WWE RAW Results (05/12/08) Jim Ross welcomes us to the Joe Louis Arena as we go into the show with the lights out in the arena. The lights come back on and William Regal is in the ring...
It's that time of year again and all the cool kids are doing it… Well, at least a lot of wrestling columnists are. And who am I to buck the trend and not throw out a few Wrestlemania 24 predictions like a lot of my colleagues? Part of the fun of Wrestlemania is speculating who will come up big at "the grandest stage of them all!" and who hobbles away with nothing but a beating to show for it.
Several matches seem to be competing for the top spot on the card, and not all of them are necessarily championship matches. The Triple Threat Main Event for the WWE Championship boasts the Champion, Randy Orton facing Triple H and John Cena.
As lukewarm as I was to the prospect of the Triple Threat with three of the same faces who have been in the title picture as of late duking it out yet again, I will admit that the build to this match has gotten better in the past few weeks. This past week on RAW featured some solid promos all around from the three contenders and some nice teamwork between Orton and Cena working together against the entire RAW roster two weeks ago. They've really stepped it up and I have to give credit where credit is due.
At first, I thought John Cena would walk away with the spinner belt yet again. In spite of heavily pimping him, there's a good chance Cena will not win the title. Apparently, he's got a movie coming up and may be taking some time off from active ring duty to film. Considering Cena usually comes out on top in the main event at Wrestlemania, I would have otherwise figured him to win the belt back. Orton, while he's been a tremendous heel champ and playing the role to the hilt, has probably reached the end of his reign and will likely feud with Triple H for the belt, playing up the history they have together. Should Wrestlemania 24 prove to be Ric Flair's swan song as an active wrestler, I would bet on him playing a role as either a manager or outside force in any potential feud between Orton and The H. Winner: Triple H
Speaking of Rick Flair, that brings us to one of the other considerations for Wrestlemania 24's top spot on the marquee, Shawn Michaels vs. Ric Flair The build up to this match has been tremendous. In the past four months since his return, Ric Flair has been steadily winning matches, keeping the Dirtiest Player in the Game in the game for as long as possible. Defying Vince McMahon's odds and continuing to win lest he be forced into retirement, Ric Flair has been giving tour de force promo after promo.
From a dramatic standpoint, the Flair/Michaels pairing has been a rollercoaster ride. First, both men showed mutual respect and admiration to one another, slowly boiling over to a heated rivalry with both men demanding respect and another refusing anything that may be even loosely construed as pity. The verbal exchange between Flair and Michaels on RAW this past week was a classic. Picking up where one of his greatest promos in recent years left off with his diatribe directed towards Carlito and trying to remember who Ric Flair was, over a year later, here was a man who had regained his stride and remembered what an influence he was on Michaels' generation and others. The entire exchange was pure gold. From a supportive HBK who got shut down and told to "shut up" by Flair, to Michaels' own feelings of hurt, to Flair finding his voice and Shawn promising the Nature Boy the match of his life before dubbing him "Old Yeller," and that he would do away with him much like the beloved Disney dog. Eyeballing the verbal exchange and slow, rolling boil of this match, it should undoubtedly be the highlight of Wrestlemania 24.
As far as predictions go, I'm going to go out on a limb here. I think there will be some twist to the storyline to give Flair the send off he deserves. Michaels is actually the perfect guy to do it. Although their wrestling styles are quite different, in terms of swagger, HBK was the "Attitude Era"'s equivalent of Ric Flair. My prediction: Winner: Ric Flair (although I think he will still retire of his own accord after the match and retire at Wrestlemania 24.)
The Wrestlemania event receiving the most hype and extensive play across all three brands and general media coverage is the Floyd "Money" Mayweather vs. Big Show confrontation. I think WWE dropped the ball with this one. On paper, it may have sounded like a good idea, but the way it has been playing out is the equivalent of a room-clearing bad fart after eating an entire pot of tofu chili to most wrestling fans. In the words of Emmitt Smith on those "Just For Men" commercials, "Ohhh, it's bad."
For starters, it looked as if Big Show was supposed to go over as the heel on this one. Instead, he ended up garnering support from WWE fans. Mayweather -- originally intended to be the hero of the piece -- came off as such a cocky douche that fans turned away from him in droves. With promos that were so obviously taped and/or read off of cue cards, Mayweather did nothing to redeem himself. More backing for Big Show came when Mayweather's posse tried to throw down for real, nearly instigating a legitimate shoot fight outside of the ring during a showdown between Mayweather and Big Show, the result of which was Shane McMahon getting accidentally knocked down.
