2009 Running Pro Wrestling Thread

Updated post from my initial one on March 17 ...

WM 25 card (w/my thoughts) & prediction of match outcomes:

Title: Big Show vs. Edge vs. Cena (I'd have this be Vickie Guerrero's swan song with the company. I don't care that they've built up Big Show. There's nothing good to come from him winning. What, you want to see a Show-Henry title match or a Show-Kane title match?). Unfortunately, Cena's gonna win this title because he's the "movie star" and Vickie will find a way to mess it up for Edge/Big Show.

Title: HHH vs. Orton (I think the build up has been pretty good, but I think Stephanie McMahon will align with Orton. Remember we've seen Stephanie get married while unconscious to HHH --- sorry Test, RIP --- before. I think that kiss is gonna play a role and continue the twisted McMahon streak of dysfunctional angles). Orton wins the title.

MITB: Christian/CM Punk/Kofi Kingston/Finlay/Mark Henry/MVP/Shelton Benjamin/Kane (If Kofi can be replaced in a Elimination Chamber match on PPV, why can't someone take out Mark Henry and Kane, too, replacing them with Evan Bourne and Brian Kendrick?) I think the winner comes down to two people -- Christian and CM Punk. Christian wins, but a feud with Punk develops.

Matt vs. Jeff Hardy (this feud can't work because fans STILL want to cheer both guys). If Jeff doesn't win then this feud means even less to me.

Undertaker vs. HBK (HBK has had all the breaks. Takes away a bit from what this match is supposed to do -- build excitement to see both guys. It's a no-brainer who will win. Only thing that could change it is a Umaga run-in). Taker wins.

Jericho vs. Steamboat/Snuka/Piper w/Flair and Rourke involved (Yawn.) I think this is definitely going to be the spot where each of the newly inducted Hall of Famers also get their shot in against Jericho, capped off by a Stone Cold Stunner or this could be a spot for Batista to return since he's such a Flair advocate?

25-Woman Battle Royal, featuring current divas and divas in the past (wwe.com says they'll have women representing each of the Wrestlemanias so I hope there's someone else available from the time when Elizabeth and Sherri Martel were the top women in the company as I don't remember too many Mae Young appearances). If Gail Kim wins, they're doing it to rub it in TNA's face. Santino or Rosa, I think, is going to cost Beth Phoenix a victory and this is going to lead to their breakup.

Tag Team Title Unification: Miz/Morrison vs. Colons. (I liked someone else's idea that the lumberjacks in this match should have been old tag teams to lend importance to this unification). Colons win in an upset and Miz and Morrison either breakup or they chase the Colons.

IC title: JBL vs. Rey Mysterio (JBL is so done). JBL will win, retire, thus setting up an IC title tournament.

Other thoughts: Can't believe that Regal is left off the card (unless he's a lumberjack) as well as Bourne and that Swagger doesn't have an ECW title defense. I think the draft is going to shake some things up on April 13.

 

It's hard for me to rate any match ahead of Savage-Steamboat, because of how influential it became. That match was non-stop from beginning to end -- there were no lulls for a lengthy leglock, sleeperhold or abdominal stretch -- and that set the evolution in motion for the high-flying, constant-action and very-rehearsed style of wrestling we see today.

Many give the Michaels-Ramon ladder match credit for starting that trend, but Savage-Steamboat preceded that.

A great story regarding that match: According to Wikipedia, Savage had Steamboat at his house in the days before WM III, and they went through the entire match, move-by-move, then did it again with George Steele and the referee after everyone arrived in Detroit. In those days, just the ending was scripted.

 

All the major wrestling sites are reporting that Tazz is finished with WWE. His contract expired, and he agreed to do color for the Smackdown matches taped last night for Friday.

Which means we'll either get Matt Striker moved into the Smackdown color spot (and someone new on ECW), or perhaps JBL returns to his old job after he retires at WM.

Another idea: Move Lawler to Smackdown, reunite him with JR, and send Striker to Raw to team with Cole.

Longest shot: OHMYGAWD it's the return of Joey Styles

 

Sounds like this will be explained when the draft occurs in a few weeks.

 

In Flair's book, he said Savage did the same thing with a big PPV match with him. Apparently, Savage was OCD or something and had to know exactly how everything was going to go for a lot of his matches.

