Edge forced to retire -- vacating World Heavyweight Championship on SmackDown

Yowza. I am left unsettled after last night's RAW where World Heavyweight Champion Edge announced that injuries sustained through almost two decades' worth of wrestling are forcing him to retire. No storyline. No angle. This seems to be the Real Deal.

From Wrestling Online Newsletter:

"Edge, real name Adam Copeland, said that both of his arms are experiencing numbness as a result of a neck injury and an MRI that was held the day after WrestleMania in Atlanta confirmed the seriousness of the injury. Edge was diagnosed with spinal stenosis, the narrowing of one or more areas in the spine which puts pressure on the spinal cord or spinal nerves at the level of compression according to world renowned Mayo Clinic. His injury will require surgery and no medical professional will clear Edge to ever compete in a ring again as there is a risk of paralysis or even death."

Now, as wrestling fans, we are not strangers to injuries befalling our favorites. Every wrestler at some point has incurred some type of injury that required rest or surgery. So they go under the knife, do some rehab, and return. No big deal.

Similarly, we are used to guys deciding to hang up their boots. We are usually given hints about this through age (e.g., Dean Malenko, Finlay, Ricky Steamboat, Arn Anderson), long standing injuries (e.g., Stone Cold Steve Austin), or storyline (e.g., Ric Flair and Shawn Michaels). So it is a rare thing when a superstar, especially one at Edge's level, can no longer compete and seemingly has no option but to retire. We can hope for an HBK-esque recovery period and return. Shawn retired in 1998 because he thought that his back was too far gone, too busted up, to keep going. He sat on the bench for four years and moved on with his life. Of course, we know that HBK dipped his toes back in the water in the summer of 2002 and went on to have a glorious eight year run. Edge may not get that chance. For all intents and purposes, Edge is done.

Done as far as being an in ring competitor. Edge is too passionate about the business and has too much know-how to sit at home. My guess is that after he's done rehabbing, he'll find his way back to WWE, either on screen as a commentator or backstage as a trainer or producer.

So how will wrestling remember Edge? He leaves behind a legacy that surprised me when he said it last night: Edge has won 31 championships, the most number of championships in the history of WWE. Count 'em:

World Heavyweight Championship (7 times)

WWE Championship (4 times)

Intercontinental (5 times)

United States (1 time)

Tag Team Championship [14 times(!)] with six different partners: Christian, Chris Benoit, Hulk Hogan, Randy Orton, Chris Jericho, and Rey Mysterio

He also won the King of the Ring in 2001, Money in the Bank twice, and the Royal Rumble in 2010. Also he has main evented the last four WrestleManias. This is a streak matched only by Hulk Hogan, Triple H, and John Cena. Those are obviously Hall of Fame stats.

But will Edge's retirement leave a Hogan/Triple H/Cena sized hole in the WWE? I don't think so. Edge has never been a larger than life, generation defining wrestler. The absence of Stone Cold, The Rock, Shawn Michaels, and eventually The Undertaker leave bigger holes than the one Edge leaves. Lara correctly nicknamed him "The Overrated Superstar". Not that Edge wasn't consistent, passionate, and loyal to professional wrestling. But his World Championship reigns were patchwork and unmemorable. Only one five star match pops in my mind when I look back (against Mick Foley at WrestleMania 22). But at least he was there. As long as he was physically able, he was there every week for 13 years. Of course, this is Edge as a singles star. As a tag team specialist, my memories are much fonder.

Along with Christian, he captured the Tag Team titles eight times (becoming the octopusses of the WWE). With the Hardys and Dudleys, they pioneered Tables, Ladders, and Chairs. They stole the show at WrestleManias 16 and 17. Me and my flash photography benefitted from them. They also ran around as pranksters with the then-comical Kurt Angle, forming Team AEC (Angle/Edge/Christian) and played the kazoo. In my mind, Edge was never better than when he had Christian as his partner.

Lara noted last night that when Edge was giving his retirement speech that it was the most she'd ever liked him. Understandable as last night, he was speaking as Adam Copeland. Edge the character never hit home for me. He wouldn't break my top 25 of favorite wrestlers. But Adam Copeland has worked for 17 years to entertain us and in the process destroyed his body. He's the guy who, when he saw me in a crowd in San Diego 7 years ago wearing an old school Edge & Christian shirt, shot me a wry smile and struck a quick five second pose. Professional wrestling benefits from hard working superstars such as Edge. And for that, we as fans, have been very lucky to have him.

WrestleMania XXVII: Opinions and Thoughts

Recap:

So many things wrong with this year's WrestleMania. The show was definitely average which is fine for the other 364 days of the year. Not for WrestleMania. We as fans expect more and WWE did not step up. Here are the main reasons why WM27 was a disappointment:

1. The World Heavyweight Title match is the curtain jerker (first match) for WrestleMania?! This is insulting to World Champion Edge and Royal Rumble winner Alberto del Rio. It's even more insulting when you see the build-up and intros for The Miz and John Cena for the last match of the night. Why go to the effort of having del Rio win the Royal Rumble if you're just going to have him lose a SmackDown-rate match at WrestleMania?

2. They left the United States Championship match (Sheamus vs. Daniel Bryan) off the card. Apparently, this was the dark match before WrestleMania started. Though not unheard of, leaving this match off the card seemed mostly due to poor time management. They could have dropped that match into the main show if they cut The Rock's promo by 2 minutes and spent less time on the Undertaker's post-match laying around time.

3. The Corre vs. Kane/Big Show/Kofi/Santino was an absolute waste. Approximately 90 seconds long, the match which includes two former World champions, three former and the current Intercontinental champion, and the Tag Team champions, was completely without merit. Poor booking.

4. No title changes. Only two titles were defended anyway (the fewest in modern WrestleMania history) and neither changed hands. If I wanted to drop money on a pay-per-view to NOT see titles change hands, I'd order SummerSlam.

5. Having The Rock rule supreme over the main event was a mistake. This is a night for all the WWE roster to shine, not the guest host, no matter who he is.

6. On the same vein, leaving most of the women wrestlers off the show was sad to see also. At least the male Superstars were allowed to participate in the pre-show Battle Royal. The women of WWE work just as hard as the men so they should have made room for them somewhere (hint: next time just cut the Snoop Dogg segment).

7. Having Triple H tap out to the Undertaker undermines his whole "I'll beat the streak or die trying" bit. Seems like if you're trapped in the Undertaker's submission move, you should probably accept death over tapping out, because tapping out means that you have made the willful, albeit rational, decision to quit. Triple H should have gone down via pinfall or "Oh god, this submission move is so painful that it caused me to pass out from the pain but I never quit" route.

WrestleMania Results:


WWE Championship: The Miz (c) defeats John Cena

A pretty average match. Cool intros for both, but the crowd seemed dead for this one. This was marred by the double count-out ending, followed by The Rock's decree that the match go on. After the match re-started, The Rock hit a Rock Bottom on Cena, allowing The Miz to get the win. Then The Rock goes on to beat up The Miz. Congratulations WWE, you have now managed to allow a semi-retired former Superstar beat down your two top draws at the last match of your biggest night of the year. Bravo. 2 and a half stars.



