It was announced yesterday that Colin Montgomerie, or ‘Monty’ as he is known on the circuit, was chosen to lead the European Ryder Cup team for the next contest in 2010. There was some debate around this with the other contenders Jose Maria Olazabal (probably get the nod in 2012) and Sandy Lyle (probably missing out altogether, unfortunately) also being considered. Monty is a veteran of the Ryder Cup having appeared 8 times and holds an impressive record, the highlight being he is undefeated in singles competition. So he obviously knows the ins-and-outs and will immediately have a fair idea which things are working well and which ones could be shaken up a bit. Monty had previously stated that he would have preferred to wait until 2014 when the Cup is held at Gleneagles in his native Scotland, but he will no doubt be relishing the challenge of reclaiming the trophy. What will be of a huge advantage to him is that he will know the course, the Celtic Manor in Wales, fairly well. Another possible benefit is that he will still be playing on the Tour this year and so will get an up-close look at some of the players that will be making up the opposing team.
One of the proposals that Monty has already stated is that he wants to increase the number of captain’s picks or ‘wildcards’ from 2 up to 3. I see this as a very positive move. Not only will it make the qualifying positions more competitive (as it will drop down from 10 automatic placings to 9) thus ensuring players bring out their best game more often, it will also give Monty more options to pick from players that are currently in form with the competition rolls around. Arguably, a similar strategy was one of the reasons that helped the Americans win the trophy last year as they upped their wildcard selections from 2 to 4.
It’s interesting to note that the Americans had previously chosen a new captain as well in Corey Pavin, so there will be two new captains in place once again. The Cup seems to be a bit of a poisoned chalice in that it is an honour to be selected as captain, but the winner seems very reluctant to come back and defend it in case they were to lose and all their previous good work would be forgotten. And well the losing captain doesn’t return for obvious reasons. So even though the next Ryder Cup is still well over 1-and-a-half years away, there is already plenty to talk about. Whether you agree or disagree with the choice you really have no option now but to get behind Monty so he can bring the trophy back home.
Thursday 29 January 2009
Sunday 25 January 2009
WWE Royal Rumble 2009 - Preview & Predictions
Opening Promo
The start of 2009 has not been much fun for some people that worked for WWE as a large number have been laid off. The whole of their Pacific offices in Sydney has been shut down, 10% at the main office in the US have been let go, referees have been sacked, many wrestlers have been cut (mainly veterans & young developmental guys). They also got rid of Val Venis, a favourite of many, whose gimmick was that he was a porn-movie actor, who was pretty much the last remnants of the excellent Attitude Era where they would regularly push the envelope in bold new directions. Oh how I pine for another one of those eras, heaven knows the industry could use one. They also literally jobbed the excellent Victoria into retirement, an excellent wrestler who has been wasted for years probably because she wasn’t considered pretty enough. Hopefully she will show up in TNA or SHIMMER in the near future so she can truly showcase her ability. The worst case though is probably referee Mickie Henson has lymphoma and was promised that his job was safe because he didn’t have health insurance, yet he was let go. Promises apparently mean nothing to Vince McMahon, who to the joy of many got a stiff kick in the head this week. Karma? I’ll let you decide.
Enough with the doom and gloom. Now, the Royal Rumble is one of the traditional ‘Big 4’ PPVs of the year and they use it to start to build to their flagship show Wrestlemania in a few months time. This event is famous for having a huge battle royal. Expect an extra large fireworks display given that Vince now has some spare change to burn.
WWE Championship
Jeff Hardy (c) vs. Edge
They finally pulled the trigger on giving Hardy the title last month after many, many months of teasing and he won it off Edge, who is using his rematch clause here. In all honesty, the thought of Hardy as the champion repulses me. As a singles wrestler, he is hugely over-rated in my opinion and can’t cut a decent promo to save his life. He is awful when given a microphone. He has taken to wearing some facepaint as well for some strange reason but it looks really silly and makes it hard for him to be taken seriously as the top guy. Edge on the other hand is one of my favourites and it was particularly annoying to see the belt taken off him after he only won it in November, which not only made Edge look weak by not having one successful defence but also devalued the title. But hey, titles in WWE these days are meaningless and nothing more than fancy decorations.
They have been running a story whereby a mystery person has been trying to kill or seriously injure Hardy. This started with the rather tasteless story of Hardy (who has a history of drug problems) being found unconscious in a stairwell. Then someone tried to take him out in a hit and run and last week his fireworks went wrong. It is widely assumed that it is the returning Christian Cage and he will cost Hardy this match to help his on-screen ‘brother’. But is this just too simple? WWE have been in the habit recently of trying to ‘trick’ fans and going in directions other than the obvious. I know who I want to win, but I’m not sure what will happen. I’d go for Edge to win, do the rematch next month and then be set Christian/Jeff Hardy match at Wrestlemania. But the problem is, Hardy is already being portrayed as too sympathetic and screwing him out of the belt would be perhaps going overboard and in fairness, he hasn’t done anything terribly wrong to warrant it being taken off him nor has had a chance to showcase what he can do as champion. It’s a coin-toss really.
Prediction: Edge to win the WWE title
World Heavyweight Championship
John Cena (c) vs. JBL w/Shawn Michaels
Recently Michaels has become an ‘employee’ of JBL as he has wasted all his money away and is now broke. And this storyline has been a huge flop because firstly is it just unbelievable given Michaels is one of the best paid guys in the WWE and also the shows are meant to be a form of escapism, not more depression and it is a bit insulting to all the workers that got sacked.
Cena is a wrestler I hate. He is average in the ring, average on the microphone, yet he sells lots of kid’s merchandise which is why he gets pushed to the stars more often than not. JBL is poor in the ring, but he is very good at talking so it wouldn’t be the worst case scenario if he won although historically JBL/Cena matches have not been great. In all honesty, Cena should be retaining to build him as a strong champion for 'Mania but again it is not so simple. There is the inevitability of Michaels turning on JBL by the question is: when? Michaels could help his ‘boss’ win the match and then build to them over the title at ‘Mania with JBL thinking he will have it easy. Which would be fine but they could do that anyways without the belt, the story is in place. They would use the tagline ‘Texan vs. Texan’ because ‘Mania is, surprisingly, in Texas. Best case scenario, Cena retains and JBL then berates Michaels for not helping him, pause for tension, then JBL get a Superkick in the face.
Prediction: John Cena to retain
Royal Rumble Match
30-Man over the top rope Battle Royal with the winner receiving a WWE Championship or World Heavyweight Championship shot at Wrestlemania
This is the one that gains the majority of the interest and is usually fun enough with 2 men starting and then a new one entering ‘randomly’ at set intervals. There are usually plenty of false finishes particularly near the end. This one should be the main event, but it was necessary to get some back story in above. If you win, it also allows you to jump to another show in order to take a shot at a main title of your choosing. Let’s take a look at some of the more likely winners along with some made-up odds...
