the fact that bloody Vince and Shane are powerless over Vickie to block this match. And what is Vickie’s motivation anyway?

That aside, looking at where the match goes, well it goes one of four ways, but with all but one leading to the same conclusion.

I foresee a Triple H and Batista rivalry, folks, and I see it being started tonight. So, either Batista gets pinned and Triple H is pissed off with him, Batista wins the match for Trips and later accuses his former Evolution chum of being ungrateful or Batista turns on his partners and wins the title for Randy.

The fourth scenario is that Shane is beaten costing Trips the title, but I don’t really see where that leads post Backlash. I suppose a further scenario is that Shane turns on his partners but that makes even less sense.

I like the Batista-loses-Trips’-belt angle the best. I think that’s the most likely, because there are logistics for two programmes then. The first leads a triple threat match between Triple H, Batista and Orton, which Orton wins after the other two beat the crap out of each other. Then, Orton can go his own way with the title while Trips and Dave face off, maybe at Summerslam.

Prediction: Triple H to pin someone and retain. I know that contradicts everything I’ve just said, and isn’t even in the list of about six scenarios I gave, but I don’t care. Logically, everything goes out of the window, and Triple H wins. That’s how things usually work.

Enjoy the show everybody, remember to keeping logging in during the PPV and I’ll keep you updated with my thoughts. Feel free to email in too. Robthegreen, followed by an at sign, with a hotmail, a dot and a com to follow.

No Way Out preview

I, like most wrestling fans, love this time of year. The Royal Rumble is my favourite PPV there is, and who can’t emotionally involved in the build to Wrestlemania, positioned at the biggest show of the year?

It used to be great that there was nothing between the Rumble and Mania, but since the calendar was flooded with PPVs, that is no longer possible.

Until a few years ago, No Way Out was a pain-in-the-backside, somewhat redundant, show which actually trod on the toes of the other two. The Elimination Chamber was used at this event last year in two matches, and apart from the obvious synergy with the title of the Pay Per View being an expression apropos for the situation, it was a good fit.

The John Cena comeback storyline dominated the Rumble and the subsequent show, so the Chambers determining the number one contenders was a reasonable decision.

Having the matches as title encounters is an interesting call, but a plausible one and not one which I have a problem with. Some say that the Smackdown line-up is stronger than Raw, which is a statement I would tend to agree with, but I’d put to you that a match which involved Big Daddy V, Khali, Finlay, MVP, Taker and Batista last year was a belter. No reason that the Raw chamber match won’t be as exciting as that was, even though we probably know the destination of the belt.

There are only five matches on the card, so before I get to those, I’ll try to pinpoint where any other matches or segments can be added.

There is an obvious Raw bias to the card. Aside from it’s chamber match, they also have the high stakes JBL v Shawn Michaels bout and high profile Shane McMahon v Randy Orton encounter. ECW has Swagger v Finlay, while Smackdown isn’t represented other than their main event.

Smackdown is the logical destination for more activity. Neither the US Champion Shelton Benjamin nor Primo and Carlito, the tag champs, are involved at the moment, so perhaps they could find themselves in action.

This is where TNA have a strong suit in their X division, because if they want to add a spectacle to the shoe, they can put a bunch of guys out there and let them have fun. Because the Cruiserweight division is no more, it doesn’t really work for WWE to stick a bunch of guys together. Plus, they have the Money in the Bank, so they may feel they are watering down the concept.

Other potential matches may involve wrestlers who are in line for a certain push. Umaga is not in the chamber, so could potentially be given a chance to beat someone, although obvious contenders are at a premium. Khali, perhaps? It wouldn’t be pretty, but the message of Umaga being a monster would be reinforced.

Mr Kennedy is on his way back, so he may get involved somewhere, and other notable matchless individuals are (in no particular order) Matt Hardy, Christian, CM Punk, William Regal, R-Truth, Mark Henry and Mizorrison.

