It’s time once again for my previews & predictions for this month’s WWE PPV: BACKLASH!!!

World Heavyweight Championship
The Undertaker © vs. Edge
The feud is rekindled from WrestleMania XXIV. There really hasn’t been a whole heap of buildup for this one. I mean, seeing Edge & Vickie get massages and eventually “have sex” isn’t the way to build a title match. People have said that Edge wasn’t very happy with the match at WrestleMania and felt it could be better. I personally thought they tore the house down at WrestleMania. Either way, the Undertaker is in line for a long title run, perhaps his last. I don’t see Edge getting the title back for a while. I’m just hoping for a Edge-Punk feud in the future. We already saw a seed planted for that in the future. The Undertaker will most likely retain. I don’t know if they’ll have any kind of outside interference or what. Last year, Undertaker & Batista tore the house down. I hope Edge & ‘Taker can tear it down this year.
My Projected Winner: The Undertaker

WWE Championship
Fatal Four Way Elimination Match
Randy Orton © vs. Triple H vs. John Cena vs. John Bradshaw Layfield
I’m never a big fan of multiple guy matches unless they’re built right. This one hasn’t been built that good in my opinion. They just tossed JBL into the match. Why? He announced on Smackdown, beat Chris Jericho, and beat up a midget. What the hell? Then again, Snitsky jobbed for a few straight weeks and then faced Jeff Hardy for the Intercontinental Championship. Either way, the “Age of Orton” just began so I don’t see him dropping the title. Triple H is due for a title run soon. John Cena is filming a movie so he can’t carry the belt. JBL is…JBL I guess. So, I’m giving the win to the Legend Killer, Randy Orton.
My Projected Winner: Randy Orton

ECW Championship
Kane © vs. Chavo Guerrero
Kane destroyed Chavo at WrestleMania XXIV, which I thought sucked. I mean, a 9-second match at WrestleMania? They could have easily done this on the following Tuesday. Bam Neely has entered the picture and it furthers my point that there’s nothing original in wrestling. If it’s not TNA parodying a bunch of gimmicks, it’s the WWE using names that sound like pro athlete names. First, it’s Kenny Dykstra, off of Lenny Dykstra. Now, it’s Bam Neely, off of Cam Neely. If you don’t know who those two are, look them up. Either way, I look for Kane to retain. Chavo is wasting time right now. As much as I liked Chavo in WCW with Pepe the Horse, he doesn’t need to be ECW Champion. Maybe they’ll throw Colin Delaney in there for a while. (Yes, I’m only kidding.)
My Projected Winner: Kane

United States Championship
MVP © vs. Matt Hardy
The leading candidate for Feud of the Year in my awards blog is finally rekindled! These two are magical. I could honestly watch this feud for another year or so. They haven’t screwed it up yet, even with MVP hurt and them doing a bunch of pointless contests. I hope this stretches out until One Night Stand or Night of Champions. I would love to see this end in a TLC match at One Night Stand with Hardy going over. MVP is being groomed for greatness and he’s improved dramatically since coming on in 2005. Prior to now, I thought he sucked. The people that have been reading my blogs since I’ve been writing, I’ve thought MVP was a waste of time. Now, he’s the freakin’ man. I hope MVP stays on Smackdown because if he goes to RAW, he’ll end up like Mr. Kennedy with a screwed up character. Give me MVP winning with The Playmaker.
My Projected Winner: MVP

Grudge Match
Shawn Michaels vs. Batista
Special Guest Referee: Chris Jericho
What the hell is Chris Jericho doing in this feud? He should have never been involved at all and should be doing something with somebody else. Meanwhile back at the ranch, this is a turning point for HBK. He’s slated to be heel for a feud with The Undertaker. I told Richard Gray this might be tough to do because some people might turn on Batista. Why? They’ll think “layoff of HBK, he was only doing his job.” There will be some point in this feud where HBK will be a full fledged heel. This started off as a great feud with their promos. I mean, those things were electric and I don’t consider Batista a great promo guy. The match could potentially steal the show. Any time Batista works with a great wrestler, he always delivers. I don’t think this will have the same passion as Flair-Michaels but it will be great, nonetheless. It’s the Batista Bomb against Sweet Chin Music. It’s Batista-Michaels at Backlash!
My Projected Winner: Shawn Michaels

Battle of the Titans
The Big Show vs. The Great Khali
This will certainly be interesting. Everybody knows my thoughts on The Great Khali. I don’t think, however, The Big Show can carry Khali like somebody like the Undertaker could do. They’ve basically made Khali into the wuss in the feud until that slam last week. I don’t know how it will play out but I think Show is the face in this. With that said, I’ll take the Big Show…I hope…in this one.
My Projected Winner: The Big Show

12-Diva Tag Team Match
Mickie James, Ashley, Michelle McCool, Cherry, Maria, and Kelly Kelly
Vs.
Beth Phoenix, Melina, Jillian Hall, Layla, Victoria, and Natalya Neidhart
Question. What’s the best way to get a bunch of people onto a PPV card for the hell of it? Simple! Have a 12-Diva tag team match! I really don’t have much of a preview for this one. I mean, most all of you know my thoughts on crap like this. Simple, I hate it! I won’t mind looking at the Divas. But, in the words of Ron Simmons…DAMN!
My Projected Winner: Mickie, Ashley, Michelle, Cherry, Maria, and Kelly

RAW - Mondays at 9PM on USA Network
ECW - Tuesdays at 10PM on SciFi
Friday Night Smackdown - Fridays at 8PM on the CW

John McCain for President ‘08

Backlash - April 27 - 8PM - Only on PPV!

The MVP of the Blog Spot is here with my previews and predictions for Wrestlemania XXIV!

It’s the granddaddy of them all! It’s the grandest stage of all! It’s the biggest event in sports entertainment! It’s the Wrestlemania 24!

This year’s Wrestlemania comes to us from The Florida Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Florida! This is the first outdoor Wrestlemania IX since the one in Las Vegas, at Caesar’s Palace. Orlando campaigned to get Wrestlemania in their town because it’s one of the biggest moneymakers in sports. If I’m running a stadium and I want to make money, I think of two things: the Super Bowl and Wrestlemania. Sure, other events like the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament and the BCS National Championship game are big. However, the Super Bowl and ‘Mania are guaranteed big moneymakers. This being an outside event, there’s always the chance for inclement weather. WWE Chairman Vince McMahon has assured us that there will be a show no matter what happens with the weather. I’ve seen a few articles talking about the gigantic tarp that will be atop the stadium and the huge pyro display that will be there. Needless to say, I will be buying this DVD when it comes out. I really wanted to go to Wrestlemania and I will one day. I couldn’t this year because I’ve got class the next day and my Monday professors aren’t exactly the most understanding when you miss class.

