Raw Thoughts - May 26

· Wow, who would have thought that a bloke playing Stan Kroenke would be first out on Raw. Oh, right – everybody.
· And who would have thought that Stan Kroenke says “each and every one of you” just like each and every.....I mean all of WWE’s employees do.
· Pleased to see JR on Raw. Let’s see if he laughs uproariously when Santina shows up.
· XBA – that’s actually pretty funny. Good to see Vince poking fun at himself.
· I really don’t know whether Vince is going for a Penis joke or an Anus joke.
· Oh right, there we go. That should have been the cue for Val Venis, really.
· Interesting that Vince didn’t make a reference to L. Brent Bozell III, former leader of the PTC who tried to take advertisement money away from WWE Smackdown – this prompted the frankly tedious Right to Censor.
· Average women’s title match. It was a smart idea to make the focus a bit of a bitchfght rather than a wrestling match, as that doesn’t really suit either girl. Finish was a confusing copout though. If Maryse was DQ-ed, why was the referee counting before he threw the match out?
· So, its a triple threat, fairly important because the winner gets to face the US champion next week. So important, in fact, that said champion, MVP, strolls to the ring to get a better look. JR calls “business has just picked up” every one gets excited.......so its advert time. I know that it is done so that people should be hooked and won’t change channel during the advert, but it is so frustrating. Surely hooks can better than this.
· Having said that, nice feel to the show so far. I liked the opening melee, which felt like old-school Raw that I reference last week, and I’m intrigued to see who the mystery partner will be
· My guess, though, would be Vince
· I liked the triple threat, interesting decision to go with Kofi as MVPs opponent. I look forward to the match, but I don’t know if that will draw many fans.
· Enjoyed the intensity between Randy and Ric, even if it was short. Handled that part of the seg well.
· I don’t understand the inclusion of Kennedy at this point, unless he is turning during the main event. To me, you build the surprise all night. Get Cody to run into Randy in the dressing room and whisper who it is, and have Randy sell his dismay. Then have MVP and King talking, and then someone opens a door. They look off camera, and say “you’re our partner? Cool” then fade out. Then you’ve got a build throughout the show.
· “Marella Original” – got nothing, but good line.
· Are you going to buy Extreme Rules for a Hog Pen match?
· I say a history of Hog Pen match DVD is in order. If only to see them release a DVD almost exclusively featuring Triple H getting shit all over him.
· I like the idea of the Kendrick partner search, as long as he eventually finds one to suit him and they have a good run. The execution thus far, though, has been tedious.
· Not a bad ten-man finale. Went on a bit, frankly, and I’m guessing my English lack of knowledge about basketball meant I missed a lot of references.
· Bit of a nothing ending. No real Kennedy involvement, no Flair run in. Just a bit flat.

Raw Thoughts - May 18

· Judgment day was good, Cole, but it was “at times miraculous”? What?
· So Mickie pins the champ one-on-one, then in a tag match, but isn’t number one contender? Seems a bit harsh.
· Hopefully they’ll take the battle royal outcome to conclusion at Extreme Rules. Fancy seeing Kelly Kelly in a hardcore match?
· Nice to see Santino given a plausible match but still not make Chavo look too stupid. Hopefully they can build this for him
· I like that – Josh inferring to Matt Hardy that Matt did Vickie a favour and helped Edge. Wahey! Logic!
· Excellent – Goldust and Hornswoggle as a duo – hopefully mostly on ECW.
· That’s taken Miz back a couple of weeks. He was doing great as a cutting edge antagonist, but a lame rap does not help his cause in the slightest.
· Big Show and Cena in a submission match is another nice logical progression from Cena struggling to procure the STF at Judgment Day.
· Matt needs a change of music. His “Ohh Ye-eah” start still draws a cheer.
· If I’m going to pick Cole up on every little thing, only fair I do it to JR. Matt’s injury is a metacarpal, not a metatarsal, as Ross said. The first is the hand, the latter the foot.
· Two things I’ll give credit for in that Vickie/Santina segment. The first was that Santino had two little patches picked up from shaving. That’s beyond subtle – good work. The other is that Regal came out unannounced and we don’t know why. I like when unexpected and unknown things happen. They should happen regularly and make you tune in week to week to find out the reason.
· Aren’t WWE having some problems with a venue because of a Basketball fixture clash? Presumably Vince is unhappy, hence the multiple negative references to Denver Nuggets on the show.
· That was a very good main event for lots of reasons
· Firstly, I liked the chaos of it. I hate how much the current Raw product looks like it’s so clinical, but this was an old-fashioned (well, Attitude Era) main event where stuff was happening all over the place. Cena and Show up the ramp, confusion about the legal man, then a Flair run in. I like how the camera didn’t pick it straight up, then Cody fell into the frame. I thought Cena had returned. The commentators also didn’t pick up on it straight away. While that’s silly because they can see the ramp, it was effective.
· The match itself was plenty good enough. Standard heel domination (but then they should, they have one more man) and babyface in peril stuff, done well to keep an otherwise quiet crowd lively.
· Next, the Flair involvement, throughout the show, worked nicely to create a minor conflict between him and Batista and then resolve it. Also, his involvement in the finish means there is a nice plug for his involvement next week.
· I also like the way that essentially Cena abandoned Batista. Dave can argue Cena let him down and Flair had to bail him out. Cena can respond that he helped him out earlier on when Batista and Flair were getting their ass kicked. Both men would be right. Doing this would be perfect because there could be a slow build for when they wrestle again – the first time was simply too rushed.
· Overall, below average show until the end. Really good main event and top ending.

Judgment Day Live Blog

00.58am
Good Afternoon/Evening/Morning, whereever you are in the world. Judgment Day is minutes away. I've just read a Spoiler, which I'm annoyed about. I try not to read spoilers just before big shows, and I broke my rule. I won't let you in on it, that wouldn't be fair. I'll let you know if it happens, when it does.......or doesn't, if you get my drift.

For those who care, drink of choice is Irn Bru (If you are outside UK, google it) and snack is Fruit Pastilles (just the red and purple ones).

