A Week of Returns

The Daily Slam

02.24.11

-Elimination Chamber results
-Cena goes old-school
-A shocking return, another return, and one more return.... wait and another one?
-Projected WrestleMania card
-USA! USA! USA!

First off, I'd like to welcome you to The Daily Slam! This column has been on hiatus for a few weeks due to me moving back East, starting a new type of career, and my desktop computer completely crashing. But for the few lucky readers that I might read this, the phoenix has risen from the ashes just as many superstars this past week have. I'd also like to thank whomever it was that put the Elimination Chamber online in a free live stream that allowed me to watch. It was a great ppv for the WWE heading into the grandest stage of them all.

As I mentioned, the EC ppv was one of the better ones recently. Most of the internet armchair wrestling fans predicted John "Superman" Cena to win the Raw chamber but huge congratulations go out to Edge for becoming the first person to retain their championship in an elimination chamber match. True fact, look it up. Not only did the chamber matches help set-up the Mania card, but they also added fuel to some other fires with the other superstars. The interaction between CM Punk and Randy Orton was incredible. If this feud had the WWE Championship on the line it would be even more intriguing. Miz vs Lawler was suprisingly good I thought for it having a 60+ yr old in the match. Throw in two returning stars in the mix and it was an overall great show.

Diva Break...

Last week on Raw, The Rock owned Cena in his non-PG rated promo. Poking fun of his fruity pebble t-shirts and his hand waving signature saying. DJ made a huge buzz through out the wrestling community with his "burns" on the face of WWE and speculation is still running wild about a possible Rock vs Cena match. The new #1 contender didn't take these words too kindly as he went back to the Doctor of Thuganomics
and ripped Dwayne Johnson by ripping into almost every movie he's made. I usually roll my eyes during a Cena promo but this one had me turning up the volume and laughing out loud. "I wasn't talking trash Rock I was talking truth, you left us hanging high and dry to play a fairy with a tooth?!?" That line should be made into an anti-Rock t-shirt for Cena to wear. I don't see these two ever facing one another but I have a funny feeling that Rock will help Cena beat Miz for the title. It just feels like we will see another Tyson turns on DX moment. Not that Dwayne is on the Miz side for this whole ordeal but it just has that possible feel-good segment that Vince likes to create for the fans.

WrestleMania always brings us something different such as special guests starts or returning wrestlers that spice things up. Vince will do just about anything to help boost the buyrates and leave the fans ultimately pleased. This year is having no exception. First we get the return of the movie making Rock, followed by a healed up Christian and Trish Stratus at the ppv who could both become involved at Mania. Then on Monday we get the result of the awaited 2.21.11 promos with the Undertaker taking 10 min to walk down the entrance ramp. That alone got the fans in an upraor but when Triple H walked out it was noticeable that he was the bigger star that night. It appears Taker vs HHH is on tap for the show and maybe another career on-the-line stipulation or guest referee is a huge possibility.

With WrestleMania only a little over a month away, we have a general idea of what the card will look like. So far we will see John Cena vs The Miz for the WWE title and Edge vs Alberto Del Rio for the World HeavyWeight title. I think one of those matches will get a change such as The Rock becoming "special guest enforcer" to the WWE title match. Also, a possiblility of Christian and/or Ziggler becoming involved in the other title match in some form. The other big match will be Taker vs HHH. Will the career be on-the-line for the "Game"? I still have my doubts. The Big Show vs Wade Barrett looks to be on tap as well as Cody Rhodes vs Rey Mysterio. I don't think either the US or IC title will be defended as both champions will most likely be involved the MITB ladder match if there is one. No word has been given yet since the MITB ppv got great reviews last year. If there is a MITB match then I would have Kofi, Bryan, Swagger, Morrison, Sheamus, DiBiase, Kane, McIntyre, and a returning Bourne. Lastly, one match that I am most excited for will be Randy Orton vs CM Punk is some capacity. Either single pinfall or maybe some stipulation. I'd prefer a last man standing. Overall, this year's Mania card will be an amazing one in which I can not wait to order.

Other big news from Raw was the next inductee into the Hall of Fame class of 2011 that happens the night before WrestleMania. Joining HBK this year is "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan. This is so well deserving as "Hacksaw" is so well embraced by the fans over all these years and a great presence in the wrestling community. We can go 3 years without seeing him on tv and once his theme music hits and he is shown with a 2x4 in one hand and the US flag in the other, you are compelled to begin the U-S-A, U-S-A, U-S-A chants. It's almost uncontrollable if your part of the live audience. Congratulations to the 1st ever Royal Rumble winner, a survivor of kidney cancer, and a true American, Mr. James Duggan. "Hooo!!!"

