411’s PPV Round Table Preview: WWE New Year’s Revolution
Posted by Larry Csonka on 01.06.2007
WWE kicks off 2007 with our first PPV offering. What does the 411 staff think about the card and where will things go from here? Let’s find out!
Introduction!
Welcome one and all to the first PPV Round Table of 2007! Last year we brought you 28 PPV Round Tables for WWE/ECW and TNA and now it all begins again. This is the first of 3-PPV's this months, and we have 6-confirmed matches. What is going to happen and how will it impact the rest of the year? Let's meet the staff that volunteered for the bad boy and find out!
THE STAFF~!
Impact Crater author Ryan Byers!
A new columnist who likes screw jobs, Daniel Wilcox!
ECW Reporter Mike Bauer!
One third of the Triple Threat, Sean Garmer!
Master of the Shimmy Andy Clark!
Schematics be damned, it is Mathew Sforcina!
Truth B Told it is Bayani Domingo!
From Friendly Competition and That Was Then, Stuart Carapola!
From the Independent Mid-Card, Samuel Berman!
Column of Honor author ARI!
From the "NFL Preview with The Rizz" we welcome Randy Isbelle!
The High Road is always represented by Sat!
From the Ripple Effect, Zac Calhoun!
One half of the HEAT recap team and Sunday News columnist Jeff Small!
WWE vs. TNA author Jordan Linkous!
And finally the big dog here at 411, Larry Csonka!
WWE New Year's Revolution~!:
Kenny Dykstra vs. Ric Flair
Ryan Byers: Well, Kenny is 2-0 on Flair right now, so it may be the Nature Boy's time to shine. However, those paying close attention to Raw my have noticed Jim Ross running down the NYR card and wondering what sort of condition Naitch would be in for the pay per view. Because of that, I wouldn't be surprised if they do an angle in which Flair is obviously weakened from Team RKO's attack, allowing Kenny to pick up win number three.
Winner: Kenny (I miss Mikey.)
Daniel Wilcox: Yay, my first Roundtable! Kenny is 2-0 over Flair and Flair is probably still going to be hurting after the beating on Raw Monday night. Kenny sneaks another clean win and Flair offers his hand again but Kenny beats him down. This leads to Flair's triumphant return at the Rumble, which he wins and then goes to Mania and wins the World title. Hey, I can hope right?
Winner: Kenny Dykstra
Mike Bauer: So let me get this straight. Kenny has pinned Flair not once, but twice now in consecutive shows. And Flair also got his head knocked in by Rated RKO again. If Flair has been willing to put Kenny over twice, you almost have to figure it will happen again.
Winner: Kenny "Lenny" Dykstra
Sean Garmer: Who came up with the last name Dykstra? Everyone is going to call him Kenny anyway it's useless. Anyhow, I saw Flair get beat live, and he's probably going to lose to Kenny again because Kenny needs to be put over.
Winner: Kenny
Andy Clark: This is puzzling booking. Flair really should have gone over on Monday so they could be tied up heading into the PPV. Logic says that Flair should win, but this is WWE booking so who knows.
Winner: Kenny Dykstra
Mathew Sforcina: First off, they could have done MONTHS of Ken Doane getting oddly favorable calls from Jack Doan, that would have been a nice little long term angle. Instead, we get a reference that doesn't work outside of the US. Great. Still, Flair's due a win, and Johnny is still hanging around, so...
Winner: Ric Flair (Johnny DiMaggio interference to Figure 4)
Bayani Domingo: K-Dyk vs. Flair could end up being the real jumping off point for 2007. I've been saying all year that the WWE has been dragging their feet for a while when it comes to really making and sustaining new stars. They seem happy just promoting one guy each year and leaving the rest of their pet projects to wallow in mid-card hell. If they go with Kenny getting the win here and make him a full fledged member of Rated RKO and IF said stable goes over DX, then the "E" will finally have gotten off the pot. Oh and tell me this wouldn't rock all to hell, but if Rated RKO interferes in this match to allow Kenny to win, don't be too surprised to see Flair swerve DX leading to…the Rated RKO Horsemen….whoooooo!!
Winner: K-Dyk… via new fangled roll up of doom.
Stuart Carapola: I think this match is sad more than anything. I know what they're trying for, but it's hard to say "Oh my god, this 20 year old kid just beat Ric Flair!" when Flair has lost to nearly everyone he's faced since coming to WWE in 2001. At this point, I read Flair's anger not as "Flair's pissed that he lost an upset decision to this kid", but rather as "Flair can't believe that on top of losing to everybody else he's been thrown in the ring with for the last 5 years, now he's also lost to this rookie as well." It's just sad.
