The MeeThinks Friday FreeThinks: 02.01.08
Posted by John Meehan on 02.01.2008
This week: Royal Rumble fallout kicks the Road to WrestleMania off with a bang!
Welcome back for a SUPER weekend of professional wrestling news that's absolutely going to BOWL you right over with it's awesomeness. I'm your reguarly scheduled host, and this is your week-end dose of some much-needed intrawebz optimism. After all, John Cena is back in action -- which means the HHHaterade is flowing pretty freely these days. So let's get to it, eh?
Long story short on this one is that Cena and WWE "worked" the fans and the mainstream media outlets alike, and "The Doctor of Thuganomics" was actually cleared to return to action a full two months eariler than what had earlier been his "best-case" scenario (eight months, if you count the worst case!). Like the professionals that they are, the two sides agreed to keep word of Cena's return "hush hush," to the point where they were telling mainstream media outlets that he planned on a full five additional months away from the ring to film his next movie, and that Cena didn't even arrive at the arena until the Royal Rumble PPV had already started (so as to avoid word of his arrival getting leaked on los intrawebz).
That said --
A *LOT* of fans and detractors alike have pointed to Cena's early return as a sure-fire red flag that the guy is obviously on some type of performance enhancing supplement. These fans (many of whom were in the "Cena-hate" camp to begin with, we should add) are taking this early return as yet another opportunity to lambaste the WWE golden boy, calling him a walking testament to just how much of a joke WWE's current steroid policy is.
MeeThinks?
I'm not saying that Cena *is* or *isn't* on some sort of steroid, and even if he is... I'm not saying that those meds weren't 100% legit and doctor-prescribed from the word go. What I will say is that REGARDLESS of what all is or isn't helping Cena step foot back into the ring this early in his injury... perhaps fans shouldn't be so quick to assume anything about the man or his condition, especially since WWE so brilliantly swerved just about everybody and their brother with the guy's shocking return last Sunday.
Think about it, for a second here: John Cena was supposed to be out anywhere from 8-12 months, but suddenly he's back at just 4 months instead. He's also never been beaten at WrestleMania, right? Fair enough, so...
What if WWE's just been working us all along with this early-return? What if by some wierd twist of fate or circumstance, CENA IS STILL VERY MUCH INJURED in real life -- but not injured so badly to the point where he can't fake his way through one (gentle) PPV showdown requiring about 10-15 minutes of work. So let's say he works the match at No Way Out and -- shocker! -- Orton "reinjures" him (kayfabe) in the process. It's win/win.
1) WWE gets their surprise at the Rumble AND a bigger buyrate for the traditionally ho-hum No Way Out.
2) Cena puts in about 20-25 minutes worth of work, doesn't have to rush back full time (and possibly LOSE his first WrestleMania match because he was never really healthy/ready to begin with), and he heads back home to rehab/film a movie/etc. as was previously scheduled -- and the announcers put him over while he's away (and when he re-returns) as a gutsy-S.O.B. who risked life and limb to stand up for himself no matter what the cost.
3) Randy Orton rolls into WrestleMania looking all the more like a world-beating, opportunistic asshole, just begging to get his comeuppance at The Big Dance.
That just sounds like good business all around to Mee. WWE makes mad coin on not one but THREE pay-per-views in a row, Cena stays protected and gets proper time off to heal, AND Orton looks even more heelish as he rolls into the company's biggest PPV of the year.
Immediately after the IWC recovered from the influx of new traffic that set message boards and 'rasslin blogs ablaze with news of Cena's return late Sunday night, just about every major site came back up and running with their projected cards for WrestleMania 24. On this very site, in fact, it was speculated that:
Randy Orton vs. John Cena for the WWE Title is now expected to headline WrestleMania 24.
Edge vs. The Undertaker for the World Title is still the likely main event for the Smackdown brand in a match that WWE will probably promote as streak vs. streak since both men have undefeated WrestleMania streaks.
Other likely WrestleMania 24 matches include Chris Jericho vs. JBL, Beth Phoenix vs. Maria for the WWE Women's Title, and perhaps Triple H vs. Ric Flair or Triple H vs. Batista.
Another Money in the Bank Ladder Match also seems likely.