World Heavyweight Championship: Edge (c) with Christian defeats Alberto del Rio with Brodus Clay

The less said about this the better or I'll get angry again that they started the show with this. Average match. Average storytelling. Two and a half stars.



The Undertaker defeats Triple H

19 and 0 at WrestleMania. They had me thinking that Triple H was going to win for a brief moment. That moment happened after the slew of chairshots and Triple H's Tombstone on the Undertaker. I had forgotten about Undertaker's submission move, Hell's Gate (or as I refer to it "I Choke Your Face"). Glad that he pulled that out and got the win. Best match of the night, despite the ending. Four stars.



Randy Orton defeats CM Punk

Second best match of the night. Punk and Orton could have headlined the show, but still managed to do well. Cross your fingers for a long CM Punk title reign this year. Four stars.



Michael Cole with Jack Swagger defeats Jerry "The King Lawler" via disqualification -- Special Guest Referee Stone Cold Steve Austin

Entertaining. Lots of Stone Cold Stunners. Sort of odd ending with the RAW General Manager reversing the decision after Michael Cole tapped out. I assume this is going somewhere. Great to see and hear Jim Ross again. Great to see Jerry Lawler participate in his first WrestleMania match. Three and a half stars.

"Dashing" Cody Rhodes defeats Rey Mysterio

Good match and character development. Cody is getting a good rub from Mysterio. Cody could have a big year in store for him too. Three and a half stars.

John Morrison, Trish Stratus, & Snooki defeats Dolph Ziggler & Lay-Cool with Vickie Guerrero

Seems like Morrison and Ziggler could be two candidates for future big spots at WrestleMania. Morrison's Starship Pain to the outside was pretty crazy. And to give credit where credit is due, Snooki's super surprising gymnastic abilities gave this match a lot more than expected. Short match. Would have benefitted from more Morrison/Ziggler action. Two and a half stars.



United States Championship: Sheamus (c) vs. Daniel Bryan (no contest)

Dropped off the main WrestleMania card. They never really got a chance to do this during the dark match as it quickly devolved into the traditional pre-WrestleMania Battle Royal.


The Big Show, Kane, Vladimir Kozlov, and Kofi Kingston defeat The Corre

Horrible booking. The entrances lasted longer than the actual match. For a team that has both the Intercontinental and Tag Team champions, The Corre got buried at WrestleMania. Shame on WWE for wasting the talent involved in this match. Half star.

Final Thoughts

Among modern WrestleManias (WrestleMania 14 and above), this ranks dead last. No title changes. No major swerves. What was this year's WrestleMania moment? Pick any year prior and you have a defining moment. In fact here they are:

WM 14: Stone Cold Steve Austin beats HBK for his first WWE Title -- The Austin Era begins
WM 15: This was kind of a crappy WM, but Triple H betrayed DX and joined The Corporation
WM 16: First Ladder match between Edge and Christian, the Dudley Boyz, and the Hardy Boyz
WM 17: Austin turns heel. TLC II.
WM 18: The Rock vs. Hulk Hogan
WM 19: HBK returns to WrestleMania. Brock Lesnar almost breaks his neck attempting a Shooting Star Press. Kurt Angle tears his quad in the first 30 seconds of his match but continues to compete for another 20 minutes
WM 20: Chris Benoit and Eddie Guerrero stand victorious as WWE and World Champion
WM 21: Batista and John Cena win their first major championships. HBK vs. Kurt Angle. First Money in the Bank Ladder Match
WM 22: Also a weak WrestleMania. HBK vs. Vince. DX reunion teased. Edge vs. Mick Foley. Mysterio wins World title.
WM 23: Batista vs. Undertaker. Hair vs. Hair match -- Vince vs. Donald Trump.
WM 24: Ric Flair vs. HBK. Floyd Mayweather vs. Big Show
WM 25: HBK vs Undertaker
WM 26: HBK vs. Undertaker II
WM 27: ??? The Rock beats up Cena and Miz?

On RAW, we see that this is all set up for next year's WrestleMania in Miami. The Rock vs. John Cena. We have a year to watch the build up and hope that Cena can stay healthy. This will be interesting as this now eliminates Cena from major title stuff starting at next year's Royal Rumble. Sin Cara made his debut, antagonizing Sheamus (probably not a great idea). No new feuds seemed to have erupted on RAW so we'll see how things develop in the coming weeks.

WrestleMania XXVII: Meh.

WrestleMania update: Change in card

Not that the match was super well developed in the first place but there's been a change to the the Big Show, Kane, Santino, Kozlov vs. The Corre match-up. During the WrestleMania weekend festivities on Friday, Vladimir Kozlov was having an exhibition match. After his match, The Corre came down and beat up him. WWE.com reported this as if to imply that Kozlov will not be physically able to keep his spot in the match. Fortunately, they have a pretty good replacement in former Intercontinental Champion, Kofi Kingston. Nice to see that Kofi will be able to be on the card, but it must be disappointing to Kozlov to miss out on his WrestleMania payday. Such are the consequences of sloppy booking.

Statistical Certainty: Alberto del Rio will be WWE/World Champion by April 2012

Good news Alberto del Rio fans. It is highly likely that he will be World/WWE Champion at some point between WrestleMania on Sunday and next year's WrestleMania.

Here are the facts:

Since WrestleMania IX, WWE has put the winner of the Royal Rumble in a title match at WrestleMania (exceptions are: '97 winner Stone Cold Steve Austin who fought Bret Hart and '99 winner Mr. McMahon because...well, let's be serious).

In addition to winning the Royal Rumble being a guaranteed ticket to a title match, there have been other challengers to WWE/World titles through a variety of other mechanisms. In total, over the past 18 WrestleManias, there have been 33 different challengers.

You'd think winning the Rumble may also punch your ticket to a title celebration at WrestleMania, but you'd be wrong. Only 11 out of the 19 winners of the Rumble go on to win at WrestleMania and no one has done it since the Undertaker in 2007.

However, extrapolate it out and you'll see that of the 19 Royal Rumble winners, 95% of them go on to be WWE/World Champion by the time the next year's WrestleMania rolls around. That is significant at the p < .001 level (Chi-square analysis).

So at some point over the next 12 months you will hear: "My name! My name is Alberto del Rrrrrrrrrio! And I am the World Heavyweight Champion!"

But you already knew that.

WrestleMania XXVII: This Sunday!

Weekly recap:

OK then. This week's episode of RAW is in the books and with WrestleMania 5 days away, it seems like the card is set. Let's get down to it.