01.01am
Is that meant to be an English accent on the voiceover at the start?

01.03am
Trying to pump up the crowd straight out of the blocks, here comes the Punker. He'll take on Umaga first up, and it seems it's Todd and JR on commentary first up. Are we back to individual announce teams?

I like the irony of CM Punk wrestling the man who it was suggested was a Samoa Joe impersonator. For the record, I'm led to believe that not only was that not the case (unless you noticed, there were Samoans in Wrestling before Joe Seanoa) but there is no heat between the men. That thing you may have read in PWI was complete nonsense.

01.07am
Umaga with the......what do we call it, Uranage?.... within the opening minutes. Interesting, since that's the move that was shown as devastating on the recap just before the match.

01.08am
Remember you can join in with the blog - robthegreen@hotmail.com is the address.

01.11am
Nelson, and I wonder why the ring ropes are white?

Slow match so far. Punk with virtually no offense.

01.19am
Clean win for Umaga. I don't like Punk losing too often. I do like Umaga winnning, though. I dig the Umaga character, and would love to see a Umaga/Undertaker programme very similar to Mankind's one with Taker back in 1996 or so.

01.21am
Show with standard chat with Vickie, before someone walks in. Big cheer for Edge (for it was he) but we don't get to hear his conversation with his wife.

01.22am
I didn't know the Unprettier was now the Killswitch. I think that is something to do with the band that play CM Punk's music. Anyone clarify for me?

01.23am
Josh and Striker for ECW so we have a set of teams again. Nice cheer for Christian, and I know I say this every time, but I wish he had his old theme music - same song, but the other version.

Am I talking about songs more than wrestling so far?

Hey, there's my man Tony the Ring Announcer. Remember, Chimel fix it for you.

01.25am
Wow, that's incredible. I went to Umaga's Wikipedia page because I was having a moment of thought about his family tree - and get this, his profile has already been updated to reflect him defeating CM Punk tonight. Who is doing things that quickly?

01.31am
Decent match so far, although it's got frantic early. Some nice spots, and a different match to last time, which is nice.

Great shot of Christian nailing a twisting elbow from the middle rope looking like he was flying into my living room (I'm actually in my office, but that sounds wrong)

Nice realism as the referee doesn't count when Christian's shoulders aren't quite down. Really enjoying this now.

01.34am
Official spot Swagger pulling the tights on a pin attempt, so stops the pin, making him the SMARTEST OFFICIAL EVER

01.35am
Christian pulls the straps of Swagger's wrestling gear down, then rolls him up and pulls the tights. Ref fails to spot this making him an IDIOT!! (Aren't I consistant?)

Seriously, though, I like that. That was nicely put together, and Striker's explanation post-match about straps being kept up in amateur wrestling was a terrific call.

Well done all round. Really enjoyed that match. Great pacing, clever thought process, nice counters. High quality stuff. Kudos to the guys and the agent involved.

01.39am
I'm still to be convinced of babyface Morrison (I'm the same with babyface Carlito. There are some characters who just fit with heel in my opinion) but this match should be good. Really nice feel to the show tonight. Crowd seem up, announcers on their game, and so far one one pretty good match and very good one for me.

Nice crowd shot of Chicago. I have been there for a week or so (Bound for Glory last year), and it truly is a fantastic city. Hope to go back someday.

01.41am
Benjamin has Haas with him. Let's see if that becomes important.

J-Mo does one heck of a move to the outside. A springboard 450 plancha I guess.

01.43am
Here's a thought. When Show and Vickie were talking, they mentioned Cena being out of action along with Triple H. Never mentioned Shawn Michaels. I wish they'd mention guys when they are nowhere to be seen and tell us why.

01.45am
JR is not into poetry apparantly. Forsooth, who would have guessed it?

01.46am
Back to the Christian and Swagger match briefly, and I'd to credit WWE for booking the finish I predicted :-) - that being a conclusion to give Christian the credit for being resourceful and using experience, and making Swagger's only negative being that he is young.

01.51am
So much fun. I've been saying for a long time that I think Morrison is the next guy ready to step up and be counted. This is the first time I've truly believed it, and I now think he could be anything he likes.

In one performance, he's.....well he hasn't converted me, because I was already a fan, but he has made me a firm believer. I tell you what, I'll take back what I said pre-match too. Morrison's offense was so flashy, so good to watch, so Jeff Hardy like, that people will cheer it.

Only disappointment was that they slightly botched a spot with Shelton supposed to be catching Morrison and powerbombing him into the corner, except he toppled just short.

01.55am
Proper heat for Miz, now. He refers to Morrison as Marty Janetty and rags on the crowd. Great stuff. He's challenging a Chicago Cub player who is looking like he is a mannequin. Some references that I'm afraid I don't understand to the guy being injured. He barely looks angry, amused, annoyed, or anything. Is he an Anglophone?

Miz claims this as a win over Cena, because the guy is apparantly a Cena substitute. He is 4-0, and......Santino? Speaking of lovable losers........

Santino says about the Cubs player being a fellow Italian, which gets a laugh, so I assume he isn't.

We end with Miz and Santino fighting, and the former getting the upper hand. Santino officially a babyface now, I guess. A little bit of fire for Santino, which was interesting. Hopefully Santina is no more, but I wouldn't count on it.

Chavo attacks Santino after Miz does. Great stuff. I like it when things overlap. From Edge/Vickie, to Chavo, to Santino, to Miz, to Cena, to Show, and back again. Nice stuff.

02.07am
IC title time. Nice build-up promo from Jericho, and then out comes Rey.

02.08am
Letter alert!!!

"hey, delliott here. You said that WWE are booking it straight with no gimmick matches right? Did u think about the next ppv being all gimmick matches?

Maybe they're trying to increase the shock vaule of extreme rules."

Very fair point. Hadn't thought of that at all. It makes for commons sense. I hope, though, that they manage to do it more often so as to increase the value of gimmick matches. I hate an entire PPV being gimmicked. Lockdown has worked a couple of times, but generally I can't help but think it's a bad idea.

