Armageddon preview

When PPV Sundays come round these days, I often have a mixture of emotions.

It’s usually a mixture of trepidation that bad booking decisions will be made, that the card is too weak, but also that the PPV output is often very strong.

Tonight, I can’t help get the feeling that the last PPV of 2008 will follow the same formula.

Last time we had a PPV it was a very strange affair. The wrestling was possibly the worst this year, but there were very intriguing storyline developments.

We have a real blend of matches, certainly. Triple H, Edge and Jeff Hardy has the potential to be excellent, so long as it doesn’t fall into the trap of being a typical formulaic three-way match. Cena and Jericho is also a potential good’un, while Rey Mysterio and CM Punk could have a blinder if both men are allowed the freedom to shine.

On the other hand, there are two ECW contests which don’t appeal. You have to feel for the excellent workers Finlay and Matt Hardy for having the task of getting a match out of Mark Henry and Vladimir Koslov respectively.

Batista v Orton is a wild card. Batista matches are often a cause for puzzlement. Sometimes he looks a lumbering, paint-by-numbers lug, and at others contributes to some sterling matches. The obvious answer is that when Batista wrestles a so called “ring general” (maybe Triple H or Undertaker) you see a far better match then when he goes up against others. That is not to say that people like Michaels or Jericho are not great wrestler, because they truly are, but some people get good performance out of others, and some don’t. I look forward to seeing which of these Randy Orton is tonight.

Onto predictions and pseudo-booking..............

Rey Mysterio v CM Punk
I can see this one opening the show. Don’t forget, although it is a tournament final, it is not for the Intercontinental Championship, but for the right to beat, dah, I mean FACE William Regal. But whoever wins this will beat Regal, surely. Otherwise why book a tournament to build up a contender?

I’d probably put Regal on the commentary team for this one, should he feel up to it. As well as being a great wrestler he is so talented in a vocal role, so you could get a nice blend of humour and analysis from him.

Punk is the most likely victor, and two big things underline that. One is that Regal said from the very first match of the tournament that he wanted to face Punk, so you can’t help but feel that something was being teased. Secondly, Punk and Kofi Kingston lost the tag titles to the brand-defying Miz and Morrison at a house show this week, suggesting to me that Punk’s future lies in his singles title push, not in a duo.

The match itself has huge potential. I am not the world’s biggest Mysterio fan, but it’s not that I don’t like him – I just don’t rave about him as much as some do. I find some of his offense too unbelievable, and consequently find it harder to buy into what he is offering me.

That being said, he is an athletic guy, and although very short, his outing with Punk’s ally Kofi was very good. Punk is pretty adaptable, and as I alluded to before, if these guys are afforded some leeway to just go out there and have a hell of a match, then it stands to be a good one.

Prediction: CM Punk

I would book......Punk to win, and maybe even a best of three series with Regal. Regal and Punk are talented enough to wrestle three different matches.

And another thing......Both men are babyfaces – I’d expect some early fireworks to try to get the crowd pumped up, since they may not have an automatic favourite.


Eight Divas Tag Match – Michelle McCool, Mickie James, Kelly Kelly and Maria v Maryse, Natalya, Victoria and Jillian

So important that WWE.com have not got it on their card, this is a Santa’s Little Helper match. Presumably the octet of beauties (well, septet and Jillian) will wear barely there wrestling gear consisting of red and white fluffy stuff and exhibit all the wrestling technical ability of my Nan. And her arthritis is playing her up again.

Poor, poor Natalya, who JR actually said can rival anyone on the company for wrestling smarts, but was forced to job to the Bella Twins, who don’t make it onto this show. Mickie, of course, is also pretty reasonable, so hopefully she and Nattie will take centre stage.

I’m thinking it better that the heel team wins, and Michelle McCool furthers her turn by costing her team the match, or vice versa. However, I don’t see it. It’s a fun match because of the clothing stip, so I’ll take the babyfaces.

Prediction: The babyface team.

I would book..........well I wouldn’t have booked to start with, but you may as well book something, anything that will further story. I’d have Michelle walk out on her team or reveal an alliance with one of the other heels.

Then I’d make sure Victoria, Natalya, Beth and Mickie were all on the same brand, so we can watch better quality WRESTLING from the more talented girls.