Sure, in the realm of boxing, Mayweather is a highly skilled Welterweight Champion. There is no taking away from him in that respect or denying his prowess in his own domain. However, as good of a boxer as Mayweather is, the guy is not one of those athletes or performers who translates well to the world of wrestling. A good portion of wrestling feud building lies within the performer's ability to hype their feud. While Mayweather can certainly trash talk, his particular brand of mud-slinging is ill-suited to sports entertainment.
Nevertheless, I think Mayweather will come out on top in this battle pitting professional boxing against professional wrestling. Big Show is the recently returning prodigal son who has yet to pay his dues at the WWE altar. A loss on the main stage will serve as his "penance" and clear the way for Big Show to move on to bigger and better things, as well as justify Mayweather's pay day. Winner: Mayweather
Another major attraction that has been building for some time is the World Champion Edge's feud with the legendary Undertaker. It's Edge's title vs. Undertaker's streak at Wrestlemania 24. If Undertaker comes out on top, he not only keeps his unprecedented 15 and 0 (16 and 0 if he wins), but regains the World Title. If he doesn't, the streak is over and Edge retains the belt.
Edge has really done a great job playing the role of the antagonist. Between acquiring a matched pair of Mini Me's in Zack Ryder and Curt Hawkins and smooching it up with General Manger Vickie Guerrero, Edge has found time to belittle the Undertaker verbally from a safe distance. Last week on Smackdown, he parodied 'Taker, mimicking his moveset and mock-rolling his eyes back in his skull.
While Undertaker is due for another title reign, Edge is too entertaining of a heel champion to take the belt away from just yet. At the same time, I don't think Undertaker is going to lose his streak, either. While the rumor has it that Undertaker may get another chance to claim the World Title at Wrestlemania since his reign was cut short last year thanks to an injury, it may not come just yet. Without any special stipulations on this match like a steel cage, no disqualification, or anything else, it leaves too much room for interference from Edge's peeps to affect the outcome.
My prediction? Winner: Undertaker keeps his streak via disqualification but Edge keeps the belt. A "W" is still a "W" and 'Taker's streak will continue.
In the battle for "brand supremacy," it's Batista representing Smackdown vs. Umaga representing RAW. This is a tough one to call. Batista is starting to slide into mid-card territory and Umaga is upwardly mobile. Considering a draft may be coming up soon (if WWE doesn't finally re-combine the brands), a win for Smackdown courtesy of Batista will help to elevate the brand's status and put it on par with the flagship RAW. At the same time, Umaga has improved greatly in the past year, and may be given a reward. Perhaps how Big Show may be rewarded for a 'Mania loss, maybe Umaga will be rewarded with a shot at the upper tier following a loss to Batista. It's safe to say this one won't be one for the ages, seeming to be a slapdash match designed to give both Batista and Umaga a spot on the Wrestlemania program. It might not be a bad match, however, and prove to be entertaining. It's not one to get your hopes up about, but hey, it could be worse. Winner: Batista
Speaking of worse, that brings us to the BunnyMania Lumberjack Match pitting the team of Beth Phoenix and Melina vs. Maria and Ashley. This one may end up being BathroomMania, a convenient time to hit the head and not really miss much of anything. The only saving grace for this one may come if Santino "Pure Comedy Gold" Marella makes it ringside to interact with the Divas and Snoop Dogg, who is slated to preside over the match. The other WWE Divas are scheduled to act as lumberjacks and stand around the ring to toss the opponents back inside. There may be hope for this match if Victoria helps provide some comic relief outside the ring in addition to some Santino-flavored interference.
It's kind of sad to see that the Women's Title isn't being defended and that no one has emerged as a strong challenger to Beth Phoenix. She and Melina are being wasted on the card (as are a few other Divas who can actually wrestle) against Maria (who, while improving as a wrestler, still shouldn't be involved in a physical match) and last-minute insertion, Ashley. Ashley, even before she was out, was terribly green. Now, she's just plain terrible. Candice Michelle, while no Trish Stratus in terms of ring ability, had a work ethic to be admired and seemed to have made a real, conscientious effort to learn how to wrestle, even if she hadn't cracked into the upper-tier of female grapplers. Here's hoping she makes a swift and full recovery soon.