Batista – He is currently injured and not expected back for a few months yet...but so was John Cena last year and he made a miraculous recovery to enter at #30 to win. This was, admittedly a pretty big, unexpected surprise. I could see some rationale in it seeing as people wouldn’t expect the same thing two years running but I doubt WWE will pull the same stunt again and Batista probably is legitimately injured, so I’d say it is very, very, very unlikely that this will occur – Odds: 1000/1
Christian – Assuming he comes back and helps Edge win the belt, he may be rewarded with a spot in the Rumble as a reward and at time of writing there are still 7 spots to be filled. Though they are usually reserved for ‘Legends’ who get rolled out every so often. Still it would be an interesting twist and could lead to a dream match between Edge & Christian over the belt at ‘Mania – Odds: 20/1
Edge – Yes, he is in the title match but say Christian does not show and Edge loses the match then the Smackdown General Manager Vickie Guerrero, Edge’s on-screen ‘wife’, could secretly grant him a spot. Imagine a situation whereby there is one guy left and the buzzer for the #30 entrant rang yet no-one showed. Edge then creeps out from under the ring and dumps the guy over the top rope to win. I wouldn’t totally rule it out as it would keep in line with Edge’s ‘Ultimate Opportunist’ gimmick whereby he seeks out any method to win – Odds: 10/1
The Undertaker – He won it 2 years ago but I doubt he will make it 2 times in 3 years. But if he were to win then he would probably go on to win the title at Wrestlemania for the third year running and he already had an excellent feud with Edge last year, so it as much as I like him, it wouldn't be as interesting as someone getting the nod – Odds: 9/1
Big Show – He is a heel, which would be a good foil for Hardy if he were to retain. But Big Show could turn face quite easily too as there is some tension boiling between him and Edge, which could set up their match – Odds: 8/1
Chris Jericho – He was fired on Raw two weeks ago yet begged and grovelled for his job back this week and it was granted. Again, with so many people in general losing their jobs due to the current economic climate, this must have been a hard pill to swallow watching it on TV. But Jericho is in limbo at the moment. He is just off an excellent year, even if his 2 title reigns were disgracefully short and is without a storyline currently. Which is why he looks a good outside chance as he could face off against Cena, although they half-heartedly did that a couple months back. Or he could jump ship to the Smackdown brand and square off against Jeff Hardy which would be fresh or even turn face and fight Edge which would be all the better. Jericho is one of my favourites as he is so sound in every department and excels at playing both a good and a bad guy. One to look out for in the match – Odds: 5/1
Shawn Michaels – As previously mentioned, JBL ‘owns’ Michaels and has forbid him from entering in the Rumble. Now if JBL were to win the title then he could reverse this in the hope that Michaels would win and thus giving him an easy title defence. Or Michaels could break ranks and enter this match himself somehow. Rumours are that this may be Michaels last ‘Mania later on and given it is in his home state as well, they might want to give him a big send-off and one last title run. There has also been stories of him facing The Undertaker at ‘Mania too. If he does win the Rumble, it also opens the possibility of him renewing his rivalry with John Cena over the title. So, Rumble victory or not, at least they have options with Michaels – Odds: 3/1
Randy Orton – He has been one of the top heels for a while and he is just so ‘hot’ at the minute he gets a reaction whatever he does. He also is the leader of his own stable so this year is obviously going to be a big one for him. And he has also got the biggest momentum going into the match, after kicking his boss in the head. He looks a very solid pick to win the Rumble and set up a match with John Cena. But because there is so much focus on him at the minute, they are not in a rush to build his Wrestlemania match, so the victory won’t be as essential to him as it is to other wrestlers, as they have outs with Vince coming on a warpath at him. Definitely one of the favourites though – Odds: 2/1
Triple H – I think it is fair to say at this stage that whatever happens, he will be closing out the historic Wrestlemania 25 holding a newly won title. Hell, he loves himself that much, he is the owner’s son-in-law, and his wife is the head story writer, it’s almost a certainty. How he gets there is the question but I think this is the ticket. A bit of focus has been on him in recent weeks, but he has suffered a couple of losses and has no momentum. Which is why he is such a great person to win. WWE tends to reverse book things meaning whoever is on top going into a PPV generally loses their PPV match, it is the opposite here. Plus all sorts of obstacle have been put in his way that he is entering at #1. And if Triple H were to win it from being the first man in, it would finally allow WWE to lay to rest the spectre of Chris Benoit’s achievements at the Rumble at few years back when he won from being #1 and completely wipe him out from their history at this event, which they are keen to do. WWE would use their favourite son to re-write the history books of being to last man to go straight from the start to the end of the match. Triple H has been at loggerheads with Vickie Guerrero and an Edge/Triple H feud would be very new. Triple H is my pick to win and he will definitely be there or thereabouts, I’d almost guarantee he’ll make the last 3 men left – Odds: 15/8 (favourite)
Prediction: Triple H to win the Royal Rumble
ECW Championship
‘The All-American American’ Jack Swagger (c) vs. Matt Hardy
Hardy lost the title two weeks back and so this is his rematch. Them switching the title admittedly surprised me as I knew WWE were high on Jack Swagger, he is still undefeated in singles competition, but I didn’t think they would push him so hard, so fast. But even though he has only been on the main roster for a few months, Swagger has already shown tons of potential. He has a good look to him, is athletic, has a nice cockiness/arrogance about him and seems comfortable enough on the microphone. I really this guy and he just seems to have ‘it’, and if he keeps his head straight, he can really go far and become a huge star. He makes the most of all the opportunities he gets on TV and seems to be improving each week and had a really good match with Fit Finlay recently.
Matt Hardy is, in my opinion the superior of the two Hardy brothers, yet creative don’t seem too fond of him. They play him up well as a babyface chasing the title, but when he ultimately gets the belt, they just shove him into boring feuds and don’t capitalise on everything they have built up. I don’t see him winning, it’d be silly to switch the title soon and a PPV defence would make Swagger look good. Especially if it is a clean one and there is no real reason why it should not. It’s hard to tell how Swagger will cope in his PPV début, but from every indication so far he should be fine. He might even revel in the big-time atmosphere. And Hardy is a very fine, dependable, worker so there will be no problems from him. I’m looking forward to this one.
Winner: Jack Swagger to retain
WWE Women’s Championship
Beth Phoenix (c) vs. Melina Perez
This feud has been built up very nicely and on paper looks a very solid contest. Phoenix is excellent and can hang with absolutely anyone in the world while Melina has come on nicely and is good enough, one of the better WWE women wrestlers in fact. These two work well together which is a bonus. But it is unlikely we will get a clean match between the two. Recently a ‘fan’ Rosa Mendes (FCW developmental wrestler Milena Roucka) has been planted in the crowd proclaiming to be Phoenix’s #1 fan and has interfered in matches when Melina is beating down her idol. She got ‘banned’ but Phoenix’s on-screen boyfriend Santino Marella has convinced her to take her on and train her. All well and good but I can see this angle ultimately failing. From all accounts Mendes/Roucka is not a very good wrestler which means the pay-off with her fighting either Melina or Phoenix will be really poor. Also this type of angle has been done to death in recent years; they introduced Mickie James in this fashion and also Phoenix herself the first time around. Even TNA managed to do it successfully when they had Tracy Brooks ultimately get confronted by Rain. (Yes, TNA done something right. They deserve credit for it.)
