Are you ready to Rumble, Royal!

ECW Championship: Christian vs. Ezekiel Jackson

This is one of the match's I'm most excited about. Christian is, in my opinion, the best champion in the WWE right now and has been on a hell of a roll. Ezekiel Jackson is a guy who has a great look and I always thought had potential but until recently was just muscle. He's been given an opportunity and he's really stepped up. This is the interesting thing about the ECW title is the wwe isn't as protective as they are of the other two titles so a guy like Jackson could really be considered a threat. Throw in the recent surprising victory of sheamus( which I called btw) I think Jackson will win the belt this Sunday.
Winner: Big Zeke

Women's Championship: Michelle McCool vs. Mickie James

After the viciousness of the promos by Michelle McCool conventional wisdom would say inner beauty triumphs in the end. Wrong. While the WWE has been trying to make itself more family oriented this is still the promotion that has the one guy who speaks against drinking and smoking as the biggest villain in the WWE. i think we're about to see a long face title run but I think it'll be Maria to capitalize off of her upcoming stint on Celebrity Apprentice.
Winner:The Undertakerette

World Heavyweight Championship: The Undertaker vs. Rey Mysterio

Rey Mystero has never been more credible as a main eventer then he is now. The Undertaker has been on a pretty dominate title reign and if they're going to take the belt off taker before mania this will be their last best chance. The outcome I keep going back and forth on, but I think the deadman retains.
Winner:Mr. McCool

WWE Championship: Sheamus vs. Randy Orton

This is an interesting ppv. You have the bizarre face vs face title match with Undertaker and Rey Mysterio and the equally unusual heel vs heel match with Sheamus and Orton.Long story short I think sheamus wins to build some cred and they take the belt off him at Elimination Chamber.
Winner: Sheamus

The Rumble Itself

This is the most interesting Rumble in a long time in that there aren't really any obvious Mania match ups and it's fill ed with stars. Cena, HHH,HBK, Batista, Punk and Jericho make up the main eventers who want to add another accomplishment to their resume. Rising stars like MVP, Morrison, Miz, Kingston and Swagger that could use this to legitimise themselves as Main eventers. Also there are a number of people who can make their debut/return and make a sudden Impact such as Danielson, Cavil, Rvd and George Bush(he needs a job even more then I do). It really is impossible to tell but I have a feeling this is Morrison's big break.
Winner: The Wrestlemania night delight.

Royal Rumble 2010

These are my 2010 Royal Rumble Predictions. Who will be the one?!?

ECW Champion Christian vs. Ezekiel Jackson
I'm glad to see some of the younger/new guys getting pay per view experience. Jackson would have been a great threat in the Rumble but that may be one reason to leave him out. Christian should probably lose the belt here to focus on a big match at Mania since he has the capability to put on incredible matches. Regal will most likely have some type influence on this title match but won't be a huge problem for the champ. I can honestly never bet against Captain Charisma (while he is ECW Champion) for I am a Peep. 
Winner- Christian

Women's Champion Michelle McCool vs. Mickie James
This is probably the best divas feud in a long time. The whole "Piggy James" thing might annoy some people, but at least it gives the women some good promo time. McCool doesn't receive as much heel heat as she should but with a face like that... who could boo her? I have a feeling Mickie pulls off the win with a screw up by Layla or maybe interference courtesy of Beth. Winner Winner Piggy Dinner?
Winner- Mickie James

World HeavyWeight Champion The Undertaker vs. Rey Mysterio
By having Rey Rey challenging Taker for the title means one thing to me; The Deadman is feeling good and healthy. This could possibly be his longest title run and its well deserved for how much he has given in his career. He has suprised me in the last few pay per views as I am always picking him to lose. I can see Rey winning here so him and Batista can continue their feud but on the other hand the Elimination Chamber will only be 21 days away. I say Undertaker wins this match but still manages to make Mysterio look like a top contender.
Winner- Undertaker

WWE Champion Sheamus vs. Randy Orton 
Other than the Rumble itself, this is my most anticipated match to see on the card. Sheamus finally gets a competitor who can make him look legit. Orton has that ability to make anyone look good as long as they don't screw up (Kofi!). This is probably the WWE's way to get Orton into the Mania main event. Randy wins with a devastating RKO with no help from Legacy, at least I hope not.
Winner- Randy "The Viper" Orton
 
