411 PPV Roundtable Preview: WWE Vengeance 2007
Posted by Stephen Randle on 06.23.2007
It's a Night of Champions, with every WWE title on the line, and the 411 staff has all the predictions for the big show.
Good morning everyone, and welcome to another 411 PPV Roundtable. Boy, we've sure done a lot of these lately, haven't we?
Anywho, the latest PPV offering from WWE is called Vengeance: Night of Champions. In an interest to boost interest in this traditional throwaway summer PPV, especially when Vengeance comes at the end of a long stretch of WWE PPV's within a short period of time, WWE has decreed that every title in the promotion will be on the line at Vengeance. Throw in a little storyline where Vince McMahon was blown up in his limousine two weeks ago, and you have all the ingredients for…well, something, anyway.
The PPV fatigue is even showing on the 411 staff, as it's the smallest turnout in a long time. Of course, the staff spent a lot of time discussing "who killed Vince" in a separate Roundtable (coming soon), NOT run by me, and I guess they were too tired to drag their sorry carcasses to another Roundtable in the same week. Such is life. However, some of 411's most loyal did make the effort to provide you all with some of the wittiest predictions that no money can buy, and here they are:
Stephen Randle, The Wrestling News Experience
Michael Bauer, ECW recapper
Matt Adamson, Destiny
Larry Csonka, in charge of lots of things
Ari Berenstein, Column of Honor
Michael Weyer, Shining A Spotlight
Mathew Sforcina, Evolution Schematic
Andy Clark, The Shimmy
Matt Short, The Navigation Log
John Meehan, Meethinks
John Gregory, Death By Midwest
Jeff Small, The Small-For-All News Report
Sat, High Road/Low Road
Brad Borchardt, Smackdown recapper
Neil Borenstein, 411 Sports' MLB Fastball
And remember, for all you need to know about the Road to Vengeance, check out Leonard Hayhurst's PPV Preview column right here.
With introductions finished, let's take a look at the huge slate of title matches presented for your consideration at WWE Vengeance: Night of Champions.
NOTE: Deuce and Domino have issued an open challenge for the WWE Tag Team Championship, which was announced after press time, and thus is not included in the predictions. Consensus, however, is that they will face the Major Brothers, and probably will win. Just in case anyone cared.
Melina (c) vs Candice Michelle - Women's Championship
Stephen Randle: Candice has shown that she can learn to wrestle somewhat, but ever since the rise of Trish and competent female wrestlers, WWE has actually been pretty careful about keeping the belt on the good workers.
Winner: Melina
Michael Bauer: Candice, you may be hot and you may be getting better as a wrestler, but there is no way you are beating Melina for the title.
Winner and still Champion: Melina
Matt Adamson: I'd love to care about this match but when I can pop in a DVD of Sara Del Rey vs. Mercedes Martinez why do I need to see this? I'm going to go against what I assume to be the obvious pick and say Candice Michelle wins because she is better looking.
Winner: Candice Michelle
Larry Csonka: Candice is improving a lot, and the match should be fine. But I just don't see them taking the title off of Melina right now because she and Mickie have unresolved issues.
Winner: Melina
Ari Berenstein: Candice has been tremendous as of late (well, relative to the current quality of the Divas Division) and has pretty much been winning matches consistently. it would have been foolish to say so a year ago, but right now she is a legitimate contender for the title. I just don't think she's going to win here since there is still steam for Melina as heel champ, but perhaps in the future and maybe in a rematch at Summerslam.
Winner: Melina
Michael Weyer: Well, they've been putting it off for a while and actually made Candice not too bad so the title switch is due here. Unlike some, I won't mind as Candice is improving and might make a good titleholder for a bit.
WINNER and NEW Women's Champion: Candice Michelle
Mathew Sforcina: Whichever Diva they brought over from SD determined who winned here. Had Michelle come over like everyone was saying (since it was logical and had good upside) then Melina's reign of pseudo-terror would continue. But given it was Jillian (who is yes, a better wrestler but has a terrible gimmick), Candice wins here. And that's a good thing, she's really improved, and working with Jillian in the ring will help her.
Winner, and NEW WWE Women's Champion: Candice Michelle (Botched Jillian-ferance into Go Daddy Go Daddy Go Neckbreaker)
Andy Clark: Candice has been winning at every turn but she hasn't won the title. Raw's newest Diva is a heel so I guess we need to go with the title switch.
Winner and NEW Women's Champion: Candice Michelle
Matt Short: A women's title match on a WWE PPV. Can't expect too much except for it to not be bad which I doubt this will be.
Winner: Melina
Meehan: Two wishes for this one -- 1) That it'll be short, and 2) That the extra time on the card that it *doesn't* take up will be given to Benoit/Punk. Thanks in advance, WWE
Winner: Candice
John Gregory: Melina is the most over woman in the company right now, and looks to remain the staple of the Women's Division much like Trish and Lita were. Candice Michelle is not any of that.
