DaveyBoy's Wrestling Menu - Judgment Day Predictions, Raw + Best Entrance Theme Poll
Submitted by DaveyBoy on Wednesday, May 17, 2006 at 4:13 AM EST






THE WRESTLING MENU #176

Welcome one and all to the 176th edition of The Wrestling Menu, the column that is sure to satisfy your taste buds when it comes to discussing all things wrestling.

Firstly, apologies to those who have emailed me over the past week or so & have yet to receive replies. It's just been a super busy week for yours truly. Fear not though, as I should have extra time up my sleeve over the next 3-4 days & will be able to catch up.

For the above reason, it will be another shorter column than usual for me today. I know... I know... DaveyBoy producing 2 relatively short columns in a row is comparable to Nick (Mitch) Mitchell performing a wrestling move! But I'm pretty certain I saw him actually do something on Raw last week!!!

On with the show…..


APPETIZERS

Raw Review

As per usual, this will be in point form & is not intended to be quite as serious as my PPV Reviews. You should know the drill by now.....

- Like most, I'm not a great fan of advertised matches being changed, but I'm unsure a singles bout between Cena & Triple H was ever advertised. If so, it wasn't on tv anyway! All that was mentioned was that Triple H would get a title shot, which he did technically. So, I'm fine with the so-called match change in this instance.

- Not a bad match was made either... Although I'm unsure why Masters was involved if he wasn't going to win the InterContinental Title. The Texas Tornado stipulation of the bout mainly worked in it's favor, while the 3 on 1 moments were handled in a sufficiently entertaining way. Given good time & booked really well, the clever ending capped this off well, with Shelton regaining the InterContinental Title about one second ahead of Triple H winning the WWE Championship. This would have made for a worthy main event.

- With the addition of Beth to the equation, the Trish vs Mickie feud continues to be advanced. Good to see the WWE not resting on their laurels, while this was a sufficient introductory segment here.

- Interesting Bruno Sammartino vignette (of sorts). Why didn't they just come out & ask him to appear at the Hall Of Fame induction ceremony next year?

- Good little backstage segment between Triple H & Shane McMahon, with the closing "champ" comment getting a giggle out of me.

- Ok undercard (or should that be "midcard" since the World Tag-Team Titles were on the line) bout between The Spirit Squad & Goldust/Snitsky. The faces could have done with a few weeks worth of build-up before a title match, but this is the Raw tag-team division we are talking about here. Probably a little overlong, but made up for by a real nice trampoline assisted bulldog by Mikey!

- Wildly inconsistent segment between between Mick Foley & Terry Funk. Was very ordinary in patches & only partially succeeded in furthering the ECW ppv & brand return (although it's still early). But the segment ultimately worked for the sole reason that both men walked that fine line between heel & face very well. Especially Foley, who gradually turned cheers into boos, as planned. As for this feud in the near future, please keep in the back of your mind that Funk can hardly walk and, judging by tonight, can hardly throw punches either!

- I have no problem with this mini undercard feud between Matt Striker & Eugene. I could think of worse match-ups & it's a good way of getting Striker known to the fans before deciding whether he should or shouldn't receive any sort of push. As per usual, he got good heel heat on the mic, before the ok bout which seemed to have the fans entertained. An interesting little finishing sequence by Striker was also debuted, as he used 2 new moves to finish off Eugene & pick up the victory.

- Very good Kane promo which made him look strong for the first time in a long while. Maybe the WWE can successfully push him in the near future, predominantly based on his past. Worth a shot & lord knows that Kane deserves it after some of the crap he has had to put up with over the years!

- The Carlito & Maria backstage interview very much achieved its purpose in getting a few chuckles from everyone. You could see the "spit or swallow" punchline coming from a mile away, but still.....

- Another Umaga squash of a jobber was up next. I'd have to say he looked a little more impressive this week, but that may have been more to do with the jobber willing to take the bumps he did.

- It's main event time & we once more see Kenny (Doane) take part in the final match on an episode of Raw. Please slow down with him WWE! Pretty much a nothing match actually, as both combatants seemed to be killing time as we all waited for Triple H to get up off his ringside chair & do something. When he finally did, it was not only rather predictable, but (for the first time in a few months) he got all the facial & emotional reactions wrong. He was neither here nor there & ended up conveying absolutely nothing. Sure, that may be what the WWE wants, but it could have been done more successfully. And I'm not even going to talk about the ludicrous overacting by Vince after the match!