Announced WrestleMania matches:


WWE Championship: The Miz (c) vs. John Cena

The big hyped face off between John Cena, The Rock, and The Miz last night was fairly well done. The Rock made his way to the ring for the last segment of RAW and went through his usual rant and rave routine. Finally, John Cena came down to proffer his rebuttal. While Cena's response was surprisingly respectful of The Rock, it was also passionate. No one can argue that Cena is the hardest working guy on the WWE roster today. But WWE decided to make the argument about The Rock's problem with Cena (i.e., he plays to a kid-oriented audience, he dresses funny) when the actual issue between them to start with was that Cena questioned The Rock's passion for the business when he left for Hollywood. The Rock actually had more to be pissed about than Cena. But I digress. Before this could break down into fisticuffs, the forgotten WWE Champion, The Miz, interrupts the shenanigans with his well played two cents. Obviously, it devolves and The Miz and Alex Riley double team The Rock. The Great One manages to get rid of Riley and hit The People's Elbow on The Miz. Then Cena sneaks back in the ring and delivers an Attitude Adjustment to The Rock and leaves with a smirk on his face. That final sequence with Cena blindsiding The Rock sort of defeated the crux of Cena's "Face Me Like a Man" argument. Anyway, of course expect The Rock to get involved with the WWE Championship match on Sunday. But it still shouldn't affect the outcome.

Predicted % chance of winning: Cena (70%) - Miz (30%)


World Heavyweight Championship: Edge (c) with Christian vs. Alberto del Rio with Brodus Clay

Biggest WrestleMania related disappointment: not including Christian in the World title match. Yes, sadly, Captain Charisma has been saddled with the job of being in Edge's corner for the match on Sunday. There is hope for Christian's future, but I will get into that in a minute.

Edge vs. del Rio should be a solid enough match, but it's not main event caliber. My guess is that this match goes on as the second or third last of the night (I would imagine the last three of the night are: Taker/HHH, Edge/del Rio, and Miz/Cena last). So given the fairly basic construction of this feud, this brings us back to Christian. I imagine he'll keep Brodus and Ricardo Rodriguez from interfering in the match. However, when Christian decides to intervene in the match himself, what will he do? They are clearly going to build towards an Edge vs. Christian feud at some point in the next few months, but are they going to pull the trigger at WrestleMania? My guess is no and they'll wait to have the Edge/Christian program until arou

Predicted % chance of winning: Edge (65%) - del Rio (35%)


The Undertaker vs. Triple H

Ok, so suddenly, this match became more interesting. And it only took the addition of the Heartbreak Kid Shawn Michaels. I was prepared for another super-boring nose-to-nose growling match between Taker and Triple H when HBK's music hit. Given the rather humorless and intense atmosphere in the ring with Taker and Triple H, it was pretty funny to see Shawn prancing his way to the ring with a smile on his face. Overall, it was a very good segment that I can't do justice to in a recap, but it all ends with Shawn leaving the ring saying to Triple H that "you can't win".

So where does that leave us with this match? Conventional knowledge would suggest that if Shawn Michaels couldn't beat the Undertaker for two years in a row, they're certainly not going to give that honor to Triple H. But, Triple H does have the most pull of all the wrestlers in WWE and if he wanted to end the streak, he could convince Vince to let him. But honestly, everyone, including Triple H, respect the Undertaker and they know that his undefeated streak is his legacy. Undertaker will be 19-0 after this year's WrestleMania and go on to WrestleMania 28 to make it 20-0 (against John Cena?) and retire.

Predicted % chance of winning: Undertaker (100%) - Triple H (0%)


CM Punk vs. Randy Orton

What could easily be headlining this year's WrestleMania will probably only get 12-15 minutes. Punk and Orton are at the top of their games and we should expect a big year from both of them after WrestleMania is all done. Oh and remember when The Nexus was the biggest story of the year? WWE has managed to spilt them up, squash all their heat, and leave the unfortunate leftover members off the card. Thanks for the hard work this year guys!

Predicted % chance of winning: Punk (50%) - Orton (50%)


Jerry "The King Lawler" vs. Michael Cole with Jack Swagger -- Special Guest Referee Stone Cold Steve Austin

This should be entertaining so long as they don't let it go on for more than 5 minutes. Cole is not a wrestler and Jerry can only carry him in a match for so long. Jack Swagger should expect to get a Stone Cold Stunner from Austin at some point on Sunday. Prepare yourself. I wonder how they're going to manage Lawler and Cole continuing to call RAW after this? Will we see Good Ol' JR again at WrestleMania? Why did they change The King's music?

Predicted % chance of winning: Lawler (95%) - Cole (5%)

Rey Mysterio vs. "Dashing" Cody Rhodes

Actually starting to be more interested in this one. Cody has been doing a fine job in developing his character. It seems like a win would benefit Cody much more than Rey, but WWE seems to like having Rey win at WrestleMania. Probably goes over well with the kids.

Predicted % chance of winning: Mysterio (40%) - Rhodes (60%)

John Morrison, Trish Stratus, & Snooki vs. Dolph Ziggler & Lay-Cool with Vickie Guerrero

No more comments. Hopefully Morrison and Ziggler will have bigger and better things come their way after WrestleMania because they've both been exceptionally good over the past few months.

Predicted % chance of winning: Team Morrison (90%) - Team Ziggler (10%)


United States Championship: Sheamus (c) vs. Daniel Bryan

Sheamus seems to have dropped the "King" moniker. This is a step down for him as he faced Triple H last year and spent a good few months as WWE Champion in 2010. However, they've both demonstrated that they can put on a good match together so this will probably be OK. Nothing earth shattering though.

Predicted % chance of winning: Sheamus (95%) - Daniel Bryan (5%)


The Big Show, Kane, Vladimir Kozlov, and Santino Marella vs. The Corre

Kane was World Heavyweight champion this year for five months this year. Wade Barrett dominated WWE with Nexus for the last half of 2010. Big Show has main evented two WrestleManias. And the best they can do is throw them all into a comedy throwaway eight man tag match? This is sloppy booking. Are you really telling me that Kofi Kingston wouldn't want to exercise his Intercontinental rematch clause against Barrett at WrestleMania? The Corre will win this match. And guess who they will be pinning for the win?

Predicted % chance of winning: The Corre (95%) - Team Show/Kane (5%)

WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2011:

• Shawn Michaels
• The Road Warriors and Paul Ellering
  
• Hacksaw Jim Duggan
• Bullet Bob Armstrong
• Sunny
• Drew Carey
• Abdullah the Butcher
  

Oh what a rush! The Road Warriors aka The Legion of Doom are going into the Hall. Absolutely a great pick. Sad that Hawk has since passed away, but Animal and Ellering should be there to carry on.

Who's left out of WrestleMania?

If you're left out of WrestleMania, you're bound for the pre-show Battle Royal. Watch your back as 35% of the participants in last year's Battle Royal were released sometime between last year's WM and this year. An asterisk (*) means you have a pretty good chance of being fired this year because...who the hell are you?