Winner: Kenny Dykstra
Samuel Berman: I actually watched a fair amount of RAW this week, what with Studio 60 still being on hiatus, so I figured I'd toss in some completely uninformed predictions. With that, I should note that Ken Doane (or even Kenny Doane) was a much better name than Kenny Dykstra, but whatever his name is, Flair's putting him over on PPV to turn him into the next (potentially) big thing. I still think Johnny Jeter has more potential, though.
Winner: Kenny Dykstra
Ari Berenstein: Sonofabitch. Bayani beat me to the 4 Horsemen reformation suggestion! It actually all kind of makes sense if you add it up. You know, Kenny can go a really great RKO...maybe a little bit of that action will finally get this pledge accepted into the Rated RKO fraternity. Although I hear it comes with STD testing.
Winner: Kenny via shenanigans.
Michael Weyer: So Kenny is 2-0 on Flair and they're boosting him with Rated RKO and such. To me, that means that this is Flair's time to even up the odds and show the younger set how it's done.
Winner: Ric Flair
Randy Isbelle: Kenny is 2-0 against Flair, and common reasoning would say that you would have the face get his revenge at the PPV, but this situation is a little different. Flair doesn't need to get over at all anymore, and basically is around to put over new talent. They should have Kenny win this match and then they should have him go to the Rumble and eliminate a big name to set up a nice little match at WrestleMania.
Winner: Kenny (I refuse to call him by his full name)
Sat: If the rumors are true that Kenny is in for a big push in 1007, then he definitely beats Flair for the third time.
Winner: Kenny Dykstra
Zac Calhoun: WWE has this weird tendency to give up PPV matches that have already gone down cleanly on TV. This is one of two matches like that on this card. That being said, this could be a good thing for Kenny's career, if only because he gets to learn from Flair and work on pacing a match. There's no reason for Kenny not to get the win again, as a Flair win accomplishes nothing.
Winner: Kenny Dykstra
Jeff Small: In order to one-up TNA, the WWE should sign Lenny Dykstra in order to build to an epic match between Kenny and Lenny at WrestleMania.
Winner: Lenny... I mean Kenny Dykstra
Jordan Linkous: Kenny is 2-0 against Ric Flair, and Ric Flair always puts over the younger talent. So a win over Flair actually do much for Kenny. Kenny should really try and get in with Rated RKO to help establish himself as a serious contender. But who takes him seriously anyways? DYKSTRA? C'mon! They should just call him "Kenny" or Ken Doane." Seriously.
Winner: Ken Doane
Larry Csonka: Thus far Kenny has gotten the upper hand on Flair, and then on Monday Flair was laid out. I feel that they will play the "over confident heel" here and Flair will sneak out a victory when Kenny thinks he has it all locked up. They will probably then continue to feud through the Rumble Match and after. PS: The "Rated RKO Horsemen" makes baby Jesus cry.
Winner: Ric Flair
Chris Masters vs. Carlito w/Torrie
Ryan Byers: Didn't we already see this lame feud a year ago? Didn't it suck then, too? If so, why did we bring it back? Anyway, there have been some reports that Masters is not the most popular guy in the Raw locker room right now, as evidenced by the fact that his Masterlock was broken by a man who weighs about as much as one of the Masterpiece's quadriceps. With that information in mind, Carlito seems like a clear winner.
Winner: Colon the Younger
Daniel Wilcox: They actually had a very good match at Backlash last year, and that was before Masters got better. Apparently WWE doesn't have any plans for Masters at the moment so...
Winner: Carlito
Mike Bauer: If The Hardyz and MnM are coming back together, then the winner here also has to make sense for the next IC Champ. And Masters as the IC Champ, well, that's just not cool.
Winner: Carlito
Sean Garmer: Ok, based on what's happened to him recently I don't think Masters is in anyone's good graces. Besides, a loss to Masters would kill Carlito. Seriously, Carlito could be a big deal if WWE would let him be himself, instead of trying to act like a weak ass pimp. Carlito all the way.
