Keys to the Game 6.23.07: Two's Company, Five's a Challenge
Posted by Joe Estee on 06.23.2007
This Sunday night, WWE presents its tri-branded PPV, Vengeance: A Night of Champions. On this night, all nine WWE championships will be up for grabs on the same night for the first time ever. Here, we will preview the WWE Championship Challenge match, and what the participants should “Key” in on…
Championships are the focus when it comes to professional wrestling or any other sport for that matter. Titles are what every athlete strives for, creating feuds and storylines and the ultimate reward for a Herculean effort. This is why athletes play the game, and this is why we, the fans, watch.
This Sunday night, WWE presents its tri-branded PPV, Vengeance: A Night of Champions. On this night, all nine WWE championships will be up for grabs on the same night for the first time ever. Here, we will preview the WWE Championship Challenge match, and what the participants should "Key" in on…
WWE CHAMPIONSHIP CHALLENEGE MATCH
John Cena vs. Mick Foley vs. King Booker vs. Bobby Lashley vs. Randy Orton
John Cena:
While Cena has managed to traverse nearly ever barrier he has encountered over the past 10 months, Sunday night has the potential to be the one that finally unseats him from the top of the heap. On numerous occasions, John Cena has voiced his disdain for multi-competitor matches. And rightly so, as many of the qualities that have facilitated Cena's successful title defenses will be nullified due to the condition that Cena need not be involved in the finish for the title to change hands. Even with that said, Cena once again appears to be the favorite walking into Sunday night.
Mick Foley:
Mick has not competed on a regular basis for several years now, and on every subsequent comeback his decline becomes more evident. The Hardcore Legend is also suffering from the Monday night assault from Umaga, further reducing his effectiveness in this match.
While anything can happen during multi-competitor matches, especially when that number is at five, I do not view Foley as a legitimate threat to prevail in this bout. However, Foley's hardcore reputation, as well as his total disregard for his own safety, positions him to be the ultimate spoiler. While Foley's antics may well incapacitate himself at some point during the match, he'll probably be taking someone along for the ride.
Bobby Lashley:
Lashley had a exceptional, albeit sheltered, stretch on SmackDown!, followed up by a dominating run as Champion on ECW. Now on RAW, Lashley will discover that competency isn't an anomaly, rather it is customary on Monday nights. This harsh reality arrived in the form of an RKO, concluding Lashley's initial match as a certified member of the RAW roster.
While I am exceedingly impressed with the skill Lashey has displayed during his time in the WWE, including last week's stellar victory over Chris Benoit, I still view him as a somewhat wide-eyed and untested talent. Because of this, I expect Lashley to eventually lose sight of his opportunity Sunday night and end up focusing his efforts on a single individual, such as King Booker or Randy Orton.
King Booker:
With King Booker returning from a brief absence due to various injuries, ring rust is to be expected. On the other hand, Booker should also be considerably fresh and rested with comparison to the other four combatants. A six time World Champion, King Booker is a solid and experienced performer who poses a substantial threat to capture his first WWE title Sunday night. If Booker can control his own tempo and allow opportunity to present itself, we could have a Royal celebration come RAW.
Randy Orton:
Anyone who has followed this column regularly is well aware of my reverence (See: Heterosexual Man-Crush) for Randy Orton. That aside, Orton is positioned in a very workable scenario to finally recapture past glory. As outlined above, each of the other four contestants has an element of this match working against them. And while Cena's disadvantage is that he can lose his title without being part of the finish, it could work as Orton's greatest strong point. Orton's momentum has been on a substantial upward swing as of late, most recently recording a clean victory over Lashley with a devastating RKO last Monday night.
However, one must consider the history between The Legend Killer and Mick Foley, and that Orton would do well to avoid a rekindling of old sentiment during this title opportunity. Orton will certainly appear as more than a blip on Mick's radar, and may be the target for Foley's aptitude to portray the role of spoiler in this match-up.
KEYS TO THE GAME
EXPERIENCE
Even though Both King Booker and Mick Foley have competed for much longer, neither can boast primacy in this category when one considers the trials that John Cena has endured during his period as WWE Champion. As I have mentioned on numerous occasions, Cena been placed in, and prevailed, in more thorny predicaments than any other Champion has in recent memory. Advantage – John Cena
STRENGTH
While pure strength alone will not secure victory in this match, possesing it certainly does not impeded one from reaching that goal. Especially in a match where dealing out mass amounts of punishment is a necessity. For that matter, I consider it a significant factor for victory. In this case, the two obvious powerhouse are that of WWE Champion John Cena and the former ECW title holder, Bobby Lashley. Both men possess immense physical power and strength and have demonstrated such on many an occasion. While there may not be a clear front runner in this category, we the fans may be treated to quite the showdown if these two manage to lock individual horns Sunday night. Advantage – Bobby Lashley & John Cena
RESILIENCY
While it may be uncertain with regards to who can dish out the most punishment, the ability to absorb it once again with lies exclusively with the WWE Champion. When it's all said and done, Cena will no doubt leave behind a Hogan-esque legacy with regards to his in-ring resiliency. Cena has demonstrated his physical resilience time and time again, yet it is his mental toughness that has most impressed me over the past few years. Cena has had to endure WrestleMania main events against both Triple H and Shawn Michaels, walked into the Hammerstein Ballroom to face Rob Van Dam in front of one of the most unruly crowds I've seen in ages, and squared off against Edge in a ladder match in his hometown of Toronto, all the while keeping his state of being focused on the task at hand. Advantage – John Cena
FINISHER
I've said it before, and I'll say it again; I don't like submission finishers in multi-competitor contests. Not only are there other combatants available to break up the hold, but one leaves themselves vulnerable as well. So with that in mind, I'm ruling out Mandible Claw and the STFU as viable closers for this match.(Just like you did against Khali, right Joe?) Booker's scissor's kick involves a somewhat involved set-up, whereas Lashley's powerslam and Cena's FU are relatively quick and versatile. However, I must side with Orton's RKO on this one (Yeah, no one say that coming right?) It's can come out of nowhere, and has put the best down for the count. We've already seen Foley and most recently Bobby Lashley put down by it, and I have no doubts that Booker T would also fall prey to the Legend Killers signature closer. Cena on the other hand could be a different story. As stated above, he has tremendous resiliency towards punishment, but it still remains to be seen what effect it would have on him in a championship match. Advantage – Randy Orton
X-FACTOR
We actually have a very interesting X-Factor for this particular match-up. As of now, there are only five particpants involved in the main event. However, it is my understanding that the contest is still open for any other former World Champion to partake in. With that said, it will be very interesting to see who, if anyone, decised to throw their hat in the ring…