What will probably ultimately happen is that Santino will dump Phoenix for the new chick, which would be fine enough. Phoenix’s partnership with comedy figure Santino has helped get her over, so the pairing has been a success. They could then release Santino (who I hate; he's crap wrestler and his routine got old after two weeks) and Mendes/Roucka (just another pretty face with little ability) for all I care. Right back to the match then, Phoenix is going in with all the momentum so I doubt she will win cleanly. What I’d guess is that Melina will be on the verge of winning but Mendes will interfere to save Phoenix her title. It keeps the babyface looking strong, gets heat on the heels, you have grounds for a rematch soon, and the storyline ticks over. Or the other option is that Mendes and/or Santino messes up the interference and costs Phoenix the title, which could happen as Phoenix has had the belt for 5 months so we are about due a change. I'll go with the former.
Prediction: Melina Perez to win (via DQ)
Last Man Standing or Counted-Out?
This show looks fine on paper and some of the matches should be worth a look. Edge/Hardy will probably be very good, the ECW match looks potentially very exciting and should be solid at least. The other two should come in average at the very least. I’m expecting one title to switch and I’d say it’ll either be the WWE Championship or the Women’s belt. Changing more than that might be overkill. The Rumble match itself should be highly entertaining; there is something about not knowing who is going to appear next that gives you a nice thrill. Plus the card looks really unpredictable with the potential for lots of surprises, which is great and should make for a good watch.
The start of 2009 has not been much fun for some people that worked for WWE as a large number have been laid off. The whole of their Pacific offices in Sydney has been shut down, 10% at the main office in the US have been let go, referees have been sacked, many wrestlers have been cut (mainly veterans & young developmental guys). They also got rid of Val Venis, a favourite of many, whose gimmick was that he was a porn-movie actor, who was pretty much the last remnants of the excellent Attitude Era where they would regularly push the envelope in bold new directions. Oh how I pine for another one of those eras, heaven knows the industry could use one. They also literally jobbed the excellent Victoria into retirement, an excellent wrestler who has been wasted for years probably because she wasn’t considered pretty enough. Hopefully she will show up in TNA or SHIMMER in the near future so she can truly showcase her ability. The worst case though is probably referee Mickie Henson has lymphoma and was promised that his job was safe because he didn’t have health insurance, yet he was let go. Promises apparently mean nothing to Vince McMahon, who to the joy of many got a stiff kick in the head this week. Karma? I’ll let you decide.
Enough with the doom and gloom. Now, the Royal Rumble is one of the traditional ‘Big 4’ PPVs of the year and they use it to start to build to their flagship show Wrestlemania in a few months time. This event is famous for having a huge battle royal. Expect an extra large fireworks display given that Vince now has some spare change to burn.
WWE Championship
Jeff Hardy (c) vs. Edge
They finally pulled the trigger on giving Hardy the title last month after many, many months of teasing and he won it off Edge, who is using his rematch clause here. In all honesty, the thought of Hardy as the champion repulses me. As a singles wrestler, he is hugely over-rated in my opinion and can’t cut a decent promo to save his life. He is awful when given a microphone. He has taken to wearing some facepaint as well for some strange reason but it looks really silly and makes it hard for him to be taken seriously as the top guy. Edge on the other hand is one of my favourites and it was particularly annoying to see the belt taken off him after he only won it in November, which not only made Edge look weak by not having one successful defence but also devalued the title. But hey, titles in WWE these days are meaningless and nothing more than fancy decorations.
They have been running a story whereby a mystery person has been trying to kill or seriously injure Hardy. This started with the rather tasteless story of Hardy (who has a history of drug problems) being found unconscious in a stairwell. Then someone tried to take him out in a hit and run and last week his fireworks went wrong. It is widely assumed that it is the returning Christian Cage and he will cost Hardy this match to help his on-screen ‘brother’. But is this just too simple? WWE have been in the habit recently of trying to ‘trick’ fans and going in directions other than the obvious. I know who I want to win, but I’m not sure what will happen. I’d go for Edge to win, do the rematch next month and then be set Christian/Jeff Hardy match at Wrestlemania. But the problem is, Hardy is already being portrayed as too sympathetic and screwing him out of the belt would be perhaps going overboard and in fairness, he hasn’t done anything terribly wrong to warrant it being taken off him nor has had a chance to showcase what he can do as champion. It’s a coin-toss really.
Prediction: Edge to win the WWE title
World Heavyweight Championship
John Cena (c) vs. JBL w/Shawn Michaels
Recently Michaels has become an ‘employee’ of JBL as he has wasted all his money away and is now broke. And this storyline has been a huge flop because firstly is it just unbelievable given Michaels is one of the best paid guys in the WWE and also the shows are meant to be a form of escapism, not more depression and it is a bit insulting to all the workers that got sacked.
Cena is a wrestler I hate. He is average in the ring, average on the microphone, yet he sells lots of kid’s merchandise which is why he gets pushed to the stars more often than not. JBL is poor in the ring, but he is very good at talking so it wouldn’t be the worst case scenario if he won although historically JBL/Cena matches have not been great. In all honesty, Cena should be retaining to build him as a strong champion for 'Mania but again it is not so simple. There is the inevitability of Michaels turning on JBL by the question is: when? Michaels could help his ‘boss’ win the match and then build to them over the title at ‘Mania with JBL thinking he will have it easy. Which would be fine but they could do that anyways without the belt, the story is in place. They would use the tagline ‘Texan vs. Texan’ because ‘Mania is, surprisingly, in Texas. Best case scenario, Cena retains and JBL then berates Michaels for not helping him, pause for tension, then JBL get a Superkick in the face.
Prediction: John Cena to retain
Royal Rumble Match
30-Man over the top rope Battle Royal with the winner receiving a WWE Championship or World Heavyweight Championship shot at Wrestlemania
This is the one that gains the majority of the interest and is usually fun enough with 2 men starting and then a new one entering ‘randomly’ at set intervals. There are usually plenty of false finishes particularly near the end. This one should be the main event, but it was necessary to get some back story in above. If you win, it also allows you to jump to another show in order to take a shot at a main title of your choosing. Let’s take a look at some of the more likely winners along with some made-up odds...