Here’s a bold suggestion, since I was on the money with them last time – I’ll take a backstage attack by....someone, with the suggestion it’s Matt Hardy, on Jeff Hardy. This would either mean Jeff can’t compete, or more likely that he competes injured, putting paid to another title effort. Another step towards the logical Matt v Jeff match at Wrestlemania.


Jack Swagger v Finlay – ECW Title match
This has to be a strong contender for opening match, and you’d think will feature Christian (just Christian. It’s hard not to write Christian ‘Cage’) in some respect. I think they’d be well served to sit him on commentary if the idea is to have him face the winner. It would allow him to re-ingratiate himself with the audience, give an opportunity to explain the kayfabe reasoning for the return and build some foundation to a feud with either man.

You’d think Swagger wins here. It’s hard to see why they’d give him the belt to have him drop it, and if Christian’s destiny is the ECW title, winning it from Swagger makes more sense. Not that I wouldn’t like to see Christian v Finlay, mind you.

My big problem with Finlay, which I’ve probably stated before, is that as great a wrestler he is, he hasn’t won a match cleanly for about three years. He always has to use the bloody shillelagh, and I really dislike heel tactics being used for a babyface as a regular habit, because it waters down the heat for the heels. Imagine if, for example, Regal started to use brass knuckles again. The commentators would moan about the nefarious tactics, but fans would be thinking about Finlay getting away with using foreign objects too.

Anyway, that aside, I think Swagger will win, and win clean.

Prediction.....err, what I just said.


Shawn Michaels v JBL – “All or nothing”

This has been one of the oddest feuds in recent history. A weak setup and now quite a flimsy, possible blow-off match, but has been punctuated by tremendous promos filled with well-conveyed emotions.

I don’t anticipate a fantastic match here, because watching JBL wrestle isn’t nearly as interesting as listening to him talk. However, expect a well told story with umpteen false finishes. They can afford to play with the ending more because the other three main matches involve different setups, so this the biggest straight up one-on-one wrestling match on the agenda, if you see what I mean.

WWE have a luxury with these guys, because they can take it wherever they want the storyline to go, and not worry about either guy losing momentum. JBL is a gifted orator, and can get his heat back at the drop of a hat. He could lose every week and still get the right reaction. Michaels, meanwhile, is so loved because of his history, he will likely be cheered forever, so could afford to lose also.

I tend to think HBK will triumph, here. I don’t see them having JBL beat him straight up, so unless they have something up their sleeve whereby Bradshaw has an accomplice who can help him win and set up Michaels v Accomplice at Mania, you’d think the babyface has to prevail.

Prediction: Shawn wins, and by this time next week has had an incident with another superstar, building to a big Mania match.


Randy Orton v Shane McMahon – No Holds Barred, Hardcore, Street Fight, No DQ match

Shane only competes in matches where the rules are flung out of the window, so this’ll be however they are currently defining a match in which they can do what they like.

Logically Randy would go over here in a nasty one, but logically Shane wouldn’t be so dominant in the last couple of weeks, either.

I still think Orton will win, but I have an unsettling feeling that he’ll rely on Cody and Ted to help him out. I’m going to be quite non-committal on the details of the match, but I’ll say that after Orton gets his hand raised he contrives to kick Shane in the head....sorry, SKULL, and put him out of commission.

The setup is then there for it to go a couple of ways. One theory that I’ve seen doing the round is that Randy will brag to have rid the WWE of two McMahons, and that Steph’s response will be to unleash her husband, Triple H, as the man to stop Orton. This is logical in a couple of ways. One in the sense that it would recognise the relationship and have Trips stand up for his wife, and also in that Randy has the main event slot at Wrestlemania, and could choose to head to Smackdown and challenge The Game.

I have an alternative one, in the spirit of trying to come up with extra ideas. Try this one.

Orton wins and destroys Shane, then does the aforementioned menacing speech to Steph. He is interrupted by champion John Cena, who defends the honour of the Raw GM. We build to Mania with Orton v Cena, and have Cena beaten down a couple of times by Legacy. Maybe a couple of Raw superstars try to stand aside Cena, like Kofi or Rey, and Legacy take them out.

