Cena – Triple H: Set to Square off in No. 1 Contenders Match

Next week July 6^th on Monday Night Raw John Cena and Triple H will face off against one another for the third time in their history. The difference this time is that they won’t be facing each other for a title, but rather, for an opportunity to face Randy Orton for the WWE Championship. When Triple H defeated MVP and Cena defeated the Mix the first round of this Number One Contenders tournament, they earned the right to fight next week.

The first time these two fought was at one of the Wrestlemanias when Cena was defending the coveted WWE Championship. He forced the Game to tap out and defended his title. The second time they fought it was Triple H who defended his title successfully. Now what will happen this time? It’s simple. Cena will win or there will be a Triple Threat.

I don’t see the WWE having another match between H and Orton, because that has just gotten exhausting. So, in that case, the Triple threat seems like the most likely matchup if the WWE is trying to wrap the belt around Triple H’s waist once again as it seems is the case. So don’t be surprised when I’m right!

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.

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).

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.

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.

Randy Orton is a Bad Man

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.”

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.

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!

 

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 Championship to be Defended in a Triple Threat Match at Armageddon

The Triple Threat match for the WWE Championship that has been booked by the WWE board of directors for this coming Armageddon was so blatantly fixed up that… it should come as no surprise. When Triple H was attempting to pin his opponent, Shelton Benjamin, in the third of last Friday night’s installment of Smackdown’s Beat The Clock matches, it was plainly obvious that the referee was looking up at the clock. Now a match that should have been a one-on-one battle between Jeff Hardy and new WWE Champion Edge is a Triple Threat between the former two and Triple H.

 

Although the match may provide for plenty of excitement, the outcome is inevitable that Edge, with his new bearded look, will remain champion.

 

In recent years, the WWE has seemed to love the idea of setting up a Triple Threat match following a new champion’s reign with the new champion defending his title. Anyone should see that Edge is not going to relinquish his belt just yet and he’ll probably win in a manner befitting one of his nicknames other than “Rated R Superstar” with that being “Ultimate Opportunist.”

 

So, basically, either Hardy or Triple H will look like they’re about to score a big pinfall, Edge spears the attempted “pinner,” and Edge covers the wounded contestant for the pin. Once again, this matchup should be of no surprise to anyone who watches the WWE, as it has been booked solely for the intentions of building up a notorious heel character in Edge.

WWE Championship to be Defended at Survivor Series November 23rd

Well, it finally happened. Triple H will officially be defending his title against the upstart “Moscow Mauler” Vladimir Koslov on Sunday November 23^rd at Survivor Series. I for one am very happy with this decision by whoever it is that books the matches on Smackdown. I wasn’t going to be pleased with some triple threat, guaranteed victory for Triple H involving Koslov and Jeff Hardy.

 

I think this should be a great match. I expect some well thought out and tediously calculated choreography to be displayed in the ring between Triple H and Koslov. Everyone knows what Triple H can do; spine busters galore, pedigrees, and he can slug it out too. And although I’m not a big fan of the Koslov finishing move (the head butt) I must say that the more I watch him, the more versatile his repertoire of moves becomes. He can mat wrestle, place wrestlers in submission holds, pull of some impressive counters, and of course some tough and devastating tosses.

 

The only thing that has hurt Koslov thus far is his undefeated streak. I would not be the only one to agree that the guys who come out on a tear from their inception into Pro Wrestling tend to fall off hard when they suffer their first loss. There is a big difference between losing to a veteran jobber your first time and a perennial Super Card Main Event player like Triple H.

 

Look what happened to Umaga after he suffered his first two losses to John Cena, both of which were title matches. Where did he go after that? He has since become nothing more than an “Oohs” and “Ahhs” drawer from the crowd (perhaps his “goo-goo, gaga” big baby ranting hasn’t helped him much either). Plus, the only time he gets a title match is when it involve at least two other participants, and mainly in Chamber matches and other stipulations of that nature.

 

The one thing I will give Koslov is that his character doesn’t seem to be too stale. I mean, don’t get me wrong, his accent and premature English speaking skills could use some work. But the “on a mission” MO of his character and the fact that when he enters the ring, although he has proven cocky at times, still keeps an honest look on his face like he knows anything is possible and that he could potentially lose a match when he gets in the ring, especially when pitted against the non-jobbers, Undertaker and more “formidable” opponents like the Great Khali, intrigues me about him.

 

Triple H should pick up the victory, but it does very slightly appear like Koslov may have a chance. Either way, Triple H will do what he does, and we should get to see more of what Boris… eh hem, Vladimir Koslov can do.

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pure Comedy on Recent Installments of Friday Night Smackdown

Smackdown has been getting busy the past few weeks building the feuds of Shelton Benjamin and R-Truth, tag team Champs and brothers, Carlito and Primo Colon versus Miz and John Morrison, and even the Big Show and Undertaker. However, one of the funniest growing feuds is that of superstars Vladimir Koslov and Triple H.

The WWE has been known to play off the realities of their superstars in the past to create drama-filled action; Hardy and Edge over the love of Lita, and Ric Flair and Mick Foley in the whole “Glorified Stuntman” argument just to name a few. And now in the present, in the feud between Triple H and Koslov, it is the origin of Koslov and his ESL level of speech that have The Game rolling on Smackdown.

The week before last night’s taping, Koslov was at it again arguing how he deserves a title shot and this in that. However, you really have to pay attention closely as his English is not very good. Apparently Triple H had to as well when he replied “Koslov, I didn’t understand a word you just said.” This Friday, Triple H stood in the ring before Koslov and called him “Boris.”

Koslov’s reply was sputtered, coming in clear in a few of his sentences, and garbled in others. What resulted had to be one of the slyest jab comeback remarks in recent Smackdown history…

 

Be sure to tune into Smackdown next Friday night at 8:00pm Eastern on My TV Network where Koslov will face off against the Undertaker. And as per General Manger Vickie Guerrero, if Koslov wins, he will get a shot at Triple H’s WWE Championship which will most likely be at this coming Survivor Series on Pay-Per view.

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.