I for one am excited. This is one of the best cards that I’ve seen in a while. While I don’t agree with some of the people in the WWE Championship Match, this is one of the biggest Wrestlemania’s ever. I honestly don’t see how they can top themselves. They’ve got the title matches, Money in the Bank, and Ric Flair’s potentially last match. How can you top that? I know how. Put The Rock, Edge, Stone Cold, The Undertaker, Triple H, and John Cena in a Hell in a Cell for a title. Ok, that may be a stretch but this year’s Wrestlemania is huge. I think the build up has been good but as always, there’s room for improvement.

WWE.com 24-Man Tri-Brand Battle Royal
Winner Gets ECW Championship Shot
This is a big, um, deal. I don’t think it will be a big to do. I guess it’s too hard to build up a feud on ECW and have a match at Wrestlemania. I honestly don’t know how they’re going to do this. Maybe bring everybody out and let them fight? I know in WCW, they had a ladder match for a contract for a Cruiserweight Championship on a PPV event. I guess they were running out of ideas and decided on this. Personally, I don’t know who’s going to win this match. I look for it to maybe have somebody change shows to come over and run with the ECW title. The ECW title is just another belt. It’s gone from a prestigious title to being about the same as the US and IC belt. Who do I think will win? Kane. Kane deserves a run with some kind of belt. If Kane doesn’t win, I guess we can have Khali crap on the belt some more.
My Projected Winner: Kane

Belfast Brawl
Finlay vs. John Bradshaw Layfield
This feud has been good although I don’t like them doing a “kid” getting beat up after the Benoit stuff. Finlay is a solid worker and I wish he could get a run with some belt. JBL is slowly getting into the shape he needs to be in to compete. I still wish he was an announcer on Smackdown because I can’t stand listening to the Coach. This is a feud that needs to continue after Wrestlemania. You can’t build this up for a few weeks, then kill it off at ‘Mania. I think this one will be bloody and will venture all over the Citrus Bowl. I hope it’s like the Undertaker-Triple H match from Wrestlemania X-Seven back in Houston, Texas. Either way, I look for Finlay to go over in this one.
My Projected Winner: Finlay

ECW Championship
Chavo Guerrero © vs. Battle Royal Winner
As noted above, I think Kane will win the Battle Royal. I honestly don’t know how this will all play out. I don’t look for Chavo to drop the belt anytime soon. If it’s time for him to drop it, I hope it’s to Kane. This is hard to predict with the opponent unknown. We have hardly seen Chavo that much in the past few weeks. I don’t look for him to lose the belt.
My Projected Winner: Chavo Guerrero

RAW vs. Smackdown Supremacy Match
Smackdown’s Batista vs. RAW’s Umaga
This is a pretty interesting match. I hope they do this every year but I wish they would expand it to include a guy from ECW. I’ve heard reports that Umaga will be moving to Smackdown after Wrestlemania. This should give them some chance to move him over there. I think he could “lose” the match and then get “fired” by William Regal. Then, Smackdown would hire him. That’s one possibility. Either way, Oomanga is going to Smackdown. The build up for this one has been decent. You can’t do too much talking when one of the guys doesn’t do much mic work. I did enjoy him trying to talk into the mic this past Monday. I’m just glad Batista is nowhere near the World title picture. With that said, I’ve got Umaga in the Brand Supremacy match.
My Projected Winner: Umaga

Money in the Bank Ladder Match
#1 Contender’s Match: Any Championship
Mr. Kennedy vs. Chris Jericho vs. MVP vs. Shelton Benjamin vs. Carlito vs. CM Punk vs. John Morrison
I must say, Jeff Hardy has let me down. He had a main-event spot in his hands and basically threw it away. Hardy was suspended for his second Wellness Violation, this time for 60 days. He screwed up. Let’s move on. I don’t know who will win this match. Last year, Mr. Kennedy won and got hurt, so he couldn’t cash his in. He’s talked about if he wins it this time, he’s going to go out after the WWE Championship match and cash it in. Hopefully they’ll put the World Heavyweight Championship as the main event. Chris Jericho seems like the early favorite to win. He’s been in the mix enough to warrant another title shot. This could be MVP’s chance to break out. He’s come a long way and he’s growing to become a big-time player on the main event scene. I think he could be challenging for the World Heavyweight Championship this time next year. I doubt Carlito wins. I was hoping he would remain as a tag partner of Santino Marella. They don’t have tag teams never mind. Moving on, John Morrison might be a good choice but he’s not ready to make the leap to the main event scene. CM Punk is a good choice and he’s my choice. I think Punk is as ready as anybody to make the jump to main event status. I really want a feud between him and Edge. There’s nothing left for Punk to do on ECW. So let’s run it down real quick. Guys that won’t be winning: Shelton Benjamin, Carlito, John Morrison, and Mr. Kennedy. Guys that have a shot: Chris Jericho, MVP, and CM Punk. CM Punk is my pick to win the Money in the Bank Ladder match.
My Projected Winner: CM Punk

Playboy BunnyMania Match
Ashley Massaro & Maria vs. Beth Phoenix & Melina
In this day in age, when it comes to Divas being involved at Wrestlemania, chances are the chick that’s posing for Playboy will go over. It happens every year and I don’t think this year will be any different. While I enjoy seeing Maria in Playboy, I’d rather have a solid women’s feud for the title. Look at TNA. That’s one of the positive things they’ve got is a solid women’s division. They’ve got women that can wrestle. They’ve got hot women that can wrestle, except for Awesome Kong. Anyway, I think Beth & Melina will carry this match. Maria isn’t as good as the other ladies. Why they put Ashley in here instead of Mickie, I don’t know. I’m guessing it is cause of the whole Playboy thing. Funny thing, last year around this time, the women’s match was going to determine Melina’s future with the company. A year later, she’s back in the women’s match at Wrestlemania. As far as the action goes, I’m thinking Maria gets the pin with Ashley watching her back.
My Projected Winner: Ashley Massaro & Maria

No Holds Barred Match
The Big Show vs. Floyd “Money” Mayweather, Jr.
I honestly don’t know how they’ll do this match. If they were to go legit, I think Mayweather would get some good shots on in Big Show but Show would squash him like a bug. Mayweather will be bringing his posse, including 50 Cent. I hope Show gets some guys to come down to the ring with him. Show, if you by some chance read this, give me a holler bro and I’ll come down to the ring with you. As before, I don’t know how they’re going to do this. I know they’ve made the rules about “there must be a winner” and you can win by pinfall, submission, or knockout. Matt Sydal has been working with Mayweather a little, mainly because they’re the same size. Sydal was the shit in ROH. I think Big Show will go over, mainly because I don’t see them doing another celebrity-over-a-Superstar deal. Remember K-Fed and John Cena? Either way, this one will be interesting. They’ve pushed this one to be a big draw for Wrestlemania. Some of you may think it’s not a big deal but has anybody figured out yet who’s the heel and who’s the face?
My Projected Winner: The Big Show

