DaveyBoy's Wrestling Menu - 'Vengeance' Predictions, OJ's Title Reign + Surprise Champ?
    Submitted by DaveyBoy on Wednesday, June 22, 2005 at 5:24 AM EST




    THE WRESTLING MENU #134

    Welcome one and all to the 134th edition of The Wrestling Menu, the column that is sure to satisfy your taste buds when it comes to discussing all things wrestling.

    I am going to apologize now for what may be a sub-par column. To be honest, I almost didn't post this column today. I don't know what has thrown me off this past week, but it's most likely a combination of being super busy at work, planning an upcoming trip of the U.S.A & being completely bamboozled by the WWE's draft lottery picks thus far.

    Regarding work; It sucks... Let's move on.

    Regarding the U.S.A trip, a few people have asked where my partner & I will be visiting. Well, basically everywhere except the North & North-West. However, we will be on a guided tour for a lot of the time, so options will be limited. Having said that, if you wanna throw some tips my way, I'm all ears. What to do in a specific city and/or what not to do. Any information would be appreciated.

    As for the draft, I'm just perplexed. Keep sending your thoughts my way. But lay off on the questions, as I have no idea what the WWE are trying to achieve (other than putting together a better Vengeance card than we previously would have seen). Hell, if I did attempt to give any answers, I'd most probably be wrong anyway!!! So I'm going to only touch on it briefly in my dessert section today & give some more detailed analysis in a couple of weeks time.

    Well, that was a longer than usual introduction. Hopefully, that partially makes up for what will be a shorter than usual column. On with the show.....


    APPETIZERS - OJ as US Champ

    Maybe I shouldn't write when I in a mood like this. Because not only are most of my draft thoughts negative right now, but so is my opening topic today. You should all know me by now though... I'll try & get some positives out of this mess. "Try" being the important word there.

    To be honest, I've pretty much disliked Orlando Jordan's entire US Title reign. That includes him winning it in the first place. While a little controversial, I was one of the minority that actually felt that John Cena should have kept the US title leading into his WrestleMania 21 WWE Championship match against JBL. While it wouldn't have quite matched Hogan vs Warrior at WrestleMania 6, I think it would have added a lot more importance to the bout. Then again, the match sucked, so maybe it would have all been a waste.

    But most importantly, I felt that OJ won the title pretty much as a sidenote to furthering the Cena vs JBL feud. Jordan hadn't really done anything to earn the title shot, nor actually win the title. And after he did win the US title, it wasn't really highlighted that he actually won it. It more felt like a part of the JBL vs Cena match. That's not necessarily Orlando's fault, but it definitely hasn't helped the title reign, whoever's fault it is.

    I'm still very much of the old school in feeling that any title in the WWE should mean a lot. Not just to the holder, but also to all the other wrestlers who should be chasing it like it's their big break. Has anyone honestly felt that about the US Title over the past 3 months...??? Hell, I can't even name OJ's biggest promoted feud or title defense in that time.

    Now, a lot of what I have just said can be attributed to the WWE's terrible booking of the title reign. But Orlando Jordan will not get out of this that easily. His presence has been minimal in anything not involving being a lackey to JBL. Maybe that's part of the booking problem as well, in that JBL is SmackDown's Triple H. But still, Orlando hasn't done much to stand out from the crowd, in my opinion.

    This all really took a while to sink into me, to be honest. I was watching an OJ match a few weeks back & I had absolutely no idea what his finisher was. Not a clue. And it wasn't because he hadn't wrestled without JBL as a tag partner. He wrestled some singles matches on SmackDown, while I also caught him on Velocity a few times. Yet, there I was having no clue what the finisher of the US champ (for almost 3 months) was. That's simply not good enough.

    Overall, what do I think of Orlando Jordan's wrestling skills? Well, I don't think he is hopeless. Maybe I'm being a bit naive, but I do still see some potential. But it is only in flashes, and he seems to botch a move just after I see a glimpse of that potential. So it's always one step forward & 2 steps back for Jordan. I still look back at my 2003 Rookie Rankings & pretty much agree with my ranking of him then; 9 out of 16. Nothing much has changed.

    So where to now? The first simple step is to get the US Title off him immediately. He still can be used in the lower midcard, or even a little higher, without the title. Just get the focus off him for the time being & let him grow into a slightly different role, whether that be by JBL's side or not. Otherwise, this may very well be a genuine contender for the worst title reign of all time!


    MAIN - 'Vengeance' Predictions

    PLEASE NOTE: To be honest, I don't see much point in predicting this pay-per-view exactly as I normally do. Especially when it comes to the results anyway. With the WWE taking the draft lottery the way they have, I have no idea what the hell they have planned for this event, or the upcoming few weeks for that matter. One thing that I do have faith in the WWE doing though, is putting together an above-average ppv. Hopefully, they remember that on this occasion & don't see it as a simply a means to an end.

