Mania 24 felt a bit odd. Obviously having an outdoor event in a thunderstorm isn't going to be what Vince wanted but it never affected the in-ring action (only when the lights went out!). The Show seemed to end with a bit of a whimper and some of the booking was a little bit odd for the Superbowl of wrestling (a match with ONE move!)
Overall the show was a slight improvement on last years event, with 3 matches that could take the crown for WWE match of 2008... so far that is.
24 Man Battle Royal - My Prediction Khali. Winner Kane.
Didnt see this because it was on WWE.com, was a bit suprised that Khali did'nt get the win because Kane has been a glorified jobber for months.
JBL vs. Finlay - My Prediction Finlay. Winner JBL.
My prediction was thrown to the wolves as soon as i saw Hornswoggle coming down the ramp, not from under the ring, the reason why JBL picked up the win. Was not as stiff as it could have been and resembled a hardcore match from 2000. 6/10
Money In The Bank Ladder Match - My Prediction MVP. Winner CM Punk.
It was'nt until i saw MVP climbing the ladder that i realised that was why Matt Hardy was'nt added to the match, so he could do a supposed suprise run in. That cost my boy big, however something even stranger happened, Jericho and CM Punk battled on the ladder and The Punk prevailed. Shelton took a crazy bump onto a gimmicked ladder, Morrison did a moonsault with a ladder and there was a crazy sunsetflip, powerbomb suplex off the top of the ladder. Quite possibly the best MITB yet. 10/10
Batista vs. Umaga - My Prediction Batista. Winner Batista.
Thought this could have been stiffer, but it made up for that by being short, resembled a RAW main event, not a Mania match. 5/10
ECW Title - My Prediction Chavo. Winner Kane.
Such a waste, why did'nt Chavo go for the DQ, then get challenged by Punk! That makes sense, booking a squash with ONE FRICKIN move on a PPV is so pointless. ECW is finally DEAD. 0/10
Shawn Michaels vs. Ric Flair - My Prediction Michaels. Winner Michaels.
This was a good emotional match and after Michaels took the announce table apart i really was'nt sure if he could continue, but the two put on a really good match with a fitting ending. 8/10
Bunnymania Match - My Prediction Maria & Ashley. Winner Phoenix & Melina.
Thankfully someone up there had good sense to turn the lights off during the match, wrong result however, not that i saw it. 3/10
WWE Title - My Prediction Orton. Winner Orton.
A good little match, but did'nt feel like one of the main events, a good finish however. 7/10
Mayweather vs. Big Show - My Prediction Mayweather. Winner Mayweather
This was my second favourite match of the show, it was well worked and very well booked with a very good finish. Possibly the best Celeb involvement in a Mania match EVER! 8/10
World Title - My Prediction Undertaker. Winner Undertaker
After the last match the crowd were'nt really up for this, but the two did have a good match, with obvious interference and the more obvious ending, reverese tombstone pin! 7/10
Let me know what you thought of the show.
Monday, 31 March 2008
Friday, 28 March 2008
FINAL (And I Mean FINAL) Predictions For Mania, Using My Head - Not My Heart.
Here's the final line up for the super show on Sunday, with my FINAL predictions. Going to go with logic on these decisions so i can get 10 out of 10. Also i reckon this will be the running order.
RESULT - This has all the appeal of last years Kane vs. Khali. I think Batista will win, but as long as it's short we'll be the real winners.
RESULT - This is a tough one, i still think there's enough fan support for Hornswoggle that he will come out for a shilleligh (how do you spell that?) shot, that will help Finlay get the win and end this awful mini-feud.
RESULT - £10Million ($20M) is a lot of money just to lay down to a wrestler that was never top of his field (Giant circa 1996-7 was as close as it got), Money Mayweather is getting the win one way or another.
RESULT - A lot of people have backed tracked and said that Flair is going to win this, i can't see it, Flair quit WWE last year and only really came back due to money problems, i can see him losing this and still being on WWE tv every week. Shawn Michaels all the way.
RESULT - The Undertaker to win, may even have to dispose of Chavo and the Rmy. As this could possibly be his last Mania i can't see him losing his streak.
Well there you have it, 10 matches, 10 predictions. Now to play the waiting game. At least i don't have to wait til 1AM as it will be starting at Midnight. Just to rub it in for those that are watching it in the States at a reasonable time, we only pay £15, thats $30 roughly and if we want it HD instead, we pay - EXACTLY THE SAME!
Just need a HD Box now!!!