And another thing........on the graphic promoting this match on dotcom, Michelle is at the front of her team while Maryse is prominent for hers. Shows you who they value highly.


Finlay v Mark Henry (Belfast Brawl)
The last “Belfast Brawl” was at Wrestlemania, with Finlay taking on JBL, and on that showing it is just a Hardcore match, with no other stipulations attached.

I supposed if we have to see Mark Henry and pay for the privilege, then at least making it something other than an ordinary contest makes sense. Finlay is very good, but not a miracle worker, so I figure we will see him bumping around for a while trying to make Henry look good.

I’d figure that Hornswoggle will try to help Finlay get the win (when is the last time Finlay won a match without his little buddy or a shillelagh shot?) but Atlas will KO the former little bastard, drawing the ire of Finlay. Fit might get a shot in on the former Saba Simba, but Henry capitalises to get the win.

Prediction: Henry, in a short but brutal one.

I would book.........again, not this. But if forced into it, I’d have Finlay win. A strongly booked Finlay could help so many other wrestlers, because he can make a decent match good, and an average worker look a million dollars.

And another thing.......could this match be billed as Fit v Unfit?


Matt Hardy v Vladimir Koslov – non title match.

Why in the world would you make this non-title? We just saw these two wrestle at Smackdown a couple of weeks ago, so why do we need it again?

Also, this doesn’t help anyone. If Hardy wins, he beats a guy the fans don’t care about and damages a streak of sorts. If Koslov wins, then the ECW champ looks weak and the belt trivial (well, more trivial).

I don’t see a classic by any stretch, and I could possibly see a schmozz ending too.

Prediction: If we are talking clean victories, it is more likely to be Koslov. But I have a fancy for Matt to win by DQ after Koslov just keeps on battering him and getting himself in hot water. Koslov is then ‘undefeated’ in the WWE Universe which means only pins and submissions register on the radar.

I would book.........I’m not sure. I understand the nature of keeping people strong. I’d be tempted to put Koslov over but to have hardy dominate the match, perhaps almost total offense but then a huge headbutt out of nowhere.

And another thing.........I’d still like Matt to have something to do with Jeff’s mysterious attack. Perhaps Matt could appear in the three-way later on, ‘inadvertently’ costing Jeff?


Batista v Randy Orton
This is clearly going to be another case of throwing two people together to keep them in the public eye, as opposed to making this count. Randy Orton v Batista could be enormous if built up, but it’s been a real afterthought.

As outlined above, I’m not sure about how good it could be. This would quite possibly be a better title match than a regular match if you play to the old formula over heavily booking the contest with ref bumps and the like.

I think Orton is most likely to go over here, since Batista has spent the last year choking at various points, and it hasn’t greatly affected him. Plus Orton’s momentum is good right now, and I don’t think it makes sense to curtail that.

Orton also has the other issue of Cody Rhodes and Manu, and possibly Manu. What is the situation? Are they “The Legacy” now? Are they still Priceless and sans Orton? Who knows. There are plenty of possibilities, although I think they should probably play out down the line, and not tonight.

Prediction: Randy Orton, probably with an RKO out of nowhere, and perhaps some assistance from Cody

I would book.......definitely Orton to win. I’d quite like him to do so cleanly really, because I really rate Orton as both a worker and a character, and I would love him to be kept strong. He must be a leading contender to face Cena at the Rumble.

And another thing......will Ted DiBiase Jnr return tonight? And if he does, where will his loyalties lie?


World Heavyweight Title match – John Cena v Chris Jericho

I don’t know about you, but I think Cena might win this. Isn’t that an outrageous view?

There will be a few Cena haters out there who won’t be happy is The Champ is still there at the end of the night, but I’m fairly sure he will be. It just doesn’t make any sense to switch it back over the Jericho, as much as I love him and as much as his Superstar of the Year Slammy was justified.

Call it a coincidence if you wish, but ratings have risen since Cena has been back on Raw, so it only makes sense to give him a long run on top once again.

The match itself? I wouldn’t expect much to be that different from what we saw previously, to be honest. I would love to see Jericho work a leg and put some psychology into it. The only issue would be if Cena could sell effectively enough.

Prediction: John Cena, clean as you like.

I would book.........the very same, but I’d like to see Jericho be given a nice shine and for him to continue to look great.

