WWE Superstars Give Three Guys a Chance this Week – Plus More

On the next episode of WWE Superstars the crowd could be drawn as a decent Number One Contender’s match for the Intercontinental Title is taking place. The combatants are Mike Knox, Finlay, and recent Summer Slam Intercontinental Challenger Dolph Ziggler. One of these men will be qualifying for the new WWE Pay-Per-View “Breaking Point” to face Rey Mysterio so let’s break down what’s at stake.

For Dolph Ziggler we already know. He put forth a valiant effort against a seasoned WWE vet in Rey Mysterio at Summer Slam. If he wins this Number One Contender’s match, he’ll undoubtedly need to beat Mysterio this time to move further in his notoriety.

For Finlay it would be a spot back in the limelight we call Pay-Per-View. This fellow has been knocking on the ECW Championship’s door but never gets the chance to be put over. Perhaps a crack at the Intercontinental gold will be it for him.

Finally, for Mike Knox, it gives him his real first shot at glory. Up until now he mainly suffices as an exhibitionist. However, if any of you remember his feud with Rey Mysterio not too long ago then there is definitely reason to believe that he could cash in on this opportunity.

Aside from this main event, the show will be featuring The Hurricane in a grudge match against Paul Burchill and a highly intriguing matchup between Primo Colon and Jack Swagger. Swagger and Colon’s styles are very different and it should make for an interesting night along with the Number One Contender’s bout.

Extreme Rules Outlook – Seems Somewhat Bland

This year’s One Night Stand, which has been preposterously renamed to “Extreme Rules,” seems to feature a bunch of matches with extra stipulations under the cover of an “Extreme” labeling (although nothing was worse than renaming John Cena’s “FU” to the “Attitude Adjustment”).

The matches include WWE Champion Randy Orton vs. Batista in a steel cage, Intercontinental Champion Rey Mysterio vs. Chris Jericho in a no holds barred match, World Heavyweight Champion Edge vs. Jeff Hardy in a ladder match, Miss Wrestlemania Santina Marella vs. Vickie Guererro in a hog pen match, John Cena vs. Big Show in a submission match, CM Punk vs. Umaga in a Samoan strap match, and ECW Champion Christian vs. Jack Swagger, vs. Tommy Dreamer in a triple threat hardcore rules match.

Of all these matches, only no holds barred and the hardcore triple threat are truly extreme. I think in honor of Tommy Dreamer the latter ought to be the main event of the night. I doubt it will be though. I also am not too happy with the send-off for Dreamer being a triple threat. Let the guy go toe-to-toe with one man for his final bout. If you want to create real drama, have it be against another good guy… Christian (like Ric Flair’s final match against Shawn Michaels).

If you want to get old ECW fans interested (because I doubt they’ll truly ever be won over), don’t cop out of going over the edge with a bunch of rare matchup stipulations being held under an old ECW card. Oh well.

New Champ Randy Orton Defends WWE Championship against Batista at Judgment Day

After Dave Batista practically cost Triple H his WEE Championship at Backlash on April 26th when he nearly got his team disqualified by raising a chair and prompting Triple H to stop him, Batista now gets a chance to face off against Mr. Randy Orton . Perhaps causing this chain of events was the best thing that could have happened to Batista, as it earned him a Number One Contender’s match against the Big Show on the most recent Monday Night RAW which he won (thanks to John Cena). Now Batista has an instant opportunity to regain the belt he so to loses once again… but will he? Probably not.

 

It is much too early for Orton to lose his title, and I feel that a few month stretch of supremacy is in store for him. Orton’s character has been built up too highly for him to enter into a transitional phase. Truth be told, I think this saga ends with one last match against Triple H somewhere down the road.

 

All in all, it should be a decent match. I don’t think these two guys have duked it out too many times and perhaps never. Expect to see many thunderous counter moves and an appearance by team Legacy (Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase).

Backlash Features New World Heavyweight Champion John Cena vs. Edge in Last Man Standing Match

I’m sorry to say this and I feel many non-kid diehard fans may disagree, but this Last Man Standing bout between John Cena and Edge is a blockbuster. I don’t care what anyone says though because back when the first time these two feuded, the matches were often times strenuous and brutal, and with a last man standing stipulation, should be the same.

