When in Rome XXI - Beginnings
Submitted by romans_3:23 on Tuesday, January 8, 2008 at 8:42 PM EST





Welcome to When in Rome, the column that’s so hot you need to sign a waiver to read it. In all seriousness, have you heard about the Chicago eatery, Jake Melnick's Corner Tap, that is selling wings whose sauce consists of Red Savina, one of the world’s hottest peppers? Anybody looking to eat these wings has to sign a waiver saying that they won’t hold the restaurant responsible for any injuries incurred while eating them. The restaurant is also providing customers who experience problems while eating the wings an alarm bell to summon their waiter for help. I don’t know about you, but I’m not looking to risk bodily harm just to eat some chicken wings, so no thank you Mr. Melnick.

Well this is my first official column as a main page writer here on lordsofpain.net. I just want to thank Calvin for the opportunity and I promise that I will try my best not to disappoint. Some of you might remember my writing from last summer when I had the chance to post two main page columns because of my two Column of the Month victories in the LOP Columns Forum. If you remember me, cool. If not, well hello everybody. It’s great to be writing for the main page audience and I hope you enjoy my little blend of all things wrestling and Biblical. This is kind of a new beginning for my column series, seeing that I’m on the main page now. So the major theme throughout this column will be “beginnings.”

But before we reach the beginning, it’s time for a little…


Apocrypha


Jeff Hardy is really taking advantage of his push to the top of Raw. I am pleasantly surprised at just how much he has improved as of late on the mic – his programs with Triple H and Randy Orton have seemingly brought the best out of Jeff – and his in ring work has gotten crisper and more fluid, now that he is working with top tier opponents. Last night’s “Whisper in the Wind” off the top of the cage against Umaga should go down as one of the all time best Raw moments ever, especially because of the tremendous pop the live crowd gave to the finish. At this point, I would not care at all if Jeff defeated Randy Orton and went into Wrestlemania 24 as the WWE champion.

The crowd seems to be buying Hardy as a main event player, and I never thought he would ever achieve that status. WWE would be wise to go with the flow and let Hardy come out of the Royal Rumble with the title. Why not test him out as champion? If his reaction dwindles quickly, WWE always has the option of putting the belt back on Orton at No Way Out, but if the crowds remain behind Jeff, I see no reason to not roll with this push and give the people what they want.

Jeff Hardy in the main event at Wrestlemania – I actually can picture it and it doesn’t look bad at all.

Mr. Kennedy finally has a finisher. Thank goodness. I never could see him reaching his full potential without having a legit finishing move in his repertoire. While the “Mic Check” is not an original invention, it looks painful (at least so far with HBK selling it) and it is the type of move that Kennedy could apply to anyone in WWE from Big Daddy V to Brian Kendrick. I really believe that is the true measure of a great finisher – you have to be able to hit it properly on any opponent you face. That’s why the Green Bay Plunge, while being a sight to behold, was not the best finisher for Kennedy. He is seriously limited in who he could apply the hold to. Since Kennedy isn’t a behemoth in his own right, he really couldn’t lift all his opponents, especially from the elevated position on the second turnbuckle to hit the move. Hopefully Kennedy will break out the Green Bay Plunge every once in a while against smaller opponents, but I am quite pleased with his new, more effective finisher.

In some news outside the squared circle, the NFL playoffs are in full swing and it appears that the undefeated Patriots and the 13-3 Colts are very likely to continue their epic rivalry in the AFC Championship game. I say don’t sleep on the Chargers. Indy routinely has trouble beating teams that play a 3-4 defense. They have lost their past two games to the Chargers – Peyton Manning actually threw six interceptions in their previous meeting on Nov. 11, and the Colts infamously lost a divisional playoff game in January of 2006 at home to the underdog Pittsburgh Steelers, another team that plays the 3-4.

If the Colts are going to repeat as Super Bowl champs, it is likely that they will have to defeat three opponents who play the 3-4, San Diego, New England and quite possibly Dallas in the Super Bowl. So, I have some strong doubts whether Indy can pull off the repeat.

Some quick NFL predictions for the weekend

New England over Jacksonville

Indianapolis over San Diego (Yeah, even with what I said earlier, I still think that San Diego is flawed as a team and will lose this week against the Colts.)

Green Bay over Seattle

Dallas over NY Giants.

Well that’s enough of that let’s get on with the main portion of this column…


The Gospel Truth


Genesis 1:1, 1:27-28

1:1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth… 1:27-28 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. 28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth."

As I wrote earlier, this column is about beginnings, and the above Scripture is part of the account of the beginning in which God made everything and crowned humanity as his kings over the creation, who were to reign above all the created order while remaining subservient to the creator God’s rule.

This time of year is a time for new “beginnings” on the WWE calendar. The Royal Rumble is right around the corner and that event typically gives us a good feel on which superstars will begin to exert their rule over the WWE universe throughout this year. In fact, the past seven Rumble winners have exited Wrestlemania as a World Champion. Now, I’d like to take a look at the five guys who I think would make great Rumble winners and post-Wrestlemania World Champions in 2008.