- Pre-show: 24-man Interpromotional Battle Royal,Winner Faces ECW Champion Chavo Guerrero
- Money in the Bank ladder match: Mr. Kennedy vs. Shelton Benjamin vs. Chris Jericho vs. Carlito vs. Montel Vontavious Porter vs. CM Punk vs. John Morrison
RESULT - This has all the appeal of last years Kane vs. Khali. I think Batista will win, but as long as it's short we'll be the real winners.
RESULT - This is a tough one, i still think there's enough fan support for Hornswoggle that he will come out for a shilleligh (how do you spell that?) shot, that will help Finlay get the win and end this awful mini-feud.
- ECW Championship: Chavo Guerrero (c) vs. TBD
RESULT - £10Million ($20M) is a lot of money just to lay down to a wrestler that was never top of his field (Giant circa 1996-7 was as close as it got), Money Mayweather is getting the win one way or another.
RESULT - A lot of people have backed tracked and said that Flair is going to win this, i can't see it, Flair quit WWE last year and only really came back due to money problems, i can see him losing this and still being on WWE tv every week. Shawn Michaels all the way.
- Playboy BunnyMania Lumberjack match: Maria and Ashley vs. Beth Phoenix and Melina
- Triple Threat match for the WWE Championship: Randy Orton (c) vs. Triple H vs. John Cena
RESULT - The Undertaker to win, may even have to dispose of Chavo and the Rmy. As this could possibly be his last Mania i can't see him losing his streak.
Well there you have it, 10 matches, 10 predictions. Now to play the waiting game. At least i don't have to wait til 1AM as it will be starting at Midnight. Just to rub it in for those that are watching it in the States at a reasonable time, we only pay £15, thats $30 roughly and if we want it HD instead, we pay - EXACTLY THE SAME!
Just need a HD Box now!!!
Thursday, 20 March 2008
TNA - TBA
So after all my recent slagging off of TNAs recent product, i only went ahead and got tickets to the show in Coventry(UK). Now if it was A WWE show in Coventry i would have been just as eager to get tickets, but unlike WWE it seemed a lot easier to actually get the tickets before they sold out.
Now the big question in my mind is, what the hell is the card gona be? The Show isnt until June, that's 12 weeks, a quarter of a year - in Wrestling terms it's a long time, in TNAs crazy crash TV terms it's a lifetime.
So the first thing i did after purchasing the tickets was make sure that i'm up to date with the product, i'm not gona go crazy and start watching Impact, but i made a start at least with the Destination X PPV. Now don't get me wrong, i usually watch the shows because 2 or 3 fights catch my eye, but this card had nothing to entice me, nothing that would make me want to watch it live (and stay up til 4am to see the main event!). That being said everyone on the show worked there asses off and delivered possibly the most solid top to bottom TNA PPV yet, quite bold claims but there were no absolute bombs on the entire show.
LAX vs. Motor City Machine Guns vs. Rock and Rave Infection.
What a great opener, not a fan of Hoyt or Rave, but they did well, LAX picked up the win to get a shot at the TNA Tag Champs.
X Division Title Match: Jay Lethal(c) vs. Petey Williams.
Hate Peteys current gimmick but he did need a change, sadly this gimmick is just not really what he needed, it at least means Scott Steiner does'nt have to wrestle all the time, Lethal picked up the win to retain after So Cal Val interfered to counter the interference from Steiner.
Kaz & Eric Young vs. Rellick & Black Reign.
This was a good comedy match, but with good solid wrestling too, the ending with super Eric was the icing on the cake and could set up an interesting character, aslong as it's not like The Hurricane. Eric & Kaz picked up the win.
TNA Knockout Title Match: Awesome Kong(c) vs. ODB vs Gail Kim.
For a womens match this was pretty good stuff, still can't get too excited about women wrestling but it was miles better than anything WWE has offered, hopefully TNA can keep it up. Awesome Kong won to retain the title.
Curry Man & Shark Boy vs. Team 3D.
This was a fishmarket street fight, a lame gimmick, but executed pretty well, Team 3D are a bit stale but at least they know how to play the bad guy, no-one comes close to inciting hatred as much as Brother Ray. The finish was lame but overall a good match with Curry Man & Shark Boy getting the win.
Robert Roode vs. Booker T
The only match that dragged, thankfully it was short and the post match was interesting enough to help you forget about it. Was'nt awful, but felt like a TV Match. Roode picked up the win, in another stipulation match. What happened to guys just fighting for belts??
Rhino vs. James Storm.
Okay this match was stupid, but entertaining, who does'nt like watching a good bump now and then, but this match just seemed a bit pointless, a bump for bumps sake to end a match. Anyway Rhino got the win and James Storm hit the mat with his head, maybe it will knock some sense into him so next time they offer him an Elevation X match he can tell them to jump. Maybe Russo should Jump... hmmmm.
