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The 2014 Extreme Rules Preview

What's going on, everybody? What a month it's been, huh?

Well, Extreme Rules is here, and I have a lot to say about it. So, let's get to the card:

Pre-Show Match: El Torito vs. Hornswoggle (Wee LC Match)

I'm actually going to watch this out of morbid curiosity. There's definitely room for comedy in wrestling. As an aside, El Torito knows his way around the ring so who knows, right? Call me somewhat optimistic that this will somehow or some way be worth watching. It might be entertaining in some capacity. Above all else, wrestling should be fun. We'll see if this is. El Torito is my pick to win.

Alexander Rusev w/ Lana vs. R-Truth & Xavier Woods (Handicap Match)

They've been trying to make Rusev a thing for a while now and I don't think it has even come close to working yet. Personally, he's not a guy I would pay money to see. So, we'll see if he ever gets to that point. Rusev will probably pick up the win, but I feel bad for Xavier Woods. They've dropped the ball with him. Who do I tweet at to convince them to pick it back up?

Rob Van Dam vs. Jack Swagger vs. Cesaro (Triple Threat Elimination Match)

The way they are booking Cesaro is so weird. For instance, he'll face RVD and we're supposed to boo him. But when Swagger interferes in the match and costs him a victory....what exactly am I supposed to do? These kinds of situations have popped up a few times over the past month. They're clearly want Cesaro to be a star, but they need to figure out where exactly he stand and let us react to him and the situations he's put in in a clear and decisive way. Right now, they're doing the "tweener" thing all wrong.

This match could be pretty good if they give it some time and it's one I'm looking forward to. Cesaro will probably pick up the W and move on to bigger and better things. It looks like the company has faith in him, if WrestleMania XXX and the following Raw are anything to go by. He's gonna have a good summer.

Paige (c) vs. Tamina Snuka (WWE Divas Championship Match)

Paige burst on the scene the night after Raw in a big way. However, I feel like they haven't capitalized on it enough and we don't really know who she is. Hopefully, that changes soon.

Tamina is pretty much just a placeholder until AJ gets back from her vacation. The match should be solid, though. Paige retains.

Big E (c) vs. Bad News Barrett (Intercontinental Championship Match)

Thank goodness for the Intercontinental Title Tournament. I love tournaments for numerous reasons, but one for the IC Title? YES. Both the IC and US Titles have been largely forgotten about and cast aside for quite some time now (ESPECIALLY the US Title, but that's a rant for another day), so it was nice to see some importance placed on the IC Title. With the IC tournament, it allowed numerous segments on WWE's weekly shows to be devoted to the title. That's just what it needed.

Bad News Barrett finally got back in the ring after WrestleMania and hoe won that tourney in short order. Barrett will probably win the title here in a decent match. It's what happens after the match that I'm most interested in. Big E needs to find his footing in the company again and it'll be interesting to see what kind of summer he has. As for Barrett, he didn't exactly light the world on fire with the IC title any of the times he had it. It needs to be different this time. Maybe, just maybe, the IC Title will continue to be relevant. Hey, I can dream, can't I?

John Cena vs. Bray Wyatt (Steel Cage Match)

True story: I have a co-worker who absolutely hated the opening segment with Bray Wyatt's choir on Raw this past week. He's the only person I know or even heard of who hated it. I've loved the build to this match, for the most part. I'm hoping for a fun brawl inside the cage.

In the end, Bray Wyatt needs to win here or he's done. I don't see a way to have him lose here and remain effective in any way. I say this as a Cena fan: Cena must lose.

Evolution vs. The Shield (Six Man Tag Team Match)

I'm pumped for this one. It'll probably be the main event of the show, but I have more to say about that later.

I dunno if this six-man will be as good as the one at Elimination Chamber, but I think it might be close if Batista and Orton can bring the goods tonight. I think The Shield should take the win here in a sort of passing the torch kind of moment, but I can see where Evolution might win in order to continue the feud. They probably should make this a one-off match if they want to free some big name heels to face Daniel Bryan, though. If it's a one-off, then I definitely pick The Shield.

Daniel Bryan (c) vs. Kane (Extreme Rules Match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship)

I don't see this match being the actual main event of the show and that's kind of disappointing. I get that the six-man tag is technically a bigger deal, but they can't make a habit out of this. I'll give it a pass this time, but they really shouldn't half-ass Bryan's main even level push. Daniel Bryan is the WWE World Heavyweight Champion. It didn't do any favors for guys like Punk in 2012 or Benoit a decade ago, and it sure won't help Bryan and the title now.

They've had to work around Daniel Bryan's honeymoon and his bereavement leave while building this feud, but they did a good job with what they had. I don't think these guys click very well, but I'm confident that the Extreme Rules stipulation will help things out. Daniel Bryan will retain and hopefully be focused on more going forward.

And there ya have it. The show doesn't look bad at all. I went to a bar with some friends to watch WrestleMania XXX, but I'll be checking out this event live on the Network. I dunno if I'll take my chances using the practically broken XBox 360 app or use the website. I should probably invest in a Roku streaming stick or something.

But that does it for now. Be sure to ‘like’ this article, leave a comment, subscribe to the blog, go back and read all my other articles, ‘LIKE’ me on Facebook, and FOLLOW me on Twitter. Enjoy the show!

#WWE #EXTREME RULES #Daniel Bryan #Evolution #The Shield #Kane #WrestleMania #John Cena #Bray Wyatt #The Wyatt Family

The WrestleMania XXX Preview

What's going on, everybody? It's WrestleMania time!

There have been a few twists and turns since Elimination Chamber, some of which are definitely for the better. I think we all have an idea of how WrestleMania 30 should end now. I mean....they can't screw this up, right? RIGHT?!

Let's get to the card.

Pre-Show Match: The Usos (c) vs The Real Americans vs Rybaxel vs Los Matadores (Fatal Four Way Match for the WWE Tag Team Titles)

Is the pre-show really a demotion at this point? These guys should get a good 10-15 minutes and they'll definitely do a good job setting the tone for the show and hyping up the crowd (Mojo Rawley need not apply). It's either that, get a decreased amount of time on the card or get maybe 5 minutes in the Battle Royal. I know what I'd want.

Anyways, this match should be a lot of fun and I imagine they'll give it time. The Usos will probably retain, but Cesaro will look like a million bucks. Hopefully he'll have a much larger presence in the company this summer.

Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal

Yeah, I'm not listing all of the participants. I really like the idea of an annual Battle Royal. It gets a bunch of people on the card and it could be a lot of fun.

This will probably be given a decent amount of time, given that some of the bigger names are involved. As of this writing, there's three spots still open, so here's hoping for some surprise names from the past.

I've pegged the Final Four as The Big Show, Big E, Sheamus, and Mark Henry. It'd be fitting for four large guys to still be in it as the match draws to a close. I think Big E will win the Battle Royal and then maybe, just maybe, they can start focusing on him and his IC Title after 'Mania season is over. What a crazy idea.

The Shield vs. Kane and The New Age Outlaws

They halted The Shield's breakup a few weeks after Elimination Chamber, turned them face, and here we are. It sucks that they've been teasing the breakup for so long (especially since you never see such long-term planning anymore), and then they just stopped it all. But on the other hand, if they're still doing awesome things together, why ruin that?

I think they Shield will break up sometime this Spring or Summer though. I imagine they're just putting that story on hold. The Shield should take this one and it might be the last we see of the Outlaws for a while. It should be a solid and fun match. I'm actually quite excited for it.

Vickie Guerrero's Divas Championship Invitational

Well look what we have here. They even managed to get a bunch of the Divas on the card. Fancy that. This probably won't last more than five minutes and might actually be a bit of a mess, bit it's a start. I think AJ Lee retains, if only to have a heel victory somewhere on the card

The Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar

The build-up here has been pretty terrible. They're trying to make the match outcome seem unpredictable and in doubt, but it most certainly is not. Not to mention the fact that The Undertaker himself just has nothing new to say anymore. But I digress. Anyways, The Undertaker walks away victorious in what I'm hoping is a match that will exploit their strengths and hide their weaknesses. I'm not entirely sure whether or not we'll get a good match or a horrible one.

John Cena vs Bray Wyatt

Could this match have a chance to be a major highlight on the show? I think so. I've loved the build-up to it, so I hope they both go out there and impress everybody. If they both are motivated enough, this could be one of the best matches on the card. I'm dead serious. I think Cena will win, but make Bray Wyatt look fantastic in the process. Even in losing, this could be Bray Wyatt's coming out party.

Triple H vs. Daniel Bryan (The Winner gets a spot in the WrestleMania XXX Main Event)

This match has been hyped to high heaven. It's amazing to me that Orton (The Champion) and Batista (The Rumble Winner) are such outside players. They're afterthoughts. I had thought that in the final few weeks that their presence would have been felt more, but that hasn't been the case at all. It's pretty clear that HHH and Daniel Bryan are the main stars here. It's pretty crazy when you stop and think about it.

The Occupy Raw segment was fantastic (horrible crowd aside). It created this match and the fans, at long last, finally got what they wanted: an avenue for Daniel Bryan to get into the Main event at WrestleMania 30. Boy, it took a long time and a lot of twists and turns to get here. These two should have a great match. I'd imagine that Daniel Bryan wins and Triple H beats him down afterwards to try and squash his chances at winning the main event. So, onto the main event.....

Randy Orton (c) vs Batista vs Daniel Bryan (WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match)

I do hope they actually space out the HHH - Bryan match and the main event a little bit. It would be wise to do so.

It's gotta be Daniel Bryan coming out on top. They can't pull the football away from him this time. The match will be fun, but the outcome needs to be correct. I can't picture WrestleMania ending any other way. If it does, they're nuts.

So there you have it. I'd imagine the WWE will have a lot of fun celebrating the past as well as enjoying all the matches on the card. I don't see timing being an issue.

The only elephant in the room is the WWE Network. I just can't see the Network running flawlessly during the event. They can try as hard as they want, but they won't know what the WrestleMania flood will be like until the flood arrives. I hope I'm wrong, but I'll be watching the show with my friends at a bar. I'll take my chances watching a live PPV on the Network once Extreme Rules rolls around.

#wwe #wrestlemania #wrestlemania 30 #wrestlemania XXX #john cena #daniel bryan #the undertaker #pro wrestling #wrestling #brock lesnar #batista #randy orton

The 2014 Elimination Chamber Preview

How's it going, everybody? Before we get into the PPV, a couple of housekeeping items:

What a month it's been, huh?

* First, we have the departure of CM Punk. This one was a bummer for me especially, since I was looking forward to seeing him at the Raw after the Rumble, right here in Cleveland *thumbs up*. A frustrated and exhausted CM Punk walked out of the company. I can't condone doing anybody doing that. I might understand his viewpoint once we finally hear his side of the story, but there's probably better ways to go about things. As a result of his departure, a lot of plans are changing. It's been a pretty hectic month creatively for the company. There's a lot about WrestleMania 30 that's way up in the air.

