Mania 26 Has Begun To Take Shape

Welcome to The Daily Slam!

After a one week hiatus, The Daily Slam is back with news and recaps from the wrestling/sports entertainment world. We are only 24 days away from the grand daddy show of them all... WrestleMania 26. Has the card fully taken shape? Is the streak vs career match a good idea? Does the Hart name have enough to draw the buy-rates McMahon is looking for? My thoughts on these topics and other news.

So far the main title matches have been announced. Batista vs Cena has been building to be a good heel champ vs fan favorite match. Their promo work alone has been really helping the Animal get over as the bad ass bad guy that I had hope'd he become. I envisioned this type of character 3 months ago and I'm glad they are giving him the time to reach this level. Batista said to Cena on Raw; "You keep on kissing babies and hugging fat girls!" That was an epic statement. The World Heavyweight Championship match with Edge vs Jericho has been in the making since Edge was injured. There really isn't any need to build up this feud since it's what everyone has wanted to see since the Rated R superstar won the Royal Rumble.

HBK vs Undertaker. Mr. WrestleMania vs The Deadman. The Career vs The Streak. This is round number two for these superstars and the ante has been raised. If Shawn Miaheals loses, he walks away from the WWE. If the Undertaker loses, his perfect Mania streak of 17-0 will be over and will make wrestling fans all over cry a little bit on the inside. I will elaborate a little more when I do my predictions but at this moment I just don't see HBK pulling out a win here. I could understand if it was an up and comer but why would you allow someone who's about done with the business ruin such a perfect thing? I think this match gimmick was poorly thought up. I would have preferred a Casket or a Hell in a Cell match then this concept. Michaels doens't need to end the streak to prove the world that he's still the Showstopper, we witnessed that a year ago. Let's hope Vince doesn't screw the Taker like he did to Bret.

That leads us to the Hart vs McMahon match that was announced this last Monday. We all knew Bret would be involved at WrestleMania in some capacity but I didn't honestly think it would be a straight up one on one match. Vince now wants Bret but only because the Hitman is in a cast. Will the cast be off in time for the big show or will this end up being a sad sight inside the ring. Let's hope Bret is somewhat pulling the strings to this story and doesn't allow McMahon to tarnish his legacy anymore. It has been over 12 years since the WWE has seen Bret in a pay per view so you would think this could draw huge numbers. The only problem is he isn't being shown as the main attraction of the show as others have been in the past such as Floyd Mayweather or Donald Trump. But it's enough for me to spend the money and I haven't ordered a ppv in 2 years so he hooked me in.

In other WWE news; the company has begun it's Spring cleaning a little early this year by releasing superstars such as Helms, Maria, Burchill, and Haas. I imagine that the Hurricane will find plenty of work in the Indy's until he finds a small role in RoH or TNA. Maria was destined to do more in life than the WWE, such as Celebrity Apprentice and probably follow on the Stacey Keibler path of hottness. Paul Burchill will bounce around but I see him going back of the sea and maybe defining his skills in Japan before getting another shot in the 'E. As for Haas, unfortunately his better wrestling days are behind him. Since the split of The Worlds Greatest Tag Team, he hasn't landed into anything but being a jobber. I think he goes home, spends time with the family, and becomes a successful car salesman. There is no shame in that my friend.

Additional Slams!...

It looks like Legacy is officially over. Orton is getting over huge with the crowd lately and it's helping him develop that bad guy fan favorite persona. It helps that he is being out numbered by Rhodes and Dibiase at the moment but can it continue after the feud is over? Also, these three have yet to be announced in a Mania match so you can only imagine all three will be in some sort of bout with each other.

Gail Kim was injured on Raw during the pillow fight divas match so it's a good thing Maryse is the current Divas Champion and not her. Let's hope she makes a quick recovery because the less I see Jillian, the better. Also, Eve won that match so maybe Vince will try to push her a little more in the ring. We haven't seen a whole lot of what she is capable and I for one am  interested in her potential.

