WWE’s Extreme Rules Continues the Passing of the Torches

What happened last night at Extreme Rules? Four titles changed hands. This is actually a little interesting because I’m sure that doesn’t happen too often. We’ve seen plenty of Pay-Per-Views where the top two titles (WWE Championship and World Heavyweight Championship) will change hands but not two more for a total of four.

The one that concerns me is Batista taking down Randy Orton for his WWE Championship. Orton is somewhat of a transitional champ. He isn’t really defending his title against numerous opponents, but rather, keeps defending it against the same guys in each stint and then eventually loses to one of them. That just continues to make his character look like a bickering baby who should have never been champion in the first place. Plus, Batista is a meathead.

I am very interested in the Smackdown decision. This is not because CM Punk cashed in his MITB, and although I am quoted as saying I would love to see CM Punk cash it in and perhaps have Umaga run down and Samoan drop him so that he loses his opportunity anyway, (and that sadly can never happen because Umaga was released today for reasons undisclosed), I am actually happy with this result. One reason… a face player cheap-shotted another face player. That could lead to some very good intrigue.

As for the intercontinental title, I do not care much. That title has always changed hands frequently, and it’s good to see two main eventers competing for it. I am also happy for Tommy Dreamer. I guess you could say his hard work paid off, but it also seems like a “pat-on-the-back” pension plan for a loyal old dog.

I really liked Tommy Dreamer’s effort in the ring and thought of him as the best jobber (perhaps undeservedly so) in the business. I’ll miss him.

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.

WWE Is Serving Up Hot Titles

In the last year the two main titles of the WWE, the World Heavyweight Championship and WWE Championship have been changing hands quite frequently turning everyone into transitional champions. It’s almost maddening.

 

Last year on Smackdown the WWE title went back and forth between Edge, Triple H, and even Jeff Hardy had a brief stint as champion. And you know that would be ok if the other show (Monday Night RAW) had a little bit more of a consistent champion. But ever since Chris Jericho yanked the World Heavyweight Championship off Batista, who only held the title for a week, even that title has been bounced around like a hot potato; First, Cena came back from injury and got the belt off of Jericho. He held it for a good two or three months, then lost it again to Edge in the Elimination Chamber. Then, about a month or so later, Cena wins it back off Edge at Wrestlemania 25 only to lose it again last Sunday at Backlash.

 

Although a lot of these title changes have made for some interesting Pay-Per Views, one key question (at least to me) is raised. What is the point of Wrestlemania? Wrestlemania is supposed to be “the grandest stage” as the WWE likes to put it. But if you have two competitors, Cena and Triple H, winning and defending their titles respectively on the “grandest stage, only to lose the titles a month later to the same guys they faced at Wrestlemania… then what is the point? I would think of the Mecca of all WWE Pay-Per Views to be the end-all-be-all. However, when Cena wins the title and the WWE makes a big deal of how he took out the Big Show and Edge at the same time then loses 30 days later, and the Triple H and Orton feud is not resolved at the final showdown of the WWE season, then it’s almost like winning at Wrestlemania has no finality to it.

 

And perhaps that’s not what it is meant to be. But if this keeps up, at least in my mind, it makes Wrestlemania look like just another WWE Pay-Per View.

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.

Wrestlemania 25 Predictions

This year’s Wrestlemania is somewhat classic. There are no big promotional gimmicks like Billionaire vs. Billionaire or boxer vs. wrestler. Most of the matches are straight forward, with no wild stipulations and the WWE is going to rely solely on its own people to put on a show. I think it’s a good idea. With that being said, here are my predictions.

 

Chris Jericho vs. Rowdy “Roddy Piper,” Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka, and Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat in an elimination match

 

I bet Jericho eliminates all three, but then the four of them and Ric Flair will beat on Jericho at the end. Jericho wins, but still gets his.

 

25 Diva Battle Royal

 

I’m really not looking too hard into this, and just found out it was a match when I prepared to write this article today. I’ll just throw out Michelle McCool’s name.

 

Money in the Bank Ladder Match

 

I’m still sticking by my statement that part of drawing Christian back to the WWE was a contractual guarantee that he has a title reign in his first year back. Christian wins.

 

Shawn Michaels vs. Undertaker

 

The Phenom is not about to lose his perfect 16-0 streak at Wrestlemania in a match that means nothing. Shawn Michaels rests in peace.

 

WWE Tag Team Champions Miz and Morrison vs. World Tag Team Champions Carlito and Primo

 

The Miz and Morrison have been holding onto their titles for too long. The two Puerto Ricans will win.

 

Jeff Hardy vs. Matt Hardy in an Extreme Rules Match

 

This is a tough one. But, I guess the gut has to go with Jeff Hardy.

 

JBL vs. Rey Mysterio for the Intercontinental Title

 

Looks like Rey Mysterio should be the next Intercontinental title holder if the WWE wants to shake things up on RAW.

 

Edge vs. Big Show vs. John Cena for World Heavyweight Championship

 

Cena has to win. Edge and Big Show are involved in that disgusting love triangle, and John Cena needs to be a champion.

 

Triple H vs. Randy Orton for the WWE Championship

 

I have to call one upset. And I feel Orton winning is a bit of an upset. I think the WWE really wants to shock us.

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.