Don't get me wrong, in 4 weeks time, this episode of Raw will be pretty much forgotten like most episodes of the show. But in isolation, I liked it. Without revealing anything super special, it furthered most major angles on the brand, while including a title change & a rather good match at the start of the show. The undercard & midcard matches were more useful than usual & the bits & pieces here & there were more entertaining than usual. Unfortunately, the show ended on a little bit of a downer with a nothing main event & an unsuccessful aftermath. It does further storylines (as Vince vs Triple H is sure to kick into gear now), but individually was not played out all that well in my opinion.


MAIN

'Judgment Day' Predictions

MnM vs PAUL LONDON & BRIAN KENDRICK for the WWE Tag-Team Championships: Perfect opener. The way this feud has been booked of late has been very good. I don't think the multiple losses have hurt MnM's credibility all that much, while the fans have been made to care a little more about London & Kendrick. I would really like to see this bout given 15+ minutes. I know it would probably mean that MnM would have to slow the pace of the match down quite a fair bit, but I would like to see how successful they would be in doing so. I'm pretty certain that one of the faces (probably Kendrick) will play the face in peril for much of the bout, until the hot tag results in the pace picking up. From there, this match could be anything. The result is up in the air too. It's about time for a title change in the ever-evolving tag-team division, but it wouldn't surprise me at all to see MnM retain. The recent push of The Gymini does tend to make me lean towards the faces though. Winners: London & Kendrick

GREGORY HELMS vs SUPER CRAZY for the Cruiserweight Title: Excluding the JBL promo, it was great to see last week's SmackDown episode kick off with a good cruiserweight match. It reminded me of the old WCW days. While these 2 may not garner enough of a reaction to open this ppv, I can't see any reason why they can't continue the pace set up by the tag-team opener. From appearances, this match-up has actually been a while in the making. And the dynamic should be good with each man adding their own strengths to the equation. While I initially predicted that it would indeed be Super Crazy to defeat Helms for the title, I feel that Helms' "better than everyone" storyline was working well until his nose injury. Therefore, I am predicting that the WWE attempt to stretch this feud out a little longer by having Helms retain the title. I'd still like to see Crazy chase the title though, with the WWE hopefully booking the feud to make fans care more about the challenger in the future. Winner: Gregory Helms

KURT ANGLE vs MARK HENRY: This match basically came from nowhere, as no-one expected Kurt Angle to recover from his real-life rib injuries so quickly. For this reason, I am a little dubious on how this match will be booked & it's outcome. Is this going to be simply another storyline reason to give Kurt a couple of months off, or is it Kurt being stubborn again & thinking he can wrestle 365 days a year? It's most probably the latter & if he is going to show up, then he may as well win. As for the match quality, I'm sure that Angle will be able to pull out a passable bout just like he did at the Royal Rumble ppv. Winner: Kurt Angle

CHRIS BENOIT vs FINLAY: Easily booked match as they wrestled a few weeks back & are probably the 2 highest members of the SmackDown roster that weren't specifically given a feud for this ppv. I pretty much see a replica of their SmackDown bout, with this match given more than 10 minutes & comprising of predominantly mat-based action with the occasional bursts of brawling. What I think would top it all off nicely though, is if Benoit can bring some fast-paced action to the bout. The match needs variety, because for as good as it can be, the crowd needs to be involved or else they could think about starting "boring" chants. The SmackDown result will most likely be reversed here, with Benoit getting the win. The only possible way I can see Finlay emerging victorious is if some little green leprechaun runs out & interferes on his behalf! Winner: Chris Benoit

MELINA vs JILLIAN HALL: From memory, these two have wrestled before... & it wasn't half bad. We will just have to wait & see on match quality here, but I'm not expecting anything too terrible. I think the result here is determined by what direction the WWE wants to go with MnM. There have already been small hints of Melina telling Mercury & Nitro off for losing. So, if she win & the guys lose the tag-team titles, then that angle continues. Then again, the booking could have all 3 lose to cause turmoil within the faction. That would also give Jillian Hall's wrestling career a little kickstart, as that is the direction she appears to be headed in. This is a toss of the coin..... Winner: Jillian Hall

BOOKER T vs BOBBY LASHLEY in the 'King Of The Ring' Tournament Final: This has been a well booked tournament in general. Just as importantly, this individual feud has also been well hinted & booked within the confines of an 8 man tournament. It's been done as if Booker & Lashley have been feuding for over a month, when in reality, they haven't at all. I won't go on too long, as I have already written a topic on this match & it's result. Match quality will be very interesting... I'm really looking forward to it. I'm also positive about it as Booker seems to be very motivated of late, while Lashley has continued to improve his stature & confidence in the ring. Smart money & history are on Lashley here, but I'm going with my gut feeling & personal hope that Booker emerges victorious. If so, comedy gold is sure to follow over the next few weeks & months. Winner: Booker T