Randy them threatens Cena on the last Raw before Wrestlemania, and says that he’ll win the belt, and that his backup will help him. “You’re three on one, John, the odds are against you,” Randy will say.

Cena refutes this suggestion, and says that he indeed will have someone in his corner at Wrestlemania. Cue Vinny Mac to return, and the last raw ends with Vince and Cena aligned.

At Mania, a give and take match has the obligatory ref bump, and Mr McMahon steps in to try to revive the official. As he is bent over, Orton gets ready for a big punt. He doesn’t get a chance to, and Vince stands up and gets in Orton’s face. As the two men face off, Cena staggers to his feet. Vince grabs a weapon, and levels the Champ. Ref recovers, Orton covers, and we have a new champion.

Vince’s reasoning for helping Orton could be that when Orton slapped him and realised that Orton had that characteristic that Vince likes: Ruthless Aggression. Leaves things open for a Cena chase of the belt and Vince trying to hold him back. I know it’s been done, but most other stuff isn’t working right now.

Plausible, no?

Anyway.....

Prediction: Orton to win, probably not as convincingly as he should do


Raw Elimination Chamber – John Cena (c), Chris Jericho, Kane, Kofi Kingston, Mike Knox, Rey Mysterio.

I’ve not really hidden who I think will win this, but then I don’t think I’m being revolutionary in picking John Cena to retain. I’d go so far as to say the only people who are predicting anyone else are doing so out of either boredom or simply taking a chance that if a shocking swerve happens that they can claim they predicted it.

I’d break out the patented, much sought after McNichol Eliminator, but I don’t want to overuse it. I may use it on the next match. Tell you what, I’ll use the travel version.

Knox, Kofi and Kane won’t win. No-one beginning with K. Outside chance of Mysterio, but frankly very, very unlikely.

Chris Jericho is the only real candidate, but with his Wrestlemania future looking like it will have something to do with Flair, or Mickey Rourke, or some such escapade, he doesn’t need the WWE title for this. Cena, meanwhile, has nothing obvious lined up, and makes more sense as a headliner.

As for the match composition, I’d go with two of John Cena, Rey Mysterio and Kofi Kingston to start the match. Add Jericho at three, and have five minutes of these guys bumping around and having fun. Kane or Knox enter next, and do the monster thing of dominating the smaller three. This takes up most of the time until Cena is next, destroying all and eliminating Kane/Knox. The final monster is introduced last and gets rid of Kofi, evening the babyface and heel quotas. Rey then falls, leaving two heels to beat on Cena. Jericho sneakily rolls up Kane/Knox, and leaving him and Cena. We all know what happens then.

Prediction – Hmm, seems I jumped the gun again. I’m enjoying the fantasy booking, though


Smackdown Elimination Chamber – Edge (c), Big Show, Triple H, Undertaker, Vladimir Koslov, Jeff Hardy.

What’s that? No waffle this time, just get into how you’d book it? Ok, you’re the boss.

We start with Triple H and Koslov. Standard action for five minutes, before Jeff comes in next. Jeff has been selling injuries from an earlier beating, but seems to overcome this to be the star of the match to this point. Show is next, and Jeff takes one chance too many, missing a move and running into a Big Show KO punch. Jeff is history. Big Show dominates, and Taker enters next. The Deadman stands tall, eliminating Koslov as he goes. Triple H, Taker and Show battle while Edge lies in wait. Perhaps accusations of favouritism from JR as Edge has the best draw.

The three in the ring hit big moves on one another, so when Edge enters they are vulnerable. Spear on Show, and the big guy is history. Edge doesn’t leave it there, mocking Show, who forces his way back into the cell with a steel chair. He smashes Edge with it, sending the Rated R Superstar into Takers waiting clutches. A Tombstone later, and Edge is gone.

We are left with Triple H and Undertaker, with the former kicking out of a chokeslam/or reversing a Hells Gate, while Taker survives a Pedigree. Gotta make both look good, haven’t we? Eventually Triple H gets hold of the chair Show left in, and cracks Taker. A cover, but Taker still kicks out. Taker gets back in charge, but somehow Trips engineers a Pedigree on the chair, and finally wins it.