• R-Truth
• Kofi Kingston
• Drew McIntyre
• Ted DiBiase
• Mark Henry
• The Great Khali
• The rest of the new Nexus
• David Hart Smith
• Goldust
• Evan Bourne
• The Usos
• Michael Tarver*
• Primo*
• Tyson Kidd
• Yoshi Tatsu*
• William Regal
• Zach Ryder*
• Chavo Guerrero
• Chris Masters*
• Curt Hawkins*
• JTG*
• Trent Barreta*
• Tyler Reks*
• Most of the Divas

Really surprising that they're leaving Kingston and McIntyre off the card. Same goes for Evan Bourne and DiBiase. The week after WrestleMania is usually full of big moves, excitement, and debuts so the fallout should be fun to watch too. In year's past, the post-WrestleMania activity has included Jack Swagger cashing in Money in the Bank on Chris Jericho and the debuts of Brock Lesnar and Goldberg.

This year's WrestleMania has a different feel than year's past. I chalk it up to the fact that no matter how the card shapes up, we've come to expect a memorable show because of two things: a) the Money in the Bank ladder match; and b) whatever match Shawn Michaels was in. And this is totally not me being biased towards HBK. Since WrestleMania XIX, Shawn has typically delivered the best match of the night (vs. Triple H and Benoit at 20, vs. Angle at 21, vs. Vince at 22, vs. Flair at 24, vs. Undertaker at 25, vs. Undertaker at 26). No HBK, means no guaranteed classic match. No MitB ladder match means no guaranteed high spots. WWE always comes up big at WrestleMania so I'm sure they're planning for this. I guess we'll just sit back and see what unfolds.

WrestleMania XXVII: 12 days away!

Weekly recap:

Some new matches announced or advanced, but overall a pretty quiet week. Next week, The Rock, Cena, and The Miz will be live and in person on RAW so that promises to be a big episode of RAW the week before WrestleMania. In general, build up for this year's WM has been lackluster. WWE rarely disappoints on WrestleMania night, so I guess we'll have to just wait and see what happens.

Announced WrestleMania matches:

WWE Championship: The Miz (c) vs. John Cena

Cena finally turned the tables on The Miz this week but only succeeded in beating down Alex Riley. Not much to report from these two this week.

Predicted % chance of winning: Cena (70%) - Miz (30%)

World Heavyweight Championship: Edge (c) vs. Alberto del Rio

OK, again no movement towards adding Christian to this match. If they're not going to add Christian, then they better put him in a different match. Maybe versus Drew McIntyre or Brodus Clay? It would be such a waste though. This is clearly a three way battle of Edge, Christian, and del Rio so I can't figure out what WWE is waiting for. Edge continues to be uninteresting but del Rio is still entertaining.

Predicted % chance of winning: Edge (55%) - del Rio (45%)

The Undertaker vs. Triple H

Triple H calls out Undertaker this week and wants him to show up on RAW next week for more nose-to-nose heavy breathing. WWE is really trying to make it seem like this is an epic match and that the streak is in danger. News Flash: If Undertaker's streak didn't end against HBK at WMs 25 and 26, Triple H is not going to end it. It is also infuriating that they are glossing over the fact that Undertaker beat Triple H ten years ago at WrestleMania X7. Whatevs. Even though Triple H won't be winning, this match will be very, very good. Maybe we'll also see the return of HBK and Sweet Chin Music? But who's on the receiving end of that kick?

Predicted % chance of winning: Undertaker (100%) - Triple H (0%)

CM Punk vs. Randy Orton

Dear WWE, playing Randy Orton off as a warm hearted family man is not the way to go. Having him say that he loves travelling on his bus with his family from venue to venue is sweet and all, but that's really more of a Rey Mysterio type of statement. Sure, this allows CM Punk to be evil and creepy, but let's leave the family out of this. If they give them enough time, Punk vs. Orton could easily steal the show at WrestleMania.

Predicted % chance of winning: Punk (50%) - Orton (50%)

Jerry "The King Lawler" vs. Michael Cole with Jack Swagger in his corner -- Special Guest Referee Stone Cold Steve Austin

Cole is taking the ball and running with it. This is by far the best set up for the matches at WrestleMania. Rule #1: Let Cole antagonize. Check. Rule #2: Do not let Lawler lay a hand on him until WrestleMania. Check. Rule #3: Find a guy with gigantic monkey arms to serve as the Cole substitute in any physical confrontations that Lawler needs. Check -- thank you Jack Swagger. Who would have thought that Jack Swagger would be benefitting from an association with Michael Cole? And how great is it that Cole is calling his version of Swagger's Ankle Lock, the An-Cole Lock. Nice.

Predicted % chance of winning: Lawler (95%) - Cole (5%)

Rey Mysterio vs. "Dashing" Cody Rhodes

Rhodes is also taking advantage of this high profile match. His character is getting darker and him and Rey should have a solid match.

Predicted % chance of winning: Mysterio (25%) - Rhodes (75%)

John Morrison, Trish Stratus, & Snooki vs. Dolph Ziggler & Lay-Cool with Vickie Guerrero

Ugh. Though WWE got exactly what they wanted with the announcement of this match (i.e. mainstream media attention), this time would better utilized by a Morrison vs. Ziggler one on one match. Trish still looks like she has some ring rust though so hopefully that'll shake off before WrestleMania.

Predicted % chance of winning: Team Snooki (90%) - Team Guerrero (10%)

United States Championship: King Sheamus (c) vs. Daniel Bryan

Former US Champ Daniel Bryan came out to RAW and issued the most polite WrestleMania challenge in the history of wrestling. "I would like to invoke my rematch clause and I would like to do that at WrestleMania against you." Sheamus should have said "I'm so sorry, but that doesn't really fit with my schedule. Do you think there's a time we could work out later? Ok? Great, I'll email you and we'll sort it out." Thank goodness more violent heads prevailed and Mr. Mayonaise Skin answered that challenge with a kick to the head.

Predicted % chance of winning: King Sheamus (900%) - Daniel Bryan (10%)

Possible WrestleMania matches:

The Big Show and Kane vs. The Corre

Show and Kane seem to be back together again as evidenced by Kane's "You complete me" assertion to Big Show on Friday. They haven't seemed to figure out how to configure this match yet (2 on 4, Show/Kane vs. Gabriel/Slater for Tag titles?). The fact that Show and Kane didn't turn around and destroy Kozlov and Santino after making the save for them against The Corre on RAW may hint towards having those two join Kane and Show versus the four members of The Corre. They better put this together on Friday.

WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2011:

• Shawn Michaels
• Hacksaw Jim Duggan
• Bullet Bob Armstrong
• Sunny
• Drew Carey
• Abdullah the Butcher
  

Added Abdullah the Butcher to the list of inductees. I don't know why they've stopped revealing Hall of Fame inductees on RAW and showing their videos. If you're going to go to the trouble of inducting someone, the least they deserve is two minutes of airtime on RAW.

Who needs a WrestleMania dance partner?

• R-Truth
• Intercontinental Champion Kofi Kingston
• Most of the Divas
  
• Drew McIntyre
• Ted DiBiase
• Mark Henry
• Santino Marella
• Vladimir Kozlov

Will they finally put something together for IC Champ Kofi Kingston this week on SmackDown? You'd think so. Kingston vs. McIntyre would be fine if they actually gave it some time to develop.

