DaveyBoy's Wrestling Menu - DaveyBoy Books The WrestleMania 22 Card
Submitted by DaveyBoy on Wednesday, December 7, 2005 at 2:15 AM EST






THE WRESTLING MENU #153

Welcome one and all to the 153rd edition of The Wrestling Menu, the column that is sure to satisfy your taste buds when it comes to discussing all things wrestling.

I promise that no worms were hurt in the writing of this column!

On that note, let DaveyBoy serve you your meal for today.....


APPETIZERS

WrestleMania 22 Booking

Well, well, well… I must be a sucker for punishment! This is the third time I have attempted to book WrestleMania ahead of time. The first 2 times, my strike rate was about as successful as Kurt Angle’s moonsault! But what the hell… here I am again to open myself up to criticism for the sake of raising a great discussion topic or 2.

Actually, my inaugural attempt was around about this time 2 years ago. Due to some reason (probably a lack of success), I pushed my second attempt back a little to the beginning of January. But seeing that I was just as far off with my booking last year, I thought I may as well go back to 4 months before the big event in Chicago. This way, I can revisit my booking decisions approximately half way between now & the card (early February) if I feel the need to.

I’ve tried to keep my booking for the upcoming ‘Mania nice & simple. I’m presuming the pay-per-view will be 4 hours in length once more. I am also presuming that they will have at least 2 inter-brand matches once more. It will indeed be interesting to see if the WWE actually increase that number this year, due to the recent Survivor Series card having 3 inter-brand matches.

Looking at the success of WrestleMania 21, I think the WWE will go with quality over quantity again. They only had 8 matches earlier this year & the card was hailed as a success (if not one of the very best). I think that is the best way to go as well. You can still get most talent onto the card, but without throwing every perceived jobber on there.

I have decided to add 1 extra match, making it 9 in total. No real reason, apart from symmetry. I have booked 3 Raw matches, 3 SmackDown matches, 2 inter-brand matches & the now traditional legends match. On top of that, I am presuming there will be a Hall Of Fame segment & 1 other in-ring segment (which is almost impossible to predict this early on).

In addition to the 9 bouts I have eventually decided on below, I did come up with quite a few other matches which would be superb to watch. But I have decided to go for the best balance. For example; Shawn Michaels vs Rey Mysterio would indeed be sensational, but I feel that HBK would be better used with the match I have chosen for him.

Of course, this is all my opinion & I have never professed to being a good booker. So the floor is well & truly open, and my email address is listed at the end of this column. Either next week or the week after, I will definitely set aside a column topic to post the best ideas that I receive from you…


MAIN - Brand Matches

RAW

JOHN CENA vs TRIPLE H For The WWE Championship: Almost everyone is expecting this match to take place, although some are unsure whether it will be their first meeting or not. I do feel it is a good match-up to occur on this card, as it’s fresh & has arguably 2 of the biggest names in the WWE butting heads. If it is indeed possible that these 2 can be kept away from each other (in a singles match) until then, I do believe that is also the best way to go. Many believe that not to be possible, but I will actually have my booking of these 2 men leading up to this event, in next week’s column. Of course, while I am on the topic, I will also speak about Cena & when to turn him heel.

While this match is likely to be no better than Triple H vs Batista from WrestleMania 21, it should be better than the Cena vs JBL bout if it is given the necessary time. Come next April, there will also be some heel & face dynamics which should make this match at least fascinating to watch. Hell, you could even attempt the difficult double turn routine in this bout! The result is almost impossible to pick this early on, as it will heavily depend on (a) the aforementioned heel/face dynamic & (b) who is the champion going into the match. The options are so flexible that it also adds that certain unpredictability which should help the match along.

KURT ANGLE vs SHAWN MICHAELS: I don’t think the WWE usually like having the same match-up on back to back WrestleManias, but I feel that there are 2 major reasons why this match should occur. Firstly, we know it will be good… There is no doubt about that. But secondly, and most importantly, the tie-breaker hasn’t been decided yet…. & that seems to have been forgotten by everyone on screen & behind the scenes lately. You will recall that Kurt took the opening victory at WrestleMania 21, while HBK leveled the score at Vengeance. The tie-breaker was a 30 minute Iron Man match on the homecoming episode of Raw. But that bout ended in a draw. The score must be settled! And it should be settled on the biggest stage of them all.