* The WWE Network launches on Monday and effectively changes the game. Elimination Chamber is the final PPPV under the traditional format, basically. Now you can watch all of them and tons of other content for $9.99 a month. It's a big deal. I'll be trying out the week-long trial, but there's a good chance I'll be purchasing a subscription....provided Elimination Chamber and the week after it starts setting up some exciting stuff. Like many of you, Royal Rumble left a bit of a sour taste in my mouth too. More on that later.

* I have barely begun to scratch the surface. Hulk Hogan as WrestleMania 30 host. Sting's talks with the WWE. WWE switching to the Network logo as their permanent logo (It's on their new jet and on their merchandise while the current logo is not. It sure looks like it's happening soon.). WWE shopping the rights to their programming around. It's a very big and very important month for the WWE.

A lot has happened and many of the questions a lot of us have may well be answered this week. I'll bet a few of them will be answered tonight. So, let's take a look at the Elimination Chamber PPV:

Pre-Show Match: The Rhodes Brothers vs. Ryback and Curtis Axel

I'm a little saddened that Cody and Goldust are on the pre-show, but I get it. They'd better both be on the WrestleMania 30 card. The Brotherhood should win. RybAxel is going nowhere.

Darren Young vs. Titus O'Neil

No matter what your feelings are on these two and their feud, you have to admit that it's nice to see an undercard feud. There are so very few of them nowadays. I'm not thrilled that they had to break up a tag team in order to do it. I thought they were trying to rebuild the tag division again. They should get on that. Titus O'Neil will likely win, but I'm not sure where wither of them go from here.

Batista vs. Alberto Del Rio

I'm interested to see how this one goes. Batista hasn't had a singles match since he came back. All he's done is work the Rumble match. I'm not expecting much out of his match with Del Rio, but we'll see. I'd assume Batista wins here.

Big E (c) vs. Jack Swagger (WWE Intercontinental Championship Match)

This match just sort of got thrown on the card, but whatever. In a world where we have the main titles unified, you'd think that the midcard titles would be getting more attention. Both Big E and Ambrose aren't getting the attention they deserve as midcard champions and that's not okay. Big E vs. Swagger should be alright though. Big E should get the win here and move onto 'Mania to defend the title against a worthy challenger in a well-built feud. I'd like the IC title to really mean something again.

The New Age Outlaws (c) vs. The Usos (WWE Tag Team Championship Match)

I never thought that we'd see the NAO as tag champs in 2014, but here we are. I'm just glad I got to witness them in person at Raw in Cleveland since I never attended a show during the Attitude Era. Damn school nights. Anyways, this match should be fun. The Outlaws haven't been doing bad and The Usos have really come into their own over the past year. I think the New Age Outlaws will take this one, only to lose the titles at 'Mania in some super huge tag team turmoil gauntlet designed to get several stars a match on the card.

The Shield vs. The Wyatt Family

I'm pretty pumped for this one. You usually don't see two heel stables going at it like this. Roman Reigns is the closest thing to a face in the match. I'm interested to see how it goes. I'd imagine that The Wyatts win. If Bray Wyatt indeed has a date with John Cena at WrestleMania 30 and The Shield break-up should be in full effect by the same date, Then The Wyatt Family needs the win. I'll bet that The Shield loses due to some dissension within the group.

Randy Orton (c) vs. John Cena vs. Daniel Bryan vs. Sheamus vs. Cesaro vs. Christian (Elimination Chamber Match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship)

The main event scene has been in turmoil since Batista won the Rumble and CM Punk walked out. So, let's look at the options:

Christian: No. Not a chance.

Cesaro: Not going to win, but he should at least be given the opportunity to look impressive and maybe even score an elimination. Probably Christian or Sheamus.

Sheamus: Nope. I'm not even entirely sure where he'll fit in at WrestleMania 30.

John Cena: If the rumors of him facing Bray Wyatt are true, then he's not winning.

So we're down to Daniel Bryan and Randy Orton. Since the Rumble, the fans have voiced their displeasure of WWE creative. More specifically, Bryan not being in the main event mix has ticked a lot of people off. The WWE should know by now that they made a mistake. A title win for Daniel Bryan here would be a nice way to fix it. It won't be the same as winning the title at 'Mania, but it's at least a decent gesture to 'make good' on a few mistakes they've made and put Daniel Bryan in the main event.

That being said, Randy Orton will walk out with the WWE Championship tonight. I think they'll stick to their Batista vs. Orton plans. It will hopefully backfire on them. In a perfect world, Orton will win via some sort of shenanigans. But as the host of WrestleMania 30, Hogan will add Daniel Bryan to the match. An endorsement from Hogan could do wonders for him. At 'Mania, then Daniel Bryan will get his long-awaited moment in the sun.

I can always dream, I guess. Orton vs. Batista at 'Mania it is.

And that's why I might not be getting the Network. I don't want to give money to the company when they have such a disdain for their fanbase and won't give them what they want to see. This week will basically be a test for them. If they do the right thing, then they pass. I'll gladly give them $10 per month if they do the right thing or at least make things super compelling to the point that they really have my attention.

It's going to be an interesting week, that's for sure.

#WWE #Elimination Chamber #WrestleMania #Hulk hogan #Daniel Bryan #CM Punk #John Cena #Randy Orton #Batista #Bray Wyatt #Roman Reigns #The Shield #The Wyatt Family

The 2014 Royal Rumble Preview

What's going on, everybody?

We've been pulling out of the driveway since TLC, but from this point forward, we're traveling on The Road to WrestleMania. It's a new year and it's time for the first PPV event of 2014: The Royal Rumble.

Everybody's been talking about it. This event will either make people really happy or disappoint them in a major way. Many things about WrestleMania XXX and the road to that event will be made more clear by the time 11 pm EST rolls around. I'm anxious to see how it all plays out. Let's take a look at the card.

Pre-Show Match: The Brotherhood (c) vs. The New Age Outlaws ( WWE Tag Team Championship Match)

During the past month, The Outlaws turned heel and have seemed to side with The Authority. I approve. It just makes sense.

So, there's two ways they could go: Use the Outlaws to put over The Brotherhood and make them look good, or use The Outlaws to transition the belts to another team and put that team over. The latter could also free Cody and Goldust to face each other at WrestleMania XXX, if that is indeed the plan.

But I don't think they'll do the switch tonight. I think the The Brotherhood will retain in a very entertaining pre-show match.

Daniel Bryan vs. Bray Wyatt

I know what people are thinking: This is a waste of Daniel Bryan. I agree...if this is the only point in which we see him. I'll bring this up later. You know where this is going....

I see this going one of two ways: Either the match doesn't even take place due to Bryan taking a Wyatt Family beat-down, or Bray Wyatt wins and Bryan gets beat down afterward.

Yes, you know where I'm going with this. I've been saying it since SummerSlam and I'm not stopping now.

Big Show vs. Brock Lesnar

I never thought they'd use Brock for a match like this, but here we are. And so far, this hasn't been made some sort of special match like a cage match or a No DQ match or anything. All of Lesnar's matches since he's come back have had some sort of stipulation. We'll see if it stays that way.

I'm not sure what kind of quality to expect from this if it's a straight up match. This one probably won't be too long if it is. Brock Lesnar wins to the shock of nobody and probably massacre's Big Show afterwards.

Randy Orton (c) vs. John Cena (WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match)

They did a TLC match first and then transitioned to a straight-up one-on-one match. How ass-backwards is that? Whatever.

This match could go either way depending on what they want to do at WrestleMania XXX. Either way, I don't really expect anything new or exciting from these two. It's sad to say, but I'd love to be proven wrong. I think Orton retains since he just won the unification match last month. There's a chance that he'll drop it at Elimination Chamber, but I even have my doubts about that.

The Royal Rumble Match (Winner Gets A WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match At WrestleMania XXX)

Here's where the show gets a little hairy. It's the main reason people order the show and it's easily one of my favorite matches every year. Let's break down some of my predictions on things that don't involve the winner first:

* Longest Time In The Rumble: CM Punk. He has been given the #1 spot and if he doesn't win, he'll surely last the longest before The Authority screws him over.

* Most Eliminations: Roman Reigns. He'll do pretty well tonight. Expect more dissension within The Shield as well.

*Surprise Entrants: Sheamus. I'd imagine he'll return to action tonight, possibly on the side of The Authority.

And now for the winner. I wouldn't be shocked if Batista won. Of the entrants that are officially announced, either him or Punk seem like good choices. But my pick hasn't been officially announced yet.

It's Daniel Bryan. I've been saying it since SummerSlam and I can't stop now.

Daniel Bryan is their meal ticket at this point. Here's a guy that fans are into and in a big way. They have been for a while. His support never wavered, even when he got put on the back-burner for a while. Remember the reaction the reaction that Big Show got when he finally punched Triple H after building up to it for months? They put Daniel Bryan with the Wyatts for a couple of weeks and then turned him back and got an even more massive reaction. That was after just TWO WEEKS. Nobody ever left his side.

I think he wasn't featured majorly on last week's shows and was put into an undercard match at this PPV just to really throw the dog off the scent, so to speak. According to WWE.com, there's still 10 spots open. I think Daniel Bryan is one of them.

This is something that's really hard for them to screw up. It's right there.

I'll be at Raw tomorrow night in Cleveland and I'd love to see that be Daniel Bryan's after-party. Or, it could be an awesome opportunity to make our voices heard if we are displeased. You can help me rally the troops on Facebook on the official page for the event: https://www.facebook.com/events/217862638395097/ or use the official hashtag #WWECleveland on Twitter should there be an outcome you don't like. I know I will.

#WWE RoyalRumble DanielBryan Cleveland WWECleveland Raw SmackDown prowrestling wrestling

The 2013 WWE TLC Preview

I'm back!

Have I really not done a PPV Preview blog since AUGUST? Ugh. You can blame a combination of work and personal life for that. For those wondering, my video game marathon for charity (www.givebackgamers.org) went very well. We'll probably do it again next year. In any event, I'M BACK ON THE BLOG.

We're at the point where things are really starting to pick up in the WWE. It's the Pay-Per-View before the Royal Rumble and it looks like things start to fall into place as we head towards WrestleMania. That's where the main event of this show fits in.

The main event is proving to be kind of tricky. I have a dark horse pick and most wrestling fans won't like the answer. Let's take a look at the show:

Pre-Show Match: Dolph Ziggler vs. Fandango

The match shouldn't be bad at all and I'd imagine that Dolph Ziggler wins, but this match holds little to no importance to anything, really. Dolph should be doing so much more, in my eyes.

Goldust & Cody Rhodes (c) vs. Real Americans w/ Zeb Colter vs. Ryback & Curtis Axel vs. Rey Mysterio & Big Show (Fatal 4 Way Match for the WWE Tag Team Championship)

I have some high hopes for this match. There's some good talent here. Although it seems that the Rhodes Brothers are destined to split up sometime before 'Mania, I don't think it'll be here. I'd imagine that The Rhodes Brothers retain and hold onto the titles for a little bit longer. I'm hoping for some more Goldust awesomeness. Has Goldust been phenomenal since returning or what?