Prediction – Triple H. I don’t see two champions retaining in the Cells, and it strikes me that Cena must do, and therefore this one is the most open for the title to switch. Edge and Show seem to be building something, and it strikes me that they are likely to tangle in some manner at Wrestlemania. I can’t see Koslov winning, and Jeff, as previously discussed, has his issue with Matt. That only leaves Taker or Triple, both with great records in the Cell. The only problem with Triple H winning is where that leaves Undertaker for mania, and vice versa.

Maybe Triple H v Taker at Mania? I’d like to see that, although not for the belt, since Taker’s streak v someone’s title has been the theme of the last two years.

Anyway, we’ll soon see. I’m really looking forward to this show, and hope you are too.

Don’t forget, live coverage will take place on this here blog, with my continuing updates keeping you posted on the action, as well as offering my opinions and predictions. Those that followed live last month will recall that I called the Matt Hardy turn during the show, down to very close detail. Maybe I’ll be equally prescient tonight.

Hope to see you during the show – you can join in the blog by emailing me at robthegreen at hotmail dot com.

Enjoy No Way Out

Rob

Raw Thoughts - February 9th

· Jericho and Flair kick off Raw. Ironically, having not met for months, they’ll meet again next week in their traffic anger management class. If this was WCW they would book some sort of Road Rage in Cage match or a gearstick on a pole match.
· I’m not sure what the segment achieved, though. Jericho doesn’t need any more character development to get himself over as a smart ass arrogant heel, and very little was accomplished. I’ll reserve judgement mostly because this could be leading somewhere, but if that was a one-off excuse to have Flair back, it was weak.
· Standard built to a title match with Beth and Melina. Have the challenger win to make it look like she is favourite to win it back. I don’t like the treatment of Melina on commentary, though, with them acting surprised when she was on offense. She is the champion, and supposedly on merit, not by fluke. If you sound shocked when she is doing well, it is pointless having the belt on her.
· Good, strong win for Cody and Ted. I’d suggest that if Miz and Morrison were not doing so well and were not heels then Priceless would be prime candidates for the belts, to do a similar thing as they did with Evolution, showing the stable’s dominance by having lots of gold. Would have like this match with Cryme Tyme to have gone a bit longer, mind you.
· What a terrific finish to the six man tag. Very innovative twist into the Codebreaker, great decision to have Jericho make the fall as he is the most likely contender to Cena’s title.
· I really like that idea – to have HBK lose via DQ in seconds. Why would he want to have a long match against a big guy? Makes no odds if he wins or not, really. Cut to the chase and let JBL do what he does best.
· JBL wants Shawn to bring his wife to No Way Out? I thought he was going to say Joey Styles.
· Good, hard-hitting action between Punk and Regal, but again way, way too short. This was treated as such an afterthought, and far from a big deal. It wasn’t promoted throughout the show, even when Cole mentioned Regal as a passing reference, he never pointed out that Regal would challenge for gold late that night.
· Right, the main event. I’ll bet there are plenty of you out there who are unhappy about a bullshit finish, but every now and again it has to be done, and this is one such occasion. It’s slightly worrying that they have to bring in Taker and Flair one on night to try to spark a rating (perhaps due to the dog show? Don’t forget they used to get shifted for that, so maybe they are looking for a big number to show USA how valuable they still are) and I was expecting Taker to perhaps get involved with Shawn again, hinting towards a Mania programme. The thing to look at in the booking of this is that Orton is the Raw top heel and Taker is......well, Taker. Neither man could really lose clean, so having Legacy join together and briefly beat down Taker made sense as an ending, and they managed to work Shane’s appearance in such a way that Taker didn’t look like he was being saved. Also, Shane’s “Coast to Coast” was a big moment to end a show, helping to build the show.
· One other point I wanted to make – to sell the PPV as a Shane v Randy spectacle is a risk given that they have not done a lot to build Shane up. It shouldn’t be forgotten that this guy has had two or three excellent matches in his life. Well, maybe not excellent MATCHES, but very entertaining spectacles, at the least. I’m thinking tangles with Kurt Angle and Steve Blackman, and to a lesser extent X-Pac, Test and Big Show. But nothing of late has really had Shane showing what he can do, so I think I would have had a video package with some of his major moments remembered. Don’t forget some of the audience won’t know who he is, at least wouldn’t know what he can do. A few rubbish punches and one, badly filmed, coast-to-coast would not excite someone who doesn’t know what Shane O Mac is all about.

