Draft Results & Night of Champions

WWE held their 2008 Draft on Monday night and I was zero and whatever in picking who was to be drafted. I'm ok with that. So, some of the big names changing brands include HHH to Smackdown, Batista to RAW, Matt Hardy to ECW, Umanga to Smackdown, Kennedy to Smackdown and Kate to RAW. The biggest surprise of the night was the announcer swap of Jim Ross to Smackdown and Michael Cole to RAW. I can wrap my brain around the swap because Cole is the person to shoulder the announcing duties of the WWE for the next ten years. Corporate just needs to find the modern day equivalent of Jerry "The King" Lawler to do color commentary. I like having Mick Foley doing the color duties on Smackdown as he is very knowledgeable about the biz and I think Foley and Ross will do well with each other. I just hate not having Good Ole JR on Monday Nights.
HHH going to Smackdown makes sense as Stephanie runs the show and with her about to have a baby, HHH will most likely take over some of the creative duties. Which leads to this Sunday's Night of Champions PPV.
Now that almost every title holder (save Edge) has switched brands, this Sunday's PPV should see oodles of title changes. The marquee match (HHH vs. Cena) will most likely see a title swap and maybe an injury angle on HHH's part as he is expecting a new child (Mozel Tov!). Edge vs. Batista could see a title change as well to get a main title on each show.
The Tag Team Championship (Bob Holly & Cody Rhodes) should change hands to Teddy Jr. and his secret partner (rumored to be the son of Davey Boy Smith). I think the WWE should create a stable of the sons (and daughter) of WWE Legends. Have Randy Orton be the leader and then bring back their parental units (Davey Boy RIP) to battle it out.
-Wrestling Geek

Thoughts on the 2008 WWE Draft

Here are just a few things that I would like to see with tonight's (June 23) WWE Draft.
1) Cena goes to Smackdown - for some reason, the more charismatic talent excels on Smackdown. The Rock had his heyday on Smackdown and even Cena rose to fame on the Blue Brand. I think he can excel again despite male contingent who insists on boooing him at each venue.
2) Edge goes to RAW - Adam belongs on RAW and this would bring a logical end to La Familia on Smackdown.
3) Michelle McCool goes to RAW - Michelle wants to wrestle, let her. Let her compete for the Women's Championship.
4) John Morrison to Smackdown - I know John and The Miz show up on Smackdown all the time anyway, but John has shown (at least on TV) that he has what it takes to run with the big dogs.
5) Teddy Long to RAW - TL has been on the DL as of late, but give him the GM slot and have him work an angle with the Vicky, the GM of Smackdown, that leads to Summerslam.

I'm sure there will be shocks and surprises at the draft which is why I enjoy watching.

The Countdown is On!

2008 King of the Ring Thoughts

On April 21, WWE ran a three hour RAW on USA Network. It was during this show that a new King of the Ring was crowned. At one point, the King of the Ring was a WWE Pay Per View event. For the last couple of years, the WWE has stretched the KotR tournament over a few weeks on RAW. On Monday, they returned to the single night format.
I believe King of the Ring has found its identity on RAW.
Now, to the gripes. It would have been nice to have the KotR determine the #1 contender for a title. It seemed like most of the superstars in the tournament already had storylines going for them. CM Punk was the winner of the Money in the Bank ladder match at WrestleMania XXIV. MVP has a feud with Matt Hardy. Chris Jericho is the Intercontinental Title holder and will be the special referee for the Michaels/Batista match at Backlash. William Regal is the current General Manager of RAW. It would have been nice for some of the talent who didn't have ongoing storylines to participate in the KotR.
William Regal winning the tournament isn't horrible for me. I can see how the new title could play into his role as GM of RAW. I was really pulling for Finlay as this could have been the start of a new angle for him as his WrestleMania XXIV opponent JBL is working the fatal four way at Backlash. We'll see what King Regal does at the PPV.