WWE Championship
Triple Threat Match
Randy Orton © vs. John Cena vs. Triple H
This is probably the most interesting match. Cena was running with the title for over a year. He tore his pectoral muscle and had to forfeit the WWE Championship. There to pick up the pieces was Randy Orton. Orton defended his belt against Triple H and lost at No Mercy. Triple H then defended the belt against Umaga and successfully retained. Later on, Triple H defended the title against Orton, this time in a Last Man Standing match. Orton won the belt and ran with it for 5 months. Just when things started to settle down, a surprise entrant into the Royal Rumble emerged. John Cena returned as the 30^th man into the Rumble and would go on to win. Rather than wait for Wrestlemania, Cena opted to cash in his chance at No Way Out. With this going on, a new #1 Contender would be crowned in the RAW Elimination Chamber Match. At No Way Out, Randy Orton retained his WWE Championship when he got himself disqualified in his match with John Cena. Later in the night, Triple H would survive the Elimination Chamber match to go on to Wrestlemania to face Orton for the title. The next night on RAW, controversy emerged from No Way Out. Cena demanded a shot for the title but only if he won a match against Randy Orton, with Triple H as the special guest referee. Cena captured the win over Orton with an FU but would soon be put down by a Pedigree from Triple H. The main event was set for Wrestlemania. In a 3-way match for the WWE Championship, it would be Randy Orton defending his title against John Cena and Triple H. The weeks leading up, no man could capture momentum over the others. Each competitor had the chance to run RAW and gain an advantage over his opponents. No man proved successful as each fought to stay alive for the match at Wrestlemania. It’s a devious champion who will do anything to stay on top. It’s a champion who never lost his belt. It’s a former champion who hasn’t be on the mountaintop in so long, he wants to be champion again. It’s Randy Orton against John Cena against Triple H for the WWE Championship. I’ll take the King of Kings, Triple H!
My Projected Winner: Triple H

Damn, that was better build up than what they did themselves on RAW!!!

World Heavyweight Championship
Streak vs. Streak
Edge © vs. The Undertaker
Does it get any better than this? I’m a huge fan of both of these guys. The Undertaker is 15-0 at Wrestlemania. He has a streak that could never be broken. He’s unlike any other Superstar I’ve ever seen. Just when you think Undertaker will lose at ‘Mania, he wins. He won the World Heavyweight Championship last year at Wrestlemania. His run was cut short however due to a torn biceps muscle. The man who took his title was Edge. This has been building for months now. The Ultimate Opportunist comes in to defend his title. He too is undefeated at Wrestlemania. No, I don’t want to hear about last year’s Money in the Bank match. This is one of the biggest matches ever. The build could have been better but they’ve done a tremendous job. I want druids on Undertaker’s entrance. I remember against Orton at Wrestlemania 21, Undertaker “floated” to the ring. That was kickass, even though you could tell he was being pulled. The Undertaker is 15-0 at Wrestlemania. Edge is the World Heavyweight Champion. It’s the Tombstone Piledriver vs. the Spear. It’s the Phenom vs. the Rated R Superstar. It’s streak vs. streak. It’s for the World Heavyweight Championship. It’s Edge vs. The Undertaker. I’ll take the Undertaker in this one, going 16-0 at Wrestlemania!
My Projected Winner: The Undertaker

Career Threatening Match
Ric Flair vs. Shawn Michaels
This is what I hope will be the main event. Throughout my entire life, Ric Flair has been the name most synonymous with wrestling. I can remember watching him at an early age and then later on in WCW. I can remember getting in trouble in school every time I went, “WOOOOOOO!” Now, the time is upon us that Flair may have to retire. I do think this could have been done a lot better. It just seems like Flair went against random people each month. This time around, he hand selected his opponent in Shawn Michaels. It’s fitting that this is happening the night after Flair gets inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. They’ve done a great job building this up. The promos have been electric. WOOOOOOO! The limited ring action has been great. I honestly wish they had started this a tad sooner. I can’t believe these two haven’t feuded earlier in the past. WOOOOOOO! Flair is a 16-time World champion. HBK is a 4-time World champion and the first-ever Grand Slam Champion. Flair is the Nature Boy. Michaels is the Heart Break Kid. Flair is the Dirtiest Player in the Game. Michaels is the Showstopper. This match has classic written all over it. I honestly think Flair has one classic match left in him. I think he wins this one and goes on to RAW to have his retirement stuff. I can’t see The Man losing on the grandest stage of them all. Remember when they had The Rock against Hollywood Hulk Hogan, Icon vs. Icon? Well, this is bigger than that. It’s the Figure Four Leg Lock vs. Sweet Chin Music. It’s the Nature Boy vs. the Heart Break Kid. It’s Flair vs. Michaels at Wrestlemania!
My Projected Winner: Ric Flair

RAW - Mondays at 9PM on USA Network
ECW - Tuesdays at 10PM on SciFi
Friday Night Smackdown - Fridays at 8PM on the CW

John McCain for President ‘08

Wrestlemania 24 - March 30 - 8PM - Only on PPV!

It’s amazing how technology can bite you directly in the ass when you need it the most. I say that because I usually write my blog on my laptop but it decided to give me the middle finger today. Anyway, long story short, it’s time for No Way Out and it’s stacked to the brim with solid matches. Here are my picks & previews for this weekend!

World Heavyweight Championship
Edge © vs. Rey Mysterio
I’ve enjoyed this feud except for the stuff involving Vickie. These two always work well with anybody and rarely have a bad match. Vince has reiterated that he won’t put the belt back on Mysterio. You’ll put it on Khali but not Mysterio? Hmm. I fully look for Edge to win and go on to Wrestlemania. He’s the top heel in the WWE right now. He and Orton have come a long way since jobbing to DX. I’m an Edge fan no doubt. He has excellent work inside the ring and on the mic as well. Edge wins this one and moves on to Wrestlemania.
My Projected Winner: Edge

If you’re looking for the Westminster Dog Show, it is airing on CNBC.