THE UNDERTAKER vs THE GREAT KHALI: I fear an onslaught from all those readers that emailed me about The Big Show vs Kane match at Backlash! Ummm, this could be bad. In fact, it could be so bad, that I am a little interested by it. Seriously folks, I am going to give some serious kudos to someone if this match receives a passing grade. As for the result, most are putting this down as the usual Undertaker win. I'm not so sure at all. In fact, I was initially leaning more towards Khali, as this feud could last up until The Great American Bash. But the latest rumors of the WWE not being pleased with Khali in the ring has the pendulum swinging back towards the dead man for me. Winner: The Undertaker

REY MYSTERIO vs JOHN BRADSHAW LAYFIELD for the World HeavyWeight Title: I actually feel that the WWE have been on the right track with this feud. In isolation, it has been a good one, as the promos between the 2 men have been nearing excellent. The problem with the booking though is that it has made Rey look weak in the ring. That just shouldn't be done to a World HeavyWeight Champion, no matter who it is. These guys have wrestled before. The result was only just above average & I am expecting more of that with a little more story & intensity here. As for the result, I just can't see how the WWE could end a month of burying Rey with another loss here. I know it goes against my thoughts of an RVD vs JBL match at the ECW ppv, but I never said that would happen. What I said was that it most logically should happen. Rey plays the underdog card to its fullest here & emerges victorious. Winner: Rey Mysterio

Ok, so there we have the 2006 edition of 'Judgment Day' in a nutshell. It’s a strange sort of a card. Eight matches will most probably round the card out. If anything, a Gymini squash may be added, but I doubt it. On paper, this does not look like a great card. There is no real standout bout from a match quality viewpoint, while 3 or 4 of the bouts could potentially earn a rating below 5 out of 10. One thing I really hope for is that the WWE books the first 2 bouts in the same order that I have & gives real importance & time to both title matches. If so, then this may not be a total waste of an event. Oh well, you know me, I will think as positively as possible!


DESSERT

'Best Entrance Theme' Poll

Well, it's been a while (last November) since I had one of my world-famous polls. I've done quite a few now & the number of votes I have received has steadily climbed & climbed. I expect the same to happen here, as it seems I have built on my readership this year.

I actually have had this poll in my mind for quite some time. I was sort of waiting for a timely opportunity to use it & thought this may be the closest thing to that. And that is because the WWE are just about to release a new cd of entrance themes on to the worldwide market.

I do have a fear that the winner of this poll will be too predictable. But that shouldn't stop me from running it altogether. Plus, even if my odds-on favorite wins this poll, I'm really not so sure what the runners up will be.

The factor which could greatly spread the votes here is that music is such a personal thing. For example; Some of my readers don't like hard rock/heavy metal, so I can't see how any of those people will be voting for an entrance theme with loud guitars & only barely understandable vocals.

But, before getting into it, can I please stress the use of the word "best" in my poll. We all have our quaint favorites, and by all means, you can let me know of them. But please ask yourself if you think it is the "best" entrance theme ever. For example, I am a Naughty By Nature fan, but that doesn't mean I think Shane McMahon's theme is the best ever. Ditto for my personal liking of Owen Hart's "Enough Is Enough" entrance theme.

So without further ado; Ladies & gentlemen, it's:

Voting Time

Whose is the best ever entrance theme...??? Please be sure to state a title or description of some sort as well, as some wrestlers have had multiple good entrance themes.


That's #176 of 'The Wrestling Menu' in the books. Please don't hesitate to let me know what you thought of my 'Judgment Day' Predictions or thoughts on Raw. But more importantly, please vote in my 'Best Entrance Theme' poll. The more votes I get, the more we all learn from the results. As per usual, I will reply to everyone.

So get to it ladies & gentlemen. If you are an LOPForums member, it would be great if you could vote in the feedback section of the forums. The link to that thread is: http://www.lopforums.com/showthread.php?t=4889

Otherwise, my e-mail address is DaveyBoy123@bigpond.com

Next Wednesday's 'Wrestling Menu' will obviously include my 'Judgment Day' Review. It will also include the results to the 'best entrance theme' poll I am running. Other than that, I'm sure I will trip over a 3rd topic for your reading enjoyment. So 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.


DaveyBoy's Wrestling Menu. 2002-2006

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