30-Man Royal Rumble, the winner to receive a championship match at WrestleMania
This is a star studded roster for the rumble this year. It's almost a toss up of who could come out on top. Triple H? HBK? Punk? Jericho? Big Show? Cena? So many possibilities to the point that Vince might not even have a clue just yet. As far as story lines go, HBK would be the logical choice so he can face the Undertaker at Mania. But what if the Deadman isn't champ going into Mania? This is such a hard choice that I must go to the crystal ball.... Santino!?! Stupid gypsy trinket. You can't just predict a winner, you have to predict who will headline WrestleMania. I'd like to somehow see Punk win this year but I find it doubtful. I say we see a previous winner do it again. Sorry Shawn but I'm picking the Animal.
Winner- Batista

What do you think about that Dave?

Thought you'd like that. Until Next Time...

The Unappreciated

Welcome to The Daily Slam!

Well it's that time of week again where I ramble on about things I ponder about. After watching an incredible match last night on ECW between two experienced veterans; Christian & William Regal, I find myself feeling bad that their stellar performances will go unnoticed and unappreciated. This happens on a regular basis within every wrestling company but noticeably within the WWE. They have a good core group of veteran talent that I feel gets a low blow from the company.

Let's take Christian and Regal for example. Both superstars have been carrying ECW on their backs this past year and haven't been given proper respect. Neither wrestler has moved onto Smackdown or Raw but has helped the younger talent spring board their careers on the other brands. I can see these two wanting to help out the young talent but it's a slap in the face when you feud with a up-and-comer who moves on to bigger things. Christian should be on Raw or SD right now getting a shot at the Heavy Weight or WWE titles. He's paid his dues since returning to the E and puts on the best performance out of anyone on the show week in and week out. Regal has had many shots at the ECW title but has lost every chance, including his 8 second loss to Christian at SummerSlam. 8 seconds!?!?! One of the best technical wrestlers only gets an 8 second title match at one of the four biggest pay per views of the year. It's a disgrace.

How about other veterans on Raw and Smackdown. Kane, Matt Hardy, Chavo, Mark Henry, Finlay, and Charlie Haas. All of these wrestlers have given years of putting young superstars over only to watch them win the gold at events like WrestleMania. I understand that you need to keep freshening things up to keep people intrested, but why not allow some of the older guys to get a chance. Kane has held belts before but never for a prolonged amount of time. In my opinion he has never been given the proper respect for what he gives to the company. A big man that can move around like that deserves a title shot here and there.

Matt Hardy, Chavo, Mark Henry, and Finlay are all in the same boat. They get a good month storyline that leads to nothing special. Chavo is a joke these days by losing to Hornswoggle every Raw for a few months. Henry gets a tag title shot (but never one-on-one) every once in awhile but even with his dominant presence never gets any kind of feud going. Matt and Finlay are those two guys who fill up time by giving the young guys some experience. It's sad because both of them are good promo workers and fan favorites. Honestly, Matt will never get the chances that Jeff received and it's sad because he actually has a good head on his shoulders.

That leaves us with Charlie Haas. He is probably one of the most over looked skilled wrestlers on the WWE roster. When he was a part of The World's Greatest Tag Team with Shelton Benjamin, he was able to show off some of those technical moves. I think Charlie's run in the E would be completely different if his brother Russ was still alive. After Russ's death, Haas teamed with Shelton who shares many of the same wrestling abilities. They won the tag titles twice but Haas (nor Benjamin for that matter) were never pushed into any kind of storyline to propel his career. Haas has been getting his ass kicked by almost everyone in the WWE for the past few years and it seems almost meaningless to continue down the same path.

For some of these guys, where they are at in their careers is the best its ever going to be. I would love to see Benjamin and Haas team back up and show the WWE crowd how tag teams are supposed to wrestle and not that DX bullshit they feed us every week. Finlay should be the leader of a European stable while his younger members are challenging for mid card titles. Kane, Hardy, and Henry have had their time to shine but deserve a good clean win over a top main-eventer every once in awhile to hold credibility. Chavo honestly should probably leave the WWE and rule the Mexican wrestling indies. He could probably be a champion down there. Lastly, Regal and Christian are the only reason I continue to watch ECW at this very moment. These two have that amazing chemistry to wow me every week. I just hope Vince gives them one last run at something good. After the years of sweat, blood, tears, and downright brutal beatings, all these guys deserve one main event pay per view win so the fans can rememebr why these guys put themselves through it all.