5. The Undertaker

If the rumors about Edge vs. Undertaker in a streak vs. streak World Title match at Wrestlemania are true, the Undertaker is the most obvious candidate to win the 2008 Rumble. Since Taker coming out victorious seems so obvious, I am putting him at the bottom of my list. I don’t really want to simply see a rehash of last year’s Rumble in which Taker emerged as the winner. While Taker is an all time great, I don’t want to see him repeat as the Rumble winner because WWE has such a deep roster at the moment. WWE should spread the accolades around and not just heap them upon a guy who is already mega over and doesn’t need another Rumble win to add to his credibility.

If WWE does go the obvious route and Taker wins the Rumble, I’d like to see Taker enter the Rumble early as one of the first two participants and last the whole match to gain the win. Traditionally Taker enters the Rumble late. I believe that he has entered the Rumble at number 30 more times than anybody in history, and he was the first guy to win from the number 30 slot last year. If Taker’s going to get the duke, make him earn it by going out there for the full hour. That would be different and make this year’s Rumble a worthwhile watch.

Regardless, if Taker wins the Rumble or not, he would make for a very credible ruler over the Smackdown kingdom after Wrestlemania. Unfortunately, Taker had to drop the World Title last May after suffering an injury and he did not get the opportunity to have a long championship reign for the first time in his career. Maybe WWE wants to give Taker that “Last Ride” in the spotlight as Smackdown’s champion before he hangs up his boots. If so, I’d love to see him reign until Wrestlemania 25 and eventually go against John Cena, as I believe that is the closest replication of the Wrestlemania 3 Main Event which featured Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant that we will ever have in the near future. I’m a huge proponent of Cena being the guy to end Taker’s WM win streak, and the silver anniversary of Mania deserves a main event of that caliber.

4. Chris Jericho

At this writing, it appears unlikely that Jericho will even be a participant in the Rumble this year. He is set to face JBL in a big one on one match that most likely will only be the beginning of a feud that should stretch until Wrestlemania. While many superstars have done double duty in the past and have wrestled in both undercard matches and the Rumble match itself, the WWE with its deep roster doesn’t need anyone to hog the ppv spotlight. Jericho vs. JBL is a high enough profile match in its own right and neither should be in the Rumble. It’s just unnecessary.

But, let’s say that WWE has other plans and decides to surprise us by ending the Jericho/JBL feud quickly with Jericho going over at the Rumble and then winning the Rumble match later that night. Jericho in the main event at Mania would definitely redeem the major hype that his return received last year, but in all likelihood, Jericho is going to be in an upper mid card battle with JBL at Mania.

After Jericho first returned, I really wanted to see him win the Rumble and defeat Randy Orton for the WWE title at Mania. I believed that the fans would’ve solidly been behind that plan, but evidently that is not the case (or WWE bookers have decided that is not the case.) Apparently, WWE does not view Jericho as worthy of main eventing at this year’s Mania, which surprises me after Jericho did such a wonderful job of representing WWE outside the ring during the fallout of last year’s Benoit tragedy. I don’t think any wrestler from the past or present did as well as Jericho in making the WWE look good in light of Benoit. Jericho sounded intelligent and balanced in every interview he granted and did not have to resort to platitudes like so many other WWE wrestlers about entertaining the fans and whatnot. He seemed genuine and I fully expected him to have a shot as the WWE flag bearer if he ever returned.

Winning the Rumble would put Jericho back on course to rule Raw this next year, but this scenario is extremely unlikely. More likely I see Jericho moving to Smackdown at some point this year and having some fresh feuds with guys like Taker, Edge and even the Great Khali. But I would welcome Y2J as the main event at WM 24.

3. Triple H

Now why should I write about Trips’ chances at winning the Rumble? Storyline wise he is barred from entering because of his DQ loss to Ric Flair on New Year’s Eve, but until the Rumble actually takes place I’m reserving the right to believe that one way or another that Trips will find his way into the match.

Of course, Trips doesn’t necessarily need to participate in the Rumble to gain a main event match against Randy Orton at WM 24. Another rampant rumor is that No Way Out will feature an Elimination Chamber match to decide who will wrestle for the championship that the Rumble winner chooses not to compete for. So, Trips would definitely be a favorite to win the Elimination Chamber if the expected occurs and Undertaker wins the Rumble and goes on to wrestle Edge at Mania.

But, let’s say that Trips somehow gets into the Rumble and wins. No one could deny that Trips is not a worthy choice to rule over Raw after Mania, but a Trips Rumble win has similar problems as a Taker win – it’s too obvious and there is not really a compelling reason to bestow another Rumble victory on Trips, who already won a Rumble back in 2002. I say again, why not let someone else win?

However, a major reason why I think Trips would make a good winner is that it would make the rumored Elimination Chamber match a Smackdown event. I know I’d love to see a Chamber match featuring Taker, Batista, MVP, Finlay, Flair and Khali. Raw has always had the Elimination Chamber as one of its matches (except for 2006’s ECW Chamber.) Why not give the match a different feel by letting Smackdown have a go round with it? This would at least shake up the road to Wrestlemania a little bit – I’m sure many people could see Ric Flair as coming out victorious since his next loss will be his final match. Of course if Taker won, WWE could always go the route they did with Mick Foley in 2000 when he lost a career ending match at the Rumble to Triple H only to have one last go at Wrestlemania 2000. They could do the same now and give Flair one more match at Mania.

