DaveyBoy’s Wrestling Menu – NWOut Predictions, WM23 Main-Events + New Poll
Submitted by DaveyBoy on Wednesday, February 14, 2007 at 12:53 AM EST






THE WRESTLING MENU #218

Welcome one and all to the 218th edition of The Wrestling Menu, the column that is sure to satisfy your taste buds when it comes to discussing all things wrestling.

To be honest, my weekly column posting streak almost came to an end today!!! I have returned to work after a couple of weeks leave & it's been a ballbuster to say the least. So what have I done...??? I've gone & posted a poll this week just so my Email Inbox can be absolutely bombarded! Yep, I'm an idiot!

Anyway, the above point, in combination with the fact that last weeks Brian Pillman DVD review was very long, means that today's column will be shorter than usual. And this time, I mean it!

On with the show.....


APPETIZERS - WM23 Main-Events

I don't just get feedback for specific topics & points that I write about in my column. Often, readers of my column will just email me whenever they read a news item or if something is on their chest regarding professional wrestling. When a news item (whether it be on screen or off) is really hot & topical, I will usually get emails on a specific point numbering well into the double figures. The past week has been one such example due to the Raw main event from February-4 which saw Shawn Michaels become the #1 Contender to John Cena's WWE Championship, while Edge & Randy Orton's professional relationship broke down into dissension.

The conclusion that most fans have come to out of all this is that our top 3 matches for WrestleMania 23 are now as good as set. They are Batista vs The Undertaker for the World HeavyWeight Title, John Cena vs Shawn Michaels for the WWE Championship, as well as Edge vs Randy Orton. I actually agree with this conclusion, although there is a still possibility that the Edge vs Orton bout may not go ahead for some reason.

So what has been the feedback that I have received for this lineup of main matches? Unpredictably, it's been practically unanimous in favor. I did expect it to be popular due to the HBK promotion over recent months, but not "practically unanimous". Furthermore, posts on message-boards & the like lead to the same conclusion. So why do I sound so doubting with my words? Well, because I am not entirely convinced this is a good thing. But let me explain a little further...

When the rumor first broke late last year that The Undertaker was going to challenge for Batista's World Title, I was initially against it unless the current champ turned heel. I must admit that one of the reasons I was against it was because the footnote to the rumor also stated that Batista would end 'Taker's undefeated WrestleMania streak. But in the last month or so, I must admit that I have grown to like the match-up for whatever reason. It may not be a classic in the ring, but the bout seems fresh enough & just feels like a main-event to me.

Cena vs HBK has all the same ingredients with the extra positive that it should be a darn good quality match, so surely I have to be for the booking of this bout right? Well, sort of. Logic states that I almost have to be, but my gut feeling tells me that it's just not quite right. Remember that I am a huge HBK & Cena fan, so I should theoretically love this match-up... Or should I...??? Maybe it is the face vs face dynamic between these particular 2 that I'm not looking forward to. Or maybe it's just because I haven't had the time to digest the match-up & it's lead-up booking, like I have to at least a small extent with the SmackDown pair. I really don't know.

Furthermore, this leaves a likely heel vs heel bout to play as the 3rd main-event. I am not a fan of heel vs heel matches at all, as they are extremely difficult to pull off successfully & get the crowd involved. I definitely don't want to see either Edge or Orton turn face (for different reasons), so that's a potential danger I am not looking forward to also. But, presuming that they both remain heels, these 2 are going to have to work extremely hard to make this bout a very good one. Again, I am a litttle surprised that the feedback for this potential bout is almost entirely supportive.

Another point that I think is in the back of my mind is the possible watering down of these types of matches. Especially face vs face bouts seem to have been a little more prevalent of late & 2 high-profile bouts on the same high-profile card such as this just may really make us fans all a little blaze about them in the future! To think that me may never get to see anything comparable to Hulk Hogan vs The Ultimate Warrior at WrestleMania 6 is a little sad really. Throw in a heel vs heel match & it could be overload.

Maybe I am thinking of the future rather than the present. I am not 100% sure & know I am being a little uncertain with all my thoughts here as I can't put my finger on exactly what's bugging me. I don't hide from the fact that I would still prefer a Fatal Fourway for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 23. It just makes the most sense to me & I think these 4 could pull this sometimes difficult art-form off successfully.