02.12am
Early Y2J chants from the crowd to counter the great reaction Rey got. I hope this match can ebb and flow, and swing from one man to the other. The crowd will dig that.

02.14am
Couple more letters. Firstly Bob Baker:

"Do you think the Umaga win was to put us off the scent of a Punk cash-in in his hometown?"

Probably not. We thought it might last time, didn't we, with Kane? Mind you, the reaction would be a amazing. This crowd are hot tonight.

And from LuisBoy:

"Have you heard the spoiler that......" I'm ending this email, which repeats the spoiler I talked about earlier. Grr, I hate opening emails sometimes. Thanks Luis.

02.17am
ASK HIM!!

02.18am
I might be making a leap here, but Grisham just did a major pause, simply saying "Jericho" and letting it hang while Mysterio hit a move. This came just after he said the word "Luchador" - can't imagine Vince liking that word, so maybe he was getting told off.

02.24am
I would have prefered to see Jericho win, but apart from that, I'll just drool over a superb wrestling match. I'm going to say it, despite Todd possibly getting ripped for saying Luchador. That was a proper, bona fide WRESTLING match, kids.

Beautifully paced, terrifically executed. A clinic.

02.26am
Hows this for an observation.......

In the old days, the start of the NWO period really, the WCW pay per views were strong, and although the main events full of old guys generally sucked (Hogan/Warrior, Hogan/Piper etc), the undercard was usually great.

How nice that after Punk/Umaga set a decent opening level, Christian and Swagger engaged in a nice to-and-fro and Morrison and Benjamin wowed the crowd, up stepped Rey Mysterio and Chris Jericho to put in a superb effort at a crucial point. Thats Chris Jericho and Rey Misterio Jnr from the Atlanta movement, two men, along with likes of Malenko, Benoit, Guererro and others who regularly bolstered the WCW PPVs I mention.

02.30am
Randy Orton hits the ring (I hate it when the champ comes out first) alone. No Cody or Teddy yet.

By the way, Randy, no pressure in following a great match. I know you can do it.

Just not in Houston.

02.39am
Fancy another observation? Four matches ranging from ok through very good to excellent. None from Raw.

02.49am
I wasn't expecting that.

Here's the thing. This was a worse match than Triple H and Orton at Mania, but not a disappointment. I didn't expect this match to be much. Orton and Trips had a match at Mania significantly worse than any other one they have had. It was just south of average. This was poor, but I expected poor. Batista has two gears. Slow and slower.

I'll give him credit for hitting a move off the top rope, though. Something he presumably learned from Ric Flair!

I'll come to him in a second. The match story of Orton trying to get out of the match was going ok, but why if he ends it by slapping the ref, why not do that straight away?

Booking 101 into a no-dq match at Extreme Rules. Now you know why this didn't go on last.

So Naitch appears post match. Great, Randy and co get to look weak in front of another old/inactive/both (delete as applicable) guy.

I assume Flair is involved for two reasons. One to make sure he doesn't get too pally with Ring of Honor, but more importantly to facilitate a turn. Think about it. If Triple H or Batista turn on the other it is likely to split people. Not everyone will buy the turn, whomever does it.

If, however, the turnee obliterates Ric Flair rather than the other man, then they get more heat right away. I'd say that Batista blames Flair at some point for costing him something, and then Trips comes to defend Flair's (Not Ring of) honour.

02.57am
How about this one then.......Reid Flair for Legacy?

03.14am
OK, stay with me on this one.........

I found that dull and boring. I tidied some things up rather than simply sitting back and watching.

But I applaud them greatly for that match. The WWE audience spans a range of ages. There will be seven year old kids who don't realise that Jericho and Rey were awesome, and just wanted to see John Cena.

When he came on, he particpated in a match with a great story. Kids don't see fujiwara arm bars and inside cradles. They see good and evil, heroes and villains, in black and white terms. Cena is a hero, and like all good heroes, he vanquished the enemy who looked certain to win the day.

Like I say, not my cup of tea, but in context that was very well executed.

03.48am
Several points to make.

You know that spoiler I mentioned? It was that Jeff would be champion at Extreme Rules. So then, either he will win on a future Smackdown or it was nonsense.

Poor camerawork for the mid air spear. Great camerawork for the Matt Hardy interference (but why didn't Matt just run in and smash Jeff? He wouldn't win the belt, would he? We've seen that with Orton.)

God I hate that referee. Put simply, you can tell when he is going to pull up and not count to three, so all nearfalls become redundant. You can't have false finishes with him.

The call was terrible. I hesitate to blame Grisham, because I don't know what he is being told to say, and because his performances to now have been solid, but he ruined the main event for me. JR was calling the match (THE MATCH) to make it feel big, but Grish was repeating things and talking about dotcom polls. More work needed, I think.

A good closing match. The pace of the match did make you sway one way and another in who you'd think would win. When Jeff kicked out of Matt's interference it looked as though he might take it.

Could Christian be done with Swagger and fulfil my dream of Jeff/Christian v Matt/Edge? It's still possible.

That has to be considered a strong PPV, but once again, I'm afraid, Randy Orton's title match is one of, if not THE weak spot. The show was bowling along until that point, and he and Batista never really got going, for me. I've explained that I didn't care for the Cena match but was happy with the reasons behind it. I wouldn't have minded that going higher up the card, perhaps before Rey and Jericho.

WWE continue their trend of late. Overall strong PPV, but one title match lacking in substance.

Judgment Day Preview

Two scenarios:

- The WWE take a look at their last five years off PPV, as well as TNA’s offerings, and decide to see how it would go if they strip down a PPV and simply book a series of matches pitting one man against another with the bare minimum of stipulations.

- The WWE busk it after Wrestlemania, don’t really think very ahead past Backlash at the latest and simply pick fourteen blokes and put them against one another.

To be honest, I think the Judgment Day PPV build up may fall somewhere between the two above scenarios. You may well have your own opinion as to how things came about.

What is remarkable is that the card for tonight does, as pointed out, feature, at this moment, seven singles contests.