Y2J Added to the Mix

The fallout of Rick “Wooooooo” Flair’s retirement story comes to a head at WWE’s Backlash. Scheduled for the show is RAW’s Shawn Michaels versus Smackdown’s Batista. HBK is doing penance for winning his WrestleMania XXIV match with Flair, thus retiring the Nature Boy. WWE began an angle between HBK and Dave “The Animal” Batista the next day. Batista’s beef with Shawn is that the Heart Break Kid should have “thrown the match” so that Rick could continue to be in the ring, performing. Batista is blaming HBK for taking Flair away from him.
This is a very organic way to develop a feud from the retirement angle. I was hoping that this would continue through out the summer and then culminate with the SummerSlam PPV. On the April 14 edition of RAW, the feud took a different turn. Thanks to some pointed jabs at HBK during Chris Jerico’s Highlight Reel (and sweet chin music to Jerico’s jaw), Y2J is now the special guest referee for the match between HBK and Batista. During the match, Shawn will have the upper hand against The Animal. At some point, Jericho will administer the Code Breaker finishing move on HBK, giving the win to Batista.
Here now is the real SummerSlam marquee event… HBK vs. Y2J. Now, will this be a battle for the Intercontinental Title or just a straight grudge match? I will have to go with “grudge” on this one as Shawn is a little above holding the IC Title. But it will be one hell of a match.

WrestleMania 24 is over, now what?

WrestleMania is in the books for another year. The spectacle of all spectacles is the culmination of storylines and feuds that started with the Royal Rumble or before. The Royal Rumble begins the Road to WrestleMania, No Way Out should continue the WrestleMania storylines, WrestleMania is the biggest event of the year and then Backlash serves as a postscript to the big event.

The week after the Backlash PPV should serve as a fresh start for the company. On each of the three flagship shows (RAW, ECW, Smackdown), the WWE should conduct a weeklong draft. Each show gets five draft picks. The draft picks would come from the two other shows.

I was very against the brand separation when it began a few years ago. Lately, I’ve been seeing lots of WWE superstars crossing over. Is this due to the brand separation not working out or was it because of the lead-up to WrestleMania? Now that the three shows have their own identity, it makes sense that the superstars keep to their own shows. So when a superstar does go on one of the other shows, it means something.

New faces and new storylines would be a great new start for WWE fans.

WrestleMania XXIV Afterthoughts

WrestleMania XXIV has come and gone. It is time for some afterthoughts about the annual PPV.

Best Match: Shawn Michaels d. Rick Flair - This match meant something. This had two veterans of the industry, the emotion and the career ending stipulation. Both combatants hit all of their marks. I thought I was ready for the emotion of this match, I was wrong. This match is one that Flair, HBK and the fans will remember for a long time.

Worst Match: Batista d. Umaga - This was a short, sloppy match. It didn't help that Dave's finisher was botched. You could see his frustration when he left the ring.

Best Bump: Shawn Michaels d. Rick Flair - When HBK jumped off the top turnbuckle and onto the RAW announce table, the table didn't completely break and Shawn took it right in the breadbasket, OUCH!

Best Bump Runner-up: JBL d. Finley - As Finley dives out of the ring, he comes face-to-face with a trashcan lid courtesy of JBL.

Best Moment: Shawn Michaels d. Rick Flair - On that final Sweet Chin Music, the camera had a closeup of HBK's face. It wasn't too hard to read his lips when he said, "I'm sorry" and "I love you" right before he executed his third finisher to Flair, wow!

Best Surprise: BunnyMania Lumberjill Match - when the power went out during the match.

Best Surprise Runner-up: Kane d. Chavo - Three second victory.

WrestleMania Rating: B+

WrestleMania Fever

The week leading up to a WrestleMania typically is the best week for Wrestling every year. The shows (RAW, ECW, Smackdown) are usually lighter on the matches and heavier on story development so as not to flame out (or even worse) injure the talent just before the biggest show of the year. We’ll usually see some of the “dark matchers” pick up the slack to fill the TV time. Each day, WWE has something going on in the host city leading up to WrestleMania. From Fan Axxcess to the Bacon, Bagles & Biceps Brunch to various wrestling appearances, the WWE has a busy week this week, almost too busy to do things like… blogging.

Of all the events that can take your time, aside from Sunday’s WrestleMania 24, there is one that you can’t miss. That is the Hall of Fame induction ceremony. This has become one of my favorite events. No ring, no storylines just some of the greatest in the business telling it like it is and telling it like it used to be. Some of the most recent inductees could care less to be on that stage, others more than deserve to be there. Some of the more touching memories of the ceremony include the “One more match” chants for Hulk Hogan and Rick Flair’s Road Stories. Of all of the members of the Class of 2008, I am most looking forward to Flair’s induction. There is one person I could sit and listen to all night. Not to slight the other inductees, but I hope event planners give him an adequate amount of time to tell his story. I will have the Kleenex ™ standing by.

