Well, we ARE just one week away from The Big Show.
U.S. Championship: MVP vs. Chris Benoit I could see them giving MVP the belt here, but I'll take Benoit anyway. If Porter won, what would that say about MVP beating jobbers on Smackdown in preperation for his match with a former World Champ?
Kane vs. The Great Khali Kane. And usually, I'd want Khali matches to stay short, but I have this sick desire to see this match go 10-15 minutes, just to see what happens.
Women's Championship: Ashley vs. Melina The Playboy Covergirl gets her token title run.
Sandman, RVD, Sabu and Tommy Dreamer vs. Elijah Burke, Kevin Thorn, Marcus Cor Von and Matt Striker I'm betting WWE wants to push the old guard out as fast as possible after WM, so the New Breed wins.
Money In the Bank Ladder Match: Finlay, Edge, Matt Hardy, Jeff Hardy, King Booker, CM Punk, Mr. Kennedy, Randy Orton I'd hate to see Mr. Kennedy win because he's already received title shots- this match should be reserved for the Matt Hardy-types. But the E is behind Kennedy, and it'll give him a chance to brag, so I'll go with him.
Battle of the Billionaires: Bobby Lashley w/Donald Trump vs. Umaga w/Vince McMahon Is there any doubt? Lashley wins, McMahon gets his head shaved.
WWE Championship: John Cena vs. Shawn Michaels This is an interesting one. I'd like to see HBK get another title run because frankly, he deserves it. With Triple H out, he's been the man. But I'm guessing Cena narrowly retains.
World Championship: Batista vs. Undertaker We'll see just how confident WWE is in Batista here. Personally, I think him not even being in the tag match on Smackdown (he was injured backstage) was quite telling. Undertaker wins the belt and keeps his streak alive for another year.
U.S. Championship: MVP vs. Chris Benoit --- Curtain jerker - I think Benoit has become an apostrophe in the WWE - It almost doesn't matter... but I think Benoit retains, but MVP winning wouldn't surprise me even a little bit.
Ric Flair Vs Carlito Figure Calito needs the rub, but Flair ain't won nothing lately..... Carlito still wins - Ric's a company man. Oldest Jobber in history.
Kane vs. The Great Khali ---Kane wins - but because of a DQ by Khali
Women's Championship: Ashley vs. Melina --- Ashley and her breasts, of course
Sandman, RVD, Sabu and Tommy Dreamer vs. Elijah Burke, Kevin Thorn, Marcus Cor Von and Matt Striker --- The old guard squeeks it out.
Money In the Bank Ladder Match: Finlay, Edge, Matt Hardy, Jeff Hardy, King Booker, CM Punk, Mr. Kennedy, Randy Orton --- I think the push goes to Orton - even if they can't figure out what to do with him.
Battle of the Billionaires: Bobby Lashley w/Donald Trump vs. Umaga w/Vince McMahon --- Duh. Vince gets a SCSA haircut - probably after a stunner.
WWE Championship: John Cena vs. Shawn Michaels Cena retains after HBK KILLS him.
World Championship: Batista vs. Undertaker Will UT finally lose? No Frickin' Way. UT is your NEW World Champ.
(edited by AWArulz on 26.3.07 0640) http://myspace.com/awarulz We'll be back right after order has been restored here in the Omni Center.
Ashley over Melina MVP over Benoit Khali over Kane New Breed over ECW Originals Lashley over Umaga Edge wins Money in the Bank Cena over Michaels Taker over Batista
Undertaker beats Batista, I'm just not sure if it'll be by pin or if Batista gets intentionally DQ'ed and turns heel
Michaels beats Cena
Lashley beats Umaga
Benoit beats MVP
Edge wins Money in the Bank to keep his WM streak going, but it's in some controversial manner that makes Edge defend the briefcase the next night on Raw. Edge loses that match thanks to Orton, than goes off to get surgery as scheduled.
Kane beats Khali via DQ....and sets up some kind of 'hook match' next month at Backlash
Ashley wins via DQ over Melina
New Breed beats the ECW Originals
If it happens, Flair over Carlito and London/Kendrick beat MNM
I don't know what is more disquieting -- the fact that the rest of the statue is missing, or that it has four toes.
For the very first time since 1990 I donīt care about Wrestlemania - Thatīs really sad!
But one thing I would care about would be Edge winning the Money in the bank match. Then HBK winning the WWE title in a brutal, long war with Cena. And THEN (to close the show) Edge coming in and cashing in and winning the belt from HBK! THAT would be AWESOME!
MVP (I'm still baffled as to why thia guy is so hated) over Benoit Kane over Khali, Khali disappears for good afterward Melina over Ashley New Blood over ECW Originals, which is absolutely the right booking Kennedy wins MITB Lashley over Umaga Cena over Michaels Undertaker over Batista (putting Big Dave over here would be a huge mistake)
Has Flair/Carlito actually been made official?