Live Royal Rumble Blog

Hi folks, welcome to the live blog for the 2009 Royal Rumble.

I went to a news-site I often frequent earlier tonight and saw headlines of big name spoilers and plot twists. I didn't read on, although I was dying to. Let's hope the promises of big news is true. This could be an awesome show.

01.03am
The opening video package is finished. I was surprised to hear the voice of Tony Schiovane in there, but not surprised to see an extensive look at what Orton did to Vince on Raw.

01.04am
Wow, a cold open to a major PPV. Cole and King explain about Vince's condition so you can bet something major is going to go down on that front.

01.07am
ECW to open the show. Matt Hardy v Jack Swagger. You know, Swagger is a talented guy, but everything else about is average and generic. His music, his entrance, even his name.

This is a huge moment for him, though. Hardy gave Evan Bourne a tremendous match in his first ever PPV - can he do the same for Swagger?

01.10am
Don't forget that if you want to contribute to the blog tonight you can email me - robthegreen(@)hotmail.com - with your opinions, comments, thoughts, jokes, limericks, haikus, prayers, whatever. Happy to read all submissions and will post a few of the better ones.

01.20am
Wow, they are going big with this guy. Swagger wins cleanly, and I rather enjoyed that match. As a credible opener this delivered in spades, with Swagger getting a nice introduction to the WWE PPV audience. I enjoyed the hard-hitting looking action and even the post-match sadness of Matt Hardy. A good start.

01.24am
Nice backstage shot of Randy Orton arriving. I like little touches like that. It makes the situation more than simply the snippets we see in the ring. I like the idea that everyone else would be looking at Randy differently backstage because of what he did to Vince.

Beth and Melina up now. Loving Santino's new Ferrari-inspired shirt.

01.28am
Goodness me, did Melina ever fall badly on her arm. She looks as though she is ok though. Beth has just hit Melina on the back of her head with her own (Melina's) foot. These two always pull something different out of the bag.

01.31am
Reader Steve Pritchard writes: "The All American American is a talented guy, needs a personality but he'll have a real belt by the next rumble."

Difficult to disagree with most of that. The question arising is whether the US or Intercontinental titles are bigger than the ECW strap. I'd say they probably are.

01.34am
Oh my - an upset from where I sit. I didn't see Beth dropping the belt, but I can't deny Melina deserves it. Another fun match. They kept it short enough that it stayed snappy and entertaining, and dropped in plenty of unique moves. One or two dodgy spots, but mainly good.

Two very satisfactory matches so far - now for the storyline-heavy title bouts. Interesting that Cena/JBL is before Edge/Hardy.

01.41am
Very, very cool backstage segment. HBK IS in the Rumble, it seems. JBL basically says help me and we can face each other at Wrestlemania. Then Undertaker (!) appears and tells Shawn "Sometimes it's hell getting to heaven". What the hell does that mean?

A continuation, then, of the Undertaker/Shawn dynamic at the Rumble. They wrestled in 1999, when Michaels damaged his back big time, and the last two years have seen them linked in the Rumble match itself. Two years ago with them being the last two, and last year they were the first two.

Is this a tease of a possible Shawn/Taker programme down the line?

01.43am
Cena and JBL in the ring for their match.

By the way, Michaels being in the Rumble means my prediction could still come true. Who do you think will win the Rumble? Give me a name and one line stating why - robthegreen(@)hotmail.com

01.47am
Reasonably start to this one. That's not a criticism, just an observation. Probably means a longish match will take shape. Good use of HBK early on.

