Have Smackdown's belts been rendered meaningless? Will Cena be champ for much longer? Will CM Punk no longer be the centerpiece of ECW? The answers...
All titles except for the Cruiserweight Championship were retained at this years Great American Bash. Let's go match by match and see what each outcome entails:
MVP def. Matt Hardy to retain U.S. Championship
- MVP is a great champ and WWE recognizes his potential, so it's no surprise to see him get a clean win here. This feud could be a great one, though, so look for it to continue into SummerSlam for a rematch.
Hornswaggle wins Cruiserweight Championship
- Well, the Crusierweight belt hasn't meant that much in recent years, but it's probably reached a new low. It's not as bad as giving the Great Khali a world championship, but it's getting there. If anything, Hornswaggle at least brings more attention to the belt and it should be cool to see how this storyline is handled. Hornswaggle vs. Chavo at SummerSlam? Surely not...
Carlito def. Sandman
- Apparently, even though this was a Singapore Cane match, the cane was never even used. Also, Sandman had no beer when he came out of the crowd. Is WWE censoring him? I hope not. This feud will most likely evolve into Sandman and Hacksaw vs. Carlito and William Regal for a gimmick match at SummerSlam.
Candice Michelle def. Melina to retain Women's Championship
- It seems that WWE is set on Candice being champ for a while, which is fine by me. It's tough to see where things will go from here though...Mickie James is clearly the most popular diva, so why not give her a title shot? At the same time, though, Jillian Hall and Beth Phoenix are two good heels. I'm thinking Mickie James becomes the #1 contender.
Umaga def. Jeff Hardy to retain Intercontinental Championship
- No real surprise that Umaga gets the clean victory over Jeff Hardy here. Now this is the question: will Umaga carry the belt into SummerSlam? I don't think so...remember that Umaga will be fighting against the Jackass crew, and what better way to get him angry at them than their interference forcing him to lose the belt?
John Morrison def. CM Punk to retain ECW Championship
- Morrison's set for a long title run here. He really deserves it: he's a great wrestler but he needs to get better on the mic. I think CM Punk is a better wrestler and a better speaker, but he will be champ before long. I'm not so sure that this feud will continue. We've seen house shows advertising Morrison vs. Tommy Dreamer, even though we saw Dreamer lose to him just a couple weeks ago. Regardless, I hope that this feud does go through SummerSlam: WWE needs to have its future (CM Punk) on the card.
Randy Orton def. Dusty Rhodes
- This was easy to pick: does anybody see DUSTY RHODES getting a push? Orton has been on a roll lately in order to set up for...a championship run and a feud with Triple H. Orton will beat Cena (finally) at SummerSlam to win the belt. Look for Cody Rhodes to start feuding with Santino Marella, Santino being a heel.
Great Khali def. Batista and Kane to retain the World Heavyweight belt
- This is absolutely sad. But here is what we're headed to: Great Khali vs. Batista at SummerSlam. This is so dumb.
John Cena def. Bobby Lashley to retain WWE Championship
- This was easy to see coming, or HEAR coming. Take one listen to Bobby Lashley on the mic and you know that he is miles short of being WWE Champion. He's been pushed too hard and too fast...I'm glad he finally got beat clean. He'll feud with Kennedy now and (hopefully) put him over.
There we go! What are your thoughts about the Bash or the upcoming SummerSlam?
Drew Arnold, writing for The Irish Whip
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Great American Bash Reaction
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Edge To Drop His Title On Smackdown
Over the past several hours, it's been reported that Edge will be dropping his World Heavyweight Championship on this week's Smackdown due to a torn pectoral muscle. This is yet another case of the injury plague for the WWE. The big question is, who will win the title? Batista? Kane? Mark Henry? MATT HARDY?
Here's my prediction: Smackdown will hold a battle royal main event this week to find the new champion. The winner will end up taking on Kane at the Bash.
Who do I think should win? Kane. He's a fantastic wrestler, he's great to watch, his entrance is awesome, and it would be fun to watch him terrorizing the Smackdown locker room during his title reign. Also, as much as Kane has dominated in the WWE, he only has one world title reign to show for it...and it lasted only a day.
Who do I think will win? I'm putting my money on Batista. I can see a Batista-Khali title feud followed by a Batista-Henry feud. This is sad, since I feel like we've seen this all before.
At this point, I think that even Matt Hardy would make a better champ than Batista. Batista just doesn't do a great job with the belt...Cena does much better. Why not give someone else a shot? Hardy would be a great way to go.
Who do you think will be champ? Slap a comment on the board.