Winner: Carlito
Andy Clark: I actually quite liked their match that they had at Backlash. Unfortunately both have seemingly regressed since April, so this won't be that great. This match really could have used a Last Man Standing stipulation to make it interesting. Masters at this point may be the one with an upside. I say put over Masters because they have to do damage control on one of the stupidest pieces of booking I've ever seen with the Masterlock being "broken."
Winner: Chris Masters
Mathew Sforcina: Well, someone has to actually break the Masterlock, to give him a gimmick refresh on ECW. Might as well be the guy who knows Masters better than anyone and thus, you'd imagine, would know how to break it. After all, they were tag partners, hence they've trained together, right?
Winner: Carlito (Masterlock break into roll up)
Bayani Domingo: Wow, this is a feud that is 6 months too late for anyone to give a crap about.
Winner: Carlito, via the Carlitolock
Stuart Carapola: Didn't we see this match last year? Did I care then? I don't think so. I still don't care.
Winner: Chris Masters
Samuel Berman: I couldn't know less about this feud, except that I remember it being started at last year's NYR in the Chamber (or something vaguely resembling that). Or not. I'm not really an authority on Carlito vs. Masters lore. Let's go with a face, because the heels have seemed to go over in the big matches at NYR in the past.
Winner: Carlito
Ari Berenstein: Jose Avilar gets leave and comes in as a surprise competitor and beats them both.
Winner: Carlito
Michael Weyer: Wow, only a year ago the two turned on each other in the first place. Taken them long enough to pull the trigger on the match again. I see a tough fight but Carlito may be getting more of a push soon for the main event scene on RAW.
Winner: Carlito
Randy Isbelle: This whole match is happening because Trish retired, so Carlito had to replace her with Torrie Wilson, who just can't take care of herself. Just think if Trish didn't retire....no way she finds herself in those situation and this match doesn't happen. Another reason why Trish should not have retired.
Winner: Carlito
Sat: Chris Masters is most likely on his way to ECW, so he can afford to lose this match
Winner: Carlito
Zac Calhoun: The funny thins is Carlito first turned on Masters at last year's NYR in the Elimination Chamber. Masters is pretty much dead in the water, and Carlito is a rising star dating (kayfabe) a multiple-time Playboy cover girl. Gee, I wonder who's more important to WWE.
Winner: Carlito
Jeff Small: This match didn't interest me at Backlash nine months ago. And that's when both men were at their PEAKS.
Winner: Carlito
Jordan Linkous: Didn't this rivalry start this time last year? And nobody cared then, either. I don't think that this match will do anything for either wrestler since neither of them are really established superstars. But I guess it is better than feuding with Lawler, right? I think Carlito will win and strip the Masterlock of any credibility it still has
Winner: Carlito
Larry Csonka: Wow this match is going to suck, again. I have no interest in seeing these guys suck up the joint, Carlito wins because they like him and Masters is most likely off to ECW.
Ryan Byers: I don't think that they can blow off this feud just yet, because otherwise the women's division really has nowhere to go unless they call up a fresh face from developmental. As much as I may want Beth Phoenix back on Raw, my gut says it's not happening. So instead I'd bank on a Victoria win here, with Mickie chasing her until WM 23.
Winner: She ain't the lady to mess with.
Daniel Wilcox: Victoria has ran through the whole division including Mickie in about 4 weeks so it wouldn't make sense for Vicky to get the win here because then Mickie has 2 losses to her in a row. Mickie should get a quick roll up to take the win and extend the feud to the Royal Rumble.
Winner: Mickie James (post match beat down by Vicky)
Mike Bauer: Victoria has buried the women's division, included Mickie in the past month. This program needs some more time until Candice comes back or they push Ashley to Raw for a shot to go hand in hand with her Playboy cover. Plus, we are coming off a Pay per View where no titles changed hands after we though every title would change hands (except for me being the only person picking Benoit, HA!) So Victoria wins here and keeps the belt at the Rumble Rematch.
Winner: Victoria (New Women's Champ)
Sean Garmer: I love what WWE's being doing with Victoria as of late. She needs to win the title to not only keep the feud going, but it puts her over as dominant. It also creates the chase for WrestleMania. Putting Melina into the feud seems very likely at some point too. Victoria would be the way to go.
Winner and NEW Women's Champion: Victoria
Andy Clark: Vicky can't job yet because then there wouldn't be much of a division. Victoria wins here so that Mickie can get it back in time to feud with Melina by Mania.