Until Next Time...

Rookie Mistake

Welcome to The Daily Slam!

This week's episode of Raw had what should have been an epic #1 contenders match for the Royal Rumble. Unfortunately, the match was a dud. It had all the perfect elements; Orton vs two of his most recent rivals, Cena and Kingston. Watching Kofi try to take control seemed so awkward. Even though most people are tired of seeing the same Cena/Orton matches, but at least they put on decent matches.

Nearing the end of the match Legacy gets somewhat involved. Rhodes takes out Cena with the stairs and DiBiase helps Orton take Kofi to the ring floor from the top turnbuckle. Now at this point the crowd is totally invested. Everyone is cheering for the Viper to snap Kofi's neck with a devasting RKO. This is the point where Kofi does a "Can you tell I'm not ready for the main event?" moment. I'm not sure if he was supposed either take his time to get up from the floor or jump up faster but Randy was so pissed he broke charecter. When Kingston finally stood up in the middle of the ring Orton gave him one devasting RKO. Once the Legend Killer stood up you could see his frustrastion as he screamed "Stupid! Stupid!" then pins him with a following "You're Stupid!" scream.

You can tell how aggravated Orton is by his actions in just a 30 second time frame. From yelling at Kofi, to ripping his arm from the ref as he holds it up, followed by his stare at Sheamus who was standing at the top of the ramp. Now normally I would insult the wrestler for breaking his character and humiliating another wrestler during a live tv event. At this moment though I give Orton credit for not beating the hell out of Kofi right then and there. We all know of Randy's aggressive past from trashing hotel rooms and provoking fans so I'm surprised he didn't stomp a mud hole in his ass (props to Stone Cold).  Last time a wrestler messed up during a match with Orton was Kennedy and he was released right after the incident. We'll have to wait and see what happens to Kofi. Could be back to the mid-card for the Jamaican turned West African wrestler.


Until Next Time...

Missed Opportunities: Monday Night War 2 Part 2; The Oppostition speaks.

Let me start by saying that Monday night was the most fun I've had as a wrestling fan in a long time. The Hype, Nostalgia and the Surprises are the things I love about wrestling and Monday couldn't have possibly done more in those fronts.

On raw we saw a solid tag title match between the two highest profile WWE tag teams in a long time and the historic return of Bret Hart. However, for the first time since March 21st 2001 Monday Night belonged to another wrestling promotion.

I'm going to be honest that was a horrible effort TNA put on. The first hour especially X division match was an abortion. Most of the returns are people that will not only have zero positive effect but will actually probably hurt the promotion (Nasty Boys and Orlando Jordan whats up?) and none of the matches had enough time. TNA was advertising hogan on Raw instead of Jeff Hardy(you know the guy who was WWE champion last summer, selling more merc than any1 else on the WWE roster at the time, and who's defection even surprised Vince McMahn). That being said it was still a fun show. It was kinetic and had me wanting to see what was next. On raw there was literally history being made and i just wanted to flip back to Impact.

While fun and gaining an impressive rating(for TNA) they should be embarrassed. This was the most important show they have ever produced and they really needed to put their best foot forward instead they just showed all their weaknesses. Their ADD logically deprived booking, over reliance on has beens and just overall wasting the talent of some of the most gifted athletes in the world.

Let's start with their advertising campaign. While, probably the most aggressive one they've ever pulled off they only focused on Hulk Hogan. Hulk Hogan is a big deal but you can't build your promotion around him in 2009. They really needed to announce more matches before the show and hype the hell out of them, especially the world title match. Also they have a pay per view coming up that could use some building to as well. TNA has all the tools they could possibly need except the ability to think.


Next,the returns. Acquiring Jeff hardy is a big deal and Ric Flair adds prestige to any promotion he works for. Shanon Moore and the afore mentioned Nasty Boys and Orlando Jordan aren't as positive especially when their are much bigger stars they could set their sights on. Lita would have been a much better choice to bring in with Hardy than Moore. Ken Kennedy, RVD, the Briscos, A Train(he got better) and Mistico all would have been excellent additions to the TNA roster. The jury is still out on Val Venus. I like him but his best days are behind him. Still, he would make a good tag partner for Matt Morgan.