Samoa Joe, Christian Cage & Kevin Nash vs. Kurt Angle, AJ Styles & Tomko.
I hate tag team main events, just seems a bit 'Monday Night Raw', surely people pay to see one guy fight another - Kevin Nash probably had his best TNA match though (not saying much) and Joe got the winning by forcing Tomko to submit.
Overall a really enjoyable pay per view, with way too many stipulations and not a singles main event, it wasn't perfect but a step in the right direction. Now for my next challenge, sitting through a whole episode of Impact - wish me luck.
!<
Now the big question in my mind is, what the hell is the card gona be? The Show isnt until June, that's 12 weeks, a quarter of a year - in Wrestling terms it's a long time, in TNAs crazy crash TV terms it's a lifetime.
So the first thing i did after purchasing the tickets was make sure that i'm up to date with the product, i'm not gona go crazy and start watching Impact, but i made a start at least with the Destination X PPV. Now don't get me wrong, i usually watch the shows because 2 or 3 fights catch my eye, but this card had nothing to entice me, nothing that would make me want to watch it live (and stay up til 4am to see the main event!). That being said everyone on the show worked there asses off and delivered possibly the most solid top to bottom TNA PPV yet, quite bold claims but there were no absolute bombs on the entire show.
LAX vs. Motor City Machine Guns vs. Rock and Rave Infection.
What a great opener, not a fan of Hoyt or Rave, but they did well, LAX picked up the win to get a shot at the TNA Tag Champs.
X Division Title Match: Jay Lethal(c) vs. Petey Williams.
Hate Peteys current gimmick but he did need a change, sadly this gimmick is just not really what he needed, it at least means Scott Steiner does'nt have to wrestle all the time, Lethal picked up the win to retain after So Cal Val interfered to counter the interference from Steiner.
Kaz & Eric Young vs. Rellick & Black Reign.
This was a good comedy match, but with good solid wrestling too, the ending with super Eric was the icing on the cake and could set up an interesting character, aslong as it's not like The Hurricane. Eric & Kaz picked up the win.
TNA Knockout Title Match: Awesome Kong(c) vs. ODB vs Gail Kim.
For a womens match this was pretty good stuff, still can't get too excited about women wrestling but it was miles better than anything WWE has offered, hopefully TNA can keep it up. Awesome Kong won to retain the title.
Curry Man & Shark Boy vs. Team 3D.
This was a fishmarket street fight, a lame gimmick, but executed pretty well, Team 3D are a bit stale but at least they know how to play the bad guy, no-one comes close to inciting hatred as much as Brother Ray. The finish was lame but overall a good match with Curry Man & Shark Boy getting the win.
Robert Roode vs. Booker T
The only match that dragged, thankfully it was short and the post match was interesting enough to help you forget about it. Was'nt awful, but felt like a TV Match. Roode picked up the win, in another stipulation match. What happened to guys just fighting for belts??
Rhino vs. James Storm.
Okay this match was stupid, but entertaining, who does'nt like watching a good bump now and then, but this match just seemed a bit pointless, a bump for bumps sake to end a match. Anyway Rhino got the win and James Storm hit the mat with his head, maybe it will knock some sense into him so next time they offer him an Elevation X match he can tell them to jump. Maybe Russo should Jump... hmmmm.
Samoa Joe, Christian Cage & Kevin Nash vs. Kurt Angle, AJ Styles & Tomko.
I hate tag team main events, just seems a bit 'Monday Night Raw', surely people pay to see one guy fight another - Kevin Nash probably had his best TNA match though (not saying much) and Joe got the winning by forcing Tomko to submit.
Overall a really enjoyable pay per view, with way too many stipulations and not a singles main event, it wasn't perfect but a step in the right direction. Now for my next challenge, sitting through a whole episode of Impact - wish me luck.
!<
Sunday, 9 March 2008
3 weeks to Mania!
With 3 weeks till the big one, things are shaping up nicely. Even though this years event has been treated like a B show with its build up following No Way Out.
Finlay vs. John "Bradshaw" Layfield.
This one should be an intersting stiff match as long as JBL ups his game from his series with Jericho, it's just a shame it all comes from the awful hornswoggle storyline, the quicker he can return to being 'little bastard' the better. Finlay should win this with the aid of his midget son.
Maria and Candice Michelle vs. Beth Phoenix and Melina.
Snoop Dogg has some sort of involvement in this match, woopy doo, i have no interest in this at all. Where's Mickie James? She's done far better Adult Magazine shoots than both Maria & Candice and wait a minute, she can wrestle. Maria & Candice are gona pick up the win.