Ignoring the fact that Edge no longer has that unbeaten streak at WrestleMania, for a second (since the guy CLEARLY DIDN'T WIN in last year's Money in the Bank match. Even if he was stretchered out of the ringside area, bottom line is that he DID NOT WIN, and nobody is going to buy it that he's "undefeated" at WrestleMania... though as a heel he can totally work this story in his favor!)...
Since John Cena is challenging for the WWE Title at No Way Out, the red brand has announced that their WrestleMania challenger will instead be the RAW superstar who emerges victorious from the Elimination Chamber match in just a few short weeks. In short, just about EVERYTHING we'd come to expect from the usual Rumble-to-Mania lull is suddenly up in the air.
MeeThinks?
In addition to providing tremendous excitement and entertainment from top to bottom, perhaps the greatest success of this year's Royal Rumble match was that it did a LOT to strengthen the credibility of the match itself -- in two major ways.
1) Having your #30 guy win (two years in a row, no less) FINALLY makes it seem like the order of entry actually matters. Conventional wisdom says "the later, the better" -- but before this year? Guys drawing early spots like 1 and 2 had won almost TWICE as much as the #30 participants... DESPITE the fact that these early-entries had been getting their asses kicked (or in Mysterio's case, hiding like a girl) for the better part of an hour.
Sure, this helps make these early-entries look like all-out iron-men, suddenly "battle-tested" and ready and to challenge for championship gold at The Big Dance, but it also pretty much took the numbers game and rendered it meaningless. Instead of banking on the early entries to *lose*, fans had pretty much come to expect them to "go the distance" and WIN. And before last year bucked the trend (and this year solidified it), NOBODY would have ever bet on a #30 entry to win the whole shebang... *despite* the fact that we're supposed to believe that he's the "freshest" guy in the match.
Bottom line? Having winners with late Rumble spots MAKES IT SEEM MORE LEGIT.
2) The second way this year's Royal Rumble helps to strengthen the credibility of the match is because for the past seven straight years, every single Royal Rumble winner has gone on to (co)main event at WrestleMania, and every single one of those guys has walked out of WrestleMania as a Champion. Sure there were interesting storylines thrown between the Rumble and 'Mania... but with so many winners repeating the exact same pattern year after year, it kinda' ruins the element of surprise, ya' know?
Plus, this trend also meant that the next two months of booking pretty much ran on autopilot. After all, with the WrestleMania main event all but set some two months BEFORE the show, title changes at No Way Out were something of a rarity. In fact, in the past seven years, only two top-level belts have ever changed hands in a NWO main event -- and one of those was won by Eddie Guerrero who didn't even get to wrestle in the last match (the "real" main event) of the next month's WrestleMania PPV, as Guerrero defended his belt in a match that was third-to-last on the WM 20 card.
But with John Cena challenging for his title shot at No Way Out this year instead?
Fans won't have to sit through two solid months of "auto-pilot" booking where the Rumble winner sits around and does nothing of note (unless he foolishly decides to put his WM title shot on the line, as has been the case in recent years) while some other unlucky schmuck challenges for a belt that nobody in their right mind believes he's actually gonna' win.
AND --
3) With the Elimination Chamber at this month's PPV, your 'Mania RAW main-event challenger will be fresh, unexpected, AND have "earned" his shot in a pretty impressive fashion all the same. Sure, he might not be a Royal Rumble winner... but surviving an Elimination Chamber with six of RAW's biggest stars is hardly something to sneeze at either, ya' know.
Going forward, it seems like the WrestleMania card is totally up in the air -- which is exciting and unpredictable, the way that professional wrestling *used* to be before we all got too smart, jaded and full of ourselves and decided to hop online and ruin all of the surprises before they even hit our TV screens.
It's no exaggeration to say that the entire professional wrestling community is still very much shocked and saddened by the tragic events that claimed the lives of the Benoit family early in the summer of 2007. But after the initial scandal broke and the dust had settled, at least a few fans took their sympathies even one step further -- going so far as to suggest that "the ghost of Chris Benoit" was actually "haunting" WWE programming to this day. So much so, in fact, that a number of the more superstitious viewers even claimed to catch glimpses of the man's face on live television.
Yes, I know it sounds crazy...
