Stanman's Wrestling AfterThoughts - Survivor Series Predictions
Submitted by Stanman on Saturday, November 15, 2003 at 8:33 PM EST



Greetings wrestling fans, to another edition of SWAT, where I, Stanman, give you a dose of wrestling from my point of view. Sounds like fun, doesn't it?

It seems like forever since I last wrote this very column. With a full-time job, life is hectic nowadays. But the lack of motivation to write a column due to poorly produced shows does take a toll on the consistency of the columns written. But it has been too long since my last edition that I had to write one up. Hey, I cannot go too long without crucifying the WWE.

Then there are times when retiring this column comes to mind. I seriously thought about putting this puppy to sleep after seeing the horrible product the WWE has been putting out lately. That and the time restraints I have is not a good combination to keep this column going. I'm in a tough situation, I will tell you that.

Why bother write a column if the product you are writing about refuses to improve itself? There is no point to write whatsoever. I will see how things go before I take any action. Just giving you all a heads up for those of you who have been e-mailing me asking about my whereabouts.

Anyways, Survivor Series is coming up this Sunday so it is time to dish out some bold predictions, mmkay? On with the column...


The Shooting Gallery: Survivor Series Predictions

Well, let us start off with a bang. Undertaker vs. Vince McMahon looks to be decent at best. If anyone remembers the St. Valentine's Day Massacre pay-per-view a couple of years ago involving Stone Cold Steve Austin and Vince, this match should be a replica of that one. You know, you have the typical beatdown by the face with the evil boss pulling something out of his sleeve to win the match. The worst part is that we have to deal with Vince on future Smackdown shows after the PPV. The guy doesn't know when to gracefully bow out and have his wrestlers take over the show.

Stanman's pick: Vince McMahon. My upset pick of the show.

Next up we have Shane McMahon taking on Kane in an ambulance match. Man, talk about a clusterfuck of a storyline. I could care less who wins this due to the fact that the angle is too unbelievable. I mean the stunts pulled during the past few weeks were outrageous and unnecessary to get the angle over with the fans. The limo crash, hooking up McMahon's testicles to a battery and Kane falling into a fire 'pit' were all lame. I just hope the storyline finishes at the pay-per-view so that Kane can go on to bigger things and Shane can go back to helping out the WWE creative team behind the scenes, where he belongs.

Stanman's pick: Kane, just to end this once and for all.

I like what the WWE has done with Tajiri and his reign as Cruiserweight champion. I also like the little stable he has with him as it gives him much more needed heel heat to get him over as a legit bad guy. I see good things for the Japanese buzzsaw, so I predict him winning his match against Jamie Noble. That, and there is no point in Noble winning it since the WWE will have no idea what to do with Noble if he has the title.

Stanman's pick: Tajiri

"For the love of anything that is good, please do not have Triple H win the World Heavyweight Championship!" Now that is what the typical WWE fan would say. But of course the WWE does not listen to the fans any more since Trips is banging the boss's daughter. The chance of Goldberg winning this match is close to nothing, let alone a rematch. Triple H will never lose a rematch so long as he has creative control. Plus, the 'bum' ankle Goldberg has will weasel him out of losing cleanly, thus still making him unstoppable if he is completely healthy.

Stanman's pick: Triple H, making him the new World Heavyweight Champion. *Sigh*

Los Guerreros go up against the Basham Brothers in what is a glorified Smackdown match. The Bashams are NOT over, as the tag titles were put on them too quickly. I don't know why the WWE thinks that they can slap a title on somebody so soon and expect them to develop after that. Have these tag teams develop their characters FIRST, then go after the gold. It doesn't make sense, I tell ya.

Stanman's pick: The Basham Brothers, because the Guerreros are capable of achieving greater things.

Lastly, we have the two traditional Survivor Series elimination matches . I used to get pumped for this match back in the day, but not anymore. A reason could be that there are now two matches (RAW and Smackdown), which takes away that 'special' feel of an elimination match. Another reason could be the unknowns participating in it (i.e. Team Lesnar). The RAW match seems more interesting as it has a stipulation where if Team Bischoff wins, Stone Cold Steve Austin is gone from RAW, where if Team Austin wins, Austin can raise hell whenever he wants.

The Smackdown match does not have a stipulation but it does have a bright spot. John Cena is quickly becoming one of the top stars of Smackdown and deservedly so. I truly enjoy the man's work as you can tell he enjoys it himself. I don't know if his current face turn will help him, but if he keeps doing what he has been doing for the past couple of months, he can go places. He has the look and the charisma but he needs some confidence from the management. Push him to the moon, WWE!

Oh yeah, my picks:

Stanman's pick: Team Lesnar over Team Angle. I don't think the WWE wants Nathan Jones or Matt Morgan lose so quickly. Their love for hosses is blinding their judgment. Sad, is it not?

Stanman's pick: Team Austin over Team Bischoff. The WWE is comfortable with Austin carrying RAW as the top face. He is not going anywhere.

I am sure there are other matches that I did not mention, but I covered the majority of the card. It looks to be a decent pay-per-view now that I've analyzed it. Folks like the Bashams and Team Lesnar should develop themselves before wrestling in big matches, where Triple H and Vince McMahon should not be on the card altogether. Meh, this is the WWE, what do you expect?


Mission: Accomplished

Fin! That will do it for this edition of the AfterThoughts. If I sounded a bit negative, it was meant to sound that way. For the first time, it is becoming *very* difficult to write about something I have watched for over half my life. Even if I had a tough work schedule, I'd still find time to write a column if I was motivated. Bad WWE shows do not help the cause, obviously.

Yeah, I know, there is no Gathering Intelligence question this week. Who knows when it will come back? Maybe when the WWE turns things around? But for now, I will just vent. It should be a fresh change of pace.

Before I go, check out LOP's message board at LOPForums.com. Many folks there share my views and it is great to see that I am not alone. If you agree or disagree, sign up and let us know. Or if you are not into wrestling-talk, you can also talk sports, music or anything your heart desires. Check it out…..NOW!

Take care and thanks a million for reading.

-Stanman
StanmanLOP@yahoo.com








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