Winner and NEW Women's Champion: Victoria
Mathew Sforcina: All the things she said
All the things she said
Runnin' through my head (3x)
All the things she said
All the things she said
Runnin' through my head (2x)
All the things she said
All the things she said
This is not enough,
enough (Echo 3x)
I'm in serious shit, I feel totally lost
If I'm asking for help it's only because
Being with you has opened my eyes
Could I eva believe such a perfect surprise?
I keep asking myself, wondering how
I keep closing my eyes but I can't block you out
Wanna fly to a place where it's just you and me
Nobody else so we can be free (Echo 1x)
All the things she said
All the things she said
Runnin' through my head (3x)
All the things she said
All the things she said
Runnin' through my head (2x)
All the things she said
This is not enough [wa wa] (2x)
All the things she said
All the things she said
All the things she said
All the things she said
All the things she said
All the things she said
All the things she said
And I'm all mixed up, feeling cornered and rushed
They say it's my fault but I want her so much
Wanna fly her away where the sun and rain
Come in over my face, wash away all the shame
When they stop and stare - don't worry me
Cause I'm feelin' for her what she's feeling for me
I can try to pretend, I can try to forget
But it's driving me mad, going out of my head
All the things she said
All the things she said
Runnin' through my head (3x)
All the things she said
All the things she said
Runnin' through my head (2x)
All the things she said
This is not enough (2x)
All the things she said (11x)
Mother looking at me
Tell me what do you see?
Yes, I've lost my mind
Daddy lookin' at me
Will I eva be free?
Have I crossed the line?
All the things she said
All the things she said
Runnin' through my head (3x)
All the things she said
All the things she said
Runnin' through my head (2x)
All the things she said
This is not enough (2x)
All the things she said (Echo 3x)
Winner, and NEW WWE Women's Champion: Goddess (Widow's Fucking Peak)
Bayani Domingo: This could be the best women's match of 2007…of ALL of 2007. So might as well tape record this to play back over all the Maria/Melina matches you'll get for the next 12 months.
Winner: Victoria via Sforcina's sheer will power
Stuart Carapola: Women's wrestling matters. *chuckle* I swear! *chortle* Victoria will probably get it so Mickie and her fine ass can get it back at WrestleMania.
Winner: Victoria
Samuel Berman: I actually couldn't care less, because even with both of them being really talented, it's going to be a shell compared to most of the SHIMMER stuff I've seen. I personally think Mickie is really hot, and she's been buddies with CM Punk over the years, so I'll toss my lot in with her.
Winner: Mickie James
Ari Berenstein: Victoria has beaten everyone up, but I think an inconclusive finish will push the angle further along for a Rumble rematch.
Winner: Mickie James via DQ
Michael Weyer: They've really been setting up Victoria for a while and she's been treading water in the women's division for too long. After all her service, it's time she got her due again.
Winner and NEW Women's champion: Victoria.
Randy Isbelle: You really can't have Mickie retain and kill the rivalry now.
Winner: And new Women's Champion Victoria
Sat: It makes no sense for Mickie to win because she would have nobody to feud with. Victoria wins this match with the possible rematch at WrestleMania.
Winner: Victoria
Zac Calhoun: They've got a really good chance to create a long-lasting, meaningful Women's feud here. I say Victoria gets the win and the title and proceeds to put over how no one can beat her. Then Mickie can get crazy again but in a crowd-pleasing baby face kind of way. That way people can get more into her character, and she can get the heroic win at WM. She can definitely pull the character off, I think.
Winner: Victoria (new champ)
Jeff Small: I'm shocked (SHOCKED) that the most logical and well-thought-out storyline for a match once again takes place in the Women's Division. If only all of wrestling was this easy to follow.
Winner: Victoria
Jordan Linkous: Victoria is the only credible female wrestler as of now. Melina is stuck with Nitro and Maria is….well Maria. This will most likely set up the feud for WrestleMania as well. You know what is funny? Almost all of the Women's Division is in this match! HA! Victoria wins via Widow's Peak.
Winner: Victoria
Larry Csonka: This is far from over as I feel they will carry this to WrestleMania. Victoria manages the win here and Mickie reverts to some crazy ways to counteract Victoria's craziness. Should be a solid match from two women who look tremendous in jeans and they also have fabulous asses.
Ryan Byers: Smart money is on MNM vs. The Hardys at WrestleMania in a ladder match, so keep an eye out for Joey Mercury and Matt Hardy here. With Mania being a couple of months away, either man could win this and the angle could continue in a couple of different ways. However, putting Nitro over seems to be the smarter move just because he's taken a lot of beatings from John Cena as a part of the K-Fed angle. Giving him the win builds him up a little bit more and makes him a legitimate competitor in the Hardy feud.