But with Benoit's images finding themselves all but stricken from WWE's promotional materials and virtually erased from the company's rather extensive video library, many a onetime "Crippler" fan couldn't help but pull a double-take when images of this once-decorated grappler began to appear most inexplicably in the strangest of places -- to the point where they believed that photos of the very faces of current WWE superstars seemed to bear eerie resemblence to this now fallen (and forever tarnished) former World Champion.
Again, I will reiterate the craziness...
A few months back, fans over on the 411 forums re-posted this picture, which originally appeared on WWE.com. Check out the face of that guy being pummeled in the corner. Does he or does he not look like he could just as easily be making a dive for a flying headbutt?
(No Photoshoppery there, folks -- that one came straight from WWE.com.)
THIS WEEK --
A second "Benoit-esque" photograph graced the front page of WWE.com. This time, not only was the physical resemblance all the more clear, but many believe that this second photograph even more chilling than the first. Take a look:
Eesh.
Obviously fans can judge for themselves on each of these photos (some have said that the Michaels one doesn't look all that Benoit-like, others have said the same about the Jericho image) -- but MeeThinks the bottom line in all of this is that people will always see not only what they *want* to see, but also what they cannot help *but* seeing. The Benoit Family Tragedy is -- and should continue to remain -- a stark and invaluable reminder of just how fleeting and unpredictable life in and outside of the wrestling business can be, and it is hardly a surprise to see wrestling fans taken aback when they are shown images that are even remotely reminiscent of the most gruesome way this once happy family met its horrific end.
Likewise, since so many fans and wrestlers alike had spent so many years familiarizing themselves with Chris Benoit, it's also unsurprising to see the errant (though eerie) conspiracy-theorist among them catch a passing glimpse of one of the most (in)famous faces the industry will ever know.
So is Chris Benoit "haunting" World Wrestling Entertainment?
Literally (as in "showing up in photos")? Probably not. But metaphorically (as in "still providing a sad and all-too-real memory of tragedy to fans, performers, and critics alike")? MeeThinks the answer to that one is a loud and clear "you betcha."
Two weeks ago on TNA Impact!, fans caught a glimpse of the new and improved Shark Boy character. It started simply -- if strangely -- enough, with the undersea superstar busting out a bedside promo in the style of Steve Austin. But last week, things escalated to the next level as Shark Boy hit the ring donning a "Stone Cold"-style vest, and working the entire match using moves and mannerisms that were blatantly cribbed from The Texas Rattlesnake. After scoring the pinfall victory (with the "Deep Sea Stunner," was it?), the shark-finned phenom then proceded to cut a second Steve-Austin-esque promo (which he wrapped up by saying "and that's the fishin' liiiiiiine... cuz' SHARK BOY said so!"), which he then followed up with an Austin-style "beer bash," where he stood on the ring ropes and downed (ug) bottle after bottle of clam juice.
Obviously this second X-Division superstar parody act (the first being Jay Lethal's "Black Machismo") pretty much split the fanbase in two. On the one hand, it was easily a harmless and entertaining schtick that probably helped fire up the live crowd (and give a hearty chuckle to many a fan at home -- hey, I'll admit it, *I* laughed!). But on the other hand, it pretty much hung it all out there that TNA has absolutely no intention of treating the Shark Boy character (or, perhaps by extension, their X Division stars) as anything more than a comedy act.
Understandably, this caught the attention of many a "wrestling purist" in TV-land -- one of the most vocal of whom just so happened to be Mr. "Boring" himself, the ex-grappler known as Lance Storm. And in an online column this week, Storm pretty much railed against the TNA product, pointing out how cheap knockoffs of competitor's gimmicks (and *old* gimmicks, at that) only made your organization look bush-league by comparison. Lance pretty much argued that while it might be all well and good to go for a cheap heat gimmick to elicit some enthusiasm from your live crowd, " if the biggest pop you could get was by imitating someone else, you didn't really have much value as a performer."
MeeThinks?
Lance Storm is half-right.
TNA is a company that once prided itself on innovation, but now it seems that quite aplenty of their current characters and storylines seem to smack a lot more of imitation. And if the company ever hopes to be taken as a true "alternative" to WWE's brand of sportz entertainment, then padding your show out with:
a) recently fired WWE talent (Booker T, Kurt Angle, and already hoping for Bobby Lashley!?!)
b) performers impersonating famous WWF/E acts (Lethal, Shark Boy), and...
c) "soap-opera"-esque storylines written in the WWE style (Abyss/Mitchell) or by ex-WWE writers (Russo)
... simply ain't gonna' get the job done.
