Team Michaels vs. Team JBL is Pure… Feudery?

Well, the WWE has finally set up its first traditional Survivor Series Elimination Tag Team Match with just under two weeks before the Pay-Per View, pitting Team Michaels against Team JBL. The fact that the participants on each team have been feuding with their opponents is still not enough to make this an intriguing matchup.

Here is the lowdown. Shawn Michaels has a mini-feud with JBL that stems from Cyber Sunday when Michaels was the guest referee and did not give the three count in Chris Jericho’s favor who promised JBL a title match if he beat Batista, and Monday Night Raw in London when JBL took Michaels down with a chair in his Last Man Standing Match with Chris Jericho. Cryme Tyme has been feuding with The Miz and John Morrison over bragging rights for “Word Up” and “The Dirt Sheet,” Kane has been feuding with Rey Mysterio over the whole “unmasking” deal, and MVP would like to have it in for The Great Khali after he interrupted his “MVP Lounge” on Friday Night Smackdown. To this I say… who cares.

The last few Survivor Series Pay-Per Views have been all about the title matches. When is the next time the WWE will put a more meaningful traditional Survivor match like team Stone Cold against Team Bischoff, or team WCW against team WWE (WWF back in the heyday)?

Hopefully the other traditional matchup(s) the WWE creates will have some kind of meaning to it. Until that happens, Survivor Series is going to be all about John Cena versus Chris Jericho for the World Heavyweight Championship, and whoever Triple H defends his title against, and that is just a shame for long time pro wrestling fans.

 

Batista set to Defend Title in Steel Cage vs. Chris Jericho in RAW’s 800th Episode

The time and the day has come for WWE’s Monday Night Raw 800^th episode. And boy have the WWE bookers created a great one in pitting Chris Jericho against Dave Batista in a Cyber Sunday rematch next Monday night. Chris Jericho invoked his rematch clause this past Monday assuming he would get to face Batista in a traditional match. However, General Manager Mike Adamle came up with another one of his “Adamle Originals” and declared that the match be staged in a steel cage and it should be a good one.

This time, Jericho won’t be playing keep-away to save his title from a clearly superior opponent in Batista. He will have to scratch and claw for it, especially in the steel cage, so expect for Jericho to launch a spirited assault on the Champion. Do not be surprised if Batista is caught off guard in the early going by whatever strategy Jericho will employ in their rematch next week.

Now, with that being said, the main title will rarely change hands on television. That is a scenario that is typically delegated to the Supercards (aka Pay-Per View). Either way, the match should, for sure, feature much excitement. The WWE should never be counted out to deliver when they are celebrating one of their benchmark achievements, and I would say that the three hour special 800^th episode of RAW should not disappoint.

R Truth on the Rise in Smackdown

I want to talk about a guy who is making waves on the Smackdown roster as of late. He is the man who comes out of the fan-level rafters rapping, just finished beating MVP this past Friday, and knocked out U.S. Champion Shelton Benjamin the week before in non-title action. This newcomer I speak of is R Truth, formerly known in TNA as Ron Killings.

His high-flying antics have drawn much cheer from the crowd in the past weeks and that shows that he has some impressive in-ring skills. Aside from his in-ring skills he is also something of a public relations person for the WWE. When he enters the arena to begin a match he comes out of the fan seating area rapping his own theme song “What’s Up?” and allows a fan or two to sing along as he passes them the mic when the song goes “What’s Up?!

His speech skills aren’t that great but his back story gains sympathy for the crowd. It is a classic chip on the shoulder comeback story. A man from the rough areas of Charlotte North Carolina who has spent time in prison and now aims to turn things around with Pro Wrestling.

The WWE has lately been trying to hype up their new talent using commercial promos that air weeks before the newcomer even wrestles their first match. This is one superstar that might be in the spotlight in the near future. U.S. Title Triple Threat match for Cyber Sunday involving Shelton Benjamin, MVP, and R Truth anybody?

ECW Championship on the Line at Cyber Sunday

Finlay has never been a real Super Card draw so I don’t see that changing. When the fans select Evan Bourne, the WWE will plan an exciting matchup that will elevate Evan Bourne’s status with the fans.

Three potential opponents have been selected for the WWE Universe to vote for to face Matt Hardy for his ECW Championship; Mark Henry, Evan Bourne, and Fit Finlay. At this point in Matt Hardy first title reign as the ECW champ I do not yet see him losing the belt. However, there will still be one benefactor in this match and his name is Evan Bourne.

Evan Bourne is a lock as Matt Hardy’s challenger at Cyber Sunday. The kid has the “little-engine-that-could” perception going for him and the fans for the most part seem to like it. Mark Henry is washed up and is mainly used for his former World’s Strongest Man status. He’s just a big oaf that looks like the monster he is when he slams someone, and also the jobber that he truly is when he gets laid out by less heavier wrestlers.

Hopefully for Bourne he can build off that. 

 

You gotta admit. Mark Henry and his brother look a lot alike.

WWE Championship on the Line at Cyber Sunday

At Cyber Sunday we’ll be treated to a title match where HHH will defend his belt against Jeff Hardy, Vladimir Koslov, or the two of them at once. Either one of them alone, or both for that matter at the same time, is going to be a handful for HHH.

Jeff Hardy brought HHH to the brink of defeat at No Mercy, while Koslov is a wrestler that neither HHH nor Jeff Hardy know all that well. The upper hand would look to be Koslov’s when looked at in this light.

 

However, I would still say it’s too early for the WWE and Smackdown brand to give the title to Koslov or Jeff Hardy, and HHH is going to win. I just see him losing it in a long, hard-fought singles match against another face wrestler in the future.

As for who HHH is going to wrestle and who fans are going to vote for, I’d have to say everyone’s going to pick the Triple Threat match. It usually allows for a lot of excitement, but the title rarely changes hands whenever there are more than two wrestlers in the ring.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WWE Cyber Sunday Chris Jericho vs. Dave Batista – Referee?

Furthermore, Chris Jericho just won his title, and this isn’t CM Punk, so I think it’s still too early for him to lose it. But, everyone knows that Jericho doesn’t have the power to pin Batista straight up or win convincingly. So what will the WWE do?

With all that being said, I can’t wait to see what Vince McMahon, Shane, Stephanie, or Mike Adamle have planned for this. I am going to predict the following. Anyone should know that Chris Jericho will retain his title. But how?

I predict that on one of the Monday Night RAW shows before the Pay-Per View that Stone Cold will get into it with Batista, prompting Austin to screw Batista over in the match.

Or…

Some kind of a crazy disqualification involving either of the three during the match. Maybe one of them bumps into Steve Austin and he gives them a Stunner? Perhaps Lance Cade gets involved? We’ll see.