To those who say people wouldn't look; they wouldn't be interested; they're too complacent, indifferent and insulated, I can only reply: There is, in one reporter's opinion, considerable evidence against that contention. But even if they are right, what have they got to lose? Because if they are right, and this instrument is good for nothing but to entertain, amuse and insulate, then the tube is flickering now and we will soon see that the whole struggle is lost. This instrument can teach, it can illuminate; yes, and it can even inspire. But it can do so only to the extent that humans are determined to use it to those ends. Otherwise it is merely wires, and lights, in a box.-Edward R. Murrow
- MVP to beat Chris Benoit in some ever-so-slightly heelish way
- Kane to beat Khali. I'm also going to push the boat out and predict a run in from The Big Show, or maybe Mick Foley.
- Ashley to take the womena title.
- New Blood to beat the ECW Originals.
- Mr. Kennedy to win MITB, with Matt Hardy having the victory stole off him.
- Lashley to beat Umaga. With perhaps a run in from the Spirit Squad. Hey, why not?
- Cena to retain
- Undertaker to win the Big Gold Belt from Batista.
It's amazing how little debate there is over the results of this card. Although there seems little in the way of suspense in many matches for die hard fans, I really can't wait for it since I'm travelling over from the UK to be there. My first 'Mania!
Ladies and gentlemen, the following public service message is brought to you by your friends from D-Generation X, who would like to remind each and every one of you that if you're not down with that, we've got two words for you... Assuming it's on, Carlito defeats Flair, just 'cause Carlito deserves a little love and I'd rather not see Carlito turn heel. (Well, I'd rather not see either guy turn heel, actually.)
MVP becomes United States champion. Between the rumors that Benoit is headed to RAW and a lack of quality mid-card heels on Smackdown behind MVP that are deserving of the title (and don't say Kennedy or Finlay; they're both above it at this point), they've really got no choice. Besides, Benoit has never had a problem with jobbing at WM (see last year, in this exact situation, with JBL).
Kane & Khali smells like a redux of Kane/Umaga from Unforgiven to me. I suspect that we're going to get a double-DQ or an equally ridiculous cop-out booking decision to build to two rematches - the HOOK OF DEATH on a Pole match and finally a Punjabi Prison match to cap it off. (There's no way they hyped up that structure just to put it into mothballs for good after using it once.)
Ashley becomes Women's champion. We know Melina is at a crossroads where management has told her that her performance here determines her future. Usually in this situation (see Billy Gunn against Benoit in 2000), the performer being put to the test does the job. The decision to go with all-the-time cross-brand PPVs also makes it easier to handle the logistics that an Ashley win (resulting in the title jumping brands) would entail, thus making it more palatable.
The New Breed defeats the ECW Originals in Foregone Conclusion #1. We know all the backstory, we know where the E wants to go with ECW; the only real question is who pins who. Smart booking would be Burke (positioning him as the leader) pinning Dreamer.
Mr. Kennedy wins Money in the Bank. Orton or Edge winning would be utterly foolish and short-sighted booking. MITB needs to continue to be a tool to elevate upper midcard stars to the main event, rather than a prop in an upper midcard angle that doesn't need it to be over. For that reason, the only people the E should even be considering for this are Kennedy, Punk & Finlay. Of those three, I have the most faith in the E's opinion of Kennedy.
Lashley defeats Umaga in Foregone Conclusion #2. Trump gets the honors himself.
John Cena retains the WWE Title in the match of the night. The crowd's going to be evenly split - there will be plenty of dumbasses who will boo Cena for the same stupid reasons Cena got booed last year, and there will be plenty of Canadians who will make the quick border cross to wish death on Michaels. Michaels will either tap to the STFU or be pinned after a top-rope FU. One guess which outcome I prefer.
Undertaker wins the World Heavyweight title. I love how they've handled the feud; they've managed to not only keep Dave a face in a situation that I was sure would mean a heel turn for him, but they've also managed to make him an interesting character again. The problem is that even in November when the match was first rumored, I would have told you that UT winning was the right booking. If you're going to kill the winning streak, you need to do it for a guy who is going to be around and main-eventing for a long time. With his age and injury history, Batista is not going to be around for a long time, period. I remain very interested in where things go from here, however.
smark/net attack Advisory System Status is: Elevated (Holds; June 18, 2006) While the switch from Cena to RVD should alleviate some complaints, the inevitability of the belt's return to Cena (note where Summerslam is this year) and the poor initial showing by the new ECW are enough to keep the indicator where it is for now. The pieces are in place, though, especially on RAW, for improvements to be made to the IWC's psyche in the near future.
MVP v. Benoit: MVP via cheating. He seems like a good character to try the Honky Tonk/Rock "completely undeserving champion" gimmick with.
Flair v. Carlito: Flair, to teach Carlito a lesson.
Kane v. Khali: DQ for hooking.
