411 PPV Preview: The Road To WWE New Year’s Revolution 2006
Posted by Leonard Hayhurst on 01.07.2006
Return of the Elimination Chamber
GREGORY HELMS VS. JERRY "THE KING" LAWLER
Background: On the last Smackdown a taped promo was shown of Gregory Helms upset over trash talk Jerry Lawler had been leveling against him on commentary. He accused Lawler of holding him down, among others. Lawler didn't seem impressed. Helms then came out and challenged King to meet him in the ring. Lawler obliged. Lawler said that at least as the Hurricane he had something going for him. Now he wasn't even a tropical depression. He was just another random guy on the roster. He used to be halfway entertaining, now he just sucks. They brawled and King knocked Helms to the floor. Lawler then challenged him to a match at the pay per view.
Match Up: Only Ric Flair possibly has more in ring experience and accolades than Jerry Lawler in WWE today. However, Helms is no wet behind the ears rookie. Lawler will probably go into the match underestimating Helms. Despite him being cocky and arrogant, Helms has a big chip on his shoulder and something to prove. Helms will take the advantage early, but will probably make the mistake of wanting to punish Lawler and not pinning him. This will allow Lawler to claw his way back, as he's known to do, and use his superior ring generalship to reclaim the match. Both men will need to check their cocky bravado at the door. The man who does that will win.
Outcome: This is just filler. WWE has done little with Helms in this new serious persona. Lawler is simply a sideshow these days who is pulled out of the mothballs when they don't have anything else better. It's surprising Helms isn't facing Sgt. Slaugther. A win over Lawler might boost Helms back into the midcard, it depends on how they book him following. A win by Lawler won't do much more than pop the crowd and solidify that Helms is a low priority by the company.
ASHLEY VS. MARIA VS. TORRIE WILSON VS. CANDICE MICHELLE VS. VICTORIA IN A BRA AND PANTIES GAUNTLET MATCH
Background: On the last RAW Maria was in the ring for the Kiss Cam segment. Similar to what they do at baseball games, the camera would highlight a couple and they had to kiss. The trio of Victoria, Candice Michelle and Torrie Wilson interrupted the segment. Victoria yelled at Maria for not being out there the week before to help her in the Beat the Clock match against Carlito. She then said the two had a match for that night. Victoria took her out quick and the divas stripped Maria. Ashley came out for the save and scared the other girls off. Vince McMahon then met Ashley and Maria on the ramp and announced a gauntlet bra and panties match for New Year's Revolution. Two girls start off. The first one stripped to her bra and panties loses, then another girl comes out and so on.
Match Up: Order of entry will be key. The last Diva in has a huge advantage. It's just not the matter of keeping your clothes on, but having to wrestle multiple opponents. After two or three falls a combatant is going to be too tired to defend herself and her clothing. Conditioning will be key. All the girls are in great shape, but Victoria and Ashley seem to be the most fit and have the most background as athletes and fitness models. They also probably have the best in ring skills. What each girl wants to do is strip her opponent fast while also making sure she protects herself. Technically weapons are ok and that might be a smart way to go. Knock an opponent out with a steel chair, then strip her.
Outcome: More filler in a really light pay per view. Victoria is the only real worker in the match, but the heel face ratio being 3 to 2, she probably won't work as much of the bout as she should. Candice Michelle has been given a bit of a push lately thanks to her increasing ring skills. However, Ashley was the last Diva Search winner and really hasn't been given much to do. Odds are that she will win as the woman in the match WWE wants to have the highest profile.
TRISH STRATUS VS. MICKIE JAMES FOR THE WWE WOMEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP
Background: Mickie James debuted months ago to save Trish Stratus and Ashley from a post match beat down by the trio of Victoria, Candice Michell and Torrie Wilson. James quickly established herself as the biggest Trish Stratus fan, aping her in and out of the ring. Trish seemed a little skittish concerning James' fanatic attitude toward her. On the RAW after Survivor Series the two trios of Divas squared off. The faces were victorious. James celebrated with Trish's WWE Women's Title and seemed reluctant to give it up. On the December 5th RAW Trish stood in James' corner as she battled Victoria. An errant kick by Trish hit Mickie and allowed Victoria to pin her. James seemed briefly steamed, but quickly shook it off. James and Victoria locked up again the following week with Trish Stratus sitting in on commentary. James won and received the title shot at Stratus for New Year's Revolution.
