Can They Be Champ? 7.03.07: The World Heavyweight Championship: The Next Six Months
Posted by Mike Minotti on 07.03.2007
From the upcoming Great American Bash all the way to December's Armageddon, the future of the World Heavyweight Championship is written here.
So, how was your week? Yeah, mine too. The whole tragedy has taken its toll on me, so I think the best thing to do is start bringing things back to normal. I would like to say that the coverage on this site has been amazing, so much thanks to everyone at 411, especially Larry and Ashish.
That said, let's get to business. This week, I will be looking at the next six months of the World Heavyweight Championship. Or, at least what I think the next six months may look like for it. Starting with the Great American Bash and ending with Armageddon, I'm going to show you what the future could have in store for Edge's greatest prize.
The World Heavyweight Championship: The Next Six Months
First, let's talk about where the WHC is. Edge won the belt from the Undertaker in early May, and has since defended it against Batista at three different PPVs. Now, Batista's lost at Vengeance means that he can no longer challenge for the WHC as long as Edge is holding onto it.
Batista has failed to win the WHC five PPVs in a row. Some would probably look at that and say the WWE has no faith in Batista. Still, besides for Wrestlemania, none of those were squeaky clean victories. Sure, some would say that Batista is being booked like a moron who doesn't know the rules of wrestling (especially with that Vengeance count-out), but the WWE can still use it as an excuse to still have Batista be a top player on Smackdown. Why else do you think they had him beat Edge on the last Smackdown? They want people to believe that Batista is the better man, but Edge is just sneaky/lucky. So don't think that Batista is out of the title picture for good. He'll be back.
But who will be Edge's immediate next opponent? Well, the WWE has the few choices. First off, let's talk about their monster heels, Mark Henry and the Great Khali. Both of these men could be thrown at Edge to be a competitor for his title. It worked for Cena. Heck, Cena was able to get two PPV matches out of Umaga and the Great Khali. The difference is that Cena is a face, Edge is not. How much would people really be willing to pay to watch Edge cheat and overcome the odds? It may work once, but I don't think they can get as much mileage out of this sort of feud as they did with Cena.
Let's move from monster heels to small super face Rey Mysterio. I'm sure you've seen the poster by now, so it's guaranteed Rey will be coming back to the WWE for Great American Bash. After such a long absence, Rey is sure to be hot with the crowd. They would definitely buy into Rey challenging Edge for his title. Such a program could probably run the whole Summer. We can have a normal match at Great American Bash, and some sort of gimmick match (probably a ladder match) at Summerslam.
Now, I wouldn't really expect Edge to lose his title to Rey. Maybe you don't remember, but Rey's last title run didn't go all that well. So I think Edge will still be holding onto the belt past Summer. So, who should be his next competitor? Matt Hardy. The WWE has been pushing him well, and if they can continue that push, there's no reason Matt couldn't be a WHC contender by this fall. Besides, as we all know, the feud itself would be easy to get off the ground thanks to their past drama. These guys can have matches at Unforgiven, No Mercy, Cyber Sunday, and Survivor Series. Of course, to keep things freash, maybe a couple of those matches could be triple threats or fatal four ways. Maybe one of them won't even have the WHC defended, especially is Survivor Series is filled with as many survivor series matches as it was last year.
Anyways, this brings us to Armageddon. The last PPV of the year. And once again, it will be Edge vs. Matt Hardy. And then the unthinkable happens, Matt wins and becomes the new World Heavyweight Championship. Yep, I'm calling it right now. One of the main objectives of Edge's current title reign is to finally make Matt a main event player, and if they play their cards right, it could definitely happen. All it's going to take is some smart booking and some good matches.
So, that brings us to the end of the year. It'll be fun to see just how right I was come this December.
I got a lot of Benoit mail. I won't be responding to it directly here, since there's really little to add. I just wanted to give my readers a chance to express themselves. Most of this is directly resounding to the column I wrote last week.
Keep in mind, some of these emails were written before all of the facts were known concerning the tragedy.
Hey dude,
Just wanted to say that I was also a huge benoit fan but am so pissed off at
what's going on at the moment.
I've had one really good friend who killed themselves and still to this day
I can't help feeling bitter.
I also have an ex friend who was convicted for attempted murder, he was a
stupid bastard who stabbed someone several times after a silly post pub
arguement. I've never spoken to him since. This is after I left my hometown
and was at uni at this point so I hadn't seen him since college (about two
years) but could never forgive him for being such a bastard to do that to
someone else in the first place.
Which is why I agree with you for not posting more of a tribute column. No
matter how good my ex friend was to me he is still an attempted murderer and
it's hard to give someone praise, it is also hard to forgive someone who
took the easy way out.
He may have been suffering from depression and I know that people who have
mental disorders can have problems balancing reality but it is such a shame,
especially because of how sad and distraught he was over eddie's death. The
fact that he took his family with him makes it even worse.
I suffered with depression for a long time and know how this stuff can
effect you mentally, it's just sad that Chris wasn't a little stronger.
I have no idea what happened in his home and it makes me wonder (though this
may be terrible to admit) that I'm not sure that the tribute show may have
been the best idea.
I'm not disrespecting him but I wonder whether it was actually the best
thing to do at that point, I know the WWE didn't have a lot of time but the
fact that his whole family were dead in the same house must have made them
suspicious.
Also, again not attacking his wrestling legacy, but how does it look for the
WWE that they could now have possibly done a special three hour long episode
in the memory of someone who was a killer.
