Extreme Rules live blog

01.02am
Pyro follows the usual quality promo to hype the night. Following this is a Fatal Fourway, apparantly.

01.05am
Kofi out first, followed by Regal. Sounded like a decent cheer for Matt next. Might be just his music, though. Big pop for MVP. New Orleans loves Montel.

01.09am
Uh-oh. Not long into the match and a major collision between MVP and Kofi. If it was deliberate, it looked like shit.

01.10am
Oh my, a tower of doom spot now goes awry. They have gone at a strong pace througout. Need to slow it down a little.

01.14am
Kofi retains, so its one to me for predictions, but the match just seemed off the pace. The finisher didn't hit right, and the whole match just felt like four guys were trying to hard to get stuff in. Poor opener I'm afraid.

01.16am
So Show is confident because Cena can't apply the STF? Are everybody idiots because no-one seems to realise that Cena is allowed to do more than just the STF.

01.23am
Nice little intro from Jericho from the merch stand to the ring, but can't help but think that was a TV promo not a PPV one. I like Grisham talking up Rey for being "Nice"

First couple of minutes start outside the ring with a bit of a brawl. Exactly what I asked for. Well done.

01.33am
Great stuff so far, but just a little question - why are the fans supposed to hate Jericho for removing the mask. Wouldn't they be curious as to what Rey looks like?

01.40am
Gotta love that. Crisp action throughout, terrific series of counters, and a very creative finish.

My big problem with it, though, is that the unmasking means nothing because no cameras bothered to follow the guy trying to hide his face, but instead looked at the guy doing very little in the ring.

That doesn't detract from the match too much, though. It was a typically great effort from these two. Normally I'd hate to see a third go on PPV between the same guys, but if they have a further PPV contest I won't complain.

01.45am
Why must we watch that long recap? Surely if someone has purchased this show then they know all about what happened on Raw. And if they don't, well they bought it anyway. Don't waste precious time that could have been given to the opening contest.

01.59am
No complaints from me there. I felt it was telegraphed that Punk would win when they started going on about how stacked in Umaga's favour it was, though.

Decent enough match, though, considering the limitations of that kind of match. I don't really care for strap matches, much like with Last Man Standing contests (and often cage matches - we'll see later) they are limiting rather than exciting. Glad Punk won, he needs that boost. Umaga is terrific to watch I think, but to me he really needs a manager or at least an ally who can talk to help him out. I miss Arrrrmando......alejandro......estrrrrrrrrrrada.

02.03am
Backstage to Gregory Helms (terrible interviewer, by the way) who interviews \Christian, who cuts a heel promo. Lame acting from the interupting Dreamer, and then corny dialogue as Swagger enters. The segment is saved, though, as Dreamer and Christian just walk away from Swagger. That was pretty funny.

02.17am
Well, that I wasn't expecting. Dreamer wins and pins Swagger to do so. Terrific, meaningful call by Striker on the bell. Some sections of the crowd felt that. Others didn't. Felt like that match should have taken place in Phillie. Would have been nice to see some ECW originals cheering him on. I'm aware that Rhyno, the Dudleys and so on can't appear, but I would have liked to have seen some ECW alumni on hand to celebrate with Tommy.

02.20am
Oh great. Hog Pen match. Time to get a snack. It's a bit late for a bacon sandwich I guess.

Seems that rules for this match are different to the original Hog Pen match. I recall Henry Godwinn backdropping Hunter Hearst Helmsley (yes, him) into the pen for the win. They didn't wrestle in it, you won by getting your opponent in there.

02.29am
I am not going to analyse that. It was pathetic.

02.30am
Perhaps that was designed to be so terrible that it would make Cena v Show seem awesome by comparison.

02.32am
I'd just like to say, for the benefit of my friend RD Reynolds, we may have a Gooker nominee.

02.37am
Video hyping Batista and Orton. Holy shit, that went on forever. Nice logical meeting of Vickie and Edge. Trouble is, that was virtually a babyface promo for Edge.

02.54am
Batista has the title, thats three out of four title changes tonight so far, and it came suddenly. No Legacy assistance for Randy, and very few close finishes, before a powerbomb ended it.

I'm still looking at a gradual build to, at Summerslam perhaps, Orton v Batista v Triple H, with Flair as the referee.

03.02am
Actual, proper insight from King as we are about to start the submission match. He talks about how every time he went into a match thinking he might lose, he lost. That's what the colour guy should do, add insight from his career.

Big Cena chat early on. Sounds like The Big Easy likes Cena.

03.24am
Pretty much what we were expecting, wasn't it? Typical slow Cena match, with a vaguely logical story about Cena applying his hold.

I'm sick of two things tonight. One is that the usual reference to "skull" rather than "head" has gone into overdrive and is sounding completely ridiculous. I mean staggeringly annoying. Saying something too often lessens its impact, not that saying skull is that impactful anyway.

