Palace WrestleMania Picks and random thoughts Part 2
Money in the Bank Ladder Match
WWE United States Champion MVP vs. WWE Tag Team Champion JOHN MORRISON vs.WWE Intercontinental Champion CHRIS JERICHO vs. CM PUNK vs. SHELTON BENJAMIN vs. CARLITO VS. MR. KENNEDY
As I said in the column where I previewed this match from all sides, I don’t think the title holders in this match are likely to come up with the briefcase, although it would be a nice rub to Jericho to help his comeback gain some much needed steam. I would’ve thought MVP dropping the US title would’ve been the clear cut simple answer to the ladder match, as he is, at this time, the most ready new fresh face to take a world title leap of faith. Now, with Jeff Hardy’s folly, MVP still holding gold, and probably walking in to a feud with Matt Hardy, possibly as early as this match, the obvious choice now is CM Punk. I don’t think Benjamin is ready for the next step, and Carlito and Kennedy are plain fillers for the match, end of story. It’s down to, as far as I can see, a three way contest between Jericho, MVP, and Punk. Out of the three, the one man who can handle the rub of a world title contest, bar none, is Jericho. I’ll pick him, but it wouldn’t surprise me to see Punk slip through.
WINNER: Chris Jericho
ECW Championship Match
CHAVO GUERRERO vs. Winner of the 24 Man Battle Royal
I’m picking Kofi Kingston to win the battle royale, but the bottom line here is, Chavo is going to retain. He’ll either fight Kingston, and win or lose controversially, or win a clean match with someone else. I would think it’s Kingston, because it’s a new fresh face in ECW challenging for the belt. He really impressed me when I saw him for a full match on Smackdown this past week. Bottom line, I don’t think the title changes hands here. Not yet.
WINNER: Chavo Guerrero
Career Threatening Match
RIC FLAIR vs. SHAWN MICHAELS
Whether the angle is wrong or right can be detailed until we’re blue in the face, and dead from lack of oxygen, it’s been done, and it’s going to go down this way. I had a really sick idea in my head. Flair becomes the surprise eighth entrant in money in the bank, and then wins that match, turns around, and challenges the winner of the WWE title match after the match is over, and wins that match, and then retires, going iron man like Triple H did back at No Mercy, and then the next night on Raw, surrenders the title to McMahon and says I’m done. I went out on top, as world champion, and nobody can stop me from that. Whoo!
Now, that was the crazy idea, but let’s get back to reality. Flair and Michaels will have an amazing match. No question about it. With this much experience doing battle, it should be a story worth while for a long time to come. I hope the match lives up to the hype, because it’s getting a ton of it. I hope Flair goes out the way he wants. End of story. Michaels wins, but damnit, give Flair the recognition he deserves, and don’t let him go out a loser. Find a way to do that, WWE. It’s the right thing to do for someone who has been a foundation and a cornerstone for how big this company and this industry has become.
WINNER: Shawn Michaels
FLOYD “MONEY” MAYWEATHER vs. THE BIG SHOW
There is absolutely nothing you can say to me that will make me accept this match, or enjoy watching it. I want to see Show tear Mayweather apart, limb from limb, and it could happen, unless WWE finds a way to cotnrol the posse of the WBC Champion. I hear the rules are no holds barred, which will make the match more even at least, as Mayweather will get to use weapons to chop down the redwood tree. I also hear there’s some gigantic swerve in this match, and the only thing I can think of here is, whatever this swerve is, it’s liable to piss off every single hardcore wrestling fan on the planet. I hope Vince is happy with this mainstream press he’s getting with this match, because he’s losing his core audience, guys like me, and you, and the rest of the readers of this column, who, if I were to take a poll, I would guess 70-30 would not want to see this match take place period. Here’s the real funny part. In the background in all this, training Mayweather as to how to wrestle, is a former ROH stalwart. Matt Sydal, the guy who I think could re-invent the cruiserweight division in WWE, if they’re ever smart enough to bring him up, is training Mayweather. It’s funny how the biggest match in the card, and that’s the truth, this is the biggest invested match WWE has on this card, has an ROH twinge to it. Kind of ironic, don’t you think?
WINNER: Floyd Mayweather
World Heavyweight Championship
EDGE vs. THE UNDERTAKER
People can come out here and say this whole storyline is exactly what happened last year with the Wrestlemania build up to the Undertaker winning the world title only to lose it because of injury. I don’t care. Undertaker deserves a run at the title for one last time, and there’s no way on the face of God’s green earth that Vince McMahon is going to let this streak end. It’s too good. It’s too marketable. It’s too simple to take the carat off the diamond. Bottom line here is, this is the most predictable match on the card, as I believe we will have one title change, at least, come out of Wrestlemania, and that is a new World Heavyweight Champion.
WINNER: The Undertaker
WWE Championship
RANDY ORTON vs. JOHN CENA vs. TRIPLE H
My heat says one way, my head says another. Unfortunately, here, my brain will overrule my heart. I think WWE would WANT to give the belt back to Cena, because Cena gave the program viewers, ones who hated and loved him, one way or another, but with Cena’s focus not totally on wrestling at the moment, spending most of the week in New Orleans with WWE Films, I doubt the brass of WWE would put the biggest prize in the company on the most marketable star they have, yet. Expect The Game to take the 12th step to the eventual breaking of Ric Flair’s 16 time world championship reign. Expect this reign as well, to last a little longer than a couple of hours, or less than the time of a pay per view show, ala No Mercy. Orton’s time is well done, he’s grown stale as champion in a big hurry, and as much as I would like to see the spinner belt back with its originator, it’s time to play The Game. It’ll get old, quick, this Game, but for now, its the right move for business.
I don’t suspect this match will be as emotionally charged as Benoit vs. The Game vs. HBK for the title back from Wrestlemania 20, but it should definitely be entertaining. It’ll be a true debate however, how long it will take, if The Game does win, before his heart grows black as night, which he is dying to do, and turn flow blown heel, again.
For now, Game On.
WINNER: Triple H
I think that’s it for now, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you very much for reading. Here are a couple of quick links before I go
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