Daniel Bryan lost his second match in the WWE NXT show on Tuesday. Let's not look too much into this. Vince knows he already has a future star with Bryan so the losses don't really hurt him. I have a feeling that this is leading towards a Miz vs Bryan match-up and Daniel will come out on top. Once the first season of NXT is over, the American Dragon should jump right into the U.S. title picture.

Finally, The ShowMiz has successfully defended their Unified Tag Titles a couple of times now an is proving to be a great pair. There is only one problem; who else is there to face? Well, I'm glad you asked because it looks as if there is a tag team match on SmackDown to determine the new #1 contenders. Spoiler Alert- Morrison & R-Truth! Could this be how they get Miz & Morrison involved at Mania? Hopefully.

Until Next Time... I'm Just Sayin'!

NXT Please

I think we have just been Obamaed by the WWE. We were promised something new, something innovated, we were promised change. That's not what we got. Like Obama's reign, the WWE has lost some of its luster recently. Both have been hemorrhaging money and doing everything they can think of to find a new audience even if it means pissing all over the old one. They keep promising change and innovation but only to bring back old ideas in a new packaging while afraid of the very thing they promised. They stick to a rigid formula which is why both are in their rut in the first place .

What I thought we were going to get in NXT was a reality show along the lines of the Ultimate Fighter. Reality shows have been the it thing for the better part of a decade producing many of the celebrities of the last decade. UFC in particular owes much of its current success to The Ultimate Fighter. Reality TV opens a window in which we see at how people 'live" and is at it's most successful which over the top animated characters such as the Osbourne's and more recently the Hills.

These undoubtedly scripted shows presented as reality makes it a cousin of sorts to pro wrestling and I have long thought that by borrowing their cousins format would be an interesting new way to present wrestlers and add dimension to their characters. For the longest time we've only seen wrestlers either in the ring or backstage. We never see their day to day life, training and rarely giving a reason to build a connection with them.

One of the things NXT did that i like were the video packages introducing the talent, but that's too be expected from the WWE production team. I do feel they tried to introduce too many people at once. They should of had one video package introducing a NXT rookie every episode of ECW for the past few months.

The first episode of NXT should show the Mentors picking their students instead of them being randomly paired. Starting with the second episode, every episode should limit itself to focusing on two different rookies to ensure every rookie gets a chance to shine. Like the Ultimate fighter, they should focus mostly on developing the rookie's characters, their training and at the end of the episode have the two rookies facing off.

Another problem I feel with the show is the choice of mentors. I'm not saying these guys chosen aren't worthy but I think it would be more beneficial for ratings and promoting the rookies if they had main eventers train the rookies. Wouldn't Triple H, Cena, Orton, Batista, Rey make more sense as mentors then Carlito, R Truth and Matt Hardy. Christian and William Regal are both fine in the role even though they don't have the profile of the afore mentioned stars. They were the two top performers of ECW adding continuity between NXT and ECW and both are respected veterans. Chris Jericho and CM Punk are both main eventers so their good and I'm giving The Miz a pass because he's awesome, currently a triple crown champion and a former reality TV show star.

 

Less Than 24 Hours Ago...

Less Than 24 Hours Ago... is a recap/highlights from the previous nights pay per view in sports entertainment. Let's get to it!

Last night we witnessed an historic Elimination Chamber pay per view that has somewhat shaken up the matches for WrestleMania 26. Both main championships changed hands, story-lines were developed in the chambers, The Miz had to defend the US title but had help, and the divas match apparently needs more time to build up.

In the WWE Championship chamber, DiBiase pinned his mentor Randy Orton which will leave Randall no choice but the humiliate his protege. This will set up nicely for what is to come with these two within the next few weeks. The WWE title was won by Mr Golden God John Cena by making Triple H (my prediction) tap out. By having Batista defeat Cena in under a minute to walk away with the title following the chamber match sets up those two for an even bigger feud. Then if you throw in Hart and McMahon in the picture, you have a dynamic situation for the biggest show of the year.

