I've been meaning to bring this up, but kept forgetting to. The six-man "Money in the Bank" match at Wrestlemania is a bit odd in that it has four faces -- Jericho, Benoit, Kane, and Benjamin -- and only two heels, Christian and Edge. That seems very unusual; most of the time sides are even or the heels have an advantage. Any thoughts on if this will change?
While there exists the possibility of one of the four faces turning heel (although there have been no signs as of yet) I think there might be another possibility. Before the last Elimination Chamber match, Bischoff had each man wrestle a match where if he lost, his opponent would take his entry spot. Could this perhaps be where they're going with Mohammad Hassan? After all, a defense against racism is to show that everyone gets the same opportunity, so Hassan can reference the Raw prior to the Elimination Chamber and demand that same opportunity for the Money in the Bank match. Heck, have Bischoff agree and put him against Kane for S&G, only to have Christian and Tomko distract Kane and let Hassan into the match. That also sets up a nice post-WM feud for Christian and Kane.
Any other thoughts with this? Do you think they'll stick to the current lineup with the unbalanced sides, or will some change be made?
The only problem with that is that it leaves Kane, a pretty high-up guy, without a match at the biggest show of the year. They could always throw him in with Snitsky, but we've already seen it a billion times at this point and it wasn't good then either.
I think they'll just let it go like this, as they have five of the best workers in the company in the match. There really isn't a sixth guy that I can think of that'd fit that bill, so they just gave it to Kane as a way to give him something to do.
The answer to WWE's financial problems...
Never 'Wiener of the Day', and is actually quite bitter about it.
I think keeping Hassan out of a WM match has the same booking effect of making Edge lose the majority of his matches: It makes him more bitter, more desperate, more heelish. That's not to say he won't be at WM, but he doesn't need to be in a full-fledged bout. A quick squash in a skit or impromptu match yes, but nothing with promos or advertising. You wanna bring in Matt Hardy and get him over instantly? Have him flash pin Hassan. I would not put Hassan in the ladder match; his heel gimmick doesn't need to be overshadowed by the ladder gimmick.
As to your main point, I don't see any reason to turn Jericho (even if he IS growing the heel beard again), Kane or Shelton. Benoit, having nothing else to do, could switch and make a fine feud with Shelton. Christian looked to be booked as more of a heel than Tyson last night, after the latter was abandoned. Edge has too much invested as a whiny bastard to change now.
I'd much rather have Kane lose a pre-WM match to allow someone else in, and that would be Matt, providing the E&C and Hardy connection to previous WM ladder matches.
(edited by Matt Tracker on 15.3.05 1339) "To be the man, you gotta beat demands." -- The Lovely Mrs. Tracker
Keeping Hassan out allows for him to attack the winner of the match to set up a feud (provided that he doesn't face Hogan on the show)
If this were the case, having Shelton win the Money in the Bank match would work. He wins, gets attacked by Hassan, thus setting what could be a pretty good feud over the IC title.
The heel/face balance doesn't really matter except that you want to avoid doing one heel against three faces because it puts the heel in a face position. But they did that as Armageddon anyway. Still, in this match, everybody's going to be whacking everybody in the name of excitement and the greatest briefcase in our sport, so it doesn't matter.
Also, Hassan stinks.
FWIW, Elimination Chamber '02 had Van Dam (f1) vs. Kane (f2) vs. Booker (f3) vs. Michaels (f4) vs. Jericho (h1) vs. Hunter (h2).
If anyone is going to turn in this, I'd put my money on Christian, after the match is over. I'd say he's about overdue for a face turn, and he'd definitely have the fans on his side this time round.
Originally posted by OMEGAThe only problem with that is that it leaves Kane, a pretty high-up guy, without a match at the biggest show of the year.
I guess I'm the only one expecting Pete Rose to attack Kane during the match to justify Kane's being involved?
I don't think the match is dependant on any face/heel ratio because it's not about wanting the good guy to overcome the odds as much as it is about 6 guys killing themselves for our entertainment. Face/heel/whatever, if someone goes flying off the ladder over the ropes and onto two other guys on the outside, the fans will cheer the hell out of it.