The first match is always the most or second most important match of any given show and that has never been more true then this one. This impact was an attempt to lure new viewers to TNA and those new fan's first impression of TNA is a bunch of talented guys that they have ever seen before going at it in a steel cage for 2 minutes before a dq. Bad TNA, bad!

I would have gone a different route. A fatal four way match for the #1 contendership at Genesis between Kurt Angle, Samoa Joe, Daniels and Desmond Wolfe. These are four guys TNA has been trying to build their promotion around and I think It would be a good idea to put them out first and for most so that new fans can identify TNA with these four guys, not blah. Kurt Angle is a household name and currently a face new fans shouldn't have too much a problem getting behind Especially, when overcoming the odds against these three very talented heels. It would also be a much bigger deal if Jeff may his debut saving Kurt Angle from a three on one beat down that could set up a potential feud with either of these three guys. I would also have AJ out on commentary and while that isn't his strong point the champ needs to be a focal point of this show and needs to be on camera every chance TNA gets.

When will wrestling promotions learn that if you can't give a match 10 minutes its best to just leave the match off the card. Matches like Matt Morgan/Hernandez vs Raven/Dr. Stevie, Samoa Joe vs Abyss, Steel Asylum, Dinerio vs Desmond Wolfe and Tara vs. ODB were just thrown together, not even given a chance to develop and won't lead anywhere. Instead of the steel asylum match I would have just had a one on one match between the Amazing Red and Homicide for the X division title where homicide would get the title win. Instead of the Hernandez/Morgan vs Raven/Dr. Stevie I would have had Hernandez/Morgan /Dinero/Abyss vs the World Elite with a screwy finish leading to hogan giving Abyss/Morgan a tag title shot at Genesis, Hernandez getting a shot at Eric Young's global championship and Dinerio a shot at Homicides x division championship. Tara and ODB should have been left to Genesis.

With Angle being moved to the opening match that would leave the world title match open. Bobby Lashley would have been a perfect replacement. He just recently won a tournament giving him a title shot, signed with strike force and being a former WWE star gives him name recognition enough to justify a title shot against A.J. Having Ric Flair come out was a good idea but they should have put him on commentary, it would create a big match atmosphere having one of the great legends on commentary putting these two guys over.

One last thing, if you want to unmask a masked assailant and swerve the audience you should do it on the live episode and not the taped episode the week later. Imagine this, the masked assailant attacks AJ, Bobby Lashley sets up a spear leading the audience to think he's going to help AJ, Bobby Lashley then tells the masked man to get out of the way and spears AJ going heel in the process. The two them beat up on AJ till Ric Flair pulls A.J. out of the ring. The masked man unmasks himself. The lights dim. A mic falls from the ceiling. He says "The Future of pro wrestling has arrived and his name is Anderson...Anderson!".

What Monday Night War?

Welcome to The Daily Slam!

The new year has begun and tempers are flying between WWE & TNA fans all over the globe. Monday night was the first time we witnessed wrestling promotions going head-to-head since 2001. Who won that overall battle back then? Oh yeah, Vince F'n McMahon! Who won this past Monday? Not Hogan. Not Bischoff. Not even Ric Flair. It was Vince F'n McMahon. TNA tried their damn hardest to compete with the global phenom of professional wrestling, the WWE, but failed miserably in my mind. Yes they had a semi ratings boost. Big whoop. They also hyped the return of Hulk Hogan and this special 3 hour Impact for over a month now. Hell they even showed commercials during Raw to promote the fact that Hulk Hogan was on Spike Tv. Hey TNA.... we've seen the Hulkster enough over the last 2 decades. If it's not him doing a special appearance on a wrestling promotion, his own celebrity wrestling show (there's a reason it wasn't renewed for a 2nd season), or him and his families' crazy drama catastrophes covered by TMZ.

