Mickey Rourke, you lose again. Chris Jericho will wrestle...
LEGENDS AT WRESTLEMANIA XXV
The big news from Monday Night Raw was WWE finally deciding on who Chris Jericho will face at WrestleMania XXV on April 5.
Mickey Rourke? Nope. Too scared.
Jerry Lawler? Probably too consumed with the 25-Diva Battle Royal.
Hulk Hogan? Sorry. Recovering from back surgery and going through a messy divorce.
Stone Cold Steve Austin? Hall, no. Pun intended. Well, it'll just be the Hall of Fame for him the night before. Of course, he'll probably rush to ringside to save the trio Jericho will face on the big card: Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka, "Rowdy" Roddy Piper and Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat.
I'm glad Jericho finally has an opponent, or in this case opponents. I just hope this match delivers, as it seems like it's at least fourth on the list of what was originally planned.
I'm happy Ric Flair didn't wrestle on Raw because he's retired and he didn't want to tarnish his WM XXIV moment. Flair's punch to Jericho made the segment, and it was good Jericho issued the challenge to the trio.
As for the rest of Raw, the show was like a sandwich, except the good part wasn't in the middle. It was the bread (the beginning and the end).
The matches:
1. Shawn Michaels/Undertaker beat JBL/Kozlov. REACT: HBK seemed overmatched in this one, especially against Kozlov. But he made up for it with smarts (getting the pin) and then superkicking Undertaker when The Deadman least expected it. This was a much stronger push than last week.
2. Mickie/Melina/Kelly Kelly beat Beth Phoenix/Jillian/Layla. REACT: Makes sense to have the Women's Champion Melina get the pin. While it was great to see the grieving (for Test) Kelly Kelly on Raw, why didn't she wrestle?
3. Triple H beats Cody Rhodes. REACT: Sick beatdown, made more entertaining (and questionable) with HHH getting the cage lowered. Maybe it's HHH who "loves" Vickie Guerrero.
4. Rey Mysterio beats Dolph Ziggler. REACT: Seemed like a plug for the 500th episode of Smackdown, but at least Dolph got to wrestle. And this JBL-Mysterio match is coming out of nowhere. I don't buy it.
5. MVP/Kofi Kingston/CM Punk beat Shelton Benjamin/Kane/Mark Henry. REACT: Too much going on in this one, especially with Finlay and Christian commentating. I'm glad Punk got the pin, as he's the face favorite. This match was decent for what it was.
6. Edge vs. John Cena, with Vickie as referee. REACT: Why wouldn't Edge throw Cena into Vickie to get Cena out of WM XXV? This was a strong match. It was strange seeing Edge and Big Show working together, but Edge getting the last word with his spear was smart.
The angles:
1. World Heavyweight Championship: Big Show overpowered Vickie Guerrero? Wouldn't that be assault? And Edge called Big Show a homewrecker? Doesn't Edge remember Matt Hardy and Lita?
2. WWE Championship: Randy Orton drops charges against Triple H. Makes sense, so they can settle their differences in the ring. I'm glad Orton explained the three TV crew members running around the house.
Final thoughts.
1. Shame on WWE for not having at least a picture and an RIP for Test. At least Kelly Kelly was on the show and got to point to the heavens.
2. And if the Von Erichs weren't announced on TV (wwe.com only) because of Test's death, another finger of shame.
3. I had forgotten Butterbean was in WM 15.
WHERE WRESTLEMANIA XXV STANDS
Official matches:
1. Randy Orton vs. Triple H. This one is set in stone. Yes, we've seen it before, but WWE has brought the real-life marriage of Stephanie and HHH into the story lines. This time, it's personal.
2. Shawn Michaels vs. Undertaker. With Michaels' win over Kozlov, this one is official. It's huge. It should main-event the show, too. The question is, who will win? Two colleagues of mine will break down these two guys within the next two weeks, and I'll reveal the answer to that question.
3. Money in the bank match. We have eight wrestlers. They are CM Punk, Mark Henry, Kane, MVP, Shelton Benjamin, Finlay, Kofi Kingston and Christian. My early favorite is MVP.
4. Edge vs. Big Show vs. John Cena. Looks like Hulk Hogan isn't in the WM XXV picture. Enter Cena into this match, which could go in a few directions.
5. 25-Diva Battle Royal: I correctly predicted 17 of the 19 Divas (Alicia Fox and Tiffany were surprisingly added on, giving us only six open spots for past Divas. The confirmed Divas are: current face Divas: Melina, Kelly Kelly, Mickie James, Candice Michelle, Maria, Brie Bella, Nikki Bella, Eve, Gail Kim, Tiffany; current heel Divas: Beth Phoenix, Layla, Rosa Mendes, Jillian, Maryse, Michelle McCool, Natayla Neidhart, Katie Lea Burchill, Alicia Fox. My predicted past Divas for the final six spots are: Tammy Sytch, Torrie Wilson, Trish Stratus, Wendi Richter, Victoria, Miss Jackie Gayda-Haas.
Official matches:
1. Randy Orton vs. Triple H. This one is set in stone. Yes, we've seen it before, but WWE has brought the real-life marriage of Stephanie and HHH into the story lines. This time, it's personal.
2. Shawn Michaels vs. Undertaker. With Michaels' win over Kozlov, this one is official. It's huge. It should main-event the show, too. The question is, who will win? Two colleagues of mine will break down these two guys within the next two weeks, and I'll reveal the answer to that question.