However, being a little doubtful on the booking of the 3 main WrestleMania bouts for this year in no way suggests that I think the event won't be the same come the night. In fact, I have a feeling that won't even be a consideration. Why? Well, as a reader of my column (& fellow columnist) mentioned to me last week, the last time a big event had 2 huge face vs face bouts on it, the end result was more than just fine. The end result actually included my favorite match ever. That event was SummerSlam '92 (where Bret Hart vs DaveyBoy Smith was on the same card as Randy Savage vs The Ultimate Warrior). Two bouts that lasted over 25 minutes. Another event that was held in front of a huge stadium crowd. Hang on a tick... I think I am talking myself around on this idea!!!


MAIN - 'No Way Out' Predictions

PAUL LONDON & BRIAN KENDRICK vs DEUCE & DOMINO for the WWE Tag-Team Championships: Don't get me wrong, I was looking forward to the 4 team ladder match as much as everyone else. And I also feel that it was very wrong for the WWE to advertise it in the first place. But then again, the booking of the match made no sense to me anyway. It just came from nowhere & I think such a bout was simply better left until WrestleMania anyway. But anyway, this is the bout we have now & it should be quite good. I like the rookie heels. They work well together & Deuce has that impact to his wrestling which draws a reaction from the crowd. I think the WWE have backed themselves into a corner a little with the way this has been set up. I don't think they would have had D & D win that 2nd tag-team bout last Friday on SmackDown if they knew that this ppv bout was coming. Would they want to make reigning 9 month champs look so weak by losing 3 successive matches? I don't think so. D & D will get their title reign soon, but I don't think it will be here. Winners: London & Kendrick

KANE vs KING BOOKER: Ahhh, the old Royal Rumble elimination setup; It's simple & logical. I can't say that I have got into this feud in subsequent weeks, but it's decent filler for these 2. I doubt it would lead to another singles bout between them at WrestleMania, but I wouldn't totally discount the fact that they may be on opposing teams in a tag-team or 6 man match. This should be decent, but nothing more. If these 2 have the want to put forward something good, they will. Otherwise, I will predict about a 6.5 rating here. I'm unsure the result is all that relevant, but I'm thinking that with a face vs face main-event match at WrestleMania, it may be safest to keep the heel strong. Winner: King Booker

MATT HARDY vs JOEY MERCURY: As of the posting of this column, this match-up had not yet been officially announced, but it is logical to think that it will take place. This is especially the case as the 2 handled a rather long television bout last Friday very well. While it probably won't be the finale to their feud, this bout basically should be booked that way as it is nearing that time in the storyline of Mercury's mangled face & his vowing of revenge. More of the same should be in store for us here with some sort of kink in the booking to freshen it up. This will most probably be appearances from Jeff & Nitro, even though I'm not so sure that would be for the good of the match. From a result perspective, Matt has surprisingly been growing in popularity of late & the win would probably do him more good than it would for Mercury (especially after Joey's win last Friday). Winner: Matt Hardy

FINLAY vs THE BOOGEYMAN: I have a bad feeling about this match. Will the WWE revert to their usual Boogeyman PPV squash despite the apparent change to his booking over the past couple of weeks? I hope not. Expect this to be something very similar to what we saw on SmackDown last Friday with Lil Ba$tard getting involved to keep the crowd from grossing out on an overdose of worms. I'm hoping for a Finlay win & while it's dangerous to predict it as well, I think I will. Winner: Finlay

CHRIS BENOIT vs KEN KENNEDY for the United States Title: As of the posting of this column, this match-up had not yet been officially announced, but it has been rumored in various news-posts. Personally, I don't like it. No, not the match-up itself, but the way it has appeared out of practically nowhere if it does indeed take place. Personally, I feel that this is a potential excellent midcard WrestleMania 23 match that could steal the show (a'la the likes of Angle vs Benoit vs Jericho). If that match does take place at 'Mania, then this bout has to be booked very carefully to practically be the start of the feud. The title may or may not be on the line here & that could really determine the result. Expect Kennedy to continue his momentum & win a non-title match for the WrestleMania reasons I have already stated. But if the title is on the line, I'd prefer Benoit to retain. I don't want to hedge my bets though, so I'll reluctantly go with...... Winner: Ken Kennedy

DIVA TALENT INVITATIONAL: I may get blasted for saying this, but this actually has the potential to at least be partially entertaining. I'm sure there will be quite a bit of duplication & someones act will probably stink up the segment, but if the WWE writers all think hard enough, something entertaining will come out of it. And by entertaining, I don't mean a fat oily guy being included. Jillian will sing, Kelly & her group will dance, Torrie will stand there looking pretty & so forth. As it includes divas from all 3 brands, it's actually a little difficult to pick a winner between Torrie, Kelly, Candice & Ashley, but I will go with the Playboy momentum. Winner: Ashley Massaro