I even remember the time after the first feud ended when the two would randomly match up. It was almost a treat to see because of the history of their story. And the great thing about it was that the choreography exuded this by inserting a lot of grappling and mat wrestling maneuvers into the fights.

Now the two will duke it out to see who is the last man standing and the intrigue for this match is just the same as always; Cena dealing with that pesky opportunist, Edge. It will be interesting to see how things play out afterward if the expected (Cena winning) actually happens. What will Vickie Guererro do to keep her “loved one” in contention for the World Heavyweight Championship? And are Cena and Edge going to create a part two to their feud?

Can’t wait to find out.

Shawn Michaels Looks to Break Record at this year’s Wrestlemania

On April 25th at this year’s Wrestlemania, HBK will look to break a new record… not his own though. Michaels will be stepping into the squared ring to face off against the Undertaker and his 16-0 record at Wrestlemania. This bout looks to be one of the highlights at this year’s event, and it should be a great match.

 

You know how the WWE likes to make matches go a long time whenever they’re being billed as top flight. This is definitely being treated as such so expect numerous near pin falls, some great counters, and kick outs after finishing moves. I can’t even imagine how wild it will be if Shawn Michaels was actually able to kick out of a Tombstone at one point.

 

As far as predictions go, the safest pick seems to be the Undertaker. It would be a big deal if his record is finally thwarted, however, it would be a bit sudden if Shawn Michaels were to be the one to do that. It is not as if these two men have been feuding for a long time now, so it is hard to understand why Michaels would just walk into Wrestlemania and hand Undertaker his first loss there. I just can’t see that happening.

 

So, once again, expect a great match, but in the end, it just doesn’t seem fitting for the Undertaker to lose this way.

World Heavyweight Championship at Wrestlemania Could be one of the Better Ones

I can’t wait for the Triple Threat World Heavyweight Championship match on April 5th at Wrestlemania this year. I think it’s gonna be absolutely great. After thinking it over a little harder, even though the Wrestlers have been seen in the ring together before, and the culmination of this match happened rather quickly, based on pure choreographical entertainment, this match could be tough. All three of the Wrestlers have a lot of in-ring entertainment qualities.

Let’s start with the Champion. Edge has been dubbed the Ultimate Opportunist. I don’t care what anybody says. That jerk can wrestle! How many times did he pull of a sweet counter against the Undertaker in last year’s Wrestlemania match? It had to be about eight times. Plus his spear, although a very common move, is still a devastating one and almost always looks awesome whenever he hits it.

The Big Show is also a good crowd pleaser. He’s a big, tough, brutal, and bald man. He’s got the choke slam, and when you can lift anyone as high as he can, those always look thunderous. Now he’s added the “right hand” which is nothing more than a right jab/hook which is acted out by the receivers to look like the hardest punch since any of Mike Tyson’s.

Finally, there’s John Cena. His in-ring ability has always been the subject of criticism. His only true body slamming ability is the one side slam he tends to deliver in every match right after his two straight shoulder lunges. Even though his repertoire could use more moves, he will still be in the ring with two hard-nosed heel characters. And really, he has always had the ability to look like he is putting forth a hard-earned effort whenever he is in the ring, which is how I think he makes up for his wrestling ability.

I think this is the one match that should not be overlooked by the “WWE Universe,” as I’m sure it won’t. It probably won’t be the last of the two main events, as I’m sure with the way things are unfolding, that slot will be left for Triple H and Randy Orton for the WWE championship.

It’s Official: World Heavyweight Championship Will be a Triple Threat

Last night on RAW, the bookers put the final stamping on the battle for Smackdown’s title, and added John Cena to the match (as if that wasn’t inevitable). The WWE’s attempt to convince us that Cena had a good reason to be added by Vickie Guererro was quite comical. “Apparently” Cena exposed a steamy love affair between the Big Show and Guerrero, but before doing so, he used it as black mail to be entered into the match. I guess that shows the bratty side of Cena’s character: blackmail the acting General Manager into placing you in a high-profile bout, wait until it’s official, then expose your bargaining chip anyway. Even though this plotline is intriguing (yet unoriginal even for the WWE’s standards), I feel many fans may agree that they are being short-changed by this turn out.