Winner: Melina
Jeff Small: I really can't see the WWE putting the Women's title on Candice even after drafting another heel woman to the roster. Surely Candice has improved but the #1 face on the Women's roster is Mickie James and until Candice receives pops like that, she shouldn't be winning the title. Throw in the fact that Candice has won the last PPV contest and it's looking like a Melina win on Sunday.
Winner: Melina
Sat: This feud has been really drawn out. I would like to see Candice win the title, but it makes sense to keep the title on Melina.
Winner: Melina
Brad Borchardt: Melina wins here to build her up as champion.
Winner: Melina
Neil Borenstein: I like how the WWE is pushing Candice Michelle and giving her a chance to spread her wings, which is more than just her legs. But, to give her the women's title – that's taking it a bit far. So, with that said, I think Melina is carrying the belt fairly well and will now have the opportunity to really go out on her own since Johnny Nitro was moved to ECW. Hopefully this match isn't too long and ends up with Melina retaining.
Winner and STILL Women's Champion: Melina
Chavo Guerrero (c) vs Jimmy Wang Yang - Cruiserweight Championship
Stephen Randle: Yang has been deserving of the title since his re-debut, but they keep failing to pull the trigger. I think this is the time, though.
Winner: Jimmy Wang Yang
Michael Bauer: Wait, the Cruiserweight Title still exists? You could have fooled me with that one. It doesn't matter who wins here, the title will still disappear into oblivion once this is done with.
Winner and still Champion: Chavo Guerrero
Matt Adamson: I actually still prefer Chavo to most of the WWE's roster because while he may be stale, he isn't stale in the same way. Yang on the otherhand is very fresh at the moment as he hasn't gone into the formula funk yet. I have a solid feeling we'll be seeing a new Cruiserweight champion.
Winner: Jimmy Wang Yang
Larry Csonka: WWE still has cruiserweights? Holy shit! Well, I donno, let's got for a title change here.
Winner: Jimmy Wang Yang
Ari Berenstein: The Cruiserweight division has been resurrected for the fortieth time, but it seems to be sticking this time for more than a month. These guys probably won't get a lot of time, so they'll go for the gusto right away. I see the old school Guerrero "Lie, Cheat and Steel" motto being put to use in this match.
Winner: Chavo Guerrero
Michael Weyer: Wow, the Cruiserweight belt defended on a PPV? Weird. Well, Chavo is good but Yang's been deserving for a while and could breathe new life into the division. So give him the belt and let him show how the Cruiserweights can work.
WINNER and NEW Cruiserweight Champion: Yang
Mathew Sforcina: Wasn't Chavo on his way out? Still, might as well give Jimmy a run, see what he does with it.
Winner, and NEW WWE Cruiserweight Champion: Jimmy Wang Yang (Wang Time, a very Non-Flashy grounded Finisher)
Andy Clark: See Larry, THIS is why every match at WrestleMania can't be a title match. This kind of thing can fly in June, not in March. The match should be OK but Chavo is a safe bet for the belt until Rey comes back. Then hopefully he can win the title from Chavo and unify it with one of the big belts.
Winner and STILL Cruiserweight Champion: Chavo Guerrero
Matt Short: Glad to see the cruiserweights back on PPV. But this is pretty much the only way to do it now with the shows being tri-branded, it leaves the WWE's unwanted child of a division out in the cold. These two could have a fun little match, which is good because I can't see this getting much time. It's kind of hard to pick winners in cruiserweight title matches since the division gets ignored so much. The belt is either moving all over the place or being forgotten and not written onto shows. So this could go either way. So lets say Chavo off the coin flip.
Winner: Chave Guerrero
Meehan: I'm not holding my breath for greatness here, as WWE has put just as much thought into building this feud as I'm about to put into this next sentence. Iasd aqwjbauokkweta, awer1!g#..a2. Yup, that looks about right.
Winner: Jimmy Wang Yang (simply because they'll need a title switch or two to liven up the night)
John Gregory: Oh right, this title still exists. What reign is this for Chavo? 37? Oh, right, a prediction...
Winner: Jimmy Wang Yang
Jeff Small: It seems like Jimmy Wang Yang is 8-0 against Chavo Guerrero in non-title and tag matches. Which of course means that he's jobbing at the PPV. I really don't seem the point of keeping Chavo as Cruiserweight champion especially since he really hasn't been mentioned on TV outside of the last few weeks. Here's hoping the WWE finds a new awesome cruiserweight to run the division because it's pretty stale now.
Winner: Chavo Guerrero
Sat: Finally, the crusierweight title has made it to a pay per view. It doesn't really matter what happens here because the cruiserweight title will still be meaningless. I expect the title to change hands because Yang can then face Noble and Moore.
Winner: Jimmy Wang Yang
Brad Borchardt: This should be a fun match, but nobody cares about it. Hopefully Chavo retains so we get Moore vs. Chavo for the title.