Big E. Langston (c) vs. Damien Sandow (Intercontinental Championship Match)

It seems that the WWE has abandoned the 'Curtis Axel Experiment' for the time being and that's okay. Langston is clearly going places at this point. Axel may do the same eventually, but putting the IC Title on Langston was absolutely the right call. Langston will get there faster. In saying that, Langston retains here. I kinda hope they give this one some time.

AJ Lee (c) vs. Natalya (Divas Championship Match)

I think that Natalya will win the belt at some point in 2014, but not yet. AJ Lee should retain here in a match that's not bad at all.

Daniel Bryan vs. The Wyatt Family (3-on-1 Handicap Match)

This one's a tough one for me. I think Daniel Bryan may have some big things in store (more on that later), but I don't know if The Wyatts can afford lose here. There's two 3-on-1 handicap matches on the card and logic says that one three-man group will lose. Or will it? I'll pick The Wyatts to take the win. It'll be great, but The Authority will be pleased at the result. More on that later....

CM Punk vs. The Shield (3 on 1 Handicap Match)

This is the second 3-on-1 handicap match on the show. Kind of overkill, but whatever. I'll defy the logic that I mentioned earlier and predict that The Shield get the win in another great match that The Authority will be pleased about. However, it won't be without some Shield dissension. Regardless, both Punk and Bryan should be taken out after these two handicap matches. They are out of the way. Why is that important? Wait for it...

John Cena vs. Randy Orton (WWE & World Heavyweight Championship Unification TLC Match)

The one-on-one match should be pretty fun. They aren't shabby competitors and they have a lot to work with. If I had to pick one of the competitors confirmed for the match to win, I'd say Orton is my pick, However, I have a Dark Horse pick that could anger a lot of wrestling fans should it come into fruition.

I think Triple H could walk out of TLC with the titles.

* He never says that either Cena or Orton are going to walk out of TLC as Unified Champion. He says that only one man will walk out as champion.

* Stephanie has been ridiculously over the top in putting over HHH and all of his championship accomplishments lately.

* He's mad with Orton and you know he won't side with Cena.

* Triple H keeps saying that the winner will be 'The Champion of Champions. The 'King of Kings' could very well end up as the 'Champion of Champions'.

* On SmackDown this past week, Orton asked HHH whose side he was on and who he had faith in. His response was: "We [The Authority] know exactly where our faith lies" and then he walked away.

If the PPV goes the way I think it will, both Punk and Bryan will be taken out by each of the three-man factions. Nobody can interfere with Triple H's plan. People are going to be furious if HHH leaves TLC with the titles, but it'll make a lot of sense. Mr. Best for Business could declare himself Best for Business and that nobody could stop him. Enter either Punk or Bryan. One of them could win the Rumble and dethrone Triple H at WrestleMania. Hopefully it'll be Bryan. He had the title and lost it because of Triple H. He has since failed in both getting the title back and getting revenge on Triple H. Having Daniel Bryan beat Triple H for the Unified WWE Championship at WrestleMania 30 would be glorious.

Would it be a bit ass-backwards for Triple H to win both titles in 2013 and carry them into 2014? Yes. Would it suck if Triple H took a main event WrestleMania spot and the associated payday in 2014? Absolutely. I get it.

However, I think this is a story worth telling. Time will tell on that part. There's quite a bit of intrigue going into this PPV and I'm anxious to see where it all goes. We're not on the Road to WrestleMania just yet, but at least we're finally getting into the car and getting ready to pull out of the driveway.

#WWE #TLC #WWETLC #Triple H #john cena #randy orton #Daniel Bryan #cm punk #The Shield #the wyatt family

The 2013 SummerSlam Preview

How's it going, everybody? SummerSlam is tomorrow and I might be more pumped for this show than I was for WrestleMania, and that's saying something. On paper, the card looks amazing. Let's check it out:

Pre-Show Match: Dean Ambrose (c) vs. Rob Van Dam for the WWE United States Championship

Sure, there's rumors that this match won't even happen and that the Shield will end up taking on Mark Henry, The Big Show, and Rob Van Dam, using the pre-show to set it up. However, that's in no way confirmed. So, we're gonna go ahead and pretend that the card will stay as it is. That's the only real way to do this.

Assuming the card stays as it is, it's amazing that they've brought RVD back at MITB and he's slotted for the pre-show. Really? He's done nothing really meaningful since he's been back. You'd think he'd feud with somebody, but no. He's having good matches, sure, but why isn't he actually involved with anything? Ugh. In any event, the match (if it happens) should be pretty awesome. I'd assume Dean Ambrose retains.

Natalya vs. Brie Bella

This match is taking place purely to promote 'Total Divas', and like the show or not, you really can't blame them. I watched the debut episode and decided it wasn't for me, but guess what? The show's a hit.

And with that said, Brie Bella is my pick to win. Not happy about it, but Brie's all over the show, so she'll win.

Dolph Ziggler and Kaitlyn vs. Big E Langston and AJ Lee

I feel bad for Dolph. He hasn't had a single successful title defense and he's fallen out of the title mix already. Maybe one day they'll let him carry the belt for a while.

However, if they give this time, it won't be bad. There's good talent involved. I'd guess Dolph & Kaitlyn win.

Cody Rhodes vs. Damien Sandow

So, here's one of those matches that could go either way. Sandow just won the MITB briefcase and needs wins to really establish himself. Rhodes, on the other hand, just turned face and could use some wins to help establish himself as a face. Of course, the announcers on Monday could have helped with that, but instead just grilled him the entire time he was out there.

So, since I'm forced to make a pick, I'll say Cody Rhodes. I think Damien Sandow SHOULD win, I just don't think he will. In recent years, they've had guys who hold the MITB briefcase lose all the time. Why stop now?

Kane vs. Bray Wyatt (Ring of Fire Match)

This, on the other hand, should pretty much be the surefire lock of the night. Bray Wyatt has to win here to establish himself. The Wyatt Family has been so awesome to watch and are one of the highlights every broadcast. Bray needs this. I'd be absolutely surprised if this went the other way.

Alberto Del Rio (c) vs. Christian for the World Heavyweight Championship

People need to be talking about this match more. It's being overshadowed by everything else. It's a shame.

I think this match could easily be one of the best of the night if they give it time. Sure, Del Rio will most likely win much to the dismay of many, but it'll be a lot of fun seeing how they get there.

CM Punk vs. Brock Lesnar

This one interests me a lot. I know there's a lot of people who aren't quite sure how well they'll mesh, but I think they have nothing to worry about.

The feud between these two has been more than fun and it's been exciting whenever they've mixed it up. It's tough deciding who will win, though. I'll pick Punk, I guess. I wouldn't be surprised if they went with Brock and stretched this out more, though. This one's tough. Where's the Reddit guy at?

John Cena (c) vs. Daniel Bryan for the WWE Championship (Special Guest Referee: Triple H)

Of course Hunter is involved in the hottest angle of the summer. He just has to be there.

Aside from that, it has been a good ride getting to this match, especially this past Monday. Cena and Bryan both cut brilliant and passionate promos. It did it's job in making me even more hyped for the match.

The ending of the match has the potential to be overbooked to high heaven and I have no doubt it will be. And until we get to the end of the match, it should be quite awesome, assuming that Cena is capable of performing.

So, there's no way Cena walks out of SummerSlam with the title, I don't think. Surgery is usually quite serious. I'd imagine Bryan wins. But afterwards, who knows? More tomfoolery is possible. Bryan's title reign could be short-lived.

And there ya have it. The top 3 matches on the card should be excellent and anything beyond that is just gravy. Watch this show. But I'd avoid Reddit beforehand.

But that does it for now. Be sure to ‘like’ this article, leave a comment, subscribe to the blog, and go back and read all my other articles. And ‘LIKE’ me on Facebook, and FOLLOW me on Twitter. Sorry, no t-shirts. Enjoy the show!

#wwe #summerslam #wrestling #pro wrestling #professional wrestling #john cena #cm punk #daniel bryan #brock lesnar

The 2013 WWE Payback Preview

What’s up, everybody? I almost forgot that there was a PPV tomorrow. True story. That should tell you something. Mainly how rough it's been getting to the show. Well, let's do this thing.

Pre-Show Match: Sheamus vs. Damien Sandow

I'm quite surprised to see Sheamus in the PPV Pre-Show, actually. On the other hand, I'm just happy to see Sandow near a PPV. It's a weird place for both of them. Another shock is how much build-up this particular pre-show has been given. There's been a decent amount of focus on it during the weekly television programs. The match result should be a given, though. Sheamus wins. This could kick off the PPV well and get things started in the right direction

Kaitlyn (c) vs. AJ Lee for the Divas Championship

It's rare that we see a Divas Title Match with a decent build-up nowadays, isn't it. Sure, the whole secret admirer story might not have been everybody's cup of tea, but there was at least something going on heading into that title match that wasn't so pedestrian. The secret admirer reveal on Monday did a pretty good job of making me care even a little bit about the match, so job well done. AJ Lee should win the belt here. This probably should have happened sometime last summer or last fall when AJ was just on fire, but it's better late than never, I guess.

Wade Barrett (c) vs. The Miz vs. Curtis Axel for the Intercontinental Championship

Before Fandango got put out of action with his concussion, I would have bet dollars to doughnuts that he was walking out of the show with the title. It sucks to be him right now. So, let's dissect this. The Miz isn't winning the title. He just won it and lost it in about 24 hours' time back in April. As for Wade Barrett? It's just not working out. To be fair, I don't think that's really his fault, but there's nothing going on with him as IC champ. Michael McSillyputty, on the other hand, has the WWE machine firmly behind him and has Paul Heyman by his side. If they really feel like solidifying him (and the wonky ways he's been "winning" matches against bigger names certainly hasn't done that), then putting the IC title on him may be a good way to go. The former Michael McFillibuster, Curtis Axel will probably take this one, possibly due to Heyman interference. Now, if they do this, they REALLY need to give me a reason to get behind him. Really show me who this guy is and what he's all about. Get me to care about him, because that's the only way this push will really work. Heck, even if he doesn't win the title here, they still need to give me a reason to get invested in him either way. But having him win the title, have meaningful feuds, and several successful title defenses would work wonders

Dean Ambrose (c) vs. Kane for the United States Championship

It's kind of weird to see Kane going for the US Title here and this match was sort of just plopped onto the card, but I digress. These two have meshed decently in the matches they've had together and this one should be no different. But Kane's not going to win the US Title here. Dean Ambrose retains. This match could go a long way into helping Ambrose, as it will see him beating a guy who's bigger both in stature and name.

Seth Rollins & Roman Reigns (c) vs. Randy Orton & Daniel Bryan for the Tag Team Championships

Is Daniel Bryan the highlight of WWE television or what? His ascension to the top of the babyface ladder is just about complete at this point. However, the rumor mill is churning. Depending on who you want to believe, either Orton or Bryan will be turning heel either at the PPV or shortly thereafter. Should it happen at all, it has to be Orton. He's stale as a face and could use a heel turn to freshen up. To put it bluntly, turning Daniel Bryan at this point would be dumb move. End of story.

