SMACKDOWN THOUGHTS
JTG tells TMZ he purchased two $125 Lady Gaga tickets that ended up being fake. REACT: DTA. Don't trust anyone when it comes to buying tickets off the Internet.
World Heavyweight Champion Kane beats Kofi
Kingston. REACT: Segment started with a decent promo pushing the Dolph
Ziggler vs. Kofi Kingston match. Vickie saying Dolph is "more electric than The
Rock, has more heart than Bret and sexier than Shawn Michaels" was an
interesting quote. Is Kofi an old-school Hulk Hogan fan? He has been wearing red
and yellow for several weeks straight now. It was a slow match and pretty much a
squash, but it would have made no sense for Kane to lose. This was also a better
matchup for Kane, whose aftermatch promo wasn't the best but was saved by Rey
Mysterio's strong promo.
"Dashing" Cody Rhodes (photo courtesy of
Getty Images) beats Christian. REACT: Strange pre-match segment with
Drew McIntyre telling Rhodes he would be "disappointing" if he lost to
Christian. I was hoping since Christian had a "bad shoulder" that Rhodes
wouldn't be buried here. Rhodes pretty much dominated and there were
several close pinfalls. Big win for Rhodes.
Big Show beats three jobbers.
REACT: Smart to have this kind of "preview" match. WWE teased some dissension
between CM Punk and Luke Gallows, but WWE
also re-pushed Big Show's hurt hand.
Kelly Kelly wishes Matt Hardy
luck. REACT: Why do I mention this? Just strange considering the
real-life events of McIntyre-Tiffany. Kelly Kelly, Tiffany's friend, was wishing
luck to McIntyre's opponent.
McIntyre beats Hardy. REACT:
Physical match that started slow but picked up. Another injury angle, this time
with Hardy's ankle.
MVP beats Jack Swagger.
REACT: I didn't care for Swagger's pre-match
promo. He did show renewed aggression and looked "dangerous" in this decent
match.
Rhodes' tip of the week. REACT:
Funniest one yet involving the proper removal of ear wax.
Alberto Del Rio. REACT: His best
promo so far, and hopefully the last as he finally debuts next
week.
Rey Mysterio beats Intercontinental
Champion Ziggler. REACT: This match was to Dolph's advantage, yet
unlike Kane, Dolph lost. That made sense, though, as Mysterio is in a bigger
match tonight. Impressive Mysterio still won with Kane at ringside as a
distraction. I thought Dolph looked strong here and the finish was
superb.
SUMMERSLAM
PREDICTIONS
Tonight's show takes place at the Staples Center in
Los Angeles. As one of the original four pay-per-views, it should be a great
show. But looking at the lineup and it seems to lack a little starpower.
But expect two big surprises -- the mystery Team Raw guy and the Undertaker
showing up.
Team Raw (John Cena, Edge, Chris Jericho,
R-Truth, John Morrison, Bret Hart and ???) vs. Team Nexus. REACT: First
off, the mystery wrestler could be Evan Bourne, Mr. McMahon, Ted DiBiase Jr.,
Triple H or The Miz. Those are the only Raw Superstars I think it could be.
Bourne was getting a push, but he's lost some of it. I don't think it's him. It
won't be McMahon, because Linda McMahon is still in the Senate race. I don't
think it will be DiBiase either, as that would be another heel for Team Cena.
Triple H would be an interesting choice, but I think he would steal the
spotlight from the match. That leaves The Miz. He was pushed strong on Raw, and
I think he's the odds-on-favorite. As for the match, there is no reason for Team
Nexus to be buried here. Expect Edge and Jericho, and The Miz if he's on the
team, to cost Team Cena. PICK: Team Nexus.
WWE Champion Sheamus vs. Randy
Orton. REACT: I think the winner of this match is obvious (in Orton).
But after glancing at a WWE.com poll about who will be champion afterwards, I'm
not so sure. Out of 350,385 votes, The Miz was at 36.25 percent, followed by
Sheamus (35.23 percent) and Orton (28.50 percent). Sheamus has had another
great run as champion, but he seems to have lost a little momentum lately. The
fans are really behind Orton, and they want him to be champion. On that note, I
think he's a lock here. I don't see The Miz cashing in. His time will come
later. Oh, and how funny would it be if Tiffany showed up at ringside (leading
to her being suspended). Why would she show up? Well, it wouldn't make sense at
all, but I had to mention it. PICK: Orton.
World Champion Kane vs. Rey
Mysterio. REACT: The Undertaker is definitely going to show up. He
wants his title back. And for that to happen, Kane has to win cleanly and just
as he's about to dispose of Mysterio, Undertaker can make the save. PICK:
Kane.
Big Show vs. Luke Gallows/CM Punk/Joey
Mercury. REACT: I'm never a fan of one guy beating three guys. I'm
going with that philosophy here. Big Show doesn't need a win, but The Straight
Edge Society needs one. They have lost a little lately. PICK: The
SES.
Divas Champion Alicia Fox vs.
Melina. REACT: Melina sure was pushed into this title match. But WWE
seems to like her, and I think the fans would like a win here also for her.
That's no knock on Alicia. She's had a decent run as champion. It's just
time for a change. PICK: Melina.
Intercontinental Champion Dolph Ziggler vs
Kofi Kingston. REACT: Dolph is getting a nice push. He's coming
off a loss to Mysterio, while Kofi is coming off a loss to Kane. I think
it'd be silly to have Dolph drop the strap so soon after getting it. PICK:
Dolph.
Analysis: If my predictions hold, that would be 2-4
in favor of the heels. That's not usually a good number for a fan-friendly PPV,
but I think the Orton win and the Undertaker appearance would make the fans
happy. That's another reason The Miz won't win. Too many heels are the favorites
here.
LATEST HEADLINES AND MY
REACTS
WWE
JTG tells TMZ he purchased two $125 Lady Gaga tickets that ended up being fake. REACT: DTA. Don't trust anyone when it comes to buying tickets off the Internet.
John Cena, Big Show and The Miz on the cover of WWE Smackdown
vs. Raw 2011. REACT: Very, very interesting choices. Cena, obviously, is a
no-brainer. But you would probably think of a good 4-5 other names before Big
Show. It's great to see WWE's faith in The Miz. His future remains
bright.
Republicans fire back at Democrats criticizing Linda McMahon
and WWE by telling them President Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton both appeared
on Raw in 2008. REACT: Nice.
TNA Wrestling
Online polls say 60.6 percent thought Impact was excellent,
and 44 percent thought Reaction was excellent. REACT: Impressive
numbers.
Kurt Angle mentioned as being one of J. Michael Bennett's
anabolic steroids buyers. REACT: No surprise.