With my wrestling viewer’s head on, I like it. I’m very excited, genuinely, by two of the matches, and am also very curious about two more.(I’ll explain more as we go)

However, with my Marketing head on (I worked in Marketing for three years) I’d suggest to you that all things which people buy need to have a USP – a Unique Selling Point. I don’t see what the USP is to most people.

Purists will have you believe that all this storyline stuff is nonsense and what you need to do is simply book wrestling. A balance is needed, though, and an audience which is programmed to understand the traditional WWE booking, I think, is unlikely to invest heavily in a PPV product which has no major reason to buy it.

Look at it this way – is there a unique match to build to? Is there a major match format – Hell in a Cell, for example – involved? Is there a theme (Survivor Series, Royal Rumble)? Must you see a resolution to a feud?

I don’t think you answer any of those questions in the affirmative. I don’t think Randy Orton v Batista is gripping enough to persuade people to shell out loads of money.

I’d like to clarify that I will be buying the PPV tonight and I think that it will be a great show. From a business perspective I’m not sure it’ll work. I hope I’m wrong.

John Morrison v Shelton Benjamin
Hmm. Interesting one. What do we do with Shelton, he’s been around for ages? What shall we do with John Morrison, now that he is on his own? May as well throw them together.

Fine by me. I get the feeling these two could really have some fun and bring the best of each other. I will enjoy sitting back and watching the match, and hope that each man will try to top the other. My concern, as illustrated before, is that really will anyone care? No titles are on the line and there isn’t really a heated rivalry.

I would think the logical thing is for Morrison to win. He is the up-and-comer really, and especially after a face turn should be the one getting a leg up from this win.

Prediction: John Morrison


CM Punk v Umaga
I’ve liked the build to this. Punk waiting to use the briefcase, looking strong against Edge, is really good for his push and character, but here comes Umaga to ruin it for him. Simple – evil heel screws gallant babyface.

One problem – this has to harm one man. The right booking is that Punk slays Umaga and carries on going after the champ. This puts Umaga’s status as unstoppable madman on hold. If Umaga wins he can look strong and imperious, but it dents Punk’s status as deserving of a world title and isn’t the right end to a story.

Prediction – Despite me not liking it, I think they’ll book a Punk wins by DQ finish. This keeps Umaga over as a beats without jobbing out Punk


Jack Swagger v Christian
These two......I was going to say surprised everybody with their great match last time, but that’s not fair. I was surprised with how good it was, but then I was one of the few people on earth to not like Swagger’s match with Cena, which I viewed as dull but most (and many better positioned to comment than I) found it exciting.

Now, the bar is raised. They have already had one good match in Christian prevailed – where do they go now? To me logical booking is that Christian wins, once again winning due to his brain. The explanation, if commentators are on the ball, is then that Swagger and Christian are really evenly matched, it’s just that Captain Charisma has the edge in terms of experience. When booked and explained in this way, Swagger does not look weak, because it is not his fault that he lost – he can’t help being inexperienced.

To me, Swagger can look at four examples of people coming into a company and getting majorly pushed from the off. Bobby Lashley and Brock Lesnar got fed up. Goldberg fizzled out. Randy Orton is World Champion who has had some ups and downs.

That’s one out of four. And even then Randy has had a rocky time. He is only now TRULY looking the part. Swagger does not need to be (real) World Champion just yet. In fact he does not even need to be Intercontinental champion yet. Don’t push him to loads of titles. Let him wrestle Christian and learn. Let him face Regal and Finlay and others who can put him over and help him progress.

Prediction – I do think they’ll let Christian retain. Part of me thinks that Swagger might get one back, leading to a rubber match down the line, so don’t discount that. I’m sticking with the former Mr Cage, though.



John Cena v Big Show
Sometimes, in the job I do, you have to sit back and accept that something is being booked for a reason. I have no real interest in Big Show (whom I’ve always thought comes across as a good guy, a great entertainer, but a poor wrestler) wrestling Cena (very similar description, but rate him higher as a worker) I’m afraid.

I liked the spot that led to this match, but I’ve not been crazy about the story of Cena being basically a zombie for several weeks. I think Show might actually win this, with the explanation being that Cena is not 100%, and then they can do a rematch when Cena turns the tables.

I’d factor in Miz too. I probably wouldn’t have him cost Cena the match, but do a sneaky little attack before the match, or preferably some sort of attack afterwards.

Prediction – I’m going with Show, although chances are that’s me jumping the gun and they’ll simply have Cena win. I’m not crazy about seeing a major Big Show push, but I don’t like the idea that he was put clean over Undertaker (again) for no reason.


Rey Mysterio v Chris Jericho (IC Title)
I am really looking forward to this. This was one of the two matches I told you that I am really excited about (the other is Edge and Hardy) and I should think should be the highlight of the night.

The main source of intrigue for me is how realistic they can make it. I enjoy watching Rey Mysterio to a point, but the main thing that stops me being crazy about him is that so much of his stuff needs such a massive leap of faith to believe.

Jericho, meanwhile, is the opposite. He talks such sense, is such a believable character, and constructs such a fantastic aura around everything he does. I hope he can weave his magic, and do what I believe only two men – Edge and Kurt Angle, since you ask - have done before and have a stand up classic match with Rey Mysterio.

Shit, I have to pick a winner don’t I?

Prediction – I’m struggling, but I’m going to cop out and go with a BS DQ finish, with Jericho getting fed up of Rey kicking out and hitting him with a belt or something. Jericho can later talk his way out of it by saying the IC title is beneath him and that he really cares about the World belt.

Edge v Jeff Hardy – World Title
So, do you milk Jeff Hardy for all he worth before his (allegedly) inevitable exit? Do you give him the title and hope it persuades him to stay? Or do you use him to put a few people over and send him on his way?

I suppose a few of these don’t necessarily become mutually exclusive, but I figure that they won’t go mad with him if he is leaving – and this is IF he is leaving.

I’d take Edge to win. I think this needs to be a sedentary PPV as far as titles go. There have been a few too many changes of late, although I do believe that belts must change hands with a reasonable regularity these days. I’m more intrigued about how things will go now that Edge and Vickie are on separate shows despite not having a real break up on screen.