Winner: Chavo Guerrero
Neil Borenstein: For as much as I respect Chavo Guerrero, just put the belt on Jimmy Wang Yang. Though the gimmick is stupid, Yang has the ability to rule over that division which is seemingly non-existent at this point. While I won't be disappointed if Guerrero retains, I think the title is better off being around Yang's waist. This should be a solid match with some good wrestling, so it'll be fun either way.
Winner and NEW Cruiserweight Champion: Jimmy Wang Yang
Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch (c) vs The Hardys - World Tag Team Championship
Stephen Randle: Cade and Murdoch need to move on to challenging someone else, and the Hardys need to move on to…something. Hey, I hear Matt's former best friend is champion of the brand he's on. Maybe that could lead to another feud where he gets his ass kicked a lot.
Winner: Cade and Murdoch
Michael Bauer: To quote Larry and everyone else, "Fuck the brand split." That all this match has written on it. The Hardys are broken up, get it straight guys who make up the WWE braintrust. As such, they shouldn't win here and Matt Hardy can finally have a real singles run.
Winners and still Champions: The Redneck Deverish
Matt Adamson: Another really solid match out of these two teams and I'm going to have a restored faith in WWE's tag division. With London and Kendrick joining the RAW roster, things are only going to get better. Hell, all the teams on one brand making up an awesome tag division is better than 3 really poor tag divisions. Watch for Cade and Murdoch to retain as each of the Hardyz may be headed for singles gold.
Winners: Cade and Murdoch
Larry Csonka: While they always have good matches and I am sure this one will be as well, I have to question the match taking place at all. Hello, Brand Extension. Oh yeah, no one cares about that.
Winner: Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch
Ari Berenstein: Cade and Murdoch just won the belts, and WWE can't decide between Monday and Tuesday whether or not to keep the Hardys together.
Winner: Cade and Murdoch
Michael Weyer: Surprised they're renewing the push to Cade and Murdoch after so long but they click as a team. I see them keeping the belts for the inevitable loss to Kendrick & London but the Hardyz should continue giving them the rub here.
WINNER and still World Tag Team Champions: The Redneck Duo
Mathew Sforcina: There is SO a Lashley/Cena tag reign in the works. Alas.
Winners, and STILL World Tag Team Champions: Hollywood Rednecks (Redneck Destroyer into Elbow Drop)
Andy Clark: I was so looking forward to C&M vs. L&K but I guess I'll have to wait a while. This should be the blowoff to this feud and I can't see Cade & Murdoch losing when they just got the belts.
Winners and STILL World Tag Team Champions: Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch
Matt Short: I could complain about the draft being useless as the Hardys didn't get moved, yet still get the title shot. But there are people much more articulate about it than me. This whole feud has been great and it's awesome to see Cade and Murdoch getting a chance to really show their stuff. This feud has been great and Cade and Murdoch are finally going to get the PPV win here and retain. It's too soon to take the belts off of them anyway, but these two teams are going to put have another great showing.
Winners: Cade and Murdoch
Meehan: You know what I love about the WWE Draft? It threatened to "break up the tag teams by drafting them to two different brands!" Ironically, WWE's second-biggest tag team (London/Kendrick) was drafted AS A UNIT... and WWE's *BIGGEST* tag team? Well, they're officially a part of two separate brands to begin with (Jeff on RAW and Matt on Smackdown!). Oh right, to the prediction...
Winner: The Redneck Whirling Dervish (no, not the Hardys...)
John Gregory: This should do it for these teams, since methinks Londrick are the next challengers. Plus, ya know, Hardys ARE on separate brands.
Winners: Cade and Murdoch
Jeff Small: This feud came out of nowhere and has really been the best thing on Raw for a while. However, it's run its course now and with the Hardys not a full time tag team, expect Cade & Murdoch to retain. Next up, London & Kendrick.
Winner: Cade & Murdoch
Sat: I really think that Cade and Murdoch need to win here to show that the WWE has some faith in them. Plus, if Cade and Murdoch win, we can find out how serious the WWE is about the brand extension.
Winner: Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch
Brad Borchardt: No way would they takes the titles off the Hardyz just to give them back again. Expect this to be the last Hardys match for a while as they focus on their singles careers.
Winners: Cade & Murdoch
Neil Borenstein: The WWE is determined to push Cade and Murdoch, so I think it's safe to say the champs will retain. I'm not a fan of it; I'm not very high on them. But the WWE seems to think highly of the team. And so be it. The Hardy Boyz will just have to remain titleless – maybe allowing for Jeff Hardy to go back after IC Gold and Matt Hardy to get into the World Heavyweight Title picture? Yeah, probably not. But I can dream.
Winners and STILL World Tag Team Champions: Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch
Santino Marella (c) vs Umaga - Intercontinental Championship
Stephen Randle: I'm not sure WWE is willing to end Marella's fifteen minutes of fame, but I don't like having Umaga lose another match, since he's spent most of 2007 jobbing after spending most of 2006 winning.
