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.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
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 RhodesActually 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
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
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.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
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:
Who needs a WrestleMania dance partner?
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
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
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
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:
Who needs a WrestleMania dance partner?
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
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
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
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:
Who needs a WrestleMania dance partner?
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
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
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
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?
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
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