Ric Flair vs. Shawn Michaels
If Flair loses he has to retire, by the time Mania comes around he will have been inducted into the WWE hall of fame, chances are that Shawn will carry him to a great match, it may even steal the show, if he can work a miracle. Shawn will pick up the win.
Umaga vs. Batista
This is going to be another brutal contest, i can't see Umaga winning, so the Useless Dave Batista will probably get the win. Hopefully it will be short!
Floyd Mayweather, Jr. vs. The Big Show
This was being built quite well until that awful confrontation on Raw "i broke your nose, next time i'll break your jaw" first time it was funny, but by the end of it i was looking away with embarassment. Floyd is an annoying little bling bitch and i hope Show punks him out, but for $20 Million i don't think the current Welterweight Champion is going down. Expect 'Money' Mayweather to get the win.
Money in the Bank ladder match: Jeff Hardy vs. Mr. Kennedy vs. Shelton Benjamin vs. Chris Jericho vs. Carlito vs. TBD vs. TBD vs. TBD
This has been my favourite match at the last 2 Manias, and is shaping up to be another show stealer. Jeff has to be the clear favourite, but Y2J is a strong possibility too. Shelton Benjamin is my pick for this one though, thats only on the basis that he's been the most entertaining in his previous MITBLM outings, i doubt he will win but i can always hope.
World Heavyweight Championship: Edge (c) vs. The Undertaker
This one has Undertaker written all over it, after last years Taker v Batista match i can easily see this one outdoing that (Because Edge & Taker are actually damn good!) I can imagine this being an arena wild brawl, but with one OBVIOUS outcome.
Triple Threat match for the WWE Championship: Randy Orton (c) vs. Triple H vs. John Cena
This is the one tough match to call, does John Cena get HIS belt back or will Tripper decide that it's been too long since his last title run. One thing is pretty certain though, Orton won't be walking out with the belt. I'm personally going to go with Triple H. I'd rather have Orton keep the belt.
Finlay vs. John "Bradshaw" Layfield.
This one should be an intersting stiff match as long as JBL ups his game from his series with Jericho, it's just a shame it all comes from the awful hornswoggle storyline, the quicker he can return to being 'little bastard' the better. Finlay should win this with the aid of his midget son.
Maria and Candice Michelle vs. Beth Phoenix and Melina.
Snoop Dogg has some sort of involvement in this match, woopy doo, i have no interest in this at all. Where's Mickie James? She's done far better Adult Magazine shoots than both Maria & Candice and wait a minute, she can wrestle. Maria & Candice are gona pick up the win.
Ric Flair vs. Shawn Michaels
If Flair loses he has to retire, by the time Mania comes around he will have been inducted into the WWE hall of fame, chances are that Shawn will carry him to a great match, it may even steal the show, if he can work a miracle. Shawn will pick up the win.
Umaga vs. Batista
This is going to be another brutal contest, i can't see Umaga winning, so the Useless Dave Batista will probably get the win. Hopefully it will be short!
Floyd Mayweather, Jr. vs. The Big Show
This was being built quite well until that awful confrontation on Raw "i broke your nose, next time i'll break your jaw" first time it was funny, but by the end of it i was looking away with embarassment. Floyd is an annoying little bling bitch and i hope Show punks him out, but for $20 Million i don't think the current Welterweight Champion is going down. Expect 'Money' Mayweather to get the win.
Money in the Bank ladder match: Jeff Hardy vs. Mr. Kennedy vs. Shelton Benjamin vs. Chris Jericho vs. Carlito vs. TBD vs. TBD vs. TBD
This has been my favourite match at the last 2 Manias, and is shaping up to be another show stealer. Jeff has to be the clear favourite, but Y2J is a strong possibility too. Shelton Benjamin is my pick for this one though, thats only on the basis that he's been the most entertaining in his previous MITBLM outings, i doubt he will win but i can always hope.
World Heavyweight Championship: Edge (c) vs. The Undertaker
This one has Undertaker written all over it, after last years Taker v Batista match i can easily see this one outdoing that (Because Edge & Taker are actually damn good!) I can imagine this being an arena wild brawl, but with one OBVIOUS outcome.
Triple Threat match for the WWE Championship: Randy Orton (c) vs. Triple H vs. John Cena
This is the one tough match to call, does John Cena get HIS belt back or will Tripper decide that it's been too long since his last title run. One thing is pretty certain though, Orton won't be walking out with the belt. I'm personally going to go with Triple H. I'd rather have Orton keep the belt.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)