DaveyBoy’s Wrestling Menu – CM Punk, TNA, Italy, Raw + Backlash Predictions
    Submitted by DaveyBoy on Wednesday, April 25, 2007 at 4:37 AM EST




    THE WRESTLING MENU #228

    Welcome one and all to the 228th edition of The Wrestling Menu, the column that is sure to satisfy your taste buds when it comes to discussing all things wrestling.

    If you hadn't noticed by the title of my column today, I have well & truly postponed my review of the 2nd disc of the 'Rowdy' Roddy Piper 3 disc DVD set. Part 2 of that review will now come next Wednesday along with my review of Backlash.

    So why has that been postponed...??? Well, apart from the fact that I haven't watched disc-2 as yet, I also happened to watch Raw earlier than usual this week & that's usually the only time I feel it timely enough to review the flagship show of the WWE. Finally, I have chosen to go with multiple topics in my 'Appetizers' section of the column today as I have received a fair bit of feedback on all 4 topics over the past fortnight or so. I figured I may as well throw the cat amongst the pigeons on all 4 subjects. But be warned, I don't want to dwell on any of the topics & I hope to be brief on each one.

    Anyways, enough rambling here as my 'Appetizers' will practically be my introductory part of the column today. It's about that time that I say........... On with the show.....


    APPETIZERS

    CM Punk, LockDown, Italy & Mark Henry

    TNA LOCKDOWN

    Some of you may recall that I have stated that us Australians get TNA pay-per-views on a 2 week delay (although as of May's 'Sacrifice', they will finally be airing live). Due to this & my reducing wallet size, I don't often purchase TNA's monthly events (having done so only twice in 2006). Whether it be the timing, the all-cage format or the card, I was planning to order LockDown this coming weekend. Those plans have well & truly been shelved though.

    While I very much do subscribe to the theory that it shouldn't be judged unless it is seen, and there were clearly some decent bouts on the show, it is very difficult to justify me spending the money on a show that has already been reviewed so harshly by so many around the internet. I have even had some die-hard TNA lovers email me to tell me what a train-wreck of a card this was. Who the hell thought a blindfold match would work? And why would any promotion attempt to half-heartedly put on a electrified cage match? So sorry to those TNA fans wanting me to review one of their ppvs, that will have to wait another month at least.

    MARK HENRY

    As I briefly mentioned in the introductory part of my column last Wednesday, the most common feedback I received to my column outlining what the WWE has in store for all 3 brands over the northern hemisphere summer was along the lines of' "Davey, you forgot Mark Henry!" And my reply was something like "Guilty, your honor!". I actually did forget Mark Henry... Shame on me. I think what most people want to know is who he will feud with when he returns on the first Friday in May.

    With The Undertaker & Batista clearly continuing their feud into that month, I am presuming that Henry will be kept away from those 2 for a short time. I am guessing he will feud with either Kane or Chris Benoit (the latter of which he has history with). I am guessing it will be Kane & that an injury angle will be run following a match at Judgment Day where Kane subsequently takes a couple of months off. The only possible exception to this plan is if the WWE decide to add Henry as the variety to the World HeavyWeight Title feud & have a triple-threat match at the May pay-per-view.

    But presuming Henry is kept from the current title feud, it is then just a matter of who he goes after next. While Batista (without title) is probably the more logical opponent, the lack of an alternate clear heel title contender for 'Taker could see Henry thrust into the spot of #1 contender. It may be too soon for Kennedy, while I'm unsure Finlay will ever be at that level to the WWE. This is where King Booker's injury really does hurt the SmackDown brand! So to summarize, I expect Henry to feud with Kane & then move straight on to the big red machine's title-carrying brother!

    ITALY

    I hate to sound like a broken record, but do you all remember what the first 'W' stands for in WWE? It was great to see the company hold all 3 of its shows in Milan last week. While it would have been good to see it spread around to another city such as Rome, it wouldn't have been too far to travel for the Romans & it all would have been worth it with 3 fairly good episodes of Raw, ECW & SmackDown.

    But once more, an international crowd rose to the occasion & actually added to the overall product. The wind-up chants similar to when a goalkeeper kicks the ball in soccer were great & you could literally see the wrestlers themselves getting involved in the byplay & arguably lifting their game in the ring as the crowd were reacting so positively to their performances. Next Stop: England. Next Stop After That: An international pay-per-view (hopefully before the decade ends)!

    CM PUNK

    I wouldn't mind a dollar for every time I've been asked the question "Davey, what do you think of the WWE turning CM Punk heel?" over the past couple of weeks! And strangely enough, this is one of those topics/questions where it seems like both answers have their fair share of fans. Those who know Punk from his ROH days feel that he delivers better heel promos, while also stating that his straight-edge character wouldn't fit in with current faces such as RVD & The Sandman. Meanwhile, those against his recent heel turn believe his popularity is required to keep many viewers watching the struggling ECW brand.