I give big props up to TNA for their efforts but the fact of the matter is that they went at it all the wrong way. When I was watching Impact, I felt like I was watching the rebirth of WCW with people like Hogan, Flair, Nash, Hall, Sting, Waltman (X-Pac), and Eric Bischoff himself. Dixie Carter needs to realize that people tune in to TNA to see AJ, Daniels, Joe, Wolfe, Angle, and the X-Division stars. Fans don't want to listen to ex-nWo members talk about the good ol' days and how TNA is going to bring change. Why change a good thing? I understand that they want to bring in more viewers to make more cash but I think they are going about it all the wrong way. I mean the best thing about Monday was seeing Jeff Hardy appear from out of no where like a bad case of the chicken pox. The Charismatic Enigma was WWE's biggest star during the Summer and he wasn't even on their flagship show. I know TNA wanted to have as many surprises as possible for their cherry poppin' Monday night show, but talk about dropping the ball with not promoting one of wrestling's most charismatic stars today.

So, how did Vince McMahon win this little Monday Night war? Bret "The Hitman" Hart. Even though the WWE's ratings didn't go up, it also didn't drop from the previous week. This means to me that TNA didn't steal any of the WWE's weekly addicted fans to the dark side. That is a win in my book. I'm sure Vince was hoping that Hart would draw in some past fans but honestly he didn't hype the Hitman's return enough to bring those people in. Vince only gave people a 7 day notice of his return and I think it would have been more beneficial to have announced the possibility about a month ago. I know he dropped little hints for 3 weeks but remember only the fans who watch regularly are going to catch on. With Bret's return on Monday brings the possibility of a small role in the company. Rumor is he has signed a 3 month contract (which brings us to Mania) and could continue his little feud with Vince, but not HBK since they have buried the hatchet (I smell bullshit!). Bret could spice things up on Raw or even SD! far more than I think Hogan/Bischoff can over on Impact.

Honestly, if there had been a Monday Night Football game on I don't think we would even be having this discussion because TNA's ratings would have been a lot lower. The NFL has had its biggest ratings of all time this year and Raw has been keeping pretty steady the whole time. Even though their product isn't as good as it could be on most Monday nights they still have a loyal following, something TNA has yet to find outside the ImpactZone (they canceled another show in Australia? That's not good for publicity). Let's all hope the young stars don't get shoved to the back of the line because the old fogies are running things. At the moment, I only tune in to TNA to see 5 people; AJ, Daniels, Angle, Wolfe, and now Hamada (the chic has skillz). I do not tune in to see people I watched retire years ago. I think a lot of people agree with me.

Until Next Time...

Missed Opportunities: Monday Night Wars 2 Part One; A Small Peace Found In Larger War.

Let me start by saying that Monday night was the most fun I've had as a wrestling fan in a long time. The Hype, Nostalgia and the Surprises are the things I love about wrestling and Monday couldn't have possibly done more in those fronts.

On Raw we saw the conclusion of a story that spanned not only kayfabe, but reality as well as two icons of the business, who have had one of the great rivalries in wrestling history and who's backstage hatred of each other is equally legendary, brought a conclusion to a story that noone though would or could ever end. Bret Hart is one of the greatest technical wrestlers of all time. When Hogan and his friends left the wwe it was Bret Hart who picked up the torch and lead the wwf to survival and when the time came passed the torch to the most popular wrestler of all time Stone Cold Steve Austin and helped Austin get over by innovating a new kind of heel.

Austin was not Hart's greatest rival though, it was a man by the name of Shawn Michael's. What made this rivalry great is that neither Shawn or Hart were playing characters. They were being themselves. Bret Hart was raised basically wrestling royalty. His father was the legendary Stu Hart. Bret Hart's family owed everything to wrestling and he took the business very seriously. To Shawn wrestling was his second favorite game only after messing with people. Shawn by all accounts, including his own, was an asshole. He thrived on being the center of attention which had the twin effects of pushing him to be a show-stealer and pushing other people around. It's easy to see where the animosity comes from. They however, put on some of the best matches of all time.