BATISTA & THE UNDERTAKER vs JOHN CENA vs SHAWN MICHAELS: Speaking of face vs face overload!!! There are so many factors at play in this interesting match-up here that this one is hard to stuff up from a booking perspective. The bout will still require thought & planning, but all the connections & relationships should lead to a positive result. Apart from the teamwork of both teams, I think the most interesting aspect of this bout will be how Batista works with both opponents. The Undertaker has wrestled Cena & HBK in extended programs before. But since Batista isn't in the greatest form at present, hasn't wrestled both opponents many times & possibly could be looking at some jeers headed his way leading up to 'Mania, I am intrigued as to how it will play out. I am not ruling out a DQ result, nor someone walking out on their partner. SmackDown won the Rumble, so that means Raw should win here. But it's a SmackDown ppv, so they should win. Really, there are reasons for both results, but I will favor Batista & 'Taker, because I think the Raw team need the dissension in order to begin setting up their 'Mania bout more. Of course, the winner of this bout may be given away come Friday's episode of SmackDown! Winners: Batista & The Undertaker

Ok, so there we have the 2007 version of 'No Way Out' as it currently stands. Only 5 of the above 7 bouts have been made official (with one of those being a replacement bout), so once more there are set-up issues when it comes to a WWE pay-per-view. Having said that, this should still be a solid card. The removal of the 4 team ladder match will obviously hurt its overall quality, but there are still enough solid match-ups to result in a good consistent event. If there is another bout added (or replacing one of the rumored matches that I have predicted), I presume it will be a cruiserweight title match between Gregory Helms & Daivari (with maybe Jimmy Wang Yang thrown in for good measure). I don't think any contender has been built up well enough to remove the title from Helms. I suppose MVP could make an appearance as well, with the most likely loser to him being Yang. Either way, let's hope that 'No Way Out' continues the good momentum that has been built by the WWE on the Road To WrestleMania!


DESSERT - 'Best Mic Performer' Poll

Golly gosh, I didn't realize it had been so long since I ran my last poll... No wonder there was a heap of you campaigning for a poll to take place in my milestone 200th edition last November! I just checked back in my archives & the last time I ran a poll was approximately the time that Paul London & Brian Kendrick won the WWE Tag-Team Championships. Yep, that's right folks; It's been 9 months!!!

The obvious reason I have shied away from doing polls of late is because with each poll that I have done, the number of responses have grown & grown. The record number of votes received was indeed that poll from 9 months ago where I asked fans for their best ever entrance theme. I had 360 votes in total for that poll!

I actually have had this particular poll in my mind for quite some time. It was just a matter of when I finally pulled the pin so to speak. And now is indeed that time. I don't think that the winner is all that predictable, although I think it is obvious who the 3-5 clear favorites will be. Either way, it will be interesting to see who ends up where in the results.

I don't like to give too many pointers when asking my poll question, but it's difficult not doing so to some degree. I suppose that I would ask you to consider all the qualities that go into making a good performer on the microphone, not just one quality that stands out. Some wrestlers excel in acting intense & making you believe that they want to rip their opponents head off, while others make you laugh. Are there wrestlers who can do both of these?

Are there wrestlers who can successfully pull off both face & heel promos/interviews to suit the character that they are playing at the time? Are there wrestlers that connect with & involve the live audience...??? What I have stated in these past 2 paragraphs are just some of the things that you can think about when making your decision. But it's definitely not the complete list.

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

Voting Time:

WHO IS THE BEST MIC PERFORMER EVER...???


That's #218 of 'The Wrestling Menu' in the books. Please don't hesitate to let me know what you thought of my 'No Way Out' Predictions or thoughts about the 3 main matches that appear to be set for WrestleMania 23. But more importantly, please vote in my 'Best Mic Performer' poll. The more votes I get, the more we all learn from the results.

Now, at this stage, I usually write the words "As per usual, I will reply to everyone". For I think the first time ever, I'm not going to say that this week as it is doubtful that I will have the time & energy to do so. Having said that, I will definitely endeavor to reply to most people, but not so as to endanger the posting of the poll results next Wednesday. I'm sure that everyone understands in this instance.

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. That way, other readers may get some thoughts & ideas. Even non-members can read that forums thread. The link is: http://www.lopforums.com/showthread.php?t=217&page=4.

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

Next Wednesday's 'Wrestling Menu' will obviously include my 'No Way Out' Review. It will also include the results to the 'best mic performer' poll that 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. 2002-2007

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***DIRECT LINK*** Brooke Hogan BOUNCING AROUND With Her New Toys! MUST SEE!

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