Batista – He is currently injured and not expected back for a few months yet...but so was John Cena last year and he made a miraculous recovery to enter at #30 to win. This was, admittedly a pretty big, unexpected surprise. I could see some rationale in it seeing as people wouldn’t expect the same thing two years running but I doubt WWE will pull the same stunt again and Batista probably is legitimately injured, so I’d say it is very, very, very unlikely that this will occur – Odds: 1000/1
Christian – Assuming he comes back and helps Edge win the belt, he may be rewarded with a spot in the Rumble as a reward and at time of writing there are still 7 spots to be filled. Though they are usually reserved for ‘Legends’ who get rolled out every so often. Still it would be an interesting twist and could lead to a dream match between Edge & Christian over the belt at ‘Mania – Odds: 20/1
Edge – Yes, he is in the title match but say Christian does not show and Edge loses the match then the Smackdown General Manager Vickie Guerrero, Edge’s on-screen ‘wife’, could secretly grant him a spot. Imagine a situation whereby there is one guy left and the buzzer for the #30 entrant rang yet no-one showed. Edge then creeps out from under the ring and dumps the guy over the top rope to win. I wouldn’t totally rule it out as it would keep in line with Edge’s ‘Ultimate Opportunist’ gimmick whereby he seeks out any method to win – Odds: 10/1
The Undertaker – He won it 2 years ago but I doubt he will make it 2 times in 3 years. But if he were to win then he would probably go on to win the title at Wrestlemania for the third year running and he already had an excellent feud with Edge last year, so it as much as I like him, it wouldn't be as interesting as someone getting the nod – Odds: 9/1
Big Show – He is a heel, which would be a good foil for Hardy if he were to retain. But Big Show could turn face quite easily too as there is some tension boiling between him and Edge, which could set up their match – Odds: 8/1
Chris Jericho – He was fired on Raw two weeks ago yet begged and grovelled for his job back this week and it was granted. Again, with so many people in general losing their jobs due to the current economic climate, this must have been a hard pill to swallow watching it on TV. But Jericho is in limbo at the moment. He is just off an excellent year, even if his 2 title reigns were disgracefully short and is without a storyline currently. Which is why he looks a good outside chance as he could face off against Cena, although they half-heartedly did that a couple months back. Or he could jump ship to the Smackdown brand and square off against Jeff Hardy which would be fresh or even turn face and fight Edge which would be all the better. Jericho is one of my favourites as he is so sound in every department and excels at playing both a good and a bad guy. One to look out for in the match – Odds: 5/1
Shawn Michaels – As previously mentioned, JBL ‘owns’ Michaels and has forbid him from entering in the Rumble. Now if JBL were to win the title then he could reverse this in the hope that Michaels would win and thus giving him an easy title defence. Or Michaels could break ranks and enter this match himself somehow. Rumours are that this may be Michaels last ‘Mania later on and given it is in his home state as well, they might want to give him a big send-off and one last title run. There has also been stories of him facing The Undertaker at ‘Mania too. If he does win the Rumble, it also opens the possibility of him renewing his rivalry with John Cena over the title. So, Rumble victory or not, at least they have options with Michaels – Odds: 3/1
Randy Orton – He has been one of the top heels for a while and he is just so ‘hot’ at the minute he gets a reaction whatever he does. He also is the leader of his own stable so this year is obviously going to be a big one for him. And he has also got the biggest momentum going into the match, after kicking his boss in the head. He looks a very solid pick to win the Rumble and set up a match with John Cena. But because there is so much focus on him at the minute, they are not in a rush to build his Wrestlemania match, so the victory won’t be as essential to him as it is to other wrestlers, as they have outs with Vince coming on a warpath at him. Definitely one of the favourites though – Odds: 2/1
Triple H – I think it is fair to say at this stage that whatever happens, he will be closing out the historic Wrestlemania 25 holding a newly won title. Hell, he loves himself that much, he is the owner’s son-in-law, and his wife is the head story writer, it’s almost a certainty. How he gets there is the question but I think this is the ticket. A bit of focus has been on him in recent weeks, but he has suffered a couple of losses and has no momentum. Which is why he is such a great person to win. WWE tends to reverse book things meaning whoever is on top going into a PPV generally loses their PPV match, it is the opposite here. Plus all sorts of obstacle have been put in his way that he is entering at #1. And if Triple H were to win it from being the first man in, it would finally allow WWE to lay to rest the spectre of Chris Benoit’s achievements at the Rumble at few years back when he won from being #1 and completely wipe him out from their history at this event, which they are keen to do. WWE would use their favourite son to re-write the history books of being to last man to go straight from the start to the end of the match. Triple H has been at loggerheads with Vickie Guerrero and an Edge/Triple H feud would be very new. Triple H is my pick to win and he will definitely be there or thereabouts, I’d almost guarantee he’ll make the last 3 men left – Odds: 15/8 (favourite)
Prediction: Triple H to win the Royal Rumble
ECW Championship
‘The All-American American’ Jack Swagger (c) vs. Matt Hardy
Hardy lost the title two weeks back and so this is his rematch. Them switching the title admittedly surprised me as I knew WWE were high on Jack Swagger, he is still undefeated in singles competition, but I didn’t think they would push him so hard, so fast. But even though he has only been on the main roster for a few months, Swagger has already shown tons of potential. He has a good look to him, is athletic, has a nice cockiness/arrogance about him and seems comfortable enough on the microphone. I really this guy and he just seems to have ‘it’, and if he keeps his head straight, he can really go far and become a huge star. He makes the most of all the opportunities he gets on TV and seems to be improving each week and had a really good match with Fit Finlay recently.
Matt Hardy is, in my opinion the superior of the two Hardy brothers, yet creative don’t seem too fond of him. They play him up well as a babyface chasing the title, but when he ultimately gets the belt, they just shove him into boring feuds and don’t capitalise on everything they have built up. I don’t see him winning, it’d be silly to switch the title soon and a PPV defence would make Swagger look good. Especially if it is a clean one and there is no real reason why it should not. It’s hard to tell how Swagger will cope in his PPV début, but from every indication so far he should be fine. He might even revel in the big-time atmosphere. And Hardy is a very fine, dependable, worker so there will be no problems from him. I’m looking forward to this one.
Winner: Jack Swagger to retain
WWE Women’s Championship
Beth Phoenix (c) vs. Melina Perez
This feud has been built up very nicely and on paper looks a very solid contest. Phoenix is excellent and can hang with absolutely anyone in the world while Melina has come on nicely and is good enough, one of the better WWE women wrestlers in fact. These two work well together which is a bonus. But it is unlikely we will get a clean match between the two. Recently a ‘fan’ Rosa Mendes (FCW developmental wrestler Milena Roucka) has been planted in the crowd proclaiming to be Phoenix’s #1 fan and has interfered in matches when Melina is beating down her idol. She got ‘banned’ but Phoenix’s on-screen boyfriend Santino Marella has convinced her to take her on and train her. All well and good but I can see this angle ultimately failing. From all accounts Mendes/Roucka is not a very good wrestler which means the pay-off with her fighting either Melina or Phoenix will be really poor. Also this type of angle has been done to death in recent years; they introduced Mickie James in this fashion and also Phoenix herself the first time around. Even TNA managed to do it successfully when they had Tracy Brooks ultimately get confronted by Rain. (Yes, TNA done something right. They deserve credit for it.)