On December 26th Mickie James was decorating the locker room even though it was past Christmas. She pointed out to Trish that she was under the mistletoe and gave her a kiss on the lips. A stunned Trish ran off and Mickie was very embarrassed. On the last RAW Vince McMahon asked James about the incident from the week before and she admited to being embarrassed by it. Todd Grisham then found Trish jogging stairs to work out. He asked her about the kiss and she said it was uncomfortable. He asked about James maybe trying mind games. Trish said she wasn't sure, but it didn't matter. She then went to take a shower. Later, James is waiting for Stratus to get out of the shower so she could talk to her. She wanted to apologize. However, she made matters worse by handing Trish a towel and commenting, "hey, nice boobs." Both again were shocked and James ran off.
Match Up: The two will be skittish at first due to the personal matters involved. Mickie might not want to take on her idol. Trish might not want to get so close to a woman she thinks has ulterior motives toward her. If James really is playing mind games as suggested, look for her to play that embarrassed friend/loving admirer card right to the end then steal the match through cheating. Trish is a ring veteran who is always cool and collected, so trying to mentally knock her off her game isn't that bad of a game plan. A rattled Trish is a beatable Trish. Stratus needs to keep her cool, not let the personal matters get to her and treat this like any other match. Go out there and wrestle her match and she will win.
Outcome: This is the start of the building James vs. Stratus feud which should carry the Women's Title through Wrestlemania. While it looks like James is playing mind games and will be turning heel, it would be fresh and interesting if Trish turns heel based on her being offended by James' genuine romantic feelings. Even better if James herself is confused by these feelings and slowly realizes that she is a lesbian. Shades of gray and controversial subject matter made the company in the attitude era. If James is to turn heel look for her to win by cheating here. An ambiguous sort of ending is also possible in order to lead to a greater setup match for the Royal Rumble to kick the feud into gear.
RIC FLAIR VS. EDGE FOR THE WWE INTERCONTINENTAL TITLE
Background: Edge and Lita debuted their new interview segment the Cutting Edge on the December 5th RAW. Ric Flair was to be the first guest, but he wasn't in the arena that night thanks to a real life road rage incident. Flair apparently attacked a motorist and had been detained and booked by police. Edge proceeded to harshly run down Flair until road agents Sgt. Slaughter and Michael PS Hayes came out of the back to stop him. Edge and Hayes had a brief altercation. Edge tagged him with the briefcase. On the December 12th RAW Ric Flair was back and lost an Elimination Chamber qualifying match to Kurt Angle. Edge and Lita talked trash on him in the back following the loss. Flair seemed ready to pounce, but Edge said that his lawyers probably wouldn't like him being involved in another physical altercation.
On December 26th Edge said that Flair would finally be on the Cutting Edge. What the fans got was a cardboard cutout of Flair with moving lips, similar to the bits on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien." The faux Flair said he attacked the motorist because he thought it was Edge, that he knew Edge was better than him and everything Edge had said about Flair ripping people off in their gimmicks was correct. The real Flair then raced to the ring. He scuffled with Edge until Lita pulled him to the floor.
On the last RAW Edge claimed to have exclusive footage of Ric Flair's road rag incident. What he really had was a video of himself dressed like Flair beating some paid actor in a reenactment. Flair raced to the ring again and attacked Edge. He put him in the figure four. Lita attacked Flair, so he put her in the figure four. Edge pulled her from the ring and they took off.
Match Up: This match up is similar to the one between Edge and Flair. Edge is no rookie and both men are known for huge egos. However, Flair has been very focused since he won the IC title. His intensity and willingness to take the fight to Edge is a very good sign that Flair is in the best shape possible mentally and physically considering his years in the ring and the turmoil in his personal life. Look for Flair to attack Edge early and hard. Edge might be taken aback by this and probably will bail to the floor and stall for time. Flair doesn't want Edge to get his bearings or for the match to go long due to his age. He needs to keep on Edge and pin him fast. Lita is always a factor, but Flair has shown he can neutralize her. Edge needs to realize that Flair is a threat and wrestle a sound match. He wants to use his speed and agility to catch Flair off guard with big time moves then slowly wear him down with submission holds. Edge needs to be weary of his legs and not let Flair an opening to set up the figure four.