 

I think for the most part, everyone knows that Wrestlemania this year would not have been the same thing without mister Cena headlining. However, the storyline is not juicy enough for a Wrestlemania. The outcome is painfully obvious with that being Cena coming out victorious. But even with its apparent conclusion, things are not what they seem.

 

At the previous Pay-Per View, No Way Out, Cena looked flat out like a scrub. When he was released from his chamber, he showed off a few of his moves in one volley of positive momentum as if he had been down-graded to an up-and-coming superstar, and then received three straight finishers; a Code Breaker from Chris Jericho, a 619 from Rey Mysterio, and finally a spear from Edge who pinned him right after. So, it’s not as if Cena had been cheated when he lost his title. He lost it fair and square, and Edge’s last minute entry into that Elimination Chamber doesn’t have anything to do with that. And that’s fine. I like a little twist every now and then, and I don’t think I would be alone in saying that no one expected Cena to get bounced from a match so quickly, especially being the one defending the title.

 

However, if the WWE is trying to make it look like Cena deserved to be in that spot I just do not see it. This storyline is nothing more than a big dumb brute (Big Show), a spoiled brat (Edge), and a knucklehead punk (Cena) all claiming they deserve the title, with neither having some kind of destiny-filled storyline befitting a Wrestlemania. They’re just three little kids in the schoolyard bickering about who is the best and who ought to be starting quarterback.

 

Overall I feel the decision for the match being a Triple Threat just goes to show the lack of star power that the WWE has right now when most of the same people who head-lined last year’s event are doing it all over again this time around.

No Way Out: Titles Change Hand

How about this unpredictable No Way Out Pay-Per View? Both the WWE Championship and World Heavyweight Championships changed hands in the elimination chambers, thoroughly setting up an intriguing card for Wrestlemania.

Now that the Game is back in the main event of Wrestlemania, who can the WWE put him in the ring with to actually make things interesting. Triple H is great, and necessary for the WWE to succeed, but he’s getting old as a Wrestlemania main eventer. But even then, with all of the sporadic title changes going on, who even knows if he’ll be headlining it.

As for Edge, what the heck man? Why does he get to have the RAW title? That makes no sense. I mean, it’s kind of interesting, but sometimes the WWE likes to bend the rules of their own game too often. I can’t even begin to think who he should be facing at Wrestlemania.

I doubt it would be Orton, even though a heel vs. heel match would be interesting. Orton would most likely wrestle Triple H of course due to their Evolution background. But that wouldn’t be too entertaining. Those times were way too long ago.

Whatever the WWE decides to do for the big show this year, I say it will either be highly disappointing or greatly unprecedented.

John Cena Defends World Heavyweight Title at Royal Rumble vs. JBL

It’s time for some rivalry renewal this year at the Royal Rumble. These two have fought already in 2008, but not for any titles like they did when Cena won his first ever WWE Championship. They had their New York Parkling Lot Brawl match, and a few other scuffles in the summer of 2008. Now the tides have turned and JBL’s got a lot more than swagger in his corner. He has his newest “employee” in Shawn Michaels.

Having Michaels playing puppet for JBL certainly heightens the intrigue of this match. If it had just been JBL by himself going up against John Cena, the obvious outcome would be Cena holding his title. Now with Shawn Michaels in the fray, things could definitely be interesting.

One would certainly have to think that a late Sweet Chin Music by HBK toward the end of the match could end up costing Cena his title, especially after what transpired during the contract signing on Monday Night Raw this week.

John Cena was trying to explain to Michaels that he still saw the good in him. Michaels didn’t even flinch, showing no hint that maybe he’ll change his ways at the Rumble, and then followed that attitude up with a tough punch to Cena’s face. This then resulted in a super clothesline, or “Clothesline From Hell” as JBL likes to call it, from the Texas, excuse me, New York redneck.