The 3 singles matches they had last year were all match of the year contenders, so I can’t see why this bout wouldn’t be one for 2006. It may not have quite the expectation of last year, but come the night, it will indeed deliver. Again, it’s hard deciding the result here, as the event is still 4 months away, but I will say the victory will go to Shawn Michaels, as (one way or another) there is likely to be a heel WWE Champion at the time & he may want a ‘Mania victory to make up for doing the job last year.

RIC FLAIR & MICK FOLEY vs CARLITO & CHRIS MASTERS: While this match doesn’t read sensationally on paper, I do feel that it achieves quite a few purposes. I’ve noticed that Carlito & Masters have spent a fair bit of time together lately, whether it be in the ring or sitting in the front row at SmackDown. I say the WWE should take it one step further & make them into a semi-permanent tag-team, especially since The Big Show & Kane have already dispatched 3 teams easily. Carlito & Masters can make a run at the tag-team titles (unsuccessfully) in December & January, and then just continue teaming leading up to this match. Both youngsters still need a little more seasoning (no, not the fried chicken type) & having them share the load in a tag-team would achieve that purpose well.

On the face side of the equation, this bout not only gets Flair onto the card, but it gives him 2 heels to play off of well. While Foley is there for his semi-legend status, as it’s doubtful the likes of Hart, Lesnar or The Rock will show up. Of course, the problem with my booking of this match is that I’m unsure that Flair & Foley will be willing to team together, as they aren’t the best of friends in real life. The match would be half-decent & will at least have the fans involved, as all 4 men get a crowd reaction of some sort. As for the result, I would say that if my booking is followed and Carlito & Masters are a team for a couple of months leading up to this match, then I would probably give them the upset win


SMACKDOWN

BATISTA vs RANDY ORTON For The World HeavyWeight Title: With Orton being kept busy by The Undertaker for the next month or so & Batista with an injury query, it will actually look quite natural for these 2 to be kept apart from each other until this title match. Meanwhile, the subtle niggles & mind games (similar to the backstage segment from Survivor Series) can continue the build-up for the explosion that should occur on the biggest stage of them all. Like the Triple H vs Cena match, this bout can very much occur with either of them heading into the event as champion. And Batista’s current injury does indeed throw some doubt on that decision.

While both men have their detractors, I am actually quite confident that they can put together an above-average match. Not quite main-event material maybe, but close enough. They’ve just got the extra year’s worth of experience behind them now & will be better for it. The result may depend on who enters the event as champion, but I would almost say that is irrelevant & Batista should emerge with the title here… if only until the next SmackDown pay-per-view!

JOHN BRADSHAW LAYFIELD vs BOOKER T vs BOBBY LASHLEY In A Triple-Threat Match For The United States Title: PLEASE NOTE: This will probably have to be changed to a singles match due to the circumstances surrounding my next bout. But the following were my original comments... I tossed & turned on this match, but felt this was the best mix & all 3 men definitely deserve to be on the card. If Booker T emerges from his best of 7 series with Benoit as champion, then he may as well hold the title until WrestleMania. If Benoit emerges victorious, then I believe JBL should be the man to dethrone him (either at The Royal Rumble or at No Way Out). Then, I will leave it up to the experts (the WWE) to work out how these 3 men get involved with each other. It should be easily accomplished with nothing too complicated involved.

As for the match, it won’t exactly be a match of the year contender, but I like the dynamic. The experience of Booker & JBL should be able to carry Lashley to a certain extent, while I’m quite confident the slight clash of styles can mix well & actually add to the contest. The heel-face dynamic should also be ok, especially since JBL seems to be gathering some fans with his comedic speeches of late. This could mean he will play the middle man between the heel Booker & the face Lashley (not only in the bout, but in the set-up as well). As for the result, I would probably have JBL emerge with the title to entrench him in the midcard. Lashley would chase him in the subsequent months & eventually win the title for himself.

THE UNDERTAKER vs KEN KENNEDY: PLEASE NOTE: I obviously booked this match prior to hearing of Kennedy's injury. In the meantime, I have been racking my brain to come up with another idea & have pretty much drawn a blank. I did not want to completely change around my whole card, so I have left this as is for now. The best matches I can come up with as a replacement are to move one of JBL or Booker T to this match & have the US Title bout as a one on one. Other than that, maybe Regal and/or Burchill. Either way, the following were my original comments for an Undertaker vs Kennedy match-up...