    One thing is for damn sure & that is the turn does have many fans discussing the merits of both sides of the equation. And as I have said for years, fan conjecture will be a good thing in most cases when it comes to professional wrestling. I have held off on addressing this topic in my column for a couple of reasons, but the main one is that I wanted to see how the first couple of weeks of the angle played out.

    Well, without seeing the episode that aired last night in America, I've pretty much seen enough already & figure that this is clearly all a swerve turn in order to attempt to get CM Punk even more of a face reaction. I'm almost (probably 90%) certain that this is the case & that Punk will be back to a face by the end of May at the very latest. The outside & interesting possibility though is that Punk does carry through with a heel turn, but it's a turn whose main objective it is to break up the New Breed. So while many felt that he was a lone-wolf face previously, could it be possible that he may actually end up a lone-wolf heel? I doubt it as he would probably get cheered too much, but it's worth a thought I think.


    MAIN - Raw Review

    I figured that I reviewed the post-WrestleMania episode of Raw, so why not balance that off with a pre-ppv episode as well? Television shows in the week leading up to a pay-per-view are always a tough task to master, as it is tricky to get the correct balance of selling the upcoming event while putting on an above-average show as well. The WWE have been hit & miss on such shows over the past few months, so let's see if they could get it right this time around.....

    As per usual with my television show reviews, they will be in point form & nowhere near as detailed as my PPV Reviews. Don't be surprised if I throw in some sarcasm as well...

    - Shane O'Mac opens proceedings (presumably for a little bit of variety from the usual Vince promo). For the 3rd time in as many television shows, we see the video package of Santino Marella defeating Umaga to win the InterContinental Title, before Shane challenges any local to a match. At this stage, I am begging for Vinnie Jones to head to the ring! Instead, we get a Jose Mourinho tease & I can tell you that man can get natural heel heat with his post-most interviews that sometimes resemble wrestling promos!

    - FWA wrestler Robbie Brookside ends up being Shane's opponent & we get to see some decent wrestling (dominated by Shane) in the first couple of minutes before McMahon (too) quickly hits the Van Terminator. Instead of pinning the Englishman though, Shane grabs the mic & announces that this is a handicap match, as Umaga heads to the ring! A couple of high-impact moves later & out comes Vince to make the pin. Half a match & half a segment, this wasn't the best ppv hype I have ever seen, but sufficiently gained heel heat and was at least relevant & something different. For those 3 reasons, this was successful.

    - A nice (& slightly different than usual) video highlights package of the Cena vs Michaels WrestleMania 23 match is aired next. Excellent job here that gave the bout something extra, while increasing the anticipation for tonight's main event.

    - Up next was Matt Hardy vs Trevor Murdoch in a typical singles match lead-up to a ppv tag-team title match. Solid bout that wasn't anything special & was most noteworthy for the debut of Murdoch's flipping powerbomb finisher. It wasn't too bad, but Murdoch is no Petey Williams, that's for sure!

    - Our 3rd match of the night was Women's Champion Melina defeating Maria. Very short match that was actually going quite well before it ended very prematurely after a faceplant variation. Mickie James making some sort of a post-match beat-down save would have been nice here, but alas, it did not come!

    - The Great Khali takes on Carlito next & the bout pretty much books itself predictably. I suppose that using Khali as a co-star in the break-up of Carlito & Flair storyline is at least showing some sort of direction for the huge Indian. Flair comes out to help Carlito afterwards & Mr Cool wants nothing of it. I really fear for the success of Carlito's eventual heel turn!

    - Mick Foley then delivers his cheap pop backstage before being interrupted by Edge, who basically hypes the Backlash fatal fourway main-event. A nothing segment.

    - We then get a little backstage face-off between Cena & HBK. It was nothing special, but was a nice & effective way of building up the importance of the #1 title in the professional wrestling industry. Cena is always good at these types of promos.

    - Our apparent main-event of the evening starts only a few minutes into the 2nd half & eventually ends up going all the way through to the end of the show! A solid, if standard, beginning to the bout is mainly noteworthy for HBK's frustrations in Cena getting close to applying the STF-U on a number of occasions. The bout slows down after the first 5 minutes or so with Cena holding on to a headlock (not too dissimilarly to the Piper vs Brisco bout I reviewed last week) for a long while, which begins some duel chanting from the crowd. HBK goes chop-happy from there, while Cena gets in his usual entertaining flurries of offense, gaining some 2 counts along the way.