Winner: Johnny Nitro
Daniel Wilcox: This should easily be MOTN. I'm hoping for Hardyz/MNM in a Ladder Match for Mania so I can see Joey Mercury showing up to help Nitro, even if it's just dragging him out of the door or something like that. The only thing for certain in this match, is someone is missing something from the top of the cage.
Winner: Johnny Nitro (Mercury pulls him out of the door after Jeff misses a Swanton)
Mike Bauer: Calling this the match of the night is like calling The Great Kahli the worst wrestler of the year - it's pretty obvious. They have done a great job of making this feud one of the best WWE feuds in a long time and I have a feeling this will be the blow off until the tag teams are officially brought back together soon. As for the result, see what I said about Carlito vs. Masters and the Women's Title match.
Winner: Johnny Nitro (New IC Champ)
Sean Garmer: I guess I'll go ahead and say this will be MOTN too. This feud has been terrific and a great way to bring prestige back to the IC title. The Ladder Match was pretty good, and I expect something crazy in the Cage Match. Nitro would benefit the most from winning, because he needs a win, not only to look strong in the feud, but I think he will be feuding with Cena eventually too.
Winner and NEW IC Champion: Johnny Nitro
Andy Clark: This will probably be MOTN here and Nitro could have another star making performance. Dear God, could we see that corkscrew moonsault off the cage?
Winner and NEW Intercontinental Champion: Johnny Nitro
Mathew Sforcina: Ok, so these two have been trading the belt back and forth for a while now. And MNM/Hardys at WM does seem logical. So they need to get the belt off these guys. So there are two options. One, Hardy retains then gets squished by Umaga the following night. Two, Nitro wins, then loses the belt to Carlito in time for the Rumble and MNM/Hardys are 1, 2, 3 and 4. Let's go with the outcome I like.
Winner, and NEW WWE IC Champ: Johnny Monday Nitro (Hardy misses something, Nitro crawls out the door.)
Bayani Domingo: Jeff Hardy is going to win or die. Either way, somewhere out there is about a dozen now fat and pregnant old school 2001 Hardy Boyz fans creaming themselves and wishing they had held out for Jeff to be their first. Still, this will probably be MOTN and if Nitro wins, this could be his chance to lay claim to king of the Mid-card heels.
Winner: Jeff Hardy via the "Nostalgia always Wins" Bomb
Stuart Carapola: This has match of the night written all over it. You never know who's going to come out on top when these two get together, but you know it'll be good. Except Hardy to pull out some stupid moves and break his ass like usual, but I also expect Nitro to come up with his big insane "I can't believe he just did that" move as well.
Winner: Jeff Hardy
Samuel Berman: What I've seen of Hardy since his WWE return has been solid if not very good. I actually caught all of their ladder match for the IC strap a few weeks ago, and really enjoyed it. Nitro has TONS of potential and he seems to be one of the company's true top-level guys for the future, so I think he'll take the win here in what could be a great match. By the way, am I the only one who remembers when Jeff upset HHH for the IC Title on SmackDown a bunch of years ago and it was treated like the biggest upset of all time (and that the notion of Jeff as IC champion was CRAZY)?
Winner: Johnny Nitro
Ari Berenstein: The show stealer, although I worry for Jeff Hardy regressing to his haggard ways of years gone bye due to getting injured from all these stip matches he's had of late. Johnny Nitro is knocking on the door of being a breakthrough hit.
Winner: Jeff Hardy through something spectacular
Michael Weyer: Another good fight as the feud between these two has been a surprising highlight on RAW the last few months. Trading the belt again may seem a bit much but if the rumors of a Team Extreme reunion are true, then they do need to get the belt off Jeff. Plus, Nitro could use more elevation himself.
Winner and NEW IC champion: Johnny Nitro.
Randy Isbelle: This one is probably the toughest one for me to figure out. I don't see either of them having the title at WrestleMania so then why give the title to Nitro? But then again...it is the WWE.
Winner: And still IC Champ Jeff Hardy (After a sick senton bomb from the top of the cage)
Sat: Either guy could win here, but I see Nitro winning by getting some help from Joey Mercury.