Where Storm is right, then, is in saying that TNA should do everything in their power to use TV time to help build credible talent so people will *pay* to see them wrestle matches on PPV (where the real money is). What he fails to admit, however, is that professional wrestling is and always has been something of a larger-than-life carnival (going way back to its roots)... and every carnival, circus and 'rasslin show in the world has always saved at least a few spaces on the card for the "clowns" and "acrobats" to help balance out the strongmen and their feats of derring-do. And though Lance Storm was a true pro *in* the ring, the fact remains that the guy was never exactly the most charismatic of performers... and so it's probably no big surprise that he has little time for a promotion's "clownish" antics.
Bottom line? The Shark Boy gimmick dilemma pretty well sums up the current state of TNA across the board.
It's a simple question of "balance," and one that TNA must answer sooner than later if they're ever going to stand a chance of making it as a viable second promotion. Too much comedy (Angle, Christian, A.J., Shark Boy, Lethal, Petey Williams & Scott Steiner, Curry Man, Sonjay Dutt, Eric Young, The Beer Drinking Championship, etc.) turns the matches into little more than the setup for a punchline. Too much extreme violence (Abyss in every other week's bloodbath) desensitizes your audience to the point where it no longer delivers an impact. Too many gimmick matches with no backstory (and on free TV, no less) renders the gimmicks themselves useless. And too many newly imported stars (Booker T, Rikishi/Fatu, LASHLEY?) hired and immediately pushed to the top of your card makes the rest of your roster look directionless and dumb.
If the Shark Boy gimmick has legs... err, fins? All well and good, and let the guy continue to earn a living however he can. But then TNA seriously needs to "reel in" (sorry, couldn't resist) some of their other comedy acts in order to reclaim the show's cred of "WE ARE WRESTLING." After all, they *are* trying to make money and win PPV buys from WRESTLING fans, right?
This news item has been a few weeks in the making, but it was officially confirmed this week as "Wildcat" Chris Harris (former TNA tag champ) announced via his website that he'd been offered -- and signed -- a contract with World Wrestling Entertainment.
Since we pretty much covered this one three weeks back when the story initially broke, I'll just take a quick moment to reiterate "yay for Chris Harris," as he'd been going nowhere fast in the quagmire that is the TNA midcard. If the guy can get a better deal with WWE? More power to him, and here's hoping they play to his strengths and give him a chance to show what he can do. Then again, we could just be in for another "typical" TNA-import-turned-WWE-jobber signing... in which case, it could be a tough road to hoe for the Wildcat. However (well, judging from his web blurb about the issue, at least), the good news here is that it seems like guy "knows his place" and is more than willing to put in the time and pay his dues from the ground-level on up with his new employer.
Failing that, of course... he could always try sweet-talking Vinny Mac into giving him his own stable -- perhaps even one based on a popular movie franchise, eh (don't laugh... it worked for Paul Birchall!)?
Maybe something like...
(memo to readers: Shame on Mee for making that joke. Shame on *you* if you actually got it ;)
It's time once again for The MeeThinks PPV Poster Showdown! Sure, a lot of the reason why people order a big show is based on the actual makeup of the card itself... but sometimes all it takes to garner fans' attention (and take their $$$) is little more than a clever bit of marketing. This month? It's WWE's biggest show of the year -- WrestleMania 24 -- taking on TNA's annual X Division showcase, Destination X.
Information: Gonna' give this one a "push," as the full version of the TNA poster contains complete details for the big show. Unfortunately, the scale of the TNA poster is wonky... and so I wasn't able to get it to fit legibly in my handy little side-by-side template. Regardless, both posters are equally effective on this front.
Impact: WWE's poster is much bolder and brighter than TNA's. In addition, the WWE ad is "mainstream" enough to catch the attention of your average/casual non-fan in the bunch, whereas the TNA ad loses points because a) the Elevation X structure is kinda easy to miss on the first glance (some might just think its a standard lighting rig), and b) Alex Shelley is doing his hand-point (which plenty of *wrestling* fans, let alone non-fans, still haven't quite understood as meaning "my hand is a map of Michigan, and I'm pointing to Detroit, get it?"). Clear edge to WWE for this one.