    So keep that all in mind when reading the following predictions. Because my results are definitely not going to be what I think should occur. They're just going to be what I think the crazy WWE may do. So I may get a grand total of zero correct this month. Then again, I have just as much of a chance in getting them all correct.

    CARLITO vs SHELTON BENJAMIN for the InterContinental Title: At the time of posting this column, I have yet to see the Raw match between these 2. So I haven't got any real guide as to the quality of this bout. I think Carlito has a lot of potential both in & out of the ring, but right now, there are not many that can hang with Shelton's wrestling quality. So I'm just going to sit back & marvel at his skill. As for the title change, it doesn't bother me that Benjamin lost the title, but it does bother me that the WWE have now made Carlito a 2 time debutant title winner (sort of). Those that read my column will know that I am dead against short title reigns, so I would personally prefer Carlito to retain cleanly. But one way of making Shelton even more important as an InterContinetal Champion is to have him be a 2 time winner. Winner: Shelton Benjamin

    KANE vs EDGE: Let me make it clear right from the start that I'm not overly impressed with this Edge-Lita-Matt thing. Trust me, that's an understatement. I'm also not impressed that Kane is pretty much a storyline substitute for Matt Hardy. But I have to admit that pairing Lita with Edge does make sense... especially for Edge. Quite simply, Edge has to win here. Well, he did previously... before Angle & Cena were brought over to Raw. Could he be lost in the shuffle now? I'll talk more about that later. But in all seriousness, Edge does have to win this bout. I can't see it being a great match either. Greater intensity from the 2 wrestlers is all that could make it above average. Winner: Edge

    KURT ANGLE vs SHAWN MICHAELS: Should be a great match. And who knows, it could even be better than their WrestleMania 21 bout. Like their previous match, the winner isn't super important here. It probably would make more sense storyline-wise if Angle won. But I'm thinking that HBK may get his revenge & send this feud into a SummerSlam tie-breaker. Then again, no-one is exempt from the draft lottery, you know! Winner:Shawn Michaels

    VICTORIA vs CHRISTY HEMME: Christy has had a bit more time to improve her wrestling, so this may not be all that bad. I'm serious! Plus, I think Victoria is even better equipped to carry her than Trish Stratus. But please WWE, don't let Christy get the win. Pretty please. I can't hide away from who I want to win this one. But I wouldn't put any money on it. Winner: Victoria

    JOHN CENA vs CHRISTIAN vs CHRIS JERICHO in a Triple Threat Match for the WWE Championship: What's the chances of this being the ppv main event? Yeah right... And the Hell In The Cell match will be the opener! Seriously, if Shelton still actually had the InterContinental Title, then I would say that the WWE were treating that title better than the WWE Championship right now. And that's nothing compared to the way that they are treating John Cena since his move to Raw. The WWE have made Batista, Triple H, HBK & Angle all look more important than the man who holds what should be the most prestigious title in the WWE. This match should be pretty good. The dynamic is there & the performers are there. Cena can be too predictable & bland in triple threat matches, but I'm sure he will fit in ok. One thing where I will praise the WWE is the way they are testing the main-event water with Christian. This is a great way of doing it & hopefully he passes the test. Should Cena win? Yes. Will he? Well, let's just say that it's all about the draft lottery & getting the WWE Championship back onto SmackDown. Winner: Chris Jericho

    BATISTA vs TRIPLE H in a 'Hell In A Cell' Match for the World HeavyWeight Title: That match-up sounds familiar. That's right, I've written it 3 times in 10 weeks. I'll explain my theory as to why this match was booked in a minute. But then again, the draft lottery has pretty much blown that theory out of the water, so who knows... Maybe this was simply booked to please Triple H & continue to make it "all about the game". Some people believe the winner of this match will be heading to SmackDown. I wouldn't bet against that with the draft lottery picks so far. The quality of this match will be similar to the quality of a few of the more recent HIAC matches. I'll take Undertaker vs Brock Lesnar as the example. Now here come the contradictions: Has Batista been a good champ? No. Will he retain here? Who the heck knows. Should he retain here? Yes. Does it make me more confident of my prediction? No. Do I care? Yes. Do I have any clue as to what the WWE are up to? No. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? I'm confused. Winner: Batista

    Ok, on that very confusing note, we have Vengeance as it currently stands. Six matches have been announced thus far. There may be an extra match added, but there is just as good a chance that there may not be. I can see the main event match & Angle vs HBK both getting near 30 minutes, so 6 matches may be sufficient here. If there is a match added, it will probably be Rosey & The Hurricane defending their tag titles or Chris Masters doing his usual jobber bashing. I seriously have confused thoughts as to the quality of this pay-per-view. It should be pretty good, but I really do think that match quality may not be what most fans, and possibly the WWE, are looking for. They will be looking for surprise results to see who will or won't be moving shows next week. Oh well, we will see how we go. And I can assure everyone that I'm going to attempt to get myself into a more stable mood to allow my PPV Review to be as consistent & fair as possible.


    DESSERT - Surprise Champ?