 

I can't shake this feeling that Kane and Mark Henry will be non-factors in the MITB match. With two big guys, it feels like they'll have their own match within a match -- mostly outside the ring, maybe even just head to the back while brawling -- and start a feud at Wrestlemania.

 

Hey...whatever works. Savage-Steamboat was a fantastic match.

Couldn't sleep much last night (damn cold) so I put in the Angle-Benoit [/wwe] match from the '03 Rumble....and day-um. Besides a couple headlocks here and there, the action was constant, and the mat wrestling (esp. some of the counters) were amazing to watch. Safe to say that time has passed, though...?

 

WM Predictions (and my match order):

Randy Orton vs. Triple H (c) for the WWE Championship

WHO SHOULD WIN: Randy Orton. In what will be the main event of the historic 25th anniversary of WrestleMania, WWE should be building around their premier superstar of this year. Orton has stepped up his game and his persona, which is reflected in his unstable real-life self, has generated more heat than any wrestler since the Rated R superstar's great run a few years ago. He's 28 (will be 29 tomorrow) and entering the peak of his career (well, in wrestling, it seems that peaks range from 25-45). The company should be building around Orton.

WHO WILL WIN: Orton. It's tough to decide, which is what makes this an enticing match. Triple H could easily win, as he hasn't won a WrestleMania in six years and it would make a happy ending to WrestleMania. However, HHH wouldn't mind jobbing to his good friend Orton and I don't think HHH is as dumb as many make him out to be. He knows an Orton win is good for business because it legitimizes Orton even more and probably continues the hot feud for another few months. Triple H could always get revenge at Backlash and I think Orton picks up the win here.

25 Diva Battle Royal

WHO SHOULD WIN: Gail Kim. I think a Gail Kim victory at WrestleMania solidfies her as a top draw. The best female worker in the industry, Kim should be taken seriously and a huge debut at the grandest stage which put her in an enviable position. She should win and be pushed as a huge face, which generates tremendous jealousy from the other divas.

WHO WILL WIN: Rosa Mendez. I think we finally see the end of GlamMarella. Santino somehow costs Beth the win and she beats the shit out of him, while Mendez becomes Santino's new toy. It would also lead to a face role for Phoenix and I imagine Santino/Mendez would be very obnoxious around each other. This match should be good fun to see past divas like Sunny and must be light-hearted to get fans ready for the main event and give them a break after an exhausting 'Taker-HBK battle.

The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels

WHO SHOULD WIN: You could make a logical argument for either side, but I'm going to go with The Undertaker to continue his streak. For me, there is serious luster to the amazing mark and Michaels should be made to look very good. In fact, I think this a match of the year candidate right off the bat, with the Texan native HBK playing the psuedo-heel like Batista did in Detroit in 2007. I think this feud could continue, but I really want to see 'Taker get another win to add to his streak. It'd be cool to see him get up to 20-0 or so. But even if HBK wins...it's hard to argue with the result, considering he's the great WrestleMania wrestler ever.

WHO WILL WIN: As Claws mentioned, the buildup has been very one-sided, with Michaels playing mindgames for weeks and Undertaker appearing to be one step behind. That definitely favors The Undertaker, but it's not out of the question to see a HBK victory, in my opinion. I still see 'Taker winning this in a lengthy, hard-fought match.

Chris Jericho vs. "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka, and Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat in a Handicap Elimination Match

WHO SHOULD WIN: Jericho. Jericho deserves a WrestleMania win after probably being the best overall performer of the past year. He has carried the WWE during stretches and to have him lose to three over-the-hill stars would be a shame. Expect Piper, Snuka, and Steamboat to get their signature spots in and look pretty good. But Jericho should win, eliminating two of them and then wrestling for a bit with the other, looking like he might lose when Ric Flair comes out to aid the Legends. In the end, I'd have Jericho win, but have Rourke climb in the ring and punch a celebrating Jericho in the face.

WHO WILL WIN: I think somehow the Legends will win this one, aided by Flair, Rourke, or maybe even a returning Batista or another Legend (Hogan or Austin are most logical, especially Stone Cold because of his induction). It would end this feud on a nice note as the Legends finally get their revenge on the bully Jericho.