Winner: Marella
Michael Bauer: Santino Marella, thanks for playing, now you get squashed. Your consolation prize... well... you did beat Masters three times.
Winner and NEW Champion: Umaga
Matt Adamson: Does Santino have the magical touch twice? Is Lashley or somebody else going to do a generic run-in which will allow Santino to retain? Nope.
Winner: Umaga
Larry Csonka: I would love for Umaga to win here and take the title. But they seem to have a hard on for Santino, and plan to feud him with Regal.
Winner: Santino via DQ to keep Umaga Strong
Ari Berenstein: Well, the ride was fun but the party's over. Marella is not working as champion, he had a chance at making it work but there has been horrible follow through since his upset win. Umaga has been floating around and doing nothing, so might as well give him the strap and continue onwards.
Winner: Umaga, new IC champ
Michael Weyer: They waited this long for the rematch? It's tough to call as Umaga wasn't quite tearing it up as champ but then Marella isn't setting things on fire either. But I think they'll keep the belt on Marella for a bit longer just to let the whole "lucky fan hits it big" thing play out.
Winner and still IC champ: Marella
Mathew Sforcina: I'm Italian, and even I don't care about Santino right now.
Winner, and STILL WWE IC Champ: Santino Marella (Umaga DQ due to excesive use of the thumb and/or ringsteps.)
Andy Clark: There are 9 matches on this card so one of them has to go quick. I say it's this one. I'd love to see Umaga just squash Santino and win the belt back but I have a feeling we'll just see him get DQ'ed and possibly "suspended."
Winner by DQ and STILL Intercontinental Champion: Santino Marella
Matt Short: Marella could have been introduced in a much better way than instantly winning the IC title off of Umaga. All we've seen of him is plucky babyface Italian guy, who gets lucky to keep his title. Umaga could win the belt back here, but what would that actually accomplish? From the looks of things they're moving him into working with William Regal which will hopefully be a better experience for him than wrestling Chris Masters.
Winner: Santino Marella
Meehan: Before Monday night, I would have said "Umaga, no question." After Monday night, I see a glimmer of hope for the Italian upstart -- as the backstage tease with William Regal gives Mee every reason to believe that a bigger, longer-term feud is in the works for the Intercontinental Champion in the weeks to come. But since Santino is still pretty new to WWE fans -- even IF a guy as awesome as William Regal is likely to be in the mix -- we're gonna' need a title belt to fight over if we're going to be expected to care about the guy.
Winner: Marella retains (Regal shenanigans)
John Gregory: Like everyone else, there's Regal shenanigans a-comin'.
Winner: Umaga by DQ
Jeff Small: Squash.
Winner: UUUUUMMMMMMMAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGAAAAAAAAAAAA
Sat: Umaga is not going to win this match. I expect William Regal to play a part in this match, so he can start his feud with Santino. Expect Umaga to get Disqualified.
Winner: Santino Marella
Brad Borchardt: Wow, what a build to this match for two of htw worst champions in history. I htink Santino retains via DQ to make Umaga look strong and to keep the belt warm for a Carlito or Regal.
Winner- Santino via DQ
Neil Borenstein: It obviously won't come straight up with Santino Marella earning it, but he will retain the Intercontinental Title against Umaga. William Regal should play a role and Marella should continue to get more time on RAW as the weeks continue. I expect Umaga to dominate most of the match, but it will all be for nothing.
Winner and STILL Intercontinental Champion: Santino Marella
MVP (c) vs Ric Flair - United States Championship
Stephen Randle: This was kind of thrown together, and I still maintain that Flair should just act as Batista's mouthpiece on Smackdown instead of wrestling. I doubt he'll ever stop, though.
Winner: MVP
Michael Bauer: I think the only reason Flair got drafted was to take the place of Benoit in a feud with MVP. The guy is lucky, learning a ton from Benoit and now Flair in these matches. MVP should retain here, but not without some tom-fool-ery and some ballin'.
Winner and still Champion: MVP
Matt Adamson: I really don't know what to think here. Would it be awesome for Flair to win the US title? Yes! Would it suck for MVP to lose it so soon after winning it through so much effort over Benoit? Of course! So what to do, what to do? I say SHENANIGANS goes down and Flair loses the match due to interference by Edge which will lead to my wet dream of Ric Flair winning the big belt at the Bash.
Winner: MVP
Larry Csonka: MVP just took the title from Benoit, and it is too soon to take it from him. An extended program with Flair will be good for him, ala the Benoit feud so MVP wins via NEFARIOUS MEANS and Torrie will be involved somehow.
Winner: MVP
Ari Berenstein: This will be a fun match, although Flair will as usual be limited in what he can do. Still, this match will help provide further education for MVP in the ring. I don't see a clean win here for either individual, and I don't see a title change.