It sounds horribly twisted but the McMahon special may have in some ways
been the best thing to run last night, seeing as they don't know all the
facts (I mean it wasn't a heart attack, accident or overdose).
To be honest, even though I really don't like the limo plot I wouldn't have
blamed the WWE for going with it until there were more established facts
about the case (and I'm sure some of the wrestlers may not have had the same
reaction knowing more facts).
I know this memo will probably get you a lot of hate if you posted it but
I'm just trying to be real.
Stay safe,
Simon
Hello,
I would just like to say that each and every word in your most recent article has echoed my thoughts. I'm with you in praying that the speculation of Benoit killing his family is a big mistake. I cannot possibly fathom how a man who so many people had nothing but kind words for could do something like this. I will not believe it. I will not, I cannot. It sounds sick, but I'm praying that his wife and son were victims of some other circumstance, and in grief at the discovery, Benoit took his own life. There is just no other way for this to be acceptable (and I use that word very loosely).
Chris was one of my heroes, too. You and I are in the same boat... all we can do is hope that this is a huge misunderstanding and that the family may rest in peace, with Chris' historic wrestling legacy in tact...
Christina Havlen
Horseheads, NY
I have to say I understand that your article is full of so many emotions,
even if it is not your usual article, it still has all the characteristics
an article should have. Don't put yourself down.
As for Benoit, I know what you mean by trying to believe the best of him
still. I had a text this morning telling me Benoit was dead, and because I
had missed Raw last night, I was in disbelief. When I ran downstairs and
read every article on Benoit I couldn't believe my eyes. It was sad enough
to hear he wasn't going to be on Vengence...but that doesn't even compare to
the fact that we'll never see him wrestle again. I don't want to believe he
was a killer.. I'd rather believe he was grief stricken or as you said, ill
with whatever his wife and son had. It's a long shot, but in a way makes
more sense.
It's ok to idolise someone as great as Benoit, but obviously when something
like this happens, I started questioning my judgement. I will do as you said
and pray for his family and himself, and pray that he is not a murderer. In
the mean time, that is all you can do. I honestly find it hard to even
believe that he could kill Nancy and Daniel.
I hope this email helps you in some way.. I don't know how it could..but it
may.
Anne x
Hey, I am an Airman at Minot AFB. I am 20 years old and in the same boat as you. How does one handle the death of Chris Benoit? Well I think the only way is to just remember Chris Benoit the wrestler and only hope for the best of Chris Benoit the man. I hope that he did not really kill his family and I don't think that any excuse will cover his cause if he did. But if so, I will not remember that, and only try to remember Chris as a wrestler.
A1C Lapthorne
I'm sure you already read about it, so I'm not sure
why I'm emailing, except maybe to help out
philosophically. After more details were given on the
state of the bodies, there can be no doubt that Benoit
did indeed kill his wife and son. It sounds like he
strangled Nancy first, THEN said he had the family
emergency to miss Vengeance, then watched it with
Daniel while sending worrying text messages, then
suffocated Daniel in his sleep, then hanged himself in
his gym. It's all very tragic and I really feel for
all of them. In my opinion, Benoit is still worthy of
his legacy, if not more so. That sounds stupid, but I
honestly believe he just lost it and didn't know what
he was doing, or had a very tinted outlook. Larry
summed it up in his article, all the reasons to
suspect he could have gone nuts. All of them were
caused by wrestling for such a long time, the physical
elements, the psycological turmoil of losing friends,
etc. So in fact, Benoit's untimely and horrendous end
is symbolic of how much the man put into the business.
If only he hadn't taken Nancy and Daniel with him, WWE
wouldn't feel the need to erase all mention of him
from their website and he would still be a future
hall-of-famer. So in that respect, his legacy is
tarnished, but it is far from ruined. May they all
rest in peace.
-Luke Davy
Dude i know what you mean. I'm 21 myself and been watching since 2002 and Benoit has always been a favorite of mine. And i was so distraught last night that i was virtually useless. All i thought about was who would do this? what kind of a person would take the lives of three people? one of which being a child? And i thought that if they ever find out who did it that the majority of wrestling fans everywhere would be lining up to take a swing. I was watching the tribute show and got a phone call from a freind of mine and he told me they were speculating it was a double homicide/suicide. And my heart instantly broke. We switched to the news and caught the end of the benoit piece and they said he did it and that his fellow wrestlers had gotten together to praise this monster. And they showed the clip of Stone Cold talking about him. I thought, monster? could Chris Benoit really be a monster? and i was already pissed cause when i found out there was nothing on the news or the net. but as soon as they found out it was a murdersuicide they were all over it. bastards. When i saw it i couldnt even finish the tribute show. I went to bed. I prayed so hard for it not to be true because just like you i realized that this man was one of if not the best wrestlers ever and i wanted to miss him. But if he could commit such a heinus crime then who needs him? Either way ill never say he wasnt a good wrestler, but i also cant say that he was a good respectable guy either. and that kills me. it honestly breaks my heart man. But hang in there and surround yourself by friends and continue to enjoy the product and hope for the best.
P-Kon
This last one… well, I think it speaks for quite a few people.
As I write this the details have come out and the press conference is over and looks like Chris Benoit a man respected by his fans and peers my self included is a murderer. I think after 25 years of watching wrestling I am done, I cant do it anymore.
-Cactusdjt
Alright, guys, Thanks for all the feedback and words of comfort. I know we're often called a finicky, negative, hostile community, but I think the way that we're coming through to help each other during this disturbing time speaks volumes about the kind of community we are. Again, my thanks.