The other petty annoyance is the predictions by the commentators being completely wrong. Wrong to the point that their insistance that Big Show or Umaga, for example, are guaranteed to win shattered any doubt about who the winner would be. They even did it with Orton and Batista.

03.53am
Exciting, breathtaking, exhilarating and terrifying in equal measures, Edge and Jeff Hardy, one the whole, deliver in the main event. Jeff wins after a very creative finish trapping Edge inside a ladder and ......wait. As I type, here is Puink.

03.56am
Hmm.....interesting stuff. Firstly, credit for the Jeff kick out and inside cradle near fall. Suddenly it seemed that Punk's cash-in might backfire.

My biggest doubt would be that the moment of Jeff winning was big, and the crowd loved it. They did not go crazy for Punk, because he is a lesser babyface than Jeff.

Punk heel turn possible? Remember Edge will deserve a rematch, so perhaps we'll see a triple threat soon.

Back to the Ladder match, I thought it was very good. Not amazing, not five stars, but it didn't disappoint. What you absolutely cannot fault is the commitment level which Edge and Jeff Hardy asipire to. I would suggest they will be seriously banged up after that one.

Overall an ok show. I don't think anyone will hate the fact that they missed it, but Jericho v Rey and Edge v Jeff were both quality matches, and the Punk cash in was a shocking moment.

I look forward to Smackdown far more than Raw this week.

Maybe I was a little harsh.....

Some things to clear up, I think.

Firstly I was a bit grouchy in my Raw review yesterday. I’d just got home after a four-and-a-half drive from Manchester and wasn’t in the best frame of mind for watching and appraising a show.

I think that I should give a bit more praise to Punk and Regal. I think my comments suggested that I didn’t enjoy the match. I did, but felt that it could have been even better. I thought the advertisement break and the commentary team vastly detracted from the match. Overall, though, this was a good effort and I’m pleased for Punk getting a moment in front of his home fans.

I’d love to see Regal get the chance to work with other younger or up-and-coming talent. I get the feeling he could get a lot of out of MVP, Ken Kennedy, Carlito and so forth.

As much as I like Punk, if he is not going to get back into the main-event picture (and I don’t see it, to be fair) I think he’s due a heel turn. He is a terrific heel, and I’d really like to see him get a chance to shine in a different light.

Next I’d like to say that the ending was probably a lot better than I first indicated. The more I think about it, the more shocking it was, and there are plenty of possibilities for development. Will Orton and Priceless be fired? If Steph and Vince supposed to be babyfaces they weren’t very sympathetic characters, and this may help Randy get over more.

I still like my idea of Shane McMahon being the brains behind the Legacy group. There are a few holes in the theory, such as why Shane would have waited for so long, what influence he has on the company and on Orton.

Another possibility with Orton is that he could win the Royal Rumble and jump to Smackdown. This would get him out of Steph’s hair and would logical in that manner, but then what happens to Rhodes and DiBiase?

My biggest problem from Raw really was that ending wasn’t a pre-PPV ending. It was a good one for making sure you tune in to next week’s show. Is Jericho still in trouble? Is Jericho working with Orton? Is Orton going to be fired? Will Vince be back? And so on and so forth. However, we should have been focussed on Cena, JBL and Shawn and the Rumble competitors, in my mind.

Perhaps the theory is that people love the Rumble so much that they’ll buy it come what may. Therefore after a good contract signing segment and the natural attraction of the Rumble match itself it may be assumed that people will be on board and need a little added incentive for Raw next week.

By the way, if the Rumble is amazing – brilliant rumble match, Christian return etc –then adding this to the exciting finish of last week may mean a monster Raw rating. They got a 3.9 apparently this week, so anything above 4 next week would be a great sign for WWE.

I’ll try to get a Rumble preview up tomorrow. It’ll come before I’ve had a chance to see Smackdown, but I’m off to London on Saturday for TNA and don’t know when I’ll be back on Sunday.

I will, of course, have the live blog going during the Rumble itself. Stay tuned.