Winner: MVP via roll up and holding the ropes
Michael Weyer: Too soon for a title change. Instead, look for Flair to do what he does best, which is make anyone in the ring with him a star. Since MVP is already talented, the Flair battle will give him even more of a rub than Benoit and show he can really hang with the big guns.
Winner and still US Champ: MVP
Mathew Sforcina: This is what Flair should be doing, working with the young guys. But backstage as an Agent/Trainer, not in the ring...Sigh. Still, it'll be good for what it is, although Montel better have a new finisher quick-smart, Flair taking the Playmaker does not fill me with confidence for either looking good or being safe...
Winner, and STILL WWE US Champ: Montel Vontavious Porter (Either a new finisher, breaking Flair's neck, or a roll up with ropes/tights/mack truck)
Andy Clark: Wow, it was almost a year ago that I predicted this match for WrestleMania 23. Well I was only three months off. I'm looking forward to this, and while I'd like to see Flair get a run with the belt (any belt really) the time isn't right for MVP to job to the Nature Boy.
Winner and STILL United States Champion: MVP
Matt Short: Since the Benoit feud, MVP looks like a million bucks. He got a major rub from that and hopefully a series with Flair will do the same. While Ric isn't as great in the ring as he once was, he can still work a decent match and he can still put over MVP strong. It won't be a classic, but it'll be passible and MVP gets ring time with one of the greats.
Winner: MVP
Meehan: MVP is on a roll of late, and Flair has done little of note since his feud with Triple H wrapped some two years ago (and yes, that *includes* his beef with Mick Foley). As such -- the handwriting seems to be on the wall for this one, but a Flair title swap could liven things up and give MVP something to do for the summer months.
Winner: Eeesh... I'll say MVP, but expect this feud to continue
John Gregory: MVP fought for months to get that belt. I don't think they'd kill that just for Flair to get another accomplishment on his Wikipedia entry.
Winner: MVP
Jeff Small: I really hope MVP busts out the "Ballin" elbow. Outside of that, Flair hasn't really done much outside of beating Carlito at Judgment Day and doesn't need the US Championship nearly as much as new champ MVP.
Winner: MVP
Sat: I would be shocked to see Ric Flair win this match. This is a one and done deal for Flair.
Winner: MVP
Brad Borchardt: This match will be fun if both men bring their A game. MVP goes on to win here to build what should be a very long reign.
Winner: MVP
Neil Borenstein: Ric Flair is always known as the guy to put the younger wrestlers over, and that won't change here. MVP is getting a major push on Smackdown as he continues to improve, and the US Title is just one sign of that. So a win over Flair will give him more credibility and more legitimacy in the business. That's the point of this match and no title will change hands here.
Winner and STILL United States Champion: MVP
CM Punk vs. Chris Benoit - ECW Championship
Stephen Randle: At the rate the picks have turned out for this match (remember, I pick last, so I know everything), I'm either going to look like a genius or an idiot here. But I'm going to be the only guy to make this pick.
Winner: CM Punk.
Michael Bauer: This match will be the match of the night IF they give it more time than a normal ECW match. That is a pretty big if, I'll admit, but hopefully these guys will have some faith in Punk and benoit to give them 15 minutes. Either way, the action will be hot and the crowd will hopefully be behind them. Benoit emerges as champion and sets up some great matches from now until the fall.
Winner and NEW Champion: Chris Benoit
Matt Adamson: This match has potential written all over it. If these two have chemistry it's going to be very obvious as the match will be amazing. It's going to be good regardless as Benoit always delivers good at the very worst of times. He is on a roll lately, and Punk is very very talented. I don't know if they've run the house show circuit yet with this match, but if they've had a couple trial runs in order to learn to gel, this will be awesome, if not... We'll just have to see, but I can expect good at the least and MOTY at the best. Benoit is the man to make the ECW title look important, so I expect him to win here. It will be special, that's for certain.
Winner: Chris Benoit
Larry Csonka: I am hoping for a fine match here. Punk had no chemistry with Monty, but Benoit works well with 99.9% of people, so this should be fun if they have some time to tell a story. Benoit wins to anchor down the move to ECW and help the youngins!
Winner: Chris Benoit
Ari Berenstein: If you don't think CM Punk is pumped to be wrestling Benoit and is set to do his best in this match, then you don't get the guy at all. While it's pretty easy to have a good match with Benoit, it takes something more to have a great match with Benoit. If this gets time and these two gel like they should, this is going to be a great match and something well remembered. It may even be one of the larger selling points of the whole show. Hell, it's what's getting me to watch my first PPV since Wrestlemania 23.
Winner: Chris Benoit
Michael Weyer: Oh man, how to call this? Benoit is a legend and would be a great fit as the ECW champ. But Punk has been taking off with fans for so long, this could be his chance to. Ah...uh...flips coin...