WrestleMania XXVII: 19 Days Away

Weekly recap:

Haven't watched SmackDown yet from this week but read a recap so this may not be completely accurate. On RAW, it seems like Miz/Cena is now Miz/Cena/Rock as the main feud going into WM. Also they're giving a lot of time to the Lawler/Cole match which is fine because it has yet to become irritating. JR made a surprise return on RAW! Only to get the beatdown from Jack "Monkey Arms" Swagger.

Announced WrestleMania matches:

WWE Championship: The Miz (c) vs. John Cena

The Miz turned up the heat on this feud with yet another end of RAW beatdown of John Cena (four weeks in a row now). As the WWE Champion begins to look more and more dominant, Cena's resurgence should be coming any week now. Will the tide turn before or at WrestleMania? And how is The Rock going to interfere in this match anyway? What's your endgame WWE? Maybe a one shot Rock return vs. Cena at the PPV following WrestleMania? Seems like you should save that for SummerSlam.

Predicted % chance of winning: Cena (75%) - Miz (25%)

World Heavyweight Championship: Edge (c) vs. Alberto del Rio

OK, so with no announcement of Christian into the World title match this week, hope is now fading. They reunited Edge and Christian for the first time in years but still don't seem to be making any movement. It looks like this Friday will be a "now or never" moment for Christian's inclusion in the main event. Cross your fingers, friends.

Predicted % chance of winning: Edge (65%) - del Rio (35%)

The Undertaker vs. Triple H

More talking. Guess we won't see Triple H or Undertaker actually compete in a match until WrestleMania.

Predicted % chance of winning: Undertaker (100%) - Triple H (0%)

CM Punk vs. Randy Orton

So Orton has beaten every other member of Nexus to claim a one on one match with Punk. The rest of Nexus will be barred from ringside. With three weeks to go, expect Punk to come up with some sort of ace in the hole before their match.

Predicted % chance of winning: Punk (50%) - Orton (50%)

Jerry "The King Lawler" vs. Michael Cole with Jack Swagger in his corner -- Special Guest Referee Stone Cold Steve Austin

The set up for this one was brilliant. Cole announces that a returning JBL will be the special guest ref for his match. Instead, Austin interrupts, delivers a Stone Cold Stunner to JBL, drinks some beers, and signs the referee-ing contract himself. More beers, dumps some beer on Cole, more beers. Classic Austin. Heads up Jack Swagger. Expect to receive a Stunner of your own at WrestleMania.

Predicted % chance of winning: Lawler (95%) - Cole (5%)

Rey Mysterio vs. "Dashing" Cody Rhodes

Missed SmackDown this week. Not so interested in this match yet.

Predicted % chance of winning: Mysterio (40%) - Rhodes (60%)

John Morrison, Trish Stratus, & Snooki vs. Dolph Ziggler & Lay-Cool with Vickie Guerrero

This match makes me want to barf. We all know that WWE is not above publicity stunts to raise the profile of WrestleMania (see: Floyd Mayweather, Donald Trump, Mike Tyson), but this is going to be a waste of everyone's time. It is a sad situation for several reasons:

1. John Morrison and Dolph Ziggler deserve better. As two of the rising stars in WWE, they could have easily carried a feud of their own going into WM. Now they won't have the chance to have a good, solid match in front of the biggest wrestling audience of the year.

2. Trish Stratus is coming out of retirement. Though it's likely for one night only, former seven-time Women's Champion and future Hall of Famer Trish should be in a solo match if she's deciding to lace up the boots again at WrestleMania.

3. Lay-Cool should be involved with the Women's Championship race, not this mess. Michelle McCool is arguably one of the best technical wrestlers in the women's division and Layla is coming along well with McCool's guidance. They're drawing the most heat in their division so why not put them with Women's Champ Eve and make it actually about wrestling?

Predicted % chance of winning: Team Snooki (90%) - Team Guerrero (10%)

Possible WrestleMania matches:

The Big Show and Kane vs. The Corre

So with Show and Kane facing off against members of the Corre again this week, it seems like they'll do something for WrestleMania. Show hitting Kane with a chair this week is some good tit for tat from Kane's attack the week before. Let's see that handicap tag match, WWE.

Sheamus vs. ???

Sheamus won the United States Championship from Daniel Bryan this week. Lara noticed that despite the size difference, Sheamus and Bryan seemed pretty evenly matched. This is ultimately a compliment to Sheamus as the ability to sell the moves of a smaller wrestler and making him look good is a skill seasoned pros definitely should have. Hulk Hogan, for example, never had this skill. Anyway, if I'm booking WrestleMania, a Sheamus/Bryan rematch isn't out of the questions for WrestleMania, but again, I'm hoping for a Sheamus vs. Intercontinental Champion Kofi Kingston match to unify the mid-level titles. It's only a matter of time before WWE shrinks back into the four main titles (WWE, Intercontinental, Tag Team, Women's).

WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2011:

• Shawn Michaels
• Hacksaw Jim Duggan
• Bullet Bob Armstrong
• Sunny
• Drew Carey
  

Adding Drew Carey to the celebrity wing of the Hall of Fame is a big fat meh. Who's next?

Who needs a WrestleMania dance partner?

• R-Truth
• Daniel Bryan
  
• Intercontinental Champion Kofi Kingston
• Most of the Divas
  
• Drew McIntyre
• Ted DiBiase
• Mark Henry
• Santino Marella
• Vladimir Kozlov

My guess is that they'll find something for Kofi and McIntyre to do at WrestleMania just not sure what. Bryan is 50-50 to make it on the card. We'll see what develops the rest of the week!

WrestleMania: 26 days away

Weekly recap:

It's starting to pick up a bit. More matches are coming together. There's finally some continuity from Elimination Chamber with Christian making the save for Edge (again) at the end of this week's SmackDown. And the feud between John Cena and The Rock continues to gain steam.

Announced WrestleMania matches:

WWE Championship: The Miz (c) vs. John Cena

It seems fairly evident that The Rock will be getting involved with the WWE Championship match at WrestleMania. Not sure exactly what else his official duties are as the guest host of WrestleMania. It also seems evident that The Rock has lost a step when it comes to trash talking. Cena has out talked The Rock twice now. And thumbs up to The Miz for jumping Cena at the end of his promo. The main event for WrestleMania is Miz vs. Cena, not Cena vs. The Rock. Let's have a little respect for the champion.

Predicted % chance of winning: Cena (75%) - Miz (25%)

World Heavyweight Championship: Edge (c) vs. Alberto del Rio

It really seems like they're going to put Christian in this match. They're just taking their sweet time. First, they tease Christian's return for next week's SmackDown, but instead have him do the save that same night. Then they tease Christian vs. del Rio on RAW last night, only to have Christian go through del Rio's NXT rookie first. And del Rio jumps Christian afterwards. So maybe Friday, they'll let Christian and Edge hash it out and finally elevate Captain Charisma to the main event. Cross your fingers.