Raw Thoughts January 6th

· I liked the cold open to Raw with Jericho and Orton in the ring. It had a lot of intrigue to it because you were unsure why these two were together in the ring, and they followed it up with a strongly delivered argument for why they were briefly aligned and why they were unhappy.
· Really strong opening. Sensible, well-pitched promos from each of the four men involved, and then a match created as a main event which I want to see. I want to see what happens, whether Michaels turns on Cena or not. Should keep people watching.
· Having Santino in a wrestling match only seems like such a waste. The point of the match was for Melina and Goldust to build interest in their match at The Rumble, I understand, but Santino could be given a couple of minutes pre-match to run down Melina, Goldust, Rosa Mendez or whomever.
· Terrific little promo from CM Punk. I liked the way promos are being pitched so far tonight. This one was very humble and actually spoken like a real person. I liked the back reference to King of the Ring, and to me this built to the match nicely.
· Disappointing IC title match, but I suppose they are just trying to build the intrigue up a bit. Perhaps a match where Regal can’t get DQ-ed unless he wants to relinquish the title might be fun. I assume it will be next week.
· I have a worry, which I hadn’t thought about until now. Do you think Shawn Michaels is going to face JBL at Wrestlemania? I sense the slow burn with HBK eventually getting fed up and Superkicking Layfield’s head off sparking a match between the two. Likely it would be billed as Texas’ own HBK v New York’s JBL, a former Texas resident who disappeared.
· As Mr Wrestlemania I had in mind HBK v Rey Mysterio or HBK v Undertaker. HBK v JBL doesn’t quite measure up.
· Interesting that Rey Mysterio pinning Mike Knox in a ten-man tag match constitutes Knox getting beaten on Raw, but Koslov losing triple threats or the like on Smackdown means nothing to his unbeaten record.
· I think the story of Orton and his Legacy stable is just too flimsy. They don’t pay it enough attention, and if we are supposed to be following who is in and out and so forth then it’s hard. And where is DiBiase?
· PANIC! Vince is back in two weeks. Should we expect a study into the ‘accident’?
· Really, really strong main event, but I thought marred slightly by the aftermath backstage with JBL. I would have liked it to have been focussed on the reactions of Cena and Shawn post match rather than watching Todd Grisham do an interview. Still, the tag match was great. A strong Raw overall.

Raw Thoughts - 24th November

· Really liked the opening to Raw, with Shane arriving in a Porsche (or maybe a Ferrari, I’m not good with cars) then running to the entrance.
· The Shane and Steph ever-so-slightly arguing is getting old already. I don’t mind the concept, it’s just that you know that this is going to be all McMahon for several weeks.
· Shane is a natural babyface, but Steph is just no convincing in that role. Or in any role.
· Cole says that Rey was “One of the sole survivors” – they aren’t going to do this are they? Not another phrase (Like ‘Unforgiven’ or ‘25th anniversary’) they can’t get right.
· What do you know, Rey took a move from Sonjay Dutt!
· I loved HBK’s crawl along the ropes to make a tag.
· JBL kicking Morrison to save HBK? I have no idea why, but I love it when stuff like that happens. Gives you something to think about.
· Did Kennedy say he was going to Cross the Line?? Can’t think where he got that phrase from.
· When Lillian was introducing the IC title scenario, and mentioned Regal, I’m sure she said ‘lime’ instead of ‘time’. I know Americans called us Brits ‘Limeys’ but come on......
· Excited by the triple threat, but seems a strange place on the show to put it.
· The advantageous Chris Jericho? No, Michael, one who takes advantage is not known as advantageous. Problems with your tenses again.
· Now I love William Regal, but his commentary was a little muddled. He talked at times about how great CM Punk was, and they would have a ‘feud for the ages’ but then said he’d destroy him.
· Err..............divas match – Candice’s music, and Melina’s video? Oops. Jerry Lawler covers, but Cole makes an even bigger ass of himself by pretending not to have seen the Melina graphic on the huge Titantron.
· Not sure what destroying Jericho like that achieved really. I’ll reserve judgement in case somewhere down the line it is explained, but Cena beating the hell out of Jericho hardly builds a title match fans would want to buy. That’s essentially two nights running that Cena has got the upper hand.
· We end with Kane looking on. Cena v Kane? Is that really going to assist a higher rating?
· Odd Raw. We tease McMahon sibling rivalry (again) and Cena dominance (again) deliver a lacklustre start to an IC title tourney which Punk is likely going to win anyway and see little of the stuff that has made interesting viewing. For example, short stuff from Marella and just one shot of Orton with Manu and Cody.

Playing Wrestling Nostradamus

Sitting here of a Sunday night having just watched Smackdown, I thought I’d have a little look at the WWE landscape and offer some thoughts and predictions.

I cannot believe that The Great Khali has been promoted into another main event slot. Obviously the recent publicity tour over in India by the Punjabi superstar has done good business and India appears to be a thriving WWE market. I expect that Vince and co. like the fact that the Indian press seemed to report that the people over there think that Wrestling is real. I would highly doubt that Indian WRESTLING fans think that it is real, but if the media do then WWE will try to capitalise.

If India is loving the WWE right now, why not put Khali into a position to challenge for the title? Makes sense.

However, for the rest of us, it’ll be torture. As much as I respect the Game, and as good as Paul Levesque has been for many years, Triple H matches are no longer something I eagerly anticipate. Not saying they are not satisfactory, but they don’t get you excited the way that matches involving the likes of Edge, Jericho, Michaels and Jeff Hardy do.

Triple H will surely win, and I guess it’s just something for him to do while Edge has to deal with the Undertaker. Look at it this way – Edge has been THE story of Smackdown for the past couple of months, and of the Undertaker transcends titles, so HiaC will be top billing - at least from Smackdown’s point of view. (Although, saying that, they aren’t exactly piling all their stock on Punk, so I’d think that Edge v Taker would headline the whole show)

I guess we should be relieved, because this could be an opportunity for them to put Jeff Hardy or Mr Kennedy into a top spot only to have them lose to Triple H. At least Khali getting squashed isn’t much of a loss. Hardy or Kennedy getting the shot and losing would enable the opportunity for their doubters to argue to their fans that they had a chance and blew it – that the match wasn’t important and the reaction very little.