Drew Arnold, writing for The Irish Whip
Thursday, June 21, 2007
WWE or TNA? I Want Your Take
Yes…I am going to post another opinion question (except this will be longer). I know that we technically don’t cover TNA on this website, but after seeing two videos that were posted on nodq.com (see the “excitement” category for links) I started comparing the two products. Ben initially covered TNA in his article "Why You Should Be Watching TNA" but he stopped the discussion before a comparison of brands. I'd like to break it down for you now:
Category 1: Excitement
I’ll start off by posting links to the best of TNA, and the best of AJ Styles
These two videos show incredible athleticism and creativity. After watching these videos I find myself wanting to become a TNA fan. Since WWE has such a huge fan base, TNA has to pull fans away from WWE and toward TNA. This means that TNA has to have this kind of excitement every single night to keep up with WWE (which I feel is not happening at all).
Now I will give you some links to WWE videos: WWE1 and WWE2 (and i don't think that these two videos have even put a quarter of the cool stuff that WWE has done in here)
I feel that these two videos have the same quality of excitement that the TNA ones have, even though the WWE videos are missing some very important moments (Shane-o jumping off of billions of things, the complete Mick Foley vs. The Undertaker HIAC match, etc...)
The plus side of WWE having three shows is that they have a great chance to have three or four great and exciting matches a week, where as TNA fills up a week with about 6 matches.
Category winner: WWE
Category 2: Storylines
TNA has the creative genius behind the WWF Attitude Era (Vince Russo). However, I feel that his style doesn't fit TNA's style because of the short programming time. That being said, I feel that TNA had a nice amount of hype building into the King of the Mountain title win for Angle. Overall I feel that the storylines for TNA are pretty good (7 out of 10).
I thoroughly dislike most WWE storylines, such as Vince McMahon's death, John Cena vs. Khali, Lashley vs. the new Corporation (as I like to call it), etc...There really isn't anything I like about the WWE writing staff except for Dusty Rhodes at ECW...but that balances out because I hate Dave Lagana (he makes dumb decisions like having Hardcore Holly pin CM Punk clean and making CM Punk the first person out in the Elimination Chamber). However, I especially hate Smackdown's writers (Michael Hayes) and their storylines, because they show us the same main event almost every week. They always have a tag-team match between two tag-teams who aren't actually teams (like tomorrow's Edge & MVP vs. Batista & Ric Flair). So overall I feel that the storylines for WWE are not up to par (4 out of 10)
Category Winner: TNA
Category 3: Superstars
The obvious idea here is to compare two lists of superstars, one for each company. I will do this based on talent mixed with popularity.
TNA: Abyss, AJ Styles, Team 3D, LAX, Christian Cage, Jay Lethal, Jeff Jarrett, Kurt Angle, Rhino, Samoa Joe, Scott Steiner, Sting, Tyson Tomko.
WWE: Chris Benoit, CM Punk, Lashley, John Cena, Batista (I know), The Hardy Boyz, MR. KENNEDY, Randy Orton, HBK, HHH, Shane McMahon, Stone Cold, Kendrick & London, Edge, MVP, Kane, Rey Mysterio, Ric Flair, The Undertaker.
Shall we compare? Let's start with comparing the tag-teams. I put the top two tag-teams for each product. TNA has Team 3D and LAX, and WWE has Kendrick & London and the Hardy Boyz. Team 3D is actually the most decorated tag-team in WWE history, and they are doing very well in TNA as well. However, LAX is not up to the level that the Hardy Boyz (or even Kendrick & London) are on (and LAX is deteriorating). I am going to have to give the titles of "best tag-teams" and "most exciting tag-teams" to WWE.
Let's look at singles competition now. TNA has GREAT wrestlers like AJ Styles, Christian, Kurt Angle, and Samoa Joe. However, WWE has a great mix of powerhouses (Lashley, Cena, Batista), athletics (Jeff Hardy, Brian Kendrick, Rey Mysterio), classics (HBK, The Undertaker, Ric Flair) and future greats (Mr. Kennedy, CM Punk, MVP). A mix like that makes WWE all the more enjoyable, and that's why...
Category Winner: WWE
Category 4: Programming
In this category, I am going to compare the 1 hour show and the 2 hour show...
Both times have their pluses and minuses, but generally I feel that 2 hours is too much, and 1 hour is not enough...so basically I would like it if both shows were an hour and a half. This is because I always feel that TNA is rushing through things, and I feel that WWE has too many unnecessary backstage segments and squash matches. However, I feel that the 2 hour show is better than the 1 hour show because it allows time for more wrestling...and that is what I expect from a WRESTLING show.
Clear Category Winner: WWE
So basically in my opinion, WWE wins the heated contest 3-1. Please comment on the post and agree or disagree with me (even under anonymous).
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
WWE Draft Preview And Predictions
Firstly, I want to say what I think the format of the draft will be like. Most likely, we will see each brand get a certain number of random picks, as was done in the 2004 draft. Smackdown will be robbed of its talent and it doesn't make sense that they would let this happen if they were doing the picking.
Let's get to it...with the realization that predicting the WWE Draft is more of a crapshoot than anything. Everything depends on which direction WWE wants to go in.