In all I think I find a Smackdown Chamber preferable over a Raw version this time around.

2. Batista

Another rumored Rumble winner is “The Animal” Batista. I actually like the prospect of Big Dave winning the Rumble and jumping over to Raw to meet Randy Orton in a match up of former Evolution mates. Why? Mainly because Batista has become seriously stale on Smackdown. While Batista has remained over with the Smackdown audience, especially with the kids, outside of feuding with MVP and elevating him to the top of the card – what is left for Dave to do on Smackdown? Nothing.

A move to Raw however, opens up a world of new possibilities for Batista. He could have fresh match ups with Orton, Jericho, Jeff Hardy, Shawn Michaels, Umaga and of course John Cena. I would even welcome a rehash of Batista’s 2005 feud with Triple H over anything he would do on Smackdown. Also, if Batista wrestled in the Raw main event, it would allow WWE to go a different route with Triple H, who at this point in his career does not really need to wrestle in the main event at Mania. Trips may be better served by filling up the midcard with more star power and wrestling a match against Vince or a returning Lashley or even Kennedy instead of going for World title number 12. Storyline wise, it also would make a great deal of sense to have Trips against Vince or one of his assassins, instead of in the main event.

So in all, Batista would benefit from a character refresh and headlining another Mania. The only drawback is that he is another guy who has already won a Rumble match. But really, what is there for Batista to do if he doesn’t go against Orton? MITB maybe? Yet another run with the Smackdown gold? I say that moving Dave to Raw benefits everyone, and WWE should jump at this opportunity.

That is unless they go in this direction – with a winner that seems highly unlikely, but quite preferable to me…

1. Shelton Benjamin

Didn’t see that coming as my number one choice, did you? I would mark hard for a Shelton Rumble victory. Why? Giving Benjamin a win would be completely unpredictable; it would cement him as a legit main eventer, and most importantly it would add a significant amount of luster to the ECW World Title if Benjamin chose to wrestle for that championship after winning the Rumble. Now, I’m not saying that the ECW title match should go on last at Mania, but there is a precedent of the Rumble winner’s match not occurring last (Taker vs. Batista was not the true “main event” last year, but Cena/HBK.) I say let the ECW title match feature Benjamin vs. CM Punk and let it go before the Smackdown and Raw title matches. Just the fact that the Rumble winner came from ECW would add to the hype of what otherwise would be a likely opener for WM 24.

But, some of you might think that this idea is a waste of the Rumble rub, but I disagree. What other scenario has all the benefits of this Benjamin one? Some will say that Benjamin isn’t worthy of winning the Rumble, but is he any less worthy than Rey Mysterio, who won in 2006? Or Hacksaw Jim Duggan, who won the first Rumble in 1988? I don’t think so. If anything a Rumble win will simply cement Shelton as a true main eventer. The ECW title would also gain much prestige if the Rumble winner chose it as his target at Mania. Suddenly instead of only Raw and Smackdown being primary heading into Mania, ECW would become must see TV as I figure many would want to see exactly why WWE gave Benjamin a Rumble victory.

People who tune in to ECW would be treated to a guy who has upped his game as of late, both in the ring and on the stick ever since becoming the “Gold Standard” of WWE. I like how Shelton has kind of adapted the beginning of his entrance music “Ain’t No Stopping Me Now!” into a Booker T like catchphrase. Also Benjamin is finally evolving into the cocky, athletic heel character that he should’ve been playing all along now that he is on ECW. His character has taken a serious tone – he wants everyone to realize he’s the best pure wrestler in the world – and there is no more “Momma” or Charlie Haas holding him down. This isn’t the same Shelton who was nothing more than a glorified jobber on Raw, but a Shelton who I believe could take the push of being the 2008 Rumble winner and run with it. A Shelton win would elevate both a king and a kingdom and I don’t see any drawback in that.

Well that’s my list of my top five choices to emerge from this new beginning as “rulers” over WWE. What do you think? Be sure to drop me an email and tell my exactly why you agree, or why I’m out of my mind. I welcome any and all feedback – just send it to romes_writings@yahoo.com


Before I wrap this up – it’s time for some


Proverbs

Who is the wise man of this age? He is the one who reads Your Ayatollah’s All About the Game: 28 Weeks Later

The eater eats to sustain his energy, but the glutton feasts until he cannot move. Go therefore and snack upon Big Brother’s I’ve Got to Tell You Something 61: Wrestling With Comics

Evil is all around us – but how can we decipher it? Read SUPERFAN!’s Superfiles Edition 18.0: Corporate Evil to find out.

Well you’ve just finished reading the uninspired, fallible, opinion only word of Rome. Take it for what it’s worth. Remember to check out the LOP Columns Forum and support the fledging columnists who ply their trade there. Join the community, read and feedback some columns and write some of your own. You won’t be disappointed if you do.

Also, don’t forget to email me, romans_3:23 , at romes_writings@yahoo.com.

Later all.








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