By the way, how many times did JR and Mick call Jeff Hardy “the Charismatic Enigma” on Smackdown? Surely they haven’t ditched the Rainbow Haired Warrior epithet and nicked a TNA one.

Elsewhere amongst the bigger names on Smackdown, we are looking like heading towards Umaga v Big Show and Jeff Hardy v MVP, although whether we will see all the matches at Summerslam is unknown.

Over on Raw, it’s Punk v JBL at Summerslam, which will have precisely no-one excited. I’ve talked on the Sun website about how Punk having the belt isn’t necessarily the best thing for the Straightedge Superstar. I think Punk will beat JBL, as there as even less point in Bradshaw having the title, but I’m doubtful it will be clean.

Other matches are unclear, as Chris Jericho has laid up Shawn Michaels once again in the storyline almost unanimously considered to be the best of the year – by miles. We may see another match between these guys, but I think more likely is that they’ll let HBK sell the eye injury a bit more, and then have a blow-off down the line. Also, backing up that theory, a blow-off match is already taking place at Summerslam, between Edge and Taker. It would be wrong for Jericho and Shawn to go under the radar in that fashion.

Then there is Cena, Batista and Kane. If they do the slow burn then Cena v Batista is a possible Wrestlemania encounter. (more on that in a minute) For now, I’m not sure where they are going to go. Kane’s insanity has lost a bit of momentum, but he is still in the mix. The biggest problem with Raw right now is that although having JBL, Punk, Batista, Cena and Kane featured prominently and in each other’s business keeps them strong and promotes the belt, because that’s what they are all aiming for, you cannot get excited about many matches between them. The only match two matches I’d like to see out of that group would be Cena v Batista (but only with the right build up) and Punk v Cena.

I mentioned Mania just then – I’d suggest three contests that you could get hold of and build Wrestlemania around.

John Cena v Batista
Triple H v Undertaker
Shawn Michaels v Rey Mysterio

What do you think?

Cena and Batista are modern day Sports Entertainers, with the package of the look and character being more important that the wrestler, but while I’m not a fan of Batista and don’t go crazy over Cena (although I respect the hell of out the guy for his work rate and what he has achieved) even I’d be interested in them building this one and manipulating the fans. I’d have the belt involved, too, because without it I don’t think you’d generate the right kind of dislike between the two men.

Over on SD, I think there is enough of a roster to sustain Triple H repelling contenders and Taker having some fun as well, without them needing to meet. Edge could step up and meet The Game again somewhere down the line. It wouldn’t be a bad thing at all. I make it eight Pay Per View events before Wrestlemania. A combination of matches with Khali, Jeff Hardy, MVP, Kennedy Big Show, Umaga and Edge again would sustain Triple H and Undertaker before Mania. With perhaps the odd hint dropped between Taker and Game that their paths will cross at some point.

I can envisage Undertaker and Big Show locking horns a couple of times, certainly, and Triple H having another little episode with Jeff Hardy could help Jeff out.

Mysterio v Michaels is a match I can’t recall seeing, and one which would whet the appetite like Angle and HBK did a few years back. I think Michaels is the best in the business right now, which is amazing considering he has just turned 43 and basically retired in 1998.

I’m not as crazy about Rey Mysterio as a lot of people are, but I think the anticipation of these two locking up would be mouth-watering, and the match would likely steal the show.

Finally, the GM situation on Raw. And another Mania match I can foresee.

Apparently Shane McMahon will be on Raw this week, and I’d like to lay a marker right now that this is step two of the Mr McMahon angle.

I’m saying that Shane will address the rising chaos on Raw. Citing the example that for months before Mr McMahon’s accident things were ok, needing to install an experienced hand and not having time himself, he will re-appoint William Regal as General Manager of Raw.

Regal will go back to his character pre-Suspension, although perhaps not to the extent of the frequent lights-out jobs. Order will be restored of a fashion, and things will pan out very slowly but leading to...........

Regal being revealed as the man behind the attack on Mr McMahon. Regal would know the setup of Raw, he would know the stagehands etc, so he would be able to engineer the attack (I know WWE doesn’t always worry about legitimate set-ups, but at least I can offer background). The motive would be that Mr McMahon sorted out the firing, and that Regal wanted his job back and showing it was chaos without him proved he was needed.

Vince tries to fire Regal, but Regal produces a contract he signed when Shane re-hired him which says he is guaranteed a contract for a certain amount of time. In the end, they go head-to-head at Mania for control of Monday Night Raw.

Vince McMahon v William Regal at Wrestlemania 25. You heard it, on July 27th 2008, here first.