What will probably ultimately happen is that Santino will dump Phoenix for the new chick, which would be fine enough. Phoenix’s partnership with comedy figure Santino has helped get her over, so the pairing has been a success. They could then release Santino (who I hate; he's crap wrestler and his routine got old after two weeks) and Mendes/Roucka (just another pretty face with little ability) for all I care. Right back to the match then, Phoenix is going in with all the momentum so I doubt she will win cleanly. What I’d guess is that Melina will be on the verge of winning but Mendes will interfere to save Phoenix her title. It keeps the babyface looking strong, gets heat on the heels, you have grounds for a rematch soon, and the storyline ticks over. Or the other option is that Mendes and/or Santino messes up the interference and costs Phoenix the title, which could happen as Phoenix has had the belt for 5 months so we are about due a change. I'll go with the former.
Prediction: Melina Perez to win (via DQ)
Last Man Standing or Counted-Out?
This show looks fine on paper and some of the matches should be worth a look. Edge/Hardy will probably be very good, the ECW match looks potentially very exciting and should be solid at least. The other two should come in average at the very least. I’m expecting one title to switch and I’d say it’ll either be the WWE Championship or the Women’s belt. Changing more than that might be overkill. The Rumble match itself should be highly entertaining; there is something about not knowing who is going to appear next that gives you a nice thrill. Plus the card looks really unpredictable with the potential for lots of surprises, which is great and should make for a good watch.
Friday 23 January 2009
Some Big Shoes To Fill...
The new (and I use that term very loosely given we are 4 years behind America) run of Law and Order has been going for a couple weeks now, but there seems to be big hole missing in the show. This series is the first without the character of Lennie Briscoe played by the late, great Jerry Orbach. Law and Order just does not seem the same without Orbach as the wisecracking cop and given it is the first time in 12 years, and a total of 274 episodes, that he has not been on the show, you can’t help but notice.
Now, it was always going to be a hard job picking someone to fill this void but I think a wise choice has been made in casting Dennis Farina as Det. Joe Fontana. In bringing him in, it helps keep a bit of consistency in the cast as he plays the older, senior cop in his partnership with fellow detective Ed Green (Jesse L. Martin). It was nice that they didn’t go with a complete polar opposite and bring in a much younger guy. Although Martin can probably feel a bit aggrieved that he comes second in the opening credits to Farina. Still, Farina has settled in nicely as a smooth talker and has already showed that he will try any methods, such as making up that he has children or trying to trick someone into a DNA sample, to get the culprit. And his moustache gives a nice bit of character to him. I’m looking forward to seeing how this plays out, but from early impressions things should be fine.
Now, it was always going to be a hard job picking someone to fill this void but I think a wise choice has been made in casting Dennis Farina as Det. Joe Fontana. In bringing him in, it helps keep a bit of consistency in the cast as he plays the older, senior cop in his partnership with fellow detective Ed Green (Jesse L. Martin). It was nice that they didn’t go with a complete polar opposite and bring in a much younger guy. Although Martin can probably feel a bit aggrieved that he comes second in the opening credits to Farina. Still, Farina has settled in nicely as a smooth talker and has already showed that he will try any methods, such as making up that he has children or trying to trick someone into a DNA sample, to get the culprit. And his moustache gives a nice bit of character to him. I’m looking forward to seeing how this plays out, but from early impressions things should be fine.
Prison Break Cancelled
Earlier this month it was announced that Prison Break is finishing up after this last batch of episodes is shown, starting in a couple of months time. I’ve followed the show from the start, but I’m not really all that sad to see it go to be honest. Prison Break has been running around in circles for a long time now that the storylines feel staler than a week old loaf of bread. Nearly everyone has switched from being a goodie to a baddie and back again. Also every so often they get to a point in the plot where they are about to complete their objective yet something just stops them from doing so at the last minute. It's all too repetitive.
Ideally, they should have ended the show after the first series. It was great, exciting and something fresh. Maybe I could see an argument for the second series being necessary, if only for introducing the superb William Finchter to the cast. But certainly no more than that. It’s got to the point where I’m watching just out of vague interest or routine rather than being generally excited by it. The line from one of the studio executives was that the show had “run its course” which could not be more true. Even the title is redundant as they have been nowhere near a prison this season. Still, there is at least one good thing about the show ending; we won’t have to endure the talentless insufferable bore that is Dominic Purcell for much longer. And that’s a result.
Ideally, they should have ended the show after the first series. It was great, exciting and something fresh. Maybe I could see an argument for the second series being necessary, if only for introducing the superb William Finchter to the cast. But certainly no more than that. It’s got to the point where I’m watching just out of vague interest or routine rather than being generally excited by it. The line from one of the studio executives was that the show had “run its course” which could not be more true. Even the title is redundant as they have been nowhere near a prison this season. Still, there is at least one good thing about the show ending; we won’t have to endure the talentless insufferable bore that is Dominic Purcell for much longer. And that’s a result.
Sunday 11 January 2009
TNA Genesis 2009 - Preview & Predictions
Opening Promo
Total Nonstop Action (TNA; yeah, they really should have selected a better abbreviation) is the number 2 promotion within the wrestling industry. They have been going for over 5 years but honestly, they are not very good. They like to think that they are big and can compete with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) but in reality they can’t. In fact, if Ring Of Honor (ROH; more on them at a later date hopefully) secure a TV deal, then TNA are probably better off looking over their shoulders than into the distance.
The main problem with TNA is that creatively they have very few good ideas and when it comes to booking matches, it is usually a mess. They have a tendency to overbook things (too much interference, run-ins & weapons) and they have no perception of the constant of 'time' as feuds usually run on way too long and people are always pushed many months after they should have been.
The talent in TNA is questionable too, it is there no doubt about it but it is the way it is used. TNA sign a lot of ex-WWE wrestlers and usually give them the top spots automatically and rarely create and build-up their own stars. They use people based on their past glories while forgetting about the younger guys. Case in point, last year they offered contract extensions to Kevin Nash (a guy nearing his 50s who struggles with walking) and Brothers Ray & Devon of Team 3D (two overweight, ageing guys who have not put on a great match in years). On the flipside, they either let go/didn’t offer enough to keep wrestlers that were useful and very talented. People such as Christian Cage (a main eventer, expected to return to WWE soon), Gail Kim (their top babyface female who has already signed back with WWE) and also Rain (just a tremendous all-round wrestler who would have offered loads).
But enough about their shortcomings for the moment (no doubt others will crop up), let’s see if TNA can kick the PPV calendar off with a bang.