Winner: Johnny Nitro
Zac Calhoun: Hopefully, this can be our big blow off to the feud, as it's probably run its course. It's been a fun ride with these two, and I think it's time for Nitro to become a three-time IC champ. He's had a lot of exposure lately, especially with the Cena/K-Fed stuff, and his career is on a roll right now. Jeff won't be hurt by losing the title anyway.
Winner: Johnny Nitro (new champ)
Jeff Small: I think Nitro has gotten all the rub he needed from K-fed. He's already above the IC level in my eyes so there's no sense in giving him back the title. By keeping the title on Jeff Hardy it squashes any chance of him moving up in the card (which is a good thing) AND it will probably lead to another year without an IC defense at WrestleMania (thanks to MITB3).
Winner: Jeff Hardy
Jordan Linkous: You know, this is the main reason I am going to Hooters on Sunday. And the wings. That's it. These guys had a great match a while back on Raw, and all of their other matches have been solid at least. I see Jeff trying some high-risk maneuver and missing, or Nitro stepping it up and doing something big of his own. I think this match will be the last of the rivalry, too.
Winner: Johnny Nitro
Larry Csonka: This will most likely be the match of the night. These two men have clicked perfectly, whether in singles or tag matches. Nitro has progressed a lot and Hardy is motivated and the matches are the evidence of that. Expect a nice big bump somewhere in here, and a fun time.
Ryan Byers: This has been such an oddly booked feud. For MONTHS, DX squashed both Edge and Orton time and time again. Then, three weeks ago, somebody decided that the bad guys needed to go over if the program was actually going to succeed. So, after being job boys for quite some time, Edge and Orton are now legitimate threats to HBK and HHH . . . but they've been made in to legitimate threats right around the same time that you would expect the feud to be blown off, meaning that they won't even be able to get any momentum from the beating that they laid on the DXers. The other problem is the fact that the Tag Team Titles are on the line, and neither team seems like they could legitimately lose them to any of the other members of the division when this feud ends. All in all, this one is a real head scratcher. I'll pick RKO just because it seems easier to get the tag belts off of them than it would be to get them off of Hunter and Shawn.
Winners: On this day, nothing you can say . . .
Daniel Wilcox: I'm actually quite looking forward to this match. Rated RKO got the win at Cyber Sunday but most have forgotten about that already. DX got beat down badly three weeks ago and haven't yet got their revenge so I think DX take the tag straps here. Then WGTT get them after Rated RKO interfere and cost DX, leading to the big blow off and Mania in Hell In A Cell. I'm predicting a screwy finish in the WWE title match so this should go on last to send the fans home happy.
Winners: And NEW TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS, DX!
Mike Bauer: Calling this the match of the night is like calling Chris Benoit to retain the title last month - You all think I'm nuts, but watch I'm right. Seriously, this match could be the sleeper of the night and I would no problems calling it right now. The fact that the titles are on the line confuses me a little bit. Everyone would think that this is the time that DX goes over, as Triple H can't stay down for long. But how exactly can they win the tag titles are expect anybody to take it off of them? Then again, who else could take the title off of Rated RKO? I truly have no clue how this will end, but it definitely will be a DQ. I'll go with the way that protects HHH.
Winners: Rated RKO by DQ (Still Tag Champs)
Sean Garmer: I agree with Clark, I was at the show Monday, and when they were running down the card, nowhere on the screen did it say that the Tag Titles were on the line. I don't know how long they plan to keep this going. Both teams have gotten the better of each other. I guess if they are going to do some kind of blow off at the Rumble, EDGE & Orton win here.
Winners: Rated RKO
Andy Clark: For the record I don't think this is a title match. That being said this will probably be the longest match of the night and depending on the Cena-Umaga finish could be the main event. I'll pick Rated RKO just because it would be a shame to derail them after their recent momentum.
Winners: Rated RKO
Mathew Sforcina: It's DX. Of course the booking is wacky. But this is like the IC match. Either the champs retain only to get beaten by a face team at the Rumble by DX-ferance (Let's go with Cryme Tyme), or DX win, then lose it to a heel team (World's Greatest Tag Team springs to mind). But if we assume that the show is booked around making Cena look strong, since god knows he needs it...
Winners, and STILL WWE Tag Champions: Rated RKO (Flair Heel Turn)
Bayani Domingo: This isn't how you make the tag belts seem important, it's how you make them an accessory to a feud that never needed them in the first place. If DX wins, we might as well forget Cena dropping the belt in 2007 at all because who else is going to emerge as top heels in the company? Eugene??