The Big Show vs. John Cena vs. Edge (c) for the World Heavyweight Championship

WHO SHOULD WIN: John Cena. He's the biggest star in the industry and he's a huge draw. With the draft approaching, I think you build a show around Cena and a show around Orton and keep them away from each other until WrestleMania 26. It'd be awfully hard to do that while keeping them both on the same program. He's uber-over with fans, and Cena getting a victory could also set up a nice little Big Show-Edge undercard feud.

WHO WILL WIN: Cena. He's the logical choice, although it's plausible that Vickie costs Big Show/Edge the match and firmly aligns with the other. This is a little early in the card to book this, but it'll get the fans very pumped up and sets up the other matches well.

Miz/Morrison vs. The Colons to unify the WWE Tag Team Championship and World Tag Team Championship

WHO SHOULD WIN: Glad to see these four get a match, as they work very well together and could have a decent 10 minute or so match. I've said before that Miz/Morrison is the best current tag team outside of Beer Money, and they should win this. Wouldn't surprise me if The Bellas both sided with Miz/Morrison or if The Colons teased a breakup.

WHO WILL WIN: Miz/Morrison. I think the Colons could be split up soon. I see a lot of promise in young Primo. Miz/Morrison have been extremely valuable tools, considering they are so versatile and have wrestled multiple matches on countless tapings. This should be a reward of sorts for their improvement. Hopefully, WWE doesn't break them up for awhile and the unification is to find them more consistently strong competition and feuds.

Money in the Bank Ladder Match

WHO SHOULD WIN: Christian is the most logical choice here, because I would put him on the same show as Edge after the draft. Have them align, but have Christian tease cashing it in once in awhile. That would be exciting and build heat toward the match in itself. I think the spots may be limited considering some of the bigger competitors, but we'll still see some crazy antics from guys like Kofi Kingston, CM Punk, and Shelton Benjamin.

WHO WILL WIN: Honestly, I could see MVP getting it. I think WWE finally seems to be sold on MVP and he has improved a step in the ring since his face turn. He's a fresher character and seems energized as well. I think they could keep building him up over the next year and hype the fact that he couldn't win a match for months in 2008. MVP is a legit main-event wrestler and WWE may finally be sold on him.

Rey Mysterio vs. John Bradshaw Leyfield (c) for the WWE Intercontinental Championship

WHO SHOULD WIN: Oddly, enough they gave this away on free TV less than a week before the big show. Rey took that one and I don't think a loss at would hurt him much, if at all. I'd have Layfield win, retire with the championship, and return to the SmackDown! announce booth, where he was surprisingly effective. Pair him with JR, and I think the results could be interesting. Then you could set up a IC tournament for Backlash, would could be a decent rub for some of the midcard wrestlers.

WHO WILL WIN: JBL. This will be a short one (my guess is around 7 minutes or so), and I think they'll have a few close calls with Mysterio hitting his spots. Have Rey get hit by a clothesline from hell out of nowhere and JBL win it. Whether he retires after his match or not...JBL doesn't have much time left and this is likely his last 'Mania match.

Matt Hardy vs. Jeff Hardy in an Extreme Rules Match

WHO SHOULD WIN: Yes, I am opening up with this match (a la Bret-Owen at WrestleMania 10). It won't be able to top it, but this will be a fun, intense match with plenty of carnage and high-flying spots. Could steal the show early on. I'd have Jeff win it. Jeff is the more exciting worker and the more over wrestler, and although it could continue the feud to have Matt squeak out a victory, you could also have Matt seeking revenge after losing this huge match, which would result in a prolonged series of matches.

WHO WILL WIN: I think Jeff wins here. I think the WWE realizes what they have in Jeff and will make him look strong and get his revenge. I'm not sure this feud has been as strong as WWE expected and I don't see it continuing for as long as they would have liked it to.

 

I'd write my perditions down, but I doubt any will be correct. If Cena doesn't win on Sunday, I'll be happy. That's all I care about.

 

Complete tangent...

I was playing Smackdown vs. Raw 2009 today and tried my hand at the Money In The Bank ladder match. That f***er is hard. I spent at least a half hour as Orton trying to beat Kofi Kingston, Edge, CM Punk, Shelton Benjamin and Jeff Hardy and got bested by Edge at the last second.

Tangent over.

 

We have a 360 at the office, and play that almost every night. It takes forever to get the briefcase down, and it's a pretty fun match to boot.

 

I honestly think the Money In The Bank concept is the best idea pro wrestling has had since the Hell In The Cell.