Titles are going around like hot cakes baby!

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.

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.

Going for 17-0 with nothing tangible to be gained never sounded so sweet.

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.

These two men will be going toe to toe on April 5th, 2009 at Wrestlemania 25.

Randy Orton is pushing his character’s envelope. On this past Monday Night Raw he DDT’d Stephanie McMahon, which was awesome. Not only does he knock her out once with an RKO, but he comes back again and shows Triple H that he’s not messing around by putting her out of commission with another hard move.

Even whenever he was just hovering above her while she was laid out on the canvas was in a way borderline. But to be truthful, I’m glad someone’s got the stuff to pull something like that off. It seems like every time this Wrestlemania starts feeling like it’s going to be bland that the matchup between Triple H and Randy Orton is keeping things interesting.

I guess one of the main reasons for that is this is one of the first times in a long time that a grudge match is for the WWE Championship. It’s the most coveted title in all of the WWE, and yet its match is based more on the tumultuous relationship of the two characters embodied by Hunter Helmsley and Randal Orton.

Think about it.

Neither of the two has bickered over who is the strongest man, and who will be holding onto the title for a long time to come. The only thing this storyline is about is who the better man is. And that… “that’s cool.”

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.

Don't count out this crazy broad to get in the "middle" of things either.

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.

If you take a quick look at the contestants for this year’s Money In The Bank Ladder Match at Wrestlemania then that’s all you’ll need. The entrants are CM Punk, last year’s winner, Mark Henry, Kane, MVP, Shelton Benjamin, Kofi Kingston, and Christian Cage. Time to round out the “definitely-nots,” the “maybes,” and the one “should be.”

The first and easiest definitely not would have to be Mark Henry. I don’t know how a 400+ pound fat man is going to climb a ladder whose steps might just break under his weight. And to be purely analytical, there is just no luster in The World’s Strongest Man’s game anymore.

Number two would have to be Kane. He is nothing more than a freak show like the Great Khali, where at best, they have one, maybe two championship reigns in the early-goings of their careers when their limited array of wrestling moves and ugly mugs still have some selling power.

A “middle maybe” could be MVP since it’s been a while since he’s won, and that would be a huge surprise. He hasn’t been able to draw much attention on Smackdown like the WWE intended, but perhaps a Money In The Bank victory might be a last ditch effort for the people booking his matches.

The “maybes” are Shelton Benjamin, CM Punk, and Kofi Kingston. Since Shelton’s move to Smackdown he has beaten Matt Hardy for the US Title and held it for about three quarters of a year. What’s even more is that he has notably been bulking up and expanding his arsenal of wrestling moves with a little extra mic time to boot. He could be a superstar that the WWE is grooming, and with his increased size, he would be a more believable WWE or World Heavyweight Champion at this point in his career.

Speaking of champions, CM Punk, who won the brief case last year could have a chance to repeat. Eventually, someone will have to win this event twice which is a gimmick that the WWE likes to use to create history (i.e. Stone Cold wining three Royal Rumbles, and Undertaker’s 16-0 record at Wrestlemania). Punk would not be a bad choice for this page in wrestling history, even if his title reign as champion was used as a tool to bring back a title to Monday Night RAW.

As for Kingston, he is a showman and people like him. But perhaps as time goes on, he’ll be nothing more than that and a consistent Intercontinental Title holder.

Now for mister “should be”… Christian Cage. Even though he has only been back for around two months, he is easily the biggest superstar of all those in this contest. If the WWE wants to continue to make this match intriguing, he probably should win. But the main reason he is the favorite is that most likely the WWE made an agreement with him that he would become a champion within the first year of his contract.

And that’s a lot more than he’s had for a good while on TNA!

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.

WWE's John Cena

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.

On April 5th one thing is for sure at Wrestlemania. Undertaker will be fighting to stay undefeated. As many people already know, the Undertaker, aka the Phenom, is undefeated at Wrestlemanias with a perfect record of 16-0. On the next edition of Monday Night Raw, JBL and Shawn Michaels will be facing off for the chance to end that streak.

All I can say is the Undertaker is most likely going to stay undefeated. But please God do not let him stay so against JBL. He has absolutely no chance to pull something like this off. And I mean that in real life or by story line.

First of all, even Shawn Michaels is a stretch to just abruptly beat this record, and then JBL… c’mon. He will go down so hard with a choke slam, a tombstone, and whatever else the Undertaker can do.

Now, if his opponent does happen to be Shawn Michaels, who it should be, there is still some doubt for the Undertaker. As long as it’s Michaels and ‘Taker, the match should be intriguing even though it’s almost certain that either of the two would lose to Undertaker. We’ll see.

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.