WWE Championship
Randy Orton © vs. John Cena
Well, the time is upon us that John Super Cena reclaim his title and go on to run over everybody. Him being champion makes my job very difficult to be positive. I was looking forward to having time off from Cena until after Wrestlemania but if they didn’t bring him back sooner than expected. Ever since then, I dread watching RAW somewhat because I know he’ll be shoved down my throat. Instead of playing up the fact that he tore his pec, they have him walking around like he truly is Superman. Enough of this. Come on, Orton!
My Projected Winner: Randy Orton

ECW Championship
Chavo Guerrero © vs. CM Punk
This has been a decent feud since it started. I think these two work well in the ring together. The only thing is Chavo should have had this earlier in his career. I feel now that any success he & Rey get is because of the passing of Eddie Guerrero. I hate to say that but that’s the way some people look at it. I think Chavo will win this one by a roll up with tights or something. I wish they would go on to Wrestlemania for the belt in a Ladder or Extreme Rules match. They need to give the belt back to Punk so he can feud with Shelton. I swear. I could watch a Benjamin-Punk feud until next year’s Wrestlemania probably.
My Projected Winner: Chavo Guerrero

RAW Elimination Chamber
#1 Contender’s Match: WWE Championship
Umaga vs. Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels vs. JBL vs. Chris Jericho vs. Jeff Hardy
This is the first of the blockbuster Elimination Chamber matches. The one thing that bothers me is Triple H throwing his power around backstage. Apparently, he’s using this to get back into the main event at Wrestlemania. Talk about an ego maniac. He hasn’t been there the past 2 weeks except for a promo this past Monday night on RAW. I find a hard time believing it if he comes out as a legitimate contender. I know why he’s been absent the past 2 weeks but that’s no excuse to bury somebody as hot as Jeff Hardy. Let’s face it. Hardy is on a roll and Shelton Benjamin would say in a way, “there ain’t no stoppin’ him now!” Hardy deserves to win. This guy puts it all on the line every time he goes out. Why not have him win? Oomanga won’t win. Shawn Michaels was in the main event last year and they very rarely do the same main event, 2 years in a row. Chris Jericho is busy beating up JBL, who’s gotten into better shape but should have stayed as an announcer. So that leaves Jeff Hardy and Triple H. Jeff will have to drop the IC belt before he starts on a feud with whoever if he were to win. Triple H is a political beast and if he wins this, I’ll probably hate him forever, just like I was planning to hate Batista if they let him beat The Undertaker. So, I’m hoping for a bloody mess because I was at the last Elimination Chamber match. It flat out sucked. Gimme Jeff Hardy with some crazy ass move to win this one.
My Projected Winner: Jeff Hardy

If you’re looking for the Westminster Dog Show, it is airing on CNBC.

Smackdown Elimination Chamber
#1 Contender’s Match: World Heavyweight Championship
Batista vs. The Undertaker vs. Finlay vs. MVP vs. Big Daddy V vs. The Great Khali
I won’t take as long on this preview. Let’s eliminate the contenders. Big Daddy V won’t win because he has more rolls than a bakery. The Great Khali won’t win because if he does happen to win and get the belt, I won’t watch Smackdown ever again. MVP is a darkhorse candidate but it’s rare we have 2 heels going at it. Batista has been in the title picture for over a year now but hasn’t been in there the past few months. It’s definitely not the time to put him back in. The logical choice is The Deadman, the Prince of Darkness, The Undertaker! I hope he wins, gets the belt, and carries it until whenever.
My Projected Winner: The Undertaker

Career Threatening Match
Ric Flair vs. Mr. Kennedy
This one is a no brainer. I’m glad to see Kennedy back in the swing of things with a big name feud. Hopefully this will lead to him getting the biggest rub of his career and project him as a main eventer. It’s tough when you’ve got all of those stars on RAW. Give me The Dirtiest Player in the Game, The Nature Boy, RIC FLAIR!!!
My Projected Winner: Ric Flair

If you’re looking for the Westminster Dog Show, it is airing on CNBC.

No rankings this week because of the PPV.

ECW - Tuesdays at 10PM on SciFi
Friday Night Smackdown - Fridays at 8PM on the CW

No Way Out - February 17 - 8PM - Only on PPV!

Vince McMahon is pulling out all of the stops to make the PPVs in 2008 a huge success. At the Royal Rumble, we saw some good matches along with a pretty good Rumble, along with a John Cena return nobody expected. Vinny Mac wasted no time starting the build for No Way Out this past Monday, mainly because it’s 3 weeks away. They started off by having John Cena “cash in” his shot at Randy Orton and the WWE Championship. Now, from an objective standpoint, this isn’t good. By having him go for the title at No Way Out, it diminishes the fact that Cena won the Rumble. This is different from a guy winning the Rumble and not challenge for the title. There’s been cases where somebody has won the Royal Rumble and lost their shot, i.e. Rey Mysterio. Mysterio went on to challenge for the belt in a 3-way match involving Randy Orton and Kurt Angle. But, the fact is Cena is challenging for the belt too quickly in my opinion. Even when Chris Jericho came back, it was a week or two before he got the match. I realize No Way Out is only a few weeks away but if this is some way to get Triple H into the main event at Wrestlemania, it’s bad. With the proper build, Cena-Orton would be a true dream match, not that Lashley-Cena crap. All along during Orton’s reign, they could have been building for this return match. Every so often, mention that Orton didn’t beat Cena for the title, which is the truth. If WWE.com or WWE Magazine does an interview with Cena, have him call out Orton. They could have planted the seeds for the return match all along but they haven’t. Nobody can provide any evidence that they have because it’s not there. If you can find an audio/video clip or an article from a reliable source planting the seeds, I’ll be glad to admit I was wrong.

The whole match at No Way Out seems rushed. While I’m not a John Cena fan, they could have held off his return. I know he loves the business and would do anything he’s asked, but the timing in this is just rushed. They could have brought him back later and built up a must-see match for Summerslam. Instead, we’re getting 3 weeks worth of build for a match that should be in the highest spot at Wrestlemania or Summerslam. They could have done the backstage “Who’s Gonna Win” vignettes to lead up to this match. The best way to get fans to want to see a match is to put it out there but not give it to them just yet. Look at McMahon-Austin. They feuded for who knows how long but we never saw them in a match against each other. It was countless segments and interviews before we ever saw them in a one-on-one match. Remember Pat Patterson and Gerald Brisco showing Vince moves backstage? It was a big time feel. Austin was finally going to get his hands on Vince until Dude Love came down and screwed it up. They could do this same thing with Orton & Cena. Hell, do the thing they did in 2005 before Wrestlemania 21 where Cena couldn’t touch JBL until Wrestlemania. That was great build up. Of course, Cena wasn’t limited by creative in his moves. By the time ‘Mania rolled around, I was ready to see Cena beat the hell out of JBL.

Speaking of limited moves, I wish they would let Cena expand and do more stuff. Cena’s like a great passing quarterback but all they do is let him hand off or run. He could do so much more in the ring but they don’t let him. Let’s not forget how he runs over everybody. For those of you that sent me mail about me thinking his injury was a work, notice that that comment was before RAW even started. My “Pre-Show Notes” are before RAW even comes on the air.