Prediction – A cracker if they are allowed to click, but an Edge victory ultimately.


Randy Orton v Batista (WWE title)
So who is turning? All signs point to another slow build with Batista and Triple H, with the presumed reason being Triple H being pissed off at Batista costing him the title. But wouldn’t that mean Trips goes heel? That would be logical.

Nah, I don’t see it. I don’t want to see Batista v Triple H with the Game as heel again. Make it fresh, and make Batista the nasty heel with the chip on his shoulder.

If, and it seems likely, Triple H and Batista pair off, then it makes no sense to have this for a title if the rivalry is so strong. Therefore, Orton needs to retain. You could even let MVP have a one-time shot at the next PPV before thrusting Cena forward again.

Prediction – It has to be Orton to retain. Whether with help by his cohorts or Batista losing his rag, the master of the RKO needs to keep the belt.

Enjoy the PPV – live Blog with me during the show will be up as per usual.

Admittedly Late raw Thoughts, May 11

· I know I moan about it a lot, but why must they insist on continually saying “Skull” and not head. I’ve criticised Michael Cole for saying it, but it’s probably not his fault. DiBiase said it to Batista and it sounded ridiculous.
· Sound booking, teasing Batista with joining Legacy. Batista’s hesitation hints at a possible heel turn soon, and then you have the ‘with us or against us’ thing of Legacy hating him more.
· I like this Batista thing of getting DQ-ed. I think it’s a plausible angle, but the commentators need to talk it up. Maybe even to do a Mike Tenay-style ‘points to watch’ before the match and highlight Batista’s weakness in this area.
· Not a bad divas match, but punctuated by a horrible looking spot by Kelly Kelly who opened the ropes allowing Jillian to simply run through. Interesting little story between MIckie and Maryse, but I really wish they’d give the girls more character development and interesting stories.
· Wow, did I see that correctly? Orton pushing away a camera. I really like that, and we need to continue that string of common sense and acknowledgment of cameras.
· I think they’ve gone a little early with Miz and Cena. They could have made the match a lot shorter, although I liked Miz attacking Cena after Vickie’s intervention and therefore claiming a victory. Really clever booking of Miz who has very genuine heat.
· I’m fed up of the Santina stuff. The man is very funny, but there it too much stupid stuff involved now.
· What do you know? Logic to end the show. One on one with Batista and Orton – Dave doesn’t need a wrestling match, so he beats the shit out of Randy. Makes sense.
· I think the build to Judgment Day has been average at best (difficult with only a three week gap again) but I can see the PPV being really good. There are some exciting matches setup (Punk/Umaga, Jeff/Edge, Jericho/Rey) and with WWE’s recent record, over the last two years or so, of making PPVs very good, then I’m hopeful of a decent one.

Raw Thoughts - May 6

· Usually a good sign when the advertised main event goes on first. Generally means that something bigger is planned for the end of the show.
· My God how long was that Orton entrance. It seemed to go on for ever.
· Great start to the match. That’s what Orton and Hunter should have done at Mania
· MVP saves before Batista? Interesting. I didn’t care for Cole saying that ‘the numbers game’ bested MVP marginally before it really did.
· I like the ‘win and you’re in’ stip. I always think things work better when matches have a purpose. Obviously the premise should be that the winner wins more money, but we all know that is forgotten, so having matches which actually you can have an emotional investment in are alright by me.
· Good news for MVP, by the way. He is new on Raw, and is being used as a top guy right away
· Oh dear – did King read from the script and not listen to Matt Hardy? That’s twice within the opening minutes that the commentary duo have jumped the gun. Why can’t they just react to the action? Very poor, either on their part or those who are controlling them – or both.
· I’m glad to see Kofi win again, I’m a big fan – and the finisher looked awesome – but I’m not sure Matt needed to be beaten. Nice recover of heat, though.
· Do you think William Regal might make a decent commentator? Do you think that was why he was out there, as a bit of practise?
· Why, when they are backstage watching a monitor, do wrestlers always watch at a 45 degree angle?
· I’ve just worked out who Jillian sounds like – not her singing, but when she talks – she’s the gingerbread man out of Shrek.
· Right, I hated that Festus segment. I truly think that Jillian is a terrific character, and does a great job, but that presumably was supposed to be a comedy segment and was just cringe worthy. I liked Miz’s intervention though. His character is also excellent, he draws real heat. If he can improve his wrestling just a little bit, he’ll be a very good hand. I see a US title in his near future.
· I spy a new catchphrase – MIZ: “Really?”
· So Cena won’t be ready until Judgment Day, then Show beats the shit out of him. So that would suggest to me that we add another couple of weeks to that comeback date
· Man that was a boring segment. I don’t care how many people say what a talented big guy Show is, or how many people (and there have been many) tell me what a nice guy Paul Wight is. He is torture to watch.
· Oh terrific, so Batista loses – and it’s 3-on-1. SuperShane again?
· Wrestling fans explained – “JOHN CENA’S NUMBER ONE FAN” sign held up. Upside down.
· Ugh – more SuperShane stuff and it’s just so ridiculous. It would be bad enough if Cena or Triple H was looking like a hero against three guys (including the WWE Champion)but when it’s Shane it just devalues Legacy.