3. Money in the bank match. We have eight wrestlers. They are CM Punk, Mark Henry, Kane, MVP, Shelton Benjamin, Finlay, Kofi Kingston and Christian. My early favorite is MVP.
4. Edge vs. Big Show vs. John Cena. Looks like Hulk Hogan isn't in the WM XXV picture. Enter Cena into this match, which could go in a few directions.
5. 25-Diva Battle Royal: I correctly predicted 17 of the 19 Divas (Alicia Fox and Tiffany were surprisingly added on, giving us only six open spots for past Divas. The confirmed Divas are: current face Divas: Melina, Kelly Kelly, Mickie James, Candice Michelle, Maria, Brie Bella, Nikki Bella, Eve, Gail Kim, Tiffany; current heel Divas: Beth Phoenix, Layla, Rosa Mendes, Jillian, Maryse, Michelle McCool, Natayla Neidhart, Katie Lea Burchill, Alicia Fox. My predicted past Divas for the final six spots are: Tammy Sytch, Torrie Wilson, Trish Stratus, Wendi Richter, Victoria, Miss Jackie Gayda-Haas.
6. Jeff Hardy vs. Matt Hardy. It's brother vs. brother. This one will be entertaining.
7. Chris Jericho vs. "Superfly" Jimmy Snuka, "Rowdy" Roddy Piper and Ricky"The Dragon" Steamboat, with Ric Flair in the corner and Mickey Rourke in the front row at ringside. So, no Jerry Lawler angle. An unhealthy Hulk Hogan and no Steve Austin give us this 3-on-1 battle.
Other matches in order of probability:
1. Vladimir Kozlov vs. JBL or JBL vs. Rey Mysterio: It looks like JBL wants to retire with the Intercontinental title, due to his back problems. If that's the case, doing so against a Russian wrestler in his home state with a win would be the perfect way to go out. JBL claims this isn't his plan to "shock the wrestling world,'' which makes one wonder what his plan is. Maybe it involves Mysterio. I can't figure this one out.
2. Evan Bourne vs. Jack Swagger. Why not have Bourne wrestle for the ECW title in his return?
3. The Miz and John Morrison vs. Cody Rhodes/Ted DiBiase: The greatest tag team in recent memory has to be on this card. Why not have a match against the next best tag team? Although it's rumored we may get Miz/Morrison vs. the Colons. I just don't think the Colons are WM XXV material right now.
3. The Miz and John Morrison vs. Cody Rhodes/Ted DiBiase: The greatest tag team in recent memory has to be on this card. Why not have a match against the next best tag team? Although it's rumored we may get Miz/Morrison vs. the Colons. I just don't think the Colons are WM XXV material right now.
These guys may miss out: Batista, Rey Mysterio, R-Truth, Jack Swagger, Mike Knox, Mr. Kennedy, William Regal, Umaga, Carlito, Chavo Guerrero.
WWE Hall of Fame (April 4): Stone Cold Steve Austin (likely inducted by Vince McMahon, or maybe Bret Hart), "Cowboy" Bill Watts (inducted by Jim Ross), Ricky Steamboat (inducted by Ric Flair), Terry and Dory Funk Jr. (inducted by Dusty Rhodes), the Von Erich family (likely inducted by Michael Hayes), Koko B. Ware (inducted by Honky Tonk Man).
WWE Hall of Fame (April 4): Stone Cold Steve Austin (likely inducted by Vince McMahon, or maybe Bret Hart), "Cowboy" Bill Watts (inducted by Jim Ross), Ricky Steamboat (inducted by Ric Flair), Terry and Dory Funk Jr. (inducted by Dusty Rhodes), the Von Erich family (likely inducted by Michael Hayes), Koko B. Ware (inducted by Honky Tonk Man).
LATEST HEADLINES AND MY REACTS
Bobby Lashley tells Fanhouse.com that use of performance-enhancing drugs have been eliminated from WWE due to the company's drug testing policy. REACT: Sounds to me like Lashley is looking to return to WWE one day.
John Cena single or taken? REACT: Cena has been making the rounds contradicting an earlier story in the year saying he would be getting married. Sounds to me like he's trying to get more fans.
Jim Ross' weekend health problem. REACT: Ross is a class act. I wish him a quick recovery. He did tell me he was hoping to announce the Smackdown tapings tonight.
Former WWE creative team member Seth Mates of Newsday doesn't buy WWE's Wellness Policy as it relates to Test's death, saying WWE "has blood on its hands." REACT: That's a little harsh. No policy is 100 percent effective. Improvements have been made, and Test's death isn't WWE's fault -- just like how WWE had nothing to do with Chris Benoit's actions.
Barack Obama reportedly bumps John Cena off Jay Leno's show. REACT: Finally, proof Obama hates wrestling.
Sci-Fi to become SYFY. REACT: I am letting out a big "sigh" over this one. Pun intended.
Candice Michelle says her WWE contract isn't expiring. REACT: The injury bug leads to all kinds of rumors.
Prescription drugs and steroids found in Test's apartment. REACT: Sad, but not a surprise based on what we've heard from others.
Mickie James on the Jenny Jones show years ago. REACT: Interesting clip, to say the least.
Sgt. Slaughter says Randy "Macho Man" Savage "double-crossed" Vince McMahon. REACT: Finally, somewhat of an answer. But it still doesn't explain what Savage specifically did.
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