Meanwhile, Connor from Belfast says "Orton for the Rumble. He's the only one they've built up. No-one else has the profile."

Interesting point, Connor, but perhaps thats a) a ruse and b) plans for Orton to go on to theoretically bigger things.

01.50am
Steve Pritchard (Any relation to Bruce or Dr Tom?) is back in touch with a Rumble thought. "I reckon Shawn Michaels will come second, do a kamikaze for the money"

Interesting, but wouldn't that only work if JBL ends up in Rumble too? Can't see that happening.

02.00am
I really enjoyed that. The wrestling was very average, but that was never the story. Michaels is a genius at stuff like this.

Some nice little points in this match. Good positioning for the STF so that Michaels was in shot. Great facials from Shawn, and even great stuff from the referee. They normally act like morons and turn blind eyes to things. Chioda actually kept an eye on Shawn.

Loved the double kick. I saw it coming as soon as Cena started smirking. It makes little sense, especially with HBK leaving, but it was fun.

By the way, in the interests of fairness, Cole called this brilliantly. I am usually a critic of Cole's, but his "Oh no" after HBK pulled JBL onto Cena was perfectly inflected.

The end of the match may have been a little anti-climactic, but I fail to see how else it could have been done.

HBK v JBL v Cena in the pipeline?

02.08am
Hey, I've just had a thought. The person attacking Jeff has to have access to the building where he stayed, access to the pyro etc. What if it wasn't Edge, wasn't Christian, wasn't Matt? What if it was a man who has access to these things and has previous in the this field? What if it is a jealous man - jealous of Jeff Hardy and desperate to get back at him for overshadowing him?

What if it was Triple H?

02.10am
No DQ huh? So someone could interfere and help Edge legitimately? Now who could there be that would do that...........?

02.11am
And that sounds to me like Detroit is chanting "we want Christian". They just had Shawn, isn't he Christian enough for you??

02.14am
I think the Matt heel turn is even more likely to happen now, rather than Christian's appearance.

I mean, Chavo never accompanies Edge. I can see Chavo increasingly getting involved, prompting Matt to emerge. JR and Tazz will speculate that he is evening the odds, then he turns on Jeff, giving Edge the win.

02.20am
Colin in Fife, Scotland, writes: "Don't you think the no DQ stip might just be a bit too obvious for it to work for Edge? There's definitely gonna be interference but I think it's going to go in Hardy's favour. Maybe it's just me hoping they'll keep the title on Hardy for a bit longer though!"

You might well be right. It isn't beyond WWE to do the extra swerve. Vince won't be happy that the fans were chanting for Christian. If they think the fans have guessed the storyline, they may alter it. Jeff winning would be quite a surprise.

02.30am
YYYYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!

I love being right. More in a sec.

02.31am
Firstly, I'd just like to say that my phone is goign crazy. I've been telling anyone who'll listen about my theory around this storyline. I just need Christian to side with Jeff on his return and I'm set.

That was a great match. Normally I wouldn't like two title matches to end with loads of interference, but the angles in each case justified the activity.

That was beautifully booked. The big spot with the table that (just) hit gave the fans a great spot, but also nullified Chavo in the match. Good false finishes, perfect pacing for the storytelling. Great stuff.

Or I may just be happy to be right :-)

02.39am
Rumble upcoming, but I just want to state that I may well update a little less during the Rumble since there'll be plenty to watch. Keep sending your emails though - robthegreen(@)hotmail.com - and I'll try to keep up!

Nice stuff there from Jericho and Orton there. I love how Jericho is using loads of long words (a plethora of lexicographical exuberance, you might say) to be a heel. Taking notes from Mr Backlund, Chris?

02.42am
Morrison as number two is a great call. I hope he lasts a long time. This could be a huge match for him.

Bit disappointed JR and King are calling. Don't get me wrong, that's the best combo to have, but I like it when all the guys commentate at the same time.

02.50am
Good start to the Rumble. Some great spots from the athletic guys, glad that Khali didn't rid the ring of everybody, and makes sense to make Koslov look good by getting rid of Khali.