Raw Thoughts: 27th April

· When the lights were off and Lillian announced a new GM I paused the TV. I racked by brains to think who it could be. Then when I drew a blank I played on and it was just an announcement for Vickie. Oh well
· Nice little match with Kofi and Kendrick. Don’t really understand the logic of being TBK that quickly, though. Also, he doesn’t quick feel complete without big Zeke.
· Oh the pain. The Santina thing is completely played out. Throw in Hornswoggle and other antics. No thank you.
· Oh, and how would Hornswoggle have a birds eye view when looking up Santina’s skirt. Surely a bird’s eye view would be from high above something, not beneath it?
· Here is your winner, Cowboy Ace Matt Hardy
· Well, I don’t want to see Shane O Mac v Orton again and have Shane all over my TV, but it makes sense, storyline wise, for him to attack like that
· For the record, that should stand MVP in good stead to have him look competitive with Orton, but I didn’t enjoy the match. I though it was very staccato and slow.
· This is a hell of a gamble, you know. Main eventing with Batista and Big Show, and telling – outright TELLING – the audience that Triple H and John Cena will not be seen for a long time. Well, add that to the fact Shawn Michaels might be off for a bit, that’s a big hole in the top group of babyfaces.
· I actually quite liked that segment with Miz. I can see where it can lead. He can do what Santino with Austin to an extent. Belittle and have a go at Cena week after week. It promotes Miz in some people’s eye without him doing much, it keep Cena’s name in the limelight and it gives Cena a nice easy target for when he returns.
· Why exactly would they show us the same video of Orton and the McMahons twice in one night? And what are “recent current events”, Vickie?
· “I have never seen the Big Show this angry” says King. No, look at him. He is so angry with Cena that he is.......standing in the ring growling. Thank goodness that Cena, a man who can barely walk is as far away as, ooh, at least ten yards. Big Show could never catch him
· Poor Raw, for me. Terrible, boring main event with a BS finish and a predictable ending in the sense that Batista was always going over and Cena v Big Show seemed set. Very little happened on the show, and apart from a fun little tag match with the Colons v Chavo and Noble it was really quite dull.

Backlash Live Blog

01.00am
Welcome to the WWE show with the TNA theme. It's Backlash with a lack of bash, while in TNA Lashley's back.

01.05am
Speaking of TNA, it's Christian Cage! Did JR, one of the 3-man broadcast team, say that Christian has been away for five-and-a-half years? Is that really true? Swagger out and we're good for an ECW Title opener.

01.08am
Christian seems over in Rhode Island. In fact he is over.....the tope rope. Nice throw by Swagger, and a cool opener to make him look dominant. I like the idea of Christian chasing this match.

01.17am
A really sound opener. Of course, Christian winning the ECW title means relatively nothing, but you have to give the credit to the match itself. A lot of fun, both men on good form, nicely paced, and most importantly for me a really good story told through the action. It was the big guy who can amateur wrestle against the quicker, smaller, more experienced guy.

It was structured, and more importantly fun to watch. Nice, clever ending with logic to it, and I'll forgive my usual dislike of a babyface using a heel tactic.

Well done, gentlemen.

01.22am
Wow, Edge and Christian. New champion Cpt. Charisma takes a wander with his new shiny silver belt and encounters his 'brother' Edge. Totally understand the logic behind this, because it's allowing Edge to put over why he hates Cena. But Edge not quite on his game and perhaps the meeting of the 'brothers' should have meant more.

01.24am
Jericho to attempt to slay a Dragon. We know the fire still breathes inside him. Let's use it to toast our crumpets.

I went too far with that analogy, didn't I?

01.25am
JR talks about Steamboat wrestling Austin at WCW Bash of the Beach. I like JR in this role in a three man team, because Cole can become more of a presenter while JR can analyse and use his historical knowledge. I still think they could do with Striker, though, since King doesn't offer heel insight anymore. Striker could have a little more edge.

01.28am
Can somebody ask Jericho (ASK HIM!) about his hair? It's really bad. Is it mange or something?

And yes I did just want to say ASK HIM.

01.37am
HUUUGE near fall for the crossbody from Steamboat. Crowd have woken up to this match after a slow start.

01.39am
And that's the right ending. Some fun with finishing impact moves not getting it done and then Jericho gets Steamboat to tap to a second Liontamer. Held it just a second ot two more to make the point, too.

A really nice match. Didn't quite have the factor that Mania and Raw did, but still fun to watch. Ricky had just one moment where he didn't quite nail it, not quite finding the figure four he was looking for, but apart from that it was more than pleasant.

A nice send off for Steamboat, good to keep Jericho in people's minds. All good so far.

01.40am
Backstage filler with Santino, Beth and Rosa. Could have stayed with Steamboat saluting the fans for a few seconds more before cutting to Santino and the performing caterpillar on his forehead.

Analysis of the segment. Rosa looks like a cat. That is all.

01.42am
Punk and Kane out for their attempt to stall before we get to some meatier clashes. King talks up Punk's ability to use the briefcase at any time. Seeding for later tonight, perhaps?

01.44am
Good start here. More logic, which will always get a thumbs up from me. Punk works on Kane's chokeslam arm, hits a nice looking knee from the top, gets Kane to shout "get him off" when locking his arm round the ropes, then a really nice escape from a chokeslame attempt on the outside.

Unfortunately, King has just brought up whether Punk could cash in the briefcase tonight. Telegraphing usually doesn't work in WWE.

01.52am
Hey, what do you know? They conjured up a fun match. I'm not crazy about Kane beating Punk from a booking perspective if Punk wants to have another go at a legitimate title run, but once again the match was logically thought out, with Punk working the arm throughout and then Kane finding a way to hit the modified Chokeslam.

Two spots to mention. One was that not only did Punk and Kane try the same spot they had to repeat last Monday again, but they hit it and made it look awesome. OK, it wasn't exactly the same, because it was a pinning combination on Raw, but the new version still looked impressive. The second was a kick from Punk to Kane's head which looked like it rang Glen Jacobs' bell for a minute or two.

The undercard is doing it's job exactly how it should. The best PPVs should have a couple of high profile matches which deliver, with a host of moderate to good matches to build up to what people should have paid for.

01.57am
Time for a couple of Hardys. Just a small note, I'm surprised that Michael Hayes hasn't made an appearance in this feud, since he was the guy on-screen who built the Hardys up.

Scorecard for Matt and Jeff so far reads an average effort on a huge scale, and a good effort on a much smaller one. The extreme rules match at Mania didn't click, stretcher match on SD a lot of fun.

Third time lucky, boys........

02.03am
Decent start to this one. Two negative points to make, though. Cole called Jeff Hardy's deceased dog "the love of his (Jeff's) life" which is utterly ridiculous.

Second, the microphone is not being made enough of during the match. The idea is that they say I quit for the world to hear. Trash talking in the mic is allowed.