To RAW:
Batista - If RAW needs some more star power, then this is certainly a good way to go. Batista will lose his "Do or Die" match against Edge at Vengeance and move permanently to RAW. This would set up for a fantastic feud with John Cena later this summer.
Chris Benoit - It's been reported for a long time now that Benoit has already been told he's moving to RAW, which makes this an easy pick. I would think the ideal feud for him would be with Randy Orton.
William Regal - Never underestimate the strength of HHH's backstage politics. It's well-known that Regal is good friends with HHH and that he has requested a move and a heel push on RAW. He'll get it.
To Smackdown!:
CM Punk - He is one of the best pure wrestlers in the company (if not for Benoit, he might be THE best) and he is also a great entertainer. He will "move up" to Smackdown in order to put him on a bigger stage. Intuition seems to be telling everybody that he'll feud with MVP for the U.S. belt, and I think that's correct.
Matt Hardy - He's already on Smackdown, right? The point of this is to split up the Hardys as a tag team and make them singles wrestlers again. McMahon has always liked them better as singles.
Kevin Thorn - They've been putting him over on ECW the past few weeks with some squash matches, but who are they preparing him to feud with? With seemingly nobody on ECW that comes to mind, I say he moves to Smackdown.
To ECW:
Rey Mysterio - He'll add top-tier talent to the show and replace CM Punk as the reason to watch ECW. Also, he'll be feuding with none other than Mr. McMahon by the end of the summer, so look for him to warm up on some of the ECW heels.
Shelton Benjamin - His singles push gets a restart on ECW and Charlie Haas gets dropped. Benjamin is one of the most talented athletes in the company and needs to be utilized. Quit wasting space with him on RAW!
Super Crazy - His singles push on RAW has all but diminished. We haven't seen him in weeks even though he has reportedly recovered from his injury. ECW is a perfect fit for this guy, and he would be a great wrestler to put over some of the up-and-coming heels.
If the draft were to take place as I see it, Smackdown would clearly be raided of its talent and ECW would become a very watchable show. I have one problem with my predictions: there's nothing shocking about them! No title switches between brands, etc. I think a great move by WWE would be to swap MVP and Santino (and their belts) between RAW and Smackdown. But we'll see.
How do you see the upcoming draft? Post your responses.
Drew Arnold, writing for The Irish Whip
Monday, June 4, 2007
WWE Draft Preview And Predictions
I don't think that I've ever been as excited about RAW as I am now. WWE has the real opportunity to get their programming on the right track and return to being an integral part of pop culture with this draft.
Firstly, I want to say what I think the format of the draft will be like. Most likely, we will see each brand get a certain number of random picks, as was done in the 2004 draft. Smackdown will be robbed of its talent and it doesn't make sense that they would let this happen if they were doing the picking.
Let's get to it...with the realization that predicting the WWE Draft is more of a crapshoot than anything. Everything depends on which direction WWE wants to go in.
To RAW:
Batista - If RAW needs some more star power, then this is certainly a good way to go. Batista will lose his "Do or Die" match against Edge at Vengeance and move permanently to RAW. This would set up for a fantastic feud with John Cena later this summer.
Chris Benoit - It's been reported for a long time now that Benoit has already been told he's moving to RAW, which makes this an easy pick. I would think the ideal feud for him would be with Randy Orton.
William Regal - Never underestimate the strength of HHH's backstage politics. It's well-known that Regal is good friends with HHH and that he has requested a move and a heel push on RAW. He'll get it.
To Smackdown!:
CM Punk - He is one of the best pure wrestlers in the company (if not for Benoit, he might be THE best) and he is also a great entertainer. He will "move up" to Smackdown in order to put him on a bigger stage. Intuition seems to be telling everybody that he'll feud with MVP for the U.S. belt, and I think that's correct.
Matt Hardy - He's already on Smackdown, right? The point of this is to split up the Hardys as a tag team and make them singles wrestlers again. McMahon has always liked them better as singles.
Kevin Thorn - They've been putting him over on ECW the past few weeks with some squash matches, but who are they preparing him to feud with? With seemingly nobody on ECW that comes to mind, I say he moves to Smackdown.
To ECW:
Rey Mysterio - He'll add top-tier talent to the show and replace CM Punk as the reason to watch ECW. Also, he'll be feuding with none other than Mr. McMahon by the end of the summer, so look for him to warm up on some of the ECW heels.
Shelton Benjamin - His singles push gets a restart on ECW and Charlie Haas gets dropped. Benjamin is one of the most talented athletes in the company and needs to be utilized. Quit wasting space with him on RAW!
Super Crazy - His singles push on RAW has all but diminished. We haven't seen him in weeks even though he has reportedly recovered from his injury. ECW is a perfect fit for this guy, and he would be a great wrestler to put over some of the up-and-coming heels.