    Now is the time for pretty much everyone to disagree with a thought of mine. You may or may not disagree with my opinions on the draft lottery, but I expect hardly anyone to agree with me on this subject. Then again, I’m unsure that I even agree with myself anymore. If this isn’t proof that I am totally confused, then I don’t know what it is!

    The surprise champ I speak of in the heading to this topic is not Carlito. Nor is it Chris Jericho, Christian or Triple H (like he would be a surprise of any sort). Yet, up until Kurt Angle appearing on Raw last week, I was pretty strong on a controversial choice to become World HeavyWeight Champion next week. But first, to try & defend my opinion to some extent, let me explain my thought process.

    Right from when the Hell In A Cell Match was rumored, I couldn’t fathom the decision to book the match. It made no sense to me. Why would an average feud require a 3rd main event pay-per-view match in the space of 3 months. Not even the Hell In A Cell gimmick justifies that. I know that many will answer that it’s simply a case of Triple H wanting to main event as much as possible. I cannot argue with that, but I guess I was just trying to be positive. I suppose being positive sometimes equals being naïve.

    But anyway, I thought that maybe there was a bigger piece to the puzzle. Maybe there was an ulterior motive to having a Hell In A Cell match between these 2. So, forgive me for being silly, but I decided to look at it logically & realistically. I know, it’s professional wrestling & for me to look at it logically & realistically is almost a sin on my behalf. But that’s what I did.

    The one thing that we do know that will come out of the Vengeance main event is that it will be brutal & most probably bloody. No matter what the quality of the match, it’s fair to state that both men will be banged up that night. And if they are banged up that night, they will also more than likely be banged up the next night on Raw. So wouldn’t you think that realistically speaking, someone who was sitting back with a guaranteed title shot anytime he wanted, would choose that night to strike?

    That’s correct, the surprise champion I speak of should be Edge. And the date should be Monday the 27th of June 2005. As far as I’m concerned, Batista’s title reign has been nothing better than average. While I have made my opinion clear that Triple H should not regain the title anytime this year. So, whether it be simply as a transitional champ or not, I couldn’t see what would be too wrong with giving Edge a title reign & see how he goes.

    Most people will disagree with me on this due to Edge doing what he did with Lita, not being of genuine main event quality, or a combination of both. To be totally honest, I cannot disagree with these arguments a great deal. However, as of early this year, all signs were pointing to an eventual main event title run for Edge & I don’t think his wrestling quality in the ring has been all that bad. Furthermore, adding Lita as his valet has simply added another dimension to his character, even if it’s not exactly original. Bottom line; Edge is gaining some sort of genuine heel heat & he is sufficiently good enough to at least be World Champ for a month or 2.

    However, with John Cena & Kurt Angle being added to the Raw roster, Edge’s stocks are probably lowered a little. Hell, he could even be completely lost in the shuffle over the next couple of months. Even if my theory was the original plan, I think the WWE would have changed it simply because of the names they brought over to Raw & the fact that they will probably send a titleholder (whether it be Jericho, Christian, Batista or Triple H) over to SmackDown next week. Basically, it’s all about the draft lottery right now. Then again, no-one is exempt, so maybe Edge will win the title on Monday & then move over to SmackDown himself. I doubt that, but never has the motto “anything can happen in the WWE” been more true than right now.


    Draft Lottery Disclaimier

    I just wanted to note one thing about the draft lottery to finish. And it’s a positive thing. As much as I have been critical of it so far. As much as I have been confused by it so far. I do admit that the draft lottery has been successful in doing one big thing: Increasing the interest, conjecture & discussion of fans. That will always be a good thing for the WWE. It should raise ratings & overall viewership. So sometimes, a negative can indeed be a positive. Now it’s just up to the WWE to capitalize on this & attract viewers to both brands over the long term.


    Ok, that's another one in the books. I hope you enjoyed edition #134 of 'The Wrestling Menu'. It sure seemed like a different DaveyBoy writing today, but I'm unsure how it may have come across to the reader. Maybe it was a pleasant change. Let me know what you thought, and what you think about Orlando Jordan's US Title reign, Edge's chance of ever becoming a World Champion, and/or my Vengeance predictions. As always, I will reply to all feedback. My e-mail address is DaveyBoy123@bigpond.com

    Or alternately, if you are an LOPForums member, you may also leave feedback by clicking on the following link: http://www.lopforums.com/showthread.php?t=4889

    Next Wednesday in 'The Wrestling Menu', I will obviously have my review of Vengeance. I doubt I will have concluding thoughts on the draft lottery, but who knows... I may have to burst open by then. But I probably won't, as the all important final 2 picks on SmackDown wouldn't have gone to air by then. Seriously, I have no idea what I will be writing about next week. I am as unpredictable as the draft lottery! Whatever pops up, look out for that column same Wednesday time & same LOP channel next week. Until then, this is DaveyBoy signing off & asking you to remember that dinner is best served in 3 courses.






    *NEW GALLERY* Must SEE VERY HOT Pix of G4 TV's Olivia Munn! WHOA!!

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