    HBK gets a 2 count himself with a nice backslide before Cena hits an F-U from out of nowhere, which HBK kicks out of to a huge pop from the crowd! The champ then targets HBK's lower back & this includes a bearhug. An impressive top-rope leg-drop from Cena then gets a close 2 count, before Michaels hits a powerbomb as the action heads to ringside. HBK attempts a piledriver on the steel steps, but Cena counters with a backdrop & then locks on a messy-looking STF-U back in the ring. But HBK reaches the ropes eventually, before hitting Sweet Chin Music, only for Cena to escape the same way his opponent just had. A very good finishing sequence of a couple of false finishes follows soon after as HBK strikes the fatal blow with a 2nd Sweet Chin Music for the non-title victory!

    - It would be interesting to know if the plan was for such a long match when the bout was booked, or if it was changed due to Randy Orton's indiscretions. I'm guessing the latter and that this is one of those examples where the WWE (& the 2 wrestlers involved) have made the most of the situation they were placed in. A terrific match that was pay-per-view worthy & proved just what extra psychology (through extra time) can do for a tv bout. I especially loved the frustration of Cena in not being able to keep HBK down & pin him, while HBK was his usual reliable self, if not totally at his best. If this was on ppv, I would probably rate it an 8. It was inferior to their WrestleMania bout as it didn't quite seem as natural to me, while also having a couple of extra slow spots. But let's not concentrate on the negatives as this was an excellent bout that fans are not usually treated to on free television.


    Overall, you would have to say that this was an above average episode of Raw. It's difficult to think otherwise when the main-event of the evening was so good. I do have my concerns as to whether it was best placed less than a week prior to a ppv event, but extraordinary circumstances (the Orton debacle, as well as being in England) may have forced the WWE's hands here. Elsewhere, 2 of the other ppv matches were hyped decently, if not spectacularly & nothing was too bad (although the lack of hype for the Women's Title match does not bode well for that Backlash bout). Overall, a job well done. Once more, the WWE, it's wrestlers & it's fans get the job done well while overseas!


    DESSERT - Backlash Predictions

    THE HARDYZ vs LANCE CADE & TREVOR MURDOCH for the World Tag-Team Titles: This will most probably be the opener, if only for the huge pop that Matt & Jeff will likely get to open the show. Like most people, I think it was a very good idea to reunite The Hardyz as a tag-team, even if it is not for the long-term, to be the reliable champions of a hopefully improving Raw tag-team division. I also have no problem in building up challengers such as Cade & Murdoch (don't worry, Haas & Benjamin will get their turn I think). Whether the cowboys have been built up adequately is another matter & I personally don't feel that they have. I have been impressed with the heels in short spurts though & they should be made to look fairly good against the always entertaining Hardyz. The result is pretty much beyond debate though. Winners: The Hardyz

    CHRIS BENOIT vs MVP for the United States Title: While an argument could be made for this feud being extended until May's Judgment Day, I'm unsure if this particular feud is hurt by it's positioning here due to the advent of these so-called tri-branded ppvs. While the feud hasn't exactly been feud of the year material, it has been decent & the in-ring action has made it easily successful. These 2 had a surprisingly good bout at WrestleMania 23 & then followed it up well a few weeks back on SmackDown. I can't see why they couldn't do it again here, although I do feel that some variety needs to be added to keep it fresh as such. As for the result, I see no reason for these 2 to keep wrestling each other unless the plan was for MVP to win the title. This seems like the perfect place for it. Winner: MVP

    BOBBY LASHLEY vs UMAGA, VINCE McMAHON & SHANE McMAHON in a Handicap Match for the ECW World Title: Following WrestleMania, I figured the WWE would head in some sort of Lashley vs Vince direction, but never did I think it would be this overbooked. Even if Umaga was somehow involved (& I expected so), what the hell is Shane doing here, as he is wasted in this bit part role? And now we have this strange handicap match where the person who pins Lashley wins the ECW Title! That type of booking is usually a forerunner to a face turn, but it seems unlikely that any of the heel trio will turn here. This needs to be booked carefully or it could really turn into a schamozzle. If it is booked wisely (& performed well) though, it could be similarly entertaining to the representative hair vs hair match at WM23. I have been saying for a few weeks now that if Umaga lost the InterContinental Title before Backlash, he would win the ECW Title here. But now that the time has come, do I have the nuts to follow through with that prediction? Well, my nuts are there, but the prediction isn't. For all I know, even if a heel does emerge victorious, it could be either of the McMahons anyway. So, for safety..... Winner: Bobby Lashley