After all of that jive talk, Silly Willy Regal came out on RAW and barely made it through the announcement about the RAW Elimination Chamber match. The guys involved, in case you haven’t heard, will be Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Jeff Hardy, Umaga, John Bradshaw Layfield, and Chris Jericho. I was in person during the last Elimination Chamber match at ECW’s December to Dismember. The structure is very intimidating. I’ve never seen the Hell in a Cell but the Elimination Chamber is bone chilling. When you walk in and it’s hanging above the ring, it looks like it’s just gonna drop down. They obviously forgot the blood because there was very little of it, even though it was an Extreme Elimination Chamber match. This time around, the match will be to determine the #1 Contender for the WWE Championship. While it’s too early to tell who will win, there is a good chance for different feuds to come from this match. That’s why I like matches that involve plenty of guys so you can go different directions. I think this one will tear the house down. Weird thing is, no Mr. Kennedy (I know he’s in a match against Flair) but it’s like Umaga was just tossed in there. I really hope that Jeff Hardy comes out the winner, mainly because I’m a Jeff Hardy fan. I’m expecting Triple H to come out the victor because he’s slated to be in the main event at Wrestlemania. Must be nice to be married to the head of creative. From all the talk that’s gone on, I’m expecting an HHH heel turn in this match. I thought we were going to get one on Monday with the 7^th edition of “DX: One Night Only” but we didn’t. It’s coming soon. Trips has been a face too long. The JBL-Jericho element will make do for some bloody action, which I always enjoy. Major props for Vince doing an Elimination Chamber match. I’m just hoping for some blood and chaos!

Moving right along, they ended up making a match between Mr. Kennedy and Ric Flair. For those wondering if I’ll get to the Smackdown Elimination Chamber, just hold on a little bit. While the MVP-Flair feud was golden while it lasted, I think this one will be pretty good too. Kennedy can talk and Flair can talk. Anytime guys are involved that can cut promos, it will be something special. I don’t think Kennedy will be the one ending Flair’s career. This could be a feud that ends at Wrestlemania to give Kennedy that push he was going to get by being McMahon’s illegitimate son. I hope they conclude that storyline later. I think Kennedy & Flair will be good together promo wise. As far as the wrestling goes, I don’t know. I’m very interested in seeing where this one goes.

As we found out on Smackdown, there will be a return match for the World Heavyweight Championship between Edge and Rey Mysterio. I hope they add a stipulation or something to this match. Mysterio and Edge work well together and the Vickie Guerrero element just adds fuel to the fire. Edge is approaching the level of Triple H when he was heel. I enjoy his work because he’s so sadistic! He really makes you want to hate his guts, even thought I’m an Edgehead. His little cronies will probably get a tag title shot soon, which will be great for their la familia. La familia is Spanish for the family in case you’re wondering. It would be cool if they made it a ladder match or a cage match. Either way, these two will deliver.

If one Elimination Chamber match wasn’t enough, Vinnie Mac went out and made another one! This one will involve Big Flabby V, The Crappy Khali, Finlay, Montel Vontavious Porter, The Undertaker and Batista. This is probably the heaviest Elimination Chamber match and it’s probably the one that’s involves the most waste of talent. I’m hoping Undertaker pulls this one out since he’s supposed to face Edge at Wrestlemania. Considering the people involved, I won’t be as amped to see this one as I am the RAW EC match. Big Flabby V and Crappy Khali don’t necessarily scream MONEY to me as Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Jeff Hardy, etc. Oh wait, I said something negative! All I do is complain! I could see coming from this match a continuation of the Khali-Finlay feud but I would rather see something between Finlay & MVP. It seems like Finlay could work with MVP and take him to the next level in the ring. That’s all MVP needs to get to main-event status. As for Flabby V and Khali, I could care less what they do as long as Khali is nowhere near the title ever again.

One thing I didn’t like about the Rumble was having Chavo Guerrero in the match itself. That devalues the ECW title just like the tag belts were. The IC Champ (Jeff Hardy) and US Champ (MVP) were involved in other matches so naturally they weren’t in the Rumble. Having Punk in there was ok but they shouldn’t have had Chavo in there as well. I’m sure they could have found somebody backstage to put in there. Was Big Dick Johnson at a dance party or something? What about Nunzio?

Speaking of ECW, Chavo had his celebration for winning the ECW Championship. This was a great segment to end the show. The little Mexican band was great. Just remember, this guy was once Kerwin White, a middle-aged “white” guy. I did notice the guitar player behind Armando Estrada looked a tad tall compared to the other guys. He kept his head down for most of the time until the very end. I know it’s a gimmick that’s used time and time again but it was still effective. Remember Eric Bischoff as the minister in the Billy & Chuck wedding? What about in TNA when Jeff Jarrett was a camera guy and attacked Sting? Let’s not forget Kane was disguised as one of the entertainers in Edge’s Mardi Gras celebration. They did again Tuesday night but as I said before, I was effective. I hope they continue their feud despite the beginning of it being crappy. OH! I said another negative thing! Man, I really complain a lot. That’s what, 2 complaints to 80something positive things.

Also on ECW, I really like Kofi Kingston. He brings a fresh look to ECW with a lot of unique moves. When I saw his finishing kick, my first thought was, DAMN! Not to sound like Ron Simmons but it was an impressive move. BOO-AH! BOO-AH! While he looks like Booker T a little, he’s not as big. He reminds me of CM Punk with the way he’s built. The only thing is, his crowd reaction isn’t great even though some people like him. I still hope they push him and give him something to do so he’ll stay around. I see a lot of promise in him. He’s got a great gimmick and we know he can talk from his promos before he debuted. If he sticks around, I’ll certainly be looking forward to a Kofi-Shelton, Kofi-Punk, Kofi-Burke, Kofi-Morrison, and even a Kofi-Jeff Hardy match. If anybody can download or find Kofi’s theme music, let me know.

Excess Power Rankings

1. Edge +1

2. Randy Orton -1

3. MVP +3

4. Triple H +1

5. Jeff Hardy -1

6. Chavo Guerrero NEW

7. CM Punk -4

8. The Undertaker -1

9. John Cena NEW

10. Ric Flair NEW

One thing I need to address are the e-mails I’ve received this week and the comments concerning my RAW is Blogged this week. If you accused me of always being negative, then you haven’t read a blog of mine the past 4 or 5 weeks. This week was the first time I’ve been negative about RAW in a long time. Why? The wrestling was sloppy and some of the segments didn’t make sense. If you like stuff like that, by all means drink the Kool Aid. RAW didn’t deliver in a post-PPV show like I thought it should have. I know some of you can’t see that but it didn’t. Instead of recapping what happened in the Rumble, like they did with only a few segments, they went straight to building No Way Out. I know they’ve only got 3 weeks but they didn’t play up the Kennedy-HBK feud at all. Kennedy came out and squashed Brian Kendrick and then went into a program with Flair. I guess the “end” of the feud came when Kennedy eliminated HBK. But the funniest thing is how people say all I do is complain and be negative. If you jackasses would have been reading the past month or so, I’ve been positive about everything going on that was good. If it sucked, I said it sucked. If it was great, I said it was great. Just like I’ve been doing. If I was some journalist working for a company, I might would be unbiased. But, there’s hardly any OPINION blog out there that doesn’t show some bias. You trolls better recognize! I speak my opinion and if you don’t like what I say, don’t read my blogs! You guys tell me if I don’t like RAW, don’t watch it! It’s as simple as that.

A little treat for all of my loyal readers!!!