And another thing........If Jericho were to win he’d be a SIX TIME champion. Funny when you consider that for a lot of his career you feel he has been held back!


WWE title match – Edge v Triple H v Jeff Hardy
This is the biggest match on the card, and the one that the PPV could live or die by. If this match lives up to it’s potential then it could be an absolute cracker.

When you have Triple H in a triple threat then you can’t help but think about his encounter with Shawn Michaels and Chris Benoit at Wrestlemania. I don’t expect this one to be as good as that, but when you look at the talent in the line up it is fair to expect a decent bout.

I can’t see past Edge winning, to be honest. I think that his ultimate opportunist tag has been played up a great deal, so we’ll likely see Triple H and Jeff Hardy batter each other once again, with Edge capitalising on a well-struck Pedigree or Swanton Bomb.

Prediction: Edge

I would book.......probably Edge too. I don’t know what the direction is for the Jeff Hardy attack, but I really do think it has the potential to be a big storyline. I’d book this match to set up whatever is coming with Jeff, too.

And another thing.......If Jeff’s assailant is neither Edge nor Triple H, then those two may very well meet at the Royal Rumble.


Well that’s the show in my opinion. Two others things to think about are the absence on the scheduled card of Shawn Michaels and JBL, as well as Santino Marella and his girlfriend Beth. I don’t see how Michaels and JBL fit in, but I’d be disappointed not to see Santino at some point.

Enjoy the show everyone, and remember I’ll be covering the show with LIVE updates here on the blog. I hope you will join me, and feel free to email me on robthegreen@hotmail.com to share your own feelings on the show.

Armageddon Live Notes

1am - So another WWE PPV is about to start which I am feeling rather apathetic towards. I always look forward to PPVs, because I’d rather be watching wrestling than not watching wrestling, frankly, but I don’t really know what to expect.

Last month I didn’t expect much and was pleasantly surprised. Last Monday I didn’t expect much and was very pleasantly surprised. I’m not expecting much tonight. I hope the system continues to work.

1.03am
The opening video seems to put Orton and Jericho in the main spotlight, so that may well be the main event. I’d be very impressed if this was a great match, because Jericho has been out for so long.

1.04am
Its US title action first, as MVP faces Rey Mysterio. MVP appears sans bubble dome, and Rey appears with a mask on, covering his erm......mask. The extra mask also seems to be some sort of Halloween costume. This is Christmas, Rey. Not Halloween. I wonder if he went trick or treating in a Santa outfit.

1.18am
Match ends with a bit of a bullshit finish, but slightly understandable. Basically, Mysterio nails MVP on the outside, and just as Porter is about to re-enter the ring, he opts not to, takes the 10 count, and loses via count-out.

This match was ok, but it was one of those Rey Mysterio matches that I struggled to enjoy. You know, I’ve kept quiet really, but I’m not much of Mysterio fan. Some of his spots are fantastic, and his energy and athleticism cannot be questioned. But, he is not a great wrestler, he is a small guy who is very athletic and needs his opponent to help him by selling majorly. I think it looked very obvious that MVP was assisting Rey with almost every move.

That said, the match was watchable, and the finish was presumably written like that in order to either have an MVP v Mysterio in the future which is in a cage or something, or its because they had nothing for these two guys, and just threw them together, although they didn’t want MVP to drop the belt, and couldn’t have Rey lose cleanly, apparently

01.21am
Interview with Jeff Hardy, and he says that he has been in all kinds of matches. He lists some, and they are quite a range. “Everything from ladder matches, to TLC matches, to Money in the Bank matches.”

Aren’t they the exact same match but with different names?


01.24am
Its the moment that no-one has looked forward to, as Big Daddy V and Mark Henry will attempt to make a sloth look like the Roadrunner. But unless ACME sell a product which makes excruciating matches watchable, then this is going to be tough.


01.36am
I won’t lie to you – that was not pretty. However, CM Punk continues to look impressive, and surely it is only a matter of time before he gets called up to Raw or Smackdown, and gets programmes with some top guys.

The other positive, I suppose, was the ending, which saw Big Daddy V catch Punk, who was on a roll at the time, in mid air, and hit a Samoan drop. It was extremely creative, and will be used, I suspect, to put over Big V and suggest he is the number one contender. No other reason to have the champion pinned.