If the draft were to take place as I see it, Smackdown would clearly be raided of its talent and ECW would become a very watchable show. I have one problem with my predictions: there's nothing shocking about them! No title switches between brands, etc. I think a great move by WWE would be to swap MVP and Santino (and their belts) between RAW and Smackdown. But we'll see.
How do you see the upcoming draft? Post your responses.
Drew Arnold, writing for The Irish Whip
One Night Stand Reaction / RAW Preview
All of the other matches on this PPV were somewhat easy to predict, especially the title matches. Cena and Lashley continued to receive their "superman" pushes, Edge will clearly be given a long title reign, and the Hardys continued to make ladder matches their specialty. This should not come as a surprise at all because the draft is coming up! That should provide us with some excellent feuds...maybe Cena-Batista, Benoit-Orton, and MVP-Punk? We'll see.
On to a preview of tonight's RAW. Look for pretty much everything to remain the status quo heading into the draft. They may even have Cena defeat Khali one last time.
Finally, my last hope for RAW tonight is that we get more information on the draft. How many picks will each brand receive? Will injured wrestlers be subject to the draft? This would make it easier on me when I do my WWE draft predictions.
Drew Arnold, writing for The Irish Whip
Saturday, June 2, 2007
One Night Stand Predictions
Tomorrow night's PPV has the best card that we've seen since Wrestlemania. A lot of these matches are tough ones to call, but let's get down to it.
Kane vs. Mark Henry
Lumberjack Match
Why do they keep making a great entertainer like Kane lose to such crappy wrestlers? I don't know, but I think it will happen again.
Winner: Mark Henry
Randy Orton vs. RVD
Stretcher Match
This should be an awesome match. Now, it's "common knowledge" that this will be RVD's last match with WWE (at least for a while) but it is also known that Vince McMahon doesn't like the fact that everybody knows this. I don't think that will make a difference. Look for RKO to "kill the legend" of RVD.
Winner: Randy Orton
CM Punk, Sandman, Tommy Dreamer vs. Elijah Burke, Marcus Cor Von, Matt Striker
Table Match
This should also be a good match, but I think it's a pretty easy one to call. Look for CM Punk's push to continue and for the New Breed to continue to fall apart.
Winners: CM Punk, Sandman, Tommy Dreamer
The Hardys vs. World's Greatest Tag Team
Ladder Match for the World Tag Team Championship
This, along with the stretcher match, will probably be the match of the night. Now it would not surprise me at all if Haas and Benjamin won the belts somehow, seeing as WWE wants the Hardys to each be singles wrestlers. I think that Matt and Jeff will keep the belts at One Night Stand, though.
Winners: The Hardys
Melina vs. Candice Michelle
Pudding Match
It was made a non-title match...because Candice Michelle will win it
Winner: Candice Michelle
Edge vs. Batista
Steel Cage Match for the World Heavyweight Championship
This match seems pretty straightforward. Edge has been guaranteed a long title run, and it is extremely possible that Batista will be drafted to RAW soon. So...
Winner: Edge
Vince McMahon vs. Bobby Lashley
Street Fight for the ECW World Championship
I really don't like this storyline, but thankfully I think it will end tonight. Bobby Lashley "overcomes the odds" and wins the ECW title back.
Winner: Bobby Lashley
John Cena vs. The Great Khali
Falls Count Anywhere Match for the WWE Championship
I really think that they'll go all out in this match. Cena can be more hardcore than people give him credit for, and I think we'll see that in this match. I also think we'll see him retain, setting up for a Cena-Batista feud in a few weeks.
Winner: John Cena
There it is! As always, please post your responses and especially your disagreements. I will write a One Night Stand reaction and see how I did.
Drew Arnold, writing for The Irish Whip
Sunday, May 27, 2007
WWE Notes
So I know that I've been bad about giving you guys your stolen article of the week, WWE Legend, and Top 5 list that you've all become accustomed to. But with all this UFC 71 business going on, it's just been crazy around here. Phones ringing off the hook, bricks going through windows; its chaos, really. But never fear! I'm here with your SMACKDOWN recap, RAW preview, Saturday Night Main Event preview, and One Night Stand preview.
Let's get started! On Friday, Batista speared all his opponents to win the right to face Edge at One Night Stand. Although the Batista-Edge feud is in its infancy, I think it will be a successful one. Throw in the fact that their match will be inside the confines of a steel cage, and this becomes something worth looking forward to. Edge had an awesome promo on SMACKDOWN (he needs to speak every single week, he's that good) while proclaiming himself to be the greatest champion ever.
Benoit and MVP had a nice little segment which ended in three German Suplexes (there's a name for this succession, but I can't remember it). I love this feud and I actually think it's the best thing going on SMACKDOWN. The rivalry between a brash, young Superstar and a wily veteran is something that will always resonate with sports fans.