Wrestling Autism

ECW – Tuesdays at 10PM on SciFi

Friday Night Smackdown – Fridays at 8PM on the CW

No Way Out – February 17 – 8PM – Only on PPV!

I started back classes last week, so last week’s version of Excess wasn’t that great. For those of you still in high school or younger, enjoy that time while you can. College isn’t that bad but sometimes you just get tired of school even though we just started back. The fact is, the Royal Rumble is this weekend and before you ask, no, I won’t be ordering it. The place I live barely gets ESPN, let alone the capability of ordering PPVs. Anyway, that’s one topic I’m trying to stay off of or I’ll be ready to dropkick the people in charge here. Without further a do, here are my previews & picks for the Royal Rumble!

WWE Championship
Randy Orton © vs. Jeff Hardy
Where do I begin? Many people have considered Jeff Hardy as a mid-carder only. I remember when he first started with Matt on Heat with some crazy looking tights. Fast forward through the singles runs, the run in TNA, the drugs, etc and Jeff Hardy is main-eventing a PPV. Jeff was always my favorite Hardy, although Matt has grown on me. They’ve started allowing him to talk on the mic, which was always missing. He’s rarely talked until the past few months. His in-ring work is excellent. He brings an exciting style to the ring with is all-out style. He puts his body on the line every match, which is one reason I’ve liked and respected him since he’s started. Look at the stuff he’s done in the ladder and TLC matches. He’s never scared to take a dive off of a cage. Remember Wrestlemania 17? He did a swanton off a ladder onto Rhino and Spike Dudley. Remember this past Wrestlemania when we all though Edge was dead from a Jeff Hardy leg drop that broke the ladder? The list goes on and on. Hardy puts his body on the line and deserves a title run along with the next guy. Moving on to Randy Orton, his title reign started off slow but he’s come around. He’s gotten more vicious but he’s not to the level Edge is yet. Orton is growing, despite his monotone robotic voice. He’s having a better run as champion this time than he did in his first reign. This feud has picked up in the past few weeks, despite the crappy handshake on RAW this past Monday. That could have been done earlier in the feud with the Swanton off the stage this past Monday. This feud has been the best since Orton won the belt. I must commend the creative team on a job well done. With all that said, Hardy has momentum. I think he could win the title and then drop in within a few weeks with the Wrestlemania plans still in tact.
My Projected Winner: Jeff Hardy

World Heavyweight Championship
Edge © vs. Rey Mysterio
This feud seems like another feel good story. I seriously doubt that Mysterio ends up winning. The whole Edge-Vickie-Chavo-Mysterio aspect is just odd. I don’t too much like it but I don’t have a huge problem with it. If they want to do that stuff, that’s fine with me. What was funny was how Vickie is going around in a wheelchair then all of a sudden she’s able to get into the ring. The announcer’s didn’t play it up, if I remember correctly, so it was a screw up on her part. If that was your average mid-carder, they would be off TV for a while. Moving on, these two bring a good dynamic because Edge is a good technician and Rey is a quick high-flyer. I don’t think Rey wins because of a few reasons. The first is Vince said he would never put the belt back on Rey and that his reign was a one time deal. Like people don’t like Rey Mysterio. The other is with the current plans for Wrestlemania calling for Edge to defend his title belt against Undertaker, whether that happens or not, I don’t know. Edge is a great heel. He’s my star on Smackdown. I think he’s going to keep the belt and put on one hell of a match with Rey.
My Projected Winner: Edge

Career Threatening Match
Ric Flair vs. Montel Vontavious Porter
There’s a very good chance that MVP could be the one ending Flair’s career. Since winning the United States Championship, he’s done most everything right in his feuds. Do you realize that if he holds the title until Judgment Day, he’ll have been US Champion for a year? I hope his feud with Matt Hardy is rekindled when Matt comes back. Over in the Flair camp, he’s supposed to get a huge push until Wrestlemania or sometime after. While some people think that’s silly, I think it’s cool if it’s booked the right way. Flair deserves one last big run before he retires. Having MVP beat him gives MVP even more heat and in my opinion, elevates him up to heel status with Edge & Randy Orton. With this match, I don’t think Flair loses. I’m thinking a win by submission is what will happen.
My Projected Winner: Ric Flair

John Bradshaw Layfield vs. Chris Jericho
This feud is pretty intense. It all started at Armageddon with Jericho “falling” into JBL during the title match. Later on, JBL attacked Jericho and cost him the match. JBL has really come back strong, probably stronger than Jericho’s return. He’s brought back his snobby, rich guy image and it’s great! I enjoyed the 8 or 9 pyro displays from a few weeks back. This is what Jericho needed upon his return. He hasn’t lived up to expectations since coming back and part of that can be placed on the creative and Jericho himself. Some people don’t remember Jericho while other are embracing him like before. I think a strong feud with JBL will put him back on the map. He needs to be put back on the map before even considering challenging for the title. One good thing to do would be give Umaga the IC title and let him & Jericho feud for a little while. Jericho shouldn’t have been put right into the main event but rather be worked in there slowly. I don’t know how long JBL will be wrestling on his return. He wasn’t that great of a color commentator but he was good enough to get the job done. I like his hard, power style that he brings to the ring. He’s a semi-big guy that can actually move. I don’t think this match goes too long. The finish will probably be bloody, maybe with Jericho getting the upperhand. These two will probably feud until Wrestlemania. So far, it’s been a great feud but I don’t see a clear winner being determined in this match.
My Projected Winner: No Contest

Royal Rumble Match
The Royal Rumble match is probably my favorite battle royal-type match throughout the year. All of the other matches like this are just impersonators. TNA tries to do them and WWE might do another one throughout the year. The easiest way to figure out who will win is to take out the guys that won’t win. It’s a long shot if somebody already has a title can win the Rumble. So, first off, let’s eliminate the title holders. Hardcore Holly, Cody Rhodes, The Miz, and John Morrison are all gone. Keep in mind as of this writing, there are 6 more slots to be filled in the Rumble. Next guys to be eliminated are the guys who are better off competing in the IC, US, or tag title divisions. Santino Marella, Carlito, Jamie Noble, Chuck Palumbo, Hornswoggle, Shelton Benjamin, and Tommy Dreamer are all gone. The next group is the guys that could get a push but probably won’t get one. Kane, Finlay, and Umaga are all eliminated. The next group is the overrated guys that don’t deserve much of anything because they either suck or they’re over the hill. Snitsky, Big Flabby V, The Great Khali, and Mick Foley are all gone. That leaves Shawn Michaels, Ken Kennedy, The Undertaker, Batista, and Triple H. Batista just got out of the title picture so I don’t see him winning. Kennedy can’t stay out of trouble although he’s been coming on as of late. Triple H is married to the boss’ daughter and wouldn’t put somebody over without making himself look good. Undertaker and Shawn Michaels were the final ones last year. Kennedy & HBK will eliminate each other to further their feud. With all that being said, I think the final two will be Triple H and The Undertaker. Where they go from there is anybody’s guess. I would think Undertaker would win but remember Triple H is in the mix.
My Projected Winner: The Undertaker

2008 is starting off right with a great PPV card!