On the face of it, this may look like a weird match-up, but there is some sort of method to my madness. I do however admit that it is slightly a filler bout… And a predictable one at that. I can’t really see anyone on the SmackDown roster that deserves to end Undertaker’s WrestleMania winning streak. So I feel that his opponent should be one that can benefit simply by losing to him. Kennedy is undoubtedly the man for that job. He can be made to look fairly strong in the lead-up to the bout, often getting the upper-hand on the veteran main-eventer. But then he will fall short at the last hurdle, as many have before him. Kennedy’s cocky heel charisma also helps here, as the set-up for the match can include some entertaining segments & make the feud worthwhile, just in case the actual match doesn’t. ‘Taker to win obviously.


DESSERT

Inter-Brand Matches

TRISH STRATUS, KANE & THE BIG SHOW vs MnM: Some may recall that I wasn’t overly pleased that MnM had to job to Kane & The Big Show on the Eddie Guerrero tribute episode of Raw. I wasn’t too concerned, but I still would have rathered it not happen. Come early April, I won’t have such a big deal with it, as not only will Kane & The Big Show be ready to break up by then, but adding Trish & Melina to the equation changes the dynamic anyway. Trish & Melina have already just proven that they can put together a good match in the ring, so the feud is there with regards to the 2 women.

It wouldn’t be too hard to then involve the 2 tag-team champions from either brand in a series of invasion type angles on the lead-up television shows. Not only would the invasion type angle make for good television (as recently proven), but MnM can sneakily play a role in causing some dissension between the 2 big men. Add Trish trying to keep the 2 men from killing each other & I like the entertainment aspect that could result from all this. I would book Kane & The Big Show to remain tag-team champions until WrestleMania & have them blow up at each other during the bout, leading to an MnM win. I think this would only make their team & title reign more legitimate & I really would like them to stay a team for another year or two.

EDGE vs ROB VAN DAM vs SHELTON BENJAMIN vs CHRIS BENOIT vs REY MYSTERIO vs MATT HARDY In A 'Money In The Bank' Ladder Match: This idea worked too well last year for it not to be used again. And for those that jump the gun & email me as to when will Edge use his Money In The Bank from WrestleMania 21, I will reveal that in my column next week. I would go one step further this year though & make this an inter-brand match by involving 3 men from each show. Edge deserves his place as the reigning winner. Benjamin & Benoit deserve their places as they were probably the MVPs of that bout. While the styles of RVD, Rey & Hardy fit perfectly (not to mention that Rey & Matt both have back-stories with Edge).

The match should be absolutely sensational & most probably be better than the inaugural bout. And the other important aspect of my booking is unpredictability. Spreading the opportunity for the #1 contender to come from 2 brands, means that there should theoretically be more chances of a winner. This won’t be an easy prediction to make, that’s for sure! I would think that a strong case can be made for all 6 men (although Benjamin & RVD may be a reach). Just looking at an early possibility, I would think this would be a perfect opportunity to (have a reason to) give Rey Mysterio a future pay-per-view main-event opportunity. He could use the money in the bank 2-4 months later when Orton is the champion.

HULK HOGAN vs 'STONE COLD' STEVE AUSTIN: Good luck WWE! Who wouldn’t want to be a fly on the wall in the contract negotiations to get this match settled? I like the idea of the match, as both men are true legends of the WWE & have been around the WWE of late. Of course, we would have to keep Austin from moving any furniture before the bout (wink wink). The match wouldn’t exactly be a technical masterpiece obviously, but these savvy veterans will know how to get the job done.

Don’t ask me how to get the heel-face dynamic going. I would probably suggest not trying to at all. Just let them go as 2 faces trying to prove something. As for the winner, I really can’t see either man doing the job. Can either of them give and/or take a Bridge German Suplex? If so, maybe it can be a draw! Or maybe some sort of No Result occurs when someone runs in. Who knows!?!?!?


Ok, that's another one in the books. I hope you enjoyed edition #153 of 'The Wrestling Menu'. Feel free to give me your opinion on my WrestleMania 22 card. Do you like it? Do you hate it? Let me know. Like I said earlier, the floor is well & truly open to you guys. I'm almost certain that at least one of you will sway my mind on certain matches. 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

As I have already stated, next Wednesday in 'The Wrestling Menu', I will have my final decision on what to do with John Cena over the next couple of months. I have been tossing & turning on what is best for the WWE to do with regards to the current WWE Champion. I will also have my predictions for the upcoming 'Armageddon' pay-per-view. And finally, I will most probably include the best feedback & ideas that I receive concerning matches and cards for WrestleMania 22. So don't be shy people, you know where I am. Look out for what is sure to be a bumper edition of my 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.











CLICK HERE to Play Lots of FREE Online WWE and TNA Flash Games!

• Quick Links -
  [Back to LOP] [News Archives] [Results] [Columns] [Forums]