02.05am
Just a quick note I forgot to say earlier, I did call the Kane victory as being there to set up a future programme for Punk as champ in a potentially crowded title picture what with Edge and Cena chasing retribution too. That does get a step closer after The Big Red Machine's victory.

02.11am
That was ridiculous. This has been quite a nice match so far, but two things have just soured it. Jeff with a Texas Cloverleaf locked in elicited a tap from Matt. But then when asked to quit he said no. Why did he tap then?

Then, blatent miscommunication with Jeff and Matt having different ideas about whether they were going to hit a twist of fate or not. It looked bad. Still going here, Jeff now has a table........

02.19am
You know what, I liked that. It had some down moments, and was far from a classic. But I really admire them trying something. Jeff tying Matt to the table, Matt trying to talk his way out of it. The defeat doesn't hurt Matt because the reason he quit was because he was trying to beg off. The only real change I'd have made to the end was to have the ref hold the mic to Matt's mouth up until the point where the move hit. It would have sounded really dramatic.

02.21am
That was a really, really good build up promo from Randy Orton. I love the psychology tonight. Trying to get inside Big Dave's head is exactly what a clever strategist like Orton is supposed to be would do.

02.24am
Hey, SantinA doesn't have a unibrow. Whats up with that?

02.32am
Well, that dragged a bit. Some funny bits. Anytime Santinoa (not a typo) is on the mic it's pretty fun. Highlight for me was JR seemingly getting irate for real about Santina proclaiming her love for him, since I don't see anyone (read: Vince) liking him saying to Michael Cole "Who fed you that line?" after MC called him 'Mr Barbecue Man"

Time for Santina to come to an end now, and some sort of resolution between Santino and Beth needed too. It's getting a bit too silly. Santino is too brilliant a character to be ruined in this way.

02.35am
Legacy v McMahons now? PUNK TO CASH IN?????? It's the type of thing to go off the air with. I didn't think there was any way this show wouldn't end with Triple H. Interesting.

02.40am
Personal tally so far reads 2 out of 4, with predictions for Kane and Jericho coming, but I missed Jeff and Christian. I've just realised that I've picked five out of six heel victories. For the record I've got Triple H to win here.

02.43am
Judgment Day is here in three weeks (three weeks? Really? Oh man, I hate these short build ups. That's way too short.) and it's in..........CHICAGO? I didn't know that. I offer you once again my theory from earlier. That is that Edge beats Cena (possibly with help) and Punk appears post match. Edge escapes or Punk doesn't attack, they simply set up the match for next time. The fact that its in Chicago makes a Punk title bid more likely.

But then why beat him with Kane. Oh my head hurts. It's very late here, you know........

02.46am
Where the hell is Orton? An intersting though illogical start to the match. Triple H fights Orton up the ramp before the opening bell, they disappear, and only Triple H returns. Match starts and as I type is a couple of minutes in, but still no Randy. Benefit of the doubt given about the logic its mostly been sound tonight. I'll assume it plays out.

02.53am
Randy's back, playing the character to the hilt. His facial expressions are spot on tonight, and even his usual slow (dare I say, verging on boring) style is replaced with a dynamic, hard-hitting one befitting the situation. The match is not a classic - was never going to be - but you really don't know where the title will go at this point.

I wouldn't have minded seeing a little more teasing of count outs and DQs though.

02.57am
An error there. Shane - in a frenzy, apparently - starts to take apart the announce desk. I'd have had Triple H run around the ring and stop his brother-in-law from potentially jeopardising his title belt. Instead, the camera moved to Trips standing idly on the ring apron.

03.07am
OHHHH, someone might get fired. Poor communication between referee, bellringer, booker or someone. Orton hits an RKO, Trips kicks out late but the bell rings. WTF? Confusion reigns as we try to take in whether that should have happened or not, and meanwhile Orton kicks Trips silly mid face. That really is it.

So Batista had a chair when Trips noticed it, and Orton capitalises. We could see that coming somewhat, but that doesn't always make it bad booking. It's an easy job people like me have. We complain when the booking doesn't make sense, and when they do exactly what we say we complain it's too obvious.

I think this makes sense. It allows more friction between Batista and Triple H because Trips can legitimately claim that Batista's near trangression with the chair cost the match, since Hunter lost focus.

03.12
Right now HHH is on a stretcher being wheeled out. (I think they make too much of this sometimes, as if it really goes wrong it seems like a storyline) Where are Steph and Vince? Wouldn't they be running down to show concern?

I wonder how long Triple H will sell this? Backlash? Whiplash, more like.

Good work by the three commentators, by the way, speaking sensibly about the ramifications of the Orton victory. I'm enjoying the three-man dialogue, by the way. I think it works terrifically. I just hope they let those left off the team join in occasionally.\

03.20am
Cena on his way to the ring as I type to face Edge, and I've realised didn't really give thoughts on the last match as a whole. In all honesty it wasn't terrific when you consider it went the best part of 25 minutes. As a guy who isn't a huge fan of tag wrestling bear in mind that I'll be more down on a match of this type, though.

It seemed a bit formulaic to me, and certainly dragged in the middle before Triple H came roaring in. It's storyline functionality was strong though, and once again delivered in the logic department like so much of tonights stuff has.

I assume that'll mean that Batista challenges Orton for the title in Hunter's brief absence. How about an early guess that HHH arrives to save Batista at the PPV from a 3-on-1 but ends up costing Big Dave, so they are effectively 1-1 on that score?

03.23am
Ding ding, underway for the main event. I make it thirty seven minutes before we run out of time. I wonder if Mr Brooks has his briefcase combiination to hand?


03.25am
I LOVE the start. Less than two minutes in, no move hit, but about four avoided, all signature moves. Really clever stuff. Good facial selling from both men, too.

03.37am
This is ok but no better so far. Once again, I'm perhaps not the best judge because it's a match type I don't like. The nature of the numerous ten-count means that the match struggles to ever gain momentum, it tends to be staccatto and not gain rhythm.