PPV Logo: I hate to nitpick, but if I'm an average/casual-non-fan out there and I see the TNA poster, I'm probably going to walk away thinking that the name of the pay-per-view is "TNA Destination," and not "Destination X." Though the logo looks sweet for 'rasslin fans, the point of a poster is to ADVERTISE your event to anybody who happens to see the thing -- and for that reason, I've gotta give the win in this category to WWE by default, as there is absolutely no question that the name of their event is "WrestleMania XXIV." Sure, that sucks if you can't read Roman numerals... but it's a small point, since people will walk away from the poster knowing (fo' sho!) the name of the show.
On-Ad Talent: I like it that WWE is using established stars (HBK, Batista), but with WrestleMania pretty much selling itself on name value alone these days... they could have easily trotted out just about anybody else on the roster *not* named "Kofi Kingston" and still managed to sell the show. For that reason, I'm giving the nod to TNA in this category -- always good to showcase young talent wherever possible.
Overall Effect: Brighter, sunnier, more vibrant and energetic -- this month's PPV showdown winner is WWE in a landslide, if you asked Mee. While I applaud TNA for using fresh stars to help pitch their show, the bottom line is that it's almost impossible to screw up a marketing campaign for WrestleMania in this day and age, as the very word itself is literally synonymous with "big pro wrestling pay per view" in the regular vocabulary of even the non-fans of the world.
Just two this week -- but some good food for thought nonetheless.
Arturo had this to say, in all caps:
MY PREDICTION IS THAT JOHN CENA WILL TAKE THE TITLE FROM RANDY ORTON AT NO WAY OUT AND THAT HHH WILL WIN THE ELIMITATION CHAMBER.THE MAIN EVENT AT WRESTLEMANIA BEING CENA vs HHH.....WHAT ARE CHANCES OF EITHER MAN WINNING AT WRESTLEMANIA? 50/50 or 100/1 ?
- ARTURO
Thanks for writing, Arturo.
I wouldn't be so quick on that one... for reasons we discussed above. But if I had to speculate on a WrestleMania card today? I'd say fans can look forward to something along the lines of...
Randy Orton (WWE Champion) vs. Jeff Hardy
JBL vs. Chris Jericho (gimmick match -- maybe a bullrope match?)
Ric Flair vs. Shawn Michaels (if HBK has any pull left, I'd expect this one over Flair/Kennedy)
Triple H vs. Batista (interpromotional match, which was teased at the Royal Rumble)
Other than that, things are wide open as they come. Edge could easily feud with The Undertaker (though we've already seen "title vs. streak" last year -- it could be a killer program), or he could continue his scuffle with CM Punk (a longshot). Meanwhile, there's still the payoff to Finlay and Vince's "deal" waiting in the wings for both of those guys. Plus a Money in the Bank ladder match could easily include folks the likes of Umaga, Mr. Kennedy, CM Punk and the rest -- if they're not otherwise occupied (Umaga vs. a returning Big Show, maybe?)
But yeah -- MeeThinks that WrestleMania is WIDE OPEN going into the second month of the year, which is a great thing for fans, as it really gives us reason to get behind new and fresh programs leading up to "The Big Dance."
And in regards to last week's column, our good buddy Lynx Raven Raide had these 'Thinks to share:
To be fair to WWE, They were probably going to wait until the Rumble to bring him back (you know, the whole surprise entrant thing). That being said, I have to agree with the unprofessionalism of Lashley and Krystal. To try and play the race card so late, it makes their arguments hollow and is a disgrace to those who truly fought for equality.
On the Warrior blog, lets just say that being an Aussie, I wont bother responding since you would have to heavily edit it due to censorship. Let's just say he might want to stay away from here. Remember what happened to Ol' Blue Eyes when he insulted an Aussie journalist... ;)
- Lynx Raven Raide
Thanks for writing, Lynx. And I agree with you 100%.