Predicted % chance of winning: Edge (60%) - del Rio (40%)

The Undertaker vs. Triple H

Build up is slow. All talk, no action. But this should still be a good one.

Predicted % chance of winning: Undertaker (100%) - Triple H (0%)

CM Punk vs. Randy Orton

Orton beat David Otunga this week to bar him from ringside at WM. He also punted Otunga which is an automatic two or three weeks on the shelf in WWE storylines. Orton only needs to beat Mason Ryan next week to have a honest to goodness one on one match with Punk at WM. At this rate, it looks like the rest of Nexus may not get to have a match at WrestleMania which would be a shame. Give Punk a little more time with this group before he goes solo again.

Predicted % chance of winning: Punk (50%) - Orton (50%)

Jerry "The King Lawler" vs. Michael Cole with Jack Swagger in his corner -- Special Guest Referee Stone Cold Steve Austin

The set up for this one was brilliant. Cole announces that a returning JBL will be the special guest ref for his match. Instead, Austin interrupts, delivers a Stone Cold Stunner to JBL, drinks some beers, and signs the referee-ing contract himself. More beers, dumps some beer on Cole, more beers. Classic Austin. Heads up Jack Swagger. Expect to receive a Stunner of your own at WrestleMania.

Predicted % chance of winning: Lawler (90%) - Cole (10%)

Rey Mysterio vs. "Dashing" Cody Rhodes

The challenge was issued by Rhodes. This is a very high profile match for him so it looks like WWE may be pushing him post-WrestleMania.

Predicted % chance of winning: Mysterio (40%) - Rhodes (60%)

Possible WrestleMania matches:

The Big Show and Kane vs. The Corre

So the Kane vs. Big Show match this week on SmackDown broke down after The Corre gave Kane a chair. Kane, being who he is, promptly hit Show with it and got DQed. Enter The Corre. They proceed to beat down Show for a bit, but as Show fights back, Justin Gabriel gets knocked backward into Kane. Turns out Kane doesn't like being run into, even accidentally. Chairshot for Gabriel and The Corre goes running. So now Kane and Show stand in the ring together but not really united. If you remember, the Kane and Big Show tag team was virtually unstoppable back in 05-06. So maybe they join forces for one night and face The Corre in a handicap match.

Sheamus vs. Daniel Bryan

Sheamus laid out the challenge on RAW that if he couldn't beat Daniel Bryan for the United States Championship next week, then he would quit. So guess what? Sheamus will be the next US Champion next week and maybe Bryan will invoke his rematch clause at WrestleMania. I think I'd rather see Intercontinental champ Kofi Kingston come over from SmackDown and challenge Sheamus and then they can have a unification match at WrestleMania.

WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2011:

• Shawn Michaels
• Hacksaw Jim Duggan
• Bullet Bob Armstrong
• Sunny

In addition to HBK, Duggan, Armstrong, and Sunny have been announced as inductees to the Hall of Fame. Duggan is an interesting choice. I doubt anyone is thinking to themselves "Wow, what an obvious pick for the Hall of Fame", but he was certainly a loyal employee and fairly entertaining wrestler. But that's not necessarily Hall of Fame credentials. But if Koko B Ware can be a Hall of Famer, anyone can. Don't know much about Armstrong and WWE didn't even bother to show his induction video last week. It's nice to see that Sunny is getting inducted. For many years in the "New Generation" era of WWE (circa WrestleMania X thru 13), Sunny was of the only women in WWE and she deserves recognition.

Who needs a WrestleMania dance partner?

• John Morrison
• R-Truth
  
• Intercontinental Champion Kofi Kingston
• All the Divas
  
• Drew McIntyre
• Ted DiBiase
• Dolph Ziggler
• Mark Henry
• Santino Marella
• Vladimir Kozlov

Again, no real feuds building for Morrison or Truth. I'm a little afraid that instead of adding Christian to the World Championship match, they'll have him enter a feud with Drew McIntyre. Not the worst thing in the world, but it's no main event. See you in a week!

The Road to WrestleMania continues

Weekly recap:

Not a lot of new movement for WrestleMania this week. Rey Mysterio seems to have found his WM opponent. No sign of Christian to add to the Edge/del Rio feud. Overall, a quiet week.

Announced WrestleMania matches:

WWE Championship: The Miz (c) vs. John Cena

It seems like the hype between Cena and The Rock is getting more airtime than the Cena/Miz feud. It will be interesting to see whether The Rock pokes his nose into this title match.

World Heavyweight Championship: Edge (c) vs. Christian vs. Alberto del Rio

Still no idea if they're going to add Christian to this match, but they definitely should. Edge's schtick has gotten stale.

The Undertaker vs. Triple H

This one is now official. Undertaker aims to go 19-0 at WrestleMania and Triple H tries to avenge his WM17 loss to the Last Outlaw. This'll be a good one with two of the best veterans bringing their A-game. Nice touch having HBK weigh in on the match too.

CM Punk vs. Randy Orton

As expected, this match was announced last night. A slight twist involves Randy facing members of the new Nexus every week between now and WM. If the Nexus member wins, they get to legally be in Punk's corner. If Randy wins, they're banned. Mike McGillicutty was first to bat against the Viper and struck out. He received a punt to the skull for his trouble. Looking forward to this one.

Jerry "The King Lawler" vs. Michael Cole with Jack Swagger in his corner -- Special Guest Referee to be selected by Michael Cole

Cole accepted Lawler's challenge on two conditions: 1) that Cole's unnamed trainer could accompany him to ringside, and 2) that Cole would be able to select the Special Guess Referee. Jerry quickly jumped to accept and Cole introduced Jack Swagger as his trainer. An odd pairing to say the least, but at least Swagger gets some screen time. Lara guesses that the Guest Ref will be Vickie Guerrero which I think is a pretty good one.

Presumed WrestleMania matches:

Rey Mysterio vs. "Dashing" Cody Rhodes

An odd set up for this match with the American Dream Dusty Rhodes swerving Rey on SmackDown. This one won't set anyone on fire, but it'll give Cody Rhodes a chance to shine at WM which is a nice opportunity.

Possible WrestleMania matches:

The Big Show vs. some iteration of The Corre

They did the Big Show/Barrett match on Friday's SmackDown. This feud doesn't seem to be dying down so maybe they'll have Big Show recruit some partners? A four on four tag match would help get more of the guys on the card so how about Big Show getting Kofi Kingston, John Morrison, and R-Truth to go up against the four members of The Corre?

Who needs a WrestleMania dance partner?

• King Sheamus
• John Morrison
• R-Truth
  
• Intercontinental Champion Kofi Kingston
• United States Champion Daniel Bryan
• Kane
• All the Divas
  
• Drew McIntyre
• Ted DiBiase
• Dolph Ziggler
• Mark Henry
• Santino Marella
• Vladimir Kozlov

Not sure where they're going with Sheamus these days after getting squashed by Triple H. No sign of Morrison or Truth this week on RAW. The clock is ticking WWE! Let's put this card together!