Geek's WrestleMania XXIV Picks

Geek’s WrestleMania XXIV Picks*

BunnyMania Lumberjack Match; Candice & Maria vs. the Glamazon & Melina: With all of the buildup from Maria’s Playboy shoot, the angle with Santino and since this isn’t for the title, the combination of Candice & Maria will pick up the win.

Update: It is being reported by the WWE that Candice Michelle re-injured her clavicle and won't be available for the BunnyMania Lumberjack match. They are replacing her with Ashley. I'm still rooting for Maria though.

Geek’s pick: Ashley & Maria.

Result: Beth Phoenix & Melina

24 Man Battle Royal, winner to face ECW Champion Chavo Guerrero: This one is rumored to be the “dark” match that the WWE will put on the DVD of WM 24. But I think that it could be one of the big feature matches of the night. If the WWE takes eight Superstars from RAW, Smackdown and ECW, then this race is wide open. Aside from CM Punk and John Morrison, there is no one on ECW who is ready for their title shot. The winner of this match will not come from ECW.

Update: On the 3/18 edition of ECW, it was announced that Kane along with Big Daddy V and Mark Henry will represent ECW in the battle royal. This changes things a little. I'm changing the show that will win, but I'm still picking Kane to come out on top.

Geek’s pick: RAW Superstar, most likely Kane.

Result: Kane

ECW Title Match, Chavo Guerrero (c) vs. winner of 24 man battle royal: Since I’ve already picked a non-ECW Superstar to win the battle royal, I’m confident that the WWE would not want the ECW title to go to another show. So I’ll say that the champion will retain his title.

Update: Since Kane is now a working member of the Tribe of Extreme, my guess is that WWE will give the title to him now that there are so many "big men" on ECW. Besides, it would be awesome to have the Brothers of Destruction holding WWE gold.

Winner: Kane changed from Chavo Guerrero.

Result: Kane

Finlay vs. JBL in a Belfast Brawl: With the run-up between Finlay and JBL involving Hornswaggle and since this is a Belfast Brawl and not a Texas Bullwhip match, I’m giving this one to Finlay.

Winner: Finlay & Hornswaggle.

Result: JBL

Money in the Bank Ladder Match: Of the seven individuals involved in this match (John Morrison, CM Punk, Carlito, Shelton Benjamin, Ken Kennedy, MVP and Chris Jerico) my money would have been on Jeff Hardy. Since he has been suspended by the WWE for 60 days due to his 2^nd Wellness Policy violation, I think the writers will go with last year’s plan of giving the briefcase to Kennedy. Mr. Kennedy won the MitB Ladder Match at last year’s WrestleMania, but when he injured himself shortly thereafter, Edge stepped in and took the title shot and then took the World Heavyweight Title. Since its start a few years ago, the Money in the Bank Ladder match has been one of my favorites part of WrestleMania.

Geek's Pick: Ken Kennedy

Result: CM Punk

Floyd “Money” Mayweather vs. the Big Show: I don’t follow the Sweet Science that much, but I find it humorous that you have the 5’6” Mayweather versus the 6’10” Big Show. Pound for pound, I would give this to Show, but my $20 million is on the “Money”.

Geek's Pic: Floyd “Money” Mayweather.

Result: Floyd "Money Mayweather

Smackdown vs. RAW; Batista vs. Umaga: This is the excuse match to give Batista a match on the big night because he wasn’t involved in any of the title belt storylines.

Geek's Pic: Batista.

Result: Batista

Rick Flair vs. Shawn Michaels, career threatening match: This will be an emotional match. This will remind me of the Flair/Sting match on the last night of WCW before the McMahons bought the former Turner property.

Geek's Pick: *sigh* Shawn Michaels.

Result: Shawn Michaels

Edge (c) vs. Undertaker for the World Heavyweight Championship: As much as I think Edge makes for a great champion/heel, Taker is due for a championship push. His unprecedented WrestleMania streak is at stake as well. 2008 could turn into the “Year of the Undertaker” as he gets ready to retire. I see him winning WM24, holding the title for a year, winning WM25 and then leaving the belt in the ring as he retires.

Geek's Pick: The Undertaker.

Result: The Undertaker

Triple Threat Match for the WWE Title, Randy Orton (c) vs. John Cena vs. Triple H: WWE gave the title to John Cena the last time he went off to shoot a movie.