And With That, I'm Outta' Here
That'll do it for Mee this week. Thanks again for reading, and as for Sunday's big game? You know darned well I'm betting on my beloved New England Patriots to leave Phoenix with a fourth Lombardi trophy held high. I mean sure, I've been wrong before, but I managed to go a whopping .750 in predicting winners and losers in this NFL postseason -- so I've gotta' believe that the smart money is on Mee and The Pats. 'Till next time, enjoy the Super Bowl and the first leg of The Road to WrestleMania, and always stay positive!
M.E.:WWE TITLE-3 WAY
CHAMP:JOHN CENA
RANDY ORTON
TRIPLE H
WINNER: TRIPLE H
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
CHAMP:EDGE
VS
THE UNDERTAKER
WINNER:UNDERTAKER
MATCH THAT PROBABLY WONT HAPPEN
BATISTA VS HOGAN
WINNER:HULK HOGAN
WOMENS TITLE
CHAMP:B. PHOENIX
VS
CANDICE
WINNER: CANDICE
ECW TITLE- 3 WAY
CHAMP:CHAVO
CM PUNK
REY MYSTERIO
WINNER:REY MYSTERIO
ICON VS LEGEND MATCH
RIC FLAIR VS HBK
WINNER:HBK
MITBL MATCH
SHELTON BENJAMIN
KOFI KINGSTON
CODY RHODES
GREAT KHALI
JEFF HARDY
MR. KENNEDY
WINNER:JEFF HARDY
STRAP MATCH
JBL VS Y2J
WINNER:JBL
TAG TEAM MATCH
HORNSWOOGLE REF.
MICK FOLEY FINLAY
VS
VINCE AND SHANE
WINNERS:VINCE & SHANE
US CHAMPIONSHIP
CHAMP: MVP
VS.
MATT HARDY
WINNER:MATT HARDY
OPENING MATCH
TAG TEAM MATCH
KANE BIGSHOW
VS.
UMAGA SNITSKY
WINNERS: KANE BIGSHOW
THIS IS MY WRESTLEMANIA 24 CARD SO I HOPE U LIKE IT
Posted By: donnie (Guest) on January 31, 2008 at 09:59 PM
Looking at that TNA poster, makes me wonder why people constantly bitch and rag on Chris Jericho for being polished and "pretty", yet no one seems to point that out for the MCMG. I don't really care to be honest, just putting it out there.
Posted By: Henry (Guest) on February 01, 2008 at 12:31 AM
Flair should win MITB and then challenge the einner of the title match (HHH) immediately to cloase out the show
Posted By: ck (Guest) on February 01, 2008 at 12:52 AM
Sorry but winning from 30 doesnt strengthen the rumble match as its not a legitimate sporting event where the competitors actually draw a number at random. Cena came in last and didnt have to do that much work but got the glory.
The WWE has no balls they are scared to try something that isnt John Cena.
Posted By: DaveJuk (Guest) on February 01, 2008 at 12:59 AM
I am not shocked cena came back early he knows how to train his body the right way withcause he has a degree in exercise physiology. And the people who are complain about cena wining are the same people who were comlain when they thought HHH was going to win it
Posted By: Guest#7075 (Guest) on February 01, 2008 at 02:03 AM
You can say that WWE is scared to try people other than Cena, but that's really not accurate. From 2002 through 2004, they gave the world to Brock Lesnar. He rewarded them by flaking out. Scott Steiner and Goldberg had big debuts in 2003, but didn't work out due to Steiner being inadequate and Goldberg not wanting to be in the business. Carlito and Chris Masters were given big pushes in 2005 and early 2006, but neither guy could handle the pressure. Rob Van Dam's run with the WWE title went up in smoke, and WWE lost two champions (Morrison and Umaga) for a month in 2007 because of steroid abuse.
You say they haven't tried to create new stars and I say bull. They're doing their damndest, but for whatever reason, the talent isn't there.