Outcome: Edge still has the Money in the Bank match he has to cash in before Wrestlemania this year, so putting the Intercontinental Title on him might be counterproductive. Really, beating Flair probably won't put Edge over anymore than he is right now. It's just one more thing for him to brag about and be more annoying. Edge isn't going to get any bigger until makes some noise in a main event WWE title feud. Of course, a win here might serve as a catalyst toward that, but the money is on Triple H vs. Cena for Wrestlemania this year. The storyline with Flair lately has been his rebirth as a main event wrestler thanks to winning the IC title. Beating Edge would help to really solidify that storyline and setup Flair to put over one of the younger guys, like Chris Masters, at Wrestlemania. Flair has a good shot at retaining.
BIG SHOW VS. TRIPLE H
Background: On the RAW following Survivor Series Triple H took the ring and bragged about the beating he gave to Ric Flair the night before. He was interrupted by Big Show. He took exception to the way Triple H treated Flair. He chided him for needing a sledgehammer to take people out when he only needed his bare hands. Show reminded Triple H that weeks ago he told him his time was coming. Well, his time was now. Triple H backed off.
On the December 12th RAW Big Show was booked against Shawn Michaels in an Elimination Chamber qualifying match. Triple H came out with a steel chair. He looked at Show, he looked at Michaels. He blasted Michaels. The logic was that he wanted to get Show disqualified so he wouldn't have to face him in the Chamber. However, it wasn't set that he was getting in. He still had to face Kane. In the match, Hunter dodged a big boot from Kane and he nailed the referee. This allowed Big Show to stroll to the ring and the tag champs laid a double choke slam on Triple H. The ref recovered to count the three.
Triple H and Big Show took the ring on December 26th for their contract signing to face at New Year's Revolution. They exchanged heated words. Triple H stabbed Big Show in the face with the pen, then flipped the table over to reveal a concealed sledgehammer. The pair fell to the floor and Triple H bashed Show's right hand, that he uses for the choke slam, with the hammer on the ring stairs. Show looked in great pain as Hunter smirked and slinked off. The next week Triple H entered the ring and bragged about what he did the week before. Show's music hit and he walked out with a giant cast on his broken hand. It looked like something a super villain would have. Show pulverized everything in his way with the cast; a steel chair, the announcers' table, a TV monitor, nearly Triple H's head. Hunter ran to the back not knowing what he was going to do that Sunday.
Match Up: Big Show proved on the last RAW that the cast on his hand won't slow him down. The Cerebral Assassin might have made a mistake in giving his adversary a new weapon against him. He'll have to play keep away and think of some way to neutralize it. Since it's part of Big Show's body basically and he's been cleared to wrestle with it, he can use it and not get disqualified. Triple H pulls out the sledgehammer and he's done. This will be a match of ring generalship. Will Big Show's brute force and use of the cast take the win or will Triple H's cunning strategy and advantages in speed and agility take it?
Outcome: A big time match, but a filler feud. Triple H vs. Cena still looks like the title match for Wrestlemania this year and they want to keep that match up fresh. That means keeping the two out of the ring against each other. Triple H needed something to do for the ppv and without a lot of main event faces on RAW, Big Show makes for one of the better and fresher matches for him. The cast angle is a new gimmick. It will be interesting to see how it plays out. Triple H will most likely find some way to counteract it to prove himself the cerebral assassin once again. Big Show as tag champ can lose a singles feud with little damage to his character, especially with the broken hand as a gimmick to blame the loss on.
JOHN CENA VS. KURT ANGLE VS. CHRIS MASTERS VS. CARLITO VS. SHAWN MICHAELS VS. KANE IN AN ELIMINATION CHAMBER MATCH FOR THE WWE TITLE
Background: Vince McMahon put Eric Bischoff on ‘trial' to see if he would continue as the general manager of RAW on the December 5th edition. During closing arguments Bischoff pulled his trump card. For all the bad he did, all the wrong decisions, you couldn't take away that Bischoff introduced one of the most innovative and entertaining matches in recent history, the Elimination Chamber. He then proposed one for New Year's Revolution. McMahon liked the idea, but still threw Bischoff out with the garbage, literally, as he dumped him into the back of a waiting trash truck.