Ashley v. Melina: Ashley.
New Breed v. Old Guard: Don't watch ECW, have no opinion on this one.
Money in the Bank: I think Kennedy is the obvious choice. Edge, Booker, and Orton don't need it. I don't think the E has enough faith in Punk or the Hardyz to give it to them. That leaves Finlay and Kennedy, and of the two, Kennedy is the one with more potential.
Lashley v. Umaga: The only question here is, will Vince go full-on bald or weasel out with the Eric Bischoff buzz cut? I think this one could be better than expected, if there's not too much wacky booking to detract from the wrestling.
Cena v. Michaels: I could see either guy winning, and I wouldn't be too unhappy either way. I'm rooting for Cena, though.
Undertaker v. Batista: Taker. Feh.
and, if it happens: Kendrick/London v. MNM: MNM. Kendrick and London have had too many one-shot-and-out challengers -- it's time to let them try a real feud, and MNM are the best candidates out there.
"The object of persecution is persecution. The object of torture is torture. The object of power is power. Now do you begin to understand me?"
Originally posted by JustinShapiroGuys. Guys. You're going to have to go back and edit your posts to include Flair/Carlito.
Uh. Like I was saying.
edit: In fact, I just read in today's Observer that there will be no Flair/Carlito match. They may be on the show in some sort of tag schmozz to get everyone on the show, but that's it. I'm not endorsing any over the others, but I would've been extremely surprised a month ago if CM Punk and MVP were on this card and Flair, Carlito, and Johnny Nitro were not. To say nothing of seven of the guys in the ECW match.
MVP over Benoit. Khali over Kane. Kane wants to put people over, it seems. Ashley over Melina. Ashley gets her 'reward' for posing for Playboy, Melina gets punished for Mercury's screw-ups. New Breed over Originals. Orton wins MITB. He's the only one I could see them teasing cashing his shot in at both the RAW and SD champions. Lashley over Umaga. Trump isn't shaving his head. Cena over HBK. That title isn't leaving Cena's waist until HHH pries it off of him. Batista over Taker. I'd love for the UT to win, but Batista will retain so that Orton can simultaneously feud on both shows with him AND Cena after Orton wins MITB.
They should do some kinda tag team battle royal, with London and Kendrick winning after Flair/Carlito miscommunication. The Hooliganz get a payday after a great year, Flair/Carlito's issue keeps on percolatin', and a buncha other guys make it to the show.
To those who say people wouldn't look; they wouldn't be interested; they're too complacent, indifferent and insulated, I can only reply: There is, in one reporter's opinion, considerable evidence against that contention. But even if they are right, what have they got to lose? Because if they are right, and this instrument is good for nothing but to entertain, amuse and insulate, then the tube is flickering now and we will soon see that the whole struggle is lost. This instrument can teach, it can illuminate; yes, and it can even inspire. But it can do so only to the extent that humans are determined to use it to those ends. Otherwise it is merely wires, and lights, in a box.-Edward R. Murrow
Ladies and gentlemen, the following public service message is brought to you by your friends from D-Generation X, who would like to remind each and every one of you that if you're not down with that, we've got two words for you...
Originally posted by TorchslasherGotta go with it...C.M. Punk wins Money in the Bank via the crowd from Raw in Chicago.
Just had to point out... CM Punk got a tremendous response from the crowd in Philly at Survivor Series, and a fat lot of good it did him the next week at December to Dismember.
Hope you're right, though. Kennedy's the guy I think will win, but Punk's the guy I WANT to win.
smark/net attack Advisory System Status is: Elevated (Holds; June 18, 2006) While the switch from Cena to RVD should alleviate some complaints, the inevitability of the belt's return to Cena (note where Summerslam is this year) and the poor initial showing by the new ECW are enough to keep the indicator where it is for now. The pieces are in place, though, especially on RAW, for improvements to be made to the IWC's psyche in the near future.
Ashley over Melina - I cannot stand Melina and that f'd up grill she has.
Benoit over MVP - I sure hope he doesn't job the U.S. Belt 2 years in a row!
Khali over Kane - Gimmick match with the hook next month.
New ECW over Old ECW - who really cares about the minor league WWE anyways.
Lashley over Umaga - Vince will get the Bischoff hairdo
Money in the Bank - What would rock is for Jeff to win after putting Matt through a table, just for him to lose it to Orton Monday. That being said, Edge will win.
Michaels over Cena - I enjoyed Cena getting boo'd last year and equally enjoyed the ending and how that came off. I'd like to see something similar but have him lose this time.
UT over Batista - Big Dave just hasn't clicked with me in recent months. I have no idea why...oh wait, it's because HHH is not around to carry him to decent matches...
-This week's edition of Raw scored a 3.6 cable rating, with a 5 share, according to Nielsen Media Research. The show did hours of 3.3 and 3.8. That is up from last week's 3.