Posted By: DG (Guest) on February 01, 2008 at 02:16 AM
Caps lock ftl
WWE - Randy Orton vs. John Cena - Last Man Standing
WHC - Edge vs. The Undertaker
US - MVP vs. Matt Hardy - 2 Out Of 3 Falls
MITB - Jeff Hardy, Mr. Kennedy, Umaga, Rey Mysterio, Finlay, Kane, CM Punk, Shelton Benjamin
Chris Jericho vs. JBL - Bullrope Match
Triple H vs. Batista
Ric Flair vs. Shawn Michaels
Posted By: Jones (Guest) on February 01, 2008 at 02:18 AM
Let me set you straight Meehan. I know you "think" that Cena is still injured and they are just doing this to pop two buy rates. Do you really think the WWE is that stupid? Why in the hell would you risk the health of the biggest star you have by having him wrestle on two PPVs. There is no such thing as a gentle wrestling match. That is just an insult to wrestlers everywhere.
As for adding unpredictability to the Mania card, you're right but that is not a good thing. The best Wrestlemanias have all had a great build. This year you will have a build from No Way Out to Mania. Not enough time. Not to mention the fact that we are having two elimination chambers in the same PPV which is a terrible idea. It takes away from Cena winning the Rumble and lessens the importance of the chamber. It would be like having two hell in the cell or two ladder matches on the same PPV.
I think the WWE dropped the ball to an extent. The main event of Mania should have been Cena/Orton. It had the perfect storyline already and I don't think HHH needs to be a part of it but what can you do? Of course I know Meehan thinks everything that WWE does is great, but I think they were a bit off with the planning on this one.
Posted By: Willie D (Guest) on February 01, 2008 at 02:33 AM
Sorry DaveJuk but you said it yourself: It isn't a legitimate sport. So why get all worked up over Cena winning? It actually made sense for someone at #30 to win.
Great column again this week, Mee. The Benoit pics had my wife creeped out all night. Then I left for work at 11pm, and told her to lock the doors in case the Ghost of Benoit came to get her.
Needless to say, she didn't laugh and she's quite pissed.
Posted By: Dorn (Guest) on February 01, 2008 at 03:17 AM
You should have added not only did #30 win it, but the last 2 were 29 and 30.
Posted By: Drum Solo (Guest) on February 01, 2008 at 03:34 AM
I'd have Orton retain at NWO and face HHH & Batista in a triple threat at WM24. To steal the idea from ck, Flair wins the Money In The Bank match and then comes out after the introductions of the main event to make it an Evolution 4 man elimination match. Flair then eliminates Batista and Triple H before getting pinned clean by Randy Orton after an RKO. This would be a great send-off for Flair and would make Orton a superstar and a true legend killer.
This won't happen though as it will be Cena v HHH.
Posted By: Baron Skinny (Registered) on February 01, 2008 at 04:59 AM
Im sorry Meehan but i saw a picture of Ashley Tisdale and stared at it for 1-2 hours... so i forgot most of your article. My bad
WM24 should be interesting, its building up nicely...
Posted By: Brad (Guest) on February 01, 2008 at 05:25 AM
Chris Benoit haunts my dreams to this day. I miss him.
Also, I see we've come to very comparable conclusions on the Cena rumble win (cheap plug - my column is up later today), although I never thought about the possibility of him getting re-injured at No Way Out. That's not a bad idea.
Posted By: T.G. Corke (Registered) on February 01, 2008 at 06:40 AM
Well once Cena gets a true match, we shall see just how they work it to see if he is still injured, due to the amount of high-impact-to-low-impact maneuvers are put on Cena (and how many times Cena gets stomped by Randy.)
I'm still personally on the fence about Cena, sure my initial reaction was "Ah shit... There goes Jeff's push..." but depending on the Elimination Chamber, we will see just where Jeff's push lies... Just hopefully it's not hooked to the same line that Sharkboy is.
Posted By: Travis (Guest) on February 01, 2008 at 07:01 AM
That picture on the opening banner makes you look like a douchebag.
Posted By: Franco (Guest) on February 01, 2008 at 09:06 AM
While i usually enjoy your column, the John Cena plan you mentioned is retarded on TNA levels of retardation... Bait and switch at its best. Plus are they that desperate for a NWO buyrate? You already have TWO elimination chamber matches on the show, which should sell the PPV.
Posted By: Samer (Guest) on February 01, 2008 at 10:29 AM
That first ghost picture is eary. But I don't see it in the Jericho picture.
As for my Wrestlemania hopes?
I am hoping for Orton to manage to nail an RKO out of the FU, leading to a draw cause neither man can answer the 10 count. Jeff Hardy wins the EC, and we have that Triple Threat match. Cena and Jeff both have issues with Orton, and you could easily transition into a Hardy-Cena fued afterwards.