A Look Back & Forward

Welcome to a special new year edition of The Daily Slam! Let's take a look at the year 2010 in wrestling and what's possible for 2011.

The past year saw a lot of fresh faces in the WWE while some older ones went off into the shadows. The Nexus was formed from season one NXT and ran wild on Raw. They made their presence know the first night and ended the year with a continued feud with Mr John Cena. There were some new champions in Jack Swagger and The Miz after both cashed in Money In The Bank briefcases. Also, Kane won the championship and held it for months while defeating his brother, The Undertaker, multiple times. HBK retired and HHH took off the year following Extreme Rules ppv. Bret Hart returned and defeated Vince McMahon at WrestleMania. Daniel Bryan (Bryan Danielson) was fired then rehired and has become the United States champ. What a year it has been but I predict better things to happen in 2011.

Stating tonight on Raw, 1/3/2011, The Miz will defend his WWE Championship against his former tag team partner John Morrison in a falls count anywhere match. Could the "Rockstar" win his first main event title tonight to bring in the new year? Doubtful but it should be interesting to see how Miz holds onto the gold. Elsewhere in the WWE, CM Punk has stepped from away from the commentary table and started a feud with Superman Cena. That alone sparks a lot of interest but let's throw Nexus onto the fire. That's right, CM Punk and Nexus are in cahoots together. If the Straight Edge Superstar is the new leader of the "We Are One" clan, how will this effect the rest of the locker room? And does this mean the members must also be Straight Edge because I know David Otunga parties a lot. He is "A-List" and all.

The Rumble is approaching so everyone will begin to throw out their predictions for a winner. My predict: Triple H. The WWE loves to have injured stars return at the Rumble so this fits perfectly. If not then I'd love to see Jericho return and win to solidify him as a top 5 greatest WWE Superstar of all time.

The night after WrestleMania, which is always Raw, usually does some big tv ratings for WWE and it looks like their capitalizing on that fact. The new return of Tough Enough will premiere before Raw on that night. I imagine NXT will be a thing of the past after this season but the WWE is still pushing the new star envelope. The original Tough Enough was very entertaining so this sparks my interest. Let's hope they don't go all MTV Hills on us and start scripting what the young hopefuls say and do.

What I am expecting for the year 2011 in WWE? 
Triple H returns to tv but as a heel
Jericho returns to feud with Christian in what will be feud of the year
The Miz gets burried like Punk did after his 1st title reign but bounces back around Summer
The Nexus goes through a few more transitions before complete dismantle by end of Mania
Wade Barrett and Alberto Del Rio will be the only 2 first time Champions of the year
LayCool introduces Awesome Kong as their body guard
Justin Gabriel goes face and becomes the next Evan Bourne
Evan Bourne returns but becomes future endeavored
The IC and US titles will be Unified
Kevin Nash makes at-least one cameo appearance on WWE TV

Well that is my year end/ new year special Daily Slam. Let's all hope the WWE steps it up and makes 2011 better than the past few have been. Thanks for reading.

T.L.C. Predictions

 My Predictions for the WWE TLC Pay Per View on Dec 19th 2010.

#1 Contender Ladders Match
John Morrison vs Sheamus

The Shaman of Sexy seeks to dethrone the newly coronation King of the Ring in a contest of ladders. While both Sheamus and Morrison have completely different styles the ladder match plays to both of their strengths. Morrison has a platform to jump off of and Sheamus can use the ladder like a hammer to hit JoMo with. John is amazing on his own, but with a ladder I expect him to do some amazing acrobatics to help justify his #1 contender status. While Sheamus isn't anything to sneeze at he won't continue his legacy that he started last year at TLC. Morrison has a date with destiny at the Royal Rumble when he faces off against his former partner in crime.
Winner: "The Monday Night Delight", John Morrison.

Tables Match
Beth Phoenix/Natalya Neidhart vs LayCool

This must be a first; a diva's tag team tables match. It's going to be harder for either member of LayCool to put Phoenix through a table then for Beth to do the same. It isn't easy being skinny I guess. LayCool definitely isn't defenseless with their advantage on the experience front. Also there's a question of unity; can Beth and Natalya trust each other or will Beth want to make a statement with WrestleMania on the horizon?
Winner: Heart of the Phoenix

Intercontinental Championship Ladder Match
Dolph Ziggler (c) vs Kofi Kingston vs Jack Swagger

I always thought Ziggler and Swagger would make a great tag team. Kingston would make the best use of the ladder of the three however Swagger will soar to an IC title reign.
Winner: The All American American Intercontinental Champion