WINNER and NEW ECW Champion: The Rabid Wolverine
Mathew Sforcina: Wouldn't it be hilarious is one of them got a busted eardrum and their balance went weird, or some other minor thing went wrong, and this match sucks? Well, from my point of view it would. It won't get enough time, but Benoit as ECW World Champ = Good Feelings From Me.
Winner, and NEW ECW World Champ: Chris F'n Benoit (Crossface)
Andy Clark: I really like this match, but I fear it will be fall flat with the audience and as such not come across well on TV. I wouldn't imagine Houston would be one of Punk's hot cities and I don't think anyone really thinks he has a chance anyhow. If anything this match is guaranteed to at least be solid but I hope I'm wrong and it tears the house down. Plus how cool is it that by the end of this match either CM Punk or Chris Benoit will be a World Champion? I know it's only ECW, but still.
Winner and NEW ECW World Champion: Chris Benoit
Matt Short: With enough time you'd have to think that these two would be able to tell a great in-ring story. This is definetly a battle of generations as you've got one of the best wrestlers from the 90s taking on a young guy who developed a huge reputation on the independant circuit. It's hard to imagine these guys not having a good match, as Benoit can make anyone look fantastic if they're motivated. Do they want to put the belt on Punk now? Maybe, but putting the established star on top and letting Punk and Burke chase is more likely.
Winner: Chris Benoit
Meehan: On the one hand, you've got Punker -- an IWC mainstay, and an ECW standout. On the other hand, you've got Benoit -- another IWC darling, and a WWE journeyman. If Benoit wins, he'll erase Big Show's claim of being "the only man ever to hold the WWE, WCW and ECW title." But if Punk wins? The internet might just explode. Tough call, eh?
Winner: Benoit, in a close one
John Gregory: Come on, fellow writers. Be more hopeful. This one should RULE. Plus, it's one of the top titles, so I imagine they give at least 10-15 minutes. Both men should bring their A-game.
Winner: Chris Benoit
Jeff Small: Here's our chance of a real MOTYC. While the Benoit/Punk storyline just began on Tuesday, there's a good chance that this will be the feud that will carry ECW through the summer. But in order for that to work, Punk needs to turn heel and the easiest way for that to work is for Benoit to win the title.
Winner: Chris Benoit
Sat: I think it is too soon for CM Punk to win the title. Chris Benoit is a much better choice to be the champion because he has the experience and he can also teach the youngster would it means to be champion.
Winner: Chris Benoit
Brad Borchardt: This should be match of the night if booked right. I'm torn on who will win, but I have to think WWE will go with the experience and Benoit wins the belt here. Hopefully Punk turns heel and we get a feud between the two for the summer.
Winner: Chris Benoit
Neil Borenstein: If the WWE just allows this match to happen, it will be the match of the night. Give it 20-25 good minutes and it will blow the roof off the building. I'm a huge fan of this match and I expect some tremendous wrestling action. This will be CM Punk's biggest test in the WWE to prove his transition from ROH to the WWE was well made, and I expect him to come off great like he always does. I don't expect the WWE to put the ECW Title on CM Punk quite yet, and the comfortable move is to go with Benoit.
Winner and NEW ECW World Champion: Chris Benoit
Edge (c) vs Batista - Last Chance Match - World Heavyweight Championship
Stephen Randle: I hate "Last Chance" stipulations. Because WWE only knows one way to book that sort of match.
Winner: Batista
Michael Bauer: In almost every occassion, if the challenger has one last chance to pull off a win of never get another shot, he wins the match and the title. That will not happen here. Edge needs a long title reign to remain credible as a main eventer and Batista is not the answer as a champion.
Winner and still Champion: Edge
Matt Adamson: I don't know what to think about this match but I sure hope Edge wins it. Flair has to beat somebody that can put on a good match at the Bash and that is Edge. Oh and he has to wrestle somebody that won't accidentially manslaughter Flair like Batista might with his clumsy green powerbomb.
Winner: Edge
Larry Csonka: Edge is the man right now and taking the title off of him would be a mistake I feel. Let Edge win, let Batista cry and I will be happy.
Winner: Edge
Ari Berenstein: Usually "Last Chance" matches in WWE mean the good guy wins out in the end. This time I think there is so much more to do with Edge as champion of Smackdown that he will retain.
Winner: Edge
Michael Weyer: Normally, "last chance" favors the face. But it's way too soon after Edge won the title and we all know Smackdown needs a dominant heel champ for a bit so see that streak broken with some chicanery. But we all know Batista will find a way to get another shot soon.
Winner and still World Champion: Edge
Mathew Sforcina: Oh great, another DAVE Royal Rumble win. Still, maybe this year he and Cena will get a double win out of it.
Loser, but STILL World Heavyweight Champ: Edge (DQ with a chair within 30 seconds. Man, the heat would be incredible...)