There was some sort of tag team action, but I'm relatively positive it was not entertaining. I'm tired of non-descript teams (Taylor and Regal) facing badly-gimmicked teams (Deuce and Domino). Also, what is going on with Matt Hardy's push? They're having him beat everyone in sight (including Mr. Kennedy a few weeks ago), but they aren't doing anything with it. He hasn't claimed a feud, demanded a title shot, or anything that would designate a typical push.
This week's RAW should be decent, with Cena and Lashley teaming up against Khali, Umaga, and Shane-O in 2 on 3 tag match. Shane apparently has a huge announcement to make, but I just expect it to be extreme stipulations or additional matches. Usually, I don't like it when the WWE teams people who have no business being together (Cena and Lashley), but I care so little about these feuds, I'd much rather have them kill two birds with one stone and make more time for the tag team matches.
I know, I can't believe I said it either. I'm actually excited for the tag matches! Being this close to the PPV, the WWE doesn't want to give too much away or have anyone get hurt, so you can't expect much from some of the bigger ticket wrestlers. And so, the burden of good matches will fall on the newly-developed tag teams. Expect to see heel and face development and lots of interference. Maybe an 8-man brawl at some point? I hope so. The WWE is teasing a Cade and Murdoch heel turn, but I don't think it will happen. There's a really nice balance of power right now in the tag division (no injuries!) and I expect the WWE to capitalize on this.
I have no idea why they would have Saturday Night's Main Event just ONE DAY prior to a PPV. They aren't even scheduling big matches for it, which makes sense, since they don't want wrestlers to get hurt. So far, I've seen two matches, only one of which I can recall: Finlay and Hornswaggle vs. Boogeyman and Little Boogeyman. Now who wouldn't want to see that? Perhaps they're using this to appease the wrestlers who didn't make the cut to be included in One Night Stand. Who knows?
One Night Stand, on the other hand, despite being held in Jacksonville and not featuring any of the ECW Originals, is shaping up to be a decent card. I think we need to stop pretending that this is an ECW PPV and just accept it for what it is -- a general WWE card with extreme rules. Can anyone even tell me what brand Lashley is on anymore? Anyway, this card features a Street Fight between Vince and Lashley for the ECW Championship, a Falls Count Anywhere match between Cena and Khali for the WWE Championship, and a Steel Cage match between Edge and Batista for the World Heavyweight Championship. Two of these matches should be good. We know that Vince can put on a show (see Valentine's Day Massacre of 1999) and Lashley is improved. Edge makes his matches good, no matter who he is facing, and he'll need to be as good as ever if he plans to make Batista look like a real wrestler. I have faith in Edge, though, and I think this will be the best match of the night. The disappointment, of course, is the Khali-Cena match. I expect a double count out a la Backlash 2007. They can't give the most decorated belt in Sports Entertainment to (gasp!) The Great Khali...can they? Check out this prediction from my award-winning article "One Night Stand Officially Sucks Before It Happens": "I wouldn't be surprised if there were matches featuring no ECW extremists at all."
With most of their talent on the disabled list (see our new polls on the right!), it is more important than ever that the WWE correctly manages its remaining wrestlers. The next two weeks will give us a very good indication if this is going to happen. If mismanaged, the post-WrestleMania slump could easily continue until SummerSlam in August.
A note to our readers: next week, the url for The Irish Whip will be changing to irishwhip.blogspot.com instead of benanddrew.blogspot.com. Please change your bookmarks accordingly.
Thursday, May 24, 2007
SMACKDOWN Preview & RAW Notes
With The Undertaker and Mr. Kennedy sidelined, it looks as though there will be very little development of new storylines tomorrow night on SMACKDOWN. Barring any earth-shattering event, I would expect to see a continuation of the Edge/Batista and Benoit/MVP feuds. Of course, we know that Finlay, Kane, and Mark Henry will be competing in a fatal four way with Batista to determine the #1 contender to Edge's title, but I wouldn't bank on anyone other than The Animal leaving as the victor. Batista is the Cena-like investment for SMACKDOWN, and the writers wouldn't have him step aside so someone like Mark Henry can get a title shot. And who'd want to see a Mark Henry/Edge feud anyway? Barring a good promo or two from the Rated-R Superstar, it would be a waste. And so, expect to see more of the same tomorrow night from the WWE. Even with Edge switching brands, it isn't enough to keep this show afloat. And with The Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, HHH, and Mr. Kennedy all suffering from injuries and accounting for exactly 68% of the talent in the WWE, Vince is in trouble.
There's little news on the RAW front, and so I'd expect more "continuation" (McMahon/Lashley, Cena/Khali) along with additional role changes (Carlito becomes stronger heel, Cade & Murdoch become stronger faces). It shouldn't be an non-entertaining RAW, with more One Night Stand matches being made and stipulations being revealed. Also, the recent development of the tag division should provide for an interesting match/interference or two. I always did love that palindrome-style RAW logo.