The Card
TNA World Heavyweight Championship
"The Icon" Sting (c) vs. "The War Machine" Rhino
This is part of the big ongoing feud in TNA which pits the Main Event Mafia (a group of veteran, former World title winners) against the Frontline (younger guys a little lower down the card). It was a good idea in theory but as so often happens, TNA managed to make a mess of it, but more on that in a moment or so. Sting represents the Mafia while Rhino has become the spokesperson as of late for the Frontline. I’m not entirely sure what Rhino has done to earn the title shot; he beat Sting over a month ago on the weekly TV show - Impact - but then lost his PPV match against Kurt Angle, so the two kind of cancel each other out. But logic and reason rarely apply in TNA so here we are.
Rhino has been a jobber more or less for the past two years so Sting is going to retain here to continue to make him look like a credible champion. Hopefully it will be a clean win in order to give a more significant victory. The match should be of middling quality at the least as these are two very seasoned wrestlers. But truth be told, as a main event it is not particularly appealing.
Prediction: Sting to retain
The Rematch
TNA Founder Jeff Jarrett vs. Olympic Gold Medalist Kurt Angle
Two of the biggest egos in TNA clash once again. Just to give you an idea of how big Angle’s is, he is billed as the leader of the Main Event Mafia even though he does not currently have the top belt in the World Heavyweight title. The Mafia have been accused by the Frontline of holding them back and Jarrett has somewhat sided with them. Which is hugely ironic given that he did the exact same thing when TNA started as he pretty much held the Heavyweight title for the majority of the first 2-3 years.
If the match is like their first one a few months back it should be fine. Jarrett won that one so I suspect Angle gets the rub in this one, though it probably won’t be clean. Jarrett’s guitar will most likely be used.
Prediction: Kurt Angle
Mick Foley's In-Ring Return
‘The Hardcore Legend’ Mick Foley, ‘The Phenomenal’ A.J. Styles & Brother Devon vs. Legends Champion Booker T, ’Big Sexy’ Kevin Nash and "Big Poppa Pump" Scott Steiner
This is another match in the ongoing Frontline versus Mafia feud which has Mick Foley joining up with the Frontline. Now, it is interesting to note that Brother Devon, along with his tag partner Brother Ray, is part of the Frontline. When those two joined that side of the war, that was the moment I lost interest in this feud. Collectively throughout their career, Devon & Ray have held the tag titles over 20-times, so it made sense for them to join Nash, Booker T and the rest in the Mafia. They probably will turn sometime down the line but it was just such a wrong path to take.
On paper, this match looks pretty poor. Nash & Steiner have not had a good match in a very long time and Devon is not much better. This is Foley’s first actual wrestling match for TNA and he is usually good for a couple of matches a year, and he will get in all his trademark moves like ‘The Sock’ but he will probably have a very limited activity overall in the contest. They would have been better off going with a straight Styles/Booker clash as they will probably be carrying both of their respective teams as they are very fine workers. And I’d assume Foley’s team win unless he turns heel on them, which is a bit unlikely.
Prediction: Mick Foley, A.J. Styles & Brother Devon
TNA World Tag Team Title Match
‘Black Machismo’Jay Lethal & Consequences Creed (c) vs. Beer Money (James Storm & Robert Roode) vs. ‘The Monster’ Abyss & ‘The Blueprint’ Matt Morgan
Sigh, the background to this match is unnecessarily complicated. At the start of this week’s Impact, Beer Money were champions. Later on the show, Morgan beat Robert Roode via referee stoppage due to an injury to Roode, which earned him and Abyss a title shot at the PPV. But then Lethal came out with his partner Creed and cashed in his tag title shot briefcase (a few PPVs ago, a couple of wrestlers won briefcases to earn them specific title shots any time they wanted. This is something WWE have been doing for a while, so it is not a new idea). So with Roode out, James Storm had to defend the titles by himself, in his everyday clothes of jeans and t-shirt, but ultimately lost after he was hit with the briefcase. So Lethal & Creed won the belts in an impromptu, handicap match via use of a weapon. And they are meant to be the babyface team. Meanwhile, we feel sympathy for the heels as they lost the titles on a screwjob. That is simply just poor booking and makes no sense whatsoever, and just gives you an example of the stuff TNA does.
So this match is Beer Money’s mandatory rematch and Abyss & Morgan are still in the match as well. Thought those two just seem to be in to further their own storyline in which one will probably turn heel. It is rumoured to be Morgan yet with a moniker like ‘The Monster’, Abyss would make more sense and he has been pretty crap as a face. But Creed & Lethal will retain, as it would be foolish to hot-shot the titles off them, in what should be a decent enough match.
Prediction: Jay Lethal & Consequences Creed to retain
Tournament Final To Crown A New X-Division Champion
Chris Sabin vs. Alex Shelley
The X-Division used to be TNA’s main selling point years ago but when the better wrestlers (namely A.J. Styles, Samoa Joe & Christopher Daniels) moved up the card, it got a bit short in depth and has just merely existed. Due to a series of nonsensical events, the title got vacated hence the tournament which is meant to bring some meaning back to the title. Which is all well and good...except WWE did the exact same thing with their mid-card belt only last month.
But I’m expecting this one to be Match Of The Night, it would be hugely disappointing if it isn’t. Sabin & Shelley is an odd pairing because they are part of a tag team (Motor City Machine Guns) who are long, long overdue a tag title run and it is hard to call a winner. Going on the ridiculous notion that this is the first step to TNA stupidly breaking up the tag team, Shelly will win as he is slightly better at playing the heel role therefore setting Sabin up to get the ultimate win in their feud. Or there might just be a dodgy finish that will hold the belt open to a better candidate next month. It should be noted that the wrestler Homicide won the briefcase to cash in a title shot for the X-title and he could well get involved. But he is also in an established tag team, so things would be back at square one.
Winner: Alex Shelley to win the vacant title
TNA Knockouts Women's Championship - Lumberjack Match
Awesome Kong (c) vs. To Be Determined
The Women’s division has been the one area where TNA have consistently outperformed WWE over the past year or so since its inception. But it is getting to a stage where it is starting to feel a little stale and they still have not settled on a top babyface ever since Gail Kim left in late summer. Now TNA might bring in some new talent soon to keep things fresh; they recently gave tryout matches to both Portia Perez and Ashley Lane from acclaimed promotion SHIMMER (which is well worth your time). The other solution is to make more of the talent they have and in particular Raisha Saeed, who has acted as Kong’s mouthpiece but others have aligned themselves with Kong so that role can now be taken up with anyone. You could get the scenario where Kong ends up beating up Saaed, turning her babyface in the process. Saeed could then lay out Kong the next week and then unmask and in reality she is actually the highly talented Cheerleader Melissa and the pay-off of a Kong/Melissa feud would be gold. But that’s for the (near) future, hopefully.
Now Christy Hemme, who is not a very good wrestler, was due to face Kong but she got injured and they have not announced a replacement yet but best guess would be either Roxxi or Taylor Wilde who would be good babyface foils to Kong’s heel. Or they could go the unexpected route and have someone new or any of the aforementioned women. Now I wouldn’t wish an injury on anyone, but with Hemme out the match will be infinitely better. Kong should be retaining cleanly enough to help get her over after a dodgy appearance last PPV (where Hemme won on a DQ). The lumberjack aspect is just to get as many of the Knockouts on TV as possible.