The Shield should retain here and I certainly don't see it going any other way. In doing that it could set up either heel turn (hopefully the right one). This match should kick several kinds of ass and I'm quite looking forward to it.

Chris Jericho vs. CM Punk

I'll be very interested to see where this lands on the card. If I had to bet, it'll be right before the main event and the Chicago crowd will go NUTS.....provided that Punk is actually there and that this isn't a bait & switch of some sort. This would also be a boneheaded move if they decide to go that route.

The build-up really just hasn't been what I expected it to be. Sure, Jericho and Heyman are great, but some of that stuff just came off as awkward to me. Either way, you can't not be excited for this, regardless of what you've personally thought of the build-up. They can bring the goods. Furthermore, the crowd will absolutely eat everything up and make this match even better. Punk wins in his return match. He'll be there. Right?

Dolph Ziggler (c) vs. Alberto Del Rio for the World Heavyweight Championship (I Quit Match, Winner Becomes #1 Contender for the World Title)

I can't complain about the lack of a story here. The WWE had very little to do with that. It's great to have Dolph back, though. Hopefully we can see his title reign really go somewhere despite the setback he's had over the past six weeks or so.

The match itself is a foregone conclusion. Ziggler has to win it. It wouldn't be wise to bring him back and immediately have him lose without really being able to showcase his ability as a World Champion. Del Rio is floundering as a face at this point anyway. He got off to a good start earlier this year, but something got lost along the way. It's a shame, really.

John Cena (c) vs. Ryback for the WWE Championship (Three Stages of Hell Match)

My main issue here is that these three stages combined aren't really all that 'hellacious'. I suppose a Tables Match and an Ambulance Match could be, but.....a Lumberjack Match? Really? I know they already used a lot of extreme match types at Extreme Rules the previous month, but if they really wanted to do a 3 Stages of Hell Match here, I honestly wouldn't have minded them, say, reusing the cage match or something. But who knows. Maybe the three stipulations they chose will keep things interesting for the match as a whole. I hope so. But there's bigger fish to fry here.

The story they told to get to this point hasn't been good. They went with the wonky non-finish at Extreme Rules and it's been dire ever since. Protip: If you want Cena to 'overcome the odds' here, you probably shouldn't portray Ryback as a guy who's seemingly scared to get in the ring with him like we saw on Monday. Otherwise, there are no 'odds'. Cena should retain here. Depending on how this goes, the Chicago crowd might be rough for this one. Hell, they might be rough even if it's good.

And there ya have it. Looking back at the card, it really doesn't look too shabby. I see at least three matches that should be good, if not four. The weekly shows have been rough to watch (especially Raw), but the PPV could very well be worth it. I hope I'm right

#WWE #WWE Payback #pro wrestling #professional wrestling #wrestling #john cena #cm punk #the shield

The 2013 Extreme Rules Preview

What's up, everybody? Funny story: I had saved this entry as a draft early on Saturday, with the intention of going back and finishing it Saturday evening. Awesome, right?

Wrong.

Unfortunately, it somehow got erased. Not cool, Tumblr. Not cool. Don't let it happen again.

In any event, Extreme Rules is here so let's take a look at the show

YouTube Pre-Show Match: Cody Rhodes vs. The Miz

I officially dub The Miz "Mr. Pre-Show". He's seemingly there all the time. The match shouldn't be bad, but Miz wins. He just came back from filming a movie, so that's the breaks. I just feel bad for Cody Rhodes. Maybe one day, he'll move back up the card. He should be on the main show.

Chris Jericho vs. Fandango

This feud has pretty much coasted along since 'Mania. It's the very definition of 'treading water'. However, since 'Mania. the 'Fandagoing' craze took off. It's a bit worn off by now, but WWE still love it. On the other hand, logic says that Jericho gets his win back. But I think Fandango wins. They can't pull the rug out from under him just yet. I'm just hoping for a better outing from both guys this time.

Randy Orton vs. Big Show (Extreme Rules Match)

This feud has been bubbling under the surface since before 'Mania and has been....boring since the big event. It's strange. Since his heel turn last year, Big Show has done some decent stuff as a heel. But this feud went nowhere really fast. I don't think the match will be much to talk about, either. Orton wins, but I don't know where either guy goes after this. They're both in purgatory right now.

Sheamus vs. Mark Henry (Strap Match)

I can't recall the last time there was a Strap Match. It's been a while though, so I'm on board. I also wasn't sure who was going to win this one. I figured Henry will be one of Cena's next challengers, but also thought Sheamus might challenge Ziggler. But with Ziggler's injury, looks like his feud with Del Rio may go on a while. So, Henry wins here. He needs it. And also, Sheamus has been quite a dick during this feud.

Kofi Kingston (c) vs. Dean Ambrose for the United States Championship

If you want to see the definition of 'transitional champion', you might not have to look any further than Kofi Kingston. He just got the U.S. Title and he just might lose it tonight. I think that's exactly what will happen. Ambrose should take the win. I just hope they give this plenty of time. It could be the match of the night if they do. I'm quite excited for this one.

Team Hell No (c) vs. Seth Rollins & Roman Reigns for the Tag Team Championships (Tornado Tag Team Match)

Team Hell No have been feuding with The Shield on and off since December and now it's come to this. Team Hell No has been entertaining since they formed and have brought both visibility and stability to the tag belts. They've done their job well. It's time for them to drop the belts. I think The Shield takes this one.

Now, there's a part of me that believes that The Shield won't take all the titles in one night. There could be some DQ-related shenanigans in one or both of the matches. I hope I'm wrong, though. DQ's on PPV's make me sad.

Alberto Del Rio vs. Jack Swagger (I Quit Match, Winner Becomes #1 Contender for the World Title)

Ziggler's injury couldn't have happened at a worse time. He just won the thing and winning a Triple Threat Ladder Match could have made Ziggler look like a credible champion. I'm glad he'll be back in short order though, and with the title to boot. So that leaves Ziggler and Swagger in a #1 Contender's Match. That being said, Del Rio becomes the challenger to Ziggler's Title. It's quite obvious. Heels don't win 'I Quit' matches without shenanigans. The match will hopefully be decent, too.

Triple H vs. Brock Lesnar (Steel Cage Match)

I could see this match being the main event considering how it's been positioned on the TV shows, but for all intents and purposes, I'll put it here. The title match SHOULD be last; I just wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't.

Remember when people said losing to Cena destroyed the 'mystique' of Lesnar? Well, in my eyes, it didn't. But if he loses here, consider that 'mystique' destroyed. If Lesnar loses here, he'd be 1-4 since his return, with two of his losses to HHH. Lesnar has to win. Really.

The match itself should be something. Every match Lesnar's had since he returned has required Lesnar to use the environment around the ring. Almost every match Triple H has had in the past few years has been the same way. They can't do that in this one. This will at least be different, and hopefully good.

John Cena (c) vs. Ryback for the WWE Championship (Last Man Standing Match)

They're in a pickle here, aren't they? They have Ryback, who's lost enough matches lately that they felt they had to turn him heel to salvage things. A win here would get him back on track.

And then there's Cena, who got his redemption and got the WWE Title for the first time since 2011. He just won the thing. He can't lose it already, can he?

Cena wins here. They can't have him lose it already. They made the mistake of not only turning Ryback heel on Cena, but they also booked him against Cena for the title right away. Bad move. They're going to have to deal with it and salvage Ryback some other way. I sense a massive winning streak in his future.

Hopefully they can have a good competitive match, one that won't make Ryback look like a fool.

And there you have it. I don't think the show will be bad at all. A few of the matches that most people don't think will deliver may actually do just that, I think. The ones that sound phenomenal on paper need to be given plenty of time, though. I'm hoping that the show surprises some people.

The WrestleMania 29 Preview

You didn't think I was gonna miss this one, did you? Of course I wouldn't. It's that time of year again: WrestleMania.

I'll be honest: The build-up to the event this year has been less than stellar. You've probably noticed. But I don't think the event will be such a let-down. Let's take a look:

YouTube Pre-Show Match: Wade Barrett (c) vs. The Miz for the Intercontinental Championship

I still think they should have involved Antonio Cesaro here somehow. Remember at WrestleMania 16 when they had that Two Fall Triple Threat Match where one fall was for the European Title and fall was for the Intercontinental Title? Maybe they could have done something like that, since Miz has recently had issues with the both of them. But I digress.

The match itself shouldn't be awful, but it might be worth seeing if there's a title change. I find that too be highly likely, actually. I think they'll want to start things off with a bang and have The Miz win the title here because 'anything can happen at WrestleMania, don't miss it!' It'll suck for Barrett, though.

Surely they'll put something else on the pre-show, right? They've got an entire hour to fill.

Team Hell No vs. Dolph Ziggler & Big E Langston for the WWE Tag Team Championship

I figure this match will be the opener or at least close to it. That way, they can at least tease that Ziggler may cash in later (without actually saying it out loud, of course). There's no way they'd have the World Title match before this one. If they did, then there's no way a cash-in would happen.

This is pretty huge for Big E Langston. He's not only one of 10 (!) wrestlers who are having their first WrestleMania match, but this is his first televised match since joining the main roster (and no, I'm not counting NXT). So, what happens here? Team Hell No retains. I have a feeling that they're saving the tag titles for The Shield. Freebird Rule, anyone?

Tons of Funk and The Funkadactyls vs. Rhodes Scholars & The Bella Twins

I don't see this match being given a ton of time, but I'm not sure who wins. Since I don't see too many heels being given wins tonight, I'll say that the Bella Rhodes Scholars win the match. Yeah, I'll call them that. The Rhodes Scholars do deserve better than this match, yes? At least Damien Sandow will have a good first showing at 'Mania.

Don't count out the Funky Bunch, though. It's also the first WrestleMania for Brodus and the Funkadactlys.

Chris Jericho vs. Fandango

If somebody had told me when Chris Jericho returned back in January that he'd face Fandango at WrestleMania, I'd have laughed at them. Fast forward a few months, and here we are. And you know what? I'm looking forward to it.

Johnny Curtis has done awesome with what he's been given and Jericho has enough faith in him to work with him at 'Mania. I do too. The pressure's on, though. This is also his first WrestleMania match (as well as his first televised match using this gimmick). I'd imagine Fandango wins. This could actually be really good.

Ryback vs. Mark Henry

I don't see this match being very long and that's probably for the best. And I say that as a fan of both guys. Ryback wins with the Shell Shock. Hopefully, anyways. Ryback needs to look good here. This is also his first WrestleMania.

Randy Orton, Sheamus, and Big Show vs. The Shield.

The Shield has been booked really strong up to this point and I'd imagine it will continue here. Sure, they can still look strong in a loss, but I can't imagine they'll lose here. The Shield has got this. If they give this time, it should be a lot of fun and a great WrestleMania debut for all 3 Shield members.