Now for prediction time. I look for a bunch of momentum changes to occur in this match as usual. Cena may even take a Super Kick from HBK, but it’ll be while JBL is on the mat, giving Cena just enough time to regain his strength and kick out. After that, with a little more fighting, I see Michaels going for another Super Kick, Cena getting out of the way somehow, and then Cena capitalizing on this good fortune by picking up the pinfall.

It’s a great storyline, but I still think it’s too early for Cena to lose his belt this early in his title reign.

Royal Rumble 2009 is Upon Us: But Who Will Win?

On January 25th, the 2009 Royal Rumble will be taking place on Pay-Per View. This is a really hard Rumble to call. Last year’s was too, but as soon as Cena showed up as the 30th and final entrant into the match, it was murder she wrote, and everyone knew Cena was going to win. But this year is not the same case.

There aren’t any side stories or feuds that suggest who may win. Orton and Cena never finished their feud, but I just don’t think that would be Wrestlemania worthy. The Undertaker has wrestled the past two Manias in main events, and I think they have to let the torch pass down on that one. Big Show is once again becoming the “Oohs” and “Ahhs” drawing jobber that he was before he left, JBL is fighting Cena for the World Heavyweight Championship, and his employee, Shawn Michaels is not allowed to participate in the Rumble.

This leaves a few surprises for me. Chris Jericho was recently fired. Maybe he comes into the Rumble as a surprise contestant and pushes the last man over after he has already used up all of his energy? Triple H definitely comes to mind, but I still do not think he has had enough build up to win this year’s Rumble. Even Vladimir Koslov could be a trendy pick, but he hasn’t worked hard enough to pull that kind of thing off.

But, I’m going to go with my boy Jeff Hardy to come in and do the unthinkable. I know he got hurt, but I have a feeling it’s all part of the plan. As long as you can defend your title within 30 days, you’re straight. So he can participate in a Rumble and still be well below that mark.

Jeff Hardy Supplants the Big Show on Friday Night Smackdown in Non-Title Action

On last Friday Night Smackdown, it appeared that a feud might be brewing between Jeff Hardy and Big Show. The kind of feud that starts off with the champion, Hardy, losing a few times to the Big Show, but inevitably ends with Jeff Hardy retaining his title to further build up the drama of the moment when he actually does.

 

But to my surprise, Smackdown did things a little different this time. They had Hardy actually beat the Big Show. Although the victory wasn’t without question as Hardy won by count-out, it still makes things fairly interesting for the next few episodes of Smackdown as we still do not know who will be Hardy’s opponent for the Royal Rumble.

 

Another interesting tidbit is the fact that there may be three Divas matches at the Rumble. First, there is the obvious Monday Night Raw, Women’s Championship match that may take place. Second, Maryse just beat Michelle McCool on Friday night to become Divas Champion, so she too could be defending her title at the Royal Rumble. Third, in the match that Maryse won, Maria was the guest referee, and Michelle McCool decided to take out her frustrations of losing on Maria.

 

So the WWE is attempting to create a somewhat “gripping” women’s feud, and surprisingly, this one isn’t all that bad. And I mean, that’s pretty cool but then again not really. Don’t get me wrong. The Divas are really hot and they are truly great eye-candy, but most of the time as soon as one their matches begins, the “God please let this end” woes ensue. Tune in to see what the hell unfolds!

 

Predictions for John Cena’s Opponent at the 2009 Royal Rumble

After the December 22nd edition of Monday Night Raw, the pool of possible opponents to challenge for John Cena’s World Heavyweight Championship at the Royal Rumble dwindled down to four. Shawn Michaels Super Kicked Kane in the face and got the pin. Then JBL was about to be 619’ed before his newest “employee” Shawn Michaels pulled him out of the ring and slapped him in the face to get JBL the win by having his opponent Rey Mysterio disqualified for interference. Then the douche bag, Randy Orton advanced by default because apparently his punt on Batista on the last Raw was too much for him to handle. After that, Chris Jericho advanced by way of a mid-air Code Breaker on CM Punk.