Actually, I brought up RAW just so I could mention that the episode on June 11th will be THREE HOURS LONG. That's right; three hours. I'm not even going to touch this one.
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Judgment Day Results/RAW Predictions
Let's check in and see both what happened and how Drew did in picking the outcomes:
Carlito vs. Ric Flair
Ric Flair wins with a clean submission due to Figure Four Leglock.
Drew's pick: Ric Flair
Winner: Ric Flair (1-0)
Shawn Michaels vs. Randy Orton
Randy Orton wins due to Michaels being unable to compete.
Drew's pick: HBK
Winner: Randy Orton (1-1)
Elijah Burke vs. CM Punk
CM Punk wins by pinfall following a kick to the stomach.
Drew's pick: Elijah Burke
Winner: CM Punk (1-2)
Chris Benoit vs. MVP for the United States Championship
MVP wins U.S. Championship following two straight pinfalls.
Drew's pick: MVP
Winner: MVP (2-2)
Vince McMahon, Shane McMahon, and Umaga vs. Bobby Lashley for the ECW Championship
Bobby Lashley wins match by pinning Shane McMahon; however, does not recover belt as McMahon was not covered.
Drew's pick: Bobby Lashley
Winner: Bobby Lashley (3-2)
Edge vs. Batista for the World Heavyweight Championship
Edge wins match via roll-up pin.
Drew's pick: Edge
Winner: Edge (4-2)
John Cena vs. The Great Khali for the WWE Championship
John Cena forces The Great Khali to tap from the STFU.
Drew's pick: John Cena
Winner: John Cena (5-2)
Drew finishes off the night with an impressive 5-2 record. Although Drew wasn't able to comment on the "match" between the Hardyz and Cade/Murdoch, I can assure you that our favorite North Carolinian would have chosen Jeff and Matt, thus making Drew's record for the evening a stellar 6-2.
Some of Drew's best calls include the MVP-Benoit match, where MVP won in two straight falls, and the Cena-Khali match, where Khali was forced to tap. As far as the former is concerned, it was a significant outcome due to the fact that we are trained to expect 2 out of 3 falls matches to reach that last match. I can't tell you the last time it didn't go to the third. I think...the Mick Foley/Ric Flair match last year? Maybe. Either way, in addition to proving Drew correct, this win really puts MVP on center stage and fuels this feud for some great matches in the future. Don't forget, MVP was trained by Chris Benoit. These guys really know how to put it on.
As far as the Khali match, Drew was dead on about it being used as a tool to get Cena over. The WWE is hyping this submission like it's Hulk Hogan slamming Andre the Giant or Barry Horowitz finally winning a match (extra points if you know who Horowitz is). Again, that STFU proves to be the most formidable submission in all of wrestling. And it's put on so cleanly each time!
No real disappointments for Drew here. Burke/Punk was a toss up by definition and news of the Michaels injury came after Drew posted. The idea that the WWE would use Orton's match to punish him seemed dead-on to me.
So this brings us to the second portion of tonight's post: tomorrow's RAW.
Since many of the matches weren't from the RAW brand, this PPV of very little consequence has almost no bearing on RAW tomorrow. After all, the only title change was from the SMACKDOWN show. Obviously, Cena will do a promo about how great he is, and someone will need to disagree in order to create a feud for the summer. It obviously won't be Michaels, due to the injury. Expect to see Orton "injure" him tomorrow night. Triple H won't be back in time, so he's out. I think the fans spoke loudly about The Great Khali, so I'm praying we've seen the last of him and he'll go play with Mark Henry or someone else. If all my calculations are right, this leaves us with Randy Orton? No way the WWE would reward him with a title opportunity, so I'm going to go out on a limb and say that (if not tomorrow, then soon) we will be seeing an episode of RAW is JERICHO very soon. After all, Cena was better as a heel, and who do the fans like better than Y2J? Maybe The Rock, but my point is, the list is short. Watch out for Jericho's return in the following weeks.
This is the part where I'd make some comments about the Intercontinental belt, but there wasn't a match for it tonight. Maybe I'd choose to go on to the Tag Team belts, but really, am I going to sit here and discuss Cade and Murdoch with you, our fine readers? Please, I'd rather sleep with Mae Young. Okay, well maybe not that... Unfortunately, wrestling fans, it looks as though the Heavyweight title is going to be the only subject of importance as we roll into a few more meaningless PPVs, culminating with Summerslam in August.
With little else to talk about and someone named Timbaland performing a new song on RAW tomorrow night, I'd like to make a little prediction of my own: RAW WILL SUCK.
Instead of watching, why not spend your night commenting on my hilarious Ahmed Johnson post which only took a little over and hour to finish, just so no one could read it. I'm not bitter, though...
Judgment Day Predictions!