Prediction: Awesome Kong to retain
Grudge Match
‘Referee’ Shane Sewell vs. Sheik Abdul Bashir
Sewell was a referee who officiated a lot of matches whereby Bashir was on the losing side. Bashir blamed Sewell for the losses and gave him a few beatdowns with Sewell sometimes hitting back out of frustration. Why the TNA management did not see the obvious clash of interests just goes to show how dumb they really are. Anyway Sewell hit back once too much and got fired as a referee but then got immediately re-hired but as a wrestler.
Now I have no idea what Sewell will be like in the ring but Bashir is dependable enough and it will probably be a slow-enough match. Given that TNA will probably want to continue this feud longer, and so as not to make him look bad in his first match, Sewell will probably pick up the win.
Prediction: Shane Sewell
8 Man Tag Team Elimination Match
Eric Young/Shark Boy/LAX (Homicide & Hernandez) vs. Cute Kip/Kiyos/The Rock & Rave Infection (Lance Rock & Jimmy Rave)
This match was just added very late in the day and it isn’t exactly all that thrilling on paper. The fact that it is an elimination match does not really bode well for this contest or the rest of the card, as time will be taken away from the bigger matches. Of the combatants; Shark Boy, Rock & Rave are all jobbers, Kip is living on past glories and Kiyos is some Japanese guy who I haven’t seen much of. Eric Young is a fine wrestler and LAX are a very good tag team so the two teams look a little unbalanced. Regardless this match has no backstory or nothing riding on it so it will be quickly forgettable, but the babyface team should win with LAX the only ones not eliminated.
Prediction: Eric Young/Shark Boy/LAX
Last Man Standing or Counted-Out?
Well this PPV has sold so poorly that TNA have actually resorted to giving away free tickets. Which must be hugely disappointing internally giving it is Mick Foley’s in-ring début for them and also with the Angle/Jarrett rematch. But looking at the card and in particular the top-half, it does not look particularly enticing. Aside from Sabin/Shelley and possibly the Tag & Knockout title matches, nothing looks like it will be exceedingly exciting or fresh. There is also the absence of Samoa Joe on the card who is one of the top stars and one of the bigger members of the Frontline. He is selling an ‘injury’ but nonetheless he is a big loss from the card. There is also the outside chance that Christopher Daniels will return, which would be excellent. And the sooner he returns and is thrust to the top of the Frontline group, the better. All in all, it’ll probably be an average PPV, which is what we have come to expect from TNA.
Total Nonstop Action (TNA; yeah, they really should have selected a better abbreviation) is the number 2 promotion within the wrestling industry. They have been going for over 5 years but honestly, they are not very good. They like to think that they are big and can compete with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) but in reality they can’t. In fact, if Ring Of Honor (ROH; more on them at a later date hopefully) secure a TV deal, then TNA are probably better off looking over their shoulders than into the distance.
The main problem with TNA is that creatively they have very few good ideas and when it comes to booking matches, it is usually a mess. They have a tendency to overbook things (too much interference, run-ins & weapons) and they have no perception of the constant of 'time' as feuds usually run on way too long and people are always pushed many months after they should have been.
The talent in TNA is questionable too, it is there no doubt about it but it is the way it is used. TNA sign a lot of ex-WWE wrestlers and usually give them the top spots automatically and rarely create and build-up their own stars. They use people based on their past glories while forgetting about the younger guys. Case in point, last year they offered contract extensions to Kevin Nash (a guy nearing his 50s who struggles with walking) and Brothers Ray & Devon of Team 3D (two overweight, ageing guys who have not put on a great match in years). On the flipside, they either let go/didn’t offer enough to keep wrestlers that were useful and very talented. People such as Christian Cage (a main eventer, expected to return to WWE soon), Gail Kim (their top babyface female who has already signed back with WWE) and also Rain (just a tremendous all-round wrestler who would have offered loads).
But enough about their shortcomings for the moment (no doubt others will crop up), let’s see if TNA can kick the PPV calendar off with a bang.
The Card
TNA World Heavyweight Championship
"The Icon" Sting (c) vs. "The War Machine" Rhino
This is part of the big ongoing feud in TNA which pits the Main Event Mafia (a group of veteran, former World title winners) against the Frontline (younger guys a little lower down the card). It was a good idea in theory but as so often happens, TNA managed to make a mess of it, but more on that in a moment or so. Sting represents the Mafia while Rhino has become the spokesperson as of late for the Frontline. I’m not entirely sure what Rhino has done to earn the title shot; he beat Sting over a month ago on the weekly TV show - Impact - but then lost his PPV match against Kurt Angle, so the two kind of cancel each other out. But logic and reason rarely apply in TNA so here we are.
Rhino has been a jobber more or less for the past two years so Sting is going to retain here to continue to make him look like a credible champion. Hopefully it will be a clean win in order to give a more significant victory. The match should be of middling quality at the least as these are two very seasoned wrestlers. But truth be told, as a main event it is not particularly appealing.
Prediction: Sting to retain
The Rematch
TNA Founder Jeff Jarrett vs. Olympic Gold Medalist Kurt Angle
Two of the biggest egos in TNA clash once again. Just to give you an idea of how big Angle’s is, he is billed as the leader of the Main Event Mafia even though he does not currently have the top belt in the World Heavyweight title. The Mafia have been accused by the Frontline of holding them back and Jarrett has somewhat sided with them. Which is hugely ironic given that he did the exact same thing when TNA started as he pretty much held the Heavyweight title for the majority of the first 2-3 years.
If the match is like their first one a few months back it should be fine. Jarrett won that one so I suspect Angle gets the rub in this one, though it probably won’t be clean. Jarrett’s guitar will most likely be used.
Prediction: Kurt Angle
Mick Foley's In-Ring Return
‘The Hardcore Legend’ Mick Foley, ‘The Phenomenal’ A.J. Styles & Brother Devon vs. Legends Champion Booker T, ’Big Sexy’ Kevin Nash and "Big Poppa Pump" Scott Steiner
This is another match in the ongoing Frontline versus Mafia feud which has Mick Foley joining up with the Frontline. Now, it is interesting to note that Brother Devon, along with his tag partner Brother Ray, is part of the Frontline. When those two joined that side of the war, that was the moment I lost interest in this feud. Collectively throughout their career, Devon & Ray have held the tag titles over 20-times, so it made sense for them to join Nash, Booker T and the rest in the Mafia. They probably will turn sometime down the line but it was just such a wrong path to take.
On paper, this match looks pretty poor. Nash & Steiner have not had a good match in a very long time and Devon is not much better. This is Foley’s first actual wrestling match for TNA and he is usually good for a couple of matches a year, and he will get in all his trademark moves like ‘The Sock’ but he will probably have a very limited activity overall in the contest. They would have been better off going with a straight Styles/Booker clash as they will probably be carrying both of their respective teams as they are very fine workers. And I’d assume Foley’s team win unless he turns heel on them, which is a bit unlikely.