Their final and most important match occurred Survivor Series 1997. Prior to this match Vince McMahon was unable to negotiate a deal to keep Bret Hart with the wwf and Bret was going to the wwf's main competitor the wcw. However, Vince and Bret had a short term deal where Bret wouldn't leave with till he lost the wwf championship. Bret offered to loose the belt to several people including Ken Shamrock, but due to personal animosity he didn't want to drop the belt to Shawn Michaels even though they had at survivor seris 97 coming up. Vince promised Bret that he wouldn't have to drop the belt to Shawn. Vince lied. Not only did he lie , he neglected to tell Bret. Instead he waited till the match was going on and when Shawn had Bret in Bret's signature submission hold, The Sharpshooter, Vince called for the ref to ring the bell. Let's just say Bret was pissed. This was the end of Bret and Shawn's storied in ring rivalry, the beginning of the real life feud between Vince and Bret and the birth of the infamous Montreal Screwjob.

Shortly after Bret left the wwf, his brother Owen Hart was killed in a stunt gone wrong and Bret faced had his career ended by injury where the down syndrome afflicted Goldberg f'ed up a mule kick resulting in Hart suffering a concussion and eventually a stroke. He would never wrestle again. Shawn Michaels also called it a career shortly after due to back problems, but he later found Jesus at rehab and returned a few years later.

Bret Hart was understandably bitter about the whole situation and never shied away from voicing his discontent to the media. Vince never shy himself had no problems in using the screwjob to elevate his character as possibly the greatest antagonist in wrestling history and has countless times repeated the screwjob in story-lines. Vince didn't stop there. After the success of the dvd The Self Destruction of The Ultimate Warrior Vince McMahon set his sights on a follow up which was to be called Screwed: The Bret Hart Story which obviously wasn't going to exactly be a positive look at Bret's career. After seeing a kid playing with a Bret Hart action figure at the dentist office Bret realized he didn't want to be remembered for the Montreal Screwjob so he came to an arrangement with Vince McMahon that he would work with Vince on the DVD.

Now that a working relationship established between the two Vince wanted to try his luck and inducted Bret Hart in the wwe hall of fame hoping he could rope Bret into a storyline at WrestleMania. Well, not a whole story just put an end to a story. Bring an end to what is probably Vince McMahon's favorite story. Bring an end to the Montreal Screwjob Story.

Shawn Michaels was set to face Vince McMahon at WrestleMania 22. In the lead up to the match Vince kept pressuring Shawn about the screwjob and Shawn said he just wanted to put it behind him which lead to a storyline which McMahon challenged Michaels conversion to Christianity. The plan was for Bret to return and help McMahon defeat Shawn at WrestleMania. Bret declined. While he may have forgiven McMahon, he still refused to work with Shawn Michaels. It wasn't a total bust though the match did become PWI match of the year and we got this...

After WrestleMaina 22 it became a forgone conclusion that we would never see a conclusion to montreal Screwjob. Bret couldn't get past Shawn Michaels actions in the past. Remember, the Montreal screwjob wasn't the start of their mutual ill will, it was just the exclamation point. Shawn politicized and tried to hold down Bret's protege The Rock while trying to elevate his own, HHH. There was also the afore mentioned personality clash and as afore mentioned Shawn Michaels was an ass.Bret also seemed to be weary of the wresting business.

The wwe's largest competitor TNA has recently announced not only the signing of Hulk Hogan but that Hogan would debut on a live 3hour Monday night special for the first time in the company's history going head to head with the wwe. Dixie Carter, tna's President, called this the "first shot" in a new Monday night war. The wwe's response was a special celebrity guest host. Bret Hart.

This is probably the longest post I've written on this site, but it's important to the know the story before you know the ending. Bret Hart was indeed the guest host Monday. The show opened with a video package showing the clip-notes version of Bret Hart's career. His music hit. He walked down to the ramp. He then called Shawn Michaels down to the ring. We saw something no one ever thought they would see again. Shawn and Bret were standing in the same ring. And they didn't kill each other. They shook hands. They hugged. They hugged!

Professional Wrestling isn't known for ending story-lines. Mainly because it rarely happens. Writers get bored, egos get in the way, injuries and other things prevent many if not most story-lines from reaching a resolution. Thats to be expected from a weekly tv show with the amount of physicality involved in wrestling. Most of these story-lines are forgotten. Not this one. There are few story-lines less likely of seeing resolution then this one. But it happened.Even more rarely is that ending two enemies finding coming to terms and even more rarely then that two real life enemies burying the hatchet. After 12 years of fermenting this long and winding journey has finally reached its destination.