Originally posted by JustinShapiroStill, in this match, everybody's going to be whacking everybody in the name of excitement and the greatest briefcase in our sport, so it doesn't matter.
I wonder what the over/under is on the number of households that will be making jokes about "who's lifting the briefcase??" during the match?
Originally posted by HokienauticI wonder what the over/under is on the number of households that will be making jokes about "who's lifting the briefcase??" during the match?
I'd set it at "two".
What I would like to see though, would be the winner of the match to use the contract RIGHT after Triple H/Batista have their match. It wouldn't work with them as the main event of course, but if Bradshaw/Cena end off the show, you could have Cena win his title there, Triple H could keep his belt, only to lose it a few minutes later, and then Batista/Triple H/Money in the Bank winner could sprout off into a few different feuds in the weeks after WM, which is better than the current plan of "Triple H/Batista gimmick rematches".
Originally posted by JustinShapiroThe heel/face balance doesn't really matter except that you want to avoid doing one heel against three faces because it puts the heel in a face position. But they did that as Armageddon anyway. Still, in this match, everybody's going to be whacking everybody in the name of excitement and the greatest briefcase in our sport, so it doesn't matter.
Also, Hassan stinks.
FWIW, Elimination Chamber '02 had Van Dam (f1) vs. Kane (f2) vs. Booker (f3) vs. Michaels (f4) vs. Jericho (h1) vs. Hunter (h2).
Yeah. If anything, the face-to-heel ratio just means we'll probably see some creative team-ups between Edge and Christian to start the match.
But there's also nothing wrong with having some face-vs-face conflicts. Remember, Shelton won his shiny IC belt at Taboo Tuesday in a face-vs-face match against Jericho.
What I would like to see though, would be the winner of the match to use the contract RIGHT after Triple H/Batista have their match. It wouldn't work with them as the main event of course, but if Bradshaw/Cena end off the show, you could have Cena win his title there, Triple H could keep his belt, only to lose it a few minutes later, and then Batista/Triple H/Money in the Bank winner could sprout off into a few different feuds in the weeks after WM, which is better than the current plan of "Triple H/Batista gimmick rematches".
Tribal Prophet
Yeah, I've thought that might be interesting as well -- either that or wait til a day after another PPV when the champ is all beat up.
The best situation for your scenario -- which, mind you, is impossible (my situation, not your scenario) -- would be if Randy Orton was in the Six-Man match. He could come in to the title match, attack Triple H with the ref down ... and then attack Batista from behind as well, laying Triple H over Batista and then reviving the ref. As soon as the ref counts three he grabs a mike and says "Hey Bischoff, I want my shot RIGHT NOW, so ring the bell, ref" ... and he pins Triple H immediately. He can feud with 'em both as a tweener with a heel lean (still hates Triple H, but acts like a heel as well). Of course, the only problem with that is Orton's last title reign wasn't all that successful, but perhaps as a heel-lean it would be moreso.
I don't see any of the four faces currently in the match doing that, with perhaps the exception of Jericho. "... so ring the bell assclown" does have a certain cache to it, though, and he'd be able to be the cocky smart heel again. Would certainly be a nice twist to end Wrestlemania.
With Hogan near the building, please don't let them get the idea of someone facing Batista or Trip after their victory for the belt. Any idea that provides flashbacks to Mania IX should never be considered. As for the face/heel ratio: Benoit has had matches with Benjamin and Jericho recently, thus they can have him work both sides. Also, Kane is more of a loner than a pure face, so he can attack anyone and it'll work. Thus, 2 heels, 2 faces, and 2 floaters.
I think WWE learned their lesson after the horrible 'Mania IX ending... well, I hope.
I wouldn't mind seeing Hogan make an appearance by interrupting a Hassan interview complaining about being left off the show, though. I can just imagine the amount of heat it'd get, and it could give Hassan a good rub if done CORRECTLY.
The answer to WWE's financial problems...
Never 'Wiener of the Day', and is actually quite bitter about it.