So...
WWE Championship triple threat- Jeff Hardy vs. Randy Orton vs. John Cena
World Title
Edge vs. CM Punk - I am really digging their interaction thus far
ECW Title
Chavo vs. Rey Mysterio
US Title match - MVP vs. Matt Hardy
Career threatening match -
Ric Flair vs. Shelton Benjamin
How else is the he going to be the Gold Standard without beating the Man!
MIB4: Carlito vs. Jamie Noble vs. Chuck Palumbo vs. Mr. Kennedy vs. Umaga vs. Santino Marrella vs. Kofi Kingston
Tag Team championship challenge match, strictly to lame claim to who the better team is:
MIZ & Morrison vs. Rhodes & Holly
Bull Rope Match: JBL vs. Y2J
Big Daddy V & Mark Henry vs. Udertaker & Kane
Triple H vs. Batista
Womens Title match invitational:
Any Diva that can wrestle, throw them into this match.
Posted By: todd (Guest) on February 01, 2008 at 11:05 AM
"With the Elimination Chamber at this month's PPV, your 'Mania RAW main-event challenger will be fresh, unexpected..." You're kidding, right? The world and his dog knows it'll be Triple H because the guy can't let a Wrestlemania go by without his ego in the main event. He would have main evented 6 'Manias in a row if he wasn't injured last year.
Posted By: Jase (Guest) on February 01, 2008 at 11:23 AM
I think Jeff Hardy will win the Elim. Chamber by pinning HHH in the final fall, causing HHH to snap on Hardy and beat him down for fear of the KING being upset time after time, since Hardy has already beaten HHH once before, and HHH is trying to take him out to prevent a 3rd match-up should Hardy win the title at WM24
Posted By: John (Guest) on February 01, 2008 at 11:58 AM
I had thought about Cena getting "reinjured" too. Then Cena can come back sometime after WrestleMania hen he's done with his movie.
Posted By: William (Guest) on February 01, 2008 at 12:12 PM
So, the Alex Shelley hand-pointing thing really means he's from Detroit, Michigan? If so, a mystery of LOST proportions has just been solved.
Posted By: JustAskin08 (Guest) on February 01, 2008 at 05:13 PM
At first I always thought Shelley's hand pointing was a mockery of Hogan's old "this is where the power lies, brother" schtick. I still think the joke is better then the Michigan thing. We know where you are from. I dont' care.
Love you Shelley, but the hand pointing is lame
Posted By: Guest#5788 (Guest) on February 02, 2008 at 01:15 AM
WM Card:-Too easy to predict-
HHH vs Cena-WWE Title Match
Undertaker vs Edge- World Title
Batista vs Orton-Interpromotional Match
Flair vs HBK-Retirement Match (Stone Cold Special Ref?-He has been talking very highly of Flair lately in interviews)
Jericho vs JBL-Street Fight
Matt Hardy vs MVP-US Title
CM Punk vs Chavo-ECW Title (DQ causes Title to switch hands)
Money in the Bank Ladder Match-Jeff Hardy vs Kennedy vs Kane vs Shelton Benjamin vs Umaga vs Rey Mysterio
Finlay/Mick Foley vs Vince/Shane Mac-Hornswoggle Special Ref-Winner gets custody of Hornswoggle
Beth Phoenix vs Candice-Womens Title
Great Khali vs Big Show-(Possibly)
C.Rhodes/Hardcore Holly vs Santino/Carlito-World Tag Team Title (Dark Match)
Posted By: Boz (Guest) on February 02, 2008 at 11:51 AM
ya i can see the face in the pics,but i wouldn't read anything into them. The Michaels one is just the strange angle I would say. As for Jericho, I was tripped out a couple of weeks ago during Jericho's entrance when he more than resembled Benoit from certain perspectives and/or lighting. Next time he comes to the ring just imagine him shorter and much more muscular...
Posted By: SteamPUNK (Guest) on February 02, 2008 at 12:02 PM
The hand point is supposed to indicate the relative point on Shelley's hand where Detroit is on the map of the US.
Posted By: ChrisHo (Guest) on February 02, 2008 at 10:59 PM