The Miz and MVp match was thrown in the PPV last minute. I like this title defense taking place but it should have been advertised. The way the cards were "laid out", I can see a nice ShowMiz vs MVP/WSM tag title match at WrestleMania. If this is the case then I wish The Miz could drop the title within the next few weeks to another mid-carder for the time being.

I'm pissed that the Divas match did not take place between Gail Kim and Maryse. We haven't had a champion in forever and these two are going to put on a fantastic match if they are given the right amount of time. Let's hope they don't wait all the way til' Mania. And what in the hell is Vickie G. doing by booing matches on pay per views when she is only a "consultant". Come on now Vince, it's getting to be a stretch with this being believable.

Intercontinental Champ, Drew McIntyre, defeated Kane to retain the gold. Enough said.

In the World HeavyWeight Championship Elimination Chamber featured some of the best in ring talent the WWE has to offer at the moment. HBK showed up in the ring, when only the Deadman and Jericho were left, and gave the Undertaker some sweet chin music. This resulted in a win for Chris "Y2J" Jericho and will most likely solidify his match with Edge at WrestleMania.

The Elimination Chamber had some great finishes and some utter disappointments. WrestleMania 26 is just around the corner now and is shaping up to be an amazing card. So far I would say we have Cena/Batista, HBK/Taker, Jericho/Edge, HHH/Sheamus, Orton/DiBiase, and maybe Punk/Mysterio. Things are constantly changing in the business so I'm sure there will be a surprise match or two in there. Throw in some good music and some bad ass pyrotechnics (as long as these ones don't catch The Undertaker on fire) and it should be an amazing pay per view.

The next Less Than 24 Hours Ago... will feature WrestleMania 26.

Edge's Return.

Growing up I was a WCW fan. I would always watch Nitro then turn to Raw during commercials, but I would always quickly flip back to make sure I didn't miss anything. However, there was always one thing that would keep me from turning back to Nitro. Edge and Christian. Edge has been my favorite wrestler since then and my favorite of all time.

Edge has just made his return in grand fashion. After a multi month injury he surprised everyone by returning to the Rumble and winning it. This was the most epic way for him to return that's to be sure but was it the best?

When he was injured he was one half of the tag team champions with Chris Jericho and after his injury he was kicked to the curb by Jericho who replaced him with the Big Show, who Edge was feuding with at the time. This was the perfect set up for an Edge vs Jericho feud when Edge returned, which we may still get if Jericho wins the Elimination Chamber.

Jerrishow was one of the highlights of the past year. Their reign with the belts helped restore credability to tag team wrestling in the WWE. They were on a role and really stood out. Then DX decided they wanted a run with the belts too. Jerrishow should have kept the belts till mania and dominated a few more teams along the way like a reformed Worlds Greatest Tag Team and a one off reunion of Morrison and the Miz. At the Rumble Edge should have returned but not in the rumble but as interference coting Jericho the match. Then Edge challenge Jerrishow at mania with his partner Christian.

E&C vs Jerrishow would be a major match. Granted, it would be a step down for Edge and potentially Jerricho to be in a tag title match when they could main event, but it would be better for the WWE, tag team wrestling and for the overall card at Mania.

Tag team wrestling in the WWE has seen a surge the past year and a lot of great new teams have come into being, but there's one problem. Most of them are heel teams. outside of DX the only two face teams are Crime Time and MVP Henry. If Edge and christian win the tag titles it would open up quite a few potential feuds.

E@C vs The Straight Edge Society- Punk and Edge started having a pretty decent feud before punk went heel and could now continue due to Edges quasi face statis. christian as well would match up nicely against Punk.