    THE UNDERTAKER vs BATISTA In A Last Man Standing Match for the World HeavyWeight Title: Following this match-ups placement on the WrestleMania card, expect this bout to end up anywhere from opener to main-event. This feud has been creeping along almost subliminally since their excellent WrestleMania match. Maybe due to the quality of that bout, the build-up for this specific match has been made to look adequate. I've never been a huge fan of the Last Man Standing gimmick match, but right here is where it could be used to perfection. These 2 big men have to go all out though & provide the extra brutality (& blood) that was missing from their WrestleMania 23 title match. If they do, this could be a rip-snorter. If they don't, I think this will simply be a good title bout. Not too much question about the result though & I will be genuinely surprised if there is a title change. Winner: The Undertaker

    MELINA vs MICKIE JAMES for the Women's Title: Just like last month, I am torn as to which way the WWE are heading with the Women's Division. There just seems to be no great plan of direction at the moment. Do they go with the reported headcase heel to remain champion, or the woman whose face character simply hasn't taken off since her turn? Or do they simply flip a coin from month to month? These 2 really struggled against each other in a mini-feud during February, so let's hope they have improved since then. My gut tells me Mickie will emerge victorious here, but with many other faces favored on this card, I will predict that Melina retains. Winner: Melina

    JOHN CENA vs SHAWN MICHAELS vs EDGE vs RANDY ORTON in a Fatal Fourway for the WWE Championship: As I stated a couple of weeks ago, this Fatal Fourway match-up could have easily passed for the WM23 main-event. But, ignoring Orton's international hiccup, this particular bout has been built up well with the Cena & HBK interaction reaching fever-pitch this past Monday, with Edge never failing to get involved in his usual underhanded ways. Let's just hope Orton's presence (or non-presence) does not throw the bout out. It's difficult to see this not being good with the talent involved & the endless possibilities that could occur, so quality is almost assured here.

    The major questions are who wins & what length does the match go? Could we see another 50+ minute match here? As for the result, I initially felt that this was the perfect opportunity to relieve Cena of the title without making him look weak. But the concern is that none of the 3 challengers are screaming out for a title reign right now. HBK's huge win on Monday, Edge's injury & Orton being an idiot suggests that it will be status quo until Judgment Day. Edge is the most likely of the trio to emerge victorious, but I will play it safe & say that...... Winner: John Cena

    Ok, so there we have the 2007 version of 'Backlash' as it currently stands. This is the first of many pay-per-views that the WWE are calling "tri-branded events", so it will be an important show for the company. Only 6 matches have been announced thus far & it is very much possible that this is the amount of bouts that will eventually grace the card. That will all depend on the amount of time planned for the fatal fourway main-event. If there is another match added, it is likely to be The Great Khali vs Ric Flair and/or Carlito. Whether it's a singles or handicap match, if such a match-up does occur, I am predicting a Khali victory.

    On paper, this looks like a darn good card with all matches being title bouts & some pretty good match-ups that are sure to guarantee at least a "good" show. Like WrestleMania 23 though, the barometer to me here is the 'Taker vs Batista bout. If those 2 are allowed to go all out on what is basically still a Raw pay-per-view, then this could be heading towards 'PPV of the Year' contention!!! If not, then many fans might not feel as positive about these so-called tri-branded ppv's as the WWE want them to be!


    Okely dokely, that's it for edition #228 of 'The Wrestling Menu'. I hope you enjoyed this surprise of sorts & enjoyed the break of not having the planned DVD review this week. If there is anything amongst my Raw review, Backlash predictions or hotch-potch of an 'Appetizers' section that you wish to discuss, please don't hesitate to send me your thoughts via e-mail. You know that I will reply to all feedback. My e-mail address is DaveyBoy123@bigpond.com, but if you are an LOP Forums member, it would be much appreciated if you could leave feedback on my thread at http://www.lopforums.com/showthread.php?t=217&page=5.

    PLEASE NOTE: Over the past couple of days, I have been having difficulties sending emails due to ISP problems. I can receive & read emails fine, but continue to encounter errors when sending. So please note this regarding the timing of any reply. Once more, I encourage feedback to my LOP Forums thread if you are a member there.

    Next Wednesday in 'The Wrestling Menu', I will be reviewing the Backlash pay-per-view as well as reviewing the second disc of the 3 disc 'Rowdy' Roddy Piper DVD set. So that means that my weekly posting streak stretches to 19 months next Wednesday May-2. As per usual, my column will be posted at the same Wednesday time on the same LOP channel. 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

    Exclusive To LordsOfPain.net / WrestlingHeadlines.com




  • Jeff Hardy Skips Court Appearance & WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2010 Rumored Names (think FACEPAINT)

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