Chairs Match
John Cena vs Wade Barrett

Such a big match wasted with a stupid gimmick. Then again they're both big guys and could do some damage with a chair. Normal booking would have John get his revenge and that's the safe bet. Still, Barrett is the breakout star of the year and I wouldn't count him out. While I think the booking has been rushed I want to give a shout out to Barrett getting so pissed at Otunga that he would reinstate Cena to force Otunga in a match with him.
Winner: The women and the children aka John Cena wins

World Heavyweight Championship Tables, Ladders, Chairs Match
Kane (c) vs Edge vs Alberto Del Rio vs Rey Mysterio

Kane has been a dominate champion even though they've made him look like a bitch recently, Edge is the undisputed master of TLC matches, Rey can fly and Del Rio has been on a roll. I think Kane wins and starts a heel vs heel feud with Alberto Del Rio.
Winner: Kane

WWE Championship Tables Match
The Miz (c) vs Randy Orton

Last year Sheamus shocked everyone by defeating Cena and becoming the new World Champion in a tables match. The surprise win came earlier this year when Miz cashed in his MITB briefcase. The question is can Miz do to the Viper what Sheamus did last year to Cena? The answer is yes! The Miz will retain and it will be Awesome.
Winner: The Miz

WWE TLC Pay Per View Predictions

PPV Predictions 12.17.10

Here are my predictions for this Sunday's WWE TLC pay per view from Philadelphia, Pa.

#1 Contender Ladders Match
John Morrison vs Sheamus
These two square off for the third time to resolve this feud and it's for a shot at the gold. Sheamus may be the new king of the ring but Morrison looks to be on a good roll as of late. Could be a show stealer in my opinion and in all honesty needs to be a platform for Morrison. If he wins this match and Miz retains the title, we could have Miz vs Morrison at Royal Rumble. That makes me excited. Just Sayin.
Winner- John Morrison

Tables Match
Natalya (c) & Beth Phoenix vs Laycool
This makes me wonder if this is Vince's way of matching the knockouts cage match from impact last week. Just a thought to ponder. Anyways, I love this match-up. Two strong divas vs two sly/cunning ones. Beth and Nattie have a huge upper advantage and that makes me think they will lose. Somehow that gorgeous Lalya will figure out a way to save Michelle McCool and in the process send Nattie through a table.
Winners- LayCool

Intercontinental Championship Ladder Match
Dolph Ziggler (c) vs Kofi Kingston vs Jack Swagger
A good triple threat match with three veterans of this type of stipulation. Swagger is a revent MITB winner so he knows how to overcome ladder matches with the odds against him. Ziggler has been champ for a long time and has no real reason to drop the belt unless he moves to the main event. Kofi is just Kofi and honestly doesn't need the title at this point. I'm pulling for Ziggler here just because if he loses the belt, he might be lost in creative over the next few months heading towards Mania.
Winner- Dolph Ziggler

Chairs Match
John Cena vs Wade Barrett
The re-hired John Cena gets his revenge against foe Wade Barrett. Wade actually asked for this match though. The big concern here is will Nexus get involved. I don't see how they wouldn't want to help out their leader and destroy the man who has been beating them down. This is a match where the odds will be stacked against Cena and yet he finds away to prevail. This chapter has been written before many, many times.
Winner- John Cena

World HeavyWeight Championship Tables, Ladders, Chairs Match
Kane (c) vs Edge vs Alberto Del Rio vs Rey Mysterio
You throw two heated feuds together into one big match and the result will be nothing short of impeccable. Edge and Mysterio will do some high risk maneuvers while Kane and Del Rio can cause some ground damage to their foes. This should be one brutal match with possibly an unexpected twist. Before I thought Edge would finally beat Kane but now with the Rey and Alberto in the mix, I might be leaning towards a first time champ in Del Rio. The man has made such a huge splash since coming to WWE and is deserving of the spotlight. It would just be a major twist in the business. The Rated R Superstar is still my odds on favorite.
Winner- Edge

WWE Championship Tables Match
The Miz (c) vs Randy Orton
It's so weird to type the Miz as champion but in a good way. The Miz has looked like such a beatable champion that I feel he has to win this one. There is a reason you have Alex Riley around so you can use him as a distraction. Orton would win a lot of his matches with help from Legacy so I don't see why Miz wouldn't do the same. Plus I am really pulling for this Miz vs Morrison match at the Royal Rumble next month. It's hard to go against my favorite wrestler over the last 3 years but this is the Miz's time to shine.
Winner- The Miz