Andy Clark: Batista sure loves trilogies. Triple H, JBL, King Booker, Undertaker, and now Edge. Of those four previous trilogies, the third match was the best one in only one (Triple H). The JBL and Booker feuds are the most comparable to the Edge feud. Bad first match (the first match with Edge was significantly better than his first with JBL or Booker), really good second match, OK third match. This should be fine, but does anybody really expect Batista to win? I predict a WWE Tag Team Title run for Batista and Ric Flair in the future. Actually, that's a good idea for the Great American Bash: World Champion Edge & US Champion MVP vs. Tag Champs Batista & Flair. I know it's a copy of TNA's July show, but it works.
Winner and STILL World Heavyweight Champion: Edge
Matt Short: Oh how I want Edge to win this. Batista has challenged for the title since March and lost everytime. We need a break from Batista in the main event. The only problem would be, who would face Edge next? Mysterio is coming back and I wouldn't doubt them pushing Matt Hardy into a short program with Edge either. Just give us a break from Batista though.
Winner: Edge
Meehan: This is supposed to be big Dave's Do or Die "Last Chance" shot at Edge's belt, but with the blue brand in sore shape since the draft, I just can't see WWE programming The Animal out of the title picture every time Edge happens to be champion on down the line. Regardless, Edge has been promised "a nice, long title reign" -- so conventional wisdom says to stick with the Rated R Superstar for now, and let the whacky stipulations sort themselves on a while later down the road.
Winner: Edge
John Gregory: You already know.
Winner: Edge
Jeff Small: Let's go Edge. Let's go Edge. Let's go Edge.
Winner: Edge
Sat: This is Batista last chance at the title. That should have people guessing who is going to win, but I don't think that is the case. Expect Edge to win by cheating and they gloating about.
Winner: Edge
Brad Borchardt: Usually the face wins these matches, but I don't see Edge losing the title for a long, long time.
Winner: Edge
Neil Borenstein: Aren't we just burying Batista at this point. With so many feuds left for Edge on Smackdown, even with Mr. Kennedy gone, it makes little sense for the strap to be taken off Edge (other than he's still a scumbag.) But to have Batista, who is still an asset on Smackdown no matter how much people think he's useless, just roll over and die to Edge makes little sense as well. So in a match that shouldn't even be happening, I'll go with the shock just for the helluva it.
Winner and NEW World Heavyweight Champion: Batista
John Cena (c) vs Mick Foley vs Randy Orton vs Bobby Lashley vs King Booker - WWE Championship
Stephen Randle: Foley's place in this match confounds me, as he just shows up and gets a title shot. Anyway, this match can be looked at two ways: getting the belt off Cena without pinning him, or having him win another big match, either way creating a summer feud with one of the competitors. I'm not sure why they'd take the belt off their bread and butter at this point, especially given that none of the other four competitors can really carry the #1 brand.
Winner: John Cena
Michael Bauer: Ok, I will do some fantasy booking for this match, but I truly believe this it what needs to happen. As we all know, RAW just got jammed with upper level heels to go after John Cena. But what if Cena wasn't champion? I'll assume Mick Foley is out of the equation here. You could go with Randy Orton or Booker T, but Raw has always been better with a face champion. Enter Bobby Lashley. How about Bobby winning the title here and having Cena turn full heel, giving us Lashley vs. Cena for the summer? That could be a money feud right there and one I would definitly book. Otherwise, why bring Lashley to Raw in the first place?
Winner and NEW Champion: Bobby Lashley
Matt Adamson: If this match is any good, I'll be surprised. Booker is fresh off an injury, Foley is fresh off having not cared about 90% of his matches since retirement, and Lashley is fresh out of the garden (green). Then you have chinlock Orton who is capable, but I wouldn't trust him to help things in this particular match. Lastly there is Cena who at this point will most likely be the reason this match is any good if Foley decides to phone it in. If Foley does indeed bring his working boots as he did at WrestleMania 22, then I'd imagine we'll see something special. I have faith in Mrs. Foley's little boy that I'll be surprised. Oh, did I mention that I'm going to be insane and predict KING BOOKER to be the new champ? Oh, right that's because I'm not going to. Your winner and new champion: Randy Orton, so he can feud with Bobby Lashley over the title and Cena can feud with Booker for the title of "we know Booker is more fun".
Winner: Randy Orton
Larry Csonka: Orton looked good on Raw getting the win, so by WWE booking logic he isn't winning. They have a rocket strapped to Lashley's ass, and Foley is there to take the pin.
Winner: Roberto Franklin Lashley
Ari Berenstein: Finally, Foley is in a return of actual importance. He walks in the extreme underdog of the match but he is a former champion and a legitimate threat to steal the title away from Cena. After all, Foley in his latest book reveals that Cena and Foley were supposed to do battle at last year's Summerslam--maybe they do it this year? Nah, probably not but it will be fun to see Mick get in there with some real competition. I think this match is going to surprise a lot of people at how good it will be, so long as its not so overbooked. Booker is coming back from injury so I don't see him getting a long stay in the ring. However, the other guys will hold up their end of the deal. I think Cena overcomes the odds, again, but we may get a contender for Summerslam out of this match.