FIRST AND FOREMOST: Take a look at the Judgment Day poster on the right. Kane is featured on it, yet Kane is not even booked for a match on this PPV - will he make some sort of impact? Keep an eye out for that.
Let the predictions begin! Let's go on down the card:
Carlito vs. Ric Flair
This is a cool feud. I think Ric Flair will eventually want to put Carlito over, but I also think that they'll want to drag out the feud beyond this PPV.
Winner: Ric Flair
Shawn Michaels vs. Randy Orton
We've heard rumors that HBK and Cena will be holding a feud this summer, which leads me to believe that HBK will pick up the win here. This might also be a good way for WWE to punish Orton for his recent actions.
Winner: HBK
Elijah Burke vs. CM Punk
I was going to pick Punk, but then I realized that there's no way for him to move up in ECW with Lashley vs. Snitsky being the next championship feud. This leads me to believe that the Burke vs. Punk feud will continue, and it's fine by me. Through some cheap method (maybe interference from Cor Von?)...
Winner: Elijah Burke
Chris Benoit vs. MVP for the United States Championship
So I've picked MVP to beat Benoit for the past two PPVs...I'll pick him again. He and Benoit put on AWESOME matches and I think the feud will continue.
Winner: MVP
Vince McMahon, Shane McMahon, and Umaga vs. Bobby Lashley for the ECW Championship
This is the match that will put Bobby Lashley over...I'm not sure how well a feud with Snitsky will follow this.
Winner: Bobby Lashley
Edge vs. Batista for the World Heavyweight Championship
If WWE wanted Batista to be the World Heavyweight Champion then they would have had him beat Taker in that cage match. I think Batista will be feuding with Mark Henry anyway while Edge feuds with...Matt Hardy.
Winner: Edge
John Cena vs. The Great Khali for the WWE Championship
This one is actually very tough to call. I think that the purpose of this feud is to try to get Cena over to the point where he's not booed anymore, so if Cena lost and then won it back in the next couple of months then that might really put him over. Yet I've learned...never bet against Vince's guys. (Also: look for some interference from HBK to help Cena pull out the victory)
Winner: John Cena
That's the card! Post your responses, especially your disagreements. I'll post a follow-up to the PPV to see how I did.
Drew Arnold, writing for The Irish Whip
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
WWE Will Have HUGE Success This Summer. Here's Why:
Right now, WWE seems to be in a bit of a lull. A couple factors go into this: they are coming off the backend of Wrestlemania and they a suffering through some major injuries to some major superstars. The good news for WWE is that both of these problems will solve themselves at around the same time...this summer.
Think of this:
Over the course of the next couple months, we will see the return of some major superstars. Rey Mysterio, Triple H, and (my favorite) MISTAAAAAA KENNEDY will all be returning and receiving main event roles in WWE programming. There are also reports that WWE would like to sign Chris Jericho in time for Summerslam. These main event superstars can provide much better mainstream interest than Bobby Lashley, the Great Khali, or Batista ever could.
Also, WWE should be emerging out out of its post-Wrestlemania lull around this time. Huge main eventers + huge stages like Summerslam = Success for the WWE.
I'm looking forward to this summer's WWE programming. I truly think that if WWE handles its storylines properly then over the course of the next year it will return to being a fixture of pop culture. Post your thoughts...
Drew Arnold, writing for The Irish Whip
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Backlash Predictions!
Usually, Drew does the ppv predictions on The Irish Whip. However, for Backlash, Drew and I (Jared) have gotten together to do joint predictions. Let’s get started.
John Cena vs. Edge vs. Randy Orton vs. Shawn Michaels
Cena: One of the two possible winners. Although his unnecessarily long title reign is quite boring, I could see WWE letting him retain.
Randy Orton: No chance. He was sent home from the European tour because of the mysterious hotel room problem (he apparently was found passed out in his hotel room that he had trashed and it ended up being 30,000 dollars in damages).
Shawn Michaels: I couldn’t see the Undertaker and Shawn Michaels holding titles at the same time. WWE recently is all about passing the torch so I couldn’t see Michaels winning. Plus there is the rumor that he is moving to Smackdown (I doubt it, but it is a rumor).
Edge: The other of the two possible winners. His title reign was extremely fun to watch (although he was fighting Cena for about half a year) and I am ready for another R-Rated champ.
Jared Pick: Edge
Drew Pick: Cena
Melina vs. Mickie James
Melina: Apparently she is in the doghouse right now, but that didn’t stop her win at Wrestlemania. WWE is certainly building her and Mickie James up to be their top divas.
Mickie James: Clearly she is the better wrestler out of the two, but Melina is receiving a strong push.
Jared Pick: Melina
Drew Pick: Melina
The Hardy Boyz vs. Cade & Murdoch
If Cade and Murdoch win this, the tag-team division is officially destroyed. I can’t see having Cade and Murdoch champs at the same time that Deuce and Domino are champs on Smackdown.