Winner: Rated RKO, I don't really believe it but I might as well go 0 for 6 this PPV.
Stuart Carapola: Under normal circumstances, I would say that DX is a shoe-in to squash Edge and Orton. The only thing is that I think, at this point, the World Tag Team Title is below DX. Chicanery leads to an RKO win, setting up something else between them at the Royal Rumble or WrestleMania.
Winners: Rated RKO
Samuel Berman: I liked DX in 1997, and while I've moved on to other things in the past decade, I still find myself smiling when they're on TV. It occurred to me during RAW how good HHH & Shawn still are at cutting promos that make me want to see a match. I mean, I'm not going to buy the PPV, but they still made me interested, which honestly says a lot. Rated RKO retains here because Nitro & Kenny can't be the only heels to go over. How's that for backwards logic.
Winner: Rated RKO
Ari Berenstein: D-X have had quite the eclectic promos over the last few months. Amazingly though, the goal of winning the tag team titles has not been mentioned once. Actually that's not so amazing, because who really cares about the tag belts? Not HBK and HHH.
Winners: Double Disqualification
Michael Weyer: That HHH has gone this long without a title is amazing and some may think this means DX gets the belts again. That's especially true if they want Edge and Orton challenging Cena at WM. But there's still heat in this feud and keeping the titles on RKO will help keep it boiling.
Winner and still tag team champions: Rated RKO
Randy Isbelle: The fact that this is for the titles makes it tough for me to say that DX will win this match. I really think that this whole Ric Flair angle should make this match end in a DQ as DX can't control themselves and just go to beat the crap out of Rated RKO. This could set up an interesting Rumble match if they decide to go there.
Winner: And still Tag Team Champs Rated RKO (By DQ)
Sat: Rated RKO cheats to beat DX and DX gets their revenge the next night on RAW by helping another team defeated Rated RKO for the World Tag Titles.
Winner: Rated RKO
Zac Calhoun: It's very clear that Edge and Orton need the win to establish a little more credibility. The only question is if they need it bad enough to forego politics and make it happen. I tend to think they do. I think they could have a brutal match here with the heels picking up the win, which could lead to a big hardcore-based rematch at the Royal Rumble. Too bad the titles mean less than nothing in this feud.
Winner: Rated RKO
Jeff Small: Since the Tag Titles are on the line, my Scooby Sense senses a win for the champions. Then again going from DX to Cryme Tyme is nothing to be proud of.
Winners: Rated RKO
Jordan Linkous: DX have been made the fool on several occasions thanks to Rated RKO. This would lead one to believe that DX will finally get their revenge on them. However, I don't see what DX would do with the titles. And a win over DX would really help establish Rated RKO as the top heels on RAW, right behind UMAG….. nope. Couldn't do it.
Winner: Rated RKO
Larry Csonka: This COULD be a great match, but I am not sure, it really depends on the booking here. DX always ends up looking strong on PPV and I really fear that they will here. Hopefully I am wrong and RKO gains a huge win here.
Ryan Byers: I'd imagine that they're going to want to get more than one PPV title match out of this feud, so the two guys will probably lock it up again at the Royal Rumble. The best way to accomplish this is having Umaga run wild and get disqualified, setting up a street fight for later in the month. The best part is that the screw job won't even make the fans that angry if the company is smart and puts DX vs. RKO on last and give a clean-ish finish there.
Winner: Cena by DQ
Daniel Wilcox: Estrada is getting FUed here because he didn't get his Monday night. Cena making Umaga submit would be an awesome ending and a bit of jibe at TNA and how they ended Joe's streak. But I see some sort of screwy finish here, possibly a DQ or double count out. If we do have to have a DQ, I'd prefer Cena gets DQed after he can't put Umaga away. Let's say he takes him out with a chair shot then applies the STFU just for fun. This is where Estrada comes in and takes the FU. Sounds good to me, we get a rematch at the Rumble, everyone's happy.
Winner: Umaga by DQ
Mike Bauer: The more I think of this, the less I can see Umaga as the champ. This of course means he will win and be the most undeserving champion in the WWE ever. I really, really don't watch to see the rematch, but I know we will.
Winner: Umaga (New WWE Champ)
Sean Garmer: They've had so much interference with Umaga that I don't see this going much further. Cena lost on Monday, which means Cena is going to clean Umaga's clock on Sunday. WWE would be smart to scrap another match with Umaga, because it's not worth it, keep it one and done.
