ECW Preview and Predictions

Tonight's episode of ECW (the last before the upcoming WWE draft) should contain three elements in it:

1. The dismantling of the New Breed
2. The phasing out of Rob Van Dam
3. The continued "dominance" of Lashley

Firstly, I fully expect CM Punk to be moved in the WWE draft next week to either Smackdown or RAW. If this is the case, then WWE will have to wind down the feud between Punk and the New Breed, which should take place tonight. Maybe look for Burke and Cor Von to kick Striker out of the group and become a two-man team.

Next, we should see WWE writing RVD out of the show. Randy Orton will probably come on and brag about "killing the legend" of Rob Van Dam.

Lastly, WWE.com is advertising a 3-on-1 handicap match for Lashley's title, with Tommy Dreamer, Sandman, and Balls Mahoney being the team of three. One of two things will happen here: More likely, Lashley will win the match and retain his title, thoroughly frustrating Vince McMahon. The other, less likely possibility is that Dreamer, Sandman, and Balls will be straight-up fired be Vince McMahon for not participating in the match. I doubt this would happen, but with who knows?

Drew Arnold, writing for The Irish Whip

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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

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Guys I Like

So I know we spend the majority of our time on here bashing wrestlers, decisions, cards, and anything else we can get our hands on, but the truth is, I love the WWE. I wouldn't watch it if I didn't. It provides a kind of scripted entertainment which few of the greatest classic sports moments can rival. Taking all of this into consideration, I decided to make a list of guys who I just like.

Edge: A fantastic wrestler, trained by Stu Hart and Dory Funk Jr. (you guys know I put a ton of stock into the trainer(s)) has emerged as THE complete wrestler in the WWE. He can take bumps, he can give bumps, he can technically wrestle till hell freezes over, and boy can he work that mic. The best on the mic since DX and The Rock, Edge has vastly improved from a non-speaking "enigma" to someone I actually want to listen to. I think I'm still laughing from his Money In The Bank segment in which he referred to King Booker as "King Booka" and asked Matt Hardy "Why are you here?"

Johnny Nitro: Another naturally gifted athlete, Nitro has the unique ability to adapt to his opponents style, creating matches that are just fun to watch. A co-winner of the third season of Tough Enough, Nitro reminds me of a young Shawn Michaels. Charismatic, athletic, and all the tools needed to be a force in this business for another decade.



Kenny: I get shit from Drew for this, but I honestly like Kenny. I think that if he wasn't pigeon-holed into these shitty gimmicks, he'd be well-respected instead of a huge joke. Actually, I think he would've made a nice fit in the newest DX. Kenny was trained by Killer Kowalski and that in itself is enough for me to trust that he knows what he's doing. The WWE just needs to give him, not Chris Masters, the push. (It only took me half a post to start bashing the WWE's decisions...back to positivity...now.)

The Miz: Shut up, Drew. I love The Miz. What isn't there to like about a genuine guy who has always wanted to be a wrestler? It's like if I were good looking and strong and worked really hard and one day, I made it into the WWE. The product would be the creation of the ultimate face, which is what The Miz brings to the business. He's someone everyone can love. I know he was trained by Al Snow, who is no Killer Kowalski, but I still think he's got enough appeal and ability to have a successful career.

Marcus Cor Von: Whether you want to call him Monty Brown, The Alpha Male, or MCV, this guy (trained by Stu Hart and Dan Severn) can flat out put on a show. He showed us this during his match with CM Punk, another one of the most highly touted recruits the WWE has. In that match, however, it was Cor Von, not Punk, who ran the pacing of the match and looked like he had been in the company for ten years. Cool moves, a fun gimmick, and ability (rare for one of McMahon's big men) are what make MCV one of my favorites.

RVD: Do I even need to explain this one? Who doesn't like RVD? The last man to really stand up to Vince and the influx of non-extreme wrestlers into ECW, RVD has one of the most innovative move sets I've ever seen. He's like a more athletic Shawn Michaels, if that's even possible. RVD is the Jesus of wrestling; there's no move you could explain that he couldn't pull off. He always puts on a show for the fans, even when he's in the midst of contract negotiations, and I know I'll miss him greatly in a few months.

The Sandman: This drinking, smoking, overweight extremist has to be one of the most interesting men to ever step into the squared circle. From his entrance to his look to his general lack of interest in the match itself, The Sandman is always worth watching. Is he a good wrestler? Not even close. Does he have the physique of any of the other men on this list? Hell no. If I could choose four men to put into an extreme rules match, would The Sandman be one of them? You bet.



For the love of RVD, PLEASE write comments to our blogs. I'm not talking about the other writers who post on my stuff to make me feel good about myself; I'm talking about all you out there who read us on a daily basis. Let us know you're out there! Tell us if you agree. Yell at us if you don't. We don't really care; we just want to hear from you!

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ECW: Where it goes from here

The new ECW didn't turn out like any of us wanted it to, did it? I always see it referred to as "ECWWE," which I don't have a problem with. But now we have Bobby Lashley as champ; WWE wants him as one of the main players in the company, so there is no chance that they would let him lose his title (clean) in ECW. Where do they go from here?

Here’s a prediction: Right now, the storyline with Bobby Lashley is that McMahon will try to make his life a living hell. At some point over the next several weeks, McMahon will somehow cause Lashley to lose his ECW title, after which Lashley to move to RAW to continue his feud with McMahon. This will put what WWE sees as their top rising star onto their top show.

Lashley will leave ECW, there is no question about it. WWE has already made it clear that nobody will challenge Lashley there. So, once Lashley leaves, what direction does ECW take? That depends on one man…ROB VAN DAM.

I would look for RVD to be the ECW champ, especially if his contract negotiations continue to drag out before it finally expires at the end of the summer. I would look for this: McMahon drops Lashley’s belt to Elijah Burke, who then feuds with RVD and drops it to him. One Night Stand is coming up, that would be the perfect place for one of the title changes.

Now, there is always the possibility of RVD leaving WWE, and what happens then? CM Punk. A Punk-Burke feud would be awesome to see. CM Punk is my favorite wrestler in ECW, I hope they push him like he deserves.

The only thing that can get in the way of these plans is…Snitsky. And that would be awful to see him as ECW’s champ.

Post your thoughts…

Drew Arnold writing for The Irish Whip

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