Winner: John Cena
Michael Weyer: And I jump on the bandwagon to ask what in the BLUE HELL Foley is doing in this. I do think this is a way to get the belt off Cena, the question is who. Lashley's too young, Foley's too old, Orton has his whacky backstage behavior and WWE may fear him pulling an RVD and forcing them to take the belt off. So expect a wild battle but in the end, I'm pulling for a surprise pick.
WINNER and NEW WWE Champion: ALL HAIL KING BOOKER!
Mathew Sforcina: Ok, normally my "Pick Cena" reflex would kick in here, especially given the results of Raw, but I honestly think this is how it'll go down. Cena and Lashley dominate, and eventually, it's down to just them. They fight for a bit, Cena sets up the FU, Lashley counters, Spear, sets up the powerslam, and at the exact worst possible moment Mr. FBI Dude and cops come out and arrest Lashley for blowing up Vince, given their feud, his experience with blowing stuff up AND the fact that his DNA was found in the car. As they drag him off, Orton suddenly snaps off a RKO on Foley, gets the ref's attention, Cena's too late, and Randall Q. Dumbfuck (TM Stablewars/Texas Kelly) is your Lucky Bastard of 2007.
Winner, and NEW WWE World Champion: Randall Q. Dumbfuck (RKO on Foley)
Andy Clark: I'm really looking forward to this one. The only people I'm ruling out are Mick and Booker (and who knows, Booker may surprise me). Foley's "concussion" on Monday makes him an easy target for Randy to take out (again). Orton can't win the title because I don't see his SummerSlam match with Triple H as a title match and I'm intrigued by the idea of a Cena-Lashley match at SummerSlam so I go with the Lashley win here, probably with a pin on Booker. Cena's got to lose sometime, right?
Winner and NEW WWE Champion: Bobby Lashley
Matt Short: I don't care as long as it's not Lashley. I wouldn't mind him being pushed in the upper mid-card, but he's pretty undeserving of the superman push he's gotten. It's too much too soon and he really doesn't come off as a main event star. This could be interesting if everyone comes prepared. That means Foley, but I've got a feeling he'll wind up with some head trauma courtesy of Randy Orton in this. It's stupid to bet against Cena in anything, though I wouldn't be too shocked to see Orton win. Booker? Maybe, but if he's ever going to be champ on Raw it's not going to happen now.
Winner: John Cena
Meehan: Foley is "too injured" to pull off the victory (TASTELESS! FAKE INJURY!? HOW DARE THEY!!!), Lashley is too green to carry the ball on the "A-Show," and Booker seems destined to mix it up with Bobby for a few months now, so he's out too. Orton is the best bet, but Cena never trashed a hotel room... so I'm keepin' with Da' Champ.
Winner: John Cena
John Gregory: I'm have to disagree with the rest of the panel on this match's potential. The only bad wrestler in here is Lashley, and even he can be lead. Booker is a ring veteran who brings his best for pay per views. Orton is athletic and a good heel who energize the crowd against him, plus with 5 people there's no room for chinlocks. Who said Foley hasn't cared about his PPV matches?! The only bad one I can think of is that throwaway match against Carlito back in 05. And Cena is not Satan. The IWC just plain needs to accept that. The guy is not Bret, Benoit, or HBK, but he isn't El Gigante. He was able to hold two passable matches with Khali together (better than Taker did) and has had standout matches on PPV and TV against Umaga and HBK this year. So just shut up, because the only reason you bash his in-ring work is that you don't like his appeal to kids and women. Anyway, I see Booker taking it here (no, really!) because it sets up another feud for Cena, and he's had a long current reign, so losing it will freshen things up.
Winner: King BOOKAH
Jeff Small: I have a feeling that the winner of this match is the same person who killed Vince McMahon. The match itself should be a clusterfuck of epic proportions considering one man's retired, one is very rusty, one is Randy Orton, and the other two play off better opponents. I can't see Cena lose his title yet.
Winner: John Cena
Sat: This is the perfect opportunity for John Cena to lose the title because he doesn't have to be pinned. I think that this is where we see Bobby Lashley win the WWE title.
Winner: Bobby Lashley
Brad Borchardt: Since this is a cluster fuck match, I think Cena should lose the title, but I don't they will do that here and they will book Lashley vs. Cena for SummerSlam. Or......SANDMAN gets in as the FIVE TIME ECW CHAMP! SANDMAN WINS!!!
Winner: Sandman (ok......Cena)
Neil Borenstein: John Cena needs to feud with guys like Bobby Lashley and King Booker, not be thrown into a cluster of a match. I don't know how many times I need to say it, but Randy Orton has not business being in main event matches until he grows up and loses to Funaki many, many times over. And Mick Foley – not sure where he came from in this. So, lets keep the belt on Cena and have him lose it a bit later in a meaningful way to one of the new contenders brought in via the draft.