Too much steel steps action, too. Since Shane, in the previous match, took the steps a la Foley and Taker, i.e knees first and spiralling over them, these guys have done at least three collisions unnautrally with the shoulder first. One saw Edge change direction in running to collide with them.

Both men down as I type. Crowd seem as hot as they have been all night, having cheered and booed as they like at a series of punches.

03.39am
That was nice. Edge counters the "Attittude Adjustment" three times before hitting a back suplex.


03.55am
You know what, I like it because they did something different. The run into the crowd looked just right, had the right feel for the characters involved. The ending sort of worked. It gives Cena something to do on Raw (not that it will be that interesting, I don't think) but also may make people want to tune in for the explanation of why Show did it, explain working with Edge, etc.

I'll say it again, that finish, not just the last act but the last few minutes, were different. I'm not always a big fan of the big stunt ending, but I never saw it coming. Plenty will be impressed.

03.56am
By way of a nice irony, I'm fairly certain that the last wrestler other than Cena and Edge to be shown on screen was CM Punk, showing concern for the former champion. I wonder if that was deliberate?

04.00am
So then, I make that four minutes short of a full three-hour show. Not bad.

Overall, I had fun. There wasn't a bad match on the card, although there was not a standout one either. Swagger and Christian opened strongly, though I'd have liked to see a match where they were given a little longer and didn't have to curtain jerk. Kane and Punk exceeded my expectations, and once again Steamboat shone and Jericho was Jericho (and that's a compliment, by the way.)

Hardys didn't tear the house down but told a great story, especially at the end. Similar sentiments for the six man, where action got a little a sluggish but the storyline held up during the match and the ending was well executed.

Finally, a gradual build for a match between two guys who we've seen battle many times ended in something shocking, if perhaps not to everyone's taste.

No Money in the Bank. All three titles change.

Judgment Day looks tentatively Batista v Orton, Cena v Show and perhaps Punk v Edge bearing in mind the Chicago factor.

Big week of TV, since they have to set the draft out and start booking matches for a PPV three weeks away.

Good fun tonight, hope you enjoyed it.

RMc

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.

Raw Thoughts - April 13

· Long, long opening seg to recap last week. Interesting to note that they edited Vince saying “Dave Batista” down to Batista. Wait, is that interesting?
· Is that a fair system? Inter-promotional matches where the winning brand gets a draft pick? Strikes me that I wouldn’t want more competition on my brand, so I’d deliberately lose.
· Did they really talk about announcers being eligible to move? Didn’t they notice that Todd Grisham is now sat with JR in the Smackdown booth? Sort of kyboshes that doesn’t it?
· Doesn’t make Batista very tough, does it, if Shane and Vince can come back after a punt in about a month, where it takes Big Dave four.
· Very dull, formulaic opening (“No, I hate Randy more than you, you stinkyhead”), although as I type I’ve just heard “excuse me” – this could be fun.
· I like the idea of Vickie on Raw, but it’s a risk. She certainly hasn’t been as convincing over the last two weeks, which suggests that being live, i.e. not being cleaned up in post production, is not so easy for her.
· MVP to Raw. Keep an eye on either Rey moving with his IC belt or the two having a little unification bout at some point.
· Did you see JR’s face when Kendrick emerged to represent Raw? Didn’t look too thrilled, did he?
· Sorry to all those that frequently tell me that Big Show is the best big man ever to lace the boots, but as much as he seems a nice guy, I am just not entertained by him. Not too thrilled with him appearing on Raw.
· I like Cena pointing out to Swagger that his name is ridiculous. I was waiting for Kennedy though, during that bit where they were extending the names of things.
· Firstly, that was a pointless “six diva tag match” if they are just going to have two girls “wrestle” the whole thing.
· Second, Melina to Smackdown is very interesting. I’d expect to see Maryse to Raw now, but I’m hoping that they’ll both female champs together and have unification battle there. I truly believe that where belts are concerned, less is more.
· Aaaagh! Where to start with my annoyance? Maybe with the fact that Swagger v Cena was excruciatingly boring, right up until the point where Swagger started a comeback? Or how about mentioning the fact that that as the comeback started we went to break? Or perhaps I’ll mention that the exact second the break came Swagger was about to knock Cena off the ropes.
· So are we going to get a big Swagger push now? The way he was doing average moves at a slow pace and the commentators were going crazy for him suggests only that.
· I guess we knew one Hardy was moving after their stretcher match on SD, but I expected it to be Jeff.
· The stupidity of the whole brand split and draft came home there. Triple H drafted to Raw. I really thought he was on Raw, until I thought about it harder. How many weeks has been on Raw, consecutively? 6, 7?
· Haha, that’s hilarious. Punk is drafted to SD along with his briefcase, but both all world champs are now on other brands. Brilliant.
· See, Edge is gutted about having Kane on his brand. It makes no sense at all for him to work hard to get people to challenge him.
· Wow, this show lost my attention after less than the allotted two hours, it was a huge mistake to go three.
· Koslov’s move to ECW makes total sense. That’s basically a relegation, thanks to his disappointing Smackdown run.
· Maryse to Raw I called earlier. If they move Melina, makes sense to switch the other title I guess.
· Bit harsh from Grisham? “If Dreamer is a legend then so is the Brooklyn Brawler.” Mi-ow, Todd.
· Mysterio to SD was perhaps the biggest lock. Good potential for IC battles with a heel Punk, Shelton or Kendrick.
· I like Jericho to Smackdown too, mainly because I’ve said for a while that I’d love to see a nice build, maybe to Summerslam, of Jericho and Undertaker. Would have preferred it on Raw, but beggars can’t be choosers.
· I can’t decide if I liked the main event or not. I at least like the fact that they tried to do something different, and watching the match was made more interesting by not knowing the outcome. However, the concept, just a week after Batista’s heroic return, seemed a bit premature. Shane should step aside as a non wrestler, while Trips only wrestled Orton (smashed him with a sledgehammer and pinned him, no less) eight days earlier. Just led Dave fight him.
· Triple H v Orton next week at the O2. I’ll be there. Is it a good main event or not? We’ll see........