Alberto Del Rio (c) vs. Jack Swagger for the World Heavyweight Championship

This feud started off really hot and then it just fizzled after a few weeks. It's a shame, really. I really thought they had something with Swagger's recent character change as well as Del Rio's face turn. I have no doubt the match will be just fine though. Del Rio gets his revenge and defeats the evil Jack Swagger. So, does Ziggler cash-in at WrestleMania? I'm thinking no. I know people are expecting him to, but I'm not getting my hopes up. I'm guessing he'll either do it at Raw the night after 'Mania or at Extreme Rules. Just a feeling I have. We'll see how it plays out.

CM Punk vs. The Undertaker

This feud has been quite intense. I kind of wonder how everything would have panned out had Paul Bearer not tragically passed away.

I'm a little worried about this match, to be honest. I'm sure it'll be fine but if both Taker and Punk are as banged up as reported, it has the possibility of getting a little ugly out there. I'm not expecting a match of the year candidate, but I think they'll do fine. With everything that's happened, I expect Undertaker to take the W.

Brock Lesnar vs. Triple H in a No Hold Barred Match (If Triple H loses, he must retire)

I have high hopes for this one. I suspected that they may have been holding back a little bit at SummerSlam, so I expect plenty of chaos and mayhem this time around. It'll be fun, I hope.

Triple H will win. They didn't bring this feud back so he could lose again. Look for Brock to go on an absolute tear on the weekly shows following the loss.

The Rock (c) vs. John Cena for the WWE Championship

I'm perfectly okay with seeing this match again. I get it. Not to mention it was good the first time around (not great, but good), even if I think that they too were holding a bit back last year. This one will most likely be better.

So, I'd imagine Cena wins. But "Will Cena turn?" seems to be the $1,000,000 question. I'm gonna say no. He could use it, but I just don't know. There's some foreshadowing going on, though. It could happen, but I'm not holding my breath.

Then there's the other big question: If Cena wins, will he have a third match with The Rock? I say yes. But it won't be at WrestleMania 30.

And there it is: WrestleMania 29.

I know that the shows leading up to WrestleMania have left a lot to be desired, but I've got a good feeling about WrestleMania 29. It should be a great night.

And to all those that think having a few part-time guys is a bad thing, I must reiterate: 10 wrestlers are making their WrestleMania debut this year (Langston, Ryback, Sandow, Brodus & The Funkadactyls, Fandango, & The Shield). You know how many had their WrestleMania debut match last year? 3 (Ryder, Otunga, & Daniel Bryan...if you want to count Maria Menounos, then fine, 4. But I wouldn't). There's gonna be a lot of eyes watching on Sunday and that's great for the new guys. Don't tell me the part time guys aren't good for the business.

Regardless, just writing everything up made me more pumped than I was before I wrote it. I'm rather stoked.

The 2013 Elimination Chamber Preview

And we have arrived at the final PPV event before WrestleMania 29. Sure, it's pretty much "the placeholder show", but I digress. Let's get down to brass tax:

YouTube Pre-Show Match: Rhodes Scholars vs. Brodus Clay and Tensai

Protip: If you wish to break up a tag team, make sure you have something for them to do afterwards.

It seemed pretty clear to me that WWE didn't know what to do after dissolved the team of Cody Rhodes and Damien Sandow. So, why break them up in the first place if you had nothing else for them? Odd move on their part.

Anyways, this seems like a good opener. Rhodes and Sandow are easy characters to hate and I think people will enjoy Brodus and Tensai's act. I think Clay and Tensai pick up the win here, though. They just formed that team and they seem to be behind them a bit right now. I just wish Rhodes and Sandow had found themselves on the main card somewhere.

Kaitlyn (c) vs. Tamina Snuka for the Divas Championship

If you didn't know this match was happening, I wouldn't blame you. It's been given very little air time. As a result, it's hard to care about this match. It's kinda sad because WWE could really get behind the division and make it so much more. But I digress. Kaitlyn just got the belt not long ago, so she retains.

Antonio Cesaro (c) vs. The Miz for the United States Championship

The Miz is absolutely struggling as a face. It's borderline hard to watch at times. The WWE machine seems solidly behind him, but I cannot imagine that they're willing to take the title off Cesaro in order to cement Miz as a face. It doesn't seem like it's worth it. Cesaro should retain and continue his run. It'll be interesting to see who he ends up dropping that title to.

John Cena, Sheamus, & Ryback vs. The Shield

Yes. I know. They should do this in a chamber. But they're not, sadly. Oh well.

I'd imagine that Cena, Sheamus, and Ryback win here. I know the smarky smarks want The Shield to win all the time and never show an iota of weakness, but that's not gonna happen. Cena's on his way to a big WrestleMania match and it's the year of his redemption. The key is to not completely make The Shield look like a bunch of schmucks. They can look strong and still lose. I wish more people could realize that.

Mark Henry vs. Jack Swagger vs. Kane vs. Daniel Bryan vs. Randy Orton vs. Chris Jericho (#1 Contender Elimination Chamber Match)

This is the only Elimination chamber match on the card and that's okay. I'm looking forward to it. It's tough for me to predict, too.

I'm immediately eliminating Kane and Daniel Bryan from contention. There will be hijinks between Team Hell No. I'd bet a ton of money on it. So now we're down to four.

Jack Swagger? He just returned with a new manager and has a chance to really break out here. I imagine he'll have a good showing, but he won't win. Now we're down to three. And this is where it really gets tough.

If the rumblings and hints of an Orton heel turn are true, he could win here, turn heel in the next few weeks, and face Del Rio at 'Mania. I just doubt it will happen. At this point Randy Orton is closer to being on the level of Kofi Kingston than on the level of, say, John Cena. His stock has plummeted dramatically. A win here isn't happening. Maybe he'll rise back up over the summer. And then there were two.

And here's where it gets even tougher. Mark Henry is a strong pick. He's returned with a vengeance and is on a war path. I wouldn't count him out. He's my REALLY close second choice.

I'm going with Chris Jericho. Nobody expected him to be around for WrestleMania season this year, but here he is. He was the best surprise at the Rumble, no question about it. So, would he come back for WrestleMania season without something big and/or important to do? I don't think so. He's winning, I think. But who does he face for the title?

Alberto Del Rio (c) vs. The Big Show for the World Heavyweight Championship

A straight-up match between these two will be interesting to say the least. Del Rio has been pretty great as a face. He really has been miscast this whole time. And Big Show? He's been doing some of the best work of his career since last summer. So, I'm interested to see how this goes with no gimmick attached.

I imagine it going like this: Del Rio wins and Big Show goes nuts on him. Dolph Ziggler cashes in and takes the title. Since Del Rio will likely be awarded a re-match and Jericho is my pick to be named #1 contender, I sense a Triple Threat Match at WrestleMania. Ziggler vs. Jericho vs. Del Rio could be pretty awesome.

The Rock (c) vs. CM Punk for the WWE Championship (Title Can Change Hands on a DQ or Count Out)

Let's see some of the overreactions I've heard about their previous match at the Royal Rumble (a PPV that was described by one smarky smark friend as being "worse than December to Dismember"):

"The Rock was worse than Scott Steiner at the 2003 Royal Rumble Event".

"CM Punk carried The Rock through that match".

"The Rock isn't good for business. Period."

I get being a fan of Punk, but GEEZ. I get that the ending to the match was a bit flat (Even though Punk interrupted the People's Elbow at Raw 1000, Punk says the people don't matter, sop Rock beats him with the People's elbow), but the overreaction to The Rock winning the title has been insane. And that's being generous. The sooner that the smarky smarks quit viewing Punk as some untouchable God-like figure, the better. The Rock is in several movies this year, he has a Super Bowl commercial, and will be doing TONS of promotion for everything, including the WWE. WM 28 broke records and WM 29 will break them again. You don't leave money like that on the table.

So, The Rock will retain here and they'll have another good match. I'm quite looking forward to it. It wouldn't surprise me if the second one is better than the first. And I'm sure the usual suspects will toot up a storm once again about how terrible The Rock is.

But I'm looking forward to the show. I'll most likely be live-tweeting. I hope to bang out a few more blogs between now and WrestleMania. I'll try. I'm kind of a busy guy. If I may shill another thing I've been working on...

I'm doing a video game marathon for charity! That's right, it's not until October 26th, but the planning process is pretty insane. Here's some links and info on The Give Back Gamers:

www.twitter.com/GiveBackGamers

www.facebook.com/TheGiveBackGamers

http://www.twitch.tv/thegivebackgamers

http://www.extra-life.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.team&teamID=10436

The 2013 Royal Rumble Preview

If you're like me, then you love the Royal Rumble. If you don't love the Royal Rumble, then I have just one question to ask: What's wrong with you?

Tomorrow is just the start of many weeks of sign-pointing. Let's do this:

YouTube Pre-Show Match: Antonio Cesaro (c) vs. The Miz for the United States Championship

I thought this match would end up on the main card, seeing as they've been working rather hard to make the U.S. Title and Cesaro himself seem important. But I digress. They're also working really hard on making Miz's face turn work and he could use the win here to continue his push. But I don't think it's time to take the belt off Cesaro yet. It'll probably be a while longer. So I'd imagine Cesaro wins, but Miz won't go down without a fight.

Team Hell No (c) vs. Rhodes Scholars for the WWE Tag Team Championship

Team Hell No as the tag champs has been fun, but I think it has run its course. Sure, they're still fun whether they are or aren't getting along, but Rhodes Scholars have been awesome too. It's probably better to let Rhodes Scholars pick up the win and the titles here before Hell No gets stale and before they miss the boat on Rhodes Scholars. If Rhodes Scholars lose here, they may as well go back to being singles competitors. I've always kind of figured they'd do Kane vs. Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania anyways, so here's my vision: Keep Hell No together through their re-match with Rhodes Scholars at Elimination Chamber (which Hell No will lose), then break them up so they can feud with each other and face off at 'Mania. Sound good?

Alberto Del Rio (c) vs. The Big Show for the World Heavyweight Championship

30-Man Royal Rumble Match

I have a few predictions for the event. Some may seem obvious, others won't.

* Dolph Ziggler may enter early, but I'd place money on him being the Rumble Ironman.

*Zack Ryder will not be in the Rumble. He'll probably be the first wrestler to draw a negative number.

* Ryback will get the most eliminations. I'd be surprised if he didn't.

* I've got John Cena pegged to win it all, leading to Rock Vs. Cena for the title at WM 29. I wouldn't mind being wrong on this result, though.

And just for kicks, I'm picking #26 as the winner's number, no matter who it is. It's the latest number that hasn't produced a winner yet.

I'm not going into any details about the rumored surprise entrants. Who knows who's gonna show up. Either way, I'm hoping for a fun Rumble.

CM Punk vs. The Rock for the WWE Championship

Two things:

1. This is probably the only time I'd put a match after the Royal Rumble itself.

2. It's quite the question mark.

They could totally put off Rock's title win until Elimination Chamber, but I don't know if they'd actually do it. Rock is in a Super Bowl commercial next week and he's got a few talk show appearances lined up real soon, too. Punk retaining would be huge, but I think The Rock wins here. It could go either way, but boy am I looking forward to this one.