The rest of the match was excrement.

01.42am

After an Edge and Vickie backstage segment which achieved nothing unless Edge ultimately turns on her after she helps him win a title, we have Kennedy and Michaels in the ring. This should be a good’un, but the build up has seemed a little forced to me.

01.58am

I am a happy bunny again. HBK v Kennedy was absolutely superb. That is one of the best PPV matches I have seen all year. It may not get the credit it deserves because it was not chock full of big spots, but the psychology used throughout, with Kennedy doing an awesome job of selling his hand injury, and Michaels favouring his back.

Whoever booked the intricacies of the match deserves hearty congratulations. The story of the match was told brilliantly, and it achieved that holy grail of matches. False finishes where you bought the ending, entertaining action, and a clean finish which did not hurt the loser.

2.06am

Triple H v Jeff Hardy. The third chance tonight for upward mobility, and so far it is 0-2. Although, I will let the HBK/KK match off because it was so good. Jeff Hardy to win this match would absolutely make his career. It really would. Would a defeat really hurt The Game that much?

2.23am

Good Lord, he actually did it. Hardy got the win, albeit in a match which I never thought flowed. JR wrongly called a lateral press as a cross body, so even he wasn’t up to speed! Jeff missed an early rail spot, and I think things like this are why he won’t be more than just a one off contender at Royal Rumble.

However, fair play to the WWE for giving us an upset, for giving Hardy a chance, and for Triple H to defy his all conquering image in order to put something over.

2.35am

PPV filler next, as Finlay beats The Great Khali in a slow one. Basically the referee was confiscating a shillelagh when Hornswaggle interfered, low blowed Khali, handed Finlay a second shillelagh. He bashes Khali with it, wins and no-one cares.

I hope they are going to go somewhere with the Hornswaggle thing, because he is all over TV and it is not really that entertaining. I can only think by giving him TV time and Finlay a PPV win, that they are building to something. We’ll see.

2.44am

Lillian has just finished the intros, and we are ready for the first of the two World title matches. Seems I was wrong about the main event. Jericho is definitely not getting a huge reaction.

3.00am

Hmm. Well, to contradict my last statement, during the match the atmosphere certainly improved. By 10 minutes in the crowd were very pro Jericho, and there were some significant near-falls and big moves. However, that really was a bullshit finish. It IS possible to put people, and indeed keep people, over without having to resort to interference DQs.

I also have a problem with consistencies with the realities of the system, which is supposed to be based on realism. Firstly, Jericho would not warrant a title shot having been out for two years, he would need to earn it. But since he had one, as he actually won the match, surely he should get another shot. Actually, come to think about it, by that logic, didn’t Ric Flair pin the WWE champion? That would make him number one contender wouldn’t it?

Oh, I give up trying to find logic. Putting that aside, I assume that what we’ll now see is JBL and Jericho in a war of words, leading to JBL costing Jericho the Royal Rumble, and then a build up to a match at Mania, since we are told JBL wants to return to the ring.

3.16am

Beth v Mickie has just ended, and it was standard fare really. Beth wins, it was never really in doubt. Video for the triple threat now airing. Not sure about this one. I don’t really dig triple threats, they always seem to drag a bit, and they lose some realism, because one guy seems to take a powder after a clothesline they would normally bounce up from, but instead lie on the floor for two minutes.
However, there have been some crackers (HBK v HHH v Benoit springs to mind) so I’ll give it a chance.

3.42am

You know what, I liked it. It was far from a classic, but Edge takes the title AND manages to further his character. I like the ‘ultimate opportunist” idea and gives him a gimmick of being smart enough to outdo bigger rivals like Batista and Taker.
Folks, I am exhausted, it’s been a long day for me. Not a bad PPV, but without being a classic. Lookin forward to Rumble, and I’ll be building to that very soon. Keep checking back, I’ve got a few surprises in store before the first PPV of

Will the WWE crack the code for attracting ratings?

So did you watch Raw? Did you break the code? I didn’t. I thought it was going to be the return of either Nathan Jones, Steve Blackman or Taka Michinoku. As it was, it was some bloke called Chris Jericho. Never heard of him. What a disappointment.