On the December 12th RAW Vince McMahon declared himself the acting general manager. He booked a series of qualifying matches for the Elimination Chamber to see who would face John Cena for the WWE Title. Kurt Angle used his gold medal to knock out Ric Flair to beat him. Shelton Benjamin tried to steal Carlito's shtick by spitting apple in his face, but got rolled up by Mr. Cool. Triple H purposely bashed Shawn Michaels with a chair to give him the DQ win over Big Show, just so he wouldn't be in the match. Show received revenge later when the referee was knocked out in the match between Kane and Triple H. He assisted his tag partner in choke slamming Hunter to send Kane on. Chris Masters defeated Viscera with the Master Lock.
Vince McMahon booked a series of Beat the Clock matches on the December 26th RAW. The person who won their match in the shortest amount of time would enter the Elimination Chamber last. Shawn Michaels set the bar by taking out Gene Snitsky in 5:56. Chris Masters had Chavo Guerrero in the Master Lock, but he refused to tap before time ran out. Masters then tossed Chavo to the floor and complained about the timer being fast and him being cheated. Chavo came back into the ring and tossed Masters. Kurt Angle thought he had a lucky draw in his crony Daivari. Daivari laid down for Kurt, but referee Mike Chioda refused to count the pin. He wanted a competitive match. Angle then chased Chioda into the crowd. He doubled back to the ring and counted Angle out. John Cena drew Shelton Benjamin. Benjamin hung onto the top rope to prevent the F-5 until time ran out. Angle and Daivari then attacked their old nemesis Cena. This prompted Vince McMahon to book a first blood match between the two for the following week. Carlito had to face Victoria. She put in a game effort as Carlito toyed with her, but he pinned her at 2:36. Kane somehow landed a handicap match against the Heartthrobs, but choke slammed both and took the win in 28 seconds. This made him the last man to enter the Elimination Chamber. At the end of the night Vince McMahon took the ring to talk about the new Bret Hart DVD he had just watched. Shawn Michaels then came out and told Vince to let the infamous Montreal incident go. McMahon took exception to this and told Shawn that he needed to swallow his pride and accept his place.
On the January 2nd RAW Vince proclaimed that he was tired of booking what the fans wanted to see and catering to them. Tonight he was going to see what he wanted to. The first match was Shawn Michaels vs. Kane. McMahon said that if Shawn used the super kick he would be disqualified. Shawn got Kane down and cued up the band anyway. Vince then said that Shawn would be taken out of the Elimination Chamber match if he used the super kick. Shawn didn't know what to do. The distraction allowed Kane to recover and hit the choke slam. Vince then had Todd Grisham interview Michaels and inform him that he would be the first man to enter the Elimination Chamber. Chris Masters would defeat Shelton Benjamin. In the main event Angle busted Cena open with a steel chair to win the first blood match. Cena attacked Angle and Daivari post match. Carlito and Masters ran out and took it to both of their upcoming opponents. Kane then came out and choke slammed everyone. Shawn Michaels followed and super kicked him. He tried to super kick Cena, but he blocked it and hit the FU. Only a bloodied Cena was standing as the show went off the air.
Match Up: The odds here are simple. Kane as the last man in is the odds on favorite. Michaels as the first is not. Cena as the champion has a certain element to him, but where he enters the match will be important. Michaels has shown time and again that he can take a licking and keep on ticking and of all six men he is the most likely to start and still be there at the end. Kane as the biggest competitor and most brutal will really be able to utilize those advantages as the last man. The arguably strongest man in the match will be the freshest during end game. Cena and Angle have had a heated feud and if in at the same time they will go at each other hard. Masters and Carlito would best be served to just hang back and let the big boys play. Just hang around to the end and try to steal it. Carlito is probably the one to try that strategy as Masters will want to make a name for himself and might go after former foe Michaels hard. In such a brutal match you want to avoid injury and wrestle pretty conservatively. You need to save energy for the end.
Outcome: It would not be improbable for Cena to lose the title here only to regain it at the Royal Rumble. It spikes that buy rate and gives Cena something to overcome. With Angle as his main adversary he's to the point where he would need to win the title to keep the feud rolling. As mentioned above Cena vs. Triple H looks like the ticket for Wrestlemania and they will probably wait to start the build on that for after the Royal Rumble. Yet, Cena winning here would start to cement him as not just a top star, but a legend. Michaels as a former champion, legend and perennial main eventer is the only one with a real chance here, although he looks to be entering into some sort of program with McMahon. Kane is tag champ. Masters and Carlito are still bubbling right under the main event and will just be cannon fodder, but a strong showing would be good for them.