E&C vs The Hart Dynasty- Edge and christian got their start at the Hart Dungeon and would be a possibly career defining feud for the Hart Dynasty

E&C vs Legacy- This depends on if Legacy is doesn't brake up, but reunited Edge with his former Rated RKO partner Randy Orton and Dibiase and Rhodes are the most legit tag team in the WWE right now thanks to their feud with DX

E&C vs Regal/Jackson- Picking up where Christians with them ended. Christian and Regal had some of the best matches of the past year.

E&C vs Worlds Greatest Tag Team- Shelton and Christan had a fun latter match at TLC and both of these teams have been around for quite a while and are both really really good.

E@C vs The Briscoes- It's been reported that the WWE has been very interested in signing the best underground tag team of the decade and Edge and christian would be natural opponents.

The rebirth of the tag division isn't the only reason I was disappointed to see Edge win the Rumble. Edge has at this point pretty much has done everything there is too do in the WWE and there isn't much left he can do that would be interesting.

One thing that could keep Edge relevant for years is a long term storyline. I would have had Edge, when he returned, say he had a lot of time to think about his legacy and how he would be remembered and how it disgusted him. He just wanted to be the champion so bad he started taking short cuts and before he knew it he became a monster and that's not how he wants to be remembered. He wants to be remembered as a true champion not an opportunist. He wants to win the title this time by talent and hard work not politicking and cheating.

Of coarse, this is easier said then done. For this storyline to mean anything it would take time. Anywhere, between 1 and three years. There would also have to be obstacles that reflect his past transgressions. Maybe Vickie taking power again and making Edge's life a living hell. He would also have to face people he has wronged in the past such as Matt Hardy, Batista and The Undertaker and he would have to face coconspirators like Zac Ryder, Chris Jericho and Randy Orton. After confronting his past sins, he would win The Royal Rumble and win the championship representing his redemption. Granted Vince McMahon would never go for a long storyline like that, but that's the reason the WWE is in the state that it's in.

The Chamber of Elimination

Vacant WWE Divas Title Match: Maryse vs. Gail Kim

This is the most emphasise that's been placed on the divas title in a long while. Gail Kim has had a back and forth career. She won the woman's title in her first match then floundered till she went to TNA where her work secured her spot as one of the greatest woman wrestlers in history, but hasn't done much since she returned to the wwe. however she has picked up er game the last few weeks in this tournament and especially last night against Katie Lee Burchill. Marsye on the other hand is the chosen one in the woman's division having held both the woman's and divas championships.
Winner: Gail Kim

Intercontinental Title Match: Drew McIntyre vs. Kane

Kane, I feel, is one of the most underrated superstars in the WWE. McIntyre is very quickly picking up steam. While this match may be have had one of the greatest builds it should be pretty solid with either man potentially coming out on top.
Winner: Shawn's boy toy

SmackDown Elimination Chamber (World Heavyweight Championship) :
The Undertaker vs. Chris Jericho vs. CM Punk vs. John Morrison vs. R-Truth vs. Rey Mysterio

I think Shawn Micheals might replace John Morrison, but won't win the match. My guess is that Chris Jericho will win and face Edge at mania, though the WWE has been trying to throw curve balls as of late. So, really any1 can win except for R Truth.
winner; Jericho

RAW Elimination Chamber (WWE Championship): Sheamus vs. Triple H vs. Randy Orton vs. Ted DiBiase vs. John Cena vs. Kofi Kingston

First things first there's no way Shamus is going into mania the champ. I'm not entirely sure where they're heading for mania though. I think it'll be HHH vs HBK but then again it could easily be HHH vs Sheamus. Ted Dibiase is a dark horse for winning. If he wins or if he looses I'm still expecting a triple threat match at mania between Legacy. Cena is the golden boy, but they seem to want him vs Batista at mania for the Hart/McMahon storyline. That could however include the world title as well. Kofi Kinston would shock the world, but I don't see who he'd challenge.
Winner: Ted DiBiase