Prediction: Mick Foley, A.J. Styles & Brother Devon
TNA World Tag Team Title Match
‘Black Machismo’Jay Lethal & Consequences Creed (c) vs. Beer Money (James Storm & Robert Roode) vs. ‘The Monster’ Abyss & ‘The Blueprint’ Matt Morgan
Sigh, the background to this match is unnecessarily complicated. At the start of this week’s Impact, Beer Money were champions. Later on the show, Morgan beat Robert Roode via referee stoppage due to an injury to Roode, which earned him and Abyss a title shot at the PPV. But then Lethal came out with his partner Creed and cashed in his tag title shot briefcase (a few PPVs ago, a couple of wrestlers won briefcases to earn them specific title shots any time they wanted. This is something WWE have been doing for a while, so it is not a new idea). So with Roode out, James Storm had to defend the titles by himself, in his everyday clothes of jeans and t-shirt, but ultimately lost after he was hit with the briefcase. So Lethal & Creed won the belts in an impromptu, handicap match via use of a weapon. And they are meant to be the babyface team. Meanwhile, we feel sympathy for the heels as they lost the titles on a screwjob. That is simply just poor booking and makes no sense whatsoever, and just gives you an example of the stuff TNA does.
So this match is Beer Money’s mandatory rematch and Abyss & Morgan are still in the match as well. Thought those two just seem to be in to further their own storyline in which one will probably turn heel. It is rumoured to be Morgan yet with a moniker like ‘The Monster’, Abyss would make more sense and he has been pretty crap as a face. But Creed & Lethal will retain, as it would be foolish to hot-shot the titles off them, in what should be a decent enough match.
Prediction: Jay Lethal & Consequences Creed to retain
Tournament Final To Crown A New X-Division Champion
Chris Sabin vs. Alex Shelley
The X-Division used to be TNA’s main selling point years ago but when the better wrestlers (namely A.J. Styles, Samoa Joe & Christopher Daniels) moved up the card, it got a bit short in depth and has just merely existed. Due to a series of nonsensical events, the title got vacated hence the tournament which is meant to bring some meaning back to the title. Which is all well and good...except WWE did the exact same thing with their mid-card belt only last month.
But I’m expecting this one to be Match Of The Night, it would be hugely disappointing if it isn’t. Sabin & Shelley is an odd pairing because they are part of a tag team (Motor City Machine Guns) who are long, long overdue a tag title run and it is hard to call a winner. Going on the ridiculous notion that this is the first step to TNA stupidly breaking up the tag team, Shelly will win as he is slightly better at playing the heel role therefore setting Sabin up to get the ultimate win in their feud. Or there might just be a dodgy finish that will hold the belt open to a better candidate next month. It should be noted that the wrestler Homicide won the briefcase to cash in a title shot for the X-title and he could well get involved. But he is also in an established tag team, so things would be back at square one.
Winner: Alex Shelley to win the vacant title
TNA Knockouts Women's Championship - Lumberjack Match
Awesome Kong (c) vs. To Be Determined
The Women’s division has been the one area where TNA have consistently outperformed WWE over the past year or so since its inception. But it is getting to a stage where it is starting to feel a little stale and they still have not settled on a top babyface ever since Gail Kim left in late summer. Now TNA might bring in some new talent soon to keep things fresh; they recently gave tryout matches to both Portia Perez and Ashley Lane from acclaimed promotion SHIMMER (which is well worth your time). The other solution is to make more of the talent they have and in particular Raisha Saeed, who has acted as Kong’s mouthpiece but others have aligned themselves with Kong so that role can now be taken up with anyone. You could get the scenario where Kong ends up beating up Saaed, turning her babyface in the process. Saeed could then lay out Kong the next week and then unmask and in reality she is actually the highly talented Cheerleader Melissa and the pay-off of a Kong/Melissa feud would be gold. But that’s for the (near) future, hopefully.
Now Christy Hemme, who is not a very good wrestler, was due to face Kong but she got injured and they have not announced a replacement yet but best guess would be either Roxxi or Taylor Wilde who would be good babyface foils to Kong’s heel. Or they could go the unexpected route and have someone new or any of the aforementioned women. Now I wouldn’t wish an injury on anyone, but with Hemme out the match will be infinitely better. Kong should be retaining cleanly enough to help get her over after a dodgy appearance last PPV (where Hemme won on a DQ). The lumberjack aspect is just to get as many of the Knockouts on TV as possible.
Prediction: Awesome Kong to retain
Grudge Match
‘Referee’ Shane Sewell vs. Sheik Abdul Bashir
Sewell was a referee who officiated a lot of matches whereby Bashir was on the losing side. Bashir blamed Sewell for the losses and gave him a few beatdowns with Sewell sometimes hitting back out of frustration. Why the TNA management did not see the obvious clash of interests just goes to show how dumb they really are. Anyway Sewell hit back once too much and got fired as a referee but then got immediately re-hired but as a wrestler.
Now I have no idea what Sewell will be like in the ring but Bashir is dependable enough and it will probably be a slow-enough match. Given that TNA will probably want to continue this feud longer, and so as not to make him look bad in his first match, Sewell will probably pick up the win.
Prediction: Shane Sewell
8 Man Tag Team Elimination Match
Eric Young/Shark Boy/LAX (Homicide & Hernandez) vs. Cute Kip/Kiyos/The Rock & Rave Infection (Lance Rock & Jimmy Rave)
This match was just added very late in the day and it isn’t exactly all that thrilling on paper. The fact that it is an elimination match does not really bode well for this contest or the rest of the card, as time will be taken away from the bigger matches. Of the combatants; Shark Boy, Rock & Rave are all jobbers, Kip is living on past glories and Kiyos is some Japanese guy who I haven’t seen much of. Eric Young is a fine wrestler and LAX are a very good tag team so the two teams look a little unbalanced. Regardless this match has no backstory or nothing riding on it so it will be quickly forgettable, but the babyface team should win with LAX the only ones not eliminated.
Prediction: Eric Young/Shark Boy/LAX
Last Man Standing or Counted-Out?
Well this PPV has sold so poorly that TNA have actually resorted to giving away free tickets. Which must be hugely disappointing internally giving it is Mick Foley’s in-ring début for them and also with the Angle/Jarrett rematch. But looking at the card and in particular the top-half, it does not look particularly enticing. Aside from Sabin/Shelley and possibly the Tag & Knockout title matches, nothing looks like it will be exceedingly exciting or fresh. There is also the absence of Samoa Joe on the card who is one of the top stars and one of the bigger members of the Frontline. He is selling an ‘injury’ but nonetheless he is a big loss from the card. There is also the outside chance that Christopher Daniels will return, which would be excellent. And the sooner he returns and is thrust to the top of the Frontline group, the better. All in all, it’ll probably be an average PPV, which is what we have come to expect from TNA.
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