Thoughts on Big Show vs. Edge’s for World Heavyweight Championship Title at Wrestlemania

Last night on Monday Night RAW, Vickie Guerrero finally honored Cena’s contractual obligations by giving him his rematch against Edge. However, Edge did what he’s always done, what he’s done since he got to Smackdown, and what he did in his first feud with Cena… cheat.

I’m all for cheating in the WWE. It’s kniving, clever, and keeps stories interesting. You can’t wait until that guy finally gets caught, or he defends his title with stipulations where the title changes hands on disqualifications. And a lot of the time I even like seeing a guy get screwed over by some cheating too. But this time it was too obvious and so unoriginal it was a slap in the face to the so-called WWE Universe.

Edge didn’t cheat in any special way. He did what many champion cheaters do and that’s use their belt as a weapon. It just puzzles me. Why would the WWE restart a feud that lasted quite a long time already the first time around, and rehash the same tricks as the last time?

Now the bookers are trying to fool us by having Vickie Guerrero, acting RAW General manager, name Big Show as number one contender for the World Heavyweight Championship. That’s crap. Nobody is going to believe that outside of the little kids who still think it’s real. If this Wrestlemania matchup does not get altered somehow by the time it goes live, I will be astounded. And if it actually does end up being the Big Show and Edge, I will be forced to predict something unprecedented to happen.

For now though, my prediction will be that Cena somehow will qualify for the match and it will be a Triple Threat. We’ll see though.

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.

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.

Two Hardys and a Hardass!

How about those three champions in the WWE! On ECW we have Matt Hardy holding the ECW Championship. This guy had been jobbing pretty hard perhaps a year, and then some, or so ago on Smackdown before MVP made his debut and they began their feud and Tag Team Championship reign. The enigmatic Jeff Hardy gained his first main title by winning the WWE Championship this past Sunday at Armageddon with his lights-out performance. And then we have the ultimate hardass… John Cena. And I don’t mean hardass in the sense that he’s a jerk. If anything, Cena is one of the prime examples of a face player… and he has the World Heavyweight Championship. I’m talking about an unbreakable good guy hardass.

 

Speaking of faces, all three of these guys are face characters for the WWE. I just think it’s a little different and interesting to see them all with the titles of the brand they wrestle for. For guys like the Hardys, this type of success was a long time coming. The Hardy boys were constantly subjected to drawing “Oohs” and “Ahhs” from the crowds purely on wrestling ability, and both had a history of coming up short as singles competitors whenever they weren’t tagging it up.

 

However, in that time that Matt Hardy began to rise on Smackdown in the time of the MVP feud, the Smackdown brand did a decent job of giving him some mic time so that the fans could get a feel for the personality of the guy who had always played second fiddle to his brother Jeff.

 

Similarly, Jeff began to voice himself up when he returned to the WWE on Monday Night RAW. He came out and had a plenty of title matches, held the Intercontinental Championship a few times, had big battles with the likes of Umaga, and once again, had been coming up short in championship opportunities. The only difference in his second stint has been the sense that his time would eventually come to be a brand champ.

 

Then we have Cena. I already did my story on “The Champ.” (See ‘John Cena… A Man to Be’). He looks like he’ll be hanging onto his belt for quite a while. But with the recent heightened frequency of titles changing hands on RAW and Smackdown, perhaps neither of the three is a lock to hold onto their belts for an extended period of time. Either way, all three reigns have the potential to be very exciting.

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!

John Cena… A Man to Be

How in the world is John Cena on top of the RAW food chain once again? It must be a combination of his stunning charisma and persistence to be one of the main, if not the immediate, faces of the WWE. After his second injury in under a year, Cena has fought just one match and become the new World Heavyweight Champion in the WWE above other top superstars that have been attempting to build their reputations on the raw roster in recent weeks and months; Randy Orton, Dave Batista, and Chris Jericho would be the main names to call out.

 

Nonetheless, it is John Cena who remains and regains his role as… the Champ. He is what many people would agree is the new Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. He’s got the same uncanny comeback ability, the crowd-pleasing mic skills and character, and of course his own version of “The People’s Elbow,” the “Five Knuckle Shuffle.” When it comes to dedicated WWE roster superstar, bordering on corporate lapdog, John Cena is that at its finest.

 

However, I really can’t call John Cena a lapdog. You can see it in his body language that the guy truly lives and breathes the WWE. Whether it be the fame that draws him, or that he wants to prove his plenty doubters wrong, he is always lingering or hovering at the top and has been since his first WWE Championship reign. I could even describe his desire to be at the top as somewhat greedy and even maniacal, as he is always the front man in pictures and even WWE pay-per view promo art where he was still injured and was not even going to be wrestling, and much less present at whatever show was being promoted.

 

But the fact of the matter is that John Cena has put his time in and he has earned the right to be where he is, even if he hasn’t had as long a tenure as his other fellow wrestlers. His goal from the outset of his trip to California after graduating college was not to become a WWE namesake. He wanted to be a body builder for crying out loud! He was then presented the opportunity by an acquaintance at a gym to join the ranks of the professional wrestling world, and then most likely and unexpectedly, he fell in love with the whole aura of the business.

 

So, with all that being said, even though it seems odd that Cena can just come out of an injury induced hiatus to instantly be at the top spot of professional wrestling once again, don’t ever take away the fact that he has worked hard and spewed his blood, sweat, and tears to be where he is right now and continue to preserve his image.

Chris Jericho set to Defend World Heavyweight Championship against John Cena at Survivor Series