Backlash preview

I’m running a little low on time today, and I apologise for the lack of updates on the blog, but I promise you that things will change this week. This is the Backlash predictions blog, but coming up within seconds (literally) of the end of the PPV you’ll have my ‘as live’ thoughts.

Also, at the start of the coming week I’ll be posting my diary from attending the UK tour for WWE and some thoughts on the difference between Raw and Smackdown that I noticed from attending the two shows in London.

Onto Backlash, and a Pay Per View which is one of the hardest to market in the whole year because everything builds up to Wrestlemania, so this show either becomes a breeding ground for new programmes, a continuation of Mania ones, and, most often, an amalgam of both.

Looking at the match list it would be easy to say that the show isn’t necessarily destined for big things, but WWE have produced three good to excellent Pay Per Views so far in 2008, so it isn’t beyond comprehension that this one could come off well.

Match by match, let’s take a look at the card.........

12 Divas Tag Match – Mickie, Maria, Ashley, Kelly Kelly, Cherry and Michelle v Beth, Victoria, Layla, Natalya, Jillian and Melina.

I’d expect this to have it’s normal slot right in between the two title matches, and the penultimate spot on the card.

I’ve read reports that Beth may be ready to have a feud with Michelle McCool, which sounds distinctly strange to me, especially since a) they are on different brands; b) Beth is no longer champion and c) well, Michelle isn’t very good.

I know it’s the typical comparison point, but when you see the TNA Knockout’s division doing such good business and putting on decent matches , you’d say that WWE’s equivalent is way behind. I fail to see why they couldn’t have given Mickie a few weeks more of chasing Beth and to have beaten her for the title here.

This won’t be much other than a great chance for the likes of Ashley and Kelly Kelly to show that they truly are abysmal in the ring, and it will likely be left to Mickie to get beaten down for a few minutes by the heels, who bar Layla can all work.

I would suspect that the winning victorious team will likely be there to further the storyline, and so for that reason, I’ll take Beth beating McCool, and believe the rumours.

Prediction: Beth Phoenix’s team to win.
I would Book: Does it matter? I’d perhaps give Natalya the match to establish her a little more.
And another thing.....Isn’t the heel team so much hotter than the babyfaces (as much as a love Mickie and Maria)


Big Show v Great Khali

Hmm. Ain’t gonna be a classic, folks, and I would suggest they’ll have half a brain and let it go short. I don’t see them having Show come back for a (losing) match with Mayweather at Mania and then to go down to Khali. Big Show isn’t my favourite wrestler, but his work rate is a million times better than the big Ox he has to face, so I have to say Show here.

Prediction: Big Show to win a short, painless one.
I would book: The same, pretty much.
And another thing.....Umaga isn’t booked on this PPV – a post match attack on Big Show could be on the cards for a Show v Umaga.


ECW Title: Chavo Guerrero v Kane

The shortest match at Wrestlemania took place between these two, showing us all just how highly regarded the ECW brand really is.

This programme has continued subsequently, but I truly believe the only reason it has done is to simply lend a different perspective to Undertaker v Edge. It is hard to see anyone on ECW really, genuinely, having a go at the title except for Elijah Burke and Shelton Benjamin, unless they push the boat out and give Kofi Kingston a shot, so unless they the Jamaican gets a quick opportunity at a belt, it’s likely to be a heel.

And since I think Burke or Benjamin will step up for title attempts, I have to go with Kane here.

Prediction: The Big Red Machine to retain.
I would Book: Hmmm. I would have had to have started earlier, but I’d have looked at a babyface Shelton to face Chavo. ECW isn’t drawing, so make it the home for Cruiserweights and so forth.
And another thing..........If CM Punk cashes in his briefcase on ECW, I will cry.


United States Title: MVP v Matt Hardy

This isn’t done. I think that these guys have had such a storied feud that a straightforward match should not end the programme. I see a potential match of the night candidate in this one, but I wouldn’t foresee a clean finish.

I’m going to suggest that MVP will retain his belt, possibly by virtue of getting himself disqualified, but more likely getting a 3-count by virtue of having feet on ropes or something similar. My theory is that another match, with a stipulation, finishes off the feud at Judgement Day.

Prediction: MVP to win in a very heel-like way.
I would book: The same outcome, but I’d have Matt pick up a visual fall during the match, and go on to book a best two-out-of-three falls match for the next PPV.
And another thing.........Jeff Hardy is due back from suspension on May 10, just over a week before Judgment Day – could he get involved in a feud-ender between these two?


World Heavyweight Title (Smackdown) Undertaker v Edge

I’m really switched off to this feud, to be honest. I love Edge, and I respect what Taker has achieved, but I was very underwhelmed by their Wrestlemania match, and see very little value in a rematch if Edge is not going to win the title.

Which, of course, he won’t. The shout was that Undertaker was to be given a long-term title reign last summer, but of course he got injured, so this has been switched to 2008. My opinion is that Taker is big enough that he doesn’t really need the title, and that Edge is seriously under-booked as a genuine wrestler.