The Road to WrestleMania: 40 Days Away

Elimination Chamber fallout:

So the Elimination Chamber PPV has come and gone and the line-up for WrestleMania XXVII is starting to take shape. The Miz retained the WWE title against Jerry "The King" Lawler and will move on to WM to face John Cena. Cena won his Elimination Chamber match against CM Punk, Randy Orton, R-Truth, John Morrison, and King Sheamus along with the right to face the WWE Champion at WrestleMania. Edge retained the World Heavyweight Title in his Elimination Chamber match against Rey Mysterio, Drew McIntyre, Wade Barrett, Kane, and the Big Show. Immediately after the match, Edge was blindsided by his number one contender, Alberto del Rio. But who would come to the aid of the Overrated Superstar? None other than his old tag team partner, Christian! Del Rio put Christian on the shelf six months ago and now Captain Charisma is back for revenge. I smell a Triple Threat...

Announced WrestleMania matches:

WWE Championship: The Miz (c) vs. John Cena

Expect John Cena to prevail once again and regain the WWE Championship at WrestleMania.

Presumed WrestleMania matches:

World Heavyweight Championship: Edge (c) vs. Christian vs. Alberto del Rio

If they actually make this a Triple Threat, it will finally be the validation that Christian is main event material who has Vince McMahon's support. In the past 17 years, everyone who has participated in a World title match at WrestleMania has eventually gone on to win the big one at some point in their career. This bodes well for both Christian and del Rio for their futures.

The Undertaker vs. Triple H

The return of the Deadman was partially squelched by the return of the Game last night on RAW. No words were exchanged between the two in their staredown, but it clearly paved the way for a WrestleMania rematch from WM17 where Triple H and Undertaker tore the roof down at the Houston Astrodome. I suspect the motivation for Triple H challenging Taker is to get a measure of payback for Undertaker retiring his best friend, Shawn Michaels, at last year's WM. This one will be good.

CM Punk vs. Randy Orton

This one should be good too. I'm glad that WWE is choosing to remember that Randy Orton screwed CM Punk out of his World title two and a half years ago. Now it's payback time. Punk is truly one of the best heels in WWE right now and Orton is one of the hottest faces. Their collision should be a classic.

Jerry "The King Lawler" vs. Michael Cole

After his failed WWE Championship bid, Jerry Lawler has found his way into his first WrestleMania match. By beating up broadcast partner Michael Cole, he will be fulfilling the wishes of most of WWE's fans. Cole has become one of the better antagonists on RAW (rare for a play-by-play announcer, most heel announcers are typically the color commentary guys) and this should be an entertaining, but obviously not technically sound, match. I'm hoping that Cole recruits Alex Riley to be in his corner so that it prompts The King to get good ol' JR to be his corner man.

Possible WrestleMania matches:

The Big Show vs. Wade Barrett

The Big Show and The Corre have been antagonizing each other for a few weeks so why not have this come down to a WrestleMania match? Barrett has lost some steam since being kicked out of Nexus, but he still has great talent and should be able to display that in Atlanta.

Who needs a WrestleMania dance partner?

• Rey Mysterio
• King Sheamus
• John Morrison
• R-Truth
  
• Intercontinental Champion Kofi Kingston
• United States Champion Daniel Bryan
• WWE Tag Team Champions Justin Gabriel and Heath Slater
• Kane
• Jack Swagger
• All the Divas
  
• Drew McIntyre
• Eziekel Jackson
• Nexus
• Ted Dibiase
• "Dashing" Cody Rhodes
• Dolph Ziggler
• Mark Henry
• Santino Marella
• Vladimir Kozlov

You can expect Mysterio, Sheamus, Morrison, Kane, Kingston, and McIntyre to make the card. Everyone else is a question mark. Without the Money in the Bank ladder match, the ability to showcase a lot of the midcard talent is limited. It'll be interesting to see what feuds develop over the next few weeks.

WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2011

• Shawn Michaels
• "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan
  

The Road to Elimination Chamber: Return of The Great One

Big Announcement on RAW:

Not a whole lot of storyline developments from RAW or SmackDown as the Elimination Chamber PPV draws closer. The stage has been set for both EC matches: one for the World Heavyweight title and one for the number one contendership for the WWE title. Before we get to that, we must attend to the biggest news coming from WWE this week: The return of The Rock.

Last week, Vince McMahon announced that WrestleMania XXVII would have a special guest host and then left the internet to speculate. Well, after the smoke cleared, The Rock's music filled the RAW arena last night and the People's Champion made his triumphant return to the squared circle. The Rock still knows how to pull off an intense promo and his catchphrases are still catchy, if not a little worn. Obviously, he'll be at WrestleMania and teased that he could "Lay the SmackDown" on anyone at the drop of a hat. The person he called out was a bit of a surprise though. None other than WWE's golden boy, John Cena.

Several years ago, as John Cena started to see his star rise with exposure through WWE films and such, many compared him to The Rock. Cena took issue with that. Cena's first love is wrestling and anything else is second banana. This called into question The Rock's passion for the business, whether he had used WWE as a springboard for greener pastures, and whether The Rock abandoned WWE and its fans when he got famous.

I think the whole thing was blown out of proportion anyway. It seems like Cena was saying more about his loyalty to and passion for wrestling than The Rock's perceived abandonment. Wrestling has a long history with Hollywood with the likes of Hulk Hogan, Andre the Giant, Rowdy Roddy Piper, Bret Hart, Goldberg, and Stone Cold Steve Austin all trying their hand at acting. These efforts were met largely with indifference. But The Rock broke through. He went from hokey pro-wrestler to bonafide Hollywood celebrity. So can you really blame him for leaving WWE? I think not.

Anyhoo, The Rock has called out John Cena. It is unclear whether this will lead to an actual match or just a (hopefully) epic confrontation at WM27. Either way, The Rock said last night that he'd never leave us again. And I believe him. No one expects him to quit his day job and return to the WWE grind, but it's always nice to see him and he has paid proper respect to where he came from over and over again.

Elimination Chamber matches:

RAW Elimination Chamber: John Cena vs. Randy Orton vs. CM Punk vs. King Sheamus vs. John Morrison vs. R-Truth

Cena will probably end up winning this match and going on to headline WM27 against The Miz. If WWE's plan is to have a Cena/Rock match, then look for CM Punk to win the Chamber match and somehow steal the WWE title from The Miz before WrestleMania so that we can have a CM Punk/Randy Orton main event.

Likelihood of winning: 1. John Cena; 2. CM Punk; 3. Randy Orton; 4. King Sheamus; 5. John Morrison; 6. R-Truth

SmackDown Elimination Chamber for the World Heavyweight Championship: Edge (c) vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Wade Barrett vs. Kane vs. Drew McIntyre

With Alberto del Rio already waiting for World Heavyweight Champion at WM, only two match-ups make any sense. Del Rio vs. Edge or Del Rio vs. Mysterio. One of these two will go into Atlanta as World Heavyweight Champion.