The whole stuff with Lashley was somewhat shocking. I didn’t expect him to be gone from the WWE. I always figured he would be back sometime around the Rumble or at No Way Out. I saw on Kristal Marshall’s MySpace that Lashley would be returning at the Rumble. I also read where she charged the WWE for being racist. Whether that’s true or not, I don’t know. I heard a story from Ron Killings about a few racist comments he received back in his time in the WWE. I have a hard time believing Marshall’s allegations because of the pushes Booker T, Shelton Benjamin, and to a certain extent the one Cryme Tyme received. Now, I’m not here to defend or condemn the WWE as a “racist” organization. I’ve been called racist before on this blog and that’s the furthest thing from the truth. So, what went on? I have no idea. The details will become available probably in the coming months. We probably won’t know the whole story, as we never know the whole story in many instances. I don’t think Lashley was going to be pushed as hard as he was because of the whole steroid thing. Then again, most guys are back on the juice anyway. Lashley was one that people thought didn’t pay enough dues. Personally, I feel the same way. I don’t think he had done enough before getting pushed to the top as ECW Champion. It will be an interesting next few weeks.

While I didn’t like that CM Punk had lost the title on TV, instead of the PPV that was only a few days away, I think it will benefit him. They’ve already started planting seeds for an Edge-Punk feud, which I would mark out for. With Punk losing the belt, they could make an easier transition for him to Smackdown. A feud with MVP would be off the charts. Either way, Punk needs some more mic time. They gave him a little but he needs some more so he’ll get over more with people. Giving Chavo the belt will help him but I don’t know how smart it is, business wise. Chavo doesn’t seem like he’s a draw and I don’t see him moving up to a main-event star, unless that’s their plan. I just think they should have waited until the PPV to have the title change.

Excess Power Rankings
This week’s ranking are frozen until after the Royal Rumble.
1. Randy Orton
2. Edge
3. CM Punk
4. Jeff Hardy
5. Triple H
6. MVP
7. Shawn Michaels
8. The Undertaker
9. Batista
10. JBL

Wrestling Autism

ECW – Tuesdays at 10PM on SciFi
Friday Night Smackdown – Fridays at 8PM on the CW

Royal Rumble – January 27 – 8PM – Only on PPV!

My biggest worry is that Jeff Hardy will become like John Cena. He’s getting great pops from the crowd but some guys don’t like him. I’ve always liked him because he’s the younger of two brothers and I’m younger of my brother. I think his style differs a lot from Cena and that will help him in the long run. I hope he gets the title and he doesn’t even have to keep it long this first time. Remember Edge? He won it at New Year’s Revolution in 2006 only to lose it later at the Royal Rumble. Hardy could win it at the Rumble and lose it later at No Way Out and still keep the plans for Wrestlemania in tact. A lot of people want him to get the belt, including me, but I don’t think Vince is sold on the idea just yet. Look at the guys they’ve pushed. Nobody cared about the Great Khali. Lashley was stuffed down our throats but he didn’t take. John Cena destroyed everybody in his path. Enter Jeff hardy and low & behold, people prefer talent over the muscle heads. Wait, didn’t I recall people only wanting the untalented muscle heads over the skinny talented guys? Maybe the audience of the WWE is finally coming around to where they prefer talent over the blown up guys who can’t wrestle worth a shit.

Moving along, I’m interested in seeing the debut of Kofi Kingston. He’s similar to Carlito except Kofi is from Jamaica; I’m presuming the capital of Jamaica, Kingston. I haven’t seen any of his early work so I don’t know what to expect from him. I kinda hope he’ll eventually team up with Santino & Carlito to form a heel stable of some kind. He looks promising but I’ll make a better judgment when I see him in action.

Next thing I wanted to talk about was the return & rise of JBL. Whenever JBL was champion on Smackdown, I didn’t really get to watch because I was in high school and most everything occurred on Friday nights. The most I ever saw about JBL was on recaps and stuff. I never bought into it at first just like I never bought into Edge, Brock Lesnar, or even John Cena. Those guys just didn’t seem like main eventers to me at first. But, since his return, minus his unannounced in-ring return, he’s carried himself like a main eventer. The whole angle on Monday night was incredible. He came off like a slime ball and got plenty of heat. The pryo displays embellish his “rich snob” character. While the Rumble is a little soon to have a match, I’m really looking forward to what this feud has to offer.

The stuff with Chavo Guerrero is doing ok. They haven’t allowed either guy to get pinned, which is good to limit any damage to their character. I like getting Edge involved. It could lead to Chavo winning the title, Edge losing his, and Punk & Edge feuding on Smackdown. I do think Punk could succeed on Smackdown against MVP or Edge. I don’t see Chavo winning the belt. The ECW belt has been used to “cement” a guy as a rising/top contender. Chavo has never been more than a mid-carder to a lot of people but it’s kind of late in his career to give him the go ahead & push him to the top of a brand, even though it’s ECW. I’ve always thought Chavo deserved a push but it seems a little late.

One thing I’m trying to figure out is why Jimmy Wang Yang and Shannon Moore weren’t involved in some capacity this past Tuesday on ECW. They went from having a pretty good feud with The Miz & John Morrison to nothing. The 15 Minutes of Fame from last week was awesome. Why not continue that in some capacity this week? Why not have them come out and do commentary or something? This was an exciting feud that looked like it could reestablish the tag division between Smackdown & ECW. They need something like this to help bring back meaning to the tag division.

There’s been a lot of talk about the return of Bobby Lashley. Since he’s one of Vince’s boys, I think his return will be well touted. Not many guys just show back up unannounced, especially if you’re one of Vince’s boys. Now, Lashley could be Triple H’s mystery opponent this Monday or they could leave that up to Big Show. Whoever it is will be a heel. Either way, it’s going to be interesting when Lashley comes back since all of the steroid stuff is happening. The talk from WNW and other sites is that since there will be no hearings in Congress, guys will probably start juicing back up. Lashley was one of the biggest guys on-screen when the steroid scandal first broke. He could be toned down or he could be blown back up. Whenever his return happens, it will be a big deal. Then again, he could just show back up like Jeff Hardy did. Whether he’s on RAW, ECW, or Smackdown is anybody’s guess. He’s been on ECW and was shoved down our throats. Hell, there are a lot of guys who’ve been shoved down our throats. I think he’ll feud with Kennedy upon his return since Kennedy is the one that took him “out.” He could go to Smackdown and boost up their main event talent level. His return will be big, no doubt.