The beauty of Triple H being a strong heel champion, especially going back to 2000 or so, was that he was good in ring (just like Edge), he was a total prick on the microphone (just like Edge – and that’s a compliment by the way) and he was booked as a seriously good wrestler who you legitimately believed could win titles alone (.........)

I don’t think that anyone can believe that Edge can legitimately beat the Undertaker, and I don’t see why, just because he is a heel, Edge can’t be pushed to the same degree. I understand that the heels are supposed to be hated, and quick heat can be received by virtue of having lackeys helping you and a crooked authority figure on your side. However, I don’t see why he can’t look good at the same time.

That’s a tangent. For tonight, I’d suggest that we’ll likely see similar events as at Mania. I’d expect to see Hawkins and Ryder, I’d expect to see Vickie, but I’d expect to see Undertaker prevail.

Prediction: Yawn, Taker wins in his standard type of match.
I would book: Edge to win, to win in an absolute “knock-down drag-out” (as Bret would say)and to win with a move like a small package or something, so that Taker just got caught out by “the ultimate opportunist”.
And another thing...........I don’t see many challengers for the title stepping up after this one. (hmm, Maybe Big Show) As a bit of a wildcard, what if Chavo helped out Edge, but Kane assists his brother? You could even throw in a tag title switch, and then do one of those matches where whoever pins who gets their belt, like when Yokozuna and Owen hart took on HBK and Nash way back in the day.


Shawn Michaels v Batista. Special guest referee – Chris Jericho.

I’ve left this one late because I think it’s been built up better than anything else on the card. Plenty of people I speak to don’t like the addition of Jericho as a special ref, but I love a tease of heel turns and so forth, so seeing all three men act like they could turn heel intrigues me.

I don’t see Jericho being a ref for no reason, so he has to get involved. I would seriously doubt that Batista will be thrust into the Smackdown title scene again after having two consecutive matches with Taker in recent weeks, so I’d suggest that this one could drag on past this PPV. I’d suggest that there is even a possibility that a triple threat for Y2J’s Intercontinental title could be on the horizon.

This goes one of two ways. Jericho tries to screw one and screws the other, which means both men are gunning for a (probably heel) Chris Jericho. The other way is that Jericho (maybe in conjunction with the other) screws one man, beginning a Jericho v “screwed guy” feud.

Following up the second theory is that it would require a double heel turn from Jericho and one other, which would likely be Batista. This is less likely, because although it could be revealed that this is the reason that Jericho is involved and that Batista enlisted him to help take out Shawn, it isn’t likely and also Y2J has been beaten down by both men.

Prediction: Y2J gets knocked down accidentally by Michaels, and when he attempts retaliation, he lays out Batista. He then is forced to count Big Dave out. This means that both Batista and HBK have a reason for hating Y2J. This idea isn’t watertight, but it’s the best I can do.
I would book: a way of getting Jericho to turn on Shawn. These two should be able to put on some great bouts, and I’d welcome a back story of how HBK beat Jericho at Mania.
And another thing........It will be interesting to see, if they continue the programme between all three men, if Ric Flair’s name will be continually used, or whether they try to move away from this.


Fatal Fourway Elimination Match for the WWE title: Randy Orton v Triple H v John Cena v John “Bradshaw” Layfield

I have two theories once again, but the problem here is the opposite of the match above.

For HBK/Batista, both theories I have both have deep flaws. For this match both ideas seem really plausible to me. I can’t decide which one is most likely.

See what you think – firstly, I’ll say to you that Randy Orton is a heel champion. He would be very likely to pick up the win in a multiple man match on a fluke, or at least a piece of capitalisation, just like he did at Wrestlemania. But one key aspect lends itself to a title change. The Fatal Fourway stip has now been changed to an Elimination format. This means that the element of surprise and capitalisation has been taken away for Orton, and that you have a bigger likelihood of a legitimate, babyface title change.

This could mean that either Cena or Triple H is left with Orton to claim the strap off of him, or even that they team up briefly to oust the other two and then it’s down to them.

BUT............

Orton could retain. If the belt was going to change from Orton to Cena, or from Orton to Triple H, then they could just do it in a singles match. They want Orton to keep the belt and have a long title reign, and Triple H and Cena are hurt less by losing multiple matches, and the credibility of the belt is kept high by virtue of their being clean finishes and not DQs and run-ins, which there would be if Orton retained in a singles bout.

And Orton can win this match without hurting the two babyfaces. Let’s see JBL beaten first, and let’s have Orton hide out most of the time that Triple H and Cena beat the hell out of each other. When one finally drops the other, with both men almost flat out, Orton hits an RKO out of nowhere. Still champ.

I have noticed that the RKO has been increasingly built as a devastating finisher, so I’d say there is a fair chance that could be used when one man is distracted.

It has to be one of those two theories, and both seem to have solid cases. I’m going to plump for Orton retaining, for the sheer fact that I like the build to that ending more, and that I can’t see Orton dropping the strap in a match which isn’t one-one-one.