So there you have it. Dunno how this show could possibly go badly. there's no reason it shouldn't be good, if not great. Dunno how much tweeting I'll do during the show. I may just sit back and soak it all in.

The 2012 TLC Preview

What's up, everybody? Another month, another PPV. I know, I missed Survivor Series, but you can't blame me. When WWE '13, Black Ops 2, and the Wii U all come out in the same month that the holiday season goes full swing, the blog took a backseat. But TLC is just about here, so let's do this:

Pre-Show Battle Royal (Winner Becomes #1 Contender for the Divas Title)

I don't think they've officially stated that Eve will defend the title at the PPV, have they? I imagine she will though. They're always adding unadvertised matches to the PPV. It's quite the pet peeve of mine, actually. So...who wins? I'll go with Kaitlyn, I guess. Not that it matters too much. I don't see the title changing hands. Hopefully nobody botches the ending this time (allegedly). If you ask me, Eve should probably hold onto the title until WrestleMania.

Antonio Cesaro (c) vs. R-Truth for the United States Championship

It's quite refreshing to see a guy like Antonio Cesaro, isn't it? He's probably the most strongly booked heel they've had in a while. Sure, he'll lose a match every now and then, but it's rare. And when he wins *gasp!* he does it cleanly! And here's another kicker: this feud between him and R-Truth has been somewhat well built and drawn out. So this is just a breath of fresh air all the way around. I'd expect a good match here. Cesaro has been on a roll and it won't stop here. He's got a bright future. Cesaro retains.

Rey Mysterio & Sin Cara vs. Team Rhodes Scholars in a Tables Match(Winner Becomes the #1 Contenders for the Tag Team Titles)

I'm still unclear as to why Rey and Sin Cara were just inserted into the #1 Contenders match while Team Rhodes Scholars had to beat three other teams in a Fatal Four Way Tag Match to get in. That seems a little unfair to me. But I digress. Anyways, this should be fun. I imagine Team Rhodes Scholars will pick up the win, probably by putting Sin Cara through a table. Rey gets hurt enough. They should probably play it safe with him. And maybe they can start planting the seeds for a Rey vs. Sin Cara feud?

Kofi Kingston (c) vs. Wade Barrett for the Intercontinental Championship

Okay, compare and contrast the IC Title feud with the US Title feud. There's a little bit to be desired here, isn't there? There's not much meat here. Regardless, I'm torn on who should win. On one hand, the IC Title needs some stability and should stay on Kofi for a while longer. On the other hand, Barrett could use this win. If Barrett loses, I don't know where he goes from here. I'm picking Kofi to retain here. I don't have a problem with either outcome, but if they put the belt on Barrett he needs to hold it for a while. But I'd imagine Kofi will be the one holding onto the belt for some time while he's reinventing himself with the "Wildcat" persona at the same time.

John Cena vs. Dolph Zigglerin a Ladder Match for Dolph's Money In The Bank Briefcase

Don't do it, WWE. Cena doesn't need the briefcase. One could argue he didn't need to win the Raw briefcase back in July. He doesn't need this one, either. It's Dolph's time. Dolph Ziggler needs this win against Cena and he's my pick to win. Maybe AJ accidentally costs Cena the match? She'll play a role, I'm sure. This one should be the match of the night either way, but I really think there's only one right way to have the match end: With Dolph Ziggler retaining the briefcase. They just need to pull the trigger at some point on his cash-in. He's ready. Keep the briefcase on Ziggler and make him a star.

The Big Show (c) vs. Sheamus in a Chairs Match for the World Heavyweight Championship

This match could be brutal and fun. I've enjoyed the feud somewhat as well. So who wins? I'm guessing Sheamus gets the belt back. I just don't see anybody else Big Show can face if he beats Sheamus again. But if they decide that Big Show's reign should continue, I'd love to see some undercard guy feud with him and get a title shot at the Royal Rumble. That would be splendid.

Ryback & Team Hell No vs. The Shield in a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs Match

It sucks that we don't get a WWE Title match, but I have to assume that Punk will defend the title on some episode of Raw (probably against Ryback) before he goes on to face The Rock at the Royal Rumble. The replacement match, however, is a tougher one to predict. That being said, The Shield should pick up the win here.It's The Shield's first match since they officially joined the WWE roster at Survivor Series. The hot new 'invaders' should go over here. The best part is that Ryback doesn't even have to take the fall. Kane and Daniel Bryan are right there to do it. I'd bank on two things: 1. Punk being involved in the match somehow; and 2. The match being really fun. It's time to see what everybody's made of here.

The card looks pretty enjoyable as it stands. I can look at it and say that there doesn't seem to be a bad match on the show. If there's one thing I can definitely say about WWE PPV's this year, it's that just about all of them have delivered. This show will hopefully be no different. They're in a weird spot where their TV shows are iffy at best and their PPVs are great. They've definitely been on auto-pilot lately, but as per usual, things should really start picking up again as they build towards the Rumble.

Maybe I'll be more enthusiastic about the product as WWE heads toward WrestleMania. 2012 has been....something. I've got two articles I want to get done soon. One of them is the Outside Interference Year-End Awards. I will enjoy picking out the bests and worsts of 2012. Got any ideas for categories? Let me know!

And in that same vein, I'd like to do another State of Wrestling piece. The first one I did at the beginning of the year is, in my opinion, the best work I've done on the blog so far. I certainly have a lot to say, because 2012 started out with a lot of promise, but I think it failed to live up to that. Big time.

The 2012 Hell In A Cell Preview

Dusting off the blog for another PPV preview. Real life continues to kick my ass. And with Black Ops 2 and the Wii U in my hands over the next few weeks, the limited free time I have is gonna fill up fast! So, let's get to it!

The online pre-show is slated to have John Cena talking about the AJ allegations. I can see the pre-show convincing people to buy the show if Cena gets put into a match tonight, but we'll see. They might want to take it easy on the guy. Perhaps Vickie has Cena removed from the building during the pre-show, only for him to show up later? Who knows.

Eve (c) vs. Layla vs. Kaitlyn for the Divas Championship

This seems to be the most attention they've given to a Divas storyline in quite some time. This match can be alright given the time as well. I approve. Nonetheless, I think Eve retains the title here. Dunno why, but I've just got a feeling.

Randy Orton vs. Alberto Del Rio

On paper, this match looks pretty forgettable. There's nothing at stake and the feud has been nothing to write home about. Here's hoping they prove me wrong and make something out of nothing here. I'll pick Orton to win.

Kofi Kingston (c) vs. The Miz for the Intercontinental Championship

I'm looking forward to this one. We've seen that they can have a good match together, but who knows how much time they'll get tonight. I'd imagine Kofi will retain. He just got the belt, so he probably won't drop it so soon. I'm praying that this match is given some time.

Team Hell No (c) vs. Rhodes Scholars for the Tag Team Championship

They missed a trick calling the tag team tournament the Teddy Long Invitational, but I digress. Anyways, how awesome has the tag team division been? The WWE has one now and it's pretty good! I really hope they can keep it up, because it's fun and it's a good thing. Daniel Bryan and Kane have been tremendous together and I can't say enough good things about Damien Sandow and Cody Rhodes. Especially Sandow. They might have something special with him. This should be pretty great and it's just a shame that one of these teams has to lose. It's way too soon to break up Daniel Bryan and Kane, so I think Team Hell No retains. However, Damien Sandow and Cody Rhodes need to stay a team as well. Please? Take this feud all the way to Survivor Series.

Sheamus (c) vs. Big Show for the World Heavyweight Championship

On the plus side, at least Del Rio isn't challenging for the title once again. On the down side, it's Big Show. So, I'm not seeing anything great happening here. The feud itself hasn't been anything great either. In fact, that's a good summary of Sheamus' reign. I'm hoping for a decent match and I'll be happy if we get that. Sheamus retains, but I'd be happy to see Ziggler cash in and win the title like he said he would. But since he announced he would, that means it probably won't happen. Either he doesn't end up cashing it in, he attempts to cash in and gets stopped, or he cashes in and loses. I hope I'm wrong, though. Ziggler's ready.

CM Punk (c) vs. Ryback in a Hell In a Cell Match for the WWE Championship

And this one is the big question mark. It's CM Punk's long title reign vs. Ryback's utter domination. What's gonna give here? Can Ryback work a long match? Is Ryback ready? Will they take the title off of Punk to try and pop the ratings a bit with a new champion? There's so many questions going into the match that it's hard to predict what they'll do. So, here's how I see it: Punk retains. They haven't made HUGE deal of Ryback being undefeated, so that'll be what gives here. The end game for Punk seems to be a match with The Rock at the Royal Rumble, where I imagine that Rocky ends Punk's reign. Sure, they can have Ryback win the title and have Punk win it back before then, but I don't like that idea. It's pointless, really. This would be a good time for them to debut Dean Ambrose and have him and Heyman help Punk retain. Using Lesnar in that role would be stupid. He only has so many dates, so you'd think WWE would advertise his appearances, right? People watch and pay for Lesnar appearances, so they shouldn't have him show up tonight unadvertised. Of course, my Dean Ambrose theory is merely a pipe dream in the first place. Or is it? Either way, the smart thing to do is let Punk keep the title. Ryback can take a loss. Punk can make Ryback look like a million bucks and come out better than he went in, even with a loss. It's not his time, but I really wouldn't be surprised if Ryback won. I just don't think he will or should.

And there you have it. I'm still not sure whether or not I'll be watching, but we'll see. WWE has been solid with their PPV efforts this year. Kofi vs. Miz and Hell No vs. Rhodes Scholars alone might be worth it, so I'll see what I can do

And that does it for now. Be sure to ‘like’ this article, leave a comment, subscribe to the blog, and go back and read all my other articles. And ‘LIKE’ me on Facebook, and FOLLOW me on Twitter. Sorry, no t-shirts.

The 2012 Night Of Champions Preview

Another month, another PPV. As I start writing this, I'm not entirely sold on the show, but I'll most likely be watching and live-tweeting regardless. So, let's run down the card:

Pre-Show Battle Royal (Winner faces Antonio Cesaro for the United States Title)

I hate predicting these things, because you never know who is actually going to be in them. Not that it really matters, as I imagine Antonio Cesaro will retain anyway. He's had the title for a month and I think they're trying to get the belt to the point where it means something again. So with that said, I guess I'll pick Zack Ryder to win the battle royal. That could snag WWE a few extra buys.

Antonio Cesaro (c) vs. Battle Royal Winner for the United States Championship

See above. I'd bank on Antonio Cesaro retaining. In the future, maybe they'll have Cesaro have an actual feud with someone while he has the title and set up a PPV match from there. Having a Battle Royal deal at the PPV itself is always kind of a cop out.