Speaking of big, I’m anxious to see the return of Big Show. It seems like he’ll be able to move better, seeing as how he’s lost weight. Since the trend is for all of the big guys to go on Smackdown/ECW, I figure that’s where he’ll go. He’s one of the few decent big guys that are around. Kane has gone to the shitter and Undertaker is the only big guy that can still move and put on a great show. If Show goes to Smackdown, they might as well have a big guy war. Big Flabby V, Mark Henry, and the Great Khali would battle Kane, Undertaker, and Big Show. The losing team gets fired. I proposed this idea at the end of 2007 and I think they need to do anything to get rid of these guys.

Excess Power Rankings
1. Randy Orton
2. Edge
3. CM Punk
4. Jeff Hardy
5. Triple H
6. MVP +1
7. Shawn Michaels -1
8. The Undertaker +1
9. Batista +1
10. JBL NEW

Wrestling Autism

Velocity Dos – Tuesdays at 10PM on SciFi
Friday Night Smackdown – Fridays at 8PM on the CW

Royal Rumble – January 27 – 8PM – Only on PPV!

Unless you’ve been living under a rock or just haven’t been paying attention, Triple H is married to Vince’s daughter, Stephanie. By doing this and sitting in creative meetings, he has a lot of power and influence most other guys don’t have. If he wants the title, he can have it within a few months. If he wants to bury a guy, he can, i.e. Carlito. Triple H reminds me of the guy that has some dirt on you and basically holds it over your head to get his way. He may put guys over like Jeff Hardy to get his rep in good graces but he can turn around and bury somebody. Hulk Hogan put over Goldberg but it wasn’t long before Goldberg was being buried again. Remember Starrcade, a cattle prod, and Kevin Nash? Triple H commented about Jericho’s return and it rubbed a lot of people the wrong way. Hell, Jericho can freshen up the product. I honestly don’t like seeing the same guys in the title picture over and over again. Look at Smackdown. They went from Batista & Undertaker to Edge & Rey Mysterio.

Back to Orton, during the Iraq tour, HBK went off on Umaga because he apparently had green on his trunks and green is apparently Triple H’s color. It reminds me of an old married couple arguing over some dumb stuff that’s pointless. Long story short, Orton stood up for Umaga and he’s one of the outspoken guys against the older crew. Without pro wrestling news web sites, I would have thought Triple H was fine and dandy. Getting mad over the color of somebody’s trunks? Jeeze. I understand if it was something big and a certain guy wore a certain color all of the time. But really, when John Cena debuted, he wore different color trunks every week and I don’t recall anybody getting pissed at him. Did the guys from DX and The Nation get yelled at when they wore black because Stone Cold also wore black? I think these guys need to relax and stop throwing their weight around over stupid stuff. We talkin’ bout trunks. Trunks. We sittin’ here talkin’ bout trunks. Not a match, not a match. We talkin’ bout trunks. How da hell is wearin’ a certain color of trunks gone make the match better? We talkin’ bout trunks. TRUNKS!

If you’ve seen the Allen Iverson video of him talking about practice, you’ll think that previous lines about trunks were funny, I hope.

I saw the news article about the guys backstage and their thoughts on Ric Flair’s retirement storyline. They think it’s goofy because Flair might go on a Goldberg-type run. It’s not like Flair’s going to go on a 100-plus-straight-win-streak. They can have him win by DQ or count out like they’ve been doing. It’s not like he has to get a pin or submission every single time. I think it’s a cool concept that if he doesn’t win, he’s gone. They can really build it up big for Wrestlemania. Flair deserves one last run for all that he’s done for the business.

Moving right along, Chris Jericho’s return hasn’t lived up to expectations. I think this is for many different reasons. For one, the Internet Wrestling Community knew about the return way before it actually happened. They waited until after Survivor Series, which is another reason. I think they could have done it sometime sooner and it would have had more bang for the buck. Another reason was, despite the build up, the live crowd didn’t really pop as loud as I thought they would. Follow that up with a dead crowd the next week and people think it’s a waste of time. I thought he should have feuded with somebody other than Randy Orton for his first feud. They thrust him into the title picture when most everybody knew he wouldn’t win. Now he’s feuding with JBL and I think it’s going to be something good. I just wish they weren’t having a match at the Royal Rumble. I think with the right build up, it would be a great match to see at Wrestlemania. Then again, with the right build up, any feud could be great.

Over on the Smackdown side of things, the stuff with Edge & Vickie Guerrero is a little hard to watch. I realize Edge is supposed to do things to make people hate him and all. I just have a hard time watching him make out with EG’s widow. I’m sure he doesn’t have a problem with it because he would want Edge to do what’s best for the business and to further his character. I don’t want to spoil Smackdown but there’s a segment with Edge, Vickie, Chavo Guerrero, and Rey Mysterio. I won’t watch it because the segment seems like it would be difficult to watch, especially with the people involved. I’m an Edgehead but I just wish they would stay away from this stuff.

Did anybody see the match on ECW for the WWE Tag Team Championships between Jimmy Wang Yang & Shannon Moore against The Miz & John Morrison? Amazing. It was a pretty good match. I enjoyed the ending that opened up the possibility for a rematch. This is the stuff that separates ECW from the other shows. They have some great wrestling and a few decent promos. I don’t get the whole Chavo thing but I do like the Gold Standard Shelton Benjamin. I personally don’t want to see Big Daddy V.

Speaking of Big Daddy V, does Vince think people want to see big fat guys? V and Mark Henry have paired up and I really don’t want to see them. Khali is feuding with Finlay and Khali is without a doubt the worst wrestler on the face of the planet. I mean, I think Mae Young could wrestle better than him and she’s like, 90. I don’t mind the Undertaker. I don’t mind Kane. I never minded the Big Show. These guys could actually move. But it’s gotten to the point that the current big guys in the WWE suck. They’re constantly being forced on us and it’s a train wreck every time. Even Snitsky has gotten to where he sucks and the crowd doesn’t care about him. So, I’ve come up with a proposal. If you go to a live event, any time a crappy big guy comes out to wrestle, unless it’s Undertaker or Kane, walk out and go to the bathroom, get something from the concession or merchandise stand. There’s a second part of the proposal. If you’re watching RAW, ECW, Smackdown, or anything and a crappy big guy comes out to wrestle or cut a promo or whatever, turn the channel. They study the ratings to the Nth degree. I personally believe if they notice a trend that when one of these guys comes out and the ratings go down, they might do something about it. It sounds like one of those plans to get gas prices down by not buying gas on a certain day. It’s a crazy plan but I think it could work.

BRAND NEW 2008 Excess Power Rankings
1. Randy Orton
2. Edge
3. CM Punk
4. Jeff Hardy
5. Triple H
6. Shawn Michaels
7. MVP
8. Chris Jericho
9. The Undertaker
10. Batista

Wrestling Autism

Velocity Dos – Tuesdays at 10PM on SciFi
Friday Night Smackdown – Fridays at 8PM on the CW

Royal Rumble – January 27 – 8PM – Only on PPV!