Winner and Still Champion: John Cena
Andy Clark: This is a tough one to pick. My gut tells me that Umaga can't possibly win the title, but I also don't think we'll get a DQ finish. Umaga also loses a lot of his mystique if he's not unbeaten. That man has a date with Boogey Man at WrestleMania! I think we need to have some sort of double pin or something setting up the title to be vacated and setting up a rematch at Royal Rumble.
Winner: Draw
Mathew Sforcina: Cena got beat on Raw. Ergo, he wins cleanly in 5 minutes here.
Winner, and STILL WWE Champion: John 'Superman' Cena (FU)
Bayani Domingo: Is Umaga a credible top heel? Maybe. Is he a credible champion who could maintain a buy rate? No way in hell. This is so sad because Cena vs. Orton is almost a lock for WrestleMania, and yet we are less than 3 months away and clearly the "e" is just going to throw the Royal Rumble winner at Cena instead of building up a real feud for the Main Event. Leading me to believe that this is a foregone conclusion of a match and that there are really only 3 possible candidates to face Cena at WM: Randy Orton, HHH, and….yes…The Undertaker. Oh yeah, let that stew in your noggin for a minute.
Winner: And NEW WWE CHAMPION…UUUUUUmmmmmaaaa…hahahahahah…sorry, couldn't type that with a straight face. John Cena wins…duh.
Stuart Carapola: I'm sure of two things: Umaga won't suffer his first loss here, and Cena won't lose the WWE Title to Umaga. Therefore, screw job ending. I think Umaga will end up the winner to justify another match down the line, but it'll be a DQ or count out.
Winner: Umaga (via DQ or count out)
Samuel Berman: Umaga is still as uninteresting to me as he was when he debuted. Cena is Cena. This seems to be academic to me. Maybe they'll hotshot the title like they did last year, but that seems like an incredibly dumb idea to me. I'm also the guy who predicted that Delirious would make Samoa Joe tap out in the next twelve months, so what do I know?
Winner: John Cena
Ari Berenstein: If Umaga becomes WWE champion before Samoa Joe becomes NWA champion, I will burn my WWE DVD collection. Okay, maybe just the Yokozuna comps.
Winner: John Cena (Umaga gets heat back post match)
Michael Weyer: Ugh, is this the best they can do for Cena? Yeah, they've built Umaga up as a monster but it's still not that tough to predict what the result is going to be...
Winner and still WWE champion: John Cena
Randy Isbelle: John Cena lost the title last NYR, and they are making it look like he might lose it here. However, I see them having some screwy finish that nobody is going to like, and extending this rivalry to the Rumble. Which is really sad cause I want to see Umaga in the Rumble match (which could still happen I guess, look at Kurt Angle a few years ago).
Winner: No Contest (Double Count out)
Sat: This match will definitely be happening again at the Royal Rumble. How that's going to happen is the question? I see this being a DQ of sorts, so lets say that Cena as Umaga in the STFU and Estrada interferes. This sets up a street fight/last man standing at the Rumble
Winner: Cena by DQ
Zac Calhoun: Let me be clear on this: I want Umaga to walk out of NYR with the title. It would be unexpected, it would get someone fresh in the title hunt, and it would avoid sacrificing Umaga's streak at the hands of someone who doesn't really benefit from breaking it. However, I'm fairly certain Umaga won't be winning the title. It might be a weird finish to maintain the streak, but I don't think WWE wants anyone but Cena to carry the belt right now.
Winner: John Cena
Jeff Small: With the Rumble only weeks away, I expect a non-decision to keep the feud alive. Good thing about the Rumble is that one of the title matches doesn't run for over 10 minutes. Oh shit, Batista's wrestling the other one.
Winner: No Contest
Jordan Linkous: This match has me split. On one side, Umaga shouldn't lose his first match to John Cena, mainly because it doesn't do anything for Cena. But I also don't think that Umaga is a credible champion. So, to keep both things running, I think it will be either a DQ finish or Double Count Out.
Winner: John Cena (DQ or DCO)
Larry Csonka: I think that this could be a very fun match. Umaga is a great monster and Cena is a great face on the comeback. The crowd should be into the beat down and comeback, which should result in an above average match at the very least. But I also feel that they will stretch this out a little longer before Hogan defeats Bundy Cena defeats Umaga.
Winner: John Cena via DQ/No Contest
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