Layla (c) vs. Kaitlyn for the Divas Championship

Whether this match is happening due to the end of a battle royal being botched or not, it doesn't really matter. This match is happening regardless. Barring a last-minute insertion of Eve, I dunno how this match will pan out quality wise. Kaitlyn's not very good just yet. She's not quite where she needs to be. That being said, given the current set of circumstances, Layla will probably retain.

This match has been kind of thrown together as well. They have five hours of TV every week so I don't know why they can't just build to this over a month or two. I realize that this match exists to try and get all four guys on the card. That being said, it should be something fun to watch. I really hope that Sin Cara and Mysterio get some one-on-one time during the match. I don't think they've crossed paths against each other yet. Logic says that the two masked superstars will feud against each other at some point (maybe even leading up to next year's WrestleMania) and they could get those wheels in motion here. Let's see how those two gel. However, the only two guys who really seem like they're gunning for the IC Title are Rhodes and Miz. If I had to pick a winner, it's probably The Miz.

Randy Orton vs. Dolph Ziggler

I'm quite looking forward to this one. I think this'll be an enjoyable and solid match and I'll enjoy it even more if the right guy wins. Randy Orton is coming off a wellness suspension and is due to start filming a movie on Wednesday. He should eat a loss here. Dolph Ziggler needs this. They're actually on a roll with him. He's still got momentum from winning Money It the Bank and sending Chris Jericho out the door. Why halt that momentum now? It'd be insanely wasteful if they did. Of course, Orton might still be able to work Raw on Monday and Tuesday's Smackdown tapings as well, so we'll see what route they choose.

Kofi Kingston & R-Truth (c) vs. Daniel Bryan & Kane for the Tag Team Championships

Well, the tag title situation sure got shaken up this past week, huh? They had The Prime Time Players set to challenge for the titles, but then switched their plans up to make Daniel Bryan & Kane the #1 Contenders. You know what? That's completely okay. There have been plenty of times where WWE has missed opportunities or didn't strike while the iron was hot. It looks like they might not be passing this one up. This Kane and Daniel Bryan thing has been gold so far and it seems like Team Friendship will take home the gold tonight. Kofi and R-Truth have kinda been treading water for a while now. It seemed like the PTP were ready to fix that problem and probably take the titles, but then Kane and Bryan came along. I see no reason why they'd change up that match on such short notice if they weren't going to put the belts on them. Make this odd couple the tag champs.

Sheamus (c) vs. Alberto Del Rio for the World Heavyweight Championship

This has to be it for this feud, right? Del Rio's in a bad place right now. He's had multiple title shots against Sheamus and he's lost each one. He'll lose this one too, even with the Brogue Kick banned. Sheamus will win and the match should be alright, but what's next for Sheamus after that? Del Rio will be done as a challenger. Orton's leaving. Enter Ziggler?

CM Punk (c) vs. John Cena for the WWE Championship

I shouldn't have to tell you that this will be a good match. You know it will. These two have mad chemistry with each other. If the ending of Raw didn't sell you on the match, I don't know what to tell you. I'm sure the ending of the match will involve Paul Heyman and I'm sure CM Punk will win. There's always the chance that Cena could win and then drop it back to Punk before the Royal Rumble so they can have Punk-Rock, but I just don't see that happening. That kind of scenario doesn't do anybody any favors.

WWE's PPV outings have been solid overall this year, especially since WrestleMania. I think that streak can certainly continue tonight. Just writing this article has me more amped for the show than I was before I started writing it, so there ya go.

And that'll do it for now. Be sure to ‘like’ this article, leave a comment, subscribe to the blog, and go back and read all my other articles. And ‘LIKE’ me on Facebook, and FOLLOW me on Twitter. Sorry, no t-shirts.

The Three-Hour Era/Error

Yeah, I know. It's been a while. This is down to a couple of reasons:

1. Work has been hell on me this summer. I've worked insane amounts of overtime and that leaves me with little free time.

2. Raw just hasn't interested me very much post-WrestleMania.

I'd say that second point is probably the biggest problem. It's hard to write about something when you don't care. If you've been following my Twitter feed, you have definitely seen me vent this summer.

Raw has just been very uninspiring lately. Usually, I get what I'd like to call 'the wrestling blahs' every year just after WrestleMania. It just happens. The period of time from the start of the year (aka The Royal Rumble Build-Up) all the way through WrestleMania is generally the most exciting time to watch. There's lots of stuff happening as the WWE builds towards their biggest event of the year. There's a reason that more people tune into the shows around that time than any other. Almost everything that happens around that time is given a big time feel. There's just a certain magic around that time.

But after that, things just seem to go into auto-pilot until they start their big summer angle where things get exciting and captivating again. Unfortunately, that doesn't seem to be the case this year. They haven't gotten to that point where it's captured my full attention and interest and I know I'm not alone on this.

To make matters worse, Raw shifted to a permanent three-hour format in late July. From what I understand, this wasn't something Vince and the other higher-ups in the company wanted to do. It was something the network wanted and thus their hands were tied.

So what we have now is a three-hour show during a period of time when the two-hour show was a chore to get through. Not good.

As it stands right now, it seems like they're finally starting to understand how to format a three-hour broadcast without relying on numerous video packages and recaps that probably add up to an entire hour (Remember how awful Raw #1001 was with the numerous recaps of events from earlier in the night and the Lesnar-Triple H video package that they showed at least 3 times?) and are starting to focus on other things like the tag division. If they can continue to actually fill it with some more wrestling and some decent storylines, the shows wouldn't be such a chore.

It's not like they haven't had the opportunity to provide just that either. Take John Cena for instance. During the build-up to his WrestleMania match with The Rock, they stressed why he needed that win more than anything. He even said he'd lose everything if he didn't. He lost. Fast forward to now. What's changed? Nothing, really. Wouldn't a "down on his luck" John Cena struggling to get his groove back actually be something new and different? I'm probably not alone in assuming that Cena will beat The Rock for the WWE Title at WrestleMania 29 next year. That would be the perfect end to such a story. Instead, we're getting the same old same old.

I know armchair booking is ultimately pointless, but I digress. I just want it to be fun again on a consistent basis. But even then maybe that's not enough. Three hours is a lot of time to devote to one television show, especially in this day and age. It'll be interesting to see what happens when a bunch of other television shows return this month. Monday Night Football won't help either.

If you ask me, I predict that Raw will go back to two hours by the time the year is over. It's probably for the best if it does. I could very well be wrong, but I don't think this format will stand if they can't put on a consistently decent program. This fall probably won't be kind to them if they don't.

And that's all I've got for now. Be sure to ‘like’ this article, leave a comment, subscribe to the blog, and go back and read all my other articles. And ‘LIKE’ me on Facebook, and FOLLOW me on Twitter. Sorry, no t-shirts.

#WWE #world wrestling entertainment #raw #WWE Raw #wrestling #pro wrestling #professional wrestling

Raw Memories

The 1,000th episode of Monday Night Raw is drawing near and WWE has been doing a pretty good job featuring several classic Raw moments on their programming over the past several weeks. However, they only have so much time to do so and have missed some of my favorite moments as a result. That's where this piece comes in.

I have just a few notes to get out of the way before I do this thing:

1. This list is by no means comprehensive. Just like the WWE, I'm sure I will pass over or forget some great stuff. Also, if I were to list all of my favorite Raw moments from the past 19 years, it'd take almost forever. Feel free to chime in with your favorites in the comments section.

2. I'm putting this list in chronological order. I'm not ranking them or anything like that.

So without further ado, let's get started.

Waltman Wins

Razor Ramon losing to The Kid is considered one of pro wrestling's greatest upsets and is one of my earliest wrestling memories in the grand scheme of things. This upset triggered a feud between the two guys and that ended up being the catalyst for Razor's face turn as he started to respect Waltman more and started receiving a positive reaction from the crowd. Definitely an awesome moment. (Sidenote: I also almost included Shelton Benjamin's upset win over Triple H on here as well.)

Monsoon Fires Heenan

Hysterical. At the end of 1993, Heenan decided to leave the then-WWF due to a combination of his neck issues and long working hours. So, this is how he was written out. Gorilla Monsoon was fed up with The Brain's insults and 'fired' him on Raw, throwing Heenan and his belongings out onto the New York sidewalks. His retirement didn't last long, but it was a funny moment nonetheless. Oh, Bobby Heenan. We should all pray everyday that we'll have a color commentator that's even half as phenomenal as he was.

Leslie Nielsen Searches For The Undertaker

Oh, man. The world lost a great one when Leslie Nielsen passed away in 2010. As someone who's seen 'Airplane!' and the 'Naked Gun' movies several times, I loved this stuff. The WWF decided to capitalize on Leslie Nielsen's 'Frank Drebin' character and this was the result. Sure, the Undertaker vs. Undertaker match was absolutely nothing to write home about, but at least something great came out of it.

Bret Snaps

Some credit this as being the moment that kick started the Attitude Era. It's hard to argue against that. Following a WWF Title Match loss to Sycho Sid (under dubious circumstances). Bret Hart simply lost it, shoving Vince McMahon to the ground and went off on a profanity-laced tirade. It's somewhat chilling to watch, knowing what happened to Bret in Montreal later that year.

Foley Does The Unthinkable

I wasn't really savvy to the Internet at this time, so I had no idea this moment would occur. I also wasn't watching Nitro on that night where they announced that the title change would happen (and they subsequently lost hundreds of thousands of viewers who then switched over to Raw). Austin's return was a huge surprise at the time and it garnered one of the loudest crowd reactions I've ever heard. Foley winning a title I never thought he'd get was so very memorable. People bag on Cole a lot, but I think he put this moment over huge. It's easily one of my favorite title changes.

Beer Bash '99

I generally think that a lot of people look back at the "Attitude Era" with rose colored glasses sometimes. The PPV's were pretty atrocious. The midcard and below was abhorrent. If you think the Attitude Era was just one big pile of awesome, then we disagree. However. there's one thing we can agree on, though: Pretty much anything involving Stone Cold Steve Austin was golden. Right before WrestleMania XV, Austin once again brought the goods in a big hilarious way. To promote the match, Austin drove a truck straight to the ring, said what he needed to say, and gave the Rock and the McMahon's a beer bath. I remember everybody at school who watched it talking about it. WWE has tried to re-create it a few times, but nothing has come close to the original.

Jericho Wins The Title.......Almost

Triple H really came into his own in 1999 and 2000. It took me a while to really accept him as a main event guy, but I did (Mostly thanks to his feud with Foley.). But the McMahon-Helmsley regime stuff really pushed it over the top. He was just such a bastard. This was his dickishness at it's finest. Oh, I loathed him.

Past Vs. Present

Yeah, I'm skipping the Invasion Era entirely. Can you blame me?

Back in 2002, the nWo had arrived in the WWF in the form of Hogan, Hall, and Nash (and to think people were calling them old and washed up back then!). While their run was mostly a failure, it gave us at least one awesome moment. This was just so surreal at the time. Hogan was back in the WWF after a very long absence and The Rock was an absolutely hot commodity. This moment was just so electric and off the charts. The crowd made it even better. There was just so much magic there and it still shows.