Jared Pick: The Hardy Boyz (please God)
Drew Pick: The Hardy Boyz
Undertaker vs. Batista
Undertaker: I keep hearing about how his title reign is going to be long, but there is no telling because WWE changes its mind in a second.
Batista: Vince loves him because he is big….but everyone else hates him. He has gotten much worse as a wrestler since his return from his injury, and even a few of the “face-faithful” fans are starting to join the boos.
Jared Pick: The Undertaker
Drew Pick: The Undertaker
Vince McMahon, Shane McMahon, and Umaga vs. Lashley
Umaga: Will NOT move to ECW, because that would be ridiculous. Although they are pushing him, I can’t see this.
Vince McMahon: I hope Vince realizes that giving himself the belt would kill ECW.
Shane McMahon: Shane face turn??? I have been waiting for it for awhile now. He would be incredibly good in ECW as well.
Lashley: Is in the middle of the biggest push in wrestling right now. Obviously the favorite in the match.
Jared Pick: Shane
Drew Pick: Lashley
Chris Benoit vs. MVP
First of all I would like to say that this has been a fantastic rivalry to watch, and it has been the only reason that I have watched Smackdown in the past few weeks.
Chris Benoit: WWE is in the “pass-the-torch” mode and I could definitely see Benoit go down here to an up and coming MVP.
MVP: Receiving a push, young superstar, and good wrestler. That seems like the right combination for a United States title reign.
Jared Pick: MVP
Drew Pick: MVP
There is a rumored match between Deuce & Domino and London & Kendrick.
London & Kendrick: Held the titles for an ass-load of time. They were exciting and did some cool stuff, but they never reached “star” status.
Deuce & Domino: Maybe WWE is going to try out Deuce & Domino and see how the crowd reacts to the new talent. Only time will tell.
Jared Pick: London & Kendrick
Drew Pick: Deuce and Domino
Drew and I will check back in sometime after the ppv and look at how we each did. Thanks for reading and make sure you post your own views.
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Overrated/Underrated Superstars
Since the Matt Hardy post generated a good deal of commentary and Drew reminded us all of the classic literary form of the list, I thought it would be fun to combine both and take a look at the most overrated and underrated wrestlers currently employed by the WWE.
Overrated wrestlers:
5. King Booker. He used to be a good wrestler in his WCW days, but age and a terrible gimmick have taken a serious toll on the man who used to delight us with that spinning thing. He shouldn't be anywhere near a title shot.
4. Umaga. I know he's from the family that produced The Rock, Rikishi, The Wild Samoans, and Yokozuna, but he's just not interesting to watch. Thank God that the powers that be prevented him from ever beating Cena for the title.
3. Matt Hardy. See previous post.
2. Batista. Another one of McMahon's over-muscled favorites, Batista features a limited move set and virtually no mic skills. Without his huge push, he'd just be another Chris Masters.
1. John Cena. The current champ spends his time defeating future legends with a crappy finisher and generally not being able to wrestle. His good mic skills make him a serviceable champion, but not a good wrestler, and certainly not the Hall of Famer he is painted to become.
Underrated wrestlers:
5. Kenny. I think Kenny has been mishandled. First, he was put with the misfit Spirit Squad. Next, he was forced to wear pink tights and main card RAW. What we really have here is a young Owen Hart: whiny, athletic, and trained by the best (Stu Hart and Killer Kowalski, respectively).
4. The Undertaker. I know, I know. How could one of the most decorated champions of all-time make it onto my underrated list? Well, people still doubt The Dead Man. Every year, there are more and more groans about the age and ability of Taker, and yet he continues to show up, most recently evidenced by his over-the-top-rope dive onto Batista at WrestleMania 23.
3. Shelton Benjamin. Another case of names gone wrong (Does anyone know anyone named Bobby Lashley or Kenny Dykstra?!). Benjamin, a two-time state wrestling champion and Ohio Valley product, has all the moves and the looks to make it big in the WWE. Now all he needs is a name and a push.
2. Carlito. Carlito has a downright nasty move set and yet he's stuck with Ric Flair. I know that the Flair dynamic was supposed to make him a better wrestler and more recognizable, but he didn't even make WrestleMania this year. Missing chances to perform on the greatest stage in the world is going to hurt Carlito in the long run, keeping him as one of the most underrated wrestlers.
1. Mr. Kennedy. Yes, the future of the sport (according to Drew's list) is also the most underrated (according to me). Again, I have a problem with the generic yet odd gimmick name. Mr. Kennedy has a unique mix of power, speed, and flight which is seen in few wrestlers. Some of the most versatile (Rob Van Dam, Shawn Michaels) can combine two, but not three. Kennedy needs to develop a more defined personality so he can avoid showing up on this list in a few months.
Please comment on the board with your own lists.