Likelihood of winning: 1. Edge; 2. Rey Mysterio; 3. Dolph Ziggler; 4. Kane; 5. Wade Barrett; 6. Drew McIntyre

WWE Championship: The Miz (c) vs. Jerry "The King" Lawler

This match is a complete joke. I'm all for giving Lawler a shot at the WWE title. He's a legend and he's earned it. But not at the PPV before WrestleMania. No one in their right mind believes that Lawler will be main eventing WrestleMania. They'll tease that The King has a shot, but The Miz will win on Sunday. His biggest challenge will be whether he can escape next Monday's RAW with the WWE title. If they're going to make a change in the WrestleMania main event, it'll happen then.

Notables who are not doing anything at Elimination Chamber: Alberto del Rio, Intercontinental Champion - Kofi Kingston, United States Champion - Daniel Bryan, Tag Team Champions - Santino Marella and Vladimir Kozlov, Big Show, the rest of The Corre, the rest of Nexus, Jack Swagger, all the Divas, Ted DiBiase, and Cody Rhodes.

Because the Elimination Chamber PPV only has three matches currently announces, expect some non-sensical matches to be added to the card as filler.

Other notes:

The Undertaker is expected to return next Monday, but there is some speculation that the mysterious promos are pointing to another dark and shadowy wrestling legend. None other than Sting. The most famous wrestler to never work for WWE is no longer on the TNA website and maybe, just maybe, heading for WrestleMania. Possibly as the Undertaker's opponent. Stay tuned.

The Road to Elimination Chamber

Huh. It seems like WWE is actually going to let The Miz take the WWE Championship all the way to WrestleMania. Not that it's really undeserved as The Miz has paid his dues and is a very entertaining heel on the mic. But something about The Miz + WrestleMania main event isn't clicking for me yet. Oh well. With The Miz all set to take on his number one contender, Jerry "The King" Lawler(?!), at Elimination Chamber, The Miz will be punching his ticket to WrestleMania as champion. Also, since they're making a big deal out of this, we'll probably also see The King compete in his first WM match. Maybe against Michael Cole or Alex Riley?

The Elimination Chamber matches have been set up thusly:

World Heavyweight Championship Elimination Chamber - Edge(c) vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Kane vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Wade Barrett vs. Dolph Ziggler

With Alberto del Rio waiting in the wings to challege at WM, the only viable options to win this match are Edge and Mysterio. My guess is Edge keeps the title and continues to bore us all the way to April. I'm digging del Rio now though. He's got the cocky jackassness that all good heels have (i.e., The Rock, DX version of HBK, Chris Jericho).

WWE Championship Number One Contender Elimination Chamber - John Cena vs. CM Punk vs. Randy Orton vs. R-Truth vs. John Morrison vs. King Sheamus

If The Miz is going to WM as champ, you can count on John Cena winning the Elimination Chamber. Punk and Orton are already mixed up in a feud of their own. Sheamus may get blindsided by a returning Triple H to set up a WM feud. And Truth and Morrison won't get the duke. Maybe if all hell breaks loose, Punk somehow ends up as WWE Champion at Elimination Chamber and Orton challenges him at WM.

Either way, WM feuds seem to be shaping up as:

The Miz vs. John Cena
CM Punk vs. Randy Orton
Edge vs. Alberto del Rio
Wade Barrett vs. The Big Show

Funny how last year, I assumed that the future of WWE would be the likes of Sheamus, DiBiase, Rhodes, and Jack Swagger, but these guys are not currently making any significant movement towards a meaningful WrestleMania match.

Oh yeah, who is going to fight the Undertaker? Right now, the best bet is Sheamus or Barrett. Maybe a returning Chris Jericho? Stay tuned.

The Road to WrestleMania

The Road to WrestleMania XXVII started last night at the Royal Rumble. We are just over two months away from the Granddaddy of them all and things are starting to take shape. One of the most interesting things about the next few weeks (for me at least) is to speculate how the card will eventually pan out. So let's get started.

1. Alberto del Rio wins the Royal Rumble?!?

Biggest Rumble in history (40 participants). Lots of former winners and main eventers (Cena, Mysterio, Kane, Orton). And they give the win to a rookie heel from SmackDown. Granted, WWE typically knows what they're doing, but this is a head scratcher. Del Rio was certainly rising fast through the ranks, but not "Headlining WrestleMania" fast. He's talented on the mic and has pretty ok in-ring skills. I guess we'll just have to see where they go with this. We will certainly see even more of del Rio on RAW and SmackDown over the next couple months. It makes the most sense for del Rio to challenge Edge for the World Heavyweight title and an Edge vs. del Rio main event at WM27 seems like a big yawner.

There is potential to mix this up a bit. The PPV between Royal Rumble and WM is Elimination Chamber. If WWE follows the same pattern, both WWE and World titles will be defended, but likely won't include del Rio as he's already the number one contender for WM. So he'll be sitting around during the PPV doing nothing. Enter Christian. Del Rio put Christian on the shelf a couple months ago and Captain Charisma will probably be in fighting shape by Elimination Chamber. Last night, Edge beat Dolph Ziggler using Christian's finishing move, the Killswitch (nee Unprettier), perhaps as foreshadowing of an upcoming Edge/Christian reunion/feud?

Anyway, I can see Christian challenging del Rio to put his number one contender spot on the line at Elimination Chamber. Del Rio probably wouldn't lose the match outright, but it would open the door to include Christian in a Triple Threat at WM.

My World Heavyweight title prediction: Edge (c) vs. Alberto del Rio vs. Christian

2. The Miz is still champion?

To me, having The Miz headline WM is about as unlikely as Alberto del Rio winning the Royal Rumble, so I guess anything can happen. The Miz still needs to successfully navigate Elimination Chamber to make it the main event at WM and it seems rather unlikely that he'll come away with the win. If he does, WWE began the Cena/Miz feud last night as the Miz was the one who eliminated Cena from the Rumble even though the Miz wasn't officially in the match. The Miz was also saved from losing the title to Randy Orton by the CM Punk-led Nexus. Does this mean an Orton/Nexus feud is brewing? Or will Nexus continue to terrorize Cena as it's main target? Either way, my guess is that at Elimination Chamber, CM Punk manages to win the WWE Championship, punching his ticket to main event WM.

My WWE Championship prediction(s): CM Punk (c) vs. John Cena or Randy Orton

3. What else?

Money in the Bank is it's own PPV now so don't expect to see that match this year. Booker T and Kevin Nash made their return to WWE last night but given their age, they won't make much of an impact on the World title scene by WM. Triple H and Undertaker are still MIA but they should be ready to go by WM as well. Who is the most likely opponent to take on the Undertaker's WM undefeated streak? John Cena? King Sheamus? Wade Barrett? The Miz?

And Mr. WrestleMania, Shawn Michaels, takes his well deserved spot in the WWE Hall of Fame over WrestleMania weekend.