Seriously though, Y2J is back, and he did so in typically flamboyant style last night on Raw. But was it an anti climax? The campaign, however you look at it, was a first; a very unique method of hinting at someone’s appearance. However, the proof of it’s success will now come in the form of the ratings.

If the rating is significantly up this week, then the viral campaign has done its first job. If not (and for the record, I think it will go up, but not by much and not for more than a week or so) then they should be looking to put into effect a plan which at Survivor Series seemed to be played out a bit. Namely, interesting TV.

Wow, now there is a radical concept, huh? What I mean, really, is that the best way of getting people back is continually produce interesting, gripping and surprising TV. I’m not asking for Vince Russo-style “Crash TV” where all kinds of nonsensical swerves take place merely in the hope of shocking people, but I mean interesting storylines, matches and booked angles where you don’t know the destination.

I thought Survivor Series was a cracking PPV, for what its worth. The opening ECW title match was a belter, the Tri-branded Survivor Series elimination tag was full of star power and although Triple H’s team going over was predictable, the match was good, and they look like they are using The Game’s star status to give Jeff Hardy a rub. Orton v HBK was good without being outstanding, but I had no idea who would win, and I loved the ending, which made sense within the storyline. It gave Orton a clean victory (and HBK on Raw said that the better man won) but didn’t bury Shawn because of the Superkick stipulation. Taker v Batista didn’t grip me, but for two big men they’ve had a good run of great matches, but I don’t mind not having a clean finish if you have a great impactful shock appearance like we saw form Edge.

Speaking of which, do you remember I said that Batista being put over by the Deadman surprised me a bit? I think Edge and Undertaker should have a long feud in which Edge is allowed at least one victory. Undertaker is in a position now where he should be helping groom the future. To Michaels’ credit, I think he elevated John Cena and is doing so with Orton.

Back to idea of improving ratings with good TV. Think about it this way. Who knew that Chris Jericho was coming back? Well, the people who read the news sites, the people who watch Raw and deciphered the code. The people who watch anyway, basically. Sure, you’ll probably get an extra couple make sure they watch rather than being the floating viewer that they are. But if Raw next week is no good they’ll stop watching .

Keep swerves like Edge returning to hit Taker. Keep unexpected twists like Finlay interfering with Hornswaggle. Keep associations like Triple H and Hardy. Keep entertaining promos. Mix it all up and what will happen is that the show will become very good, and the core audience will enjoy it more. Do it over a consistent period of time and the PPVs will get better on a regular basis. Advertising one big match for a show then not really delivering big style might attract a few short term, but will turn people off long term. A consistently good show will keep people watching, and the floating viewers might stay, and some of those who used to tune in may get hooked again.

If the TV improves and the ratings improve, that will be the true second coming.

I've had a revelation

So it turns out that the new "Jericho" promo featured the lines

REV_22:12

and

2ND_COMING

The natural reaction is to think this refers to the book of Revelation in the new testament of the Bible.

Basically, the story of this book is that the antichrist takes of the earth, before Jesus Christ returns. That is known as the 2nd coming, and there is your reference.

But wait, there is more.

The Book of Revelation is basically a long build up to two things happening. At the end of Revelation an event occurs. Call it the end of the world, call it the apocalypse, call it...........Armageddon?

Armageddon this years takes place on December 16, the last PPV of the year. Could we have a long to this?

Or how about the signifiant symbolism in Revelation? Well, you have the Antichrist, symboised by the number 666. The antichrist is accompanied by a false prophet. One who seems positive but in reality is not.

Triple H anyone? Due for a heel turn, maybe the returning Jericho will return to slay the false prophet Triple H joining up the Antichrist..........Vince McMahon?

Also in this particular book of the bible are the representations of the forces leading t the destruction of man.

Namely, the Four Horsemen. Could there be one more big run for the Horsemen, and therefore Flair, maybe including Jericho?

Its all fun and games, isn't in, but maybe we are looking into this too seriously.

Revelation 22:12 says the following:

"Behold, I come quickly. My reward is with me, to repay to each man according to his work."

Maybe "I come quickly" refers to Jericho's imminent return.
Maybe "I come quickly" refers to Flair and the Horsemen

Or maybe "Behold, I come quickly" is just Stephanie's subtle hint to us all that she and the Game have some marital problems.

Hmm.