Batista Makes His Decision

Couldn't find the whole thing, but oh well.

Batista vs Triple H at WrestleMania 21 had a pretty awesome build up going all the way back to before Survivor Series. Batista would always give sly looks at Hunter or look away into the distance whenever Triple H rambled on and put himself over and wouldn't care. You could tell then that he wasn't quite the toady that Ric Flair was. The dissension between them grew and after Batista won the Rumble, Triple H put a plot in motion to try and make Batista take a run at JBL's WWE Championship on SmackDown. Once Batista figured out the plot, the powerbomb through the table happened. I remember just waiting for Batista to finally pull the trigger and turn on Evolution and it was pretty memorable when he finally did.

You're Either Nexus or Against Us

Here's one that still gives me chills. Forget how everything ended up with this for a minute and just watch. We've seen beatdowns in wrestling several times before, but nothing like this. Not at all. Everything and everybody was just completely and utterly decimated at the hands of the eight NXT Season 1 rookies. For my money, it is still one of the greatest endings to an episode of Raw that I have ever seen.

Pipe Bomb

Is it weird to reminisce on something that happened a year ago? Oh, the good ol' days.

Again, forget how everything ended up (Or don't, really. He's kinda done well for himself, hasn't he? It worked.). This was one of those moments that transcended WWE and found life outside of it. ESPN covered it. Entertainment programs were covering it. A minor league baseball announcer quit his job using this (and Joey Styles' shoot promo) as an outline. Punk said what he (and many others) were feeling) and it kicked off a very fun summer.

And that'll do it here. I'm sure you have your own faves and I'm sure I left off some super important stuff as well, so sound off in the comments.

With all that said, I have no doubt in my mind that Raw #1000 will be an absolutely fun way to spend three hours. I'd be massively surprised if it went any other way. Just sit back, relax, and soak the night in.

Be sure to ‘like’ this article, leave a comment, subscribe to the blog, and go back and read all my other articles. And ‘LIKE’ me on Facebook, and FOLLOW me on Twitter. Sorry, no t-shirts.

The 2012 Money In The Bank Preview (and other assorted wrestling notes)

Yes, I'm alive. Sorry things have continued to be slow, but that's what happens when your job won't allow you to balance work and other aspects of your life. It happens.

I'm not exactly sold on tonight's show, but I'll preview it regardless and I have a bunch of other stuff I want to say afterwards. Let's run down tonight's card, which contains four whole matches on the main card and a pre-show match:

Pre-Show Match: R-Truth & Kofi Kingston vs. Hunico & Camacho

I believe this match is a non-title affair. In fact, why aren't the Prime Time Players challenging for the belts tonight and on the actual PPV? Did they forget that they're the Number One Contenders? Maybe PTP will demand a match on the PPV even after Kofi and Truth have already wrestled? Maybe they'll get their shot on Raw #1000 or SummerSlam? I don't know, but I do know we have this match.

Hunico & Camacho never get too much on the way of time on Raw or SmackDown and that's a shame. They actually had a pretty good outing on the most recent NXT that's worth checking out. That said, if they give this pre-show match time, it could be rather impressive. I'd imagine R-Truth & Kofi will go over and then they'll resume feuding with Young & Titus.

World Heavyweight Money In The Bank Ladder Match: Dolph Ziggler vs. Santino Marella vs. Cody Rhodes vs. Christian vs. Sin Cara vs. Damien Sandow vs. Tyson Kidd vs. Tensai

There's a lot to talk about here. Let's go over each participant:

Dolph Ziggler: There's no doubt about it: he's been ready for a long time. He's got a ton of talent and ability and would without a doubt be a believable World Champion. I like his odds of winning this match.

Santino Marella: I get why he's in the match. He's over and the crowd will go crazy if he gets to the top of the ladder and his fingers just touch the briefcase. But the card has a mere four matches on it. Why not have Santino actually defend his U.S. Title and put somebody like, say, Zack Ryder in Santino's spot? He can fill that role. Oh well. Santino has virtually no shot at winning. Maybe he'll defend the U.S. Title someday.

Cody Rhodes: He's also a guy who's ready to hit up the main event scene. He's been floundering a little bit since he lost the IC Title and winning the briefcase could give him some direction. He's got a good chance of winning this thing.

Christian: He's a ladder match veteran, so there's no question as to why he's here. However, I kind of want the IC Title to be defended instead. It would help flesh out the card. I repeat: THERE'S FOUR ANNOUNCED MATCHES! But Christian is always entertaining, especially in ladder matches. I imagine he won't win this won, though.

Sin Cara: He's in this match to fly around and add some more excitement. He's certainly not there to win it, I'd wager.

Damien Sandow: This entrant puzzles me a little bit. He hasn't been around too long, he hasn't had too many matches, and he hasn't really done enough to warrant being put in the match. He's got potential to take this character to the top, but not yet. He's not ready.

Tyson Kidd: He's essentially there to fly around and do spots, but I'm hoping that we're seeing a renewed push for the guy. The guy is a lot of fun to watch and everybody loves a scrappy underdog story. The underdog won't win here, though.

Tensai: Good Lord. You know what they scary thing is? I think he might actually have a shot of winning. They've been pushing Albert so hard since he's returned and they seemingly always find time to put him on TV. It would not shock me in the slightest if he won the match. I really hope he doesn't though.

All things considered: there are really only two guys I can see winning this thing: Dolph Ziggler and Cody Rhodes. Either of them is fine with me, but I'll predict Dolph Ziggler here. The match should be pretty entertaining, too. That's always a plus.

WWE Championship Money In The Bank Ladder Match: John Cena vs. Big Show vs. Chris Jericho vs. Kane

It wouldn't shock me if this match closes out the show, but I'm sticking it in the middle here. I have a feeling Punk and Bryan will main event, as they should. But I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't.

Anyways, I don't have high hopes for this match. Out of the four participants, only two of them can really carry and excel in a Ladder Match: Cena and Jericho. This match might be the worst MITB match yet. Let's run through the participants:

Kane: Is he a face now? A tweener maybe? Has he embraced the love? It's hard to tell, but in all honesty, I don't care. He's in this match because he's got nothing else to do.

Chris Jericho: Fresh off his return after the Brazil Debacle, Jericho is put straight into the MITB match. I'd love to see him win a PPV match at some point, but it probably won't be here. He at least has a small chance, though.

Big Show: Big Show in a ladder match is always ridiculous. No. Just no.

John Cena: Cena was interesting in the build-up to WrestleMania and for maybe a month afterwards. They've had opportunities to do something new and different with him and they just haven't. They sold his match with The Rock as a match he had to win or everything would change and he'd lose everything. He lost. And then he went over Brock and everything was back to normal. Nothing changed at all. He's not interesting in the slightest anymore. Maybe, just maybe a win here changes that.

So this match has some star power at least. I imagine Cena will win. There's a few ways they might go with this. Having Cena challenge Punk or Bryan at SummerSlam seems like the most obvious route. Maybe have him announce the SummerSlam match at Raw #1000 or something.

But if The Rock keeps to his word and wins the WWE Title at some point, Cena could get his rematch with Dwayne via the briefcase. Either way, Cena needs to be interesting again.

Sheamus (c) vs. Alberto Del Rio for the World Heavyweight Championship

The WWE has been attempting to have this match at, what, the past three or so PPVs? They've managed to make me care even less each time the match gets pushed back. I didn't even think that was possible. I'm sure the match won't be horrible or anything, but I just have no interest in this feud. I imagine Sheamus walk out the winner. I just hope it doesn't end it in a crummy fashion and they carry this feud out even longer. Sheamus needs to move on.

CM Punk (c) vs. Daniel Bryan for the WWE Championship (Special Referee: AJ)

There was a point where the AJ stuff was pretty awesome. She became one of my favorite things in wrestling. The whole story wasn't completely annoying.

But then they overdid it. They took it too far and Raw ended up becoming The AJ Show with all sorts of wacky developments. If they decide to continue this, they need to scale things back a bit.

With all that said, it's no secret that Bryan and Punk are gold in the ring, especially when they face each other. If they manage to minimize the AJ stuff, this will deliver. I imagine Punk will win and his title reign will continue.

So there you have it: FOUR MATCHES. I imagine they'll throw about three or four more matches onto the card to flesh it out more, but they shouldn't have to do that during the show itself. Why not build to and advertise a 6-8 match card? I know, what a crazy idea.

I'm sure Ryback will beat one or two guys. Maybe Brodus will have a quick match. Maybe Heath Slater will get beat by some legend. Maybe A.W. convinced the Board of Directors to have Kofi and R-Truth defend the titles against the Prime Time Players even though they wrestled on the pre-show. Who knows.

But what I do know is that I have a few things I want to discuss:

* Usually after WrestleMania, the WWE seems to get into a bit of a funk. This year has been no different. This is another one of the reasons that the blog has been so slow lately. It's hard to write about something when you don't care. However, they usually get out of that rut with something that's new, fun, and exciting (the Nexus angle, the Summer of Punk etc.) that makes me look forward to whatever is coming next. This year has been missing that so far. They're missing that something special. Had they opted to do something more with Cena (as stated earlier), maybe we could have gotten that already.

Raw hasn't been good TV for a while now. This past week's show was just awful. They're gonna need to wake up if they want this three-hour experiment to be a success. I have no doubt that Raw #1000 will be an absolutely awesome show. It'll be a fun three hours. I'm not worried about that show. I'm worried about episode #1001 and beyond. Three hours is a lot of time to devote to Raw each and every week and I haven't really cared too much for the product they've been putting out lately.

They need a kick in the ass in the worst way. Make me care and make it fun again.

* But looking to the future: I've been hearing some rumors that the WWE is starting to raid the indies again, specifically signing a few noted female wrestlers. With Maxine, the Bellas, and Kelly Kelly (allegedly, in her case) leaving to pursue other options, that's probably a good idea. On an even more exciting note, they're signing women with talent that know how to wrestle. I hope that with three hour shows coming soon, that the Divas will be given some more time to shine. Combine that with more attention being paid to the tag division and maybe booking that extra hour isn't so hard.

Oh, and I'm not entirely sold on the rumors of Kharma's release just yet.

*Also, if you can, check out the new season of NXT. Fun stuff.

* On the flipside, Impact Wrestling has been on a roll. Do not adjust your monitor. I really just typed that.

Not that it's been that hard to do, but I've been enjoying Impact more than Raw over the past couple of months. I decided to give TNA a chance again and it's paying off so far. Once they got rid of Russo and gave their creative department an overhaul, I waited a couple of months to tie everything up and get things in order and I think they're on a good path right now. Their TV shows have been fun and their PPV efforts have been great. Hopefully they can keep it up. If you aren't watching, you should be.

But that’s all I’ve got for now. Be sure to ‘like’ this article, leave a comment, subscribe to the blog, and go back and read all my other articles. And ‘LIKE’ me on Facebook, and FOLLOW me on Twitter. Sorry, no t-shirts.

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