He’s about to do the same, but this year is different. It is Triple H’s time for a title reign. He missed WrestleMania last year and will make up for it at WM24 and this time, his reign will last longer than just one night like a couple of months ago.

Geek's Pick: Triple H.

Result: Randy Orton

*Geek's WrestleMania picks are made for entertainment purposes only and are made with no foreknowledge of the outcome of particular matches.

If He Wins, We Lose

There is a reason they call him “The Showstopper”. Shawn Michaels repeatedly gives the best performance in every WrestleMania in which he has a match. He has had his triumphs, but many times, he has come up with the short end of the stick. Despite his great performances, he has lost his matches in WrestleMania X, XIV, XX and 23. Shawn is due for a win at WrestleMania. That’s where the conflict comes in.

The Heart Break Kid has a match with the legendary Rick Flair at WrestleMania XXIV. The stipulation for this match is that the next match Rick Flair loses, he will be forced to retire.

Let’s think about the ramifications of a Shawn Michaels’ win at WM24. The first and most obvious is he will be forever be known as “The Man Who Forced Rick Flair Out of the Business”. This would put Shawn’s “face” status at risk because everybody reveres The Nature Boy. This could also organically grow into a feud with Triple H because of the bond H and Natch’ share.

If Shawn Michaels loses, Rick Flair lives to wrestle another day and no conflict would come from the match.

Since HBK has had more than his share of conflict during his fantastic career and since Flair is being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, there is only one outcome for this match… Shawn Michaels will end Rick Flair’s in-ring career. But as we have seen before, anything can happen.

Why Jeff Hardy, Why?

Reports are coming out today that Jeff Hardy has been suspended by the WWE for 60 days for violating the company's drug wellness policy. This comes as a shocking surprise as the rainbow-haired warrior was enjoying a big push by the WWE. Hardy was doing everything right in breaking out as a mid-card wrestler and becoming main-event worthy.
He enjoyed a huge push for the No Way Out pay-per-view for challenging Randy Orton for the title in the main event. His Swanton Bomb off the scaffolding on RAW will be on the 2008 highlight reel. He was doing everything right.
That's why his loss of the Intercontinental Title to Chris Jericho on the 3/10 episode of RAW was such a shock. It makes sense now, Jeff will be off the air for two months. And it couldn't have come at a worse time for him. He was to have competed in the Money in the Bank Ladder Match at WrestleMania XXIV... say goodbye to that payday and to a match at the Backlash PPV. I was really pushing for Jeff to win this year's MitB match and get another shot at the title. Meanwhile, the company is less likely to push you upon your return, if you return at all.
On the positive side, Hardy has two months to sit at home and heal up and then explode on his return to the WWE. On the negative side, he has 60 days to loose his fire and realize there is life outside of wrestling. I am hoping for the former.

Why Can't The Big Show Just Wrestle?

So one of the big non-wrestling matches at this year's WrestleMania XXIV is The Big Show versus Floyd "Money" Mayweather in a mixed martial arts match. Since the beginning of the spectacle known as WrestleMania, they have used celebrities from the worlds of sports and entertainment to attract the non-wrestling audience.

At WrestleMania 21, The Big Show went belly to belly in a Sumo match that lasted less than a minute. It has been reported that Show left the WWE to pursue a boxing/MMA career. If that's the case, good for him. But he came back to the WWE, that's World WRESTLING Entertainment and he will be in a match at WRESTLEMania. Let's see him wrestle.

What's Our Theme Music Again?

One thing the WWE has been able to do is able to do is find great PPV theme music. Take the past few WrestleMania shows. Shinedown's "I Dare You", Saliva's "Ladies & Gentlemen" and even Peter Gabriel's "Big Time" all worked for promoting the shows. That's why I was a little worried when the WWE announced that the Red Hot Chili Peppers "Snow (Hey Oh)" was the official theme song of WrestleMania XXIV. As much as I love the Chili Peppers, I'm just not seeing Jeff Hardy jumping off the top of a ladder while "Snow" is playing. It just lacks the edge of past songs. Unless the WWE has the Chili Peppers playing live at WM24, they should just drop the song. Besides, there are other Chili Peppers songs that would work.

Thankfully, somebody at corporate saw the problem. Now, Rev Theory's "Light it Up" has been added as "one of WM24's theme songs". This song is the "edge" song that is befitting of the Granddaddy of Shows. "Light it Up" has been getting lots of spins during RAW/ECW/Smackdown broadcasts and "Snow" has been pushed to the background.