Now the four winners will meet next week on Monday Night Raw in a Fatal Four Way match where the winner will face John Cena at the Rumble. Of the possible four, you have to eliminate first and foremost, Shawn Michaels. He has been relegated to the role of puppet to JBL, and will be forced by his new master to do everything in his power to help JBL win. The next man out is Chris Jericho. He has already had the opportunity to beat Cena in the last two Pay-Per Views, Armageddon and Survivor Series. The WWE Universe does not want to be subjected to the obvious outcome of a Jericho loss again.

Finally, we have two men left. JBL and Randy Orton. This is so tough to call. First of all, the Randy Orton and Cena feud was never able to come to fruition as Cena suffered his first of two pure injuries prior to last year’s No Mercy, where he was set to face Orton in a Last Man Standing Match. However, Orton wouldn’t be a bad pick to win the Rumble for that same reason so that he could face Cena at WrestleMania (Truth be told, I think Batista will win it).

JBL on the other hand is a good option because we know he’s not going to win the Rumble, and he would obviously lose to Cena if they fought because there is no way the bookers would let Cena put JBL over. At least not yet. Furthermore, the Royal Rumble is the king of all WWE Pay-Per Views where the title-holders retain their belts.

So for me, I am going to say that the big-talking New Yorker from Texas will be coming out victorious on next week’s edition of Monday Night Raw. Then after that it will be some showman trash talking mic skills being spewed from JBL’s mouth on John Cena for almost an entire month as the Royal Rumble won’t take place until January 25th, where he will eventually, and undoubtedly, lose.

Vladimir Koslov Needs to Lose!

I am getting very tired of Vladimir Koslov not getting the chance to finish up a match on Smackdown, and even at the Pay-Per View last week, Armageddon. It seems like every time he faces off against a big player, Undertaker, Triple H, Jeff Hardy, etc… he doesn’t get to finish a match.

There are better ways to bring up new talent in pro wrestling than having a guy constantly win or remain undefeated by countless disqualifications. If his undefeated record keeps staying alive, then by the time the bookers decide he’s ready to lose, he’s going to go under like guys like Umaga and Great Khali, where they only get title matches that feature more than two contestants, and they’re in it solely for “Oohs” and “Ahs” because of the caricature nature of their persona or gimmick.

Plenty of guys have made names for themselves without having to start their careers with long winning streaks. John Cena lost his first match, and lost a few title matches before he got into the limelight. Guys like Triple H and Edge weren’t in the running for Supercards until years later in their careers. And the latest example of this is Jeff Hardy.

All of these stone faced characters that are being brought up as early unbreakables fall hard after their first losses and they then become closer and closer to becoming full-time jobbers as they steadily lose their luster.

WWE Seems to Only Sell its Title Matches

What’s up with the WWE these days? I remember a time when almost every match and storyline was worth watching or following respectively. This was a time where Pay-Per Views didn’t have to lean on having nearly every match be a title match, and start mixing brands. Nowadays you have the RAW title holder, Smackdown title holder, ECW title holder, and whatever Womens/Divas champion all defending their belts on the same night at almost every Pay-Per View.

There are good aspects of this and bad. The bad is that it has to suggest that separate Pay-Per Views for each brand (RAW, Smackdown, ECW) were not enough to draw TV purchases. But the good is that those matches sucked besides the title matches were starting to be all that anyone really cared about. I mean, when you had one Pay-Per view that was just Smackdown feuds, the only stuff that really mattered was a U.S. Title match, the main event for the World Heavyweight Championship (now on RAW), and perhaps one pretty good grudge match like Undertaker and Great Khali. Other than that, every other match would be a bunch of filler for the most part. Stuff that the kids will enjoy.

However, now with the Supercards having mostly title matches or actually intriguing grudge matches, the Pay-Per Views really have become more purchase-worthy. But don’t put some new marketing changes past the WWE anytime soon. For any of those who have been watching lately, I’m sure you’ve noticed the blatant exposure that Monday Night Raw has been trying to create for their Intercontinental Title with their 8-man tournament for the title against William Regal.

All in all, any real wrestling fan will not let this stop them from at least keeping up with the goings-on of their beloved program. The WWE may seem to be in a rut (especially when Vince McMahon has to give away millions of his own money to fans) but in truth, nobody gets more down and dirty than Pro Wrestling at its finest, and for those of you who already watch, you know what I’m talking about!

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 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.