And here comes The Game. Early one for him.

02.54am
And now Orton! And what a terrific camera shot of Orton's face on the tron turning to look at Triple H. Photographic gold, right there.

A few too many spots for me, though, so far. We need a bit more realism of people trying to get people over the top, not just diving about and hitting signature moves.

03.02am
Since my last comment they've heeded my words a little. I like it when the ring starts to fill up. Plenty of possible winners (Trips, Jericho, Orton) already out here with Shawn, Taker and others to come.

Bit of a waste of Morrison, mind you, with Trips getting rid of both he and Miz. To be fair, Triple hasn't buried a tag team in days. He was due one.

03.06am
Taker marks the start of the second half of the draw. This is a very stacked rumble draw so far.

03.18am
Seven left to go. Show, Shawn, Chavo, R-Truth, Primo, Helms and the other Cryme Tyme would round that off. No surprises this year? I thought we might see Umaga.

03.20am
Who said there were no surprises? RV freakin' D! Is he back, or is this a one-off? I assume this is one of the spoilers I avoided.

03.23am
I forgot about Kendrick. I guess Cryme Tyme had just one entry, hence the coin flip.

Oh, there goes Kendrick. I wrote twelve words during his stint. Who did he piss off? Helms probably not in this I'm guessing.

Now Dolph Ziggler. My workings out were terrible. And now he's gone. He got five words.

03.26am
Aw, that was bogus. I know Santino isn't great in the ring, but he could have at least taken about ten finishers from all the guys rather than exiting in two seconds. Oh, and that's another I forgot to note. I'm having a nightmare with that, aren't I?

And now Duggan - so no Michaels? I'm assuming Show is 30.

03.28am
OK, Michaels isn't in it, so my prediction is void. It reverts to Orton.

03.32am
Punk is out, but just before he did there were nine former World champions in the ring. Hell of a stat.

03.40am
Nearly done, and Colin says "Easy for me to say this now I suppose but I'm with you on the Orton prediction! I was going for him or Jericho on the basis that Smackdown are sorted for World Title storylines for a while to come but Cena needs an opponent on Raw."

Good point, although that's assuming Cena wins his chamber match. I want Orton to win, but I hope it doesn't get cheaply stripped of him straight away because of his other storyline.

"How the hell did the Big Show manage to keep his big ass in just then??!!"

No idea. I'm more impressed the ropes stayed in tact.

03.42am
It had to happen. I would quite liked to have seen Legacy get rid of Triple H and then step aside for Orton. That hasn't happened before and would have been quite cool really.

So does this mean Cena v Orton? It may well do. Think about it, the Rumble winner needs something to do at No Way Out, so his Vince storyline may lead to a match which takes that strand in, while the rest of them fight it out in the chamber.

Fun Rumble. Not the best ever, but there have been plenty worse. There were a few people I thought were mistreated, but you can't please everybody. Great to see RVD back - I wonder if that's a permanent thing. He sure got a massive reception.

Chambers, thinking quickly.

Raw: Cena, Jericho, JBL, Michaels, Rey, Kane. (Maybe remove Rey if he wrestles Knox, and replace with Punk)

Smackdown: Edge, Triple H, Taker, Koslov, Big Show, Umaga (If not Umaga, maybe R-Truth or Shelton. Hopefully not Khali - Khali, Show and Koslov in the same match is not desirable)

Add to those Matt v Jeff in some form, work Orton in with maybe Shane, possibly Rey v Knox and a girls match (Maria v Michelle v Maryse?) and the PPV is taking shape.

Extra Rumble notes. No Snuka or Manu - I think they'll be history now. Also no Jesse and Festus. Thought Festus may have added to the Rumble more than Ziggler or Duggan.

I forgot about the location of the Rumble - it was Michigan. That suggests one night only for RVD.

Raw will definitely be newsworthy. HBK and JBL's fall out plus what happens to Orton. Should be good, don't miss it.

Thanks for following the Rumble with me. Good night.