Prediction: Orton to retain
I would book: Probably Triple H to take it. I think he is at the height of his popularity, and I can see a heel turn not far away. Therefore, give the fans what they want with The Game now, before the chance is lost.
And another thing...........William Regal is not booked to be doing anything, and he just won the King of the Ring and he is GM, he could yet impose himself somewhere........you don’t think......?

Some other things about Backlash to consider:

• Mike Adamle is making his PPV announcing debut – I hope RD and Blade at Wrestlecrap are recording the show.
• Mick Foley is rumoured to be replacing Coach. Should be interesting. Coach to go back to Raw as GM with Regal becoming a full-time wrestler?
• No Santino and Carlito? I thought the tag titles would be defended by Rhodes and Holly on this show against Morella and......erm, Caribbean Cool. Hopefully we will still see (or rather hear) Santino in some capacity.
• No Hornswoggle? Too much to ask?

Enjoy the show, guys!

Quick Raw Thoughts

Just got through watching RAW for Sept 4th – the first show after the announcement of suspensions.

So did this help us decide who may be gone? A little, but not entirely.

The names from Raw that were rumoured to be on the hitlist, in one way or another, were Mr. Kennedy, Intercontinental Champion Umaga, General Manager William Regal, Randy Orton, King Booker, Santino Marella and Charlie Haas.

So how did they all get on………….?

Mr. Kennedy: - Well, until the last 15 minutes or so of the show, Kenny Kenny was nowhere to be seen. Unfortunately, I had got wind of a little spoiler of the show, which was tape this week, so when the quartet of McMahons were chatting away in the ring, I knew he must show up at some point. Otherwise I think I might have popped privately for when he came through the curtain.

Well, anyway, he gave a great performance vocally, as per usual, where it was basically announced that he is not in fact Vince’s son. (we should find out next week). But that was basically a near certainty, really, that he would be the bastard son. That he isn’t has to taken as a sign that we won’t see him any more in this storyline.

Umaga: - The Samoan Bulldozer actually pulled a double header in the ring, and was all over the show. Not, I was thinking, the ideal way to de-push the man.

The IC title match was ok, but I felt the finish was weak. For an unstoppable savage, falling off the top rope and getting winded seemed a bit feeble to me. It strikes me that a small package or the like might have served the purpose better. Jeff Hardy didn’t come off as a strong character, and Umaga just came off as a bit clumsy and unable to fight being winded. If Jeff rolls him in an inside cradle, then at least it looks like Umaga was simply outsmarted. And Samoan savages don’t regularly win Mensa contests.

The last match on the show saw Umaga team up with Carlito for a meaningless handicap match Triple H, where a quick DQ ensued, but ended up with Umaga being destroyed by The Game, a chair, and, you’ve guessed it, a sledgehammer.

This all makes perfect sense. Umaga will serve his 30-day suspension, and return in four or five weeks to destroy Triple H. A Triple H and Umaga programme makes sense for two of the biggest names on Raw, possibly with Umaga being used as Vince’s hired gun again.

William Regal: - Regal was also featured significantly in the show, but not in his usual comedic role. Cena destroyed him after the GM showed a little compassion towards Randy Orton (more on him in a minute). Coach will fill in for a few weeks, then Regal will return when “fit again”. Possibly as more of a heel, trying to stack the odds against Cena.

Randy Orton:- It looks as if the WWE’s Teflon man is at it again. I never saw Orton compete when I was at the Raw show in London because he’d caused a ruckus in a hotel room in Italy. He didn’t get suspended or fired then.

He’s certainly been caught by the Wellness Policy in the past, and was implicated in the scandal here. Now, not that anyone else has officially been sanctioned, it seemed pretty clear from the way Raw went that several people are in trouble. Orton was advertised as being in the main event for the next Pay Per View. Seems he is safe.

Other have taken this quite badly. Seems it’s quite a kick in the teeth.

King Booker: - Jury out. Booker was wrestling in the main event last week, he wasn’t on the show at all this week. He doesn’t have an injury as far as I am aware. He isn’t long back from an injury and does have a territory to book, so there may be extenuating circumstances. We’ll see.

Santino Marella:- I think he will be ok. Essentially, very few people care about him, so to continue, albeit minor, his association with Maria, as well as introduce a link with Sandman. He also said his arm was getting better and threatened Ron Simmons.

On the flip side, they could suggest that his arm got damaged again and it keeps him out for a month. If you forced me to stake money, I’d say he stays.

Charlie Haas:- Newsflash. Haas loses a match. In other news, Dog Barks, night is dark and The Warrior says something mental. Who knows?

I will try to update later in the week, and we’ll take a genuine look at the Vince’s kid angle.

On the 'roid to nowhere.......

I suspect that by now you have read about the controversy which has been stirred up once again surrounding steroids and wrestling.

If you have not, please go to www.thesun.co.uk/wrestling and let them fill you in. The rest of us will wait.



Ok, you’re back, lets get on.