Originally posted by CANADIAN BULLDOGIf anyone is going to turn in this, I'd put my money on Christian, after the match is over. I'd say he's about overdue for a face turn, and he'd definitely have the fans on his side this time round.
It's really hard, though, for a heel to turn face suddenly. How would this occur?
Originally posted by CANADIAN BULLDOGIf anyone is going to turn in this, I'd put my money on Christian, after the match is over. I'd say he's about overdue for a face turn, and he'd definitely have the fans on his side this time round.
It's really hard, though, for a heel to turn face suddenly. How would this occur?
Maybe Christian and Edge decide to team up for most of the match and fend off the faces, then Edge screws Christian at the end to win? Either that or Tomko switches allegiances, with the same result (although that would just serve to put the big lug with Edge.... ugh).
Originally posted by CANADIAN BULLDOGIf anyone is going to turn in this, I'd put my money on Christian, after the match is over. I'd say he's about overdue for a face turn, and he'd definitely have the fans on his side this time round.
It's really hard, though, for a heel to turn face suddenly. How would this occur?
Maybe Christian and Edge decide to team up for most of the match and fend off the faces, then Edge screws Christian at the end to win? Either that or Tomko switches allegiances, with the same result (although that would just serve to put the big lug with Edge.... ugh).
Still, though, you'd have to be building up the heel to be liked beforehand, so that when the betrayal/whatever happens, the audience knows who to cheer for. See Edge/Christian and Jericho/Christian as examples of this. In each case, it was a heel tag team where one of the members became more face-like, until he was face enough to have the heel turn on him and know that people would root for the new face.
In our current scenario, on the other hand, nothing has happened to make Christian into a sympathetic character; in fact, on more than one occasion recently, he has left his tag team partner/manager in the ring to be beaten while he cowardly escaped. You can't just take a guy like that and suddenly start telling people, "cheer for this guy."
If anything, Tomko seems to be going down the "turns face by turning on Christian" route, though I don't think anyone wants to see Tomko vs. Christian, so hopefully they don't pull the trigger on that.
"While Matt is a much more logical choice based on his history and athleticism, it's possible that Kane was supposed to be in to begin with."
I had been wondering, and Dave says that Hardy was not part of the match and Kane was supposed to be in it all along. So no one has to feel bad for Matt at least in terms of missing his WM payoff.
Originally posted by JustinShapiro"While Matt is a much more logical choice based on his history and athleticism, it's possible that Kane was supposed to be in to begin with."
I had been wondering, and Dave says that Hardy was not part of the match and Kane was supposed to be in it all along. So no one has to feel bad for Matt at least in terms of missing his WM payoff.
You have to admit, the Ladder Match is a wonderful catch-all for talented guys who need something to do: A former WWE Champion, a former Undisputed Champion, a former World & WCW Champion...and Edge, Christian & Shelton Benjamin. Sounds good to me. I hate to say this...but Matt just doesn't fit the bill for "Almost tippity-top" wrestlers for this match.
Originally posted by JustinShapiro"While Matt is a much more logical choice based on his history and athleticism, it's possible that Kane was supposed to be in to begin with."
I had been wondering, and Dave says that Hardy was not part of the match and Kane was supposed to be in it all along. So no one has to feel bad for Matt at least in terms of missing his WM payoff.
You have to admit, the Ladder Match is a wonderful catch-all for talented guys who need something to do: A former WWE Champion, a former Undisputed Champion, a former World & WCW Champion...and Edge, Christian & Shelton Benjamin. Sounds good to me. I hate to say this...but Matt just doesn't fit the bill for "Almost tippity-top" wrestlers for this match.
Yup. Although it makes me smile at the fact that someone thinks Captain Charisma does. Last year's feud with Jericho has paid off well for him.
Even though it won't happen. I'd love to see whoever won the ladder match just pop up moments before the World Title match and cash in his title shot, making it a Triple Threat Match.
But given that all 6 guys may not be in a condition to have another match in the same night, and the fact that they may not want to do a Triple Threat Main Event two years in a row, it may not be a good idea.
So NXT rolled through my crappy home town on the last night of their UK tour and I managed to snap up a couple of tickets. I'd put the crowd at about 3,500 or so.