Expect this match to see Phoenix and Melina's styles dumbed down in order to "protect" the Playboy Bunnies who will likely emerge victorious. Winner: Maria and Ashley, the Playboy Bunnies
In another random, filler match, it's Finlay vs. JBL in a Belfast Brawl. With it having been revealed that Hornswoggle is not the lost McMahon and actually Finlay's son, it prompted JBL's enlistment by Vinnie Mac himself to make life miserable for those who fooled him. What ensued was several uncomfortable sequences involving Hornswoggle being beaten unmercifully by JBL. This one is pretty cut and dry. There is no way Hornswoggle would have been beaten down so badly without any "moral victory" of a pay-off involved. Add to that, the match is called a "Belfast Brawl." There's no way Finlay will lose a match named after his hometown. Now, if it was called a "Wall Street Walloping," then maybe JBL would win. Winner: Count on JBL to go down for the count like Bear Stearns. Finlay will win and avenge his "son"
In what has become a recent Wrestlemania tradition, the Money In the Bank match has almost always been a highlight of the PPV. This year, there's a slew of solid guys involved in the match. Mr. Kennedy, MVP, CM Punk, John Morrison, Shelton Benjamin, Carlito, and Chris Jericho are on tap for a chance to pick up the MITB briefcase with a title shot at the belt of their choosing any time before next year's Wrestlemania. Each of the guys involved have their merits. Both Mr. Kennedy and Carlito have improved greatly recently. Benjamin is consistently good. MVP is one of the best performers in all of the WWE. Punk and Morrison are former ECW Champions and have highly athletic styles. And Chris Jericho is well, Chris Jericho. In spite of the stellar resumes of all of the contenders, there are a few front-runners. MVP has held the United States Title for some time and is probably due for a well-deserved upgrade. The guy has it all from ring style to promo skills. Mr. Kennedy has similar attributes and was last year's MITB winner. Chris Jericho is the recently returning fan favorite who has yet to build steam (thanks to being stuck in an awful feud with JBL) and a MITB title shot could help him regain what was lost. Of the three, though, I think MVP has the best shot at winning this one overall, but I wouldn't be surprised (or disappointed) if Kennedy picked up another shot. Winner: MVP
As for the 24 Man Battle Royal for ECW Championshipl, who is in this match and who will win it is anyone's guess. This seems like a last-ditch effort to put the ECW Title on the line at the PPV and throw as many wrestlers as possible into the show and give them a brief, shining Wrestlemania Moment. If CM Punk is able to be involved (seeing as though he's in the MITB match), I'd peg him as a shoe-in to take on Chavo Guerrero that night for the title and possibly win. It'd be nice to see Stevie Richards get in on this match, but that probably won't happen, either. Another good choice who may make it out at the top of the heap for a shot of the ECW Title may be Kane. Kane is a solid performer and it'd be nice to see him get a crack at any title.
Regardless of who wins the Battle Royal, I'd say the winner will beat Chavo Guerrero for the Title. There hasn't been much buzz around the ECW Title or any back-and-forth feuds recently giving it some focus. A new champion would help to build a feud with teeth for Chavo and whomever the victor may be. Winner: It won't be Chavo.
While initially, I wasn't too thrilled with the card, it is Wrestlemania and it only comes once a year. After engaging myself in a dilemma of whether to buy or not to buy, I'm biting the bullet and picking up the PPV. Much like fights with your family around the holiday dinner table, while sometimes frustrating, there are some traditions that you still hold dear lest you give up a little sliver of joy if you don't take part in them. There's something that makes me feel like a kid again about seeing Wrestlemania, even if the prospects don’t look too great on the surface. Speaking for myself, there are too few pieces of my childhood left to leave behind. And besides, my boyfriend's coughing up half the cash for the PPV, so it's not like I'm doling out $55 on my own. Who knows, however? Maybe there will be some pleasant surprises and Wrestlemania 24 will exceed expectations.
Hopefully, my predictions have given you a bit of food for thought as to how The Big One will play out. At the very least, Wrestlemania is something to have an opinion on. And if that hasn't gotten you thinking enough, let me leave you with this point to ponder: Doesn't old school "Superstar" Billy Graham look a lot like Sabretooth from the X-Men comics? I mean, really, dude. Those sideburns!