So is this a positive or negative occurrence for the WWE and wrestling in general?

The significance of the people alleged to be involved makes the situation much more……well, significant. If this were 10 names of the undercard, wrestlers in developmental or something, this wouldn’t make much of an impact. You’d see loads of people like me having a pop at the WWE not having the bottle to censure the top names. There can be no such accusations here.

As well as minor names like Sho Funaki and Charlie Haas, you have holders of minor titles like Shane Helms and Chavo Guererro, the latter of course having been a part of Summerslam against Rey Mysterio, and more importantly a man closer than anyone on the roster to Eddie and Chris Benoit.

That leaves six names, which are rumoured to be William Regal (Current Raw General Manager), Umaga (Intercontinental Champion) John Morrison (ECW Champion), Edge (former world champion, still would be if not for injury) Randy Orton (Number one contender in the biggest push of his life) and Ken Kennedy (Destined for the top, major part of every broadcast, and more importantly penciled in to be Vince’s kid and be in the main event at Wrestlemania)

There’s no punches pulled is there? 6-8 big names are gone. For a month anyway.

I make it that if Umaga and Morrison have to lose their belts, it’ll be at least SIX occasions this year that a title plan has had to change. Edge and The Undertaker had to drop the straps when injured, the Benoit tragedy led to Morrison picking the ECW belt up, and Kennedy would surely have won a title with his Money in the Bank contract.

I cannot and will not comment on the accusations against the wrestlers, and indeed what their futures may hold.

I will, though, say that this could make or break the WWE. If they lose star power in droves, their fanbase may react in kind. Next week, you could have three TV shows which features a roster devoid of:

Shawn Michaels
Bobby LashleyThe Undertaker
Chris Benoit
Rob Van Dam
Edge
Big Show
Ken Kennedy
Umaga
John Morrison
William Regal
Randy Orton

Factor in that Batista and King Booker are both on the list of suspected users of Pharmacy, and that Triple H and Rey Mysterio have only been back a week, you are looking at a roster which has as its top 10 stars, apart from those above, maybe:

1) John Cena
2) The Great Khali
3) Mark Henry
4) Carlito
5) MVP
6) Jeff Hardy
7) Matt Hardy
8) CM Punk
9) Kane
10) Finlay

That’s pretty weak (although to be fair I’ve left out Flair) as a roster goes, so why should we watch?

Well, there is an argument which suggest that in the face of a seriously average product, a serious incident such as what happened with Chris Benoit occurs, and although the ratings dropped to below the desired level as far as the WWE are concerned they didn’t dip too low. Consider that crisis talks came when Raw’s rating went down to 3.4, and Raw’s replacement this week on USA Network, The US Open Tennis, drew a 1.0.

So maybe people will watch wrestling come what may. The people that now watch are the hardcore, the true fans, those that are probably too set in their ways to stop watching wrestling. If there was a credible threat they may stop watching WWE itself, but there is no such competition, so that’s moot.

Why not then, allow a bit more creativity to emerge. Get rid of slow moving goons like Mark Henry, Khali and Viscera that have never drawn any money. See what kind of wrestling, yes wrestling, talent you could get hold of. Let Punk do what Punk wants to do, and try to get the Brian Danielson’s and such to the big leagues and let them wrestle.

Khali, Batista, Masters, Knox etc – no one cares.

Morgan, Test, Tomko, Steiner – no one cares.

It was said that a monopoly in wrestling would harm the business because there would be lots out of work and no upward mobility. Possibly.

However, although there is still one main company, it is kind of a duopoly thanks to TNA.

The trouble is, both rosters have elements of festering, boredom inducing rubbish polluting the airwaves, pushing down the more stellar talent.

Those mentioned above clearly suck.

The ‘best of’ roster, however, looks awesome. Imagaine a company populated with:

Samoa Joe, Finlay, Carlito, CM Punk, AJ Styles, Shawn Michaels, Christopher Daniels, Kazarian, Rey Mysterio, Chris Sabin, Alex Shelley, Shelton Benjamin, Jeff Hardy, Christian Cage, Paul London, Brian Kendrick, Super Crazy, Homicide, Chris Harris, Petey Williams, MVP, Matt Hardy, Jay Lethal, Senshi/Low Ki, Jamie Noble, Elijah Burke, Elix Skipper.

Then add your extra talent like John Cena, Kurt Angle, Sting, Jarrett, Abyss, Taker and a few others. That’s what you want.

I’ve seen quite few Ring of Honor and other independent events, but from what I have seen and what I’ve heard, the likes of Mistico, Nigel McGuiness, The Briscoes, Colt Cabana (I think he is in developmental now) Doug Williams, Claudio Castagnoli, Matt Sydal.

Factor in Teddy Hart, Harry Smith and the like and you might be onto something.

Surely its worth thinking about.

Actually, no, scrap that. What the world wants is a Snitsky and Big Daddy V monster push, and a return for Chuck Palumbo and Johnny Stamboli.

Obviously.